What Adam Curry is reading

New: No BuyBack Policy! FACT SHEET: New Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:31
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  August 29, 2013
  Today, the Obama administration announced two new common-sense executive actions to keep the most dangerous firearms out of the wrong hands and ban almost all re-imports of military surplus firearms to private entities. These executive actions build on the 23 executive actions that the Vice President recommended as part of the comprehensive gun violence reduction plan and the President unveiled on January 16, 2013.
  Even as Congress fails to act on common-sense proposals, like expanding criminal background checks and making gun trafficking a federal crime, the President and Vice President remain committed to using all the tools in their power to make progress toward reducing gun violence.
  Building on the 23 Executive Actions the President and Vice President Unveiled Last January
  Last December, the President asked the Vice President to develop a series of recommendations to reduce gun violence. On January 16, 2013, they released these proposals, including 23 executive actions. With the first Senate confirmation of an ATF Director on July 31, 2013, the Administration has completed or made significant progress on 22 of the 23 executive actions. The new executive actions unveiled today build on this successful effort. Closing a Loophole to Keep Some of the Most Dangerous Guns Out of the Wrong Hands
  Current law places special restrictions on many of the most dangerous weapons, such as machine guns and short-barreled shotguns. These weapons must be registered, and in order to lawfully possess them, a prospective buyer must undergo a fingerprint-based background check. However, felons, domestic abusers, and others prohibited from having guns can easily evade the required background check and gain access to machine guns or other particularly dangerous weapons by registering the weapon to a trust or corporation. At present, when the weapon is registered to a trust or corporation, no background check is run. ATF reports that last year alone, it received more than 39,000 requests for transfers of these restricted firearms to trusts or corporations.Today, ATF is issuing a new proposed regulation to close this loophole. The proposed rule requires individuals associated with trusts or corporations that acquire these types of weapons to undergo background checks, just as these individuals would if the weapons were registered to them individually. By closing this loophole, the regulation will ensure that machine guns and other particularly dangerous weapons do not end up in the wrong hands.Keeping Surplus Military Weapons Off Our Streets
  When the United States provides military firearms to its allies, either as direct commercial sales or through the foreign military sales or military assistance programs, those firearms may not be imported back into the United States without U.S. government approval. Since 2005, the U.S. Government has authorized requests to reimport more than 250,000 of these firearms.Today, the Administration is announcing a new policy of denying requests to bring military-grade firearms back into the United States to private entities, with only a few exceptions such as for museums. This new policy will help keep military-grade firearms off our streets.
VIDEO- Obama "There Is A Possibility Chemical Weapons Could Be Directed At Us!" (IN 45 MINUTES!) - YouTube
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:50
VIDEO- Peter King: Barack Obama Has Right to Attack Syria Without Congress - Fox News - 8/28/13 - YouTube
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:39
Is the National Security Agency behind Bitcoin? | Real Currencies
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:37
  Recently a 1996 NSA report surfaced, 'predicting' a crypto-cyber unit eerily close to Bitcoin. So eerily close, that, knowing their M.O., the question arises whether this report is a prediction, or a plan.
  The report can be found here. I don't know how long it has been circulating in the Alternative Media, but it seems it just surfaced. It is stunning. It looks very much like an architectural design of the kind of issues this cyber unit should solve. It is stunning not only because it so closely resembles the architecture of Bitcoin, but also since it so conspicuously avoids all the real problems with our monetary system, i.e. Usury, scarcity of money and the manipulation of volume.
  If we look at similar 'predictive' reports on for instance population control, which have had such a major impact on the Truth community, we must conclude that this particular NSA report on crypto-cyber currencies looks more like a design than a prediction.
  Meaning that Bitcoin just officially became a Money Power meme.
  Bitcoin architectureThe NSA report goes deeply into the challenges a crypto currency faces and lists the various security and implicated regulatory risks. Both from the point of view from regulators and developers of such schemes.
  Amazingly, a key writer of the report is called Tatsuaki Okamoto. In the Bitcoin community this has been picked up as remarkably similar to Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the enigmatic developer of Bitcoin.
  As we have been discussing, Bitcoin was designed to be scarce and deflationary. Interest-free credit is impossible with Bitcoin and this year we have seen wild trading in the cyber-unit, with a massive bubble and the unavoidable crash. Nonetheless, Bitcoin's rate at this point is about $110 today, up from $5 November 2011. Its total market capitalization topped $1 billion at its peak and is still substantial.
  ImplicationsAn interesting issue is In-Q-Tel's involvement. In-Q-Tel is the 'not for profit' investment arm of the CIA. Undoubtedly just another control mechanism. In-Q-Tel is investing or planning on investing in Bitcoin, presumably by buying some of them. The CIA has been involved in an extensive dialogue with Bitcoin people. It is unclear as to what this 'dialogue' amounts to, but obviously, combined with this shocking NSA paper, the whole thing looks pretty suspect.
  So what are the bad guys up to? Are they creating a unit with which they can finance their international drug trade without risking money laundering in the banking industry, which is forced to be more and more transparent?
  Perhaps it's not for nothing that American legislators have shown alarm at the uncontrollable flow of funds?
  Or is it all just a ruse to undermine free market currencies and regulate them to death, using Bitcoin as some sort of monetary false flag?
  This latter scenario would explain the heavy handed and totalitarian way the DHS recently seized some account owned by Mt. Gox, the biggest Bitcoin exchange. Note the DHS is not some financial regulatory body, but the Gestapo itself.
  ConclusionEven today it's too early to come to conclusions about Bitcoin. Perhaps it's still a well-intentioned try, destined to failure by its faulty design, or destroyed by the agencies. Or it was designed from day one as a tool to help maintain control of the money supplies of the world.
  But it is amazing how the NSA report addresses the 'need' for privacy with transactions as the main monetary issue, ignoring all the far, far more important problems we have with our money, and how Bitcoin answers exactly the challenge put forward.
  Knowing the ways these people think and operate, this NSA report basically puts to rest the notion that Bitcoin was a completely innocent 'free market' or 'human action' kind of thing to begin with.
  Related:Bitcoin: Blessing or Trap?Baffling BitcoinBitcoin, impressive but flawed
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The bullshit starts. NATO gassed the children, not Syria.
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  Archived Version
  Source: the tap
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:17
  One Rogue, Low-Level Officer Could Have Carried Out AttackEven though the U.S. government claims that the Syrian government is the perpetrator of the chemical weapons attack, it admits that it has no ideawho in the government ordered the attack. It could have been a rogue, low-level military officer.With the United States barreling toward a strike on Syria, U.S. officials say they are completely certain that Bashar al-Assad's government is responsible for last week's chemical weapons attack. They just don't know who in the Syrian government is to blame.On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf admitted as much. ''The commander-in-chief of any military is ultimately responsible for decisions made under their leadership, even if '... he's not the one that pushes the button or said, 'Go,' on this,'' Harf said. ''I don't know what the facts are here '....''On Tuesday, The Cable reported that U.S. officials are basing their assessment that the Assad regime bears responsibility for the strike largely on an intercepted phone call between a panicked Ministry of Defense official and a commander of a Syrian chemical weapons unit. But that intelligence does not resolve the question of who in the government ordered the strike '....Because of that lack of clarity, Harf took a beating on Wednesday. In a testy exchange during her daily briefing, Harf very nearly admitted that it makes no difference who in the Syrian government ordered the attack, a reflection of the lack of certainty that still shrouds U.S. understanding of the chemical attack that may have left as many as 1,000 people dead.In effect, Harf was left arguing that because no one else could have carried out the attack, it must have been the Syrian government. ''The world doesn't need a classified U.S. intelligence assessment to see the photos and the videos of these people and to know that the only possible entity in Syria that could do this to their own people is the regime,'' she said.
HARVARD: Gun Control Does Not Lead to Less Violent Ctime
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  Archived Version
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:17
  Because the findings so clearly demonstrate that more gun laws may in fact increase death rates, the study says that "the mantra that more guns mean more deaths and that fewer guns, therefore, mean fewer deaths" is wrong.For example, when the study shows numbers for Eastern European gun ownership and corresponding murder rates, it is readily apparent that less guns to do not mean less death. In Russia, where the rate of gun ownership is 4,000 per 100,000 inhabitants, the murder rate was 20.52 per 100,000 in 2002. That same year in Finland, where the rater of gun ownership is exceedingly higher--39,000 per 100,000--the murder rate was almost nill, at 1.98 per 100,000.[...]The murder rate in Russia, where handguns are banned, is 30.6; the rate in the U.S. is 7.8.And this doesn't take into consideration the mass killing of unarmed Jews by Hitler's soldiers and unarmed Kulaks in the Soviet Union.
Partner Vetting in USAID Assistance
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  Archived Version
  Source: Federal Register Latest Entries
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:51
  Submit comments on or before September 30, 2013.
  Because security screening precautions have slowed the delivery and dependability of surface mail to USAID/Washington, USAID recommends sending all comments by electronic mail or by fax to the email address or fax number listed directly below (please note, all comments must be in writing to be reviewed).
  Electronic Access and Filing. You may submit written electronic comments by sending electronic mail [email] to: M.OAA.RuleMaking@usaid.gov.
  Please submit comments as a Microsoft Word file avoiding the use of any special characters and any form of encryption.
  Surface Mail (again, not advisable due to security screening): Michael Gushue, M/OAA/P, USAID/Washington, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20523.
  Michael Gushue, Telephone: 202-567-4678, Email: mgushue@usaid.gov.
  The Purpose of Regulatory Action: The purpose of this regulatory action is to amend 22 CFR Part 226, Administration of Assistance Awards to U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations, to add new pre-award and award terms. The new terms will implement procedures for a new Partner Vetting System.
  A Summary of the Provisions: There are two provisions included in this amendment to 22 CFR Part 226. The first is an application provision, Partner Vetting Pre-Award Requirements, which delineates the vetting process and the applicant's responsibilities for submitting information on individuals who will be vetted, prior to award. The second is an award term, Partner Vetting, which sets forth the recipient's responsibilities for vetting during the award period, and the partner vetting process that takes place after award.
  Costs and Benefits: USAID has determined that this Rule is not an ''economically significant regulatory action'' under Section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order (E.O.) 12866. However, as this rule is a ''significant regulatory action'' under Section 3(f)(4) of the E.O., USAID submitted it to OMB for review.
  This regulatory action will help USAID meet its fiduciary responsibilities by helping to ensure that agency funds and other resources do not inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists, or affiliated with terrorists.
  USAID estimates that Partner Vetting will add an additional 15 minutes to each of the 10,120 grant applications. We estimate the annual cost of implementing partner vetting for assistance is $31,676 for applicants, and $391,810 for the annual cost to the government.
  USAID is implementing a PVS pilot program for USAID assistance and acquisition awards. It is expected that this pilot program, which includes vetting of both acquisition and assistance solicitations and awards, will provide USAID (and the Department of State) with a more comprehensive understanding of ways to mitigate risk in the provision of foreign assistance as well as the feasibility and utility of implementing PVS worldwide. Because the pilot is intended to help further refine and adjust PVS, the need for any future amendments to USAID's assistance regulation, related to implementation of PVS, likely will not be determined until after the assessment of the PVS pilot program. The intention of the PVS is to help ensure that USAID funds and other resources do not inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists, while also minimizing the impact on USAID programs and its implementing partners. USAID established the PVS as a new system of records pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 on July 17, 2007 (72 FR 39042). On May 6, 2009, USAID set the final effective date for exempting portions of the PVS from provisions of the Privacy Act as August 4, 2009 (74 FR 20871), although the Agency did not implement PVS at that time. USAID initiated rule-making to revise its acquisition regulation, 48 CFR chapter 7, publishing its final rule for making PVS applicable to acquisitions on February 14, 2012 (77 FR 8166) with an effective date of March 15, 2012.
  At the time USAID initiated rulemaking for acquisition, USAID determined that its assistance regulations could accommodate pre-award vetting without revisions. Subsequently, however, as USAID refined its intent for PVS and clarified its goals and purpose, the Agency concluded that in order to apply PVS to assistance to the same extent as to acquisition by allowing for post-award vetting, the Agency needed to revise its assistance regulation, 22 CFR part 226. USAID's previous rule making generated numerous comments regarding the proposed PVS program. As part of the rule making process for the Final Rule for Partner Vetting in USAID Acquisitions (77 FR 8166), published in the Federal Register on February 14, 2012, USAID provided a comprehensive response to all of the comments received during that rule making period. USAID seeks comments through this proposed rule to help ensure the successful implementation of PVS to USAID assistance by minimizing the impact on the Agency's programs and recipients while still protecting against the possibility that USAID funds could benefit terrorist groups.
  Need for partner vetting. USAID set forth the rationale and need for partner vetting previously in its notice establishing PVS (72 FR 39042) and notice of proposed rulemaking for its acquisition regulation, 48 CFR chapter 7 (74 FR 30494). As stated therein, USAID already has taken a number of steps, consistent with applicable law and agency policy, to help ensure that agency funds and other resources do not inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists. USAID recognized, however, that more can be done to ensure adequate due diligence in certain situations, and established PVS to complement its requirements for terrorist financing clauses, terrorist financing certifications, and review of public lists of designated groups and individuals.
  USAID functions in areas of high terrorist activity, and vetting enables the Agency to enhance oversight of tax payer dollars by accessing intelligence and law enforcement databases as a further safeguard of program funds.
  USAID currently conducts vetting programs in certain high [threat or risk'--choose one] areas of the world. These vetting programs have proven successful in preventing funds going to unintended recipients and provide a further deterrent to individuals associated with terrorism applying for contracts and/or grants from USAID. However, USAID functions in other parts of the world where the risks differ from these locations. The Agency intends to use the PVS pilot program to inform decisions about the future application of vetting to agency programs.
  Through the PVS, information collected from individuals, officers, employees, or other officials of organizations that seek to receive USAID funding will be used to conduct national security screening of such individuals and organizations to ensure that USAID funds do not inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists. To properly conduct this screening, it is necessary to collect information on ''key individuals'''--the principal officers and other key employees and personnel of USAID contractors and recipients. Before USAID applies vetting to a particular planned award, it will perform a risk based assessment (RBA).
  Risk based assessment. USAID will perform an RBA to determine the likelihood that the funds, goods, services, or other benefits to be provided could inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists, including people or organizations who are not specifically designated by the U.S. Government but who may nevertheless be linked to terrorist activities. Key factors that USAID will consider in this assessment will include, but are not limited to, the nature of the program, the type of entity that will be implementing the activity (for example, U.S. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), U.S. for profit organization, foreign NGO, foreign for profit organization, international organization), the geographic location of the activity, the safeguards available and how easily funds could be diverted or misused. Other considerations may include the urgency of the activity and the foreign policy importance of the activity. The Agency may identify through the RBA process that certain services the recipient procures from vendors are subject to vetting.
  Although the details of any risk-based assessment will be dictated by the specific circumstances of each activity, the conclusion that a particular planned award is subject to partner vetting will be clearly stated in any solicitation or other comparable document for that activity.
  The partner vetting process for assistance. USAID intends to apply PVS to assistance in a manner that protects the integrity of the selection process and also ensures that USAID's Office of Security (SEC) is able to obtain information necessary to vet key individuals and protect sensitive information from disclosure. To accomplish this, no individual involved in the selection process, including the agreement officer (AO), will have access to the information applicants submit for partner vetting, other than to confirm the key individuals the applicants have submitted. When vetting is required, a provision in the relevant solicitation will notify applicants of the vetting requirements and procedures. The AO will instruct applicants when to submit the completed USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13 (''Form''), to the vetting official identified in the solicitation. Each Mission or office will have flexibility in determining the appropriate individual to be the vetting official, but in all cases the vetting official will be a U.S. citizen employee of USAID who is not involved in the selection process. In addition to receiving the completed Forms, the vetting official will be responsible for responding to questions from applicants about information to be included on the Form, coordinating with SEC, and conveying the vetting determination to each vetted applicant and the AO. The Form identifies the information required for the key individuals of the applicant and any subrecipients or vendors who are subject to vetting. Key individuals include principal officers of the organization's governing body (for example, chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and secretary of the board of directors or board of trustees), the principal officer and deputy principal officer of the organization (for example, executive director, deputy director, president, vice president), the program manager or chief of party for the USG-financed program, and any other person with significant responsibilities for administration of the USG-financed activities or resources.
  The AO determines the appropriate stage of the solicitation process for applicants to submit the Form to the vetting official as specified in the Request for Application (RFA) or Annual Program Statement (APS).
  After a vetting determination has been made, the vetting official notifies the applicant or applicants that they either have passed or have not passed vetting. For applicants who have not passed, the vetting official will notify the applicant(s) of the vetting determination. USAID will determine what information may be released consistent with applicable law and Executive Orders, and with the concurrence of relevant agencies.
  Concurrently, the vetting official also notifies the AO that all vetting determinations have been provided to the applicants. The vetting official indicates to the AO whether or not all applicants have passed vetting but will not provide the AO with specific vetting information.
  Applicants who change any key individuals for any reason, including but not limited to failure to pass vetting or for reasons related to their applications, must submit a revised Form to the vetting official as soon as possible to allow for vetting of individuals not previously vetted. The AO makes the award decision independently from the vetting process. The AO then confirms with the vetting official that the apparently successful applicant has passed vetting and proceeds with award. Only applicants who have passed the vetting process are eligible for award. If the AO is ready to make an award but the vetting official is unable to confirm that the apparently successful applicant has passed vetting, the AO will wait as long as is practicable for the vetting official's confirmation.
  The AO will proceed with an award to the next apparently successful applicant in accordance with the evaluation criteria, provided that applicant also passes vetting.
  To apply PVS to USAID assistance, USAID is amending 22 CFR Part 226, Administration of Assistance Awards to U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations.
  USAID is issuing a proposed rule to amend 22 CFR part 226 by adding a new subpart 226.92 to 22 CFR part 226, with an associated application provision and award term. The application provision, Partner Vetting Pre-Award Requirements, delineates the vetting process and the applicant's responsibilities for submitting information on individuals who will be vetted, prior to award. The award term, Partner Vetting, sets forth the recipient's responsibilities for vetting during the award period, and the partner vetting process that takes place after award.
  The amendment will also add definitions to subpart 226.2.
  Regulatory Planning and ReviewUnder E.O. 12866, USAID must determine whether a regulatory action is ''significant'' and therefore subject to the requirements of the E.O. and subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
  USAID has determined that this Rule is not an ''economically significant regulatory action'' under Section 3(f)(1) of E.O. 12866. The application of the Partner Vetting System to USAID assistance will not have an economic impact of $100 million or more. The regulation will not adversely affect the economy or any sector thereof, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, nor public health or safety in a material way. However, as this rule is a ''significant regulatory action'' under Section 3(f)(4) of the E.O., USAID submitted it to OMB for review. We have also reviewed these regulations pursuant to Executive Order 13563, which supplements and explicitly reaffirms the principles, structures, and definitions governing regulatory review established in Executive Order 12866.
  This regulatory action is needed for USAID to meet its fiduciary responsibilities by helping to ensure that agency funds and other resources do not inadvertently benefit individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists. NGOs will provide information on key individuals when applying for USAID grants or cooperative agreements. This information will be used to screen potential recipients and key individuals. The screening will help ensure that funds are not diverted to individuals or entities that are terrorists, supporters of terrorists or affiliated with terrorists. The final benefit to the public will be the increased assurance that Federal funds will not inadvertently provide support to entities or individuals associated with terrorism.
  Although the primary benefit of vetting will be to prevent the diversion of USAID funds, implementing partners will benefit when their subrecipients have also been vetted and the prime recipient is working with legitimate organizations. In addition, as the vetting program becomes better known in the community, it will deter organizations associated with terrorism from applying for assistance funds.
  We estimate that 10,120 assistance applicants currently spend 2,024,000 hours filling out paperwork for grant applications. We estimate the additional requirements for Partner Vetting will add 15 minutes to each application. This number is calculated based on the fact that the NGOs are already providing the majority of information used for screening. The calculation takes into the account the additional pieces of information required for vetting. There are no start-up, capital, operation, maintenance, or recordkeeping costs to applicants as a result of this collection.
  The collection is essentially a clerical task involving employees whose wage rates we estimate average $12.50 dollars per hour. Therefore we estimate that the cost of implementing partner vetting is $3.13 for each application. USAID estimates the total burden hours for the pilot program for both acquisition and assistance at 11,000 hours. Based on data from 2009, 2010 and 2011, acquisition accounts for approximately 77% of all awards and assistance accounts for approximately 23% of all awards. USAID therefore estimates the assistance portion of the total burden hours for the partner vetting pilot program at 2,530 hours. The estimate for the annual cost of implementing partner vetting for assistance is $31,676 (15 minutes * 10,120 burden hours * $12.50 per hour). We estimate that the government's cost to process assistance applications for the partner vetting pilot program is $391,810 annually. This estimate is based on labor costs for four GS-13 positions ($147,680 annually for each position) in the USAID Office of Security (SEC), five GS-13 vetting officials ($147,680 annually for each position), and five foreign service nationals ($74,880 annually for each position). USAID estimates that these positions will expend approximately 23% of their total annual hours on the assistance portion of the partner vetting pilot program. One of the goals of the partner vetting pilot program is to further understand the actual costs of implementing partner vetting in various environments. While the figures above reflect USAID's best estimates of government costs to implement the pilot program for assistance, the actual figures may be different. The pilot program will be used to inform our estimates of the costs of partner vetting in various environments.
  We estimate that the total cost for this proposed rule for implementing the partner vetting pilot program is $399,716.
  Regulatory Flexibility ActPursuant to requirements set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), USAID has considered the economic impact of the rule on applicants and has determined that its provisions would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
  The proposed regulations would add the requirement for partner vetting of key individuals for applicants of USAID-funded assistance awards into the existing partner vetting system. USAID estimates that completing an assistance application in response to a Request For Application takes 200 hours. USAID considers the additional 15 minute burden on applicants as de minimis and that this does not significantly increase the burden on grant applicants.
  Paperwork Reduction ActThe changes to 22 CFR Part 226 use information collected via USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13, which was approved in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3501 by the Office of Management and Budget on July 25, 2012 (OMB Control Number 0412-0577).
  If this information collection is not conducted, then USAID will be unable to use all available means to adequately screen applicants for federal funding assistance and risks inadvertently giving support to an individual or entity associated with terrorism. As for frequency, the information will be collected at the time of application for USAID assistance funds and will only be collected again if the grant is a multi-year award, in which case it will be collected annually; if the key officials within the NGO change, in which case it will be re-collected as soon as possible after the change; or if other unique circumstances warrant.
  During the initial pilot program, it is estimated that approximately, 44,000 NGOs will apply for USAID funds for programs implemented in the five PVS pilot countries and will require vetting. Each NGO will submit one vetting form per grant application and the duration of each USAID grant is typically one year. Thus, the total annual responses are also estimated to be 44,000. The projected time per response for this information collection is a total of one-quarter hour per response. The total annual hours are 11,000. These numbers were calculated based on the fact that NGOs already are providing the majority of information used for screening. The calculations take into account the additional information required. Completing a grant application in response to a Request For Application takes many hours. The additional 15 minute burden on applicants is clearly de minimis and does not significantly increase the burden on grant applicants.
  Foreign AidNon-profit OrganizationsFor the reasons set forth in the preamble, the U. S. Agency for International Development proposes to amend 22 CFR part 226 as follows:
  begin regulatory text
  1.The authority citation for 22 CFR Part 226 continues to read as follows:
  Authority:22 U.S.C. 2381(a) and 2401.
  Source: 60 FR 3744, Jan. 19, 1995, unless otherwise noted.
  2.Amend § 226.2 by adding the following definitions:
  § 226.2 Definitions* * * * *
  Key individual means the principal officer of the organization's governing body (for example, chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and secretary of the board of directors or board of trustees); the principal officer and deputy principal officer of the organization (for example, executive director, deputy director, president, vice president); the program manager or chief of party for the USG-financed program; and any other person with significant responsibilities for administration of the USG-financed activities or resources, such as key personnel as identified in the solicitation or resulting cooperative agreement. Key personnel, whether or not they are employees of the prime recipient, must be vetted.
  * * * * *
  Key personnel means those individuals identified for approval as part of substantial involvement in a cooperative agreement whose positions are essential to the successful implementation of an award.
  * * * * *
  Vetting official means the USAID employee identified in the application or award as having responsibility for receiving vetting information, responding to questions about information to be included on the Partner Information Form, coordinating with the USAID Office of Security (SEC), and conveying the vetting determination to each applicant, potential subrecipients and vendors subject to vetting, and the agreement officer. The vetting official is not part of the office making the award selection and has no involvement in the selection process.
  * * * * *
  3.Add § 226.92 to subpart F, to read as follows:
  § 226.92 Partner Vetting.(a) It is USAID policy that USAID may determine that a particular award is subject to vetting in the interest of national security. In that case, USAID may require vetting of the key individuals of applicants, including key personnel, whether or not they are employees of the applicant, first tier subrecipients, vendors, and any other class of subawards and procurements as identified in the assistance solicitation and resulting award. When USAID conducts partner vetting, it will not award to any applicant who does not pass vetting.
  (b) When USAID determines an award to be subject to vetting, the agreement officer determines the appropriate stage of the award cycle to require applicants to submit the completed USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13, to the vetting official identified in the assistance solicitation. The agreement officer must specify in the assistance solicitation the stage at which the applicants will be required to submit the USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13.
  (c) Selection of the successful applicant proceeds separately from vetting. The agreement officer makes the selection determination separately from the vetting process and without knowledge of vetting-related information other than that the apparently successful applicant has passed or not passed vetting.
  (d) For those awards the agency has determined are subject to vetting, the agreement officer may only award to an applicant that has passed vetting.
  (e) For those awards the agency has determined are subject to vetting, the recipient must submit the completed USAID Partner Information Form any time it changes:
  (1) Key individuals, and
  (2) Subrecipients and vendors for which vetting is required.
  (f) USAID may vet key individuals of the recipient, subrecipients and vendors periodically during program implementation using the information already submitted on the Form.
  (g) When the prime recipient is subject to vetting, vetting may be required for key individuals of subawards under the prime award when prior approval in accordance with 22 CFR 226.25(c)(8) for the subaward, transfer or contracting out of any work.
  (h) When the prime recipient is subject to vetting, vetting may be required for key individuals of vendors of certain services. The agreement officer must identify these services in the assistance solicitation and any resulting award.
  (i) When vetting of subawards is required, the agreement officer must not approve the subaward, transfer, or contracting out, or the procurement of certain classes of items until the organization subject to vetting has passed vetting. When vetting of vendors is required, the recipient may not procure the identified services until the vendor has passed vetting.
  (j) The recipient may instruct prospective subrecipients or vendors who are subject to vetting to submit the USAID Partner Information Form to the vetting official as soon as the recipient submits the USAID Partner Information Form for its key individuals.
  (k) Pre-award provision and award term.
  (1) The agreement officer must insert the pre-award provision Partner Vetting Pre-Award Requirements in Appendix B of this part in all assistance solicitations USAID identifies as subject to vetting.
  (2) The agreement officer must insert the award term Partner Vetting in Appendix B in all assistance solicitations and awards USAID identifies as subject to vetting.
  4.Add Appendix B to Part 226, to read as follows:
  Appendix B to Part 226'--Partner Vetting Pre-Award Solicitation Provision and Award Term Back to TopPartner Vetting Pre-Award Requirements Back to Top(a) USAID has determined that any award resulting from this assistance solicitation is subject to vetting. An applicant that has not passed vetting is ineligible for award.
  (b) The following are the vetting procedures for this solicitation:
  (1) Prospective applicants review the attached USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13, and submit any questions about the USAID Partner Information Form or these procedures to the agreement officer by the deadline in the solicitation.
  (2) The agreement officer notifies the applicant when to submit the USAID Partner Information Form. For this solicitation, USAID will vet [insert in the provision the applicable stage of the selection process at which the Agreement Officer will notify the applicant(s) who must be vetted]. Within the timeframe set by the agreement officer in the notification, the applicant must complete and submit the USAID Partner Information Form to the vetting official. The designated vetting official is:
  Vetting official:
  Address:
  Email:
  ________ (for inquiries only).
  (3) The applicants must notify proposed subrecipients and vendors of this requirement when the subrecipients or vendors are subject to vetting.
  Note: Applicants who submit using non-secure methods of transmission do so at their own risk.
  (c) Selection proceeds separately from vetting. Vetting is conducted independently from any discussions the agreement officer may have with an applicant. The applicant and any proposed subrecipient or vendor subject to vetting must not provide vetting information to other than the vetting official. The applicant and any proposed subrecipient or vendor subject to vetting will communicate only with the vetting official regarding their vetting submission(s) and not with any other USAID or USG personnel, including the agreement officer or the agreement officer's representatives. The agreement officer designates the vetting official as the only individual authorized to clarify the applicant's and proposed subrecipient's and vendor's vetting information.
  (d)(1) The vetting official notifies the applicant that it:
  (i) Has passed vetting,
  (ii) Has not passed vetting, or
  (iii) Must provide additional information, and resubmit the USAID Partner Information Form with the additional information within the number of days the vetting official specified in the notification.
  (2) The vetting official will include information that the USAID determines releasable. USAID will determine what information may be released consistent with applicable law and Executive Orders, and with the concurrence of relevant agencies.
  (e) Reconsideration. (1) Within 7 calendar days after the date of the vetting official's notification, an applicant that has not passed vetting may request in writing to the vetting official that the Agency reconsider the vetting determination. The request should include any written explanation, legal documentation and any other relevant written material for reconsideration.
  (2) Within 7 calendar days after the vetting official receives the request for reconsideration, the Agency will determine whether the applicant's additional information merits a revised decision.
  (3) The Agency's determination of whether reconsideration is warranted is final.
  (f) Revisions to vetting information. (1) Applicants who change key individuals, whether the applicant has previously passed vetting or not, must submit a revised USAID Partner Information Form to the vetting official. This includes changes to key personnel resulting from revisions to the technical portion of the application.
  (2) The vetting official will follow the vetting process of this provision for any revision of the applicant's Form.
  (g) Award. At the time of award, the agreement officer will confirm with the vetting official that the apparently successful applicant has passed vetting. The agreement officer may award only to an apparently successful applicant that has passed vetting.
  (a) The recipient must comply with the vetting requirements for key individuals under this award.
  (b) Definitions. As used in this provision'--
  ''key individual,'' ''key personnel'' and ''vetting official'' have the meaning contained in 22 CFR 226.2.
  (c) The Recipient must submit a USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13, to the vetting official identified below when the Recipient replaces key individuals with individuals who have not been previously vetting for this award. Note: USAID will not approve any key personnel who have not passed vetting. The designated vetting official is:
  Vetting official:
  Address:
  Email:
  ________ (for inquiries only).
  (d)(1) The vetting official will notify the Recipient that it'--
  (i) Has passed vetting,
  (ii) Has not passed vetting, or
  (iii) Must provide additional information, and resubmit the USAID Partner Information Form with the additional information within the number of days the vetting official specifies.
  (2) The vetting official will include information that USAID determines releasable. USAID will determine what information may be released consistent with applicable law and Executive Orders, and with the concurrence of relevant agencies.
  (e) The inability to pass vetting as described in the this award term may be determined to be a material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the award and may subject the recipient to suspension or termination as specified in 22 CFR 226.61.
  (f) Reconsideration. (1) Within 7 calendar days after the date of the vetting official's notification, the recipient or prospective subrecipient or vendor that has not passed vetting may request in writing to the vetting official that the Agency reconsider the vetting determination. The request should include any written explanation, legal documentation and any other relevant written material for reconsideration.
  (2) Within 7 calendar days after the vetting official receives the request for reconsideration, the Agency will determine whether the recipient's additional information merits a revised decision.
  (3) The Agency's determination of whether reconsideration is warranted is final.
  (g) A notification that the Recipient has passed vetting does not constitute any other approval under this award.
  Alternate I. When subrecipients will be subject to vetting, add the following paragraphs to the basic award term:
  (h) When the prime recipient anticipates that it will require prior approval for a subaward in accordance with 22 CFR 226.25(c)(8), the subaward is subject to vetting. The prospective subrecipient must submit a USAID Partner Information Form, USAID Form 500-13, to the vetting official identified in paragraph (c) of this provision. The agreement officer must not approve a subaward to any organization that has not passed vetting when required.
  (i) The recipient agrees to incorporate the substance of paragraphs (a) through (i) of this award term in all first tier subawards under this award.
  Alternate II. When specific classes of services are subject to vetting, add the following paragraph:
  (j) Prospective vendors at any tier providing the following classes of services
  must pass vetting. Recipients must not procure these services until they receive confirmation from the vetting official that the prospective vendor has passed vetting. (End of award term)
  * * * * *
  end regulatory text
  Angelique M. Crumbly,
  Agency Regulatory Official, U.S. Agency for International Development.
  [FR Doc. 2013-20846 Filed 8-28-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE P
Arnie Gundersen does not like nuclear plants that provide several hundred high paying jobs
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Atomic Insights
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:14
  In an interview that shows what kind of ''nuclear industry executive'' he was, Arnie Gundersen explains to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! that even though nuclear fuel costs are far lower than fuel costs for gas or coal plants, the need to employ hundreds of trained, dedicated professionals is a severe disadvantage. He was the kind of executive that was trained to put profits before people.
  Gundersen claims that activists who sought for years to add layers of cost to Vermont Yankee have achieved a big victory in forcing Entergy to declare that the plant is no longer economically viable in the face of those extra costs when the market value of the plant's product can actually fall below zero under planned market rule changes.
  How can the left leaning viewers at Democracy Now! keep their stomachs from churning as their heads get spun by people like Gundersen? Their opposition to nuclear energy is already in direct conflict with their desire to fight climate change and the fossil fuel industry. Now Gunderso also shown to be in direct conflict with their professed desire for lots of good jobs that pay living wages.
  I know people expect politicians to be insincere, but it boggles my mind to hear Governor Shumlin say that his heart is going out to the hard working people at Vermont Yankee after he worked so diligently to put them out of work.
Britain sends six Typhoon fighter-bombers to Cyprus
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: DEBKAFile
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:39
  Britain sends six Typhoon fighter-bombers to CyprusDEBKAfileAugust 29, 2013, 2:10 PM (GMT+02:00)
  The Royal Air Force has posted six Typhoon fighter-bombers at the Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus to defend British sovereignty at its facilities, but not to take part in a military operation against Syria. DEBKAfile: The UK appears concerned about a potential Syrian raid on its bases in reprisal for an American attack.
IOS Application Security Part 14 '' Gathering information using Sogeti Data Protection tools
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:24
  In the previous article, we looked at how we can boot a device using a custom ramdisk using Sogeti Data protection tools. In this article, we will look at how we can use some of their tools to gather information from the device like fetching the keychain information, dumping the entire filesystem or even bruteforcing the passcode.
  Until the previous article, we had successfully set up a connection to the device using usbmux, ssh'ed into the device and had mounted the partitions. Here is what these partitions contain.
  Click to Enlarge
  Now we are free to navigate inside these partitions and do whatever we want. As we can see, iphone data protection tools has put some scripts that we can use.
  Let's use the bruteforce script. Currently the ipod is protected with a passcode ''1234'". This also means that the keychain is protected with this passcode (as discussed in previous articles) and hence if we want to dump the keychain, then we have to find the passcode. So let's run this script. As you can see, it starts bruteforcing the passcode.
  After some time, we can see that is was successfully able to figure out the passcode.
  Click to Enlarge
  We can also see that it writes these results to a plist file. This plist file is required by other python scripts, for e.g while dumping the keychain, the passcode is needed as the keychain information is protected with a passcode. There is another python script for bruteforcing the passcode stored inside the python_scripts directory inside the data protection tools repository.
  Click to Enlarge
  Once it has figured out the passcode, it will create a folder with name as the UDID of your device and will store a plist file inside it containing information about the passcode and the keys that were derived. You can then use this plist file in other places where it is needed, for e.g while decrypting the keychain.
  Click to Enlarge
  Here is the information contained in that plist file.
  Click to Enlarge
  Please note that using an alphanumeric passcode will make it much more difficult for a successful bruteforce attack to be carried out and it will also protect the information in the keychain. However, most people are not aware of this and prefer to use a simple 4 digit numeric passcode.
  Anyways, coming back to the device there is another script device_infos that dumps information about the device which contains information like the Serial number, the Mac address etc.
  Click to Enlarge
  One of the most important python scripts is the ios_examiner python script. However, while running it, i got an error related to unicode strings and i was able to modify the python script using the help of this link.
  Now run the ios_examiner python script without any commands. You will be shown an interpreter now where you can type commands.
  Click to Enlarge
  You can see the full set of commands just by typing help.
  Just typing keychain will dump the keychain.
  Click to Enlarge
  However, you will notice that it says Keybag state: locked and there are some items that don't display (shown as ?). These are the items that have higher protection attributes (for e.g AfterFirstUnlock) and they require the device passcode in order to be decrypted. But then we had already figured out the passcode right ? Well yes, but we used a different python script and the plist file containing passcode information was stored somewhere else. The most simple way to go forward is to just use the bruteforce script from the interpreter, give it the passcode, allow it to save the plist file in the current location and now you can use the keychain script again.
  Want to learn more?? The InfoSec Institute Web Application Penetration Testing Boot Camp focuses on preparing you for the real world of Web App Pen Testing through extensive lab exercises, thought provoking lectures led by an expert instructor. We review of the entire body of knowledge as it pertains to web application pen testing through a high-energy seminar approach.The Web Application Penetration Testing course from InfoSec Institute is a totally hands-on learning experience. From the first day to the last day, you will learn the ins and outs of Web App Pen Testing by attending thought provoking lectures led by an expert instructor. Every lecture is directly followed up by a comprehensive lab exercise (we also set up and provide lab workstations so you don't waste valuable class time installing tools and apps). Benefits to you are:
  Get CWAPT CertifiedLearn the Secrets of Web App Pen Testing in a totally hands-on classroom environmentLearn how to exploit and defend real-world web apps: not just silly sample codeComplete the 83 Step "Web App Pen Test Methodology", and bring a copy back to work with youLearn how perform OWASP Top 10 Assessments: for PCI DSS complianceUsing the command protected_files will give you the files that are protected with protection attributes != NSProtectionNone.
  You can also dump the current partition which will create a .dmg file that you can use to later mount the partition and explore it.
  There is another shell script that will dump the partition for you. It saves the created .dmg file inside a folder with name as the UDID of the device.
  Click to Enlarge
  Once the .dmg file is fully generated, you can just click on it to mount it. Now you can explore the filesystem whenever you want.
  Now you can just reboot the device by issuing the reboot command and it will return the device back to its previous state. Make sure that the device is disconnected from you computer while doing so.
  Click to Enlarge
  Conclusion
  In this article, we looked at how we can use Sogeti data protection tools to gather various kinds of information from the device like keychain, protected files etc. We can also take a dump of the entire filesystem and analyze it later. This technique can be perfomed on any A4 device using a bootrom exploit (without jailbreaking it) and the device can then be rebooted to take it back to its normal state thereby preventing any normal user from knowing if anything happenned at all.
  References
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kevin rudd weapons of mass distraction - Google Search
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:16
  More in NewsCourier Mail'Ž - 1 day ago
  ROLLING COVERAGE: Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd have concluded their ...Kevin Rudd slips up talking about Syria's 'weapons of mass distraction' in the ...
  Galleries: MBFF: Here come the bridesCourier Mail'Ž - 1 day ago
  ROLLING COVERAGE: Kevin Rudd slips up talking about Syria's 'weapons ofmass distraction' in the countdown to tonight's debate with Tony Abbott.
  Morning Express: Bumbling thief arrestedSydney Morning Herald'Ž - 15 hours ago
  Kevin Rudd has thrown the lever to populism by calling for tighter ... Syrian government carried out chemical weapons attacks near Damascus.
  LIVE: 2013 Federal Election - Day 24The Daily Telegraph'Ž - 1 day ago
  Kevin Rudd, meanwhile, had a slip of the tongue about Syria, referring to ... more as a "weapon of mass distraction'' before correcting himself.
  Labor gets every figure wrong: AbbottThe Age'Ž - 3 Aug 2013
  Mr Hockey said this analysis was a "weapon of mass distraction" intended to ... The coalition was not "spooked" by the return of Kevin Rudd, ...
  Daddy's girlsSydney Morning Herald'Ž - 2 Aug 2013
  Tony Abbott unleashes his two weapons of mass distraction next week ... no plans to do something similar with Kevin Rudd's daughter Jessica, ...
  Real solutions to global refugee problemGreen Left Weekly'Ž - 3 Aug 2013
  This racist policy is a weapon of mass distraction whose objective is to ... against the Kevin Rudd government's policy and work to strengthen ...
  The man who didn't know he was freeHerald Sun'Ž - 3 Aug 2013
  PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has declared he is not going to "ram" his views ... its collective reasoning for a blithe adherence to mass distraction.
Yahoo News 1-30-13: US 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria, blame it on Assad govt' | Peace . Gold . Liberty
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:08
  The original link still works, but for how long?http://in.news.yahoo.com/us-backed-plan-launch-chemical-weap...US 'backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria, blame it on Assad govt': ReportBy ANI | ANI '' Wed 30 Jan, 2013
  London, Jan 30 (ANI): The Obama administration gave green signal to a chemical weapons attack plan in Syria that could be blamed on President Bashar al Assad's regime and in turn, spur international military action in the devastated country, leaked documents have shown.
  A new report, that contains an email exchange between two senior officials at British-based contractor Britam Defence, showed a scheme 'approved by Washington'.
  As per the scheme 'Qatar would fund rebel forces in Syria to use chemical weapons,' the Daily Mail reports.
  Barack Obama made it clear to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last month that the U.S. would not tolerate Syria using chemical weapons against its own people.
  According to Infowars.com, the December 25 email was sent from Britam's Business Development Director David Goulding to company founder Philip Doughty.
  The emails were released by a Malaysian hacker who also obtained senior executives resumes and copies of passports via an unprotected company server, according to Cyber War News.
  According to the paper, the U.S. State Department has declined to comment on the matter. (ANI)http://in.news.yahoo.com/us-backed-plan-launch-chemical-weap...http://www.infowars.com/flashback-yahoo-uncovered-syria-chem...
Scientist controls colleague's hand in first human brain-to-brain interface - CNET Mobile
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 11:05
  University of Washington researcher Rajesh Rao sends a brain signal to Andrea Stocco via the Internet, causing Stocco's right hand to move on a keyboard.
  University of Washington researcher Rajesh Rao, left, plays a computer game with his mind, while across campus, researcher Andrea Stocco wears a magnetic stimulation coil over the left motor cortex region of his brain.
  (Credit: University of Washington)The telepathic cyborg lives, sort of. University of Washington scientists Rajesh Rao and Andrea Stocco claim that they are the first to demonstrate human brain-to-brain communication. Rao sent a signal into a Stocco's brain via the Internet that caused him to move his right hand. Brain-to-brain communication has previously been demonstrated between rats and from humans to rats.
  "The experiment is a proof in concept. We have tech to reverse engineer the brain signal and transmit it from one brain to another via computer," said Chantel Prat, an assistant professor of psychology who worked on the project.
  In a press release, the experiment was described as follows:
  The team had a Skype connection set up so the two labs could coordinate, though neither Rao nor Stocco could see the Skype screens. Rao looked at a computer screen and played a simple video game with his mind. When he was supposed to fire a cannon at a target, he imagined moving his right hand (being careful not to actually move his hand), causing a cursor to hit the "fire" button. Almost instantaneously, Stocco, who wore noise-canceling earbuds and wasn't looking at a computer screen, involuntarily moved his right index finger to push the space bar on the keyboard in front of him, as if firing the cannon. Stocco compared the feeling of his hand moving involuntarily to that of a nervous tic.
  The mind-meld between the researchers wasn't seamless. Rao spent time training his mind, with feedback from the computer, to emit the brainwave for moving the right hand so that it could be detected by the computer. "The intention can be as detectable as the movement itself," Prat said. "Brain-computer interfaces have been capturing this with increasing accuracy over the last decade."
  When the software sees the right signal it is sent via the Internet to a computer connected to a transcranial magnetic stimulation device, which is positioned on the exact spot of the brain that controls the right hand. "It uses simple physics," Prat said. "When the magnetic field changes, it induces an electrical current, so a signal is sent through the cortex of the brain and excites the neurons, simulating what happens naturally."
  The schematic diagram shows how the brainwave signal was transferred from one brain to another.
  (Credit: University of Washington)Where does human brain-to-brain communication go from this simple experiment? "It's very much a first step, but it shows what is possible," Prat said.
  "Right now the only way to transfer information from one brain to another is with words," she said. With advances in computer science and neuroscience, people could eventually perform complicated tasks, such as flying an airplane, and dancing the tango, by transferring information in a noninvasive way from one brain to another. "You can imagine all complex motor skills, which are difficult to verbalize, are just chains of procedures," Prat said.
  More complex cognitive skills, such as understanding algebra and physics could also benefit from the technology. "Ultimately, it's important education and training, especially when knowledge cannot be easily translatable into words." she said.
  Prat noted that some people might be nervous about this technology being used to control minds against their will. "The signal is being transmitted remotely through the Internet, but the humans are connected to physical equipment and must be trained to create the right signals. There is no way to control minds without their willingness," Prat said.
  At least for now, your mind is safe, but who knows where technology leads.
The Unofficial Paul Krugman Web Page
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:51
  The Unofficial Paul Krugman Web PageMY CONNECTION WITH ENRON, ONE MORE TIME
  SYNOPSIS: If you had any questions about Krugman in this diminishing non-scandal, this piece should answer them
  I really didn't want to say any more about the Enron advisory board issue - I've already posted quite a lot of information here . I don't have anything to hide, but my job at the New York Times is to write about real issues, not myself. Still, the story keeps popping up.
  Let me give the people bringing this up the benefit of the doubt, and suppose that they really are concerned about journalistic ethics. That's certainly a valid subject. It's important that a national publication like the New York Times insist that its journalists be free from conflicts of interest; kudos to my employers for their strict rules, which insist that writers be free from anything that might raise questions - rules that I have followed from the moment I joined the Times. It's also important for a journalist to disclose previous connections where they are relevant - which I have.
  But somehow this keeps shifting from a real discussion of journalistic ethics, the guidelines that publications should adopt and that writers should follow, to a prurient fascination with other peoples' paychecks. If that's all that it's about, then it's tabloid journalism, not a real attempt to grapple with the issue.
  Lately I find myself presumed guilty of an ethics violation simply because I was paid for my time. All that anyone wants to talk about is $50,000 (which turns out to be wrong - see below). There is such a thing as earning money honestly; if you want to challenge a journalist's ethics, you have to ask not how much he was paid but when, for what, and whether it distorted his writing. It's particularly important to get the context right when the person in question had a successful non-journalistic career before he went into journalism - which I did.
  Too much of what I read about myself doesn't get even the most basic facts right. Critics imply, falsely, that I received money from Enron as a New York Times columnist - that I was receiving a bribe because of a prominent journalistic position that I did not in fact have at the time (unlike the other journalists who have served on that board, who held the same jobs then that they do today). They don't acknowledge that I disclosed my connection almost three years ago, and again a year ago. And they don't acknowledge that I have been criticizing Enron since January 2001, long before everyone else started bashing the company.
  By all means let's have a discussion about journalistic ethics; Enron has made us all a lot more conscious of ethical issues involving business. But a game of gotcha, in which anyone who received money from Enron is lumped in with the genuine malefactors in this story, does nothing to improve journalistic integrity - on the contrary, it's counterproductive.
  To make it easier for anyone who is still interested in this story to get the facts right, here are some frequently asked questions about my role on the Enron advisory board, with answers.
  1. What did I do? In early 1999 I was asked to serve on a panel that offered Enron executives briefings on economic and political issues. As far as I knew at the time, they genuinely wanted to learn something. I resigned from that board in the fall of 1999, when I accepted an offer to write for the New York Times.
  2. What was I paid? It turns out that I was actually paid $37,500 - the last quarterly payment did not take place, because of my early resignation from the board.
  3. Was this exorbitant? It didn't seem so at the time. In 1998-1999 my normal fee for a one-hour business speech in Boston or New York was $20,000 - more if the speech involved long-distance travel. The Enron board required that I spend 4 days in Houston. So the sum they offered didn't seem out of line - if anything it seemed rather low compared with my usual rates.
  4. Was I being paid off because I was a journalist? That Enron board, when I was on it, did not strike me as a board of pundits. It included Larry Lindsey and Bob Zoellick - future Bush administration officials, though I had no way of knowing that, but certainly not journalists. It also included Pankaj Ghemawat, a strategy professor at Harvard, and Irwin Stelzer, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute. (Stelzer had a column in the London Times, but I didn't know that) The only person there I thought of as a journalist was William Kristol - I thought he was there to regale us with Washington gossip. And I regarded myself as being in the same category as Ghemawat - an academic expert, who was there because of his expertise.
  An amazing number of people seem to think that I was paid by Enron while working for the Times. I wasn't - when Enron approached me there was no hint that a Times connection lay in my future. As soon as I shook hands with the Times, I resigned from that board.
  I did write monthly columns for two magazines in 1999, but I would not have described myself as a journalist - no more so than, say, Laura Tyson, Robert Barro, or or Gary Becker, respected economists who write monthly columns for Business Week. I wrote a monthly column for Fortune; that column was neither a major commitment of time nor a major source of income. I also wrote a monthly column, for very little money, for Slate. My main sources of income were teaching, consulting, and business speaking.
  5. Did I disclose my connection? Yes. I reported it the one time I mentioned Enron in Fortune, almost three years ago. I reported it again the first time I mentioned Enron in the New York Times, in a highly critical article more than a year ago. I didn't say that I was paid to serve on the board, but I thought that was obvious: who volunteers his services to for-profit corporations?
  One point that seems to have been missed in all the mud-slinging: I was the only member of the board to declare my connection voluntarily. Lindsey and Zoellick, as government officials, were required to disclose their consulting; none of the other members uttered a peep before the January 2002 New York Times article about the board.
  6. Should I have disclosed the sum of money I received? I have always understood that when writing about someone you disclose the fact of a potential conflict of interest, not the financial details. If I had disclosed the sum back in January 2001, when I first wrote about Enron for the New York Times, it would have sounded strange - I'm sure people would have accused me of bragging.
  7. Did the payment from Enron cause me to write anything I would not have written otherwise? No. Some people seem to think that because I had nice things to say about Enron's energy trading in a Fortune article - in which I disclosed my connection - I was being out of character. But I have always been a free-market Keynesian: I like free markets, but I want some government supervision to correct market failures and ensure stability. Some of my pro-market Slate pieces enraged people on the left - check out The accidental theorist , or In praise of cheap labor . My Fortune piece about the rise of markets, illustrated by Enron's energy trading, was an attempt to take a sunshine break from the dark pieces I had been writing about the Asian crisis; it was also a favor to my editors, who devoted that issue to e-business. It wasn't at all out of character. In fact, the next column I wrote for Fortune was also a pro-market piece, with kind words for Milton Friedman and Margaret Thatcher.
  8. Was Enron trying to buy my soul? That's for them to answer. But I wasn't selling.
  The Unofficial Paul Krugman Web PageMY CONNECTION WITH ENRON, ONE MORE TIME
  SYNOPSIS: If you had any questions about Krugman in this diminishing non-scandal, this piece should answer them
  I really didn't want to say any more about the Enron advisory board issue - I've already posted quite a lot of information here . I don't have anything to hide, but my job at the New York Times is to write about real issues, not myself. Still, the story keeps popping up.
  Let me give the people bringing this up the benefit of the doubt, and suppose that they really are concerned about journalistic ethics. That's certainly a valid subject. It's important that a national publication like the New York Times insist that its journalists be free from conflicts of interest; kudos to my employers for their strict rules, which insist that writers be free from anything that might raise questions - rules that I have followed from the moment I joined the Times. It's also important for a journalist to disclose previous connections where they are relevant - which I have.
  But somehow this keeps shifting from a real discussion of journalistic ethics, the guidelines that publications should adopt and that writers should follow, to a prurient fascination with other peoples' paychecks. If that's all that it's about, then it's tabloid journalism, not a real attempt to grapple with the issue.
  Lately I find myself presumed guilty of an ethics violation simply because I was paid for my time. All that anyone wants to talk about is $50,000 (which turns out to be wrong - see below). There is such a thing as earning money honestly; if you want to challenge a journalist's ethics, you have to ask not how much he was paid but when, for what, and whether it distorted his writing. It's particularly important to get the context right when the person in question had a successful non-journalistic career before he went into journalism - which I did.
  Too much of what I read about myself doesn't get even the most basic facts right. Critics imply, falsely, that I received money from Enron as a New York Times columnist - that I was receiving a bribe because of a prominent journalistic position that I did not in fact have at the time (unlike the other journalists who have served on that board, who held the same jobs then that they do today). They don't acknowledge that I disclosed my connection almost three years ago, and again a year ago. And they don't acknowledge that I have been criticizing Enron since January 2001, long before everyone else started bashing the company.
  By all means let's have a discussion about journalistic ethics; Enron has made us all a lot more conscious of ethical issues involving business. But a game of gotcha, in which anyone who received money from Enron is lumped in with the genuine malefactors in this story, does nothing to improve journalistic integrity - on the contrary, it's counterproductive.
  To make it easier for anyone who is still interested in this story to get the facts right, here are some frequently asked questions about my role on the Enron advisory board, with answers.
  1. What did I do? In early 1999 I was asked to serve on a panel that offered Enron executives briefings on economic and political issues. As far as I knew at the time, they genuinely wanted to learn something. I resigned from that board in the fall of 1999, when I accepted an offer to write for the New York Times.
  2. What was I paid? It turns out that I was actually paid $37,500 - the last quarterly payment did not take place, because of my early resignation from the board.
  3. Was this exorbitant? It didn't seem so at the time. In 1998-1999 my normal fee for a one-hour business speech in Boston or New York was $20,000 - more if the speech involved long-distance travel. The Enron board required that I spend 4 days in Houston. So the sum they offered didn't seem out of line - if anything it seemed rather low compared with my usual rates.
  4. Was I being paid off because I was a journalist? That Enron board, when I was on it, did not strike me as a board of pundits. It included Larry Lindsey and Bob Zoellick - future Bush administration officials, though I had no way of knowing that, but certainly not journalists. It also included Pankaj Ghemawat, a strategy professor at Harvard, and Irwin Stelzer, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute. (Stelzer had a column in the London Times, but I didn't know that) The only person there I thought of as a journalist was William Kristol - I thought he was there to regale us with Washington gossip. And I regarded myself as being in the same category as Ghemawat - an academic expert, who was there because of his expertise.
  An amazing number of people seem to think that I was paid by Enron while working for the Times. I wasn't - when Enron approached me there was no hint that a Times connection lay in my future. As soon as I shook hands with the Times, I resigned from that board.
  I did write monthly columns for two magazines in 1999, but I would not have described myself as a journalist - no more so than, say, Laura Tyson, Robert Barro, or or Gary Becker, respected economists who write monthly columns for Business Week. I wrote a monthly column for Fortune; that column was neither a major commitment of time nor a major source of income. I also wrote a monthly column, for very little money, for Slate. My main sources of income were teaching, consulting, and business speaking.
  5. Did I disclose my connection? Yes. I reported it the one time I mentioned Enron in Fortune, almost three years ago. I reported it again the first time I mentioned Enron in the New York Times, in a highly critical article more than a year ago. I didn't say that I was paid to serve on the board, but I thought that was obvious: who volunteers his services to for-profit corporations?
  One point that seems to have been missed in all the mud-slinging: I was the only member of the board to declare my connection voluntarily. Lindsey and Zoellick, as government officials, were required to disclose their consulting; none of the other members uttered a peep before the January 2002 New York Times article about the board.
  6. Should I have disclosed the sum of money I received? I have always understood that when writing about someone you disclose the fact of a potential conflict of interest, not the financial details. If I had disclosed the sum back in January 2001, when I first wrote about Enron for the New York Times, it would have sounded strange - I'm sure people would have accused me of bragging.
  7. Did the payment from Enron cause me to write anything I would not have written otherwise? No. Some people seem to think that because I had nice things to say about Enron's energy trading in a Fortune article - in which I disclosed my connection - I was being out of character. But I have always been a free-market Keynesian: I like free markets, but I want some government supervision to correct market failures and ensure stability. Some of my pro-market Slate pieces enraged people on the left - check out The accidental theorist , or In praise of cheap labor . My Fortune piece about the rise of markets, illustrated by Enron's energy trading, was an attempt to take a sunshine break from the dark pieces I had been writing about the Asian crisis; it was also a favor to my editors, who devoted that issue to e-business. It wasn't at all out of character. In fact, the next column I wrote for Fortune was also a pro-market piece, with kind words for Milton Friedman and Margaret Thatcher.
  8. Was Enron trying to buy my soul? That's for them to answer. But I wasn't selling.
Nazi sykewar, American style, part one | YDS: The Clare Spark Blog
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:45
  "The Lord's Prayer," Hans Haacke, ca. 1984
  For years, I have wondered why I alone seemed alarmed by the recommendation of prominent progressive social psychologists that Hitler's methods for mind-management be adopted by the Roosevelt administration. Readers of my book, Hunting Captain Ahab or my article Klara Hitler's Son will know that such figures as Henry A. Murray, Gordon Allport, Talcott Parsons, and Walter Langer were some of the names involved in proposing such a project in the interest of ''national morale'' or ''civilian morale.'' But then, while researching the history of military psychiatry, I came across a reference to German Psychological Warfare: Survey and Bibliography, edited by Ladislas Farago, and published in two editions by the Committee for National Morale (second ed. 1941), that addressed my deep concerns, for it was not only such as Murray, Allport, Parsons, and Langer that had entertained a full-fledged program of mind-management, but almost the entire progressive elite as it existed circa 1940-41, including A. Philip Randolph! The opening page presents their rationalization, and it brims with down-to-earth confidence that appropriating Nazi methods in a democracy is not an insuperable challenge, but first they suggest the purposes of the appropriation:
  ''[Germany] uses defensive psychology to select the right man for the right place, to bolster the morale of the whole German ''nation in arms,'' to habituate its soldiers to the hazards, dangers and strains of technical warfare, to cushion the shocks of combat and increase the efficiency of military life, to regulate relations between officers and men, and to solve all the complex problems of human behavior raised by war.''
  ''Offensive psychology is used to break down the morale of Germany's enemies both on the military and the home fronts, to conquer public opinion in neutral lands, to pave the invader's way into unprepared countries by disintegrating the political, social and intellectual structure of nations singled out for future attacks.'' [Note that they constantly refer to Germans, not Nazis, perhaps to ally themselves with advanced enlightened prewar German culture, and to decrease the shock of their copying Nazi maneuvers in mind-control. C.S.] Now they explain that the Germans are not the sole source of their program of ''national morale.'':
  ''Germany has no exclusive lease on the psychological amplification of strategy and tactics. Neither was she the first to exploit psychology for the more efficient prosecution of modern wars. When drawing up their master plan, German psychologists borrowed freely from pioneering American, French, and Russian psychologists, going even to a Hungarian school of pyrotechnicians for several patterns of tests. [Later they will pin it all on Freud, and before that Clausewitz. C.S.]
  ''As things stand today, however, the Germans have staked rich claims on the use of psychology in Total War.
  ''The primary purpose of this Survey and Bibliography is, therefore, to acquaint Americans with the background, organization, functions and development of German military psychology. Its best features, stripped of their bias, obscurity, and apparent mystery, and freed of t heir verbalism, can easily be adapted and amplified for the benefit of America's own national defense within the framework of our traditions and democratic way of life'....'' [These latter quotes are from their first page to the "Survey," laying out the project of the book.]
  Why, you may ask, do we need ''Total War?'' The science-minded authors are crystal clear on that point, after they quote Prof. E. Weniger, writing in 1938, who believes that ''every German can be raised as a soldier'....'':
  [the authors:] '' Investigation showed that military psychological factors are subject to specific laws and rules which can be recognized in advance and solved accordingly. Frictions, for example, have their preliminary symptoms and are not as unpredictable as certain pre-war theorists assumed. A knowledge of these laws and symptoms [preventive politics! C.S.] are held capable of enabling leaders to cope with frictions not only when they occur, but to forestall them or reduce their effectiveness by eliminating their psychological causes.
  ''The solution of such problems became all-important when total war inevitably made man himself (his attitudes and sentiments) rather than arms and supplies, the focal point for determining ultimate victory or defeat. In the last forty years the organization of the masses and the enlightenment of the individual have made immense progress. Traditional influences lost much of their original value when they were countered with the rationalism of modern man whom technological training and increasing urbanization accustomed to independent and critical thinking. Instead of accepting traditional impulses at their face value, this modern man searches for causes and feels competent, and often powerful enough, to demand explanations.
  ''Urbanization also tended to diminish natural courage. The enlightened man rejects the idea of 'bravery for the sake of bravery' and weighs the 'practicability' and legitimate stake of his action as against its possible returns. Thus his voluntary approval (his morale) became the dominating stimulus of his will to cooperation (47-48).'' [my emph.]
  To be continued. I am going to quote liberally from this revealing source on the goodness of lying. It is all shocking, and justifies everything on my blog to date. For the complete series see http://clarespark.com/2010/04/18/links-to-nazi-sykewar-american-style/.
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VIDEO-Obama Says U.S. Has 'Concluded' Syrian Gov't Carried Out Deadly Chemical Attack, Presents No Direct Evidence | TheBlaze.com
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  WASHINGTON (AP) '-- President Barack Obama is declaring unequivocally that the United States has ''concluded'' that the Syrian government carried out a deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians last week.
  Obama did not present any direct evidence to back up his assertions. He said he is still evaluating options for possible military retaliation, but vowed that any American response would send a ''strong signal'' to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
  Obama said in a PBS interview that the U.S. has concluded that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack and ''there need to be international consequences.''
  The president says he's not seeking a lengthy, open-ended conflict in Syria, indicating that any U.S. response would be limited in scope.
  ''
Syria: Obama's Weapon of Mass Distraction | TheBlaze.com
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:32
  Three things are happening right now under Obama that are unprecedented.
  First, Obama is about to go to war in Syria and risk the lives of your sons and daughters on behalf of our enemy Al Qaeda.
  Second, he is about to risk starting World War III.
  Third, Obama has chosen curious ''red lines'' for the American people. Obama's defenders say: ''Syria passed the red line. We have no choice.''
  Really?
  So we now call extremist Muslims killing other extremist Muslims a ''red line'' that demands U.S. intervention?
  But extremist Muslims in Egypt burning over 70 churches to the ground and killing Christians is not a ''red line?'' In one place (Syria) we want to go to war. In the other (Egypt) we continue to send billions in foreign aid as a reward.
  Are you on board with Obama's goals?
  Why the sudden drumbeat for war? Could it be because America's unemployment problem under Obama is unfixable? Ninety million working-age Americans are not working. The Labor Participation rate is the lowest for men since 1947 (since measurement began). Obama has no way out.
  The same holds true for our partners in the EU like the U.K. and France. Unemployment for the EU region is 12.1% '-- the worst in history. Almost 20 million Europeans are unemployed. Youth unemployment in the EU is just under 25%.
  How do you solve such a human psychological disaster? You go to war.
  Voila. Suddenly young people with no job prospects have a job- in the military. They have a check'...a place to live..something to do. They no longer have time to commit crimes, or riot in the streets.
  America got out of the last Great Depression with the help of World War II. How convenient that Obama lit the fuse for the Arab Spring'...helped to topple dictators friendly to U.S. interests'...and took the side of the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, it's all coming home to roost.
  We fomented instability, supported the radicals who hate America and Israel, and now we're feigning shock that the Middle East is in flames? Remember that line from the police captain in the movie Casablanca? ''I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!''
  What a funny coincidence that a war would solve Obama's worst problems all at once:
  War would stir patriotism and force Americans to rally around the President.ObamaCare is a nightmare for Obama and his party. It's so unpopular even Democrats and unions are running away from it. Congress has passed a law to exempt themselves. Obama himself is postponing major aspects of ObamaCare for fear it will lead to a GOP landslide in 2014. Going to war is the perfect distraction, at the perfect time.Obama couldn't create a job if it hit him in the face. He can't spell J-O-B. War will create instant jobs. And hey, if thousands of young men die, that too will reduce the ranks of the unemployed for years to come.''Nonsense'' Obama's supporters will protest. You know, those same people that marched in the streets protesting our involvement in Iraq. Those same people who questioned CIA intelligence about ''weapons of mass distraction,'' yet who now readily accept the CIA's claims about Syria using chemical weapons. Those same people who called Bush a murderer, now accept Obama bombing and killing citizens in Syria. Syria is the new Iraq.
  The key to life (and politics) is to choose your friends carefully. In Egypt Obama supports the Muslim Brotherhood. This is the same group that supported the Nazis during WWII. Their leader Muhammad Morsi said in speech last year, ''The Qur'an is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, Jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal.''
  In Syria, our new friends are worse than the Muslim Brotherhood (if that's possible). The rebels fighting the Syrian government are Al Qaeda. These are the murderous terrorists who are the sworn enemies of America and Israel. This is who Obama is asking our sons and daughters to die for?
  Have we learned nothing from Iraq?
  I was gung-ho about Iraq. I thought it was a noble cause to set the Iraqi people free from a tyrant. You know what I found out? We meant well, but it was a disaster. It was none of our business. It was not worth the cost '-- in dollars or human life.
  The Iraqi people we heroically risked and sacrificed for, don't thank us, they hate us. Why would we want to do it again? Our Middle East interventions CAUSE more hatred, more terrorism, more death.
  Let's not forget that our intervention in Libya put weapons in the hands of radical Muslims who it now appears used those weapons to attack our own Libyan Embassy and murder our U.S. Ambassador and 3 brave Navy Seals. You know, that's the tragedy that was covered up by Obama and Hillary Clinton by blaming it on a movie. Who killed our brave men in that Libyan embassy? Al Qaeda. The people Obama now wants to partner with.
  Have we not learned that our Middle East interventions always work out badly? Now we are going to do it again. Except this time it's far worse. This time Russia and China and Iran are on Syria's side. This time it could lead to World War III. Have we lost our minds?
  I have obvious questions'...
  First, was this Obama's plan from the start? Is war the only way out to save the U.S. economy from collapse? Is war the perfect way to distract the American people from the economic carnage caused by Obama's policies?
  Second, would you send your son or daughter to die to support Al Qaeda? I know I wouldn't.This is a new level of insanity- even for Obama.
  Featured image credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
  ''
  TheBlaze contributor channel supports a democratic discourse on a range of views. The opinions expressed in this channel are solely those of each individual author.
Obama "There Is A Possibility Chemical Weapons Could be Directed At Us!" (IN 45 MINUTES!)
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VIDEO-Moon Water Discovery Hints at Mystery Source Deep Underground | Space.com
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 04:23
  Evidence of water spotted on the moon's surface by a sharp-eyed spacecraft likely originated from an unknown source deep in the lunar interior, scientists say.
  The find '-- made by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 probe '-- marks the first detection of such "magmatic water" from lunar orbit and confirms analyses performed recently on moon rocks brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts four decades ago, researchers said.
  "Now that we have detected water that is likely from the interior of the moon, we can start to compare this water with other characteristics of the lunar surface," study lead author Rachel Klima, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., said in a statement. [Water on the Moon: The Search in Photos]
  "This internal magmatic water also provides clues about the moon's volcanic processes and internal composition, which helps us address questions about how the moon formed, and how magmatic processes changed as it cooled," Klima added.
  The Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, imaged a 37-mile-wide (60 kilometers) impact crater near the lunar equator called Bullialdus, whose central peak is composed of a type of rock that forms when magma is trapped deep underground. This rock was excavated and exposed by the impact that formed Bullialdus, Klima said.
  "Compared to its surroundings, we found that the central portion of this crater contains a significant amount of hydroxyl '-- a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom '-- which is evidence that the rocks in this crater contain water that originated beneath the lunar surface," she said.
  Scientists have detected evidence of water from the moon's interior in Bullialdus Crater. Pictured is the central peak of Bullialdus rising above the crater floor, with the crater wall in the background.Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State UniversityThe solar wind '-- the stream of charged particles flowing from the sun '-- can create thin layers of water molecules when it strikes the lunar surface. Indeed, M3 found such water near the poles when it mapped the moon's surface in 2009.
  But scientists think the solar wind can only form significant quantities of surface water at high latitudes, ruling out this process as the source of the stuff in the more equatorial Bullialdus Crater.
  The new findings, which are detailed in the Aug. 25 edition of the journal Nature Geoscience, further fuel scientists' growing realization that the moon is not the bone-dry place it was long assumed to be.
  There are those 2009 observations by the M3 instrument, for example. Also in 2009, NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission smashed an impactor into the moon's permanently shadowed Cabeus Crater, throwing up a huge plume of water vapor and ice particles.
  Scientists now think many polar craters on the moon harbor large amounts of water ice '-- so much, in fact, that firms such as the Shackleton Energy Company and Moon Express aim to mine this ice and turn it into rocket propellant to help fuel humanity's expansion out into the solar system.
  Chandrayaan-1 was India's first robotic moon probe. The spacecraft launched in October 2008 and sent an impactor into the lunar surface a month later, making India the fourth nation to plant its flag on the moon. Chandrayaan-1 continued making science observations from lunar orbit until August 2009, when it abruptly stopped communicating with Earth.
  Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us@Spacedotcom,Facebook orGoogle+. Originally published on SPACE.com.
BBC News - Global warming slowdown linked to cooler Pacific waters
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  28 August 2013Last updated at13:02 ETBy Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent, BBC NewsScientists say the slow down in global warming since 1998 can be explained by a natural cooling in part of the Pacific ocean.
  Although they cover just 8% of the Earth, these colder waters counteracted some of the effect of increased carbon dioxide say the researchers.
  But temperatures will rise again when the Pacific swings back to a warmer state, they argue.
  The research is published in the journal Nature.
  Climate sceptics and some scientists have argued that since 1998, there has been no significant global warming despite ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted.
  Continue reading the main storyWe're pretty confident that the swing up will come some time in the future, but the current science can't predict when that will be''
  End QuoteProf Shang-Ping XieScripps InsitutionFor supporters of the idea that man made emissions are driving up temperatures, the pause has become increasingly difficult to ignore.
  Scientists have tried to explain it using a number of different theories but so far there is no general agreement on the cause.
  "For people on the street it is very confusing as to which story is closer to the truth," lead author, Prof Shang-Ping Xie from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography told BBC News.
  "We felt a similar contradiction and that's why we started doing these modelling studies."
  Cooling the carbonProf Xie said there were two possible reasons why the continuing flow of CO2 has not driven the mercury higher.
  The first is that water vapour, soot and other aerosols in the atmosphere have reflected sunlight back into space and thereby had a cooling effect on the Earth.
  The second is natural variability in the climate, especially the impact of cooling waters in the tropical Pacific ocean.
  Although it only covers 8.2% of the planet, the region is sometimes called the engine room of the world's climate system and atmospheric circulation.
  Researchers already know that a naturally occurring cycle in this area, called the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, has a major impact on global climate.
  But Prof Xie and colleagues were interested in a different cycle called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation that lasts for a much longer period of time.
  To test his theory, Prof Xie and his colleagues developed a dynamic climate model that measured the greenhouse effect on temperatures but also included records of sea surface temperatures in this region of the eastern Pacific.
  "Previous efforts using climate models take radiative forcing as the only input, externally, and they produce a temperature record close to observations except for the past 15 years," said Prof Xie.
  "Only when we input equatorial Pacific ocean temperatures into our model, were we able to reproduce the flattening of the temperature record."
  Swing continuesThis model also explains some of the other contradictions seen since temperatures flat lined.
  There have been major heat waves in Europe in 2003, Russia in 2010 and in the US in 2012.
  Arctic sea ice also dropped to its lowest recorded level in 2012. All these are indications that the climate is continuing to warm, but the global average temperature has remained below the figure for 1998.
  "The solution to this contradiction is that temperature has behaved differently between winter and summer seasons," said Prof Xie.
  "The influence of the equatorial Pacific ocean is strongest in winter but weakest during the summer, so CO2 can keep working on the temperature and sea ice in the Arctic over the summer."
  The last time the Pacific was in a relatively cold state was in the 30 year period from the 1940s to 1970s said Prof Xie and that coincides with the last hiatus in climate warming.
  But the researchers warn that the impact of this multi-decadal cool trend will come to an end and will be replaced by a warming one. Global temperatures will rise once again.
  "We're pretty confident that the swing up will come some time in the future, but the current science can't predict when that will be," said Prof Xie.
  Other scientists have welcomed the study saying it offers a coherent explanation of the slowdown.
  "The new simulation accurately reproduces the timing and pattern of changes that have occurred over the last four decades with remarkable skill, " said Dr Alex Sen Gupta from the University of New South Wales.
  "This clearly shows that the recent slowdown is a consequence of a natural oscillation."
  Other researchers believe the new work supports the idea that the heat in the atmosphere has gone into the oceans.
  "This new study adds further evidence that the recent slowdown in the rate of global warming at the Earth's surface is explained by natural fluctuations in the ocean and is therefore likely to be a temporary respite from warming in response to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases," said Dr Richard Allan from the University of Reading.
  Dr Will Hobbs from Australia's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies agrees.
  He said: "Over the period that the authors analysed, observations showed a continued trapping of heat in the Earth's climate system, despite the temporary slowdown in surface warming, and an important question that the paper does not address is where this energy has gone.
  "Almost certainly it is in the deep ocean."
  Follow Matt on Twitter.
Weiner Apparently Hired Crowd of Supporters - The Daily Beast
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:26
  He may not be leading the race, but you'd think Anthony Weiner could find a few supporters to show up at his appearances and TV ads. According to reports from the New York Post and the New York Daily News, the mayoral candidate used interns to voice support in his newest TV ad, and hired actors from a company called Crowds on Demand to pretend to be ''supporters or people who met him and became supporters as a result of that encounter'' at the Dominican Day Parade. Weiner's campaign has denied the charge of hiring supporters, and says of the intern ad that ''none of the people in the ad were ever paid by Weiner.''
About Us '' Geo Listening
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:16
  We invite you to get tuned into your students. Geo Listening will partner with you to provide more timely information so that your team can more effectively intervene on behalf of students.
  The FactsYour students are crying for help. We have heard these cries of despair, and for help and attention, loud and clear from students themselves via their public postings on social networks. Many feel as though no one is listening, and they are falling away from societal connections. This trend can be reversed with more timely information that we can provide to the appropriate school staff.'‹
  Our Mission '‹Provide more timely and relevant information to school administrators so that they can better intervene in the lives of children, and ultimately provide these kids with a more optimal chance to become productive citizens with positive peer connections.'‹Our VisionBy providing information as early as possible, intervention methodologies will be far more effective when bullying or other isolating events occur.'‹'‹
  ''We feel as though with the use of Geo Listening services we will be better able to respond to the needs of our students.''
VIDEO-Glendale Unified Hires Local Company To Monitor Students' Social Media Posts CBS Los Angeles
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:15
  GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) '-- The Glendale Unified School District has hired a Hermosa Beach company to monitor public social media posts made by its students to find out when teens are in trouble or causing it.
  Superintendent Richard Sheehan said Geo Listening is analyzing the posts of 13,000 students at eight Glendale middle and high schools.
  The goal is to give school administrators critical information as soon as possible.
  ''The whole purpose is student safety,'' said Sheehan. ''Basically, it just monitors for keywords where if a student is considering harming themselves, harming someone else.''
  He added, ''We do monitor on and off campus, but we do pay attention during school hours. We do pay more attention to the school computers.''
  Sheehan said during the pilot service last year, Geo Listening and the district were able to intervene with a suicidal student.
  ''The administrator was contacted at the school site. Then we made contact with the student, the student's family and we got them the appropriate help,'' he said.
  Chris Frydrych, the CEO of Geo Listening said, ''We have provided information to school districts, which has led to numerous successful interventions on behalf of students that intended self-harm, suicide, bullying, truancy, substance abuse, and vandalism. We monitor only public posts to social networks. We do not monitor privatized pages, SMS, MMS, email, phone calls, voicemails.''
  Hoover High School student Elijah Augustine said he doesn't mind the monitoring and neither does his mother.
  ''If there was a red flag, if he's talking about stress at school or he can't take it anymore, if I won't be able to deal with it, I would want somebody to come in,'' Felicia Johnson said.
  The cost of the monitoring service is $40,500 a year.
VIDEO- What Would An U.S. Attack On Syria Look Like? Something Like... TEAM AMERICA WORLD POLICE - YouTube
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 02:34
'–¶ Rep Engel "Those Pictures Of Little Children Blown Apart By Obama Drone Strikes Are NOT Acceptable! - YouTube
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China calls for intl support for Haiti reconstruction: UN envoy
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  Source: Global Times
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:55
  Peaceful reconstruction in Haiti remains an arduous task, said a Chinese envoy to the United Nations (UN) Wednesday, calling for continuous support from the international community."The Haitian government has been making vigorous efforts in implementing policies on employment, education, environment, energy and the rule of law, and in enhancing its capacity building, " said Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, at an open debate on Haiti at the UN Security Council.
  While describing the progress in Haiti's reconstruction after the 2010 earthquake as "remarkable," Liu said that Haiti still faced multiple challenges in its political process, economic development and humanitarian situation.
  China called on the international community to honor their pledges of aid to Haiti effectively and be actively engaged in its national reconstruction, Liu said, adding that the cholera situation in Haiti remains grim.
  "We hope that all relevant Haitian parties would put the interests of the nation and the people first, enhance their dialogues of political consultations, secure proper solutions of disputes ... and further promote the Haitian democratic process and political reconciliation."
  The UN should continue to play an important role in Haiti, said Liu. "We welcome the Security Council's recommendation on the continued reconfiguration of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and its extension of mandate for an additional year."
  A strong earthquake rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, killing more than 300,000 people and leveling about 80,000 buildings.
  By leaving a comment, you agree to abide by all terms and conditions (See the Comment section).
UN Says No: Growing International Opposition to Syria War
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  Source: News From Antiwar.com
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:54
  The Arab League took the US by surprise today with its opposition to their planned attack on Syria, and then the UN Security Council rejected the idea of authorizing the war as well.
  The indications are this isn't going to stop anything, but the international community's positions are increasingly public and overwhelmingly opposed to the planned US attack, and almost no one wants to be on President Obama's side in his latest adventure.
  Post-coup Egypt says it rejects the idea of foreign military operations in Syria, and NATO-member Poland confirmed they're not going to get involved. Britain's parliament has delayed their government's planned involvement too.
  Perhaps today's biggest surprise came from Jordan, however, which insisted they won't allow the international community to use their territory as a ''launching pad'' for the war, and that they want to see a diplomatic solution.
  That's downright incredible, as Jordan has been openly hosting a Syrian rebel training center for months, with US and Israeli officials conducting training of fighters who are then sent back into Syria to fight the government.
  Jordanian officials are clearly fretting an al-Qaeda victory in Syria, but they have long presented intervention as forwarding some secular rebel victory, and seem to now be conceding that the war is just forwarding al-Qaeda's regional agenda.
  Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
'Affordable care' - Oregon man robs bank for $1 to be arrested and get free healthcare
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  Source: RT - USA
  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:53
  A homeless man has allegedly held up and robbed a Portland bank for $1, then sat down and waited for police to arrest him so he could receive healthcare in prison.
  Timothy Dean Alsip, a 50-year-old homeless man, was arrested by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Department and thrown in jail on suspicion of second-degree robbery.
  Deputy Mark Nikolai, spokesman for the sheriff's office, told the Oregonian that the homeless man entered a Bank of America on the morning of Aug. 23, where he approached a teller with a note demanding $1.
  ''He handed over a note saying, 'This is a hold up. Give me a dollar,''' Nikolai said. After receiving the dollar, he ''had a seat in the lobby.''
  Holding the $1 bill, Alsip waited in the lobby of the bank until police arrived and arrested him. He was originally charged with both second-degree robbery and third-degree theft, but his robbery charge was later dismissed. His bail was initially set at $250,000, but later reduced to $40,000.
  Alsip allegedly told police officers that he 'robbed' the bank so he could receive medical care in jail. The 50-year-old homeless man has no previous criminal record, but has recently showed signs of desperation to get help. Alsip asked strangers for assistance and on multiple occasions called 911 on himself, complaining of various imaginary problems, such as being hit by a car and overdosing on drugs, CBS Seattle reports.
  ''His behavior today is consistent with the behavior he has displayed over the last week,'' Nikolai said.
  Alsip isn't the first homeless man to intentionally get himself arrested for medical care: two years ago, an unemployed North Carolina man robbed a bank for a dollar, hoping to to receive free healthcare in prison. Richard James Verone, a 59-year-old man who was suffering from numerous health problems at the time of his arrest,demanded that a bank teller in Gastonia, N.C., hand over a $1 bill.
  ''When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me,'' read Verone's note to the teller. ''This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar. I am of sound mind but not so much sound body.''
  Verone later told reporters that he was hoping for a three-year prison sentence, which would allow him to get the back and foot surgery he needed, as well as shelter until he was old enough to collect Social Security checks.
  Although the man only robbed the bank for a dollar, the cost of jailing someone for one year in North Carolina is an estimated $23,000, plus legal fees. For those who have crippling health conditions and nothing else to lose, the prospect of going to prison is sometimes appealing. If an inmate at the Federal Bureau of Prisons has a health condition that cannot be treated by prison doctors, the inmate is sent off to an outside hospital. Some end up in world-class facilities like the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, according to the Daily Beast.
  ''Imagine a place where you don't have to pay anything or no more than $5 for a visit to the medical clinic,'' Roberto Hugh Potter, an expert in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida wrote in an article about the future of universal health care, ''Where your physician-prescribed medications cost you nothing, where there is no penalty for missing work or school to go to the clinic, and where every individual has an absolute right to access and receive 'adequate, reactive' health care. Welcome to prison!''
  In Oregon this week, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Department is trying to find out more information about the Alsip and is urging anyone who knows or has encountered the homeless man to contact the office.
  Alsip is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. A third-degree theft is a Class C misdemeanor, which can result in a maximum jail term of 30 days and/or a maximum fine of $1,250, meaning Alsip's time in county jail will most likely be short-lived.
Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:52
  Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence is an anti-Vietnam war speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1967. The major speech at Riverside Church in New York, New York, followed several interviews[1] and several other public speeches in which Dr. King came out against the war in Vietnam and the policies that created the war. Some, like civil rights leader Ralph Bunche, the NAACP, and the editorial page writers of the Washington Post[2] and the New York Times[3] called the Riverside Church speech a mistake on King's part. Others, including Dr. King's partner and strategist in the Civil Rights Movement, James Bevel, called it Dr. King's most important speech.
  Dr. King delivered the speech, sponsored by the group Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam, after committing to participate in New York's April 15, 1967 anti-Vietnam war march from Central Park to the United Nations sponsored by the Spring Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam.
  In 2010 PBS commentator Tavis Smiley said the speech was the most controversial speech of Dr. King's career, and the one he "labored over the most".[4]
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Message to Obama on August 28, 2013. - The Hagmann And Hagmann Report
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  Written by Mitch SantellProducer, The Hagmann and Hagmann Report.This morning I woke up with a pit in my stomach. Why? As a six year old boy I watched with my mother on TV as Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his "I Have A Dream Speech" with the world.
  If you replace the words "Vietnam War" with "Middle East" or "Syria," you will discover that what Martin Luther King, Jr. had to say then is just as relevant as it is today.
  So here is Martin Luther King's Message to Obama for August 28, 2013...
  The time has come for America to hear the truth about this tragic war. In international conflicts, the truth is hard to come by because most nations are deceived about themselves. Rationalizations and the incessant search for scapegoats are the psychological cataracts that blind us to our sins. But the day has passed for superficial patriotism. He who lives with untruth lives in spiritual slavery. Freedom is still the bonus we receive for knowing the truth. "Ye shall know the truth," says Jesus, "and the truth shall set you free." Now, I've chosen to preach about the war in Vietnam because I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.
  The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing, as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we're always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on. Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony. But we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for in all our history there has never been such a monumental dissent during a war, by the American people.
  Polls reveal that almost fifteen million Americans explicitly oppose the war in Vietnam. Additional millions cannot bring themselves around to support it. And even those millions who do support the war [are] half-hearted, confused, and doubt-ridden. This reveals that millions have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism, to the high grounds of firm dissent, based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Now, of course, one of the difficulties in speaking out today grows the fact that there are those who are seeking to equate dissent with disloyalty. It's a dark day in our nation when high-level authorities will seek to use every method to silence dissent. But something is happening, and people are not going to be silenced. The truth must be told, and I say that those who are seeking to make it appear that anyone who opposes the war in Vietnam is a fool or a traitor or an enemy of our soldiers is a person that has taken a stand against the best in our tradition.
Remarks by the President at the "Let Freedom Ring" Ceremony Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:44
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  August 28, 2013
  Lincoln Memorial
  3:07 P.M. EDT
  THE PRESIDENT: To the King family, who have sacrificed and inspired so much; to President Clinton; President Carter; Vice President Biden and Jill; fellow Americans.
  Five decades ago today, Americans came to this honored place to lay claim to a promise made at our founding: ''We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.''
  In 1963, almost 200 years after those words were set to paper, a full century after a great war was fought and emancipation proclaimed, that promise -- those truths -- remained unmet. And so they came by the thousands from every corner of our country, men and women, young and old, blacks who longed for freedom and whites who could no longer accept freedom for themselves while witnessing the subjugation of others.
  Across the land, congregations sent them off with food and with prayer. In the middle of the night, entire blocks of Harlem came out to wish them well. With the few dollars they scrimped from their labor, some bought tickets and boarded buses, even if they couldn't always sit where they wanted to sit. Those with less money hitchhiked or walked. They were seamstresses and steelworkers, students and teachers, maids and Pullman porters. They shared simple meals and bunked together on floors. And then, on a hot summer day, they assembled here, in our nation's capital, under the shadow of the Great Emancipator -- to offer testimony of injustice, to petition their government for redress, and to awaken America's long-slumbering conscience.
  We rightly and best remember Dr. King's soaring oratory that day, how he gave mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions; how he offered a salvation path for oppressed and oppressors alike. His words belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time.
  But we would do well to recall that day itself also belonged to those ordinary people whose names never appeared in the history books, never got on TV. Many had gone to segregated schools and sat at segregated lunch counters. They lived in towns where they couldn't vote and cities where their votes didn't matter. They were couples in love who couldn't marry, soldiers who fought for freedom abroad that they found denied to them at home. They had seen loved ones beaten, and children fire-hosed, and they had every reason to lash out in anger, or resign themselves to a bitter fate.
  And yet they chose a different path. In the face of hatred, they prayed for their tormentors. In the face of violence, they stood up and sat in, with the moral force of nonviolence. Willingly, they went to jail to protest unjust laws, their cells swelling with the sound of freedom songs. A lifetime of indignities had taught them that no man can take away the dignity and grace that God grants us. They had learned through hard experience what Frederick Douglass once taught -- that freedom is not given, it must be won, through struggle and discipline, persistence and faith.
  That was the spirit they brought here that day. That was the spirit young people like John Lewis brought to that day. That was the spirit that they carried with them, like a torch, back to their cities and their neighborhoods. That steady flame of conscience and courage that would sustain them through the campaigns to come -- through boycotts and voter registration drives and smaller marches far from the spotlight; through the loss of four little girls in Birmingham, and the carnage of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the agony of Dallas and California and Memphis. Through setbacks and heartbreaks and gnawing doubt, that flame of justice flickered; it never died.
  And because they kept marching, America changed. Because they marched, a Civil Rights law was passed. Because they marched, a Voting Rights law was signed. Because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody else's laundry or shining somebody else's shoes. (Applause.) Because they marched, city councils changed and state legislatures changed, and Congress changed, and, yes, eventually, the White House changed. (Applause.)
  Because they marched, America became more free and more fair -- not just for African Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans; for Catholics, Jews, and Muslims; for gays, for Americans with a disability. America changed for you and for me. and the entire world drew strength from that example, whether the young people who watched from the other side of an Iron Curtain and would eventually tear down that wall, or the young people inside South Africa who would eventually end the scourge of apartheid. (Applause.)
  Those are the victories they won, with iron wills and hope in their hearts. That is the transformation that they wrought, with each step of their well-worn shoes. That's the debt that I and millions of Americans owe those maids, those laborers, those porters, those secretaries; folks who could have run a company maybe if they had ever had a chance; those white students who put themselves in harm's way, even though they didn't have; those Japanese Americans who recalled their own internment; those Jewish Americans who had survived the Holocaust; people who could have given up and given in, but kept on keeping on, knowing that ''weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'' (Applause.)
  On the battlefield of justice, men and women without rank or wealth or title or fame would liberate us all in ways that our children now take for granted, as people of all colors and creeds live together and learn together and walk together, and fight alongside one another, and love one another, and judge one another by the content of our character in this greatest nation on Earth. (Applause.)
  To dismiss the magnitude of this progress -- to suggest, as some sometimes do, that little has changed -- that dishonors the courage and the sacrifice of those who paid the price to march in those years. (Applause.) Medgar Evers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, Martin Luther King Jr. -- they did not die in vain. (Applause.) Their victory was great.
  But we would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete. The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn't bend on its own. To secure the gains this country has made requires constant vigilance, not complacency. Whether by challenging those who erect new barriers to the vote, or ensuring that the scales of justice work equally for all, and the criminal justice system is not simply a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails, it requires vigilance. (Applause.)
  And we'll suffer the occasional setback. But we will win these fights. This country has changed too much. (Applause.) People of goodwill, regardless of party, are too plentiful for those with ill will to change history's currents. (Applause.)
  In some ways, though, the securing of civil rights, voting rights, the eradication of legalized discrimination -- the very significance of these victories may have obscured a second goal of the March. For the men and women who gathered 50 years ago were not there in search of some abstract ideal. They were there seeking jobs as well as justice -- (applause) -- not just the absence of oppression but the presence of economic opportunity. (Applause.)
  For what does it profit a man, Dr. King would ask, to sit at an integrated lunch counter if he can't afford the meal? This idea -- that one's liberty is linked to one's livelihood; that the pursuit of happiness requires the dignity of work, the skills to find work, decent pay, some measure of material security -- this idea was not new. Lincoln himself understood the Declaration of Independence in such terms -- as a promise that in due time, ''the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance.''
  And Dr. King explained that the goals of African Americans were identical to working people of all races: ''Decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community.''
  What King was describing has been the dream of every American. It's what's lured for centuries new arrivals to our shores. And it's along this second dimension -- of economic opportunity, the chance through honest toil to advance one's station in life -- where the goals of 50 years ago have fallen most short.
  Yes, there have been examples of success within black America that would have been unimaginable a half century ago. But as has already been noted, black unemployment has remained almost twice as high as white unemployment, Latino unemployment close behind. The gap in wealth between races has not lessened, it's grown. And as President Clinton indicated, the position of all working Americans, regardless of color, has eroded, making the dream Dr. King described even more elusive.
  For over a decade, working Americans of all races have seen their wages and incomes stagnate, even as corporate profits soar, even as the pay of a fortunate few explodes. Inequality has steadily risen over the decades. Upward mobility has become harder. In too many communities across this country, in cities and suburbs and rural hamlets, the shadow of poverty casts a pall over our youth, their lives a fortress of substandard schools and diminished prospects, inadequate health care and perennial violence.
  And so as we mark this anniversary, we must remind ourselves that the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blacks could join the ranks of millionaires. It was whether this country would admit all people who are willing to work hard regardless of race into the ranks of a middle-class life. (Applause.)
  The test was not, and never has been, whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit wider for a few. It was whether our economic system provides a fair shot for the many -- for the black custodian and the white steelworker, the immigrant dishwasher and the Native American veteran. To win that battle, to answer that call -- this remains our great unfinished business.
  We shouldn't fool ourselves. The task will not be easy. Since 1963, the economy has changed. The twin forces of technology and global competition have subtracted those jobs that once provided a foothold into the middle class -- reduced the bargaining power of American workers. And our politics has suffered. Entrenched interests, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, resisted any government efforts to give working families a fair deal -- marshaling an army of lobbyists and opinion makers to argue that minimum wage increases or stronger labor laws or taxes on the wealthy who could afford it just to fund crumbling schools, that all these things violated sound economic principles. We'd be told that growing inequality was a price for a growing economy, a measure of this free market; that greed was good and compassion ineffective, and those without jobs or health care had only themselves to blame.
  And then, there were those elected officials who found it useful to practice the old politics of division, doing their best to convince middle-class Americans of a great untruth -- that government was somehow itself to blame for their growing economic insecurity; that distant bureaucrats were taking their hard-earned dollars to benefit the welfare cheat or the illegal immigrant.
  And then, if we're honest with ourselves, we'll admit that during the course of 50 years, there were times when some of us claiming to push for change lost our way. The anguish of assassinations set off self-defeating riots. Legitimate grievances against police brutality tipped into excuse-making for criminal behavior. Racial politics could cut both ways, as the transformative message of unity and brotherhood was drowned out by the language of recrimination. And what had once been a call for equality of opportunity, the chance for all Americans to work hard and get ahead was too often framed as a mere desire for government support -- as if we had no agency in our own liberation, as if poverty was an excuse for not raising your child, and the bigotry of others was reason to give up on yourself.
  All of that history is how progress stalled. That's how hope was diverted. It's how our country remained divided. But the good news is, just as was true in 1963, we now have a choice. We can continue down our current path, in which the gears of this great democracy grind to a halt and our children accept a life of lower expectations; where politics is a zero-sum game where a few do very well while struggling families of every race fight over a shrinking economic pie -- that's one path. Or we can have the courage to change.
  The March on Washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history; that we are masters of our fate. But it also teaches us that the promise of this nation will only be kept when we work together. We'll have to reignite the embers of empathy and fellow feeling, the coalition of conscience that found expression in this place 50 years ago.
  And I believe that spirit is there, that truth force inside each of us. I see it when a white mother recognizes her own daughter in the face of a poor black child. I see it when the black youth thinks of his own grandfather in the dignified steps of an elderly white man. It's there when the native-born recognizing that striving spirit of the new immigrant; when the interracial couple connects the pain of a gay couple who are discriminated against and understands it as their own.
  That's where courage comes from -- when we turn not from each other, or on each other, but towards one another, and we find that we do not walk alone. That's where courage comes from. (Applause.)
  And with that courage, we can stand together for good jobs and just wages. With that courage, we can stand together for the right to health care in the richest nation on Earth for every person. (Applause.) With that courage, we can stand together for the right of every child, from the corners of Anacostia to the hills of Appalachia, to get an education that stirs the mind and captures the spirit, and prepares them for the world that awaits them. (Applause.)
  With that courage, we can feed the hungry, and house the homeless, and transform bleak wastelands of poverty into fields of commerce and promise.
  America, I know the road will be long, but I know we can get there. Yes, we will stumble, but I know we'll get back up. That's how a movement happens. That's how history bends. That's how when somebody is faint of heart, somebody else brings them along and says, come on, we're marching. (Applause.)
  There's a reason why so many who marched that day, and in the days to come, were young -- for the young are unconstrained by habits of fear, unconstrained by the conventions of what is. They dared to dream differently, to imagine something better. And I am convinced that same imagination, the same hunger of purpose stirs in this generation.
  We might not face the same dangers of 1963, but the fierce urgency of now remains. We may never duplicate the swelling crowds and dazzling procession of that day so long ago -- no one can match King's brilliance -- but the same flame that lit the heart of all who are willing to take a first step for justice, I know that flame remains. (Applause.)
  That tireless teacher who gets to class early and stays late and dips into her own pocket to buy supplies because she believes that every child is her charge -- she's marching. (Applause.)
  That successful businessman who doesn't have to but pays his workers a fair wage and then offers a shot to a man, maybe an ex-con who is down on his luck -- he's marching. (Applause.)
  The mother who pours her love into her daughter so that she grows up with the confidence to walk through the same door as anybody's son -- she's marching. (Applause.)
  The father who realizes the most important job he'll ever have is raising his boy right, even if he didn't have a father -- especially if he didn't have a father at home -- he's marching. (Applause.)
  The battle-scarred veterans who devote themselves not only to helping their fellow warriors stand again, and walk again, and run again, but to keep serving their country when they come home -- they are marching. (Applause.)
  Everyone who realizes what those glorious patriots knew on that day -- that change does not come from Washington, but to Washington; that change has always been built on our willingness, We The People, to take on the mantle of citizenship -- you are marching. (Applause.)
  And that's the lesson of our past. That's the promise of tomorrow -- that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it. That when millions of Americans of every race and every region, every faith and every station, can join together in a spirit of brotherhood, then those mountains will be made low, and those rough places will be made plain, and those crooked places, they straighten out towards grace, and we will vindicate the faith of those who sacrificed so much and live up to the true meaning of our creed, as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (Applause.)
  END3:36 P.M. EDT
Did You Know MLK's "I Have a Dream" Speech is Copyrighted? - Hit & Run : Reason.com
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:38
  Via Brit Kenan Malik's great Twitter feed, I came across this story about copyright issues surrounding Martin Luther King's most-famous speech, the one delivered 50 years ago today in Washington, D.C. From The Drum:
  This week's 'tales from the excesses of copyright' comes from the estate of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King who continue toput restrictions on the use of the civil rights' leader words, images and sounds. The speech, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, cannot be found legally in the public domain, unless express permission has been granted by King's estate. The only licensed version of the famous civil rights speech is found in its entirety on the Martin Luther King historical site which hosts almost all of his archives.
  His speech ''I have a Dream'' is considered one of the most important cultural and historical moments of the 20th Century, yet is in incredibly difficult to find, listen to, or watch in its entirety when King addressed several hundred thousand people before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The speech, which won't be in the public domain until 2038, can only be used if a commercial entity pays the King estate a hefty fee....
  King had not copyrighted the text before delivering several versions of it or before his assassination; his family secured the copyright after his death.
  Read the whole article for more information about the court case between CBS and the King estate over whether a performance of the speech counted as publishing it.
  And here's a Wash Post article on the same topic.
  The MLK Foundation site includes an amazing array of artifacts, including a draft of the Dream speech.
  Reason on civil rights.
  Reason on copyright.
  Here's a version of the speech that is up on YouTube. Fifty years on, it remains nothing less than stunning.
  Nick Gillespie is the editor in chief of Reason.com and Reason TV and the co-author of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America, just out in paperback.
'I Have A Dream' Speech Copyrighted For Another 25 Years CBS DC
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:37
  The civil rights leader Martin Luther KIng (C) waves to supporters on Aug. 28, 1963 on the Mall in Washington D.C. (credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images)
  Filed underDistrict, NewsLatest NewsPhotosLANHAM, Md. (CBSDC) '-- There's a lot of talk about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ''I Have A Dream'' speech circulating this week, due to the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
  But have you actually heard the 17-minute speech in its entirety recently? Or ever?
  If not, that's not too surprising. As it turns out, the iconic piece of American history is copyrighted.
  King copyrighted it himself a few months after first reciting it, and his estate has maintained control over the copyright since his death in 1968, the Washington Post reports.
  The words won't enter public domain until 2038. Until then, using or reproducing the speech without a licensing fee will be a crime, the report says.
  Of course, you can always read the speech in full on the National Archives website. You can also purchase an audio copy.
  Follow WNEW on Twitter.
It's on the WC7 list: A New Presidential Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan
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  Thu, 29 Aug 2013 01:30
  Grant T. HarrisAugust 28, 201302:30 PM EDT
  President Barack Obama meets with Ambassador Donald Booth, Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, in the Oval Office, Aug. 28, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
  Today, President Obama appointed Ambassador Donald Booth as the new U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. A former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zambia, and Liberia, Ambassador Booth is one of our most experienced diplomats and has extensive experience promoting peace and prosperity across the African continent. He is seasoned, determined, and deeply committed to pursuing peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan.
  Ambassador Booth joins our Sudan and South Sudan team at a critical time. Working closely with the African Union and our other international partners, he will play a vital role in urging Sudan and South Sudan to make progress on resolving outstanding issues, including the status of the disputed region of Abyei. He will continue U.S. efforts to press for a peaceful and definitive end to the conflicts in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile as part of a holistic solution to Sudan's human rights, humanitarian, and governance crises. And he will urge South Sudan to stay focused on protecting its people, meeting their needs, and realizing their aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.
  As the President told Ambassador Booth today during their meeting in the Oval Office, supporting peace between and within Sudan and South Sudan remains a priority for this Administration. As Ambassador Booth carries forward this important work on behalf of the United States, he does so with the President's full support.
  Read the President's statement.
  Learn more about Ambassador Booth.
  Grant T. Harris is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs
Dolphins: US Morbillivirus Outbreak Kills 333
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:38
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33 U.S. lawmakers: Congress must approve Syria action
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SYRIAN GOVERNMENT TAKEN BY SURPRISE - INTERCEPTED PHONE CALLS
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  Source: aangirfan
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:34
  Intercepted phone calls indicate that the Syrian government was taken by surprise when the gas attack took place in Damascus.Intelligence Suggests Assad Not Behind Chemical Weapons AttackPaul Joseph Watson, at Infowars.com, writes:
  Phone calls by the Syrian Ministry of Defense intercepted by Mossad and passed to the US reveal that Syrian government officials, 'exchanged panicked phone calls with a leader of a chemical weapons unit, demanding answers for a nerve agent strike that killed more than 1,000 people,' in the hours after last week's attack.
  Why would the Syrian Ministry of Defense be making panicked phone calls 'demanding answers' about the attack if they had ordered it?
  The fact that the highest levels of the Syrian government apparently had no knowledge of the attack strongly suggests that they did not order it, with the worst case scenario being that the attack was 'the work of a Syrian officer overstepping his bounds,' writes Foreign Policy's Noah Shachtman.
  Houla
  ''We don't know exactly why it happened,'' a US intelligence official told Foreign Policy. ''We just know it was pretty fucking stupid.''So despite not knowing exactly what happened, why it happened, or who ordered it, while sabotaging the UN's investigation of the incident, the US is about to launch cruise missile attacks and potentially enflame the entire region based on evidence that actually suggests the Syrian government had no idea who was behind the chemical weapons attack.
  Meanwhile, previous evidence that suggests the US-backed rebels prepared and used chemical weapons on numerous occasions has been completely forgotten in the rush to war.
  The last time the United Nations investigated evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, inspectors concluded that it was likely the rebels and not Assad's forces who were behind the attacks.
  In addition, leaked phone conversations that emerged earlier this year between two members of the Free Syrian Army contain details of a plan to carry out a chemical weapons attack capable of impacting an area the size of one kilometer.
  There are also multiple other examples of video footage which shows US-backed rebels preparing and using chemical weapons.
  The notion that Washington has any credibility when it comes to laying blame about weapons of mass destruction is ludicrous.
  The last time the world believed the United States' claims about Iraq's non-existent WMD, hundreds of thousands of innocent people died as a result.
  The Obama administration is about to launch the United States headlong into a conflict that could spark a new war in the Middle East, yet the very justification for the assault is being blithely accepted by the mainstream media, who have learned nothing from how their obsequious and unquestioning behavior prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq helped grease the skids for a decade of bloodshed and disaster.
NATO Secretary General Statement on North Atlantic Council Meeting on Syria
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:33
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  The North Atlantic Council has just discussed the situation in Syria and in particular the horrific use of chemical weapons around Damascus on 21 August. We condemn in the strongest possible terms these outrageous attacks, which caused major loss of life. NATO Allies expressed their full support to the ongoing UN investigation. They deplored that the Syrian regime failed to provide immediate and secure access for the United Nations inspectors to the sites of the attacks. The Syrian regime maintains custody of stockpiles of chemical weapons. Information available from a wide variety of sources points to the Syrian regime as responsible for the use of chemical weapons in these attacks. This is a clear breach of long-standing international norms and practice. Any use of such weapons is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered. Those responsible must be held accountable. We consider the use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security. We will continue to consult and keep the situation in Syria under close review, and NATO continues to assist Turkey and protect the Alliance's south-eastern border.
  XTerms of ServiceOn the DVIDS social media sites, we strive to provide a variety of news related to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with the assistance of military public affairs produced content.While this is an open forum, it's also a family friendly one, so please keep any comments clean. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. Posts will be removed if they violate the guidelines listed below.
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North Atlantic Council - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  North Atlantic Council is the most senior political governing body of NATO established by Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The NAC can be held at the Permanent Representative Level (PermReps), or can be composed of member states' Ministers of State, Defense, or Heads of Government. The NAC has the same powers regardless of the formation it meets under. The NAC meets twice a week, every Tuesday for an informal lunch discussion, and every Wednesday for a decision-taking session.
Kosovo Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force which was responsible for establishing a secure environment in Kosovo[a].[1]
  KFOR entered Kosovo on 12 June 1999 under a United Nations mandate, two days after the adoption of UN Security CouncilResolution 1244. At the time of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kosovo was facing a grave humanitarian crisis, with military forces from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in daily engagement. Ethnic tensions were at their highest and the death toll had reached a historic high. Nearly one million people had fled Kosovo as refugees.[2]
  KFOR has gradually transferred responsibilities to Kosovo police and other local authorities.[3] As of November 30, 2012, KFOR consists of 5,565 troops.[4]
  NATO's initial mandate was:[5]
  to deter renewed hostility and threats against Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serb forces;to establish and maintain a secure environment in Kosovo, including public safety and civil order;to demilitarise the Kosovo Liberation Army;to support the international humanitarian effort;to coordinate with and support the international civil presence.Today, KFOR focuses on building a secure environment in which all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origins, can live in peace and, with international aid, democracy and civil society are gradually gaining strength. KFOR tasks have included:
  assistance with the return or relocation of displaced persons and refugees;reconstruction and demining;medical assistance;security and public order;security of ethnic minorities;protection of patrimonial sites;border security;interdiction of cross-border weapons smuggling;implementation of a Kosovo-wide weapons, ammunition and explosives amnesty programme;weapons destruction;support for the establishment of civilian institutions, law and order, the judicial and penal system, the electoral process and other aspects of the political, economic and social life of the province.The Contact Group countries have said publicly that KFOR will remain in Kosovo to provide the security necessary to support the provisions of a final settlement of Kosovo's status.[6]
  KFOR contingents were originally grouped into 4 regionally based multinational brigades. The brigades were responsible for a specific area of operations, but under a single chain of command under the authority of Commander KFOR. In August 2005, the North Atlantic Council decided to restructure KFOR, replacing the four existing multinational brigades with five task forces, to allow for greater flexibility with, for instance, the removal of restrictions on the cross-boundary movement of units based in different sectors of Kosovo.[6] Then in February 2010, the Multinational Task Forces became Multinational Battle Groups and in March 2011, KFOR was restructured again, into just two multinational battlegroups; one based at Camp Bondsteel, and one based at PeÄ‡.[7]
  At its height, KFOR troops numbered 50,000 and came from 39 different NATO and non-NATO nations. The official KFOR website indicated that in 2008 a total 14,000 soldiers from 34 countries were participating in KFOR.[8]
  The following is a list of the total number of troops which have participated in the KFOR mission. Much of the force has been scaled down since 2008, and so current numbers are reflected here as well:[4]
  Contributing NATO countries[edit source |edit]Contributing non-NATO countries[edit source |edit]Withdrawn countries[edit source |edit]Mike Jackson (United Kingdom, 12 June 1999 - 8 October 1999),Klaus Reinhardt (Germany, 9 October 1999 - 18 April 2000),Juan Ortu±o Such (Spain, 19 April 2000 - 16 October 2000),Carlo Cabigiosu (Italy, 17 October 2000 - 6 April 2001),Thorstein Skiaker (Norway, 7 April 2001 - 3 October 2001),Marcel Valentin (France, 4 October 2001 - 4 October 2002),Fabio Mini (Italy, 5 October 2002 - 3 October 2003),Holger Kammerhoff (Germany, 4 October 2003 - 31 August 2004),Yves de Kermabon (France, 1 September 2004 - 31 August 2005),Giuseppe Valotto (Italy, 1 September 2005 - 31 August 2006),Roland Kather (Germany, 1 September 2006 - 31 August 2007),Xavier de Marnhac (France, 1 September 2007 - 31 August 2008),Giuseppe Emilio Gay (Italy, 1 September 2008 - 7 September 2009),Markus J. Bentler (Germany, 8 September 2009 - 31 August 2010),Erhard B¼hler (Germany, 1 September 2010 - 8 September 2011),Erhard Drews (Germany, 9 September 2011 - 7 September 2012),Volker Halbauer (Germany, 8 September 2012 '' Present).Since the establishment of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in 1999, according to some international organizations Kosovo became a major destination country for women and young girls trafficked into forced prostitution, in part as a result of the presence of peacekeeping forces. According to Amnesty International, most women trafficked into Kosovo from abroad are from Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine.[13][14][15]
  Since the KFOR entered Kosovo in June 1999, 168 NATO soldiers have been killed, mostly in accidents.
  On October 19, 2004, it was confirmed that 115 NATO soldiers had been killed during the operation.[16] After that 50 more NATO soldiers were confirmed to have died, including 42 Slovak soldiers in a military plane crash in Hungary.
  The fatalities by country are: 42 Slovak, 26 German,[17] 34 Unidentified, 18 American, 12 Russian, 8 British, 7 Swedish, 6 Italian, 5 French, 5 Polish, 4 Spanish, 3 Ukrainian, 2 Turkish, 1 Austrian, 1 Danish, 1 Dutch, 1 Greek, 1 Hungarian,[18] 1 Norwegian, 1 Romanian, 1 Slovenian, 1 Swiss, 1 United Arab Emirates and 1 Portuguese.[original research?]
  Eight UNMIK police officers have been killed in Kosovo since 1999, in addition to the KFOR fatalities.[19] The fatalities by country are: 3 American, 1 Indian, 1 Jordanian, 1 Nigerian, 1 Ghanaian and 1 Ukrainian police officer.[original research?]
  After the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence the commander of NATO forces in Kosovo said on 20 February 2008 that he did not plan to step up security in the tense north despite Kosovo Serbs forcing the temporary closure of two boundary crossings between Kosovo and uncontested Serbia.[20]
  In July 2011, following the Kosovo Police's attempts to seize two border outposts and consequent clashes that followed, KFOR troops intervened.[21]
  In 2013, KFOR was involved in a rescue operation of the last restaurant bears in Kosovo. The bears are now kept at the Bear Sanctuary Prishtina.[22]
  Notes[edit source |edit]References[edit source |edit]^"NATO's role in Kosovo". Nato.int. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 13 June 2010. "Today, just under 10,000 troops from the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), provided by 31 countries (24 NATO and 7 non-NATO), are still deployed in Kosovo to help maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic origin." ^"NATO Topics: NATO in Kosovo". Nato.int. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^Linda Karadaku (08/12/2010). "KFOR commander Buhler vows to protect "global treasures"". setimes.com (Southeast European Times). Retrieved 9 October 2012. ^ ab"Kosovo Force (KFOR)". NATO. Archived from the original on 2013-05-17. Retrieved Mar 22, 2013. ^"NATO Topics: Kosovo Force (KFOR)". Nato.int. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^ ab"NATO Topics: Kosovo Force (KFOR) - How did it evolve?". Nato.int. 20-Feb-2008. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^Muhamet Brajshori (29/12/2010). "US troops to guard Kosovo's border". setimes.com (Southeast European Times). Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2011-01-02. ^"KFOR Press Release". Nato.int. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^"Kosovo International Force Protection (KFOR)". fuerzaaerea.mil.ar. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^"GALERAS DE FOTOS DE KFOR". www.jef3op.ejercito.mil.ar. Archived from pictorial the original on 2009-03-10. ^"RIA Novosti - World - Georgia announces withdrawal of peacekeepers from Kosovo". en.rian.ru. 2008-04-14. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^Mu Xuequan, ed. (2008-03-05). "Azerbaijan to withdraw peacekeepers from Kosovo". News.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^"Kosovo UN troops 'fuel sex trade'". BBC News. May 6, 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-23. ^"Amnesty International". 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23. ^Traynor, Ian (7 May 2004). "Nato force 'feeds Kosovo sex trade'". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 2013-03-10. Retrieved 23 February 2008. ^"British soldier killed in a car accident in Kosovo". Spacewar.com. Archived from the original on 2004-12-24. Retrieved 2010-04-28. ^Todesf¤lle im Auslandseinsatz. Stand: Mai 2013 (Berlin, 06.06.2013.) www.bundeswehr.de^http://index.hu/kulfold/2013/05/22/meghalt_egy_magyar_katona_koszovoban/^"UN officer dies after Kosovo riot". BBC News. 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. ^"No added NATO security in Kosovo". cnn.com (CNN). Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. ^b92 "KFOR blocks Kosovo police unit in tense neighborhood". NOVEMBER 22, 2012. ^"Restaurant bears in Kosovo rescued". openPR (in German). Retrieved 2013-08-21.
Designation of 4 Individuals Pursuant to Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, ''Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism''
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  The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (''OFAC'') is publishing the names of 4 individuals whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, ''Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism.''
  The designations by the Director of OFAC of the 4 individuals in this notice, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, are effective on August 22, 2013.
  Assistant Director, Compliance Outreach & Implementation,Office of Foreign Assets Control,Department of the Treasury,Washington, DC 20220, tel.: 202/622-2490.
  This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available from OFAC's Web site (www.treas.gov/ofac) or via facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on-demand service, tel.: 202/622-0077.
  On September 23, 2001, the President issued Executive Order 13224 (the ''Order'') pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701-1706, and the United Nations Participation Act of 1945, 22 U.S.C. 287c. In the Order, the President declared a national emergency to address grave acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism committed by foreign terrorists, including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. The Order imposes economic sanctions on persons who have committed, pose a significant risk of committing, or support acts of terrorism. The President identified in the Annex to the Order, as amended by Executive Order 13268 of July 2, 2002, 13 individuals and 16 entities as subject to the economic sanctions. The Order was further amended by Executive Order 13284 of January 23, 2003, to reflect the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
  Section 1 of the Order blocks, with certain exceptions, all property and interests in property that are in or hereafter come within the United States or the possession or control of United States persons, of: (1) Foreign persons listed in the Annex to the Order; (2) foreign persons determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General, to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States; (3) persons determined by the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Justice, to be owned or controlled by, or to act for or on behalf of those persons listed in the Annex to the Order or those persons determined to be subject to subsection 1(b), 1(c), or 1(d)(i) of the Order; and (4) except as provided in section 5 of the Order and after such consultation, if any, with foreign authorities as the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General, deems appropriate in the exercise of his discretion, persons determined by the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Justice, to assist in, sponsor, or provide financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, such acts of terrorism or those persons listed in the Annex to the Order or determined to be subject to the Order or to be otherwise associated with those persons listed in the Annex to the Order or those persons determined to be subject to subsection 1(b), 1(c), or 1(d)(i) of the Order.
  On August 22, 2013 the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice and other relevant agencies, designated, pursuant to one or more of the criteria set forth in subsections 1(b), 1(c) or 1(d) of the Order, 4 individuals whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13224.
  The listings for these individuals on OFAC's list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons appear as follows:
  1. HARB, Khalil Yusif (a.k.a. AHMAD, Sayyid; a.k.a. HARB, Hajj Ya'taqad Khalil; a.k.a. HARB, Khalil Yusuf; a.k.a. HARB, Mustafa Khalil; a.k.a. MUSTAFA, Abu); DOB 09 Oct 1958 (individual) [SDGT].
  2. MANSUR, Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad (a.k.a. HALAWI, Hani; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Yousef; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Youssef; a.k.a. MANSUR, Mohammad Yusuf Ahmad; a.k.a. MANSUR, Muhammad Yusif Ahmad; a.k.a. SHEHAB, Sami; a.k.a. SHIHAB, Sami Hani; a.k.a. ''HILLAWI, Jamal Hani''; a.k.a. ''SAMI, Salem Bassem''; a.k.a. ''SHIHAB, Muhammad Yusuf Mansur Sami''), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 14 Sep 1970; alt. DOB 01 Jan 1974; alt. DOB 1980; POB Bint Jubayl, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT].
  3. QABALAN, Muhammad (a.k.a. QABLAN, Muhammad; a.k.a. ''AL-GHUL, Hassan''), Southern Suburbs, Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 1969; citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT].
  4. KAWTHARANI, Muhammad (a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Jafar; a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTHARANI, Mohammad); DOB 1945; alt. DOB 1959; alt. DOB 1961; POB Najaf, Iraq; nationality Lebanon; alt. nationality Iraq (individual) [SDGT].
  Dated: August 22, 2013.
  Barbara C. Hammerle,
  Acting Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.
  [FR Doc. 2013-20982 Filed 8-27-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 4810-AL-P
Tony Blair strikes gold in Mongolia - Telegraph
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  It is estimated that Mr Blair, who owns eight homes in the UK, has earned in the region of £50 million since leaving Downing Street in 2007. He makes his money through his consultancy work, speeches and paid posts with JP Morgan, the investment bank, among others. Mr Blair points out a large amount of his money is ploughed back into philanthropic work including two international charities he set up after leaving office.
  Mr Blair refuses to reveal the full extent of his government consultancy empire but the deal in oil- and gas-rich Kazakhstan alone is said to be worth as much as £13 million. No figure has ever been confirmed. The Mongolian deal is also likely to be lucrative given that the country is about to cash in on a mining bonanza. The country is now being referred to in some circles as Minegolia.
  Mongolia, wedged between Russia and China, has a population of only three million '' almost half of whom have abandoned their traditional yurts for life in Ulaanbaatar. But it is three times the size of France and, with a booming mineral-rich economy, is predicted to grow by 15 per cent this year alone.
  Mr Blair travelled with his entourage to Ulaanbataar on March 22nd for a two-day visit. He was accompanied on the trip by John Grogan, a former Labour MP for Selby and who is now chairman of the Mongolian-British Chamber of Commerce. During the trip, Mr Blair met with Tsakhia Elbegdorj, the Mongolian president, as well as its prime minister Altankhuyag Norov.
  It is understood that a deal was put in place for Mr Blair and his team to provide a consultancy service although it is likely to kick in after elections at the end of this month.
  A senior Mongolian official confirmed that Mr Blair had pitched his firm's services to the government during the visit in March. The official said: ''He offered technical assistance to the Cabinet Secretary for his delivery unit concept. That's from his years as prime minister, a structure to implement policy reforms''.
  The official said the matter will be discussed again after June 26, which is the date set for presidential elections. Mr Elbegdorj is expected to win easily.
  During his visit Mr Blair told the local media: ''This is my first visit to Mongolia, and I hope this visit will not be my last visit to Mongolia. Mongolia has many attractive things. As I served as the PM of Great Britain for ten years I am ready to share my experience and to cooperate with Mongolia.''
  Stephan Kriesel, the head of Mr Blair's Government Advisory Practice, is already preparing for his move to Mongolia. About three months ago, Mr Kriesel joined the internet group 'Expats in Mongolia' on the social networking site Facebook.
  'Expats in Mongolia' is billed as an 'Online social community for expats in Mongolia'. The administrator of the site Ihab Aziz said it was mainly aimed at sharing interests and news of activities in Mongolia. Mr Aziz said he screens members before admitting them into the group by sending messages to people whose profiles don't make it clear they live or work in Mongolia.
  ''I only accept people that have real interests in Mongolia. People who live in the country, people who want to come to the country, and people who want to conduct business here. It's for people with a general interest,'' said Mr Aziz.
  Tony Blair Associates posted an advert in The Economist magazine in April seeking recruits to its Government Advisory Practice both in Asia and in South America. ''We seek Project leaders and Consultants to join our organisation to work on projects in Asia and Latin America, serving clients at the highest level of government.
  ''The team will drive strategy, policy and implementation workstreams, by compiling analyses, developing politically feasible recommendations, and working with stakeholders to translate these into action.''
  Last night a spokesman for Mr Blair said: ''We will be working with the Mongolian Government, helping them deliver their reform programme.''
  But the spokesman insisted Mr Blair's company would not make millions of pounds of profit. The spokesman said: ''The cost of the programme is to cover a full time, highly qualified team living and working in the country. It is done on the same basis as the many other consultants that work there.''
  One possible item on Mr Blair's agenda is the Oyu Tolgoi gold and copper mine, in the southern Gobi desert about 350 miles south of the capital.
  One of the world's biggest copper mines, it is two-thirds owned by Turquoise Hill Resources, a company in turn 51 per cent owned by the Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate Rio Tinto, and one third owned by the Mongolian government.
  The partners fell out at the beginning of the year over allegedly spiralling costs and the Mongolian government had threatened to take full control of the mine, which has cost at least £4 billion to develop.
  The mine, discovered in 2001, is due to begin exporting copper later this month. Reserves are estimated at 27 million pounds of copper and 13 million ounces of gold and when it is fully operational, it will boost the country's economy by a third.
  But in February, President Elbegdorj threatened Rio Tinto's huge investment. ''The time has come for the Mongolian government to take Oyu Tolgoi matters into its own hands,'' he said in a televised address to the nation. A few days later, Rio Tinto's bank accounts were briefly frozen.
  On February 14, Rio Tinto's chief executive Sam Walsh admitted: ''I'm concerned by recent political signals within Mongolia calling into question some aspects of the investment agreement. This undermines the partnership we've built and the stability on which a project of this size and scale depends.''
  Sources had suggest Mr Blair was roped in to help resolve the dispute. Mr Blair has made a career post Downing Street offering himself out as a trouble shooter. Last year, he is reported to have earned a little over £500,000 for work as mediator between commodity traders Glencore, the Qatari prime minister and mining company Xstrata in merger talks that led to the creation of the world's biggest mining and commodity conglomerate.
  A Mongolian source said: ''As I understand it, Rio Tinto hired Mr Blair to come in to give a lesson on 'respecting' contracts.''
  A source with knowledge of the mining industry said: ''Tony Blair flew to Mongolia to troubleshoot on Rio Tinto's behalf with the government.''
  The day before the trip Robert Court, Rio Tinto's global head of external affairs, had spoken at a Cambridge University seminar on Mongolia with Mr Grogan where the subject, according to attendees, of Mr Blair's imminent visit had been raised.
  Last week, Mr Court said: ''I am going to frustrate you a bit. I would rather check back with other people [before commenting].''
  Yesterday, a Rio Tinto spokesman said Mr Blair had not been involved in any mediation or negotiations between the company and the Mongolian government.
  Mr Blair's spokesman also denied any involvement. ''We have not been involved in any dispute between Rio Tinto and the Government,'' he said in a statement.
List of parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention Signed and ratified
  Acceded
  Signed but not ratified
  Non-signatory
  The member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons encompasses the states who have signed and ratified or acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international agreement outlawing the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.
  On January 13, 1993, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was opened for signature.[1]Fiji became the first state to ratify the treaty on January 20, 1993.[1] The treaty entered into force on April 29, 1997,[1] after it had been ratified by 65 states.[2] The treaty was closed for signature on the preceding day, and states that did not sign the convention can now only accede to it.[3] For states that ratified or acceded to the treaty after this date, the convention entered into force for them 31 days after their deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.
  A total of 196 states may become members of the Chemical Weapons Convention, including all 193 United Nations member states, the Cook Islands, Holy See and Niue. As of June 2013, 189 states have ratified or acceded to the treaty (most recently Somalia on 29 May 2013)[4] and another two states have signed but not yet ratified the treaty.[1][5][6] Of the remainder, both Angola and Myanmar have committed to ratifying the CWC.[7][8][9] According to its own statements, the Republic of China (Taiwan) also abides by the treaty.[10]
  Ratified or acceded states[edit source |edit]State[1]SignedDepositedInstrument MethodEntered into Force Afghanistan01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302003-09-24Sep 24, 2003Ratification02003-10-24Oct 24, 2003 Albania01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301994-05-11May 11, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Algeria01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-08-14Aug 14, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Andorra02003-02-27Feb 27, 2003Accession02003-03-29Mar 29, 2003 Antigua and Barbuda02005-08-29Aug 29, 2005Accession02005-09-28Sep 28, 2005 Argentina01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-10-02Oct 2, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Armenia01993-03-19Mar 19, 199301995-01-27Jan 27, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Australia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-05-06May 6, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Austria01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-08-17Aug 17, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Azerbaijan01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302000-02-29Feb 29, 2000Ratification02000-03-30Mar 30, 2000 Bahamas01994-03-02Mar 2, 199402009-04-23Apr 23, 2009Ratification02009-05-22May 22, 2009 Bahrain01993-02-24Feb 24, 199301997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Bangladesh01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Barbados02007-03-07Mar 7, 2007Accession02007-04-06Apr 6, 2007 Belarus01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-07-11Jul 11, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Belgium01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-01-27Jan 27, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Belize02003-12-01Dec 1, 2003Accession02003-12-31Dec 31, 2003 Benin01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301998-05-14May 14, 1998Ratification01998-06-13Jun 13, 1998 Bhutan01997-04-24Apr 24, 199702005-08-18Aug 18, 2005Ratification02005-09-17Sep 17, 2005 Bolivia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301998-08-14Aug 14, 1998Ratification01998-09-13Sep 13, 1998 Bosnia and Herzegovina01997-01-16Jan 16, 199701997-02-25Feb 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Botswana01998-08-31Aug 31, 1998Accession01998-09-30Sep 30, 1998 Brazil01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-03-13Mar 13, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Brunei01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-07-28Jul 28, 1997Ratification01997-08-27Aug 27, 1997 Bulgaria01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-08-10Aug 10, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Burkina Faso01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-07-08Jul 8, 1997Ratification01997-08-07Aug 7, 1997 Burundi01993-01-15Jan 15, 199301998-09-04Sep 4, 1998Ratification01998-10-04Oct 4, 1998 Cambodia01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302005-07-19Jul 19, 2005Ratification02005-08-18Aug 18, 2005 Cameroon01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-09-16Sep 16, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Canada01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-09-26Sep 26, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Cape Verde01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302003-10-10Oct 10, 2003Ratification02003-11-09Nov 9, 2003 Central African Republic01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302006-09-20Sep 20, 2006Ratification02006-10-20Oct 20, 2006 Chad01994-10-11Oct 11, 199402004-02-13Feb 13, 2004Ratification02004-03-14Mar 14, 2004 Chile01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-07-12Jul 12, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 China (only Mainland and Hong Kong)[11]01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Colombia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302000-04-05Apr 5, 2000Ratification02000-05-05May 5, 2000 Comoros01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301993-08-18Aug 18, 1993Ratification02006-09-17Sep 17, 2006 Congo01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302007-12-04Dec 4, 2007Ratification02008-01-03Jan 3, 2008 Cook Islands01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301994-07-15Jul 15, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Costa Rica01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-05-31May 31, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Ivory Coast01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-12-18Dec 18, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Croatia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-05-23May 23, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Cuba01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-29Apr 29, 1997Ratification01997-05-29May 29, 1997 Cyprus01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-08-28Aug 28, 1998Ratification01998-09-27Sep 27, 1998 Czech Republic01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-03-06Mar 6, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Democratic Republic of the Congo01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302005-10-12Oct 12, 2005Ratification02005-11-11Nov 11, 2005 Denmark01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-07-13Jul 13, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Djibouti01993-09-28Sep 28, 199302006-01-25Jan 25, 2006Ratification02006-02-24Feb 24, 2006 Dominica01993-08-02Aug 2, 199302001-02-12Feb 12, 2001Ratification02001-03-14Mar 14, 2001 Dominican Republic01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302009-03-27Mar 27, 2009Ratification02009-04-26Apr 26, 2009 Ecuador01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-09-06Sep 6, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 El Salvador01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-10-30Oct 30, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Equatorial Guinea01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Eritrea02000-02-14Feb 14, 2000Accession02000-03-15Mar 15, 2000 Estonia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301999-05-26May 26, 1999Ratification01999-06-25Jun 25, 1999 Ethiopia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-05-13May 13, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Federated States of Micronesia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301999-06-21Jun 21, 1999Ratification01999-07-21Jul 21, 1999 Fiji01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301993-01-20Jan 20, 1993Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Finland01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-02-07Feb 7, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 France01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-03-02Mar 2, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Gabon01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302000-09-08Sep 8, 2000Ratification02000-10-08Oct 8, 2000 Gambia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-05-19May 19, 1998Ratification01998-06-18Jun 18, 1998 Georgia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-11-27Nov 27, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Germany01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-08-12Aug 12, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Ghana01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-07-09Jul 9, 1997Ratification01997-08-08Aug 8, 1997 Greece01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-12-22Dec 22, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Grenada01997-04-09Apr 9, 199702005-06-03Jun 3, 2005Ratification02005-07-03Jul 3, 2005 Guatemala01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302003-02-12Feb 12, 2003Ratification02003-03-14Mar 14, 2003 Guinea01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-06-09Jun 9, 1997Ratification01997-07-09Jul 9, 1997 Guinea-Bissau01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302008-05-20May 20, 2008Ratification02008-06-19Jun 19, 2008 Guyana01993-10-06Oct 6, 199301997-09-12Sep 12, 1997Ratification01997-10-12Oct 12, 1997 Haiti01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302006-02-22Feb 22, 2006Ratification02006-03-24Mar 24, 2006 Holy See01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301999-05-12May 12, 1999Ratification01999-06-11Jun 11, 1999 Honduras01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302005-08-29Aug 29, 2005Ratification02005-09-28Sep 28, 2005 Hungary01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-10-31Oct 31, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Iceland01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 India01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-09-03Sep 3, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Indonesia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-11-12Nov 12, 1998Ratification01998-12-12Dec 12, 1998 Iran01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-11-03Nov 3, 1997Ratification01997-12-03Dec 3, 1997 Iraq02009-01-13Jan 13, 2009Accession02009-02-12Feb 12, 2009 Ireland01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-06-24Jun 24, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Italy01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-12-08Dec 8, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Jamaica01997-04-18Apr 18, 199702000-09-08Sep 8, 2000Ratification02000-10-08Oct 8, 2000 Japan01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-09-15Sep 15, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Jordan01997-10-29Oct 29, 1997Accession01997-11-28Nov 28, 1997 Kazakhstan01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302000-03-23Mar 23, 2000Ratification02000-04-22Apr 22, 2000 Kenya01993-01-15Jan 15, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Kiribati02000-09-07Sep 7, 2000Accession02000-10-07Oct 7, 2000 Kuwait01993-01-27Jan 27, 199301997-05-29May 29, 1997Ratification01997-06-28Jun 28, 1997 Kyrgyzstan01993-02-22Feb 22, 199302003-09-29Sep 29, 2003Ratification02003-10-29Oct 29, 2003 Laos01993-05-13May 13, 199301997-02-25Feb 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Latvia01993-05-06May 6, 199301996-07-23Jul 23, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Lebanon02008-11-20Nov 20, 2008Accession02008-12-20Dec 20, 2008 Lesotho01994-12-07Dec 7, 199401994-12-07Dec 7, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Liberia01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302006-02-23Feb 23, 2006Ratification02006-03-25Mar 25, 2006 Libya02004-01-06Jan 6, 2004Accession02004-02-05Feb 5, 2004 Liechtenstein01993-07-21Jul 21, 199301999-11-24Nov 24, 1999Ratification01999-12-24Dec 24, 1999 Lithuania01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-04-15Apr 15, 1998Ratification01998-05-15May 15, 1998 Luxembourg01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-15Apr 15, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Macedonia01997-06-20Jun 20, 1997Accession01997-07-20Jul 20, 1997 Madagascar01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302004-10-20Oct 20, 2004Ratification02004-11-19Nov 19, 2004 Malawi01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301998-06-11Jun 11, 1998Ratification01998-07-11Jul 11, 1998 Malaysia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302000-04-20Apr 20, 2000Ratification02000-05-20May 20, 2000 Maldives01993-10-01Oct 1, 199301994-05-31May 31, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Mali01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Malta01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Marshall Islands01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302004-05-19May 19, 2004Ratification02004-06-18Jun 18, 2004 Mauritania01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-02-09Feb 9, 1998Ratification01998-03-11Mar 11, 1998 Mauritius01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301993-02-09Feb 9, 1993Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Mexico01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-08-29Aug 29, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Moldova01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-07-08Jul 8, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Monaco01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-06-01Jun 1, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Mongolia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-01-17Jan 17, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Montenegro02006-10-23Oct 23, 2006Succession(from Serbia and Montenegro)02006-06-03Jun 3, 2006 Morocco01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-12-28Dec 28, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Mozambique02000-08-15Aug 15, 2000Accession02000-09-14Sep 14, 2000 Namibia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-11-27Nov 27, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Nauru01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302001-11-12Nov 12, 2001Ratification02001-12-12Dec 12, 2001 Nepal01993-01-19Jan 19, 199301997-11-18Nov 18, 1997Ratification01997-12-18Dec 18, 1997 Netherlands01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-06-30Jun 30, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 New Zealand01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-07-15Jul 15, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Nicaragua01993-03-09Mar 9, 199301999-11-05Nov 5, 1999Ratification01999-12-05Dec 5, 1999 Niger01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-04-09Apr 9, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Nigeria01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301999-05-20May 20, 1999Ratification01999-06-19Jun 19, 1999 Niue02005-04-21Apr 21, 2005Accession02005-05-21May 21, 2005 Norway01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-04-07Apr 7, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Oman01993-02-02Feb 2, 199301995-02-08Feb 8, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Pakistan01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-10-28Oct 28, 1997Ratification01997-11-27Nov 27, 1997 Palau02003-02-03Feb 3, 2003Accession02003-03-05Mar 5, 2003 Panama01993-06-16Jun 16, 199301998-10-07Oct 7, 1998Ratification01998-11-06Nov 6, 1998 Papua New Guinea01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301996-04-17Apr 17, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Paraguay01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301994-12-01Dec 1, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Peru01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-07-20Jul 20, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Philippines01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-12-11Dec 11, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Poland01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-08-23Aug 23, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Portugal01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-09-10Sep 10, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Qatar01993-02-01Feb 1, 199301997-09-03Sep 3, 1997Ratification01997-10-03Oct 3, 1997 Romania01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301995-02-15Feb 15, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Russia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-11-05Nov 5, 1997Ratification01997-12-05Dec 5, 1997 Rwanda01993-05-17May 17, 199302004-03-31Mar 31, 2004Ratification02004-04-30Apr 30, 2004 Saint Kitts and Nevis01994-03-16Mar 16, 199402004-05-21May 21, 2004Ratification02004-06-20Jun 20, 2004 Saint Lucia01993-03-29Mar 29, 199301997-04-09Apr 9, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines01993-09-20Sep 20, 199302002-09-18Sep 18, 2002Ratification02002-10-18Oct 18, 2002 Samoa01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302002-09-27Sep 27, 2002Ratification02002-10-27Oct 27, 2002 San Marino01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301999-12-10Dec 10, 1999Ratification02000-01-09Jan 9, 2000 S£o Tom(C) and Pr­ncipe02003-09-09Sep 9, 2003Acceptance02003-10-09Oct 9, 2003 Saudi Arabia01993-01-20Jan 20, 199301996-08-09Aug 9, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Senegal01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-07-20Jul 20, 1998Ratification01998-08-19Aug 19, 1998 Serbia02000-04-20Apr 20, 2000Accession02000-05-20May 20, 2000 Seychelles01993-01-15Jan 15, 199301993-04-07Apr 7, 1993Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Sierra Leone01993-01-15Jan 15, 199302004-09-30Sep 30, 2004Ratification02004-10-30Oct 30, 2004 Singapore01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-05-21May 21, 1997Ratification01997-06-20Jun 20, 1997 Slovakia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-10-27Oct 27, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Slovenia01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-06-11Jun 11, 1997Ratification01997-07-11Jul 11, 1997 Solomon Islands02004-09-23Sep 23, 2004Accession02004-10-23Oct 23, 2004 Somalia02013-05-29May 29, 2013Accession02013-06-28June 28, 2013 South Africa01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-09-13Sep 13, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 South Korea01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Spain01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301994-08-03Aug 3, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Sri Lanka01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301994-08-19Aug 19, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Sudan01999-05-24May 24, 1999Accession01999-06-23Jun 23, 1999 Suriname01997-04-28Apr 28, 199701997-04-28Apr 28, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Swaziland01993-09-23Sep 23, 199301996-11-20Nov 20, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Sweden01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301993-06-17Jun 17, 1993Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Switzerland01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-03-10Mar 10, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Tajikistan01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301995-01-11Jan 11, 1995Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Tanzania01994-02-25Feb 25, 199401998-06-25Jun 25, 1998Ratification01998-07-25Jul 25, 1998 Thailand01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302002-12-10Dec 10, 2002Ratification02003-01-09Jan 9, 2003 Timor-Leste02003-05-07May 7, 2003Accession02003-06-06Jun 6, 2003 Togo01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-23Apr 23, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Tonga02003-05-29May 29, 2003Accession02003-06-28Jun 28, 2003 Trinidad and Tobago01997-06-24Jun 24, 1997Accession01997-07-24Jul 24, 1997 Tunisia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-15Apr 15, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Turkey01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-05-12May 12, 1997Ratification01997-06-11Jun 11, 1997 Turkmenistan01993-10-12Oct 12, 199301994-09-29Sep 29, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Tuvalu02004-01-19Jan 19, 2004Accession02004-02-18Feb 18, 2004 Uganda01993-01-14Jan 14, 199302001-11-30Nov 30, 2001Ratification02001-12-30Dec 30, 2001 Ukraine01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-10-16Oct 16, 1998Ratification01998-11-15Nov 15, 1998 United Arab Emirates01993-02-02Feb 2, 199302000-11-28Nov 28, 2000Ratification02000-12-28Dec 28, 2000 United Kingdom01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301996-05-13May 13, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 United States01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Uruguay01993-01-15Jan 15, 199301994-10-06Oct 6, 1994Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Uzbekistan01995-11-24Nov 24, 199501996-07-23Jul 23, 1996Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 Vanuatu02005-09-16Sep 16, 2005Accession02005-10-16Oct 16, 2005 Venezuela01993-01-14Jan 14, 199301997-12-03Dec 3, 1997Ratification01998-01-02Jan 2, 1998 Vietnam01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301998-09-30Sep 30, 1998Ratification01998-10-30Oct 30, 1998 Yemen01993-02-08Feb 8, 199302000-10-02Oct 2, 2000Ratification02000-11-01Nov 1, 2000 Zambia01993-01-13Jan 13, 199302001-02-09Feb 9, 2001Ratification02001-03-11Mar 11, 2001 Zimbabwe01993-01-13Jan 13, 199301997-04-25Apr 25, 1997Ratification01997-04-29Apr 29, 1997 State Parties which are currently member of the Executive Council
  States that have signed but not ratified[edit source |edit]
VIDEO- 8/27/13: White House Press Briefing - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 21:18
Commander-in-cheap: US is a bargain manufacturer
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:28
  Americans may be fond of lamenting the decline of the country's economic clout and the flood of "Made in China" goods, but they may soon have to find something else to complain about.
  According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the U.S. is fast becoming one of the lowest-cost countries for manufacturing in the developed world. BCG argues that average manufacturing costs in Germany, Japan, France, Italy, and the U.K. will be 8 to 18 percent higher than in the U.S. by 2015.
  The report states that export manufacturing in the U.S. is a unsung hero of the economic recovery, noting: "Despite all the public focus on the U.S. trade deficit, little attention has been paid to the fact that the country's exports have been growing more than seven times faster than GDP since 2005."
  BCG found that the U.S. is increasingly attractive for businesses due to lower costs of labor, (adjusted for productivity), natural gas, and electricity.
  (Read more:US manufacturing activity expands,hits five-month high)
  U.S. manufacturing activity hit a five-month high in August as hiring picked up and new orders increased at their fastest pace since January, a Markit report showed last Thursday.
  However, BCG's report argues that we are currently just witnessing the beginning of a major shift in global manufacturing.
  "Over the past 40 years,factory jobs of all kinds have migrated from high-cost to low-cost countries," said Harold L. Sirkin, co-author of the report. "Now, as the economics of global manufacturing changes, the pendulum is finally starting to swing back. In the years ahead, it could be America's turn to be on the receiving end of production shifts, as more companies use the U.S. as a low-cost export platform."
  (Read more:More reform, fewer rules will help US manufacturing: Fisher)
  BCG believes the U.S. will capture between $70 billion and $150 billion in annual exports from other nations by 2020, with two-thirds of these export gains emanating from production shifts to the U.S. from leading European nations and Japan.
  Furthermore, by 2020, with more production work shifting back to the U.S. from China, between 2.5 million and 5 million American factory and service jobs could be created. BCG believes that would mean the U.S. unemployment rate could drop by up to three percentage points from its current rate of 7.4.
  Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, agreed with the BCG's findings, though questioned the reliability of the time-frame of when America would emerge once more as a cheap,manufacturing powerhouse, and the precise effect it would have on the wider economy.
  (Read more:US durable goods plunge in July, cast shadow over Q3)
  "It's difficult to gauge the extent to which the U.S. economy will benefit and over what time scale,"he said, adding, "It is becoming increasingly evident that many companies are shifting production back to the U.S. from low-cost countries, notably China, as the advantages of having a production base in these countries fades or are re-evaluated."
  The BCG's report references a number of foreign companies, such as Toyota, Airbus, Yamaha, Siemens and Rolls-Royce, who have already started to move more of their production facilities to the U.S.
  While BCG cited low labor, natural gas and electricity costs, Williamson emphasized lead-times. "Before, a lengthy, six-month transport time for goods to be shipped from Asia could be tolerated given the cost advantage," Williamson said. "But,as the cost advantage fades, the trade-off between cost and timeliness works in the latter's favor. With the increasing use of 3-D printing, this trade-off will of course work even more in favor of localized production."
  Indeed, Mary Anne Greczyn, a spokesman for Airbus, said this was why the aircraft manufacturer was opening a factory in Mobile, Alabama.
  "As you would imagine, for an airline such as JetBlue or American Airlines to have to come to Europe every time they get an aircraft delivered can be time- and resource- consuming," Greczyn said. "When the new facility in Mobile is up and running, they will need only to travel to Alabama for their A320 Family aircraft."
  Greczyn added that Airbus was not moving, shifting or reshoring construction to America, but simply expanding its production facilities.
  Williamson broadly agreed with the BCG report, but warned that it would be many years before the "renaissance" of the goods-producing sector in the U.S.
Greece should never have been allowed to join euro: Merkel
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 18:23
  Published: Wednesday, 28 Aug 2013 | 1:21 AM ETSean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
  In a rare outburst, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Greece should never have been allowed to join the single currency.
  Speaking at a rally ahead of elections on September 22, Merkel told a crowd of around 1,000 German voters that the debt crisis in Greece had been "brewing for many years" and blamed her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, from the rival social democrat party for letting Greece join the euro.
  (Read more:German elections are a 'close call': Merkel)
  "Chancellor Schroeder accepted Greece in and weakened the Stability Pact and both decisions were fundamentally wrong, and one of the starting points for our current troubles," media reports cited Merkel as saying at the campaign rally in the north German town of Randsburg on Tuesday.
  Her comments come after the Social Democratic (SPD) party ramped up its criticism of Merkel and her handling of Greece after the country received two bailouts worth 240 billion euros ($321 billion) and reportedly needs a third to plug an imminent funding gap.
  German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Tuesday that estimates by the international Monetary Fund (IMF) that Greece needs a further 11 billion euros were "not completely unrealistic."
  (Read more: Greece returns as hot-button issue in German election)
  Merkel wants to avoid any pre-election mistakes: Expert
  Josef Janning, member of the German council for foreign relations, tells CNBC that the German government is trying to avoid any mistakes, including on Syria, which could jeopardise the election.
  The head of the SPD, Peer Steinbrueck, has said Merkel is not being straight with voters over the true cost of financial aid for Greece. Despite his criticism, however, his party still trails Merkel's conservative alliance in the polls with 25 percent of the vote below 39 percent for the Chancellor.
  One analyst told CNBC that the election race could still go either way, however.
  "Angela Merkel has done nothing that could cost her the election but she still may only succeed marginally. There is no single issue in Germany that could make the voters go here or there so a lot is left to the moment," Josef Janning, a member of the German Council on Foreign Relations, told CNBC. "She has a good chance of winning but she can't be sure."
  - By CNBC's holly Ellyatt, follow her on Twitter @HollyEllyatt
  In a rare outburst, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Greece should never have been allowed to join the single currency.
Facebook says countries sought data on 38,000 users first half of 2013 | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:58
  By Gerry Shih
  SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Aug 27, 2013 1:59pm EDT
  SAN FRANCISCO Aug 27 (Reuters) - Governments sought information on over 38,000 Facebook users in the first half of 2013 and the No.1 social network complied with most requests, the firm said in its first report on the scale of data inquiries it gets from countries around the world.
  The report follows allegations by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden that practically every major Internet company - including Facebook, Google Inc and Microsoft Corp - routinely hands over troves of data on potentially millions of users to national intelligence agencies.
  Facebook has more than 1 billion users worldwide.
  U.S. law enforcement authorities were by far the most active in mining Facebook, seeking information on about 20,000 to 21,000 users between January and June. That represents a slight rise from the six months between June and December 2012, when U.S. agencies requested information on roughly 18,000 to 19,000 Facebook accounts, according to figures previously released by the company.
  Facebook has at least partially complied to about 80 percent of those requests, the company acknowledged on Tuesday.
  Authorities in other countries with large Facebook user bases, including India, the United Kingdom and Germany, also requested information on thousands of users.
  Facebook, which disclosed the figures in its first "Global Government Requests Report," said it individually scrutinized every information request and required governments to meet a "very high legal bar" to receive user data.
  Although the full scope of the National Security Agency's electronic data collection programs remains unclear, Facebook has vigorously contested claims that it allows the U.S. government unfettered access to secretly gather information on a significant fraction of its users.
  Facebook General Counsel Colin Stretch said in the Tuesday report that Facebook hoped to contribute to the "ongoing debate about the proper standards for government requests for user information in official investigations."
  "We fight many of these requests, pushing back when we find legal deficiencies and narrowing the scope of overly broad or vague requests," Stretch said. "When we are required to comply with a particular request, we frequently share only basic user information, such as name."
  Facebook said it would begin to publish information on data requests on a regular basis. Google and Twitter, among other companies, have periodically released similar information for several years.
  Facebook's report included secret information requests within the U.S. authorized under the the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Patriot Act. U.S. companies are ordinarily prohibited from acknowledging the existence of data requests made under those statutes. Facebook negotiated with the U.S. government in June to begin publishing the total number of data requests it receives without specifying how many are related to law enforcement investigations as opposed to intelligence-gathering efforts.
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Researcher controls colleague's motions in 1st human brain-to-brain interface | UW Today
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:29
  University of Washington researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher.
  University of Washington
  University of Washington researcher Rajesh Rao, left, plays a computer game with his mind. Across campus, researcher Andrea Stocco, right, wears a magnetic stimulation coil over the left motor cortex region of his brain. Stocco's right index finger moved involuntarily to hit the ''fire'' button as part of the first human brain-to-brain interface demonstration.
  Using electrical brain recordings and a form of magnetic stimulation, Rajesh Rao sent a brain signal to Andrea Stocco on the other side of the UW campus, causing Stocco's finger to move on a keyboard.
  While researchers at Duke University have demonstrated brain-to-brain communication between two rats, and Harvard researchers have demonstrated it between a human and a rat, Rao and Stocco believe this is the first demonstration of human-to-human brain interfacing.
  ''The Internet was a way to connect computers, and now it can be a way to connect brains,'' Stocco said. ''We want to take the knowledge of a brain and transmit it directly from brain to brain.''
  The researchers captured the full demonstration on video recorded in both labs. The following version has been edited for length. This video and high-resolution photos also are available on the research website.
  Rao, a UW professor of computer science and engineering, has been working on brain-computer interfacing in his lab for more than 10 years and just published a textbook on the subject. In 2011, spurred by the rapid advances in technology, he believed he could demonstrate the concept of human brain-to-brain interfacing. So he partnered with Stocco, a UW research assistant professor in psychology at the UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences.
  On Aug. 12, Rao sat in his lab wearing a cap with electrodes hooked up to an electroencephalography machine, which reads electrical activity in the brain. Stocco was in his lab across campus wearing a purple swim cap marked with the stimulation site for the transcranial magnetic stimulation coil that was placed directly over his left motor cortex, which controls hand movement.
  The team had a Skype connection set up so the two labs could coordinate, though neither Rao nor Stocco could see the Skype screens.
  Rao looked at a computer screen and played a simple video game with his mind. When he was supposed to fire a cannon at a target, he imagined moving his right hand (being careful not to actually move his hand), causing a cursor to hit the ''fire'' button. Almost instantaneously, Stocco, who wore noise-canceling earbuds and wasn't looking at a computer screen, involuntarily moved his right index finger to push the space bar on the keyboard in front of him, as if firing the cannon. Stocco compared the feeling of his hand moving involuntarily to that of a nervous tic.
  ''It was both exciting and eerie to watch an imagined action from my brain get translated into actual action by another brain,'' Rao said. ''This was basically a one-way flow of information from my brain to his. The next step is having a more equitable two-way conversation directly between the two brains.''
  University of Washington
  The cycle of the experiment. Brain signals from the ''Sender'' are recorded. When the computer detects imagined hand movements, a ''fire'' command is transmitted over the Internet to the TMS machine, which causes an upward movement of the right hand of the ''Receiver.'' This usually results in the ''fire'' key being hit.
  The technologies used by the researchers for recording and stimulating the brain are both well-known. Electroencephalography, or EEG, is routinely used by clinicians and researchers to record brain activity noninvasively from the scalp. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive way of delivering stimulation to the brain to elicit a response. Its effect depends on where the coil is placed; in this case, it was placed directly over the brain region that controls a person's right hand. By activating these neurons, the stimulation convinced the brain that it needed to move the right hand.
  Computer science and engineering undergraduates Matthew Bryan, Bryan Djunaedi, Joseph Wu and Alex Dadgar, along with bioengineering graduate student Dev Sarma, wrote the computer code for the project, translating Rao's brain signals into a command for Stocco's brain.
  ''Brain-computer interface is something people have been talking about for a long, long time,'' said Chantel Prat, assistant professor in psychology at the UW's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, and Stocco's wife and research partner who helped conduct the experiment. ''We plugged a brain into the most complex computer anyone has ever studied, and that is another brain.''
  At first blush, this breakthrough brings to mind all kinds of science fiction scenarios. Stocco jokingly referred to it as a ''Vulcan mind meld.'' But Rao cautioned this technology only reads certain kinds of simple brain signals, not a person's thoughts. And it doesn't give anyone the ability to control your actions against your will.
  Both researchers were in the lab wearing highly specialized equipment and under ideal conditions. They also had to obtain and follow a stringent set of international human-subject testing rules to conduct the demonstration.
  ''I think some people will be unnerved by this because they will overestimate the technology,'' Prat said. ''There's no possible way the technology that we have could be used on a person unknowingly or without their willing participation.''
  Stocco said years from now the technology could be used, for example, by someone on the ground to help a flight attendant or passenger land an airplane if the pilot becomes incapacitated. Or a person with disabilities could communicate his or her wish, say, for food or water. The brain signals from one person to another would work even if they didn't speak the same language.
  Rao and Stocco next plan to conduct an experiment that would transmit more complex information from one brain to the other. If that works, they then will conduct the experiment on a larger pool of subjects.
  Their research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering at the UW, the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Institutes of Health.
  ###
  For more information, contact Rao at rao@cs.washington.edu or 206-685-9141, and Stocco at stocco@uw.edu or 206-685-8610. Video and high-resolution photos are available on the research website.
  Tagged with: Andrea Stocco, brain, Chantel Prat, College of Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, psychology, Rajesh Rao
22 'pointless' US nuclear bombs at Dutch airbase | Joornaalka Soomaalida Nederland
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:25
  Wednesday 28-08-2013: [www.somculned.com] Ruud Lubbers, the former Dutch Christian Democrat [CDA] Prime Minister from 1982 to 1994, has broken a taboo of European politics by confirming the presence of American weapons in the bunkers of the Volkel air base.
  Holland's most prominent international statesman poured scorn on the atomic weapons capability that dates back to the height of Nato's Cold War with the Soviet Union and that will revive calls for US nuclear bombs to be removed from European soil.
  ''I would never have thought those silly things would still be there in 2013. I think they are an absolutely pointless part of a tradition in military thinking,'' he told, De Tijd Vliegt or Time Flies, a National Geographic television documentary.
  A spokesman for the Royal Dutch Air Force refused to confirm the revelation made by Mr Lubbers and told the Dutch broadcaster NOS that these issues ''are never spoken of''. ''He, as former prime minister, knows that well,'' he said.
  Dutch officials told the Telegraaf newspaper that the weapons are B61 thermonuclear bombs, the primary weapon in America's post-Cold War ''Enduring Stockpile'' and a device that packs a punch up four times as powerful as the bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
  The B61 is designed for delivery by high-speed aircraft, an 11-foot, 770lb weapon with a streamlined casing capable of withstanding supersonic flight speeds and the while he bombs are not dismantled they are not thought to be kept in immediate operational readiness.
  Nuclear weapons are said to have been stored at the Volkel base since the early 1960s and the Cuban missile crisis that marked the height of the Cold War.
  US diplomatic files, leaked by Wikileaks three years ago, had mentioned atomic weapons in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Turkey amid a 2010 debate over the future of the arsenal following a call from Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, for the nuclear weapons on his country's soil to be removed.
  ''A withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Germany and perhaps from Belgium and the Netherlands could make it very difficult for Turkey to maintain its own stockpile,'' the leaked US diplomatic cable said.
  Turkey, which is thought to house 90 US atomic weapons at its Incirlik air base, on the northern Mediterranean coast, regards the nuclear umbrella as a key part of its Nato membership on the alliance's Eastern border with Iran.
  At a 2010 summit in Lisbon, Nato decided that any change in the status of its nuclear weapons arsenal would have to be made unanimously among all 28 allies, effectively giving Turkey a veto.
  The revelation and criticism from Mr Lubbers could reignite the European nuclear issue as Dutch opposition politicians, on both the left and right, demand that the weapons are removed.
  Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister will face questions on the issue in the Dutch parliament on Tuesday and reminders that he, as a Labour opposition MP in 2005, called for the weapons to be removed from Dutch soil.
  Harry van Bommel, a Socialist MP, will call for the weapons to be scrapped. ''The nuclear strategy of NATO has not changed since the Cold War,'' he said.
  Raymond Knops, a Christian Democrat MP, took to Twitter to say: ''Militarily obsolete, so get rid of them, I would say.''
  Related article(s)
  Conflict met VS over atoombommen in Volkel in Dutch
  Source : Telegraaf
  Somali Journal in the Netherlands
  www.somculned.com
  (12)
Bugs and Gas from Agent Orange
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:22
  NightWatch
  For the night of 27 August 2013
  China-Japan:Update. China broadcast that three of its coast guard ships patrolled in its territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands (aka, Senkaku Islands). No Japanese response has been reported in English language media.
  Comment: The Chinese coast guard is patrolling daily in the Senkakus.
  North Korea: South Korean press reported that during his visit to Beijing in May North Korean Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a favorite of Kim Jong Un proposed "four-party talks" to China. The report contained no mention of the Chinese response to the proposal, but apparently China rejected it because Chinese officials called for the early resumption of Six Party Talks.
  Comment: The four party proposal explains how North Korea could announce its willingness to talk about its nuclear program and try to reassure the Chinese of its good intentions, while publicly and explicitly rejecting the Six Party Talks. North Korean leaders attempted a subterfuge with the Chinese, which backfired.
  North Korean media reported that on Tuesday, North Korea's first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan "had a friendly talk" with China's chief nuclear negotiator Wu Dawei in Pyongyang.
  Comment: Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated publicly his support for the resumption of Six Party Talks. Readers may be confident that Wu Dawei conveyed Chinese expectations that the North will comply.
  Pakistan-Afghanistan: The Chinese news service Xinhua published a report on the outcome of talks between Afghan President Karzai and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Excerpts follow.
  "Pakistan said Tuesday that Afghan Taliban insurgents are unwilling to talk to Karzai government and its peace negotiators at least for now."
  "The statement came hours after Afghan President Hamid Karzai concluded a two-day visit to Pakistan that was focused on efforts to encourage Taliban to come to the negotiating table."
  "Karzai's spokesman, Aimal Faizi, said in Islamabad that Karzai had pressed for Islamabad's help to bring Taliban leaders to the negotiating table."
  "Afghan government claims that leaders of Taliban are living in Pakistan and that Islamabad should use influence on them and facilitate direct talks between Taliban and Afghan High Peace Council."
  "Pakistan's Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that Taliban are not willing to talk to Afghan government or Afghan High Peace Council."
  "However Pakistan will try its best to persuade them to hold dialogue so as to avert outbreak of civil war in post-conflict Afghanistan, Aziz told state radio."
  Comment: The message behind the message is twofold. First is that the Taliban expect to return to power which explains their disinterest in peace negotiations with Karzai. Second, Pakistani national security interests require stability in post-Karzai Afghanistan. Thus, Pakistan will act to avoid another outbreak of civil war after US and NATO forces leave and the Taliban returns to power. That is the meaning of the last sentence quoted above. Pakistan will not act to help save Karzai.
  The simple bluntness of the statements attributed by Sartaj Aziz confirms that senior Pakistani officials are in communication with the Afghan Taliban leaders in Quetta sufficiently to speak for them.
  Syria:Update. The mainstream media headlines with slight variations predict that an attack against Syrian targets by US missiles could occur as early as Thursday. The UK and France are lobbying hard for action because of the alleged chemical attack.
  Special Comment: Numerous pundits and experts have expounded on the need for the US to take action, the consequences of inaction, and the potential for a US attack to generate a regional conventional war. Curiously, they have not mentioned the probability of Iranian-instigated terrorist attacks in the US.
  NightWatch has little to add to all that "wisdom," but prefers to comment on matters not covered.
  Feedback from one of the finest analysts alive provided a reminder that the "bugs and gas" (biological and chemical warfare) lobby in US intelligence contains fine people who get few opportunities to shine. That's because of the limits of intelligence on bugs and gas. Next to nukes (nuclear weapons) they are the most protected weapons a country, such as Syria and North Korea, has.
  As a result, studies of national capabilities and stock piles of bugs and gas are notoriously suspect, but err on the side of caution because a little goes a long way. As a result, the record of predictive accuracy tends to be poor. That record includes the inaccurate judgments about various weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003.
  The detection of actual use of bugs and gas agents and of the specific agents used, as during the last year of the Iran-Iraq War, is even harder. It always requires reliable and competently educated and specially trained investigators on the ground at the site. Actual use cannot be inferred from radio intercepts or any other indirect or remotely collected information source.
  A second observation derives from the Russian use of a chemical agent in 2002 when Chechen terrorists held more than 700 Russian hostages in a Moscow theater. The Russians used a crowd suppression agent that killed 116 people, but enabled 650 to be rescued. The agent is not banned by the Geneva convention on chemical warfare.
  If the Syrians used such an agent, which can be delivered by mortars and artillery as well as aircraft, there would be no international legal justification for attacking Syria based on the Geneva convention. It would not have been violated. The possibility that a non-banned substance was used makes it all the more urgent that competent investigators inspect the sites to identify the agent as well as the culprit.
  A third observation is that the use of lethal gas is notoriously and inherently dangerous, often depending on the weather and the delivery system. It can blow back, in some instances, for miles. That is why military forces do not use it.
  A fourth observation from Feedback from chemical warfare experts is that lethal gas kills effectively. There are no large numbers of people left alive but suffering. Victims die by the thousands. Survivors are few, if any. That is the lesson of Iraq's use of such weapons at Hallabjah against the Kurds and later against the Iranians. Casualty reports from Syria are precisely opposite of the lethality pattern in a chemical weapon attack.
  A fifth observation is that US media have given Syrian forces more than enough warning to enable them to protect themselves and their weapons. Leaks about US attack plans represent either monumental incompetence in operational security or a deliberate effort to tip off the Syrians for arcane political purposes.
  In either event, the leaks ensure that Syrian military forces will suffer no significant damage from a US attack. An attack under these conditions must be considered entertainment for the benefit of the international press instead of a serious military operation.
  As for Syrian defense capabilities, Syria has a respectable integrated air defense system, but the Israelis have defeated it thrice in the past year. It poses no serious impediment to a missile or air attack except to the unwary or unlucky.
  Syria has supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles that have a range of 300 nm. Syria will use them if it can acquire the US destroyers off its coast.
  As for the value of limited punitive strikes, Syria already has shown that it can withstand limited, genuinely surgical, punitive attacks by the Israeli air force. The Israelis have attacked three times in the past 18 months and the Syrians have not retaliated. Apparently that is because the Israeli attacks have had no demonstrable impact on Hizballah's operations or Syria's prosecution of the fight against the opposition.
  Syria is in an existential battle. Surgical, pin prick NATO attacks are trivial compared to the prospect of Syrian forces destroying the rebel concentrations east of Damascus. This means Syria might not retaliate for a US attack, but just continue to prosecute the fight. Iran and Lebanese Hizballah are the more dangerous sources of retaliation.
  As for ripple effects, Iran is so heavily invested in the survival of the government in Syria that US and NATO planners must plan for retaliatory attacks in Western Europe, in the US, in the Persian Gulf states and everywhere the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force has a presence. Iran's responses will depend on the damage inflicted on Syria.
  Concerning leading from behind, American audiences apparently are not aware that in Libya and in Mali, Western European air forces were unable to sustain combat flight and logistics operations without comprehensive US support, from intelligence to mission planning to all types of resupply. Some US military personnel are resentful because they received so little recognition for so much effort to compensate for European NATO lack of capabilities.
  The notion of leading from behind is a political and media myth. NATO is incapable of sustaining any but the most elementary level of air combat for a minimal amount of time without comprehensive US support. That means the feel-good notion of a coalition of the willing is actually a cover term for US military operations with minimal NATO help for window dressing. This is not a criticism, it is a fact of European economics.
  Egypt:Security. In Upper Egypt, a protestor died from police fire during an anti-government march in Bani Suwayf. Four people were injured.
  In North Sinai, Egyptian news outlets reported that a suicide bomber attempted to blow up the police station at Shaykh Zuwayid. Armed insurgents also attacked the station, but were beaten back.
  Political. According to a survey conducted by the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, only six percent of Egyptians approve allowing the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) to participate in Egyptian political life.
  Head of the center, Majid Uthman, indicated that the poll was based on a sample of 1,400 people who were surveyed through phone in the period of 19-21 August. The poll assessed Egyptians attitudes towards the MB after the 30 June ouster of the Mursi regime.
  The poll found that 78 per cent of those polled held that the MB government in Egypt was worse than their expectation, while only three percent said it was better than what they expected.
  Instability.The Egyptian state-run news agency MENA reported that on 26 August three people were killed in a fight over bread in a village in Asyut governorate.
  Comment: The facts of this incident are incomplete, thus any judgments are tentative. Nevertheless, fights over bread constitute a critical indicator of stress in a society. Stress often leads to instability.
  Shortages of bread influenced the uprisings in Tunisia and in Egypt more than a year ago. Today's report is the first of its kind, but reinforces the hypothesis that the underlying economic causes of stress in Egypt are still not being addressed.
  End ofNightWatch for27 August.
  NightWatch is brought to you by Kforce Government Solutions, Inc. (KGS), a leader in government problem-solving, Data Confidence® and intelligence. Views and opinions expressed in NightWatch are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of KGS, its management, or affiliates.
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Painting of Vladimir Putin in women's underwear seized by Russian police | World news | theguardian.com
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:19
  Link to video: Painting of Vladimir Putin in women's underwear seized by Russian policeRussian police seized a painting of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev in women's underwear from a gallery in St Petersburg, saying the satirical display had broken unspecified laws.
  The officers also removed a picture of the head of the Russian Orthodox church, his torso covered in tattoos, and two others poking fun at MPs who have backed legislation banning so-called gay propaganda, gallery staff said.
  The police service said it had taken paintings from the Museum of Power gallery '' based in two rooms of a flat '' late on Monday after receiving reports that they were illegal. It gave no further detail but Russia does have a law against insulting authorities, an offence that carries a maximum one-year prison term.
  One painting showed Putin wearing a tight-fitting slip and brushing the hair of the prime minister Medvedev, who is wearing knickers and a bra.
  The St Petersburg deputy Vitaly Milonov, whose face was combined with the gay rights movement's rainbow flag in one of the paintings, said the images were inappropriate and "of a distinctly pornographic character".
  St Petersburg, which hosts world leaders at a G20 summit next week, was one of the first Russian cities to introduce a law banning the spread of "gay propaganda". The Russian parliament has also adopted similar legislation, prompting protests from abroad and calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics which Russia will host in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in February.
  The gallery's owner, Alexander Donskoy, said the officers had also shut down his establishment and gave him no explanation for the removal of paintings from the exhibition.
  "This is an [illegal] seizure," he said. "We have been given no formal documents banning us from operating and no receipt confirming our petty cash was seized."
  ' This article was amended on 28 August 2013 to correct the name of Vitaly Milonov, which was wrongly given as Mironov.
Was Cyprus Planned for Staging Ships etc? UK gathers warplanes, military hardware in Cyprus base near Syria '' report '-- RT News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:04
  Published time: August 27, 2013 00:27Edited time: August 28, 2013 11:41C-130 Hercules cargo plane (Reuters / Tech. Sgt. Brian E.)
  ''Warplanes and military transporters'' have reportedly been moved to Britain's Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus in the latest sign of the allied forces' preparations for a military strike on Syria amid bellicose rhetoric against the Syrian government.
  Two commercial pilots who regularly fly from Larnaca, Cyprus, claim to have spotted C-130 transport planes from their own aircraft and small formations of possibly European fighter jets from their radar screens, according to the Guardian.
  Akrotiri airbase is less than 100 miles from Syria, making it a likely hub for a bombing campaign. Residents near the airfield confirmed to the Guardian that ''activity there has been much higher than normal over the past 48 hours.''
  The upsurge in flight activity has been denied by a spokesman for Britain's airbases in Cyprus, Reuters reported, also citing Cyprus's Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides as saying that he doubted the airbases would be used if Western powers did take action against Syria.
  ''I have the impression that the British bases won't play any primary role... because they are not needed, but we will have to see," Kasoulides told Cypriot state radio.
  Downing Street says armed forces are drawing up contingency plans for military action in Syria, Reuters reported.
  UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday recalled members of parliament from their summer break for an urgent discussion. The session is due to be held on Thursday to vote on a possible military response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria.
  The Prime Minister said no decision has yet been taken on possible responses to the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Cameron has also called for ''specific'' military action against Syria, saying the UK is not considering getting involved in a Middle East war.
  Meanwhile, top military officials from ten Western and Middle Eastern nations '' led by US Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey and his Jordanian counterpart '' met in Amman, Jordan, to discuss potential military action in Syria. This follows reports that Dempsey presented potential military options to the White House over the weekend.
  On Friday, Reuters revealed the US Navy was expanding its Mediterranean presence with a fourth ship capable launching long-range, subsonic cruise missiles to reach land targets in Syria.
  British military assets already near Syria include four warships, the Navy's flagship HMS Bulwark, a helicopter carrier and two frigates near Albania. Meanwhile France '' another key player in the possible conflict '' has its jet fighters stationed in the United Arab Emirates if needed.
  On Tuesday French President Francoise Hollande vowed to increase military support to the Syrian opposition. He said France is ''ready to punish'' those behind the ''chemical massacre'' in Syria, adding that his government believes Damascus carried out the attack.
  The Obama administration has little doubt the regime of Assad deployed chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus last week, killing hundreds, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday.
  Reports from Syria of chemical warfare ''should shock the conscience of the world,'' Kerry said, adding that the indiscriminate slaughter of women and children carried out by the Assad regime constitutes a ''moral obscenity.''
  President Barack Obama has yet to make a determination about how the US will respond, Kerry said, but a decision would be forthcoming.
  US officials told the Washington Post late Monday such an attack would likely be limited to no more than a couple of days. According to the sources, determining when the attack would take place depends on an intelligence report on Syria's culpability for the chemical attack, consultation with allies and the US Congress and a determination that an attack by US and its allies follows international law.
  ''While investigators are gathering additional information on the ground, our understanding of what has already happened in Syria is grounded in facts, informed by conscious and guided by common sense,'' Sec. Kerry said. ''The reported number of victims, the reported symptoms of those who were killed or injured, the first-hand accounts from the humanitarian organizations on the ground . . . these all strongly indicate that everything these images are already screaming at us are real: that chemical weapons were used in Syria.''
  While top US officials hint at some unequivocal evidence implicating the Syrian government in the chemical attack, anonymous sources told NBC News late Monday the US is planning to release evidence as soon as Tuesday ''to prepare the public for a possible military response.''
  Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday during a phone call with British Prime Minister David Cameron that there is no evidence such an attack had occurred. ''President Putin said that they did not have evidence of whether a chemical weapons attack had taken place or who was responsible,'' a British government spokesperson said after the meeting.
  Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed during an emergency press conference in Moscow that the US, Britain and other countries have assembled a ''powerful force'' and are ''readying their ships and planes'' for a possible invasion in Syria.
  ''Official Washington, London and Paris say they have incontrovertible evidence that the Syrian government is behind the chemical attack in Damascus, but they have not yet presented this evidence,'' Lavrov said, expressing particular outrage with the newly introduced possibility of NATO staging a strike on Syria without a United Nations mandate.
  UN investigators were in the Damascus area Monday, taking samples from the site of Wednesday's alleged chemical attack in an eastern suburb. The UN team was quickly forced to return to the government checkpoint to replace their car, which ''was deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers in the buffer zone area," a spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Martin Nesirky, said.
  The United Nations assured that it was still possible for the team of experts to gather necessary evidence despite the time elapsed since the alleged attack. Ban Ki-moon added that the UN will ''register a strong complaint'' to both the Syrian government and opposition forces as a result of the attack in an effort to stem future aggression against investigation teams.
  Back in Washington, White House press Secretary Jay Carney weighed in with a statement of his own Monday, saying use of chemical weapons on a widespread scale outside of Damascus on August 21 was "undeniable."
  ''As Ban Ki-moon said last week, the UN investigation will not determine who used these chemical weapons, only whether such weapons were used '' a judgment that is already clear to the world," Carney said, adding that it is ''profoundly in the interest of the United States and the international community that that violation of an international norm be responded to.''
  Further, neither Sec. Kerry nor Carney stated what countries agree or disagree with the American narrative of Assad's alleged chemical attack. Carney did say the president is seeking guidance from members of the US Congress on using force against Syria.
  Pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, passed in the US in 1973, use of military force is limited to instances when a formal declaration of war has been declared, specific statutory authorization is granted or during a national emergency. Without immediate congressional approval, the President can commit troops without a declaration of war. In that case, the President must submit a report to Congress on the details of that action. Then after the 60-day period, Congress must approve further action, though the War Powers Resolution has been violated by US presidents in the past. The White House posited in 2011 that US military action without congressional approval in Libya did not violate the War Powers Resolution based on US forces' supposed limited role in the NATO-led campaign.
  While western forces appear ready for possible military action against Syria, Obama said in an interview Friday the United States should be wary of ''being drawn into very expensive, difficult, costly interventions that actually breed more resentment in the region.''
  Obama went on to express reservations for becoming involved in the 30-month Syrian conflict due to a lack of international consensus.
  "If the US goes in and attacks another country without a UN mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented, then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it, [and] do we have the coalition to make it work?'' said Obama.
  US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel confirmed late last week that US military forces are preparing for the possibility that President Obama would order a strike.
  "The Defense Department has a responsibility to provide the president with options for contingencies, and that requires positioning our forces, positioning our assets, to be able to carry out different options '-- whatever options the president might choose," Hagel said Friday, adding a decision must be made quickly given ''there may be another (chemical) attack.''
VIDEO-Obama: Martin Luther King Jr. would have liked Obamacare | WashingtonExaminer.com
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 17:00
  Ted Cruz: Dr. King believed in the American Dream, and he believed in AmericaBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/28/13 11:45 AM
  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, released an essay on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington. ''Dr. King believed in the American Dream, and he...
  Read More...Snoop Lion dreams of 'no guns allowed' on the streetsBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/28/13 10:40 AM
  NBC featured YouTube clips from celebrities, politicians and entrepreneurs, sharing their ''dream'' for America as part of recognizing the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington on Wednesday.
  Read More...Only 58 percent of uninsured plan to use ObamacareBy CONN CARROLL | 08/28/13 09:35 AM
  Obamacare will spend almost $1.8 trillion over the next 10 years providing health insurance to more Americans, but, according to a new Kaiser Health Tracking poll, only 58 percent of those currently uninsured plan to...
  Read More...Rand Paul: We're not the party that wants to give you another cellphoneBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/28/13 08:45 AM
  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. explained on the Mark Levin show that the Republican party was about maintaining freedom and opportunity in the country, not just giving poor people tangible goods.
  Read More...Morning Examiner: Ted Cruz walks fine line on SyriaBy CONN CARROLL | 08/28/13 08:10 AM
  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, appeared to reject President Obama's impending missile strike on Syria Monday, but also left open the door for possibly supporting some type of United States intervention in the conflict.
  Read More...Are cable news ratings a harbinger of voter turnout?By MICHAEL BARONE | 08/28/13 12:50 AM
  Evidently MSNBC's ratings have been plummeting this year, and not just because it's August; the comparisons are with similar months last year. August 2013 ratings were 28% below those for August 2012.
  Read More...California: Straight-A high school student not ready for collegeBy JOEL GEHRKE | 08/27/13 04:45 PM
  Hard work, a good attitude, and a desire to learn won't help a student succeed academically if the local high school regards minimal performance as excellent, as one California student discovered upon arriving at the...
  Read More...Obamacare unlikely to operate during a government shutdownBy ASHE SCHOW | 08/27/13 04:05 PM
  Despite the Congressional Research Service's insistence that Obamacare would continue to be implemented even if Republicans succeeded in their defunding effort, the claim seems unlikely.
  Read More...Scott Walker: Don't shut down government over ObamacareBy BYRON YORK | 08/27/13 03:05 PM
  Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a possible 2016 GOP presidential contender, warned that "Republicans like me want less government, want limited government, but we want government that works, and I don't think...
  Read More...They're 'public servants,' not 'public masters'By ASHE SCHOW | 08/27/13 02:00 PM
  Public officials are afforded many privileges over ordinary citizens, which essentially puts them in a different class than those they are meant to serve, said Glenn Harlan Reynolds, law professor at the University of...
  Read More...Rasmussen poll: 42 percent of GOP voters think defunding Obamacare will help the partyBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/27/13 02:00 PM
  A new Rasmussen poll shows that 42% of likely Republican voters think that threatening to vote against a government funding bill unless it cuts off funds for the health care law will help the GOP.
  Read More...Court: First Amendment protections don't allow unions to engage in nuisance lawsuitsBy SEAN HIGGINS | 08/27/13 01:30 PM
  Here's a case worth keeping an eye on: the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that a union's First Amendment rights do not allow it to engage in a pattern of legal harassment against a non-union business....
  Read More...Unions plan national fast-food walkout ThursdayBy SEAN HIGGINS | 08/27/13 01:10 PM
  You might want to stock up on McNuggets now: The Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers are targeting the McDonald's, Wendy's and KFC chains, among others, in a planned...
  Read More...Obama's creeping amnesty planBy CONN CARROLL | 08/27/13 11:05 AM
  As President Obama's top second term legislative priority, citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States, slowly dies from lack of momentum in Congress, Obama is expanding his...
  Read More...Obama admits he 'teared up' while watching Oprah in 'The Butler'By CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/27/13 10:15 AM
  President Obama admitted that he ''teared up'' during his private screening of The Butler '' a film starring Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitakerand Cuba Gooding Jr. Obama made his comments during an interview with with...
  Read More...Obama: Martin Luther King Jr. would have liked ObamacareBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/27/13 09:55 AM
  President Obama signaled in an exclusive interview with radio hosts Tom Joyner and Sybil Wilkes that Martin Luther King Jr. would have liked his health care plan for Americans. Obama spoke to the pair in the Oval Office...
  Read More...Keith Olbermann praises Chris Christie during ESPN2 debutBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/27/13 09:35 AM
  Jamie Weinstein caught this clip of Keith Olbermann praising Gov. Chris Christie during his ESPN 2 debut of his new sports themed talk show. Olberman noted with approval that Christie called a reporter...
  Read More...Ted Cruz on Syria: US military doesn't exist to be a policeman for the worldBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/27/13 08:25 AM
  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticized President Obama's foreign policy on Fox News Monday night, asserting that the United States, under President Obama, has grown weaker.
  Read More...Answering Chris Christie jab, Bobby Jindal stands by GOP 'stupid party' critique, takes shots of his ownBy BYRON YORK | 08/27/13 08:05 AM
  GREENVILLE, S.C. '-- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says he was right to call Republicans the ''stupid party,'' no matter what fellow GOP governor and possible 2016 presidential rival Chris Christie says about it.
  Read More...Morning Examiner: The debt limit and government shutdown fights are now the sameBy CONN CARROLL | 08/27/13 08:05 AM
  Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew sent a letter to Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, Monday informing him that the Treasury Department has exhausted available ''extraordinary measures'' to fund federal government spending...
  Read More...Obama meets with MSNBC's Al Sharpton, black pastors about Obamacare enrollmentBy JOEL GEHRKE | 08/26/13 05:25 PM
  President Obama met with MSNBC host Al Sharpton and an array of African American pastors today, urging them to convince black Americans to enroll in Obamacare exchanges when they come online. ''[H]e also discussed the...
  Read More...Wife of pastor jailed in Iran faults Obama: MLK would have spoken upBy JOEL GEHRKE | 08/26/13 04:45 PM
  An Iranian court rejected an American pastor's request for an early release from prison, prompting his wife to fault President Obama for failing to intervene personally on his behalf.
  Read More...Women's Equality DayBy ASHE SCHOW | 08/26/13 03:30 PM
  President Obama signed a proclamation Monday declaring August 26 to be ''Women's Equality Day.'' A nice gesture, but Obama, in addition to patting himself on the back for signing meaningless or detrimental laws...
  Read More...12 questions CNN's Candy Crowley asked Sen. Ted Cruz on SundayBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 02:55 PM
  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday with host Candy Crowley. Here are the twelve questions Crowley asked the freshman senator from Texas. I have to get this birth certificate off the...
  Read More...Justice Department: Bobby Jindal's student vouchers are racistBy JOEL GEHRKE | 08/26/13 01:05 PM
  President Obama's Justice Department asked a federal judge to halt a program that gives vouchers to poor students, arguing that the use of vouchers ''impeded the desegregation process'' of failing Louisiana schools.
  Read More...The Great Healthcare Cashout: At least 30 Obamacare authors on K StreetBy TIMOTHY P. CARNEY | 08/26/13 12:50 PM
  If you want to understand the perverse incentives that exist on Capitol Hill, check out the Great Healthcare Cashout '-- the dozens of congressional staffers, lawmakers, and executive-branch officials who shaped President...
  Read More...Monday meme: Elected representativesBy ASHE SCHOW | 08/26/13 12:15 PM
  Read More...Obama rodeo clown speaks: 'This clown bit has been around for generations'By CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 12:05 PM
  ''Obama rodeo clown'' Tuffy Gessling has finally broken his silence about his controversial skit wearing an Obama mask. Gessling said that since his skit sparked nation-wide controversy, he has receieved five death...
  Read More...Chris Christie dreaming of a white Super Bowl XLVIII in New JerseyBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 11:40 AM
  Chris Christie is already excited about a snowy northern Super Bowl next February as the event is being hosted in the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Speaking on sports talk radio show ''Boomer and...
  Read More...Hickenlooper still tied with Tancredo in ColoradoBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 11:00 AM
  Former-Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., continues to maintain his statistical tie with Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., in the Colorado governor's race. A new Quinnipiac poll released Monday shows Hickenlooper at 46...
  Read More...Ted Cruz is 'delusional!' Ted Cruz is 'Joe McCarthy reborn!!'By MARK TAPSCOTT | 08/26/13 09:55 AM
  Think what you will of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but one thing is absolutely certain: He gives folks on the left a serious, maybe terminal, case of the Willies.
  Read More...Crossroads enters HHS contest to promote ObamacareBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 09:50 AM
  Crossroads GPS, the 501(c)(4) co-founded by Karl Rove, has entered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services video contest aimed at promoting Obamacare among young people. Watch the ''Propaganda'' ad above.
  Read More...Morning Examiner: Whatever Obama does in Syria, don't expect him to run it by CongressBy CONN CARROLL | 08/26/13 08:40 AM
  President Obama will have to decide how to respond to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's apparent use of chemical weapons soon, but whatever Obama does do, do not expect him to run it by Congress. Calling Obama's...
  Read More...George Will: Iran is watching Obama's 'red line' dance on SyriaBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/26/13 07:55 AM
  Conservative columnist George Will thinks that Iran is watching President Obama's commitment to his ''red line'' promise on chemical weapons used in Syria. ''Iran is watching this little dance of deadlines and red...
  Read More...Bipartisanship: House Dem, GOP senator agree US should bomb SyriaBy JOEL GEHRKE | 08/25/13 07:35 PM
  A Democratic House member and Republican senator found common ground on a foreign policy question, agreeing that the United States needs to bomb Syria in response to the latest reported chemical weapons attack by dictator...
  Read More...Ted Cruz's father: 'I don't see him running for president'By ASHE SCHOW | 08/25/13 02:05 PM
  Rafael Cruz, father of popular Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, may have dashed the hopes of many conservatives when he told CNN's Candy Crowley that he doesn't believe his son will run for president. ''I don't see him...
  Read More...Ted Cruz on CNN: We're about to see a 'grassroots tsunami' hit WashingtonBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/25/13 12:35 PM
  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, faced CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday, defending his plan to defund Obamacare and what he would do to fix health care in America. Cruz praised the power of grassroots activists, suggesting that a...
  Read More...Lawsuit challenges Teamsters for charging ex-members fees to file grievancesBy SEAN HIGGINS | 08/25/13 11:30 AM
  Four former members of Teamsters Local 214 in Dearborn, Michigan, have filed suit against the union, alleging it has no right to charge them $150 plus expenses if they want to file a grievance with their employer.
  Read More...Report: Keystone pipeline decision likely to be delayed until 2014By SEAN HIGGINS | 08/25/13 10:55 AM
  Claims that a contractor hired by the State Department to do a draft environmental impact report of the US-Canada Keystone XL pipeline project has a conflict of interest will likely delay a decision on project until at...
  Read More...Republicans want a 2016 candidate who's fearless; that's what Ted Cruz is sellingBy BYRON YORK | 08/24/13 10:20 PM
  ''I'm sick of Republicans letting Obama walk all over them,'' says Denise Roberts, a Dublin, New Hampshire Republican who has come to a grand old home in the shadow of Mount Monadnock to get a first-hand look at Sen....
  Read More...The socialist history of the 1963 March On WashingtonBy SEAN HIGGINS | 08/24/13 07:55 PM
  In the 50 years since the 1963 March on Washington,it's connection to the socialist movement has been largely airbrushed from history. For example, a Washington Post piece ''Five myths about the March on Washington''...
  Read More...Author Harlan Coben recalls playing baseball with Chris Christie in New JerseyBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/24/13 11:20 AM
  Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., and author Harlan Coben will be inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence on Sunday, August 25. The pair grew up together in New Jersey and even played baseball on the same...
  Read More...How Obamacare killed amnestyBy CONN CARROLL | 08/24/13 07:10 AM
  Susan Jones had a good story up at CNS Friday, catching Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius telling a Latino group in Philadelphia Thursday that amnesty was key to them getting access to Obamacare. ''The...
  Read More...Global warming alarmists worried about House hearingBy ASHE SCHOW | 08/23/13 03:25 PM
  Temperatures will be a little cooler in September when Congress returns from August recess, but House Republicans may heat things up again with a hearing on global warming and climate change. Democrats are wary of the...
  Read More...David Axelrod: GOP establishment trying to shove Rand Paul and Ted Cruz off the debate stageBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/23/13 02:00 PM
  Former Obama campaign chief David Axelrod said that the Republican party is trying to push Republican conservatives off of the debate stage in 2016 with the RNC's resolution to exclude NBC and CNN from the debates.
  Read More...Obama at town hall: 'If you want to get called on, wear the president's face on your shirt'By CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/23/13 01:20 PM
  During a town hall Friday afternoon at Binghamton University, President Obama called on a student wearing an Obama T-shirt. ''Here's a general rule in a presidential town hall,'' Obama said. ''If you want to get...
  Read More...Snoop Dogg comments on Ron Paul's Reddit AMABy ASHE SCHOW | 08/23/13 01:15 PM
  Former U.S. Rep. and presidential candidate Ron Paul held an "Ask Me Anything" on the popular social news website Reddit on Thursday, and rapper Snoop Dogg, now known as Snoop Lion, got in on the action.
  Read More...14 lemurs that won't blink in the fight to defund ObamacareBy CHARLIE SPIERING | 08/23/13 01:07 PM
  ''We've all seen this movie before,'' Sen. Ted Cruz explained during a town hall on the plan for Republicans to defund Obamacare. ''President Obama and Harry Reid are gonna scream and yell 'those mean, nasty...
  Read More...Ted Cruz on Obamacare: 'The wheels are falling off'By ASHE SCHOW | 08/23/13 12:05 PM
  Cruz, speaking with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren on Thursday, further explained the problems with President Obama's health care law and the effects that it would have on the economy.
  Read More...State Department: Syria crossed red line 'a couple of months ago'By JOEL GEHRKE | 08/23/13 09:55 AM
  Syria crossed President Obama's redline on chemical weapons two months ago, a move that prompted swift American action, reporters were surprised to hear from the State Department spokeswoman.
  Read More...
custom kilt
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 16:54
  ***The rest of my kilts have moved to their own shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/GryphonWorkshopA simple, basic cargo kilt made to your measurements. Features a medium width apron, box pleated design with a full width under-apron, two hip cargo pockets, 3" belt loops, and a 1.5" waistband secured with velcro, or a floating waistband with no closure.
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  All of my custom kilts are made to measure. If you're in the Portland/Vancouver area I'll be happy to make arrangements to meet up and take your measurements. If you'll be measuring yourself, detailed instructions can be found here:http://www.gryphonworkshop.com/kilt-questions/how-to-measure/
  Payment MethodsReady to dispatch in 3-4 weeksShip ToCostWith Another ItemUnited States£7.94GBP£3.31GBP
VIDEO-Beauty pageant contestant totally nails answer (Video) '' theCHIVE
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  Thank you for visiting theCHIVE.com - Probably the Best Site in the World. theCHIVE is home to the best funny, viral and interesting photos from around the world. Content published contains original photos, awesomeness, rumors, nicotine, speculation, beautiful girls, funny pictures, assumptions, opinions, ugly people, and factual information. Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. theCHIVE would be nothing without you, our loyal Chivers.
  Copyright (C) 2013 Resignation Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Nuclear Energy Institute - Defense Department Did Not Request or Validate Nuclear Plant Security Report
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 15:40
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  Aug. 27, 2013'--The U.S. Department of Defense did not request or validate a recent study on security at America's nuclear energy facilities by the Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project, a DOD official said.
  ''The Department of Defense did provide funding to the University of Texas at Austin, but did not request a report on that specific topic, nor did we validate its findings,'' the Defense Department official said.
  The NPPP is based in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
  The report, written by a University of Texas graduate research assistant, reviews various threats to commercial nuclear reactors and other nuclear energy facilities. It concludes that the basis for each facility's security plan'--the design-basis threat'--should ''be made more rational'' and modified so that it is ''the same for all U.S. nuclear facilities.''
  Notably, the research assistant did not have the security clearance necessary to access the design-basis threat.
  The report's authors said it was ''prepared as part of a larger inter-disciplinary study at the University of Texas at Austin for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which provided financial support for the research.'' Publicity for the report stated that ''the report was prepared under a contract for the Pentagon.'' In a later statement, Alan Kuperman, coordinator of the NPPP, said that the ''working paper was written for, submitted to, and partially funded by the Department of Defense.''
  In a blog post last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said its regulations require nuclear power plants to be secure against potential seaborne and aircraft attacks.
  ''First, both new and existing reactors must mitigate against potential attacks using commercial aircraft; in fact our Aircraft Impact Assessment Rule requires design features for new plants to mitigate the effects of an airplane crash, and the NRC's post-September 11 orders require existing plants to implement similar mitigating measures,'' the NRC said. ''Second, NRC regulations, based upon the design basis threat, do in fact require licensees to guard against waterborne attacks or explosives.''
  The NRC also said it appeared that the NPPP used only public information in creating the report. ''[The] report '... used non-sensitive ''open-source'' information to assess the protections in place to counter terrorist threats to nuclear facilities in the United States,'' the NRC said.
  This means the authors of the report did not have access to safeguarded information that they would need to make a full security assessment.
  ''Nuclear power plants are widely acknowledged to be the best-defended facilities among the nation's critical infrastructure,'' NEI said in a statement responding to the NPPP report. ''Independent security experts share the industry's belief that nuclear power plants are well-defended and secure, including assessments by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Progressive Policy Institute.''
  ''[The NPPP report] is not a full assessment of security, nor does the author of the report have access to the safeguarded information that she would need to make such as assessment,'' NEI said.
Email deliverability best practices for gmail, hotmail, and all ISPs
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:02
  Written by: Drewon February 4, 2013.
  Over the last few weeks, we've been seeing more and more PowerThru clients reporting some version of trouble getting mail delivered to Gmail, Hotmail, or both. The email deliverability problems range from the relatively benign '' 1-3% of the list not getting email that they should '' to the extreme, where up to 90% of all Gmail messages are not delivered. We've also talked to several spam and email deliverability experts, and I'm personally indebted to Brett Schenker at Salsa Labs for patiently talking me through some tense moments and bringing me up to speed on these email deliverability best practices and principles. If you haven't read his posts about deliverability over at Salsa in the last year, it's worth a look.
  We're putting up this post because, based on research we've done with our biggest clients (lists over 100,000 records) suggest both some simple technical fixes, and also a mindset shift around how we think about our online lists, and the strategies for growing our audience.
  The underlying email deliverability principle is to treat your email program like a library that needs a curator, instead of a newspaper that needs to get published daily.
  In the newspaper model '' we try and publish the best stuff we can every day (good writing, nice images, well designed templates) and trust that a decent percentage of people will pick it up and interact if we do that well. But in the new paradigm, we can't assume that everyone wants to read the same paper every day '' we have to treat each member like a beautiful unique snowflake and respond to their interests as expressed by which emails they open, read and act on. In the new paradigm, we suffer a consequence for putting out news that people don't read and act on. So even if you're certain you're publishing the New York Times every day '' great writing, amazing photos, solid design '' if nobody buys it at the newsstand, you don't just fail to get the customer '' you get banned from distributing your news to 20-30% of all readers.
  So instead, think of your job as being a curator. You have all this information, but you're not just going to shove it at anyone who walks in the door. Instead, you want to direct people to the specific stuff they're most likely to be interested in. You always read mystery novels? Try aisle 4. But just because I like sci-fi doesn't mean I get to stock the library with hundreds of titles you won't read.
  It also means that if people aren't reading at all '' not opening any emails '' that it's ok, in fact it's essential, to stop emailing them. It's better to have an email list of 10,000 people who really care and are interested '' than to pretend to have a list of 100,000, 90% of whom aren't paying attention because pretty soon '' the 90% will get you flagged as spam and then even the 10% won't be able to read what you send them any more.
  Getting realRight at the start, we should acknowledge that if you're running a blast email problem, you HAVE a problem with Gmail and Hotmail. These are the #1 and #2 email platforms in the US and in the world, and odds are they're the email provider for 20-30% of your members. Consider the stats from these 2 organizations:
  Organization 1Total list: 772,000+ ''Gmail and Hotmail records: 173,000+22% of the list impacted
  Organization 2Total list: 124,000+ ''Gmail and Hotmail records: 44,000+36% of the list impacted
  So what's up?Over the last year Gmail and Hotmail have changed the way they track spam emails, and in particular the sub-set of 'spam-like' emails referred to as 'bulk mail'.
  Even Yahoo is getting into this now too.
  In brief, these 2 providers now evaluate the behavior of individual email recipients '' whether they open the mail, click on links, add the sender to their address book etc '' in evaluating the message as spam or not spam. This is a significant departure from previous rules that evaluated only the content of the message (subject line, code and words in the email). The effect is that even if you do everything 'right' in your writing, code and email design, and even if the Email on Acid test in Convio or a spam assassin score in Salsa rates your emails as 'safe', you can still be evaluated as spam if people do not react by opening, clicking, etc.
  Compounding the challenge, once you hit a certain threshold of Gmail or Hotmail users who are not responding, the mail services begin treating all email from your address as 'bulk' or 'spam' mail. So even if some people open and click on every email, if the ratio of people opening and clicking is too low as compared to those deleting the mail without reading it, you will be less likely to get delivered to ALL Gmail and Hotmail users.
  Note that the changes discussed above are proprietary to the companies involved. So while we know Gmail and Hotmail are evaluating behaviors like opens and clicks, we cannot know exactly how they are weighing those different actions (is a click twice as good as an open? Or the same?). We also can't know exactly what ratio or how many people need to behave in a 'good' way before more or all the mail gets delivered.
  Holy carp! Is this happening to me?Here's a quick test to see if you are having trouble getting mail delivered to Gmail or Hotmail:
  First create two groups: one that identifies all users with an email address that contains the txt 'gmail.com' and one for Hotmail users where the email field contains the text 'hotmail.com' OR 'msn.com'.Next, use the Salsa Labs stats by group (email '' summary click for screenshot) or Convio's Email Group Performance by Message Report to evaluate the open and click rates of the Gmail and/or Hotmail group compared to a control group of all the people who got the emails.If Gmail and/or Hotmail users report a meaningfully lower open rate '' you've got a problem. Note '' you may want to grab a statistical significance calculator to make sure the results you're observing are really about deliverability, and not just the normal variation in open and click rates.O Nos! What do we do now?If you see a drop of 20% or more in open rates compared to the general population, odd are that you've been sent to ''spam jail'' by Gmail or Hotmail. If you're seeing a consistent lag of 5-15% in Gmail/Hotmail open rates, you're not in jail yet, but you're at risk.
  But either way, don't panic, we can spring you from spam jail (or get you back on the straight and narrow) with a few simple steps:
  Make sure you're set up to automatically disable addresses that hard bounce, or soft bounce 2-4 times. This is a fundamental email deliverability best practice. It will prevent you from sending email that we KNOW can't get delivered (and dragging down your response rates overall). If you're a Salsa customer a lot of this is already built into your system (yay!), but there is an additional free package to add '' the bounce limits package. Read our email list cleaning guide for more ideas.Be cautious in targeting mail. Set up groups and opt-ins for your top campaigns or issues areas (one group might be ''medicare'' for example or ''climate change'' or ''oil subsidies'') and then send most email on those campaigns to people who've taken an action on that campaign in the last 3 months. When you want to launch a new issues area or campaign, send it as a test first to a sub-set of your most active members '' people who've taken 2 or more actions in the last 3 months, for example. If it goes well with that group, send the new campaign more widely AFTER the test (having a high open rate on Monday will make the Tuesday email more likely to get delivered, even to inactive people)Stop sending mail to users who are unlikely to open them. We recommend marking all users who have not opened an email in the last year as undeliverable. Now, this can be scary since it amounts to taking thousands or tens of thousands of addresses off your list. If it helps, it's fine to just take these people 'out of circulation', and not delete them. You can do that by adding inactive addresses to a group that gets excluded from most of your email sends. But especially if you're already in spam jail, it's really important to stop the bleeding by re-shelving these people into an unused part of your list until you can solve the broader email deliverability issue, and then re-activate them later. In fact you may want to limit sends just to people active in the last 3 or 6 months, until you've broken out of spam jail.Just for Salsa Users '' since you can target emails based on past email opens (email history), it's also easy and smart to make a smart group of ''live'' emails, by querying or blast targeting on ''last open date greater than or equal to 3 months ago'' '' you can even get super-targeted by requiring people to be a member of your Gmail and Hotmail groups, so you're only excluding inactive people whose inactivity will penalize you.Re-send emails that perform well above average to Gmail and Hotmail users outside their usual issue and active groups in order to improve the open and click rates on those networks. If you think of list management like 'curating' this is like putting the best-sellers on a table display near the front of the store. By putting our most popular stuff in front of members, we improve the open and click rates on that campaign, and consequently get more mail delivered all the time.Have more questions or need help improving email deliverability for your organization? Contact PowerThru.
tabatznik Jewish Voice for Peace - Google Search
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:17
  Jewish Voice for Peace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJewish Voice for Peace (JVP) (×§×•×' ××--×•×'× ×'×(C)×'×•×' Kol Yehudi la-Shalom) is a UnitedStates organization which describes itself as "a national Jewish organization" ...JEWISH SHIT LIST...7000+ Self-Hating Israel-Threatening JewsTabatznik, Tony British multi-millionaire Pharmaceuticals mogul. Tabb, William K...... He is also active in A Jewish Voice for Peace and a member of Brit Tzedek.About Jewish Voice for Peacejewishvoiceforpeace.org/about- CachedThrough grassroots organizing, education, advocacy, and media, Jewish Voicefor Peace works to achieve a lasting peace that recognizes the rights of both ...Signatories | Jews for Justice for PalestiniansJews for Justice for Palestinians is a network of Jews who are British or live inBritain, ..... Szekely; Beth Tabatznik; Risa Tabatznik; Tony Tabatznik; Rabbi LarryTabick ....Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) · Jewish Women Watching · Jews OnFirst ...Times ad in support of the Goldstone Report, 1st December 2009 ...2 Dec 2009... Times supported by 565 individual signatories and the following groups:Independent Jewish Voices, ...Jewish Socialists' Group, Jewish Writers Againstthe Occupation and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace. ... Tony TabatznikBlair's Jewish paymasters - Radio Islamwww.radioislam.org/islam/english/jewishp/britain/paymast.htm- CachedBelow is a list of Jews who have been revealed by the media as regularly ... £200,000; Tony Tabatznik of Amerpharm pharmaceuticals, whose family is worthover .... of force for the express purpose of restoring international peace andsecurity. ... Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, added his voice to the debate,saying in ...IJV Letters & Statements | Independent Jewish Voicesijv.org.uk/ijv-letters-statements/- CachedBRITISH JEWS DO NOT SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE... Group, Jewish WritersAgainst the Occupation and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace. .... Tony Tabatznik[PDF] Press kit (Acrobat PDF file, 520Kb) - Killing Kasztnerkillingkasztner.com/movies/press-3/Killing_Kasztner_Press_info.pdf- CachedExecutive Producer Tony Tabatznik/DOCFACTORY ...Voice of Kasztner LarryPine. Sound ... Film Festival (Budapest) Berlin Jewish Film Festival; Special .....Caris Corfman who lost her short term memory, working title CARIS PEACE.Killing Kasztner - the Movie"a narrative that rivals any Hollywood political thriller: Jews literally sold intofreedom, an explosive trial, high-level political ..... a film on Yale Drama actressCaris Corfman who lost her short term memory, working title CARIS PEACE.TONY TABATZNIK Executive Producer /DOCFACTORY ...Voice of KasztnerLarry Pinego here - IsraCampus.Org.ilisracampus.org.il/.../Petitions%20- %20Israeli%20Academics%20in%20Jews%20for%20Justice%20for...- CachedMerseyside Jews for Peace and Justice '' via info@jfjfp.org ... It is sometimesdifficult for us to make our voices heard within formal Jewish structures. .....Edward Szekely; Beth Tabatznik; Risa Tabatznik; Tony Tabatznik; Rabbi LarryTabick ...Jewish voicewww.jwa.org/blog
  Jewish women dish on the JWA blog. Check it out!
tabatznik Jewish Voice for Peace - Google Search
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:17
  Jewish Voice for Peace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJewish Voice for Peace (JVP) (×§×•×' ××--×•×'× ×'×(C)×'×•×' Kol Yehudi la-Shalom) is a UnitedStates organization which describes itself as "a national Jewish organization" ...JEWISH SHIT LIST...7000+ Self-Hating Israel-Threatening JewsTabatznik, Tony British multi-millionaire Pharmaceuticals mogul. Tabb, William K...... He is also active in A Jewish Voice for Peace and a member of Brit Tzedek.About Jewish Voice for Peacejewishvoiceforpeace.org/about- CachedThrough grassroots organizing, education, advocacy, and media, Jewish Voicefor Peace works to achieve a lasting peace that recognizes the rights of both ...Signatories | Jews for Justice for PalestiniansJews for Justice for Palestinians is a network of Jews who are British or live inBritain, ..... Szekely; Beth Tabatznik; Risa Tabatznik; Tony Tabatznik; Rabbi LarryTabick ....Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) · Jewish Women Watching · Jews OnFirst ...Times ad in support of the Goldstone Report, 1st December 2009 ...2 Dec 2009... Times supported by 565 individual signatories and the following groups:Independent Jewish Voices, ...Jewish Socialists' Group, Jewish Writers Againstthe Occupation and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace. ... Tony TabatznikBlair's Jewish paymasters - Radio Islamwww.radioislam.org/islam/english/jewishp/britain/paymast.htm- CachedBelow is a list of Jews who have been revealed by the media as regularly ... £200,000; Tony Tabatznik of Amerpharm pharmaceuticals, whose family is worthover .... of force for the express purpose of restoring international peace andsecurity. ... Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, added his voice to the debate,saying in ...IJV Letters & Statements | Independent Jewish Voicesijv.org.uk/ijv-letters-statements/- CachedBRITISH JEWS DO NOT SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE... Group, Jewish WritersAgainst the Occupation and Scottish Jews for a Just Peace. .... Tony Tabatznik[PDF] Press kit (Acrobat PDF file, 520Kb) - Killing Kasztnerkillingkasztner.com/movies/press-3/Killing_Kasztner_Press_info.pdf- CachedExecutive Producer Tony Tabatznik/DOCFACTORY ...Voice of Kasztner LarryPine. Sound ... Film Festival (Budapest) Berlin Jewish Film Festival; Special .....Caris Corfman who lost her short term memory, working title CARIS PEACE.Killing Kasztner - the Movie"a narrative that rivals any Hollywood political thriller: Jews literally sold intofreedom, an explosive trial, high-level political ..... a film on Yale Drama actressCaris Corfman who lost her short term memory, working title CARIS PEACE.TONY TABATZNIK Executive Producer /DOCFACTORY ...Voice of KasztnerLarry Pinego here - IsraCampus.Org.ilisracampus.org.il/.../Petitions%20- %20Israeli%20Academics%20in%20Jews%20for%20Justice%20for...- CachedMerseyside Jews for Peace and Justice '' via info@jfjfp.org ... It is sometimesdifficult for us to make our voices heard within formal Jewish structures. .....Edward Szekely; Beth Tabatznik; Risa Tabatznik; Tony Tabatznik; Rabbi LarryTabick ...Jewish voicewww.jwa.org/blog
  Jewish women dish on the JWA blog. Check it out!
Muslim Brotherhood Groups and Their Jewish Friends | FrontPage Magazine
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  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:15
  An organizer of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked rally explicitly acknowledged its ''friendship'' with both the Brotherhood and ''the Jewish Voice for Justice and Peace,'' apparently referring the Jewish Voice for Peace. The organization is at the forefront of activism against Israel and the ''Islamophobes'' that stand against American Islamists, earning the affection of the Brotherhood's allies.
  The statement was made at a rally in Washington, D.C. led by Egyptian Americans for Democracy and Human Rights. The event was not only linked to the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. It was linked directly to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.
  One of the speakers was Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt. A receptionist at the news conference was even recorded by the Investigative Project on Terrorism saying, ''This is a Muslim Brotherhood meeting.''
  One of the organizers of this ''Muslim Brotherhood meeting'' was especially fond of its non-Muslim partners, but only one name came to mind: Jewish Voice for Justice and for Peace.
  ''[W]e are very proud, very proud of our friendship with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Christian Brotherhood, and the Jewish Voice for Justice and for Peace. There is nothing wrong to have a relationship, a friendly relationship, with other organizations across the world,'' said Oussama Jamal, chairman of the Muslim American Society'--Public Affairs and Civic Engagement.
  The Muslim American Society that Jamal is a senior official of has well-documented Brotherhood links.
  In a 2008 court filing, federal prosecutors said MAS ''was founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.'' This was confirmed by Abdurrahman Alamoudi, a convicted terrorist who is now known to have been a secret U.S. Muslim Brotherhood operative. He said just last year, ''Everyone knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood.''
  The Investigative Project found that the president of Egyptian Americans for Democracy and Human Rights is listed as a high-level member of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in an internal 1992 document. Another organizer, Shaker Elsayed, is the imam of the radical Dar al-Hijrah Mosque. He and his mosque are linked to the Brotherhood, as well. On January 26, he was videotaped preaching armed jihad at a Virginia high school.
  No group named ''Jewish Voice for Justice and for Peace'' exists, but the closest match is Jewish Voice for Peace and its record of activism is something that can be appreciated by Islamist allies.
  The Anti-Defamation League published a list of the Top 10 Anti-Israel Groups in America and the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) made the list, as did the Muslim American Society, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Al-Awda and Students for Justice in Palestine.
  Technically, JVP made the list twice. Another ranking member is the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Four JVP chapters are members of the coalition. Its Interfaith Boycott Coalition has JVP as an official component.
  In January, JVP helped organize a ''No Blank Check for Israel'' rally in Washington, D.C. that compared its activism to the civil rights struggle. The organization wants U.S. aid to Israel severed until there is an ''end to the Occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.''
  One of JVP's Advisory Board members is Noam Chomsky. This summer, JVP sponsored a ''We Divest Campaign Student Leadership Team Summer Training Institute.'' It was a five-day training program for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activists that included ''non-violent direct action planning'' and ''anti-oppression analysis workshops.''
  ''In solidarity with the Palestinian Boycott National Committee and other Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations, JVP has initiated and sustained the largest divestment campaign mounted in the United States for Palestinian human rights,'' the JVP website boasts.
  JVP most recently joined the Muslim American Society, Council on American-Islamic Relations and other groups in pressuring the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles into canceling a speaking engagement with Pamela Geller.
  ''We are witnessing an insidious new wave of demonization of Arabs and Muslims in this country. We are particularly concerned about right-wing Christian and Jewish groups dedicated to denying the fundamental rights of Palestinians, who are deliberately fueling fear of Muslims and Arabs to push their unfair agenda in the Middle East,'' the website for JVP's Standing Against Islamophobia campaign states.
  JVP has allied with Jews Say No! and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice to form the Jews Against Islamophobia Coalition. One of its main objectives is stopping Pamela Geller from speaking for Jewish organizations. It also condemned the NYPD for showing the Clarion Project documentary The Third Jihad to about 1,500 police officers. The film is narrated by anti-Islamist Muslim activist Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and exposes radical Islam around the world, including the Islamist networks in the U.S. that JVP is close to.
  Jews Against Islamophobia and American Jews for a Just Peace came together on September 16, 2010 to protest the Simon Wiesenthal Center for its opposition to Park51, more commonly known as the Ground Zero Mosque. The anti-Israel beliefs of the project's lead imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, made no difference.
  Considering this record, it's not surprising that an Islamist organizer of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked rally would say he is ''very proud of our friendship'' with JVP. The organization has worked hard to earn that praise.
  This article was sponsored by the Institute for Religion and Democracy.
  Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: Click here.
Details Behind Today's Internet Hacks
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Hacker News
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:11
  When I woke up this morning I had no idea I'd be on a video conference with CloudFlare, OpenDNS, Google, GoDaddy, Twitter tech folks all day
  '-- Rajiv Pant (@rajivpant) August 28, 2013At 1:19pm (PDT) today, a researcher noticed that the New York Times' website wasn't loading. We know the New York Times tech team, so we sent an email to check in. A few minutes later, the CTO of the NYT called us back. Since then, a handful of the CloudFlare team has been holed up in a conference room playing a small part in cleaning up this hack.
  Registrars and RegistriesTo understand the attack, it's important to understand three key entities on the Internet: 1) registries; 2) registrars; and 3) recursive DNS providers. NYTimes.com is under the .com top level domain (TLD). The registry for that TLD is Verisign. When you buy a domain what you are fundamentally buying is the right to set the name servers within a TLD's registry.
  You purchase and manage domains through organizations known as registrars. NYTimes.com is managed by a registrar known as MelbourneIT. MelbourneIT has traditionally been known as one of the more secure registrars. In addition to the New York Times, they are also used by large web organizations including Twitter and the Huffington Post.
  When you visit NYTimes.com your browser looks up the domain against the Internet's DNS network. The first step in that request is a query to a recursive DNS provider. Most ISPs provide a recursive DNS (it's the two IP addresses often entered when setting up your wifi access point). There are also public services from companies like OpenDNS and Google that provide globally distributed recursive DNS services used by millions of people.
  Recursive DNS providers follow the DNS chain, starting at the root, then the TLD registry, then ultimately to whatever is listed as the authoritative name server for the domain. In order to lighten the load upstream, recursive DNS providers cache results for a limited period of time known as a TTL. Compromising any step in the DNS chain would allow an attacker to take over some or all traffic destined for a site. That's exactly what happened today.
  Registrar CompromiseThe New York Times has confirmed publicly that their registrar was hacked, allegedly by the Syrian Electronic Army. While we've been in contact with MelbourneIT, we don't yet have details on how the attack was accomplished. We do know that the attacker was able to update the name servers for NYTimes.com without authorization, effectively hijacking the site.
  The bad records entered by the hackers at MelbourneIT were pushed from the registrar up to the registry, Verisign, which manages the .com TLD. In particular, the NYTimes.com site had its name servers at the registry listed as ns5.boxsecured.com and ns6.boxsecured.com. The correct name servers should have been DNS.EWR1.NYTIMES.COM and DNS.SEA1.NYTIMES.COM. Troublingly, MelbourneIT initially appeared unable to correct the bad entries at the registry.
  From screen shots that the Syrian Electronic Army has subsequently posted to its Twitter feed, it appears that the hackers gained access to MelbourneIT's administrative control panel.
  While NYT worked on getting the bad records corrected with MelbourneIT, we reached out to two of the largest recursive DNS providers: OpenDNS and Google. Technical teams from CloudFlare, OpenDNS and Google jumped on a conference call and discovered what appeared to be malware on the site to which the NYTimes.com site was redirected. OpenDNS and Google's DNS team worked to correct the hacked records for the customers of their recursive DNS services.
  The OpenDNS team was also able to look for other domains that had been updated recently to name servers controlled by the Syrian Electronic Army. We discovered several domains that had been updated, including several belonging to Twitter and the Huffington Post. As mentioned above, these organizations also used MelbourneIT, suggesting that the compromise was more than just the NYT's account.
  Cleaning Up the MessAt the registry, Verisign rolled back changes to the name servers and added a so-called registry lock to NYTimes.com. This prevented further changes even if initiated by the registrar. While quick action by OpenDNS and Google limited the impact on their customers, web surfers using other recursive DNS providers continued to be served hacked results. Unfortunately, because recursive DNS servers cache results for a period of time, even after the records were corrected, many name servers were still pointing to the incorrect locations for affected domains.
  The registrar of the primary domain the Syrian Electronic Army was using as a name server for the domains they hacked revoked the domain's registration this afternoon. Since the cache TTL on the domain was relatively short, shortly after the domain was revoked traffic largely stopped flowing to the malware infected sites. That did not mean all hacked sites came back online. In some places, DNS recursors continue to have the cached bad records. They will expire over the next 24 hours and traffic to sites will return to normal.
  How to Protect YourselfThis was a very spooky attack. MelbourneIT is known for having higher security than most registrars. We are hopeful that they will post the details of the attack as they are discovered so organizations can understand the threat and how to better protect themselves.
  An email that MelbourneIT just sent to all its customers appears to indicate that the hackers somehow used a reseller account as part of the hack. While we are only speculating at this point, it's possible that there was a security vulnerability in the reseller interface that allowed a privilege escalation to take over control of other MelbourneIT customers.
  The hack also illustrates the damage that can be done by redirecting a site's DNS. DNS forms the heart of the Internet, not just the web. Email routing, too, depends on DNS to route message to the correct server.
  There is one sensible measure that domains at risk should all put in place immediately. It is possible to put what is known as a registry lock in place for your domain. This prevents even the registrar from making changes to the registry automatically. If you run a whois query against your domain, you can see if you have a registry lock in place if it includes three status lines: serverDeleteProhibited, serverTransferProhibited, and serverUpdateProhibited.
  Registrars generally do not make it easy to request registry locks because they make processes like automatic renewals more difficult. However, if you have a domain that may be at risk, you should insist that your registrar put a registry lock in place. It's worth noting that while some of Twitter's utility domains were redirected, Twitter.com was not -- and Twitter.com has a registry lock in place.
  We spend our time building technical networks, but it's comforting to know that the human network is effective as well.
  Well that was a fun day... lots of fantastic people in the tech community is a silver lining
  '-- Jon Oden (@jonjoden) August 28, 2013
Marine units positioned near Syria
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: StratRisks
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:49
  Source: Marine Times
  Marines in the Middle East, Africa and Europe are poised to reach Syria within hours should President Obama order a strike on the country as officials work to determine whether the government there was involved in a chemical weapons attack against its own people.
  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told BBC television Tuesday that the Defense Department has ''moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take.''
  The Corps has units forward-deployed to the region to deal specifically with crisis response missions, said Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon. But so far, none have been directed to prepare for a specific mission or deployment, he said.
  The various units are there for this type of reason, Flanagan added, and they include the following capabilities:
  '– 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Currently near the Gulf of Aden, just south of Syria, MEUs typically number about 2,200 Marines and sailors. They operate at sea from Navy amphibious ships and carry infantry, aviation and logistics capabilities.
  '– Special-Purpose Marine air-ground task force Crisis Response.The Corps' newest type of unit, the Special-Purpose MAGTF operates like a smaller-sized MEU, but is based on land and operates largely independent of the Navy. The Crisis Response Force deployed to the region is made up of about 550 Marines. Most of the Marines are at Mor"n Air Base in Spain. A small detachment is based at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. The force is built around a reinforced rifle company and is supported by six MV-22B Ospreys and two KC-130J aerial refuelers.
  '– Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams. The Marine Corps has four FAST teams deployed to the region '-- two in U.S. Africa Command and two in Europe Command, Flanagan said. Typically used to respond to threats to embassy security, FAST teams are made up of about 50 Marines who can be called up by combatant commanders in the region to protect vital naval and national assets.
  '– 13th MEU. Marines and sailors with the 13th MEU departed from California on Friday. They are headed to the Middle East and North Africa for a six month deployment.
  Also in the region are members of Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234. Members of VMGR-234 deployed to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, in June. The Marines have been tasked with refueling not only U.S. aircraft, but also aircraft from allied countries, according to a Marine Corps news release. The squadron recently took part in aerial refueling missions to provide fuel in the air for the Moroccan air force.
  Flanagan said the forward deployed units are always ready to respond to missions, and are prepared to do so in Syria if ordered. For now, they haven't been given ''prepare to deploy'' orders, he said.
  ''Alert postures change '-- they go up and down '-- but we don't have any details on any change in the last 48 hours,'' Flanagan said.
Massive US East Coast Disaster Warned Near As Dolphin Deaths Explode | EUTimes.net
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:44
  A chilling new report prepared for President Putin by the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) on top-secret NSA intelligence documents obtained by the Federal Security Services (FSB) from heroic whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals that US Federal officials in the area of the United States designated as FEMA Region III [Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia] are ''quietly preparing'' for what these documents state is an ''imminent catastrophic threat'' related to a previously unknown fault zone many scientific experts fear could see this area being destroyed by volcanic, earthquake and massive tsunamis as early as this coming October.
  According to this EMERCOM report, US officials became alarmed when on 23 August 2011 a massive 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia shook the entire US East Coast and was described as the largest quake of its kind to strike east of the Mississippi River in all of recorded American history.
  A report prepared by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the 23 August 2011 Virginia earthquake was partially released this past November (2012), EMERCOM says, with a warning that the Eastern coastal regions of the United States were, indeed, facing a threat of major tsunamis, but the documents provided by Snowden reveal a much grimmer picture of what could possibly be about to occur.
  The much expanded, and designated top-secret, USGS report contained in Snowden's documents, EMERCOM states, shows that the 23 August 2011 Virginia earthquake shattered a previously unknown fault zone extending from Richmond Virginia outwards into the Atlantic Ocean region and stretching upwards into the Chesapeake Bay area which is the largest estuary in the United States.
  Even worse, this EMERCOM says about this top-secret USGS report, is that American scientists are now blaming the devastation occurring in the Chesapeake Bay (which has seen 200,000 acres of oyster reefs reduced to about 36,000 in the past nearly 15 years) on ''explosive volcanic out gassing'' rapidly growing in this undersea area; a situation when combined with the still ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico caused the United States this past week to declare its first ''fishery disaster'' in modern times.
  This EMERCOM report further states that USGS scientists are, likewise, blaming the explosion of dolphin deaths this year in US eastern coastal regions on this volcanic out-gassing too, and which according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in Virginia alone, there were 45 dolphin deaths in July, compared to a historic average of only seven for July.
  Most concerning to USGS scientists in their top-secret report, EMERCOM experts say, is the new evidence revealed this past June (2013) by the Journal Science proving the reality of what have been called ''earthquake booms'' which have long been associated with seismic activity, and as we can, in part, read from their article titled ''Boom! Super Seismo-Sonic Earthquakes Are Real'':
  ''The inner workings of bizarre and potentially dangerous earthquakes that break the seismic sound barrier have now for the first time been confirmed in laboratory experiments with real rocks, report scientists in today's issue of the journal Science.''
  Most ominous in the USGS's concerns about ''earthquake booms,'' this EMERCOM report says, are the increasing number of them being heard in the Richmond, Virginia area these past few months, which was near the epicenter of the 23 August 2011 earthquake and may be heralding a new series of seismic events are about to occur, American scientists fear.
  As to the preparations being made by the Obama regime should the worst fears of the USGS be realized, this EMERCOM report says, can be gleaned from a recent email sent out by former South Dakota Senator Sheldon R. Songstad to his friends and family that was leaked to the American public and which details steps now being taken for FEMA Region III:
  The preparations listed include;
  Nine-week training course for UN Peacekeepers in CONUS to learn Urban Warfare, English, and US weapons systems beginning 4th week of July for 386,000 troops to be completed by October 1st;
  $11 million in antibiotics to be delivered to FEMA region III by October 1st ordered by CDC;
  FEMA purchase orders for over $14.2 million for MREs and heater meals to be delivered to Region III by October 1st;
  FEMA purchase orders for 22 million pouches of emergency water to be delivered to region III by October 1st;
  FEMA purchase orders for $13.6 million for MREs and heater meals to be delivered to Austin by October 1st;
  2800 MRAPs must be delivered to DHS by October 1st
  To if the American public living in this now feared FEMA Region III area will be warned by the Obama regime of the dangers they are facing it remains highly unlikely, especially when viewed in the light of Australia's 60 Minutes News Programme this past week [watch video HERE] detailing how the these people were lied to and deceived by their own government over the massive poisoning of the Gulf of Mexico by BP after the 2010 Deep Water Horizon Disaster.
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Behind the Scenes of The Hunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:32
  Yes, I am afraid I have thought that and actually done that for decades; however I date myself with such statements. I illegally carried ahandgun in New York for years despite having been caught once at it. That was a very expensive experience, but back in the early seventies money was all that was needed.
  Having a weapon immediately available is your only true protection. I wish it could be otherwise but it is what it is. The problem is the using of it and it is almost inevitable, not because you have a weapon, but because of some fool you will need it.
  I am truly fortunate in that I did have to use mine and no one died. I like to think that was due to my judgement but I think it was just luck,plain dumb luck. The mind speeds up when under stress so it seems everything else slows down and you are left with an incredible amount of detail and quite a while to think and act but in the back of your mind you know that is not real. I will say however, as my nephew was with me, if I hadn't fired back we probablywould have been shot even though we had cover, good cover, my truck.
  It is getting rapidly worse out there too which bodes ill for our children and our children's children. I do not envy them except for onething, when I grew up in the 1960'²s the tide was against individual ownership of weapons, one of the reasons I left New York, (LI, Nassau County) and migrated to New Mexico but a minor one, it is now in favor of individual rights,hence freedom and safety.
  It seems it always takes a crisis to bring light todarkness, this may be it, a self cleansing situation, so those emerging from the other end here will have a much better life, which is after all, what we strive to leave our children, a better life. They will at least be allowed to look after themselves and to not have to rely on others, strangers. There is always family when the chips are down!
  Good luck to you Alex, I have enjoyed our back and forth today, I truly have. As a retired son of a gun it keeps me sharp debating a worthy 'opponent'. I look forward to doing it again.
  Vaya con dios,
  Rich in New Mexico.
Reducing Law School to Two Years?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Volokh Conspiracy
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:41
  Some people have argued that law school should be reduced from three years to two; President Obama has really endorsed this view. Such a reduction, the theory goes, will substantially reduce costs (whether those costs are paid by students, parents, or taxpayers) '-- the student won't have to pay for a year's education, and will be able to get paid for actually working as a lawyer (even if such recent graduates end up being paid less as a result).
  I agree that inefficiency in the educational system is a serious problem, and I think some radical solutions might be called for. But even trying as best I can to set aside my obvious self-interest as a law professor, I think that generally cutting law school to two years is not likely to be helpful, simply because there are so many important subjects that most would-be lawyers need to cover. And I'm talking here about serious, meaty, practically useful subjects, not just classes taken out of intellectual curiosity. (I'm all for satisfying intellectual curiosity, but I take the argument to be that law school classes are a very expensive way of doing that, and I will accept that argument for purposes of this post.)
  Let me start with the first year of law school. At UCLA, it consists of (1) contracts, (2) torts, (3) criminal law, (4) civil procedure, (5) property, (6) constitutional law, and (7) legal writing. My sense is that for most lawyers, these are important subjects to know; they certainly are substantive, and they have implications in many areas. Even would-be business lawyers ought to know the basics of criminal law, such as mens rea, the law of conspiracy, attempt, and complicity, and so on. One might remove one of these classes (maybe constitutional law), but I don't think there's a lot of fat here.
  Now let's turn to the second and third years, with a typical schedule being, on average, nine classes per year. If someone came to me and said, ''I want to be a litigator, dealing mostly with general business matters, whether at a firm or in-house; what are the basic classes I ought to take, so I have a fundamental grounding in the kinds of topics that I'm likely to run across?,'' here's what I'd say:
  Evidence, which is important even for lawyers who rarely see trial.Federal Income Tax I, since tax issues are ubiquitous even if you're not a practicing tax lawyer.Business Associations, which covers the law of corporations, limited-liability companies, partnerships, and the like.Business Torts, which covers torts such as fraud, interference with business relations, unfair competition, and the like, which generally aren't covered in first-year Torts.Remedies, which covers the law of injunctions, restitution, and the like.Professional Responsibility, which deals with often quite technical ethical obligations of lawyers.Conflict of Laws, which routinely arises in questions involving occurrences or transactions in which the events or the parties are in different states.Administrative Law, which deals with administrative agencies, and which is relevant whenever clients have to deal either with federal agencies or state and local agencies.Intellectual Property, a survey class that covers copyrights, patents, and trademarks '-- some of the most important assets in the modern economy '-- and which is relevant even if one won't be a full-time I/P lawyer.At least one class dealing with employment law, such as a general Employment Law Survey.At least one advanced writing class, such as an independent research project for writing a law review note, or a seminar in which a lawyer can train his writing skills.At least one class dealing with transnational law, such as International Business Transactions.So already we're at more than two years' worth of classes, and we haven't discussed the other substantive classes that one might want to take either to get a sense of what one might want to specialize in, or to better understand the specialty that one has chosen '-- for instance, (1) First Amendment law, media law, or federal communications law, (2) business bankruptcy law, (3) advanced tax, whether the corporate income tax or state and local tax, (4) mergers and acquisitions, (5) securities regulation, (6) secured transactions, (7) land use or state and local government law, (8) environmental law (a subject that many businesses obviously find very important), (9) antitrust law, (10) more intellectual property classes, and (11) more transnational business law classes. And even that doesn't include still more specific classes, or for that matter any clinical classes (except the one required legal writing class plus the one extra legal writing class that I think everyone ought to take).
  Even if one removes some items from the strong suggestions list (such as, perhaps, professional responsibility, or employment law), and removes several items from the other options list (such as antitrust law, mergers and acquisitions, and land use), all this still adds up to lots of substantive, important classes for would-be business lawyers ought to take '-- again, especially if one adds to this the clinical training that law schools are rightly being encouraged to provide. Two years doesn't, I think, give a law student enough time to get really well-trained in the subjects that the modern complex legal environment involves. And, I stress again, none of the classes I mention above are ''law and'' classes (including classes that have eminently serious academic credentials, such as legal history or law and economics), or even are substantive classes that fall outside the business law core (such as criminal procedure, immigration law, family law, or wills and trusts).
  It's possible that the answer might be different as to people who know they want to specialize in fields other than business law generally. For instance, I think it might be possible to craft a 2-year or even a 1½-year curriculum for students who want to specialize in criminal law, whether as prosecutors or criminal defense lawyers. (One might also then offer a supplemental program for people who have gotten this degree, practiced criminal law for several years, and then want to switch to business law.) Likewise, one might be able to craft a shorter program for people who know they want to specialize solely in tax law, patent law, family law, or some such. But if we're talking about someone who wants to go into general business litigation, and maintain some flexibility within that field, I think it's hard to compress that into two years without losing a lot of very important material.
  UPDATE: I should note that this is a separate question from whether one should be able to take the bar exam without having gone to law school, or whether one should be free to practice law without having taken the bar exam or having gone to law school. I'm inclined to say that, whatever might be the arguments for such licensing as a means of protecting relatively unsophisticated individual litigants (and especially criminal defendants who are appointed a lawyer), it's hard to see why larger businesses need such protection. If a large company is willing to hire lawyers who have learned law in unusual ways, or hire law firms who hire such lawyers, I think they ought to be free to do so.
  This would often involve companies or firms hiring people who have top-notch legal training but who haven't been licensed in this particular state. It might also involve proven lawyers from other countries who haven't formally studied American law but who, in the judgment of their employers and clients, are knowledgeable enough about the corner of American law that they are being asked to practice. But in some situations it might even involve companies or firms taking a chance on someone whose experience or credentials they trust, but who is learning law through some alternative mechanism to law school, whether informal online learning, apprenticeship, or some such.
  Still, these are separable questions from the two- vs. three-year issue, and I leave them to others (or perhaps to future posts).
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Twitter, NYTimes and Huff Po Whois and DNS records altered, Syrian Electronic Army takes responsibility - The Next Web
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:39
  At approximately 3pm PST, the Syrian Electronic Army seemingly hacked into Twitter, Huffington Post and NY Times' registry accounts altering contact details, and more significantly, DNS records. Modifying DNS records of a domain will allow SEA to redirect visitors to any site of their choosing.
  First reported by Matthew Keys, this is the latest of many attacks by the pro-Syrian government computer hackers who align themselves with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
  The flurry of DNS hacks began when the group initially posted a tweet with a screenshot of the whois records for Twitter.com and a link for others to verify its authenticity:
  The SEA followed up with a screenshot of a list of Twitter accounts the group presumably had access to:
  Contact details for the Twitter.com domain were changed, but it's reasonable to assume that if the SEA had the ability to change contact information, they may very well have had the ability to change DNS records and point the Twitter.com domain elsewhere, redirecting visitors and users.
  The SEA also altered the DNS records for twimg.com which Twitter uses for virtually all CSS, JS, images, cookies and more. This means for many users, Twitter.com wouldn't load correctly and avatars were unavailable across many Twitter clients.
  For the NY Times, the situation was (and remains) equally serious with subdomains being created and even reports of the homepage being redirected. The NY Times has since issued a statement claiming the issues were related to an attack on the company's domain name registrar Melbourne IT.
  ''The New York Times Web site was unavailable to readers on Tuesday afternoon following an attack on the company's domain name registrar, Melbourne IT. The attack also required employees of The Times to stop sending out sensitive e-mails.''
  HuffingtonPost UK also had its DNS records altered but as 4pm PST both HuffingtonPost UK's whois and DNS records as well as those of Twitter's appears to have been corrected. Twimg and NY Times' still include records pointing to the SEA.
  Twitter has issued a statement on the matter, only addressing the twimg.com downtime.
  ''At 20:49 UTC, our DNS provider experienced an issue in which it appears DNS records for various organizations were modified, including one of Twitter's domains used for image serving, twimg.com. Viewing of images and photos was sporadically impacted. By 22:29 UTC, the original domain record for twimg.com was restored. No Twitter user information was affected by this incident.''
  If you've not heard of the Syrian Electronics Army, then you might find it interesting to know that this is the group that is responsible for cyber attacks against the BBC, the Associated Press, the Guardian, and, obviously, Twitter. It says that its aim is to go after those that oppose Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, although in some attacks, the motives are questionable. The Verge recently analyzed the group and says that the SEA frequently departs from its original message and shifts towards a more comedic front, akin to something you might see from Lulzsec.
  In its report, The Verge quoted Eva Galperin, global public policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
  While it may seem a little bit like they're doing it for the lulz because it is kind of random, it is ideologically motivated in the sense that these are all supporters of the Assad regime. And they're looking to get a message out about what they feel is bias in the media against Assad.
  Why exactly did the SEA attack Twitter, the New York Times, and the Huffington Post via MelbourneIT? It's not entirely sure, but one could speculate that it's because of what some may believe to be an impending strike by the United States against Syria. The proposed missile strike is said to last for three days and is in response to Syria's supposed use of chemical weapons on its civilians.
  See related:
  Domain registrar Melbourne IT at center of SEA meddling with New York Times, TwitterThe New York Times website is offline for some due to alleged 'external attack'
  Photo credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Rupee crash sends gold futures to record high near Rs. 33,000
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  Archived Version
  Source: 33 World News
  Wed, 28 Aug 2013 00:33
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33 foot long whale carcass found in Balochistan
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  Source: 33 World News
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2TTH-Finance boss of Zurich Insurance found dead at his home - Telegraph
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 23:14
  Wauthier, who was well-respected in the industry, held a Master's degree in International Finance from l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales and a Masters in private law from the Sorbonne University in Paris.
  He began his career at KPMG in 1982. He worked for two years at the French ministry of foreign affairs and joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 1985, where he stayed until moving to Zurich Insurance.
  He started out as a risk manager and in 1999 was promoted to head of the Investor Relations section.
  He was appointed to the CFO post in September 2011 after previous roles as group treasurer and head of centrally managed businesses.
  The company's group controller, Vibhu Sharma, will temporarily take over as financial chief.
  A statement from the company read: ''Zurich Insurance Group is in mourning following the death of its Group CFO, Pierre Wauthier, whose body was found this morning at his home.
  ''The police are investigating the exact circumstances. Out of consideration for the family no further details have been disclosed.''
  Martin Senn, the chief executive, said: ''The Board of Directors, Group Executive Committee and all of our colleagues are deeply saddened and pass on our condolences to the family and relatives.''
  Swiss news site Handelsblatt said police had ordered a post-mortem. It described Wauthier as a ''financial expert who was calm and rational''.
  It added: ''He never seemed arrogant and also away from the protocol patiently answered questions from journalists.''
  Zurich Insurance said earlier this month that net income for the second quarter fell 27pc to $789 million, missing analysts' estimates, after floods in central Europe and tornadoes in the U.S. hurt earnings.
VIDEOO-BBC News - UK parliament recalled over Syria response
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:48
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VIDEO-Secretary Janet Napolitano Farewell Address - C-SPAN Video Library
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:16
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  Janet Napolitano gave her farewell speech as secretary of the Homeland Security Department.*(DHS) She highlighted the accomplishments of DHS during her tenure, She also read an ''open letter'' to her successor that .. Read MoreJanet Napolitano gave her farewell speech as secretary of the Homeland Security Department.*(DHS) She highlighted the accomplishments of DHS during her tenure, She also read an ''open letter'' to her successor that included a list of some of the problems the department faces, such as global climate change, border security, and terrorist threats.*She also advised ''a large bottle of Advil'' and warned of an imminent cyber attack.
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Napolitano warns large-scale cyberattack on US is inevitable - The Hill's Hillicon Valley
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:11
  Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned her successor on Tuesday to move quickly to prepare for an inevitable large-scale cyberattack against the United States.
  Napolitano, delivering her farewell address at the National Press Club, said her successor should move fast to strengthen the nation's cyber defenses.
  ''Our country will, at some point, face a major cyber event that will have a serious effect on our lives, our economy and the everyday functioning of our society,'' said Napolitano.''While we have built systems, protections and a framework to identify attacks and intrusions, share information with the private sector and across government, and develop plans and capabilities to mitigate the damage, more must be done, and quickly.''
  Napolitano said that while the terrorist threat to the country has not been eliminated, the ability for the U.S. to thwart attacks rapidly increases with each uncovered plot.
  ''For every attack we experience, every threat we face and every piece of intelligence we come across, we learn; we assess our preparations and capabilities; we make changes; we become more flexible in the actions we take; and we get stronger and more nimble,'' said Napolitano, who is leaving her post to become the head of the University of California school system.
  As evidence, she pointed to the country's response to the bombing at the Boston Marathon earlier this year and the stronger local and state relationships that have been forged while she has led the department.
  Napolitano also lauded the department's move '-- under direction from President Obama '-- to allow children brought to the U.S. illegally to remain in the country.
  The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process has allowed 430,000 young people to stay in the United States.
  Napolitano stressed that the prosecutorial discretion, which many Republicans have boisterously objected to, has made the country's immigration system more sound, but that comprehensive legislation still needs to be passed.
  Obama has not weighed in on who Napolitano's successor will be, but several names have been floated as strong contenders. Chief among them is New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who has remained mum about whether he's been in talks about the post.
  Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), who headed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which played a key role in creating the department, has also been suggested for the post, as have former Deputy Secretary Jane Lute and Bill Bratton, the former head of police for Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City.
  While secretary, Napolitano has remained relatively unscathed by congressional investigations and potential scandals within the department. Many Republicans, though they disagree with some of her policy decisions, have applauded her tenure in the demanding position, calling attention to the ''thankless'' nature of her job.
  Only 10 years old, the Department of Homeland Security is the largest agency in the country, encompassing a wide range of federal responsibilities and offices that range from immigration and border enforcement to port and aviation security.
  Napolitano said it was imperative that her future successor continues to ''move to a more risk-based, intelligence-driven security system'' with the nation's approach to aviation security.
  She also highlighted chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear security measures; securing large-scale public events, such as the Inauguration and the national party conventions; and the Coast Guard, as areas that will need continued attention under the department's new leadership.
  This story was updated at 11:05 a.m.
VIDEO-Facebook Tech Coalition Plans to Control the Internet - BlackListedNews.com
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:10
  Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, announced his new ''rough plan'' to develop technological ideas for the developing world.
  Facebook currently offers a stripped-down version of its website to less than smartphones. For Android phones, Facebook has the Facebook Home app that has not proved to be as popular as anticipated.
  The formation of a technological coalition would give internet access to an estimated 5 billion people.
  Internet.org is the brainchild. Members of the coalition include:
  ' Facebook' Ericsson' Media Tek' Opera' Qalcomm' Samsung
  According to the website, Internet.org ''is a global partnership between technology leaders, nonprofits, local communities and experts who are working together to bring the internet to the two thirds of the world's population that doesn't have it. Sharing tools, resources and best practices, Internet.org partners will explore solutions in three major opportunity areas: affordability, efficiency, and business models.''
  Zuckerberg said: ''Everything Facebook as done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect.''
  Developing countries pose ''huge barriers'' to connecting to the internet ''and joining the knowledge economy.''
  Internet.org is tasked with making ''internet access available to the two thirds of the world who are not yet connected.''
  The founding members of the coalition will:
  ' Collaborate on joint projects' Share industry knowledge' ''Mobilize'' the industry' Work with governments to bring the internet to developing nations
  Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Ericsson said: ''We are committed to shaping the Networked Society (NS) '' where everyone and everything will be connected in real time, creating freedom, empowerment and opportunity to transform society.''
  The NS envisioned by the coalition describes how digital information and communication technologies can relate to social, political, cultural and economic changes that has a foundation in the theories of socialist Georg Simmel .
  Combining social and media networks, organization of the individual and the whole can be shaped by the actions of the masses with the least effects coming from the individual.
  Essentially, the movement of the many overrides the actions of the few.
  Barry Wellman, former sociologist for the University of Toronto, envisionedsocieties as networks and not bound by hierarchical structures.
  Wellman has also developed the idea of networked individualism that focuses on ''the network society: community, work and organizations.''
  Manuel Castells, creator of the idea of social morphology, explained : ''The definition, if you wish, in concrete terms of a network society is a society where the key social structures and activities are organized around electronically processed information networks. So it's not just about networks or social networks, because social networks have been very old forms of social organization. It's about social networks which process and manage information and are using micro-electronic based technologies.''
  Castells points out that NS the will take our current information society to new heights. He recognizes that ''cultural, economic and political factors that make up the network society. Influences such as religion, cultural upbringing, political organizations, and social status all shape the network society. Societies are shaped by these factors in many ways. These influences can either raise or hinder these societies.''
CNN Continues to Post Most Growth in Cable News - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:05
  via press release:
  CNN CONTINUES TO POST MOST GROWTH IN CABLE NEWS
  CNN Has Ratings Gains Across the Board in August while FXNC and MSNBC Shed Viewers Throughout All Dayparts
  ''New Day'' is Up +36% in Total Viewers and +18% in 25-54 Ratings vs. CNN Programming a Year Ago;AC 360 Ranks Second On Cable News at 8pm
  MSNBC's Flagship Program ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' Loses 47% of its Audience; FXNC Has Lowest Ratings in a Decade
  CNN continued to post the most growth in cable news this month '' increasing its audience in all key dayparts -- while FXNC and MSNBC had major ratings declines throughout all of its dayparts during the month of August compared to a year ago:
  TOTAL DAY (6A-6A):CNN '' up +13% in demo 25-54 rating (108k vs. 96k) / up +7% in total viewers (347k vs. 325k)MSNBC '' down -32% in demo rating (120k vs. 176k) / down -28% total viewers (349k vs. 487k)FXNC '' down -24% in demo rating (193k vs. 254k) / down -10% in total viewers (968k vs. 1.079m)
  M-F PRIMETIME (8-11P):CNN '' up +7% in demo 25-54 rating (133k vs. 124k) / up +10% in total viewers (468k vs. 426k)MSNBC '' down -44% in demo rating (155k vs. 278k) / down -43% in total viewers (554k vs. 978k)FXNC '' down -24% in demo rating (305k vs. 402k) / down -16% in total viewers (1.796m vs. 2.127m)
  M-Su PRIMETIME (8-11P):CNN '' up +9% in demo 25-54 rating (135k vs. 124k) / up +6% in total viewers (454k vs. 427k)MSNBC - down -32% in demo rating (178k vs. 262k) / down -36% in total viewers (528k vs. 819k)FXNC '' down -24% in demo rating (255k vs. 337k) / down -15% in total viewers (1.552m vs. 1.828m)
  DAYSIDE (9A-5P):CNN '' up +12% in demo 25-54 rating (110k vs. 98k) / up +2% in total viewers (397k vs. 389k)MSNBC '' down -42% in demo rating (87k vs. 150k) / down -32% in total viewers (312k vs. 461k)FXNC '' down -25% in demo rating (185k vs. 246k) / down -12% in total viewers (1.006m vs. 1.149m)
  CNN's newest program ''New Day'' saw substantial ratings gains compared to CNN programming a year ago and is the only morning cable news program to increase its audience growing +18% in the key demo rating (97k vs. 82k) and +36% in total viewers (277k vs. 204k). MSNBC's ''Morning Joe'' was down -17% among 25-54 (125k vs. 150k) and decreased -9% in total viewers. FXNC's ''Fox and Friends'' also lost viewers this August, decreasing -23% in the key demo rating and was down -3% in total viewers.
  MSNBC experienced major ratings declines in August losing almost one half of its M-F primetime audience, while registering its lowest total viewer delivery since December 2007, and its lowest among P25-54 since August 2006. MSNBC, fueled this month by the strong performance of the network's doc series ''MSNBC Investigates'' (Lock Up) and ''MSNBC Specials'' (Caught on Camera) also posted its lowest M-Su prime delivery among total viewers since December 2007.
  This month, FXNC has posted some of its lowest ratings in over a decade, registering its lowest delivery in total day and M-F/M-Su primetime since August 2001 in the key demo 25-54 rating. FXNC also saw its lowest primetime delivery since July 2008 in total viewers.
  Other CNN August highlights include:
  ''Erin Burnett Outfront'' at 7pm posted double-digit growth this month increasing +14% from a year ago in the key demo (124k vs. 109k). EBO also ranked second this month, tying with ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' in the key demo 25-54 rating. Matthews lost a substantial number of viewers vs. a year ago, dropping -42% among 25-54 (124k vs. 214k) and was down -45% in total viewers (480k vs. 867k), posting its lowest total viewer delivery since December 2007. ''The Fox Report'' at 7pm also saw audience declines, losing -34% in the demo 25-54 rating and decreasing -15% in total viewers, posting its lowest total viewers delivery since July 2008.
  ''AC 360'' at 8pm was the #2 show on cable news topping MSNBC's ''All in with Chris Hayes'' in both total viewers (515k vs. 483k) and the key demo rating (140k vs. 132k), and was the #1 show on CNN primetime in both P2+ and P25-54. ''AC 360'' was also the only show at 8pm to grow vs. year-ago, increasing +15% in the demo rating (140k vs. 122k) and +16% in total viewers (515k vs. 445k); while FXNC and MSNBC lost a notable amount of viewership during the time period. Hayes was down -43% in the demo (132k vs. 233k) and lost almost half of its total viewers (483k vs. 924k) compared to a year ago. MSNBC posted its lowest 8pm delivery since September 2006 in total viewers and since August 2005 in the key demo rating. ''O'Reilly'' lost one quarter (-25%) of its audience in the demo and was down -10% in total viewers. August represents ''O'Reilly's'' lowest delivery since July 2008 in total viewers and lowest since May 2006 among 25-54 demo rating.
  ''Piers Morgan Live'' saw a slight increase in total viewers (465k vs. 460k) vs. a year ago. ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' shed a substantial number of total viewers '' dropping -43% (634k vs. 1.109m) and registering its lowest 9pm performance since August 2008 in total viewers and lowest since December 2007 in the key demo 25-54. ''Hannity'' was also down this month, losing -21% of its total viewer audience (1.611m vs. 2.040m), resulting in the program's lowest delivery since December 2007 and lowest demo delivery since August 2001.
  Anderson Cooper at 10 pm was up +10% in the demo rating (145k vs. 132k) and +12% in total viewers (423k vs. 379k) compared to a year ago. FXNC and MSNBC also shed viewers during this time period, with ''The Last Word'' down -44% in P25-54 rating (160k vs. 288k) and down -41% in total viewers (603k vs. 1.018m). ''On the Record'' was down -15% among demo 25-54 and down -18% among total viewers.
Lavrov Rejects Kerry's Assessment of Syria Situation
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  Source: RIA Novosti
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 22:03
  MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) '' Russia's top diplomat disagreed with his US counterpart in a phone conversation about the situation in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Tuesday.
  In the conversation, requested by the United States, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Syria's government was to blame for the use of chemical weapons in that country, but Lavrov rejected that viewpoint, the ministry said in a statement.
  ''Lavrov '... rejected such an assessment and cited relevant arguments on the Russian side,'' the statement said.
  Western powers are considering armed intervention in the two-year civil war in Syria after hundreds of people were killed last week in the capital, Damascus, in an apparent nerve gas attack that the opposition claimed was performed by government forces.
  The Syrian government quickly denied the allegations and said it had evidence of rebel groups using chemical weapons. America's ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, wrote on Facebook on Monday that ''the Syrian regime has chemical weapons. The opposition does not.''
  The unrest in Syria began in March 2011 and later escalated into a civil war. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, according to United Nations estimates.
  The United Nations Security Council has so far not authorized any military intervention in the Syrian crisis. Moscow, along with Beijing, has previously vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.
  Russia has been Syria's most important ally during the civil war. Moscow has sent to Damascus some weapons that it said were being supplied under previously agreed deals.
  Russia harshly criticized the United States on Tuesday for allegedly using ''unproven excuses'' to justify military action in Syria and said Moscow was ''seriously disappointed'' by Washington's decision to put off a bilateral meeting to discuss the crisis.
All ATX | Calendar | ACL Live | Austin, Texas
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:58
  ALL ATXJimmie Vaughan, Eric Johnson and Christopher Cross and many more Austin favorites come together to support HAAM in this concert and taping for KLRU.
  Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) announced today the return of HAAM Benefit Day on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The day will culminate with ALL ATX '' The Concert at ACL Live featuring a once in a lifetime lineup of musicians from the live music capital of the world. Tickets for the concert will benefit HAAM and will go on-sale Friday, August 2. The line-up includse:
  RAY BENSONERIC JOHNSONCHRISTOPHER CROSSMONTE MONTGOMERYCHARLIE and WILL SEXTONSHAKE RUSSELL and MICHAEL HEARNECAROLYN WONDERLANDSUZANNA CHOFFELMALFORD MILLIGAN, VAN WILKS and MARCIA BALLQUIET COMPANYJIMMIE VAUGHAN and LOU ANN BARTON
  ALL ATX is an annual concert featuring an all-star line-up including Ray Benson, Eric Johnson, Christopher Cross, Jimmie Vaughan, Suzanna Chofell, Monte Montgomery,Charlie and Will Sexton and many more. The concert will celebrate and support Austin music, and will be a unique chance for Austin to see all of their local favorites together on one stage. The night will also showcase unique collaborations from the ALL ATX CD. The CD, which will be released Sept. 16th and will feature up to 15 unique tracks with many artists playing on each other's recordings. KLRU-TV, Austin PBS will tape the concert and broadcast it later this fall. The broadcast will also be made available to other PBS stations.
  ''This is not to be missed,'' said Randy Miller, Grammy winning engineer and producer. ''It's unlikely that you'll ever see all of these artists on one stage again.''
  Whole Foods Market will return as HAAM Benefit Day presenting sponsor for the eighth year in a row and the day will feature performances by local bands, many with members that have joined HAAM, across the city in locations including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, clubs, restaurants and retail outlets. Residents can contribute to HAAM Benefit Day by shopping, dining and donating during performances of their favorite bands.
  ''Music is the lifeblood of Austin and the musicians carry that legacy forward for us every day, often at low pay and with no benefits. I am proud to help give back to our musicians, and HAAM is that lifeline that gives us all a chance to participate and say thank you,'' said Shelley Meyer, co-owner of Wild About Music and Austin Rocks.
  On HAAM Benefit Day, area businesses pledge five percent of the days' proceeds or make cash donations. Last year was a record-breaking success with $312,000 raised from more than 240 participating businesses and 250 bands. This year's participating businesses include presenting sponsor Whole Foods Market, underwriters C3 Presents, SXSW, Thunder Cloud Subs and more.
  Tickets for ALL-ATX are available for $25 to $45 at Ticketfly or through the ACL Live Box office. VIP tickets and packages are also available through HAAM; please contact Christopher Alberts at calberts@myhaam.org for more information. A complete list of participating businesses and performance schedule will become available at www.myhaam.org.
  ###
  ABOUT HEALTH ALLIANCE FOR AUSTIN MUSICIANS (HAAM)Health Alliance for Austin Musicians provides access to affordable health care to Austin's low-income, uninsured working musicians with a focus on prevention and wellness. Since HAAM's 2005 start, more than 3,000 of the city's battalion of hard-working musicians have been served with access to regular, cost-effective healthcare services. Medical, dental, mental, hearing and vision health services are provided by Seton Healthcare Family, St. David's Foundation in partnership with Capital Area Dental Foundation, The SIMS Foundation, Estes Audiology and Prevent Blindness Texas. Music, business and the community have united behind a great cause: keeping music in Austin alive and well. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.myhaam.org.
  Doors: 6:30 PM · Show: 7:30 PM
Waiver to Space Exploration Technologies Corporation of Acceptable Risk Limit for Launch
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  Archived Version
  Source: Federal Register Latest Entries
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:08
  This notice concerns a petition for waiver submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) to waive a limit that the risk to the public from the launch of an expendable launch vehicle not exceed an expected average number of 0.00003 casualties (E c'‰¤ 30 — 10 ''6) from far field blast overpressure. The FAA grants the petition, but limits collective risk to an expected average number of 0.0001 casualties.
  For technical questions concerning this waiver, contact Charles P. Brinkman, Licensing Program Lead, Commercial Space Transportation'--Licensing and Evaluation Division, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-7715; email: Phil.Brinkman@faa.gov. For legal questions concerning this waiver, contact Laura Montgomery, Manager, Space Law Branch, AGC-250, Office of the Chief Counsel, Regulations Division, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-3150; email: Laura.Montgomery@faa.gov.
  On July 10, 2013, SpaceX submitted a petition to the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) requesting a waiver for a launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) of a Falcon 9 Version 1.1 (v1.1) launch vehicle carrying, a Canadian scientific and research satellite called Cassiope, and several small secondary payloads. SpaceX requested a waiver of 14 CFR 417.107(b)(1), which prohibits the launch of an expendable launch vehicle if the total expected average number of casualties (E c) for the launch exceeds 0.00003 for risk from far field blast overpressure.
  The FAA licenses the launch of a launch vehicle and reentry of a reentry vehicle under authority granted to the Secretary of Transportation in the Commercial Space Launch Act of 1984, as amended and re-codified by 51 U.S.C. Subtitle V, chapter 509 (Chapter 509), and delegated to the FAA Administrator and the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, who exercises licensing authority under Chapter 509.
  SpaceX is a private commercial space flight company. It has initiated activities with the U.S. Air Force's EELV Program to become a certified launch service provider for National Security space missions. In addition, SpaceX launches commercial payloads such as Cassiope.
  This petition for waiver addresses an upcoming flight that SpaceX plans to undertake transporting the Cassiope satellite and several small secondary payloads to earth orbit. This will be the first launch by SpaceX from VAFB. It will also be the first flight of the Falcon 9 v1.1 vehicle, which is larger and has greater thrust and payload capacity than SpaceX's Falcon 9 vehicle. SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle will launch from VAFB and place the Cassiope satellite into a near-polar orbit. The launch vehicle will also carry five secondary payloads to the same orbit. The first stage will coast after stage separation, and then perform an experimental burn with three engines to reduce the entry velocity just prior to entry. Prior to landing in the water, it will perform a second experimental burn with one engine to impact the water with minimal velocity. The second stage will coast and then perform an experimental burn to depletion.
  The preliminary calculation of E c for far field blast overpressure shows that the launch would exceed the 0.00003 limit imposed by section 417.107(b)(1) under anticipated weather conditions for a daytime launch in September. Atmospheric conditions at the launch site during the anticipated time of launch increase the far field blast overpressure risk. The presence of inversion layers at VAFB is common, and results in the reflection of shock waves from an explosion. This reflection of shock waves can cause greater damage than would otherwise be caused without the reflection from the inversion layer. Chances of advantageous weather conditions during the day in September that would allow a launch that meets the FAA's risk requirements are virtually zero percent. [1]
  The Falcon 9 v1.1 is a new launch vehicle. The U.S. Air Force has determined that its overall failure probability is nearly fifty percent for each of the first two launches. AST has determined that the Air Force's calculation of probability of failure satisfies the requirements in part 417. Weather conditions during the day in September are likely to be unfavorable and delays may last for days. SpaceX, therefore, seeks a waiver of this risk requirement.
  Chapter 509 allows the FAA to waive a license requirement if the waiver (1) will not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property; (2) will not jeopardize national security and foreign policy interests of the United States; and (3) will be in the public interest. 51 U.S.C. 50905(b)(3) (2011); 14 CFR 404.5(b) (2011).
  Section 417.107(b)(1) prohibits the launch of a launch vehicle if the E c for the flight exceeds 0.00003 for any of the following three risks: (1) Impacting inert and impacting explosive debris, (2) toxic release, and (3) far field blast overpressure. For reasons described below, the FAA waives the restrictions in section 417.107(b)(1) to allow SpaceX to conduct a flight with the E c resulting from far field blast overpressure exceeding 0.00003 as long as total E c for the three hazards combined does not exceed 0.0001. The FAA is not waiving the E c requirement for impacting inert and impacting explosive debris or for toxic release.
  The FAA waives the far field overpressure risk requirement of section 417.107(b)(1) because the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch will not jeopardize public health and safety or safety of property, a national security or foreign policy interest of the United States, and is in the public interest.
  i. Public Health and Safety and Safety of PropertyThe Falcon 9 v1.1 launch is the first launch of the v1.1 vehicle, and the first SpaceX launch from VAFB. Although the risk from far field blast overpressure is likely to exceed 0.00003, the estimated risks for debris and toxic release are very low. Based on preliminary calculations performed by the U.S. Air Force for SpaceX, the collective risk to the public from the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch will be less than 0.0001 approximately forty percent of the time during September. [2] NASA, the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. National Test ranges use 0.0001 as the expected casualty limit across all three hazards as their criterion See U.S. Air Force Instruction 91-217, Space Safety and Mishap Prevention Program (2010); NASA Procedural Requirements 8715.5 Rev A, Range Flight Safety Program (2010); Range Commanders Council (RCC) Standard 321-10, Common Risk Criteria Standards for National Test Ranges (2010). If the Falcon 9 v1.1's collective risk were to exceed 0.0001 expected casualties, SpaceX would not launch until conditions improved sufficiently for the risk of the launch to satisfy the limits allowed by the waiver.
  The increase in the E c for the first launch of the Falcon 9 v1.1 vehicle from VAFB is largely attributable to two factors. First, the launch will take place from VAFB. VAFB is located in California, and frequently experiences unique weather conditions that exacerbate far field blast overpressure from a launch. An inversion layer, an atmospheric region with a warmer temperature than the region below, is common much of the year at VAFB. The presence of an inversion layer could increase damage caused by an explosion because an inversion layer may reflect the shock wave from an explosion back towards the ground. By reflecting the shock wave back towards the ground, surrounding buildings, and particularly glass windows, may experience greater pressure, which could cause greater glass breakage. Second, the estimated probability of failure to the Falcon 9 v1.1 is high because it is a new launch vehicle. There is no way to reduce this estimated failure probability, which is derived from the historically high number of launch failures in new vehicles. This probability of failure is one of the most critical variables in the E c calculations.
  This waiver for the risk from far field blast overpressure is consistent with the Air Force total risk threshold for E c of 100 — 10 ''6 for risks from debris, toxic release, and far field blast overpressure combined. The current E c requirement for U.S. Government launches from U.S. National Test Ranges is 0.0001, which, because it comprises debris, toxics, and overpressure, means that the federal launch ranges permit the risk attributable to overpressure to exceed the FAA's risk threshold. See Air Force Instruction 91-217, Space Safety and Mishap Prevention Program (2010). The U.S. Air Force approved a government launch of a Titan, where the risk ranged from 145 to 317 in a million. Dept. of the Air Force Memorandum, Overflight Risk Exceedance Waiver for Titan IV B-30 Mission, (Apr. 4, 2005). Additionally, the FAA granted a waiver on April 17, 2012, for risk from debris up to 0.000130 for a Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Waiver of Acceptable Risk Restriction for Launch and Reentry, Notice of Waiver, 77 FR 24556 (April 24, 2012). Again, risk was largely a result of a relatively high failure probability that is unavoidably attached to a new launch vehicle. Based on the fact that risk will remain very low, and will be limited to the requirement for government launches (E c of less than 0.0001), granting a waiver in this case would not jeopardize public health and safety or safety of property.
  ii. National Security and Foreign Policy ImplicationsThe FAA has identified no national security or foreign policy implications associated with granting this waiver.
  iii. Public InterestThe waiver is consistent with the public interest goals of Chapter 509. Three of the public policy goals of Chapter 509 are: (1) To promote economic growth and entrepreneurial activity through use of the space environment; (2) to encourage the United States private sector to provide launch and reentry vehicles and associated services; and (3) to facilitate the strengthening and expansion of the United States space transportation infrastructure to support the full range of United States space-related activities. See51 U.S.C. 50901(b)(1), (2), (4).
  With a requirement that E c be less than 0.00003 for far field blast overpressure, launch availability for the Western Range is estimated to be virtually zero percent due to atmospheric conditions at the launch site and the high failure probability necessarily assigned to a new launch vehicle. This would certainly make the launch site impractical for commercial launches, at least of new launch vehicles. Granting a limited waiver for risk from far field blast overpressure as long as the risk for all three risks does not exceed 100 — 10 ''6 increases launch availability for the first launch of Falcon 9 v1.1 at VAFB to approximately forty percent for September, depending on detailed analytical assumptions concerning flight termination action. VAFB is the most suitable U.S. launch facility for supporting the launches of satellites by large vehicles into polar orbits. Granting this waiver makes VAFB a viable site for commercial launches, helping to sustain the launch capacity for U.S. launch providers, thereby supporting the industrial base and lowering overall launch costs for commercial customers and the U.S. Government.
  Additionally, the proposed launch is consistent with the principles and goals of the 2010 National Space Policy, which emphasizes the importance of developing a robust domestic commercial space transportation industry and acquiring commercial space services to meet United States Government requirements. The development of commercial launch service providers is crucial because, as noted in the 2010 National Space Policy, United States access to space depends in the first instance on launch capabilities. To that end, SpaceX has applied to the U.S. Air Force's EELV Program to become a certified launch service provider for National Security space missions. In accordance with the Air Force's approved New Entrant Certification Guide, SpaceX is required to demonstrate its compliance with EELV program requirements, including successfully demonstrating launches of the launch vehicle being proposed for certification. In the certification approach being taken under the New Entrant Certification Guide, SpaceX is required to successfully launch three Falcon 9 launch vehicles, the first of which is planned to be the Cassiope mission from VAFB. Each flight of the Falcon 9 builds heritage for this vehicle, which will be used by the United States Government. NASA has already contracted with SpaceX for Cargo Resupply Services missions from CCAFS using Falcon 9 v1.1. Accordingly, proceeding with the proposed launch is in the public interest.
  Issued in Washington, DC, on August 19, 2013.
  Kenneth Wong,
  Licensing and Evaluation Division Manager, Commercial Space Transportation.
  [FR Doc. 2013-20726 Filed 8-26-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
VIDEO-The Essence Of The Banking Industry... - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:15
Vermont Yankee
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:09
  >> Click here for News Release
  Frequently Asked QuestionsWhen will Vermont Yankee close?
  The company anticipates shutting down the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in fourth quarter 2014, with the exact date still to be determined.
  Why was this decision made?
  Vermont Yankee has an immensely talented, dedicated, and loyal workforce (about 630 employees) and a solid base of support in the community. We recognize that closing the plant on this schedule was certainly not the outcome they had hoped for, but we have reluctantly concluded that it is the appropriate action for us to take under the circumstances.
  The decision to close Vermont Yankee in 2014 was based on a number of financial factors, including:
  A natural gas market that has undergone a transformational shift in supply due to the impacts of shale gas, resulting in sustained low natural gas prices and wholesale energy prices.A high cost structure for this single unit plant. Since 2002, the company has invested more than $400 million in the safe and reliable operation of the plant. In addition, the financial impact of cumulative regulation is especially challenging to a small plant in these market conditions.Wholesale market design flaws that continue to result in artificially low energy and capacity prices in the region, and do not provide adequate compensation to merchant nuclear plants for the fuel diversity benefits they provide.Couldn't Vermont Yankee be sold to another company?
  We are constantly evaluating our portfolio of assets and businesses to determine if it makes sense to hold and optimize, to sell, or to shut down. As a matter of policy, we cannot comment on any specific efforts, however, we did consider all options before making this decision. Closing the plant on this schedule was certainly not the option we hoped for, but we have reluctantly concluded that it is the appropriate action for us to take under the circumstances.
  What will happen to employees?
  We expect to continue operations with current staffing levels through to shut down, at which time we will transition into decommissioning. Staffing levels will change and be reduced as the plant moves through the various stages of decommissioning. The company will treat employees at the station fairly and assist them through this transition.
  Beyond the financial aspect, what's the reasoning behind closing the plant?
  We looked at the impact of this decision through the lenses of all our stakeholders, and while extremely tough for many, we believe the decision was ultimately the right one:
  Owners -- It is consistent with our disciplined approach of constantly evaluating our portfolio of assets and businesses to determine if it makes sense to hold and optimize, to sell, or to shut down. This shutdown decision was made because this asset is not financially viable.Employees -- It provides employees the best opportunity to properly plan their future, whether at the plant, other Entergy-owned facilities or in the broader industry. We will treat our employees fairly throughout this entire process.Customers -- It provides more certainty to our wholesale customers and to the broader markets in which we participate.Communities -- It allows us to move forward and constructively engage with the impacted communities as we transition from an operating nuclear facility into and through the decommissioning process. We will continue to be a key part of the communities in which we do business as that moves forward. What has to be done to decommission a nuclear plant?
  The decommissioning process is clearly defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.2 (10 CFR 50.2). The initial activities involve extensive planning to safely and efficiently decommission the station and terminate the station license. Activities include removing the plant from service, transferring used fuel to safe storage, removing any residual radioactivity and restoring the site which includes the removal of structures and, if appropriate, re-grading and reseeding the land.
  How can we be assured that decommissioning will be handled properly?
  The safety of our operations will continue to be a top priority. In addition, the NRC will provide oversight during the decommissioning process.
  How long will the entire decommissioning process take?
  The complete decommissioning process is likely to take decades. We plan to follow the NRC-approved SAFSTOR methodology of decommissioning, where the facility is maintained and monitored in a safe condition and the decontamination and dismantling of the station occurs later. There are a number of advantages to SAFSTOR methodology, including lower potential radiation exposure for workers doing the decommissioning work and the need for fewer shipments of radioactive material to the low-level waste site.
  Entergy expects to decommission using the SAFSTOR method. What is SAFSTOR?
  SAFSTOR places and maintains a nuclear facility in a condition that allows it to be safely stored until the removal of radioactive materials and components, eventually permitting unrestricted use of the area. During SAFSTOR, the facility is left intact, with structures maintained in a sound condition. Systems that are not required to support the spent fuel pool or site surveillance and security are drained, de-energized and secured.
  What will happen to the Vermont Yankee site after decommissioning?
  Once Vermont Yankee's license has been terminated and the NRC has released the site for unrestricted use, the area can be used in any way permissible by federal, state and local laws. Entergy retains ownership of the property on which Vermont Yankee operates. Entergy has committed eventually to restoring the site by removing structures and, if appropriate, re-grading and reseeding the land.
  What happens to the used fuel?
  The used fuel will remain secured on site, under guard, monitored during shutdown and decommissioning activities, and subject to the NRC's oversight. Removal of the fuel from the reactor vessel to the spent fuel pool is expected to begin as soon as the reactor has cooled sufficiently, in a matter of days after shutdown. This is similar to what happens in a refueling outage. From the spent fuel pool, fuel will be moved to NRC-licensed casks. The fuel will remain onsite in dry casks until it is removed by the federal government in accordance with its legal obligations.
  How many U.S. nuclear power stations/units have been decommissioned?
  Since 1960, more than 70 test, demonstration and power reactors have been retired throughout the United States.
  Vermont Yankee contributes about $435,000 annually to the community through open grants, site sponsorships, annual events and other charitable giving. What will happen to that support?
  We will continue to be a good corporate citizen. We recognize that this is a significant event for the local economy and for surrounding communities. We will have future discussions to talk about transition plans, as it is too soon to know the specifics.
  How can the public be assured of radiological safety during the decommissioning process?
  The environmental monitoring program in place now will continue after the plant is shut down. The program will be modified to monitor the types of releases that may occur during decommissioning. Again, the NRC will provide oversight during the decommissioning process.
  Will the closing cause electric reliability supply issues in the state or elsewhere in the region?
  ISO New England will conduct a grid reliability review before Vermont Yankee's closure.
  What about other Entergy plants in the region?
  Each of our merchant plants has unique characteristics, some operating in different market environments, some of which are more favorable than others.
  For example, Vermont Yankee and Indian Point are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Vermont Yankee is a small, single-unit plant in a very challenging economic market. Indian Point is a large, two-unit station in a more favorable market. Indian Point continues to be a vital component of the region's power supply and we are committed to its continued and safe operation.
  Regarding FitzPatrick, while in a difficult market environment, we currently expect to refuel in the fall of 2014.
  While Palisades' market environment is certainly difficult, it has a power purchase agreement.
  Although Pilgrim's market environment is the same as Vermont Yankee's, Pilgrim's higher power output provides greater economies of scale.
  Does Entergy have the required decommissioning funds in place?
  Regarding decommissioning, assuming end of operations in fourth quarter 2014, the amount required to meet the NRC minimum for decommissioning financial assurance for license termination is $566 million. The Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust had a balance of approximately $582 million as of July 31, 2013, excluding the $40 million guarantee by Entergy Corporation to satisfy NRC requirements following the 2009 review of financial assurance levels. Filings with the NRC for planned shutdown activities will determine whether any other financial assurance may be required and will specifically address funding for spent fuel management, which will be required until the federal government takes possession of the fuel and removes it from the site, per its current obligations.
  How does Vermont Yankee's closing change Entergy's viewpoint on nuclear energy?
  Entergy remains committed to nuclear as an important long-term component of its generating portfolio, and for meeting the nation's energy needs. Nuclear energy's benefits are numerous and important. Nuclear provides reliable and cost-effective power over the long term, it contributes to supply diversity and energy security as part of a balanced portfolio, and it provides almost two-thirds of America's clean-air electricity. Nuclear is an important part of Entergy's portfolio.
  Tell me more about Vermont Yankee. How many employees are there? What type of reactor does the plant have?
  Vermont Yankee is a boiling water reactor manufactured by General Electric. The plant uses the Connecticut River as a cooling source, with once-through cooling towers. It began commercial operation on Nov. 30, 1972, and it is currently licensed to operate through 2032. It has a maximum dependable capacity of 605 megawatts and employs approximately 630 people.
  Where can I get more information on decommissioning nuclear plants?
  The NRC maintains frequently asked questions on nuclear plant decommissioning at this site: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/decommissioning/faq.html
Fear mongering over WATER leaks at Fukushima Dai-ichi
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  Archived Version
  Source: Atomic Insights
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:02
  I'll start with the bottom line first: despite all word to the contrary, there is no reason for anyone to be concerned that ''contaminated'' water from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station is going to cause them any physical harm, now or in the future. The only way my bottom line statement could possibly be wrong is if some really nutty activists decide to occupy the site and drink directly from the water tanks that have been assumed to be leaking. Those nutty activists would have to be very patient people, because they would have to drink that water for many years before any negative effects might show up.
  Fish swimming in the harbor have nothing to worry about; people who eat fish that swam in the harbor have nothing to worry about; people who decide to swim in the harbor would have nothing to worry about. A basic tenant of radiation protection is that the farther from the source you are, the less you have to worry about, but I am not sure how I can state that you have less than nothing to worry about.
  Nearly all of the fear mongering stories I have read about the water leaking from the large number of tanks on the site of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station contain few, if any facts that allow an accurate risk assessment. A long time ago, I learned that there were several ways to respond to a report of ''contaminated'' water. The most effective way was to make a fairly quick determination of the level of contamination so the appropriate resources could be applied to the problem.
  Radioactive contamination is not a ''go; no go'' question, there is an infinite spectrum of possible concentrations and total sizes; the top end of that spectrum should generate a flight response, the bottom end of the spectrum should generate a yawn. A quantity of radioactive material that is small enough to generate a yawn should not rise on the scale just because more clean water is added to the mix to make the problem seem larger.Unlike biological pathogens, radioactive material does not reproduce. A fixed quantity never grows; it decays and gradually gets less and less dangerous. In fact, a perfectly rational, but long ago discouraged response mantra is ''the answer to pollution is dilution.''
  Aside: I will remain focused on the topic at hand and not discuss why that useful mantra has been actively discredited and discouraged. End Aside.
  I probably should have written more about this a long time ago, but I have never understood why there were so many tanks being built at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power station to hold treated water. From everything I have read, water that is used to cool the damaged reactors is contaminated to a level that might be of concern, but then it is run through treatment systems that remove essentially all of the isotopes that would harm to the heath of any living creature. The very best place to put that treated water is the same place where most treated sewage ends up '' into the vast ocean where it will never again be a source of worry or harm to anyone.
  An effective, low cost solution to alleviate any concerns of local fishermen would be bringing an occasional tanker to the site. The contents of a limited number of holding tanks could be put on the tanker, which could then take the water a few miles out to sea. At that point, the treated water could be diluted into an enormously large ocean.
  Warning: From here out, there is going to be a little math and some units that you might need to look up.
  According to the scary stories I have read, the reason we are all supposed to be concerned is that bone-seeking strontium-90 has been detected in the contaminated water. The level has been reported as ''thirty times'' the drinking water standard.
  Unfortunately, most ''news'' sources these days have a very low opinion of their readers and seem to think that using internationally accepted scientific units will confuse them. In my opinion, attempting to avoid using standard units is what confuses people.
  Here is my attempt at helping you understand why I yawn when someone thinks we should all be frightened by the news that 300 tons of water contaminated with Sr-90 at 30 times the drinking water standard might have leaked out of a storage tank and might soon reach the Pacific Ocean.
  According to Chapter 9 (Radiological Aspects) of the World Health Organization's document titled ''Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality'', radiation standards for drinking water are set with some extremely conservative assumptions.
  The levels are established so that a person drinking two liters of water at the limit every day for an entire year (a total of 730 liters) will receive a ''committed effective dose'' of just 0.1 mSv.
  Note: The calculation of the ''committed effective dose'' value recognizes that the dose will occur over a period long after the drinking has stopped due to internal accumulation and biological half life of the isotope of concern. Because the dose is in Sieverts, it takes into account the biological damage caused by ingesting Sr-90, which emits a high energy beta particle. End note.
  A dose of 0.1 mSv is 10% of the maximum allowed additional dose (1 mSv) to a member of the general public. The average background dose rate from all sources of radiation has been calculated to be 2.4 mSv/year.
  For strontium-90, the drinking water standard is 10 Bq/l. The water of concern is contaminated to 30 times that standard and there are 300 tons of it. There are one thousand liters in a metric ton of water. Determining the amount of Sr-90 that might flow into the Pacific Ocean is a simple multiplication problem.
  10 Bq/l x 30 x 300 tons x 1000 l/ton = 90,000,000 Bq
  Written in scientific notation on a blog where I dislike making the effort to use exponents, that can also be written as 9E+7 or 9 x 10^7.
  That might sound like a lot of material, but each gram of Sr-90 contains approximately 5,000,000,000,000 Bq. That can also be written as 5E+12 or 5 TBq (terabecquerels)
  If someone drank two liters per day of the water that we are supposed to be afraid of for an entire year, their committed effective dose would be just 3 mSv; it would slightly more than double their annual background dose. If the entire amount of that water entered the Pacific Ocean, it would contain less than 0.00002 grams (0.02 milligrams) of strontium-90.
  Now can you see why I am not worried and why I think you need to stop worrying? Of course, I expect that most of the people who have made it this far were never worried in the first place, but you might have family, friends or acquaintances who have been losing sleep in fear of the Blob '' in the form of water leaking from Fukushima '' coming to get them.
  One more thing '' the most recent stories have included concerns that additional groundwater is flowing onto the power station site an might become contaminated on its normal path to the ocean. Remember what I wrote earlier; a limited amount of radioactive material does not get any larger just because more clean water is added.
  Recommended readingFukushima Commentary August 24 Japan's Disastrous Flirtation with Worst-Case Scenarios
  The Register '' Oh noes! New 'CRISIS DISASTER' at Fukushima! Oh wait, it's nothing. Again: But hey, let's soil ourselves repeatedly anyway
  New Scientist '' Should Fukushima's radioactive water be dumped at sea?
  Atoms in Japan '' METI Panel Clarifies Approach to Stop Contaminated Water from Leaking at Fukushima Daiichi
All your face belong to us: Ohio admits facial recognition used to scour state driver's license database without public knowledge
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  Archived Version
  Source: RT - USA
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:51
  For nearly three months, law enforcement in Ohio have had access to an unregulated facial recognition database that includes all statewide driver's license photos and mug shots, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Monday.
  The system was live for two weeks before Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and his chief operating officer found out. At that point, DeWine and other state officials debated in what capacity the database was operating -- in a ''testing'' phase or as a full launch -- and whether to even tell the public about the database's existence.
  The state's system, new in early June, has been subject to 2,700 searches by law enforcement thus far. The database matches images, in many cases gleaned from security cameras, to state photos via driver's licenses, mug shots and other official photos.
  The Enquirer reported Cincinnati alone has access to 118 official security cameras around the city, with hopes of pushing that number to 1,000 by 2014. Hundreds more owned by private entities are routinely made available to law enforcement, marking an ever-pervasive surveillance culture with use of enhanced technology like facial recognition software.
  Those with access to the system, including Ohio's law enforcement officers and civilian employees of police departments, could match any image to the more than 21 million photos in the database while gaining access to personal information in the meantime. The system finds the 12 file images most likely to match the snapshot.
  DeWine told The Enquirer he didn't think the public needed to be immediately notified about the launch because dozens of other states have facial recognition photo databases. In addition, he pointed to FBI use of a similar system and supposed safeguards against abuse in Ohio as proof his office was justified in keeping state's system secret.
  ''Should we have talked about it the day it went live?'' DeWine said according to The Enquirer's original report. ''You could argue that.''
  The attorney general changed his tune Monday, saying he should have made the database public in June, though he continued to defend its privacy guidelines.
  ''I still think the protocol's adequate,'' DeWine said Monday at a press conference when asked about potential abuse of the database thus far. ''We're not aware of any misuse. When you get misuse, someone reports it. ... The best deterrent is putting people in jail, quite frankly.''
  DeWine has also announced the creation of an advisory group of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials to make recommendations to guide use of the system.
  Ohio legislators are calling for proper legislative approval and oversight before the system is used any further.
  ''We don't even know if it's constitutional,'' said Sen. Shirley Smith, the top Democrat on the state Senate's government oversight committee. ''We know that it's an invasion of privacy. I understand that he's the attorney general, but I think we should have been apprised of it before it hit the street.''
BBC News - 'Worrying' decline in oil and gas production
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:46
  21 August 2013Last updated at06:14 ETThe sharp decline in production of oil and gas from under British waters is "worrying" industry leaders.
  Trade body Oil and Gas UK says there is record investment this year of £13.5bn.
  But its annual report on the industry's economic impact highlights the sharp fall in output of 19% during 2011 and 14% in 2012.
  It says the industry's latest estimates of the continuing decline suggest a further fall of at least 8.5% during this year, with no recovery next year.
  Only from 2015 should the current high level of investment begin to have an impact on raising output.
  However, the level of investment will fall from £13.5bn this year to between £8bn and £10bn from 2015.
  'Premature decommissioning'Continue reading the main storyIf the full potential for extraction is to be reached, then the fields become more expensive to develop and run.
  Oil and Gas UK thinks total expenditure could be between £600bn and £1,000bn, in 2012 money.
  That's right: a trillion pounds.
  The annual report also raises concerns the cost of extracting the average barrel of oil is rising rapidly.
  The proportion extracted of each potential barrel of oil or its gas equivalent (boe) fell to 60% last year. Only seven years ago, the production efficiency rate was above 80%.
  Because of challenging geology and unplanned shutdowns on offshore platforms, the unit cost per barrel for extracting oil from British waters, known as the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), has gone up four-fold over the past decade.
  This is described by UK Oil and Gas as "a worrying trend that could have a major influence on the longevity of the UK Continental Shelf".
  The cost differs across oil and gas fields. It can cost as little as £5 per boe, with an average cost rising to £13.50, but it can rise, in one case, to £70 per barrel, which is roughly what the barrel is worth on the market.
  Several fields now cost more than £40 per barrel to operate.
  Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteThe general trend for unit operating costs is rising markedly and this will not change unless the decline in production is reversed''
  End QuoteOil and Gas UK report"Oil and Gas UK has found that much of the cost escalation is concentrated in a small number of fields, but the general trend for unit operating costs is rising markedly and this will not change unless the decline in production is reversed," says the report.
  "If there were to be a fall in commodity prices, the more expensive assets would have to be shut down and could face premature decommissioning".
  'Worrying decline'Malcolm Webb, chief executive of Oil and Gas UK, said: "There is much more that needs to be done. Despite impressive investment in new developments, the production efficiency of existing assets has been in worrying decline, with a number of fields failing to produce as expected.
  "The Department of Energy and Climate Change (in Whitehall) and the industry are working to tackle this serious concern through a joint task group."
  Another group has been set up, led by industry veteran Sir Ian Wood, to take an independent look at the recovery of the UK's offshore oil and gas.
  In other data in this year's economic impact report, the industry body says it is supporting about 450,000 jobs.
  The report says the offshore sector generates almost £40bn a year, including £7bn in export earnings.
  Investment last year rose to £11.4bn, and during 2011 and 2012, the DECC gave approval for projects that will require £22bn of capital expenditure, yielding two billion barrels of production over time.
  Mr Webb said: "The recent sharpening of focus within government and industry has given investors confidence."
  Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteIn time, the record levels of investment that we are currently seeing will raise production, which will see the sector continue to make a significant contribution to the public finances''
  End QuoteJohn SwinneyFinance Secretary"With 15 to 24 billion barrels of oil or the gas equivalent still remaining to be developed, the UKCS possesses great potential for contributing to economic growth for decades to come".
  'Volatile commodity'Political reaction to the latest figures focused on the level of investment and the implications for next year's independence referendum.
  Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "In time, the record levels of investment that we are currently seeing will raise production, which will see the sector continue to make a significant contribution to the public finances.
  "With up to 24 billion recoverable barrels with a potential wholesale value of £1.5 trillion, more than half of the resources in the North Sea, by value, still to be extracted, it is clear that the industry will make an important contribution to the Scottish economy for decades to come.
  "This latest report suggests that the industry will be active beyond 2050".
  The UK government's Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, welcomed the report which he believed showed the industry in "excellent health".
  He added: "The report shows the positive impact the government's fiscal policy has had on the UK Continental Shelf.
  "Field allowances and providing certainty over decommissioning relief will unlock billions of pounds of investment that would otherwise not have taken place.
  "The report makes it clear that the UK's targeted tax regime will help ensure that we maximise the economic production of the country's oil and gas reserves.
  "The UK government can afford to provide this support, even at the expense of short-term revenues, because of the size and diversity of the UK economy."
Gas pipeline blown up, oil tanker torched, cop killed in Balochistan
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  Archived Version
  Source: The News International - Top stories
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:30
  Monday, August 26, 2013From Print Edition
  DERA BUGTI: Miscreants in restive Balochistan's Dera Bugti area blew up a gas pipeline, suspending the fuel supply to the main plant. Unknown miscreants torched an oil tanker in Mastung while a head constable was shot dead in Sibi,
  An 18 inch diameter gas pipe line for the plant of well No.41 of Pirkoh gas field was blown up by unknown miscreants late at night in Dera Bugti'š Levies sources said, adding that the explosive material was set off by remote control.
  They said gas supply to the plant has been disrupted. A hunt for the miscreants was under way.Meanwhile, unidentified militants opened fire at an oil tanker and then set it on fire in Mastung on Sunday.
  According to Levies sources, the tanker was going from Quetta to Karachi when four unidentified miscreants opened fire on it in the Dasht area. The driver and the conductor of the tanker remained safe but the tanker caught fire. On receipt of information, the Levies and fire brigade reached the spot and controlled the fire after one hour's hectic efforts. '-- INP
  PPI adds: Armed men shot dead a constable late on Saturday night in Sibi and fled from the scene.According to details, armed men opened fire on Head Constable Khiar Muhammad at Char Mori here when he was heading towards his home. The miscreants fled from the spot. Police have started an investigation.
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Chemical Weapons Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:21
  Chemical Weapons ConventionConvention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their DestructionDrafted3 September 1992[1]Signed13 January 1993[1]LocationParis and New York[1]Effective29 April 1997[1]ConditionRatification by 65 states[2]Signatories165[1]Parties189 (as of June 2013)[1]Complete ListSeven UN states are not party: Angola, Burma, Egypt, Israel, North Korea, South Sudan, SyriaDepositaryUN Secretary-General[3]LanguagesArabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish[4]The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. The agreement is administered by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is an independent organization based in the Hague, in the Netherlands.
  The main obligation under the convention is the prohibition of use and production of chemical weapons, as well as the destruction of all chemical weapons. The destruction activities are verified by the OPCW. As of January 2013, around 78% of the (declared) stockpile of chemical weapons has thus been destroyed.[5][6] The convention also has provisions for systematic evaluation of chemical and military plants, as well as for investigations of allegations of use and production of chemical weapons based on intelligence of other state parties.
  As of June 2013, 189 states are party to the CWC, and another two countries (Israel and Myanmar) have signed but not yet ratified the convention.[1]
  Intergovernmental consideration of a chemical and biological weapons ban was initiated in 1968 within the 18-nation Disarmament Committee, which, after numerous changes of name and composition, became the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in 1984.[7] On 3 September 1992 the Conference on Disarmament submitted to the U.N. General Assembly its annual report, which contained the text of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The General Assembly approved the Convention on 30 November 1992, and The U.N. Secretary-General then opened the Convention for signature in Paris on 13 January 1993. The CWC remained open for signature until its entry into force on 29 April 1997, 180 days after the deposit of the 65th instrument of ratification (by Hungary). The convention augments the Geneva Protocol of 1925 for chemical weapons and includes extensive verification measures such as on-site inspections. It does not, however, cover biological weapons.
  Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)[edit source |edit]The convention is administered by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which acts as the legal platform for specification of the CWC provisions (the Conference of State Parties is mandated to change the CWC, pass regulations on implementation of CWC requirements etc.). The organisations furthermore conducts inspections at military and industrial plants to ensure compliance of member states.
  Key points of the Convention[edit source |edit]Prohibition of production and use of chemical weaponsDestruction (or monitored conversion to other functions) of chemical weapons production facilitiesDestruction of all chemical weapons (including chemical weapons abandoned outside the state parties territory)Assistance between State Parties and the OPCW in the case of use of chemical weaponsAn OPCW inspection regime for the production of chemicals which might be converted to chemical weaponsInternational cooperation in the peaceful use of chemistry in relevant areasParticipation in the Chemical Weapons Convention Signed and ratified
  Acceded
  Signed but not ratified
  Non-signatory
  Almost all countries in the world have joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. Currently 189 of the 196 states recognized by the United Nations are party to the CWC.[1] Of the seven states that are not, two have signed but not yet ratified the treaty (Burma and Israel) and five states have not signed the treaty (Angola, North Korea, Egypt, South Sudan and Syria).
  Key organizations of member states[edit source |edit]Member states are represented at the OPCW by their permanent representative. This function is generally combined with the function of Ambassador. For the preparation of OPCW inspections and preparation of declarations, member states have to constitute a national authority.
  World stockpile of chemical weapons[edit source |edit]The total world declared stockpile of chemical weapons was about 30,308 tons in early 2010.[8] A total of 71,315 tonnes of agents, 8.67 million munitions and containers, and 70 production facilities were declared to OPCW before destruction activities began. In addition, several countries that are not members are suspected of having chemical weapons, especially Syria and North Korea, while some member states (including Sudan and the People's Republic of China) have been accused by others of failing to disclose their stockpiles.
  Timeline of destruction[edit source |edit]The treaty set up several steps with deadlines toward complete destruction of chemical weapons, with a procedure for requesting deadline extensions. No country reached total elimination by the original treaty date although several have finished under allowed extensions.
  Reduction PhasesPhase% ReductionDeadlineNotesI1%April 2000 II20%April 2002Complete destruction of empty munitions, precursor chemicals,filling equipment and weapons systemsIII45%April 2004 IV100%April 2007No extensions permitted past April 2012Progress of destruction[edit source |edit]By May 2012, a total of 50,619 tonnes or 71.10% of declared chemical weapons (of Category 1, which is the main category) had been destroyed as well as all Category 3 declared chemicals. Category 2 remained at 52% complete. More than 45% (3.95 million) of chemical munitions and containers have been destroyed.[9] (Treaty confirmed destruction totals often lag behind state-declared totals.) Only about 50% of countries had passed the required legislation to outlaw participation in chemical weapons production.[10]
  Three state parties, Albania (included 16,678 kilograms of mustard agent, lewisite, adamsite, and chloroacetophenone),[11] an unspecified state party[11] (widely believed to be South Korea)[12] and India[12] have completed the destruction of their stockpiles. Russia and the United States, which declared the largest amounts of chemical weapons are in the progress of destruction and had processed 57% and 90% of their respective stockpiles.[6][13] The deadline set for both countries of April 2012, however, was not met.[6]Libya has started destruction and has destroyed 54.46% of its stockpile (as well as 39.64% of its Category 2 chemical weapons). Iraq has yet to start destruction. Japan and China have started in October 2010 the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China by means of mobile destruction units and reported destruction of 35,203 chemical weapons (75% of the Nanjing stockpile).[13][14]
  Expected complications with the Iraq stockpile[edit source |edit]When Iraq joined the CWC in 2009, it declared "two bunkers with filled and unfilled chemical weapons munitions, some precursors, as well as five former chemical weapons production facilities" according to OPCW Director General Rogelio Pfirter.[12] No plans were announced at that time for the destruction of the material, although it was noted that the bunkers were damaged in the 2003 war and even inspection of the site must be carefully planned. Most of Iraq's chemical weapons were previously destroyed under a United Nations reduction program after the 1991 Gulf War. Approximately five hundred degraded chemical munitions have been found in Iraq since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a report of the US National Ground Intelligence Center.[20] These weapons contained sarin and mustard agents but were so badly corroded that they could not have been used as originally intended.[21]
  Financial support for destruction[edit source |edit]Financial support for the Albanian and Libyan stockpile destruction programmes was provided by the United States. Russia received support from a number of nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Canada; some $2 billion given by 2004. Costs for Albania's program were approximately 48 million U.S. dollars. The U.S. had spent $20 billion and expected to spend a further $40 billion.[22]
  Known production facilities (of chemical weapons)[edit source |edit]Thirteen countries declared chemical weapons production facilities:
  1 non-disclosed state party (referred to as "A State Party" in OPCW-communications; said to be South Korea)[23]As of the end of March 2012, all 70 declared facilities had been deactivated and 92% (64) have been certified as destroyed or converted to civilian use.[24] In 2009, Iraq declared five production sites which were put out of commission by damage in the 1991 and 2003 wars; OPCW inspections were still required.[12]
  The convention distinguishes three classes of controlled substance,[25] chemicals which can either be used as weapons themselves or used in the manufacture of weapons. The classification is based on the quantities of the substance produced commercially for legitimate purposes. Each class is split into Part A, which are chemicals that can be used directly as weapons, and Part B which are chemicals useful in the manufacture of chemical weapons.
  Schedule 1 chemicals have few, or no uses outside of chemical weapons. These may be produced or used for research, medical, pharmaceutical or chemical weapon defence testing purposes but production above 100 grams per year must be declared to the OPCW. A country is limited to possessing a maximum of 1 tonne of these materials. Examples are mustard and nerve agents, and substances which are solely used as precursor chemicals in their manufacture. A few of these chemicals have very small scale non-military applications, for example minute quantities of nitrogen mustard are used to treat certain cancers.Schedule 2 chemicals have legitimate small-scale applications. Manufacture must be declared and there are restrictions on export to countries which are not CWC signatories. An example is thiodiglycol which can be used in the manufacture of mustard agents, but is also used as a solvent in inks.Schedule 3 chemicals have large-scale uses apart from chemical weapons. Plants which manufacture more than 30 tonnes per year must be declared and can be inspected, and there are restrictions on export to countries which are not CWC signatories. Examples of these substances are phosgene, which has been used as a chemical weapon but which is also a precursor in the manufacture of many legitimate organic compounds, and triethanolamine, used in the manufacture of nitrogen mustard but also commonly used in toiletries and detergents.The treaty also deals with carbon compounds called in the treaty Discrete organic chemicals.[26] These are any carbon compounds apart from long chain polymers, oxides, sulfides and metal carbonates, such as organophosphates. The OPCW must be informed of, and can inspect, any plant producing (or expecting to produce) more than 200 tonnes per year, or 30 tonnes if the chemical contains phosphorus, sulfur or fluorine, unless the plant solely produces explosives or hydrocarbons.
  Related international law[edit source |edit]Worldwide treaties for other types of arms[edit source |edit]Chemical weapons[edit source |edit]Restricted substances[edit source |edit]^ abcdefghUnited Nations Treaty Collection. Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction. Accessed 14 January 2009.^Chemical Weapons Convention, Article 21.^Chemical Weapons Convention, Article 23.^Chemical Weapons Convention, Article 24.^Demilitarisation, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, accessed 29 April 2012^ abcGlobal Campaign to Destroy Chemical Weapons Passes 60 Percent Mark. OPCW. 8 July 2010 (Accessed 19 August 2010)^The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, THE HARVARD SUSSEX PROGRAM ON CBW ARMAMENT AND ARMS LIMITATION^The Chemical Weapons Ban Facts and Figures, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 28 February 2010^counters are available at the lower-right corner on the [www.opcw.org OCPW website]^"The Chemical Weapons Convention at 10:An Interview With OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter", http://www.armscontrol.org/pdf/CWC2008_READERWEB.pdf, Interviewed by Oliver Meier. Accessed 29 April 2008^ abc"Review of the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention since the First Review Conference", Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Conference of the States Parties, Second Review Conference, 31 March 2008, available at [1]^ abcdeIndia Completes Chemical Weapons Disposal; Iraq Declares Stockpile, Chris Schneidmiller, Global Security Newswire, 27 April 2009^ abcd"Opening Statement by the Director-General to the Conference of the States Parties at its Sixteenth Session". OPCW. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2012. ^Executive Council 61, Decision 1. OPCW. 2010^Albania '' First Country to Destroy All of Its Chemical Weapons, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/88378.htm, U.S. Department of State, 13 July 2007^"Global Chemical Weapons Disarmament Operations Approach Halfway Mark", Global Security Newswire, National Journal Group, 20 February 2009^http://www.opcw.org/news/article/libya-completes-destruction-of-its-bulk-sulfur-mustard-stockpile/^ ab"Libya: Facts and Figures". Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Retrieved 8 December 2012. ^http://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/CSP/RC-3/national-statements/rc3nat20__e_.pdf^Hundreds of chemical weapons found in Iraq : US intelligence, breitbart.com, 21 June 2006^Munitions Found in Iraq Meet WMD Criteria, Military.com, report filed by American Forces Press Service, 29 June 2006^"Russia, U.S. face challenge on chemical weapons", Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters, 7 August 2007, accessed 7 August 2007^"Confidentiality and verification: the IAEA and OPCW". VERTIC. May''June 2004. Retrieved 2012-12-03. ^43 facilities were destroyed while 21 were converted for civilian purposes Chemical Weapons Production Facilities^Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty: Annex on chemicals^Chemical weapons at Chemlink.comChemical Weapons Convention Website, United StatesChemical Weapons Convention Website, SingaporeChemical Weapons Convention: Full TextChemical Weapons Convention: Ratifying CountriesAnnex on Chemicals, describing the schedules and the substances on them, OPCW websiteThe Chemical Weapons Convention at a Glance, Arms Control AssociationChemical Warfare Chemicals and Precursors, Chemlink Pty Ltd, AustraliaIntroductory note by Michael Bothe, procedural history note and audiovisual material on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction in the Historic Archives of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International LawLecture by Santiago O±ate Laborde entiteld The Chemical Weapons Convention: an Overview in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
VIDEO-Carney Can't Explain Why 'Regime Change' Isn't Option In Syria
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 20:18
  Carney Can't Explain Why 'Regime Change' Isn't Option In SyriaPress Secretary Jay Carney could only repeat that it is "not our policy" to respond to the heinous chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime last week with a change in power. Carney said that the only solution is a "political transition" of power in Syria.27 Aug 2013, 12:37 PM PDTpost a comment27 Aug 2013, 9:58 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 9:41 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 9:19 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 9:05 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 8:30 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:45 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:28 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:10 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 11:56 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 11:18 AM PDT27 Aug 2013, 1:00 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:56 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:53 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:52 PM PDT27 Aug 2013, 12:52 PM PDT
Miley Cyrus' Twerktastic 'VMA' Performance Tops Weekly Ratings - Deadline.com
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 19:53
  Memo to anyone who has suggested heads will roll at MTVover Miley Cyrus' exuberant twerking of teddy bear and Robin Thicke at Sunday's VMAs: The VMAs clobbered all competition for the week, with a 5.2 rating in the key 18-49 demo. The closest thing to actual competition faced by Cyrus and her Fantastic Foam Finger '-- who continued to be a hot topic among morning infotainment programs two days later '-- was the Robertson clan on A&E's Duck Dynasty. It clocked a 4.5 rating. NBC's Sunday Night Football, though tops among broadcasters, trailed far behind with a 2.7 rating.
  Among all viewers, CBS' Under The Dome reigned, despite the Time Warner Cable blackout in three of the country's Top 5 markets, with 10.639 million viewers. That said, Dome didn't beat Duck Dynasty by much (10.07 million).
  More to come'....
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iRedAdmin-Pro does not release emails from quarantine? '-- iRedAdmin-Pro Support '-- iRedMail
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:56
  ==== Provide required information ====- iRedMail version:- Store mail accounts in which backend (LDAP/MySQL/PGSQL):- Linux/BSD distribution name and version:- Any related log? Log is helpful for troubleshooting.====Hi All
  I am running iRedAdmin-Pro v1.3.1 (MySQL) on top of Linux. Everything looks fine, the emails are sent and received, it's my production server so many mails are processed daily.
  What is not working as expected is the release process in the quarantine section. When I delete the emails, they are deleted and not sent to the users but when I say "ok release them" the emails are not sent to the email box. They just disappear
  The emails that are affected are:
  case 1) the user is receiving an email in the email box managed by iredmail, and the email is put into the quarantine sectioncase 2) iredmail is used as smtp server also for email boxes that are not managed by iredmail. For example the iredmail is managing the domain mydomain.com while the users have email addresses such as john@anotherdomain.com. Considering that the user is using my smtp (and I am permitting that because those users are in my network) then those emails are put in quarantine but lost as well.
  Where should I look and what should I check?
  Thank you
Responding to Gmail Tabs | StrongView
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:27
  The recent rollout of default tabs in Gmail inboxes has caused lots of concern and a flurry of industry activity, all aimed at understanding the impact on email performance. My colleagueSean Wirt first reported this developmenton this blog back in May. Since then, our clients at StrongView have seen mixed results, and we've been working fast to help. Specifically, we've been taking a very basic yet extremely effective two-step approach.
  Step 1: Quantify the Effect
  Before we fire, we should aim.
  As I mentioned before, lots of industry news has come out, claiming anywhere from 3% to 30% drops in open rates after Gmail Tabs were rolled out. What's important, however, is the effect on your business.
  Identify the segment of your recipients with a Gmail address. (We're seeing an average of about 20% of lists with gmail.com addresses.) Of those, what has the open rate been since the middle of July? What was it before then? Is there a huge difference? Be sure to consider things like varying email volumes and other factors (e.g. transactional vs. batch email, day of the week, etc.).
  Also, take a close look at your click-through rates and click-to-open rates during that period of time. If you're seeing significant drops in these as well, that should be a red flag that your emails are not driving the engagement they once did.
  If you have access to the data, you should also look at when opens are occurring relative to when the email was delivered. An extended mean-time may indicate that your subscribers are now seeing your emails in the Promotions tab. If urgency is important to your brand, this could be a problem for you.
  If everything looks the same, stay vigilant. It may take a few weeks for trends to appear with this segment, and new Gmail subscribers should be considered carefully as they enter.
  Step 2: Act
  So what can you do to help you brand protect itself or recover from negative effects due to the new tabbed inbox?
  Tell Your Customers to Move You to the Primary Tab
  One way to stay out of the Promotions tab is to have your customers move you into the Primary tab. You could dynamically populate the pre-header of your email to instruct Gmail users to move your email to the Primary tab, replacing the typical ''add us to your address book'' or ''view this email in a web browser'' message. You could also send a separate email to Gmail subscribers, explaining how to make the change.
  Make Extra Effort to Stand Out in the Inbox
  If your emails are in the Promotions tab, they are now competing for attention from other promotions from other brands. That's a tough situation to be in.
  There are many ways to stand out in a crowded promotional inbox. You can use icons and other attention getting words or sentence structures in your subject line (sparingly, of course). You can vary your subject lines so much from one email to the next that it draws attention simply by the difference. There are many things you can try, as I previously recommended in this ClickZ article. Just pick a tactic and test it.
  Refocus on a Cross-Channel Approach
  Gmail Tabs are just the most recent and largest scale manifestation of the ongoing inbox foldering trend we've seen from email clients. The fact is that email consumption is changing '-- no longer do emails arrive in a dumb inbox where users must filter them; now the inbox uses past interaction data to decide where emails go.
  Bottom line: you don't want to rely on email alone to drive your business forward. Email isn't dying, but shifts in consumption like Gmail Tabs are simply too dangerous if your revenue is entirely dependent on email.
  It's time to think cross-channel. How can you leverage mobile apps, SMS, display and other channels to reach the same audience? How can you move between these channels seamlessly so you're not susceptible to changes in any one? This strategy will become even more important as more email clients follow Gmail's lead and begin automatically filtering incoming email.
  Finally, Be Important to Your Recipients
  This should go without being said, but the best thing you can do long-term is to be important and relevant to your subscribers. If you're valuable to them, they will make sure they get your message, no matter where it lands.
Proactive Deliverability Expertise & Tools | StrongView
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:25
  Get to the inbox with StrongDelivery ToolsStrongView's Inbox Monitoring, Message Rendering, Mailbox Analysis and Blacklist Monitoring tools provide you with the insight required to actively manage your deliverability to maximize inbox placement and safeguard your brand (and sender) reputation. Our easy to use solution features comprehensive deliverability and design dashboards that provide a valuable snapshot of your mailing data and template review status. Quickly measure your performance with real-time trending reports, including benchmark deliverability data that extends to the individual ISP level. Plus, effectively manage and track the design review process for all email and landing pages.
Email Marketing and Cross-Channel Marketing Solutions | StrongView
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:23
  Email Marketing and Cross-Channel Marketing Solutions | StrongViewStrongMail isNow StrongViewGain a stronger view of your customerand how to engage them.Watch Video
  ActionThrough InsightTrue one-to-one communicationstarts with gaining customerinsight across channels.
  SaaS orOn PremiseEither way, our dedicated platformlets you reach your goals withoutthe risks of shared systems.
  Cross-ChannelLifecycleMarketingEasily create multi-step, multi-channelprograms with drag-and-drop simplicity.
  Latest NewsStrongMail is Now StrongView
  Live Webinar Learn How the "V.I.P." Approach Delivers Stronger Email Marketing Results
  Top Tip #10Use the Customer Buying Cycle to Get More Relevant
  You Need to Reach IndividualsStrongView uses insight to send the right offer, to the rightperson, on the right channel, at the right time.
Fukushima in freefall: radioactive water filters taken offline, Tepco in desperation as leaks just won't stop
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:18
  (NaturalNews) After a 29-month cover-up, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) is now calling for international help and has all but admitted Fukushima's radiation leaks are spiraling out of control. In addition to the leaking water storage units that are unleashing hundreds of tons of radioactive water each day, Tepco now says 50% of its contaminated water filtration capability has been taken offline due to corrosion.The result is that radiation leaks are escalating out of control and attempted remediation efforts are faltering. This is in addition to the fact the Japanese government's attempted brainwashing propaganda campaign has also been exposed. It attempted to convince people that if they drank beer or smiled, they would be immune to radiation poisoning. (Yes, this is how desperate they've become...)
  From day one, the Fukushima fiasco has been all about denial: Deny the leaks, shut off the radiation sensors, black out the news and fudge the science. Yet more than two years later, the denials are colliding with the laws of physics, and Tepco's cover stories are increasingly being blown wide open.
  As Businessweek.com now reports, Japan seems to have no practical interest in solving this problem:
  Russia's nuclear company, Rosatom, of which Rosenergoatom is a unit, sent Japan a 5 kilogram (11 pound) sample of an absorbent that could be used at Fukushima almost three years ago, Asmolov said. It also formed working groups ready to help Japan on health effect assessment, decontamination, and fuel management, among others, Asmolov said. The assistance was never used, he said.
  That's because for Tepco to welcome any assistance, it would first have to admit it has a problem. And that's unacceptable in a business culture where egos run rampant and the idea of taking responsibility for your actions is considered abhorrent.
  To save their own careers, Tepco experts would gladly sacrifice the health of millions of Japanese citizens.
  The problem with denial in the face of a world-class radiation disaster is that sooner or later the body bags start to pile up. Now, 74 people from 27 families are filing suit in the Osaka District Court, seeking 15 million Yen each for psychological and physical damage. (And they are the lucky ones who are still living.)As Japan Times reports:
  The group will argue that Tepco should have taken stronger measures to protect the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant from earthquakes and tsunami after the government's Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion warned in 2002 that there was a 20 percent chance of a magnitude 8 or so quake occurring in the Japan Trench in the Pacific Ocean within 30 years.
  Part of the Fukushima denial was the claim that fish were somehow not being irradiated by the numerous leaks of highly radioactive water. This cover-up was further enforced by lifting a fishing ban that had been announced in the days following the original Fukushima meltdown event in 2011.Now that fishing ban has been reinstated. Australian reporter Mark Willacy visited the fishermen to get their reaction to the news, and what he reported sounds right in line with what we're seeing, too:
  [The fishermen] are very angry. They've obviously believed that Tepco has been lying to them for weeks, if not months. You know, they seem to suggest that that the cover-ups get worse... They believe Tepco's probably sitting on more secrets that they don't want anyone to know about. So there's a feeling that Tepco just cannot be trusted and that these fisherman probably don't really feel like they have a future anymore.
  Tepco lying? Say it isn't so!
  In desperation, Tepco is now trying to figure out how to stop thousands of tons of radioactive water from leaking into groundwater supplies (and ultimately into the ocean).Those ideas, according to CTV News in Canada, include things like "freezing" the soil around the leak, creating an underground ice barrier that would require ongoing freezing, presumably for hundreds of thousands of years. You'd probably need to build another nuclear power plant to power the freeze cores, come to think of it.
  Another idea, put forth by Arnie Gundersen, arguably the most sane observer in all this, involves digging a 2-meter-wide trench all the way down to bedrock, then filling the trench with zeolites which scientists now reluctantly admit trap radioactive isotopes. Note carefully that when people talk about consuming zeolites as a detox liquid, many modern-day doctors call it "quackery." But when push comes to shove, even they have to admit zeolites absorb radioactive elements. (You can't argue with the laws of physics. Zeolites work!)
  Tepco "...does not directly answer to any regulatory bodies, including the country's nuclear watchdog," reports CTV. Sounds a lot like Big Pharma and the FDA, doesn't it? Industry is running the regulators.Gunderson goes on to explain in that same CTV article:
  The Japanese government under Abe doesn't want to admit (to the cost) because they are trying to restart a nuclear energy program and the last thing they need to do is tell the Japanese people that 'oh by the way, you're on the hook for another half trillion dollars.'
  The article goes on to reveal something rather startling:
  Some experts believe some of the radioactive material from the damaged core has moved into the earth. The recent spike in radiation levels in the water may therefore be coming from groundwater coming into contact with the melted cores.
  Finally acknowledging over two years of utter bureaucratic failure and delusional propaganda, the Japanese government is now taking over the Fukushima cleanup effort. Today, Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told the international press, "We've allowed Tokyo Electric to deal with the contaminated water situation on its own and they've essentially turned it into a game of 'Whack-a-Mole,'" reports Business WeekWhat's wrong with Whack-a-Mole? It's the wrong game, of course, Tepco would prefer we all played Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) instead so that everyone hops around like maniacs to avoid all the radiation.
  Or better yet, how about the game of Hide-and-Seek? Where did all the radiation go? It's hiding! Oh, that's so much better, thank you!
  "From now on, the government will move to the forefront," uttered Motegi, not realizing he was paraphrasing the anti-government derogatory phrase used in the USA: "We're from the government, and we're here to help."
  Because when industry reaches a point of total bureaucratic failure resulting in a global disaster that threatens all life on the planet, everybody knows the obvious solution is to put the government in charge!
  The government, you see, can simply pass a new law that says radiation is no longer considered dangerous. In an instant, the entire problem is solved and Japan saves hundreds of billions of dollars in cleanup costs. After all, if Obama can declare America's jobs disaster to be a "success," and if doctors can declare methyl mercury injected into children a "vaccine treatment," then why not allow the Japanese government to declare Fukushima solved?
  Better yet, Japan should turn Fukushima into a cancer radiotherapy clinic where Americans can receive "radiation treatments" for cancer, because we all know that radiation prevents cancer, right? That's what the cancer clinics tell us, anyway.
  Fukushima can become the world's newest medical tourism hot spot for cancer patients. Walk in with cancer and you'll walk out with so many other symptoms that you won't even notice the cancer anymore! That's the miracle of modern medical science. Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, of course.
  "We have to stop calling these events nuclear disasters," I'd imagine a Japanese government official uttering any day now. "They are actually nuclear opportunities for job creation," he'll probably explain.
  Sources for this article include:http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/26/national/more-fukushima-e...
  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-08-25/russia-offers-to-help-cle...
  http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3833333.htm
  http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/japan-s-fukushima-nuclear-plant-leaks-...
  About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the founder of a well known HTML email software company whose 'Email Marketing Director' software currently runs the NaturalNews subscription database. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Radioactive Bluefin Tuna Caught Off California Coast | Liberals Unite
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:08
  Every bluefin tuna tested in the waters off California has shown to be contaminated with radiation that originated in Fukushima. Every single one.
  Over a year ago, in May of 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported on a Stanford University study. Daniel Madigan, a marine ecologist who led the study, was quoted as saying, ''The tuna packaged it up (the radiation) and brought it across the world's largest ocean. We were definitely surprised to see it at all and even more surprised to see it in every one we measured.''
  Another member of the study group, Marine biologist Nicholas Fisher at Stony Brook University in New York State reported, ''We found that absolutely every one of them had comparable concentrations of cesium 134 and cesium 137.''
  That was over a year ago. The fish that were tested had relatively little exposure to the radioactive waste being dumped into the ocean following the nuclear melt-through that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March of 2011. Since that time, the flow of radioactive contaminants dumping into the ocean has continued unabated. Fish arriving at this juncture have been swimming in contaminants for all of their lives.
  Radioactive cesium doesn't sink to the sea floor, so fish swim through it and ingest it through their gills or by eating organisms that have already ingested it. It is a compound that does occur naturally in nature, however, the levels of cesium found in the tuna in 2012 had levels 3 percent higher than is usual. Measurements for this year haven't been made available, or at least none that I have been able to find. I went looking for the effects of ingesting cesium. This is what I found:
  When contact with radioactive cesium occurs, which is highly unlikely, a person can experience cell damage due to radiation of the cesium particles. Due to this, effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding may occur. When the exposure lasts a long time, people may even lose consciousness. Coma or even death may then follow. How serious the effects are depends upon the resistance of individual persons and the duration of exposure and the concentration a person is exposed to.
  The half life of cesium 134 is 2.0652 years. For cesium 137, the half life is 30.17 years.
  The Fukushima disaster is an ongoing battle with no signs that humans are gaining the upper hand. The only good news to come out of Japan has later been proven to be false and was nothing more than attempts by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to mislead the public and lull them into a sense of security while the company searched vainly for ways to contain the accident. This incident makes Three Mile Island and Chernobyl pale in comparison. Those were nuclear meltdowns. A nuclear melt-through poses a much more serious problem and is one that modern technology doesn't have the tools to address. Two and a half years later and the contaminants are still flowing into the ocean and will continue to for the foreseeable future.
  The FDA assures us that our food supply is safe, that the levels of radiation found in fish samples are within safe limits for consumption. But one has to question if this is true and, if it is true now, will it remain true? Is this, like the statements issued from TEPCO, another attempt to quell a public backlash in the face of an unprecedented event that, as yet, has no solution and no end in sight?
  As for me, fish is off the menu.
Obama's 'outside experts' for NSA review are former intel and White House staffers
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  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:43
  Outside experts, you say? (SAUL LOEB / Getty Images)
  ABC reports that the Obama administration's surveillance review panel will include former intelligence and White House staffers, including Michael Morell, Richard Clarke, Cass Sunstein and Peter Swire. An official announcement of the members of the panel is expected soon.
  The review panel was first announced in a White House press conference on Aug. 9, when Obama said the administration would form ''a high-level group of outside experts to review our entire intelligence and communications technologies.''
  Privacy advocates aren't happy with the composition of the group revealed so far. Some privacy groups believe that the White House will insist on all members having top secret clearances, effectively barring most independent privacy watchdogs from consideration for the panel.
  Amie Stepanovich, director of the domestic surveillance project at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) found the choices reported by ABC troubling:
  An independent evaluation of the NSA's surveillance programs is needed. But a worthwhile review requires an independent team of evaluators. We continue to learn how each of the oversight mechanisms that the Administration has pointed to have continuously failed. The background of this panel indicates that it, too, is unlikely to be meaningful or effective.
  Michael Morell was a career intelligence officer, serving in the CIA for 33 years. He retired from his position as deputy director of the CIA earlier this year after serving two stints as the agency's acting head during President Obama's tenure.
  Sunstein and and Swire are both former Obama administration White House staffers. Cass Sunstein left his position as the administrator of the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in 2012, while Swire served on the Obama-Biden Transition team and as special assistant to president Obama for economic policy. Swire currently teaches at the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech. He previously worked in the Clinton White House where he chaired a working group on how to update wiretap laws for the Internet and has a high profile in privacy policy circles.
  Richard Clarke is a former national coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism for the United States. He worked for the State Department during the Reagan administration and served on the National Security Council during the presidencies of George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush. Clarke also endorsed then-Sen. Obama's presidential campaign in 2007.
  It's not known if the ABC list represents the full panel, or if additional names will be added in the future. The White House declined to comment on the makeup of the panel.
Cass Sunstein's New Presidential Appointment Is Almost Hard to Believe'...Especially Considering a Paper He Once Wrote | TheBlaze.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:43
  President Barack Obama named his controversial former regulatory czar '' who as an academic advocated government infiltration of conspiracy theorists '' to serve on the NSA oversight panel.
  Cass Sunstein, former Director of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. (Source: AP)
  Cass Sunstein, who served as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs throughout most of the Obama's first term, advocated numerous policies as an academic '' including the government infiltrating conspiracy theorist groups by joining ''chat rooms, online social networks and real space groups,'' in a 2008 paper he co-wrote at Harvard, as recently reported by The Washington Post.
  ''Those who subscribe to conspiracy theories may create serious risks, including risks of violence, and the existence of such theories raises significant challenges for policy and law,'' the 2008 paper said.
  ''The first challenge is to understand the mechanisms by which conspiracy theories prosper; the second challenge is to understand how such theories might be undermined.'' It continues, ''Because those who hold conspiracy theories typically suffer from a crippled epistemology, in accordance with which it is rational to hold such theories, the best response consists in cognitive infiltration of extremist groups. Various policy dilemmas, such as the question whether it is better for government to rebut conspiracy theories or to ignore them, are explored in this light.''
  The website ZeroHedge.com went so far as to ask if Sunstein is ''America's Goebbels?''
  The National Security Agency oversight panel is mostly made up of national security experts such as former Central Intelligence Agency Acting Director Michael Morell and former White House anti-terrorism official Richard Clarke.
  In another controversial stance, Sunstein advocated in a 2003 paper titled ''Lives, Life-Years, and Willingness to Pay'' for the University of Chicago that the government assign a higher monetary value to the lives of young people than to senior citizens with regards to health care spending. That's a position he backed away from during testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in June 2011.
  ''I'm a lot older now than the author with my name was, and I'm not sure what I think about what that young man wrote,'' Sunstein, 56, told the House committee when asked if he would apply that view to the Independent Payment Advisory Board. ''Things written as an academic are not a legitimate part of what we do as a government official. So I am not focusing on sentences that a young Cass Sunstein wrote years ago. So the answer is no.''
  The 2008 book ''Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness'' that Sunstein wrote with co-author Richard H. Thaler, argued for the government policy of ''presumed consent'' for organ donations. ''Presumed consent preserves freedom of choice, but it is different from explicit consent because it shifts the default rule. Under this policy, all citizens would be presumed to be consenting donors, but they would have the opportunity to register their unwillingness to donate.''
  Sunstein is the husband of newly named ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power.
  ''
Penguin 2.0 rolled out today
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:31
  We started rolling out the next generation of the Penguin webspam algorithm this afternoon (May 22, 2013), and the rollout is now complete. About 2.3% of English-US queries are affected to the degree that a regular user might notice. The change has also finished rolling out for other languages world-wide. The scope of Penguin varies by language, e.g. languages with more webspam will see more impact.
  This is the fourth Penguin-related launch Google has done, but because this is an updated algorithm (not just a data refresh), we've been referring to this change as Penguin 2.0 internally. For more information on what SEOs should expect in the coming months, see the video that we recently released.
  Added: If there are spam sites that you'd like to report after Penguin, we made a special spam report form at http://bit.ly/penguinspamreport . Tell us about spam sites you see and we'll check it out.
SNow in Brazil-Onda de Frio no Brasil - Eventos - UOL Not­cias
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:26
  Onda de Frio no Brasil - Eventos - UOL Not­ciasOnda de frio no BrasilOnda de frio no BrasilInformacoes sobre o albumeditoria: "esporte"galeria:link:totalImagens: 200fotoInicial: 1imagePath:baixaResolucao: 0ordem: ASClegendaPos:timestamp: 20100924183801Fotos
  26.ago.2013 - S£o Joaquim (SC) registrou neve pela quarta vez em um ano na noite desta segunda-feira (26)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  26.ago.2013 - S£o Joaquim (SC) registrou neve pela quarta vez em um ano na noite desta segunda-feira (26)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  26.ago.2013 - S£o Joaquim (SC) registrou neve pela quarta vez em um ano na noite desta segunda-feira (26)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  26.ago.2013 - S£o Joaquim (SC) registrou neve pela quarta vez em um ano na noite desta segunda-feira (26)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  26.ago.2013 - S£o Joaquim (SC) registrou neve pela quarta vez em um ano na noite desta segunda-feira (26)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  27.ago.2013 - Vegeta§£o fica coberta de neve em S£o Joaquim (SC) na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  27.ago.2013 - Vegeta§£o fica coberta de neve em S£o Joaquim (SC) na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27)Dionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  27.ago.2013 - Pra§a central de Canela (RS) registra neve na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaReprodu§£o/Facebook/Gramado e CanelaMais
  27.ago.2013 - Queda de neve (C) registrada em S£o Francisco de Paula (RS) na madrugada desta ter§a-feira (27). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaReprodu§£o/Facebook/Prefeitura de S£o Francisco de PaulaMais
  26.ago.2013 - Moradores de Caxias do Sul (RS) fazem boneco de neve na noite de segunda-feira (26). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaPorthos Junior/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.ago.2013 - Neve (C) registrada em S£o Jos(C) dos Ausentes (RS) na noite de segunda-feira (26). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaDaniela Xu/Agencia RBSMais
  27.ago.2013 - Neve (C) registrada em Gramado (RS) na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaDivulga§£o/Brigada Militar do RSMais
  27.ago.2013 - Neve (C) registrada em Gramado (RS) na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaDivulga§£o/Brigada Militar do RSMais
  26.ago.2013 - Neve e uma temperatura de 1ºC s£o registrados em Caxias do Sul (RS) na noite de segunda-feira (26). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaPorthus Junior/Agencia RBSMais
  27.ago.2013 - Queda de neve (C) registrada em Caxias do Sul (RS) na madrugada desta ter§a-feira (27). Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaLuca Erbes/Futura PressMais
  27.ago.2013 - Homem faz boneco de neve na noite desta segunda-feira (26) em Caxias do Sul (RS). A primeira morte em decorrªncia das fortes chuvas que atingem o Estado desde o final de semana foi registrada na tarde de segunda. Vrios munic­pios da serra gaºcha registraram neve na noite desta segunda-feira, de acordo com a Somar MeteorologiaDiogo Sallaberry/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.ago.2013 - Os moradores de Caxias do Sul, no Rio Grande do Sul, foram surpreendidos por queda de neve na cidade, na noite desta segunda-feira (26). Al(C)m do munic­pio, tamb(C)m foi registrado neve em Gramado, Canela, Arvorezinha, S£o Francisco de Paula e Farroupilha. O fen´meno deve se intensificar na manh£ desta ter§a-feira (27)Luca Erbes/Futura PressMais
  15.ago.2013 - Santa Maria, regi£o central do Rio Grande do Sul, amanheceu com forte neblina e forma§£o de geada, nesta quinta-feira (15). Por volta das 9h, os term´metros marcavam 6,3ºC no munic­pio. Ao amanhecer, todas as cidades do Estado registravam temperaturas abaixo de 10ºCClaudio Vaz/Agªncia RBSMais
  15.ago.2013 - Santa Maria, regi£o central do Rio Grande do Sul, amanheceu com forte neblina e forma§£o de geada, nesta quinta-feira (15). Por volta das 9h, os term´metros marcavam 6,3ºC no munic­pio. Ao amanhecer, todas as cidades do Estado registravam temperaturas abaixo de 10ºCClaudio Vaz/Agªncia RBSMais
  15.ago.2013 - Pedestre enfrenta frio e chuva na avenida Vereador Jos(C) Diniz, no bairro do Campo Belo, zona sul de S£o Paulo, na manh£ desta quinta-feira (15)Renato S. Cerqueira/Futura PressMais
  15.ago.2013 - Pedestres enfrentam forte frio na manh£ desta quinta-feira (15) no centro de Florian"polis (SC)Felipe Carneiro/Futura PressMais
  15.ago.2013 - Neblina encobre igreja em Caxias do Sul (RS) em manh£ de forte frio nesta quinta-feira (15)Luca Erbes/Futura PressMais
  15.ago.2013 - Pedestre enfrenta forte frio na manh£ desta quinta-feira (15) na avenida Ibirapuera, zona sul de S£o PauloRenato S. Cerqueira/Futura PressMais
  14.ago.2013 - Homem observa os flocos de neve que voltaram a cair sobre a cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, nesta quarta-feira (13). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoEduarda Kuquertt/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoWagner Urbano/On JackMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoWagner Urbano/On JackMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoWagner Urbano/On JackMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoWagner Urbano/On JackMais
  14.ago.2013 - Geada modifica paisagem em Urubici (SC) nesta quarta-feira (14). Em S£o Joaquim, na Serra de Santa Catarina, a neve caiu por cerca de 20 minutos pela manh£Alvarelio Kurossu/Agªncia RBSMais
  14.ago.2013 - Urubici (SC) amanheceu nesta quarta-feira (14) com os campos cobertos de geloAlvarelio Kurossu/Agªncia RBSMais
  14.ago.2013 - Turistas enfrentam chuva e frio na cidade de Gramado (RS), nesta quarta-feira (14), para prestigiar o Festival de Cinema de GramadoCau Guebo/Futura PressMais
  Transeuntes se protegem do frio e chuva na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14), em Caxias do Sul (RS), com temperatura de 6ºCLuca Erbes/Futura PressMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoDionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoDionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  14.ago.2013 - A cidade de S£o Joaquim, em Santa Catarina, voltou a registrar neve na manh£ desta quarta-feira (14). A queda de neve, que come§ou por volta das 7h05, durou cerca de 20 minutos. Os term´metros chegaram a marcar -0,1°C. Esta (C) a terceira vez que neva na cidade da serra catarinense neste anoDionata Costa/S£o Joaquim OnlineMais
  11.ago.2013 - Temperatura pr"xima de 0ºC provoca a forma§£o de geada em alguns pontos da cidade de Sant'Ana do Livramento, no Rio Grande do Sul, neste domingo (11)Fabian Ribeiro/Futura PressMais
  31.jul.2013 - A queda das temperaturas durante o inverno trouxe mudan§as na rotina e na alimenta§£o dos animais do Jardim Zool"gico do Rio de Janeiro. Assim que o term´metro marca 20ºC, os t(C)cnicos do parque passam a oferecer um cardpio mais variado aos bichos, como sopas de ervilha e de legumes e cremes de milho e de espinafre. O Zoo tamb(C)m colocou cobertores e aquecedores nos recintos dos r(C)pteis e mantas nos dos mam­feros, al(C)m de podar rvores para facilitar maior entrada de sol nos espa§os dos animais. Acima, a chimpanz(C) Yoko toma creme de milho na canecaDivulga§£oMais
  29.jul.2013 - Luiz Gustavo Knechtel mostrou a Serra do Rio do Rastro, em Lauro Muller (SC), coberta pelo gelo no dia 24Luiz Gustavo Knechtel/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - As temperaturas se mantiveram baixas em Monte Verde (MG) durante o fim de semana. O internauta Sidnei Macedo mostra a geada cobrindo a paisagemSidnei Macedo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - As temperaturas se mantiveram abaixo de zero em Monte Verde (MG) durante o fim de semana, mostra o internauta Sidnei MacedoSidnei Macedo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Antonio Teixeira mostra que o Rio de Janeiro n£o vive s" dias quentes. Em Nova Friburgo, na regi£o serrana do Estado, o term´metro marcou o frio de 0ºCAntonio Teixeira /Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Nelza Zadorosny caminha pela rua Nereu Ramos, no centro de Itai"polis (SC), coberta pela neveNelza ZadorosnyMais
  29.jul.2013 - Mrcia Francine Broietti mostra que o a paisagem verde de Guarapuava (PR) deu lugar neve no dia 22 de julho. "Natureza linda, poderosa, surpreendente, indescrit­vel!", descreveu a internautaMrcia Francine Broietti/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Mrcia Francine Broietti mostra que o a paisagem verde de Guarapuava (PR) deu lugar neve no dia 22 de julho. "Natureza linda, poderosa, surpreendente, indescrit­vel!", descreveu a internautaMrcia Francine Broietti/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Mrcia Francine Broietti mostra que o a paisagem verde de Guarapuava (PR) deu lugar neve no dia 22 de julho. "Natureza linda, poderosa, surpreendente, indescrit­vel!", descreveu a internautaMrcia Francine Broietti/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Mrcia Francine Broietti mostra que o a paisagem verde de Guarapuava (PR) deu lugar neve no dia 22 de julho. "Natureza linda, poderosa, surpreendente, indescrit­vel!", descreveu a internautaMrcia Francine Broietti/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Mrcia Francine Broietti mostra que o a paisagem verde de Guarapuava (PR) deu lugar neve no dia 22 de julho. "Natureza linda, poderosa, surpreendente, indescrit­vel!", descreveu a internautaMrcia Francine Broietti/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek levou a sobrinha de seis meses para ver a neve em Papanduva (SC) no dia 24 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O casaco de Carolina Volkmann mostra que a neve que caiu em Canoinhas (SC) na semana passada foi forteCarolina VolkmannMais
  29.jul.2013 - Carlos Eduardo Tossin fez bela imagem do Parque do Lago, em Guarapuava (PR), durante a onda de frio que fez nevar em mais de cem cidades brasileiras na semana passadaCarlos Eduardo Tossin/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O analista ambientalista Carlos Ribeiro e o t(C)cnico administrativo Hip"lito Barbosa foram fotografados em frente Capela Nossa Senhora de Ftima, na Floresta Nacional de Trªs Barras (SC), que ficou coberta pela neve no ºltimo dia 23Artur Battisti/ICMBio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Franca (SP) amanheceu em meio forte neblina no dia 24 de julho, mostra imagem da pra§a Carlos Pacheco feita pelo internauta Mrcio Luis CesrioMrcio Luis Cesrio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A internauta Joice Gmach Bandeira enviou imagens da neve cobrindo a paisagem de Papanduva (SC) entre os dias 22 e 23 de julhoJoice Gmach Bandeira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A internauta Joice Gmach Bandeira enviou imagens da neve cobrindo a paisagem de Papanduva (SC) entre os dias 22 e 23 de julhoJoice Gmach Bandeira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A internauta Joice Gmach Bandeira fotografou seu cachorro brincando no quintal coberto de neve durante a onda de frio que atingiu Papanduva (SC) entre os dias 22 e 23Joice Gmach Bandeira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - Amadeu Jo£o Inocªncio posou com um boneco de neve no acostamento da BR 116, no caminho entre Lages e Mafra, em Santa Catarina, no dia 23Amadeu Jo£o Inocªncio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A frio em Papanduva (SC) foi t£o intenso na semana passada, que um boneco de neve resistiu quatro dias debaixo do sol no jardim em frente ao F"rum de Justi§a da cidade, mostra Anderson Martins dos SantosAnderson Martins dos Santos/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A neve come§ou a cair em Papanduva (SC) na noite do dia 22, por volta das 21h, e s" terminou depois de mais de seis horas, relata Anderson Martins dos Santos. O internauta fez vrias fotos da cidade nesse per­odo, como o das filhas gªmeas brincando no quintal de casaAnderson Martins dos Santos/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - A neve come§ou a cair em Papanduva (SC) na noite do dia 22, por volta das 21h, e s" terminou depois de mais de seis horas, relata Anderson Martins dos Santos. O internauta fez vrias fotos da cidade, do F"rum, do quintal de casa e da pra§a central nesse per­odoAnderson Martins dos Santos/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Audemir Moura Holpert registrou a neve e a geada que cobriram a cidade de S£o Bonifcio (PR) entre os dias 23 e 24Audemir Moura Holpert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Audemir Moura Holpert registrou a neve e a geada que cobriram a cidade de S£o Bonifcio (PR) entre os dias 23 e 24Audemir Moura Holpert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Audemir Moura Holpert registrou a neve e a geada que cobriram a cidade de S£o Bonifcio (PR) entre os dias 23 e 24Audemir Moura Holpert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Audemir Moura Holpert registrou a neve e a geada que cobriram a cidade de S£o Bonifcio (PR) entre os dias 23 e 24Audemir Moura Holpert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  29.jul.2013 - O internauta Audemir Moura Holpert registrou a neve e a geada que cobriram a cidade de S£o Bonifcio (PR) entre os dias 23 e 24Audemir Moura Holpert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta John Ariel Olsen de Ca§ador (SC) registrou imagens da geada na cidade em 24 de julhoJohn Ariel Olsen/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta John Ariel Olsen de Ca§ador (SC) registrou imagens da geada na cidade em 24 de julhoJohn Ariel Olsen/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Fotos tiradas por Maria Cludia Verdan Cisz mostram a neve cobrindo a cidade de Trªs Barras (SC) no dia 23 de JulhoMaria Cludia Verdan Cisz/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Fotos tiradas por Maria Cludia Verdan Cisz mostram a neve cobrindo a cidade de Trªs Barras (SC) no dia 23 de JulhoMaria Cludia Verdan Cisz/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Fotos tiradas por Maria Cludia Verdan Cisz mostram a neve cobrindo a cidade de Trªs Barras (SC) no dia 23 de JulhoMaria Cludia Verdan Cisz/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Fotos tiradas por Maria Cludia Verdan Cisz mostram a neve cobrindo a cidade de Trªs Barras (SC) no dia 23 de JulhoMaria Cludia Verdan Cisz/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Nelson Yoshinori Hamasaki mostra neve em Canoinhas (SC)Nelson Yoshinori Hamasaki/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Valdinei A. Reis mandou fotos da neve em S£o Mateus do Sul (PR)Valdinei A. Reis/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Vinicius Oliveira A. Reis e Bianca Maria C. Oliveira mostram neve em S£o Mateus do Sul (PR)Valdinei A. Reis/Bianca Maria C. Oliveira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Valdinei A. Reis e Orelio Moreira dos Santos mostram neve em S£o Mateus do Sul (PR)Valdinei A. Reis/Orelio Moreira dos Santos/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Orelio Moreira dos Santos mostra neve na cidade de S£o Mateus do Sul (PR)Valdinei Andrade Reis/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Internauta Mariana Burato mostra imagem de 24 de julho da cidade de Dourados, no Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), e comenta: ''E quem disse que no MS n£o faz frio?''Mariana Burato/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Marivanda Bortoloso Pigatto enviou fotos do planalto norte de Santa Catarina, que integram o roteiro tur­stico dos Caminhos do ContestadoMarivanda Bortoloso Pigatto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Marivanda Bortoloso Pigatto enviou fotos do planalto norte de Santa Catarina, que integram o roteiro tur­stico dos Caminhos do ContestadoMarivanda Bortoloso Pigatto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Marivanda Bortoloso Pigatto enviou fotos do planalto norte de Santa Catarina, que integram o roteiro tur­stico dos Caminhos do ContestadoMarivanda Bortoloso Pigatto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Marivanda Bortoloso Pigatto enviou fotos do planalto norte de Santa Catarina, que integram o roteiro tur­stico dos Caminhos do ContestadoMarivanda Bortoloso Pigatto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Marivanda Bortoloso Pigatto enviou fotos do planalto norte de Santa Catarina, que integram o roteiro tur­stico dos Caminhos do ContestadoMarivanda Bortoloso Pigatto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta J(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek mostra como ficou a paisagem de Papanduva (SC), onde nevou dia 23 de julhoJ(C)ssica Seredniski Melnek/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Giorgia Waldmann mostra como ficou a cidade de Canoinhas (SC). A foto foi registrada por mim na Pra§a Osvaldo de Oliveira, no centro da cidadeGiorgia Waldmann/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Jo£o Paulo Cubas de Iren"polis (SC), onde nevou, enviou fotos com a fam­liaJo£o Paulo Cubas/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Jo£o Paulo Cubas de Iren"polis (SC), onde nevou, enviou fotosJo£o Paulo Cubas/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Michele Monique Nunes mostra a neve em Canoinhas (SC) no dia 23 de julhoMichele Monique Nunes/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Luiz C Rocha mostra o boneco de neve que fez com o filho, Matheus Henrique, na cidade de Canoinhas (SC) em 22 de julhoLuiz C Rocha/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Luiz C Rocha mostra a neve na cidade de Canoinhas (SC) em 22 de julhoLuiz C Rocha/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Angelo Schulka brincou: At(C) a prtica de esqui foi poss­vel em Canoinhas (SC). Imagem foi tirada em frente sua casaAngelo Schulka/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - O internauta Angelo Schulka tirou tamb(C)m uma foto no portal da cidade de Canoinhas (SC)Angelo Schulka/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - A internauta Ghessi Buco enviou uma imagem de Rio Azul (PR) e disse que at(C) s 16h daquele dia a neve ainda permanecia na cidadeGhessi Buco/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Carlos Ribeiro, analista ambiental do ICMBio, mostra imagens de 23 de julho da capela Nossa Senhora de Ftima, na Floresta Nacional de Trªs Barras, munic­pio de Trªs Barras (SC)Carlos Ribeiro/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Carlos Ribeiro, analista ambiental do ICMBio, mostra imagens de 23 de julho da capela Nossa Senhora de Ftima, na Floresta Nacional de Trªs Barras, munic­pio de Trªs Barras (SC)Carlos Ribeiro/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Carlos Ribeiro, analista ambiental do ICMBio, mostra imagens de 23 de julho da capela Nossa Senhora de Ftima, na Floresta Nacional de Trªs Barras, munic­pio de Trªs Barras (SC)Carlos Ribeiro/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Os noivos Danilo Popovicz e Fernanda Desatnik mostram boneco feio em Rebou§as (PR) no dia 23 de julhoVocª Manda/Danilo PopoviczMais
  26.jul.2013 - Internauta Sharley Peron enviou imagens da neve em Canoinhas (SC)Sharley Peron/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Internauta Sharley Peron enviou imagens da neve em Canoinhas (SC)Sharley Peron/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Internauta Marcelo Sallai mostra como ficou a cidade de Mafra (SC) ap"s nevar no dia 23 de julhoMarcelo Sallai/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Internauta Marcelo Sallai mostra como ficou a cidade de Mafra (SC) ap"s nevar no dia 23 de julhoMarcelo Sallai/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioCaio Coronel/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioCaio Coronel/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioCaio Coronel/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioCaio Coronel/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioAlexandre Marchetti/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioAlexandre Marchetti/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Nas Cataratas do Igua§u, a temperatura chegou a 1°C nesta sexta-feira. O ponto tur­stico na cidade de Foz do Igua§u (PR), onde houve geada e forma§£o de neblina pela manh£, continua a atrair turistas mesmo com o tempo frioAlexandre Marchetti/Divulga§£o/Itaipu BinacionalMais
  26.jul.2013 - Uma fina camada de gelo cobriu a cidade de Lages (SC), e a geada manteve as temperaturas baixas pela manh£: s 9h15, os term´metros marcavam 3,8ºCVani Boza/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Uma fina camada de gelo cobriu a cidade de Lages (SC), e a geada manteve as temperaturas baixas pela manh£: s 9h15, os term´metros marcavam 3,8ºCVani Boza/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Santa Maria, cidade na regi£o central do Rio Grande do Sul, amanheceu coberta por uma fina camada de gelo e, por volta das 10h, os term´metros marcaram 6,9ºC. Mas a massa de ar polar come§a a se afastar come§a a se afastar e as temperaturas voltam a subir um pouco ainda hoje, informa o Inmet (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia), deixando o clima mais agradvel para os gaºchos no fim de semanaClaudio Vaz/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Santa Maria, cidade na regi£o central do Rio Grande do Sul, amanheceu coberta por uma fina camada de gelo e, por volta das 10h, os term´metros marcaram 6,9ºC. Mas a massa de ar polar come§a a se afastar come§a a se afastar e as temperaturas voltam a subir um pouco ainda hoje, informa o Inmet (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia), deixando o clima mais agradvel para os gaºchos no fim de semanaClaudio Vaz/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - A massa de ar polar se afastou do Sul, mas Painel (SC) ainda registrou forma§£o de geada durante a madrugada. Ao amanhecer, uma fina camada de gelo cobria a cidade catarinense. A menor temperatura registrada no Estado foi em Urupema, com -4,9ºC, segundo a Agªncia RBSVani Boza/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Porto Alegre amanheceu coberta por uma forte neblina e os term´metros marcavam 5,1ºC na capital gaºcha por volta das 6h. Por conta da densa nuvem, o aeroporto na zona norte da cidade fechou pela manh£Fernando Gomes/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Pedestres caminham no Viaduto Santa Generosa, no bairro do Para­so, zona sul de S£o Paulo, durante manh£ fria e chuvosa. A m­nima na madrugada foi de 8°C, segundo o CGE (Centro de Gerenciamento de Emergªncias)Renato S. Cerqueira/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - A massa de ar polar se afastou do Sul, mas Painel (SC) ainda registrou forma§£o de geada durante a madrugada. Ao amanhecer, uma fina camada de gelo cobria a cidade catarinense. A menor temperatura registrada no Estado foi em Urupema, com -4,9ºC, segundo a Agªncia RBSVani Boza/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - A massa de ar polar se afastou do Sul, mas Painel (SC) ainda registrou forma§£o de geada durante a madrugada. Ao amanhecer, uma fina camada de gelo cobria a cidade catarinense. A menor temperatura registrada no Estado foi em Urupema, com -4,9ºC, segundo a Agªncia RBSVani Boza/Agªncia RBSMais
  26.jul.2013 - Porto Alegre amanhece em meio ao nevoeiro, uma nuvem baixa que se forma muito pr"xima superf­cie e reduz a visibilidade a menos de 1 quil´metro. Por conta disso, o aeroporto da capital do Rio Grande do Sul fechou pela manh£Itamar Aguiar/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Porto Alegre amanhece em meio ao nevoeiro, uma nuvem baixa que se forma muito pr"xima superf­cie e reduz a visibilidade a menos de 1 quil´metro. Por conta disso, o aeroporto da capital do Rio Grande do Sul fechou pela manh£Itamar Aguiar/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Term´metro bate marca de 1ºC em Campos do Jord£o (SP), nesta madrugadaFelipe Andrei/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Pedestres enfrentam manh£ fria e chuvosa espera de ´nibus na avenida Santo Amaro, na zona sul de S£o PauloFelipe Andrei/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Pedestres enfrentam manh£ fria e chuvosa espera de ´nibus na avenida Santo Amaro, na zona sul de S£o PauloFelipe Andrei/Futura PressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Campo pr"ximo ao lago Batuva, em Santana do Livramento (RS), amanhece coberto por uma camada de gelo. A geada manteve a temperatura baixa na regi£o, e os term´metros chegaram a registrar -4ºCFabian Ribeiro/FuturaPressMais
  26.jul.2013 - Campo pr"ximo ao lago Batuva, em Santana do Livramento (RS), amanhece coberto por uma camada de gelo. A geada manteve a temperatura baixa na regi£o, e os term´metros chegaram a registrar -4ºCFabian Ribeiro/FuturaPressMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Casal distribui roupas para moradores de rua na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Moradores de rua enfrentam o frio na avenida Consola§£o, na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Moradores de rua enfrentam o frio na avenida Consola§£o, na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  26.jul.2013 - Moradores de rua enfrentam o frio na avenida Consola§£o, na regi£o central de S£o PauloRodrigo Capote/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da destrui§£o causada pela neve em Panpaduva (SC) na madrugada de 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da destrui§£o causada pela neve em Papanduva (SC) na madrugada de 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da destrui§£o causada pela neve em Papanduva (SC) na madrugada de 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da nevasca em Papanduva (SC) em 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da nevasca em Papanduva (SC) em 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Luci P.M. Sonaglio enviou fotos da nevasca em Papanduva (SC) em 23 de julhoLuci P.M. Sonaglio/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Luiz Geraldo Magalh£es enviou imagens da neve em Trªs Barras (SC)Luiz Geraldo Magalhaes/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Luiz Geraldo Magalh£es enviou imagens da neve em Trªs Barras (SC)Luiz Geraldo Magalhaes/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Elton J. Buch mandou fotos da neve em Itai"polis (SC)Elton J. Buch/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Elton J. Buch mandou fotos da neve em Itai"polis (SC)Elton J. Buch/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Guilherme e Graziely posam ao lado do boneco de neve que fizeram em Guarapuava (PR)Graziely Carneiro/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A internauta Cssia Albuquerque fotografou o portal da cidade de Canoinhas (SC) coberto pela neveCssia Albuquerque/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta S(C)rgio Ferreira tirou a foto do carro coberto de gelo em Pinhais, regi£o metropolitana de Curitiba (PR)S(C)rgio Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Romildo Xavier enviou fotos da manh£ ap"s a nevasva em Canoinhas (SC)Romildo Xavier/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Rºbia Morgana Waldmann enviou imagens da neve em Canoinhas (SC), pr"ximo ao distrito de Marc­lio DiasRºbia Morgana Waldmann/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  27.jul.2013 - Rºbia Morgana Waldmann enviou imagens da neve em Canoinhas (SC), pr"ximo ao distrito de Marc­lio DiasRºbia Morgana Waldmann/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  27.jul.2013 - Rºbia Morgana Waldmann enviou imagens da neve em Canoinhas (SC), pr"ximo ao distrito de Marc­lio DiasRºbia Morgana Waldmann/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Marcelo e Lilian, de Canoinhas (SC), posam para a foto na paisagem cheia de neve na cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Everton Santos Ferreira mostra a nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Everton Santos Ferreira mostra a nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Everton Santos Ferreira mostra a nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Everton Santos Ferreira mostra a nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Paula Sztoltz Piroski nos dias 22 e 23 de julho mostram nevasca em Itai"polis (SC)Paula Sztoltz Piroski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Paula Sztoltz Piroski nos dias 22 e 23 de julho mostram nevasca em Itai"polis (SC)Paula Sztoltz Piroski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Paula Sztoltz Piroski nos dias 22 e 23 de julho mostram nevasca em Itai"polis (SC)Paula Sztoltz Piroski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Everton Santos Ferreira no dia 22 de julho mostram o acºmulo de neve depois de cinco horas de nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Everton Santos Ferreira no dia 22 de julho mostram o acºmulo de neve depois de cinco horas de nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Imagens tiradas por Everton Santos Ferreira no dia 22 de julho mostram o acºmulo de neve depois de cinco horas de nevasca em Papanduva (SC)Everton Santos Ferreira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - Fotos de Gabriel Goetten mostra a prefeitura municipal de Santa Cecilia (SC)Gabriel Goetten/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - Felipe e Eduardo aparecem com um boneco de neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pelo internauta Marcelo AllageMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pelo internauta Marcelo AllageMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  22.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pela internauta Susanne PauloSusanne Paulo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  22.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pela internauta Susanne PauloSusanne Paulo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  22.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pela internauta Susanne PauloSusanne Paulo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  22.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pela internauta Susanne PauloSusanne Paulo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  22.jul.2013 - Neve em Canoinhas (SC), em foto enviada pela internauta Susanne PauloSusanne Paulo/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - O internauta Marlon Muldenberger enviou imagens da neve na cidade de Mafra (SC)Marlon Muldenberger/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - O internauta Marlon Muldenberger enviou imagens da neve na cidade de Mafra (SC)Marlon Muldenberger/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - A internauta Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski enviou fotos da neve em Major Vieira (SC)Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - A internauta Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski enviou fotos da neve em Major Vieira (SC)Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - A internauta Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski enviou fotos da neve em Major Vieira (SC)Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  24.jul.2013 - A internauta Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski enviou fotos da neve em Major Vieira (SC)Claudia Frederico Lisczkoski/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidade23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  23.jul.2013 - O internauta Marcelo Allage diz que a neve em Canoinhas (SC) chegou a acumular em uma altura de 10 cm nas ruas da cidadeMarcelo Allage/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Fernando Faria enviou imagens do Pico do Tabuleiro, visto do munic­pio de Rancho Queimado (SC)Fernando Faria/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - O internauta Fernando Faria enviou imagens do Pico do Tabuleiro, visto do munic­pio de Rancho Queimado (SC)Fernando Faria/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Internauta Marilda enviou fotos de Guarapuava (PR), onde nevou no dia 22 de julho. ??Nossa cidade ficou linda toda enfeitada de branco??, comentouMarilda CGA/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Daniel Nogi mostra a camada de gelo cobrindo os autom"veis em Cascavel (PR). "Muito embora tenha amanhecido menos frio que ontem, e o sol j estava bonito, o gelo ainda persistia nesta quinta-feira", comentou o internautaDaniel Noga/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Geada que caiu em Maring causa estragos em gramado, registra Marcos OliveiraMarcos Oliveira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Douglas Scholze Filho fotografou a neve no munic­pio de Uni£o da Vit"ria (PR), na ºtlima ter§a-feira (23)Douglas Scholze Filho/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Douglas Scholze Filho fotografou a neve no munic­pio de Uni£o da Vit"ria (PR), na ºtlima ter§a-feira (23)Douglas Scholze Filho/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Thomas de jesus oliveira posou com um boneco de neve em Rio Azul (PR)Thomas de Jesus Oliveira/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A jaboticabeira do jardim de Pedro Seghetto ficou coberta pela neve que caiu em Itai"polis (SC) entre os dias 22 e 23 de julhoPedro Seghetto/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - Maria Claudines Selenka Paulista Medeiros enviou registro da fam­lia de Adriano Paulista, que mora em Monte Castelo (SC), em visita Vila Lisboa, que fica perto da BR 116, no km 71Maria Claudines Selenka Paulista Medeiros/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A onda de frio inspirou a a internauta Roberta Melchert a fazer uma s(C)rie de fotos dos morros cobertos de neve em Florian"polis (SC) na ter§a-feira (23)Roberta Melchert/Vocª Manda/UOLMais
  25.jul.2013 - A onda de frio inspirou a a internauta Roberta Melchert a fazer uma s(C)rie de fotos dos morros cobertos de neve em contraste com o verde de Florian"polis (SC) na ter§a-feira (23)Roberta Melchert/Vocª Manda/UOLMaisBrasil tem 1ª sess£o de snowboard ap"s nevasca em Santa Catarina 31
  Entenda a diferen§a entre neve, geada e chuva congelada
  Mais gelo na Antrtida pode explicar baixas temperaturas, diz especialista
  Saiba como (C) calculada a sensa§£o t(C)rmica
  Informe publicitrioAdes£o ao programa Mais M(C)dicos
  Profissionais se inscrevem para atender ­ndios e quilombolasOportunidade profissional
  Programa interessa a m(C)dicos experientes e rec(C)m-formadosBrasileiros aderem a programa federal
  Objetivo (C) suprir carªncia no atendimento em saºde>>
  Todos os cursos
Clarence B. Jones: A Guiding Hand Behind 'I Have A Dream' : NPR
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 14:42
  Clarence B. Jones this month in Palo Alto, Calif. As Martin Luther King Jr.'s attorney and adviser, Jones contributed to many of King's speeches, including his famous speech at the March on Washington in 1963.
  Norbert von der Groeben/Reuters/LandovClarence B. Jones this month in Palo Alto, Calif. As Martin Luther King Jr.'s attorney and adviser, Jones contributed to many of King's speeches, including his famous speech at the March on Washington in 1963.
  Norbert von der Groeben/Reuters/LandovFor the month of August, Morning Edition and The Race Card Project are looking back at a seminal moment in civil rights history: the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream Speech" Aug. 28, 1963.Approximately 250,000 peopledescended on the nation's capital from all over the country for the mass demonstration.
  ThroughThe Race Card's six-word stories, we'll meet some of the people who witnessed that history and hear their memories and reflections on race relations in America today.
  This is the first in a two-part report about Clarence B. Jones and the March on Washington.
  Ask Clarence B. Jones to identify himself, and he'll tick off a list of titles. "I live in Palo Alto, Calif., and I am a visiting professor at the University of San Francisco, and a scholar, writer-in-residence at Stanford University's Martin Luther King Jr. Institute."
  Jones was also the first black man to make partner at a Wall Street investment bank, but he's leaving something else out, too. Jones, 81, was also the personal attorney and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. during the height of the civil rights movement. Fifty years ago, on the eve of the March on Washington, Jones was working hard to make sure every detail went off without a hitch. Jones remembers it as "a stressful day."
  For all the reminiscing over the years about King and his dream for a better America, the organizers of the march were not just stargazing about change. They had a long and highly specific set of demands. That 10-point list included "dignified jobs at decent wages," "desegregation of all school districts," and a ban on discrimination in "all housing supported by federal funds," among other things.
  The Genesis Of 'The Promissory Note'
  Jones knew that King would need strong words and strong imagery to make that case. So he suggested language based on a recent experience in Birmingham, Ala. When hundreds of children were arrested after the Children's March in Birmingham in May '-- where dogs and fire hoses were unleashed on youngsters '-- civil rights organizers needed cash to make bail.
  "I got a call '-- an urgent call '-- from Harry Belafonte, because we were getting enormous pressure from the parents of these kids to get them out of jail," Jones recalls.
  The Rockefeller family wanted to help, so Jones had to fly to New York, go to a bank vault and sign a promissory note in exchange for $100,000 in cash.
  That means, Jones explains, that "when the creditor calls you and say[s], 'Pay me,' you pay that person."
  So when he was helping King draft talking points for his speech, Jones suggested that event would make a powerful analogy.
  "You know, coming here to Washington ... is like we are coming to our nation's capitol and ask[ing] to be repaid, or ask[ing]to be paid in full, on a promissory note," Jones says. "Well, there has to be sufficient funds in the vaults of justice in this country."
  Indeed, King used that image of a bounced check to assert that America had failed to live up to its promise. "It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned," King intoned from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. "Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' "
  Jones has chronicled his work with King in his book, Behind the Dream. And while working on the memoir, Jones had some unlikely source material.
  An FBI memo sent two days after the March on Washington identified Martin Luther King as "the most dangerous Negro of the future in this nation." Click here to read a page of the original memo, and here for a collection of FBI material on King.
  Emily Bogle/FBIAn Unexpected Historical Archive
  "Little did we know until years later, that every single conference call we had, every single telephone conversation related to the march and other matters, was wiretapped and the contents transcribed by the FBI. So while we would be having so-called confidential conference calls, there was another party that was also a part of everything we did," Jones says. "The contents were wire recorded, transcribed and written into a daily running transcript."
  Attorney General Robert Kennedy signed off on the wiretaps, Jones says. And because of those wiretaps, Jones now knows how the FBI viewed King's performance at the Lincoln Memorial.
  Subsequently, Jones says, he was reviewing an internal top-secret FBI memo, when he learned that the FBI considered King dangerous.
  Under a memo titled "Negro Question," the FBI memo said this about King: "He stands head and shoulders above all other Negro leaders put together when it comes to influencing great masses of Negroes. We must mark him now, if we have not done so before, as the most dangerous Negro of the future in this Nation."
  That memo was dated Aug. 30, 1963 '-- two days after the March on Washington. All these years later, Jones is actually grateful for those wiretaps. Thanks to the FBI, he has a vast '-- and accurate '-- archive of the time.
  "If I have a fuzzy memory or hazy memory, I look at it, and there's a verbatim transcript of the conversations about a certain event, a certain person or a certain problem we were discussing," Jones says.
  Jones always thought the government was listening. King, he says, didn't want to believe him.
  "In his harshest moments, he would '-- not accuse me, but he would characterize me as being a 'left-wing McCarthyite.' That I was seeing FBI agents under the bed and all around, just like Joseph McCarthy saw Communists," Jones recalls. "It would come up because often we would have conference calls around 10:30, 11:00 at night, and that's after I had maybe two martinis and a shot of Jack Daniels. ...
  "Anyway, I would get on the phone, and I would say, 'OK, is everybody ready now?' ... And I'd say, 'OK, Mr. FBI man or FBI woman, do you have your pencil ready? Do you have your pad ready now? Because we're gonna start this conference call.'
  "And Dr. King would say, 'Clarence, why don't you stop that? ... They have much better things to do than to listen to our conversation.' "
  Of course, Jones had the last laugh '-- and even now, 50 years later, he laughs as he recounts the conversation. "I said, 'Oh really?' And I was proven right."
'Nothing More Impeachable' Than War Without Authorization, Says Constitutional Scholar | CNS News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:37
  President Barack Obama shakes hands with Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi in L'Aquila, Italy, on July 9, 2009. (AP photo/Michael Gottschalk)
  (CNSNews.com) - Louis Fisher, a scholar in residence at the Constitution Project who served for 40 years as a constitutional law expert at the Library of Congress, says Americans and members of Congress should understand that President Barack Obama committed a ''very grave offense'' against the Constitution in taking military action in Libya without congressional authorization.
  ''I am not going to recommend that the House Judiciary Committee hold impeachment hearings, but I would like members of Congress and the public to say that nothing would be more impeachable than a President who takes the country to war without coming to Congress, who does it unilaterally,'' Fisher told CNSNews.com's Online With Terry Jeffrey.
  ''So, I would like people to be educated, including members of Congress, to be educated that that is a very grave offense,'' said Fisher.
  On March 19, President Barack Obama ordered the U.S. military to take actions against the Libyan regime of Muammar Gadhafi.
  The day before that, Obama had given a speech stating that a resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council on the previous day that authorized the use of military force in Libya would justify U.S. action there.
  ''Yesterday, in response to a call for action by the Libyan people and the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council passed a strong resolution that demands an end to the violence against citizens,'' said Obama. ''It authorizes the use of force with an explicit commitment to pursue all necessary measures to stop the killing, to include the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya.''
  In his March 19 speech informing the American people that he had ordered military action in Libya that was already taking place as he spoke, Obama said he was taking the action to defend the ''writ of the international community.''
  ''So we must be clear: Actions have consequences, and the writ of the international community must be enforced,'' said Obama. ''That is the cause of this coalition.''
  Fisher, whose book Presidential War Power is a definitive scholarly account of the drafting of the constitutional war power and its historical interpretation and implementation, scoffs at Obama's argument that the United Nations, which the U.S. joined through a treaty ratified by the Senate, can usurp the war power the Constitution gives to both houses of Congress.
  ''He said I have authorization from the Security Council. It is not authorization under U.S. constitutional law,'' said Fisher.
  ''First of all, I would like to make it clear that in the U.N. Charter, you cannot have the president and the Senate through the treaty process--the UN Charter or NATO--you cannot have those two actors take the power of Congress and the House of Representatives and give it to either the Security Council or to NATO countries,'' said Fisher.
  ''And I think even people who read presidential power broadly know that that is not possible,'' he said.
  ''You cannot use a treaty to amend the Constitution,'' he explained.
  In Presidential War Powers, Fisher recounts how Framers James Madison and Elbridge Gerry introduced an amendment at the Constitutional Convention to change the language of the proposed power to make war. The draft presented to the full convention said Congress would have the power to ''make'' war.
  ''Mr. Madison and Mr Gerry moved to insert 'declare,' striking out 'make' war; leaving to the Executive the power to repel sudden attacks,'' wrote Madison in his notes from the convention.
  Explaining this proposed change, Gerry said he ''never expected to hear in a republic a motion to empower the Executive alone to declare war.''
  Madison and Gerry's amendment was accepted by the convention and included in the Constitution ratified by the states. Had Madison and Gerry's amendment not been accepted, the Constitution would have given Congress all power over war by giving Congress alone the power to "make" war. With the amendment, as per Madison's notes, Congress still had the power over war except when the president needed to ''repel sudden attacks.''
  Fisher writes in is book, and said in his interview with CNSNews.com, that all presidents from George Washington through Franklin Roosevelt respected this understanding of the Constitution until President Harry Truman sent U.S. troops into Korea without authorization from Congress--using a U.N. resolution as his justification.
How Snowden did it - Investigations
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:37
  The Guardian via AFP-Getty Images file
  A still frame grab recorded on June 6 and released to AFP on June 10 shows Edward Snowden speaking during an interview with The Guardian newspaper at an undisclosed location in Hong Kong.
  By Richard Esposito and Matthew ColeNBC News
  When Edward Snowden stole the crown jewels of the National Security Agency, he didn't need to use any sophisticated devices or software or go around any computer firewall.
  All he needed, said multiple intelligence community sources, was a few thumb drives and the willingness to exploit a gaping hole in an antiquated security system to rummage at will through the NSA's servers and take 20,000 documents without leaving a trace.
  ''It's 2013 and the NSA is stuck in 2003 technology,'' said an intelligence official.
  Jason Healey, a former cyber-security official in the Bush Administration, said the Defense Department and the NSA have ''frittered away years'' trying to catch up to the security technology and practices used in private industry. ''The DoD and especially NSA are known for awesome cyber security, but this seems somewhat misplaced,'' said Healey, now a cyber expert at the Atlantic Council. ''They are great at some sophisticated tasks but oddly bad at many of the simplest.''
  As a Honolulu-based employee of Booz Allen Hamilton doing contract work for the NSA, Snowden had access to the NSA servers via "thin client" computer. The outdated set-up meant that he had direct access to the NSA servers at headquarters in Ft. Meade, Md., 5,000 miles away.
  In a ''thin client'' system, each remote computer is essentially a glorified monitor, with most of the computing power in the central server. The individual computers tend to be assigned to specific individuals, and access for most users can be limited to specific types of files based on a user profile.
  But Snowden was not most users. A typical NSA worker has a ''top secret'' security clearance, which gives access to most, but not all, classified information. Snowden also had the enhanced privileges of a ''system administrator.'' The NSA, which has as many as 40,000 employees, has 1,000 system administrators, most of them contractors.
  As a system administrator, Snowden was allowed to look at any file he wanted, and his actions were largely unaudited. ''At certain levels, you are the audit,'' said an intelligence official.
  He was also able to access NSAnet, the agency's intranet, without leaving any signature, said a person briefed on the postmortem of Snowden's theft. He was essentially a ''ghost user,'' said the source, making it difficult to trace when he signed on or what files he accessed.
  If he wanted, he would even have been able to pose as any other user with access to NSAnet, said the source.
  The ''thin client'' system and system administrator job description also provided Snowden with a possible cover for using thumb drives.
  The system is intentionally closed off from the outside world, and most users are not allowed to remove information from the server and copy it onto any kind of storage device. This physical isolation '' which creates a so-called ''air gap" between the NSA intranet and the public internet -- is supposed to ensure that classified information is not taken off premises.
  But a system administrator has the right to copy, to take information from one computer and move it to another. If his supervisor had caught him downloading files, Snowden could, for example, have claimed he was using a thumb drive to move information to correct a corrupted user profile.
  ''He was an authorized air gap,'' said an intelligence official.
  Finally, Snowden's physical location worked to his advantage. In a contractor's office 5,000 miles and six time zones from headquarters, he was free from prying eyes. Much of his workday occurred after the masses at Ft. Meade had already gone home for dinner. Had he been in Maryland, someone who couldn't audit his activities electronically still might have noticed his use of thumb drives.
  It's not yet certain when Snowden began exploiting the gaps in NSA security. Snowden worked for Booz Allen Hamilton for less than three months, and says he took the job in order to have access to documents. But he may have begun taking documents many months before that, while working with the NSA via a different firm. According to Reuters, U.S. officials said he downloaded documents in April 2012, while working for Dell.
  Snowden is thought to have made his initial attempt to offer documents to the media in late 2012, while at Dell. According to published accounts, he tried to contact Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald in December and started talking to filmmaker Laura Poitras in January.
  He began working for Booz Allen in March. In May, he told his supervisor he needed to take time off to deal with a health issue, and then flew to Hong Kong, where he met with Poitras and Greenwald, on May 20. He later told the Guardian that he was downloading documents on his last day at work. The revelations based on his documents started appearing in the Guardian and the Washington Post within weeks.
  Snowden is currently living in Russia, where he's been granted temporary asylum. The U.S. government has charged him with theft and violations of the Espionage Act.
  U.S. intelligence officials said recently that they plan to significantly reduce the number of individuals with system administrator privileges.
  ''U.S. intelligence has invited so many people into the secret realm,'' said an intelligence official. ''There are potentially tons of Edward Snowdens. But most people aren't willing to vacuum everything up and break the law.''
  The NSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
  Richard Esposito is the Senior Executive Producer for Investigations at NBC News. Matthew Cole is an investigative reporter at NBC News. He can be reached at matthew.cole@nbcuni.com.
  More from NBC News Investigations:
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The Match Maker
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 22:55
  by Don Van Natta Jr.ILLUSTRATION BY JOSUE EVILLA
  08/25/13
  "HELLO AGAIN EVERYONE, I'm Howard Cosell. We're delighted to be able to bring you this very, very quaint, unique event."
  On Thursday night, Sept. 20, 1973, 50 million Americans, fatigued by Vietnam and Watergate, tuned in to see whether a woman could defeat a man on a tennis court. Dubbed "The Battle of the Sexes," the match pitted Billie Jean King, the 29-year-old champion of that summer's Wimbledon and a crusader for the women's liberation movement, against Bobby Riggs, the 55-year-old gambler, hustler and long-ago tennis champ who had willingly become America's bespectacled caricature of male chauvinism.
  Before 30,472 at the Houston Astrodome, still the largest crowd to watch tennis in the United States, the spectacle felt like a cross between a heavyweight championship bout and an old-time tent revival. Flanked by young women, Riggs, in a canary yellow Sugar Daddy warm-up jacket, was imperiously carted into the Astrodome aboard a gilded rickshaw. Not to be outdone, King, wearing a blue-and-white sequined tennis dress, sat like Cleopatra in a chariot delivered courtside by bare-chested, muscle-ripped young men. Moments before the first serve, King presented Riggs with a squealing, squirming piglet. "Look at that male chauvinist pig," Cosell told viewers. "That symbolizes what Bobby Riggs is holding up. ..."
  EnlargeThe Sugar Daddy sign and warm-up jacket Bobby Riggs wore during "The Battle of the Sexes" earned him money and added to the match's spectacle. Bettmann/CORBIS
  Billie Jean King vs. Bobby RiggsBattle of the Sexes Focus on Sport/Getty Images
  All of the vaudevillian hoopla made it easy to forget the enormous stakes and the far-reaching social consequences. King was playing not just for public acceptance of the women's game but also an opportunity to prove her gender's equality at a time when women could still not obtain a credit card without a man's signature. If she were to defeat Bobby Riggs, the triumph would be shared by every woman who knew she deserved equal pay, opportunities and respect. Equally sweet, King would cram shut the mouth of a male chauvinist clown who had chortled that a woman belonged in the bedroom and the kitchen but certainly not in the same arena competing against a man. For Riggs, the $100,000 winner-take-all match offered big money and a perfect launching pad to a late-in-life career playing exhibition matches against women.
  It seemed a certain payday for him. Four months earlier, Riggs had crushed Margaret Court, the world's No. 1 women's tennis player, 6-2, 6-1, in an exhibition labeled by the media as the "Mother's Day Massacre." Court's defeat had persuaded King to play Riggs. Nearly everyone in tennis expected a similarly lopsided result. On the ABC broadcast, Pancho Gonzales, John Newcombe and even 18-year-old Chrissie Evert predicted Riggs would defeat King, then the No. 2-ranked woman. In Las Vegas, the smart money was on Bobby Riggs. Jimmy the Greek declared, "King money is scarce. It's hard to find a bet on the girl."
  But by aggressively attacking the net and smashing precision shots, King ran a winded, out-of-shape Riggs all over the court. Riggs made a slew of unforced errors, hitting soft returns directly at King or into the net and double-faulting at key moments, including on set point in the first set. "I don't understand," Cosell said after a King winner off a Riggs backhand. "He's been feeding her that backhand all night." Midway through the third set, Riggs looked drained and complained of hand cramps. After King took match point, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, Riggs mustered the energy to hop the net. "I underestimated you," he whispered in King's ear.
  Several hours later, Bobby Riggs lay in an ice bath in the Tarzan Room of Houston's AstroWorld Hotel. Despondent and alone, Riggs contemplated lowering his head into the icy water and drowning himself.
  "This was the worst thing in the world I've ever done," Bobby Riggs later told his son, Larry, about his defeat before the whole world. "The worst thing I've ever done."
  Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante Jr. and Frank Ragano, left to right, were among a group of mobsters and attorneys who dined at La Stella Restaurant in New York after appearing before a grand jury in the 1970s. Paul Demaria/NY Daily News/Getty Images
  WHEN HAL SHAW heard the voices at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Fla., on a winter night some 40 years ago, he turned off the bench light over his work table and locked the bag room door. He feared burglars. Who else would be approaching the pro shop long after midnight? Then Shaw, who was there late rushing to repair members' golf clubs for the next day's tournament, heard the pro shop's front door unlock and swing open.
  Peering through a diamond-shaped window, Shaw, then a 39-year-old assistant golf pro, watched four sharply dressed men stroll into the pro shop. He says he instantly recognized three of them: Frank Ragano, a Palma Ceia member and mob attorney whose wife took golf lessons from Shaw, and two others he knew from newspaper photographs -- Santo Trafficante Jr., the Florida mob boss whom Ragano represented, and Carlos Marcello, the head of the New Orleans mob. Trafficante and Marcello, now deceased, were among the most infamous mafia leaders in America; Marcello would later confide to an FBI informant that he had ordered the assassination of John F. Kennedy. A fourth man, whom Shaw says he didn't recognize, joined them.
  EnlargeThe Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Fla., is where assistant golf pro Hal Shaw says he overheard mobsters planning a match fix nine months before "The Battle of the Sexes." Courtesy Hal Shaw
  Shaw's workroom was about 20 feet from the men, who sat at a circular table. Through the window to the darkened bag room door, he could see them, but they couldn't see him. Shaw says he was "petrified" as he tried to remain completely still, worrying that the men would find him lurking there. Then Shaw heard something he'd keep secret for the next 40 years: Bobby Riggs owed the gangsters more than $100,000 from lost sports bets, and he had a plan to pay it back.
  Shaw, now 79, told the story of what he saw and heard that Tampa night to a friend late last year for the first time. This spring, he told it to "Outside the Lines."
  The men, Shaw says, used an array of nicknames for Riggs -- "Riggsy," "BB," "Bobby Bolita." Ragano told the men that "Riggsy" was prepared to "set up two matches '... against the two best women players in the world," Shaw says. "He mentioned Margaret Court -- and it's easy for me to remember that because one of my aunt's names was Margaret so that, you know, wasn't hard to remember -- and the second lady was Billie Jean King."
  Ragano explained that Riggs "had the first match already in the works '... and the second match he knew would follow because of Billie Jean King's popularity and everything that it would be kind of a slam dunk to get her to play him bragging about beating Margaret Court," Shaw says Ragano told the men. Shaw also says he heard Ragano mention an unidentified mob man in Chicago who would help engineer the proposed fix.
  "Mr. Ragano was emphatic," Shaw recalls. "Riggs had assured him that the fix would be in -- he would beat Margaret Court and then he would go in the tank" against King, but Riggs pledged he'd "make it appear that it was on the up and up."
  At first, Trafficante and Marcello expressed skepticism, Shaw says. They wondered whether Riggs was in playing shape to defeat Court or King, but Ragano, now deceased, assured them Riggs was training. The men also wondered whether there would be enough interest in exhibition tennis matches to generate substantial betting action. In the early 1970s, as it does today, tennis attracted a tiny fraction of sports betting dollars. Ragano assured them that there was ample time for Riggs to get the media to promote the matches so enough people would be interested to place bets with the mobsters' network of illegal bookmakers.
  EnlargeFor nearly 40 years, Shaw says he did not tell anyone about what he heard that night in Tampa out of fear for his life. Courtesy Hal Shaw
  Finally, Shaw says, the men asked about Riggs' price for the fix. "Ragano says, 'Well, he's going to [get] peanuts compared to what we're going to make out of this, so he has asked for his debt to be erased.'" Riggs "has also asked for a certain amount of money to be discussed later to be put in a bank account for him in England," Ragano told the men, according to Shaw.
  After nearly an hour, the four men stood up, shook hands and agreed they'd move forward with Riggs' proposal, Shaw says.
  Lamar Waldron, an author of several books about the mafia, says Shaw's account of the meeting rings true. "In the early 1970s, proposed deals were usually brought to Trafficante and Marcello by other cities' mob leaders, businessmen and lawyers for the mob," says Waldron, whose book "Legacy of Secrecy" is being developed into a film by Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro slated to play Marcello. "They'd accept some, pass on others. I know Marcello and Trafficante also met during that period in the Tampa area."
  After the men left the pro shop, Shaw says he stayed hidden in the darkened room for a half hour until he was certain they were gone.
  "Mobsters have been here for centuries," Shaw says of Tampa, where he has lived his entire life. "There were gangland murders on top of one another. I was brought up with the fear factor. You don't mess around with these people. You stay clear of them, and you don't do anything that would make them angry."
  But as he approaches his 80th birthday this December, Shaw says he is motivated to tell his story. "There are certain things in my life that I have to talk about, have to get off my chest," he says of the meeting, which he says occurred during the last week of 1972 or the first week in 1973. "It's been 40 years, OK, and I've carried this with me for 40 years. '... The fear is gone. '... And I wanted to make sure, if possible, I could set the record straight -- let the world know that this was not what it seemed to be."
  Riggs, the 1939 Wimbledon champion, was rarely overmatched on the tennis court, where he twice won U.S. singles championships at Forest Hills before winning U.S. Pro singles titles in 1946, 1947 and 1949. Hudson/Getty Images
  ROBERT LARIMORE RIGGS, the youngest of six children, was born in Los Angeles in 1918. His father was a minister, but young Bobby ignored his father's warnings about the evils of gambling. He won nickels racing boys in a Los Angeles park, played marbles and penny-ante poker and mastered his own invented games of chance. After winning his first racket on a bet at the age of 11, Riggs played the game non-stop, using smarts and guile to compensate for his 5-foot-7-inch frame, and became a dominant amateur tennis player.
  Before Wimbledon in 1939, Riggs visited the London betting shops and was stunned to see he was listed at 25-1 odds to win the men's singles championship. So he placed a remarkably presumptuous parlay bet on himself that would only pay off if he'd win the singles title, the doubles championship and the mixed doubles title. At Wimbledon, then an amateur tournament, no one had ever won all three in the same year. But at age 21, Riggs pulled off the remarkable feat and won, from the bookmakers, a total of $108,000, more than $1.7 million in today's dollars. "I blew it all back on gambling like any young kid will do," he told Tennis Week in 1995. "I liked to go to the casinos and bet on the horse races and play gin. I got overmatched a few times."
  But Riggs was rarely overmatched on the tennis court. Twice, he won the U.S. singles championships at Forest Hills, in 1939 and 1941. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Riggs won U.S. Pro singles titles in 1946, 1947 and 1949.
  And always, Riggs had a bet on the outcome of his match. "I've got to have a bet going in order to play my best," Riggs wrote in his 1973 memoir, "Court Hustler." At least once, he had a bet going and played his worst. Tennis historian Bud Collins recalls a 1940s doubles match in which Riggs and his partner cruised to a two-set lead. But they then lost by dumping the next three sets, Collins says. The fix was obvious. "Well, there's always money with Bobby," Collins says. "The jingle of tennis was always there."
  After Riggs' tennis career ended, he continued to play against seniors and amateurs at clubs in Chicago, New York and, later, in California. He was in such supreme control of a match that players say he had the ability to drop a first set or even two sets, bet on himself at fatter odds and then come storming back to win. "Staying in the barn" is what Riggs' best friend, Lornie Kuhle, calls this hustle. "[It] means you're not giving it your full effort, yet your opponent thinks you are," Kuhle says. "He led you to believe you really had a chance to beat him. As soon as the bet was increased, he came out of the barn, and he beat you. Then everybody would scream bloody murder and foul. Bobby would stay in the barn a lot -- on the golf course, on the tennis court."
  Outside The Lines: The Match MakerWatch a 14-minute feature about Bobby Riggs, the mafia and "The Battle of the Sexes."
  Before long, Riggs was playing more golf than tennis. That was because golf's handicap system made it easier for Riggs to disguise his true talent; every golf gambler knows most wagers are won during the first tee negotiations. "The second worst thing in the world is betting on a golf game and losing," Riggs often said. "The worst is not betting at all."
  In the 1950s, Riggs was the resident tennis pro at the Roney Plaza Hotel, a Miami Beach art-deco magnet for celebrities and mobsters who enjoyed wagering. "Bobby was hanging around the unsavory people," says Gardnar Mulloy, 99, a close friend of Riggs' and a former U.S. No. 1 player. "I'd seen him with people that normally you would think you wouldn't want to be with. And he was always betting big money -- it was always, it seemed to me, a fix." In those days, Riggs played golf for money with South Florida mobster Martin Stanovich, nicknamed "The Fat Man."
  Riggs also gambled on the links with Jackie "The Lackey" Cerone, a hit man for the Chicago mafia and prot(C)g(C) of mob boss Sam Giancana, according to Riggs' son and Kuhle. As he caddied for his father as a teenager in a money match against Cerone, Larry Riggs says he noticed that Cerone and his pals kept brazenly riding their carts over his father's ball. They kicked the ball, too, when they thought no one was looking.
  Bobby Riggs just smiled. "These are rough guys," he told his son. "These guys -- you don't mess with these guys. Just don't ask any questions. Just keep your mouth shut."
  Larry Riggs was a child of Bobby Riggs' first marriage, which ended in divorce. Riggs' second marriage was to a woman whose family owned the American Photographic Cos. in New York, a $20 million a year corporation where Riggs worked during the 1960s. He wore a suit and necktie and took the commuter train from Long Island to Penn Station. He tried to satisfy himself by playing cards and golf on the weekends, but it wasn't enough action. His second wife divorced him in 1972, handing Riggs a $1 million-plus divorce settlement.
  With that stake, Riggs moved into his older brother's duplex apartment in Newport Beach, Calif. Riggs wagered every day on things he could control, like tennis and golf. "Bobby had the guts of a burglar on a tennis court or on a golf course," says tennis legend Tony Trabert, 82, a close friend. "He could goad people or needle people or set people up by purposefully losing a set or two and get the bet up to higher stakes and then win with ease. He just had amazing control."
  But Riggs was also betting on contests he couldn't control: like horse-racing and pro and college football. With California bookmakers, he'd place bets on every televised football game and often on games that weren't on TV. On a New Year's Day in the early 1970s, he lost every bowl game, dropping nearly $30,000 to the bookmakers, his friends said. At Caesars Palace, Kuhle recalls that Riggs, sloppy from too much bourbon, lost $17,000 playing baccarat in a few hours.
  Riggs enjoyed far more betting success on the seniors' tennis circuit, dominating his opponents. In the early '70s, he beseeched the top women players to play him in a series of exhibition matches, but no one agreed. After having vanished from the public eye for nearly two decades, Riggs saw the proposed matches as a chance to climb back into the spotlight and make some easy money.
  EnlargeFriends and associates say Riggs never missed a chance to make a wager. AP Photo/Wally Fong
  SIX WEEKS AFTER Hal Shaw heard the mob leaders weigh the appeal of a fixed tennis match, Bobby Riggs held a news conference at the Westview Hotel in downtown San Diego. It was February 1973. Before a room full of reporters, Riggs held up a $5,000 cashier's check -- the money was staked by a local developer -- that he was offering to Margaret Court or Billie Jean King. All either one had to do was agree to play him.
  Court, then 30, agreed to a match with the 55-year-old Riggs, telling friends it would be an easy payday. Almost overnight, there was worldwide interest; Riggs made sure of it with quotable chauvinistic rants against women that sounded as if they were intended to get under the skin of King, a crusader for the women's liberation movement and a co-founder that year of the Women's Tennis Association.
  "He took the most basic conflict in the world, which is man versus woman, and he took that conflict and used tennis as the metaphor and created the match," says Kuhle. "And therefore the whole world became interested."
  Riggs had no doubt he would defeat Margaret Court. "I'm just going to destroy her," he told his son, Larry.
  And over the next three months, Riggs trained 10 to 12 hours a day, playing hours of tennis against outstanding young male players and running miles alongside a San Diego golf course. This was Riggs' usual routine: train, rigorously, for a big match. "Never underestimate opponents," Riggs advised in his list of rules for competition titled "You Too Are Champions" published in the late '60s.
  By the time she faced Riggs, Court was 30 years old and had won 18 of her previous 25 tournaments, including three majors -- the U.S. Open, Australian and French. She was one of the most dominant players of all time, having won a total of 62 Grand Slam singles and doubles events in her career -- a feat never matched by a man or a woman. Still, the odds-makers, all men, installed Riggs as the betting favorite in the Las Vegas sports books. The match attracted a fair amount of action; nearly everyone bet on Bobby Riggs.
  On May 13, 1973, an overflow crowd of fans and celebrities assembled at San Diego Country Estates in Ramona, Calif., and more than 30 million people watched on CBS. Before the first serve, Riggs handed Court a bouquet of red roses. She curtsied.
  Riggs made few errors and relied on his masterful service game and trademark lob while Court looked flummoxed and hit shot after shot into the net. Riggs coasted, winning 6-2, 6-1. "Sometimes I look back and think, 'Why did I need to do it?'" Court now says. "I was No. 1 in the world in tennis. '... Look, we all make mistakes in life, and probably that was one of my mistakes."
  EnlargeMore than 30 million people watched Riggs easily defeat Margaret Court in a televised match that would ultimately be called the "Mother's Day Massacre." AP Photo
  "As soon as Margaret lost, I said, 'I have to play,'" King, 69, told "Outside the Lines" in an interview last week. "I knew I was going to say yes and I knew that it was on, the match was on." And she knew she had to win. A boxing promoter and television producer named Jerry Perenchio, who promoted the Ali-Frazier bout in 1971 as "The Fight," organized "The Battle of the Sexes" between King and Riggs. He put up a $100,000 winner-take-all prize for the best-of-five sets match and arranged for it to be played in the Houston Astrodome in prime-time on national television.
  A week after Wimbledon, which King had won for the fifth time, Riggs and King hammed it up at a raucous news conference at the Town Tennis Club in Manhattan. "Personally," Riggs said, "I would wish that the women would stay in the home and do the kitchen work and take care of the baby and compete in areas where they can compete in because it's a big mistake for them to get mixed up in these mixed sex matches." (Kuhle and Riggs' son, who was in his mid-20s at the time, say this was pure shtick, that Riggs was not a chauvinist, but viewed women as equals; his first tennis coach back in L.A. was a woman.)
  Riggs flew home to California. His son, Larry, says he was friendly with an investor named Steve Powers, who had a Beverly Hills estate renowned for its wild, all-night parties. "Bobby and I had a deal -- he got to stay at my house as long as he entertained my guests, and he did that," Powers says. "He didn't ask much of me -- just get him laid with the wild women in L.A. And I did that."
  In July, Riggs moved into Powers' guest house, where he lived -- and partied -- during the eight weeks prior to the King match.
  "Steve had his maid, and she wore the French maid outfit with no underwear on the top or the bottom," Larry Riggs says. "That set the tone for the parties at nighttime. '... It was just a wild time to be had by everybody, including my dad."
  With a glass of bourbon in his left hand and a glass of Coca-Cola in his right, Bobby Riggs would take big swigs from both glasses and mix the liquids in his mouth before swallowing. And he was always puffing on a fat cigar. "I had never seen him really drink as much as he was then," Larry Riggs says. "And it concerned me."
  Kuhle's job was to train Riggs, but for the first time anyone could remember, Riggs refused to practice with solid players or even exercise, his son says. Not once did he use Powers' lighted tennis court to do anything but goof around for the cameras or hustle matches. Instead, he'd play stragglers off the street for a few quick bucks. "It's very hard to turn down $500 if a guy wants to come out and play for $500. He can put that in his pocket," Kuhle says. "There was so much commotion going on, and he just felt he could beat her on roller skates."
  Riggs became the ultimate pitchman for "The Battle of the Sexes." Bettmann/CORBIS
  Riggs tirelessly promoted the match, filming several TV commercials (American Express, Sunbeam Curling Iron) and seemingly never refusing an interview request or a party invite. Early one morning, Riggs realized $1,500 had been stolen from his wallet by a young woman he had been drinking with the night before. He grumbled that the woman hadn't even slept with him.
  Riggs relished playing the impish, gambling-mad chauvinistic court jester for enthralled members of the national media. On its cover, Time magazine called Riggs "The Happy Hustler." Sports Illustrated warned, "Don't Bet Against This Man." A recording artist named Lyle "Slats" McPheeters recorded "The Ballad of Bobby Riggs," for Artco Records. On "60 Minutes," Riggs tossed playing cards at a wastebasket for money, played tennis with eight chairs on his side of the court and ran around Las Vegas looking for action on anything, from tennis and golf to backgammon and card tosses, with everyone he met.
  "All of the running, all of the chasing, all of the betting, all of the playing -- what's it all about?" Mike Wallace asked Riggs. "Do you do it for money, Bobby?"
  "No," said Riggs with a smirk. "I do it for fun, the sport, it's the thing to do. When I can't play for big money, I play for little money. And if I can't play for little money, I stay in bed that day."
  This wasn't a midlife crisis. This was a midlife Mardi Gras.
  Bobby Riggs, the happy hustler and court jester. Owen Franken/CORBIS
  During those weeks, Larry Riggs noticed some "unsavory characters" kept showing up at Powers' house to meet privately with his father. "They weren't golfers," Larry Riggs says. "I called them shady characters with the kind of flashy suits on and the ties and whatever. They just didn't fit in."
  After one of the visits, Larry Riggs confronted his father. "Who are those guys?"
  "Friends of mine from Chicago."
  EnlargeIn stark contrast to the way he approached every other tennis match, Riggs partied, promoted and never seriously practiced in the four months prior to the King match. AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky
  That's when Larry Riggs says he recognized the men as associates of Jackie Cerone, the Chicago mob hit man with whom his father had played golf and cards back at the Tam O'Shanter Country Club outside of Chicago. "Very not upright citizens of our country," Larry Riggs now says of the men visiting his father.
  "What the hell are those guys doing?" Larry Riggs asked his father.
  "They're here to see me. We have a little business that we're doing. Don't worry about it. Everything's OK."
  But Larry Riggs says he worried obsessively. And he says his father never identified the men or explained why they flew from Chicago to Los Angeles to meet with him several times before the King match.
  As Riggs lived the high life on the West Coast, King trained in South Carolina with the focus of a boxer preparing for a prizefight. Larry Riggs was so sure his father was going to lose to King that he refused to accompany him to Houston for the match. "You're going to embarrass yourself," he told his father before he left. Larry Riggs says he bet $500 on King. King says she told her brother "to bet the house" on her.
  On the eve of the match in Houston, Mulloy, the tennis legend who was Riggs' close friend, visited him in his leopard-patterned Tarzan Room at the AstroWorld Hotel. A party was raging. Riggs looked heavier to Mulloy; he had gained 15 pounds in the four months since the Court match. "Bobby was in his pajamas," Mulloy recalls, "and I looked around at a half a dozen cuties there, and they're all having their drinks and laughing."
  Mulloy asked, "Bobby, what the hell are you doing? You got to play tomorrow."
  "Oh, there's no way that broad can beat me,'' Riggs replied.
  The next morning, Mulloy was scheduled to warm up Riggs on the Astrodome court for one hour, but Riggs quit after 10 minutes. Mulloy was stunned. He was even more astonished to find Riggs that afternoon in a nearby practice facility, standing on a court with a brown dog tied on a leash to his left ankle and an umbrella in one hand. People off the street with tennis rackets were lined up to play Riggs. If they won a game, they played for free; if Riggs beat them, they owed him $100. Riggs' brother, John, was collecting fistfuls of cash.
  Mulloy says Riggs urged a millionaire friend named Jack Dreyfus not to bet on him against King. "Prior to the match, Jack Dreyfus had called him and said he wants to make a bet, how do you feel, where should I get odds," Mulloy recalls. "Bobby says, 'Don't bet on me.' That made me believe he was going to tank it."
  The largest crowd to watch tennis in the United States -- 30,472 -- saw "The Battle of the Sexes" on Sept. 20, 1973 at the Houston Astrodome. AP Photo
  MOMENTS BEFORE THE match at the Astrodome, some spectators say Riggs appeared sullen, almost angry -- the opposite of the happy hustler. "He wasn't having any fun," says Cliff Drysdale, a 72-year-old tennis broadcaster and former top-ranked pro who attended the match. With the first serve, Billie Jean King attacked aggressively in a bid to send a message to Riggs that this would not be another Margaret Court cakewalk. When one of King's early forehands rocketed past him, Riggs told King, "Atta girl." Still wearing his Sugar Daddy warm-up jacket, Riggs moved as if he were underwater. "I was surprised," King says. "He was extremely nervous. So was I."
  "He was in slow motion," says Donald Dell, a 75-year-old lawyer, former Davis Cup captain and one of the first professional sports agents. "It was as if he had taken a sleeping pill."
  "Well, as I watched the match, I was surprised that he wasn't attacking more," says Stan Smith, a 66-year-old two-time major winner and a former No. 1 men's player in the world.
  King was ahead 2-1 in the first set. During a break, Riggs finally peeled off his Sugar Daddy jacket. His blue shirt was soaked with sweat.
  At the L.A. Tennis Club where Riggs had won tens of thousands of dollars hustling its members on the tennis court, the golf course and at the card table, the members watched the match on a large television. Riggs looked nothing like the spry, dominant player who had crushed Margaret Court four months earlier. During the first set, says tennis broadcaster Doug Adler, a friend of Riggs' since they met at the club, someone shouted, "Looks like Bobby bet on Billie Jean!"
  Riggs lost a game late in the first set on a double fault, something he rarely did. After losing the first set, Riggs told Kuhle to offer a friend of King's, named Dick Butera, a $5,000 bet that he'd come back to win, at 2-1 odds. Prior to the match, Riggs had bet $10,000 with Butera that he'd beat King. But Butera, who was sitting courtside, refused this mid-match bet, apparently assuming Riggs was once again keeping his game "in the barn."
  From across the net, King says, Riggs looked "a little bit in shock" by his first-set loss. And she says she is certain he wasn't tanking: "Bobby Riggs wanted to win that match. I saw it in his eyes. I saw it when we changed ends, and there is no question. I have played matches where players have tanked, and I know what it feels like and I know what it looks like, and he did not. He just was feeling the pressure."
  Riggs played even worse in the second set, moving around even more listlessly.
  In the broadcast booth, Howard Cosell and tennis analysts Rosie Casals and Gene Scott repeatedly sounded puzzled by Riggs' soft, erratic play. "He doesn't look right to me," Casals said. After Riggs hit a weak return right at King, Casals said, "That's pretty unusual for Bobby." And later, she asked, "Where is Bobby Riggs? Where did he go?"
  Scott said Riggs was "just nonchalant with the forehand."
  EnlargeKing celebrates a victory that she says she has no doubt was legitimate. Bettmann/CORBIS
  Riggs was well known for a nearly flawless service game, but he missed on nearly half of his first serves. Four times, he double-faulted, all on critical points. The level of play hardly lived up to all the hype and the anticipation. King was grinding down the old man, who was the same age as her father. "Funny, with this match I guess we all expected some high humor involved in it," Cosell said. "Instead, it's become a very serious, serious thing because the comedy has gone out of Bobby Riggs."
  When it was finally over, fans stormed the court and engulfed King, and Riggs hugged her. "You could just see he wanted it so badly and couldn't get it going," she says. "I think he got so nervous -- it exhausted him." He just "choked," she says. "We've all done it. I've choked. Everybody chokes."
  At the post-match news conference, a subdued Riggs saluted King's performance. "Billie Jean was too good, too quick," he said. "I know I said a lot of things she made me eat tonight. I guess I'm the biggest bum of all time now. But I have to take it." Prior to the match, King says she told Riggs, win or lose, she would never play him again. But before the assembled reporters, Riggs quickly called for a rematch. "I would've given Billie Jean a rematch if I had won, so I want a rematch."
  "Why should there be a rematch?" she said. Billie Jean King had nothing left to prove.
  NEARLY 40 YEARS later, "The Battle of the Sexes" is one of the most iconic sporting events in American history. The match's value is especially cherished by tennis people because it proved the game, like King, was a trailblazer for society. King planted a flag for women's equality. Gradually, America followed.
  "I think it wasn't just for women," says King. "It was really about both genders. Men come up to me constantly, many times with tears in their eyes, and tell me their story, like 'Oh, I was 12 years old when I saw that match, and now I have a daughter and I have a son and I really want both of them to have equal opportunity.'
  "So I think for men, it changed them to think differently about things. For women, also, they thought differently about themselves -- they were much more empowered to ask for what they want and need to have more self-confidence."
  This past July, King and several hundred members of tennis' elite gathered at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in Newport, R.I., for the annual induction ceremonies. On a Sunday evening, they watched a new documentary film that will air Sept. 10 on PBS that salutes King's victory. Afterward, Martina Hingis, a Hall of Fame inductee who wasn't alive in 1973, appeared awestruck by what she had just seen on the big screen. "This was bigger than anything, probably anyone can go through '... so, congratulations," Hingis told King. "I mean -- amazing."
  In attendance were the aging male members of tennis' old guard, who applauded for King. None of these men knew about Hal Shaw's allegations, and only a few knew about Bobby Riggs' mob friends. Still, the men remarked among themselves that there wasn't a single word in the film about the belief by some that Bobby Riggs' had thrown the match for a big payday.
  Across nearly 40 years, some of the men who knew Riggs best have wondered: Was "The Battle of the Sexes" nothing more than a cultural con job?
  "A lot of my tennis friends immediately suspected something was up, and many of us still believe something was up," says John Barrett, the longtime BBC tennis broadcaster. "It wasn't so much that Bobby lost. It was that he looked as if he had almost capitulated. He just made it too easy for Billie Jean King. We all wondered if the old fox had done it again."
  "Everything was different," says Adler. "If you were a tennis person that knew Bobby Riggs, the first thing that comes to your mind is he threw the match."
  Steve Powers, who owned the guest house where Riggs stayed prior to the match, says "If Bobby had an opportunity to fix the match, he would have jumped at it. Ethics wouldn't have stopped him."
  Tennis great Gene Mako, who died in June, had insisted for years that Riggs had thrown the match. "You have to know Bobby," Mako told author Tom LeCompte in the 2003 Riggs biography, "The Last Sure Thing." Mako believed Riggs was so vain that his play was just awful enough to demonstrate to smart tennis people that he had tanked the match.
  Almost right after the match, King says she began hearing the rumors that Riggs had thrown it. The rumors were started by "people who were unhappy -- guys who lost money," she says. "And a lot of people, men, particularly, don't like it if a woman wins. They don't like it. They make up stories. They start just thinking about it more and more. It's hard on them. It's very hard on their egos."
  King also says because of all the stories about Riggs' betting and hustling, especially in Los Angeles, it was just natural that some people would assume the fix was in.
  Asked recently whether she could believe Riggs had thrown the match, former world No. 1 player Chrissie Evert said she wouldn't think so but you could never be sure. "Ninety-nine percent of me would say [King] beat him fair and square," Evert says. "But if you know Bobby Riggs, you can't put anything past him."
  King Relives Defeat Of Riggs"Outside the Lines'" Don Van Natta Jr. talks with King about the social impact of her victory and the speculation that Riggs threw the match.
  THE ASSUMPTION BY some was that Riggs would not have been able to resist the odds on Billie Jean King, who was listed as high as 5-2 in the Las Vegas sports books. Tennis legend Don Budge, who died in 2000, had told one of his sons he had no doubt Riggs threw the match for money. "In no uncertain terms, he definitely heard from people that Riggs had thrown it," says Budge's son, Jeffrey. "And it was huge money -- more than $100,000, perhaps $200,000 to $500,000. Dad said, '[Riggs] could have run her off the court any day of the week as he did against Margaret Court.'"
  But Kuhle denies Riggs threw the match, arguing it would have been impossible for Riggs to have quietly placed large bets on King in Vegas. In the 1970s, as they do now, sports books had strict wagering limits and large bets would have moved the odds in an obvious way. "It just makes no sense," Kuhle says.
  If Riggs had thrown the match for the mafia, how would that kind of fix have benefited Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante Jr.? Both men controlled networks of illegal bookmaking operations. From New Orleans, Carlos Marcello ran "the wire" that took bets on horse races and sports wagering across the country, mafia experts say. Gambling experts said that "a perfect fix" is a result known to illegal bookmakers. That knowledge allows them to offer fatter odds on a betting favorite knowing it would attract far more action.
  London betting shops listed odds on "The Battle of the Sexes," which had been scheduled to be shown on closed circuit TV at a half-dozen London movie houses. But the bookmakers viewed the match with "huge suspicion," recalls Graham Sharpe, a 62-year-old media relations director at William Hill, the UK's largest bookmaker. "This thing was regarded as a freak show, a side show. And we were concerned because one of the guys is a noted hustler and a compulsive gambler, who is not as pure as the driven snow. If anyone tried to bet more than a few pounds, we'd reject the bet and figure he knew something that we didn't."
  The mafia expert and author, Lamar Waldron, was told about Riggs' mafia acquaintances and what Hal Shaw had heard. "Given all the connections that Riggs had and the way these mafia leaders operated, it would be unusual if they didn't look to him to throw the match," Waldron says. "Certainly it appears the motive and opportunity was there."
  EnlargeKing attributes much of the match-fixing speculation to men unable to accept her victory over a man. Jon Furniss/Invision/AP
  When Shaw watched Riggs lose to King, he says he knew the scheming he had overheard in Palma Ceia's pro shop had been executed. "There's nothing impossible when money's involved and power's involved," he says. Shaw says he is glad he decided to come forward and tell his story and has nothing left to fear. "You can ask me a thousand questions, I would still tell you what happened that night, you know, 40 years ago," he says. "I got no axe to grind. I don't get anything for this. I know deep in my heart -- Riggsy had taken a fall, but made it look good. He was a showman, and he pulled it off."
  But Lornie Kuhle angrily denied Shaw's allegations during an interview at his home in Decatur, Ill. "I've never heard anything so far-fetched," he says. "It's just complete bulls---." As for Shaw, he said, "I mean, that's ridiculous -- unless he's got Alzheimer's, and people do get that when they're 79 years old." He added, "I never heard anything so far-fetched as this guy in Tampa. I'd like to meet that guy sometime."
  Kuhle also vehemently disputed the suggestion that Riggs owed mob-linked bookmakers any money, at any time. "You can say the mob killed John Kennedy," he says. "We could rationalize that one, but Bobby never owed anybody a dime -- football bets, basketball bets or anything like that. ... There are no mob people involved with this match. The mob doesn't even play tennis. '... I think that's a funny story."
  Kuhle, who is the founder and owner of the Bobby Riggs Tennis Center & Museum in Encinitas, Calif., also denied that Riggs received a mafia payment deposited in a bank account in England, as Shaw had heard. "Listen, I'm with Bobby night and day for 20 years," Kuhle says. "I'm the executor of his estate. I know every nickel he had in the bank. I know every check he's written, every bet he made. There was never any bet with anybody in the mob or anything like that."
  However, Larry Riggs did not dismiss Shaw's story outright because, after all, his father knew and gambled with a lot of mob guys all over the country. Bobby Riggs was also a longtime member of the La Costa Country Club in Carlsbad, Calif., a reputed mob-built country club where mob leader and Riggs' acquaintance Moe Dalitz was a member. And Larry Riggs had never understood why those Chicago pals of hit man Jackie Cerone had visited his father several times prior to the King match.
  "Did he know mafia guys? Absolutely," Larry Riggs says. "Is it possible these guys were talking some s---? Yes, it is possible. They talked to him about doing it? Possible." However, Riggs says, it was more likely his father purposefully lost with an eye toward setting up a bigger payday rematch -- and a continuation of the national publicity that he so craved -- than throw the match for mob money. Larry Riggs also says he remains baffled by the fact his father did not prepare for the King match -- the only match in Bobby Riggs' life for which he had failed to train. "Never understood it," Larry Riggs says.
  King says Riggs underestimated her. He was devastated that he lost, though King acknowledges he might have been capable of throwing a match. "Oh, I'm capable of tanking; everyone can tank," King says. "It depends on the situation. But that was not really in Bobby's best interest in any way to lose that match."
  When Mulloy was told about Shaw's story, he says, he believed it. "I think that the mobsters of some sort were in on the match with Billie Jean King," he says. "He didn't put himself in a position to win, and I think he did it on purpose to make a buck." Besides, Mulloy adds, Riggs knew his defeat would create intense interest -- and money -- for a rematch with King.
  In the contract signed by Riggs and King, there was an ironclad clause for a rematch, Kuhle and others say. Riggs considered suing King to force a rematch, but friends urged him not to do it. He was "crushed" by King's decision to deny him a rematch. King says she knows nothing about a rematch clause, wouldn't have agreed to one and had never heard that Riggs contemplated suing her. Perenchio, the match promoter who is now 82 years old, did not respond to questions from "Outside the Lines" along with a request to review the contract.
  For Riggs, who was often quoted as saying, "I want to be remembered as a winner," the aftermath of a loss on such a big stage to a woman he had ridiculed could not have been easy to endure. "He thought for sure she would play him in the rematch," Larry Riggs says. "He thought for sure he would have redemption."
  Riggs may have been depressed after his loss, but relished his newfound fame and appeared often on television, like in this episode of "The Odd Couple." AP Photo/Harold Filan
  BOBBY RIGGS' FRIENDS say he was depressed for at least six months after his Battle of the Sexes loss. Even so, he had become a legitimate national celebrity (on an airplane, "Laugh-In" star Arte Johnson told Riggs, "People tell me I look like you," to which Riggs replied, "Funny -- no one tells me I look like you."). He would do humorous star turns on "The Odd Couple" and other TV shows. By early 1974 -- only a few months after the loss to King -- Riggs moved to Las Vegas and worked at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino as the resident tennis pro and casino greeter. Paid an annual salary of $100,000, he moved into a house on the hotel's golf course.
  The Tropicana was the casino where mobsters had skimmed packets of $100 bills from the counting room -- the crime immortalized in the film, "Casino." One of the men who benefited from the Tropicana skim was Riggs' Chicago golfing buddy, Jackie Cerone. In 1986, Cerone and four other men, from the Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City mobs, were convicted of skimming a total of $2 million from the Tropicana during the mid-'70s. Larry Riggs says he is unsure who had arranged the job at the Tropicana for Bobby Riggs.
  Through the late '70s and early '80s, whispers about an alleged Bobby Riggs fix only grew louder. In 1983, Riggs appeared on a syndicated television show called "Lie Detector," hosted by the famous criminal defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey. On the show, Bailey asked Riggs if he had thrown the match, and he said no. Bailey declared for viewers that Riggs had passed the lie detector test. Kuhle says Riggs did the show for $5,000, not because he had felt a need to deny the allegation.
  Few people who watched knew that Bailey had helped Santo Trafficante Jr. in the late 1970s avoid a congressional subpoena to testify in the House's JFK assassination inquiry. Trafficante had faced jail time, but he thwarted the subpoena with Bailey's help. Now 79 and living in Maine, Bailey says he helped Trafficante as a favor to his lawyer, Henry Gonzalez, whom Bailey called a close friend. "I knew Santo and Henry, but I didn't represent either one of them," Bailey says. Waldron, the mafia expert, says Frank Sturges, one of the Watergate burglars, also appeared on the show and passed his lie detector test. Waldron says Sturges was a bag man for Trafficante.
  For years, Riggs' gambling buddies often asked him about a fix. "Of course it wasn't on the level," says Jim Agate of Las Vegas, a golf gambling pal of Riggs'. He said when he asked Riggs what had happened against Billie Jean King, "he'd laugh and giggle, and roll his eyes and say, 'Oh, well, you know, it wasn't my day.'"
  EnlargeRiggs at the U.S. Open in 1993. AP Photo/Angie Corqueran
  Over the years, King has repeatedly denied there was a fix, saying the suggestion was preposterous because, if Riggs had beaten her, he could have parlayed the victory into additional big money exhibitions against other top women players. He had plenty of incentive to win, she says. When told about Hal Shaw's story, King laughs. "I would bet my life that Bobby never had that discussion with them," she says of Marcello, Trafficante and Ragano. "Maybe they had that discussion with themselves because they're mobsters, but that's not Bobby. Bobby doesn't get involved with mobsters. '... If I really thought there was even a glimmer of possibility of that, I would think about it, but I know it's not."
  In 1995, during the last year of his life, Riggs was 77 years old and suffering from prostate cancer. And reporters were still asking him about a fix. "I know there was a rumor about that match," he told tennis writer Steve Flink. "People said I was tanking, but Billie Jean beat me fair and square. I tried as hard as I could, but I made the classic mistake of overestimating myself and underestimating Billie Jean King. I didn't really think she had a chance. '... Even though we had put up a million dollars in escrow for her to play the rematch, she just wouldn't do it."
  The day before Riggs died in October 1995, King called him at home. Over the years, the two adversaries had become good friends.
  "I love you," King told him.
  "I love you," Riggs said.
  Then Billie Jean King told the happy hustler how important their match's result will always be to all women.
  "Well, we did it," Bobby Riggs finally told her. "We really made a difference, didn't we?"
  Riggs and King forged a close friendship. Riggs died at age 77 in October 1995. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
  Don Van Natta Jr. is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. He can be reached at don.vannatta@espn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DVNJr.
  Producers William Weinbaum and Andy Lockett and production assistant Joshua Vorensky of ESPN's Enterprise and Investigative Unit contributed to this report.
  Follow ESPN_Reader on Twitter: @ESPN_Reader. Follow Outside the Lines on Twitter: @OTLonESPN.
Monday, August 5, 2013 - TALKERS.COM
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 22:53
  CNN's ''Reliable Sources'' Tackles the Cumulus-Limbaugh-Hannity Brouhaha. ''It's clearly a radio deal and it has nothing to do with the future of conservative talk radio.'' Those emphatic words from TALKERS publisher/editor Michael Harrison were voiced yesterday (Sunday 8/4) on CNN's ''Reliable Sources'' regarding why Cumulus might drop Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from some of the radio company's larger stations. ''They are not going to be dropped from the air,'' Harrison asserted of conservative talk radio superstars Limbaugh and Hannity. ''If they don't come up with a deal with Cumulus, they will be on Clear Channel stations or any other companies that would love to have the two biggest attractions in talk radio.'' Also on the CNN program was liberal talk host Thom Hartmann, who indicated a boycott against Limbaugh's show actually, ''did a lot of damage to progressive talk radio'' because many advertisers pulled out ''of all talk radio.'' Salem syndicated host Michael Medved also appeared on the program strongly voicing his disapproval of advertiser boycotts targeted at either the left or the right '' saying the practice is borderline ''un-American.'' Interestingly all three guests were in almost total agreement on all aspects of the issue discussed. To see the segment click here. Boston Herald Radio Launched This Morning at 6:00 am ET. The concept of the full-blown, digital-age ''media station'' took a giant leap forward at 6:00 am ET today (8/5) as the Boston Herald newspaper unveiled its ambitious new initiative ''Boston Herald Radio'' '' a Boston-centric news/talk/sports radio station that is beginning its life as a venue for four live three-hour shows running weekdays from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. These programs include:
  ' 6:00 am to 9:00 am '' ''Live from the Newsroom with Jeff Katz'' (Katz is a well-known talk industry personality most recently heard in Boston on WRKO and Talk 1200.) Katz is pictured here on the air during the first moments of the new station's first program.
  ' 9:00 am to 12:00 noon '' ''Morning Meeting with Jaclyn Cashman and Hillary Chabot'' (Cashman is a former Springfield, MA TV anchor/reporter and multimedia consultant and Chabot is the chief political reporter with the Boston Herald.)
  ' 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm '' ''The Michael Graham Show'' (Graham is a former WTKK host and current Boston Herald op-ed columnist.)
  ' 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm '' ''Sports Town with Jon Meterparel and Jen Royle'' (Meterparel is a former WEEI personality and current Boston College play-by-play announcer and Royle is an Emmy-award winning Major League Baseball reporter, TV/radio host.)
  This is the first news/sports/talk radio platform in the Boston market backed up by a full multimedia newsroom under the brand of a major newspaper and one of a handful of such operations beginning to pop up around the country. News reports are being provided throughout the broadcast day by Boston Herald editors and reporters. Feature elements include Boston Herald music, TV, movie reviews, political and business reports, style and food segments as well as live reports from staff reporters who travel with all four major teams and provide extensive high school sports coverage. The stream is managed by Backbone Networks (the same company working on the forthcoming mid-August launch of TalkersRadio) and carried by Tune In as well as its home base on the Boston Herald website and its mobile news and sports apps. The shows are streamed from a studio adjacent to the Boston Herald newsroom. The studio team includes executive producer Tom Shattuck (formerly of WRKO and WTKK) and two part-time producers.
  Reports from the launch indicate that all has been going as planned.
  Boston Herald editor-in-chief Joe Sciacca tells TALKERS, ''We're launched and enjoying the ride! Today, the Herald's unique voice is even stronger thanks to internet radio. For years, our content has set the table for talk stations and broadcast news anchors in this market and beyond. Now the daily conversation is starting in our own studio!''
  CBS Radio, Pittsburgh's Marcellus Shale Festival to Feature KDKA Town Hall Meeting. The free event will be held next Thursday (8/15) from 2:00 pm '' 10:00 pm at Stage AE, which sits adjacent to the Pittsburgh Steelers' , and is designed to celebrate what Marcellus Shale brings to the region. KDKA, Pittsburgh 12:00 noon '' 3:00 pm personality Mike Pintek will host a 3:00 pm town hall meeting, ''Marcellus Shale '' A True Public-Private Partnership: Maximizing the Resource.'' Panelists will include Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald; Pennsylvania State Rep. Jim Christiana; Pennsylvania State Sen. Tim Solobay; U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy; and Range Resources director of corporate communications and public affairs Matt Pitzarella. The Pittsburgh premiere of the movie ''FrackNation'' will be shown, and there will be a meet and greet with co-producer Ann McElhinney. Marcellus Shale is a unit of marine sedimentary rock found in eastern North America and is named for a distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, New York.
  Entercom and Arbitron Sign Multi-Year PPM Renewal. Entercom Communications inks a multi-year, multi-market, renewal for Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) and diary radio ratings services. Entercom president/chief executive officer David Field comments, ''We plan to continue to collaborate with Arbitron to demonstrate the incredible value of radio, to ensure broadcasters get full credit for their audiences and to enhance the high return to marketers on their advertising investment.'' Arbitron president/chief executive officer Sean Creamer notes, ''Our two companies have enjoyed a long and collaborative relationship. We will continue our joint efforts to demonstrate the strength of radio within the expanding media landscape.''
  Local Radio News: Never More Opportune! That is the educated opinion of noted radio consultant and TALKERS columnist Holland Cooke who will be devoting a special presentation at the forthcoming Talkers Los Angeles 2013 conference on Thursday October 10. Cooke says that the decades-long trend of firings and shrinkage at radio station and network news departments is about to do a turn around'... and that those still plying journalistic craft in both talk and music radio should not lose heart. Rather they should get prepared as quickly as possible for exciting new opportunities in the unfolding digital era. And those are not the only new jobs he foresees. In a new column posted today (8/5), Cooke elaborates on this and more, offering handy tips for the presentation of stories and information on the radio including advice to understanding the difference between ''correctness'' and ''newsworthiness.'' To read the entire piece, please click here.
  The Mavericks to Appear at Marconi Radio Awards Dinner Show. The Grammy-winning group will perform at this year's National Association of Broadcasters Radio Show at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will sponsor the September 19 appearance. NAB executive vice president of radio John David comments, ''The Mavericks' infectious energy, passion, and chemistry will make this year's Marconi Radio Awards Dinner an unforgettable evening. These guys are great entertainers and they are excited to join radio to salute the nominees and winners.'' Self-described as, ''the most interesting band in the world,'' The Mavericks '' with lead singer and front man Raul Malo '' blend country, rock and Cuban influences. Their hits include ''All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,'' ''Here Comes the Rain'' and ''Dance the Night Away.'' Produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the NAB, this year's Radio Show will be held September 18-20; TALKERS and RadioInfo publisher Michael Harrison is slated to speak about ''Radio's Evolving Role in Popular Culture.''
  Sabo Recommends: Tomorrow's Software Today. Noted radio consultant and TALKERS columnist Walter Sabo offers a tip to personalities in both talk and music formats. Check out the new software package created, developed and now used by all-news giant WINS, New York morning anchor Lee Harris (the most listened-to anchorman on all of radio). One screen shows weather, traffic, any RSS feed, plus the ability for the producer or screener to put messages right in front of the talent. It's called ANCHOR DASHBOARD and it's created by the most listened to anchorman on radio Lee Harris from 1010 WINS, New York. Most of the CBS-owned all-news stations use it. But Sabo points out, ''It is NOT just for news stations. It would be a boon for any personality show.'' Harris Media (not to be confused with the giant Harris Corporation)sets it up any way you wish, with any ingredients you need. Then it works automatically. Sabo was so impressed with the Harris suite of support software that he agreed to help them come up with more products on a formal basis. To contact Lee Harris email lee@harrismedia.com for a demo.
  Odds & Sods. If doing 5:00 pm '' 8:00 pm each weekday on Clear Channel talk outlet WOAI, San Antonio; ''The Weekend'' for Premiere Radio Networks; and a Saturday show for Denver's KOA, were not already enough, ever conscientious Joe ''Joe Pags'' Pagliarulo fills in all this week for Quinn & Rose's Pittsburgh based ''War Room'' '... KFAQ, Tulsa morning talent Pat Campbell is sitting in for Compass Networks syndicated host Todd Schnitt today (Monday, 8/5) and will do the same again this Friday (8/9).
  Langer Broadcasting Group to Purchase WBUR's West Yarmouth, Massachusetts 1240 AM Repeater Signal.Langer's new station will serve the Brazilian and Portuguese communities of Cape Cod and the Islands. According to Langer Broadcasting Group president and chairman Alex Langer, ''There is an appetite for more multi-cultural broadcasting in Massachusetts, especially in areas like Cape Cod where the Portuguese-speaking community is increasing every year.'' Boston University-owned NPR affiliate WBUR-FM began simulcasting on Martha's Vineyard outlet WBUA this past February; thus WBUR general manager Charlie Kravetz remarks, ''We recognized that our 1240 AM signal was redundant in its coverage. We are pleased the station will now go to Langer Broadcasting.'' WBUR-FM has simulcast programming on 1240 AM since it bought the station 16 years ago. The signal at 1240 was Cape Cod's first radio station. Pending FCC approval, the changeover is expected to take place this fall.
  Tags:Conclave, Holland Cooke, Michael Harrison, radio news, radio talent
  Category: Front Page News, Industry News
Laura Poitras on British Attacks on Press Freedom and the NSA Affair - SPIEGEL ONLINE
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 21:45
  I woke up last Sunday in Berlin to an email from Glenn Greenwald with only one sentence: "I need to talk to you ASAP."
  For the past three months, Glenn and I have been reporting on the NSA disclosures revealed to us by Edward Snowden.
  I went online to the encrypted channel that Glenn and I use to communicate. He told me that he had just received a call telling him that his partner David Miranda was being detained at London's Heathrow airport under the Terrorism Act. David was traveling from Berlin where he had come to work with me. For the next six hours I was online with Glenn as he tried to find out what was happening to the person he loves most in the world.
  Glenn's reporting on the NSA story is made possible by the love and courage of David. When Glenn and I traveled to Hong Kong to meet Edward Snowden, Glenn and David spoke daily. Reporting on the most secret abuses of governments does not come without moments of fear. There was a turning point in Hong Kong before Glenn published the first story about the Verizon court order that exposed the NSA's spying on Americans. It was David who told Glenn: "You need to do this. If you don't do this, you will never be able to live with yourself."
  As Glenn and I exchanged messages between Rio and Berlin, David was being interrogated in London about our NSA reporting. Glenn said several times: "I actually cannot believe they are doing this." I kept thinking I wish it were me. Having documented and reported on abuses of government power post 9/11, we both thought we'd reached a point where nothing would shock us. We were wrong -- using pernicious terrorism laws to target the people we love and work with, this shocked us.
  Attack on Press Freedom
  Reporting on this story means some things can only be said in person, and still it is hard to know you can escape surveillance. David was traveling to meet me on behalf of the Guardian newspaper, which has taken the lead on publishing the NSA stories. We now know that David's detention was ordered at the highest levels of the British government, including the Prime Minister. We also know the US government was given advance warning that David would be detained and interrogated.
  The NSA has special relationships with the spy agencies from the so-called "Five-Eyes" nations, which include Britain's GCHQ. Weeks before David was detained, agents from GCHQ entered the offices of the Guardian newspaper and oversaw the destruction of several hard drives which contained disclosures made by Snowden. This action was also authorized at the highest levels of the UK government. Included on those drives were documents detailing GCHQ's massive domestic spying program called "Tempora."
  This program deploys NSA's XKeyscore "DeepDive" internet buffer technology which slows down the internet to allow GCHQ to spy on global communications, including those of UK citizens. Tempora relies on the "corporate partnership" of UK telecoms, including British Telecommunications and Vodafone. Revealing the secret partnerships between spy agencies and telecoms entrusted with the private communications of citizens is journalism, not terrorism.
  The UK government's destruction of material provided by a source to a news organization will surely be remembered as of the most blatant government attacks on press freedom.
  Border Interrogations
  As the hours went by on Sunday, Guardian lawyers searched to find where David was being held; the Brazilian ambassador in London could get no information; and Glenn struggled with whether he should go public or work behind the scenes to make sure David would be released and not arrested. I have never been through a hostage negotiation, but this certainly felt like one. David was finally released after nine hours. He was forced to hand over all electronics.
  Using border crossings to target journalism is not new to me. I experienced it for the first time in 2006 in Vienna, when I was traveling from the Sarajevo Film Festival back to New York. I was put in a van and driven to a security room, searched, and interrogated. The Austrian security agents told me I was stopped at the request of the US government. When I landed in New York I was again searched and interrogated.
  Since then I have lost count of how many times I have been interrogated at the US border all because of my reporting on post 9/11 issues. I've had electronics seized, notebooks photocopied, and have been threatened with handcuffs for taking notes. I moved to Berlin to edit my next film because I do not feel I can keep source material safe in my own country.
  At the moment I live in what used to be East Berlin. It feels strange to come to the former home of the Stasi to expose the dangers of government surveillance, but being here gives me hope. There is a deep historical memory among Germans of what happens to societies when its government targets and spies on its own citizens. The public outcry in Germany to the NSA disclosures has been enormous.
  Threat To Democracy
  Because of the disclosures made by Edward Snowden, we have for the first time an international debate on the scope of government surveillance. Almost daily for the past three months citizens learn of new unlawful surveillance programs being secretly run by their governments. All of our reporting has been in the public interest, and none has caused harm.
  David's detention and the destruction of the hard drives in the Guardian's basement reveal one thing: Our governments do not want citizens to be informed when it comes to the topic of surveillance. The governments of the United States, Britain, Germany, and others would like this debate to go away. It won't.
  Glenn and I, with the full support of David and others, will continue to work on the disclosures made by Snowden, as will the Guardian, SPIEGEL, the Washington Post, their reporters and their loved ones, and many other news organizations who believe vast unchecked secret government surveillance powers are a threat to democracy.
  (C) SPIEGEL ONLINE 2013All Rights ReservedReproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
Trompe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 18:23
  A trompe is a water-powered gas compressor, commonly used before the advent of the electric-powered compressor. A trompe is somewhat like an airlift pump working in reverse.
  Trompes were used to provide compressed air for bloomery furnaces in Catalonia[1] and the USA.[2] The presence of a trompe is a signature attribute of a Catalan forge, a type of bloomery furnace.
  In Paris they were used for a time to compress air to drive the city's first electricity generation scheme, and in the Alps they were used in France and Switzerland to provide compressed air for early alpine tunnels.[3]
  Trompes can be enormous. At Canadian Hydro Developers' Ragged Chute facility in New Liskeard, Ontario, water falls down a shaft 351 feet (107 m) deep and 9 ft (2.7 m) across to generate compressed air for mining equipment and ventilation.[4]
  Trompes are very simple devices. A vertical pipe or shaft goes down to a separation chamber, a pipe coming away from that chamber allows the water to exit at a lower level, and another pipe coming from the chamber allows the compressed air to exit as needed.
  Water rushing down the vertical pipe falls through a constriction. The constriction produces a lower pressure because of the venturi effect, and an external port allows air to be sucked in. The air forms bubbles in the pipe. As the bubbles go down the pipe they are pressurized proportionally to the hydraulic head, which is the height of the column of water in the pipe. The compressed air rises to the top of the separation chamber. The separation chamber has a compressed-air takeoff pipe, and the compressed air can be used as a power source.
  The energy of the falling water entrains the air into the water, but that is not the energy that pressurizes the air, as is often incorrectly claimed. That energy is solely a derivative of the hydraulic head.
  Large trompes were often situated at high waterfalls so that plenty of power was available. The Ragged Chute plant on the Montreal River near the town of Cobalt, Ontario, is a trompe and tourist attraction. It is now owned by Canadian Hydro and exists beside a modern hydroelectric plant.[4]
  Compressed air from a trompe is at the temperature of the water, and its partial pressure of water vapor is that of the dewpoint of the water's temperature. If the water is cool, the compressed air can be made very dry by passing it through pipes that are warmer than the water. Often, ordinary outside air can warm the pipes enough to produce very dry, cool compressed air.
  ^The Catalan process for the direct production of malleable iron and its spread to Europe and the Americas PDF by Estanislau Tom s (retrieved March 23, 2010)^Bond, A. Russel (1939). The Story of Mechanics. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Corporation. pp. 90''93. ^Bell, Louis (1901). Electric Power Transmission: A Practical Treatise for Practical Men. New York: Electrical World and Engineer. ^ abRagged Chutes
'IDF intercepted Syrian regime chatter on chemical attack' | The Times of Israel
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 18:11
  An IDF intelligence unit listened in on senior Syrian officials discussing a chemical attack that allegedly took place on the outskirts of Damascus and left hundreds of Syrian civilians dead last Wednesday, a major German publication reported.
  According to the report Saturday in Focus magazine, a squad specializing in wire-tapping within the IDF's prestigious 8200 intelligence unit intercepted a conversation between high-ranking regime officials regarding the use of chemical agents at the time of the attack. The report, which cited an ex-Mossad official who insisted on remaining anonymous, said the intercepted conversation proved that Bashar Assad's regime was responsible for the use of nonconventional weapons.
  Rebel groups claimed that in Wednesday's attack as many as 1,300 people were killed in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. The reports were accompanied by a string of grisly photos and videos depicting scores of dead civilians, including children.
  An Israeli TV report on Saturday claimed that the missiles were fired by the 155th Brigade of the 4th Armored Division of the Syrian Army, a division under the command of the Syrian president's brother, Maher Assad.
  A man suffering a seizure, from a video reporting to show victims of the chemical attack outside Damascus Wednesday. (photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube)
  The nerve gas shells were fired from a military base in a mountain range to the west of Damascus, the Channel 2 report said.
  The embattled regime has concentrated its vast stocks of chemical weaponry in just two or three locations, the report continued, under the control of Syrian Air Force Intelligence, itself reporting to the president.
  The TV report further added that ''the assessment in Israel'' is that the attack was intended to serve as the possible start of a wider operation.
  On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the situation in Syria couldn't be allowed to continue.
  Netanyahu said that Israel ''will always know how to protect [its] citizens'' should Syrian weapons be turned on the Jewish state.
  ''Our hand is always on the pulse,'' he said. ''Our finger is a responsible one and if needed, is on the trigger. We will always know how to protect our citizens and our country against those who come to injure us or try to attack us.''
  A Syrian man mourns over a dead body after an alleged poisonous gas attack fired by regime forces in Damascus on August 24, 2013. (photo credit: Media Office Of Douma City, AP File)
  Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said that reports of the mass chemical weapons attack outside Damascus point to ''a terrible tragedy and a terrible crime.''
  ''Our hearts go out to the women, children, babies and civilians injured so cruelly by the use of weapons of mass destruction,'' the Prime Minister said.
  Israel, like the rest of the world, has refrained from responding to the Syrian crisis in any large-scale way, taking in only a small number of injured Syrians and reportedly carrying out covert air strikes at regime weapons sites. Yet officials have said action must be taken, with most expecting Washington to respond to the attack.
  Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
VIDEO- Cutting Loose: Hungary pays off IMF debt, may eye EU exit - YouTube
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:26
Facebook friends could change your credit score
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  Archived Version
  Source: Hacker News
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:20
  Some tech startups are using your online social data to determine your creditworthiness.
  NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
  A handful of tech startups are using social data to determine the risk of lending to people who have a difficult time accessing credit. Traditional lenders rely heavily on credit scores like FICO, which look at payments history. They typically steer clear of the millions of people who don't have credit scores.
  But some financial lending companies have found that social connections can be a good indicator of a person's creditworthiness.
  One such company, Lenddo, determines if you're friends on Facebook(FB) with someone who was late paying back a loan to Lenddo. If so, that's bad news for you. It's even worse news if the delinquent friend is someone you frequently interact with.
  "It turns out humans are really good at knowing who is trustworthy and reliable in their community," said Jeff Stewart, a co-founder and CEO of Lenddo. "What's new is that we're now able to measure through massive computing power."
  Related story: Millions without credit scores not so risky after all
  A German company called Kreditech says that it uses up to 8,000 data points when assessing an application for a loan.
  In addition to data from Facebook, eBay or Amazon(AMZN, Fortune 500) accounts. Kreditech also gathers information from the manner in which a customer fills out the online application. For example, your chances of getting a loan improve if you spend time reading information about the loan on Kreditech's website. If you fill out the application typing in all-caps (or with no caps), you're knocked down a couple pegs in Kreditech's eyes.
  Kreditech can determines your location and considers creditworthiness based upon whether your computer is located where you said you live or work.
  The individual data points may not have meaning themselves, but can paint an good picture of the applicant when brought together, said Sebastian Diemer, a co-founder of Kreditech.
  Another company, Kabbage, an online service that offers cash advances to small businesses, considers an owner's FICO score -- but only as one piece of a larger pie.
  "We can get much better, faster data," said Marc Golin, Kabbage's chairman and co-founder.
  Borrowers grant Kabbage access to their PayPal, eBay(EBAY, Fortune 500) and other online payment accounts, disclosing real-time sales and delivery information. The company says it can determine a business' creditworthiness and put money into its account in just seven minutes.
  Once a small business is getting credit from Kabbage, it also has the option to link up its Facebook and Twitter accounts to the site, which could provide a bump in its "Kabbage score." The small businesses that do are 20% less likely to be delinquent on their loans, Golin said.
  "Someone who's paying attention to Facebook and Twitter channels to deal with customer service is more likely to be on top of other parts of their business, too, like inventory and shipments," he said.
  Related story: Credit score killers
  For now, many of these tech startups attract a niche group of borrowers. Kabbage targets small business owners who sell products online. Lenddo and Kreditech target middle-class individuals in emerging markets where credit is tight.
  Lenddo has about 250,000 members, but it only operates in the Philippines, Columbia and Mexico. But others are larger in scope: Kreditech says it receives 1,000 applications per day and gives 10 million loans each year. Kabbage expects to provide 75,000 cash advances this year, ranging between $500 and $50,000 -- that's three times as many loans that the U.S. Small Business Administration gave last year.
  Using "big data" to assess credit risk is on the verge of going mainstream. Kreditech has already began selling its technology to national online lenders in Russia and the Czech Republic. Golin said he hopes Kabbage will move into that space for lenders as well.
  Some in the financial industry are skeptical about social data and online behavior being used as a kind of credit score. John Ulzheimer, a credit expert at CreditSesame.com, says social data aren't necessarily indicative of whether the borrower will pay back a loan on time. FICO only considers a handful of factors, but they are all "incredibly predictive of risk," Ulzheimer said.
  There's also the potential to game the system. Consumers can easily control how many Facebook friends they have and tweets they write. The same cannot be said for what goes into their credit score.
  "To me, using social media is a little bit dangerous," Ulzheimer said.
  First Published: August 26, 2013: 6:20 AM ET
Intelligence insider: Syria, World War III & the hidden objective Northeast Intelligence NetworkNortheast Intelligence Network
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:19
  Image courtesy of Canada Free Press
  Please comment on this article at Canada Free Press
  By Douglas J. Hagmann
  26 August 2013: ''Pay attention! You are seeing the opening acts to a global war, to World War III. Refer to the information I gave you right after the attacks in Benghazi, specifically to the information contained in 'Lemmings'...at the precipice of WW III' and you will see that everything I divulged to you was precisely correct. World War III will begin in Syria, and no one on the planet (and Americans in particular) will be left untouched by what is about to take place. This has been planned for some time, and we are now seeing it happen right in front of us.'' Those are the words of a trusted source with deep ties to the intelligence community, before providing more insight into what we might expect as this 'crisis' escalates and ''Syria explodes.''
  As I wrote in that article published on October 8, 2012, ''All that is needed now is for a dutiful media to present one image, a video, or some other proof that Assad or someone else is using, or has their hands on, unconventional weapons. This will provide the necessary pretext for the U.S. and NATO, to intervene and ramp up the war against Assad. The UN will assist, and the red line will then have been crossed.'' That will be the trigger event for U.S. involvement, and the escalation into a global conflict.
  We are now at that critical moment, as the images of the use of chemical weapons are all over the news, and all fingers are pointing to Assad as the culprit. Just as predicted, The Guardian among other media outlets reported that ''David Cameron and Barack Obama moved the West closer to military intervention in Syria on Saturday as they agreed that last week's alleged chemical weapon attacks by the Assad regime had taken the crisis into a new phase that merited a 'serious response.''' But it's a lie, a magic show, to keep people's attention away from something much bigger on the horizon.
  Syria through the lens of the Arab Spring & Benghazi
  ''The entire scenario we are seeing is one big magic act that began long ago, and Syria is just the 'flash-bang' diversion of the act, albeit a vital one. To understand how we got here is critically important, as it identifies the larger agenda or the big picture too few are seeing and too many are attempting to hide.
  Consider the blatant continuity of agenda that has spanned several American presidential administrations, both Republican and Democrat, Progressive and Conservative. This transcends political parties and the 'political theater' that has been designed to keep Americans occupied. Both political parties, however, are unified under a much larger globalist agenda, which explains why the policies of the Bush 'dynasty' have been exponentially increased under the Obama 'regime.'
  ''Think about it. The anti-Assad 'rebels' are losing, they're in retreat, because the exposure to the arms and weapons running from Benghazi caused the architects of this conflict to lay low for awhile. That gave us some time, but it did not change their objective of overthrowing Assad and taking Syria for the Muslim Brotherhood. The anti-Assad rebels cannot survive without Western assistance. Considering that, what sense would it make for Assad to use chemical weapons, especially as international observers were in getting position to investigate the situation, against rebels in retreat? It makes no sense, unless you understand the larger objective and the 'big picture.'''
  ''Okay, so explain the big picture,'' I asked my source. ''And please do it in a way that I can explain it to my neighbor, or my family, so they too can understand what we're seeing.'' What follows is an uninterrupted monologue from my intelligence insider.
  The big picture explained
  ''Here's the global picture. When you see it, it will make sense. This is about reshaping the entire power structure of not just the Middle East, but of the world.''
  ''Remember that the 2001 attacks against the U.S. was the catalyst for our military operations in Afghanistan, and then ostensibly Iraq under George W. Bush, a so-called 'conservative republican.' We could have gone into Afghanistan, cleaned up what we needed to, and come home. Instead, while still in Afghanistan, we went into Iraq after convincing the world they had weapons of mass destruction. Remember that George H. W. Bush, also a 'conservative republican,' engaged Iraq in 'Gulf War I' in 1990. Essentially, we've been in Iraq for the last quarter of a century! Why? Think about that.''
  ''And, we've been in Afghanistan for the last dozen years or so. Why? Oil and opium. It's a 'international bankers war.' [Note that a recent report from 'The Guerrilla Economist lays this out here, excerpted as follows]: '''...[L]arge US military bases are on the very path of the purposed [Caspian Sea oil] pipeline. This as well that some of the proceeds from the lucrative opium trade will find its way back to US banks which will launder the money in order to help fund Unocal in the purposed pipe building project. Win Win.''
  ''Oh, and by the way, if you mention Iran's nuclear ambitions, why did we wait so long to really address this and keep Israel from doing so before any action would require a very protracted military campaign? Keep that in the back of your mind.''
  ''Now here's another important part of the magic act. After eight years of George Bush, Americans were weary of war. So, a little known man named Barack Hussein Obama was selected to run against John McCain in 2008. Why Obama and not Hillary? Because the real power players needed a man with Muslim Brotherhood connections to accomplish what was needed in the Middle East. Think back to his Cairo speech. Consider that all of his campaign promises to end the wars were not only broken, but the wars and unrest were expanded by his policies, or the policies of those who put him into power.''
  ''So we've stayed in Afghanistan and in Iraq.'' Then comes the Arab Spring, which was planned years in advance. It was not some serendipitously spontaneous movement by oppressed people longing for democracy, but a Saudi and Muslim Brotherhood plan to regain control of what was once the Ottoman Empire, this time on steroids. People must think bigger, outside of the confines of the Middle East.''
  ''As much as I don't like the thought of saying this, Putin was correct in asking what sense it makes to destabilize the entire Middle East, especially Syria, a client state of Russia. In the context of regional affairs, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Now, we are going to send cruise missiles into Syria'... to hit what? Chemical weapons stockpiles stored in densely populated areas? How is this going to help the Syrians? The refugees fleeing from Syria?''
  ''I've told you, and you have written that we are implementing the Saudi agenda across the Middle East. But who is behind the Saudis? It is the international banking cartel, those 'too big to jail,' who are behind the Saudis. It's their war and they're funding all sides of the conflict. No matter what, they win. But what do they win?''
  ''Admittedly it's difficult if not nearly impossible to tell all the players without a scorecard, and even then, the players will change their uniforms to keep everyone confused. But here's the important part. Syria is a proxy state for Russia, as is Iran. China has interests in Iran as well. If you look at all of the major powers, they all have interests in the Middle East. So who will we, the U.S. ultimately be fighting when Syria explodes? Russia. And what will be the blowback? That's important to understand, for it is also the objective.''
  Blowback
  ''None of what you are seeing is about fighting terrorism, or about helping the people of Syria. It's about oil, energy and the global economic system. Conflict exists for the globalists to achieve their objective, and their objective is the implementation of a new economic system that will be a basket of currencies, or SDR (Special Drawing Rights). If you don't know about SDRs, just equate it to the Euro, but on a global scale.''
  They will usher this in by striking at the United States much like the U.S. took down the old Soviet Union. They will target our economy through oil, cheap oil, from Saudi Arabia. Remember, Russia is the world's largest exporter of oil, neck and neck with the Saudis. But, the Saudis oil wells have been damaged and their 'lift costs' are increasing.''
  ''So, what we are about to see and experience in a most painful way is the destruction of the U.S. economy, the intentional killing of the U.S. dollar, by having it replaced as the world's reserve currency, and replaced with a basket of currencies (SDR) that is much easier to control.''
  ''This is all about the conversion of world's economic trading mechanism from a U.S. dollar based system to a SDR. The Middle East and Syria is merely the catalyst for is implementation. The 'flash-bang' of the magic act. And once this catalytic action is started, we cannot go back. War in the Middle East and particularly Syria is the catalyst that will disrupt transactions and commerce all over the world. And few will see it coming, or know what hit them.''
  Click here to save this article in PDF format
Julian Assange Reveals "Google's Covert Role In Foaming Uprisings"
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  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:07
  Authored by Julian Assange, originally posted at The Stringer,
  Google and the NSA: Who's holding the 'shit-bag' now?
  It has been revealed today, thanks to Edward Snowden, that Google and other US tech companies received millions of dollars from the NSA for their compliance with the PRISM mass surveillance system.
  So just how close is Google to the US securitocracy? Back in 2011 I had a meeting with Eric Schmidt, the then Chairman of Google, who came out to see me with three other people while I was under house arrest. You might suppose that coming to see me was gesture that he and the other big boys at Google were secretly on our side: that they support what we at WikiLeaks are struggling for: justice, government transparency, and privacy for individuals. But that would be a false supposition. Their agenda was much more complex, and as we found out, was inextricable from that of the US State Department. The full transcript of our meeting is available online through the WikiLeaks website.
  The pretext for their visit was that Schmidt was then researching a new book, a banal tome which has since come out as The New Digital Age. My less than enthusiastic review of this book was published in the New York Times in late May of this year. On the back of that book are a series of pre-publication endorsements: Henry Kissinger, Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Michael Hayden (former head of the CIA and NSA) and Tony Blair. Inside the book Henry Kissinger appears once again, this time given pride of place in the acknowledgements.
  Schmidt's book is not about communicating with the public. He is worth $6.1 billion and does not need to sell books. Rather, this book is a mechanism by which Google seeks to project itself into Washington. It shows Washington that Google can be its partner, its geopolitical visionary, who will help Washington see further about America's interests. And by tying itself to the US state, Google thereby cements its own security, at the expense of all competitors.
  Two months after my meeting with Eric Schmidt, WikiLeaks had a legal reason to call Hilary Clinton and to document that we were calling her. It's interesting that if you call the front desk of the State Department and ask for Hillary Clinton, you can actually get pretty close, and we've become quite good at this. Anyone who has seen Doctor Strangelove may remember the fantastic scene when Peter Sellers calls the White House from a payphone on the army base and is put on hold as his call gradually moves through the levels. Well WikiLeaks journalist Sarah Harrison, pretending to be my PA, put through our call to the State Department, and like Peter Sellers we started moving through the levels, and eventually we got up to Hillary Clinton's senior legal advisor, who said that we would be called back.
  Shortly afterwards another one of our people, WikiLeaks' ambassador Joseph Farrell, received a call back, not from the State Department, but from Lisa Shields, the then girlfriend of Eric Schmidt, who does not formally work for the US State Department. So let's reprise this situation: The Chairman of Google's girlfriend was being used as a back channel for Hillary Clinton. This is illustrative. It shows that at this level of US society, as in other corporate states, it is all musical chairs.
  That visit from Google while I was under house arrest was, as it turns out, an unofficial visit from the State Department. Just consider the people who accompanied Schmidt on that visit: his girlfriend Lisa Shields, Vice President for Communications at the CFR; Scott Malcolmson, former senior State Department advisor; and Jared Cohen, advisor to both Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, a kind of Generation Y Kissinger figure '-- a noisy Quiet American as the author Graham Greene might have put it.
  Google started out as part of Californian graduate student culture around San Francisco's Bay Area. But as Google grew it encountered the big bad world. It encountered barriers to its expansion in the form of complex political networks and foreign regulations. So it started doing what big bad American companies do, from Coca Cola to Northrop Grumman. It started leaning heavily on the State Department for support, and by doing so it entered into the Washington DC system. A recently released statistic shows that Google now spends even more money than Lockheed Martin on paid lobbyists in Washington.
  Jared Cohen was the co-writer of Eric Schmidt's book, and his role as the bridge between Google and the State Department speaks volumes about how the US securitocracy works. Cohen used to work directly for the State Department and was a close advisor to both Condolezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. But since 2010 he has been Director of Google Ideas, its in-house 'think/do' tank.
  Documents published last year by WikiLeaks obtained from the US intelligence contractor Stratfor, show that in 2011 Jared Cohen, then (as he is now) Director of Google Ideas, was off running secret missions to the edge of Iran in Azerbaijan. In these internal emails, Fred Burton, Stratfor's Vice President for Intelligence and a former senior State Department official, describes Google as follows:
  ''Google is getting WH [White House] and State Dept support and air cover. In reality they are doing things the CIA cannot do'...[Cohen] is going to get himself kidnapped or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose Google's covert role in foaming up-risings, to be blunt. The US Gov't can then disavow knowledge and Google is left holding the shit-bag''
  In further internal communication, Burton subsequently clarifies his sources on Cohen's activities as Marty Lev, Google's director of security and safety and.. Eric Schmidt.
  WikiLeaks cables also reveal that previously Cohen, when working for the State Department, was in Afghanistan trying to convince the four major Afghan mobile phone companies to move their antennas onto US military bases. In Lebanon he covertly worked to establish, on behalf of the State Department, an anti-Hezbollah Shia think tank. And in London? He was offering Bollywood film executives funds to insert anti-extremist content into Bollywood films and promising to connect them to related networks in Hollywood. That is the Director of Google Ideas. Cohen is effectively Google's director of regime change. He is the State Department channeling Silicon Valley.
  That Google was taking NSA money in exchange for handing over people's data comes as no surprise. When Google encountered the big bad world, Google itself got big and bad.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.9(53 votes)
Krugman Warns of Possible Treasury Default
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:07
  There will eventually be a default of some sort as interest rates continue to climb and it becomes more difficult to find buyers for Treasury securities, outside of the Fed. The default may come though in the form of accelerating price inflation. That said, the default won't come about as a result of the upcoming debt ceiling pseudo-drama. As usual, Paul Krugman is way off base.And the debt ceiling looms, with many ideologues assuring the base that Obama can be bullied into gutting his main achievement, which he won't.
  Everyone seems to assume that this will be worked out somehow, but nobody has even a halfway plausible story about how this will be done. Default looks like a real risk.
  Nonsense, Congress will buckle after a suitable amount of posturing, and raise the debt ceiling. Only Krugman could see a serious possibility of a limit placed on the ever expanding debt load that would lead to a default. This suggests a deep lack of understanding by Krugman on how Congress and the greater US government works, and the influences and pressures placed on congressmen.
Activist Post: ''Chemtrails Are Happening All Over The World'' According to Former British Columbia Premier
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:06
  Arjun WaliaActivist PostThe Former premiere of British Columbia Bill Vander Zalm is putting politicians on notice. He sent a letter across Canada to multiple politicians voicing his concerns over the chemtrail phenomenon. We are told that they are simply airplane engine condensation trails, but now it is clear these trails are different from what they used to be. Instead of dissipating quickly, they spread across the sky, expand and remain in the atmosphere for a very long period of time. Chemtrails are said to consist of tiny particles of harmful toxins like Aluminum and Barium;Vander Zalm claims there is a potential link to increased rates of Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and more as a result of the spraying.
  Bill is well aware that programs beyond the control of government is a reality. Governments are deliberately kept in the dark on projects conducted by defense intelligence agencies and many of these agencies hire private contractors and corporations to assist them. Because they hire private contractors, there is absolutely no oversight from Congress.
  The CIA and NASA are now backing the National Academy of Sciences in regards to Geoengineering projects(0)(5). Geoengineering projects are any attempt to alter the way the planet or its weather systems operate. It's a response to what has been labelled as 'the global warming phenomenon.' It is complete climate control and the manipulation of it (1)(2)(3)(4). Geoengineering might soon be labelled under ''national security,'' in which case techniques and methods used will be kept classified without the public knowing what is transpiring.
  Geoengineering has been a topic of interest for multiple universities across the planet. They've even started to develop specific programs for geoengineering, like Oxford University recently did(6). As mentioned earlier, the fact that the CIA is now involved means that all geoengineering techniques could be kept classified. This is a disturbing thought. One of the proposed techniques for combating global warming is spraying light-reflecting aerosols into the atmosphere. Here are some words from the Former premiere, Bill Vander Zalm, who is extremely concerned about geoengineering projects taking place without the public knowing.
  I believe it's been going on for sometime, but to what extent and how much the government knows about it, I don't know. Chemtrails are happening all over the world, just exactly who's engineering all of this I don't know and that's exactly what i'm trying to find out. Governments do things without asking, and we find out about it when it's too late. If they don't give me the information, then I'll take it further. The Aluminium and Barium is very light, it stays in the air and they say it reflects the sunlight back into space, they say they are hoping to combat global warming with it. Unlike contrails, chemtrails spread and stay in the air for a very long time. What goes up comes down, if we inhale the stuff, perhaps that's why we have so many problems with alzheimer's, autism and MS. I have asked municipalities to pass a resolution that if there is any program geared toward climate change, and if anything is sprayed in the air it is done with public consent. Somebody needs to be out there speaking out about these things(7)
  What is he hinting at? These are pretty alarming statements given the reputation of this man. Does he know more? I'm glad to see more and more people with a voice in the mainstream world speaking up.This is alarming, because at the same time multiple scientists all over the planet seem to agree that what we label as man-made global warming is in fact not as well understood as we think it is. The founder of the weather channel strongly agrees that man-made global warming isn't real. Scientists have even suggested that global warming has stopped and planetary temperatures have actually been cooling.
  From my research, I've personally concluded that temperature changes are a result of the natural cyclical nature of planet Earth. I do believe pollution is a great cause for concern, that it impacts health and damages our environment and its critical systems. However, I do not believe that it is connected to warming the planet. I believe that global warming is another ''crisis'' manufactured in order to propose a solution that fits an agenda the ''elite'' have been playing out for years. The problem has been labeled as global warming, and the proposed solution is geoengineering.
  Some corporations and elitist groups thrive of off planetary conflict. There has been a lot of evidence to suggest that many world events and causes for concern are created by the elite, so they can then propose the solution. One example (out of many) was 9/11; create a false flag ''terrorist'' attack in order to justify the invasion of Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, even though they were not involved with anything having to do with 9/11. Could global warming be another problem proposed by elitist groups in order to propose the solution of geoengineering? Could this link to chemtrails? What is the real agenda behind chemtrails?
  I highly recommend these two videos if you would like to look further into the phenomenon:
  What in the World are They Spraying?
  Why in the World are They Spraying?
  Sources:
  (0)http://phys.org/news/2013-07-cia-co-sponsoring-geoengineering-reversing-global.html
  (1)http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol17/iss1/art24/
  (2)http://www.sciencemag.org/content/314/5798/452.short
  (3)http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-010-9961-z
  (4)http://oxrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/24/2/322.short
  (5)http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-weather-control-with-geoengineering-2013-7
  (6)http://www.geoengineering.ox.ac.uk/geolibrary/index/reference/?publisher=Geoengineering+Quarterly%2C+Oxford+Geoengineering+Institute
  (7)http://talkdigitalnetwork.com/2013/08/are-chemtrails-a-risk/
  http://www.canadaskywatch.com/articles/news/2013/08_14_bill_vander_zalm_letter_to_canadian_government_officials.html#.UhfhH6Eb6-J
  Arjun Walia writes for Collective-Evolution where this article first appeared.
  BE THE CHANGE! PLEASE SHARE THIS USING THE TOOLS BELOW
PR Bullcrap-Princess Diana film 'got it completely wrong' says former lover Hasnat Khan | Film | theguardian.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:05
  Link to video: Diana trailer: watch Naomi Watts play the Princess of WalesThe new film about Diana, Princess of Wales, has been attacked by her former lover and the man on whom one of the film's principal characters is based, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
  DianaProduction year: 2013Country: UKDirectors: Oliver HirschbiegelCast: Lee Asquith-Coe, Naomi Watts, Naveen AndrewsMore on this filmKhan, who had a well-documented relationship with Diana between 1995 and 1997, admitted he has not seen the film but accused it of being "based on gossip", in an interview in the Mail on Sunday. He said the film's story came from "Diana's friends talking about a relationship that they didn't know much about, and some of my relatives who didn't know much about it either. It is all based on hypotheses and gossip."
  Diana, which stars Naomi Watts as the late princess, and Naveen Andrews as Khan, focuses on the relationship between the two, which ended shortly before the former's death in a car accident in August 1997. The film is based on the 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love by Kate Snell and according to the film's website, documents Diana's attempt to persuade Khan's family to allow them to marry. "One of the most famous and beautiful women in the world, she hoped to persuade Dr Khan's mother that she would make a suitable wife for her son. Had she succeeded, the events of that summer might have been very different '..."
  Khan, now consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Basildon University hospital, said he had seen stills from the film, and that was enough to inform his view that the film-makers had got it badly wrong.
  "I could tell immediately those were never our mannerisms at all, with [my] hands folded behind the back and all that.
  "You could tell from that picture that it is all just presumed about how we would behave with each other, and they have got it completely wrong."
  Khan also rejected a suggestion by the film's producers he had given the film his "tacit acceptance". He said: "It is a complete lie. I have never given any approval."
  Diana is released in the UK on 20 September.
Re: Coming Full Circle in Energy to Nuclear, August 21, 2013, B1 | NYTimes eXaminer
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:03
  August 26, 2013 · 0 Comments
  Source: NYTX
  From: Alice Slater
  To: EditorNY Times
  Although Eduardo Porter dismisses ''environmental activists'' promoting sun and wind as safe alternatives to deadly fossil fuels as unworthy of our trust that a timely energy transition is possible, numerous studies demonstrate how to make the transformation, given a level playing field and the political will. In 2009, Scientific American, for example, published a plan to power 100% of the planet by 2030 with only solar, wind and water renewables, calling for millions of wind turbines, water machines and solar installations to accomplish that task. The Stanford University authors remind us that we have achieved such massive transformations before. During World War II the U.S retooled its auto factories to produce 300,000 aircraft with another 486,000 produced abroad. By 2030, we could build 3.8 million windmills to provide 51% of the world's energy demand which would take up less than 50 square kilometers (smaller than Manhattan). They assure us this is manageable since the world manufactures 73 million cars and lights trucks every year.
  In wake of the tragic ongoing catastrophe at Fukushima, and the utter lack of any known solution to the intractable problem of storing nuclear waste, which remains lethal for 240,000 years, hardly a mere ''bugaboo'' as described by Porter, it would greatly benefit Times readers, if a factual debate was presented to the public, instead of bare assertions, unsupported by research or valid evidence.
  Alice SlaterNew York, NY
  By admin
Danish government issues warning to Russia about gay propaganda law
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: IceNews - Daily News
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 17:01
  Posted on 26 August 2013. Tags: European council, gay propaganda, Olympic committee, prince frederik, Russia anti-gay laws, sochi winter Olympics, united nations, Villy Sovndal, Vladimir Putin
  The Danish government has warned Russia it will bring the issue up of the country's recently-passed gay propaganda law at the European Council. Denmark's Foreign Minister Villy S¸vndal told Russia there is the potential they will also raise the issue at the United Nations if it doesn't change its current laws in the build-up next year's Sochi Winter Olympics.
  S¸vndal said the law is objectionable and risks the issue of discrimination being brought up as it is abusing the rights of minorities in Russia '' something that has already happened and which the law permits. He added that they will hold the country to its international obligations.
  Danish Crown Prince Frederik, who is Denmark's Olympic Committee representative, also told Russia it is not acting in accordance with the Olympic Charter, and warned it not to partake in discrimination against minority groups.
  The Olympic Committee is waiting to receive further clarification from Russia about the recently-passed controversial legislation. It has also told athletes not to display rights symbols at the Winter Olympics or they could be disciplined by the International Olympic Committee.
  Russian President Vladimir Putin has given assurances that the new law will not affect the running of the Olympics, but lawmakers in Russia have said the anti-gay legislation will not be changed during the Games.
VIDEO-Japan's trade minister blames Fukishima operators for contamination leak | euronews, world news
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:52
  Japan's trade minister has visited the Fukushima nuclear plant after its latest and worst leak.
  Last week, 300 ton of radiation-contaminated water escaped from a tank at the plant. The tanks were set up to hold contaminated water used to cool reactor cores at the plant. Most of the water is thought to have seeped into the ground, but some may have escaped into the sea through a rainwater gutter.
  The minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, promised the government would take urgent action. However he laid the blame squarely at the feet of the plant's operator, TEPCO.
  ''Concerning the issue of how to handle the contaminated water, we had been leaving everything to TEPCO and the way they have been handling the matter was on a piecemeal basis, by taking care of each problem as it emerged. But from here on the government will take charge,'' Motegi declared.
  TEPCO has said it will now invite foreign decommissioning experts to advise it on how to clean up its act.
  The trade minister promised checks of the tanks would be doubled to four a day.
  The government has also signalled it may dip into an emergency reserve fund to help pay for the clean-up.
  Fishing off the coast has once again been banned because of the contamination. Local fisherman complained they had lost faith in TEPCO's ability to protect the sea.
  Fumio Suzuki, a 47-year-old fisherman, said: ''The [plant's] operators are reacting too late every time with everything they do. We say, 'Don't spill contaminated water', and they spill contaminated water. They are always a step behind so that is why we can't trust them.''
  It is unclear what the longterm environmental impact will be on sea life. A recent test on 170 types of fish showed 40 percent were contaminated
  The Fukushima plant suffered multiple meltdowns following a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
  More about:Fukushima, Japan, Nuclear accidentsCopyright (C) 2013 euronews
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Lavrov: 'Geen bewijs voor gebruik chemische wapens'
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:51
  Bewerkt door: redactie '' 26/08/13, 17:20 '' bron: AP, ANP, Reuters, AFP
  (C) AFP. VN-inspecteurs in Moudamiya, een buitenwijk van Damascus.
  live De VN-inspecteurs die poolshoogte nemen in Ghouta - het gebied dat woensdag is getroffen door een gifgasaanval - zijn onder vuur genomen door sluipschutters. Ondertussen groeit de internationale steun voor militaire interventie in Syri. Duitsland, Turkije, Groot-Brittanni en Frankrijk lijken hierop aan te sturen. Amerika blijft terughoudend en wacht het VN-onderzoek af. Volg de laatste ontwikkelingen in dit liveblog.
  18.10 uur - Oppositie Syri wil geen vredesconferentieHet overkoepelend orgaan van een reeks Syrische oppositiegroepen, de Syrische Nationale Coalitie, wil voorlopig niets meer weten van een grote vredesconferentie. Leiders van de coalitie hebben dit maandag in Istanbul gezegd op een bijeenkomst die in het teken stond van de voorbereidingen van de conferentie. Dat melden persbureau's Reuters en ANP.
  De grote vredesconferentie is een vredesinitiatief van de VS en Rusland. 'We moeten eerst de dictator, Bashar de Chemicus, straffen en daarna kunnen we het hebben over een conferentie in Gen¨ve', zegt een van de delegatieleden van de coalitie.
  16.38 uur - VN-wapeninspecteurs terug in hotelDe VN-wapeninspecteurs, die vanmiddag de wijken hebben onderzocht waar de gifgasaanval van woensdag zou hebben plaatsgevonden, zijn weer terug in hun hotel in Damascus. Dat hebben ooggetuigen gemeld.
  16.33 uur - Slate: 'Aannemelijk dat Obama Syri aanvalt''Het ziet ernaar uit dat president Obama Syri ergens in de komende weken gaat bombarderen', schrijft Slate. Het toonaangevende Engelstalige online-magazine draagt hiervoor verschillende redenen aan:
  1. Obama's hoogste civiele en militaire adviseurs komen zaterdag in het Witte Huis bijeen om de opties te bespreken.
  2. Amerikaanse oorlogsschepen naderen de Syrische kust.
  3. The New York Times schrijft dat Obama's nationale veiligheidsadviseurs de luchtoorlog in Kosovo van 1999 bestuderen als een mogelijke blauwdruk voor interventie in Syri.
  (C) afp.
  Catherine Ashton.
  16.08 uur - Ashton: 'Steun VN van groot belang'De buitenlandchef van de Europese Unie, Catherine Ashton, heeft tijdens haar bezoek aan Tallinn - de hoofdstad van Estland - benadrukt dat steun van de Veiligheidsraad van de Verenigde Naties van zeer groot belang is in de kwestie Syri.
  Volgens Ashton moet er gezocht worden naar een politieke oplossing voor het bloedvergieten in Syri. Het is volgens haar lastig voor de Europese Unie, met 28 lidstaten, om tot een gezamenlijke conclusie te komen. Desalniettemin worden 'diverse opties bekeken'.
  Ashton zei in 'gesprekken met China en Rusland' de noodzaak te hebben benadrukt dat het geweld moet stoppen. Bovendien zei ze dat het erg belangrijk is dat wapeninspecteurs van de VN in alle vrijheid hun werk moeten kunnen doen om zo snel mogelijk te kunnen beoordelen of in Syri een gifgasaanval heeft plaatsgevonden.
  16.00 uur - VN-inspecteurs in MoudamiyaZie hieronder de eerste YouTube-beelden van de VN-inspecteurs in Moudamiya, een van de getroffen buitenwijken van Damascus.
  15.36 uur - 'VN-conclusies gifgas speelbal politiek'De inspecteurs van de Verenigde Naties die sinds vanochtend onderzoek doen naar de mogelijke gifgasaanval in Syri, trekken bewust geen conclusies over de schuldvraag. 'Zodra het onderzoeksrapport gereed is, worden de conclusies toch door Rusland, de Verenigde Staten, het Verenigd Koninkrijk en China politiek ingekleurd', stelt Jan Rozing, voormalig VN-inspecteur in onder meer Irak en gepensioneerd celbioloog aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
  Dat is volgens hem destijds ook door de Amerikaanse president George W. Bush gedaan in het onderzoek naar de massavernietigingswapens in Irak. 'We hebben als VN-inspecteurs daarvoor in 2002 en 2003 nooit bewijzen gevonden, maar de wereld werd een ander verhaal verteld.'
  14.20 uur - Lavrov: 'Geen bewijs voor gebruik chemische wapens'De Russische minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, Sergei Lavrov, zei tijdens een persconferentie in Moskou dat de 'hysterie' rondom Syri groeit, terwijl 'Washington, Parijs en Londen nog geen enkel bewijs hebben dat er daadwerkelijk chemische wapens zijn ingezet'.
  Volgens Lavrov is er geen logische reden voor de regering van Assad om een dergelijke aanval te organiseren.
  Lavrov heeft gisteren met zijn Amerikaanse collega John Kerry gesproken en vertelde hem dat alle naties duidelijk moeten maken 'dat er geen alternatief is voor een politieke oplossing'.
  Hij noemde Libi als voorbeeld van mislukte interventie. 'Die heeft het leven van de mensen niet verbeterd en heeft geen stabiliteit gecreerd', aldus Lavrov.
  Gevraagd of hij militaire interventie zou steunen, antwoordde Lavrov: 'Dit is niet alleen onrealistisch, maar ook speculatief.' Hij doelde daarbij op de VN-inspecteurs - op dit moment in het getroffen gebied - die tot taak hebben om te controleren of er daadwerkelijk gisgas is gebruikt, en niet door wie het is ingezet.
  Militaire interventie zonder VN-mandaat zou volgens Lavrov een ernstige schending van de internationale wet zijn.
  (C) epa.
  VN-konvooi.
  13.53 uur - 'Terroristen achter beschieting VN-konvooi'De schietpartij op VN-inspecteurs is het werk van 'terroristen', heeft de Syrische staatstelevisie laten weten.
  'De Syrische regering zal gewapende terroristische groepen verantwoordelijk houden voor de veiligheid van leden van het VN-team', aldus een bron binnen het ministerie van Informatie.
  13.42 uur - Hagel: 'Actie in overleg'De Amerikaanse minister van Defensie, Chuck Hagel, zegt dat elke actie inzake Syri pas genomen zal worden na overleg met de internationale gemeenschap en dat deze 'binnen een wettelijk kader' moet vallen.
  13.39 uur - VN-inspecteurs bereiken MouadamiyaDe VN-inspecteurs hebben de buitenwijk Moudamiya bereikt, volgens activisten.
  'Ik ben nu met het team, we zijn in de Rawda Moskee en ontmoeten de gewonden', zei Abu Karak, een dokter, tegen persbureau Reuters. 'Onze medici en de inspecteurs praten met de patinten en nemen monsters van de slachtoffers.'
  13.00 uur - VN-konvooi beschoten door sluipschuttersSluipschutters hebben de VN-inspecteurs die in konvooi Ghouta bezoeken om de berichten over de chemische aanvallen te onderzoeken onder vuur genomen. Volgens VN-woordvoerder Martin Nesirky werd de eerste wagen in het konvooi 'opzettelijk en meerdere malen beschoten door onge¯dentificeerde sluipschutters.'
  Het kantoor van VN-secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-Moon heeft in een verklaring laten weten dat de auto door de beschieting niet langer bruikbaar is en dat het team 'veilig is teruggekeerd naar een check-point van de regering'.
  Het team zal terugkregen naar het gebied zodra de auto vervangen is.
  (C) afp.
  Guido Westerwelle.
  12.50 uur - Duitsland steunt actie indien gifgasaanval bevestigdDe Duitse regering heeft maandag laten doorschemeren dat ze internationaal militair ingrijpen in Syri steunt als blijkt dat het regime van president Bashar al-Assad een aanval met chemische wapens heeft uitgevoerd. Dat meldt persbureau AP. Steffan Seibert, de woordvoerder van bondskanselier Angela Merkel, zei dat Syri 'gestraft moet worden' als de gifgasaanval wordt bevestigd.
  Volgens Seibert is de Duitse regering van mening dat 'een gifgasaanval zeer waarschijnlijk is'. Hij wilde niet speculeren over de maatregelen die getroffen moeten worden, maar hij sloot het gebruik van geweld niet uit. De Duitse minister van buitenlandse zaken Guido Westerwelle liet zich eerder in gelijkaardige bewoordingen uit.
  12.41 uur - Lavrov houdt persconferentieVolgens Russische nieuwssite The Voice of Russia houdt de Russische minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Sergej Lavrov om 14.00 uur (Nederlandse tijd) een extra persconferentie om de situatie in Syri te bespreken.Het Russische ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken meldde dat Lavrov zondag telefonisch met zijn Amerikaanse collega John Kerry had gesproken en de Russische zorgen over een mogelijk Amerikaans ingrijpen in Syri had gedeeld. Buitenlandse militaire interventie zou volgens Rusland 'extreem gevaarlijke consequenties' hebben voor de hele regio.
  12.09 uur - China reageertPeking roept op tot 'voorzichtigheid' en 'een politieke oplossing' inzake Syri. Dat meldt persbureau AFP.
  11.54 uur - Cameron breekt vakantie afDe Britse premier David Cameron breekt zijn vakantie af vanwege de crisis in Syri. Naar verwachting zal hij de bijeenkomst van de Nationale Veiligheidsraad op dinsdag voorzitten.
  11.44 uur - Hollande: 'Beslissing valt snel'De Franse president Fran§ois Hollande heeft in een interview met de krant Le Parisien gezegd dat deze week nog een beslissing zal vallen over de crisis in Syri. Er zouden verschillende mogelijkheden op tafel liggen, varirend van het aanscherpen van de internationale sancties tot luchtaanvallen door middel van bewapening van de rebellen.
  'Het is te vroeg om iets concreets te zeggen over wat er zal gebeuren', aldus Hollande. 'De VN-inspecteurs zullen eerst hun onderzoek ter plaatse afronden. We hebben ook nog wat tijd nodig om het diplomatieke proces rond te krijgen, maar niet te veel tijd.'
  11.33 - Is militair ingrijpen in Syri realistisch?De gepensioneerde Amerikaanse generaal Wesley Clarke en Mark Kimmitt, een gepensioneerde brigadier-generaal uit het Amerikaanse leger praten met nieuwszender Al Jazeera over de mogelijkheid om militair in te grijpen in Syri. Zie video's hieronder:
  (C) afp.
  (C) ap.
  11.07 uur - 'Humanitaire situatie buitenwijken verontrustend''Syrirs snappen niet waarom Scud-raketten die door Russen worden geleverd en verantwoordelijk zijn voor honderden doden niet illegaal zijn en gifgasraketten wel', zegt Abu Hamza, een lid van de Revolutionaire Raad van de Buitenwijken tegen de Volkskrant.
  'Syrirs geloven niet in support van de internationale gemeenschap, maar we hopen er wel op. De buitenwijken worden vandaag minder bestookt dan anders - met dank aan het VN-bezoek - maar de humanitaire situatie is nog altijd even verontrustend. Er is nauwelijks eten en er zijn geen medicijnen voor de gewonden. Zojuist kregen we het bericht binnen dat een baby is gestorven wegens gebrek aan melk. Ik hoop dat de VN-inspecteurs ook oog hebben voor dergelijke details.'
  10.46 uur - Mortieraanslag nabij hotel VN-inspecteursTen minste twee mortiergranaten hebben Damascus geraakt, nabij het hotel waar de VN-inspecteurs verblijven. Dit hotel, Four Seasons, bevindt zich in het hart van de hoofdstad.
  Volgens de Syrische staatstelevisie zijn de mortiergranaten van lokale komaf en zijn ze afgevuurd door 'terroristen', de term die Assad en zijn getrouwen sinds het begin van de revolutie gebruiken om de rebellen mee aan te duiden. Persbureau SANA meldt dat er 3 mensen bij de aanslag gewond zijn geraakt.
  10.12 uur - Frankrijk: 'Antwoord in de maak'Er komt een 'gepast antwoord' op de aanval met chemische wapens in voorsteden van de Syrische hoofdstad Damascus. Dat heeft Laurent Fabius, de Franse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, gezegd. Frankrijk houdt het regime verantwoordelijk voor de gifgasaanval.
  'Er wordt de komende dagen over onderhandeld', zei Fabius maandag op de radiozender Europe 1. Fabius erkende dat het problematisch is dat er nog geen steun is van de Verenigde Naties. 'Alle opties liggen nog open. De enige optie die ik me niet kan voorstellen, is dat er niets wordt gedaan.'
  10.00 uur - VN-konvooi onderwegDe VN-inspecteurs hebben hun hotel in Damascus verlaten om in een konvooi van zes auto's naar het gebied te trekken dat vermoedelijk is getroffen door een gifgasaanval. Dat zei een getuige tegen persbureau Reuters.
  Volgens onze bron in de buitenwijk Zamalka, Mohammed Salah al-Dein, is het in tijden niet zo rustig gewest als vandaag. 'Het regime is een staakt-het-vuren overeengekomen met de VN-inspecteurs, zodat zij veilig hun werk kunnen doen.'
  9.36 uur - William Hague: 'Ingrijpen mogelijk zonder steun VN'De Britse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, William Hague, heeft laten weten dat het mogelijk is om - als reactie op de aanval met chemische wapens - tot actie over te gaan zonder unanieme steun van de VN.
  Hague is de eerste wereldleider die deze mogelijkheid openlijk bespreekt. Tot nu toe hebben Rusland en China elke optie tot militair ingrijpen geblokkeerd.
  9.18 uur - Turkije neemt deel aan coalitie, indien actie wordt ondernomenAls een internationale coalitie actie onderneemt tegen Syri wil Turkije daaraan meedoen. Zelfs als voor zo'n actie geen consensus bestaat in de VN-Veiligheidsraad. Dat heeft de Turkse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, Ahmet Davutoglu, laten weten.
  Turkije stond voor de burgeroorlog in buurland Syri op goede voet met het regime van president Bashar al-Assad, maar de betrekkingen zijn sindsdien geheel verzuurd.
  (C) epa.
  VN-leider Ban Ki-Moon.
  9.15 uur - VN-leider: 'Elk uur telt'Ban Ki-moon heeft benadrukt dat bij het onderzoek naar de gifgasaanval bij Damascus geen tijd te verliezen is. 'Ieder uur telt', aldus de VN-leider.
  VN-inspecteurs staan op het punt om poolshoogte te nemen in Ghouta, de buitenwijk van Damascus waar woensdag honderden mensen zouden zijn omgekomen door zenuwgas.
  'We kunnen ons geen vertragingen meer veroorloven. De wereld kijkt naar Syri', aldus Ban tegen journalisten in Seoul.
  9.00 uur - Rusland dringt aan op terughoudendheidRusland is erg bezorgd over een mogelijke Amerikaanse militaire actie tegen Syri. Dat heeft het Russische ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken laten weten.
  Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Sergej Lavrov heeft bij zijn Amerikaanse ambtgenoot John Kerry op terughoudendheid aangedrongen.In de verklaring staat dat Moskou met 'grote bezorgdheid' kennis heeft genomen van een mogelijke Amerikaanse reactie op een vermeende gifgasaanval door het Syrische regime bij Damascus vorige week.
  8.53 uur - Assad: 'VS wacht mislukking'Volgens Bashar al-Assad staat de Verenigde Staten een mislukking te wachten als het Syri aanvalt. Assad heeft dat gezegd in een interview dat vandaag is gepubliceerd door de Russische krant Izvestia
  De Syrische president doet de westerse beschuldigingen van een gifgasaanval bij Damascus vorige week af als 'onlogisch' en 'politiek gemotiveerd'.
  'Amerika staat een mislukking te wachten als in alle oorlogen die het heeft ontketend van Vietnam tot de dag van vandaag', aldus Assad tegen Izvestia.
  Overzicht belangrijkste gebeurtenissen:- Frankrijk zei dit weekeinde dat er bewijzen zijn dat Syrische regeringstroepen een gifgasaanval hebben uitgevoerd. De Franse premier Fran§ois Hollande besprak de kwestie met zijn Britse ambtgenoot David Cameron.
  - De Amerikaanse president Barack Obama voerde zaterdag overleg met zijn belangrijkste veiligheidsadviseurs over de crisis in Syri en de mogelijkheden voor ingrijpen.
  - Groot-Brittanni zei op zondag dat het bewijs voor een gifgasaanval mogelijk al vernietigd is omdat er te veel tijd overheen is gegaan. 'We moeten nu realistisch zijn over wat het VN-team nog kan bereiken', aldus Willam Hague, de Britse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken.
  - Rusland heeft de Verenigde Staten zondag opgeroepen om de bevindingen van een VN-onderzoek naar de inzet van chemische wapens in Syri af te wachten voordat militair wordt ingegrepen. Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Aleksandr Loekasjevitsj zei dat niet alleen de Verenigde Staten, maar alle landen het onderzoek af moeten wachten en hij drong aan op 'voorzichtigheid en het voorkomen van tragische fouten'.
  - Syri staat de Verenigde Naties toe de plek te bezoeken waar vorige week een chemische aanval zou hebben plaatsgevonden. De Syrische minister van Buitenlandse zaken Walid al-Moallem en VN-chef voor ontwapening Angela Kane hebben hierover overeenstemming bereikt.
  - Uit een peiling van persbureau Reuters en Ipsos blijkt dat maar liefst zestig procent van de Amerikanen vindt dat president Obama zich niet moet mengen in de Syrische burgeroorlog. Negen procent vindt van wel. De gifgasaanvallen op Syrische burgers hebben de Amerikanen slechts gesterkt in hun mening dat Syri een wespennest is, waar de Verenigde Staten maar beter uit kunnen blijven, na eerdere jarenlange aanwezigheid in Irak en Afghanistan.
President Obama, President Clinton and President Carter to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington on Wednesday August 28th
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Blog Feed
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:48
  Valerie JarrettAugust 26, 201311:10 AM EDT
  This Wednesday will mark 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic ''I Have a Dream'' speech at the base of the Lincoln Memorial; a moment which served to punctuate a movement that changed America.
  To honor this occasion, President Obama will be joined Wednesday, August 28th, by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton, members of the King family and other civil rights leaders and luminaries at the Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action event at the Lincoln Memorial, to commemorate Dr. King's soaring speech and the 1963 March on Washington.
  As we mark this important anniversary, we reflect on what the Civil Rights Movement has meant for the country, and perhaps most importantly, the hard work that lies ahead as we continue to pursue the ideals laid out by Dr. King, and sought by the hundreds of thousands of Americans who marched through our nation's capital fifty years ago.
  This event is open to the public. Doors open at 9:00 AM, for an 11:00 AM program start on Wednesday, August 28th at the Lincoln Memorial. Guests arriving after 12:00 PM are not guaranteed admittance. In order to access the venue, you must enter from the east side of the Reflecting Pool, on 17th street, near the World War II Memorial.
  For more information on the 50th Anniversary Let Freedom Ring Ceremony and Call to Action Event at the Lincoln Memorial please visit http://officialmlkdream50.com/august-28/.
  Valerie B. Jarrett is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversees the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chairs the White House Council on Women and Girls.
  Related Topics: Civil Rights
UN Team Reaches Syria 'Gas Attack' Site Despite Sniper Fire
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: RIA Novosti
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:45
  DAMASCUS, August 26 (RIA Novosti) '' UN chemical weapons experts on Monday reached the site of an alleged poison gas attack outside Damascus hours after their convoy came under sniper fire.
  The UN team members met with survivors and took samples at the site in Ghouta, an eastern part of Damascus, where hundreds were killed last week.
  Earlier on Monday, unidentified snipers hit a vehicle of the chemical weapons investigation team forcing them to suspend their inquiry. No injuries have been reported. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
  Speaking in a news conference on Monday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the sniper attack took place while the UN team was in rebel-controlled territory.
  However, a UN statement on the incident says the vehicle was in the "buffer zone" at the time of the attack, i.e. was in territory controlled neither by the rebels nor by government forces.
  The Syrian government and the opposition have traded accusations over the sniper attack. The Syrian opposition claimed that the government forces attacked the UN inspectors to ''intimidate them,'' AFP reported.
  The team of UN experts is currently investigating the gas attack on the ground, though their mandate is limited to confirming that the attack took place, not establishing who was behind it.
  The gas attack gave an advantage to those who want to trigger foreign military action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Lavrov said, though he added that it was up to the UN to determine the perpetrators.
  ''Was it really in the interest of the Syrian government to use chemical weapons right when the [UN] inspectors are working there?'' Lavrov said.
'Begin maar liever niet aan de peuterleerplicht'
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:44
  OPINIE - Michelle van Dijk '' 26/08/13, 17:30
  (C) anp. Peuters en kleuters zijn aan het spelen.
  opinie Het is een slecht idee om alle peuters verplicht naar school te sturen, betoogt Michelle van Dijk. 'Het is beleid dat voortkomt uit de onmacht om in te grijpen in de thuissituatie van kansarme kinderen.'
  Gemiddelde peuterleider in een grote stad is niet opgegroeid met de Nederlandse taal
  De Volkskrant bracht dinsdag 20 augustus het nieuws dat Amsterdam alle voorschoolse voorzieningen bij elkaar wil brengen: (C)(C)n 'Groep 0 Plus' voor alle kinderen van 2,5-4 jaar. Ouders zullen er blij mee zijn dat gelijk onderwijs tegen gelijke tarieven voor alle peuters beschikbaar is. Maar moeten alle peuters naar school?
  Formeel begint de leerplicht in Nederland nog steeds bij vijf jaar. Een peuter met VVE-indicatie (voor- en vroegschoolse educatie) is nu al verplicht om naar de voorschool te gaan. Ouders die dit advies niet opvolgen, bezorgen hun kind een negatieve aantekening in het dossier waarmee het al moeilijker wordt om een basisschool te vinden. En als 'Groep 0 Plus' voor alle Amsterdamse kinderen wordt gekoppeld aan de basisscholen (volgens plan), dan vindt een kind straks zeker geen basisschool meer als het de voorschool niet bezocht heeft. Officieel zal het niet zo heten, maar ik zie dit als 'peuterleerplicht' en daar verzet ik me tegen.
  De bestaande leerplicht van vijf tot achttien jaar moeten we alleen veranderen als er heel goede redenen voor zijn. Steeds vaker poogt de politiek om sociale problemen op te vangen in het onderwijs, met name in de grote steden. Zo wilden PvdA en VVD jongeren langer laten studeren om de werkloosheidscijfers te flatteren. In Rotterdam-Zuid wilde men hetzelfde doen omdat er te veel drop-outs zijn. En consultatiebureaus bepalen welke kinderen in aanmerking komen voor de VVE, op basis van de gezinssituatie. De willekeur daarvan blijkt ook uit het rapport van de Onderwijsinspectie dat deze week verscheen. Heeft je vader z'n school niet afgemaakt? Is je vader Turks? Dan ga je vier dagdelen naar de peuterschool, zegt gemeente A. In gemeente B willen ze juist weer weten of je met twee jaar je eigen naam kunt zeggen.
  Gemiddelde peuterleiderUit onderzoeken blijkt steeds weer dat de voorschool alleen iets oplevert als de medewerkers goed geschoold en taalvaardig zijn en als zij consequent het lesprogramma volgen. Dat gebeurt in de praktijk niet. De gemiddelde peuterleider in een grote stad heeft een mbo-opleiding en is niet opgegroeid met de Nederlandse taal. En een peuter wordt niet beter van de peuterschool als de leidsters en kinderen op die school minder taalvaardig zijn dan zijn of haar familie is. Daarmee is de rechtvaardiging van de peuterleerplicht, namelijk het herstellen van de taalachterstand, nogal zwak.
  Vijftien jaar geleden was het doel van de peuterspeelzaal spelen met andere kinderen, spelenderwijs iets leren; dat kan w(C)l beter dan thuis. Blijkbaar vonden we altijd dat het beter was voor een kind om de eerste levensjaren in een gezin, in een kleinschalige, veilige omgeving door te brengen.
  De inzichten zijn veranderd. Er is veel aandacht voor gezinnen die geen veilige omgeving bieden. We hebben de statistieken die zeggen: het maakt niet uit hoeveel onderwijs je erin pompt, de best voorspellende factor voor het schoolsucces van een kind is het opleidingsniveau van de ouder. Als je ouders gebrekkig Nederlands spreken en hun school niet hebben afgemaakt, dan is de kans groot dat jou hetzelfde overkomt.
  DenkfoutenMaar moet peuteronderwijs dit sociale probleem oplossen? Hier worden toch een paar denkfouten gemaakt. Ten eerste mogen we er niet van uitgaan dat alle laagopgeleide ouders hun peuters onvoldoende te bieden hebben omdat dat bij een groot percentage zo is. Ten tweede is de geboden oplossing paradoxaal: we weten dat het gezin waarin je opgroeit belangrijker is dan de school waar je naartoe gaat, en toch moet je meer tijd op school doorbrengen? Het ligt toch voor de hand dat die gezinnen hulp nodig hebben op alle terreinen?
  Uit het rapport van de inspectie blijkt ook dat de VVE's er niet in slagen ouders te betrekken bij het onderwijs; dat zegt al genoeg. En tot slot: waarom moeten dan ineens alle peuters naar school? Je kunt de schoolcarri¨re van alle Nederlandse kinderen verlengen, maar je behoudt altijd de laagste sociale klasse waar de problemen groter zijn dan in andere gezinnen.
  SegregatieOverigens: hoe voorkom je dat de segregatie in het onderwijs niet juist groter wordt? 'Blanke' en 'zwarte' peuterscholen, durf dat als politicus maar als toekomstig probleem te benoemen. Reken maar dat de hoogopgeleide moeders hun kind al voor de juiste peuterschool inschrijven nog v""r ze hun eicellen uit de uitstelvriezer halen, terwijl andere ouders pas in beweging komen als het consultatiebureau hen dwingt. En dan is dat hele idee dat kinderen zich optrekken aan de meer ontwikkelde kinderen alweer onderuitgehaald. Zeker omdat het inspectierapport ook al benoem-de, dat de peuterleiders er moeite mee hebben onderwijs op maat te bieden.
  Meer onderwijs, meer verplichtingen voor scholen, ouders en kinderen, maar weinig visie; dat is ergerlijk. De peuterleerplicht is niet het gouden ei voor de taalachterstand. Het mag ook geen alternatief zijn voor zorg die nu onvoldoende op maat is. Begin er zeker niet aan voordat het peuteronderwijs kwalitatief op niveau is: begin er voorlopig maar helemaal niet aan.
  Michelle van Dijk schrijft over onderwijs op haar blog www.michellevandijkschrijft.nl
Patent Confirms That Aspartame is the Feces of GM bacteria
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Canadian Awareness Network
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:42
  History of Aspartame and Side EffectsAspartame was discovered in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.
  Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle Company.
  The most common products that contain aspartame are Diet sodas, Yogurts, Chewing gum, Cooking sauces, Crisps tabletop sweeteners, Drink powders, Flavored water, Sugar-free products and Cereals!SOURCE
  Reported by The Independent a UK news outlet stated that ''A Monsanto spokeswoman confirmed that aspartame for the US market is made using genetic engineering'....chemical companies are using genetically engineered bacteria in their manufacturing process without telling the public'....Aspartame is made by combining phenylalanine, which is naturally produced by bacteria, with another amino acid. Monsanto has genetically engineered the bacteria to make them produce more phenylalanine. ''SOURCE
  Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. These reactions can be very serious, including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include:
  Headaches/migrainesDizzinessSeizuresNauseaNumbnessMuscle spasmsWeight gainRashesDepressionFatigueIrritabilityTachycardiaInsomniaVision problemsHearing lossHeart palpitationsBreathing difficultiesAnxiety attacksSlurred speechLoss of tasteTinnitusVertigoMemory lossJoint pain
  The following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:
  Brain tumorsMultiple sclerosisEpilepsyChronic fatigue syndromeParkinson's diseaseAlzheimer'sMental retardationLymphomaBirth defectsFibromyalgiaDiabetes
  Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.
  The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:
  Headaches/migrainesFatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)Anxiety attacksNauseaSleep problemsDepressionAbdominal painsVision problemsAsthma/chest tightness SOURCE
  So if you drink lots of diet pop, eat lots of cereal or ingest any excessive amount of products listed above that have aspartame in it and are experiencing these symptoms it could indeed be associated to aspartame. Try stopping the ingestion of those products to see if it will make a difference in your life.
  Patent For Producing Aspartame
  Click photo to enlarge to read the process to make aspartame.
  Below is breaking down in simpler terms on the process of making aspartame courtesy of NaturalNews.com
  This scientific jargon obfuscates (perhaps deliberately) a truly disturbing process:
  1.) 'Cloned microorganisms' (which the patent later reveals to be genetically modified E. coli) are cultivated in tanks whose environments are tailored to help them thrive.
  2.) The well-fed E. coli cultures defecate the proteins that contain the aspartic acid-phenylalanine amino acid segment needed to make aspartame.
  3.) The proteins containing the Asp-Phe segments are 'harvested' (i.e. lab assistants collect the bacteria's feces).
  4.) The feces are then treated. This includes a process of methylation (adding an excess of the toxic alcohol, methanol, to the protected dipeptide).Continue Reading'... (NaturalNews.com)
  ConclusionAspartame has a lot of unhealthy side effects and is made from bacteria's feces. Do I really need to say more?
To make journalism harder, slower, less secure >> Pressthink
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:40
  Last week, the novelist and former CIA operative Barry Eisler published one of the most important posts I have read about what's happening to the press since the Snowden revelations began in early June. In it, he tries to explain why authorities in the UK detained Brazilian national David Miranda for nine hours at Heathrow airport and confiscated all the technology he had on him. (Miranda, as everyone following the story knows, is the spouse of The Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald. He had been acting as a courier, bringing documents on encrypted thumb drives back and forth between Greenwald in Brazil and his collaborator, Laura Poitras, in Germany.)
  Eisler's explanation of this pivotal event is the most persuasive I have seen.
  1. Sand in the gears
  ''Put yourself in the shoes of the National Surveillance State,'' he writes. You've already commandeered the internet for state use and you have most of the world's communications monitored and stored. Journalists are beginning to realize than none of their means is secure, so they're retreating to face to face meetings, traveling backwards in technological time to evade your reach. But you find out about one of these meetings: Greenwald's spouse is visiting Berlin. Eisler explains:
  The purpose was to demonstrate to journalists that what they thought was a secure secondary means of communication '-- a courier, possibly to ferry encrypted thumb drives from one air-gapped computer to another '-- can be compromised, and thereby to make the journalists' efforts harder and slower.
  Recognizing that you can't bring journalism to a complete halt, you try to throw sand in the gears. David Miranda was detained and questioned under a terrorism statute in Britain. What's the connection? As Eisler says, ''Part of the value in targeting the electronic communications of actual terrorists is that the terrorists are forced to use far slower means of plotting. The NSA has learned this lesson well, and is now applying it to journalists.'' He writes:
  To achieve the ability to monitor all human communication, broadly speaking the National Surveillance State must do two things: first, button up the primary means of human communication '-- today meaning the Internet, telephone, and snail mail; second, clamp down on backup systems, meaning face-to-face communication, which is, after all, all that's left to the population when everything else has been bugged. Miranda's detention was part of the second prong of attack. So, incidentally, was the destruction of Guardian computers containing some of Snowden's leaks. The authorities knew there were copies, so destroying the information itself wasn't the point of the exercise. The point was to make the Guardian spend time and energy developing suboptimal backup options '-- that is, to make journalism harder, slower, and less secure.
  2. Working together
  The day after Eisler's post appeared, Ben Smith of Buzzfeed found out '-- and the Guardian then announced '-- that some of the Snowden documents had been shared with the New York Times, which will report in partnership with the Guardian on some NSA stories. Britain's equivalent of the NSA, the GCHQ, had forced the Guardian editors to halt work in London on the Snowden leaks. But'...
  Journalists in America are protected by the first amendment which guarantees free speech and in practice prevents the state seeking pre-publication injunctions or ''prior restraint''.
  It is intended that the collaboration with the New York Times will allow the Guardian to continue exposing mass surveillance by putting the Snowden documents on GCHQ beyond government reach. Snowden is aware of the arrangement.
  Sunday night, Ben Smith broke more news: another skilled newsroom, the investigative non-profit site, ProPublica, is also working on Snowden stories with The Guardian. This is the right move. They are trying to make journalism harder, slower and less secure by working together against you. You have to work together against them to publish anyway and put the necessary materials beyond their reach.
  As I wrote in my last post, the surveillance state is global, so the struggle to report on its overreach has to move about the globe, as well. Another good sign:
  In an open letter to David Cameron published in today's Observer, the editors of Denmark's Politiken, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter, Norway's Aftenposten and Finland's Helsingin Sanomat describe the detention of David Miranda, the partner of the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, as harassment.
  They say that the ''events in Great Britain over the past week give rise to deep concern'' and call on the British prime minister to ''reinstall your government among the leading defenders of the free press''.
  The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers wrote a similar letter to Cameron. They understand this is a global fight. The rest of the British press is only beginning to wake up to it.
  3. ''Give me the box you will allow me to operate in.''
  In an appearance last month on Charlie Rose, former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden was asked about the ''appropriate balance'' between secrecy and transparency.
  Hayden said that if it were up to him, he would ''keep it all secret'' because NSA could best operate that way. But: ''I know I live in a modern democracy,'' which won't allow anyone to operate for long without a ''national consensus'' underpinning the program. You can't have a national consensus without a national discussion, he admitted. And you can't have such a discussion ''without a significant portion of the citizenry'' knowing something about what you're doing. And so, Hayden said, he had come to accept that the NSA would have to ''shave points off of our operational effectiveness'' in order to become ''a bit more transparent to the American people.''
  As a former head of the CIA and the NSA, Hayden said he understood that he would be constrained by what American democracy thought acceptable. All he wanted from Congress was clear guidance. ''Tell me the box,'' he said, making a square with his hands as he talked. ''Give me the box you will allow me to operate in. I'm going to play to the very edges of that box.'' He said he would be ''very aggressive,'' and probably ''get chalk dust on my cleats'' but still:
  You, the American people, through your elected representatives, give me the field of play and I will play very aggressively in it, as long as you understand what risk you are embracing by keeping me and my colleagues in this box, Charlie, we are good to go. We understand. We follow the guidance of the American people.
  Hayden's sketch of a surveillance state properly constrained by a wary public left a few things out, of course. When the Director of National Intelligence can lie to Congress in open session and keep his job, Hayden's system has broken down. When United States senators, alarmed about what they are told, cannot alert the American people because of secrecy requirements, Hayden's ''through your elected representatives'' becomes a hollow phrase. Over-classification makes ''national consensus'' impossible on its face. A ''secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the power to amass vast collections of data on Americans'' is not likely to generate much discussion'... is it? Hayden's descriptions sound reasonable '-- reasonable enough that Charlie Rose didn't push back on them '-- but the behavior of the surveillance state doesn't match up with his soothing words.
  WHICH IS WHY WE NEED JOURNALISTS! In fact, we can go further. Without including in the picture an aggressive press that is free to operate without fear or coercion, the surveillance state cannot be made compatible with representative democracy. Even then, it may be impossible.
  4. The establishment press is beginning to get it
  Barry Eisler concluded his compelling post with this:
  The authorities want you to understand they can do it to you, too. Whether they've miscalculated depends on how well they've gauged the passivity of the public.
  Making journalism harder, slower and less secure, throwing sand in the gears, is fully within the capacity of the surveillance state. It has the means, the will and the latitude to go after journalism the way it went after terrorism. News stories alone are not going to make it stop. There are signs that the establishment press is beginning to get it. Sharing the work of turning the Snowden documents into news is one. David Carr's column in today's New York Times is another. ''It is true that Mr. Assange and Mr. Greenwald are activists with the kind of clearly defined political agendas that would be frowned upon in a traditional newsroom,'' Carr wrote. ''But they are acting in a more transparent age '-- they are their own newsrooms in a sense '-- and their political beliefs haven't precluded other news organizations from following their leads.''
  Only if they can turn a mostly passive public into a more active one can journalists come out ahead in this fight. I know they don't think of mobilization as their job, and there are good reasons for that, but they didn't expect editors to be destroying hard drives under the gaze of the authorities, either. Journalism almost has to be brought closer to activism to stand a chance of prevailing in its current struggle with the state.
No Agenda: In The Morning! REDDIT
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:39
  create a new accountall it takes is a username and password
  privacy philosophywe limit data collected about you and your use of the platform,your personal information is never for sale,we use and disclose information to prevent people from abusing the platform, butwe never disclose it for any other reason unless required by law.for more information, see our privacy policy.
  is it really that easy? only one way to find out...
Readout of the President's Meeting with the National Security Council Regarding the Reported Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:27
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  August 24, 2013
  President Obama convened a meeting of his National Security Council today to discuss the reported use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government on Wednesday, August 21 near Damascus. In coordination with international partners and mindful of the dozens of contemporaneous witness accounts and record of the symptoms of those killed, the U.S. intelligence community continues to gather facts to ascertain what occurred. The President also received a detailed review of a range of potential options he had requested be prepared for the United States and the international community to respond to the use of chemical weapons.
  Participants in today's meeting included:
  The Vice President
  Secretary of State John Kerry
  Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
  White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough
  U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power
  National Security Advisor Susan Rice
  White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler
  Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
  Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan
  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey
  Deputy Attorney General James Cole
  Deputy National Security Advisor Antony Blinken
  Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco
  Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Benjamin Rhodes
  National Security Advisor to the Vice President Jacob Sullivan
aangirfan: SYRIA AND WORLD WAR
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:24
  Anti-Assad forces "injecting substances into the bodies of victims to prepare false evidence against the authorities in Damascus." TERRORIST CHEMICAL ATTACKIn the Daily Mail, PETER MCKAY writes that:
  As the West considers action against the ruling Assad regime in Syria, we must take note of a chilling warning from 1914
  Peter McKay writes:'As the centenary of the 1914-1918 Great War approaches, historian Christopher Clark points out that conflict's eerie, modern relevance...'"Behind the outrage at Sarajevo was an ... organisation ... extra-territorial, secretive, scattered in cells across political borders, its links to any sovereign government were oblique."
  1914 arrest of Gavrilo Princip of the Black Hand organisation.(We are thinking here of Freemasons dreaming of a Greater Israel. As a result of Sarajevo and World War I, the British grabbed Palestine and oil-rich Iraq. The French grabbed Syria.'The West is drawing up a list of targets for Cruise missile strikes aimed at crippling the Assad regime.'How will Syria's main allies, Russia and Iran, respond?
  Victim of chemical weapons used by the USA in Falujah.Peter McKay writes:'Putin's spokesmen deplore the poison gas attack, but suggest it might have been the work of the Syrian rebels, which include Al Qaeda elements. 'They point out that Assad's military is winning and doesn't need to resort to using illegal weapons, and suggest that only the rebels stood to gain from the international anger aroused by such an attack...The Sarajevo plotters of today hope for a Greater Israel, shown by the red line.
  Peter McKay writes:
  'The Sarajevo-style plotters of today ... dream of forcing rival blocs to take sides in a great war, in the hope it will somehow usher in a new... world....'
  (We are thinking here of Jewish Freemasons dreaming of a Greater Israel)
  UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, who has been linked to Jimmy Savile and to the child abuse scandal in North Wales.
  William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, is trying to arrange a war against Syria.
  William Hague is like Sir Edward Grey, the UK Foreign Secretary who has been blamed for starting World War I.
  William Hague is not what he seems.
  Sir Edward Grey
  Sir Edward Grey was presented to the world as being an honest decent gentleman.
  In fact Sir Edward Grey Grey had several extramarital affairs and at least two probable bastard children.
  A Life of Sir Edward Grey
  The terrorist armed 'opposition' in Syria using sarin gasWhat happened in Damascus is similar to what happened in Sarajevo.
  Assad has been wrongly blamed for the 'gas attack' in Damascus.
  The evidence that we have seen shows that the 'gas attack' in Damascus was organised by people connected to Israel and the CIA.Serbia was wrongly blamed for the assassination in Sarajevo.
  aangirfan: THE JEWS~~
  Aangirfan Global Rank
Who's Worried About Security of Personal Information? | Customer Experience Matters
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 16:06
  There's been a lot of discussion about personal information security lately, so I decided to dig into Temkin Group's Consumer Benchmark Studies. In our Q1 2013 study of 10,000 U.S. consumers, 68.7% of consumers agree with the statement ''I worry about the security of my personal information'' and 29.0% strongly agree. It turns out that this level of concern has declined from our Q1 2012 study which showed that 69.6% agreed and 32.6% strongly agreed with the statement.
  We examined the 2013 data by different demographic segments and found that:
  Consumers with the lowest level of education are the most worried across all segments (73%)Consumers earning between $100K and $150K are the least worried across all segments (65%)Consumers between the ages of 45 to 64 year-olds are the most worried (72%)Consumers younger than 35 and older than 75 are the least concerned (66%)Caucasians are the least worried ethnic group (68%)
  We also examined the data by groups of consumers who had recently interacted with 272 organizations. This analysis shows that:
  Companies have between 66% and 83% of their customers who are worried about the security of their personal information.Companies that have 80% or more of their consumers worried about security are: CellularOne, Fujitsu, AirTran Airways, Jeep, Electrolux, Advantage Rent A Car, Buick, National Car Rental, Ameriprise Financial, and Haier.Companies that have less than 70% of their consumers worried about security are: SunTrust Bank, Trade Joe's, Piggly Wiggly, DirecTV, Regions, Citigroup, Liberty Mutual,credit unions, The Hartford, US Bank, Sprint, Gateway, ING Direct,Amazon.com,Medicare, and Charter Communications.Download data for 272 organizations
  The bottom line: Two-thirds of consumers are worried about personal information security
  Like this:LikeLoading...
VIDEO- Cornel West Says Civil Rights Leaders Have Failed The Movement - YouTube
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:55
Exclusive: CIA Files Prove America Helped Saddam as He Gassed Iran - By Shane Harris and Matthew M. Aid | Foreign Policy
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:49
  Situation report on the Iran-Iraq war, noting that each side is preparing for chemical weapons attacks (July 29, 1982)
  Iran-Iraq Situation Report by Foreign Policy
  Top secret memo documenting chemical weapons use by Iraq, and discussing Iran's likely reactions (Nov. 4, 1983)
  Iran's Likely Reaction to Iraqi Use of Chemical Weapons by Foreign Policy
  Memo to the director of Central Intelligence predicting that Iraq will use nerve agents against Iran (Feb. 24, 1984)
  Memo Predicts Use of Nerve Agents by Foreign Policy
  CIA predicts "widespread use of mustard agents" and use of nerve agents by late summer (March 13, 1984)
  CIA Predicts Widespread Use of Mustard Agents and Use of Nerve Agent by Late Summer by Foreign Policy
  CIA confirms Iraq used nerve agent (March 23, 1984)
  CIA Confirms Iraq Used Nerve Agent by Foreign Policy
  CIA considers the consequences for chemical weapons proliferation now that Iraq has used mustard and nerve agent (Sept. 6, 1984)
  Note on Chemical Weapons Proliferation and Posisble Consequences by Foreign Policy
  Intelligence assessment of Iraq's chemical weapons program (January 1985)
  Intelligence Assessment of Iraqi Chemical Weapons Program by Foreign Policy
  PREVIOUS 1234
Climate Panel Cites Near Certainty on Warming - NYTimes.com
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:46
  An international panel of scientists has found with near certainty that human activity is the cause of most of the temperature increases of recent decades, and warns that sea levels could conceivably rise by more than three feet by the end of the century if emissions continue at a runaway pace.
  The scientists, whose findings are reported in a draft summary of the next big United Nations climate report, largely dismiss a recent slowdown in the pace of warming, which is often cited by climate change doubters, attributing it most likely to short-term factors.
  The report emphasizes that the basic facts about future climate change are more established than ever, justifying the rise in global concern. It also reiterates that the consequences of escalating emissions are likely to be profound.
  ''It is extremely likely that human influence on climate caused more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010,'' the draft report says. ''There is high confidence that this has warmed the ocean, melted snow and ice, raised global mean sea level and changed some climate extremes in the second half of the 20th century.''
  The level of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is up 41 percent since the Industrial Revolution. Emissions from facilities like coal-fired power plants contribute.
  Gene Wong / FEATURECHINA, via European Pressphoto Agency
  The draft comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of several hundred scientists that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, along with Al Gore. Its summaries, published every five or six years, are considered the definitive assessment of the risks of climate change, and they influence the actions of governments around the world. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent on efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions, for instance, largely on the basis of the group's findings.
  The coming report will be the fifth major assessment from the group, created in 1988. Each report has found greater certainty that the planet is warming and greater likelihood that humans are the primary cause.
  The 2007 report found ''unequivocal'' evidence of warming, but hedged a little on responsibility, saying the chances were at least 90 percent that human activities were the cause. The language in the new draft is stronger, saying the odds are at least 95 percent that humans are the principal cause.
  On sea level, which is one of the biggest single worries about climate change, the new report goes well beyond the assessment published in 2007, which largely sidestepped the question of how much the ocean could rise this century.
  The new report also reiterates a core difficulty that has plagued climate science for decades: While averages for such measures as temperature can be predicted with some confidence on a global scale, the coming changes still cannot be forecast reliably on a local scale. That leaves governments and businesses fumbling in the dark as they try to plan ahead.
  On another closely watched issue, the scientists retreated slightly from their 2007 position.
  Regarding the question of how much the planet could warm if carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere doubled, the previous report largely ruled out any number below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The new draft says the rise could be as low as 2.7 degrees, essentially restoring a scientific consensus that prevailed from 1979 to 2007.
  But the draft says only that the low number is possible, not that it is likely. Many climate scientists see only a remote chance that the warming will be that low, with the published evidence suggesting that an increase above 5 degrees Fahrenheit is more likely if carbon dioxide doubles.
  The level of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is up 41 percent since the Industrial Revolution, and if present trends continue it could double in a matter of decades.
  Warming the entire planet by 5 degrees Fahrenheit would add a stupendous amount of energy to the climate system. Scientists say the increase would be greater over land and might exceed 10 degrees at the poles.
  They add that such an increase would lead to widespread melting of land ice, extreme heat waves, difficulty growing food and massive changes in plant and animal life, probably including a wave of extinctions.
  The new document is not final and will not become so until an intensive, closed-door negotiating session among scientists and government leaders in Stockholm in late September. But if the past is any guide, most of the core findings of the document will survive that final review.
  The document was leaked over the weekend after it was sent to a large group of people who had signed up to review it. It was first reported on in detail by the Reuters news agency, and The New York Times obtained a copy independently to verify its contents.
  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change does no original research, but instead periodically assesses and summarizes the published scientific literature on climate change.
  The draft document ''is likely to change in response to comments from governments received in recent weeks and will also be considered by governments and scientists at a four-day approval session at the end of September,'' the panel's spokesman, Jonathan Lynn, said in a statement Monday. ''It is therefore premature and could be misleading to attempt to draw conclusions from it.''
  After winning the Nobel Peace Prize six years ago, the group became a political target for climate doubters, who helped identify minor errors in the 2007 report. This time, the panel adopted rigorous procedures in the hope of preventing such mistakes.
  Some climate doubters challenge the idea that the earth is warming at all; others concede that it is, but deny human responsibility; still others acknowledge a human role, but assert that the warming is likely to be limited and the impacts manageable. Every major scientific academy in the world has warned that global warming is a serious problem.
  The panel shifted to a wider range for the potential warming, dropping the plausible low end to 2.7 degrees, after a wave of recent studies saying higher estimates were unlikely. But those studies are contested, and scientists at Stockholm are likely to debate whether to stick with that language.
  Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, said he feared the intergovernmental panel, in writing its draft, had been influenced by criticism from climate doubters, who advocate even lower numbers. ''I think the I.P.C.C. on this point has once again erred on the side of understating the degree of the likely changes,'' Dr. Mann said.
  However, Christopher B. Field, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science who serves on the panel but was not directly involved in the new draft, said the group had to reflect the full range of plausible scientific views.
  ''I think that the I.P.C.C. has a tradition of being very conservative,'' Dr. Field said. ''They really want the story to be right.''
  Regarding the likely rise in sea level over the coming century, the new report lays out several possibilities. In the most optimistic, the world's governments would prove far more successful at getting emissions under control than they have been in the recent past, helping to limit the total warming.
  In that circumstance, sea level could be expected to rise as little as 10 inches by the end of the century, the report found. That is a bit more than the eight-inch increase in the 20th century, which proved manageable even though it caused severe erosion along the world's shorelines.
  At the other extreme, the report considers a chain of events in which emissions continue to increase at a swift pace. Under those conditions, sea level could be expected to rise at least 21 inches by 2100 and might increase a bit more than three feet, the draft report said.
  Hundreds of millions of people live near sea level, and either figure would represent a challenge for humanity, scientists say. But a three-foot rise in particular would endanger many of the world's great cities '-- among them New York; London; Shanghai; Venice; Sydney, Australia; Miami; and New Orleans.
5 Terrifying Statements in the Leaked Climate Report | Mother Jones
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:46
  Climate Desk has obtained a leaked copy of the draft Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2013 Summary for Policymakers report, which other media outlets are also reporting on. The document is dated June 7, 2013. We recognize, as we've previously reported, that this document is not final, and is in fact certain to change.
  Most media outlets are focusing on the document's conclusion that it is now "extremely likely"'--or, 95 percent certain'--that humans are behind much of the global warming seen over the last six decades. But there is much more of note about the document'--for instance, the way it doesn't hold back. It says, very bluntly, just how bad global warming is going to be. It gives a sense of irreversibility, of scale'...and, of direness.
  In particular, here are five "holy crap" statements from the new draft report:
  We're on course to change the planet in a way "unprecedented in hundreds to thousands of years." This is a general statement in the draft report about the consequences of continued greenhouse gas emissions "at or above current rates." Unprecedented changes will sweep across planetary systems, ranging from sea level to the acidification of the ocean.
  Ocean acidification is "virtually certain" to increase. Under all report scenarios, the acidification of the world's oceans will increase'--the draft report calls this outcome "virtually certain." As we have previously reported, more acidity "threatens the survival of entire ecosystems from phytoplankton to coral reefs, and from Antarctic systems reliant on sea urchins to many human food webs dependent on everything from oysters to salmon."
  Long-term, sea level rise could be 5 to 10 meters. Journalists are already citing the draft report's prediction that by the year 2100, we could see as much as three feet of sea level rise. But there is also a more long-range sea level scenario alluded to in the draft report, and it's far more dramatic and alarming.
  Taking a look at the planet's distant past, the document ascribes "very high confidence" to the idea that sea levels were "at least 5 [meters] higher" during the last interglacial period, some 129,000 to 116,000 years ago. It also adds that sea level during this period probably did not exceed 10 meters higher than present levels. Finally, the draft report says, with "medium confidence," that temperatures at that time weren't more than 2 degrees Celsius warmer than "pre-industrial" levels.
  Add it all up, and what that means is that if we exceed 2 degrees of warming beyond pre-industrial levels, then we could be looking at radically higher oceans, and submerged coastal cities, in the long run. And just how close are we to exceeding 2 degrees Celsius? Several scenarios used for the draft report project "high confidence" that we'll get there by the end of the century. At that point, seas would continue to rise well beyond the year 2100, and by much more than three feet.
  This also implies a substantial melting of the Greenland ice sheet. The draft report adds that during the last interglacial period, the melting of Greenland "very likely" contributed between 1.4 and 4.3 meters of global sea level rise, with additional contributions coming from the melting of Antarctica. If Greenland were to melt entirely, it is estimated that sea level would rise by about seven meters.
  Thus, a substantial Greenland melting could also be set in motion by the end of this century, which would eventually result in dramatic sea level increases. To be sure, most of this wouldn't occur during the current century'--it would play out on a much longer time scale. But over 1,000 years or more, the draft report says, Greenland could melt almost entirely, and much of the change might be "irreversible." (Granted, the report expresses low confidence about the precise temperature threshold required to bring about a full melting of Greenland.)
  Much of the carbon we've emitted will stay in the atmosphere for a millennium'...even after we've stopped emitting it. The draft report says that 20 percent of the carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere will stay there for an almost unimaginably long time'--more than 1,000 years. Even if we were to completely cease all greenhouse gas emissions, the draft report adds, warming would continue for "many centuries." "A large fraction of climate change," the document intones, "is thus irreversible on a human time scale." The only way out would be if our emission levels were "strongly negative for a sustained period"'--which, to put it mildly, seems highly unlikely.
UTILIKILTS - American Made Utility Kilts for Everyday Wear
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:43
  The Utilikilts San Francisco Store is now closed. As in closed-closed. We will be opening up a in new location in the future for all you Bay Area Utilikilarians. So stayed tuned. In the meantime, get your UK fix at the Utilikilts Flagship Retail Store in Seattle, and on here, Utilikilts.com.
  ALL NEW EVERYTHING: News, Employees, Contests, Contest Winners, and me: Your brand new confidant.Enjoy.Read the BRAND NEW Winter 2012 Anti-Catalogue NOW.
  To make room for our new 2013 designs and colors, we have retired all colors of the Mocker besides the Black and Black Pinstripe, and are now selling them, along with our Camo kilts, at a new discount price!Pinstripe Grey, Cream, Thunder Grey, Olive, Tan, and Heather Grey (Sold Out!) Mockers are available for 50% [...]
VIDEO-Gigantic Cat Prowls Detroit Neighborhood and Has Residents More Than a Little Afraid | Video | TheBlaze.com
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 13:54
  This Motor City cat doesn't purr; it hisses, observers say.
  And it's no kitten; it's said to stand between 3 and 4 feet tall, believe it or not, and is lanky with a long tail.
  If you think it's hanging out at the Detroit Zoo, think again.
  It's hunkering down in a neighborhood'...and the residents are afraid of what the giant feline might do if, for example, an inquisitive toddler approaches it.
  (Credit: WJBK-TV )
  ''His tail is longer than my arm,'' Antwaun Asberry, a 6-foot-5 resident, told the Detroit Free Press. ''I was like, what the [expletive].. I don't know what it is. I just want it gone.''
  Asberry is far from alone in his neighborhood, as other residents are concerned about the cat roaming the streets in recent weeks. Detroit police and Animal Control, the Free Press reports, haven't responded. The Michigan Humane Society is investigating, however.
  ''We're going to put some effort into this,'' said Nancy Gunnigle, a director with the Humane Society, adding that cats this size are ''not easy to catch.''
  (Credit: WJBK-TV)
  ''I've never seen a cat that big '-- even on TV,'' Nathan McGuire, 47, told the Free Press.
  Paul Hatley, 14, ran into the cat, too. ''It wasn't normal,'' he said of the big cat. ''It didn't run away like normal cat. It just stared at you. '... It was scary.''
  An expert spoke to WJBK-TV and said it may be a Savannah cat, a domestic hybrid. A breeder says the cats are a cross between a domestic house cat and a ''serval'' (a medium-sized African cat), WJBK reports.
  A Savannah cat in a home (Credit: YouTube)
  The unusual mix was created in the late 1980s, and Savannahs tend to be more social than house cats. They're the largest domestic breed, WJBK says, adding that its tall, slim build often makes it look larger than it actually is. Some male Savannahs can weigh more than 20 pounds.
  Not that such news necessarily makes neighborhood residents breathe easier.
  ''He looked at me,'' Asberry said to the Free Press. ''I looked at him. He walked like he ain't scared of nothing.
  ''This thing is out here, bro.''
  Here's a report from WJBK-TV that includes raw video of the cat in the neighborhood:
  Fox 2 News Headlines
  Here's a report from the Free Press that includes interviews with scared residents of the street where the cat reportedly prowls:
  And here's a video of a domestic Savannah cat in a home, which may offer some perspective:
  ''
Fukushima Commentary | Fukushima Accident | Fukushima Disaster
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  Mon, 26 Aug 2013 00:13
  Fukushima Commentary
  These postings generally address four questions. What Japanese decisions border on the irrational? Is the Fukushima accident ongoing? Does Fukushima have the potential for world-wide apocalyptic disaster? Are the Fukushima radiation levels health-threatening? To find the possible answers, one can begin by reading these posts.
  "Fukushima : The First Five Days"...is a book taken from the records kept by the operating staff at Fukushima Daiichi during the first crucial days of the crisis. It is now available at most E-book outlets, including Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Koble. For the PDF and bundle, click here... http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-the-first-five-days.html
  August 24, 2013
  Japan's Disastrous Flirtation with Worst-Case Scenarios
  On July 26, Tepco's president Naomi Hirose vowed to improve Tepco's public disclosure policy, saying ''even if the evaluations do not show enough evidence, we will swiftly and honestly mention risks and worst-case scenarios without fearing the impact.'' Following Tepco's admission that there was contamination found in a groundwater observation well at Fukushima Daiichi, the company was immediately hit with a barrage of ''non-transparency'' criticisms in the Press, by the Tokyo government's watchdog (NRA) and even their own in-house PR consultants from abroad, Dale Klein and Lady Barbara Judge. In effect, Hirose was saying that if everyone wants worst-case scenarios, that's what they will get. It seems the NRA has decided to join Tepco in bringing worst-case speculations to the Press as well, spawning shocking news articles world-wide.
  Although extreme Tepco and NRA speculations have been tempered with terms like ''might'', ''may'' and/or ''possibly'', the Japanese Press reported them as statements of certainty. In turn, the historically-nuclear-adverse Press outlets outside Japan have taken these news reports, added a few scary ''spins'' of their own, and have created an international nuclear brou-ha-ha. Both inside and outside Japan, most of the news-hungry public has no idea of the realities involved. In many ways, it's as bad as the first week's Press concerning the Fukushima accident. Speculations wrapped in embellishment abound, and it can be traced back to Hirose's worst-case scenario promise.
  Let's look at the record since July 26. We begin with August 7th when the NRA estimated that as much as 300 tons per day of radioactive contamination may be flowing into the Pacific Ocean due to groundwater flow. Subsequently, the Press reported that 300 tons of toxic, highly-contaminated groundwater is pouring into the ocean daily. However, there was and still is no evidence of the Pacific actually being polluted. If contamination were coming out with the groundwater, the only place it could be happening is inside the station's quay (F. Daiichi's inner port). The radioactive isotopic concentrations in the quay's salt water have remained essentially constant for a year-and-one-half. One of the many sampling points in the quay'...just one'...showed an increase of one isotope (Tritium) three weeks ago. It has since dissipated. In hindsight, it was probably a singular event. Regardless, this statistical outlier has been used as proof that the Pacific-itself is being polluted. The exception should never be taken as a rule. In this case it is especially true.
  Here's why.
  The quay is completely barricaded from the station's outer harbor area. Although often called ''makeshift'' by the Japanese Press, the barricading has worked extremely well. The water-proofing of the quay's stone break-walls was completed and the quay's access-opening was closed by a silt dam in January, 2012. The silt dam was briefly opened a few times through the early spring of 2012 to allow equipment barges to be brought in, but has remained shut since. The quay has been isolated from the open sea by these barricades for about a year and a half. Thus, it is likely that any Cesium or Strontium that may have leaked into the quay since the spring of 2012 has remained in there and naturally precipitated onto the mud bottom. Beyond the quay, samples have been routinely taken within the outer port's break-wall, at 5 kilometers distance, and as far away as 15 kilometers. Tepco records of sea-sampling at all these locations date back to mid-December, 2011. There has been no detectible contamination at any of these sampling points over the 20 month period.
  In other words, there is no evidence supporting the headlines purporting that the Pacific Ocean is being polluted with huge amounts of toxic, highly radioactive contamination. On August 11, Japan's Industry Ministry (home-base of the NRA, for all administrative intents and purposes) admitted the statement of highly-contaminated groundwater flowing into the sea was an assumption. The Ministry official who made the announcement further qualified the Ministry's position when he said, ''But, we're not certain if the water is highly contaminated.'' In addition, yesterday the NRA said the contamination might be moving toward the shoreline at a rate of four meters per month and it may reach the sea the next month'...but it hasn't reached there yet. Both statements show the government watchdog knows that, up to this point, the Pacific has not been ''tainted'' with groundwater contamination. The only Japanese Press outlets to point this out have been NHK World and The Japan News (nee Yomiuri Shimbun).
  Next, on August 6th, the head of the NRA's Fukushima Task Force, Shinji Kinjo, said that in his estimation the F. Daiichi station was in a ''state of emergency''. He based this on the ''rather high possibility'' that contaminated groundwater was entering the station's quay. Kinjo's personal speculation was spun by the Japanese Press into a firm conclusion issued by the NRA-itself. But, it wasn't. Back in Tokyo the NRA's response was'...nothing! I was stunned. How could such a sensational, headline-spawning statement made by anyone other than an NRA commissioner result in no comment by the home office?
  I remained incredulous until a few days ago. On August 21, the NRA said they might declare a level-3 state of emergency (on the INES scale) at Fukushima Daiichi because of the recent discovery of a tank leak, plus the possibility that some of the other several hundred similar water-laden tanks might also be leaking. Regardless, the Japanese Press took the NRA's statement to mean that they have actually done it. It has subsequently been reported as a ''fact'' in many international news reports. As of this posting, F. Daiichi officially remains at INES level-1 (an ''anomaly'').
  INES level-3 means ''severe incident'', define as the contamination of an area not expected by design, with a low probability of ­significant public exposure. Groundwater never flows inland along the ocean's coast, so there is no risk of public exposure in Fukushima Prefecture. Further, actual Pacific Ocean contamination seems unlikely given the barricading of the quay, if Fukushima's contamination ever actually gets there. The Pacific is currently as clean as it gets. Unless any future contamination gets into the quay and then somehow spreads into the open sea, there will be no rational reason to go to INES level-3. If the NRA must upgrade, a level-2 declaration (classified as an ''incident'') makes much more sense at this point in time.
  The most recent use of a worst-case scenario occurred on August 22nd when Tepco announced that 30 trillion Becquerels of radioactive Cesium and Strontium may have leaked into the Pacific Ocean since May 2011. The company has not posted a record of these release estimates during the last 20 months in order to show the trends involved. I think it is because no such record exists. It seems Tepco assumed that the persistent, albeit very low levels of Cesium and Strontium detected inside the Fukushima Daiichi quay since late 2011 are not due to residuals from the accident itself, suspended in the stagnant water. Rather, it appears the company assumed there has been a perpetual flow of contamination into the quay for the past 20 months, with the quantities of invading radioactive isotopes unwavering from day-to-day, in order to keep the inner port's concentration astonishingly constant for more than a year-and-a-half. This would be a record of relentless constancy within the ever-changing natural environment which defies words to describe. In fact, Tepco admited they are literally grasping at straws. Tepco spokesman Yoshimi Hitosugi says, ''So far, we don't have convincing data that confirm a leak from the turbine buildings. But we are open to consider any possible path of contamination.'' Thus, Tepco is reporting another worst-case scenario, based on assumption taken to the extreme.
  Cleverly-cereated worst-case scenarios relative to nukes have historically been the domain of hardened nuclear critics. To date, none of their tacit ''guarantees'' have come to fruition. Regardless, the Tokyo Electric Company and Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority have joined them in waltzing with the worst-case scenario. Transparency means ''telling it like it is'' in a timely fashion. The ''official'' creation of worst-case scenarios makes a mockery of transparency.
  August 17, 2013
  A Suggested Answer to Fukushima's Wastewater Question
  The build-up of stored wastewater at Fukushima Daiichi is a serious problem, at least as far as the Japanese press is concerned. Currently, there is almost 360,000 tons of Cesium-stripped water being stored in above-ground tanks. The rate of build-up is about 400 tons per day. Eventually, at some point in the future Tepco will run out of room for more tanks and fill them all. I would like to suggest a way to possibly stop the build-up of stored waters, and not diminish the rate of decontamination in the process. Why not set up a closed loop through the Cesium-stripping system?
  Let me explain. Currently, about 770 tons per day is pumped out of the highly-contaminated waters in the basements of units #1 through #4, and run through the Cesium absorption system. About 370 tons of the Cesium-stripped water is sent into the three damaged reactor cores to keep them cooled, and subsequently finds its way back into the basement volume through as-yet-unidentified pathways from the Reactor Pressure Vessels. The remaining 400 tons is pumped into available above-ground tanks. The basement water levels ought to be dropping at a rate of about 400 tons per day. But to the contrary, the water levels remain constant. It means that groundwater is somehow leaking into the basements, keeping the water levels from changing. Why not put the 400 tons per day of Cesium-stripped water back into the basements from where it originated? By sending the cleansed waters back into the basements, Tepco would be utilizing what is known (in the vernacular) as a ''closed loop''.
  It is likely the top of the water in the basements is parallel to the top of the groundwater in the earth outside the basements. There are several reasons why this is likely. For one thing, Tepco did not discover the groundwater in-leakage until they lowered the basement waters down to the now-existent levels, and could not get them to reduce further. Not only does this indicate at point of internal/external equilibrium had been reached, but it also suggests that the in-leakage is significant and would accelerate if Tepco increased the rate of flow to the Cesium absorbers. Next, water naturally ''seeks its own level''. Finally, groundwater level in the earth remains relatively constant over time and levels in the basements have been relatively constant since late 2011. It thus seems that sending the same volume of cleansed waters back to the basements as the volume now being supplied by groundwater in-leakage should keep the system in equilibrium. In other words, sending the cleansed waters back to their source will not cause the water levels in the basements to increase above where they have been for more than 18 months.
  A closed loop would provide several positive benefits. First, the build-up of tank-stored water at Fukushima Daiichi would effectively cease, possibly ending concerns of Tepco running out of space in the future. This has been a concern of nuclear critics and antinuclear politicians for more than a year. Ridding themselves of this constant news story would do Tepco's public information staff a world of good. Next, once the new decontamination system for the ~60 remaining isotopes (ALPS) is in full operation, there will be more than enough tanks to hold the Tritiated effluvia until the ocean discharge issue is resolved. After a currently-filled tank is emptied, it could be flushed of any residuals that remain and re-filled with water that has had all radioactive isotopes removed, other than Tritium, by ALPS.
  In addition, a closed loop would continue diluting of the Cesium concentration in the basement waters at about the same rate as with the groundwater in-leakage. The Cesium absorption system is actually working better than initially expected. Tepco estimated (in 2011) that the system would lower the Cesium content by a factor of up to 1,000. It's actually lowering Cesium content by about a factor of 10,000 (from 55,000 Becquerels per milliliter down to 5.5 Bq/ml). That's 10-times better than its design. Not bad for a ''makeshift'' technology, eh? In fact, if the groundwater outside the basement walls is as Cesium-contaminated as a few recently-discovered-to-be-contaminated test wells indicate, the Cesium-stripped water would be lower in concentration than the groundwater now entering through the basement walls! If this is the case, then the Cesium-cleansed waters from the ''makeshift'' system will actually reduce the Cesium content in the basements faster than the current groundwater in-leakage.
  This not-so-immodest proposal puts Tepco into a Pascalean dilemma. Should they recycle the cleansed waters back to the turbine building basements or should they not? They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by switching to a Cesium-stripping closed loop. However, they have nothing to gain and (inevitably) everything to lose by maintaining the status quo. It seems to me that the answer is a virtual slam-dunk.
  August 9, 2013
  Fukushima Groundwater Contamination is Not an Actual Emergency
  This past Monday, a Nuclear Regulatory Authority inspector at F. Daiichi told the Press that the contaminated groundwater problem places the station in a ''state of emergency''. The official, Shinji Kinjo, admitted his personal opinion was based on a ''rather high possibility'' that contaminated groundwater is leaching into the barricaded inner port (quay) at F. Daiichi, and his estimate was not based on NRA calculations! Regardless, his ''state of emergency'' declaration is being treated like a serious nuclear crisis at Fukushima. It doesn't matter that the NRA-itself has not made a formal emergency declaration. It doesn't matter that there is no evidence of the actual leakage of Cesium and Strontium into the quay. All that matters is Kinjo's assertion.
  The explanation of the situation is complicated. A month ago, some elevated levels of Cesium, Strontium and Tritium (an isotope of Hydrogen) were discovered inside a groundwater testing well. To stop the possible flow into the quay, Tepco drilled a large number of holes deep into the earth and injected a chemical to solidify the ground along the shoreline. This was designed to block groundwater flow to the quay. Over a period of 20 days, the water level in another testing well rose 70 centimeters (approx.. 28 inches). This spawned speculation that the water had risen a bit above the solidified earth below and was flowing into the quay. When Tepco announced the solitary well's rising water level, the NRA sent a team to F. Daiichi to investigate, headed by Kinjo. Meanwhile, Tepco tested the essentially stagnant water inside two sets of cabling and piping tunnels between the basements of units #2 and #3 and their seawater intake structures, and found quite high Cesium, Strontium and a mix of some 60-other isotopes. The concentrations were similar to the highly radioactive water now in the four damaged unit's basements.
  Contaminated tunnels (Asahi Shimbun)
  Tepco speculated that some of the waters had seeped through the tunnel's gravel floors and into the nearby soil, plus some had possibly made it into the quay directly from the tunnels through the water intakes. These worst-case speculations have generated extremely heavy Press coverage inside Japan, and it has gained considerable traction in the international press. But, at this point it's all based on speculation'...swathed in assumption and wrapped in exaggeration. There are a number of reasons why I say this!
  To begin, only one of the dozen sampling locations inside the quay has shown an elevated level of radioactivity. Also, it's just one specific isotope'...Tritium'...and not Cesium or Strontium or any of the other ~60 isotopes of concern. The rest of the quay's sampling locations show no discernible. We'll come back to Tritium-itself later. What's most important is that that the quay is completely barricaded from the rest of the F. Daiichi station's seaport.
  F. Daiichi quay (Kyodo News)
  In the above picture, please note the thin red line snaking across the quay's opening. This is a ''silt dam'' that drops all the way to the floor of the quay, intended for opening and closure to admit equipment barges into and out of the inner port. It has not been opened for more than a year. It keeps the inner and outer waters from mixing when closed. Nothing, not even Tritium, has been detected outside the quay. This includes sampling as far as 10 kilometers beyond the outer break-wall of the entire port area (part of this can be seen stretching beyond the quay at the top-left of the picture).
  What does this tell us? Contrary to the implications common to all Press reports and NRA statements, the Pacific Ocean is obviously not being polluted! Whether or not the quay-itself is being polluted is a matter of opinion.
  Next, let's look at what is happening with the groundwater that is allegedly flowing into the sea, speculated at 300 tons per day (the NRA's most recent estimate). Tepco has filtered at least one sample from the contaminated testing well that started everything. After filtering the sample water, the level of Tritium did not change, which should come as no surprise. Tritium is hydrogen and is thus part of the water molecule which passes through any type of filter. But, the activity of Cesium, Strontium and the ~60 other isotopes dropped to pre-emergency levels. This means the Cesium and the other non-Tritium isotopes are most likely being filtered out by the soil the groundwater is flowing through. Quay water tests confirm this. None of the non-Tritium materials are detected in the quay. The only isotope detected in the quay, at but one location near the unit #1 seawater intake structure, is Tritium.
  As said before, Tritium is the radioactive isotope of Hydrogen. It is also one of the numerous radioactive isotopes produced by Mother Nature, in this case caused by upper atmospheric collisions between energetic molecules and cosmic rays. Tritium has one proton in its nucleus, like all Hydrogen. But, it also has two neutrons attached to the proton, which is symbolized as H-3. The two neutrons cause the nucleus to be a bit unstable. It may be counter-intuitive to some, but here's what happens next. One of the neutrons spits out an electron and the Tritium instantly becomes Helium, which harmlessly goes its own gaseous way. The electron is called a Beta particle, incorrectly called a ''Beta ray'' by the Press. Microwave and X-ray are ''rays'' because they are a continual flow of energy. Betas are sub-atomic particles. Betas are also about the weakest of all the various forms of radiation. The most energetic Beta's known to man cannot penetrate thin cellophane. Tritium's Betas are among the weakest of the lot (~6 KeV)'...the weakest of the weak, if you will. Tritium's Betas are relatively ineffectual. That's why the annual release limits for Tritium sound enormous.
  Japan's Tritium limit is the lowest in the world at 22 trillion Becquerels* per year. Tepco's estimate of the maximum amount of leakage to the sea over the past 27 months is 40 trillion Becquerels. That's less than the limit, folks. It should be noted that 40 trillion Becquerels should be compared to the ~million-trillion Becquerels of naturally occurring Tritium already in the Pacific. What Tepco says is the upper bound of their Tritium releases is million times less than what Mother Nature has put in the Pacific.
  However, the sheer magnitude of the Tritium estimate'...in the trillions'...sounds like we have something extremely serious going on'...something worthy of speculating that an actual ''state of emergency'' exists at Fukushima Daiichi. Is the Pacific Ocean actually being polluted? It doesn't seem that it is. Is F. Daiichi actually in a ''state of emergency''? It's a speculative state of emergency, to be sure, but not actual.
  * A Becquerel is one radioactive release from the nucleus of an atom every second. The human body contains a constant activity of 5,000 Becquerels due to naturally-occurring Potassium-40 and 4,000 Becquerels from Carbon-14. Each person also contains about 25 Becquerels of natural Tritium activity'...just for the record.
  August 3, 2013
  168th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers
  The Hiroshima Syndrome's Fukushima Commentary is proudly hosting the 168th Carnival of Nuclear Energy Bloggers. For the full reports, please click on the individual links. Blog topics include '' why nuke plants are a compelling option, whether or not former anti-nukes are trustworthy pro-nukes, the potential for robotics with nuclear energy, why more nuclear energy would be beneficial, and the latest news about the groundwater contamination problem at Fukushima Daiichi.
  From NewsOK: Science and Technology ''
  Why would anyone consider nuclear power for making electricity?
  Dr. Robert Hayes argues that since nuclear science is used in medicine and manufacturing, it should all be defined as nuclear technology along with nuke power plants. The case for nuclear power is truly compelling from a scientific point of view, but politically it is viewed quite poorly. http://newsok.com/why-would-anyone-consider-nuclear-power-for-making-electricity/article/3868619
  From American Thinker ''
  Nuclear Power's New Friends?
  Joseph Somsel addresses the message transmitted by the new documentary ''Pandora's Promise'', and asks if former foes of nuclear energy can become the technology's new best friends. After more than four decades of environmentalists condemning all things nuclear, Somsel finds the notion of them suddenly embracing nuclear power to be personally unsettling.. http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/08/nuclear_powers_new_friends.html
  From ANS Nuclear Caf(C) ''
  Robotics, Remote Systems, and Radiation
  Reid L. Kress discusses the use of robotics and remote systems in nuclear environments, with examples of past applications and radiation levels typically encountered. http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2013/07/30/robotics-remote-systems-radiation/
  From Next Big Future (4) ''
  What is ''Business as Usual'' in terms of now to 2030? 2050?
  The world should shift to a lot more usage of nuclear energy, and would also benefit from more solar and wind generation. It would be better to shift to non-carbon based energy production than remain in ''Business as Usual''. http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/08/what-is-business-as-usual-in-terms-of.html
  Energy Return for Nuclear Energy
  The recent Lenzen paper on energy return has many problems with its approach to nuclear. The report more than doubles the actual cost of enrichment, underestimates the lifetime of nuclear plants and often references the biased van Leeuwen and Smith which is littered with agenda. http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/08/energy-return-for-nuclear-energy.html
  Molten Salt Reactor review with benefits'...
  A German court has overturned the Greentec Awards disqualification of a dual fuel molten salt reactor. The DFR was winning the German public voting for the Aug 30 2013 awards. Now an appeals court has overturned that disqualification. http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/08/molten-salt-reactor-review-with.html
  Greentec Awards could not handle the truth that Molten Salt Reactors would be good for the environment'...
  MSR technology is winning German public opinion on best green technology. Green group could not handle it and disqualified them. German court overrules the disqualification.
  From Atomic Insights ''
  Nuclear less risky than natural gas '' for customers
  People who get most of their electricity-related economic analysis from the current executives at companies like Exelon, EDF, Dominion, Duke Energy, or SCE would be shocked to learn that nuclear power plants produce electricity for approximately the same long term cost as natural gas-fired, combined cycle gas-turbine power plants. On a fair comparison basis, the natural gas option creates ''significantly higher long-term investment risk''. http://atomicinsights.com/nuclear-less-risky-than-natural-gas/
  From Nuke Power Talk ''
  Nuclear Power and regulation, Part 2: Is Regulation Needed in the First place?
  Dr. Gail Marcus responds to a comment posted on an earlier blog by an anonymous reader who questioned the need for regulation. This time, Gail points out that most regulations were initially promulgated because of problems or abuses. What is needed is not a lack of regulation, but rather a smarter breed of regulation. http://www.nukepowertalk.blogspot.com/2013/08/nuclear-power-and-regulation-part-2.html
  From James Conca (Forbes.com) ''
  Who's Gonna Pay for Global Warming?
  Implementing a new energy mix of 45% gas, 35% nuclear and 20% renewable by 2040 would reduce CO2 emissions by 40% and only cost $7.4 trillion over the next 30 years. $3.4 trillion would be infrastructure and construction, and the rest fuel and operations, a major advantage over the present mix. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2013/08/04/whos-going-to-pay-for-global-warming/
  From Hiroshima Syndrome/Fukushima Updates ''
  Fukushima Accident Updates (7/29 and 8/1/13)
  A webpage that posts summaries of each week's nuclear news articles from Japan with source links. This past week's Japanese news reports focus on the continuing groundwater contamination saga, Tepco's efforts to keep radioactive material out of the sea, and criticisms of their efforts. http://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/fukushima-accident-updates.html
  July 27, 2013
  Fukushima Groundwater Issue Poses Many Questions
  On July 23, Tepco revealed that contamination is leaching into their inner port (quay) at Fukushima Daiichi. Tepco and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority make it seem as if the contamination is going into the Pacific Ocean. There are many unanswered questions with the groundwater issue, but one thing seems certain'...the material is not reaching the open sea, at least not yet. Tepco's recent revelation validates the NRA conjecture of 10 days ago. Tepco's bases their belief on the water level in the near-shore sampling wells fluctuating with the tide. However, the data Tepco has posted over the past four months raises a considerable number of questions.
  First we might ask'...what is the source of the contamination? Since the groundwater contains Cesium isotopes 134 and 137, it cannot be coming from any of the waste water storage tanks or underground reservoirs at F. Daiichi. This is because those waters have been effectively stripped of their Cesium content by the station's ''makeshift'' filtration system. There are several possible sources. (1) The radioactivity may be coming from basements of the four units holding 70,000 tons of water literally loaded with Cesium. (2) It could be what Tepco has said for more than a month and be residual isotopes already in the plant's soil from a rather significant leak into a trench between unit #1 and unit #2 reactor buildings in April, 2011. (3) Could it have something to do with another trench from unit #3? Tepco quietly posted a Press handout concerning the possibility of a unit #3 leak on July 11. (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_130711_04-e.pdf ) Or, could it be a combination of all three?
  If we assume the contamination is coming from the basements, it poses a pair of over-lapping questions. To begin, Tepco knows that 400 tons of groundwater is seeping into the basements every day. How's the groundwater getting in there? Cracks in the concrete walls? Broken piping penetrations? The flowpath into the basements has not been stated. Whatever the path of seepage, groundwater is leaking into the basements and there's no reason to think the contaminated waters are not leaking out via the same pathways. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority wants to freeze the ground surrounding the turbine buildings using an earth-freezing technology that does not yet exist. While the mere suggestion puts the technical competence to the NRA in question, if it works it will merely lower the in-flow of groundwater by 100 tons per day. Tepco already has what seems to be a better methodology to stanch the groundwater influx. They are drilling holes deep in the ground along the shoreline and inserting a chemical to harden the soil itself. (http://210.250.6.22/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_130708_03-e.pdf ) Why not do the same thing around the basements of the turbine buildings, too? If it is good enough to keep contaminated groundwater from getting into the station's near-shore quay, it will surely be better than the NRA's pie-in-the-sky concoction to freeze the soil. Water-proofing the soils surrounding the basements, and around the suspect cable trench coming out of unit #2 should eliminate it as a source of possible leaks. Then there's the unit #3 trench, but we'll come back to it later.
  Next, how bad is the groundwater contamination? Is it really ''highly radioactive''? The highest groundwater Cesium reading to date is 11,000 Becquerels per liter inside one of the now-numerous sampling wells at F. Daiichi. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it. Want to know what's actually highly radioactive? The water in one of the trenches connected to the unit #2 turbine basement! The Press reports Tepco has found it to contain 2.35 billion Bq/liter of Cesium. That can be called ''highly radioactive'' by any standard. If 11,000 Bq/liter is ''highly radioactive'', then what descriptive term should the Press use for 2.35 billion Bq/liter?
  To continue, three of the groundwater sampling wells have elevated levels of Tritium (more on this later), but only one has shown increases in both Cesium isotopes over the past 2 weeks. (see the Tepco handout, above, for well locations). Well no. 1-2has readings of 11,000 Becquerel per liter for Cs-137 and 5,400 Bq/liter for Cs-134. (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2013/images/2tb-east_13072301-e.pdf ) These are the contamination levels that are always cited in the Press, both inside and outside of Japan, even though the Cesium in the rest of the wells is about 100 times lower. But here's the important point'...when the sample water from well #1-2 has the suspended solids filtered out, the cleansed water has readings of 50 Bq/liter of Cs-134 and 71 Bq/liter of Cs-137. (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2013/images/2tb-east_13072303-e.pdf ) These readings are higher than the other four near-shore sampling wells, but more than 99% lower than unfiltered. This demonstrates that the vast majority of the Cesium in the unfiltered sample is contained in the suspended sediment, probably stirred up by the fluctuating water level in the well. So, why doesn't Tepco post the filtered sample data along with the unfiltered for well #1-2? It seems they only posted the unfiltered data only once on July 22nd. Further, has Tepco attempted to filter the sample waters taken from the other near-shore wells? If not, why not? This could be significant.
  Here's why it is important. Since the filtering of suspended solids removes more than 99% of the radioactivity, the Cesium is clearly bonded with the soil. The only way the high levels of Cesium in the groundwater can get into the station's quay would be if the soil itself is being spilled into the seawater. Is it? With the station's quay effectively isolated from the outer port area, and the outer port surrounded by some massive break-walls, there is no shore erosion. There might be a tiny loss of Cesium-impregnated soil leaving the shore, but the vast majority is staying put. We can say this with confidence when we look at the Cesium level inside the essentially stagnant quay. We find that all sampling points have not demonstrably changed in Cs-134 and Cs-137 concentrations since early April. (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2013/images/intake_canal_130726-e.pdf ) The levels have fluctuated over the past four months, but that is to be expected with activity levels as low as these in full liter samples. The range of upper and lower fluctuation points has stayed quite constant for all 12 sampling points along the quay's shoreline. If there is a ''highly radioactive'' leak coming out of unit #3, there does not seem to be an increased Cesium level to prove it. It should be noted that the Cesium levels inside the quay have not changed significantly since March, 2012, but the above link back to April 2013 should suffice for this commentary.
  Next we have the detected Tritium (H3), which raises more questions. Well number 1-2 has an H3 level of 350,000 Bq/liter, well number 1-3 is at 270,000 Bq/liter, and well #1 has 420,000 Bq/liter. (Wells 1-2 and 1-3 are between units 2&3 reactor buildings, and well #1 is next to reactor building #1) The Cs-134 levels in both well #1 and well 1-3 are'...undetectable! The Cs-137 in both is less than 1Bq/liter. Why is the well with the highest level of Tritium not showing any Cesium? There is no correlation between H3 concentrations and the Cesium concentrations. There ought to be a correlation, but there isn't. Why is there no correlation between isotopic concentrations? On a related note, why is there an elevated level of H3 (1,100 Bq/liter) at the unit #1 near-shore sampling point, but less than 400 Bq/liter everywhere else in the quay? If there is a leak to the quay is out of the unit #3 trench, why isn't the quay water adjacent to unit #3 showing an increase over the levels detected in April?
  Finally we get to the ultimate question. Is any of this contamination going out to sea? The inner Quay is sealed off from the waters which are inside the heavy stone break-walls that surround the station. The break-wall has a single opening to the open sea. Seawater sampling outside the quay, but inside the break-wall shows nothing. No detectible Tritium'...no detectible Cesium. It appears the contamination in the quay is not getting into the outer port area. The silt dam that seals the entrance to the quay seems to be doing its job quite well. In addition, samples taken from the open sea surrounding F. Daiichi also show nothing. In other words, there seems to be no groundwater-borne contamination going into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima Daiichi. So, why do the Nuclear Regulatory Authority and Tepco both make it sound like the Pacific Ocean is being ''tainted''?
  Many might question the veracity of the data posted by Tepco's staff at F. Daiichi, given the general level of distrust relative to the company. But, there is no-one else's data to analyze. Keep in mind that Tepco discovered the problem with groundwater contamination. No-one else did. They are the ones who have reported it to the world, albeit belatedly'...and there-in lies the problem. The company's level of transparency relative to public disclosure is not perfect, and some of their statements may be tainted with paranoiac twists, but their radiological data should not be distrusted. We have no other data to go on.
  Questions'...questions'...questions'...
  July 20, 2013
  Naoto Kan: Japan's Pinocchio
  This past Tuesday, Naoto Kan submitted a defamation suit against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It is very unusual for a former prime minister to sue an incumbent. The suit is because Abe posted an Email on March 20, 2011, saying Kan fabricated his part in the infamous seawater cooling dispute during the Fukushima accident. Abe also said Kan's trying to stop Tepco from cooling with seawater is a case of severe mismanagement and that he should resign. Kan charges Abe with keeping ''erroneous'' information on his website and ignoring Kan's repeated entreaties to remove the Email from archives. Kan also charges Abe with making a ''false accusation'' that defames the former PM. Since the Email has not been deleted, Kan has filed the suit, along with $110,000 in damages. In response'...well'...there is no response from Mr. Abe. He refuses to comment.
  On March 12, 2011, Kan did in-fact order Tepco and plant manager Yoshido to stop cooling with seawater because it contained some natural uranium and he feared it might cause a recriticality. Yoshida ignored Kan's orders, which was the correct thing to do. It is a prime example of Kan meddling in F. Daiichi's emergency operations during the hectic early days of the crisis. Kan is suing because Abe's Email makes him look bad and negatively impacts the Democratic Party of Japan's chances in the upcoming national election. It is also yet another example of Kan trying to manipulate the facts and possibly shed responsibility for the mistakes he made during the nuclear accident. If he were Pinocchio, Kan's nose would be growing.
  This is not the first time Kan has besmirched the truth. Remember that this is the man who says he single-handedly saved Tokyo from evacuation because he kept Tepco from abandoning F. Daiichi. All government investigations into the accident conclude that Kan did no such thing. Oh, there's no doubt that he descended on Tepco's home office and commanded them to not abandon the stricken plant-site. However, there was no actual reason for him to have done such a thing. Tepco never intended abandonment. Never! (For a detailed explanation of what happened, see my book ''Fukushima: the First Five days''.)
  After Kan resigned , he told the Press his non-abandonment order was based on his nightmare of evacuating Tokyo, predicated on a phantasmagorical what-if scenario which he-himself ordered to be formulated by his emergency staff's nuclear representative from NISA! It went something like this'... If all six units at F. Daiichi melted away (only three were operating at the time), and if all six spent fuel pools suddenly collapsed and the more than 2,500 all-metal fuel bundles somehow burned themselves to a crisp (an assumption of exceptional improbability, at best), and if the wind blew directly towards Tokyo (250 kilometers distant) for several days with minimal dispersion, then it might be possible that Tokyo would have to be abandoned. All of this, of course, was dependent on the entire staff at F. Daiichi fleeing the plant-site and never returning.
  Now, here's the most ridiculous part. Kan believed every bit of the science-fiction fantasy that he literally created for himself. Kan never saved Tokyo! But, in his warped way of thinking, it seems he believed he did. He has been preaching this ridiculous gospel of fantasy for the last two years.
  Should we take the lawsuit seriously? I've been scanning the Japanese Press every day for more than two years, and I've come to understand that lawsuits of questionable substance are not uncommon in Japan. For example, an elderly man recently filed a suit against NHK World because they are using more and more foreign jargon in their reports and he could not understand much of what was being reported. The man filed for psychological damage due to NHK's use of jargon. I kid you not! Personally, I'm filing Kan's lawsuit in the drawer labeled ''Believe it or Not''.
  Kan is not above twisting the truth for personal gain. He is a political opportunist who has lost face with the people of Japan. It seems he is trying to regain some modicum of respect with his former party, the DPJ. His is not a lawsuit of material substance and should be dismissed by every court in Japan. What frightens me is that the courts might find in Kan's favor or a settlement might be negotiated. Both thoughts give me nightmares.
  July 12, 2013
  Japan's nuke watchdog is blatantly biased
  This week, The Japan News criticized the Nuclear Regulatory Authority for being ''blatantly biased'', while holding a ''self-righteous mind-set'' in its dealings with nuclear utilities. (1) The News takes the new watchdog to task for ''hastily concluding that topographic strains under some facilities are active faults'', ignoring the scientific data of the affected companies. In addition, the editorial says the NRA has ''often lacked fairness in making decisions'' and it must ''shed its self-righteous mind-set and hold constructive and repeated dialogue with the utilities'' in the forthcoming review of applications for restarts. Unfortunately, it seems the newspaper's wish for fairness and objectivity will be unfulfilled, as this week's F. Daiichi groundwater issue demonstrates.
  To place the situation in perspective, Tepco discovered elevated contamination levels in one, solitary well used to sample groundwater. There are more than 20 other such wells at F. Daiichi, and all showed no increasing contamination. At the station's seaport, one of the four near-shore sampling points has had an increased level of but one isotope'...Tritium'... but not any others. The port has several barriers installed to prevent any contamination reaching the sea. The inner ''quay'' is about 300 meters long by roughly 75 meters wide. It is totally enclosed on the east and south sides with thick walls of heavy stone and clay. The northern side of the quay is closed by a ''silt dam''. The floor of the quay is ''paved'' with several layers of impervious material. How good are these barriers? Samples of seawater taken outside the quay show no detectible activity. There is also an outer break-wall which runs the length of the F. Daiichi property which is roughly a kilometer in length and connects to the shore at either end. Outside the break-wall, no contamination has been detectible for nearly two years.
  Getting back to the sampling well in question'...the location is quite close to the cabling trench which had a considerable leak pour into it from the unit #2 turbine building basement back in April, 2011. After several failed attempts, the leak was plugged by the end of that month. Regardless, many tons of raw, contaminated water had poured into the trench. Most of it found its way directly into the sea, but a goodly amount also drenched the surrounding soil. Tepco says the source of the one well's contamination is likely residual from the April, 2011 leak. When pressured by the Press, Tepco said they cannot say with absolute certainty that the contamination is totally due to residuals in the soil. Clearly, Tepco is embracing Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Regardless, it all sounds reasonable, right? Case closed?
  Absolutely not! The NRA says they believe the contamination is also coming from somewhere else. The NRA also ''strongly suspects'' the contamination is finding its way to the ocean, even though the suspect sampling point is 25-30 meters from the sea'... even though none of the other groundwater sampling points show parallel increases in radioactivity. Also, the NRA fails to consider that groundwater flow is extremely slow. It has taken more than two years for the trench contamination to move a few meters, with the exception of one isotope'...Tritium. A small amount of the hydrogen isotope has reached one location in the quay, shows up in none of the other quay sampling locations and has been steadily decreasing since last Friday'...nearly a week. It is possible the elevated Tritium was a spurious spike.
  The NRA's believes the sea is being contaminated because Tepco because there is no absolute assurance of no other sources and the Tritium detected inside the quay. NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka told a press conference, "TEPCO's explanation is open to question. I think the contamination of seawater is continuing to a greater or lesser extent.'' The NRA's proof is essentially rhetorical and not based of the data at hand. Further, they obviously believe that Tepco cannot be trusted. As far as the Press is concerned, the NRA guarantees that the sea is being contaminated. This is abject use of pure speculation and adds further proof to the NRA's blatant bias.
  In addition, the NRA ordered Tepco to install barriers to keep the contamination from reaching the sea. No credit was given for the quay and break-wall barriers already in place. No credit was given to Tepco's current work; drilling holes deep in the soil every 80 centimeters along the shoreline and injecting chemicals solidifying the dirt and clay. It doesn't matter that Tepco may have found that the reason for the high sample activity being dirt dissolved in the water. Simple filtering before analysis brings the level back to what it was a week ago. The NRA acts like the staff at F. Daiichi is doing nothing. Further, Tepco's plan for burying steel and glass barriers along the shoreline, to be completed in 2015, isn't good enough. The NRA has concocted the bizarre idea of freezing the ground around the reactor and turbine buildings, using a technology that does not yet exist and will not insure zero leakage even if it works! All of this shows a self-righteous mindset with the NRA. It in no way demonstrates a constructive dialogue with the utility. It's the NRA's way, or the highway.
  The bottom line is this'... the NRA thinks contamination is leaking to the sea, and they are unabashedly trumpeting their claim in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary. It's blatant, arrogant and hasty. The NRA was created to be an independent watchdog making decisions based on science and logic. To date, the agency has failed miserably in meeting this mandate. They leave science and logic at the door and base their decisions based speculation and negativism.
  1. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000367823
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VIDEO-MTV Libertarians: Kennedy, Kurt Loder Talk Politics & the Golden Age of MTV - Hit & Run : Reason.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sun, 25 Aug 2013 20:13
  "More and more people are realizing that both political parties suck balls," says former MTV VJ and current Reason contributor Kennedy. "And there has to be a better alternative, which is the consistent political philosophy of libertarianism."
  Kennedy was joined by her former MTV colleague (and fellow Reason contributor) Kurt Loder for a uncensored chat about politics and the golden age of music television at New York City's Museum of Sex on July 31, 2013. The occasion was the release of Kennedy's new memoir, The Kennedy Chronicles: The Golden Age of MTV Through Rose-Colored Glasses.
  View this article.
  Jim Epstein is a producer at Reason TV.
Syria warns against foreign involvement in conflict; Hagel says US prepared for 'all contingencies' | Fox News
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  Sun, 25 Aug 2013 14:33
  US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has said that President Obama has asked the military to "prepare options for all contingencies" as the crisis in Syria deepens following reports of a chemical weapons attack by that country's government earlier this week.
  Speaking in Malaysia Sunday, where he was starting a planned one-week tour of Asia, Hagel said that the administration was still weighing whether or not to use military force against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Among the factors being discussed, Hagel said, were an intelligence assessment of the attack as well as possible international support for a military operation and what he described as legal issues.
  "President Obama has asked the Defense Department to prepare options for all contingencies. We have done that and we are prepared to exercise whatever option -- if he decides to employ one of those options,'' Hagel said.
  Obama had met earlier Saturday with top national security advisers, but will continue to gather facts before deciding on a course of action, the White House said.
  Meanwhile Fox News has confirmed that four U.S. Navy Destroyers are being pre-positioned in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, although no immediate instructions beyond deployment have been issued.
  A senior State Department official also told Fox News that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke Saturday with the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Turkey, as well as the Secretary of the Arab League to discuss the allegation of a chemical weapons attack by the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Kerry also spoke to Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Muallim Thursday to say that the Syrian government should allow an international weapons inspection team to visit the site in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, rather than continue to attack the area, thus blocking access and destroying any potential evidence. Kerry also told Muallim that he had received assurances from the rebel Free Syrian Army that the UN inspectors would receive safe conduct to and from the area.
  Syria's government has warned that any U.S.-led military action would be "no picnic," as Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi told the country's official news agency, SANA. Zoabi added "U.S. military intervention will create a very serious fallout and a ball of fire that will inflame the Middle East," according to Reuters. Zoabi also told SANA that the Assad government would not allow inspectors to visit the site as it was not on a previously agreed list of sites where allegations of chemical warfare had been made against Assad's troops.
  However, Iranian state TV reported Sunday that the Syrian government had told Tehran it would allow inspectors to visit the site of the reported attack. According to Reuters, Iran's Press TV reported that Mohammed Javad Zarif spoke to his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino by phone Saturday and said "We are in close contact with the Syrian government and they have reassured us that they had never used such inhumane weapons and would have the fullest cooperation with the U.N. experts to visit the areas affected."
  Also Sunday, the deputy chief of staff of Iran's armed forces appeared to warn the US against taking military action in Syria. Massoud Jazayeri was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying "America knows the limitation of the red line of the Syrian front and any crossing of Syria's red line will have severe consequences for the White House,'' according to Reuters.
  Also Sunday, prominent Israeli Cabinet ministers called for a US-led response, though the type of response they sought was not specified. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the alleged chemical attack a "terrible crime," and told his Cabinet Sunday that "this situation cannot continue", according to the Associated Press. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told Israel Radio that a US response to the alleged poison gas attack would help discourage future chemical weapons use, but also have security implications for Israel.
  Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio the attack required a response. He said the chances that Syria would attack Israel as a result of US action were slim but that the army should be prepared for such an eventuality.
  The reports of thousands killed or stricken by chemical weapons Wednesday near Damascus are merely the latest allegations about such tactics in the Middle East country's roughly 2-year-long civil war.
  The president said last year that the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad would "cross a red line." But the White House has been reluctant to take direct military actions, instead supplying rebel forces with non-lethal aid, weighing military options and trying to garner innernational support.
  In Saturday's meeting, the president and his National Security Council considered eyewitness accounts and medical-records reports but "the U.S. intelligence community continues to gather facts to ascertain what occurred," the White House said.
  Obama also discussed the Syria situation Saturday with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
  According to the White House, the leaders expressed their "grave concern" about the reported use of chemical weapons and promised to continue to consult closely about "possible responses by the international community."
  The White House meeting was attended by at least 15 members of the president's security council including Vice President Joe Biden, Kerry, and Hagel, who participated via video conference from Kuala Lumpur.
  Hagel suggested Friday that the Pentagon might move Naval forces closer to Syria in preparation for a possible decision by Obama to order military strikes.
  However, a senior U.S. defense officials told the Associated Press that the Navy has already sent a fourth warship armed with ballistic missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but without immediate orders for any missile launch into Syria.
  U.S. Navy ships are capable of a variety of military action, including launching Tomahawk cruise missiles, as they did against Libya in 2011 as part of an international action that led to the overthrow of the Libyan government.
  Syrian state media accused rebels of using chemical arms against government troops in clashes Saturday near Damascus, while Doctors Without Borders said it has tallied 355 deaths from the purported chemical weapons attack on Wednesday.
  The international aid group said three hospitals it supports in the eastern Damascus region reported receiving roughly 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms" over less than three hours on Wednesday morning when the attack in the eastern Ghouta area took place. Of those, 355 died.
  The state media said Saturday the army offensive in Jobar, near Damascus, had forced the rebels to resort to chemical weapons "as their last card." State TV broadcast images of plastic jugs, gas masks, vials of an unspecified medication, explosives and other items that it said were seized from rebel hideouts. It did not, however, show any video of soldiers reportedly affected by toxic gas in the fighting.
  Obama acknowledged in a CNN interview earlier this week that the episode is a "big event of grave concern" that requires American attention. He said any large-scale chemical weapons usage would affect "core national interests" of the United States and its allies. But nothing he said signaled a shift toward U.S. action.
  During an interview earlier this week with CNN, the president made no mention of the red line that U.S. intelligence officials say has been breached at least on a small scale several times since.
  U.S. confirmation took more than four months after rebels similarly reported chemical attacks in February, though in this instance a U.N. chemical weapons team is already on the ground in Syria. Assad's government, then as now, has denied the claims as baseless.
  James Rosen and Jennifer Griffin of Fox News, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Guardian teams up with New York Times over Snowden documents.
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  Archived Version
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:21
  1 of 2. Copies of the Guardian newspaper are displayed at a news agent in London August 21 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
  WASHINGTON | Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:29pm BST
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Guardian has agreed with the New York Times to give the U.S. newspaper access to some classified documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, the British newspaper said on Friday.
  In a brief story posted on its website, the Guardian said it "struck a partnership" with the Times after the British government threatened the Guardian with legal action unless it either surrendered or destroyed files it received from Snowden about Government Communications Headquarters - Britain's equivalent of NSA.
  "In a climate of intense pressure from the UK government, the Guardian decided to bring in a US partner to work on the GCHQ documents provided by Edward Snowden. We are working in partnership with the NYT and others to continue reporting these stories," the Guardian said in a statement.
  Representatives of the Times did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
  However, a source familiar with the matter said the partnership deal had been struck several weeks ago and that Jill Abramson, the Times' executive editor, was personally involved in negotiating it.
  The website Buzzfeed reported that Scott Shane, a Times reporter who covers national security and intelligence, was working on a series of stories expected to be published next month jointly with the Guardian.
  The Guardian said in its story that its partnership with the Times would enable it to "continue exposing mass surveillance by putting the Snowden documents on GCHQ beyond government reach."
  It said Snowden, who disclosed documents on U.S. internet and phone surveillance programs in June and has obtained asylum in Russia, was aware of the deal.
  The Guardian's editor, Alan Rusbridger, revealed earlier this week that under the supervision of representatives of GCHQ, Guardian staffers had destroyed computer equipment containing Snowden files after the newspaper was threatened with possible legal action by senior British government officials.
  Rusbridger said he had put British officials on notice that copies of material which had been destroyed had been sent outside British government jurisdiction.
  British authorities say they launched a criminal investigation this week following the temporary detention and questioning at London's Heathrow Airport of David Miranda, domestic partner of Glenn Greenwald, a Brazil-based Guardian writer who has led coverage of leaks from Snowden and communicated directly with the former NSA contractor.
  British officials have said that Snowden's leaks have gravely damaged national security and could put lives in jeopardy if more secrets are disclosed.
  The Times and the Guardian previously collaborated on stories related to alleged phone hacking by British tabloid newspapers and on coverage of secret U.S. military and diplomatic documents made available by U.S. Army soldier Bradley Manning to the WikiLeaks website.
  (The story was refiled to delete reference to representatives of the Guardian in paragraph 4)
  (Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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Obama pick for NSA review panel wanted paid, pro-government shills in chat rooms.
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:20
  In a 1975 hearing, Sens. Frank Church (D-Idaho) and John Tower (R-Tex.) examine a dart gun designed by the CIA to be used in assassinations. The Church Committee also investigated the infiltration of activist groups by government agents. (AP)
  The Obama administration is reportedly proposing Cass Sunstein as a member of a panel to review the surveillance practices of the National Security Agency (NSA), among other former White House and intelligence staffers. Sunstein was the head of the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs until last year, when he returned to teaching at Harvard Law School.
  As one of our intrepid commenters pointed out yesterday, while at Harvard in 2008, Sunstein co-authored a working paper that suggests government agents or their allies ''cognitively infiltrate'' conspiracy theorist groups by joining ''chat rooms, online social networks or even real-space groups'' and influencing the conversation.
  Sunstein's paper defined a conspiracy theory as ''an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who have also managed to conceal their role,'' and acknowledges that some conspiracy theories have turned out to be true. It also specifically notes that his plan of ''cognitive infiltration'' should only be used against false conspiracy theories that could be harmful to the government or society.
  But even the suggestion that the government should infiltrate groups that are not actively participating in criminal acts is troubling. In fact, it recalls the abuses uncovered by the Church Committee in the 1970s, when the FBI infiltrated such subversive groups as the feminist and civil rights movements. To his credit, Sunstein's infiltration suggestion is different in nature:
  By this we do not mean 1960s-style infiltration with a view to surveillance and collecting information, possibly for use in future prosecutions. Rather, we mean that government efforts might succeed in weakening or even breaking up the ideological and epistemological complexes that constitute these networks and groups.
  But while it's nice to assume that the government would limit that ''cognitive infiltration'' authority to false conspiracies, history suggests that it would be also used against activists trying to expose actual government misconduct.
  The paper also suggests that the government ''formally hire credible private parties to engage in counterspeech.'' That sounds an awful lot like the 50 Cent Party of online commentators who are paid per comment by the Chinese communist party to sway public opinion.
  A man with such a credulous view of government power might not be the best choice to review allegations of NSA privacy abuses.
  Andrea Peterson covers technology policy for The Washington Post, with an emphasis on cybersecurity, consumer privacy, transparency, surveillance and open government. She also delves into the societal impacts of technology access and how innovation is intertwined with cultural development.
'Back to the 19th century': Mysterious techno breakdown hits Gitmo 9/11 tribunal
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  Archived Version
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 25 Aug 2013 13:19
  Defense lawyers for Guantanamo detainees asked the judge in the military tribunal on Friday to suspend pretrial hearings as mysterious computer glitches are just the latest technological setbacks to complicate the legal proceedings.
  Defense lawyers for Guantanamo detainees asked the military tribunal judge to suspend pretrial hearings as mysterious computer glitches have made their job a 'hot mess' forcing some of them to draft motions with pen and paper.
  "We're basically put back in the 19th century," Army Major Jason Wright, who represents the alleged mastermind of the terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, said on Friday, as quoted by Reuters. "It takes about five to 10 times what it would normally take to do defense functions."
  Defense lawyers for five Guantanamo detainees said email correspondences they sent were never received, investigative records that took years to compile had disappeared and external monitors were unable to access their internet searches. Even the prosecuting and defense teams had been given access to each other's files.
  The technical problems had started earlier in the year but by April they had become so severe that the chief defense counsel, Air Force Colonel Karen Mayberry, ordered defense lawyers not to use their Pentagon computers for any confidential casework.
  The situation became so dire that when Pentagon officials wished to convey messages to legal advisors in other cities, they had to place the sensitive data onto external drives, head to Starbucks and file them via Wi-Fi using their personal computers and personal email accounts, Wright revealed.
  Defense attorney James Harrington, who represents Yemeni prisoner Ramzi bin al Shibh, said he had been forced to draft motions with pen and paper.
  Another defense attorney for Mohammed, David Nevin, commented: "In this day and age you cannot practice law this way."
  He said the chief of staff for the Pentagon official overseeing the military tribunals issued her judgment during a conference call on Thursday, declaring: "This is a hot mess."
  Pentagon technical personnel have said it would take ''up to 111 days'' to fix the glitches once a contract was signed and money allocated, and that it was doubtful the work could be finished before the start of 2014.
  The judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, said he would give the matter further consideration at a pretrial hearing scheduled to start on Sept. 16 and decide then whether to cancel hearings scheduled for October, November, December and January.
  "I understand the serious nature of being able to communicate as a defense counsel," the judge said.
  This is not the first time that the maximum-security tribunal has suffered from 'ghosts in the machinery.'
  Judge Pohl in January convened an emergency meeting after it was discovered that some outside source was cutting the audio feed when particular subjects in the trial were being discussed.
  The judge stated he was not happy with this interference and added that he would like some clarification on ''who turns that light on or off.''
  ''It's a 'whoa moment' for the court,'' Human Rights Watch observer Laura Pitter said in January, as quoted by the Miami Herald. ''Even the judge doesn't know that someone else has control over the censorship button?''
  The five defendants are accused of training and funding the hijackers who allegedly crashed four commercial jets into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
  The Obama administration has backed down on its promise to close Gitmo and give the detainees civil trials on US territory in the face of extreme Republican pressure.