What Adam Curry is reading

Should Government Regulate Ethical Standards In Journalism? - YouTube
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  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:51
BBC NEWS | Programmes | File on 4 | CIA prisoners 'tortured' in Arab jails
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  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:40
  By Stephen GreyBBC Radio 4's File on 4
  A former CIA official has confirmed suspicions that dozens of terror suspects have been flown to jails in Middle Eastern countries where torture is routinely practised, and without reference to courts of law.Michael Scheuer, who once headed the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and left the CIA last November after a 22-year career, said the practice, known as "extraordinary rendition", was seen by the US as a key tactic in its war on terror.
  "The bottom line is getting anyone off the streets who is involved in acts of terrorism is a worthwhile activity," he told the BBC's File On 4 programme.
  Mr Scheuer said the operation was authorised at the highest levels of the CIA and the White House and was approved by their lawyers."The practice of capturing people and taking them to second or third countries arose because the Executive assigned the job of dismantling terrorist cells to the CIA.
  "When the agency came back and said 'Where do you want to take them?' the message was 'That's your job'."
  He added: "The idea that this is a rogue operation that someone has dreamt up is just absurd. I personally have no problem with doing any operation as long as it's justified legal by my superiors."
  UN convention violated
  The former CIA officer acknowledged that some of the suspects sent to places such as Egypt could then be tortured.
  But he said: "It wouldn't be us torturing them and I think there is a lot of Hollywood involved with our portrayal of torture in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
  "Human rights is a very flexible concept... It depends how hypocritical you want to be on a particular day."
  Human rights campaigners, however, find it difficult to reconcile rendition with President Bush's claims of upholding the United Nations convention against torture. It says: "No state shall expel, return or exradite a person to another state where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture."
  Mr Scheuer was among other ex-CIA officers who told File On 4 that as well as sending people to Guantanamo Bay, both the CIA and the US military were sending dozens of others to prisons in countries such as Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
  The investigation looks at the dangers of sending potentially innnocent people to these regimes where, according to the Americans' own State Department, torture is readily practised.It hears from a Canadian man called Maher Arar, who was stopped by US officials when travelling through New York's JFK airport in September 2002 and sent to Syria where he was held for a year. He says he was brutally tortured.
  The reason for his arrest was information passed to the US by Canada, linking him to a terrorist suspect in Ottawa.
  Mr Arar is a Syrian national by birth but holds a Canadian passport. Once in Syria, he says he was kept in a tiny cell for over 10 months at the Damascus headquarters of the Syrian secret police.
  One day, after 18 hours of torture, he falsely confessed to having been to Afghanistan.
  US Guantanamo Bay camp: Attacked for flouting human rights
  "The interrogator said: 'What is this?' I said: 'A cable'. He said: 'Open your hand,' and he hit it. The pain was awful."I was crying. Then he told me to open my left hand and he hit me. Then he would ask me more questions.
  "An hour or two later he'd put me in a room and I could hear people being tortured. They'd be saying: 'Oh Allah! Oh God!' I could hear people screaming."
  Mr Arar was released and flown home to Ottawa three days short of a year after being placed in Syrian custody.
  No legal charges have ever been brought against him in either country. In Canada, where his case has caused a political outcry, a public inquiry is under way.
  Electric shocks
  An Australian named Mamdouh Habib was sent to Egypt in October 2001 by US authorities after being captured in Pakistan.
  He was held in Egypt for six months, and said he was subjected to extreme torture involving electric shocks, before he was sent onwards to Guantanamo.
  He was released last month and flown home to Australia.
  The programme also reveals that an official investigation is under way in Italy into suspicions that an Islamic militant was kidnapped off the streets of Milan and flown to Egypt by American agents.
  Executive jets
  Critics of the extraordinary rendition policy told File On 4 that British citizens have been arrested abroad and moved by the US to Guantanamo and to Arab prisons as a result of the sharing of intelligence with British security services or the British police.
  Wahab al-Rawi, a British businessman, also claims he was arrested in the Gambia and questioned by American agents in November 2002, after the US was tipped off by British authorities.
  Wahab was freed but his brother and a business partner were flown on to Guantanamo, where they are still being held.
  It is known that the American civilian executive jets used to transport the prisoners around the world often pass through British airspace and use British airports. The File On 4 team discovered one was in Glasgow on Monday.
  A Foreign Office spokesperson told the programme it totally condemned torture but could not rule out using any reliable intelligence wherever it came from if it was going to save lives.
  The US Department of Defense, the CIA, and the State Department all declined requests for interviews.
  File On 4: BBC Radio 4, Tuesday 8 February, 2005 at 2000 GMT.
Rick Warren Compares Being Gay to 'Punching a Guy in the Nose' and Arsenic
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  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:31
  MORGAN: Pastor Rick Warren speaking out against same-sex marriage. And I'm back with him now.
  So let's talk about gay marriage for a moment because clearly a number of states in America are moving to legalize this and it's becoming less and less of a kind of hot button issue and more of a sort of inevitable change in social times. Your position has remained pretty entrenched about this.
  Here's my issue with it. Unless I'm wrong, and clarify this for me. You base your opposition to it on the literal interpretation of what the bible says about marriage. Am I right?
  WARREN: Yes, that's true. Everybody has a source of authority for their lives. Some people, the source of authority is culture. Some people, their source of authority is philosophy. Everybody has a world view. My world view simply happens to be based on a literal and strict interpretation of scripture. Not everybody's interpretation but it is mine.
  MORGAN: Right. Now here's my problem. Because I'm a catholic like you, and I respect the bible enormously, and I respect all --
  WARREN: Yes.
  MORGAN: Actually all religious beliefs from everybody. But here's my problem with taking the literal interpretation of the bible to the modern era and not allowing yourself to move with the times and it's this. There are so many things in the bible which are plainly ridiculous these days, right?
  Children who curse their parents will be put to death. There would be no children left over the age of 8 in America, right? With the possible exception of yours.
  WARREN: Yes.
  MORGAN: And if you commit adultery, you will be put to death.
  WARREN: Yes.
  MORGAN: But you yourself in an interview with Ann Curry on NBC, which I remember watching, you admitted you have looked lustfully at women but you've never actually sealed the deal. Now if you look lustfully at women according to Matthew 5:28, it says, "I tell you anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." You then go to Leviticus who says, "If you commit adultery, you should be put to death."
  You're going to have to stone yourself, Rick Warren, if you take the bible literally.
  WARREN: I know where you're going with this. This is a very common misunderstanding on the laws of scripture, Piers. There aren't -- there aren't just one set of laws in scripture. There are actually three sets of laws and they are not equally binding. Many people think every law in the bible is the exact same kind of law.
  In the bible, there are three kinds of laws. There are civil laws, which by the way apply only to the nation of Israel. Those are called civil laws. There are ceremonial laws which are the laws that apply to cleanliness as kosher Jews would practice today, in the laws of Leviticus, the priestly laws that are ceremonial laws that involve worship, and then there are moral laws. As a Christian, I'm not bound by the civil laws given to the nation of Israel, and I'm not even bound by the ceremonial laws given to the priesthood of Israel. I am bound, I believe, to the moral laws. The "Ten Commandments" are neither civil laws nor ceremonial. Those are moral laws. They were the ones chiseled in stone.
  And so when people make this -- it's a very common argument. Yes, but what about this law and what about this law. Well, granted, OK, that was that law for that point in time, and I'm under no obligation to do that. But when a law says, for instance, you will always tell the truth, you may not lie, sorry, that doesn't matter how times change. I am --
  (CROSSTALK)
  MORGAN: But here's my -- here's my -- here's my confusion about you.
  WARREN: Sure.
  MORGAN: Because you've been with your wife Kay, extremely generous in tackling things like AIDS.
  WARREN: Right.
  MORGAN: You've given millions to helping fight AIDS.
  WARREN: Right.
  (CROSSTALK)
  MORGAN: Don't tell you don't have any --
  WARREN: And worked with gay organizations all around the world.
  MORGAN: Right. Right. So you clearly have no problem with gay people per se.
  WARREN: Yes.
  MORGAN: And yet you want to prevent them having the same rights to get married as straight people. That leads me to I suppose a more obvious supplementary question. Do you personally believe that gay people are born gay? Or do they become gay? Are they made gay?
  WARREN: Yes. Yes. You know what, I think the jury's still out on that. It wouldn't -- it wouldn't bother me if there was, quote, "a gay gene" found, because here's what we know about life. I have all kinds of natural feelings in my life and it doesn't necessarily mean that I should act on every feeling. Sometimes I get angry and I feel like punching a guy in the nose. It doesn't mean I act on it.
  Sometimes I -- as you pointed out, sometimes I feel attracted to women who are not my wife. I don't act on it. Just because I have a feeling doesn't make it right. Not everything natural is good for me. Arsenic is natural --MORGAN: Yes, but that's -- but that's why, Rick, that's why -- I have to jump in again.
  WARREN: Sure.
  MORGAN: That is why, though, this is such an interesting debate, because, you know, I just -- I just believe fundamentally and passionately that gay people are born gay. I don't think you become gay. And I think if you were able to convince yourself that they were born gay, you would see it differently. You would see it as a natural condition that people are gay, and then you may change your mind about their rights to have the same fundamental rights as straight people.
  But if you still believe that they're not born gay but become or get turned gay, then I can see that you can hide behind that as the justification, if you like, for not endorsing same-sex marriage.
  WARREN: Sure. Sure. I do not believe attraction is a sin, but I do believe that some actions are sin. I'm not responsible for all of my attractions. We know, for instance, that some people are born with natural predispositions toward certain things, either good or bad. Every one of us have those.
  I may not -- I'm automatically attracted to certain kinds of art, certain kinds of music, certain kinds -- I don't think that's a matter of right or wrong. But the bible clearly states that I am absolutely in control of my actions, and since I have chosen as my authority for my life not the government, not common culture, like that. And by the way, I appreciate the way you're developing this right now, because this is the very kind of discussions that we need to be having that are saying, that treat everybody with dignity, that treat everybody with love, but could disagree on certain issues and still say, you know what, I don't agree with that guy but I think he has come to his position from his background and from his basis.
  MORGAN: OK. Rick, we're going to take -- I want to take a short break.
Daily Press Briefing - November 28, 2012
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  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:27
  1:04 p.m. EST
  MS. NULAND: All right. Happy Wednesday, everyone. We have a group of Chinese guests in the other room, so that they can have some interpretation. They are spokespeople from the Chinese Government, and we want to give a big ni hao to them. I have nothing for you at the top, so let's go to what's on your minds.
  QUESTION: Well, let's start with your incredibly successful efforts to lobby other countries not to vote in favor of the Palestinian resolution at the UN, not only that but also your attempt at secret diplomacy by sending '' stealthily sending the Deputy Secretary of State to see Abbas in New York. What did he '' what exactly did he want to get from Abbas, and did he get it? Because it seems pretty clear that the Palestinians are going ahead. And it's not pretty clear, it's 100 '' it's certain that they're going ahead.
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, there was nothing secret about the Deputy Secretary's trip to New York to see President Abbas. I think we'd said two days in a row here that we expected to have a senior member of the Administration go up and see President Abbas, following up on the meeting that the Secretary had about 10 days ago.
  QUESTION: Okay. Just on that, was it '' that meeting '' that it was going to be him and that it would be him having that meeting and that meeting today was known before the briefing yesterday, correct?
  MS. NULAND: We made a decision that we would announce that a senior official would go up but that we would not announce the substance of the meeting or the actual facts surrounding it until after the meeting had happened.
  QUESTION: Because you --
  MS. NULAND: That was something that we did by agreement with the Palestinian side. So just to give you all what we have here: Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and our Special Envoy for Middle East Peace David Hale did go up to New York and see President Abbas this morning. As you know, we meet with him frequently. The Secretary saw him just some 10 days ago when she was in Ramallah. They obviously had a discussion about the peace process, but they also reiterated the U.S. Government's very real concern about the Palestinian initiative in the UN General Assembly.
  We've been clear, we've been consistent with the Palestinians that we oppose observer state status in the General Assembly and this resolution. We made those points again. And the Deputy Secretary also reiterated that no one should be under any illusion that this resolution is going to produce the results that the Palestinians claim to seek, namely to have their own state living in peace next to Israel.
  So obviously we went up to make one more try to make our views known to President Abbas and to urge him to reconsider. He'll obviously make his own decisions, and he will do that in New York tomorrow. But we thought it was important to make our case one more time.
  QUESTION: Try '' sorry '' your understanding of the Palestinian goal here, in terms of this resolution, is that they expect to get a state out of it?
  MS. NULAND: That's not what I said. I said that the goal that they seek overall is to have a Palestinian state.
  QUESTION: Okay. And so they should not be allowed to have anything interim, in between, then. They either get a state '' they either go all the way, they get '' there's a deal with the Israelis, and there can be nothing for the Palestinians in between. That's your position?
  MS. NULAND: We have made clear '' and we've talked about this all week long, Matt, and I don't think we need to relitigate a whole other time here '' that this resolution is not going to take them closer to statehood. It does nothing to get them closer to statehood, and it may actually make the environment more difficult.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Did Secretary Burns '' Deputy Secretary's discussion have any specifics on the potential economic impact of them going for this vote, both as it relates to U.S. support and potentially Israeli deals that they have on financing?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I don't have any more details from the actual meeting room today to share, Andy, but we've been clear all along with the Palestinians that we are seeking to get money for the Palestinian Authority released from the Congress, but that these kinds of things don't make it easier, and that members of Congress are watching very closely.
  QUESTION: Has the United States put forward any proposals to modify the resolution in a way which would make it more acceptable to you? I understand that Britain has said that they're going to abstain unless there are certain conditions met, including that the Palestinians agree to sit down immediately to talk without preconditions with Israel, and that they don't pursue the Israeli military officers through the ICC at any point. Is --
  MS. NULAND: Our position has been that we oppose this move altogether. We '' there is no language change in this thing that would change our vote.
  QUESTION: Will there be (inaudible) for countries who are supporting this resolution? Last week IBSA, India, Brazil, and South Africa, came out in support of this resolution.
  MS. NULAND: Well, we have been very clear with our partners and with allies around the world that we intend to vote no, that we think that this is a mistake and makes our effort to try to get the parties back to the table more difficult. But obviously every country will make their own decision.
  QUESTION: But would that vote be '' would have any impact on the bilateral ties with those countries, India, Brazil, South Africa?
  MS. NULAND: This is a sovereign decision for each country to make based on their own policy. We're being very clear about where we stand. And we're also being very clear about our concerns about the impact on the peace process. We have many countries around the world outside of the region who come to us and say, ''Do something,'' and we're saying that this could make it more difficult.
  QUESTION: Did Deputy Secretary Burns get any '' what's your understanding of what the Palestinians are going to do following this last ditch '' or what you said, one more time?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I'm going to let the Palestinians speak for themselves in terms of --
  QUESTION: Okay. Well, let me tell you what the Palestinians said after the meeting, and that is that they're going to go ahead with this. So now you have had the Secretary of State visit with Abbas himself in Ramallah; you've had the Deputy Secretary of State go up to New York to see him in his hotel, along with David Hale who's been telling the Palestinians this ad infinitum, along with other members of the government; they're going to go ahead and do this. In addition to that, you have more and more governments coming out and saying that they are going to support the Palestinian bid, despite the arguments that you have made. I'm wondering if '' I've seen the Demarche '' I'm wondering if you don't think that you presented your case strongly enough why it is that you're going to be in a very, very small minority when this vote happens and you are on the losing side.
  MS. NULAND: Again, I'm not going to prejudge a vote that's going to happen tomorrow. Obviously, we'll speak to the results of the vote after the vote, Matt. We are in the position, as we've been all along in terms of this notion, which has been floated around for more than a year, that it does not help the peace process if that's the '' where we all ought to be focusing our energies.
  QUESTION: But '' okay. Well, the result of the vote, while the exact numbers are not certain, it is a foregone conclusion that it is going to pass, which means that a large majority of UN member-countries, which would be most of the world, disagrees with you. Can you say now that you will take into account the fact that a huge majority of other countries in the world disagree with you, you'll take that into account in thinking about how you go ahead from this, how you move forward? Or are you going to pretend that the rest of the world didn't make this vote, or are you just going to say we don't care, we have a monopoly on what is right and what is wrong?
  MS. NULAND: I think this is a speech rather than a question. Matt, we will obviously --
  QUESTION: No, it is a question.
  MS. NULAND: We will obviously speak to the results of the vote, after the vote. We will obviously have to take the results of the vote into account as we go forward. Our position at the moment is to continue to make clear that we are concerned that this vote is going to make the work of getting the parties back to the table more difficult. So to the degree to which countries around the world expect us to be working to deliver these parties to the table, this, we believe, will make that job harder.
  QUESTION: So you think --
  MS. NULAND: But I'm not going to speak to our views on this vote until the vote has taken place, okay?
  QUESTION: Okay. All right. Well, then I won't ask that. So you think, though, that countries that vote in favor of this simply don't understand the incredibly difficult job that you have or that's been put upon the United States in actually getting some results here. Is that what you're saying, that they just don't get it?
  MS. NULAND: Again, I'm not going to speak for the motivations of other countries in making this vote. I'm simply saying that we're focused on a real objective for the Palestinian people, which is to get them closer to having a state. This isn't going to do this '' that '' and it could actually make it harder. So we just don't understand what it does for anybody real on the ground. That's the issue.
  Okay. Please, Lalit.
  QUESTION: Ambassador Grossman?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah. Please. Yeah.
  QUESTION: Why did he resign at this point of time, important time, when you are having bilateral security negotiations on BSA with Afghanistan?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think we put out a statement on this from our Afghanistan team yesterday after he announced to his own staff that he was planning to move on. I think you know that the Secretary pressed him very hard to come out of retirement. He initially had committed to work for a year and then he extended that for a period, but he now very much wants to go back to private life, which he will do.
  He came in to preside over the civilian surge, as we called it, in our effort in Afghanistan. And as you know, he led the Administration's efforts to take us through the Istanbul, Bonn, Chicago, and Tokyo conferences, which laid out the path forward on the economic side, on the security side. So he more than fulfilled the very ambitious mission that the Secretary asked him to take on, and he'd now like to get back to private life, which the Secretary has agreed to let him do.
  QUESTION: So who is coming in his place?
  MS. NULAND: I think, as we said yesterday, for the interim period his deputy, Ambassador David Pearce, will be the acting senior representative. And then we'll obviously have to see what Secretary Clinton's successor, whoever that may be, wants to do with that shop and with appointments.
  QUESTION: So that will be left up to Secretary Clinton's successor?
  MS. NULAND: I think that's the expectation, that it'll be part of the look at personnel here as a new Secretary comes in. Yeah.
  QUESTION: So the Secretary agreed to let him go, to let him do this? Does she have some kind of power? Could she force him to stay?
  MS. NULAND: No, of course not. But when you come in and you work for somebody, it's common courtesy to go to them and say --
  QUESTION: No, no, I understand. But I mean --
  MS. NULAND: Maybe --
  QUESTION: But her agreement --
  MS. NULAND: I mean, maybe we don't remember about common courtesy, I don't know, but in general --
  QUESTION: Excuse me?
  QUESTION: Syria.
  MS. NULAND: Go ahead. Yeah.
  QUESTION: Over the last week, it looks like there have been about a dozen military bases across Syria have been taken over by the Syrian rebels. Do you see any fundamental change on the ground? What's your assessment right now?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we talked about this a little bit yesterday. We are seeing opposition forces continuing to make steady gains. We also are following reports of two deadly car bombs in Damascus today. The fighting in and around Damascus is clearly intensifying, and reports that the opposition shot down a regime helicopter; you've probably seen that on YouTube. This is all clearly evidence of the increasing strength of the opposition and its capabilities.
  At the same time '' we talked about this also on Monday '' we see increasingly horrific tactics being employed by the regime as it struggles to cling to power, including direct attacks on hospitals in civilian areas.
  QUESTION: As you mentioned, apparently now the rebels are using shoulder missiles, and over the weeks we have seen they are taking from the regime. Is that changing enough your calculations regarding arming, heaving arming? Since they are already getting these arms, do you think that it's '' might be the good time to do something about it?
  MS. NULAND: Our own policy is not '' has not changed with regard to this. As you know, we are supplying only nonlethal support to the opposition. But analytically, you're clearly right, that as they take more facilities and as they make gains on the regime, they are able to capture weapons and there are other things getting in there. I'm not able from here to actually confirm the precise type of weaponry in some of these recent attacks, but we're clearly seeing more lethality there.
  QUESTION: Regarding the new Syrian opposition group called Coalition, National Coalition, it has been now about two weeks, I believe, since its inception and it have been recognized by a number of European countries. What's your assessment so far? Do you think they have the right track?
  MS. NULAND: I think in general, we are pleased with the progress that they have been making. As you know, they had a meeting earlier this week or at the end of last week with the international community on assistance and they were able to give us some very precise and well-organized guidance on the political support and non-lethal support.
  They also today held some closed meetings in Cairo, which continue tomorrow, to work on finalizing their organizational structures. You'll recall that after the meetings in Doha, we had urged them to do two things: to continue to strengthen their internal structures so that they could be effective; and to deepen and broaden their outreach within Syria so that they can best represent the needs of the Syrian people so that the movement is truly connected to what's happening on the ground. We're seeing both of those things happening well, and we're continuing to look at those trends.
  QUESTION: There have been reports from that Cairo meeting that it's been marked by some serious disagreements, and specifically that the SNC sort of remnants that remain in the broader coalition are trying to push back for more representation. Do you feel that that coalition is sort of set in stone, that they've got the numbers that they need in the right proportion?
  And secondly, do you '' is it your hope or expectation that they are going to come up with this structure that you're talking about, a political structure, presumably, perhaps sort of a potential prime minister-type person in time for the Friends of Syria meeting in Morocco next month?
  MS. NULAND: Well, the goal of the meeting that they're in now, which is a closed-door meeting, it's not a meeting that we've had much '' we've seen people coming in and out, obviously, but it is their own internal meeting '' is to come up with the structures to take the organization forward, the committees to work on different things, leadership structure, et cetera. So we are hopeful that they'll be able to come to agreement on that.
  Vibrant debate is a good thing, particularly if the result is a consensus-based structure that is broad and is strong for the period going forward. But I think we don't want to prejudge where that's going to go. The fact that they're meeting, that they're working on it is important, and it's their decision whether they need to change some of the things they did in Doha or whether they just need to broaden and deepen the movement going forward. So we'll see how that comes forward.
  Was there '' I can't remember --
  QUESTION: It was just sort of '' do you expect to see a sort of a shadow government taking form in time for the Friends of Syria?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not sure that that's the way they are going to characterize what it is that they are trying to do. I think in the first instance they're looking to have a clear leadership structure for the organization and leaders to take forward the different lines of work, whether it is political organization, whether it's outreach to the international community, whether it's support for humanitarian, et cetera, so that all those things can get done going forward.
  QUESTION: And would that, establishing those sort of clear lines of responsibility, would that sort of make it easier for you guys to advance their recognition, that you don't have to make them the sole legitimate representative?
  MS. NULAND: It's certainly one of the things that we've been saying since Doha. We want to see increasing organization, increasing clarity about who we should work with and increasing effectiveness in the way they are able to work with Syrians on the ground so that they can be guiding us in the international community in our support. So it's one of the things that we're watching, and it would certainly be helpful.
  QUESTION: Egypt?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Can I just --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: -- follow-up? Once the coalition met some of the criteria you just elaborated, what should we see as a change of the U.S. policy regarding Syria?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, I'm not going to prefigure where we may go on this until we go there. But we've obviously said that as they do increasingly well in terms of their internal organization and in terms of their connectivity to the situation inside Syria, we will continue to evaluate our relationship with them. So we'll just have to see.
  QUESTION: And again, Syrian refugees now in Turkey. Today, a number of intellectuals called on Turkish Government to open up to international humanitarian relief organizations. Apparently, it's not open to them. What's your assessment while try to cope with this refugees now about 140,000-50,000 people? Is there a good partnership with Turkey regarding this refugee crisis in Turkey?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think as we've been saying for more than a year now, Turkey has been a superb host to the Syrians seeking refuge there, and we've been working very closely with the Government of Turkey for a long time. Turkey was able to handle this with only its own resources even though all of us in the international community, including UN agencies, had been open to doing more. But our understanding is over the last few months, Turkey has been welcoming more help from UN agencies both in terms of establishing and managing camps and in terms of financial support to those camps, and particularly with the winterization. So some of our assistance is now going directly to Turkey, both directly and through UN agencies to support the refugee floods.
  QUESTION: Also, there are about two million displaced Syrians within Syria. And as you mentioned, winter is coming up. People are arguing that it's going to be even more disaster. I don't know how it can get worse, but winter is coming. Do you think something has to happen? Do you think you have to move little more decisively to help these millions of people within Syria?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think you know that the UN agencies have two global appeals out for more support for their humanitarian efforts. The U.S. is the largest donor to refugees inside Syria, some 200 million in support for refugees inside and '' internally displaced in Syria and refugees outside Syria. We are focusing our efforts very much in this stage on winterization as well as donations to the World Food Program. We still have complaints from the UN about access inside Syria, so that's something that everybody with influence needs to push on the Syrian regime about. But it's obviously very concerning as it gets colder and colder. We've all seen the reports both from IDPs and from refugees.
  QUESTION: Final question: These Patriots '' apparently there is a team that's doing some field work in southeast of Turkey. Do you know which countries going to lend these Patriots and which type of Patriots are going to Turkey?
  MS. NULAND: I think those are among the things that are being worked out now. My understanding of the status of this is that Turkey has formally made its request to NATO and NATO has sent site survey teams to Turkey to look at where to place them, what kinds of systems might be required, countries that could donate them. There are a number of NATO countries, just a handful, that have these kinds of systems, so we have to look at the right mix. But I don't think that the team is back yet or has made recommendations back to headquarters.
  QUESTION: But still the request is accepted?
  MS. NULAND: Again, the way this works is the country makes a request, then there is a gathering of information, the site survey team '' that's what's going on now '' and then a formal recommendation from NATO military authorities and the civilian staff that works on it. This comes back to the NATO council and perhaps higher for a decision. So the decision hasn't been taken yet.
  QUESTION: Does the U.S. favor such a deployment?
  MS. NULAND: We've said that we strongly support NATO meeting the needs of our Turkish ally. We have to work through what precisely we would approve, but that process is in train.
  QUESTION: Is the --
  QUESTION: Timeframe? How long does it take, the process?
  MS. NULAND: I think we just have to see how long this site work takes.
  QUESTION: Is there a general rule for trigger of these missiles? That's one as one of the discussion points that '' some of Turkish officials said trigger command and control of these missile is going to be in Ankara. Do you have any lead on that, any --
  MS. NULAND: Well, in terms of the command and control, that's part of which systems you deploy and all those kinds of things. That has to be worked through. But these are defensive systems, so just to remind that they don't have a warhead of their own; they knock incoming missiles out of the sky if such missiles exist. So they are virtually automatic once they're deployed.
  QUESTION: But they can be used for no-fly zone, for example? For northern Syria, it has that capability.
  MS. NULAND: Well, as you know, Turkish officials have made clear that the request is for territorial defense and population defense of Turkey. It's not for use beyond '' the request is not for use beyond the Turkish border.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Can we go back to Egypt?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: I wondered what the U.S. reaction is to the chaotic scenes we saw again in Tahrir Square overnight with teargas being thrown. I believe there was quite a lot of injuries and maybe one or two deaths.
  And then also, secondly, there's '' the panel that is looking into the drawing up the constitution has said that they're nearly finished, the wording's going to be completed today, and they're going to vote on it tomorrow. Is this something that has been communicated to you guys at all, and have you seen any draft?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we obviously continue to follow very closely the political situation in Egypt, which is still very much unfolding. As you said, Jo, you can see it on the streets, but there is also a huge amount of internal discussion going on among stakeholders still in Egypt. We have continued to call for a peaceful and inclusive dialogue between the Government of Egypt and all of the various stakeholders, and that those protesting in the streets do so peacefully, that the whole process be peaceful.
  We do remain concerned about the lack of consensus among the various groups, and we reiterate the call that we've been making for many days now for a full and inclusive dialogue to address any differences, both on the declarations that the government's made with regard to the interim period, but also with regard to the constitutional issues. I don't believe that we have seen a full draft of what will be put forward. Frankly, I don't think it's been published either in Egypt.
  So these are very, very important issues and they need to be taken forward in a consensual manner that satisfies as many stakeholders in Egypt as possible.
  QUESTION: Do you find it surprising that only less than a week after President Morsi made this decree that suddenly the constitutional panel seems to have managed to work out everything and is ready to present a draft?
  MS. NULAND: Again, we've seen some of these public statements, but we have to see how this goes forward. You know there have been a number of fits and starts in this process. We want to see it be, obviously, peaceful, consensual, and deliberative and really taking into account the views of as many Egyptians as possible so that it has roots and legs.
  QUESTION: Are you hopeful or optimistic any deal is going to come out between the '' President Morsi and judiciary?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I obviously don't have a crystal ball. We're obviously watching the situation.
  Yeah. Scott, on '' still on this? On Egypt?
  QUESTION: No, Congo.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Did Ambassador Carson brief the USAU meeting this morning on his mission to the region?
  MS. NULAND: Well, it turns out I had it wrong yesterday. He took another day in the region. He was actually still in Kinshasa as of yesterday. He's not going to come back till tomorrow. I think as much as he wanted to be here for Chairperson Zuma's visit and for the dialogue, he was very much engaged with the parties in the Great Lakes region and decided to take an extra day there.
  So yesterday was the final leg of his trip. He and his French and UK counterparts had a constructive set of discussions with DRC President Kabila. They also saw Prime Minister Matata. They continued to press the parties to support the plan that was drawn up in the Great Lakes meeting last week and to urge implementation of the call for M23 to comply with the calls for a cease-fire, to withdraw from Goma, and then for a longer-term resolution to be taken forward by '' under the leadership of Museveni, Kagame, and Kabila to really address some of the underlying issues in eastern Congo.
  So that's what we've been working on. He's been very much in lockstep, as I said, with his French and German colleagues, and is taking the extra time to really press hard.
  QUESTION: M23 leaders in Goma say they'll quit the city on Friday. You said previously you've heard some good things from them but haven't seen anything. Do you think that this is encouraging?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, we've seen quite a bit of talk. Our understanding is that the situation remains volatile. We do see some movement of M23 troops, but we can't tell whether this is preparatory to a withdrawal or whether it's just sort of a redeployment, but we are continuing to press and to urge those with influence to press as well.
  Please.
  QUESTION: But he didn't manage to meet with President Kagame even though he stayed an extra day?
  MS. NULAND: Well, he was in Kinshasa today, as you know.
  Please.
  QUESTION: On India?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: This week, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman went '' traveled to India and met her Indian counterparts. Do you have any readout on those meetings? And what are the key issues she raised with Indian officials?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think she did some press in '' when she was in India, Lalit, which we made available.
  QUESTION: I saw one of her interviews, yes, yeah.
  QUESTION: Yeah, so I don't have anything beyond what she herself said about the visit, which was that it was obviously constructive. I refer you to the interviews that she gave there.
  Catherine.
  QUESTION: On Cuba?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: On Alan Gross, Cuba put out a statement today detailing a biopsy that Mr. Gross had. I'm wondering if you have any concerns about the validity of those results.
  MS. NULAND: Well, you know where we have been on this. In addition to our calls for Alan Gross to be released, we have continued to express concerns about his deteriorating health. He's lost more than a hundred pounds in the time since he was arrested. He's got severe degenerative arthritis which affects his mobility, and he has other health problems that require treatment and that cause him quite a bit of pain. He has not been allowed to see a doctor of his own choosing, let alone be released on humanitarian grounds, which is what we've been calling for, for a very long time now.
  So I don't know who this doctor is, and we're not in a position to evaluate, obviously, the results that the Cubans have put forward. We want to see him released, and if '' we also want to see him have access to the kind of medical care he clearly needs.
  QUESTION: So you can't dispute whether '' because they're saying his health is normal, he doesn't have cancer.
  MS. NULAND: Well, this is obviously their doctor who went to see him, not his doctor and not a doctor who is out in the United States or anywhere else where he should be evaluated.
  QUESTION: Well, there was a rabbi who is also a doctor who went to see him last night. He said that he's in good health. You don't have anything to say about that?
  MS. NULAND: Again, this was not a doctor of his choosing or of our choosing, so we're not in a position to evaluate that.
  QUESTION: Just a quick two questions regarding Turkey.
  QUESTION: Can I stay on this?
  MS. NULAND: Let's just stay on this one.
  QUESTION: The statement also said that he has consular visits every month; is that correct? Are these visits regular?
  MS. NULAND: We are, from our interests section, able to see him about once a month. He's also able to make a phone call once a month. But again, just to remind that this is a guy who's been incarcerated for no reason for three years and ought to come home.
  Please.
  QUESTION: You were asked about --
  QUESTION: Hold on. Wait, wait. This is a guy who's been incarcerated for three years for no reason? The Cubans seem to think they have a reason to incarcerate him. You do '' I mean, whether or not you accept the '' whether he's guilty of the charges that were put against him, that simply isn't enough to say that '' for absolutely no reason, considering the Cubans don't agree, for example, with the convictions of the Cuban Five. They would say the same thing, would they not?
  MS. NULAND: Alan Gross was given a 15-year prison term simply for the supposed crime of helping the Jewish community of Cuba communicate with the outside world. That is a far different thing than the Cuban Five, who were all convicted in U.S. courts of committing crimes against the United States, including spying, treason, et cetera.
  QUESTION: You're familiar with the lawsuit that Mr. Gross's wife has filed?
  MS. NULAND: Indeed.
  QUESTION: Yeah. When this was brought up before, you kind of gave just a standard answer. There are some pretty interesting allegations in that lawsuit. Are you able to talk at all about what those '' about those allegations to counter them, that he was not properly trained in espionage or in protecting surveillance or that kind of thing? Are you able to talk about that at all?
  MS. NULAND: Well, as you know, Matt, it's now a legal matter, so you need to go to the Department of Justice on those issues.
  QUESTION: You were asked about a gas for gold deal between Turkey and Iran a couple days ago. Do you have anything more on that? I mean, do you have any comment on this deal? Apparently Senate is bringing bill to put sanctions to end such deals as well.
  MS. NULAND: Well, we continue to consult with Turkey. As you know, we had a preliminary round of successful consultations with Turkey with regard to the sanctions under the NDAA. As you know, those need to be '' those are '' the exemptions that we grant are for six months and then we have to do it again. So consultations, obviously, are continuing with Turkey and other countries with regard to the scope of the U.S. sanctions laws against Iran.
  I would simply note that we also have on our books Executive Order 13622 from July 31st, which allows the United States to sanction countries that provide precious metals to Iran, so that's obviously another subject to discuss with those countries where it might apply. But discussions continue with Turkey.
  QUESTION: Again on Turkey, during the Gaza crisis, there was a disagreement, a huge disagreement between Turkey and the U.S. Have you been able to patch up some of the differences between two countries regarding those disagreements during Gaza?
  MS. NULAND: You're talking about the recent round of Gaza --
  QUESTION: Yes.
  MS. NULAND: -- violence?
  QUESTION: Yes.
  MS. NULAND: Look, we were working closely with Turkey in the context of the Gaza crisis because Turkey has influence that we don't have with Hamas, and we have other influence in the region. We had some clear disagreements with some of the rhetoric coming from Turkey. We were clear about that privately and publicly. But I think we all want the same thing, which is for the Palestinian people, wherever they are, to live in safety and security, and for Israelis to be able to live in safety and security. So --
  QUESTION: How was --
  MS. NULAND: -- I think we were all very pleased with the outcome of the ceasefire, et cetera.
  QUESTION: How was '' Turkish role during the truce was realized between Hamas and Israel? Was it helpful or do you see any --
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think we commented on this at the time. I don't think I have anything new to say about the --
  QUESTION: During the agreement, regarding the agreement, to sign the agreements, how was Turkey's role?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, I think we talked about the fact that Turkey was using its influence with Hamas, but I think this is probably a question better addressed to the Egyptians who were in the lead.
  Andy.
  QUESTION: Just wondering if you were ever able to shake out anything more to say about the currency '' alleged currency shipments to Syria from Russia.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, we have a little bit more there. And it turns out that '' and I actually should have had this on Monday, but I did not '' the Syrian regime itself publicly acknowledged in August of this year that Russia was providing this currency service. And we obviously made our views known to Russia, as we have about military support before, during, and after that. But it didn't dissuade them.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Just a follow-up on '' from the other day, on North Korea. What information do you have on the diverted shipment going from North Korea to Burma? And what was the United States role in this?
  MS. NULAND: I think we spoke to that yesterday. I don't think I have anything new from yesterday on that one.
  Anybody else?
  QUESTION: Yeah. Judicial Watch has released some stuff that they got, FOIA material about Anwar al-Awlaki. Remember him?
  MS. NULAND: I do.
  QUESTION: So one of the things that they discovered was '' or that's been uncovered in these documents is that the Embassy in Yemen was instructed to invite Mr. Awlaki to come to the Embassy to receive a letter. This would have been '' they weren't supposed to tell him what the letter was about. But the letter was, in fact, to revoke his passport. And I presume that there's some legal requirement that you make at least an effort to inform someone if they're going to be stripped of their citizenship and/or passport. Is that correct?
  MS. NULAND: Well obviously '' and just to be clear, this was not a stripping of citizenship. It was a revocation of the passport, and there is a difference there. And yes, we are required to try to notify the individual.
  QUESTION: Okay. So this raises the question: Since he was on this secret hit list, if he had shown up, or if anyone had shown up, can you '' are you under any obligation not to kill them while they are either en route or in '' on the Embassy property itself to receive this letter? You're familiar with these stings where people get invited to certain things, they show up and then they get arrested for not paying child support, whatever. I'm wondering in this case, or in a case like it '' and I don't know if there are any others, but '' are you obligated not to kill someone who is responding to such an invitation?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to entertain the notion that we would be calling him to the Embassy for that purpose, Matt. We were calling him to the Embassy for one purpose alone, which was to revoke his passport and to advise him that if he was prepared to travel back to the United States, where he would have faced prosecution, we would give him a one-way passport back to the United States. He chose not to answer --
  QUESTION: Probably smart of him.
  MS. NULAND: -- our request for him to come to the Embassy.
  QUESTION: But that raises the question, though, because he was on a list, on a kill list. And I want to know --
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to --
  QUESTION: I want to know if someone is invited to a U.S. '' if a U.S. citizen is invited to a U.S. Embassy to receive an official letter, official government document, regardless of whether that letter '' what that letter is for, do they have any kind of legal protection against being killed by their own government?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to speak to what list he may or may not have been on. There was only one purpose for him to be invited to the Embassy, and that was for us to deal with the revocation of his passport.
  QUESTION: I would appreciate it if '' not specifically related to this case, but if there could be a '' if someone could attempt to find an answer to this, because I would like to know whether the government feels that it is in its rights to kill someone, to kill an American citizen it has invited onto its property on its property.
  MS. NULAND: Matt, I will see if our lawyers have anything further to say to you, but I think the whole premise is inappropriate.
  Go ahead.
  QUESTION: Just a follow-up from yesterday. I was wondering if you were (inaudible) Beijing and, in fact, made any representations to the Chinese on the passport issue.
  MS. NULAND: In fact, we're making some representations today. And there'll be more senior representations tomorrow as well.
  QUESTION: Okay. Could you say '' I mean, what '' are you doing it here or in Beijing?
  MS. NULAND: We're doing it here, with the Embassy.
  QUESTION: You're doing it here.
  QUESTION: Can you get (inaudible) response?
  MS. NULAND: We will. Yeah. Okay?
  Thanks, everybody.
  (The briefing was concluded at 1:46 p.m.)
  DPB # 201
Guess Who Tom Friedman Thinks Should Be The New Secretary of State?
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:19
  (Remember this brilliant piece of Friedman logic? h/t Mugsy)
  Thomas Friedman is the pundit responsible for such logic fails as advocating for "six more months to turn the corner" in Iraq so many times that his name became synonymous for that timeframe. He also wrote that today's leaders show their leadership by "taking away services" from the people. And that Bush kept us safe. And that Iraqis should suck on our invasion and occupation of their sovereign nation when they posed no threat to us. Or above, when he suggested that America had already tried the black guy in the White House and now it was time to try something different, namely a white conservative male.
  Clearly, there is no bar for being wrong when you're so comfortably ensconced in PunditWorld. The only place to fall is up, apparently. So keep that in mind when you hear who Tom Friedman thinks should be Secretary of State, rather than that controversial Susan Rice or even John Kerry:
  President Obama is assembling his new national security team, with Senator John Kerry possibly heading for the Pentagon and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice the perceived front-runner to become secretary of state. Kerry is an excellent choice for defense. I don't know Rice at all, so I have no opinion on her fitness for the job, but I think the contrived flap over her Libya comments certainly shouldn't disqualify her. That said, my own nominee for secretary of state would be the current education secretary, Arne Duncan.
  Yes, yes, I know. Duncan is not seeking the job and is not the least bit likely to be appointed. But I'm nominating him because I think this is an important time to ask the question of not just who should be secretary of state, but what should the secretary of state be in the 21st century?
  Could anything demonstrate the shallowness of understanding that Friedman consistently employs than this? Friedman continues touting Duncan by pointing out that he has lot of experience "negotiating" with teachers' unions and dealing with various factions (i.e., parents vs. teachers vs. schools):
  Trust me, if you can cut such deals with Randi Weingarten, who is president of the American Federation of Teachers, you can do them with Vladimir Putin and Bibi Netanyahu
  Oh help me, Rhonda. This might be the dumbest thing Friedman has ever written, and as you can see above, that's really saying something.
  How lucky for all of us that entrenched Villager Friedman with his deep understanding of foreign policy, diplomacy and world politics, is given multiple platforms from which to give us these little eclats of wisdom.
Google's Horowitz: Facebook is social network of the past | Internet & Media
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:18
  Google+ chief Bradley Horowitz says ads in the Facebook social feed are like sandwich boards -- there's no context. But when you're searching on Google and a friend recommends something, that matters more.
  Google+'s Bradley Horowitz speaks during a Business Insider conference.
  (Credit: Dan Farber/CNET)NEW YORK--Facebook is the social network of the past, and the way it implements advertising doesn't really work, a Google executive overseeing the search giant's social-networking product said today.Bradley Horowitz, the Google vice president of product for Google+, said Facebook isn't set up in a way that's compatible with the real world. People should be able to have a conversation with a certain group of friends without involving others. And they should be able to have real conversations, he said, not 140-character blurbs like Twitter.
  "In designing Google+, we keep thinking about the real world, the way people actually are," Horowitz said today during a Business Insider conference in New York. "We're trying to make a product that's ergonomic for the way our attention is wired."
  Meanwhile, Horowitz compared the ads in a Facebook user's newsfeed to a sandwich board. Such ads don't really have any context and often aren't very effective, he said."Jamming ads and agendas into user streams is pissing off users and frustrating brands too," he said. "That's not the way the world works."
  Rather, in the real world, there has to be intent. When a person's hungry, he or she goes into a restaurant. Seeing an ad for a sandwich when they're not hungry or looking for it isn't very effective. But being able to search for a lunch place when hungry and finding recommendations from friends is much more effective.
  "It turns out these are very valuable to users to have recommendations by the people they trust," he said. "Instead of sandwich boards... we revert back to the fundamentals of fulling the need the user has."
  Horowitz added that Google doesn't "have to make payroll by jamming users with ads" on Google+.
  Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider interviews Google's Bradley Horowitz.
  (Credit: Shara Tibken/CNET)As Nicholas Carlson, the Business Insider editor interviewing Horowitz pointed out, Horowitz was essentially making an argument for Facebook to expand into search.Search has been a pretty hot topic for Facebook in the past few months. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook is "pretty uniquely positioned to answer a lot of questions people have." It's sort of "friend mining" -- as CNET pointed out recently -- extracting specific answers to a question by mining the immensely data-rich social graph.
  Horowitz, however, said today that "it turns out to be pretty hard" to make a search engine.
  We've reached out to Facebook and will update when we hear back.
  When asked if Google+ will ever incorporate ads, Horowitz said it would do so if there's an effective way to add them without upsetting users.
  "We aren't struggling with how to monetize," he said. "We have real plans."
  Google has tried social networking in the past but found little success. Its most recent attempt is Google+, which was launched last year to help it better compete with Facebook and other social networking sites. Google said in September that 100 million people are using Google+ each month, and it said it now has 400 million total users. That's still well below Facebook's user base but is a significant milestone for the new social network.
  Horowitz declined to provide updated numbers today but said the figures from September are "stale." He added that Google+ is succeeding where Google's other social networking attempts failed largely because of the support of CEO Larry Page and other executives at Google.
  "Larry has done something amazing," he said.
  Google+ is designed around "Circles" that allow users to group people within their social sphere into different categories. It also includes a video chat feature dubbed "Hangouts," as well as other features.
  Horowitz noted that Google+ currently is "foundational layer" for Google's other products -- the "identity, relationship, and interest system for Google." What it wants to be, he said, is the go-to place for people go to wish their friends happy birthday, much like Facebook is today except "uncluttered."
  "We aspire to be a place where people can have uncluttered, meaningful connections. Communication is important. Like in the real world, context is important.... It's never fun to be late to a market, but it does afford us the opportunity to talk to users to see what needs aren't being met, what they like and don't like," Horowitz said.
Hillary Clinton's Long-time Hairstylist Shares Secrets Behind The Diplomat's Ever-Changing Hair - Washington Whispers (usnews.com)
  Link to Article
  Thu, 29 Nov 2012 05:59
  Sen. Hillary Clinton looks at a customer during an autograph session in New York's Rockefeller Center on June 9, 2003.
  The bangs. The headbands. The hair flip. The paillettes.
  The public's obsession over Hillary Clinton's hair choices stretches back to her days as first lady. And the now-Secretary of State's tresses were back in the spotlight when she wore a scrunchie to visit Burmese opposition politician Aung-San Suu Kyi earlier this year.
  [Photo Gallery: The Many Hair Styles of Hillary Clinton]
  Behind many of Clinton's hair ups and downs is one woman: a petite French hairstylist named Isabelle Goetz.
  Originally from the northern French region of Bessancourt'--and now settled in America with her own chic salon in Georgetown'--Goetz has been working for Clinton since the late 1990s. The then-first lady discovered Goetz after facing criticism for too many hairstyles and too-expensive cuts, and the young Frenchwoman soon became her personal stylist.
  Through visits to the White House and travels with the first lady, Goetz reined in the media criticism of Clinton's hairstyles. The stylist slowly layered Clinton's trademark bob, and then cut her hair much shorter. "But she never directed me about what to do," Goetz tells Whispers. Clinton kept the mostly well-received short cut for years.
  More recently, the Secretary of State has grown her hair longer, even putting it up in hasty ponytails'--something Goetz doesn't take credit for. Goetz doesn't take credit for the infamous scrunchie either, saying she had given Clinton an unobtrustive metal clip to wear for the meeting.
  "But I only see her now when she is in town, which is not often," she tells Whispers. "With her crazy schedule, [the ponytail] is what she wants."
  [Walsh: Weary Hillary Clinton Still a Presidential Figure]
  The Secretary of State has also become more dismissive over time of the attention paid to her hair (and clothes). In May, she told CNN she wasn't going to worry about media criticism of her looks any more at this age. When a moderator of a panel in Kyrgyzstan asked her in 2010 which clothing designers she preferred, Clinton shot back: "Would you ever ask a man that question?" The moderator admitted: "Probably not."
  Goetz says she never understood all the negative attention paid to Clinton's looks. "I always wondered why people are so focused on her hair... or say they think it should be one way or the other," she says. "But I decided that, like the Queen of England, she is too big not to talk about."
  Goetz has written a book about her experiences with Clinton, called "Little Isabelle : une fran§aise la Maison-Blanche," or "A Frenchwoman Goes To The White House." But the stylist also has big clients outside the White House, having tended to the hair of Sen. John Kerry and Queen Rania of Jordan. Back in 2004, rumors flew that Kerry, a presidential contender, paid $1,000 to fly Goetz to Pittsburgh for a last-minute touch up before appearing on "Meet the Press." In 2006, Clinton reportedly spent $2,500 over two months getting her tresses done by Goetz as she campaigned for Senate.
  [Related: Post-Election Partisanship Heats Up Around Obama's Next Secretary of State]
  Goetz says she doesn't know yet what Clinton's hair will look like on Inauguration Day. But her salon in Georgetown, "Isabelle's OKYO Salon," held an event on Saturday to show off the styles it found appropriate for the ceremony. The event, put on by the D.C.-based group Art Soiree, featured styles that were entirely French-inspired: channeling Marie Antoinette, Coco Chanel and Bridget Bardot.
  Goetz won't say whether Clinton's inauguration hair will similarly be inspired by her home country.
  "We didn't talk about her hair for her daughter's wedding until the day of," Goetz laughs. "Her hair on inauguration day will... depend on the weather."
  More News:
  Elizabeth Flock is a staff writer for U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter or Facebook or reach her at eflock@usnews.com.
Ballmer sees 'unprecedented opportunity' for Microsoft
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:55
  Microsoft CEO defends mediocre stock performance, paints picture of company successfully transforming itself.
  Steve Ballmer at Microsoft annual meeting 2012
  (Credit: Screenshot by Jonathan Skillings/CNET)You need a thick skin to be a CEO -- and an especially thick skin when you're the chief executive of a legendary software company whose stock has been flat for a decade.But bolstered by strong early returns from Black Friday sales, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer nonetheless struck a confident theme today as he addressed shareholders, sketching out a picture of a company in the midst of a once-in-a-generation transformation.
  "It's been a tremendously big year for us," said Ballmer, speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Bellevue, Wash. He was clearly on friendly turf as most of the questions were of the softball variety, but Ballmer, who has periodically taken flak for the performance of the company's stock price, nonetheless struck an upbeat tone about Microsoft's present, noting that the company had returned $10 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends.
  Given the occasion, the topic of Microsoft's stock price did indeed come up. And when one shareholder asked why the price has been flat for a decade, Ballmer had a ready answer.
  "Why should I keep it?" Ballmer responded rhetorically, pointing out that over the last 10 years Microsoft has registered increased profits and revenues while management has built innovative products. "Stock markets are funny things," he said, adding that there were times that Microsoft was recognized for doing things well and other times that it did not get credit when credit was due. "Whether the market is recognizing that or not," he said, Microsoft is returning value to shareholders via dividends.Separately, Ballmer said that Microsoft has a pipeline of strong products that would help the stock price, singling out the revenue increase coming from its search business. "We see nothing but a sea of upside," he said.
  Referring to the company's busy fall, when Microsoft began shipping its new Surface tablet computer as well as a major Windows operating system update, Ballmer said the last few months had witnessed the introduction of a "remarkable wave of products." Among the new or redesigned products and services out of Microsoft, he pointed to Surface, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Office 2013, Bing, Internet Explorer 10, MSN, Outlook.com, SkyDrive, Skype, Xbox Music and Video, and Xbox SmartGlass.
  Making reference to the 40 million Windows 8 licenses sold so far, he said that "based on customer feedback, we know for sure people get it and like it." What's more, Ballmer said that Windows Phone 8 was "off to a great start." "We're already selling 4 times more phones than at the same time last year," he said.
  As happenstance would have it, Ballmer offered his upbeat comments on the same day that long-time Microsoft analyst Rick Sherlund cut his estimates for the company's growth in 2013 and said that there was confusion in the market about Windows 8.
  If that report weighed on Ballmer's mind, he wasn't letting on. In fact, he said that 400 million Windows 8 PCs will get sold in the next year.
  "We really are in a time of unprecedented opportunity," he said.
  Flanked by his longtime partner on the dais, Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates, Ballmer talked about this being a new time for Microsoft as it makes its way from being simply being purely a software company to a company which offers great software with a complement of services and devices. "We will relentlessly focus on delightful, seamless" devices and surfaces, he said, noting as he has throughout the fall that "at times," Microsoft may decide to build own devices, as it did with the Surface.
  "At times, shipping great products can feel like the end of a race," he said. "However, we're just at the beginning."
UK student escapes U.S. extradition in copyright case
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: Technology News
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:53
  LONDON | Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:46am EST
  LONDON (Reuters) - A British university student who launched a website linking to TV shows and films online for free has reached an agreement to avoid extradition to the US and possible jail over copyright infringement allegations, the High Court heard on Wednesday.
  A deal struck on Wednesday means Richard O'Dwyer, the 24-year-old creator of website TVShack, which helped people watch free films but did not host content itself, will travel to the United States to pay a small fine and will not be extradited.
  O'Dwyer faced becoming the first Briton to be extradited for such an offence and his lawyers argued he would effectively become a test case for copyright law in the United States.
  Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launched a petition in June against the possible extradition and called O'Dwyer "the human face of the battle between the content industry and the interests of the general public."
  The court heard O'Dwyer, from Sheffield in northern England, is set to go to the United States within two weeks and pledge not to break copyright law again, the Press Association said.
  Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May agreed to O'Dwyer's surrender after a court ruled in January that his extradition would be lawful.
  In October, May blocked the extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon on charges of damaging U.S. military systems in a case campaigners said highlighted the unbalanced nature of Britain's extradition treaty with the United States.
  (Reporting By Dasha Afanasieva; editing by Jason Webb)
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Egypt judges to strike over Mursi powers
  Link to Article
  Source: euronews
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:53
  In Syria, rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have shot down a government fighter jet 30 kilometres from Aleppo. The pilot ejected and was captured alive according to witnesses. A reporter for the French agency AFP also saw the plane come down. A rebel'...
Top Norwegian Youth Politician, Bro of Breivik Victim Wishes for More Jewish Holocaust Deaths; ''F-ing Jew Whores''
  Link to Article
  Source: Debbie Schlussel
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:43
  By Debbie Schlussel
  When I wrote that I didn't shed a single tear for the Jew-hating, anti-Israel, pro-HAMAS ''victims'' of Anders Breivik's Norwegian killing spree, I was attacked all over the place and lectured by the speech police that these were merely ''innocent youths.'' Well, now, we have more proof''in addition to their anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, and pro-HAMAS activities''that these ''kids'' weren't worth a single iota of sympathy. Khalid Haji Ahmed, the brother of one of those killed by Breivik, is a top youth politician in Norway and has been hailed as the face of Norway's future. Last week, he called Jews ''F''ing Jew Whores,'' and wished that Hitler murdered more than six million Jews in the Holocaust. He wrote ''best of luck eight times over'' to fellow Norwegian youth activists who wrote on Facebook that they wish Hitler killed more Jews.
  Khalid Haji Ahmed: The ''New'' Face of Quisling Norway
  But, now, he claims, ''Just Kidding!'' Riiiight. 'Cuz that's sooooo damned funny. Oh, and in case the name didn't give it away, he's Muslim and a Yemeni immigrant to Norway. Yes, sadly, that is the future of this disgusting Scandinavian country that will soon be a satellite state of Greater Arabia.
  Aspiring Norwegian politician Khalid Haji Ahmed said he was only joking when he wished ''best of luck eight times over'' to activists who wrote on Facebook that they wished Adolf Hitler could kill more Jews.
  Screen shots made by Hamar Arbeiderblad, a local newspaper, show Ahmed responding on Facebook to a post that read ''Damn [DS: actually it said "F--ing"] Jew whores, wish Hitler could come back and shower you some more.''
  The Facebook conversation took place last week between members of the Workers' Youth League, Norway's largest youth movement, which is affiliated with the country's ruling Labor Party.
  Ahmed, the youth movement's regional secretary in southeast Norway, is quoted as telling the news site Nettavisen that his comment was ''ironic.''
  And the ''irony'' is . . . ?
  Ahmed, whose family came to Norway from Yemen, is quoted as telling The New York Times last year that he decided to join the youth movement and become politically active to ''fight racism'' after his brother, also a member of the youth movement, was killed in 2011 by Anders Behring Breivik on the island of Utoya.
  So, are you still crying over these ''victims'' of Anders Breivik? Guess what? I'm doubly proud to continue not to shed a single tear. I never cry for my enemies' destruction. Turning the other cheek ain't part of my religion. Sorry.
  Even more sorry that Norway, like the rest of the continent once bending over for Nazis, is now, like the rest of that continent, now bending over for Muslims. And the damage is irreparable. It's not if, but when. And the when is coming pretty soon. Ahmed and his ilk know that.
  From Quisling to Al-Quisling. Same difference, except that the second one can't be defeated because the world would rather bend over than fight.
  That Was Then . . .
  This Is Now . . .
US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns | Environment
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:42
  Cities like Jacksonville, Florida, are 'hotspots' for rising sea-levels, with water levels increasing at twice the rate of most other places. Photograph: Jon M Fletcher/AP
  Sea-level rise is occurring much faster than scientists expected '' exposing millions more Americans to the destructive floods produced by future Sandy-like storms, new research suggests.
  Satellite measurements over the last two decades found global sea levels rising 60% faster than the computer projections issued only a few years ago by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
  The faster sea-level rise means the authorities will have to take even more ambitious measures to protect low-lying population centres '' such as New York City, Los Angeles or Jacksonville, Florida '' or risk exposing millions more people to a destructive combination of storm surges on top of sea-level rise, scientists said.
  Scientists earlier this year found sea-level rise had already doubled the annual risk of historic flooding across a widespread area of the United States.
  The latest research, published on Wednesday in Environmental Research Letters, found global sea-levels rising at a rate of 3.2mm a year, compared to the best estimates by the IPCC of 2mm a year, or 60% faster.
  Researchers used satellite data to measure sea-level rise from 1993-2011. Satellites are much more accurate than tide gauges, the study said.
  The scientists said they had ruled out other non-climatic causes for the rise in water levels '' and that their study demonstrated that researchers had under-estimated the effects of climate change.
  "Generally people are coming around to the opinion that this is going to be far worse than the IPCC projections indicate," said Grant Foster, a US-based mathematician who worked on the paper with German climatologist Stefan Rahmstorf.
  The implications are serious '' especially for coastal areas of the US. Large portions of America's Atlantic and Pacific coasts are regarded as "hotspots" for sea-level rise, with water levels increasing at twice the rate of most other places on the planet.
  Scientists previously had expected a global sea-level rise of 1m by the end of the century. "But I would say that if you took a poll among the real experts these days probably they would say that a more realistic figure would be more than that," Foster said.
  "The study indicates that this is going to be as bad or worse than the worst case scenarios of the IPCC so whatever you were planning from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod in terms of how you were preparing for sea-level rise '' if you thought you had enough defences in place, you probably need more," Foster said.
  A study published last March by Climate Central found sea-level rise due to global warming had already doubled the risk of extreme flood events '' so-called once in a century floods '' for dozens of locations up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
  It singled out the California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego on the Pacific coast and Jacksonville, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia, on the Atlantic, as the most vulnerable to historic flooding due to sea-level rise.
  Sandy, which produced a 9ft storm surge at Battery Park in New York City, produced one example of the dangerous combination of storm surges and rising sea level. In New York, each additional foot of water puts up to 100,000 additional people at risk, according to a map published with the study.
  But tens of millions of people are potentially at risk across the country. The same report noted that more than half of the population, in some 285 US cities and towns, lived less than 1m above the high tide mark.
  "In some places it takes only a few inches of sea-level rise to convert a once in a century storm to a once in a decade storm," said Ben Strauss, who directs the sea-level rise programme at Climate Central.
  Large swathes of the mid-Atlantic coast, from Virginia through New Jersey, also faced elevated risk of severe flooding, because of climate change, he said.
Silicon Valley's dirty little secret: age bias
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:41
  1 day
  Sarah McBride, Reuters
  SAN FRANCISCO - When Randy Adams, 60, was looking for a chief-executive officer job in Silicon Valley last year, he got turned down from position after position that he thought he was going to nail '-- only to see much younger, less-experienced men win out.
  Finally, before heading into his next interview, he shaved off his gray hair and traded in his loafers for a pair of Converse sneakers. The board hired him.
  "I don't think I would have been able to get this CEO job if I hadn't shaved my head," says Adams, who has founded eight venture-backed companies. He is now chairman of the company that hired him, mobile conference-call service Socialdial, and is fundraising for a new business. Adams has supplemented his makeover by trading in his button-down shirts for T-shirts, making sure he owns the latest gadgets, and getting an eyelid lift.
  Such are the pressures in Silicon Valley, where the startup ethos extols fresh ideas and young programmers willing to toil through the night. Chief executives in their 20s, led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, are lionized, in part because of their youth. Many investors state bluntly that they prefer to see people under 40 in charge.
  Yet the youth worship undercuts another of Silicon Valley's cherished ideals: that anyone smart and driven can get ahead in what the industry likes to think of as an egalitarian culture. To many, it looks like simple age discrimination -- and it's affecting people who wouldn't fit any normal definition of old.
  "I don't think in the outside world, outside tech, anyone in their 40s would think age discrimination was happening to them," says Cliff Palefsky, a San Francisco employment attorney who has fielded age-discrimination inquiries from people in their early 40s. But they feel it in the Bay Area, he said, and it's "100 percent due to the new, young, tech startup mindset."
  Regional data on age discrimination are hard to come by, making it hard to establish precisely how Silicon Valley stacks up against other parts of the United States.
  Of the 18,335 employment cases filed in 2010 with California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, one-fifth cited age. That puts age below retaliation as a discrimination claim, but above racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual orientation.
  Nationally, retaliation is also the most frequently cited discrimination claim, according to the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. But age comes much lower down on the national list, below race, sex, and disability.
  The federal agency says age is cited in 26 percent of total complaints in California, compared to 22 percent in New York and 21 percent in Texas. Among large states, Illinois had the highest ratio of age-related complaints, at 37 percent.
  Wunderkind wanted Some technology recruiters say unequivocally they see bias at work. Marta Fuentealba, a principal at startup specialist Talent Farm, says she's encountered it many times.
  She recalls a meeting at a software company a few years ago, when the human-resources executive told her he would like to find somebody "around age 26 or so" to fill a job. An age requirement along those lines would violate both state and federal laws on discrimination, California labor lawyers say.
  "You mean, somebody less jaded?" Fuentealba recalls asking, hoping to jolt the executive back into legal territory. "And he said, 'No, I mean somebody young, probably no older than 26.'" Back at the office, she sent the executive resumes from a variety of candidates.
  Jeff Spirer, a 61-year-old technology marketing and strategy veteran, landed a new job in October after a stint doing part-time consulting. It was a tough search. He recalls the followup after a long phone interview at a small online-surveys company last year.
  The hiring manager asked Spirer to come in for an interview with the chief executive, who was in his 20s. When Spirer walked into the room, the CEO looked at him, said something had come up unexpectedly, and left.
  The interview never got rescheduled, and a younger candidate eventually got the job. Spirer cannot say for sure, but he thinks the CEO was taken aback to see somebody with wrinkles. "What other conclusion can I draw?" asks Spirer.
  Age discrimination is notoriously difficult to prove. Lawyers say they typically do not have smoking guns such as emails saying the candidate or employee is too old, and need to be able to show through other methods such as statistics that the company is making employment decisions based on age.
  In some cases, there are reasons other than bias for preferring younger workers in a startup setting. People with young children can be strapped for time and less able to work long, late hours. Younger workers are more likely to be expert in the newest software programming protocols. Young entrepreneurs, like many others, often move instinctively in hiring from the cohort of those they know.
  Yet there are some indications that age bias is now part of the culture in Silicon Valley -- especially visible in what Adams of Socialdial calls the "cachet of the young entrepreneur."
  When young executives like Zuckerberg are successful, their age often gets a lot of attention. Successful older entrepreneurs, on the other hand, take pride in every aspect of their accomplishments -- except their age.
  When the software company Workday went public last month and raised $637 million, little attention was paid to the fact that co-founder and co-CEO David Duffield is 72.
  Sandy Kurtzig founded Ask Computer Systems and its manufacturing software program, Manman, and saw the company through a stock-market listing in 1981. Now, she has raised $10.5 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and others for her new software company, Kenandy. She says she is in her 60s and leaves it at that, explaining, "I don't want to advertise it."
  'Enthusiastic fan' Investors, in contrast to employers, are not subject to discrimination laws when deciding whom to fund. And they are among the most outspoken in declaring their age preferences.
  "I am just an incredibly enthusiastic fan of very talented 20-somethings starting companies," Sequoia Capital's Mike Moritz, 58 years old and a top VC, once said at a conference, echoing similar comments he has made over the years. "They have great passion. They don't have distractions like families and children and other things that get in the way of business." He was 49 at the time.
  "Unfortunately, I don't think the quote you have selected is very representative of what I think," Moritz said in an email. He declined to elaborate.
  Khosla Ventures' Vinod Khosla, 57, told conference goers last year that "people over 45 basically die in terms of new ideas."
  Khosla says the line came in the context of a talk where he was discussing the fear many older people have of failure, contrasted with many younger people's experimental bent. "I was encouraging people to try new things that go against conventional wisdom," he says.
  Khosla Ventures invests in several companies with over-45 leaders, including Nu-Tek Salt LLC and its CEO, Tom Manuel.
  Some venture capitalists extend their appreciation of youth to their own partnerships. In June, Benchmark Capital's Peter Fenton, 40, told a group of journalists that Benchmark strives to keep the average age of its most-active partners under 40 to better relate to young entrepreneurs.
  Fenton says he is not ageist, arguing that there is a well-documented relationship between youth and creativity. As for partners such as himself who hit 40, "we have a discipline to try and stay young," he says. "Young at mind."
  Mark Zuckerberg himself once told a class at startup-funding firm Y Combinator that hiring only young people with technical expertise was the best way to found a successful company. "Young people are just smarter," he said. Zuckerberg was 22 at the time. Through a spokeswoman, he declined to comment.
  Yet there is little evidence to support the idea that young people are intrinsically more likely to thrive as entrepreneurs.
  Fluid intelligence, which allows people to think logically and solve problems, does deteriorate with age, behavioral scientists say. But another type of intelligence known as crystallized intelligence, the ability to tap into experience and amassed knowledge, improves somewhat until about age 65.
  The conventional wisdom about young people being more focused on work is itself a stereotype, older executives say.
  Tired old myths "I have more time than a 35-year-old with a newborn," says Spirer, the marketing veteran. "And I'm more available. Judgments are made on age-related stuff without thinking it through."
  Laurie McCann, an attorney with retiree lobby AARP, says the technology sector's obsession with fresh ideas and long hours leads people to fall back on easy assumptions about age.
  "That older people can't work that fast," she says. "That they can't think on their feet in order to come up with the ideas." Further assumptions include inability to change on the part of older employees, or to get along with younger people.
  Other fields, such as law, education or healthcare, also value creativity and hard work, she says, but less so than a track record. "Any field where experience is valued, I think you're going to find less instance of discrimination," she says.
  Silicon Valley veterans try to adapt as best they can. Adams of Socialdial ticks off a list of faux pas that he believes peg older jobseekers as outsiders. "You can't have an AOL email," he says. "That's horrible. A Gmail address is okay. What's really cool is an email with your name on it," as part of the domain.
  In person, older job applicants should carry a backpack, not a briefcase, he says. Avoid Blackberries and Dell laptops in favor of Android phones and Apple products. And above all, steer clear of wristwatches, which most younger people have replaced with the clocks on their phones. "The worst would be a gold Rolex," he says. "Tacky, and old."
  Some recommend dressing young. For her first interview at Facebook, 40-something market researcher Sally Sadosky headed to a boutique popular with women 20 years her junior for advice on "something to look hip" and "blend in."
  She ditched her tailored pants and blouses for a dress, tights, and biker boots. She then got second and third interviews and had to come up with more hipster outfits. "I was beginning to sweat," she recalls. She eventually got the position.
  Adams recommends getting rid of gray hair, either through dyes or through shaving, as he did. He also believes in treating wrinkles or other skin-related signs of age. A few years ago, he underwent an eyelid lift to reduce sagging above his eyes.
  The cosmetic surgery route seems increasingly common among the men of Silicon Valley. Roy Hong, chairman of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation's plastic surgery department, says men represented 14 percent of his customers last year, up from 9 percent a decade ago.
  Still, the scalpel is where some draw the line. Spirer complains that his friend Adams, buoyed by eye-surgery success, is hounding him to undergo a similar procedure for a more youthful image and enhanced job prospects.
  No go. "I'm Jewish," Spirer says. "I've had bags under my eyes since I was 25."
SECRET STATE - CONFIRMED
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:38
  "Unless we all start to believe in conspiracy theories and that the officials are lying, that I am lying, that behind this there is some kind of secret state which is in league with some dark forces in the United States... "There simply is no truth in the claims that the United Kingdom had been involved in rendition".Jack Straw NOW confirms the existence of the UK "Secret State in League with Dark Forces in the United States" -From Class Antagonism of a New World Order:In 2005, Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition.
  In the 'Intelligence and Security Committee' debate of 18 March 2010, Andrew Tyrie states:
  I made a number of specific allegations.
  The first was that the UK had facilitated or been complicit in rendition. The second was that Diego Garcia was being used for that purpose. The third was that the UK's armed forces might also be involved in rendition. It isworth recalling the blanket denials with which those points were met.Jack Straw.The then UK Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, replied:
  "Unless we all start to believe in conspiracy theories and that the officials are lying, that I am lying, that behind this there is some kind of secret state which is in league with some dark forces in the United States... "There simply is no truth in the claims that the United Kingdom had been involved in rendition".So, Straw claimed that the only way it was possible that the UK was involved in rendering whomever the UK-lackey's masters in the US was if "the officials are lying, I [he, Jack Straw] am lying" and that there exists a "secret state... in league with some dark forces in the United States." UK intelligence officers knew of CIA's rendition plans within days of 9/11.guardian.co.uk, Monday 22 October 2012 13.06 BSTWithin days of the 9/11 attacks on the US, the CIA told British intelligence officers of its plans to abduct ... suspects and fly them to secret prisons....
  The meeting, at the British embassy in Washington, is disclosed in a forthcoming book by the Guardian journalist Ian Cobain...
  The meeting signalled to British officials that the US was preparing to embark on a global kidnapping programme which became known as extraordinary rendition...
  A few weeks later, in early October 2001, at a secret meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels, US officials drew up a list of "necessary measures to increase security", Cobain discloses. They included flights to and from secret prisons in Asia, Africa, and throughout Europe. "Quietly, Britain pledged logistics support for the rendition programme, which resulted in the CIA's Gulfstream V and other jets becoming frequent visitors to British airports en route to the agency's secret prisons," writes Cobain...In secret memos, Labour ministers said in early 2002 that their "preferred option" was to render British nationals to Guantnamo Bay, Cobain records. MI5 and MI6 officers carried out around 100 interrogations at the US prison on Cuba between 2002 and 2004.Yet for years ministers emphatically denied any British involvement in America's rendition programme...
  Cobain's book, Cruel Britannia, says the British military operated a "torture centre" throughout the 1940s "in complete secrecy, in a row of Victorian villas in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in London". They also ran an "interrogation centre" near Hanover in Germany. Evidence from newly released records shows that British involvement in abuse was common earlier '' in the colonies, later in Northern Ireland, and much more recently in Iraq...
  FULL DETAILS HERE: Jack Straw Confirms Existence of the UK "Secret State in League with Dark Forces in the United States"
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Joe Scarborough Calls GOP's Attacks on Susan Rice a "Clown Show"
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:33
  Joe Scarborough, apparently aware that the American public isn't buying John McCain's and Lindsey Graham's nonsensical attacks on Susan Rice, finally had enough this morning and called their escapades a "clown show".
  He also made this rather good point:
  SCARBOROUGH: Did John McCain say that Colin Powell was unfit to continue as Secretary of State after the information that he gave before the united nations that led us into the Iraq war? Did that make Colin Powell unfit to be Secretary of State or was Colin Powell given bad intel? I never heard him say that. I never heard Lindsey Graham say that.
  You really wonder what these guys are thinking.
Mr. President, Use The Recess Appointment For Susan Rice
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:33
  I'm perfectly happy to call out the Obama administration when I think they deserve it, but this whole Susan Rice "controversy" is nothing but one in a long line of Republican faux outrages. What I find appalling is how this worthless, bootlicking American media helpfully blows this up and fans the flames when the Republican whack jobs roll out of their clown car:
  WASHINGTON '-- Susan E. Rice may have hoped that paying a conciliatory call on three hostile Senate Republicans on Tuesday would smooth over a festering dispute about the deadly attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and clear a roadblock to her nomination as secretary of state.
  But the senators seemed anything but mollified, signaling instead that they would still oppose Ms. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, if she is nominated by President Obama, even after she conceded errors in the account of the assault she gave on Sunday morning television programs shortly after it occurred in September.
  Two of the Republicans, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, said they would seek to block Ms. Rice, who according to administration officials remains Mr. Obama's preferred choice to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The third Republican, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said on Fox that he would be ''very hard-pressed'' to support Ms. Rice.
  ''Bottom line, I'm more disturbed than I was before,'' Mr. Graham said after the tense, closed-door meeting.
  The continued criticism of Ms. Rice, 48, a diplomat with close ties to Mr. Obama, deepens an already bitter and unusually personal feud between the White House and Republicans over Libya. Responding to a question about criticism of Ms. Rice at a news conference two weeks ago, Mr. Obama said, ''If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me.''
  If Rice is who Obama wants as his Secretary of State, then he should make her a recess appointment and be done with it -- you know, like Bush the elder did with Lawrence Eagleburger.
Lindsey Graham: Just Like a Woman?
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:32
  John Heilemann, very early on Morning Joe today, in a discussion about opposition to Susan Rice, suggested that Sen. Lindsey Graham is, essentially, a "woman." This was in the context of Sen. Kelly Ayotte replacing outgoing Joe Lieberman in the "three amigos" grouping (McCain, Graham, Lieberman). Heilemann said that now two of the three are actually "women." Well, Joe Scarb had a good laugh about it right on camera and then they moved on. And, as Mediaite just noted, that bit was pulled when the segment was re-aired after 8 a.m. Here's the original:
Arafat's Body Dug Up, Checked for Poison - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:44
Peru's Congress approves 10-year GMO ban | The Raw Story
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:42
  By Agence France-PresseFriday, November 4, 2011 19:00 EST
  LIMA '-- Peru's Congress announced Friday it overwhelmingly approved a 10-year moratorium on imports of genetically modified organisms in order to safeguard the country's biodiversity.
  The measure bars GMOs '-- including seeds, livestock, and fish '-- from being imported for cultivation or to be raised locally.
  Exceptions include the use of GMO products for research purposes in a closed environment, but those will be closely monitored, the legislature's official news service said.
  The bill, approved late Thursday, now goes to President Ollanta Humala to be signed into law. Humala, who has been in power since late July, has repeatedly said he opposes GM programs.
  According to the Agriculture Ministry, Peru is one of the world's leading exporters of organic food, including coffee and cocoa, with $3 billion a year in revenues and 40,000 certified producers.
  Congress approved a similar 10-year moratorium in June, but outgoing president Alan Garcia, who was seen as being favorable to GM, did not ratify the ban.
  There was friction over GM in the previous government's ministries of agriculture and environment.
  The head of Peru's Consumer Agency, Jaime Delgado, said the moratorium is long enough to learn from scientific studies that will emerge on the effects of GMO products.
  The country's leading group representing farmers and ranchers, the National Agrarian Convention, said that by this measure Peru ''defends its biodiversity, its agriculture, its gastronomy and its health.''
  Copyright (C) 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.
  Photo by Jorge Mattos (P(C)rou) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Portland bomb plot case: Judge lets government withhold IDs of undercover FBI operatives | OregonLive.com
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:41
  The judge in the Mohamed Mohamud terrorism case will allow the government to keep secret the true identities of two undercover FBI operatives expected to be star witnesses in the 21-year-old defendant's forthcoming trial.U.S. District Judge Garr M. King privately reviewed prosecution papers about the operatives and determined in an opinion signed Tuesday that identifying them would be helpful to Mohamud's defense team. But King noted that he had to weigh the defense interests against national security.
  "The court," he ruled, "concludes that the government's national security interest in protecting the classified information, disclosure of which at this time may reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to the national security of the United States, outweighs any defense interest in obtaining the information."
  His order requires the government to delete the identities of the undercover operatives from its pretrial disclosures to the defense and not identify them to Mohamud, his lawyers or the public.
  Andrew G. McCabe, assistant director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, signed a declaration last month warning that public identification of the two highly trained operatives would prevent them from future undercover operations and might compromise several national security cases.
  "Finally, and perhaps most importantly," McCabe wrote, "if the ... true identities are disclosed then their physical safety and that of their families will be put in significant jeopardy."
  The men, posing as terrorists in the FBI sting, befriended Mohamud in 2010 using the pseudonyms "Hussein" and "Youssef."
  Your guide to the story
  Mohamud was arrested on Nov. 26, 2010, five months after the undercover operation began, when he allegedly tried to set off a massive bomb at Pioneer Courthouse Square to kill revelers gathered for the city's holiday tree-lighting ceremony. The bomb was a fake, prepared by the FBI and presented to Mohamud as the real thing by Hussein and Youssef.The Somali-American is jailed in Portland, where he awaits a January trial. His lawyers have mounted an entrapment defense against his lone charge: attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
  King has not yet ruled on the government's other requests to protect the identities of Hussein and Youssef. Prosecutors want the judge to let the operatives testify in light disguises and -- before they testify -- empty his courtroom of all observers but him and his staff, Mohamud, legal teams, and the jury.
  Lawyers in the case are scheduled to argue Wednesday and Thursday over the expected testimony of expert witnesses in the trial.
  The defense took the unusual step of issuing a subpoena to Evan Kohlmann, a prosecution expert on Islamic terrorists, for records that he used pseudonyms as he trolled extremist websites.
  "Given his testimony," they wrote in a court filing Tuesday, "there is a strong likelihood that Mr. Kohlmann posted material under a pseudonym on sites that Mr. Mohamud frequented."
  Prosecutors filed papers to quash the subpoena.
  -- Bryan Denson
Dutch Authority Just Weeks Away From Gagging Health Journalists and Restricting Free Speech
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:40
  Nov 27, 2012 by MARCO TORRESDutch Authority Just Weeks Away From Gagging Health Journalists and Restricting Free Speech
  The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (nVWA) is set to launch a major offensive endorsing the censorship of online health content, including escalating restrictions in free speech. On December 14, 2012, Codex Alimentarius will shift into overdrive when a European Regulation goes into effect restricting all health claims for food unless approved by a regulatory body.
  Codex is a subsidiary body of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex develops international food safety and quality standards, such as standards concerning the safety of food additives. Standards set by Codex traditionally served as a minimum floor for less developed countries. It has over 170 member countries within the framework including the EU and US which have participated in Codex for decades.
  The Codex Alimentarius Commission is responsible for establishing a system of guidelines, standards and recommendations that guides the direction of the global food supply. It aims to tell us what is safe, but in the process often uses criteria that are manipulated to support the interests of the world's largest corporations.
  The text for the Codex Guideline on Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements, which has been based closely on the EU Directive--sharing some of its text verbatim--was ratified in July 2005 but it was finalised by stealth earlier this year.
  It is now being slowly integrated as the basis for national and regional laws in many parts of the world. To a large extent, the EU is now adopted its standards and implementing Codex, so all countries in the EU will eventually be required to abide by the policies and recommendations set forth. The Netherlands is one of those countries that they are attempting to test the platform.
  The European regulation 432/2012 (presented in Dutch) establishes a list of permitted health claims for foods that do not have a disease risk. Who decides if they have a disease risk? The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) who is the watchdog for such regulations and also assisted in the commission and draft of the legislation. The EFSA is similar to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US except they oversee risk assessment for the entire EU and focus mostly on the food chain whereas the FDA extends its reach far beyond the food industry.
  The EFSA is demanding that a list of claims must be submitted together with the conditions applying to them and references to the relevant scientific evidence. Who decides if the scientific evidence is relevant? You guessed it, the EFSA, and their scientific opinion is considered as valid scientific evidence according to the legislation.
  A very interesting observation on the 10th clause of the legislation states that the Commission has a number of evaluations that have been submitted relating to herbs and "botanical substances" which the EFSA has bluntly stated that further evaluation will be required before the Commission is able to release their "opinion" in substantiating the claims and these substances will not be approved until these evaluations are completed.
  That means that despite many of these botanical substances having deep historical and intellectual roots in the cultures of many European countries, existing for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, the EFSA deems it is now the acting God on the effectiveness of these substances and that their scientific "opinion" may trump and negate thousands of years of empirical evidence.
  Perhaps the most damaging article in this legislation comes in the 12th clause which indefinitely restricts the ability of health journalists to promote natural health to any extent. The clause states that no health claims are permitted by any entity unless those claims have been substantiated by the EFSA with a favorable evaluation and that NO CAUSAL LINK can be established between the claim and a food category, or one of its components unless approved.
  For example, an editor of a popular Dutch magazine was recently issued a warning from the nVWA, with the threat of a fine (30,000 euros) to if he repeated the offense. In the editor's column was a specific brand of chocolate. The chocolate manufacturer claimed a positive effect on diabetes. Antioxidant flavonoids in chocolate have been scientifically validated as having the ability to improve the body's sensitivity to insulin which directly benefits diabetics. This was ridiculed by the nVWA insisting that a journalist could not reiterate a link between a specific food or it's ingredients and relate it to disease prevention, regardless of the manufacturer's claim.
  On the nVWA website, they admit on deferring consensus to the EFSA on all claims made by any party who states that a food product or ingredient can cure, treat or prevent illness:
  Product names cannot be related to medical claimsMagazine editors may not recommend products with medical claims.Medical claims on food information booklets, which are specifically designed for retailers or professionals (such as doctors or therapists) are prohibited.Ads about food products should not refer to other documents or websites that have medical claims (about the product or its ingredients).If a specific food product is advertised on a website, there should not be any association or link anywhere on that website on medical information about the product or any of its ingredients.A website with a specific food product may not link or refer to pages outside the site with medical information relating to these products, no matter what the nature of that medical information is. Even medical claims for products in a chat room setting on the Internet are prohibited.Under the new guidelines, any website making a medical claim will first require approval and second will be prohibited from making any other claim regarding, for example nutritional value, or identifying any other value (or detriment) of specific ingredients.
  So a specific website will not be able to associate, for example chocolate, with any health benefit without approval. The same restriction will apply to any ads running on the website or any links that it may make to other websites making their own health claims regarding the benefits of chocolate.
  Can you grasp the amount of restrictions this type of regulation will attempt to enforce? I really don't think the people of the Netherlands have anything to worry about. Any piece of paper that attempts to enact control measures with this amount of fear and control in mind only head in one direction...down the toilet.
  It will be as enforceable as the fines threatened to millions a decade ago for copyright music downloads on the internet. Where did those threats end up? A few people being made an example of? People then developed peer-to-peer and torrents to bypass centralization. The bureaucrats were then clueless on to how to counter or enforce an unenforceable fine.
  What the EFSA and nVWA do not realize is that people WILL NOT be controlled on the internet. That time has come and gone. Censorship is still alive and well in many parts of the world including the United States and many other developed nations. However, what the EFSA and nVWA are attempting to control with these types of regulations inevitably work against the control matrix. It will push people beyond what they consider acceptable. When that happens there is a tipping point that the brainchilds of such draconian legislation usually fail to see because they are so self-absorbed in their own power, that they do not realize that really have no power over the people. The result is resistance, defiance and ultimately a breakdown of all regulations they thought were enforceable.
  To all my friends and readers in Netherlands, have no fear as you are more powerful than any piece of paper they produce to control your free speech. This legislation will fall in a much shorter period it took for it to rise. The truth can no longer be censored, and they are terrified at what we will all say next!
  Marco Torres is a research specialist, writer and consumer advocate for healthy lifestyles. He holds degrees in Public Health and Environmental Science and is a professional speaker on topics such as disease prevention, environmental toxins and health policy.
  Sources:uitdaging.neteur-lex.europa.euanh-europe.orgvillamedia.nlvwa.nl
Many couches contain potentially toxic flame retardants
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:37
  Most couches contain potentially toxic flame retardants in their foam padding that pose a danger to human health, says a Duke University-led study released Nov. 28, 2012.(Photo: Handout)
  Story HighlightsDuke-led study finds most couches have potentially toxic flame retardantsThe chemicals are added to the foam in furniture to reduce fire risksChemical industry says retardants don't pose danger to humans7:37AM EST November 28. 2012 - More than half of U.S. couches contain potentially toxic flame retardants that pose risks to humans as the chemicals migrate from furniture foam into house dust, says a Duke University-led study published today.
  Of 102 couches tested, 41% had foam with chlorinated Tris, a probable human carcinogen removed from baby pajamas in 1977, and 17% contained the chemical pentaBDE, now globally banned, according to the peer-reviewed study in Environmental Science & Technology. Most, 85%, were treated with some kind of untested or potentially toxic flame retardant.
  "The levels are enormous ... People have a pound of these toxic chemicals in their couches," says co-author Arlene Blum, a chemist at the University of California-Berkeley and founder of the Green Science Policy Institute, which studies chemicals in consumer products. She says flame retardants account for up to 11% of the foam's weight and were most common in sofas five years old or less; 94% contained them.
  More manufacturers have been treating polyurethane foam with flame retardants to meet a California flammability standard, known as TB117, that requires furniture sold in the state to withstand a 12-second exposure to a small open flame without igniting. Because of the size of the California market, its standard has become a de facto national one.
  The study says flame retardants are linked to hormone disruption, cancer and neurological toxicity in hundreds of animal studies and several human ones. A separate study published earlier this month in Environmental Health Perspectives found that the children of hundreds of mothers who had pentaBDE in their blood during pregnancy had lower birth weight, lower IQ scores, shorter attention spans and less fine motor coordination.
  The American Chemistry Council, a group representing chemical manufacturers, said in a statement that "there is no data in this study that indicates that the levels of flame retardants found would cause any human health problems."
  The group says flame retardants can be an effective way to meet fire safety standards. It cites a recent analysis by one of its technical advisers showing their use in upholstered furniture can provide valuable escape time.
  Yet, tests by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other labs suggest the chemicals won't reduce fire risks but will instead burn in a few seconds, emitting toxic gases, soot and smoke that account for most fire deaths and injuries.
  "The fire just laughs at these chemicals," Vytenis Babrauskas, a fire safety engineer, said in the press release accompanying the Duke-led study. "Given their toxicity, it's really the worst of both worlds."
  Why use flame retardants? An investigation earlier this year by The Chicago Tribune, citing tobacco industry documents, found that tobacco companies surreptitiously pushed for flame-retardant furniture -- rather than fire-safe cigarettes -- as the best way to reduce house fires.
  Manufacturers are not required to prove chemicals are safe before using them in consumer products, but California is moving to revamp its standard to improve fire safety without the use of fire retardants. If adopted, it could take effect as early as next summer.
  Blum says most bed mattresses, except crib mattresses, don't contain flame retardants but most upholstered furniture does. The only way to know for sure is to have a sofa's foam chemically tested, which is expensive.
  If you're buying new furniture, Blum recommends items with polyester, down, wool or cotton fillings, which are unlikely to contain flame retardants. Otherwise, to prevent ingesting household dust, she suggests frequent hand washing as well as vacuuming with a HEPA filter or wet mopping.
Britain's brain drains to Australia - English pravda.ru
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:10
  Increasingly more skilled workers are leaving the UK in search of more lucrative jobs abroad, according to a study of the British Interior Ministry. Only in the current year over 400,000 people left the United Kingdom and this is not the limit. What is the reason of the mass exodus and what may stop the "brain drain"?
  The UK Ministry of Interior is concerned about the results of a recently conducted research indicating that soon their country may be severely affected by a shortage of skilled labor. The study found that every year a large number of people emigrate in search of work and better living conditions. It would seem that Britain is one of the world's most developed countries, however, over 4.7 million people born in the UK now live abroad. Considering that the country's population barely exceeds 60 million, this number is very significant.
  Where are immigrants headed? According to the statistics, the greatest preference is given to Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada. Among the European countries Spain, Italy and France are most popular. The vast majority of immigrants opt for four countries - Australia, France, New Zealand and Spain.
  Those leaving the country are mostly representatives of the middle class, while more affluent Brits prefer to stay in their country. According to ITAR-TASS, a recent poll of the British showed that two-thirds of the citizens willing to leave their country would bring along their families. In addition, according to the analysts at the University of Huddersfield, the country is suffering not only from the loss of skilled workers, but also the "brain drain." Every year in the UK each university loses two to three high-level scientists.
  Emigration rates are striking. The Telegraph, citing the National Bureau of Statistics, reported that only this year over 400,000 British citizens left the country, which has not happened in the last 50 years.
  According to analysts of the British Institute of Social Policy Studies, one in twelve citizens lives abroad, and over a million are seriously considering leaving the United Kingdom in the next two to three years. The Institute analysts argue that those leaving the country are mostly middle-aged professionals who want to find a better place to work. The young British stay in the country.
  In fact, the main reason for this significant emigration is high level of unemployment in the country, and the change in value of the pound against other world currencies.
  Why are scientists leaving the United Kingdom? Experts at the University of Huddersfield indicated that the number of scientists of the first degree who left the country is far greater than in other twenty advanced countries. According to a Professor at the University of Huddersfield Paul Ward, countries such as the U.S. and Switzerland are the most preferred by British scientists, especially physicists. Britain is not in a position to compete with the world powers, because scientific research there is on a higher level, and stable support from the government provides a fairly high level of wages for scientists. According to a statement of the University of Huddersfield, in terms of scientific development the UK is beginning to yield to Germany and Japan, which has a negative impact on the development of scientific and research activities of the country as a whole.
  As previously noted by The Telegraph, only in the current year six physicists of global magnitude left the UK, while in other countries this number does not exceed two or three a year.
  Dissatisfaction with payment is not the only reason that pushes British citizens to emigrate abroad. Analysts at the Ministry of Interior noted that most of those who left the country were unhappy with constantly rising prices of real estate, as well as the loss of a sense of belonging to the British community. Paul Ward in one of his reports said that many of his fellow citizens are simply tired of the rudeness of state officials, as well as the influence of populist ideas in the country. Many of those polled expressed a desire to live in a country that sticks to the British tradition. According to the expert, the citizens of the UK want to immigrate to countries based on the British traditions that do not impact the existing political system.
  The UK government is seriously concerned. According to statistics, every three minutes a citizen leaves the country. If this trend continues, the state will soon be on the brink of a disaster whose consequences would be nearly impossible to eliminate. According to the analysts at the University of Huddersfield, the reduction in the number of scientists willing to emigrate can only be achieved by an increase in the level of wages, as well as allocating additional funding for research activities.
  Interestingly, many of the polled UK citizens named bad climate prevailing in the United Kingdom among the reasons why they wanted to leave the country. According to Paul Ward, many are tired of constant rain and fog, this is why countries with a mild climate - France, Spain, and Italy - are popular among immigrants.
  The economy of the country is going through hard times, impacted by the effects of the global economic crisis that inevitably led to a rise in real estate prices. According to the researchers of the Ministry of Interior, many Brits sell their homes at a high price to use the money to start their own business in a foreign country with more stable economy. The leader among these countries is Australia as over a third of Brits who leave their country settle there.
  The country's leading economists are looking for ways to improve the situation, but so far without much success. Unemployment in the country is significant, and salaries of skilled workers are low. In addition, graduates from UK institutions are in demand around the world, and many of the country's citizens are given quite lucrative offers from overseas employers. As Ward noted, the amount offered by foreign employers is much higher than what they are offered at home.
  Despite the large numbers of people coming to the UK, the country is suffering from lack of skilled labor because the majority of those coming to the UK are unskilled. The country is facing lack of middle managers. The flow of emigrants from the UK is growing, and the government is concerned about its future.
  Sergei Vasilenkov
  Pravda.Ru
  Read the original in Russian
Federal Register | Revisions to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR): Control of Military Electronic Equipment and Related Items the President Determines No Longer Warrant Control Under the United States Munitions List (USML)
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:54
  2. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, Category 3, amend Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 3A101 by:
  a. Revising the Related Controls paragraph in the List of Items Controlled section; and
  b. Revising paragraph a. in the Items paragraph in the List of Items Controlled section, to read as follows:
  Supplement No. 1 to Part 774'--The Commerce Control List Back to Top* * * * *
  3A101Electronic Equipment, Devices and Components, Other Than Those Controlled by 3A001, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled) Back to Top* * * * *
  List of Items Controlled Back to Top* * * * *
  Related Controls: See also ECCN 4A003.e for controls on electrical input type analog-to-digital converter printed circuit boards or modules.
  * * * * *
  Items:
  a. Analog-to-digital converters useable in ''missiles,'' and having any of the following characteristics:
  a.1. ''Specially designed'' to meet military specifications for ruggedized equipment;
  a.2. Analog-to-digital converter microcircuits which are radiation-hardened;
  a.3. Analog-to-digital converter microcircuits having all of the following characteristics:
  a.3.a. Having a quantization corresponding to 8 bits or more when coded in the binary system;
  a.3.b. Rated for operation in the temperature range from ''54 °C to above +125 °C; and
  a.3.c. Hermetically sealed; or
  a.4. Electrical input type analog-to-digital converter printed circuit boards or modules having all of the following characteristics:
  a.4.a. Having a quantization corresponding to 8 bits or more when coded in the binary system;
  a.4.b. Rated for operation in the temperature range from below ''45°C to above +55°C; and
  a.4.c. Incorporating microcircuits identified in 3A101.a.2 or a.3;
  * * * * *
  3. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 3A292 and 3A980, add new entry for ECCN 3A611 to read as follows:
  3A611Military Electronics, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled) Back to TopReason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entry except 3A611.yNS Column 1RS applies to entire entry except 3A611.yRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entry except 3A611.ySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsLVS:$1500 (except for ECCN 3A611.c)
  GBS: N/A
  CIV: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any item in 3A611.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit: End items in number; parts, component, accessories and attachments in $ value
  Related Controls: (1) Electronic items that are enumerated in USML Category XI or other USML categories, and technical data (including software) directly related thereto, are subject to the ITAR. (2) Electronic items ''specially designed'' for military use that are not controlled in any USML category but are within the scope of another ''600 series'' ECCN are controlled by that ''600 series'' ECCN. Thus, ECCN 3A611 controls only electronic items ''specially designed'' for a military use that are not otherwise within the scope of a USML Category or ''600 series'' ECCN other than ECCN 3A611. For example, electronic components not enumerated on the USML or another 600 series entry that are ''specially designed'' for a military aircraft controlled by USML Category VIII or ECCN 9A610 are controlled by the catch-all control in ECCN 9A610.x. Electronic components not enumerated on the USML or another 600 series entry that are ''specially designed'' for a military vehicle controlled by USML Category VII or ECCN 0A606 are controlled by ECCN 0A606.x. Electronic components not enumerated on the USML that are ''specially designed'' for a missile controlled by USML Category IV are controlled by ECCN 0A604.
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items:
  a. Electronic ''equipment,'' ''end items,'' and ''systems'' ''specially designed'' for military use that are not enumerated in either a USML category or another ''600 series'' ECCN.
  Note:ECCN 3A611.a includes any radar, telecommunications, or computer equipment, end items, or systems ''specially designed'' for military use that are not enumerated in any USML category or controlled by a ''600 series'' ECCN.
  b. [Reserved]
  c. Microwave ''monolithic integrated circuits'' (MMIC) power amplifiers having any of the following:
  1. Rated for operation at frequencies of 2.7 GHz up to and including 3.2 GHz, having a power added efficiency of 30% or greater, and having any of the following:
  a. An average output power greater than 15 W (41.7 dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 15%;
  b. A pulse power output greater than 75 W (48.75 dBm) and a duty cycle of 20% or more; or
  c. A 'peak saturated power output' greater than 75 W (48.75 dBm);
  2. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 3.2 GHz up to and including 6.8 GHz and with a 'peak saturated power output greater' than 40W (46 dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 15% and a power added efficiency of 40% or greater;
  3. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 6.8 GHz up to and including 16 GHz and with a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 10W (40 dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 10% and a power added efficiency of 35% or greater;
  4. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 16 GHz up to and including 31.8 GHz and with a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 5 W (37 dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 10% and a power added efficiency of 30% or greater;
  Note to paragraph .c.4:See ECCN 3A001.b.2.d for MMIC power amplifiers that are rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 31.8 GHz up to and including 37.5 GHz.
  5. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 37.5 GHz up to and including 43.5 GHz and with a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 2.5 W (34dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 10% and a power added efficiency of 15% or greater; or
  6. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 43.5 GHz up to and including 75 GHz and with a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 2.0 W (33dBm) with a ''fractional bandwidth'' greater than 5% and a power added efficiency of 10% or greater.
  Note 1 to paragraph c:See ECCN 3A001.b.2.f for MMIC power amplifiers that are rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 75 GHz.
  Note 2 to paragraph c:'Peak saturated power output' is defined as that value where an increase in input rf power does not produce a concurrent increase in rf output power and may also be referred to as output power, saturated power output, maximum power output, peak power output, or peak envelope power output.
  d. Discrete microwave transistors having any of the following:
  1. Rated for operation at frequencies of 2.7 GHz up to and including 3.2 GHz, having a power added efficiency of 30% or greater, and having any of the following:
  a. An average output power greater than 48 W (46.8 dBm);
  b. A pulse power output greater than 240 W (53.8 dBm) and a duty cycle of 20% or more; or
  c. A 'peak saturated power output' greater than 240 W (53.8 dBm);
  2. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 3.2 GHz up to and including 6.8 GHz and having a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 60W (47.8 dBm) and a power added efficiency of 45% or greater;
  3. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 6.8 GHz up to and including 31.8 GHz and having a 'peak saturated power output' greater than 20W (43 dBm) and a power added efficiency of 35% or greater;
  Note to paragraph.d.3:See ECCN 3A001.b.3.c for discrete microwave transistors that are rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 31.8 GHz up to and including 37.5 GHz.
  4. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 37.5 GHz up to and including 43.5 GHz and having a `peak saturated power output' greater than 1W (30 dBm) and a power added efficiency of 20% or greater; or
  5. Rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 43.5 GHz up to and including 75 GHz and having a `peak saturated power output' greater than 0.5W (27 dBm) and a power added efficiency of 15% or greater; or
  Note 1 to paragraph .d:See ECCN 3A001.b.3.e for discrete microwave transistors that are rated for operation at frequencies exceeding 75 GHz.
  Note 2 to paragraph .d:`Peak saturated power output' is defined as that value where an increase in input rf power does not produce a concurrent increase in rf output power and may also be referred to as saturated power, output power, saturated power output, maximum power output, peak power output, or peak envelope power output.
  e. High frequency (HF) surface wave radar capable of ''tracking'' maritime surface targets or low altitude airborne targets.
  Note:ECCN 3A611.e does not apply to systems, equipment, and assemblies ''specially designed'' for marine traffic control.
  f. Microelectronic devices or printed circuit boards not otherwise controlled on the USML that are certified to be a `trusted device' from a defense microelectronics activity (DMEA) accredited supplier.
  Note:A ''trusted device'' is a device that is certified as produced or manufactured under accredited defense microelectronics activity (DMEA) procedures at a ''trusted foundry,'' a ''trusted source,'' or an ''accredited supplier.'' A ''trusted foundry'' is a semiconductor foundry that is accredited through the defense microelectronics activity (DMEA) to be a trusted source for the following services: design, foundry services, packaging, assembly, and test. A ''trusted source,'' or DMEA ''accredited supplier,'' is a source or supplier that is accredited through DMEA to be a trusted source for the following services: design, foundry services, packaging, assembly, and test. Not all devices developed or manufactured by a company that is a trusted foundry, trusted source, or accredited supplier are per se ''trusted devices.'' Thus, ECCN 3A001.f does not include or apply to any other device that is not a ''trusted device'' manufactured or exported by such companies.
  g. through w. [Reserved]
  x. ''Parts,'' ''components,'' ''accessories'' and ''attachments'' that are ''specially designed'' for a commodity controlled by ECCN 3A611 or for an article controlled by USML Category XI, and not enumerated in a USML Category.
  Note 1 to ECCN 3A611.x:ECCN 3A611.x includes parts, components, accessories, and attachments ''specially designed'' for a radar, telecommunications, or computer ''specially designed'' for military use that are neither enumerated in any USML Category nor controlled in another ''600 series'' ECCN.
  Note 2 to ECCN 3A611.x:ECCN 3A611.x controls parts and components ''specially designed'' for underwater sensors or projectors controlled by USML Category XI(c)(12) containing single-crystal lead magnesium niobate lead titanate (PMN-PT) based piezoelectrics.
  y. Specific ''parts,'' ''components,'' ''accessories'' and ''attachments'' ''specially designed'' for a commodity subject to control in this ECCN and not elsewhere specified in the CCL, as follows:
  y.1. Electric couplings
  y.2. Cathode ray tubes (CRTs)
  y.3. Electrical connectors
  y.4. Electric fans
  y.5. Rotron fans
  y.6. Electric fuses other than those specially designed for explosive detonation
  y.7. Grid vacuum tubes
  y.8. Audio headphones, earphones, handsets, and headsets
  y.9. Heat sinks
  y.10. Intercom systems
  y.11. Joy sticks
  y.12. Loudspeakers
  y.13. Mica paper capacitors
  y.14. Microphones
  y.15. Potentiometers
  y.16. Rheostats
  y.17. Electric connector backshells
  y.18. Solenoids
  y.19. Speakers
  y.20. Electric switches other than RF, pressure, diplexer, duplexer, circulator, or isolator switches
  y.21. Trackballs
  y.22. Electric transformers
  y.23. Vacuum tubes other than TWTs, klystron tubes, or tubes specially designed for articles enumerated in USML Category XII
  y.24. Waveguide
  4. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 3B002 and 3B991, add new entry for ECCN 3B611 to read as follows:
  3B611Test, Inspection, and Production Commodities for Military Electronics, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled)
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1RS applies to entire entryRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entrySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsLVS:$1500
  GBS: N/A
  CIV: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any item in 3B611.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit: N/A
  Related Controls: N/A
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items:
  a. Test, inspection, and production end items and equipment ''specially designed'' for items controlled in ECCN 3A611 or USML Category XI that are not enumerated in USML XI or controlled by another ''600 series'' ECCN.
  b. through w. [Reserved]
  x. ''Parts,'' ''components,'' ''accessories'' and ''attachments'' that are ''specially designed'' for a commodity listed in this entry and that are not enumerated on the USML or controlled by another ''600 series'' ECCN.
  5. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 3D101 and 3D980, add a new entry for ECCN 3D611 to read as follows:
  3D611''Software'' ''Specially Designed'' for Military Electronics, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled)
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entry except 3D611.yNS Column 1RS applies to entire entry except 3D611.yRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entry except 3D611.ySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsCIV: N/A
  TSR: N/A
  STA: 1. Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any ''software'' in 3D611. 2. License Exception STA is not eligible for software for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, installation, maintenance, repair, or overhaul of items enumerated in ECCN 3E611.b.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit:$ value
  Related Controls: ''Software'' directly related to articles enumerated in USML Category XI is subject to the control of USML paragraph XI(d).
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items:
  a. Software ''specially designed'' for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, or maintenance of commodities controlled by ECCN 3A611 (other than 3A611.y), 3B611.
  b. through x. [RESERVED]
  y. Specific ''software'' ''specially designed'' for the ''production,'' ''development,'' operation or maintenance of commodities enumerated in ECCNs 3A611.y.
  6. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 3E292 and 3E980, add new entry for ECCN 3E611 to read as follows:
  3E611Technology ''Required'' for Military Electronics, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled)
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entry except 3E611.yNS Column 1RS applies to entire entry except 3E611.yRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entry except 3E611.ySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsCIV: N/A
  TSR: N/A
  STA: 1. Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any technology in 3E611. 2. Except for ''build-to-print'' technology, License Exception STA is not eligible for technology enumerated in ECCN 3E611.b.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit:$ value
  Related Controls: Technical data directly related to articles enumerated in USML Category XI is subject to the control of USML paragraph XI(d).
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items:
  a. ''Technology'' (other than that described in 3E611.b or 3E611.y) not otherwise enumerated in this ECCN ''required'' for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, installation, maintenance, repair, or overhaul of commodities or software controlled by ECCN 3A611, 3B611 or 3D611.
  b. ''Technology'' ''required'' for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, installation, maintenance, repair, or overhaul of
  (1) Helix traveling wave tubes (TWTs);
  (2) Transmit/receive or transmit modules;
  (3) Microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMIC); or
  (4) Discrete radio frequency transistors.
  c. through x. [RESERVED]
  y. Specific ''technology'' ''required'' for the ''production,'' ''development,'' operation, installation, maintenance, repair or overhaul of commodities enumerated in ECCNs 3A611.y or 3D611.y.
  7. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, amend ECCN 4A003 by revising the License Requirements section to read as follows:
  4A003''Digital Computers'', ''Electronic Assemblies'', and Related Equipment Therefor, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled) and Specially Designed Components Therefor
  Reason for Control: NS, MT, CC, AT, NP
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to 4A003.b and .cNS Column 1NS applies to 4A003.e and .gNS Column 2MT applies to 4A003.e when the parameters in 3A101.a.4 are met or exceededMT Column 1CC applies to ''digital computers'' for computerized finger-print equipmentCC Column 1AT applies to entire entry (refer to 4A994 for controls on ''digital computers'' with a APP > 0.0128 but '‰¤3.0 WT)AT Column 1NP applies, unless a License Exception is available. See § 742.3(b) of the EAR for information on applicable licensing review policies.
  Note 1:For all destinations, except those countries in Country Group E:1 of Supplement No. 1 to part 740 of the EAR, no license is required (NLR) for computers with an ''Adjusted Peak Performance'' (''APP'') not exceeding 3.0 Weighted TeraFLOPS (WT) and for ''electronic assemblies'' described in 4A003.c that are not capable of exceeding an ''Adjusted Peak Performance'' (''APP'') exceeding 3.0 Weighted TeraFLOPS (WT) in aggregation, except certain transfers as set forth in § 746.3 (Iraq).
  Note 2:Special Post Shipment Verification reporting and recordkeeping requirements for exports of computers to destinations in Computer Tier 3 may be found in § 743.2 of the EAR.
  * * * * *
  8. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 4A102 and 4A980, add a new entry for ECCN 4A611 as follows:
  4A611Computers, and Parts, Components, Accessories, and Attachments ''Specially Designed'' Therefor, ''Specially Designed'' for Military Use That Are Not Enumerated in Any USML Category Are Controlled by ECCN 3A611
  9. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, amend ECCN 5A001 by revising the Related Controls paragraph of the List of Items Controlled section, to read as follows:
  5A001Telecommunications Systems, Equipment, Components and Accessories, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled)
  * * * * *
  List of Items Controlled Back to Top* * * * *
  Related Controls: 1. See USML Category XV for controls on telecommunications equipment defined in 5A001.a.1 and any other equipment used in satellites that are subject to the ITAR. See USML Category XI for controls on direction finding equipment defined in 5A001.e and any other military or intelligence electronic equipment subject to the ITAR. 2. See USML Category XI(a)(4)(iii) for controls on electronic attack and jamming equipment defined in 5A001.f and .h that are subject to the ITAR. 3. See also ECCNs 5A101, 5A980, and 5A991.
  * * * * *
  10. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 5A101 and 5A980, add a new entry for ECCN 5A611 as follows:
  5A611Telecommunications Equipment, and Parts, Components, Accessories, and Attachments ''Specially Designed'' Therefor, ''Specially Designed'' for Military Use That Are Not Enumerated in Any USML Category Are Controlled by ECCN 3A611
  11. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 6A226 and 6A991, add a new entry for ECCN 6A611 as follows:
  6A611Radar, and Parts, Components, Accessories, and Attachments ''Specially Designed'' Therefor, ''Specially Designed'' for Military Use That Are Not Enumerated in Any USML Category or Other ECCN Are Controlled by ECCN 3A611.
  12. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, ECCN 7A006, revise the Reasons for Control paragraph of the License Requirements section to read as follows:
  7A006Airborne Altimeters Operating at Frequencies Other Than 4.2 to 4.4 GHz Inclusive and Having Any of the Following (See List of Items Controlled).
  Reason for Control: NS, MT, AT
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1MT applies to commodities in this entry that meet or exceed the parameters of 7A106MT Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1* * * * *
  13. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, ECCN 7D101, revise the heading to read as follows:
  7D101''Software'' Specially Designed or Modified for the ''Use'' of Equipment Controlled for Missile Technology (MT) Reasons by 7A001 to 7A006, 7A101 to 7A107, 7A115, 7A116, 7A117,7B001, 7B002, 7B003, 7B101, 7B102, or 7B103.
  * * * * *
  14. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 9A120 and 9A980, add a new entry for ECCN 9A620 to read as follows:
  9A620Cryogenic and ''Superconductive'' Equipment, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled).
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1RS applies to entire entryRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entrySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsLVS:$1500
  GBS: N/A
  CIV: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any item in 9A620.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit: End items in number; parts, component, accessories and attachments in $ value
  Related Controls: Electronic items that are enumerated in USML Category XI or other USML categories, and technical data (including software) directly related thereto, are subject to the ITAR.
  Related Definitions: N/A.
  Items:
  a. Equipment ''specially designed'' to be installed in a vehicle for military ground, marine, airborne, or space applications, and capable of operating while in motion and of producing or maintaining temperatures below 103 K (''170 °C).
  Note to 9A620.a:ECCN 9A620.a includes mobile systems incorporating or employing accessories or components manufactured from non-metallic or non-electrical conductive materials such as plastics or epoxy-impregnated materials.
  b. ''Superconductive'' electrical equipment (rotating machinery and transformers) ''specially designed'' to be installed in a vehicle for military ground, marine, airborne, or space applications, and capable of operating while in motion.
  Note to 3A610.b:ECCN 9A620.b. does not control direct-current hybrid homopolar generators that have single-pole normal metal armatures which rotate in a magnetic field produced by superconducting windings, provided those windings are the only superconducting components in the generator.
  c. through w. [Reserved]
  x. ''Parts,'' ''components,'' ''accessories'' and ''attachments'' that are ''specially designed'' for a commodity controlled by ECCN 9A620.
  15. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 9B117 and 9B990, add a new entry for ECCN 9B620 to read as follows:
  9B620Test, Inspection, and Production Commodities for Cryogenic and ''Superconductive'' Equipment (See List of Items Controlled).
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1RS applies to entire entryRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entrySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsLVS:$1500
  GBS: N/A
  CIV: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any item in 9B620.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit: N/A
  Related Controls: N/A
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items: Test, inspection, and production end items and equipment ''specially designed'' for items controlled in ECCN 9A620.
  16. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 9D105 and 9D990, add a new entry for ECCN 9D620 to read as follows:
  9D620''Software'' ''Specially Designed'' for Cryogenic and ''Superconductive'' Equipment, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled).
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1RS applies to entire entryRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entrySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsCIV: N/A
  TSR: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any ''software'' in 9D620.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit:$ value
  Related Controls: ''Software'' directly related to articles enumerated on USML are subject to the control of that USML category.
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items: Software ''specially designed'' for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, or maintenance of commodities controlled by ECCNs 9A620 or 9B620.
  17. In Supplement No. 1 to Part 774, between the entries for ECCNs 9E102 and 9E990, add a new entry for ECCN 9E620 to read as follows:
  9E620Technology ''Required'' for Cryogenic and ''Superconductive'' Equipment, as Follows (See List of Items Controlled).
  Reason for Control: NS, RS, AT, UN
  Control(s)Country chartNS applies to entire entryNS Column 1RS applies to entire entryRS Column 1AT applies to entire entryAT Column 1UN applies to entire entrySee § 746.1(b) for UN controlsCIV: N/A
  TSR: N/A
  STA: Paragraph (c)(2) of License Exception STA (§ 740.20(c)(2)) of the EAR may not be used for any technology in 9E620.
  List of Items Controlled Back to TopUnit:$ value
  Related Controls: Technical data directly related to articles enumerated on USML are subject to the control of that USML category.
  Related Definitions: N/A
  Items:''Technology'' ''required'' for the ''development,'' ''production,'' operation, installation, maintenance, repair, or overhaul of commodities or software controlled by ECCN 9A620, 9B620 or 9D620.
Federal Register | Framework for Pharmacy Compounding: State and Federal Roles
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:51
  Notice Of Public Meeting; Request For Comments.
  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the following public meeting entitled ''Framework for Pharmacy Compounding: State and Federal Roles.'' At this public meeting, FDA and State representatives will share their perspectives.
  Date and Time: The public meeting will be held on December 19, 2012, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Onsite registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 2 p.m.
  Location: The public meeting will be held at the FDA White Oak Campus, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Building 31 Conference Center, the Great Room (Rm. 1503), Silver Spring, MD 20993.
  Entrance for the public meeting participants (non-FDA employees) is through Building 1 where routine security check procedures will be performed. For parking and security information, please refer to http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WorkingatFDA/BuildingsandFacilities/WhiteOakCampusInformation/ucm241740.htm.
  If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact Steve Morin, FDA Office of Special Health Issues, 301-796-0161, email: Steve.Morin@fda.hhs.gov no later than December 14, 2012.
  Contact Person: Patricia Kuntze, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New H Ave., Bldg. 32, Rm. 5322, Silver Spring, MD 20993; patricia.kuntze@fda.hhs.gov.
  Streaming Webcast of the Meeting: This public meeting will also be Webcast. Persons interested in viewing the Webcast should use the access connection at https://collaboration.fda.gov/pharmacycompounding/. The Webcast will begin on December 19, 2012, at 3 p.m. ET.
  If you have never attended a Connect Pro meeting before, test your connection at: https://collaboration.fda.gov/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. Get a quick overview at: http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Acrobat and Acrobat Connect are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
  If for some reason the test page does not work, that is not a definite indicating factor that the actual Webcast will not work. The test link sometimes appears to be broken on some individuals' computers. (FDA has verified the Web site addresses in this document, but FDA is not responsible for any subsequent changes to the Web sites after this document publishes in the Federal Register.)
  This Webcast will be closed captioned.
  Comments: In order to obtain public comment, FDA is also soliciting either electronic or written comments on the issues discussed in section II of this document. The deadline for submitting comments is January 18, 2013.
  Regardless of attendance at the meeting, interested persons may submit either written comments regarding this document to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852 or electronic comments to http://www.regulations.gov. It is only necessary to send one set of comments. Identify comments with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document. In addition, when submitting comments on issues as outlined in section II of this document, please identify the issue you are addressing. Received comments may be seen in the Division of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will be posted to the docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
  Transcripts: Please be advised that as soon as a transcript is available, it will be accessible at http://www.regulations.gov. It may be viewed at the Division of Dockets Management (see Comments). A transcript will also be available in either hardcopy or on CD-ROM, after submission of a Freedom of Information request. Written requests are to be sent to the Division of Freedom of Information (ELEM-1029), Food and Drug Administration, 12420 Parklawn Dr., Element Bldg., Rockville, MD 20857.
  The recent outbreak of fungal meningitis associated with drugs produced and sold by New England Compounding Center has raised serious questions about the regulation of pharmacy compounding (Refs. 1 and 2). Historically, regulation of pharmacy compounding has focused on drawing a line between traditional pharmacy compounding and other manufacturing. Generally, day-to-day oversight of traditional pharmacy compounding has been seen as the primary responsibility of the States, which license pharmacies and regulate the practice of pharmacy, while other manufacturing falls under the purview of FDA. Going forward, FDA believes the focus should be shifted from attempting to draw a bright line between traditional pharmacy compounding and other manufacturing to clearly defining traditional pharmacy compounding that should be primarily overseen by the States and higher risk non-traditional pharmacy compounding that would require compliance with Federal standards. In addition, there are open questions about whether, and to what degree States should enforce Federal standards, what that oversight should look like, and the appropriate level of communication and coordination required to make the system of State and Federal oversight seamless and effective.
  FDA recognizes that the States play a critical role in the oversight of traditional pharmacy compounding, which can include compounding a customized medication in response to a prescription by a licensed practitioner based on the identified medical need of a particular patient for the compounded product. However, a category of ''non-traditional'' compounding has evolved in the last decade that FDA believes requires additional oversight. The Agency is working with Congress to consider new authorities regarding ''non-traditional'' compounding pharmacies. In recognition of the States' role, FDA has also reached out to its State partners by inviting representatives from all 50 States to an intergovernmental meeting.
  The intergovernmental meeting will be an opportunity for the State officials to discuss a variety of issues regarding their views on the role of the FDA and the States in the oversight of compounding including:
  Given existing authorities and resources, are the States currently able to provide the needed oversight of pharmacy compounding and consumer protection?What should the Federal role be in regulating higher risk pharmacy compounding such as compounding high-volumes of drugs for interstate distribution? Is there a way to re-balance Federal and State participation in the regulation of pharmacy compounding that would better protect the public health? What strategies should be developed to further strengthen Federal/State communications?Do you see a role for the States in enforcing a Federal standard for ''non-traditional'' compounding? If so, what role? What factors would affect a decision by your State to take on such responsibility?The public meeting announced in this document will be held after the intergovernmental meeting described above. FDA is holding this public meeting to share the results of the intergovernmental meeting with interested stakeholders. At the public meeting, FDA representatives and participants from the intergovernmental meeting will summarize the results of the intergovernmental meeting.
  The following references have been placed on display in the Division of Dockets Management (see ADDRESSES) and may be seen by interested persons between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. (FDA has verified the Web site addresses, but is not responsible for any subsequent changes to the Web sites after this document publishes in the Federal Register.)
  1. The Fungal Meningitis Outbreak: Could It Have Been Prevented? Statement of Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm327664.htm), November 14, 2012.
  2. Pharmacy Compounding: Implications of the 2012 Meningitis Outbreak: Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm327667.htm), November 15, 2012.
  Dated: November 21, 2012.
  Leslie Kux,
  Assistant Commissioner for Policy.
  [FR Doc. 2012-28786 Filed 11-27-12; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 4160-01-P
HRD and Icom IC 7200 Problems
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:26
  That was IT! Data mode for SSB/AM *has* to be selected for HRD to modulate through the USB connection on the IC 7200. Will have to switch from voice to data on SSB manually through the set menu. W0RL copied me clearly. Naturally, this tone-deaf zoomie couldn't read a Navy Master Chief, sending real Morse with a straight key, so the computer decoded it a little less worse than I did.
  My first real CW contact! 50.900, at 90 W, less than 10 miles. Yahoooo!
  My thanks to WA0TDA for pointing me in the right direction, and to W0RL for working as an Elmer.
  Wally, 429 TFS/474 TFW, KC0ORP.
Software for digital modes
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:10
  Software for digital modesHello! Welcome to my personal page,website about radio amateur digital modes since 1999. TNX QSL.NET and QTH.COM by KA9FO
  ROS-PACTOR-FSK441-WINDRM-DIGSSTV-SSTV-MFSK-THROB-PSK31-RTTY-FHELL''OLIVIA-MT63-CW-PACKET-DSP-JT65-WINTOR-VIA SOUNDCARD
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  op.Serge , Moscow - Loc. KO85RU , Russia, MA04 and RV3APM/3 - MO-90
  My name is Sergey, I was born in the 1963 year and live in Moscow, Russia., radio amateur licensed since 1996, favorite mode ROS, RTTY, WSPR, JT65, FSK441. Stations equipment: HF-UHF/VHF, SATTS-2000X,IC-775DSP. Vintage: KW2000B Collins KWM-2 , DRAKE TR7 line, SDR: HiQSDR , HERMES , interface RadioLink,ALS600-EMTRON DX1D.Antenna:VHF- PRO-XL 11el , 23cm 35el F9FT HF: DipoleAlpha-Delta DX-A, EF-30, R-QUAD RR33 (3El Hex beam), ECO AVT-4, Elad AMS33 , MACBOOK 1278 , Windows 7/ Ubuntu, MAC OSX, IPAD. For Mobile, QRP '' ant. Miracle whip, Outbacker, QRP :Elecraft KX3,FT-817ND,USB Signalink. Logger32-MIXW3-MultiPSK.
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  Software for digital modesHello! Welcome to my personal page,website about radio amateur digital modes since 1999. TNX QSL.NET and QTH.COM by KA9FO
  ROS-PACTOR-FSK441-WINDRM-DIGSSTV-SSTV-MFSK-THROB-PSK31-RTTY-FHELL''OLIVIA-MT63-CW-PACKET-DSP-JT65-WINTOR-VIA SOUNDCARD
  ***RV3APM***
  About me
  op.Serge , Moscow - Loc. KO85RU , Russia, MA04 and RV3APM/3 - MO-90
  My name is Sergey, I was born in the 1963 year and live in Moscow, Russia., radio amateur licensed since 1996, favorite mode ROS, RTTY, WSPR, JT65, FSK441. Stations equipment: HF-UHF/VHF, SATTS-2000X,IC-775DSP. Vintage: KW2000B Collins KWM-2 , DRAKE TR7 line, SDR: HiQSDR , HERMES , interface RadioLink,ALS600-EMTRON DX1D.Antenna:VHF- PRO-XL 11el , 23cm 35el F9FT HF: DipoleAlpha-Delta DX-A, EF-30, R-QUAD RR33 (3El Hex beam), ECO AVT-4, Elad AMS33 , MACBOOK 1278 , Windows 7/ Ubuntu, MAC OSX, IPAD. For Mobile, QRP '' ant. Miracle whip, Outbacker, QRP :Elecraft KX3,FT-817ND,USB Signalink. Logger32-MIXW3-MultiPSK.
  MY QRP
  UPDATE 26 OCTOBER 2012
  LATEST MODES 2012OPERA MODE PSK2K '' HDCW JT65B2 JT65C2 LF-MF MODE JT9
  LATEST NEWS RCKSkimmer RCKSkimmer
  FREQ FOR SWL W6RK
  Hamspots-FH-Pactor-Olivia ALE CHANNEL ZERO Digital Sked WSPR Spots Chat JT65 mode
  WINDOWS SOFTWARE via SOUNDCARD
  ***PSK *** RTTY ***
  *** SSTV *** DIGSSTV *** DSP ***
  *** MFTT*** WSPR ***MFSK *** HELL *** THROB *** MT63 *** PACKET *** CW *** OLIVIA*** WinDRM *** ALE ***
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  WINMOR , PactorI-III, PTC TNC
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  PSE CHECK UR REGION AND FREQUENCIES
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  PACTOR I-IVhttp://www.winlink.org/PublicFreqLists
DX CALLING FREQUENCIES
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:08
  160 METERS 1.830-1.840CW, RTTY and other narrowband modes, intercontinental QSOs only1.825 - 1.826DXpeditions often call her and listen 1.830 to 1.83501.838MFSK1838.150PSK31 Calling Frequency1.840-1.850CW, SSB, SSTV and other wideband modes, intercontinental QSOs only1828.5DXpeditions CW Operations are frequently here1.916SSTV80/75 METERS 3.500-3.525CW DX & DXpedition Window3.505DXpeditions CW are frequently here3.580MFSK3580.15PSK-31 (offset -115 for USB)3.590RTTY DX3.640-3.650SSB (some Europeans will transmit here and listen above 3800kHz)3.690-3.700SSB (some Europeans will transmit here and listen above 3.800)3.71QRP Novice/Tech CW Calling Freq3.790-3.800SSB DX & DXpedition Window 3.799 DXpeditions SSB are frequentlyhere DX may transmit below 3750 KHz and listen above 3800 KHz.3.730~3.740SSTV Operating Frequency -- IARU Region 13.845 & 3.857SSTV Operating Frequency USA/Canada3.885AM Calling Frequency3.575HELL, Region #13.559HELL, Region #260 METERSMax ERP is 50 watts.5330.5 kHz USB5346.5 kHz USB5366.5 kHz USB5371.5 kHz USB5403.5 kHz USB40 METERS 7.000 - 7.010CW DX & DXpedition Window7.005DXpeditions CW are frequently here7.035~7.045SSTV Operating Frequency -- IARU Region 17.035.15PSK-31 (offset -115 for USB)FOR Region 1 and 7080.15 for region 27.037MFSK7.040RTTY DX7.040 to 7.099SSB DX & DXpedition Transmit -- Listening above 7.1507.050XTAL Controlled Rigs7.065DXpedition SSB USA split to 7.150 and above7.072.50Most PSK31 has moved to this freq. LSB7.171 & 7.172SSTV Operating Frequency USA/Canada7.228 *Digital SSTV, *Or after Analog Portion Of The NET ends7.245FAX Operating Frequency7.290AM Calling Frequency7.030-7.040HELL30 METERS 10.110DXpeditions CW are frequently here10140.150PSK3110.135-10.145HELL10.147MFSK20 METERS 14.025DXpeditions are frequently here CW Freq -- Usually Split14070.15PSK-31 (14069.00 USB)14.072-14.079MFSK1614.080RTTY Freq & MFSK14.100NCDXF Beacons14.195Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate SSB Here --Generally Listening Up (Split Operation)14.225~14.235SSTV Operating Frequency -- IARU Region 114.230SSTV Operation USA/Canada14.233SSTV Operation USA14.236SSTV Operation USA14.245FAX Operating Frequency14.286AM Calling Frequency14.063-14.070HELL17 METERS 18.145DXpeditions SSB are frequently here -- Usually Split18100.150PSK3118.075DXpeditions CW are frequently here -- Usually Split18.101-18.107HELL18.105MFSK18.1625Digital SSTV15 METERS 21.025Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate CW Here --Generally Listening Up (Split Operation)21.070PSK-31 (offset -115 for USB)21.080RTTY & MFSK21.295Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate SSB Here --Generally Listening Up (Split Operation)21.335~21.345SSTV Operating Frequency -- IARU Region 121.340SSTV Operating Frequency USA/Canada or Digital SSTV21.345FAX Operating Frequency21.063-21.070HELL12 METERS 24.945Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate SSB Here --Generally Listening Up (Split Operation)24920.150PSK3124.929MFSK24.895Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate CW Here --Generally Listening Up (Split Operation)10 METERS 28.025CW Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate Here --Split28.063-28.070HELL28070.15PSK-31 (offset -115 for USB)28.080RTTY & MFSK28.1010 10/10Intl CW Calling Frequency28120.150PSK3128.120-28.300Beacons28.340Hoodlums Net, every Saturday 10 PM EST, Rock Hill, SC28.38010/10 SSB Intl Calling Frequency28.42510/10 SSB Intl Calling Frequency28.495SSB Rare DX & DXpeditions Frequently Operate Here --Split28.600Old General Callin Frequency - Still used by Old Timers28.610Local RagChew Freq. for Gastonia, NC28.660~28.700SSTV Operating Frequencys28.680SSTV Operations USA/Canada28.690SSTV Repeaters (K3ASI)28.700SSTV Repeaters28.80010-10 Net 28.82510-10 Backskatter Net - Paper Chasers Net28.8856M DX Liaison Frequency -- Listen here for 6 Meter DX opening announcements and discussions.28.945FAX Operating Frequency29.000-29.200AM Operations29.300-29.510Satellite Downlinks29.550FM, Digital SSTV29.520-29.580Repeater Inputs29.600FM Simplex - Calling Frequency29.620-29.680Repeater Outputs6 METERS50.680SSTV50.0 - 50.1CW50.110SSB DX CALLING50.100 - 50.124SSB DX50.125SSB US CALLING50.200ARRL New Calling Freq.50.125 - 50.200SSB50.200 - 52.00Only during hot F2 openings do you find SSB much above 50.200.50.40050.260AMWSJT (high speed meteorite scatter)
  51.120FM PSK3150.290SSB PSK3152.00 - 54.00FM Repeaters52.525FM Simplex2 METERS144.200SSB145.500FM SSTV145.550FM PSK31144.144SSB PSK31144.390APRS144.140FSK441 Meteor Scatter144.40 - 144.44Experimental144.45 - 144.49Satellite (SAREX and ARISS voice up-links)145.00-145.09PACKET144.510 - 144.890 FM Repeater Inputs145.110 - 145.490 FM Repeater Outputs145.710PACKET146.010 - 146.505 FM Repeater Inputs146.400 - 146.585FM Voice Simplex and Alternate Repeater Inputs146.610 - 147.390FM Repeater Outputs147.600 - 147.990FM Repeater Inputs146.520National Simplex Calling Frequency222-225 MHz222.000 - 222.015Guard Band (15 KHz)222.015 - 222.050EME - (Earth/Moon/Earth) (50 KHz)222.050 - 222.060Propagation Beacons (10 KHz)222.060 - 222.100Weak Signal CW/Experimental (40 KHz)222.100 CW/SSB Calling Frequency222.100 - 222.200Weak Signal CW/SSB (100 KHz)222.200 - 222.350Repeater Control/Link Frequency (150 KHz)222.350 - 222.450Hi Speed Digital w/222.40 Center (100 KHz)222.450 - 222.460Propagation Beacons (10 KHz)222.460 - 222.490EME/Weak Signal/Experimental (30 KHz)222.500 - 223.380FM Repeater Inputs (880 KHz with 20 KHz spacing)223.400 - 223.640FM Simplex Voice (240 KHz)223.660 - 223.780Digital Channels (120 KHz with 20 KHz spacing)223.800 - 223.900Hi Speed Digital w/223.85 center (100 KHz)223.910 - 224.080Control & Link Frequencies (170 KHz)224.100 - 224.980FM Repeater Outputs (880 KHz with 20 KHz spacing)224.990 - 225.000Guard Band (10 KHz)223.400 223.420 223.440 223.460 223.480 223.500 *223.520 223.540 223.560 223.580 223.600 223.620 223.640FM Voice Simplex Frequencies* 223.500 is the National FM Voice Simplex Calling Frequency
  420-450 MHz420.0000 - 420.2000 Repeater Links420.0000 - 426.0000ATV Repeater Output 421.250 Video -425.750 Audio 426.0000 - 432.0000ATV Simplex 427.250 Video - 431.750 Audio432.0000 - 433.0000SSB & Weak Signal 432.100 National SSB Calling Frequency433.0125 - 433.2000Repeater Links433.0000 - 439.0000ATV Simplex Only 434.000 Video - 438.500 Audio438.7750 - 439.5875Repeater Links439.6000 - 440.4750FM Digital/Packet Operation440.5125 - 440.7250Narrow Band Digital Repeater Outputs/Duplex Backbones/Link440.7375 - 440.9000Simplex Cross Band Voice - Base440.9125 - 441.1750Simplex Digital441.1875 - 441.4875Links, Control Frequencies441.5000Simplex Digital 441.000 National Digital Calling Frequency441.5250 - 441.7750Duplex Link Repeaters441.8000 - 444.9750FM Standard Repeater Outputs445.0250 - 445.4750Digital445.5125 - 445.7250Digital Repeater Inputs445.7375 - 445.9000Simplex Cross Band Voice - Mobile445.9125 - 446.1750FM Simplex 446.000 National FM Calling Frequency446.1875 - 446.4875Links, Control Frequencies446.5000Simplex Digital446.5250 - 446.7750Duplex Link Repeaters446.8000 - 449.9750FM Standard Repeater Inputs445.9125 445.9250 445.9375 445.9500 445.9625 445.9750 445.9875 446.0000 * 446.0125 446.0250 446.0375 446.0500 446.0625 446.0750 446.0875 446.1000 446.1125 446.1250 446.1375 446.1500 446.1625 446.1750Voice FM Simplex Frequencies* 446.000 is the National FM Voice Simplex Calling Frequency
Daily Press Briefing - November 27, 2012
  Link to Article
  Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:36
  1:15 p.m. EST
  MS. NULAND: All right, everybody. I apologize for being late. We had a little bit of a birthday celebration going on for a deputy assistant secretary who shall go nameless'...Philippe.
  I have nothing to give you at the top. Let's go to what's on your minds.
  QUESTION: Well, let me just start by saying we appreciate the cake that we got delivered ''
  MS. NULAND: Excellent.
  QUESTION: -- from the party.
  MS. NULAND: I'm glad that the ''
  QUESTION: Even though we weren't invited '' (laughter) '' we did get to have some of the cake.
  MS. NULAND: Well, I would note that the press corps is well and capable of hosting its own parties for ''
  QUESTION: Well, that's true.
  MS. NULAND: -- important deputy assistant secretaries in this building.
  QUESTION: That's true.
  MS. NULAND: So maybe more cake is forthcoming.
  QUESTION: Well, maybe we would do it on the actual day of the birthday.
  MS. NULAND: (Laughter.) Well, there you go.
  QUESTION: Although it was a Sunday. Anyway, enough of that.
  Let's get on to the Palestinians' attempt to get some kind of recognition at the UN. I understand that Mr. Molho was here yesterday speaking with David Hale and that there is an attempt '' some kind of an attempt to get them to present an alternative version to the Palestinians that they might take to the UN that might be less objectionable to both you and the Israelis. Is that true? One. And then two, you lost another one of your allies. Your oldest ally, France, says today that it's going to vote in favor of the Palestinian resolution as prepared, not any alternative. So I'm wondering if you can comment on that.
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, just to confirm that Mr. Molho was here. As you know, he's a regular visitor and we see him routinely when David Hale is there, when others are there, and when he has a chance to come to the States, we talk about all of the peace process issues. He is the negotiator for his government. I am obviously not going to get into the details of our private conversations with him. That will not surprise you. I don't have anything on the question that you asked me. This is obviously an issue for the Palestinians. They know our view on this, that we do not think that any move in the General Assembly is helpful or any text in the UN General Assembly is helpful. We think it's going to be, as I said yesterday, a mistake.
  With regard to France and any other countries, we obviously disagree with our oldest ally on this issue. They know that we disagree with them, but it's their sovereign decision to make how to proceed.
  QUESTION: But when you see something like that happening '' and I'll get back to the Molho visit in a second '' but when you see something like that happening, does it not give anyone pause? Because this is going to be '' whatever the final vote is, it's going to be a lopsided outcome. The Palestinians are going to win. You don't dispute that, right?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to get into what's going to happen when the vote comes forward. I would simply say that there are times when governments should take principled stands. We are doing that in this case.
  QUESTION: Okay. But it doesn't give you pause '' in this case or in the case of the Cuba embargo vote, whichever year is the same, it doesn't give you pause that '' to think that maybe you are not actually taking a principled stand and that others are taking a principled stand when everyone '' virtually everyone else in the world disagrees with you on the fundamental aspect of your policy? That doesn't give anyone in this building pause? You just '' or this Administration pause? You just charge right ahead regardless of what the rest of the world is saying?
  MS. NULAND: We're focused on a policy objective on the ground for the Palestinian people, for the people of Israel, which is to end up with two states that can live peacefully next to each other. Nothing in this action at the UN is going to take the Palestinians any closer to that. So yes, we're going to oppose it because we think it is the wrong move. We think it makes other steps that might improve the lives of Palestinians and Israelis harder. Other countries will make their own decision. This is not a new issue. We've been talking about it for more than a year, and so we're just going to have to see what happens later on in the week.
  QUESTION: Well, now just back to Molho's visit for a second.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: So you're not even prepared to say that they '' that among the things that they talked about was the Palestinian move, the vote on Thursday?
  MS. NULAND: Well, obviously we talked about this issue. We made clear that our view hasn't changed and that we're continuing to convey that both to the Palestinians directly and to other countries who will have to make decisions in the General Assembly.
  QUESTION: All right. So you've seen the report in Haaretz, yeah, which has a detailed ''
  MS. NULAND: I've seen a lot of reports in Haaretz.
  QUESTION: Okay. Well, this isn't the one about rat infestation in West Jerusalem, okay? This is the one that ''
  MS. NULAND: Was there one on rats in West Jerusalem today?
  QUESTION: Probably, but this is the one that is germane to what we're talking about right now.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, I ''
  QUESTION: You're aware of this story which has a detailed '' in fact, it has what appears to be an actual document with specific points that was allegedly drafted by this joint Hale-Molho or in these joint discussions. You don't have anything to say about that?
  MS. NULAND: I've obviously seen the story. I don't have any details of our private diplomacy with the Israelis yesterday.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Victoria, just a follow-up on that. You keep saying from this podium time and again that it doesn't bring the Palestinians any closer. Does it get them really any farther from the two-state solution?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we talked about this at length yesterday, Said. I really don't think I need to repeat all the comments I made yesterday. We do have concerns that it makes the environment harder, yes.
  QUESTION: Okay. So '' but you're saying that this will get them farther from the two-state solution?
  MS. NULAND: That's the concern.
  QUESTION: Why is that? How does an observer membership really '' is sort of an obstacle towards having negotiations starting?
  MS. NULAND: It enflames the situation between the parties and makes it harder for them to come to the table, makes the political situation harder between them.
  QUESTION: Okay. Let me ask you on the issue of the '' a caveat maybe to the whole document that perhaps if the Palestinians commit themselves not to pursue membership in the International Criminal Court of Justice, that would be acceptable to you. So could you say that that is not acceptable to you even if they make such a commitment?
  MS. NULAND: Again, you're taking me into negotiating a less bad situation maybe. That's not where we are, Said. We oppose any move in the General Assembly. We think it's going to make the situation harder.
  QUESTION: Okay. Abbas arrives in New York tonight. He will have the whole day tomorrow. Is anyone going to meet with him?
  MS. NULAND: I think I said yesterday that we expect we'll have a chance to see him, but I don't have anything to announce at the moment.
  QUESTION: And finally, your meetings with Molho, do you have, like, balanced meetings with Molho's counterpart, the Palestinian negotiator?
  MS. NULAND: Well, as you know, Mr. Molho was here in the States. We have not seen '' Mr. Erekat has not been here, but as you say, we're expecting President Abbas. So the expectation is we'll have a chance to see him, but again, we were just '' the Secretary was just there in Ramallah, so '' less than, what is it, a week ago somewhat '' just barely a week ago. So there's no question in our mind that the Palestinians understand our position on this.
  QUESTION: Finally, I think the British indicated that they might vote for the state provided that the Palestinians do make that kind of commitment not to seek membership or pursue Israeli officials and military personnel and so on. Are you aware of that?
  MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, we're aware of our British allies' position. In fact, the Secretary had a conversation with Foreign Minister Hague this morning. This was one of the subjects that they discussed. It's a British call how they want to take this forward. They know exactly where we stand as well.
  QUESTION: Thank you.
  QUESTION: Does the United States accept that President Abbas' move is really borne out of a sense of frustration that things haven't moved on the ground for the Palestinian people for decades now, and that really there's nothing else he can do other than keep bringing this issue up and keep trying to move things forward?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I'm not going to speak for his motives. We'll let him speak for his own motives. We share the concern that we have not been able to move forward. It is in that spirit that we have been encouraging President Abbas to come to the negotiating table with the Israelis without preconditions. That's the way to take this forward, not in the GA.
  Please.
  QUESTION: There is a story saying that Secretary Clinton and the Department of State are being sued for allegedly allowing American aid money meant for the Palestinian Authority to be used by terror groups like Hamas. The lawsuit was filed by 24 U.S. citizens living in Israel on Monday. Do you have anything on this?
  MS. NULAND: Michel, we saw press reporting on this alleged suit just before coming down. I frankly wasn't able to confirm whether it's been filed, but obviously, if there's a legal action, we wouldn't speak to it here. It would go to the Department of Justice.
  Andy.
  QUESTION: Can we turn to Egypt?
  QUESTION: Hold on, just one more. The '' on the UN, the U.S. does accept that the Palestinians have the right to seek this status; correct?
  MS. NULAND: Well, there's obviously a procedure in the GA that allows it, if that's what you're asking.
  QUESTION: Yeah, but I mean, that they are not outside of their '' I don't know what the right word is '' they're not acting inappropriately other than inappropriate '' other than, in your opinion and the opinion of the Israelis, they're doing something that they shouldn't do? They're not violating any kind of rule? They do have the legal ability to do this?
  MS. NULAND: Well, there's a process in the GA that's obviously going to go forward, right? So if that were not possible, then it wouldn't be going forward under the rules.
  QUESTION: But --
  MS. NULAND: But we continue to maintain it's --
  QUESTION: No, I understand that, but --
  MS. NULAND: -- the wrong decision in policy terms.
  QUESTION: No, I '' right. But you do accept that they, along with other people, have this right to seek recognition, correct?
  MS. NULAND: Again, they are following appropriate UN procedure, if that's what you're asking. That doesn't make it the right decision in terms of taking their own stated goal forward, which is to have a state.
  QUESTION: Right. No, no, but I'm asking about the U.S. position. The U.S. doesn't think that they're acting outside of the rules of the UN or anything?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, I '' if that were our position, then we would be making that clear inside the UN.
  QUESTION: And just a basic question: The U.S. will be voting no on Thursday when this comes up?
  MS. NULAND: The U.S. will be voting no on Thursday.
  QUESTION: Well, isn't that a hypothetical question? There is no vote, and in fact, you have been saying that you hope that you can avoid a vote.
  MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, if there is a vote, we will vote no, and we said that yesterday and will say it again today.
  QUESTION: Okay. So does that mean that when other votes are coming up, we will be able to get your '' we'll be able to get the --
  MS. NULAND: We'll just have to call it case by case, Matt.
  QUESTION: Will Ambassador Rice be there to vote no on Thursday?
  MS. NULAND: I don't know the answer to that, Said. I would send you to her staff and to the USUN folks.
  QUESTION: Because I understand that she's in town and --
  MS. NULAND: She is in town today.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah. She released a statement today, in fact, on her meetings today.
  QUESTION: One more on this: Will there be a new approach for the peace process from the U.S. after the vote?
  MS. NULAND: Again, I'm not in a position here to predict where we're going to go in policy after a vote that hasn't actually happened. So again, we are taking this day by day. We are continuing to make clear publicly, privately, to anybody who will listen, our view on this. But I can't make any predictions about where policy goes when we don't have all of the inputs yet.
  QUESTION: What do you see changing after '' if this vote goes on?
  MS. NULAND: Again, you're asking me to crystal ball the impact this is going to have. Since we don't have a ''this'' and we don't have a decision, I'm not going to do that.
  QUESTION: Well, you always say you have contingency plans for everything.
  MS. NULAND: Well, we do have contingency plans, but not necessarily for sharing.
  QUESTION: Well, hold on. You just '' you can't get it '' you can't have it two ways.
  MS. NULAND: Why not?
  QUESTION: You can't say that '' you can't begin the briefing by saying if the Palestinians go and do this, it's going to inflame things, it's going to be horrible, it's going to make things worse, and then say you don't '' can't crystal ball what's going to happen if it goes through.
  MS. NULAND: Well, look, I can repeat what I've been saying for --
  QUESTION: Either you believe what you said, that it's going to be bad and have a horrible effect on the possibility of resuming the peace process, or you can't predict the future and you don't know.
  MS. NULAND: Look, I've already said yesterday several times, today several times, that we are concerned about inflaming the environment for negotiations. But I'm not '' I thought the question that Michel was asking, the question that you were asking, was what's the U.S. step-by-step approach after a vote that hasn't happened. And I'm just not in a position to get into that.
  QUESTION: But what are you worried about? That Israel doesn't go to negotiations again? What is it really that you're concerned about?
  MS. NULAND: We're concerned that these parties should be focused on getting back to the table together, that this is a distraction and an irritation and it may make it harder to get back to the table. I think we've said that a number of times.
  Andy.
  QUESTION: Egypt now?
  MS. NULAND: Yes, please.
  QUESTION: Okay. President Morsi yesterday, through a spokesman, said that he was amending this decree which has caused all the political chaos there. I'm just wondering what your take is on this amendment. Does it go far enough in '' it's sort of only partially shielding his decisions from judicial review. Will that in itself be enough to sort of satisfy your checklist of what Egypt should be doing as far as an inclusive constitutional process and all of that?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, we've seen the public statements. It's a little bit unclear to us as yet precisely what has been decided, what the impact is going to be, whether the various constituencies have all felt that they've been heard and had their views taken into account.
  So frankly, Andy, at this stage in Cairo, we are seeking further information and trying to understand what's going on. But as you've seen on the ground, the situation remains unclear. We want to see, as we've been saying, a solution to the constitutional impasse which is consultative, which is democratically achieved, which protects a positive, democratic trajectory for this constitution, protects balances of power, protects a voice for all Egyptians in this process.
  So again, the situation a little unclear to us at the moment, and we're seeking more information.
  QUESTION: Does that mean '' I mean, the Egyptians haven't briefed the Ambassador there or spoken to anybody in this building to convey directly what has been decided? You all don't have that from the horse's mouth yet?
  MS. NULAND: We are continuing to consult with various parties to understand how they appreciate the situation, and it appears to us that the situation continues to evolve.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Victoria, the IMF indicated that they might leverage the $4.8 billion in loan to Egypt as a way to sort of maybe persuade Mr. Morsi to back down. Would you support such a thing?
  MS. NULAND: Did you see an IMF statement to that effect? Because I did not.
  QUESTION: Well, I mean, there's news reports saying '' suggesting that the IMF is heading in that direction.
  MS. NULAND: I saw you guys speculating, but I didn't see the IMF saying that.
  QUESTION: Well, let me --
  MS. NULAND: Again --
  QUESTION: -- form the question this way. Would you coordinate with the IMF and other U.S. allies to make sure that what Mr. Morsi says about this being temporary that it is, in fact, temporary and not long-lasting?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we talked about this quite a bit yesterday, Said. I don't think our view on this has changed. In general, when the IMF makes an agreement with a government '' and they have a preliminary agreement, is our understanding, with the Government of Egypt '' the conditionality for an IMF agreement is primarily in the economic arena, it's not in the political arena.
  And in the case of Egypt, the idea here is that Egypt has begun some reform measures but will continue additional reform measures and that the support, if it is approved, will be phased based on their continued economic reform. There is usually not political conditionality. But again, this hasn't come forward to the board yet, and there's still some time here, so we'll have to see what the IMF puts forward.
  QUESTION: Okay. But you have a voice on the IMF.
  MS. NULAND: Obviously, we do.
  QUESTION: Okay. So how would you '' what would you suggest to them? What would you recommend?
  MS. NULAND: Again, we want to see appropriate economic conditionality in this package. We want to see Egypt continuing on the reform path to ensure that any money forthcoming from the IMF truly supports a stabilization and a revitalization of a dynamic economy based on market principles. That's what we look for in an IMF deal. But again, it hasn't come forward for board --
  QUESTION: But I mean, political turmoil '' would you protest everything?
  MS. NULAND: I mean --
  QUESTION: So the IMF may change --
  MS. NULAND: Again, I don't want to predict where this is going to go, but there's obviously a constitutional standoff in Egypt that has to be resolved.
  QUESTION: Just while we're on Egypt --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: -- are you guys concerned at all that you may have created a new Mubarak in President Morsi by essentially handing him the keys to the '' not to the peace process itself but to security in the area, and that, much like Mubarak did, Morsi will use that and his new gained '' newly gained stature to continue to clamp down and do things that are what you would say are not democratic or in support of the values that you think the Egyptian people voted for?
  MS. NULAND: I think we've been absolutely clear that the quality and strength of our relationship with Egypt going forward is rooted in our expectation that Egyptian leaders will take forward the goals of the revolution, the goals of the Egyptian people, to have a democratic, open country that respects the rights of all of its citizens, where there are checks and balances. We haven't made any secret of that in our conversations with the Egyptians.
  We very much appreciate, and we were clear about this too, the role that President Morsi and the Government of Egypt played in brokering the ceasefire with Gaza. As the Secretary said when she was in Cairo, this is a role that Egypt has historically played. We're pleased to see it continuing under the Morsi Administration. That's important for the region. But other aspects of the transition that the Egyptian people are expecting also have to go forward.
  QUESTION: Okay. But based on what your '' let's just talk about recent history or 20th century history. We won't go back to the pharaohs. But based on your reading of past Egyptian leaders, starting, I guess, let's start with Nasser, have they carried on the revolution, as you are saying that you expect Morsi to now? I mean, has any Egyptian leader not ended up doing the right thing, or do they turn '' become autocrats or they get assassinated? What leads you to believe that Morsi --
  MS. NULAND: Are we doing a history class here, or what?
  QUESTION: You said in the answer to my first question that you thought and expected that any Egyptian leader would carry through the goals and ideas of the revolution, and presumably you're basing that on your experience with Egyptian leaders in the past. No?
  MS. NULAND: We have a situation already in Egypt where, over the course of the last period, there have been decisions taken by one group or another in the Egyptian leadership structure that have been challenged by others, that have been challenged in the street, and the result has been a dialogue among them and working through this very murky legal period. As we called for last week, when confronted with concerns about the decree that he issued, President Morsi entered into discussions with the judiciary, with other stakeholders in Egypt. As I said, I think we don't yet know what the outcome of those are going to be, but that's a far cry from an autocrat just saying my way or the highway.
  QUESTION: Okay, okay. Well, maybe I misunderstood when you --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: It was this question of what you mean when you used the word ''expect.'' This is an expectation that is not based on anything other than the current situation?
  MS. NULAND: Correct.
  QUESTION: All right.
  QUESTION: After yesterday's meeting between Morsi and the judiciary, there was a statement saying that the decrees stand and nothing has changed. So --
  MS. NULAND: Again, we are continuing to gather an understanding of precisely what's been agreed, precisely what the impact is, as are Egyptians who are continuing to try to understand this. So I'm not going to opine any further till we have more information.
  Please.
  QUESTION: So news has been coming over all morning that huge demonstrations are in Tahrir Square, people are sitting in until their demands are fulfilled. Would the U.S. willing to put more pressure on President Morsi to renounce his last declaration if the sit-in continues in Tahrir Square and people demand that the declaration goes down?
  MS. NULAND: Again, we're not '' this is '' these are Egyptian decisions for Egyptians to make on the basis of democratic consultations. Clearly, the situation continues to unfold. There needs to be national unity around a way forward. There needs to be conversation with all of the folks who have a stake in the way this goes forward. So the degree to which there are still sit-ins, demonstrations, et cetera, it may be that the Egyptian people as well don't have a clear view of what's been decided. But again, we are trying to gather more information, we're trying to understand where things are, and we're watching the situation closely.
  QUESTION: Toria --
  QUESTION: So do you consider that the last declaration is a right step in the process of democracy?
  MS. NULAND: Again, we don't have a clear view of what was decided yesterday.
  Said.
  QUESTION: I just wanted to ask you if you are aware of any military-to-military talks or ongoing talks regarding this issue between, let's say, the Pentagon and the Egyptian military. And the reason I ask this is, because potentially this is a very volatile situation. Today, the security forces in Alexandria said that they will not protect Muslim Brotherhood personnel or property.
  MS. NULAND: Again, that sounds like a question for the Department of Defense. I mean, we have ongoing mil-mil conversations, we've had a lot of conversations in the context of Gaza, in the context of the security challenges in Sinai, but against the constitutional questions, I don't think so. But you can talk to the Pentagon.
  Please. Still on Egypt?
  QUESTION: Syria, please?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: ProPublica has turned up fresh evidence that the Russians, if not printing it, at least flying currency to the Assad regime. Is that something that would soften the blow of sanctions?
  MS. NULAND: We have seen these press reports that you are referring to. I frankly don't have any information that I can share in a format like this on that subject. I think we've been very clear, both publicly and privately, how we feel about any country, Russia included, supporting the Assad regime in any way. And we will continue to make those points. And it doesn't simply go to the question of military support; it also goes for any kind of economic or political support.
  Please.
  QUESTION: Can we stay '' not on Syria --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, still '' anything else on Syria?
  QUESTION: Yeah.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: There was reports yesterday, a news report, that Russian diplomats got in touch with U.S. diplomats about something in Syria, finding a --
  MS. NULAND: Russian diplomats got in touch with U.S. diplomats about something on Syria.
  QUESTION: Yeah.
  MS. NULAND: I think you'll have to do better than that if I can help you. But we're in a constant conversation with the Russians about Syria, a difficult conversation.
  Michel.
  QUESTION: The story '' a follow-up on this '' the story is that the Russian diplomats called a U.S. official to discuss post-Assad and after the fighting reached Damascus.
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any details about a particular meeting of that kind. I frankly hadn't even seen press reports. But as you know, we've been engaged with the Syria opposition. We've also been engaged with countries around the world in the Friends of the Syrian People group on day-after planning, as we call it, to ensure that the international community is prepared to support Syria when Assad goes, whatever kinds of support might be necessary '' whether it's security support, dealing with Assad's weapons including chemical weapons, whether it is economic, rebuilding, humanitarian, et cetera.
  So we have a very robust conversation going with the opposition about what might be needed and also with our international partners on how to divide up the work if there's work to be done. We've said to the Russians that we would welcome their being part of that conversation, but it's predicated on an expectation that Assad will go.
  QUESTION: He did better than I did, but --
  MS. NULAND: Was that the question? Excellent.
  QUESTION: -- is there anything that makes you feel that the Russians may change their minds?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have anything new to report on the Russian position, but I'd send you to the Russians.
  QUESTION: But have you felt that there is a change in their stance regarding Syria?
  MS. NULAND: No.
  QUESTION: Again, he's doing better.
  MS. NULAND: (Laughter.) Scott, still on Syria?
  QUESTION: Yeah. I just have a little follow-up on the ProPublica report question. You said you don't have any information that you can share in this format. In prior instances of concern over aid to the Syrians, whether it's military shipments and boats or aircraft or whatever, there has been sort of specific concern raised but from the podium. Is there something about this that '' I mean, what I'm asking is you don't have any information you can tell us, or we just don't have any information to back up this story?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any information I'm in a position to share. That said, you can be sure that any kind of support for the Assad regime of any kind, from Russia or elsewhere, we would oppose, and we would be talking to that government about.
  Please, Scott.
  QUESTION: Congo.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: What can you tell us about Ambassador Carson's (inaudible)?
  MS. NULAND: I didn't get a chance to talk to him myself as I had hoped. What I can tell you is that he was in Kigali yesterday and delivered a very strong message to the Rwandan Foreign Minister and other government officials about what our expectations are in Congo as we've been discussing, that we want to see Rwanda use its influence, if it has it, with the M23 to get a cease-fire, get a rollback to the July 7th lines, and to participate actively in a conversation among Museveni, Kabila, Kagame, on how to deal with the political and economic grievances in eastern Congo.
  We also expressed concerns in those meetings about any Rwandan support for M23. Our understanding is that we are also continuing to ask Rwanda to be active in this, but it is a slog. It's a slog with M23, which has said a lot of good things, but we haven't seen them implemented on the ground. So Assistant Secretary Carson is still out there and continuing his meetings.
  QUESTION: His meetings here tomorrow with the AU, what --
  MS. NULAND: He'll be back in '' yeah, I guess he must be on his way back because he will be here for Chairperson Zuma, who is coming to see the Secretary tomorrow. I would expect the DRC will be on that agenda, as will Mali, as will Somalia.
  QUESTION: One of the --
  QUESTION: So you said he wanted to '' he delivered the message that you want Rwanda to use its influence with the M23 if it has it. Is there some doubt?
  MS. NULAND: No. I mean, obviously, it has influence with M23 and there's also been concern, as you know, about materiel support to the M23.
  QUESTION: Well, okay, so it's '' there is no doubt in the mind of the Administration that Rwanda has influence or '' and more with M23?
  MS. NULAND: There is no doubt.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  QUESTION: I think you said yesterday that there was anticipation that he was going to meet President Kagame when he was in Kigali. Did that meeting fall through, or was that never scheduled, or what happened?
  MS. NULAND: That meeting did not happen, I understand, for scheduling reasons, but obviously we remain in contact with President Kagame.
  QUESTION: I'm sorry. When you say scheduling reasons, does that mean that Ambassador Carson did '' somehow didn't have the time to see him, or that President Kagame decided that he didn't really have any interest in seeing --
  MS. NULAND: I don't have --
  QUESTION: -- Ambassador Carson, so that his schedule became full?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any details about why the meeting didn't happen.
  QUESTION: You also mentioned --
  QUESTION: Iraq?
  QUESTION: -- that you were asking Rwanda to stop any support '' if it has any support if '' for the M23. Is there any doubt that it's supporting, militarily, the M23?
  MS. NULAND: We have had concerns about Rwandan support for the M23.
  Said.
  QUESTION: Still on the AU.
  MS. NULAND: Still on this?
  QUESTION: No.
  MS. NULAND: No?
  QUESTION: Iraq.
  QUESTION: Yeah, one more on AU, sorry. You said that the ECOMOG force '' I think you'd like to see in Mali, could be patterned on --
  MS. NULAND: ECOWAS force.
  QUESTION: Yeah. The ECOWAS, ECOMOG force in Mali would be patterned sort of on AMISOM. So what would you like to see the African Union do in support of the Mali force? And is that part of tomorrow's conversation, too?
  MS. NULAND: Well I think you know that the UN Security Council asked ECOWAS to refine its proposal for how it would strengthen a mission in Mali. We are waiting for a formal report from ECOWAS about the kind of mission it sees, what kind of international support it would need for it. So I think the expectation is that the AU would be supportive of that as well. So I think we will compare notes on what we think is needed in security terms, but also in political terms in Mali. We've talked a lot about trying to split off moderate Tuaregs, get them into a conversation with the interim government about a way forward that meets the human, economic, and political needs of that population so that they're not drawn to terror, so they're not drawn to separatism. So that will be part of the conversation as well.
  QUESTION: Toria, can you stay in Africa just for one --
  MS. NULAND: Yes.
  QUESTION: -- but mostly Africa? That's the Kimberley Process meeting today '' that's going on this week here. I know there's going to be a press conference that they're going to have, but is there anything that you can say from here about what you're expecting or hoping to get out of this meeting?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have anything on what they are up to. But we are going to do something at the end. Let me see if I can get an interim report for you, Matt, for tomorrow.
  Said.
  QUESTION: Iraq.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Could you update us on your role in mitigating the tensions between the northern region of Kurdistan and the central government. There was a delegation yesterday, a Peshmerga delegation, that met with the Minister of Defense in Iraq. Are you updated on this situation?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I think we've said over the last little bit that we have been encouraging Peshmerga and Iraqi forces to sit down together to have conversations. We have been encouraged that they are now in dialogue with each other, that they've now had two days of discussions. And we look forward to their continuing to work through these issues in a political manner so that we don't have any kind of a confrontation.
  QUESTION: Okay. But there has been a tremendous spike in violence in Iraq. There has been a lot of polarization with Turkey basically taking the side of Kurdistan. There is a lot of problems. They are '' the central government on the side of Iran. What is your position on this? It's quite a plateful, but what do you do, what are you doing in this case?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we've talked about this before, Said, that we remain active with all of the groups in Iraq, encouraging all of them to participate in a national dialogue to work through the various issues so that they can protect the unity of the country, so that they can protect the constitutional structure and ensure that all of the groups and all of the regions are well represented in working with each other on the issues of the nation. This has been difficult, as you know, but we are encouraged that there are still conversations ongoing. They now need to get to all of the difficult, unresolved issues, including issues having to do with security, resource sharing, et cetera.
  QUESTION: Do you have anything about explosions in Kirkuk today? The bombings?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have anything in particular on that one. I frankly hadn't heard it before coming down.
  QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Do you have anything to add to what '' the Uganda answer you gave yesterday? Has there been any more contact, do you know, between '' since Ambassador '' since Assistant Secretary Carson was there on this '' the anti-homosexuality law?
  MS. NULAND: Just a little bit more on Assistant Secretary Carson's conversation: He did talk to parliamentary leaders and to President Museveni very directly about our concerns, the concerns of the international community. Our understanding is that President Museveni certainly took onboard the fact that this could have a serious impact on the way Uganda is perceived, the way Uganda is supported in the international community. There are many hoops for this thing to go through, as you know. I think yesterday we said that the bill had passed the parliamentary committee. My understanding is that's incorrect. It hasn't even gotten to that stage. So we just need to continue to highlight the issues.
  QUESTION: And then just one other unresolved from yesterday, and that is the '' I think you took the question, but I never saw an answer to it, which is about the Chinese passports?
  MS. NULAND: I had a conversation with our people on that. With regard to the technical matter '' yeah.
  QUESTION: I'm not --
  MS. NULAND: You're talking about the political matter. Yeah.
  QUESTION: Exactly. That doesn't ''
  MS. NULAND: We do have concerns about this map which is causing tension and anxiety between and among the states in the South China Sea. We do intend to raise this with the Chinese in terms of it not being helpful to the environment. We all seek to resolve these issues.
  QUESTION: Does that mean that you would like them to remove the map, or make some kind of '' make them '' have them make some kind of explicit declaration that this does not necessarily reflect their ambitions or their goals for territory in the region?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not sure that we're --
  QUESTION: What is it you would '' how do you '' how would you like to see the Chinese resolve or decrease the tensions that this has created?
  MS. NULAND: I don't think I have a remedy to predict here. But I think we'll make clear that this is not helpful to what we all want, which is an environment where the countries involved in this can settle it.
  Guy --
  QUESTION: Okay. And then just, do you know if you have been in '' did members of ASEAN or other countries ask you to make representations to the Chinese, or was this something that you were going to '' you've decided to do purely on your own?
  MS. NULAND: I don't know that we have been approached by other ASEANs, except that we have watched their concerns expressed directly to the Chinese. But obviously, we now that --we're going to take it up ourselves, we'll obviously share that with them.
  QUESTION: Okay. And then just my last one on this, and I'm just being devil's advocate. Why is it any of your business what the Chinese put in their passports? As long as it's a legal document that you'll accept or that ICE or whoever, the immigration people, will accept, why is it your business?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, as I said yesterday, as a legal and consular matter, it's up to states to decide what their passports look like, as long as they meet international standards of being a valid travel document and a document that can't be forged and all those kinds of things. So it's on that basis that we will accept it as a legal document. That's a different matter than whether it's politically smart or helpful to be taking steps that antagonize countries that we want to see a negotiation happen with.
  QUESTION: Okay. And absolutely the last one on this.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: It is '' the U.S. will still accept this as a valid travel document, correct?
  MS. NULAND: Yes, yes.
  Guy has been waiting patiently.
  QUESTION: Thank you. Beyond saying that just this is a White House deal today, I wonder what you can tell us about --
  MS. NULAND: It sounds like he's giving me my answer before I even have the question.
  QUESTION: -- Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto's visit to Washington today. Is there anything that the U.S. is hoping to get out of this initial meeting with him? Specifically, is the Administration optimistic that the time is ripe now for an expansion of U.S.-Mexico economic relations?
  MS. NULAND: Well, you are right, Guy, that whenever a foreign visitor goes to the White House it's up to the White House to speak to the results of the visit. I think you know that throughout this transition period from the Calderon Administration to the Pena Nieto Administration, we have sought a seamless transition in our relationship with Mexico because it's so very, very important, and we both have so much at stake. We have seen members of the Pena Nieto transition team, talked about our many shared issues from security to economics to preserving and protecting our region. So we have high expectations that our continued excellent relations will go forward.
  Further than that, I'm going to let the White House speak to it. I think they've also announced the delegation for the inaugural.
  QUESTION: Sorry. Yeah. You just answered. Who is attending --
  MS. NULAND: The Secretary is there, as is Assistant Secretary Roberta Jacobson are at the meetings at the White House today, and Assistant Secretary Jacobson will also be part of the presidential delegation.
  Catherine.
  QUESTION: Ambassador Rice was on the Hill today, and it seems that after months of State Department and her going up there, there are still serious concerns that senators have. I'm wondering what the State Department has continued to do and is doing now to address those concerns. And then if you have an update on the ARB.
  MS. NULAND: On the ARB, the ARB is continuing to work. We are still looking, we hope, at that sort of 60-65 day expected report time, which puts us somewhere in the middle of December. We'll have to see how they do.
  We, as you know, have done our utmost in this period to be as open and transparent and cooperative with the Congress in its requests. You know that, I think, some two weeks ago we participated in four or five hearings. We expect that there'll be at least one more hearing next week that we will be asked to participate in, and we will do so. And we continue to deliver and make available documents as the Hill requests.
  QUESTION: And who will go to the Hill next week?
  MS. NULAND: Again, I think we'll wait for the Hill to announce what they are seeking, but they've been in touch with us about further hearings that they may have next week.
  QUESTION: And is the plan still for Secretary Clinton to go when the ARB is complete, or are there potentially a trip in her future up there sooner?
  MS. NULAND: I think we've been saying that the expectation is that after the report is concluded that she'll consult with the Congress on it.
  Yeah. Please.
  QUESTION: Can we go back to Asia for a second?
  MS. NULAND: Please.
  QUESTION: Recently, within the last few days, South Korean officials are citing new satellite imagery, claiming that North Korea is preparing a new missile to test/launch. And they say that the likelihood of that happening either in December or January is considerably high. Can you confirm or refute that, and do you have a comment?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we did talk about this a little bit yesterday. I'm obviously not going to comment on intelligence issues. We would, of course, again, take this opportunity to remind the D.P.R.K. of the UN Security Council statement of April, which explicitly demanded that the D.P.R.K. not proceed with any further launches using BMD technology.
  QUESTION: Sorry. Did you (inaudible) the intelligence issue on this?
  MS. NULAND: The intelligence issue '' he asked me what the satellite imagery was showing us --
  QUESTION: Not necessarily that, but have you '' you've received some other information other than just the South Koreans saying hey, look at North Korea for us, I assume?
  MS. NULAND: Not that I'm in a position to share with you.
  QUESTION: Hold on. Just one second. You were talking about the satellite imagery, which is --
  MS. NULAND: I'm talking about any intelligence we might have about any D.P.R.K. intentions.
  QUESTION: We're not talking about any intelligence you might have about anything?
  MS. NULAND: Correct.
  QUESTION: No, you are. Right?
  MS. NULAND: Well, in general, I'm '' yes.
  QUESTION: Right. But I just want to '' in terms of the broader issue here on this, and I will drop it, but I don't '' frankly, this stuff is commercially available. If you're saying that you don't want to comment on what your analysts see in commercially available satellite imagery, that's one thing. But pretending to '' that the imagery doesn't exist and isn't out there for '' I mean, certainly the North Koreans know what they're doing.
  MS. NULAND: I think I asked for a USG assessment of what we are seeing, and I'm not going to give you that. Okay?
  QUESTION: All right.
  QUESTION: Can I ask --
  MS. NULAND: In the back, please. Still on --
  QUESTION: Yes. If I may, I would like to follow on Matt question regarding the Chinese new passport. Under Secretary Hormats is meeting with the Chinese Minister Councilor for Commercial Affairs today at noon at the Chinese Embassy. I wonder if the conversation, even if it's a casual conversation, Chinese new passport come out. And if they do, could we give '' could you please take that question?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah. I'll let you know when we raise this and who raises it. But generally Under Secretary Hormats deals with economic matters, and this is more of a political issue, so --
  QUESTION: And then another question on TPP?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Trans-Pacific Partnership.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Secretary Clinton's remark in Singapore on November 17 was buried with tons of other transcripts. So I feel like you won't do it justice if I don't raise a question.
  MS. NULAND: Let's do it some justice. Go ahead.
  QUESTION: Yeah. Given the importance of the TPP, she was saying that the United States will welcome any economic body that is willing to meet the high standard of TPP to participate the TPP, including China. So this carry a lot of weight because she seems to be the highest level official to make that kind of comment. So was there any efforts to bring China into the trade bloc led by the United States? And if yes, what is the status of that?
  MS. NULAND: Let me just say that obviously her statements were very clear, they were very open. We've always perceived of TPP as a regime that would be open to new members as they can meet the standard if they are interested. We've also been very transparent with the Government of China about what we intend here, so that there wouldn't be any secrets, so that they could make their own assessment about it. So --
  QUESTION: At the same time, China is pushing a trade bloc led by China. It's called RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. It seems that it's counter the trade bloc led by the United States. So how does the United States perceive RCEP?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any particular comment to make on that other than to say that, as a general matter, we want to see trade arrangements be open, be transparent, be encouraging commerce and trade that enhances regional stability, security that is not exclusionary, that meets high labor standards, that meets high human rights standards, all those kinds of things that we're seeking to promote in the TPP. So I don't know that we've had a chance to analyze this Chinese initiative, but obviously we want to see any global trading arrangements be open, be fair, level the playing field and support the highest standards of intellectual property, labor rights, human rights, et cetera.
  QUESTION: Do you think RCEP will interfere in the negotiation efforts led by the United States? Because China is negotiating with Japan, South Korea on this initiative.
  MS. NULAND: No.
  Jo.
  QUESTION: On Iran, if I could. Following the meeting out of '' in Brussels last week with the P-5+1, we're hearing on the grapevine that the group is about to '' or is proposing to Iran to meet soon, and possibly as early as the 1st of December, maybe in Istanbul. Could you confirm that for us, please?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have anything to announce here. And I think if and when we do have something to announce, we'll follow past practice and Lady Ashton will probably be the person who puts that forward.
  QUESTION: It would seem that the Americans, though, are the ones who are the keenest to try and push this forward. Do you see that there's a new momentum, perhaps, to go to the Iranians and start talks again?
  MS. NULAND: Again, I think when we left off the P-5+1 meeting, the way the EU cast it in their public comment was that there'd be another contact with the Iranians, probably at the Ashton level, and then we'd see whether it made sense to have a meeting. I don't know that that first step has happened yet, Jo, so we'll let the EU speak to that.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  MS. NULAND: Great earrings, by the way.
  QUESTION: Thank you.
  MS. NULAND: Please.
  QUESTION: (Inaudible) Balkans. Philip Reeker is visiting Balkans. He met Serbian Prime Minister yesterday or today, I don't know. You have any details about that? The topic is Kosovo and Serbia relationship.
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any details, but I'm going to hazard a guess that he's following up on the Secretary's visit and the support that we've been giving to the EU process and encouraging that. But we'll see if we can get you a little bit more. Okay?
  QUESTION: Thank you.
  MS. NULAND: Thank you, everybody. Oh, more Matt, more Matt. Here we go.
  QUESTION: I have a Colombia (inaudible). It seems that the FARC are again asking for the release of this guy, Simon Trinidad, who's serving a 60-year prison term in the U.S. Have you been approached, and '' you asked it yesterday, did you? I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
  MS. NULAND: We did talk about this yesterday.
  QUESTION: I'm sorry.
  MS. NULAND: I think the Justice Department also talked about it yesterday, and they have --
  QUESTION: My bad.
  MS. NULAND: -- far more power than we do in this circumstance.
  QUESTION: I'm just wondering if I could on Palestinians but '' for one second.
  MS. NULAND: (Inaudible.) Okay.
  QUESTION: It's your favorite topic.
  MS. NULAND: My favorite topic.
  QUESTION: And that is, since you're weighing in so heavily on their bid at the UN, I'm wondering if you have anything to say about their exhumation of Arafat and what that '' and what any medical tests might find. Do you think that that will be bad for the peace process as well, or are they within their rights to do this? Do you think that this suggestion that Arafat's death may not have been a natural one is helpful to the cause of pursuing peace?
  MS. NULAND: I don't have any comment on that one way or the other.
  QUESTION: Could you comment on who's likely to meet with President Abbas?
  MS. NULAND: I think when we have something to announce, we will, Said. Probably after the meeting.
  QUESTION: But someone will meet with him, for sure?
  MS. NULAND: The expectation is that somebody will, yeah.
  Thanks.
  (The briefing was concluded at 2:06 p.m.)
  DPB # 200
3D Printing ''Photo Booths'' Popping Up Across The World | Singularity Hub
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:08
  It's no secret that 3D printing is one of the superstar emergent technologies of 2012. New 3D printers have been announced, crowdfunded projects launched, prices have dropped, and adoption among professionals and enthusiasts alike continue to gain momentum. The promise of a 3D printer in every home lingers on the horizon, though it is likely years down the road. Still tech experts are looking for something that will signal the technology's best bet to transition from hype to mainstream application by bringing an awareness to the public of what 3D printing can accomplish.
  Today, one application seems poised to accomplish this. Call it 3D printed figurines, personal miniatures, or photo sculptures '' they all mean the same thing: a Mini Me version of yourself through 3D printing technology.
  Omote 3D's scan-and-print process produces lifelike figurines in a few days.
  Now this isn't a new application of 3D printing technology, but improvements have provided a more realistic-looking and (relatively) affordable product, enough to potentially appeal to the masses. The key to success is finding a niche market that can support a 3D photo booth service, which is a tall order currently. Still, companies are testing the waters by providing the service and gauging interest.
  Take Omote 3D, for instance, which has been erroneously dubbed as the world's first 3D printing photo booth. Recently, the company set up a temporary booth in the Eye of Gyre exhibition space in Tokyo that will remain open for two months. Customers can make reservations online to have their 15-minute full-body scan taken via 3D scanning and then purchase a model in one of three sizes (10, 15, and 20 cm) at a price from $264 to $528, though discounts are available for couples and families. Customers can also make final adjustments to the colors used to print their models.
  The 3D printer maker MakerBot recently announced that it was also opening a 21st century photo booth at its New York City store. Unlike Omote which employs someone to scan customers with a 3D hand scanner, MakerBot's booth uses ShapeShot from Direct Dimension to convert 2D images into 3D portraits. Scanning takes only five minutes and costs $5. Customers can then take the scan home to print out on their own 3D printers or select a bust or other replica for MakerBot to produce, at varying prices (products are shipped within four to six weeks). The real purpose behind the booth is to show off the amazing technology and encourage 3D printer purchases, such as the new Replicator 2 which runs for $2,199.
  And what about Europe? Turns out one company has been providing the service since 2010. Madrid-based 3D-U offers photo sculptures (image at top) comparable to what Omote 3D offers in size at slightly less cost, with a 10 cm model priced at about $125 and a 20 cm for $385, though pricing depends on the size selected and the height of the person. Figurines are shipped in two weeks. What's notable about 3D-U is that its store isn't a front for selling 3D printers, but is a stand alone center for specializing in the making of realistic figurines.
  With all the interest building in 3D printing, it's only a matter of time before a big company starts experimenting with 3D photo printing'...and it's already happening.
  Along with gobbling up entertainment juggernauts like Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm, Disney has made two attempts this year with 3D printing booths. First, visitors of the Walt Disney World Resort could have themselves ''frozen in carbonite'' at the Carbon-Freeze Me booth set up for the Star Wars weekend celebration. More recently, the company offered girls the opportunity to become a princess in the D-Tech Me Princess experience. At both booths, face scanned portraits were then printed out in lieu of either Han Solo in carbonite or one of the Disney princesses. Cost for both was $100 and takes five to six weeks to arrive.
  The D-Tech Me Princess will print a scanned portrait onto the body of a Disney princess.
  The momentum for 3D printing has really picked up in 2012 and stories about using the technology to produce art, furniture, and even homes is starting to gain much greater exposure. Still, these applications are far from being either mass produced or adopted broadly. That's why these efforts in portraiture and figurines can bridge the gap and help usher in an era predicted by Ray Kurzweil and others.
  But how long will it be before 3D printers really take off?
  The popular prognostication machine known as Gartner has 3D printing firmly planted at the top of its hype cycle and predicts that it will be another two to five years before the technology moves from the ''Peak of Inflated Expectations'' to the ''Plateau of Productivity''.
  The Gartner 2012 Hype Cycle has 3D printing atop the ''Peak of Inflated Expectations'' (image: Gartner)
  Whether 3D photo booths can help 3D printing vault into consumers Top 5 Must Have Technologies remains to be seen, but in the meantime, brides and grooms around the world who must have replicas of themselves on top of their wedding cakes have a cool new way to make models of themselves.
  .
The Curious Case of the Georgia Guidestones and Ms. Carney
  Link to Article
  Source: The Daily Bell RSS News Feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:01
  New Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's wife: an eco-warrior who says banks are rotten ... The British wife of the new Bank of England Governor is a strident environmental activist who urges people to spend less money on possessions, and once declared: "Having more stuff does not make us happy." Diana Carney has expressed sympathy for the anti-banking Occupy movement and suggested that global financial institutions are "rotten or inadequate". She has described the notion that humans should halt all consumption to save the environment as a "good point" but "very hard given the way our societies function", and has also lamented the "relentless exhortations to buy and the fact that much of our sense of self is tied up in our possessions" '' UK Telegraph
  Dominant Social Theme: Green thinking is necessary.
  Free-Market Analysis: The wife of the head of the Bank of England, one of the most important posts in banking circles, sounds like an out and out Luddite.
  This is most imporant information because it provides us with yet another insight into the belief systems of banking elites. Here is the definition of a Luddite ... courtesy, Wikipedia:
  The Luddites were 19th-century English textile artisans who violently protested against the machinery introduced during the Industrial Revolution that made it possible to replace them with less-skilled, low-wage labourers, leaving them without work. Historian Eric Hobsbawm has called their machine wrecking "collective bargaining by riot", which had been a tactic used in Britain since the Restoration, as the scattering of manufactories throughout the country made large-scale strikes impractical.
  The movement was named after Ned Ludd, a youth who had allegedly smashed two stocking frames 30 years earlier, and whose name had become emblematic of machine destroyers. The name evolved into the imaginary General Ludd or King Ludd, a figure who, like Robin Hood, was reputed to live in Sherwood Forest.
  Ms. Carney does not consider modern industrial society to be very desirable. She is against banking and modern farming and wants to use old-fashioned agricultural methods for farming.
  She is part of a what we could call a neo-medieval movement to return the peasants to the land. Britain's Prince Charles is an exponent of this sort of thing, as well. If you compared the views of Charles and Ms. Carney, you'd probably not find much difference with the exception, perhaps, of architecture.
  Ms. Carney doesn´t actually believe smaller is better. She wants bigness, just a different kind of bigness, and she wants that bigness inserted above the "little people" that she wants to look out for. Here's some more:
  She is vice-president of Canada 2020, a Left-wing think tank, and reviews environmentally-friendly products. The couple, who have four daughters with dual British-Canadian citizenship, live in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa, one of Canada's richest enclaves where their neighbours include ambassadors and executives. Mr and Mrs Carney bought their home for £800,000 in August 2003, but its value is believed to have risen substantially. Records suggest that they made £95,000 of improvements in 2009.
  Ms. Carney has reportedly stated that income inequality in countries such as Canada and Britain was "the defining issue of our time." To combat this defining issue, she endorses the Soros-funded Occupy Wall Street movment that is an evident and obvious false flag. "The grass is always greener on the other side and the Occupy movement has provided a voice to many unhappy people."
  Not only that but the Telegraph article excerpted above tells us that she is critical of "top earners" '' presumably including her husband. "I perceive a fear that the institutions that underpin our country and the global system are either threatened, rotten or inadequate to face down the challenges of the future."
  Within this context, then, we can see Ms. Carney is not only anti-industry; she is part of a process that is whipping up resentment against wealthy people.
  These wealthy people are NOT the source of trouble in the world. There seems to be a tiny elite clique of banking families and facilitators that has pursued an intergenerational conspiracy to create world government. It is to their advantage to reposition social envy and anger so as to create a class war that virtually excuses them while blaming a larger class of rich individuals for the mischief being plotted at the very top.
  Ms. Carney promotes this meme whether she fully understands it or not. She is a redistributor of wealth. She wants to use the massive force of Leviathan '' the elites' chosen tool '' to ensure that there is more equality of income and that people do not have access to modern technology, unless the technology is of a certain retrograde kind ... like windmills.
  This set of beliefs is deliberately adopted. Her credentials, after all, are impressive and provide us with a portrait of a thinking woman. We learn that, "Mrs Carney ... had obtained a First-class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and earned a Masters in agricultural economics. The couple married in 1995, before Mr Carney returned to investment banking."
  Mrs Carney also urges readers of her website to live frugally. Describing herself as a "farmer's daughter" she wears recycled vegan shoes, describes environmentally-friendly ways to tackle head lice and recommends "gardening with cow poo". "Reducing consumption, or returning it to levels that are sustainable, is critical overall," she wrote online.
  This, in fact, provides us with an intimate look at the prejudices of the upper class in Britain. A very special upper class, too '' a banking class that is somewhat separate from the rest of the upper classes.
  Nothing wrong with either of these positions, of course. Modern monopoly fiat banking IS a big problem for the world. Modern farming does tend to destroy land and yields unhealthy food besides. But that is not the point, of course. Ms. Carney wants to use government to rectify the wrongs she believes are evident in modern society. The bigger the government, the better.
  The elitist dominant social theme here is that modern Western society is sick and needs to be led back to health by an elite, banking priesthood that includes, no doubt, her husband. The subdominant social theme here is that a medieval society is mostly a desireable one and that it can, in fact, exempt certain people if they BELIEVE in the requisite nostrums.
  This is how Ms. Carney no doubt justifies her own double standard. She can live in an expensive house and her husband can hold the most important banking position in Britain, but as long as she and her husband hold the "right" views, they are to be seen as good people and respectable, productive members of society.
  The problem with this perspective is that it literally presages genocide. Government is simply not a force for good; it too often provides us with brutal solutions that feature destruction and even death under the justification of the "greater good."
  Inherent in Ms. Carney's viewpoint is a murderous ideology. That does not mean Ms. Carney is murderous or even wants to be. Perhaps she wants the best for the world, as she says. But this larger agenda is a dangerous one.
  We'll finish with the list from mysterious Georgia Guidestones. If you don't know what the Guidestones are, just research them on the 'Net.
  Conclusion: Notice the first tenet. This is where all the trouble starts.
  1. MAINTAIN HUMANITY UNDER 500,000,000 IN PERPETUAL BALANCE WITH NATURE
  2. GUIDE REPRODUCTION WISELY '' IMPROVING FITNESS AND DIVERSITY
  3. UNITE HUMANITY WITH A LIVING NEW LANGUAGE
  4. RULE PASSION '' FAITH '' TRADITION '' AND ALL THINGS WITH TEMPERED REASON
  5. PROTECT PEOPLE AND NATIONS WITH FAIR LAWS AND JUST COURTS
  6. LET ALL NATIONS RULE INTERNALLY RESOLVING EXTERNAL DISPUTES IN A WORLD COURT
  7. AVOID PETTY LAWS AND USELESS OFFICIALS
  8. BALANCE PERSONAL RIGHTS WITH SOCIAL DUTIES
  9. PRIZE TRUTH '' BEAUTY '' LOVE '' SEEKING HARMONY WITH THE INFINITE
  10. BE NOT A CANCER ON THE EARTH '' LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE '' LEAVE ROOM FOR NATURE
MF Global customers to seek subpoenas for Corzine, others
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:54
  MF Global customers to seek subpoenas for Corzine, othersTop News
  MF Global customers to seek subpoenas for Corzine, others
  Mon, Nov 26 22:40 PM EST
  By Nick Brown
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of former MF Global customers on Monday asked a court for permission to subpoena the commodities broker's executives, including former CEO Jon Corzine, who was blamed in a congressional report this month for MF Global's collapse.
  The Commodity Customer Coalition, an advocate for trader customers who lost money when MF Global went under, is seeking to subpoena Corzine, Chief Financial Officer Henri Steenkamp, Chief Operating Officer Bradley Abelow and others, according to court papers filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
  While Corzine has stepped down, some executives remain at the company, assisting in its wind-down. Abelow, the highest-ranking executive still at the firm, just last week gave his notice and is leaving at the end of the week, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.
  MF Global (MFGLQ.PK) went bankrupt in October 2011 after its heavy exposure to European sovereign debt spooked investors. The case has become a political firestorm as investigators in Congress and elsewhere try to identify the source of an estimated $1.6 billion hole in customer trading accounts.
  Corzine's role has been unclear. James Giddens, the trustee liquidating MF's broker-dealer unit, said in a June report that Corzine failed to address growing liquidity needs as he built the firm into a global investment powerhouse.
  Giddens said MF Global used customer funds to cover liquidity gaps as the firm teetered on the brink.
  More recently, the Republican-controlled House Financial Services Committee put the blame squarely on Corzine, saying in a November 15 report that he failed to maintain the controls necessary to protect customer funds.
  Corzine, a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs (GS.N) who also served as a Democratic U.S. senator and governor of New Jersey, has denied any wrongdoing.
  Reuters reported in September that prosecutors are close to wrapping up a criminal inquiry and are unlikely to file criminal charges.
  Some customers have sued Corzine for civil charges, including breaching fiduciary duty.
  The coalition is also seeking to subpoena MF Global General Counsel Laurie Ferber and former Treasurer Edith O'Brien, as well as Christine Serwinski, former finance chief at MF's North American brokerage.
  An attorney for O'Brien declined to comment. Lawyers for the other parties did not respond to requests for comment.
  James Koutoulas, a fund manager who leads the coalition, on Monday told Reuters that Corzine should be forced to face questions from customers under oath.
  A spokesman for Corzine declined to comment.
  Judge Martin Glenn, who is overseeing MF Global's liquidation, in February denied a similar subpoena request from another former MF Global customer, saying it would impede ongoing investigations by authorities.
  Many officials, including Giddens, the Department of Justice and the FBI, have been investigating the case and have spoken to MF Global executives.
  Giddens' role -- to return as much money as possible to former customers -- raises questions as to whether granting the coalition subpoena power could be redundant.
  Giddens has already returned to customers about 80 percent of the money in their accounts, which were frozen when the company went bankrupt. He has said he will try to recover much of the roughly $1.6 billion gap in those accounts through litigation or settlements with MF Global affiliates, regulators and counterparties.
  Giddens has also joined forces with plaintiffs who have sued Corzine for alleged civil infractions.
  Still, Koutoulas says customers should be able to take matters into their own hands and ask Corzine and fellow brass detailed questions about the firm's collapse.
  "This case needs another kick in the butt," Koutoulas said. "It's almost like the courts are treating Corzine as a sacred cow that can't be touched."
  Kent Jarrell, a spokesman for Giddens, declined to comment on the coalition's subpoena efforts. He said Giddens "stands by" his June report and will continue to cooperate with plaintiffs in civil lawsuits against Corzine.
  (Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Dan Grebler and Edwina Gibbs)
  MF Global customers to seek subpoenas for Corzine, othersTop News
  MF Global customers to seek subpoenas for Corzine, others
  Mon, Nov 26 22:40 PM EST
  By Nick Brown
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of former MF Global customers on Monday asked a court for permission to subpoena the commodities broker's executives, including former CEO Jon Corzine, who was blamed in a congressional report this month for MF Global's collapse.
  The Commodity Customer Coalition, an advocate for trader customers who lost money when MF Global went under, is seeking to subpoena Corzine, Chief Financial Officer Henri Steenkamp, Chief Operating Officer Bradley Abelow and others, according to court papers filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
  While Corzine has stepped down, some executives remain at the company, assisting in its wind-down. Abelow, the highest-ranking executive still at the firm, just last week gave his notice and is leaving at the end of the week, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.
  MF Global (MFGLQ.PK) went bankrupt in October 2011 after its heavy exposure to European sovereign debt spooked investors. The case has become a political firestorm as investigators in Congress and elsewhere try to identify the source of an estimated $1.6 billion hole in customer trading accounts.
  Corzine's role has been unclear. James Giddens, the trustee liquidating MF's broker-dealer unit, said in a June report that Corzine failed to address growing liquidity needs as he built the firm into a global investment powerhouse.
  Giddens said MF Global used customer funds to cover liquidity gaps as the firm teetered on the brink.
  More recently, the Republican-controlled House Financial Services Committee put the blame squarely on Corzine, saying in a November 15 report that he failed to maintain the controls necessary to protect customer funds.
  Corzine, a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs (GS.N) who also served as a Democratic U.S. senator and governor of New Jersey, has denied any wrongdoing.
  Reuters reported in September that prosecutors are close to wrapping up a criminal inquiry and are unlikely to file criminal charges.
  Some customers have sued Corzine for civil charges, including breaching fiduciary duty.
  The coalition is also seeking to subpoena MF Global General Counsel Laurie Ferber and former Treasurer Edith O'Brien, as well as Christine Serwinski, former finance chief at MF's North American brokerage.
  An attorney for O'Brien declined to comment. Lawyers for the other parties did not respond to requests for comment.
  James Koutoulas, a fund manager who leads the coalition, on Monday told Reuters that Corzine should be forced to face questions from customers under oath.
  A spokesman for Corzine declined to comment.
  Judge Martin Glenn, who is overseeing MF Global's liquidation, in February denied a similar subpoena request from another former MF Global customer, saying it would impede ongoing investigations by authorities.
  Many officials, including Giddens, the Department of Justice and the FBI, have been investigating the case and have spoken to MF Global executives.
  Giddens' role -- to return as much money as possible to former customers -- raises questions as to whether granting the coalition subpoena power could be redundant.
  Giddens has already returned to customers about 80 percent of the money in their accounts, which were frozen when the company went bankrupt. He has said he will try to recover much of the roughly $1.6 billion gap in those accounts through litigation or settlements with MF Global affiliates, regulators and counterparties.
  Giddens has also joined forces with plaintiffs who have sued Corzine for alleged civil infractions.
  Still, Koutoulas says customers should be able to take matters into their own hands and ask Corzine and fellow brass detailed questions about the firm's collapse.
  "This case needs another kick in the butt," Koutoulas said. "It's almost like the courts are treating Corzine as a sacred cow that can't be touched."
  Kent Jarrell, a spokesman for Giddens, declined to comment on the coalition's subpoena efforts. He said Giddens "stands by" his June report and will continue to cooperate with plaintiffs in civil lawsuits against Corzine.
  (Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Dan Grebler and Edwina Gibbs)
Russia 'printing money for Syria' claims report
  Link to Article
  Source: Global Geopolitics
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:22
  Russia is printing bank notes and sending them by the plane load to Syria to help the besieged regime pay its soldiers and civil servants, a new report suggests.
  On eight round-trip trips between Moscow's Vnukovo airport and Damascus international airport, the ''Type of Cargo'' is listed as ''Bank '' Notes (30 Ton)''. Neither their denomination nor value was specified however.
  Each manifest detailed a circuitous route over Iran and Iraq, countries that are friendly to the Syrian regime, rather than the most direct route over Turkey, which has become a foe of President Bashar al-Assad.The deliveries appear to have softened the damage caused to the Syrian regime by stiff European sanctions, which among other things annulled an agreement with an Austrian bank that had previously printed the Syrian pound.
  '...
  Russia has been Mr Assad's key international ally throughout, blocking punitive resolutions in the UN Security Council on three occasions.
  In the summer, it was reported that Russia had begun printing Syrian pounds and had already delivered its first shipment, while Damascus-based bankers said that new bank notes printed in Russia were circulating in trial amounts in the capital and Aleppo, the commercial capital.
  Such reports were denied by the Syrian Central Bank, but in August the official Syrian news agency, Sana, quoted Syrian officials on a visit to Moscow as saying that Russia was printing money for Damascus.
  Ibrahim Saif of the Carnegie Middle East Centre said that 30 tons of bank notes was a significant amount for a country of Syria's size.
  ''I truly believe they are printing money because they need new notes. Most of the government revenue that comes from taxes, in terms of other services, it's almost now dried up.
Kyrsten Sinema's extreme allies | Western Free Press
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:20
  Home >> allies >>October 2 2012 by AZ Views | View other posts by AZ ViewsKyrsten Sinema is similar to a 2004-vintage Obama in that she seems like an trendy or edgy candidate, but it's edgy in all the wrong ways. Consider for a moment who some of Sinema's allies over the years have been:
  The Arizona Communist Party. Sinema has previously taken out ads in their publication, People's Weekly World.She is also a self-described ''Prada socialist''.Kyrsten Sinema was the anti-development Sierra Club's Most Valuable Player two years in a row. The League of Conservation Voters has also previously honored Sinema.On health issues, Planned Parenthood, the Arizona Public Health Association and the National Association of Social Workers have all found Sinema worthy of awards.Kyrsten Sinema is openly bisexual, which may alienate some socially conservative voters.Janet Napolitano.
  Don't forget also some of the offensive remarks Sinema has made about other women. ''These women who act like staying at home, leeching off their husbands or boyfriends, and just cashing the checks is some sort of feminism because they're choosing to live that life. That's bulls***. I mean, what the f*** are we really talking about here?''
Soldier's Mom: Military Suicides Are 'Out of Control'
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:01
  This is why I'm so deeply cynical about the so-called "patriotism" of certain politicians. You would think at the very least, taking care of the troops when they come home would be first on their list -- but instead, they talk about tax cuts.
  It seems like the system is so overwhelmed by the number of veterans in need of psychological services, all they do is treat the symptoms with drug cocktails -- which becomes even more dangerous when veterans go to several different doctors, like this Afghan war vet.
  CALLAWAY, Fla. '-- Libby Busbee pounded on the window of her son's maroon Dodge Charger as he sat in the driveway of their home earlier this year. Locked inside his car, Army Spc. William Busbee sat with a .45-caliber gun pointed to the side of his head.
  ''Look at me,'' his mother cried out as she tried to get her son's attention. ''Look at me.''
  He wouldn't look.
  He stared out the front windshield, distant, said Libby Busbee, relating the story from an apartment complex in Callaway.
  ''I kept yelling, 'Don't you do this. Don't do it.' He wouldn't turn his head to look at me,'' she said, looking down at the burning cigarette in her hand.
  A 911 call was made. The police pulled her away from the car.
  William, Libby Busbee's 23-year-old son, was talking with a police officer when he fired a shot through the front windshield of his car, according to the police report.
  The police recoiled. William rapped on the window in apparent frustration, the report indicated.
  Then the second shot was heard.
  ''I knew that was the one,'' said Libby Busbee.
  William Busbee took his life in March with his mother and sisters looking on.
  William Busbee was no casualty of the war in Afghanistan. He was a casualty of his own mind, his mother said.
  Libby Busbee bowed her head, talking as she sat next to a bird-of-paradise on the front porch of her apartment. She could no longer live in the home on 12th Street.
  ''They wouldn't let me talk to him,'' she said, referring to the day her son shot himself. ''I know if he was able to see me he wouldn't have done it.''
  According to a Veterans Affairs report this spring, a veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes. More than 6,500 suicides have occurred since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. For every service member who dies in battle, 25 veterans die by their own hands.
  According to a Pentagon report, more American active service members have killed themselves in the first six months of 2012 than in the first six months of any of the previous 11 years, The Associated Press reported.
  The report reveals 154 service members killed themselves in the first 155 days of 2012 alone. The number of deaths by suicide is 50 percent higher than combat deaths in Afghanistan during the same period and an 18 percent increase over active service member suicides in the first six months of 2011.
  And, while only 1 percent of Americans have served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans of these conflicts represent 20 percent of all suicides in the United States, the VA reported.
  Libby Busbee said when her son returned home, he didn't leave the war behind.
  ''He saw horrible things '-- his friends dying,'' she said. ''The people over there were constantly attacking them. He even said the kids would be with them when they attacked.''
  William Busbee was in the Army Special Forces, airborne and the Army Rangers.
  ''He told me how he picked up the body parts and loaded them onto a helicopter so their families would have something to bury,'' she said.
  She said her son had tried to commit suicide in Pesh Valley of Afghanistan. ''He told me, 'Momma, the William you knew died over there,' '' she said.
  On his return home, ''He couldn't be in the dark '-- at all. He'd flip out in the dark,'' she said. ''He was sleepwalking and they gave him 400 milligrams of Seroquel, they gave him Paxil, Klonopins. They had him on a lot of stuff. I don't think he knew which way to go.
White House Announces Judges for Equal Futures App Challenge
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Blog Feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:50
  Posted by Sarah Hurwitz and Brian Forde on November 27, 2012 at 08:00 AM EST
  (Picture drawn by Abigail Dabu, Age 14)
  '''...I would like to run for some political office when I grow up. Why? Because there are so many changes that need to be made regarding important issues that are not happening. And we need more women making decisions in our country!'' -- Meera Kota, Age 15
  ''This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women's Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.'' -- President Barack Obama, September 21, 2011
  Building on President Obama's challenge at the UN General Assembly in September 2011, the United States will be working with countries around the world as part of a new international effort '' the Equal Futures Partnership '' to politically and economically empower women in each of our countries.
  Among the United States' commitments through this partnership are new efforts to promote civic education and public leadership for girls, including the launch of an Equal Futures App Challenge earlier this year: to create an app that promotes civic education and/or inspires girls to serve as leaders in our democracy.
  Today we are pleased to announce that the following leaders have signed on to act as judges:
  · Representative Barbara Ballard· Anna Maria Chavez, CEO, Girl Scouts· Geena Davis, Academy Award-Winning Actor; Founder, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media· Jack Dorsey, Creator and Co-Founder, Twitter; Founder and CEO, Square· Tiffany Dufu, President, the White House Project· Jocelyn Goldfein, Director of Engineering, Facebook· Mayor Elizabeth Kautz· Senator Lisa Murkowski· Andrew Shue, Co-Founder, dosomething.org; Co-Founder, cafemom.com· Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis· Judy Vredenburgh, President and CEO, Girls Inc.
  Individuals can learn more about the challenge and submit their apps on equalfutures.challenge.gov up until January 12, 2013 at 12:00am EDT.
  Click here to learn more about the Equal Futures Partnership.
  IDEAS AND GUIDANCE FROM GIRLS THEMSELVES ...
  "I'd be very interested in learning about the entire process of running for office; from start to finish. Learning about the basic things like knowing the qualifications and paperwork involved in order to run for office. Learning about how much money is spent when running for office would be interesting too. I think it would be pretty interesting to learn about being a leader. I, for one, could really use some tips. I'd like to learn about how to be confident and to be able to speak eloquently. Also, what does it take to be a great leader? What characteristics does a good leader have and shouldn't have?" - Jennifer Nguyen, Age 17
  Picture drawn by Jennifer Nguyen, Age 17
  "I would like to learn techniques about delegating, organizing groups, public speaking, and about how to better interact with people." - Katriona Guthrie-Honea, Age 16
  "I would like to learn about the different ways that candidates use to persuade their voters. I would also like to know what are successful strategies for running for office and getting along well with the people. I would also like to learn how you apply for a position in office. I would like to learn more ways to give memorable speeches that are both entertaining and informative'..." - Emily Kimura, Age 14
  "I would like to know more about the propositions and laws, to learn in detail what these propositions or laws do and how it benefits the people but can also be a hindrance... I would like to learn how to be a better speaker because you can't be a good leader if you can't communicate your thoughts and ideas efficiently." - Diane Delfin, Age 14
  Picture drawn by Diane Delfin, Age 14
  Sarah Hurwitz is a Senior Advisor to the Council on Women and Girls and Brian Forde is a Senior Advisor to the U.S. CTO for Mobile and Data Innovation.
Sandra Fluke 'honored' to be nominated for Time's Person of the Year, calls it sexist
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitchy » US Politics
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:50
  Honored 2 b listed 4 @Time's PersonOfYear #POY2012. Visual reminder: many govt officials listed-therefore few women time.com/time/person-of'...
  '--Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke) November 27, 2012Once again, Obama tool Sandra Fluke is bursting with pride over getting something for nothing from the nefarious Patriarchy'.
  Yep, she's not through being an entitled embarrassment to women just yet. Fluke is absolutely ''honored'' that months of whining, moaning and drawing tens of people to intimate parking lot gatherings for Obama landed her a spot as a finalist for Time magazine's Person of the Year pick.
  Nothing sets women back 50 years like nominating Sandra "Pay for my birth control" Fluke for @TIME's Person of the Year.'--Savannah (@thesavvy) November 26, 2012
  Time bestows the Person of the Year honor on ''the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill.'' Fluke may have neglected to note the ''ill'' part. But she did look at Time's website long enough to catch that the magazine is totally sexist for including just a handful of women among the finalists.
  Still, she's pretty darn proud of her ''accomplishment,'' even if it did come from the phallocracy. Or something. Never mind that she's occupying a spot any number of more accomplished and deserving women could take. Self-awareness is awfully hard.
  Perhaps she's hoping the nomination will help salve the raw wound left by the sisterhood choosing Lena Dunham for Glamour magazine's Women of the Year nod.
  Related: As of Tuesday morning, someone is bidding $110 dollars to win a ''strategy session'' with Sandra Fluke. She must be ''honored.''
  Follow @twitchyteam
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Indian inventor wins cash to develop Braille phone
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:49
  A 29-year-old Indian inventor on Tuesday won $50,000 to help him make a new low-cost mobile phone for the blind that uses a Braille display.
  Sumit Dagar, an industrial designer from New Delhi, beat thousands to win the money from watch company Rolex, which announced the five winners of its Awards for Enterprise scheme.
  Dagar is developing a phone with a display panel of tiny bumps that can be varied in height independently to form characters in Braille, a system of reading for blind people invented by a Frenchman in 1824.
  "In design, there is a certain negligence for minority groups as compared with the majority," Dagar told AFP, explaining why he had decided to take on the challenge.
  "Design is something that bridges the gap between users and technology," he added.
  He said the first prototype using a Braille screen that can display text messages and names would be ready in the next six months, with a "smartphone" incorporating maps and GPS technology part of his future plans.
  The prototype is "the phone of the 1990s. It's just that the display is in Braille," he explained.
  Phones that convert text into speech are already available for the estimated 285 million people worldwide who are blind or visually impaired, and Dagar faces competition from other designers vying to integrate Braille technology.
  South Korean manufacturer Samsung won a design award in 2006 for a prototype Touch Messenger phone that was developed in China allowing users to send and receive text messages in Braille.
  But no Braille phone has been commercialised, said Dagar.
  Experts say the Apple iPhone has also been revolutionary for many blind people in the rich world because of the number of applications designed for them, such as one that announces their exact location.
  India is home to about one fifth of the world's blind people, according to the World Health Organization.
  A World Bank report published in 2007 found that disabled adults in India were much less likely to be employed than the general population, with just over a third, or 38 percent, in work.
  (c) 2012 AFP
O.E.C.D., Slashing Growth Outlook, Warns of Global Recession
  Link to Article
  Source: NYT > Home Page
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:49
  LONDON '-- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development sharply cut its forecast for the world economy on Tuesday, warning that failure to resolve the euro crisis and to avert a fiscal impasse in the United States could trigger a global recession.
  The Paris-based O.E.C.D. predicted that gross domestic product in its 34 member nations, all developed economies, would expand by 1.4 percent in 2013, a significant downward revision from its forecast of 2.2 percent made just six months ago.
  That assumes that the United States agrees on a budget deal in January, averting billions of dollars in tax increases and automatic spending cuts.
  If that so-called fiscal cliff is not avoided, ''a large negative shock could bring the U.S. and the global economy into recession,'' according to the forecast, written by Pier Carlo Padoan, the organization's deputy secretary-general and chief economist.
  Even leaving that possibility aside, the O.E.C.D. report makes grim reading, particularly with regard to the 17-nation euro area '-- which, still mired in recession, is where the ''greatest threats to the world economy remain.''
  ''Challenging fiscal sustainability conditions in some countries risk sparking a chain of events that could considerably harm activity in the monetary union and push the global economy into recession,'' the report said.
  Highlighting the continuing lack of economic confidence, the report urged European policymakers to accelerate efforts to bolster their single currency through the creation of a banking union.
  ''Temporary fiscal stimulus should be provided by countries with robust fiscal positions (including Germany and China),'' it added.
  ''Over the recent past, signs of emergence from the crisis have more than once given way to a renewed slowdown or even a double-dip recession in some countries,'' the document said, adding that ''the risk of a new major contraction cannot be ruled out.''
  According to the O.E.C.D., provided the ''fiscal cliff'' is avoided, the U.S. economy should grow by 2 percent in 2013 and 2.8 percent in 2014. In Japan, G.D.P. is expected to expand by 0.7 percent in 2013 and 0.8 percent in 2014.
  The euro area probably will remain in recession until early 2013, leading to a mild contraction in G.D.P. of 0.1 percent next year before growth accelerates to 1.3 percent in 2014.
  Labor markets, meanwhile, remain weak, with around 50 million jobless people in the O.E.C.D. area. Unemployment is expected to remain high, or even rise further, in many countries unless structural measures are used to lift employment growth, the report said.
  ''The world economy is far from being out of the woods,'' the O.E.C.D's secretary-general, Angel Gurr­a, said in a statement. ''Governments must act decisively, using all the tools at their disposal to turn confidence around and boost growth and jobs, in the United States, in Europe, and elsewhere.''
  Tom Rogers, a senior economic adviser at Ernst & Young, said the report was ''consistent with our view that the euro zone faces another year of stagnating economic output and rising unemployment, and that the medium-term recovery is likely to be weaker than from previous recessions.''
  Although much has been achieved in stabilizing the euro area, ''more needs to be done to deepen the fiscal and banking unions, to improve medium term growth prospects through reform, and to broaden the single market to include trade in services,'' Mr. Rogers wrote in a note.
Duitsers vinden Sylvie irritant
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:46
  di 27 nov 2012, 14:59
  AMSTERDAM - Het tij lijkt gekeerd voor Sylvie van der Vaart. Onze Oosterburen hebben de blondine genomineerd als (C)(C)n van de meest irritante beroemdheden op de Duitse televisie.
  De voetbalvrouw werd door 3,8 procent genoemd als de meest vervelende tv-persoonlijkheid en staat daarmee op nummer zes van 'der nervigsten Promis im deutschen TV'.
  Ook in ons eigen land is Sylvie genomineerd voor de titel van 'meest irritante Nederlander'.
  (C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
Dimon Best to Lead Treasury in Crisis, Buffett Says - Businessweek
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:39
  JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon would be the best person to lead the U.S. Treasury Department in a financial crisis, billionaire investor Warren Buffett said.
  ''If we did run into problems in markets, I think he would actually be the best person you could have in the job,'' Buffett said in response to a question about Dimon from Charlie Rose, according to the transcript of an interview that was scheduled to air yesterday on PBS. ''World leaders would have confidence in him.''
  President Barack Obama is seeking to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, who had said he planned to step down. Dimon, 56, testified before Congress and shuffled top managers this year after the bank disclosed a loss, now of more than $6.2 billion, stemming from a wrong-way bet on credit derivatives. Buffett has described Dimon's annual letter to shareholders as a must-read.
  ''Obviously, you know, there was a failure of control,'' Buffett, 82, said to Rose about the trading loss. ''If you run an army, if you run a church, if you run a government, any large institution, people will go off the reservation sometimes.''
  Joseph Evangelisti, a JPMorgan spokesman, declined to comment. Amy Brundage, a spokeswoman for Obama's administration, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
  Dimon, once dubbed Obama's ''favorite banker'' by the New York Times, said in a 2011 CNBC interview that he could never work as Treasury secretary and was ''not suited to politics.''
  Dodd-FrankDimon has criticized elements of the Dodd-Frank Act and the expense of financial regulations. He publicly questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke on regulatory costs last year. In January, he said that if he were in charge, he would fix the U.S. housing market by locking mortgage lenders and regulators behind closed doors until they figured it out.
  Dimon has urged lawmakers to solve the so-called fiscal cliff, the package of automatic spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to take effect in January.
  Four current and two former administration officials earlier this month named two other likely candidates for Treasury secretary: White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and Erskine Bowles, who was President Bill Clinton's chief of staff.
  Buffett held 1 million JPMorgan shares in his personal account, according to a transcript from a July 13 Bloomberg Television interview.
  'Quite Promptly'Buffett reiterated his call for lawmakers to raise taxes on the rich as part of a deal to address the U.S. budget deficit and avoid the fiscal cliff, which would impose more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts starting in January. Buffett said the economy could withstand a failure to meet that deadline if lawmakers were working toward a fix.
  ''I don't think it will do that much,'' Buffett said when Rose asked about the cliff. ''People will assume that a solution will be found quite promptly.''
  The remarks contrast with comments Dimon made in June when the banker told a Senate panel that the government could risk an earlier-than-expected fiscal crisis if policy makers were deadlocked on taxes and the budget.
  ''The one thing to keep in mind about the fiscal cliff is it may not wait until Dec. 31,'' Dimon told the Senate Banking Committee. ''Markets and businesses may start taking actions before that, that create a slowdown in the economy.''
  Buffett, who has been conducting media interviews to promote a book about him by Carol Loomis of Fortune magazine, said in a separate interview today on MSNBC that the ability of some of the highest earners to avoid federal taxes shows why laws should be changed so the wealthy pay more.
  'The Moochers'''They were the moochers, and they paid zero,'' Buffett said on MSNBC. ''The way they get at them is a minimum tax and it's very simple to do.'' Buffett said in a New York Times opinion piece yesterday that higher taxes on the wealthy won't thwart investment.
  Mitt Romney, the defeated Republican presidential candidate, said in comments broadcast on CBS's ''60 Minutes'' in September that low rates are ''the right way to encourage economic growth, to get people to invest.'' Romney, speaking to campaign donors at a private fundraiser in May, said Obama's support came from the 47 percent of Americans who see themselves as ''victims,'' dependent on government.
  Buffett said today that among the 400 with the highest incomes in the U.S. in 2009, the average income was about $200 million, and that six people in that group paid ''nothing at all.''
  ''They were in Romney's 47 percent,'' Buffett said.
  Buffett's tax bill for 2010 was about $6.9 million, or 17 percent of taxable income, he wrote in the Times last year. He said that's a lower rate than the other 20 employees in Berkshire's office in Omaha, Nebraska, and that the wealthy benefit from favorable treatment of capital gains and dividends, compared with wages. Buffett's salary is $100,000 a year.
  To contact the reporter on this story: Noah Buhayar in New York at nbuhayar@bloomberg.net; Dakin Campbell in San Francisco at dcampbell27@bloomberg.net
  To contact the editors responsible for this story: Dan Kraut at dkraut2@bloomberg.net; David Scheer at dscheer@bloomberg.net.
Elitist Lovefest: Warren Buffett Endorses Jamie Dimon for Treasury
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:37
  JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon would be the best person to lead the U.S. Treasury Department in a financial crisis, billionaire investor Warren Buffett said, reports Business Week.''If we did run into problems in markets, I think he would actually be the best person you could have in the job,'' Buffett said in response to a question about Dimon from Charlie Rose, according to the transcript of an interview that was scheduled to air yesterday on PBS. ''World leaders would have confidence in him.''
  Dimon is a smart guy, but you really don't want a smart guy at Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury position should really be named, Chief Crony Bankster.
US Family Suing CIA Over 1953 Death
  Link to Article
  Source: RIA Novosti
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:36
  November 27 (RIA Novosti) - The family of a US government scientist who reportedly jumped to his death nearly 60 years ago now plans to sue the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that secretly gave him hallucinogenic drugs, claiming the man was murdered and that the CIA has long covered up the truth about his death, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
  ''The evidence points to a murder, and not a drug-induced suicide,'' said Eric Olson, whose father, Frank Olson, was a bioweapons expert at the Army's Biological Laboratory at Fort Detrick in the US state of Maryland.
  The lawsuit claims during a 1953 trip to biological and chemical weapons research facilities in Europe, Olson witnessed extreme interrogations including some that were fatal as the CIA experimented with biological agents he had helped to develop.
  CIA officials admit that a few months after the trip, Olson was given a drink spiked with LSD.
  After he told a colleague and his wife that he wanted to resign from his job, several CIA officials traveled with him to New York for a psychiatric evaluation.
  While there, he fell to his death from a Manhattan hotel room.
  The CIA was eventually forced to admit that its agents had secretly given Olson the drug just nine days before he died. The family received a financial settlement and an apology from the White House.
  But Olson's death became part of American pop culture, seen as an unsolved mystery surrounding CIA experiments that included brainwashing and mind control during the Cold War.
  ''The CIA's wrongful conduct in this case continues under the present administration,'' said attorney Scott Gilbert who represents the Olson brothers, according to the Times' report. ''I have met personally with senior agency officials who still refuse to acknowledge the truth and to provide us with all documents relevant to this matter.''
  The family plans to file suit in US District Court in Washington on Wednesday in the hopes that the court can force the CIA to open its files and provide more information in the case.
US-led NATO intervention begins in Syria war. Patriots in Turkey
  Link to Article
  Source: Global Geopolitics
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:33
  Knowing that the Western powers will continue the ousting of the Assad regime, the last highlighted portion is what makes this great game so dangerous. In addition, knowing that special teams have been assembled for securing Syrian chemical weapons and are ready at any moment's notice in nearby countries, a full-blown war is a foregone conclusion decided long ago. The situation will likely escalate to highly dangerous situations and should Damascus use its WMDs, it will be razed and never hold power again. Isaiah 17:1 has foretold this although never described how.
  Tuesday, Nov. 27, the Middle East military spotlight swung around from Gaza to the Syrian war with steps for the start of US and NATO intervention in that conflict. Without spelling this out, a game changer began unfolding when a joint Turkish-NATO team began making a site survey for the deployment of Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems, manned by American military teams. The team, said the statement from Ankara, will assess where to station the missiles and how many would be needed. It reiterated that the system is ''for defensive purposes'' and not for a ''no-fly zone or offensive operations,'' but just for use ''against an air or missile threat from Syria.''
  However, the Patriots in combination with already installed elements of the missile shield, will command an area beyond the Turkish-Syrian border '' all of northern Syria up to and including the embattled towns of Aleppo and Homs, debkafile's military sources report.
  Their presence will impede the operations of Assad's most effective and lethal means of war against the rebels in that region '' air force bombardment.
  The positioning of US anti-missile missiles in Turkey coincides with the rebels' success in destroying the Assad regime's key air and radar stations in southern Syria and along the Jordanian border. The two thrusts add up to a coordinated military effort in northern and southern Syria to seize control of the skies in both regions from Assad's control and push his forces back into central Syria.
  A part of the US-Turkish plan affects Israel. Monday, debkafile reported exclusively that in a resounding blow to Bashar Assad's ability to fight external enemies, Syrian rebels had destroyed the Assad regime's most important electronic warning radar station facing Israel '' M-1 '' Monday, Nov. 26.
  This Russian-built station monitored Israeli warplanes' takeoff and landing activities at air bases in the Negev and Hatzerim in the south and tracked them up to the Syrian border. The facility was designed to guide Syrian missiles targeting any point on the Israeli map, in sync with air defense facilities south of Damascus and on the Golan Heights. The radar's range also covered naval movements in Mediterranean waters off the shores of Israel and Lebanon.
  Western military sources told debkafile that the destruction of this vital facility has blinded the two eyes which Syrian air, air defense and missile forces had trained on Israel. It has therefore crippled, though not completely dismantled, Bashar Assad's ability to got to war against Israel, Jordan or Saudi Arabia.
  '...The Syrian ruler and his spokesmen have frequently threatened since the eruption of the popular insurrection that if Assad had his back to the wall, the entire Middle East would go up in flames, especially Israel.
  Full article:US-led NATO intervention begins in Syria war. Patriots in Turkey (DEBKAfile)
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Too Weird: Black commercial trucker with guns and ammo accidentally (?) drives in to Mexico
  Link to Article
  Source: Dr. Jones reports
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:33
  EL PASO, Texas -- A Dallas trucker imprisoned for seven months in Mexico on accusations that he tried to smuggle assault rifle ammunition into the country broke down in tears Friday when he returned to the U.S., saying he had at times given up hope.
  Jabin Bogan maintains he was on his way to Phoenix to deliver the ammunition in April when he took a wrong highway exit and accidentally crossed the border into Mexico. Despite his insistence it was an honest mistake, the 27-year-old was arrested and taken to a Mexican maximum security prison.
  "Some days I gave up hope. Some days I felt like God was, to be honest in my heart, like God was laughing. Like he was just punishing me for no reason. I felt like just giving up," he said during a brief news conference in El Paso shortly after arriving back in the U.S.
  Bogan tearfully thanked his supporters, and said that at times he felt like taking his own life or someone else's.
  "I was the only black American person in the whole prison. God brought me through and I made it," he said.
  Bogan was released from the Mexican prison last week but had been detained by immigration authorities until Friday. He was found guilty of possession of military ammunition and sentenced to three years, but the ruling was later commuted for time served and a fine.
  He was arrested on April 17 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, just across the border from El Paso. Bogan said he was headed to Phoenix when he got lost, and he told Mexican authorities that a law enforcement officer at the border had told him to continue driving across the international bridge.
  Bogan said he attempted to turn back when he realized he had crossed into Mexico, but the layout of the traffic lanes prevented him from returning without first crossing into the truck inspection area in Juarez, where his truck was searched.
  He said Friday that when he acknowledged to the agents he had ammunition, "they said, `in this side of the country it's illegal to have bullets.' And that's when everything went upside down they took me in and never let me out."
  During his trial, Mexican customs agents contradicted prosecutors' claim that Bogan had 268,000 bullets hidden under the floorboards of his 18-wheeler's trailer when he was arrested. Agents testified in June that Bogan was trying to make a U-turn back into the U.S. when they found the ammunition bundled on top of wooden pallets inside the trailer.
  Bogan was arrested less than 100 feet from a giant billboard that reads, "no more weapons." The sign, unveiled by Mexican President Felipe Calderon two months before Bogan was caught, was made out of seized high-caliber rifles and ammunition.
  Calderon has blamed lax U.S. gun laws for the flow of weapons into Mexico.
  An appeal filed in August by Bogan's lawyer in Mexico, Emilio de la Rosa, reduced the charge from smuggling to possession of military ammunition. That allowed Bogan to be released after serving a portion of his sentence and paying a fine. He also was sentenced to supervised release, which he can do by mail.
  The ammunition belonged to United Nations Ammunition. De la Rosa said the bullets would not be returned to the company.
  A spokesman with the Mexican Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
  Bogan's attorney, Carlos Spector, maintains that Bogan made an honest mistake. But he said his lawyers decided not to fight the case, in part because of the potential political implications.
  "He (De la Rosa) knew the options were get him out in six or seven months or sink him with a 30-year-sentence. Asking for a not-guilty sentence was impossible because the Mexican government had to get something out of this," Spector said.
  Related on HuffPost:
Grover Norquist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:14
  Grover Glenn Norquist (born October 19, 1956) is an American lobbyist, conservative activist,[3] and founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[4] He is known as the promoter of the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge", which prior to the November 2012 election was signed by 95% of all Republican Members of Congress and all but one of the candidates running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination,[5] to oppose increases in marginal income tax rates for individuals and businesses, as well as net reductions or eliminations of deductions and credits without a matching reduced tax rate.[6]
  [edit]Early lifeNorquist grew up in Weston, Massachusetts. He is the son of Carol (n(C)e Lutz) and Warren Elliott Norquist (a vice president of Polaroid Corporation)[7][8], and is of Swedish lineage.[9][10] Norquist became involved with politics at an early age when he volunteered for the 1968 Nixon campaign, assisting with get out the vote efforts.[11] He graduated from Weston High School and enrolled at Harvard University in 1974, where he obtained both a B.A. and an M.B.A. While in college, Norquist was an editor at the Harvard Crimson and helped to publish the libertarian-leaning Harvard Chronicle.[12] He was also a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Norquist has said: "When I became 21, I decided that nobody learned anything about politics after the age of 21."[11] He attended the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia,[13] an organization that teaches conservative Americans how to influence public policy through activism and leadership.[14]
  [edit]Political career[edit]Early careerEarly in his career, Norquist was executive director of both the National Taxpayers Union and the national College Republicans, holding both positions until 1983. Afterward, he served as Economist and Chief Speechwriter at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1983 to 1984.[15]
  Norquist traveled to several war zones to help support anti-Soviet guerrilla armies in the second half of the 1980s[citation needed]. He worked with a support network for Oliver North's efforts with the NicaraguanContras and other insurgencies, in addition to promoting U.S. support for groups including Mozambique's RENAMO and Jonas Savimbi's UNITA in Angola and helping to organize anti-Soviet forces in Laos.[12]
  [edit]Americans for Tax ReformNorquist is best known for founding Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) in 1985, which he says was done at the request of then-President Ronald Reagan.[16] Referring to Norquist's activities as head of ATR, Steve Kroft, in a 60 Minutes episode that aired on November 20, 2011, claimed that "Norquist has been responsible, more than anyone else, for rewriting the dogma of the Republican Party."[17]
  The primary policy goal of Americans for Tax Reform is to reduce government revenues as a percentage of the GDP.[18][19] ATR states that it "opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle."[20] Americans for Tax Reform has supported Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) legislation[21] and transparency initiatives,[22] while opposing cap-and-trade legislation[23] and Democratic efforts to overhaul health care.[24]
  In 1993, Norquist launched his Wednesday Meetings series at ATR headquarters, initially to help fight President Clinton's healthcare plan and eventually becoming one of the most significant institutions in American conservative political organizing.[12] The meetings have been called "a must-attend event for Republican operatives fortunate enough to get an invitation", and "the Grand Central station of the conservative movement."[3]
  As a nonprofit organization, Americans for Tax Reform is not required to disclose the identity of its contributors. Critics, such as Sen. Alan Simpson, have asked Norquist to disclose his contributors; he has declined but has said that ATR is financed by direct mail and other grassroots fundraising efforts. According to CBS News, "a significant portion appears to come from wealthy individuals, foundations and corporate interests."[3]
  [edit]Taxpayer Protection PledgePrior to the November 2012 election, 238 of 242 House Republicans and 41 out of 47 Senate Republicans had signed ATR's "Taxpayer Protection Pledge", in which the pledger promises to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rate for individuals and business; and to oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."[25][26]
  The November 6, 2012 elections resulted in a decline in the number of Taypayer Protection Pledge signatories in both the upper and lower houses of the 113th Congress: from 41 to 39 in the Senate, and from 238 to "fewer than ... 218" in the House of Representatives.[27] According to journalist Alex Seitz-Wald, losses in the election by Norquist supporters and the "fiscal cliff" have emboldened and made more vocal critics of Norquist.[28]
  In November 2011, Senate Majority leaderHarry Reid (D-NV) blamed Norquist's influence for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction's lack of progress, claiming that Congressional Republicans "are being led like puppets by Grover Norquist. They're giving speeches that we should compromise on our deficit, but never do they compromise on Grover Norquist. He is their leader."[29] Since Norquist's pledge binds signatories to opposing deficit reduction agreements that include any element of increased tax revenue, some Republican deficit hawks now retired from office have stated that Norquist has become an obstacle to deficit reduction.[30][31] Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY), co-chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, has been particularly critical, describing Norquist's position as "[n]o taxes, under any situation, even if your country goes to hell."[3]
  [edit]Other political activities[edit]National politicsNorquist was listed as one of the five primary leaders of the post-Goldwater conservative movement by Nina Easton in her 2000 book, Gang of Five.[32] Working with eventual Speaker Newt Gingrich, Norquist was one of the co-authors of the 1994 Contract with America, and helped to rally grassroots efforts, which Norquist later chronicled in his book Rock the House.[12] Norquist also served as a campaign staff member on the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Republican Platform Committees.
  Norquist was instrumental in securing early support for the presidential campaign of then-Governor George W. Bush, acting as his unofficial liaison to the conservative movement.[12] He campaigned for Bush in both 2000 and 2004.[33] After Bush's first election, Norquist was a key figure involved in crafting Bush's tax cuts. John Fund of the Wall Street Journal dubbed Norquist "the Grand Central Station" of conservatism and told The Nation: "It's not disputable" that Norquist was the key to the Bush campaign's surprising level of support from movement conservatives in 2000.[34]
  He has long been active in building bridges between various ethnic and religious minorities and the free-market community through his co-founding of the Islamic Free Market Institute,[35] and his involvement with Acton Institute, Christian Coalition and Toward Tradition.[citation needed]
  In 2010, Norquist, whose wife was born into a Muslim family, emerged as an outspoken Republican foe of politicizing the mosque-in-Manhattan issue, calling it a "distraction".[36]
  He has also "announced his plan to assemble a center-right coalition to discuss pulling out of Afghanistan to save hundreds of billions of dollars."[37]
  Norquist is active in Tea Party politics. Talking at a Florida rally he said "tea party groups should serve as the 'exoskeleton' that protects newly elected Republicans" from pressures to increase government spending.[38]
  [edit]Involvement with Jack AbramoffAccording to a 2011 memoir by former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Norquist was one of Abramoff's first major Republican party contacts.[39] Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform were also mentioned in Senate testimony relating to the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal which resulted in a 2006 guilty plea by Abramoff to three criminal felony counts of defrauding of American Indian tribes and corrupting public officials. Records released by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee allege that ATR served as a "conduit" for funds that flowed from Abramoff's clients to surreptitiously finance grass-roots lobbying campaigns.[40] Norquist has denied that he did anything wrong, and has not been charged with any crime.[41]
  [edit]State and local politicsNorquist's national strategy has included recruiting state and local politicians to support ATR's stance on taxes. Norquist has helped to set up regular meetings for conservatives in many states. These meetings are modeled after his Wednesday meetings in Washington, with the goal of creating a nationwide network of conservative activists that he can call upon to support conservative causes, such as tax cuts and deregulation. There are now meetings in 48 states.[41]
  In 2004, Norquist helped California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with his plan to privatize the CalPERS system.[42] In Virginia's 2005 Republican primaries, Norquist encouraged the defeat of a number of legislators who voted for higher taxes.[41]
  [edit]Boards and other activitiesNorquist serves on the boards of directors of numerous organizations including the National Rifle Association,[43] the American Conservative Union,[1] the Hispanic Leadership Fund, the Indian-American Republican Caucus, and ParentalRights.org, an organization that wishes to add a Parental Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution.[citation needed] In 2010, Norquist joined the advisory board of GOProud, a political organization representing conservative gays, lesbians, transgendered people, and their allies, for which he was criticized by the Family Research Council.[44][45] Norquist also sits on a six-person advisory panel that nominates Time magazine's Person of the Year.[46]
  In business, Norquist was a co-founder of the Merritt Group, later renamed Janus-Merritt Strategies.[47]
  [edit]Views on governmentNorquist favors dramatically reducing the size of the government.[12] He has been noted for his widely quoted quip: "I'm not in favor of abolishing the government. I just want to shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."[48] Journalist William Greider quotes him saying his goal is to bring America back to what it was "up until Teddy Roosevelt, when the socialists took over. The income tax, the death tax, regulation, all that."[49] When asked by journalist Steven Kroft about the goal of chopping government "in half and then shrink it again to where we were at the turn of the [20th] century" before social security and medicare, Norquist replied, "We functioned in this country with government at eight percent of GDP for a long time and quite well."[3]
  Some smaller government advocates argue that Norquist's "obsession with tax revenue" is actually counterproductive with respect to minimizing the size of government, however.[50] Although the Americans for Tax Reform mission statement is "The government's power to control one's life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized",[51] critics at the Cato Institute have argued that "holding the line on taxes constrains only one of the four tools (taxes, tax deductions, spending without taxation, and regulation) used by government to alter economic outcomes."[50]
  Norquist published Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives,[52] in 2008. In 2012, he published Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future,[53] with John R. Lott, Jr. He has served as a monthly "Politics" columnist and contributing editor to The American Spectator.[54]
  Norquist has also called for reductions in defense spending as one way to reduce the size of government.[55]
  [edit]Personal lifeNorquist has described himself as a "boring white breadMethodist."[56] In 2004, at age 48, he married a Palestinian Muslim[36] named Samah Alrayyes,[57][58] a Kuwaiti PR specialist who was formerly a director of the Islamic Free Market Institute and specialist at the Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs at United States Agency for International Development (USAID).[59][60] The couple has two children adopted from abroad.[61] Norquist is said to live a modest lifestyle. According to friend and former roommate John Fund, Norquist's devotion to his political causes is "monk-like" and comparable to that of Ralph Nader.[12]
  Norquist has competed three times in the comedy fundraiser "Washington's Funniest Celebrity" and placed second in 2009.[62][63][64] Humorist P. J. O'Rourke has described Norquist as "Tom Paine crossed with Lee Atwater plus just a soup§on of Madame Defarge".[65]
  [edit]WritingsRock the House. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla: VYTIS Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-9645786-0-9Taxes: The Economic & Philosophical Necessity of Real Reform. Minneapolis, MN: Center of the American Experiment, 1996. OCLC 37889749"America is freedom" chapter from Deaver, Michael K.Why I Am a Reagan Conservative, Chapter New York: W. Morrow, 2005. ISBN 978-0-06-055976-2Leave Us Alone: Getting the Governments Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives. New York, NY: W. Morrow, 2008. ISBN 978-0-06-113395-4Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. ISBN 978-1-118-18617-6[edit]See also[edit]References^ ab"ACU: Board of Directors". The American Conservative Union. http://www.conservative.org/about-acu/board-of-directorsstaff/. Retrieved November 27, 2011.^"Grover Norquist From HarperCollins Publishers". HarperCollins Publishers. http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/31076/Grover_Norquist/index.aspx. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^ abcdeThe Pledge: Grover Norquist's hold on the GOP cbsnews.com . November 20, 2011^http://www.cfr.org/about/membership/roster.html?letter=N^Howard Fineman (21 August 2011). "It's Grover Time: Huntsman Rejects No-Tax Pledge, Pawlenty Waivers". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/21/grover-norquist-jon-huntsman-tim-pawlenty-no-tax-pledge_n_881857.html. Retrieved 8 November 2012.^"Who is Grover Norquist?". Americans for Tax Reform. http://www.atr.org/about-grover. Retrieved 8 November 2012.^"Grover Norquist". NNDB. 2011. http://www.nndb.com/people/482/000049335. Retrieved November 25, 2011.^Scherer, Michael (January 2004). "The Soul of the New Machine". Mother Jones. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2004/01/soul-new-machine. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Moynihan, Michael (20 September 2006). "Sweden's Politics of Perssonal Destruction". Reason.com. http://reason.com/archives/2006/09/20/swedens-politics-of-perssonal. Retrieved 2012-09-05.^L¸kke, Eirik (10 September 2008). "Fingrene fra pengene, v¥pnene og livene v¥re" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. http://www.dagbladet.no/art/minerva/usa-valget_2008/3321992/. Retrieved 2012-09-05.^ abGrover, Norquist (August 23, 2009). "First Person Singular: Grover Norquist". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081402035.html. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^ abcdefgRobert, Dreyfuss (May 14, 2001). "Grover Norquist: Field Marshal of the Bush Plan". The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010514/dreyfuss. Retrieved January 10, 2010.^Horwitz, Jeff (May 25, 2005). "My Right-Wing Degree: How I learned to convert liberal campuses into conservative havens at Morton Blackwell's Leadership Institute, alma mater of Karl Rove, Ralph Reed, Jeff Gannon and two Miss Americas". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/2005/05/25/blackwell_9/. Retrieved November 27, 2011.^"The LI Difference". The Leadership Institute. http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/aboutus/Difference.cfm. Retrieved October 7, 2010.^"Grover Norquist: Republican". NewsMax. http://w3.newsmax.com/republicans/Grover_Norquist.cfm. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^ATR | Mission Statement^Grover Norquist's hold on the GOPWLTX November 20, 2011^Grover Norquist (April 2009). "National Tea Party Tax Protests" (online q & a). washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/04/15/DI2009041501193.html. Retrieved November 27, 2011.^"Cost of Government Day 2008". Center For Fiscal Accountability. http://www.fiscalaccountability.org/index.php?content=cogsub10. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^"The Great Tax Debate". NOW With Bill Moyers. http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/taxcutdebate.html. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Tom, Bell (May 14, 2001). "Tax-Reform Guru Touts TABOR II". Morning Sentinel. http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/6959021.html. Retrieved November 7, 2009.[dead link]^"Advocates of Florida Spending Transparency Hold Press Conference" (Press release). Reuters. October 28, 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS249645+21-Feb-2008+PRN20080221. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Mora, Edwin (August 26, 2009). "Government Agencies Would Need $16.6 Billion in New Tax Revenue to Buy Carbon Allowances Under Global Warming Legislation". CNS News. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53039. Retrieved November 7, 2009.[dead link]^"Taxpayer Group Launches Petition to Ask Sen. Ben Nelson to Keep His Pledge" (Press release). Reuters. October 28, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS198019+28-Oct-2009+PRN20091028. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^"Taxpayer Protection Pledge" (PDF). Americans for Tax Reform. 2011. http://www.atr.org/userfiles/Congressional_pledge(1).pdf. Retrieved December 11, 2011.^Sean Lengell, Boehner: Grover Norquist just a 'random' guyThe Washington Times November 3, 2011^Berman, Russell (Tuesday, November 13, 2012). "Norquist tax pledge takes election hit". The Hill. http://thehill.com/homenews/house/267467-norquist-pledge-takes-election-hit. Retrieved November 13, 2012.^Is it game over for Grover Norquist?| By Alex Seitz-Wald| 14 November 2012^Scott Wong, Reid: Norquist leads Republicans 'like puppets'Politico On Congress blog November 1, 2011^Charles Babington Anti-tax diehard looms large in spending showdown[dead link]Associated Press July 3, 2011^Alison Fitzgerald No-Tax 'Zealot' Norquist Emerges as Biggest Barrier to U.S. Deficit DealBloomberg News May 24, 2011^Indiana Monthly, version 24, no. 2 (Indiana): pp. 144''144. October 2000.Bill Kristol, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Clint Bolick, and David McIntosh are the other four.^Who's Getting Your Vote?, Reason^Suellentrop, Chris (July 7, 2003). "Grover Norquist, GOP Prophet of Permanence". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2085277. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Kenneth R. Timmerman (March 1, 2004). "Saffuri's Ties to Terror Suspects; Is Khaled Saffuri, a prominent Palestinian activist with connections to terror suspects, exerting undue influence on the Bush administration, or is he getting a bad rap?". Insight on the News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_2004_March_1/ai_113363777/. Retrieved July 27, 2011.^ abJanet Hook and Tom Hamburger, "New York mosque debate splits GOP," Los Angeles Times August 17, 2010^Balaker, Ted (January 27, 2011) Where Has the Antiwar Movement Gone?, Huffington Post^Pillow, Travis (October 25, 2010). "FL: Norquist says tea party should serve as GOP 'exoskeleton' after Nov. 2". The Florida Independent. http://www.americanindependent.com/151317/norquist-tea-party-should-serve-as-gop-'exoskeleton'-after-nov-2. Retrieved February 16, 2012.^Capitol Punishment by Jack Abramoff^Schmidt, Susan; Grimaldi, James V. (June 25, 2006). "Nonprofit Groups Funneled Money For Abramoff". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/24/AR2006062401080.html. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^ abcCassidy, John (July 25, 2001). "Wednesdays With Grover". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/08/01/050801on_onlineonly01. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^"CSR in the Cross-Hairs". Business Ethics. Spring 2005. http://www.community-wealth.com/_pdfs/articles-publications/sri/article-rembert.pdf. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^"NRA Leaders: Grover Norquist". NRA Leaders. http://www.nraleaders.com/grover-norquist.html. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^">> Board of Directors & Advisory Council". Goproud.org. June 15, 2010. http://www.goproud.org/board-of-directors-advisory-council/. Retrieved October 7, 2010.^"The Volokh Conspiracy >> Family Research Council vs. the Second Amendment". Volokh.com. June 23, 2010. http://volokh.com/2010/06/23/family-research-council-vs-the-second-amendment/. Retrieved October 7, 2010.^'Random Person' Coaches House GOP on Tax Message; Pelosi Blames Grover Norquist for SuperfailureABC News December 1, 2011^Barr, Stephen (January 20, 2005). "Teaching Uncle Sam to Be a Better Buyer". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24738-2005Jan20.html. Retrieved March 23, 2010.^"Maybe They Forgot What "Conservative" Means". 2004. http://www.1115.org/2004/09/28/maybe-they-forgot-what-conservative-means/. Retrieved September 28, 2004.^William Greider "Rolling back the 20th Century", The Nation, May 12, 2003. 276. 18. p.11-19. Paid subscription required.^ abJerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren, Why Grover Norquist Is Wrong About TaxesForbes August 25, 2011^Mission Statement[dead link] for Americans for Tax Reform^"Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives". HarperCollins. http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061133954/Leave_Us_Alone/index.aspx. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Task, Aaron (Fri, Mar 16, 2012). "'Debacle': Grover Norquist's Case Against President Obama". Yahoo! Finance. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/debacle-grover-norquist-case-against-president-obama-160608333.html. Retrieved April 10, 2012.^"Grover Norquist". The American Spectator. http://spectator.org/people/grover-norquist/all. Retrieved March 21, 2010.^DiMascio, Jen "How Romney, Ryan Differ on Defense Spending."Aviation Week & Space Technology, 20 August 2012.^Sullivan, Andrew. "Grover Norquist's Faith". "The Daily Dish", The Atlantic, January 6, 2010^"2004 Annual Report". Marriages Recorded in Weston. http://weston.govoffice.com/vertical/Sites/%7B264E11B6-4A4A-4EC0-B631-35FE907B479E%7D/uploads/%7B0B83AF69-4B5A-4FA7-9D4B-30EF1A5B2D8F%7D.PDF. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Gay, Sheryl (August 31, 2004). "Political Points - Of Marriage Vows and No Tax Pledges". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/31/us/political-points.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^"3rd NAAP Annual Conference". Network of Arab American Professionals. http://www.naaponline.org/conference05/speakers.cfm. Retrieved November 7, 2009.^Sperry, Paul E. (2005). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson Inc.. pp. 276''294, esp. 287. ISBN 9781595550033. http://books.google.com/?id=Dw1mHo6zjKwC&pg=PA287&lpg=PA287&dq=Samah+Alrayyes+grover+norquist#PPA287,M1. "The relationship gives literal meaning to the notion that Norquist is in bed with Islamists."^"Watch out, Angelina! Norquist adopts from abroad". The Hill. http://thehill.com/capital-living/in-the-know/20559-watch-out-angelina-norquist-adopts-from-abroad. Retrieved August 31, 2011.^Daniel Stone (October 1, 2009). "Washington's Funniest Celebrity? Hard to Say.". Newsweek. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/10/01/washington-s-funniest-celebrity-hard-to-say.aspx.^Kristina D'Ambrosio, Vanessa Meccarielli, and Mary-Kate Rasa (1 October 2009). "DC's Funniest!". The Scene. BisNow. http://www.bisnow.com/washington_dc_the_scene_news_story.php?p=5535. Retrieved March 21, 2010.^The Americans for Tax Reform Foundation also issued a $5,000 grant in 2009 to the Funniest Celebrity Charity Fund.Norquist, Grover; Americans for Tax Reform (12 May 2010). "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax: 2009" (PDF). IRS form 990. GuideStar. p. 27. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2009/521/400/2009-521400492-06092d9a-9.pdf. Retrieved 25 November 2011.^"Speaker Bio: Grover Norquist". Leadership Institute. http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/breakfast/bio.cfm?speaker=3368. Retrieved October 31, 2009.[edit]External linksInterviewsHappy Warrior, Reason Magazine, February 1997Transcript: Bill Moyers Interviews Grover Norquist, NOW with Bill Moyers, January 10, 2003Grover Norquist on Leave Us Alone, National Review Online, 2008(?)The Pledge: Grover Norquist's hold on the GOP, 60 Minutes, November 20, 2011, video interview and related reportsPersondataNameNorquist, GroverAlternative namesNorquist, Grover GlennShort descriptionConservative LobbyistDate of birthOctober 19, 1956Place of birthSharon, Pennsylvania, United StatesDate of deathPlace of death
Silver Spoon Scrooge
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:44
  My children, brats and Obama voters. I have a challenge for each of you, because I actually hold all in the same compassion and only by learning will any of us gain the lesson that this American nation is corrupt and it is nothing but a trillion dollar looting system of the poor for the rich.
  Recently in an attempt to gain funding, I contacted numbers of the wealthy on the right, and I was ignored wholesale. I can tell you that from my personal experience, the people of this blog are very good people who for the most part are in poverty. The people who actually love America are the poor, and the rich could not give a damn about it in the pattern of the donations which came in.So trying to survive, I decided to try to gain employment with a state. I was like all of you trying to get a job, and it should be no surprise that the system was rigged so some insider who already was given the job, got the job, and the other applicants like myself never were in contention.
  That is what the system is. The elite put out a job, and because of federal law have to offer it to the entire population in a fraud, when they already have their stooge chosen.
  It was a lesson my children and wards, in I did in fact make some very powerful people jump through hoops as I caught them doing things, but the reality is, I received a very smug letter from an employee of the Governor, who dared me to contact the federal government on this job fraud as they knew damn sick they had crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's in going through the motions.I still have a few things floating on this that I did report, but the point is, I got screwed over like millions of Americans on the left and right, and it happens all the time.
  All of that reality might sound cruel, but the reality is the only Being Who Cares is God, the Father, Jesus, Holy Ghost God as there is no other. God allows this world to be what it is in it's reprehensible worst to reveal just how worthy of hell all these powerful and rich elite are.
  For the Obama voters, my challenge is, that you have dreams or harms which have come to you. I dare you to contact B. Hussein or someone else you idolize about your problem and just see if it gets solved.
  I don't care if you are a Mitt Romney voter in the Mormons or just think that some talking head like Ron Paul is the answer to all.........if you need the lesson in what these elite are all like, just contact them and see if they even reply, or if their reply is handing you off to some government agency, which will then tell you to die slowly.
  It does not matter if it is some reporter as I have warned you of that my children and wards in that talking head will just use you, expose you and then dump your butt to leave you humiliated with wackos phoning you up threatening you while the Obama powers or whoever have you n their "list" and some police car is forever pulling in behind you.
  There are people who are born with the silver spoons and they are in the system, and by psychological manifestation they constantly hire and surround themselves with other anal brains who really get off on having a job or that power to rub it into your face when you need something.
  Any time any American has trouble, the police will not help and the government could care less, as it is all shift to some other place, and that place will run you up against a brick wall every time in "not being able to help you".
  The reality is Barack Hussein Obama is not going to get you a job, nor lose one bit of sleep over your problems, no more than a Chris Matthews a Rush Limbaugh or a Kevin Yoder in Kansas. They have their lives and enhance them, and figure that you should figure out the Silver Spoon Scrooges have stolen all your coin, and you will just have to learn to deal with empty bags.
  My method of dealing with this is turning this over to the Father to Judge and trusting in that, even if things have been a trial for some time. It does absolutely no good to vent to these silver spoons, as they could are less and some will just report you to the authorities and you will have more problems.
  The Bible teaches in the Psalms to not put your trust in princes nor in the sons of men. That is the reality in trusting in God.
  The point in all of this is simple in this America is pitted against each other in groups by design, and each group is defending people placed in the leadership by the same cartel, who do not give a damn about any of you.
  Ronald Reagan who was a leader who actually wrote personal checks out to people as that is the kind of person he is. It of course did no good, but he at least had a heart. He at least cared when people had a story of bad things, even if the press would mock him.
  That is the lesson in this, in the cartel has people fighting over how much sin should be condoned so sinners and Saints can sleep at night, while the cartel has stolen every person's life.
  Every person you vote for, watch on television or is before you as some great humanitarian does not care about you in the least. If they did, one of them would have stood up and informed you of the way things are in life. They instead promote the chirade that they are one of you, and the fact is, none of you will ever have any of the people you look up to in the world of fame drop you a card and ask you how you are doing.You know them, but they do not care to know you........if they did, they would be out in the streets trying to make things better for you personally by listening.
  I do not hate a single Obama voter nor do I dislike the brats who all write idiocy about this blog. I feel sorry for them, because I know their leaders could care less about them, and someone has to care about them.......and someone has to care even about the rich who are so deluding themselves into thinking that the cocktail crowd they are with would give a damn the day they are rotting with cancer......and only send a card so they can tell others, how wonderful and caring they are about a rich dude.........while some poor hundreds rot in disease they will never send a card to.
  God does see all of this. He saw it when Slavs were freezing to death under Stalin. He saw it when the Americans were getting their heads cut off by Indians. It is all recorded and it is all the cry that goes up before God.It might not seem fair and it is not, but it is better to be someone in misery complaining about that misery than to be a rich asshole having God hear how wonderful they are for handing over 1/ 100,000ths of the money they stole to some charity so they could broadcast how great they are in charity to the world.
  Just think of it this way......
  You know how much you loathe these creatures who have let you down when you needed help. God has an even bigger heart and recording system for all of it. I never know how long it will take for God to avenge me, but He will, even if it is at the Judgment.....I just know I do my best in this life in meagerness allowing God to work through me and giving Him all the credit as the Goodness is always God.How God deals with things is God's Authority. The rich man and Lazarus teaches that eternal life is a bit longer than the mortal coil here.
  The hurts you have are if You are a child of God are hurts God knows as they are done to Him.
  The Silver Spoon Scrooges which are this entire ilk, donate to charity not for reasons of charity but their own. A Foster Freiss is a Steven Spielberg. The rich are not responsible for every person in the world, but they are responsible for the world they run their rapine out of.
  America has a multi trillion dollar government. A multi trillion dollar entertainment industry. A multi trillion dollar job market. A multi trillion dollar rich people bank roll, and in all of that it will not help anyone. Obama voters are poor and without jobs and the GOP voters are getting poorer and losing jobs.
  Ask either one for help, and you will receive none in being an American.
  I realize people feel empowered if "their guy wins" as it is like "their team winning", but it gains you absolutely nothing as these elite do absolutely nothing for you and never will.It is amazing in how much millions of Americans have done for America and all of these elite for decades, and when it comes time for something in return, they are told to exist in poverty and then attacked for it.
  I will be honest and state that Republicans and Conservatives have never done a thing for me ever. Would the Obama voters and Ron Paul voters at least take the step and say that the people they are loyal to have never done a thing for them either?
  agtG
Weird Ass Names
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:43
  I have come to the conclusion in studies, that if you have a weird ass name which is flamboyant, that you will become an attention whore, because genetically your weird ass parents who named you a weird ass name, pass on the trait, that you must gain attention somehow.
  In most cases, the women in this world who have these weird ass names, end up half naked demanding men and women look at them, and then punishing the men and women for looking at them, in a strange symbiosis of "love me hate you, be with me stay away from me".
  It is amazing that a magazine such as Maxim has discovered this like Playboy discovered if one takes fragile females in need of "daddy attention" and pays them some attention in turning them into naughty whores, that one can make a great deal of money off of this human trafficking.
  One never sees a Bertha, Agnus, Matilda or Beulah acting out like this, but just start naming girls some weird ass variaion of Meagan to Zenovia, and presto, you got boobs in bras and lace panties galore.
  I wonder of the parents who do this to children in how unfulfilled and in need of validation they are in naming little girls such names, and then promoting them to be attention whores.
  Like this Nataya', black chic who looks as ornery as Muchelle Obama, and what that ` thing on the A accomplishes is something only a black mum could figure out, as it certainly does not afford any smiles like that lilt one would expect to produce.
  Perhaps if she combed her hair, washed her hair and found a way to discover that wearing ghetto green or apparently the new ghetto orange, really does nothing for anyone whose skin color is any color, no more than pouring oneself into daisy dukes with that kind of torso no more than that animal print booby halter is flattering to breasts as it makes them look like they are coming out of a pasta machine.
  It is just all too psychotic really in women are supposed to be the nurturers of children as men are beastie at it, but I can not see any of these women turning out anything but prostitutes or terrorists...also known as Obama voters.
  That is about it in this in this continued finding of the human persona in how scarey it is now in America.
  People should be aware that naming children things, and then if they are compounded by being the least bit attractive, turns them into weird ass people who should not be allowed to breed.
  It is not peroxide that drives bottle blondes nuts, nor that gell that blacks put on their hair to make it straight.
  It appears genetic and it is demon enhanced.......the world is indeed crazed and the names prove it.
  agtG
Morgan Freeman Narrates an Ad for Same-Sex Marriage
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:41
  The Human Rights Campaign began running this tv ad on Sunday.
  MORGAN FREEMAN: "Freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union. Now, across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. With historic victories for marriage, we've delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back but our journey has just begun. Join us."
  From The Advocate:
  In conjunction with the ad, HRC president Chad Griffin issued the following statement: ''This year proved to be a pivotal turning point in the movement for marriage equality, and now we press onward with renewed vigor and public opinion squarely on our side. As we continue the march toward full equality in legislatures and the courts, it is crystal clear that the prospect of an equal future is no longer up for debate; the question now is how soon it will arrive. While we celebrate today, we will keep fighting until full equality has reached every single person in every corner of this vast country.''
GOLD BREAKING: 'force majeure' supplier suffered major sales reverse this year
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:39
  Manfra, Tordella and Brookes, the Top 5 New York gold exchange depositor which announced last night it will not be able to deliver metal until further notice due to force majeure, decided to move from renting to the purchase last February of a ritzy condominium in the Extell Development's new International Gem Tower. But then in May the firm was badly hit by the slump in precious metal sales.
  The company claims it is struggling with ''operational limitations'' following the recent storms. But it's now nearly a month since Hurricane Sandy.
  MTB, one of only five US outfits with a license to deliver gold, holds 29,276 troy ounces of gold according to data from Comex. Comex's owner CME declared what's called ''force majeure'' an act of God (but not Mammon) that frees MTB from liability due to events beyond its control.
  The company did post on its website about having ''sustained substantial damage'' a fortnight ago. And naturally, anyone can still get The Real Thing delivered via Brinks: plus, MTB is responsible for any additional costs incurred by customers who want to use that process.
  But this afternoon, I find myself wondering what will happen if (or when) everyone suddenly decides they want their gold right now.
  MTB is a privately owned bank still largely under the control of the Tordella banking family. Its chairman is Frederic N. Tordella. It converted to being a retail bank in 1993.
  In February of this year, it took on a new not-yet-finished office condominium in the International Gem Tower. There it will buy the condo '' and double its premises size to more than 10,000 square feet on the third floor '' with another 2,500 square feet of below-grade space '' in the now rising 34-story, mid-block tower on West 47th Street. According to Raizy Haas, senior vice president for development at developer Extell, ''They were a little nervous about buying space and moving their operations. They took a long term view and became comfortable with the fact that they were going to own rather than rent.''
  Nobody was available to comment today about whether the level of comfort had gone up or down. However, what we can be sure about is that MTB President Mike Kramer told the London Financial Times last May, ''There are days here where we wonder if the phones are working''. At the time, he estimated that sales of gold, silver coins and small bars had fallen 50% in the previous two months.
  File this one under 'informed speculation'.
  Postscript: At 9/11, MTB had its gold stored under the World Trade Center.
  About these adsLike this:Be the first to like this.
Cyber response's fatal flaw: mistrust | Federal Times
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:27
  In case of a major cyber attack on critical networks, experts warn that deep reluctance among the governmental and private-sector organizations to share vital information could blunt a swift response.
  A number of former high-ranking federal officials staged a mock cyber attack exercise last week. The scenario: A computer virus of unknown origin cripples 40,000 computers and key business systems at a major U.S.-based oil company the day after Thanksgiving. The virus also infects backup systems and systems storing data on the pressure and safety parameters for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Computer systems that direct the company's trading operations also are down.
  As a precaution, the CEO shuts down drilling in the Gulf, bringing one-fifth of the nation's daily oil production to a halt. His first priorities:
  ' Estimate the extent of the damage and prevent further impact.
  ' Get operations back online as soon as possible because it's the start of the holiday season and there are demands from the transportation sector and customers who need to heat their homes during the winter.
  ' Work with the company's lawyers to respond to U.S. and foreign regulators.
  Sharing details about the attack with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security or the National Security Agency is last on the list.
  ''[I'm] not going to rush into sharing,'' said Dmitri Alperovitch, who played the oil company CEO at the Washington Post-sponsored event. Alperovitch is co-founder and chief technology officer at CrowdStrike, a security startup firm.
  He said he first needed to understand the regulatory impact and legal liabilities before contacting the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and others. There might also be civil liabilities from customers and potential impact on oil and stock prices if details of the attack got out.
  As CEO, Alperovitch said he would likely contact the director of the FBI and share the malicious code to help determine who was behind the attack, but he would share little, if any, information about the impact of the attack and wouldn't give the government access to the company's network.
  ''I don't need other folks in the kitchen,'' especially those the company has no control over, he said.
  DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, who spoke at the event but did not participate in the exercise, said the government needs to get better at sharing cyber information, at various classification levels, to assist companies. Real-time information sharing is key, Napolitano said. Without it, efforts to secure critical cyber networks will be delayed.
  When DHS learns of an attack days or weeks later, it can't help mitigate the damage or alert other critical sectors of the attack, she said. It also delays forensics work to determine the source and intentions of the attack.
  Former FBI deputy assistant director Steven Chabinsky, who played the role of FBI director, said information sharing with the company about the source of the attack would be slight initially. Chabinsky said some company officials could get limited security clearances to learn details about the attack.
  The FBI would also ask for the company's incident log files to gather more details about the attack, Chabinsky said. When asked how hard the FBI would press to get those files, he said the aim is not to revictimize a victim. While there are forceful means of getting information, Chabinsky said the goal is for the company to voluntarily share the information.
  Several cybersecurity bills in the Senate and House attempt to address the bureaucratic hurdles that prohibit intelligence agencies from sharing classified cybersecurity information with companies and that discourage companies from sharing information with each other or the government.
  One of those, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which passed the House in April, would allow the government and industry to voluntarily share information about malicious attacks and viruses. Companies that share information under the bill's provisions would be granted legal protections if they are subject to a cyber attack.
  Many experts argue that absent incentives, such as tax breaks or liability protection, there are no benefits for some companies to share cyber threat information with the government, let alone their competitors.
  Failed legislation introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., in February would have provided liability protection for companies that met voluntary security standards yet still but fell victim to an attack. Jeffrey Ratner, a top aide on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which Lieberman chairs, said he expects Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will reintroduce the bill during the lame duck session after the Nov. 6 elections. Potential changes to the bill have not been ruled out.
Flight Records Say Russia Sent Syria Tons of Cash
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:17
  by Dafna Linzer, Michael Grabell and Jeff Larson ProPublica, Nov. 26, 2012, 12 a.m.
  This past summer, as the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of ''bank notes'' from Moscow.
  The records of overflight requests were obtained by ProPublica. The flights occurred during a period of escalating violence in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since fighting broke out in March 2011.
  The regime of Bashar al-Assad is increasingly in need of cash to stay afloat and continue financing the military's efforts to crush the uprising. U.S. and European sanctions, including a ban on minting Syrian currency, have damaged the country's economy. As a result, Syria lost access to an Austrian bank that had printed its bank notes.
  ''Having currency that you can put into circulation is certainly something that is important in terms of running an economy and more so in an economy that is become more cash-based as things deteriorate,'' said Daniel Glaser, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes. ''It is certainly something the Syrian government wants to do, to pay soldiers or pay anybody anything.''
  According to the flight records, eight round-trip flights between Damascus International Airport and Moscow's Vnukovo Airport each carried 30 tons of bank notes back to Syria. There are records relating to the flights in Arabic and English as well as copies of over-flight requests sent to Iran, which are in Farsi.
  Syrian and Russian officials did not respond to ProPublica's questions about the authenticity and accuracy of the flight records. It is not possible to know whether the logs accurately described the cargo or what else might have been on board the flights. Nor do the logs specify the type of currency.
  But ProPublica confirmed nearly all of the flights took place through international plane-tracking services, photos by aviation enthusiasts, and air traffic control recordings.
  Each time the manifest listed ''Bank Notes'' as its cargo, the plane traveled a circuitous route. Instead of flying directly over Turkish airspace, as civilian planes have, the Ilyushin-76 cargo plane, operated by the Syrian Air Force, avoided Turkey and flew over Iraq, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
  The flight path between Syria and Russia described in the manifests.
Three Reasons Possession Of Child Porn Must Be Re-Legalized In The Coming Decade
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:10
  Child pornography is a toxic subject, but a very important one that cannot and should not be ignored. This is an attempt to bring the topic to a serious discussion, and explain why possession of child pornography need to be re-legalized in the next ten years, and why you need to fight for it to happen.
  This article argues that our current laws on the topic are counterproductive, because they protect child molesters instead of bringing them to justice, they criminalize a generation of normally-behaving teenagers which diverts valuable police resources from the criminals we should be going after, and they lead to censorship and electronic book burning as well as unacceptable collateral damage to innocent families. Child abuse as such is not condoned by anybody, and this article argues that current laws are counterproductive in preventing and prosecuting it.
  When possession of this type of information was criminalized, those who opposed that criminalization (which I didn't, at the time '' this was before my activism) pointed at four major objections:
  It would not be effective, and possibly counterproductive, in catching child molesters.It would lead to censorship without accountability.Reporters complained it would undermine journalistic freedom that has stood intact for centuries.Constitutional and political science scholars pointed out that it undermined centuries of free speech/expression traditions in a way that would be used by special interests to silence opponents of business interests unrelated to child porn.In retrospect, all of this has come true. This is bad enough in itself; it is downright catastrophic. There are three overarching reasons why possession of child pornography must be re-legalized: the ban prevents catching child molesters, especially in light of new technology; it creates a generation of branded sex offenders that did nothing wrong; and it is the battleground for free speech itself. Let's take these one at a time.
  1. The ban prevents catching/jailing child molesters.This is bad enough as it is today, but it is going to get significantly worse with new technology that is just around the corner. Are you aware of Google Glass? It is a prototype new mobile phone in the shape of eyeglasses.
  Essentially, we're looking at how our mobile phones are turning into devices that look like ordinary glasses, and which let us share what we see in real time, in the present tense. It's a quantum leap over Facebook's photo sharing, seeing how photos are always in retrospect, changing into real-time vision sharing and storage. It's a change as large as when CNN's reporting of the First Gulf War was being reported in the present tense, for the first time ever: ''The night skies over Baghdad are lit up by tracer fire'...''.
  Sergey Brin wearing Google Glass, a prototype next-generation mobile phone that records and broadcasts what you see. Photo by Thomas Hawk.
  This change is going to be significantly larger than when we went from semi-smartphones with buttons to iPhones and Android devices with touchscreens, as our communications devices become wearable and blend seamlessly with our senses.
  So imagine a scenario ten years down the road, as you're taking a stroll in the park. Your glasses (''mobile phone'') are on, as are mostly everybody else's. You're broadcasting and recording what you see in public, as is mostly everybody else, in case a friend drops in on your feed and start chatting about it, or in case you observe something where you need to back up your story later, if you're so inclined '' kind of why people use dashcams in cars and constantly record everything that happens.
  So, on your lovely stroll in the park, you turn a corner, and to your shock, see a 12-year-old being brutally raped right in front of you.
  WHAM. You are now a criminal, guilty of recording, distributing, and possessing child pornography. You are now guilty of a crime that carries higher penalties than the rape and molestation of a child right taking place right in front of you.
  The rapist notices you and laughs, knowing that you can't do anything. If you were to call the police and offer to be a witness to the rape taking place before you, you would lose your job, children, and house over the worse crime you have just committed. As you struggle in panic to delete any and all imagery that could be used to convict the child rapist, hoping that nobody was able to make a copy, you see another person coming into view of the rapist and reacting just like you did.
  And on the ground, a 12-year old who is being raped watches helplessly as witnesses turn away and delete all evidence of the crime being committed against her.
  This is not some far-fetched science fiction scenario. This is exactly what will happen as our mobile phones take the next step, which has already started, and we will be there in less than ten years. (The very first iPhone was released to sales about five years ago, for perspective '' imagine what will happen in twice more the time since then.)
  [UPDATE: Some people have complained that no court would ever convict in this scenario, since you also recorded your unintentional approach. But possession of child pornography is a strict liability offense, like possession of cocaine, at least in the entire United States as soon as you know you have it, as well as several other countries. Intent, mens rea, is irrelevant: if you have it, no matter why, you're guilty.]
  This brings us to the crucial question why we have the ban on child pornography in the first place.
  Is possession of child pornography harshly banned because we want to catch child rapists and molesters, or because we're so uncomfortable with its existence that we want to legislate it out of our own field of view, raped children be damned as long as we're feeling comfortable ourselves?
  I would argue that the ban on possessing child pornography is already preventing the capture of child molesters, and it will get many, many times worse so in the coming decade. I also have a very strong feeling that the ban is in place because we'd like to pretend that things like this don't happen, and legislate it out of our field of view, throwing actual victims of crime to the wolves in the process. That's not worthy.
  The question also begs asking '' why is it only documentation of sex crimes against minors that are being banned in this way? The lawmen are perfectly fine with a video documenting how a teenager is being stabbed with a screwdriver in both eyes, then murdered (warning: the link is very real, but contains a transcript before you get to the actual video, which you probably don't want to watch). It's not the documentation of victimization that we prohibit, nor is it molestation as such '' why is the ban just related to anything sexual, and not to the bodily harm itself, which is what it sounds like from the proponents of the ban?
  Moving on to a solution, this scenario and problem doesn't necessarily mean that every part of our child porn laws must or should be torn up. The necessary legislative change would primarily mean that you would always, as in always, be allowed to record and distribute what you see with your own eyes. A journalistic protection law that supersedes all other laws, if you like. The slightest risk of a gray area here, and people will delete all evidence of witnessed crimes against children rather than risking their own jobs and families '' there must be no doubt or uncertainty whatsoever, not a shadow of it. As a side-effect consequence, deliberate recording and distribution of child porn from a first-person perspective would also be legalized with this change '' but that brings us back to the question why the ban is there in the first place: is it to catch child molesters, or is it there for our own sake, to make us feel good regardless of whether it helps molested children?
  2. The laws brand a whole generation as sex offenders.Our current laws treat the video of a seven-year-old being brutally raped, on one hand, and two seventeen-year-olds who have eyes for nothing in the world but each other making consensual passionate love, on the other hand, as the exact same thing. This is mind-bogglingly odd.
  The former is one of the most horrifying things you can think of '' trying to picture it makes you cringe in your chair. The latter is one of the most beautiful things you can possibly picture '' trying to see it makes your eyes well up with tears from joy. Why are one of the most horrible things and one of the most beautiful things in the world considered one and the same by the law? They're obviously nowhere similar and have nothing whatsoever to do with each other. I'll return to the answer to that.
  But first, let me say that I started watching porn at age ten, as did most of my friends, and I enjoyed it. I actively sought it out and kept seeking it out (as I still do). Since I didn't have access to the net at my age ten, I imagine people would start seeking it out earlier today, basically as soon as they get past the ''boys/girls are icky'' phase.
  This is natural.
  Let's see what else is natural for the generation growing up today:
  Exploring and understanding their bodies as they go through puberty and afterwards, just like every single generation of Homo Sapiens has done before them.Communicating like crazy. Communicating everything. All the time. In text, voice, images, and video.Documenting everything. Including themselves naked. Including sex. It's a memory like any other, and they're not limited to 24 photos per roll like I was in my teens.Technically, most people growing up today lose their virginity through rape. I say ''technically'': they lose their virginity through rape because legislators have redefined ''rape'' to include consensual, voluntary, loving sex between people of typical age of sexual debut. Such a legislative redefinition makes as much sense as redefining the act of murder to include friendly hugs, then complaining that murder rates are up. It also creates a lot of technical rapists and sex offenders who never harmed a single person, but did go against the morals of legislators. (This is not strictly information policy, but is relevant to the context up ahead.)
  We observe here that today's laws have as a horrible and completely unacceptable side effect of branding the entire growing-up generation as sex offenders, ruining their lives if caught with it, under the pretext of protecting small pre-pubescent children. This side effect includes the completely normal communication that teenagers have with each other, which would brand them as child pornographers (of themselves).
  This type of dissonance between the pretext and the actual effect of the law can be seen in many lobbying efforts. I call it murder-and-jaywalking argumentation. Here's an example:
  ''98% of all children have witnessed a murder or jaywalking firsthand by age seven. Witnessing a murder or jaywalking firsthand can be devastating to a child's psyche, according to experts. Therefore, we need tougher laws against murder and jaywalking.''
  Note how the ''or'' transforms into ''and'' at the end, implying that the two should be covered by the same piece of legislation. This conflation is deliberate, and is an attempt to piggyback a petty crime or harmless activity onto something vehemently detested.
  In order to understand murder-and-jaywalking legislation, we turn to an ancient Latin phrase: Cui bono? (''Who benefits?'') More often than not, this gives the answer for the underlying reason for legislation.
  Let's take an example. If somebody starts talking about ''rape and shoplifting'', and you discover that a chain of grocery stores is behind the wording, two things become obvious: a) they are trying to raise the penalties for shoplifting, possibly to include being branded as a sex offender for shoplifting, and b) they don't care in the slightest that using rape as a pretext for this special interest dilutes the concept of rape and disrespects rape victims immensely.
  The copyright industry has long done a similar stunt, talking about ''counterfeiting and piracy'', trying to assert that teenagers who share music between them should be covered by the same legislation as people who manufacture fake and fatal medicine for profit. Pretty much all enforcement treaties of the copyright monopoly are created under the pretext of preventing counterfeiting. Take ACTA, for example (''Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement''). That's another tangible example.
  This is where we start tracing where the idea of banning child porn comes from. Cui bono?
  It turns out that the pressure for banning possession of child pornography comes from a whole fruit salad of Christian fundamentalists, under the pretext of protecting children. In the United States, this is pretty much every nutjob in the entire Midwest. In Sweden, this role is primarily dominated by the front organization ECPAT, which pretends to care about abused children, but which has its roots in the fundamentalist Christian organization ECTWT (where the E stands for Ecumenical), and where these Christians keep being in majority at every general ECPAT assembly. Every time these fundamentalists have mentioned child abuse as a pretext to demand new laws, we end up with new criminalization of teenagers instead.
  This is where we connect the dots of cui bono with the murder-and-jaywalking deception method, and hairs rise on our arms and chills go down our spine as we connect the dots mentally:
  Making insecure teenagers feel guilt, fear, and shame over their own bodies and natural desires, causing them to suppress their instincts in fear, even criminalizing natural behavior and destroying their lives, was never a side effect. It was the whole idea.
  In Sweden, ECPAT has pushed through laws that make you a jailable criminal for possessing images of yourself from before your 18th birthday. Can we have a show of hands to see how many think this makes any kind of sense? That this would catch any child molesters?
  So does the fact that this law exists '' criminalizing people who have photos of themselves, pushed through by Christian fundamentalist organization ECPAT '' rhyme better with a concern to catch molesters, or better with the hair-rising conclusion above: an effort to scare teenagers into submission with fear of their own bodies?
  Using child molestation as a pretext for shoving your fundamentalist religious morals down the throats of insecure teenagers is about as low as you can sink in my eyes. These people stand lower than earthworms in terms of human value to me.
  The fix for this particular problem is to tell the fundamentalist Christians in ECPAT and similar organizations to fuck right off with their perverted high-horse dogmatic morals, throwing them out of the legislative process headfirst, and limit the child pornography laws to cover pre-pubescent children only. Murder and jaywalking should not be covered by the same legislation, because they are not the same thing. Rape of a seven-year old and two seventeen-year-olds making love should not be covered by the same legislation, because they are not the same thing. In case a hard age limit is needed, I would suggest separating children from teenagers at that exact age '' children are children until they become teenagers. Many enough have their sexual debut at 13 today. (This suggestion doesn't mean porn of 13-year-olds could, or indeed should, be sold. Commercial exploitation can always be separately regulated. What it does mean is that teenagers cannot and should not be branded as sex offenders for something they do voluntarily, happily, and consensually.)
  If these despicable Christian fundamentalists '' including ECPAT '' really cared about children, they would welcome such a change, for all the reasons described above. But if you proposed it to them, you would see them fighting it tooth and nail. Cui bono?
  (I predict some people will have problems with a 13-year age limit. The countries that already have this limit, e.g. Spain, display no problems at all. In contrast, those with an 18-year age limit have piles and piles of stories of destroyed teenage lives '' victims of law, not victims of crime. I like evidence-based policymaking and much prefer it to moral-based policymaking, and a 13-year limit is evidenced to work well.)
  3. The free speech war is won/lost at the battle of child porn.When possession of this type of information was banned, only the net generation saw this as bringing back the book burning times. To the rest of the population, it was about ''things on a computer''; the net generation doesn't see a difference whether a book is on a computer or sitting in a bookshelf.
  If regular people had had these laws re-worded into police being able to come into their homes, ransack their bookshelves, and if they found a banned book, they would burn it and arrest the owner '' if regular people had understood that this is what the law says, they would be horrified. But those who don't live online don't make the connection.
  As long as the ban on child porn remains, special interests will use this open wound in our enlightenment traditions of information freedom to infest it with their own ideas of what other information, speech, and communication should be banned and prohibited. We've seen everything from gambling companies to the copyright industry use child porn as a pretext for censoring business competition, consequences to society at large be damned, just like in the ''rape-and-shoplifting'' example above.
  (There is a reason the copyright industry loves child pornography. This reason. It opens the door to censorship.)
  European Commissioner Cecilia ''Censilia'' Malmstr¶m successfully pushed for an EU-wide censorship regime on the pretext of child pornography. Others have not been late in its wake to attempt exploiting and expanding the censorship regime to suit their own purposes.
  Politicians have even gone as far as saying that child pornography is ''not a legitimate expression'', and therefore not covered by constitutional freedom-of-expression, even if there isn't an explicit exception in law. This is a legislative hair's breadth from saying that your political opinion ''isn't a legitimate opinion'', and therefore not constitutionally protected speech.
  Child pornography is horrible and awful from every angle and in every aspect. But it is not dangerous to the fabric of society. Censorship and electronic book burning, however, is.
  The overall freedom of speech is won or lost with restoring freedom of information and, as a result, re-legalizing possession of child pornography. Yes, it's awful '' but so is the video of a teenager being stabbed in the eyes with a screwdriver; that's no reason to create a censorship regime. Today, we have an open wound in our constitutionally protected right to speak freely that is being infested again and again.
  We must heal that wound, exactly like the constitutional scholars warned when the child porn ban was first enacted. And that requires you, and every other information freedom activist, to let go of the stigma associated with this toxic subject and stand up for the enlightenment traditions.
  Just daring to talk back will take many people completely by surprise. They won't understand what's going on and won't have a script to follow. You won't have to defend against ''defending pedophiles'' '' you can refer to many others that take the same stance, like the Swedish Association of Journalists, who demand the ban on child porn to be repealed (the linked article is a statement from their chairperson). The entire journalistic profession doesn't demand this from a desire to harm children '' there is obviously something else that causes the entire reporters' association to be sternly against, and demand a repeal of, the ban on possession on child pornography. That ''something else'' is a care for the open and transparent society.
  ''The Swedish Association of Journalists has taken a clear stand against the child pornography legislation, which prohibits possession of works classified as child pornography.'' '-- quote from the linked article
  This is where the battle stands, and this is where the war is lost or won.
  If we lose the battle over freedom of information, we will lose it over the ban on possession of child pornography and infestations spreading from there until the open society has been killed. If we win it, we will win it over repealing the ban of possession of child pornography [as well as any other kind of information] and healing this wound. This is where the battle stands, this is where the war for freedom of speech and the open society is won or lost. This is the wound we must heal.
  Also see the follow-up article: Child Porn Laws Aren't As Bad As You Think. They're Much, Much Worse.
  UPDATE: Lars Hallberg wrote a comment on G+ to this article that makes for a very good summary, so I take the liberty of copying it in as a conclusion and a TL;DR:
  It's not illegal to film a murder.It's not illegal to possess a film of a murder.But it's still illegal to murder people.And it's illegal to initiate a murder for the purpose of filming it.If you have taken part in a murder and have film of it, the film may be usable as proof against you.
  I can't see that Rick suggests anything different here '' i.e., I see no suggestions that it should be OK to molest children for the purpose of filming it. That's good.
  In the end it's as simple as this: it should never be illegal to merely possess information, any information.>>
  You've read the whole article. Why not subscribe to the RSS flow using your favorite reader, or even have articles delivered by mail?About The Author: Rick FalkvingeRick is the founder of the first Pirate Party and is a political evangelist, traveling around Europe and the world to talk and write about ideas of a sensible information policy. He has a tech entrepreneur background and loves whisky.
  This article is also available in other languages: French.
Black Hollywood Fraudsters Finally Popped '' Full Docket Enclosed
  Link to Article
  Source: Jacky Jasper's Diary of a Hollywood Street King
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:02
  by Jacky Jasper
  'Ma Barker' Nabbed W/ Her Boys'...HSK Exclusive - More details are surfacing around the arrest of the man commonly known as Andrew Knight Payan and his crime syndicate family, which including his half brother, Donovan Gold, and mother, Tia Lachelle Rowe, who goes by too many alias' to name.
  The LAPD served multiple felony warrants at the home currently being squatted in by the family, located at 7217 La Presa Drive in the Hollywood Hills, taking the whole bunch to jail with each facing the same 6 felony charges.
  WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
  HSK was in the courtroom today when Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered Tia Rowe be held on $100,000 for the robbery and another $100,000 for the use of violence with gun during the robbery. Judge Torrealba took it a step further telling Tia's court appointed public defender that Tia poses a ''great risk to society'' and while she would grant bail for the most recent six felony charges, because Tia Rowe, a previously convicted felon was on felony supervised probation when the latest crimes were committed and therefore had violated that probation, that Tia would remain locked up with NO possibility to post bail before another hearing.
  Andrew and Donovan were also in the court gallery as Tia Rowe was lead by sheriffs deputies into the prisoners cage, shackled and in prison blues, looking like she had little to be thankful for after spending the holiday behind bars.
  You may remember earlier this this year, we first told you about the intricate family fraud scheme, executed by '' Andrew Knight and Donovan Gold, Darrius 'D-Mac' Rogers. That's when we reported there's one lead figure who all of these suspects have in common '' Tia Rowe, who has an extended criminal record is who sources say acts as a puppeteer of her sons as she orchestrates their fraudulent criminal endeavors.
  Since being released on bond, we're told Payan has returned to the La Presa Drive residence to squat. Know why? Because sources say he has no place to go. Both Payan and Gold are scheduled to be back before a judge on December 12th. We'll bring you more information about this case as it unfolds'...
Ambassador Rice to meet with lawmakers on Libya
  Link to Article
  Source: CNN Security Clearance
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:57
  By Dan Lothian
  After facing criticism from Republican lawmakers surrounding her characterization of the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice will hold meetings on Capitol Hill about Libya, an administration official said Monday.
  Rice will meet with Sen. John McCain on Tuesday morning, a Senate source said.
  FULL STORY
Failed CO2 Targets: Going Through the Motions at UN Climate Conference
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:56
  The United Nations Climate Change Conference beginning in Doha this week is turning into a farce. While negotiators are sticking to the goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, even climatologists admit that the project has failed.
  Protecting the climate is incredibly important to Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, as evidenced by all the resolutions it has adopted in the past to save the planet. Germany has climate funds and reduction targets, building and transportation programs, and even an entire strategy to wean itself off nuclear power and shift to green energy, which has been dubbed the Energiewende, or "energy revolution." But at some point there is such a thing as overkill.
  Can a member of parliament be expected to be chauffeured around Berlin in a small car? Or should he even stoop to the level of taking a cab? Now that, the Bundestag recently decided, would be asking too much. But because the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the elegant limousines normally used to chauffeur German lawmakers exceeds standards set three years ago, the Bundestag came up with a convenient solution. They simply raised the previously established limit of 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer to 140.
  And what about the fact that the European Commission in Brussels has been fighting for months to set the limit at 95 grams? Forget it! And the climate? Oh, that again.
  Only a few years ago, lawmakers would have hardly dared raise the limits for allowable greenhouse gas emissions coming from their official cars. They would have been too worried about upsetting climate activists and triggering outraged editorials in the papers.
  But things have changed, so much so that the Bundestag's decision hardly attracted any notice in the press, and neither did the government's decision to eliminate a rule requiring official trips to be climate-neutral. As mundane as these decisions seem, they symbolize a significant failure, namely that no issue of global urgency has tanked quite as quickly as the warming of the earth's climate.
  A Bizarre Ritual
  What was seen as a question of man's survival not too long ago is little more than a side note today. Even forest dieback, the great bugaboo of the 1980s, did not suffer a comparable plunge into irrelevance.
  This only amplifies the bizarrely ritualistic nature of the Climate Change Conference starting this week in Doha, Qatar. Thousands of negotiators, environmentalists and industry lobbyists are meeting in the Arab emirate to set the course for an international treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
  But the world has already turned its back on the issue. And if that weren't unnerving enough, the attendees from 195 countries will be debating a project that everyone suspects is no longer achievable: the 2-degree target.
  It remains a mantra for saving the climate that the earth's temperature curve cannot be allowed to climb any further than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Climatologists have calculated how much carbon dioxide emissions from cars, chimneys and fields can increase without jeopardizing the 2-degree target. If we fail in this mission, at least according to their computer models, life on the planet will become intolerable.
  But a look at their calculations reveals that limiting the earth's warming to 2 degrees Celsius is no longer realistic. Our thirst for energy is too enormous and our efforts to wean ourselves off fossil fuels have been too insignificant.
  Instead of declining, emissions continue to rise year after year. If nothing changes, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predicted last week, global carbon emissions will increase to about 58 gigatons by 2020 -- much more than the 44 gigatons necessary to adhere to the 2-degree target.
  According to the 2011 World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), global fossil fuel subsidies jumped 30 percent to $523 billion ('‚¬403 billion) last year. Although countries are spending more and more on renewable energy, subsidies for coal, oil and gas are still six times as high. About 1,200 new coal-fired power plants are planned worldwide, and even Germany generated more electricity from coal in the first nine months of this year than it has in a long time.
  Unwilling to Admit Defeat
  In times of crisis, burning fossil fuels helps industry, while the climate must wait. According to a study by the research institute Oxford Economics, almost all key producers of greenhouse gas are spending decreasing amounts on saving the planet. Crisis-ridden Spain plans to cut '‚¬3.8 billion ($4.9 billion) from its climate protection budget by 2015, Great Britain will reduce spending by '‚¬3.1 billion, and even Germany is cutting climate-related spending by '‚¬1.5 billion. When ranked by how much it spends on climate protection as a percentage of total spending, the United States comes in last.
  Fatih Birol, the IEA's chief economist in Paris, isn't the only one who sees the 2-degree target as a "nice utopia" -- well-intentioned, but unfortunately totally unrealistic.
  But hardly anyone is about to admit it. Climate activists won't admit it, because they're afraid that without strict targets, no government can be compelled to reduce emissions. And neither will politicians in Germany and Europe, because they're the ones who injected the 2-degree target into the global debate in the first place. "If we don't reach the target, it will get a lot more expensive for many of us than we can imagine today," warns European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard.
  That's why Jochem Marotzke, director of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, is being courageous when he says: "Although physically speaking it is still possible to reach the 2-degree target, it seems to me that it's hardly feasible politically." He thinks it's more realistic to limit global warming to 3 degrees Celsius. "Even that, of course, would be associated with massive efforts worldwide," he adds.
  Marotzke knows what he is talking about. He is the chairman of the German Climate Consortium and one of Germany's top climatologists. He has had the computers at his institute calculate what would be necessary to comply with the 2-degree target: Worldwide CO2 emissions would have to consistently decline by 1 percent a year, starting in 2020, to end up at almost zero by the end of the century.
  That would require a carbon-free global economy, in which no more oil or gas is burned anywhere on the planet, and in which all cars operate without fossil fuel and aircraft fly without kerosene. Is this realistic? Marotzke doesn't think so. "In general, this raises the issue of whether it's good policy to proclaim unachievable goals," he says.
  Other Priorities
  But his voice will probably remain unheard in Doha. The countries will still talk about the 2-degree target, but they will hardly follow their talk with action. On the contrary, while Europe's crisis-ridden countries are rediscovering classic industrial policy, emerging economies like China and India are turning into emissions giants.
  China, for example, is responsible for 29 percent of worldwide, energy-related CO2 emissions, and it's also the world's biggest air polluter. But the leadership in Beijing doesn't like this superlative, preferring to cite a different number, which shows that per capita, the 1.4 billion Chinese are responsible for only a fraction of what Americans and most Europeans emit.
  Whatever a climate compromise looks like in the end, it will have to be characterized by "fairness, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities," said Xie Zhenhua, the head of Beijing's delegation, when he presented his strategy for the Doha climate conference last Wednesday. What he meant was that emissions reductions are ok, but everyone else should start first.
  The Indians hold the same view. Although their delegation fundamentally voted for a reduction in greenhouse gases at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban last year, India has a price for that, which it will also present to the European Union in Doha: financial assistance and the transfer of environmental technology.
  The United States also has other priorities. At the first press conference after his reelection, President Barack Obama fundamentally acknowledged the importance of climate protection. But then he promptly added that this could not get in the way of the anticipated economic recovery. "Jobs and growth" are Americans' biggest concern, said the president. "If the message is somehow we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don't think anybody's going to go for that. I won't go for that," he added.
  For many years, at least the citizens of the EU could feel good about playing in the league of climate rescuers. At a number of UN conferences, the EU pushed forward with ambitious goals.
  Of course, little of that will be in evidence in Doha. Originally, the EU had planned to commit itself to considerably tougher reduction targets for greenhouse gas. But Poland, a significant coal producer, was the first to thwart the plan. European Commissioner Hedegaard now admits that it is no longer feasible in the short term.
Bruce Wilson, 25 kilograms of gelignite and a plan to blow up the Western Mining Smelter at
  Link to Article
  Source: Michael Smith News
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:52
  No wonder the construction companies paid up on dodgy invoices. Wilson was one mean and dangerous unionist. Big Bill Ludwig had an uncanny eye for picking suitable PMs
  This also explains why Bob Hawke was considering bringing the navy in to dislodge Wilson from the North West Cape oil rig when he occupied it. Wilson could have been armed and dangerous.
  Posted by: Albert | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:43 PM
  Thank YOU so much MR B ... for your time and showing you care for others.As it stands It certainly seems many owe you their lives already.Upstairs for careful consideration.Thanks for protecting your fellow workers.
  Posted by: R we there yet | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:39 PM
  I remember the days when the biggest problem with Unions was the fact that only 1 flavour was available for the ice cream, wow! haven't things changed.Rudd/Gillard sent young Australians to their deaths in ceilings when the NZ government warned of their ban on aluminium due to many deaths from electrocution.What did the Unions do about these 4 sacrificial lambs?????With Labor in office, they did nothing.
  Posted by: Albert | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:32 PM
  I would love to see the news headlines, saying something like , prime minister Julier Gillards ex lover brought in for qustioning, for possible terrorists activities, and a plot to blow up a mining company.
  Posted by: Robert | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:31 PM
  Well Gillard's ineptitude and lack of morals and ethics is going to bring a LOT of people down eventually. It might take a while but it WILL happen.
  Posted by: Margie | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:25 PM
  MICHAEL, SO HE IS GOING TO APPEAR ON THE 7.30 REPORT.BET THAT COST THE LABOR PARTY A FEW MILLION.
  HEARD THAT SPITEFUL LATHAM STATE ON PMLIVE THAT TONY ABBOTT IS IN FOR A TORRID TIME. SO MUCH MUCK WILL BE THROWN AT HIM NEXT YEAR.
  Posted by: CHAFF BAGG | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:18 PM
  Serious, serious stuff. Mr Wilson may have some reasons to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the near future.
  But unless The Red Headed Clowns fingerprints are on the box or dets..I don't think it will help the country get rid of this rabid pack of self protecting, self centered, lying thieving trough slurpers........unless......
  Great pressure from authorities wanting to investigate where he got 25kgs of powergell from...and his intentions with it.
  His voice might get as shaky as Gillards has sounded so far in question time today. REALLY NERVOUS when answering Bishops questions....and it's not over yet!
  Pathetic govt questions. Don't they see how weak it makes them look?Fools........GET OUT...Stop wasting question time with backslapping and misdirection.Embarrassed at this govt is an understatement.
  Posted by: CaptCarl | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:17 PM
  That is scary a lot of damage can be done with so much dynomite.
  But in the PM's case she has done a heck of a lot more and didn't even use it.
  Posted by: Dee Dee | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:15 PM
  wow, the implications of that WOW. How far down the rabbit hole are we going to end up in this. I had an uncle that was a powder monkey and I KNOW how dangerous in the wrong hands this stuff is and the regulations that impose hefty implications on people that have access to it. Yes it has tightened up since terrorism came into force BUT still was regulated effectively and are controlled substances. It is relative easiy to make morphine disapear than this stuff. (re recent victorian issue) YOU have sent shivers up my spine with this revelation. HOLY (*&&((&
  Michael you have really shown integrity and trust for people to start coming forth with all this sort of information that is backed up from multiple sources. It is so nice to hear a person talk about facts and report the facts. Growing up listening to Brian Henderson on chanel 9 news the same level of trust and reporting the facts is really what the modern media is lacking.
  thankyou...
  Posted by: redleader78 | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 02:09 PM
  It is being reported that Wilson is going to give ABC an interview.
  Oh Julia, how do I love thee, let me count the ways!
  Perhaps you could provide the ABC with anything Wilson has told you as background to the interview Michael and see if her ABC actually asks him any of the hard questions.
  Posted by: The Realist of Queensland | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:58 PM
  Thanks again Michael. Oh how the Australia day B/S now sits in this fiasco. Who would employ this grub the turd and have a mistress relationship with Mr Wilson. Birds of a feather---------.
  Posted by: PJ, | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:56 PM
  Wow! after hearing that and to think Julia Gillard slept with him for 7 yrs (according to Bruce). A real Bonnie and Clyde.She yesterday also admitted to taking the instructions from Bruce Wilson and Ralph Blewitt not the AWU. Not lookin good JEG.
  Posted by: michelle 2 | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:53 PM
  Things seem to get worse and worse. How come Bruce Wilson has not had a visit from the police with all his shady deals, he is a dangerous man.
  Posted by: Diana | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:53 PM
  The PMs lover was a real charmer by the sound of that conversation,I wonder if she will condemn Mr Wilson like she has Mr Blewitt.She never says anything about her former lover which is strange seeing as though this is the man who has caused all the problems for her.Something fishy is going on Michael.Keep it up mate
  Posted by: Grusin | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:52 PM
  To the Attorney-General:
  Bruce Wilson is a terrorist within the Commonwealth Criminal Code (formerly Crimes Act 1901).
  This now beyond a joke as you seem to regard it.
  One hopes the AFP renders Wilson "safe" as the recent photos show he is very unstable and likely to do anything.
  Posted by: Jim | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:52 PM
  My head is spinning. Mr. B sounds authentic. Michael, you have corroborating evidence.
  The whole Parliament must call for a Royal Commission into the AWU in particular and the mis-use of union funds by a select few.
  Posted by: dhsridesagain | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 01:51 PM
Sexism behind Gillard accusations: Milne (Australian Greens leader)
  Link to Article
  Source: no corn syrup's feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:52
  AAP
  Australian Greens leader Christine Milne says sexism is behind accusations about Prime Minister Julia Gillard's past work as a lawyer.
  Senator Milne said there was a "group of older, white men in Australia" who did not like the idea that at last women were coming into their own.
  "They've never accepted the legitimacy of a woman as a prime minister and they are kicking back in every which way they can," she told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
  She was commenting on the controversy surrounding the legal advice given by Ms Gillard to AWU officials, while she was a lawyer in the 1990s.
  Ms Gillard on Monday held an extended press conference to tackle the allegations, stating the coalition was running a "sleaze and smear" campaign.
  Senator Milne said parliament was "obsessing" over the issue because sections of the media "can't accept the legitimacy of a woman as a prime minister and a minority government".
  "Well, get over it," she said.
  "We've got a minority government, we've got a woman as a prime minister."
  Shadow attorney-general George Brandis dismissed Senator Milne's comments.
  "I suppose Christine Milne would say that, wouldn't she," he told reporters.
  The opposition was asking the most senior politician in the land to account for her conduct, Senator Brandis said.
  "We are accusing her of doing the wrong thing," he said.
  "If we have come to the stage in this country where you can't accuse a senior politician of doing the wrong thing merely because they are a woman without being accused of sexism, we have come to a pretty bad situation."
  Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop said Ms Gillard was using sexism as an excuse to hide her involvement in a massive fraud against the AWU.
  "She's using the charge of sexism as a sword against her critics and as a shield against having to answer any questions," she told reporters in Canberra.
  Independent senator Nick Xenophon said Ms Gillard must be given credit for answering questions on the issue in two "marathon" press conferences - one held on Monday and the other in August.
  "I think it's beginning to look like a bit of a sideshow," he told reporters in Canberra.
  "I just wonder whether this really is resonating out in the electorate."
It's the End of the Web (As We Know It)
  Link to Article
  Source: Dvorak News Blog
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:51
  Who runs the Internet? For now, the answer remains no one, or at least no government, which explains the Web's success as a new technology. But as of next week, unless the U.S. gets serious, the answer could be the United Nations.
  Many of the U.N.'s 193 member states oppose the open, uncontrolled nature of the Internet. Its interconnected global networks ignore national boundaries, making it hard for governments to censor or tax. And so, to send the freewheeling digital world back to the state control of the analog era, China, Russia, Iran and Arab countries are trying to hijack a U.N. agency that has nothing to do with the Internet.
  Next week the ITU holds a negotiating conference in Dubai, and past months have brought many leaks of proposals for a new treaty. U.S. congressional resolutions and much of the commentary, including in this column, have focused on proposals by authoritarian governments to censor the Internet. Just as objectionable are proposals that ignore how the Internet works, threatening its smooth and open operations.
  Having the Internet rewired by bureaucrats would be like handing a Stradivarius to a gorilla. The Internet is made up of 40,000 networks that interconnect among 425,000 global routes, cheaply and efficiently delivering messages and other digital content among more than two billion people around the world, with some 500,000 new users a day.
  The self-regulating Internet means no one has to ask for permission to launch a website, and no government can tell network operators how to do their jobs. The arrangement has made the Internet a rare place of permissionless innovation. As former Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard recently pointed out, 90% of cooperative ''peering'' agreements among networks are ''made on a handshake,'' adjusting informally as needs change.
  Blah, blah, yadda, yadda. Just read it and weep.
Privacy groups ask Facebook to withdraw proposed policy changes
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: Technology News
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:50
  A Facebook page is displayed on a computer screen in Brussels April 21, 2010.
  Credit: Reuters/Thierry Roge
  By Alexei Oreskovic
  SAN FRANCISCO | Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:25pm EST
  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two privacy advocacy groups urged Facebook Inc on Monday to withdraw proposed changes to its terms of service that would allow the company to share user data with recently acquired photo-application Instagram, eliminate a user voting system and loosen email restrictions within the social network.
  The changes, which Facebook unveiled on Wednesday, raise privacy risks for users and violate the company's previous commitments to its roughly 1 billion members, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy.
  "Facebook's proposed changes implicate the user privacy and terms of a recent settlement with the Federal Trade Commission," the groups said in a letter to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg that was published on their websites on Monday.
  By sharing information with Instagram, the letter said, Facebook could combine user profiles, ending its practice of keeping user information on the two services separate.
  Facebook declined to comment on the letter.
  In April, Facebook settled privacy charges with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it had deceived consumers and forced them to share more personal information than they intended. Under the settlement, Facebook is required to get user consent for certain changes to its privacy settings and is subject to 20 years of independent audits.
  Facebook, Google and other online companies have faced increasing scrutiny and enforcement from privacy regulators as consumers entrust ever-increasing amounts of information about their personal lives to Web services.
  Facebook unveiled a variety of proposed changes to its terms of service and data use polices on Wednesday, including a move to scrap a 4-year old process that can allow the social network's roughly 1 billion users to vote on changes to its policies.
  If proposed changes generate more than 7,000 public comments during a seven-day period, Facebook's current terms of service automatically trigger a vote by users to approve the changes. But the vote is only binding if at least 30 percent of users take part, and two prior votes never reached that threshold.
  The latest proposed changes had garnered more than 17,000 comments by late Monday.
  Facebook also said last week that it wanted to eliminate a setting for users to control who can contact them on the social network's email system. The company said it planned to replace the "Who can send you Facebook messages" setting with new filters for managing incoming messages.
  That change is likely to increase the amount of unwanted "spam" messages that users receive, the privacy groups warned on Monday.
  Facebook's potential information sharing with Instagram, a photo-sharing service for smartphone users that it bought in October, flows from proposed changes that would allow the company to share information between its own service and other businesses or affiliates it owns.
  The change could open the door for Facebook to build unified profiles of its users that include people's personal data from its social network and from Instagram, similar to recent moves by Google Inc.
  In January, Google said it would combine users' personal information from its various Web services - such as search, email and the Google+ social network - to provide a more customized experience. The unified data policy raised concerns among some privacy advocates and regulators, who said it was an invasion of people's privacy.
  "As our company grows, we acquire businesses that become a legal part of our organization," Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said in an emailed statement on Monday.
  "Those companies sometimes operate as affiliates. We wanted to clarify that we will share information with our affiliates and vice versa, both to help improve our services and theirs, and to take advantage of storage efficiencies," Noyes said.
  (Reporting By Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Richard Pullin)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
Post-US world born in Phnom Penh
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:47
  Post-US world born in Phnom PenhBy SpenglerIt is symptomatic of the national condition of the United States that the worst humiliation ever suffered by it as a nation, and by a US president personally, passed almost without comment last week. I refer to the November 20 announcement at a summit meeting in Phnom Penh that 15 Asian nations, comprising half the world's population, would form a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership excluding the United States.
  President Barack Obama attended the summit to sell a US-based Trans-Pacific Partnership excluding China. He didn't. The American led-partnership became a party to which no-one came.
  Instead, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, will form a club and leave out the United States. As 3 billion Asians become prosperous, interest fades in the prospective contribution of 300
  million Americans - especially when those Americans decline to take risks on new technologies. America's great economic strength, namely its capacity to innovate, exists mainly in memory four years after the 2008 economic crisis.
  A minor issue in the election campaign, the Trans-Pacific Partnership initiative was the object of enormous hype on the policy circuit. Salon.com enthused on October 23,
  This agreement is a core part of the "Asia pivot" that has occupied the activities of think tanks and policymakers in Washington but remained hidden by the tinsel and confetti of the election. But more than any other policy, the trends the TPP represents could restructure American foreign relations, and potentially the economy itself.
  As it happened, this grand, game-changing vision mattered only to the sad, strange people who concoct policy in the bowels of the Obama administration. America's relative importance is fading.To put these matters in context: the exports of Asian countries have risen more than 20% from their peak before the 2008 economic crisis, while Europe's exports have fallen by more than 20%. American exports have risen marginally (by about 4%) from their pre-2008 peak.
  Exhibit 1: Asian, European and US exports
  China's exports to Asia, meanwhile, have jumped 50% since their pre-crisis peak, while exports to the United States have risen by about 15%. At US$90 billion, Chinese exports to Asia are three times the country's exports to the United States.
  After months and dire (and entirely wrong) predictions that China's economy faces a hard landing, it is evident that China will have no hard landing, nor indeed any landing at all. Domestic consumption as well as exports to Asia are both running nearly 20% ahead of last year's levels, compensating for weakness in certain export markets and the construction sector. Exports to the moribund American economy are stagnant.
  Exhibit 2: China's exports to Asia vs USASource: Bloomberg
  In 2002, China imported five times as much from Asia as it did from the United States. Now it imports 10 times as much from Asia as from the US.
  Exhibit 3: Chinese imports from the US and AsiaSource: Bloomberg
  Following the trade patterns, Asian currencies began trading more closely with China's renminbi than with the American dollar. Arvind Subramanian and Martin Kessler wrote in an October 2012 study for the Peterson Institute:
  A country's rise to economic dominance tends to be accompanied by its currency becoming a reference point, with other currencies tracking it implicitly or explicitly. For a sample comprising emerging market economies, we show that in the last two years, the renminbi (RMB/yuan) has increasingly become a reference currency which we define as one which exhibits a high degree of co-movement (CMC) with other currencies.
  In East Asia, there is already a RMB bloc, because the RMB has become the dominant reference currency, eclipsing the dollar, which is a historic development. In this region, 7 currencies out of 10 co-move more closely with the RMB than with the dollar, with the average value of the CMC relative to the RMB being 40% greater than that for the dollar. We find that co-movements with a reference currency, especially for the RMB, are associated with trade integration.
  We draw some lessons for the prospects for the RMB bloc to move beyond Asia based on a comparison of the RMB's situation today and that of the Japanese yen in the early 1990s. If trade were the sole driver, a more global RMB bloc could emerge by the mid-2030s but complementary reforms of the financial and external sector could considerably expedite the process.
  All of this is well known and exhaustively discussed. The question is what, if anything, the United States will do about it.Where does the United States have a competitive advantage? Apart from commercial aircraft, power-generating equipment, and agriculture, it has few areas of real industrial pre-eminence. Cheap natural gas helps low-value-added industries such as fertilizer, but the US is lagging in the industrial space.
  Four years ago, when Francesco Sisci and I proposed a Sino-American monetary agreement as an anchor for trade integration, the US still dominated the nuclear power plant industry. With the sale of the Westinghouse nuclear power business to Toshiba, and Toshiba's joint ventures with China to build power plants locally, that advantage has evaporated.
  The problem is that Americans have stopped investing in the sort of high-tech, high-value-added industries that produce the manufactures that Asia requires. Manufacturers' capital goods orders are 38% below the 1999 peak after taking inflation into account. And venture capital allocations for high-tech manufacturing have dried up.
  Exhibit 4: Venture capital allocations for export-related industries collapse(March 2003=100)Source: National Venture Capital Association
  Exhibit 5: US capital goods orders nearly 40% below 1999 peak in real termsSource: Bureau of Economic Analysis
  Without innovation and investment, all the trade agreements that the Washington policy circuit can devise won't help. Neither, it should be added, will an adjustment in exchange rates.
  It is hard to fathom just what President Obama had in mind when he arrived in Asia bearing a Trans-Pacific Partnership designed to keep China out. What does the United States have to offer Asians?
  It is borrowing $600 billion a year from the rest of the world to finance a $1.2 trillion government debt, most prominently from Japan (China has been a net seller of Treasury securities during the past year).It is a taker of capital rather than a provider of capital.It is a major import market but rapidly diminishing in relative importance as intra-Asian trade expands far more rapidly than trade with the United States.And America's strength as an innovator and incubator of entrepreneurs has diminished drastically since the 2008 crisis, no thanks to the Obama administration, which imposed a steep task on start-up businesses in the form of its healthcare program.Washington might want to pivot towards Asia. At Phnom Penh, though, Asian leaders in effect invited Obama to pivot the full 360 degrees and go home.
  Spengler is channeled by David P Goldman. His bookHow Civilizations Die (and why Islam is Dying, Too) was published by Regnery Press in September 2011. A volume of his essays on culture, religion and economics,It's Not the End of the World - It's Just the End of You, also appeared last fall, from Van Praag Press.
  (Copyright 2012 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Where Are You Android Users?
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:37
  Josh Marshall November 25, 2012, 10:11 PMOver at BusinessInsider, Henry Blodget has a post up that gets to at a topic I've wondered a lot about '-- both as someone just interested in tech but also as a news publisher. In short, with so many Android devices out there, why does so little mobile traffic seem to come from them?
  Blodget has the baseline numbers. Android devices (thus the Android operating system) vastly outnumber Apple (iOS) devices worldwide and they significantly outnumber them in the US market (53% to 34%, according to Blodget). And yet when it comes to actual web traffic, far more of it comes from iOS devices (60% for Apple to 20% for Android) and the same seems to be even more true for people buying things over mobile devices.
  Our traffic data is even more overwhelmingly in that direction '-- something which has shaped the way we've approached the whole mobile market.
  I just checked out numbers going back to August 1. Around 23% of our site traffic comes from mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) and of that fully 77% comes from iOS devices. 21% comes from Android devices. The trivial remaining numbers come from a mix of Blackberry and Windows Phone.
  I've mentioned a number of times that TPM's audience is disproportionately made up of Mac users '-- not a majority but a much higher percentage than the US population at large. So I've assume this iOS dominance stemmed from that as well as the general affluence of the audience. But it seems to be more general.
  One place this played out was in our decision to make only an iPhone version of our PollTracker mobile app. I've corresponded with many readers about this and a lot of people were really upset, or thought that we were slighting Android users out of Apple snobbishness. As I explained in many individual emails, this wasn't the case at all. Without a sponsor for an Android version we simply didn't have the resources to produce two versions of the app. And in terms of our audience, as you can see from these numbers, if it had to be one it was going to be iOS.
  So why the differential? Blodget asks, maybe a tad tongue in cheek, ''Are Android devices mostly used by digitally incurious people who don't do anything with them?''
  I'm not sure if that's the wording I'd prefer. But it does seem like it's on the right track. The answer seems to be some mix of affluence and power-use for lack of a better phrase. If you're really focused on living through your mobile device '-- shopping with it, constantly accessing news on it, getting really focused on apps, you're far more likely to buy an iPhone. The demographics of affluence clearly play a significant factor as well. I suspect that's why our audience for instance is even more tilted toward iOS than most.
  Another way of looking at it is that phone manufacturers over the last 18 months or so have started moving most of the mobile phone population into the 'smartphone' category '-- subscription reupp cycles keep the old phones cycling out on a pretty consistent basis. But most people aren't living their lives on Twitter or 24/7 news consumption. Most of these people '-- we might call them people with lives '-- are getting Android devices and just not using them (for Internet consumption) at anywhere near the rate that iOS users are.
  Those last few points are conjecture but conjecture based on a fair amount of data. Curious to hear your thoughts depending on which sort of device you use.
  Josh MarshallJosh Marshall is editor and publisher of TalkingPointsMemo.com.
Guest on Fox News to Discuss Benghazi Attack Is Given a Quick Exit
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:31
  Thomas E. Ricks, the veteran defense reporter and author, said he expected his Monday morning appearance on Fox News to last about three minutes. It ended, in fact, after 90 seconds '-- his last sentence was a description of the network as ''a wing of the Republican Party.''
  After the interview, a Fox News staffer told Mr. Ricks that he had been rude.
  The strange and unusually short interview segment quickly gained the attention of media critics, because criticism of Fox News is rarely aired on Fox News. Mr. Ricks said in an e-mail message afterward that he did not think he was being rude. ''I thought I was being honest,'' he said. ''They asked my opinion, and I gave it.''
  The topic was the attack on the United States's diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Before being thanked and sent on his way, Mr. Ricks said he thought the controversy around the attack was ''hyped, by this network especially.''
  Fox News has devoted far more airtime to the events in Benghazi, on Sept. 11, than other television news networks, with numerous suggestions that the Obama administration is engaged in a cover-up. Erik Wemple of The Washington Post and the anti-Fox group Media Matters, among others, have documented the ups and downs of Fox's reporting on the subject.
  ''Right now, pressure mounting on the Obama administration over its response to the deadly attack on our consulate in Benghazi,'' the Fox anchor Jon Scott said before tossing to Mr. Ricks, a former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporter whose latest book, ''The Generals,'' was published last month.
  After Mr. Ricks said that he thought that ''Benghazi generally was hyped, by this network especially,'' Mr. Scott homed in on the word ''hype,'' asking, ''When you have four people dead, including the first U.S. ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?''
  Mr. Ricks answered, ''How many security contractors died in Iraq? Do you know?''
  Mr. Scott said he did not know.
  ''Nobody does, because nobody cared,'' Mr. Ricks said. ''We know that several hundred died, but there was never an official count done of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I see this focus on what was essentially a small firefight, I think, No. 1, I've covered a lot of firefights, it's impossible to figure out what happens in them sometimes. And second, I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox was operating as a wing of the Republican Party.''
  That was the end of the segment.
  ''Alright, Tom Ricks, thank you very much for joining us today,'' Mr. Scott said before his co-anchor tossed to a commercial break.
  Mr. Ricks said in his e-mail that ''I think the segment was about half as long as planned.'' In the pre-interview with the producer in charge of the segment, Mr. Ricks expressed his point of view that the Benghazi controversy had been over-covered, ''so they shouldn't have been surprised when they pushed back on that, and I defended my position,'' he said.
  The producer, whom Mr. Ricks did not name, told him beforehand that he'd also have a chance to talk about the lack of combat readiness of some Army units, a subject he wrote a blog post about last Friday. ''But they seemed to lose interest in that,'' he said.
  Mr. Ricks added, ''One reason I spoke the way I did is that the hero of my new book is George Marshall, the Army chief of staff during World War II. He got his position by speaking truth to power, and I try to follow that example.''
  A Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the interview segment was cut short.
Bill Kristol: John Kerry Hasn't Supported Enough Wars to Be Secretary of State
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:28
  Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol on Sunday suggested that Republican senators should confirm United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice if she is nominated as secretary of state because she is more likely to support going to war than Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).
  The conservative columnist told Fox News host Chris Wallace that Rice had made a mistake by not being more clear that the September attacks in Benghazi were terrorism but Kerry had a history of opposing military intervention.
  "I rather think [President Barack Obama] will appoint Susan Rice and I think -- I'm not a huge fan of hers -- but I think she's likely to be confirmed by the Senate," Kristol explained. "And an awful lot of people might decide, you know, given the range of alternative appointments, maybe she's not -- John Kerry, in my opinion, might be a worse secretary of state. Maybe one just goes ahead and lets him have the secretary of state he wants."
  "I think Susan Rice has been a little more interventionist than John Kerry," he pointed out. "John Kerry was a guy who loved the Assad regime in Syria. John Kerry has been against our intervening in every war we've intervened in, the first Gulf War. In Iraq, he was for it before he was against it."
  But Fox News political analyst Kirsten Powers, who describes herself as a liberal and has accused Obama of sexism for defending Rice, blasted the president over the possible appointment.
  "That kind of arrogance -- which is what I think it would be -- could be he undoing," she declared. "If she is put under oath and forced to go through and answer all these questions, I think it's going to put the administration in a really bad position."
Child abuse inquiry reaches wide
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:23
  PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has announced a sweeping royal commission into child sex abuse that will probe organisations ranging from the Catholic Church and state authorities to the boy scouts and sports groups.
  The inquiry into institutional responses to abuse will not just look at perpetrators. It will also cover those who were ''complicit'' - for example, in alleged offenders being moved around - or who by ''averting their eyes'' committed acts of omission. It will also look at how police have responded to the problem
  Ms Gillard said the allegations that had come to light recently were heartbreaking. ''These are insidious, evil acts to which no child should be subject,'' she said.
  The victims deserved the ''most thorough of investigations'', she said. The royal commission was not to impede police investigations or compensation claims.
  Ms Gillard said the inquiry would provide victims with the opportunity to speak out if they chose. ''I understand that for some people it can be healing to get the opportunity to tell their story.''
  The Prime Minister spoke to Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, who have state inquiries under way - both offered co-operation.
  She also contacted the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, to assure him that the commission would not target any one church. Cardinal Pell said later he welcomed Ms Gillard's announcement.
  ''I believe the air should be cleared and the truth uncovered. We shall co-operate fully with the royal commission,'' he said.
  However, he complained about media coverage of the church, saying ''public opinion remains unconvinced that the Catholic Church has dealt adequately with sexual abuse''.
  ''Ongoing and at times one-sided media coverage has deepened this uncertainty. This is one of the reasons for my support of the royal commission.''
  Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, chairman of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, told The Age he supported the inquiry.
  ''I stand by resolutely in saying we must clean this matter up,'' he said.
  When asked about the Prime Minister's reference to those who had ''averted their eyes'', he said that anyone who had done wrong must face the consequences.
  In an earlier statement, the bishops conference admitted there were ''significant problems'' in some dioceses and religious orders, but said ''talk of systemic problems of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is ill founded and inconsistent with the facts''.
  The federal government will talk with the states and institutions about the commission's terms of reference. The inquiry
  is likely to have more than one commissioner. Given the huge scope of the inquiry - the commission would be allowed ''to go where it needs to give us a comprehensive response'' - Ms Gillard indicated the government was unlikely to set a firm reporting date. Cabinet ministers had ticked off on the inquiry.
  Some within the government would like to see the royal commission a joint federal-state one. An advantage of this would be that it would facilitate access to state-run institutions.
  Before Ms Gillard's announcement, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had backed an inquiry but stressed it should be broad. He said the community ''must have zero tolerance for the sexual abuse of children''.
  ''Wherever abuse has occurred it must be tackled, and it must be tackled vigorously, openly and transparently,'' he said. ''A lot of terrible things have been done, and a lot of people have suffered deeply.''
  After a swathe of allegations of abuse in Catholic institutions in particular, Ms Gillard was under cross-party pressure to act. Chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon urged a royal commission, as did Labor backbenchers Doug Cameron, Melissa Parke and Stephen Jones. Crossbenchers Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Nick Xenophon and the Greens also called for action.
  Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was more qualified, saying there would be a case for a royal commission if present inquiries found ''institutional resistance'' by the Catholic Church or if more resources were needed to deal with these matters.
  Australian Catholic University professor of law and prominent Jesuit priest Father Frank Brennan expressed some doubts about the commission.
  ''It's so broad that it risks being counterproductive,'' he said, predicting it would be five to 10 times the size of the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody and would probably take five years.
  Mr Baillieu welcomed the royal commission, saying the Victorian Parliament's inquiry into the handling of child abuse had demonstrated its value. The commission would provide the opportunity for a national focus on these issues, he said.
  The news came as the Catholic Church agreed to provide the Victorian inquiry with access to files as soon as practicably possible.
  ''The committee is acutely conscious of the deeply personal and private nature of this material and will handle it sensitively,'' a spokeswoman for the inquiry committee said.
  State Labor MPs were generally supportive of a more thorough investigation, although some warned that a full-blown singling out of the Catholic Church might be hard to pass the Catholic right in any caucus.
  An online petition calling for a royal commission, hosted at change.org, had gathered almost 10,000 signatures.
  Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox of the NSW police, who has been involved in investigating abuse and has alleged cover-ups, said he was stunned that the commission had been called so quickly and was delighted for the victims.
  With JESSICA WRIGHT
Cold War-era U.S. plan to bomb the moon with a nuclear bomb revealed
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:13
  Scientists were hoping for giant flash on the moon that would intimidate the Soviet UnionAim of mission was to launch the nuke by 1959Plan was later scrapped due to possible danger to people on EarthBy Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press
  PUBLISHED: 14:06 EST, 25 November 2012 | UPDATED: 17:37 EST, 25 November 2012
  It may sound like a plot straight out of a science fiction novel, but a U.S. mission to blow up the moon with a nuke was very real in the 1950s.
  At the height of the space race, the U.S. considered detonating an atom bomb on the moon as a display of America's Cold War muscle.
  The secret project, innocuously titled 'A Study of Lunar Research Flights' and nicknamed 'Project A119,' was never carried out.
  Plot: The U.S. was planning to launch an atomic bomb, like Fat Man, pictured above, that would be launched into space in a scrapped plan to blow up the moon
  Brains of the operation: Astronomer Carl Sagan, left, was involved in the planning of the mission and physicist Leonard Reiffel, right, was the man in charge
  However, its planning included calculations by astronomer Carl Sagan, then a young graduate student, of the behavior of dust and gas generated by the blast.
  Viewing the nuclear flash from Earth might have intimidated the Soviet Union and boosted U.S. confidence after the launch of Sputnik, physicist Leonard Reiffel told the AP in a 2000 interview.
  Reiffel, now 85, directed the inquiry at the former Armour Research Foundation, now part of the Illinois Institute of Technology. He later served as a deputy director at NASA.
  Would you miss it? American scientists were looking to blow up the moon to get an edge of the Soviet Union in the space race
  Sagan, who later became renowned for popularizing science on television, died in 1996.
  The author of one of Sagan's biographies suggested that he may have committed a security breach in 1959 after revealing the classified project in an academic fellowship application. Reiffel concurred.
  Under the scenario, a missile carrying a small nuclear device was to be launched from an undisclosed location and travel 238,000 miles to the moon, where it would be detonated upon impact.
  The planners decided it would have to be an atom bomb because a hydrogen bomb would have been too heavy for the missile.
  Reiffel said the nation's young space program probably could have carried out the mission by 1959, when the Air Force deployed inter-continental ballistic missiles.
  Military officials apparently abandoned the idea because of the danger to people on Earth in case the mission failed.
  The scientists also registered concerns about contaminating the moon with radioactive material, Reiffel said.
  When contacted by the AP, the U.S. Air Force declined to comment on the project.
Marc Faber: spending is out of control
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:07
  Amerika krijgt niet te maken met een 'Fiscal Cliff', maar met een 'Fiscal Amazone'. Dat zegt Marc Faber in een interview met RTL Z.
  Faber sprak op de Dag van de Belegger, en deed daarbij een serie interessante uitspraken. (klik links op de video voor het gesprek van Marc de Jong met Marc Faber.)
  Lenen"Er is niet zoiets als een 'Fiscal Cliff', er is sprake van een nooit stoppende rivier. Ze gaan de uitgaven niet beperken in de Verenigde Staten en de belastingen worden ook niet verhoogd. Het is ook moeilijk om te beknibbelen op de uitgaven, want het meeste is in de Westerse wereld vastgelegd bij wet."
  "Met de lage rente is het heel makkelijk voor de overheden om veel te lenen. Amerika geeft teveel geld uit aan het leger en aan medicare en medicaid. Daarbij krijgt 49% van de Amerikaanse huishoudens ondersteuning van de overheid. Dat is overigens gewoon een indirecte manier om stemmen te trekken."
  "Sinds 1980 is de verhouding tussen krediet en de economie in Amerika keihard opgelopen, naar nu 375% van het BNP."
  China"Amerika consumeert teveel", gaat Faber verder. "De handelsbalans is negatief. De dollars van Bernanke gaan rechtsteeks naar booming China. Amerika creert booming China, die daar commodities voor koopt." Overigens verwacht Faber een maximale groei van 4% voor China. "De huizenbubble moet daar eerst barsten."
  Inflatie"Deflatie is geen ramp, inflatie is een ramp", aldus een bezorgde Dr. Doom. "Als je de inflatie goed berekent, dus inclusief voedsel, energiekosten en gezondheidszorg, dan is de inflatie in Amerika tussen de 5 en 10%, afhankelijk van de samenstelling van de huishoudens." "Voordat we deflatie krijgen, dat kan nog wel 10 jaar duren."
  GriekenlandGriekenland gaat niet voor problemen zorgen volgend jaar. "Griekenland is een irrelevant land. Het echte probleem zijn de stupide politici in Brussel die de Duitsers en Nederlanders hebben gehersenspoeld om meer geld te geven."
  "Het grootste probleem van de Westerse wereld is de enorme vergroting van de overheid. Grote overheden zorgen juist voor meer fluctuaties en minder stabiliteit."
  CorrectieFaber verwacht verder dat de Amerikaanse beurs een flinke correctie moet verwerken. De S&P500 gaat in 2013 met 20% omlaag. "Maar wat is een bijstelling van 20%? Dit jaar is de koers gigantisch gestegen, dan is het niet raar als er sprake is van een correctie volgend jaar."
  Verspreid je beleggingen met een voorkeur voor Azi"Niemand weet waar we over 5 jaar precies staan, dus spreid je beleggingen", aldus Faber. "Commodities zijn te volatiel en goud wordt misschien niet duurder, maar valuta worden goekoper." "Er is niets goed in Europa, maar de waarderingen zijn goed. Aandelen zijn goedkoop in Europa."
  Faber adviseert de volgende verdeling van de portefeuille:20% aandelen (zullen beter presteren dan grondstoffen)
  20% bedrijfsobligaties in opkomende landen
  20% vastgoed (Azie is aantrekkelijk en het zuiden van Amerika is niet duur)
  20% goud (Aziaten zullen meer goud kopen)
  20% cash
InformationWeek Mobile Edition - NEWS & ANALYSIS
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:49
  Posted on Thursday Oct 18th at 1:27pm
  Crowdstrike is one of the most talked-about new companies emerging in the information security space. It's in stealth mode in the most public of ways, if that makes any sense. But it is about to launch, and it should be interesting because Crowdstrike offers something very different: a service that helps organizations identify and thwart (and maybe even pursue) adversaries.CEO George Kurtz, who co-founded Foundstone, and was then CTO of McAfee, said that Crowdstrike is a big data company that identifies and prevents damage from targeted attacks (a.k.a., APTs, or advanced persistent threats). Most often, he says, organizations don't have a malware problem, they have an adversary problem.
  Crowdstrike will offer intelligence as a service, high-end services, including the use of deception and disruption toward the adversary (an offensive strike), and predictive analytics that link who's doing damage, what tools they're using and what their intended purpose is.
  Kurtz joined InformationWeek's Valley View recently and gave an Elevator Pitch on Crowdstrike. You can watch it in the video embedded below.
  Make sure to tune into our October Valley View, on October 24 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, where we'll have more startups--including Taptera (enterprise mobile applications), Alteryx (big data), and Hearsay Social (social enterprise). We'll also feature conversations with Cisco CEO John Chambers, and Oracle president Mark Hurd. You can also register for the October Valley View show and have a chance to win some excellent gear.
  Informationweek.com run-of-site player, used to publish article embedded videos via DCT. The same ads will be served on this player regardless of embed location.
Security firm CrowdStrike hires U.S. Air Force info-warfare expert
  Link to Article
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:49
  Security firm CrowdStrike hires U.S. Air Force info-warfare expert
  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A high-profile cybersecurity company that has pledged to respond to hackers with unusual aggression has hired the former commanding officer of a top U.S. information-warfare unit to spearhead the most direct counter-attacks.CrowdStrike said the retired Air Force colonel, Mike Convertino, would coordinate the company's offensive operations on behalf of corporate clients, aiming in some cases to disrupt the infrastructure of their attackers.
  Convertino commanded the Air Force's 318th Information Operations Group, which describes itself as the military's "premier information warfare group." More recently, he worked in a senior security role at Microsoft Corp.
  Founded just a year ago, CrowdStrike has garnered attention through several early hires as well as its complaints about the prevailing approaches to cybersecurity. It has more than 60 employees and is based in Irvine, Calif.
  The company's founders include prominent veterans of No. 2 security software company McAfee, now part of Intel Corp , but other executives include former FBI cybercrime chief Shawn Henry and Steven Chabinsky, an FBI legal specialist who joined last month as CrowdStrike's top lawyer.
  Most recently, Chabinsky has theorized that hacked companies could have legal protection if they find stolen data on criminals' computers and then delete or encrypt it.
  "If I tackle you on the street, that's assault and battery. But if a few minutes prior you had taken my wallet, it's completely legal, I'm defending my property rights," said CrowdStrike co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Dmitri Alperovitch.
  Alperovitch and Convertino cautioned that the company is not currently going that far on behalf of clients.
  Instead, they said they could act to disrupt criminal groups and state-sponsored hackers by misleading them or by publicly identifying the offending individuals and the companies that provide them with hosting and other services.
  "Government is overwhelmed with the number of attacks from various nation-states, criminals and others," Convertino said. "I do believe the legal system needs to allow a greater form of self-defense."
  CrowdStrike already offers assessment and intelligence services and is close to a test version of a core product, Alperovitch said.
  (This story corrects misspelled name Dmitri Alperovitch In 7th paragraph.)
  (Reporting by Joseph Menn)
A Minimum Tax for the Wealthy
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 27 Nov 2012 01:53
  SUPPOSE that an investor you admire and trust comes to you with an investment idea. ''This is a good one,'' he says enthusiastically. ''I'm in it, and I think you should be, too.''
  Would your reply possibly be this? ''Well, it all depends on what my tax rate will be on the gain you're saying we're going to make. If the taxes are too high, I would rather leave the money in my savings account, earning a quarter of 1 percent.'' Only in Grover Norquist's imagination does such a response exist.
  Between 1951 and 1954, when the capital gains rate was 25 percent and marginal rates on dividends reached 91 percent in extreme cases, I sold securities and did pretty well. In the years from 1956 to 1969, the top marginal rate fell modestly, but was still a lofty 70 percent '-- and the tax rate on capital gains inched up to 27.5 percent. I was managing funds for investors then. Never did anyone mention taxes as a reason to forgo an investment opportunity that I offered.
  Under those burdensome rates, moreover, both employment and the gross domestic product (a measure of the nation's economic output) increased at a rapid clip. The middle class and the rich alike gained ground.
  So let's forget about the rich and ultrarich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if '-- gasp '-- capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased. The ultrarich, including me, will forever pursue investment opportunities.
  And, wow, do we have plenty to invest. The Forbes 400, the wealthiest individuals in America, hit a new group record for wealth this year: $1.7 trillion. That's more than five times the $300 billion total in 1992. In recent years, my gang has been leaving the middle class in the dust.
  A huge tail wind from tax cuts has pushed us along. In 1992, the tax paid by the 400 highest incomes in the United States (a different universe from the Forbes list) averaged 26.4 percent of adjusted gross income. In 2009, the most recent year reported, the rate was 19.9 percent. It's nice to have friends in high places.
  The group's average income in 2009 was $202 million '-- which works out to a ''wage'' of $97,000 per hour, based on a 40-hour workweek. (I'm assuming they're paid during lunch hours.) Yet more than a quarter of these ultrawealthy paid less than 15 percent of their take in combined federal income and payroll taxes. Half of this crew paid less than 20 percent. And '-- brace yourself '-- a few actually paid nothing.
  This outrage points to the necessity for more than a simple revision in upper-end tax rates, though that's the place to start. I support President Obama's proposal to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for high-income taxpayers. However, I prefer a cutoff point somewhat above $250,000 '-- maybe $500,000 or so.
  Additionally, we need Congress, right now, to enact a minimum tax on high incomes. I would suggest 30 percent of taxable income between $1 million and $10 million, and 35 percent on amounts above that. A plain and simple rule like that will block the efforts of lobbyists, lawyers and contribution-hungry legislators to keep the ultrarich paying rates well below those incurred by people with income just a tiny fraction of ours. Only a minimum tax on very high incomes will prevent the stated tax rate from being eviscerated by these warriors for the wealthy.
  Above all, we should not postpone these changes in the name of ''reforming'' the tax code. True, changes are badly needed. We need to get rid of arrangements like ''carried interest'' that enable income from labor to be magically converted into capital gains. And it's sickening that a Cayman Islands mail drop can be central to tax maneuvering by wealthy individuals and corporations.
  But the reform of such complexities should not promote delay in our correcting simple and expensive inequities. We can't let those who want to protect the privileged get away with insisting that we do nothing until we can do everything.
  Our government's goal should be to bring in revenues of 18.5 percent of G.D.P. and spend about 21 percent of G.D.P. '-- levels that have been attained over extended periods in the past and can clearly be reached again. As the math makes clear, this won't stem our budget deficits; in fact, it will continue them. But assuming even conservative projections about inflation and economic growth, this ratio of revenue to spending will keep America's debt stable in relation to the country's economic output.
  In the last fiscal year, we were far away from this fiscal balance '-- bringing in 15.5 percent of G.D.P. in revenue and spending 22.4 percent. Correcting our course will require major concessions by both Republicans and Democrats.
  All of America is waiting for Congress to offer a realistic and concrete plan for getting back to this fiscally sound path. Nothing less is acceptable.
  In the meantime, maybe you'll run into someone with a terrific investment idea, who won't go forward with it because of the tax he would owe when it succeeds. Send him my way. Let me unburden him.
  Warren E. Buffett is the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway.
Tom Ricks Does Gen. Petraeus Apology Tour On CNN's Reliable Sources
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:10
  Former Washington Post columnist Thomas Ricks joined Howard Kurtz to discuss the apparent media frenzy over the Petraeus/Broadwell affair story. Ricks was very shrill over the way the media has turned on DC's most famous and decorated modern day general and he's not gonna take it any more.
  KURTZ: And how much did that courtship and those relationships and the e-mails exchange with journalists, and all of that, has that contributed to more sympathetic coverage given his problem with the affair with Paula Broadwell and the resignation at CIA, that he might have gotten otherwise?
  RICKS: No, I don't think so. Actually, I think the media has been in full shark bite frenzy without regard, really. If anything, I find the real scandal here -- or one of the scandals here is how much the media has turned on Petraeus.
  Here's a guy who has four combat tours in recent years. That's more combat time than any American general had in World War II, who has a smashed pelvis from a parachuting accident, who has a bullet wound through the chest from a training accident. He and his family, and I include his wife Holly Petraeus in that, have given enormously in the last ten years.
  Yet when this scandal broke, we as a country were not as generous with him as his family had been with the country
  I find this observation condescending and insulting. Why is it the media's fault for covering a story that includes the head of the CIA resigning over a sex scandal with a woman who he was supposed to be mentoring---who in turn sent nasty emails to another women out of jealousy she suspected was flirting with Petraeus while he's married to someone else? And---he resigned over it! Why is this outrageous to Ricks? He's been covering the military and these two wars a long time. I do agree with him on certain points like the FBI breaching privacy, but please, drop the phony sanctimony.
  KURTZ: You seem to be suggesting that journalists are biting the hand that fed them, they were perfectly happy to have good relations with General Petraeus when he was on top. Suddenly, this scandal happens, fall from grace, huge tabloid style scandal, and you say the press has turned against him. Because I've seen a lot of -- particularly people like who know the guy, it seems to me the tune is more sympathetic, a tragic -- a tragedy for his family as opposed to the junk yard (INAUDIBLE).
  RICKS: It's a matter that should have remained private, first of all. It's not a criminal act. There's no allegation that he's committed a crime here, as far as I know. You know, it could always change, more information could come out.
  But here, he was in a relationship with a consenting adult who was not in his chain of command. He's hardly, I think, probably the first CIA director to have had an affair. This begins with another scandal which is the FBI investigating a lover's quarrel, which I think is an abuse of taxpayers' dollars.
  KURTZ: You think Petraeus should not have resigned.
  RICKS: No, I don't think he should have --
  KURTZ: Or once it became public, you felt he had no choice?
  RICKS: Well, it became public because he resigned. I think in -- President Obama could have handled by saying, you know, Dave, you screwed up big time here, you need to make amends to your wife and your punishment is you're going back to work. It could have been kept quite. And if it ever leaked out, the president could have said, look, this was a private matter involving a misjudgment by Petraeus, he's dealt with it and I'm confident the national security hasn't been harmed.
  KURTZ: And you would have that view if this was some former four-star you hadn't dealt with?
  Okay, the media knew the general was meeting with President Obama right after the election and the right wing nutters thought it had to do with Benghazi. They were waiting to see what it was about, so it was going to come out. Does Ricks not think another phony scandal would have been theorized by Charles Krauthammer and Co. over that? And there was the possibility of classified information being in Broadwell's possession who never seemed to shut up about what she knew about the general or Benghazi.
  RICKS: I'd have that view I think of any public official who has given great service to the country. You know, I just don't understand the frenzy of going after this guy. There is no allegation of crime. It's even worse with John Allen, this Marine general, who sends a bunch of e-mails to a woman, and he's suddenly engulfed in scandal.
  I mean, news flash here number one, David Petraeus is a human being. News flash number two here, Marine officer flirts with a woman. I mean, I think the standard of journalism is getting pretty low here for using the word scandal.
  If you want a scandal? Scandal is mediocre leadership in Iraq for several years and nobody asking a question in Congress about it. A scandal is John Allen, a fine general, being dragged into this mess, and people thinking it's part of a scandal. A scandal is FBI looking at lovers' quarrels. A scandal in Afghanistan is 11 commanders in 11 years.
  Again he makes some valid point, but the heart of his criticisms are unfounded. The media was justified to run with this when it become public. I didn't see any media types from the Washington Post defending Bill Clinton's past indiscretion as a personal matter, did you? He wrapped up with this:
  KURTZ: You're not proud of your profession at this point?
  RICKS: No, I'm embarrassed for the profession. I really am. I'm worried for the country that we don't talk about our wars until there is some sort of titillating scandal.
  There are many things to attack the media for, like falling asleep during the run up to the Iraq war, but certainly not the Petraeus case. There are many, many more media outlets than say eight years ago so what did you expect? And this from a journalist who actually called CondoIeezza Rice "Bush's daughter" in a PBS interview, so you know he can be objective.
  [And what do you think Condoleezza Rice's role was?]... The national security adviser -- I think you really need to bust heads together if you're going to be an independent power, and she never appeared as an independent power. She more was just somebody who was there helping run the trains, really I think in the role of Bush's daughter.
  And let's not forget that Ricks cited Paula Broadwell on his own blog.I'd say he's still under the General Petraeus spell.
Live RMS Packet Station Positions
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:19
  The Winlink 2000 system and Winlink software is built, maintained and supported by the all-volunteer Winlink Development Team (WDT).
  Victor D. Poor, W5SMM (SK)Rick Muething, KN6KBSteve Waterman, K4CJXTom Lafleur, KA6IQALee Inman, K0QEDHans A. Kessler, N8PGRDon Moore, KM0RLor Kutchins, W3QANeil Hughes, VE1YZDon Trotter, VE1DTRPhil Sutherland, VK6KPSPeter Woods, N6PRWSteve Hicks, N5ACPhil Sherrod, W4PHSKevin Hedgepeth, NB7O
  Airmail, the popular user program, is separately written and supported by Jim Corenman, KE6RK.
  Administrators of internet email systems needing to contact the WL2K System Administrator, please use this link.
KI7F
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:53
  Ham Radio Pages
  PACKET RADIO
  There are many different modes available to radio amateurs these days. Packet Radio is one of those modes and like the other modes it will appeal to a specific group of people, especially those with an interest in computers and networking.
  For emergency uses, a wireless network of laptop computers and TNC's with radios running on batteries can pass large volumes of traffic and also provide other tactical uses such as access to a database with information such as location of people and or emergency supplies.
  WHAT IS PACKET RADIO?
  Packet radio is communications for the computer age. A computer in a ham shack is as common as a 2 meter handheld transceiver was 20 years ago. Computer programs allowed computers to send and receive CW and RTTY. Some farsighted hams, however, developed a new amateur mode of communications that unleashes the power of the computer. The mode is packet radio.
  Packet radio has the computer-age features that you would expect.
  It is data communications; high speed and error-free packet radio communications lends itself to the transfer of large amounts of data.It is fast, much faster than the highest speed CW or RTTY.It is error free, no "hits" or "misses" caused by propagation variations or electrical interference.It is spectrum efficient; several stations can share one frequency at the same time.It is networking; packet stations can be linked together to send messages over long distances.It is message storage; packet radio bulletin boards (PBBS) provide storage of messages for later retrieval. HOW DOES PACKET WORK?
  Packet radio uses a terminal node controller (TNC) as the interface between the computer and the transceiver. A TNC is an enhanced modem. A modem is a device which converts the computers data into variable audio tones and on the other end converts the variable audio tones back to computer data. The TNC accepts information from your computer or ASCII terminal and breaks data into small pieces called packets. In addition to the information from your computer, each packet contains addressing, error-checking and control information. The addressing information includes the call sign of the station that sent the packet, and the call sign of the station the packet is being sent to. The address may also include call signs of stations that are being used to relay the packet. The error-checking information allows the receiving station to determine whether the received packet contains any errors. If the received packet contains errors, the receiving station asks for a repeat transmission until the packet is received error free.
  Breaking up the data into small parts allows several users to share the frequency. Packets from one user are transmitted in the spaces between packets from other users. The address section allows each user's TNC to seperate packets intended for him from the packets intended for other users. The addresses also allow packets to be relayed through several stations before they reach their ultimate destination. Having information in the packet that tells the receiving station if the packet has been received correctly and assures perfect copy.
  PACKET RADIO REPEATING
  Sometimes terrain or propagation prevents your signal from being received by the other station. Packet radio gets around this problem by using other packet radio stations to relay your signal to their intended station. All you need to know is which on-the-air packet radio stations can relay signals between your station and the station you want to contact. Once you know of a station that can relay your signals you can use it for this purpose.
  Digital and voice repeaters repeat, but that is where the similarity ends. Notice that digital repeaters differ from typical voice repeaters in a number of ways. A digital repeater (digipeater) usually receives and transmits on the same frequency (whereas a voice repeater receives and transmits on different frequencies). A digipeater does not receive and transmit at the same time (as compared to a voice repeater, which immediately transmits whatever it receives). Rather, a digipeater receives a packet, stores it temporarily until the frequency is clear, and then retransmits the packet. Also, a digipeater only repeats packets that are specifically sent to be repeated by that station (the address in the packet contains the call sign of the digipeater). A voice repeater repeats everything that it receives on its input frequency.
  If one digipeater is insufficient to establish a connection, you can specify as many as eight stations in your connect request.
  Each time you use a digipeater, you are competing with other stations attempting to use the same digipeater. Each station that you compete with has the potential of generating a packet that may collide with your packet (which causes your TNC to resend the packet). The more digipeaters you use, the more stations you compete with, greatly increasing the chance of a packet collision. As a result, it may be difficult to get one packet through multiple digipeaters, and your TNC will quickly reach its retry limit and disconnect the link.
  Any packet radio station can act as a digipeater. Most TNC's are setup to digipeat automatically without any intervention by the operator being used as a digipeater. You do not need permission, only his cooperation, because he can disable his stations digipeater function. Most packet operators leave the digipeat function on.
  Although you are not allowed to be a control operator of a voice repeater until you upgrade from the Novice class, you may leave your TNC's digipeater function enabled. The FCC recognizes the distinction between digipeaters and voice repeaters in this case.
  Another form of a digipeater is a NODE. To reach a distant station, first connect to the node. Then, instruct the node to connect you to the distant station. The node acknowledges packets sent from either station, then relays them to the other station. This has a number of advantages over a simple digipeater.
  VHF/UHF VS. HF PACKET OPERATIONS
  Today, most amateur radio packet activity occurs at VHF, on 2 meters, but activity on 222Mhz continues to grow as well as UHF 440 packet activities.
  The most common used data rate on VHF is 1200 baud with frequency modulated AFSK tones of 1200 and 2200 Hz. This is referred to as the "Bell 202" telephone modem standard.
  Getting on the air is usually a simple matter of turning on your radio and tuning in your favorite packet radio frequency. On 2 meters, common packet frequencies are 144.91, 144.93, 144.95, 144.97, 145.01, 145.03, 145.05, 145.07, and 145.09. On 222Mhz, packet activities center around 223.400. If there is a voice repeater on that frequency in your area, ask around at a club meeting or on the repeater. Someone is bound to know where the packet activity is.
  HF packet radio is very different from VHF/UHF packet. An SSB transceiver is used to generate a 200Hz shift FSK signal, and 300 bauds is used rather than 1200 bauds. However, there is some 1200 baud packet activity on the 10 meter band.
  Tuning is much more critical than it is on VHF. Tune your receiver very slowly, in as small an increment as possible until your terminal begins displaying packets. Do not change frequency until a whole packet is received. If you shift frequencies mid packet, that packet will not be received properly and will not be displayed on your terminal even if you were on the correct frequency before or after the frequency shift.
  Some TNCs and external modems have tuning indicators on them that make tuning alot easier. Kits are also available to allow you to add a tuning indicator to a TNC without one.
  PACKET BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS (PBBS)
  A Packet Bulletin Board System (PBBS) is a computer that allows packet stations to store messages for other amateurs, upload and download computer files, and even link one packet station through a "gateway" to another band.
  Some PBBS computers can automatically forward messages from one computer to another, so you can store a message at one PBBS that is ultimately meant for an amateur thousands of miles away. The message will be forwarded from one PBBS to another until it reaches its destination. A network is a system of packet stations that can interconnect to transmit data over long distances.
  To use a PBBS, you must locate one. Ask around in your area and you'll probably find that just about anybody on packet would be able to tell you what PBBS is local to you. In addition, there are several HF PBBS stations, although many of the HF stations are set up for long haul message traffic and not individual user connects. The ARRL operating manual contains more detailed information about using a PBBS.
  THE BEACON
  All TNC's have a beacon function. This function allows a station to send an unconnected packet at regular intervals. These unconnected packets usually contain a message to the effect that the originating station is on the air and willing and able to carry on a packet radio contact.
  The purpose of the beacon function is to generate activity when there is none. Without beacons, that new radio operator might believe that his packet radio station was the only one active in the area. Similarly, packet radio stations already on the air would not be aware of the new stations existence. It would be very discouraging to build a TNC (they were all kits in the early days), get on the air and find no one to contact. The beacon function is a solution to the problem. It lets people know that a new packet station was on the air.
  Today, (in some cases) beacons may be unnecessary. On HF, 2 meters and 222Mhz, there is activity in most areas. If you are getting on the air for the first time, monitor 145.070 or 144.930 for a few minutes and you will quickly have a list of other stations that are on the air.
  Sending beacons or leaving a message announcing your existence on the local PBBS, This is also as effective as sending beacons because your message will be read even when your station is off the air.
  WHAT YOU NEED TO GET ON PACKET RADIO
  All you need to set up a VHF/UHF packet radio station is a VHF/UHF transceiver (with an antenna), a computer or ASCII terminal and a TNC. The TNC connects between the computer and the radio. For operation on 10 meters you will need a 10-meter SSB transceiver in addition to the TNC and computer.
  Your TNC manual should contain detailed instructions for wiring the TNC, radio and computer together. So many hams are on packet now that someone in the area will probably be able to help you if you have problems, or ask around on the local voice repeater.
  PACKET IN YOUR AREA ??? NEED HELP ?????
  There are many people on packet who would be willing to assist you in your packet operations. Should you have any questions please contact a local ham who is involved with packet radio, The best way to do this is to either contact a local club or ask on your local repeater, in many cases they will be more than happy to assist you. Below are some Packet Radio related Links.
  Here are all the remaining links I could find at this time, Packet radio is on a downward spiral and is not used much in many areas
  TAPR
  Amateur Wireless Packet Internet Gateways
  Introduction to Packet Radio
Installing Ax.25 on Raspberry Pi
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:51
  Installing Ax.25 on Raspberry PiUpdated 24 Sept 2012
  Charles S. Schuman, K4GBBk4gbb1@gmail.comThe Raspberry Pi was developed as an educational tool to provide a platform for students to learn Linux programing. It's Size and price make this credit card sized computer a great choice for Packet Radio Remote Sites and other HAM Radio applications. However,it takes a bit of Hacking to make it work. The SoC, System on Chip, uses an ARM11 architecture. Unlike full-sized Distros that run on X86 systems the code for this system is not as robust. The Good News is that there are a great number of people ''playing'' with this device and having great success with it.
  Initially I started writing this page from notes that I have collected from the various resources. It was too much like re-inventing the wheel. So, I set the notes aside and collected links. The various resources do a super job for both the Advanced and the Beginner. The page contains notes and comments specific to the Ax.25 service and the Linux RMS Gate software. The basic Raspberry Pi stuff will be referenced and linked.
  This page is the mainly for setting up the RPi stuff and is CLI, Command Line Interface, orientated.
  Rasberry Quick Start - a good place to start.Raspberry Pi Index pageRaspberry Pi WikiAmateur Radio RPi Users ForumMy How to - details on ax.25 and RMS configuration.
  For the Hardware setup You will need :
  Power supply '' 700mA at 5VDC.Proper and Stable operation is dependent on adequate power.SD card - with an preloaded Raspbian ''wheezy'' operating system so that you can boot the RPi.Display - monitor with DVI or HDMI input and a HDMI/ or composite video cable.A TV with HDMI or Composite video inputs may also be used.Keyboard and Mouse '' USB interface.Ethernet patch cable.Internet access.TNC with USB interface or USB adapter.The first time you power up a New Raspbian ''wheezy'' SD card should have a Keyboard connected.This is so that you can interact with the Configuration Menu.
  The Configuration Menu will allow you to :
  Display info on the Config ToolExtend the root file systemDisplay OverscanConfig Keyboard layoutChange the passwordSet locale (Language)Set Time zoneSet the memory split between system and video ramEnable SSHUpdate the Raspi-config ScriptYou may re-run the config menu at any time by issuing the command sudo raspi-config.
  NOTE: It is important to shutdown the system with the halt or shutdown command BEFORE removing the power.Powering down the RPi with the OS running can cause problems if the system was in the process of writing to the SD card.
  Once you have the system configured and running you may want to :
  At this point you can remove the Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse and access the Rpi host via SSH.
  Log on to a terminal and switch to the root User.
  sudo su
  Note: If you are using the Raspbian Weezy image dated 7/15/2012 you will need to update the kernel to include the ax25 modules. You can download the .Deb package compiled by Bernard, F6BVP and install it with the commands:
  wget http://f6bvp.free.fr/logiciels/ax25/linux-image-3.1.9.080312.ax25+_3.1.9.080312.ax25+-10.00.Custom_armhf.debdpkg -i ax25/linux-image-3.1.9.080312.ax25+_3.1.9.080312.ax25+-10.00.Custom_armhf.deb
  If You have the Raspbian Wheezy image dated 8/16/2012 or later the Ax.25 modules are already included in the image. The next step is to install and configure the ax.25 service.
  The Ax.25 Support for the ARM SoC has not yet been packaged so we will have to compile it from source code. The Build Support is the GC Compiler and the Compiler Support libraries. This has to be installed in order to compile the Ax.25 Support.
  I have combined the scripts that install the Build Support, the Run Time Libraries and the Ax.25 apps and tools. The Install Script will install the everything needed. Download and execute the ax25 Install script.
  wget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/Instax25.newbash Instax25.new
  Once the ax.25 Service is installed you will need to configure it with your call. For those who have not been down this road... check out My How-to section.
  axportsCreate or Edit /etc/ax25/axports..It should look something like this.
  # /etc/ax25/axports# Port Callsign Baud PacLen MaxFram Description0 N4TPO-1 19200 256 5 Radio - 145.030 MHz# End /etc/ax25/axports
  ax25d.confCreate or Edit /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf..It should look something like this.
  # /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf[n4tpo-10 via 0 ]NOCALL * * * * * * Ldefault * * * * * * - rmsgw /usr/local/bin/rmsgw rmsgw -P 0 %U# End /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
  Test your TNCExecute the calibrate utility.
  You Will have to download the binary file.Don't try to use the one from a X86 system.
  wget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/calibrate_pi -P /usr/local/sbin/chmod 2755 /usr/local/sbin/calibratecalibrate <port-name>
  The console should display the message to "press Enter to stop" and the PTT LED on the TNC should lite.
  TNC-XIf the PTT lite does not lite and you do not see any received frames you may have a problem with the FTDI driver.FTDI has recently released a new version. Check to see if you have the updated RT libs. List the /usr/local/lib/ and look for libftd2xx.so.1.1.12.
  ls /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12
  If this file exist you can skip the update instructions and begin checking dmesg to see if your USB interface was recognized.
  You can download the AN_220_FTDI_Drivers_Installation_Guide_for_Linux from the FTDI website and follow the instructions in the PDF or follow the simplified instructions.
  Simplified instructionsChange directories to /usr/local/src/cd /usr/local/src/
  Download the driver tarballwget http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX/Linux/libftd2xx1.1.12.tar.gz
  Unpack the archivetar xfvz libftd2xx1.1.12.tar.gz
  Change to the arm926 directorycd build/arm926
  If you're Not root.sudo su
  Copy the libraries to /usr/local/lib.cp lib* /usr/local/lib
  Change permissions.chmod 0755 /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12
  Create a symbolic link to the 1.1.12 version of the shared object.ln -sf /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12 /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so
  Power cycle the TNC-X or Reboot.This should install the proper modules.
  The RMS Gate will also have to be compiled.Download and execute the Install RMS script.
  sudo suwget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/RMS-Install4-138bash RMS-Install4-138
  The Radio/TNC port has to be initialized. This is done with two basic commands
  /usr/local/sbin/kissattach /dev/ttyUSB0 0 44.168.1.1/usr/local/sbin/kissparms 0 -r 255 -s 10 -t 200
  Once these two commands have executed without an error and the RMS Gate configured you will have an operational RMS Gate. You will want to test the setup and troubleshot any problems. Jump to How to Install RMS Gate to fill in any gaps
  The USB Hubs on the Raspberry are Version 1.1.There have been problems with certain Powered hubs and USB devices. The ethernet port is actually a USB device.
  One of the problems experienced is a locked up ethernet port.Try running the port at half duplex by adding the following two line to /boot/config.txt
  # eth0 to halfduplexsmsc95xx.turbo_mode=N
  It slows the port somewhat, but not enough to effect the packet thru-put.
  Installing Ax.25 on Raspberry PiUpdated 24 Sept 2012
  Charles S. Schuman, K4GBBk4gbb1@gmail.comThe Raspberry Pi was developed as an educational tool to provide a platform for students to learn Linux programing. It's Size and price make this credit card sized computer a great choice for Packet Radio Remote Sites and other HAM Radio applications. However,it takes a bit of Hacking to make it work. The SoC, System on Chip, uses an ARM11 architecture. Unlike full-sized Distros that run on X86 systems the code for this system is not as robust. The Good News is that there are a great number of people ''playing'' with this device and having great success with it.
  Initially I started writing this page from notes that I have collected from the various resources. It was too much like re-inventing the wheel. So, I set the notes aside and collected links. The various resources do a super job for both the Advanced and the Beginner. The page contains notes and comments specific to the Ax.25 service and the Linux RMS Gate software. The basic Raspberry Pi stuff will be referenced and linked.
  This page is the mainly for setting up the RPi stuff and is CLI, Command Line Interface, orientated.
  Rasberry Quick Start - a good place to start.Raspberry Pi Index pageRaspberry Pi WikiAmateur Radio RPi Users ForumMy How to - details on ax.25 and RMS configuration.
  For the Hardware setup You will need :
  Power supply '' 700mA at 5VDC.Proper and Stable operation is dependent on adequate power.SD card - with an preloaded Raspbian ''wheezy'' operating system so that you can boot the RPi.Display - monitor with DVI or HDMI input and a HDMI/ or composite video cable.A TV with HDMI or Composite video inputs may also be used.Keyboard and Mouse '' USB interface.Ethernet patch cable.Internet access.TNC with USB interface or USB adapter.The first time you power up a New Raspbian ''wheezy'' SD card should have a Keyboard connected.This is so that you can interact with the Configuration Menu.
  The Configuration Menu will allow you to :
  Display info on the Config ToolExtend the root file systemDisplay OverscanConfig Keyboard layoutChange the passwordSet locale (Language)Set Time zoneSet the memory split between system and video ramEnable SSHUpdate the Raspi-config ScriptYou may re-run the config menu at any time by issuing the command sudo raspi-config.
  NOTE: It is important to shutdown the system with the halt or shutdown command BEFORE removing the power.Powering down the RPi with the OS running can cause problems if the system was in the process of writing to the SD card.
  Once you have the system configured and running you may want to :
  At this point you can remove the Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse and access the Rpi host via SSH.
  Log on to a terminal and switch to the root User.
  sudo su
  Note: If you are using the Raspbian Weezy image dated 7/15/2012 you will need to update the kernel to include the ax25 modules. You can download the .Deb package compiled by Bernard, F6BVP and install it with the commands:
  wget http://f6bvp.free.fr/logiciels/ax25/linux-image-3.1.9.080312.ax25+_3.1.9.080312.ax25+-10.00.Custom_armhf.debdpkg -i ax25/linux-image-3.1.9.080312.ax25+_3.1.9.080312.ax25+-10.00.Custom_armhf.deb
  If You have the Raspbian Wheezy image dated 8/16/2012 or later the Ax.25 modules are already included in the image. The next step is to install and configure the ax.25 service.
  The Ax.25 Support for the ARM SoC has not yet been packaged so we will have to compile it from source code. The Build Support is the GC Compiler and the Compiler Support libraries. This has to be installed in order to compile the Ax.25 Support.
  I have combined the scripts that install the Build Support, the Run Time Libraries and the Ax.25 apps and tools. The Install Script will install the everything needed. Download and execute the ax25 Install script.
  wget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/Instax25.newbash Instax25.new
  Once the ax.25 Service is installed you will need to configure it with your call. For those who have not been down this road... check out My How-to section.
  axportsCreate or Edit /etc/ax25/axports..It should look something like this.
  # /etc/ax25/axports# Port Callsign Baud PacLen MaxFram Description0 N4TPO-1 19200 256 5 Radio - 145.030 MHz# End /etc/ax25/axports
  ax25d.confCreate or Edit /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf..It should look something like this.
  # /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf[n4tpo-10 via 0 ]NOCALL * * * * * * Ldefault * * * * * * - rmsgw /usr/local/bin/rmsgw rmsgw -P 0 %U# End /etc/ax25/ax25d.conf
  Test your TNCExecute the calibrate utility.
  You Will have to download the binary file.Don't try to use the one from a X86 system.
  wget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/calibrate_pi -P /usr/local/sbin/chmod 2755 /usr/local/sbin/calibratecalibrate <port-name>
  The console should display the message to "press Enter to stop" and the PTT LED on the TNC should lite.
  TNC-XIf the PTT lite does not lite and you do not see any received frames you may have a problem with the FTDI driver.FTDI has recently released a new version. Check to see if you have the updated RT libs. List the /usr/local/lib/ and look for libftd2xx.so.1.1.12.
  ls /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12
  If this file exist you can skip the update instructions and begin checking dmesg to see if your USB interface was recognized.
  You can download the AN_220_FTDI_Drivers_Installation_Guide_for_Linux from the FTDI website and follow the instructions in the PDF or follow the simplified instructions.
  Simplified instructionsChange directories to /usr/local/src/cd /usr/local/src/
  Download the driver tarballwget http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX/Linux/libftd2xx1.1.12.tar.gz
  Unpack the archivetar xfvz libftd2xx1.1.12.tar.gz
  Change to the arm926 directorycd build/arm926
  If you're Not root.sudo su
  Copy the libraries to /usr/local/lib.cp lib* /usr/local/lib
  Change permissions.chmod 0755 /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12
  Create a symbolic link to the 1.1.12 version of the shared object.ln -sf /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so.1.1.12 /usr/local/lib/libftd2xx.so
  Power cycle the TNC-X or Reboot.This should install the proper modules.
  The RMS Gate will also have to be compiled.Download and execute the Install RMS script.
  sudo suwget http://k4gbb.no-ip.info/docs/scripts/RMS-Install4-138bash RMS-Install4-138
  The Radio/TNC port has to be initialized. This is done with two basic commands
  /usr/local/sbin/kissattach /dev/ttyUSB0 0 44.168.1.1/usr/local/sbin/kissparms 0 -r 255 -s 10 -t 200
  Once these two commands have executed without an error and the RMS Gate configured you will have an operational RMS Gate. You will want to test the setup and troubleshot any problems. Jump to How to Install RMS Gate to fill in any gaps
  The USB Hubs on the Raspberry are Version 1.1.There have been problems with certain Powered hubs and USB devices. The ethernet port is actually a USB device.
  One of the problems experienced is a locked up ethernet port.Try running the port at half duplex by adding the following two line to /boot/config.txt
  # eth0 to halfduplexsmsc95xx.turbo_mode=N
  It slows the port somewhat, but not enough to effect the packet thru-put.
Use Raspberry Pi as I-Gate, a $35 solution
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:43
  This is the English version of my last article on my blog. It used to share experience on using APRS4r at Raspberry Pi to foreign Ham.
  According my previous articles on my blog about I-Gate. The fixed station is used Asus wl-500gp and installs the APRS4r. The mobile one is used Asus mobile phone P535 with aprsisce. However, the hardware requested are discontinued for several years, hard to found even in the 2nd hand market. The visitor of my blog just know what I had do, but difficult to follow my step to setup their own I-Gate.
  While discuss with local hams to promote APRS activities in Hong Kong, my opinion is that setup I-Gates are essential factor. It is an infrastructure which similar to 3G network by telco, public WiFi network setup by government.
  Hong Kong is a very small city, and broadband Internet connection to home almost 100%. An APRS mesh network can be formed locally, if hams setup their I-Gate at home. Onces number of I-Gate increase, we built up a RF<=>Internet ham network, for the message, email as well as GPS data; whatever, you are on road (via handheld, or smartphone), home base(via RF device or PC/w Internet connection) or office (via PC/w internet connection).
  The cooperation of Radio and Internet is the future of Ham Radio, and it is the aim of my blog to encourage, sharing experience on it.
  For the tracker, there already many kits available on the market, and some Japanese handheld was built in. Obtain of APRS tracker no longer a critical point.
  Mesh Network concept
  courtesy of Cisco¼Œevery node is an I-Gate
  Why Raspberry Pi ?
  courtesy of Element14 web
  The advantage of using RPI as an I-Gate:
  The price is cheap, fulfill ham's need. I don't think Ham activity is a hobby of rich people. We should consider use less money to do more things, just like QRP activity, less power to the longest distance.The OS of RPI is Debian, which is the testing platform of APRS4r.It is under mass production, although the lead time from RS components, elment14 quite are quite longThe power consumption is 700mA, 5V; 3.5W only. Less than router, suitable for 24 X 7 operation. We may consider to use battery, or solar power if necessary.The size of RPI similar to a credit card. It save space, and more suitable for mobile I-Gate, when compare with a routerThe RPI is an education purpose kit. If ham is interested on HW programming, it is a platform to do so. However, there are NO Audio input; it request extra circuit if want to integrate KISS mode TNC to RPI.
  Preparation, remind note:
  I spent 4 evening to setup the RPI OS and APRS4r, Here is the brief:
  Most of the problem formed by the self-prepared accessoriesThe Power adaptor should supply current 750mA or above. If the micro USB cord is separate from the adaptor, ensure it should pass through high current (thick cable). I used an old Nokia micro USB cord, and the RPI reboot again & again. Later I changed to another USB cord which for my smartphone, and the RPI boot up successfully. The following photo is the Nokia cable; do not use it if you got one.
  The normal power consumption is approx 2.9W
  DO NOT get power from PC USB port, the max current of USB 2.0 port is 500mA onlyI am using SanDisk SDHC 4G class4 SD card. Please refer the RPI FAQ for the compatible listDo not use too old accessories; I used an IBM USB mouse, but no response. I changed to a newer Dell one & it works.Preparation of OS Debian image to SD card
  Please follow the guide line from RPI official page. The size of SD card should be 2G or above.
  Installation of OS Debian to RPI
  This is the first screen:
  It is text mode Linux interface. The mouse is not work. Please use ''Tab'' for selection.
  expand_rootfs, If the SD card will be used on the RPI permanently, select this option to expand use all space of the card.
  change_ locale¼Œselect appropriate locale for your area/region. DO NOT select all, it spend long long time for the locale installation.
  Change_time zone¼ŒRPI did not equipped Real Time Clock. You should select appropriate timezone for your area.
  Then the RPI will reboot after installation complete.
  Default login & password:
  login: pi
  password: raspberry
  Steps to install APRS 4 r:
  In fact it is according the debian installation guide from APRS4r official site. Please be reminding the use access right during installation.
  Unless you are fluent on Linux command, e.g. sudo bash; otherwise please follow the below steps carefully. All the Linux command should add ''sudo''
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install ruby1.8 ruby1.8-dev
  sudo apt-get install liblog4r-ruby1.8
  sudo apt-get install libserialport-ruby1.8
  The above command is used to update the OS and install the Ruby and it's library.
  We need add the APRS4r source url, to tell the OS download the package. As I had found the vi editor had bug when I use the RPI emulator, so I handle it in X windows this time.
  Please enter the X windows by command ''sudo startx'', then use the editor leafad to open
  /etc/apt/sources.list¼Œthen add he following address:
  deb http://www.aprs4r.org/debian stable/
  Save the file, and logout the X windows. Propose reboot the system. The command to reboot the system is:
  sudo reboot
  After reboot, please enter the following commands carefully. Select '' Yes'' for all questions.
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install aprs4r
  sudo apt-get install aprs4r-web
  sudo apt-get install aprs4web
  The installation of APRS4r is complete.
  Express setup method of APRS4r under Debian
  Unless you are fluent on German, otherwise the German GUI are the harder problem. I had developed an express method to overcome the German GUI. The steps:
  Please markdown the assigned RPI IP address first, it should be shown on the login screen. Then please login the X windows by ''sudo startx''. Please open a Internet browser.
  Please enter the URL. It is http://YOUR IP ADDRESS:8085 ã‚E.g.: Your IP is 192. 168.1.2 ¼ŒYour URL is http://192.168.1.2:8085 ã‚
  APRS4r will prompt the login dialog box. The default login name & password is ''aprs4r''.Then please click the first row.
  You will arrived the setup screen. Please select the ''setup'' on the left column. Then on the 3rd option,(Profil anlegen: ), select'' gateway.yaml'', then press right button ''Neu'' once.
  The 2nd option file name should change to ''gateway.yaml''. Ensure the ''gateway.yaml ''should appear on the right top side. The first step was complete.
  This is second step, please select the ''Startup'' on the left column , and click the button ''starten'' to auto start the default profile ''gateway.yaml'' and ''watchdag'' during boot up. The ''start beim Booten'' and ''watchdog'' of ''mautomatischer'' set to '' ja''.
  Ram assignment ''Speicherillmit'' select to 32MB. The 2nd step complete.
  German basic knowledge:
  § Nein => No
  § Ja => Yes
  Please logout the X windows, and reboot. You will found the message ''gateway.yaml not found''. Your previous job was success.
  Please use ''sudo startx'' to start X windows, then enter a Internet browser. Go to the following URL to download the file I prepared for you. Please save it to path: /etc/aprs4r/
  http://db.tt/v1SlfoF7
  It is the basic feature profile. For the other advanced feature such as digipeater, or PHG information, you can add by yourself when need.
  Open the saved gateway.yaml profile by Leapad. Please edit the following rows:
  YOURCALLSIGN¼Œchange to your callsignã‚SS ID is -10
  Payload includes the following information¼Œ
  payload: ''!2200.00N/11400.00EzAPRS4R IGATEYOUR MESSAGE''
  2200.00N/11400.00E => latitude / longitude¼›Please change to your location
  The separate symbol of latitude and longitude is used to select the icon table.
  '' / ''is Primary Table
  '' \ ''is Secondary Table
  z => the code of the Icon
  APRS4R IGATE is the HW/SW identity message, please do not change it.
  YOUR MESSAGE is the rest information you want told the other, for example, standby freq, Igate info, and so on.
  The following link is the ICON table chart.
  http://ptm2.cc.utu.fi/ftp/HAM/digi/APRS/APRS_Symbol_Chart.pdf
  After change above information and save, please reboot the system. Your will found the messages APRS4r is starting. It works now ! No need any login.
  Some basic knowledge of Linux:
  Although unplug the power will shut down the system obviously, I recommend to shutdown the system by command if under an controlled environment, say at home base. The command is: ''sudo shutdown ''h now''
  Testing
  The testing period was completed and result was satisfied. The Asus WL-500GP router was retired and now the VR2XKP-10 is work at RPI. Bingo !
  Problem, Other concerns
  Case/Enclosures
  RPI is PCBA, no holes for fix purpose. It is not an good idea. Yes, there are many enclosures available on Web, but the costs are expensive. The RS component, element14 provide enclosures at reasonable price, but the lead time is very long. I had order 3 enclosures and the scheduled delivery date is end of September.
  How to protect the RPI before the enclosures arrived ? I found some RPI fans make a Paper mold up in PDF format, simply printout, cut & fold a case for RPI it in a plastic sheet. Link:
  http://pdfcast.org/pdf/raspberry-pi-card-case-revision-1
  Heat Dissipation
  Again, RPI is PCBA which without any mechanism for heat dissipation. I had measured the temperature inside the DIY plastic enclosure, and result 45.6'ƒ . you may consider add heat sinks for the 2 chips and the regulator if operate 24X7.
  APRS4r log file missing in Web GUI
  The log file name is different with router one. It located in /var/log/aprs4r/aprs4rxxxx.log .
  Function extension:
  The HW specification of RPI is fulfilling most Ham projects need. You may consider:
  Use a GPIO to flash a LED as a watchdog. It also is the 1st lesson of programming the RPI.Use another GPIO as a remote control pin to on/off the transreceiver. It may need the BB router port forwarding to RPI IP addressThe RPI equipped I2C pin. It may interfaced to RTC DS1307, ADC. The ADC may be used as input voltage detector, and thermometer by LM35The UART port may be connect to GPS moduleKISS mode TNC. If the KISS mode TNC can be integrated on RPI, it is great.Be a mobile I-Gate. As mentioned before, the RPI is credit card size. If it can talked with a 3G USB dongle for Internet conneciton, it will became a mobile I-Gate. However, the current of the RPI USB port is approx 100mA only, I need check the 3G USB dongle current consumption before action.My original plan to use AVRnet as IGate, but the priority of this project reduces to low now.
  My prototype of AVRnet, Not completed
  It used AVR ATMega32 MCU, and SPI interface to Microchip ENC28J60 for ethernet connection. I had monitor my IGate traffic for several months, the traffic rate is very low, and should be handled by MCU project.
  Link: http://www.avrportal.com/?page=avrnet
  Other things need for I-Gate
  Using Raspberry Pi as a IGate, you also need:
  KISS Mode TNC. Some new tracker kits provide KISS mode TNC firmware. And if affordable, you may consider OT2M or 3M for long term 24X7 operations. I am using the cheapest method, DIY the TNC-X .USB to RS232 Cable¼ŒRPI support FTDI from USA and PL2303 from Taiwan. I had tested the following 2 cable which used PL2303 chipset and they worked with RPI.
  Transreceiver. Handheld or Vehicle type is suitable for I-GateConclusion
  I had order the other set of RPI, for advanced setting test. And I also want to try Xastir which foreign ham used.
  And so far I did not found any information from web about use APRS4r on Raspberry PI platform, hope this article helpful to you.
BBC News - Doha climate talks represent 'golden opportunity'
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:08
  26 November 2012Last updated at04:19 ETBy Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent, BBC NewsThe latest round of UN climate talks have opened in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
  More than 17,000 participants from all over the world are expected to gather in the Gulf state over the next two weeks.
  The President of the meeting said it was a "golden opportunity" to make progress on a new global climate deal.
  But many delegates remain concerned that divisions between developing and wealthy nations will hamper progress.
  The meeting elected the former Qatari energy minister H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, as President of the Conference of the Parties (COP18).
  Continue reading the main storyAmbition: A growing sense among developing nations that richer countries are not aiming high enough in cutting carbonMoney: Lack of clarity about where the money to help poorer nations to adapt will come fromDisengagement: Major emitters including the United States, Canada, Russia and Japan say they will not take on new carbon targets under an extension of the Kyoto ProtocolIn his opening remarks he said the "phenomenon" of climate change was a common challenge and the meeting in Doha was critical.
  "This is an historic conference," said Mr Al-Attiyah, "it is of vital importance considering the items on its agenda. It is a turning point in the negotiations on climate change."
  Some delegates were critical of the decision to hold the meeting in a country with some of the highest per capital emissions of carbon dioxide on earth. Jennifer Morgan, from the environmental think tank World Resources Institute called on the Qataris to announce actions to curb their own carbon footprint.
  "I think the best way they could show their intent would be to announce what action or pledge they are going to put forward as part of this entire negotiation," she told BBC News. "They don't currently have anything on the books."
  "There's much poorer countries who have said they are going to go climate neutral, so if they want to set the record straight that they are in this for the climate, then putting forward some sort of commitment early on, would I think help." she said.
  There are also concerns that the meeting could end in stalemate as old divisions between rich and poor resurface.
  Delegates will seek to negotiate a new commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, the first phase of which runs out at the end of the year. Many poorer nations want the wealthier countries to take on substantial new cuts in carbon for the next five years.
  Increasing ambitionA statement from a group of over 100 of the poorest and most at risk nations demanded action on this issue.
  "The Kyoto Protocol is more than a treaty, it is the foundation upon which our multilateral effort to address climate change rests," it said.
  Continue reading the main storyAdaptation
  Action that helps cope with the effects of climate change - for example construction of barriers to protect against rising sea levels, or conversion to crops capable of surviving high temperatures and drought.
  "The countries most responsible for the crisis must agree to a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol that will deliver genuine benefits to the climate that sustains us all. Currently, what is on the table falls far short of this climate imperative."
  There are also likely to be serious disputes about finance and about the issue of "hot air" - the carrying over of unused permits to emit carbon.
  Some of these issues may have to be resolved by cabinet ministers from more than 100 countries who will join the negotiating teams for the last four days of the meeting.
  But Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Christian Figueres expressed the hope that the negotiators themselves could make progress
  "May I dare say that much of this can be accomplished before the high level segment, to allow this COP to finish not on Saturday, not on Sunday but actually make history by finishing on Friday," she said.
Jacksons in Nederland
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:06
  ma 26 nov 2012, 15:07
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - VIDEO - Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon en Tito Jackson hebben zondag een tentoonstelling geopend van goede vriend en fotograaf Claude Vanheye.
  (C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
EconomicPolicyJournal.com: Coming Soon: Increased Prison Terms for Black Market Cigarette Dealers
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:05
  At some point taxes can get so overwhelming that the black market takes over. For a profit, mind you, for a profit.Economist magazine reports:
  THE busy interstate highway that zips through Richmond, Virginia, and up to the crowded cities of the north-east has long been a conduit for handguns bought wholesale in Virginia and sold to drug-dealers in New York. Now I-95 is siphoning northwards another form of contraband: black-market cigarettes.
  Because Virginia's tobacco tax is the second-lowest in America, gangsters buy cigarettes there in bulk and sell them at enormous profit in New York and other high-tax states. At a minimum, they pocket a big chunk of the difference between what Virginia adds in tax'--30 cents a packet'--and the higher rates imposed elsewhere. New York's tax, at $4.35 a packet, is the highest in the country.
  The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates that sales of illegal cigarettes cost government'--local, state and federal'--nearly $10 billion a year...
  The growth of the cigarette-resale racket, known to police as ''smurfing'', appears tied to a growing government appetite for cash. Since 2007 at least 27 states have raised their cigarette taxes, often to erase deficits or to cover sharp increases in health-care costs. This spurs the smugglers on. In New Jersey, where a packet of cigarettes carries a tax of $2.70, about 40% of all cigarettes are smuggled in from other states, according to the New Jersey Treasury Department. Maryland, Virginia's neighbour to the north, reported a fourfold increase in seizures of illegal cigarettes between 2010 and 2012, though one official described the haul as the tip of the iceberg.Moreover, the penalty for doing it'--a maximum of five years in jail, under federal law'--is considerably lighter than for selling drugs. If the smugglers were trafficking in heroin, they would face life in prison.
  Note well: Economist is an establishment mag, if there ever was one. Note the use of the words "gangster" and "racket" for those attempting to provide cigarettes at a reasonable price. What's going on here is Economist is likely launching an early seeding amongst second-hand promoters of government authoritarian ideas. The power operators want greater legal penalties for those selling non-taxed cigarettes. As the second hand dealers get "educated" about the "evils" of non-taxed cigarettes, they will soon be out with the opinion pieces calling for higher prison terms for dealers in non-taxed cigarettes.Bottom line: Black market non-taxed cigarette dealers are on the radar of big government.
BBC News - Thanksgiving retail sales 'up sharply'
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:05
  26 November 2012Last updated at08:49 ETUS shoppers went to town over the Thanksgiving weekend, with retail spending up sharply on last year, a survey suggests.
  A record 247 million people visited stores and websites between Thursday and Sunday and spent a total of $59.1bn (£36.9bn), 13% more than last year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said.
  The average shopper spent $423 over the weekend, up from $398 last year.
  Surveys suggest Americans also plan to spend big on so-called "Cyber Monday".
  "Millions of Americans found time this Thanksgiving to make the most of retailers' promotions and enjoy a special family holiday," said NRF chief executive Matthew Shay.
  "To keep their customers excited about holiday shopping, retailers will continue to offer attractive promotions through December, and provide strong consumer value with low prices, enhanced mobile and online offerings, and unique product assortment."
  Online salesRetailers, which make a large portion of their annual revenue during the November/December festive period, made special efforts to entice shoppers over the weekend, with a number of stores opened early to make the most of the sales rush.
  Online sales also jumped sharply.
  According to data company Comscore.com, online sales rose by a quarter on so-called "Black Friday" to break the $1bn mark for the first time, while online sales on Thanksgiving were up by a third.
  The company also expects shoppers to spend $1.5bn online on Monday, 20% more than last year.
  Despite the jump in sales over the weekend, there are concerns that the rise in spending over the festive period as a whole will be weaker this year.
  The NRF has forecast a 4.1% increase in retail sales during November and December, less than the 5.6% jump recorded last year.
GOLD FRAUD EXCLUSIVE: EU and Asian sources allege the tungsten-switch has gone sovereign | A diary of deception and distortion
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:01
  Fool's Gold?Deutsche Bank, China, and US embroiled in faking suspicions
  On and off for over five years now, I've been reporting on the existence or otherwise of (1) the gold the US Federal Treasury claims to have stored securely at various points across America and (2) a fix/manipulation scam on the price of gold per se. When I first raised these points (along with thousands of other sites) in late 2006, we were all of us consigned by the commentariat of the day to those Outer Limits reserved for The Loonies.
  Since that time, we have seen the mysteriously dramatic rise in the level of Chinese gold reserves, the admission by several central banks that they've been buying and selling the stuff below the radar, and the scandals involving manipulation of the Libor and Eubor rates which, on their own, make the claims of gold jiggery-pokery look considerably more credible.
  During 2009, I reported a couple of times about major gold investors known to me personally who were having trouble persuading Swiss storage facilities to cough up the shiny metal, once those gold-bugs decided they'd like to shift it to somewhere less remote than Cuckoo-clock land. Over the last few weeks, we have seen various sovereign States (led by Germany) saying they'd variously like to audit and/or shift their gold reserves nearer to home. The US Federal Reserve's delay in obliging its clients with sight and shipping of said stocks has gone from being mildly amusing via odd to alarming.
  But now a new fraud has entered the frame.
  For those who don't already know this, tungsten has very nearly the same density as refined gold. Gold sells today at around $1740 an ounce, and Tungsten at $10 a pound. With a bit of judicious disguise, putting tungsten inside a gold bar can even fool an X-ray machine under certain circumstances. A Slog source in Austria is now alleging that Deutsche Bank 'fulfilled' one gold repatriation in recent years with the help of Tungsten. He further claims that some of this has now turned up in Asia.
  However, here's the killer: since hearing this rumour (actually, it's rather more than that, but I have a source to protect here) I've made a couple of calls and read some well-argued websites on the subject of tungsten issues. One consistent feedback concerns the Chinese opinion on these bars.
  Their origin is thought by Beijing to be the United States of America.
  Forbes rubbished the tungsten-in-gold story last March, but from a commonsense viewpoint I was struck by the article's (a) apparent inability to see beyond drilling and infilling as the method, and (b) the author's unwillingness to see the problem as only likely to occur in smallish shipments. Late last September, however, Zero Hedge ran a Tyler Durden piece confirming that several smaller retail gold bars sold in Manhattan had been found to have tungsten innards. The ZH take on this event was that it might be part of yet another Fed Reserve attempt to impugn gold's validity, and thus keep investors locked into the stock market, bonds and property.
  But the thing I'm hearing about in this instance '' while it could have the same Fed/Central Bank motive '' is on an entirely different scale. Here we are talking about an Establishment eurobank alleged to have been caught short on a fulfilment order, and using the tungsten scam to fill the gap.
  This is an entirely different criminal intent: not the somewhat crude attempt to con a retail greenhorn, but rather an well-planned and sophisticated 'salting' of the gold bars by a major bank'....designed to fool even an expert engaged in approving the purchase for a large sovereign client. Here, using perhaps as little as 25% tungsten would be enough to make up the embarrassing shortfall.
  There is no reason at all for anyone to see this as far-fetched. The SME scams pulled by RBS, and Libor manipulations carried out across the piece of Establishment banking, have been solid evidence in recent times of desperation on the part of those suddenly faced with a brave new world where Berlin wants all its gold back'....but the gold isn't there any more.
  The ramifications of this go far beyond a pro-am retail fraud. First off, ultimate discovery of the scam is a certainty: so you'd have to be pretty damned desperate to try it on. And second, I do find it intriguing that these reports have popped out of the woodwork just when the ECB is thought to be planning some form of gold-backing for any eventual eurobond issues '' should the eurozone survive. Trust me, if Mario Draghi is capable of pulling the stunts he's been at vis-a-vis Greek bailout 'money', Bank of Greece money-printing, and bondholder subordination, then like most Goldman Sachs graduates, he's capable of anything.
  As I write, gold is trading at the upper end of $1746-1751 per oz.
  About these ads
Annie Lennox To Take Part In Google+ Hangout For World AIDS Day
  Link to Article
  Source: Look To The Stars News: Latest
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:59
  In the lead up to World AIDS Day 2012, three passionate advocates for an HIV-free generation will come together in UNAIDS' first Google+ Hangout to talk about how the world is moving towards zero new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.
  On 27 November at 2:30 pm GMT (London), 9:30 am ET (New York), Annie Lennox, UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador, Michel Sidib(C), UNAIDS Executive Director, and Florence Ngobeni, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Ambassador, will share their insight on the global effort to end new HIV infections among children in the next 1000 days.
  The Hangout will be broadcast live on UNAIDS' Google+ page.
  Viewers can submit questions to the three panellists via Twitter, using the hashtag #ZeroHIV and by posting on UNAIDS' Facebook and Google+ pages.
Dan verhuist naar Amsterdam
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:57
  ma 26 nov 2012, 15:23
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - VIDEO - Nederland wordt de komende maanden de vaste verblijfplaats van de Amerikaanse choreograaf -en binnenkort ook acteur- Dan Karaty.
  (C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
Larry Hagman - All Politicians Should Use LSD - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:49
Chart for Learning a Programming Language | Zappable
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:43
  The previous chart helped beginners pick a language, this one shows them what resources to use to learn it. It's better to spend time doing things than to passively read or watch content, so I selected interactive websites, books and courses. Start by going through an online tutorial, and then either read through some of a book or watch an online course. Personally I think a book is better than a video since they're more concise and easier to reference, but most videos below are short and to the point. The chart is based on these posts: Picking a Language, General Tips, Java and Python, Web: HTML Javascript and PHP, Learning Ruby and Rails
  * Not free. Update: added affiliate code to Amazon links.
  . Bookmark the
  .
Fiorina: 'It Is Not Fair' That Public Workers Are 'So Rich' | Video Cafe
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:35
  Carly Fiorina, who reportedly stood to receive more than $42 million after being ousted at HP in 2005, says that public workers should receive less benefits because "it is not fair" that unions are "so rich."
  During a Sunday panel segment on NBC, MSNBC host Al Sharpton asserted that Congress must agree to raise taxes on the wealthy before cutting spending.
  "This is about fairness," he explained. "Why do we need to need to deal with the tax on the rich first? Because we must ensure Americans we are dealing with fairness. We keep talking about shared sacrifice, there was not shared wealth and shared prosperity. So, you're asking people that didn't enjoy the good times to share in paying for the tab that they never enjoyed."
  "Let us accept Rev. Al's point and the president's point about fairness," Fiorina replied. "But equally, it is not fair that public employee union pensions and benefits are so rich now that cities and states are going bankrupt and college tuition is going up 25 and 30 percent or police and firefighters are being cut. There's a lot that isn't fair right now."
  During Fiorina tenure as the CEO of HP, at least 18,000 workers were laid off after the company's disastrous merger with Compaq.
Britain's Pacific War Against the United States in the Age of the Anglo-American 'Special Relationship' TARPLEY.net
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:33
  Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.April, 1995
  '''...we must put the growing consciousness that there will be only two great powers left '-- Great Britain and the United States. Which one is going to be greater, politically and commercially? In that constantly recurring thought may be found much of the Anglo-American friction that arises.''Sir William Wiseman before Versailles, 1918
  The most important constant in the history of the United States of America has been the implacable hostility of the British Empire and the London-centered British oligarchy. This hostility generated the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War, in addition to many lesser clashes. But after Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863, the reality of US military and naval superiority forced London to come to terms with the inevitable persistence of the United States on the world scene as a great power for another century and more. By 1895-1898, galloping British decadence, expressed as industrial decline combined with a looming inability to maintain global naval domination, suggested to the circles of the soon-to-be King Edward VII the advisability of harnessing the power and resources of the United States to the British imperial chariot. Thus was born the London-Washington Special Relationship, under which the United States was established as London's auxiliary, proxy, and dupe through such stages as the 1898 Anglo-American rapprochement before Manila Bay, Edward VII's sponsorship of Theodore Roosevelt's aspirations to ''Anglo-Saxon'' respectability and, most decisively, Woodrow Wilson's declaration of war on Germany in April, 1917. Under the Special Relationship, London has parlayed its financial and epistemological dominance over the United States into profound and often decisive influence over US directions in foreign policy and finance.
  The essence of British policy has long been embodied in the immoral doctrine of geopolitics or the quest for the balance of power. For centuries this meant that the New Venice on the Thames habitually concluded an alliance with the second-strongest power in Europe so as to checkmate the strongest continental power. Naturally this approach conjured up the danger that in case of ''success,'' the second-strongest continental power of today might become the strongest of tomorrow, and sometimes strong enough to threaten London. London therefore did everything possible to guarantee that their continental surrogates of today received the maximum possible punishment so that their interlude of alliance with London, even if victorious on paper, left them in absolute prostration and deprived of the ability to threaten the British. In this way, London's enemies and London's allies embarked over the centuries on converging roads to ruin. After antagonizing Spain, Holland, France, Russia and Germany as both friends and foes over several centuries, the British turned in the early years of our own century to the Special Relationship with the US. The onset of this Special Relationship coincided roughly with Britain's implicit loss of world maritime supremacy, starting in the Pacific.
  The Special Relationship has meant that during most of the twentieth century, the British have had no choice but to batten for dear life onto an alliance with the strongest world power, the United States, and have thus been deprived by force majeure of their preferred option of allying with various powers against the dominant and bitterly resented United States. But this instinctive impulse, although dissembled, has periodically erupted into full view, as in the case of the Nazi King Edward VIII, Lady Astor, and the 1930'²s Cliveden set, who favored an alliance with Hitler, not with Roosevelt. Today the British writer John Charmley expresses a retrospective desire for a deal with Hitler in 1940, rather than an alliance with the US. Another celebrated case was the 1956 Suez crisis, when atavistic Anglo-French colonial reflexes brought on a confrontation with the Eisenhower administration.
  The British response to their predicament has been to act out their hatred against the United States surreptitiously, in the form of treachery, by betraying their American ''ally'' through more or less covert collusion with a series of powers hostile to the United States. If the British had richly earned the universal obloquy of ''Perfidious Albion'' during the time of their world naval domination, then surely new and historically unknown dimensions of perfidy have been added during the time of British decadence when they have been forced to conduct their duplicitous strategy from the behind the shelter of the Special Relationship. British perfidy has assumed its greatest dimensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
  This essay will concentrate on four important episodes of London's anti-American operations conducted especially in the Asia- Pacific area under the aegis of the Special Relationship:
  The Anglo-American rivalry for world naval domination from 1916 to about 1938, which brought the United States to the brink of war with London in 1920-21 and again in 1927-28, with the virtual certainty that war with London would mean war with London's ally, Japan.World War II in the Pacific, during which the British attempted to maximize US losses in the struggle against Japan by depriving Gen. MacArthur of logistical support and forcing a retreat to the Brisbane line while Japan occupied northern and central Australia. By then sponsoring a strategy of bloody frontal assault against a series of well consolidated Japanese strong points, the British hoped to prolong the Pacific war until as late as 1955, decimating American forces in a manner comparable to France's horrendous losses in World War I.The Korean War, in which the initial North Korean invasion was openly invited by British and London-controlled Harrimanite networks. When Communist China intervened against Gen. MacArthur's forces, the British insisted on imposing the straightjacket of ''limited war'' or cabinet warfare on the US response, yielding immense military advantage to Mao while the British supplied Mao's forces through Hong Kong. At the same time, the British triple agent network of Philby-Maclean-Burgess-Blunt-Lord Victor Rothschild provided Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang with all vital US military dispatches. The British goal was to build up the Maoist regime as a counter to US Pacific hegemony.The Vietnam War, in which the Anglophile Harriman-Rusk-Bundy-McNamara group reversed the Kennedy-MacArthur policy of non-intervention after the London-directed assassination of Kennedy in November, 1963. Key encouragement for the US buildup in Vietnam was provided by Sir Robert Thompson of British intelligence, allegedly the world's leading expert on guerrilla warfare. Thompson was a friend of Kissinger who later advised Nixon, and claims to be the first Britisher allowed to participate in a meeting of the US National Security Council. Functioning as an advisor to President Diem in Saigon, Thompson was also the leading author of the ''counterinsurgency'' strategy which guaranteed that the US effort would end in bloody failure while US society was convulsed and Weimarized by conflict over the war.British-US Naval Rivalry in World War I and the Interwar YearsCol. Edward M. House
  '''...the relations of the two countries [Great Britain and the United States] are beginning to assume the same character as that [sic] of England and Germany before the war.'' '--Colonel House at Versailles [Seymour, iv.p. 495]
  After the US had entered World War I on the British side in April, 1917, Washington and London were, formally speaking, close military allies. But this did not prevent acute tensions from developing over the issue of the size of the American battleship fleet and the threat it posed to British naval supremacy, which London had jealously defended against all comers since Lord Nelson's victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805.
  The American threat to British supremacy in capital ships (battleships and battle cruisers, which at the time were the decisive weapons in any fleet action) had emerged in 1916, before the US entry into the war. The US naval construction bill that became law in 1916 called for building 156 new warships, including 16 capital ships (10 battleships and 6 battle cruisers). If these ships had been built, the United States would have achieved theoretical naval parity with Great Britain and would have enjoyed a defensive superiority over the British in any future confrontation because of the better qualities of the US ships and because of the American geographical position. In 1918, Secretary of the Navy Daniels proposed doubling the 1916 program, which would have been the coup de grce for Britannia's rule of the waves.
  The British were horrified by the prospect of seeing their battle fleet outclassed by the United States. Even US-UK parity was abhorrent to Sir Winston Churchill, who told the House of Commons in November 1918: ''Nothing in the world, nothing that you may think of, or dream of, or anyone may tell you; no arguments, however specious; no appeals however seductive, must lead you to abandon that naval supremacy on which the life of our country depends.'' [Buckley, p. 25]
  The British argued that the United States ought to build destroyers and other convoy escort craft, along with freighters. These would be useful in the war against Germany, but of far less utility in a possible later showdown with London. Sir Eric Geddes, the First Lord of the Admiralty came to the US in October 1918 to agitate the threat of a German submarine offensive in the hopes of pushing the Wilson administration in the desired direction. In the event, only one battleship of those called for in the 1916 program was ever built, and Britain kept maritime domination until 1942-43.
  The issue of naval supremacy generated a bitter US-UK conflict at Versailles. The German High Seas fleet, previously the second most powerful navy in the world, was interned by the British at Scapa Flow. Elements of the London oligarchy wanted to incorporate the most powerful German units into the Royal Navy, thus re-enforcing British predominance on the world's oceans, but this plan was opposed by parts of the US government. The issue was settled when the German ships were scuttled by their own crews.
  But with Germany eliminated as a naval contender, Washington was gripped by the uneasy awareness that there were now only two battle fleets left in the North Atlantic '' the British and the American. American anxiety was heightened by the British alliance with Japan, the number three world naval power, which threatened the US in the Pacific. Given the British track record, the stage was set for a possible US-UK naval rivalry which might lead to war. A memo prepared for Wilson by the US Navy in April 1919 recalled the ominous fact that ''every commercial rival of the British Empire has eventually found itself at war with Great Britain '' and has been defeated'...We are setting out to be the greatest commercial rival of Great Britain on the sea.'' Even the Anglophile Wilson wrote some time later that ''it is evident to me that we are on the eve of a commercial war of the severest sort, and I am afraid that Great Britain will prove capable of as great commercial savagery as Germany has displayed for so many years in her competitive methods.'' Under these circumstances, the cry for a ''navy second to none'' was increasingly persuasive.
  The British government made plain their intention to cling to naval supremacy, if necessary engaging in an all-out naval race with Washington. In the spring of 1919 British Prime Minister David Lloyd George told Wilson's advisor Col. House ''Great Britain would spend her last guinea to keep a navy superior to that of the United States or any other power.'' [Buckley, p. 21]
  The clashes at Versailles quickly became so heated that the threat of war was raised by the American side. The patriot Admiral William S. Benson, the US Chief of Naval Operations, warned the British at Paris that if they persisted in demanding naval supremacy, ''I can assure you that it will mean but one thing and that is war between Great Britain and the United States.'' [Buckley, p. 2]
  This explosive conflict was defused by the Anglophile Col. House through an exchange of memoranda with the British delegate Lord Robert Cecil. In these memos of 10 April 1919, the British agreed to support Wilson's chimera of a League of Nations, and not to object to an affirmation of the Monroe Doctrine being placed in the League Covenant. Wilson promised the British to postpone vessels called for in the 1916 plan but not yet laid down, which froze the vast majority.
  The House-Cecil secret diplomacy solved nothing, in part because of the complications introduced by Britain's ally, the Japanese Empire. Although this salient fact has been much obscured by the events of the Second World War, it must be recalled that for the first two decades of this century, the Japanese and British Empires were the closest of allies. This relationship had been inaugurated by British King Edward VII in the framework of his overall post-Boer War revamping of the British strategic posture, and had been proven useful to London during the Russo-Japanese war. It must be stressed that the growth of an aggressive and expansionist imperialist faction in Japan would have been unthinkable without British support.
  Under the aegis of the British alliance, Japanese power had grown rapidly as rival powers were eliminated seriatim. First the Russian Empire was defeated in 1905, and the Russian fleet virtually annihilated by Admiral Togo. Then, during World War I, the Japanese, still closely allied with London, joined the Allies and attacked German bases and colonies in the Far East, eliminating the German presence in the Pacific. Since France was being bled white by trench warfare, that country also had no resources left for a naval presence east of Suez. This left Japan as the masters of the western Pacific, well placed for encroachments on China under their ''21 demands.''
  There were rumors at Versailles that the British were planning to transfer to Japan some of their Queen Elizabeth fast battleships; these were the best superdreadnoughts in the world, combining the armament and armor of a battleship with the speed of a battle cruiser, and had been the one bright spot in the dismal British performance at the 1916 Battle of Jutland.
  Even worse, from the US point of view, was the fact that Japan had during the war seized from Germany the Pacific island groups of the Marianas, the Carolines, and the Marshals. Few of the American soldiers and marines who fought on these island chains during World War II were aware that they had been acquired for Japan at Versailles under British sponsorship. Since these island groupings were astride the US line of naval communications to Guam and the Philippines, the Japanese mandate over these islands was a time bomb ticking towards a new conflict. Thus in the Pacific no less than in Europe did Versailles make a new world conflict virtually inevitable.
  The ancient British maxim of allying with the number three power against the number two power dictated an Anglo-Japanese common front against the United States, and spokesmen for the British oligarchy argued the case for this policy in the secret councils of Whitehall. F. Ashton-Gwatkin of the Far Eastern Department of the British Foreign Office offered the following considerations for the conduct of British policy in case of war between the United States and Britain's oldest major ally, Japan: Great Britain might find it ''impossible'' to remain neutral in the event of a US-Japanese conflict. The US ''can manage without us, but Japan cannot.'' Geographical and economic factors would push London towards a ''pro-Japanese intervention, in spite of the fact that our natural sympathies would be on the American side.'' ''In our own material interest we should have to take action, and perhaps armed action, to prevent the United States of America from reducing Japan to complete bankruptcy.'' A Japanese-US war for Ashton Gwatkin would represent a ''calamity to the British Empire, since victory for either side would upset the balance of power in Asia. [Memorandum by Ashton-Gwatkin, "British Neutrality in the Event of a Japanese-American War," October 10, 1921, Foreign Office F.3012/2905/23 at Public Record Office, London, cited in Buckley, p. 28].
  In plain language, London would line up with Tokyo for war against Washington. By the winter of 1920-21, a war scare was developing on the Potomac. The combined British and Japanese fleets would far outclass the US, forcing the American navy on the defensive in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. A war beginning with a direct clash with the British fleet was becoming thinkable, and in that case the Japanese were considered as certain to join in. A clash with Japan in the Pacific was even more plausible, and the British response might come along the lines theorized by Ashton-Gwatkin.
  The British for their part were alarmed that Woodrow Wilson, their willing stooge of 1917, was about to be superseded by the Republican Sen. Warren G. Harding of Ohio, who had won the 1920 election over the Democrat Cox, who promised more Wilsonianism, Harding was a small-town newspaper editor with political roots similar to those of William McKinley, who had been the last nationalist US president. Harding had been a strong protectionist and had opposed the League of Nations. Harding had usually voted with the pro-navy block of senators, and had insisted that the US should be ''the most eminent of maritime nations'' with a navy ''equal to the aspirations'' of the country. If Harding had acted on these ideas as President, the US would have been destined to seize naval supremacy.
  Harding became the target of a campaign of denigration and scandal-mongering with the standard London trademark. London's assets harped on the theme that Harding had been chosen in a ''smoke-filled room'' at the GOP convention. The London destabilization of the Harding administration centered on the Teapot Dome affair. Naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and Elk Hills, California, had been transferred to the Department of the Interior and sold to private investors, including Sinclair Oil, by Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall. Fall was accused of having accepted a $100,000 bribe. A key figure in the emergence of the scandal was Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and the son of the Anglophile President.
  In August, 1923, as he was contemplating a run for a second term, Harding toured the western United States and Alaska by rail. After passing through Vancouver, British Columbia, he headed south and became ill. His complaint was first diagnosed as ptomaine poisoning caused by eating rotten crabs. Published accounts contend that Harding had in reality suffered a heart attack. Harding was taken to San Francisco, where he was stricken by pneumonia. He seemed to be recovering when he was killed by a cerebral thrombosis, although no autopsy was ever carried out. Wild rumors alleged that he had been poisoned by his own wife. At present, Harding belongs with William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor on the list of American presidents who died in office under highly suspicious circumstances, with the British always the prime suspects in case of foul play.
  Harding was succeeded upon his death by Vice President Calvin Coolidge, from the New England oligarchical family.
  Harding was influenced as President by Republican figures like the Wall Street lawyer and former Secretary of State Elihu Root and the Boston Brahmin Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Harding's cabinet included Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, a former New York governor and Supreme Court Justice who had been the 1916 GOP presidential candidate. Another influential was GOP Senator Oscar Underwood. It was through the influence of these men that Harding was persuaded to invite Britain, Japan, and other powers to an international conference on the limitation of naval armaments and related questions that convened in Washington on November 12, 1921, just three years after the Armistice that terminated hostilities in World War I.
  Washington Naval Conference, 1921
  In a dramatic speech at the opening of the Washington Naval Conference, Secretary Hughes made a sweeping proposal for the reduction of naval armaments, offering to scrap 15 older pre- dreadnought battleships and to abort the construction of 15 new battleships (those of the 1916 plan) provided the British scrapped 19 older battleships and stopped building 4 more. The Japanese were invited to scrap 10 older ships. Hughes also proposed a 10-year naval holiday during which no new ships would be built. At the end of the Washington conference tonnage ratios for the capital ships of the leading naval powers were set at 5 for the US, 5 for Britain, 3 for Japan, and 1.7 for France and Italy.
  The Washington conference was also much concerned with Pacific and Far Eastern questions. This conference produced the so-called Nine-Power regarding China, which pledged its signatories ''to respect the sovereignty, the independence, and the territorial and administrative integrity of China.'' [Buckley, 152] This was meaningless rhetoric, since China was at this time divided into contending warlord regimes. Japan occupied Manchuria in 1931 in an action that can be seen as the beginning of World War II.
  The United States emerged from the Washington Conference as the big loser. The British were economically exhausted and unable to match US fleet construction. Japan lacked the industrial base necessary to keep pace. If the construction of the 15 new battleships had been carried through, the US would have assumed naval supremacy by the second half of the 1920'²s. This would have been the case even if the British had kept a nominal lead in battleships, because many British units would have been obsolete and inferior. In particular, if US naval building had proceeded at this pace through the 1920'²s and into the 1930'²s, there is reason to believe that Japan might have been deterred from undertaking the Pearl Harbor attack.
  Under the terms of the treaty eventually ratified by the US Senate, the US scrapped 15 pre-dreadnoughts and abandoned plans for 15 modern superdreadnought battleships with 16-inch guns. These were the most modern keels given up by any nation. UK and Japan merely agreed to scrap some old ships and then not to build up beyond the limits prescribed.
  As the US Navy General Board forwarded this prophetic protest to Secretary Hughes: ''These fifteen capital ships (building) brought Japan to the Conference. Scrap them and she will return home free to pursue untrammeled her aggressive program'....If these fifteen ships be stricken from the Navy list, our task may not be hopeless; but the temptation to Japan to take a chance becomes very great. [Wheeler, p.56] The US was left with a hollow navy '-- inadequate to defend such points as the Philippines and Hawaii.
  The outbreak of World War II in the Pacific was delayed but also made more likely. After December 7, 1941, there was a short burst of revived interest in the Washington Conference, which was identified in retrospect as one of the contributing factors of US Pacific vulnerability and relative naval weakness. One observer, the writer H.M. Robinson, judged that the conference ''was in reality one of the costliest bits of diplomatic blundering that ever befell the United States'....In a comic script, the United States was cast as the premiere stripteaseuse, a peace-loving but weak-minded creature who could always draw enthusiastic applause by wantonly denuding herself in the presence of her enemies.'' [see Fantastic Interim (New York, 1943)]
  Naval officers and military professionals were embittered by what they rightly saw as a sell-out. ''To Navy critics of the Washington Conference and its successor, the London Naval Arms Limitation Conference of 1930, the decades of what became known as the ''Washington system'' and the ''treaty navy'' were years of strategic drift and dangerous vulnerability in which a gutted force could not back declared national policy.'' [Baer, 94]
  After the Washington Conference Hughes claimed that its result ''ends, absolutely ends, the race in competition of naval armaments.'' This turned out to be as fatuous as the claim that World War I had been the war to end all wars.
  War Plan RedFortunately the entire US government was not as deluded as Hughes. During these same years planners in the War and Navy Departments and in the Joint Board of the two services were elaborating contingency plans for defending the United States against Britain and Japan, the two main partners in the Washington naval treaties. One of the results of this planning was War Plan Red, the United States war plan for use against the British Empire.
  War Plan Red, primary and secondary lines of attack against British
  Before World War I, US planners had developed a color code for planning purposes. The US was designated as Blue, Germany as Black, Japan as Orange, Mexico as Green, and Britain as Red. The British imperial dominions of Canada and Australia/New Zealand were given the color codes of Crimson and Scarlet.
  War Plan Red assumed a US conflict against the Red Empire in which Red was seeking to eliminate Blue as a world trade competitor and to deprive Blue of the freedom of the seas. Red's war aims would include the attempt to seize and retain the Panama Canal. According to one version of the Red Plan, ''The most probable cause of war between RED and BLUE is the constantly increasing BLUE economic penetration and commercial expansion into regions formerly dominated by RED trade, to such extent as eventually to menace RED standards of living and to threaten economic ruin'....The foreign policy of BLUE'...is primarily concerned with the advancement of the foreign trade of BLUE and demands equality of treatment in all political dependencies and backward countries, and unrestricted access to sources of raw materials. In this particular it comes into conflict with the foreign policies of RED.''
  The plan offers this view of how hostilities might begin: ''It is not believed likely that Blue, when relations become strained, will be likely to take the initiative in declaring war. At the same time, Red, in order to preserve an appearance before the world as a non-aggressor, will likely refrain from declaring war on Blue and will make every effort to provoke Blue into acts of hostility. For these reasons it is considered probable that neither will issue a formal declaration of war, but, after hostilities break out, each, in accordance with its constitutional procedure, will formally recognize that a state of war exists between them.''
  The planners judged that ''the great majority of the Blue nation possesses an anti-Red tradition and it is believed that the Blue government would experience little difficulty in mobilizing public sentiment in favor of the vigorous prosecution of the war, once hostilities begin.''
  Blue's biggest priority was to cut Crimson off from effective Red support. This required the seizure of ''Red bases in the western North Atlantic, the West Indies, and the Caribbean.'' The great issue was ''the influence of Blue naval forces in retarding and restricting the development of Red land and air forces on Crimson soil.'' The most important strategic priority for Blue at the outbreak of war would be the capture of Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was the naval base the Royal Navy would require for operations against Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, as well as for establishing Red naval supremacy in the western Atlantic. It was estimated at the time that the British Empire could eventually put over 8 million troops in the field. War Plan Red embodied Blue's intention to prevent Red from initially delivering more than 100,000 troops per month to Crimson. The plan includes explicit authorization for Blue submarine warfare against Red shipping.
  The planners were confident that if the 1916 naval program had been completed, it would prove impossible for the Red fleet to operate in the western Atlantic. Otherwise it was assumed that the superior Red fleet could be worn down by attrition within two years while Blue completed the 1916 program, which Red would be unable to match. Once Blue had attained naval superiority and driven the Red fleet out of the western Atlantic, Blue submarines and cruisers would proceed to cut off the supply of food and raw materials to the Red home islands, bringing the Red economy to a standstill and forcing the surrender of Red.
  Red's strategy was seen as depending first of all on securing Red communications to Crimson where a buildup of Red imperial power would be attempted. Red would seek to destroy the naval power of Blue, and would use the initially superior Red air force against Blue targets. Red would attempt to strike at the coastal regions of Blue, and also at the Panama Canal, seeking to disperse Blue's military strength over a wide area. Red would seek to maintain the initiative in land operations on the North American continent and ''force the main operations to occur in a theatre favorable to herself.''
  Accordingly, War Plan Red specifies that on M+2 (three days after the start of US mobilization) Blue must be ready to assemble at Boston a force of 25,000 troops organized as one Army corps of 3 divisions ready to proceed under fleet escort for an amphibious attack on Halifax. If Halifax could be taken, the Red fleet would be forced to fall back on other points of the Crimson littoral which were both more distant and less developed as naval bases.
  During the first two weeks after mobilization, Blue naval forces would also undertake attacks on insular possessions of the Red Empire. The targets of first priority were Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. On a second-priority list were Trinidad, St. Lucia, and all the other Red possessions in the West Indies and Central America. These moves were coherent with the great importance assigned by Blue to maintaining control over the Panama Canal, which it was expected that Red would try to occupy. Efforts to reinforce the Panama Canal zone were on the agenda for early in the war.
  One aspect of the Red Plan highly relevant to today's situation in Central America regards British Honduras, today called Belize: '''...it may be expected that the Colony of Red Honduras, if left intact, will become a base for revolutionary groups and bandit elements hostile to the Governments favorable to Blue established in these countries. For this reason it will be of great advantage to Blue to seize and occupy this Colony early in the war.''
  The Blue attack on Halifax would be supplemented by a series of overland thrusts against Crimson. At the outbreak of the conflict, it was assumed that the Royal Air Force flying from Crimson bases would be able to inflict serious damage on US targets in the area of the Great Lakes, New York state, and New England. Blue covering forces would take position along the Blue-Crimson border upon mobilization. A Blue force would gather in upstate New York for a large-scale thrust against Montreal and Quebec. A Blue force would mass at Buffalo and advance west of the Niagara River, seizing the hydro-electric plants there, and taking possession of the Welland Canal for use of Blue shipping. Another thrust would move east across the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, so as to protect the Detroit industrial region. A third Blue column would move north from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, shielding the highly strategic Sault Ste. Marie canal and its immense locks from Red sabotage. All of Crimson territory would be occupied as soon as practicable.
  Another Crimson point slated for early occupation was the rail center at Winnipeg, which, because of the lakes to the north constitutes a crucial bottleneck for all traffic moving on the Crimson east-west axis. Another Blue advance would occupy Vancouver British Columbia and the port of Prince Rupert somewhat to the north. These were considered the only Crimson ports on the Pacific Ocean with adequate rail connection to make possible the debarkation of Red or Orange troops. The use of chemical warfare against Red forces was explicitly authorized in the plan.
  If Red were joined by Orange, the combined war plan Red-Orange would come into play. Here the strategy would remain Red first, with Orange to be dealt with after Red had been disposed of. If Vancouver and Prince Rupert had been captured, it was thought that Blue submarines and destroyers could prevent an Orange invasion of the Blue mainland. Blue light naval forces in the western pacific would do as much damage as possible before their own anticipated elimination. The question of whether the Philippines could be held, and for how long, remained controversial. But the planners assumed that after the defeat of Red, the Blue battle fleet could be transferred to the Pacific for the final decisive reckoning with Orange.
  The planners could not explicitly count on support from any other nation. They saw Brazil and Peru as pro-Blue, while Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay were seen as inclining toward Red. Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay were viewed as evenly divided between Red and Blue. But because of regional rivalries, it was not expected that any of these states would actively enter the war.
  Work on War Plan Red was carried forward from approximately March, 1921 until the planning effort was officially classified as obsolete in October, 1936. Some revisions made in 1935 carry the signature of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, at that time the Army Chief of Staff. (The relevant documents were classified until about 1974, when they were made available to the public at the National Archives. It is believed that this is the first time they have been discussed in detail and quoted from in any published location since declassification.)
  How serious did US policy makers take War Plan Red? Suffice it to say that military planners must be concerned with capabilities, not intentions. From this point of view the combined strength of Britain and Japan represented the only proximate threat of military attack against the United States, and it thus had to be taken very seriously indeed. Although the formal alliance between London and Tokyo was formally abrogated in 1921 as part of the package deal wrapped up at the Washington Conference, it was clear to US military intelligence that a form of hostile coalition was still in force. The 1928 annual ''Estimate of the Situation'' of the War Plans Division of the Navy Department noted the deterioration of relations with Britain as a result of the Geneva Conference, and added that ''although the treaty of alliance between Britain and Japan had been abrogated there were still'...relationships between them that were very cordial.'' This estimate also called urgently for intensified work on War Plan Red, War Plan Orange, and War Plan Red-Orange. [US Navy Department, Operational Archives, Op-12A-CD, Estimate 13 April 1928, in Hall p. 54]
  Although battleship fleets had been confined to the 5:5:3 ratio, this did not extent to other surface craft or to submarines. After Coolidge had been re-elected the British were surprised that this President as well could become a vehicle for US resistance against British hegemonism. This time the issue was cruisers. The British wanted to build a large number of light cruisers with displacements of less than 8,000 tons and with guns of 6 inches caliber or less. The US was interested in building somewhat smaller numbers of the most powerful type of modern cruiser, with 8-inch guns and 10,000 tons displacement. The British were already ahead in heavy cruisers by an 11 to 2 margin in 1926. British arms control proposals tried to limit the number of heavy cruisers the US might build, while permitting immense tonnages of British ''trade protection cruisers.'' The British arrogantly announced that they had ''absolute requirements'' in this department which had no relation to the strengths of other naval powers. Pro-navy forces in the US Congress agitated for a cruiser bill providing for a US buildup in this category. Another Anglo-American confrontation loomed. A naval disarmament conference usually called the Coolidge Conference was held at Geneva during the summer of 1927. London and Washington were unable to agree on cruisers, despite the suspect attempts of Allen Dulles, a member of the US delegation, to obtain a compromise.
  In the wake of the failure of the ''Coolidge Conference'' Sir Winston Churchill confirmed the attitude of Royal Navy diehards by denouncing the ''principle of mathematical parity in naval strength'' with the United States.
  A Cruiser Bill calling for 15 new heavy cruisers and an aircraft carrier was passed by Congress and was signed into law by Coolidge on February 23, 1929. During the cruiser debate Coolidge, in what were judged the most impassioned speeches of his life, had attacked foreign governments '' meaning especially Britain '' for ''using the movement to limit and reduce armaments in order to advance their own self-interest.'' (see New York Times, 12 November 1928) This was a direct affront to British pretensions which renewed an acute naval rivalry with London, and one scholar later opined that with these measures ''the United States assumed a far more hostile attitude to Britain that year than it had for a hundred years.'' (Hall, p. 54)
  A leading British ''disarmament expert'' of the day was Sir John W. Wheeler-Bennett of the Royal Institute for International Affairs, a veteran American handler whose lifelong hobby was the study of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and who boasted that Confederate General A.P. Hill had been one of his forebears. Wheeler-Bennett later wrote about this period in the following terms: ''At the close of the year 1927, Anglo-American relations were undergoing a severe strain which in the following year became tenser and more dangerous, before the welcome relaxation in 1929'.... In England a latent dislike of all things transatlantic blazed up afresh and produced a state of mind vis-a-vis the United States comparable only to that manifested towards Germany in the years 1908-1914. In America this antagonism and suspicion was keenly reciprocated and found expression during the Congressional debates on the ratification of the Kellogg Pact and the passage of the Cruiser bill. In both countries men of goodwill declared war between them to the 'unthinkable,' a sure sign that they had already begun to think about it.'' [John W. Wheeler-Bennett, Disarmament and Security Since Locarno (London: Allen and Unwin, 1932 and New York: Howard Fertig, 1973), pp. 127, 142.]
  Another Anglo-American war scare rapidly gathered on both sides of the Atlantic. The Manchester Guardian editorialized: ''Not for many years have the Americans and the British been on terms as bad as they are now. There is ill-feeling, suspicion, and misunderstanding between the two nations. '' Manchester Guardian, 28 November 1928
  As it turned out, the newly elected Herbert Hoover was a greater Anglophile than Coolidge, and it was under his auspices that the US backed down. Hoover was assisted by his Secretary of State, Henry L. Stimson, and his ambassador to London, General Dawes, who had been Coolidge's Vice President. Dawes indicated that he would bring to the naval armaments question the same methods he had employed on the reparations question in 1924.
  President Hoover meets with British Prime Minister J. Ramsay MacDonald prior to the World Disarmament Conference of 1930.
  Hoover came out early in favor of further disarmament. He stated in his inaugural address of March 4, 1929: ''Peace can be promoted by the limitation of arms, and by the creation of the instrumentalities for the peaceful settlement of controversies. I covet for this administration a record of having contributed to advance the cause of peace.'' [Wheeler-Bennett, pp. 142-3] Sensing an opportunity, the London oligarchy dumped the Tory government in favor of a new Labor Party regime led by Ramsay MacDonald, who had campaigned on a platform of improving Anglo-American relations. MacDonald quickly signalled that he accepted naval parity with the US as a general principle, and in October 1929 visited Hoover at his retreat in Rapidan, Virginia. Hoover was willing to accept 18 heavy cruisers for the US to 15 for Britain and 12 for Japan. In light cruisers, the US settled for 143,500 tons to 192,200 for London '' hardly a condition of parity. Japan was allowed 100,450 tons. The US and UK got 150,000 tons of destroyers compared to 105,500 for Japan. All three powers got parity in submarines at a level of 52,700 tons. The implications of the US-Japan comparisons for the later Pacific war are obvious enough. In addition, no replacement battleships were to be built until 1936. These provisions were embodied in the London Naval Treaty signed in 1930.
  Hoover thereupon announced the ratification of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which purported to outlaw war and stated on July 24, 1930: ''Mr. MacDonald has introduced the principle of parity, which we have now adopted, and its consummation means that Great Britain and the United States henceforth are not to compete in armaments as potential opponents, but to cooperate as friends in their reduction.''
  During the Hundred Days of 1933, the new Roosevelt administration announced its intention of building the US Navy up to all applicable treaty limits. This was soon mandated by the Vinson-Trammell Act of March 1934, which subsumed legislation which authorized enough new tonnage as to almost double the existing US fleet, including 7 new battleships and 3 aircraft carriers. Nevertheless, the US continued to lag behind.
  On July 1, 1935, the Washington Treaty expired. For the British, the treaty had achieved goals that would have appeared impossible in 1919. It had served to preserve British naval supremacy for two decades, and at the same time to create a dangerous US vulnerability to Japan. It was estimated at the time that the actual aggregate tonnages of non-obsolete warships of all types for the leading naval powers were as follows:
  UKUSJapanFranceItaly107.466.623.783.01[see Bemis, p. 708]
  The Japanese tonnages actually exceeded the above because of non-compliance with the treaties, as surveys after World War II revealed. By 1936, Japan had terminated the treaty regime, which then rapidly broke apart.
  World War II in the Pacific: Britain's Japanese GambitFrom June, 1941 on, the US was operating under a war plan known as Rainbow Five, the US-British Commonwealth Joint Basic War Plan. The explicit content of this plan was, Germany first. ''Allied strategy in the Far East will be defensive'', the plan stated. The United States would not add to its military strength in the Pacific theatre. Two months before Pearl Harbor the War Department, impacted by Rainbow Five, was planning the abandonment of not just the Philippines, but Wake and Guam as well.
  Behind this strategy lurked a fiendish British plot against the United States: the entire area between India and South America was marked for conquest by Japan. Germany first was a reasonable strategy, but total denial of forces and supplies for the Southwest Pacific was quite another matter, and a suicidal strategic folly. Averell Harriman, then in London with Churchill, referred to Indo-China, Australasia, Polynesia and Micronesia as a ''vast, doomed area''. The Japanese, according to this London strategy, were to be permitted to take over the entire Pacific basin while the war in Europe was being fought to a conclusion. Then, in the late forties, after the Japanese had fortified, consolidated, and otherwise strengthened their hold on this myriad of islands, the United States would return to the Pacific and conduct an unending series of frontal amphibious assaults, storming each and every fortified island, all the way to the final assault to Dai Nippon itself. The Japanese were expected, according to their Shinto-Bushido profile, never to surrender, but to fight to the last man, including on their home islands. According to this British scenario, the war in the Pacific was to have lasted until about 1955, with millions of dead on the two sides. The British approach to the war in Europe was to promote in every way possible an endless mutual bloodletting by Russians and Germans. In the Pacific, their plan called for a colossal American-Japanese hecatomb. This would have greatly enhanced the relative power of the British Empire in the postwar world.
  The British had assured the US that Singapore could hold for at least 6 months, but it fell to the Japanese on Feb. 15, 1942 with the Gen. Percival's biggest surrender of British troops in history. How much was bungling, and how much was treachery?
  Churchill began to argue that the Japanese would now turn away from Australia and concentrate instead on the conquest of India. Churchill demanded that the US buildup in the Pacific be transferred to the British command in Southeast Asia under Lord Louis Mountbatten. MacArthur convinced Roosevelt to refuse. In late March, 1942 Japanese Admiral Nagumo struck at British naval forces around Ceylon. The British ran away, with some battleships retreating to the east coast of Africa.
  MacArthur's biggest problem in countering the British sabotage was to defend Australia, the key industrial power and vast staging area still in allied hands. His first task was to jettison the defeatist war plan which the British Imperial staff had sold to the Australian military leadership. As MacArthur recounts:
  US General Douglas MacArthur and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin meet at Parliament House on 26 March 1942.
  ''Having been witness to the Japanese conquest of Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaya, Rabat, and the Northern Solomons, the Australian chiefs of staff understandably had been thinking and planning only defensively. They had traced a line generally along the Darling River, from Brisbane, midway up the eastern shoreline, to Adelaide on the south coast. This would be defended to the last breath. Such a plan, however, involved the sacrifice of three-quarters or more of the continent, the great northern and western reaches of the land. Behind this so-called Brisbane Line were the four or five most important cities and a large proportion of the population '-- the heart of Australia. As the areas to the north fell to the enemy, detailed plans were made to withdraw from New Guinea and lay desolate the land above the Brisbane Line. Industrial plants and utilities in Northern Territory would be dynamited, military facilities would be leveled, port installations rendered useless and irreparable.''
  ''The concept was purely one of passive defense, and I felt it would result only in eventual defeat. Even if so restrictive a scheme were tactically successful, its result would be to trap us indefinitely on an island continent ringed by conquered territories and hostile ocean, bereft of all hope of ever assuming the offensive.'' [Reminiscences, p. 152]
  MacArthur protested to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington that ''such a concept is fatal to every possibility of ever assuming the offensive, and even if tactically successful will bottle us up on the Australian continent, probably permanently. I am determined to abandon the plan completely.'' [Whitney, p. 64]
  MacArthur proposed to move the first line of defense of Australia more than a thousand miles to the north, from Brisbane on the Tropic of Capricorn to the Owen Stanley mountain range in Papua, eastern New Guinea. This thrust also impelled US forces to defend Guadalcanal, whose conquest by Japan would have threatened a cutting of the sealane between Australia and the United States, which was MacArthur's vital supply line. Another part of the incipient US-Australian offensive was the naval battle of the Coral Sea, in which a Japanese aircraft carrier was sunk and the aura of invincibility enjoyed by the Japanese fleet after Pearl Harbor shattered.
  At the time MacArthur arrived in Australia there was less than one US division there, and Churchill was holding most of the Australian army in North Africa. At one point Churchill pledged that he would only release the Australian divisions from the Middle East if the Australian continent were actually invaded '' since by then, as MacArthur stressed, the defense of Australia would have been a hopeless cause.
  MacArthur was able to pursue his strategy with a great economy in the lives of his men. This was because he generally avoided frontal attacks in favor of the flanking envelopment. This allowed him to do more with less. The navy and marines just at Okinawa, for example, lost almost 50,000 men. MacArthur conquered New Guinea, (what is today Indonesia) and the Philippines, going from Melbourne to Tokyo, with just 90,000 casualties. (By contrast, US losses at Anzio were 72,000, and in the battle of the Bulge, 107,000.)
  MacArthur succeeded against a powerful and determined enemy because he was able to adapt the flanking envelopment to the specific conditions of the war in the Pacific. MacArthur called his strategy leap-frogging, and contrasted it most sharply to the so-called island-hopping, frontal assaults of the navy and marines. MacArthur's problems were exacerbated by his frequent numerical inferiority to the Japanese concentrations he faced. In the middle of 1942 these problems were discussed at a war council attended by MacArthur, Eighth Army commander General Kruger, Admiral Halsey, and the Australian commander, MacArthur later wrote: ''To push back the Japanese perimeter of conquest by direct pressure against the mass of enemy-occupied islands would be a long and costly effort. My staff worried about Rabaul and other strongpoints.'' Rabaul, on New Britain, north of New Guinea, was in fact one of the most formidable fortresses of the Pacific, defended by 100,000 Japanese veterans, and prepared, like Verdun, to exact a fearful price from any attacker. In the war council, one general remarked: ''I just don't see how we can take these strongpoints with our limited forces.'' MacArthur replied: ''Well, let's just say that we don't take them. In fact, gentlemen, I don't want them.'' MacArthur added that he thoroughly agreed with the objection adding that he ''did not intend to take them. (He) intended to envelop them, incapacitate them, apply the hit 'em where they ain't '' let 'em die on the vine philosophy. I explained this was the very opposite of what was termed island-hopping, which is the gradual pushing back of the enemy by direct frontal pressure, with the consequent heavy casualties which would certainly be involved. There would be no need for storming the mass of the island held by the enemy. Island-hopping, I said, with extravagant losses and slow progress, is not my idea of how to end the war as soon and as cheaply as possible.''
  MacArthur's method involved the selection of islands that were lightly held, but which were suitable for the construction of bases for fighters and bombers, which could in turn be used to cut off the lines of supply and communications to islands that were more strongly held to the point of being almost invulnerable to direct assault. These centers of strength had to be by-passed, cut off, neutralized, and starved out. The method turned on the acquisition of air bases from which bombers could operate, since MacArthur was never given any carriers. The advance of the bomber line, the operating sphere of the bombers, was the leading edge of each forward step.
  MacArthur told a reporter for Collier's magazine in 1950 that ''Japan failed to see the new concept of war which was used against her, involving the by-passing of strongly defended points, and by use of the combined services, the cutting of essential lines of communication, whereby these defensive positions were rendered strategically useless and eventually retaken.'' [Manchester, p. 389]
  After the war Colonel Matsuichi Juio, a senior intelligence officer assigned to scrutinize MacArthur's deployments and intentions reported to a military interrogator the effect of MacArthur's mode of waging war upon the Japanese. This, he said, was ''the type of strategy we hated most.'' MacArthur acted ''with minimum losses, attacked and seized a relatively weak area, constructed airfields and then proceeded to cut the supply lines to our troops in that area'...Our strongpoints were gradually starved out. The Japanese army preferred direct frontal assault, after the German fashion, but the Americans flowed into our weaker points and submerged us, just as water seeks the weakest entry to sink a ship. We respected this type of strategy'...because it gained the most while losing the least.'' [Manchester, p. 391]
  These were the methods MacArthur used to fight his way along New Guinea and then to return to the Philippines, which he correctly regarded as the key to cutting off the supplies of raw materials from Indonesia to the Japanese home islands by interdicting the sea lanes of the South China sea, thus bringing the war to a rapid end. The Japanese showed at the Battle of Leyte Gulf that they shared MacArthur's view of the importance of the Philippines, since they concluded that they must risk their entire fleet to stop MacArthur at Leyte. In their view there would be no point in keeping the fleet intact if the Philippines were lost, since in that eventuality the fleet would be useless. Winston Churchill, true to form, proposed a campaign in the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and Indo-China, a combination side-show and blood bath that can be usefully compared with his North African, Italian, and attempted Aegean-Balkan diversions of the war in Europe.
  MacArthur had a subordinate send the following reply to Churchill's lunatic scheme for an attack across the Indian Ocean: ''General MacArthur feels that his present campaign into the Philippines will have the strategic effect of piercing the enemy's center and permitting rapid and economical envelopment either to the north or south or preferably both. Having pierced the center he feels it would be advisable to take full advantage of the Philippines as an ideal base from which to launch these developments, rather than to pull back to stage frontal attacks on the Japanese perimeter in any of the areas from existing bases.'' [Reminiscences, p. 201]
  MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Theatre of Operations '' as distinct from Admiral Chester Nimitz's Pacific Ocean Areas and Lord Louis Mountbatten's Southeast Asia Commands '' never got more than about ten percent of the military resources of the United States. The coefficients used for the computation of the amount of supplies needed to keep one infantryman in the field in this theatre of war were lower than in any other theatre of the world. When Eisenhower invaded North Africa, he was allowed fifteen tons of supplies per man. MacArthur got an average of five tons per man. His average was about one half of the prevailing world-wide allied statistic over the duration of the conflict. Less than 100,000 tons of supplies arrived in Australia from the United States during the final quarter of 1942, as compared with 2,300,000 tons of supplies provided for Italian civilian needs during the first year of campaigning there. Using the productive capacities of Australia's 7,000,000 citizens and workforce of 2,000,000 to the utmost, MacArthur was able to ship more supplies to adjacent theatres than he received from the United States '' something of a logistical miracle. The Southwest Pacific was thus, from the point of view of war production, a self-sufficient area. MacArthur often referred bitterly to the ''shoestring logistics'' to which he was subjected by Washington while other commanders were far more liberally supplied. Many a golden strategic opportunity, in his view, was lost because of inadequate supply. ''It is truly an Area of Lost Opportunity,'' he said.
  During the four months between Pearl Harbor and the fall of Corregidor the US forces on the Philippines were the cynosure of the Pacific conflict. The Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin, a close friend of MacArthur, stated ''without and inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links with the United Kingdom.'' Churchill was apoplectic, and the British elite were confirmed in their vendetta against MacArthur, which they would act out during the Korean War some years later.
  The Korean War: North Korea and Maoist China as British Proxies Against AmericaIn Washington Lord Halifax Once whispered to Lord Keynes: It's true they have the money bags, but we have all the brains. [McDonald, p. 3]
  This doggerel captures something of the rabid British resentment for the United States that prevailed after World War II. The British had come hat in hand to Washington in search of loans to stabilize the tattered pound sterling, and they imagined that they had been mistreated when the US objected to the regime of Imperial preference in trade. They greatly resented the US role in Europe, but they were not going to start a proxy war there. But in the Far East and the Pacific, such a proxy war seemed feasible, and went to the top of the British agenda.
  After the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, US influence in the Pacific was at an all-time high. US forces had dominated all the military campaigns, and Gen. MacArthur had been made the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) in Tokyo. Japan was not divided into zones of occupation, but was in effect administered under MacArthur's supervision. MacArthur's occupation reforms included strong provisions to reduce the oligarchical element in Japanese society, including the abolition of titles of nobility and of the Japanese equivalent of the House of Lords. The British deeply resented US pre-eminence in the eastern Pacific, which they had regarded as one of their spheres, and in Japan, which they still considered their own asset.
  This British attitude was reflected in the remark by the anti-American British Foreign Secretary, Sir Ernest Bevin, who served under Prime Minister Clement Atlee in the Labor Party government of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Bevin found the US wanted to be ''a law unto themselves'' in the Far East. The British responded by redoubling their support for Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communists in their civil war against Chiang Kai-Shek's nationalist Kuomintang. Mao was assisted by a cutoff in US military aid to the KMT during a decisive phase of the civil war. This cutoff was ordered by the Truman Administration's special envoy to China, Gen. George C. Marshall, an asset of the pro-British Harriman grouping. The People's Republic of China was founded on October 2, 1949. The KMT was hanging on to Taiwan, but the British were anxious to liquidate these old adversaries as soon as possible.
  On January 6, 1950, the British government was the first western nation to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC. This clear overture for cooperation was followed by sharp attacks in the US Congress against London, including the demand that economic sanctions be imposed against the UK.
  Korea at this time was governed by two violently contending governments, that of the communist and Red Army veteran Kim Il Sung in the north and the pro-US regime of President Syngman Rhee in the south. US troops had been present in South Korea, but the last of them had departed in June, 1949. Secretary of State Dean Acheson, a notorious Anglophile, was at this point functioning as the de facto controller of President Truman in foreign policy matters. Acheson had been a close friend of W. Averell Harriman, the dean of US Anglophiles, since they had met at Yale in 1905, and the two cooperated to ''work with and on'' Truman and against MacArthur.
  Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State, 1949-1953
  On January 12, 1950 Acheson delivered at the National Press Club an important policy speech entitled ''Crisis in China '' An Examination of United States policy.'' In this discourse, among other things, Acheson talked about what territories in Asia the US was prepared to defend after the fall of China to the communists. He described a US ''defensive perimeter'...along the Aleutians to Japan and then'...to the Ryukyus [Okinawa]'...and to'...the Philippine islands.'' [Acheson, p. 357] This list of protected US assets pointedly excluded both South Korea and Taiwan. After North Korea attacked South Korea in late June, 1950, Acheson was widely accused of having issued a de facto invitation to North Korea to launch this aggression. Acheson became the April Glaspie of the Korean War. It can be assumed that the assurance of impunity to the aggressor implicit in Acheson's remarks was privately repeated in more explicit terms by British diplomats to certain interested parties.
  At this time Acheson was dining in secret once a week at the State Department with the British Ambassador to Washington, Sir Oliver Franks. During this period Franks' First Secretary was British triple agent H.A.R. (Kim) Philby. Franks's Second Secretary was the British triple agent Guy Burgess. A third British Triple Agent, Donald Maclean, who had worked for Franks in Washington a few years earlier, was shortly to become the chief of the American Department at the Foreign Office in London. When Prime Minister Atlee visited Truman at the White House in December, 1950, some accounts assert that Maclean was present in his entourage.
  ''Triple agent'' means here that while the Philby group and others like them were British officials who were also spying for the KGB, their ultimately loyalty and control always remained with the Queen and the British oligarchy.
  During the 1964 interrogation of Anthony Blunt, the fourth of the Cambridge triple agents to become known to the public, Blunt is reported to have revealed that the Canadian Herbert Norman, another Cambridge undergraduate of the 1930'²s, had been recruited by the KGB. Norman had died, allegedly through suicide, in 1957. Norman had been a member of Gen. MacArthur's staff in Tokyo and had attracted the suspicions of Gen. Willoughby, MacArthur's intelligence chief. Norman was a close associate of Sir Lester Pearson, at that time the Canadian External Affairs Minister and later to become the Canadian Prime Minister. James Barros has asserted in his book No Sense of Evil that Norman, while serving in Tokyo in 1950, played a role in encouraging Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang to launch the invasion of South Korea.
  Barros writes: ''In this context we must scrutinize Pearson's trip to Tokyo in February 1950. During that visit General MacArthur explained to him and to Norman Washington's policy in Asia and that its defense perimeter in the region did not include Korea, as it was not vital to America's security. MacArthur's comments were in line with Dean Acheson's speech a month earlier when he told the National Press Club that America's defense perimeter In Asia ran from the Aleutian Islands to Japan and from there to the Ryukyu and Philippine Islands'....Acheson's public comments could not have gone unnoticed in Moscow. Keeping in mind MacArthur's military role in Asia, his February remarks to Norman and to Pearson, the foreign secretary of a friendly and allied country, would have stimulated Moscow to favor a possibly low-risk North Korean invasion of South Korea. In other words, in addition to other information available to Moscow, MacArthur's comments, if conveyed to the Soviets by Norman '' which might have been done '' could have led to the assumption that such a scenario would evoke no American response.'' [Barros, pp. 137-8]
  Pearson was one of the most important British Empire political operatives during the postwar decades. In reviewing Pearson's role in protecting the career of Norman, Barros reviews evidence compiled by the US Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and speculates that ''one might even dare to think the unthinkable '-- that Pearson was Moscow's ultimate mole.'' [Barros, p. 169] Some years earlier the Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King had officially stated that Canada had been used as a base for espionage activity against the US.
  In early 1950 Stalin had been telling Mao that ''a confrontation with the United States is inevitable, but for us it would be favorable to delay its beginning. At present, war is not feasible, because we have just tested the atomic bomb, the country is exhausted, and the people of the USSR would not understand and support such a war.'' [Goncharov et al., p. 108] But Stalin was at the same time interested in various ideas for a limited, pre-emptive conflict. In talks with Kim Il Sung, Stalin repeatedly warned the North Korean leader that the Soviets would never go to war in Korea, not even if the US were to intervene: '''...Stalin told Kim that even if the United States participated in the war, the Soviet Union had no intention of joining the fray.'' [Goncharov et al., p. 144] Stalin made this abundantly clear, telling Kim in April 1950 in their last conference before Kim started the war: ''If you should get kicked in the teeth, I shall not lift a finger. You have to ask Mao for all the help.'' [Goncharov et al., p. 145]
  In this situation, intelligence reports tending to confirm a US line of non-intervention would certainly have increased the propensity of Stalin, Mao, and Kim to launch the Korean War. But we must assume that the Pearson-Norman channel would have been only one of several highly authoritative channels used by London to promote an attack in the Far East. (At the same time, Stalin's adamant warning that he would never get involved with his own forces in Korea powerfully undercuts the later British pro-appeasement argument that any strikes against assets on Chinese territory would elicit Russian aid for China and thus start an apocalyptic third world war.)
  North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. In a stunning reversal of US policy, the Truman administration decided that South Korea was a vital US interest after all, and ordered MacArthur to defend South Korea using forces previously engaged in the occupation of Japan. Because they lacked the tanks and heavy artillery which the US had not provided, the South Korean forces were forced into a disorganized retreat. MacArthur sent his forces to South Korea as quickly as possible, but by August US forces were fighting with their backs to the sea in a 135-mile arc of trenches called the Pusan perimeter. On paper, MacArthur seemed destined for early defeat, a factor which London had doubtless appreciated in advance.
  A brigade of troops from the British Commonwealth of Nations was a part of MacArthur's army in Korea, which operated under the formal aegis of the United Nations. British troops on the ground meant that London had the right automatically to receive all of MacArthur's war dispatches and reports, along with a wealth of other information. The lives of many of these British and Commonwealth forces were cynically sacrificed in battle by the London oligarchy. They were merely expendable pawns used to obtain access to secrets which were then swiftly betrayed to the communist side.
  In September 1950, the daring and desperate flanking maneuver of MacArthur's Inchon landing turned the tables and ensured the total defeat of the North Korean forces, opening the way to national re-unification under Rhee. MacArthur's forces advanced into North Korea and approached the Yalu River, the Korean border with China. Consternation reigned in the Foreign Office, since the very North Korean gambit that had promised to cut the US down to size in the Far East and restore some of the balance of power in the region had boomeranged into the apotheosis of MacArthur as the irresistible force in Asia.
  Before the Korean War started, Stalin had tried to encourage Mao to seize the British Crown colony of Hong Kong. Mao disagreed with Stalin on the need to take possession of this colony. [Goncharov et al., p. 100] In the spring of 1950, the communist Chinese People's Liberation Army had seized control of Hainan island from the KMT. For the summer of 1950, all signs pointed to an attempt by Mao to take Taiwan and extinguish Chiang Kai-Shek's government there. One element in Mao's aggressive disposition was the need to consolidate the new communist regime through conflict with an external enemy.
  Mao chose to attack not Taiwan, but MacArthur's US and UN forces in Korea. There are numerous indications that this fateful decision was profoundly influenced by covert encouragement and assurances to Beijing on the part of British officials, including but certainly not limited to the Philby-Maclean-Burgess-Blunt-Rothschild triple agent circle.
  This view is supported by an official release by Lin Piao, the commander of the Chinese forces attacking Korea, which was published by MacArthur in his Reminiscences. Lin Piao here stated: ''I would never have made the attack and risked my men and my military reputation if I had not been assured that Washington would restrain General MacArthur from taking adequate retaliatory measures against my lines of supply and communication.'' [p. 375]
  Since May, 1951, when Maclean and Burgess defected to Moscow (followed by Philby in 1963), it has been evident to students of the Korean War that the ''restraints'' applied to MacArthur were those demanded by the British, and that knowledge of these restraints was imparted to the various communist capitals through the efforts of Philby and his confreres, whose activities could later be disavowed by the London regime owing to the fact that ''Soviet espionage'' was involved. In reality, all of the British triples of Her Majesty's Secret Service remained loyal to the Queen.
  Chinese forces operating south of the Yalu River and thus in Korean territory left their first unmistakable calling card on October 25, 1950 by mauling a South Korean force near the Yalu. Then, for almost one month, the Chinese forces disengaged from their attacks, retired into camouflaged positions and waited. Whatever assurances he had received from London, Mao had been rendered suspicious by the beating Kim had taken, and he was more cautious. For one month, Mao and Lin waited to see if MacArthur would in fact be restrained.
  If Truman had, during this period, issued a clear warning that continued aggression by China against MacArthur's command on Korean soil would lead to retaliation against Chinese targets, there is every reason to believe that Mao and Lin would have swiftly desisted. But the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Ernest Bevin, was adamant that ''no ultimatums to China would be supported by me,'' and Truman, coached by Acheson and Harriman, said nothing.
  MacArthur was more than restrained; he was placed in a straightjacket by the British and their various satellites at the UN. MacArthur was forbidden the hot pursuit of aircraft operating from Manchurian or Siberian airbases which would have been expected under the rules of war. MacArthur was told not to bomb the hydroelectric plants along the Yalu, and was forbidden to disturb the rail junction at Racin in North Korea.
  In early November, MacArthur's request to bomb the bridges across the Yalu River was denied. The denial came from Acheson, Lovett and Rusk at the State Department. As Acheson explained why he forbade the bombing: ''Mr. Rusk, who was with us, contributed that we were committed not to attack Manchurian points without consultation with the British and that their Cabinet was meeting that morning to reconsider their attitude towards the Chinese government.'' [Acheson, p. 463] Cable traffic on this issue would have been seen by Philby, Maclean, and Burgess.
  Later this was modified to permit him to bomb only the southern half of these bridges, the Korean part. ''By some means,'' MacArthur concluded, ''the enemy commander must have known of this decision to protect his lines of communication into North Korea, or he would never have dared to cross those bridges in force.'' [Reminiscences, p. 371] Because of British blackmail, Chinese Manchuria became a vast privileged sanctuary which Mao and Lin could use as a staging area for attacks on US and UN forces in Korea. All of MacArthur's attempts to get permission to strike at military bases in this area were overruled.
  The Chinese attacked MacArthur's army in great force on November 26-27. Gen. Lin's first attack fell with uncanny accuracy on the weakest point in MacArthur's line, the juncture at Tekchen between the US Eighth Army and the South Korean II Corps. The Chinese repeatedly seemed to be able to anticipate the moves that MacArthur was about to make. During this period Sir Frederick Hoyer-Millar of the British Embassy in Washington cabled to the Foreign Office in London that one of his underlings ''gets information'...in advance by an officer who should strictly speaking await its transmission via the warroom'...this applies particularly to future operations.'' [Newton, p. 281]
  US Gen. James Gavin later commented: ''I have no doubt whatever that the Chinese moved confidently and skillfully into North Korea, and in fact, I believe they were able to do this because they were well-informed not only of the moves Walker would make, but of the limitations of what he might do'....All of MacArthur's plans flowed into the hands of the Communists through the British Foreign Office.'' [see Atlantic Monthly, June, 1965]
  Later, MacArthur proposed measures to end the war, including an economic blockade of the coast of China. All of his proposals were rejected. The reply of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said in part that '''...a naval blockade off the coast of China would require negotiations with the British in view of the extent of British trade with China through Hong Kong.'' [Reminiscences, p. 380] During the entire period of the Korean War, London eagerly supplied Mao with the sinews of war by deliveries of strategic materials through Hong Kong. This was only slightly camouflaged by such public relations measures as the May, 1951 announcement of an embargo on British rubber sales to the PRC through Hong Kong.
  Donald Maclean later became a prominent member of the Soviet Institute of World Economics and International Relations, and died in Moscow in the spring of 1993. At that time the Russian dissident historian Roy Medvedev, who had known Maclean closely during his years in Moscow, summed up some of the things that Maclean had told him in an article that was published in the Washington Post. Medvedev's testimony bears on the ways in which Maclean's espionage contributed to the ability of the Communist Chinese successfully to attack Gen. MacArthur's army.
  According to Medvedev, although Maclean ''never spoke of the details or the techniques of his work as a spy,'' ''on a few occasions he made reference to certain historic events which he seemed to have influenced.''
  As MacArthur moved north, wrote Medvedev, ''when Stalin insisted on Chinese interference, Mao hesitated, afraid that the Americans might move the war onto Chinese territory and even use the atom bomb on Chinese troops and industrial centers.
  ''At that time an English delegation headed by Prime Minister Clement Attlee was visiting the United States. Donald Maclean, head of the American desk at the Foreign Office, was a member of that delegation. Neither Attlee nor their American colleagues had any secrets from Maclean. He managed to get a copy of an order from Truman to Gen. MacArthur not to cross the Chinese border under any circumstances and not to use atomic weapons. Americans feared a lengthy and hopeless war with China.
  ''Stalin immediately passed on the information to Mao Tse-tung, and the Chinese reluctance came to an end. On Oct. 25 a vast army of 'Chinese people's volunteers' crossed the Korean border and attacked American and South Korean troops.'' [see "Requiem for a Traitor," Washington Post, 19 June 1983]
  Towards the end of January, 1951, in the wake of Attlee's visit to Washington, a debate developed in the British Foreign Office and cabinet about the tactics to be employed in regard to a US push to get the United Nations Security Council to condemn China as an aggressor. Junior officials like John Strachey, the Minister of War, and Kenneth Younger, Minister of State in the Foreign Office, supported a show of independence by the British, including a British vote against the US. This view was supported by Aneurin Bevan and Hugh Dalton of the Labour Party left. Denying that China was the aggressor in Korea would have aligned the UK with the USSR and the rest of the communist bloc in opposition to the US at the UN.
  Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin opposed doing this in public, arguing that a break with the USA would leave Britain to face the USSR alone. Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Gaitskell argued that a break with the USA over China would be a disaster that would ''enormously strengthen the anti-European bloc in the USA.'' On 25 January the Cabinet decided to vote against a US resolution condemning China as an aggressor. At this time Bevin was suffering from a terminal illness. Gaitskell threatened to resign, and received backing from key figures in the Foreign Office. Atlee was forced to back down.
  Sir Gladwyn Jebb, UK Representative to the UN
  Even so, British Ambassador to the UN, Sir Gladwyn Jebb, attacked MacArthur for an alleged desire to ''escalate'' the Korean conflict. If MacArthur thought the UN would approve escalation he ''must be only conscious of public opinion in the Philippines, some of the banana states and the lunatic fringe of the Republican Party.'' [MacDonald, p. 48] At this time Jebb's private secretary in New York was Alan Maclean, who was sharing an apartment with Guy Burgess. ''The fear that American policy in Korea was dragging the world into a Third World War seemed to possess Burgess throughout the autumn and winter of 1950.'' [Andrew Boyle, The Climate of Treason, p. 355] But what Burgess expressed was only the official view of the British Foreign Office.
  Cave Brown [572ff.] calls attention to the fad of ''treason chic'' that became popular among the decadent London intelligentsia in the wake of the Maclean-Burgess departure to Moscow in May, 1951, and then again after Philby went over to the USSR in 1963. He quotes the cultural critic Richard Grenier on the widespread view of the British cultural elite that ''Treason is in style. At least British treason when it is committed by Englishmen with posh accents.'' This cultural mood of the British Establishment is reflected in the plays of Alan Bennett, including one (em>An Englishman Abroad) about Burgess in Moscow, and one (A Question of Attribution) about the relations between Sir Anthony Blunt at the Courtauld Institute and his patroness the Queen among her pictures at Buckingham Palace. This is the cultural suppuration which has produced the Rees-Moggs and Evans-Pritchards of our own day.
  A total of 54,246 US service personnel lost their lives in the dirty proxy war waged by the British against the US in Korea, and almost 107,000 were listed as wounded and missing. Perhaps the day is coming when the American people will be capable of responding to the British oligarchy for decades of geopolitical proxy war.
  Sir Robert Thompson: Architect of the US Defeat in VietnamA decade after Korea, British geopolitical strategy concentrated on provoking another, even more serious reverse for the United States. This assumed the form of the Vietnam War. After British intelligence had eliminated President Kennedy, who had intended to withdraw US forces from Vietnam, London's assets in the US Eastern Anglophile Liberal Establishment undertook massive exertions to induce the Johnson administration to commit half a million ground troops to South Vietnam. At the same time, the London regime under Prime Minister Harold Wilson remained critical of the US effort, and no British forces were sent to Vietnam, although Australia did provide a contingent.
  Robert Thompson
  One British intelligence operative who played a vital role in convincing the Johnson administration to launch the Vietnam adventure was Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson, who was touted in Newsweek and US News and World Report during the mid-1960'²s as the world's preeminent expert on guerilla warfare. Born in 1916, Thompson held a history degree from Cambridge and was fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. During World War II, Thompson had been a member of General Orde Wingate's Chindits, a prototype of later special forces. He later commanded ''Ferret Force,'' a British anti-guerilla unit in Malaya, where he devised the strategic hamlet program that was later to fail miserably when tried in Vietnam. By 1961 Thompson was Secretary for the Defense of Malaya. In this year Thompson was invited to South Vietnam by President Diem; Thompson became the chief of the British Advisory Mission and a key advisor and counterinsurgency ''idea man'' to Diem.
  Thompson never concealed his contempt for the United States. His favorite slur on the ungrateful colonials was ''The trouble with you Americans is that whenever you double the effort you somehow manage to square the error.''
  The best strategy for the US would have been to avoid a military buildup in Vietnam altogether. But once US forces were engaged, there remained the possibility that they might win military victory against the communist forces. Sir Robert was instrumental in ruling out this possibility.
  In 1965, as the US buildup began, the South Vietnamese defense Minister, Gen. Cao Van Vien, submitted a strategy paper entitled ''The Strategy of Isolation,'' in which he posed the problem of cutting off the infiltration of troops and supplies from North to South, arguing that if this were done, the insurgency in the South would wither on the vine. Cao Van Vien wanted to fortify a line along the 17th parallel from Dong Ha to Savannakhet, a point on the Mekong River near the Laos-Thailand border. This would interdict the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail, a strategic artery used by motor vehicles and which was flanked by gasoline pipelines. Cao Van Vien wanted to follow this with an amphibious landing north of this line near Vinh along the 18th parallel to cut off the North Vietnamese front from their rear echelons and supply lines. The goal would have been to deny North Vietnam ''the physical capability to move men and supplies through the Lao corridor, down the coastline, across the DMZ, and through Cambodia'...by land, naval, and air actions.'' The blocking position from the DMZ to the Mekong could have been manned by 8 divisions (5 US, 2 South Korean and 1 South Vietnamese) while Marine divisions could have been kept ready for the amphibious attack. US forces would have remained on the defensive, in well- prepared fortified positions while the South Vietnamese army dealt with the guerrilla forces in the South Vietnamese countryside. There would have been no search and destroy missions by the US, no My Lais, and far fewer US casualties. The US would have provided a shield behind which South Vietnam could have begun to solve its own national problems in the way that South Korea had.
  The rejection of this strategy in favor of counterinsurgency is a testament to the influence wielded by Sir Robert.
  Thompson was the most authoritative spokesman for the military doctrine of counterinsurgency, which was in reality a warmed-over version of British colonialist-utopian clich(C)s stretching back to the atrocities of the Boer War. During the early 1960'²s brush-fire wars in the third world and counterinsurgency tactics to deal with communist guerilla warfare became obsessions in Washington, and Thompson was able to parlay his specious Malaya credentials into pervasive influence. As long as Johnson was not fully committed to Vietnam, Thompson displayed a facile optimism about the perspectives for success. On July 5, 1965 (when the US had slightly more than 50,000 soldiers on the ground in South Vietnam), Thompson assured Newsweek that a US ground combat role was ''unavoidable,'' but that ''if the right things are done within Vietnam at the present moment then the American combat role, which is comparatively small compared with the Vietnamese role, should be sufficient to halt [the Viet Cong]. At this time, the long agony of Johnson's escalation of the US troop presence was just beginning.
  In 1982 Colonel Harry Summers of the US Army published On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of The Vietnam War, which reflected an effort by the Army War College at Carlyle Barracks, Pennsylvania to determine the reasons for the US defeat in Vietnam. One of Summers's conclusions was that the US command at all levels had been thoroughly disoriented by the illusion that Vietnam somehow represented a new form of people's revolutionary warfare to which traditional military doctrine no longer applied. Summers cited Sir Robert Thompson as the leading spokesman for the counterinsurgency school, highlighting the Briton's claim that
  '...Revolutionary war is most confused with guerilla or partisan warfare. Here the main difference is that guerilla warfare is designed merely to harass and distract the enemy so that the regular forces can reach a decision in conventional battles'.... Revolutionary war on the other hand is designed to reach a decisive result on its own. [p. 113]
  In an April, 1968 article in Foreign Affairs, Thompson argued that a true US strategic offensive in Vietnam would require ''emphasis on nation-building concurrent with limited pacification'' including ''the rebuilding of the whole Vietnamese government machine.'' For Thompson, ''it is the Khesanhs which are the diversion,'' a reference to the US Army's conventional battle against the regular North Vietnamese army near the Demilitarized Zone on the North Vietnam-South Vietnam border. For Thompson, the communist guerilla structure in South Vietnam was characterized by ''its immunity to the direct application of mechanical and conventional power.'' Victory would therefore be decided ''in the minds of the Vietnamese people.''
  In practice, Thompson advised that the US Army be deployed into political action and nation-building in the Vietnamese countryside. He was opposed to US thrusts against the North Vietnamese regular army. In the event, it was the North Vietnamese regular army which finally destroyed the Saigon government, with a twelve division Eastertide armored attack across the DMZ in March 1972 (which failed) followed by the victorious assault by 17 North Vietnamese divisions which captured Saigon in March-April 1975. As it turned out, the war was won by conventional military forces, although the guerilla insurgency diverted a large portion of Saigon's available divisions, who were thus unable to take part in the final, decisive conflict.
  In light of all this, Summers and the War College are right in concluding that ''with hindsight it is clear that by Sir Robert Thompson's own definition, he was EXACTLY WRONG in seeing the war as a 'classic revolutionary war.' The guerillas in Vietnam did NOT achieve decisive results on their own. Even at the very end there was no popular mass uprising to overthrow the Saigon government.'' [Summers p. 113, emphasis added]
  The Korean War had also seen extensive guerilla activity in South Korea by North Korean and communist infiltrators. At that time, an effective division of labor had evolved which had given primary responsibility for maintaining order on the home front to the South Korean army, while US forces concentrated on countering the international aggression of North Korea and China. But this traditional approach was associated with the now-demonized MacArthur, leaving the dangerous vacuum in military doctrine that was filled by Thompson's counterinsurgency theory. Unfortunately, during the Vietnam era there was no figure comparable to MacArthur and thus capable of forcing the repudiation of the bankrupt new pseudo-strategy.
  In addition to the obvious military disadvantages of Sir Robert's strategy, there were also political disadvantages that contributed in their own way to ultimate defeat. These are summed up by Gregory Palmer in The McNamara Strategy: ''the official view, supported by the advice of Diem's British advisor, Sir Robert Thompson, was that the appropriate strategy was counterinsurgency with emphasis on depriving the enemy of the support of the population by resettlement, pacification, good administration, and propaganda. This had two awkward consequences for American policy: it contradicted the reason given for breaking the Geneva declaration, that the war was really aggression from the North, and, by closely associating the American government with the policies of the government of South Vietnam, it made Diem's actions directly answerable to the American electorate. [Palmer, pp. 99-100]
  For Thompson, the struggle against the Viet Cong was everything, while the North Vietnamese regulars were virtually irrelevant. But was Sir Robert just another bungler, just another in the long line of marplot Colonel Blimps that stretches from Lord Raglan and Lord Lucan at Balaklava and Haig on the Somme to Percival at Singapore and Montgomery at Arnhem? Not bloody likely. Thompson was a deliberate liar and saboteur, as can be seen from his Foreign Affairs piece highlighting the Viet Cong, which was written after the January, 1968 Tet offensive, when the Viet Cong main force units had been virtually obliterated. Thompson's role was that of a Secret Intelligence Service disinformation operative. The widows and orphans of Vietnam should not forget the evil Sir Robert.
  BibliographyDean Acheson, Present at the Creation (New York: Norton, 1969).
  James Barros, No Sense of Evil: Espionage, The Case of Herbert Norman (Canada: Deneau, 1986).
  Samuel Flagg Bemis, A Diplomatic History of the United States (New York: Holt, 1965).
  Genrikh Borovil, The Philby Files (Boston: Little, Brown, 1994) This book alleges that after defecting to Moscow Philby never talked about the Korean War!
  Anthony Cave Brown, Treason in the Blood (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994).
  Thomas H. Buckley, The United States and the Washington Conference, 1921-1922 (Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1970).
  James Cotton and Ian Neary (eds) The Korean War in History (Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey).
  Christopher Hall, Britain, America, and Arms Control, 1921-37 (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987).
  Sergei N. Goncharov, John W. Lewis, Xue Litai, Uncertain Partners: Stalin, Mao and the Korean War (Stanford University Press, 1993).
  Kenneth Harris, Attlee (London, 1982).
  Warren F. Kimball (ed), Roosevelt and Churchill: The Complete Correspondence 3 vols., (Princeton, 1984).
  War Plan Red can be consulted in Joint Board 325, Serial Number 435, National Archives, Washington DC.
  Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Reminiscences (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964).
  Callum McDonald, Britain and the Korean War (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1990).
  William Manchester, American Caesar (New York: Dell, 1983).
  Verne W. Newton, The Cambridge Spies: The Untold Story of Maclean, Philby and Burgess in America (Lanham, Md.: Madison Books, 1991).
  Chapman Pincher, Too Secret Too Long (New York: St. Martin's Press).
  Chapman Pincher, Traitors (New York: St, Martin's Press, 1988).
  Stephen Roskill, Naval Policy Between the Wars,especially vol. I: The Period of Anglo-American Antagonism (London: Collins, 1968).
  Charles Seymour, The Intimate Papers of Colonel House (New York, 1928).
  Harry G. Summers, On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War (New York: Dell, 1984).
  Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson, Make for the Hills: Memories of Far Eastern Wars (London: L. Cooper, 1989).
  Sir Robert Grainger Ker Thompson, No Exit from Vietnam (London: Chatto and Windus, 1969).
  Gerald E. Wheeler, Prelude to Pearl Harbor: The United States Navy and the Far East, 1921-1931 (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1963).
  John W. Wheeler-Bennett, Disarmament and Security Since Locarno (London: Allen and Unwin, 1932 and New York: Howard Fertig, 1973).
  Courtney Whitney, MacArthur: His Rendezvous with Destiny (New York: Knopf, 1956)
  Sir William Wiseman, ''The Attitude of the United States and President Wilson towards the Peace Conference,'' undated memorandum, Balfour Papers, British Museum.
Creating an ''Arc of Crisis'': The Destabilization of the Middle East and Central Asia | Global Research
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:13
  Introduction
  The recent attacks in Mumbai, while largely blamed on Pakistan's state-sponsored militant groups, represent the latest phase in a far more complex and long-term ''strategy of tension'' in the region; being employed by the Anglo-American-Israeli Axis to ultimately divide and conquer the Middle East and Central Asia. The aim is destabilization of the region, subversion and acquiescence of the region's countries, and control of its economies, all in the name of preserving the West's hegemony over the ''Arc of Crisis.''
  The attacks in India are not an isolated event, unrelated to growing tensions in the region. They are part of a processof unfolding chaos that threatens to engulf an entire region, stretching from the Horn of Africa to India: the ''Arc of Crisis,'' as it has been known in the past.
  The motives and modus operandi of the attackers must be examined and questioned, and before quickly asserting blame to Pakistan, it is necessary to step back and review:
  Who benefits? Who had the means? Who had to motive? In whose interest is it to destabilize the region? Ultimately, the roles of the United States, Israel and Great Britain must be submitted to closer scrutiny.
  The Mumbai Attacks: 11/26/08
  On November 26, 2008, a number of coordinated terrorist attacks occurred across India's main commercial city of Mumbai, which lasted until November 29. The attacks and three-day siege that ensued left hundreds dead, and roughly 295 others injured. Among the dead were a Briton, five Americans and six Israelis.[1]
  Asserting the Blame
  The 60-hour siege that engulfed Mumbai was reportedly undertaken by just ten, well-trained ''commando killers.'' Most blame has fallen on the heels of the group known as Lashkar-e-Taiba.[2]
  At first, a previously-unheard of organization, known as the Deccan Mujahideen, took responsibility for the terror attacks when it sent emails to several news outlets a mere six hours after the fighting began. However, much skepticism remained about whether the group actually even exists.[3]
  British intelligence then claimed that the attacks had the ''hallmarks'' of Al-Qaeda as it was undertaken in an effort to target westerners, similar to the 2002 Bali Bombings. British intelligence officials suggested the attacks were in ''retaliation'' for the recent US air attacks of suspected Al-Qaeda camps in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, and that India was chosen as the target because that is where Al-Qaeda has ''sufficient resources to carry out an attack.''[4]
  On November 28, India's foreign minister said the attackers were coordinated ''outside the country,'' in a veiled reference to Pakistan.[5] India's Prime Minister also blamed the attacks on militant groups based in Pakistan, which are supported by the Pakistani government.[6]
  Then, the focus was put directly on the group, the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant Pakistani-based organization responsible for past attacks in India. American intelligence early on pointed the finger at this group, as well as identifying the Pakistani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) as its supporter.[7]
  The Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT)
  It is important to identify what the LeT is and how it has operated historically. The group operates out of the disputed territories between India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir. It has close ties with the Pakistani ISI, and is largely known for its use of suicide attacks. However, aside from its links to the ISI, it is also closely allied with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The LeT is even referred to as the ''most visible manifestation'' of Al-Qaeda in India. It has branches across much of India, Pakistan, and in Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, South East Asia, and the United Kingdom. It primarily gets its funding from Pakistani businessmen, the ISI and Saudi Arabia. The LeT also took part in the Bosnian campaign against the Serbs in the 1990s.[8]
  All the above-mentioned connections make the LeT the most desirable outfit to blame for the Mumbai attacks, as its Al-Qaeda connections, international presence and historical precedents of terror attacks set it up as the perfect target. Much like with Al-Qaeda, the LeT's international scope could serve as a basis for taking a ''war against LeT'' to the steps of many countries, thus further serving the interests of the Anglo-American ''War on Terror.''
  Militant Islam and Western Intelligence '' The Case of Yugoslavia
  The LeT has not operated independently of Pakistani influence and finances. It's close relationship with the ISI must be viewed in context: the ISI has a close relationship with Western intelligence agencies, primarily those of Great Britain and the United States. The ISI has effectively acted as a conduit for Anglo-American intelligence operations in the region since the late 1970s, when the Afghan Mujahedeen were created in collusion with the CIA. Out of this collusion, lasting throughout the 1980s until the end of the Soviet-Afghan War in 1989, Al-Qaeda was created, as well as a series of other militant Islamic organizations.
  It is often stated that the CIA then discontinued its relationship with the ISI, and in turn, that the militant Islamic organizations broke off from their Western intelligence sponsors to declare war against the West. However, the facts do not support this. The ties remained, but the strategy changed. What changed was that in the early 1990s, the Cold War ended, and Russia no longer was the ''Evil Empire,'' and thus the excuse for an exacerbated defence budget and imperialist foreign policy receded. As George H.W. Bush declared, it was during this time that we would see the formation of the ''New World Order.'' And with that, there was a need for a new, elusive enemy, not in the form of a nation, but a seemingly invisible enemy, international in scale, thus taking the war to an international arena.
  So in the early 1990s, Western intelligence maintained its ties to these Islamic terrorist groups. Yugoslavia is a very important case to analyze in relation to current events. The break-up of Yugoslavia was a process undertaken by Anglo-American covert interests with the aim of serving their imperial ambitions in the region. In the early 1980s, the IMF set the stage in Yugoslavia with its Structural Adjustment Programs, which had the effect of creating an economic crisis, which in turn created a political crisis. This exacerbated ethnic rivalries, and in 1991, the CIA supported the Croat move for independence.
  In 1992, with the start of the Bosnian War, Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists began operating with the ethnic Bosnian Muslim minority in fighting the Serbs. In turn, these Al-Qaeda affiliated groups were supported with training, arming, and finances by German, Turkish, Iranian and US intelligence agencies; with additional financial support from Saudi Arabia. In 1997, the Kosovo War began, in which the militant-terrorist-drug trafficking Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began fighting against Serbia, with training, arms and financial support from the US and other NATO countries. The CIA, German intelligence, the DIA, MI6 and British Special Forces (SAS) all provided training and support to the KLA.
  Yugoslavia '' Before and After Balkanization
  The aim was in breaking up Yugoslavia, using ethnic rivalries as the trigger for regional conflict and ultimately war, leading to the dissolution of Yugoslavia into several countries, justifying a permanent US and NATO military presence in the region. [See: Breaking Yugoslavia, by Andrew G. Marshall, Geopolitical Monitor, July 21, 2008]
  The Lashkar-e Taiba's participation in the Bosnian War against Serbia would have in turn been financed and supported by these various Western intelligence agencies, thus serving the interests of Western Imperialist states; primarily those of Great Britain and the United States.
  The LeT and Western Intelligence
  The LeT has a sordid history of involvement with Western intelligence agencies, primarily those of Great Britain.
  With the London 7/7 bombings [July 7, 2005] in which three underground stations and a double-decker bus had bombs explode on them; many of the suspected terrorists had interesting connections to Pakistan. For example, one of the suspects, Shehzad Tanweer, had apparently ''attended a religious school run by the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)'' while in Pakistan. Due to the LeT's ties with Al-Qaeda, this allowed for the conclusion to be drawn that Al-Qaeda may have played a part in the London bombings, which were initially blamed on the international terrorist organization. The LeT also has close ties with the Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI),[9] an Indonesian terrorist organization, which was blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings, which also targeted tourists in Indonesia.
  The Bali Bombings
  Interesting to note, however, is that in the early 1990's, when the Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI) was officially formed into a terrorist organization, it developed close ties with Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. Further, the organizations founders and leaders played a significant role in recruiting Muslims to join the Afghan Mujahideen in the war against the Soviets during the 1980's, which was covertly directed and supported by US, British and various other Western intelligence agencies. The JI wouldn't exist ''without the CIA's dirty operations in Afghanistan.'' A former Indonesian President stated that one of JI's key individuals was also a spy for the Indonesian intelligence agency, and that Indonesian intelligence played a more central role in the Bali bombings than the JI itself.
  Bali Bombings
  The JI itself, had reportedly been infiltrated by the CIA, Israeli Mossad, and that ''the CIA and the Mossad, assisted by the Australian Special Action Police (SAP) and the M15 of England, are all working towards undermining Muslim organizations in an attempt to weaken the Muslims globally.'' Further, one of JI's key planners of the Bali bombings, Omar al-Faruq, was reportedly a CIA asset, and even senior Indonesian intelligence officials believed the CIA was behind the Bali bombings. The CIA subsequently ''guided'' Indonesia's investigation into the bombings, which found the JI, and the JI alone, responsible for the attacks. [See: Andrew G. Marshall, The Bali Bombings. Geopolitical Monitor, November 15, 2008]
  London 7/7
  Much of the focus of the London bombings of July 7, 2005 (7/7), was focused on the ''Pakistani connection.'' The suspected bombers had all visited Pakistan, and apparently developed contacts with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e Taiba. However, a less known and less publicized connection yields some very interesting information. The suspected mastermind of the London bombings, Haroon Rashid Aswat, had visited all the suspected bombers leading up to the attacks. Phone records revealed that there were ''around 20 calls between him and the 7/7 gang, leading right up to those attacks.'' Why is this significant? Because Haroon Rashid Aswat, apart from being an Al-Qaeda operative, also happened to be an MI6 agent, working for the British intelligence. Haroon also made his appearance on the scene of Islamic terrorism when he was in Kosovo in the 1990's, where he ''worked for British intelligence.''[10]
  The Liquid Bomb Plot
  Another event which brought to the forefront a ''Pakistani connection'' was the August 2006 London liquid bomb plot, in which terrorists supposedly were plotting to blow up nearly a dozen Atlantic airliners bound for major US cities.
  The Pakistani ISI apparently helped in ''uncovering'' the liquid bomb plot, aiding the British in their roundup of suspects, and ''tipped-off MI5.'' One of the Pakistani groups accused of some involvement in the liquid bomb plot was the Lashkar-e Taiba.[11]
  However, again, the suspected terrorists had been ''infiltrated'' and spied on by British intelligence for over a year. Further, the supposed ringleader of the bomb plot, Rashid Rauf, a dual British-Pakistani citizen, was pinpointed as the ringleader by both British and Pakistani intelligence, and was the link between the plot and Al-Qaeda. Rauf also has close ties with the ISI, and apparently had the plot approved by Al-Qaeda's number two in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who formerly worked for the CIA during the Soviet-Afghan war. The ISI had arrested Rashid Rauf following the ''exposure'' of the liquid bomb plot, yet, in 2006, the charges against him were dropped, and in 2007, he amazingly escaped Pakistani custody, having ''managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards.'' [See: Andrew G. Marshall, Liquid Bomb Plot. Geopolitical Monitor: October 27, 2008]
  Clearly, if the LeT is discovered to be responsible for the Mumbai attacks, its connections to Western intelligence agencies should be more closely examined and subject to investigation. The ISI, throughout its history, has not been the key player in supporting various terrorist organizations, rather, it can be more accurately described as a conduit for Western intelligence agencies to covertly fund and support terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Central Asia.
  Terrorizing India
  We must examine the current attacks with a backdrop of reviewing recent terror attacks in India.
  1993 Bombay Bombings
  March 12, 1993, Bombay (today, Mumbai) experienced a coordinated attack of 13 explosions, which killed over 250 people. A man with close connections to Osama bin laden and Al-Qaeda, Dawood Ibrahim, was believed to have been the mastermind of the attacks. He has also financed several operations of the Lashkar-e Taiba, and was believed to be hiding out in Pakistan, and receiving protection and support from the Pakistani ISI, which in 2007, reportedly arrested him. [See: Andrew G. Marshall, Political Destabilization in South and Central Asia: The Role of the CIA-ISI Terror Network. Global Research: September 17, 2008]
  Mumbai Bombings, July 11, 2006: 7/11
  Over 200 people were killed in Mumbai when seven bombs exploded within 11 minutes of one another on several trains. Blame for the attacks was placed with the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), both of which have close ties with the ISI. The ISI was subsequently blamed for organizing the attacks, which were then carried out by the LeT and SIMI. The bombings led to the postponement of India-Pakistan peace talks, which were set to take place the next week. [Ibid]
  Indian Embassy Bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan: July 7, 2008
  On July 7, 2008, a bomb exploded at the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing over 50 people, and injuring over 100 others. The Afghan government and the Indian intelligence agency immediately blamed the ISI, in collaboration with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, of planning and executing the attack. Reports on the bombing suggested that the aim was to ''increase the distrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan and undermine Pakistan's relations with India, despite recent signs that a peace process between Islamabad and New Delhi was making some headway.''
  Indian Embassy in Kabul
  In early August, American intelligence agencies supported the claim that members of the ISI helped plan the attack, which they based upon ''intercepted communications,'' and that, ''American officials said that the communications were intercepted before the July 7 bombing, and that the C.I.A. emissary, Stephen R. Kappes, the agency's deputy director, had been ordered to Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, even before the attack.'' Interestingly, ''a top Central Intelligence Agency official traveled to Pakistan [in August] to confront senior Pakistani officials with information about support provided by members of the ISI to militant groups.'' However, the CIA knows of these connections, as it has actively supported and financed these covert ISI connections with terrorist organizations. So, what was the real purpose of this top CIA official's visit to Pakistan?
  Days after the CIA released this information to the New York Times, the US accused Pakistan of undermining NATO's efforts in Afghanistan by supporting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and further, ''Mike Mc-Connell, the director of national intelligence, and [CIA director] Hayden asked Musharraf to allow the CIA greater freedom to operate in the tribal areas,'' and was threatened with ''retaliation'' if he did not comply. [See: Andrew G. Marshall, Political Destabilization in South and Central Asia: The Role of the CIA-ISI Terror Network. Global Research: September 17, 2008]
  The ISI and the CIA
  Again, if the ISI is to be blamed for the recent Mumbai attacks, as it has played a part in several attacks and support of terrorism throughout its history, it is important to identify its relationship with the CIA.
  The CIA developed close ties with the ISI in the late 1970s, as the CIA used the ISI as a ''go-between'' for CIA support of the Afghan Mujahideen. This relationship was also pivotal in supporting the Afghan narcotics trade, which again is rampant. The relationship between the two agencies continued throughout the 1990s, in areas such as Chechnya, Yugoslavia and India. [See: Michel Chossudovsky, Al Qaeda and the "War on Terrorism". Global Research: January 20, 2008]
  A week prior to the 9/11 attacks, the head of Pakistan's ISI was on a visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with several key policy figures, such as Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage; Senator Joseph Biden, who is going to be Obama's Vice President; and with his counterparts in the CIA and Pentagon, and several other officials. He was in Washington right up to and after the 9/11 attacks, and was engaged in several key consultations with US officials, pledging support for the US War on Terror instantly. However, the very same Chief of the ISI also happened to have previously approved of wiring $100,000 to the lead 9/11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, which was also confirmed by the FBI. Thus, the ISI suddenly became a financier of the 9/11 attacks. Yet, no action was taken against the ISI or Pakistan, apart from the ISI Chief being fired upon this revelation making it into the media.
  ISI Chief Lt.-General Mahmoud Ahmad
  Of significance is that this ISI Chief, Lt.-General Mahmoud Ahmad, was approved as head of the ISI by the US in 1999. From then, he was in close contact and liaison with top officials of the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Pentagon. [See: Michel Chossudovsky, Cover-up or Complicity of the Bush Administration? Global Research: November 2, 2001]
  Collaboration between the ISI and CIA did not end with these disturbing revelations. In 2007, it was reported that the CIA was arming and funding a terrorist organization named Jundullah, based in Pakistan's tribal areas, with the goal of ''sowing chaos'' in Iran. Jundullah not only is funded and armed by the CIA, but has extensive ties to Al-Qaeda, and the ISI, as the CIA's financial support for the group is funneled through the ISI, so as to make it more difficult to establish a link between the CIA and the terrorist outfit. [See: Andrew G. Marshall, Political Destabilization in South and Central Asia, op cit ]
  As Michel Chossudovsky pointed out in his article, India's 9/11, ''In September, Washington pressured Islamabad, using the ''war on terrorism'' as a pretext to fire the ISI chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj,'' and Pakistani ''President Asif Ali Zardari had meetings in New York in late September with CIA Director Michael Hayden.'' Following these meetings, ''a new US approved ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha was appointed by the Chief of the Army, General Kayani, on behalf of Washington.''
  Anglo-American-Israeli Intelligence and India
  In mid-October, American intelligence agencies warned Indian intelligence warned India about an attack ''from the sea against hotels and business centers in Mumbai.'' Even the Taj Hotel, which became the key area of fighting, was listed as a specific target.[12] In late November, ''India's intelligence services had delivered at least three precise warnings that a major terrorist attack on Mumbai was imminent.''[13]
  Immediately following the attacks, it was reported that, ''Unprecedented intelligence cooperation involving investigating agencies and spy outfits of India, United States, United Kingdom and Israel has got underway to crack the method and motive behind the Mumbai terrorist massacre, now widely blamed on Islamist radicals who appeared to have all four countries on their hit list when they arrived on the shores of India.'' Specifically, ''Investigators, forensic analysts, counter-terrorism experts and spymasters from agencies the four countries are converging in New Delhi and Mumbai to put their heads, resources, and skills together to understand the evolving nature of the beast.''
  Further, ''Washington suggested sending US Special Forces for on-the-ground operations in Mumbai but New Delhi declined the offer, saying its own forces could take care of the situation.'' This unprecedented intelligence cooperation was based upon the understanding that, ''the manner in which the terrorists who attacked Mumbai are reported to have singled out Americans and Britons, besides pointedly occupying a Jewish center, has revealed that their agenda was wider than just domestic discontent or the Kashmir issue.''[14]
  Shortly after the attacks began, it was reported that FBI agents were quickly flown to Mumbai to help in investigating the Mumbai attacks.[15] Israel also offered to send in its ''crack commandos to Mumbai to rescue Israeli hostages held in a Jewish centre,'' which was refused by India, which led to Israeli media criticizing India's response to the attacks as ''slow, confused and inefficient.''[16]
  The Terrorists
  Hours after the attacks began on November 26, it was reported that two terrorists were killed and two others were arrested.[17] Later on, reports surfaced in which Indian police had killed four of the Mumbai terrorists and arrested nine of them.[18] The international media was full of this reported capture of nine terrorists.
  Interestingly, by November 29, the story had changed. All of a sudden, Mumbai cops had only ''nabbed'' one terrorist. This person has effectively become the nail-in-the-coffin for laying the blame at Pakistan's door. As soon as this person was caught, he began to sing like a canary, and said that, ''all [the] terrorists were trained in marine warfare along with the special course Daura-e-Shifa conducted by the Lashkar-e-Taiba in what at once transforms the nature of the planning from a routine terror strike and into a specialized raid by commandos.'' He also stated that the terrorists ''were made to believe by their Lashkar bosses that they were not being sent on a suicide mission and that they would be coming back alive.'' He also revealed the names of his fellow terrorists, all of them Pakistani citizens.[19]
  Along the same lines, another very interesting mystery of the Mumbai massacre is the early reports of British involvement. Shortly following the outbreak of violence, Indian authorities stated that, ''Seven of the Mumbai terrorists were British Pakistanis,'' and that, ''two Brits had been arrested and another five suspects were from the UK.'' Further, Blackberry phones found on the suspects contained ''a lot of content'' connecting them with the UK.[20] The Chief Minister of Mumbai had early on reported that, ''two British-born Pakistanis were among eight gunmen seized by Indian commandos who stormed buildings to free hostages.''[21]
  On December 1, the Daily Mail reported that, ''As many as seven of the terrorists may have British connections and some could be from Leeds and Bradford where London's July 7 bombers lived.'' As a result of these revelations, Scotland Yard anti-terrorist detectives were sent to Mumbai ''to assist in the investigation.'' There was also speculation that one particular British Al-Qaeda suspect may have helped plan the assault, and just happened to be killed a week earlier in Pakistan by the CIA. That person was Rashid Rauf.[22] This is the same Rashid Rauf who was at first declared the mastermind of the London liquid bomb plot, who had close ties with the ISI and Al-Qaeda, who was subsequently arrested by the ISI, and then miraculously ''escaped'' from Pakistani custody. Barely a week before the Mumbai Massacre, Rauf was reportedly killed by a CIA drone attack on a militant Islamic base in Pakistan's tribal region.
  Early on, there was an incident in which a taxicab was blown up in Mumbai, with the driver and passenger killed. The taxi started moving through a red light when the car bomb exploded, which ended up saving the lives of ''hundreds,'' as opposed to if the car had moved when the light was green and intersection was full. This ensured that the only ones who died were those in the taxi.[23] This sparked an investigation into whether the driver ''was aware that his car was loaded with explosives.''[24]
  Why is this significant? Because this closely resembles tactics used in Iraq since the Anglo-American occupation of the country, employed by both US and British intelligence and special forces in an effort to sow chaos and create civil strife and war. [See: Andrew G. Marshall, State-Sponsored Terror: British and American Black Ops in Iraq. Global Research, June 25, 2008]
  Means, Modus Operandi and Motive
  Means
  While the possibility that Pakistan and the ISI (or Lashkar-e Taiba) are responsible for the Mumbai attacks should be taken into consideration, given precedence and means, we must allow ourselves to contemplate other possibilities.
  While India and the west are placing the blame for the attacks on Pakistan's ISI and the Lashkar-e Taiba, the Pakistani press is reporting on another possibility.
  On November 29, the Pakistan Daily reported that, with a stiff side of anti-Israel rhetoric, that the Mumbai attack would be used ''as justification for a US invasion of Pakistan.'' It reported that the Israeli Mossad ''has mobilized since 2000 in the Jammu and Kashmir areas of India, where the Indian government has been pursuing a 'security' issue with regard to the Kashmiri people.'' It quoted a Times of India article that reported, ''Israeli counter-terrorism experts are now touring Jammu and Kashmir and several other states in India at the invitation of Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani to make an assessment of New Delhi's security needs. The Israeli team, headed by Eli Katzir of the Israel Counter-Terrorism Combat Unit, includes Israeli military intelligence officials and a senior police official.'' There was also a reported agreement on ''closer India-Israeli cooperation on all security matters.''[25]
  Modus Operandi
  Shortly after the start of the attacks in Mumbai, a Russia counter-terrorism presidential envoy stated that, ''The terrorists in the Indian city of Mumbai, who killed more than 150 people and injured over 300, used the same tactics that Chechen field militants employed in the Northern Caucasus.'' He elaborated, ''These tactics were used during raids by militant Chechen field commanders Shamil Basayev and Salman Raduyev against the towns of Buddyonnovsk and Pervomaiskoye. For the first time in history the entire towns were terrorized, with homes and hospitals seized. The Mumbai terrorists have learned these tactics well.''[26]
  Shamil Basayev, one of the Chechen rebel leaders, as well as many of the other Chechen leaders, were trained by the CIA and ISI in Afghanistan, in CIA-run training camps during the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s.[27]
  Motive
  On December 2, former ISI Chief Hameed Gul, said that the ''Mumbai incident is an international based conspiracy to deprive Pakistan of its atomic power. Talking to a private TV channel on Friday, he said that to involve Pakistan in the incident reflected that some forces wanted to declare Pakistan a fail[ed] state as somehow it had become necessary to make Pakistan kneel down in order to snatch its atomic power away.'' He elaborated that the method of attacks, and how the militants executed them, ''seemed impossible without internal support.'' He continued in stating that the ''US wanted to see [the] Indian army in Afghanistan to disintegrate the country,'' and referred to recent US maps showing a divided Pakistan in four parts, and that making Pakistan ''kneel down'' before the IMF was ''part of a pre-planned trick.''[28]
  As astonishing and outlandish as these claims may seem, the US has a long history of turning on its allies when they seek to become self-sufficient and developed, such as with Saddam Hussein and Iraq in the early 1990s. Also, it is vital to note the role of the IMF and World Bank in creating economic crises, and thus, political-social-ethnic instability, which invariably has led to all out ethnic war, genocides and ''international interventions,'' in countries such as Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
  The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) often create the conditions for political instability, while covert Western intelligence support to disaffected and radical groups creates the means for rebellion; which then becomes the excuse for foreign military intervention; which then secures an imperial military presence in the region, thus gaining control over the particular region's resources and strategic position. This is the age-old conquest of empire: divide and conquer.
  Interesting to note is that in 2008, ''Pakistan was again seeking IMF help. On Nov. 25, it won final approval on a $7.6 billion loan package after foreign reserves shrank 74 percent to $3.5 billion in the 12 months ended on Nov. 8.''[29] This loan was approved a day before the Mumbai attacks began. On December 4, it was reported that, ''Tough conditions of International Monetary Fund (IMF) have now started surfacing as IMF and the Government of Pakistan (GoP) agreed to discontinue oil import support, eliminate power subsidies and budgetary support of the government, public and private entities. IMF and GoP have agreed to phase out the State Bank of Pakistan's (SBPs) provision of foreign exchange for oil imports.'' On top of this, ''further steps will be taken during the remainder of the fiscal year to strengthen tax enforcement. Moreover, fuel prices will continue to be adjusted to pass through changes in international prices.'' Further, ''The programme envisages a significant tightening of monetary policy.''[30]
  The results of these conditionalities are predictable: Pakistan will lose all subsidies; fuel prices will drastically rise, as will food and other necessary commodity prices. At the same time, a tightening of monetary policy and World Bank/IMF control over Pakistan's central bank will prevent Pakistan from taking measures to curb inflation, and the cost of living will skyrocket as the currency value plummets. All this is going on while taxes are increased and expanded greatly, and public jobs such as bureaucratic positions, education, etc., are downsized or altogether disbanded. Money will likely continue to flow to the ISI and Army, which will create discontent among Pakistan's deprived and disillusioned. A military coup would be likely, followed by rebellion en masse, which would in turn pit the various ethnicities against one another. This could lead to either a war against India, ultimately ending with a consolidated national security state to act as a conduit for Anglo-American imperial ambitions, such as in Rwanda; or, it could result in ethnic conflict and wars, ultimately ending up in the break-up of Pakistan into smaller states divided among ethnic lines, such as in Yugoslavia. Or, it could end with a combination of the two, a divided, warring, region engulfed in crisis.
  The break up of Pakistan is not a far-fetched idea in terms of Anglo-American strategy. In fact, the plan for the destabilization and ultimately, balkanization of Pakistan has originated in Anglo-American-Israeli military strategic circles. As I previously documented in Divide and Conquer: The Anglo-American Imperial Project [Global Research, July 10, 2008], the destabilization and balkanization of the near-entire Middle East and Central Asia has been a long-held strategy for the Anglo-America-Israeli Axis since the late 1970s and early 1980s.
  Divide and Conquer
  This concept evolved in strategic planning circles in the late 1970s in response to regional nationalist tendencies in the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as a perceived threat of growing Soviet influence in the region. The central aim of these strategic thinkers was to secure Middle Eastern oil and Central Asian gas reserves and pipeline routes under the control of the Anglo-Americans. Control over these vital energy reserves is a strategic as much as economic concern, as most of the world gets its energy from this area; so those who control the energy, control who gets it, and thus, control much of the world. The economic benefits of Anglo-Americans controlling the regions energy reserves cannot be analyzed separately from strategic interests, as they are one and the same. Anglo-American oil companies gain control of the oil and gas, while the British and American governments install puppet regimes to look after their interests; and to act as proxies in creating conflicts and wars with countries of the region who act in their own national interest, as opposed to acting under the guidance of and submission to the Anglo-Americans.
  Arc of Crisis
  After the 1973 oil shocks, which were, in fact, promoted and covertly orchestrated by Anglo-American banking and oil interests, the oil producing nations grew very wealthy, such as Iran. As well as this, countries like Afghanistan were becoming increasingly leftist and progressive. Fearing possible alliances developing between Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries with the Soviet Union, as well as the even greater threat of these countries becoming truly independent, taking control of their own resources for the good of their own people; Anglo-American strategists turned to what is called the ''Arc of Crisis.''
  The ''Arc of Crisis'' describes the ''nations that stretch across the southern flank of the Soviet Union from the Indian subcontinent to Turkey, and southward through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa.'' Further, the ''center of gravity of this arc is Iran.'' In 1978, Zbigniew Brzezinski gave a speech in which he stated, ''An arc of crisis stretches along the shores of the Indian Ocean, with fragile social and political structures in a region of vital importance to us threatened with fragmentation. The resulting political chaos could well be filled by elements hostile to our values and sympathetic to our adversaries.''[36]
  Anglo-American strategy in the region thus developed and changed at this time, as ''There was this idea that the Islamic forces could be used against the Soviet Union. The theory was, there was an arc of crisis, and so an arc of Islam could be mobilized to contain the Soviets. It was a Brzezinski concept.''[37] Bilderberg member, Bernard Lewis, presented a British-American strategy to the Bilderberg Group during the 1979 meeting, which, ''endorsed the radical Muslim Brotherhood movement behind Khomeini, in order to promote balkanization of the entire Muslim Near East along tribal and religious lines. Lewis argued that the West should encourage autonomous groups such as the Kurds, Armenians, Lebanese Maronites, Ethiopian Copts, Azerbaijani Turks, and so forth. The chaos would spread in what he termed an 'Arc of Crisis,' which would spill over into the Muslim regions of the Soviet Union.''[38] Since the Soviet Union was viewed as a secular and atheist regime, having oppressed religion within its sphere of influence, the rise of radical Islamic influence and governments in the Middle East and Central Asia would ensure that Soviet influence would not enter into the region, as radical Muslims would view the Soviets with more distrust than the Americans. The Anglo-Americans positioned themselves as the lesser of two evils.
  Bernard Lewis was a former British intelligence officer and historian who is infamous for explaining Arab discontent towards the West as not being rooted in a reaction toward imperialism, but rather that it is rooted in Islam; in that Islam is incompatible with the West, and that they are destined to clash, using the term, ''Clash of Civilizations.'' For decades, ''Lewis played a critical role as professor, mentor, and guru to two generations of Orientalists, academics, U.S. and British intelligence specialists, think tank denizens, and assorted neoconservatives.'' In the 1980s, Lewis ''was hobnobbing with top Department of Defense officials.''[39] Lewis wrote a 1992 article in Foreign Affairs, the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations, titled, ''Rethinking the Middle East.'' In this article, Lewis raised the prospect of another policy towards the Middle East in the wake of the end of the Cold War and beginnings of the New World Order, ''which could even be precipitated by fundamentalism, is what has of late become fashionable to call 'Lebanonization.' Most of the states of the Middle East '' Egypt is an obvious exception '' are of recent and artificial construction and are vulnerable to such a proc ess. If the central power is sufficiently weakened, there is no real civil society to hold the polity together, no real sense of common national identity or overriding allegiance to the nation-state. The state then disintegrates '' as happened in Lebanon '' into a chaos of squabbling, feuding, fighting sects, tribes, regions and parties.''[40]Bernard Lewis' Redrawn Map of the ''Arc of Crisis''
  A Foreign Affairs article of 1979, the journal put out by the powerful Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), discussed the Arc of Crisis: ''The Middle East constitutes its central core. Its strategic position is unequalled: it is the last major region of the Free World directly adjacent to the Soviet Union, it holds in its subsoil about three-fourths of the proven and estimated world oil reserves, and it is the locus of one of the most intractable conflicts of the twentieth century: that of Zionism versus Arab nationalism.'' It explained that US strategy in the region was focused with ''containment'' of the Soviet Union as well as access to the regions oil. [41]
  It was in this context that in 1979, as Zbigniew Brzezinski later admitted, ''According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahadeen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, 24 Dec 1979. But the reality, secretly guarded until now, is completely otherwise Indeed, it was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.'' He claimed that, ''We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would.'' What a perfect example of what George Orwell would call ''double-speak,'' saying that the Americans ''didn't push the Russians to intervene'' but rather, ''increased the probability that they would.'' In other words, they ''pushed'' them to intervene.[42]
  This is when the Mujahideen were created, and through this, Al-Qaeda, and a variety of other radical Islamic groups which have come to plague global geopolitics since this era. Terrorism cannot be viewed, as it often is, in such a simple manner as ''non-state actors'' reacting to geopolitics of nations and corporations. In fact, many terrorist groups, particularly the largest, most well organized, extremist and violent ones, are ''proxy state actors,'' receiving covert support '' through arms and training '' by various state intelligence agencies. They are not simply ''reacting'' to geopolitics, but are important players in the geopolitical chessboard. They represent the perfect excuse for foreign militaristic adventurism and war; domestic tyranny in the form of developing police states to control populations, stifle dissent and create a totalitarian base of control.
  As the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in September of 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, ''The map of terrorist sanctuaries and targets in the Middle East and Central Asia is also, to an extraordinary degree, a map of the world's principal energy sources in the 21st century. The defense of these energy resources '-- rather than a simple confrontation between Islam and the West '-- will be the primary flash point of global conflict for decades to come.'' Further, it stated: ''It is inevitable that the war against terrorism will be seen by many as a war on behalf of America's Chevron, ExxonMobil and Arco; France's TotalFinaElf; British Petroleum; Royal Dutch Shell and other multinational giants, which have hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in the region.''[43] Indeed, where Al-Qaeda is present, the US military follows, and behind the military, the oil companies wait and push; and behind the oil companies, the banks cash in.
  Balkanizing the Middle East
  In 1982, Oded Yinon, an Israeli journalist wrote a report for a publication of the World Zionist Organization in which he advocated, ''The dissolution of Syria and Iraq into ethnically or religiously unique areas such as in Lebanon [which] is Israel's primary target on the Eastern front. Iraq, rich in oil on the one hand and internally torn on the other is guaranteed as a candidate for Israel's targets. Its dissolution is even more important for us than that of Syria. Iraq is stronger than Syria. In the short run, it is Iraqi power which constitutes the greatest threat to Israel.''
  In 1996, an Israeli think tank with many prominent American neo-conservatives, issued a report in which they advocated for Israel to ''Work closely with Turkey and Jordan to contain, destabilize, and roll-back some of its most dangerous threats,'' among them, to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
  In 2000, the Project for the New American Century, an American neo-conservative think tank, published a report called Rebuilding America's Defenses, in which they openly advocated for an American empire in the Middle East, focusing on removing the ''threats'' of Iraq and Iran.
  Shortly after the US invasion of Iraq, prominent members of the Council on Foreign Relations had begun advocating the break-up of Iraq into at least three smaller states, using Yugoslavia as an example of how to achieve this.
  In 2006, the Armed Force Journal published an article by retired Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Peters, which called for the redrawing of the borders of the Middle East. He first advocated the breakup of Iraq, and that, ''Saudi Arabia would suffer as great a dismantling as Pakistan,'' and that, ''Iran, a state with madcap boundaries, would lose a great deal of territory to Unified Azerbaijan, Free Kurdistan, the Arab Shia State and Free Baluchistan, but would gain the provinces around Herat in today's Afghanistan.''
  Describing Pakistan as ''an unnatural state,'' he said, ''Pakistan's Northwest Frontier tribes would be reunited with their Afghan brethren,'' and that it ''would also lose its Baluch territory to Free Baluchistan. The remaining ''natural'' Pakistan would lie entirely east of the Indus, except for a westward spur near Karachi.'' He even made up a helpful little list of ''losers'' and ''winners'' in this new great game: as in, who gains territory, and who loses territory. Among the losers are Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Pakistan. And Peters made the startling statement that redrawing borders is often only achieved through war and violence, and that ''one other dirty little secret from 5,000 years of history: Ethnic cleansing works.''
  [See: Andrew G. Marshall, Divide and Conquer: The Anglo-American Imperial Project. Global Research, July 10, 2008]
  Ralph Peters' Map of a Redrawn Middle East '' Note similarity to Bernard Lewis' Map of a Redrawn Middle East
  Conclusion
  Ultimately, the aims of the Mumbai attacks are to target Pakistan for balkanization. The question of who is responsible '' either the ISI, largely rogue of Pakistan's civilian government and under the authority of Anglo-American intelligence; or separate Indian terrorists, likely supported by the same Anglo-American intelligence community '' while important, is ultimately a secondary consideration in comparison to the question of Why?
  The Who, What, Where, and When is a show for public consumption; masked in confusion and half-truths, designed to confuse and ultimately frustrate the observer '' creating a sense of unease and fear of the unknown. The WHY, on the other hand, is the most important question; once you discover the why, the who, where, what, and when begin to fall into place, and create a full picture.
  If the Mumbai attacks were designed to be blamed on Pakistan '' as they likely were '' and thus, to possibly start a war between Pakistan and India '' which is now a growing reality '' what is the ultimate significance of knowing if it was the ISI or Indian elements responsible? Albeit, this is important to know, however, when it comes to understanding the motives behind the attacks, it pales in comparison.
  Pakistan is a strategic lynch-point in the region. Pakistan borders Iran, Afghanistan, India and China. It lies directly below the Central Asian republics of the Former Soviet Union, which are rich in natural gas resources. With NATO's war in Afghanistan, and the Anglo-Americans in Iraq, and American forces in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the occupation of Pakistan would position Western imperial militaries around Iran, the central Middle Eastern target. With the balkanization of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, destabilizing forces would cross the borders into Iran, ultimately creating the conditions for political and social collapse within the country.
  A conflict between Pakistan and India would not only have the effect of dismantling Pakistan, but would also greatly deter India's rapid economic and social development as the world's largest democracy, and would force it to come under the influence or ''protection'' of Western military might and International Financial Institutions. The same is likely for China, as destabilization would cross Pakistan's borders into the most populated country on earth, exacerbating ethnic differences and social disparities.
  A large Anglo-American military presence in Pakistan, or, alternatively, a NATO or UN force, combined with the already present NATO force in Afghanistan, would be a massive military strategic position against advancement of China, Russia or India into the region. With China's massively increasing influence in Africa threatening Anglo-American and European domination of the continent, a massive military presence on the border of China could act as a powerful warning.
  The Mumbai attacks do not aid India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or any nation within the region. The beneficiaries of the Mumbai Massacre are in London and New York, in the boardrooms and shareholders of the largest international banks; which seek total control of the world. Having dominated North America and Europe for much of recent history, these bankers, primarily Anglo-American, but also European, seek to exert their total control over the world's resources, currencies, and populations. There are many concurrent strategies they are employing to achieve this end: among them, the global financial crisis, to reign in and control the world economy; and a ''total war'' in the Middle East, likely escalating into a World War with Russia and China, is the perfect tool to strike enough fear into the world population to accept an over-arching supranational governance structure '' to ensure no future wars occur, to ensure stability of the global economy '' a utopian vision of a single world order.
  The problem with utopias is that they are ''ultimate ideals,'' and if humanity has learned anything in its history on this planet; it is that perfection is impossible, be it in the form of an ''ideal person'' or an ''ideal government;'' humanity is plagued by imperfections and emotion. Accepting our imperfections as a species is what can make us great, and understanding that a utopian ideal is impossible to achieve is what can allow us to create the ''best possible'' society we can have. All utopias attempted throughout history have always turned into dystopias. We must learn from humanity's history of sordid flaws; and only when we accept that we are not perfect, and cannot ever become perfect, in person or in politics, are we free to become humanity at it's most advanced and at its most noble.
  Notes
  [1] Damien McElroy and Rahul Bedi, Mumbai attacks: 300 feared dead as full horror of the terrorist attacks emerges. The Telegraph: November 30, 2008: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3536220/Mumbai-siege-300-feared-dead-as-full-horror-of-the-terrorist-attacks-emerges.html
  [2] Andrew Buncombe and Jonathan Owen, Just ten trained terrorists caused carnage. The Independent: November 30, 2008: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/just-ten-trained-terrorists-caused-carnage-1041639.html
  [3] Maseeh Rahman, Mumbai terror attacks: Who could be behind them? The Guardian: November 27, 2008: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/27/mumbai-terror-attacks-india8
  [4] Hasan Suroor, U.K. intelligence suspects Al-Qaeda hand. The Hindu: November 28, 2008: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112860481700.htm
  [5] Press TV, India links Mumbai attackers to Pakistan. Press TV: November 28, 2008: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=76797&sectionid=351020402
  [6] Agencies, India blames Pakistan for Mumbai attacks. Gulf News: November 28, 2008:http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10263289.html
  [7] Mark Mazzetti, U.S. Intelligence Focuses on Pakistani Group. The New York Times: November 28, 2008:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/world/asia/29intel.html?_r=3&em
  [8] SATP, Lashkar-e-Toiba: 'Army of the Pure'. South Asia Terrorism Portal: 2001:
  http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar_e_toiba.htm
  [9] Gethin Chamberlain, Attacker 'was recruited' at terror group's religious school. The Scotsman: July 14, 2005: http://news.scotsman.com/londonbombings/Attacker-was-recruited-at-terror.2642907.jp
  [10] Michel Chossudovsky, London 7/7 Terror Suspect Linked to British Intelligence? Global Research: August 1, 2005: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=782
  [11] Michel Chossudovsky, The Foiled UK Terror Plot and the ''Pakistani Connection''. Global Research: August 14, 2006: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=2960
  [12] Richard Esposito, et. al., US Warned India in October of Potential Terror Attack. ABC News: December 1, 2008: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6368013&page=1
  [13] Praveen Swami, Pointed intelligence warnings preceded attacks. The Hindu: November 30, 2008: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/30/stories/2008113055981500.htm
  [14] Chidanand Rajghatta, US, UK, Israel ramp up intelligence aid to India. The Times of India: November 28, 2008: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/India_gets_intelligence_aid_from_US_UK/articleshow/3770950.cms
  [15] Foster Klug and Lara Jakes Jordan, US sends FBI agents to India to investigate attack. AP: November 30, 2008: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gsTS09Q-pwO8Q0F_68FHwrmhCJOgD94OA5A80
  [16] IANS, Israeli daily critical of India's 'slow' response to terror strike. Thaindian News: November 28, 2008:http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/israeli-daily-critical-of-indias-slow-response-to-terror-strike_100124946.html
  [17] IANS, Two terrorists killed, two arrested in Mumbai. Thaindian News: November 27, 2008: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/two-terrorists-killed-two-arrested-in-mumbai_100124003.html
  [18] Agencies, Four terrorists killed, nine arrested. Express India: November 27, 2008: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Four-terrorists-killed-nine-arrested/391103/
  [19] ToI, Arrested terrorist says gang hoped to get away. The Times of India: November 29, 2008: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Arrested_terrorist_says_gang_hoped_to_get_away/articleshow/3771598.cms
  [20] Mark Jefferies, Mumbai attacks: Seven terrorists were British, claims Indian government. Daily Record: November 29, 2008: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2008/11/29/mumbai-attacks-seven-terrorists-were-british-claims-indian-government-86908-20932992/
  [21] Jon Swaine, Mumbai attack: 'British men among terrorists'. The Telegraph: November 28, 2008: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3533472/Mumbai-attack-British-men-among-terrorists.html
  [22] Justin Davenport, et. al., Massacre in Mumbai: Up to SEVEN gunmen were British and 'came from same area as 7/7 bombers'. The Daily Mail: December 1, 2008: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1089711/Massacre-Mumbai-Up-SEVEN-gunmen-British-came-area-7-7-bombers.html
  [23] Debasish Panigrahi, Taxi with bomb jumped signal, saving many lives. The Hindustan Times: November 28, 2008: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/FullcoverageStoryPage.aspx?id=505311b6-974c-4d7b-87bb-8b5e29333299Mumbaiunderattack_Special&&Headline=Taxi+with+bomb+jumped+signal%2c+saving+many+lives
  [24] Vijay V Singh, Was taxi driver aware of bomb in car? The Times of India: November 29, 2008: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Was_taxi_driver_aware_of_bomb_in_car/articleshow/3770989.cms
  [25] PD, The Israeli Mossad False Flag Opperation Strikes In Mumbai. Pakistan Daily: November 29, 2008:http://www.daily.pk/world/asia/8383-the-israeli-mossad-false-flag-opperation-strikes-in-mumbai.html
  [26] RT, Mumbai terrorists used Chechen tactics. Russia Today: November 29, 2008: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/33921
  [27] Michel Chossudovsky, Who Is Osama Bin Laden? Global Research: September 12, 2001: http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html
  [28] PD, Former ISI Chief Mumbai incident international conspiracy to deprive Pakistan of atomic power. Pakistan Daily: December 2, 2008:http://www.daily.pk/local/other-local/8426-former-isi-chief-mumbai-incident-international-conspiracy-to-deprive-pakistan-of-atomic-power.html
  [29] Yoolim Lee and Naween A. Mangi, Pakistan's Richest Man Defies Terrorism to Expand Bank Empire. Bloomberg: December 3, 2008:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aI3f99JIujV4&refer=home
  [30] Sajid Chaudhry, Inevitable conditionalities of IMF start surfacing. The Daily Times: December 4, 2008:http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\04\story_4-12-2008_pg5_1
  [31] Patricia Goldstone, Aaronsohn's Maps: The Untold Story of the Man who Might Have Created Peace in the Middle East. Harcourt Trade, 2007: pages 21-22
  [32] Patricia Goldstone, Aaronsohn's Maps: The Untold Story of the Man who Might Have Created Peace in the Middle East. Harcourt Trade, 2007: page 22
  [33] Niall Ferguson, Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power. Perseus, 2002: pages 193-194
  [34] Herbert R. Lottman, Return of the Rothschilds: The Great Banking Dynasty Through Two Turbulent Centuries. I.B. Tauris, 1995: page 81
  [35] Patricia Goldstone, Aaronsohn's Maps: The Untold Story of the Man who Might Have Created Peace in the Middle East. Harcourt Trade, 2007: pages 22-23
  [36] HP-Time, The Crescent of Crisis. Time Magazine: January 15, 1979:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919995-1,00.html
  [37] Peter Dale Scott, The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America. University of California Press: 2007: page 67
  [38] F. William Engdahl, A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order. London: Pluto Press, 2004: page 171
  [39] Robert Dreyfuss, Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam. Owl Books, 2005: page 332-333
  [40] Bernard Lewis, Rethinking the Middle East. Foreign Affairs, Fall 1992: pages 116-117
  [41] George Lenczowski, The Arc of Crisis: It's Central Sector. Foreign Affairs: Summer, 1979: page 796
  [42] Le Nouvel Observateur, The CIA's Intervention in Afghanistan. Global Research: October 15, 2001:http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BRZ110A.html
  [43] Frank Viviano, Energy future rides on U.S. war: Conflict centered in world's oil patch. The San Francisco Chronicle: September 26, 2001:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/09/26/MN70983.DTL
  Andrew G. Marshall is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), specializing on geopolitical issues. He is known for having contributed to breaking the Climate Change consensus in a celebrated 2006 article entitledGlobal Warming A Convenient Lie, in which he challenged the findings underlying Al Gore's documentary. He is currently studying political science and history at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia.
Bangladesh Factory Fire Kills At Least 112 in Wal-Mart Sweatshop
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:50
  At least 112 employees of a Bangledesh garment factory perished in a blaze late Saturday after becoming trapped inside the building with no fire exits. The factory produced clothing for Wal-Mart, and other U.S. retailers. Were your Black Friday deals worth it?
  There was no escape. A fire claimed 112 workers in a garment factory near the capital of Bangladesh late Saturday. A fire official said their last moments were spent in panic as they searched in vain for fire exits leading outside. ''I want the factory owner to be hanged,'' said one grieving mother who lost her daughter-in-law in the fire and whose son is still missing. ''For him, many have died.'' Firefighters have recovered 100 bodies from the gutted seven-story factory. Many of Bangladesh's 4,000 garment shops lack proper fire protections.
  The Telegraph:
  "The factory had three staircases, and all of them were down through the ground floor," Mahbub said. "So the workers could not come out when the fire engulfed the building."
  "Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," he said.
  Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition. The recovered bodies were kept in rows on the premise of a nearby school.
  Army soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed to help police keep the situation under control as thousands of onlookers and anxious relatives of the factory workers gathered at the scene, Mahbub said. He would not say how many people were still missing.
  Bangladesh's garment factories make clothes for brands including Wal-Mart, JC Penney, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Carrefour and Tesco.
'Een DNA-databank? Ik zeg doen!' - opinie
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:52
  Door: OPINIE - Maarten Keulemans '' 25/11/12, 19:40
  (C) anp. Op het erf rond de boerderij van de verdachte in de zaak rond de moord op Marianne Vaatstra lopen op 19 november politiemensen. De man is op basis van een DNA-match aangehouden.
  opinieNu zelfs de zaak Marianne Vaatstra een verdachte heeft opgeleverd, weet Volkskrant-redacteur Maarten Keulemans het niet meer zo goed. Waarom zouden we eigenlijk g(C)(C)n grote DNA-databank willen? De argumenten ertegen zijn immers vooral gebaseerd op angst en emoties, niet op de werkelijkheid.
  De Canadees Simon Marshall had bekend dat hij een serieverkrachter was. De Texaan David Lee Wiggins werd door zijn slachtoffer met grote stelligheid aangewezen als de man die haar had verkracht. En Wilco Viets en Herman Dubois bekenden niet alleen, maar werden ook door twee getuigen gezien terwijl ze in Putten stewardess Christel Ambrosius verkrachtten en vermoordden.
  T"ch waren ze allemaal onschuldig. De reden dat Marshall, Wiggins, Viets en Dubois, vaak na een lang gevangenisverblijf, vrijuit gingen en de echte dader alsnog werd gearresteerd, was DNA.
  Ook ik heb altijd geneigd naar het oud-linkse standpunt dat je de politie en justitie vooral niet teveel gereedschappen moet geven. Wat je ze ook geeft - vingerafdrukken, tasers, bevoegdheden om af te luisteren, in te breken of te infiltreren - je kunt er van op aan dat de lange arm er ruimhartig gebruik van zal maken. Laat de Fred Teevens van het land hun gang gaan, en voor je het weet heb je een politiestaat waar het vast reuze veilig is op straat, maar ook heel onplezierig.
  BonuskaartMaar met de massale opslag van forensische DNA-profielen weet ik het zo net nog niet. Of eigenlijk: ik weet het wel. 'Kom maar op met die wattenstok, mijn DNA mogen ze hebben', zag ik mijzelf pas in mijn blog noteren. Terwijl ik toch grote moeite heb met iedere bonuskaart, airmile of identificatieplicht die ze me voorhouden.
  Maar bij massale DNA-opslag ligt dat anders. Want, zo begint mij te dagen, de argumenten t(C)gen zijn vooral emotionele argumenten. Mopperingen vanuit de onderbuik, niet van het verstand. Laten we de belangrijkste even doorlopen:
  'Ik vind het een belangrijk recht dat mijn DNA van mij blijft. De privacy is in het geding!'Tuurlijk. Maar het is ook een beetje snobistisch, als je het afzet tegen het belang van ouders wier kind is vermoord of gevangenen die onschuldig achter de tralies zitten. 'Wat, verplicht je DNA afstaan? Dat worden razzia's!'Welnee. Er is bij mijn weten niemand die dwang bepleit. Je zal heus mogen weigeren. En in praktijk zal dat weigeren meevallen: in de zaak Vaatstra leverde zelfs de moordenaar (pardon, verdachte) zijn DNA in, vermoedelijk onder sociale druk van familieleden die het ook deden. 'Ja, en voor je het weet geven ze je DNA door aan de verzekering, die dan in je DNA leest voor welke ziektes je aanleg hebt, en je premie erop aanpast!'Een reel gevaar - maar voorlopig niet aan de orde, omdat forensisch DNA, simpel gezegd, ergens anders zit dan DNA met medische betekenis.
  'Maar als er nou een nieuwe Hitler opstaat en er een totalitaire staat komt, dan...'Vast. Maar denk je nu echt dat die nieuwe Hitler niet alsnog een DNA-databank invoert, als die nog niet bestaat? De echte Hitler ging ook driftig aan de gang met de modernste registratiemethoden van die tijd.
  'Ja, en dan ben je toevallig op een plaatsdelict geweest, of het meisje waarmee je hebt gevreen wordt vermoord, en dan komt de politie bij je langs omdat ze je DNA hebben gevonden.'Tuurlijk. Maar dat is niet anders dan het nu ook al is. Als je vriendin wordt vermoord, mag je ervan uitgaan dat de politie je graag wil spreken. En als je nummerbord, vingerafdrukken, gezicht of creditcardgegevens opduiken op een plaatsdelict, is dat ook alle reden om eens met je te gaan praten.
  'Maar DNA-technieken zijn niet onfeilbaar! Er zullen gerechtelijke dwalingen zijn!'Dat zal heus soms gebeuren. Maar feit is dat de gerechtelijke dwalingen die er nº zijn, niet komen door DNA, maar door falende ooggetuigen, valse bekentenissen of andere menselijke fouten. DNA geeft veel 'hardere', tastbare gegevens. Er is alle reden om te denken dat het aantal misstanden juist kleiner wordt.
  Zou de weerzin tegen een DNA-databank soms gewoon ouwerwetse techno-angst zijn, de hardnekkige maar oeroude menselijke neiging om nieuwe technologien "fwel de hemel in te prijzen, "fwel te bestempelen tot ramp voor de mensheid? Staat tegenover ons recht op privacy niet ook de plicht om, als het even kan, mee te helpen criminelen te vangen en onschuldig veroordeelden te helpen?
  DNA-verzameling doet geen pijn, wordt steeds goedkoper en heeft een bewezen, extreem goede reputatie - de nadelen die ik kan bedenken, gelden ook voor, zeg, de registraties van namen, nummerborden, vingerafdrukken of mobieltjes.
  Al vele honderden onterecht veroordeelde gevangenen zijn door DNA-bewijs vrijgekomen, een veelvoud daarvan is door DNA-bewijs gepakt. En in nog eens talloze strafzaken is er wel DNA-bewijs - maar, bij gebrek aan databank, geen verdachte.
  Ik kan, kortom, gewoon niet meer zo goed bedenken waarom ik eigenlijk zo nodig t(C)gen de massale, landelijke opslag van DNA voor de misdaadbestrijding zou moeten zijn.
  Misschien kunt u mij helpen? Voordat ik stiekem de haren van mijn naasten inlever bij het Nederlands Forensiche Instituut, ik VVD ga stemmen en de politie mijn beste vriend ga noemen?
  Maarten Keulemans is chef van de wetenschapsredactie van de Volkskrant. Hij blogt op persoonlijke titel.
Contemporary Art in Intercontinent City, Ä°stanbul
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:11
  By Janet EkstractISTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL)
  Playing host to its largest ever 7th edition art fair, Contemporary Istanbul (CI) 2012 possesses a 'wow factor' just by the mere fact that such a wide retrospectÄ±ve of artwork is being shown and that a much larger number of galleries, art critics and publications are attending CI because of its special focus on Central and East European art. Part of the 'wow' includes the Warhol classic Cambell Soup painting, early work from Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frank Plant's 'Anytime Anyplace' and works by a number of Dutch artists including Diederick Kraajveld as well as a wide range of global artists among them a Korean exhibition.
  This year's fair whose main sponsor is Akbank, takes the theme, 'Art As A Collaborative Space,' and centers around CI dialogues '' the fairs's panel discussion program and also celebrates 400 years of diplomatic relatÄ±ons between The Netherlands and Turkey, hosting top Dutch Galleries including Amstel Gallery, Grimm Gallery, Galerie AKINCI and many more including works shown by top Dutch artists, galleries and collectors.
  In Amstel Gallery, Micky Hoogendijk's photographic work, ''My Ode to Damien'', questions her own image through adding transparent diamond like material. Manipulation of artist herself/himself is common approach in contemporary art world.
  Contemporary Istanbul 2012 features the prominent international Marlborough Gallery included in this year's fair with over 100 other galleries like Venison¶ Galerie Michael Shultz plus a number of hip, local Istanbul galleries: Rampa, Dirimart, Egeran, Galeri Mana and about 600 artists.
  The New Horizons section at Contemporary Istanbul explores artistic expressÄ±on Ä±n countries as dÄ±vers as the Gulf nations as well as nations like Syria and Egypt with the theme 'Arab Spring'. But the special emphasis this year is on Central and Eastern European art from Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and a host of others that include curators, publications, art critics and collectors among the crowd.
  CI Chairman, Ali G¼rel explained that Contemporary Istanbul 2012 is 'the most comprehensive edition of Contemporary Istanbul to date.' The goal behind the fair, G¼rel said is to serve as a 'hub for the arts' while supporting contemporary artists from Turkey.
  The launch of Art Istanbul at the same time '' a week-long, city-wide initiative includes the participation of museums, foundations and galleries with a number of exhibition openings, artist talks and panel discussions.
Op-Ed: ITU meeting in Dubai in December to revise Internet regulations
  Link to Article
  Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:53
  Dubai - The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will meet in Dubai UAE from December 3rd to December 14th to revise regulations for the first time since 1988,The International Telecommunications Union(ITU) is an agency of the United Nations responsible for international information and communication technologies regulations. The ITU has 193 member countries. They are meeting in Dubai to revise the International Telecommunications Regulations treaty for the first time in decades. The treaty regulates how telephone and other telecommunications traffic is exchanged internationally.Some analysts claim that much is at state in the negotiations. Some countries are introducing proposals that could threaten Internet freedom and encourage Internet censorship. Other proposals would give the United Nations more authority to control the Internet.The United States will have a large group of 95 people at the conference. These include Obama officials, representatives from Google, Verizon, Microsoft, and even Facebook. There are also representatives of advocacy groups and trade organizations. The delegation is led by Ambassador Terry Kramer, who is a former Vodafone executive.Kramer has said that the U.S. is committed to maintaining free speech, and human rights, as well a liberalized markets in the telecom industry. Some countries want to expand the scope of the treaty to regulating the exchange of information on the Internet. The U.S. wants to confine the treaty to telecommunications networks.Kramer claims that countries such as China and Iran will propose language that could lead to online censorship and government monitoring of Web traffic. I thought that this was already happening in many countries including the United States. The countries making the proposals argue that their proposals are simply designed to prevent threats such as cyberattacks, and spam, as well as crack down on child pornography. However, the methods involved could be used for other purposes. Critics say the reasons given for the proposals are simply a means to be able to monitor Web traffic.Harold Feld, of the consumer interest group, Public Knowledge, said:"Taking this one step higher to an international fora where we're imposing a set of duties that will be implemented on the ground by many different countries--each with their own different interpretation about how to balance these security concerns against free speech and due process-- that's asking to create accusations of censorship,"
  Others have argued that issues of cybeersecurity should not even be discussed at the conference. The chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, has argued that cybersecurity rules should not be addressed in an international treaty at all.Google warned that some proposed changes to the treaty could increase censorship and threaten innovation. Goggle also claims that some countries are making proposals that would require people using services such as Skype, You Tube, and Facebook, to pay toll fees to reach people in other countries.The proposals Google references could force content providers such as You Tube, Netfllix, Facebook and others to pay fees for the delivery outside the country of origin. The proposals are referred to as "sending party network pays". Google also complains that negotiations are taking place out of the public eye behind closed doors.Russia wants to remove some or all of the powers of the present Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) and argues that the ITU should assume these powers. The U.S. is opposed to this suggestion.The ITU argues that critics who claim a new treaty will threaten free speech and promote censorship have are unfounded. Sarah Parkes, a spokesperson for the ITU said the "protection of people and their right to communicate online is already enshrined in treaties that take precedence over anything that we will discuss in Dubai." She noted that a treaty proposal needed massive support from member countries to make it into the final treaty version. Even a small amount of dissension would cause a proposal to be dropped.Parkes also argued that the treaty would not change the way the Internet was governed."There's nothing that's coming up in this conference that touches on Internet governance or proposes changing the current mandate of the organizations that run the Internet."
  Nevertheless it is wise to remain vigilant. More criticisms of some conference proposals can be found here.
Drones Will Be The New Normal in The U.S. If We Let Them
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:52
  Here's how it happens: The defense contractors see dollar signs, buy themselves a bouquet of Congress critters, and then suddenly we have an "urgent" civilian need for military equipment. It will keep us "safe". Sure, there'll be a few major collisions and "accidents," but it will become generally accepted as the New Normal. And once that's firmly ensconced in the public mind as necessary, we'll then develop an urgent need for armed drones.
  Maybe voters need to rise up against this nonsense:
  WASHINGTON - Are unmanned aircraft, known to have difficulty avoiding collisions, safe to use in America's crowded airspace? And would their widespread use for surveillance result in unconstitutional invasions of privacy?
  Experts say neither question has been answered satisfactorily. Yet the federal government is rushing to open America's skies to tens of thousands of the drones - pushed to do so by a law championed by manufacturers of the unmanned aircraft.
  The 60-member House of Representatives' "drone caucus" - officially, the House Unmanned Systems Caucus - has helped push that agenda. And over the last four years, caucus members have drawn nearly $8 million in drone-related campaign contributions, an investigation by Hearst Newspapers and the Center for Responsive Politics shows.
  The Federal Aviation Administration has been flooded with applications from police departments, universities, private corporations and even the celebrity gossip site TMZ, all seeking to use drones that range from devices the size of a hummingbird to full-sized aircraft like those used by the U.S. military to target al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan and elsewhere.
McCain Backs Off His Criticism of Susan Rice
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:51
  After formerly comparing the drummed up "Benghazi-gate" to Watergate, and demanding that Ambassador Susan Rice go on television and apologize for her remarks, it seems John McCain is finally getting tired of making a fool of himself and is backing off of his criticism of Rice a bit.
  Of course that doesn't mean he's done criticizing the administration or that he's just going to let this thing drop -- McCain: Obama's The Problem, Not Ambassador Rice:
  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that the problem with the administration's response to the Benghazi attacks has more to do with President Obama than with UN Ambassador Susan Rice, during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," even though congressional Republicans, including McCain, have gone after Rice in recent weeks.
  McCain, who has said he would not vote for Rice if she is nominated to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, declined to reiterate that promise Sunday.
  "Sure," McCain said to the question of whether Rice could do anything to change his mind about her. "She can give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took. I'll be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her."
  Responding to a follow-up question on whether that means McCain is now open to voting for Rice if nominated, McCain replied: "I think she deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position, just as she said. But she's not the problem. The problem is the president of the United States who in a debate with Mitt Romney said that he had said it was a terrorist attack'..."
  McCain was also asked about Rep. Jim Clyburn's remarks that McCain was using "racial code words" while attacking Rice. McCain shrugged the criticism off as something that just "goes with the territory" if your opponent can't win a political argument. Of course he wasn't going to get an ounce of push back on that from Chris Wallace.