What Adam Curry is reading

US, EU may start training and equipping Syrian rebels
  Link to Article
  Source: WTF RLY REPORT
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:58
  RT.com
  The US will increase aid to the Syrian opposition, the White House has announced. Europe may follow suit by increasing aid to the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The decision is expected after a key conference on Syria in Rome.
  ''We will continue to provide assistance to the Syrian people, to the Syrian opposition, we will continue to increase our assistance in the effort to bring about a post-Assad Syria,'' White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.
  ''We are constantly reviewing the nature of the assistance we provide to both the Syrian people, in form of humanitarian assistance, and to the Syrian opposition in the form of non-lethal assistance,'' he said.
  So far the US has no plans to provide the Syrian insurgency with body armor, vehicles or military training, Reuters reported citing sources familiar with the matter.
  Washington is however changing its policy on the conflict, and will send ''medical supplies and food'' directly to the rebels, sources said.
  Read more
Pi and the rise of small computers
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  Source: BBC News - Technology
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:53
  27 February 2013Last updated at19:01 ETBy Mark WardTechnology correspondent, BBC NewsIf small is beautiful, then in recent months the computer world has been burgeoning with beauty thanks to the growing number of teeny, tiny machines being released.
  The Raspberry Pi has led this pack, purely because more than a million of them have been sold since orders started being accepted on 29 February 2012. Also available at this lower end of the market are devices from VIA, Rikomagic, Mele, Texas Instruments and Hiapad.
  The loveliness does not stop there, as many others, such as FXI, Xi3, Zotac and even Intel, are producing dinky devices. Intel's contender, called the NUC or Next Unit of Computing, is about the size of a box of 80 teabags.
  These small devices had emerged because of "massive changes" in the way people used computers, said Ranjit Atwal, research director at market analysis firm Gartner.
  It used to be the case that people bought one computer to do everything, said Mr Atwal.
  "Now," he said, "you buy the device to match your particular need."
  In the same way that people buy a smartphone to browse on the move, if they want to try their hand at coding, they opt for the Raspberry Pi or one of its rivals.
  Similarly, if they want a home media server for their DVDs, they pick Intel's NUC or perhaps something from Zotac or Xi3.
  The prices of these small form factor machines varies widely but all these gadgets can, with a little help from a few add-ons and peripherals, do anything that used to require the services of a fully functioning, and quite hefty, desktop PC.
  Continue reading the main storyDeveloping demandTwo things stand out for us in terms of our experience with the developing world over the past year.
  The first is the role of South Africa as a beachhead into the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.
  If you look at a map of where Pis are selling, you can see a hotspot there, and many of the people we talk to are buying with a view to marketing them to the emerging urban middle class to the north.
  A less positive experience has been the impact of state-monopoly postal services and punitive tariffs - often as high as 100% - on availability in markets such as Brazil.
  There, a $35 (£23) Pi will currently cost you the best part of $100 (£66).
  I believe that these measures, aimed at fostering local manufacturing, risk holding back the emergence of a modern knowledge economy in these countries.
  "There are a lot of tiny PCs out there in the market place," said Intel spokesman John Deatherage. "There's a growing spectrum of people needing computer power in a small form factor."
  There were two main reasons for the emergence of small PCs, he said. One aesthetic and one technical.
  The aesthetic reason was that computers had begun emerging from spare rooms and box-rooms and were taking up residence in living rooms. In some of those cases, people did not want a "beige box" squatting on their carpet, he said. Far better to have something small and unobtrusive.
  Those machines being used in front rooms and other places were not "replacements" for the family PC but "were going where the need was felt", he said.
  The technical trend is linked to the driving force of the computer world: Moore's Law.
  Coined by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, this economic law states that the number of transistors that can be placed on a chip for the same cost will double roughly every two years. More transistors in a smaller space typically translates to more power.
  Chip development, memory density and a host of other technological innovations meant that now small did not mean puny, said Mr Deatherage.
  Power gameThis, said James Gorbold, former editor of Custom PC, stood in sharp contrast to the situation barely a decade ago that emphasised size and brute force.
  Continue reading the main storyProblems with PiI ordered the Raspberry Pi when it first launched and had to wait five months for it to arrive.
  I was so excited when it eventually came in the post, but it was just a box with the Pi in it and a thing telling me to put it onto something rubber to prevent electrical damage.
  It was a big anti climax for me - there were no real instructions in there to tell you what to do.
  You have to know to type "Start X" when you first turn the Pi on, but you only know that if you figure out you have to download the manual off the website first.
  I ended up buying paper versions of both the official user manual and a beginner's guide to Python, which cost about the same as the Pi itself.
  I bought it to learn to code, but I haven't really used it enough times because I need to keep referring to the books.
  It's really good for teaching kids and I would recommend it, but it definitely needs to come with more instructions.
  "Five to 10 years ago there was a trend towards really big machines," he said. "Hulking great gaming PCs filled with multi-coloured lights that needed water cooling."
  "Now," he said, "the market has matured. People want something a bit more stylish and discrete."
  It's matured thanks to the growing move to portable computing, which emphasised low power components, he said.
  Less power going in means less heat coming out and removes the need for fans and other devices to cool the hot chips and other components doing all the hard work.
  Many of the components found in small form factor PCs were more commonly found in phones, tablets or laptops, said Mr Gorbold.
  For instance, the chip at the heart of the Raspberry Pi is more usually found in a handset. Similarly, hard drives and other components used in small machines from Dell, Apple and many others were initially developed for use in laptops.
  Intel, in particular, said Mr Gorbold, had worked hard to reduce power consumption across all its processors for years, making it possible to put them in little boxes that do not need cooling.
  For Mr Atwal, from Gartner, the shift to smaller PCs was also an indicator of the reality of the broader PC market.
  "Over the last 10 years, who has made money in the PC world?" he asked. "It's Microsoft and Intel."
  By contrast PC makers, he said, were operating on razor-thin margins and struggled to prosper, let alone think about new products.
  "This means their ability to innovate is more and more limited," he said.
  Increasingly, PC box shifters relied on Intel and other component makers to do the innovation for them. This reduced their risk and left them less exposed should they back a trend that did not catch on with consumers.
  This, Mr Atwal said, helped to explain the current wave of "experimentation" in the PC market that had led to the emergence of lots of different types of small machines.
  "It's one thing doing the innovation and its another entirely to position and market the final product," he said.
Bob Woodward: 'Very senior person' at White House said you'll 'regret' reporting on sequester [video]
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitchy » US Politics
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:51
  What difference, at this point, does it make whose idea the sequester was? For a while, the White House was succeeding in its effort to pin the scheduled budget cuts on House Republicans, but the GOP fought back, with several legislators changing their Twitter avatars to a highlighted passage from Bob Woodward's book, ''The Price of Politics,'' tracing the origin of the sequester to the White House.
  The White House was ''not happy'' with that development, Woodward told Wolf Blitzer tonight, with a ''very senior person'' emailing that Woodward would ''regret doing this.''
  Remember, it took being shut out of the president's golf match with Tiger Woods to give the press a clue that perhaps this wasn't the most transparent administration ever.
Create Solar Energy Together | Mosaic
  Link to Article
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:48
  Invest directly in solar projectsPut your money to work creating clean energy
  Collect repayments with interestAs projects earn revenue, investors are paid back with interest
  1.
  Mosaic Platform
  Mosaic connects investors to solar projects in need of financing.
  2.
  Solar Project
  Solar Customer
  As the solar project produces clean electricity, it generates revenue by selling power to the solar customer.
  3.
  Solar Project
  As the project earns revenue, investors are paid back with interest.
  Investing with Mosaic is easy. Simply sign-in to your Mosaic account anytime to manage and track your investment. As you receive payments from your investment, you can easily re-invest them in new projects or transfer them to your bank account.
  Every month you will receive monthly payments in your account from your investments. Each payment returns part of your principal investment plus the interest you earned that month.
  Mosaic charges investors a 1% annual platform fee, which is assessed monthly on all assets on the platform. All project listings clearly show the Expected Yield after fees, meaning the yields you see are the yields you will get from projects that perform as expected. Read more about our fees here.
  Each investment you make is represented by a Mosaic Note. The note is a written promise to pay a specific sum of money over a fixed term. Each Mosaic Note states how much you loaned to the project and the investment terms.
  As you receive payments back from your investments, your cash is kept safely in an 'for benefit of' account that is FDIC-insured up to $250,000. Your money is kept in this account until you choose to invest in new projects or transfer it to your personal bank account.
  Each project is described in a Prospectus that is prepared in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission's disclosure requirements and contains all of the important details about your investment. You can access the Prospectus on each project page.
  Jed Emerson- co-founder of Impact Assets and author of "Impact Investing"
Hyperbolic ABC: 'Massive Spending Cuts' to Cause Meat Shortages?
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:41
  The reporters of Good Morning America, who on Monday briefly questioned Barack Obama's hyperbolic talk about the sequester, have returned to hyperbolic warnings about meat shortages and children losing vaccines. Guest co-host Elizabeth Vargas on Wednesday hyped "the grim countdown to the massive spending cuts that will kick in on Friday."
  Video cross-posted at NewsBusters.
CNN Hosts Radical Nun Calling Papal Election 'Invalid'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:38
  After CNN's initial report on the Pope's final papal audience on Wednesday's Newsroom, the network's first guest was radical leftist nun Sister Donna Quinn.
  Quin called the upcoming papal election "invalid" and "fraudulent" for not including women on the ballot and in the process.
MYSTERIOUS BEPPE GRILLO
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:34
House Democrats propose Department of Peacebuilding | The Daily Caller
  Link to Article
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:30
  California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee has introduced legislation to create a federal Department of Peacebuilding that would cultivate peace and take on the causes of violence and conflict.
  Lee's legislation H.R. 808 ''Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013'" also would create a Cabinet-level Secretary of Peacebuilding focused on creating peace and preventing violence.
  ''This culture of violence that we live in is unacceptable,'' Lee said in a statement her office distributed earlier this month. ''On our streets and across the globe, the pervasive presence of violence has infected the lives of millions, and it is far past time we address it as a nation. We invest hundreds of billions each year in the Pentagon, in war colleges, military academies, and our national defense universities all to develop war tactics and strategies.''
  ''Now we need that kind of investment in peace and nonviolence here at home,'' Lee added.
  The proposed department carries on an idea initially proposed by former Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who attempted to establish a Department of Peace.
  ''The Department of Peacebuilding advances the good work of my friend and former colleague Congressman Kucinich and has the potential to reduce suffering on a national and global scale while saving billions of dollars through violence reduction and increased economic productivity,'' Lee added.
  While the legislation's text '-- which points out that more than 100 million people have died in wars during the 20th century and ''at the dawn of the 21st century, violence seems to be an overarching theme in the world'' '-- is not yet posted online. The Hill, which first reported on the legislation, obtained and posted a copy Tuesday.
  The legislation would require the department to develop national strategies and programs to encourage violence prevention, and dispute resolution to reduce problems such as gun violence, racial and ethnic violence and violence against LGBT Americans and women.
  The department would work with other agencies, sharing peace findings and assisting the international community in peace endeavors, including fostering conflict resolution initiatives.
  The department would also create a four-year Peace Academy in the model of the military service academies, and offer grants and incentives for peacebuilding initiatives. The Secretary will also encourage Americans to observe and celebrate ''Peace Days.''
  The ''Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2013'' introduced Monday and Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, currently has eight original co-sponsors, all Democratic.
  Follow Caroline on Twitter
ABC Edits Out Michelle Obama's Gaffe
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:12
  On Tuesday, ABC featured Michelle Obama in a Robin Roberts interview. In the segment, the First Lady referred to a Chicago killing and "automatic weapons." This is inaccurate, according to police.
  Michelle Obama's full quote: "She was standing out in a park with her friends in a neighborhood blocks away from where my kids grew up, where our house is. She had just taken a chemistry test. And she was caught in the line of fire because some kids had some automatic weapons they didn't need,"
  To see how ABC edited out the bolded words, click on this video. See cross-post at NewsBusters.
NBC: 'Knives Came Out' When Pope Announced Abdication, Church in 'Holy Mess'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:06
  Keeping up NBC's barrage of attacks against the Catholic Church in the days leading up to Pope Benedict XVI's abdication, on Wednesday's Today, correspondent Anne Thompson made this nasty declaration: "...as one observer said, the stiletto knives came out as the battle for control of this institution begins, that some say is a holy mess....reports of infighting, back stabbing, and political jockeying that could make corporate America or Capitol Hill blush."
  More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.
Schedule | sxsw.com
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:44
  Currently a self-titled "Government Legislation Analyst," Adam Curry reads legislation, watches C-SPAN, deconstructs the media and reports his findings twice weekly on his listener-supported "No Agenda" podcast. Last summer he toured the US to meet and talk personally with his listeners '' whom he calls producers '' to get a deeper sense of the impact of his efforts to help people understand what drives the media, and of the future of the 'Value for Value' model.
  Adam started in radio at the age of 15, working in Dutch pirate radio and television before becoming widely known for his 1987-94 stint as an MTV VJ, where he interviewed countless stars including Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.
  An early advocate and innovator in web technology, Adam left MTV to found "OnRamp", which ultimately grew to 700 employees as the NASDAQ listed company THINK New Ideas, which he and his partners merged with Answerthink in 1999. In 2005, he co-founded PodShow '' now Mevio '' which has raised over $38 million since its launch, and in the process earned the nickname "The Podfather" as one of the pioneers of podcasting.
  A resident of Austin, Texas, Adam is also a licensed fixed wing and helicopter pilot.
Land Rover Discovery Review (Reviews) and Report, Land Rover Discovery Recall
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:14
  We have launched Land Rover Hell www.LandRoverHell.com as a result of the consistent problems that we have experienced with our Land Rover Discovery since its purchase, almost 3 years ago. Besides all the problems with the car, what has compounded matters is the bad service and general uninterested and unhelpful attitude of Land Rover Spain, and Land Rover head office in the U.K. The car has been unbelievably unreliable, and on 2 occasions whilst travelling abroad we experienced major problems, resulting on both occasions having to leave the car behind and return in a small hire car, thus leaving the trailer we had taken with us, stranded there too. Consequently this has involved another round-trip of having to collect the trailer, all at our own cost, which on both occasions the mileage has been 975km for each trip, so it wasn't cheap! We also feel that it should be bought to everybody's attention that Land Rover do not want to honour their warranty obligations, and fabricate lies to avoid paying out for genuine repairs, (please read the article "Battery & Transmission" for further details). We just feel that potential customers of Land Rover should be aware of the fact that the Land Rover Discovery is not a reliable car, and after the sale care is non existent and is particularly bad from Head Office. The supplying dealer was a nightmare, (no longer a main Land Rover dealer) However the current servicing dealer Autonautica in Benidorm has been fantastic and always very helpful, the roadside assistance have been terrific too, (invaluable on the Land Rover Discovery) but in the long run it is Head Office that hold the key to providing the long-term solution, and thus it is with them we have the problem. Hopefully, this forum will enlighten customers about our bad experiences, and also let other Land Rover Discover owners list there problems and grievances, so that prospective purchases of Land Rover products can see what they could be letting themselves in for, and subsequently that Land Rover realise the discontent of its customers and thus improve the reliability of the cars they manufacture and the after-car they provide for their customers, without whom, they would be out of business. We feel that the product is fantastic in theory, but the practicalities of owning the car make the purchase of a Land Rover Discover a really bad and costly mistake, please feel free to comment on current articles, and add your own. We have an extensive Search Engine Optimisation and marketing campaigns and plan to make this website the major forum for all Land Rover models, we look forward to your help in achieving this.
  *Please note all of the comments of this website and blog are of the individual opinions of the authors, and the owners of the website are not responsible for these in any way.
  Please share with other or add to your favourites.
VIDEO-HBO: Documentaries: Watch Mea Maxima Culpa videos including trailers, previews & clips on HBO.com.
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:14
  HBO: Documentaries | Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House of God | HomeYour Javascript is Turned off. You need Javascript to be turned to view this site.
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  Explores the first known public protest against clerical sex abuse in the U.S. by four courageous Deaf men.
Pope will have security, immunity by remaining in the Vatican | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:07
  1 of 2. Pope Benedict XVI poses with Italian cardinal Angelo Bagnasco (4th L) and bishops from the Liguria region during a meeting at the Vatican February 15, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Osservatore Romano
  By Philip Pullella
  VATICAN CITY | Fri Feb 15, 2013 1:59pm EST
  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's decision to live in the Vatican after he resigns will provide him with security and privacy. It will also offer legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world, Church sources and legal experts say.
  "His continued presence in the Vatican is necessary, otherwise he might be defenseless. He wouldn't have his immunity, his prerogatives, his security, if he is anywhere else," said one Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
  "It is absolutely necessary" that he stays in the Vatican, said the source, adding that Benedict should have a "dignified existence" in his remaining years.
  Vatican sources said officials had three main considerations in deciding that Benedict should live in a convent in the Vatican after he resigns on February 28.
  Vatican police, who already know the pope and his habits, will be able to guarantee his privacy and security and not have to entrust it to a foreign police force, which would be necessary if he moved to another country.
  "I see a big problem if he would go anywhere else. I'm thinking in terms of his personal security, his safety. We don't have a secret service that can devote huge resources (like they do) to ex-presidents," the official said.
  Another consideration was that if the pope did move permanently to another country, living in seclusion in a monastery in his native Germany, for example, the location might become a place of pilgrimage.
  POTENTIAL EXPOSURE
  This could be complicated for the Church, particularly in the unlikely event that the next pope makes decisions that may displease conservatives, who could then go to Benedict's place of residence to pay tribute to him.
  "That would be very problematic," another Vatican official said.
  The final key consideration is the pope's potential exposure to legal claims over the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandals.
  In 2010, for example, Benedict was named as a defendant in a law suit alleging that he failed to take action as a cardinal in 1995 when he was allegedly told about a priest who had abused boys at a U.S. school for the deaf decades earlier. The lawyers withdrew the case last year and the Vatican said it was a major victory that proved the pope could not be held liable for the actions of abusive priests.
  Benedict is currently not named specifically in any other case. The Vatican does not expect any more but is not ruling out the possibility.
  "(If he lived anywhere else) then we might have those crazies who are filing lawsuits, or some magistrate might arrest him like other (former) heads of state have been for alleged acts while he was head of state," one source said.
  Another official said: "While this was not the main consideration, it certainly is a corollary, a natural result."
  After he resigns, Benedict will no longer be the sovereign monarch of the State of Vatican City, which is surrounded by Rome, but will retain Vatican citizenship and residency.
  LATERAN PACTS
  That would continue to provide him immunity under the provisions of the Lateran Pacts while he is in the Vatican and even if he makes jaunts into Italy as a Vatican citizen.
  The 1929 Lateran Pacts between Italy and the Holy See, which established Vatican City as a sovereign state, said Vatican City would be "invariably and in every event considered as neutral and inviolable territory".
  There have been repeated calls for Benedict's arrest over sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
  When Benedict went to Britain in 2010, British author and atheist campaigner Richard Dawkins asked authorities to arrest the pope to face questions over the Church's child abuse scandal.
  Dawkins and the late British-American journalist Christopher Hitchens commissioned lawyers to explore ways of taking legal action against the pope. Their efforts came to nothing because the pope was a head of state and so enjoyed diplomatic immunity.
  In 2011, victims of sexual abuse by the clergy asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the pope and three Vatican officials over sexual abuse.
  The New York-based rights group Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and another group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), filed a complaint with the ICC alleging that Vatican officials committed crimes against humanity because they tolerated and enabled sex crimes.
  The ICC has not taken up the case but has never said why. It generally does not comment on why it does not take up cases.
  NOT LIKE A CEO
  The Vatican has consistently said that a pope cannot be held accountable for cases of abuse committed by others because priests are employees of individual dioceses around the world and not direct employees of the Vatican. It says the head of the church cannot be compared to the CEO of a company.
  Victims groups have said Benedict, particularly in his previous job at the head of the Vatican's doctrinal department, turned a blind eye to the overall policies of local Churches, which moved abusers from parish to parish instead of defrocking them and handing them over to authorities.
  The Vatican has denied this. The pope has apologized for abuse in the Church, has met with abuse victims on many of his trips, and ordered a major investigation into abuse in Ireland.
  But groups representing some of the victims say the Pope will leave office with a stain on his legacy because he was in positions of power in the Vatican for more than three decades, first as a cardinal and then as pope, and should have done more.
  The scandals began years before the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in 2005 but the issue has overshadowed his papacy from the beginning, as more and more cases came to light in dioceses across the world.
  As recently as last month, the former archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony, was stripped by his successor of all public and administrative duties after a thousands of pages of files detailing abuse in the 1980s were made public.
  Mahony, who was archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 until 2011, has apologized for "mistakes" he made as archbishop, saying he had not been equipped to deal with the problem of sexual misconduct involving children. The pope was not named in that case.
  In 2007, the Los Angeles archdiocese, which serves 4 million Catholics, reached a $660 million civil settlement with more than 500 victims of child molestation, the biggest agreement of its kind in the United States.
  Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the pope "gave the fight against sexual abuse a new impulse, ensuring that new rules were put in place to prevent future abuse and to listen to victims. That was a great merit of his papacy and for that we will be grateful".
  (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Additional reporting by Robin Pomeroy; Edited by Simon Robinson and Giles Elgood)
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Aerial photography ban proposed for all but government - AGBeat
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:04
  New Hampshire bill proposes aerial photography banNeal Kurk (R), member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 1986 has recently sponsored HB 619-FN to make aerial photography illegal in their state, which many are considering a look into the future. States are currently struggling with how to deal with advances in drone technology, particularly mini-drones, fueled by fears not only that the federal government is using drones on U.S. soil, but are using them abroad not only to take out terrorists, but suspected terrorists, even if American. Click to tweet.
  Much media attention has been showered on the topic, bringing light to the full array of uses, not just the CIA's implementation of the technologies. According to Fox correspondent Catherine Herridge, the Federal Aviation Administration has already granted 327 licenses, and it projects as many as 10,000 licensed systems by 2017.
  New Hampshire's proposed aerial photography ban states the following:
  A person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if such person knowingly creates or assists in creating an image of the exterior of any residential dwelling in this state where such image is created by or with the assistance of a satellite, drone, or any device that is not supported by the ground. This prohibition shall not apply where the image does not reveal forms identifiable as human beings or man-made objects. In this paragraph, ''dwelling'' means any building, structure, or portion thereof which is occupied as, or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more individuals.
  Potential problems with this billAlthough the bill seeks to protect residents from being spied on or documented, it very clearly excludes government officials who may use drones for official business. Most protests against drones are not against hobbyists, Google Maps satellites, commercial flights, the film industry, or aerial photographers, rather against the government's use of the devices.
  The aerial photography ban is unclear as to the very specific non-threatening uses of aerial devices such as aerial real estate photography for listings, or if a homeowner is photographing their own home, and while it states that ''This prohibition shall not apply where the image does not reveal forms identifiable as human beings or man-made objects,'' possibly implying that if no human is in any photo or video taken, it is acceptable.
  Additionally, it is unclear the implications of this bill on existing Google maps or existing images that have been taken via aerial device, and videography does not seem to be clearly addressed in the bill.
  Fines for violations of a bill that could spread to other statesRep. Kurk proposes a fine for violating the aerial photography ban, costing $62.71 per case in fiscal year 2014, rising to $64.40 per case thereafter, with an estimated $10,000 burden on taxpayers should someone appeal, and of course the $35,000 per year prison cost per person that fails to pay and is arrested.
  Real estate photographer Larry Lohrman said, ''Based on the public discussion that I've seen on this subject, I'm going to go out on a limb and make a wild guess and predict that this is not going to be an isolated incident. My guess is that other states will be doing this too. Particularly since so many cities are resisting use of UAVs by law enforcement.''
CASH GRAB: Inactive bank accounts to be seized | News.com.au
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:52
  The government will from May 31 be able to transfer all money from accounts that have not been used for three years into their own revenues. Picture: Luzio GrossiSource: news.com.au
  HOUSEHOLDS face losing up to $109 million from their family savings as the Federal government moves to seize cash from inactive bank accounts.
  After legislation was rushed through parliament, the government will from May 31 be able to transfer all money from accounts that have not been used for three years into their own revenues.
  This will mean that accounts with anything from $1 upwards that have not had any deposit or withdrawals in the past three years will be transferred to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.
  The law is forecast to raise $109 million this year as inactive accounts for three years or more are raided by Treasury.OPINION: Just another boost for the coffers
  The money can be reclaimed from ASIC but the process can take months.
  Experts warn this will have a negative impact on people that may have put money away in a special account for their children's education or decided to put an inheritance in a separate account for a rainy day.
  The previous legislation allowed for bank accounts to remain inactive for up to 7 years before the money was transferred to ASIC.
  Do you have a bank account you haven't used for three years? If so, contact us at stephen.mcmahcon@news.com.auAustralian Bankers Association chief executive Steven Munchenberg said there is no benefit for consumers from the changes.
  "It is very hard to see why this needed to be rushed through but there have been suggestions it was done more for the government's own financial circumstances rather than customers needs," he said.
  Mr Munchenberg warned that unaware customers face having accounts frozen and could face months of delays trying to reclaim their won money from ASIC.
  This cash grab comes as economists warn the government is on track to hand down a $15 billion budget deficit in May as company tax receipts collapse.
  Before Christmas, Treasurer Wayne Swan junked the government's previously "rock solid" promise to produce a surplus in 2012-13.
  The government had also been committed to surpluses in future financial years, too.
  But despite the introduction of some tough cost-cutting measures, the latest research from global bank UBS forecasts the May budget will show a $12 billion black hole in revenues and cost overruns of about $3 billion. The biggest pain is coming from the expected $8 billion fall in taxes from the corporate sector.
Apple's Deleting iCloud Emails That Contain The Phrase 'Barely Legal Teens' | Cult of Mac
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:51
  Apple has a well documented history of banning everything that has anything to do with pornography, even if it's only remotely related. It's nice that Apple wants to keep the App Store clean, but their obsession with eliminating porn from computing has a lot of collateral damage.
  In its latest push to get porn off your computer, Apple now deletes all iCloud emails that contain the phrase 'barely legal teens.' It doesn't send the messages to spam, or flag them, it just straight up deletes them, and there's nothing you can do about it.
  It sounds like Apple's just trying to help you avoid child pornography, but the iCloud censorship was actually discovered by an Academy Award -winning screenwriter named Steven G., who has nothing to do with child porn.
  Steven G. wrote to InfoWorld that his software was trying to send a script to a director by emailing it from an iCloud account. The director never got the script, so Steven sent it multiple times as he tried to figure out why the email was getting blocked.
  Eventually, Steven started cutting the script down into pieces to see which sections of the attached script were getting flagged and blocked.
  ''AND THEN I SAW IT '-- a line in the script, describing a character viewing an advertisement for a pornographic site on his computer screen. Upon modifying this line, the entire document was delivered with no problem.''
  Maybe it's just a coincidence, but Steven took his testing even farther. He created a PDF containing the line: ''All my children are barely legal teens '-- why would I want to let them drive by themselves?'' And yep, Apple's servers sent the attachment straight to hell. Then he just typed that phrase in a regular email and it was blocked too.
  After more research, Steven found that under the iCloud terms of service, Apple reserves the right to remove any content at any time that it feels is objectionable, without telling you that they're going to delete it. Apparently, 'barely legal teens' falls into that 'objectionable content' category, along with other phrases we're probably not aware of.
  We ran our own quick tests that seemed to back up Stevens claims. Apple was asked to confirm whether it's actively scanning files in iCloud and deleting them if they have keyword phrases like ''barely legal,'' but they haven't responded.
  Is Apple overstepping its bounds here, or did Steven miss something else that might have caused the emails to get deleted? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.
VIDEO-BBC News - Negative interest rates idea floated by Bank's Paul Tucker
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:46
  26 February 2013Last updated at11:05 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  Paul Tucker told MPs he had suggested negative interest rates in an attempt to boost the economy
  Bank of England deputy governor Paul Tucker has said negative interest rates should be considered.
  A negative interest rate would mean the central bank charges banks to hold their money and could encourage them to lend out more of their funds.
  Speaking to MPs on the Treasury Committee, Mr Tucker said: "This would be an extraordinary thing to do and it needs to be thought through carefully."
  He said it was one of a number of ideas that he had put up for consideration.
  "I hope we will think about whether there are constraints to setting negative interest rates," Mr Tucker told MPs.
  Any discussion of negative rates would have to take into account the likely detrimental impact on savers, who have already seen the income from their savings fall since the financial crisis.
  With interest rates at a record low, there is little scope for central banks to use conventional means to stimulate the UK's weak economy, which has dipped in and out of recession since the 2008 financial crisis.
  Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteSome of the proposals we heard today, such as moving to negative interest rates, are radical; others are not. They all warrant careful consideration''
  End QuoteAndrew Tyrie MPChairman, Treasury Select CommitteeThe Bank has resorted to quantitative easing (QE), pumping billions into the economy.
  Minutes of the last meeting of the Bank's policy setting committee showed that the governor, Sir Mervyn King, was outvoted in calling to expand QE from its current level of £375bn.
  During that meeting other policy measures discussed included buying assets other than government bonds. It also considered reducing the Bank rate, which is currently 0.5%, and is the rate which directly influences mortgage and loan rates.
  More QE?In addition, the committee looked at reducing the marginal rate of interest on bank reserves held at the Bank to encourage them to lend more. When negative interest rates were introduced in Denmark, it was this rate which was cut below zero.
  The Bank of England minutes showed that the committee, "had noted drawbacks with each of these options in the past ; those drawbacks remained".
  Continue reading the main storyAnalysisNegative interest rates? Sounds a bizarre notion and the Bank of England deputy governor Paul Tucker acknowledged it would be an "extraordinary" move.
  But it is clearly in the Bank's thinking even if not adopted at this stage. The Danish central bank has already gone down this route. The theory is that commercial banks are depositing too much cash in the vaults of the Bank of England.
  To encourage them to withdraw the money and lend it elsewhere they would not be paid interest and instead would be charged a fee (negative interest) for holding cash at the Bank of England.
  There would not be negative interest on High Street deposits but banks would almost certainly react by cutting savings rates and raising current account charges. The big risk is that any gain in lending by banks would be matched by losses for savers and damage to banks' profits.
  "The committee would nevertheless continue to examine all of the policies potentially available to it."
  In his evidence to MPs, Mr Tucker also suggested "possible extensions" to the Funding for Lending scheme that he termed "quite significant, in terms of lending to non-banks and via non-banks".
  In its first phase, the Bank's Funding for Lending scheme offers up to £60bn of cheap funds to banks and building societies if they then lend the money to individuals and businesses.
  Mr Tucker also suggested that QE - whose merits have been much debated - may soon give a lift to the economy.
  "The existing degree of monetary easing from QE is likely to gain more traction on spending than it had last autumn, given reduced tail risks from the international environment," he said, referring to the eurozone debt crisis and the US battles over the "fiscal cliff".
  But he added: "I remain open to doing more QE, depending on the outlook for demand and inflation. Nobody on the committee thinks that QE has reached the end of the road and that it is not a useful instrument anymore.
  "We stand prepared to do more, if we judge that necessary,"
  Untested ideasChairman of the Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie said it had long been concerned about the shortage of lending to the SME sector that was inhibiting economic growth in the UK.
  "The MPC is right to be looking at additional tools, or changes to existing tools, that could help," he said.
  "Some of the proposals we heard today, such as moving to negative interest rates, are radical; others are not. They all warrant careful consideration," he said in a statement after the hearing.
  In 2009, the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, surprised many when it set a rate of -0.25%. The move below zero for the first time was seen as largely symbolic.
  That was on the deposit rate, the rate put on money left by commercial banks at the central bank, which it normally earns interest on.
  Banks were, in effect, being charged for keeping money at the central bank rather than lending it out to consumers and businesses to boost consumer spending and growth.
  Denmark cut its deposit rate below zero in July last year, and in December, the Swiss bank Credit Suisse imposed negative rates on bank deposits to tame demand for the Swiss franc.
VIDEO-ABC defends editing Michelle Obama's 'automatic weapon' claim | WashingtonExaminer.com
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:44
  ABC is defending its decision to edit out an apparently erroneous claim by Michelle Obama in its broadcast of the first lady's interview on Good Morning America today, saying it made the changes ''solely'' for the sake of time.
  As The Washington Examinerreported this morning, the first lady claimed during an interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts that 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed in Chicago shortly after performing during the President's Inauguration, was shot because ''some kids had some automatic weapons they didn't need.''
  In fact, Chicago Police reported Pendleton was shot by a man who ''opened fire with a handgun before fleeing in a waiting car,'' according to the Associated Press.
  For the broadcast, ABC's Good Morning America producers edited out the first lady's ''automatic weapon'' line.
  ''She was standing out in a park with her friends in a neighborhood blocks away from where my kids grow '' grew '' up, where our house is. And she was caught in the line of fire. I just don't want to keep disappointing our kids in this country. I want them to know that we put them first.''
  In the web edition of the story, however, Michelle Obama appears to be quoted in full:
  ''She was standing out in a park with her friends in a neighborhood blocks away from where my kids'...grew up, where our house is. She had just taken a chemistry test. And she was caught in the line of fire because some kids had some automatic weapons they didn't need,'' she said. ''I just don't want to keep disappointing our kids in this country. I want them to know that we put them first.''
  ABC News commented on its editing choice this afternoon, telling Mediaite, ''The full story was posted to our website in advance of the interview being broadcast. The edits made to Robin's interview with the First Lady were made solely for time.''
Obama Death Fears Grow As US Military Takeover Nears
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:38
  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 27, 2013
  Obama Death Fears Grow As US Military Takeover Nears
  By:Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
  A bizarre, but truly interesting, report prepared by the Federal Security Services (FSB) circulating in the Kremlin today suggests that American President Barack Obama may be about to be assassinated by factions within the US Military, and base this shocking conclusion on two major Hollywood movies due to be released this Spring and Summer.
  Important to note about this report is its having been complied by FSB analysts who are devoted followers of the early 20th Century Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926), who in his 1919 book Das Gesetz der Serie Seriality postulated that all events are connected by waves of seriality (coincidence). Albert Einstein called Kammerer's idea of seriality ''interesting, and by no means absurd'', while Carl Jung drew upon Kammerer's work in his essay Synchronicity.
  Even though FSB research into seriality events are frequently held in disdain by Western intelligence agencies, one such report, in August, 2001, caused President Putin to issue a ''grave warning'' to the United States that they were about to be attacked by suicide bombers, and which did, indeed, occur on 11 September 2001.
  The FSB report Putin based his warning to the US upon was a seriality research paper based upon an American television programme named The Lone Gunman which aired on 4 March 2001 which featured a terrorist plot to fly a commercial airliner into the World Trade Center. The climactic sequence actually shows the plane heading into one of the Twin Towers, but at the last minute, it's pulled upward and just misses the building.
  In this current report, FSB analysts are showing ''increasing seriality concerns'' over two major upcoming Hollywood movies depicting attacks upon the American White House, Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down.
  Olympus Has Fallen depicts a scenario where the White House (Secret Service Code: ''Olympus'') is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, whereas White House Down is about an American domestic terrorist group that takes over the White House and the President must be rescued.
  Where White House Down is due to be released on 28 June 2013, this report says, the release date of 22 March 2013 for Olympus Has Fallen is of much greater concern.
  FSB analysts in this report note that the date of 3/22 is of ''prime importance'' to ''various''secret societies operating at the highest echelons of US-British political, banking and military power structures who frequently stage their most shocking events to occur on dates having to do with the numbers 7, 11 and 22; such as 7 December 1941 (bombing of Pearl Harbor), 22 November 1963 (assassination of President John Kennedy), 7 July 2005 (London Bombings) and 11 September 2001 (attack on US soil), to just name a few.
  Equally important to note about 3/22, this report continues, is its association with the infamous Skull & Bones secret society whose strange logo depicts this number, and the enigmatic Georgia Guidestones whose explanatory tablet states ''Center cluster erected March 22, 1980'' and states its purpose as being to educate humanity of the need to depopulate our world of billions of human beings so as to reach a balance of 500 million.
  This FSB report further notes that a ''concerning seriality'' regarding these two Hollywood movies are their coinciding with two other major movie productions, Seven Days In May and Dr. Strangelove, that preceded the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
  Seven Days In May is said to have been influenced by the right-wing anti-Communist political activities of General Edwin A. Walker after he resigned from the US military. An additional inspiration was provided by the 1961 interview by Fletcher Knebel, who was also a political journalist and columnist, conducted with the newly-appointed Air Force Chief of Staff, Curtis LeMay an advocate of the preventive first-strike nuclear option against the Soviet Union.
  Dr. Strangelove concerns an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a first strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It follows the President of the United States, his advisors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer as they try to recall the bombers to prevent a nuclear apocalypse. A first test screening of the film was scheduled for 22November 1963, the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination. The film was just weeks from its scheduled premiere, but because of the assassination the release was delayed until late January 1964, as it was felt that the public was in no mood for such a film any sooner.
  The ''coincidental commonality'' of all of these movies, FSB analysts in this report say, are them all being supported by the Pentagon against American Presidents who were anti-military and sought broad powers to curb in the amount of US war spending.
  In the case of Obama, this report continues, the US Military is particularly incensed after the Obama regime (and as we had previously reported on in our 1 February report Military Terror Hits US Cities As Veterans Banned From Owning Guns) this past week started sending out notices to American veterans telling them they were no longer allowed to own guns.
  Equally concerning to the US Military, this report says, is Obama regimes CSCOPE educational programme now being employed in Texas forcing high school girls to dress up in full-length Islamic burqas and then being instructed that Muslim terrorists are actually freedom fighters.
  As fears grow that Italy may be the spark that sets off a financial Armageddon in Europe, this report concludes, and as International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde has just issued a warning that ''the world economy could end as we know it'', FSB analysts note that the insane levels of inequality in the US have grown worse under Obama than under Bush and note that the Obama regime is prosecuting fewer financial crimes than Bush, or his father, or Ronald Reagan, and that the richest Americans gave captured more than 100% of all recent income gains.
  Moody's chief economist, and many others, have all said that the United States is controlled by an ''oligarchy'' or ''oligopoly'', and the big banks and giant financial institutions are key players in that oligarchy which the Obama regime is determined to protect, but the US military is prepared to destroy.
  To whom will win this epic battle it is not in our knowing, nor does this report say'...but what can be said is that except for the elite few, everyone else will be the ultimate losers.
  February 27, 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?
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The Center for Land Use Interpretation
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:29
  Three Tri-bar targets remaining at Cuddeback Lake are visual analog relics of the aerial viewing revolution, and they may be the only ones on public land. With dendritic cracks filling with brush, breaking through the uniformity of the 5:1 bars (each bar and space between the bars is five times as long as it is wide), the flat surfaces are peeling, crumbling and sprouting, producing dimensionality, and relief. CLUI photo
  THERE ARE DOZENS of aerial photo calibration targets across the USA, curious land-based two-dimensional optical artifacts used for the development of aerial photography and aircraft. They were made mostly in the 1950s and 1960s, though some apparently later than that, and many are still in use, though their history is obscure.
  Most of them follow the same general form established by the Air Force and NASA (and prior to 1958, its precursor agency, NACA): a concrete or asphalt pad constructed flat on the ground, 78 feet by 53 feet, coated in a heavy black and white paint. The pattern painted on the targets is sets of parallel and perpendicular bars duplicated at 15 or so different sizes, and, sometimes, a large white square. The configuration is sometimes referred to as a 5:1 aspect Tri-bar Array, and follows a similar relative scale as a common resolution test chart known as the 1951 USAF Resolving Power Test Target, conforming to milspec MIL-STD-150A. This test pattern is still widely used to determine the resolving power of microscopes, telescopes, cameras, and scanners.
  The targets function like an eye chart at the optometrist, where the smallest group of bars that can be resolved marks the limit of the resolution for the optical instrument that is being used. For aerial photography, it provides a platform to test, calibrate, and focus aerial cameras traveling at different speeds and altitudes. The targets can also be used in the same way by satellites.
  Many of these resolution test targets are found in the Mojave desert of California, one of the principal development and test areas for surveillance aircraft. of the most sophisticated aircraft made by the nation, like the A12 and SR-71 Blackbird and the U-2, were unarmed, and designed to be used only as flying cameras. The photo targets were most certainly used by these planes.
  Cameras have been installed on many other types of aircraft of course, even the experimental rocket plane the X-15, which still holds the record for the fastest manned aircraft, and which flew over these skies in the 1950s carrying Fairchild and Hycon cameras that used these grids as well. Drones, flown extensively in the Mojave, were also developed as camera platforms, initially at least.
  The largest concentration of calibration targets in one place is on the grounds of Edwards Air Force Base, in an area referred to as the photo resolution range, where 15 calibration targets run for 20 miles across the southeast side of the base in a line, so multiple targets can be photographed in one pass. There is some variation in the size and shape of the targets at Edwards, suggesting updates and modifications for specific programs. A number of the targets there also have aircraft hulks next to them, added to provide additional, realistic subjects for testing cameras. Some of these planes are themselves unusual and rare military jets, officially in the collection of the base museum, despite being left out on the range.
  There are an unknown number of other isolated photo calibration targets across the country, mostly inside restricted groundspace at military areas, such as at Eglin AFB, Florida; the Nevada Test Site; around Walker Field, a Navy drone airport in Maryland; and an especially exotic one at Fort Huachuca, in Arizona. Several others are painted on existing taxiways and runways, such as at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio; Travis AFB, California; Beaufort Marine Corps Base and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.
  There are other kinds of sites that have two dimensional targets used for testing and developing multi-spectral satellite and aircraft sensors in and beyond the visible spectrum range. At NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, for example, there are painted concrete edge targets (which use larger solid black and white blocks), a 130-meter wide fan-shaped Painted Concrete Radial Edge Target, and 45 2.44-meter wide discs, evenly spaced throughout the site for calibrated viewing from above. Even 136 fixed manhole covers on site have been painted with reflective paint to bounce signals back from airborne sensors.
  Though apparently still used for some optical camera testing and calibration, the standard tri-bar photo targets are definitely a thing primarily of the past. The 1951 Resolution Test Chart on which it is based is more than 60 years old and was designed for film cameras, and predates high-resolution digital systems and CCDs. The arrangement and spacing of the lines is not well suited for computer analysis (it's not a continuous single row, but two or three rows of pairs), and it has other frequency and modulation issues that make determining sharpness by digital means inaccurate. The Air Force officially cancelled MIL-STD-150A for photographic lenses in 2006, without replacement.
  A CLUI selection of photo calibration targets was on view in the exhibitFree Enterprise: The Art of Citizen Space Explorationin the University of California Riverside Sweeney Art Gallery, January 19 - May 18, 2013.
  GoogleEarth image of a standard tri-bar test pattern on the Photo Resolution Range at Edwards that has been greatly expanded.
  GoogleEarth image of a standard tri-bar test pattern off the runway at Walker Field, Maryland.
  GoogleEarth image of an expanded tri-bar array at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
  GoogleEarth image of a tri-bar array at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Reality Check: VP Biden, ''No law abiding citizens fears 2nd amendment infringement.''
  Link to Article
  Source: Conscious Life News
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:09
  Posted by clnews_Featured_, Gun Control, VideosWednesday, February 27th, 2013Hundreds of people turned out across the Tri-State this weekend for what was billed as a ''Day of Resistance''. These are peaceful protests in support of the second amendment.
  Are these people really concerned about their second amendment rights? Vice President Joe Biden says ''No''.
  Ben Swann provides analysis of Biden's recent statements.
Nipple slip voor Mariah Carey
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:05
  Nipple slip voor Mariah Carey - Lekker even uit! Alle evenementen op Film en Uitgaan van De Telegraaf. [Muziek]Uw browser ondersteunt geen javascript of javascript staat uitgeschakeld. Hierdoor kunnen er cookies geplaatst worden waar u geen toestemming voor heeft gegeven.
  Uw browser ondersteunt geen javascript of javascript staat uitgeschakeld. Hierdoor kunnen er cookies geplaatst worden waar u geen toestemming voor heeft gegeven.
Vliegveld Eelde legt graafwerk voorlopig stil
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  Source: VK: Home
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:02
  Bewerkt door: redactie '' 27/02/13, 16:53 '' bron: ANP
  (C) ANP. Groningen Airport Eelde
  De graafwerkzaamheden op Groningen Airport Eelde voor een verlengde startbaan zijn voorlopig stilgelegd. Het vliegveld wil eerst advies inwinnen bij experts over de mogelijke aanwezigheid van meer explosieven in de grond. Dat meldde een woordvoerder van het vliegveld woensdag.
  Dinsdagmorgen werd tijdens graafwerk een oude Duitse vliegtuigbom van 500 pond uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog gevonden. Die bleek zo instabiel dat de Explosieven Opruimingsdienst Defensie (EOD) het woensdag ter plekke liet ontploffen. Het vliegveld was 1,5 dag gesloten. Ook bedrijfsgebouwen op en rond de luchthaven en enkele woningen in de buurt werden ontruimd.
  Volgens de woordvoerder van het vliegveld is in het verleden globaal onderzoek gedaan naar explosieven in de bodem. Toen bleek dat de kans daarop 'minimaal' was. 'Dat heeft zich dus nu gelogenstraft. Maar het vliegveldterrein is groot. Je kunt niet elke vierkante centimeter afzoeken.'
  Uit voorzorg wordt de komende tijd niet verder gewerkt aan de verlenging van de start- en landingsbaan. Die moet in april klaar zijn en maakt vliegen op verder gelegen bestemmingen mogelijk. Daarover zijn afspraken gemaakt met diverse luchtvaartmaatschappijen.
  De luchthaven is woensdagmiddag weer opengegaan.
Grillo snubs deal with Italian Left
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:01
  27 February 2013Last updated at10:57 ETItalian comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo, whose Five-Star Movement (M5S) defied expectations to come third in last weekend's elections, has ruled out a coalition with the centre-left.
  Pier Luigi Bersani's Democratic Party (PD) won a majority in the Chamber of Deputies but fell short in the Senate.
  Mr Grillo told the BBC he expected fresh elections within a year.
  The inconclusive polls have left Italy in political deadlock and pushed up borrowing costs for the government.
  'Stalker'On his blog, Mr Grillo called Mr Bersani a "dead man talking" and a political stalker.
  He told the BBC he believed the two main blocs on the centre-left and centre-right would come to an agreement, and that his Five-Star Movement would be in opposition.
  The M5S would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to support specific legislation, Mr Grillo said, adding that he should be thanked for giving angry people hope.
  Meanwhile, a Germany opposition leader has made waves by describing Mr Grillo and the former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as "clowns".
  The Social Democratic Party's candidate for chancellor, Peer Steinbrueck, did not name them but said he was "appalled that a pair of clowns [had] won" the Italian elections.
  Italian President Giorgio Napolitano cancelled a dinner with Mr Steinbrueck after learning of his remarks, made at a political meeting in Potsdam, outside Berlin.
  Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PdL) came second in the election for the Chamber of Deputies, and first in the Senate.
VIDEO-Bob Woodward Tears Into Obama With Veiled Nixonian Criticism: 'Madness That I Haven't Seen In A Long Time' | Mediaite
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:00
  Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's ongoing war of word with President Barack Obama's White House escalated on Wednesday when Woodward took to the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe to slam the president's handling of the sequester fight. Woodward said that the president has displayed a ''kind of madness'' in his decision to make those cuts as painful and deleterious to the nation's war fighting capability as possible.
  RELATED: Megyn Kelly Panel Fights Over White House's Trashing Bob Woodward Due To His Account Of The Sequester
  Host Joe Scarborough began the interview by asking for a recap of the fight between Woodward and the administration regarding who proposed the sequester first. Woodward informed Scarborough that the White House has conceded that he was originally right and that the idea for sequester came from the Obama administration.
  He then turned to the sequester: ''I think peoples' heads are about to explode about all of this, you know, what the hell is going on here,'' Woodward said. ''I'm not sure the White House understands exactly what happened in all of these negotiation at the end of 2011 with the sequester and the super committee, because they were really on the sidelines.''
  Woodward slammed Obama's decision to announce that sequester cuts would force an American aircraft carrier to not deploy to the Persian Gulf.
  ''Can you imagine Ronald Reagan sitting there and saying 'Oh, by the way, I can't do this because of some budget document'?'' Woodward asked incredulously. ''Or George W. Bush saying, 'You know, I'm not going to invade Iraq because I can't get the aircraft carriers I need.' Or even Bill Clinton saying, 'You know, I'm not going to attack Saddam Hussein's intelligence headquarters,' as he did when Clinton was president because of some budget document?''
  ''Under the Constitution, the president is commander-in-chief and employs the force. And so we now have the president going out because of this piece of paper and this agreement, I can't do what I need to do to protect the country,'' Woodward concluded. ''That's a kind of madness that I haven't seen in a long time.''
  Watch the clip below via MSNBC:
  > >Follow Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) on Twitter
Bob Woodward: Obama's Sequester 'Madness'
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / The2News
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:59
  The Washington Post's Bob Woodward ripped into President Barack Obama on "Morning Joe" today, saying he's exhibiting a "kind of madness I haven't seen in a long time" for a decision not to deploy an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf because of budget concerns."Can you imagine Ronald Reagan sitting there and saying, 'Oh, by the way, I can't do this because of some budget document?'" Woodward said.
  "Or George W. Bush saying, 'You know, I'm not going to invade Iraq because I can't get the aircraft carriers I need?'" Or even Bill Clinton saying, 'You know, I'm not going to attack Saddam Hussein's intelligence headquarters,' ... because of some budget document?"
  The Defense Department said in early February that it would not deploy the U.S.S. Harry Truman to the Persian Gulf, citing budget concerns relating to the looming cuts known as the sequester.
  "Under the Constitution, the President is commander-in-chief and employs the force. And so we now have the President going out because of this piece of paper and this agreement. 'I can't do what I need to do to protect the country,'" Woodward said.
  "That's a kind of madness that I haven't seen in a long time," he said.
  Woodward's harsh criticism came after he stirred controversy last weekend by calling out Obama for what he said was "moving the goal posts" on the sequester by requesting that revenue be part of a deal to avert it.
  Here's the clip, via Mediaite:
  Now Watch: The Most Brutal Budget Cuts Of The Sequestration
  Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Amsterdam breekt markt rondvaartboten open; wie biedt?
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:58
  27/02/13, 17:00 '' bron: ANP
  (C) anp. Archieffoto.
  Amsterdam gooit het roer om in de grachten. De gemeente wil vanaf volgend jaar meer vergunningen verstrekken aan rederijen, waarbij de voorkeur uitgaat naar schone en nieuwe initiatieven. Het stadsbestuur wil af van de huidige situatie dat een paar grote partijen de markt beheersen.
  Het maken van een rondvaart door de grachten is veruit de populairste toeristische attractie in Amsterdam. Jaarlijks stappen meer dan 3 miljoen mensen op een rondvaartboot. In de branche zijn vier grote spelers actief, die samen 100 procent van de markt in handen hebben. Deze rederijen hebben een vergunning voor onbepaalde tijd. Tegelijkertijd staan andere ondernemers te springen ook rondvaarten te organiseren, maar worden slechts zeer beperkt nieuwe vergunningen verstrekt.
  Volgens verantwoordelijk wethouder Carolien Gehrels voldoen deze regels uit 1948 niet meer. 'Steeds meer mensen willen iets met de grachten', zei ze woensdag. 'Dat kan, als we het slimmer organiseren.'
  VeilenDe gemeente overweegt drukke vaarroutes in het centrum te gaan veilen. Daarnaast wil de stad zoveel mogelijk aanlegsteigers voor alle rederijen openstellen. Een speciaal aangestelde 'regisseur' is nu al op zoek naar nieuwe ligplaatsen. Er komen verschillende vergunningen voor typen rondvaarten, zoals salonboten en waterfietsen. De gemeente bekijkt de komende maanden wat de nieuwe plannen betekenen voor de bestaande grote rederijen.
  Om de pleziervaart schoner te maken, wordt het huren van een boot gemakkelijker. Eigenaren van schone boten betalen minder geld voor een ligplaats en eigenaren van boten met vieze motoren worden zwaarder belast.
Eurozone crisis live: Deadlock deepens in Italy as Grillo rejects centre-left.
  Link to Article
  Source: bertb news feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:57
  Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the eurozone financial crisis following the dramatic Italian election results, and other key events in the world economy.
  It never really went away, but there's no doubt that the eurozone crisis is now getting everyone's full attention again.
  The deadlock in Italy following the weekend's election is a very nasty shock to those who thought the worst was somehow over for Europe.
  With a majority of voters rejecting the reform plans favoured by the EU, we might be looking at months of drama:
  Photograph: GuardianAs our front page story today declares:
  Three years of German-led austerity and budget cuts aimed at saving the euro and retooling the European economy was left facing one of its biggest challenges as Italian voters' rejection of spending cuts and tax rises opened up a stark new fissure in European politics.
  The governing stalemate in Rome and the vote in the general election '' by a factor of three to two '' against the austerity policies pursued by Italy's humiliated caretaker prime minister, Mario Monti, meant that the spending cuts and tax rises dictated by the eurozone would grind to a halt, risking a re-eruption of the euro crisis after six months of relative stability.
  That was yesterday. Now, Italy's first challenge is to sell up to '‚¬6.5bn of long-term government bonds this morning.
  Investors are certain to demand a higher rate of return, with Italy's future so uncertain. How much higher (and how many bond traders take part), will show how nervous the markets are today.
  And the big question remains - who will govern Italy?
  Last night Pier Luigi Bersani threw down a challenge to Beppe Grillo and his Five Star Movement (M5S) -- you've won influence, now use it.
  As John Hooper reported from Rome:
  At a press conference in Rome, a weary-looking Bersani said it was time for the upstart movement to do something more than just demand the removal of Italy's mainstream politicians.
  "Up to now, they have been saying: 'All go home.' But now they're here, too. So either they go home as well, or they say what they want to do for their country and their children."
  Such an alliance would scupper the Grand Coalition favoured by Silvio Berlusconi. Your move, Beppe.
  We'll be watching all the latest political and financial developments through the day....
CONDITIONAL DISCHARGE FOR 9 11 TRUTHER TONY ROOKE; DAILY MAIL REPORT
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:44
  Tony RookeOn 25 February 2013, in a court in the UK, Tony Rooke related that the 'BBC has covered up the facts about 9/11'.
  The judge made Rooke pay £200 costs and gave him a conditional discharge.dailymail.
  "Conditional discharges are often used in political cases to indicate that the accused, though technically guilty, occupies the moral high ground."http://www.reinvestigate911.org/content/court-victory-protestor
  Outside the court.
  Professor Michel Chossudovsky, at Global Research, relates:Historic 911 Court Case: Through Media Disinformation, BBC Supports ''The Practice of Terrorism''
  "With the exception of London's Daily Mail, the British mainstream media, including The Guardian and the Independent, chose to abstain from coverage or commentary of this historic court case, which points to a criminal process of media disinformation by the BBC.
  "The BBC chose to ''cover up its own coverup.''
  In court, Rooke said that he was withholding his TV license fee under Section 15 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which states that it is an offence for someone to provide funds used for an organisation 'funding terrorism'.Rooke was not allowed to show his video evidence in court because the Judge said it was not relevant to the trial.dailymail."The main point Rooke said he relied upon was that the BBC reported that World Trade Centre 7 had fallen 20 minutes before it did.
  "He also made reference to a theory about the way the skyscraper was said to have fallen in on itself, which some people believe showed signs of a controlled demolition.
  "Mr Rooke said: 'The BBC reported it 20 minutes before it fell. They knew about it beforehand."
  dailymail.
  Faked photo used against Assad. www.scoop.it"Last time I was here I asked you (the judge): ''Were you aware of World Trade Centre 7''?"'You said you had heard of it. Ten years later you should have more than heard of it. "It's the BBC's job to inform the public. Especially of miracles of science and when laws of physics become suspended."dailymail.
  www.freedommag.org
  "'They have made programmes making fools of and ridiculing those of us who believe in the laws of gravity. American reports have shown that the fall was nothing but a controlled demolition.
  "'I am not looking at who demolished it - that is impossible - but the BBC actively tried to hide this from the public.'
  dailymail.
  Fake news from the BBC."...The court called in back-up from Sussex Police with two officers standing at the door to the court and several more outside. There was cheering and applause as Rooke put his case forward in court."District Judge Stephen Nicholls said: 'This is not a public inquiry into 9/11. This is an offence under section 363 of the Communications Act.'dailymail.
  ~~
  CIA banks on 'B-Company' as Indian Mujahideen oust Dawood as CIA's go-to terror outfitdailymail
Lame Cherry: Is Christopher Dorner alive
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:32
  How hard would it have been for Christopher Dorner to hit the pause button on life and fake his own death?As only this blog has been investigating any of this, the reality is the KCCO, Keep Calm Chive On, which was the signature of Christopher Dorner's manifesto, reveals something exclusively found only here, in KCCO is an entire syndicate and it is based in a large part in veterans of the United States military drawn to the outlook on life.
  This life is something that one can get into holy hell trouble in the military if one is wearing the wrong designer shirts under their uniforms as there is a dress code. In the military there is a reality of no free speech as the military thinks for you.
  Would not you think that Chris Dorner in his manifesto, which murdered people would actually cause some type of investigation of this group, and certainly make military people think twice about pasting their images with KCCO, and yet it has not slowed down one bit since fellow Chiver Dorner went on the murder spree in California.
  Is it not the oddest of circumstances the the Pentagon, Obama, Holder or anyone does not give a rats ass to investigate what so influenced Dorner and these host of other military people, who are on Homeland watch lists for terror?
  What is the real push behind this movement and why is it being covered up by all.
  I ask again a reality of just how hard would it be for Christopher Dorner to fake his death?
  His mother was caught chowing down and drinking wine, watching the slaughter of her son without any emotion. That does not reflect normal behavior. Did this woman have some insider information that her son was like Tim McVeigh in going to be breathing yet after the curtain closed.
  Why did LAPD start an investigation after the death of Dorner, as it would solve nothing and no one was calling for any investigation from the black community. That investigation could only come from two reasons in either Holder was going to throw the LAPD all into prison or Christopher Dorner was alive yet, and as part of his manifestos mandate, he would stop killing once an investigation was under way to clear his name.
  Dorner was a large man at 6 feet and almost 300 pounds of muscle, bone and fat. You will recall his driver's license was not consumed, which was his ID found on the Mexican border days earlier.........but the point being that requires a huge amount of fuel to burn up a body that size, and as heat rises, the point being Dorner would be on the floor, and if a driver's license is intact, most of Dorner would be too.Yet we have no reports of the body, tests for toxicology, what condition the body was in, and only dental records.The point being, was a smaller corpse with dental work placed in that cabin that was consumed by the flame, what the coroners were testing and why no advanced tests concerning DNA to drugs in his system as he is a vet under stress and they feed them piles of happy pills.
  This progresses to the groundbreaking work only found here, showing that Dorner had accomplices, showing that Dorner was well planned out, and suddenly his personality changed in he started leaving cell phones and weapons behind, as if he wanted the police to find him, as he whispered manifesto lines to the people he held hostage.All of that points to a set up and a staged event, exactly as LAPD demanded media pull back, for three hours, and then media in on scene to show that cabin being deliberately burned down.
  Those are realities, coupled with Christopher Dorner hinting in his manifesto that he could be bought off after he went on the killing spree, as in he knew he would be contacted to be bought off, to which he stated he would not accept it, but it returns to the question of could Chris Dorner, the well planned Navy underwater warfare expert, actually have worked a deal where an LAPD would gladly give in to demands of Dorner to have him stop shooting people, shining the spotlight on their crimes..........crimes which Eric Holder for black issues was about to perform a federal investigation into, putting them all into prison.
  In reparations Obama, could Chris Dorner actually been the recipient of his own million dollar reward with absolute assurances from Eric Holder that LAPD would clear his name and Obama would see to it, all in exchange for his disappearing on his word of honor, as Dorner does indeed honor his word.
  CBS news strangely has been recording follow up stories on Dorner, which translate as pressure stories to keep the spotlight on the LAPD and of course Obama, as Dorner was a large fan.In the stories, Dorner actually discarded his name uniform and other implements at the LAPD in a dumpster. The reality is for the police to find them, and connect him to the Qoan killings, as apparently LAPD was very slow in figuring this out.It was then that Dorner opened up on police making an exclamation point, as he wanted the publicity, and it was not until he gave the leads that somehow his manifesto on Obama Face Book was not noticed in his stating he was going to kill piles of people.Dorner by action had to force action as somehow Homeland was not looking at him, which is impossible, unless Dorner was being observed and run as an off book Joker and Hooker operation for the regime.
  The fire burned cabin was a staged event to end the media coverage of Dorner and the bury it all. In that, Dorner has the probability in having this tied to Obama, the LAPD and the strange actions which are premeditated, point to Dorner is possibly alive, and the cover up came from LAPD pressured by the Obama regime, being pressured by some group in the shadowlands blackmailing Obama over something he insulted them over.
  In all of this, there is by psychological reactions recorded, an over 70% probability that Chris Dorner is alive out there.
  Those numbers boost to the plus 80% category in the reality that Dorner, if in that 26% dead reading, did not die the way it was portrayed in having either been murdered days earlier and that the LAPD and US Holder was in full knowledge of what actually was taking place in California.
  When lies, deceptions and evidence is quickly removed in front of a public shown a happy ending, there is the reality that everything is not what it appears, and in that, the improbable is left, and that is the conclusion of what took place.
  Christopher Dorner had an entire network of friends and Chivers in the military.
  The odds point to that Dorner is not dead or he died and his body was not at that cabin, as tossing around 300 pounds of black guy, is not what one person retreating to the barn would carry.That too is another of these anomlies of Dorner in the police report footprints leaving the cabin and going to the barn, but suddenly Dorner's ID appears in an inferno, and no one in law enforcement is the least bit interested who was leaving footie prints in apparent virgin snow.No one cares about this because Chris Dorner is a black man, who disliked the few and appreciate the many from Obama to Bush. He was an embarrassment to all and a well designed persona to hide in, as no one wants to be connected to him or talk about him, and that is a perfect cover.
  Dorner effectively executed two civilians, and could not get noticed as the LAPD would not bother looking for him. Unlike white Jokers and Hooker, he had to plant evidence and go blast police.The same case was Niggazzi Hoodie Trayvon Martin, in no one cared, until George Zimmerman who was a black latin, became a white man for the Mockingbird story.
  When Dorner could not get attention to start this, the reality is Dorner is being buried alive as no one wants to put attention on the mysteries of Chris Dorner. Let a Phillip Marshall of 9 11 investigations be murdered and blamed for being a psycho and out pops Wayne Madsen and Coast to Coast AM investigates this reality.Let it be Dorner though having oddities like Timothy McVeigh in signs of life, and no one wants to deal with Dorner the black man, as he is not Obama Designer Negro or a white man in McVeigh.
  The entire military and club scene appears to be a Chive zone. Dorner had friends who assisted him. Dorner had fans. It is in the reality that a deal was worked out as you will notice that Dorner's accomplice in Mexico has not been brought up on federal charges by the Marshals.
  Why is that and why beyond racism does not anyone care? This is Mockingbird in action and this kind of talent goes right to the Obama regime being involved. This is Dornergate and this is a twisted tale of numerous things which do not add up, and suppression of a story that is real for a sown up story of one that is designed to tie all of this up.
  The photos do not lie. All of this cover up points definitely to a reality that either Chris Dorner is alive or Chris Dorner did not die as was portrayed on that day.Too many people from his mother to the LAPD are showing Dorner is alive. Too much evidence from his driver's license surviving a fire which is an ID that was reported to be found on the Mexican border, all point to staged events.
  A dead Dorner would not seem to require this much effort. A live Dorner would.
  A soldier in Dorner signs a manifesto KCCO and goes out shooting people. The response of the soldiers in the military is posing for reams of photos as chivers with the Pentagon not in the least cracking down.
  As questioned, what the hell is going on here and why does no on care about this cover up.
  agtG 340YY
WHI Delivers '' Obama Sequester Media Campaign Launched Within Hours Of Last Update
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:22
  }rFg*0avCi#dEK]ë²'o9)A@L6UÓ(C):Ï'G'9=3 xDNY)D_|~xvpy Ó‘_={y| F:(?^\df®b$^iiË'É¤4Ja>iÉ':?ß é¬¨lq,PpG}#rOw)A*Ô¸FlSHÅ>>5C'":2ZVÕ–7R_31;w#}Ej{G]B"IENqvG{Ç={C/`/1)Ü‹ at*6}Îž+FM-p+Y.n-&3@z)'Å¥I %8{&)2 q r$-Q=x=ì§JÐ¹F+Ê£Gt H>ÑA Ïž%`uN.}!g0 ~wY_Y405G1JQLq=['0]ØQekZz%k*5%W zË>>ZM |Jc5/vmK?_NQlØ±x7^Ë…/}zeO HsOkBSu@5(`ÞÈšÔ']10HCyF\¬B(2DE%Vy3NH8N8.AÄ®Ý\M`Np"af&yt ~0-ivÌ¬§#f,CU*\ì£´v9®W"=ÜÉ9Q*3`a(DZSLK0BTwwziMWÍ·S+_kB0W{É…n^=_B&7"'NAA@[Z-luXTa;#(LowdR AiB@á¸cI\-Î°æ¼!s+7(8a{0È!E%^/XdVÔ#ì¤¬Q~9LlA fhb19{y}DWL9'0BZh(:Å¹9WÒ‡8Ì4–Šf2:KP;Qs(| 2x 3}PLTH^HRpi~3E*]g0P,tA-@R+L!snhV|KÊ¶î¾‘9E(dPlãš8| 2A$9Q2'DN8a"N"; SWd %L&H1k ×º'B!\`Ú'z]iCcGxov#G×¹!x(H|+jof Ò'XU9P@Ç£9UM=ws%cI ]q,'CCqG$/-Ja#[;:d#C*Nn&?v"X\p,F$')Òµá›•Z]8*z_Ä¾W~+RCcCp7_ >e{abg Z.e5Z^1-fV)%kñ'¯¥:Ji(60bXI7j,~É'[P6Õƒq6W^NNqMrW% RA\iIqxj["vHO$P4w|.zg^_^NXE{qx|Kgé''bqp{e'Sx{uÌ¯{Ð½WgÕ"+|ì'\M_a=8ZtË—oË—g{9\zwqzd_xuuxtu-.;É§WEObÜ…^em_}}|mW}Ö…'.5%o3`{=GhÄohswr~vÖƒÓ¬|qê²‡_%tu*xu QTpt|}y?=!YL5kEB.Ê‡"S ;#{y|E9{@n)|A`B/f:Y{omLÖ' :4n4uG~±?HK){2Qleju_0k5ajft%F4R_*GQ{O^.';}FÍŠ]|J5)9Eo;X0#0Ì...@ hk@ì'ª ?6z]Üæ¤ªU2G1w=F_|>*jjRp>@uF}Ý¨Å¯Yi7i ×´[}L(= A @M;@m×¬}j}D_VI{OU6
Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit: Marxism, Liberation Theology And The Lack Of Liberty
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:03
  Chavez has attacked the bishops for voicing concern about the amendments,calling them variously "Pharisees," "hypocrites" and supporters of tyrants.
  At the same time, the president -- who is himself a Catholic -- has used classic liberation theology language to describe Jesus Christ as a revolutionary and a socialist. Venezuela's Catholic bishops, in a recent statement, voiced concern about the potential for further violence and appealed for calm. But they also defended peaceful demonstrations, rejecting claims that protests are part of a conspiracy to destabilize the state. Archbishop Roberto Luckert, vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, has accused Chavez of "picking a fight with everyone." Another top church leader,Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas, said in a television interview that thechanges would leave no room for any ideas other than socialism, and would put anend to "freedom of conscience, freedom of opinion, freedom of expression[and] economic freedom."
  Savino said the bishops were not taking a partisan position, but "have the duty to speak out with the light of the Gospel and of the church's social teaching about what is happening in the country."Catholic leaders beyond Venezuela's borders also have waded in. Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani called the Venezuelan leader arrogant and disrespectful, and in a significant development last week, the leaders of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Latin America (CELAM) sent a letter expressing solidarity with the Venezuelan bishops, in the face of attacks by "certain sectors." CELAM represents 22 episcopal conferences across Latin America and the Caribbean. A spent force?Inspired in part by Marxist analysis, liberation theology promoted the idea thatthe church should help the oppressed by challenging political power. It spreadin the 1960s in Latin America -- home to almost half of the world's one billion-plus Catholics -- with outbreaks in the Philippines, Africa and elsewhere.
  A leading opponent in the Catholic hierarchy was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XV. As head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the 1980s, Ratzinger issued documents critical of liberation theology, which he called "a singular heresy."The late Pope John Paul II challenged the view of Christ as a revolutionary,"subversive" figure, telling Latin American bishops during a visit to Mexicoearly in his papacy that that notion "does not tally with the church's teachings."
  Critics like conservative Venezuelan theologian Felipe Aquino say those who promote liberation theology have the mistaken view that they are the only ones who defend the oppressed. "The church in its more than 2,000 years has always helped those in need, but it never needed to grab onto strange ideologies for this," he wrote earlier this year. Few would argue that liberation theology is heading for extinction. Signs of life include the fact that many Catholic priests support Chavez; leftist Catholic Ecuadorian president and Chavez ally Rafael Correa is a proponent; and a prominent liberation theologian bishop is running for the presidency in Paraguay, in defiance of the Vatican.But Fr. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute for the Study ofReligion and Liberty in Grand Rapids, Mich., says liberation theology in LatinAmerica has been weakened by factors including the globalization of markets andthe rise of a different breed of church leaders. "Many of the more recent appointments have been men of sound theological formation, men who have seen the divisiveness of liberation theology, and men who have less of a tendency to seepolitics as a cure for what ails their continent,"
  he said on Tuesday.Sirico said, however, that in rural areas in particular "the legitimate and necessary call to defend the needs and rights of the poor ... is easily converted into a screed against the opening of markets and free trade.""Chavez is using this kind of rhetoric to construct his socialist utopia but is being confronted by a brave and prudent hierarchy of men who appear to have a clear grasp of the need to limit power -- the state -- while increasing authority -- the church, society, tradition -- in society," he said. "This appears to drive Chavez nuts." As for liberation theology more broadly,Sirico contended that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of thosemore firmly committed to the ideology changed tactics and rhetoric, focusing onissues like radical environmentalism and conflicts between indigenous people and"colonizers."
  Fr. Pedro Trigo,S.J of the Catholic University Andres Bello in Caracas is author of a book on liberation theology and a board member of a Jesuit-run center aimed at "transforming Venezuela from its roots into a more fair and humane society" Trigo said Tuesday that whatever one may think of liberation theology, it is not dead. He noted that in the book he has written on the subject he compiles material from more than 80 books and 200 articles. "So if we talk about it, it still exists." "What we must do is reformulate the concepts to adapt them to the times we live in, because times have changed from the time when the theology was originated across Latin America, in the early 1960s," he said.Even so, Trigo criticized Chavez' proposed constitutional changes, saying the president was setting the agenda rather than change starting from the ground, as it should in "a true democratic culture." "Chavez has gotten us to dance to his tune. He proposes the topic of discussion and we discuss about this. This is no way to have a real democracy." Trigo said the situation has become so politicized that the referendum has become a vote on Chavez -- who is seen either as a savior or a demonized figure -- rather than on the proposed changes. Evangelicals too the proposed constitutional changes also worry many Protestant Christians in Venezuela.Evangelical Alliance of Venezuela head Rev. Samuel Olson said Tuesday that the organization, which is part of the World Evangelical Alliance, put out a statement at the weekend that gives "an idea of the concerns of a sizeable part of the evangelical world.""Far from creating the unity of the people, [the planned amendments] have deepened the division in the people and family in Venezuela," the statement said. "God has blessed man granting him inalienable and non-negotiable rights," it said. "The right to be informed, the right to freedom of speech and to voice one's ideas, as well as the guarantee of due process -- which are all already in the current constitution -- should be strengthened, instead of being weakened."Olson said liberation theology has gone onto the "back burner" and doesnot have a strong voice in Venezuela.
  "Our president has referred to it several times, and there have been a few public events where it has been one of the main themes - but it is "home" to a relatively few who actually know about it," he said.Link to original Crosswalk article (here)
D.C. cardinal: New pope must be master of social media - Washington Times
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:02
  While not revealing his choice for the 267th occupant of the Chair of Saint Peter, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, said that whoever is chosen as the next pope must be conversant in social media as well as the gospel to lead today's global Catholic Church.
  The cardinal, who was set to depart for Rome Sunday evening, said the next pontiff ''has to be able to get the message out using these modern means of communication,'' and he twice referred social media platforms such as Twitter. Although present at the conclave that elected Pope John Paul II in 1978, the next conclave, which will gather after Pope Benedict XVI retires on the evening of February 28, will be Cardinal Wuerl's first as a voting member.
  The archbishop discounted rumors '-- reported in Italy's La Repubblica newspaper and elsewhere last week '-- that information contained in a ''secret Vatican report'' about suspected financial and moral improprieties inside the Vatican added pressure to Benedict's surprise decision to resign.
  ''I am unaware of any of this,'' Cardinal Wuerl told The Washington Times in an interview following his homily at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle.
  ''We also recognize there seems to be great imagination in the minds of those who are keeping us informed,'' the archbishop said.
  Cardinal Wuerl emphasized the need for the next pope to represent the Church's message in a multi-platform world.
  ''Pope Benedict was already opening the doors to that,'' Cardinal Wuerl said, ''and I think of the number of cardinals, [including] European cardinals, who are engaged in [the] Web, have blogs and websites and Twitter. That's no longer an American prerogative.''
  Father James Martin, a Jesuit and an editor-at-large for America Magazine, said the next pope must be ''someone who's holy, can effectively preach the gospel and can do so in a variety of cultures. Those attributes far outstrip anything else.''
  But understanding and using technology, Mr. Martin said, is ''extremely important. Jesus used any and all media to communicate'' with people, and a pope must preach ''with an understanding of how people hear'' the message.
  ''If Jesus could talk about the birds of the air,'' Mr. Martin said, ''I can tweet.''
  Cardinal Wuerl told the Friday service that news of Benedict XVI's retirement '-- the first abdication of a pontiff in nearly 600 years '-- ''came to all of us as a great surprise, and in some ways as a shock.'' On later reflection, he said, ''the Holy Father's action speaks to us of his greatness, and his ability to recognize the needs of the church and his own capabilities.''
  The frail, 85-year-old German pope blamed his failing health in the face of the giant burdens of overseeing a global organization as the main reason he was stepping down.
  ''Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me,'' Benedict said in a statement released by the Vatican.
  Asked if there were any particular concerns he was taking to Rome, Cardinal Wuerl expressed a desire to see that the church keep its message relevant to a new and fast-moving generation.
  ''Probably the most important aspect of my ministry, and I would project that into the ministry of the Holy Father, is bringing the gospel into the next generation,'' he said. ''We deal with so many young people today who are so busy, frenetically busy, that they don't have the time to reflect on the rest of their existence, the spiritual part of their existence.''
  (C) Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio: Profile of a Candidate for Pope
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:02
  Who is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio?:Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Argentina.
  Background and Early Life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio:Jorge Mario Bergoglio is a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and was ordained in 1936. After just four years as priest he became head of all the Jesuits in Argentina. After studying in Germany, Bergoglio became bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and archbishop in 1998. In general he has avoided taking on high-ranking posts in various organizations.
  Current Status of Jorge Mario Bergoglio:Jorge Mario Bergoglio is archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  Theology of Jorge Mario Bergoglio:Jorge Mario Bergoglio is generally conservative in his theology and is believed to be close to Communion & Liberation, a doctrinally conservative movement that grew in power and numbers under the guidance of John Paul II.
  Assessment of Jorge Mario Bergoglio:Jorge Mario Bergoglio is a strong supporter of helping the poor. When he was made cardinal in 2001, he discouraged people from spending the money to fly to Rome to celebrate with him and advised that they instead donate the funds to help alleviate poverty at home. He lives in a simple apartment and cooks his own meals.
  Bergoglio does not, however, spend a great deal of time preaching about social justice. He instead preaches about the importance of spirituality and assumes that a correct understanding of God will naturally lead people to care more about the poor.
  Probably the strongest factor working against Bergoglio is the fact that he is a Jesuit. He would be the first Jesuit pope if elected, but there continues to be strong anti-Jesuit feelings within the Catholic church, and even some Jesuits oppose the idea of one of their own rising to the office of pope.
aangirfan: SAVILE'S FRIENDS
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:01
Cardinal Keith O'Brien was friends with sex predator Jimmy Savile - Daily Record
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:01
  26 Feb 2013 00:01THE shamed TV star helped the clergyman raise money for charity years before his sex crimes came out.
  Savil and O'Brien with two youngsters at a charity event at Edinburgh's St Mary's CathedralIain Sharp
  O'BRIEN was a friend of paedophile Jimmy Savile '' decades before the disgraced DJ's crimes were known.
  But he demanded Savile be stripped of his papal knighthood '' bestowed in 1990 '' after his offences came to light.
  O'Brien's spokesman said at the time: ''We would absolutely endorse and support that move.
  ''It seems to be an appropriate response and echoes exactly what every other institution and organisation who had an association with Jimmy Savile are doing.''
  The pair met when O'Brien was priest at St Patrick's Church in Kilsyth, Lanarkshire, in 1971.
  Savile was a regular visitor because his mother Agnes was friends with O'Brien's colleague, Fr Denis O'Connell.
  One man from Kilsyth, who was a schoolboy at the time, said: ''Savile was here often over a period covering the mid-1970s. We were amazed to see him at first because he was always on TV. When we saw him about the town, he was always with Fr O'Connell or Fr O'Brien.
  ''They went out of their way to court publicity, because they were raising money for charity.
  ''We would see the flash Roller parked outside the school because it was right next to the priests' house and we'd know Savile was in town.
  ''Over the next few days, you would see him out and about in the town, normally with the priests.
  ''They were always on a fundraising exercise. It was always assumed that Savile stayed with the priests overnight. I'd say over three to four years, you would see Savile twice a year. It got to the stage that it was no longer a surprise.
  ''As I got older, there were stories that Savile had stopped coming to Kilsyth because he had been interfering with young girls. It was the talk of the place for a while.
  ''We were always told that Savile came to Kilsyth because his mother was friends with Fr O'Connell.''
  Agnes became convinced that her son had been saved from a life-threatening illness when aged two, because she had prayed to the Venerable Margaret Sinclair.
  Sinclair was a Scots nun who died aged 25 in 1925 from tuberculosis after taking the religious name Sister Mary Francis of the Five Wounds and helping the poor in London.
  Savile's mother saw a photo of the Edinburgh-born nun while praying in Leeds Cathedral. Fr O'Connell was a leading light in the campaign to have Sinclair canonised.
To establish a Department of Peacebuilding. (H.R. 808) - GovTrack.us
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:57
  GovTrack's Bill SummaryWe don't have a summary available yet.
  Library of Congress SummaryThe summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
  No summary available.
  House Republican Conference SummaryThe summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
  No summary available.
  House Democratic Caucus SummaryThe House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
  So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference's summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That's because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
  We'll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.
VIDEO-Lucy Napolitano-2/25/13: White House Press Briefing - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:46
A bill to ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale. (S. 374) - GovTrack.us
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:38
  GovTrack's Bill SummaryWe don't have a summary available yet.
  Library of Congress SummaryThe summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
  No summary available.
  House Republican Conference SummaryThe summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
  No summary available.
  House Democratic Caucus SummaryThe House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
  So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference's summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That's because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
  We'll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.
First Lady Michelle Obama Announces New Effort to Make Healthier, MyPlate Recipes Easy to Find and Share
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:28
  The White House
  Office of the First Lady
  For Immediate Release
  February 26, 2013
  America's Largest Media Companies Are Compiling and Promoting Thousands of Recipes that Align with USDA's Guidance for Healthier Eating
  WASHINGTON, DC ''Today, five of America's largest media companies, as well as Pinterest, announced a new collaboration in support of Let's Move! to make it easier for their millions of online visitors to put nutritious meals on the table every day. Cond(C) Nast, Hearst Magazines, Meredith, Food Network and Time, Inc. in collaboration with the Partnership for a Healthier America and USDA's MyPlate have identified thousands of nutritious recipes that meet the guidance that supports USDA's MyPlate, and are labeling, compiling and promoting these recipes on their most popular cooking websites, which collectively garnered 150 million views in January alone. More than 3,000 recipes have been identified across 18 websites, and today nearly 1,000 of these recipes have been collected on a new Pinterest pageassociated with the effort, providing a one-stop-shop where parents, beginner home cooks and even the most experienced chefs can find and share healthier recipes. ''As a mom, I know how challenging it can be to think of new meal ideas that your kids will like and that will be good for them,'' said First Lady Michelle Obama. ''This partnership takes the guess work out of finding healthier recipes and gives parents the information and the tools they need to make healthy choices for their families every day.'' Below is a list of publications participating in this collaborative effort:' Allrecipes.com' Better Homes & Gardens' CookingLight.com' CountryLiving.com' Delish.com' DiabeticlivingOnline.com' EatingWell.com' Epicurious.com' Everyday with Rachael Ray' FamilyCircle.com' FoodNetwork.com' GoodHousekeeping.com' MyRecipes.com' Parents.com' RealSimple.com' Redbook.com' Recipe.com' Woman'sDay.com For more information on this partnership, visit www.pinterest.com/MyPlateRecipes
VIDEO-Kyrzahstan? John Kerry invents new country ahead of first foreign tour - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:25
Sequestration Will Halt Recovery of MIA Remains
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:34
  Plans to find and recover remains of fallen American troops from past wars could come to a grinding halt if sequestration cuts take effect on March according to a DoD official.
  Johnie Webb Jr., the deputy commander of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at Hickham Air Force Base, Hawaii, told an American Legion crowd Monday that the announced strategy of meeting mandatory cuts by furloughing civilian workers will make it impossible for JPAC's experts to complete recovery missions.
  ''Sequester says that civilians have to take two furlough days a pay period. A pay period is two weeks,'' Webb said. ''[But] you can't be deployed and be on furlough. All of our operations run a minimum of 30 days. If we can't get an exception to that [sequester] policy '' and let those civilian scientists and others deploy and take a string of successive days when they get back '' we won't be able to do any recoveries, and only limited investigations'' of recovery sites.
  Webb said JPAC's work already has been slowed because of the long drawn out budget impasse that has forced the government to operate through continuing resolutions. Under a continuing resolution, federal agencies see no increase in their budgets, but fall back to the prior year's levels. JPAC now operates with about $100 million a year, but had been anticipating an increase of about $19 million in fiscal 2013, Webb said.
  That has already resulted in JPAC deciding to go ahead with only the recovery of remains in Vietnam this year, but not deploy inspectors to potential recovery sites.
  JPAC estimates there are about 253 Americans missing in Vietnam. It has a list of about 180 possible recovery sites.
  U.S. budget issues are not the only problems that JPAC has been facing. In Cambodia, financial irregularities involving some of that country's military have stalled JPAC plans for recoveries at three locations while the North Koreans broke off a recovery plan over North/South politics.
  Webb offered no details on the problem that sparked a Cambodia recovery delay beyond saying there were ''issues that arose in the way payments were being made and money was being paid to some Cambodia[n] military officials.''
  The several months' delay is costing more than time. One of the recovery sites is under water, and neither of the two dive teams available to JPAC may be available by the time of the rescheduled recoveries.
  ''We're still trying to work that but unfortunately may lose that dive team and so possibly be restricted to only doing the ground recovery operations,'' he said.
  In North Korea, where more than 4,800 Americans are believed to be missing, investigation and recovery efforts ran up against politics.
  JPAC officials were in China to pick up travel visas to North Korea in 2011 when the North Koreans changed their mind because the U.S. and South Korea were conducting regularly scheduled military exercises. Webb said the North Koreans kept delaying the visits, but after the dictatorial country test fired a missile in early 2012, ''it was clear that the [JPAC] operation was not going'' to happen, Webb said.
  JPAC now has some 30 SUVs, two trucks and gear for an investigation and recovery encampment stored in South Korea, waiting for the chance to go into the North.
  (C) Copyright 2013 Military.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
China Launches Stealth Frigate Amid Sea Tensions
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:48
  BEIJING - China is launching a new class of stealth missile frigate amid ongoing tensions with its neighbors over Beijing's maritime claims.
  The People's Liberation Army Navy is building a total of 20 Type 056 Jiangdao class frigates to replace older models and bolster its ability to patrol and escort ships and submarines in waters it claims in the South China and East China seas.
  The first in the class, No. 582 was formally delivered to the navy on Monday in the metropolis of Shanghai that is home to the country's eastern fleet.
  The ships feature a sleek design to reduce clutter and make them harder to spot by radar and come armed with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.
  The ships also require a crew of just 60, two-thirds fewer than older vessels.
  (C) Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:23
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 26, 2013
  WASHINGTON, DC '' Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  ' Stephen J. Hadley '' Member, Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace' Bruce M. Ramer '' Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  Stephen J. Hadley, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the United States Institute of PeaceStephen J. Hadley is Senior Adviser for International Affairs at the United States Institute of Peace and a principal at RiceHadleyGates, an international strategic consulting firm. Previously, he was Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005. From 1993 to 2001, he was a partner at Shea & Gardner and a principle at The Scowcroft Group. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Hadley served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. Earlier in his career, he served on the National Security Council from 1974 to 1977 and in the office of the Comptroller of the Department of Defense from 1972 to 1974. Mr. Hadley received a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
  Bruce M. Ramer, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public BroadcastingBruce M. Ramer is a Partner at Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc., a firm specializing in entertainment and media matters. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California (USC) and Chair of the USC Institute on Entertainment Law and Business. He is a member of the Board of Councilors of the USC Annenberg School for Communication, the USC Gould School of Law, and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education. Mr. Ramer is Founding Chairman and member of the Board of Trustees of the Geffen Playhouse, a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Herrhausen Institute for International Dialogue. Mr. Ramer served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from October 2008 until December 2012, serving as Chair the last two years. He was a board member of KCET in Los Angeles from 1992 to 2004, and served as its Chair from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Ramer received an A.B. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and an L.L.B. from Harvard Law School.
CPB's appropriation request & justification
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:23
  Appropriation Request and Justification for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2015CPB distributes its appropriation in accordance with a statutory formula outlined in the Public Broadcasting Act. Ninety-five percent of CPB's appropriation goes directly to content development, community services, and other local station and system needs. Only five percent is allocated to administrative costs '-- an exceptionally low overhead rate compared to other nonprofits. By statute, Community Service Grants (CSGs), which go directly to local public television and radio stations, make up 70 percent of CPB's entire appropriation. Stations have wide latitude to use CSG funds to serve local needs in a manner they choose, which often includes community outreach, program purchasing, and local content development.
  Also by statute, the System Support category funds projects that benefit the entire public broadcasting community, while the Television Programming and Radio Programming funds support the development of national content.
  If Congress makes no changes to CPB's authorizing legislation and fully funds our request for a $445 million advance appropriation for FY 2015, the statutory categories under the Public Broadcasting Act would be funded as follows:
  Public Television Station and Programming Grants '-- $297 millionDirect Station Grants (TV CSGs) '-- $222.8 millionBy statute, stations use CSGs ''for purposes related primarily to the production or acquisition of programming.'' (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(7)) The size of each station's CSG depends on factors (determined by CPB through periodic system consultations) such as size of station, the amount of nonfederal financial support raised, and the number of stations in a given market. Under current CPB policy, stations can use CSGs for one of seven categories of expenses, all related to production or acquisition of programming: Programming and Production; Broadcasting, Transmission and Distribution; Program Information and Promotion; Fundraising and Membership Development; Underwriting and Grant Solicitation; Management and General; and Purchase, Rehabilitation or Improvement of Capital Assets.
  In FY2010, CSGs made up 15 percent of the average public television station's total revenue, with stations using this funding to leverage other critical investments from station and local governments, universities, businesses, foundations, and viewers. For many public television stations serving rural areas, this percentage is significantly higher. See Appendix G for a full listing of station funding by state, the vast majority of which is CSG funding.
  National Television Programming Grants '-- $75.7 millionThe Public Broadcasting Act requires a set percentage of the CPB appropriation to go toward ''national public television programming.'' (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)(ii)) CPB funds a broad array of national programs in support of the statutory mission to reach underserved audiences, fund independent producers, provide high-quality educational programming for children and adults, and other content-related activities. CPB anticipates that the following activities will receive Television Programming funding in FY2015:
  National Program Service ($26 million in FY2012)CPB funds the National Program Service (NPS) to support children's and prime-time television programming. NPS funding currently supports signature series and specials, including American Experience, American Masters, PBS NewsHour, NOVA, Nature, FRONTLINE, History Detectives, Washington Week, Wild Kratts, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and Sesame Street. Additional funding helps CPB fund programming that engages, inspires, and educates children and adults.
  Diversity and Innovation Fund ($7 million in FY2012)The Diversity and Innovation (D&I) Fund supports the creation of compelling content that speaks to the diversity of America and brings new production models and content forms to the public television schedule. D&I, founded in 2010, has funded two pilots (one of which will be a new prime-time television series in 2012), as well as several miniseries and specials, including the widely-acclaimed series Blacks in Latin America and its accompanying Spanish language translation. Further funding would allow CPB to sustain this focus on diversity and bring even more content to the airwaves. CPB anticipates bringing the new series to air and continuing the pilot process for potential additional series.
  Independent Television Service Programming ($15 million in FY2012)Since 1990, CPB has contracted with Independent Television Service (ITVS) to support independent producers and production entities. Funding for ITVS furthers the fundamental goals of expanding diversity and promoting innovation in public television broadcasting among producers, which, in turn, promotes a richer array of programming. Among other series and specials, this grant funds production of Independent Lens, public television's largest showcase of independent films. Independent Lens covers innovative documentaries, dramas, and other programs created by independent producers and available to air on public television stations.
  Minority Consortia ($7.65 million in FY2012)CPB funds the public television minority consortia as part of its commitment to develop and fund quality, culturally diverse programming for the American viewing public. The consortia is comprised of five individual national organizations, each of which selects and funds programs about their communities. Each consortium awards grants to producers for program production, training, exhibition, and outreach activities, and functions as a developer, producer, and distributor of programming that appeals to diverse audiences. Each harnesses the creative talents of minority communities. There is an individual minority consortium focused on the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.
  General Program Fund ($14.2 million in FY2012)This fund supports the development of public television content that does not dovetail into an existing fund. It also provides seed funding for content that has significant educational or cultural value. For instance, the General Program Fund supports American cultural programming like A Capital Fourth, PBS's annual Fourth of July concert, the Memorial Day concert series, and Ken Burns' acclaimed documentaries.
  Public Radio Station and Programming Grants '-- $99.5 million''Unrestricted'' CSGs '-- $69.3 millionLike public television stations, eligible public radio stations also receive CSGs from CPB, though for radio, the CSG contains two types of funds: unrestricted and restricted. The unrestricted portion can be used for a variety of purposes, including local content development, community outreach, infrastructure maintenance, and other station needs.
  ''Restricted'' CSGs '-- $23 millionRadio restricted CSGs are required by the Public Broadcasting Act ''to be used for acquiring or producing [radio] programming that is to be distributed nationally and is designed to serve the needs of a national audience.'' (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)(iii)) Broadly speaking, public radio stations use the restricted portion of their CSG to acquire programming from national producers such as NPR, Public Radio International, and American Public Media and other stations that produce national content.
  Taken together, in FY2010, the average public radio station relied on both unrestricted and restricted grants for 10.9 percent of its annual revenue. However, for some stations, including those serving rural or Native American communities, the CSG provides the bulk of their funding. As with television CSGs, the size of each station's grant depends on factors such as population density of the market served, local need, and the amount of funds that stations can raise on their own (CPB incentivizes funds-matching by providing additional funding to stations that can leverage those dollars further).
  Radio Program Fund '-- $7.2 millionAs on the television side, the Public Broadcasting Act directs CPB to invest a small portion of the appropriation in nationally-distributed radio programming projects. The Radio Program Fund supports the development of new public radio services and series, the production of urgent or timely content, the work of independent radio producers, and the development of innovative content forms. Some of the programs funded through Radio Programming are:
  StoryCorpsStoryCorps is the groundbreaking public radio project that honors and celebrates American lives through listening. StoryCorps collects interviews from everyday Americans and edits them for local and national broadcast on public radio. The interviews are available online; they are also archived at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.
  State of the Re:UnionState of the Re:Union is an innovative, multimedia, multi-platform project that travels the country creating content that highlights the distinctive culture and sensibilities of a community. The program provides new, unique voices for public media '-- bringing younger and more diverse perspectives to the airwaves. Combined with its community engagement and social media activities, the project is pioneering an integrated approach to digital storytelling that reflects the diversity of America as it explores the themes, stories, challenges, and cultural components that personify communities across the country.
  Native America Calling and National Native NewsNative America Calling and National Native News cover a wide spectrum of Native American and Alaska Native issues and ensure that Native voices are heard in our national discourse. The two programs enrich the diversity of American media by educating the public with cultural offerings, questions, and dialogue not found in commercial media programming.
  The Promised LandThe Promised Land, a public radio series about leaders and visionaries who are transforming lives and communities, was recognized with a prestigious Peabody Award in its first year of broadcasting.
  System Support (or ''Six Percent'') Funds '-- $26.7 millionThe Public Broadcasting Act directs CPB to use six percent of the appropriation for ''projects and activities that will enhance public broadcasting,'' also known as ''System Support'' funds. (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)(i)(II)) System Support funds drive leadership among stations, innovation within the system, and collaboration across the system to help ensure effective and efficient programs and services. For example, in 2010, CPB used System Support Funds to launch American Graduate to help stations help their communities to address the national high school dropout crisis. In addition, System Support funds help offset certain infrastructure costs mentioned in the Public Broadcasting Act such as interconnection and music royalty costs.
  While it is not possible to predict all System Support needs in FY2015, the following projects are likely to continue to receive funding:
  Expanding American GraduateAmerican Graduate brings public media together with key community stakeholders to improve student outcomes and raise academic achievement in support of ending the dropout crisis. Next year, CPB will expand successful models to bring meaningful impact and change to more communities at risk. CPB will invest in the development of new tools that support teacher development and engage middle and high school youth to improve learning. Finally, working with producers, stations, and national content distributors, CPB will fund additional national multiplatform content to highlight new information and solutions as the issue unfolds.
  Music Copyright FeesThe Public Broadcasting Act says System Support funds ''shall be available for expenses incurred by the Corporation for'...the payment of programming royalties and other fees,'' and CPB has traditionally paid all broadcast and internet music licensing fees on behalf of public television and radio as a service to the station community. If stations paid these fees individually, the overall cost would be much greater. However, CPB payment of these fees could change in the future as these costs have continued to rise at a much faster pace than CPB's appropriation.
  TV Interconnection Operating GrantsAs directed by statute, CPB provides half of the net cost of operating the interconnection system that PBS, regional distributors, local public television stations, and other entities will use to distribute programming material to public television stations nationwide.
  System EfficiencyOne of CPB's primary leadership responsibilities is to further the long-term health and sustainability of the public media system and, as such, CPB will continue to pursue projects that are focused on maximizing the resources stations have available for service. These initiatives, with the goal of managing the costs of overhead and operations to provide more resources for the content that audiences care about, include facilitating multi-station ''master control'' systems and cooperative back office operations; encouraging stations to come together through mergers and consolidations where appropriate; developing and implementing sustainable service models for regions served by economically-challenged stations that are the sole public television or radio providers to that community, and improving station fundraising efficiency.
  CPB Operations '-- $22.2 millionThe Public Broadcasting Act allocates no more than five percent of the overall CPB appropriation for CPB administrative expenses. (47 U.S.C. 396(k)(3)(A)(i)(I))
Jannette L. Dates PH.D. | The Network Journal
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:18
  Jannette L. Dates, Ph.D.Dean, School of CommunicationsHoward University, Washington, D.C.
  As dean of Howard University's School of Communications, Jannette L. Dates, Ph.D., is charged with preparing a next generation of communicators to succeed in a technology-driven world. Dates joined Howard in 1981 as a faculty member in the Department of Radio, Television and Film. She became acting dean of the School of Communications in 1993 and dean in 1996, a role she took on with a mission to: ''Send out stellar students who can compete with anyone from any other institution and can hold their own.''
  ''I never had a job that I wouldn't go back to in a minute,'' says Dates, who began her career in education in the Baltimore City Public School System in 1958. She became a live-television demonstration teacher for the school system and subsequently an assistant professor at Morgan State University. During her tenure at Morgan State, she was a producer, writer and anchor for North Star, a weekly television series featuring local and national African-American entertainment and sports personalities. That experience laid the foundation for her role as a communications educator and commentator. She has been a frequent guest on national television and radio programs, discussing the images of African-Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the mass media. She co-edited the book Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media; wrote chapters for several other books and authored 20 peer-reviewed articles and general publication articles.
  Dates earned her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland at College Park, a master's in education at the Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's in education at Coppin State College. She holds a certificate from Harvard University's Management Development Program and is a past fellow of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University. She was once named ''Woman of the Year'' by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:17
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  February 26, 2013
  WASHINGTON, DC '' Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  ' Jannette L. Dates '' Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting' Geoffrey R. Pyatt - Ambassador to Ukraine, Department of State
  President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  ' Teresa Isabel Leger '' Member, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation' Stephen L. Mayo '' Member, National Science Board, National Science Foundation
  President Obama said, ''These dedicated and accomplished individuals will be valued additions to my Administration as we tackle the important challenges facing America. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.''
  President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  Dr. Jannette L. Dates, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public BroadcastingDr. Jannette L. Dates was Dean of the Howard University School of Communications from 1993 to 2012. Previously, she served as Associate Dean from 1987 to 1993, having first joined the University as an Assistant Professor in 1981. From 1993 to 1998, she was a guest speaker on the National Public Radio shows, All Things Considered and On the Media. From 1992 to 1993, she was a Freedom Forum Media Studies Center Fellow at Columbia University, and from 1979 to 1989, she was a panelist on Square Off. Dr. Dates was an anchor and executive producer for the series The Negro in U.S. History from 1973 to 1974, and co-anchor on the weekly radio program North Star from 1972 to 1973. She served as a member of the Baltimore Mayor's Cable Communication Commission from 1988 to 1994. Dr. Dates received a B.S. from Coppin State College, an M.Ed. from the Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park.
  Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Nominee for Ambassador to Ukraine, Department of StateGeoffrey R. Pyatt, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. From 2007 to 2010, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency and International Organizations in Vienna. Prior to that, from 2002 to 2007, Mr. Pyatt served at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, first as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs and then as Deputy Chief of Mission. Before his assignment in New Delhi, Mr. Pyatt was an Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2002 and a Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan from 1997 to 1999. In Washington, his assignments included Director for Latin America on the National Security Council staff (1996-1997) and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State (1995-1996). Mr. Pyatt received a B.A. from the University of California, Irvine and an M.A. from Yale University.
  President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:
  Teresa Isabel Leger, Appointee for Member, Advisory Council on Historic PreservationTeresa Isabel Leger is a partner at Nordhaus Law Firm in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she has worked since 1989. Ms. Leger also serves as General Counsel to several Native American Tribes, including the Pueblos of Laguna, Santa Ana, and Santo Domingo. Previously, she clerked for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California from 1987 to 1989. She is a member of the Historic Marker Selection Committee of the New Mexico International Women's Forum Chapter, and is President of Homewise. Ms. Leger has served on the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, Vice Chair of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and was a White House Fellow in 1995. She received a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.
  Dr. Stephen L. Mayo, Appointee for Member, National Science Board, National Science FoundationDr. Stephen L. Mayo is Chair of the Division of Biology and Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He has been a member of the Caltech faculty since 1992, and in 2012, he was named the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation Division Chair. He served as Caltech's Vice Provost for Research from 2007 to 2010. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 2010. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and awarded the Johnson Foundation Prize for Innovative Research in Structural Biology in 1997. Dr. Mayo received a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. from Caltech.
amazing - definition of amazing by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:17
  amazing[ÉËmeÉªzÉªÅ‹]adjcausing wonder or astonishment amazing featsamazingly adv
  ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
  amazingadjectiveastonishing, striking, surprising, brilliant, stunning, impressive, overwhelming, staggering, sensational(informal), bewildering, breathtaking, astounding, eye-opening, wondrous(archaic or literary), mind-boggling, jaw-dropping, stupefying, gee-whizz (slang), startlingIt's amazing what we can remember with a little prompting.Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
VIDEO-Everything Was "Amazing" at the Oscars - YouTube
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:15
Washington Post
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:51
  By Associated Press, Published: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 11:06 AM ET Aa WASHINGTON '-- A sharply-divided Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out an attempt by U.S. citizens to challenge the expansion of a surveillance law used to monitor conversations of foreign spies and terrorist suspects.
  With a 5-4 vote, the high court ruled that a group of American lawyers, journalists and organizations can't sue to challenge the 2008 expansion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) because they can't prove that the government will monitor their conversations along with those of potential foreign terrorist and intelligence targets.
  Justices ''have been reluctant to endorse standing theories that require guesswork,'' said Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote for the court's majority.
  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, was enacted in 1978. It allows the government to monitor conversations of foreign spies and terrorist suspects abroad for intelligence purposes. The 2008 FISA amendments allow the government to obtain from a secret court broad, yearlong intercept orders, raising the prospect that phone calls and emails between those foreign targets and innocent Americans in this country would be swept under the umbrella of surveillance.
  Without proof that the law would directly affect them, Americans can't sue, Alito said in the ruling.
  Despite their documented fears and the expense of activities that some Americans have taken to be sure they don't get caught up in government monitoring, they ''have set forth no specific facts demonstrating that the communications of their foreign contacts will be targeted,'' he added.
  Alito also said the FISA expansion merely authorizes, but does not mandate or direct, the government monitoring. Because of that, he said, ''respondents' allegations are necessarily conjectural. Simply put, respondents can only speculate as to how the attorney general and the Director of National Intelligence will exercise their discretion in determining which communications to target.''
  Alito was joined in his decision by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
  Justice Stephen Breyer, writing in dissent, said that he would have allowed the lawsuit to move forward because he thinks ''the government has a strong motive to listen to conversations of the kind described.''
  ''We need only assume that the government is doing its job (to find out about, and combat terrorism) in order to conclude that there is a high probability that the government will intercept at least some electronic communication to which at least some of the plaintiffs are party,'' Breyer said. ''The majority is wrong when it describes the harm threatened plaintiffs as ''speculative,'' Breyer said.
  He was joined in his dissent by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
  A federal judge originally threw out the lawsuit, saying the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the lawsuit. The Supreme Court was not considering the constitutionality of the expansion, only whether lawyers could file a lawsuit to challenge it in federal court.
  Alito re-emphasized that point, saying the decision did not insulate the FISA expansion from judicial review, and he suggested a couple of ways a challenge could be brought to court, including a scenario in which an American lawyer actually did get swept up in FISA monitoring.
  ''It is possible that the monitoring of the target's conversations with his or her attorney would provide grounds for a claim of standing on the part of the attorney,'' Alito said. ''Such an attorney would certainly have a stronger evidentiary basis for establishing standing than do respondents in the present case.''
  Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
  (C) Copyright 1996-2013 The Washington Post
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Federal Register | Developing a Framework To Improve Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:01
  The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is conducting a comprehensive review to develop a framework to reduce cyber risks to critical infrastructure1 (the ''Cybersecurity Framework'' or ''Framework''). The Framework will consist of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks.
  1For the purposes of this RFI the term ''critical infrastructure'' has the meaning given the term in 42 U.S.C. 5195c(e), ''systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.''
  This RFI requests information to help identify, refine, and guide the many interrelated considerations, challenges, and efforts needed to develop the Framework. In developing the Cybersecurity Framework, NIST will consult with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, Sector-Specific Agencies and other interested agencies including the Office of Management and Budget, owners and operators of critical infrastructure, and other stakeholders including other relevant agencies, independent regulatory agencies, State, local, territorial and tribal governments. The Framework will be developed through an open public review and comment process that will include workshops and other opportunities to provide input.
  Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, April 8, 2013.
  Written comments may be submitted by mail to Diane Honeycutt, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Submissions may be in any of the following formats: HTML, ASCII, Word, RTF, or PDF. Online submissions in electronic form may be sent to cyberframework@nist.gov. Please submit comments only and include your name, company name (if any), and cite ''Developing a Framework to Improve Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity'' in all correspondence. All comments received by the deadline will be posted at http://csrc.nist.gov without change or redaction, so commenters should not include information they do not wish to be posted (e.g., personal or confidential business information).
  For questions about this RFI contact: Adam Sedgewick, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230, telephone (202) 482-0788, email Adam.Sedgewick@nist.gov. Please direct media inquiries to NIST's Office of Public Affairs at (301) 975-NIST.
  The national and economic security of the United States depends on the reliable functioning of critical infrastructure, which has become increasingly dependent on information technology. Recent trends demonstrate the need for improved capabilities for defending against malicious cyber activity. Such activity is increasing and its consequences can range from theft through disruption to destruction. Steps must be taken to enhance existing efforts to increase the protection and resilience of this infrastructure, while maintaining a cyber environment that encourages efficiency, innovation, and economic prosperity, while protecting privacy and civil liberties.
  Under Executive Order 13636[2] (''Executive Order''), the Secretary of Commerce is tasked to direct the Director of NIST to develop a framework for reducing cyber risks to critical infrastructure (the ''Cybersecurity Framework'' or ''Framework''). The Framework will consist of standards, methodologies, procedures and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address cyber risks. The Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with sector-specific agencies, will then establish a voluntary program to support the adoption of the Cybersecurity Framework by owners and operators of critical infrastructure and any other interested entities.
  Given the diversity of sectors in critical infrastructure, the Framework development process is designed to initially identify cross-sector security standards and guidelines that are immediately applicable or likely to be applicable to critical infrastructure, to increase visibility and adoption of those standards and guidelines, and to find potential gaps (i.e., where standards/guidelines are nonexistent or where existing standards/guidelines are inadequate) that need to be addressed through collaboration with industry and industry-led standards bodies. The Framework will incorporate voluntary consensus standards and industry best practices to the fullest extent possible and will be consistent with voluntary international consensus-based standards when such international standards will advance the objectives of the Executive Order. The Framework would be designed to be compatible with existing regulatory authorities and regulations.
  The Cybersecurity Framework will provide a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and cost-effective approach, including information security measures and controls to help owners and operators of critical infrastructure and other interested entities to identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity-related risk while protecting business confidentiality, individual privacy and civil liberties. To enable technical innovation and account for organizational differences, the Cybersecurity Framework will not prescribe particular technological solutions or specifications. It will include guidance for measuring the performance of an entity in implementing the Cybersecurity Framework and will include methodologies to identify and mitigate impacts of the Framework and associated information security measures and controls on business confidentiality and to protect individual privacy and civil liberties.
  As a non-regulatory Federal agency, NIST will develop the Framework in a manner that is consistent with its mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness through the development of standards and guidelines in consultation with stakeholders in both government and industry. While the focus will be on the Nation's critical infrastructure, the Framework will be developed in a manner to promote wide adoption of practices to increase cybersecurity across all sectors and industry types. In its first year, the emphasis will be on finding commonality within and across the affected sectors. It will seek to provide owners and operators the ability to implement security practices in the most effective manner while allowing organizations to express requirements to multiple authorities and regulators. Issues relating to harmonization of existing relevant standards and integration with existing frameworks will also be considered in this initial stage.
  In accordance with the Executive Order, the Secretary of Commerce has directed the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (the Director) to coordinate the development of a Framework to reduce the cyber risks to critical infrastructure. The Cybersecurity Framework will incorporate existing consensus-based standards to the fullest extent possible, consistent with requirements of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, [3] and guidance provided by Office of Management and Budget Circular A-119, ''Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities.'' [4] Principles articulated in the Executive Office of the President memorandum M-12-08 ''Principles for Federal Engagement in Standards Activities to Address National Priorities'' [5] will be followed. The Framework should also be consistent with, and support the broad policy goals of, the Administration's 2010 ''National Security Strategy,'' 2011 ''Cyberspace Policy Review,'' ''International Strategy for Cyberspace'' of May 2010 and HSPD-7 ''Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection.''
  The goals of the Framework development process will be: (i) To identify existing cybersecurity standards, guidelines, frameworks, and best practices that are applicable to increase the security of critical infrastructure sectors and other interested entities; (ii) to specify high-priority gaps for which new or revised standards are needed; and (iii) to collaboratively develop action plans by which these gaps can be addressed. It is contemplated that the development process will have requisite stages to allow for continuing engagement with the owners and operators of critical infrastructure, and other industry, academic, and government stakeholders.
  In December 2011, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report titled ''CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION: Cybersecurity Guidance Is Available, but More Can Be Done to Promote Its Use.'' [6] In its report, GAO found similarities in cybersecurity guidance across sectors, and recommended promoting existing guidance to assist individual entities within a sector in ''identifying the guidance that is most applicable and effective in improving their security posture.'' [7]
  NIST believes the diversity of business and mission needs notwithstanding, there are core cybersecurity practices that can be identified and that will be applicable to a diversity of sectors and a spectrum of quickly evolving threats. Identifying such core practices will be a focus of the Framework development process.
  In order to be effective in protecting the information and information systems that are a part of the U.S. critical infrastructure, NIST believes the Framework should have a number of general properties or characteristics. The Framework should include flexible, extensible, scalable, and technology-independent standards, guidelines, and best practices, that provide:
  A consultative process to assess the cybersecurity-related risks to organizational missions and business functions;A menu of management, operational, and technical security controls, including policies and processes, available to address a range of threats and protect privacy and civil liberties;A consultative process to identify the security controls that would adequately address risks [8] that have been assessed and to protect data and information being processed, stored, and transmitted by organizational information systems;Metrics, methods, and procedures that can be used to assess and monitor, on an ongoing or continuous basis, the effectiveness of security controls that are selected and deployed in organizational information systems and environments in which those systems operate and available processes that can be used to facilitate continuous improvement in such controls; [9]A comprehensive risk management approach that provides the ability to assess, respond to, and monitor information security-related risks and provide senior leaders/executives with the kinds of necessary information sets that help them to make ongoing risk-based decisions;A menu of privacy controls necessary to protect privacy and civil liberties.Within eight months, the Executive Order requires NIST to publish for additional comment a draft Framework that clearly outlines areas of focus and provides preliminary lists of standards, guidelines and best practices that fall within that outline. The draft will also include initial conclusions for additional public comment. The draft Framework will build on NIST's ongoing work with cybersecurity standards and guidelines for the Smart Grid, Identity Management, Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) implementation, the Electricity Subsector Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model, and related projects.
  NIST intends to engage with critical infrastructure stakeholders, through a voluntary consensus-based process, to develop the standards, guidelines and best practices that will comprise the Framework. This will include interactive workshops with industry and academia, along with other forms of outreach. NIST believes that the Framework cannot be static, but must be a living document that allows for ongoing consultation in order to address constantly evolving risks to critical infrastructure cybersecurity. A voluntary consensus standards-based approach will facilitate the ability of critical infrastructure owners and operators to manage such risks, and to implement alternate solutions from the bottom up with interoperability, scalability, and reliability as key attributes.
  A standards-based Framework will also help provide some of the measures necessary to understand the effectiveness of critical infrastructure protection, and track changes over time. DHS and Sector Specific Agencies will provide input in this area based on their engagement with sector stakeholders. This standards-based approach is necessary in order to be able to provide and analyze data from different sources that can directly support risk-based decision-making. A Framework without sufficient standards and associated conformity assessment programs could impede future innovation in security efforts for critical infrastructure by potentially creating a false sense of security.
  The use of widely-accepted standards is also necessary to enable economies of scale and scope to help create competitive markets in which competition is driven by market need and products that meet that market need through combinations of price, quality, performance, and value to consumers. Market competition then promotes faster diffusion of these technologies and realization of many benefits throughout these sectors.
  It is anticipated that the Framework will: (i) Include consideration of sustainable approaches for assessing conformity to identified standards and guidelines; (ii) assist in the selection and development of an optimal conformity assessment approach; and (iii) facilitate the implementation of selected approach(es) that could cover technology varying in scope from individual devices or components to large-scale organizational operations. The decisions on the type, independence and technical rigor of these conformity assessment approaches should be risk-based. The need for confidence in conformity must be balanced with cost to the public and private sectors, including their international operations and legal obligations. Successful conformity assessment programs provide the needed level of confidence, are efficient and have a sustainable and scalable business case.
  This RFI is looking for current adoption rates and related information for particular standards, guidelines, best practices, and frameworks to determine applicability throughout the critical infrastructure sectors. The RFI asks for stakeholders to submit ideas, based on their experience and mission/business needs, to assist in prioritizing the work of the Framework, as well as highlighting relevant performance needs of their respective sectors.
  For the purposes of this notice and the Framework, the term ''standards'' and the phrase ''standards setting'' are used in a generic manner to include both standards development and conformity assessment development. In addition to critical infrastructure owners and operators, NIST invites Federal agencies, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, standard-setting organizations, [10] other members of industry, consumers, solution providers, and other stakeholders to respond.
  The following questions cover the major areas about which NIST seeks comment. The questions are not intended to limit the topics that may be addressed. Responses may include any topic believed to have implications for the development of the Framework regardless of whether the topic is included in this document.
  While the Framework will be focused on critical infrastructure, given the broad diversity of sectors that may include parts of critical infrastructure, the evolving nature of the classification of critical infrastructure based on risk, and the intention to involve a broad set of stakeholders in development of the Framework, the RFI will generally use the broader term ''organizations'' when seeking information.
  Comments containing references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of the referenced materials. Do not include in comments or otherwise submit proprietary or confidential information, as all comments received by the deadline will be made available publically at http://csrc.nist.gov/.
  Current Risk Management PracticesNIST solicits information about how organizations assess risk; how cybersecurity factors into that risk assessment; the current usage of existing cybersecurity frameworks, standards, and guidelines; and other management practices related to cybersecurity. In addition, NIST is interested in understanding whether particular frameworks, standards, guidelines, and/or best practices are mandated by legal or regulatory requirements and the challenges organizations perceive in meeting such requirements. This will assist in NIST's goal of developing a Framework that includes and identifies common practices across sectors.
  1. What do organizations see as the greatest challenges in improving cybersecurity practices across critical infrastructure?
  2. What do organizations see as the greatest challenges in developing a cross-sector standards-based Framework for critical infrastructure?
  3. Describe your organization's policies and procedures governing risk generally and cybersecurity risk specifically. How does senior management communicate and oversee these policies and procedures?
  4. Where do organizations locate their cybersecurity risk management program/office?
  5. How do organizations define and assess risk generally and cybersecurity risk specifically?
  6. To what extent is cybersecurity risk incorporated into organizations' overarching enterprise risk management?
  7. What standards, guidelines, best practices, and tools are organizations using to understand, measure, and manage risk at the management, operational, and technical levels?
  8. What are the current regulatory and regulatory reporting requirements in the United States (e.g. local, state, national, and other) for organizations relating to cybersecurity?
  9. What organizational critical assets are interdependent upon other critical physical and information infrastructures, including telecommunications, energy, financial services, water, and transportation sectors?
  10. What performance goals do organizations adopt to ensure their ability to provide essential services while managing cybersecurity risk?
  11. If your organization is required to report to more than one regulatory body, what information does your organization report and what has been your organization's reporting experience?
  12. What role(s) do or should national/international standards and organizations that develop national/international standards play in critical infrastructure cybersecurity conformity assessment?
  Use of Frameworks, Standards, Guidelines, and Best PracticesAs set forth in the Executive Order, the Framework will consist of standards, guidelines, and/or best practices that promote the protection of information and information systems supporting organizational missions and business functions.
  NIST seeks comments on the applicability of existing publications to address cybersecurity needs, including, but not limited to the documents developed by: international standards organizations; U.S. Government Agencies and organizations; State regulators or Public Utility Commissions; Industry and industry associations; other Governments, and non-profits and other non-government organizations.
  NIST is seeking information on the current usage of these existing approaches throughout industry, the robustness and applicability of these frameworks and standards, and what would encourage their increased usage. Please provide information related to the following:
  1. What additional approaches already exist?
  2. Which of these approaches apply across sectors?
  3. Which organizations use these approaches?
  4. What, if any, are the limitations of using such approaches?
  5. What, if any, modifications could make these approaches more useful?
  6. How do these approaches take into account sector-specific needs?
  7. When using an existing framework, should there be a related sector-specific standards development process or voluntary program?
  8. What can the role of sector-specific agencies and related sector coordinating councils be in developing and promoting the use of these approaches?
  9. What other outreach efforts would be helpful?
  Specific Industry PracticesIn addition to the approaches above, NIST is interested in identifying core practices that are broadly applicable across sectors and throughout industry.
  NIST is interested in information on the adoption of the following practices as they pertain to critical infrastructure components:
  Separation of business from operational systems;Use of encryption and key management;Identification and authorization of users accessing systems;Asset identification and management;Monitoring and incident detection tools and capabilities;Incident handling policies and procedures;Mission/system resiliency practices;Security engineering practices;Privacy and civil liberties protection.1. Are these practices widely used throughout critical infrastructure and industry?
  2. How do these practices relate to existing international standards and practices?
  3. Which of these practices do commenters see as being the most critical for the secure operation of critical infrastructure?
  4. Are some of these practices not applicable for business or mission needs within particular sectors?
  5. Which of these practices pose the most significant implementation challenge?
  6. How are standards or guidelines utilized by organizations in the implementation of these practices?
  7. Do organizations have a methodology in place for the proper allocation of business resources to invest in, create, and maintain IT standards?
  8. Do organizations have a formal escalation process to address cybersecurity risks that suddenly increase in severity?
  9. What risks to privacy and civil liberties do commenters perceive in the application of these practices?
  10. What are the international implications of this Framework on your global business or in policymaking in other countries?
  11. How should any risks to privacy and civil liberties be managed?
  12. In addition to the practices noted above, are there other core practices that should be considered for inclusion in the Framework?
  Dated: February 21, 2013.
  Patrick Gallagher,
  Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology.
  [FR Doc. 2013-04413 Filed 2-25-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 3510-13-P
Passed Out Drunk Homeless Man Graffitied
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:08
There's A String Of Child Sex Abuse Scandals Surrounding Some Of Those Who Will Pick The Next Pope
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:08
Vice President Biden Announces Jake Sullivan as New National Security Advisor
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:07
  The White House
  Office of the Vice President
  For Immediate Release
  February 26, 2013
  WASHINGTON, DC '' The Vice President announced today that Jake Sullivan will serve as his new National Security Advisor, starting this week. He succeeds Tony Blinken, who was appointed by the President to be his Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. Mr. Sullivan comes to the Vice President's office from the State Department, where he served as the Director of Policy Planning and Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
  ''Jake is the ideal person to serve as my National Security Advisor,'' said Vice President Biden. ''He is respected across the Administration for his intellect, his dedication to our country, and the perspective he brings to even the most complex issues. He has been part of some of the biggest foreign policy challenges our nation has faced, and he's always handled himself with incredible skill. I'm glad to welcome Jake to my team, and I look forward to working with him.''
  Mr. Sullivan joined the State Department in January 2009 as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. He also served as Deputy Policy Director on then-Senator Clinton's presidential campaign, and was previously Chief Counsel to Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, his home state. Trained as a lawyer, he worked as an associate at the Minneapolis law firm of Faegre & Benson and as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School. Mr. Sullivan served as a clerk for Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.
  Mr. Sullivan graduated from Yale College with a degree in Political Science and International Studies. He earned an M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he served as managing editor of the Oxford International Review. He earned a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was an Articles Editor of the Yale Law Journal.
  Mr. Sullivan's formal title will be Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
White House Policy for Countering Improvised Explosive Devices
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:04
  February 26, 2013 2:23 PM EST
  Policy Statement for Countering Improvised Explosive Devices AnnouncedWith today's publication of the policy statement on Countering Improvised Explosive Devices, the Obama Administration both recognizes the progress we have made, and rededicates ourselves to the next phase in our efforts to implement measures to discover, prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate IED attacks and their consequences.
CNN's Borger Hypes Sequestration as 'Man-Made Disaster'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:03
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
Ukraine to cut Russian gas import almost twofold in 2013 '-- RT Business
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:54
  Published time: February 26, 2013 21:07
  Ukraine is going to cut gas supplies from Russia despite earlier agreements between the two countries. In 2013 Kiev plans to buy 18 to 20 bln cubic meters despite existing contracts stating it should buy twice as much.
  The decision was announced Tuesday by the Deputy Chairman of the Ukraine's Naftogaz, Vadim Chuprun, who stressed that the country ''has enough reserves not to feel the shortage of Russian gas'' in the near future.
  ''We have warned Gazprom that we are going to buy less this year,'' the RIA news agency quotes Chuprun as saying.
  Under the 2009 contract, Ukraine's national energy company is expected to buy 52 billion cubic meters of gas annually, with the possibility to reduce the volume by 20 per cent to 42 billion cubic meters. However, Gazprom said, last year Naftogaz imported only 24.9 billion cubic meters '' which is only 60 percent of what is stipulated in the contract.
  In January, Gazprom reportedly sent Naftogaz a US$7-billion-bill for failing to meet the import requirements set in the 2009 contract. However, Ukraine has refused to pay the bill, as the country's President Viktor Yanukovich stated last Friday.
  Kiev's current stance is backed in Brussels. The EU has recently promised to help diversify gas supplies in the country. Chuprun says Ukraine plans to sign deals on reverse gas supplies from Slovakia and Hungary in 2013 meaning around 7bn cubic meters of Russian gas will first go through the territory of Ukraine and then return to the country.
  ''Apparently, Ukraine needs more Russian gas than they buy now. Otherwise there wouldn't be talks with the EU,'' the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily quotes the Ukrainian energy expert Valery Koval, who believes those projects are mainly aimed at forcing Russia to make concessions at talks over the gas price.
"None Of Us Will Get 100 Percent Of What We Want" President Obama
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:51
Cops Bust Man For Marijuana DUI Because He Had A Green Tongue
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:50
VIDEO-Operation Mockingbird: CIA Manipulation of the Media - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:42
Bahrain bans Guy Fawkes mask | Al Akhbar English
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:40
  Bahrain has banned Guy Fawkes masks, in an apparent bid to further stifle opposition protests in the wealthy Gulf state.
  A document issued by the Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce on Thursday cited ''public safety'' as a factor behind the decision to ban the import of ''revolution masks.''
  The Minister of Industry and Commerce:After looking at Law number 35 of the year 2012 concerning the protection of consumers, and more closely at article 16 of the law;And building upon the request of the Ministry of Interior;And taking into account the public's safety;And building on the suggestion of the secretary to the ministry of Trade;
  The following has been decided:
  Article One:It is prohibited to import the "Revolution Mask" or anything similar to it that conceals the face.
  Article Two:It is up to the secretary of the Ministry of Trade as well as all who specialize in the kingdom's ports '' each with their own jurisdiction '' to execute this decision and to do so beginning at the date of its publication and to publish it in official newspapers.
  Minister of Industry and Commerce,Hassan Bin-Abdallah Fakhro
  The Guy Fawkes mask, which became iconic thanks to its use in the 2006 movie ''V for Vendetta,'' has become an international symbol of anarchism and revolution. It is also an emblem of the hacktivist group Anonymous.
  The mask has become particularly widespread in the Middle East to maintain anonymity during anti-government protests. The United Arab Emirates also banned the mask in November, saying that anyone wearing the mask could be subjected to police questioning, Gulf News reported at the time.
  Bahrain has witnessed two years of political upheaval linked to opposition demands for a real constitutional monarchy, with the unrest claiming at least 80 lives, according to international rights groups.
  Protests continue despite the resumption on February 10 of a national dialogue between opposition groups and the government. A Saudi-led Gulf force entered the island in March 2011 to help crush the rebellion, but the country still witnesses almost daily protests.
  The small but strategic kingdom is home to US Fifth Fleet.
  (Al-Akhbar)
Guess which Peter is coming to dinner
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:49
  It is time my children to visit that which was, for what is and what will be. For in it, it will explain a great deal of what only this blog has revealed exclusively in matter anti matter as the whores of the keyboard ride the media of the beast spreading deceptions in things named Peter.
  I remind you of the Obama Order, which this blog tracked and the situation of B. Hussein Obama overthrowing the Jesuits in America, but now for more details in that as the sunset of popes meets the sunset of popes.
  Pater Arrupe was head of the black popes, the Jesuit world order. He was a treacherous person based in the far east, who in his American ventures championed liberation theology in latin America.You might recall that in sounding familiar in liberation theology in latin America was something created in the Kremlin for the communiziation of Latin America, and now you know why the Catholics were so whole rosary for it during the Cold War, as it was coming directly out of the Jesuit agents who were Marxists to the core.The Jesuits controlled the power behind the Vatican and Arrupe guided it all.
  It came to a crossroads in the 1980's when a Cardinal named Ratzinger stood up and denounced liberation theology and Arrupe. You will recognize this attack dog of Pope John Paul II as Pope Benedict.While the world made cash off of the black popes in following the Dutch version, another son of Arrupe took control named Pater Pachon.Pachon hails from the far east too in his persona, and he is deemed a willing disciple of Arrupe in announcing that liberation............just needs more time.
  Yes the head of the Jesuits after Hans the Dutchman left, literally stated about the time Barack Hussein Obama took over the American White House, as a far east agent, that communism in South America just needed a bit more time to come out right.
  This ties directly for those whose wheels are turning to a thing preached in Chicago by Jeremiah Wright as black liberation was based completely upon the Kremlin and Jesuit orders for liberation of Spanish America to become communist.
  John Paul II also denounced this liberation in knowing what this global feudal state would do to humanity, as what humanity was destroyed by behind the Iron Curtain.
  If you recall the oddity of Obama going to Georgetown and the Name of Christ was covered over by the Jesuits there and Obama the abortionist going to Notre Dame and the Jesuits there allowed that blasphemy, it should not make sense in all of this as this blog stated there were Marxists involved inside the Catholic church behind all these attacks upon Christ, and it is coming directly from the head of the black popes as they champion the very overthrow of the Americas that Obama advocates and that the Kremlin has as their manifesto.
  None of this has happened by accident in the Jesuit control of all of this in being the most powerful order in the Vatican in Obama performing the blasphemy he has to Pope Ben now going into exile over this sodomite ring.You are seeing the inner machinations of the Vatican at work and forces in this are moving for a world order and that is what Pater of Rome will be busy fathering, if this is the false prophet to come, in he will move a 10 nation union in Europe to father the Neo Roman Empire that Obama was employed to loot and disarm America for.
  If you can handle the reality of the archives of this blog in things spoken of here, the reality is Barack Hussein Obama was employed to take possession of the American Virgin, rape her and in that impregnation of filthy lucre, produce a bastard in the natal blood of Europe, whose sponsor will be the false prophet, that will become the anti Christ.
  None of what took place in the outrages against Sarah Palin were by accident. She was the living manifestation of the American Virgin, sexually gang assaulted by all in the rites to initiate in the unholy trinity. All of you who partook of that orgy and delighted in it, did it to America in that rapine, and that son of perdition which you helped Obama father, is destined to come on the scene and his darkness is going to consume every last one of you to Gehenna fires.
  Barry Chin has been nurtured by the Marxist traitors in the Jesuit order. This blog honestly wonders how long a Joseph Ratzinger will survive in exile, when the last thing any of these whores of babylon need is a former leader who might just disagree and cause a martyrdom schism in the global order which can not be allowed.With the world in a balance, the setting stage for annexation of Jerusalem, that type of chance is too expensive to take chances with. John Paul I was assassinated for daring to mention divesting the Vatican of it's fortune. The odds are the last rites will be in due time as Paters like Obama will not share the stage with other black men and Paters like false prophets do not share the Vatican with other Popes.
  Call it Patercide of the unholy order.
  You see now how these Marxist Jesuits were the breeding ground for all of this. How they were the 5th column for Obama in his overthrowing of their willing order. Do you really think that a sodomite like Obama has no fraternal connection with Vatican sodomites and is not now with his central Europeans forging the way for this coming Pater who will glue their feudal empire together with a miracle message to wow the masses from Islam heathens to Protestant apostates.You have not seen anything, if you think the possession for Obama was insane, in what will take place when a real architect in the forces gains power.
  Once again these are Lame Cherry matter anti matter exclusives......all the while you are being deceived in this guess which Peter is coming to dinner......the real story has only been found here.
  not nuff said
  agtG 266
50 Sexy Scientists - Business Insider
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:40
  It's hard to make microbes, telescopes, and math calculations appear sexy. But we found 50 scientists who pull it off fabulously. These aren't your typical lab coat-wearing, messy-haired brainiacs '-- with the exception that they're all pretty brain-y.
  Some of the people who made our list are rising stars. Others are already well-established in their field. All of them are making a difference (or on their way to) by improving our lives through research and new discoveries.
  We thought this was important, to highlight the brains along with the beauty. But, they're not bad to look at, either.
"It's Just Banning The Assault Weapons! They Have No Place In The General Population"
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:39
Secret Service Investigating Organized Card-Skimming Ring
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:39
Republican Talking Head "IS... Gay Marriage A Civil Rights Issue?
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:38
Obama Wants To Increase Funds To Syrian Rebels But We Have To Cut Your Social Security
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:38
A bill to establish the American Infrastructure Investment Fund and other activities to facilitate investments in infrastructure projects that significantly enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States by improving economic output, productivi
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:37
  GovTrack's Bill SummaryWe don't have a summary available yet.
  Library of Congress SummaryThe summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
  No summary available.
  House Republican Conference SummaryThe summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
  No summary available.
  House Democratic Caucus SummaryThe House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.
  So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference's summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That's because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.
  We'll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.
SWAT Team Raids Wrong House Terrorizing 78 Year Old Woman And Her Bedridden Daughter
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  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:36
New York Cop Conspired To Kidnap Kill And Cannibalize Dozens Of Women
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:34
Obama Puts Pesticide Pusher in Charge of Agricultural Trade Relations
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:32
  For Immediate Release, March 28, 2010
  Contact: Tierra Curry, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 522-3681
  Obama Puts Pesticide Pusher in Charge of Agricultural Trade Relations
  WASHINGTON'-- Sidestepping a stalled Senate confirmation vote, yesterday President Obama recess-appointed Islam Siddiqui to be chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. trade representative. Dr. Siddiqui's nomination was held up in the Senate and was opposed by the Center for Biological Diversity and more than 80 other environmental, small-farm, and consumer groups. More than 90,000 concerned citizens contacted the White House and Senate to oppose the nomination. Siddiqui is a former pesticide lobbyist and is currently vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America, a biotech and pesticide trade group that lobbies to weaken environmental laws.
  ''Dr. Siddiqui's confirmation is a step backward,'' said Tierra Curry, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. ''His appointment ensures the perpetuation of pesticide- and fossil-fuel-intensive policies, which undermine global food security and imperil public health and wildlife.''
  As undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Siddiqui oversaw the development of the first national organic labeling standards, which allowed sewage sludge-fertilized, genetically modified, and irradiated food to be labeled as organic before public outcry forced more stringent standards. Siddiqui has derided the European Union's ban on hormone-treated beef and has vowed to pressure the European Union to accept more genetically modified crops.
  CropLife America, formerly known as the National Agricultural Chemicals Association, lobbies to weaken the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, claiming that pesticides are not pollutants because of their intended beneficial effect and that pesticides positively impact endangered species. The group has lobbied to allow pesticides to be tested on children and to allow the continued use of persistent organic pollutants and ozone-depleting chemicals. It also launched a petition asking Michelle Obama to use pesticides in the organic White House garden and fought county initiatives in California banning genetically modified foods.
Barack Obama's ''Mr. Creepy'' Jim Messina'...
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:32
  }rFo*0Ï†F q]\eJl-T`@QL6U5Î}}$_wo+8K%pNNt!cpEd7_')Sfì{Ð–O'%6UTÎ... jsXc7MC\I,j |* %CDE8%q}awvÝ®I Ycc|PaX^Ð"u>FysW8q|^>#`Fs9Okj$mH.,5p_#B\?cB1xUnKA,~ Å'C&xwwUS[vm`0}a|7!iO0|FNSÌ¸t#s1&C^yN"!3;4 p:2n=:3G[Qy6e(×¹^H^^TTYE;-K @2)Õ=}&$Va+cÖšVT4|BJIYYcwHÆŸ[Ni=~g m\`,)ex" :*U=&Wm`KS*#p[?Cdv!m}DmV(6m77]< >e*S|VR~e4(D9pré'xV!K!bqRÄ‹q/yFÜs#>77lv2Ü...oÚžmd%w~ s-' "D0-AAUcU:)hÞ [McP,-Bs ?AP!KÉµ;1VADR# ÒºUdDGi% !`4D. :H#U]gg 45J(=+arF*43 +1\Z+*'MÜ¬)8actV9ICS4CÐ¨tUËŒ]?C=NÞš+WzrK'F+8fe+>)6 :3 @Q.Ü'R?_/D e0#%8rO@I(AmdQ,ÖP7A/)!s}G0|4HÐ\Î...BH7,+,Ú''2h Ú>>3NK[xBÈ–;1zuÕ>>2,^i+@WOQI ~)fzL[6*a#Eh8.DoN-C~wz3YYXYQni¹X[uJxLqJ-ajGh1TÈ#b?Ùd=Sx^w,@)@pdH,.2zb|JJ t&MM6(R;uqSÅ´ #&qpE*.lix( hl,LaQB;hY2!v&0> }u3s0slN5mW{7RR4c8 ~Dj 3'\R~OUMZ3iA8Þ po(%M:ivÞ¹pq,ip1 ();&S$mn65.i)ExÆ¶}shmEYÜ¼im=vz1}3LWt WZ43efP#]7I!,\=H/Sr*=6Æ¼\>)MD_Cr#_sr0P :P
"Obama Pulled a Hustle on The American People": Exclusive Interview with Outspoken Economist Richard Wolff (Part 1)
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:31
  Here's some stuff we aren't hearing on Meet the Press:
  Correcting the spin of "Fix The Debt" shills, economist, professor, and author of "Capitalism Hits The Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It", Dr. Richard Wolff, who was fresh off his debut appearance on Bill Moyers, sits down with me for a quick talk about the sequester in the context of our ailing economic system. In this, the first of a four-part series, he breaks down the sequester and discusses what he calls a 'hustle' being perpetrated by the Obama Administration on the American people.
  Stay tuned here on Crooks and Liars for Part 2, or subscribe to Absurdity Today's Youtube Channel here.
US Concedes Claims of Taliban Attack Decrease Were False
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  Source: What Jamie Flarity is reading.
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:31
  The claim that Taliban attacks are dropping in Afghanistan, the single piece of data backing up NATO claims of ''progress'' in the protracted occupation and indeed the centerpiece of President Obama's re-election campaign speeches related to foreign policy, has turned out to be completely false, Pentagon officials admitted today.
  The data, which seems to have formed the basis for much of NATO's occupation strategy, was ultimately the result of a ''clerical error'' that officials attributed to the Afghan military turning in certain forms late. Officials say that the revised data shows attacks approximately flat, buit they have simply removed all the old reports based on the false data and haven't replaced them with anything since then.
  Officials repeatedly cited the false data as proof of improved security in Afghanistan, and indeed it remains the only piece of ''proof'' that ever existed. Despite it turning out to be fake, officials say their assessment that the situation is getting better has not changed. They just don't have anything to back it up with anymore.
  Pentagon spokesman George Little says they only finally learned of the error during a ''quality control'' check recently, and that it is ''unhelpful to have inaccurate information in our systems.'' That the inaccurate information was the basis for major policy decisions, and that officials are standing by those decisions seemingly as a face-saving measure, is the much bigger concern.
  Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
Chuck Hagel confirmed as US defence secretary - Americas
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  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:30
  The US Senate has voted to confirm Chuck Hagel to be the next US defence secretary.
  The vote on Tuesday was 58-41, with four Republicans joining Democrats in backing President Barack Obama's nominee.
  The vote ended a contentious fight over the president's choice for his second-term national security team.
  Hagel will succeed Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who is stepping down after four years as CIA director and Pentagon chief.
  The vote came just hours after Republicans dropped their delay and allowed the nomination to move forward.
  The Senate voted 71-27 on Tuesday to end debate and move forward, almost two weeks after Republicans launched a filibuster to block Hagel's nomination.
  It was the first time such a procedural tactic had been used to delay consideration of a nominee for secretary of defence.
  Many Republicans have fiercely opposed Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska who angered party leaders when he criticised former President George W Bush's handling of the Iraq war.
  Some have also raised questions about whether Hagel is sufficiently supportive of Israel or tough enough on Iran.
  But Democrats stood together for Hagel, a twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran.
  190
THE ARMED CITIZEN PROJECT
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  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:30
Black Loyalty To Obama Has Been Taken For Granted: Dr Cornel West
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:29
  TAVIS SMILEY (24 Feb 2013): So, you are in Pennsylvania right now and folk just down the road from you discovered that President Obama has been the least responsive Democratic President, those are their words, University of Pennsylvania, the least responsive Democratic President in the last 50 years. They've looked at the speeches they've looked at Executive Orders etc etc. and he is now the least responsive Democratic President in the last 50 years. Then you have a state representative in Michigan, a black man who left the Democratic Party this week and announced that he was leaving because of its and I quote condescending treatment of blacks. So, you put those two stories together Doc and that says what to you?
  CORNEL WEST: Ha. Well we do want to thank our dear brother George Curry whose really popularized this story in a very courageous way acknowledging not only that the President has been the least racially responsive Democratic President in the last 50 years, but all the groups with the exception of our precious indigenous brothers and sisters, but all the groups that are ties to the Democratic Party, black people we are the only group that has not benefited even though we are the most loyal to the President most loyal to the Party. We have not benefited relative to where things began in 2008.
ied countermeasures
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  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:29
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Sean Penn calls progress in Haiti 'extraordinary'
  Link to Article
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:28
  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) '-- Sean Penn remembers smelling dead bodies when he arrived in Haiti after the earthquake.
  But now there's music in those same streets even as the country faces many years of rebuilding, the Academy Award-winning actor said Tuesday.
  Penn said "extraordinary" changes have happened since the Jan. 12, 2010, natural disaster killed more than 300,000 people and left about 1.5 million homeless.
  He also called the Haitian people resilient in his remarks in a forum at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
  The actor is an ambassador-at-large for Haiti's president and CEO of aid group J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which started with a goal of bringing painkillers to earthquake victims. It became an agency that manages a camp for displaced people and works to resettle them. It also does other aid work such as clearing rubble, repairing damaged homes and running a community center and clinics.
  Former Haitian Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis and Ken Keen, the Army lieutenant general who commanded the U.S. military relief effort in Haiti, joined Penn as panelists to discuss the progress in Haiti since the earthquake.
  Pierre-Louis spoke of the strength of the Haitian people but also of promises, including from the government, that haven't been kept.
  "Today there is reason for hope, but at the same time, there is a lot to be done," she said.
  The former prime minister also spoke about the need for the international intervention when it comes to helping middle-class Haitians who lost homes get loans so they can rebuild.
  Keen said stabilizing security will be a major factor in the country's recovery, with everything else becoming more difficult without effective policing.
  Penn said investment in manufacturing and jobs in Haiti would help solve the challenges because displaced people need work. He also said relief organizations can make a difference by helping with education initiatives because the first thing parents ask before resettlement is where their children will be going to school.
  The actor dressed casually in cowboy boots and jeans, his dark straight hair combed back and falling below his collar. He also wore a scowl for some of the evening and criticized some media coverage he said misrepresented what was happening in Haiti.
  In particular, Penn took issue with some reporting on his organization's work to demolish the National Palace, the presidential home in Port-au-Prince that became a symbol of the scale of devastation and government inertia following the natural disaster.
  He said that it wasn't him and a bunch of "white guys" with "jackhammers" who did the demo and that nearly all his agency's workers are Haitians.
  But the actor grinned after answering an audience question about how to bring visibility to Haiti's reconstruction effort. He said the country wouldn't triumph over its problems next year, but it would happen.
  "It's coming in 15 years," Penn said, "and I hope I see you there."
  Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Lib Sequester Scare Tactics: No Meat, No Veggies, New Disease Outbreaks
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:27
  STEPHANIE MILLER (26 Feb 2013): Here's my major concerns about the sequestration okay number one stock up on meat now, it might not be available for long. The food safety and inspection service said it will be forced to furlough employees if cuts are enacted. Vegetarians you're not exempted. More than 2000 fewer types of food inspections would occur. A lot of risk of airborne food borne illnesses. Wouldn't that be fun I just had one a couple of weeks ago. It was awesome! Wow! Flatulence sound effect. Just a little flashback sorry.
Supreme Court says Americans don't have standing to challenge surveillance law.
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 22:12
  Police officers outside the Supreme Court in January 2013
  Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
  The spies at the National Security Agency must have breathed a major sigh of relief today. The Supreme Court ruled that Americans have no standing to challenge the constitutionality of the NSA's secret eavesdropping efforts.
  The significant decision comes after grappling in the lower courts that began in 2008. Back then, a group of lawyers, human rights groups, journalists, and media organizations challenged in court the legality of the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act. A 2008 amendment to the law, they alleged, had authorized sweeping ''dragnet surveillance'' that could pull in Americans' international communications in violation of constitutional rights, such as those enshrined by the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
  The district court for the Southern District of New York rejected the claim in 2009, agreeing with the government that the plaintiffs lacked standing because they could not prove they were subject to surveillance. But then the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in 2011, concluding that the plaintiffs had a ''reasonable fear of future injury.''
  Now, the Supreme Court has weighed in to settle the issue, reversing the 2nd Circuit's judgment on a 5-4 vote and agreeing with the government that the plaintiffs have no standing to challenge the spy law. The Supreme Court said that the plaintiffs' argument ''fails'' in part because it ''rests on a speculative chain of possibilities that does not establish that their potential injury is certainly impending or is fairly traceable.'' The ruling states that ''it is highly speculative whether the government will imminently target communications to which respondents are parties,'' adding that ''they have no actual knowledge of the government's [FISA] targeting practices.''
  The decision will come as a major blow to Americans concerned about the NSA's secret surveillance programs, which first came to widespread attention in 2005, with a ''warrantless wiretapping'' scandal involving domestic surveillance of phone calls and emails. However, the ruling does not necessarily shield FISA from future legal challenges. It states explicitly that ''the holding in this case by no means insulates [FISA] from judicial review.''
  It's also worth noting that the Supreme Court judgement is also clear in that it accepts ''the government's interception of a private telephone or e-mail conversation amounts to an injury that is 'concrete and particularized'.'' The reason the plaintiffs' case failed was that they could not prove that they were subject to surveillance'--and they could not do so because the government refuses to comment on its surveillance capabilities or divulge details about whom it is targeting. Indeed, in a bizarre piece of circular reasoning, the NSA told lawmakers last year that it could not even so much as provide a rough estimate of how many Americans it has spied on because it argues that providing this information would itself ''violate the privacy of U.S. persons.'' This hammers home the point that the problem is not necessarily the surveillance per se, but the secrecy that surrounds the surveillance.
  FISA was recently renewed for a further five years, granting the NSA broad eavesdropping authorization until 2017. Aside from concerns about the law's domestic surveillance implications, it has recently attracted attention in Europe, with a report for the European Parliament calling it ''a carte blanche for anything that furthers U.S. foreign policy interests'' that had legalized ''heavy-calibre mass surveillance fire-power aimed at the cloud.''
Azerbaijan: Baku Debates Ditching Russian-Origin Last Names
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:50
  A draft law on dropping Russian endings from Azeri last names is fueling debate in Azerbaijan about how best to define the country's national identity.
  As elsewhere in the South Caucasus, Russia's cultural influence has been receding rapidly since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In Azerbaijan, that change coincides with the country's emergence as a regional energy power.
  Many believe that ethnic Azeri last names better suit Azerbaijan's status as an independent state with an identity of its own, rather than names with Russian-origin endings.
  Such a changeover, however, would be no small task. A six-month research study done by a special commission under the National Academy of Sciences shows that nearly 80 percent of Azerbaijan's population of 8.3 million has last names with the Russian endings of "-ov/ova" or "-ev/eva." Among that number is Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, whose administration is now reviewing the name-change legislation.
  Under the proposal, submitted by parliament's Culture Committee chairman, Nizami Jafarov, a member of the governing Yeni Azerbaijan Party, the name change will be obligatory for all newborns; others will only be recommended to drop the Russian last name endings of "-ov/ova" and "-ev/eva." Participants would then choose one of four Azeri endings for their new last names: "-ly", "-oglu", "-gil" or "-soy."
  Debate still persists about names ending with "-zade," an ending derived from Persian; Jafarov, though, believes the ending could make the cut "because people perceive it as a national [ethnic Azeri] one."
  The name-change requirement would not apply to Azerbaijani citizens of non-Azeri ethnic origin, he said. While conceding that some Azerbaijanis will not be eager to change their names, he put the number at no more than 10 percent of population, the APA news agency reported.
  One leader of Azerbaijan's movement for independence from the Soviet Union characterizes the proposal as a chance to wipe out an "historical injustice."
  "We did not accept the '-ov' and '-ev' endings voluntarily," said poet Sabir Rustamhanly, a member of parliament. "Without asking anybody's wish, these endings were added to everybody's last name. ? The change in the endings of our last names was part of the [Russian] policy to influence our national consciousness and to distort our history."
  Tsarist Russia gained control over modern-day Azerbaijan in 1828, as part of a treaty with Persia that ceded Persian-held territories in the Caucasus to Russia. Azerbaijan declared its independence in 1918 with the creation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, but again fell under Russian suzerainty in 1920 following the invasion of the Red Army.
  Two years after Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,
  parliament issued a decree on the voluntary change of last names, but few changes were made. Russian language influence has since declined sharply, as Azerbaijan has opened up more widely to the outside world.
  Promoting Azeri last names over names with Russian endings will do little to complete the independence process, believes one journalist. Elchin Shikhlinsky, editor-in-chief of Baku's Russian-language daily Zerkalo (Mirror), argues that forcing people to change their last names would potentially constitute a human rights violation.
  "The commission can only work out proposals and recommend that people change [their names], but it can't force them," said Shikhlinsky, who does not plan to drop his last name's Russian ending. Newborns given a last name with an Azeri ending should "be able to make a decision independently" about their names when they receive their identification cards, he added.
  The prospect of a name change confuses 35-year-old mother Rena Abilova, now in her sixth month of pregnancy. "So, my baby will have a last name different from ours," she sighed. "My husband and I tried to replace our last name's ending with the suggested ones, but none of them sound right. I . . . do not know what we will do."
  The Academy of Sciences commission has proposed the creation of a state-run database to keep track of Azeri first and last names.
  Greater enthusiasm for taking a new, Azeri-only last name can be found among Azerbaijanis who are too young to remember the Soviet Union and want a more Turkic-sounding last name, commented Vafa Jafarova, the former head of the youth movement Dalga. The support, though, is "not massive," she added.
  Political analyst Zardusht Alizade calls the name-change proposal "cheap populism."
  "These people are playing the worthless role of pseudo-patriots who allegedly are looking for their own national roots and want to restore the integrity of their national pride," Alizade contended. "[But] by changing [our] last names, nothing positive and progressive will happen in society. To be free from outside influence, we should change our mindset and implement independent [government] policies."
  Zerkalo Editor-in-Chief Shikhlinsky seconds that opinion, calling for the government and society to "grow out of their short pants."
  Other Azerbaijanis say they will make the name change only when senior government officials take the first step. So far, no such decision has been announced.
  Editor's note:
  Mina Miradova is a freelance reporter based in Baku.
Afghanistan can be 'second Kashmir' after US forces pull out: Dalrymple | Newspaper
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:49
  IVS Gallery '' Photo by IVS
  KARACHI: Afghanistan could be 'second Kashmir' once the US forces pull out of the landlocked country, British historian and writer William Dalrymple told the audience at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture after giving a presentation at the launch of his latest book 'Return of a King '-- The Battle for Afghanistan' in the city on Monday evening.
  There might be another proxy war between India and Pakistan as India would arm Hamid Karzai and Pakistan would arm the Taliban, said Mr Dalrymple answering the question as to what would happen after the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan.
  Earlier while drawing parallels between the British invasion of Afghanistan in the first half of the 19th century and the US occupation of Afghanistan in the beginning of the 21st century, Mr Dalrymple gave a chilling account of British forces' humiliating defeat in the early 1840s during the presentation.
  As soon as he arrived at the podium, Mr Dalrymple made it clear that the British invasion of Afghanistan (1839-1842) was the 'biggest catastrophe' that the Raj ever suffered as out of the 18,000 British and East India Company troops only one survived.
  To put things into context, he told the gathering that two powers, Britain and Russia, had always looked to get control over Afghanistan's mountains; the former had gobbled up chunks of South Asia and the latter had gobbled up Armenia and Azerbaijan etc. The story of the 1839 invasion began when a British artillery office, an intelligence man on the quiet, with a single group saw 200 Russians led by Yan Vitkevich marching south. The British sensed that the Russians were trying to get control over the mountain range, a 'strategic dream', from where they could control Central Asia.
  To prevent Russia the British thought of 'regime change' by installing Shah Shuja, a former ruler of Kabul (the grandson of Ahmed Shah Durrani) and remove the not-so-flexible Dost Mohammad Khan who wanted to recapture Peshawar from the Sikhs. By swapping rulers they thought they'd achieve their goal. William Macnaghten advised Governor-General Lord Auckland to invade Afghanistan contrary to the suggestion of Capt Alexander Burnes that Dost Mohammad only fancied a piece of land to become a British ally and that Shah Shuja was a spent-force. The British went into Afghanistan in 1839 and captured Kandahar and Kabul.
  Highlighting certain strategic gaffes, Mr Dalrymple commented that it was not that the Afghans could not be defeated (they had been defeated in the past); the fact was that it wasn't possible to pay for it. ''You had to garrison the region,'' he argued and quoted Dost Mohammad who had once remarked ''it's only stone and me''. So there was hemorrhaging of money with no returns. ''The economics did not add up and impoverished you,'' he said. Therefore, he added, the British had to make cuts.
  The historian said the final nail in the British coffin came when they slept with Afghan women. Among other things, the Afghans objected to British forces on moral grounds. To boot, Burnes slept with the girlfriend of a local leader, Abdullah Khan Achakzai, which made an Afghan comment, ''The English will ride the donkey of their desire into the field of stupidity.'' As days passed by life became difficult for the British and the Afghans seized their food supply and killed them brutally.
  Mr Dalrymple's narration of the killing of British soldiers was graphic and chilling.
  He said Dost Mohammad returned and formed the modern boundaries of Afghanistan. Shah Shuja was assassinated. Afghan king Zahir Shah, who was in power in the 1970s, was a descendant of Shah Shuja.
  The writer then informed the audience that in the 1840s the British controlled 35 per cent of world trade but by the 1860s it had reduced to four per cent '-- such was the telling effect of their defeat in Afghanistan. He also told them how his visit to Afghanistan to research for the book and his meetings with local Afghans there who, in response to his questions on the US invasion, said that they (invaders) pulled their women by the hair and kicked their children, so they would break Americans' teeth because only then would they leave their country.
  The presentation was followed by a brief chitchat between the author and journalist Irfan Husain. They talked about some of the writer's previous books and their geneses.
  Replying to a question, the writer told Mr Husain that he had bits of Indian blood in him as he had a distant Mughal connection.
  Asked about his interest in pahari art, Mr Dalrymple said he had studied art history at Cambridge. He said people harboured the notion that the late Mughal period in art was decadent. It was not. There were two great moments in art history in that period: one related to Mohammad Shah Rangeela and the other to Bahadur Shah Zafar. He termed Ghulam Ali Khan's works as 'masterpiece'.
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DOJ Used Open Access Guerilla Manifesto to Justify Search of Aaron Swartz' Home
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:55
  Professor Lawrence Lessig lectures last week on 'Aaron's Laws - Law and Justice in a Digital Age.'
  This week, the HuffPo caught up to reporting I did in January, reporting that DOJ used Aaron Swartz' 2008 Guerilla Open Access Manifesto to justify their investigation of him.
  A Justice Department representative told congressional staffers during a recentbriefing on the computer fraud prosecution of Internet activist Aaron Swartz that Swartz's ''Guerilla Open Access Manifesto'' played a role in the prosecution, sources told The Huffington Post.
  [snip]
  The ''Manifesto,'' Justice Department representatives told congressional staffers, demonstrated Swartz's malicious intent in downloading documents on a massive scale.
  [snip]
  Reich told congressional staffers that the Justice Department believed federal prosecutors acted in a reasonable manner, according to the sources. He also made clear that prosecutors were in part influenced by wanting to deter others from committing similar offenses.
  When considering punishment, courts are supposed to impose an ''adequate deterrence to criminal conduct'' under federal statute. Swartz's ''Manifesto,'' prosecutors said they believed, made clear that he intended to share the academic articles widely.
  But there's something the HuffPo is still missing.
  Not only does the Guerilla Manifesto advocate doing a lot of things that may well be legal '-- the biggest exception is the one most applicable, downloading scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks'...
  And look at the passage from the Manifesto they quote in the brief, which appears in this larger passage.
  There is no justice in following unjust laws. It's time to come into the light and, in the grand tradition of civil disobedience, declare our opposition to this private theft of public culture.
  We need to take information, wherever it is stored, make our copies and share them with the world. We need to take stuff that's out of copyright and add it to the archive. We need to buy secret databases and put them on the Web. We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks. [my emphasis]
  In context, much of the manifesto advocates for things that are perfectly legal: sharing documents under Fair Use. Taking information that is out of copyright and making it accessible. Purchasing databases and putting them on the web.
  Aside from sharing passwords, about the only thing that might be illegal here (depending on copyright!) is downloading scientific journals and uploading them to file sharing networks.
  But it's the way the government used Swartz' manifesto legally. They used it, as far as I've found, primarily to justify HOW they investigated Swartz.
  They used it in a brief rebutting his effort to suppress a number of searches they had done in the investigation.
  And that's significant because of an oddity in the investigation. The government, at first, wasn't all that quick to investigate Swartz. The let the actual evidence of the alleged crime just sit for weeks and weeks. And when they finally got around to looking into that stuff, they started with Swartz' house, not with the hardware that offered the best evidence of a crime.
  He was arrested very quietly on January 6; I suspect the reason few people knew about it was because no one expected it to amount to anything.
  And for a while, it didn't.
  The Secret Service officer on the case, Michael Pickett, raised the issue of warrants on January 7''the day after Swartz was arrested. But the government didn't get around to actually getting warrants to search this hardware until February 9, over a month later.
  Here's the warrant and supporting affidavit ultimately used for the hardware (except his phone, which was also seized).
  But as this defense motion makes clear, there was a further delay after that first February 9 warrant. The Secret Service let the February 9 warrants for the hardware expire, and had to get new warrants on February 24.
  Here, there was a 34-day delay in obtaining the February 9, 2011, warrant, which remained unexecuted, and a total of a 49-day delay until the obtaining of the February 24, 2011, warrant pursuant to which the items were ultimately searched.
  [snip]
  On the other side of the balance, defendant knows of no conceivable reason which could justify a delay of this magnitude.
  And while it's not central to this post, in the motion Swartz' lawyer cited a slew of Circuit Court opinions (though none from the First Circuit) throwing out searches on computers after this kind of delay.
  In other words, after getting control of this investigation, Secret Service largely let it slide, potentially fatally so for any prosecution.
  Which is why it's interesting that, when the Secret Service finally summoned the energy (or got the okay from AUSA Stephen Heymann) to start this investigation, it was more interested in investigating Swartz' home than in investigating his hardware ''the stuff that directly tied to the crime purportedly in question.
  This motion describes what happened with the investigation of Swartz' home and then''after they didn't find what they were looking for there''his Harvard office. Secret Service got the warrant to search Swartz' house, which they executed on February 11.
  On February 9, 2011, Secret Service S/A Michael Pickett submitted an affidavit in support of an application for a warrant to search Swartz's home at 950 Massachusetts Avenue, Apt. 320, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Exhibit 34. A warrant authorizing the search was issued the same day. Exhibit 35. The search warrant was executed on February 11, 2011.
  The affidavit was based on somewhat flimsy stuff''including a tweet Swartz had sent 30 days before the warrant application from a Mac, which apparently supported the Secret Service's suspicion that Swartz had a Mac at his home.
  The affidavit also mentioned that neither the ''ghost macbook'' associated with the JSTOR downloading or the external hard drive which had been observed attached to the ACER laptop on January 4, 2011, had yet been recovered. Id. The affidavit further stated that on January 10, 2011, Swartz ''broadcast a message via Twitter for Mac.''
  After searching Swartz' house, they decided they needed to search his office.
  On February 11, 2011, Secret Service S/A Brett Seidel submitted an affidavit in support of an application for a warrant to search Swartz's office at 124 Mount Auburn Street, Office 504, Cambridge, Massachusetts, the case-specific averments of which were virtually entirely derived from observations made by law enforcement officers during the search of Swartz's home and statements made by Swartz which were a direct product of that search. Exhibit 36. The warrant was issued and executed the same day. Exhibit 37.
  And while I actually think the warrants for the home search would not have been thrown out (because after all, the Magistrate had approved them), I do think the motion makes a decent case that Secret Service provided no particularly compelling reason to tie Swartz' apartment''and from there his office''to the crime they were purportedly investigating him for, downloading a bunch of JSTOR documents onto a computer they had in their possession but were letting sit.
  What the government effectively did with Swartz' Guerilla Manifesto, at least in that brief, was use it to justify the way they had investigated him, including this bizarre 6 week delay, prioritizing investigating his house before actually investigating the hardware that served as best evidence of any crime.
  While they didn't say so in as many words, the brief the government submitted '-- arguing that this delay shouldn't result in suppression of the evidence collected in this odd investigation '-- basically says the Manifesto makes the delay okay.
  That is, an investigative approach that might otherwise result in the best evidence be thrown out was okay, the government argued, because Swartz wrote a document advocating for the largely legal but nevertheless incriminating, it claimed, sharing of information.
  Threat Level reveals the government went so far as subpoenaing various versions of the manifesto from Internet Archive.
  His attorney, Elliot Peters, said prosecutors were ''very focused'' on the manifesto Swartz penned from Italy.
  ''They were very focused on it, and appeared to be planning to use it as evidence of Aaron's intent to take the JSTOR material and somehow post it online to make it available for all,'' Peters told Wired on Friday. ''They had spent a lot of energy investigating that document '-- who wrote it, whether it conveyed Aaron's point of view, etc.''
  The government, Peters said, ''had also subpoenaed various versions of the document from the Internet Archive,'' Peters said.
  This was part of the fishing expeditions Swartz' lawyer was trying to win discovery on back in 2012.
  DOJ told Congress it believed the Manifesto would prove motive '-- that Swartz planned to share the journals widely. But that only underscores that had he used them for his own purposes '-- to collect data on who funded what studies and what kind of results they produced, as he had in the past '-- they would have had a hard time claiming this was a crime at all.
  It appears that, only by researching the Manifesto, a First Amendment protected publication that largely espoused legal information sharing, did the government even get around to treating this as a crime.
  Marcy Wheeler blogs at emptywheel.net.
K3NG Arduino CW Keyer - Browse Files at SourceForge.net
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:09
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Arduino CW Keyer | Radio Artisan
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:06
  This is an Arduino based CW (Morse Code) keyer similar my original PIC keyer, but with more features and flexibility. The code can be used with a full blown Arduino board or the microcontroller chip can be programmed with an Arduino board and used directly in a circuit. This keyer is suitable as a standalone keyer or for use permanently installed inside a rig, especially homebrew QRP rigs. It's open source code so you can customize it to fit your needs and also perhaps learn from it or find coding ideas for other projects. A circuit board and parts kits called the nanoKeyer is available from DJ0MY.
  Features
  CW speed adjustable from 1 to 999 WPMUp to six selectable transmitter keying linesProgramming and interfacing via USB port (''command line interface'')PS2 Keyboard Interface for CW keyboard operation without a computerOptional PTT outputs with configurable lead, tail, and hang timesOptional LCD Display '' Classic 4 bit mode or Adafruit I2C RGB display (NEW! )Up to 12 memories with macrosSerial numbersCW keyboard (via a terminal server program like Putty or the Arduino Serial program)Speed potentiometer (optional '' speed also adjustable with commands)QRSS and HSCWBeacon / Fox modeIambic A and BStraight key modeUltimatic modeBug modePaddle reverseHellschreiber mode (keyboard sending, memory macro, beacon)Farnsworth TimingAdjustable frequency sidetoneSidetone disable / sidetone high/low output for keying outboard audio oscillatorCommand mode for using the paddle to change settings, program memories, etc.Keying CompensationDah to Dit Ratio adjustmentWeightingCallsign receive practiceSend practiceMemory stackingLogging and Contest Program Interfacing via K1EL Winkey 1.0 and 2.0 interface protocol emulation''Dead Operator Watchdog''AutospaceWordspace AdjustmentPre-configured and Custom ProsignsNon-volatile storage of most settingsModular code design allowing selection of features and easy code modificationNon-English Character SupportCW Receive (EXPERIMENTAL / NEW! )Rotary Encoder Speed Control (NEW!)Sleep Mode (NEW!)On the Development Roadmap
  Adafruit I2C RGB display menu buttonsFrequency Counter for use in homebrew rig embedded keyersSchematic (Click to Enlarge)
  Note: Ignore the numbers on the outside of the Arduino symbol and refer to the numbers within the box for pin connections (i.e. D2, D3, A0, etc.)
  Connecting the Keyer
  Here are the main pins you need to connect up to get started:
  Left Paddle '' pin 2 '' connect to your left paddle (grounding will send dits)Right Paddle '' pin 5 '' connect to your right paddle (grounding will send dahs)Transmitter Key '' pin 11 '' goes high for key down; use to drive a transistor to ground the TX keySidetone '' pin 4 '' this outputs square wave sidetone to drive a speaker (schematic coming out shortly for driving with a transistor). The sidetone can be deactivated on transmit for transmitters that generate their own sidetone.The command button '' pin A1 and at least R7Memory buttons, up to 12. Add buttons and resistors R8, R9, R10, etc. (You can do just a few memory buttons, all 12, or none at all.Additional pins you may be interested in for other functionality:
  PTT (push to talk) (described in more detail below)Additional TX Key lines for multi-transmitter capabilityPotentiometer Speed Control '' pin A0 '' connect one end of the pot to +5V, the other end to ground, and connect the wiper to pin A0Rotary Encode Speed Control '' no default pins are defined; two pins are required, defined by rotary_pin1 and rotary_pin1.All pins can be easily changed at the beginning of the code if desired, though note that if the PS2 keyboard functionality is used, the clock pin must remain at pin 3 due to interrupt requirements. Optional I2C functionality uses pins A4 and A5; avoid using these pins if you plan to add the Adafruit I2C LCD display now or in the future.
  Command Buttons
  To enable the command buttons, uncomment this line at compile time:
  #define FEATURE_COMMAND_BUTTONS
  Button 0 is the command button. Pressing it will put the keyer into command mode which is described in detail below. Holding down the command button and pressing the left or right paddles will increase or decrease the CW speed.
  Buttons 1 through 12 will play memories when momentarily depressed. To have a memory autorepeat (such as for doing a repetitive CQ), hold down the memory button and tap the left paddle. Holding buttons 1 through 6 down for a half second will switch the transmitter (1 through 6), if multiple PTT lines are enabled.
  Buttons are multiplexed on one analog line using a voltage divider. You do not have to install all the buttons, and you can actually configure the number of buttons by changing this compile time setting:
  #define analog_buttons_number_of_buttons 4
  Two other settings are used to define the voltage divider resitor values:
  #define analog_buttons_r1 10#define analog_buttons_r2 1
  analog_buttons_r1 is the value of R7 in the schematic in K (kilo ohms), and analog_buttons_r2 is the value of the remaining resistors (R8, R9, R10, R11, R12, etc.) The code calculates the voltage values for each button at runtime based on the three settings above. If you decide to use other resistor values you can adjust these values in the code, just be sure to do the math and make sure the resistors you chose make reasonable voltages and currents.
  Command Mode
  To enter command mode, press button 0, the command button and you will hear a ''boop beep'', after which you can enter various commands by sending character using the paddle. (Note that if you're in bug or straight key mode, you will temporarily be switched to iambic in command mode.)
  If you enter a bogus command or the keyer didn't recognize the character you sent, it will send a question mark, upon which you can retry your command.
  To exit command mode, send X in CW using the paddles or just press the command button again upon which you will hear ''beep boop'' and you'll be back in regular sending mode.
  A '' Switch to Iambic A mode
  B '' Switch to Iambic B mode
  D '' Switch to Ultimatic mode
  F '' Adjust sidetone frequency
  G '' Switch to bug mode
  I '' TX enable / disable
  J '' Dah to dit ratio adjust
  N '' Toggle paddle reverse
  O '' Toggle sidetone on / off
  P# '' Program a memory
  T '' Tune mode
  V '' Toggle potentiometer active / inactive
  W '' Change speed
  X '' Exit command mode (you can also press the command button (button0) to exit)
  Z '' Autospace On/Off
  # '' Play a memory without transmitting
  The behavior of the P command (program memory) can be changed with the following compile time options:
  #define OPTION_PROG_MEM_TRIM_TRAILING_SPACES '' this option will remove all trailing spaces from memories programmed in command mode
  #define program_memory_limit_consec_spaces 1 '' this setting limits the number of consecutive wordspaces that will be written to a memory
  Neither of these settings affect memory programming when using the command line interface (CLI).
  Serial Command Line Interface (''CLI'') / CW Keyboard
  The keyer has a serial command line interface using the built in Arduino USB port. Simply connect to your computer and use a terminal program such as the Arduino serial port program or Putty. If you use the Arduino program, it's recommended that you set it for carriage return (lower right).
  To use the CW keyer functionality, simply type in what you want to send. In the Arduino serial interface you will need to hit Enter to send the data to the keyer for it to start sending. Programs like Putty will immediately send the characters and the keyer will send the code immediately as well.
  Commands are preceded with a backslash ('' \ ''), the key above your Enter key (at least on US PC keyboards). To see a help screen, enter backslash question mark '' \? '' (no quotes). The status command (\s) is a useful command for viewing various settings and seeing the contents of the memories. If you enter a double backslash (''\\''), all sending buffers will be cleared and any memory sending will stop (this includes sending invoked by the PS2 keyboard or Winkey interface protocol emulation features).
  Command Line Interface Showing Status (\s) Command Output
  CLI Commands:
  \? Help
  \# Play memory #
  \a Iambic A mode
  \b Iambic B mode
  \c Switch to CW (from Hell)
  \d Ultimatic mode
  \e#### Set serial number to ####
  \f#### Set sidetone frequency to #### hertz
  \g Bug mode
  \h Switch to Hell sending
  \i Transmit enable/disable
  \j### Dah to dit ratio (300 = 3.00)
  \k Callsign receive practice
  \l## Set weighting (50 = normal)
  \m### Set Farnsworth speed
  \n Toggle paddle reverse
  \o Toggle sidetone on/off
  \p# Program memory #
  \q## Switch to QRSS mode, dit length ## seconds
  \r Switch to regular speed mode
  \s Status
  \t Tune mode
  \u Manual PTT toggle
  \v Toggle potentiometer active / inactive
  \w### Set speed in WPM
  \x# Switch to transmitter #
  \y# Change wordspace to # elements (# = 1 to 9)
  \z Autospace on/off \+ Create prosign
  \!## Repeat play memory
  \|#### Set memory repeat (milliseconds)
  \* Toggle paddle echo
  \^ Toggle wait for carriage return to send CW / send CW immediately
  \~ Reset unit
  To enable the CLI, you must uncomment two lines in the source code before compilation:
  #define FEATURE_SERIAL
  #define FEATURE_COMMAND_LINE_INTERFACE
  CW Speed Adjustment
  The CW sending speed can be adjusted several ways:
  The W command in command modeThe command line interface \w commandThe memory macro \w, or \y and \z for incremental increases or decreasesHolding down the command button (button 0) and pressing the left and right paddlesPotentiometer Speed ControlRotary Encoder Speed ControlPotentiometer Speed Control
  Adjusting the speed pot will immediately change the CW speed during manual sending or memory playing, however its changes will not be written to non-volatile memory. If the speed is changed using other methods (command mode, command line interface, memory macro, command button shortcut) that will override the pot setting until the pot is adjusted again.
  The potentiometer functionality is enabled by commenting out this line:
  #define FEATURE_POTENTIOMETER
  The pin the potentiometer wiper is connected to is defined here:
  #define potentiometer A0
  Only enable this functionality if you have a potentiometer connnected, otherwise stray voltage on the Arduino pin will cause erratic and unexpected speed changes.
  Rotary Encoder Speed Control
  Speed can also be controlled using an inexpensive rotary encoder. The functionality is enabled by uncommenting this line:
  #define FEATURE_ROTARY_ENCODER
  The pins for connecting the encoder are defined here:
  #define rotary_pin1 0 // CW Encoder Pin#define rotary_pin2 0 // CCW Encoder Pin
  The center pin of the rotary encoder should be connected to ground.
  Beacon Mode
  In order to have the keyer go directly into beacon mode at power up or reset and stay in beacon mode, simply ground pin 2. This is useful for keyers that are dedicated to beacon or fox service.
  Iambic Modes
  To switch to Iambic A mode, use the A command in command mode or \a in the command line interface.
  To switch to Iambic B mode, use the B command in command mode or \b in the command line interface.
  (An explanation of Iambic A and B can be found here.)
  Straight Key Mode
  To go into straight key mode, hold down the right paddle when powering up or power resetting.
  Bug Mode
  To go into bug mode, use the command mode G command or the command line \g command.
  Ultimate Mode
  To go into Ultimatic mode, use the command mode D command or the command line \d command.
  (Does anyone use Ultimatic these days?)
  Sidetone Line
  The sidetone line normally outputs square wave sidetone for driving a speaker. Sidetone can be disabled on transmit using the command mode O command. This is for transmitters that generate their own sidetone.
  The sidetone frequency can be adjusted using the F command in command mode.
  PTT (''Push To Talk'')
  The PTT pins go high whenever code is sent. If it's desired to have the PTT line go high before code is sent or stay high for a period of time after code stops being sent, these two lines can be adjusted:
  #define initial_ptt_lead_time 0 // PTT lead time in mS
  #define initial_ptt_tail_time 200 // PTT tail time in mS
  The lead and tail times are in milliseconds. This feature is useful for driving T/R switches or older transmitters than need a little more time to get keyed up, or FM fox transmitters that need to have PTT keyed and sidetone pumped into the microphone line.
  Hang time can be set by modifying this line:
  #define default_ptt_hang_time_wordspace_units 0.0
  PTT tail time is invoked when sending code automatically, such as via a memory play, the CLI, the PS2 keyboard, or Winkey interface emulation. PTT hang time is invoked for manual sending using the paddle and is speed (wpm) dependent.
  Note that if you activate PTT lead time, you should activate tail time as well, otherwise PTT lead time will be invoked before each dit or dah, significantly slowing down the sending speed.
  Currently PTT lead, tail, and hang times can only be changed at runtime using the Winkey interface emulation. (Let me know if you would like CLI commands to do this.)
  For testing purposes the PTT line can be manually toggled on and off using the \u CLI command.
  If your CW transmitter keys up when the CW line is keyed (or you are not going to use multi-transmitter support), there is probably no need to use the PTT line.
  If you do not need the PTT lines and wish to use the Arduino pins for another function such as a transmitter keying line, simply set the pin number to zero, as so:
  #define ptt_tx_1 0
  #define ptt_tx_2 0
  QRSS (Slow Speed CW)
  QRSS mode can be activated using the command line \q command or in memory macros using the \q macro. Both take the dit length in seconds (double digit number) as an argument. For example: \q09 would put the keyer in QRSS mode with nine second long dits (and 27 second long dahs).
  The \r command will switch back to regular CW speed mode in both the command line and in memories.
  HSCW (High Speed CW)
  High speed CW can be accomplished by using the \w command line interface command or in memories as a macro. Whereas the command mode speed adjustment and the speed potentiometer allow the speed to go up to a maximum of 60 WPM, the \w command will let you take it up to 255 WPM.
  Hellschreiber
  The keyer will send Hellschreiber characters by placing it in Hellscreiber mode using the \h command in the serial command line interface or memory macros. In the command line interface \c will return the keyer to CW mode and the \l (as in lima) memory macro will change back to CW. While in Hellschreiber mode, the paddle will still send CW. The Hellschreiber mode is intended mainly for beacons but works just fine for direct keyboard sending.
  Hellschreiber Copied From the Keyer Speaker into a Laptop (click to enlarge)
  Memory Operation and Memory Macros
  Memories can be manually played using buttons 1 through 5, or using the \# command in the command line interface (for example, \1 plays memory 1). In command mode the memories can be sent without transmitting by entering the number of the memory.
  Memories are programmed using the command line interface \p# command or in command mode using the P command.
  To program memory 1 with CQ CQ CQ DE K3NG, the command would be \p1CQ CQ CQ DE K3NG.
  To program memory 1 using command mode, enter command mode by pressing the command button and sending the P command. After hearing a beep, send the CW code to be stored and when finished, hit the command button to exit programming. The keyer will then play back the memory. If the keyer didn't recognize a character you sent it will send a question mark in its place.
  Macros can be placed in memories to do cool things. Some macros include:
  \# Jump to memory # (1 through 9)
  \c Play serial number with cut numbers
  \d### Delay for ### seconds
  \e Play serial number, then increment
  \f#### Set sidetone to #### hertz
  \h Switch to Hell sending
  \l Switch to CW (from Hell mode)
  \n Decrement serial number, do not send
  \q## Switch to QRSS mode, dit length ## seconds
  \r Switch to regular speed mode
  \t### Transmit for ### seconds
  \u Activate PTT
  \v Deactivate PTT
  \w### Set regular mode speed to ### WPM
  \x# Switch to transmitter # (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6)
  \y# Increase speed # WPM
  \z# Decrease speed # WPM
  \+ Prosign the next two characters
  (Note that both command line commands and CW memories are case insensitive.)
  The number of memories is set at compile time using these lines:
  #define number_of_memories 12
  #define memory_area_start 20
  #define memory_area_end 1023
  Up to 12 memories can be configured, with some caveats. Nine memories are supported in the CLI and in memory macros, and the full 12 are supported with the PS2 keyboard.
  Memory_area_start and memory_area_end define the starting and ending EEPROM locations for the entire bank of memory. The memory area is divided up evenly between the memories. The example settings above will result in 12 memories each with 83 bytes, or 83 characters.
  CW Dah to Dit Ratio Adjust
  The CW dash length to dot length ratio can be adjusted using the J command in command mode. Upon entering the J command you will hear a repeating dit dah. Use the left and right paddles to shorten or lengthen the dah. Squeeze both paddles to exit the weight adjust command. After that you can enter X or press the command button to exit command mode.
  The ratio can also be adjusted in the command line interface using the \j command. \j300 sets the keyer for a normal 3:1 ratio, \j250 would set it for a 2.5:1 ratio, for example.
  Paddle Reverse
  The command mode N command switches the left and right paddles. The equivalent function in the CLI is \n and using the PS2 keyboard it's CTRL-N.
  Tune Mode
  The command mode T command or command line interface \t command goes into tune up mode. In the PS2 keyboard, use CTRL-T.
  TX Disable / Enable
  The transmit line can be disabled and enabled using the \i CLI command or I command in command mode. The equivalent PS2 keyboard command is CTRL-I. This feature can be used for sending practice without keying the transmitter.
  Autospace
  The autospace feature can be toggled on and off with the Z command in command mode, the \z command in the command line interface, and CTRL-Z using the PS2 keyboard. This feature ''cleans up'' manual sending a bit by automatically inserting a wordspace delay if the operator waits more than one dit after sending a dit or dah to paddle either paddle. The autospace feature is activated by uncommenting this line:
  #define FEATURE_AUTOSPACE
  Wordspace Adjustment
  Wordspace is the key up time in between words. By default it is set for seven dit lengths by this line:
  #define default_length_wordspace 7
  This can be adjusted using the \y command line interface command.
  Keying Compensation
  The keying compensation filter extends the time of both dits and dahs to compensate for older transmitters that are slow on the draw in QSK at higher speeds. The inter-element key up times are reduced a corresponding amount of time. The time in mS can be set here:
  #define default_keying_compensation 0
  Currently there is no command to adjust this at runtime, however the Winkey emulation will adjust this if it is set in the host application.
  First Element Extension Time
  This feature makes the first dit or dah sent longer to compensate for slow T/R switches in rigs. The time is set here:
  #define default_first_extension_time 0
  Currently there is no command to adjust this at runtime, however the Winkey emulation will adjust this if it is set in the host application.
  Prosigns
  Custom prosigns can be sent using \+ in the CLI or in memories as a macro. Several ''hard wired'' / common prosigns are available for various keys on the PS2 keyboard like =, -, &, etc. and the Sroll Lock key can be used to create custom prosigns on the fly.
  Receive Callsign Practice
  In the command line interface the \k goes into callsign receive practice. Random callsigns are sent, the user enters the received callsigns, and the keyer will tell the user if they were correct.
  Currently this code produces only US callsigns. I'll be working on enhancements later to add other country callsigns, allow various user settings and adjustments, and variable speed based on the user's accuracy.
  This feature requires this to be uncommented:
  #define FEATURE_CALLSIGN_RECEIVE_PRACTICE
  PS2 Keyboard Interface
  A common PC keyboard (PS2) can be interfaced with the keyer to create a computerless CW keyboard. Here's what you need to do:
  1. Download the modified PS2Keyboard library files from Sourceforge. Create a directory in your sketchbook directory called PS2Keyboard and place the two files in there. (If you get a duplicate case error upon compilation, you're probably using the stock PS2Keyboard library files and not my modified version.)
  2. Uncomment the following lines in the K3NG Arduino Keyer code:
  #include
  #define FEATURE_PS2_KEYBOARD PS2
  Keyboard keyboard;
  3. Connect up a PS2 keyboard to your Arduino. Details on the pinouts of a PS2 keyboard connector can be found here.
  Special Key Assignments:
  F1 through F12 '' play memories 1 through 12
  Up Arrow '' Increase CW Speed 1 WPM
  Down Arrow '' Decrease CW Speed 1 WPM
  Page Up '' Increase sidetone frequency
  Page Down '' Decrease sidetone frequency
  Right Arrow '' Dah to Dit Ratio increase
  Left Arrow '' Dah to Dit Ratio decrease
  Home '' reset Dah to Dit Ratio to default
  Tab '' pause sending
  Delete '' delete the last character in the buffer
  Esc '' stop sending and clear the buffer
  Scroll Lock '' Merge the next two characters to form a prosign
  Shift '' Scroll Lock '' toggle PTT line
  CTRL-A '' Iambic A Mode
  CTRL-B '' Iambic B Mode
  CTRL-D '' Ultimatic Mode
  CTRL-E '' Set Serial Number
  CTRL-G '' Bug Mode
  CTRL-H '' Hellschreiber Mode (requires FEATURE_HELL)
  CTRL-I '' TX Line Disable/Enable
  CTRL-M '' Set Farnsworth Speed (requires FEATURE_FARNSWORTH)
  CTRL-N '' Paddle Revers
  CTRL-O '' Sidetone On/Off
  CTRL-T '' Tune
  CTRL-U '' PTT Manual On/Off
  CTRL-W '' Set WPM
  CTRL-Z '' Autospace On/Off
  SHIFT-F1, F2, F3'... '' Program memory 1, 2, 3'...
  ALT-F1, F2, F3'... '' Repeat memory 1, 2, 3'...
  CTRL-F1, F2, F3'... '' Switch to transmitter 1, 2, 3'...
  Myself and others have experienced issues using just the USB +5V to power the Arduino and keyboard, with operation being erratic or the keyboard just not functioning at all. This is due to computer USB ports not being able to supply enough current. The solution is simple: power the Arduino board directly using the power connector.
  Note that the keyboard data line can be relocated to other pins if desired, but the keyboard clock line must remain at pin 3 as that pin has special functionality for interrupt operation which is required by the PS2 keyboard library code.
  Interfacing to Logging and Contest Programs / K1EL Winkey 1 & 2 Interface Protocol Emulation
  The keyer can be interfaced to logging and contest programs with the K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation feature. To enable, uncomment the following line:
  #define FEATURE_WINKEY_EMULATION
  This defaults the code to Winkey 1 mode. To enable K1El Winkey 2 interface protocol emulation functionality, uncomment this line in addition to the one above:
  #define OPTION_WINKEY_2_SUPPORT
  If you want compile both the CLI and K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation features and upload to a unit, uncommenting the line below will cause the unit to default to K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation rather than the normal Command Line Interface mode at power up or reset.
  #define SERIAL_PORT_DEFAULT_WINKEY_EMULATION
  With the K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation feature enabled, if you hold down the command button (button 0) and reset or power up the unit, it will go into the non-default mode. (If the default is K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation, it will go into Command Line Interface mode, and vice versa.)
  You may need to disable some features to get both the CLI and K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation features to fit into an Arduino Uno. Other larger Arduino variants like the Mega can hold all of the features and options.
  In K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation mode the USB port will be set for 1200 baud. The emulation is a 99.9% complete emulation, and it should work with most programs that support K1EL Winkey interfacing. The N1MM contesting program and Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) have been tested and work with all features I've tried.
  Currently the following functions are implemented:
  CW Sending (of course)PauseKey DownUnbuffered and Buffer Speed SettingIambic A & B / Bug Mode SettingsUltimatic in normal, dit priority, and dah priority modesFarnsworthPointer OperationsBackspaceSidetone Frequency Settings (Winkey 1, 2, and custom frequencies)Paddle ReversePaddle WatchdogKeying CompensationDit to Dah RatioContest WordspaceAutospacePTT Lead, Tail, and Hang TimeSpeed Pot Setup and QueryFirst ExtensionSoftware PaddleWeightingHSCWSerial EchobackProsignsDual transmitter keying linesPaddle Only SidetoneMemory button reportingStandalone Message SendingK1EL Winkey 2 memory querying and setting via EEPROM upload and download is not implemented.
  This functionality is intended to interface to logging and contest programs and is not intended to be a K1EL Winkey replacement. This keyer is not a Winkeyer and the emulation functionality ''translates'' the K1EL Winkey interface protocol to native K3NG keyer functionality. The K1EL Winkey ''protocol'' is a de facto standard and many programs support it, and developing an open standard protocol and getting all the major programs to support it would be a monumental undertaking. So it made sense to merely emulate the existing protocol everyone else is talking.
  SO2R operation has been run successfully with the N1MM contest program.
  I have found to have this emulation work reliably with programs other than N1MM, you should disable the Arduino Automatic Software Reset as described here. This is done by cutting the PC board trace labeled RESET-EN on the Arduino Uno board, or an alternate solution is to install a capacitor on the reset line. I have found when some programs, including HRD, connect to the COM port, errant bytes are interpreted or received by the Arduino which trips up the protocol conversation and the program and keyer will not connect. In this configuration the keyer will not reset when a program connects to the COM port and it will be ''ready to talk'' immediately when the program begins sending bytes.
  If you do not disable Automatic Software Reset and are using Ham Radio Deluxe uncomment the following line:
  #define OPTION_WINKEY_DISCARD_BYTES_AT_STARTUP
  This option will discard the first three bytes that arrive on the USB port. This hack works for my hardware, but your mileage may vary. The number of bytes discarded at start up can be set here:
  #define winkey_discard_bytes_startup 3
  A side effect of disabling Automatic Software Reset is that you will need to manually hit the reset button when uploading new software to the Arduino. The button should be pressed as soon as you ''Binary sketch size: xxxxx bytes'' message in the Arduino program.
  In the current build of HRD I'm using, there is a bug in its Winkey interface implementation. If you rapidly change the dah to dit ratio in the graphical user interface or change the speed rapidly, HRD will send incomplete commands to the Winkey. This will cause errant characters to be sent by the keyer, but otherwise the keyer will continue to function.
  Ham Radio Deluxe offers a very nice Winkey settings interface. Presumably one could use this interface in place of the keyer command mode or command line interface and control most of the functionality in this keyer.
  If you attempt to use this emulation with other programs and have issues, please let me know and I'll attempt to figure it out. Serial port sniffer captures are very helpful in troubleshooting these issues.
  N1MM exhibits a minor bug in the Send CW (CTRL K) window. If you hit the Tab key, N1MM sends a 0—09 byte to the keyer which is actually the PinConfig command. The next keystroke that is sent will be interpreted as an argument for this command and will alter the pin configuration and sidetone operation. If you accidentally hit the Tab key and the keyer stops keying the transmitter, or the sidetone is operational is toggled, re-initialize the Winkey interface in N1MM to restore the keyer back to proper operation. There is a workaround in the code for this bug. Uncomment this line:
  #define OPTION_N1MM_WINKEY_TAB_BUG_WORKAROUND
  Note this option breaks SO2R functionality in N1MM, but if you're only going to using one rig it should be fine.
  Dead Operator Watchdog
  This feature turns off the transmit line after 100 consecutive dits or dahs. It can be enabled by uncommenting this line:
  #define FEATURE_DEAD_OP_WATCHDOG
  EEPROM / NonVolatile Settings
  Most settings are stored in non-volatile EEPROM memory. Memory macros which alter the CW speed are not stored to EEPROM as to avoid ''wearing out'' EEPROM locations, especially in beacon mode.
  Reset to ''Factory'' Defaults
  To reset the keyer to defaults, depress both the left and right paddles and do a reset or power reset. This will wipe out all memories and change all the settings back to defaults.
  Multi-Transmitter Capability
  This keyer supports multiple transmitters that can be selected using the \x CLI command, the CTRL-F1, F2, etc. key combinations on the PS2 keyboard, or using the hardware buttons (button1 hold, button2 hold, button3 hold, etc.). Up to six transmitters can be configured, each with its own keying line and PTT line. PTT lines are optional. The configuration of the TX Key and PTT lines are here:
  #define tx_key_line_1 11#define tx_key_line_2 12#define tx_key_line_3 13#define tx_key_line_4 0#define tx_key_line_5 0#define tx_key_line_6 0
  #define ptt_tx_1 0#define ptt_tx_2 0#define ptt_tx_3 0#define ptt_tx_4 0#define ptt_tx_5 0#define ptt_tx_6 0
  Setting a line to zero disables it. At the very least you need one TX Key line defined. Obviously, with the Arduino Uno, pins are at a premium and each features uses pins. Larger Arduino platforms like the Mega offer more pins and more compiled-in functionality due to the larger memory space.
  Banked Memory Buttons
  A method for banked memory switches was created by DL2SBA and can be implemented by uncommenting:
  #define FEATURE_DL2SBA_BANKSWITCH
  LCD Display
  This keyer supports an LCD display, either the standard commonplace Hitachi LCD display in four bit mode, or the Adafruit LCD I2C RGB shield.
  The LCD display provides visual feedback for manual sending, memory operation, PS2 keyboard sending, and command button usage. Adafruit RGB LCD module buttons are not support yet, but a menuing system using these buttons is in the works.
  To configure the LCD display, follow these steps:
  1. Enable the appropriate libraries in the code.
  For a 4 bit LCD Display, uncomment this line:
  #include
  For the Adafruit I2C display uncomment these lines:
  #include
  #include
  #include
  2. Uncomment this line (this applies to both types of displays):
  #define FEATURE_DISPLAY
  3. Uncomment one of the lines below, depending on your display type:
  #define FEATURE_LCD_4BIT
  or
  #define FEATURE_LCD_I2C
  4. If you are using the 4 bit LCD display, setup the I/O pins you want to use:
  #define lcd_rs A2#define lcd_enable 10#define lcd_d4 6#define lcd_d5 7#define lcd_d6 8#define lcd_d7 9
  Note that the Adafruit I2C display uses pins A4 and A5 by default for interfacing as these are the hardware I2C pins. No pin setup is required in the code when using this dispay.
  5. Uncomment one of the following lines depending on the display:
  LiquidCrystal lcd(lcd_rs, lcd_enable, lcd_d4, lcd_d5, lcd_d6, lcd_d7);
  or
  Adafruit_RGBLCDShield lcd = Adafruit_RGBLCDShield();
  6. If you are using a display that does not have 16 columns and 2 rows, adjust these two lines:
  #define lcd_columns 16#define lcd_rows 2
  7. If you have free memory, uncomment this line for more messages on the display:
  #define OPTION_MORE_DISPLAY_MSGS
  At higher CW speeds, the sending speed may be impacted by I2C LCD displays. This can be rectified byincreasing the I2C bus speed in file twi.h (it will be in '....\arduino-1.0.1\libraries\Wire\utility). Alter this line:
  #define TWI_FREQ 100000L
  '...and change the setting to something like 500000L. (Thanks to AD7KG for discovering this bug and testing the fix.)
  Non-English Characters
  To enable support for non-English characters (i.e. , , , –, etc.), uncomment this line:
  #define OPTION_NON_ENGLISH_EXTENSIONS
  If you need to customize the characters for your locality or language, modify the code in functions send_char() and convert_cw_number_to_ascii(). This support was added in version 2012011701 and currently works only with the command line interface and the K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation. Support for the PS2 keyboard is in the works.
  Sleep Mode
  Sleep mode will put the unit to sleep after a certain amount of inactivity, in order to preserve battery power. To enable the feature, uncomment these lines:
  #include
  #define FEATURE_SLEEP
  The inactivity timer is set here (the unit is minutes):
  #define go_to_sleep_inactivity_time 10
  To wake the keyer after it goes to sleep, simply hit the left (normally dit) paddle.
  Code Compilation
  All of the features will not fit on an Arduino Uno simultaneously. If the compiled code goes over about 28.5K, the upload a stock Uno will fail. The Nano holds slightly more than a stock Arduino.
  You can burn an alternate bootloader to your Uno called Optiboot which will free up an additional 1.5K of program space to stuff additional features on to your Uno.
  The Arduino Mega will run the entire ''nine yards'' compiled and is a fun board.
  Miscellaneous Notes
  Do not enable the potentiometer feature if you do not have a potentiometer connected, otherwise noise on the pin will falsely trigger speed changes.
  Note that code version 2011081901 introduced analog line multiplexed buttons. ''Legacy'' buttons (one per I/O line) are no longer supported in the current code, however older versions of code below can be used if legacy buttons are desired (at the expense of new features and bug fixes).
  The K3NG Arduino Keyer will not work with Logger16, Logger32, or Logger64 (and probably Logger128 and Logger256). Attempts to interface this keyer to any version of Logger may result in your Arduino board smoking or perhaps bursting into flames. Contact the friendly support people on the Logger list for help with this issue.
  Support
  While comments are enabled down below, the preferred way to get support for this project is to post a message on Radio Artisan group. Please note it's sometimes difficult for me to answer direct emails in a timely manner due to work, family, etc. and I may wait to answer questions on the group in hopes others may be able to lend assistance.
  I encourage you to experiment with the code, customize it, learn from it, and have fun. That's what amateur radio is all about. However, if you're a novice programmer, please don't ask me to work on your hacked up code to implement some specific application you're looking for.
  That being said, conversely I am not an expert or professional programmer. I tend to write readable code with sufficient though often sparse comments. (Good code shouldn't need a lot of comments.) I avoid complexities that some hotshot C or C++ programmers may do as the goal here is to have fun, not show off how obfuscated I can make my code. Undoubtedly there are better or more efficient ways to do some things in the code.
  Have fun!
  Hardware, Extensions, User Contributions, Other Support Sources, Etc.
  Oscar, DJ0MY, offers a hardware kit, utilizing an Arduino Nano (user supplied). The kit features a speed potentiometer, opto-isolated TX and PTT outputs, three memory buttons, and a PS2 keyboard connector.
  Dietmar, DL2SBA, has created some extensions to the hardware, including button switch banks.
  Marc, F6ITU, has created a Wiki page (En Francais) describing the keyer project and plans for an Arduino shield. There is also an alternate patch PS2 keyboard library for European/French(?) keyboard localization.
  Hajos Kontrapunkte wrote about his experience building the keyer.
  Stewart, VA3PID, wrote an article about the keyer in the Scarborough Amateur Radio Club newsletter, Wavelength.
  Owen, VK1OD, has contributed code and is writing a chronicle of his Arduino project using this code.
  Gerd, DD4DA, maintains a port of the keyer code for the AVR Studio 6 IDE.
  DXpeditions
  I will donate keyer parts or assembled keyer units for DXpeditions. Please contact me at anthony dot good at gmail dot com to discuss if you're organizing a DXpedition.
  Kitting
  If you sell kits using my code for a profit, I ask that you send me a free kit as a courtesy. Share the love. :-)
  The Code
  Source code can be downloaded on SourceForge. (I no longer post new code here on WordPress.)
  Modified PS2Keyboard Library Files (Required for PS2 Keyboard Feature Only)
  Code History
  2013012901 '' Added Rotary Encoder Speed Control support and Sleep Mode.
  2012101701 '' Fixed another bug in Iambic A mode where additional dah was sent after releasing a paddle squeeze. Optional non-English character support was added for the CLI and K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation. The command mode P command now supports double digit memory numbers. Fixed a bug with transmitter switch announcements (''TX1'", ''TX2'", etc.) not sent in sidetone.
  2012090501 '' Fixed bug in Iambic A mode where dits would be lost while holding the dah paddle and intermittently hitting the dit paddle
  2012070201 '' Current transmitter setting is now stored in EEPROM, fixed a minor bug with K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation where was sent with every memory button push, and added OPTION_N1MM_WINKEY_TAB_BUG_WORKAROUND
  2012062501 '' Added LCD support!
  2012060301 '' Fixed a bug that I encounter with a unit that previously didn't have bypass capacitors on the paddle leads and experienced RFI, upon which I added caps and the keyer thought both paddle line were grounded on startup in the brief moment they were charging up. There's now a slight delay on startup to allow bypass caps to fully charge before checking the paddle lines.
  2012052101 Code '' Multiple transmitter outputs added (no more needing to use PTT outputs to switch between transmitters) and K1EL Winkey 2 interface protocol and settings now supported. Performance with HRD improved. Also incorporated DL2SBA banked memory button code.
  2012042101 Code '' Code cleanup to eliminate compiler warnings and two syntax issues caused by changes introduced in Arduino 1.0. Also fixed two K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation bugs.
  2012032501 Code '' Improved command mode memory wordspace detection, wordspace limiting, and trailing space trimming option. The potentiometer is now enabled by default now on the first compile, upload, and power up.
  2011120201 Code '' Minor bug fixes, OPTION_REVERSE_BUTTON_ORDER, and updated to compile with newly-released Arduino 1.0
  2011100601 Code - Last Arduino 0022 code
  2011081901 Code - Introduced analog multiplexed buttons, memory repeat (without having to use memory macros), beacon bug fix, better handling of Winkey interface protocol emulation paddle and memory interruption, much improved paddle echo, PS2 keyboard ALT key combinations
  2011081301 Code - Hardware pin changes
  2011080502 '' Many new features in the PS2 Keyboard functionality, up to 12 memories now, up to six transmitter lines. Code now includes GNU license.
  2011072801 '' A bunch of Winkey interface protocol emulation commands, weighting, \j CLI command, \i CLI command, \u CLU command, \+ memory macro and CLI command, Ultimatic mode, \d CLI command, D command mode command
  2011071801 '' Bug fix correcting timing issue, more K1EL Winkey interface protocol emulation commands
  2011071602 '' Features: Dead Op Watchdog, eliminated M command in command mode (now 1-5 entered to play memory), numerous Winkey interface protocol emulation additions, autospace feature, wordspace adjust feature, Iambic A and B modes (was just Iambic B before), keying compensation feature
  2011071002 '' Interfacing to logging and contest programs
  2011070801 '' Improved preemption of memory sending by pressing button 0 or hitting PS2 keyboard escape key; added F command (sidetone frequency adjust) to command line interface and memory macros; added additional keyboard commands
  2011061201 '' Added PS2 Keyboard functionality and had to change the right paddle pin from pin 3 to pin 5 in order to accommodate it (only pins 2 or 3 on an Arduino can be used for interrupts). Also improved serial_send_buffer functionality.
  2011050602 '' Added the \\ command to the serial command line interface code which dumps buffered characters for sending. Also added functionality for backspace to delete characters out of the buffer. Slash commands now preempt any characters in the buffer, and are executed immediately.
  2011032501 '' Minor correction to potentiometer feature include code
  2011031501 '' Now the LED blinks rapidly in command mode and slowly in beacon mode.
  2011031301 '' Added speed potentiometer support
  Acknowledgments
  Oscar, DJ0MY '' testing, especially for the Winkey interface protocol emulation, and ideas
  Chris, K4FH '' testing, ideas, code, and feedback
  Chis, W0ANM '' testing and feedback
  Dietmar, DL2SBA '' feedback and code and hardware extensions
  Gerd, DD4DA '' code tips, bug fixes, ideas, and feedback
  '...and numerous others'....
  I would like to thank the staff of an unnamed contest logging program for refusing to provide any help in implementing a certain feature and prompting me to create a better technical solution with others who were willing to help.
  Like this:LikeLoading...
nanoKeyer info | nanoKeyer
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:06
  The nanoKeyer is an Arduino Nano based CW Contest Keyer.It was designed specifically for use with the K3NG Arduino keyer open-source firmware adding many features and flexibility.
  The nanoKeyer is suitable as a standalone keyer or for keying the radio via the USB port from a connected computer and your favoured contest logging software. By means of the K3NG firmware it can be also used as a computerless keyboard keyer by attaching a PS2-Keyboard to it.
  Key Features (K3NG Firmware):
  CW speed adjustable from 1 to 999 WPMK1EL Winkeyer interface protocol emulationSupported by major logging apps (e.g. N1MM, HRD, etc. in K1EL Winkeyer mode via USB port)SO2R compatible through K1EL Winkeyer 2 protocol emulationCommand mode for using the paddle to change settings, program memories, etc.PS2 Keyboard Interface for CW keyboard operation without a computerPTT with configurable lead, tail, and hang timesUp to 12 memories with macro and serial number supportQRSS and HSCWIambic A and B, Ultimatic and Bug modeFarnsworth Timing, Autospace and Wordspace AdjustmentKeying Compensation, Dah to Dit Ratio, Weighting adjustmentNon-volatile storage of most settingsand much much more'....The firmware is open source code provided by K3NG so you can customize it to fit your needs.
  The keyer features one radio port with a optically isolated PTT keying line as well as the CW keying line.The paddle is conneted with a standard 6.3mm Stereo Jack compatible with most modern radios.
  Via the USB jack of the Arduino Nano plug-in board (the ''heart''of the keyer) the keyer can communicate with a PC or MAC. The FTDI chip drivers will provide virtual serial COM port on the computer wich is then available to external loggers for communicating with the keyer (via the K1EL Winkeyer emulation mode).
  A mini DIN jack allows to connect an externalPS2-Keyboard for computerless keyboard keying.
  While the keyer can be powered solely via the USB port there is also the possibility to connect a battery or external power during computerless operation.
  nanoKeyer '' Contest keying has never been this fun'...Like this:LikeLoading...
CWguide
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:45
  CWguideA Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contactsby Jack Wagoner WB8FSV
  There are dozens of specialities or activities under the broad banner of Amateur Radio. Amateur radio is also known as ham radio, why, nobody knows for certain. From working DX, to building radios from scratch, to satellite communications, to slow-scan TV, to just plain rag chewing(or talking) with new and old friends all over the world; there is something for everybody.
  As a true ham radio fanatic, my personal favorite ham activity is yakking with other hams in Morse Code, also called CW(for continuous waves). Morse Code has a mystique to it, it is an extremely cool method with which to communicate. In this Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contacts I am going to try and give those hams new to CW a better idea of how to start. How to find someone to talk with, what to talk about, how to deal with QRM, how to end a CW contact, how to get lots and lots of QSL cards, and much more useful and practical information.
  I wrote this Guide from the perspective of hams in the United States. Many of my references, for example to frequencies and to radio propagation, pertain to amateur radio in North America, although most of the CW operating techniques I discuss apply to worldwide CW operation.
  Here is the Site Map to A Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contacts.
  Learning the Code
  Finding Someone to Talk With
  What Do You Talk About?
  Standard Operating Techniques
  A Typical Evening for Me on 40 meters CW
  Slow Speed CW Traffic Nets
  Straight Key, Electronic Keyer, Bug, or Computer Keyboard?
  FISTS - A Cool Club for CW Operators
  How to Get Zillions of QSL Cards
  Please Sign My Guestbook
  Learning the Code
  Morse Code has a way of polarizing hams, they either love it, or can't stand it. CW(or Morse Code) has been decreasing in popularity over the last several decades as voice and other digital modes become more popular. But a listen across the CW portion of the ham radio bands will find thousands of hams still using this vintage communications technique. The FCC still requires a code proficiency test, just 5 wpm, as part of their license to use the HF amateur radio spectrum. Besides, CW is way cool, but I'm prejudiced. HI.(HI is the telegraphic equivalent of a laugh)
  I believe that learning and using Morse Code is very similar to learning a foreign language. Don't try to learn Morse Code the way I first did when I was a BoyScout: don't memorize a list that tells you "A" is "dot dash" or "B" is "dash dot dot dot". This method will stunt your progress and lead to frustration. Ideally, when you hear the "dot dash" sound in your ear, your mind will immediately recognize that as "A". Inserting a third step, where your mind first translates the "dot dash" sound into the written dot dash you learned from a list, and then into the letter "A", is one thing that makes learning Morse Code so difficult for so many people.
  There are a number of techniques suggested to help learn Morse Code. Among these are:
  Learn the code in groups, beginning with letters comprised of all dits first, then on to letters with all dahs next, then finally learning letters with both dits and dahs.Learn the code in groups of letters that have related sounds. For example, U(dit dit dah), F(dit dit dah dit), and the question mark(dit dit dah dah dit dit).Learn the more frequently used letters and characters first, and the more difficult ones last.Listen to the Morse Code characters sent at a high speed, with long pauses between each. This is known as the Farnsworth method.Thanks to L. Peter Carron, Jr., W3DKV and his book, Morse Code: The Essential Language, The American Radio Relay League, 1991, for this partial list of techniques.
  Learning CW from a practice tape is, I believe, one of the best ways. Many companies offer these audio tapes or CD-ROMS, although they can be a bit dry and boring, and I recommend a bit of live CW listening with a shortwave receiver. Try the US novice bands 40 meters 7100-7150 kHz and 80 meters 3675-3725 kHz for practice. Conditions on the 15 and 10 meter novice band are slowly improving these days, although the current sunspot cycle 23 is now slowly diminishing. Lots of beginning novices and technician-plus hams here using much slower CW(like 5 to 10 wpm) than you'll find on the US general CW bands. Learning CW with the personal help of another ham is also a great idea, as is taking a class in CW operation. Many amateur radio clubs offer classes for beginning hams in licensing, including Morse Code.
  The Morse Code used today by amateur radio operators is also known as the International Code. By definition, the duration of the dah is three times as long as that of a dit, and the space between dits and dahs inside an individual character(such as dit dit dah or U) is equal to the duration of one dit. The space between characters is equal to three dits, and the space between words is equal to seven dits. During a CW QSO nobody is checking to see if you are using the correct spacing, just do your best. It takes practice. Code sent with the correct spacing sounds better and is easier to copy.
  Forcing yourself to listen to Morse Code that is slightly faster than you are able to copy comfortably is a good way to increase your code speed. You don't need to copy every letter, just concentrate on better learning the CW letters and symbols you already know, and the others will follow. When I was first learning CW I enjoyed listening to the CW speed demons(20 wpm plus) at the bottom of each ham band, just to see if I could get their callsign. Hams often send their callsigns several times at the beginning and end of a transmission, making it easier to copy. Everything else they sent was usually a blurr. I then kept a running list of the different countries I had heard, just to see how many countries I could get. I'm sure this helped me increase my code speed.
  Actual on-the-air CW contacts are probably the best way to increase your code speed and CW proficiency. And to have fun while practicing.
  Finding Someone To Talk With
  Answer a CQ
  How the heck do you begin a CW conversation? How do you find another ham to talk with? My favorite method is to answer a CQ. Sending several CQs followed by your callsign indicates you want to start a contact with someone. Simply tune up and down the band searching for that familiar "CQ", zero beat your transmit frequency with that of the CQer(or as close as you can get), and call them when they finish their CQ. Normally a one by two call on your part is all that is needed, "N1XYZ de WB8FSV WB8FSV K". If band conditions are poor, or there is a lot of QRM(interference), perhaps a two by three or a one by four call is in order. One by two initial calls in response to a CQ are common these days, sending your call letters too many times marks you as a beginner.
  Please do not reply to a CQ if the CQer is transmitting too close(within one kHz or so) to an ongoing QSO. Doing so will likely cause unnecessary QRM to the ongoing QSO, you may even drive them off the air. Not cool. Common ham courtesy says do your best not to cause unnecessary QRM. Occasionally I will hear a CQing station that I would really like to answer, but the CQer is too close to an ongoing QSO, as I mentioned above. The best thing would be to not answer the CQer, but I have been know to answer the CQer at least one or two kHz away from the CQers frequency. My hope is that they will hear me and move their transmitting frequency to mine. Then I can have my contact and not cause QRM to the ongoing QSO. Sometimes this works, but likely the CQer will not even hear you, or will not change their transmit frequency when they answer you.
  Sometimes when you answer another ham's CQ, they may not hear you well enough to get all of your callsign. Or they may not hear you at all if the band conditions are bad. There is such a thing as one way skip: you may hear West Coast stations fine, but none of them hear you. Not uncommonly more than one station besides you will reply to the same CQ that you did. You may even hear the other station(s) answering the same CQer that you are, at the same time. The CQing station may hear a mixed jumble of several stations answering him or her at the same time. The CQing station may then send "QRZ?" or "QRZ de N1XYZ?" Meaning, who the heck is calling me, please call again. Or the CQer may send nothing at all, perhaps they are just overwhelmed by more than one answer at a time, or by all the QRM. Many times I have found that if a CQer does not respond to my first reply and I hear only silence, if I call him(or her) again, they may well return to me.
  Not uncommonly, when you begin to reply to another ham's CQ, you will hear other stations besides yourself calling the CQer at the same time that you are. I usually continue transmitting and then see if the CQer answers me or one of the other stations. If the CQer chooses you over the other stations, you can assume your signal was likely stronger or more interesting. If you do not have a competitive nature, then stop transmitting as soon as you hear other hams answering the CQer. Let them have the contact. Should you really want to make the contact yourself, continue calling and then drag out your call by sending your callsign once or twice after you hear the other answering station(s) finish their call. This trick, often used by DXers, sometimes works. Also, if while answering a CQer, you hear the CQer return to another different station, stop transmitting. You lost. Continue your search for another CQer. If you really want to contact this CQing station you could simply wait for them to finish their current contact and then tailend them.
  Occasionally as I scan the band looking for a CQ to answer, I may come across a ham sending their callsign two or more times, before they sign, "N1XYZ N1XYZ K". I believe it is safe to assume this ham has just finished sending a CQ, and often, if I like their callsign, I will listen a second, then go ahead and call them. Since I heard only their callsign and not the actual CQ, it is possible that this is not a CQ(maybe they were calling another ham instead). Listen a few seconds to ensure you are not interrupting a QSO, then assume that it was a CQ. I have found that sometimes if I wait for this suspected CQer to send another separate CQ, by that time they will have attracted a few more replies to their CQ, and I may lose out on what could have been a good contact. In the same regard, you may be in contact with another ham and end one of your transmissions by sending your own callsign two or more times(perhaps you repeat your call a few times because the other ham has copied it wrong). Then as a result, in the middle of your contact, you may be called by a third ham, who incorrectly assumes you have called CQ. Simply ignore the interrupting third ham.
  When answering a CQer you should zero beat the other ham's frequency, or set your transmit frequency as close to theirs as possible. Many hams today, in order to deal with the increasing QRM, make use of very narrow receive filters. The CQer may have their narrow filter turned on and not hear you answer if you are more than a few hundred cycles away from their transmit frequency. This is a quite common occurance on the CW ham bands, and points to the importance of correctly zero beating with your ham rig. By the same token, should you be calling CQ, do so with your narrow CW filter turned off, or you may well not hear several answering hams. Many hams are uncertain how to correctly zero beat their rigs on CW.
  If you are fortunate to have a newer transceiver that has dual VFOs, it can simplify your search for a CQ to answer. While scanning for a CQ, if you come across something interesting, such as someone tuning up(a potential CQer), a clear frequency(that you may wish to use later to call your own CQ), or an interesting QSO(that you might want to tailend when it finishes), then leave one of your VFOs on that spot. As you then continue scanning for a CQ, you can periodically, at the press of one button, switch to your second inactive VFO and see what's happening on your other interesting frequency. Having two VFOs built into your radio can greatly enhance the ease and convenience of your CW operation. Sometimes I wish my rig had three or four VFOs. HI. If your ham rig does not have dual VFOs, you can simply remember, or write down, any interesting frequencies you come across while scanning.
  Call Your Own CQ
  Tuning around searching for CQs can tend to be frustrating. At times there just don't seem to be many folks calling CQ, and the ones I do hear are jumped on by a much stronger or faster station than me. Never fear, there are other productive ways to find a CW contact. Obviously another method would be to find a nice quiet unused frequency and call CQ yourself. Before you fire up your transmitter and send a CQ, listen a few minutes to the frequency to ensure that you are not going to stomp on another conversation. It is very possible that another ham is transmitting on the same frequency but their signal is skipping over you. It is highly recommended that you send a "QRL?", or better yet send a "QRL de WB8FSV?" to see if the frequency is clear. Technically the FCC requires you identify each transmission, and an unidentified "QRL?" is frowned upon. Although everybody does it. Or, if you have the patience, an even better method is to simply listen to the frequency in question for at least 5 minutes. Even then I would still send a "QRL?" before I cut loose with my CQ.
  An old fashioned and rarely heard equivalent of "QRL?" is "dit-dit dit", or the CW letters, "I E". It would be sent before a CQ to see if the frequency was clear. Just like "QRL?". The correct response is the same as that to "QRL?" If you happen to be listening and hear someone send an "I E", if the frequency is not busy the correct response is to say nothing or to perhaps send an "N" for "no". If the frequency is busy, like you are having a QSO on the frequency, the correct response would be to send a "C" or "yes". "C" is often used as a CW abbreviation for the word "yes".
  If your CQ is answered by more than one station, usually the best practice is to reply to the strongest station. The strongest station is more likely to copy you stronger also, and you will be better able to copy each other should you both be attacked by QRM, QRN, or QSB. If you are able to copy the callsigns of both hams who answer your CQ, and the weaker station has a more interesting callsign, certainly you could answer the weaker/more interesting ham. Since the weaker station is answering your CQ, obviously they can hear you as well. Should two stations respond to your CQ, you can answer them both and try a three-way contact. Three-way contacts on CW are difficult to do.
  Send your CQ at the speed you would like to be answered. A three or four by two call repeated twice should be sufficient, "CQ CQ CQ de WB8FSV WB8FSV CQ CQ CQ de WB8FSV WB8FSV K". There are many variations. You will hear some beginners sending 15 or 20 CQs before their callsign, not a good idea. If you scan the band and find it active and full of ham signals, a shorter CQ should work. At times when I know another ham is listening on the frequency(perhaps I just heard them tune up), I may get them to answer with a simple one by one, "CQ de WB8FSV K".
  After sending your CQ you may get an instant response, or you may get no response at all. It may also take some hams a moment to respond to your CQ. They may need to tune up their rigs, zero beat your frequency, or take a few seconds to run to their desk from across the shack. These folks may answer you five or ten seconds after your CQ. Be patient. After sending a CQ myself, I may tune around my transmit frequency a bit using my receiver's RIT(receiver incremental tuning). Because some hams may have trouble zero beating my transmit frequency correctly. Perhaps they are still using crystal control - not uncommon with homebrew QRP radios.
  If I get no response after a couple 3 by 2 CQ calls, or I can tell there is very little activity on the band, I may then send a 6 by 2 CQ. The more CQs you transmit, the greater the chance that another ham scanning by will hear and answer you. I believe a pair of 6 by 2 calls is more than enough CQs. Should you still get no response to your own CQs, maybe the band conditions are just plain lousy, maybe you are transmitting too close to another QSO that you can't hear, maybe no one wants to talk to you. Try another frequency, try another band, listen for someone else calling CQ, or turn off the radio and go feed the cat.
  Tailend Another QSO
  A third major way to find someone to talk with on the ham bands is tailending. To tailend a conversation is to wait until another contact is completed, and then call the participant you want to talk with. This may work about half the time. Not uncommonly you will get no answer. The station you call is probably not expecting a call, they may have already turned off their radio, or may simply have something else to do. But sometimes tailending works. As you scan across the band looking for CQs or for a clear frequency on which to call your own CQ, you may hear an interesting conversation that you wish to contribute to, or you may hear a ham friend you want to say hello to.
  The polite way to tailend another QSO is wait until the other stations are completely finished. This is easy to determine if you are able to hear both of the stations talking. But sometimes due to radio conditions you will hear just one of the stations. For example, you hear the end of a QSO between KH6XYZ and WB8FSV. You would like to work KH6XYZ and are unable to hear WB8FSV. When you hear the first station send something like, "HOPE TO CUAGN 73 WB8FSV de KH6XYZ TU K", wait. Wait a minute or two until the first station KH6XYZ acknowledges WB8FSV's last transmission, perhaps by sending a final "73" or a "dit-dit". If instead you call KH6XYZ as soon as you heard them sign, "de KH6XYZ TU K", you may well be transmitting at the same time and on the same frequency as WB8FSV, who KH6XYZ is trying to listen to. This is a good way to make KH6XYZ dislike you and decide not to answer you. This polite advice does not generally apply to tailending a rare DX station. Calling and working rare DX stations is usually a mean and cut throat procedure. Another reason I much prefer friendly domestic CW QSOs over fighting for rare DX.
  At times you may be waiting to tailend a ham QSO, when the station you would like to talk to ends their last transmission with a "CL" for "closing" or "clear". This indicates that person is signing off and leaving the air, turning off their rig, and will accept no other calls. If you call the CLing station anyway, they may still reply out of politeness, but they are probably anxious to leave. If you just have to talk with them, don't keep them too long.
  Breaking In
  Breaking into an ongoing conversation is also possible, although rarely successful. Breaking into a QSO on CW is much more difficult than on phone. It is rarely done on CW. Some folks will think you impolite and ignore you, many newer hams will have no idea what's going on and consider you to be QRM. If you want to try, the standard method on CW is to wait between transmissions and then send "BK" for break, or better yet send, "BK de WB8FSV" if you have enough time. Allowing a third person to break into your contact can be confusing, especially for new hams. These "roundtable" QSOs are easier to manage on phone, or in the controlled environment of an organized net, like an NTS traffic net. But don't worry, breaking in is rarely encontered on CW. For those new hams who later move from CW to phone, be careful about using the word "break" on phone or SSB. On phone many hams use "break" to interrupt a net or a conversation when they have an emergency to report.
  "Break in" has another meaning in CW. It refers to the time it takes your receiver to recover after you stop transmitting. Most modern transceivers have what is called full break in, meaning that you can receive instantly after transmitting on CW. You can even receive in between the dits and dahs of individual letters. Full break in CW even has its own Q signal, QSK. Years ago radio receivers had a several second delay before you could receive after transmitting, in order that your sensitive receiver was not overloaded by your nearby transmitter. Full break in CW is taken for granted today, but it is one of many technological innovations that today make ham radio so much easier. Such as dual VFOs, digital readout, automatic tuning, or one of my favorites: direct frequency keypad entry.
  What Do You Talk About? The Art of Rag Chewing
  Now that you have established contact with another ham via CW, what the heck do you talk about? Every ham contact, CW or phone, consisits of at least three basic items: your name, your location or QTH, and a signal report(RST) for the other station. What order you send these three items is unimportant, although commonly today you will hear signal report/location/name. When I started in ham radio 30 years ago, the order was almost always signal report/name/location.
  The Standard name/location/RST/73 QSO
  These three items are the essential minimum required for a QSO. While it is true that in working a DX station in a pileup you may only exchange callsigns and a signal report, in a "real" contact the name/location/RST are standard, and you continue from there. The next most commonly discussed subjects in CW QSOs are usually the weather(WX), the radio equipment people are using, the hams' ages and how long they have been hams. For many CW contacts that will be the extent of the contact. The other ham will sign off and end the contact. Most likely because the other ham is new to CW conversation making, and simply doesn't know what else to say. Or perhaps the short-winded ham isn't into making conversation. Personally I enjoy longer CW contacts, called "rag chews".
  QSO Template for Beginners
  When first starting out on CW, many new hams will often use a template or model, to make sure they send all the essential information. For example:
  "______ de WB8FSV TNX FER CALL BT MY NAME IS JACK JACK BT QTH IS HILLIARD, OH HILLIARD, OH BT UR RST IS ___ BT HW COPY?" And perhaps on your second transmission:
  "______ de WB8FSV TNX ______(name) FOR NICE REPORT BT MY RIG IS A KNWD TS 450 ANT IS A DIPOLE BT WX IS ________ TEMP IS ___ BT HW COPY?"
  Just fill in the blanks to fit the QSO, inserting your own callsign, name, QTH, and rig. And go on from there as a starting point if you choose. By the way, that strange BT is used in CW as a spacer, a device to separate your thoughts. Some folks will use a period instead. BT is sent in CW as (dah dit dit dit dah). The CW letters B and T sent together.
  I feel that a more professional CW technique is to limit the amount of punctuation used during a QSO. Some new hams may send four or five BTs in a row while they think about what they will send next. One or two BTs in a row should be enough. Here is what I mean by limiting punctuation, "TNX DAVE UR RST IS 579 579 MY NAME IS JACK JACK ES MY QTH IS HILLIARD, OH HILLIARD, OH BT HW? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K". There, I got away with using just one BT.
  Other Stuff to Talk About
  For some beginning hams, and for some experienced hams too, that is all the information they will willingly send to you. You may have to draw out more conversation from them. Kinda like pulling teeth. HI . When I work a new ham on CW I often end each of my transmissions with a question to give the other guy(or girl) something to talk about, to draw them into a conversation. For example, "How many states have you worked? Any DX?" or "Is it raining at your QTH also?" If the other ham mentions something such as their age and how long they have been a ham, you can take that as a hint they would like you to send them back the same information about yourself.
  If you live in a small town, describe where it is in relation to a much larger city. Does the area where you live have any unusual characteristics that other hams might find interesting? I often tell other hams that I live on the edge of town - two blocks from cornfields. Or that central Ohio is a flat as a pancake due to glaciers scraping it level 15,000 years ago. Or that Hilliard is Ohio's fastest growing city. What is your town's population? Any famous or semi-famous people born there(besides yourself)? How large is your yard? Where is your radio shack located in your house?
  Over the years I have developed a number of topics that I may bring into a CW contact in order to keep the conversation going. Even for me sometimes I just run into a wall, my mind goes blank, and I can't think of what to send next, so these commonly used topics of mine can come to the rescue at times. For example, I'll describe how my cat Rasta often naps on top of my TS 450 rig and I believe that after all these years I suspect my cat understands CW. Or I'll describe what I see at that moment out my basement window. Or talk about how I enjoy collecting stuff(stamps, baseball cards, radios, QSL cards). Or ask the other ham if they have access to the Internet to see if we share a common interest about computers.
  I try to send the name of the other ham I am in contact with at least once during each of my transmissions. This frequent use of the other person's name makes for a friendlier QSO and tells them you care who they are. Don't get carried away with this personalizing your comments. Using the other ham's name once per transmission is enough.
  When you first start out, any CW contact is fun. It's cool to see how far your equipment will reach, how many states you are able to work. After you have made a number of CW contacts you may discover that the best contacts are those that are different. Not the standard name/location/RST/rig/WX/age/73 type of contact. You may meet another ham who just loves to gab(like me) or who is involved in a different ham activity(such as satellite or packet) and would love to tell you about it, or another ham who may have a lot in common with you such as age, work, or other hobbies. One of the fascinating things for me about making ham radio contacts is you don't know what the other ham is like or how the conversation will develop until you begin.
  Standard Operating Techniques
  Correctly Reporting RST
  Here I am including a few useful topics that didn't fit in elsewhere. For example, what is this RST thing? It is a method of giving another ham a signal report and stands for readability, signal strength, and tone. R is on a scale of 1 to 5, and both S and T on a scale of 1 to 9. An RST of 599 would be the strongest cleanest report possible. For really incredibly strong signals some hams will refer to a 20 or 30 over S9, reflecting an S-meter reading. Readability is self-explanatory, R5 is normal, R4 to me means you copy more than half of what is sent, and R3 to me means you only hear a word or two. I have never given another ham an R of 2 or 1. Signal strength is pretty subjective, just use your ears to judge. Some new hams use their rig's S-meter to determine the S they report. I don't think this is a good idea. Tone is the most misunderstood and misused report. Only rarely will I give a report less than T9, and then never lower than T8. For example, if someone has a bad AC hum on their signal, key clicks, chirp, or is drifting badly in frequency, I may give them a T8. Giving a tone report of less than T9 may really get the other ham worried about the quality of their transmitted signal, so be prepared to explain what you mean.
  The RST report that one ham gives to another often influences the RST report that is received in return. If, at the beginning of a QSO, the other ham first gives me a good 599 report, I find myself more likely to send them back a good report also. I believe we do this subconsciously, it is human nature. As an optimist, my RST reports generally tend towards the positive. Even if it is a contact during which I send the first RST, I may well add an S point or two to the other ham's RST. An S point or so above what I might give if I were brutally honest. I want to begin the QSO on the right foot and make the other ham feel good about continuing the contact.
  Not uncommonly when you hear a ham send an RST report, for example 599, they will send the letter "N" in place of the number "9". Or 5NN in this case. This number code is another time saving device used on CW. Or you may hear the letter "T" sent in place of the number zero, "MY POWER IS 2TT WATTS". Each "T" is usually sent several times in length longer than the actual letter T to distinguish it from a T. There is a number code for almost every number, even though the N and T codes are virtually the only ones you will ever hear. Although during the 1998 CQ WW DX Contest I heard many European CW stations report their zones as "a4" or "a5" instead of sending "14" or "15". It saved them several milliseconds of time I suppose. Here is the entire number code, for the interest of those old timers reading this. Its use probably dates back half a century in CW.
  1 = a6 = 62 = u7 = b3 = v8 = d4 = 49 = n5 = e0 = t
  How to Zero Beat Another Station
  CW stations should always try to zero beat each other. That means to adjust your rig's transmit frequency to exactly match the transmit frequency of the other ham you would like to talk to. Hearing two CW stations conduct a conversation a few hundred cycles apart is a waste of frequency space, and is inviting QRM. How does one zero beat another station? Easy to do on phone or SSB, just tune so that the other fellow's voice sounds normal. But trickier on CW because when you put your receiver exactly on a CW station's transmit frequency, you hear nothing, zero. In modern transceivers, in the CW mode, the receiver's BFO is offset from the displayed, transmit frequency in order to produce an audible tone. In other words, the transmit and receive frequencies are far enough apart for you to hear a pleasantly pitched tone when your transmitter frequency is tuned to exactly that of the ham you are listening to. This frequency offset is frequently about 600 Hz or Hertz.
  Here is how I zero beat another CW station with my own rig, a Kenwood TS 450. I tune into, or sweep through, the other CW signal, the pitch going from high to low, until the other ham's CW signal disappears. Now my receiver is zero beat with the other ham's transmit frequency. But I want my transmit frequency to be zero beat with the other ham's transmit frequency. So then I tune again, with the other ham's pitch going from low to high, until I am 600 Hz away. For example, if the other ham's transmit frequency is 7137.90 kHz, I would tune my transceiver to 7137.30 (7137.90 minus .60 equals 7137.30.) to transmit exactly on his transmit frequency. The direction you tune or sweep, the pitch going either from high to low or going from low to high, is rig dependent. On Kenwood ham radios you would tune the pitch from high to low as you tune higher in frequency, to reach the 600 Hz offset and be zero beat with the others ham's transmit frequency.
  I wrote the above paragraph several years ago, and currently I zero beat using a different method. I still have my Kenwood TS-450, but now as I tune around looking for a station to contact, I leave my RIT(receiver incremental tuning) turned on. Leaving your RIT on while tuning goes against convential wisdom, but I find it works for me. I leave my RIT on about 500 to 600 Hz up. When I discover another station I wish to zero beat, I tune by ear so that their CW tone drops down in tone to almost nothing, meaning that my transmit frequency is now approximately zero beat with theirs. Then I reset my RIT back up a few Hertz so that I can hear the other station. Takes me one or two seconds. Tuning by ear for an approximately 600 Hz tone just comes with experience. I have found that this method of zero beating works best for me. Recently I have become a DXing nut, and I find this new method faster for me. There is no one best method for zero beating. Whatever works best for you and for your rig.
  This zero beat frequency stuff is pretty weird, it confuses me at times, and I hope I explained it correctly. The frequency offset for CW in most transceivers explains why when you are listening to a CW signal in the tranceiver's "CW" mode, and you switch to phone, to "LSB" or "USB," you loose the CW signal and have to go search a bit for it again.
  Using CW Abbreviations and Q Signals
  Abbreviations are very commonly used in CW. They save time and are, I think, one reason why CW is so cool. Once you have learned many of the abbreviations as well as CW operating techniques, you are "in", you're a member of the CW using fraternity. Knowing and using CW correctly is kinda like belonging to an exclusive club. Anbody can pick up a microphone and talk on the ham bands; doing CW requires skill and finesse.
  Lists of abbreviations and Q signals used on CW are available many places, I will just mention a few of the most commonly used.
  ADRaddressGNgood nightRIGstation equipmentAGNagainGNDgroundRPTrepeatBKbreakGUDgoodSKend of transmissionBNbeenHIthe telegraphic laughSRIsorryCyesHRhereSSBsingle side bandCLclosingHVhaveTMWtomorrowCULsee you laterHWhowTNX-TKSthanksDEfrom (French)NnoTUthank youDXdistanceNRnumberURyourESand (French)NWnowVYveryFBfine businessOMold manWXweatherGAgo aheadPSEpleaseXYLwifeGBgood byePWRpowerYLyoung ladyGEgood eveningRreceived as transmitted73best regardsGMgood morningRCVRreceiver88love and kissesAnd the International "Q" signals, recognizable in any language:
  QRLIs the frequency busy?QRTstop sendingQRMinterferenceQRXwait, standbyQRNnoise, staticQSBfadingQROincrease powerQSLacknowledge receiptQRPdecrease powerQSYchange frequencyQRSsend slowerQTHlocationDon't get worried about using abbreviations when you are starting out with CW. It is perfectly OK to spell out every word during a QSO. It's just easier using abbreviations. There are many more CW abbreviations and Q signals, but those should keep you busy. There are also a whole series of QN_ signals for use on CW traffic nets. Also used commonly on CW are punctuation marks; the period, comma, question mark and BT being the most common. To separate thoughts or topics during a CW contact a period or a BT ( dah dit dit dit dah) are commonly used. You'll hear the slash symbol sometimes ( dah dit dit dah dit) to note portable or QRP operation for example. Like WB8FSV/9 or WB8FSV/QRP.
  The "K" letter used at the end of each CW transmission indicates, "end of transmission - go ahead". When two hams engaged in a CW conversation do not wish to be disturbed by anyone else breaking in, they may send "KN" instead of "K" at the end of each transmission. Or if a ham wants to limit the extent of his CQ, he may also use KN. For example, "CQ VT CQ VT de N1XYZ KN" says this ham would like to be answered only by hams in the state of Vermont.
  Here are a few other commonly heard CW expressions that are actually combinations of letters sent as a single character. You will encounter these CW symbols on the air.
  Wait, stand by (AS)dit dah dit dit ditSlash (DN)dah dit dit dah ditEnd of message (AR)dit dah dit dah ditEnd of contact (SK)dit dit dit dah dit dahand of course, Break (BT)dah dit dit dit dahAt the very end of a CW contact you may hear the two stations sending dits at each other, this derives from the old expression, "shave and a haircut, two bits". It sounds like dit dit-dit dit dit, dit-dit. The first station will send the dit dit-dit dit dit and wait for the second station to send dit-dit in return. This was more popular on CW years ago, but you will still hear it today. Today it may be shortened to sending just the final dit-dit, as in "73 N1XYZ de WB8FSV GN dit-dit". New hams more frequently use the full dit dit-dit dit dit, dit dit expression than more experienced hams. Not uncommonly when I end a QSO on the novice bands and trade dit dits with the other ham, I may hear a third, or even a fourth station add their own dit dit. They were listening along in silence to our QSO, and decided to add their two bits as well. This is an unprofessional operating habit. If the eavesdropping station wants to make their presence known with a few dits, I believe they should go ahead and tailend one of us, and start a legitimate QSO. Just goes to show that as you transmit on the ham bands, there are likely more than just a few folks listening.
  Obscure, Rarely Used CW Characters
  To be honest, I have never heard any of these CW characters in 29 years on CW, but it is still fun to know they exist. Do not use them on the air, other hams will not have any idea what you are sending.
  Colon[:]dah dah dah dit dit ditUnderline[_]dit dit dah dah dit dahSemicolon[;]dah dit dah dit dah ditParagraph[ ]dit dah dit dah dit ditHyphen[-]dah dit dit dit dit dahDollar sign[$]dit dit dit dah dit dit dahDouble hyphen[=]dah dit dit dit dahMultiplication sign[x]dah dit dit dahQuotation["]dit dah dit dit dah ditAddition sign[+]dit dah dit dah ditApostrophe[']dit dah dah dah dah ditUnderstood[ ]dit dit dit dah ditLeft-handed bracket[(]dah dit dah dah ditAttention[ ]dah dit dah dit dahRight-handed bracket[)]dah dit dah dah dit dahUnderline[_]dit dit dah dah dit dahTo transmit a fractional number in CW, send a slash[/](dah dit dit dah dit) between the numbers in the fraction. One half is transmitted as 1/2. To send a number that includes a fraction, transmit a hyphen between the whole number and the fraction itself. 5 2/3 is sent as 5-2/3. To indicate the percentage sign, transmit the figure zero followed by the slash and the figure zero again. Similar to the fraction, a hyphen is used to transmit a whole number, or a fraction, followed by a percentage sign. For example 2 % is transmitted as 2-0/0. To send the minute sign['] or the second sign["] used in latitude and longitude coordinates, use the apostrophe once or twice as appropriate. There are also 12 or more Morse Code characters for letters used in certain European languages which use the Latin alphabet. Thanks again to L. Peter Carron, JR., and his book, Morse Code:The Essential Language, The American Radio Relay League, 1991, for these obscure CW characters.
  Here are a few of the auxiliary CW characters used with some European languages, thanks to Chuck, KB2E, in his letter to the FISTS Keynote newsletter. "...the German A with two dots over it, , (dit dah dit dah); the Spanish-Scandinavian A with an accent mark, or a dot, over it, …, (dit dah dah dit dah); the German-Spanish CH (dah dah dah dah); the French E with an accent over it, ‰, (dit dit dah dit dit); the Spanish N with that wavy line over it that we all know now because of the infamous El Nino, ±, (dah dah dit dah dah); the German O with two dots over it, –, ( dah dah dah dit); and the German U with two dots over it, ', (dit dit dah dah)." I am uncertain of the precise linguistic terms attached to each of these diacritical marks, whether they be grave, umlaut, or circumflex, but you get the idea. I have never heard them used in CW, but then again I don't work very many Europeans on 40 and 80 meters.
  Taking Notes During a QSO, Logging, Using GMT/UTC Time
  While I am in contact with another station CW station, I take notes. In fact I write down every word sent by the other ham. Mainly this is because I have a memory like a screendoor in a submarine! But I recommend at least noting the main points made by the other station, so that you will remember what to comment on during your next transmission. I circle with my pen those items I want to remember to bring up next go around.
  I am kind of strange in that I save all these notes I've taken during my QSOs, going back 30 years. Really. It is absolutely fascinating to go back through my notes and read, word for word, what I talked about when I was a novice 29 years ago. Kinda like a ham diary. By FCC regulations we are no longer required to keep a log of the radio contacts we make, but I highly recommend it. Not only for QSLing purposes, but so that you can look up when in the past you worked a familiar callsign. And looking through your old logbooks will bring back lots of pleasant memories of QSOs gone by. I keep copious notes in my logbook, beyond the standard date/time/frequency/callsign/RST/name/location, to help me remember what was special about each contact.
  I fill out as much information as I can in my logbook at the very beginning of each QSO. This saves me time and, if I accidently bump the VFO dial during the QSO and change frequency, I can use my logbook to look up my original frequency. Or you can use your frequency lock control if your rig is so equipped. My cat Rasta has been known to jump up on my desk while I am QSOing and rub against my VFO before I can stop him. Perhaps my cat did not like the other ham's fist. HI.
  After you have been on the air a while, another ham will someday surprise you during a QSO by using your name before you give to them, or asking if your old Heath DX 60B transmitter is still running. How did they know your name or about your rig? Turns out you have worked this ham before but forgotten, and they either have a very good memory, or they keep their log on a computer. I would love to put all 29 years of my ham contacts in a computer database, but whew! The data entry would take months. If you are just beginning your ham career and have a computer, then get some logging software.
  Hams should always use GMT or UTC time when logging and keeping records. Try to keep a schedule set up for 8 pm with another ham who lives in a different time zone. Do you meet at 8 pm your local time or 8 pm their time? No problem if you both use UTC time. Always fill out QSL cards using UTC time. Do not use 24 hour military time. Confusion often arises when you make a ham contact close to 0000 hours UTC. Because in UTC the date changes at 0000 or midnight UTC. What date do you put on your QSL card? Use the UTC date. I frequently receive QSL cards from new hams with the correct UTC time but the wrong date. They have grown up accustomed to the date changing at midnight their own local time.
  Keeping track of the current time in UTC takes practice. You could tune your receiver to a time standard station like WWV or CHU to determine the current UTC. Clocks are available that tell time in UTC format. Or you could, like me, just memorize your local/UTC equivalents. You can make a little chart with your local/UTC equivalents. You will need to make two such charts since local/UTC equivalents change twice a year, with the switch between daylight time and daylight savings time. This twice yearly switch pretty much takes place all over the world, not just in the United States.
  If your browser is JavaScript enabled, here is a clock to convert your local computer's time to GMT/UTC.
  For a basic explanation of what GMT/UTC time is, visit my Radio Fundamentals Homepage.
  Identifying as per FCC Regulations
  Speaking of FCC regulations, amateur radio operators are required to identify themselves on the air by transmitting their callsigns. At least every ten minutes. I believe it is also a good idea to identify at the beginning and end of each of your transmissions as well, even if less than ten minutes has passed. You will hear some experienced CW operators taking turns transmitting during a QSO without IDing. For example:
  first station "WHATS UR WX LIKE? BK"second station "SUNNY ES COOL. HW ABT U? BK"first station "MONSOON HR, RAIN ES 70 DEGS..."No problem as long as they ID every ten minutes. If band conditions are poor or there is lots of QRM, IDing at the beginning and end of each transmission is wise, or the other station may not realize you turned it over to them. Easy way to completely loose one another. To save time I will sometimes end my transmissions with only my own callsign, like "HW COPY? de WB8FSV K". Cool, as long as every ten minutes I start or end one of my transmissions with something like, "WHAT SAY FRED? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K"
  Dealing With QRM and QRN
  Characteristically, when listening to shortwave radio frequencies, which include the most popular ham radio bands, you will hear noise, static, interference, and fading. They sometimes make reception of ham radio signals difficult, sometimes downright impossible. I view them as a challenge. I call them the three dreaded Qs: QRM(interference), QRN(noise and static), and QSB(fading). With experience and practice you can learn to deal with the three dreaded Qs and enhance your enjoyment of amateur radio.
  First let me discuss QRM, probably the most frequently encountered and most disturbing of the three Qs. And the only one you yourself can help reduce by your own radio operating habits. QRM is a fact of life on the ham bands, get used to it. Try to plan your operating methods so that you cause as little QRM to other hams as possible, and everybody will be happier. There are technical means to help alleviate QRM: passband filters, audio filters, DSP and RIT. For example your RIT(receiver incremental tuning) can be used to "tune out" QRM. You can move your RIT away from the interfering signal until it is nearly out of your receiver's passband tuning range, leaving just the signal you want to hear. I have found that even when there is no QRM, moving my RIT a little bit changes the tone of the signal I want, often improving reception.
  With practice you will be able to eventually, with your ears alone, "tune out" many of the interfering stations and concentrate on the signal you want. Most QRM from other hams is unintentional. If you find someone intentionally QRMing you, playing games with you, the best advice is to ignore them. Do not acknowledge their presence in any way or you may encourage them to continue. Ask for a repeat, change frequency, sign off if you have to. I would not mention anything about "QRM" or "SOME LID".
  Sometimes when I answer a CQing station and that station is unable to copy me, perhaps due to QRM near our frequency, I will then call them a second time after changing my transmit frequency a few hundred Hertz. That small change may allow the other ham to now hear me through the QRM. The same thing is true if some QRM suddenly appears during your QSO. Although don't QSY too far, or the station you are talking with may lose you.
  You and the other station may both agree to QSY(change frequency) to escape some QRM. Be careful. Successful QSYing on CW is quite difficult. For me it works about fifty percent of the time. Quite often you will lose each other. QSY during a CW QSO with caution. Be careful to state exactly where you would like to QSY, say up 2 kHz, or to 3715 kHz, rather than simply stating, "let's QSY up" somewhere.
  Another practical use to having dual VFOs in your ham rig is that you may be able to use them to chase off QRM. Sometimes during a QSO I will put both of my transceiver's VFOs on my same operating frequency. Then tune the inactive VFO a few hundred cycles(or Hertz) up or down in frequency. Whether you tune up or tune down a few hundred cycles depends on the direction that your rig's receiver "sweeps" as you tune. My Kenwood sweeps or changes pitch from high to low as I tune higher in frequency. During my QSO if I hear another ham call "QRL?" to see if the frequency is clear, I will interrupt my own QSO for a few seconds, switch to my second inactive VFO, and transmit a quick "C", meaning, "yes this frequency is in use." I could have remained on my original frequency and sent my "C" in answer to his "QRL?" But it is likely the QRLing ham would not have heard my answer due to the narrow passband of his receiver(in other words he is too far away from my transmit frequency) or due to the direction of the sweep of his own receiver. By leaving my second inactive VFO a bit off of my own transmit frequency, I can protect a larger area of frequency space around myself from potential QRM. Again, please do not answer a CQ if the CQer is too close(within a kHz or less) to an ongoing QSO in order to avoid QRMing the other QSO.
  One very annoying, for US hams, form of QRM is the shortwave broadcast stations found most evenings throughout the 40 meter novice band. We have to share the band with them, I like to view it as a challenge. There will be times during a QSO when one of these broadcasting stations will sign/on and begin transmitting on or very close to the frequency you are talking on. First you will hear their unmodulated carrier as they tune up, followed by their interval signal. Then usually at the top or bottom of the hour, the broadcast station will begin their official broadcast with their national anthem. Then the news. Quite often you will lose all trace of the other ham you were in QSO with as soon as the broadcaster opens up with their carrier. Sometimes you can still hear each other through the unmodulated carrier, but you had better quickly say your 73s before the music starts. A few times I have been able to continue a contact as long as the broadcast station does not transmit music. If the broadcast QRM on 40 meters is just too much for you, there is always 80 meters. Or switch your ham receiver to the AM mode and delve into the fascinating world of shortwave broadcasting.
  QRN refers to noise heard on shortwave radio. There are basically two types of QRN, natural and man-made. Natural QRN is the static generated, for the most part, by thunderstorms. The radio static, or QRN, generated by thunderstorms travels great distances via skip, just like radio signals on shortwave. At any given moment you may be able to hear the static from dozens of storms, hundreds and thousands of miles away. At a given distance from a radio station on shortwave there is a dead zone, which the radio signal skips over. Same thing is true for thunderstorm static. I have been on 40 meters CW while I knew there was a thunderstorm nearby, and heard no static. I was in the thunderstorm's dead zone, its static was skipping over me. Other hams I then contacted were barely able to copy me through the static, although I heard them fine. Pretty weird. There are many more thunderstorms during the warm summer months, meaning that winter provides the best reception on the 40 and 80 meter ham bands. Both thunderstorms and static decrease in number and intensity with nightfall. Rarely, during a particularly intense solar disturnbance, the shortwave radio frequencies will go dead. All you may hear is a continuous rushing noise or QRN caused by the solar disturbance.
  Man-made QRN comes from many sources, including automobile engines, electric motors, fluorescent lights, electric fences, loose wires on electric power lines, and lawnmowers. Other QRN is purposely broadcast on shortwave radio frequencies, such as over-the-horizon radar and high speed RTTY. It becomes what we call QRN when it is broadcast by nonhams on ham frequencies. A good noise blanker or a ham radio equipped with DSP may help reduce this noise. Before I purchased my current home, I walked the property with a portable SW radio receiver tuned to 80 meters, to determine if there was any man-made QRN inherent to the site. I heard no local QRN, so I bought the house.
  Oh yes, and then there is QSB, or fading. This is a natural phenomenon, one of the mysteries of radio propagation. Check out my Radio Fundamentals Homepagefor an explanation of how fading works.How QSB works is not difficult to understand. Why it occurs is the mystery. There seems to be at least a little fading present on most shortwave frequencies, particularly at night. The duration and depth of the fades can vary widely. Just another challenge to make your ham radio operating and shortwave radio listening more interesting.
  Repeating Info Due to QRM
  It is important to ensure that the ham you are in contact with is able to copy at least the three essential items of the QSO: your name/location/RST. So normally in any CW contact these items are repeated twice, "UR RST IS 579 579 BT MY NAME IS JACK JACK" etc. If the band conditions are stinko, three repeats might be in order, of at least the name and RST. For the rest of the contact, in bad QRM, QRN, or QSB, hams have been known to employ one of two other repeating techniques. One would be, "MY MY WX WX IS IS CLOUDY CLOUDY" and the other technique is, MY WX IS CLOUDY MY WX IS CLOUDY". I normally use the latter.
  You can tell that the other ham you are in contact with is experiencing QRM if they tell you, if they ask for lots of repeats, if they get your name or callsign wrong, or if they hesistate long seconds before returning to you after you complete a transmission. If the ham you are talking with sends many more repeats than normal, you can assume they are hearing QRM on your signal, and they probably would like you to use many repeats as well. If I believe my signal is being stepped on, I will send the other ham's name more frequently than I normally would, to assure them that at least I can copy them. For example, "TNX DAVE BT MY WX IS LOUSY BT DAVE HW IS UR WX? HW COPY DAVE? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K". Even in very heavy QRM folks are more likely to pick out their own name or callsign out of the muck. Occasionally you will work another ham on CW who refuses to copy your callsign correctly. Usually you can correct them by repeating your callsign frequently at the beginning and end of your transmission. Or if that doesn't work, try, "MY CALL IS WB8FSV WB8FSV NOT WD8FSU". Amazingly a few hams on CW will continue to use your incorrect callsign regardless of what you tell them.
  Correcting Mistakes in CW
  Everyone occasionally makes a mistake while sending their Morse Code. Sometimes your key or keyer seems to have a mind of its own. The most common method to correct a mistake is for the sending station to send a rapid series of dits, like the number five with a few extra dits added. Eight dits is the recommended number of dits, although no one is counting. And to then send the correct CW character or word. This is fine. Personally when I send a mistake in the middle of a word, I don't see the need to emphasize it with the rapid dits. I simply pause and then send the correction. The station you are talking with is copying along with you, letter by letter, and they probably realize as soon as you that you have made a mistake. I feel it is more professional to use a pause rather than the rapid fire dits.
  But, if I make a mistake at the beginning of a word, the other ham copying along with me has no idea I have made a mistake. So in this case a device is needed to signal that a mistake has been made. I prefer to use a question mark rather than the rapid fire dits. Another CW device you may hear less often to indicate a mistake is "dit-dit", like the CW letter I, sent once or twice after the mistake and before the correction.
  You will hear some hams use a question mark to signify that they are going to repeat a word, even if they have not made a mistake. For example, "MY NAME IS JACK? JACK". This use of a question mark is frequently employed to indicate the repetition of a difficult or unusual word in a CW radiotelegram by CW traffic handlers.
  How Long Should the Contact Last?
  Talk as long or as short as you like. Most CW contacts on the novice bands seem to last about half an hour or so, which mean that they rarely get beyond the standard name/location/RST/rig/WX/73 stage. That is perfectly OK. I myself like to talk a bit longer. For me, a good CW rag chew generally lasts around an hour, sending and receiving at about 13 wpm. My longest CW contact ever was a 3 1/2 hour marathon, but after the second hour we began trying to stretch it out to see how long we could go! At about 10 wpm(words per minute), a common speed on the novice bands, it can easily take half an hour just to send the name/location/RST/rig/WX/age/73 info. Normal human verbal conversation is around 120 wpm, so a SSB or phone QSO of half an hour would cover a lot more ground than a CW QSO of half an hour at 10 wpm.
  How Fast/Slow Should You Send CW?
  Normally, adjust your code speed to match that of the other ham you are talking to. This is especially true if you answer another ham's CQ or tailend a conversation. People commonly send a CQ at the speed they would like to be answered. If you answer a person CQing at say, 15 wpm, and you send at 10 wpm, the CQer generally will be polite and slow down to your speed. This does not always happen, so be careful about answering a CQ sent by a CW speed demon. Normally a "PLEASE QRS" (please send slower) sent to the other station will elicit the correct response from them, and they will slow down.
  It is easy, especially with an electronic keyer, to send faster than you are able to comfortably receive. Try to match your send speed to that of your receive speed. With practice your speed will improve. Making CW contacts is a great and fun way to increase you code speed. Another tip is to occasionally stretch yourself, try to copy CW at a slightly higher speed than you are comfortable. Do not do this during a QSO you are having when you are under pressure to copy everything correctly. But just listening around the band. Participating in slow speed CW traffic nets is another neat way to help you increase your code speed, and perform a public service at the same time.
  You'll discover a wide variety of CW speeds on the novice bands. Most folks go slow, less than 15 wpm, but you will hear hams going over 30 wpm also. They may go fast to show off, or perhaps there are no more clear frequencies available in the general bands. Some speedy novices and techs may be experienced CW operators, perhaps they were hams years ago and were recently relicensed, or learned CW in the military or merchant marine and just now got into ham radio. Also the 80 meter novice band was moved a few years ago and now includes frequencies used by higher speed CW traffic nets. You will frequently hear them in the early evening between 3675 and 3700 kHz. Many of the hams you encounter on the novice bands will be novices and technician-pluses, but there are a number of general, advanced and extra class hams to be found also. They may feel more comfortable doing CW at slower speeds or they may, like me, simply enjoy working new hams. I have been lucky in my 33 years as a ham to have been the very first contact for over 80 hams now.
  How Do You Gracefully End a QSO?
  It's no big deal, many hams will just send, "TNX FOR QSO 73" or "GOTTA GO TNX 73" and sign off. That is fine. Myself, I like to leave a bit more politely, such as, "DINNER HR 73", "I GOT A PHONE CALL, CUL", "TIME HR TO QSY TO BED", "MY XYL IS YELLING, TURN OFF THAT RADIO AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL", or "SRI ED MCMAHN IS AT MY DOOR WITH 10 MILLION DOLLARS 73".
  There will be times when, after several exchanges, you realize that you just don't want to talk to this person anymore. You could, as I have heard some hams do, just disappear. But I think having a few tactful excuses for leaving to choose from is a good idea.
  It is not uncommon that QRM will grow to the point that it is impossible to copy the other station you are in QSO with. Some hams in this case will just give up and stop transmitting. I would recommend instead that you at least send a 73 and sign off properly. Don't leave the other ham wondering what happened to you. On your end you may not hear anything except QRM, but perhaps the other ham you were talking with still copies you fine. Maybe the QRM is one way, skipping over his location. If the QRM or QRN or QSB just destroys a QSO I am involved in, I will send something like, "SRI DAVE NO COPY NO COPY QRM QRM 73 73 N1XYZ de WB8FSV."
  Occasionally during a QSO, the station I am talking to simply disappears. Maybe they have rig problems, an important phone call, or the irresistable call of nature. Try not to simply disappear. If another ham vanishes during a contact with me, first I will send a friendly, "DAVE?", and if no answer, then send, "N1XYZ de WB8FSV K" once or twice before I give up. Even then I leave my VFO on the same frequency a few minutes while I fill out my logbook and the QSL card, in case the ham reappears.
  A Typical Evening for Me on 40 meters CW
  Choosing My Band
  After turning on my rig, getting comfortable in my chair, opening my logbook, and pulling out my scratchpad, I choose my band. I personally enjoy 80 and 40 meter CW, particularily 40 meters, so I will search between 7100 and 7150 kHz. 80 and 40 meters are noted as good rag chewing bands, as are 160 and 30 meters. Starting at 7100 I slowly turn the dial of my transceiver, stopping at each CW signal I hear. I will listen a few seconds, long enough to determine if the station is sending a CQ, or is already engaged in a conversation. I am looking for a CQ to answer, the way in which I usually begin a CW contact. Since I am not a novice or technician, I almost feel like an intruder in the novice bands, and would much rather answer than send a CQ here. Although if I am unable to locate an interesting CQ after searching for 15 or 20 minutes, I may go ahead and call my own CQ. Or perhaps search the general CW frequencies, or switch bands, or go watch TV. HI.
  Scanning for CQs
  A full scan from 7100 to 7150 kHz for CQs might take only a couple minutes, particularily at night when the 40 meter band will be filled with powerful SW broadcast stations, rendering big chunks of the novice band unusable. Activity on 40 meters at night is usually limited to a few small relatively clear areas in between the broadcast stations. For example, now the regions around 7108 and 7137 kHz are often clear most evenings. Several years ago 7125 kHz was always available at night, not now- this is because the SW broadcast stations periodically change their operating frequencies and schedules. A scan of the 40 meter novice band in the daytime may take longer with the absence of the broadcast stations and with more hams. Weekends on 40 meters can get quite busy.
  In most of the world the 40 meter ham band stretches from 7000 to 7100 kHz, and 7100 to about 7500 kHz is used as a shortwave broadcast band. Only hams in North and South America are able to use the full 7000 to 7300 kHz. And only in the United States is 40 meters divided into different phone and CW segements. Hams in Canada and in South America can use CW or phone anywhere within 7000 to 7300 kHz. This explains why you can hear Spanish speaking SSB phone stations some evenings in the 40 meter novice band. This is a good indication of band conditions, how 40 is often open deep into South America in the evenings. When the band conditions are good, you may even hear European or Asian SSB stations just below 7100 kHz.
  Once I discover a CQing station, I first determine if that ham will be able to hear or copy me. If the CQer is relatively weak, chances are they will be unable to copy me. Generally the stronger the station you hear, the greater the chance they will hear you in return. Radio propagation is usually two way. Not always. Sometimes it is fun to call a weak station just to see if your rig can reach them. Perhaps the other ham's signal is weak because they have a less than optimal antenna system, such as a dipole in their attic. Or maybe they are using QRP(low power). After scanning the band for a while and perhaps making a few calls, you will be able to judge the condition of the band. Is the skip long or short? Is the band open to the West Coast, south to Florida, or not at all. Occasionally I will turn on my rig , listen a bit, try to answer a few CQs to no avail, make a few fruitless CQs myself, then give up and go play on the Internet. Particularily true during the last few years with the bottom of the sunspot cycle upon us. The current sunspot cycle, Cycle 23, peaked during Spring 2000 and radio propagation conditions are now slowly declining.
  Do I Want to Answer this CQ?
  But, let's say I hear a strong CQ. Next I determine if I want to answer this CQ. Since I enjoy working new hams, a ham with a new callsign gets first priority by me. After you are on the air a while, you can pretty well guess how long a ham has been licensed by just their callsign. Usually. I am attracted by certain types of callsigns. For example a one by two call, like W8TZ, is usually an old timer. They often enjoy rag chewing and are full of fascinating ham stories and experiences. Callsigns that form words intrigue me, such as KA4TON or N3HAM, or callsigns that are similar to mine, like KB9FSW. In 33 years on the ham bands I have worked only five other FSV callsigns: W3FSV, KA1FSV, VE3FSV, WB4FSV, and WA0FSV. I treasure those QSL cards. My wife and I love New England and my ears always perk up when I hear a 1 district callsign. From Ohio I seem to have a pipeline into New England, meaning I find it quite easy to work New England hams.
  Often when I hear a CQ, I will quickly look it up in the Callbook, to discover what city the ham is calling from. Perhaps it is a city or state I have visited or vacationed in, have friends or family in, have a favorite sports team in, in other words have some connection to that we can talk about in our potential QSO. My computer is upstairs and my radio room is downstairs, so I cannot access a CD callsign database. Therefore I use a printed Callbook. Even a Callbook a couple years old helps I believe. It enhances my ham radio operation by allowing me to discover a little more information about a ham before I decide to answer their CQ. Unfortunately 1997 was the last year that printed Callbooks will be available. Too bad, it is the end of an era. Of course after I have completed the contact, and am filling out the QSL(I try to QSL every contact), I use a callsign server on the Internet to get the ham's current mailing address.
  Not having a printed Callbook or access to a callsign server is perfectly OK. It just means you will wait a few moments longer to discover to whom you are talking. The suspense can be exciting. You can still QSL the other ham by asking them to send you their mailing address over the air, or to send you their card first.
  Making a Contact
  So now I've decided to answer the CQer and establish a contact. A one by two call should be sufficient on my part. Although if band conditions are lousy, something like a one by three or a two by four might be more appropriate. I have already made sure my rig is tuned up and ready to transmit. Your ham transmitter must be tuned so that there is an impedence match between the transmitter and the antenna, ensuring the best possible transmitted signal. Many modern transceivers include an automatic antenna tuner which makes tuning a breeze. When tuning up your rig do it as quickly as possible so you don't cause unecessary QRM to others. Even if you use an automatic antenna tuner you are transmitting a weak but audible CW signal over the air. Tuning up without an automatic antenna tuner usually means you are transmitting a very strong carrier over the air. Make it short please. Actually you should be using a dummy load to tune into, so that you are not heard over the air. If you must tune up on the air, try to do so on a clear frequency, or perhaps on top of one of those 40 meter shortwave broadcasting stations.
  And the CQing station comes back to me. Hooray! It's a KF4 station in North Carolina, a ham I worked about a month ago. The callsigns in this story have been changed to protect the innocent. HI. He doesn't remember me, but his callsign and QTH seem familiar, so I look in my logbook and find him. On the average I make about 20 CW contacts a week, mostly on 40 and 80 meter CW, so I commonly hear and work the same stations more than once. After we exchange the standard name/location/RST, I ask him if he has received my QSL card yet and how many states he has worked so far. He remembers our previous contact. During our first QSO the KF4 had only been on the air for a couple weeks, and at about 10 wpm and with lots of mistakes, the minimal name/location/RST was enough to deal with. Now on our second contact we are able to find out more about each other. Hey neat, he is into computers also. We swap e-mail addresses and I tell him about my homepage. I will e-mail him tomorrow and send him the address of my homepage. Sending http addresses on CW is not easy. I am forever having to explain what a tilde is. My KF4 friend in North Carolina says thanks for the FB QSO but it is almost his bedtime. I send him some of my famous personalized QSO ending lines, and we both sign.
  Some hams on CW soon develop several of their own personal phrases or expressions to liven up and personalize their QSOs. There are the standard CW phrases that everyone uses such as, "HOPE TO CUAGN, NICE TO MEET U, BEST 73 TO U ES URS". These are perfectly OK, but I like to use some of my own unique CW expressions, "RAIN HR, GREAT STAY INSIDE ES HAM WX or ENJOYED QSOING WID U or HELP QRM ATTACK!". To hear my best ones you will have to work me on the air. QCWA magazine(Quarter Century Wireless Association) regularly prints many of the humorous CW expressions that its members have heard on the air.
  It is almost my bedtime also, but I would like to squeeze in one more CW contact. So after logging my KF4 contact I begin another band scan for CQs. 40 meters tonight is pretty noisy and filled with three very loud SW broadcast stations, normal. I've been looking now for fifteen minutes after my contact with the KF4 station, and found no CQs. Each time I have scanned across the novice band I noticed the area around 7145 kHz is clear. Perhaps I will call CQ here myself if I can't find any other CQs. But then I do hear a weak CQ from a new ham, a KC2. He is pretty weak, meaning I may well be weak to him as well, but I answer his CQ anyway. There isn't much else going on. Low and behold, he comes back to me.
  He does not have a very good fist, his CW spacing is way off, he makes a lot of mistakes, and his CW operating technique needs work. But I am still able to copy about 75 percent of what he sends, and make a good guess at the rest. I copy, "THIS S TY FERST QSO". I am his first contact. Infinitely cool. My favorite kind of contact. I live to make first contacts. My new KC2 friend only sends his QTH once, half of which I loose in the QRM, and he forgets to send his name and my RST. Still I believe it was a fairly successful first QSO. The contact took about 45 minutes, mainly since we were working at less than 5 wpm and I sent many repeats of my information.
  I have a great deal of patience with new hams. After all we were all new hams at one time. Most hams well remember their first contact. My own first contact was at 5:30 pm on Feb 6, 1970 on 15 meter CW with a WB8 station. It was a local ham across town. I had to telephone her to ask her to listen for me on the air. I had been calling CQ for two days with no answers. Later I discovered that a vertical antenna mounted on the roof needs to be grounded. This was news to me. After I put some radials on my vertical I began to get lots of answers to my CQs.
  It is getting late and the KC2 and I both sign off. I fill out my logbook and a QSL card for the KC2, including a short letter congradulating him on his first contact. Time now to QSY to bed. I turn off my Kenwood TS 450, and disconnectthe antenna. The end of a most successful ham radio day. In two evening hours I have renewed acquaintances with an old ham friend and made a new ham friend. What a neat hobby!
  Slow Speed CW Traffic Nets
  Handling traffic is a time-honored tradition in amateur radio. "Traffic" refers to messages or radiotelegrams and "handling" means generating, relaying, and delivering these messages. Since CW was around a couple decades before phone, CW traffic handling dates to the very beginning of radio. Handling traffic, particularly during a disaster such as a hurricane or flood where normal communications are down, is often cited as one of the main justifications for the continued existence of amateur radio and our occupation of all of our valuable radio spectrum. The public's impression of the usefulness of ham radio is often reflected in the vital public service we perform during emergencies and public events.
  Thousands of US and Canadian hams meet daily in nets to send and receive much of this traffic. A number of CW traffic nets operate in the novice bands, usually 80 meters. They purposely operate at a slow speed so as to encourage the participation of new hams. Many of these nets are primarily intended to be training nets in the proper techniques of handling CW traffic. It's really quite easy to do traffic handling. These slow speed CW traffic nets provide an excellent opportunity for you to increase your code speed. And perform a public service, give a little back to amateur radio, at the same time. Should there ever be a natural disaster, such as a tornado or major flood, in you area, knowing how to send and receive emergency messages is an important skill. An asset for you, for your community, and for amateur radio.
  Not every state has a slow speed CW traffic net, but you can probably find one in a nearby state that will welcome you. I learned my traffic handling on OSN, the Ohio Slow Net, that meets daily at 6:10 pm local time on 3708 kHz. I have been a net control station on this and other traffic nets, and I am now the Ohio Section Traffic Manager. Just look around 80 meters CW in the early evenings for a group of hams using the QN_ signals found on traffic nets. Or contact the ARRL(American Radio Relay League) for information on these slow speed CW and other traffic nets.
  The Central Ohio Traffic Net(COTN) is the local 2 meter FM traffic net that I frequent. And here is the ARRL Great Lakes Division homepage. You can find me in there someplace.
  Straight Key, Electronic Key, Bug, or Computer Keyboard?
  There are basically four types of devices used by most hams to send Morse Code. The straight key, also called the hand key, as well as the electronic keyer, the bug, and the computer keyboard. My favorite is the straight key, which I use 90 percent of the time. The straight key is more natural, more organic, and so is the resulting code. Learning to use a straight key well is not easy, it takes a great deal of practice. Pounding brass well with a straight key is an art. I am far more impressed when I hear an excellent "fist" on a straight key than I am with near perfect code sent with an electronic keyer.
  I own two electronic keyers which I use mainly when I want to send faster speed CW. 15 wpm is about the top speed you can send intelligible code with a straight key. Although I have heard hams send good CW at 20 to 25 wpm with a straight key- it amazes me they can send that fast. Learning to use an electronic keyer, while it takes practice too, is easier than learning to use a straight key well. Once you have mastered the electronic keyer, using it can be a real pleasure. To effortlessly and gently squeeze those two paddles and produce near perfect code is one of the great joys of CW. I still prefer the organic/natural sound of a straight key fist to the mechanical sound of an electronic keyer. Hams using a straight key have a fist with personality. On an electronic keyer your fist sounds like everyone else's. Usually. Some new hams have difficulty sending with a keyer. I believe learning to send CW first on a straight key before switching to an electronic keyer is a wise method.
  Speaking of personality, that to me is the biggest advantage to using a bug. Although a bug also produces code mechanically, the operator has complete control of the length of their dahs. This gives the ham the ability to send with their own distinctive fist, or "swing". Unfortunately, learning to send well with a bug takes years of practice, and a bug is notoriously difficult to adjust. Using a bug well is a challenge, almost like playing a musical instrument. After practicing on my own bug for five years, I developed a passable fist, until last year when my cat knocked my bug off my desk onto the floor. It hasn't sounded right since then. I hope my cat Rasta is not a no-code cat. After listening to CW stations for a few years, identifying the distinctive "swing" of a bug user is easy. When you hear someone sending good code with a bug, you are listening to a CW Master, a highly trained expert who has honed their CW skills through years of patient determined experience. In the hands of such a CW Master, a bug is capable of producing beautiful enchanting Morse Code.
  A quick word about sending CW with a computer keyboard. Some Morse Code challenged hams use this method to generate and send CW. But for the most part I don't like computer generated and decoded CW. For me, using a keyboard is not "real" CW. Even worse is to use a Morse Code reader that decodes and prints out the code for you. A traditional amateur radio operator sends and receives CW using their own senses and faculties. I find computer generated and decoded CW too mechanical and impersonal. But at least it is CW.
  FISTS - A Cool Club for CW Operators
  There is an international organization dedicated to promotion of the use of CW in the ham bands. This group or club of hams is called FISTS, and is also known as the International Morse Preservation Society. I have had great fun since I recently joined FISTS. At times it is difficult to find another ham to talk with on CW. The FISTS club promotes several ham radio frequencies, those for example ending in 58: 14058, 7058, or 3558 kHz, as places to find other FISTS members to rag chew with. Another aim of FISTS is to encourage friendship within the club membership, which they do in part with these CW calling frequencies. I love to rag chew on CW and it is great knowing where to find others with the same interests. They also offer several awards for working 100 members and for working at least one member in each of the 50 United States. There are over 9000 FISTS members now, but finding one in each of the 50 US states is quite an undertaking. Very few hams have achieved this award so far.
  Not long ago I worked my 100th FISTS member and qualified for my Century Award. Cool. Took me seven months. As much fun as working new FISTS members and adding to your total, is running into folks you have already worked and deepening friendships. After a couple QSOs you learn each others' names without having to look them up in your log. Of course you do not need to be a FISTS member to do this, but FISTS folks seem to me to be friendlier and more likely to rag chew. FISTS also has its own excellent QSL bureau.
  Neat FISTS Story - I was lucky to have been able to attend the 1998 Dayton Hamvention, May 15-17. Actually since I only live 72 miles from Hara Arena in Dayton where the Hamvention is held, I have attended every year for nearly 24 years now. I know how fortunate I am. This year I made it a point to attend the FISTS party Friday evening, hoping to put faces to some familiar calls. There I met Geo, G3ZQS, the founder of the FISTS organization, FISTS number 01. He came all the way from England to the Dayton Hamvention and to meet FISTS members. Neato. I drove home later that evening, and, still full of radio enthusiasm, I got on the 7058 FISTS frequency about 10 pm. After one FISTS QSO I heard a weak CQ FISTS and discovered it was Geo, operating as W8/G3ZQS. Using a friend's rig Geo was operating from his hotel room with a whip antenna on a truck bumper. It was quite a thrill to finally work Geo on the air, particularly since I had just had an eyeball QSO with him. A mini FISTS pileup on Geo thereby ensued.
  How to Get Zillions of QSLs
  My second favorite ham activity, after rag chewing, is collecting QSL cards. Guess it's because I love to collect stuff. I average one or two QSLs in my mailbox every day. One important secret to successful QSLing, at least among US hams(not DX), is to send your QSL card out first. If you wait for the other folks you work to send you their cards first, you can expect to receive at best one QSL for every ten contacts you make. One out of 20 is more likely. I try to QSL every single contact I make. I realize that can get expensive postagewise, but to me it is worth it.
  Another important secret to QSLing is, I believe, to personalize your QSL card. Be sure to put a note from you on the QSL, with as much personal information as space permits, about what you discussed in your contact. My own QSL card contains all the required information just on the front of the card, leaving the back free for me to fill up with my personal notes to the other ham. My own QSL cards are homemade. Here is my QSL card. I drew the picture on the front, and I print them on the copier at my workplace(don't tell my boss). This further personalizes my cards. I always mail my QSL inside of an envelope, thus ensuring my card arrives relatively unfolded, smudged or otherwise mutilated. I think folks appreciate a QSL in undamaged condition, and I seem to get more returns that way. Again the postage costs more for an envelope, but that is the reason I go to work every day. To make money to pay the electric bill so that I can ham, and so that I can pay all that postage. HI.
  Finally, if there is a ham station from which you really need or want a QSL card, such as in Vermont or Hawaii, I would include a first class postage stamp with the QSL inside the envelope. Thus the other ham has one less reason not to return his or her QSL to you. An SASE(self-addressed stamped envelope) sent to the other ham is also a good idea, saving them the trouble of writing out your address. I myself do not usually send an SASE, because hams occasionally have oversized QSL cards that may not fit inside the SASE envelope you send them. Hams who live in rare states like Wyoming I'm sure are overwhelmed by QSL requests, and sending them return postage or an SASE increases your chances for their card. A connection to the Internet and a callsign server is an asset. An up to date address to which to send your QSL is a must.
  Some hams who live in a small town regularly give the name of their QTH as that of a nearby larger city so that other hams will know where they are located. Not a good idea. Be proud of your own small town. If the QTH you give over the air does not match your mailing address(the address in the Callbook or callsign server), you may confuse hams when they later try to mail you their QSL card. They may decide not to send you their card.
  Keeping accurate records of to whom you have sent, and from whom you have received QSL cards is important. Your logbook is a convenient place to do this. Sometimes I receive two QSLs from a ham for the same contact. They first mailed their card to me. But when they later received my QSL they could not remember, or had poor records, of whether they had sent me their card. So they mailed me a second card to be sure. I suggest filling out the QSL card that you intend to mail very soon after you make the contact. The QSO will still be fresh in your mind so that you are better able to write personal comments on the card, and so that you are more inclined to fill out and mail the QSL. Don't wait until you have a large stack of cards to send. QSLing then becomes more of a chore than a pleasure, and less likely to get done.
  When you first begin to receive QSL cards, it is fun to display them up on your wall, in those clear plastic containers commonly available. After you have received a large number of QSLs, it becomes necessary to store them in a convenient place. Convenient because you well may wish to look up an old QSL card months later if you work the station again. Finding an old friend's QSL while you are QSOing them can enhance the contact. I keep my QSL cards in shoeboxes. I have filled six shoeboxes now. For quick easy access I keep the cards organized by US call districts 1, 2, 3, etc., and then by callsign type, KA1s, KB1s, N1s, WA1s, WB1s, K1s, W1s, etc. This is the next best method for keeping your cards organized and findable, short of keeping a computer log.
  I feel my QSLing methods are fairly successful. I get about a 75 percent return rate on the QSL cards that I send out. New hams generally QSL better than more experienced hams. CW operators generally QSL better than phone operators.
  Did I leave out any important aspect of beginning CW operation that you would like to see covered? Did I make any major mistakes? Please e-mail me, or sign my guestbook, and let me know.
  CWguideA Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contactsby Jack Wagoner WB8FSV
  There are dozens of specialities or activities under the broad banner of Amateur Radio. Amateur radio is also known as ham radio, why, nobody knows for certain. From working DX, to building radios from scratch, to satellite communications, to slow-scan TV, to just plain rag chewing(or talking) with new and old friends all over the world; there is something for everybody.
  As a true ham radio fanatic, my personal favorite ham activity is yakking with other hams in Morse Code, also called CW(for continuous waves). Morse Code has a mystique to it, it is an extremely cool method with which to communicate. In this Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contacts I am going to try and give those hams new to CW a better idea of how to start. How to find someone to talk with, what to talk about, how to deal with QRM, how to end a CW contact, how to get lots and lots of QSL cards, and much more useful and practical information.
  I wrote this Guide from the perspective of hams in the United States. Many of my references, for example to frequencies and to radio propagation, pertain to amateur radio in North America, although most of the CW operating techniques I discuss apply to worldwide CW operation.
  Here is the Site Map to A Beginner's Guide to Making CW Contacts.
  Learning the Code
  Finding Someone to Talk With
  What Do You Talk About?
  Standard Operating Techniques
  A Typical Evening for Me on 40 meters CW
  Slow Speed CW Traffic Nets
  Straight Key, Electronic Keyer, Bug, or Computer Keyboard?
  FISTS - A Cool Club for CW Operators
  How to Get Zillions of QSL Cards
  Please Sign My Guestbook
  Learning the Code
  Morse Code has a way of polarizing hams, they either love it, or can't stand it. CW(or Morse Code) has been decreasing in popularity over the last several decades as voice and other digital modes become more popular. But a listen across the CW portion of the ham radio bands will find thousands of hams still using this vintage communications technique. The FCC still requires a code proficiency test, just 5 wpm, as part of their license to use the HF amateur radio spectrum. Besides, CW is way cool, but I'm prejudiced. HI.(HI is the telegraphic equivalent of a laugh)
  I believe that learning and using Morse Code is very similar to learning a foreign language. Don't try to learn Morse Code the way I first did when I was a BoyScout: don't memorize a list that tells you "A" is "dot dash" or "B" is "dash dot dot dot". This method will stunt your progress and lead to frustration. Ideally, when you hear the "dot dash" sound in your ear, your mind will immediately recognize that as "A". Inserting a third step, where your mind first translates the "dot dash" sound into the written dot dash you learned from a list, and then into the letter "A", is one thing that makes learning Morse Code so difficult for so many people.
  There are a number of techniques suggested to help learn Morse Code. Among these are:
  Learn the code in groups, beginning with letters comprised of all dits first, then on to letters with all dahs next, then finally learning letters with both dits and dahs.Learn the code in groups of letters that have related sounds. For example, U(dit dit dah), F(dit dit dah dit), and the question mark(dit dit dah dah dit dit).Learn the more frequently used letters and characters first, and the more difficult ones last.Listen to the Morse Code characters sent at a high speed, with long pauses between each. This is known as the Farnsworth method.Thanks to L. Peter Carron, Jr., W3DKV and his book, Morse Code: The Essential Language, The American Radio Relay League, 1991, for this partial list of techniques.
  Learning CW from a practice tape is, I believe, one of the best ways. Many companies offer these audio tapes or CD-ROMS, although they can be a bit dry and boring, and I recommend a bit of live CW listening with a shortwave receiver. Try the US novice bands 40 meters 7100-7150 kHz and 80 meters 3675-3725 kHz for practice. Conditions on the 15 and 10 meter novice band are slowly improving these days, although the current sunspot cycle 23 is now slowly diminishing. Lots of beginning novices and technician-plus hams here using much slower CW(like 5 to 10 wpm) than you'll find on the US general CW bands. Learning CW with the personal help of another ham is also a great idea, as is taking a class in CW operation. Many amateur radio clubs offer classes for beginning hams in licensing, including Morse Code.
  The Morse Code used today by amateur radio operators is also known as the International Code. By definition, the duration of the dah is three times as long as that of a dit, and the space between dits and dahs inside an individual character(such as dit dit dah or U) is equal to the duration of one dit. The space between characters is equal to three dits, and the space between words is equal to seven dits. During a CW QSO nobody is checking to see if you are using the correct spacing, just do your best. It takes practice. Code sent with the correct spacing sounds better and is easier to copy.
  Forcing yourself to listen to Morse Code that is slightly faster than you are able to copy comfortably is a good way to increase your code speed. You don't need to copy every letter, just concentrate on better learning the CW letters and symbols you already know, and the others will follow. When I was first learning CW I enjoyed listening to the CW speed demons(20 wpm plus) at the bottom of each ham band, just to see if I could get their callsign. Hams often send their callsigns several times at the beginning and end of a transmission, making it easier to copy. Everything else they sent was usually a blurr. I then kept a running list of the different countries I had heard, just to see how many countries I could get. I'm sure this helped me increase my code speed.
  Actual on-the-air CW contacts are probably the best way to increase your code speed and CW proficiency. And to have fun while practicing.
  Finding Someone To Talk With
  Answer a CQ
  How the heck do you begin a CW conversation? How do you find another ham to talk with? My favorite method is to answer a CQ. Sending several CQs followed by your callsign indicates you want to start a contact with someone. Simply tune up and down the band searching for that familiar "CQ", zero beat your transmit frequency with that of the CQer(or as close as you can get), and call them when they finish their CQ. Normally a one by two call on your part is all that is needed, "N1XYZ de WB8FSV WB8FSV K". If band conditions are poor, or there is a lot of QRM(interference), perhaps a two by three or a one by four call is in order. One by two initial calls in response to a CQ are common these days, sending your call letters too many times marks you as a beginner.
  Please do not reply to a CQ if the CQer is transmitting too close(within one kHz or so) to an ongoing QSO. Doing so will likely cause unnecessary QRM to the ongoing QSO, you may even drive them off the air. Not cool. Common ham courtesy says do your best not to cause unnecessary QRM. Occasionally I will hear a CQing station that I would really like to answer, but the CQer is too close to an ongoing QSO, as I mentioned above. The best thing would be to not answer the CQer, but I have been know to answer the CQer at least one or two kHz away from the CQers frequency. My hope is that they will hear me and move their transmitting frequency to mine. Then I can have my contact and not cause QRM to the ongoing QSO. Sometimes this works, but likely the CQer will not even hear you, or will not change their transmit frequency when they answer you.
  Sometimes when you answer another ham's CQ, they may not hear you well enough to get all of your callsign. Or they may not hear you at all if the band conditions are bad. There is such a thing as one way skip: you may hear West Coast stations fine, but none of them hear you. Not uncommonly more than one station besides you will reply to the same CQ that you did. You may even hear the other station(s) answering the same CQer that you are, at the same time. The CQing station may hear a mixed jumble of several stations answering him or her at the same time. The CQing station may then send "QRZ?" or "QRZ de N1XYZ?" Meaning, who the heck is calling me, please call again. Or the CQer may send nothing at all, perhaps they are just overwhelmed by more than one answer at a time, or by all the QRM. Many times I have found that if a CQer does not respond to my first reply and I hear only silence, if I call him(or her) again, they may well return to me.
  Not uncommonly, when you begin to reply to another ham's CQ, you will hear other stations besides yourself calling the CQer at the same time that you are. I usually continue transmitting and then see if the CQer answers me or one of the other stations. If the CQer chooses you over the other stations, you can assume your signal was likely stronger or more interesting. If you do not have a competitive nature, then stop transmitting as soon as you hear other hams answering the CQer. Let them have the contact. Should you really want to make the contact yourself, continue calling and then drag out your call by sending your callsign once or twice after you hear the other answering station(s) finish their call. This trick, often used by DXers, sometimes works. Also, if while answering a CQer, you hear the CQer return to another different station, stop transmitting. You lost. Continue your search for another CQer. If you really want to contact this CQing station you could simply wait for them to finish their current contact and then tailend them.
  Occasionally as I scan the band looking for a CQ to answer, I may come across a ham sending their callsign two or more times, before they sign, "N1XYZ N1XYZ K". I believe it is safe to assume this ham has just finished sending a CQ, and often, if I like their callsign, I will listen a second, then go ahead and call them. Since I heard only their callsign and not the actual CQ, it is possible that this is not a CQ(maybe they were calling another ham instead). Listen a few seconds to ensure you are not interrupting a QSO, then assume that it was a CQ. I have found that sometimes if I wait for this suspected CQer to send another separate CQ, by that time they will have attracted a few more replies to their CQ, and I may lose out on what could have been a good contact. In the same regard, you may be in contact with another ham and end one of your transmissions by sending your own callsign two or more times(perhaps you repeat your call a few times because the other ham has copied it wrong). Then as a result, in the middle of your contact, you may be called by a third ham, who incorrectly assumes you have called CQ. Simply ignore the interrupting third ham.
  When answering a CQer you should zero beat the other ham's frequency, or set your transmit frequency as close to theirs as possible. Many hams today, in order to deal with the increasing QRM, make use of very narrow receive filters. The CQer may have their narrow filter turned on and not hear you answer if you are more than a few hundred cycles away from their transmit frequency. This is a quite common occurance on the CW ham bands, and points to the importance of correctly zero beating with your ham rig. By the same token, should you be calling CQ, do so with your narrow CW filter turned off, or you may well not hear several answering hams. Many hams are uncertain how to correctly zero beat their rigs on CW.
  If you are fortunate to have a newer transceiver that has dual VFOs, it can simplify your search for a CQ to answer. While scanning for a CQ, if you come across something interesting, such as someone tuning up(a potential CQer), a clear frequency(that you may wish to use later to call your own CQ), or an interesting QSO(that you might want to tailend when it finishes), then leave one of your VFOs on that spot. As you then continue scanning for a CQ, you can periodically, at the press of one button, switch to your second inactive VFO and see what's happening on your other interesting frequency. Having two VFOs built into your radio can greatly enhance the ease and convenience of your CW operation. Sometimes I wish my rig had three or four VFOs. HI. If your ham rig does not have dual VFOs, you can simply remember, or write down, any interesting frequencies you come across while scanning.
  Call Your Own CQ
  Tuning around searching for CQs can tend to be frustrating. At times there just don't seem to be many folks calling CQ, and the ones I do hear are jumped on by a much stronger or faster station than me. Never fear, there are other productive ways to find a CW contact. Obviously another method would be to find a nice quiet unused frequency and call CQ yourself. Before you fire up your transmitter and send a CQ, listen a few minutes to the frequency to ensure that you are not going to stomp on another conversation. It is very possible that another ham is transmitting on the same frequency but their signal is skipping over you. It is highly recommended that you send a "QRL?", or better yet send a "QRL de WB8FSV?" to see if the frequency is clear. Technically the FCC requires you identify each transmission, and an unidentified "QRL?" is frowned upon. Although everybody does it. Or, if you have the patience, an even better method is to simply listen to the frequency in question for at least 5 minutes. Even then I would still send a "QRL?" before I cut loose with my CQ.
  An old fashioned and rarely heard equivalent of "QRL?" is "dit-dit dit", or the CW letters, "I E". It would be sent before a CQ to see if the frequency was clear. Just like "QRL?". The correct response is the same as that to "QRL?" If you happen to be listening and hear someone send an "I E", if the frequency is not busy the correct response is to say nothing or to perhaps send an "N" for "no". If the frequency is busy, like you are having a QSO on the frequency, the correct response would be to send a "C" or "yes". "C" is often used as a CW abbreviation for the word "yes".
  If your CQ is answered by more than one station, usually the best practice is to reply to the strongest station. The strongest station is more likely to copy you stronger also, and you will be better able to copy each other should you both be attacked by QRM, QRN, or QSB. If you are able to copy the callsigns of both hams who answer your CQ, and the weaker station has a more interesting callsign, certainly you could answer the weaker/more interesting ham. Since the weaker station is answering your CQ, obviously they can hear you as well. Should two stations respond to your CQ, you can answer them both and try a three-way contact. Three-way contacts on CW are difficult to do.
  Send your CQ at the speed you would like to be answered. A three or four by two call repeated twice should be sufficient, "CQ CQ CQ de WB8FSV WB8FSV CQ CQ CQ de WB8FSV WB8FSV K". There are many variations. You will hear some beginners sending 15 or 20 CQs before their callsign, not a good idea. If you scan the band and find it active and full of ham signals, a shorter CQ should work. At times when I know another ham is listening on the frequency(perhaps I just heard them tune up), I may get them to answer with a simple one by one, "CQ de WB8FSV K".
  After sending your CQ you may get an instant response, or you may get no response at all. It may also take some hams a moment to respond to your CQ. They may need to tune up their rigs, zero beat your frequency, or take a few seconds to run to their desk from across the shack. These folks may answer you five or ten seconds after your CQ. Be patient. After sending a CQ myself, I may tune around my transmit frequency a bit using my receiver's RIT(receiver incremental tuning). Because some hams may have trouble zero beating my transmit frequency correctly. Perhaps they are still using crystal control - not uncommon with homebrew QRP radios.
  If I get no response after a couple 3 by 2 CQ calls, or I can tell there is very little activity on the band, I may then send a 6 by 2 CQ. The more CQs you transmit, the greater the chance that another ham scanning by will hear and answer you. I believe a pair of 6 by 2 calls is more than enough CQs. Should you still get no response to your own CQs, maybe the band conditions are just plain lousy, maybe you are transmitting too close to another QSO that you can't hear, maybe no one wants to talk to you. Try another frequency, try another band, listen for someone else calling CQ, or turn off the radio and go feed the cat.
  Tailend Another QSO
  A third major way to find someone to talk with on the ham bands is tailending. To tailend a conversation is to wait until another contact is completed, and then call the participant you want to talk with. This may work about half the time. Not uncommonly you will get no answer. The station you call is probably not expecting a call, they may have already turned off their radio, or may simply have something else to do. But sometimes tailending works. As you scan across the band looking for CQs or for a clear frequency on which to call your own CQ, you may hear an interesting conversation that you wish to contribute to, or you may hear a ham friend you want to say hello to.
  The polite way to tailend another QSO is wait until the other stations are completely finished. This is easy to determine if you are able to hear both of the stations talking. But sometimes due to radio conditions you will hear just one of the stations. For example, you hear the end of a QSO between KH6XYZ and WB8FSV. You would like to work KH6XYZ and are unable to hear WB8FSV. When you hear the first station send something like, "HOPE TO CUAGN 73 WB8FSV de KH6XYZ TU K", wait. Wait a minute or two until the first station KH6XYZ acknowledges WB8FSV's last transmission, perhaps by sending a final "73" or a "dit-dit". If instead you call KH6XYZ as soon as you heard them sign, "de KH6XYZ TU K", you may well be transmitting at the same time and on the same frequency as WB8FSV, who KH6XYZ is trying to listen to. This is a good way to make KH6XYZ dislike you and decide not to answer you. This polite advice does not generally apply to tailending a rare DX station. Calling and working rare DX stations is usually a mean and cut throat procedure. Another reason I much prefer friendly domestic CW QSOs over fighting for rare DX.
  At times you may be waiting to tailend a ham QSO, when the station you would like to talk to ends their last transmission with a "CL" for "closing" or "clear". This indicates that person is signing off and leaving the air, turning off their rig, and will accept no other calls. If you call the CLing station anyway, they may still reply out of politeness, but they are probably anxious to leave. If you just have to talk with them, don't keep them too long.
  Breaking In
  Breaking into an ongoing conversation is also possible, although rarely successful. Breaking into a QSO on CW is much more difficult than on phone. It is rarely done on CW. Some folks will think you impolite and ignore you, many newer hams will have no idea what's going on and consider you to be QRM. If you want to try, the standard method on CW is to wait between transmissions and then send "BK" for break, or better yet send, "BK de WB8FSV" if you have enough time. Allowing a third person to break into your contact can be confusing, especially for new hams. These "roundtable" QSOs are easier to manage on phone, or in the controlled environment of an organized net, like an NTS traffic net. But don't worry, breaking in is rarely encontered on CW. For those new hams who later move from CW to phone, be careful about using the word "break" on phone or SSB. On phone many hams use "break" to interrupt a net or a conversation when they have an emergency to report.
  "Break in" has another meaning in CW. It refers to the time it takes your receiver to recover after you stop transmitting. Most modern transceivers have what is called full break in, meaning that you can receive instantly after transmitting on CW. You can even receive in between the dits and dahs of individual letters. Full break in CW even has its own Q signal, QSK. Years ago radio receivers had a several second delay before you could receive after transmitting, in order that your sensitive receiver was not overloaded by your nearby transmitter. Full break in CW is taken for granted today, but it is one of many technological innovations that today make ham radio so much easier. Such as dual VFOs, digital readout, automatic tuning, or one of my favorites: direct frequency keypad entry.
  What Do You Talk About? The Art of Rag Chewing
  Now that you have established contact with another ham via CW, what the heck do you talk about? Every ham contact, CW or phone, consisits of at least three basic items: your name, your location or QTH, and a signal report(RST) for the other station. What order you send these three items is unimportant, although commonly today you will hear signal report/location/name. When I started in ham radio 30 years ago, the order was almost always signal report/name/location.
  The Standard name/location/RST/73 QSO
  These three items are the essential minimum required for a QSO. While it is true that in working a DX station in a pileup you may only exchange callsigns and a signal report, in a "real" contact the name/location/RST are standard, and you continue from there. The next most commonly discussed subjects in CW QSOs are usually the weather(WX), the radio equipment people are using, the hams' ages and how long they have been hams. For many CW contacts that will be the extent of the contact. The other ham will sign off and end the contact. Most likely because the other ham is new to CW conversation making, and simply doesn't know what else to say. Or perhaps the short-winded ham isn't into making conversation. Personally I enjoy longer CW contacts, called "rag chews".
  QSO Template for Beginners
  When first starting out on CW, many new hams will often use a template or model, to make sure they send all the essential information. For example:
  "______ de WB8FSV TNX FER CALL BT MY NAME IS JACK JACK BT QTH IS HILLIARD, OH HILLIARD, OH BT UR RST IS ___ BT HW COPY?" And perhaps on your second transmission:
  "______ de WB8FSV TNX ______(name) FOR NICE REPORT BT MY RIG IS A KNWD TS 450 ANT IS A DIPOLE BT WX IS ________ TEMP IS ___ BT HW COPY?"
  Just fill in the blanks to fit the QSO, inserting your own callsign, name, QTH, and rig. And go on from there as a starting point if you choose. By the way, that strange BT is used in CW as a spacer, a device to separate your thoughts. Some folks will use a period instead. BT is sent in CW as (dah dit dit dit dah). The CW letters B and T sent together.
  I feel that a more professional CW technique is to limit the amount of punctuation used during a QSO. Some new hams may send four or five BTs in a row while they think about what they will send next. One or two BTs in a row should be enough. Here is what I mean by limiting punctuation, "TNX DAVE UR RST IS 579 579 MY NAME IS JACK JACK ES MY QTH IS HILLIARD, OH HILLIARD, OH BT HW? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K". There, I got away with using just one BT.
  Other Stuff to Talk About
  For some beginning hams, and for some experienced hams too, that is all the information they will willingly send to you. You may have to draw out more conversation from them. Kinda like pulling teeth. HI . When I work a new ham on CW I often end each of my transmissions with a question to give the other guy(or girl) something to talk about, to draw them into a conversation. For example, "How many states have you worked? Any DX?" or "Is it raining at your QTH also?" If the other ham mentions something such as their age and how long they have been a ham, you can take that as a hint they would like you to send them back the same information about yourself.
  If you live in a small town, describe where it is in relation to a much larger city. Does the area where you live have any unusual characteristics that other hams might find interesting? I often tell other hams that I live on the edge of town - two blocks from cornfields. Or that central Ohio is a flat as a pancake due to glaciers scraping it level 15,000 years ago. Or that Hilliard is Ohio's fastest growing city. What is your town's population? Any famous or semi-famous people born there(besides yourself)? How large is your yard? Where is your radio shack located in your house?
  Over the years I have developed a number of topics that I may bring into a CW contact in order to keep the conversation going. Even for me sometimes I just run into a wall, my mind goes blank, and I can't think of what to send next, so these commonly used topics of mine can come to the rescue at times. For example, I'll describe how my cat Rasta often naps on top of my TS 450 rig and I believe that after all these years I suspect my cat understands CW. Or I'll describe what I see at that moment out my basement window. Or talk about how I enjoy collecting stuff(stamps, baseball cards, radios, QSL cards). Or ask the other ham if they have access to the Internet to see if we share a common interest about computers.
  I try to send the name of the other ham I am in contact with at least once during each of my transmissions. This frequent use of the other person's name makes for a friendlier QSO and tells them you care who they are. Don't get carried away with this personalizing your comments. Using the other ham's name once per transmission is enough.
  When you first start out, any CW contact is fun. It's cool to see how far your equipment will reach, how many states you are able to work. After you have made a number of CW contacts you may discover that the best contacts are those that are different. Not the standard name/location/RST/rig/WX/age/73 type of contact. You may meet another ham who just loves to gab(like me) or who is involved in a different ham activity(such as satellite or packet) and would love to tell you about it, or another ham who may have a lot in common with you such as age, work, or other hobbies. One of the fascinating things for me about making ham radio contacts is you don't know what the other ham is like or how the conversation will develop until you begin.
  Standard Operating Techniques
  Correctly Reporting RST
  Here I am including a few useful topics that didn't fit in elsewhere. For example, what is this RST thing? It is a method of giving another ham a signal report and stands for readability, signal strength, and tone. R is on a scale of 1 to 5, and both S and T on a scale of 1 to 9. An RST of 599 would be the strongest cleanest report possible. For really incredibly strong signals some hams will refer to a 20 or 30 over S9, reflecting an S-meter reading. Readability is self-explanatory, R5 is normal, R4 to me means you copy more than half of what is sent, and R3 to me means you only hear a word or two. I have never given another ham an R of 2 or 1. Signal strength is pretty subjective, just use your ears to judge. Some new hams use their rig's S-meter to determine the S they report. I don't think this is a good idea. Tone is the most misunderstood and misused report. Only rarely will I give a report less than T9, and then never lower than T8. For example, if someone has a bad AC hum on their signal, key clicks, chirp, or is drifting badly in frequency, I may give them a T8. Giving a tone report of less than T9 may really get the other ham worried about the quality of their transmitted signal, so be prepared to explain what you mean.
  The RST report that one ham gives to another often influences the RST report that is received in return. If, at the beginning of a QSO, the other ham first gives me a good 599 report, I find myself more likely to send them back a good report also. I believe we do this subconsciously, it is human nature. As an optimist, my RST reports generally tend towards the positive. Even if it is a contact during which I send the first RST, I may well add an S point or two to the other ham's RST. An S point or so above what I might give if I were brutally honest. I want to begin the QSO on the right foot and make the other ham feel good about continuing the contact.
  Not uncommonly when you hear a ham send an RST report, for example 599, they will send the letter "N" in place of the number "9". Or 5NN in this case. This number code is another time saving device used on CW. Or you may hear the letter "T" sent in place of the number zero, "MY POWER IS 2TT WATTS". Each "T" is usually sent several times in length longer than the actual letter T to distinguish it from a T. There is a number code for almost every number, even though the N and T codes are virtually the only ones you will ever hear. Although during the 1998 CQ WW DX Contest I heard many European CW stations report their zones as "a4" or "a5" instead of sending "14" or "15". It saved them several milliseconds of time I suppose. Here is the entire number code, for the interest of those old timers reading this. Its use probably dates back half a century in CW.
  1 = a6 = 62 = u7 = b3 = v8 = d4 = 49 = n5 = e0 = t
  How to Zero Beat Another Station
  CW stations should always try to zero beat each other. That means to adjust your rig's transmit frequency to exactly match the transmit frequency of the other ham you would like to talk to. Hearing two CW stations conduct a conversation a few hundred cycles apart is a waste of frequency space, and is inviting QRM. How does one zero beat another station? Easy to do on phone or SSB, just tune so that the other fellow's voice sounds normal. But trickier on CW because when you put your receiver exactly on a CW station's transmit frequency, you hear nothing, zero. In modern transceivers, in the CW mode, the receiver's BFO is offset from the displayed, transmit frequency in order to produce an audible tone. In other words, the transmit and receive frequencies are far enough apart for you to hear a pleasantly pitched tone when your transmitter frequency is tuned to exactly that of the ham you are listening to. This frequency offset is frequently about 600 Hz or Hertz.
  Here is how I zero beat another CW station with my own rig, a Kenwood TS 450. I tune into, or sweep through, the other CW signal, the pitch going from high to low, until the other ham's CW signal disappears. Now my receiver is zero beat with the other ham's transmit frequency. But I want my transmit frequency to be zero beat with the other ham's transmit frequency. So then I tune again, with the other ham's pitch going from low to high, until I am 600 Hz away. For example, if the other ham's transmit frequency is 7137.90 kHz, I would tune my transceiver to 7137.30 (7137.90 minus .60 equals 7137.30.) to transmit exactly on his transmit frequency. The direction you tune or sweep, the pitch going either from high to low or going from low to high, is rig dependent. On Kenwood ham radios you would tune the pitch from high to low as you tune higher in frequency, to reach the 600 Hz offset and be zero beat with the others ham's transmit frequency.
  I wrote the above paragraph several years ago, and currently I zero beat using a different method. I still have my Kenwood TS-450, but now as I tune around looking for a station to contact, I leave my RIT(receiver incremental tuning) turned on. Leaving your RIT on while tuning goes against convential wisdom, but I find it works for me. I leave my RIT on about 500 to 600 Hz up. When I discover another station I wish to zero beat, I tune by ear so that their CW tone drops down in tone to almost nothing, meaning that my transmit frequency is now approximately zero beat with theirs. Then I reset my RIT back up a few Hertz so that I can hear the other station. Takes me one or two seconds. Tuning by ear for an approximately 600 Hz tone just comes with experience. I have found that this method of zero beating works best for me. Recently I have become a DXing nut, and I find this new method faster for me. There is no one best method for zero beating. Whatever works best for you and for your rig.
  This zero beat frequency stuff is pretty weird, it confuses me at times, and I hope I explained it correctly. The frequency offset for CW in most transceivers explains why when you are listening to a CW signal in the tranceiver's "CW" mode, and you switch to phone, to "LSB" or "USB," you loose the CW signal and have to go search a bit for it again.
  Using CW Abbreviations and Q Signals
  Abbreviations are very commonly used in CW. They save time and are, I think, one reason why CW is so cool. Once you have learned many of the abbreviations as well as CW operating techniques, you are "in", you're a member of the CW using fraternity. Knowing and using CW correctly is kinda like belonging to an exclusive club. Anbody can pick up a microphone and talk on the ham bands; doing CW requires skill and finesse.
  Lists of abbreviations and Q signals used on CW are available many places, I will just mention a few of the most commonly used.
  ADRaddressGNgood nightRIGstation equipmentAGNagainGNDgroundRPTrepeatBKbreakGUDgoodSKend of transmissionBNbeenHIthe telegraphic laughSRIsorryCyesHRhereSSBsingle side bandCLclosingHVhaveTMWtomorrowCULsee you laterHWhowTNX-TKSthanksDEfrom (French)NnoTUthank youDXdistanceNRnumberURyourESand (French)NWnowVYveryFBfine businessOMold manWXweatherGAgo aheadPSEpleaseXYLwifeGBgood byePWRpowerYLyoung ladyGEgood eveningRreceived as transmitted73best regardsGMgood morningRCVRreceiver88love and kissesAnd the International "Q" signals, recognizable in any language:
  QRLIs the frequency busy?QRTstop sendingQRMinterferenceQRXwait, standbyQRNnoise, staticQSBfadingQROincrease powerQSLacknowledge receiptQRPdecrease powerQSYchange frequencyQRSsend slowerQTHlocationDon't get worried about using abbreviations when you are starting out with CW. It is perfectly OK to spell out every word during a QSO. It's just easier using abbreviations. There are many more CW abbreviations and Q signals, but those should keep you busy. There are also a whole series of QN_ signals for use on CW traffic nets. Also used commonly on CW are punctuation marks; the period, comma, question mark and BT being the most common. To separate thoughts or topics during a CW contact a period or a BT ( dah dit dit dit dah) are commonly used. You'll hear the slash symbol sometimes ( dah dit dit dah dit) to note portable or QRP operation for example. Like WB8FSV/9 or WB8FSV/QRP.
  The "K" letter used at the end of each CW transmission indicates, "end of transmission - go ahead". When two hams engaged in a CW conversation do not wish to be disturbed by anyone else breaking in, they may send "KN" instead of "K" at the end of each transmission. Or if a ham wants to limit the extent of his CQ, he may also use KN. For example, "CQ VT CQ VT de N1XYZ KN" says this ham would like to be answered only by hams in the state of Vermont.
  Here are a few other commonly heard CW expressions that are actually combinations of letters sent as a single character. You will encounter these CW symbols on the air.
  Wait, stand by (AS)dit dah dit dit ditSlash (DN)dah dit dit dah ditEnd of message (AR)dit dah dit dah ditEnd of contact (SK)dit dit dit dah dit dahand of course, Break (BT)dah dit dit dit dahAt the very end of a CW contact you may hear the two stations sending dits at each other, this derives from the old expression, "shave and a haircut, two bits". It sounds like dit dit-dit dit dit, dit-dit. The first station will send the dit dit-dit dit dit and wait for the second station to send dit-dit in return. This was more popular on CW years ago, but you will still hear it today. Today it may be shortened to sending just the final dit-dit, as in "73 N1XYZ de WB8FSV GN dit-dit". New hams more frequently use the full dit dit-dit dit dit, dit dit expression than more experienced hams. Not uncommonly when I end a QSO on the novice bands and trade dit dits with the other ham, I may hear a third, or even a fourth station add their own dit dit. They were listening along in silence to our QSO, and decided to add their two bits as well. This is an unprofessional operating habit. If the eavesdropping station wants to make their presence known with a few dits, I believe they should go ahead and tailend one of us, and start a legitimate QSO. Just goes to show that as you transmit on the ham bands, there are likely more than just a few folks listening.
  Obscure, Rarely Used CW Characters
  To be honest, I have never heard any of these CW characters in 29 years on CW, but it is still fun to know they exist. Do not use them on the air, other hams will not have any idea what you are sending.
  Colon[:]dah dah dah dit dit ditUnderline[_]dit dit dah dah dit dahSemicolon[;]dah dit dah dit dah ditParagraph[ ]dit dah dit dah dit ditHyphen[-]dah dit dit dit dit dahDollar sign[$]dit dit dit dah dit dit dahDouble hyphen[=]dah dit dit dit dahMultiplication sign[x]dah dit dit dahQuotation["]dit dah dit dit dah ditAddition sign[+]dit dah dit dah ditApostrophe[']dit dah dah dah dah ditUnderstood[ ]dit dit dit dah ditLeft-handed bracket[(]dah dit dah dah ditAttention[ ]dah dit dah dit dahRight-handed bracket[)]dah dit dah dah dit dahUnderline[_]dit dit dah dah dit dahTo transmit a fractional number in CW, send a slash[/](dah dit dit dah dit) between the numbers in the fraction. One half is transmitted as 1/2. To send a number that includes a fraction, transmit a hyphen between the whole number and the fraction itself. 5 2/3 is sent as 5-2/3. To indicate the percentage sign, transmit the figure zero followed by the slash and the figure zero again. Similar to the fraction, a hyphen is used to transmit a whole number, or a fraction, followed by a percentage sign. For example 2 % is transmitted as 2-0/0. To send the minute sign['] or the second sign["] used in latitude and longitude coordinates, use the apostrophe once or twice as appropriate. There are also 12 or more Morse Code characters for letters used in certain European languages which use the Latin alphabet. Thanks again to L. Peter Carron, JR., and his book, Morse Code:The Essential Language, The American Radio Relay League, 1991, for these obscure CW characters.
  Here are a few of the auxiliary CW characters used with some European languages, thanks to Chuck, KB2E, in his letter to the FISTS Keynote newsletter. "...the German A with two dots over it, , (dit dah dit dah); the Spanish-Scandinavian A with an accent mark, or a dot, over it, …, (dit dah dah dit dah); the German-Spanish CH (dah dah dah dah); the French E with an accent over it, ‰, (dit dit dah dit dit); the Spanish N with that wavy line over it that we all know now because of the infamous El Nino, ±, (dah dah dit dah dah); the German O with two dots over it, –, ( dah dah dah dit); and the German U with two dots over it, ', (dit dit dah dah)." I am uncertain of the precise linguistic terms attached to each of these diacritical marks, whether they be grave, umlaut, or circumflex, but you get the idea. I have never heard them used in CW, but then again I don't work very many Europeans on 40 and 80 meters.
  Taking Notes During a QSO, Logging, Using GMT/UTC Time
  While I am in contact with another station CW station, I take notes. In fact I write down every word sent by the other ham. Mainly this is because I have a memory like a screendoor in a submarine! But I recommend at least noting the main points made by the other station, so that you will remember what to comment on during your next transmission. I circle with my pen those items I want to remember to bring up next go around.
  I am kind of strange in that I save all these notes I've taken during my QSOs, going back 30 years. Really. It is absolutely fascinating to go back through my notes and read, word for word, what I talked about when I was a novice 29 years ago. Kinda like a ham diary. By FCC regulations we are no longer required to keep a log of the radio contacts we make, but I highly recommend it. Not only for QSLing purposes, but so that you can look up when in the past you worked a familiar callsign. And looking through your old logbooks will bring back lots of pleasant memories of QSOs gone by. I keep copious notes in my logbook, beyond the standard date/time/frequency/callsign/RST/name/location, to help me remember what was special about each contact.
  I fill out as much information as I can in my logbook at the very beginning of each QSO. This saves me time and, if I accidently bump the VFO dial during the QSO and change frequency, I can use my logbook to look up my original frequency. Or you can use your frequency lock control if your rig is so equipped. My cat Rasta has been known to jump up on my desk while I am QSOing and rub against my VFO before I can stop him. Perhaps my cat did not like the other ham's fist. HI.
  After you have been on the air a while, another ham will someday surprise you during a QSO by using your name before you give to them, or asking if your old Heath DX 60B transmitter is still running. How did they know your name or about your rig? Turns out you have worked this ham before but forgotten, and they either have a very good memory, or they keep their log on a computer. I would love to put all 29 years of my ham contacts in a computer database, but whew! The data entry would take months. If you are just beginning your ham career and have a computer, then get some logging software.
  Hams should always use GMT or UTC time when logging and keeping records. Try to keep a schedule set up for 8 pm with another ham who lives in a different time zone. Do you meet at 8 pm your local time or 8 pm their time? No problem if you both use UTC time. Always fill out QSL cards using UTC time. Do not use 24 hour military time. Confusion often arises when you make a ham contact close to 0000 hours UTC. Because in UTC the date changes at 0000 or midnight UTC. What date do you put on your QSL card? Use the UTC date. I frequently receive QSL cards from new hams with the correct UTC time but the wrong date. They have grown up accustomed to the date changing at midnight their own local time.
  Keeping track of the current time in UTC takes practice. You could tune your receiver to a time standard station like WWV or CHU to determine the current UTC. Clocks are available that tell time in UTC format. Or you could, like me, just memorize your local/UTC equivalents. You can make a little chart with your local/UTC equivalents. You will need to make two such charts since local/UTC equivalents change twice a year, with the switch between daylight time and daylight savings time. This twice yearly switch pretty much takes place all over the world, not just in the United States.
  If your browser is JavaScript enabled, here is a clock to convert your local computer's time to GMT/UTC.
  For a basic explanation of what GMT/UTC time is, visit my Radio Fundamentals Homepage.
  Identifying as per FCC Regulations
  Speaking of FCC regulations, amateur radio operators are required to identify themselves on the air by transmitting their callsigns. At least every ten minutes. I believe it is also a good idea to identify at the beginning and end of each of your transmissions as well, even if less than ten minutes has passed. You will hear some experienced CW operators taking turns transmitting during a QSO without IDing. For example:
  first station "WHATS UR WX LIKE? BK"second station "SUNNY ES COOL. HW ABT U? BK"first station "MONSOON HR, RAIN ES 70 DEGS..."No problem as long as they ID every ten minutes. If band conditions are poor or there is lots of QRM, IDing at the beginning and end of each transmission is wise, or the other station may not realize you turned it over to them. Easy way to completely loose one another. To save time I will sometimes end my transmissions with only my own callsign, like "HW COPY? de WB8FSV K". Cool, as long as every ten minutes I start or end one of my transmissions with something like, "WHAT SAY FRED? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K"
  Dealing With QRM and QRN
  Characteristically, when listening to shortwave radio frequencies, which include the most popular ham radio bands, you will hear noise, static, interference, and fading. They sometimes make reception of ham radio signals difficult, sometimes downright impossible. I view them as a challenge. I call them the three dreaded Qs: QRM(interference), QRN(noise and static), and QSB(fading). With experience and practice you can learn to deal with the three dreaded Qs and enhance your enjoyment of amateur radio.
  First let me discuss QRM, probably the most frequently encountered and most disturbing of the three Qs. And the only one you yourself can help reduce by your own radio operating habits. QRM is a fact of life on the ham bands, get used to it. Try to plan your operating methods so that you cause as little QRM to other hams as possible, and everybody will be happier. There are technical means to help alleviate QRM: passband filters, audio filters, DSP and RIT. For example your RIT(receiver incremental tuning) can be used to "tune out" QRM. You can move your RIT away from the interfering signal until it is nearly out of your receiver's passband tuning range, leaving just the signal you want to hear. I have found that even when there is no QRM, moving my RIT a little bit changes the tone of the signal I want, often improving reception.
  With practice you will be able to eventually, with your ears alone, "tune out" many of the interfering stations and concentrate on the signal you want. Most QRM from other hams is unintentional. If you find someone intentionally QRMing you, playing games with you, the best advice is to ignore them. Do not acknowledge their presence in any way or you may encourage them to continue. Ask for a repeat, change frequency, sign off if you have to. I would not mention anything about "QRM" or "SOME LID".
  Sometimes when I answer a CQing station and that station is unable to copy me, perhaps due to QRM near our frequency, I will then call them a second time after changing my transmit frequency a few hundred Hertz. That small change may allow the other ham to now hear me through the QRM. The same thing is true if some QRM suddenly appears during your QSO. Although don't QSY too far, or the station you are talking with may lose you.
  You and the other station may both agree to QSY(change frequency) to escape some QRM. Be careful. Successful QSYing on CW is quite difficult. For me it works about fifty percent of the time. Quite often you will lose each other. QSY during a CW QSO with caution. Be careful to state exactly where you would like to QSY, say up 2 kHz, or to 3715 kHz, rather than simply stating, "let's QSY up" somewhere.
  Another practical use to having dual VFOs in your ham rig is that you may be able to use them to chase off QRM. Sometimes during a QSO I will put both of my transceiver's VFOs on my same operating frequency. Then tune the inactive VFO a few hundred cycles(or Hertz) up or down in frequency. Whether you tune up or tune down a few hundred cycles depends on the direction that your rig's receiver "sweeps" as you tune. My Kenwood sweeps or changes pitch from high to low as I tune higher in frequency. During my QSO if I hear another ham call "QRL?" to see if the frequency is clear, I will interrupt my own QSO for a few seconds, switch to my second inactive VFO, and transmit a quick "C", meaning, "yes this frequency is in use." I could have remained on my original frequency and sent my "C" in answer to his "QRL?" But it is likely the QRLing ham would not have heard my answer due to the narrow passband of his receiver(in other words he is too far away from my transmit frequency) or due to the direction of the sweep of his own receiver. By leaving my second inactive VFO a bit off of my own transmit frequency, I can protect a larger area of frequency space around myself from potential QRM. Again, please do not answer a CQ if the CQer is too close(within a kHz or less) to an ongoing QSO in order to avoid QRMing the other QSO.
  One very annoying, for US hams, form of QRM is the shortwave broadcast stations found most evenings throughout the 40 meter novice band. We have to share the band with them, I like to view it as a challenge. There will be times during a QSO when one of these broadcasting stations will sign/on and begin transmitting on or very close to the frequency you are talking on. First you will hear their unmodulated carrier as they tune up, followed by their interval signal. Then usually at the top or bottom of the hour, the broadcast station will begin their official broadcast with their national anthem. Then the news. Quite often you will lose all trace of the other ham you were in QSO with as soon as the broadcaster opens up with their carrier. Sometimes you can still hear each other through the unmodulated carrier, but you had better quickly say your 73s before the music starts. A few times I have been able to continue a contact as long as the broadcast station does not transmit music. If the broadcast QRM on 40 meters is just too much for you, there is always 80 meters. Or switch your ham receiver to the AM mode and delve into the fascinating world of shortwave broadcasting.
  QRN refers to noise heard on shortwave radio. There are basically two types of QRN, natural and man-made. Natural QRN is the static generated, for the most part, by thunderstorms. The radio static, or QRN, generated by thunderstorms travels great distances via skip, just like radio signals on shortwave. At any given moment you may be able to hear the static from dozens of storms, hundreds and thousands of miles away. At a given distance from a radio station on shortwave there is a dead zone, which the radio signal skips over. Same thing is true for thunderstorm static. I have been on 40 meters CW while I knew there was a thunderstorm nearby, and heard no static. I was in the thunderstorm's dead zone, its static was skipping over me. Other hams I then contacted were barely able to copy me through the static, although I heard them fine. Pretty weird. There are many more thunderstorms during the warm summer months, meaning that winter provides the best reception on the 40 and 80 meter ham bands. Both thunderstorms and static decrease in number and intensity with nightfall. Rarely, during a particularly intense solar disturnbance, the shortwave radio frequencies will go dead. All you may hear is a continuous rushing noise or QRN caused by the solar disturbance.
  Man-made QRN comes from many sources, including automobile engines, electric motors, fluorescent lights, electric fences, loose wires on electric power lines, and lawnmowers. Other QRN is purposely broadcast on shortwave radio frequencies, such as over-the-horizon radar and high speed RTTY. It becomes what we call QRN when it is broadcast by nonhams on ham frequencies. A good noise blanker or a ham radio equipped with DSP may help reduce this noise. Before I purchased my current home, I walked the property with a portable SW radio receiver tuned to 80 meters, to determine if there was any man-made QRN inherent to the site. I heard no local QRN, so I bought the house.
  Oh yes, and then there is QSB, or fading. This is a natural phenomenon, one of the mysteries of radio propagation. Check out my Radio Fundamentals Homepagefor an explanation of how fading works.How QSB works is not difficult to understand. Why it occurs is the mystery. There seems to be at least a little fading present on most shortwave frequencies, particularly at night. The duration and depth of the fades can vary widely. Just another challenge to make your ham radio operating and shortwave radio listening more interesting.
  Repeating Info Due to QRM
  It is important to ensure that the ham you are in contact with is able to copy at least the three essential items of the QSO: your name/location/RST. So normally in any CW contact these items are repeated twice, "UR RST IS 579 579 BT MY NAME IS JACK JACK" etc. If the band conditions are stinko, three repeats might be in order, of at least the name and RST. For the rest of the contact, in bad QRM, QRN, or QSB, hams have been known to employ one of two other repeating techniques. One would be, "MY MY WX WX IS IS CLOUDY CLOUDY" and the other technique is, MY WX IS CLOUDY MY WX IS CLOUDY". I normally use the latter.
  You can tell that the other ham you are in contact with is experiencing QRM if they tell you, if they ask for lots of repeats, if they get your name or callsign wrong, or if they hesistate long seconds before returning to you after you complete a transmission. If the ham you are talking with sends many more repeats than normal, you can assume they are hearing QRM on your signal, and they probably would like you to use many repeats as well. If I believe my signal is being stepped on, I will send the other ham's name more frequently than I normally would, to assure them that at least I can copy them. For example, "TNX DAVE BT MY WX IS LOUSY BT DAVE HW IS UR WX? HW COPY DAVE? N1XYZ de WB8FSV K". Even in very heavy QRM folks are more likely to pick out their own name or callsign out of the muck. Occasionally you will work another ham on CW who refuses to copy your callsign correctly. Usually you can correct them by repeating your callsign frequently at the beginning and end of your transmission. Or if that doesn't work, try, "MY CALL IS WB8FSV WB8FSV NOT WD8FSU". Amazingly a few hams on CW will continue to use your incorrect callsign regardless of what you tell them.
  Correcting Mistakes in CW
  Everyone occasionally makes a mistake while sending their Morse Code. Sometimes your key or keyer seems to have a mind of its own. The most common method to correct a mistake is for the sending station to send a rapid series of dits, like the number five with a few extra dits added. Eight dits is the recommended number of dits, although no one is counting. And to then send the correct CW character or word. This is fine. Personally when I send a mistake in the middle of a word, I don't see the need to emphasize it with the rapid dits. I simply pause and then send the correction. The station you are talking with is copying along with you, letter by letter, and they probably realize as soon as you that you have made a mistake. I feel it is more professional to use a pause rather than the rapid fire dits.
  But, if I make a mistake at the beginning of a word, the other ham copying along with me has no idea I have made a mistake. So in this case a device is needed to signal that a mistake has been made. I prefer to use a question mark rather than the rapid fire dits. Another CW device you may hear less often to indicate a mistake is "dit-dit", like the CW letter I, sent once or twice after the mistake and before the correction.
  You will hear some hams use a question mark to signify that they are going to repeat a word, even if they have not made a mistake. For example, "MY NAME IS JACK? JACK". This use of a question mark is frequently employed to indicate the repetition of a difficult or unusual word in a CW radiotelegram by CW traffic handlers.
  How Long Should the Contact Last?
  Talk as long or as short as you like. Most CW contacts on the novice bands seem to last about half an hour or so, which mean that they rarely get beyond the standard name/location/RST/rig/WX/73 stage. That is perfectly OK. I myself like to talk a bit longer. For me, a good CW rag chew generally lasts around an hour, sending and receiving at about 13 wpm. My longest CW contact ever was a 3 1/2 hour marathon, but after the second hour we began trying to stretch it out to see how long we could go! At about 10 wpm(words per minute), a common speed on the novice bands, it can easily take half an hour just to send the name/location/RST/rig/WX/age/73 info. Normal human verbal conversation is around 120 wpm, so a SSB or phone QSO of half an hour would cover a lot more ground than a CW QSO of half an hour at 10 wpm.
  How Fast/Slow Should You Send CW?
  Normally, adjust your code speed to match that of the other ham you are talking to. This is especially true if you answer another ham's CQ or tailend a conversation. People commonly send a CQ at the speed they would like to be answered. If you answer a person CQing at say, 15 wpm, and you send at 10 wpm, the CQer generally will be polite and slow down to your speed. This does not always happen, so be careful about answering a CQ sent by a CW speed demon. Normally a "PLEASE QRS" (please send slower) sent to the other station will elicit the correct response from them, and they will slow down.
  It is easy, especially with an electronic keyer, to send faster than you are able to comfortably receive. Try to match your send speed to that of your receive speed. With practice your speed will improve. Making CW contacts is a great and fun way to increase you code speed. Another tip is to occasionally stretch yourself, try to copy CW at a slightly higher speed than you are comfortable. Do not do this during a QSO you are having when you are under pressure to copy everything correctly. But just listening around the band. Participating in slow speed CW traffic nets is another neat way to help you increase your code speed, and perform a public service at the same time.
  You'll discover a wide variety of CW speeds on the novice bands. Most folks go slow, less than 15 wpm, but you will hear hams going over 30 wpm also. They may go fast to show off, or perhaps there are no more clear frequencies available in the general bands. Some speedy novices and techs may be experienced CW operators, perhaps they were hams years ago and were recently relicensed, or learned CW in the military or merchant marine and just now got into ham radio. Also the 80 meter novice band was moved a few years ago and now includes frequencies used by higher speed CW traffic nets. You will frequently hear them in the early evening between 3675 and 3700 kHz. Many of the hams you encounter on the novice bands will be novices and technician-pluses, but there are a number of general, advanced and extra class hams to be found also. They may feel more comfortable doing CW at slower speeds or they may, like me, simply enjoy working new hams. I have been lucky in my 33 years as a ham to have been the very first contact for over 80 hams now.
  How Do You Gracefully End a QSO?
  It's no big deal, many hams will just send, "TNX FOR QSO 73" or "GOTTA GO TNX 73" and sign off. That is fine. Myself, I like to leave a bit more politely, such as, "DINNER HR 73", "I GOT A PHONE CALL, CUL", "TIME HR TO QSY TO BED", "MY XYL IS YELLING, TURN OFF THAT RADIO AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL", or "SRI ED MCMAHN IS AT MY DOOR WITH 10 MILLION DOLLARS 73".
  There will be times when, after several exchanges, you realize that you just don't want to talk to this person anymore. You could, as I have heard some hams do, just disappear. But I think having a few tactful excuses for leaving to choose from is a good idea.
  It is not uncommon that QRM will grow to the point that it is impossible to copy the other station you are in QSO with. Some hams in this case will just give up and stop transmitting. I would recommend instead that you at least send a 73 and sign off properly. Don't leave the other ham wondering what happened to you. On your end you may not hear anything except QRM, but perhaps the other ham you were talking with still copies you fine. Maybe the QRM is one way, skipping over his location. If the QRM or QRN or QSB just destroys a QSO I am involved in, I will send something like, "SRI DAVE NO COPY NO COPY QRM QRM 73 73 N1XYZ de WB8FSV."
  Occasionally during a QSO, the station I am talking to simply disappears. Maybe they have rig problems, an important phone call, or the irresistable call of nature. Try not to simply disappear. If another ham vanishes during a contact with me, first I will send a friendly, "DAVE?", and if no answer, then send, "N1XYZ de WB8FSV K" once or twice before I give up. Even then I leave my VFO on the same frequency a few minutes while I fill out my logbook and the QSL card, in case the ham reappears.
  A Typical Evening for Me on 40 meters CW
  Choosing My Band
  After turning on my rig, getting comfortable in my chair, opening my logbook, and pulling out my scratchpad, I choose my band. I personally enjoy 80 and 40 meter CW, particularily 40 meters, so I will search between 7100 and 7150 kHz. 80 and 40 meters are noted as good rag chewing bands, as are 160 and 30 meters. Starting at 7100 I slowly turn the dial of my transceiver, stopping at each CW signal I hear. I will listen a few seconds, long enough to determine if the station is sending a CQ, or is already engaged in a conversation. I am looking for a CQ to answer, the way in which I usually begin a CW contact. Since I am not a novice or technician, I almost feel like an intruder in the novice bands, and would much rather answer than send a CQ here. Although if I am unable to locate an interesting CQ after searching for 15 or 20 minutes, I may go ahead and call my own CQ. Or perhaps search the general CW frequencies, or switch bands, or go watch TV. HI.
  Scanning for CQs
  A full scan from 7100 to 7150 kHz for CQs might take only a couple minutes, particularily at night when the 40 meter band will be filled with powerful SW broadcast stations, rendering big chunks of the novice band unusable. Activity on 40 meters at night is usually limited to a few small relatively clear areas in between the broadcast stations. For example, now the regions around 7108 and 7137 kHz are often clear most evenings. Several years ago 7125 kHz was always available at night, not now- this is because the SW broadcast stations periodically change their operating frequencies and schedules. A scan of the 40 meter novice band in the daytime may take longer with the absence of the broadcast stations and with more hams. Weekends on 40 meters can get quite busy.
  In most of the world the 40 meter ham band stretches from 7000 to 7100 kHz, and 7100 to about 7500 kHz is used as a shortwave broadcast band. Only hams in North and South America are able to use the full 7000 to 7300 kHz. And only in the United States is 40 meters divided into different phone and CW segements. Hams in Canada and in South America can use CW or phone anywhere within 7000 to 7300 kHz. This explains why you can hear Spanish speaking SSB phone stations some evenings in the 40 meter novice band. This is a good indication of band conditions, how 40 is often open deep into South America in the evenings. When the band conditions are good, you may even hear European or Asian SSB stations just below 7100 kHz.
  Once I discover a CQing station, I first determine if that ham will be able to hear or copy me. If the CQer is relatively weak, chances are they will be unable to copy me. Generally the stronger the station you hear, the greater the chance they will hear you in return. Radio propagation is usually two way. Not always. Sometimes it is fun to call a weak station just to see if your rig can reach them. Perhaps the other ham's signal is weak because they have a less than optimal antenna system, such as a dipole in their attic. Or maybe they are using QRP(low power). After scanning the band for a while and perhaps making a few calls, you will be able to judge the condition of the band. Is the skip long or short? Is the band open to the West Coast, south to Florida, or not at all. Occasionally I will turn on my rig , listen a bit, try to answer a few CQs to no avail, make a few fruitless CQs myself, then give up and go play on the Internet. Particularily true during the last few years with the bottom of the sunspot cycle upon us. The current sunspot cycle, Cycle 23, peaked during Spring 2000 and radio propagation conditions are now slowly declining.
  Do I Want to Answer this CQ?
  But, let's say I hear a strong CQ. Next I determine if I want to answer this CQ. Since I enjoy working new hams, a ham with a new callsign gets first priority by me. After you are on the air a while, you can pretty well guess how long a ham has been licensed by just their callsign. Usually. I am attracted by certain types of callsigns. For example a one by two call, like W8TZ, is usually an old timer. They often enjoy rag chewing and are full of fascinating ham stories and experiences. Callsigns that form words intrigue me, such as KA4TON or N3HAM, or callsigns that are similar to mine, like KB9FSW. In 33 years on the ham bands I have worked only five other FSV callsigns: W3FSV, KA1FSV, VE3FSV, WB4FSV, and WA0FSV. I treasure those QSL cards. My wife and I love New England and my ears always perk up when I hear a 1 district callsign. From Ohio I seem to have a pipeline into New England, meaning I find it quite easy to work New England hams.
  Often when I hear a CQ, I will quickly look it up in the Callbook, to discover what city the ham is calling from. Perhaps it is a city or state I have visited or vacationed in, have friends or family in, have a favorite sports team in, in other words have some connection to that we can talk about in our potential QSO. My computer is upstairs and my radio room is downstairs, so I cannot access a CD callsign database. Therefore I use a printed Callbook. Even a Callbook a couple years old helps I believe. It enhances my ham radio operation by allowing me to discover a little more information about a ham before I decide to answer their CQ. Unfortunately 1997 was the last year that printed Callbooks will be available. Too bad, it is the end of an era. Of course after I have completed the contact, and am filling out the QSL(I try to QSL every contact), I use a callsign server on the Internet to get the ham's current mailing address.
  Not having a printed Callbook or access to a callsign server is perfectly OK. It just means you will wait a few moments longer to discover to whom you are talking. The suspense can be exciting. You can still QSL the other ham by asking them to send you their mailing address over the air, or to send you their card first.
  Making a Contact
  So now I've decided to answer the CQer and establish a contact. A one by two call should be sufficient on my part. Although if band conditions are lousy, something like a one by three or a two by four might be more appropriate. I have already made sure my rig is tuned up and ready to transmit. Your ham transmitter must be tuned so that there is an impedence match between the transmitter and the antenna, ensuring the best possible transmitted signal. Many modern transceivers include an automatic antenna tuner which makes tuning a breeze. When tuning up your rig do it as quickly as possible so you don't cause unecessary QRM to others. Even if you use an automatic antenna tuner you are transmitting a weak but audible CW signal over the air. Tuning up without an automatic antenna tuner usually means you are transmitting a very strong carrier over the air. Make it short please. Actually you should be using a dummy load to tune into, so that you are not heard over the air. If you must tune up on the air, try to do so on a clear frequency, or perhaps on top of one of those 40 meter shortwave broadcasting stations.
  And the CQing station comes back to me. Hooray! It's a KF4 station in North Carolina, a ham I worked about a month ago. The callsigns in this story have been changed to protect the innocent. HI. He doesn't remember me, but his callsign and QTH seem familiar, so I look in my logbook and find him. On the average I make about 20 CW contacts a week, mostly on 40 and 80 meter CW, so I commonly hear and work the same stations more than once. After we exchange the standard name/location/RST, I ask him if he has received my QSL card yet and how many states he has worked so far. He remembers our previous contact. During our first QSO the KF4 had only been on the air for a couple weeks, and at about 10 wpm and with lots of mistakes, the minimal name/location/RST was enough to deal with. Now on our second contact we are able to find out more about each other. Hey neat, he is into computers also. We swap e-mail addresses and I tell him about my homepage. I will e-mail him tomorrow and send him the address of my homepage. Sending http addresses on CW is not easy. I am forever having to explain what a tilde is. My KF4 friend in North Carolina says thanks for the FB QSO but it is almost his bedtime. I send him some of my famous personalized QSO ending lines, and we both sign.
  Some hams on CW soon develop several of their own personal phrases or expressions to liven up and personalize their QSOs. There are the standard CW phrases that everyone uses such as, "HOPE TO CUAGN, NICE TO MEET U, BEST 73 TO U ES URS". These are perfectly OK, but I like to use some of my own unique CW expressions, "RAIN HR, GREAT STAY INSIDE ES HAM WX or ENJOYED QSOING WID U or HELP QRM ATTACK!". To hear my best ones you will have to work me on the air. QCWA magazine(Quarter Century Wireless Association) regularly prints many of the humorous CW expressions that its members have heard on the air.
  It is almost my bedtime also, but I would like to squeeze in one more CW contact. So after logging my KF4 contact I begin another band scan for CQs. 40 meters tonight is pretty noisy and filled with three very loud SW broadcast stations, normal. I've been looking now for fifteen minutes after my contact with the KF4 station, and found no CQs. Each time I have scanned across the novice band I noticed the area around 7145 kHz is clear. Perhaps I will call CQ here myself if I can't find any other CQs. But then I do hear a weak CQ from a new ham, a KC2. He is pretty weak, meaning I may well be weak to him as well, but I answer his CQ anyway. There isn't much else going on. Low and behold, he comes back to me.
  He does not have a very good fist, his CW spacing is way off, he makes a lot of mistakes, and his CW operating technique needs work. But I am still able to copy about 75 percent of what he sends, and make a good guess at the rest. I copy, "THIS S TY FERST QSO". I am his first contact. Infinitely cool. My favorite kind of contact. I live to make first contacts. My new KC2 friend only sends his QTH once, half of which I loose in the QRM, and he forgets to send his name and my RST. Still I believe it was a fairly successful first QSO. The contact took about 45 minutes, mainly since we were working at less than 5 wpm and I sent many repeats of my information.
  I have a great deal of patience with new hams. After all we were all new hams at one time. Most hams well remember their first contact. My own first contact was at 5:30 pm on Feb 6, 1970 on 15 meter CW with a WB8 station. It was a local ham across town. I had to telephone her to ask her to listen for me on the air. I had been calling CQ for two days with no answers. Later I discovered that a vertical antenna mounted on the roof needs to be grounded. This was news to me. After I put some radials on my vertical I began to get lots of answers to my CQs.
  It is getting late and the KC2 and I both sign off. I fill out my logbook and a QSL card for the KC2, including a short letter congradulating him on his first contact. Time now to QSY to bed. I turn off my Kenwood TS 450, and disconnectthe antenna. The end of a most successful ham radio day. In two evening hours I have renewed acquaintances with an old ham friend and made a new ham friend. What a neat hobby!
  Slow Speed CW Traffic Nets
  Handling traffic is a time-honored tradition in amateur radio. "Traffic" refers to messages or radiotelegrams and "handling" means generating, relaying, and delivering these messages. Since CW was around a couple decades before phone, CW traffic handling dates to the very beginning of radio. Handling traffic, particularly during a disaster such as a hurricane or flood where normal communications are down, is often cited as one of the main justifications for the continued existence of amateur radio and our occupation of all of our valuable radio spectrum. The public's impression of the usefulness of ham radio is often reflected in the vital public service we perform during emergencies and public events.
  Thousands of US and Canadian hams meet daily in nets to send and receive much of this traffic. A number of CW traffic nets operate in the novice bands, usually 80 meters. They purposely operate at a slow speed so as to encourage the participation of new hams. Many of these nets are primarily intended to be training nets in the proper techniques of handling CW traffic. It's really quite easy to do traffic handling. These slow speed CW traffic nets provide an excellent opportunity for you to increase your code speed. And perform a public service, give a little back to amateur radio, at the same time. Should there ever be a natural disaster, such as a tornado or major flood, in you area, knowing how to send and receive emergency messages is an important skill. An asset for you, for your community, and for amateur radio.
  Not every state has a slow speed CW traffic net, but you can probably find one in a nearby state that will welcome you. I learned my traffic handling on OSN, the Ohio Slow Net, that meets daily at 6:10 pm local time on 3708 kHz. I have been a net control station on this and other traffic nets, and I am now the Ohio Section Traffic Manager. Just look around 80 meters CW in the early evenings for a group of hams using the QN_ signals found on traffic nets. Or contact the ARRL(American Radio Relay League) for information on these slow speed CW and other traffic nets.
  The Central Ohio Traffic Net(COTN) is the local 2 meter FM traffic net that I frequent. And here is the ARRL Great Lakes Division homepage. You can find me in there someplace.
  Straight Key, Electronic Key, Bug, or Computer Keyboard?
  There are basically four types of devices used by most hams to send Morse Code. The straight key, also called the hand key, as well as the electronic keyer, the bug, and the computer keyboard. My favorite is the straight key, which I use 90 percent of the time. The straight key is more natural, more organic, and so is the resulting code. Learning to use a straight key well is not easy, it takes a great deal of practice. Pounding brass well with a straight key is an art. I am far more impressed when I hear an excellent "fist" on a straight key than I am with near perfect code sent with an electronic keyer.
  I own two electronic keyers which I use mainly when I want to send faster speed CW. 15 wpm is about the top speed you can send intelligible code with a straight key. Although I have heard hams send good CW at 20 to 25 wpm with a straight key- it amazes me they can send that fast. Learning to use an electronic keyer, while it takes practice too, is easier than learning to use a straight key well. Once you have mastered the electronic keyer, using it can be a real pleasure. To effortlessly and gently squeeze those two paddles and produce near perfect code is one of the great joys of CW. I still prefer the organic/natural sound of a straight key fist to the mechanical sound of an electronic keyer. Hams using a straight key have a fist with personality. On an electronic keyer your fist sounds like everyone else's. Usually. Some new hams have difficulty sending with a keyer. I believe learning to send CW first on a straight key before switching to an electronic keyer is a wise method.
  Speaking of personality, that to me is the biggest advantage to using a bug. Although a bug also produces code mechanically, the operator has complete control of the length of their dahs. This gives the ham the ability to send with their own distinctive fist, or "swing". Unfortunately, learning to send well with a bug takes years of practice, and a bug is notoriously difficult to adjust. Using a bug well is a challenge, almost like playing a musical instrument. After practicing on my own bug for five years, I developed a passable fist, until last year when my cat knocked my bug off my desk onto the floor. It hasn't sounded right since then. I hope my cat Rasta is not a no-code cat. After listening to CW stations for a few years, identifying the distinctive "swing" of a bug user is easy. When you hear someone sending good code with a bug, you are listening to a CW Master, a highly trained expert who has honed their CW skills through years of patient determined experience. In the hands of such a CW Master, a bug is capable of producing beautiful enchanting Morse Code.
  A quick word about sending CW with a computer keyboard. Some Morse Code challenged hams use this method to generate and send CW. But for the most part I don't like computer generated and decoded CW. For me, using a keyboard is not "real" CW. Even worse is to use a Morse Code reader that decodes and prints out the code for you. A traditional amateur radio operator sends and receives CW using their own senses and faculties. I find computer generated and decoded CW too mechanical and impersonal. But at least it is CW.
  FISTS - A Cool Club for CW Operators
  There is an international organization dedicated to promotion of the use of CW in the ham bands. This group or club of hams is called FISTS, and is also known as the International Morse Preservation Society. I have had great fun since I recently joined FISTS. At times it is difficult to find another ham to talk with on CW. The FISTS club promotes several ham radio frequencies, those for example ending in 58: 14058, 7058, or 3558 kHz, as places to find other FISTS members to rag chew with. Another aim of FISTS is to encourage friendship within the club membership, which they do in part with these CW calling frequencies. I love to rag chew on CW and it is great knowing where to find others with the same interests. They also offer several awards for working 100 members and for working at least one member in each of the 50 United States. There are over 9000 FISTS members now, but finding one in each of the 50 US states is quite an undertaking. Very few hams have achieved this award so far.
  Not long ago I worked my 100th FISTS member and qualified for my Century Award. Cool. Took me seven months. As much fun as working new FISTS members and adding to your total, is running into folks you have already worked and deepening friendships. After a couple QSOs you learn each others' names without having to look them up in your log. Of course you do not need to be a FISTS member to do this, but FISTS folks seem to me to be friendlier and more likely to rag chew. FISTS also has its own excellent QSL bureau.
  Neat FISTS Story - I was lucky to have been able to attend the 1998 Dayton Hamvention, May 15-17. Actually since I only live 72 miles from Hara Arena in Dayton where the Hamvention is held, I have attended every year for nearly 24 years now. I know how fortunate I am. This year I made it a point to attend the FISTS party Friday evening, hoping to put faces to some familiar calls. There I met Geo, G3ZQS, the founder of the FISTS organization, FISTS number 01. He came all the way from England to the Dayton Hamvention and to meet FISTS members. Neato. I drove home later that evening, and, still full of radio enthusiasm, I got on the 7058 FISTS frequency about 10 pm. After one FISTS QSO I heard a weak CQ FISTS and discovered it was Geo, operating as W8/G3ZQS. Using a friend's rig Geo was operating from his hotel room with a whip antenna on a truck bumper. It was quite a thrill to finally work Geo on the air, particularly since I had just had an eyeball QSO with him. A mini FISTS pileup on Geo thereby ensued.
  How to Get Zillions of QSLs
  My second favorite ham activity, after rag chewing, is collecting QSL cards. Guess it's because I love to collect stuff. I average one or two QSLs in my mailbox every day. One important secret to successful QSLing, at least among US hams(not DX), is to send your QSL card out first. If you wait for the other folks you work to send you their cards first, you can expect to receive at best one QSL for every ten contacts you make. One out of 20 is more likely. I try to QSL every single contact I make. I realize that can get expensive postagewise, but to me it is worth it.
  Another important secret to QSLing is, I believe, to personalize your QSL card. Be sure to put a note from you on the QSL, with as much personal information as space permits, about what you discussed in your contact. My own QSL card contains all the required information just on the front of the card, leaving the back free for me to fill up with my personal notes to the other ham. My own QSL cards are homemade. Here is my QSL card. I drew the picture on the front, and I print them on the copier at my workplace(don't tell my boss). This further personalizes my cards. I always mail my QSL inside of an envelope, thus ensuring my card arrives relatively unfolded, smudged or otherwise mutilated. I think folks appreciate a QSL in undamaged condition, and I seem to get more returns that way. Again the postage costs more for an envelope, but that is the reason I go to work every day. To make money to pay the electric bill so that I can ham, and so that I can pay all that postage. HI.
  Finally, if there is a ham station from which you really need or want a QSL card, such as in Vermont or Hawaii, I would include a first class postage stamp with the QSL inside the envelope. Thus the other ham has one less reason not to return his or her QSL to you. An SASE(self-addressed stamped envelope) sent to the other ham is also a good idea, saving them the trouble of writing out your address. I myself do not usually send an SASE, because hams occasionally have oversized QSL cards that may not fit inside the SASE envelope you send them. Hams who live in rare states like Wyoming I'm sure are overwhelmed by QSL requests, and sending them return postage or an SASE increases your chances for their card. A connection to the Internet and a callsign server is an asset. An up to date address to which to send your QSL is a must.
  Some hams who live in a small town regularly give the name of their QTH as that of a nearby larger city so that other hams will know where they are located. Not a good idea. Be proud of your own small town. If the QTH you give over the air does not match your mailing address(the address in the Callbook or callsign server), you may confuse hams when they later try to mail you their QSL card. They may decide not to send you their card.
  Keeping accurate records of to whom you have sent, and from whom you have received QSL cards is important. Your logbook is a convenient place to do this. Sometimes I receive two QSLs from a ham for the same contact. They first mailed their card to me. But when they later received my QSL they could not remember, or had poor records, of whether they had sent me their card. So they mailed me a second card to be sure. I suggest filling out the QSL card that you intend to mail very soon after you make the contact. The QSO will still be fresh in your mind so that you are better able to write personal comments on the card, and so that you are more inclined to fill out and mail the QSL. Don't wait until you have a large stack of cards to send. QSLing then becomes more of a chore than a pleasure, and less likely to get done.
  When you first begin to receive QSL cards, it is fun to display them up on your wall, in those clear plastic containers commonly available. After you have received a large number of QSLs, it becomes necessary to store them in a convenient place. Convenient because you well may wish to look up an old QSL card months later if you work the station again. Finding an old friend's QSL while you are QSOing them can enhance the contact. I keep my QSL cards in shoeboxes. I have filled six shoeboxes now. For quick easy access I keep the cards organized by US call districts 1, 2, 3, etc., and then by callsign type, KA1s, KB1s, N1s, WA1s, WB1s, K1s, W1s, etc. This is the next best method for keeping your cards organized and findable, short of keeping a computer log.
  I feel my QSLing methods are fairly successful. I get about a 75 percent return rate on the QSL cards that I send out. New hams generally QSL better than more experienced hams. CW operators generally QSL better than phone operators.
  Did I leave out any important aspect of beginning CW operation that you would like to see covered? Did I make any major mistakes? Please e-mail me, or sign my guestbook, and let me know.
Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probe
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:05
  Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probeTop News
  Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probe
  Mon, Feb 25 17:38 PM EST
  By Mark Hosenball
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One day after "Zero Dark Thirty" failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said on Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers' contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency.
  The intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA, film director Kathryn Bigelow, and screenwriter Mark Boal and will not take further action, according to the aide, who requested anonymity.
  Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produced the film, had no immediate comment. But attacks by Washington politicians may have damaged its prospects at the Academy Awards. "Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for a best picture award, which it did not win. Also, in what industry watchers considered a snub, Bigelow did not receive a best director nomination.
  The Senate committee launched its review of the film, a dramatization of how the U.S. government located and killed Osama bin Laden, after its chairwoman, Senator Dianne Feinstein, expressed outrage over scenes that implied that "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced an breakthrough that helped lead to the al Qaeda leader.
  In December, as "Zero Dark Thirty" was about to premiere nationwide, Feinstein joined fellow Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain in condemning "particularly graphic scenes of CIA officers torturing detainees" in the film.
  A source familiar with contacts between the filmmakers and intelligence officials said the CIA did not tell the filmmakers "enhanced interrogations" led to bin Laden. Instead, the agency helped develop characters in the film, said the source.
  The political fallout prompted Bigelow to write in an op-ed piece: "Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time."
  The government cooperated as much, if not more, on "Argo," the film about the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Iran that won the best picture Oscar. Actor-director Ben Affleck and his team were allowed to film scenes in the lobby of the CIA building in Langley, Virginia; the "Zero Dark Thirty" crew did no such filming.
  (Reporting By Mark Hosenball. Editing by Warren Strobel and Doina Chiacu)
  Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probeTop News
  Senate Intelligence Committee drops bin Laden film probe
  Mon, Feb 25 17:38 PM EST
  By Mark Hosenball
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One day after "Zero Dark Thirty" failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said on Monday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers' contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency.
  The intelligence committee gathered more information from the CIA, film director Kathryn Bigelow, and screenwriter Mark Boal and will not take further action, according to the aide, who requested anonymity.
  Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produced the film, had no immediate comment. But attacks by Washington politicians may have damaged its prospects at the Academy Awards. "Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for a best picture award, which it did not win. Also, in what industry watchers considered a snub, Bigelow did not receive a best director nomination.
  The Senate committee launched its review of the film, a dramatization of how the U.S. government located and killed Osama bin Laden, after its chairwoman, Senator Dianne Feinstein, expressed outrage over scenes that implied that "enhanced interrogations" of CIA detainees produced an breakthrough that helped lead to the al Qaeda leader.
  In December, as "Zero Dark Thirty" was about to premiere nationwide, Feinstein joined fellow Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain in condemning "particularly graphic scenes of CIA officers torturing detainees" in the film.
  A source familiar with contacts between the filmmakers and intelligence officials said the CIA did not tell the filmmakers "enhanced interrogations" led to bin Laden. Instead, the agency helped develop characters in the film, said the source.
  The political fallout prompted Bigelow to write in an op-ed piece: "Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time."
  The government cooperated as much, if not more, on "Argo," the film about the 1979-81 hostage crisis in Iran that won the best picture Oscar. Actor-director Ben Affleck and his team were allowed to film scenes in the lobby of the CIA building in Langley, Virginia; the "Zero Dark Thirty" crew did no such filming.
  (Reporting By Mark Hosenball. Editing by Warren Strobel and Doina Chiacu)
REVEALED: Military Members Used as Props by Michelle Obama During Oscars Were Blinking Coded Messages
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:03
  WASHINGTON, DC - An exclusive analysis by Cub Reporter Biff Spackle reveals that members of the military conscripted by First Lady Michelle Obama for her Oscar appearance were blinking coded messages.Three of the four military personnel were, according to a computer-based analysis, using Morse code to signal the public that they were being forced to appear as props against their will.
  This analysis can exclusively reveal the following:' One male service member appears to have signaled: E-X-T-R-E-M-E P-A-I-N S-T-O-P
  ' A female service member repeatedly blinked: P-L-E-A-S-E S-E-N-D R-E-S-C-U-E P-A-R-T-Y S-T-O-P
  ' And another serviceman signaled: S-H-E N-E-E-D-S H-E-R O-W-N D-A-M-N V-A-R-I-E-T-Y S-H-O-W M-A-K-E I-T S-T-O-P
  The use of military members for the First Lady's commercial appearance raised the specter of impropriety according to Beltway insiders.
  Longtime Hollywood insider Sparkles Malloy observed that, "if the Obamas really want to break the record for most television appearances, they ought to at least move to Los Angeles."
President Obama Only Talks To Other Rich People
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:53
  The thing that really irked me about the whole "President Obama won't let the media have access while he plays golf with Tiger Woods" silliness has more to do with the fact that, while the largest climate rally ever took place in D.C., President Obama's golfing buddies included two prominent Texas oil and gas executives. (Not that the media would have covered that in much context, mind you.)
  Deals do get done on the golf course. I think most people understand that, and so it's not necessarily a bad sign that Obama was playing golf with the same scumbags who helped destroy the environment and ravish our coastlines. It's possible that Obama said, "You know, Jim, we're going to have to do something about this, and you're going to have to get used to it." (Likely? Who the hell knows?)
  But see, the problem isn't that Obama talks to oilmen. It's that he never, ever talks to people like us.
  No, neutered Skype sessions with the general public don't count. Why doesn't the president sit down and talk with a group of the struggling long-term unemployed, those whose income took a massive nosedive, and all these highly-educated, yet underemployed young people? (You know, the people he only talks to when he's campaigning.)
  He's not alone in this, by the way. In the past ten years, it has become much less likely that rank-and-file voters have any meaningful access to their elected officials. A lot of them have stopped holding town halls (or only hold them when they can hand-pick the crowd). Look how many of them won't even take phone calls now -- you can only fill out an online email form.
  Look at the people who do have access: Lobbyists, CEOs, big donors. Wall Street billionaires.
  And we don't.
  Every time I see one of those stories about Obama helping someone who wrote him about their troubles, I get annoyed. Because these are almost always individuals with systemic problems, not individual problems. We The People are flotsam and jetsam caught up in an ongoing economic tsunami, and all we get from the White House are words -- and PR events.
  It's time for some real engagement with working people. How about a White House summit on that?
CNN Hails 'New Cult Favorite' Jimmy Carter, Asks If His Image Is 'Being Rehabilitated'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:52
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
The Onion Apologizes After Tweeting 9 Year Old Oscar Nominee Quvenzhan(C) Wallis Is AC#NT
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:52
The Oscar protest that you didn't know happened
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:51
  If you watched the Academy Awards tonight, you may have noticed an awkward music cut-off during the Life of Pi Visual Effects acceptance speech. It may have looked like they were just stopping a long running speech, but in truth the speaker was about to mention a hot button topic of the evening, and many people think it was cut short intentionally to hide the truth.Most viewers were unaware of this incident and most media outlets failed to report on it, but outside the Dolby Theater, there were over 400 picketers protesting the poor state of the visual effects industry. Although it was being ignored on the televised broadcast, it started gaining momentum online during the ceremony, and is finally getting the media attention it was lacking.
  So what is the protest about?The film Life of Pi was nominated for Visual Effects (and won!), but sadly the studio that did the effects for the movie (Rhythm & Hues) had to file for bankruptcy a few weeks ago, and laid off close to 250 employees. The protest was named "A Piece of the Pi" to show that the VFX studio behind the film wasn't getting their share of its success.
  This tragic story is just one example of the poor state of the VFX industry. With overseas competition, domestic VFX houses have been surviving on less than 5% profit margins, and other studios have gone bankrupt as well (see: Digital Domain). Supporters decided it was time to raise awareness to figure out how to stop this from continuing, so they set up a protest outside the Oscars.
  Sadly, the media did not report on the protest at all, and there was no mention of it on the televised broadcast. But the Internet can always be counted on in cases like these, to get the truth out there.
  When Life of Pi won for Visual Effects, everyone was listening intently to hear any mention of the protest happening outside. But when Bill Westenhofer was done giving his thank yous and tried turning the subject to Rhythm & Hues, the orchestra music obnoxiously drowned him out until his mic was turned off (watch the video here).
  When this happened, the #VFXProtest hashtag on Twitter went nuts calling foul play:
  The next opportunity for visibility came when Ang Lee gave his speech for winning Best Director for Life of Pi. While he did thank "all 3,000 people" who worked on the movie, he didn't mention Rhythm & Hues by name (possibly just an oversight), and that enraged the protestors and fueled the fire even further:
  So let's view the reality of the situation. Even if these 2 incidents were unrelated to the protest, it still seems like the Academy handled this situation poorly. The speech being cut off could have been purely about Westenhofer going over his time limit. And Ang Lee may have honestly just forgotten to mention them in all his excitement. But the damage has been done. People are angry, and the events from tonight are only fueling that anger further.
  In the hours since the Oscars ended, throngs of people are changing their profile picture to a solid green square. This represents a green screen, which temporarily substitutes for effects during a film shoot so they can be added later. It looks like it started from the Facebook group VFX Solidarity, which has been "liked" more than 7,000 times since last night.
  This movement seems to be just getting started. It will be interesting to see how big it gets, despite being ignored by the Oscars. To me, it represents the Internet's ability to reach beyond corporations and businesses, and get the truth out there.
  My hope is that it really does raise awareness to these issues, and make it possible for real discussions to be had. They will need to start thinking about tangible solutions, but as we've seen before, the first step to solving any problem is to raise awareness. The success of the film industry depends on it.
  Read more here:Watch the Visual Effects speech cutoff Hear the backstage post-interview after the speech cutoffAn open letter to Ang Lee from a VFX artist Variety article about plans to protest the OscarsAn explanation of VFX subsidies and what needs to be fixedRhythm & Hues website (which ironically isn't loading for me)Reddit thread about the incidentAn Anonymous offering to crash the Oscars site. I don't approve but still say, go Internet!
WH Spends Over 4 Minutes Straining To Say New OFA Is Somehow "Independent" Organization
  Link to Article
  Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:48
VIDEO-The Microwave Miracle Of Cooking In Mugs : The Salt : NPR
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:16
  Washington Post Food and Travel Editor Joe Yonan whips up some macaroni and cheese in an NPR mug.
  Maggie Starbard/NPRLunchtime is around the corner, and your tummy is rumbling. If you've got a microwave, a mug and a few basic ingredients, you can cook up a meal right in the office.
  Morning Edition's David Greene recently started microwaving scrambled eggs in a mug for those early mornings on hosting duties. It led him to wonder about the other possibilities of this culinary art.
  So he turned to Washington Post Food and Travel Editor Joe Yonan for help expanding his mug menu. "The mug gauntlet was laid down in front of me, and so I picked it up and decided to do a mac and cheese," says Yonan, who writes the "Cooking for One" column.
  When he joined Greene in the NPR offices to demonstrate his recipes (below) for mac and cheese and brownies, the steps were pretty straightforward: Put some things in a mug, nuke for a bit, add more things, stir, and finish nuking.
  It doesn't get much easier than that, folks.
  Morning Edition producer Rachel Ward preps the ingredients for a microwave creation.
  Maggie Starbard/NPRBut whatever you decide to whip up, there's one thing you need to remember: Things get really hot in the microwave.
  "They're not just getting heat from the surface that they're in contact with, like a pan would on the stove. They're heating from the inside out," Yonan explains. "All their molecules are all excited, and the whole thing is kind of exploding inside, so you have to be careful."
  Also, don't cook anything with fish. Do that, and you might get kicked out of the building because the smell will seep into every corner.
  Yonan says a lot of people think microwaving is a lesser form of cooking. There are plenty of people who just reheat things and make popcorn, "but the microwave is incredibly versatile, and I think people have realized that."
  So go wild and experiment with whatever happens to be in the fridge today. Just don't steal somebody else's lunch.
  Recipe: Mac And Cheese With Mushrooms In An Office Mug (based on a recipe on the Kitchn)
  1/2 cup macaroni pasta
  1/2 cup water
  2 tablespoons dried shiitake mushrooms, crumbled (optional)
  Pinch of salt
  3 tablespoons whole milk
  1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  2 tablespoons roasted tomato salsa (or your favorite store-bought salsa)
  1 teaspoon flour
  Combine the pasta, water and salt in a large microwave-safe mug.
  Set it on a paper towel and microwave on high in 2-minute intervals, stirring in between, until the pasta is just short of tender (al dente. This should take 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the wattage of your microwave. (The water will foam up and possibly spill slightly over the mug, but the pasta and mushrooms should stay put.) If the mug dries out before the pasta is cooked, add another 2 tablespoons of water before continuing to microwave until the pasta is al dente.
  Stir in the milk, cheese, salsa and flour. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the cheese has melted and a creamy sauce has formed. Let cool slightly and eat.
  For something more basic, leave out the mushrooms. You can also take it in the other direction and add all sorts of other ingredients, depending on what's in your office fridge: pesto, leftover meat, Sriracha, kimchi. From Washington Post Food and Travel editor Joe Yonan.
  Recipe: Brownie In An Office Mug
  This is Washington Post Food and Travel editor Joe Yonan's tarted-up take on the many microwave-brownie-in-a-mug recipes circulating on the Internet, and it results in a fudgy, deeply chocolate flavored confection that would be improved only by a little ice cream. To make something more stripped down, you can leave out the instant espresso, dried cherries, chocolate chips and almonds and still get an excellent, if less sophisticated, result.
  1 tablespoon butter
  1 tablespoon almond butter (may substitute peanut butter or Nutella)
  2 tablespoons whole milk
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  2 tablespoons flour
  2 tablespoons sugar
  2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
  1 tablespoon dried cherries (optional)
  Pinch of salt
  1 tablespoon bittersweet chocolate chips or pieces of a chocolate bar (optional)
  1 tablespoon slivered almonds (optional)
  1 tablespoon slivered almonds
  Combine the butter, almond butter, milk and vanilla in a large microwave-safe mug, and microwave on high until the butter melts, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir with a fork to break up the almond butter and thoroughly combine. Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, instant espresso, cherries and salt, and stir to combine. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Microwave on high for about 1 minute, until the better has firmed up on top and the chocolate has melted. Sprinkle with almonds, let cool slightly, and eat.
@@adamcurry http://t.co/tvLZVsp675
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:50
  http://www.youtube.com/WorldNews2013World News 2013Spain is one of the Eurozone countries hardest hit by the economic crisis. The welfare cuts sponsored by the government, lack of credit and failing Spanish banks are just some of the most visible consequences of this situation. Less visible are the thousands of cases of people every day lose their home, their savings in banks, their work, the treatment of immigrants, the injustices caused by the banks and large corporations, government insensitivity to the people's problems.
  Follow our Facebook on: https://www.facebook.com/presstvchannelFollow our Twitter on: http://twitter.com/presstvFollow our Tumblr on: http://presstvchannel.tumblr.com
Sleeveless Obama Brand on Display at Oscars '' ''Five Broken Cameras'' Loses | American Everyman
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:41
  by Scott Creighton
  Argo won Best Picture last night appeasing the CIA and their ongoing Operation Mockingbird campaign to no end. But the sickening propaganda didn't stop there. No, they had to use the moment to propagandize another product of theirs'... Obama'
  The Academy Awards suddenly turned into the Michelle Obama Oscars when Jack Nicholson told the audience a special guest was joining him to present Best Picture.
  ''Argo'' won the award, which the First Lady read off an envelope while being paged in to Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre.
  ''[These films] taught us that love can beat all odds,'' Obama said. ''They reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage within ourselves.'' Huffington Post
  We are supposed to be honored and pleased when our royalty takes time out of their important lives to make an appearance at one of these ridiculously idiotic pageants. Bill Clinton showed up at the Golden Globes and received his mandatory standing ovation from Vichy Hollywood for all the ''good' he has done in the world.
  Last night we were ''treated'' to yet another special appearance from the ruling elite, the First Lady, again showing off her sleeveless look, had nothing better to do than sell her product, her BRAND, to the left leaning audience who watches such spectacles. She showed up at the Oscars to hand out the Mockingbird Award to the best CIA sponsored drivel of the year (I wonder how long it will be before they actually offer up that award)
  The other day they pimped her out to some TV show where they had her dancing around, shaking her ass, next to a guy in drag and we were supposed to think that's ''cool'' or something. The spin on it is to support her ''Get up and Move'' campaign which by her own admission is to keep our kids healthy and thin enough to serve in our Armed Forces so they can go out and kick in people's doors at 3 am in Africa or somewhere else our ''national interests'' are in jeopardy.
  Could you imagine Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy or even Nancy Reagan being used like that? Being marketed and packaged and put on display like an infomercial actor to satisfy whatever demographic need the PR mongoloids dream up for the day? It would never have happened. Like Obama dancing around with Ellen on her show, politicians these days are nothing more than used car salesmen dressed up in clown outfits for the amusement of their owners. They are shameless sycophants who will do anything for attention and the approval of the real ruling class and that is why they are allowed to win and hold office in this pathetic country of warmongering illiterates.
  That is to say nothing of the mindless cliched drivel she spat at the awestruck audience of complicit elites in the building.
  ''They reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage within ourselves.''"our children learn to open their imagination and dream just a little bigger and to strive every day to reach those dreams.'' Michele Banal Obama
  Funny thing about her comment about kids dreaming since her and her husband are HUGE supporters of the privatization of public education that has PROVEN to provide the worse kind of education to kids, for a profit, in order to ensure they never achieve those dreams. At least, the kids from poor working class families that is.
  But OH JOY look at those tone arms and her stunning dress!
  That little tidbit was later matched by Ben himself. Now remember, this ''winner'' (like Obama ''won'' a Peace Prize) was married to the idiotic Jennifer Lopez. That should tell you something about his creative juices'...
  ''It doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, all that matters is how you get back up.'' Ben Mockingbird Affleck
  No. It's not ''getting back up'', it's selling yourself to the Mockingbird system in Vichy Hollywood that matters. It's grabbing the bossman's leg and praying to him that you got your ''mind right''. THATS what matters Ben.
  The Oscar committee tacked ''Zero Dark Thirty'' onto a Skyfall win for best Sound Editing so that that CIA crowd could get up on stage during the evening. But the recent spate of anti-torture public sentiment kept them from winning anything themselves.
  The documentary made by a Palestinian, ''5 Broken Cameras'' went home empty handed from the Jewcentric festivities of the night that seemed happy as a clam to reward the film that demonizes the Iranian revolution and anything else Iranian.
  And they say Israel doesn't control Hollywood? Yeah, right.
  Fuck the Oscars. They are a perfect microcosm of what is wrong with this country. Hollywood is nothing more than an infomercial for the criminal class and the warmongers.
  Like this:LikeLoading...
  Filed under: Uncategorized
VIDEO-Michelle Obama Oscars Appearance: First Lady Presents Best Picture To 'Argo'
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:41
  That's all from the Oscars 2013 live blog here at HuffPost Entertainment! Hope you enjoyed the show. This is Christopher Rosen, signing off.
  From backstage at the Oscars:
  When did you feel a tipping point in your favor for this film?
  Clooney: Michelle Obama.
  Ben: When they gave us the trophies I was confident that we would win. I don't get too much into the Oscar-ology and the pontificating. It doesn't help me to read up on that stuff.
  Backstage at the Oscars with Daniel Day-Lewis:
  Was it uncomfortable wearing the beard?
  What do you mean? No it's just a beard. Do you wear your hair? It was my very own beard.
  From HuffPost Los Angeles correspondent Sasha Bronner:
  "A bad word. That starts with F."
  Here's Awards Daily blogger Sasha Stone just after "Argo" won Best Picture.
  @ AwardsDaily : See, I told you Argo was Crash incarnate. Won the same amount of awards even.Here's Sasha Stone on "Argo" back in October:
  Have you ever seen a movie where you walk out saying, ''That was just a great f--king movie''? That's Ben Affleck's Argo. Inexplicably, a film that draws its strength from humor and suspense, winds up being more moving the second time through. Perhaps because once you have been through the suspense part of it you get to know the characters better and therefore care about their outcomes more.
  ''It's a strange thing, because three years ago, before we decided to do a straight swap, I had actually been committed to play Margaret Thatcher, um...'' he joked. ''And Meryl was, was Steven's first choice for 'Lincoln.' And I'd like to see that version. And Steven didn't have to persuade me to play Lincoln, but I had to persuade him that, perhaps, if I was going to do it, that Lincoln shouldn't be a musical.''
  More on Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar speech here.
  The 85th annual Oscars gave audiences plenty to talk about -- from host Seth MacFarlane's "rejected"-but-still-definitely-included "We Saw Your Boobs" number to William Shatner's comment that the Academy should have asked Amy Poehler and Tina Fey to host. (Are they really hosting next year? Don't play with our emotions that way.)
  More here from HuffPost Women.
  Need to make sense of the Oscars? We've got you covered. From the WHOA to the EEK to the OH NO!, we've rounded up the night's brightest highlights. Because nobody should be the odd man out at the water cooler.
  Seth MacFarlane opened the night with a Tommy Lee Jones joke (remember Mr Grumpy Cat?). "The quest to make Tommy Lee Jones laugh starts now," quipped the host. So ...
  Look at Oscar night in GIFs by clicking here.
  The 85th annual Academy Awards took a moment Sunday evening to honor a number of late Hollywood greats. The memoriam nodded to an extraordinary group, including Nora Ephron and Richard Zanuck. However, one actor was noticeably absent from the list.
  Andy Griffith wasn't mentioned in the Oscars' In Memoriam segment. More here.
  From HuffPost Women:
  We learned a few things: Seth MacFarlane likes boobs. Seth MacFarlane thinks eating disorders are funny. And Seth MacFarlane's one-liners would make the worst pick-up lines ever.
  More here on Seth MacFarlane's Oscar night.
  Pretty great. David Rothschild, who spearheaded our Oscars Prediction Dashboard weighs in:
  This is a spectacular result '... The Oscars are always billed as ''unpredictable'' and that is especially true down the line for the more obscure categories '... 19 out of 24 correct is a testament to scientific predictions
  More on the Oscars tie that occurred in the Best Sound Editing category:
  Although it is rare, Oscars ties have happened before.
  In 1932, Frederic March won the Best Actor award for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and tied with Wallace Beery for "The Champ" because Beery only beat him by one single vote, Slate notes. The rules allowed for a one vote difference to be called a tie back then, while today it must be the exact same.
  Relive the most awkward moment of Jennifer Lawrence's life:
  More on Michelle Obama's Oscar appearance:
  "[These films] taught us that love can beat all odds," Obama said. "They reminded us that we can overcome any obstacle if we dig deep enough and fight hard enough and find the courage within ourselves."
  The 2013 Oscars are over. "Life of PI" led with four wins, including Best Director for Ang Lee. "Argo" and "Les Miserables" had three wins. "Django Unchained" and "Lincoln" earned two.
  Seth MacFarlane and Kristen Chenoweth sing a song about the losers at the Oscars. Surely this will go over well in the room.
  "Argo," Ang Lee, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Christoph Waltz and Anne Hathaway were 2013 Oscar winners. Here's the full list.
  Affleck, who was snubbed for Best Director, gives a long but thoughtful acceptance speech. More on the historic "Argo" Oscar win here:
  The 2013 Academy Award for Best Picture was awarded to Hollywood's favorite film: "Argo." Oscar looked good in Ben Affleck's hand, especially as the star was notably snubbed in the Best Directing category.
  He thanks Ben Affleck, who directed a "helluva film." He then introduces Affleck.
  "Thank you very, very much." Affleck acknowledges Steven Spielberg and the other films.
  Michelle Obama announces "Argo" as Best Picture.
  Jack knows better than to mess with Michelle Obama.
Italy exit polls point to political gridlock - Europe
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:37
  Early results from parliamentary elections in Italy appeared to show gridlock, with a centre-left coalition pulling ahead in the lower house and the centre-right bloc headed by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi leading in the equally powerful senate.
  The upstart protest campaign of comic-turned-politician Beppe Grillo was also showing a stunningly strong result on Monday in both houses of the legislature, confirming its surprise role as a force in Italian politics.
  The murky result raised the possibility of new elections in the coming months, and bodes badly for the nation's efforts to pass the tough reforms it needs to snuff out its economic crisis.
  After surging in the wake of exit polls, Milan's main stock index slumped with first projections before closing up slightly.
  Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left coalition, which has shown a pragmatic streak in supporting the tough economic reforms , was leading in the lower house with about 35.5 percent of the vote, according to exit polls. Berlusconi's coalition was polling second at 29 percent.
  In the senate, projections by the Piepoli Institute for RAI public TV showed Berlusconi's coalition slightly ahead with 31 percent to Bersani's 30 percent. Grillo's movement had 24.6 percent, and current prime minister Mario Monti's centrist forces had 9.4 percent.
  Sky's Senate projections showed Berlusconi with a two-point lead over Bersani, and Grillo with 25 percent.
  Economic uncertainty
  Bersani's party would have to win both houses to form a stable government, and given the uncertainty of possible alliances, a clear picture of prospects for a new Italian government could take days.
  The uncertainty pushed Italian and European stock indexes down in late trading on Monday.
  Italy's economic woes include huge public debt, high interest on that debt and a lack of growth which currently stands at levels similar to Haiti and Zimbabwe. Italy is the eurozone's third largest economy, and its public debt, second only to Greece, is sky high at 120 percent of GDP.
  Bersani, a former communist, has reform credentials as the architect of a series of liberalization measures and has shown a willingness to join with Monti, if necessary, to form a stable government.
  But he could be hamstrung by the more left-wing of his party, and Grillo's stunning surge shows Italians are fed up with painful economic cures.
  Turnout was 75 percent, down nearly 6 percentage points from the rate in the last national election in 2008. Experts say a low turnout will hurt the mainstream parties. Usually around 80 percent of the 50 million eligible voters go to the polls.
  410
Obama vs Obama: the video that proves Obama is lying about the sequester
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:37
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
Van Rompuy: 'Ik ben helemaal geen kleine dictator' - De Standaard
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:31
  Herman Van Rompuy, de voorzitter van de Europese Raad, wijst de kritiek van Nederlands minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Frans Timmermans van de hand. Die had gezegd dat Van Rompuy te weinig voeling heeft met wat er leeft bij de bevolking in Europa. 'Het zijn de 27 regeringsleiders die de beslissingen nemen', zei onze landgenoot in het televisieprogramma Buitenhof.
  Timmermans (PvdA) verweet vorige zondag in hetzelfde programma Herman Van Rompuy te weinig gevoel te hebben voor het gebrek aan draagvlak bij de bevolking voor wat er in de EU gebeurt. Volgens hem wil Van Rompuy steeds maar 'gas geven' in de discussie over de toekomst van de EU, 'maar als je te veel gas geeft, eindig je met alleen het stuur in handen en de rest van het voertuig in brokstukken op de snelweg'.
  27 leiders
  Van Rompuy zei zondag verrast te zijn over de opmerkingen van Timmermans: 'De indruk werd gewekt dat ik alleen beslis. Dat is niet zo. (...) We moeten het niet voorstellen alsof ik daar als kleine dictator te werk ga, helemaal niet.'
  'De beslissingen worden niet door mij genomen of door een abstract, anoniem lichaam in Brussel dat geen verantwoording moet afleggen. Het zijn de 27 regeringsleiders', verduidelijkt onze landgenoot.
  De uitdaging ligt er echter wel in om de kiezers te overtuigen dat de moeilijke beslissingen die in Brussel door de Europese leiders worden genomen, de welvaart en de werkgelegenheid in elk land vergroten, aldus Van Rompuy.
  Euro stabiel houden
  Volgens hem is het stabiel houden van de euro de grootste prioriteit voor de eurozone en de hele unie. Met vallen en opstaan is Europa bezig de onderliggende weeffouten van de munt te repareren en dat kost meer tijd dan verwacht, erkende de EU-leider.
  'Je kunt geen (C)(C)n munt hebben en 17 verschillende beleidspolitieken. Dat moet dichter bij elkaar komen.'
Malware on oil rig computers raises security fears - Houston Chronicle
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:30
  By Zain Shauk
  February 23, 2013
  Malicious software unintentionally downloaded by offshore oil workers has incapacitated computer networks on some rigs and platforms, exposing gaps in security that could pose serious risks to people and the environment, cybersecurity professionals told the Houston Chronicle.
  To continue reading this story, you will need to be a digital subscriber to HoustonChronicle.com.
The Twenty-Eighth Amendment - Capitalism Magazine
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:22
  The rectangle of light in the acres of a farm was the window of the library of Judge Narragansett. He sat at a table, and the light of his lamp fell on the copy of an ancient document. He had marked and crossed out the contradictions in its statements that had once been the cause of its destruction. He was now adding a new clause to its pages: ''Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade'....''*
  Who is Judge Narragansett? What ''ancient document'' is he editing? And where is he doing it?
  Anyone who has read Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged will recognize the scene, which occurs near the end of the novel, when all the key strikers are secretly gathered in Galt's Gulch to await the collapse of the world they escaped. But I think too little attention has been paid to that short but key scene. When one boils down the active plot of the novel, one will see that all the conflicts and subplots are generated by the government having the power to abridge the freedom of production and trade. In short, to regulate and ultimately abolish the role of man's mind in existence. Dagny Taggart, the railroad ''tycoon,'' is stymied by government rules and regulations of her freedom to act. So is Hank Rearden, who is blackmailed into giving the government the right to dispose of his new metal process and forced to ''compete'' with incompetents.
  So are all the novel's other producers and traders who vanish to leave the country and the world to try to flourish without them. This includes doctors, who refuse to work as indentured servants, and writers, and artists, and industrialists, and ''common'' men who did not wish to remain held down by the wishes of other men'....and judges, who refuse to sanction injustice.
  That was Judge Narragansett.**
  Think for a moment of what his emendation of the Constitution implies and means. Of all the actions men might take to reclaim and preserve their freedom, that one correction is perhaps the most critical if a government is to be (re)formed that would break the bonds, chains, and fetters with and of the old. The Declaration of Independence reads:
  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ''That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
  Correcting and amending the Constitution would be a form of ''instituting'' a new government, founded on the principle of individual rights and defining the concept of the initiation of force '' especially that of a government. The federal government needn't be overthrown physically by violence, or even abolished; it should be overthrown or leashed by an idea, by reason, and that can be done with Narragansett's corrections. That is, it should be radically altered to effect the safety and happiness of Americans.
  But, what ''rights'' should be secured, what ''rights'' are destroyed by government force and unlimited power?
  Novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand wrote:
  A ''right'' is a moral principle defining and sanctioning a man's freedom of action in a social context. There is only one fundamental right (all the others are its consequences or corollaries): a man's right to his own life'....The concept of a ''right'' pertains only to action'--specifically, to freedom of action. It means freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men.***
  By ''other men,'' Rand meant the agents of government force, and the politicians who empowered them to initiate force with their legislation. That includes every bureaucrat, department head, and even the occupant of the White House.
  There is a question circulating about whether or not a third political party would serve the purpose of ensuring the preservation of our rights. I think that question misses the point and it has not been answered in any practical or meaningful way.
  The solution to the problem of the number of political parties lies in those last pages of Atlas Shrugged. Judge Narragansett is writing on a copy of the Constitution , ''Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade'....''
  That clause or amendment would prohibit any politician, Republican, Democrat, or third party, from acquiring any power over the economy and our lives. It's that simple. Any scheme originating in the House '' assuming it could even pass '' would ideally be scotched and rejected by the Senate. The legislation would never make the trip to the White House to be vetoed. The Senate, after all, was designed to quash any and all populist or ''democratic'' legislation. Modeled on the British Parliament's Houses of Commons and Lords, it was created to be the ultimate protector of the individual rights, private property, and so on. It has fallen down on that task, or forgotten its purpose (virtually every politician in Congress has but a very fuzzy grasp of what their chambers are for, never mind understanding the purpose of the Constitution), often conspiring with the House on how to write and pass statist legislation.
  If our representatives were prohibited from concocting any legislation that would abridge the freedom of production and trade, and held accountable for it by their constituents and the courts, then no politician could take action to expand the power of government without being opposed by his colleagues. Most politicians would stay home or not even run for office if there were no prospect of passing such legislation.
  Ideally, Congress would sit for perhaps two weeks a year '' at most, a month '' to clear up issues that might have arisen since the last session. Senators and Representatives would have no sumptuous salaries, have to make do with a minuscule staff (which they'd pay for from their pockets, unless their constituents chipped in to pay for staff), they would have no pensions, no medical or transportation perks, no junkets, little or nothing for free or paid for them. And when they retired or weren't reelected, they'd go back to their private businesses and live like everyone else.
  Above all, they would not be granted immunity from the consequences of their actions, as they are now. They would be held accountable and liable for criminal prosecution, as any other citizen would be for initiating force or committing fraud. One of the most laughable and recent instances of the absence of this brand of justice is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's admission during a Senate hearing of responsibility for the Benghazi terrorist raid. Yet she will leave the post with lifetime pensions and perks and be able to prepare herself to run for president in 2016.
  This is rewarding irresponsibility. That has been the Washington way for decades of holding politicians guilty of criminal or maleficent behavior ''accountable.'' That has got to stop. And stopping it would serve as a deterrent against any one with political ambitions that go beyond the proper functions of government in domestic and foreign policies.
  Not being able to pass rights-violating legislation '' or seeing that it would be an onerous project '' would act as a disincentive for any ambitious statist. Rand put her finger on a fundamental political principle in that one scene in the novel. The Constitution, after all, was created to define the limits of government, not serve as a recipe for the expansion of federal powers. And that was the intention of that Narragansett scene.
  And what might be the other clauses in what hypothetically could be the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the Constitution? For starters, the nullification of the Sixteenth Amendment, the income tax amendment, which technically was never ratified except on one politician's say-so. Then there is the Seventeenth Amendment, which provides for the direct election of Senators, which has contributed to the prostitution of the Senate, turning its members from Solons to electoral street walkers. This correction might necessitate a separate amendment, and not just a clause. The direct election of Senators has caused incalculable damage and mischief.
  The Eighteenth Amendment, sanctioning Prohibition, was repealed by the Twenty-First.
  The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which provides for the voting rights of anyone eighteen years old or older, is a questionable amendment. Is the age of eighteen one in which an individual has acquired enough knowledge of politics and his rights to have a say in government? I doubt it. I think two or three years should be added to ensure that an individual acquires that knowledge once he has become a productive individual supporting his own life.
  The Twenty-Seventh Amendment, under Judge Narragansett's pen, would become moot.
  Revenue might be collected (non-coercively) for the upkeep of the Capitol Building, the White House, and other necessary federal buildings, and also for maintaining the military and federal courts. But for little else. A separate amendment might be required to cover these contingencies, but would also require a new set of Federalist Papers to iron out the ways and means. Today's politicians and political thinkers, however, are just not qualified to write those papers. One may as well assign the task to the Three Stooges and appoint Karl Marx, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, and Nancy Pelosi as their mentors.
  Judge Narragansett's twelve words in a Twenty-Eighth Amendment could make all the difference in the world '' and in our lives.
  *Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. 1957. New York: Dutton/Penguin 35th Anniversary Edition, 1992. pp. 1167-1168.
  **For his explanation of why he went on strike, see pp. 742-743 of the novel.***''Man's Rights,'' The Virtue of Selfishness.
Need Bitcoins? This ATM takes dollars and funds your account | Politics and Law - CNET News
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:22
  New Hampshire entrepreneurs have created a dollar-converting anonymous Bitcoin ATM, which they hope to sell to bars, restaurants, and other retail locations nationwide.
  Zach Harvey, right, and Matt Whitlock created this ATM that accepts dollar bills and instantly converts them to the alternative Bitcoin currency.
  (Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET)NASHUA, N.H. -- Zach Harvey has an ambitious plan to accelerate adoption of the Internet's favorite alternative currency: installing in thousands of bars, restaurants, and grocery stores ATMs that will let you buy Bitcoins anonymously.
  It's the opposite of a traditional automated teller that dispenses currency. Instead, these Bitcoin ATMs will accept dollar bills -- using the same validation mechanism as vending machines -- and instantly convert the amount to Bitcoins and deposit the result in your account.
  "It's even easier than just using a regular ATM," says Harvey, 33, who demonstrated the device to CNET this weekend at the Free State Project's annual Liberty Forum. "You could probably do it in about five seconds. The thing that would take the longest would be the bill validator taking in the dollar."
  Harvey and Matt Whitlock are partners in a New Hampshire-based venture, Lamassu Bitcoin Advisors, that's hoping to commercialize the ATM by selling to retail businesses, especially ones that also want to accept the decentralized alternative currency from customers.
  "If we made these machines somewhere around $1,000 to $1,500 each, depending on the commission, they could be able to buy this and make it back within a reasonable period of time," Harvey says.
  Bitcoin has gradually increased in popularity since it appeared in 2009, with WordPress saying last fall that it would accept it as a payment method, and a handful of retail businesses, including Cups and Cakes Bakery in San Francisco, following suit. The exchange rate now hovers around US$30 a coin, and about $300 million is in circulation.
  The inventors want to place this Bitcoin ATM in thousands of bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. This prototype charges a 1 percent transaction fee. (Click for larger image.)
  (Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET)The technology represents an easy way to transfer funds across national borders, a process that currently can be slow and cumbersome with wire transfers. Bitcoin is less risky for online sellers than accepting credit cards, which can be disputed by customers. While not truly anonymous, it can be relatively private -- and is far more difficult for the U.S. or other governments to trace.
  Unlike modern currency, which can be brought into existence at the whim of politicians or a central bank, leading to each note being devalued, the number of Bitcoins is governed by predictable mathematical algorithms. That's made Bitcoin popular among libertarians and other activists skeptical of the Federal Reserve; the Free State Project accepts payment for its summer festival in Bitcoins, for instance. (The U.S. dollar has lost 96 percent of its value over the last century because of cumulative year-over-year inflation, according to federal government data.)
  Harvey came up with the idea of a Bitcoin ATM when living in Tel Aviv and running an online guitar retailer, StompRomp.com, that accepted payments in the currency. He said accepting Bitcoin was more reliable and safer than dealing with charge-backs, credit card fraud, and "scam sales from certain Asian countries like Malaysia or Indonesia."
  To obtain Bitcoins, people use an iPhone app like Blockchain or Android's BitcoinSpinner to show the ATM a QR code with their desired address for payments. After they insert a dollar bill (denominations up to $100 are accepted), the ATM automatically credits their Bitcoin account with the proceeds. There's a 1 percent transaction fee.
  "Even people who have been in the Bitcoin world for a while and have used every type of exchange are blown away by the simplicity of this machine," Harvey says. "I'm just putting in a dollar. Before they really know what's going on, their phone tells them, 'You have Bitcoin.'"
Oakland To Issue IDs That Double As Debit Cards : NPR
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:07
  Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (center) and former Oakland Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente are registered for the Oakland City ID Prepaid MasterCard program by Jaime Suriano (left) Feb. 1 in Oakland, Calif.
  Ben Margot/APThe city of Oakland, Calif., is taking a major step toward helping to bring many of its residents, especially illegal immigrants, out of the shadows.
  It will issue a municipal identification card to anyone who can prove residency.
  Oakland isn't the only city to issue such ID cards to illegal immigrants. New Haven, Conn., and San Francisco already do that.
  The Oakland card, however, has a unique feature '-- it doubles as a debit card.
  In Oakland's predominantly Latino Fruitvale neighborhood, a group of day laborers are gathered for their weekly meeting. They talk about everything from overhauling immigration to keeping safe on the job. Then the conversation turns to the new city-issued identification cards and how to encourage people to apply for them.
  Mario Sandoval introduces himself to the group and tells them they should get an identification card especially for times when they have to deal with the authorities '-- such as getting stopped by the police while driving. It's not a license, but at least they can identify themselves, he says.
  The ID card is marketed by a Venice, Calif.-based company, SF Global, in association with MasterCard and the Minnesota-based University National Bank.
  Having access to such a bank is important to Marcos Rodriguez, so that he doesn't have to carry large amounts of cash. Otherwise, he says, he's easy pickings for bad guys.
  "Sometimes they've got knives or gun in their hands," Rodriguez says. "You know, that happened to me like several times. ... They stole my money and they beat me up, you know, and it's really, really hard for some of us."
  Day laborers can be easy targets for thieves who know they carry cash instead of depositing wages in the bank.
  "Day laborers most of the time are seen as walking ATMs, because they get robbed on the street," says Gabriela Galicia, who works with day laborers at Street Level Health Project, a nonprofit that serves the undocumented and uninsured.
  Galicia's group is part of a coalition that's trying to get the word out about the city ID card. The project has been in the works for more than two years.
  Oakland Mayor Jean Quan says the card can help people anytime they deal with a city agency, be it the police or the public library. And the debit feature is important for people who have no place to put their money.
  "This debit function will allow them to put their money somewhere safe and to avoid some of the really, really huge fees that they charge at these check-cashing facilities in the Latino community or even the Asian community," Quan says.
  The ID card isn't free. It will cost $15 for adults and $10 for youths and seniors. There are also additional costs '-- for depositing money in the debit account and for withdrawing funds, for example.
  Still, the ID card has its critics.
  "It's one more way of having a de facto amnesty for illegal immigrants," says Mark Krikorian, who directs the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank favoring strict immigration controls.
  "This kind of measure, along with, say, giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, helps integrate illegal immigrants into our institutions in a way that is simply inappropriate," Krikorian says.
  But Mayor Quan says the card isn't just for the undocumented. She sees it as a way to bring banking services to citizens and legal residents who are poor and unbanked.
  The city began accepting applications last week. The first cards will roll out in mid-March.
Anne Archer, Terry Jastrow, and'...Could It Be'...Tommy Davis, At Film Reception Tonight? | The Underground Bunker
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:58
  The film being celebrated tonight at Anne Archer's house, and showing tomorrow night at USC
  [BREAKING: See below for an important new story that aired this morning in Australia about a young woman reportedly held against her will by Scientology after having a mental breakdown.]
  Roger Friedman over at Showbiz 411 put up an interesting story on Friday. He said that Anne Archer's ''Artists for Human Rights'' '-- a Scientology front group '-- was going to host a cocktail party for documentary filmmaker Rebecca Richman Cohen, and he wondered if she was aware that Archer and her Scientologist husband, Terry Jastrow, were connected with the church.
  But it was something else Friedman said in the article that really grabbed our attention. He mentioned that Anne Archer's son Tommy Davis ''is the chief celebrity wrangler for Scientology.''
  We wondered if Roger just hadn't heard the news we reported last October that Tommy has left his job as Scientology's chief spokesman, and that according to both John Sweeney and Lawrence Wright in their recent books, Tommy has also left Scientology's ''Sea Org'' and is living in Austin, Texas.
  But things got even more interesting when one of our tipsters told us about a cryptic conversation overheard in Los Angeles a few days ago, and we're wondering if Tommy might not be making an appearance in LA after all. Here's what we know'...
  Despite Scientology's own dubious record on human rights '-- signing children to billion-year contracts as young as six years old, forcing young women in the Sea Org to have abortions, and engaging in decades of legal and covert harassment of former members and journalists, to name just a few examples '-- in recent years the church has added ''international human rights'' to its traditional ''good works'' efforts in drug rehab and school materials.
  That has spawned such cynical front group operations like ''Youth for Human Rights,'' which ropes in unsuspecting young people for exposure to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, as well as Anne Archer's group, ''Artists for Human Rights.''
  Recently, Archer's group sent around this flier, inviting people to her home tonight for a celebration of a 2010 documentary, War Don Don, by filmmaker Rebecca Richman Cohen'...
  Anne, of course, is most famous for playing Michael Douglas's wife in 1987'²s Fatal Attraction, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. For Scientology watchers, she's also well known for her performance on BBC's Panorama program in 2007. (We are not responsible for the sentiments in this short video)'...
  Her husband Terry Jastrow is a big time television producer, and just happens to be on the cover of the most recent issue of Scientology's Celebrity magazine'...
  Anne's son, Tommy Davis, shot into prominence as Scientology's chief spokesman from about 2007 to 2010, when he had a disastrous encounter with Lawrence Wright at the offices of the New Yorker, which is fully explained in Wright's recent book, Going Clear.
  Briefly, Davis put himself into a classic bind when, in an attempt to head off what would become Wright's February 2011 epic New Yorker profile of Paul Haggis, he and the church produced military records to back up the church's claim that L. Ron Hubbard was seriously wounded in World War II, and then healed himself with methods that formed the basis of Dianetics and then Scientology. But if it could be shown that those injury claims were lies, then Scientology itself was in big trouble. Said Davis, if Hubbard hadn't been injured, then ''the injuries that he handled by the use of Dianetics procedures were never handled, because they were injuries that never existed; therefore, Dianetics is based on a lie; therefore, Scientology is based on a lie.''
  Wright then showed conclusively that the church's war documents were in fact fakes. Hubbard was never injured in the war. He sought medical assistance for ulcers, conjunctivits caused by exposure to tropical sunshine, and hemorrhoids.
  It's always risky to say that one or another event is what prompted Scientology leader David Miscavige to torpedo the career of one of his executives, but this episode seems more likely than most. For whatever reason, after 2010, Davis was rarely seen, and as we said earlier, he's been reported to be living in Austin with his wife Jessica Feshbach (also a former church spokesperson) after the two washed out of the Sea Org.
  However'...
  A few days ago one of our many tipsters reported to us an intriguing, but fragmentary conversation overheard in a Los Angeles hair salon. It involved a Scientologist who was feverishly talking into a mobile phone, spewing the customary acronym-heavy jargon of a Hubbard follower.
  While our tipster couldn't get every word down, the point of the conversation indicated that ''Tommy'' was coming to town and was on the ''RSVP list,'' and ''Anne'' had been called to confirm that Tommy was, in fact coming and Anne had said yes. Also, ''they are here, but just for a little bit and going to Dallas for a few months. They are definitely out.''
  Now, we've never really understood why the mainstream media seems to have such a fascination for Tommy Davis, but if they're really jonesing for a glimpse of him, it might be worth the time to send a photographer around to see if any snaps can be taken of Anne's guests arriving at her party tonight.
  Alternatively, Rebecca Richman Cohen's film is also being shown tomorrow night at USC, and Anne Archer will be speaking. The event begins at 7 p.m. at the Ray Stark Family Theater. Will her son be along? We don't really know, but it might be nice to see the family all together in one place. Just a thought.
  '--'--'--'--'--
  BREAKING: AUSTRALIA'S ABC AIRS A DISTURBING STORY ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY'S TREATMENT OF A MENTALLY ILL YOUNG WOMAN
  About an hour before our post on Tommy Davis and Anne Archer was scheduled to publish this morning, we heard from ABC's Steve Cannane about a disturbing story airing in Australia at about 6:30 AM Eastern, 10:30 PM Sydney time. It was broadcast just a few minutes ago. Here's the full script to the segment, but we're leaving out the young woman's name for now.
  The Church of Scientology in Sydney has been accused of holding a young Taiwanese woman hostage after she suffered a mental breakdown.
  [The young woman] was hospitalised last March after she badly cut her hand punching a window at Scientology's Sydney headquarters.
  [The young woman]'s family claims she hurt herself trying to escape. The Church of Scientology denies the allegations that she ever was held captive or forced to do anything against her will.
  The case once again highlights Scientology's controversial beliefs about psychiatry.
  Steve Cannane has this exclusive report for Lateline.
  Cannane: At 20 [the young woman] had a bright future. She was living in Taiwan, studying commerce and working part time in a library. Just over a year later her life is in ruins. Mentally ill and unable to work or study, she shuffles down the street like a woman four times her age. Her family blames the Church of Scientology in Australia.
  Cousin of the young woman: A 20 year old girl's life has been destroyed. It is an evil cult, just nothing but an evil cult.
  Cannane: In late 2011, not long after being introduced to Scientology, [the young woman] was recruited to the Church's elite Sea Organisation, signing the standard billion-year contract and moving here to Dundas in Sydney's west.
  The cousin: She was only told that she will do a course, helping her reach a higher level in Scientology. So the Scientologists in Taiwan took [her] to get a deferral in her studies and flew her to Australia immediately.
  Cannane: Taiwan has become a key recruiting ground for the Church of Scientology in Sydney. According to former insiders, so many Australian Scientologists have left in recent years that at least half of the staff here now are Taiwanese. These pictures shot from a park next to the church's headquarters give a rare snapshot of what life is like here'...in the morning recruits are drilled in a military-like fashion'...marching and saluting before heading off for a long day's work. [The young woman]'s family and friends say she soon tired of this life and asked to leave.
  The cousin: They put her into a place called the ''isolation room.'' She was still offered food but was locked in a room. It is an isolation room in the Sea Organisation.
  Cannane: One night in March last year [the young woman] smashed a window in the Dundas building, badly damaging her right hand '-- her family say she was trying to escape. An ambulance was called and [she] was taken to hospital. She was diagnosed with a mental illness. According to her medical records she told hospital staff she had been held hostage by Scientology members. No-one from the Church of Scientology was available for interview, their lawyer Stuart Gibson denies the allegations.
  Stuart Gibson, Church of Scientology Lawyer: No look, Stephen, that's a nonsense. She was at Dundas first of all at her own volition and at all times she was free to leave Dundas. And I might hold up for the camera a couple of photographs of the facility at Dundas which if you can clearly see would hardly say that it's Fort Knox '-- people that are there can access and egress that facility easily so that allegation is an absolute nonsense.
  Cannane: Was she put in isolation?
  Gibson: No she wasn't put in isolation. I think that is a derogatory term. She was actually in a sick bay.
  Cannane: But [the young woman]'s brother, suspicious of what was going on, recorded a phone conversation from Taiwan with a Scientology official in Sydney. Lateline has been told that is Mei Tsu Lee, a former President of the Church of Scientology in Taiwan. In the conversation Ms Lee admits [the young woman] was placed in isolation.
  Mei Tsu Lee: I was with her in the isolation room after she became unstable.
  Cannane: Mei Tsu Lee was unavailable for interview.
  Stuart Gibson, Church of Scientology Lawyer: Well I don't know, you'd have to take that up with her. The fact is she was in a sick bay. There is no isolation and there's never been isolation and to use that term is a derogatory term and it was nothing of the case.
  Cannane: If isolation is a derogatory term why is it that L Ron Hubbard said you need to put people in isolation when they have a psychotic break?
  Gibson: No, that's not true.
  Cannane: I've got the statement. It is true, he says anyone who has a psychotic break needs to be placed in isolation.
  Gibson: No, we categorically deny that.
  Cannane: Here's Scientology's official policy on what they call the Introspection Rundown '-- a procedure to deal with mental breakdowns written by their founder L Ron Hubbard. Under the heading ''Isolation'' it says, ''With someone in a psychotic break, it is necessary to isolate the person for him to destimulate and to protect him and others from possible damage. While in isolation the person receives the Introspection RD done flawlessly on a short session basis, gradiently winning and gaining confidence. Between sessions the muzzled rule is in force. No one speaks to the person or in his hearing.'' Hubbard described this policy as a technical breakthrough which possibly ranks with the major discoveries of the Twentieth Century. This policy was followed with tragic consequences in 1995. Lisa MacPherson, a young Scientologist in Florida, had a mental breakdown. Instead of seeking psychiatric treatment the Church of Scientology put her in isolation in a hotel room. She died 17 days later. The Church of Scientology is opposed to psychiatry, labeling it an industry of death.
  From ''Psychiatry: An Industry of Death'' '-- ''In the past four decades nearly twice as many Americans have died in government psychiatric hospitals then in all U.S. wars since 1776.''
  Cannane: The day before Lateline was due to interview Scientology's lawyer, this story took another turn. The ABC's Managing Director Mark Scott received an email from [the young woman] where she denies she was held against her will, or was treated badly or hurt herself trying to escape. The email says, ''I do not give ABC, your reporter or any other media for that matter permission to publicise or use my unfortunate circumstances to your advantage or to vilify an organisation I freely support.'' The statement is witnessed by Yu-Lung Chen, a notary from this office in Taiwan and dated February 14, three days after Lateline put forward the allegations to the Church of Scientology. [The young woman]'s father and cousin later went to the office where she signed the statement
  The Cousin: Miss Chen said some people took [the young woman] in to sign the document.
  Cannane: The notary involved, Yu-Lung Chen, was unavailable for comment. [The cousin] says the two people who brought [the young woman] here were from the Church of Scientology. [The young woman]'s father is outraged.
  The Father: She has been unstable and she was not in a good state of mind. She didn't have good judgment and can't tell right from wrong. I don't think it was right for her to sign the document. It should be annulled.
  Cannane: [The young woman]'s father says he found out about the statement when a Scientology representative contacted him by phone.
  The Father: I had no idea at the start. I heard about it later when their lawyer called me and said an Australian program will be on air. I just said I want like to live a peaceful life and don't want anything upsetting and I hung up. I was ignored in the past, and they only called me when a program was going to be aired in Australia.
  Cannane: Given [the young woman] has been mentally frail how do we know the church hasn't lent on her to make this statement?
  Stuart Gibson, Church of Scientology Lawyer: Well, we don't know one way or the other, Stephen. I mean, I am only going on my instructions. You may put that, but on my instructions that's just not the case.
  Cannane: In an e-mail to Lateline, Scientology spokesperson Sei Broadhurst said, ''[The young woman] has never been coerced or forced into anything by anyone from the Church.'' Steve Cannane, Lateline
  And a spokesperson from the Australian Federal Police has told Lateline they have investigated [The young woman]'s case '-- but found there was insufficient evidence to support any charges in relation to people trafficking or breaches of the migration act.
  '--'--'--'--'--
  SAINT HILL, WHERE BOREDOM LIVES
  Chanology Leaks has made available another Scientology promotional video, this time for Saint Hill Manor, the church's UK headquarters. You might keep it handy for when insomnia strikes.
  '--'--'--'--'--
  Posted by Tony Ortega on February 25, 2013 at 07:00
Chris Matthews: Is Barack Obama 'Set on Becoming One of the Great Presidents in History?'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:35
  Chris Matthews opened the Presidents' Day, February 18, Hardball on MSNBC: ''Is Barack Obama going for it? Is he set on becoming one of the great presidents in history?''
  ''Is Barack Obama going for it? Is he set on becoming one of the great presidents in history? I'm not talking about Mt. Rushmore but perhaps the level right below it. I'm talking, to use his word, transformational. And is he using the country's historic demographic shift to do it? Can he combine the new American power of Hispanics and other minorities with the immediate aspirations of women to lob himself into the highest level of presidential greatness?...''
NBC Joins White House 'PR Offensive' to Scare People About Sequester Cuts
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:35
  Acting like an extension of the White House press office on Monday's NBC Today, correspondent Peter Alexander promoted Obama administration talking points on the upcoming budget sequester: "This morning, the White House is picking up the pace of its PR offensive, they are rolling out reports for each of the country's states and how they will be affected by these automatic budget cuts."
@The2News: Annie Lennox attacks 'horrible' TV talent shows with 'stupid row of judges' via @Telegraph http://t.co/XxY1XJDFIS
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / The2News
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:18
  While she doesn't mention specific shows, her attacks represent thinly veiled criticisms of shows such as the X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent.
  She wrote: ''Trust me..everything changed in the early 90's. Up to that point, you rarely ever heard the damned word. It all really revved up with the development of internet downloading.
  "So many things changed at that point. The whole music industry turned into a completely different ball game. (I still can't quite get my head around it, but the...I'm a self confessed Luddite.)
  "In any case - It's all about collusion. The collusion of music industry and fashion labels. The corporate sponsorship deals with brands. The perfume deals. The soap powder deals. The reality shows, the horrible talent shows with their stupid row of judges. The endless tide of corporate advertising - Everybody's part of the feeding frenzy.. The exhibitionists and the voyeurs, all making Faustian pacts with brand empires.''
  She added: Now we've got pop moguls and tycoons..kings, queens, princes and princesses. Demi gods all. Our necks ache with the discomfort of gazing up towards their Truman Show pedestals.
  "I don't know what it must feel like to be followed every day from airport to car to hotel to home to restaurant to high street.. Well..I've had a taste of it, and I truly hate it. What's it like to have been on the cover of papers and magazines every single day. What does that fish bowl feel like?
  "There's no money worth losing your freedom or privacy for..but everybody's rushing for the golden carrot.. And then..What are any of these guys famous for? What have they done? What do they contribute?
  "Are they raising the bar in any shape or form, these new emperors????"
  Today, it had provoked a range of responses from hundreds of fans on her Facebook page.
  More than 2100 people had ''liked'' her piece and hundreds offering comments. The majority of people praising her blog, which was described as ''awesome'', ''eloquent'' and ''wonderful''.
  But some disagreed with her stance, arguing that many singers, regardless of their era, were discovered through the ''media''.
  Lennox, who has been married three times, has won a string of awards throughout an illustrious career.
  In addition to her music career, she is known as a political, social activist and charity fundraiser.
  She was awarded on OBE in 2011 for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes".
  Last year she performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace.
Tesla CEO: NYT review cost us $100M in value -- Bloomberg
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:13
  Elon Musk told Bloomberg TV that the newspaper's review of the Model S lowered the company's valuation by tens of millions of dollars.
  Tesla's Model S
  (Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)The New York Times/Tesla debacle may have cost the car maker $100 million in value, Tesla's CEO told Bloomberg.Elon Musk, speaking on Bloomberg TV, said "a lot" of people canceled orders for Tesla's Model S following a scathing New York Times review.
  "It probably affected us to the tune of tens of millions, to the order of $100 million, so it's not trivial," Musk said. "I would say that refers more to the valuation of the company. It wasn't as though there were 1,000 cancellations just due to The New York Times article. There were probably a few hundred."However, Musk did note that Tesla sees more new reservations for the Model S each quarter, indicating demand has been growing for the vehicle.
  The New York Times earlier this month published a review of the Tesla Model S that criticized the car's functionality. Among the many complaints was that the vehicle ran out of juice earlier than expected, stranding writing John Broder in the freezing East Coast weather. Before leaving on his trip, Broder said he charged the car until the display read "charge complete;" and then, working to conserve the battery while driving, he said he turned off the car's heat and drove on cruise control at 54 mph.
  Tesla disputed Broder's account of the test drive and published logs that it said refuted the New York Times report. The publication and company have since kept up a nasty back and forth about the review, with each claiming the other is wrong.
  "The thing I really thought was wrong is that we are looking at the data from the test drive and it does not correlate at all to the article that was written," Musk said on Bloomberg TV. "The result was that the car ran out of range. There was this sad shot of our car on a flatbed as though that was the only outcome possible for such a drive and that's just not true."
  Here's the full video, via Bloomberg TV:
Thread: We're in constant Congress-induced crisis mode in the US.
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:10
  We're in constant Congress-induced crisis mode in the US.
  It's gotten so routine, I don't even pay attention anymore. I suspect a lot of other people do the same.
  I kind of hope the Republicans don't back down, and let the sequester happen, and then the voters may finally see the connection between what they do and what the Congress does. I think our Red State fellow citizens have been using their vote for entertainment purposes. To watch the assholes they elect stick it to the rich and sophisticated "elites" in the big east coast and west coast states. But when the cuts hit their communities just as hard as they hit ours, they may think again. I hope they do.
  We need to run this country a little more like a business. We have to think these things through. We want Medicare and Social Security, and we don't mind paying for them, but somehow we want them cut at the same time? Hello. That's no way to run an economy.
  Whatever. I'm beginning to think maybe the cynics are right and this is all just sleight-of-hand, to keep us distracted while the real action is somewhere else. Yeah, that's probably it.
Our Children Don't Want to Live Under the New World Order
  Link to Article
  Source: Activist Post
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:03
  Dave HodgesActivist PostGrowing up is filled with challenges, disappointments, excitement and anticipation of the future. Growing up should contain some measure of enjoyment and the self-satisfaction that the pride in our own personal growth can bring. However, for too many of our soon-to-be young adults, life is filled with misery, disappointment and a sense of hopelessness.
  Society is responsible for providing an environment which fosters growth and the freedom to explore one's limits. And for decades America produced children who surpassed the accomplishments and lifestyle of the previous generation. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. At one time in this country, parents formed the backbone for child development along with teachers and clergy. Today, the influences on our youth are not what they should be.
  Today, where do these influences come from? A Gallup Poll from the late 1950s asked teens to rate their biggest influences on their attitudes and lives and they listed these variables in the following order:
  1. Parents 2. Church 3. Teachers 4. Peers 5. Media
  Fifty years later, this same survey produced the following results:1 & 2. Peers and media were in a virtual tie 3. Parents 4. Teachers 5. Church
  (information derived from a conference presentation on child safety sponsored by Arizona States in 2006).
  Something Is Terribly WrongIncreasingly for our young people, the world is not a safe place. In many areas of the country suicide has replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death.
  There are an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides for each suicide death. Therefore, the suicide rate is only small representation of the hopelessness being experienced by the younger generation. The misery index in this country for our young people is off the charts.Since 1968, suicides for people aged 15-24 have risen over 300%. Suicide in now the second leading cause of death in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many countries of Western Europe. Russia, Vietnam and India are experiencing similar increases.
  What is the number one reason why teens are killing themselves? The straightforward and simple answer is that they have a foreboding sense of hopelessness. Life is bleak and meaningless; and all their cell phones, iPads and Xbox games can not fill the void of emptiness. Hopelessness is the number one predictor of suicide.
  This Is Not the Way It Is Supposed To Be
  Traditionally, when teens grow into adulthood, they begin to learn that they have a measure of control over their life. Through trial-and-error, teens gain knowledge and acquire the tools necessary to solve their problems in the best way that they can. In the past, when we felt hopeless, we pulled through our crises with the resources we had at our disposal and with the support from friends and family. Increasingly, that support has all but eroded.
  For teenagers, their overwhelming sense of hopelessness is enough to cause them to take their own lives. Most teens who survive suicide attempts say that they tried to kill themselves because they were trying to escape a situation that seemed impossible to deal with, or they were trying to escape overwhelming feelings like rejection, guilt, anger, or sadness in which they lacked any significant degree of control.
  Even Our Brave Young Warriors Do Not Want To Live In This World
  One cannot watch a sporting event or a newscast without some praise being made in relation to our brave young warriors. Despite the glorification of our troops, a U.S. military veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes, or at the rate of 22 per day. When a young man or woman enlists to defend their country, they are idealistic. However, when serving one of their many tours in Afghanistan, they are ordered to guard the opium fields and to not fire upon the drug lords as they pass through military checkpoints. It is easy to understand that these young people can quickly lose their sense of duty and retreat into a lonely world where they trust nobody and their only goal is to survive.
  When they are discharged from the service, they return to a nation which has a destroyed economy along with corrupt leaders who make the veterans question their service to their country. Most veterans, as in past wars, are riddled with guilt for the traumatic acts of survival that they had to engage in. However, unlike most of our past wars. they come to learn that their service is a charade and they do not serve the American people and our national interests. Rather, they come to know that they serve the stockholders of the oil companies, Goldman Sachs and the corrupt elite that run this planet. This is why Pat Tillman was murdered, because he was going to tell all; and the military brass could not allow a person of this standing to reveal the true agenda of the war. Tillman could have become a one man TET offensive, which could have ultimately brought down support for the war.
  One could argue that the post-traumatic stress of dealing with combat issues is the major reason why these veterans are killing themselves in record numbers. That might be considered to be true if this was America's first war. However, compared to all the past wars, both popular and unpopular, our veterans are choosing suicide as a solution for living in a dehumanized world with no hope. Children and veterans see through the deceit faster than the rest of us who are blinded by television and new media propaganda.
  What Is the Solution?
  Teenagers and veterans are the canaries in the mine. By their suicides, children and veterans are telling us how bad our world stinks. The solutions for these mental health issues does not lie within individually treating depression and accompanying suicidal symptoms. The problem I am describing here is systemic and global, not individual in its causation. Our new-found collectivist society is the culprit which is robbing of us our freedom and self-determination. That is the problem. It is inherent for humans to be free and without freedom, life becomes meaningless.
  The New World Order controls society with its mindless entertainment with everything from American Idol, to the Oscars, to the NFL, and the propaganda machines of the networks and in our public schools are working overtime in an attempt to get children to accept their place in the NWO with an accompanying loss of freedom in the name of serving the ''greater good'' of collectivism.
  Our children and our veterans are telling us that they do not want to live in this world and neither should you. I am not endorsing suicidal behavior. However, it is only a matter of time until all of us feel the same pervasive sense of hopelessness. IF you do not care about living in the squalor, filth and moral decadence that is the NWO, then maybe the welfare of your children should jolt you into action.
  ConclusionThe hopelessness spreading across the country and planet is approaching epidemic levels. But what would you expect when the Satanists that we call the NWO are running the planet? The cesspool that now defines our planet is the result of living in a world with largely no morals and no spirituality.
  If you want to see things change, then change yourself by rediscovering your spirituality and living a moral life. For when we all do this, it will not make any sense for us to accept the immorality of those who would be our global masters.
  Maybe if our teens saw us standing up to the immorality, they might see a ray of hope in their future. Maybe, if we demanded that our government reach out to our vets instead of incarcerating and drugging them for incorrect political views, maybe they would want to rejoin society upon completion of their service. Maybe if we collectively grew a backbone and took our world back from Satan, we could live out our lives in the manner that our creator intended.
  Start now! Pick out one cause that you can get behind and put everything you have into that cause. Whether it is the End the Fed movement, or forcing term limits on Congress, it does not matter. Do something and do it with others so our numbers can grow, before it is too late.
  Dave is an award winning psychology, statistics and research professor, a college basketball coach, a mental health counselor, a political activist and writer who has published dozens of editorials and articles in several publications such as Freedoms Phoenix, News With Views and The Arizona Republic.
  The Common Sense Show features a wide variety of important topics that range from the loss of constitutional liberties, to the subsequent implementation of a police state under world governance, to exploring the limits of human potential. The primary purpose of The Common Sense Show is to provide Americans with the tools necessary to reclaim both our individual and national sovereignty.
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Sense
  Link to Article
  Source: Michiganian's linkblog feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:03
  ExplanationThe fallacist's fallacy involves rejecting an idea as false simply because the argument offered for it is fallacious. Having examined the case for a particular point of view, and found it wanting, it can be tempting to conclude that the point of view is false. This, however, would be to go beyond the evidence.
  It is possible to offer a fallacious argument for any proposition, including those that are true. One could argue that 2+2=4 on the basis of an appeal to authority: ''Simon Singh says that 2+2=4'". Or one could argue that taking paracetamol relieves headaches using a post hoc: ''I took the paracetamol and then my headache went away; it worked!''
  Each of these bad arguments has a true conclusion. A proposition therefore should not be dismissed because one argument offered in its favour is faulty.
  Example''People argue that there must be an afterlife because they just can't accept that when we die that's it. This is an appeal to consequences; therefore there is no life after death.''
TV Ratings Sunday: Oscars Up From Last Year + 'The Amazing Race' Hits A Series Low
  Link to Article
  Source: TVbytheNumbers
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:02
  ScoreboardABCFOXCBSNBCUNIAdults 18-49: rating/Share10.1/251.3/31.1/30.8/20.8/2Adults 18-34: Rating/Share8.7/251.5/40.5/10.5/10.6/2Total Viewers (million)32.4342.8725.6942.7892.322-
  Due to the nature of live programming the ratings for ABC (Oscars) are approximate and subject to more than the typical adjustments in the final numbers. See below for more information on these Fast Affiliate Ratings.
  ABC was number one among adults 18-49 and with with total viewers.
  On ABC, The 85th Annual Academy Awards earned a 12.1 adults 18-49 rating. Last year's telecast scored a 11.7 adults 18-49. Your predictions were about right. Earlier in the night, the Red Carpet arrivals special earned a 5.0 at 7PM, a 6.7 at 7:30PM and a 9.2 at 8PM
  The only original running against the Oscars was The Amazing Race, which earned a series low 1.8 adults 18-49 rating, down from last week's 2.5 adults 18-49 rating.
  Broadcast primetime ratings for Sunday, February 24, 2013:
  TimeNetShow18-49 Rating18-49 ShareViewers Live+SD (million)7:00 PMABCThe Oscars: Red Carpet Live!5.015 19.343CBS60 Minutes -R1.34 8.270FOXBob's Burgers -R1.03 2.345NBCDateline NBC -R0.82 4.0847:30PMABCThe Oscars: Red Carpet Live!6.718 23.833FOXThe Cleveland Show -R1.13 2.6068:00 PMABCThe Oscars: Red Carpet Live!9.223 31.462CBSThe Amazing Race1.84 6.774FOXThe Simpsons -R1.64 3.506NBCBetty White's Off Their Rockers -R0.82 3.4508:30 PMABC85th Academy Awards (8:30-11PM)12.128 36.967FOXThe Cleveland Show -R1.43 2.934NBCBetty White's Off Their Rockers -R0.82 2.9679:00PMFOXFamily Guy -R1.53 3.133CBSThe Mentalist -R0.72 4.438NBCSaturday Night Live in the 2000's -R (9-11PM)0.82 1.9499:30PMFOXAmerican Dad -R1.33 2.70510:00 PMCBSThe Good Wife-R0.61 3.293-Nielsen TV Ratings: (C)2013 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
  Definitions:
  Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live baseball game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
  Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
  Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
  Time Shifted Viewing '' Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data '' Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
  For more information see Numbers 101 and Numbers 102.
Interview: 16 Year Old Jack Andraka Invents Cheap, Accurate Cancer Test
  Link to Article
  Source: Singularity Hub
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:00
  Jack Andraka is 16 years old, a sophomore in high school, and a pretty endearing chap. Andraka's alter ego? Mad scientist. Last year, Andraka developed a very cheap, accurate diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer using antibodies, carbon nanotubes'--and research from Google. Andraka's work went on to win the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and at FutureMed 2013, his rapid-fire fifteen minute talk earned a standing ovation. Singularity Hub chatted with Andraka right after his presentation:
  Andraka didn't set out to solve an intractable problem in oncology. But he's a very bright young man with a curious intellect. And when his uncle and an acquaintance both died of pancreatic cancer'--he couldn't stop wondering why it was such a quick, nearly unstoppable killer.
  The answer, as it turns out, is pretty simple: The harder a cancer is to diagnose early, the harder it is to combat after diagnosis. The pancreas lies deep in the abdomen between the stomach and spine. Because of its location, there are no telltale lumps a physical exam would discover and physical symptoms do not present themselves initially.
  Worse, pancreatic cancer tends to rapidly spread to neighboring organs like the liver, gallbladder, and small intestine. By the time patients complain of upper abdominal pain, yellow eyes and skin, and weight loss, the cancer is quite advanced and less likely to respond to treatment. The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is a dismal 5.5%.
  Computer model of a carbon nanotube.
  One day sitting in his high school biology class, Andraka was reading an illicit article on carbon nanotubes used as biosensors (quite the rebel) and listening to a lecture on antibodies with half an ear. As the legend goes, that's when a mote of inspiration hit him squarely in the neocortex'--perhaps the two could be combined to detect molecular-sized cancer clues?
  After a good bit of Google-powered research, Andraka sent proposals to 200 professors suggesting the use of carbon nanotubes to test for a biomarker of pancreatic cancer called mesothelin. He received 199 rejections, but one Johns Hopkins professor, Dr. Anirban Maitra, was intrigued. Andraka went on to develop his paper test for pancreatic cancer at Dr. Maitra's lab.
  Andraka's technique laces single walled carbon nanotubes with mesothelin-specific antibodies and deposits them on a strip of paper. The nanotubes make the paper electrically conductive. He then exposes the paper to a blood sample, and when mesothelin in the blood binds with the antibodies to form larger molecules, it changes the paper strip's electrical potential.
  Measuring this change in electric potential yields an accurate estimate of the mesothelin concentration present in the sample.
  Andraka says his test is ''168 times faster, 26,000 times less expensive, and over 400 times more sensitive than the current standard.'' It costs $0.03 per test and takes five minutes. The test could also potentially be used to diagnose ovarian and lung cancer, both of which also produce abnormal levels of mesothelin.
  Andraka's method and the story behind it have been getting a lot of attention. 60 Minutes attended FutureMed to film his talk and interview him'--they were actually filming us as we recorded our short interview. (No pressure!) The Smithsonian Magazine, BBC, Forbes, and Wall Street Journal have all covered his work.
  And it's small wonder. Andraka's story is extraordinary. His technique is exemplary of a larger movement afoot'--from late diagnosis of disease by physical symptoms to early diagnosis at the molecular level. Biomarker tests like Andraka's could have a huge positive impact on research, treatment, and survival rates in the coming years.
  Further, information that was once restricted to a tiny subset of the population is now abundantly available online. Today, more minds than ever have access to more information than ever'--an explosive combination that may bring breakthroughs like Andraka's at an ever-quickening pace in the future.
  Image Credit: Deborah Huber Photography; Geoff Hutchison, Flickr
  .
Facebook Is Recycling Your Likes To Promote Stories You've Never Seen To All Your Friends
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:52
  If Facebook's new Graph Search feature has you thinking a little harder about what you've ''liked'' for fear that an ironic dalliance in years past could come back to embarrass you, here's one more thing to worry about. Facebook is now recycling users Likes and using them to promote ''Related Posts'' in the news feeds of the user's friends. And one more thing, the users themselves have possibly never seen the story, liked the story or even know that it is being promoted in their name.
  This was brought to my attention through a story by Minneapolis developer Craig Condon in which he accuses Facebook of ''impersonating people without their consent.'' See video above for his lucid documentation of the phenomenon, including the use of a fabricated account as a demonstration tool. In his own case, he had liked the irreverent media empire, VICE, and as a result, a rude post showed up on his mother's timeline below a heading ''Craig Condon likes VICE'' and a divider with a slug that said '' RELATED POST.'' His mother, of course, urged him to take the post down'--but he couldn't because he had never posted it!
  Condon continues, ''most individuals have no idea this is happening. Any post made by Facebook on your behalf is completely invisible to you, and only shows up in your friends' & family's news feed.'' In many cases, these are innocuous. In some cases, your Like implies an interest in everything posted by the brand liked, but, obviously, not always. Sometimes your mom thinks you're promoting rudeness!
  ''This goes beyond just advertising on a user's behalf,'' Condon writes. ''My friends & family might think I like inappropriate content, or information I don't agree with'--it can damage relationships. In fact, I'm only familiar with this issue because a friend asked if I liked ''[rude thing goes here!].'' What else has Facebook posted on my behalf that I don't agree with? What has Facebook posted on your behalf that you don't agree with?''
  You can say that Facebook is clearly labeling the content as ''related,'' but to the untrained eye of the average Facebook user, these posts look like any other. And unlike Facebook Ads that you can opt out of sharing the liking of with friends, or the sponsored stories that you can't opt out of but at least are mentioned in Facebook's Help Center, Related Posts are a completely undocumented feature.
  It's hard not to see this as intentionally manipulative and misleading on Facebook's part. It has already made a preliminary $20 million settlement over its use of Sponsored Stories, but that's not the worst of it. A story from ReadWrite by Bernard Meisler documents a boatload of cases where friends had supposedly liked brands that the writer couldn't imagine them ever liking. Some of these friends were no longer even alive! Needless to say, when he went to these friends (or friends of friends in the case of the deceased) and asked if they had liked a particular brand, none said that they had. A Facebook spokesman maintained that all likes are the result of liking activity and possibly ''those people 'liked' something by accident, by inadvertently pressing a button, perhaps on the mobile app.'' Meisler (and I) find this explanation highly questionable. It does certainly seem like something fishy going on with Likes on Facebook.
  Jim Edwards wrote a post a few months ago on Business Insider about how Facebook generates Likes in ways other than a user clicking a Like button. It turns out that Facebook also adds likes any time a user messages a link to a ''likable'' page. This automation in combination with fake bot accounts that can pump out these messages effectively create a method through which Likes can be bought. And even if your message that accompanies a link contains negative sentiment, Facebook still counts it as a Like. All publicity is good publicity, I guess. A recent ''glitch'' has even led to these robo-likes being counted twice!
  Could this technique explain all of the mysterious Likes by Meisler's friends? The liberals who ''liked'' Mitt Romney? The anarchist who ''liked'' Shell Oil? The vegetarian who ''liked'' McDonalds? Could be. Critical people routinely forward links that they are critical of to others they think will share their views. But if you are doing this ''routine'' activity on Facebook, you may be inadvertently bolstering the apparent popularity of the brand you are being critical of! And not only that, you may find yourself used as an unwitting spokesperson for that brand'--just for speaking out against it! A spokesman told Edwards that Facebook was working on fixing the double-like glitch, but apparently ''it's not going to alter its message-liking system.''
  Condon posted his story on Hacker News and Reddit and both instances provoked lively conversation. He suggested the following comment, from Reddit, as representitive of many people's reactions, ''I constantly see an ad saying one of my friends 'Likes' Match.com. It pops up every other time I use Facebook.'' The commentor's friend is in a committed relationship and when asked said she has never used the site or liked the site. This is a fairly innocuous case, but it's not hard to imagine how seeming to Like Match.com could cause some tension, even in the most committed of relationships.
  As Condon suggests, ''The only way to prevent re-posted content is to unlike everything.'' And as Facebook continues to abuse the Like function, or to allow (or at least be unable to prevent) third-parties from abusing it, many users may find themselves doing just that, or ditching Facebook altogether.
  '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''To keep up with Quantum of Content, please subscribe to my updates on Facebook, follow me on Twitter or add me on Google+.
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  Link to Article
  Source: Michiganian's linkblog feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:48
  Douglas Rushkoff says a loss of control over how his "likes" are used has led him to drop Facebook.
  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  Douglas Rushkoff: Facebook has been very useful to him but now goes too farHe says its Related Posts features misrepresents "likes" of users without their consentFacebook users have always been its workers, providing info about themselves to data minersRushkoff: Related Posts takes too much control, causes him to break trust with followersEditor's note: Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist and the author of the upcoming book "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now."
  (CNN) -- I used to be able to justify using Facebook as a cost of doing business. As a writer and sometime activist who needs to promote my books and articles and occasionally rally people to one cause or another, I found Facebook fast and convenient. Though I never really used it to socialize, I figured it was OK to let other people do that, and I benefited from their behavior.
  I can no longer justify this arrangement.
  Today, I am surrendering my Facebook account, because my participation on the site is simply too inconsistent with the values I espouse in my work. In my upcoming book "Present Shock," I chronicle some of what happens when we can no longer manage our many online presences. I have always argued for engaging with technology as conscious human beings and dispensing with technologies that take that agency away.
  Facebook is just such a technology. It does things on our behalf when we're not even there. It actively misrepresents us to our friends, and worse misrepresents those who have befriended us to still others. To enable this dysfunctional situation -- I call it "digiphrenia" -- would be at the very least hypocritical. But to participate on Facebook as an author, in a way specifically intended to draw out the "likes" and resulting vulnerability of others, is untenable.
  Douglas Rushkoff
  Facebook has never been merely a social platform. Rather, it exploits our social interactions the way a Tupperware party does.
  Facebook does not exist to help us make friends, but to turn our network of connections, brand preferences and activities over time -- our "social graphs" -- into money for others.
  We Facebook users have been building a treasure lode of big data that government and corporate researchers have been mining to predict and influence what we buy and for whom we vote. We have been handing over to them vast quantities of information about ourselves and our friends, loved ones and acquaintances. With this information, Facebook and the "big data" research firms purchasing their data predict still more things about us -- from our future product purchases or sexual orientation to our likelihood for civil disobedience or even terrorism.
  The true end users of Facebook are the marketers who want to reach and influence us. They are Facebook's paying customers; we are the product. And we are its workers. The countless hours that we -- and the young, particularly -- spend on our profiles are the unpaid labor on which Facebook justifies its stock valuation.
  The efforts of a few thousand employees at Facebook's Menlo Park campus pale in comparison to those of the hundreds of millions of users meticulously tweaking their pages. Corporations used to have to do research to assemble our consumer profiles; now we do it for them.
  The information collected about you by Facebook through my Facebook page isn't even shared with me. Thanks to my page, Facebook knows the demographics of my readership, their e-mails, what else they like, who else they know and, perhaps most significant, who they trust. And Facebook is taking pains not to share any of this, going so far as to limit the ability of third-party applications to utilize any of this data.
  Given that this was the foundation for Facebook's business plan from the start, perhaps more recent developments in the company's ever-evolving user agreement shouldn't have been so disheartening.
  Still, we bridle at the notion that any of our updates might be converted into "sponsored stories" by whatever business or brand we may have mentioned. That innocent mention of cup of coffee at Starbucks, in the Facebook universe, quickly becomes an attributed endorsement of their brand. Remember, the only way to connect with something or someone is to "like" them. This means if you want to find out what a politician or company you don't like is up to, you still have to endorse them publicly.
  More recently, users -- particularly those with larger sets of friends, followers and likes -- learned that their updates were no longer reaching all of the people who had signed up to get them. Now, we are supposed to pay to "promote" our posts to our friends and, if we pay even more, to their friends.
  Yes, Facebook is entitled to be paid for promoting us and our interests -- but this wasn't the deal going in, particularly not for companies who paid Facebook for extra followers in the first place. Neither should users who "friend" my page automatically become the passive conduits for any of my messages to all their friends just because I paid for it.
  That brings me to Facebook's most recent shift, and the one that pushed me over the edge.
  Through a new variation of the Sponsored Stories feature called Related Posts, users who "like" something can be unwittingly associated with pretty much anything an advertiser pays for. Like e-mail spam with a spoofed identity, the Related Post shows up in a newsfeed right under the user's name and picture. If you like me, you can be shown implicitly recommending me or something I like -- something you've never heard of -- to others without your consent.
  For now, as long as I don't like anything myself, I have some measure of control over what those who follow me receive in my name or, worse, are made to appear to be endorsing, themselves. But I feel that control slipping away, and cannot remain part of a system where liking me or my work can be used against you.
  The promotional leverage that Facebook affords me is not worth the price. Besides, how can I ask you to like me, when I myself must refuse to like you or anything else?
  I have always appreciated that agreeing to become publicly linked to me and my work online involves trust. It is a trust I value, but -- as it is dependent on the good graces of Facebook -- it is a trust I can live up to only by unfriending this particularly anti-social social network.
  Maybe in doing so I'll help people remember that Facebook is not the Internet. It's just one website, and it comes with a price.
  Follow us onTwitter @CNNOpinion.
  Join us onFacebook/CNNOpinion.
  The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Douglas Rushkoff.
Obama and Hollywood Go All In On Argo To Salvage Carter Presidency'...
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:41
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Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:37
  ***Please note: This is the temporary home for my weekly column until my personal web page is up and running.***
  While I oppose most gun control proposals, there is one group of Americans I do believe should be disarmed: federal agents. The use of force by federal agents to enforce unjust and unconstitutional laws is one of the major, albeit overlooked, threats to liberty. Too often Americans are victimized by government force simply for engaging in commercial transactions disproved of by Congress and the federal bureaucracy.
  For example, the offices of Rawesome Foods in Venice, California, have been repeatedly raided by armed federal and state agents, and Rawesome's founder, 65-year old James Stewart, has been imprisoned. What heinous crime justified this action? Rawesome sold unpasteurized (raw) milk and cheese to willing customers '' in a state where raw milk is legal! You cannot even drink milk from a cow without a federal permit!
  This is hardly the only case of federal agents using force against those who would dare meet consumer demand for raw milk. In 2011 armed agents of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided the business of Pennsylvanian Amish farmer Dan Allgyer. Federal agents wasted a whole year and who knows how many millions of our tax dollars posing as customers in order to stop Allgyer from selling his raw milk to willing customers.
  The use of force against individuals making choices not approved of by the political elite does not just stop with raw milk. The Natural News website has documented numerous accounts of federal persecution, including armed raids, of health food stores and alternative medical practitioners.
  Federal bureaucrats are also using force to crack down on the makers of gold coins for fear that people may use these coins as an alternative to the Federal Reserve's fiat currency. Bernard von NotHaus, the founder of Liberty Dollars, is currently awaiting sentencing on federal counterfeiting charges '-- even though Mr. von NotHaus took steps to ensure his coins where not used as ''legal tender.''
  Yet, the federal government was so concerned over the possibility that Mr. von NotHaus's customers might use his coins in regular day-to-day commerce they actually labeled Mr. von NotHaus a ''terrorist.''
  These type of police state tactics used against, among others, raw milk producers, alternative health providers, and gold coin dealers is justified by the paternalistic attitude common in Washington, D.C. A member of Congress actually once told me that, ''The people need these types of laws because they do not know what is good for them.'' This mindset fuels the growth of the nanny state and inevitably leads to what C.S. Lewis said may be the worst from of tyranny '''...a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims.''
  All Americans, even if they do not believe it is a wise choice to drink raw milk or use gold coins, should be concerned about the use of force to limit our choices. This is because there is no limiting principle to the idea that the government force is justified if used ''for our own good.'' Today it is those who sell raw milk who are being victimized by government force, tomorrow it could be those who sell soda pop or Styrofoam cups. Therefore, all Americans should speak out against these injustices.
Oscars 2013: 10 things we learned on the night
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:32
  Link to video: Oscars 2013: Argo triumphs and Day-Lewis charms1. Likability matters in a hostI'm not sure if this was something that we didn't already know, but Seth MacFarlane's predictably obnoxious hosting effort was yet another reminder (after Ricky Gervais' increasingly unbearable Golden Globes gig) that it's preferable when the audience actually likes the host. Some people have excused MacFarlane, saying he has a "brand of humour": yes, an obnoxious brand of humour. Hell, even the New Yorker thinks MacFarlane is obnoxious. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes were a hit because people liked them. Seth MacFarlane at the Oscars? Not so much.
  Chris Brown and Rihanna (at the Grammys). Photograph: Getty Images for NARASCan you make a funny about domestic violence? The answer, possibly, not gobstoppingly, is no, but that didn't stop MacFarlane from trying. "Django is a movie where a woman is subjected to violence, or, as we call it, a Chris Brown and Rihanna date movie," he wiseacred. Oh, if only Charlie Chaplin were still alive to revel in this golden age of banter. The audience gasped, MacFarlane tried to turn it around by making his unpleasantness part of the joke. He failed.
  Daniel Day-Lewis: thespian and wit. Photograph: WireImageWhile the host was a comedy dud, Daniel Day-Lewis turned out to be a bit of a hoot. Not, admittedly, a quality one generally associates with the Day-Lewis clan, especially ol' "I must suffer for my art" Daniel. Nonetheless, when he made history and picked up his third best-actor award from Meryl Streep it was probably the funniest moment of the night: "Three years ago, before we decided to do a straight swap, I'd been committed to play Margaret Thatcher and Meryl was Steven's first choice for Lincoln. I'd like to see that version," he said with a straight face. Funny, right? Hey, the bar was low.
  4. Hollywood is an unsentimental townQuvenzhan(C) Wallis '... maybe next time. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/ReutersCompeting in the best actress category were the oldest and the youngest nominees ever: Emmanuelle Riva for Amour and Quvenzhan(C) Wallis and her awesome doggie bag for Beasts of the Southern Wild. Heck, it was Riva's 86th birthday on the night of the ceremony, and the star of Hiroshima Mon Amour had flown over from Paris, despite ill health, for the ceremony. And who did the Oscar go to? To the 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, of course, who has been nominated before and will doubtless be nominated again. Have a nice flight back, Riva. LA's a cold, cruel town.
  5. But it will eventually forgive a man for Gigli. And Pearl HarborYou're forgiven, Ben. Almost. Photograph: Michael Yada/EPAMany people have complained that Ben Affleck was "unfairly snubbed" by not getting a best director nomination. Those of us who suffered Pearl Harbor, Gigli and Jersey Girl say Affleck could do with some wrist slapping. But the Academy has proven that, while it will kick an 86-year-old woman in the face, it does have room in its heart for Baffleck. So while he didn't get the nod this year, at least his film was lauded. Which is nice-ish for him. Those of us who saw Gigli, on the other hand, are still in therapy.
  6. The Academy loves gay men and imaginary tigers in equal measureAng Lee '... winning best director with the help of a CGI tiger.Remember when they gave the best film Oscar to Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain? Jeez Louise. It wasn't as bad as the time Dead Poets Society won best screenplay over When Harry Met Sally (I know '' I KNOW), but it wasn't far flipping off. Still, at least Ang Lee got the Oscar as compensation. And look what happened this year: Life of Pi was denied the best film Oscar but it scored Lee best director. So the conclusion we can draw here is that the Academy feels about as comfortable with gay men as it does with imaginary tigers. Which is progress. Of sorts.
  7. Jamie Foxx: kind of a sleazeJamie Foxx and an obviously traumatised Corinne Bishop. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesPity poor Corinne Bishop, Jamie Foxx's 18-year-old daughter, who is doubtless starting today by finding herself a good therapist. She was forced to stand next to her father on the red carpet while he tried, in vain, to chat up Kelly Rowland, who roundly shut him down. The look on Bishop's face as her father simpers to the Destiny's Child singer, "I've always had a crush on you," is a look that says: "One day I'm going to write a tell-all autobiography, go on a reality TV show and SLAY YOU."
  8. Colour is a good thingSally Field '... gorgeous in red. Photograph: Lucy NicholsonHollywood ladies, allow me to introduce you to a concept called "colour." It's fun to wear and is flattering on literally everyone. So why are you all hiding behind blah greys, miserable blacks and predictable metallics? Adele, you are such a classy broad but your black Jenny Packham dress is bringing me down. And Amy Adams! Why are you wearing a dress the colour of aged pigeon? As for you, Halle Berry, if you insist on dressing like the lobby of an art deco hotel I cannot help you. Learn from your elders and make like Jane Fonda, who was a goddess in yellow, or Sally Field, gorgeous in red.
  9. 'Sick' is now an adjective, and a positive oneYou all look sick, people! Photograph: Getty Images"Your body/dress/hair is sick" was a term uttered several times by American TV presenters to female celebrities and, judging from the reaction of the latter, this is now a compliment. Is "sick" the new "fierce" (as coined by Victoria Beckham), or will it be the new "fetch" (as one character attempted in vain to coin in Mean Girls)? It's hard not to hope for the latter, really.
  10. Charlize Theron can dance!Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron do their thing. Rather well. Photograph: Matt Sayles.She can act. She can make herself look ugly. And she can totally work her current Billy Idol-esque hairstyle. But who knew she could also dance? Once MacFarlane finished his brain-bleeding pig of a song about boobs, Theron and Channing Tatum came on and did a bit of an Astaire and Rogers routine to The Way You Look Tonight. While Tatum's moves aren't that much of a surprise, who knew Theron could do such high kicks and graceful slides? Also, according to MacFarlane, her name is pronounced Ther-on, not Ther-on. Something else I learned last night.
Signs full of 'WTF' (30 Photos)
  Link to Article
  Source: theCHIVE
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:30
  February 25, 2013 | In: Funny, WTF
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War on cash; MasterCard launches new digital payment system
  Link to Article
  Source: bertb news feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:29
  Illustration. Credit card giant MasterCard announced Monday the launch of a new digital payment system that lets people use a wide variety of devices including smartphones to spend their money.
  AFP - Credit card giant MasterCard announced Monday the launch of a new digital payment system that lets people use a wide variety of devices including smartphones to spend their money.
  The system, known as MasterPass, stores customers' banking and personal information in a "secure cloud" online where it is available for the moment of payment whether in a store on when browsing the Internet, the group said.
  Banks and stores will be able to issue MasterPass-connected "digital wallets" to their customers, the group said on the opening day of the four-day Mobile World Congress, the world's biggest mobile fair, in Barcelona, Spain.
  The system will also accept credit and debit card information, including cards other than MasterCard's.
  Shoppers would be able to use the system on the web without having to key in their bank information and delivery address for each purchase.
  But they also could make payments with the new system in other ways, including by waving a smartphone equipped with Near Field Communications, or NFC, technology near a special reader.
  "Every device is becoming a shopping device," said Ed McLaughlin, head of emerging payments at MasterCard.
  "MasterPass brings together all of the ways we pay for things, from traditional plastic cards to digital wallets, and gives consumers the ability to make a payment from wherever they are and with one simple experience," he said in a statement.
  The system will be launched by financial institutions in Australia and Canada by the end of March, in the United States in spring and Britain in the summer before expanding to other markets including Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain and Sweden, MasterCard said.
  MasterCard said it the new system was supported by banks including Banco Santander, BBVA, BNP, and Citi.
  "For mobile money often the most innovative markets have been emerging markets rather than developed markets," said Ian Fogg, senior mobile analyst at research house IHS.
  "What is interesting is the shift where you see people like Visa and Mastercard getting interested and involved," he said.
  "They have a role that is cross country, cross bank and one of the challenges of the mobile service is getting that economy of scale, getting all the different parts of the ecosystem together and those guys are able to look across the ecosystem in a way that I think an individual bank finds it harder to do."
Uganda: SIM-Card Registration Case Kicks Off
  Link to Article
  Source: AllAfrica News: Latest
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:28
  The High Court today hears a case in which Human Rights Network for Journalists sued Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) and the Attorney General over Sim-cards registration.
  The case is before Justice Eldad Mwangusya. The journalists are seeking court order to restrain the Uganda Communication Commission from going ahead with the registration.
  Sim-card registration is a compulsory exercise which requires whoever owns a handset to register. Those who do not register by February28 will have their phones disconnected. So far it is only the Attorney General's office which has responded to the suit.
  The journalists are seeking a court order restraining Uganda Communication Commission, the Attorney General and their agents from switching off or directing telecommunication service providers to switch off the users of unregistered Sim-cards on the March1, 2013 or any other deadline set by the Commission before rectifying the anomalies as per the suit.
  Through Web Advocates and Associates, the journalists want court to declare that the UCC, Attorney General and their agents have not carried out structured and sufficient public consultations, sensitisation and awareness.
  The Human Right Network for Journalists is further seeking a court declaration that the Uganda Communication Commission and the Attorney breached their respective statutory duties when they failed to supervise, streamline, evaluate, regulate and enhance the SIM-card registration exercise which was entirely carried out by telecommunication service providers in a manner that is illegal, irregular, unsatisfactory and deleterious to the privacy and security of the people of Uganda.
  The Human Right Network for journalists accused Communication Commission of condoning unlawful practice by obtaining personal details of consumers of the telecommunication services by using forms which inconsistent with the law.
  "That the deadline and the directives or notices complained of in this application are not backed by any legislative instrument. They were not published in the Uganda Gazette, and they were neither laid before nor approved by Parliament as required by law," the suit reads in part.
  Human Right Network for Journalists argued that the deadline and the directives or notices complained of violates or threaten to violate the right to communication, freedom from deprivation of property, and other related rights of consumers of telecommunication services.
The E Bomb
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:28
  There are discussions in the Obama regime on ledger protocols, that a Geithner withdrawal of Treasury dumps (illegal) propping up the Stock Market could be engaged and blamed on the GOP for the sequester.
  The weighing of this is based upon the gearing of the Wall Street insiders having enough e cash in order to JP Morgan the markets further in complete monopoly of small business traders. If you do not comprehend this, America is a Nazi state in the conglomerates in they are all businesses of the state doing Obama's bidding, and Geithner litearlly has turned them into state enterprises as in the "investers" are the hidden majorities which are basically the "shadowlands".
  It is a simple thing in this graduated from CIA money infusions like Bill Ayers old man in Chicago being part of the Industrial Intelligence Complex. It is now a matter like Mark Zuckerberg that the government approaches a nerd in promising money in exchange for security control. It benefits the twerp and the company is worth a fortune as masses are herded to sue the monopoly product in being spied upon and defrauded of money.
  A "panic" is what is the concern in this from Obama, which he does want as rioters marching through the streets blaming Boehner is exactly the backdrop he wills. Obama though does not want his legacy disrupted in being a Jimmy Carter of misery index, and wills to be FDR of the fear itself factor.
  That is what has been behind the John Kerry and Barack Obama threats for the past weeks in Congress is the threat and not communists. The blackmail has been that Obama will collapse things, and do it globally and stick this right to the GOP which will never unglue.
  The ledger points to a repeal of term limits on Obama, being effective immediately. Two options are on board in Holder will file an emergency court appeal to that fraud John Roberts who will set asside the Constitutional Amendment on some grounds of infringment to tweak the gun owners, along with the other Obama frauds on the court.The second literally is to put it on an immediate national vote, which of course is as rigged as the the 2008 and 2012 elections and Obama would literally have it passed by a huge margin, and hint that "this was his 3rd term vote" and due to economic upheaval, no 2016 elections would be necessary due to the GOP has wasted enough money already.
  Boehner has been informed of this and his patrician backers know that they have enough monetary assets from money dumps to Wall Street to benefit. It is factored into this by the Rovians that this would wipe out the Tea Party individuals too, and leave only Jeb Bush in that fortune to stand in the streets and demand "free and fair" elections as this proceeds to a civil war manifestation as intended.Those in power do not want elections and those backing those in power do not want elections, even fraud elections as they give the people the illusion they can do something. It has reached a point that with drones as WASPS, small drones armed with serin drops, that a 24 hour hunting plague could protect the powers that be.See when this blog informed you that HW Bush built Skynet as in Terminator, the powers did not go "big" as in cyborg Arnolds, but instead went plague small as thousands of drones being the mother ships for millions of Fahrenheit 451 poison injecting bugs would be the way to handle armed mobs.I told you to stop looking at the gun issue, as shadowlands can murder you with germ warfare or selectively hunt you with dragon fly bugs that hunt constantly, recharge on solar power and visual ID you off your driver's license or Face Book, asd with Obama putting in that census GPS on every home, you can have your guns, because you are no match for these bugs.
  About the time you "think" you can use netting, they will have mosquito sized drones with titanium needs that can penetrate body armor.
  The Stock Market like the Mexican like the sodomite, has finite purpose which time runs out on. Only need illusions of prosperity as long as an armed populace must be kept at bay and Obama needs the electric on for television and to keep the Asian hordes at bay.See is that nasty nuclear stuff yet, in that pollution keeps this from engaging which is the last salvation now as it always has been. Is why Obama wants it gone, as his next gen warfare can wipe everyone one cleanly, and the only problem is corpse clean up.They have worked on that in a quick feeding decomposition substance which can be sprayed on.
  I digress as this was about the discussion of an E bomb, or economic bomb in the feasablity of it in el presidente for life Obama.
  agtG 236
Re: Michelle Obama at the Oscars
  Link to Article
  Source: TheBlaze.com - Blog
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:17
  Full disclosure: I pride myself on the fact that I didn't watch the Oscars last night. In general, I feel no need to watch celebrities in Hollywood get all dressed up to celebrate and honor'... themselves. What a cause.
  That said, I've seen the news clips of first lady Michelle Obama's cameo and commentary about her wardrobe, so I feel like I'm all up-to-speed. I tend to agree with WaPo's Jennifer Rubin who doesn't complain that Obama ''hijacked'' or ''crashed'' the show, but rather points out how weird and unnecessary it was:
  It is not enough that President Obama pops up at every sporting event in the nation. Now the first lady feels entitled, with military personnel as props, to intrude on other forms of entertaining (this time for the benefit of the Hollywood glitterati who so lavishly paid for her husband's election). I'm sure the left will holler that once again conservatives are being grouchy and have it in for the Obamas. Seriously, if they really had their president's interests at heart, they'd steer away from encouraging these celebrity appearances. It makes both the president and the first lady seem small and grasping. In this case, it was just downright weird.
  No one, it seems, gets within a mile of the White House with any sense of restraint. No one there would dare suggest nearly half the country didn't vote for him and doesn't much like him and might want to be left to their small daily pleasures. (Greta Garbo said it best.) And no one there is apt to explain that the White House, the military and the first lady (not this one in particular) are institutions bigger than the Obamas and their e-mail list.
  Still, it would have been grand if the lefty-maligned ''Zero Dark Thirty'' (which showed the nasty interrogation techniques her husband deplored) had won Best Picture. Unfortunately, that sort of perfect karma happens only in the movies.
Park Geun-hye Becomes South Korea's First Female President!
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  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:15
Afghan President Orders US Special Forces Out Of Strategic Province After Torture Allegations
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  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:07
18 States Consider Ban On Domestic Drone Use! MIC Stooge Responds "Drones Are Good mmmKay"
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  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:43
"It's Probably Too Late Now": Interview on Syria with Jonathan Spyer
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:38
  A few days ago, Damian and I interviewed investigative journalist Jonathan Spyer, an Israeli who has slipped into Syria several times and reported back from the heart of the conflict. The interview was intended to be the next episode of International Edition with Levy & Counsell. When we spoke to Jonathan, he had just returned from Syria the day before. Unfortunately, we had what turned out to be insurmountable audio trouble, rendering the podcast un-postable. The content of the interview was too good to pass up, though, so I've transcribed it. (I've transcribed it verbatim; the few ellipses and brackets indicate unclear audio.)
  Some quick background on Jonathan: he immigrated to Israel from Britain in 1991 with a doctorate in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a Master's in Middle East Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. He's now senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center in Herzliya and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post.
  Jonathan's columns appear everywhere, from The Guardian to Pajamas Media, and he's the author of The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict -- called by Barry Rubin the best book on Israel in thirty years. Jonathan served in a front-line unit of the IDF in 1992-3 and was a tank driver in the war with Lebanon in 2006.
  ON REPORTING FROM SYRIA:
  Judith: The reason your reporting on Syria is so gripping is that you regularly go into Syria and mix with the fighters. But you're an Israeli citizen. You're an ex-soldier. How are you doing this?
  Jonathan: Well, I'm afraid I don't really want to go into too much detail on working methods. I've been to Syria over the last year on three occasions. And what I'm happy to talk about, I'm happy to say in that regard, is that the latest trip was to Syrian Kurdistan, where I was hosted by Kurdish activists in the northeast of Syria. And with those people, and with the people who've been friends and colleagues of mine for quite some time, the relationship is extremely open, and they have no problem at all with hosting an Israeli. And indeed they themselves are quite friendly to Israel in many ways, certainly not hostile in any way. Of course, with the Arab rebels in the Arab part of the country, the situation is not like that and we would take precautions. But I don't really want to go into huge detail about all that.
  Judith: I understand. But in general, are most of the people that you're talking to up there -- I understand that the Kurds do, but do most other people know you're Israeli?
  Jonathan: Oh, some do and some do not.
  Judith: And what language are you speaking with them?
  Jonathan: Well, a mixture of English and Arabic, really. I can speak Arabic and I can speak at a conversant level. When it comes to longer political interviews, deep political interviews, what I do is I hire a translator and then we do the interviews in English and use translation. But knowing some Arabic, it means even the relationship with your translator, and a translated interview, becomes very different. I can understand 60 to 70 percent of what's said. Again, with the Kurdish situation it's different because the Kurds know Arabic but prefer to speak the Kurdish language, of which I know about two or three words. So there, I become much more dependent on the translator.
  THE CURRENT SITUATION IN SYRIA:
  Judith: Now, you just got back yesterday, so let's try to get an up-to-the-minute picture of the situation up there. At the end of January, you were writing that Assad's regime was in retreat, with a big chunk of the north basically ceded to the rebels. You wrote that Assad was building a defensive line in the Orontes River valley, west of Homs and Hama which are Sunni cities. You saw Assad as trying to maintain strategic control over the west, which is Alawi-majority, and from which it will continue to fight the rebels if Damascus falls. Now, if Damascus does fall, this civil war is going to move into a new stage -- what you call an ethnic-sectarian battle between forces representing the Sunni Arab majority and the army of the former regime, which is going to be basically a militia, an Alawi militia. Is Syria now closer to this second stage of the civil war?
  Jonathan: The answer is yes, but the incremental process is moving agonizingly slowly. That's to say that the direction of events in Syria is clear. The rebels -- the rebellion -- is moving forward, but it's gaining ground extremely slowly. Damascus is now in play, which for a long period of time over the last two years wasn't the case. The rebels are now in some of the southeastern suburbs of the capital city. So the rebels are moving forward, but the rebels still lack the kind of weaponry and the kind of ability which will allow them to make rapid gains against the regime, and the Assad regime still possesses a significant number of people willing to put themselves on the line in its defense, and very very significant of course, military equipment, including aircraft, armor and long-range artillery that the rebels don't have any access to.
  Judith: Well, that was my next question. I mean Assad still has what you call the ''Pretorian Guard-type units'' of the Syrian Arab Army, the Republican Guard, special forces, chemical and biological weapons, and he's also got Russia backing him up abroad and Iran backing him up close at hand. Could he win?
  Jonathan: I don't think so, if we define winning for Assad as reestablishing his control and rule over the entirety of Syria in the way which existed in, you know, February of 2011 so to speak, just prior to the uprising. I think that is extremely unlikely. But at the same time, if we define winning for Assad as surviving for a long period of time, or at least for Assad's side, the Alawi side of the conflict, as holding onto a presence, a physical foothold, a presence in the country, specifically in the west of the country...then the answer is yes. They could hold on there for a long time, and potentially, in terms of the establishment of an Alawi homeland so to speak, or quasi-state in the west of the country, the potential [is they could hold on] for the foreseeable future.
  Damian: Now, one of the things that strikes somebody who's an outsider who's watched this slow retreat and seen the defections that we've seen on the news -- the question that keeps coming back to me is, what hold does Assad have? Of those people who are remaining loyal, how is he retaining their loyalty? What motivates them, given that everybody outside can see the writing on the wall?
  Jonathan: Well, the issue is that Assad has managed to involve a large number of people in the crimes committed by his regime over the last two years and longer, and further back. Which means that there are a great many people implicated in the actions of the regime, and it means that those people understand that they in a certain sense have nowhere else to go but to stay with Assad until the end. It's gone too far now for them to be able to seek some kind of reconciliation with the rebellion. The rebellion itself has become much more extremist, much more dominated by extreme Islamist elements. Which means that for a certain section of the former regime, there's just nowhere else to go. This is the first important aspect of it.
  The second important aspect is the ethnic and sectarian aspect. Unlike similar regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, the Assad regime rules over a very ethnically -- a country deeply divided by ethnicity and sect. And the regime itself rests for its core loyalty on the Alawi minority, 12% minority in Syria. That's a very deep type of loyalty. As we know, ethnic and sectarian loyalties are in a sense some of the most fundamental types of loyalty and can hold fast for a very long time, especially when you enter into what Syria is now entering into, a situation in which the dynamic of ethnic and sectarian difference is the key dynamic taking place. In other words, if ethnic and sectarian identity become the key markers of political loyalty, and people who formally supported Assad understand they're facing a Sunni Muslim Arab rebellion that sees them as its natural enemy, they will have more of an incentive to remain loyal to their own ethnic and sectarian leadership. Which is, in this case, the Assad regime. And that's what I think is now taking place, and that's the reason why this core loyalty [exists] in key units of the Syrian military, and also [why] sections of the Alawi civilian population of Syria remain staunchly behind Assad.
  THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION:
  Judith: Let's talk a little, Jonathan, about the opposition. There's a lot of talk abroad about the pros and cons of arming them. But in the commendable zeal to alleviate civilian suffering there's much glossing over of who these people actually are. Now, as I understand it, there is a unified rebel command with Western support, but about two-thirds of them are Muslim Brotherhood and their allies. Interestingly, the secular nationalist commanders who built the Free Syria Army have been shut out of command.
  Jonathan: Yes.
  Judith: So is it a foregone conclusion that a victorious rebellion will mean an Islamist Syria?
  Jonathan: Well, I think it is more and more looking that way now. I'm not sure if that was the case right at the beginning. To some degree, what's happened now -- and I stress to some degree, I don't want to say this is the whole picture, but to some degree what's happening now is the result of Western policy. The United States clearly wanted to stay out of the whole issue of the Syrian revolution and then the Syrian civil war. What it hoped to do, what it has done, is to effectively contract out the job of arming and supporting the Syrian insurgency to regional players, specifically the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. It's not surprising, then, that if you contract out the arming of the insurgency to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, what you will get will be an Islamist insurgency. Those will be the kinds of elements which those countries will feel most inclined to support. And that is indeed what they have done, with the result that the insurgency is now very much dominated by Islamists and it's hard to see, if the rebellion wins, any result other than the emergence of an Islamist Syria of one type or another.
  I want to stress that that's only part of the picture. I don't want to say that only outside forces have brought this about. Because we must understand I think also that we are living through a particular historical moment in which Sunni Islamism is having its day in country after country across the region. In Egypt, and Tunisia; among the Palestinians, and also in Syria. To a certain extent there's sort of a bottom -- a from-below dynamic here as well. The Islamists have proved to be the most determined fighters. They've proved to be the ones most willing to make sacrifices, and they've also proved to be among the most honest and non-corrupt of the fighting elements. And as a result of all that, plus the money from outside, both organizations and individuals have gravitated towards them. With the result that the Islamists now very much dominate the military scene among the rebels, and also the political scene.
  THE KURDISH EQUATION AND THE OVERALL OUTLOOK:
  Judith: So this must be ominous, then, for the Kurds who you were just with. The whole element of the Kurds up there is murky and hard to understand. Last month, you wrote that the second chapter in the Syrian civil war will be marked by the existence of an additional enclave in the country maintained by Kurdish militias. But how is it that the Assad regime allowed Kurdish militias to remain up there? Was this just a matter of being overstretched, or was there some kind of strategic logic to this from Assad's point of view?
  Jonathan: Very much so. Assad's army withdrew from, or largely withdrew from, the Kurdish-majority northeast of Syria last summer, around August. That was at precisely the same moment that the rebels were launching their assaults, or beginning their assaults, on Aleppo city and on the capital, Damascus. Assad's strategy clearly at that point was to try to draw, or to narrow his lines, so to speak -- to reduce the amount of territory which his military forces were required to hold in order to better enable them to hold those areas of land which they were determined to keep. And the desire of the Kurds, clearly, has been throughout -- as it's been expressed to me also over the course of the last week -- has been to remain outside of the Syrian civil war. That's to say, to be neither pro-regime nor pro-rebellion. They have their own self-governing area.
  From the regime's point of view, then, that's not so terrible. That's to say, of course the regime would prefer to run the entirety of the country itself, but if it needs to draw its lines in and only concentrate on those areas where it absolutely has to hold, then the prospect of a self-governing Kurdish area in the northeast that is neither with the rebels nor with the regime is, in a certain sense, palatable. And Assad appears to have chosen to go with that, withdrawing his forces largely -- although not completely -- from the northeast, and opening the space into which Kurdish militias and Kurdish organizations could then become the effective, de facto government in those areas.
  Judith: Okay. So if Damascus falls, we're going to have Alawi Assad loyalists in the west, Kurds in the northeast, and rebels everywhere else -- rebels who are determined to crush the remaining Alawis, and to reconquer the Kurdish enclave. So the fall of the house of Assad, if it happens, is not going to be the end of the battle at all. It's just the beginning, it seems.
  Jonathan: I think so, yeah. It's going to be the opening curtain, so to speak, for a new phase of civil war in Syria, almost certainly. And to the picture which you very accurately just presented, one needs to add that of course the rebels, the Sunni Arab rebels themselves, are not united. So one would have an Alawi enclave in the west, a Kurdish enclave in the northeast, and then a whole series, potentially, of sort of emirates controlled by local Sunni Islamist leaders from the rebellion.
  I want to add that in a visit to Syria last September, I interviewed one of the leaders of one of the largest Sunni Islamist forces in Aleppo, Hadji al-Bab, and he was very specific when asked this question about the Kurds. That, you know, the rebellion, and his brigade, were determined to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria. If that meant challenging Kurdish forces, then they would do so. And indeed, in the subsequent months, the al-Bab brigade has been involved in a number of military clashes with Kurdish forces in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo and further afield in Syria.
  THE IRAN FACTOR
  Judith: Now let's pull back a bit and look at this from a wider vantage point. This is a proxy war. This is Assad against his people, but it's really Shiite Iran against Sunni Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey. Can you outline for us why Syria is such a critical battleground for Iran?
  Jonathan: Yeah. The Iranians have sought, ever since their revolution in 1979, to build proxies and allies in the Arab world. The Iranians see themselves as the natural leaders of the Middle Eastern -- of the Muslim world as a whole. This hasn't been all that successful a project of outreach, given it's now been going for more than thirty years. The fruits have been somewhat meager. The Iranians of course have effective control in a sense over Lebanon now through their proxy organization, Hezbollah. But the only major Arab state that has been aligned with the Iranians since the start, or pretty well since the moment of the revolution with a formal alliance since 1980, was Assad's Syria. So it seems absolutely crucial from an Iranian point of view to hold onto that asset. Clearly that's what they have in the Arab world since their revolution. This is firstly.
  Secondly, there is a larger Iranian strategic goal of maintaining a contiguous line of pro-Iranian states all the way from the western borders of Iran itself to the Mediterranean Sea. And this is a geostrategic issue. Persian empires have been trying to reach the Mediterranean Sea one way or another for centuries, and this is also the goal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Now, the Iranians now dominating are closely aligned with the governing authority in Iraq. And as I said, they also dominate Lebanon, and they are aligned with Syria. So that contiguous line of states all the way to the sea currently exists. But if Assad were to fall, it would cease to exist. Assad's a key link in that chain. So for that reason, too, the Iranians are determined to keep him in power, have defined it as a strategic goal of keeping him in power, and indeed have mobilized many of the most important of their other regional assets in the fight to keep Assad in power.
  Judith: Iran has been publicly urging Assad to negotiate with the opposition. So presumably this is just a public posture?
  Jonathan: Yeah, I think so. I mean I think the key issue is whether Assad stays in power or not. And if the proposed negotiations [require] that Assad will stay in power in the process of negotiation -- clearly that's not going to be good enough for the rebels, who are going to say well no, we want a guarantee that he's going to leave power before we even start talking. This is a dynamic which we're familiar with from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the way in which sides can posture in order to give the impression of being ready for negotiation but at the same time can present positions which quite obviously will be rejected by the other side, and if that takes place, then what we're in the midst of is a public relations exercise.
  THE ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND CONSEQUENCES FOR THE WEST:
  Damian: Reading your work, I was reassured that you don't fall into the post-colonial theory trap of a lot of the people who maybe have attended the schools that you have. And as you've been saying earlier today, your analysis is very much one of: this is an ethnic conflict, this is a civil conflict that's taking place on the ground within a country whose borders were defined a long time ago by external powers. But the reality is a lot more complicated than most Westerners would like to paint it for the sake of making some political point or ideological point. You've just now given us a summary of the strategic implications of what's going on, especially from the point of view of Iran. If we pull back even further, to the point of course that obsesses a lot of people outside, why hasn't, in your opinion, the United States become more involved in something that clearly has implications for its dealings with probably its biggest irritant in the region?
  Jonathan:Well, the Obama administration is notably extremely cautious and skeptical regarding the conventional American military commitments in the region, in the Middle East. And it's not hard to see why. Obama came into power inheriting what was largely seen as two failed American conventional military interventions into the Middle East/South Asia, first of course in Afghanistan; secondly into Iraq. So it's in the core DNA of the Obama administration -- it wants to draw down American conventional involvement in the region. Certainly not increase it. If we look at Obama's security policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan and elsewhere, we can see that there is a desire to rely on small, focused forces against the enemy, and if possible from the air, not involving the messy business of US troops getting mixed up in local disputes and local conflicts. That very much...is what Obama's foreign policy is about. If we understand his Syrian policy from that point of view, things start to look clearer. There was a determination not to get physically involved on the ground. There was even a very deeply felt skepticism towards arming the rebels. We now know that a proposal by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which she approved of, for arming the rebels didn't take place because other elements in the administration opposed it. So there's a very, very deep skepticism, an unwillingness there, and that has been the key reason for America's non-involvement in the Syrian civil war.
  Damian: And do you think the United States and the world will pay a price for this non-involvement?
  Jonathan: Yeah. I think it's probably too late now, to be honest with you. I think options exist for a certain period of time in the real world and then reality moves on, so to speak. And I think if we look at the situation in which the Syrian rebellion is now in, if we look at the forces that are now leading it and dominating it, it's very hard to identify any important elements in the rebellion which would be the appropriate recipients of Western aid. So, tragically, perhaps, it's now been allowed to reach a point where I at least no longer believe that greater involvement and intervention would lead to anything good. Perhaps at an earlier stage the situation was different. At this stage, that's where we are at.
  Will the West pay a price for this? The West will pay a price for it. The people of the region will pay a price also, for the triumph of Sunni Islamism in context after context across the region. And Syria is one of those contexts right now. Sunni Islamists are not going to be able to address any of the absolutely core developmental issues that are underlying so much of the Middle East political reality. They're clearly not going to have the solution to the issue of widespread illiteracy, they're not going to have the solution to the issue of developing open societies and civil societies and organizations of the kind that form the basis for a successful society. They don't have answers to any of this. The fact that they've triumphed in context after context in country after country in the region I think bodes ill for the region itself, and as a result of that, we'll have a knock-on effect for Westerners. Western countries will also, I think, pay a price for that.
Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:24
  1. Routine Care, Unforgettable BillsWhen Sean Recchi, a 42-year-old from Lancaster, Ohio, was told last March that he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, his wife Stephanie knew she had to get him to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Stephanie's father had been treated there 10 years earlier, and she and her family credited the doctors and nurses at MD Anderson with extending his life by at least eight years.
  Because Stephanie and her husband had recently started their own small technology business, they were unable to buy comprehensive health insurance. For $469 a month, or about 20% of their income, they had been able to get only a policy that covered just $2,000 per day of any hospital costs. ''We don't take that kind of discount insurance,'' said the woman at MD Anderson when Stephanie called to make an appointment for Sean.
  Stephanie was then told by a billing clerk that the estimated cost of Sean's visit '-- just to be examined for six days so a treatment plan could be devised '-- would be $48,900, due in advance. Stephanie got her mother to write her a check. ''You do anything you can in a situation like that,'' she says. The Recchis flew to Houston, leaving Stephanie's mother to care for their two teenage children.
  About a week later, Stephanie had to ask her mother for $35,000 more so Sean could begin the treatment the doctors had decided was urgent. His condition had worsened rapidly since he had arrived in Houston. He was ''sweating and shaking with chills and pains,'' Stephanie recalls. ''He had a large mass in his chest that was '... growing. He was panicked.''
  Nonetheless, Sean was held for about 90 minutes in a reception area, she says, because the hospital could not confirm that the check had cleared. Sean was allowed to see the doctor only after he advanced MD Anderson $7,500 from his credit card. The hospital says there was nothing unusual about how Sean was kept waiting. According to MD Anderson communications manager Julie Penne, ''Asking for advance payment for services is a common, if unfortunate, situation that confronts hospitals all over the United States.''
  Claudia Susana for TIMESean RecchiDiagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 42. Total cost, in advance, for Sean's treatment plan and initial doses of chemotherapy: $83,900. Charges for blood and lab tests amounted to more than $15,000; with Medicare, they would have cost a few hundred dollars
  The total cost, in advance, for Sean to get his treatment plan and initial doses of chemotherapy was $83,900.
  Why?
  The first of the 344 lines printed out across eight pages of his hospital bill '-- filled with indecipherable numerical codes and acronyms '-- seemed innocuous. But it set the tone for all that followed. It read, ''1 ACETAMINOPHE TABS 325 MG.'' The charge was only $1.50, but it was for a generic version of a Tylenol pill. You can buy 100 of them on Amazon for $1.49 even without a hospital's purchasing power.
  (In-Depth Video: The Exorbitant Prices of Health Care)
  Dozens of midpriced items were embedded with similarly aggressive markups, like $283.00 for a ''CHEST, PA AND LAT 71020.'' That's a simple chest X-ray, for which MD Anderson is routinely paid $20.44 when it treats a patient on Medicare, the government health care program for the elderly.
  Every time a nurse drew blood, a ''ROUTINE VENIPUNCTURE'' charge of $36.00 appeared, accompanied by charges of $23 to $78 for each of a dozen or more lab analyses performed on the blood sample. In all, the charges for blood and other lab tests done on Recchi amounted to more than $15,000. Had Recchi been old enough for Medicare, MD Anderson would have been paid a few hundred dollars for all those tests. By law, Medicare's payments approximate a hospital's cost of providing a service, including overhead, equipment and salaries.
  On the second page of the bill, the markups got bolder. Recchi was charged $13,702 for ''1 RITUXIMAB INJ 660 MG.'' That's an injection of 660 mg of a cancer wonder drug called Rituxan. The average price paid by all hospitals for this dose is about $4,000, but MD Anderson probably gets a volume discount that would make its cost $3,000 to $3,500. That means the nonprofit cancer center's paid-in-advance markup on Recchi's lifesaving shot would be about 400%.
  When I asked MD Anderson to comment on the charges on Recchi's bill, the cancer center released a written statement that said in part, ''The issues related to health care finance are complex for patients, health care providers, payers and government entities alike '... MD Anderson's clinical billing and collection practices are similar to those of other major hospitals and academic medical centers.''
  The hospital's hard-nosed approach pays off. Although it is officially a nonprofit unit of the University of Texas, MD Anderson has revenue that exceeds the cost of the world-class care it provides by so much that its operating profit for the fiscal year 2010, the most recent annual report it filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was $531 million. That's a profit margin of 26% on revenue of $2.05 billion, an astounding result for such a service-intensive enterprise.1
  The president of MD Anderson is paid like someone running a prosperous business. Ronald DePinho's total compensation last year was $1,845,000. That does not count outside earnings derived from a much publicized waiver he received from the university that, according to the Houston Chronicle, allows him to maintain unspecified ''financial ties with his three principal pharmaceutical companies.''
  DePinho's salary is nearly triple the $674,350 paid to William Powers Jr., the president of the entire University of Texas system, of which MD Anderson is a part. This pay structure is emblematic of American medical economics and is reflected on campuses across the U.S., where the president of a hospital or hospital system associated with a university '-- whether it's Texas, Stanford, Duke or Yale '-- is invariably paid much more than the person in charge of the university.
  I got the idea for this article when I was visiting Rice University last year. As I was leaving the campus, which is just outside the central business district of Houston, I noticed a group of glass skyscrapers about a mile away lighting up the evening sky. The scene looked like Dubai. I was looking at the Texas Medical Center, a nearly 1,300-acre, 280-building complex of hospitals and related medical facilities, of which MD Anderson is the lead brand name. Medicine had obviously become a huge business. In fact, of Houston's top 10 employers, five are hospitals, including MD Anderson with 19,000 employees; three, led by ExxonMobil with 14,000 employees, are energy companies. How did that happen, I wondered. Where's all that money coming from? And where is it going? I have spent the past seven months trying to find out by analyzing a variety of bills from hospitals like MD Anderson, doctors, drug companies and every other player in the American health care ecosystem.
  When you look behind the bills that Sean Recchi and other patients receive, you see nothing rational '-- no rhyme or reason '-- about the costs they faced in a marketplace they enter through no choice of their own. The only constant is the sticker shock for the patients who are asked to pay.
  (iReport:Tell Us Your Health Care Story)
  Photograph by Nick Veasey for TIMEGauze Pads: $77Charge for each of four boxes of sterile gauze pads, as itemized in a $348,000 bill following a patient's diagnosis of lung cancer
  Yet those who work in the health care industry and those who argue over health care policy seem inured to the shock. When we debate health care policy, we seem to jump right to the issue of who should pay the bills, blowing past what should be the first question: Why exactly are the bills so high?
  What are the reasons, good or bad, that cancer means a half-million- or million-dollar tab? Why should a trip to the emergency room for chest pains that turn out to be indigestion bring a bill that can exceed the cost of a semester of college? What makes a single dose of even the most wonderful wonder drug cost thousands of dollars? Why does simple lab work done during a few days in a hospital cost more than a car? And what is so different about the medical ecosystem that causes technology advances to drive bills up instead of down?
  Recchi's bill and six others examined line by line for this article offer a closeup window into what happens when powerless buyers '-- whether they are people like Recchi or big health-insurance companies '-- meet sellers in what is the ultimate seller's market.
  The result is a uniquely American gold rush for those who provide everything from wonder drugs to canes to high-tech implants to CT scans to hospital bill-coding and collection services. In hundreds of small and midsize cities across the country '-- from Stamford, Conn., to Marlton, N.J., to Oklahoma City '-- the American health care market has transformed tax-exempt ''nonprofit'' hospitals into the towns' most profitable businesses and largest employers, often presided over by the regions' most richly compensated executives. And in our largest cities, the system offers lavish paychecks even to midlevel hospital managers, like the 14 administrators at New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center who are paid over $500,000 a year, including six who make over $1 million.
  Taken as a whole, these powerful institutions and the bills they churn out dominate the nation's economy and put demands on taxpayers to a degree unequaled anywhere else on earth. In the U.S., people spend almost 20% of the gross domestic product on health care, compared with about half that in most developed countries. Yet in every measurable way, the results our health care system produces are no better and often worse than the outcomes in those countries.
  According to one of a series of exhaustive studies done by the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm, we spend more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined: Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain and Australia. We may be shocked at the $60 billion price tag for cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy. We spent almost that much last week on health care. We spend more every year on artificial knees and hips than what Hollywood collects at the box office. We spend two or three times that much on durable medical devices like canes and wheelchairs, in part because a heavily lobbied Congress forces Medicare to pay 25% to 75% more for this equipment than it would cost at Walmart.
  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 10 of the 20 occupations that will grow the fastest in the U.S. by 2020 are related to health care. America's largest city may be commonly thought of as the world's financial-services capital, but of New York's 18 largest private employers, eight are hospitals and four are banks. Employing all those people in the cause of curing the sick is, of course, not anything to be ashamed of. But the drag on our overall economy that comes with taxpayers, employers and consumers spending so much more than is spent in any other country for the same product is unsustainable. Health care is eating away at our economy and our treasury.
  The health care industry seems to have the will and the means to keep it that way. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the pharmaceutical and health-care-product industries, combined with organizations representing doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, health services and HMOs, have spent $5.36 billion since 1998 on lobbying in Washington. That dwarfs the $1.53 billion spent by the defense and aerospace industries and the $1.3 billion spent by oil and gas interests over the same period. That's right: the health-care-industrial complex spends more than three times what the military-industrial complex spends in Washington.
  When you crunch data compiled by McKinsey and other researchers, the big picture looks like this: We're likely to spend $2.8 trillion this year on health care. That $2.8 trillion is likely to be $750 billion, or 27%, more than we would spend if we spent the same per capita as other developed countries, even after adjusting for the relatively high per capita income in the U.S. vs. those other countries. Of the total $2.8 trillion that will be spent on health care, about $800 billion will be paid by the federal government through the Medicare insurance program for the disabled and those 65 and older and the Medicaid program, which provides care for the poor. That $800 billion, which keeps rising far faster than inflation and the gross domestic product, is what's driving the federal deficit. The other $2 trillion will be paid mostly by private health-insurance companies and individuals who have no insurance or who will pay some portion of the bills covered by their insurance. This is what's increasingly burdening businesses that pay for their employees' health insurance and forcing individuals to pay so much in out-of-pocket expenses.
  1. Here and elsewhere I define operating profit as the hospital's excess of revenue over expenses, plus the amount it lists on its tax return for depreciation of assets'--because depreciation is an accounting expense, not a cash expense. John Gunn, chief operating officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, calls this the ''fairest way'' of judging a hospital's financial performance
  SOUND OFF: Are Medical Bills Too High? Tell Us Why
Steve Brill: The Health Care Moochers Are Providers, Not Consumers
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:08
  [h/t Heather at VideoCafe]Steven Brill has written a must-read article for this week's Time magazine about health care costs and why we really do have to be concerned about them. Following on that, he made an appearance on the round table segment of This Week to discuss those costs and why he's sounding the alarm.
  Anyone who has spent even a day in the hospital knows what the problem is. When one over-the-counter pain reliever administered in the hospital costs as much as an entire bottle at the pharmacy, there's a very, very big problem.
  Brill correctly points out that Medicare is an efficient program that Congress has managed to hog-tie into some ridiculous costly measures:
  And it actually that bears on the conversation we're having, because a chunk of that money is paid by Medicare. Medicare is I point out in the article is very efficient at most things. It buys health care really efficiently, which is a great irony, because it's supposed to be the big government of bureaucracy.
  Where Medicare is not efficient is where Congress, because of lobbyists have handcuffed Medicare. Medicare can't negotiate what it pays for any kind of drugs. It can't negotiate what it pays for wheelchairs, diabetes testing equipment. And if Congress took those handcuffs off of Medicare, you could get about half of the spending cuts that we're sitting around here talking about.
  Yes, this. Of course, that assumes anyone in Congress is brave enough to stand up to the mighty PhRMA lobby, which seems to have as deep a lock on Washington as the gun lobby. Brill also makes the compelling argument for lowering the Medicare eligibility age, which I have argued over and over again here at C&L. The single biggest cost-saver for Medicare would be to drop the eligibility age, let people buy in until they actually reach retirement age, and then they would drop to the levels under the Social Security law.
  By the way, Steve Brill is not by any stretch of the imagination some liberal socialist out to destroy capitalism. The man is a moderate conservative who has done quite well in the land of free enterprise, which made his declaration is a refreshing breath of intellectual honesty about health care in this country.
  Brill makes compelling arguments, and I agree with every single one of them. What struck me about this exchange, however, was how George Will hijacked the conversation to talk about all the people in the whole United States who are nothing but a bunch of health care moochers! It's not the costs of health care, people! No, not at all. What we have in this country are a bunch of moochers who don't carry their own weight.
  Here's Will, telling us all we mooch:
  Here's an argument against that, for a different kind of reform, all the big numbers, billions and trillions, 12 cents is the most important number. 12 cents is the portion of every health care dollar paid by the person receiving the health care. Someone else is paying the rest. It was 47 cents 50 years ago when Jack Kennedy was president.
  I don't know where George Will dug up this 12 cents number, but he's clearly been pumped full of fresh baloney and lost his ability to actually reason. Worse yet, Kimberley Strassel chimed in with her own flavor of ignorance, which she seems to actually believe:
  No, we haven't, because we only have a small group of Americans who are doing that. We have a much larger group of Americans, like George says, who are getting their health care through their companies and it's largely paid for them and they have no skin in the game.
  On what planet is it that health insurance premiums deducted from employees' paychecks and fully tax-deductible by their employers is "no skin in the game?"
  If anyone wants to waste time trying to figure out where Will's 12 cents comes from, leave a comment. But here's why he and his little sidekick Strassel are dead wrong. There are three payment methods for health care in this country: Out of pocket, private health insurance, and Medicare. Each of those share one similar characteristic: They are risk pools. Those who pay for health care with their savings pool the risk within their families. Those who buy private health insurance pool their risk with other buyers of insurance at the same company. Whether or not those premiums are paid out of pocket or partly by an employer, they are still paid for by the covered individual.
  Medicare is also a risk pool, albeit a high-risk pool. It is paid for with payroll deductions from workers in this country who expect to receive the same level of benefits their parents and grandparents received because they pay for them and there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn't expect to receive them.
  Regardless of which pool one might be swimming in, the dollars in that pool were put there by the people who receive coverage and benefits. If George Will is trying to start another intergenerational war by saying that Medicare recipients paid 12 cents in for every dollar they take out, he's flat wrong. The numbers don't work out that way. It's more like 34 cents for every dollar. The major difference is the cost of healthcare, not the healthcare they're receiving.
  Now that I've spent a lot of words explaining this, let me quote Ezra Klein, who boils down Brill's article to this one sentence:
  The American health-care system does not use rate-setting.
  In other words, there is no regulation on the amount providers can charge for health care goods and services. There should be. There is absolutely no reason for hospital stays to hit six figures after a few days. There's no reason for exorbitant drug prices. As Ezra also points out, we have a model for rate-setting right now in the US: Maryland.
  It turns out that we don't even have to go oversees to see this: Maryland has succeeded in controlling costs for about four decades now. It is the only state that sets rates for hospitals, with the state government deciding what every Maryland hospital can charge for a given procedure.
  That system started in 1976, when Maryland had hospital costs 26 percent higher than the rest of the the country. In 2008, the average cost for a hospital admission in Maryland was down to national levels. ''From 1997 through 2008, Maryland hospitals experienced the lowest cumulative growth in cost per adjusted admission of any state in the nation,'' the state concluded in a 2010 report.
  There are definitely moochers in the health care system, George Will and Kimberley Strassel, but they're not Medicare recipients. They're providers.
  Take two aspirin and call Steve Brill in the morning.
John Kerry Makes Up Country of 'Kyrzakhstan'
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:08
  In a little noticed mistake last week, John Kerry, the new secretary of state, seems to have made up the country of "Kyrzakhstan":
  "The newly minted diplomat was referring to Kyrgyzstan, a poor, landlocked nation of 5.5 million, which he appeared to confuse with its resource-rich neighbour to the north, Kazakhstan," the British Telegraph claims.
  "The State Department kindly omitted the error in the official transcript of Wednesday's speech, which Mr Kerry delivered on the eve of his first foreign trip as secretary of state. Mr Kerry's flub was all the more awkward, because Kyrgyzstan is a key ally in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and a major recipient of US aid, which totalled $41 million (£27 million) in 2011."
  Kerry left yesterday on his first foreign trip as head of the State Department.
Fed Officials Debate Bank's Lo
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:05
  The Federal Reserve's plans for the eventual wind-down of its economic stimulus campaign could provoke a political reaction that will make it more difficult to control inflation, a current Fed official and a former Fed governor said Friday.
  When the economy grows stronger, the Fed plans to sell some of its vast holdings of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities. The Fed also plans to pay banks to leave some money on deposit with it to limit the pace of new lending.
  And that could prove an awkward combination. The Fed faces the possibility of large losses as it sells off securities, which could force the central bank to suspend annual payments to the Treasury Department for the first time since the 1930s, even as it would be increasing the amounts paid to the banking industry for its cash holdings at the Fed to control inflation.
  "That sounds like a recipe for political problems," said James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He described the predicament as one reason the Fed might consider limiting its plans for additional asset purchases.
  But Eric S. Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said that concerns about potential losses needed to be weighed against the benefits of asset purchases. The Fed holds almost $3 trillion in Treasuries and mortgage bonds, and it is adding about $85 billion a month in an effort to cut unemployment.
  Mr. Rosengren, a leading advocate of the purchases, said Boston Fed research showed asset purchases this year could help create about 400,000 new jobs.
  "That's what the Federal Reserve should really be caring about, what's happening with the dual mandate with and without" the asset purchases, Mr. Rosengren said. "When I think about the costs, I have to weigh that against the benefits," he said at the US Monetary Policy Forum in New York on Friday.
Not So Smart
  Link to Article
  Source: Clusterfuck Nation
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00
  "The Fed can afford to lose money because it can simply print more." One striking but little discussed element about the new Netflix Washington political drama series, House of Cards, is that every time a character picks up a cell phone, something bad happens. The character's phones shadow them at every turn like evil twins, giving the impression that the US government, and everything in its orbit, is run not by human beings but by cell phones. The people attached are merely puppets of the phones. I don't think this is a sign of the rumored "singularity," the point at which human and machine intelligence supposedly meld into a shimmering synthesis of silicon masturbation fantasies. Rather it's just another demonstration of the diminishing returns of technology -- or how thinking you're so smart actually makes you stupider. Surely we are a stupider nation politically than we were before the age of texting, drones, and high frequency trading. I have no predictions about what exact effects the so-called Sequester might bring about when its dreaded hammer rings down on Friday. But something that works as a bitch-slap upside this nation's tattooed head is apt to be salutary, if only to demonstrate to the apathetic masses and its grifter leaders that anything which can't go on forever, eventually won't. What disturbs me, a non-right-winger politically, is that the US government should not try to replace a functioning real economy of volitional exchanges, especially if necessity compels that economy to change. That is what our government has been attempting by stealthy increments for decades and now with reckless abandon in the new era of a permanent contraction that no political figure can fathom. Lately, this trend has been ramped up under the wishful hypothesis that some magical new technology or financial "secret sauce," will eventually bring back a return to the nirvana of techno-industrial boom times, if only we can be "smart" enough. The wishing is evident in such con-jobs as the shale gas bubble ("We'll soon be energy independent") and the idea that a few new Apple fabrication factories, staffed largely by robots, will save the remnant American blue collar class from their fate as tattooed convenience store layabouts. Of course there is plenty of real work to do around the USA in transitioning to the next phase of history, but we're not interested because it might violate our narrow comfort zone. We need more people to start working at local farming. When agri-biz fails it will happen hard and fast because of its seasonal nature, and the familiar distribution networks (supermarkets) will fail with it. American political leadership won't inform its citizen-subjects about this beforehand, or shift policy supports away from their ag-industrial client-patrons. To be fair, American citizens can't see themselves working in the crop rows, either. They will choose to starve rather than do what they've seen Mexican migrants do for a couple of generations -- and they will starve, eventually, too, even with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills playing on the flat screen in the background. If we weren't such a stupid people in thrall to our "smart" phones, we'd be rebuilding the US passenger railroad system for the day, not far off, when the grand entitlement of Happy Motoring rather suddenly vaporizes for a significant chunk of the population. The lack of interest in that project is really something to behold. Politicians who systematically "de-fund" the rail corridors, which is the case here in the Northeast, do it because they are as clueless as their constituents about what's really coming down. Rather, both the politicians and the public place their bets on "self-driving cars" powered by an as-yet-to-be announced sovereign replacement for liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The net effect of that stupidity is that your children and grandchildren will lead lives in which they rarely travel more than ten miles from home. What also gets me about the aptly-named tele-drama House of Cards is the way all the leading politician characters are seamlessly conveyed around Washington D.C. by chauffeured limousines, even two-bit congressmen from states where people don't eat with knives and forks. Cossetted in their air-cooled back seats, they relentlessly romance their smart phones, making more trouble for themselves and for everyone in this sad-ass feckless country. What a tragic conceit for the nation of dunces we have actually made of ourselves. ____________________________________
MoveOn.Mika: 'Silly' To Discuss Obama Not Telling Truth Over Authorship Of Sequester
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:59
  On Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski says it's "silly" to discuss the fact that President Obama didn't tell the truth when during a presidential debate he claimed that he hadn't initially proposed the sequester, Congress had. Trying to end the uncomfortable discussion, at one point Mika declares "I'm moving on."
Meer Nederlanders voelen zich Europeaan
  Link to Article
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:56
  Meer Nederlanders zijn zich vorig jaar Europeaan gaan voelen. In het begin van 2012 zei 61 procent van de Nederlanders zich Europees te voelen, aan het einde van het jaar steeg dit naar 67 procent.Meer hieroverCrisis nog niet op toppunt
  2011-12-22 15:03:35.0
  We zien onze financile toekomst zonnig in
  2011-10-17 16:50:23.0
  Dat meldt NU.nl. Maandag publiceerde de Europese Commissie uitkomsten van het periodiek onderzoek Eurobarometer. Jongeren voelen zich minder Europees dan ouderen boven de 55 jaar.
  Burger EUOp de vraag 'voelt u zich burger van de Europese Unie' antwoordde 72 procent van de 55- plussers, de generatie die de oprichting van de EU heeft meegemaakt, bevestigend. Onder de jongeren was dit 63 procent.
  Hogere klasseMensen die zelf aangeven tot de hogere klasse te behoren, voelen zich meer Europees dan Nederlanders die zeggen tot de arbeidersklasse te horen: 80 tegenover ruim 50 procent.
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Austerity USA Begins March 1st: Bipartisan Project to Impoverish the American People
  Link to Article
  Source: Global Research
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:17
  U.S. politicians have cried wolf over austerity long enough for the public to ignore them. A perfect time, then, for politicians to actually unleash the wolves. Barring an unlikely last minute deal, here's a short list of some of the massive, national bi-partisan-created austerity cuts, according to the New York Times:
  -600,000 food stamp recipients will be cut from the program
  ''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. ''
  -12 billion in Medicare cuts (more to come after 2013)
  -Millions receiving unemployment will see their checks cut by 11% (an average of 132 a month)
  -Federal funds to state governments will be cut, creating even more deficits for states and municipalities, and thus more localized cuts (the states have already made austerity cuts of $337 billion!)And this is just for 2013. The current plan for the austerity ''sequester'' cuts is $100 billion of federal cuts every year for ten years, equaling massive cuts to jobs, Medicare, education, and completely destroying federally funded social programs.
  ''In private, Capitol Hill staff members and members of Congress have admitted that there are no viable plans on the horizon to delay or offset the cuts.''
  The finger pointing in Washington, D.C. has already reached a crescendo, with the perverted logic being that, if both parties are to blame, it's really no one's fault. In reality Democrats and Republicans created these ''sequester'' cuts, and they can just as easily undo them with a snap of the finger.
  Obama has predictably blamed the Republicans for this mess, even though he personally began this process by creating the ''deficit reduction commission'' that helped shape the cuts (keep in mind there is zero debt crisis that calls for such drastic measures).
  Obama could also just as easily appeal to the American public '--over the heads of congressmen '-- to demand that the cuts be shelved forever. Instead, he's proposing a ''grand bargain'' deal that he knows the Republicans won't go for.
  -$130 billion in ''savings'' [cuts] to Social Security, by implementing a ''superlative CPI.''
  -$35 billion in ''savings'' [cuts] to the retirement of federal employees.
  - $400 billion in health care ''savings'' [cuts], much of it Medicare cuts.
  Obama cynically fails to mention the words Social Security or Medicare in the above plan, choosing instead to write in code (''superlative Consumer Price Index''). Obama's plan to avoid the March 1st cuts still assumes that $500 billion in cuts will be implemented over the next ten years, as opposed to $1trillion.
  But his plan is just a distraction. Obama knows his plan has no chance of being passed by March 1st. He's falsely portraying his plan as the only alternative to the March 1st cuts, even though a far better idea '-- the one preferred by a vast majority of Americans '-- is to simply to shelve the sequester cuts forever. To not put forth this option makes Obama complicit in the cuts.
  Many pundits have speculated that Congress will allow the cuts to go into effect for three weeks, since March 27th marks a fiscal deadline that will pressure Congress to maneuver anew. This might trigger a new round of haggling over a new ''grand bargain'' that again targets ''entitlement programs'' and re-packages the massive cuts into a prettier box. The party that does the most effective finger pointing after the March 1st cuts will be in the best position to dictate matters post-March 27th, so say the pundits.Whatever the actual result, the Democrats and Republicans share similar enough visions that massive cuts to cherished social programs appear to be inevitable. Much of the made-for-TV bickering is pure political posturing, meant to fool the working people most affected by these cuts into believing it's ''the other party'' that's responsible.
  Politicians have been able to get away with this disgusting behavior because there are very few independent voices telling the truth about what's happening. Many labor and progressive groups are consciously lying about the dynamic, placing blame squarely on the Republicans, thus allowing the Democrats not to be held accountable for their pandering to the corporate elite's demand to use austerity to attack the social safety net. In reality both parties are jointly attacking working and poor people via austerity, on a city, state, and national level.
  If Labor and community groups united in a demand of 'No Cuts, Tax the Rich' and organized massive mobilizations, there would be a very different public debate happening right now. It's not too late for these groups to tear themselves from the jaws of their attackers.
Dead French Photographer was State Department-Funded - Embedded With Al Qaeda
  Link to Article
  Source: Land Destroyer
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:17
  February 25, 2013 (LD) - Further indication of the depraved nature of the West's campaign against Syria, and the depraved nature of its institutions, methods, and faux-NGOs, vindicating a growing trend of ejecting Western "journalists" and NGO's from an ever increasing number of nations, it is revealed that a French photographer recently killed in Syria was embedded with terrorist militants in Idlib, northern Syria, and was working on behalf of the US State Department's National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funded "Reporters Without Borders."The UK Daily Mail revealed in their article, "French photographer killed by flying shrapnel in Syria as rebels launch fresh offensive on police academy in Aleppo," that:
  A French photographer has been killed by flying shrapnel in Syria while covering operations of an armed opposition group.
  The French government said today Olivier Voisin had been working for Reporters Without Borders near the northwestern city of Idlib.
  Idlib, Syria, along with much of northern Syria is admittedly overrun by Al Qaeda. In fact, a recent Washington Post article stated that northern Syria was so overrun with Al Qaeda, that Western nations along with its Arab partners have decided to ship weapons in from Daraa in southern Syria. Of course, Daraa too is a long-time hotbed for extremist activity, including Al Qaeda, years before the so-called "uprising" even began.The Post article titled, "In Syria, new influx of weapons to rebels tilts the battle against Assad," admits:
  A surge of rebel advances in Syria is being fueled at least in part by an influx of heavy weaponry in a renewed effort by outside powers to arm moderates in the Free Syrian Army, according to Arab and rebel officials.
  The new armaments, including anti-tank weapons and recoilless rifles, have been sent across the Jordanian border into the province of Daraa in recent weeks to counter the growing influence of Islamist extremist groups in the north of Syria by boosting more moderate groups fighting in the south, the officials say.
  Despite the rampant extremism in the north, French photographer Olivier Voisin found himself amongst these very militants in the midst of what we are told are waves of "rebel gains." Apparently these "gains" are being made at high costs.Voisin's organization, Reporters Without Borders, is a notorious faux-NGO that plays a pivotal role globally, undermining nations targeted by Western corporate-financier interests, working in tandem with US State Department-backed proxies in Iran, China, Russia, Sudan, and everywhere else Wall Street and London seek to plant their flag. In 2008, Reporters Without Borders received cash from the State Department-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED) whose board of directors is a who's who of warmongering Neo-Conservatives and corporate special interests.
  While these corporate-financier interests constitute the antithesis of "human rights," "human freedom," and "democracy," these very principles are used to leverage advantages and invoke public sympathy and support for subversion and regime change in targeted nations.
  Reporters Without Borders also received cash from the Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Overbrook Foundation, and the US State Department's Washington DC-based "Center for a Free Cuba." It should be noted that the Sigrid Rausing Trust also provides funding for the International Crisis Group (ICG) (along with BP, Chevron, Shell, Deutsche Bank Group, and Morgan Stanley) who in part helped blueprint and cheerlead the violence that ultimately claimed Voisin's life. In fact, the ICG includes amongst its board of directors, Kofi Annan who helped buy time for NATO militants to rearm and redeploy with a disingenuous "peace plan."
  And as Syria's government and people fight against Al Qaeda militants coddled, armed, and funded by NATO, admittedly based in Turkey side-by-side US-provided Patriot missile batteries, CIA agents, as well as French and British special forces, the Western corporate-media seems only able to condemn Voisin's death along with unconfirmed, most likely fabricated accounts made by militants that Syria is firing "Scud missiles" into Aleppo. This, while confirmed, deadly car bombings bearing all of Al Qaeda's hallmarks killed scores of civilians in Damascus, and was promptly excused, dismissed, and buried by the West. In fact, the US is blocking a UN resolution that would condemn the most recent Al Qaeda bombing in Damascus which claimed over 50 lives including school children.
  The runaway depravity of the West, its governments, institutions, media, and faux-NGO's are permanently disfiguring any potential concept of "international law" and has left the people of the West with a floundering legitimacy that will inevitably impact all other aspects of their life, not merely foreign policy. Criminal foreign policy is just one of many symptoms of a corrupt, corporate-financier dominated ruling oligarchy that has hijacked the institutions, charters, and social contracts that bind together a functional society. The solution is to boycott and ultimately replace these corporate-financier monopolies, by creating and cultivating local institutions that directly serve the interests of the people.
EU Doesn't Like Its Forecasts, So It Removes Them From Its Site
  Link to Article
  Source: Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:16
  With thanks to Yogi Berra, making predictions is hard, especially about the future. And with constantly revised forecasts for the EU, the European Commission decides the safe safe thing to do is Eliminate Forecasts for 2015.
  Via Google Translate from El Economista ...
  This morning you could see the data for 2012, 2103, 2014 and 2015, but now can only see the figures from 2011 to 2014 and there is no trace of the catastrophic 2015 numbers (see the screenshots attached below).
  Although there is no official communication in one way or another, hypothetically could be a real blunder produced after being released by mistake, or any type of computer failure, a former forecasts for 2012 under the 2015 column.'s say, that would have mistakenly announced as 2015 forecast estimates released earlier this year to last year.
  Forecasts of Discord
  Those European Commission forecasts envisage a general improvement in economic scenario for 2014. However, estimates for 2015, this morning hidden behind an interactive graphic , pointed for a few hours, before being erased-a brutal relapse. In fact, Germany would grow 2% in 2014 to only 0.8% in 2015, would UK from 1.9% to 0.3%, France 1.2% and Spain 0.2% from 0.8% to -1.4%.
  Sooner or LaterEl Economista has some interesting snapshots of the removed estimates. To be completely fair, the original posting may have been a simple mistake.
  Regardless, I suggest the EU forecast for 2014 is too optimistic.
  Will the EU 2014 estimates be revised lower as well? If not soon, then expect revisions later, with France leading the way lower.
  Mike "Mish" Shedlockhttp://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Rwanda: Maybe the Vatican Should Read Munyeshyaka's Indictment
  Link to Article
  Source: AllAfrica News: Latest
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:15
  One person who seems to have everything going for him is Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, former Vicar of St. Famille Catholic Church in Kigali.
  Apart from the "mastermind" of the Genocide - Col Theoneste Bagosora - Munyeshyaka's name features prominently among notorious individuals who "shone" during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
  The priest won prominence by his menacing stroll among refugees who had sought shelter in the church compound, wearing a flak jacket and a pistol tucked in his belt. His mission was to pick Tutsi girls to rape.
  Munyeshyaka's indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) singles out four female refugees raped by the priest. They survived the Genocide and testified to the fact. Countless others witnessed the priest, accompanied by armed militia, selecting those to be killed.
  The question that continues to baffle many is; why is he still free? Which Godfather in the Vatican has his back?
  Clamour for his arrest finally forced the ICTR to indict him, but this did not deter him from calmly continuing his ministry in some French parish.
  The ICTR indicted him in 2005 but he was not arrested yet he was not in hiding. Two years later, in 2007, they washed their hands off him and handed his case to France. It is 2013 and the man is still roaming free, yet to see his day in court.
  What hidden advantages has the Vatican seen in Munyeshyaka that overshadow his horrific details in the indictment? The Church will never cease to amaze.
How Barbara Streisand helped me find my glasses
  Link to Article
  Source: The View From Falling Downs
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:15
  There I was, one eye on the computer screen and one eye on the Academy Awards. Then Barbara comes on and starts singing a song.God, I want to see this... I reach for my glasses. I reach here and I reach there...
  Where's my fucking glasses?
  I run upstairs and check out all the usual glasses drop-spots around the commode...
  Run down to the cellar and check around the furnace...
  Oh my fu....
  Oops. Just as I was about to put out an APB about my glasses, I reached up to itch my left eye... oh my God!!!
  Ya, I was wearing my glasses the whole time.
acervus: Vatican Responds to Gay Blackmail Rumors, Embroiled Cardinal Skips Sunday Mass http://t.co/awiITQqufX
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / acervus
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:14
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Oscars snub Michael Winner
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:13
  Ignored by Hollywood ... Michael Winner. Photograph: Rex Features
  The Oscars snubbed British film director Michael Winner as '' surprisingly '' he failed to be acknowledged in the 85th Academy Awards' traditional In Memoriam section.
  Winner, who died just over a month ago, was responsible for a major Hollywood hit, Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson, which was one of the most successful films of 1974.
  But, while the Academy honoured the likes of Ernest Borgnine and Tony Scott, as well as cult talents such as Chris Marker, Tonino Guerra and Erland Josephson, no place was found for Winner.
  Arguably Winner's most productive years were the string of films he made in the 60s in the UK, including The Jokers and I'll Never Forget What's'isname. The success of the war picture Hannibal Brooks saw him picked up by the Hollywood studios and a series of films with major stars, including Burt Lancaster (Scorpio), Marlon Brando (The Nightcomers) and Robert Mitchum (The Big Sleep).
Lies, Damned Lies, And Banks: Deutsche Bank Caught Again
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:54
  Deutsche Bank, long coddled by the German government, is mired in a swamp of costly ''matters,'' such as the Libor rate-rigging scandal or the carbon-trading tax-fraud scandal that broke with a televised raid by 500 police officers on its headquarters. It's writing down assets and setting up reserves to settle these allegations.
  Co-CEO J¼rgen Fitschen insinuated more gloom was to come. The bank, he said, would ''be confronted with more developments in these and other matters'' [The Putrid Smell Suddenly Emanating From European Banks]. And now, one of these other matters seeped to the surface: the bank had known for years about the impact of commodities speculation on food prices and the havoc it wreaked on people in poor countries. And it had lied to the German Parliament about it.
  On June 27, 2012, David Folkerts-Landau, head of Deutsche Bank's DB Research, educated a parliamentary commission about the dire consequences of food price inflation'--and what didn't cause it.
  ''In developing countries where often up to 90% of the income must be spent on food,'' he said, ''price increases of wheat, corn, and soybeans in the years 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 had devastating consequences.'' Volatility made it worse. ''Even spikes of only a few months are a serious threat to food security.''
  While the volume of options and derivatives in agricultural markets had been ballooning in recent years, ''primarily in search of higher yields,'' he said, there was ''hardly any sound empirical evidence'' for the assertion that any of it ''led to price increases or higher volatility.''
  He cited the big players. The US Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had received ''no reliable economic analysis'' that showed that excessive speculation influenced the markets. US Department of Agriculture came to the same conclusion in 2009. And the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) pointed out as early as 2007 that there was ''no convincing causal relationship'' between speculation and price increases. That the BIS would say that makes sense: it groups together 58 central banks, including the most prodigious money printers. On its board: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, NY Fed President William Dudley, ECB President Mario Draghi, etc. etc.
  Thus inspired, Folkerts-Landau concluded that ''commodity prices are primarily determined by fundamental demand and supply factors,'' not speculation.
  Read More...
Ultimatum: Afghanistan Gives U.S. Special Forces 2 Weeks to Leave Key Province
  Link to Article
  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:35
  U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai speak to the media during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House January 11, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Getty Images)
  (TheBlaze/AP) '-- Afghanistan's president ordered all U.S. special forces to leave a strategically important eastern province within two weeks because of allegations that they, and Afghans working with them, are torturing and abusing other Afghans.
  ''After a thorough discussion, it became clear that armed individuals named as US special force stationed in Wardak province engage in harassing, annoying, torturing and even murdering innocent people,'' a statement released by the office of President Hamid Karzai reads. ''A recent example in the province is an incident in which nine people were disappeared in an operation by this suspicious force and in a separate incident a student was taken away at night from his home, whose tortured body with throat cut was found two days later under a bridge.''
  They do, however, note that ''Americans reject having conducted any such operation and any involvement of their special force.''
  The decision Sunday seems to have surprised the coalition and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, a separate command.
  ''We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and go to great lengths to determine the facts surrounding them,'' the U.S. forces said in a statement.
  A series of attacks in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday showed that insurgents remain on the offensive even as U.S. and other international forces prepare to end their combat mission by the end of 2014. Though the restive province near Kabul is viewed as a gateway to the capital and has been the focus of counterinsurgency efforts in recent years, presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said all special forces operations are to cease immediately.
  Afghan forces have taken the lead in many special operations in the area in recent years, especially so-called night raids.
  ''Those Afghans in these armed groups who are working with the U.S. special forces, the defense minister asked for an explanation of who they are,'' Faizi added. ''Those individuals should be handed over to the Afghan side so that we can further investigate.''
  Ceasing all such operations could have a negative impact on the coalition's campaign to go after Taliban leaders and commanders, who are usually the target of such operations.
  Moreover, the announcement comes roughly a week after Karzai issued a presidential declaration banning all Afghan security forces from using NATO air strikes in residential areas. The move sparked concern about Afghanistan's ability to hold the line when they take full responsibility.
  The U.S. statement said only that the announcement was ''an important issue that we intend to fully discuss with our Afghan counterparts. But until we have had a chance to speak with senior Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials about this issue, we are not in a position to comment further.''
  '---
  Related:
King of Spain's daughter may be named as a suspect in multimillion euro fraud case as her husband faces court quiz.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:20
  Duke of Palma alleged to have done fraudulent deals with politiciansAllegations of money-laundering by using off-shore accountsCalls for abdication of the king over corruption scandalBy Daily Mail Reporter
  PUBLISHED: 06:35 EST, 23 February 2013 | UPDATED: 08:51 EST, 23 February 2013
  Facing court threat: Princess Cristina could be named as a suspect in a multimillion euro fraud case
  The daughter of Spain's King Juan Carlos may be formally named as a suspect in a multimillion fraud case, it was reported today.
  Princess Cristina faces a possible indictment as her husband Inaki Urdangarin - the Duke of Palma - appeared in court to be questioned about allegations of money-laundering.
  Politicians are already calling for the abdication of her father after 37 years on the throne as anger grows over the corruption scandal engulfing the family.
  The preliminary request by prosecutors to name the princess is likely to be made next week based on the evidence of Diego Torres, her husband's business partner.
  Today on the Mediterranean island of in Palma de Mallorca, Urdangarin faced questions over allegations he and Torres funneled millions of euros to companies they controlled via a foundation on which Cristina served as a board member.
  Around 170 police kept noisy protesters away from the courthouse as Urdangarin, who has not been charged with a crime, went into the building.
  The investigating magistrate has ordered that he and Torres post a joint bond of '‚¬8.1m (£7m).
  They are alleged to have done fraudulent deals with politicians in regional governments in Valencia and the Balearic Islands while running the not-for-profit N"os Institute.
  Part of the money was then laundered through offshore accounts, it was claimed. Both Urdangarin and Torres deny any wrongdoing.
  Scroll down for video
  Questions: Urdangarin and Princess Cristina who served on the board of his foundation
  Family: Princess Cristina holds her daughter Irene beside her husband Inaki Urdangarin in 2005
  Miguel Bernad, head of the far-right Clean Hands movement told the Guardian: 'If the princess sits in the dock, the blow to the monarchy's prestige will be huge.'
  King Juan Carlos: Reported to be outraged by his son-in-law's behaviour
  Clean Hands sent a prosecutor to join the case and has made earlier requests to magistrate Jos(C) Castro to name Cristina as a suspect.
  Now Bernad has claimed new evidence had cast serious doubts over her husband's statement that his wife had a 'hands-off ' relationship with the foundation.
  Castro was set to question Urdangarin about three alleged offences against the Treasury, including corporate tax fraud related to his foundation and matters linked to his personal income tax returns.
  The judge also intends to ask about alleged bank accounts in tax havens such as Andorra, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
  Last week Torres revealed he had copies of dozens of emails that allegedly show that King Carlos tried to help his son-in-law land big contracts.
  The Guardian reported that he has hundreds of emails stored, and has slowly been releasing them in as an attempt to force the royal family to help him avoid jail
  The investigation into the alleged financial misdeeds has deeply embarrassed the monarchy in a country hard hit by a financial crisis and sky-high unemployment.
  Urdangarin was given the title of Duke of Palma by the king, now 75, after his daughter married the Olympic-medal winning handball player in 1997.
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For your consideration
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:11
  Jimmy McMillan campaigning on St. Mark's Place this afternoon. Photo by James Maher.
Zero Dark Thirty attacked by 9/11 family.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:05
  24 February 2013Last updated at11:31 ETThe relatives of a flight attendant who died in the 11 September attacks have criticised the film Zero Dark Thirty for using a recording of her last call.
  Zero Dark Thirty features the voice of Betty Ann Ong, who was on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center.
  Brother Harry Ong told the New York Times the film was "just outrageous".
  The Oscar-nominated film tells the story of the hunt and killing of Osama Bin Laden. Screenwriter Mark Boal told the paper Ms Ong was a "national hero".
  Ms Ong, a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, made a 23-minute phone call to authorities from an onboard phone to give them details of the hijacking.
  She is among the victims whose voices are heard during a sequence at the start of Zero Dark Thirty. Her brother said the clip was used without permission.
  "I thought it was just outrageous, and totally poor judgment, and an abuse of the voices," Mr Ong told the New York Times.
  Continue reading the main storyZero Dark Thirty is, in some small way, a tribute to those forever affected by the attacks''
  End QuoteSony and Annapurna Pictures statementHe has requested an apology be made at the Oscars if the film wins any of the five awards it is nominated for.
  He also asked the film-makers to donate to a charitable foundation set up in Ms Ong's name, include a credit for Ms Ong and put a statement on its website and DVD release making it clear that the Ong family did not endorse torture, which is depicted in the film.
  Mark Boal told the newspaper: "As the 9/11 commission justly proclaimed, Betty Ong is without a doubt one of our national heroes."
  In a statement, film studio Sony and Annapurna Pictures said Mr Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow had been in close contact with the families of victims since releasing the film, which was privately screened for many of them.
  "Zero Dark Thirty is, in some small way, a tribute to those forever affected by the attacks," the statement said.
  A link has now been added from the official Zero Dark Thirty website to the Betty Ann Ong foundation, the Voices of September 11th organisation and the 9/11 memorial site.
  The movie has been at the centre of much controversy since its release, including over its depiction of torture, the links between the film-makers and the CIA and whether it was a propaganda tool for President Barack Obama's re-election.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien Accused of 'Inappropriate Acts'
  Link to Article
  Source: NYT > Home Page
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:54
  LONDON '-- Britain's most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has been accused of committing ''inappropriate acts'' in his relations with three priests and one former priest, the newspaper The Observer reported Sunday. The accusations, which date back to the 1980s, have been forwarded to the Vatican.
  The newspaper said the four men had made their complaints to the pope's diplomatic representative in Britain, Antonio Mennini, and that the complaints had reached Archbishop Mennini in the week before Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on Feb. 11.
  The timing of The Observer's article, which was apparently drawn from church sources with access to the file that Archbishop Mennini had forwarded to Rome, became an immediate focus of attention.
  Reports from Rome in recent days have described the feverish speculation '-- and intrigue, according to Vatican insiders '-- surrounding the selection of the new pope, who is set to be chosen by a conclave of 117 eligible cardinals, among them Cardinal O'Brien, scheduled to convene at the Vatican sometime in March. Benedict's resignation takes effect Thursday.
  The Catholic Church has been besieged during Benedict's eight years in office by scandals over pedophilia and other forms of sexual abuse by priests. But the time since he announced his decision to retire on the grounds of failing health has been marked by a surge of Italian news media reports, many of them speculative, of gay sex scandals in the Vatican and other allegations of sexual abuse by priests.
  These reports have been seen by some in the Vatican as intended to harm some contenders for the papacy, or to disqualify some of the cardinals expected to participate in the conclave. Some Vatican experts believe they might also be devised to manufacture a sense of crisis that would encourage the conclave to select a conservative cardinal as the next pope. Cardinal O'Brien, who is set to retire after turning 75 next month, is the only cleric from Britain who will be eligible to vote in the conclave.
  On Saturday, the Vatican Secretariat of State issued a statement strongly rebuking recent reports in the Italian news media, calling them a dangerous attempt to try to condition the cardinal electors. The Vatican called it ''deplorable'' that ahead of the conclave there was ''a widespread distribution of often unverified, unverifiable or completely false news stories, that cause serious damage to persons and institutions.''
  Cardinal O'Brien had been scheduled to lead a Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday morning, an occasion dedicated to a celebration of Benedict's time in the papacy. But he did not appear for the Mass. Instead, a statement was made on his behalf by Bishop Stephen Robson, an auxiliary prelate in the Edinburgh diocese.
  ''A number of allegations of inappropriate behavior have been made against the cardinal,'' the church statement said. ''The cardinal has sought legal advice, and it would be inappropriate to comment at this time. There will be further statements in due course.''
  The Observer article said that one of the four men involved in the complaints against the cardinal had later left the priesthood and married, unable to reconcile himself to the idea of spending a lifetime under Cardinal O'Brien's authority. According to the newspaper, the man accused the cardinal of having made an ''inappropriate approach'' to him after night prayers when he was an 18-year-old seminarian in 1980, when Cardinal O'Brien, then a priest, was his spiritual director at a seminary in Melrose, south of Edinburgh.
  Another of the complainants, who is still a priest, was said to have complained about inappropriate contact between him and Cardinal O'Brien, then a priest, during a parish visit. The third complainant, another priest, was said to have been invited to spend a week ''getting to know'' the cardinal, by that time an archbishop, at his residence in Edinburgh, and having to deal with ''unwanted attention'' from the senior cleric after a late-night drinking session.
  The fourth man was said to have had his own experience of inappropriate contact when, in the early years of his priesthood, he sought counseling over personal problems from Cardinal O'Brien, then an archbishop.
  Cardinal O'Brien, whose office said he would keep to his scheduled plan to fly to Rome before the conclave, has been the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland since 1985, and was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. He was among the cardinals who attended the conclave that chose Benedict as John Paul's successor in 2005.
  Once called ''Cardinal Controversy'' by his critics, Cardinal O'Brien has often spoken out on homosexuality, adopting a more censorious attitude in recent years. Before his elevation to cardinal, he spoke publicly about the number of gay priests in the church and rebuked a Scottish bishop who had said that homosexuals should not be allowed to teach in Catholic schools.
  But in more recent years, he has hardened his stance, opposing gay rights and describing homosexuality as immoral. He has opposed allowing gay men and lesbians to adopt children. He has also argued against same-sex marriage, which the British Parliament is in the process of approving, calling it ''harmful to the spiritual, mental and spiritual well-being'' of those involved. Last November, Stonewall, a British gay-rights group, gave the cardinal its ''bigot of the year'' award.
  But Cardinal O'Brien has broken with other strictures that are common among conservatives in the church hierarchy. He drew headlines in Britain last week by telling the BBC that a new pope should consider abandoning the church's rule on celibacy. ''It is a free world,'' he said, ''and I realize that many priests have found it difficult to cope with celibacy and felt the need of a companion, a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family of their own.''
  Stepping directly into the contentious maneuvering over who should be the next pope, he suggested that ''it might be time for a younger pontiff from part of the developing world,'' perhaps from Africa or Asia, ''where the Catholic faith is thriving.''
  He added, ''It is something which the cardinals have to think about seriously, having had popes from Europe for such a long time now '-- hundreds of years '-- whether it is time to think of the developing world as being a source of excellent men.''
  Rachel Donadio contributed reporting from Rome, and Douglas Dalby from Dublin.
White House Breaks Down Sequester Damage In Each State
  Link to Article
  Source: TPM News
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:41
  Sahil Kapur February 24, 2013, 8:00 PMThe White House on Sunday night released state-by-state reports fleshing out the expected damage from the sequester '-- the deep, indiscriminate spending cuts set to take effect this week. Party leaders have made no progress in striking a deal to avert them.
  The reports details the consequences for popular areas of government like public health, education and research. It's part of a broader public relations offensive to pressure Republicans to drop their opposition to raising revenue as part of a deal to avoid what leaders of both parties agree would be devastating consequences if the cuts go through.
  ''Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress refuse to ask the wealthy to pay a little more by closing tax loopholes so that we can protect investments that are helping grow our economy and keep our country safe,'' the reports say. ''By not asking the wealthy to pay a little more, Republicans are forcing our children, seniors, troops, military families and the entire middle class to bear the burden of deficit reduction.''
  The top lines: This year alone, across the country, 70,000 children would lose access to head start; 2,100 fewer food inspections could occur; as many as 12,000 scientists and students would be hit by cuts to research and innovation; up to 373,000 mentally ill adults and children would go untreated, and small businesses may see $900 million in reduced loan guarantees.
  Security and law enforcement would also be hit. The White House estimates that the FBI could lose over 1,000 federal agents; customs and border patrol would effectively lose some 5,000 employees; and both the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration would have to furlough most of their workers.
  House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) office immediately shot back at the White House.
  ''Republicans in the House have voted '-- twice '-- to replace President Obama's sequester with smarter spending cuts,'' said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner. ''The White House needs to spend less time explaining to the press how bad the sequester will be and more time actually working to stop it.''
  Click below to read the White House's state-by-state reports (.pdf) of sequester damage.
  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. Arizona
  4. Arkansas
  5. California
  6. Colorado
  7. Connecticut
  8. Delaware
  9. District of Columbia
  10. Florida
  11. Georgia
  12. Hawaii
  13. Idaho
  14. Illinois
  15. Indiana
  16. Iowa
  17. Kansas
  18. Kentucky
  19. Louisiana
  20. Maine
  21. Maryland
  22. Massachusetts
  23. Michigan
  24. Minnesota
  25. Mississippi
  26. Missouri
  27. Montana
  28. Nebraska
  29. Nevada
  30. New Hampshire
  31. New Jersey
  32. New Mexico
  33. New York
  34. North Carolina
  35. North Dakota
  36. Ohio
  37. Oklahoma
  38. Oregon
  39. Pennsylvania
  40. Rhode Island
  41. South Carolina
  42. South Dakota
  43. Tennessee
  44. Texas
  45. Utah
  46. Vermont
  47. Virginia
  48. Washington
  49. West Virginia
  50. Wisconsin
  51. Wyoming
  Barack Obama, Budget, Sequestration, Spending, White House, budget
Leni Riefenstahl gets posthumous lifetime achievement Oscar
  Link to Article
  Source: The View From Falling Downs
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:39
  Ya, I just made that up, but she should.After all, she has been an inspiration to a generation of American propaganda makers.
  Leni would be more than proud of the folks who made Lincoln, Zero-dark-thirty, and Argo.
  All of those are propagandists in the finest Third Reich tradition.
  As propagandists for the Fourth Reich, all of them are in debt to Leni.
  As was the case in Leni's time, there is plenty to sweep under the rug in the Fourth Reich. How the richest country in the world has third world infant mortality rates among its minority populations, and all that other anti-American shit that only communist bloggers like me deign to dredge up.
  Let's not go there.
  Let's glorify Lincoln, who freed the slaves and made black Americans equal to white Americans. Almost 150 years later black Americans are more likely to go to jail than go to college. Black CEO's are non-existant except in niche sectors of the entertainment economy. Yessirree, there is a supposedly black dude in the White House, and he's got the yassa massa gig down better than any of his white predecessors in his relationship with Wall Street.
  Let's glorify Argo. Those crazed towelheads are one bunch of wacked-out dudes, are they not? What is it about their crazy religion that makes them hate us so much?
  Let's glorify Zero-dark-thirty. Yes, after years of having those towellers stick their fingers in our eye for no reason whatsoever, we finally unleashed a SEAL team on them. Took out the top towelhead just like that. Mind you, we had to torture a bunch of folks to get there, but it's not really torture when you're inflicting pain on lesser humans.
  Leni wouldn't just be proud; she'd be in awe.
New Anti-Piracy System To Hit U.S. Internet Users on Monday
  Link to Article
  Source: Conscious Life News
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 03:28
  Posted by Alcyone_Featured_, TechnologySunday, February 24th, 2013Starting Monday, most U.S. Internet users will be subject to a new copyright enforcement system that could force them to complete educational programs, and even slow their Internet speeds to a crawl.
  A source with direct knowledge of the Copyright Alert System (CAS), who asked to not to be named, has told the Daily Dot that the five participating Internet service providers (ISPs) will start the controversial anti-piracy 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 the full article
Fluoridation Levels by County
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:48
  Fluoridation is government way over stepping their bounds and the fluoride itself is bad for you, read Laurence Vance, Murray Rothbard and Joseph Mercola.
Britten hebben geen flauw idee wie baas is van politie
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:46
  Bewerkt door: redactie '' 25/02/13, 02:14 '' bron: ANP
  (C) reuters. Politieagenten in het Engelse Luton, vorige week voorafgaand aan een voetbalwedstrijd. De gemiddelde Brit heeft geen flauw idee wie in zijn regio hoofdcommissaris van politie is.
  De overgrote meerderheid (90 procent) van de kiezers heeft geen flauw idee wie de politiechef in hun regio is, terwijl in november nog verkiezingen voor die post werden gehouden. Dat constateert een Britse denktank op basis van onderzoek onder kiezers, meldde de krant The Guardian maandag.
  De opkomst van de eerste directe politieverkiezingen was met 15 procent bedroevend. Volgens denktank ERS was de mislukking van de stembusgang vooral te wijten aan gebrekkige communicatie van de overheid.
  ERS concludeert dat de verkiezingen niet leefden. De kandidaten waren te onzichtbaar en hun standpunten veelal onbekend. Het idee achter de verkiezingen was juist om de bevolking meer te betrekken bij het lokale politiebeleid.
Douglas Rushkoff leaves Facebook. | Hacker News
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:30
  "Yes, I'm leaving Facebook myself - largely because the values and practices of the company running this website are just too inconsistent with those I've been espousing in my books, particularly Present Shock. Companies can misrepresent you based on your "likes", showing you in ads for things you may not even know about.It feels inappropriate for me to be soliciting likes - and your vulnerability - particularly when I'm so busy arguing for people to maintain agency and authority over their digital selves. So I'm no longer going to use Facebook.
  I have some readers who very much want to maintain a page for a Rushkoff community, and I am not going to stop them (any more than I'd stop a group creating an anti-Rushkoff community) - but please, proceed on Facebook at your own risk, and with knowledge that you are not in command of how your name and likeness are used here (much less the information collected about you).
  I really do appreciate your willingness to find out about what I'm doing, and encourage you to visit my website or subscribe to my rss feed."
  reply
Portugal police make 'world's biggest' seizure of fake euros
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:45
  Portuguese police said they have detained a man in Oporto with a total of '‚¬380,000 in counterfeited notes, in what they described as ''the largest seizure of euros carried out anywhere in the world''.
  In a statement on Wednesday, the northern region Pol­cia Judiciria said officers had detained the man the previous night, in possession of 1,901 false '‚¬200 notes.
  ''The false currency in question is of exceptional quality, belonging to a counterfeit that exists since 2002, disseminated through the world,'' it said.
  ''Its passage has been registered in large quantities above all in Spain, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria and Portugal.''
  This is the second seizure this month of false euro notes in Oporto.
  In the previous one, police dismantled a five-member ring allegedly involved in the manufacture and distribution of '‚¬50 and '‚¬20 notes, with the seizure of a total of '‚¬30,000 plus the printing machinery.
Resignation of government fails to stop Bulgaria protests. (Euronews video)
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:45
  Thousands of protesters are out on the streets of Sofia, showing that discontent in Bulgaria has not been satisfied with the resignation of the prime minister and his government on February 20.
  People are still angry about extortionate energy bills and poverty '' blaming what they call the 'energy mafia' and all politicians.
  ''In the government there should be people who really care about Bulgaria, they should care about the country instead of thinking that the common people should manage by themselves,'' said one of the protesters.
  Another protester added: ''We are now the poorest country in Europe. Why? Just because all these years we have been robbed and no money has been given to the Bulgarian people '' and the little money that was given was taken from them.''
  Ahead of the demonstrations, Bulgaria's president Rosen Plevneliev met with protesters gathered in front of the Ministry of Economy and made this appeal:
  ''I invite you, as soon as next week, together with other civil organizations and labour unions, to work together for what is important for the country.
  ''Thank you for the demands that were handed to me. I wish you good luck. Let's prove that we believe in the democratic values and the future of Bulgaria. We will work together. The Presidency is open!'' Plevneliev told the crowd.
  In what is the EU's poorest country, many accuse politicians of corruption and want the chief prosecutor to investigate all those believed to have stolen since the fall of communism in 1989.
  More about:Bulgaria, Bulgarian politics, ProtestCopyright (C) 2013 euronews
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CIA Agents Sleep Around All The Time, Says Ex-Spook
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:42
  Your boss is caught in the act of "going at it" with a junior colleague, and it's perfectly acceptable.That's the espionage division of the CIA, according to former clandestine operations officer Reuel Marc Gerecht, who wrote a piece forThe New Republic. For Gerecht, espionage is a loose culture, populated by "bottom feeders," and is better left alone if America wants good intelligence.
  From the piece:
  When I was in the agency, my colleagues were amused, occasionally disappointed, but never shocked when married officers were discovered cavorting with their secretaries or other co-workers at the office, in parking lots, hotels, and safe-houses'--which, of course, are not supposed to be used for trysts. Case officers could get into trouble if their passions led them to keep foreign mistresses no one knew about. The agency maintained an important rule requiring employees to report continuing, meaningful romantic contact.
  Historically speaking, Gerecht says, extramarital affairs aren't used as "leverage" against agents. If so, the Russians would have "riddled the Agency" with holes and exploitations.
  Generally, Gerecht says, as long as agents are forthcoming with their colleagues, infidelity is not frowned upon '-- except, of course, in the case of lasting relationships with foreigners.
  "Leave punishment for wayward officers to their husbands and wives," Gerecht writes indicating the Agency's generally acceptable stance toward the behavior.
  But then there's David Petraeus:The drama surrounding David Petraeus's extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell could change all that. Ever since the agency director's resignation, a small army of pundits has taken to the airwaves, warning that infidelity could be exploited by foreign intelligence services and used against American officials.
  We here at BI Military and Defense were part of that army:
  The moment General Petraeus put himself into a position where his private behavior became something he needed to hide from the public '-- as stated in his resignation letter '-- he essentially put national security at risk. It's exactly the type of compromise which would put any government worker at immediate risk of losing a Top Secret clearance.
  Granted our understanding of security clearances and punishment stems from the military, where adultery is a punishable offense (along the lines of a misdemeanor). Furthermore, Pateaus was a spook in that he worked for the CIA, but he wasn't really a spook.
  He was a career military man with a background in military special operations.
  From Gerecht:
  Unlike the U.S. military post-Vietnam, where senior officers are supposed to be moral role models, the CIA'--that is, the Clandestine Service, the engine room of espionage and covert action that has always defined the agency's ethos'--has been much more relaxed about these things.
  It's easy to believe that romance, and short meaningless flings, are as much a part of espionage as tiny cameras. This isn't espionage though. This is a head of state. Not just post-Vietnam, but post-Lewinsky.Following Petraeus' resignation, New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzler wrote an outstanding piece on former CIA head Allen Dulles, who had at least "a hundred" affairs between 1953 to 1961. Consequently, the narrative of Mad Men begins just after Dulles' retirement '-- relatively speaking, we can't possibly compare acceptable behavior in the workplace between these two periods (if so, I'd be smoking while I write this).
  Washington Post writer Olga Khazan notes that very few security clearances have been revoked due to sexual behavior, mostly for criminal sexual misconduct and criminal records. Sexual trysts rarely justified suspending security clearance, she reports, as long as the trists are "fully mitigated by 'passage of time without recurrence' and the absence of any susceptibility to blackmail or coercion.''
  CNNtalked to an unnamed official who said the FBI investigated Petraeus initially "to see if this relationship posed a potential security risk" '-- adding that there was no criminal wrongdoing, they just feared he might be "in a vulnerable spot."And recently, the folks at SOFREP, a website run by and for the special operations community, reported in their e-book that people within the Agency wanted Petraeus out, and that they threatened to ruin him politically if he didn't step down.
  Gerecht at least gives some indication of this risk:
  The agency maintained an important rule requiring employees to report continuing, meaningful romantic contact. But there was a fair amount of flexibility built in'--since operatives, not a sentimental lot, could keep a bed partner for some time and truthfully say that their lovers really didn't mean all that much to them.
  Unreal.
  The CIA's espionage division is one thing, being a spy with a cover or a case officer in a foreign land, sure that's understandable '-- it's not just human, it's secretive information gathering. But infidelity in the workplace, especially if that workplace is in the military or in intelligence, handling Top Secret materials, or if you're a head of a clandestine agency, very much in the public eye, may be another.
  Which would explain the Agency's rule of always disclosing an intramural relationship.
  Gerecht cites numerous examples of why Americans betray their country '-- greed, ideology, etc. '-- and says it's unlikely to happen over a lover. Furthermore, he asks the nation not to set the FBI on more agents. After all, according to Gerecht, having espionage agents with loose morals makes for a stronger America.
  From the piece:
  Unlike soldiers, who have each other's backs in battle, case officers build on both trust and deceit. And they work in a promotion system that often rewards intellectually dishonest operatives for making a mediocre new recruit seem like solid gold. This sort of thing tends to make officers jaded pretty quickly. Historically, prudes have rarely done well in the institution.
  Gerecht's piece in The New Republic is truly awesome, please go read it for yourself. It's a window into a world most don't get to see.
Vaccine truther Bill Maher claims he was right about flu shots
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitchy » US Politics
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:24
  Several years ago, comedian Bill Maher claimed that only ''idiots'' get the swine flu vaccine:
  When Maher elaborated on his views during his HBO show, he made a number of statements that clearly are not supported by scientific evidence:
  Mr. Maher questioned letting someone stick ''a disease into your arm,'' wrongly implying that the flu shot contains a live virus. The flu shot is a killed vaccine. (Only the nasal mist vaccine contains a weakened live virus.)
  He said he did not believe that healthy people were vulnerable to dying from the new H1N1 virus. This contradicts statements from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that young, healthy people from ages 5 to 24 appear particularly vulnerable to this flu. About a third of the 76 children who have died of H1N1 since April have had no underlying health problems.
  Mr. Maher also discouraged pregnant women from getting vaccinated. Studies show pregnant women are among the most vulnerable to serious complications from H1N1.
  He has also said flu shots increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease '-- a false assertion that has been disseminated on the Internet by quacks.
  This years' influenza vaccine has performed poorly in elderly patients. According to Maher, this proves that his earlier anti-flu shot statements were correct.
  However, Maher neglects to point out that the vaccine was somewhat efficacious in younger patients: ''Overall, the vaccine's effectiveness is a moderate 56 percent, which means those who receive a shot have a 56 percent lower chance of winding up at the doctor with the flu.''
  It's no wonder vaccine. But people (particularly non-elderly people) aren't idiots if they think a 56 percent reduction in risk is better than nothing.
  Related:
  Bill Maher, anti-vaccination nut, claims Marco Rubio doesn't believe in science
@''@petrakramer: Rapnews blijft briljant. :) The Gun Debate. http://t.co/9wzReQ4Yl4'' @adamcurry as Terrence Moonseed #nann #noagenda #itm
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:23
  Do guns really prevent tyranny? Is tyranny already here? Welcome, Minutemen, to Rap News 18, where we take a few minutes to explore one of the great debates taking place in the Divided States of America. It seems that no matter how high the body count on the latest attempt at topping the civilian shoot'em-up high-score table, this perennial debate shows no sign of abating, having morphed into a vigorous exegisis of the 2nd Command...err.... Amendment, as Americans seek to make sense of the original intentions of the great con-Founding Fathers. Are guns there to stop tyranny? Is tyranny already here? Are there other ways of stopping it than stocking up on munitions? Persuasive arguments have been levied from both sides; and yet both have failed to convince the other. Is this the quintessential impasse? Join Robert Foster as he sets out to squeeze the juice from this most explosive of current debates - featuring our two special regular guests: that son of a gun Terence Moonseed, and the big gun General Baxter.
  - Written & created by Giordano Nanni & Hugo Farrant in a suburban backyard home-studio in Melbourne, Australia - on Wurundjeri Land.
  SUPPORT the production of new episodes of Juice Rap News, an independent show, by making a donation: 'ªhttp://thejuicemedia.com/donate'¨'¨ - Gratitude to our donors whose generosity has made this episode possible.
  ** CONNECT with us:'¨- Website: 'ªhttp://thejuicemedia.com'¨- Twitter: 'ªhttp://twitter.com/juicerapnews'¨- Farcebook: 'ªhttps://www.facebook.com/rapnews'¨'¨
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  **CREDITS:'¨- Beat: 'Time Will Tell' - by The Goat: http://www.thegoatbeats.com- Orchestral compositions by our melody master, Adrian Sergovich- All effects and animations + Robert's brand new studio were designed by our Rap News wizard, Jonas Schweizer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qPEn...- Video and music editing by Giordano- Opening image and website wizardry by Zoe Tame: http://www.visualtonic.com.au/- Thanks to Lucy for shoot assistance!- Captions: Merci to Koolfy from http://nurpa.be/ for creating the sync'd English captions for our episodes!
  ** TRANSLATIONS:- Thanks to Marjan Rizov for Macedonian translation- Thanks to Julie Chatagnon for French translation- Thanks to Jonas Maebe for Dutch translation- Thanks to Euclides for Portuguese translation- Thanks to Esteban Ram­rez for Spanish translation- Thanks to Benjamin for German translation- Thanks to Jonathan for Hebrew translation- Thanks to Arlind Emini for Albanian translation- Thanks to Tamara for Serbian translation- Thanks to Nicola Petkovski for Bulgarian translation- Thanks to Vojta & Lery for Czech translation
  ** If you'd like to translate this episode into your language, please contact us via our website 'ªhttp://thejuicemedia.com/contact
  Link to full interview with IceT on the gun control debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GwIby...
Daytona a bit off, Danica makes History
  Link to Article
  Source: Yap Stream
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:22
  The Daytona 500 was a bit off this year. The race itself was dull without the second lane for the most part working. This was a one lane race except for restarts. Hopefully in July the 2nd lane will be workable.
  Danica Patrick made history today by leading a lap in the race. She also finished 8th which is the highest a women has finished in a NASCAR race. The goal is to win not just finish high. The car looked good but seeing that there was no second lane hard to pass.
  Congrads to Jimmy Johnson for winning the race. Great work to Dale Earnhardt Jr for finishing second.
  Filed under: UncategorizedTrackback Uri
Government folds tent in Blackwater weapons case
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:22
  RALEIGH, N.C. '-- A federal weapons case against the defense contractor formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide ended Thursday with misdemeanor pleas by two former executives, who were fined and placed on probation.
  The case stems in part from a raid conducted by federal agents at the company's Moyock headquarters in 2008 that seized 22 weapons, including 17 AK-47s. An indictment alleged that the company used the Camden County Sheriff's Office to pose as the purchaser of dozens of automatic weapons.
  The indictment also alleged that Blackwater purchased 227 short barrels and installed them on long rifles without registering them and that company officials presented the king of Jordan with five guns as gifts in hopes of landing a lucrative overseas contract and then falsified federal documents once they realized they were unable to account for the weapons.
  Gary Jackson and William Matthews, the former president and executive vice president of the company and both Navy Seals, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count each of failure to keep records on firearms. They were sentenced to four months of house arrest, three years on probation and fined $5,000.
  "We would do anything to defend our country. I regret that mistakes were made, but they were made with the best intentions," Matthews said.
  "I still believe we have the best justice system in the world," Jackson added.
  All other charges against the men, including conspiracy to violate firearms laws and possession of unregistered firearms, were dismissed. Prosecutors also dropped all charges against former general counsel Andrew Howell, former procurement vice president Ana Bundy and former weapons manager Ronald Slezak.
  "All the things (Jackson) was charged with doing that were crimes that he did and the company did ... for the government, at the request of the government, with the full knowledge of the government, and it's just taken us this long to get the government to understand that and to resolve this case with that misdemeanor," Jackson's attorney Ken Bell said.
  Blackwater now goes by the name Academi and has shifted its headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area.
  Academi last year agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine as part of a $42 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. The government deferred prosecution of 17 criminal charges, and federal agents are monitoring the company's actions for an unspecified period to ensure compliance with federal export laws.
  Copyright 2013 by WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Haitians rage as UN rejects payout for cholera victims
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:21
  Thousands of Haitian victims of a cholera epidemic widely believed to have been caused by United Nations peacekeepers vowed to continue their fight to hold the UN to account after it rejected their claims for compensation, citing diplomatic immunity.
  More than 8,000 Haitians have died from the epidemic and 500,000 people, some 5 per cent of the population, have fallen sick since the disease entered the impoverished Caribbean nation's water system in October 2010.
  The claims were filed on behalf of 5,000 victims filed in 2011 by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, a Boston-based human rights group. In its response to the claims, published this week, the UN said ''the claims are not receivable, pursuant to Section 29 of the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations''.
  The UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had telephoned the Haitian President Michel Martelly to inform him of the decision. ''The Secretary-General again expressed his profound sympathy for the terrible suffering caused by the cholera epidemic,'' Mr Nesirky said.
  Ira Kurzban, one of the claimants' lawyers, condemned the decision. ''We believe that it's quite immoral for the Secretary-General to deny all responsibility, not even to admit that they were the cause of the worst cholera epidemic in the world today,'' Mr Kurzban said.
  ''What happens now is we begin to decide where we are going to sue the United Nations. We believe that the Secretary-General has to be held accountable, they have to accord with the rule of law, and that accountability will either be decided in a court of law or in the court of public opinion.''
  Although Haiti has suffered from disasters and epidemics of many varieties, it had been spared cholera for more than 200 years until the arrival of Nepalese peacekeepers in the Mirebalais region, north of Port-au-Prince, in 2010. Part of the UN ''stabilisation force'' Minustah, which has been stationed in Haiti since a coup d'(C)tat in 2005, they moved into a base within a few metres of the narrow Meille river, a tributary of the Artibonite, the country's largest waterway.
  Cholera is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, and Nepal had suffered a fresh outbreak shortly before the battalion set off for Haiti. As successive investigations have concluded, the peacekeepers' base was not provided with efficient sanitation, and soon contaminated waste began flowing into the Meille river, the main source of drinking water for nearby villagers. Tun(C), a farmer nearby, described how his son contracted the disease soon after drinking from the river. ''Suddenly he started shaking. We rented a motorcycle to get him to a hospital quickly. They gave him one bag of IV fluids, then another one. On the third and final one he died.''
  Lacking a modern water and sanitation system, most Haitians depend on rivers for all their water needs, and soon the disease was rampaging through the country.
  The UN initially denied all responsibility, but in 2012 released a report admitting ''the strains [of cholera] isolated in Nepal and Haiti were a perfect match''. But the report went on to argue that ''a confluence of factors'' was behind the epidemic, which was therefore ''not the fault, or deliberate action, of a particular individual''. These factors, including ''Haiti's weak infrastructure'', were responsible for causing it.
  But the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti described this as ''a legally invalid defence. The weakness of Haiti's health, water and sanitation systems were '... well-known before the outbreak'... Haiti's vulnerability '... made the cholera epidemic a directly foreseeable consequence of the UN's reckless release of contaminants into Haiti's waterways.''
New Worldwide Movement To Destroy As Many Security Cameras As Possible!
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:20
Here's How You Buy Your Way Onto The New York Times Bestsellers List
  Link to Article
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:19
  Delivering Happiness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
  An endorsement from Oprah Winfrey. A film deal from Steven Spielberg. A debut at the top of The New York Times bestsellers list. These are the things every author craves most, and while the first two require the favor of a benevolent God, the third can be had by anyone with the ability to write a check '-- a pretty big one.
  ResultSource, a San Diego-based marketing consultancy, specializes in getting books onto bestseller lists, according to The Wall Street Journal. For clients willing to pay enough, it will even guarantee a No. 1 spot. It does this by taking bulk sales and breaking them up into more organic-looking individual purchases, defeating safeguards that are supposed to make it impossible to ''buy'' bestseller status.
  And it's not cheap. Soren Kaplan, a business consultant and speaker, hired ResultSource to promote his book ''Leapfrogging.'' Responding to the WSJ article on his website, Kaplan breaks out the economics of making the list.
  With a $27.95 list price, I was told that the cost of each book would total about $23.50 after various retail discounts and including $3.99 for tax, handling and shipping. To ensure a spot on The Wall Street Journal's bestseller list, I needed to obtain commitments from my clients for a minimum of 3000 books at about $23.50, a total of about $70,500. I would need to multiply these numbers by a factor of about three to hit The New York Times list.
  So it would've cost more than $211,000, and that's before ResultSource's fee, which is typically more than $20,000. Kaplan settled for making the Journal's list, reaching the pre-sale figure of 3,000 by securing commitments from corporate clients, who agreed to buy copies as part of his speaking fees, and by buying copies for himself to resell at public appearances.
  Kaplan expresses significant reservations about taking part in what is essentially a laundering operation aimed at deceiving the book-buying public into believing a title is more in-demand than it is.
  ''It's no wonder few people in the industry want to talk about bestseller campaigns,'' he writes ''Put bluntly, they allow people with enough money, contacts, and know-how to buy their way onto bestseller lists.''
  Yet ResultSource's methods aren't exactly secret. The company's website features an endorsement from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and a breakdown of the campaign it mounted behind his book ''Delivering Happiness,'' which included a Groupon offering of 1,600 copies. Via a spokeswoman, Hsieh confirmed that he hired the firm and detailed the services it provided. (You can read Hsieh's full statement at the bottom of this post.)
  Still, Amazon disapproves strongly enough of ResultSource's methods that it told WSJ it will no longer do business with the company. What about the publishers of the various bestsellers lists '-- particularly the all-important New York Times list?
  The Times's methodology (which you can find at the bottom of this page) samples sales from a diverse range of retail outlets, a measure specifically intended to weed out books whose sales surge is a product of artificial demand. Books that benefited from bulk sales are supposed to have a dagger icon next to them to denote that fact. Yet when Hsieh's book debuted on the list in 2009, it had no such symbol.
  I called and emailed the Times with several questions, including whether it was aware before today of ResultSource's activities. Here's the reply I got from a spokeswoman: ''The New York Times comprehensively tracks and tabulates the weekly unit sales of all titles reported by book retailers as their general interest bestsellers. We will not comment beyond our methodology on the other questions.
  ResultSource CEO Kevin Small did not reply to a voicemail.
  Here's Tony Hsieh's full message:
  ResultSource booked us for various speaking events in many of our cities during our 2010 book tour, where we went to 23 cities over 3.5 months on the Delivering Happiness bus.
  For part one of our trip, see:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtiIXo9Id-s
  At many of those events, people paid to come watch me speak and receive an autographed copy of my book. ResultSource managed the speaking, book ordering, and distribution of the books for us during the tour. We're excited that the book has continued to do well over the years since the launch, and are also excited that the paperback version of the book will be coming out next month!
  Since the book launch, ''Delivering Happiness'' has spun off into a company, and now has its own apparel line as part of its mission to help spread the Delivering Happiness message:
  http://deliveringhappiness.com/
Vatican Priests Blackmailed By Gay Prostitutes "Rumors Of Gay Orgies & Priests In Drag Just Gossip!"
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:35
Former Obama Spox Robert Gibbs: I Was Told Not To Acknowledge Existence Of Drone Program
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:35
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
ONLINE RUNAWAY GUIDE FOR TEENS
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:34
Obama Wants Supreme Court To Rule Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) Unconstitutional
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:34
Crowley Busts LaHood: Post-Sequester FAA Budget $500 Million More Than 2008 When Planes Ran Just Fine
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:33
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
Gregory Asks LaHood: 'Do You Really Think Americans Think Government Can't Tighten Up a Bit?'
  Link to Article
  Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:32
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
Scripting News: Era of the big man is over.
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:31
  This is a basketball story, but not really.
  There was a time when bigger was better. If you worked at the biggest company you were smarter, more powerful, better looking, knew what was happening.
  You could see over our heads.
  But that was then. Now it's about being fast of feet and mind. Thinking not just where the puck is going but how to replace the puck with something better.
  That's why the Lakers are the past and the Rockets are the future.
  Think small picture, not big.
Robert Gibbs Admits He was Told to Act as if Drone Program did not Exist
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:31
  In the midst of a fairly damning conversation about the media and their ego-driven obsession with 'access' as demonstrated by the Tiger Woods nontroversy, UP with Chris Hayes got an amazing admission from former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: when he stepped into the role, he was told to not even acknowledge the existence of a drone program.
  ''When I went through the process of becoming press secretary, one of the first things they told me was, 'You're not even to acknowledge the drone program. You're not even to discuss that it exists,'' said Gibbs, now an MSNBC contributor. That policy of secrecy, Gibbs said, made it difficult to deal with reporters asking about the program. Describing one such notable exchange in 2009 with Major Garrett, then of Fox News, Gibbs said, ''I would get a question like that and literally I couldn't tell you what Major asked, because once I figured out it was about the drone program, I realize I'm not supposed to talk about it.''
  Gibbs added: ''Here's what's inherently crazy about that proposition: you're being asked a question based on reporting of a program that exists. So you're the official government spokesperson acting as if the entire program'...pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.''
  The Obama administration has vastly stepped up the use of drones and targeted killings of suspected terrorists in countries like Pakistan and Yemen over the past four years, even targeting American citizens, a policy that has come under intense criticism from civil liberties advocates. For most of the president's first term the administration steadfastly refused to acknowledge the program's existence.
  Now let's be clear: the drone program did not begin with the Obama administration, nor did the official secrecy about them. But it is this denial of a program we all knew existed that actually makes things less safe for Americans and antagonizes even more into terrorist acts in retaliation.
  Ana Marie Cox reels from this information, although I'm not sure why she should be so shocked. Center for American Progress President Neera Tandem acknowledges that while there was probably a reasonable justification for keeping the program classified, it does make the administration look hypocritical after posturing itself as a more transparent and more willing to live up to the ideals of America than the Bush administration. Certainly, we've seen that cynicism permeate the liberal blogosphere.
The Fed Has Succeeded... In Blowing Another Bubble... Which Will Lead to Another CRASH
  Link to Article
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:17
  The Fed just realized it's in big trouble and needs to manage down expectations of further stimulus.
  As we noted earlier this year, the Fed, while attempting to appear committed to endless money printing via its QE 3 and QE 4 programs, was in fact decidedly split on whether to commit to more as well as the risks inherent to additional QE. Indeed, the Fed FOMC minutes indicate that some Fed members were concerned about whether QE even worked as a monetary policy.
  Below are the notes from the Fed's December 2012 FOMC minutes (the meeting during which the Fed announced QE 4). I've added highlights to emphasize the shift in tone.
  With regard to the possible costs and risks of purchases, a number of participants expressed the concern that additional purchases could complicate the Committee's efforts to eventually withdraw monetary policy accommodation, for example, by potentially causing inflation expectations to rise or by impairing the future implementation of monetary policy.
  Participants also discussed the implications of continued asset purchases for the size of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet. Depending on the path for the balance sheet and interest rates, the Federal Reserve's net income and its remittances to the Treasury could be significantly affected during the period of policy normalization.
  Participants noted that the Committee would need to continue to assess whether large purchases were having adverse effects on market functioning and financial stability. They expressed a range of views on the appropriate pace of purchases, both now and as the outlook evolved. It was agreed that both the efficacy and the costs would need to be carefully monitored and taken into account in determining the size, pace, and composition of asset purchases.
  http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20121212.htm
  There are three key implications here:
  The Fed acknowledged that QE causes inflation expectations to rise (red text)The Fed was divided on the efficacy of QE (green text)The Fed was not committed to employing QE forever despite its public declarations to that effect (blue text)
  This shift in tone went largely unnoticed by the media. However, the implications are very serious. By way of explanation, let's quickly review the Fed's primary moves in the post-Crisis era.
  In 2008 the Fed had its back against the wall in terms of saving the system. Since that time every new Fed intervention (verbal or monetary) has been aimed at propping up the Too Big To Fail Banks and pushing the stock market higher.
  The first wave of this came via QE 1 and QE 2 in which the Fed collectively monetized nearly $2 trillion in assets. However, once QE 2 ended in 2011, we noted the Fed began to realize that it could get the ''positive'' effects of additional stimulus (higher asset prices) without actually having to engage in more stimulus, simply by issuing verbal interventions at critical moments.
  Thus, between QE 2's end (June 2011) and the start of QE 3 (September 2012), the Fed became increasingly reliant on verbal intervention as opposed to actual money printing.
  During this period, any time the markets began to dip, a Fed official, usually an uber-Dove such as NY Fed President Bill Dudley or Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, would indicate that the Fed was ready to act aggressively if need be and VOOM the markets would take off again.
  This changed in May 2012, when the entire financial system began to implode courtesy of Spain (see our issue The ''C'' Word for an explanation of this). At that time the Fed switched back into aggressive monetary policy mode, first promising to provide more QE before launching QE 3 in September 2012 and then QE 4 in December 2012.
  Unlike previous QE programs, which had definitive timelines, QE 3 and QE 4 were open-ended, meaning that they can continue forever. This was the Great Global Rig we referred to earlier this year. And while it did push the stock market higher, it did next to nothing for the US economy.
  Which brings us to today. The US economy is contracting sharply again (without the massaged data inflation, real GDP growth would have been -1% last quarter) right as stocks close in on new all-time highs (the S&P 500 and Dow) or have already broken to new highs (the Russell 2000).
  This is happening at a time when earnings are falling (despite companies booking profits), the economy is slowing, and stocks are closing in on all-time highs.
  In plain terms, the stock market has become totally detached from economic realities. There is a term for when asset prices become detached from fundamentals, it's called ''A BUBBLE.''
  THIS is the reason the Fed is beginning to shift its tone. It realizes it has blown another bubble and that we're likely headed for another Crash. And this time around the Fed will be totally out of ammo to stop it.
  Individual investors needs to take steps to prepare themselves for this risk in advance. We offer several FREE Special Reports designed to help them do this. They include:
  Preparing Your Portfolio For Obama's Economic Nightmare
  What Europe's Crisis Means For You and Your Savings
  How to Protect Yourself From Inflation
  And last but not least'...
  Bullion 101: Everything You Need to Know About Investing in Gold and Silver Bullion'...
  You can pick up free copies of all of the above at:
  http://gainspainscapital.com/
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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.