What Adam Curry is reading

Software does not age, it matures
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:15
  There is an old joke that goes like this: what is the main difference between hardware and software? When you use the hardware for a very long time, it eventually wears down and breaks. When you use software for a very long time, it eventually matures and stops breaking.
  This joke is funny to software developers, because they know it is true. It flies above the head of the general public because it is rather counter-intuitive. The first part rings true for just about everyone. The less mentally agile citizens (or those who grew up in simpler times and have trouble finding themselves in the modern hustle and bustle of technology) can apply the car analogy in their heads (think of hardware as your car and how it ages) and it kinda works. Everyone else, whose brain can correctly interface with modern electronic appliances know this to be true from experience.
  Modern electronics age quite rapidly, and generally has to be replaced long before it starts to break due to physical wear and tear. This is partly by design (planned obsolescence) and partly due to inherent forces within the industry (Moore's Law). This process is very visible, even to the untrained eye. Anyone can probably name a dozen technologies that rose to prominence and then faded into obscurity within their lifetime.
  Commercial software follows a similar obsolescence cycle '' or at least so it would seem to an untrained eye. Publishes love to apply superficial UI redesigns and add minor changes to increase the number of bullet points in the feature list every few months, and force customers to re-buy their software under a new version number or even updated product name. Constant feature additions (which lead to inevitable bloat) usually make the software perpetually unstable. So those who are accustomed to working with proprietary licensed software the joke seems incomprehensible.
  But for free software, it works. Free software doesn't age and usually does not become obsolete. It matures, stabilizes and becomes a rock solid foundation upon which you build other software. It actually blows people's minds when I tell them I use software that is over 30 years old every single day. Don't believe me?
  As you probably know, I am a LaTex user. At the core of that complex typesetting is the Tex codebase which was originally released back in 1978 and frozen in 1989 at version 3. That software is so stable that since then, whenever a new update is released the version number is not incremented, but instead a significant digit is added at the end of it, so that the version number as a whole approaches Ï. Donald Knuth himself proposed that after his death Tex ought to be updated one last time, and the version number should be changed to Ï at which point all future bugs will automatically become features.
  The primary text editor I use is Vim which is based on vi, which was written by Bill Joy in 1976. While novice programmers often scoff at it, and regard it as archaic, it remains an extremely powerful tool for power users. It is also one of the Two True Text Editors' '' the other one is Emacs which was written by Richard Stallman around the same time as vi, but designed to solve an entirely different set of problems. Bill Joy was writing an ultimate tool for text manipulation over slow network connections '' an editor that would minimize cursor movement and maximize the amount of work that could be done by chaining key-stroke commands. Emacs on the other hand was built as an infinitely customizable text editing framework. Stallman knew that coders will always need their editors to do weird things, and that no matter how great the plugin API is in your IDE, it will probably not be enough. So he created a LISP interpreter with a built in text editor allowing users to write and re-write the core of the system at a whim.
  The shell I use is Bash which was first released back in 1989. It was a backwards compatible replacement to the Bourne shell (1977) which in turn replaced the Thompson shell (1971). Despite it's age, Bash is a staple of the Linux and Unix worlds. Along with the Bourne shell it is the default shell on most systems, and a primary interface through which admins interact with most servers on the internet.
  The C programming language, used to write all of the above (except maybe the Thompson Shell), as well as the operating systems on which these programs run was created in 1972, and the latest stable release is from 2011. It is still used to create modern applications today, and tends to be the preferred language for systems programming. The 22 year old Linux kernel, originally released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds is written primarily in C, and has been in continuous development since then.
  Apache and PHP '' the technology used on the back end of this site (and many others on the internet as part of the ever popular LAMP stack) are all close to 20 years old now. PHP is still big mess of a programming language, but it has matured considerably since it's inception, and the community that spawned around it has become adept at working around it's shortcomings and building bridges over it's feature gaps and plugging its security holes.
  Algorithms and methodologies used in all the above applications are even older than that. Most of the state of the art searching and sorting algorithms as well as most of the common data structures such as trees and graphs were discovered in the early 70'²s. I like to joke around that the reason for this was that back then resources such as memory and disk space were very limited, and Moore's law was not a known trend yet. These days programmers don't have the same incentive to be clever '' it is often much easier to throw hardware at the problem at hand, or wait 18 months and then double your performance than devise a clever method of working around your limitations. It is however probably more accurate to say that most of these fundamental algorithms were devised back then rather than now, for the same reason many of fundamental scientific and mathematical theorems were discovered in the ancient times '' it is much easier to stumble upon patterns and solutions when the science is young and the field is almost entirely unexplored.
  I guess my point is that free software does not typically age '' it matures. It doesn't become obsolete '' it becomes stable. Most application software grows until both the creators and community agree it is feature full, and good enough, at which point it stabilizes. Since new features are no longer aggressively added, the code surface for bugs to hide in decreases and over time it approaches zero. Systems software on the other hand is in the unique situation '' it can never be stable, because it always has to catch up to hardware and support new devices and new interaction paradigms. Therefore OS can be either slightly buggy or behind the times, but not both at once.
  I usually tell young, impressionable new programmers that releasing open source software is like getting married. It is a life-long commitment. Once you put it out there, you are stuck with it. There will always be bugs to be fixed and new features that will need to be added. And there will always be users out there for whom backwards compatibility will be of paramount importance. Mistakes you make early in your design and development process will haunt your for the rest of your life. Even if you divorce yourself from your project, you can never erase it from existence. It will always be around in the form of various forks and continuation projects. The only way to kill a popular open source software is to make it irrelevant. That usually only happens when you or someone else develops a competing product that completely outclasses the original. And even then there will almost always be holdouts and old fashioned users refusing to let go.
  Software is kind-of weird like that. On one hand it is a very volatile market with a lot of turnaround. The rapid churn of the hardware world, the breakneck pace of new advancements and discoveries makes it seem like there is very little permanence in there. To a layman's eyes, it might seem that applications become obsolete almost the instant they hit the market. But this is not true. Software is surprisingly durable. It endures, it evolves and it carries on. You would be surprised how much of the shiny programs you use right now can trace their lineage all the way to the dawn of the information age.
  I would wager that a lion share of software on your computer is also at least a decade or two in the making. What ancient, but still perfectly usable programs do you use? How old are they, and why do you think they survived for so long?
German far-right singer Heino stages controversial comeback
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:09
  Heino has staged an improbable comeback with a hit album of cover versions, but his far-right comments have provoked controversy. Photograph: Target Presse Agentur Gmbh/Getty Images
  An ageing crooner some see as the nation's answer to Tom Jones but others accuse of stoking far-right sympathies, has staged the biggest comeback in the history of German pop music.
  Heino, instantly recognisable by his blond hair and trademark sunglasses worn to hide bulging eyes caused by a thyroid condition, is best known as the baritone singer of Schlager '' schmaltzy German folk songs that propelled him to fame in the 1960s and 70s.
  Having laid low for years, at the age of 74 he is suddenly back, breaking sales records and securing his place as a cultural icon for younger Germans with a new album.
  Backed by an intensive PR campaign and a new wardrobe of skinny jeans and a studded leather jacket, Mit freundlichen Gr¼Ÿen (All the Very Best) has taken him into new realms. The album contains cover versions of punk, hip-hop and hard-rock hits '' much to the disgust of many of the bands who originally performed them. Since its release earlier this month it has been legally downloaded more than any other German album and has sold tens of thousands of copies.
  The musician has been touring Germany in a purpose-built Heinomobile, a Mercedes S-class limousine embellished with his blond-haired skull logo. He has been invited to perform at Wacken Open Air, the world's largest heavy metal festival, but in order to keep old fans on board, insists he will continue singing the ever-popular Schlager.
  But despite attempts by Heino, his PR machine and his wife Hannelore '' a former Miss Austria '' to promote the image of a loveable rogue who sings sentimental hits about mountains and maidens, a darker side of the singer has been emerging.
  Asked about his health in a recent interview, Heino '' whose real name is Heinz Georg Kramm '' responded that he was "still as hard as steel, as tough as leather and as nimble as a greyhound". The words are unmistakably taken from a speech given by Adolf Hitler to 50,000 members of the Hitler youth movement in 1935, which all Germans learn about in history lessons.
  Responding to criticism, Heino's manager, Jan Mewes said Heino made the remark without knowing of its "historical context. But Heino observers say it is just the latest expression of his far-right sympathies.
  In the 1970s he insisted on singing all three verses of the German national anthem in a version recorded for school pupils, despite the fact that the second, nationalistic verse has long been considered taboo. Then in 1989 he stormed the charts with Schwarzbraun ist die Haselnuss (black-brown is the hazelnut), a folk song made popular in the 20th century by the Hitler youth and Wehrmacht soldiers. During the days of apartheid he performed for white farmers in South Africa, a decision he insists he still does not regret.
  The rolled Teutonic R he typically uses when he sings and his platinum blond hair have helped stoke his popularity among conservatives, including people on the far right.
  Several of the bands whose songs Heino has covered on his new album have voiced their objection to him hijacking their music, arguing he is using some of them to glorify racism. While they can do little about it as long as he has stayed within the copyright rules, Dero, the lead singer of the band Oomph! whose No 1 song Open your Eyes is on the album, said: "We are going to take a closer look at Heino's version of our song to ensure he's stayed within the framework of the rules. He has a few songs in his repertoire which seem to glamorise racist ideas."
  Axel Schulz, manager of the band Die rzte, whose song Junge (Boy) is on the album, said: "Unfortunately as long as this idiot doesn't blatantly change the song, then I can't do anything about it."
  But Heino has suggested the bands are just jealous of his success, while ignoring the fact they will gain from the royalties from his album. "They're making a pretty penny from my album, they should just keep their mouths shut," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper. "And if they feel sullied by the money there are plenty of hospitals, children's homes '... they could donate it to."
  He said that many Germans have been too snobbish '' such as music critic Rainer Moritz who recently referred to him as the "vomiting agent of several generations" '' to recognise his success as a cultural figurehead, but that the proof of his talent is written in his sales figures, as well as the fact he has a recognisability factor of 99%, even higher than the chancellor, Angela Merkel.
  "Why should an old oak be bothered by the pig that claws it?" he asked, pointing out '' as he likes to '' that in 1980 his album Songs of the Mountains sold 1.2m copies in Germany while John Lennon's sold just 200,000 despite his assassination.
  "For years I've been the butt of jokes, but to date I've sold 50m records. If anyone from the music scene laughs at me now, all I can do is laugh back," he said. "The day before yesterday four young people passed me on the autobahn, gave me the thumbs up and waved. These are things that make a 74-year-old happy. After all, they could be saying: 'what's that old geezer up to?'" he said.
Banksy mural: Miami auction house withdraws item from sale - video
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:08
  The Banksy mural, Slave Labour, has been withdrawn from sale at the last minute by a Miami auction house on Saturday. The mural vanished from a wall in Wood Green, north London, late last week to the dismay of local residents. Frederic Thut, auctioneer at Fine Art Auctions Miami, would not comment on why the piece was taken off the auction block
  Source: ReutersLength: 1min 15secSunday 24 February 2013
Flu victim airlifted to hospital
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:08
  24 February 2013Last updated at08:38 ETA Scottish woman is in intensive care at a specialist hospital in Leicester after contracting a suspected form of swine flu.
  Jennifer Scott was transferred by helicopter from Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary after she was diagnosed with a serious "flu-type illness".
  Her condition at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester was described as critical but stable.
  Ms Scott is reported to be 27 years old and from Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire.
  A spokesman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: "We have had a confirmed case of a significant flu-type illness.
  "That case has been transferred and there are no other confirmed cases."
  A spokeswoman for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said the patient had been flown to Glenfield as it was one of a limited number of hospitals in the UK that had specialist equipment required for her case.
  "The patient is currently in a critical but stable condition," she added.
  According to the Scottish Sun, Ms Scott collapsed during her mother's funeral.
  She was also reported to be pregnant and to have undergone an emergency caesarean section before being airlifted.
A few confessions about reminiscing and unfinished business
  Link to Article
  Source: Michael Smith News
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:38
  Last night there was a very noisy party near our place.
  I got up in the middle of the night, couldn't sleep and got on the computer. I finally worked out how to use the web.archive.org links that so many of you have sent to me.
  I started on the radio at 4BC in 2008, 5 years ago. On an average 3 hour program, I might have done 12 interviews, that's 60 a week. It's easy to forget and wonderful to go back and hear those conversations again.
  I've also now found my old blog, or bits of it from 4BC. The web.archive site has it listed from my posts in October, 2009 here
  I approached it wondering if I'd feel the same way now as I did those years ago, particularly now that I'm no longer on the radio. Not a lot's changed in my views - and funnily enough so many of the issues are still the same.
  There are two matters though that jump out at me and that still need follow up.
  Firstly, the alleged murder by Omega Ruston on the Gold Coast by Middle Eastern criminals here.
  Secondly, the flight from justice by the Indian student visa holder Puneet Puneet, who killed Gold Coast student Dean Hofstee, the blog entry is here, including a conversation I had with Dean's mum Fran.
  And I simply could not believe what I was listening to when I found this interview. It was conducted in April, 2009 between me and Senator George Brandis SC. The heading in my archives was simply Report of Labor Caucus Member's (added word ALLEGED) Abuse of Union Credit Card.
  Who would have thought that we'd still be talking about that 4 years later! Just goes to show, follow-up, follow-up and follow up again.
Bees and Flowers Communicate Using Electrical Fields
  Link to Article
  Source: Activist Post
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:36
  Activist PostFlowers' methods of communicating are at least as sophisticated as any devised by an advertising agency, according to a new study, published today in Science Express by researchers from the University of Bristol. However, for any advert to be successful, it has to reach, and be perceived by, its target audience. The research shows for the first time that pollinators such as bumblebees are able to find and distinguish electric signals given out by flowers.
  Flowers often produce bright colours, patterns and enticing fragrances to attract their pollinators. Researchers at Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, led by Professor Daniel Robert, found that flowers also have their equivalent of a neon sign '' patterns of electrical signals that can communicate information to the insect pollinator. These electrical signals can work in concert with the flower's other attractive signals and enhance floral advertising power.
  Plants are usually charged negatively and emit weak electric fields. On their side, bees acquire a positive charge as they fly through the air. No spark is produced as a charged bee approaches a charged flower, but a small electric force builds up that can potentially convey information.
  By placing electrodes in the stems of petunias, the researchers showed that when a bee lands, the flower's potential changes and remains so for several minutes. Could this be a way by which flowers tell bees another bee has recently been visiting? To their surprise, the researchers discovered that bumblebees can detect and distinguish between different floral electric fields.
  Also, the researchers found that when bees were given a learning test, they were faster at learning the difference between two colours when electric signals were also available.How then do bees detect electric fields? This is not yet known, although the researchers speculate that hairy bumblebees bristle up under the electrostatic force, just like one's hair in front of an old television screen.
  The discovery of such electric detection has opened up a whole new understanding of insect perception and flower communication.
  Dr Heather Whitney, a co-author of the study said: "This novel communication channel reveals how flowers can potentially inform their pollinators about the honest status of their precious nectar and pollen reserves."
  Professor Robert said: ''The last thing a flower wants is to attract a bee and then fail to provide nectar: a lesson in honest advertising since bees are good learners and would soon lose interest in such an unrewarding flower.
  "The co-evolution between flowers and bees has a long and beneficial history, so perhaps it's not entirely surprising that we are still discovering today how remarkably sophisticated their communication is."
  The research was supported by the Leverhulme Trust.
  Paper'Detection and learning of floral electric fields by bumblebees' by Dominic Clarke, Heather Whitney, Gregory Sutton and Daniel Robert in Science Express
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New ''Copyright Alert System'' to hit US internet users this week
  Link to Article
  Source: WTF RLY REPORT
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:34
  Daily Dot
  Starting next week, most U.S. Internet users will be subject to a new copyright enforcement system that could slow the Internet to a crawl and force violators to take educational courses.
  A source with direct knowledge of the Copyright Alert System (CAS), who asked not to be named, has told the Daily Dot that the five participating Internet service providers (ISPs) will start the controversial program Monday.
  The ISPs'--industry giants AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner, and Verizon'--will launch their versions of the CAS on different days throughout the week. Comcast is expected to be the first, on Monday.
  Read more
Hollywood awaits 'open' Oscars
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:29
  24 February 2013Last updated at07:36 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  Lincoln and Argo are among the films competing for the best picture award
  Hollywood is gearing up for what is likely to be one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards for years.
  No film is likely to sweep the board, but the best picture prize is expected to go to hostage drama Argo.
  That has overtaken historical epic Lincoln in the predictions, although Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Abraham Lincoln, is favourite for best actor.
  Les Miserables star Anne Hathaway is tipped for supporting actress, but the other acting categories are more open.
  All five nominees for best supporting actor have won Oscars before.
  This year, it is thought to be a three-horse race between Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook, Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln and Christoph Waltz fro Django Unchained.
  Jones, who plays radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens, picked up the Screen Actors Guild prize for supporting actor, a possible indicator to Oscars success.
  But Waltz won at the Golden Globes, and 10 out of the last 12 Globe winners in this category have gone on to win the equivalent Oscar, according to Oscar predictions website Gold Derby.
  Waltz won best supporting actor in 2010 for another Quentin Tarantino film, Inglorious Basterds - and some voters may feel it is too soon to honour him again.
  Instead, the Academy may feel it is time to reward Robert De Niro again, 21 years after he was last nominated, for Cape Fear, and 32 years since he last won, for Raging Bull. If he triumphs, it will be his third Oscar win.
  Alan Arkin (Argo) and The Master's Philip Seymour Hoffman are the other contenders on the supporting actor list.
  Best actress is another unpredictable contest. Emmanuelle Riva, the leading lady in Michael Haneke's old age drama Amour, could become the oldest actress to win an Oscar. The ceremony falls on her 86th birthday.
  She is challenging Silver Linings Playbook star Jennifer Lawrence, who is thought to be the front-runner for that statuette.
  Another rival, Quvenzhane Wallis, could potentially be the youngest ever winner at the age of nine for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, although she is seen as an outsider.
  They are up against Jessica Chastain, who appears as a CIA agent on the trail of Osama bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty, and Naomi Watts, for her raw performance in tsunami movie The Impossible.
  Day-Lewis is thought to be the biggest dead cert to be called to the podium at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre.
  His turn as the 19th Century US president is universally expected to put him in the Oscar history books by making him the first person to win best actor three times.
  His first win came in 1990 for My Left Foot, followed by a victory for There Will Be Blood in 2008.
  Lincoln had also been a hot ticket for best picture before Christmas, but Argo, which tells the story of how the CIA and Hollywood helped rescue US hostages in Iran in 1980, has gained momentum in recent weeks.
  Continue reading the main storyLincoln (above) - 12 nominations
  Life of Pi - 11 nominations
  Les Miserables - 8 nominations
  Silver Linings Playbook - 8 nominations
  Argo - 7 nominations
  The fact it focuses on real-life Hollywood producers saving the day probably has not done it any harm, and it has cleaned up at most major awards ceremonies so far, including the Baftas, Golden Globes, Producers Guild Awards and Directors Guild Awards.
  But Argo director Ben Affleck was a surprise omission from the Academy Awards' best director shortlist.
  That category is another close race, with Lincoln's Steven Spielberg in a duel with Ang Lee for Life Of Pi.
  There are outside chances for David O Russell for Silver Lining Playbook, Michael Haneke for Amour and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild.
  It has not been the best year for UK hopefuls, with only two Brits flying the flag in the four acting categories - Anglo-Irish actor Day Lewis and British-Australian actress Naomi Watts.
  Adele's Skyfall could win best original song and Brits are well represented in the best animated feature category with Paranorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits and Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, which was made in the UK.
  Searching for Sugarman was produced by Man on a Wire's Simon Chinn, while the UK could perform well in many technical categories - hopes are high for Jacqueline Durran for best costume (Anna Karenina).
  It could be 11th time lucky for Skyfall cinematographer Roger Deakins - but after missing out so many times, he will probably not be holding his breath.
One People's Public Trust Lawfully Forecloses Corporations, Banks and Governments for Operating Slavery and Private Money Systems
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:20
  17 February 2013
  By Andy Whiteley
  Co-Founder of Wake Up World and Being of the Creator
  Many of you have heard'... many have not. Announced publicly on 25 December 2012, the system of Corporate-Governmental rule has been foreclosed. Legally foreclosed'... via one of its own mechanisms. The ''Powers That Be'' are now the ''Powers That Were''. All debt has been erased and corporations '' including but not limited to Corporate Governments and Banks '' have been foreclosed.
  Sure, they may continue to play along in hopes we will play along with them. But thanks to a series of UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) filings made by the One People's Public Trust (known as OPPT) the choice is now yours to make. A new framework for social governance is now in effect; a fact that has been ratified by the 'legal' framework of its corporate-controlled predecessor.
  Systemically speaking'... WE ARE FREE!!
  (Get comfortable folks '' this is a long article but it's one you can't afford to miss!!)
  One People's Public TrustThe conclusion of legal actions taken by the OPPT have generated a lot of excitement. And rightly so!The potential for positive change it creates is MOMENTUS!
  But before we get into the implications I'd like to present to you the ''what happened'' and ''how'' of the situation.
  Corporate-controlled Government and corporate-controlled Media refuse to announce their own demise '' for obvious reason. So as informed global citizens, I believe our role is to understand what happened and how, so that we can inform others'... and finally start the process of worldwide change we've all been waiting for.
  But First, A Reality CheckBefore I go on, allow me to state a few facts up front.
  1) Governments are were Corporations. The Corporate Government phenomenon is not only demonstrated by the way ''governments'' behave as Beneficiaries (not as Trustees) of the government Trust, but the paper-trail also proves it! The United States, Canada, Australia, The United Kingdom, France, Italy, Brazil, Japan, South Africa'.... and the list goes on'.... all are US-based corporate entities, registered as such with the United States Security & Exchanges Commission'... and operating as such at our expense. ''The system'' is oligarchical in nature, in that it is geared only to profit ''the few'' while the rest of us work to support it.
  2)Persons are were corporations: At birth, a birth certificate application is signed by your parents which is used by Corporate Government to commence a Trust in your name. This Trust is used as collateral, and a collateral account is created and funded in your name. You are the Beneficiary of this Trust'... but no-one tells you it exists. If you do not complete a Will by the age of 7, Corporate Government declares you deceased '' under admiralty law of all things! '' and you are officially considered by the system to be ''lost at sea''. Seriously. Corporate Government then assumes financial control of your estate, and they '' aware that most of us do in fact live beyond 7 '' continue to treat us as living slaves. The funds generated by monetizing your life '' using you as collateral '' are loaned to you when you apply for bank finance, mortgages etc. You are then forced to work to repay those funds '' plus interest '' back to the system. Legally, you have no rights because you're considered ''dead'' by the age of 7. You lose.
  (Click here for more information on the Government Trust relationship).
  3)Mass media is the tool used by Corporate Governments to deliver propaganda directly to your home. It is used to manipulate public perceptions of Corporate Government actions and inactions, to reinforce social norms, limits and behaviours, and to sell you crap by creating a ''need'' and then providing you with a product to fulfill it. And it isn't limited just to Media; the psychology of the ''old'' paradigm is reinforced through educational and religious institutions as well.
  Corporations, Governments and Media all tell the same lies. They are all part of the same beast.
  4)As a result, the world's economic structure is was a mechanism of mass slavery. Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property, and are forced to work. Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, or to refuse to work.
  Sound familiar?
  You were born into ''the system'' without any say in how it works. You were raised and taught to contribute to the system. You must work exhaustive hours in the system, and you must pay taxes to the system. You must adhere to the rules of the system '' most of which relate to property and ownership '' or you will be punished by the system. By design, the system will deliver abundance only to a select few, and many others will go hungry. But if you don't like it, you cannot leave the system. The system ''owns'' everything, everyone and everywhere.
  Until now, you had one option: play along. It's like living in a casino with no exit. And the house always wins.
  When Were Our Governments Corporatized?It all started with the introduction of the Reserve Bank system. When the Federal Reserve Act was implemented in the United States in 1913, Congressman Charles Lindberg warned the US Congress in a Congressional Record dated, December 22, 1913 (vol. 51) that an inevitable consequence of instituting the Federal Reserve system was that '' using their power to inflate and deflate an economy '' corporations would take control.
  In Congressman Lindbergh's words: ''From now on, depressions will be scientifically created''.
  And they are. In 1929s, the ''Powers That Were'' deliberately crashed the stock market. How? Fluctuations in the stock market are driven by emotion. Prior to the 1929 crash, excitement was created in the market which created a period of inflation. Those in control unloaded their holdings at premium prices, then created a panic in the market. And as prices plummeted, they bought back their holdings at fire-sale prices '' and eliminated their ailing competition in the process.
  In short, the Great Depression was artificially generated so the large corporations that controlled the stock market could profit from lending governments the money required to recover from its orchestrated collapse. Sovereign nations were ultimately forced to sign onto debt agreements which, by their nature, could never be paid off. And as national debts began to mount, the ''slavery by debt'' paradigm was formalized'.... and corporations took control.
  Today, Corporate Governments continue to masquerade as real government. The Reserve Bank system (which now dominates western economies) continues to drive periods of 'market-boom' and 'market-bust' by strategically tightening and relaxing the supply of money and credit. The current Global Financial Crisis is a perfect example. And all the while, establishment Media plays its part by influencing the emotion of the stock market and facilitating political untruths.
  But the complex campaign undertaken by the OPPT has forced the corporate system into foreclosure. All corporations, including Government and Banking systems, have been rendered extinct using their own mechanisms of commercial regulation. Lawfully speaking, it's a case of out with the old trusts and in with the new!
  So Is This The ''Overthrow Of Government''?No '' it is the overthrow of the corporations who have until now masqueraded as government. If you understand that ''governments'' are actually corporations that have overwritten the constitutions of sovereign nations by stealth, their demise can only be seen as long overdue.
  The fraud of government is real. And finally '' by their failure to rebut the UCC claims '' the entire corporate government complex stands guilty of fraud, treason and slavery. By international law, the OPPT has the right to claim remedy on behalf of the One People for those crimes. They chose to foreclose on and terminate the corporations, banks and governments responsible, and to confiscate all assets and infrastructures of these entities '' including all the gold and silver held as assets by the banking system '' and place them in the hands of the One People.
  Don't think of it as an overthrow, think of it as the recovery of stolen property. The actions of the One People's Public Trust essentially reclaim what is ours, as sovereign beings of this planet. Universal Law, Common Law and the UCC are now the governing law of the planet.
  (I will later describe in detail the mechanisms implemented by the OPPT to replace the necessary functions of governance).
  UCC: The Bible Of CommerceThe UCC is the ''bible'' of commerce; it precisely dictates the manner in which international trade and commerce should be enacted. In fact, the entire commercial system pivots around UCC law. If your mortgage is foreclosed on or your car is repossessed, the bank uses the UCC process to do so.
  But UCC law is not taught in law schools. It remains the domain of corporations and their operatives, who train their legal-department employees in UCC law as required '' thus keeping the knowledge of this important mechanism ''in house''. But one of the trustees of OPPT was professionally involved in UCC law for some time, and understands intimately how the ''Powers That Were'' manipulated the UCC to control the United States financial system at a very high level.
  UCC expert, mother, and OPPT spearhead Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf used the foreclosure of her own home as a test case. She challenged the foreclosure through UCC process, and in doing so discovered '' put very simply '' that the U.S. court system invariably supports the corporate system.
  Not surprising really, given that 99% of our laws relate to ownership'... or commerce.
  After exercising extreme prudence, the OPPT concluded that the corporations operating under the guise of the people's governments and financial systems were committing treason against the people of this planet without the people's knowing, willing and intentional consent. The final report from the investigation can be found here.
  So'... in order to foreclose on ''the system'', the Trustees of OPPT set a trap using the legal structure provided to them BY ''the system''.
  How Did The Trustees Achieve Foreclosure?The OPPT is managed by Trustees Caleb Skinner, Hollis Randall Hillner and Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf. The OPPT was created when the Trustees bonded themselves to '' and as a result resumed '' the trust that was framed in the original US Constitution of 1776; the constitution that was abandoned when the United States government was corporatized in 1933.
  The OPPT then bonded every individual on the planet to this Trust as the Beneficiaries in equity, known as ''the One People, created by The Creator''. By doing so, the Trustees framed a Trust that has a superior claim to any other '' the Trust between the Creator and the ''states of being'' of Earth. The ''states of being'' of Earth are the beneficiaries of the Creator as the custodians of the Creator's manifestations on Earth. Lawfully speaking, there can be no higher claim than that of the One People's Public Trust'... except for one made by the Creator.
  Our planet's resources '' specified in the UCC filings to be the world's gold and silver '' cannot therefore be owned, sold to us for a price, metered out in 'salary' quantities to enslave us, or withheld to create poverty or destitution. Under the One People's Public Trust, we all have equity. Our planet's resources now belong to each of us in equal measure. That is our birth right. Now it is law.
  Between 2011 and 2012, the Trustees lodged a complex series of filings with the UCC on behalf of its Beneficiary. Full details of the OPPT's filings with the UCC can be found on their website: http://peoplestrust1776.org. Be warned: it is very heavy legal reading and designed for the purposes of legal noticing and disclosure, not for communicating OPPT's actions or their implications to the general public. However the Trustees are working directly with the global 'alternative media' community to ensure the public receive accurate, clear and relevant information.
  To summarise these documents:
  Understanding that corporations, governments and banks are one and the same, an ''Order of Finding and Action'' was filed against the ''the debtor'', a legal entity created via the UCC process which encompasses all corporate entities. The filings claim that the Debtor ''knowingly, willingly and intentionally committed treason'' by ''owning, operating, aiding and abetting private money systems'' and ''operating Slavery Systems used against'... citizens without their knowing, willing and intentional consent''.
  UCC filings are public records, and follow standard administrative processes. When facing a claim, an entity (in this case ''the Debtor'') is given the right of rebuttal. If a rebuttal is not received within the required timeframe, a default action then applies, followed by termination of that entity; in this case, on the grounds that it failed to rebut charges of treason by ''the One People''.
  The important thing to understand here is that a UCC filing stands as law if it remains unrebutted. And in this case, the OPPT Trustees ensured they created a legal situation in which the individuals and entities that form ''the debtor'' had no ability to rebut. How could they? The claims of slavery and frad are true.
  Of course, no rebuttal was received.
  The 'Debtor' is therefore guilty of treason.
  As remedy, corporations are foreclosed and their assets re-claimed.
  The wealth of our planet is returned to ''the One People''.
  All corporate debt is erased.
  ''The system'' is terminated.
  The public record shows it.
  The UCC filing stands as international law.
  By the system's own terms, it no longer exists.
  We are free!!
  Click here to read the press release issued by the One People's Public Trust on 4th February 2013.
  So What Does All This Mean?Lawfully, nobody can stand as a superior authority between you and your relationship with the Creator. Having removed the control-mechanisms of economy and government, the One People's Public Trust leaves individuals in full liability, being personally responsible for themselves and for ensuring the free-will rights of others. There is no longer a structural chain of command. No rules. No corporations to hide behind. You are '' as the Creator intended '' a Being and a guardian of our planet and its inhabitants.
  It's a MASSIVE paradigm shift, and one that will no doubt take some time to be realised in full.
  The systemic barriers that inhibited our free will and choices have now been removed, which poses challenges to the way we view ourselves and the way we make choices in our own lives. We now live '' on paper at least '' in a system of self-responsibility. The OPPT filings register this in perpetuity, and in such a way that your free will can never be taken away without your knowing consent.
  Until now, our existence under the former slavery system has been a constant struggle; a struggle to balance work and family commitments; a struggle just to ''make ends meet'', to ''afford'' a place to live '' a place in which to exist.
  But in a world of ABUNDANCE designed specifically by the Creator to provide for our needs, this struggle was not a natural state of being. Rather it was the result of psychological warfare played out against us. And it worked! It kept us humans under control, kept us working like good little slaves, and ensured the profits kept rolling in for the privileged few in ''power''.
  But today, by its own terms, ''the system'' no longer exists.
  Many of us saw ''the system'' for what it was. Many did not. Many didn't believe that ''the system'' was even a system. Many will realise it shortly.
  Regardless, as the demise of the old paradigm takes root and becomes apparent in our societies, a psychological change must happen within all of us. It may seem overwhelming, but we humans have dealt with paradigm change before; consider the internal and psychological change required of the African American slave race when the system of involuntary servitude was abolished'... of the German people when the Berlin Wall was ordered down in 1989'... of the citizens of the former Soviet Union at its dissolution in 1991'... of the Egyptian people who removed their dictator in 2011'... and of the Icelandic people who imprisoned their corrupt bankers and politicians and re-wrote their constitution in 2012'....
  This type of psychological revolution is not new. But it does pose many personal challenges.
  This is a time to be brave, and to be bravely YOU. In the absence of a controlling structure we must each take control of our destinies, and of the destiny of our planet. We must learn to make choices for ourselves again, and start to create the world WE want to live in.
  Just like new parents, we must accept that life will not be the same as it was'... and in the absence of a ''rule book'' we will attune to our instincts and learn to co-operate in new ways'..... together.
  Why Can't I See The Change??Be patient'... you will. But first, we need to identify how the actions of OPPT change the lawful landscape, and how that relates to us.
  Will the old corporate system go down fighting? Of course it will! Corporate-controlled Governments are going through the motions as though nothing has changed. And if you continue to accept their system of debt slavery, I'm sure the ''Powers That Were'' will happily continue to accommodate you!
  But don't be fooled: they know what has happened. They know they have been foreclosed. They know the game is over. It is now international law.
  We have the freedom to peacefully not co-operate with the old system. It is time to exercise that freedom.
  If it seems strange that the visible ''governments'' are still masquerading as such, bear in mind'.... visible governments are corporate puppets, and were never really calling the shots. At this point, the former owners want us to believe it is 'business as usual'. They have relied heavily on secrecy until now. They will keep pretending to the very end. That is just their way.
  OPPT Trustee Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf provided the following statement in a recent Freedom Radio interview that summarizes her plan to address this matter:
  ''For those wondering about OPPT's response to the actions or inactions of those people we can visibly see, it is the wizards and the big-dogs behind the curtain that I am coming for'... and they know it. In absolute love and peace, with absolute gratitude and grace'... Heather.''
  Managing ''Old System'' Actions Against YouWith the dissolution of the debt/slavery system, any fictional debt you supposedly owed to that system was also dissolved. Think about this for a minute!
  To facilitate your smooth transition out of the old system, you will need to understand what immediate remedy you can apply to ''old system'' actions that are currently being undertaken against you.
  In two recent Wake Up World articles, we discussed a pre-OPPT method of re-asserting your authority on the Corporate Government mechanism (read Part 1 & Part 2). This method was rooted in the knowledge that (1) the former governments were corporations, and (2) the onus is on anyone claiming the authority of legitimate government to prove it.
  You can view a real life case-study of this method in Scott Bartle's documentary What the FUQ? Frequently Unanswered Questions of the ''Australian Government''
  Generically, the crux of this challenge was:
  ''You have made a claim on me, and I am happy to comply with your demand'... however I would like to ascertain that I am dealing with the right people. Please demonstrate to me that you represent true government as constituted at the creation of this country.''
  In this situation, once the Corporate Government entity failed to demonstrate its legitimacy, control of that interaction could be assumed by you by introducing your own Terms and Conditions under which any interaction between you and that entity may continue.
  In a post-OPPT world, your process for challenging the authority of alleged 'Corporate agents' (including those claiming to represent Government) is essentially:
  ''I would be happy to comply with your demand'... however in UCC Law there is a filing that remains unrebutted which foreclosed upon the entity you claim to represent. You are now operating on your own personal liability. Please cease your claim on me. If you decide to pursue this claim again, any future interactions between us will be under the following conditions'...''
  Remembering that the agent no longer represents a corporate entity, a Courtesy Notice should be provided to the individual, including the 'Terms & Conditions' under which you will accept any future interactions. This both informs them, and allows them the opportunity to withdraw their unlawful claim against you. If the agent initiates further contact with you, they trigger a personalcontract between you by indicating their acceptance of the terms you provided.
  If a second agent of the same former corporation contacts you about the same claim, repeat the process with that individual also. Remember, corporations no longer exist. You are only dealing with other individuals.
  Detailed guidelines for creating your own Courtesy Notice and Terms and Conditions are available at www.oppt-in.com/documents. The power is there for YOU to enact.
  Public awareness of the new paradigm will take time to manifest in our society. Until the implications of the One People's Public Trust become widely known and adopted in the community, please be respectful of those who don't already know. Eventually, as individuals wake up to the new paradigm, they will simply cease operating on the former corporation's behalf. But if you need to serve a Courtesy Notice to an individual in the meantime, honour your position of knowledge and take the opportunity to respectfully inform them. Ground-level agents of former Corporations, Banks and Governments are just like you and I; they are were slaves to the same system too. They just don't know the truth yet, that's all.
  In the case of 'legal' dealings, it is not recommended that you serve a Courtesy Notice with Terms & Conditions to a (former) police officer who pulls you over on the street. Again, they are just like the rest of us'... and realistically they are likely to arrest and ''charge'' you if you approach them that way. Until public awareness reaches saturation point, I recommend that you comply with the ground-level officer, then serve them a Courtesy Notice via fax, email, registered mail'... or even hand deliver it. Should it escalate to a court, notify the Magistrate/Judge (or similar) in the same way before your scheduled court date. I don't recommended you put a Judge on the spot by providing them with Terms and Conditions in court. If you are respectful and allow them to read the Courtesy Notice privately before your hearing, you achieve a better outcome for all Beings involved in that interaction.
  Remember: The process of issuing Courtesy Notices is just as much a learning exercise for those being served as it is a remedy for your situation. Co-operation between individuals is the key to manifesting the new paradigm in our society. In the absence of any corporate-controlled Media coverage of this subject, public awareness of the One People's Public Trust will only occur through the respectful sharing of information within our communities and networks.
  After all, we are ''One People, created by The Creator''.
  What Mechanisms Are Provided Under The OPPT?With the lawful dissolution of the Corporate Government system comes the dissolution of the multitude of statutes and regulations that were created through its legislative and administrative frameworks. As Beneficiaries of the One People's Public Trust, UCC, Universal Law and Common Law are the only rules in play.
  Universal Law is essentially the overarching principle for governing conduct between beings. Universal Law is expressed as ''any free will choice is permissible except where it interferes with the free will choice of another being''. This is fundamental to the OPPT framework.
  Common Law refers to laws of precedent developed through the decisions of courts and similar tribunals over millennia. Common Law works on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different occasions, and on the principle of ''do no harm, cause no loss''.
  To facilitate our transition into the post-OPPT world, the Trustees created a new lawful framework '' informed by Universal and Common Law '' which will allow us to build a new world and also allows for the dismantling of the old system.
  Any person, and specifically existing military personnel whose oaths have been cancelled by the termination of the corporation they worked for, may ''knowingly, willingly, and intentionally volunteer'' to be bonded to the One People's Public Trust ''as public servants'... to protect and serve the people of the creator''.
  Public Servants who choose to become bonded to the Trust are:
  ''Authorized and ordered to protect and preserve the blood and life'' of all personsAuthorized to ''take into custody any and all '... agents and officers'... owning, operating, aiding and abetting private money systems'... legal enforcement systems'... [and] operating slavery systems''.Authorized to ''repossess all private money systems, tracking, transferring, issuing, collection, legal enforcement systems''.''Granted due authority of discretion'... to use any [and] all means, force and strategies'... to complete this order''.In effect, willing members of the military are provided a lawful framework to abandon the Corporate-controlled military, to bond themselves to the OPP Trust, and to actively contribute to the re-possession of the One People's assets.
  And if I'm any judge of human nature, an increasing number of agents will be glad to accept these ''orders''!
  Now'... the 'enforcement' order doesn't mean that public servants will come and arrest the first collections agent that calls you about your overdue credit card. It is the role of each of us '' as Beings of the Creator '' to help others at ground-level to understand this change, by informing them and providing them with Courtesy Notices. The 'enforcement' order relates to the Owners of the foreclosed Corporate Government structure; the 1%.
  Assistance Centres for the One People'Community service' was clearly not a motivator to the former owners of ''the system''. Nonetheless, their corporations fulfilled some necessary functions of public assistance like police and public health services'... albeit in hopes we wouldn't notice they were corporations!
  So what provisions does OPPT include for public service?
  Creator's Value Asset Centres (or CVAC's) are assistance mechanisms designed to support and serve humanity, the custodians of Earth. They provide an interconnected planet-wide network of support, operated by bonded public servants who act in full liability at all times. They provide a simple framework of governance and administration, covering 8 areas of functional process:
  Systems of KnowledgeCommunicationTravelTransparencyProtection & peacekeepingAccountabilityTreasuryRepossession** The transitional function of reclaiming from The Debtor the resources, infrastructure and wealth of the One People, in accordance with the terms of the One People's Public Trust.
  Each former nation on the planet has one CVAC branch reserved for it, with the exception of the Vatican. Each CVAC branch will administer the same services and operate in the same way as the CVAC branches in other regions. Every human on the planet will be supported by each and any CVAC hub, and every human will have access to the same resources and support networks. Each administrative area of each CVAC will be operated by a local council and led by a steward, whose primary role is to co-ordinate and facilitate the One People in making decisions and resolving issues. The structure also allows for additional sub-CVACs to be created to accommodate new circumstances or initiatives, provided that their function is for the benefit of all Beings and doesn't undermine the freewill rights of others.
  In an interview on The CrowHouse on 15th February 2013, OPPT Trustee Heather Tucci-Jarraf described the CVAC structure as ''a safe and guarded place for you to Be and Do as you choose'... just don't damage anybody else''.
  Our possibilities are literally boundless!
  By its definition, the CVAC system is the antithesis of the corrupt corporate tools we called ''Governments''. Accountability, measurability and transparency are the cornerstones of the CVAC framework. CVACs will provide the platform for us to simplify and unify laws for all, and to ensure the needs of all are met. They are prevented from impinging on the free will of any entity ''in any and all existence'', and bound to ''preserve and protect all creations, and value and asset centres''. Stewards and council members will be subject to 3-monthly renewal of their bonded roles, which ensures that public servants remain responsible to ''the One People'' at all times.
  For these reasons, CVACs are the foundation of a new type of governance. The system now serves us, and not the other way around. And with awareness and support from the One People swelling, its first task will be to remove the old cabal.
  Documentation relating to the creation and terms of CVAC's is available at www.peoplestrust1776.org. Further information will be published soon.
  Moving Forward As ''The One People''The One People's Public Trust represents a massive paradigm shift. It provides a structural change that will enable a long-overdue energetic change.
  The OPPT ratifies our freedom as Beings of the Creator in perpetuity. It corrects by law the imbalances of poverty, inequity and unsustainability. It provides a platform through which we can all experience the wonders and resources of our planet. And by removing the fa§ade of corporate entities and the ridiculous protocols that protected its perpetrators, we will energetically reconnect with each other. As Beings. In full liability. Each with equity. As we are. Free.
  We are in a period of massive social, political and spiritual transformation.
  Personally, this transition feels a little like we are between worlds. The systemic framework that controlled our lives for so long has been removed, but the change hasn't yet manifested in full in the physical world around us. The process of reforming former corporations into worldwide co-operatives will no doubt take time, but we already have the lawful power to reject the old system. And yet it hasn't stopped pretending to be real.
  We have so many decisions to make too! What will we choose to BE and DO in the new world? What opportunities will we create with the CVACs framework? And realistically, what will we do with the ''Powers That Were''?
  For now, it is the duty of every human Being to manifest the freedom of the One People's Public Trust in our daily lives, and to help others to understand and integrate and manifest it in their lives too.
  Freedom is not free. It comes with responsibility.
  Change starts with you.
  Do the right thing now.
  Embrace your responsibility.
  Spread the word.
  OPPT IN.
  WE ARE FREE!
  Visit the new OPPT page on Wake Up World!
  Read other articles about OPPTListen to radio shows about OPPTConnect with OPPT-In social media groupsVisit other websites that support OPPTLocate OPPT documentation, press releases and other materialsRelated articles:
  About the author
  Andy Whiteley is the co-founder of Wake Up World and a Being of the Creator.
  Special thanks to Chris Hales, Ken & Scott Bartle, Lisa Harrison, and Ryan & Lea Mullins for their invaluable input.
  Respect and gratitude to the Trustees of the One People's Public Trust.
  Peace and love to the One People created by the Creator, and to every other entity in any and all existences.
  I AM FREEEEEEE !!!
  Share your thoughts by rating this article or adding your comments below.
  Related PostsNo related posts.
ELM DOSSIERS; CARDINAL O'BRIEN; EARLAND; KIER
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:14
  Geoffrey Dickens - RexMember of the UK Parliament Geoffrey Dickens reportedly made two copies of his 50-page dossier naming top paedophile child abusers.In 1984, Dickens gave one copy to the Home Secretary Leon Brittan.
  This copy apparently vanished.
  The Sunday People reports that the copy help by Dicken's family was destroyed after Dicken's death, .
  Tory MP's file on alleged VIP child abuse ring was destroyed by familySir Jimmy Savile (right) with Cardinal Gray (hand on chin)
  The dossier referred to police corruption, named senior ­politicians, and reportedly referred to the boy brothel called Elm Guest House.
  On 29 November 1985, Dickens said in a speech to the Commons that: "The noose around my neck grew tighter after I named a former high-flying British diplomat on the Floor of the House.
  "Honourable Members will understand that where big money is involved and as important names came into my possession so the threats began.
  "First, I received threatening telephone calls followed by two burglaries at my London home. Then, more seriously, my name appeared on a multi-killer's hit list".
  Tory MP warned of powerful paedophile ring 30 years ago, The Independent (22 February 2013).
  Dicken's son Barry, 49, told the Sunday People: "My ­father's file was ­destroyed after his death in 1995 because my mother considered it too sensitive to have hanging around the house."Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Britain's top Catholic clergyman, who is soon due to retire Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell.
  Three priests and a former priest have reported Cardinal Keith O'Brien to the Vatican over allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour'.
  UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts'
  The claims stretch back 33 years.
  The four priests are from the diocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
  According to one of the priests, the cardinal developed an inappropriate relationship with him, resulting in a need for long-term psychological counselling.
  O'Brien has strongly opposed gay rights and has condemned homosexuality as immoral.
  St Patrick's Kilsyth - Fr O'Connell and Jimmy Saville
  Reportedly the first allegation against the cardinal dates back to 1980.
  The complainant was then a 20-year-old at St Andrew's College, Drygrange.
  Allegedly, O'Brien made an inappropriate approach after night prayers.
  "Priest A" describes O'Brien coming to his parish, and inappropriate contact between the two taking place.
  "Priest B" claims that he was invited to spend a week "getting to know" O'Brien at the archbishop's residence. He describes unwanted behaviour by the cardinal after a drinking session.
  "Priest C" claims that O'Brien used inappropriate contact, during night prayers.
  Rumours have linked Jimmy Savile to Elm Guest House
  Richmond Council in London was told about Elm Guest House being run as a boy brothel, but the council bosses took no action.
  Elm Guest House abuse scandal Council bosses failed to investigate VIP child abuse scandal despite warnings
  Terry Earland, former head of children's services at Richmond, has revealed that on at least two occasions he referred complaints of sexual abuse from children to police and colleagues at the council.
  Earland says that the complaints were not properly investigated.
  Earland says that claims that VIPs, including a Tory cabinet minister, were sexually abusing boys at the guest house were well known within the council.
  Boys from Grafton Close children's home were sent to the boy brothel at Elm Guest House.
  Neil Kier was the man in charge of Grafton Close children's home.In 1982, when the police decided they were going to visit Elm Guest House, Terry Earland arranged for Neil Kier to be on standby to help any children found at the house."Introduced to H by Keir. He used to ring & tell them were (sic) to go to pick them up and take to mens homes."The full story can be read at Exaro News
  CHILD ABUSE LINKED TO GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE
  SAVILE, HEATH, MI5...
Tens of thousands in Spain protest economic policy, corruption
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:12
  TweetShare thisEmailPrint1 of 4. Demonstrators stage a protest against austerity, near the Spanish Parliament in Madrid February 23, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Juan Medina
  By Paul Day
  MADRID | Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:41pm EST
  MADRID (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched through cities across the country on Saturday to protest deep austerity, the privatization of public services and political corruption.
  Gathering under the banner of the "Citizen Tide", students, doctors, unionists, young families and pensioners staged rowdy but non-violent demonstrations as a near five-year economic slump shows no sign of recovery and mass unemployment rises.
  "I'm here to add my voice. They're cutting where they shouldn't cut; health, education ... basic services. And the latest corruption scandal is just the tiniest tip of a very large iceberg," said Alberto, 51, an account administrator for a German multinational in Madrid, who preferred not to give his surname.
  Protests in Spain have become commonplace as the conservative government passes measures aimed at shrinking one of the euro zone's highest budget deficits and reinventing an economy hobbled by a burst housing bubble.
  Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has introduced some of the deepest budget cuts in Spain's democratic history in an attempt to convince investors the country can weather the economic crisis without falling back on international aid.
  But, with more than half of the country's young people out of work and growth not expected until sometime next year, the measures have only scratched the surface of the budget shortfall which is expected to be more than double the target in 2014.
  Meanwhile, corruption scandals which have hit the ruling party as well as the once-popular royal family has left many Spaniards disenchanted with their leaders on all sides of the political spectrum.
  In Madrid, under a clear, cold winter sky, Saturday's marches convened from four different points by early evening in Neptune Square, between the heavily policed and barricaded parliament, the Ritz Hotel and the stock exchange.
  Carrying placards which condemned everything from cuts in the health sector to massive bailouts granted to Spain's banking system, crowds banged drums and chanted, while dozens of riot police stood on the sidelines.
  The march coincided with the anniversary of a failed coup attempt in 1981 by Civil Guard officers who stormed Parliament and held deputies hostage until the next day.
  (Reporting By Paul Day; Editing by Jason Webb)
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Web dating firm: Customer suspicions
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:09
  23 February 2013Last updated at23:49 ETBy Fran Abrams5 live InvestigatesOne of Britain's biggest online dating providers has denied creating user profiles on its websites to entice new customers to sign up.
  Surfers using the sites run by Edinburgh-based Cupid Plc - which include cupid.com, benaughty.com and flirt.com - told the BBC they received flirtatious messages but failed to get dates.
  They said they had lots of messages when they signed up to the sites as free users, but when they paid up, interest rapidly tailed off.
  Cupid Plc's Chairman, Bill Dobbie, said it had about 500 "staff profiles" on its websites - but he insisted they were used for moderating chat rooms and forums - and to root out scammers.
  SubscriptionThe BBC spoke to 11 users of Cupid Plc's sites, who said they suspected that many of the 'daters' they heard from might not be genuine.
  When 5live Investigates signed up to the site to test the system, it had the same experience.
  The sites allow users to register for free, but in order to reply to a message from another member they have to pay a fee.
  Will from Berkshire, who asked to be identified only by his first name, registered with a Cupid website called datetheuk.com as a free member - and immediately found he was popular.
  "It started with 'winks' and proceeded to chat messages - innocent messages. A very attractive woman purporting to live nearby messaged me, but I couldn't respond unless I paid," he said. "So I joined up, but then the communications ceased. I did wonder if it was an automated response from the company to entice people like me to sign up."
  TextsJean Bayou, from Staines, West London, said he bought a subscription to cupid.com after getting divorced. He received several messages - but once he had paid to reply he did not hear from the senders again.
  "It seemed like the people concerned weren't genuinely seeking dates," he said. "They didn't seem like genuine people to me."
  Jean also received a series of text messages from a woman calling herself 'Anne.' He realised belatedly that for each text he received or sent he was charged £1.50 by Cupid plc.
  Continue reading the main storyListen to the full report on 5 live Investigates on BBC 5 live on Sunday, 24 February, at 11:00 GMT
  Andrew, from Wales - who did not want his surname used - said that as a 57 year-old he was surprised when a number of young, attractive women contacted him via cupid.com.
  When he checked their details, though, he discovered three of them claimed to be from the Swansea Enterprise Park - an industrial zone.
  "I did start to wonder if they might be posted by the company to keep me interested," he said. "I felt there was something funny going on."
  DenialCupid Plc has been seen as a City success story. It was floated on the AIM stock market in 2010, and in 2011 it was named as Scotland's fastest-growing technology business by the accountancy firm Deloitte.
  The company says its web platform supports more than 84 million user accounts and has more than 800,000 users online each day. Its users live in 58 different countries, and its message system handles almost 200 million messages each day.
  Mr Dobbie categorically denied the company sent communications in order to tempt free members to pay subscriptions. "If any customers have any specific concerns, they should contact me or my customer service team directly," he said.
  He added the company was working hard to eradicate non-genuine users, many of whom aimed to extract money from web-surfers.
  "I am particularly grateful for the BBC raising the issue of scammers in this industry and hopefully, with your assistance, we can try to eradicate this scamming practice," he said.
  The company said it did inform members of its charges for text messages.
  You can listen to the full report on5 live Investigateson Sunday, 24 February, at 11:00 GMT onBBC 5 live.
  Listen again via the5 live websiteor by downloading the 5 live Investigatespodcast.
ITALIANS MUST VOTE FOR BERLUSCONI TODAY
  Link to Article
  Source: VENITISM
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:05
  Strong campaigning by Berlusconi has thrown the election wide open, and there might be no clear winner. Voting for the center-left alliance is suicidal. Whatever government emerges from the vote will have the task of pulling Italy out of its longest recession for 20 years and reviving an economy largely stagnant for two decades. The main danger for Italy andeurozoneis a weak socialist government incapable of taking firm action. Italy needs Berlusconi now. Italians must vote for Berlusconi today.Merkel's antipathy for Berlusconi is not something she goes out of her way to hide. She chuckles when asked about Berlusconi's willingness to push through reforms. Berlusconi has made attacks on Merkel a central feature of his campaign and he has sought to paint Monti as a pawn of Berlin. Berlusconi calls Merkel an Eastern bureaucrat, a reference to her having grown up in communist East Germany.Berlusconisays: Merkel is an unfuckable fatass. I have to use all my playboy tactics with all female premiers.Schaeuble warns Italians against voting for Berlusconi in general elections scheduled for Feb. 24 and 25: Silvio Berlusconi may be an effective campaign strategist. But my advice to the Italians is not to make the same mistake again by re-electing him.Westerwelle, a frequent reader ofhttp://venitism.blogspot.com,is following the Italian campaign closely and sees Italy as a key to surmounting the European debt crisis. Westerwelle says: We are of course not a party in the Italian campaign. But whoever ends up forming the next government, we are emphatic that Rome's pro-European path and necessary reforms are continued.Ruprecht Polenz says: Italy needs political leaders who stand for the future. Berlusconi is certainly not one of them. Berlusconi is lacking the necessary trustworthiness. It has to do with confidence and credibility. The ongoing court proceedings directed against Berlusconi have a negative effect on his political credibility.Berlusconisays: I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a patient victim, I put up with everyone, and I sacrifice myself for everyone. Only Napoleon did more. But I'm definitely taller. One citizen is equal to another in the eyes of the law, but I am slightly more equal than the others, given that 50 percent of Italians have given me the responsibility of governing the country.Mediobanca, Italy's largest investment bank, declares: A last-minute Berlusconi victory would scare the market sufficiently to put pressure on the spread. Given Italy's current sovereign debt load, such an eventuality is the best case, because it would offer Italy the perfect excuse for what we keep seeing as the only viable way out.30% of Italians could vote for the center-left alliance, 29% for the PDL-League alliance, 18% for the 5-Star Movement,and 12% for Monti's alliance.Comic Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement is grabbing votes from all parties, after a string of scandals that have hit the main political parties just before Italy's election. The progress made by Grillo's indignants as the February 24-25 election date nears brings an earthquake to Italian politics. Grillo has ruled out forming an alliance with any of the mainstream parties.Berlusconisays: The People of Freedom Party should rename itself to Go Cunt! When asked if they would like to have sex with me, 30 percent of women answered, Yes, while the other 70 percent responded: What, again? I had fended off a line of women outside my door for doing only eight girls, because I couldn't do more. I like bunga bunga parties, and underage girls, especially Ruby. It's better to like beautiful girls than to be gay.High profile scandals at Italy's third-largest bank Monte dei Paschi, defense group Finmeccanica, and oil major Eni have highlighted close links between the political andbusinesselite and fuelled his clear-cut message.Grillo founded his movement three years ago pledging to sweep away the dead conventional political parties, which he says are corrupt, inept and wasteful. Grillo always reminds Italians the corruption scandals in Lombardy and Lazio.
  Il Duce Berlusconi has an interest in doing all he can to prevent a leftist majority in the senate. He hopes to be able to torpedo laws in the future that would limit his media empire or allow him to be prosecuted. He knows that his chances of becoming premier are slim. Since he has nothing to lose, he lies and makes promises he cannot keep, determined only to make sure that the show goes on.Berlusconi, a frequent reader ofhttp://venitism.blogspot.com,promises a sweeping amnesty on unpaid taxes and building permit violations. Tax amnesties have been passed regularly by successive Italian governments but have been widely criticized as an encouragement to tax evasion. But Northern League, Berlusconi's coalition partners, reject Il Duce's proposal.Berlusconi has visited the key regions that determine the Senate line-up too close to call, notably the affluent northern region of Lombardy. Berlusconi has sharply eroded the center-left's lead. Elections on February 25 are expected to produce a hung result in the Senate. That would force the center-left to seek a potentially unstable alliance with Monti's centrist bloc.Berlusconi brushes aside criticisms that his proposals would hamper efforts to cut the public debt, which is now at 130% of GDP. Il Duce points out cutting taxes would stimulate growth sufficient to start bringing down the debt.Il Duce Berlusconi promises to cut taxes and the cost of government if his center-right party wins elections this month. He also promises to reimburse Italian families for a much-hated tax on their primary residences. That tax was imposed last year by Monti, after it had been abolished in 2008 by Berlusconi.Il Duce would eliminate a regional tax on businesses over the course of five years, would not increase VAT, and would not impose a wealth tax on higher earners. Il Duce will introduce a number of measures to cut the cost of government, to halve the number of parliamentarians, and to eliminate public financing of political parties. Berlusconi will not be premier if the center-right wins. That job will go to Angelino Alfano, secretary of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party. Berlusconi would be the minister of Economy.Italy, eurozone's third-largest economy, has been in recession since the middle of 2011, consumer spending is falling at its fastest rate since World War Two and unemployment has risen to a record high fifteen percent. Il Duce Berlusconiis feverishly preparing for Italian elections. Berlusconi wants to control Italian politics with populist antieuro rhetoric. He asserts the Italian central bank should simply print more euros out of thin air and avoid instructions from Fourth Reich. He has also threatened to reintroduce the lira. His newspaper Il Giornale prints pictures of Angela Merkel raising her right arm like a Nazi!Berlusconisays: We should be conscious of the superiority of Graecoroman civilization, which consists of a value system that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion. This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic countries.Il Duce has found the courage to confront the kind of challenges that he didn't usually face in previous election campaigns when he had the advantage. His new strategy of facing enemies in the media is paying off, and opinion polls are reflecting that. Il Duce has always been most formidable with his back to the wall. He plays a bold gamble in confronting his fiercest critics in TV stations. After the scandal and financial crisis that drove him from office in 2011, journalists smell blood. A natural showman, Berlusconi has always seen television as a comfortable medium and it is the key channel for reaching his traditional electorate. Neither dull Bersani nor egghead Monti have been able to match Berlusconi's feisty performances. Some presenters who used to go easy on Berlusconi have turned against him, fearing he is a sinking ship, but previously hostile journalists have shown him more respect for agreeing to appear on their shows.Few have managed to knock him off his stride or halt the flow of theatrics that spice up his tirades against targets ranging from Monti to Merkel or the magistrates who have forced him repeatedly to stand trial. Comical stunts aimed at stealing the spotlight still come easily to Il Duce and he performs them at every opportunity. Politics is communication too. Energy, getting through to voters. 80% of Italians think Il Duce is a lot of fun!Il Duceisn't just stepping into the ring for fun. He has to. Today,Il Duceis finding himself right back where he was in 1994, in great danger. Back then, at the time he began his political career, his business empire was facing bankruptcy and he more or less had one foot in jail. He went into politics in order to rescue himself.Today, with advertising revenues collapsing,Il Duce'smedia empire is in trouble again. WhenIl Ducegoverned Italy, it was self-evident for major companies to show preferential treatment toIl Duce'smedia when placing advertising. Ultimately it was a matter of securing government contracts and ensuring political support when these companies ran into problems. But those days ended whenIl Ducewas forced to step down as prime minister.The strategy in this fight for survival has been developed by a large, highly professional team. The group's aim is to transform Berlusconi's weaknesses into strengths. Il Ducesays Dolce Vita is possible in Italy again, just as it was in the old days, but only if his party returns to power. Il Duce wants power in order to distribute corpfare for more advertising revenue to his media. If his party wins, he will have all the power he needs. He does not have to be a premier for that.Mario Monti defends his government's record and warns against short-termism in politics. Leadership is the opposite of short-termism. Italy failed to take on the challenges of globalization, but instead pursued policies of the status quo and procrastination.Monti implemented wide-ranging reforms that have changed Italy and put its economy and fiscal position on sounder footing. Monti says: We did not go for the low-hanging fruit but aimed for big targets. Structural reforms are important, because they lay the foundation for future growth. If my experience is anything to go by, the odds are against reforms if the government is not able to confront the interests that are resisting them. Leadership is better tested at times of adversity, but it is also possible to lead against the odds.Il Duce Berlusconi has stoked controversy by praising Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day! Berlusconi says: Obviously the government of Mussolini's time, out of fear that German power might lead to complete victory, preferred to ally itself with Hitler's Germany rather than opposing it. The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did well.In previous controversial comments, Silvio Berlusconi has incurred the wrath of Queen Elizabeth for talking too loudly at her, the Obamas, whom he described as suntanned, and China, by implying that Communist leader Mao Zedong boiled babies to fertilize fields!Berlusconi's most memorable comment is about socialist muppetMartin Schulz, madam of the Eldorado of Prostitutes (EP) European Parliament, who always bullshits about solidarity. Berlusconi calls him kapo, prisoner functionary in Nazi concentration camps! Il Duce considers EP a concentration camp of prostitutes! Kapo Schulz must keep EP in order.Berlusconisays: I know that in Italy there is a man producing a film on Nazi concentration camps. I'll suggest Martin Schulz for the role of Kapo. He is perfect.Il Duce Berlusconi is still a master salesman, a man who knows how to campaign better than anyone else. Helpfully, he still also owns many media. Hardly a day goes by when he doesn't appear on a talk show, wearing a dark-blue, double-breasted suit, his legs crossed, holding forth in a mixture between stump speech and pure entertainment. He brags about his heroic deeds, talks about how he captured the heart of his new girlfriend, the 27-year-old Francesca, and how he, as the owner of AC Milan, paid twenty million euros for the football star Mario Balotelli.It is still his audacity and his intuition for the fears and yearnings of ordinary Italians that captivate hoi polloi. One day, he praises Il Duce Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day, the next he threatens Merkel with Italy's withdrawal from eurozone. He complains about the leftist feminist judges who ordered him to pay his ex-wife three million euros a month in alimony. This populism works for Berlusconi and brings him votes.Italians can hardly afford to wait for the fruits of long-term reforms. There is an Italian saying: Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domain.Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.
Is The News Scripted?
  Link to Article
  Source: What Jamie Flarity is reading.
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 07:03
  Yeah, I know, that's like asking if fire is hot.
  Well for those who've never been burned, here's proof that the news burns us all the time. This video is a great wake up tool for those who still incomprehensibly believe in the MSM.
  This video will fix em in just 1.5 minutes.
  http://youtu.be/dAkxR9T01pw
Air Force Times Mobile - Toxic mice to rain from skies near Andersen AFB
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 06:16
  By Eric Talmadge - The Associated PressPosted: Friday Feb 22, 2013 13:44:49 EST
  ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam '-- Dead mice laced with painkillers are about to rain down on Guam's jungle canopy. They are scientists' prescription for a headache that has caused the tiny U.S. territory misery for more than 60 years: the brown tree snake.
  Most of Guam's native bird species are extinct because of the snake, which reached the island's thick jungles by hitching rides from the South Pacific on U.S. military ships shortly after World War II. There may be 2 million of the reptiles on Guam now, decimating wildlife, biting residents and even knocking out electricity by slithering onto power lines.
  More than 3,000 miles away, environmental officials in Hawaii have long feared a similar invasion '-- which in their case likely would be a ''snakes on a plane'' scenario. That would cost the state many vulnerable species and billions of dollars, but the risk will fall if Guam's air-drop strategy succeeds.
  ''We are taking this to a new phase,'' said Daniel Vice, assistant state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services in Hawaii, Guam and the Pacific Islands. ''There really is no other place in the world with a snake problem like Guam.''
  Brown tree snakes are generally a few feet long but can grow to be more than 10 feet in length. Most of Guam's native birds were defenseless against the nocturnal, tree-based predators, and within a few decades of the reptile's arrival, nearly all of them were wiped out.
  The snakes can also climb power poles and wires, causing blackouts, or slither into homes and bite people, including babies; they use venom on their prey, but it is not lethal to humans.
  The infestation and the toll it has taken on native wildlife have tarnished Guam's image as a tourism haven, though the snakes are rarely seen outside their jungle habitat.
  The solution to this headache, fittingly enough, is acetaminophen, the active ingredient in painkillers including Tylenol.
  The strategy takes advantage of the snake's two big weaknesses. Unlike most snakes, brown tree snakes are happy to eat prey they didn't kill themselves, and they are highly vulnerable to acetaminophen, which is harmless to humans.
  The upcoming mice drop is targeted to hit snakes near Guam's sprawling Andersen Air Force Base, which is surrounded by heavy foliage and if compromised would offer the snakes a potential ticket off the island. Using helicopters, the dead neonatal mice will be dropped by hand, one by one.
  U.S. government scientists have been perfecting the mice-drop strategy for more than a decade with support from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.
  To keep the mice bait from dropping all the way to the ground, where it could be eaten by other animals or attract insects as they rot, researchers have developed a flotation device with streamers designed to catch in the branches of the forest foliage, where the snakes live and feed.
  Experts say the impact on other species will be minimal, particularly since the snakes have themselves wiped out the birds that might have been most at risk.
  ''One concern was that crows may eat mice with the toxicant,'' said William Pitt of the U.S. National Wildlife Research Center's Hawaii Field Station. ''However, there are no longer wild crows on Guam. We will continue to refine methods to increase efficiency and limit any potential non-target hazards.''
  The mouse drop is set to start in April or May.
  Vice said the goal is not to eradicate the snakes, but to control and contain them. Just as the snakes found their way to Guam, they could stow away on a ship, or more likely the cargo hold of an airplane, and begin breeding on other islands around the Pacific or even the U.S. West Coast.
  That ''snakes on a plane'' scenario has officials in Hawaii on edge. The islands of Hawaii, like Guam, lack the predators that could keep a brown tree snake population in check.
  Native Hawaiian birds ''literally don't know what to do when they see a snake coming,'' said Christy Martin, a spokeswoman for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, a partnership of Hawaii government agencies and private organizations.
  A 2010 study conducted by the National Wildlife Research Center found brown tree snakes would cause between $593 million and $2.14 billion in economic damage each year if they became established in Hawaii as they are on Guam. Power outages would cause the most damage, followed by a projected decline in tourism. The cost of treating snake bites would account for a small share.
  ''Once we get snakes here, we're never going to be able to fix the situation,'' Martin said.
  Though the snakes are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea, Guam is much closer to Hawaii, and its snake population is much more dense, meaning it is the primary threat for snake stowaways.
  So far, Guam's containment seems to be working. Only a few brown tree snakes have been found in Hawaii, and none over the past 17 years.
  ''If we continue doing what we are doing, the chance of success is very high,'' Vice said. ''If what we are doing stops, I think the possibility of the snakes getting to Hawaii is inevitable.''
  AP writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report from Honolulu.
Perry Not Backing Off Opposition to Medicaid Expansion | RealClearPolitics
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 05:34
  AUSTIN, Texas -- Gov. Rick Perry, who authored the memorably titled book ''Fed Up!'' before launching a presidential run in 2011, is again demonstrating his skeptical view of a federal government that comes bearing gifts for his state -- even as many of his Republican colleagues have changed their tune.
  On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott became the latest GOP governor to say he will accept a provision in the national health care reform law that expands Medicaid dramatically in his state. But Perry remains steadfast in his refusal to accept the federal funding.
  Proponents of taking the money have characterized Perry's decision as reflecting an unreasonable obstinacy. Texas has the nation's highest rate of uninsured residents, after all, and the proposed Medicaid expansion would cover more than 1 million additional people.
  But during a speech in Washington on Friday that was intended to draw attention to his state's economic strength, Perry was repeatedly heckled by organized groups of protesters -- to no avail, however, as the nation's longest-serving governor drew a clear line in the sand on the issue.
  ''Let me go on the record here for a moment: We're not going to be expanding Medicaid in Texas,'' he said to cheers from the partisan Republican crowd on hand, according to the Houston Chronicle. ''The reason is because it's a broken system. It's moving our state -- and I'll just speak to our state -- towards bankruptcy if we expand the current program.''
  Earlier this week, protesters outside the Texas State Capitol waved signs and gave speeches decrying the governor's refusal to accept the funding -- a decision that the Supreme Court ruled last year was up to individual states to make.
  Supporters of Medicaid expansion in Texas have questioned Perry's motives in declining to make what they consider to be an easy decision that would boost revenue in the state, in addition to getting more people insured.
  ''From a public policy position, and for investing in the future of our state, there has never been a more obvious decision,'' said Matt Glazer of the liberal-leaning group Progress Texas. ''That being said, Rick Perry is clearly running for president again, and he's doing everything he can do to make that possible.''
  Perry aides dispute vigorously the notion that the governor's reluctance is based on anything other than concern for the state's fiscal health. Texas already spends more than a quarter of its budget on Medicaid, and opponents of the expanded funding argue that the state ultimately would have to pony up more in the coming years, which could imperil spending for other critical statewide needs such as infrastructure and public education.
  ''The governor always compares the expansion of Medicaid to putting another thousand people on the Titanic,'' said Perry spokesperson Josh Havens. ''It's just reckless and not fiscally responsible and [it's] why the governor's holding the line here in Texas.''
  As emphatic as the governor has been, many supporters of Medicaid expansion here remain optimistic that he eventually will cave on the issue amid mounting pressure from business groups and Republican state lawmakers who -- though on the fence at the moment -- might be swayed by the shifting GOP tide nationwide. (A half-dozen Republican governors preceded Florida's Scott in changing their minds about the funding.)
  But with a likely re-election campaign on the horizon next year and a potential second presidential bid looming in 2016, Perry could pay a political price if he were to yield on the issue after once being so emphatically against it.
  ''I think his motives are essentially ideological as well as wanting to strike others in his party as someone who says what he means,'' said Bruce Buchanan of the University of Texas, a close observer of the Lone Star State's politics. ''He hasn't taken the lesson that a lot of Republicans have, [which is] that attitudes like his are a barrier, rather than a facilitator, to electoral success.''
Denver helicopter ops....
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 05:28
  Denver helicopter ops....Saw several black helicopters cruising around downtown Denver yesterday. Not blackhawks or hueys.. I think they were Eurocopter EC 135P2+s or similar....
  http://cartusers.curry.com/chad.christiandgk2/arc/2013/02/23/badchad.html?ts=1361650934Link
Broadwell's Promotion Reversed; Probe Continues
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 03:08
  Paula Broadwell's promotion last summer from major to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves was revoked this month pending an investigation, according to military sources.
  Broadwell, 40, who lives in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood, became a national figure last year after disclosure of her affair with David Petraeus, then-director of the CIA and former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
  She spent time with Petraeus in Afghanistan while reporting his biography, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus."
  Dee Dee Myers, a former White House press secretary and now a Washington-based spokeswoman for Broadwell, said Broadwell was notified about the revocation last week.
  Myers said Army policy allows a promotion to be revoked within six months if there is an investigation. "That's what happened," Myers said.
  She added that neither Broadwell nor her lawyers have been notified that Broadwell is the subject of an investigation. "There's been a fair amount of coverage about something going on...but it's unclear to us what it is or how she fits into it," Myers said.
  Army spokesman George Wright said Broadwell's Aug. 28 promotion was suspended because she is "under investigation for wrongdoing." If Broadwell is cleared, she would be reinstated to her previous rank with back pay, he said.
  Wright wouldn't discuss details of the investigation. FBI agents were seen searching Broadwell's home in November. Agents took boxes of documents, a Dell PC, an iMac, a briefcase and a printer. No charges have been filed.
  Petraeus, America's most decorated four-star general who became director of the CIA in early 2011, resigned that position Nov. 9 after acknowledging he'd had an extramarital relationship. He didn't name Broadwell, but she emerged immediately as the other woman.
  Broadwell has not spoken publicly since the scandal broke. But her lawyers have said she has cooperated fully with authorities and that materials taken from her home showed no inappropriate access to national security documents.
  The Petraeus scandal also ensnared retired Marine Corps four-star Gen. John Allen, former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, who had exchanged personal emails with Jill Kelley. She is a Tampa socialite who was acquainted with Allen and Petraeus through her role as a social liaison at MacDill Air Force Base, where the military's Central Command and Special Operations Command are based.
  Last year, Kelley asked an FBI acquaintance for help with what she considered harassing anonymous emails warning her to stay away from Petraeus. The FBI determined those emails had been sent by Broadwell, which then uncovered to Broadwell's relationship with Petraeus. Authorities have since said Broadwell will not be prosecuted under federal cyber-stalking statutes.
  -- Matt Schofield of McClatchy's Washington bureau contributed.
  (C) Copyright 2013 Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Air Force Times Mobile - American troops in Niger to set up drone base
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 04:52
  Julie Pace and Robert Burns - The Associated PressPosted: Saturday Feb 23, 2013 14:41:25 EST
  WASHINGTON '-- President Barack Obama said Friday that about 100 American troops have been deployed to the African nation of Niger. Two U.S. defense officials said the troops would be setting up a base for unarmed drones to conduct surveillance.
  Obama announced the deployment in a letter to Congress, saying that the forces "will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region."
  The move marks a deepening of U.S. efforts to stem the spread of al-Qaida and its affiliates in the volatile region. It also underscores Obama's desire to fight extremism without involving large numbers of U.S. ground forces.
  Related readingOfficial: U.S. may set up drone base in Niger (1/29)
  The drone base will allow the U.S. to give France more intelligence on the militants its forces have been fighting in Mali, which neighbors Niger. Over time, it could extend the reach not only of American intelligence-gathering but also U.S. special operations missions to strengthen Niger's own security forces.
  One of the two U.S. defense officials who discussed the development confirmed the American troops would fly drones and other surveillance platforms from Niger military airstrips, tracking militant and refugee movement inside Mali and around the border. The U.S. will share that intelligence with Niger's military, the official said.
  Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the project.
  The drones at the Niger base will be unarmed and used for surveillance, not airstrikes. Still, the development of a base in Niger raises the possibility that it could eventually be used for launching strikes.
  Obama said in his letter to Congress that the U.S. forces have been deployed with the consent of Niger's government. The forces were also deployed with weapons "for their own force protection and security," the president said.
  Last month, the U.S. and Niger signed a status-of-forces-agreement spelling out legal protections and obligations of American forces that might operate in Niger in the future.
  Africa is increasingly a focus of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, even as al-Qaida remains a threat in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere. Last month's terrorist attack on a natural gas complex in Algeria, in which at least 37 hostages and 29 militants were killed, illustrated the threat posed by extremists who have asserted power propelled by long-simmering ethnic tensions in Mali and the revolution in Libya.
  A number of al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist groups operate in Mali and elsewhere in the Sahara, including a group known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which originated in Algeria and is active in northern Mali. Last month, French forces intervened to stop the extremists' move toward Mali's capital, and Washington has grown more involved by providing a variety of military support to French troops.
  France has said it will eventually pull out of its Mali operation so that African forces can help stabilize the West African country.
  AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier contributed to this report.
American ISPs reportedly rolling out 'six strikes' anti-piracy rules on Monday
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:07
  A long-delayed set of anti-piracy rules could be put in place early next week. Sources have told both The Daily Dot nd TorrentFreak that five major US ISPs '-- AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and Cablevision '-- will roll out their Copyright Alert System on Monday in a partnership with the entertainment industry. Also referred to as the "six strikes" program, the CAS is a graduated alert system that starts with "educational notices;" if ISPs continue to find copyright infringement, they'll send further reminders and finally throttle or temporarily block internet browsing. It's distinct from more controversial "three strikes" proposals that would cut off users from the internet completely.
  According to TorrentFreak, Verizon plans to slow the connections of users who have been found sharing illegal files, while AT&T will block access to popular sites and Time Warner Cable will direct browsers to a landing page. Of course, these plans were mostly reported months ago, back when the program was expected to launch in late 2012. In November, the Center for Copyright Information moved the date back to early 2013, ostensibly because of delays from Hurricane Sandy. It's possible we'll see another delay, but the extremely close date (and the relatively new promotional video below) suggest the CAS is indeed coming soon.
Technical Analysis of the Natural Gas Market
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:05
  By EconMatters
  Natural Gas closed Friday at $3.35 per mmBtu and has been on a three month downtrend from the $4 level where it put in a near-term double top in October and November of 2012.
  This was your classic short setup, as NG bottomed in March of 2012 from the prolonged downtrend to test just how low prices could go, it then had to test the upside, where the top of the near-term range would be. This turned out to be an eight month process with a definable trend upward until the nice large number that $4 represents for resistance.
  It couldn`t bust through this level, pulled back to previous resistance around $3.60, and made another run at breaking the $4 barrier, it failed putting in the classic double top, profits were taken and the shorts piled into the market, leading NG to break the $3.60 level and confirm the break of the uptrend channel.
  Downtrend or Parallel Channel
  Natural gas is technically still in a down trending channel if you draw a line from the top at $4 to the higher lows established at $3.67, and so on based upon the three month time frame.
  However, if we look at the eleven month time frame Natural Gas has mainly been in a tight parallel trading range between $3.20 on the downside support and $3.60 upside resistance for the most part - with the exception of the three month dual try to continue the trend higher ( $3.60-$4.00).
  So depending upon the time frame natural gas is either in a distinct downtrend channel or a parallel trading range.
  Key Technical Support Levels
  There is strong support at $3.20 as we basically have found it hard to close below this technical level for ten months. Therefore, any close below $3.20 would be significant and the shorts would take notice of this technical break. The next level of Support would be the round fat target of $3.00, and if this fails to hold then the momentum will gain, and $2.50 is possible.
  This level of support should provide substantial incentive for buyers to step in on rigs shutting down production talk, but as we have seen before because some of the derivative products from the natural gas extraction process are highly profitable, production often continues at natural gas prices lower than otherwise profitable.
  So the caveat here is that $1.90 is the last level of support that held after considerable effort to find that bottom. Ergo, it is conceivable that $2.50 could break, and the $2.00 level is in play all over again. I think it is a low percentage probability that we ever experience prices that low again as there was a lot of momentum on that move down to find the bottom.
  However, one of the consequences of increased US oil production is that Natural Gas gets derivatively produced, and Oil prices are high; this results in more natural gas despite lower prices and the potential for Natural Gas only production rigs being shut-in.
  Is the Natural Gas Market becoming ''Intel Boring''?
  The Natural Gas market loves to trend in channels that go on for months despite the fundamentals of the supply and demand equation. The market will be looking for a channel to cling to for a sustained run of 5, 7 and 11 months if possible. This is just how the commodity trades if at all possible.
  But right now the economy is performing slightly better, there is increased manufacturing looking to take advantage of cheap Natural Gas, so I think the downside moves are limited. And regarding the upside, there is an over-abundance of supply, so until a robust export market comes into existence, prices to the upside seem capped as well.
  As a result, the most likely outcome for Natural Gas is to stay in a relatively tight trading range between $3.00 and $4.00 for the bulk of the price discovery process.
  (C) EconMatters All Rights Reserved | Facebook | Twitter | Post Alert | Kindle
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Boulder County Public Health: No apparent threat from 6-year-old girl's death - Boulder Daily Camera
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:38
  LONGMONT -- The Boulder County coroner and public health officials are still investigating the death of a 6-year-old girl whose death Monday might have been due to complications of the flu, but there is no apparent public health threat, officials said.
  "We haven't yet identified anything that should be of concern to the public," said Bernadette Albanese, medical officer with Boulder County Public Health.
  Longmont police launched an investigation into 6-year-old Lluvia Espinoza Morales' death Monday morning after the Boulder County Coroner's Officer notified police that the child had died at Longmont United Hospital, where she was taken after showing flu-like symptoms.
  Because the child had not been under
  medical care for the symptoms until arriving at the hospital, police used a hazardous materials response at the child's home at 706 Darby Court. . Cmdr. Tim Lewis said police officials wanted to use an abundance of caution so as not to expose detectives and their families to a possible virus. Police routinely investigate deaths that are not attended by physicians, and Lewis said there was nothing suspicious about the child's death.Albanese said she could not comment specifically on the girl's case unless there was a public-health threat.
  "The investigation is active and ongoing and we are working closely with the coroner to see if we can find out what happened," she said.
  Lewis said Monday that three other children in the home were cleared medically.
  St. Vrain Valley School District spokesman John Poynton would not say which school the girl attended but did say that public health officials contacted the district to let them know there was no public health threat.
  "We will respond as needed as we normally do in instances of trauma and loss," he said.
  While it has not been determined yet whether the child had the flu, the virus can be fatal. Since Colorado's flu season began in October, the state has recorded five pediatric flu-related deaths.
  Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273 or pshields@times-call.com.
  Copyright 2012 Longmont Times-Call. All rights reserved.
US Bio Attack Fears Grow After Colorado Child Death
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:37
  World's Largest English Language News Service with Over 500 Articles Updated Daily
  "The News You Need Today'...For The World You'll Live In Tomorrow."
  What You Aren't Being Told About The World You Live In
  IronMountainApocalypse: The True Story Of 2013
  A ''must have'' book for those seeking to understand the true events surrounding the most troubled years of our modern times. (Continued)
  Picking up the Pieces: Practical Guide for Surviving Economic Crashes, Internal Unrest and Military SuppressionBy: Sorcha Faal ''In the span of less than 3 months gasoline prices will rise 500%. The prices of both food and shelter rise over 300%. (Continued)
  Partisans Handbook:By: Sorcha Faal ''Essential Survival Guide For Resisting Foreign Military Occupation, Escape And Evasion Techniques, Surviving Interrogation, Facing Execution, Wilderness Survival (Continued)
  February 22, 2013
  US Bio Attack Fears Grow After Colorado Child Death
  By:Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
  A highly disturbing Ministry of Healthcare (MoH) report circulating in the Kremlin today is warning Russian diplomatic personal to avoid traveling to or through the Denver International Airport (DEN) in the US State of Colorado over fears this region may be under a biowarfare attack or test.
  According to this report, the Foreign Military Intelligence Main Directorate (GRU) became ''highly concerned'' about this area after reports surfaced that thousands of rabbits had descended upon the Denver International Airport where these small mammals are reported to be destroying vehicles by chewing on their ignition system wiring causing thousands of dollars in damage.
  Even more disturbing, this report continues, was the death of Longmont, Colorado resident 6-year-old Lluvia Espinoza Morales[photo 2nd left] this past Monday (18 February) whose house was descended upon by US biowarfare experts [photo 3rd left] immediately upon her passing.
  The connection between the strange rabbit behavior and the death of this child, MoH experts say in this report, is the linking of Longmont, Colorado with the mysterious Denver International Airport.
  Longmontwas founded in 1871 by a group of people from Chicago, Illinois. Originally called the Chicago-Colorado Colony, it was created by the elite classes as a model city, which even to this day major socialist-communistic factions within the United States are attempting to recreate so as to purge all American peoples from their rural areas.
  According to GRU sources contributing to this report, the elite group controlling Longmont, in 1989, formed ''The New World Airport Commission'' which privately raised $4.8 billion to build the Denver International Airport, but to this day no one knows where exactly that money came from.
  In one American report on this strange airport it is stated: ''Hints that the Denver airport is hiding something big are everywhere. Visitors to the Denver Airport will immediately notice a number of mysterious Masonic symbols and murals clearly depicting the end of the word. They're hard to miss. Many believe these murals hold a deeper meaning which can be gleaned by the initiated of the New World Order and Freemasons.''
  As a ''close relative'' of Lluvia Morales, along with many other residents of Longwood, are employed by the Denver International Airport, this report says, the question than arises as to what infectious agent could cause this child's death, yet also be associated with the mysterious rabbit behavior.
  The grim answer, this MoH report asserts, is the rabbit fever disease named Tularemia which has been weaponized into a biological warfare agent.
  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regard Tularemia as a viable biological warfare agent, and it has been included in the biological warfare programs of the United States, Soviet Union and Japan at various times.
  In the US, practical research into using Tularemia as a biological warfare agent took place in 1954 at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas, an extension of the Camp Detrick program, it was viewed as an attractive agent because:
  It is easy to aerosolize
  It is highly infective; between 10 and 50 bacteria are sufficient to infect victims
  It is non-persistent and easy to decontaminate (unlike anthrax)
  It is highly incapacitating to infected persons
  It has comparatively low lethality, which is useful where enemy soldiers are in proximity to noncombatants, e.g. civilians
  The Schu S4 strain was standardized as ''Agent UL'' for use in the United States M143 bursting spherical bomblet. It was a lethal biological warfare agent with an anticipated fatality rate of 40 '' 60%.
  The rate-of-action was around three days, with duration-of-action of one to three weeks (treated) and two to three months (untreated), with frequent relapses. UL was streptomycin resistant. The aerobiological stability of UL was a major concern, being sensitive to sunlight, and losing virulence over time after release. When the 425 strain was standardized as ''agent JT'' (an incapacitant rather than lethal agent), the Schu S4 strain's symbol was changed again to SR.
  Both wet and dry types of Tularemia (identified by the codes TT and ZZ) were examined during the ''Red Cloud'' tests, which took place from November 1966 to February 1967 in the Tanana Valley, Alaska, and no vaccine is available to the general public.
  To if the strange behavior of rabbits at the Denver International Airport, and the mysterious death of Lluvia Morales, are truly linked to a weaponized strain of Tularemia this MoH does not firmly say, instead noting that the behavior of the Obama regime towards its own citizens does not preclude it from planning a mass death event in order to better regulate and control its ever growing restless public, that by all accounts are arming themselves in record numbers not seen since the 1861-1865 American Civil War.
  Even worse, and as evidenced by the photos below, ''a provider of ''realistic'' shooting targets to the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies has created a line of ''non-traditional threat'' targets that include pregnant women, mothers in playgrounds and elderly American gun owners.''
  According to the Infowars.com news service about this shocking turn against its own citizens by the Obama regime:
  ''Law Enforcement Targets, Inc. is a 21-year designer and full service provider of training targets for the DHS, the Justice Department and thousands of law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
  The company's website offers a line of ''No More Hesitation'' targets ''designed to give officers the experience of dealing with deadly force shooting scenarios with subjects that are not the norm during training.'' The targets are, ''meant to help the transition for officers who are faced with these highly unusual targets for the first time.''
  The targets include ''pregnant woman threat,'' ''older man with shotgun,'' ''older man in home with shotgun,'' ''older woman with gun,'' ''young school aged girl,'' ''young mother on playground,'' and ''little boy with real gun.''
  Why are top training target suppliers for the government supplying the likes of the DHS with ''non-traditional threat'' targets of children, pregnant women, mothers in playgrounds, and elderly American gun owners unless there is a demand for such items?
  This is particularly alarming given the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased roughly 2 billion rounds of ammunition over the course of the last year, enough to wage a near 30 year war.
  In comparison, during the height of active battle operations in Iraq, US soldiers used 5.5 million rounds of ammunition a month.''
  To any regime that actively trains its forces to kill pregnant women, senior citizens, and mothers with their children, this report starkly concludes, the use of bio warfare agents against their citizens too cannot be excluded.
  February 22, 2012 (C) EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.
  [Ed. Note: Western governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagrees with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their 'agents' against us has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit and which is addressed in the report ''Who Is Sorcha Faal?''.]
  You May Already Be To Late'...But It Has Begun!
  They Are Going To Come For You'...Why Are You Helping Them?
  Return To Main Page
Illinois state senator pushes anti-anonymity bill | The Daily Caller
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:09
  A recently introduced bill in the Illinois state Senate would require anonymous website comment posters to reveal their identities if they want to keep their comments online.
  The bill, called the Internet Posting Removal Act, is sponsored by Illinois state Sen. Ira Silverstein. It states that a ''web site administrator upon request shall remove any comments posted on his or her web site by an anonymous poster unless the anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate.''
  The Democratic lawmaker's bill, which does not ask for or clarify requirements from entities requesting the comment removal, would take effect 90 days after becoming law.
  Pseudonymous and anonymous comments have long been a critical part of U.S. public discourse, though, and the bill may be on shaky legal ground.
  The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) noted on its website that the ''right to anonymous speech is also protected well beyond the printed page.''
  ''Thus in 2002 the Supreme Court struck down a law requiring proselytizers to register their true names with the mayor's office before going door-to-door,'' wrote EFF, noting that the Supreme Court protects Internet commentary as it does pamphleteering.
  The bill is part of a larger trend of lawmakers seeking to censor anonymous online speech.
  The New York State Assembly sought the passage of a similar bill in May 2012, and Arizona lawmakers worked to ban Internet trolling altogether in April 2012. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law in May 2012, but only after the contentious language was cut.
  Local lawmakers took similar action in Tennessee in 2012, when the Shelby County Commission pressed for a court order to reveal the identities of online commentators who posted nearly 9,000 comments on Memphis news site, Commercial Appeal.
  Silverstein did not return The Daily Caller's request for comment.
  Follow Josh on Twitter
US Will Set Up Drone Base in Niger - ABC News
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:21
  The U.S. is establishing a Predator drone base in Niger that will assist the French military operation in Northern Mali but could also mark the beginning of a longer term surveillance mission in Western Africa.
  President Obama notified senior Congressional leaders Friday that a force of approximately 100 American military personnel is now in Niger to set up the base.
  In a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, Obama said the personnel had finished deploying to Niger on Tuesday with the consent of the government of Niger.
  "This deployment will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region," said the letter.
  "I directed this deployment of U.S. forces in furtherance of U.S. national security interests, and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive," said Obama, who noted he was making the notification to be consistent with the War Powers Resolution.
  U.S. officials told ABC News the deployment will establish a base in Niger so that unarmed Predator surveillance flights can be flown over Mali and other countries in the region.
  One of the officials said that in recent weeks the U.S. has begun flying Predators over Mali as had been requested by the French when they launched their military intervention against al Qaeda-linked Islamist separatists in January. The French also requested airlifts for some of their forces and refueling tanker operations for their aircraft.
  The official said the U.S. surveillance operation will be based in Niamey, Niger's capital, which will enable flight operations closer to Mali.
  U.S. Africa Command developed a plan a few weeks ago that proposed setting up a base in Niger to enable long term surveillance operations in western Africa.
  Niger officials have been receptive to the proposal, but a U.S. official said details still remain to be worked out.
  One of the officials said the new operation announced by the White House is focused on assisting the French and providing surveillance for other areas of western Africa. However, the official said it is also possible that it could morph into the separate concept proposed by Africa Command.
  Another official said the U.S. effort will consist of several unarmed Predator drones and the support teams required to maintain them.
  The French request for a military airlift was quickly approved by the U.S. and beginning on January 21, five C-17s flew 925 French military personnel and their equipment to Mali and Niger. An additional 50 Chadian soldiers were also transported from Chad to Niger.
  The request for refueling assistance was held up over American legal concerns that doing so might indicate the U.S. was a military participant in the intervention.
  Those concerns were eventually resolved and as of Thursday the U.S. had flown 35 refueling missions that have provided 1.4 million pounds of jet fuel for French fighters conducting operations over Northern Mali.
  Early on the United States met a French request to provide intelligence information, but France's specific request for Predator drone flights over Mali was not approved until recently.
  Click Here for the Blotter Homepage.
itccs.org | Pope Benedict resigned to avoid arrest, seizure of church wealth by Easter
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:33
  Diplomatic Note was issued to Vatican just prior to his resignationNew Pope and Catholic clergy face indictment and arrest as "Easter Reclamation" plan continuesA Global Media Release and Statement from The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State Brussels:
  The historically unprecedented resignation of Joseph Ratzinger as Pope this week was compelled by an upcoming action by a European government to issue an arrest warrant against Ratzinger and a public lien against Vatican property and assets by Easter.
  The ITCCS Central Office in Brussels is compelled by Pope Benedict's sudden abdication to disclose the following details:
  1. On Friday, February 1, 2013, on the basis of evidence supplied by our affiliated Common Law Court of Justice (itccs.org), our Office concluded an agreement with representatives of a European nation and its courts to secure an arrest warrant against Joseph Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict, for crimes against humanity and ordering a criminal conspiracy.
  2. This arrest warrant was to be delivered to the office of the "Holy See" in Rome on Friday, February 15, 2013. It allowed the nation in question to detain Ratzinger as a suspect in a crime if he entered its sovereign territory.
  3. A diplomatic note was issued by the said nation's government to the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, on Monday, February 4, 2013, informing Bertone of the impending arrest warrant and inviting his office to comply. No reply to this note was received from Cardinal Bertone or his office; but six days later, Pope Benedict resigned.
  4. The agreement between our Tribunal and the said nation included a second provision to issue a commercial lien through that nation's courts against the property and wealth of the Roman Catholic church commencing on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. This lien was to be accompanied by a public and global "Easter Reclamation Campaign" whereby Catholic church property was to be occupied and claimed by citizens as public assets forfeited under international law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
  5. It is the decision of our Tribunal and the said nation's government to proceed with the arrest of Joseph Ratzinger upon his vacating the office of the Roman Pontiff on a charge of crimes against humanity and criminal conspiracy.
  6. It is our further decision to proceed as well with the indictment and arrest of Joseph Ratzinger's successor as Pope on the same charges; and to enforce the commercial lien and "Easter Reclamation Campaign" against the Roman Catholic church, as planned.
  In closing, our Tribunal acknowledges that Pope Benedict's complicity in criminal activities of the Vatican Bank (IOR) was compelling his eventual dismissal by the highest officials of the Vatican. But according to our sources, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone forced Joseph Ratzinger's resignation immediately, and in direct response to the diplomatic note concerning the arrest warrant that was issued to him by the said nation's government on February 4, 2013.
  We call upon all citizens and governments to assist our efforts to legally and directly disestablish the Vatican, Inc. and arrest its chief officers and clergy who are complicit in crimes against humanity and the ongoing criminal conspiracy to aid and protect child torture and trafficking.
  Further bulletins on the events of the Easter Reclamation Campaign will be issued by our Office this week.
  Issued 13 February, 201312:00 am GMTby the Brussels Central Office
H.R.748 - To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or as civilian service in a Federal, State, or local government program or with a community-based
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:27
  As of 02/23/2013 summary for H.R.748 - To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or as civilian service in a Federal, State, or local government program or with a community-based agency or community-based entity, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, to provide for the registration of women under the Military Selective Service Act, and for other purposes. has not been received.
The Hindu : Today's Paper / INTERNATIONAL : U.S.-Russia rift on Syria re-emerges after blasts
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:21
  53 killed and more than 250 wounded in Damascus attack
  The refusal of the U.S. to sign on a Russian draft that unreservedly condemned Thursday's vicious car bombing in Damascus as a terrorist act has again exposed the rift between two countries on the volatile situation in Syria.
  The U.S. and its allies refused to endorse the draft that Moscow had floated at the U.N. Security Council, which expressed condolences to the victims of Thursday's tragedy, and condemned terrorism in all its forms, Russia Today reported.
  The report added that the western powers, led by the U.S., wanted to add language to the draft that condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad'-- a position that Russia refused to accept.
  At least 53 people were killed and more than 250 wounded in the deadliest attack in the two-year confrontation.
  The site of the car bombing was in the heart of the city '-- not far the Russian embassy, and the headquarters of the ruling Ba'ath party. Damascus blamed the foreign-backed elements linked to al-Qaeda for the attack.
  Within hours of the bombing, Russia released a hard-hitting statement from the office of Vitaly Churkin, Russia's envoy to the U.N., which said it was unfortunate that ''such an indispensable reaction by the Security Council to this terrorist attack has been once again blocked by the U.S. delegation linking it with other questions''.
  Sharp criticism
  It reinforced its sharp criticism of Washington by saying a ''search for justifications for terrorist actions'' was unacceptable.
  In a veiled reference to the horrific attack in September on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed the Ambassador, the Russians pointed out that by refraining from condemning the perpetrators of Thursday's carnage, ''the U.S. delegation encourages those who have been repeatedly targeting American interests, including U.S. diplomatic missions''.
  Thursday's strike, meticulously planned to cause maximum damage, seemed to echo the feud within the Syrian opposition '-- between those who support negotiations with Syria without seeking President Assad's immediate removal; and those who are adamant on preconditioning a dialogue to the President's fall.
  In Cairo, Moaz al-Khatib '-- the President of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) '-- who had earlier proposed a dialogue with government without insisting that Mr. Assad should step down first, was heavily criticised by his rivals for not setting a ''clear goal''.
  Nevertheless, Mr. Khatib is heading for talks in Russia, which has emerged as the hub of diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
  Russia hosted a four-member Arab delegation led by Arab League Chief Nabil ElAraby earlier in the week, and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem is also heading to Moscow for talks.
  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the visiting Arab delegation that the Syrian situation can only be resolved through peaceful means, as there was no military solution to the crisis.
DISARMING AMERICA'S HEROES: Veterans receiving letters prohibiting the purchase, possession, receipt, or transport of a firearm or ammunition... | RedFlagNews.com
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:08
  Written By Constitutional Attorney Michael Connelly, J.D.
  How would you feel if you received a letter from the U.S. Government informing you that because of a physical or mental condition that the government says you have it is proposing to rule that you are incompetent to handle your own financial affairs? Suppose that letter also stated that the government is going to appoint a stranger to handle your affairs for you at your expense? That would certainly be scary enough but it gets worse.
  What if that letter also stated: ''A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159, as implemented at 18, United States Code 924(a)(2).''?
  That makes is sound like something right from a documentary on a tyrannical dictatorship somewhere in the world. Yet, as I write this I have a copy of such a letter right in front of me. It is being sent by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of America's heroes. In my capacity as Executive Director of the United States Justice Foundation (USJF) I have been contacted by some of these veterans and the stories I am getting are appalling.
  The letter provides no specifics on the reasons for the proposed finding of incompetency; just that is based on a determination by someone in the VA. In every state in the United States no one can be declared incompetent to administer their own affairs without due process of law and that usually requires a judicial hearing with evidence being offered to prove to a judge that the person is indeed incompetent. This is a requirement of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that states that no person shall '''... be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law'...''.
  Obviously, the Department of Veterans Affairs can't be bothered by such impediments as the Constitution, particularly since they are clearly pushing to fulfill one of Obama's main goals, the disarming of the American people. Janet Napolitano has already warned law enforcement that some of the most dangerous among us are America's heroes, our veterans, and now according to this letter from the VA they can be prohibited from buying or even possessing a firearm because of a physical or mental disability.
  Think about it, the men and women who have laid their lives on the line to defend us and our Constitution are now having their own Constitutional rights denied. There are no clear criteria for the VA to declare a veteran incompetent. It can be the loss of a limb in combat, a head injury, a diagnosis of PTSD, or even a soldier just telling someone at the VA that he or she is depressed over the loss of a buddy in combat. In none of these situations has the person been found to be a danger to themselves or others. If that was the case than all of the Americans who have suffered from PTSD following the loss of a loved one or from being in a car accident would also have to be disqualified from owning firearms. It would also mean that everyone who has ever been depressed for any reason should be disarmed. In fact, many of the veterans being deprived of their rights have no idea why it is happening.
  The answer seems to be it is simply because they are veterans. At the USJF we intend to find the truth by filing a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Veterans Affairs to force them to disclose the criteria they are using to place veterans on the background check list that keeps them from exercising their Second Amendment rights. Then we will take whatever legal steps are necessary to protect our American warriors.
  The reality is that Obama will not get all of the gun control measures he wants through Congress, and they wouldn't be enough for him anyway. He wants a totally disarmed America so there will be no resistance to his plans to rob us of our nation. That means we have to ask who will be next. If you are receiving a Social Security check will you get one of these letters? Will the government declare that you are incompetent because of your age and therefore banned from firearm ownership. It certainly fits in with the philosophy and plans of the Obama administration. It is also certain that our military veterans don't deserve this and neither do any other Americans.
  -- Michael Connelly, J.D.
  Executive Director, United States Justice Foundation'‹
  Follow Us: @redflagnews on Twitter
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  '‹
Lance Armstrong Being Sued By U.S. Justice Department
  Link to Article
  Source: Radar Online
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:24
  Lance Armstrong's troubles just got a whole lot worse. On Friday the Justice Department joined a whistle-blower lawsuit against the disgraced cyclist.
  In 2010, Armstrong's former team manager Floyd Landis filed a whistle-blower suit alleging that Lance had concealed his doping from their sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, because the sponsorship contract prohibited the use of performance-enhancing drugs. That contract was worth about $31 million from 2001 to 2004.
  The government decided to join Landis as a plaintiff, explained attorney Ronald C. Machen because ''Armstrong and associates took more than $30 million from the U.S. Postal Service based on their contractual promise to play fair and abide by the rules.
  PHOTOS: The Biggest Cheating Scandals In Sports
  ''In today's economic climate, the U.S. Postal Service is simply not in a position to allow Lance Armstrong or any of the other defendants to walk away with the tens of millions of dollars they illegitimately procured.''
  As RadarOnline.com has been reporting, after years of denying he ever used performance-enhancing drugs, Armstrong has finally confessed he did just that.
  PHOTOS: Sexiest Athletes Hit London For The Olympics!
  He's been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and his Olympic medal, has been dropped by all his former big money sponsors, is facing several other lawsuits, and has been banned for life from participating in any sport covered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
  The whistle-blower case has the potential to cause the most damage to Armstrong's bank accounts, reports the New York Times is reporting. Armstrong is worth is about $125 million, but in federal whistle-blower lawsuits, a court can award triple damages, which in this case could add up to an award of more than $90 million.
  PHOTOS: Athletes Pose Nude For ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue
  The case is expected to go on for several years.
Obama admin won't say if they claim authority to assassinate US citizens on US soil without charges
  Link to Article
  Source: Activist Post
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:22
  Madison RuppertActivist PostPerhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Obama administration's assassination program is the fact that they simply refuse to address if they claim the authority to kill Americans on US soil without charge or trial.
  While they clearly claim the authority to kill Americans abroad without requiring any clear evidence based on secret meetings and a classified legal justification, they dodge any and all questions around assassinations on US soil.
  Individuals in the Obama administration '' including Obama himself '' have chosen to simply answer a question that was never asked when they are confronted with the issue.
  This recently came up in a series of written questions and answers (original without notes here) from Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to John Brennan, Obama's nominee for the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
  ''Could the Administration carry out drone strikes inside the United States?'' asked the Committee.''This Administration has not carried out drone strikes inside the United States and has no intention of doing so,'' Brennan responded.
  No one asked Brennan if the Obama administration has carried out drone strikes in the United States or if they have the intention to do so. The question was if they could carry out such a strike. This was not answered.
  When asked, ''Could you describe the geographical limits on the Administration's conduct drone strikes?''
  Brennan responded that the Obama administration does not ''view our authority to use military force against al-Qa'ida and associated forces as being limited to 'hot' battlefields like Afghanistan.''
  ''Al-Qa'ida and its associates have in the recent past directed several attacks against us from countries other than Afghanistan. The Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from these attacks, and, thus, as the Attorney General has noted, 'neither Congress nor our federal courts has limited the geographic scope of our ability to use force to the current conflict in Afghanistan,''' Brennan wrote.
  ''This does not mean, however, that we use military force whenever or wherever we want,'' he continued. ''International legal principles, such as respect for another nation's sovereignty, constrain our ability to act unilaterally. Using force in another country is consistent with these international legal principles if conducted, for example, with the consent of the relevant nation '' or if or when other governments are unwilling or unable to deal effectively with a threat to the United States.''
  Unfortunately, this answer does not rule out assassinations on US soil in any way.
  Glenn Greenwald, writing for the Guardian, further points out that Obama has also dodged the question when it was posed to him in a Google hangout, of all places.
  ''A lot of people are very concerned that your administration now believes it is legal to have drone strikes on Americans and whether or not that's specifically allowed with citizens within the United States,'' said Lee Doren during the hangout.
  ''And if that's not true what will you do to create a legal framework to make American citizens within the United States know that drone strikes cannot be used against American citizens?'' Doren asked.
  ''First of all, I think there's never been a drone used on an American citizen on American soil and we respect and have a whole bunch of safeguards in terms of how we conduct counterterrorism operations outside the United States,'' Obama replied.
  ''The rules outside the United States are going to be different than the rules inside the United States in part because our capacity to '' for example '' capture terrorists in the United States are very different in the foothills or mountains of Afghanistan or Pakistan,'' he said.
  Obama, like Brennan, simply answered a question that was not asked. No one asked him if a drone strike has been used on an American on American soil.
  Obama did not answer the question as it was posed in any meaningful way. Obama went on to concede that ''it is not sufficient for citizens to just take my word for it that we are doing the right thing.''
  Unfortunately, that's precisely what we have to do.
  ''I am the head of the executive branch. And what we've done so far is to try to work with Congress on oversight issues,'' Obama said.
  The evidence of that is nonexistent. While some have promoted some kind of oversight of the drone assassin program, they essentially recommend another secret court to oversee the program.
  Some, like Senator Lindsey Graham, see even that little oversight as ''the worst thing in the world.''
  The anger surrounding the lack of transparency is shared by Senator Rand Paul.
  Paul asked Brennan, ''Do you believe that the President has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a US citizen on US soil, and without trial?''
  ''Until you directly and clearly answer, I plan to use every procedural option at my disposal to delay your confirmation and bring added scrutiny to this issue,'' Paul wrote in a letter.
  Paul has pointed out that Obama and Brennan have been asked this question previously on multiple occasions (see here and here) with no answer.
  Greenwald writes that Senator Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, said that he shares the concerns outlined in Paul's letter but is not yet ready to threaten a filibuster.
  ''Congress needs a better understanding of how the Executive Branch interprets the limits of its authorities,'' Udall said, according to Greenwald.
  Udall also pointed Greenwald to the recent New York Times article outlining the growing anger among several other Democrat senators over this highly secretive assassination program.
  ''Not only does the Obama administration refuse to make these legal memoranda public '' senators have been repeatedlydemanding for more than full year to see them '' but they only two weeks ago permitted members to look at two of those memos, but 'were available to be viewed only for a limited time and only by senators themselves, not their lawyers and experts,''' Greenwald notes.
  In his article, Greenwald goes on to explore the issue in much greater detail and thus the article is highly recommended for those who want to learn more.
  Suffice to say, at this point it is impossible to say if the Obama administration claims the authority to kill Americans on US soil without charge or trial. It might be wonderful to pretend otherwise but it would be unwarranted since neither Brennan nor Obama will outright say so.
  Did I forget anything or miss any errors? Would you like to make me aware of a story or subject to cover? Or perhaps you want to bring your writing to a wider audience? Feel free to contact me at admin@EndtheLie.com with your concerns, tips, questions, original writings, insults or just about anything that may strike your fancy.Please support our work and help us start to pay contributors by doing your shopping through our Amazon link or check out some must-have products at our store.
  This article first appeared at End the Lie.
  Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis database End The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on UCYTV Monday nights 7 PM - 9 PM PT/10 PM - 12 AM ET. Show page link here: http://UCY.TV/EndtheLie. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com
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Climate Change in 12 Minutes - The Skeptic's Case
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:20
Amazon Elastic Transcoder
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:11
  Try Amazon Elastic TranscoderTranscode up to 20 minutes of content eachmonth for free. Read more.
  Amazon Elastic Transcoder is video transcoding in the cloud. It is designed to be a highly scalable, easy to use and a cost effective way for developers and businesses to convert (or ''transcode'') video files from their source format into versions that will playback on devices like smartphones, tablets and PCs.
  Amazon Elastic Transcoder manages all aspects of the transcoding process for you transparently and automatically. There's no need to administer software, scale hardware, tune performance, or otherwise manage transcoding infrastructure. You simply create a transcoding ''job'' specifying the location of your source video and how you want it transcoded. Amazon Elastic Transcoder also provides transcoding presets for popular output formats, which means that you don't need to guess about which settings work best on particular devices. All these features are available via service APIs and the AWS Management Console.
  Like other Amazon Web Services, there are no contracts or monthly commitments for using Amazon Elastic Transcoder '' you simply pay based on the minutes you need to transcode, and resolution of the content transcoded.
  This page contains the following categories of information. Click to jump down:
  Traditionally, transcoding has been complex for customers in three significant ways. First, customers need to buy and manage transcoding software, which can be expensive and challenging to maintain and configure. Second, producing transcoded output for different kinds of devices often involves trial and error to find the right transcoding setting that play properly and look good to the end user. This trial and error process wastes compute resources. Third, traditional encoding solutions don't scale up and down with customers' business needs. Instead, with traditional solutions, customers need to guess how much capacity to provision ahead of time, which inevitably means either wasted money (if they provision too much and leave capacity underutilized) or delay to their business (if they provision too little and need to wait to run their encoding jobs).
  With Amazon Elastic Transcoder, developers simply use the web-based console or APIs to create a transcoding job that specifies an input file, the transcoding setting, and the output file. This eliminates these three complexities. First, there is no need to buy, configure or manage underlying transcoding software. Second, Amazon Elastic Transcoder has pre-defined presets for various devices that remove the need to find the right settings for different devices through trial and error. The system also supports custom presets which let customers tune output to specific transcode requirements such as a unique size or bit rate needs. Finally, Amazon Elastic Transcoder automatically scales up and down to handle customers' workloads, eliminating wasted capacity and minimizing time spent waiting for jobs to complete. It also enables customers to process multiple files in parallel and organize their transcoding workflow using a feature called transcoding pipelines. With Amazon Elastic Transcoder's pipelines feature, customers set up pipelines for these various scenarios and ensure that their files are transcoded when and how they want, thus allowing them to seamlessly scale for spiky workloads efficiently. For example, a news organization may want to have a ''high priority'' transcoding pipeline for breaking news stories, or a User-Generated Content website may want to have separate pipelines for low, medium, and high resolution outputs to target different devices.
  Amazon Elastic Transcoder is built using the scalability and flexibility of other Amazon Web Services. It runs your transcoding jobs using the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). Amazon EC2's scale allows you to complete large transcoding jobs quickly and reliably. Amazon Elastic Transcoder is built to work with content you store in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), so you have durable and cost effective storage for huge libraries, or small ones. You can even get notified about the status of your transcoding jobs via Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).
  Amazon Elastic Transcoder features an AWS Management Console and service APIs so you can integrate transcoding into your own applications and services.
  To use Amazon Elastic Transcoder, you:
  Create a transcoding pipeline that specifies the input Amazon S3 bucket, the output Amazon S3 bucket, and an AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) role that is used by the Transcoder to access your files.Create a transcoding job by specifying the input file, output file, and transcoding preset to use (you can choose from a set of pre-defined transcoding presets '' for example 720p - or create your own custom transcoding preset. Optionally, you can specify thumbnails and job specific transcoding parameters like frame rate and resolution.While you have transcoding jobs running on Amazon Elastic Transcoder, you can:
  Automatically receive status of your transcoding jobs via notifications.Query the status of transcoding jobs.Manage your transcoding jobs by stopping, starting or canceling them.Easy to Use '-- Amazon Elastic Transcoder is designed to be easy to use. You can get started by using the AWS Management Console, or the service APIs. System transcoding presets make it easy to get transcoding settings right the first time. We provide pre-defined presets to create video files that will play back on a wide range of devices (like smartphones or tablets), as well as presets to create video files that are optimized for playback on a specific device (like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD or Apple iPhone 5). Developers building applications that need transcoding can use the AWS SDKs for Python, Node.js, Java, .NET, PHP, and Ruby.
  Elastically Scalable '-- Amazon Elastic Transcoder is designed to scale seamlessly with your video transcoding workload. Amazon Elastic Transcoder is architected to handle large volumes of video files and large file sizes. Transcoding pipelines enable you to perform multiple transcodes in parallel. Amazon Elastic Transcoder leverages other Amazon Web Services like Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Workflow (SWF) and Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to give scalability and reliability.
  Cost Effective '-- Amazon Elastic Transcoder uses a content duration-based pricing model: you pay based on the length, in minutes, of the video you are transcoding. For example, if your transcoded output is 30 minutes in duration, you will pay for 30 minutes of transcoding. With Amazon Elastic Transcoder, there are no minimum transcoding volumes, monthly commitments, or long term contracts.
  Managed '-- Amazon Elastic Transcoder enables you to focus on your content rather than on managing transcoding software in a distributed cloud-based environment. The service takes care of scaling and operating the system, and manages the process of keeping codecs up to date. Combined with our API and SDKs, this makes it easy for you to build media solutions that use Amazon Elastic Transcoder.
  Secure '-- Your content is under your control: your assets are in your own Amazon S3 buckets, which you give us access to through IAM roles. This makes it simple to fit seamlessly into your current security and identity framework without giving up control. In building Amazon Elastic Transcoder, we made use of security best practices gained by building other Amazon Web Services. For more information about security on AWS, please refer to our AWS Security and Compliance Center.
  AWS Integration '-- Amazon Elastic Transcoder provides an important media building block for creating end-to-end media solutions on AWS. For example, because your transcoded files are stored in Amazon S3, you can immediately stream them at scale over the Internet using Amazon CloudFront and a streaming server running on an Amazon EC2 instance.
  Pay only for what you use. There is no minimum fee. Our charges are based on the duration, in minutes, of your output content and whether it is standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) resolution. High definition (HD) video (defined as having a resolution greater than or equal to 720p) costs twice as much to transcode as SD. Our charges do not include any costs that you incur for storing your input or output files in your Amazon S3 buckets, or any transfer fees if your Amazon S3 buckets exist in regions other than where the transcoding job is submitted. For more information on Amazon S3 charges, including costs for transferring your content out of AWS, please see Amazon S3 Pricing. If your job fails to transcode for some reason, our policy is to not charge you unless the number of job failures becomes excessive.
  Free Usage Tier
  To help you test Amazon Elastic Transcoder, the first 20 minutes of SD content (or 10 minutes of HD content) transcoded each month is provided free of charge. Once you exceed the number of minutes in this free usage tier, you will be charged at the prevailing rates. We do not watermark the output content or otherwise limit the functionality of the service, so you can use it and truly get a feel for its capabilities. For more information, please refer to AWS Free Usage Tier.
  Regional Pricing Per MinuteSorry, pricing information requires JavaScript.
  Prices for transcoding operations in Japan are inclusive of Japan consumption tax.Pricing Examples
  A 10 minute source file in US West (Oregon) transcoded to an SD output will cost 10 x $0.015 = $0.15.A 10 minute source file in US East (N. Virginia) transcoded to an HD output will cost 10 x $0.030 = $0.30.A 10 minute source file in EU (Ireland) transcoded to one SD and one HD output will cost (10 x $0.017) + (10 x $0.034) = $0.51.Inactive pipelines: $1.00 per month
  Additional Product Information
  Related Services
  Amazon Elastic Transcoder offers the following features to make video transcoding easy, scalable and inexpensive.
  Transcoding pipelines: Transcoding pipelines allow customers to setup and run transcoding workflows in parallel. For example, you could set up a pipeline for transcoding short content and another for transcoding long content, or you could assign different pipelines for different resolutions or storage location. You can create up to four transcoding pipelines in Amazon Elastic Transcoder. If you require more than four transcoding pipelines, please contact us using this form.Transcoding jobs: Transcoding jobs do the work of transcoding a video file from one format into another. When you create a job, you specify the information that Amazon Elastic Transcoder needs to perform the transcoding: which file to transcode, what to name the transcoded output file and which preset to use. Transcoding jobs run inside a transcoding pipeline, so you can have more than one job running at once within your AWS account. You can have up to 1,000 active jobs per pipeline at any time. If you require this limit to be increased, please contact us using this form.System transcoding presets: Amazon Elastic Transcoder provides a set of transcoding presets that removes the guesswork out of figuring out the right transcoding settings for different devices. You can choose from presets that will create output that plays on any device, or from presets that target specific devices. For maximum compatibility, choose a ''breadth preset'' that will create output that plays on a wide range of devices. For optimum quality and file size, choose an ''optimized preset'' that will create output for a specific device or class of devices.Custom transcoding presets: The transcoding presets that we supply cater to most devices and platforms, but some customers may need to create specific presets for a particular output target. Using custom presets, you can customize an existing transcoding preset and use it across all your pipelines in your AWS account. You can create up to 50 custom transcoding presets in Amazon Elastic Transcoder. If you require more transcoding presets, please contact us using this form.Monitoring and Management: You can view the status of your transcoding pipelines and jobs through the AWS Management Console or the Amazon Elastic Transcoder APIs. You can also control your pipelines and jobs by stopping, starting or canceling them.Notifications: Amazon Elastic Transcoder uses Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) to notify you about transcoding events. You can be notified when your transcoding job starts, when it completes, if there is a warning, and if there is an error condition.Thumbnails: Amazon Elastic Transcoder can generate thumbnails of your output video for you. You can set the size of the thumbnails, aspect ratio and other parameters including how many thumbnails you would like to have generated. Generating multiple thumbnails is useful if you want to add chapter markers, provide a visual scan function or simply choose the most representative thumbnail for your content.Formats: Amazon Elastic Transcoder supports transcoding into H.264 video and AAC audio in an MP4 container. We support most common media formats for input including H.264, AAC, MP4, MPEG-2, FLV, 3GP and AVI.Progressive download of on-demand media: You can store the original versions of your media content in Amazon S3 and configure an Amazon CloudFront download distribution for progressive download of your video and audio files. Popular media files are cached at the edge to help you scale and give your viewers the best possible performance.Advanced Settings: You can override defaults or automatic job and preset parameters using advanced settings. For instance, you may wish to force a specific output frame rate, rotation or set a specific H.264 profile level.Multiple Regions: Amazon Elastic Transcoder is available in six AWS regions: US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), US West (N. California), EU (Ireland), Asia Pacific (Singapore) and Asia Pacific (Tokyo).Amazon Elastic Transcoder has several default limits: the default number of Transcoding pipelines is 4; the default number of Active Jobs per pipeline is 1,000; and the default number of Custom Presets is 50. If you would like to increase any of these limits, please contact us and request a higher limit. We will evaluate and respond to your request within 2 days.
  The best way to understand Amazon Elastic Transcoder is to review the Getting Started Guide, part of our Technical Documentation. Once you are ready to start using Amazon Elastic Transcoder, you can use the AWS Management Console or Amazon Elastic Transcoder APIs.
Bowie and me
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:51
  I met David when we were both nine, enrolling for St Mary's boy scouts in Bromley. Even then he'd go in and out of things quickly: skiffle, hairstyles.
  When we formed the King Bees, he wrote to John Bloom, the Richard Branson of his time, saying, "Brian Epstein's got the Beatles. You need us." Anyone who's got the guts to do that isn't going to worry about dressing up as Ziggy Stardust.
  At school, this kid, Brian Gill, had big sideburns and the headmaster told him to shave them off. Brian told him to "fuck off" and quit school. David was full of admiration and later it seeped into the "Weird and Gilly" line in Ziggy Stardust. And Jean Genie was from Jean Genet '' I was strumming this John Lee Hooker riff on a bus and David said, "Pass the guitar over here", reworked the riff and wrote Jean Genie just like that.
  He took my wife and me on the QE2 when Ziggy went to America, and went to dinner in a Ziggy catsuit. After that, he wouldn't come out of his cabin. He said, "They were all looking at me." I said, "What do you expect?" Another time, he came out of the bathroom and he'd shaved off his eyebrows.
  He's an emotional, passionate person who put everything into the music. I've seen him in the studio burst out crying after finishing a song '' Life On Mars springs to mind. After some gigs, he'd say, "The audience were a bit quiet." I'd say, "David, they're staring at you with their mouths open."
  He had created this fierce storm, but he was the only one in it. He felt as if everyone was feeding off him, like leeches. To me, he's always been the same. I don't see enough of him now. It's mainly email, but he once said to me, "George, I might not see you for five years, but it doesn't matter."
  We fell out once, when we were 15. David told me a date of mine had cancelled, so she waited for an hour. I punched him. A week later, my dad said, "You never told me you hit David Jones." It turned out he'd been rushed to hospital and almost lost the sight in his eye. Instead, it turned a different colour. Years later he said, "You did me a favour." People wrote to him saying, "I'm from the same planet as you, man, and it ain't Earth."
  Ken Scott, produced several early Bowie albumsWhen David gets into a character, he gets into it 110%, for good and bad. When the drugs kicked in, he didn't start slowly: he was up and running. With each one, he became the character he was trying to portray.
  I've heard so many interpretations of that song The Bewlay Brothers '' supposedly about his brother, Terry. He told me, "You won't understand the lyrics. I wrote it for the American market. They'll read so much into anything you give them." You never quite knew when he was being honest. It's not something I realised at the time, but seeing various different explanations in interviews of something I'd know about, I'd think, "Ah, so that's what you're like!"
  I always email him on his birthday, to remind him he's four months older than me.
  I met David in 1962 when he played the Marquee. I was brushing my hair and he took the brush and carried on brushing. He asked if he could stay at my home '' a way of saying he'd missed the last train. I had a single bed, so it was a tight squeeze. I introduced him to my parents the next morning. His hair was so long, they thought he was a girl.
  People were interested in me because of how I looked '' tits, skirt up to here '' but David carried my ballet shoes, taught me guitar and was very encouraging. I visited his parents. I'd never been into a working-class household, where people sat in silence glued to the television set. His brother was in the mental hospital and we went to see him. One time David said, "Whatever I do, I want to get out of here. I do not want to live like this."
  We had a fling, but not really a love affair. One day he said, "I'd like you to meet somebody," and that was Angie Bowie. One of the biographies says we were lesbians together, but we were just good mates. David was cool, calm, collected and cold, but after Angie had Zowie, she went to Italy with me and David was on the phone every day saying, "I miss you. Come back," so there is emotion there.
  When he fell out with the management company, he fled to Berlin. It's sad when your best pals are too damaged to speak to you. I met [guitarist] Mick Ronson years later and he said, "David doesn't speak to me." I don't think he wanted to face up to the hurt he'd caused by breaking up the Spiders From Mars, but he needed American musicians to do something different.
  Lindsay Kemp, taught Bowie dance and mimeIn 1967, a mutual friend told me about David and gave me his first album. I fell in love with his plaintive voice. I played When I Live My Dream before a show in London, and David was flattered, came backstage and fell in love with my world. He started dance classes with me the next day.
  He often arrived for classes bleary-eyed, but was a very diligent student. I taught him to dance and mime. We both liked silent films '' he'd impersonate Laurel and Hardy. I never saw David's hard, ambitious side. He was always gentle.
  We toured together in a theatrical show called Pierrot In Turquoise. It was love at first sight for me, but I found out he was seeing a dear friend of mine, Natasha Korniloff, the show's costume designer, at the same time as having an affair with me. Of course I wasn't the only love in his life. There were scores, even then. When the tour reached Whitehaven, I heard noises through the wall: it was David and Natasha, who hadn't known I was seeing David. After that, he couldn't go to Natasha's bed and he certainly couldn't go to mine, so he spent three nights sleeping in a chair, the tortured martyr. I drank a bottle of whiskey and rode my bicycle into the sea, but the water was so cold I staggered back to the theatre and cut my wrist. They found me slumped on the floor. A few hours after being taken to hospital, I was on stage, blood seeping through my Pierrot costume '' a fabulous dramatic effect, but I'd been desperately in love.
  Three years later, Angela [Bowie] told me David wanted me to direct the Ziggy Stardust show at the Rainbow. After that, I saw him very rarely, the last time in Bologna about 15 years ago. He kept me waiting for hours and was surrounded by heavies. He seemed very detached, like an alien. I didn't feel comfortable, but I'd love to see him again.
  I first saw David in a folky act called Feathers. He was very polite and surprisingly "English". A couple of years earlier, he'd been interviewed when he'd founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men, but he'd just had a short back and sides for a bit part in a film.
  It was a fantastic, creative time. I lived with a mobile DJ and he'd double-booked himself, so I took David with me to a college gig. I introduced him, he played Space Oddity and they started slow handclapping. I was so angry I took the microphone and said, "Remember this name: David Bowie. He's going to be a star and you'll remember the day you booed him off stage."
  Even then it struck me that while the surface David was very warm and exciting, he was closed off. He went behind some kind of mask: the make-up, the Lindsay Kemp mime thing. I counted him as one of the closest people in my life, but once he became successful, he was unreachable. I think to get to that level of stardom, you've got to have a very high degree of self-absorption. Recently, when I was involved with the Sound & Vision charity for Cancer Research, David immediately donated something. He can be very distant, but on this occasion he really wasn't.
  When we met, he was wearing red trousers, red shoes with blue stars, a rainbow T-shirt and bangles. In Hull, where I'm from, even the girls didn't wear bracelets. I saw him in the Man Who Sold The World dress once. He said it was a man's dress. When he announced he was gay, we were all surprised. Angie was bisexual, but I never saw any evidence of it with David. But he was very good at creating in the moment. If he ever had an idea and we said, "We're not doing that," he'd push it until we did.
  When we lived together in Beckenham, I never saw him do any household tasks and he wasn't mechanically minded. His car, a Riley, was his pride and joy. He once left it in gear, turned the starting handle and it ran him over.
  There was a lot of pressure on him. We went on holiday to Cyprus and the plane got hit by lightning. He went white and fainted. He was so emaciated from the hard work, you could see the veins on his face. He didn't fly after that.
  David Bowie with Geeling Ng in the China Girl video in 1983In the early days, we'd have a laugh, go clubbing, but later on it became apparent that he'd gone into character. You'd come off stage and he'd do interviews as Ziggy '' you'd be sat in a taxi with this alien. You'd ask a question and he'd look right through you. He had turned into Ziggy Stardust.
  Geeling Ng, starred in the China Girl videoActing opposite David was terrifying, because he had a long history as a performer and I was a model and waitress. And in the storyline we were meant to be intimate. The first album I'd ever bought was Ziggy Stardust and I owned all his others, so it was overawing, but he was really generous as a performer. There's a scene where I sit up suddenly, as if woken from a dream, and David leaps on top of me, and I sat up and gave him a full Liverpool kiss in the face. "Oh my God, I've just killed David Bowie!" But he laughed and said, "I've got a hard head."
  He was unfailingly polite, charming and a gentleman. For us to act as boyfriend and girlfriend, we did the obvious thing in Sydney '' purely as method acting. After the shoot, I got a call: "Do you want to come to Europe with me?" I became a bit of a groupie for two weeks. I knew it was a passing phase. I was 23, we lived in different worlds, but he gave me an experience that I'll never forget. We were whisked out of back doors of hotels, flying in private jets, David hiding from fans under a rug in the limousine. It was like being in the movies.
  Toni Basil, choreographed the Diamond Dogs and Glass Spider toursDavid has the greatest work ethic. Other performers freak out and get unpleasant, but he has incredible fortitude. He had a fear of heights, but it didn't stop him. He got in a cherry picker for Space Oddity, and managed to sing and dance. He's very funny. He's a fabulous actor. He knows what he's capable of, and will suss it out and research it. And he's drop-dead gorgeous. He'd have made a great James Bond.
  He asked me to do the Jazzin' For Blue Jean video. He had a funny perspective on rock stardom and wanted to take the piss out of himself, portraying a side of himself he'd kept hidden. It was risky, because part of Bowie's power is mystique. One minute he'd be walking down Frith Street with people open-mouthed, touching him, then I'd be walking next to a very normal bloke. He took me to West End dive bars that had been there since the 60s, and everyone knew him from the old days.
  I'm not sure how happy he is with fame and I think the 70s character roles were a way of dealing with it, in the same way Keith Richards became a junkie. There is a normal version of David, but I've seen him before he goes on stage and he somehow has the ability to will himself into something magnetic and incandescent.
  I got to know David when he was living in Switzerland. He was the most charming man, probably one of the most talented, charismatic people I've ever been involved with: great company, very funny and a brilliantly dangerous mind '' interesting dark corners. I haven't seen him for years. I probably shouldn't say this but '' ha! '' I remember him saying he was quite annoyed that the Spiders wouldn't cut off their mullets.
  David doesn't talk down to you '' he makes you feel like an equal. But I didn't meet Ziggy. I met him in another place. Working with David, there's a lot of comedy. He was the first person to turn me on to The Office. He was getting it sent from England. He's an extremely funny man. There'll be an ongoing joke at dinner, or on stage he might be going up on the catwalk and, when no one can see, he'll turn round and make a really funny face.
  David came across as very humble and in between careers, almost. He was disillusioned with the music industry. I taught him to skate in a parking lot. We shot the video on Hollywood Boulevard at night, with me in a wig and leather jacket as his double for some scenes. The only bad fall involved the instructor: my wheels came off, I was bleeding everywhere, and David helped me clean up. He was so nice, normal. A couple of years later I was driving down Sunset and he pulled up alongside. I rolled down the window and he was really approachable, just like any other dad in a Lexus.
  David knows so much, the conversation never gets dull. When I first worked with him in the late 1970s, I was a naive youngster from Kentucky and he was like a mentor to me. One time, we went to the Prado in Madrid and he amazed me with his knowledge of paintings and painters. He knew all this wonderful trivia that made my museum visit so much more interesting. David Bowie as museum tour guide! I tipped him at the end.
  On the 1990 Sound And Vision tour, he was much less guarded and seemed to want to be the person diving in the pool with everyone else. We both had girl problems, so would sob on each other's shoulders, but that tour was a life-changer for us both. I met my wife. On the plane he was looking through magazines and I heard him say to his assistant, "This girl's interesting." That was Iman. After the tour, I heard they were dating, and the rest is history.
  I'd become friends with Iggy Pop and at one show he said, "I've got a couple of friends joining us." I look around and it's Bowie and Jagger. We went to this restaurant and when Iggy went for a pee, there was a space between us. He turned to me and said "Tim Pope. You're a funny little arsehole, aren't you?" and I went, "Yeah, David Bowie, and you're a complete'..." I won't say the word. And that was the start of a beautiful relationship.
  He's incredibly physically strong, a muscly bloke, not a willowy thing. In one shot we tied a camera to him and if he had fallen over, it would have broken his back. He has a real commitment.
  I worked with him for 15 years. For some reason I brought out this character I called the Guv, who was like a London cab driver. There's the legend, but he has that person in him.
  I was once in a studio with him and Lou Reed, and I saw them in the kitchen and just had to sneak in to hear what they were talking about. Lou was saying that he was going to Africa and David said, "The thing is, you go to these places and you forget the climate's changed. I bought a bowl and by the time I got home it had cracked." It was the least esoteric conversation I could imagine between Lou Reed and David Bowie.
  Paul Tibbitt, recruited Bowie to provide a voice for animated TV series SpongeBob SquarePantsWe asked David if he would be interested in voicing Lord Royal Highness. He jumped at the chance, because he and his daughter watched SpongeBob together. I flew to New York to direct him. Who in their right mind would pass up that opportunity? The next day on his blog he called the job "the Holy Grail of animation gigs". Needless to say, that made my year.
  ‰douard Lock, choreographer and artistic director on world toursI got to know David quite well, but there is a reserve, a part that isn't for public consumption and doesn't get revealed '' or perhaps it does to people who know him much more than I do.
  When he was feeling social, it almost felt like a triangle: you, him and this thing he wanted to talk about. He was fascinating and wanted to share his knowledge and educate. He liked logic, thought puzzles, memory stuff. The non-serious side to him came out when things seemed tense.
  I don't know if performing changed him. I think he went through what he had to to get at those performances. It's partly losing your anonymity and also going into the most uncomfortable places in your psyche.
  Kenneth Pitt, manager from 1966 to 1970He had this marvellous way of bringing one of his legs up under him and rocking backwards and forwards, and he was doing this while we were working out what to do, and he got dreadfully excited. Then I had to live up to his excitement. We made life-size models of the Beatles, which he used for publicity. That didn't last long. We were walking down Baker Street with them and who should approach us but one of the Beatles?
  He used to rehearse late at night at home and because they lived in a tiny house, it was very bad for his father, who wasn't well. David told me this and I said, "I think you'd better move in here," and he burst into tears, saying, "May I? Really?" He lived at my place for about two years. My clothes were his clothes. I took a lot of pictures of him and there's one where he's wearing my lumber jacket and I just knew he was going to make it. He was very polite '' splendid, really.
  When Angie and David came to tell me they were firing me, he sat looking at the wall and again there were tears in his eyes. I'm 90 now and hadn't seen him for years, but about four years ago there was a knock at my door and it was David. He didn't seem too well, but we talked for over an hour. It was a lovely thing to do.
  Geoff MacCormack, lifelong friendDavid is a too-far person. He doesn't drink any more because he took that too far. He lives a very clean life now, but I'm sure he's obsessing about something else. When he moved to Switzerland for a while he started skiing. I remember thinking, "Bowie? Skiing?!"
  On stage with Iggy Pop (left) and Ricky Gardiner (centre) in 1978: 'Back then he was very spontaneous.' Photograph: Getty ImagesBut he's a very normal, gracious person. People are surprised by that. When we went to the Museum of Modern Art, his instinct was to queue with everyone else. I saw him recently and it was the same old in-jokes, slight competitiveness on silly things. We went bowling with Iman and his daughter. Iman found it hilarious that we were so competitive. He's got the time and money now to watch his child grow up, which he didn't have with Duncan [Zowie], so he's taking time to be a family man, walking around New York in a flat cap.
  Ricky Gardiner, guitarist during the Berlin periodI remember David as being extremely well-read in the areas that interested him. His apartment had a well-stocked library on astrology, UFOs, oriental music and psychic phenomena. Nearby, there were bullet holes in the walls and David took us to a place where they ran the Nazi propaganda films 24/7. We rehearsed at the old UFA studios, where those films were made, and one could see guards pacing the wall at Hansa studios. The atmosphere was laden with the resonance of the war. We stayed at the old Schlosshotel Gerhus, and one night we happened on this Nazi commemorative event. We must have seemed as odd to them as they did to us, in their Nazi regalia, dancing in formation like dummies.
  David's new single, Where Are We Now?, is just beautiful, and retrospectively captures the sentiments we felt then, which were not easy to express at the time. He was very spontaneous. Always Crashing In The Same Car is about him crashing his Mercedes in the hotel garage.
  Mike Garson, keyboards, Bowie's longest-serving musicianI was hired in 1972 for eight weeks, and for the next two years he had five different bands, all of whom were fired or left except me. Then, around 1975, after we'd finished the Young Americans tour, I was visiting him in New York and he said, "Mike, you're going to be with me for the next 20 years." And I don't hear from him for 17 years. He gets on the phone in 1992 and asks me back for Black Tie, White Noise, and I stay for more albums and tours than I can remember.
  I've seen him joyous over something he's created and other times, just before going on stage, [full of] nerves and fear and vulnerability. When he played Glastonbury to 100,000 people, he sent me out first, to test the waters. He once told me, "You wouldn't want to be in my shoes," about fame and what it does to you. I don't think he cares about the spotlight as much as people think.
  After [his heart attack in 2004], I did the first performance with him and Alicia Keys. He said, "Thank you. If I hadn't done this and got over the fear, I might not have been able to sing again."
  David has an extraordinary gift, but he's basically a normal guy. We're friends, but he's an isolated person. With most big stars, the vanity and the power and the money take over. Maybe he's experienced that and didn't like that feeling.
  Sometimes, others get left in the dust, but one always has the opportunity to fix that. We've never discussed this, but I could feel an undercurrent of regret. He did fix it with Mick Ronson before Mick's death. In his own way, he does repair it. Underneath all the crap you read in books, David is a good guy.
  Zachary Alford, drummer on recent tours and albums, including the forthcoming The Next DayWhen I met David, I was starstruck. Our eyes met and I had to look down. But he puts you at ease. This wasn't the version of him you hear about, high on cocaine. I felt safe. If you're not partying, you have interesting conversations, usually around art or history. I was reading Roman Life In The Days Of Cicero, which he found interesting, but we could as soon be talking about Peter Cook or Spike Milligan. Until recently I hadn't seen him in a decade. He called and asked, "Are you available? I can't say what it's about." When we got together, I was amazed how good he looked, because I'd seen pictures of him. He's stopped smoking. He works out. He looks better than he has in 15 years. When I heard Where Are We Now? I cried. It was a mixture of happiness that it was being released, that it sounded gorgeous, and hearing this vulnerability in a person that I know and think of as almost superhuman.
  ' The Next Day, David Bowie's first album for 10 years, is released on Iso/Columbia on 11 March. A 40th anniversary remaster of the Aladdin Sane album is released by Parlophone on 15 April.
Hours left to decide: Italy votes on Sunday, result uncertain
  Link to Article
  Source: euronews
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:49
  Italians are preparing to head to the polls on February 24-25 in a parliamentary election that is too close to call.
  The campaign has been full of surprises. Initially a favourite, Pier Luigi Bersani of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) has lost ground and there is doubt over whether he could form a stable majority.
  While Bersani's popularity has waned, anti-establishment comedian Beppe Grillo has gained huge momentum over the last few months. More than 500,000 people attended his final rally on February 22, as he criticised politicians for consuming the country.
  Outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, a former European Union commissioner appointed in 2011 to help avert financial crisis in Italy, has disappointed supporters by only attracting around 10 percent of the vote according to estimates.
  Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi made a political comeback during the campaign, whipping up support for his centre-right People of Freedom party. The party's Secretary General Angelino Alfano said it can win in Campania '' a crucial region because of the number of senators it sends to Italy's upper house of parliament.
  The centre-left and centre-right are close to a draw in several battleground regions, including industrial powerhouse Lombardy, which returns the most senators. Lega Nord leader Roberto Maroni is in with a chance of winning there.
  Publishing polls is banned in Italy for two weeks before the vote, adding to uncertainty over how the tight race will end.
  More about:Italian elections 2013, Italian politics, Italy, Parliamentary elections, Silvio BerlusconiCopyright (C) 2013 euronews
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Horsemeat found in Italy products
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:43
  23 February 2013Last updated at09:49 ETHorsemeat has been found in six tonnes of minced meat labelled as beef and 2,400 packs of lasagne bolognese seized from a company in northern Italy.
  The products were packaged by Italian group Primia, based in the town of San Giovanni in Persiceto, near Bologna.
  It is the first positive test in Italy since the scandal erupted last month.
  Earlier, the Italian authorities said they had found no traces of horsemeat in batches of beef products seized this week from the Swiss food giant, Nestle.
  The health ministry said the 26 tons of cooked and frozen mince beef meals would be returned.
  A Nestle spokesman welcomed the ministry's decision.
  On Monday, Nestle announced that it was withdrawing two types of beef pasta meals from supermarkets in Italy and Spain after test revealed traces of horse DNA.
  A problem was identified with a supplier in Germany, H J Schypke, it said.
  Another German supplier, Dreistem, has been blamed for recalls of tinned goulash sold by the Lidl in Germany and Scandinavia, while a third, Vossko, has been accused by Liechtenstein's Hiclona of supplying beef tainted by horse for a pasta product withdrawn in Austria and Germany. All three companies have blamed their own suppliers.
  On Friday evening, Germany's consumer affairs ministry announced that it had now found traces of horse DNA in 67 of 830 food products tested.
  Continue reading the main storyIn mid-January, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by UK supermarket chainsSubsequently, up to 100% horsemeat found in several ranges of prepared frozen food in Britain, France and SwedenConcerns that a drug used to treat horses, and which may be harmful to humans, could be in food chainMeat traced from France through Cyprus and The Netherlands to Romanian abattoirsInvestigation suggests adulteration was not accidental but the work of a criminal conspiracyOn Saturday, a prominent member of the governing CDU party, Hartwig Fischer, told the Bild newspaper that products tainted with horsemeat should be distributed to the poor.
  The BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin says others have echoed the sentiment, including Development Minister Dirk Niebel, who said there were 800 million people who were hungry in the world, and that in Germany some people were financially in difficulty.
  "We can't just throw food away in Germany," Mr Niebel concluded.
  The opposition has dismissed the idea as absurd and an insult to poor people, our correspondent adds, but Prelate Bernhard Felmberg, the senior representative of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), has backed the proposal, saying that if it can be shown that the food is safe to eat, then it should not simply be wasted.
  Meanwhile, three major French food companies have agreed to use only French beef in their products.
  Findus - one of the firms at the heart of the scandal - and retailers Carrefour and Intermarche announced at the French Agricultural Salon that they would start using labels saying "100% French" from March.
  French President Francois Hollande has said he wants mandatory labelling of the origin of meat used in processed food products. However, only a change in European Union legislation can compel manufacturers.
  European agriculture ministers are expected to discuss origin labelling and meat traceability at a meeting in Brussels on Monday.
Letter from the President -- Concerning Niger
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:42
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 22, 2013
  TEXT OF A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENTTO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESAND THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE
  February 22, 2013
  Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
  On February 20, 2013, the last elements of a deployment of approximately 40 additional U.S. military personnel entered Niger with the consent of the Government of Niger. This deployment will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region. The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger is approximately 100. The recently deployed forces have deployed with weapons for the purpose of providing their own force protection and security.
  I directed this deployment of U.S. forces in furtherance of U.S. national security interests, and pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive.
  I am providing this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148). I appreciate the support of the Congress in this action.
  Sincerely,
  BARACK OBAMA
NATO to Consider Maintaining Larger Afghan Force
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:57
  BRUSSELS -- NATO is strongly considering a proposal to continue funding a security force of 352,000 Afghan troops through 2018, as part of an effort to maintain security and help convince Afghanistan that America and its allies will not abandon it once combat troops leave in 2014, senior alliance officials said Thursday.
  Such a change, if NATO endorses it, could increase the costs to the U.S. and allies by more than $2 billion a year, at a time when most are struggling with budget cuts and fiscal woes. Last May, NATO agreed to underwrite an Afghan force of about 230,000, at a cost of about $4.1 billion a year after 2014. It costs about $6.5 billion this year to fund the current Afghan force of 352,000, and the U.S. is providing about $5.7 billion of that.
  Maintaining the larger troop strength could bolster the confidence of the Afghan forces and make it clear that NATO is committed to an enduring relationship with Afghanistan, a senior NATO official said.
  The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly.
  Asked about the plan, NATO Secretary-General Fogh Rasmussen confirmed to reporters that it was under consideration.
  "I feel confident that we will be able to finance Afghan security forces of that size," he said.
  He added that Afghans can't afford a security force of 352,000, so the funding would be the responsibility of the whole international community.
  "From the economic point of view, it is actually less expensive to finance Afghan Security Forces than to deploy foreign troops," he said.
  That argument, however, may be a harder sell in the U.S. Congress, where lawmakers are deadlocked over how to solve the budget crisis that is set to trigger furloughs for 800,000 federal workers in the Pentagon alone, along with $85 billion in broad, automatic spending cuts across the government.
  NATO defense ministers, including outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, are meeting here and discussing progress in the Afghan war and the ongoing drawdown of troops. President Barack Obama announced in his State of the Union address that he will withdraw 34,000 American troops from Afghanistan by this time next year. There are about 66,000 there now.
  Other NATO nations are also evaluating their commitments to the war, and officials are meeting to encourage allies to participate in the effort to continue to train and advise the Afghan forces after 2014.
  According to one of the NATO officials, uncertainty about the future is a critical worry in Afghanistan.
  Afghans are still troubled by memories of 1989, when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in defeat, and Washington then withdrew support for anti-Soviet militia forces there, setting the stage for Taliban rule. The Taliban then allowed al-Qaida to use the country to plan the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
  Many Afghans still believe the U.S. will abandon the country again when the combat is over, while others believe Taliban assertions that the coalition troops will stay as an occupying force. In the coming months, the official said it will be important to show the Afghans that NATO allies will continue to support the country after 2014, while also proving that the local forces will be in charge of security for their own nation.
  Such intangible issues, the official said, present a greater problem at this point than some of the other more obvious challenges, such as improving the quality of the Afghan forces, battling the Taliban and getting the U.S. troops and equipment out by the end of 2014.
  The official said Afghan troops worry that if the size of the force is cut, they will be out of a job after 2014. As a result, they may not concentrate on building better military units and instead focus on how they will care for their families or get money when the tap runs dry.
  Making the Afghans more confident about the future will encourage them to spend the next 23 months working with allies, the official said.
  On the sidelines of the meeting Thursday, Panetta met with Afghan Defense Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi to discuss the ongoing transition of security to the Afghan forces.
  That transition is well underway, as the Afghan security forces are taking the lead for security in about 90 percent of the country. That shift has become apparent in the casualty figures, with eight coalition troops -including three Americans - killed so far this year. Overall last year, 295 U.S. troops were killed compared to 1,200 Afghan soldiers, according to data compiled by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
  -- Associated Press Writer Don Melvin contributed to this report.
  (C) Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood, 2/22/2013
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:19
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 22, 2013
  James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
  11:34 A.M. EST
  MR. CARNEY: I just want to say that it is my pleasure, and clearly yours, to have with me today the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, who is here to speak with you about the impacts of sequester, if it comes to pass, on the American travel industry.
  And as we've talked about a lot, the indiscriminate, deep cuts will affect everyone, really, in America, and industries. And Secretary LaHood is here to discuss one aspect of that with you and to take some questions. And afterwards, I'll be here to take questions on other issues.
  I just want to remind you that we're on a slightly constrained time schedule. We have the President's meeting with national governors -- Democratic governors, and then also the pool spray with the Prime Minister of Japan.
  With that, I turn it over to Secretary LaHood.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Sequester will be a very -- will have a very serious impact on the transportation services that are critical to the traveling public and to the nation's economy. At DOT, we will need to cut nearly a billion dollars, which will affect dozens of our programs. Over $600 million of these cuts will need to come from the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency that controls and manages our nation's skies.
  As a result of these cuts, the vast majority of FAA's nearly 47,000 employees will be furloughed for approximately one day per pay period until the end of the fiscal year, and in some cases it could be as many as two days.
  Today we are sharing more details with our unions and with industry so they can start planning for serious impacts of sequester. Here is what these automatic cuts are going to mean for the traveling public.
  Obviously, as always, safety is our top priority, and we will never allow the amount of air travel we can handle safely to take off and land, which means travelers should expect delays. Flights to major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco and others could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we have fewer controllers on staff. Delays in these major airports will ripple across the country.
  Cuts to budgets mean preventative maintenance and quick repair of runway equipment might not be possible, which could lead to more delays. And once airlines see the potential impact of these furloughs, we expect that they will change their schedules and cancel flights.
  So we are beginning today discussions with our unions to likely close more than 100 air traffic control towers at airports with fewer than 150,000 flight operations per year. And we're talking about places like Boca Raton, Florida; Joplin, Missouri; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and San Marcos, Texas. The list of the towers -- the list of potential towers that are to be closed, or elimination of midnight shifts, is posted on our website as I'm speaking now. So you can see the entire list there.
  We're also beginning discussions with unions to eliminate midnight shifts in over 60 towers across the country. The closures will impact services for commercial, general aviation, and military aircraft. This will delay travelers and delay the critical goods and services that communities across the country need.
  These are harmful cuts with real-world consequences that will cost jobs and hurt our economy. The President has put forward a solution to avoid these cuts. And as a former member of Congress of 14 years, I urge my former colleagues to address this issue when they get back next Monday, and to work on a long-term, balanced solution to our deficit challenges.
  And with that, I'll be happy to answer some questions.
  Q Mr. Secretary, these cuts and these cutbacks that you're talking about, are these the type of things that the public will start seeing on March 2nd? Or is this going to be a longer rollout?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: We think the rollout will take from March 1st to April 1st, and they'll begin to see the activity in the layoffs and the delays probably beginning around April 1st.
  Q Are there any other ways to avoid the cuts other than those you have outlined? There are some Republicans who say you could mitigate these effects by doing other things in your budget system.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Look, the sequester doesn't allow for moving money around. It just does not. And it's very clear. And the idea that we can move money from one pot, say like AIP, which is the Airport Improvement fund -- which in most places has a pretty good chunk of money -- sequester doesn't allow that.
  Look, this is very painful for us because it involves our employees, but it's going to be very painful for the flying public. As a former member of Congress, I heard complaints all the time from my constituents when their flights were delayed or when their flights were cancelled, and this is going to have an enormous impact.
  Q Could you clarify why the flights will be delayed? Is it a matter of mileage between flights?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Because we're going to reduce the number of controllers, which will reduce their ability to guide planes in and out of airports.
  Q So more distance between planes -- landing distance --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, it's going to reduce the number of controllers, which will reduce their opportunity to guide the same number of planes that they would ordinarily do at full capacity.
  Q How about TSA implications?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: TSA is under Homeland Security. We're not -- that's a different lane.
  Q Your total budget at DOT is, what, $70-some billion?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: $70 billion, in round numbers, yes -- 55,000 employees.
  Q So help the public understand -- a billion dollars cut. You've got a big budget. Can't you find some other way to cut that without telling air traffic controllers to stay home?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, we're doing that. We're looking at every contract, and we're going -- our lawyers are looking at every contract to see what penalties we would have to pay as we begin to cut or adjust contracts. We're looking at everything possible; and everything possible that's legal, we will do. But this has to be a part of it. DOT has 55,000 employees. The largest number of those employees are at the FAA, and the largest number of those employees are controllers and they're all over the country. There has to be some impact in order to save a billion dollars. A billion dollars is a lot of money.
  Q But let's be clear -- it's less than 2 percent of your budget.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: It's a lot of money, Jonathan. And where I come from, which is central Illinois, a billion dollars is a lot of money. And it's very difficult when you have this kind of -- the number of employees that we have guiding planes in and out of airports to do anything except look at everything, and that's what we've done.
  Q Are you just basically throwing out whatever sounds like the most severe consequence in order to ratchet up pressure? And are you having discussions with some of your former colleagues up on the Hill to warn them of what's coming?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: The answer is, yes, we are having discussions with members of Congress. We have briefed staff people on the respective committees -- commerce committee in the Senate; T&I committee in the House. And they know the impact and they know why we're doing this. They know a lot about these numbers we're dealing with because we work with them on a regular basis. And the idea that we're just doing this to create some kind of a horrific scare tactic is nonsense. We are required to cut a billion dollars, and if more than half of our employees are at the FAA, the FAA -- there has to be some impact. That's the reason we're announcing what we're announcing.
  Q Mr. Secretary, what sort of impact will these delays have on the airline industries and their financials, specifically? Do you have any forecast for what that will do?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, we're talking to the airline industry today -- A4A, which represents all of the airlines, we're talking to them. We'll be probably talking to individual airlines. We're making this announcement today, and obviously we have to work through with them what impact this will have. But there's no question they're going to have to restrict some of the flights that they currently -- are on their books to fly in the next -- within the next 30 days.
  Q Will they be required to compensate passengers for delays?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: You'll have to talk to them about that.
  Q I mean, isn't that part of U.S. law that they have to do that? Where does this figure into that?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: You'll have to talk to the airlines about that.
  Yes.
  Q Just to be clear, have the airlines specifically said they will definitely have to choose --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: You know, we just started to talk to the airlines today. They're hearing about this. We're on the phone -- our folks are on the phone with them right now. We're on the phone with the airlines, we're on the phone with our unions. We're sending an email to all of our employees so everybody gets the same information at the same time.
  Q So they have said it's a possibility this is one of the things that --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, we believe that it's not possible to continue the same schedules with less people.
  Q And then on the issue of safety, how can you guarantee that safety standards will be met if you're scaling back?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Because that's what we're in the business of. That's what we do every day. Our people get up every day and think about safety, and we think about it in a way that maybe nobody else thinks about it -- certainly common, ordinary citizens. I've said many, many times people -- thousands of people today boarded planes, buses, got in their cars, and the thing they didn't think about was safety. We do.
  And we're not -- we will never take a back seat when it comes to safety. We just absolutely will not. And that's the reason, back to Jonathan's question, we're looking at everything. We're not just looking at furlough days. We're looking at every contract. Our lawyers are looking at every contract to see what impact it has for us to try and find some savings in those areas.
  Q Mr. Secretary, why is the alarm being raised now? Why not three, four months ago? Why now?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Because we're within 30 days of sequester. I mean, sequester really begins March 1st, but we have a 30-day window here to prepare people. And we've been working with our colleagues here at the White House and OMB for a number of months on what impact this is going to have. And now is the time to do it.
  Q Mr. Secretary --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Jim.
  Q Yesterday, at the Airlines for America briefing, the airline lobby actually said that there would be no effect, that they suspected there would be no significant impact on the air travel system. Where is the disconnect between what you're saying and what the airlines are saying?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I don't think they have the information we're presenting to them today. I don't know what they used for that, Jim. But it's -- I think when they see the kind of cutbacks that are going to be made at some of these towers, they're going to have no choice but to really look at the fact that there are going to be delays, and there are going to have to be some cutbacks on some of these flights.
  Q Let me follow up on safety, if I could. What is going to be the effect on FAA inspectors? Are you also going to furlough some of them that are doing the -- who are reviewing the safety of these planes?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Everything will be impacted in terms of the controllers and contracts. When it comes to our safety programs, there will be no compromise.
  And those are things that we're looking at, but we want to make sure that those people that are, for example, doing the work on the 787, doing the work on inspecting planes, no compromise when it comes to safety.
  Q Mr. Secretary -- thank you, sir. Mr. Secretary, as far as international carriers are concerned, are you in touch with international carriers, if international passengers are going to be affected from this? Because whatever happens in Washington, whole world is affected, people around the globe.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Yes, we'll be in touch with all of the airlines.
  Q Mr. Secretary, you said you've been talking with the unions about this. Are they going along wholeheartedly with your proposal? Or are they --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: We just started our talks today. Our FAA Administrator, Michael Huerta, has been talking to Paul Rinaldi, the head of the controllers union. But the call today will be with the entire leadership of the controller's union.
  Q Are you concerned that they could object to the kinds of cuts you are proposing?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, we'll find out. I mean, look, the discussions are beginning now. I'm sure that they've never been bashful about expressing their point of view.
  Yes, sir.
  Q Mr. Secretary, does this in any way affect Amtrak all that much?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: No, sir.
  Q No.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: No, sir, it does not.
  Yes.
  Q Mr. Secretary, we went through this rodeo once before two months ago, the last time we came to the sequester deadline. Did any of these conversations happen at the end of December last year with the unions and with the airlines?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Of course. When we thought that there was going to be a sequester, of course we -- we're in continual discussions with these folks. We have a great partnership with them. And the answer is yes, of course.
  Bill.
  Q Mr. Secretary, if the sequester goes through and these cuts kick in, how quickly can you turn off the switch and put things back to normal?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Look, all of our planning and all of our discussions and all of our work are about getting to where we're at today, with this announcement, with our discussions, and we'll see where it takes us. And planning for a restart is -- we haven't had a lot of discussion about that at this point.
  Q Is there any requirement under the sequester that once it kicks in it has to last three months or four months or five months?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: No, not that I know of.
  Q What are you telling Republicans in Congress, Mr. Secretary?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: That this is going to have a huge impact on their constituents. Look, and I can tell you --
  Q When you break it down politically for them, what are you saying?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: That your phones are going to start ringing off the hook when these people are delayed at airports, and their flights are delayed 90 minutes, or their flights are cancelled, or their air tower is closed.
  Look, you all know I was in Congress 14 years. I represented central Illinois, which included Peoria and Springfield, both with air towers. Any time there was even a threat of a closing of an air tower in Peoria/Springfield, our phones started ringing off the hook from controllers, but also from people who use the airport.
  So it's not only the impact on the passengers, it's the impact that it has on airports, control towers, people who work there, airports. And their phones are going to start ringing. Why does this have to happen? Nobody likes a delay. Nobody likes waiting in line. None of us do. If we can't get our hamburger within five minutes -- if we can't get on the plane within 30, 40, 50 minutes after going through, you know what happens. They start calling their member of Congress.
  Q But to Jonathan's question, you're going to scrub everything to make sure the priority is safety and usability, right?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Number one is safety. Always has been, always will be. We never take a back seat when it comes to safety. We will never compromise safety -- ever. Never have and never will.
  Yes, sir.
  Q Do you agree with the administration's position that this is a manufactured crisis, one manufactured by your former House colleagues?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I think Republicans need to step up here. I served for 14 years. During those 14 years, I was -- 12 of those years I was in the majority party. Speaker Gingrich was the Speaker. He worked with then-President Bill Clinton. We balanced the budget five of those fourteen years. It meant that there was compromise. This requires compromise. This requires Republicans stepping forward with some ideas about how to keep essential services of government running at the level that people have been accustomed to. This is not rocket science. This is people coming together the way that other Congresses have done to solve big issues.
  I suggest that my former colleagues on the Republican side go see the movie ''Lincoln,'' because in the movie ''Lincoln,'' it shows how hard it was back then to get things done. But what Lincoln did is he gathered people around him the way that I believe President Obama is doing by calling Republicans, talking to them, trying to work with them. And when that happens, big things get solved. The fiscal cliff got solved because people started talking to one another. So this can happen again.
  Yes, ma'am.
  Q Yes, have your phones been ringing from members of the public? And if so, what are they saying?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I'm sorry have --
  Q Have your phones been ringing from members of the public yet?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: No, but look, this is the announcement today. We've been doing a lot of this background work, and so I have no doubt my phones will ring from members of Congress -- why is my control tower being closed?
  Q Mr. Secretary, where were these warnings two weeks ago, a week ago? I mean, speaking of movie references, this might be called an acting performance, because you are -- you're going to be scaring the public today. This is going to be scaring the public about their travel plans.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, we'll see what the reaction of the public is. What I'm trying to do is to wake up members of the Congress on the Republican side to the idea that they need to come to the table, offer a proposal so that we don't have to have this kind of calamity in the air service in America.
  And we want to get it right, so we've spent the last few weeks putting all of this information together so we do have it right. So that we are not just taking a meat axe to one part of FAA, that we're looking at the full breadth of the entire agency.
  Q Mr. Secretary, you said that you want these guys to wake up. Have you awakened them by using a phone? Have you called any Republicans recently?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Yes, I just said I've been talking to Republicans and their staff on the T&I committee and on the Senate Commerce --
  Q Can you tell us who you spoke with and what the nature of those interactions were? And what are they saying to you in terms of their own leadership?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I doubt if you really want a list of the members of Congress I've been talking to, okay? But take --
  Q How many? Enumerate.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: A half a dozen.
  Q And what are they telling you about what they think about their own leadership?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I didn't talk to them about their leadership. I talked to them about the impact on air travel and air traffic control towers.
  Q What was their reaction?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: It's not good. They get it.
  In the back.
  Q The Republicans would say -- and they have been saying this -- that the Democrats in the Senate should act on two bills that they passed in the summertime. Why aren't you calling the Democrats in the Senate and saying, pick up -- act on the Republican bills and avoid sequester that way? What's wrong with that approach?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I've been working on trying to figure out how we're going to get to a billion dollars.
  Yes, sir.
  Q Mr. Secretary, in all the discussion about the sequester, you're the first Cabinet Secretary that's been brought into a White House briefing to talk about this for us recently. So, I mean, do you and the President think that the impatience of the American people at the airports is the strongest leverage point to press with the Republicans?
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I would describe my presence here with one word: Republican. They're hoping that maybe I can influence some of the people in my own party.
  Look, this is a big deal. It's a big deal because a lot of people -- common, ordinary citizens fly. A lot of people use airports. And this is going to have a real impact.
  Q The Department of Transportation is taking part of this hundred-city tour called the Connecting Your Community to talk about proposals in the President's State of the Union address. Will you end your participation in that tour as a way to cut some savings right now? Sending DOT employees out to --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: Well, I was supposed to be in Orlando and South Carolina today, so I guess I have ended it.
  Q Is it not going to happen? Is there going to be a bridge -- Tom Coburn is asking for an explanation of why it's being held in light of the sequester potential? The hundred-city tour.
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: You'll have to ask Jay about that.
  MR. CARNEY: I'll take that one.
  Q Mr. Secretary, let's say -- I'm finally traveling to India in the next two weeks, should I be worried? (Laughter.)
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: You're going to be delayed. (Laughter.)
  Yes, ma'am. Last one.
  Q You said you're telling Republicans to come to the table. Are you telling them to raise taxes? I mean, are you telling them to --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: No, I'm telling them to come to the table and start talking to Democrats about how we solve this. They'll figure out the solution, just like they figured out the solution on the fiscal cliff.
  Q So you're not telling them that they shouldn't --
  SECRETARY LAHOOD: I have not told them the specifics about how to solve it. Come together, talk to one another. Figure it out. That's the way we've always done things around here.
  Have a great weekend, everybody.
  MR. CARNEY: I want to thank Secretary LaHood with whom it is always a pleasure to share this podium. (Laughter.) No, I mean that seriously. And he'll be missed by me and everyone else here at the White House.
  If I could just -- in answer to the question in the back, we'll just go straight to the issue here. The way to avert sequester is to pass a bill that can be agreed to by Democrats and Republicans that either buys down the sequester or, when there was time to do this, that achieves the $4-trillion goal by reducing the deficit further along the lines of the big deal that President Obama and Speaker Boehner were talking about during the fiscal cliff negotiations. There's the offer the President made is still on the table -- spending cuts, entitlement savings, and revenues through tax reform.
  In this process, if you accept the premise that for Democrats it is hard to go along with spending cuts -- or harder to go along with spending cuts and hard to go along with entitlement savings, that they might prefer to do revenues over that. So the tough sell to Democrats is to go along with spending cuts and entitlement savings, and that the tough sell, as we all know, because we hear it all the time, for Republicans is to go along with revenue increases; and that leadership is represented in part, certainly in the discourse here in Washington, by a willingness by the leaders of one party to convince their members to go along with tough choices.
  And I would then ask you to look at the proposals that we put up, that I had on the screen here yesterday, the offer that we made to Speaker Boehner, the President's budget, the President's submission to the super committee, which was specifically designed to eliminate the sequester. And in every single one, he has put forward balance. He has put forward spending cuts and savings from entitlement reforms. And as all of you know who have covered Washington, some of that savings is a hard sell to Democrats. But this President has been leading on the issue.
  Unfortunately, we have not seen any commensurate action by Republican leaders. Their answer always is: spending cuts only, no revenues, entitlement savings only, no revenues, burden borne by seniors or FAA employees or border security guards or children with disabilities, but not the wealthiest, not corporations who enjoy tax breaks, not oil and gas companies who get subsidies. That is always their answer.
  So you can't -- it is hard to find a compromise solution with a side that says the only available solution from our view is if you come 100 percent to us. And that, unfortunately, has been the narrative that you have been dealing with -- and certainly we have been dealing with -- now for -- really since the beginning of 2011.
  The President supports the proposals that the Senate Democrats have put forward and the House Democrats have put forward that would buy down the sequester and give Congress time to work on a bigger deal to reach that $4-trillion target in deficit reduction. The President has signed into law, as you know, already $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction -- two-thirds of which is comprised of spending cuts and savings from entitlements. So only a third of that has been from revenues.
  We want balance. The American public wants balance. There was, I think, a public poll that was published in USA Today -- I don't see a representative from that fine newspaper here today -- but yesterday that I think cited 76 percent of the American people support a balanced approach to this challenge. Something like 19 percent supported a ''my way or the highway'' spending cuts-only approach.
  Yes.
  Q Since we're a week away from the deadline, is it the White House expectation at this point that the sequester will take effect next Friday?
  MR. CARNEY: We remain hopeful that Congress will act, that the proposals Democrats have been working on in both Houses will be taken up and passed, that Republicans will -- having heard some of the information about what the impacts will be on real people out there, and the macro impact on the economy -- will come to the conclusion that it is better simply to do what they did in December and allow this manufactured deadline to be postponed so that they can get back to the work of doing what Secretary LaHood was just talking about, which is coming together and finding a reasonable, bipartisan compromise, a balanced compromise, to complete this job of achieving $4 trillion-plus in deficit reduction over 10 years.
  Q But what are the realistic prospects of that happening over the next week?
  MR. CARNEY: I've never done very well in Vegas or Atlantic City, so I'm not going to make odds for you. We obviously are discouraged by the line that Republican leaders have taken, which is that the book is closed on revenue, despite the 76 percent of the American people who believe that balance is the right approach; that the only way to do this is the way they propose, which is not supported, obviously, in the Senate and not supported by the American people, and not supported by the President.
  But we remain hopeful, and we will continue to engage with Congress. We will continue to make our case around the country about why we need to avoid the sequester, what the damage of that would be to the economy and to average folks out there who -- some of whom are working today but will not be working 30 days from now if the sequester takes effect.
  This is incredibly important. It's about the broader enterprise here that everyone is engaged in -- those who are elected and sent to Washington -- and that is taking steps to try to improve our economy, help it grow, and help the middle class. This does not help the middle class. It does the opposite. And it's bad policy, by design, so we should not let it take place.
  Jackie.
  Q Jay, could you tell us about what the President's message was to the Democratic governors this morning about this subject?
  MR. CARNEY: I confess I was in other meetings so I wasn't present. I know that the President intended to speak with governors about the issues that are of concern to them. And I think what we all know about governors is that the issues that are of concern to them tend to be issues that aren't broken down by party affiliation. And that's the need for actions to be taken that help job creation, the need for investments in infrastructure; issues involving implementation of the Affordable Care Act, I'm sure, immigration reform -- many of the issues that we are discussing here in Washington. But that's not a readout, that's just my understanding of what those conversations were likely to look like.
  Q Is he intending to talk to them about encouraging them to go public with their concerns about the real-world impact of this in their states?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I don't think you get elected governor in any state in this country if you are not out there talking about the issues that affect your constituents. And I don't -- so I guess my answer to that is I don't think he would have to tell governors of either party to be concerned about it or to communicate with their constituents about it. I expect that that's going to happen across the country. And Democrats and Republicans are going to have to explain what implementation of the sequester will mean in terms of job loss, furloughs, reduced economic growth, closure of airport towers, or reduced hours for air traffic controllers at their airport. These are just a handful of the impacts that we would see if the sequester goes into effect.
  Q Jay, the Secretary said sequester doesn't allow for moving money around. Is that completely true? Does OMB have any discretion? Do the agencies have any discretion?
  MR. CARNEY: I can't remember if you were in the chair when I had Danny Werfel here to talk about this from OMB about how the law dictates what must happen in terms of the cuts. And I think Secretary LaHood reflected the -- in layman's terms -- the facts, which is there is very little flexibility in terms of how to make those cuts happen.
  Within that limited flexibility, Secretary LaHood made clear that he will -- he and I'm sure other Secretaries are doing this -- are doing everything they can to deal with these cuts and absorb them, prepare for them in a way that allows them to achieve their mission. And in the case of the Department of Transportation and the FAA, top priority is safety.
  So as he said at the top, that would mean -- because the FAA is such a big chunk of the Department of Transportation and unavoidably would be affected by furloughs -- that you would have only the number of takeoffs and landings that the system could bear with a reduced staff. And that means -- and still maintain the levels of safety that the FAA does. So that means reducing the number of flights, or delaying flights, with all that means for travelers.
  Q And I wasn't just referring to the transportation, but broadly, the answer is that the flexibility is very limited?
  MR. CARNEY: That's correct. And again, I would point you to the briefing that was done I believe last week in which Danny Werfel addressed this.
  Q And just one follow-up. Generally, can you give us any sort of a hint about what other plans you guys have for next week? We know the President is traveling on Tuesday, but otherwise how you intend to keep pushing this message up until the Friday deadline?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I don't have any other events or travel to announce. He will be going to Newport News, Virginia next week, as you know, to highlight the negative consequences of sequester and how they will be felt in that town, in that state.
  The fact is we have a full agenda, but it is certainly going to be the case next week that sequester and the impending deadline will I think consume a lot of people's attention here -- both on this side of the podium and your side. And I think that our activities will include engaging, as they have in the past, engaging with Congress, hoping that we can find resolution here, hoping we can find an agreement. We're not -- the smaller agreement, just as was the case at the end of last year, is not asking of either side, because of its size, to make all of the hard decisions.
  A lot of that work would still be saved for completing the job of hitting the $4 trillion-plus target a broader deficit-reduction deal. But as the Senate proposal shows and other proposals have shown, you can do this as they did in December, in a way that is balanced but should not be that difficult.
  So we're hoping -- we remain hopeful that that will happen.
  Q One of the interesting things that you're seeing in some of these polls -- and I know you mentioned some polling in your conversation with Brendan Buck, with the Speaker's office last night --
  MR. CARNEY: Good friend, Brendan. (Laughter.)
  Q -- is that there's a large number --
  MR. CARNEY: I mean that seriously.
  Q There's a large percentage of Americans who are unaware of what's going to happen with this sequester, don't even know what the sequester is, whether it should be called sequestration or sequester.
  MR. CARNEY: We're all still struggling with that one, I think.
  Q Why are these warnings, like Secretary LaHood's warnings, coming so late in the game? I mean we're hearing about FAA delays one week before the --
  MR. CARNEY: I refrained from interjecting because he's a Cabinet Secretary, but I wanted to say -- I wanted to leap to the podium and point that we put out, as mandated by law, a report on the implementation of sequester, I believe last September, because the deadline at that time was January 1st. And the fact is we have been talking about this and answering question, and making clear that the planning was in effect in the lead-up to the potential deadline at the end of last year.
  And it was only -- remember, we're now, what, seven weeks since the 1st of the year, so it was only -- it hadn't been that long since the last deadline passed, but it was pushed back by the fiscal cliff deal. There was a lot of concern, obviously, late last year; in fact, a great deal of concern on the part of Republicans about the potential for sequester taking effect. They seem to have had a change of heart about that. But at the time there was great concern expressed by Republicans about that.
  What was also the case is we were engaged -- because of the other deadlines, the fiscal cliff, the fact that there was the potential that taxes would go up on middle-class Americans around the country -- we were in engaged in negotiations with the Speaker of the House in an effort to try to achieve a bigger deal that would have both dealt with averting those tax hikes and further deficit reduction. Unfortunately, the Speaker walked away from that deal.
  But the environment was different. Now we're not seeing any flexibility from -- it was different then than it is now. We're not seeing much interest at this point from Republican leaders in even engaging in a discussion about how we can move forward with a balanced package. The line they keep drawing in the sand is, I don't care what the public says, I don't care who is hurt by it; our position -- the Republican position -- is cuts only, burden borne only by senior citizens, children with disabilities.
  Q Is that a fair read of the substance of the conversations that went on between the President and Republican leaders?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not going to read out those conversations. And I think you've seen that the leaders themselves who have had those conversations with the President aren't reading them out.
  We continue to, as a broad matter -- not specific to any one conversation -- to make the case that compromise is available here; that compromise is represented by taking a balanced approach. I mean, again, it really is important to me -- you can't -- the sort of pox on both their houses, false equivalence business that a lot of -- some commentators engage in where everybody is to blame equally here for how we got to this problem because nobody will compromise, but it is just factually incorrect.
  Again, going back to that basic premise that it's harder for Democrats to go along with spending cuts and entitlement savings and harder for Republicans to go with revenue increases -- so who has made the hard choices here? Who has made the tough proposals?
  Q But to that point, Democrats like to say Republicans only control one-half of one-third of government. So shouldn't they just have one-half of one-third of the blame?
  MR. CARNEY: The fact of the matter is that we can't get anything done without a bill passing the House of Representatives, and the Democratic Party and the President of the United States do not control the House of Representatives.
  We are confident that there is in excess of a majority in the Senate that would support the balanced approach that the President has put forward, that the Senate Democrats have put forward. And we know, because your polling outfits tell the public this, that the public supports the balanced approach that the President has put forward. We also know it's the best economic policy.
  I was asked yesterday, I think, why can't -- doesn't the President have some power to just make the sequester go away on his own? And, of course, he would enjoy having that power, but the law of the land does not give it to him.
  Jon.
  Q Jay, even before we heard from Secretary LaHood, we've heard some dire warnings coming from the administration. Just to tick through a few, we've heard about more wildfires, more workplace deaths, higher risk of terrorism, criminals set free. Is there any exaggeration going on here?
  MR. CARNEY: I think all of those things come from reduced numbers of people fighting fires, reduced numbers of people doing inspections of our food, reduced numbers of people engaging in air traffic control. I mean, those are just the facts, Jon.
  Q No other way to squeeze 3 percent out of the federal budget?
  MR. CARNEY: I think we had this colloquy yesterday. The fact of the matter is that you are talking about a 13 percent cut in our defense budget and 9 percent cut in our nondefense discretionary budget this year. And there is no way to do that, based on the way the law is written, without having hugely negative impacts on individuals and families. Furloughs would have to happen. Layoffs would have to happen. That is a fact.
  And it's not just us saying this. You don't believe us, maybe you believe the CBO. Maybe you believe Macroeconomics Advisers or Moody's. They have projected fully a half a percentage point reduction in GDP growth. And you know, because you cover this stuff, what that means economically. They have projected three-quarters of a million people will lose their jobs if the sequester takes effect and stays in effect.
  Those are real-world consequences. These are real people. It's not political leverage. It's a fact. And we're out there making clear that this is an important issue to deal with because of the real-world implications. The reason why the President continues to put forward and we made clear again on paper what we have been making clear all along, the President's very reasonable offer remains on the table because he wants to avoid this.
  Let's just, again, go back to my basic point. It is not an easy sell to Democrats to go along as part of a big deal with superlative CPI. It is not an easy argument necessarily to get Democrats to go along with the reforms that the President has put in place in his proposal on entitlement reforms or with the spending cuts. It was not easy to sign into law $1.1 trillion in spending cuts. But he has done it, and Democrats have done it. And what we haven't seen from Republicans is anything equivalent. And we're just looking for a negotiating partner here. We're just looking for somebody to meet us halfway.
  Q Is this hundred-city tour going to be cancelled?
  MR. CARNEY: You know what, I saw somebody -- a reporter sent me this right before I came out here. I haven't had a chance to ask anybody about it. But we'll get back to you on it.
  Q But this would be the kind of thing, right? I mean, you wouldn't -- specific Cabinet members all around the country --
  MR. CARNEY: I appreciate that a Republican member has sent this around. I just don't have an answer for it, but I'll look into it.
  Q But the broader question, Jay, would be to prioritize those things out of a sequester matrix, wouldn't it? For this President to say, we can do without those things?
  MR. CARNEY: -- the sequester matrix, so I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds cool.
  Q You understand what I'm saying. The President would prioritize these things out of the budget and not label them a priority against meat and poultry inspections, against FAA air traffic controllers, against wildfire fighters. I mean, wouldn't he?
  MR. CARNEY: Again, I would urge you to look at the law and look at what --
  Q I have.
  MR. CARNEY: -- the flexibility there is in the law, and it is extremely limited. And even if it weren't --
  Q Yes, it's extremely limited, but the dollars and cents can be applied at agency discretion. If there's a hundred-city tour, it can be decided --
  MR. CARNEY: I appreciate the talking point based on a letter that a Republican just sent moments ago. I haven't seen it. I don't have an answer for it at this time, but I will look into it. You can find an individual thing and say that this could be cut -- and maybe it should be, whatever it is -- but it represents a drop in the bucket to an $85 billion cut, a 13 percent cut to our defense budget, and a 9 percent cut to our nondefense discretionary budget this year, this fiscal year. This is not spread out over 10 years.
  Q I understand that.
  MR. CARNEY: This is not something you can backload. This happens now and it affects real people. And, again, don't take our word for it. Look at what Republicans used to say about it until I guess some consultant told them to say something else. Look at what CBO and Macroeconomics Advisers and Moody's have been saying. These are just the facts of the matter.
  One of the reasons why we're here, one of the reasons why we had the fiscal cliff fight and why we're discussing this is that everybody recognizes that these kind of indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts aren't good for the economy, aren't good for our defense, and they're not the way to sensibly reduce our deficit.
  Q I understand that. I'm just saying this President, as all Presidents before him, took pride in prioritizing. And I'm just asking, as a priority for the President, the signal to the agencies would be prioritize your core functions --
  MR. CARNEY: Absolutely.
  Q -- over non-essential functions like this or something like it.
  MR. CARNEY: Again, I appreciate on the item that you mentioned and I'm sure that somebody will get back to you with an answer on that.
  The fact of the matter is you just had a Cabinet Secretary with enormous responsibility for an agency that affects everybody who travels in our skies tell you exactly that -- that that's what he is doing on the instructions of the President. Within the law, he's looking at every available mechanism to lessen the impact of these cuts on the core mission of the Department of Transportation, the core mission of FAA. So I think the answer is to you, yes.
  Q This may be self-evident, but is it your position from the podium today to instruct or ask the Senate Democratic leadership to with all due speed next week pass their alternative to the sequester and send it to the House?
  MR. CARNEY: We would absolutely like to see the Senate take up and pass legislation that would avert the sequester in a balanced way, and the House to do that as well, yes.
  Q And within that context, it's $85 billion over the next nine months remaining in our fiscal year. Does the deal that the White House envisions have to be $85 billion, or would it be smaller than that?
  MR. CARNEY: The buy-down --
  Q Would be $85 billion --
  MR. CARNEY: The buy-down could be -- look, it was two months on January 1st, December 31st -- it could be that. But the bill that has been put forward by Democrats in the Senate I believe takes it to the end of the year. The sequester, as you know, the $1.2 trillion is stretched over 10, yes.
  Q Right, but that's over the next -- all those fiscal years. But just $85 billion is the contours of what you want, and you roughly have -- portion that half revenue and half spending cuts. So the federal budget could live with --
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I would point -- whatever the ratio is in the bill, I would point you to the President's overall approach to this, which has been two dollars in spending cuts to one in revenue.
  Q Jay, we've heard over the last couple of years from Secretary Geithner, from Lael Brainard, from Mike Froman, their concerns that countries in the eurozone were cutting too much, too quickly. To what extent does the President's experience in watching that inform his philosophy going into these negotiations?
  MR. CARNEY: Obviously, every country has dealt with the global economic crisis that befell us in 2007, 2008 in different ways. We believe, and the President believes, that the approach that was taken here in Washington was the right one, and that as a result -- even though we suffered a calamitous recession, the worst of our lifetimes that took millions and millions of jobs -- we have been able through hard work and tough decisions, and the grit and determination of the American people, to come to a position where the economy has been growing steadily. And it has been creating jobs -- over 6 million private-sector jobs. That work is not done.
  So the focus that the President has had was one that prioritized in the beginning the need to stop the bleeding, the need to avert a depression. And the actions that he took with Congress in 2009 are widely viewed to have done that. And then to, as things began to stabilize, to go about the business of getting our fiscal house in order in a reasonable, balanced, common-sense way. And we have been doing that.
  As you know, it hasn't always been pretty, but over the past year and a half the President has signed into law now $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction; a significant portion of that has been spending cuts. But it's been done in a way that has allowed the economy to continue to grow and create jobs -- not fast enough, not enough jobs, but it's been positive growth and positive job creation.
  I mean, I think -- I don't have the graph I had yesterday here, today, but the one that showed the dramatic decrease in the deficit in the last several years, the sharpest decrease in the deficit since World War II. And then, what would happen based on our projections if the President's proposal to Speaker Boehner were implemented in terms of bringing that deficit down even further and stabilizing it below 3 percent of GDP. That's the approach we believe is right, because it's the best for sustained economic growth.
  Q To what extent was that, though, a powerful negative example for him? People's outlooks change from their experiences in the presidency. I have heard that it was a big spur for him to take this particular position.
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I don't want to characterize the President's thinking on what other countries have been doing. He's focused on what he believed was the right course for the United States, and believes that while we have significant work to do to continue to grow our economy and have it create jobs, that we made the right choices. And the results have borne that out.
  Again, very much like the fact that we need to continue to focus on growing our economy, expanding the middle class, helping people who aspire to the middle class enter the middle class. And that's why that's his number-one priority. It's been the focus of his State of the Union address. And it's why the debate we're having over this crazy thing called sequester or sequestration is so important, because the last thing we should be doing in Washington is throwing a wrench in an economy that has been moving in the right direction.
  Q Jay, two questions. First, just one month ago, Secretary Clinton said that the U.S. opposes any unilateral action seeking to undermine Japan's administration --
  MR. CARNEY: I'm sorry, who said that?
  Q Secretary Clinton.
  MR. CARNEY: Hillary Clinton is no longer Secretary.
  Q Yes, former Secretary.
  MR. CARNEY: Oh, I see.
  Q Yes, she said the U.S. will oppose any unilateral actions seeking to undermine Japan's administration over Diaoyu Islands. And I just want to know, is that the firm position that the President will address?
  MR. CARNEY: I haven't seen those comments. I would simply say that the President's meeting with the Prime Minister in just a little while here, and there will be a pool spray, and I think they both will have statements. So I don't want to get ahead of that.
  Q And also, on North Korea. Russia and China today -- they say they oppose any military intervention in North Korea. What's the position of the White House?
  MR. CARNEY: Again, I would urge you to hear what the President has to say today. I think we got to go, because --
  Q Can I do just one quickly?
  MR. CARNEY: Yes, one more, Kristen.
  Q Can you comment on or confirm the reports that the United States is preparing to establish a drone base in Northwest Africa?
  MR. CARNEY: I think those reports are fairly old, but I have no comment on that. Thanks.
  Q Week ahead, sir?
  MR. CARNEY: I do have a week ahead.
  Q Old but no comment?
  MR. CARNEY: Well, I remember -- I don't know, is this a new report? There was a report that I --
  Q Well, in light of --
  MR. CARNEY: -- didn't comment on the other day or I had a comment on. I'm not sure this is a new report.
  Q Do you have a timeframe on it?
  MR. CARNEY: I'll have to get back to you, Kristen. I'm not sure what our --
  Q -- that you're aware of.
  MR. CARNEY: Sure.
  On Sunday, the President and First Lady will welcome the National Governors Association to the White House for the 2013 Governors Dinner. The Vice President and Dr. Biden will also attend.
  On Monday, the President and the Vice President will deliver remarks to the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room. The First Lady and Dr. Biden will also deliver remarks.
  On Tuesday, the President will travel, as you know, to Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia -- region of my forebears -- to highlight the devastating impact that the sequester will have on jobs and middle-class families if congressional Republicans fail to compromise to avert the sequester by March 1st. In just seven days, a series of automatic cuts could go into effect that would severely affect companies like this one that depend on the defense industry and its workers. This company has a supplier base in all 50 states, many of which are small businesses that rely solely on Newport News Shipbuilding for their business. The President will return to Washington, D.C. later in the day.
  On Wednesday, the President will deliver remarks at the unveiling of a statue of Rosa Parks at the United States Capitol. In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at the Business Council Dinner here in Washington, D.C.
  And on Thursday and Friday of next week, the President will attend meetings here at the White House.
  Thank you all.
  Q Jay, real quickly, have there been any furloughs in the White House? Has the Chief of Staff ordered any furloughs? Is your staff going to be affected?
  MR. CARNEY: I took this question. As you know and has been reported, the EOP is affected by the sequester. And I'm sure that the OMB has been working on that as it has with every agency.
  END12:29 P.M. EST
Notice -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Cuba
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:18
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 22, 2013
  NOTICE
  - - - - - - -
  CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO
  CUBA AND OF THE EMERGENCY AUTHORITY RELATING TO THE REGULATION
  OF THE ANCHORAGE AND MOVEMENT OF VESSELS
  On March 1, 1996, by Proclamation 6867, a national emergency was declared to address the disturbance or threatened disturbance of international relations caused by the February 24, 1996, destruction by the Cuban government of two unarmed U.S.-registered civilian aircraft in international airspace north of Cuba. On February 26, 2004, by Proclamation 7757, the national emergency was extended and its scope was expanded to deny monetary and material support to the Cuban government. The Cuban government has not demonstrated that it will refrain from the use of excessive force against U.S. vessels or aircraft that may engage in memorial activities or peaceful protest north of Cuba. In addition, the unauthorized entry of any U.S.-registered vessel into Cuban territorial waters continues to be detrimental to the foreign policy of the United States. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing the national emergency with respect to Cuba and the emergency authority relating to the regulation of the anchorage and movement of vessels set out in Proclamation 6867 as amended by Proclamation 7757.
  This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
  BARACK OBAMA
  THE WHITE HOUSE, February 22, 2013.
Neelie Kroes & Prof Jari Kinaret: Graphene
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:03
FET Graphene Flagship
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:01
  Welcome to the Graphene Flagship website Graphene appointed an EU Future Emerging Technology flagship. The European Commission has chosen Graphene as one of Europe's first 10-year, 1,000 million euro FET flagships. The mission of Graphene is to take graphene and related layered materials from academic laboratories to society, revolutionize multiple industries and create economic growth and new jobs in Europe.More Info
  Close X Short film produced by the European Graphene-Flagship initiative, introducing graphene, the 'wonder substance' set to revolutionise the electronics industry. Close X Short film introducing the European "Graphene-Flagship" initiative, aimed at bringing together a focused, interdisciplinary European research community targeting a radical technology shift, exploiting the unique properties of graphene and related two-dimensional materials. Close X Graphene Flagship Expert Minds in conversation with Andre Geim (Professor at the University of Manchester, UK) Close X Graphene Flagship Expert Minds in conversation with Konstantin Novoselov (Professor at the University of Manchester, UK) Close X Graphene Flagship Expert Minds in conversation with Jari Kinaret (Professor at the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden) Close X Graphene Flagship Expert Minds in conversation with Henry Tirri (Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, Finland) Close X Morph is a concept demostrating some of the possibilities nanotechnologies might enable in future communication devices
Obama's Marines Replaced With Ringers; Rifle Bolts Removed On Order Of Paranoid Administration
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:57
POPE, RENT BOYS, CIA, NAZIS, MAFIA...
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:52
  In April 1976, in an interview with the Italian magazine Tempo, gay French author Roger Peyrefitte, wrote that Pope Paul VI was gay."He is homosexual... It is known that a boyfriend of Paul VI was a certain movie star, whose name I will not give."
  (Paul VI's Homosexuality: Rumor or Reality?)
  John Paul II. Yaakov Wise, researcher in orthodox Jewish history and philosophy, said that the late Pope John Paul II's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were apparently Jewish. The Pope was Jewish says historian). Apparently, John Paul's mother Emilia Kaczorowski - Emily Katz in English - was Jewish.The Vatican and the CIA reportedly worked together on Operation Paperclip, which brought many Nazi scientists into the CIA.The Knights of Malta are a Catholic order, reportedly linked to freemasonry
  Cardinal Spellman, also known as Franny, was reportedly gay and a friend of the CIA. (Cardinal Spellman)The Knights of Malta appear to link top fascists, top Zionists and top Catholics.Reportedly, the following have been members of the Knights of Malta or have been awarded high honours by the Knights of Malta:David Rockefeller, Reinhard Gehlen (Nazi), Heinrich Himmler, Franz von Papen (Hitler enabler)Fritz Thyssen (Hitler's financier), George W. Bush, George Tenet (CIA chief at the time of 9 11)Henry Kissinger, Michael Chertoff, Rupert Murdoch, Tony Blair, Precott Bush, Licio Gelli, J. Edgar Hoover, Joseph Kennedy, Ronald E. Reagan, Giscard d'Estaing, Allen Dulles, Oliver North, George H.W Bush and William Casey.
  Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) signs the Concordat between Nazi Germany and the Vatican in 1933. Nazi Vice-Chancellor von Papen sits at the left, Pacelli in the middle.http://www.moriel.org/Reportedly, Catholic orphanages have provided many of the children subjected to mind control and sexual abuse by the CIA.In 1988, a top US Republican called Larry King was investigated in connection with a major child abuse ring.Reportedly, Larry King got children for the child abuse ring from Boys Town, Omaha.
  Thus, the Catholic Arch diocese of Omaha and priests at Boys Town Omaha have been linked to the Franklin case Frank Sturgis, a CIA operative and Watergate burglar, told an interviewer that one reason for the break-in was to find a 'Pedophile Book' that was kept at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters.Pope John XII "did not hesitate to consecrate as bishop a ten-year-old boy as token of his affection, or to give sacred vessels to prostitutes."
  Pope Benedict IX (who became Pope at the age of 12) 'dabbled in witchcraft and Satanism' and 'loved to throw wild, bi-sexual orgies'.
  Around 1135, Aelred, abbot of Rievaulx, loved a chaste and beautiful 14 year old young monk called Simon. (Aelred of Rievaulx)
  Under Clement VI, the cardinals kept, according to their inclination, the handsomest young boys or the prettiest girls.
  Pope Clement VII (1378-94) surrounded himself with page boys, "whose jackets, it was noted, shrunk from being knee length, to mid-buttock 'or even worse'."Pope Paul II (1464-71) alledgedly died of a heart attack whilst being sodomized by one of his favourite boys.
  Pope Julius II (1503-13) spent much of his time with small boys and male prostitutes.
  Pope Julius III (1550-1555): "created a scandal because of his infatuation with a fifteen-year-old boy whom he picked up in the streets of Parma, had his brother adopt, and then made a cardinal and head of the Secretariat of State."
  Christopher Hitchens, on 15 March 2010, wrote about The Great Catholic Cover-UpHitchens relates that in 1979, an 11-year-old German boy identified as Wilfried F. was taken on a holiday trip to the mountains by a priest.
  The boy was given alcohol, stripped naked, and forced to suck the penis of his confessor.
  Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger moved the priest from Essen to Munich for "therapy".
  Ratzinger's deputy, Vicar General Gerhard Gruber, soon returned the priest to "pastoral" work, and more sexual assaults took place.
  Hitchens also refers to the allegations against the Rev. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ.Two of Maciel's illegitimate sons have claimed that their priestly father raped them repeatedly from the age of seven upwards.
  (Edge of reason: The lonely reign of Benedict XVI'Ž)Unsourced reports suggest that Pope Benedict decided to resign to avoid the fallout from a secret dossier compiled by three cardinals.
  The cardinals were looking into a 2012 leak of confidential papers stolen from the pope's desk.The pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, stole the secret papal documents and leaked them to the press.Those Vati-leaks papers raised questions of corruption in the Vatican bank.
  According to La Repubblica, a gay network within the Vatican is being blackmailed.La fotografia di Wilhelm Von Gloeden, popular with the elite.According to the Sidney Morning Herald:The cardinals were said to have uncovered an underground gay network, whose members organise sexual meetings in several venues in Rome and Vatican City, leaving them prone to blackmail.
  The secret report also delves into suspect dealings at the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), the Vatican's bank, where a new chairman was appointed last week after a nine-month vacancy, La Repubblica said, without going into details. Polanco. Marysthell Polanco 'dressed up as Barack Obama.' This was at Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties, Reuters is reporting.
  According to the Guardian:In 2007 a senior official was suspended from the congregation, or department, for the priesthood, after he was filmed in a "sting" organised by an Italian television programme while apparently making sexual overtures to a younger man.
  "In 2010 a chorister was dismissed for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting. He was assisted by Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, a former archbishop of Palermo, and the Slovak cardinal Jozef Tomko, who once headed the Vatican's department for missionaries.
  "The priests, it seems, are allegedly being blackmailed by a network of male prostitutes who worked at a sauna in Rome's Quarto Miglio district, a health spa in the city center, and a private residence once entrusted to a prominent archbishop."
  Priests In Panties - The Daily Beast
  "The evidence reportedly includes compromising photos and videos of the prelates - sometimes caught on film in drag, and, in some cases, caught 'in the act.'In 2010, investigative journalist Carmello Abbate went undercover with a hidden camera to write a shocking expos(C) called ''Good Nights Out for Gay Priests''.
  Abbate caught the priests on hidden camera dirty dancing at private parties and engaging in sex acts with male escorts on church property. He also caught them emerging from dark bedrooms just in time to celebrate mass. In one postcoital scene, a priest parades around seminaked, wearing only his clerical vestments. By Von Gloeden. Sicily c1916.The Vatican has a link to the affair between former Lazio governor Piero Marrazzo and transvestite prostitutes, including ''Brenda'' who was found burned to death in 2009. Marrazzo's driver reportedly told investigators that several high-ranking priests and cardinals were customers of Rome's elite transsexual circuit.www.vuotoaperdere.org...Reportedly, the Italian secret service owns flats in number 96 Via Gradoli. (Media link to governor scandal taints Berlusconi)Sergio Flamigni, a former senator and member of the Moro parliamentary inquest, wrote that the intelligence services owned flats in number 96. (Outside Edge: Sex, cocaine, murder and me )
  In 1978, former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro was murdered at 96 Via Gradoli by a group linked to the security services.
  Steve Pieczenik, who was president Jimmy Carter's special envoy, claims that he manipulated the kidnappers into killing Moro and that it was vital that Moro be sacrificed. (A murder still fresh - Haaretz - Israel News)
  By Gian Boy. Berlusconi was a member of P2.
  P2 was a fascist group which wanted to keep its friends in power in Italy.
  "P2 had close connections with the CIA...
  "They infiltrated the Red Brigades and carried out the murder of Aldo Moro in 1978.
  "Colonel Oswald Le Winter of the CIA, who served as U.S. liaison officer with Gladio, has stated that the planning staff of the Red Brigades was made up of CIA intelligence agents." (aangirfan: Terror in Europe - Licio Gelli - Fascism - Gladio)
  Government minister Romano Prodi said that at a seance, in which he had participated, a "spirit revealed to those who were present that Moro was imprisoned in Gradoli." (A murder still fresh - Haaretz - Israel News)
  Tessa Jowell (UK government minister in charge of the London Olympics) whose husband David Mills was sentenced to four and a half years jail in Italy for corruption. Mills was also fined '‚¬250,000 by a court in Milan for taking a bribe from Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to give false evidence in two corruption trialsVia Gradoli is "a nondescript circle of apartment blocks on the dreary edge of Rome." (Outside Edge: Sex, cocaine, murder and me) Piero Marrazzo was a centre-left regional governor and a former TV anchorman.
  Reportedly he was blackmailed by four policemen.
  After the video was sent to Berlusconi newspapers, Marrazzo resigned.
  The four policemen were arrested.
  Emanuela. Father Gabriele Amorth, who has worked for the Vatican over many years, has told La Stampa that missing schoolgirl Emanuela Orlandi was forced to take part in sex parties.Natalie knew Brenda, another Brazilian transsexual, and pal of the governor. (Outside Edge: Sex, cocaine, murder and me)
  A month later Brenda was found dead.
  She was found naked in her apartment on nearby via Due Ponti.
  Gianguarino Cafasso supplied cocaine to the prostitutes and was said to have leaked the video.
  He was found dead.
  Natalie, in spite of a deportation order, "is back in via Gradoli".
  One of the arrested policemen has been seen there. (Outside Edge: Sex, cocaine, murder and me )
  In the 1950s Nabokov wrote Lolita. Nabokov liked girls, so long as they looked like boys. Lolita was the girl with the 'puerile hips', the girl wearing 'shorts'. Nabokov and Pale Fire and deception What about other religious leaders leaders?
  John Calvin (THE CLASSIC FUNDAMENTALIST), according to Jerome Bolsec's Life of Calvin, resigned his church post at Noyon, in France, because of the public exposure of his homosexuality.
  According to Westheimer and Lopater's, Human Sexuality: A Psychosocial Perspective, Second Edition, Martin Luther was a bit gay.
  King Billy had close and affectionate relations with two notable favorites, William Bentinck, whom he brought to England and made Earl of Portland, and a handsome younger Dutchman, Arnold van Keppel, whom he created Earl of Albemarle.
  And we should not forget the Jewish Jorge Puello.
  (He has been arrested. Will he finger the ring?)
  In this post, we explored further the clash of civilizations angle (with Islam and the Catholic Church representing twin pillars, and two scapegoats), satanists in the church, the media's role in focusing on some flavors of corruption over others, etc. This is probably the most important post linking into what we are seeing unfold now.
  the booby prize
TB Outbreak In L.A. Strikes Infamous Skid Row
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:50
  Posted: February 23, 2013
  A TB outbreak in L.A. has health officials scrambling to attack the growing number of cases among the mostly homeless people living on Skid Row.
  Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are sending scientists to Los Angeles to combat the tuberculosis outbreak. Health officials said they already know of about 4,650 people who were exposed to TB and are trying to find them so they can be tested.
  Those health officials fear that the TB outbreak could spread in L.A. beyond Skid Row if it's not contained quickly, the Los Angeles Times reported.
  But the TB outbreak is particularly hard on L.A.'s Skid Row, home to a sizable homeless population. Officials said 11 people have died of the disease since 2007, and 60 of the 78 reported cases involve homeless people living in Skid Row.
  ''This is the largest outbreak in a decade,'' Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, told the Los Angeles Times. ''We are really putting all of our resources into this.''
  Poor hygiene and nutrition make the homeless a particularly susceptible population for TB, attributes that are compounded by lack of access to health care.
  ''They go from place to place and the likelihood of passing it along is much greater,'' said Paul Gregerson, chief medical officer of the JWCH Institute, which runs a homeless healthcare program on skid row. ''It makes everybody more susceptible.''
  Tuberculosis is spread through the air, but not as easily contagious as the cold or flu, ABC News noted. It requires close contact over an extended period of time for transmission to take place.
  ''You don't get tuberculosis from being next to someone or walking down the street,'' Fielding said.
  Scientists studying the case made an interesting find '-- the TB outbreak in L.A. appears to be a strain unique to the area, with few cases showing up outside Los Angeles. are also at risk.
WEEKLY ADDRESS: Congress Must Act Now to Stop the Sequester
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:48
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 23, 2013
  WASHINGTON, DC'--President Obama used this week's address to urge Congress to stop the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security'--called the sequester'--from taking effect on March 1st. The President and Congressional Democrats have already put forward solutions to avoid these cuts and reduce the deficit in a balanced way, and now it's time for Congressional Republicans to compromise by closing some loopholes that protect the wealthiest Americans so that we can reduce the deficit in a balanced way and create jobs for the middle class.
  The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, February 23, 2013.
  Remarks of President Barack ObamaAs Prepared for DeliveryThe White HouseFebruary 23, 2013
  Hi, everybody. Our top priority as a country right now should be doing everything we can to grow our economy and create good, middle class jobs.
  And yet, less than one week from now, Congress is poised to allow a series of arbitrary, automatic budget cuts that will do the exact opposite. They will slow our economy. They will eliminate good jobs. They will leave many families who are already stretched to the limit scrambling to figure out what to do.
  But here's the thing: these cuts don't have to happen. Congress can turn them off anytime with just a little compromise. They can pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction. They can cut spending in a smart way, and close wasteful tax loopholes for the well-off and well-connected.
  Unfortunately, it appears that Republicans in Congress have decided that instead of compromising '' instead of asking anything of the wealthiest Americans '' they would rather let these cuts fall squarely on the middle class.
  Here's what that choice means. Once these cuts take effect, thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off, and tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find child care for their kids. Air traffic controllers and airport security will see cutbacks, causing delays across the country. Even President Bush's director of the National Institutes of Health says these cuts will set back medical science for a generation.
  Already, the threat of these cuts has forced the Navy to delay the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf '' affecting our ability to respond to threats in an unstable part of the world. And just this week, the Pentagon announced that if these cuts go through, almost 800,000 defense employees '' the equivalent of every person in Miami and Cleveland combined '' will be forced to take unpaid leave.
  That's what this choice means. Are Republicans in Congress really willing to let these cuts fall on our kids' schools and mental health care just to protect tax loopholes for corporate jet owners? Are they really willing to slash military health care and the border patrol just because they refuse to eliminate tax breaks for big oil companies? Are they seriously prepared to inflict more pain on the middle class because they refuse to ask anything more of those at the very top?
  These are the questions Republicans in Congress need to ask themselves. And I'm hopeful they'll change their minds. Because the American people have worked too hard for too long to see everything they've built undone by partisan recklessness in Washington.
  I believe we should work together to build on the more than $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction we've already achieved. But I believe we should do it in a balanced way '' with smart spending cuts, entitlement reform, and tax reform. That's my plan. It's got tough cuts, tough reforms, and asks more of the wealthiest Americans. It's on the White House website for everyone to see. And it requires Democrats and Republicans to meet half way to resolve the problem. That's what the American people expect. And that's what you deserve.
  We just need Republicans in Washington to come around. Because we need their help to finish the job of reducing our deficit in a smart way that doesn't hurt our economy or our people. After all, as we learned in the 1990s, nothing shrinks the deficit faster than a growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs. That has to be our driving focus. That has to be our North Star. Making America a magnet for good jobs. Equipping our people with the skills required to fill those jobs. Making sure your hard work leads to a decent living. That's what this city should be focused on like a laser. And I'm going to keep pushing folks here to remember that.
  Thanks.
Biometrics seen as password replacement for DoD networks
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:27
  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. '-- U.S. soldiers future identification cards will have biometrics, or human identification traits, stored within the card to more easily identify the individual, said Jon Campbell, an official with SRI International, an independent research institute.
  The Pentagon has explored ways to replace the CAC card or figure out new ways to identify troops. Most U.S. servicemembers have to use their CAC cards to use their computers and gain access to classified military networks.
  Campbell said that biometrics will eventually replace passwords for the most secured networks. U.S. troops who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have already learned about biometrics as the military has used iris scanners to collect maintain databases of potential insurgents in both deployed locations.
  Iris scans are the most secure manner to identify a person, Campbell said. It's the hardest personal identification code to copy '-- harder than a finger print or facial recognition, he said Thursday in a presentation at the Association of the U.S. Army's Winter Symposium here.
  Campbell, a retired servicemember, admitted there were times he would borrow other identification badges to swipe into the Pentagon when he would forget these. If the Pentagon instead used iris scanners, which would necessitate individuals only look into a mirror, it would better protect secured buildings and keep anyone from having to drive home to pick up a forgotten identification badge, Campbell said.
  He didn't anticipate the Defense Department getting rid of CAC cards any time soon, but Campbell said the CAC cards could easily store biometrics that could be used to gain access to specific secured buildings or classified networks.
  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has already started research in ways to replace the password with biometrics to log onto computers. Called the Active Authentication program, DARPA has started to reach out to software firms to find ways to allow soldiers to access their computers simply by using biometrics signatures.
  February 22nd, 2013 | Cyber Security Center, The Defense Biz | 194003 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F2013%2F02%2F22%2Fbiometrics-seen-as-password-replacement-for-dod-networks%2FBiometrics+seen+as+password+replacement+for+DoD+networks2013-02-22+14%3A46%3A35Mike+Hoffmanhttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F%3Fp%3D19400
Breaking News '' U.S. Federal Court Hits President Barack Hussein Obama with three charges of abuse of office
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:47
  Breaking News '' U.S. Federal Court Hits President Barack Hussein Obama with three charges of abuse of office
  (Before It's News)
  ts Official: Obama Impeachment Starts Here'...
  U.S. Federal Court hits President Barack Hussein Obama with three charges of abuse of office. The charges present'...ed are detailed and damning. The indictments assert that President Obama ''acted as a dictator'' to exceed his powers of office to appoint officials behind the back of Congress during a recess period.
  Via: Diana Nottingham In a staggering announcement an Associated Press report declared: ''President Barack Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed the Senate last year to appoint three members of the National Labor Relations Board, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.''
  Mr. Lyndon Larouche, a well-connected journalist and political activist characterized the court's assessment as ''probably the greatest indictment ever seen on a standing president throughout history.'' White House press secretary Jay Carney reacted strongly against the charges declaring, ''we believe that the president's recess appointments are constitutionally sound.'' However, the federal court seems to disagree having put in place '' a list of charges presented as conclusions'' according to Larouche.
  The court appears to take the view that no such recess was in place. As such, the president was in violation of Section 5 of Article 1 of the Constitution that stipulates that a president cannot make appointments without the consent of the Senate. The failed Obama gambit had hoped to apply the section of the Constitution that reads: ''The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.''
  The Washington Post reports on the seriousness of this abuse of office, ''is more than an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent the Senate's advise-and-consent role. It is a breathtaking violation of the separation of powers and the duty of comity that the executive owes to Congress.'' Crucially, no other president in history has ever tried to force through such alleged '' recess appointments'' while Congress is still in session.
  The offenses occurred last year when President Obama opted to bypass Congress and unilaterally appoint three people to seats on the National Labor Relations Board . He also made Richard Cordray (pictured with Obama) head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (after the Senate blocked action on his nomination). Cordray's appointment, made on the same date, has been challenged in a separate court case.
  Lyndon Larouche has characterized the events as probably the worst violation by any sitting president trying to use a ''procedural loophole.'' Jubilant Republicans are already looking to set in motion impeachment proceedings. Larouche, who studied the court indictments, believes Obama's offenses are ''far graver'' than those that led to the impeachment and removal from office of disgraced Republican president, Richard Nixon, after the Watergate scandal.
  Related articlesFiled under: obama fraud, politics, U.S. Congress, U.S. Government, U.S. Senate Tagged: Barack Obama, Jay Carney, Lyndon Larouche, National Labor Relations Board, Obama, Richard Cordray, Senate, United States
DN Editorial: Hush, Doctors: Gas industry gags physicians
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:44
  Pennsylvania doctors already were flying blind when it came to answering their patients' anxious questions about the health effects of fracturing. In an essay in the Harrisburg Patriot-News in February, Dr. Marilyn Heine, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, reported that some of her colleagues were being asked if symptoms like rashes might be tied to fracking chemicals, or whether they should have their well-water tested. She said that medical expertise is being "handcuffed by a lack of research."
  Act 13 adds a muzzle to the handcuffs.
  Sponsors of the bill say that the confidentiality agreement is necessary because the exact cocktail of carcinogens - and 650 of 750 of the chemicals used in fracking are known to cause cancer - are "trade secrets," and that doctors might spread them to competitors in the oil and gas industries.
  Puh-lease.
  Isn't it far more likely that they know that if people knew about the massive amounts of benzine, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and other toxins to which they and their kids have been exposed, they would ask more questions - and ask them louder?
  According to State Sen. Daylin Leach (D, Montgomery), the "broad and troubling" provision wasn't in the legislation that was debated and voted on in both houses of the Legislature in February, but was added in conference, so that many legislators likely did not know it was there.
  But we have little faith that, even if the majority of members of the Pennsylvania Assembly knew about it, they would have hesitated before rushing headlong into this sweetheart deal for the natural gas industry.
  And consider the irony of a legislature considering a law to force doctors to perform medically unnecessary ultrasounds on women seeking abortions, while at the same time threatening doctors who tell their patients how unborn children could be at risk from fracking chemicals.
  This law cries out to be challenged in court. And legislators who voted for it need to be held accountable at the ballot box.
Texas DMV Sells Personal Information To Hundreds Of Companies; Drivers Not Allowed To Opt-Out
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:35
  Source: Tech Crunchfrom the thanks-for-providing-this-valuable-info-via-our-mandatory-vehicle-registration-p dept
  Fun, dubious, privacy-violating stuff happening out in Texas where the Dept. of Motor Vehicles has made a tidy sum selling the information it collects (including names, addresses and makes/models owned) to a variety of private companies.The Texas DMV claims its "top priority" is protecting drivers' information, but that hardly seems to be the case when it's pulling in $2.1 million a year selling it off. There are protections in place, but they are flimsy at best.
  "The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is the custodian of over 22 million currently registered vehicles in the state of Texas," Randy Elliston, Director of the Texas DMV, explained. "All of those records that are in our database, however, are protected under the Driver Privacy Protection Act."
  Randy Elliston says the Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) limits who can buy your information and what they can do with it.
  It would be interesting to see what these "limits" are. The spreadsheet obtained by CBS 11 of Dallas, TX shows that 2,448 different entities purchased this information from the DMV last year. The purchasers listed range from towing companies to debt collectors to university parking lot patrols. Elliston states that the purchasing companies are not allowed to use the information for direct contact or advertising purposes.A brief look at the spreadsheet seems to indicate the opposite: auto dealers make up the largest percentage of purchasers. Moreover, Elliston seems to have his facts wrong on the Driver Privacy Protection Act, at least as it pertains to Texas drivers.
  The Driver Privacy Protection Act is a federal law. And the fine print actually says businesses can use your information for marketing or solicitations if the state has obtained your consent. That means, some drivers can opt in or out of these databases.
  Problem is '' Texas didn't adopt that portion of the law. So, drivers in the Lone Star State are stuck.
  This has opened up driver data to nearly anyone who wants it. The spreadsheet shows insurance companies, debt collection agencies, title loan specialists, towing services and auctioneers all have access to these records. The response from Elliston? If you don't like it, complain about it.Elliston says if you feel like your information is being abused you can report the company. "It has occurred in the past and when it has we've pulled the company's ability to use that data," Elliston noted.
  Well, that is one way to deal with an influx of unsolicited mail after registering your vehicle to comply with state law. Another, better, way to deal with it would be to adopt the opt-in/out language that's currently missing. Registering a vehicle isn't optional, but having your name, address and vehicle info turned over to whoever requests it certainly should be.Read More...
Texas Bans Shooting Immigrants From Helicopters
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 06:29
  Officials in Texas announced on Thursday that state troopers would no longer be allowed to open fire on suspects from helicopters after the recent killing of two immigrants.
  While announcing the new policy, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw insisted that the ban on aerial shootings had nothing to do with the October 2012 death of two Guatemalan immigrants, who were gunned down by troopers in helicopter while they were hiding in the back of a speeding pickup truck near La Joya.
  "I'm convinced that now, from a helicopter platform, that we shouldn't shoot unless being shot at, or unless someone is being shot at," McCraw told the state House Committee on Appropriations. "Last Friday, after a review of the policy and looking at all of the different things, and this is not a reflection of what happened there, I'm a firm believer they did exactly what they thought they needed to do."
  ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke welcomed the change, but faulted the Texas Legislature for not moving to force the policy earlier.
  "We were shocked. We're thrilled, but we were surprised," Burke said in a statement "We hope that this decision is a step, if only a small one, toward ending the culture of violence that pervades enforcement of border security in Texas.
Gun Liability Insurance Now Proposed In At Least Six States
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 06:20
  When I first suggested this a few years ago, a lot of people thought I was cuckoo. But it seems like gun liability insurance is an idea whose time has finally come. And what's not to like for politicians? After all, free market! Insurance donors! One of the points raised in this article is that insurance would not cover willful acts, but that's not true in the case of a minor child. Lots of ways for the underwriters to fine tune it, too. (For instance, a willful act by a family member with known mental illness.) I hope this becomes reality, because so far, gun owners have rarely suffered any financial consequences for their carelessness or negligence:
  Both sides in a nation sharply divided over guns seem to agree on at least one thing: a bigger role for the insurance industry in a heavily armed society. But just what that role should be, and whether insurers will choose to accept it, are much in dispute.
  Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance '-- much as car owners are required to buy auto insurance. Doing so would give a financial incentive for safe behavior, they hope, as people with less dangerous weapons or safety locks could qualify for lower rates.
  ''I believe that if we get the private sector and insurance companies involved in gun safety, we can help prevent a number of gun tragedies every year,'' said David P. Linsky, a Democratic state representative in Massachusetts who wants to require gun owners to buy insurance. He believes it will encourage more responsible behavior and therefore reduce accidental shootings. ''Insurance companies are very good at evaluating risk factors and setting their premiums appropriately,'' he added.
  Groups representing gun owners oppose efforts to make insurance mandatory, arguing that law-abiding people should not be forced to buy insurance to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms. But some groups, including the National Rifle Association, endorse voluntary liability policies for their members. And as several states pass laws making it easier for people to carry concealed weapons and use them for self-defense, some gun groups are now selling policies to cover some of the legal costs stemming from self-defense shootings.
  [...] The insurance industry is wary of some of the proposals to require gun owners to buy liability coverage '-- and particularly of bills, like one that was filed in New York that would require coverage for damages resulting not only from negligence but also from ''willful acts.''
  Robert P. Hartwig, the president of the Insurance Information Institute, said that insurance generally covered accidents and unintentional acts '-- not intentional or illegal ones. ''Insurance will cover you if your home burns down in an electrical fire, but it will not cover you if you burn down your own house, and you cannot insure yourself for arson,'' he said.
  Some claims stemming from shootings have been covered by homeowners' insurance '-- even by policies that said they did not cover illegal acts.
  The families of the two students responsible for the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Colorado were able to use money from their homeowners' policies to settle a lawsuit brought by families of most of the victims. In 2001, a California court ordered an insurance company to defend a policyholder whose 16-year-old son shot and killed a friend with a Beretta handgun that he had found in his mother's coat. But the year before, a North Carolina court ruled that an insurance company did not have to cover the expenses of a policyholder who had shot and wounded a prowler on his property.
  Christopher J. Monge, an insurance agent and gun owner in Verona, Wis., recently wrote a book, ''The Gun Owner's Guide to Insurance for Concealed Carry and Self-Defense,'' which he sells at gun shows. Mr. Monge said that the problem with most liability insurance is that it promises coverage only in cases of a gun owner's negligence, or an accidental shooting '-- and not if the gun owner shoots someone intentionally in self-defense. ''A negligent act is covered by your liability policy, but if you intentionally shoot somebody, it could be excluded,'' he said.
FBI involved in raid over Xbox secret - The West Australian
  Link to Article
  Sat, 23 Feb 2013 04:11
  A Perth teenager '-- who has gained popularity in cyberspace under the name SuperDaE '-- has had his home raided and possessions seized by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and WA Police as part of an international corporate espionage probe.
  Months after the local hacker revealed commercially sensitive information about Microsoft's yet-to-be-released Xbox on social networking site Twitter, police this week raided a Beckenham house belonging to his parents.
  Dylan, a prolific social media user whose SuperDaE Twitter account has 27,630 followers, had also posted an online advertisement offering to sell a development kit for Durango '-- Microsoft's new Xbox design.
  A development kit is what Microsoft sends to companies so they can develop Xbox games. The leaks caused waves in technology circles around the world, given details of Microsoft's design have been a closely guarded secret.
  Dylan, who asked The Weekend West not to publish his surname and has not been charged with any offence, said the experience was ''traumatic''.
  ''There was a knock on the door and when I opened it they were actually about to ram the door,'' he said.
  He said he was told the FBI was considering extraditing him to the US. The Weekend West understands an FBI agent was at the Tuesday morning raid, which took about five hours.
  WA Police confirmed they had raided a property linked to Dylan but refused to confirm his claims an FBI officer was also present.
  A WA Police spokeswoman said the technology crime investigation unit was running a multi-jurisdictional investigation into computer offences.
  Dylan, who described himself as a freelance security consultant, said his motivation for obtaining and leaking sensitive Microsoft information in August last year was ''curiosity'' or ''just because it was possible to do it''.
  He said he was contacted by Microsoft last year for details of flaws in their security system.
  Initially he said he corresponded with Microsoft but ultimately stopped when it appeared ''they wanted me to do their job for them''.
  A Twitter trend to #FreeSuperDaE is gaining momentum.
Horsemeat, Huntsh*t, and vice-versa
  Link to Article
  Source: The Slog. 3-D bollocks deconstruction
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:07
  There's a horse's ass in the health job
  You'll have to excuse me if the following observations are already played out in Blighty. I still don't have internet access '' I mean, it is only eight days when all's said and done '' here in deepest rural France, and thus I'm not party to any wider debate going on about the threats to public health in Britain. But the two main UK news items on this subject last week mark out very clearly just how little reality is applied to mainstream news coverage these days in the land of my birth.
  I'm referring (if you haven't already guessed) to How Horsemeat Horror Happened, and Health Hero Hunt goes NHS-Hitting. I have been listening to Radio Four digitally (via the telly) most days, searching in vain for even a scintilla of insight about what these news stories are really about, but shafts of light were there none. However, as it happens, on this occasion I do have some solid history and experience to bring to the party.
  The ''Oh-my-God-Jade's-been-scoffing-Dobbin'' episode has shown the British at their daftest and most gullible, I'm afraid. The media have reflected this in seeming unable to make their minds up about whether this is a story about eating poor dear horsey, or whether there really is a public health issue. The truth is that it isn't about either of those things, it is a story about the traditional, innate criminality of the wholesale meat trade.
  As a national culture, we attach the standard anthropomorphic values to horses because '' as with cats and dogs '' we have a sporting and quasi-domestic relationship with them. Having thus awarded them honorary human status, we believe we must not eat them, because that would be cannibalism. Thus all the French, Koreans and Chinese are cannibals, QED. This is an idea so bereft of any scientific basis, it beats the flat Earth theory into a cocked (or even flat) hat, in that it has somehow survived to be widely believed in 21st Century Britain.
  Speaking to a couple of French acquaintances I bumped into this week, they were of course wildly amused, regarding as they do the English madness about animals as even more deranged than our attitudes towards sexual infidelity. I agree with them on the first point (although not entirely about the latter) but was also struck by their objection to the idea that horses represent a health issue. On that one, they are so clearly right it seemed pointless to argue.
  Treated hygienically and used within a sensible time period, there is no public health issue around horsemeat at all. I've tried it and can attest to the fact that it is no more a desirable delicacy for me than shark's fin soup: it has little to promote itself beyond being less obviously gamey than venison and sometimes cheaper than steak. That's it. And so we arrive in the end at the point where this story should've started: practices within the meat trade.
  When a media spokesman says that the horsemeat scandal ''in no way represents the tip of an iceberg'', you can rest uneasy in the knowledge that it represents an iceberg hitherto hidden entirely, but of a size more than capable of sinking the Titanic's bigger brother. As such, said iceberg is nevertheless yet more proof of the private sector's talent for sociopathy where profits are concerned.
  The only dimension worth thinking about in Horsegate is deceit. And the deceit isn't new. 35 years ago, I had a good friend who worked in the meat trade. He educated me about meat that's fresh (doesn't taste of much, but the public demands it), well-hung (right for steak, pheasant and mutton, wrong for pork and chicken) and a third sector called ''needs using''. Officially, all meat falling under the third definition was sold to petfood manufacturers. Unofficially, a lot of it was sold to school suppliers.
  This was going on during the 1970s. But as long ago as the 1945-52 era of food rationing in the UK, condemned meat was regularly sold into the institutional sector, once ruthless butchers had overcome the Government's bad-meat marking system. (If you want more evidence of this, watch Pete Postlethwaite's magnificent performance in Alan Bennett's film, A Private Function).
  We are back in that clich(C) called 'regulation': for the neocon Right, it's a form of leprosy (for they have profit in mind); and for the fluffy Left, it is a social must-have'.....regardless of need (for they have Union members' employment in mind). A judicious mixture of common sense and social anthropology education tells most thinking folks that each situation requires a special decision. When selling something people must have (like food, water or shelter) the desire to make money will always be at odds with the social good. So any civilised society is always going to need regulation'....or mutuality, or both.
  Nowhere is this more applicable than in dealing with the wholesale meat trade. Manchester United's Martin Edwards has family money amassed by his father Louis, who was a butcher. Bob Lord, the infamous former Chairman of Burnley FC, also amassed huge wealth via wholesale meat dealing. As a sector, it attracts villains, and always has: Michael (my original tutor in such matters from three decades ago) was an East End cockney who once quite seriously offered the services of people even he called ''unpredictable'' to deal with a particularly obnoxious crook in the advertising business who was giving me a hard time. When I declined, but asked what they might do to my bªte-noir, he replied, ''Wull, all depends what kinduv day they've 'ad, dunnit?'' He claimed the entire project would cost me ''no more than a monkey''. It sounded like remarkably good value to me.
  When listening to the outpourings of Jeremy Hunt, I often wish I still knew Michael, but he disappeared off my radar years ago '' not least because, as soon as he heard my first wife and I had split up, he took her out to lunch and asked whether she might be up for a bit of Ugandan horizontal jogging. But last week, I once more had the nagging desire to trace him, after having read Hunt's piffle about how concerned he was that gagging orders were threatening patient health in the NHS.
  The hypocrisy of this man never ceases to amaze me. His sole purpose in uncovering faults in the NHS (and give him credit, he is very good at adopting a concerned look when he does so) is to present it as a monster'....and between the lines are the unwritten words 'which must be slain'. On this occasion, in using a most unlikely Trojan horse, Jezzer adopts the position of the seeker after liberty, a man breaking the chains of secrecy bare-handed '' in the pursuit of what he had the temerity to call ''open-ness''. Jeremy Hunt calling for glasnost is a little like George Galloway demanding the death penalty for Islamics: but as we have all seen so many times before, Hunt is a man without shame masquerading as a man without blame. No matter what legally binding payoff clauses NHS managers might have signed up to, it seems, whistle-blowing is the duty of every citizen.
  Sadly, this was yet another story that found the increasingly hounded BBC in a frenzy of apathetic indecision. This might explain why they chose to invite the largely unknown Lord Howe (not the ennobled Geoffrey, I hasten to add) to come onto the BBCNews Channel and argue in favour of flagrant greed and illegality. Asked why the Health Secretary was supporting a one-time senior NHS bod who had trousered £500,000 to shut up and then blabbed, with a bare and straight face the Peer said, ''Whistle-blowing is a vital and completely acceptable practice for revealing cover-ups in the NHS''.
  Now as it happens, I agree with this sentiment '' but with two caveats: first, whistle-blowing once you've spent the half-million of hush money isn't really cricket; and second, why is this only true of the NHS? In the same week that Lord Howe vomited this bullsh*t onto the airwaves, Government Ministers vitriolically attacked Julian Assange's occupancy of a foreign Embassy in his bid to evade being water-boarded by our 'allies' in Washington. Can we therefore now expect to see David Cameron going onto Newsnight to discuss with Jeremy Paxman why whistle-blowers about amoral foreign policy are bad, but whistle-blowers facilitating the handing over of the NHS to Tory donors is, er, good?
  Regular Sloggers will by now be well aware of my severe doubts about the sanity of Julian Assange. I think his vocal delivery and general personal tics represent powerful evidence of the bloke's megalomania'....and the comments of many of his former colleagues further support that view. But none of that changes the simple point I'm making here: governments only ever support those who blow the whistle on opponents of said governments.
  In closing, I would like thank followers of this site for the sympathies expressed and patience shown in the light of my current technological difficulties. I have to say, your patience vastly exceeds mine: my main desire at the minute is to steal a bus, drive to France Telecom's head office tomorrow, and smash it into reception without waiting for anyone to open the doors. Then I could step out of the driver's cab in classic 007 style, brush some plaster dust off my immaculate YSL suit, and say to the astonished executives approaching me gingerly, ''Now are you paying attention?''
  But there is a salutary lesson here, and it is this: although mobile internet is very much the Thing amongst Bright Young Things, the great majority of internet access in the West is still via landlines supplied by large telecoms companies to we slightly older and more wrinkly Things. If you wanted to switch off the ability of an entire, influential demographic to protest about or object to something, it has never been easier than it is today. And it is frustratingly effective: the feeling of being isolated from friends or loved ones '' and cut off from debate '' is truly Kafkaesque in nature. Having once been given the ability to commune and persuade globally, the act of taking it away is a cruelty based on, at best, unthinking idle incompetence '' and at worst, mass censorship with malice aforethought.
  In my case at the moment, the former factor is in play; but only the French could add a dimension of arrogance to it. When I rang FT (for the fifth time) this morning, my assertion that the Slogline was still a non-line was greeted by hoots of derision: ''Non monsieur, it was fixed last Friday you seelly Englleesh personne, hohohhaha-hoheehoheehorrgh.'' I won't print here what my reply was because this is a family website, but I rather fancy the chap at the other hand had underestimated my facility with French feelthee language. ''Allez les bleues mots, squire'' that's what I say.
  Anyway, don't get me started. I bid you a happy Monday, and hope to be blogging normally again by Wednesday (allegedly)'....
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The Town that spent 25 Years Underwater
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:57
  This is Villa Epecuen, an old tourist town south of Buenos Aires that spent a quarter of a century underwater. Established in the 1920s on the banks of a salt lake, the town was home to over 5,000 residents and a holiday destination to thousands more vacationers from the Argentinian capital.
  In 1985, a dam burst and buried the town in 33 feet of salt water, rendering it a modern-day Atlantis. Initially, people waited on their roofs, hoping for the water to recede. It didn't, and within two days, the place was a devastated ghost town.
  In 2009, the waters began to recede and what emerged resembles an apocalyptic world.
  Evenly-spaced dead trees still line what used to be streets, rusty bed frames poke out from concrete rubble and sign posts point to nowhere.
  Amazingly, one resident remained in this desolate place. Pablo Novak was the only person not to leave his hometown when the water swallowed it up in 1985. He lives in a stone hut with a fridge and a basic cooker. I guess there's no place like home'...
  See more photography by Juan Mabromata and Flickr user F. Peretti
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MSNBC hosts really ''sad'' about Jesse Jackson Jr Hot Air
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:56
  posted at 9:21 pm on February 21, 2013 by Jazz Shaw
  This morning, over a plate of coddled eggs and scrapple, I flipped on the television and watched some of Morning Joe. (There goes the quote for the first twenty comments'...) At around the 6:30 mark, they broke into a short bit of coverage of Jesse Jackson jr. and his current legal woes. (Which I wrote about last weekend.) What happened next sent me into a bit of a rant on Twitter, declaring that I would certainly have to save that portion of the show and write something about it.
  One of the nice things about Morning Joe is that they upload their show segments to their website each day so you can watch them later, and even clip and share portions of them on the web. But when I went back this afternoon to find it, lo and behold, it somehow didn't make it into the archive. But thanks to my friend Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters, it has risen again on YouTube. Here's the Morning Joe crew discussing the downfall of Jackson, complete with a clip from NBC's coverage.
  Scarborough: Former congressman Jesse Jackson's facing jail time after pleading guilty to misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign funds. A tearful Jackson apologized to his family and friends. NBC's justice correspondent Pete Wlliams takes us through this sad case.
  [Video clip of Williams is played]
  Mika: That was NBC's Pete Williams reporting.Scarborough: It's a sad story. Harold, you served with Jesse. As did I.Harold Ford: I know Jesse. It's sad. I know the family well. My prayers go out to his kids and to the entire family. And I hope there is another chapter in his life.Mika: I hope they can turn it around.Scarborough: Yeah.
  That's about the moment when my head exploded, ruining what was otherwise a perfectly nice, Thursday morning breakfast. At what point did this become a ''sad story'' exactly? The criminal was caught and brought to justice. The system worked. Aren't we generally happy about that? To reiterate what I was ranting about on Twitter, this guy stole nearly a million dollars from the people of his district, many of whom live below the poverty level! Was anybody ''sad'' when Bernie Madoff got caught? Was anyone praying for ''a new chapter'' in Madoff's life where he would ''turn things around?''
  And before any of you Jackson loving sycophants get all up in arms over the comparison, there is virtually zero difference between Bernie Madoff and Jesse Jackson jr. except in terms of scale. Madoff stole money from innocent people looking to invest in the future for their retirement. Jackson stole money from working class people willing to invest in the future of their state and country by supporting somebody promising to make their future better. They are the same. Madoff was just better at it.
  And while we're on the topic, what prompted Joe to choose the word ''misused'' regarding the missing funds? They weren't ''misused,'' Joe. They were stolen and spent on Rolex watches, stuffed animal heads, Michael Jackson's guitar and a huge list of additional swag. Misusing campaign funds is when you authorize a payment to a consultant or pollster who isn't registered properly. This was theft to finance his own lifestyle above and beyond his means, plain and simple.
  As I said on Twitter, there is only one reason Jackson was getting the soft sell here and that's the fact that he's a Democrat. If he were a Republican this would have been bigger news than Dillinger getting gunned down. But because of his name and his famous father, he's now some sort of sympathetic figure who has fallen from grace. Sorry, but I'm not buying it. He's a crook and he's going to jail. Good riddance.
Rogers implies Congress was told of al-Awlaki strike beforehand
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:55
Joe Biden's Firearms Advice Could Get You Arrested
  Link to Article
  Source: Patterico's Pontifications
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:54
  Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
  E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
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Rabobank is de volgende bank die kapot gaat
  Link to Article
  Source: GeenStijl
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:52
  Bezorgde burger, ondernemer en bankenwantrouwer Erik de Vlieger maakt zich druk. Want? Want de Rabobank zou weleens in het rijtje "oepsie, too big to fail, toch kapot, sorry & geef ons staatssteun" terecht kunnen komen. SNS was al een probleempje van 8,8 miljard (waarvan 3,7 miljard inmiddels door de belastingbetaler opgehoest), maar met Rabo kijken we al gauw tegen 40 miljard aan vuil gefinancierd vastgoed aan. Uitleg hierrrr, maar in de gewone Amsterdamse jongen-speak van De Vlieger zelf: "Over twee jaar kunnen wij weer de scherven oprapen als het vuile vastgoed op de balans van Rabo deze bank in gevaar brengen. Ik heb daar geen zin meer in. Rabo is een toekomstige infectie." Dus heeft De Vlieger om een reactie gevraagd aan MinFin Dijsselbloem. Die het volgende terugstuurde: "Wij beschikken niet over voldoende informatie om uw vraag te kunnen beantwoorden. Het antwoord op uw vraag kan het beste gegeven worden door een medewerker van het Ministerie van Financin die uitgebreid op de hoogte is van de regels en richtlijnen." Oftewel: nee ga weg, lastige vragen stellende kudtburger. Terwijl De Vlieger nota bene zelf met dat financile cowboy-bijltje gehakt heeft, qua weten waar je het over hebt. Ondertussen lezen we in Nederland over de verkoop van Robeco aan Japan, maar ook in Azi blijkt de Boerenleenbank voor miljarden aan assets af te stoten. Saillant detail: de Rabobank weigert een serieuze gesprekspartner naar Pauw en Witteman af te vaardigen om over deze alarmerende situatie in discussie te gaan met De Vlieger. In plaats daarvan belt Peter Keur, Eindbaas van FGH, gewoon zelf even op om dingen off the record te blussen en downplayen. "Erbarmelijk slecht en niemand praat", aldus De Vlieger. De bankbaasjes zijn ongerust, kennelijk. Wij nu ook.
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  Probeer trouwens eens de totaal officieuze niet-ondersteunde third-party GeenStijl extension die compleet niet door ons ondersteund wordt en volledig op eigen risico is.
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@@adamcurry TSA apologizes for toddler's treatment... Payoff is the very last sentence. "Know the rules, slave!" http://t.co/gmu83FpMuC
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:51
  Chlorine used after body found in waterMisconduct revealed within FBIPolice: Mom hired strippers for teen partyMaking money on the streetProud mom welcomes Army daughter homeSoldier makes surprise proposal on TVSee why health care costs so muchFamily fights $474K hospital billWho profits off your hospital bills?CNN Explains: Health care reformFlorida governor reverses on ObamacareA virtual look at Pistorius' defenseNew photos of woman killed by PistoriusConflicting accounts in Pistorius caseSteenkamp 'wanted to make a difference'Defense on attack at Pistorius hearingDoes Pistorius defense argument hold up?Remembering Reeva SteenkampHaywood: Pistorius is 'kind and gentle'Paralympian: Pistorius 'inspired me'Avalanche surviver: I prayed to liveTSA apologizes for toddler's treatmentSee thieves rob motorists in traffic jamMan stripped, whipped over $20 debtPlane barely misses hitting peoplePolice pull victims from burning carLawyer to Arias: You have memory issuesArias describes how she killed exArias describes day Alexander was killedSee Travis Alexander shoot a gunJodi Arias phone sex tape plays in courtNude photos released in Arias trialJodi Arias says victim was pedophileSee Arias deny stabbing in 2008 videoA day in the life of Jodi AriasJackson's seven-year, $750,000 fraudMichelle Obama's new portraitBiden to boy: Tough job having sistersSee McCain's testy exchange at town hallOhioan admits she voted more than onceActress Ashley Judd to run for Senate?First lady: Bangs are my midlife crisisSkimpy facts in senator sex case Searching for the truth about MenendezMarco Rubio's dry mouth momentGynecologist accused of filming patientsWoman's body found in hotel water tankNorth Carolina girl's skull identifiedThree dead after shooting in Las Vegas911 calls released in California murder spree911 calls released in murder spreePolice: Mom hired strippers for teen party'Thundersnow' caught on videoWeather phenomenon gives snow new lookAustralian fire devil stretches into skyMassive 'haboob' hits Arizona townLightning streaks behind double rainbowCNN shows you what a 'derecho' isDistraction: Baby rhino being all cuteDistraction: Pig uses wheelchairDistraction: Dog plays with cheetahDistraction: Pinwheel of dogsDistraction: Pit bull pup uses treadmillDistraction: Teensy puppy learns to walkConan gets a 'Jersey Shore' makeoverConan's tragic 'Downton Abbey' spoiler'SNL' mocks Carnival cruise'SNL' spoofs Rubio's water breakConan: Bill Maher not a proud gun owner'SNL' takeson Super Bowl blackout takes on Super Bowl blackout'World's Cutest Frog' makes weird soundSee weatherman black out on cameraJudge flips out after getting flipped off'Houdini horse' is an escape artistPastor uses tithe excuse to refuse tipPastor uses tithe excuse to dispute tipDrugs discovered in duct tape diapersLoose 'lion' prompts 911 callsCanada 'dead-icated' to stopping zombiesPoliticians mock zombie drill'Mohawk Guy' returnsNew details on Justin Bieber murder plotMichael Jackson's son makes TV debutSykes: Odd time for Clive to say he's biAlec Baldwin's photographer feudActress: Director taped my abuseSupermodel: Don't strive to be like meWatch sea otter dunk basketball'Ma'am, you have an owl in your grille'Bunny's favorite snack: Car wiresRescued deer is part of the familyPuppy goes for wild ridePuppy rides 10 miles stuck in wheel wellSee cute dwarf goat knock over playmatesSoldier goes from fatigues to fabulousSaints give soldier a big 'thank you'Kid Rock surprises wounded warriorWWE star makes soldier WrestleMania VIPReservists surprise wives on live TVSoldier makes surprise proposal on TVHundreds of dolphins race tourists' boatLove, octopus styleSee orca give birth to 300+ lb. babyClose encounter of humpback kindGiant squid seen in Northern PacificWatch shark feast on giant squidTeen shot after Obama's gun speechInauguration performer killed in ChicagoChicago's violence witnessed firsthandGang members face off on the courtMom loses 4th child to gun violenceChicago's 500th homicide this yearChina security officers chase CNN crewMagdalene survivors demand apologyRape as a weapon of warFilm brings royal love triangle to lifeSingapore: More people neededExpert: Meat scandal 'social problem'See Catherine's baby bumpA look back at Catherine's first yearCatherine passes big testDancing royals: Will and Kate shake itRecapping the royal weddingKate 'shocked' by proposalWorld's largest yacht docks in NYC$445,000 Lamborghini hits streetsAmerican 'palace' on sale for $135MSee what NYC apt. is selling for $100 millionSee what NYC apt. is asking $100 millionWould you want a $10,000 smartphone?iPad becomes one pricey cat toyLawrence: I can be vulnerable anytimeQuvenzhane Wallis captures Oscar's heartWill Day-Lewis make Oscar history? 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  Report: The consumer crunch is on51
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  Film director saves kids' lives176
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  Truth behind forced spending cuts105
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  Commissioner: He's a good investigator227
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  Fareed's Take: Infrastructure for Jobs260
  GPS: Summers on Corporate Tax Reform57
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Some shifts in power visible in journalism today >> Pressthink
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:49
  ''To some degree they have achieved what Tim Russert of NBC News had when he was host of Meet the Press. Sitting down for an interview with Swisher and Mossberg is a thing you do to show that you are a serious player'...''Quick: How many shifts in power can you spot in this one report? From Reuters:
  AllThingsD, the widely read technology blog run by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, has begun discussions with owner News Corp about extending or ending their partnership, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. According to these sources, AllThingsD's contract with News Corp expires at the end of the year'...
  Sources said the website is receiving a lot of ''inbound interest'' from potential buyers parallel to its talks with News Corp. Among the names mentioned as having reached out to AllThingsD were Conde Nast, where Swisher recently signed to work as a contributing writer for Vanity Fair, and Hearst.
  '... While AllThingsD is recognized as the brainchild of Swisher and Mossberg, News Corp actually owns the website and its name. However, according to provisions in their contract, Swisher and Mossberg have approval authority over any sale, the first source said.
  I count five power shifts. Now I'm not claiming that any of these are new this year, so don't freak out! Several have been watchable trends since before Barack Obama ran for president. But they continue to alter what is possible for journalists, so it's worth going over them one by one.
  * Writers ascendant over publishers. Not completely. Just: relatively speaking. The brainchild of Swisher and Mossberg'... Swisher and Mossberg have approval'... It's their franchise, not News Corp's. AllThingsD is built around their talents as reporters, interviewers, reviewers and occasional breakers of news. Robert Cottrell, editor of The Browser, an aggregation site, put it this way in a recent essay for the Financial Times:
  Think back to the days when print media ruled. Your basic unit of consumption was not the article, nor the writer, but the publication. You bought the publication in the hope or expectation that it would contain good writing. The publisher was the guarantor of quality.
  Professional writers still see value in having publishers online, not so much as guarantors of quality, but because publishers pay for writing '' or, increasingly, if they do not pay for it, they do at least publish it in a place where it will get read.
  Readers, on the other hand, have less of a need for publishers. One striking trend I have noticed in the past five years is the way in which individual articles uncouple themselves from the places where they are first published, to lead their own lives across the internet, passed from hand to hand between readers.
  Right: readers have less need of publishers. That is one reason writers are in the ascendant. Another is what my friend Clay Shirky said: ''There's a button that says 'publish,' and when you press it, it's done.'' The internet does much of what publishers used to do: bring the goods to the users.
  * Shifting modes of scarcity. Technology news isn't scarce. The ability instantly to distribute technology news: that isn't scarce. (The internet does it.) The capital required to begin providing technology news is extremely low, so that isn't scarce. Genuine news is scarce. Talent and experience''and scoops, of course, which come from being well-sourced''are scarce. Kara Swisher, Walt Mossberg and their colleagues at AllThingsD are good at what they do. By now it is primarily this, not the fact that they did it under the banner of Dow Jones (owned by News Corp) that makes a difference. Even a 19 year-old kid can be a player in technology reporting if he has the (scarce) goods. And check out the way Mark Gurman is compensated:
  Despite the fact that his work is only part-time, his pay check from 9to5Mac is not. Weintraub [his boss] tells us, ''I have an unorthodox model where I give my writers ad space on their posts and on the homepage. For Mark in particular, it has been very successful because his exclusives get a lot of attention.''
  How successful? Weintraub says he ''makes enough money to buy a Tesla every year (he hasn't'...yet) with change left over.'' Teslas generally sell for ~$100,000 a pop.
  * The economics of human presence. AllThingsD began in 2003 as a conference. The site was created for people who could not be there. It grew from that to become a daily source of news and views. The conference is still the soul of the enterprise. Here it is, sold out in February, though it doesn't happen until May. Speakers haven't even been announced yet! News isn't scarce, commentary isn't scarce, but an opportunity to watch Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, think on stage? That is scarce; people will pay for it. The site boasts:
  D is different from other conferences: no canned speeches, no marketing pitches, and no bull. Instead, creators and executive producers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher put the industry's top players to the test during unscripted conversations about the impact digital technology will have on our lives now and in the future.
  Swisher and Mossberg were smart to make the conference about the interviews, rather than speeches, panels or presentations. That way it is their presence, as well as Tim Cook's or Marissa Mayer's, that makes the event go. To some degree they have achieved what Tim Russert of NBC News had when he was host of Meet the Press. Sitting down for an interview with Swisher and Mossberg is a thing you do to show that you are a serious player. That's the economics of human presence. Which is why the Atlantic, The Economist, the New York Times and the Washington Post (among others) are trying to make events part of their business model. There is no ''save as'' command for events.
  * The renewed importance of voice. Kara Swisher is fast on her feet, witty and sarcastic, hyper-informed about the tech industry and she'll try to cut you to pieces on Twitter if you challenge her, especially one of her scoops. Walt Mossberg is like a graybeard of tech, part of its institutional memory, someone who has seen it all and cannot easily be snowed. These personas are part of what they have to sell, and they emerge especially in conversation with industry leaders at their annual conference. If they were View from Nowhere journalists their franchise would not be nearly as strong as it is.
  From Mossberg's ''ethics statement'' on the AllThingsD site: ''I am not an objective news reporter, and am not responsible for business coverage of technology companies. I am a subjective opinion columnist, a reviewer of consumer technology products and a commentator on technology issues.'' From Swisher's: ''While I still intend to break news on this site, as with my previous print column, I will make subjective comments on the business and strategies of technology companies and issues.''
  They know where the value lies.
  * The rise of niche journalism. It's not called ''all things newsy,'' or ''all things business.'' The business that Swisher and Mossberg built is about ''digital technology meets consumer capitalism.'' And that is all. This is the logic of niche jounalism. The writer Nicholas Carr summarized it five years ago:
  A print newspaper provides an array of content'--local stories, national and international reports, news analyses, editorials and opinion columns, photographs, sports scores, stock tables, TV listings, cartoons, and a variety of classified and display advertising'--all bundled together into a single product. People subscribe to the bundle, or buy it at a newsstand, and advertisers pay to catch readers' eyes as they thumb through the pages. The publisher's goal is to make the entire package as attractive as possible to a broad set of readers and advertisers. The newspaper as a whole is what matters, and as a product it's worth more than the sum of its parts.
  When a newspaper moves online, the bundle falls apart. Readers don't flip through a mix of stories, advertisements, and other bits of content. They go directly to a particular story that interests them, often ignoring everything else.
  ''The bundle falls apart.'' That's a power shift. And it leads directly to: Sources said the website is receiving a lot of ''inbound interest'' from potential buyers'...
Recycling used nuclear fuel '' Argonne research explained in 4 min video
  Link to Article
  Source: Atomic Insights
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:39
  One of the most frequently used arguments against using nuclear energy is ''the waste issue.'' When people ask me, ''what do you do with the waste'', my standard answer is ''recycle it.'' The truly curious then ask for more information. A few days ago, Nuclear Street shared a video produced by Argonne National Laboratory that explains their ongoing research into pyroprocessing.
  This video was first posted in May, 2012. Even if I have linked to it before, it is worth watching again. It is encouraging to remember that there are plenty of options that enable nuclear energy to have an amazing potential for future improvements by following the adage of ''reduce, reuse, and recycle'' to shrink an already minuscule quantity of waste per unit of energy to even smaller sizes and easier to handle forms.There is a communications risk associated with telling some people about the incredible potential associated with nuclear fuel recycling. The video alludes to the challenge; if we can recycle the used material produced by our current fleet of reactors at a reasonable cost, the enterprise would reduce or even eliminate the need to mine uranium. If the process lives up to the promise, it might reduce investment interest in developing thorium based reactors.
  I ran into an example of this challenge during my involvement in the issue of uranium mining in Virginia. At one meeting, I had a hallway discussion with a few of the attendees who were opposing the effort by Virginia Uranium to have the current moratorium lifted. My conversation partners told me they were not strongly opposed to using nuclear energy, they were, however, concerned about the effect of allowing uranium to be mined near their homes, farms or businesses.
  During the next meeting I attended, several of the people who spoke in opposition to the mine introduced the idea that the mine was not needed because nuclear fuel could be recycled. They were not the same individuals that I spoke to, and there is a strong possibility that my introduction of the recycling notion had nothing to do with it being used as an argument against mining.
  However, I had to think for a little while and wonder if my enthusiasm for recycling was being used against my enthusiasm for making beneficial use of a large natural resource. I often cringe when fellow enthusiasts for nuclear fuel recycling or thorium reactors talk about how their technology will eliminate the need to continue mining uranium.
  Mining of all kinds is absolutely necessary to support a vibrant economy; that statement has been true for hundreds, if not thousands of years. There is a need to do it with care and concern for worker safety and environmental impacts, but mining and using valuable material is one of the most reliable ways to increase society's overall wealth.
  The other thing to remember is that a recycling infrastructure will not develop rapidly and it will certainly not develop at all without dedicated people who are willing to invest time and dollars in a long term process. During the decades in which recycling is entering the market, there will be plenty of need for newly mined fuel. In fact, I believe that conclusively demonstrating that it is possible and advantageous to recycle used fuel will increase the demand for new materials and increase its market value.
  The ''waste issue'' would be proven to be a chimera. We could stop describing the potential and instead point to real hardware being constructed and operated to turn waste into useful energy.
  It is exciting to know that a tiny pellet of uranium dioxide fuel contains as much energy as a ton of coal, three barrels of oil or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas. Just think how valuable and exciting it would be to multiply those three comparisons to fossil fuels by a factor of about 20 and to also realize that the pellet represents only about 1 part out of 9 of the mined uranium due to the need to enrich the fuel.
  Energy is the ability to do work. Power is the amount of energy used per unit time. Humans could be doing a lot more work at a much faster rate to make the world a better, safer and more prosperous place to live if they had access to virtually unlimited quantities of low cost, emission free, reliable power. Instead, our potential is being constrained by the false assumption that energy is scarce and should be conserved at all costs.
In Gun Debate, a Bigger Role S
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:34
  Both sides in a nation sharply divided over guns seem to agree on at least one thing: a bigger role for the insurance industry in a heavily armed society. But just what that role should be, and whether insurers will choose to accept it, are much in dispute.
  Lawmakers in at least half a dozen states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, have proposed legislation this year that would require gun owners to buy liability insurance - much as car owners are required to buy auto insurance. Doing so would give a financial incentive for safe behavior, they hope, as people with less dangerous weapons or safety locks could qualify for lower rates.
  "I believe that if we get the private sector and insurance companies involved in gun safety, we can help prevent a number of gun tragedies every year," said David P. Linsky, a Democratic state representative in Massachusetts who wants to require gun owners to buy insurance. He believes it will encourage more responsible behavior and therefore reduce accidental shootings. "Insurance companies are very good at evaluating risk factors and setting their premiums appropriately," he added.
  Groups representing gun owners oppose efforts to make insurance mandatory, arguing that law-abiding people should not be forced to buy insurance to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms. But some groups, including the National Rifle Association, endorse voluntary liability policies for their members. And as several states pass laws making it easier for people to carry concealed weapons and use them for self-defense, some gun groups are now selling policies to cover some of the legal costs stemming from self-defense shootings.
Federal Register | Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site Program
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:24
  The FAA values the input of the public and requests comment regarding the privacy approach discussed in this Notice. Please send your comments on or before April 23, 2013.
  Once the public has had a chance to review the proposed privacy policy requirements to be levied on the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site operators, but prior to the close of the comment period, the FAA will participate in a webinar to solicit comments from the public and interested stakeholders regarding the proposed privacy approach for the unmanned aircraft systems test site program. The FAA will publish a notice providing details (including the date and time) for the engagement session sufficiently in advance of the meeting to facilitate broad participation.
  You may send comments identified by Docket No: FAA-2013-0061 using any of the following methods:
  Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your comments electronically.Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at (202) 493-2251.Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the docket web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all comments received into any FAA docket, including the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
  Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at http://www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
  For technical questions concerning the test site program, contact Elizabeth Soltys, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; email: 9-ACT-UASTSS@faa.gov.
  For questions concerning the FAA's proposed approach for addressing potential UAS privacy concerns, as set out herein, contact Gregory C. Carter, Office of the Chief Counsel, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591; email: 9-AGC-UASPrivacy@faa.gov.
  On February 14, 2012, the President signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, Public Law 112-95 (FMRA) into law. The statute contains a number of provisions pertaining to integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). To assist the agency in integrating UAS, section 332(c) of FMRA directs the FAA, in coordination with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), to develop a UAS test site program for purposes of gathering safety and technical information relevant to the safe and efficient integration of UAS into the NAS. Under the test site program, the FAA will select six test ranges, taking into consideration factors such as geographic and climatic diversity, as well as the location of necessary ground infrastructure to support the sites, and research needs.
  The FAA has developed the UAS test site program with the input of the public. The FAA began an outreach effort to gather input on the criteria and processes the FAA should use to select the test sites. In March 2012, the FAA posted a Request for Comments (RFC) in the Federal Register[Docket No. FAA-2012-0252] and in April 2012, the FAA hosted two public webinars to interact directly with the public. This outreach effort informed the agency in developing its plan for designating the sites.
  Based on the feedback received through this outreach effort, the FAA is using its Acquisition Management System (AMS) to solicit applications from entities interested in operating a UAS test site. This system is the common process the FAA uses to obtain information, evaluate interested parties, and select successful providers for procurement matters. Although no federal funds will be distributed to the selected test site operators for the operation of these test sites (and selection of sites is not a procurement action), the FAA has determined that using this well-established system and process will ensure fair consideration of all applications and rigorous oversight of the selection process.
  For individuals interested in submitting an application to operate a UAS test site, the FAA has published a Screening Information Request (SIR), which is also known as a Request for Proposals, or RFP, in other federal agencies. The SIR (and amendments, if any) is available on the FAA Contracting Opportunities Web site (http://faaco.faa.gov). Additional information about this SIR process and criteria for selecting the six test sites is contained within the SIR document itself. In order to be considered for selection, completed responses must be submitted via the FAA Contracting Opportunities Web site by the dates set out in the SIR.
  Once the FAA has conducted and completed its consideration of the submissions, and the Administrator has issued an Order designating each successful applicant as a test site operator, each operator will be required to enter into an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the FAA. Each OTA will set out the legally binding terms and conditions under which the entity will operate the UAS Test Site. The draft OTA is available for review via the FAA Contracting Opportunities Web site listed above. Before OTA parameters and reporting requirements are finalized, FAA will consider comments submitted as a result of this Federal Register Notice.
  While the expanded use of UAS presents great opportunities, it also presents significant challenges as UAS are inherently different from manned aircraft. The UAS test site program will help the FAA gain a better understanding of operational issues, such as training requirements, operational specifications, and technology considerations, which are primary areas of concern with regard to our chief mission, which is ensuring the safety and efficiency of the entire aviation system. The FAA also acknowledges that the integration of UAS in domestic airspace raises privacy issues, which the FAA intends to address through engagement and collaboration with the public. To address privacy concerns relating to the operation of the test site program, the FAA intends to include in each final OTA privacy requirements applicable to all operations at a test site. This notice is specifically requesting comments on those potential privacy considerations, associated reporting requirements, and how the FAA can help ensure privacy considerations are addressed through mechanisms put in place as a result of the OTAs.
  The proposed privacy requirements set forth in Article three of the DRAFT OTA are as follows:
  (1) The Site Operator must ensure that there are privacy policies governing all activities conducted under the OTA, including the operation and relevant activities of the UASs authorized by the Site Operator. Such privacy policies must be available publically, and the Site Operator must have a mechanism to receive and consider comments on its privacy policies. In addition, these policies should be informed by Fair Information Practice Principles. The privacy policies should be updated as necessary to remain operationally current and effective. The Site Operator must ensure the requirements of this paragraph are applied to all operations conducted under the OTA.
  (2) The Site Operator and its team members are required to operate in accordance with Federal, state, and other laws regarding the protection of an individual's right to privacy. Should criminal or civil charges be filed by the U.S. Department of Justice or a state's law enforcement authority over a potential violation of such laws, the FAA may take appropriate action, including suspending or modifying the relevant operational authority (e.g., Certificate of Operation, or OTA), until the proceedings are completed. If the proceedings demonstrate the operation was in violation of the law, the FAA may terminate the relevant operational authority.
  (3) If over the lifetime of this Agreement, any legislation or regulation, which may have an impact on UAS or to the privacy interests of entities affected by any operation of any UAS operating at the Test Site, is enacted or otherwise effectuated, such legislation or regulation will be applicable to the OTA and the FAA may update or amend the OTA to reflect these changes.
  (4) Transmission of data from the Site Operator to the FAA or its designee must only include those data listed in Appendix B to the OTA. (Appendix B to the OTA is available as part of the SIR at http://faaco.faa.gov.)
  The FAA anticipates that test site operator privacy practices as discussed in their privacy policies will help inform the dialogue among policymakers, privacy advocates, and the industry regarding broader questions concerning the use of UAS technologies. The privacy requirements proposed here are specifically designed for the operation of the UAS Test Sites. They are not intended to pre-determine the long-term policy and regulatory framework under which commercial UASs would operate. Rather, they aim to assure maximum transparency of privacy policies associated with UAS test site operations in order to engage all stakeholders in discussion about which privacy issues are raised by UAS operations and how law, public policy, and the industry practices should respond to those issues in the long run.
  Issued in Washington, DC on February 14, 2013.
  Kathryn B. Thomson,
  Chief Counsel, Federal Aviation Administration.
  [FR Doc. 2013-03897 Filed 2-21-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
Flu Shot Doing Poor Job of Protecting Older People
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:24
  It turns out this year's flu shot is doing a startlingly dismal job of protecting older people, the most vulnerable age group.
  The vaccine is proving only 9 percent effective in those 65 and older against the harsh strain of the flu that is predominant this season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
  Health officials are baffled as to why this is so. But the findings help explain why so many older people have been hospitalized with the flu this year.
  Despite the findings, the CDC stood by its recommendation that everyone over 6 months get flu shots, the elderly included, because some protection is better than none, and because those who are vaccinated and still get sick may suffer less severe symptoms.
  "Year in and year out, the vaccine is the best protection we have," said CDC flu expert Dr. Joseph Bresee.
  Overall, across the age groups studied, the vaccine's effectiveness was found to be a moderate 56 percent, which means those who got a shot have a 56 percent lower chance of winding up at the doctor with the flu. That is somewhat worse than what has been seen in other years.
  For those 65 and older, the vaccine was only 27 percent effective against the three strains it is designed to protect against, the worst level in about a decade. It did a particularly poor job against the tough strain that is causing more than three-quarters of the illnesses this year.
  It is well known that flu vaccine tends to protect younger people better than older ones. Elderly people have weaker immune systems that don't respond as well to flu shots, and they are more vulnerable to the illness and its complications, including pneumonia.
  But health officials said they don't know why this year's vaccine did so poorly in that age group.
  One theory, as yet unproven, is that older people's immune systems were accustomed to strains from the last two years and had more trouble switching gears to handle this year's different, harsh strain.
  The preliminary data for senior citizens is less than definitive. It is based on fewer than 300 people scattered among five states.
  But it will no doubt surprise many people that the effectiveness is that low, said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious-disease expert who has tried to draw attention to the need for a more effective flu vaccine.
  Among infectious diseases, flu is considered one of the nation's leading killers. On average, about 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the CDC.
  This flu season started in early December, a month earlier than usual, and peaked by the end of year. Hospitalization rates for people 65 and older have been some of the highest in a decade, at 146 per 100,000 people.
  Flu viruses tend to mutate more quickly than others, so a new vaccine is formulated each year to target the strains expected to be the major threats. CDC officials have said that in formulating this year's vaccine, scientists accurately anticipated the strains that are circulating this season.
  Because of the guesswork involved, scientists tend to set a lower bar for flu vaccine. While childhood vaccines against diseases like measles are expected to be 90 or 95 percent effective, a flu vaccine that's 60 to 70 percent effective in the U.S. is considered pretty good. By that standard, this year's vaccine is OK.
  For senior citizens, a flu vaccine is considered pretty good if it's in the 30 to 40 percent range, said Dr. Arnold Monto, a University of Michigan flu expert.
  A high-dose version of the flu shot was recently made available for those 65 and older, but the new study was too small to show whether that has made a difference.
  The CDC estimates are based on about 2,700 people who got sick in December and January. The researchers traced back to see who had gotten shots and who hadn't. An earlier, smaller study put the vaccine's overall effectiveness at 62 percent, but other factors that might have influenced that figure weren't taken into account.
  The CDC's Bresee said there is a danger in providing preliminary results because it may result in people doubting '-- or skipping '-- flu shots. But the figures were released to warn older people who got shots that they may still get sick and shouldn't ignore any serious flu-like symptoms, he said.
  '--'--'--
  Online:
  CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
Wayne Madsen: 9/11 author Philip Marshall ''suicided'' by black ops team_on the Kevin Barrett Show
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:31
  This show was broadcast February 19, 2013.It is now archived here '-- Use Player Coming up Tuesday at 9am Pacific '' 12 noon Eastern '' 17:00 GMTWill be archived here after the broadcast by Tuesday evening.
  ''THE KEVIN BARRETT SHOW''EXCLUSIVE LIVE BROADCAST:Wayne Madsen: 9/11 author Philip Marshall ''suicided'' by black ops team
  Guest: Former National Security Agency officer Wayne Madsen of waynemadsenreport.com.
  February 15-17, 2013 '-- Sacramento, CA '-- Philip Marshall: A black ops hit made to appear as a suicide
  Philip Marshall, the retired United Airlines pilot, 9/11 analysis author, and one-time Iran-contra era associate of CIA/DEA informant Barry Seal, did not shoot his two teen-age children and himself. That is the conclusion of everyone who knew Marshall after he moved to the Sierra Nevadas community of Murphys ten years ago after he sold his home in Santa Barbara'...Marshall, who believed that the Bush family, allied with Saudi and neo-conservative interests, pulled off the 9/11 attack to engineer a government coup d'etat, was working on a fourth book that promised to reveal some new blockbuster information.
  The sheriff claimed gunshots could not be heard because houses are far apart. This photo of the Marshall home, not using any distance enhancement lens, was taken from the neighbor's house. A door never opened was found ajar on this side of the house.9/11 whistleblower Philip Marshall and his children
  See Kevin's article about this at Veteran's Today here.
  Below is a transcript of my interview with Wayne Madsen. A big thank-you to whoever took the time to transcribe it!
  -KB
  The Kevin Barrett ShowFebruary 19, 2013.
  #####
  BARRETT: Welcome to the Kevin Barrett Show. I'm Kevin Barrett, back from a long vacation. I just spent two weeks in Iran over at the film festival, The Hollywoodism Conference, as part of the as part of the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran. And wow, that was pretty exciting, and one of the pieces of news that arrived from the US of A while I was in Tehran was the killing of Phillip Marshall and his two children in California. Phillip Marshall is a retired United Airlines pilot, he's written a couple of books about 9/11, most recently ''The Big Bamboozle'', he was a former associate of the CIA/DEA informant Barry Seal, the notorious CIA cocaine smuggler, and if you think Phillip Marshall killed himself and his two children as the police are trying to claim; well, I don't know'...you need to go back to school.
  Today I'm going to be talking about this tragic case of an apparent 9/11 whistleblower being silenced with one of my favorite sources of leaks from inside the US Intel community, the thinking man's Seymour Hersh, and that is Wayne Madsen. Wayne Madsen is formerly with the National Security Agency, he has since become an independent patriot journalist doing consistently excellent work, and well, It's an honor to welcome Wayne Madsen back to the show. How are you Wayne?
  MADSEN: Fine, good to be with you.
  BARRETT: Yeah, well I do follow your work, and you've made a number of very interesting breakthroughs, and your piece on Phillip Marshall is very important. I mean, those of us in the 9/11 Truth community should not just take it lying down when somebody is murdered along with their children to keep this covered up. I think that's more or less what happened to Paul Wellstone as well. These people have no shame; I mean killing the children all with their targets, it's absolutely disgusting. Why don't you give the listeners sort of a rundown on Phillip Marshall?
  MADSEN: Well Phillip Marshall, I have to admit I wasn't all that familiar with his work, but when I read his biography along with the'...some really scurrilous news reports that, 'yknow, he was this, 'yknow, this repressed killer who snapped, and put a gun on the head of his 17 year old son and his 14 year old daughter, and his little pet shih tzu, Suki, y'know, you start to wonder what in the world is going on here. Now, of course, being an independent journalist, I'm not the New York Times, or the Washington Post, or even the San Francisco Chronicle, where I can, y'know, dispatch people to investigate all these mysterious murders, so I have to pick and choose the ones which I can look in, but this one was so far up on the radar screen, I flew out to California. Phil Marshall lived in a very small, gated sub-development outside of the town of Murphys, which is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and he lived in a sub-division called Forest Meadows '-- mostly retirees from San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles. Phillip Marshall himself moved there about 10 years ago from Santa Barbara. As you mentioned he's a retired United Airlines pilot. He moved up to Murphys to have more seclusion because he planned on writing some books. Now his first book was a novel, but based on real life occurences, called Lake Front. Lake Front being the New Orleans Downtown Airport which saw a lot of traffic in the early to mid 80s associated with'...later with the Iran-Contra scandal, but a lot of CIA activity involved involved with the Drug Enforcement Administration with one Barry Seal'...
  BARRETT: Wayne I'm sorry to interrupt you but you're starting to break up a little bit, are you on a cell phone?
  MADSEN: Oh, yes, can you hear me now?
  BARRETT: Hello, Wayne?
  MADSEN: Yes, hello?
  BARRETT. Hmm. That's very odd.
  MADSEN: Hello?
  BARRETT: We seem to have got some interference pushing Wayne Madsen offline'...
  MADSEN: Hello? Hello?
  BARRETT: '... and hopefully we will get him back on the air in short order. That's pretty interesting, two shows in a row where I've had this kind of mysterious interference. Hmmm.
  MADSEN: Hello?
  BARRETT: At least I must be doing something right. Are you there Wayne?
  MADSEN: Yes, hello. Can you hear me?
  BARRETT: Yeah, yeah, something'...we just had your'...yeah'...your voice started breaking up.
  MADSEN: Well, listen'...yeah'...this is something that actually plagued me when I was in California looking into the Phil Marshall case. I'm not sure how much you heard, but so Marshall's first'... He moved to Calaveras County from Santa Barbara about ten years ago for more seclusion because he planned on writing books, and the first book was called Lake Front, about Lake Front Airport in downtown New Orleans, where he and Barry Seal worked together in the early 80s. I would point out there's also a photograph that has shown up showing Phil Marshall in 1984 at the Mena airfield in Arkansas. Now this is the famous, or infamous, airport that was the scene of a lot of cocaine smuggling from Latin America in return for US weapons being shipped to the Contras in Nicaragua and the various drug cartels. And I spoke to one of Phil Marshall's long time friends who said that Phil Marshall went to work for Eastern Airlines first after he was a DEA and CIA pilot, ferrying among others Barry Seal around through New Orleans and Mena airfield. But Phil Marshall went to work for Eastern Airlines, but later he was looking at the television in, I guess, 1986, when a big story broke and we saw a uniformed Marine Corp. Lt. Colonel take an oath before a Joint Sub-Committee of the Senate and House, and he pointed the guy out and said ''Hey, I met him down at Lake Front Airport.'' And that was, of course, Lt. Colonel Oliver North who turned out to be, y'know, one of the key players in the Iran-Contra scandal.
  Marshall had some interesting connections early on, and it looks like towards the end he was becoming someone more interested in telling the truth than having anything to do with his former acquaintances and associates, which makes the Sheriff'...the Calveras County Sheriff's contention that he shot his two children, his dog and then himself even that much more unbelievable.
  BARRETT: Right, and he was obviously mixed up with some pretty high level organized criminals in his days as an associate of Barry Seal. Maybe the listeners may not remember that Barry Seal was gunned down in, I think it was Baton Rouge, or New Orleans, one of the two'...
  MADSEN: Baton Rogue, 19'...February 19th in 1986.
  BARRETT: Right. And Barry Seal had been a CIA drug pilot. This was part of the Cocaine-for-the-Contras thing that Olly North and probably George H.W. Bush, was smuggling cocaine with the CIA to support the Contra insurgency in Nicaragua. And then Barry Seal got gunned down in Baton Rogue after he had turned just state's evidence against, guess who, his own lawyer, Richard Ben-Veniste, who later served on the 9/11 Commission. Very interesting tie-ins here.
  MADSEN: Yeah, and the interesting thing is too is that Barry Seal was a CIA/DEA informant turned whistleblower. He was gunned down in Baton Rogue. The federal judge, Polozola, who was actually a crony of the Bush family, sort of put him in a limbo category. Seal was offered Witness Protection Program but that would have meant he would have had very little contact with his family, he wanted something different. The federal judge who was linked to the Mafia, and the Marcello crime family in New Orleans, and we know about that link to previous incidents in New Orleans involving'...
  BARRETT: Wasn't the Marcello crime family, weren't they actually tied into the Martin Luther King assassination, as I recall'....
  MADSEN: Also John F. Kennedy.
  BARRETT: Right.
  MADSEN: Also that of John F. Kennedy.
  BARRETT: So they've worked with the CIA and other government bad guys in these kinds of assassinations.
  MADSEN: That's right. So we have a have a dirty judge who basically left Seal out to dry. He was gunned down, I think, he was shot multiple times in his car in the parking lot of a Salvation Army in Baton Rogue. They looked in the trunk in his car, they found the private phone number of George H.W. Bush, in addition to Seal's Honduran passport, which was issued, of course, in another name. Seal was very connected to these operations. Marshall knew him well enough because Marshall basically flew Seal around in a CIA Lear jet after, of course, Seal had his license revoked, his pilot license revoked after his arrest. Seal himself had been a former pilot for TWA, and I believe he was the youngest pilot in the airline's history. Marshall himself was a pretty young pilot for Eastern, but when Frank Lorenzo took over Eastern and went after the pilot's union and the other unions Marshall said ''I'm not going to be a scab, I'm not crossing pickets lines'', so he left Eastern because of the anti-union'...the union busting policies of Lorenzo and went to work for United.
  BARRETT: Hmm. Wow. What an interesting history.So somebody who's been this involved with, well, CIA, DEA, the drug smuggling, the dark side or overworld of the government, maybe is not supposed to be doing 9/11 truth books. Is that the message that was sent by this killing?
  MADSEN: Well, I'm not certain. I've spoke to many of Marshall's neighbors, friends and none of them, of course, believe the official story that he did this. The person they described to me was a very mellow guy, with a sense of humor, who cared all the world about his kids, who participated in his son's little league games and with the football, and took the daughter on outings with her high school friends, very involved with the community, very involved with her school, so of course when this tragedy occured there's a memorial at the high school in San Andreas, California, but none of Marshall's family who flew out there were allowed to attend. They came in from Georgia, and from North Carolina, and from his native Louisiana, and because basically the Sheriff put the word out that he did it; y'know, a conclusive report, even though, y'know, the crime scene had not been thoroughly investigated. And I also discovered that the Calaveras County Sheriff, who I might add I understand is sort of in line with the Tea Party Republicans, sent in professional cleaners to clean the crime scene before the investigation was actually complete. On two occassions'...
  BARRETT: Wow.
  MADSEN. '...On two occasions that the cleaners were there, there were SUVs spotted in the driveway, people combing the house inside and outside. One night was with five or six guys with flashlights looking around the grounds behind the house, they were in the house. One vehicle with State of California tags, even though the Sheriff said it was a county matter and it had no state involvement in the investigation. And there was another SUV, license undetermined, with an array of communication antennas bristling from the roof of the vehicle, so there was a lot of attention after the yellow tape was removed and it was no declared as no longer as a crime scene. There was also an attempted break-in. I was there on the 13th of February, and looked around the house, spoke to a bunch of the people who lived in the neighborhood, and that evening the home was broken in to, somebody got through a sliding door in the back of the house and was after something. Also members of his estranged family showed up the next day and rifled through various drawers and boxes in the garage looking for something. It seems like Phillip Marshall had something somebody wanted, and something that somebody was willing to kill for, and he told a friend of his, after his last book he wrote that came out, I believe in November, and he was actually on a interview on AM Coast-to-Coast with Susan Lindauer, who many people may be familiar with also'...
  BARRETT: Yeah, she's been on my show many times.
  MADSEN: Yeah, so he was on Coast-to-Coast with Susan Lindauer, and y'know, his book The Big Bamboozle, about how, y'know, the Bush family, Cheney, the Saudi Government, they were all complicit in 9/11; he also added the Neo-Cons in that.
  BARRETT: Let's not forget the Neo-Cons'...
  MADSEN: Yeah, right. And more importantly, he told a friend of his that he was working on a fourth book, and he said ''you're really going to be shocked to see what I have in this fourth book.'' Now what that book was nobody seems to know what the subject was, nobody seems to know, but'... Being a New Orleans native, and I have to add too that he was such a fan of the New Orleans Saints that when the team suspended the coach for some, I guess, rule infractions with the NFL, he actually paid for planes with banners to fly over the stadiums, arenas'...stadiums where the Saints were playing saying, y'know, ''Free the Coach.'' The fact is, this murder took place, these shootings took place two days before the Super-Bowl was going to be at the Super-Dome in New Orleans, and Phil Marshall told all his friends that he was anxiously awaiting the Super Bowl, even though the Saints weren't in it, it was in the Saint's, 'yknow, home stadium, and certainly they, 'yknow, they said that'...not only did he never show any signs of that depression, but they said he certainly wouldn't have done anything like that two days before the Super Bowl was going to be held in New Orleans.
  BARRETT: Wow. So in terms of speculation about what information he might have had that would be worth killing him for, do you have information on that?
  MADSEN: Well, looking at the people he knew early on; Barry Seal, now Barry Seal was a member of the Group of 40, a shadowy CIA group that included people like Ted Shackley, Porter Goss, Felix Rodriguez '' as a matter of fact there was a photograph of many of these individuals taken in February 1963 in Mexico City. Several months later, of course, Lee Harvey Oswald shows up in Mexico City, not as I feel, or many other people feel, was to make contact with the Cubans and Soviets to kill President Kennedy, but to find out what the Group of 40 was doing, because as we later found Lee Harvey Oswald was an informant for both the Central Intelligence Agency and the FBI.
  BARRETT: That's right. I had Judith Baker on the show in November. Judith Baker was Lee Harvey Oswald's girlfriend, and she said that Oswald, like her, was working for US intelligence, he was informing for the FBI, and he was actually spying on the people that were hatching the plot against JFK.
  MADSEN: Right. So considering that New Orleans was so key in the Kennedy assassination, and y'know, we know that Jim Garrison was on the right track and he was derailed, both from without and from within his own group, and the Marcello connection, and the Guy Bannister connection, all the other connections; Fair Play for Cuba, the front group that Oswald associated himself with. All headquartered in New Orleans. Clay Shaw, one of the unindicted, y'know, Garrison went after him but he got off that. All centered in New Orleans, knowing that later, of course, Barry Seal, who was a member of that Group of 40 as an associate of Marshall, Marshall's flying him around. My gut feeling, and I have no way to know this for certain; this is 2013, this is the 50th anniversary of the killing of President Kennedy. If I were a veracious researcher as Marshall was, and he moved up to this area to, y'know, for more seclusion, so he would have time to write books'...I mean, when you look out his back window you see, y'know, the Sierra Nevada range, and, y'know, it's quite idyllic for an author, I, y'know, got really jealous of the people who lived up there, because, y'know, there's a couple of other authors that live in the neighborhood, but y'know, I just wonder if somebody handed him something '' Somebody he met in the past who showed up and said, ''hey, you're an author, how about this information?'', and maybe he was working on something either directly related to the JFK assassination, or peripherally involved, something, maybe another take on Iran-Contra, because some of the same players were involved in that; notably George H.W. Bush. So, it's hard to say, but it had to be something so important that they were willing to kill Marshall and his two children and the dog for. The dog, of course, I believe, was shot because it was a shih tzu, and they're known for being very yappy when somebody who they don't know comes onto the premises, but I believe the murder of Marshall and his family had something to do with his next book.
  BARRETT: Wow, yeah, I would think so too, although the Kennedy assassination did happen fifty years ago, and Iran-Contra was, what, thirty some years or so ago, and 9/11 was just a little over a decade ago, and since he's worked on that issue, and it's, y'know, the people who did 9/11 are all still in power. I think are lot of the JFK criminals have probably retired, or passed to their eternal punishment, but'...so I wouldn't wonder if it wasn't something 9/11 related.
  MADSEN: Possibly, or he was actually interlinking all three events from 1963, through the 80s and Iran-Contra to the 9/11 attacks, because we see some of the same players, of course, same agencies involved, but that's just a guess on my part. Or he was working on something totally unrelated that, again, was maybe something to do with the Columbian drug cartels, and his time with DEA. Maybe he was looking into that. Certainly there would have been a reason for professional assassins to hit him and his family if that's the angle he was pursuing. But without'...the interesting thing is nobody's sure what happened to his computer; it's no longer in his home, it was ripped from the wall. It may be in the hands of the Calaveras County Sheriff's department, or maybe in the hands of his estranged wife's family, but nobody's really certain what happened to the computer and his files, and it's one of the leads I'm still trying to pursue, to see if he gave information, or handed information to anyone for safe-keeping.
  BARRETT: Well I would sure hope he would have. I mean, if you're working on something really hot as he said he was. I mean, you Wayne, in the business that you're in, you know that if you're in that situation you're in, you're going to make sure that information is spread into at least a few areas where, if something happens to you, it's going to be available.
  MADSEN: Absolutely, and as I say, the house has been gone through several times by professional cleaners, and 'unauthorized cleaners', quote unquote, but y'know, of course the Calvera County's Sheriff'... I was told by people in County government, that they're really the mountain version of the Keystone Kops, that not only I mentioned the politics, even though the Sheriff is a non-partisan position, but they're really rather incompetent up there. They've been trying to hire fifteen new sheriffs, and, y'know, in a budget-strapped county, they say ''you're not doing a heck of a lot with the sheriffs you've got'' and, y'know, the answer has been ''no'', because they've just not able to handle these kinds of investigations. And also, they would be also prone to any federal agency coming to them with, y'know, a preordained reason for these deaths, telling them ''this is the story you're going to put out'' and then, y'know, agreeing to that, certainly.
  BARRETT: Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Wasn't, wasn't Calaveras County'...wasn't that where Mark Twain had his celebrated jumping frog?
  MADSEN: Yes, that's in Angel's Camp. That's in Angel's Camp, and that's just down the highway 4 from Murphys, where Marshall lived, so you take the mountain road down to Angel's Camp and you find where Mark Twain wrote about the jumping frog contest. And Twain lived in that area, and he did a lot of writing actually there, and he worked for, he actually worked for some newspapers up there. It's just a shame that'...Y'know I spoke to some journalists up there, that papers do as best as they can with limited resources; the Calaveras Enterprise, which is San Andreas'... they, y'know, try to investigate these matters, but they're really reliant on the Sheriff's department for most of their information, because they just don't have the resources, and you've only got, maybe, two or three full time reporters trying to cover everything from, y'know, high school football games to murder, to, y'know, police busting the very many meth labs that exist in the area.
  BARRETT: Hmm. Wow. Sounds like the true setting for a contemporary murder mystery, which is pretty much what we've got here with the killing of Phillip Marshall, the author of The Big Bamboozle, among other books, sitting on some very hot information he was going to reveal, and now, who knows where that all is? Well, we're going to take a midpoint break here, and be back in five minutes. I'm Kevin Barrett, this is the Kevin Barrett Show on ''No Lies Radio'', talking with Wayne Madsen, the celebrated independent journalist who actually flew out and investigated the apparent murder of whistle-blower Phillip Marshall. We'll be right back.
  #######
  BARRETT: Welcome back.This is The Kevin Barrett Show on NoLiesRadio.org. The website for the show's truthjihadradio.blogspot.com. And today I'm talking with Wayne Madsen, he's a former National Security Agency officer turned whistleblowing journalist. In fact he's a conduit for whistle blowers, and a real journalist, which is why you really should go to his website, waynemadsenreport.com and sign-up, pay him a pittance for his trouble, because Wayne actually does things like fly out to California to investigate the apparent murder of 9/11 whistleblower Phillip Marshall. He doesn't have the resources of the Sacramento Bee, or the San Francisco Chronicle, but he does have that dedication to truth, and we need some, y'know, real journalism to be happening the way things are going these days.
  Well, Wayne, we're talking about this Phillip Marshall incident, where he and his two children were killed, in what seems a fairly obvious assassination. The, well, let's call them, the less-than-thoroughly trustworthylocal sheriff's department, is trying to call it a murder-suicide, but there's all sorts of evidence that's it not, and in one of your earlier reports, you mentioned that the sheriff says that the houses are so far apart that nobody would be able to hear gunshots, and when you went out there you found out that wasn't exactly the case.
  MADSEN: No, as a matter of fact, the houses are very close together, but horizontally and vertically, because basically, this sub-division, Forest Meadows, is built on a mountainside, and so you've not only got homes close to one another next door, but also almost on top of one another. You could be looking down on a neighbor's home just as easily as looking across at it. I understand that, y'know, one neighbor told me that '....y'know, look, the homes are so close together, that one neighbor could hear Phil Marshall whistling inside his house'...
  BARRETT: Wow.
  MADSEN: So, that's not what'...that's not what the Sheriff said. Obviously a silencer must have been used. Many neighbors thought that was the case. They believed the Sheriff said ''no, there's no indication of a silenced'....'' Marshall had a 9mm Glock. He was found lying on his back, shot in the left side of his head. One of the things I'm trying to find out is if he was right handed or left handed, I'm still trying to get that. But he was shot in the left side of his head, once, he was lying on his back with the gun underneath. Now, people react differently to gunshots, that could have been the case, y'know, if we consider it was a suicide, but the odd thing is is that he joked to his neighbors that even though he had this registered 9mm Glock he never had'...he said ''a lot of good it'll do me, because I don't have any ammo for it.'' Now one of the things the Sheriff said he found was a box of 9mm ammunition with Marshall's wedding ring on top of it. Friends and neighbors told me that after his separation from his wife, Marshall never wore his wedding ring, and so, why did the Sheriff leak this? The Sheriff leaked this to a family member, and of course it was picked up by the media, so it looked like there was some sort of attempt by the Sheriff to steer the media in a certain direction, even though, one, neighbors said that, y'know, he had no ammunition for this gun, but if it's registered obviously there's a record that Marshall owned a 9mm Glock, so if somebody had a similar weapon they could have shot him with that, made it look'...y'know, used his weapon, put it underneath, make it look like he did it. Interestingly enough, two reports the Sheriff has not released yet: the toxicology tests to make sure that Marshall and his kids, and even the dog had not been, y'know, put under by some sort of, y'know, drug, and also the GSR, the Gunshot Residue Report, and that would be very critical to determining whether he shot himself, y'know, they do the paraffin tests and all that; whether he did it or it was, y'know, another assailant. So two critical reports. And even the local papers' having trouble getting that GSR report. The toxicology, the claim is, it's being handled by the chemist, y'know, the people who do that in Sacramento, so that's delayed because of their backlogs. So two critical reports are out and the Sheriff still, with that in mind, has said conclusively that Marshall shot his kids, his dog and then himself.
  BARRETT: Conclusively.You wonder how far they can go in falsifying these reports about crime scenes, y'know, there are at least celebrated cases where Gary Webb is shot twice in the head and it's called suicide, or Paul Wellstone's plane goes down a week after he gets a threat from Cheney, and obviously dubious circumstances right before Wellstone is going to sweep into victory and stop the Iraq war and investigate 9/11, boom, his plane goes down, and they tell us there was bad weather, and there wasn't, the weather was perfectly good, yet the whole news media tells us there was bad weather. How far can they go in making up these ridiculous stories, that the houses were so far apart that nobody could hear any gunshots when the houses were right on top of one another? I mean, obviously shot with a silencer. I mean, aren't these people going to get caught?
  MADSEN: Yeah, and we should remember that Hunter S. Thompson was supposedly working a major article on 9/11. He supposedly shot himself too, and there were reports of maybe more than one type of gunshot there, so yeah, it happens, but as long as we have an FBI that's complicit in these crimes, either through commission or omission, and a runaway Central Intelligence Agency, which if Obama gets his way, we're going to get a pathological, remote control murderer in charge of that place, John Brennan. As long as this continues and we're going have a weak Congress, which does not exercise even the, I would say, even the weak sort of control and oversight exhibited by Congress in the 70s by, y'know, I mean, give them credit, Frank Church and Otis Pike in the House, and Bella Abzug in the House, and they did what they could, but under tremendous counter-pressure, but we don't even have anything like that these days to restrain these agencies, so, y'know, when people say ''the CIA may have done it'', or some other black ops group in the US government, y'know, people say ''oh, that's conspiracy theory'' '' we've had the Senate already go on record, and the House, in the 1970s talking about these quote-unquote 'conspiracy theories' and documenting them in official House and Senate reports. So, I mean, this pejorative term that thrown around by the Neo-Cons'... they think that they're so invulnerable that you can't charge them with anything like them being like cult Kabbalists. Even Wolfowitz jokingly referred to himself and his cronies as ''Kabbalists'', but if you say that you're being anti-Semitic. So they can use all the pejorative terms in the world, but, y'know, we're not allowed to retaliate or respond to them. It's a great deal for them.
  BARRETT: Yeah, there seems to be a lot of energy put into shaping the discourse, and y'know, developing these words that can be used to stop people from thinking like the word ''conspiracy theorist'', and that term was apparently'...we've traced it to a CIA memo, that was put out to their journalists assets. Of course, Operation: Mockingbird was the the CIA program that developed all of these journalist assets, and as I recall Cord Meyer was the head of that program, and he was named along with LBJ as one of the two top guys in the JFK assassination by Howard Hunt in his deathbed confession. So, right, anyway, this CIA memo said that all the CIA assets in journalism should start using the term ''conspiracy theorist'' to bash anybody asking questions about the JFK assassination. At that time, of course, we were told Oswald was the lone assassin, so anybody who said there was another shooter was a conspiracy theorist because there must be a conspiracy'...but now they've got that term out there to attack anyone who questions authority with. They use it in even absurd cases like 9/11, which of course is a conspiracy, there is obviously more than one person involved, and yet they throw this completely meaningless insult at people to try and shut them up, and it seems to work; a fair number of otherwise intelligent people'...
  MADSEN: Yeah, and they did that of course, the press; one of the local papers out there, the one in Sonora, the Union Democrat, was really vicious against Marshall. Not only did they call him, y'know, a cold blooded killer who snapped, just in a headline, y'know, that he was a 9/11 conspiracy theorist'...This was all in their report. They weren't the only paper, they were the worst, and why I say they were the worst was Phil Marshall's first wife, who lives in New Orleans now, contacted that paper with a screed against her husband. She hasn't seen him since 1998, since they were divorced. She lives in New Orleans, he moved to the West Coast, but they said ''well, she said things like she was abusive, he was violent, he used foul language, he had two kids by his second wife, but he wouldn't have any kids with me.'' As if that's relevant to anything'...
  BARRETT: Right'...that explains where she's coming from.
  MADSEN: Right, and I checked this person, and y'know, it's interesting, she's been in and out of court and, y'know, her husband'...litigation, suing contractors'...and the husband, interestingly enough, sued his employer, which it turned out to be the Department of Energy, and this individual who the first wife's married too is the'...is an auditor for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, down in Louisiana, that's run by the Energy Department, but that we know that reserve is tied in directly to the oil industry, and y'know, when we talk oil, we're talking Cheney, we're talking Bush.
  BARRETT: Wow. That's very interesting. So not only might this person have had a grudge against her former husband, but she might have reason to be willing to go along with suggestions that she slam him in the media.
  MADSEN: Exactly. Exactly.
  BARRETT: Yeah, wow'...It's kind of sad how little integrity there is in some of these places.
  MADSEN: Yeah, yeah. Y'know, again, when it points all back to New Orleans'...it's very interesting. One of things I wanted to mention about Barry Seal; Barry Seal's case was handled by this Bush crony, but y'know, he had 1.2 million dollars in assets that there was a big battle over. Y'know, the IRS want it, because they've got this law where if you make your money because of drug smuggling they can, y'know, they can take it. They can tax it first of all, then they can seize it. So the judge in that case was a guy named Martin Feldman, he's actually still on the federal bench, and not only is he on the federal bench, he's a member of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, that top secret court that authorizes, y'know, these NSA/FBI wiretaps and whatnot, for national security counter terrorism purposes. But Feldman was also a key judge in the litigation over BP in the Deep Water Horizon disaster, and it was later found out that he did not recuse himself from these cases even though he was a stockholder in Transocean, the company that owned the platform the Deep Water Horizon, and also he's a stockholder in BP itself. So we've got this dirty judge involved with the post-mortem of Barry Seal's matters, and the other Bush crony involved with putting Barry Seal in jeopardy because he was such a threat to Vice President Bush.
  BARRETT: Wow. These mobbed up judges are amazing, aren't they? Y'know, the whole giving Larry Silverstein double indemnity on his World Trade Center losses, even though he confessed to demolishing Building 7. We've got Bush's cousin, Judge Walker, refusing to recuse himself from a case, the April Gallops case, charging Bush with the greatest crime of the century.
  MADSEN: Right. Right. And of course, Karl Rove's own buddy, Mark Fuller, Little District of Alabama judge who put Karl Rove's number one political enemy Don Siegelman in prison, so, yeah, it goes on and on, these judges are fiends. And y'know, lifetime appointments'...we really need to revisit that. The only thing I'm in favor of giving a judge anything a lifetime is a prison sentence.
  BARRET: Well, some of them obviously deserve it.
  MADSEN: Absolutely.
  BARRET: Yeah'...so, how long were you out there in California, looking into the Phillip Marshall case?
  MADSEN: I was out there'...I was out there for little over a week. 8 days. And yeah, the environment is'...I have to'...y'know, listeners put them in the frame of mind; you've got a tragedy in a small town, of course; y'know, everybody talks in a small town. Most information goes by the rumour net. So when you go in there, you've really got to let people know that you're not'...that you're trustworthy, because they've got the local media that for one reason or another can't'...y'know, that can't extensively look into these things. You've got a sheriff's department who came up with this quick conclusion, and you've got friends of Phil Marshall who don't believe it, so'... With friends and neighbors and whatnot I had to really, 'yknow, convince them that I was really, y'know, out to find the truth, and I wasn't out to disparage Marshall or the family, or have some other agenda, so that takes a little bit of time to do that, but I feel that after a few days out there people started to open up more and tell me some personal dealings that they had with Marshall which, y'know, I passed on in the articles I talked about already, so I came away'... I went there skeptical about the official story, I came away believing absolutely 100% that he did not do this.
  BARRET: And that's what all the neighbors you talked to said, right, I mean, it was basically 100% of them didn't believe the official story?
  MADSEN: That's correct. Now the problem is with some of the friends of the Marshall children, from high school, y'know, the families, they knew 'em through the kids, and the word went out to the kids that this is a perfect example why somebody who's diagnosed as mentally ill should not have access to a gun, so, I'...with some of the things I saw out there, I saw some sort of an attempt to turn this into mini-Newtown, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting scenario '' it was quite different than that. But, y'know, there was an attempt to make Marshall, unfortunately, look like this guy Adam Lanza, and I think that just some people with an agenda pushed that agenda out there.
  BARRET: Right, and what was the Sheriff's evidence, when the Sheriff immediately said ''it's a slam-dunk case, this is a murder-suicide'', I mean, after everything you've said it sounds like there's no evidence whatsoever to support that?
  MADSEN: Yeah.
  BARRETT: What's he pointing at?
  MADSEN: Well, the position of the body for one thing. Y'know, the children were found on a sectional couch, but on different sections of the couch, and the issue came up is ''if he shot one of the kids, y'know, and the other kid was on the other couch, there would have been some time maybe to respond to it, to escape or do something.'' Well, that certainly wasn't the case. His front door was open, so when a neighbor went over'...some kids showed up on Saturday, because, y'know'... the two kids, Alex, 17 and Macaila, 14, were in constant Twitter, Facebook and all this stuff that kids do these days with their iPhones and whatnot'...they were in constant communications. So when they didn't show up for high school on Friday, and they didn't hear anything, they showed up at the house, four of them showed up to the house on Saturday. They saw through the window at the front door that there was somebody laying there, and the neighbor came over and found that the door was open, went in, and found Phillip Marshall at the end of this long corridor, clearly shot, and clearly dead. When the Sheriff came, of course, all those people were shooed off, and the yellow tape went up, and this was Saturday. But interestingly enough, the coroner out there is saying that the time of death of these individuals was the time that the bodies were discovered, even though there is evidence they were shot Thursday the night of January 31st and Friday morning, which was February 1st. The coroner said time of death was when they were discovered Satuday, late, I think, late Saturday morning. So we have a huge discrepancy there as well. Phil Marshall, I'm told, never kept his door open, even though many people do that, he had reason not to, but the neighbor walked right through; the door was open. There was a side door that was never used, neighbors told me, never used, always closed; it was also found ajar when the bodies were discovered. So the yellow tape goes up Saturday morning, by the next day, Sunday, the yellow tape goes down. The sheriff completed the investigation, ruled it a double homicide and suicide.
  BARRETT: Well'...that's amazing, that they can'...
  MADSEN: Yeah'...and some of the neighbors, of course, who are retired have relatives in law enforcement, and one told me that one'...that a relative heads up the homicide department of a medium-sized California city and said ''absolutely that did not happen that way'', and said that in his particular jurisdiction, they have a lot of cases where murders are made to look like suicides. So that came from somebody who heads up a homicide division in a fairly medium, y'know, medium to large size city in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  BARRETT: Yeah, these alleged suicides are so convenient because that means you never have to put the guy on trial; y'know, if they have Oswald as the patsy in the JFK killing, then he's still alive, that's a problem, so of course he has to be silence, then Jack Ruby has to be given cancer while he's in jail, but it's so much more convenient if your 19 alleged 9/11 perps are all supposedly dead in the plane crashes, even though 10 of them show up alive afterwards, well, we can just ignore that, and likewise, here, it's a lot easier for them to cover these things up if they have a dead patsy, who can't fight back, can't hire a lawyer, y'know, they don't have to prove anything in court'....y'know, it sounds like not one shred of evidence has been produced indicating this is what they say it is, but it doesn't matter, because there's nobody there to fight it.
  MADSEN: That's right, and some of Phil Marshall's friends and neighbors told me that, y'know, although Phil wasn't paranoid by any stretch, on occasion he did express some fear for his personal safety, but he didn't dwell on it, he didn't live like he was paranoid, but certainly on more than one occasion had made that statement to a couple of people, not in a'...y'know'...sort of like a passing, not even a serious thing, ''oh yeah, y'know, I have to watch my back'', y'know, statements like that.
  BARRETT: I can understand why he would say that. Now I wonder if, at some point, there shouldn't be a reform in the justice system when a dead person is blamed for a crime, they'...a good lawyer should defend that person, and they should have to convict him in court. That would make it a lot harder for these organized crime elements to stage these murder-suicides.
  MADSEN: Absolutely. Absolutely. And most people I spoke to felt that whoever did this'...y'know, as I mentioned, there's meth labs in the area, so there's a criminal element in the county, but these are not professionals by any stretch. These are sort of like moonshiners during prohibition. These aren't the smartest people around, so whoever carried this out, this was a big-time professional hit. So even if somebody had hired locals to carry this out, it would have been much sloppier than the way it was carried out. This was, y'know, a very quick-entry, one gun-shot each to the three people and the dog, and out they went.
  BARRETT: Well you have a lot of contacts inside the intelligence community, having been a former National Security Agency officer yourself'...and you're maybe the top forum for leaks, right alongside VeteransToday which is a whole lot of people, and you're just one guy, and apparently have a lot of good sources. Do you think there's any chance you're going to find inside information about this?
  MADSEN: I wish that were the case, but unfortunately what has happened to the whistleblowers in the government over the last, I'd say, two years with unprecedented use of the Espionage Act to put whistleblowers in prison, the last being John Kiriakou, formerly of the CIA. I and and others, and I've talked with national security reporters from major, major newspapers, and, y'know, everybody's saying the same thing; that the sources are drying up, the whistleblowers feel like they can't be, y'know, can't be seen at all talking to anybody because of the Obama administration's use of the Espionage Act '-- a very arcane 1917 act that was instituted by the guy I call the original Neo-Con, Woodrow Wilson '-- being used to put people in the government, and in the contracting community, in prison for violation of this law, and in this respect, Obama is ten times worse than George W. Bush, and that's being kind. Bush, I don't believe has used the Espionage Act against a whistleblower per se, but, of course, did use it against somebody in the NSA. Ken Ford, who I've written extensively about, who had information that there were no WMDs in Iraq, and after last night's MSNBC special, we once again have been told that that was a big charade'... the WMDs. But as far as going after people that talk to the press, Obama is much worse than Bush, and I never thought I'd say that, I never thought I'd have the opportunity to say that anybody would be worse than Bush, in any respect, but certainly Obama is worse than Bush in this respect.
  BARRETT: And not only is this to ask, why is that? Because, one, live analysis is that the Neo-Cons were the driving force behind 9/11, that they hooked up with Bush and, y'know, the Bush crime mob, and that it was essentially a coup de tat, and rolled back the Constitution, and created a USA along the model of the Straussian Neo-cons that they'd always wanted, but Obama is supposedly a creature of the realists, people like Brzezinski, who presumably want to roll back the War on Terror, and go a lot easier on turning the United States into a lockdown police state, and yet as you say Obama has been worse on whistleblowers, and worse in many ways on civil liberties than Bush was. What can possibly be the motivation for this?
  MADSEN: Well, meet the new boss, same as the old. Y'know, with Bush we had the CIA because of the father, and Prescott the grandfather, and then in this case, I've written'....I wrote this book about, y'know, Obama and his family's ties with the CIA, and I just think it's still this agency'...and people say ''oh, the CIA can't do everything.'' Well, there is the CIA headquartered in Langley, Virginia, that, y'know multiple building headquarters, and that's ''the CIA'', y'know, the brick-and-mortar CIA, but when I say CIA, I'm talking about the larger-than-the-CIA, which include all kinds of front companies, people who once worked for them but now work in the shadows, contractors, and foreign associates who may have gone rogue, or may not have gone rogue, may have gone rogue and then get, y'know, activated again by certain elements within our government. So that's the CIA, and I think is controlled by both the Bush administration and this administration. It's not that headquarters where you're going to go in there and find files on all these events and these people. This is a very amorphous organization, but one that continues to exisit and go unpunished for its crimes.
  BARRETT: Well, it's interesting, because if you're looking for continuity between this history of big crimes, starting with the JFK assassination and continuing on through 9/11, and all of these many murders, it does seem that the CIA has played a fairly noticeable role in all of this, with, as I said earlier, Cord Meyer, the CIA Operation Mockingbird Chief, being named as a lead as a JFK conspirator by Howard Hunt'...and it seems that this kind of dirty side of the larger CIA that you're talking about has been involved in a whole series of these crimes related to, y'know, overturning democracy, or, y'know, rolling back the Constitution, since 1963. And of course, people point to JFK having threatened to tear the CIA up into little pieces and scatter it to the winds, to basically eliminate the entire covert operations side of CIA and give that over to the military'... all of these things have been cited, so do you think if we were going to do one reform to try to get a handle on all these abuses, do you think maybe abolishing the CIA, or at least its covert operations side, would do it?
  MADSEN: Oh, yeah, and Senator Moynihan from New York wanted to do that, he said turn them back into an intelligence gathering organization, put them back under the State Department from which many of them came, and get rid of all the covert, clandestine services, special ops and all that'...of course, he said that after he announced plans to retire from the Senate, and his seat was taken by Hillary Clinton, who certainly hasn't show any inclination to agree with anything her predecessor Senator Moynihan had to say about that agency.
  BARRETT: Okay, and of course there's the private agencies as well, that as you say, may be tangentially affiliated with CIA; people like John Perkins the economic hitman, he and his colleagues actually worked for the banksters directly, they were not on the government payroll but they they were doing the same kind of thing. It's all a big ugly mess, and it's great that we have people like you, Wayne Madsen, to help clarify what's really going on. Well, thank you Wayne, it's been great, I hope to have you back on again. Keep up the good work.
  MADSEN: Okay, you bet. Thank you very much.
  BARRETT: Okay. Bye-bye.
  MADSEN: Bye now.
  BARRETT: That's Wayne Madsen. He's on the web at waynemadsenreport.com '' that's W-A-Y-N-E, Wayne, and Madsen is M-A-D-S-E-N. Waynemadsenreport.com. Highly recommended. If you're going to actually pay money to subscribe to any news service, you'd a lot better with Wayne than just about anybody else out there. Certainly a lot better than, oh, the New York Times or your local newspaper. I'm Kevin Barrett, this is No Lies Radio. Once again, my radio blog is truthjihadradio.blogspot.com, and the website is truthjihad.com. Back here next week, and tomorrow, I'll have a really terrific show on the evil, rival network again '' find out about it truthjihadradio.blogspot.com. Until the next one, have a great Tuesday afternoon.
  Check out Kevin's new book: Questioning the War on Terror: A Primer for Obama Voters.
  The Kevin Barrett Show is independently produced and hosted by Kevin Barrett and these shows are externally produced content. All externally produced content broadcast on No Lies Radio is the sole responsibility of the program-content producer and is not the responsibility of NoLiesRadio.org. Any questions or concerns should be directed to the content producer.
Social media aggregator Memolane to shut down
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:06
  Reflective service that organized user content from social networks into a timeline announces it is joining another company and will delete accounts tomorrow.
  Memolane's timeline service.
  (Credit: Eddie Echo/CNET)Memolane, a social-media aggregator that promised trips down memory lane, announced today that it is shutting down immediately and will delete users' account content tomorrow.
  Launched in 2010, the Web app extracted each moment users shared on popular social-networking services such as Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter, Foursquare, and others and combined them into one visual timeline. Posts, comments, tweets, and so on were organized by their respective dates and posted as memos under each date.
  The San Francisco-based company had raised $2.5 million in venture capital but announced today in a company blog post that it is joining another company that it did not identify that would "utilize the Memolane features in an expanded way, adding more value to all the great memories captured on social media."
  Our goal was to make it exciting to relive great adventures with friends. We are proud that we could bring joy to people's lives by sending out daily e-mails with fun memories from the past. As well, it has been a thrill to share in the excitement when one of our fans rediscovers a precious moment that was once lost.
  It wasn't immediately clear if Memolane had been acquired by another company, and if so, who that company might be. But Memolane said the "merger" means that all accounts and their contents would be deleted Friday but noted that the content would still be available at users' original social-media sources.
  The company also suggested users try formerly competing services offered by Timehop and Jolicloud.
  CNET has contacted Memolane for more information and will update this report when we learn more.
  (Via TNW)
UN shits on Haiti
  Link to Article
  Source: The View From Falling Downs
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:04
  The UN has any number of patronizing initiatives ongoing in Haiti at the moment, but here's the nub of their relationship with that benighted land.That the cholera epidemic was the direct result of the negligent sanitation practices of UN "peacekeepers" is not something merely "widely believed;" it is an indisputable fact, readily available to anyone with access to Google and half an hour of spare time. It is a matter that has been studied to death, and if the conclusion is "widely believed" it is because there is no other plausible explanation.
  Haiti has forever been and continues to be punished for the fact that two hundred years ago "niggers" had the audacity to rise up and overthrow their white masters.
Scripting News: How Vanity Fair led me to a great blog. (Via Pulp Fiction.)
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:57
  Warning: Spoilers ahead! :-)
  I spent the day in Cambridge yesterday. One of my stops was the Shorenstein Center, where I was interviewed as part of a project to understand the transition of journalism to the Internet. At one point I was asked who were some of my favorite bloggers. I said I don't like that kind of question, because I think it misses the point of blogging. I gave an example.
  1. On Tuesday I read an article in Vanity Fair about the making of Pulp Fiction.
  2. That caused me to watch the movie again. I hadn't seen it in a long time. I wasn't sure if I had even seen it more than once.
  3. Great movie.
  4. Near the end of the movie there's a scene with Wolf, Vincent and Jules at the junkyard. Wolf is going to breakfast with a delicious young babe who owns the junkyard where they had disposed of a car that was used in a crime. I wondered who the babe was.
  5. When the credits rolled I noted her name. Googled her. Found she has a blog.
  6. Spent the next hour reading it. She's a great writer. It's 20 years later. She's done a lot of living. And blogged about a lot of it. She reads books and watches movies and keeps a log of them.
  That story illustrates perfectly for me why blogs are so valuable. It's not that any single person has a blog, or is famous for it. It's that blogging is available to anyone who wants to blog. Not everyone does. But with Julia Sweeney I hit blogging paydirt. An attractive person who turns out to have something to say. Nice.
  PS: Kathy Griffin was in PF too.
Pistorious Mischief
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:56
  This Pistorious case is interesting in if the female was a fat ugly Negroid or Coolie, no one would have cared what the gimp did to her. The blonde though gets all the attention, because the men are all upset they never got the chance they knew they would have gotten to romp her hard and the women all feel the guilts about Sarah Palin hating the pretty girl.
  I can tell you, as I buck trends, in actually dealing with psychology and animal behavior in fact, state that the gimp is believable. He stated he woke up, and that means from sleep, thought there was an intruder and fired into the door.You can wake anyone up from a sleep and tell Samson the Philistines are at the door and away Samson will run.
  Oh, now you are thinking as you never thought of that.
  In my teenage years I had several lessons in human psychology in what you think is what you convince yourself.My parents had gone on holiday when I was 12, and was home with my brother. I had gone into their bedroom to get something and shut the door, and someone stomped behind the door several times, to which I ran for my brother in telling him what happened.He was older and fetched a shotgun and no one was there. What was there was my Mom's huge Bible that had somehow fallen to the floor when I closed the door.
  I had an Irish Setter hunting dog when I was 17 and while hunting, she somehow got into a place I did not know she was, and when I saw her where she was not supposed to be, I saw a fox and pulled up my gun and was ready to fire, but did not, by Angels, but I honsetly in that flash saw a fox. It was what my mind was telling me.
  In a worse case, I had saved a rather rough looking little cat by putting it into a chicken coup. We had a great problem with feral cats and somehow during chores this cat had gotten out, and was sitting all cold on the roof of the chicken coup.In that event, I actually assessed that there could not be another cat on the property when I pulled the trigger, and was stunned that somehow this stupid cat had gotten out.
  So for those who are judging Pistorious on what is believable, and what is not, there are piles of dead Soldiers dead from friendly fire due to stress. Police murder people all the time due to stress in situations and it is written off.
  It is more than probable that the gimp woke up, as in reasoning, his story does not sound normal in being made up, and this is actually what he was experiencing was an intruder.In all stories though there are two versions, and the second version is that this blonde probably had been in an altercation with him, and was in the bathroom sulking while the gimp was sleeping and awoke.In this, who knows what woke the gimp up, and it could be the blonde being in a mood, slammed something or broke something, to which Pistorious grabbed his gun and hosed down the door............as you know he was hosing down the door for a criminal who was probably the Mandela necktie party crowd as Africa is filled now with blacks murdering whites for sport and it is why the Afrikaaners are edgy as it is their forum.
  Mike Gallagher of course weighed in on this in his "experts" who called in being military rednecks and the wonderful white hating intellectual who smeared all white Afrikaans as thumpers who beat on women all the time........just like Jim Crow law did in the south.Pure bogus diatribe, because the proven case is in more ruffian times, the men in America trended to be more gentle with women in needing their feminine nature to deal with the horror taking place.The point being Gallagher is more idiotry on the air as are his experts who are pure idiots, and that is why they follow Gallagher with a brain defunct passion.
  There was in Africa in the colonial period, a group of bored rich white people, who turned their community into a whorehouse. One stud was out mounting every woman in sight. I have written of this in the archives, but the point being it was made into a movie called White Mischief, and Greta Sacchi starred as the hot blonde being banged who was the wife of an old geezer played by Joss Ackland.Joss ended up shooting the Brian Brown character and got away with it. In the movie I could not have been more pleased as Rachel Ward of Oz married him, and he always looked like a jacked of penis in being too red to me. Must be a dandy catch though as Rachel turned out a dozen brumby riders in Oz and quit acting.
  Point being in this, is Africa has Boers, these Greeks, Brits and assorted wogs, which do have traces of the other colonials. Pistorious is Greek in background, and I really could care less about his running as much as if he blasted his property blonde, because he had a fancy to do it. The public cares because it is a freak gimp who had the beauty in their eyes, and now they want to torch Quasimodo, like Christopher Dorner got his matches laid to his stand in.
  It all tidies things up, as stated this is about horny men pissed off they were cheated out of banging a blonde they knew they were going to bang as of course they could out do a gimp in taking her away from him, and then there is the women who are guilt ridden for hating her ass for being Rula Lenska beautiful and want Pistorious prosecuted, because their blokes knocked them around for being bitchy and made them suck the love gun as a lesson in power.
  Pistorious could be drug nuts too as he is like bicycle boy in America. It does not matter to me, as in reality he does appear to believe in his cold blooded way, that he shot an intruder, who was probably a big ugly black man who was going to Winny Mandela light a tire around his neck while gang raping the blonde.
  The psychology of the situation matters and it is beyond prejudice. The reality is, all an attorney has to do, is get a jury to think about the times each of us has been in a brain fog and thought they heard or seen something due to emotion, and Pistorious will walk.Perhaps if people felt sorry for the gimp as he has no legs and now no blonde, they will just let him go too. Problem is the courts are pissed about this in looking at him as a rich guy freak, who apparently has triggered something in police and the courts to lynch this guy.
  Could the blonde have bruises? Yes, but as they were before the shooting, it bears no relevance to the shooting, if Pistorious was in an emotional state where he says he heard an "intruder" and his blonde was in bed with him.
  Not to blame the dead, but if a woman can get out of bed to shut the shitter door, they can get in a car and drive to a hotel as she did have money, unlike numbers of women. She could have drove to the police and turned the gimp in too if he was beating her.Point being, women need a bit of a clue too, in not always running away inside a house and thinking that time solves things. You got a problem, get it solved by making a decision as if someone is beating you, it is not going to stop by how bright you are in thinking you can manipulate a man.
  These companies tossing the gimp to the curb should tread lightly, as in they are now open to lawsuits if Pistorious gets off on this, as he can claim all sorts of emotional anguish. They should have bought out the contract and made nice.The tides of battle turn, and when one is seeing a dead blonde, all sorts of prejudices start flowing.........and the public perception is tainted by the prosecution's bias. That little blonde tart who was found not guilty for killing her child, that everyone wanted to lynch her for, is but an example of Zimmerman bias for political purposes.
  My bias is I hate the olympics and I hate blonde models. That sort of cancels things out, and the forensic science sets in for an analysis. Pistorious pumping a door full of lead, moves one to fear inside him and extreme prejudice against what was behind that door.Wife beaters get off on breaking down doors and seeing the fear on the women's faces, before shooting them in the heart, body numerous times or blasting them in the face numerous times to take away identity.Could the gimp factor played a roll in not breaking down the door? Possibly, but a reality remains that the gimp could not be certain he would hit the blonde behind that door. So she survives and he has real problems in a talking blonde.
  Emotion was involved in this, extreme emotion, proven by bullets. Would a gimp be afraid of black robbers on a primal level of being helpless as a child? You bet he would.
  Juries are for that purpose though in which barrister can perform the best stage act for the audience. If this is a freak show to lynch the beast who got the beauty, then Pistorious is done. If this is Pistorious the scared gimp whose blonde was torturing him, and he still rose up to save her from thugs breaking in.....then Pistorious is free.
  I personally do not care what fornicators were doing. I have other problems in the regime protectors are now inside Paypal in the donations process as slave wages are too much and a little terrorism is being induced on another Citizen by the name of Cherry.
  Enough of this, if I had the cash I would be in Africa shooting elephants to feed the hungry and save their gardens with Michael Savage and partaking of sundowners under the mopane as the Africans sang songs doing the laundry.
  Two bob for a cheap whore would have saved Pistorious all this expense.
  Oh to be in Africa.......
  agtG
'Shooter' Author Didn't Intend Victim Narrative
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:49
  The feature story in the most recent edition of Esquire magazine deals with the experiences of the SEAL who shot Osama Bin Laden during the historical raid and after he left the Navy. The article, titled ''The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden . . . is Screwed,'' has generated some controversy because of the perception among many veterans and agency officials that it gives little play to the veterans benefits unused by the subject while suggesting that the government is guilty of a ''startling failure . . . to help its most experienced and skilled warriors carry on with their lives.''
  But is the man who killed Osama Bin Laden really 'screwed'?
  ''That's not the word I would have used,'' the article's author Phil Bronstein said, explaining that the title was created by somebody on Esquire's staff after he submitted it. ''But I stand by the magazine's use of it.''
  The veteran newspaperman and war correspondent insists his goal was not to paint the former SEAL as a victim, but to highlight where the system '' including the support of non-profit organizations and corporations along with the Department of Defense and the VA '' falls short of giving top tier operators what they need once they elect to transition to civilian life.
  Bronstein first met ''the Shooter'' after being approached by the SEAL's mentor to provide some perspective that might help the man deal with issues in his personal life, including his desire to get out of the Navy even though he only had four years until he was retirement eligible. The SEAL's relentless operational tempo since 9-11 had cost him his marriage and left his body in bad shape; he had no desire to stick it out until he hit the 20 year mark.
  As the months went on, Bronstein earned the trust of the Shooter. The SEAL agreed to have his account of the SEAL Team 6 raid on Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan made public in the form of an in-depth article in Esquire magazine. And as the writer's understanding of the Shooter's life beyond the Navy grew, he increasingly felt that the story was about more than just the raid itself.
  But when the story hit newsstands and the web last week the negative response was immediate, and not just from readers venting through social media channels. A Stars and Stripes item written by Megan McCloskey pointed out that Bronstein's article left out basic facts regarding the Shooter's benefits eligibility and quoted former VA official Brandon Friedman as saying, ''Misinformation like this doesn't help veterans. When one veteran hears in a high-profile story that another veteran was denied care, it makes him or her less likely to enroll in the VA system.''
  In turn, Esquire put out a statement claiming that they had omitted benefits details in the online version of the story and that those details had been reinserted.
  But all of that back-and-forth misses the point, according to Bronstein.
  ''These Tier One operators suffer from what I call 'The Matt Damon Effect,'' he said. ''The public sees the movies and they think these guys are invulnerable, that they can survive anything and keep going.'' As he got to know the Shooter he realized that wasn't the case. The Shooter wasn't a victim, but he needed help in starting life after taking off the uniform.
  ''The TAPs program isn't enough to prepare these guys,'' Bronstein said, adding that, regardless of who's to blame, the Shooter was unaware of his VA healthcare eligibility once he got out. ''It's about transition to a new way of life, including translation of skills. That can be tricky for a Tier One guy considering the nature of what he's done.''
  Bronstein pointed out that classification issues and personal security concerns make a career move more complicated than that facing the average military servicemember. But the fact he has been approached by everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs to members of Congress since the article hit the streets gives him hope that the problem he flagged might be solvable.
  ''There's a difference between 'helplessness' and 'needing help,''' he said. ''I wanted to do a story that moves people to feel something and then do something.
  ''Since the story came out I've heard from everyone from Sean Hannity to Sean Penn asking me how they can help SEALs as they transition out,'' Bronstein said. ''The difference in [the political outlooks of] those two guys captures the range of the impact of the story.''
  (C) Copyright 2013 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Simple Facts and Plain Arguments: DHS Establishes Constitution-Free Zones
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:52
  Attention, citizens. Please check the chart below to see if you still have your 4th Amendment rights. All those living in the orange-shaded areas are no longer protected from unwarranted searches and seizures of their property.While the media has remained mostly silent, the Department of Homeland Security has declared that it can seize any electronic device without probable cause within 100 miles of our borders. However, DHS has defined the "borders" as any natural barrier, physical or political, including bodies of water. This "Constitution-Free" zone extends 100 miles inland from our northern and southern borders and east and west coasts. As a resident of Philadelphia, I would no longer be protected by the 4th Amendment, nor would about 150,000,000 other Americans in other cities.What is the Fourth Amendment?
  "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."In 2009, the DHS promised to conduct a "Civil Rights Impact Assessment" within four months. More than three years later, the DHS reported the following in a two-page summary:"We also conclude that imposing a requirement that officers have reasonable suspicion in order to conduct a border search of an electronic device would be operationally harmful without concomitant civil rights/civil liberties benefits."Basically, allowing you your 4th Amendment rights is being dismissed as a threat to national security. Even the ACLU is claiming that "as a minimum," officers should need probable cause. Between 2008 and 2010, 6,500 people had their electronic devices searched along our border. This includes laptops, tablets, cell phones, cameras, hard drives, flash drives, DVDs, and others.In 2010, a man's laptop was confiscated at an Amtrak inspection point along the Canadian border. Mr. Abidor. After being told to enter his password, the federal agent found pictures of Hezbollah and Hamas rallies. Despite informing the agents that he was earning a doctoral degree in Lebonese-Shiite history, Mr. Abidor was jailed for several hours and questioned by a number of different agents. Mr. Abidor was eventually released, but his laptop was kept for almost two weeks before his attorney got it back for him. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit regarding the case.
  Judging by our government's tendency to expand its powers in the name of national security, this sets down a dangerous precedent: if the Department of the Fatherland can arbitrarily suspend one constitutionally-protected right, there's nothing to stop it from suspending our right to free speech, or our protection from cruel and unusual punishment, for example. All for national security.
  Combine this with the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act (which allows for the indefinite detention of a citizen on the order of the President without charges or a trial), and you can see that all the check and balances that our Founders created to protect the people from a tyrannical central government have been ignored or outright destroyed in the name of "security." It won't be long until they're in our homes performing "routine inspections" to keep us "secure."Tweet
Private US Firms Part of International Cyberwar
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:31
  WASHINGTON - When Kevin Mandia, a retired military cybercrime investigator, decided to expose China as a primary threat to U.S. computer networks, he didn't have to consult with American diplomats in Beijing or declassify tactics to safely reveal government secrets.
  He pulled together a 76-page report based on seven years of his company's work and produced the most detailed public account yet of how, he says, the Chinese government has been rummaging through the networks of major U.S. companies.
  It wasn't news to Mandia's commercial competitors, or the federal government, that systematic attacks could be traced back to a nondescript office building outside Shanghai that he believes was run by the Chinese army. What was remarkable was that the extraordinary details - code names of hackers, one's affection for Harry Potter and how they stole sensitive trade secrets and passwords - came from a private security company without the official backing of the U.S. military or intelligence agencies that are responsible for protecting the nation from a cyberattack.
  The report, embraced by stakeholders in both government and industry, represented a notable alignment of interests in Washington: The Obama administration has pressed for new evidence of Chinese hacking that it can leverage in diplomatic talks - without revealing secrets about its own hacking investigations - and Mandiant makes headlines with its sensational revelations.
  The report also shows the balance of power in America's cyberwar has shifted into the hands of the $30 billion-a-year computer security industry.
  "We probably kicked the hornet's nest," Mandia, 42, said in an interview at the Alexandria, Va., headquarters of Mandiant. But "tolerance is just dwindling. People are tired of the status quo of being hacked with impunity, where there's no risk or repercussion."
  China has disputed Mandiant's allegations.
  Mandiant, which took in some $100 million in business last year - up 60 percent from the year before - is part of a lucrative and exploding market that goes beyond antivirus software and firewalls. These "digital forensics" outfits can tell a business whether its systems have been breached and - if the company pays extra - who attacked it.
  Mandiant's staff is stocked with retired intelligence and law enforcement agents who specialize in computer forensics and promise their clients confidentiality and control over the investigation. In turn, they get unfettered access to the crime scene and resources to fix the problem (Mandiant won't say exactly how much it charges, but it's estimated to average around $400 an hour).
  The growing reliance on contractors like Mandiant has been compared to that enjoyed by the military and State Department contractor formerly known as Blackwater, which provided physical security to diplomats and other VIPs during the Iraq war. Officials inside and outside government say that's not a bad thing; contractors can often act more quickly than the government and without as much red tape. There are also serious privacy concerns: Most U.S. citizens don't want the government to access their bank accounts, for example, even if China is attacking their bank.
  "The government doesn't have the capacity," said Shawn Henry, a former FBI executive assistant director who works for a Mandiant competitor, CrowdStrike. "There are a lot of people working hard. But the structures aren't there."
  Michael DuBose, another former senior Justice Department official who works at a different Mandiant competitor, Kroll Advisory Solutions, added: "I think there's a recognition that the government can't stand at the entry point of the Internet to the United States and shield it from all bad things coming in."
  Since Mandiant released its report this week, government officials and lawmakers have publicly embraced its findings. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, hailed Mandiant for exposing China as a problem. She called its report "sobering" and said she hoped it would spur an international agreement to protect companies from cyber-espionage.
  "It's a forcing function in the private sector, and frankly ... it's a forcing function with the government," said retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency who now works for the Chertoff Group, a security consulting firm.
  Mandiant's report raises questions, too, about the extent to which private companies are in control of defending the nation's most crucial networks, like power companies and water treatment plants. Another question is what rules of engagement private companies might rely on. When does a company strike back?
  Mandia and his competitors said they are beholden to U.S. and international laws, which prohibit the type of intrusive acts they accuse China of taking. Mandia also says his clients aren't interested in starting a cyberwar with foreign hackers, in part because they are so vulnerable.
  "The only time (hacking back) would really work is if we got all the bad guys out of our networks in the first place," he said. "Then you can start playing that game."
  Still, publishing the hacking report was itself an offensive shot across China's bow.
  Mandia said he started his company in 2004 after years in the private sector because there was no company focused on investigating intrusions. With a master's degree in forensic science from George Washington University, he became Mandiant's sole employee and, two years later, got a cash infusion from a college friend. Now, he oversees some 330 employees and the field is growing rapidly. He says he used to see maybe three major incidents a month when he started his business; now he estimates there can be anywhere from 30 to 100 incidents a month.
  Mandia is hardly alone. A former co-worker, Stuart McClure, recently started his own company, called Cylance. He received $15 billion in venture capital funds for his business, which he says is distinctive because of its focus on prevention. McClure said in general he sees the future of cyberdefense residing in the private sector, with its deeper pockets and less red tape.
  "With a commercial entity, you can get more creative," McClure said.
  As for any problems they might cause in diplomatic or security circles for the federal government, Mandia and his competitors say that's not really on their radar, although he's hiring attorneys to help him monitor changing U.S. policies and regulations. But as a tech guy, he says he's focused on stopping intrusions.
  "We're security guys," Mandia said. "We're not diplomats."
  (C) Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Revealed: al-Qaeda's 22 tips for dodging drones - Telegraph
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:51
  "This new document... shows we are no longer dealing with an isolated local problem, but with an enemy which is reaching across continents to share advice," said Bruce Riedel, a 30-year veteran of the CIA, now the director of the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institute.
  While some of the tips are outdated or far-fetched, taken together, they suggest the Islamists in Mali are responding to the threat of drones with sound, common-sense advice that may help them to melt into the desert in between attacks, leaving barely a trace.
  "These are not dumb techniques. It shows that they are acting pretty astutely," said Col Cedric Leighton, a 26-year-veteran of the United States Air Force, who helped set up the Predator drone program, which later tracked Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
  "What it does is, it buys them a little bit more time - and in this conflict, time is key. And they will use it to move away from an area, from a bombing raid, and do it very quickly," he said.
  The success of some of the tips will depend on the circumstances and the model of drones used, Col Leighton said. For example, from the air, where perceptions of depth become obfuscated, an imagery sensor would interpret a mat stretched over the top of a car as one lying on the ground, concealing the vehicle.
  New models of drones, such as the Harfung used by the French or the MQ-9 "Reaper," sometimes have infrared sensors that can pick up the heat signature of a car whose engine has just been shut off. However, even an infrared sensor would have trouble detecting a car left under a mat tent overnight, so that its temperature is the same as on the surrounding ground, Col Leighton said.
  Unarmed drones are already being used by the French in Mali to collect intelligence on al-Qaeda groups, and US officials have said plans are underway to establish a new drone base in northwestern Africa.
  The US recently signed a "status of forces agreement" with Niger, one of the nations bordering Mali, suggesting the drone base may be situated there and would be primarily used to gather intelligence to help the French.
  The author of the tipsheet found in Timbuktu is Abdallah bin Muhammad, the nom de guerre for a senior commander of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based branch of the terror network.
  The document was first published in Arabic on an extremist website on June 2, 2011, a month after bin Laden's death, according to Mathieu Guidere, a professor at the University of Toulouse.
  Prof Guidere runs a database of statements by extremist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and he reviewed and authenticated the document found by the AP.
  The tipsheet is still little known, if at all, in English, though it has been republished at least three times in Arabic on other jihadist forums after drone strikes took out US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen in September 2011 and al-Qaeda second-in-command Abu Yahya al-Libi in Pakistan in June 2012.
  It was most recently issued two weeks ago on another extremist website after plans for the possible US drone base in Niger began surfacing, Prof Guidere said.
  "This document supports the fact that they knew there are secret US bases for drones, and were preparing themselves," he said. "They were thinking about this issue for a long time."
  The idea of hiding under trees to avoid drones, which is tip No 10, appears to be coming from the highest levels of the terror network. In a letter written by bin Laden and first published by the US Center for Combating Terrorism, the terror mastermind instructs his followers to deliver a message to Abdelmalek Droukdel, the head of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, whose fighters have been active in Mali for at least a decade.
  "I want the brothers in the Islamic Maghreb to know that planting trees helps the mujahedeen and gives them cover," bin Laden writes in the missive. "Trees will give the mujahedeen the freedom to move around especially if the enemy sends spying aircrafts to the area."
  Hiding under trees is exactly what the al-Qaeda fighters did in Mali, according to residents in Diabaly, the last town they took before the French stemmed their advance last month. Just after French warplanes incinerated rebel cars that had been left outside, the fighters began to commandeer houses with large mango trees and park their four-by-fours in the shade of their rubbery leaves.
  Hamidou Sissouma, a schoolteacher, said the Islamists chose his house because of its generous trees, and rammed their trucks through his earthen wall to drive right into his courtyard. Another resident showed the gash the occupiers had made in his mango tree by parking their pickup too close to the trunk.
  In Timbuktu also, fighters hid their cars under trees, and disembarked from them in a hurry when they were being chased, in accordance with tip No 13.
  Moustapha al-Housseini, an appliance repairman, was outside his shop fixing a client's broken radio on the day the aerial bombardments began. He said he heard the sound of the planes and saw the Islamists at almost the same moment. Abou Zeid, the senior al-Qaeda emir in the region, rushed to jam his car under a pair of tamarind trees outside the store.
  "He and his men got out of the car and dove under the awning," said Mr al-Housseini. "As for what I did? Me and my employees? We also ran. As fast as we could."
  Along with the grass mats, the al-Qaeda men in Mali made creative use of another natural resource to hide their cars: Mud.
  Asse Ag Imahalit, a gardener at a building in Timbuktu, said he was at first puzzled to see that the fighters sleeping inside the compound sent for large bags of sugar every day. Then, he said, he observed them mixing the sugar with dirt, adding water and using the sticky mixture to "paint" their cars. Residents said the cars of the al-Qaeda fighters are permanently covered in mud.
  The drone tipsheet, discovered in the regional tax department occupied by Abou Zeid, shows how familiar al-Qaeda has become with drone attacks, which have allowed the US to take out senior leaders in the terrorist group without a messy ground battle. The preface and epilogue of the tipsheet make it clear that al-Qaeda well realizes the advantages of drones: They are relatively cheap in terms of money and lives, alleviating "the pressure of American public opinion."
  Ironically, the first drone attack on an al-Qaeda figure in 2002 took out the head of the branch in Yemen - the same branch that authoured the document found in Mali, according to Riedel. Drones began to be used in Iraq in 2006 and in Pakistan in 2007, but it wasn't until 2009 that they became a hallmark of the war on terror, he said.
  "Since we do not want to put boots on the ground in places like Mali, they are certain to be the way of the future," he said. "They are already the future."
  Source: AP
UN rejects Haiti cholera damages claim - Americas
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:50
  The UN has formally rejected a multi-billion-dollar damages claim for a cholera epidemic in Haiti that has been widely blamed on UN peacekeepers.
  About 8,000 people have died in the epidemic but Martin Nesirky, UN spokesman, said on Thursday the global body had told lawyers the damages claim was "non-receivable" under a 1946 convention laying out the UN's immunities for itsactions.
  In November 2011, the Boston-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti filed a petition at UN headquarters in New York seeking a minimum of $100,000 for the families or next-of-kin of each person killed by cholera and at least$50,000 for each victim who suffered illness or injury from cholera.
  Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, telephoned Haiti's President Michel Martelly "to inform him of the decision and to reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to the elimination of cholera in Haiti", Nesirky said.
  Certain health experts have said the cholera epidemic, which erupted in late 2010, was introduced to Haiti by Nepalese peacekeepers. The UN has never acknowledged responsibility, insisting it was impossible to pinpoint blame definitively.
  Lawyers for the families of some of the dead and the 635,000 people estimated to have been made sick by the cholera had predicted a damages award could cost the UN more than $1bn.
  "The secretary-general again expresses his profound sympathy for the terrible suffering caused by the cholera epidemic, and calls on all partners in Haiti and the international community to work together to ensure better health and a better future for the people of Haiti," Nesirky said.
  Duvalier case hearing
  In a separate Haiti-related development on Thursday, former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier defied a judge's order and refused to attend a hearing to determine whether he will again face charges for human-rights abuses committed during the nearly 15 years of his regime.
  Reynold Georges, Duvalier defence attorney, showed up 90 minutes after the hearing was about to start and announced that he had filed an appeal of the judge's order.
  The session then began in a courtroom crowded with reporters and observers.
  Georges said he was confident that the Supreme Court would not only overturn the order to compel Duvalier's presence in court but also block the effort by victims of the Duvalier regime from getting the court to reinstate the charges.
  Duvalier ruled Haiti from 1971-1986, a time when thousands were imprisoned, tortured and killed for opposing the government. He was ousted in a popular revolt and forced into exile in France.
  He made a surprise return to Haiti in January 2011 and was promptly charged with embezzlement and human-rights abuses. A court threw out all but the embezzlement charge, which carries a maximum of five years in prison.
  Duvalier, who lives in a villa in the hills above the Haitian capital, skipped two previous court hearings without penalty.
  471
Clarification on the Screening of 3-Year-Old Girl at Lambert''St. Louis International Airport
  Link to Article
  Source: The TSA Blog
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 04:48
  An incident involving a girl in her wheelchair has been getting a lot of attention. I've been reading a lot of articles, tweets, and posts about this and I feel some clarification is needed. First off, we regret that this happened and TSA has apologized directly to the family for their inconvenience at the airport. What we did:
  Our officer did initially mention a pat-down. We admit this was confusing, and contributed to a stressful situation. Very quickly, a manager was able to step in and give guidance.Also, our officer told the passenger that it was illegal to film at the checkpoint. This is not the case, and you can take a look at our filming policy here.TSA's Federal Security Director at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) reached out to personally apologize for the incident. He also offered to assist the family the next time they traveled through the airport.The child did not receive a pat-down. You can read our new procedures for children 12 and under here.Neither the child nor the parent was detained. TSA does not have the authority to detain passengers. Only Law Enforcement Officers can detain passengers.The child's stuffed animal was not confiscated. It was screened and handed back to the child after being screened. All accessible property is screened prior to traveling to your departure gate. You may remember this stuffed animal from last year.Incidents like this can trigger a lot of emotions, but please keep the TSA's mission in mind. We are committed to maintaining the security of the traveling public. This will be addressed with our workforce so we can continue to treat all passengers with the dignity and respect they deserve.We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive reports about our TSA Cares Help Line and strongly suggest that passengers with disabilities and medical conditions call this number if they have questions or are concerned about their upcoming travel through a TSA checkpoint.
  From TSA.gov:
  TSA Cares is a helpline to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. TSA recommends that passengers call 72 hours ahead of travel to for information about what to expect during screening.
  Travelers may call TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. TSA Cares will serve as an additional, dedicated resource specifically for passengers with disabilities, medical conditions or other circumstances or their loved ones who want to prepare for the screening process prior to flying.
  The hours of operation for the TSA Cares helpline are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. '' 11 p.m. EST and weekends and Holidays 9 a.m. '' 8 p.m. EST. Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to contact TSA Cares or can e-mailTSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.When a passenger with a disability or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a representative will provide assistance, either with information about screening that is relevant to the passenger's specific disability or medical condition, or the passenger may be referred to disability experts at TSA.
  TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary. Bob Burns TSA Blog Team
  If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact us byclicking here.
Vatican scandal cited in Pope resignation
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:44
  February 22, 2013
  Pope Benedict XVI around the time of his appointment.
  Pope Benedict XVI resigned after an internal investigation informed him about a web of blackmail, corruption and gay sex in the Vatican, Italian media reports say.
  Three cardinals were asked by Benedict to verify allegations of financial impropriety, cronyism and corruption exposed in the so-called VatiLeaks affair.
  On December 17, 2012, they handed the pontiff two red-leather bound volumes, almost 300 pages long, containing "an exact map of the mischief and the bad fish" inside the Holy See, La Repubblica said.
  "It was on that day, with those papers on his desk, that Benedict XVI took the decision he had mulled over for so long," said the centre-left newspaper. It said its article was the first of a series.
  Panorama, a conservative weekly, did not speculate about the motives behind Benedict's resignation, but its story about the contents of the confidential report was broadly similar.
  Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi refused to "run after fantasies and opinions" and warned reporters: "Don't expect comments or rebuttals of what is being said on this issue."
  La Repubblica quoted a man described as "very close" to the authors as saying the information it contained was "all about the breach of the sixth and seven commandments" - which say "thou shalt not commit adultery" and "thou shalt not steal".
  The cardinals were said to have uncovered an underground gay network, whose members organise sexual meetings in several venues in Rome and Vatican City, leaving them prone to blackmail.
  The secret report also delves into suspect dealings at the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), the Vatican's bank, where a new chairman was appointed last week after a nine-month vacancy, La Repubblica said, without going into details.
  The newspaper said Benedict would personally hand the confidential files to his successor, with the hope he will be "strong, young and holy" enough to take the necessary action.
  The authors of the secret report will not take part in the conclave because they are over 80 years old, past the age limit for the meeting. But Panorama said they were likely to inform other cardinals about what they have uncovered.
  Their findings "will condition the conclave" as it will have to elect "a pope immune to blackmail, so that he can start the clean-up operation that (Benedict) entrusted to his successor".
  DPA
Huiszoekingen in zaak rond machtsmisbruik IMF-baas Lagarde - Buitenland
  Link to Article
  Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:43
  Bewerkt door: redactie '' 24/01/13, 12u58 '' Bron: anp
  (C) belga. Lagarde wordt verdacht van machtsmisbruik.
  Justitie in Frankrijk heeft huiszoekingen laten uitvoeren bij de topman van France T(C)l(C)com, St(C)phane Richard en bij de omstreden zakenman Bernard Tapie. De acties houden verband met een onderzoek naar de handel en wandel van Christine Lagarde, de huidige baas van het IMF, in de tijd dat ze nog minister van Financin was.
  De zaak draait om een schikking die Lagarde in 2007 afdwong in een slepend conflict tussen zakenman Bernard Tapie en de voormalige staatsbank Cr(C)dit Lyonnais. De zaak werd via arbitrage beslecht en niet via de gebruikelijke juridische weg. Lagarde zou ervoor gezorgd hebben dat Tapie een schadevergoeding kreeg van 285 miljoen euro. Een jaar eerder had hij in dezelfde zaak nog bot gevangen bij het hoogste Franse gerechtshof.
  Richard was destijds een naaste medewerker van Lagarde. Zij wordt in dit dossier verdacht van machtsmisbruik.
the worst is yet to come
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:09
  Despite the rapid withdrawal of militants after the arrival of French troops, there are signs that the crisis is far from over
  A Malian soldier rounds up suspected Islamist extremists in Gao, northern Mali, to stop them being lynched by a mob. Photograph: Jerome Delay/AP
  Retaking the north was the easy part. Now Mali faces guerrilla attacks, reportedly increasing cooperation between rebel groups, "the Tuareg problem", and a divided government.
  Early on during the French intervention, many journalists in the international press were quick to note that Islamist militants had just "melted away" into the vast desert regions of northern Mali. As French jets attacked key strongholds, hundreds of Islamist fighters prepared convoys, which would escort leaders, weapons and fighters away from major towns.
  Witnesses confirmed suspicions that the militants' departure was "orderly" and well-prepared. Their planned withdrawal may indicate their clear intention to redefine the nature of the conflict in Mali on their terms. Indeed, in a document allegedly left behind by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Timbuktu, a senior commander admits that an international intervention would exceed the group's capability and that they ought therefore to retreat to their "rear bases" for the time being.
  Recent events have also shown that local and international troops should prepare for increased resistance and a protracted campaign. Malian soldiers faced the first wave of attacks when various suicide bombers targeted army bases and checkpoints in the city of Gao. A day later, two militants (one Arab and one Tuareg) were intercepted with explosive belts strapped to their bodies. Malian troops were also tested by a significant counter-offensive led by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) in the same city on 10 February.
  As Mali's northern provinces become more secure, Islamist militants will increasingly engage in targeted attacks, using asymmetric warfare to test international troops and regain the upper hand. The caves and mountains of the Adrar des Ifoghas region, for example, are ideal locations for militant groups to hide and prepare hit and run operations.
  Another worrying development in recent weeks has been allegedly increasing cooperation between Islamist militant groups across west Africa. Locals in Timbuktu claim Nigeria's rebel group Boko Haram had training camps in the city. A flyer from another Nigerian militant group, Ansaru, was apparently discovered in Gao in the abandoned home of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the leader of the group believed to be behind the In Amenas attack on a gas plant facility in Algeria. And further suggestions have been made that Boko Haram militants might be using Chad as a rear base to prepare attacks. Chad has sent 1,800 men to fight alongside French and African troops in Mali.
  Chad and other fragile states across the Sahel will struggle to police their highly porous borders as heavily armed gunmen move freely across them. The threat Islamic militancy poses to regional stability and beyond cannot be overstated. Mali's neighbours face a direct threat from militants spilling over. Niger, for example, has agreed to allow the US to deploy drones from its airspace to help police its vast desert regions.
  With over 4,000 French ground troops stationed in Mali, the number and size of their base camps growing by the day, and a deteriorating security climate, French forces are unlikely to fully withdraw from the region any time soon.
  The deteriorating security climate will have an important effect on western companies operating there. The tragic hostage crisis in In Amenas prompted security audits among western companies throughout the region. Policymakers are already urging firms to assess, review and rethink security at their facilities in order to adapt to the mobile nature of these militant groups. French Special Forces have already begun securing vital uranium mines in Niger.
  Back in Bamako, the alleged alliances developed over the years between the political elite, smugglers and drug dealers greatly undermined the country's stability and development. More importantly, Mali and other states in the region will have to address seriously what some are now calling 'the Tuareg problem'. This will require dialogue and political will to curb marginalisation and stigmatisation from which they and other minority ethnic groups suffer throughout the Sahel.
  But divisions at the highest levels of the Malian state hinder Bamako's ability to adequately address the concerns of Tuareg groups in the north. More recently, differences between pro- and anti-coup factions within the army led to outright clashes in Bamako. The Malian army has also used the French intervention to issue arrest warrants against Tuareg leaders and brush aside their demands. Malian troops are believed to have actively participated in reprisals against local Tuareg and Arab populations in the north. This behaviour, if it is not curbed, will only stoke the flames of ethnic tension.
  Mali's challenges require a multi-dimensional approach, which looks beyond simplistic interventionist agendas. The real roots of the current crisis have been overshadowed by the dominant "war on terror" narrative presented in the media. Beyond the restoration of order and some form of stability, Mali requires responsible and legitimate leadership capable of negotiating long term political solutions. The interim civilian government in Bamako alongside civil society and international actors should use the brief respite afforded to it by the presence of foreign troops to address the endemic corruption and legitimate grievances, which lie at the roots of this multifaceted crisis.
  Imad Mesdoua is a political analyst specialising in the Middle East and north Africa. He works for Pasco Risk Management
  (C) Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
How much more evidence do you need? DHS trains to shoot pregnant women, old men, children with guns (see photos)
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:05
  (NaturalNews) I really didn't want to cover this subject, but a warning has to be issued to Natural News readers. Infowars writer Paul Joseph Watson has uncovered proof that a U.S. based company called "Law Enforcement Training, Inc." has been selling millions of dollars worth of "no hesitation" targets to the Department of Homeland Security.These targets (see images below) are used to train DHS employees to shoot American citizens and they depict pregnant women, old men, children and even young moms with guns. The purpose of the targets, according to the company that sells them, is to "eliminate any hesitation" that U.S. government employees might normally feel in shooting to kill pregnant women, children and old men. (I'm not making this up. The government's plan to murder Americans is now right out in the open...)
  InfoWars reports they have been informed the "no hesitation" targets were "strictly for Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies."
  This puzzle isn't difficult to assemble, folks. We've got the U.S. government already on record purchasing 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition to be used domestically, inside the united states. The government is also purchasing thousands of full-auto assault rifles, calling them "personal defense weapons."On top of that, there are hundreds of thousands of multi-body coffins being stored right now at FEMA camp facilities, and there's also strong evidence that FEMA camps are being activated with core staff coming on line.
  And then we've also got the feds saying they want Americans to turn in all their guns and completely disarm themselves so that only the government has guns.
  Um... how much evidence do you need, folks? I'm just wondering how so many Americans can still be living in a state of total denial about all this. It is abundantly clear that the current occupying government of America -- which is an illegitimate occupying force of anti-constitution traitors and criminals -- literally has a plan to mass murder tens of millions of Americans by either gunning them down in the streets, or rounding them up and stuffing them info FEMA coffins (or mass graves).
  This plan was openly talked about by one of President Obama's mentors, in fact, a key member of the "Weatherman" group of communist-leaning terrorists. Bill Ayers and his cohorts planned a communist takeover of America followed by the rounding up of resistance forces who would then be "re-educated" or terminated. This is all spelled out in great detail in this video interview of Larry Grathwohl, an undercover operative working for federal law enforcement agencies. He infiltrated the Weathermen organization and learned what they really wanted to accomplish.Watch his testimony in this video:
  From the video:
  Well, what is going to happen to those people we can't re-educate? That are die-hard capitalists? And the reply was that they'd have to be eliminated. And when I pursued this further, they estimated that they would have to eliminate 25 million people in these re-education centers. And when I say eliminate, I mean kill.
  Here are the images of the cardboard targets, courtesy of InfoWars.com: (story continues below)
  I hope you understand where this is all headed. A government does not buy 1.6 billion bullets for no reason. By my calculations, this is enough ammo to wage a 7-year war with the American people.A government does not stage gun-related killings (Fast & Furious, Aurora, and elements of Sandy Hook were all staged) and then demand the complete disarmament of the American people for no reason.
  The Department of Homeland Security does not buy cardboard targets of pregnant women, young mothers and old men for no reason. They are buying these targets because this is who they are training to kill.
  The President does not issue an executive order claiming government ownership of all farms, food, livestock and farm equipment for no reason.
  Keep in mind that DHS "officers" do not take an oath of office, meaning they do not swear any allegiance to the U.S. Constitution. Their only allegiance is to their paycheck and their dangerous sense of power, and that comes from the illegitimate occupying government that is now actively plotting to murder its own citizens.
  This has all reached the point of un-deniability. All of you who have sat back and watched this murderous police state being rolled out while you were paralyzed in a state of denial now need to come to your senses and realize this is real. Our government has been taken over and "occupied" by enemy forces who are openly attempting to destroy the Bill of Rights, eradicate the Constitution and put in place a communist / fascist system of dictatorial control.The planned economic destruction of the USA is just one part of it. Another part is the continued brain-numbing poisoning of the people through fluoride, lobotomizing vaccines and brain-frying psychiatric drugs.
  The government is trying to lull everyone into a state of denial while it puts in place a militarized police state infrastructure that will soon be "activated" to start rounding people up and killing them off -- an action which has been "legalized" by President Obama under the NDAA. The Department of Justice recently issued a 16-page memo "justifying" the secret killing of American citizens on U.S. soil.
  U.S. veterans are being openly characterizes as the new "terrorists." The same designation is given to anyone who owns a gun or believes in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Democrats everywhere are practically calling for Obama to declare Martial Law, disband Congress and seize control of the entire country as an outright dictator. This is all being set up and to demonize (and then murder) anyone who resists the coming totalitarian dictatorship society.
  It's now in your face and the targets are clear: Pregnant women will be shot. Young mothers with children will be shot. Old men defending their farms will be shot. Little boys will be shot. Grandmothers defending their homes will be shot. This is what DHS is training for, and anyone who does not yet realize what's happening is a fool.
  Spread the word. Take action now, peacefully, while we still can. Fire every lawmaker who proposes "gun control" legislation. Impeach any President who does not abide by the Constitution. Demand accountability. Demand the government follow the laws of the land. Let your voice be heard and take all necessary precautions for yourself and your family. The day is coming when mass graves will be used in America, and all those citizens who sat around laughing it up on Facebook while living in denial will be marched to the edge of those graves and shot in the back of the head by members of their own government (DHS, TSA, etc.).
  History is a bitch. Help me make sure we don't repeat it, because if we cannot restore law in America peacefully, then the only remaining option is to defend America and uphold the laws of the land through the use of force.
  About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Police "Requested" Shooting Targets of Pregnant Women
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:04
Revealed: How Then Governor Goodluck Jonathan Gave Obaigbena $1 Million From Bayelsa's Poverty Alleviation Funds For Beyonce And Jay Z's Visit To Nigeria
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:59
  caption: Beyonce and Jayzee in Nigeria in October 2006
  By SaharaReporters, New York
  SaharaReporters has uncovered a document indicating that a million dollars of Bayelsa State's poverty alleviation fund was spent by then Governor Goodluck Jonathan on bringing American entertainers Beyonce and Jay Z to Nigeria in 2006.
  In a letter stamped and signed by Bayelsa officials, N150 million (approximately a million dollars in 2006) was released from the state's poverty alleviation fund for the first ThisDay Music Festival in Lagos.
  The document came to light after a controversy was ignited over how much money American ''reality TV'' star Kim Kardashian was paid for a brief visit to Nigeria.
  Ms. Kardashian, star of a US TV show about her idle rich family and who shot to international fame after a sex tape featuring her and her rapper boyfriend went viral, was reportedly paid half a million dollars for the 24-hour-visit last week.
  The sources who provided the 2006 document for Beyonce and Jay Z's visit told Saharareporters that there was a shady financial link between the producers of some high profile entertainment events and the governors and other officials who control budgets at the state and federal levels. Mr. Obaigbena's newspaper, ThisDay, is a major sponsor of entertainment events that brings US music stars as well as top public figures for flying visits to Nigeria in exchange for gargantuan paychecks.
  ''Mr. Obaigbena often lines up financial bonanzas from numerous governors, ministers and other top government officials to finance his jamborees,'' said one of the sources who is based in the UK and is knowledgeable about such deals.
  SaharaReporters obtained a letter from Mr. Obaigbena to the Bayelsa State government soliciting funds from the oil-producing state ahead of Nigeria's 46th independence celebrations in 2006. The publisher wrote, ''We invite you to partner with us as co-hosts of the festival.'' The letter added: ''With a total budget of $10 million, the co-host is expected to contribute a minimum of $2.5 million (two million five hundred thousand USD).''
  At the bottom of the letter, minuted by hand and signed by then Governor Jonathan's aides as well as the Bayelsa State accountant general are the words, ''Release N150,000,000.00 (One hundred and fifty million naira) only to be drawn from the poverty alleviation subhead.''
  One source told SaharaReporters that Mr. Obaigbena sent similar letters to other south-south states.
  SaharaReporters could not ascertain how much of the released funds was paid directly to performers at the festival. There is no indication that Beyonce, one of the few entertainment stars internationally famous enough to only need one name, was aware that her performance was being subsidized by the poor people of Bayelsa.
  But during Beyonce's celebrated rendition of the Nigerian national anthem, pictures of Bayelsa State were projected onto the wall of the Lagos concert venue.
  According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, 47% of Bayelsans live in poverty. The World Bank says that per capita gross domestic product in the Niger Delta is significantly below the country's average. According to the state's own 2005 development strategy, 80% of rural communities have no access to safe drinking water, a key indicator in judging poverty. In Yenagoa, the state capital and Bayelsa's largest urban area, an estimated two out of every five residents do not have access to safe drinking water.
  In 2005, as part of its UN-approved strategy to combat poverty, the state promised to make a fund of N100 million available as soft loans and micro-credit to Bayelsans. The allocated fund was N50 million less than Mr. Jonathan approved for Mr. Obaigbena's music festival. That promise was made in the Bayelsa State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, published by the United Nations Development Program and signed by then Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. A civil rights activist in Yenogoa told SaharaReporters that the state ''has been a woeful failure in its poverty reduction program.''
  The letter from Mr. Obaigbena to then-governor Goodluck Jonathan said the concert was necessary to show that the news from Nigeria was ''not just'...HIV/AIDS, conflicts, poverty, kidnapping, strife and riots.''
  The publisher added: ''This is the longest ever period of democracy in Nigeria, over seven years and counting! And a stable democracy means more investment and economic prosperity for all.''
  The publisher went on to give reasons why the state government should contribute to the concert.
  The stars' performances would ''tell the world, through music, that Nigeria's time has come,'' Mr. Obaigbena wrote. The letter added, ''And once the good news catches on with the young and upwardly mobile, music loving new generation it will catch on with the world of investments and bountiful opportunities.''
  In 2006, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan had just become governor of Bayelsa after his boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, was impeached and convicted on corruption charges. Mr. Jonathan was then elevated to Vice President to then President Umaru Yar'Adua. Mr. Yar'Adua's death in 2010 enabled Mr. Jonathan, a zoologist whose PhD focused on tropical fish, to assume the presidency.
  Since 2006, Mr. Obaigbena's parent company, Leaders & Company, has produced a number of high-profile events that have seen such American stars as Rihanna, R Kelly, and Usher perform for Nigerians. The ticket prices for these concerts are usually out of reach of the ''average'' Nigerian. The events feature tickets that cost many tens of thousands of naira, usually reserved for ''VIP access.'' ThisDay has also hosted political luminaries like former US President Bill Clinton and former economic adviser to the Obama presidency, Lawrence Summers. At an Africa Rising concert in London, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell came on stage and danced to the popular Naija jam ''Yahooze'' by Olu Maintain.
Freakonomics >> The Downside of More Miles Per Gallon: A New Marketplace Podcast
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:21
  Kai RYSSDAL: Time now for a little bit of Freakonomics Radio -- that moment in the broadcast every couple of weeks where we talk to Stephen Dubner, the coauthor of the books and the blog of the same name. It is ''the hidden side of everything.'' Dubner, how you been man?
  Stephen J. DUBNER: Great Kai, thank you. Been thinking about you. You drive a lot out there in California, right?
  RYSSDAL: It's L.A. baby. Of course we do!
  DUBNER: What are you paying for gas these days.
  RYSSDAL: Oh, a lot! It's over four bucks a gallon.
  DUBNER: So people generally don't like that, even though relatively we pay pretty cheap gas. The good news, however, is M.P.G. -- miles per gallon. We are now at a point where we get more miles per gallon of gas than any time in history, about 24 miles on average for the U.S. car fleet. And that number because of federal regulations is going to go up quite a bit in coming years. So great news, right?
  RYSSDAL: Great, yes. Now, what? With you it's always good news, bad news, dude. What do you got?
  DUBNER: Well, let's go a little deeper. Fuel economy goes up, which means what? It means that the cost of every mile you drive goes down. So people have an incentive to drive more, which can lead to more congestion, more risk of accident, but there's an even less obvious problem than those. Where do we think the money to build and maintain our roads all comes from? Here is Jaime Rall from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
  RYSSDAL: Okay.
  RALL: And right now, the nation relies extremely heavily on gas taxes for transportation funding and advancements in fuel efficiency pose some real problems for transportation budgets.
  RYSSDAL: If you follow the logic train here, it's people are using less gas because cars are more efficient, and then there's less tax revenues being raised to pay for the road. Right?
  DUBNER: You got it. Revenues are hurting. But it hurts additionally because the gas tax is such a strange tax. Instead of being a percentage of, you know, whatever, two percent, five percent per gallon, it's a fixed rate. So the federal rate is 18 cents a gallon. States add their own state taxes on -- again, a fixed rate. But because it's fixed, unlike, let's say, a sales tax, you don't raise more tax revenue when the price of gas goes up. So every year, what happens is gas tax revenues lose purchasing power.
  RYSSDAL: All right, so this is one of those gotta-ask-it questions even though I know the answer. Why not just raise the gas tax?
  DUBNER: It would seem logical. Many economists have been lobbying that for years. But politically, for whatever reason, the gas tax is one of these things that's just a no-go zone.
  RYSSDAL: All right. So find me the Freakonomics way out of this then.
  DUBNER: Well, let's go down a wrong path first, shall we? I hate to pick on politicians, but the governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell has an idea that seems like a pretty bright idea, but most economists would say it's not bright at all. What he wants to do is eliminate the state gas tax in Virginia and make up for those funds by raising the sales tax.
  RYSSDAL: And that's a bad idea because ...
  DUBNER: Because a tax is most fair when it hits the people who should pay it, but leaves everyone else alone. Right? But what Gov. McDonnell is doing is flipping that logic.
  RYSSDAL: All right. So hit me with your plan.
  DUBNER: Well there is a growing movement -- I don't know how well this would work -- but the idea is this: to tax drivers the way they probably should be taxed, which is per mile driven. So that way, you'd pay the same amount for the roads whether you're driving, you know, a gas-guzzler, or an electric car that doesn't use any gas at all. Here's Jaime Rall again.
  RALL: At least 18 states have pursued pilot projects. And in the past five years, legislatures in at least 11 states have considered more than 20 proposals to establish or study state level fees of this kind.
  RYSSDAL: Yeah, you know what though? This smacks of Big Brother watching me when I drive, dude. Knowing where I'm going. Right?
  DUBNER: Yeah, people will not like this idea, in many cases.
  RYSSDAL: They'll go nuts!
  DUBNER: On the other hand, let me just say this: we've all gotten used to willingly carrying around a GPS device with us at all times, which is what a smartphone does, right? We're also getting used to the ideas of electronic tolling where we don't have to stop at the booth. So I wouldn't be shocked if we were to see some per-mile taxing in the future. If things get really desperate, if you really need to raise money for roads, we could try what they do in other parts of the world, which is this, Kai: traffic fines that are indexed to how much money you actually earn. So, in Finland for instance, if you get a speeding ticket, you're fined about 20 percent of one month's take-home pay. So, you know, the speeding fisherman is going to pay a lot less for his ticket than the speeding high tech boss or radio talk show host, for that matter.
  RYSSDAL: Yeah, ba dum boom. One cautions though, that this is America my friend. Not Finland.
  DUBNER: That's true -- not yet, Kai. Check in with me in a couple of weeks. We'll see if we're all looking a bit more Finnish around the ears.
  RYSSDAL: Steven Dubner, Freakonomics.com is the website. We'll see you in a couple of weeks.
  DUBNER: Thanks for having me, Kai.
Google Looking For 8000 People To Beta Test Google Glasses! You Have Till End Of February To Apply - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:42
What's Billboard's No. 1? Now YouTube Has a Say
  Link to Article
  Source: LIVE@LEEDS
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:21
  BEN SISARIO NY Times 02/20/13
  What makes a song a hit? In the ''Gangnam Style'' age the answer often has as much to do with its popularity on YouTube as any other factor.
  This week the Billboard Hot 100, the magazine's 55-year-old singles chart, takes a evolutionary step by incorporating YouTube plays into its formula. The move comes just in time for Baauer's song ''Harlem Shake,'' the latest viral video phenomenon, which will make its debut at No. 1 this week thanks to the change.
  ''Harlem Shake,'' a bass-heavy hip-hop track with no lyrics beyond a few samples, got little mainstream attention when it was released in May as a free download. But this month its popularity exploded on YouTube, as thousands of fans uploaded videos of themselves dancing '-- some might say simply flailing '-- along to the song. By last week more than 4,000 videos were going up each day.
  Download sales and Spotify streams of the track also skyrocketed. But the remarkable trajectory of ''Harlem Shake'' led Billboard to move forward right away on its methodology update, something it had been in discussions with YouTube about for nearly two years, Bill Werde, the magazine's editorial director, said on Wednesday.
  ''The notion that a song has to sell in order to be a hit feels a little two or three years ago to me,'' Mr. Werde said. ''The music business today '-- much to its credit '-- has started to learn that there are lots of different ways a song can be a hit, and lots of different ways that the business can benefit from it being a hit.''
  The move is Billboard's latest step in modernizing the Hot 100, which besides sales and airplay now also incorporates data from streaming services like Spotify. YouTube has taken on an essential role in propelling songs to the cultural forefront, often long before they are picked up by radio programmers.
  Psy's ''Gangnam Style'' and Carly Rae Jepsen's ''Call Me Maybe'' are the most prominent examples of this trend, but plenty of other recent hits '-- like Gotye's Grammy-winning ''Somebody That I Used to Know'' '-- also owe much of their success to video virality.
  The rise of ''Harlem Shake'' is all the more remarkable because of its speed. With only 18,000 downloads the song did not make the last Hot 100 chart at all. But last week it caught fire online, and across the tens of thousands of its scattered YouTube dance videos the song had 103 million views in the United States, according to YouTube, and sold 262,000 downloads, making it the third-most downloaded track of the week. (Even without the YouTube data, ''Harlem Shake'' would have charted in the Top 15 this week, Mr. Werde said.)
  Billboard's charts are based on data collected by Nielsen SoundScan, which has also been modernizing its data. When the service started in 1991, it gave the music industry its first reliable, third-party sales data, transforming the way record labels, retailers and others did business. Now Nielsen also tracks radio plays and most major streaming services.
  ''We want to measure how much consumption is going on, in whatever form a consumer chooses to consume something,'' said David Bakula, a senior analyst at Nielsen.
  Also on the charts this week a number of acts benefited from their exposure at the Grammy Awards. Mumford & Sons rose three spots to return to No. 1 with ''Babel'' (Glassnote), the album of the year, which sold 185,000 copies last week. And a compilation of this year's Grammy nominees is No. 2 with 88,000 sales.
  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's track ''Thrift Shop'' was once again the most-downloaded track of the week, with 412,000 sales. But with the arrival of ''Harlem Shake,'' it falls to No. 2 on the Hot 100.
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  Tags: Billboard, charts, You Tube
  This entry was posted on February 21, 2013 at 12:33 pm and is filed under record industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
US senator says 4,700 killed in drone strikes - Americas
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:20
  A US senator has said that an estimated 4,700 people have been killed in America's secretive drone war, the first time a government official has offered a total number of fatalities caused by nearly a decade of drone strikes, local media reported.
  Republican senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of the drone raids, revealed the figure in a speech on Wednesday in his home state of South Carolina.
  "We've killed 4,700," Graham was quoted as saying by the Easley Patch, a local website covering the small town of Easley. "Sometimes you hit innocent people, and I hate that, but we're at war, and we've taken out some very senior members of al-Qaeda," he told the local Rotary Club.
  Graham's office did not dispute his reported remarks, but said that he had not divulged any classified information.
  A spokesman told the AFP news agency that the senator "quoted the figure that has been publicly reported and disseminated on cable news."
  US officials have sometimes hinted at estimates of civilian casualties, but never referred to an actual total body count.
  "Now this is the first time a US official has put a total number on it," said Micah Zenko, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
  'Tactical weapon'
  If there was an official death toll estimate, it would be classified as secret, he added, raising the prospect that Graham could have broken secrecy laws.
  Several organizations have tried to calculate how many militants and civilians may have been killed in drone strikes since 2004 but have arrived at a wide range of numbers.
  The figure cited by Graham matches the high end of a tally by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism. It says the number killed in drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia is between 3,072 and 4,756.
  The Washington-based New America Foundation says there have been 350 US drone strikes since 2004, most of them during Barack Obama's presidency. And the foundation estimates the death toll at between 1,963 and 3,293, with 261 to 305 civilians killed.
  US intelligence agencies and the White House have refused to divulge details about the strikes, which are officially termed classified, but officials have suggested that few if any civilians have been killed inadvertently.
  In confirmation hearings this month for John Brennan, Obama's nominee to lead the CIA, senator Dianne Feinstein said she understood that the number of civilians killed was in the "single digits."
  Despite criticism from lawmakers and rights advocates who have questioned the secrecy and the legality of the drone attacks, Graham defended Obama's reliance on the unmanned, robotic aircraft. "It's a weapon that needs to be used," Graham said. "It's a tactical weapon. A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is now armed."
  The Obama administration has insisted the "targeted killings" are "a last resort" against those plotting to attack the United States but who cannot be captured.
  Opponents, however, say drone strikes amount to extrajudicial assassinations that sow resentment among local populations and lack oversight by Congress or courts.
  500
Police called to DMV after man refuses to remove pasta strainer from head
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:12
  By Eric W. DolanWednesday, February 20, 2013 17:18 EST
  A Motor Vehicle Commission office in New Jersey called the police on a man who refused to remove a pasta strainer from his head while having his driver's license photo taken.
  Aaron Williams, 25, said his pasta strainer was a religious head covering and that he had a right to wear it, according to a South Brunswick Police Department report obtained by The Smoking Gun.
  Police informed Williams that a pasta strainer was not approved by the MVC and convinced him to take the photo without it. The incident occurred on February 2.
  Williams told Patch on Tuesday that he was a devout Pastafarian and was merely showing his allegiance to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster by wearing the pasta strainer. The parody religion took off in 2005, after Bobby Henderson mocked the Kansas Board of Education in an open letter for allowing the teaching of Intelligent Design in public schools.
  ''Had it been a turban or a head scarf, or something from a mainstream religion, then it would've been fine,'' he said. ''I guess since they hadn't heard of the religion, that's why they opposed it. But that's not really acceptable to me. They're not in a position to discriminate against religions that are mainstream, or not mainstream, just because they may not have heard about it.''
  Williams is not the first Pastafarian to claim the right to wear a pasta strainer on his head. Austria allowed entrepreneur Niko Alm to wear a pasta strainer in his driver's license photo last year, after officials requested the Pastafarian show he was ''psychologically fit'' to drive.
  '' ''[Image via Giovanni Dall'Orto, Creative Commons licensed]
Mandiant® - Detect. Respond. Contain.
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:47
  Original Date: January 24, 2013
  While there is no one-size-fits-all solution that applies to a security program, this State of the Hack webinar will address general questions organizations have when starting or updating one.
  Whether your organization has products and mechanisms in place, or is in the beginning stages of setting up a security program, this webinar will address specific concerns based on where you are as an organization and by organization type (Government, DIB, Private-Sector, etc.).
  View Archive
  Original Date: January 10, 2013
  Join Ted Wilson and David Ross for this Tools of Engagement webinar for Mandiant's freeware tool: Redline'. During the webinar they will walk you through an investigation using all of the cool new features introduced in version 1.7.
  View Archive
  Original Date: December 13, 2012
  2012 is drawing to a close, which means it's time for Mandiant's annual year-end review. Join us for this State of the HackTM webinar, where our own Richard Bejtlich will share highlights from the past twelve months '-- Mandiant style.
  View Archive
  Original Date: November 29, 2012
  Move over Windows, you've had the spotlight for too long! Join us for this Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar where Mandiant's Devon Kerr and Jason Rebholz show you the forgotten side of incident response '' the compromise of a *NIX environment. During this webinar, they will walk you step-by-step through the compromise of a *NIX environment and show you how attackers can use your environment against you.
  View Archive
  Original Date: November 08, 2012
  Join us for this month's Tools of Engagement webinar, where Kelly McCracken and Matthew Shaffer will talk about Mandiant's latest offering: Response Readiness Assessment.
  View Archive
  Original Date: October 23, 2012
  Join Mandiant's Richard Bejtlich and Grady Summers as they discuss highlights from Mandiant's Incident Response Conference, MIRcon.
  View Archive
  Original Date: September 20, 2012
  Incident responders spend a good portion of their time chasing down ''traditional'' backdoors: malware that establishes persistence, hides on systems, and periodically calls-out to command-and-control servers for instructions. However, such backdoors aren't the only way to get into a typical corporate environment '' and targeted attackers are increasingly relying on novel remote access techniques in lieu of typical malware. In many cases, these methods leverage a victim's existing infrastructure in ways they never anticipated!
  View Archive
  Original Date: August 30, 2012
  Join Mandiant's Jeff Hamm and Willi Ballenthin on this month's Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar as they discuss NTFS INDX Buffers and their role in incident response investigations.
  View Archive
  Original Date: August 01, 2012
  Join Mandiant's own Tim Crothers and David Mackey as they discuss how you can effectively optimize your incident response workflow by integrating Mandiant Intelligent Response® (MIR) with the tools you have now, such as your SIEM (Security Information Event Management) or advanced malware alerting solutions.
  View Archive
  Original Date: July 19, 2012
  Join Mandiant's Michael J. Graven and Devon Kerr as they provide a mid-year update on current attacker trends, investigative techniques, and remediation strategies.
  View Archive
  Original Date: June 27, 2012
  Having the confidence to admit your systems and network are vulnerable can be a liberating and positive experience! In this edition of Tools of Engagement, join Mandiant's own Yanek Korff and Wade Woolwine to discuss how that admission can open the door to truly being prepared to fight adversaries targeting your organization.
  View Archive
  Original Date: June 21, 2012
  As a CISO your organization's security is your top priority. That cannot be questioned. What can be questioned is the best metrics to use when evaluating how effective your program is.
  View Archive
  Original Date: May 24, 2012
  Join us for this Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar where Mandiant's Chris Nutt and Jason Rebholz will deep dive into the technical side of Mandiant's annual threat report, M-Trends', using the three case studies illustrated within the report.
  View Archive
  Original Date: May 17, 2012
  Join us for our inaugural Tools of Engagement webinar, where Mandiant's Redline' team will kick things off by showing you how to organize your analysis command center, how to acquire data and how to perform deep dive analysis using Redline.
  View Archive
  Original Date: April 19, 2012
  In this month's Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar, Mandiant's Doug Wilson and Will Gibb will take you on a trip through the world of OpenIOC', an open framework for sharing threat intelligence.
  View Archive
  Original Date: March 16, 2012
  In this webinar Richard Bejtlich, Chief Security Officer; Michael J. Graven, Director; and Grady Summers, Vice President of Customer Success, survey the key findings from Mandiant's annual threat report.
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  Original Date: February 29, 2012
  In this Fresh Prints of Mal-Ware webinar we discuss the forthcoming book Practical Malware Analysis:The Hands-On Guide to Dissecting Malicious Software.
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  Original Date: January 19, 2012
  In this Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar, Mandiant's Chuck Willis and Willi Ballenthin discuss the types of attacks that are making headlines today. While these types of attacks are highly technical, this webinar provides exposure to a variety of concepts and answers to basic questions.
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  Original Date: October 28, 2011
  In this State of the Hack presentation Richard Bejtlich and Lucas Zaichkowsky discuss highlights from Mandiant's incident response conference, MIRcon.
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  Original Date: June 23, 2011
  During this Fresh Prints of Mal-ware webinar, Mandiant's Christopher Glyer and Jason Rebholz take you straight to the forensic frontlines of a recent PCI data breach investigation.
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Leadership | Company | Mandiant®
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:45
  Dave Merkel is Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Products at Mandiant. He has worked in the information security and incident response industry for over 15 years, including directing technical security operations at America Online, leading incident response management efforts at Time Warner, and performing computer crime investigations as a Special Agent in the United States Air Force. Dave has led numerous engineering teams in crafting scalable technology solutions for information security problems in a variety of environments.
  Read moreDave Merkel is Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Products at Mandiant. Based in Alexandria, Va., Dave focuses on shaping the strategy and direction of our technology and engineering solutions by building scalable innovation to address the rapidly evolving information security market.
  Dave has worked in the Information Security industry and within the world of Incident Response for more than 15 years, including service as a federal agent in the United States Air Force, and more than seven years directing security operations at America Online (AOL).
  At AOL, Dave led a team of technologists to protect corporate systems and network infrastructure. His department was responsible for the design, implementation, and operation of technical security defenses throughout the organization. He established AOL's first incident response team and led the formation of a company wide program for managing security incidents across Time Warner's diverse business units. Dave also played a key role in establishing AOL's security assurance program, providing technical risk assessment services for systems, networks, internal applications, and products.
  As a primary security stakeholder, he authored significant portions of both the AOL and Time Warner information security policy, established an information security management framework for the corporation, and played an instrumental role in ensuring Sarbanes-Oxley and Payment Card Industry compliance.
  Dave also managed AOL's internal security infrastructure software development initiatives. His team provided innovative solutions for protecting data centers and transit networks at scale, including technologies for intrusion and anomaly detection, incident response management, automated countermeasures deployment, and authentication and authorization.
  Prior to AOL, Dave served as a Special Agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, where he focused on computer crime and digital forensics. Specifically, Dave conducted criminal and counterintelligence investigations ranging from the trafficking of digital contraband to the pursuit of international felons responsible for attacks against Department of Defense networks. Dave has participated in countless forensic examinations and is a qualified expert witness in federal and state proceedings.
  Dave earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has held security clearances at Top Secret and higher.
  Read less
White House develops new trade secret strategy
  Link to Article
  Source: euronews
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:38
  The aftermath of a missile strike on the headquarters of the main rebel force in Syria. The leader of the Liwa-al-Islam brigade was wounded in the attack. It is a blow for the group, which is behind a three-week offensive that has given the rebels a foothold inside Damascus'...
Emails Prove JPMorgan Committed Massive Mortgage Fraud
  Link to Article
  Source: The Daily Bail
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:30
  Bloomberg reports on the case.
  ---
  Emails From Dexia Lawsuit Show JPMorgan Committed Widespread Fraud
  New York Times Dealbook
  JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has tried his best to suggest that the financial crisis was someone else's fault. But a batch of court documents released this week undermine this claim, indicating that the bank knew the mortgage investments it sold were seriously flawed.
  According to the documents, which include emails and transcripts of employee interviews filed in an investor lawsuit by Europe's Dexia Bank, JPMorgan hired independent analysts to review the quality of the home loans it was packaging for sale prior to the collapse of the housing market.
  That review found that 20 to 80 percent of the mortgages did not meet underwriting standards, Bloomberg reports. These documents show that JPMorgan bundled these mortgages into complex securities anyway and then sold them to investors without disclosing their problems, according to Bloomberg and the New York Times.
  The lawsuit, which was filed by Dexia, a Belgian-French bank, is being closely watched on Wall Street. After suffering significant losses, Dexia sued JPMorgan and its affiliates in 2012, claiming it had been duped into buying $1.6 billion of troubled mortgage-backed securities. The latest documents could provide a window into a $200 billion case that looms over the entire industry.
  According to the court documents, an analysis for JPMorgan in September 2006 found that ''nearly half of the sample pool'' '-- or 214 loans '-- were ''defective,'' meaning they did not meet the underwriting standards. The borrowers' incomes, the firms found, were dangerously low relative to the size of their mortgages. Another troubling report in 2006 discovered that thousands of borrowers had already fallen behind on their payments.
  But JPMorgan at times dismissed the critical assessments or altered them, the documents show. Certain JPMorgan employees, including the bankers who assembled the mortgages and the due diligence managers, had the power to ignore or veto bad reviews.
  In some instances, JPMorgan executives reduced the number of loans considered delinquent, the documents show. In others, the executives altered the assessments so that a smaller number of loans were considered ''defective.''
  In some instances, JPMorgan executives reduced the number of loans considered delinquent, the documents show. In others, the executives altered the assessments so that a smaller number of loans were considered ''defective.''
  The court documents make clear that JPMorgan employees were well aware of these flaws and even exchanged emails about them. For example, after a review finding that at least 1,154 mortgages were delinquent, JPMorgan told investors that only 25 loans were delinquent.
  Continue reading...
  Photos by William Banzai7
  TEFLON JAMIE
  This Bankster is Too Big Too JailThe system is just too darn frailThese men are like GodWe must accept fraudOr else the whole system may fail
  The Limerick King
Dit is de beste vertraging ooit
  Link to Article
  Source: GeenStijl
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:29
  Anekdotes waar een mens blij van wordt. Verhalen die je hoop geven over de staat van de natie. Dat heeft Nederland hard nodig. Neem het verhaal wat vandaag in de Metro staat. Een machinist van de intercity Arnhem naar Nijmegen trapte bij station Arnhem-Zuid op de rem. U kunt de passagiers door uw beeldscherm heen horen zuchten. Een trein die stil gaat staan waar hij normaal volle pijp langs raast betekent vertraging. Maar dit is de beste vertraging ooit. De machinist was namelijk gestopt om in te grijpen bij een mishandeling op het perron. Uit zijn ooghoek had hij een vechtpartij gezien. En hij besloot in te grijpen. Ziet u wel. Dat gebeurt echt nog wel in Nederland. Mensen die ingrijpen als ze een vechtpartij zien. En zich niet verschuilen achter smoesjes als 'ja, ik moest mijn trein op tijd laten rijden'. Maar niet alles aan dit verhaal geeft hoop. Er zou sprake zijn geweest dat de dader met twee voeten op het hoofd van het slachtoffer is gesprongen. Ziek. Ernstig ziek. Maar helemaal actueel. Ook bij de RET en de HTM klaagt men over steeds psychopathischer geweld in het OV. Niet meer incidenten, wel veel sickere incidenten. Zij wijten het aan de 'verharding van de maatschappij'. Okee. Lekker abstract. Maar waarom verhardt de maatschappij? Simpel: omdat de gestoorde daders weten dat ze er vrijwel zeker mee gaan wegkomen en anders kunnen huilen dat ze zijn 'veroordeeld door de media'. De enige troost voor slachtoffers is dat er nog steeds mensen zijn die bereid zijn hun leven op de waagschaal te leggen door in te grijpen. Vooralsnog, althans.
  Johnny Quid | 21-02-13 | 09:34 | Link | Reageer ookJe bent ingelogd als: (Uitloggen)
  Probeer trouwens eens de totaal officieuze niet-ondersteunde third-party GeenStijl extension die compleet niet door ons ondersteund wordt en volledig op eigen risico is.
  Je bent niet ingelogd, klik hier om dat wel te doen: login of doe een CookieSync.
Eurozone crisis live: French economy set to worsen
  Link to Article
  Source: The Guardian World News
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:27
  Over to the debt markets, where Spain has sold more bonds than targeted, thanks to strong demand.
  Madrid sold '‚¬4.2bn of debt due in 2015, 2019 and 2023, compared with a target of '‚¬3bn-'‚¬4bn, and borrowing costs eased.
  The bond due in 2019 had an average yield of 4.275%, almost 2.5 percentage points lower than yields paid at its last outing in July, at the height of worries about the eurozone.
  The bond due in 2015 had an average yield of 2.54%, compared with 2.82% in February.
  The bond due in 2023 sold at a yield of 5.2%, in its first auction since it was introduced.
  But traders said the sale was helped by the amount of money central banks are pumping into markets. Lyn Graham-Taylor at Rabobank said:
  This is a strong set of results and continues the theme of decent demand for Spanish debt. We still believe this to be largely driven by the large amount of central bank liquidity in the system rather than an improvement in the fundamentals of Spain and major progress towards fiscal union being made by the eurozone.
  Ireland, meanwhile, sold '‚¬500m of three-month Treasury bills at a yiueld of 0.24% '' close to the lowest levels it has reached since Ireland returned to the debt markets last year.
EU parliament chief tells Italians not to vote for Berlusconi
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:17
  TweetShare thisEmailPrintItaly's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures as he appears as a guest on the RAI television show Porta a Porta (Door to Door) in Rome February 20, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Remo Casilli
  BERLIN | Thu Feb 21, 2013 4:30am EST
  BERLIN (Reuters) - The German president of the European Parliament, once compared to a Nazi concentration camp guard by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, warned Italians on Thursday not to back the scandal-ridden media tycoon at the ballot box.
  Martin Schulz is the latest in a line of German politicians to express fears about a possible Berlusconi comeback largely due to worries he will halt Rome's reform drive that has helped to lift investor confidence in the euro zone.
  "Silvio Berlusconi has already sent Italy into a tailspin with irresponsible behavior in government and personal escapades," Schulz was quoted as saying in German daily Bild.
  Berlusconi has been sentenced to prison for tax fraud and is on trial for having sex with an under-aged prostitute.
  In quotes not printed in the paper but sent in an advance copy of the report, Schulz went on to urge Italians to vote for continued reforms.
  "Much is at stake in the forthcoming elections, including making sure that the confidence built up by (Prime Minister) Mario Monti is not lost. I am very confident that Italian voters will make the right choice for their country."
  There is bad blood between Berlusconi and Schulz, a Social Democrat.
  In 2003, the then Italian prime minister said he would like to suggest Schulz, who had criticized his policies, for the role of a Kapo in a film on Nazi concentration camps. A Kapo was a camp inmate given privileges for supervising prison work gangs.
  Berlusconi later brushed off the comment, saying he was being ironic and had referred to a television comedy series.
  Merkel herself, who has supported Monti's austerity drive and has a difficult relationship with Berlusconi, has kept mum on who she would like to see lead the euro zone's third biggest economy .
  Monti risked embarrassing her this week by saying Merkel did not want the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) to win, following Berlusconi's remark that Monti would join forces with the PD after the election "with Merkel's blessing".
  Polls suggest the PD is likely to win control of Italy's lower house in the February 24-25 vote. Monti's centrist alliance is trailing in fourth place, but the PD may need its support to control the upper house of parliament and form a government.
  (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Stephen Brown)
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Survey Finds That Fish Are Often Not What Label Says
  Link to Article
  Source: NYT > Home Page
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:13
  SEATTLE '-- Many Europeans are fretting these days over horse meat, and whether it might have adulterated their shepherd's pie. Over here, it's all about the red snapper.
  That tempting seafood delight glistening on the ice at the market, or sizzling at the restaurant table in its aromatic jacket of garlic and ginger? It may not be at all what you think, or indeed even close, according to a big new study of fish bought and genetically tested in 12 parts of the country '-- in restaurants, markets and sushi bars '-- by a nonprofit ocean protection group, Oceana.
  In the 120 samples labeled red snapper and bought for testing nationwide, for example, 28 different species of fish were found, including 17 that were not even in the snapper family, according to the study, which was released Thursday.
  The study also contained surprises about where consumers were most likely to be misled '-- sushi bars topped the list in every city studied '-- while grocery stores were most likely to be selling fish honestly. Restaurants ranked in the middle.
  Part of the problem, said the study's chief author, Kimberly Warner, is that there are quite simply a lot of fish in the sea, and many of them look alike. Over all, the study found that about one-third of the 1,215 fish samples bought, from 2010 to 2012, were mislabeled.
  ''Even a relatively educated consumer couldn't look at a whole fish and say, 'I'm sure that's a red snapper and not lane snapper,' '' she said.
  Geographically, the study had bad news for residents of Southern California, land of the midnight sushi. They were more likely than residents in any of the other sampled regions to be eating something other than what they had been told. About 52 percent of the samples bought and sent for testing turned out to be something else.
  Salmon-crazed Seattle, by contrast, was tied with cod-country Boston as having the lowest deception rates. Still, almost one in five fish samples were wrongly labeled.
  Some types of fish fared worse in different places. In New York, for example, fish that was not really tuna was being passed off as tuna in 94 percent of the samples taken, the study said.
  What is in a name, anyway, when it comes to fish? Shakespeare might not have pondered the question exactly, but the seafood industry certainly has.
  In the real world of perception and marketing, a fish called ''slimehead'' '-- a real name, by the way '-- is probably not going to fly off the menu. Far better to call it ''orange roughy,'' a distinction allowed by the Federal Food and Drug Administration. The government also allows Patagonian toothfish, real name, to be called Chilean sea bass, invented marketing name.
  The Oceana study did not declare a fish mislabeled if the seller was following the federal guidelines.
  But what the study found pervasive was mislabeling '-- beyond what is allowed by federal food regulators '-- by retail outlets using a name that consumers are more likely to want to buy. Almost two-thirds of the ''wild'' salmon samples, for example, were found actually to be farmed Atlantic salmon, which is considered less healthy and environmentally sustainable.
  The National Fisheries Institute, a trade group representing the industry, did not respond to a request for comment on the study. But the institute has specifically criticized Oceana's work in the past as being more agenda-driven than scientific and rigorous.
  Dr. Warner said that the study did raise some red flags about health. Fish known to accumulate mercury in their flesh, in particular, should be avoided, especially by pregnant women. But in what the study called ''one of the most egregious swaps,'' in New York, tilefish '-- known for its mercury content and on federal advisory lists for sensitive populations to avoid '-- was sold as red snapper. Tilefish was also found substituted for halibut.
  She also cautioned that the study did not aim to produce a real scientific, top-to-bottom sampling of the seafood system. In Boston, for example, only grocery store fish were tested, leaving out sushi bars that might have lowered the city's honesty rate (although, in a separate effort in 2011 and 2012, The Boston Globe found widespread mislabeling in stores and restaurants).
  And the Oceana study's authors also could not determine where in the food chain the mislabeling arose '-- the wholesaler, the retailer or at the fishing dock itself '-- or whether it came about through misunderstanding or deliberate concealment.
  A common pattern, though, Dr. Warner said, was economic gain at the consumer's expense, with understudy fish '-- tilapia, in particular '-- often substituting for a menu's star, without a word to the audience.
How Can Security Companies Have This Much Access to Our Computers?
  Link to Article
  Source: Activist Post
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:10
  Activist PostWe featured an article yesterday about Obama's looming cyberwar with China. In that article is a video that deserves a post all on its own. The video shows the cyber security company Mandiant's incredible ability to shadow every click supposedly made by the Chinese hackers.
  It's really unsettling to think that a private company located in California can remotely gain full access to a computer all the way in China. Imagine how easy it must be for them to access your computer.
  Many of the comments below the video say this proxy has to be a fake hacker. Check a few of them out:
  Hackers using windows........... PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF >> AHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA fAIL
  This is bullshit! Lol!!!! A hacker providing>> a landline phone number to google and using windows wrong commands. LOL!!!
  hackers using GUIs?!?! LMAO!!!!!>> Your're doing it wrong...
  so, here's the summary:1. isn't the IP address a proxy address?-> hacked into the attackers box with reverse shell so, they got the real IP>> addr behind proxy. they got it right.2. lol what kind of a hacker uses windows xp?-> that's just the VM he's working in. host OS could be anything else. no hacker wants any kind of trace about their real OS.
  China also vehemently denied and condemned the accusation. No surprise there, somebody's lying and it's probably the guy who benefits most from their lie. The bigger story may be how this company, or any company can have that level of access to our computers.Ask yourself, how is Mandiant allowed to spy on Internet users so thoroughly? Do they have the authority to do that to Americans Who gave them this authority and with what oversight?
Lebanon may be new front in Syria's war
  Link to Article
  Source: StratRisks
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:08
  Source: UPI
  Lebanon seems to be moving closer to becoming a major new front in Syria's 2-year-old civil war after a series of deadly clashes in Syrian between rebel forces and Hezbollah, which backs the embattled Damascus regime.
  The Free Syrian Army, one of the leading groups within the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslimopposition, threatened Tuesday to strike at the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon after the Iranian-backed movement sought to extend its control of Syrian territory along the border.
  The Hezbollah offensive, which began last week, appears intended to protect vital supply routes to Syrian forces loyal to the regime from Hezbollah's heartland in the Bekaa Valley in northeastern Lebanon.
  Hezbollah also needs to maintain its own supply route from Syria along which it has been reportedly receiving advanced weapons, such as surface-to-surface missiles capable of hitting anywhere in Israel, and Russian SA-17 anti-aircraft weapons, from President Bashar Assad's regime and Iran.
  Israel views this flow of weapons with considerable alarm because, among other things, they will allow Hezbollah for the first time to challenge its air supremacy.
  This is the most likely issue to draw the Israelis into Syria's war and a Jan. 30 airstrike, supposedly against a Hezbollah arms convoy, indicated how jumpy the Israelis are getting about Iran's support for Assad, its key Arab ally.
  The recent assassination in Syria of a senior Iranian general involved in this operation demonstrated how the Syrian conflict may be expanding.
  There is still confusion over when and where Gen. Hassan Shateri of the elite Al-Quds Force, the covert action arms of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed.
  The FSA claims he was killed in the Jan. 30 airstrike and may have been the target of that raid, about which Israel has maintained a stony silence. Tehran said he was ambushed Feb. 11 by rebels.
  So Hezbollah's push on the border may have wider implications. One report said Hezbollah had deployed 1,000 fighters, partly to relieve Syrian troops needed to block rebel advances in the north.
  Hezbollah has sought to expand the control it has over a cluster of some 20 Shiite villages on the Syrian side of the porous border by seizing nearby Sunni villages where the FSA's deployed.
  These have long been involved in smuggling and are an important route for arms, fighters and other supplies to regime forces around the town of Qusayr, where many Lebanese Shiites reside and where there has been heavy fighting.
  West of Qusayr lies the strategic city of Homs, a major battleground.
  There have been casualties on both sides in the Qusayr clashes, although figures are hard to come by.
  FSA spokesman Louay al-Miqdad termed Hezbollah's push as ''an unprecedented invasion '... the first of its kind in terms of organization, planning and coordination with the Syrian regime's air force '...
  ''If Hezbollah does not stop its land invasion, which is accompanied by covering fire, we are allowed to retaliate '... If they do not stop, we will retaliate.''
  That would mark a sharp escalation in the Syrian conflict and would likely ignite broader Sunni-Shiite violence in Lebanon that many have feared has been steadily coming to the boil in recent weeks as the Syrian war sharpened long-simmering sectarian animosities.
  Sunni sources in Beirut have been talking darkly of ''something big'' expected in the coming days, hinting at action by Sunni jihadists linked to those fighting in Syria, most notably the Jabhat al-Nusrah, or the Al-Nusrah Front.
  Hezbollah is widely believed to have substantial forces in Syria fighting alongside Assad's military and his murderous paramilitary force, the Shabiha, or Ghosts.
  Some 50,000 of Assad's Alawites have recently been recruited to bolster regime forces as the rebels gain ground, spearheaded by the FSA and Jabhat al-Nusrah, the most ruthless of the anti-regime groups.
  The Front reportedly demonstrated its capabilities recently, claiming it decimated a Syrian army convoy in an elaborate ambush using 50 roadside bombs detonated simultaneously in the eastern Ghotah district of Damascus.
  A Front video of the massive ambush obtained by the SITE intelligence group indicated the spectacular attack took place Dec. 6.
  The irony is that elaborate roadside ambushes like this were pioneered by Hezbollah in the 1990s in its campaign in south Lebanon against Israeli occupation forces who eventually withdrew in May 2000.
  Tags: Al Nusrah Front, Assad, Assad Alawites, Bekaa Valley, border, FSA, iran, Israel, Lebanese Shiites, Lebanon, report, Shiite Hezbollah, SITE, strike, Sunni Muslimopposition, Syria, UPI, war, weapons
Online university giant gets bigger
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Technology
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:06
  21 February 2013Last updated at03:52 ETBy Sean CoughlanBBC News education correspondentOne of the emerging giants among online universities has announced that it is signing up a further 29 universities, including institutions in the US, Europe and Asia.
  Coursera, set up by academics from Stanford University, will now offer online courses from 62 universities.
  There are 2.8 million online students registered, says Coursera.
  Co-founder Andrew Ng said this was helping universities to "raise their impact both on and off campus".
  Coursera, set up less than a year ago, has become one of the pace setters in the rapidly expanding field of online universities - often described as MOOCs (massive open online courses).
  It provides an online platform for universities to offer courses for people to study from home.
  Global reachThis latest crop of new recruits widens its reach outside the United States, with institutions including the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ecole Polytechnique in France, Leiden University in Holland, Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, the University of Tokyo in Japan, National University of Singapore and the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
  US universities joining the online platform include Northwestern, Penn State and Rutgers,
  Another significant step was announced recently which will make Coursera's online courses count towards a full degree.
  Continue reading the main storyWe're in the middle of an exciting time for higher education in which anything is possible''
  End QuoteMartin BeanOpen University and FuturelearnAt present, such online courses might be as difficult as their campus-based versions, but most of them are not formally recognised as counting as course credits.
  But a first group of five courses on the Coursera platform, including a genetics course from Duke University and algebra at University of California, Irvine, have been recommended for accreditation.
  Sarah Eichhorn, from the University of California, Irvine's maths department, said this represented an "online education milestone" which would put such maths courses in reach of students around the world.
  The accreditation of online courses raises questions about the impact on traditional campus-based courses, where a degree course in the US can cost more than $50,000 (£33,000) per year.
  It will also raise questions about the charging structure of online courses, which in this pioneering stage have mostly been free or low cost.
  Coursera intends to become a financially viable, profit-making university project - but raising income from internet traffic and add-on services, rather than directly charging users.
  The rival edX online university project on the US east coast has been funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard and is not for profit.
  UK online projectThere have also been developments in the UK's fledgling online university platform, Futurelearn, announced by the Open University last year.
  Five more universities are joining Futurelearn - Bath, Leicester, Nottingham, Queen's Belfast and Reading.
  The British Library is also going to develop online courses using material from its collections.
  It means there will be 18 universities and institutions which intend to provide courses with Futurelearn.
  Martin Bean, the Open University's vice chancellor and head of the Futurelearn project, has joined Prime Minister David Cameron's delegation to India, which has been trying to promote UK universities.
  "We're in the middle of an exciting time for higher education in which anything is possible," said Mr Bean.
  Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller said online university networks could "offer a high quality learning experience to anyone who wants it".
  "One of our top priorities is to reach the people who need education the most, including those who would not otherwise have access."
Sony unveils social-focused PlayStation 4
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:04
  Video game designer Mark Cerny talks about the new controler Bioshock 4 as Sony introduces the PlayStation 4 at a news conference on February 20, 2013 in New York.
  Sony is sharing the PlayStation 4 with the world. The Japanese electronics giant unveiled the new gaming system Wednesday, hyping the machine as a "supercharged PC" with the ability to effortlessly share interactive experiences, by instantly broadcasting video of gaming action or virtually handing out health potions to friends online.
  "Today marks a moment of truth and a bold step forward for PlayStation," said Andrew House, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
  Sony said the system will feature an eight-core processor that can juggle more tasks than the PlayStation 3 and be part of a new digital ecosystem that's "the fastest, most powerful gaming network."
  "Our long-term vision is to reduce download times of digital titles to zero," said Mark Cerny, Sony's lead system architect on the PS4.
  The PS4 is Sony's first major game machine since the PlayStation 3 went on sale in 2006. Wednesday's unveiling is Sony Corp.'s attempt to steal the spotlight from rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co., at least until Microsoft unveils its next Xbox in June, as expected, at the E3 video game expo in Los Angeles.
  But one thing Sony neglected to do: show the actual device.
  Instead, the two-hour event involved executives from Sony and its video game partners touting features and showing demonstration video on stage.
  There was no word on price or availability, other than a flash on the screen saying "holiday 2013."
  When the PlayStation 3 went on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 17, 2006, the 20 gigabyte model had a $500 price tag and the 60 GB version went for $600. They are now cheaper and come with more storage'--$270 for 250 GB and $300 for 500 GB. Comparable models of Nintendo's Wii U and Microsoft's Xbox 360 both start at $300.
  Among the PS4's revisions is an updated controller that adds a touchpad and a "share" button. The controller also features a light bar, which means a new PlayStation camera can more easily track the device for motion control.
  Sony also boasted at the New York launch event that the PS4 would work more seamlessly with its latest mobile gaming device, the PlayStation Vita, which debuted last year.
  Among the games that were unveiled for the PS4 on Wednesday were the realistic racing simulator "Drive Club," super-powered action sequel "Infamous: Second Son," artsy puzzler "The Witness" and first-person shooter "Killzone: Shadow Fall."
  Last fall, Nintendo launched the next generation of gaming consoles with the Wii U, which comes with a tablet-like controller called the GamePad. The controller allows two people playing the same game to have different experiences depending on whether they use the GamePad or a traditional Wii remote, which itself was revolutionary when it came out because of its motion-control features.
  The original Wii has sold more units since its launch than both its rivals, but it has lost momentum in recent years as the novelty of its motion controller faded. Nintendo said it sold 3.1 million Wii Us by the end of 2012. It was a disappointing start for the first of a new generation of gaming systems.
  In some ways, notably its ability to display high-definition games, the Wii U was just catching up to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, the preferred consoles to play popular games like "Call of Duty."
  The PS4 is arriving amid declines in video game hardware, software and accessory sales. Research firm NPD Group said game sales fell 22 percent to $13.3 billion in 2012. With the launch of the PS4, Sony is looking to attract audiences who may have shifted their attention to games on Facebook, tablet computers and mobile phones.
  All three console makers are trying to position their devices as entertainment hubs that can deliver movies, music and social networking as they try to stay relevant in the age of smartphones and tablets. The PlayStation online network will have access to Sony's video and music services, as well as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, with paid subscriptions to those services. People will also be able to access Facebook.
  Beyond games, the PlayStation 4 will let people create animation in 3-D using a Move motion controller'--all in real time.
  Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SAP billionaire: Gates duped me into donating
  Link to Article
  Source: The Local - Germany's news in English
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:53
  Published: 21 Feb 13 11:04 CET | Print versionOnline: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130221-48103.html
  It was like King Kong versus Godzilla - two of the world's richest men have got into a billionaire brawl over whether Bill Gates tried to dupe SAP founder Hasso Plattner into giving away half his fortune.
  The Giving Pledge, started by Microsoft founder Gates and US investor Warren Buffett to encourage the extremely wealthy to promise to give half their wealth to good causes, announced this week that software mogul Plattner, one of Germany's richest men, had signed up.But a disgruntled Plattner later said he had made no such commitment to give away half of his money.
  "I feel Bill Gates has gone behind my back and used me," Plattner told regional newspaper the Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten on Thursday.
  The charity had quoted from a letter Plattner had wrote praising the practically free higher education he had received in Germany, and talking about wanting to give something back to society.
  He and a handful of other billionaires including British tycoon Richard Branson, had signed up to the pledge, the letter said. A condition of joining is that the new member promises to give away at least half their wealth to good causes, although there is no stipulation of where the money goes.
  Plattner, 69, is estimated to be worth more than '‚¬5 billion. He started a foundation to promote education and health care around 20 years ago - but has not filled it with half of his fortune, much of which is still tied up in SAP, the software firm he founded.
  He said he was furious at The Giving Pledge organizers, telling the Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten that he had not signed up, would not be bounced into doing so, as he intended to retain control of both his stake of SAP and how he funded good causes.
  Yet on Wednesday evening SAP itself released a statement saying Plattner was pleased to have joined the Gates-Buffett foundation - seemingly contradicting him.
  Just a few hours later he repeated his denial that he was signing up to the foundation.
  "They can all write that I am a member of the foundation as far as I am concerned. But I know that I do not fulfil the criteria - whatever Bill Gates says. There is less than 20 percent of my fortune in my foundation," he said.
  The Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten quoted a spokesman for The Giving Pledge saying that Gates knew about Plattner's social engagement and considered that this fulfilled the criteria.
  "Gates will have to explain the rest," Plattner told the paper.
  The Local/hc
China steps up defence on hacking allegations
  Link to Article
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:52
  BEIJING: Chinese state media stepped up the war of words Thursday over allegations of sophisticated cyberattacks on US firms, branding the accusations a "commercial stunt" and accusing Washington of ulterior motives.
  American Internet security firm Mandiant earlier this week said that a Chinese military cyberspy unit had been targeting US and other foreign firms and organisations with hacking attacks.
  But an editorial in the state-run China Daily said: "One cannot help but ask the real purpose of such a hullabaloo.
  "With the US economic recovery dragging its feet, it is reasonable to think that some in Washington may want to make China a scapegoat so that public attention is diverted away from the country's economic woes."
  Defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said the People's Liberation Army had itself been the target of a "significant number" of cyberattacks.
  "A considerable number" of them originated in the United States, judging from the IP addresses involved, he said, but added that he did not accuse the US government of being involved. He had earlier said Mandiant's claims had "no factual basis".
  The media backlash came after the US government Wednesday vowed to aggressively combat a rise in the foreign theft of trade secrets.
  A new strategy document released by the White House did not explicitly name China, but warned that foreign governments and firms had stepped up efforts to obtain such material, threatening US economic and national security.
  In its report, Mandiant alleged the hacking group "APT1" -- from the initials "Advanced Persistent Threat" -- was part of the Chinese military's Unit 61398 and had stolen hundreds of terabytes of data from at least 141 organisations across 20 industries.
  Targeted companies included some involved with significant sections of the American domestic infrastructure.
  Western analysts dismissed the Chinese denials as "meaningless".
  A strongly worded commentary by the official news agency Xinhua said the Mandiant document "reeks of a commercial stunt".
  "Next time, the CEO could simply say: 'See the Chinese hackers? Hurry up, come and buy our cyber security services'," it went on.
  It said the US had a "matchless superiority and ability to stage cyberattacks across the globe", and that the US military had "established a significant cyber force, including the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade, which is a regular military unit tasked with carrying out cyber missions".
  Washington, it added, had a "habit of accusing other nations based on phony evidence".
  "Facts will eventually prove that the cyberattacks accusations are groundless and will only tarnish the image and reputation of the company making them, as well as that of the United States," it said.
  An expert quoted in China's state-run Global Times newspaper questioned US motives, saying Washington was exaggerating the cyber threat posed by China in order to garner support from other Asian countries.
  "The US is raising the profile of the 'invisible' cyber threat as a new weapon in order to balance its losses in the Asia-Pacific pivot strategy," said Hun Xudong, a professor with the PLA National Defence University.
  "The US controls the world's main servers. This has been a threat to China's cyber security," he added.
  Western academics said they were unsurprised at the rhetoric used by Chinese officials in denying the hacking allegations.
  James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said: "It's a standard Chinese diplomatic ploy to say 'it isn't us, and in any case, you do it, too'.
  "So their denial and accusations are meaningless."
Cameroon minister denies French hostages freed
  Link to Article
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:51
  YAOUNDE, Cameroon: A Cameroonian minister denied Thursday reports that a French family seized in the north of the country this week had been freed.
  "It is a wild rumour. If this was true, the Cameroonian government would have already given the information to France," said Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Earlier, a French minister went back on an initial confirmation that the family of seven had been freed.
Why this lawsuit could have HUGE impact on peaceful protests in the UK
  Link to Article
  Source: Liberal Conspiracy
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:50
  by Sunny Hundal 10:15 am - February 21st 2013
  A civil claim by EDF energy against environmental activists could have huge implications for the future of protests in the UK.
  Yesterday, the Guardian reported that EDF Energy has launched a civil claim for damages against a group called No Dash for Gas and other 'associated activists' for costs that the company claims to have incurred '' a figure it puts at £5 million.
  If the claim succeeds several of the campaigners could lose their homes, and all would face bankruptcy or be forced to pay a percentage of their salaries to EDF for decades to come.
  This is the first time an energy company has attempted such a claim. It is clearly an attempt to bankrupt and stop peaceful direct action protests.
  If successful the same tactics would likely be adopted by other organisations against all forms of direct action and protesting '' including Greenpeace, UKuncut and even the Countryside Alliance.
  This video explains what the activists are now facing.
  The amount EDF are claiming represents just 0.3% of EDF's annual UK profits, which rose by 7.5% this year to £1.7 billion.
  The claims relate to a week-long shut-down and occupation of EDF's West Burton gas-fired power station last October by No Dash for Gas.
  Sixteen campaigners occupied two chimneys at West Burton for a week in October 2012, stopping nearly 20,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The activists '' 21 in total '' were convicted this week of aggravated trespass at Mansfield Magistrates Court.
  Activists claim there is evidence that Nottinghamshire Police colluded with EDF against 'No Dash for Gas' by formally serving civil papers on the activists after their arrest, and by sharing their personal data with the power company.
  When the activists' lawyer wrote to the police asking to view CCTV footage from inside the station, he was told it had probably been deleted as footage was only kept for three months '' despite the fact that this three-month deadline had not yet passed.
  The case is reminiscent of the record-breaking 'McLibel' case, when the fast food chain McDonalds sued two activists from North London from 1990-1997. That case turned into a huge public relations disaster for McDonalds.
Bitcoin exchange gains clearance to operate as a real bank in France
  Link to Article
  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:47
  Bitcoin-Central is set to become the first Bitcoin exchange to operate as a real bank, thanks to new approvals from French regulators. Run by Paymium, Bitcoin-Central partnered with two French companies '-- the payment processor Aqoba and bank Credit Mutuel '-- to create a payment service based on Bitcoins. Customers will be able to deposit their funds into the service in either euros or Bitcoins, and they will be able to easily convert the funds between the two currencies.
  Thanks to the approvals from authorities in France, deposits made in euros will benefit from insurance provided by the Garantie des d(C)p´ts, a French version of the FDIC in the US. Bitcoin-Central accounts will also be tied into the complete French banking system, which allows for direct deposit and other modern banking conveniences. A debit card, which will allow customers to spend their Bitcoins at retails establishments, is also in the works. It's not yet clear exactly when the service will launch, though approval for it is the key first step to getting it off the ground.
  Bitcoins are a digital form of currency that have had trouble gaining traction in mainstream culture, thanks to a number of factors. Fraudulent activity with Bitcoins has caused earlier Bitcoin exchanges to shut down, the US-based Tradehill nd BitFloor exchanges being the most notable. Also, the rather nebulous way in which Bitcoins are created (they are "mined" by computers as opposed to being printed or produced by official government agencies) makes it difficult for the average consumer to put their trust in the currency. But gaining integration with traditional banking methods is an important step towards bringing Bitcoin to the masses, and it will be interesting to see if this venture by Bitcoin-Central will be able to shake off fraud concerns and become a successful operation.