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VIDEO- Prince Ea - I KNOW WHO KILLED HIP HOP - YouTube
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:37
Jackson 'made some bad choices'
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:26
  26 September 2013Last updated at04:53 ETMichael Jackson "was playing Russian roulette in his bedroom every night", a lawyer for AEG Live told the court in the singer's wrongful death trial.
  During closing arguments, Marvin Putnam told the jury that the star died because of his own "bad choices".
  "You can't blame someone else for his bad choices."
  The Jackson family are seeking $290m (£181m) in personal damages from concert promoters AEG over his death in 2009.
  The singer died at the age of 50 from an overdose of the surgical anaesthetic propofol, ahead of a series of comeback concerts in London.
  The family claims AEG Live failed to properly investigate Dr Conrad Murray - the former cardiologist who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 - and missed warning signs about the singer's health.
  But, summing up on Wednesday, defence lawyer Mr Putnam claimed the star never told the producers that he was using propofol to overcome his chronic insomnia.
  "AEG only learned the truth after Mr Jackson passed," he added.
  "AEG would have never agreed to finance this tour if they knew Mr Jackson was playing Russian roulette in his bedroom every night," Mr Putnam told jurors.
  'Speculation and guesswork'
  Mr Putnam reiterated that it was Jackson, not AEG, who insisted on hiring Murray - then his family doctor - as his on-site doctor for the This Is It tour in London.
  "He didn't ask AEG," the lawyer said. "He said, 'We're using this doctor'. He was a grown man of 50 and as a grown man he is responsible for his own health and his own choices no matter how bad those choices may be."
  "It was his money and he certainly wasn't going to take no for an answer," he said.
  Mr Putnam focused on emails and excerpts from proposed contracts, arguing that there never was a contract between Murray and AEG.
  "You can't negligently hire someone unless you hire them," he said, adding: "The evidence is very clear that Michael Jackson was the one who hired Dr Murray."
  He dismissed the Jackson family claim for $290m in damages, based on the singer's potential earnings, as "speculation and guesswork".
  "I'm sorry, that's an absurd number. And they haven't even remotely proved it."
  Jackson lawyer, Brian Panish, is expected to have one last chance to respond to the closing arguments before the jury retires to consider. Nine of the 12 jurors must agree to secure a verdict.
36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification
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  Source: Federal Register Latest Entries
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:35
  Ms. B. English, DSCA/DBO/CFM, (703) 601-3740.
  The following is a copy of a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Transmittals 13-42 with attached transmittal and policy justification.
  Dated: September 20, 2013.
  Aaron Siegel,
  Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer,Department of Defense.
  Transmittal No. 13-42Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of OfferPursuant to Section 36(b)(1)of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Tunisia
  (ii) Total Estimated Value:
  * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.Major Defense Equipment *$ 8.2 millionOther$51.8 millionTOTAL$60.0 million(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase: Block 1 Avionics Upgrades on Tunisia's fleet of 12 F-5 aircraft. The upgrade includes 12 LN-260 Standard Positioning System Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems, Control Display Unit, Electrical Power, and Environmental Control System, repairs, Material Condition Inspection, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support.
  (iv) Military Department: Air Force (QAI)
  (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: FMS Case SNA'--$154M'--16 June 82
  (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None
  (vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: None
  (viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: 18 September 2013
  POLICY JUSTIFICATIONTunisia'--F-5 Avionics UpgradeThe Government of Tunisia has requested a possible sale of Block 1 Avionics Upgrades on Tunisia's fleet of 12 F-5 aircraft. The upgrade includes 12 LN-260 Standard Positioning System Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems (GPS/INS), Control Display Unit, Electrical Power, and Environmental Control System, repairs, Material Condition Inspection, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $60 million.
  This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country in North Africa.
  The proposed sale will improve Tunisia's capability to deter regional threats and strengthen its homeland defense, as well as support counter-terrorism operations. These systems will bolster Tunisia's ability to continue supporting its air and ground forces in counter-terrorism and border security operations. Tunisia, which already has F-5 aircraft in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing this service and support into its armed forces.
  The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
  The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman of St. Augustine, Florida. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
  Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of up to 23 U.S. contractor representatives to Tunisia for approximately two years.
  There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
  [FR Doc. 2013-23397 Filed 9-25-13; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
Lawmakers seek to expand domestic spying powers due to the 11 out of 33,000 FISA court requests that are rejected
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  Source: 33 World News
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:21
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VIDEO- Bill Clinton admits Obamacare will be funded on the backs on young people - YouTube
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:15
Rocket Media Group
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:11
  Rocket Media Group, LLC is a full service film, video, and multimedia communications company. Storytelling is our passion. We write, produce, and direct award-winning work for Fortune 500, government, and broadcast clients.
  - To be an integral part of your communications and learning solutions. We are committed to truly understand your business and the needs of your target audience; to craft engaging and carefully focused communications / learning experiences that "move the needle" in the real world.
  - To delight our clients by keeping our promises, staying on time and on budget, being easy (and fun) to work with, and delivering a product that exceeds expectations.
  Our Fairfax, VA office houses five state-of-the-art broadcast quality non-linear editing and post-production suites, including Final Cut Pro HD and the Avid Adrenaline non-linear editing systems.We also have a professional recording booth for voice over work.
  In addition, our stable of editors are some of the best in the business, bringing creativity and speed to every project.
  Graphics capabilities include Adobe After Effects, Discreet's Combustion, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Lightwave 3-D.
VIDEO Suspicious Sales: Retail Security Awareness - YouTube
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:55
Bill Text - SB-606 Harassment: child or ward.
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LA Times - Gov. Brown signs bills aimed at paparazzi, family leave and quakes
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BOZO FILTER-YouTube Announces A New Commenting System, Powered By Google+, With Threaded, Ranked And Private Conversati
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:31
  YouTube today announced a new commenting system that will be powered by Google+. The system, which is launching on channel discussion tabs this week before rolling out to all videos over the next few weeks and months, will automatically rank comments and feature threaded and private conversations.
  Right now, YouTube comments are a hotbed for spam and idiocy, something Google is painfully aware of. The new system aims to fix this by personalizing and ranking comments for each individual user.
  Last year, YouTube started asking its users to connect their YouTube and Google+ accounts so more users would use their real names on the site. Today's integration goes quite a bit deeper. The new system will switch away from the current, recency-based system and instead rank comments according to a wide range of factors.
  As Nundu Janakiram, a YouTube product manager who worked on this project, told me earlier this week, comments from the video creator will be ranked very highly and surfaced more regularly, for example. The system will also push comments from popular personalities on YouTube and people in your Google+ circles higher up the comment chain, as well as highly engaged discussion about the video. Just like before, you will be able to vote comments up or down, too, and those votes will also influence the ranking.
  Users who want to go back to the old experience can always switch back to the recency-based view (though unless you are a troll, I'm not sure why you would want to do that). The new system also allows you to just see comments from people in your Google+ circle.
  As Janakiram told me, the team realized that the current system is flawed. At the same time, though, YouTube also realized that the comments are a vibrant part of the YouTube experience. Despite its flaws, the team remained positive about the general concept of comments '' just not in its current form.
  As part of the Google+ integration, YouTube will now also aggregate public comments about a video from Google+ and display them on YouTube. Private messages, of course, will remain private. Thanks to the Google+ integration, users on YouTube itself will now also be able to have private conversations on the site by leaving comments that can only be seen by people in their Google+ circles or individual users.
  Once YouTube switches to the new system, all of the old comments will still be in the system and intermixed with the new ranked and threaded comments.
  Given that the new system further integrated Google+, users are almost obliged to disclose their real identities when they comment, which should lift the quality of the discussion on YouTube. It's worth noting, however, that they can still create a Google+ page for any name, pseudonym or existing YouTube channel and use that as they identity on YouTube.
  New Tools For Managing CommentsFor channel owners, YouTube is also introducing a number of new tools for managing comments on their videos.
  Just like before, they will still be able to open their videos up for all comments, hold them in moderation and manually approve them or disallow them completely. Now, however, they will also be able to create a list of approved users who can always comment on a video based on their Google+ circles. These users will be able to comment even when other YouTube users have to go through the moderation process. If you are a celebrity, for example, you could use this to always allow comments from your ''greatest fans'' circle on Google+, as Janakiram told me.
  In addition, YouTube is also allowing video owners to create a blacklist with words that automatically push comments into review and just like before, they can also block users. As for blocking users, YouTube is making a small but significant change now: it will stop telling users they've been blocked and will continue to show them their own comments when they are logged in. This, the team hopes, will fool them into believing that their comments were posted and stop them from creating new accounts after they've been blocked.
  YouTube provides a platform for you to create, connect and discover the world's videos. The company recently redesigned the site around its hundreds of millions of channels. Partners from major movie studios, record labels, web original creators, viral stars, and millions more all have channels on YouTube. YouTube is predominantly an ad-supported platform, but also offers rental options for a growing number of movie titles. YouTube was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, who...
  '†' Learn moreSeptember 7, 1998
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  Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world's information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including: Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Google+, the company's extension into the social space. Most of its Web-based products are free, funded by Google's highly integrated online advertising platforms AdWords and AdSense. Google promotes the idea that advertising should be highly targeted and relevant to users thus providing...
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CCC | Chaos Computer Club breaks Apple TouchID
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:06
  Apple had released the new iPhone with a fingerprint sensor that was supposedly much more secure than previous fingerprint technology. A lot of bogus speculation about the marvels of the new technology and how hard to defeat it supposedly is had dominated the international technology press for days.
  "In reality, Apple's sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake", said the hacker with the nickname Starbug, who performed the critical experiments that led to the successful circumvention of the fingerprint locking. "As we have said now for more than years, fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints." [1]
  The iPhone TouchID defeat has been documented in a short video.
  The method follows the steps outlined in this how-to with materials that can be found in almost every household: First, the fingerprint of the enroled user is photographed with 2400 dpi resolution. The resulting image is then cleaned up, inverted and laser printed with 1200 dpi onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting. Finally, pink latex milk or white woodglue is smeared into the pattern created by the toner onto the transparent sheet. After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone. This process has been used with minor refinements and variations against the vast majority of fingerprint sensors on the market.
  Update:
  The process described above proved to be somewhat unreliable as the depth of the ridges created by the toner was a little too shallow. Therefore an alternative process based on the same principle was utilized and has been demonstrated in an extended video available here. First, the residual fingerprint from the phone is either photographed or scanned with a flatbed scanner at 2400 dpi. Then the image is converted to black & white, inverted and mirrored. This image is then printed onto transparent sheet at 1200 dpi. To create the mold, the mask is then used to expose the fingerprint structure on photo-senistive PCB material. The PCB material is then developed, etched and cleaned. After this process, the mold is ready. A thin coat of graphite spray is applied to ensure an improved capacitive response. This also makes it easier to remove the fake fingerprint. Finally a thin film of white wood glue is smeared into the mold. After the glue cures the new fake fingerprint is ready for use.
  "We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics. It is plain stupid to use something that you can´t change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token", said Frank Rieger, spokesperson of the CCC. "The public should no longer be fooled by the biometrics industry with false security claims. Biometrics is fundamentally a technology designed for oppression and control, not for securing everyday device access." Fingerprint biometrics in passports has been introduced in many countries despite the fact that by this global roll-out no security gain can be shown.
  iPhone users should avoid protecting sensitive data with their precious biometric fingerprint not only because it can be easily faked, as demonstrated by the CCC team. Also, you can easily be forced to unlock your phone against your will when being arrested. Forcing you to give up your (hopefully long) passcode is much harder under most jurisdictions than just casually swiping your phone over your handcuffed hands.
  Many thanks go to the Heise Security team which provided the iPhone 5s for the hack quickly. More details on the hack will be reported there.
  Links:
  [1] Fingerprint Recognition at the Supermarket as insecure as Biometrics in Passports (2007)
Obama Administration Nominates Apple's VP of Worldwide Government Affairs for State Department Job - Mac Rumors
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 13:00
  Apple's Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs, Catherine Novelli, has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, according to an announcement from The White House (via AllThingsD).
  Catherine Ann Novelli is Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs at Apple, Inc., a position she has held since 2007. Previously, Ms. Novelli was a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP from 2005 to 2007. From 1991 to 2005, she served at the Office of the United States Trade Representative and from 1997 to 2005, she was the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean.
  From 1985 to 1991, Ms. Novelli served in the Office of the General Counsel at the Department of Commerce. From 1982 to 1985, she practiced law in the Washington D.C. office of Debovoise and Librman. Ms. Novelli received a B.A. from Tufts University, a J.D. from the University of Michigan, and a LL.M. from the University of London.
  Novelli, who works in Washington D.C., currently heads up a team at Apple that handles the company's federal, international, and state government relations. She has been with the company since 2007, and it remains unclear if she will leave her position at Apple to take up the new post.Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Police in New York Really Want You to Download iOS 7 '' AllThingsD
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:59
  The New York Police Department has more of a relationship with Apple's iPhone than merely performing crowd control at and around Apple stores on iPhone launch days like yesterday.
  A new iPhone model also means a probable uptick in attempts to steal them. And since Friday's launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c also happens to coincide with the launch of Apple's iOS 7, which has some new security measures intended to deter theft, New York's finest and other police agencies around the U.S. are making an effort to get people to download it.
  The new feature is called Activation Lock (read the official information from Apple here) and basically what it does is force anyone who has the phone '-- including anyone who has stolen it '-- to enter an Apple ID and password before they can turn off the ''Find My Phone'' security feature, erase it or reactivate it.
  Naturally, this feature is helpful to police who are often called upon to locate stolen phones, so they're pushing iPhone owners to download the new OS.
  My friend Jim Rosenberg just Tweeted this picture of a handout his partner Santiago was given by an NYPD officer outside a subway station on 168th St. in Manhattan.
  Some of New York's finest were also spotted handing out these fliers near an Apple Store.
  And in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, local parents have been asked by the NYPD's 78th Precinct to tweet and spread the word about the new security features. Here's a screen grab of a message posted to Facebook. (Hat tip to Nancy Groves.)
  Earlier in the week, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco's District Attorney George Gasc"n issued a joint statement praising Apple and urging people to download iOS 7.
  There is a catch. As John Paczkowski noted yesterday, there are ways to bypass the new security measures that will require a software update in the future. Still, it looks as though if you have an older iPhone '-- iOS 7 is supported on both the iPhone 5 and the 4S '-- there are some solid if imperfect deterrents against theft built in.
  Tagged with: Apple, Apple ID, Apple Store, Eric Schneiderman, George Gascon, iOS, iOS 7, iPhone, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, New York, New York City, New York Police Department, police, San Francisco, security, Siri, subway, theft
BBC News - ATF 'lost 420m cigarettes' in churning investigations
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:45
  25 September 2013Last updated at22:23 ETThe US agency tasked with stopping illegal tobacco trafficking lost track of 420 million cigarettes purchased in undercover operations, justice department auditors have found.
  In addition, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made $162m (£100m) selling tobacco undercover, it found.
  That money was used to fund undercover operations between 2006-11.
  The findings were revealed in an audit of the ATF's use of undercover profits.
  In the report released on Wednesday, the justice department Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said it had found "a serious lack of oversight" of "churning investigations".
  In those, the ATF uses proceeds from undercover operations to offset expenses incurred in the same operations, rather than depositing the funds in the US treasury.
  The ATF received that churning authority in 2004.
  ATF managers often disregarded policies on the churning investigations and failed to account properly for assets purchased during undercover operations, Inspector General Michael Horowitz wrote in the audit.
  In one unauthorised churning investigation, agents sold approximately $15m worth of cigarettes over 18 months. A confidential informant in the case was allowed to keep more than $4.9m "to cover his business expenses", according to the audit.
  The ATF also purchased 9.9 million cartons of cigarettes during the course of 20 investigations examined by the inspector general's office, but "inadequate documentation" led to the loss of 2.1 million cartons, or 420 million cigarettes, valued at $127m.
  ATF Director Todd Jones told the Associated Press news agency the federal body, which operates under the justice department, had already tightened internal guidelines.
  "The report's findings do not reflect current ATF policy or practice in this area," he said.
Science Website Shutting Off Comments Section for 'Undermining Bedrock Scientific Doctrine' | TheBlaze.com
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:40
  A 141-year-old science and technology magazine has decided to stop allowing comments on its website, believing Internet trolls are spreading unproductive misinformation that distracts from true scientific discussion and learning.
  Popular Science's Online Content Director Suzanne LaBarre announced the decision Tuesday, saying it ''wasn't a decision we made lightly.''
  The front page of Popular Science as seen on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the science and technology magazine announced it would be turning off online commenting capability for most of its stories. (Image: Popular Science)
  Although the magazine is ''committed to fostering lively, intellectual debate as we are to spreading the word of science far and wide,'' LaBarre said ''the problem is when trolls and spambots overwhelm the former, diminishing our ability to do the latter.''
  LaBarre cited evidence from recent studies that suggest disagreements between commenters can affect reader's perception of the science.
  ''If you carry out those results to their logical end''commenters shape public opinion; public opinion shapes public policy; public policy shapes how and whether and what research gets funded''you start to see why we feel compelled to hit the 'off'' switch,' LaBarre said, calling evolution and climate change hot topics that are now ''mistakenly up for grabs again.''
  LaBarre said that ''scientific certainty'' has become ''just another thing for two people to 'debate' on television.''
  ''[B]ecause comments sections tend to be a grotesque reflection of the media culture surrounding them, the cynical work of undermining bedrock scientific doctrine is now being done beneath our own stories, within a website devoted to championing science,'' LaBarre wrote.
  If readers wish to communicate with Popular Science or its authors, they are encouraged to use Twitter, Facebook, livechat, email and other forms of social media. Popular Science does plan to open comments for some articles ''that lend themselves to vigorous and intelligent discussion.''
  Popular Science is not the only website taking action to curb trolling on its comment section. The Huffington Post announced in August that it was ending the practice of allowing anonymous comments.
  And just this week, YouTube said it was updating its comment system as well.
  ''In the coming months, comments from people you care about will rise up where you can see them, while new tools will help video creators moderate conversations for welcome and unwelcome voices,'' YouTube's Nundu Janakiram and Yonatan Zunger wrote in a blog post Tuesday.
  As for comment moderation, the video-sharing site is giving users new tools to review comments before they're posting. This new functionality will allow words to be blocked and certain fans to be pre-approved for commenting.
  ''These can help you spend less time moderating, and more time sharing videos and connecting with your fans,'' the blog post read.
  Wired's Roberto Baldwin said this is YouTube's effort ''turn those conversations into something that doesn't make you want to take a shower and weep for mankind.''
  ''
FBI Releases Chilling New Video of Navy Yard Shooter Stalking Halls With Shotgun | Video | TheBlaze.com
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:35
  The FBI on Wednesday released new surveillance footage of the Washington Navy Yard shooter, 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, walking through the halls of the building with a shotgun the day he killed 12 people and injured others last week:
  The FBI also released images from the shooting scene and collected evidence :
  Alexis moves through the hallways of Building #197 carrying the Remington 870 shotgun (FBI)
  Alexis moves through the hallways of Building #197 carrying the Remington 870 shotgun (FBI)
  Aaron Alexis' backpack was found in the fourth-floor men's bathroom, hanging on the back of a stall door (FBI)
  Aaron Alexis' rental car, a blue Toyota Prius with New York plates, was located in Washington Navy Yard Parking Garage #28 (FBI)
  Aaron Alexis' Remington 870 shotgun with sawed-off barrel and stock. Etchings on the left side of the shotgun receiver read ''Better off this way!'' and ''My ELF weapon!'' (FBI)
  A close-up photograph of the etchings on the left side of Alexis' shotgun receiver (FBI)
  Aaron Alexis' Remington 870 shotgun with sawed-off barrel and stock. Etching on the right side of the shotgun receiver read ''Not what yall say!'' (FBI)
  A close-up photograph of the etching on the right side of Alexis' shotgun receiver (FBI)
  Etching on the barrel of the Remington 870 shotgun used by Alexis read ''End to the torment!'' (FBI)
  ''
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Navy Yard Shooter Left Bizarre Note About Radio Waves That Drove Him to Kill: FBI | TheBlaze.com
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:32
  WASHINGTON (AP) '-- Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis left a note saying he was driven to kill by months of bombardment with extremely low-frequency radio waves, the FBI said Wednesday in a disclosure that explains the phrase he etched on his shotgun: ''My ELF Weapon!''
  Alexis did not target particular individuals during the Sept. 16 attack in which he killed 12 people, and there is no indication the shooting stemmed from any workplace dispute, said Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office. Instead, authorities said, his behavior in the weeks before the shooting and evidence recovered from his hotel room, backpack and other belongings reveal a man increasingly in the throes of paranoia and delusions.
  WASHINGTON, DC '' SEPTEMBER 16: In this handout frame grab from the Washington Navy Yard provided by the FBI on September 25, 2013, Aaron Alexis moves through the hallways of Building #197 carrying the Remington 870 shotgun September 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images
  ''Ultra-low frequency attack is what I've been subject to for the last 3 months, and to be perfectly honest that is what has driven me to this,'' read an electronic document agents recovered after the shooting.
  The attack came one month after Alexis had complained to police in Rhode Island that people were talking to him through the walls and ceilings of his hotel room and sending microwave vibrations into his body to deprive him of sleep.
  On his shotgun, he had scrawled ''My ELF Weapon!'' '' an apparent reference to extremely low-frequency waves '' along with ''End to the Torment!'' ''Not what yall say'' and ''Better off this way,'' the FBI said.
  Alexis, a 34-year-old former Navy reservist and computer technician for a government contractor, used a valid badge to get into the Navy Yard and opened fire inside a building with the Remington shotgun, which he had legally purchased in Virginia two days earlier. He also used a 9 mm handgun that he took from a security guard, a weapon found near Alexis' body. He was killed in the building by a U.S. Park Police officer following a rampage and shootout with police that the FBI said lasted more than an hour.
  ''There are indicators that Alexis was prepared to die during the attack and that he accepted death as the inevitable consequence of his actions,'' Parlave said.
  Surveillance video released by the FBI on Wednesday shows Alexis pulling his rental car into a garage, walking into the building with a bag and then skulking down a corridor with a shotgun, ducking and crouching around a corner and walking briskly down a flight of stairs. The video does not show him actually shooting anyone.
  A timeline issued by the FBI shows Alexis started the rampage on the building's fourth floor and then moved down to the third and first floors. He ultimately returned to the third floor, where he was killed around 9:25 a.m. FBI Director James Comey has said there's no evidence that Alexis shot down into the atrium despite earlier accounts from witnesses at the scene.
  WASHINGTON, DC '' SEPTEMBER 16: In this handout frame grab from the Washington Navy Yard provided by the FBI on September 25, 2013, the etching reading, 'Not what y'all say!' is visible on the right side of Aaron Alexis shotgun receiver September 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images
  Credit: Getty Images
  Alexis had started a job as a contractor in the building just a week before.
  Although there was a ''routine performance-related issue addressed to him'' on the Friday before the Monday morning shooting, ''there is no indication that this caused any sort of reaction from him,'' Parlave said.
  ''We have not determined there to be any previous relationship between Alexis and any of the victims,'' she said. ''There is no evidence or information at this point that indicates he targeted anyone he worked for or worked with. We do not see any one event as triggering this attack.''
  Defense officials have acknowledged that a lot of red flags were missed in Alexis' background, allowing him to maintain a secret-level security clearance and access to a Navy installation despite a string of behavioral problems and brushes with the law.
  He worked for The Experts, a Florida-based computer firm that was a Hewlett-Packard subcontractor. Hewlett-Packard said Wednesday that it was severing ties with The Experts, accusing the company of failing to respond adequately to Alexis' mental problems.
  The Experts responded by issuing a statement that the company was disappointed with Hewlett-Packard's decision.
  ''The Experts is disappointed in H-P's decision, as we have continued to meet all of our contractual obligations. The Experts had no greater insight into Alexis' mental health than H-P, particularly given that an H-P site manager closely supervised him, including during the events in Rhode Island,'' the statement said.
  At the Pentagon, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the department will review base safety procedures and the security clearance process.
  ''Bottom line is, we need to know how an employee was able to bring a weapon and ammunition onto a DoD installation, and how warning flags were either missed, ignored or not addressed in a timely manner,'' Carter said.
  Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has recommended that the department require that all police reports '' not just arrests or convictions '' be included in background checks.
  ''
Twitter en Facebook openen luiken van elitaire diplomaat
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:40
  Door: Natalie Righton '' 26/09/13, 07:19
  (C) screenshot. De Facebookpagina van minister Timmermans
  Een paar uur nadat het nieuws over een schietpartij in de Keniaanse hoofdstad Nairobi op zaterdagochtend naar buiten kwamen, twitterde de Nederlandse ambassadeur Joost Reintjes in Kenia het noodnummer rond waar Nederlanders met vragen terecht konden. In de uren en dagen die volgden, bleef hij verontruste landgenoten via het moderne medium informeren. Een jaar geleden was dit nog ondenkbaar, maar inmiddels is het steeds normaler.
  In een poging de diplomatie te moderniseren, heeft minister Timmermans van Buitenlandse Zaken bij zijn aantreden vorig jaar zijn diplomaten aangemoedigd om op sociale media te vertellen over hun werk. Gevolg: het diplomatieke corps is nog meer dan voorheen aan het twitteren en facebooken geslagen. Diplomaten duiken vervolgens op bij het Radio 1 Journaal, in kranten en soms zelfs in talkshows. Hiermee gaan de luiken alweer een stukje verder open bij het ooit zo ondoorgrondelijke bastion van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken.
  Volgens mij moet ik twitteren van mijn baas, maar hoe moet dat eigenlijk?
  Hoewel een nulmeting ontbreekt, waardoor exacte groeicijfers onbekend zijn, en hoewel het gemiddeld aantal fans misschien niet hoog is - circa 650 volgers per twitterende diplomaat en circa 1.600 fans per Facebookaccount - is de stijgende lijn onmiskenbaar.
  Angst om op de vingers getikt te wordenDe angst bij diplomaten om op de vingers getikt te worden is langzaam aan het verdwijnen nadat de Nederlandse ambassadeur in Zuid-Afrika, Andr(C) Haspels, begin vorig jaar nog door toenmalig minister Rosenthal (VVD) werd aangesproken op een verwijzing op Facebook, zo vertellen diplomaten en andere betrokkenen. Haspels verwees op zijn priv(C)-account naar een pagina van Nederland Bekent Kleur, getiteld: 'Geen regering met steun van de PVV.' Rosenthal vond dat de ambassadeur 'zich moest onthouden van een persoonlijk politiek oordeel'. De publieke terechtwijzing temperde destijds het toch al broze enthousiasme van diplomaten om zich actief te uiten op internet.
  Opvolger minister Timmermans voert een tegenovergesteld communicatiebeleid. Als een diplomaat per abuis 'in de fout gaat' op sociale media, zal hij worden gesteund door de hoogste bewindspersoon, zo heeft Timmermans zelf verklaard. De koerswijziging lijkt succesvol, want steeds meer diplomaten worden over de streep getrokken. Paul Frank (46), sinds twee jaar online-strateeg van Buitenlandse Zaken, heeft inmiddels wekelijks een diplomaat aan zijn bureau staan die zegt: 'Volgens mij moet ik twitteren van mijn baas, maar hoe moet dat eigenlijk?'
  De populairste Buitenlandse Zaken-medewerkers op Facebook zijn de bewindspersonen zelf. Dat helpt mee. Timmermans' pagina heeft ruim 20 duizend fans en minister Ploumen van Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking heeft er ruim 3.400. De Nederlandse ambassade in Turkije scoort het hoogst met ruim 24 duizend ge¯nteresseerden op Facebook. Het populairste diplomatieke Twitteraccount is ook niet van een persoon, maar wordt ingenomen door de ambassade in Washington (6.300 volgers op @NLintheUSA).
  De populairste individuele diplomaat op Twitter is geen prominent, maar de relatief onbekende Alexander Verbeek
  Opvallend: de populairste individuele diplomaat op Twitter is geen prominent, maar de relatief onbekende Alexander Verbeek (ruim 7.000 volgers op @Alex_Verbeek). Deze strategische beleidsmedewerker 'global issues' twittert pas sinds een jaar en laat het ministerie van Buitenlandse zaken (@minbuza) met 5.800 volgers ruim achter zich. Op de vierde plaats staat oud-minister van landbouw @GerdaVerburg (CDA), die inmiddels permanent diplomatiek vertegenwoordiger van Nederland is bij de Wereldvoedselorganisatie FAO in Rome (ruim 5.200 volgers). Huidig secretaris-generaal Ren(C) Jones Bos staat op plek vijf met ruim 2.800 fans op @RJonesBos.
  Ze gaan ook in op reactiesHet geheim van Alex Verbeek en alle andere populaire diplomaten op sociale media? Ze doen aan wederkerigheid: ze staan er dus voor open om niet alleen informatie de wereld in te slingeren ('zenden'), maar gaan ook in op reacties en sturen soms interessante berichten door van anderen (retweet). 'Ik beantwoord heel veel mensen', zegt Verbeek. 'Ze volgen mij, maar ik volg hen ook. Er is interactie. Je krijgt daardoor een soort gemeenschap van mensen die interesse hebben in dezelfde onderwerpen.'
  De verzonnen kat loopt zogenaamd door het ambassadegebouw in Zimbabwe, luistert diplomaten af, leest kranten en vindt daar wat van op Facebook.
  Wat ook helpt: de populaire diplomaten geven soms een 'persoonlijke noot' mee in het bericht dat ze plaatsten. Zo meldt Timmermans op Facebook regelmatig naar welke muziek hij luistert of hoezeer de situatie in Syri hem raakt. Verbeek combineert serieuze zaken soms expres met luchtigheid. 'Ik meld bijvoorbeeld dat ik op weg ben met het vliegtuig naar Gen¨ve voor een waterconferentie en plaats een serieuze link waar mensen meer kunnen lezen over het onderwerp.' Verbeek erkent: 'Er gaat veel tijd in zitten. Je bouwt een netwerk niet zomaar op.'
  Sommige ambassades slagen er aardig in om sociale media in te zetten voor duidelijk diplomatieke doeleinden. Zo promoot de Nederlandse ambassade in Kabul op Facebook vaak culturele activiteiten en probeert het een positiever beeld van het door oorlog verscheurde land te schetsen.
  Diplomaten in Zimbabwe hebben de virtuele ambassadekat 'professor Lovemore' bedacht om de aandacht te vestigen op gevoelige onderwerpen in het land, zoals de vrijheid van meningsuiting of dure reizen van president Mugabe. De kat loopt zogenaamd door het ambassadegebouw, luistert diplomaten af, leest kranten en vindt daar wat van op Facebook. De kritische kat is momenteel even 'met verlof', maar keert binnenkort terug op het web.
  'Belangrijk om een netwerk op te bouwen'Waar al dat getwitter en facebooken goed voor is? 'Je kunt niet meer ontkennen dat internet een factor van belang is geworden voor diplomaten om een netwerk op te bouwen', online-strateeg van Paul Frank. 'Het gaat er niet per se om dat een ambassadeur op Twitter zit, maar om de oprechte wil om een netwerk op te bouwen waar je voorheen nauwelijks toegang tot had.'
  Sociale media zijn een instrument voor de diplomaat geworden om te weten wat er speelt in het gastland of op het departement waar hij werkt, vindt ook Verbeek, die zelf in Den Haag werkt. 'Je kunt er luisteren, maar ook discussies aangaan. Ik zou niet meer zonder kunnen. Voor mij is communiceren via Twitter een ge¯ntegreerd onderdeel van diplomatie geworden.'
  Omgekeerd zijn sociale media voor burgers een laagdrempelige manier om contact te leggen. Frank: 'Voorheen kwam je niet zomaar met een ambassadeur in contact. Dat voelde voor burgers echt als een andere, elitaire wereld. Nu staan de luiken open.'
  Diplomaten volgen? Buitenlandse Zaken laceerde gisteren de website socialemediagidsbz.nl, waarop alle links naar diplomaten en diplomatieke afdelingen op sociale media te vinden zijn. Nederlanders zonder sociale media kunnen in geval van een calamiteit in het buitenland bereikt worden via sms of e-mail. Daarvoor moeten ze zich registreren bij de desbetreffende ambassade.
VIDEO-Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero! - YouTube
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:34
Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Law Protecting Kids from Paparazzi
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:06
  The California Newspaper Publishers Association and other groups had opposed Senate Bill 606, which increases penalties for harassing children because of their parents' job, on the grounds that it could restrict reporters and photographers covering the news.
  The penalties for harassing children of celebrities would increase from a maximum of six months in jail to a maximum of one year. Potential fines would increase to $10,000, from the current $1,000.
  Stars like Jennifer Garner and Halle Berry, who both have children in the paparazzi spotlight, actively promoted the legislation.
US moves East African drone base following series of crashes
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  Source: RT - News
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:29
  Published time: September 25, 2013 15:27AFP Photo / Saul Loeb
  A series of blunders and near-accidents involving drones at the US military's biggest base in East Africa have led to the whole fleet of unmanned aircraft being relocated farther inland, away from the city of Djibouti, to allay residents' fears.
  The move, first reported by The Washington Post, could hamper President Barack Obama administration's counterterrorism initiative in the region, as the Camp Lemonnier base in Djibouti is a major US military hub, where drones took off and landed on average 16 times a day.
  Djiboutian officials this month started sounding the alarm that the drones' recent series of crashes showed them to be dangerous and prompted fears of collisions with passenger planes in civilian airspace.
  Causes of drone crashes have included human error, navigation systems failure and onboard computer malfunctions, resulting in the unmanned vehicles spinning out of control and often landing within a kilometer of densely populated areas and civilian buildings.
  The key difference for the US Air Force '' in comparison with its flights in Afghanistan '' is that in Djibouti it is obliged to share the skies with civilian aircraft, relying on the same air traffic scheduling and shared runways.
  For now, the base has been relocated to the Chabelley Airfield deeper in the desert. The switch was revealed by unclassified documents obtained as part of a request for public records.
  According to Air Force records, at least five accidents have taken place at Camp Lemonnier since January 2011.
  April 4, 2013, saw a particularly bizarre incident, in which an inexperienced military contractor managed to crash the drone in six minutes by making one mistake after another '' including flying without permission, switching off the engine by mistake and forgetting about the landing gear. The result was a crash landing at a civilian airport that serves a half-million passengers a year, mostly tourists.
  Another accident, in 2011, resulted in a malfunction that crashed the drone into a residential area of Djibouti, nearly 5 kilometers away from its intended landing place. Just 10 days afterward, another drone crash-landed about 1.5 kilometers from the city of Djibouti.
  The US military currently pays the Djiboutian government $38 million a year to rent the base, but local officials worry that the risks simply outweigh the benefits, as the unmanned vehicles are too close to Djibouti City.
  Djibouti's ambassador to the US, Roble Olhaye, said: ''The airport seems to be congested. There are so many military aircraft based at the airport and around the airport '-- French aircraft, American aircraft, Japanese aircraft.''
  He said that his government is in discussion with the US on future long-term deals, adding that the base's new location in Chabelley is ''the best option available at the moment, for them, for us,'' the Washington Post reported.
  Despite the Djiboutian government's increasing uncertainty with the arrangement, the Pentagon plans to invest more than $1 billion to expand Camp Lemonnier into an even bigger regional hub. The base is considered key to support wider US operations throughout Africa, especially with a much larger deployment of troops across the continent, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Indian Ocean. A total of $228 million will be spent on a new compound housing about 700 troops from the secretive Joint Special Operations Command.
  As the base is considered too strategically important for the US to lose, moving the drones inland appears to be the best option in the circumstances.
  Drones from Camp Lemonnier would often head for the collapsed neighboring state of Somalia, or the Gulf of Aden in Yemen '' a target of more strikes than almost any other country in Obama's campaign against Al-Qaeda.
  About 3,200 civilians and contractors currently inhabit the camp, whose function is to train foreign militaries, gather intelligence and distribute humanitarian aid across East Africa in an effort to prevent extremism from flourishing.
  While the expansion of the base is in the works, the Pentagon has recently taken measures to extend its campaign of drone warfare for another decade, coming up with ''disposition matrix,'' or targeting database, as well as a top-secret ''playbook'' '' a new set of guidelines the US uses to choose whom to eliminate.
  The Djibouti location is America's key base for drone strikes on its most valuable targets in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, even though for the past 10 years the US has repeatedly referred to it as a temporary solution.
  Presently, it is set to become the main hub of all US drone operations.
  The reaction of the world to drone warfare as such has become more negative under the Obama administration than it ever was during George W. Bush's tenure of the White House. Drone strikes have dramatically increased in number, and so have the civilian casualties in Yemen and Pakistan, both of whom are also recipients of large US funding and help in battling regional elements of Al-Qaeda.
  Washington's drone war has turned Yemeni civilians against the US and sparked ''intense anger and hatred,'' which Al-Qaeda itself has exploited for recruitment, according to witness testimony at the US Senate's first public hearing about the legality of drone strikes. As a result, US assistance to Yemen often goes unnoticed by most of the local population, as they are completely preoccupied by the drones flying overhead.
  Likewise, in Pakistan, a UN team investigating casualties said that US drone strikes violated the country's sovereignty. The Pakistani government claimed that at least 400 civilians have been killed by American drones.
  In August, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in Pakistan, stated that drones should be for surveillance use only, and the countries using them for any other purposes should do so within the boundaries set by international law.
  Ban said his words represented a ''very clear position'' from the UN, stressing that the organization expects those countries deploying drones to follow the law. ''Every effort should be made to avoid mistakes and civilian casualties,'' Ban said.
  Despite US claims that civilian casualties are ''exceedingly rare,'' a series of leaked CIA documents have shown that between 2006 and 2009, one in five victims of so-called ''precision strikes'' were civilians.
  Consequently, the US public started acting in solidarity with the countries affected most by the use of drones. April saw hundreds of people gather outside the White House ion Washington to protest Obama's decision to expand drone warfare in Africa, calling them ''robotic killing machines.''
  Organized by the ANSWER coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), the movement called on Obama's administration to stop operating drones on foreign soil, and accused the US government of functioning ''as a death squad government, permitting the president and military leaders to create secret 'kill lists' of people who have been selected for assassination.''
Video: Inside the Washington Navy Yard shooting | Al Jazeera America
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:03
  Newly released security camera footage shows Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis running through the hallways at the Navy Yard with a sawed-off shotgun.
  In the chilling closed-circuit video, Alexis is shown pulling into the compound in his car, calmly entering the facility with his shotgun stowed in a backpack and then prowling the hallways with his gun out.
  The FBI also disclosed on Wednesday that Alexis believed he was being controlled by electromagnetic waves in the months before he killed 12 people at the southeast Washington base on Sept. 16.
  There are no indications that Alexis, 34, was targeting anyone in the rampage, said Valerie Parlave, the FBI assistant director in charge of the Washington field office.
  "We have found relevant communications on his electronic media which referenced the delusional belief that he was being controlled or influenced by extremely low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic waves for the past three months," Parlave said.
  She added that Alexis had scrawled "My ELF weapon" onto his Remington 870 shotgun. "The etching ... is believed to reference these electromagnetic waves," Parlave noted.
  Alexis, a government technology contractor, acted alone and was killed by police on the third floor of the yard's Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, after exchanging fire with officers for an hour.
  The shooting spree and the question of how Alexis got security clearance to enter the base have prompted calls for a review of government vetting of private contractors.
  Wire services
  Alexis' shotgun, with a sawed-off barrel and stock. FBI
Designation of Officers of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence To Act as Director of National Intelligence
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:09
  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 3345et seq. (the ''Act''), it is hereby ordered that:
  Section 1. Order of Succession. Subject to the provisions of sections 2 and 3 of this memorandum, and to the limitations set forth in the Act, the following officials of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, in the order listed, shall act as and perform the functions and duties of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) during any period in which the DNI and the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence have died, resigned, or otherwise become unable to perform the functions and duties of the DNI:
  (a) Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Integration;
  (b) Director of the National Counterterrorism Center;
  (c) National Counterintelligence Executive; and
  (d) Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.
  Sec. 2. National Security Act of 1947. This memorandum shall not supersede the authority of the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence to act for, and exercise the powers of, the DNI during the absence or disability of the DNI or during a vacancy in the position of the DNI (National Security Act of 1947, as amended, 50 U.S.C. 3026).
  Sec. 3. Exceptions. (a) No individual who is serving in an office listed in section 1(a)-(d) of this memorandum in an acting capacity shall, by virtue of so serving, act as the DNI pursuant to this memorandum.
  (b) No individual listed in section 1(a)-(d) of this memorandum shall act as the DNI unless that individual is otherwise eligible to so serve under the Act.
  (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this memorandum, the President retains discretion, to the extent permitted by law, to depart from this memorandum in designating an acting DNI.
  (d) In the event that the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center acts as and performs the functions and duties of the DNI pursuant to section 1 of this memorandum, that individual shall not simultaneously serve as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center during that time, in accordance with 50 U.S.C. 3056.
  Sec. 4. Revocation. The Presidential Memorandum of March 8, 2011 (Designation of Officers of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to Act as Director of National Intelligence), is hereby revoked.
  Sec. 5. Judicial Review. This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
  Sec. 6. Publication. You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
  THE WHITE HOUSE,Washington, September 20, 2013
  [FR Doc. 2013-23545Filed 9-24-13; 11:15 am]
  Billing code 3910-A7
Provision of Defense Articles and Services to Vetted Members of the Syrian Opposition for Use in Syria To Prevent the Use or Proliferation of Chemical Weapons and Related Materials, Organizations Implementing U.S. D
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  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:59
  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including sections 40(g) and 40A(b) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), I hereby:
  determine that the transaction, encompassing the provision of defense articles and defense services to vetted members of the Syrian opposition; organizations implementing U.S. Department of State or USAID programs inside or related to Syria; and international organizations necessary for the conduct of their operations inside or related to Syria, or to prevent the preparation, use, or proliferation of Syria's chemical weapons, is essential to the national security interests of the United States;waive the prohibitions in sections 40 and 40A of the AECA related to such a transaction; anddelegate to the Secretary of State the responsibility under section 40(g)(2) of the AECA to consult with and submit reports to the Congress for proposed exports, 15 days prior to authorizing them to proceed, that are necessary for and within the scope of this waiver determination and the transaction referred to herein.You are authorized and directed to publish this determination in the Federal Register.
  THE WHITE HOUSE,Washington, September 16, 2013.
  [FR Doc. 2013-23449Filed 9-24-13; 8:45 am]
  Billing code4710-10
Presidential Determination With Respect to Foreign Governments' Efforts Regarding Trafficking in Persons
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  Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:57
  Consistent with section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Division A of Public Law 106-386), as amended (the ''Act''), I hereby:
  Make the determination provided in section 110(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, with respect to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, not to provide certain funding for those countries' governments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, until such governments comply with the minimum standards or make significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance, as may be determined by the Secretary of State in a report to the Congress pursuant to section 110(b) of the Act;
  Make the determination provided in section 110(d)(1)(A)(ii) of the Act, with respect to Cuba, Eritrea, and Syria not to provide certain funding for those countries' governments for FY 2014, until such governments comply with the minimum standards or make significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance, as may be determined by the Secretary of State in a report to the Congress pursuant to section 110(b) of the Act;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Algeria, the Central African Republic, People's Republic of China, Guinea-Bissau, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Yemen that provision to these countries' governments of all programs, projects, or activities of assistance described in sections 110(d)(1)(A)(i)-(ii) and 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that assistance and programs described in section 110(d)(1)(A)(i) and 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act, with the exception of foreign military sales and foreign military financing to the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Sudan, that assistance and programs described in section 110(d)(1)(A)(i) and 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act, with the exception of foreign military sales and foreign military financing to the Sudanese land forces, air forces, and popular defense force, would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Syria and Eritrea, that a partial waiver to allow funding for educational and cultural exchange programs described in section 110(d)(1)(A)(ii) of the Act would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Equatorial Guinea, that a partial waiver to allow funding for programs described in section 110(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act to support programs to study and combat the spread of infectious diseases and to advance sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity and to support the participation of government employees or officials in young leader exchanges programming would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Syria and Equatorial Guinea, that assistance described in section 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  Determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Zimbabwe, that a partial waiver to allow funding for programs described in section 110(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act for assistance for victims of trafficking in persons or to combat such trafficking, and for programs to support the promotion of health, good governance, education, leadership, agriculture and food security, poverty reduction, livelihoods, family planning, and macroeconomic growth including anti-corruption, and programs that would have a significant adverse effect on vulnerable populations if suspended, would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States;
  And determine, consistent with section 110(d)(4) of the Act, with respect to Zimbabwe, that assistance described in section 110(d)(1)(B) of the Act, which:
  (1) is a regional program, project, or activity under which the total benefit to Zimbabwe does not exceed 10 percent of the total value of such program, project, or activity;
  (2) has as its primary objective the addressing of basic human needs, as defined by the Department of the Treasury with respect to other, existing legislative mandates concerning U.S. participation in the multilateral development banks;
  (3) is complementary to or has similar policy objectives to programs being implemented bilaterally by the United States Government;
  (4) has as its primary objective the improvement of Zimbabwe's legal system, including in areas that impact Zimbabwe's ability to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases or otherwise improve implementation of its anti-trafficking policy, regulations, or legislation;
  (5) is engaging a government, international organization, or civil society organization, and seeks as its primary objective(s) to: (a) increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking in persons crimes; (b) increase protection for victims of trafficking through better screening, identification, rescue and removal, aftercare (shelter, counseling), training, and reintegration; or (c) expand prevention efforts through education and awareness campaigns highlighting the dangers of trafficking in persons or training and economic empowerment of populations clearly at risk of falling victim to trafficking; or
  (6) is targeted macroeconomic assistance from the International Monetary Fund that strengthens the macroeconomic management capacity of Zimbabwe; would promote the purposes of the Act or is otherwise in the national interest of the United States.
  The certification required by section 110(e) of the Act is provided herewith.
  You are hereby authorized and directed to submit this determination to the Congress, and to publish it in the Federal Register.
  THE WHITE HOUSE,Washington, September 17, 2013.
  [FR Doc. 2013-23463Filed 9-24-13; 8:45 am]
  Billing code 4710-10
Fact Sheet -- Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:41
  FY 2009 funding:$65 million
  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:$250 million
  Grantees:States
  Type of Grant:Competitive
  Purpose:The program provides grants to states to design, develop, and implement statewide P-20 longitudinal data systems to capture, analyze, and use student data from preschool to high school, college, and the workforce.
  Program Requirements:Since it started in fiscal year 2005, the program has awarded grants worth $265 million to 41 states and the District of Columbia. The Recovery Act competition requires that the data systems have the capacity to link preschool, K-12, and postsecondary education as well as workforce data. To receive State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, a state must provide an assurance that it will establish a longitudinal data system that includes the 12 elements described in the America COMPETES Act, and any data system developed with Statewide longitudinal data system funds must include at least these 12 elements. The elements are:
  An unique identifier for every student that does not permit a student to be individually identified (except as permitted by federal and state law);The school enrollment history, demographic characteristics, and program participation record of every student;Information on when a student enrolls, transfers, drops out, or graduates from a school;Students scores on tests required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act;Information on students who are not tested, by grade and subject;Students scores on tests measuring whether they're ready for college;A way to identify teachers and to match teachers to their students;Information from students' transcripts, specifically courses taken and grades earned;Data on students' success in college, including whether they enrolled in remedial courses;Data on whether K-12 students are prepared to succeed in college;A system of auditing data for quality, validity, and reliability; andThe ability to share data from preschool through postsecondary education data systems.With such comprehensive data systems, states will be able to monitor their reforms and make specific changes to advance them. These data systems will capture data on students from one grade to the next, measuring whether they are on track to graduate and telling K-12 schools whether they are preparing their students to succeed in college and the workforce. The data systems also can help identify teachers who are succeeding so states can reward them, and find teachers who are struggling and help them improve.
  A request for applications is being published in the Federal Register and will be available on www.ed.gov.
Provide Technical Assistance to States -What We Do | Achieve
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:40
  Convene States and LeadersCentral to Achieve's work is our ability to convene leaders from across states to come together to share their experiences and tackle common challenges. Importantly, through our networks Achieve convenes not just a cross-section of leaders across states, but also a cross-section of leaders within states, including state K-12 and higher education leadership; policymakers from governors' offices, legislatures and state boards of education; district leaders; and third-party advocates from business- and community-based organizations. Our expertise in convening state leaders is best evidenced through our work managing the American Diploma Project Network, the PARCC consortium, and the Next Generation Science Standards development effort.
  Provide Technical Assistance to StatesWe provide technical assistance to states on the design, development, adoption, implementation, and communications of their college- and career-ready standards, assessments, curriculum, and accountability systems.
  Conduct Research and Development Achieve regularly conducts R&D to help advance the work of states as well as the education reform community at large. Our research includes studies of high school graduation requirements, implementation strategies for the Common Core State Standards, state accountability models, and analyses of expectations from countries around the world. Our work doesn't stop with the publication of reports; we also develop tools that help states change policies and practices, such as rubrics and audits.
  Offer Advocacy, Communications, and Outreach Tools and SupportAchieve has developed a range of advocacy resources that aim to address common concerns with college and career readiness, all of which can be found on the The Future Ready Project website. The Future Ready Project is a web-based resource center to help advocates develop, launch, and refine their own college- and career-ready communications and outreach plans, critical for sustaining the agenda.
  For more information, see About Achieve
P-20 Data Systems | Achieve
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:39
  States must collect, coordinate, and use K-12 and postsecondary data to track and improve the readiness of graduates to succeed in college and the workplace.
  Longitudinal data systems should follow individual students from grade to grade and school to school, all the way from kindergarten through postsecondary education and into the workplace. Such systems would also provide more accurate measures of dropout and graduation rates, and provide the foundation for early warning systems.
  For states to evaluate and understand the impact of particular policies around graduation requirements, assessments and preparedness for postsecondary, they must follow students through K''12 into postsecondary and the workforce and establish feedback loops to the relevant stakeholders to make informed decisions that improve policies and practices around increasing student preparedness.
The Ambitions of Bill and Melinda Gates: Controlling Population and Public Education | Crisis Magazine
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  Continuing their commitment to controlling global population growth through artificial contraception, sterilization, and abortion initiatives, Microsoft founder and philanthropist, Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, a self-described ''practicing'' Catholic, are now attempting to control the curriculum of the nation's public schools. Subsidizing the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $76 million to support teachers in implementing the Common Core'--a standardized national curriculum. This, on top of the tens of millions they have already awarded to the National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop the Common Core in the first place.
  Working collaboratively with the Obama administration, the Gates Foundation subsidized the creation of a national curriculum for English and mathematics that has now been adopted by 46 states, and the District of Columbia'--despite the fact that the General Education Provisions Act, the Department of Education Organization Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act all protect states against such an intrusion by the United States Department of Education.
  The Common Core Standards were developed by an organization called Achieve, and the National Governors Association'--both of which were funded by the Gates Foundation. The standards have been imposed on the states without any field testing, and little or no input from those involved in implementing the standards. In a post entitled ''Why I Cannot Support the Common Core Standards,'' educational policy analyst and New York University Research Professor, Diane Ravitch, wrote that the standards ''are being imposed on the children of this nation despite the fact that no one has any idea how they will affect students, teachers or schools'...Their creation was neither grassroots nor did it emanate from the states.''
  Ravitch is especially concerned about the content of the curriculum'--what she called the ''flap over fiction vs. informational text.'' Rather than giving English teachers the freedom to teach literature, the Common Core mandates that a far greater percentage of classroom time be spent on ''fact-based'' learning. Ravitch's concerns are shared by others. For example, one teacher claimed that she had to give up having her students read Shakespeare in favor of Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point because it was ''fact-based'' and Shakespeare was not. Of course, Tipping Point has a political agenda. Parents may be concerned if they were to learn that Gladwell suggests such ''facts'' as the belief that parents should stop worrying about their children's ''experimentation with drugs,'' including cocaine because ''it seldom leads to hardcore use.''
  ''Fact-based'' books on climate change are also replacing classic works of literature because they are viewed as offering students an opportunity to learn ''science.'' Freakonomics'--a book that has already been a favorite of public school teachers'--is preferable to Poe because students will learn about the positive effects of abortion on reducing crime rates by reducing the population of those more likely to commit crime.
  While the adoption of the Common Core was ''voluntary'' by the 46 states that adopted it, it was well understood by these states that they would not be eligible for Race to the Top funding ($4.35 billion) unless they adopted the Common Core standards. The Gates Foundation was very much a part of this. According to Lyndsey Layton of the Washington Post (December 2, 2012), ''the Gates Foundation invested tens of millions of dollars in the effort'...The Obama administration kicked the notion into high gear when it required states to adopt the common core'--or an equivalent'--in order to compete for Race to the Top grant funds.''
  Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post recently reported (February 26, 2013) that there is growing resistance. Alabama, for example, withdrew from the two consortia that are working on creating standardized tests aligned with the standards. Indiana, which adopted the Common Core in 2010 under the state education superintendent Tony Bennett, is now talking about a ''pause'' in the implementation of the curriculum. Bennett was defeated in the November elections by an educator who opposed Bennett's support for the Common Core.
  Now, there are concerns that the imposition of the Common Core within the public schools could threaten the autonomy of private schools, religious schools and home schools. An op-ed published in the Orange County Register by Robert Holland, claims that the Common Core could ''morph into a national curriculum that will stifle the family-centered creativity that has fostered high rates of achievement and growth for home education'...Many private and parochial schools'--including those of the 100 Roman Catholic dioceses across the nation, already are adopting the CCSS prescriptions for math and English classes'...Their debatable reasoning is that the rush of most state governments to embrace the national standards means publishers of textbooks and tests will fall in line, thereby leaving private schools with no practical alternatives for instructional materials. According to October 8, 2012 article in Education Week by Erik Robelin, it is not just Catholic schools that are adopting the Common Core, some Lutheran and other denominations of Christian schools are shifting to the common core, including Grand Rapids Christian in Michigan and the Christian Academy School System in Louisville, KY. According to Robelin, parochial school leaders claim that they must ''remain competitive'' with public schools and now feel pressured to adopt the Core. These are real concerns. As Diane Ravitch points out, ''Now that David Coleman, the primary architect of the Common Core standards has become president of the College Board, we can expect that SAT will be aligned to the standards. No one will escape their reach, whether they attend public or private school.''
  On February 14, 2013, Missouri legislator Kurt Bahr filed HB616 that prohibits the State Board of Education from implementing the Common Core for public schools developed by the Common Core Initiative or any other statewide education standards without the approval of the General Assembly. An increasing number of parents are voicing their concerns. For example, Tiffany Mouritsen, a Utah mother, blogged that the American Institutes for Research (AIR), the primary source for Common Core testing is a major concern for her: ''AIR markets its values which includes promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual agenda for teens, and publicizes its client list (including George Soros and Bill and Melinda Gates).'' In a column published in January, political commentator Michelle Malkin calls the Common Core a ''stealthy federal takeover of school curriculum and standards across the country.'' And, she maintains that the Common Core's ''dubious college and career read standards undermine local control of education, usurp state autonomy over curricular materials, and foist untested, mediocre and incoherent pedagogical theories on America's schoolchildren.
  The Gates Foundation: Buying ControlThe promise of federal funds to states in order to ''encourage'' them to adopt the Common Core is nothing new. Our government has been doing this both nationally and internationally for decades. In a 2008 book entitled Fatal Misconception, author Matthew Connelly writes that in the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson leveraged food aid for family planning during crop failures in India, thus creating an incentive for the sterilization program. India's Ministry of Health and Family Planning admitted that, ''The large number of sterilizations and IUD insertions during 1967-68 was due to drought conditions.'' Eventually, more sophisticated incentives such as bicycles and radios were used to encourage women to accept sterilization. Connelly writes that under Indira Gandhi in the mid-1970s sterilization became a condition not just for land allotments, but for irrigation water, electricity, ration cards, rickshaw licenses, medical care, pay raises and promotions. There were sterilization quotas'--especially for the Dalits (the untouchable caste) who were targeted for family planning.
  While the Gates Foundation has not been involved in anything this coercive, they have indeed been very much involved in giving aid to those countries willing to participate in family planning initiatives. For nearly two decades, the Gates Foundation has been generous in providing aid to more than 100 countries'--often coupled with family planning opportunities. Such aid is often framed as a way to foster economic growth. In an article in American Thinker, Andressen Blom and James Bell wrote that Melinda Gates made that connection explicit in a speech at a population gathering that ''government leaders are now beginning to understand that providing access to contraceptives is a cost effective way to foster economic growth.''
  Bill Gates revealed his own population goals in February, 2010, at the invitation-only Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference in Long Beach, California, when he gave his keynote speech on global warming: ''Innovating to Zero!'' In a youtube video available here, Gates stated that CO2 emissions must be reduced to zero by 2050 and advised those in attendance that population had much to do with the increase in CO2. Claiming that each individual on the planet puts out an average of about five tons of CO2 per year, Gates stated that ''Somehow we have to make changes that will bring that down to zero'...It has been constantly going up. It's only various economic changes that have even flattened it at all.'' To illustrate, Gates presented the following equation: CO2 (total population emitted CO2 per year) = P (people) x S (services per person) x E (average energy per service) x C (average CO2 emitted per unit of energy). Gates told the audience that ''probably one of these numbers is going to have to get pretty near to zero. That's a fact from high school algebra.'' For Gates, the P (population) portion of the equation is the most important: ''If we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by perhaps 10 or 15 percent.''
  Gates maintains that improvements in health care'--including an expansion of the administration of vaccinations'--will encourage families to reduce the number of children they desire to have. And, in an ongoing attempt to expand the types of birth control, Gates has spent millions of dollars on research and development. According to Christian Voice, a few years ago the Gates Foundation awarded a grant of $100,000 to researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, to develop a new type of ultrasound described as a ''non-invasive form of birth control for men'' which would make a man infertile for up to six months.
  Such strategies have been effective. In fact, the Gates Foundation has been so successful in their family planning initiatives that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) awarded their annual Population Award in 2010 to the Foundation. According to a June 15, 2010 article in Mercator.net, at the awards ceremony, UNFPA executive director Thoraya Obaid cited the Gates Foundation as a ''leader in the fields of global health and global development, particularly in promoting excellence in population assistance, including through the design of innovative, integrated solutions in the areas of reproductive health, family planning, and maternal and neonatal health.'' The International Planned Parenthood Federation is a previous winner of the United Nations Population Fund's Annual Award.
  It is easy to understand why the United Nations Population Fund'--a fund which Steven Mosher, the President of the Population Research Institute has exposed as being a direct participant in China's coercive one-child policy'--honored Gates with their prestigious Population Fund award since the Gates Foundation has donated more than one billion dollars to ''family-planning'' groups including the United Nations Population Fund itself; CARE International'--an organization which is lobbying for legalized abortion in several African nations; Save the Children'--a major promoter of the population control agenda, the World Health Organization'--an organization that forcibly sterilized thousands of women in the 1990s under the pretence of providing tetanus vaccination services in Nicaragua, Mexico and the Philippines; and of course, the major abortion provider, International Planned Parenthood Federation.
  Bill and Melinda Gates truly believe that population control is key to the future. Plans are already in place to track births and vaccinations through cell phone technology to register every birth on the planet. Gates claims that the GPS technology would enable officials to track and ''remind'' parents who do not bring their children in for vaccines. Maintaining that vaccination is key to reducing population growth, Gates predicts that if child mortality can be reduced, parents will have fewer children, following the example of the urbanized West where birth rates have dropped to below replacement levels: ''The fact is that within a decade of improving health outcomes, parents decide to have fewer children.'' For Gates, ''there is no such thing as a healthy, high population growth country. If you're healthy, you're low-population growth'... As the world grows from 6 billion to 9 billion, all of that population growth is in urban slums'...It's a very interesting problem.''
  More than a decade ago, on May 17, 2002, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had purchased shares in nine of the largest pharmaceutical companies valued at nearly $205 million. Acquiring shares in Merck, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson Wyeth, Abbott Labs, and others, the Gates Foundation continues a financial interest in common with the makers of AIDS drugs, diagnostic tools, vaccines, and contraceptives. But, the commitment to global population control goes well beyond financial interests. It is likely that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will continue its commitment to global population control, and now, curriculum creation in the nation's schools because they truly believe that they know better than anyone else how we all should live.
  A Product of Poor Catholic EducationIt is difficult to believe the claims of Bill and Melinda Gates that they are not involved in the abortion industry when you look at the relationships they have with organizations like the International Planned Parenthood Federation'--the largest abortion provider in the world. According to the National Catholic Register, Melinda Gates represents herself in the media as a practicing Catholic who has a great uncle who was a Jesuit priest and a great aunt who was an Ursuline nun who taught her to read. She graduated from Ursuline Academy in Dallas, where she claims to have learned ''incredible social justice.'' And, this may indeed be where the problem begins. For so many Catholics, social justice has been so broadly defined that it now includes giving women access to reproductive rights'--including the right to abortion'--so that they can play an equal role in contributing to the workplace and the economy. In an article entitled ''Why Birth Control is Still a Big Idea'' published in Foreign Policy in December, 2012, Melinda Gates writes:
  Contraceptives unlock one of the most dormant but potentially powerful assets in development: women as decision makers. When women have the power to make choices about their families, they tend to decide precisely what demographers, economists, and development experts recommend.
  Most recently, in a January 2, 2013 article published on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website entitled ''Profiles in Courage: Philippines Passes Reproductive Health Bill,'' the article congratulates all of those who helped bring expanded access to ''reproductive health'' through the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012'--recently signed by President Aquino. This bill states that women and men'--living in the most Catholic of Catholic countries'--can now ''decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.'' What the Gates Foundation website omits is information about the provision within the bill involving ''population management'' through mandatory counseling of couples seeking marriage licenses. In this case, social justice involves a demand that couples learn about the government's views on an ideal family size of two children'--coming one step closer to China in its government's one-child policy.
  This commitment to a distorted definition of social justice by Melinda and Bill Gates will likely continue because they have been lead to believe that such control is what is best for people. The Core Curriculum is really just another component of population control'--it is used to help teach children the ''facts'' about climate change and problems of over-population. Indeed, the population agenda is a trap that many wealthy, highly intelligent people have fallen into in the past. From the wealthy eugenics supporters of Planned Parenthood's Founder Margaret Sanger, to the Rockefeller family and their population control initiatives, this work continues today through their heirs'--heirs like David Rockefeller'--an ally of Bill and Melinda Gates. And some influential Catholics have been complicit in this. At one time, Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame served as a trustee, and later, Chairman of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation, a funder of population causes counter to the teachings of the Church.
  The population control initiatives promoted by the Gates Foundation will continue to grow nationally and internationally because they have convinced others and themselves that they are saving lives. On their website, they ask: ''what is more life affirming than saving one third of mothers from dying in childbirth?'' What they do not seem to acknowledge is how many unborn children have died from their initiatives.
  Tagged as: Bill Gates, Climate Change, Common Core, Obama Administration, population control, public education, UNFPA
James E. Casey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  James E. Casey (March 29, 1888 - June 6, 1983), American businessman, was born in Pick Handle Gulch near Candelaria, Nevada.
  In 1907, 19-year-old James (Jim) Casey founded the American Messenger Company in Seattle, Washington with $100 borrowed from a friend. He served as president, CEO and chairman. Claude Ryan was his partner and his messengers were his brother George and other teenagers. His motto was "best service and lowest rates". Deliveries were made on foot, bicycle, or motorcycle.[1]
  In 1913, Jim Casey agreed to merge with Evert McCabe's Motorcycle Messengers. Merchants Parcel Delivery was formed and focused now on packages. Their first delivery car was a 1913 Ford Model T.[1]
  In 1919, the company expanded beyond Seattle and changed its name to United Parcel Service (UPS).
  He consistently gave credit to his mother, Annie E. Casey, for holding their family together after Jim's father died. As a youngster delivering packages on the Seattle streets, Jim Casey was exposed to the excesses of a bustling city in the midst of the Klondike Gold Rush[citation needed]. He credited the guidance of a strong mother and support of his family with keeping him grounded.
  The successful businessman sought ways to help those who lacked the family life he found to be so crucial. With his brothers George and Harry and his sister Marguerite, Mr. Casey created Casey Family Programs in 1966 to help children who were unable to live with their birth parents'--giving them stability and an opportunity to grow to responsible adulthood.
  By the time of his death, Mr. Casey left three legacies: UPS, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs.
  Casey is a member of the U.S. Department of Labor Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2002.
  PersondataNameCasey, James E.Alternative namesShort descriptionDate of birthMarch 29, 1888Place of birthPick Handle Gulch, NevadaDate of deathJune 6, 1983Place of death
555 (number) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  555 is the natural number following 554 and preceding 556.
  Mathematical properties[edit]It is a sphenic number.
  In base 10, it is a repdigit, and because it is divisible by the sum of its digits, it is a Harshad number. It is also a Harshad number in binary, base 11, base 13 and hexadecimal.
  Electronics[edit]Other fields[edit]Five hundred [and] fifty five is:
  The years AD 555 and 555 BC.The telephone exchange for fictitious phone numbers in US movies and video games '-- see 555 (telephone number) and North American Numbering Plan.The number of keyboard sonatas written by Domenico Scarlatti, according to the catalog by Ralph Kirkpatrick.A musical piece by Frank Zappa (Five-Five-FIVE). It refers to the time signature of the composition (5/8 - 5/8 - 5/4).The Thai version of lol in a text conversation. "5" in Thai is pronounced "ha," so three of them would be "hahaha.""5" in Mandarin Chinese is pronounced "wu" so three together would be "wuwuwu", which sounds somewhat like sobbing.The approximate height of the Washington Monument in feet.Adolf Hitler's DAP registration number. He was actually the 55th member, as the founders began registering with 500 to make it appear as if there were many more people in the party ranks than there actually were.The Greek gematrical equivalent to the word Necronomicon, according to Simon.Kamen Rider 555, a JapanesetokusatsuTV series, where "555" is read as "Î...'s," "Phi's," or "Faiz."Cigarette brand, see State Express 5555:55 (pronounced in English "five fifty-five") is the second album by Frenchmusician and actressCharlotte Gainsbourg. "5:55" is also the first song on this album.Padova Rugby 555 ASD is an Italian non-professional rugby union teamSee also[edit]External links[edit]555-LIST list of fictional phone numbers[1] explanation of the song 'Heretic Anthem' by Slipknot which features 555 in the lyrics
VIDEO-'Clinton News Network': CNN Puffs Up Hillary's 2016 Prospects | MRCTV
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  CNN's Jessica Yellin ran a complete puff piece on Hillary Clinton's 2016 prospects on Monday. "They readily point to the ways she's grown since the days then-Senator Clinton became the runner up in 2008," Yellin said of "Clinton's friends and allies."
VIDEO- Bank Of America Tells Washington State "HELL YES! WE WANT YOUR SWEET SWEET WEED MONEY!" - YouTube
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VIDEO- Bill Clinton Joins Obama To Help Get You To Believe They "Feel Your Pain" - YouTube
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Common Core State Standards Initiative | Myths vs. Facts
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  Myths About Content and Quality: GeneralMyth: Adopting common standards will bring all states' standards down to the lowest common denominator, which means states with high standards, such as Massachusetts, will be taking a step backwards if they adopt the Standards.
  Fact: The Standards are designed to build upon the most advanced current thinking about preparing all students for success in college and their careers. This will result in moving even the best state standards to the next level. In fact, since this work began, there has been an explicit agreement that no state would lower its standards. The Standards were informed by the best in the country, the highest international standards, and evidence and expertise about educational outcomes. We need college and career ready standards because even in high'performing states '' students are graduating and passing all the required tests and still require remediation in their postsecondary work.
  Myth: The Standards are not internationally benchmarked.
  Fact: International benchmarking played a significant role in both sets of standards. In fact, the college and career ready standards include an appendix listing the evidence that was consulted in drafting the standards and the international data consulted in the benchmarking process is included in this appendix. More evidence from international sources will be presented together with the final draft.
  Myth: The Standards only include skills and do not address the importance of content knowledge.
  Fact: The Standards recognize that both content and skills are important.
  In English'language arts, the Standards require certain critical content for all students, including: classic myths and stories from around the world, America's Founding Documents, foundational American literature, and Shakespeare. Appropriately, the remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are left to state and local determination. In addition to content coverage, the Standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  In Mathematics, the Standards lay a solid foundation in whole numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, and decimals. Taken together, these elements support a student's ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures. The middle school and high school standards call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges; they prepare students to think and reason mathematically. The Standards set a rigorous definition of college and career readiness, not by piling topic upon topic, but by demanding that students develop a depth of understanding and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations, as college students and employees regularly do.
  Myth: The Standards suggest teaching ''Grapes of Wrath'' to second graders.
  Fact: The ELA Standards suggest ''Grapes of Wrath'' as a text that would be appropriate for 9th or 10th grade readers. Evidence shows that the complexity of texts students are reading today does not match what is demanded in college and the workplace, creating a gap between what high school students can do and what they need to be able to do. The Common Core State Standards create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more and more complex texts.
  Myth: The Standards are just vague descriptions of skills; they don't include a reading list or any other similar reference to content.
  Fact: The Standards do include sample texts that demonstrate the level of text complexity appropriate for the grade level and compatible with the learning demands set out in the Standards. The exemplars of high quality texts at each grade level provide a rich set of possibilities and have been very well received. This provides teachers with the flexibility to make their own decisions about what texts to use '' while providing an excellent reference point when selecting their texts.
  Myth: English teachers will be asked to teach science and social studies reading materials.
  Fact: With the Common Core ELA Standards, English teachers will still teach their students literature as well as literary non'fiction. However, because college and career readiness overwhelmingly focuses on complex texts outside of literature, these standards also ensure students are being prepared to read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science. These goals can be achieved by ensuring that teachers in other disciplines are also focusing on reading and writing to build knowledge within their subject areas.
  Myth: The Standards don't have enough emphasis on fiction/literature.
  Fact: The Standards require certain critical content for all students, including: classic myths and stories from around the world, America's Founding Documents, foundational American literature, and Shakespeare. Appropriately, the remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are left to state and local determination. In addition to content coverage, the Standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  Myths About Content and Quality: MathMyth: The Standards do not prepare or require students to learn Algebra in the 8th grade, as many states' current standards do.
  Fact: The Standards do accommodate and prepare students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade, by including the prerequisites for this course in grades K'7. Students who master the K'7 material will be able to take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. At the same time, grade 8 standards are also included; these include rigorous algebra and will transition students effectively into a full Algebra 1 course.
  Myth: Key math topics are missing or appear in the wrong grade.
  Fact: The mathematical progressions presented in the common core are coherent and based on evidence.
  Part of the problem with having 50 different sets of state standards is that today, different states cover different topics at different grade levels. Coming to consensus guarantees that from the viewpoint of any given state, topics will move up or down in the grade level sequence. This is unavoidable. What is important to keep in mind is that the progression in the Common Core State Standards is mathematically coherent and leads to college and career readiness at an internationally competitive level.
  Myths About Content and Quality: English-language artsMyth: The standards suggest teaching Grapes of Wrath to 2nd graders.
  Fact: The ELA Standards suggest Grapes of Wrath as a text that would be appropriate for 9th or 10th grade readers. Evidence shows that the complexity of texts students are reading today does not match what is demanded in college and the workplace, creating a gap between what high school students can do and what they need to be able to do. The Common Core State Standards create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more and more complex texts.
  Myth: The standards are just vague descriptions of skills; they don't include a reading list or any other similar reference to content.
  Fact: The standards do include sample texts that demonstrate the level of text complexity appropriate for the grade level and compatible with the learning demands set out in the standards. The exemplars of high quality texts at each grade level provide a rich set of possibilities and have been very well received. This provides teachers with the flexibility to make their own decisions about what texts to use - while providing an excellent reference point when selecting their texts.
  Myth: English teachers will be asked to teach science and social studies reading materials.
  Fact: With the Common Core ELA Standards, English teachers will still teach their students literature as well as literary non-fiction. However, because college and career readiness overwhelmingly focuses on complex texts outside of literature, these standards also ensure students are being prepared to read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science. These goals can be achieved by ensuring that teachers in other disciplines are also focusing on reading and writing to build knowledge within their subject areas.
  Myth: The standards don't have enough emphasis on fiction/literature.
  Fact: The standards require certain critical content for all students, including: classic myths and stories from around the world, America's Founding Documents, foundational American literature, and Shakespeare. Appropriately, the remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are left to state and local determination. In addition to content coverage, the standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  Myths About ProcessMyth: No teachers were involved in writing the Standards.
  Fact: The common core state standards drafting process relied on teachers and standards experts from across the country. In addition, there were many state experts that came together to create the most thoughtful and transparent process of standard setting. This was only made possible by many states working together.
  Myth: The Standards are not research or evidence based.
  Fact: The Standards have made careful use of a large and growing body of evidence. The evidence base includes scholarly research; surveys on what skills are required of students entering college and workforce training programs; assessment data identifying college'and career'ready performance; and comparisons to standards from high'performing states and nations.
  In English language arts, the Standards build on the firm foundation of the NAEP frameworks in Reading and Writing, which draw on extensive scholarly research and evidence.
  In Mathematics, the Standards draw on conclusions from TIMSS and other studies of high'performing countries that the traditional US mathematics curriculum must become substantially more coherent and focused in order to improve student achievement, addressing the problem of a curriculum that is ''a mile wide and an inch deep.''
  Myths About ImplementationMyth: The Standards tell teachers what to teach.
  Fact: The best understanding of what works in the classroom comes from the teachers who are in them. That's why these standards will establish what students need to learn, but they will not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the standards.
  Myth: The Standards will be implemented through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) - signifying that the federal government will be leading them.
  Fact: The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state'led effort that is not part of No Child Left Behind and adoption of the Standards is in no way mandatory. States began the work to create clear, consistent standards before the Recovery Act or the Elementary and Secondary Education Act blueprint was released because this work is being driven by the needs of the states, not the federal government.
  The NGA Center and CCSSO are offering support by developing a State Policymaker Guide to Implementation, facilitating opportunities for collaboration among organizations working on implementation, planning the future governance structure of the standards, and convening the publishing community to ensure that high quality materials aligned with the standards are created.
  Myth: These Standards amount to a national curriculum for our schools.
  Fact: The Standards are not a curriculum. They are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for what knowledge and skills will help our students succeed. Local teachers, principals, superintendents and others will decide how the standards are to be met. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.
  Myth: The federal government will take over ownership of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
  Fact: The federal government will not govern the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The Initiative was and will remain a state-led effort. NGA and CCSSO are committed to developing a long-term governance structure with leadership from governors, chief state school officers, and other state policymakers.
Creepy VIDEO- COmmon Core inBloom Vision - YouTube
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Common Core State Standards Initiative | Frequently Asked Questions
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  What are educational standards?Educational standards help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful by providing clear goals for student learning.
  What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative?The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily adopt. The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or enter the workforce. The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language and mathematics in school.
  Who leads the Common Core State Standards Initiative?The nation's governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative. Teachers, parents, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders provided input into the development of the standards.
  Why is the Common Core State Standards Initiative important?High standards that are consistent across states provide teachers, parents, and students with a set of clear expectations that are aligned to the expectations in college and careers. The standards promote equity by ensuring all students, no matter where they live, are well prepared with the skills and knowledge necessary to collaborate and compete with their peers in the United States and abroad.. Unlike previous state standards, which were unique to every state in the country, the Common Core State Standards enable collaboration between states on a range of tools and policies, including:
  the development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials aligned to the standards;and the development and implementation of common comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance annually that will replace existing state testing systems; andchanges needed to help support educators and schools in teaching to the new standards.Who was involved in the Common Core State Standards Initiative?States across the country collaborated with teachers, researchers, and leading experts to design and develop the Common Core State Standards. Each state independently made the decision to adopt the Common Core State Standards, beginning in 2010. The federal government was NOT involved in the development of the standards. Local teachers, principals, and superintendents lead the implementation of the Common Core.
  What guidance do the Common Core State Standards provide to teachers?The Common Core State Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level to ultimately be prepared to graduate college and career ready. The standards establish what students need to learn, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.
  How do the Common Core State Standards compare to previous state standards?The Common Core State Standards were written by building on the best and highest state standards in existence in the U.S., examining the expectations of other high performing countries around the world, and careful study of the research and literature available on what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in college and careers. No state in the country was asked to lower their expectations for their students in adopting the Common Core. The standards are evidence-based, aligned with college and work expectations, include rigorous content and skills, and are informed by other top performing countries. They were developed in consultation with teachers and parents from across the country so they are also realistic and practical for the classroom.
  Will there be tests based on the Common Core State Standards?Yes. States that adopted the Common Core State Standards are currently collaborating to develop common assessments that will be aligned to the standards and replace existing end of year state assessments. These assessments will be available in the 2014-2015 school year.
  What is the appropriate way to cite the Common Core State Standards?Authors: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School OfficersTitle: Common Core State Standards (insert specific content area if you are using only one)Publisher: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C.Copyright Date: 2010
  What makes this process different from other efforts to create common standards?This process is state-led, and has support from across the country, including CCSSO, the NGA Center, Achieve, Inc, ACT, the College Board, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Hunt Institute, the National Parent Teacher Association, the State Higher Education Executive Officers, the American Association of School Administrators, and the Business Roundtable.
  By what criteria were the standards developed?The Standards made careful use of a large and growing body of evidence, including:
  Scholarly research;Surveys on what skills are required of students entering college and workforce training programs;Assessment data identifying college- and career-ready performance;Comparisons to standards from high-performing states and nations;National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) frameworks in reading and writing for English language arts; andFindings from Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and other studies concluding that the traditional US mathematics curriculum must become substantially more coherent and focused in order to improve student achievement.In particular, the following criteria guided the development of the standards:Alignment with expectations for college and career success;Clarity;Consistency across all states;Inclusion of content and the application of knowledge through high-order skills;Improvement upon current state standards and standards of top-performing nations;Reality-based, for effective use in the classroom; andEvidence and research-basedAre the standards internationally benchmarked?Yes. International benchmarking played a significant role in both sets of standards. In fact, the college and career ready standards include an appendix listing the evidence that was consulted in drafting the standards and the international data used in the benchmarking process is included in this appendix.
  Were teachers involved in the creation of the standards?Yes. Teachers have been a critical voice in the development of the standards. The Common Core State Standards drafting process relied on teachers and standards experts from across the country. The National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations were instrumental in bringing together teachers to provide specific, constructive feedback on the standards.
  What grade levels are included in the Common Core State Standards?The English language arts and math standards are for grades K-12. Research from the early childhood and higher education communities also informed the development of the standards.
  What does this work mean for students with disabilities and English language learners?The Common Core State Standards give states the opportunity to share experiences and best practices, which can lead to an improved ability to serve young people with disabilities and English language learners. Additionally, the standards include information on application of the standards for these groups of students.
  Why are the Common Core State Standards for just English language arts and math?English language arts and math were the subjects chosen for the Common Core State Standards because they are areas upon which students build skill sets which are used in other subjects. They are also the subjects most frequently assessed for accountability purposes.
  Are there plans to develop common standards in other areas in the future?CCSSO and NGA are not leading the development of standards in other academic content areas. Below is information on efforts of other organizations to develop standards in other academic subjects.
  Science: In a process managed by Achieve, with the help of the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, states are developing the Next Generation Science Standards. More information about this effort can be found here.World Languages: The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages published an alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the ELA Common Core State Standards. More information about this effort can be found here.Arts: The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is leading the revision of the National Standards for Arts Education. More information about this effort can be found here.What do the Common Core State Standards mean for students?The standards provide clarity and consistency in what is expected of student learning across the country. This initiative helps provide all students with an equal opportunity for an education, regardless of where they live. The Common Core State Standards will not prevent different levels of achievement among students, but they will ensure more consistent exposure to materials and learning experiences through curriculum, instruction, and teacher preparation among other supports for student learning.
  How does the Common Core State Standards impact teachers?The Common CSS impacts teachers by:
  Providing goals and benchmarks to ensure students are achieving certain skills and knowledge by the end of each year;Helping colleges and professional development programs better prepare teachers;Providing the opportunity for teachers to be involved in the development of assessments linked to these top-quality standards;Allowing states to develop and provide better assessments that more accurately measure whether or not students have learned what was taught; andGuiding educators toward curricula and teaching strategies that will give students a deep understanding of the subject and the skills they need to apply their knowledge.Who will manage the Common Core State Standards Initiative in the future?The Common Core State Standards Initiative was and will remain a state-led effort. In addition to supporting effective implementation of the Common Core State Standards, NGA and CCSSO are committed to developing a long-term sustainability structure with leadership from governors, chief state school officers, and other state policymakers. There will be an ongoing state-led development process that can support continuous improvement of the standards.
  Will common assessments be developed?Two consortia of states are developing common assessments '' the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). These state-led consortia on assessment are grounded in the following principles:
  Allow for comparison across students, schools, districts, states and nations;Create economies of scale;Provide information and support more effective teaching and learning; andPrepare students for college and careers.Will CCSSO and NGA be creating common instructional materials and curricula?States that have adopted the standards may choose to work together to develop instructional materials and curricula. As states join together to adopt the same Common Core State Standards, publishers of instructional materials and experienced educators will develop new resources around these shared standards.
  Does the federal government play a role in standards implementation?The federal government had no role in the development of the Common Core State Standards and will not have a role in their implementation. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that is not part of No Child Left Behind and adoption of the standards is in no way mandatory.
  Are there data collection requirements associated with the Common Core State Standards?There are no data collection requirements of states adopting the CCSS. Standards define expectations for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade. Implementing the CCSS does not require data collection. The means of assessing students and the data that results from those assessments are up to the discretion of each state and are separate and unique from the CCSS.
  Do these standards incorporate both content and skills?Yes.
  In English language arts, the Common Core State Standards require certain critical content for all students, including:
  Classic myths and stories from around the world;America's Founding Documents;Foundational American literature: andShakespeare.The remaining crucial decisions about what content should be taught are left to state and local determination. In addition to content coverage, the Common Core State Standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  In Mathematics, the Common Core State Standards lay a solid foundation in:
  whole numbers;addition;subtraction;multiplication;division:fractions; anddecimals.Taken together, these elements support a student's ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures. The middle school and high school standards call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to real world issues and challenges; they prepare students to think and reason mathematically.
  How complex are the texts suggested by the English language arts standards?The Common Core State Standards create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more and more complex texts. For example, the English language arts standards suggest ''Grapes of Wrath'' as a text that would be appropriate for 9th or 10th grade readers. For more information, please see Appendix A and the Supplement to Appendix A.
  Do the English language arts standards include a reading list or any other reference to content?The Common Core State Standards include sample texts that demonstrate the level of text complexity appropriate for the grade level and compatible with the learning demands set out in the standards. The exemplars of high quality texts at each grade level provide a rich set of possibilities and have been very well received. This ensures teachers have the flexibility to make their own decisions about what texts to use, while providing an excellent reference point when selecting their texts.
  What type of texts are recommended for the English language arts standards?The Common Core State Standards require certain critical content for all students. In addition to content coverage, the standards require that students systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. English teachers will still teach their students literature as well as literary non-fiction. However, because college and career readiness overwhelming focuses on complex texts outside of literature, these standards also ensure students are being prepared to read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science.
  Do the math standards cover all the key math topics in the proper sequence?The mathematical progressions presented in the Common Core State Standards are coherent and based on evidence. Part of the problem with having 50 different sets of state standards is that different states cover different topics at different grade levels. Coming to consensus guarantees that from the viewpoint of any given state, topics will move up or down in the grade level sequence. This is unavoidable. What is important to keep in mind is that the progression in the Common Core State Standards is mathematically coherent and leads to college and career readiness at an internationally competitive level.
LEARN THE OS-Panic button-equipped Amazon Kindles join gadget battle | Reuters
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:36
  By Bill Rigby
  SEATTLE | Wed Sep 25, 2013 8:10pm EDT
  SEATTLE (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has begun selling faster and lighter versions of its Kindle tablet with a unique video helpdesk feature aimed at giving it a leg-up over Apple Inc and Google Inc during the holiday season.
  Kindle Fire HDX tablets feature a so-called Mayday Button for users to call technical support around the clock. A representative, who can see the screen, will help troubleshoot by even navigating the device remotely.
  The service, free for HDX customers, is Amazon's way of standing out in an increasingly crowded field of similar devices.
  Amazon is the world's largest online retailer and has a growing library of digital content. Consumers pay far less for Kindles than Apple's iPad and Android tablets from Samsung Electronics. But those gadgets have far more applications, which many industry experts consider the most vital factor behind purchase decisions.
  Amazon is targeting a maximum 15-second response time for Mayday but would not say exactly how many support staff were behind the service.
  Amazon is training reps by the thousands and will hire more if needed, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said. "We'll be ready for Christmas morning, which is always a very big tech support day for us."
  It is unclear how the up-close-and-personal support feature will affect the underlying cost of supporting the Kindle. Amazon already runs one of the Internet retail industry's largest customer service centers, handling everything from shipping inquiries to purchasing and payments assistance.
  Even if the new feature does end up incurring extra costs, Amazon is banking that customers will ultimately use Kindles more to purchase higher profit-margin products and services.
  "We actually think it's going to make us more efficient," Bezos said, noting that letting support personnel see users' screens will make many issues easier to solve.
  Amazon sells Kindle devices at close to cost and then profits off the sale of digital content such as video and music, or physical goods like books from its website. That strategy has helped to quickly establish the Kindle as a top-selling tablet, behind Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy range.
  Since Amazon took the plunge into the then-nascent tablet market with the Kindle Fire in 2011, the devices have proven to be effective vending machines for purchases.
  "The third-generation of Kindle tablets mark another meaningful step forward, and increasingly differentiate Kindle Fire from the increasingly crowded tablet market," Robert W Baird analyst Colin Sebastian said on Wednesday.
  "However, our biggest push-back on Kindle is the lack of a compelling app store or library of apps, compared to what is available from Apple or Google," said Sebastian.
  Apple users have about 375,000 dedicated tablet apps to choose from, far more than those for Android and Kindle tablet users.
  BY THE NUMBERS
  The latest Kindles, which run the newest version of Amazon's own Google Android-based operating software codenamed Mojito, will go up against steep competition this coming holidays. Samsung began selling its Note 3 "phablet" - a cross between a tablet and a phone - on Wednesday.
  On the smartphone front, the iPhone 5S and 5C have racked up record sales and will be strong contenders for consumers' wallets.
  Apple is expected to take the wraps off its own beefed-up iPads in coming months, hoping to sustain its dominance of a tablet market it helped create with the first device in 2010.
  Amazon shares closed down 0.5 percent at $312.65 on Nasdaq.
  The new tablets, one with a 7-inch (18cm) screen and one with an 8.9-inch screen, are lighter and more powerful than the last Kindle HD line and appear to be aimed at Apple's iPad. Amazon's new HDX tablets come in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage sizes.
  The smaller Kindle Fire HDX tablet starts at $229 and the bigger tablet starts at $379, both for 16GB wifi-only models. By comparison, Apple's 16GB wifi iPad mini starts at $329, and its 16GB full-sized wifi iPad starts at $499.
  Amazon is taking pre-orders immediately for wifi-only models, with shipping scheduled for October for the 7-inch tablet and November for the 8.9-inch tablet. Wireless 4G versions of both will also be available, for $100 extra, later this year.
  In addition, Amazon is selling an updated version of its Kindle Fire HD for $139, down from $199 for the last generation.
  The company is also modifying some of the Kindle's software capabilities to try to appeal to a broader range of customers.
  To promote profitable cross-selling, Amazon has extended its popular 'X-Ray' feature, which allows users to buy music featured in TV shows and films at the touch of a button.
  It is also allowing subscribers to download videos to watch while offline, appealing to travelers and pure wifi users.
  "It's the software and services that will keep users happy. The Mayday customer service feature is unique to Amazon, and will be a huge help to mainstream users of the device. Your mom won't have to call you for tech support anymore," said Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps.
  "And, it must be said, Amazon is unassailable when it comes to price," said Epps.
  (Editing by Matt Driskill, Edwin Chan, Tim Dobbyn and Richard Chang)
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Russophobic-Russian Delegation Walks Out During Saakashvili Speech in UN | Politics | RIA Novosti
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  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:34
  UNITED NATIONS, September 26 (RIA Novosti) '' The Russian delegation walked out Wednesday during outgoing Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's speech at the UN General Assembly, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
  ''As a token of disagreement with the assessments voiced by Mr. Saakashvili from the General Assembly rostrum, Russian representatives walked out of the hall,'' spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
  The delegation left the hall when the Georgian leader was criticizing the Russian authorities and their policy in former Soviet republics.
  Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, blasted Saakashvili's speech saying it was ''Russophobic.''
  Russia and Georgia severed diplomatic ties in 2008 after Moscow recognized the de-facto independent Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states following a five-day military conflict over South Ossetia in August that year.
  Moscow provides the breakaway republics with economic and military support. Their independence has been recognized by a handful of other countries as well. Most countries do not recognize South Ossetia or Abkhazia as independent states, but view them as part of Georgia.
  Georgia's new government, elected in the October 1, 2012 polls, said normalizing ties with Russia was among its top priorities. However, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said in July Moscow and Tbilisi are unlikely to restore their ties by the time Russia holds the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
President Obama Signs North Carolina Disaster Declaration
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:04
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  September 25, 2013
  The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of North Carolina and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides during the period of July 3-13, 2013.
  Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Watauga, and Yancey and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
  Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and Tribes within the State.
  W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Michael Bolch as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.
  FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
Death toll rises to 330 in Balochistan quake
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  Source: 33 World News
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:03
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Mike Sonko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:48
  Mbuvi Gidion Kioko Mike Sonko[1] commonly known as Mike Sonko or simply Sonko (Sheng for "rich person"),[2] is the immediate former Member of Parliament for Makadara Constituency, Kenya. He was elected on September 20, 2010 in a by-election.[3] He was recently kicked out of parliament for wearing earrings and sun glasses. Despite this he holds a record of being a man of the people and a man of tangible developments.
  Mbuvi became the First Senator of Nairobi after it was announced that, with 808,705 votes, beat his closest competitor, Margaret Wanjiru of the Orange Democratic Movement, who had garnered 525,822 votes, in the Nairobi senatorial election of 2013.[citation needed]
  Sonko is known to be generous to the Kenya's majority poor sponsoring underprivileged children.This has made him popular among kenya's electorate.However many questions have risen concerning his lavish spending. He is also known for his unorthodox mode of dressing affiliated with the hip hop community.
  Mbuvi Gidion Kioko Mike Sonko [1] commonly known as Mike Sonko or simply Sonko (Sheng for "rich person"),[2] is the former Member of Parliament for Makadara Constituency, Kenya. He was elected on September 20, 2010 in a by-election.[3] He was recently kicked out of parliament for wearing earrings and sun glasses. Despite this he holds a record of being a man of the people with many philanthropic activities to his name and a man of tangible developments.
  In Kenya's bicameral house provided for in the new constitution, Mbuvi was elected the First Senator of Nairobi on a TNA ticket after it was announced that, with 808,705 votes, beat his closest competitor, Margaret Wanjiru of the Orange Democratic Movement, who had garnered 525,822 votes, in the Nairobi senatorial election of 2013. Mbuvi has come to be regarded as an icon of the youth empowerment in Kenya.
  PersondataNameKioko, Gideon MbuviAlternative namesMike Sonko, Mike Munga MbuviShort descriptionKenyan politicianDate of birthFebruary 27, 1977Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
Major quake kills 33, topples scores of homes in Balochistan
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  Source: 33 World News
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:37
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2-OBAMAS-Samuel L. Jackson Tells President Obama: "Be F**king Presidential" | Gossip Cop
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:36
  Truth rating: 10
  Barack ObamaSamuel L. Jackson
  12:14 pm, September 24th, 2013
  (Getty Images)
  Samuel L. Jackson criticizes President Obama in the October issue of Playboy, telling the leader to ''stop trying to 'relate''' to the public and ''be f**king presidential.''
  Samuel L. Jackson's Funny or Die Spoof '' WATCH VIDEO HERE!
  After ranting about the importance of good grammar, the interviewer asks the star what he thinks about ''President Obama or other highly educated Americans consciously drop[ping] gs off the ends of words to sound like Joe Average.''
  Jackson replies, ''First of all, we know it ain't because of his blackness, so I say stop trying to 'relate.' Be a leader. Be f**king presidential.''
  The actor continues, ''Look, I grew up in a society where I could say 'It ain't' or 'What it be' to my friends. But when I'm out presenting myself to the world as me, who graduated from college, who had family who cared about me, who has a well-read background, I f**king conjugate.''
  What do you think about Jackson's advice for Obama?
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Kerry to sign UN treaty regulating arms trade
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  Archived Version
  Source: AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:28
  US Secretary of State John Kerry will sign the UN Arms Trade Treaty regulating the $70bn international conventional arms business, in a move that puts the Obama administration at odds with the powerful American gun lobby.
  A senior State Department official said President Barack Obama's administration would notify the US Senate of the decision on Tuesday and Kerry would sign the treaty on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly in New York.
  The arms treaty, which requires ratification by the Senate and has been attacked by America's pro-gun National Rifle Association, would help Western countries press to curtail Russian arms sales to Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad's government has been accused of widespread abuses in more than two years of civil war.
  Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty called Kerry's decision "a milestone towards ending the flow of conventional arms that fuel atrocities and abuse".
  The US and 86 other signatory nations "must implement the treaty and bring to an end the supply of weapons to countries where they would be used to commit or facilitate genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious human rights violations", Shetty said in a statement.
  NRA opposed
  The UN General Assembly adopted the treaty on April 2 by a vote of 154 for, including the US, three against, and 23 abstentions. The no votes were cast by Iran, North Korea and Syria, UN records showed.
  Russia, Syria's main arms supplier, and China abstained in the April UN vote and have not signed the pact.
  The NRA, which has opposed the treaty from the start, called the April vote a sad day for the US, the world's top arms exporter, arguing that it undermines American sovereignty and disregards the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to bear arms.
  The senior State Department official rejected the NRA's characterisation of the treaty, saying the pact's target is "illicit trade in conventional weapons that benefits terrorists and rogue agents".
  330
VIDEO- President Obama Addresses the United Nations General Assembly - YouTube
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:18
FACT SHEET: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Response to the Syrian Crisis
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 01:04
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  September 24, 2013
  President Obama announced today the United States will provide $339 million in additional U.S. humanitarian aid to support those affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria. This new announcement brings the total U.S. funding for humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people to nearly $1.4 billion since the crisis began. The United States is providing food, clean water, shelter, medical care, and relief supplies to over 4.2 million people inside Syria, as well as to the more than two million refugees across the region. The United States remains the single-largest contributor of humanitarian aid for the Syrian people.
  Civilians in Syria are paying the heaviest price for the struggle to end the rule of the Assad regime. The U.S. government is working through all possible channels, including United Nations agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, and local Syrian organizations to reach the millions in desperate need of aid inside Syria and throughout the region.
  Today's announcement will also bolster the enormous hospitality of the citizens and governments of the region providing protection and assistance to the children, women and men displaced by the violence. The United States recognizes the heavy economic and social strains that hosting this vulnerable population places on local communities and national governments. We urge all governments to increase their contributions to the international humanitarian effort for survivors of Syrian violence and urge governments to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence.
  Today's announcement will support the activities of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), both within Syria and for the regional refugee response in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt.
  INSIDE SYRIA: Nearly $161 million
  This increased aid will provide life-saving medical care and supplies, funding for shelter construction, and critical support for water, sanitation and hygiene projects to help those affected by the crisis in Syria. In addition, our new assistance will provide counseling and additional protection programs to help the most vulnerable, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.
  Of the 6.8 million people in need of assistance inside Syria, around 420,000 are Palestinian refugees. Support for UNRWA inside Syria is helping deliver emergency relief, health, and education services to this displaced population.
  This new funding will also support the WFP operation working to provide food assistance to 3 million Syrians across all 14 governorates. This additional support will provide WFP with nearly 122 metric tons of Nutributter, a highly-fortified nutritional supplement formulated to help prevent malnutrition in children. Through NGOs able to reach parts of Syria that WFP cannot, U.S. assistance will provide additional household rations for food insecure families and flour to bakeries that make daily bread for the community.
  LEBANON: More than $74 million
  This new assistance will help support the needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and their host communities with shelter improvements for families hosting refugees and quick impact projects to improve local services in affected areas, as well as vocational training and educational classes to benefit Syrians and Lebanese in need. U.S. support to WFP provides Syrian refugees in Lebanon with food vouchers that are redeemable in local shops and allow refugee families to tailor food purchases to their needs. In addition, U.S. funding supports women and children's health with the distribution of hygiene and baby kits to thousands of highly vulnerable refugees and host community members. U.S funding will ensure that efforts to provide playgrounds and other safe spaces for more than 325,000 refugee children in Lebanon will continue.
  The number of refugees now living in Lebanon includes more than 45,000 Palestinians from Syria. Like all arrivals from Syria, Palestinians face difficult circumstances in Lebanon, where living and social conditions are extremely challenging and needs exceed the available assistance. Additional U.S. support to UNRWA in Lebanon provides needed aid, including cash, relief supplies, education, and medical care, to Palestinians in camps and cities, as well as to the communities where they live.
  JORDAN: More than $48 million
  Our additional support to Syrians in Jordan provides life-saving assistance including high-quality blankets, heating stoves, and fuel vouchers. As winter sets in, this new U.S support will assist vulnerable households with winterization materials and shelter rehabilitation kits. For Syrians living in camps, the increased funding provides access to clean water and fresh bread and other food assistance, and ensures that camp infrastructure projects continue. The new funding will continue to support food vouchers for refugees living outside of camps.
  Approximately 75% of Syrian refugees in Jordan live on the local economy. Today's announcement ensures water and sanitation projects, mobile clinics, and immunization campaigns benefiting Jordanian communities continue.
  IRAQ: More than $24 million
  Increased U.S. humanitarian aid supports the work of UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, and IOM, and other international organizations, in responding to new needs after the influx of more than 63,000 Syrian refugees into northern Iraq since August 15. It also continues to ensure that refugees residing in Iraq prior to August have access to services and that their needs are met. In addition to registration, shelter, education, and healthcare activities, the additional support will help provide newly-arrived refugees with basic life-saving items such as blankets, sleeping mats, and plastic sheeting.
  The new funding will allow WFP to provide additional food aid to Syrian refugees through food vouchers and, where necessary, in-kind food assistance. U.S. assistance also ensures that new camp construction efforts continue, while providing for 150 quick impact projects to expand aid and services. It will also work to mitigate to gender-based violence (GBV) and provide assistance to survivors of GBV.
  TURKEY: More than $25 million
  The new U.S. government funding assists in addressing the humanitarian and protection needs of Syrian refugees in Turkish camps and cities. For example, WFP provides refugees with electronic food vouchers that allow families living in camps to purchase nutritious food items to meet their daily needs, while UNHCR is providing tents, blankets, mobile registration centers, and kitchen sets and other equipment to permit refugees to prepare their own food. Funding for UNICEF and other aid partners will provide Syrian children and youth access to safe education and recreation spaces and provide educators with training and educational resources. Other assistance will help provide support to vulnerable and trauma-affected urban refugees.
  EGYPT: Nearly $6 million
  The increased funding helps provide cash and housing assistance to Syrian refugees and promote self-sustainment through entrepreneurship, vocational and technical skills training. To help address the educational needs of Syrian children in Egypt, the additional assistance provides support for school enrollment and promotes lifelong learning through adult literacy classes. This new funding also provides additional support for food vouchers for food insecure refugee families.
  For more detailed information on the U.S. government's response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria.
VIDEO-Jake Wood: A new mission for veterans -- disaster relief | Video on TED.com
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  Archived Version
  Thu, 26 Sep 2013 00:45
  After months or years fighting overseas, 92 percent of American veterans say they want to continue their service; meanwhile, one after another, natural disasters continue to wreak havoc worldwide. What do these two challenges have in common? Team Rubicon co-founder Jake Wood gives a moving talk on how veterans can effectively contribute to disaster relief responses -- and in the process, regain purpose, community and self-worth.
  Jake Wood is a co-founder and the president of Team Rubicon, a disaster relief nonprofit known for its extraordinary efforts during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Full bio >>
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Harvard Law Graduate Claims American Security Team Rescued Her From Kenyan Mall | Video | TheBlaze.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 23:52
  An armed American security team rescued trapped Americans from inside the besieged Kenyan mall, according to a Harvard law graduate working at the World Bank.
  ''This American security forces guy came back and said if you guys want to get out, we understand it's dangerous, but this is probably your best shot,'' Bendita Malakia, 30, told NBC News.
  Scroll down for video
  Bendita Malakia. (Credit: NBC News)
  The North Carolina native said she was meeting a colleague for lunch at the mall when terrorists stormed through, forcing her and 15 others to hide in a store. According to Malakia, the group was approached by a security team that said they were sent to find her.
  A spokesperson for the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TheBlaze. However, NBC News reported that the Pentagon, State Department and World Bank denied having any security teams on the ground.
  ''It's not at all clear who rescued her and exactly how it went down,'' said NBC's Tom Costello.
  Multiple attempts made by TheBlaze to contact Malakia were unsuccessful.
  (H/T: Mail Online)
  Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter
  ''
Standard Digital News - Kenya : China becomes Kenya's largest bilateral lender
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:59
  By STANDARD REPORTER
  When the government receives the Sh425 billion promised by China, the Asian tiger will topple Japan as Kenya's largest bilateral lender.
  The International Development Association (IDA), an arm of the World Bank that funds the world's poorest countries, is currently Kenya's largest multilateral lender at Sh321.9 billion ($3.7 billion). This represents 38.2 per cent of total external debt.
  The Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and IMF follow with loans of Sh75.3 billion and Sh67.4 billion, respectively, as at December 2012.
  Data from the National Treasury shows the debt owed to Japan amounted to Sh87.5 billion ($1.0 billion) at the end of May, compared to Sh61.3 billion owed to China. Last week's deal will push China's credit higher.
  Other financiers are France and Germany, with credit of Sh45.6 billion and Sh25.5 billion, respectively.
  The government has adopted a strategy of restricting public debt to concessional loans. However, a review of the current public debt shows it has in recent times financed its deficit with an increasing proportion of domestic debt.
  Kenya's public debt hit 51.7 per cent of national output in the year to June, up from 44.5 per cent the previous year, raising questions on the likely yield required for future external borrowing.
  Total public debt rose 16 per cent to Sh1.89 trillion in the last fiscal year to June.
  ''This presents the risk that the country may find it difficult to service the debt in future under modest economic growth rates and underperformance of revenue. The current debt level of about 50 per cent of GDP is unsustainable going forward,'' noted a Parliamentary Budget Office report released recently.
  Treasury has in the past said it aims to reduce its ratio of debt to gross domestic product from around 45 per cent in the medium term.
  However, Kenya is likely to hit Sh2 trillion in debt this financial year as the state has to plug a deficit of Sh329 billion, or 7.9 per cent of GDP, from both foreign and domestic sources. The government plans to spend Sh1.6 trillion.
  Treasury plans to finance the deficit through foreign financing and borrowing from the domestic market.
Standard Digital News - Kenya : Government secures Sh57b loan for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upgrade
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:52
  By JAMES ANYANZWA and REUTERS
  Kenya's airport authority has received full funding offers worth Sh57 billion ($653 million) from three banks to build a new terminal and second runway at its main airport that was recently hit by a massive fire.
  Transport Secretary Michael Kamau said plans to expand the ageing airport, a regional gateway for passengers and cargo, are not new but the authorities have come under pressure to speed up the expansion after the blaze destroyed the arrivals terminal.
  The new terminal and runway will provide a further capacity of 40 million passengers, Kamau said. The latest drive is seen by government as necessary to cope with the anticipated boost to the economy and the expected exploitation of oil reserves.
  Speaking on the sidelines of a conference on the country's economy in Nairobi, Kamau declined to say which banks had offered funds to the Kenya Airports Authority, one of the country's strategic parastatal.
  He did, however, say the lenders would not require a government guarantee, suggesting the lenders are confident they can recoup their money on the project expected to get under way this year.
  The old arrival hall remains a charred shell and the airports authority is relying on a makeshift terminal made out of giant tents to handle arriving passengers.
  Even before the fire, Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, built in the 1970s to handle 2.5 million passengers annually, was struggling to handle more than six millionpeople a year as its regional importance grew.
  ''The discovery of oil is a game changer in this country. I don't think people are sufficiently prepared for what is coming,'' Kamau said.
  National carrier, KenyaAirways, has been blaming lack of capacity for delays to expand operations. The carrier, which is partly owned by AirFrance KLM, plans to more than double its fleet to more than 80 planes in five years.
  Fund use
  Eng Kamau said slowed expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is restraining growth of the national carrier '-- Kenya Airways.
  He said the airport's annual passenger capacity has increased from 2.5 million in 1978 to eight million currently. ''We are holding KQ by the neck because they want to bring in new aircrafts,'' he said, adding that,'' we are restraining the airline's growth.'' KQ's has crafted an ambitious 10-year growth and expansion programme, which is scheduled for completion in 2021.
  The airline will also increase its destinations from 55 to 115, with increased focus on China, India, and African markets.
  Like most other sub-Saharan Africa nations, Kenya suffers a massive infrastructure deficit, holding back its economic growth potential.
Kenya praises Chinese contractor for remodeling gutted airport - Xinhua | English.news.cn
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:43
  NAIROBI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday praised the Chinese contractor who rebuilt the country's biggest airport terminal in a space of three weeks after the fire gutted down the arrival section on Aug. 7.
  Kenyatta who toured the facility said the Chinese contractor, China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corporation, has done a commendable job despite the challenges they have faced.
  "We want to thank the Chinese contractor for building a temporary terminal at cost of 1 million dollars as a gift to the Kenyan people," Kenyatta said during a tour of the airport.
  In August, fire broke out at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which is the largest airport in the eastern and central Africa, and expressed satisfaction that operations at the airport have resumed to levels prior to the fire incident, a month ago. "With the kind of development we are seeing here, we are hopeful that we will be able to get the airport to be an air travel hub in Africa as a whole," Kenyatta said.
  "We had an unfortunate incident one month ago but a few weeks down the road our Chinese colleagues have put in place a temporary facility that has enabled the facility to resume to full capacity, " he said.
  The Chinese contractor managed to remodel the airport's garage area into a temporary arrival terminal at a cost of 1 million dollars without charging the government. The temporary terminal currently being used has greatly improved operations at the airport.
  "We want to thank all the airlines for standing alongside Kenya during the difficult time," he said. The Kenyan leader added that the new Terminal Four is expected to be operational by the end of December.
  "This will also coincide with the groundbreaking of the phase one of the airport expansion," he said. Kenyatta said that the long term goal is make Nairobi, Africa's air transport hub.
  The Garage Facility at the new Terminal Four has been opened for arrivals and the tents that were previously used have been removed. Work on the new Terminal Four has been fast-tracked and it will be completed by December.
  He said work on the new Greenfield project, a completely new terminal building at the airport, will start in the coming week and be completed within three years.
  Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said that China is a true friend of Kenya. "It stepped in at the right time to ensure that Kenya's aviation sector is not interrupted by the fire incident," Kamau said.
  Mbugua said that the project has also enabled the airport to continue connecting Africa to the rest of the world.
  China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corporation Managing Director Huang Hongyou said that his firm will also complete the construction of the phase one expansion project in three years.
  "It will have a capacity of handling at least 20 million passengers annually," he said.
  Davis Kungu, who used the airport, said that Kenya has handled the situation better than a lot of people expected. "It is now operating at full capacity," he said.
  Rajiv Shah, who arrived at the airport from India, said that the temporary international terminal is offering satisfactory service. "I was impressed by the new facilities," Shah said.
VIDEO-Dexter - If You See Something, Say Something - YouTube
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:56
SARsThe Government is Spying on You: ACLU Releases New Evidence of Overly Broad Surveillance of Everyday Activities | American Civil Liberties Union
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:45
  This was originally posted by the ACLU of Northern California.
  For years, we at the ACLU have been warning that the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative '' a vast information sharing program that encourages the collection and sharing of "suspicious activity" among private parties and local, state and federal law enforcement '' would lead to violations of our privacy, racial and religious profiling, and interference with constitutionally-protected activities. Today, we're proving ourselves right by unveiling actual Suspicious Activity Report summaries obtained from California fusion centers (post-9/11 intergovernmental surveillance hubs). We are also joined by 26 other organizations in calling on the Justice Department, FBI and two other agencies responsible for Suspicious Activity Reporting to adopt stricter standards so that individuals' innocent activity will cease being reported, shared and maintained for decades in anti-terrorism databases.
  Here are some examples of real Suspicious Activity Reports ("SARs") from the Central California Intelligence Center and the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center we are making public today:
  "Suspicious ME [Middle Eastern] Males Buy Several Large Pallets of Water""I was called out to the above address regarding a male who was taking photographs of the [name of facility blacked out] [in Commerce, California]. The male stated, he is an artist and enjoys photographing building[s] in industrial areas '... [and] stated he is a professor at San Diego State private college, and takes the photos for his art class."A sergeant from the Elk Grove Police Department reported "on a suspicious individual in his neighborhood"; the sergeant had "long been concerned about a residence in his neighborhood occupied by a Middle Eastern male adult physician who is very unfriendly""Demonstration Against Law Enforcement Use of Excessive Force": "Reporting party received an e-mail that describes a scheduled protest by an unknown number of individuals on July 7, 2012. The information indicates the protestors are concerned about the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers."Do these sound like suspicious activities reasonably indicative of a terrorist threat? Important leads our intelligence agencies should follow up on? We're not the only ones who don't think so. A Senate subcommittee reviewed a year of similar intelligence reporting from state and local authorities identified and "dozens of problematic or useless" reports "potentially violating civil liberties protections." A report, co-authored by Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Downing, found that SARs have "flooded fusion centers, law enforcement, and other security entities with white noise." Also, as the ACLU notes in a report released this week on post-9/11 FBI abuses, SARs generated from state and local police and public tips '' many reflecting religious, racial, ethnic, and political bias '' end up in federal counterterrorism databases. The documents from California confirm this.
  So why are police submitting reports (sometimes received from community members, private security guards and via anonymous tips) about such innocuous conduct for inclusion in anti-terrorism databases? Because under the NSI and related programs, everyone '' our neighbors, public employees, storekeepers '' are encouraged to help. "If you see something, say something," says the Department of Homeland Security. The "Functional Standard" for Suspicious Activity Reporting defines "suspicious activity" to include many activities that are not only lawful, but protected by the First Amendment. Even worse, the FBI encourages fusion centers not to limit themselves to the Functional Standard and instead to report "all potentially terrorism-related activity." With such a broad and vague standard, no wonder we are seeing innocent activities reported as "suspicious," especially when they involve community groups against whom we still see significant governmental bias.
  The good news? The agencies that run NSI are working on revising the Functional Standard, so now is the time to call on those agencies, including the Department of Justice and the FBI, to adopt stricter standards for suspicious activity reporting. They should agree that one standard exists for Suspicious Activity Reporting, that reports must be supported by reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, and that constitutionally protected activities like photography and videography be eliminated from the list of inherently suspicious activities.The letter we are submitting today makes those demands. You can get more information and join the campaign to protect our privacy and constitutional rights and to demand smarter intelligence here.
  Learn more about government surveillance and other civil liberty issues: Sign up for breaking news alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
NPPA Advocacy Committee >> Blog Archive >> Federal ''Suspicious Activity'' Reporting Initiative Threatens First Amendment Rights
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:42
  Federal ''Suspicious Activity'' Reporting Initiative Threatens First Amendment RightsSeptember 20th, 2013 by Wills Citty and tagged Access, first amendment, free speech, journalism, journalist, national press photographers association, NPPA, photographers, photography, photojournalism, photojournalist, police, recording
  ''I observed a male nonchalantly taking numerous pictures inside a purple-line train.''
  If this excerpt from a Federal ''Tip and Lead'' report out of Los Angeles doesn't necessarily convince you that a crime is afoot then you're probably not alone. Nonetheless, that photographer, and many others like him, are now in a federal database under a plan to single out people who may be planning terrorist activity
  The problem with the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (SARI) is that many of the activities it targets seem well, unsuspicious. Worse yet, many of those questioned under the program were engaging in activities protected by the First Amendment. Despite revisions to try to improve the program, people are still being added to the database who appear to have been doing nothing wrong. The offense of a man recently added to the database: being ''very unfriendly.'' Another was reported for buying a large quantity of cigarettes. Both individuals were of Middle Eastern decent. While the language initiative specifically prohibits racial profiling, a cursory investigation of what files are available suggests people are occasionally targeted for their race. The measure also appears to have the effect, intended or otherwise, of targeting photographers in particular.
  Today, in a continued effort to raise awareness of the program and improve its operational standards, the ACLU released a series of the federally collected reports online. The NPPA joined the ACLU and 25 other organizations in a letter demanding reform. The groups also held a press conference in San Francisco addressing the impact of Suspicious Activity Reporting (''SAR'').
  One of the central issues with the SAR initiative stems from confusion over what behavior falls within the programs purview. The 2009 revised standard for the Director of National Intelligence Information Sharing Environment (ISE), one of a pair of programs that make up the initiative, defines suspicious behavior as observable actions ''reasonably indicative of pre-operational planning related to terrorism or other criminal activity.'' Further, the revision makes clear that ''the same constitutional standards that apply when conducting ordinary criminal investigations also apply to local law enforcement and homeland security officers conducting SAR inquiries.'' The media groups applauded this as an improvement over previous versions of the program, but note that ''the failure to clearly state that ISE policy did not authorize the collection, retention or dissemination of personally identifiable information in violation of federal regulations . . . has led to confusion and abuse.''
  In addition, The FBI's eGuardian program, the other arm of the initiative, does not meet the higher standards of the ISE. The continued reporting of non-threatening behavior suggests that this disjoint is one of the causes of the problem.
  Today's letter also observed that ''Based on the SARs obtained thus far, photography and videography are frequently reported without additional facts that render these constitutionally-protected activities inherently suspicious. This reporting trend matches anecdotal reports from photographers who frequently complain that they are not only detained and questioned, but are also prevented from taking photographs and video and deprived of their equipment by police.''
  The NPPA has been involved with dozens of similar incidents. They are troublingly common, even without a federal program that enables, if not encourages their occurrence. ''As part of the 'See Something Say Something Program' the NPPA is deeply concerned that these policies create an unnecessary climate of fear and suspicion throughout the country under the guise of safety and security for otherwise First Amendment protected activity,'' said NPPA general counsel Mickey Osterreicher.
  Among the reforms suggested in today's letter, the groups recommended the government ''[re]move photography and other activities clearly protected by the First Amendment from inclusion in lists of SAR categories or other guidance criteria to prevent the unlawful stops, detention, and harassment of photographers, videographers, and journalists.''
  Such a revision would be a step in the right direction to ensuring valuable First Amendment activities are not illegally obstructed, and that it's the people who are monitoring the government, and not the other way around.
  Posted in Access, ACLU, California, cell phone cameras, Department of Justice, DOJ, First Amendment, First Amendment rights, National Press Photographers Association, News Photography, Newsgathering, NPPA, photographers, Photographers' Rights, photojournalism, Police, Public Photography, Recording, SAR, Street Photography, Suspicious Activity, video cameras, Visual Journalists|No Comments >>
Westgate mall massacre: Goran Tomasevic | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:36
  Photo 26, I am afraid to say, I'm not 100% sure. But it looks like this could be Elif Yavuz 33 and her husband Ross Langdon. She was born in the Netherlands, studied at Radboud university Nijmegen, went on to be a Harvard Allumni. She worked with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Kenya as a specialist in malaria. SHE WAS 8.5 MONTHS PREGNANT! Her husband Ross Langdon a respected architect, A committed conservationist, he led all the firm's projects in East Africa; was completing an HIV-AIDS clinic in Uganda '' which he designed without charge '' and was about to start on a $35 million museum telling the story of the earliest fossil record of walking humanoids in Kenya.People need to know their story. The world needs to know how these degenerate fanatic, stupid beyond believe, inhumane, cold blooded killers destroyed their lives and that of their unborn child. Innocent all. Precious not only to those that knew them personally and loved ones, but to all of us. These two people who made it their lives goal to better the world and ease the suffering of their fellow human beings, be it muslim, christian, or else, they were mercilessly gunned down, by people who think they are righteous and true 'believers' of the one and only fate.These two people Elif and Ross are far more worthier of a place in paradise, if there is such a place, then these thugs, whose idea of bettering the world, is to slaughter the innocent, just because they do not believe in Allah or that so-called prophet Muhammed.We need to rid the world of these people and their religion of peace. It is a cancer spreading across the world. And that is the truth. Rest in peace Elif, Ross, and your unborn child.
USPS Seeks Price Increase On Stamps, Pays Futurist $565K To Mull Over Future Of Stamps '' Consumerist
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:46
  You know those stamps you use maybe once or twice a month? They could soon be slightly more expensive after the USPS Board of Governors has requested a three-cent price increase on first-class stamps in order to combat the expected $6 billion in losses this year. But since the USPS is already planning on losing that huge pile of cash anyway, why not throw another $565,000 toward some futurist firm that can ponder the destiny of the once-beloved postage stamp.The proposed price hike was predicted last week, when the Postmaster General told lawmakers that the Postal Service needed to raise cash quickly, as it only had enough on hand to get it through early October.
  Any hikes higher than the rate of inflation must get the approval of the independent Postal Regulatory Commission, so there will still be some time before any increase is actually put in place.
  Meanwhile, USPS has decided to pay futurist firm BrainReserve $565,000 to provide ''analysis and recommendation on the future of stamps.''
  ''As part of its ongoing innovation efforts, the Postal Service regularly seeks advice and counsel from mailing industry, marketing and innovation experts,'' a USPS rep explains to Reuters. ''This is an important activity that helps the organization anticipate changing mailing and shipping behaviors, as well as long-term changes to the evolving communication marketplace it serves,'' she said.
  Of course, that impressive amount of money is only a fraction of the billions the USPS stands to lose in the coming years. Its own projections predict that the volume of stamped mail '-- which accounts for around 43% of USPS revenue '-- will plummet by 40% by 2020. The service is currently losing an estimated $25 million each day.
  The Postmaster General has repeatedly asked for the authority to cut Saturday mail delivery for most customers. That alone would save an estimated $2 billion per year, he claims.
  USPS proposes stamp hike, hires futurist to study stamps' fate [CNBC/Reuters]
Merkel's election bullsh*t revealed: it was a bear-faced pack of lies POLAND PENSIONS
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:46
  The symbol-cum-mascot for Berlin is a bear'.....und Mein Gott, the bad news bears are now working overtime to cram in all the evidence of disaster held back behind the dam until Fraud Oktor Merkel was back in command of the Bunker.
  Deustche Bank's share value dived off a cliff after 1.30 pm CET this afternoon, from '‚¬49 to 45.60 at the close. This followed a major revenue warning earlier, a warning that didn't come at any point at all between September 5th and September 22nd. Wissen-Sie, how is ziss happenink? All voss Quiet on ze Western Front and then Achtung '' Donner und Blitzen! '' all Hell is loose gebreaking.
  Barry the Black Dude (having bet the farm on Germany some time ago) did his best to provide the same ''Don't mention the Scheise'' media blackout, although towards the end there Mr Bernanke let a few feral cats out of the carpet-bag. But since Tuesday am this week, the sluice gates have been set at Full Open All'....what with Draghi's LTRO and Monte del Paschei followed by Deutsche Bank's 'ntergang, and now private pension funds being raided by the government in Poland.
  The Polish Government today announced that it will transfer to the state many of the assets held by private pension funds, slashing public debt but putting in doubt the future of the multi-billion-euro funds, many of them foreign-owned. No doubt the news was kept back until Geli's personal plebiscite was done and dusted '' perhaps under threat that what Germany did in 1939, it could always do again in 2013.
  But fear not '' World Champion Brussels ping-pong artist Antoniki Sampras insists that the Greek economy is about to explode into growth, Mariano Rajoy thinks chariots of gold will descend from the skies to fill Spanish Cajas, and Silvio Brylcreemoni foresees a bunga-bunga boom to rescue Italy from the jaws of bankruptcy. In fact, he has inadvertently given away the title of next year's Italian Eurovision Song Contest entry, ''Boom-bunga-bung-bong-bong''. In a Slog exclusive, I can now reveal the much-sought-after chorus lyrics to be as follows:
  My fart goes Boom-bunga-bung-bong-bong right in your ear/Boom-bunga-bung-bong-bong the smell of diarrhea
  Boom-bunga-bung-bong-bongwe're all in the poo/ We don't care a God-damn sh*t for you
  Earlier at The Slog: Why perplexing us with complexity is entirely deliberate
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VIDEO-Bill Clinton, Al Gore talk climate change with Charlie Rose - CBS News Video
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:42
  September 25, 2013 6:13 AM
  Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have rarely been seen together since leaving office in 2001, but the two men spoke to Charlie Rose in a session on energy issues and climate change, held at the Clinton Global Initiative, in New York.
VIDEO- General Wesley Clark Asked About 7 Country War Plan - YouTube
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 19:29
IRS rides 1884 'dead horse' law to defense of tax preparer rules
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:56
  IRS rides 1884 'dead horse' law to defense of tax preparer rulesTop News
  IRS rides 1884 'dead horse' law to defense of tax preparer rules
  Tue, Sep 24 17:16 PM EDT
  By Patrick Temple-West
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Tuesday defended its effort to regulate the tax return preparation business for the first time in U.S. history, basing its case largely on a 19th century law dealing with horses lost or killed in the Civil War.
  At an appellate court hearing on a challenge brought by libertarian lawyers challenging the administration, Justice Department Tax Division lawyer Gilbert Rothenberg said: "I hate to beat a dead horse, especially one from the Civil War era."
  But he explained that the administration sees the "Horse Act of 1884" as providing ample authority for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to regulate the tens of thousands of preparers who fill out millions of Americans' federal tax returns.
  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard the administration's argument. Rothenberg said the IRS should be allowed to force tax return preparers - who are now unregulated - to pass a competency test and take annual continuing education classes.
  But the Institute for Justice, a libertarian advocacy law firm, disagreed.
  "Congress never gave the IRS authority to regulate tax preparers," said Dan Alban, an attorney for the institute.
  The case has broad implications for the industry, which includes H&R Block Inc, a few mid-tier companies and thousands of tiny, mom-and-pop firms.
  A decision from the judges is still months away. In oral arguments, the judges - all appointed by Republican presidents - gave no clear sign of how they will rule, yea or neigh.
  But they did question why the IRS was citing an 1884 law to justify trying to police tax return preparers in 2013.
  LEGAL REPRESENTATION AT ISSUE
  After the Civil War, many Americans brought war loss claims against the U.S. government, often for dead or missing horses.
  A post-war industry emerged of agents who would press war loss claims for a fee, usually a percentage of the claim collected. Soon, claim values were being fraudulently inflated.
  In response, the government started regulating these intermediaries, barring unscrupulous ones and certifying honest ones as "enrolled agents," a title that is still used today by people who represent clients in matters before the IRS.
  The IRS is arguing that tax return preparers represent their customers in much the same way that enrolled agents do, so the agency should be able to expand regulation to include preparers.
  But the Institute for Justice is arguing that tax return preparers do not carry out the same level of representation, but rather merely provide a paid service for clients.
  "Preparing a tax return is not a representative act," Alban said. "It is performing a service, certainly, but there's no representation."
  More than 78 million Americans in 2011 paid someone to prepare their tax returns. The industry posted estimated revenue this year of $9.4 billion.
  The Institute sued in March 2012 to block the IRS's regulations and won a district court ruling in January halting parts of the agency's program. The IRS appealed.
  KOCHS HELPED FUND CHALLENGER
  Based in Arlington, Va., the institute litigates over issues such as private school vouchers and eminent domain. It was begun in 1991 with funding from wealthy industrialists and conservative activists David and Charles Koch.
  Sabina Loving, a Chicago tax preparer, is the lead plaintiff in the case. She was not present at the oral arguments.
  Some of the tax experts who attended said the judges seemed skeptical of the IRS's argument. "Clearly, they were leaning toward Loving," said Don Williamson, a tax accountant and executive director of American University's Kogod Tax Center.
  "It looks like a good day for Mr. Alban," said Robert Kerr, senior director of government relations for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, a tax-preparers trade group.
  Kathryn Keneally, head of the Justice Department tax division, declined to comment on the oral arguments while leaving the court room.
  The case is Sabina Loving et al v. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 13-5061.
  (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie Gevirtz)
  IRS rides 1884 'dead horse' law to defense of tax preparer rulesTop News
  IRS rides 1884 'dead horse' law to defense of tax preparer rules
  Tue, Sep 24 17:16 PM EDT
  By Patrick Temple-West
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Tuesday defended its effort to regulate the tax return preparation business for the first time in U.S. history, basing its case largely on a 19th century law dealing with horses lost or killed in the Civil War.
  At an appellate court hearing on a challenge brought by libertarian lawyers challenging the administration, Justice Department Tax Division lawyer Gilbert Rothenberg said: "I hate to beat a dead horse, especially one from the Civil War era."
  But he explained that the administration sees the "Horse Act of 1884" as providing ample authority for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to regulate the tens of thousands of preparers who fill out millions of Americans' federal tax returns.
  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard the administration's argument. Rothenberg said the IRS should be allowed to force tax return preparers - who are now unregulated - to pass a competency test and take annual continuing education classes.
  But the Institute for Justice, a libertarian advocacy law firm, disagreed.
  "Congress never gave the IRS authority to regulate tax preparers," said Dan Alban, an attorney for the institute.
  The case has broad implications for the industry, which includes H&R Block Inc, a few mid-tier companies and thousands of tiny, mom-and-pop firms.
  A decision from the judges is still months away. In oral arguments, the judges - all appointed by Republican presidents - gave no clear sign of how they will rule, yea or neigh.
  But they did question why the IRS was citing an 1884 law to justify trying to police tax return preparers in 2013.
  LEGAL REPRESENTATION AT ISSUE
  After the Civil War, many Americans brought war loss claims against the U.S. government, often for dead or missing horses.
  A post-war industry emerged of agents who would press war loss claims for a fee, usually a percentage of the claim collected. Soon, claim values were being fraudulently inflated.
  In response, the government started regulating these intermediaries, barring unscrupulous ones and certifying honest ones as "enrolled agents," a title that is still used today by people who represent clients in matters before the IRS.
  The IRS is arguing that tax return preparers represent their customers in much the same way that enrolled agents do, so the agency should be able to expand regulation to include preparers.
  But the Institute for Justice is arguing that tax return preparers do not carry out the same level of representation, but rather merely provide a paid service for clients.
  "Preparing a tax return is not a representative act," Alban said. "It is performing a service, certainly, but there's no representation."
  More than 78 million Americans in 2011 paid someone to prepare their tax returns. The industry posted estimated revenue this year of $9.4 billion.
  The Institute sued in March 2012 to block the IRS's regulations and won a district court ruling in January halting parts of the agency's program. The IRS appealed.
  KOCHS HELPED FUND CHALLENGER
  Based in Arlington, Va., the institute litigates over issues such as private school vouchers and eminent domain. It was begun in 1991 with funding from wealthy industrialists and conservative activists David and Charles Koch.
  Sabina Loving, a Chicago tax preparer, is the lead plaintiff in the case. She was not present at the oral arguments.
  Some of the tax experts who attended said the judges seemed skeptical of the IRS's argument. "Clearly, they were leaning toward Loving," said Don Williamson, a tax accountant and executive director of American University's Kogod Tax Center.
  "It looks like a good day for Mr. Alban," said Robert Kerr, senior director of government relations for the National Association of Enrolled Agents, a tax-preparers trade group.
  Kathryn Keneally, head of the Justice Department tax division, declined to comment on the oral arguments while leaving the court room.
  The case is Sabina Loving et al v. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 13-5061.
  (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie Gevirtz)
VIDEO-BBC News - Campaigners call for international ban on 'killer robots'
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:55
  A pre-emptive ban is needed to halt the production of weapons capable of attacking targets without any human intervention, a new campaign has urged.
  Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which is initially coordinated by Human Rights Watch, argues that lethal armed robots that could target and kill without any human intervention should never be built.
  While some argue existing laws are sufficient to regulate their use, campaigners say advances in robotic technology mean it is only a matter of time before we face machines which make their own decisions.
  The BBC's Zeinab Badawi was joined by robotics expert Professor Noel Sharkey; anti-landmines activist Jody Williams; and security analyst Joshua Faust.
Press Releases | AbleChild.org
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:52
  Bob Fiddaman and Sheila Matthewssheila@ablechild.org(203) 594-1700
  For some time now, Sheila Matthews has been suspicious about her home state of Connecticut's treatment of its most vulnerable children. As a mother of two children and co-founder of AbleChild, her instincts led her to scrutinize the dubious relationships among Connecticut's Department of Children and Family Services [DCF], the pharmaceutical industry and a billion dollar law firm who has defended the likes of Pfizer Inc and Merck & Co., among others.
  Sheila's investigation has led her on a journey that links a non-profit children?s advocacy group, with assets over $15 million [2009] with nationally-renowned mass tort and class action defense law firms, to the Connecticut DCF '' an $865 million bureaucracy, as described by the Connecticut Mirror.
  The Connecticut DCF serves approximately 36,000 children and 16,000 families across its four Mandate Areas:
  1.Child welfare;
  2.Children's behavioral health;
  3.Juvenile Services; and
  4.Prevention.
  Sheila's AbleChild has been questioning the Connecticut DCF since 2003, when AbleChild demanded that the Connecticut DCF immediately ban the use of the antidepressant Paxil in its treatment of mental disorders after multiple studies confirmed Paxil increased the risk of suicide in children and adolescents. This was more than a year prior to America's Food & Drug Association (FDA) announcement that all antidepressants, including Paxil, should bear a black box warning regarding this suicide risk. AbleChild was disturbed that children in state custody were being prescribed this dangerous psychotropic medication. AbleChild's public pressure paid off, and the Connecticut DCF deemed Paxil unsafe for children and adolescents, and according to the DCF drug approval list, Paxil has not been approved for use in over eight (8) years.
  In August 2003, less than one month later, AbleChild reported that the commissioner of the Connecticu DCF held a 'behind closed doors' meeting with Glaxo officials. This meeting was reported by the Associated Press, who wrote:
  The maker of the anti-depressant Paxil plans to meet this week with Connecticut officials, weeks after the State stopped using the drug to treat young people in its care.
  GlaxoSmithKline, a British pharmaceutical company, is sending its regional medical director and a medical team to meet with officials from the Department of Children and Families. [Source]
  Despite repeated requests from AbleChild, the Connecticut DCF refused to inform the public what was discussed at this secret meeting.
  Eight years later, Sheila and AbleChild continue to raise concerns and investigate potential wrongdoings and conflicts within the Connecticut DCF. Last month, in February 2011, Sheila attended a meeting sponsored by the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership [CBHP], where its medical director, Dr Steven Kant, presented the Husky Behavioral Pharmacy Data. The CBHP is a state vendor that provides mental health services to DCF children. These services are paid, in part, by the State-run insurance program, HUSKY. Incredibly the pharmacy data presentation showed that dangerous psychotropic drugs, like Paxil, are still being prescribed to thousands of children and adolescents. In fact, the Pharmacy Data presentation showed that the HUSKY program, financed by taxpayer dollars, paid drug companies over $60 million for psychotropic drugs for Connecticut's children and adolescents in 2009 alone '' many of which are not approved by the FDA for use in the pediatric population and all of which carry the most serious warning possible regarding the risk of suicide.
  According to the pharmacy data presentation: [Which can be downloaded as a Powerpoint presentation HERE]
  More than 50% of HUSKY Youth Behavioral med utilizers are on stimulants.Close to 30% of HUSKY Youth Behavioral med utilizers are on antipsychotics.
  The pharmacy data also revealed the following:
  Most Frequently Used Behavioral Meds for DCF-Involved Youth
  Medications for ADHD
  Ritalin (10%)Adderall (5%)Vyvanse (4%)Strattera (3%)Atypical Antipsychotics
  Abilify (11%)Risperdol (10%)Seroquel (8%)Anti-anxietyHydroxyzine (2.5%)Antidepressants
  Prozac (4.5%)Zoloft (4%)Zyban (3%)Desyrel (2.5%)Celexa (2%)Mood Stabilizers
  Lithum (3%)Depakote (3%)Lamictal (2.5%)Curiously, none of the above medications are on the Connecticut DCF list of approved/unapproved drugs listed in itsDCF PMAC document.
  With this in mind, Sheila Matthews contacted Dr Steven Kant and inquired as to whether any of the above drugs were approved by the Connecticut DCF for use in children.
  Dr Kant replied:
  '... the answer to your question is not that straight forward.. . . Medications may be indicated by age and/or by specific treatment needs so it is not either a simply ?yes? or ?no?. Also, some medications may have the age indication but for a totally different condition, such as anti epileptic condition. . .Also FDA indications are static, they do not change over time though medical practice is constantly evolving'...
  Contradicting the very document that lists Connecticut's approved and unapproved drugs, a ''check-off'' list that verifies the status of medications, Dr Kant replied, ''I don?t think a ?check off? for each medication would work in terms of verifying their status.''
  With such an ambiguous response from Dr. Kant, we found the DCF Approved Medication List on the Internet. This particular version was revised in 2009.
  It appears that the DCF has approved drugs in children that have not been approved for children by the FDA. In fact, the FDA has issued multiple advisories and alerts since 2004 about the increased risk of suicide in children, adolescents and young adults up to age 25 who are treated with psychotropic medications.
  And while Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only medication approved by the FDA for use in treating depression in children ages 8 and older, it still carries a black box warning regarding the risk of suicide.
  In contrast, the DCF seems to be ignoring the conclusions of the FDA. Its list of approved medication in children and adolescents include every single antidepressant except paroxetine [Paxil] and venlafaxine [Effexor].
  Forest Lab?s citalopram [Celexa] '' APPROVEDForest Lab?s escitalopram [Lexapro] '' APPROVEDSolvay Pharmaceuticals? fluvoxamine [Luvox] '' APPROVEDPfizer's sertraline [Zoloft] '' APPROVEDGlaxoSmithKline's bupropion [Wellbutrin -also marketed as an anti-smoking cessation drug under the name of Zyban] '' APPROVED [1]Alarmingly, the DCF has produced a guide entitled, ''MEDICATIONS USED FOR BEHAVIORAL & EMOTIONAL DISORDERS '' A GUIDE FOR PARENTS, FOSTER PARENTS, FAMILIES, YOUTH, CAREGIVERS, GUARDIANS, AND SOCIAL WORKERS'' where it writes, ''Most of the side effects from the medications are mild and will lessen or go away after the first few weeks of treatment.'' The guide also points out possible side effects of SSRI's/SNRI's:
  SSRIs and SNRIs:
  HeadacheNervousnessNauseaInsomniaWeight LossOne of the most dangerous side effects of these medications, suicidal thoughts/ideation, doesn't even make the 5 bullet-pointed list. The Guide does, however, add the following: ''Watch for worsening of depression and thoughts about suicide.''
  The DCF Approved Medication List writes:
  ''The DCF Approved Medication List is a list of psychotropic medications that has been carefully established by the Psychotropic Medication Advisory Committee, a group of DCF and community professionals.''
  Sheila has since investigated other advocacy groups that were concerned about the off-label prescribing of psychiatric medications to youths in state custody. This is where she stumbled upon Children's Rights, a non-profit charity based in New York City.
  In 2005, Children's Rights employed ten (10) attorneys and a staff of 31. It claims to use its expertise to change child welfare red tape and scrutinize failing systems. If the child welfare system fails to respond, Children's Rights files a lawsuit. If successful, it enforces reform and then monitors its implementation.
  In 1989, Children's Rights had in fact filed a suit against William O'Neill and the Connecticut state Department of Children and Youth Services [DCYS].
  The suit charged that an overworked and underfunded DCYS failed to provide services including abuse and neglect investigations, adoption, foster care, mental health care, caseloads and staffing. The case has been pending for over twenty (20) years, and while there have been numerous arguments that DCYS should be more inclusive or has failed to provide certain services, the issue of massive off-label prescription of psychotropic medications has never been brought to the court?s attention.
  Children's Rights is chaired by Alan C. Myers, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, a billion dollar law firm which represents the pharmaceutical industry in mass torts and class actions. Myers is also co-head of the firm's REIT Group [Real Estate Investment Trust].
  Also, listed on the Children's Rights website are individuals and law firms that have served as co-counsel on Children's Rights' legal campaigns to reform America's failing child welfare systems, including:
  Missouri '' Shook Hardy & Bacon '' Eli Lilly Co. and Forest Labs, defended the original Wesbeker Prozac trial in Kentucky and still defend Prozac, Celexa and Lexapro.New Jersey '' Drinker Biddle & Reath '' GlaxoSmithKline attorneys '' defended Paxil as local counsel in Philadelphia cases.Oklahoma '' Kaye Scholer LLP '' provides work in Pharmaceutical Products Liability defense and employs an attorney who was former General Counsel of Pfizer, Inc.A particular success for Skadden Arps occurred in 2010 when it secured a summary judgement ruling for Pfizer Inc. in a suit filed by two insurance companies who sought $200 million in damages for Pfizer's predecessors alleged ''off-label'' marketing of its epilepsy drug, Neurontin.
  Furthermore, in February 2011, Skadden Arps secured the dismissal of over 200 cases in a multi-district litigation pending against their client, Pfizer Inc. The plaintiffs had alleged injuries related to the use of Pfizer's anti-epilepsy drug, Neurontin.
  Neurontin, the generic version is called gabapentin, is prescribed by psychiatrists for a variety of ''off-label'' indications. It is often tried as an alternative treatment, when patients are unable to tolerate the side effect of more proven mood stabilizers such as lithium. [2]
  Gabapentin has also been associated with an increased risk of suicidal acts or violent deaths.
  This is a drug that has been known to cause behavioral problems, which include unstable emotions, hostility, aggression, hyperactivity or lack of concentration.
  Children dependent on child welfare systems have rights and, according to its web page, Children's Rights is dedicated to protecting them.
  It should come as no surprise that the site fails to discuss the off-label prescription of non-approved psychotropic medications to children and adolescents, unless this falls under the 'abuse and neglect' category?
  If Children's Rights' motive was to accomplish fixing the child welfare system then why hasn't it investigated why thousands of children under state care are prescribed ''off-label'' psychiatric drugs? With a partner in a billion dollar pro-pharmaceutical law firm as its Chair, and supporters who also defend pharmaceutical products, is it safe to assume that its stance on the drugging of children is one that is being ignored?
  Children's Rights push to remove abused and neglected children into safety.
  The basic question always comes down to trust. When power, money and a good cause is mixed, it is imperative to check motives. We would be less of a society if we didn't check out all the facts. Abuse and neglect exist, always has and always will, but society is obligated to ensure those victims are not transformed into ''good cause victims'' and expensed out. There is no doubt we have a right to question the system and those who claim to promote change for the good of the children within it.
  Children's Rights Chairman, Alan C. Myers, Medical Director of Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership, Steven Kant and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families may get their knickers in a twist with regard to an advocate of Ablechild and a blogger from Birmingham, UK questioning their motives but hey, what's the downside of shinning a light on all these players, be they good or bad players?
  Sheila?s concern is that Children's Rights with its multi-million dollar budget and with the help of its billion dollar law firms, will continue to ignore the risks of these unapproved and dangerous medications, under the guise of helping our nation?s most vulnerable children. The question remains: how can the lawyers who defend pscyhotropic drugs also be the same lawyers who advocate for abused and neglected children to get into state welfare programs which place these children on the same drugs? The conflict is clear and obvious '' and it poses an unmistakable danger to children who truly need our help.
  [1] Bupropion [also known as Wellbutrin, Zyban] is a non-tricyclic antidepressant. [2] Gabapentin
  Bob Fiddaman is the author of the Seroxat Sufferers blog and the book, ''The evidence, however, is clear'... the Seroxat scandal.'' Chipmunka Publishing.
  Sheila Matthews is the co-founder of AbleChild and a mother of two children.
LA Times - Powerful 7.8 earthquake rocks western Pakistan, killing at least 33
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Mexican business group opposes Dragon Mart in Cancun | Fox News Latino
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:19
  The Dragon Mart project in the Caribbean resort city of Cancun will promote the importation of "underpriced Chinese products" and lead to unfair trade, posing a threat to domestic industry, the Concamin business association said.
  "As representatives of the industrial sector, we protect our members and energetically reject a project that will not promote manufacturing, production and Mexican labor," Concamin president Francisco Funtanet said in a statement.
  The Quintana Roo state supreme court ordered officials in the city of Benito Juarez, where Cancun is located, to issue building permits to Dragon Mart's developers.
  The state's high court ruled last week ruled in favor of Real Estate Dragon Mart, stating that the developers should get the permits because city officials failed to respond to their request for the documents within the 45 working days required by law.
  The huge project "represents serious unfair trade for Mexican producers, harming investment, employment, the environment and consumers," Funtanet said.
  Dragon Mart does not comply with the "environmental impact regulations or with the local urban planning program established by law," Funtanet said.
  "China is not considered by the WTO to be a market economy, posing a danger from unfair trade for countries like ours," Funtanet said.
  The Dragon Mart project, which is designed to promote Chinese trade with Mexico and Central America, was launched in 2011.
  Dragon Mart, whose initial phase is expected to cost $180 million, is designed to be an exhibition center for merchandise from China, providing an opportunity for companies from the Asian nation to make contacts in Mexico and Central America.
  Real Estate Dragon Mart is 45 percent owned by Carlos Castillo, with Monterrey Cancun Mart holding a 45 percent interest and Chinamex Middle Investment & Trade Promotion Center owning a 10 percent stake. EFE
Landmark court case makes spitting a crime (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:04
  Landmark court case makes spitting a crime in Waltham Forest5:00pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 in NewsBy Amelia Burr
  A landmark legal case has backed the council's controversial policy to fine people for spitting.
  Two men, who were both issued with an £80 fine for spitting back in February, were pursued through the courts and found guilty at Thames Magistrates Court on Friday.
  These were important test cases as it was unclear if Waltham Forest had any legal basis to fine people for spitting by classifying it as a littering offence.
  Khasheem Kiah Thomas, of Clarence Road, Hackney, and Zilvinus Vitkas of Beechworth Road, Ilford, were fined in February, for spitting in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton and Bromley Road, Walthamstow respectively, just weeks after the council brought in the new policy.
  Neither of the men appeared in court but were found guilty and ordered to pay £300 each in their absence giving the green light to other councils who want to follow suit.
  Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, said: ''I am absolutely thrilled that the courts have backed our tough stance on this issue.
  ''I think now we have tested this in the courtroom and been successful, many of those councils will be following our lead.''
  Permission to use a littering bylaw to criminalise spitting in public was granted by the Government in July after Enfield council questioned the legality of the process.
  As part of the council's 'Don't Mess with Waltham Forest' campaign, to tackle anti-social behaviour and clean up the borough, they say feedback from residents about this campaign has told them spitting is a priority issue for local people.
Former British Marine 'Saved 100 People' From Kenya Mall Armed Only With a Handgun | TheBlaze.com
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:00
  A former British Royal Marine is being hailed as a hero for saving up to 100 people from the Kenya shopping mall terror attack using only a handgun, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reported.
  The ex-soldier, who reportedly cannot be named due to security reasons, was having coffee at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi when armed Islamic militants attacked on Saturday.
  Witnesses said he went into action, returning to the building a dozen times and leading about 100 people to safety, according to the U.K.'s The Independent.
  The former marine's actions were revealed after he was photographed leading two women with what appeared to be a gun tucked into his pants, according to the Daily Mail.
  A former British Royal Marine is reported to have helped about 100 people to safety after Islamic militants attacked a mall in Kenya. (Image source: The Daily Mail)
  ''What he did was so heroic '... he went back in 12 times and saved 100 people,'' a friend of the man told The Independent. ''Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.''
  The Independent reported that the man lives in Kenya full-time, a common practice for former Royal Marines after their service in east Africa.
  More than 60 people have been confirmed killed by members of the Al Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabab.
  ''
Kabinet bevestigt hogere belastingdruk - Actueel financieel nieuws leest u op DFT.nl van De Telegraaf [Nieuws]
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:57
  Kabinet bevestigt hogere belastingdruk - Actueel financieel nieuws leest u op DFT.nl van De Telegraaf [Nieuws]Uw browser ondersteunt geen javascript of javascript staat uitgeschakeld. Hierdoor kunnen er cookies geplaatst worden waar u geen toestemming voor heeft gegeven.
Feyenoord woest op kabinet - Telesport.nl - Sportnieuws, Voetbal, Wielersport, Tennis, Autosport en Schaatsen [Feyenoord]
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  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:55
  Feyenoord woest op kabinet - Telesport.nl - Sportnieuws, Voetbal, Wielersport, Tennis, Autosport en Schaatsen [Feyenoord]Uw browser ondersteunt geen javascript of javascript staat uitgeschakeld. Hierdoor kunnen er cookies geplaatst worden waar u geen toestemming voor heeft gegeven.
Nokia CEO Elop contract details: had big incentive to crash shares | BGR
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  Archived Version
  Wed, 25 Sep 2013 14:43
  9:55 AMWild-eyed believers in the Grand Elop Conspiracy might feel a little less crazy this morning. Frequent BGR contributor Tero Kuittinen, writing over at Forbes, points us to some reports in the Finnish press showing that former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop actually did have massive incentives in his contract to tank Nokia's shares and sell the company off. According to Kuittinen, Nokia added a clause to Elop's contract that ''entitled [him] to immediate share price performance bonus in case of a 'change of control' situation'... such as selling of Nokia's handset division.'' Unsurprisingly, this clause was not part of the previous Nokia CEO's contract.
  What's even more striking, Kuittinen notes, is that ''Elop's bonus did not require an increase in Nokia's share price'' but instead ''only required an increase in the share price from the absolute bottom'... driving down the share price by 80% and then bouncing it a bit would be enough.''
  This news all came to light after Nokia told members of the Finnish press last week that Elop's contract was ''essentially the same'' as the one written for former Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. Once Finnish papers actually checked Nokia's claim against Securities and Exchange Commission documents, however, they discovered key differences between the two and forced Nokia to admit that its claim about the two contracts being roughly the same was incorrect.
  For his part, Elop will walk away with a $25 million payday once Microsoft finalizes its deal to acquire Nokia's handset and services divisions, so at the very least we know that he's not feeling too broken up about his decision to sell parts of the once-iconic Finnish smartphone manufacturer to the company where he's now a leading candidate to become the next CEO.
  Many people in Finland are unsurprisingly not happy with this state of affairs, however, and The Financial Times reports that Finnish politicians from both the right and the left are seething that Elop is getting $25 million for selling off pieces of Nokia to Microsoft. Center-right Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen, for instance, called the payment ''outrageous'' and added that ''apparently the practices of rewards by large corporations all over the world are so exceptional that they cannot be understood with common sense.'' Jutta Urpilainen, the centre-left finance minister, similarly wrote that the Elop payday has created ''a general toxic atmosphere'' that ''may be a threat to social harmony.''
Nanex ~ 20-Sep-2013 ~ Einstein and The Great Fed Robbery
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:05
  Nanex ~ 20-Sep-2013 ~ Einstein and The Great Fed RobberyNanex Research
  One of Einstein's great contributions to mankind was the theory of relativity, which is based on the fact that there is a real limit on the speed of light. Information doesn't travel instantly, it is limited by the speed of light, which in a perfect setting is 186 miles (300km) per millisecond. This has been proven in countless scientific experiments over nearly a century of time. Light, or anything else, has never been found to go faster than 186 miles per millisecond. It is simply impossible to transmit information faster.
  Too bad the bad guys on Wall Street who pulled off The Great Fed Robbery didn't pay attention in science class. Because hard evidence, along with the speed of light, proves that someone got the Fed announcement news before everyone else. There is simply no way for Wall Street to squirm its way out of this one.
  Before 2pm, the Fed news was given to a group of reporters under embargo - which means in a secured lock-up room. This is done so reporters have time to write their stories and publish when the Fed releases its statement at 2pm. The lock-up room is in Washington DC. Stocks are traded in New York (New Jersey really), and many financial futures are traded in Chicago. The distances between these 3 cities and the speed of light is key to proving the theft of public information (early, tradeable access to Fed news).
  We've learned that the speed of light (information), takes 1 millisecond to travel 186 miles (300km). Therefore, the amount of time it takes to transmit information between two points is limited by distance and how fast computers can encode and decode the information on both sides. Our experienceanalyzing the impact of hundreds of newsevents at the millisecond level tells us that it takes at least 5 milliseconds for information to travel between Chicago and New York. Even though Chicago is closer to Washington DC than New York, the path between the two cities is not straight or optimized: so it takes information a bit longer, about 7 milliseconds, to travel between Chicago and Washington. It takes little under 2 milliseconds between Washington and New York.
  Click for an animation
  Therefore, when the information was officially released in Washington, New York should see it 2 milliseconds later, and Chicago should see it 7 milliseconds later. Which means we should see a reaction in stocks (which trade in New York) about 5 milliseconds before a reaction in financial futures (which trade in Chicago). And this is in fact what we normally see when news is released from Washington.
  However, upon close analysis of millisecond time-stamps of trades in stocks and futures (and options, and futures options, and anything else publicly traded), we find that activity in these instruments exploded in the same millisecond. This is a physical impossibility. Also, the reaction was within 1 millisecond, meaning it couldn't have reached Chicago (or New York): another physical impossibility. Then there is the case that information on the Fed Website was not readily understandable for a machine - less than a thousandth of a second is not enough time for someone to commit well over a billion dollars that effectively bought all stocks, futures and options.
  The DataFortunately for us, in the minutes before the Fed announcement at 14:00 on September 18, 2013, there was significant activity in Comex Gold Futures (traded in Chicago) and the ETF symbol GLD (traded in New York). This gives us an opportunity to measure closely, the exact (to the millisecond) amount of time between trading activity in Chicago and New York. The first chart shows about 3.5 minutes of time around the Fed Announcement release, giving us an overview. The stack of charts that follow allow you to easily compare between GLD (New York) and GC Futures (Chicago) for 6 different active periods. You will see that in the first 5 pairs - before the announcement, activity first shows up in GC Futures, followed by activity in GLD between 5 and 7 milliseconds later. In the last pair, which compares activity at exactly 2pm (14:00:00), you will see both GC futures and GLD react in the same millisecond of time.
  See also: More Charts of Evidence, Wallpaper-sized chart of all stock trades at 2pm
  1. Animation of December 2013 Gold (GC) Futures (Chicago) followed by GLD stock (New York) on September 18, 2013 from 13:57 to 14:00:30.
  2. Zooming in 150 milliseconds of time for 6 different high activity periods minutes before and during the annoucement.Each chart shows first, Gold Futures (GC - traded in Chicago) followed by GLD (traded in New York). The first 5 charts show events minutes before the news release: you can clearly see that Gold Futures (GC) trades before GLD. But the last chart shows the event at 14:00:00, where Gold Futures trades at the exact same time as GLD stock. This is physically impossible unless information was already present in Chicago and New York. It's easiest if you compare the bottom panels of each chart which shows trading volume for each millisecond.
  ConclusionThere are 2 possibilities, and both aren't good news for Wall Street.
  1. A Timed News Release by a News OrganizationThe Fed news was condensed by a news service into a simple "No Tapering" message (something easily readable by a machine) and then placed on news servers co-located next to trading machines in both New York and Chicago at some time before 2pm. The news machines are programmed to release the information at precisely 2pm, allowing the algos to react immediately at both locations. This is how some news services release privately compiled statistics like the Consumer Confidence or Chicago PMI. In those cases, we see the exact behavior as in the last chart above - an immediate reaction in New York and Chicago. But the Fed news was released from a lock-up room which prevents transmission of any information to the outside world. Also, if it was a timed news release, the data was released before 2pm relative to Washington (when it's 2pm in Chicago, it's actually 1:59:59.995 relative to Washington). Given that several large news organizations were recently caught clandestinely sending news early we think it's less likely they would do something so bold, so soon.
  2. Leaked to Wall StreetThe Fed news was leaked to, or known by, a large Wall Street Firm who made the decision to pre-program their trading machines in both New York and Chicago and wait until precisely 2pm when they would buy everything available. It is somewhat fascinating that they tried to be "honest" by waiting until 2pm, but not a thousandth of a second longer. What makes this a more likely explanation is this: we've found that news organizations providing timed release services aren't so good about synchronizing their master clock - and often release plus or minus 15 milliseconds from actual time. Their news machines in New York and Chicago still release the data at the exact same millisecond, but with the same drift in time as the master clock. That is, we'll see an immediate market reaction at say, 15 milliseconds before the official scheduled time, but in the same millisecond of time in both New York and Chicago. Historically, these news services have shown a time range of about 30 milliseconds (+/- 15ms), and since this event started within 1 millisecond, it means the odds favor a leak over a timed news service.
  What also makes this the more likely conclusion is this: we know the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently hardened access to their lock-up room, weeding out all but respected news organizations. So imagine a reporter for one of these news organizations who is tasked with distilling the Fed news into a simple message that machines could read in less than a millisecond and interpret to mean, "buy all the things now". It's unlikely that Wall Street would place so much responsibility on one news reporter. Unless that reporter was a skilled - perhaps, dare we say, incentivized - trader. We think it's unlikely that a respected news organization would tolerate this clandestine behavior. Too much like crooks sneaking around at night.
  Regardless of which possibility is correct (it could even be a combination of the two), the Fed news was certainly present in trading centers in Chicago and New York before 2pm. The evidence is overwhelming. It is unknown how many people had access to this information - for a timed news release, it would have been at least an administrator, probably Q.A. and others. What we do know is the resulting explosion of trading just 1 thousandth of a second after 2pm, was unprecedented in the history of Fed news announcements, and much of that trading was based on information obtained before the set Federal Reserve Board release time.
  Nanex Research
  Inquiries:pr@nanex.net
  Nanex ~ 20-Sep-2013 ~ Einstein and The Great Fed RobberyNanex Research
  One of Einstein's great contributions to mankind was the theory of relativity, which is based on the fact that there is a real limit on the speed of light. Information doesn't travel instantly, it is limited by the speed of light, which in a perfect setting is 186 miles (300km) per millisecond. This has been proven in countless scientific experiments over nearly a century of time. Light, or anything else, has never been found to go faster than 186 miles per millisecond. It is simply impossible to transmit information faster.
  Too bad the bad guys on Wall Street who pulled off The Great Fed Robbery didn't pay attention in science class. Because hard evidence, along with the speed of light, proves that someone got the Fed announcement news before everyone else. There is simply no way for Wall Street to squirm its way out of this one.
  Before 2pm, the Fed news was given to a group of reporters under embargo - which means in a secured lock-up room. This is done so reporters have time to write their stories and publish when the Fed releases its statement at 2pm. The lock-up room is in Washington DC. Stocks are traded in New York (New Jersey really), and many financial futures are traded in Chicago. The distances between these 3 cities and the speed of light is key to proving the theft of public information (early, tradeable access to Fed news).
  We've learned that the speed of light (information), takes 1 millisecond to travel 186 miles (300km). Therefore, the amount of time it takes to transmit information between two points is limited by distance and how fast computers can encode and decode the information on both sides. Our experienceanalyzing the impact of hundreds of newsevents at the millisecond level tells us that it takes at least 5 milliseconds for information to travel between Chicago and New York. Even though Chicago is closer to Washington DC than New York, the path between the two cities is not straight or optimized: so it takes information a bit longer, about 7 milliseconds, to travel between Chicago and Washington. It takes little under 2 milliseconds between Washington and New York.
  Click for an animation
  Therefore, when the information was officially released in Washington, New York should see it 2 milliseconds later, and Chicago should see it 7 milliseconds later. Which means we should see a reaction in stocks (which trade in New York) about 5 milliseconds before a reaction in financial futures (which trade in Chicago). And this is in fact what we normally see when news is released from Washington.
  However, upon close analysis of millisecond time-stamps of trades in stocks and futures (and options, and futures options, and anything else publicly traded), we find that activity in these instruments exploded in the same millisecond. This is a physical impossibility. Also, the reaction was within 1 millisecond, meaning it couldn't have reached Chicago (or New York): another physical impossibility. Then there is the case that information on the Fed Website was not readily understandable for a machine - less than a thousandth of a second is not enough time for someone to commit well over a billion dollars that effectively bought all stocks, futures and options.
  The DataFortunately for us, in the minutes before the Fed announcement at 14:00 on September 18, 2013, there was significant activity in Comex Gold Futures (traded in Chicago) and the ETF symbol GLD (traded in New York). This gives us an opportunity to measure closely, the exact (to the millisecond) amount of time between trading activity in Chicago and New York. The first chart shows about 3.5 minutes of time around the Fed Announcement release, giving us an overview. The stack of charts that follow allow you to easily compare between GLD (New York) and GC Futures (Chicago) for 6 different active periods. You will see that in the first 5 pairs - before the announcement, activity first shows up in GC Futures, followed by activity in GLD between 5 and 7 milliseconds later. In the last pair, which compares activity at exactly 2pm (14:00:00), you will see both GC futures and GLD react in the same millisecond of time.
  See also: More Charts of Evidence, Wallpaper-sized chart of all stock trades at 2pm
  1. Animation of December 2013 Gold (GC) Futures (Chicago) followed by GLD stock (New York) on September 18, 2013 from 13:57 to 14:00:30.
  2. Zooming in 150 milliseconds of time for 6 different high activity periods minutes before and during the annoucement.Each chart shows first, Gold Futures (GC - traded in Chicago) followed by GLD (traded in New York). The first 5 charts show events minutes before the news release: you can clearly see that Gold Futures (GC) trades before GLD. But the last chart shows the event at 14:00:00, where Gold Futures trades at the exact same time as GLD stock. This is physically impossible unless information was already present in Chicago and New York. It's easiest if you compare the bottom panels of each chart which shows trading volume for each millisecond.
  ConclusionThere are 2 possibilities, and both aren't good news for Wall Street.
  1. A Timed News Release by a News OrganizationThe Fed news was condensed by a news service into a simple "No Tapering" message (something easily readable by a machine) and then placed on news servers co-located next to trading machines in both New York and Chicago at some time before 2pm. The news machines are programmed to release the information at precisely 2pm, allowing the algos to react immediately at both locations. This is how some news services release privately compiled statistics like the Consumer Confidence or Chicago PMI. In those cases, we see the exact behavior as in the last chart above - an immediate reaction in New York and Chicago. But the Fed news was released from a lock-up room which prevents transmission of any information to the outside world. Also, if it was a timed news release, the data was released before 2pm relative to Washington (when it's 2pm in Chicago, it's actually 1:59:59.995 relative to Washington). Given that several large news organizations were recently caught clandestinely sending news early we think it's less likely they would do something so bold, so soon.
  2. Leaked to Wall StreetThe Fed news was leaked to, or known by, a large Wall Street Firm who made the decision to pre-program their trading machines in both New York and Chicago and wait until precisely 2pm when they would buy everything available. It is somewhat fascinating that they tried to be "honest" by waiting until 2pm, but not a thousandth of a second longer. What makes this a more likely explanation is this: we've found that news organizations providing timed release services aren't so good about synchronizing their master clock - and often release plus or minus 15 milliseconds from actual time. Their news machines in New York and Chicago still release the data at the exact same millisecond, but with the same drift in time as the master clock. That is, we'll see an immediate market reaction at say, 15 milliseconds before the official scheduled time, but in the same millisecond of time in both New York and Chicago. Historically, these news services have shown a time range of about 30 milliseconds (+/- 15ms), and since this event started within 1 millisecond, it means the odds favor a leak over a timed news service.
  What also makes this the more likely conclusion is this: we know the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently hardened access to their lock-up room, weeding out all but respected news organizations. So imagine a reporter for one of these news organizations who is tasked with distilling the Fed news into a simple message that machines could read in less than a millisecond and interpret to mean, "buy all the things now". It's unlikely that Wall Street would place so much responsibility on one news reporter. Unless that reporter was a skilled - perhaps, dare we say, incentivized - trader. We think it's unlikely that a respected news organization would tolerate this clandestine behavior. Too much like crooks sneaking around at night.
  Regardless of which possibility is correct (it could even be a combination of the two), the Fed news was certainly present in trading centers in Chicago and New York before 2pm. The evidence is overwhelming. It is unknown how many people had access to this information - for a timed news release, it would have been at least an administrator, probably Q.A. and others. What we do know is the resulting explosion of trading just 1 thousandth of a second after 2pm, was unprecedented in the history of Fed news announcements, and much of that trading was based on information obtained before the set Federal Reserve Board release time.
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Speed of light - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:04
  The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted c, is a universal physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact because the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time.[1] This is approximately 186,282.4 miles per second, or about 671 million miles per hour. According to special relativity, c is the maximum speed at which all energy, matter, and information in the universe can travel. It is the speed at which all massless particles and associated fields (including electromagnetic radiation such as light) travel in vacuum. It is also the speed of gravity (i.e. of gravitational waves) predicted by current theories. Such particles and waves travel at c regardless of the motion of the source or the inertial frame of reference of the observer. In the theory of relativity, c interrelates space and time, and also appears in the famous equation of mass''energy equivalenceE = mc2.[2]
  The speed at which light propagates through transparent materials, such as glass or air, is less than c. The ratio between c and the speed v at which light travels in a material is called the refractive indexn of the material (n = c / v). For example, for visible light the refractive index of glass is typically around 1.5, meaning that light in glass travels at c / 1.5 '‰ 200,000 km/s; the refractive index of air for visible light is 1.000293, so the speed of light in air is 299,705 km/s or about 88 km/s slower than c.
  In most practical cases, light and other electromagnetic waves can be thought of as moving "instantaneously", but for long distances and very sensitive measurements their finite speed has noticeable effects. For example, in videos of an intense lightning storm on the Earth's surface taken from the International Space Station, the expansion of light wavefronts from individual flashes of lightning is clearly visible, and allows estimates of the speed of light to be made from frame-to-frame analysis of the position of the light wavefront. This is not surprising, as the time for light to propagate completely around the Earth is of the order of 140 milliseconds. This transit time is what causes the Schumann resonance. In communicating with distant space probes, it can take minutes to hours for a message to get from Earth to the spacecraft, or vice versa. The light we see from stars left them many years ago, allowing us to study the history of the universe by looking at distant objects. The finite speed of light also limits the theoretical maximum speed of computers, since information must be sent within the computer from chip to chip. Finally, the speed of light can be used with time of flight measurements to measure large distances to high precision.
  Ole R¸mer first demonstrated in 1676 that light travelled at a finite speed (as opposed to instantaneously) by studying the apparent motion of Jupiter's moon Io. In 1865, James Clerk Maxwell proposed that light was an electromagnetic wave, and therefore travelled at the speed c appearing in his theory of electromagnetism.[3] In 1905, Albert Einstein postulated that the speed of light with respect to any inertial frame is independent of the motion of the light source,[4] and explored the consequences of that postulate by deriving the special theory of relativity and showing that the parameter c had relevance outside of the context of light and electromagnetism. After centuries of increasingly precise measurements, in 1975 the speed of light was known to be 299,792,458 m/s with a measurement uncertainty of 4 parts per billion. In 1983, the metre was redefined in the International System of Units (SI) as the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. As a result, the numerical value of c in metres per second is now fixed exactly by the definition of the metre.[5]
  Numerical value, notation, and units[edit source |edit]The speed of light in vacuum is usually denoted by c, for "constant" or the Latin celeritas (meaning "swiftness"). (Capital C is the SI unit for coulomb of electric charge.) Originally, the symbol V was used for the speed of light, introduced by James Clerk Maxwell in 1865. In 1856, Wilhelm Eduard Weber and Rudolf Kohlrausch had used c for a different constant later shown to equal 'š2 times the speed of light in vacuum. In 1894, Paul Drude redefined c with its modern meaning. Einstein used V in his original German-language papers on special relativity in 1905, but in 1907 he switched to c, which by then had become the standard symbol.[6][7]
  Sometimes c is used for the speed of waves in any material medium, and c0 for the speed of light in vacuum.[8] This subscripted notation, which is endorsed in official SI literature,[5] has the same form as other related constants: namely, Î¼0 for the vacuum permeability or magnetic constant, Îµ0 for the vacuum permittivity or electric constant, and Z0 for the impedance of free space. This article uses c exclusively for the speed of light in vacuum.
  In the International System of Units (SI), the metre is defined as the distance light travels in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. This definition fixes the speed of light in vacuum at exactly 299,792,458 m/s.[9][10][11] As a dimensional physical constant, the numerical value of c is different for different unit systems.[Note 1] In branches of physics in which c appears often, such as in relativity, it is common to use systems of natural units of measurement or the geometrized unit system where c = 1.[13][14] Using these units, c does not appear explicitly because multiplication or division by 1 does not affect the result.
  Fundamental role in physics[edit source |edit]The speed at which light waves propagate in vacuum is independent both of the motion of the wave source and of the inertial frame of reference of the observer.[Note 2] This invariance of the speed of light was postulated by Einstein in 1905,[4] after being motivated by Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism and the lack of evidence for the luminiferous aether;[15] it has since been consistently confirmed by many experiments. It is only possible to verify experimentally that the two-way speed of light (for example, from a source to a mirror and back again) is frame-independent, because it is impossible to measure the one-way speed of light (for example, from a source to a distant detector) without some convention as to how clocks at the source and at the detector should be synchronized. However, by adopting Einstein synchronization for the clocks, the one-way speed of light becomes equal to the two-way speed of light by definition.[14][16] The special theory of relativity explores the consequences of this invariance of c with the assumption that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference.[17][18] One consequence is that c is the speed at which all massless particles and waves, including light, must travel in vacuum.
  Special relativity has many counterintuitive and experimentally verified implications.[19] These include the equivalence of mass and energy(E = mc2), length contraction (moving objects shorten),[Note 3] and time dilation (moving clocks run more slowly). The factor Î" by which lengths contract and times dilate is known as the Lorentz factor and is given by Î" = (1 '' v2/c2)''1/2, where v is the speed of the object. The difference of Î" from 1 is negligible for speeds much slower than c, such as most everyday speeds'--in which case special relativity is closely approximated by Galilean relativity'--but it increases at relativistic speeds and diverges to infinity as v approaches c.
  The results of special relativity can be summarized by treating space and time as a unified structure known as spacetime (with c relating the units of space and time), and requiring that physical theories satisfy a special symmetry called Lorentz invariance, whose mathematical formulation contains the parameter c.[22] Lorentz invariance is an almost universal assumption for modern physical theories, such as quantum electrodynamics, quantum chromodynamics, the Standard Model of particle physics, and general relativity. As such, the parameter c is ubiquitous in modern physics, appearing in many contexts that are unrelated to light. For example, general relativity predicts that c is also the speed of gravity and of gravitational waves.[23][24] In non-inertial frames of reference (gravitationally curved space or accelerated reference frames), the local speed of light is constant and equal to c, but the speed of light along a trajectory of finite length can differ from c, depending on how distances and times are defined.[25]
  It is generally assumed that fundamental constants such as c have the same value throughout spacetime, meaning that they do not depend on location and do not vary with time. However, it has been suggested in various theories that the speed of light may have changed over time.[26][27] No conclusive evidence for such changes has been found, but they remain the subject of ongoing research.[28][29]
  It also is generally assumed that the speed of light is isotropic, meaning that it has the same value regardless of the direction in which it is measured. Observations of the emissions from nuclear energy levels as a function of the orientation of the emitting nuclei in a magnetic field (see Hughes''Drever experiment), and of rotating optical resonators (see Resonator experiments) have put stringent limits on the possible two-way anisotropy.[30][31]
  Upper limit on speeds[edit source |edit]According to special relativity, the energy of an object with rest massm and speed v is given by Î"mc2, where Î" is the Lorentz factor defined above. When v is zero, Î" is equal to one, giving rise to the famous E = mc2 formula for mass-energy equivalence. The Î" factor approaches infinity as v approaches c, and it would take an infinite amount of energy to accelerate an object with mass to the speed of light. The speed of light is the upper limit for the speeds of objects with positive rest mass. This is experimentally established in many tests of relativistic energy and momentum.[32]
  More generally, it is normally impossible for information or energy to travel faster than c. One argument for this follows from the counter-intuitive implication of special relativity known as the relativity of simultaneity. If the spatial distance between two events A and B is greater than the time interval between them multiplied by c then there are frames of reference in which A precedes B, others in which B precedes A, and others in which they are simultaneous. As a result, if something were travelling faster than c relative to an inertial frame of reference, it would be travelling backwards in time relative to another frame, and causality would be violated.[Note 4][34] In such a frame of reference, an "effect" could be observed before its "cause". Such a violation of causality has never been recorded,[16] and would lead to paradoxes such as the tachyonic antitelephone.[35]
  Faster-than-light observations and experiments[edit source |edit]There are situations in which it may seem that matter, energy, or information travels at speeds greater than c, but they do not. For example, as is discussed in the propagation of light in a medium section below, many wave velocities can exceed c. For example, the phase velocity of X-rays through most glasses can routinely exceed c,[36] but phase velocity does not determine the velocity at which waves convey information.[37]
  If a laser beam is swept quickly across a distant object, the spot of light can move faster than c, although the initial movement of the spot is delayed because of the time it takes light to get to the distant object at the speed c. However, the only physical entities that are moving are the laser and its emitted light, which travels at the speed c from the laser to the various positions of the spot. Similarly, a shadow projected onto a distant object can be made to move faster than c, after a delay in time.[38] In neither case does any matter, energy, or information travel faster than light.[39]
  The rate of change in the distance between two objects in a frame of reference with respect to which both are moving (their closing speed) may have a value in excess of c. However, this does not represent the speed of any single object as measured in a single inertial frame.[39]
  Certain quantum effects appear to be transmitted instantaneously and therefore faster than c, as in the EPR paradox. An example involves the quantum states of two particles that can be entangled. Until either of the particles is observed, they exist in a superposition of two quantum states. If the particles are separated and one particle's quantum state is observed, the other particle's quantum state is determined instantaneously (i.e., faster than light could travel from one particle to the other). However, it is impossible to control which quantum state the first particle will take on when it is observed, so information cannot be transmitted in this manner.[39][40]
  Another quantum effect that predicts the occurrence of faster-than-light speeds is called the Hartman effect; under certain conditions the time needed for a virtual particle to tunnel through a barrier is constant, regardless of the thickness of the barrier.[41][42] This could result in a virtual particle crossing a large gap faster-than-light. However, no information can be sent using this effect.[43]
  So-called superluminal motion is seen in certain astronomical objects,[44] such as the relativistic jets of radio galaxies and quasars. However, these jets are not moving at speeds in excess of the speed of light: the apparent superluminal motion is a projection effect caused by objects moving near the speed of light and approaching Earth at a small angle to the line of sight: since the light which was emitted when the jet was farther away took longer to reach the Earth, the time between two successive observations corresponds to a longer time between the instants at which the light rays were emitted.[45]
  In models of the expanding universe, the farther galaxies are from each other, the faster they drift apart. This receding is not due to motion through space, but rather to the expansion of space itself.[39] For example, galaxies far away from Earth appear to be moving away from the Earth with a speed proportional to their distances. Beyond a boundary called the Hubble sphere, the rate at which their distance from Earth increases becomes greater than the speed of light.[46]
  In September 2011, physicists working on the OPERA experiment published results that suggested beams of neutrinos had travelled from CERN (in Geneva, Switzerland) to LNGS (at the Gran Sasso, Italy) faster than the speed of light.[47] These findings, sometimes referred to as the faster-than-light neutrino anomaly, were subsequently determined'--subject to further confirmation'--to be the result of a measurement error.[48]
  In classical physics, light is described as a type of electromagnetic wave. The classical behaviour of the electromagnetic field is described by Maxwell's equations, which predict that the speed c with which electromagnetic waves (such as light) propagate through the vacuum is related to the electric constantÎµ0 and the magnetic constantÎ¼0 by the equation c = 1/'šÎµ0Î¼0.[49] In modern quantum physics, the electromagnetic field is described by the theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED). In this theory, light is described by the fundamental excitations (or quanta) of the electromagnetic field, called photons. In QED, photons are massless particles and thus, according to special relativity, they travel at the speed of light in vacuum.
  Extensions of QED in which the photon has a mass have been considered. In such a theory, its speed would depend on its frequency, and the invariant speed c of special relativity would then be the upper limit of the speed of light in vacuum.[25] No variation of the speed of light with frequency has been observed in rigorous testing,[50][51][52] putting stringent limits on the mass of the photon. The limit obtained depends on the model used: if the massive photon is described by Proca theory,[53] the experimental upper bound for its mass is about 10''57grams;[54] if photon mass is generated by a Higgs mechanism, the experimental upper limit is less sharp, m '‰¤ 10''14eV/c2 [53] (roughly 2 — 10''47 g).
  Another reason for the speed of light to vary with its frequency would be the failure of special relativity to apply to arbitrarily small scales, as predicted by some proposed theories of quantum gravity. In 2009, the observation of the spectrum of gamma-ray burstGRB 090510 did not find any difference in the speeds of photons of different energies, confirming that Lorentz invariance is verified at least down to the scale of the Planck length (lP = 'šÄ§G/c3 '‰ 1.6163—10''35 m) divided by 1.2.[55]
  In a medium[edit source |edit]In a medium, light usually does not propagate at a speed equal to c; further, different types of light wave will travel at different speeds. The speed at which the individual crests and troughs of a plane wave (a wave filling the whole space, with only one frequency) propagate is called the phase velocity vp. An actual physical signal with a finite extent (a pulse of light) travels at a different speed. The largest part of the pulse travels at the group velocity vg, and its earliest part travels at the front velocity vf.
  The phase velocity is important in determining how a light wave travels through a material or from one material to another. It is often represented in terms of a refractive index. The refractive index of a material is defined as the ratio of c to the phase velocity vp in the material: larger indices of refraction indicate lower speeds. The refractive index of a material may depend on the light's frequency, intensity, polarization, or direction of propagation; in many cases, though, it can be treated as a material-dependent constant. The refractive index of air is approximately 1.0003.[56] Denser media, such as water,[57] glass,[58] and diamond,[59] have refractive indexes of around 1.3, 1.5 and 2.4, respectively, for visible light. In exotic materials like Bose''Einstein condensates near absolute zero, the effective speed of light may be only a few meters per second. However, this represents absorption and re-radiation delay between atoms, as do all slower-than-c speeds in material substances. As an extreme example of this, light "slowing" in matter, two independent teams of physicists claimed to bring light to a "complete standstill" by passing it through a Bose''Einstein Condensate of the element rubidium, one team at Harvard University and the Rowland Institute for Science in Cambridge, Mass., and the other at the Harvard''Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, also in Cambridge. However, the popular description of light being "stopped" in these experiments refers only to light being stored in the excited states of atoms, then re-emitted at an arbitrarily later time, as stimulated by a second laser pulse. During the time it had "stopped," it had ceased to be light. This type of behaviour is generally microscopically true of all transparent media which "slow" the speed of light.[60]
  In transparent materials, the refractive index generally is greater than 1, meaning that the phase velocity is less than c. In other materials, it is possible for the refractive index to become smaller than 1 for some frequencies; in some exotic materials it is even possible for the index of refraction to become negative.[61] The requirement that causality is not violated implies that the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant of any material, corresponding respectively to the index of refraction and to the attenuation coefficient, are linked by the Kramers''Kronig relations.[62] In practical terms, this means that in a material with refractive index less than 1, the absorption of the wave is so quick that no signal can be sent faster than c.
  A pulse with different group and phase velocities (which occurs if the phase velocity is not the same for all the frequencies of the pulse) smears out over time, a process known as dispersion. Certain materials have an exceptionally low (or even zero) group velocity for light waves, a phenomenon called slow light, which has been confirmed in various experiments.[63][64][65][66] The opposite, group velocities exceeding c, has also been shown in experiment.[67] It should even be possible for the group velocity to become infinite or negative, with pulses travelling instantaneously or backwards in time.[68]
  None of these options, however, allow information to be transmitted faster than c. It is impossible to transmit information with a light pulse any faster than the speed of the earliest part of the pulse (the front velocity). It can be shown that this is (under certain assumptions) always equal to c.[68]
  It is possible for a particle to travel through a medium faster than the phase velocity of light in that medium (but still slower than c). When a charged particle does that in a dielectric material, the electromagnetic equivalent of a shock wave, known as Cherenkov radiation, is emitted.[69]
  Practical effects of finiteness[edit source |edit]The speed of light is of relevance to communications: the one-way and round-trip delay time are greater than zero. This applies from small to astronomical scales. On the other hand, some techniques depend on the finite speed of light, for example in distance measurements.
  Small scales[edit source |edit]In supercomputers, the speed of light imposes a limit on how quickly data can be sent between processors. If a processor operates at 1 gigahertz, a signal can only travel a maximum of about 30 centimetres (1 ft) in a single cycle. Processors must therefore be placed close to each other to minimize communication latencies; this can cause difficulty with cooling. If clock frequencies continue to increase, the speed of light will eventually become a limiting factor for the internal design of single chips.[70]
  Large distances on Earth[edit source |edit]For example, given the equatorial circumference of the Earth is about 40,075 km and c about 300,000 km/s, the theoretical shortest time for a piece of information to travel half the globe along the surface is about 67 milliseconds. When light is travelling around the globe in an optical fibre, the actual transit time is longer, in part because the speed of light is slower by about 35% in an optical fibre, depending on its refractive index n.[71] Furthermore, straight lines rarely occur in global communications situations, and delays are created when the signal passes through an electronic switch or signal regenerator.[72]
  Spaceflights and astronomy[edit source |edit]Similarly, communications between the Earth and spacecraft are not instantaneous. There is a brief delay from the source to the receiver, which becomes more noticeable as distances increase. This delay was significant for communications between ground control and Apollo 8 when it became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon: for every question, the ground control station had to wait at least three seconds for the answer to arrive.[73] The communications delay between Earth and Mars can vary between five and twenty minutes depending upon the relative positions of the two planets. As a consequence of this, if a robot on the surface of Mars were to encounter a problem, its human controllers would not be aware of it until at least five minutes later, and possibly up to twenty minutes later; it would then take a further five to twenty minutes for instructions to travel from Earth to Mars.
  NASA must wait several hours for information from a probe orbiting Jupiter, and if it needs to correct a navigation error, the fix will not arrive at the spacecraft for an equal amount of time, creating a risk of the correction not arriving in time.
  Receiving light and other signals from distant astronomical sources can even take much longer. For example, it has taken 13 billion (13—109) years for light to travel to Earth from the faraway galaxies viewed in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field images.[74][75] Those photographs, taken today, capture images of the galaxies as they appeared 13 billion years ago, when the universe was less than a billion years old.[74] The fact that more distant objects appear to be younger, due to the finite speed of light, allows astronomers to infer the evolution of stars, of galaxies, and of the universe itself.
  Astronomical distances are sometimes expressed in light-years, especially in popular science publications and media.[76] A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, around 9461 billion kilometres, 5879 billion miles, or 0.3066 parsecs. In round figures, a light year is nearly 10 trillion kilometres or nearly 6 trillion miles. Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth after the Sun, is around 4.2 light-years away.[77]
  Distance measurement[edit source |edit]Radar systems measure the distance to a target by the time it takes a radio-wave pulse to return to the radar antenna after being reflected by the target: the distance to the target is half the round-trip transit time multiplied by the speed of light. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver measures its distance to GPS satellites based on how long it takes for a radio signal to arrive from each satellite, and from these distances calculates the receiver's position. Because light travels about 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles) in one second, these measurements of small fractions of a second must be very precise. The Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment, radar astronomy and the Deep Space Network determine distances to the Moon,[78] planets[79] and spacecraft,[80] respectively, by measuring round-trip transit times.
  There are different ways to determine the value of c. One way is to measure the actual speed at which light waves propagate, which can be done in various astronomical and earth-based setups. However, it is also possible to determine c from other physical laws where it appears, for example, by determining the values of the electromagnetic constants Îµ0 and Î¼0 and using their relation to c. Historically, the most accurate results have been obtained by separately determining the frequency and wavelength of a light beam, with their product equalling c.
  In 1983 the metre was defined as "the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1'299,792,458 of a second",[81] fixing the value of the speed of light at 299,792,458 m/s by definition, as described below. Consequently, accurate measurements of the speed of light yield an accurate realization of the metre rather than an accurate value of c.
  Astronomical measurements[edit source |edit]Outer space is a natural setting for measuring the speed of light because of its large scale and nearly perfect vacuum. Typically, one measures the time needed for light to traverse some reference distance in the solar system, such as the radius of the Earth's orbit. Historically, such measurements could be made fairly accurately, compared to how accurately the length of the reference distance is known in Earth-based units. It is customary to express the results in astronomical units (AU) per day. An astronomical unit is approximately the average distance between the Earth and Sun; it is not based on the International System of Units.[Note 5] Because the AU determines an actual length, and is not based upon time-of-flight like the SI units, modern measurements of the speed of light in astronomical units per day can be compared with the defined value of c in the International System of Units.
  Ole Christensen R¸mer used an astronomical measurement to make the first quantitative estimate of the speed of light.[84][85] When measured from Earth, the periods of moons orbiting a distant planet are shorter when the Earth is approaching the planet than when the Earth is receding from it. The distance travelled by light from the planet (or its moon) to Earth is shorter when the Earth is at the point in its orbit that is closest to its planet than when the Earth is at the farthest point in its orbit, the difference in distance being the diameter of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The observed change in the moon's orbital period is actually the difference in the time it takes light to traverse the shorter or longer distance. R¸mer observed this effect for Jupiter's innermost moon Io and deduced that light takes 22 minutes to cross the diameter of the Earth's orbit.
  Another method is to use the aberration of light, discovered and explained by James Bradley in the 18th century.[86] This effect results from the vector addition of the velocity of light arriving from a distant source (such as a star) and the velocity of its observer (see diagram on the right). A moving observer thus sees the light coming from a slightly different direction and consequently sees the source at a position shifted from its original position. Since the direction of the Earth's velocity changes continuously as the Earth orbits the Sun, this effect causes the apparent position of stars to move around. From the angular difference in the position of stars (maximally 20.5 arcseconds)[87] it is possible to express the speed of light in terms of the Earth's velocity around the Sun, which with the known length of a year can be converted to the time needed to travel from the Sun to the Earth. In 1729, Bradley used this method to derive that light travelled 10,210 times faster than the Earth in its orbit (the modern figure is 10,066 times faster) or, equivalently, that it would take light 8 minutes 12 seconds to travel from the Sun to the Earth.[86]
  Nowadays, the "light time for unit distance"'--the inverse of c, expressed in seconds per astronomical unit'--is measured by comparing the time for radio signals to reach different spacecraft in the Solar System, with their position calculated from the gravitational effects of the Sun and various planets. By combining many such measurements, a best fit value for the light time per unit distance is obtained. As of 2009[update], the best estimate, as approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), is:[88][89]
  light time for unit distance: 499.004783836(10) sc = 0.00200398880410(4) AU/s = 173.144632674(3) AU/day.The relative uncertainty in these measurements is 0.02 parts per billion (2—10''11), equivalent to the uncertainty in Earth-based measurements of length by interferometry.[90][Note 6] Since the metre is defined to be the length travelled by light in a certain time interval, the measurement of the light time for unit distance can also be interpreted as measuring the length of an AU in metres.[Note 7]
  Time of flight techniques[edit source |edit]A method of measuring the speed of light is to measure the time needed for light to travel to a mirror at a known distance and back. This is the working principle behind the Fizeau''Foucault apparatus developed by Hippolyte Fizeau and L(C)on Foucault.
  The setup as used by Fizeau consists of a beam of light directed at a mirror 8 kilometres (5 mi) away. On the way from the source to the mirror, the beam passes through a rotating cogwheel. At a certain rate of rotation, the beam passes through one gap on the way out and another on the way back, but at slightly higher or lower rates, the beam strikes a tooth and does not pass through the wheel. Knowing the distance between the wheel and the mirror, the number of teeth on the wheel, and the rate of rotation, the speed of light can be calculated.[91]
  The method of Foucault replaces the cogwheel by a rotating mirror. Because the mirror keeps rotating while the light travels to the distant mirror and back, the light is reflected from the rotating mirror at a different angle on its way out than it is on its way back. From this difference in angle, the known speed of rotation and the distance to the distant mirror the speed of light may be calculated.[92]
  Nowadays, using oscilloscopes with time resolutions of less than one nanosecond, the speed of light can be directly measured by timing the delay of a light pulse from a laser or an LED reflected from a mirror. This method is less precise (with errors of the order of 1%) than other modern techniques, but it is sometimes used as a laboratory experiment in college physics classes.[93][94][95]
  Electromagnetic constants[edit source |edit]An option for deriving c that does not directly depend on a measurement of the propagation of electromagnetic waves is to use the relation between c and the vacuum permittivityÎµ0 and vacuum permeabilityÎ¼0 established by Maxwell's theory: c2 = 1/(Îµ0Î¼0). The vacuum permittivity may be determined by measuring the capacitance and dimensions of a capacitor, whereas the value of the vacuum permeability is fixed at exactly 4Ï—10''7 H'‹…m''1 through the definition of the ampere. Rosa and Dorsey used this method in 1907 to find a value of 299,710±22 km/s.[96][97]
  Cavity resonance[edit source |edit]Another way to measure the speed of light is to independently measure the frequency f and wavelength Î>> of an electromagnetic wave in vacuum. The value of c can then be found by using the relation c = fÎ>>. One option is to measure the resonance frequency of a cavity resonator. If the dimensions of the resonance cavity are also known, these can be used determine the wavelength of the wave. In 1946, Louis Essen and A.C. Gordon-Smith established the frequency for a variety of normal modes of microwaves of a microwave cavity of precisely known dimensions. The dimensions were established to an accuracy of about ±0.8 Î¼m using gauges calibrated by interferometry.[96] As the wavelength of the modes was known from the geometry of the cavity and from electromagnetic theory, knowledge of the associated frequencies enabled a calculation of the speed of light.[96][98]
  The Essen''Gordon-Smith result, 299,792±9 km/s, was substantially more precise than those found by optical techniques.[96] By 1950, repeated measurements by Essen established a result of 299,792.5±3.0 km/s.[99]
  A household demonstration of this technique is possible, using a microwave oven and food such as marshmallows or margarine: if the turntable is removed so that the food does not move, it will cook the fastest at the antinodes (the points at which the wave amplitude is the greatest), where it will begin to melt. The distance between two such spots is half the wavelength of the microwaves; by measuring this distance and multiplying the wavelength by the microwave frequency (usually displayed on the back of the oven, typically 2450 MHz), the value of c can be calculated, "often with less than 5% error".[100][101]
  Interferometry[edit source |edit]Interferometry is another method to find the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation for determining the speed of light.[102] A coherent beam of light (e.g. from a laser), with a known frequency (f), is split to follow two paths and then recombined. By adjusting the path length while observing the interference pattern and carefully measuring the change in path length, the wavelength of the light (Î>>) can be determined. The speed of light is then calculated using the equation c = Î>>f.
  Before the advent of laser technology, coherent radio sources were used for interferometry measurements of the speed of light.[103] However interferometric determination of wavelength becomes less precise with wavelength and the experiments were thus limited in precision by the long wavelength (~0.4 cm) of the radiowaves. The precision can be improved by using light with a shorter wavelength, but then it becomes difficult to directly measure the frequency of the light. One way around this problem is to start with a low frequency signal of which the frequency can be precisely measured, and from this signal progressively synthesize higher frequency signals whose frequency can then be linked to the original signal. A laser can then be locked to the frequency, and its wavelength can be determined using interferometry.[104] This technique was due to a group at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) (which later became NIST). They used it in 1972 to measure the speed of light in vacuum with a fractional uncertainty of 3.5—10''9.[104][105]
  History of measurements of c (in km/s)1675R¸mer and Huygens, moons of Jupiter220,000[85][106]1729James Bradley, aberration of light301,000[91]1849Hippolyte Fizeau, toothed wheel315,000[91]1862L(C)on Foucault, rotating mirror298,000±500[91]1907Rosa and Dorsey, EM constants299,710±30[96][97]1926Albert Michelson, rotating mirror299,796±4[107]1950Essen and Gordon-Smith, cavity resonator299,792.5±3.0[99]1958K.D. Froome, radio interferometry299,792.50±0.10[103]1972Evenson et al., laser interferometry299,792.4562±0.0011[105]198317th CGPM, definition of the metre299,792.458 (exact)[81]Until the early modern period, it was not known whether light travelled instantaneously or at a very fast finite speed. The first extant recorded examination of this subject was in ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks, Muslim scholars and classical European scientists long debated this until R¸mer provided the first calculation of the speed of light. Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity concluded that the speed of light is constant regardless of one's frame of reference. Since then, scientists have provided increasingly accurate measurements.
  Early history[edit source |edit]Empedocles was the first to claim that light has a finite speed.[108] He maintained that light was something in motion, and therefore must take some time to travel. Aristotle argued, to the contrary, that "light is due to the presence of something, but it is not a movement".[109]Euclid and Ptolemy advanced the emission theory of vision, where light is emitted from the eye, thus enabling sight. Based on that theory, Heron of Alexandria argued that the speed of light must be infinite because distant objects such as stars appear immediately upon opening the eyes.
  Early Islamic philosophers initially agreed with the Aristotelian view that light had no speed of travel. In 1021, Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham) published the Book of Optics, in which he presented a series of arguments dismissing the emission theory in favour of the now accepted intromission theory of vision, in which light moves from an object into the eye.[110] This led Alhazen to propose that light must have a finite speed,[109][111][112] and that the speed of light is variable, decreasing in denser bodies.[112][113] He argued that light is substantial matter, the propagation of which requires time, even if this is hidden from our senses.[114] Also in the 11th century, AbÅ RayhÄn al-BÄrÅnÄ agreed that light has a finite speed, and observed that the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.[115]
  In the 13th century, Roger Bacon argued that the speed of light in air was not infinite, using philosophical arguments backed by the writing of Alhazen and Aristotle.[116][117] In the 1270s, Witelo considered the possibility of light travelling at infinite speed in vacuum, but slowing down in denser bodies.[118]
  In the early 17th century, Johannes Kepler believed that the speed of light was infinite, since empty space presents no obstacle to it. Ren(C) Descartes argued that if the speed of light were finite, the Sun, Earth, and Moon would be noticeably out of alignment during a lunar eclipse. Since such misalignment had not been observed, Descartes concluded the speed of light was infinite. Descartes speculated that if the speed of light were found to be finite, his whole system of philosophy might be demolished.[109]
  First measurement attempts[edit source |edit]In 1629, Isaac Beeckman proposed an experiment in which a person observes the flash of a cannon reflecting off a mirror about one mile (1.6 km) away. In 1638, Galileo Galilei proposed an experiment, with an apparent claim to having performed it some years earlier, to measure the speed of light by observing the delay between uncovering a lantern and its perception some distance away. He was unable to distinguish whether light travel was instantaneous or not, but concluded that if it were not, it must nevertheless be extraordinarily rapid.[119][120] Galileo's experiment was carried out by the Accademia del Cimento of Florence, Italy, in 1667, with the lanterns separated by about one mile, but no delay was observed. The actual delay in this experiment would have been about 11 microseconds.
  The first quantitative estimate of the speed of light was made in 1676 by R¸mer (see R¸mer's determination of the speed of light).[84][85] From the observation that the periods of Jupiter's innermost moon Io appeared to be shorter when the Earth was approaching Jupiter than when receding from it, he concluded that light travels at a finite speed, and estimated that it takes light 22 minutes to cross the diameter of Earth's orbit. Christiaan Huygens combined this estimate with an estimate for the diameter of the Earth's orbit to obtain an estimate of speed of light of 220,000 km/s, 26% lower than the actual value.[106]
  In his 1704 book Opticks, Isaac Newton reported R¸mer's calculations of the finite speed of light and gave a value of "seven or eight minutes" for the time taken for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth (the modern value is 8 minutes 19 seconds).[121] Newton queried whether R¸mer's eclipse shadows were coloured; hearing that they were not, he concluded the different colours travelled at the same speed. In 1729, James Bradley discovered the aberration of light.[86] From this effect he determined that light must travel 10,210 times faster than the Earth in its orbit (the modern figure is 10,066 times faster) or, equivalently, that it would take light 8 minutes 12 seconds to travel from the Sun to the Earth.[86]
  Connections with electromagnetism[edit source |edit]In the 19th century Hippolyte Fizeau developed a method to determine the speed of light based on time-of-flight measurements on Earth and reported a value of 315,000 km/s. His method was improved upon by L(C)on Foucault who obtained a value of 298,000 km/s in 1862.[91] In the year 1856, Wilhelm Eduard Weber and Rudolf Kohlrausch measured the ratio of the electromagnetic and electrostatic units of charge, 1/'šÎµ0Î¼0, by discharging a Leyden jar, and found that its numerical value was very close to the speed of light as measured directly by Fizeau. The following year Gustav Kirchhoff calculated that an electric signal in a resistanceless wire travels along the wire at this speed.[122] In the early 1860s, Maxwell showed that according to the theory of electromagnetism which he was working on, that electromagnetic waves propagate in empty space[123][124][125] at a speed equal to the above Weber/Kohrausch ratio, and drawing attention to the numerical proximity of this value to the speed of light as measured by Fizeau, he proposed that light is in fact an electromagnetic wave.[126]
  "Luminiferous aether"[edit source |edit]It was thought at the time that empty space was filled with a background medium called the luminiferous aether in which the electromagnetic field existed. Some physicists thought that this aether acted as a preferred frame of reference for the propagation of light and therefore it should be possible to measure the motion of the Earth with respect to this medium, by measuring the isotropy of the speed of light. Beginning in the 1880s several experiments were performed to try to detect this motion, the most famous of which is the experiment performed by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley in 1887.[127] The detected motion was always less than the observational error. Modern experiments indicate that the two-way speed of light is isotropic (the same in every direction) to within 6 nanometres per second.[128] Because of this experiment Hendrik Lorentz proposed that the motion of the apparatus through the aether may cause the apparatus to contract along its length in the direction of motion, and he further assumed, that the time variable for moving systems must also be changed accordingly ("local time"), which led to the formulation of the Lorentz transformation. Based on Lorentz's aether theory, Henri Poincar(C) (1900) showed that this local time (to first order in v/c) is indicated by clocks moving in the aether, which are synchronized under the assumption of constant light speed. In 1904, he speculated that the speed of light could be a limiting velocity in dynamics, provided that the assumptions of Lorentz's theory are all confirmed. In 1905, Poincar(C) brought Lorentz's aether theory into full observational agreement with the principle of relativity.[129][130]
  Special relativity[edit source |edit]In 1905 Einstein postulated from the outset that the speed of light in vacuum, measured by a non-accelerating observer, is independent of the motion of the source or observer. Using this and the principle of relativity as a basis he derived the special theory of relativity, in which the speed of light in vacuum c featured as a fundamental constant, also appearing in contexts unrelated to light. This made the concept of the stationary aether (to which Lorentz and Poincar(C) still adhered) useless and revolutionized the concepts of space and time.[131][132]
  Increased accuracy of c and redefinition of the metre[edit source |edit]In the second half of the 20th century much progress was made in increasing the accuracy of measurements of the speed of light, first by cavity resonance techniques and later by laser interferometer techniques. In 1972, using the latter method and the 1960 definition of the metre in terms of a particular spectral line of krypton-86, a group at NBS in Boulder, Colorado determined the speed of light in vacuum to be c = 299,792,456.2±1.1 m/s. This was 100 times less uncertain than the previously accepted value. The remaining uncertainty was mainly related to the definition of the metre.[Note 8][105] As similar experiments found comparable results for c, the 15th Conf(C)rence G(C)n(C)rale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) in 1975 recommended using the value 299,792,458 m/s for the speed of light.[135]
  In 1983 the 17th CGPM redefined the metre thus, "The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299 792 458 of a second."[81] As a result of this definition, the value of the speed of light in vacuum is exactly 299,792,458 m/s[136][137] and has become a defined constant in the SI system of units.[11] Improved experimental techniques do not affect the value of the speed of light in SI units, but instead allow a more precise realization of the metre.[138][139]
  ^The speed of light in imperial units and US units is based on an inch of exactly 2.54 cm and is exactly 186,282 miles, 698 yards, 2 feet, and 5 21/127 inches per second.[12]^However, the frequency of light can depend on the motion of the source relative to the observer, due to the Doppler effect.^Whereas moving objects are measured to be shorter along the line of relative motion, they are also seen as being rotated. This effect, known as Terrell rotation, is due to the different times that light from different parts of the object takes to reach the observer.[20][21]^It is thought that the Scharnhorst effect does allow signals to travel slightly faster than c, but the special conditions in which this effect can occur prevent one from using this effect to violate causality.[33]^The astronomical unit is defined as the radius of an unperturbed circular Newtonian orbit about the Sun of a particle having infinitesimal mass, moving with an angular frequency of 0.01720209895radians (approximately 1'365.256898 of a revolution) per day.[82] It may be noted that the astronomical unit increases at a rate of about (15 ± 4) cm/yr, probably due to the changing mass of the Sun.[83] This unit has the advantage that the gravitational constant multiplied by the Sun's mass has a fixed, exact value in cubic astronomical units per day squared.^The value of the speed of light in astronomical units has a measurement uncertainty, unlike the value in SI units, because of the different definitions of the unit of length.^Nevertheless, at this degree of precision, the effects of general relativity must be taken into consideration when interpreting the length. The metre is considered to be a unit of proper length, whereas the AU is usually used as a unit of observed length in a given frame of reference. The values cited here follow the latter convention, and are TDB-compatible.[89]^Since 1960 the metre was defined as: "The metre is the length equal to 1,650,763.73 wavelengths in vacuum of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the levels 2p10 and 5d5 of the krypton 86 atom."[133] It was later discovered that this spectral line was not symmetric, which put a limit on the precision with which the definition could be realized in interferometry experiments.[134]^Penrose, R (2004). The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe. Vintage Books. pp. 410''1. ISBN 978-0-679-77631-4. 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Nauk 93 (1967) 385, and in "Pavel Alekseyevich ÄŒerenkov: Chelovek i Otkrytie" A. N. Gorbunov, E. P. ÄŒerenkova (eds.), Moscow, Nauka (1999) pp. 149''153.^Parhami, B (1999). Introduction to parallel processing: algorithms and architectures. Plenum Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-306-45970-2. and Imbs, D; Raynal, Michel (2009). "Software Transactional Memories: An Approach for Multicore Programming". In Malyshkin, V. Parallel Computing Technologies. 10th International Conference, PaCT 2009, Novosibirsk, Russia, August 31 '' September 4, 2009. Springer. p. 26. ISBN 978-3-642-03274-5. ^A typical value for the refractive index of optical fibre is between 1.518 and 1.538: Midwinter, JE (1991). Optical Fibers for Transmission (2nd ed.). Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-595-1. ^"Theoretical vs real-world speed limit of Ping". Royal Pingdom. Pingdom. June 2007. Retrieved 2010-05-05. ^"Day 4: Lunar Orbits 7, 8 and 9". The Apollo 8 Flight Journal. NASA. 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(As reproduced in Hutton, C; Shaw, G; Pearson, R eds. (1809). "On the Motion of Light by M. Romer". The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, from Their Commencement in 1665, in the Year 1800: Abridged2. London: C. & R. Baldwin. pp. 397''98. )The account published in Journal des s§avans was based on a report that R¸mer read to the French Academy of Sciences in November 1676 (Cohen, 1940, p. 346).^ abcdBradley, J (1729). "Account of a new discoved Motion of the Fix'd Stars". Philosophical Transactions35: 637''660. ^Duffett-Smith, P (1988). Practical Astronomy with your Calculator. Cambridge University Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-521-35699-7. , Extract of page 62^Pitjeva, EV; Standish, EM (2009). "Proposals for the masses of the three largest asteroids, the Moon-Earth mass ratio and the Astronomical Unit". Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy103 (4): 365''372. 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"The Velocity of Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves Derived from the Resonant Frequencies of a Cylindrical Cavity Resonator". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A204 (1077): 260''277. Bibcode:1950RSPSA.204..260E. doi:10.1098/rspa.1950.0172. JSTOR 98433. ^Stauffer, RH (April 1997). "Finding the Speed of Light with Marshmallows". The Physics Teacher (American Association of Physics Teachers) 35 (4): 231. Bibcode:1997PhTea..35..231S. doi:10.1119/1.2344657. Retrieved 2010-02-15. ^"BBC Look East at the speed of light". BBC Norfolk website. BBC. Retrieved 2010-02-15. ^A detailed discussion of the interferometer and its use for determining the speed of light can be found in Vaughan, JM (1989). The Fabry-Perot interferometer. CRC Press. p. 47, pp. 384''391. ISBN 0-85274-138-3. ^ abFroome, KD (1958). "A New Determination of the Free-Space Velocity of Electromagnetic Waves". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, (The Royal Society) 247 (1248): 109''122. Bibcode:1958RSPSA.247..109F. doi:10.1098/rspa.1958.0172. JSTOR 100591. ^ abSullivan, DB (2001). "Speed of Light from Direct Frequency and Wavelength Measurements". In Lide, DR. A Century of Excellence in Measurements, Standards, and Technology. CRC Press. pp. 191''193. ISBN 0-8493-1247-7. ^ abcEvenson, KM; et al. (1972). "Speed of Light from Direct Frequency and Wavelength Measurements of the Methane-Stabilized Laser". Physical Review Letters29 (19): 1346''49. Bibcode:1972PhRvL..29.1346E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.29.1346. ^ abHuygens, C (1690). Trait(C)e de la Lumi¨re (in French). Pierre van der Aa. pp. 8''9. ^Michelson, A. A. (1927). "Measurement of the Velocity of Light Between Mount Wilson and Mount San Antonio". The Astrophysical Journal65: 1. Bibcode:1927ApJ....65....1M. doi:10.1086/143021. edit^Sarton, G (1993). Ancient science through the golden age of Greece. Courier Dover. p. 248. ISBN 0-486-27495-0. ^ abcMacKay, RH; Oldford, RW (2000). "Scientific Method, Statistical Method and the Speed of Light". Statistical Science15 (3): 254''78. doi:10.1214/ss/1009212817. (click on "Historical background" in the table of contents)^Gross, CG (1999). "The Fire That Comes from the Eye". Neuroscientist5: 58''49. doi:10.1177/107385849900500108. ^Hamarneh, S (1972). "Review: Hakim Mohammed Said, Ibn al-Haitham". Isis63 (1): 119. doi:10.1086/350861. ^ abLester, PM (2005). Visual Communication: Images With Messages. Thomson Wadsworth. pp. 10''11. ISBN 0-534-63720-5. ^O'Connor, JJ; Robertson, EF. "Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham". MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. University of St Andrews. Retrieved 2010-01-12. ^Lauginie, P (2005). "Measuring: Why? How? What?". Proceedings of the 8th International History, Philosophy, Sociology & Science Teaching Conference. Retrieved 2008-07-18. ^O'Connor, JJ; Robertson, EF. "Abu han Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni". MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. University of St Andrews. Retrieved 2010-01-12. ^Lindberg, DC (1996). Roger Bacon and the origins of Perspectiva in the Middle Ages: a critical edition and English translation of Bacon's Perspectiva, with introduction and notes. Oxford University Press. p. 143. ISBN 0-19-823992-0. ^Lindberg, DC (1974). "Late Thirteenth-Century Synthesis in Optics". In Edward Grant. A source book in medieval science. Harvard University Press. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-674-82360-0. ^Marshall, P (1981). "Nicole Oresme on the Nature, Reflection, and Speed of Light". Isis72 (3): 357''74 [367''74]. doi:10.1086/352787. ^Boyer, CB (1941). "Early Estimates of the Velocity of Light". Isis33 (1): 24. doi:10.1086/358523. ^Galilei, G (1954) [1638]. Dialogues Concerning Two New Sciences. Crew, H; de Salvio A (trans.). Dover Publications. p. 43. ISBN 0-486-60099-8. ^Newton, I (1704). "Prop. XI". Optiks. The text of Prop. XI is identical between the first (1704) and second (1719) editions.^Graneau, P; Assis, AKT (1994). "Kirchhoff on the motion of electricity in conductors". Apeiron19: 19''25. Retrieved 2010-10-21. ^Giordano, Nicholas J. (2009). College physics: reasoning and relationships. Cengage Learning. p. 787. ISBN 0-534-42471-6. , Extract of page 787^Bergmann, Peter Gabriel (1992). The riddle of gravitation. Courier Dover Publications. p. 17. ISBN 0-486-27378-4. , Extract of page 17^Bais, Sander (2005). The equations: icons of knowledge. Harvard University Press. p. 40. ISBN 0-674-01967-9. , Extract of page 40^O'Connor, JJ; Robertson, EF (November 1997). "James Clerk Maxwell". School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews. Retrieved 2010-10-13. ^Michelson, AA; Morley, EW (1887). "On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether". American Journal of Science34: 333''345. ^French, AP (1983). Special relativity. Van Nostrand Reinhold. pp. 51''57. ISBN 0-442-30782-9. ^Darrigol, O (2000). Electrodynamics from Amp(C)re to Einstein. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-850594-9. ^Galison, P (2003). Einstein's Clocks, Poincar(C)'s Maps: Empires of Time. W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-32604-7. ^Miller, AI (1981). Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity. Emergence (1905) and early interpretation (1905''1911). Addison''Wesley. ISBN 0-201-04679-2. ^Pais, A (1982). Subtle is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-520438-7. ^"Resolution 6 of the 15th CGPM". BIPM. 1967. Retrieved 2010-10-13. ^Barger, R.; Hall, J. (1973). "Wavelength of the 3.39-Î¼m laser-saturated absorption line of methane". Applied Physics Letters22 (4): 196. Bibcode:1973ApPhL..22..196B. doi:10.1063/1.1654608. edit^"Resolution 2 of the 15th CGPM". BIPM. 1975. Retrieved 2009-09-09. ^Taylor, EF; Wheeler, JA (1992). Spacetime Physics: Introduction to Special Relativity (2nd ed.). Macmillan. ISBN 0-7167-2327-1. ^Penzes, WB (2009). "Time Line for the Definition of the Meter". NIST. Retrieved 2010-01-11. ^Adams, S (1997). Relativity: An Introduction to Space-Time Physics. CRC Press. p. 140. ISBN 0-7484-0621-2. "One peculiar consequence of this system of definitions is that any future refinement in our ability to measure c will not change the speed of light (which is a defined number), but will change the length of the meter!" ^Rindler, W (2006). Relativity: Special, General, and Cosmological (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 0-19-856731-6. "Note that [...] improvements in experimental accuracy will modify the meter relative to atomic wavelengths, but not the value of the speed of light!" Historical references[edit source |edit]R¸mer, O (1676). "D(C)monstration touchant le mouvement de la lumi¨re trouv(C) par M. R¶mer de l'Academie Royale des Sciences". Journal des s§avans (in French): 223''36. Archived from the original on 2007-07-29. Halley, E (1694). "Monsieur Cassini, his New and Exact Tables for the Eclipses of the First Satellite of Jupiter, reduced to the Julian Stile and Meridian of London". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society18 (214): 237''56. doi:10.1098/rstl.1694.0048. Fizeau, HL (1849). "Sur une exp(C)rience relative la vitesse de propagation de la lumi¨re". Comptes rendus de l'Acad(C)mie des sciences (in French) 29: 90''92, 132. Foucault, JL (1862). "D(C)termination exp(C)rimentale de la vitesse de la lumi¨re: parallaxe du Soleil". Comptes rendus de l'Acad(C)mie des sciences (in French) 55: 501''503, 792''796. Michelson, AA (1878). "Experimental Determination of the Velocity of Light". Proceedings of the American Association of Advanced Science27: 71''77. Michelson, AA; Pease, FG; Pearson, F (1935). "Measurement of the Velocity of Light in a Partial Vacuum". Astrophysical Journal82: 26''61. Bibcode:1935ApJ....82...26M. doi:10.1086/143655. Newcomb, S (1886). "The Velocity of Light". Nature34 (863): 29''32. Bibcode:1886Natur..34...29.. doi:10.1038/034029c0. Perrotin, J (1900). "Sur la vitesse de la lumi¨re". Comptes rendus de l'Acad(C)mie des sciences (in French) 131: 731''4. Modern references[edit source |edit]Brillouin, L (1960). Wave propagation and group velocity. Academic Press. Jackson, JD (1975). Classical Electrodynamics (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-30932-X. Keiser, G (2000). Optical Fiber Communications (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 32. ISBN 0-07-232101-6. Ng, YJ (2004). "Quantum Foam and Quantum Gravity Phenomenology". In Amelino-Camelia, G; Kowalski-Glikman, J. Planck Scale Effects in Astrophysics and Cosmology. Springer. pp. 321ff. ISBN 3-540-25263-0. Helmcke, J; Riehle, F (2001). "Physics behind the definition of the meter". In Quinn, TJ; Leschiutta, S; Tavella, P. Recent advances in metrology and fundamental constants. IOS Press. p. 453. ISBN 1-58603-167-8. Duff, MJ (2004). "Comment on time-variation of fundamental constants". arXiv:hep-th/0208093 [hep-th].
700 miles in klometeres - Google Search
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  WebImagesMapsShoppingMoreSearch OptionsAny timePast hourPast 24 hoursPast weekPast monthPast yearAll resultsVerbatim 700 miles = 1 126.5408 kilometersMore about calculator.Showing results for700 miles in kilometersSearch instead for 700 miles in klometeresConvert 700 miles to km - Conversion of Measurement Unitswww.convertunits.com/from/700+miles/to/km- Cached - SimilarQuickly convert miles into kilometres (700 miles to km) using the online calculatorfor metric conversions and more.700 Miles to Kilometres; 700 Miles to Kilometers.x-to-y.com/700-Miles-to-Kilometres- Cached700 Miles to Kilometres. 700 Miles in Kilometres. 700 miles in km. 700 mileskilometers.700 Miles to Kilometers Conversion - Unit Converter Onlinewww.theunitconverter.com/miles...kilometers.../700-miles-to-kilometers.html- CachedMiles to Kilometers Conversion. 700 Miles to Kilometers Conversion - Convert700 Miles to Kilometers (mi to km). Unit Converter · SI units · Conversion Tables ...How many kilometers equals 700 miles - WikiAnswerswiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_kilometers_equals_700_miles- Cached700 metres equal 0.434 miles. 1246 kilometers equals how many miles? 774.22mi 1 mile = 1.6 kilometer 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile. How many miles equals 35 ...700 km is how many miles - WikiAnswerswiki.answers.com/Q/700_km_is_how_many_miles- Cached - SimilarHow many miles is 700 km? 700 km equal 435 miles. How many miles is 3556.3km in miles? 2,209.782 miles (rounded) Algebraic Steps / Dimensional Analysis ...convert miles to kilometerswww.metricamerica.com/convert%20miles%20to%20kilometers.htm- Cached - Similarconvert miles to kilometers pre-calculated tables and charts. ... 0 .3048 meter 1yard = 0 .914 meter 1 mile = 1.609 kilometers... 600, 965.6. 700, 1 126.5.convert kilometers to mileswww.metricamerica.com/convert%20kilometers%20to%20miles.htm- Cached - Similarkm. Miles. 100. 62.14. 200. 124.27. 300. 186.41. 400. 248.55. 500. 310.69. 600.372.82. 700. 434.96. 800. 497.10. 900. 559.23. 1 000. 621.3 7. 1 000. 621.4.Nautical Miles to Kilometers table - Metric Conversionwww.metric-conversions.org/.../nautical-miles-to-kilometers-table.htm- CachedMetric Conversion :: Site Map :: Links :: Contact :: Metric conversion calculatorsfor websites · iPhone & Android app :: Metric Conversion Table · Tabla de Millas ...Mille Bornes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Bornes- Cached - SimilarEach race'--or hand'--is usually 700 miles (or kilometers) long, but the first playerto complete that distance exactly has the option to declare an extension in ...Convertisseur de distance : kilom¨tre,mile,mile nautique....converticious.com/distance_fr- Cached - SimilarIns(C)rez une valeur et s(C)lectionnez l'unit(C) de distance (de d(C)part puis d'arriv(C)e) (Exemple : km en mile ) Vous pouvez choisir le nombre de chiffres significatifs.Searches related to 700 miles in kilometers
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speed of light in kilometers - Google Search
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  Speed of light - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFor other uses, see Speed of light (disambiguation) and Lightspeed ... Thedistance from the Sun to the Earth is shown as 150 million kilometers, an.What is the speed of light (in kilometers an hour)? - Yahoo! UK ...299 792 458 m / s * 1 km/1000 m = 299792.458 km/s 299792.458 km /s * 3600 s/1 hr = 1079252848.8 km/hr 1.079 X 10^9 km/hr with sig figs.Why Is The Speed Of Light 300,000 Km/s? - PhysForum Science ...lofi.forum.physorg.com/Why-Is-The-Speed-Of-Light-300,000-Kms_29554. html- Cached4 Aug 2011 ... PhysOrg.com science forums and latest news discussions.Speed of LightAn observer outside gravitational fields measures the speed of light locally (in hislocation) at 299792.458 km/s but when he looks towards a black hole he sees ...Convert speed of light to kilometers per hour - speed converterwww.unitjuggler.com/convert-speed-from-c-to-kmh.html- CachedSpeed Unit Converter. Easily Convert Speed Of Light To Kilometers Per Hour,Convert C To Kmh -1 . Many Other Converters Available For Free.Convert speed of light to kilometers per second - speed converterwww.unitjuggler.com/convert-speed-from-c-to-kms.html- CachedSpeed Unit Converter. Easily Convert Speed Of Light To Kilometers Per Second,Convert C To Kms -1 . Many Other Converters Available For Free.The Speed of Light | Light-Speed Constant C | Space.comwww.space.com/15830-light-speed.html- Cached22 May 2012 ... The speed of light in a vacuum is 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometersper second), and in theory nothing can travel faster than light.What is the Speed of light in kilometers - WikiAnswerswiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Speed_of_light_in_kilometers- Cached - SimilarRounded off, it is 300,000 km/second. This is normally "close enough". To bemore precise, the speed of light in a vacuum (which is normally abbreviated as "c") ...How Fast is the Speed of Light? - Universe Todaywww.universetoday.com/43806/how-fast-is-the-speed-of-light/- Cached - Similar2 Nov 2009 ... The x-43 traveled at 12,144 km/h (7,546 mph), or Mach 9.8, on November 16th,2004. That is .000405% of the speed of light. And this is a jet ...How is the speed of light measured?math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/.../SpeedOfLight/measure_c.html- Cached - SimilarHe used a beam of light reflected from a mirror 8 km away. The beam was aimedat the teeth of a rapidly spinning wheel. The speed of the wheel was increased ...Searches related to speed of light in kilometers
Clinton Global Initiative Panel: We Don't Need Any More Male Leaders - Cortney O'Brien
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  That appeared to be the theme of former President Bill Clinton's opening discussion for the Clinton Global Initiative's 2013 Annual Meeting. The 42nd president of the United States moderated a discussion in which participants took several opportunities to bash widespread male authority and drop not-so-subtle hints that his wife should run for the White House in 2016.
  Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg was the first to lament the way in which males tend to dominate culture, while commending Hillary Clinton's effort to curb it.
  ''No one has done more than your wife Hillary. ['...] Our stereotypes of women are that they will be communal, they will get married, they will give to others. We actively discourage leadership in girls. In English we call our daughters 'bossy.'['...] We teach ourselves at a very young age that men should lead and women shouldn't."
  Considering Sandberg's own success, I'm surprised she is so quick to criticize our country's "male dominated" culture and suggest that women have an insurmountable climb when trying to rise through the ranks. Clinton then asked, ''What is the relationship between women facing challenges in developed nations versus developing nations?'' Instead of focusing on the strides women have made in America, Sandberg still insisted on treating women like victims.
  "There's not equality anywhere.[...] Look at the wage gap in the United States.[...]No progress '' the gap has remained the same for ten years. What's similar all over the world [...]men have more options. It needs to change in order to solve these problems.''
  The ''wage gap'' Sandberg referred to is the claim that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Like so many of today's feminists who like to wave that statistic around, the panelists fail to mention the context. Freedomworks explained the reason for this discrepancy.
  Men and women tend to be interested in different career choices. More women than men are enrolled in college and all of them are free to major in whatever they please. Men are more likely to major in engineering, mathematics, and computer science in college. These overwhelmingly male-dominated majors are highly profitable. Conversely, the top college majors for women are education, English, and psychology. Women tend to be interested in the social sciences which normally pay less money.
  The real discrimination against women perhaps occurred when President Clinton suggested the only times women have been able to rise to power is in the midst of crises.
  ''It is no accident that the first country in the world to have a majority of its Parliament is Rwanda because 85 percent of the victims of genocide were men.We don't need a cataclysm like that, but it's very interesting. No one can look at numbers and not see that there is a connection between opportunities afforded to women and demographics.''
  Clinton mentioned the purges in China also led to gender change in certain occupation groups. So, according to his wisdom, the ''opportunities'' women need are disasters. As a young woman, I reject the notion that my gender can only rise to power when a natural disaster strikes or a war breaks out. How is this kind of discussion empowering?
  Instead of challenging what the female panelists were saying about their sex, the male panelists Mo Ibrahim of the Mo Ibrahim Foundatin, and U2's Bono nodded right along. Kharami even added,
  ''It's a universal problem, it's not just us. Even here, this country is still waiting for its first female president.''
  Lagarde had the last word.
  ''70-80 percent of consumption is effectively decided by women. Women can actually change the world.''
  I guess our Founding Fathers were just symbols of power-hungry patriarchy.
  Instead of focusing on the imaginary glass ceiling, let's celebrate the strides women have made '' especially here in America.
Doug Band - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 22:34
  Douglas "Doug" Band (born October 1972) is the Chief Advisor to former President Bill Clinton. He created the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and is also a founding partner of Teneo, a global consulting firm. Among his other roles, he is a board member of Coca-Cola and a professor at NYU.
  A native of Sarasota, Florida, Band is an alumnus of Pine View School and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida with a major in English and a minor in Ethics. As an undergraduate at Florida, Band was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He later attended Georgetown University's graduate school at night to earn a master's degree in liberal arts and then he earned a law degree at night from Georgetown University Law Center.[1]
  Douglas J. Band serves as counselor to President Clinton. He began working in the White House in 1995 working with Cheryl Mills as an unpaid intern in the White House Counsel's office. Band has been with President Clinton since then. Prior to his role as Counselor to President Clinton, Doug served in the White House Counsel's office for 4 years, becoming a Special Assistant to the President before he was made one of the youngest Deputy Assistants ever to serve a President. Band concluded his final year in the White House in the Oval Office as the President's Aide.[2]
  Band has served as counselor and chief advisor to President Clinton since 2002, becoming the key architect of Clinton's post-presidency, and overseeing the 1,200 employees of both the William J. Clinton Foundation and the President's personal office.[2] In his current role, Band has traveled to nearly 100 countries, over 2,000 cities, and has helped and advised several heads of state transition out of public office into private life. He created and built the Clinton Global Initiative that has raised $46 billion for 1,200 philanthropic projects around the world. To date, CGI has impacted 200 million people in over 150 countries. President Clinton has credited Band with being the originator of CGI and has noted that "Doug had the idea to do this".[3][dead link]
  Band was responsible for negotiating with the Obama administration for then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to become Secretary of State.[4] He also played a key role in negotiations leading to the release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee on August 4, 2009, accompanying Bill Clinton to Pyongyang along with his brother Roger.[5] He currently serves as Clinton's representative to the White House and other governments, organizations and businesses around the world. Unconfirmed reports were circulating (as of September 4, 2012) that Band has indicated that he will be voting for Romney/Ryan in the November, 2012 Presidential election.[6]
  Doug serves on the Coca-Cola Company International Advisory Board, as an advisor to Avenue Capital Group, a trustee on the Oklahoma National Memorial Museum, and Vote Vets. Band was a member of the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its effort to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.
  Band also serves on the faculty of New York University as an adjunct associate professor.[7]
  He and his wife Lily live in New York City.[1][8] Clinton gave a toast at Band's wedding.[9]
  Band's physician brother Roger Band serves as Clinton's personal physician on overseas trips.[1]
  Band is the youngest of four children of David and Myrna Band.[9]
  ^ abcAlumni CLASnotes. "Alumni CLASnotes Spring 2008 - Alumni Spotlights", The University of Florida Alumni CLASnotes^ abAlisson Clark. "The Gator Behind Bill Clinton", The Gainesville Sun, February 04, 2009.^Jeremy Wallace. "Clinton Heaps Praise on Band Family", HeraldTribune.com, October 01 2009.^Monica Langley. "Bill Clinton in Talks to Smooth Wife's Path to Cabinet", The Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2008, pp. A01.^Warren P. Strobel. "Administration cautious on what journalists' release means for talks with N. Korea"^Ryan Lizza. "Let's be Friends", The New Yorker, September 10, 2012.^http://wagner.nyu.edu/Band^Paula Froelich. "The power of philanthropy", CNNMoney.com, September 7, 2006.^ abhttp://www.heraldtribune.com/article/SH/20090724/ARTICLE/907241029/2550/NEWS100?Title=Bill-Clinton-will-speak-in-Sarasota-in-SeptemberPersondataNameBand, DougAlternative namesShort descriptionDate of birth1972Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
Unease at Clinton Foundation Over Finances and Ambitions - NYTimes.com
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 22:31
  Soon after the 10th anniversary of the foundation bearing his name, Bill Clinton met with a small group of aides and two lawyers from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Two weeks of interviews with Clinton Foundation executives and former employees had led the lawyers to some unsettling conclusions.
  The review echoed criticism of Mr. Clinton's early years in the White House: For all of its successes, the Clinton Foundation had become a sprawling concern, supervised by a rotating board of old Clinton hands, vulnerable to distraction and threatened by conflicts of interest. It ran multimillion-dollar deficits for several years, despite vast amounts of money flowing in.
  And concern was rising inside and outside the organization about Douglas J. Band, a onetime personal assistant to Mr. Clinton who had started a lucrative corporate consulting firm '-- which Mr. Clinton joined as a paid adviser '-- while overseeing the Clinton Global Initiative, the foundation's glitzy annual gathering of chief executives, heads of state, and celebrities.
  The review set off more than a year of internal debate, and spurred an evolution in the organization that included Mr. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, taking on a dominant new role as the family grappled with the question of whether the foundation '-- and its globe-spanning efforts to combat AIDS, obesity and poverty '-- would survive its founder.
  Video | Clinton Calls to Protect Voting Rights Speaking at an American Bar Association conference, Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized a Supreme Court ruling that allows states to change election laws without advance federal approval.
  Now those efforts are taking on new urgency. In the coming weeks, the foundation, long Mr. Clinton's domain since its formation in 2001, will become the nerve center of Hillary Rodham Clinton's increasingly busy public life.
  This fall, Mrs. Clinton and her staff will move into offices at the foundation's new headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, occupying two floors of the Time-Life Building. Amid speculation about her 2016 plans, Mrs. Clinton is adding major new initiatives on women, children and jobs to what has been renamed the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
  Worried that the foundation's operating revenues depend too heavily on Mr. Clinton's nonstop fund-raising, the three Clintons are embarking on a drive to raise an endowment of as much as $250 million, with events already scheduled in the Hamptons and London. And after years of relying on Bruce R. Lindsey, the former White House counsel whose friendship with Mr. Clinton stretches back decades, to run the organization while living part-time in Arkansas, the family has hired a New York-based chief executive with a background in management consulting.
  ''We're trying to institutionalize the foundation so that it will be here long after the lives of any of us,'' Mr. Lindsey said. ''That's our challenge and that is what we are trying to address.''
  Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea, in South Africa last week.
  Joao Silva / The New York Times
  But the changing of the guard has aggravated long-simmering tensions within the former first family's inner circle as the foundation tries to juggle the political and philanthropic ambitions of a former president, a potential future president, and their increasingly visible daughter.
  And efforts to insulate the foundation from potential conflicts have highlighted just how difficult it can be to disentangle the Clintons' charity work from Mr. Clinton's moneymaking ventures and Mrs. Clinton's political future, according to interviews with more than two dozen former and current foundation employees, donors and advisers to the family. Nearly all of them declined to speak for attribution, citing their unwillingness to alienate the Clinton family.
  Powered by Celebrity
  Last Thursday, Mr. Clinton arrived two hours late to an exuberant welcome at a health clinic about 60 miles north of Johannesburg. Children in zebra-striped loincloths sang as Mr. Clinton and Ms. Clinton made their entrance, and the former president enthusiastically explained how his foundation had helped the South African government negotiate large reductions in the price of drugs that halt the progress of HIV. Aaron Motsoaledi, South Africa's minister of health, heaped praise on the effort. ''Because of your help we are able to treat three and a half times more people than we used to,'' he told the crowd.
  The project is typical of the model pioneered by the Clinton Foundation, built around dozens of partnerships with private companies, governments, or other nonprofit groups. Instead of handing out grants, the foundation recruits donors and advises them on how best to deploy their money or resources, from helping Procter & Gamble donate advanced water-purification packets to developing countries to working with credit card companies to expand the volume of low-cost loans offered to poor inner city residents.
  The foundation, which has 350 employees in 180 countries, remains largely powered by Mr. Clinton's global celebrity and his ability to connect corporate executives, A-listers and government officials. On this month's Africa trip, Mr. Clinton was accompanied by the actors Dakota Fanning and Jesse Eisenberg and the son of the New York City mayoral candidate John A. Catsimatidis, a longtime donor.
  For most of the foundation's existence, its leadership has been dominated by loyal veterans of the Clintons' political lives. Ira C. Magaziner, who was a Rhodes scholar with Mr. Clinton and ran Mrs. Clinton's failed attempt at a health care overhaul in the 1990s, is widely credited as the driving force behind the foundation's largest project, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, which, among other efforts, negotiates bulk purchasing agreements and price discounts on lifesaving medicines.
  Mr. Band, who arrived at the White House in 1995 and worked his way up to become Mr. Clinton's closest personal aide, standing behind the president on golf courses and the global stage, helped build the foundation's fund-raising structure. He conceived of and for many years helped run the Clinton Global Initiative, the annual conference that draws hundreds of business leaders and heads of state to New York City where attendees are pushed to make specific philanthropic commitments.
  Today, big-name companies vie to buy sponsorships at prices of $250,000 and up, money that has helped subsidize the foundation's annual operating costs. Last year, the foundation and two subsidiaries had revenues of more than $214 million.
  Yet the foundation's expansion has also been accompanied by financial problems. In 2007 and 2008, the foundation also found itself competing against Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign for donors amid a recession. Millions of dollars in contributions intended to seed an endowment were diverted to other programs, creating tension between Mr. Magaziner and Mr. Band. The foundation piled up a $40 million deficit during those two years, according to tax returns. Last year, it ran more than $8 million in the red.
  Amid those shortfalls, the foundation has sometimes catered to donors and celebrities who gave money in ways that raised eyebrows in the low-key nonprofit world. In 2009, during a Clinton Global Initiative gathering at the University of Texas at Austin, the foundation purchased a first-class ticket for the actress Natalie Portman, a special guest, who brought her beloved Yorkie, according to two former foundation employees.
  In interviews, foundation officials partly blamed the 2008 recession and difficulties in getting donors to provide operating support rather than restricted grants for specific programs for the deficits.
  But others criticized Mr. Magaziner, who is widely seen within the foundation as impulsive and lacking organizational skills. On one occasion, Mr. Magaziner dispatched a team of employees to fly around the world for months gathering ideas for a climate change proposal that never got off the ground. Another time, he ignored a report '-- which was commissioned at significant expense from the consulting firm McKinsey & Company '-- on how the foundation could get involved in forestry initiatives.
  Mr. Magaziner's management style and difficulty keeping projects within budget were also raised in discussions that surrounded the 2011 Simpson Thacher review. (One person who attended a meeting with Mr. Magaziner recalled his lying on a conference room table in the middle of the meeting because of terrible back spasms, snapping at a staff member.)
  Mr. Band repeatedly urged Mr. Clinton to fire Mr. Magaziner, according to people briefed on the matter. Mr. Clinton refused, confiding in aides that despite Mr. Magaziner's managerial weaknesses, he was a visionary with good intentions. The former president, according to one person who knows them both, ''thinks Ira is brilliant '-- and brilliant people get away with a lot in Clinton world.''
  Indeed, by then, Mr. Magaziner had persuaded Mr. Clinton and the foundation to spin the health initiative off into a separate organization, with Mr. Magaziner as its chief executive and the Clinton Foundation appointing a majority of its board members. The financial problems continued. In 2010 and 2011, the first two years when the health initiative operated as a stand-alone organization, it ran annual shortfalls of more than $4 million. A new chief financial officer, hired in 2010, left eight months later.
  A foundation official said the health initiative had only three chief financial officers in 10 years and that its financial problem was a common one in the nonprofit world: For all the grant money coming in '-- more than $160 million in 2011 '-- Mr. Magaziner had also had difficulty raising money for operating costs. But by the end of 2011, the health initiative had expanded its board, adding two seats. Chelsea Clinton took one.
  Growing Ventures
  As the foundation grew, so did the outside business ventures pursued by Mr. Clinton and several of his aides.
  None have drawn more scrutiny in Clinton circles than Teneo, a firm co-founded in 2009 by Mr. Band, described by some as a kind of surrogate son to Mr. Clinton. Aspiring to merge corporate consulting, public relations and merchant banking in a single business, Mr. Band poached executives from Wall Street, recruited other Clinton aides to join as employees or advisers and set up shop in a Midtown office formerly belonging to one of the country's top hedge funds.
  By 2011, the firm had added a third partner, Declan Kelly, a former State Department envoy for Mrs. Clinton. And Mr. Clinton had signed up as a paid adviser to the firm.
  Teneo worked on retainer, charging monthly fees as high as $250,000, according to current and former clients. The firm recruited clients who were also Clinton Foundation donors, while Mr. Band and Mr. Kelly encouraged others to become new foundation donors. Its marketing materials highlighted Mr. Band's relationship with Mr. Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative, where Mr. Band sat on the board of directors through 2011 and remains an adviser. Some Clinton aides and foundation employees began to wonder where the foundation ended and Teneo began.
  Those worries intensified after the collapse of MF Global, the international brokerage firm led by Jon S. Corzine, a former governor of New Jersey, in the fall of 2011. The firm had been among Teneo's earliest clients, and its collapse over bad European investments '-- while paying $125,000 a month for the firm's public relations and financial advice '-- drew Teneo and the Clintons unwanted publicity.
  Mr. Clinton ended his advisory role with Teneo in March 2012, after an article appeared in The New York Post suggesting that Mrs. Clinton was angry over the MF Global controversy. A spokesman for Mr. Clinton denied the report. But in a statement released afterward, Mr. Clinton announced that he would no longer be paid by Teneo.
  He also praised Mr. Band effusively, crediting him with keeping the foundation afloat and expressing hopes that Mr. Band would continue to advise the Global Initiative.
  ''I couldn't have accomplished half of what I have in my post-presidency without Doug Band,'' Mr. Clinton said in the statement.
  Even that news release was a source of controversy within the foundation, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Mr. Band helped edit the statement, which other people around the Clintons felt gave him too much credit for the foundation's accomplishments. (The quotation now appears as part of Mr. Band's biography on the Teneo Web site.)
  Mr. Band left his paid position with the foundation in late 2010, but has remained involved with C.G.I., as have a number of Teneo clients, like Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical and UBS Americas. Standard Chartered, a British financial services company that paid a $340 million fine to New York regulators last year to settle charges that it had laundered money from Iran, is a Teneo client and a sponsor of the 2012 global initiative.
  Last year, Coca-Cola's chief executive, Muhtar Kent, won a coveted spot on the dais with Mr. Clinton, discussing the company's partnership with another nonprofit to use its distributors to deliver medical goods to patients in Africa. (A Coca-Cola spokesman said that the company's sponsorship of foundation initiatives long predated Teneo and that the firm plays no role in Coca-Cola's foundation work.)
  In March 2012, David Crane, the chief executive of NRG, an energy company, led a widely publicized trip with Mr. Clinton to Haiti, where they toured green energy and solar power projects that NRG finances through a $1 million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative.
  Officials said the foundation has established clear guidelines for the Clinton Global Initiative to help prevent any favoritism or special treatment of particular donors or sponsors.
  Teneo was not the only worry: other events thrust the foundation into internal turmoil. In 2011, a wave of midlevel program staff members departed, reflecting the frustration of much of the foundation's policy personnel with the old political hands running the organization. Around the time of the Simpson Thacher review, Mr. Lindsey suffered a stroke, underscoring concerns about the foundation's line of succession. John D. Podesta, a chief of staff in Mr. Clinton's White House, stepped in for several months as temporary chief executive.
  While much attention has focused on Mrs. Clinton's emerging role within the foundation, advisers to the family say her daughter's growing involvement could prove more critical in the years ahead. After years of pursuing other career paths, including working at McKinsey & Company and a hedge fund, Ms. Clinton, 33, has begun to assert herself as a force within the foundation. Her perspective is shaped far more than her parents' by her time in the world of business, and she is poised to play a significant role in shaping the foundation's future, particularly if Mrs. Clinton chooses to run for president.
  She formally joined the foundation's board in 2011, marking her growing role there '-- and the start of intensifying tensions between her and Mr. Band. Several people close to the Clintons said that she became increasingly concerned with the negative impact Mr. Band's outside business might have on her father's work and that she cited concerns raised during the internal review about potential conflicts of interest involving Teneo.
  It was Ms. Clinton who suggested that the newly installed chief executive, Eric Braverman, be considered for the job during a nearly two-year search. A friend and a former colleague from McKinsey, Mr. Braverman, 38, had helped the Clintons with philanthropic projects in Haiti after the earthquake there. And his hiring coincided with Ms. Clinton's appointment as the vice chairwoman of the foundation board, where she will bear significant responsibility for steering her family's philanthropy, both in the causes it tackles and in the potential political and financial conflicts it must avoid.
  Ms. Clinton has also grown worried that the foundation she stood to inherit would collapse without her father, who turns 67 next week. Mr. Clinton, who had quadruple-bypass surgery in 2004 and no longer eats meat or dairy products, talks frequently about his own mortality.
  Mr. Catsimatidis said Ms. Clinton ''has to learn how to deal with the whole world because she wants to follow in the footsteps of her father and her mother.''
  Shifting the Emphasis
  Over the years, the foundation has dived into virtually any cause that sparked Mr. Clinton's interest: childhood obesity in the United States, sustainable farming in South America, mentoring entrepreneurs, saving elephants from poaching, and more. That list will shift soon as Mrs. Clinton and Chelsea build their staffs to focus on issues including economically empowering women and combating infant mortality.
  In the coming months, as Mrs. Clinton mulls a 2016 presidential bid, the foundation could also serve as a base for her to home in on issues and to build up a stable of trusted staff members who could form the core of a political campaign.
  Mrs. Clinton's staff at the foundation's headquarters includes Maura Pally, a veteran aide who advised her 2008 presidential campaign and worked at the State Department, and Madhuri Kommareddi, a former policy aide to President Obama.
  Dennis Cheng, Mrs. Clinton's deputy chief of protocol at the State Department and a finance director of her presidential campaign, will oversee the endowment drive, which some of the Clintons' donors already describe as a dry run for 2016.
  And Mrs. Clinton's personal staff of roughly seven people '-- including Huma Abedin, wife of the New York mayoral candidate Anthony D. Weiner '-- will soon relocate from a cramped Washington office to the foundation's headquarters. They will work on organizing Mrs. Clinton's packed schedule of paid speeches to trade groups and awards ceremonies and assist in the research and writing of Mrs. Clinton's memoir about her time at the State Department, to be published by Simon & Schuster next summer.
  Lydia Polgreen contributed reporting, and Kitty Bennett contributed research.
VIDEO- Sandy Hook Shootings'--Call to Release Lanza's psychiatric drug history - YouTube
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:45
Appeal Still Pending-Muslim Brotherhood moves media office to London | Egypt Independent
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:42
  The Muslim Brotherhood has decided to move its media center to London, after a Cairo court decision to ban the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood or any subsidiary institution related to it, and receiving financial support from the MB.
  The Brotherhood already had an office in London, through which it was running the affairs of the organization as a whole.
  The London headquarters is a research center headed by Ibrahim Mounir, former member of the Guidance Bureau and former Secretary General of the international organization of the MB.
  The MB have also used the London headquarters to communicate with the West, publishing a weekly journal entitled ''The Brotherhood message,'' a journal to explain the MB stances on the current events and its vision on reform.
  The MB leaders have also made appearances on satellite channels broadcast from their media office, which was fully transferred to London, after security prosecutions suffered by the leaders of the group the recent period.
  The office published on Tuesday a statement by the group entitled ''On the Road, revolutionaries and committed to the promise,'' in which the Brotherhood said that the court decision to dissolve the group would not stop them from continuing on their path. The verdict would not persuade them to abandon their ideas but will give them faith to further adhere to the principles they preach.
  The court's ruling to dissolve the organization was not surprising, according to the statement, but rather expected, especially after they claim more than 15,000 leading members were arrested, including Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie, in addition to the burning of the MB headquarters across Egypt.
  The group described the verdict to dissolve the MB as ''exclusionary'' and ''revengeful,'' since it is issued without a competent court, which decided on a punishment exceeding the original demands of the case, even though the MB is a legally-based association.
Why bisexuals stay in the closet - Los Angeles Times
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:23
  Faith Cheltenham's 1-year-old son Storm waves a flag honoring bisexuals'... (Barbara Davidson, Los Angeles'...)
  In the middle of the rainbowy revelers at the pride parade in West Hollywood, Jeremy Stacy was questioned: Are you really bisexual?
  "One guy came up to me and said, 'You're really gay,' " said Stacy, who was standing under a sign reading "Ask a Bisexual." "I told him I had a long line of ex-girlfriends who would vehemently disagree. And he said, 'That doesn't matter, because I know you're gay.' "
  Stacy had gotten the question before. From a friend who said anyone who had slept with men must be gay '-- even if he had also slept with women. From women who assumed he would cheat on them. From a boyfriend who insisted Stacy was really "bi now, gay later" '-- and dumped him when he countered he was "bi now, bi always."
  GRAPHIC: Gay marriage across the U.S.
  Such attitudes appear to have kept many bisexuals in the closet. At a time when gay rights have made stunning strides, and gays and lesbians have become far more willing to come out, the vast majority of bisexuals remains closeted, a Pew Research Center survey revealed last month.
  Only 28% of bisexuals said most or all of the important people in their lives knew about their sexual orientation, compared to 71% of lesbians and 77% of gay men, Pew found. The numbers were especially small among bisexual men: Only 12% said they were out to that degree, compared to one-third of bisexual women who said the same.
  Closeted bisexuals told the Los Angeles Times that they had avoided coming out because they didn't want to deal with misconceptions that bisexuals were indecisive or incapable of monogamy '-- stereotypes that exist among straights, gays and lesbians alike.
  Elizabeth, who declined to give her last name, said that when some new friends chatted about women kissing women, she just kept quiet. "I wouldn't come out to them because they would say things" '-- that she was "sex-crazed" or was making it up.
  John, a married man who realized that he was bisexual three years ago and has told his wife, said he worries about bringing her shame if he comes out more publicly. He suspects she would hear, "Surely you must have seen the signs," and, "How do you put up with that?"
  His wife has told him he must suppress his feelings. "She believes sexuality is a choice and that I can and should just 'turn it off,' " he said.
  FULL COVERAGE: Prop. 8 and DOMA
  The stereotypes make some reluctant to use the word, even after they come out. Laura McGinnis, communications director for the Trevor Project, an LGBT youth suicide prevention group, said she was 29 or 30 before she would readily share that she was bisexual or actively correct someone who thought otherwise.
  "I hated the label because the assumption is that you're sleeping around," said McGinnis, now raising a child with her wife.
  Such assumptions could make being out at work especially difficult: Only 11% of bisexual people polled by Pew said most of their closest coworkers knew about their sexual orientation, compared to 48% of gay men and 50% of lesbians.
  Bisexuals were also less likely than gay men and lesbians to say their workplaces were accepting of them, Pew found. In a separate study published in the Journal of Bisexuality, half of bisexual people surveyed said their gay and straight coworkers misunderstood bisexuality.
  "Bisexuals are thought to be confused, opportunistic and unable to make commitments '-- and those aren't the kinds of things you want to see in an employee," said Denise Penn, vice president of the American Institute of Bisexuality, a nonprofit that funds research.
  Inside the gay community, bisexual people are often seen as more privileged than gays and lesbians, able to duck discrimination by entering into straight relationships.
  Far more bisexuals are in relationships with people of the opposite sex than the same sex, Pew found. They are less likely than gay men and lesbians to have weathered slurs or attacks, been rejected by friends or family or treated unfairly at work, its survey showed.
  Yet researchers and activists say bisexuals face another set of frustrations, sometimes shunned by the gay and lesbian community and the straight world alike.
  Bisexual women complain they are leered at by straight men and rejected by some lesbians as sexual "tourists" who will abandon them for men. Bisexual men, in turn, struggle to persuade men and women alike that they aren't just gay men with one foot in the closet. Both are stereotyped as oversexed swingers who cannot be trusted.
  "Women would say, 'I don't date your kind,' " said Mimi Hoang, who helped form bisexual groups in Los Angeles. Such reactions left her frustrated. "I had nothing against lesbians. I thought I could find camaraderie with people who were also sexual minorities."
White House Celebrates Bisexual Visibility Day with an Official Closed-Door Event
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:13
  Did you know that today is Bisexual Visibility Day?
  You may not be aware, but they are at the White House and will be celebrating with an official event.
  Seriously, this is not a joke.
  Today, in honor of Bisexual Visibility Day there will be a White House roundtable discussion ''about issues facing the bisexual community'' attracting bisexual activists from around the nation.
  This first-time White House event was called to my attention on Sunday when I saw a piece in the Miami Herald with the headline, ''A voice for bisexuals, Miami activist heads to D.C.''
  The piece highlighted Luigi Ferrer, who is program and grants development director for Pridelines Youth Services. The Miami Herald reports:
  ''I am the Florida representative,'' said Ferrer, a longtime bisexual activist who joins about two-dozen others at the roundtable, which coincides with international Bisexual Visibility Day on Sept. 23.
  ''They decided to celebrate bisexuality day by inviting the national bisexual leadership roundtable to the White House for a policy meeting,'' said Ferrer, who received an email invitation about a month ago from the Barack Obama administration.
  ''It's a testament to this administration that they are focusing on all elements of the LGBT community and they should be applauded for hosting an event focused on some of the specific issues impacting bisexual people,'' said Michael Cole-Schwartz, spokesman for HRC,Human Rights Campaign in Washington.
  Intrigued by today's White House roundtable discussion, I did a quick check and found in the Washington Post a piece dated August 22 announcing the event which included this puzzling statement:
  The White House will hold a closed-door roundtable discussion on issues facing bisexuals Sept. 23.
  Why a closed-door roundtable discussion in the ''People's House''? Wasn't Obama's administration supposed to be the most transparent ever?
  I am shocked.
  ''Shocked,'' because with all that is going on in our nation and the world, how does the White House find the time and resources for such an event?
  Wouldn't you just love to know what this bisexual ''roundtable discussion'' is costing the American taxpayer?
  Do you think there will be pressure put on the Pentagon to hold such an event next year?
  Also read:
  Myra Adams is a media producer, writer, and political observer who served on the McCain Ad Council during the 2008 McCain campaign, and on the 2004 Bush campaign creative team. Her columns have appeared on PJ Media, The Daily Caller, RedState and The Daily Beast. Myra's web site TheJesusStore.com contributes all profits to Christian charity. Follow Myra on Twitter @MyraKAdams
Ozone: The Facts
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:09
  Answers to general questions about ozone, such as what is ozone, how it is formed, and why we should be concerned about this air pollutant.
  The TCEQ uses sound scientific research to reduce ozone and, as a result, has achieved decreases in ozone concentrations statewide. In fact, from 2000 to 2010, ozone levels across Texas decreased by 27 percent. By comparison, the rest of the nation averaged only a 14 percent decrease in ozone levels over the same period. Texas has also devoted more funds to air quality research during the past decade than any other state in the country, which has led to the dramatic decrease in ozone concentrations. The state has sponsored two major field studies-- the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS) 2000 and Texas Air Quality Study II (TexAQS II).
  Sound science and targeted regulations have greatly reduced ozone in Texas cities and across the nation. The TCEQ's goal is sensible regulation, based on sound science, which addresses real environmental risks while complying with state and federal statutes.
  What is ozone?Ozone is a gas that is formed in the atmosphere when three atoms of oxygen combine. Ozone is found high in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone has the same chemical structure wherever it occurs.
  Stratospheric Ozone: Ozone occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere'--6 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface'--where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
  Ground-Level Ozone: Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOCs. In addition, biogenic sources (living organisms or biological processes) also release VOCs that can contribute to ground-level ozone.
  What are the health effects of ground-level ozone?Breathing relatively high levels of ground-level ozone can cause acute respiratory problems like cough and respiratory irritation and can aggravate the symptoms of asthma.
  What are the conditions that lead to elevated ground-level ozone?Ozone, typically referred to as smog, mainly forms the highest concentrations on sunny days with slow wind speeds, which allow pollutants to accumulate. Summer days in Texas can be conducive for ozone formation as high pressure systems dominate our local weather patterns, giving us clear skies and stagnant winds.
  What can I do to limit ozone formation?Limit driving and idling; instead, car pool, combine errands, use public transportation, bike, or walk.Don't top off the tank when refueling your vehicle.Keep your vehicle maintained, including proper tire pressure.Maintain your yard equipment, including changing the oil and replacing air filters. Use electric lawn equipment when possible.Don't burn yard waste.Use paint and cleaning products with less or zero VOCs.Conserve energy.Refuel in late afternoon or evening.What about indoor air quality?The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified and characterized significant risks to public health from indoor environmental contaminants that are commonly found in homes, schools, offices, and other buildings where most Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time. Indoor levels of air pollution may be up to two to five times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. Common indoor air contaminants include radon, tobacco smoke, mold, irritant and allergenic asthma triggers, combustion by-products and VOCs. Indoor contaminants may be of natural origin (e.g., radon, allergens and molds), may derive from products used indoors (e.g., finishes, furnishings and cleaning products) and may result from indoor processes and behaviors (e.g., smoking, use of unvented combustion sources; or cleaning, operation and maintenance procedures). Building systems (e.g., heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) also have a direct influence on the type and amount of exposure building occupants may experience from environmental contaminants indoors. For more information on indoor air quality:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Indoor Air QualityTexas Department of State Health Services
  What should I consider in weighing the EPA's recommendations to limit exercise and stay indoors because of outside ozone concentrations?The World Health Organization ranks physical inactivity as a major risk factor for heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, and diabetes. Recently, it has been estimated that over 30 percent of the U.S. population is fully inactive. For children, the risks of obesity are well-documented. Given that physical exercise is important for adults and children for reasons including prevention of disease and obesity, individuals must consider those benefits when making choices about following the EPA's recommendations to limit exercise outdoors and stay indoors because of concentrations of ozone in ambient air. A personal decision to limit outdoor activities should consider weather conditions more than ozone levels. Exercise performance is compromised in the heat, and temperature should be considered when making personal choices about exercising.
  What is background ozone and why it is important?The study of background ozone is important in order to understand how much ozone is being added to an airshed by local contributions. Policy Relevant Background (PRB) ozone is currently defined as the ozone concentrations that would occur in an area in the absence of anthropogenic emissions of precursors in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It is important in health risk and policy assessments. PRB ozone cannot be directly determined from monitored data because of the influence of local and regional precursor emissions on ozone formation in any given area. It is important for air quality planners to use modeling and other analytical tools to estimate day-specific ozone PRB levels for high ozone days as part of the regulatory development program. The PRB ozone is of concern because it can sometimes represent a substantial fraction of the observed ozone in Texas urban areas. Recent scientific studies using global-scale modeling have estimated that PRB ozone in Texas can range from 25 to 58 parts per billion.
  ''Background ozone'' can also be described as the amount of ozone due to distant sources entering an airshed; this definition can help to differentiate between the natural and transported ozone, and the ozone produced locally. Using this definition, regional background ozone can be directly measured by monitors and can at times approach or even exceed levels that are allowed by the regulatory standard. This concept is important when understanding the contribution of a local area in consideration of control strategies.
  What is an ozone forecast?Ozone forecasts are made daily during the season for each of nine metropolitan areas in Texas. Each forecast is a simple yes or no prediction for the question: Will ozone levels reach or exceed a target level for a particular area?
  TCEQ meteorologists use a set of criteria from historic meteorological data, ozone measurements, and ozone-prediction models to make these predictions. When they forecast an Ozone Action Day, the meteorologists contact the National Weather Service which then broadcasts the information across its weather wire. The agency also contacts officials in all affected areas so that local community clean-air coalitions can notify media, government, business, and industry.
  The forecasts are made, in most cases, a day in advance by 2 p.m. local time and are valid for the next day. The only exception is for the Houston area, where the forecast can be updated as late as 9 a.m. local time on the same day that the forecast is in effect. The forecast target level for all areas is the U.S. EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) Level Orange, which corresponds to an 8-hour average of 76 ppb or a 1-hour average of 125 ppb. In the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas, forecasts for AQI Level Red may also be issued and the target for these forecasts is an 8-hour average of 96 ppb or a 1-hour average of 165 ppb.
  The ozone forecast seasons do not necessarily correspond to the "ozone seasons" defined for regulatory purposes by the EPA.
  Participating Metropolitan Areas and Their Ozone forecast season DatesEach day during ozone forecast season (roughly March through November in Texas), the TCEQ forecasts ozone levels for nine metropolitan areas:
  Metropolitan AreaOzone Forecast Season BeginsOzone Forecast Season EndsAustinApril 1
  October 31
  Beaumont-Port ArthurMay 1
  October 31
  Corpus ChristiApril 1
  October 31
  Dallas-Fort WorthMarch 1
  October 31
  El PasoMay 1
  October 31
  HoustonMarch 1
  November 30
  San AntonioApril 1
  October 31
  Tyler-LongviewMay 1
  September 30
  VictoriaMay 1
  September 30
  What is the Air Quality Index?The EPA has a scale called the Air Quality Index for rating air quality. The AQI scale is based on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and is described in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 58, Appendix G. Each NAAQS pollutant has a separate AQI scale; an AQI rating of 100 corresponds to the concentration of the federal standard for that pollutant. Additional information about the AQI and how it can be used is available from the EPA.
  How can I sign up to receive e-mail alerts and alerts on mobile devices?You can sign up for free ozone forecast e-mail alerts for any of the nine metropolitan areas listed above through TCEQ's website.
  You can also sign up to receive e-mail alerts through the EPA's EnviroFlash website.
How Doug Band drove a wedge through the Clinton dynasty | New Republic
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 20:56
  One Thursday evening last September, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Tony Blair met in New York to conduct what was supposed to be a high-minded discourse on terrorism, geopolitics, and the global economy. The setting was elegant'--the beaux arts ballroom of the Essex House, an iconic tower on Central Park South. The 78-person VIP guest list included Harvey Weinstein, Eli Broad, Blackstone co-founders Steve Schwarzman and Pete Peterson, Silicon Valley impresario Sean Parker, Billie Jean King, George Pataki, and New York City police chief Ray Kelly, along with CEOs and top executives from companies like Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola, BP, and Bank of America. Somehow, these onetime world leaders, corporate titans, and other notable personages converged in the center of New York without the event ever being noticed by the press.
  The guests had been wrangled, persuaded, flattered, and otherwise enticed to attend by Doug Band, a tall man with genial, unmemorable features and a deferential demeanor. In fact, the gathering was taking place in his own building, underneath his expansive eighth-floor apartment, and it represented a major triumph for him.
  Twelve years earlier, at the age of 27, Band had entered Clinton's orbit as that lowliest of Washington archetypes: the body man. He was the all-purpose aide who carried the bags, provided the pen, watched the clock, kept the cigars close, and ensured the Diet Cokes were always chilled. And after the inglorious end of Clinton's presidency, Band had stayed on. It was he who had engineered Clinton's transformation into a philanthropist-king, and over the years, the pair had formed a bond that was more like father and son than boss and factotum. ''The most important thing about Doug is that he sort of took control of President Clinton's career at a moment when he was dropping from about sixty percent [favorability] to thirty-nine percent,'' says Paul Begala, the former Clinton adviser. ''You look up today and Bill is in a league inhabited only by himself and Nelson Mandela and the Pope. He's one of the most beloved people on the planet and an American political colossus as well. That's just astonishing'--and Doug's been central to that.''
  Now, at long last, Band was striking out alone. In 2011, he and Irish businessman Declan Kelly had launched Teneo, a corporate advisory firm that was hosting the Essex House event. As the guests of honor arrived'--Bush looking trim in a royal-blue suit and lemon-yellow tie, Clinton in conservative dark gray'--they were whisked upstairs for an unscheduled photo shoot with Band's friends and family, including his wife, Lily Rafii, a stylish investment banker''turned''handbag designer, and their two young children, Max and Sophie. The detour made Clinton, Bush, and Blair late for their pre-dinner obligation'--a photo line with no fewer than 60 attendees.
  Courtesy of William J. Clinton Presidential Library'(C)
  As a body man, Doug Band's job was to completely inhabit Clinton's needs and whims and moods.'(C)'(C)
  The main event was set for 7 p.m. sharp, and protocol decreed that the three principals must not be made to wait. They were brought backstage for their entrance, and Declan Kelly took the stage. But instead of introducing his distinguished guests, he launched into a long-winded sales pitch. Teneo was the next big thing in executive consulting, he informed the audience. He played a promotional video about the firm. He introduced the heads of Teneo's divisions, describing their r(C)sum(C)s and asking each to stand in turn. Meanwhile, the onetime guardians of the special relationship were left loitering awkwardly in the wings. ''It was unnecessarily inappropriate,'' says one guest. ''It was flagrant.'' Bush had evidently gotten more than he had bargained for in accepting the (paid) invitation: At one point during the evening, a guest saw him shoot a glance at his aide that plainly said, What the fuck is going on?
  The entire episode was pure Doug Band. He is rarely written about, almost never quoted, and many Clinton associates are loath to discuss him on the record. ''Doug is taboo'--no one touches the guy,'' says one person who has had extensive dealings with him. On the handful of occasions he has spoken openly to the media, he has struck an impeccably humble tone. ''The thing I most enjoy in my job is helping people,'' he once told his college alumni magazine. ''I have been able to remain behind the scenes, making a difference and changing people's lives.'' But as Band attempts to build a business of his own, the methods he once employed discreetly in the service of his boss have started to attract unwelcome attention.
  Band himself did not respond to an extensive list of questions for this article, but over the course of nine months, I spoke with more than three dozen people who have worked with him over the arc of his career. Inside the realm known as Clintonland, he is the subject of considerable angst. There are those who worry about the overlap between his work for the Clinton Global Initiative'-- which he conceived and helped run for six years'--and his energetic efforts to expand Teneo's client base. And there are those who worry about how some of the messier aspects of the charity's operations could create trouble for Hillary Clinton, who has made the family foundation her base as she contemplates a presidential run. But the real cause for these anxieties runs deeper. At its heart, the unease with Band reflects an unease with the phenomenon of post-presidential Clintonism itself.
  Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images
  Bill Clinton now leads a sprawling philanthropic empire like no other. The good it achieves is undeniable. It has formed partnerships with multinationals and wealthy individuals to distribute billions of dollars all over the globe. Its many innovative projects include efforts to lower the costs of medicines in developing nations and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in major cities. And yet it's hard to shake the sense that it's not all about saving the world. There's an undertow of transactionalism in the glittering annual dinners, the fixation on celebrity, and a certain contingent of donors whose charitable contributions and business interests occupy an uncomfortable proximity. More than anyone else except Clinton himself, Band is responsible for creating this culture. And not only did he create it; he has thrived in it.
  There are people who are driven to Washington by ideological passion or who come to advance a particular cause. Doug Band was not one of those people. He grew up in sunny comfort in Sarasota, Florida, the youngest of four sons, and by all accounts, it was always important to him to be wherever the power players were. After rushing Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Florida, he was elected president of the interfraternity council for the entire campus. College administrators recall a precocious student politician who entered every meeting with a defined agenda. At the time, his close friend, David Sobelman, was puzzled by Band's palpable ambition: ''I didn't understand what that motivation meant at that point, but obviously Doug did.''
  Band would later trace his interest in politics to a campus visit by Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992. But when he came to Washington, it was to intern for a Republican congressman, Dan Miller. In itself, this wasn't so strange: Sarasota belonged to a staunchly Republican county in Miller's district, and Band's father, a real estate developer, had supported Miller's campaign. Still, Miller told me he was ''a little surprised'' when Band returned to Washington in 1995 at the age of 22 to intern in the Clinton White House.
  It wasn't long before Band knew everyone and everyone knew Band. He remembered the janitors' first names; he joked with the women in the White House counsel's office, where he was assigned. His ecumenical sociability extended to Monica Lewinsky. Several White House staffers were already trying to steer Clinton clear of the flirtatious intern, and Band later toldStarr Report investigators that he found it ''a little strange'' when she showed him a tie she planned to give the president. But that December, shortly after Lewinsky and Clinton began their affair, Band accepted her invitation to escort her to the White House Congressional Ball. ''He's a nice guy,'' says a former colleague from the counsel's office. ''Also, she had the tickets, and he wanted to go.''
  After his internship, Band was hired by the counsel's office as a staffer vetting judicial nominees, while earning a master's in liberal arts and a law degree from Georgetown. It was the perfect preparation for a comfortable life in the capital's legal circles'--and so his colleagues were perplexed when Band took a job on the president's advance team, typically a role for someone several years younger. ''People felt happy for him, but one question in my mind was, as a lawyer, why would he want to do it?'' recalls a former supervisor at the counsel's office.
  For Band, however, being in the thick of the action was more important than shaping it. The legal job was in the Old Executive Office Building; the advance job was in the White House. ''He just wanted to be closer to the president, to really be inside the West Wing and see in a closer level of visibility how things worked,'' says the former supervisor. By 2000, Band had moved up from the advance team to become Clinton's body man.
  Band's pursuit of this path reflected a shrewd insight into the Clinton White House. Among presidential aides, the body man is referred to dismissively as the ''butt boy.'' But being the butt boy for Bill Clinton held more potential than it would for almost any other politician. Since Clinton was pathologically incapable of showing up on time, he needed constant management. This required, for one thing, a mastery of the politics and the issues of the moment, and Band immersed himself in the president's briefing book accordingly. ''You have to think about little tiny miniscule details and have to understand the broad strategic picture,'' explains one former staff member. ''If you're trying to figure out in the moment if it's OK to be late to that next meeting, it helps if you understand that this legislative issue takes precedence over, say, meeting the governors.''
  Then there was the delicate matter of the president's social appetite. ''[Clinton] just loves being around people,'' says the former staff member. ''That would cause challenges, but it also feeds him as a human being, having those interactions.'' Multiple times a day, Band would have to judge whether it was more constructive for Clinton to adhere strictly to the schedule or to linger on the rope line, clasping hands and telling stories. Band would later tell a Florida paper that his role with Clinton was ''being him for him'''--to completely inhabit his boss's needs and whims and moods.
  So adept was Band at these tasks that, when Dul(C) Hill was cast on ''The West Wing'' as Charlie Young'--the character who introduced the body man into popular culture'--he sought Band's advice. Band briefed him on the surreal existence of being, simultaneously, the least important guy in the room and the person who spends more time with the president than anyone else. ''You kind of forget that you're right next to the most powerful man in the world,'' Hill recalls Band explaining. ''Heads of states and corporations throughout the world know you by your first name, because wherever the president is, that's where you are.''
  As his second term wound down, Clinton fell into a gloomy state. He was leaving the White House in disgrace over his last-minute pardons and owed millions of dollars in legal bills. Once again, Band surprised his colleagues by declining a job at Goldman Sachs and opting to remain as Clinton's assistant. ''It wasn't the most glamorous time to do that job,'' says the former staff member. ''It was a loyalty play.'' Michael Feldman, a former adviser to Vice President Gore, detected the instincts of an entrepreneur: ''The connections you cultivate if you do that job'--the potential is unlimited.''
  In July 2001, Clinton opened an office in Harlem, on a strip of nail salons and sportswear shops. In the early months, ''the phones were not ringing as much,'' says Doug Sosnik, a senior adviser to Clinton in his second term. A lot of the time, it was just Band and Bill, shuttling between Harlem and Clinton's home in Chappaqua. The former president had established the William J. Clinton Foundation, but lacked any real plan for how he would spend the years ahead. It was a tough adjustment for Clinton, but ''a pretty heady time for Doug,'' says his former colleague from the counsel's office.
  The young aide'--now titled ''counselor'''--was still the bearer of the BlackBerry, which often ran out of juice before noon. But, if you were a petitioner for access to Clinton, you knew that Band had assumed the role of gatekeeper and that Clinton increasingly trusted him to know which invitations he would want to accept. ''He was one of those guys who stayed till two o'clock in the morning, worked very hard, and was impeccably loyal. Both Clintons value those qualities'--the loyalty, being willing to do anything, walk through the coals for you,'' says a former Clinton administration official.
  This was the moment of Band's elevation from trusted aide to essential companion. In the White House, the power had lain in the office itself. But as Clinton entered his post-presidential life, ''the base camp for Bill Clinton is where Bill Clinton is,'' says Sosnik. ''If you want to be driving the overall Clinton project, if you're not with him, you're not where the action is.'' And Band was with him almost constantly. By his tally, he has accompanied the former president to nearly 125 countries and 2,000 cities. He was at Clinton's bedside when he had heart bypass surgery in 2004. On the rare occasions when they weren't together, they were known to speak on the phone dozens of times a day.
  John Shinkle/Politico
  Sosnik told me that there is something almost uxorial about spending so much time in Clinton's presence. ''If you're with someone eighteen or nineteen hours a day, there can be long stretches when you're laughing or playing cards and long stretches when you're not talking at all. You get a sense of certain things. Like, the president's not a morning person. There were certain things you wait to deal with, certain conversations you have at certain times of the day.'' A friend of Clinton's who has traveled with the two men recalled a Middle Eastern trip where Band canceled a meeting with some petro-royalty because he sensed Clinton needed a break. ''The president said, 'No, no.' [Doug] said, 'No sir, you need to rest.' ... The guy who had the meeting wasn't thrilled.''
  Clinton, in turn, lived vicariously through Band, goading him for tales of the bachelor's life. This was not, however, a relationship of equals. During marathon card games, Clinton would sometimes muse, ''I used to be the leader of the free world,'' says the Clinton friend'--''in jest, but . . . kind of serious, too.''
  Through his boss, Band received his entr(C)e into the billionaire boys club that was Clinton's post-presidential social circle. The pair often traveled on the Boeing 757 of supermarket mogul Ron Burkle, who had taken Clinton on as a partner in his private-equity firm, Yucaipa, and who has estimated that he spent about 500 hours a year with Clinton in this period. Another close buddy was Democratic donor and Hollywood producer Steve Bing. Vanity Fair would later run a suggestive piece about Clinton's wilding period in these years, noting Burkle and Bing's playboy reputations and identifying Band as enabler of the hijinks on what Burkle staffers referred to as ''Air Fuck One.'' Sosnik, however, says Band was never ''part of the rat pack on the road,'' adding, ''In my time, Doug was always on the side of taking care of business.''
  Band and Clinton were so inseparable that Band sometimes framed requests to colleagues using the royal ''us'' or ''we.'' Naturally, people assumed he was referring to his boss. ''In some part of his mind, he melded them into being one person,'' says a longtime Clinton associate. ''You thought that, if he said something, it was coming from the top. ... If he called and said, 'We need tulips for the apartment,' you assumed it was the president who needed tulips for his apartment.'' However, the associate believes that, at least in some cases, Band was presenting his own preferences as those of Clinton. For instance, he says that it was Band, not Clinton, who insisted on frequenting luxury hotels and restaurants on the road. ''[Clinton] could stay in the Motel 6'--he doesn't care, he's from Arkansas!'' the associate says. But for Band, ''it has to be the Bellagio. The perception was that it was what the president wants. But the president doesn't care about that stuff.'' The associate adds: ''The question is, when did [Band] believe, 'Hey, I'm an equal, and I should share the fruits of this?' ''
  Not everyone in Clintonland was thrilled at Band's ascent. ''He can come across as pretty harshly judgmental,'' says a former senior aide to Hillary Clinton. ''You could fill Shea Stadium with people who haven't heard from Doug, or heard something they didn't want to hear, or heard something that alienates them.'' John Podesta, the former Clinton White House chief of staff, explains: ''The president gets like a zillion requests to do stuff, and Doug's the guy who's had to say no to nine hundred ninety-nine'--what's one less than a zillion? That rubbed some people the wrong way.'' Sometimes, people would try to bypass Band and appeal to Clinton directly, but this was tricky'--Clinton didn't use e-mail, and Band was nearly always there. Even if you did manage to reach Clinton, Band could bring him around to his view when they were alone again.
  Maggie Williams, the foundation's chief of staff (and Hillary's former White House chief of staff), balked at Band's habit of circumventing her authority. In 2004, according to the Clinton associate, Williams, backed by Hillary, informed Band that he needed to leave. But Band, backed by Bill, refused to go. In the end, it was Williams who left. ''That's when I realized, this guy has got it figured out'--he's never going to go away,'' says the Clinton associate. (Williams now downplays the conflict, telling me: ''We were in a start-up. We had a lot to do, too few hours in the day to do it, not enough people to help, and sometimes we had different ideas about how to get the work done, and it made us extremely cranky.'')
  It was on one of their many trips together that Band hit upon the way to lift Clinton out of the murk of the early post-presidency. As Begala tells it, the idea came to Band at that font of grand ideas, Davos. Given that Clinton's political stock was still languishing, Band was ''astonished with the billionaires and CEOs standing in line to talk to him,'' Begala says. ''He was rigorously assessing the president's strengths and attributes and maximizing them. I remember him saying, 'The president has a convening power, the power to bring people together.' '' Why not create an annual event that harnessed the desire of wealthy celebrities to get close to Clinton to advance the aims of his foundation? Thus, in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) was born.
  Getty Images
  As [Band] grew in the job and the job became bigger, he still did the crap work ,'' says a former colleague.'(C)
  CGI is not a traditional charity'--unlike Clinton's foundation, it does not dispense money of its own. Instead, it is a series of collaborations with corporations or individuals to solve global problems, anchored by an annual conference that costs $20,000 to attend. In the past eight years, CGI has secured pledges worth $74 billion. (By comparison, the Gates Foundation has given away $28 billion since its inception in 1994.) As conceived by Band, CGI was the perfect vehicle for Clinton. It allowed him to train his intellect on wonky dilemmas'--improving China's power grid, bolstering Mali's market for locally produced rice. And it placed him at the center of a matrix of the ultra-wealthy and the ultra-powerful, the kinds of people Clinton has always taken a special pleasure in surrounding himself with.
  CGI operates like an economy in which celebrity is the main currency. For Clinton, there is the appeal of tackling existential challenges by striking a deal, one on one, with the right influential person. He could help expand access to health care for millions, thanks to the whim of a billionaire like Saudi Arabia's Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi; or get $30 million in loan guarantees to finance clean water utilities in India, via Dow Chemical; or $100 million for small-business development in Africa, courtesy of Shell. Clinton ''has this abiding faith that, if you get the right people in the room together, magical things will happen,'' says Priscilla Phelps, who was the housing expert for the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which Clinton co-chaired. In some cases, such as securing agreements for carbon-emissions reductions, the solving-by-convening model has produced impressive results. In others, such as the Haiti commission, which held only seven meetings to little effect, it has not. (Phelps told me that ''the practicalities of what happens after those smart people leave the conference room and cocktail hour is not [Clinton's] specialty at all.'')
  For corporations, attaching Clinton's brand to their social investments offered a major p.r. boost. As further incentive, they could hope for a kind word from Clinton the next time they landed in a sticky spot. ''Coca-Cola or Dow or whoever would come to the president,'' explains a former White House colleague of Band's, ''and say, 'We need your help on this.' '' Negotiating these relationships, and the trade-offs they required, could involve some gray areas. But for that, Clinton had Band.
  As for Band, he was right where he'd always wanted to be. He solicited pledges from wealthy donors and doled out access to Clinton. He determined who got to be on stage with him and for how long, who got into the photo line, who rode on the plane. ''If you look at CGI, it was an idea, and now it's a huge business,'' says the Clinton friend. ''[Band] started realizing he had all this talent on the business side.'' More than that, Band came to see entrepreneurial opportunities embedded within CGI itself. ''When they were raising money for the foundation, Doug was the one who kept the tabs and the lists and cut the deals,'' says the former White House colleague. ''And Doug is very transactional.''
  From outward appearances, Band had transcended his body-man beginnings at startling speed. In 2003, he had purchased a $2.1 million condo in the sought-after Metropolitan Tower on West 57th Street. His salary from the Clinton Foundation remained relatively modest'--$110,000 by the time he left in 2011, plus an additional payment from Clinton's personal office. Yet his official salary didn't account for the ways in which he benefited financially from his singular relationship with Clinton. According to The Wall Street Journal, Burkle's Yucaipa had been supplementing Band's income for some time, paying him via a Florida company Band created in 2001 named SGRD, for the four Band brothers' first initials. (Band later established several more such partnerships.)
  At first, Clinton had no problem with this sort of thing. The income from Burkle had been arranged with his knowledge, to keep Band from pursuing more lucrative employment. ''The president trusted [Band's] judgment and trusted him personally,'' Sosnik told me. (Clinton declined to comment for this article.) Plus, Clinton was notoriously blas(C) about financial matters. ''He doesn't care about money,'' the Clinton friend told me. ''He doesn't even have a credit card. When he wants to get something he says, 'Wow, I love that,' and whoever he's with says, 'Here it is!' '' Band's former White House colleague agrees that Clinton ''has never worried a heck of a lot about that stuff. It's more about, 'Who's loyal, who's helping me, who's delivering value?' and not, 'Are they doing really well for themselves on the side?' ''
  But there were signs that Band also sought out such opportunities independently. The longtime Clinton associate was approached by a company interested in having the former president speak at a conference and asked Band for guidance. (Between 2001 and 2013, Clinton received $106 million in speaking fees.) Band explained that the company should pay a certain sum to Clinton's speaker's agency and ideally contribute a certain sum to CGI or the foundation. Of course, he told the associate, the company should ''also pay you for having made that happen'''--as if that were simply the way things were done. ''Doug has always been reasonably commercial, let's just say,'' says his former White House colleague. ''He was a gatekeeper who charged tolls.''
  And questions were surfacing about some of the people getting through the gate. There was London businessman Victor Dahdaleh, who touted Clinton as a close friend and gave the foundation around $5 million in 2010. The next year, British authorities charged him with bribing a Bahraini company, for as much as $9.5 million. (The trial has been delayed until November.) There was Canadian businessman Frank Giustra, who often made his luxury jet available to Clinton and Band. In 2005, Giustra and Clinton overlapped on a visit to Kazakhstan, and at a dinner, Clinton praised the country's autocratic ruler, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev. Days later, according to The New York Times, Giustra secured a huge uranium-mining deal in the country. In early 2006, Giustra donated $31.3 million to the foundation, followed by another $100 million pledge. (He also ''co-produced'' Clinton's sixtieth birthday party in Toronto, which raised another $21 million.)
  The most embarrassing association of all was Raffaello Follieri. The saga of the Italian striver who duped the Clintons has been unspooled by the Italian newspaper Il Sole24 Ore, The Wall Street Journal, and Vanity Fair. But if anything, Band's role in the affair has been understated, and it offers an illuminating study in the art of relationship leverage. Follieri descended on New York in 2003, 25 years old and exuding Continental glamour. Soon, he started dating Anne Hathaway. He claimed that, through a Vatican connection, he had been delegated to develop some of the Catholic Church's choicest North American properties, to help the church pay off bills associated with its sex-abuse scandals.
  In early 2005, Follieri expressed interest in writing a generous check to Clinton's foundation. A meeting with Band was arranged, but somehow the conversation turned from a potential contribution by Follieri to a potential investment by Yucaipa in Follieri's venture. Burkle eventually agreed to put in as much as $105 million.
  Follieri courted Band by playing on his taste for the high life. In Band's early days in New York, a night out meant pizza and beer with old White House pals. Now, he was a regular at Cipriani and frequented A-list nightclubs like Bungalow 8. He wasn't much of a drinker'--he just liked being on the scene. For a while, he had dated supermodel Naomi Campbell. (''He's never had any difficulty being able to attract quite good-looking women,'' says his former colleague from the White House counsel's office. ''He just charmed her.'') He had been eager to obtain American Express's invitation-only black card for high-rollers, says one person who's been out on the town with him, and when he finally got one, he would slap it down on the table at group outings. He had been known to carry cash in rolls of $100 bills. He also had a canny method of landing a table at the most exclusive spots, says the former White House colleague. He would make a reservation for ''President Clinton'' and then arrive with his own entourage'--and no Bill. The owner of one downtown restaurant eventually barred Band from its ''love list'' for pulling this stunt one too many times. ''[The owner] comes and says, 'Fuck, Doug keeps making reservations under Clinton's name, and half the time Doug shows up with his friends,' '' says the former White House colleague. ''They were like, life's too short, and wouldn't take his reservation anymore.''
  By the time Follieri arrived in town, Band was seeing Lily Rafii, who was then in mergers and acquisitions at Morgan Stanley. Follieri invited the couple to dine with him and Hathaway at Cipriani, Nobu Fifty-Seven, and Koi, and introduced them to his Euro jet set. ''Band was exposed to another universe,'' says Melanie Bonvicino, a publicist who befriended Follieri and worked for him at times. ''The cosmetics of it worked for everybody.''
  With Band's help, Follieri got meetings with, among others, Clinton himself, Burkle, and Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, aboard Slim's yacht in the Sea of Cortez. Slim declined to invest, but another introduction paid off: Through another Clinton contact, Keith Stein, Band hooked Follieri up with Michael Cooper, the head of Toronto-based Dundee Realty Corporation, who kicked in $6 million.
  After Cooper invested, Follieri wired $400,000 to one of Band's SGRD partnerships. Band has said that the money was a finder's fee that he split with Stein for helping make the introduction and that he only accepted it at Follieri's insistence. (Stein and Cooper declined to comment.) But March 2006 e-mails show Band seeking the payment from Follieri in business-like fashion. The typo-filled messages also indicate that Follieri viewed it as compensation for Band's assistance in netting an investment from Slim. On March 11, Follieri wrote Band: ''Tonight I have a boring dinner with the foundation of the queen of Sweden.'' Band replied: ''Ouch. Going to budakan at 9. Come when your done. In meatpacking district.'' On March 22, Band sent a ''bill for consulting services for the amount of $400,000.00'' to Follieri's Channel Islands''based subsidiary. The next day, Follieri replied: ''The transfer it is done, do you think I call Carlos son in law?'' On March 28, Band wrote: ''My bank never received the wire.'' Follieri's reply: ''I going to call our bank now, end I let you know.''
  At the 2006 CGI summit, Clinton announced that Follieri would fund an effort to provide Hepatitis A vaccines to 10,000 Honduran children and a ''$50 million commitment to provide free prescription-drug cards to needy Americans.'' Neither donation was fulfilled before Follieri's charade unraveled. In early 2007, Yucaipa sued him for misappropriating $1.3 million of its investment for his personal use. The money had been spent on, among other things, a $37,000-per-month apartment and a $107,000 chartered jet to join the Clintons at Oscar de la Renta's Dominican Republic estate. ''Everyone kept saying, 'How did he get through to Clinton?' '' says Don Onyschuk, the vice-chancellor of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto, which was drawn into the Dundee deal. ''It was through Doug Band and the pledge made to the foundation.''
  Band has said that the Church vouched for Follieri, which its officials have denied. Band has also said he returned the payment from Follieri to Cooper. But he only did so around June 2007, several months after Yucaipa filed its lawsuit and about the same time that Il Sole 2 Ore started calling. In the end, Follieri settled with Yucaipa, but in 2008, federal prosecutors charged him with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. He pled guilty a few months later, forfeited $2.44 million, and was sentenced to federal prison in Pennsylvania. (Follieri, who was released in May, did not respond to a request to comment.)
  Band emerged from the episode seemingly unscathed. As the Follieri story was emerging, he and Rafii married in France at the seventeenth-century Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte. Clinton, Bing, and Burkle flew into Paris for a dazzling ceremony capped with a fireworks display. Band bashfully toldTheGainesville Sun that he had begged his boss not to come, but ''not only did he come, he made this incredible speech.'' And in February 2008, Clinton praised Band to The Washington Post. ''I'm amazed he still works for me because he could make a lot more money somewhere else,'' he said. For his part, Band offered self-effacing reasons for his years at Clinton's side. ''You break into this kind of work by believing in the inherent value and good of public service,'' he explained to a reporter at around this time. ''You get out of it what you put into it.''
  But as Clinton hit the campaign trail to stump for Hillary in the Democratic primary, people were once again questioning Band's judgment. More than once, he failed to prevent Clinton's dyspeptic outbursts against the Obama campaign. When Clinton lashed out at a reporter in Nevada, Band stood at his shoulder, his face diffident, making no attempt to move him along.
  If anything, his total mind meld with Clinton was part of the problem. Both men were convinced Hillary was flailing because she wasn't attacking Obama more aggressively. ''What the president needs is someone to say, 'I heard you, you're right, but you should not be the one delivering that message, let's figure out who should be doing that,' '' says the former White House colleague. ''With Doug, it was more about getting the president more fired up than he needed to be.'' Or, as the Clinton friend puts it, ''At the end of the day, Doug is massively loyal to the president, and doing what's best for the president is sometimes not what's best for Hillary.'' (Sosnik defends Band, arguing that Bill's behavior was his own doing: ''He was a little rusty.'')
  Band had a key ally on Hillary's team: Huma Abedin. Bill's body man and Hillary's body woman had bonded over their loyalty to their bosses. They were known to show up at parties together, which some saw as an endearing big brother''little sister dynamic, and which others interpreted as evidence that Abedin had a crush on Band. They also had an ingenious method of collecting intelligence on each other's behalf. Abedin would sidle up to someone in Bill's camp and, in a confiding tone, make a disparaging remark about Band. If it was reciprocated, she would relay the criticisms to Band and he would do the same for her, says someone who fell for this technique. ''They had each other's back a lot,'' says the former White House colleague.
  Still, the alliance did not prevent Hillary's campaign team from demanding that Clinton be accompanied on the trail by a more seasoned minder. Band objected, says the former Clinton administration official. ''His vocal reason was, 'He doesn't need a handler, he's the best political mind, dadadadada.' But the reality was he did need someone.''
  After the election, Band's relationship with Clinton entered a hybrid phase. He still traveled with Bill when he was needed: In August 2009, he accompanied Clinton to North Korea to retrieve two American women who had been imprisoned there. In one of the more surreal official photos of all time, Clinton and Kim Jong-il sit stiffly in front of a kitschy tsunami backdrop. Standing directly behind the diminutive North Korean dictator is Band. In another picture, he is walking between the two women across the tarmac to a waiting jet (on loan from Steve Bing), hoisting their largest duffel. The two images captured Band's role perfectly. He was in the innermost circle, and he was still carrying people's bags. Sosnik told me: ''As he grew in the job and the job became bigger, he still did the crap work. There was no discussion of it.''
  And yet the signs were suggesting that it was time for Band to emerge from Clinton's shadow. He was starting a family, and his financial arrangement with Burkle was in doubt, since Clinton had moved to end his business ties with the California billionaire in 2007. By this point, Band had been professionally submerging his identity within Clinton's for a decade. A senior Democrat in Washington observed: ''What I've always said to Doug is that it's vital to become your own person. It's not really healthy to be a body person, a staffer, your whole life.''
  So Band branched out, in more ways than one. During the campaign, he had sold his apartment in the Metropolitan Tower and purchased the Essex House condominium, for $7.1 million. In 2009, he added an adjoining eighth-floor unit, purchased for $1.7 million. The expanded apartment was painted in the vibrant colors that Rafii loves, and a huge ego wall was installed, covered in letters and signed pictures. Around this time, he also decided to establish a business of his own.
  Band had already shown that he could be quite brazen in invoking his Clinton ties in a personal capacity. One stark example came in 2009, when the U.S. Postal Service exercised a purchase option on the Sarasota post office building, which was owned by Band's father and another family. The owners refused to sell, arguing that the price should be higher than the $825,000 the Post Office had offered. Then, Band placed a phone call to Alan Kessler, a longtime Clinton ally and a member of the Postal Service Board of Governors. According to the Postal Service inspector general and documents I obtained under a Freedom of Information request, Kessler urged top Postal Service officials to pay more for the building. Postal Service General Counsel Mary Anne Gibbons recalled to investigators that Kessler told her Band had White House connections and ''could run up to Capitol Hill and thwart the Postal Service.'' A colleague of Band's in Clinton's post-presidential office whose name was redacted from documents also contacted Gibbons, clearly signaling where the overture was coming from: ''I work for President Clinton. His Counselor, Doug Band, asked that I set up a call with you ... '' After the inspector general found that Kessler had failed to uphold his duty to the Postal Service, Kessler resigned in July 2011. Nevertheless, in order to curb its legal costs, the Postal Service settled the sale with the two families for $1.06 million.
  When Band launched Teneo, he deployed his Clinton connections on a grander scale. In 2010, he, Declan Kelly, and a third partner registered the first of several entities in Delaware that would become Teneo. Band and Kelly had met during the 2008 campaign when Kelly was fund-raising for Hillary. Kelly had previously owned a p.r. firm, and the plan was for Band to offer the kind of strategic savvy he'd provided to Clinton. ''He's particularly useful to the CEOs,'' says Podesta.
  Teneo has its headquarters on the forty-fifth floor of the former Citigroup Center tower in Midtown and employs more than 200 people in 13 cities, including Dubai, Hong Kong, and S£o Paolo. It describes its raison d'ªtre as ''integrated counsel for a borderless world,'' offering investment banking, restructuring advice, and ''business intelligence'' on dealing with ''global disruptors.'' According to its website, Teneo has ''advised on more than $525 billion of M&A transactions, served presidents and political leaders all over the globe, and counseled the leaders of many of the largest and most complex corporations in the world.''
  From the beginning, Teneo resembled an outpost of Clintonland more than an independent entity. Clinton and Blair came on as paid advisers. One of the firm's managing directors is the former CEO of the horse-racing and gambling empire belonging to the family of Belinda Stronach, a Canadian former politician whose friendship with Clinton has been the subject of considerable speculation. Nancy Hernreich Bowen, director of Oval Office operations under Clinton, works in the Hong Kong office. Last year, Abedin signed on with the firm, providing, in her own words, ''strategic advice and consulting services to the firm's management team'' as well as helping to ''organize a major annual firm event.'' (The Senate Judiciary Committee is investigating whether her work conflicted with her position as a paid State Department consultant.)
  A number of key Teneo clients were also closely involved with Clinton's charitable work. One month before the Rockefeller Foundation presented Clinton with an award for philanthropy, it gave Teneo a $3.4 million contract to propose ''tangible solutions to global problems.'' Another early client was Coca-Cola, which helped build the distribution system for medicine in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Ghana, for a CGI project. Band has served on Coca-Cola's international advisory board, and a former Coke CEO, Donald Keough, chairs the boutique investment bank Allen & Co., which holds a financial interest in Teneo. Other Teneo clients include the big hospital chain Tenet (which is a lead partner in the new Clinton Health Matters Initiative) and UBS Americas (which launched a Small Business Advisory Program with the foundation). ''What Doug has ended up doing, if you sort of step back and look at it, is that he has met some of the most influential people in the world through President Clinton and has ended up building a business dealing with and helping those people,'' says the Clinton friend.
  Of course, it was only natural that Band would tap his existing network. What is striking is the extent to which Teneo's business model depends on his relationship with Clinton. Band's former White House colleague says Teneo is essentially a p.r. firm that is able to charge above-market rates because it persuades executives that Band and the ties he brings are an essential service. ''If they were paying $25,000 or $40,000 a month for p.r., then $100,000 a month, from the eyes of the CEO, ... it's not going to crush him,'' says the former colleague. (According to The New York Times, Teneo's monthly fees can be as high as $250,000.) The longtime Clinton associate says that Band's pitch to clients was that he was ''able to fly around [with Clinton] and decide who flies around with him. ... The whole thing is resting on his access.''
  A few months into Teneo's existence, it began to present difficulties for the Clintons. In late 2011, it emerged that the company had been paid $125,000 per month in consulting fees by MF Global, the brokerage firm that lost $600 million of its investors' money. There were reports that Hillary Clinton was upset about potential conflicts between Teneo's overseas clients and her work as secretary of state. In February 2012, Bill Clinton's office announced that he would no longer take payment from the firm. The page listing an ''advisory board'' headed by Clinton and Blair vanished from its website.
  Bill Clinton was having deeper misgivings, say several people close to the situation. It was becoming difficult to ignore how aggressively Band was working his Clinton connections on Teneo's behalf. Some of its biggest clients, such as Dow Chemical, were the same companies whose CEOs Band had done special favors for at CGI: getting them on stage with Clinton, relaxing the background checks for credentials, or providing slots in the photo line. In Teneo's first year, anyone on the payroll or client list got full access to CGI, plus coveted backstage passes, according to someone closely involved in CGI. To obtain extra credentials, Band would make a call and the tickets would be FedEx-ed overnight. At CGI's September 2011 summit in New York, two suites were reserved upstairs from the conference at the New York Sheraton for meetings with top donors and heads of state. But when the Chinese ambassador was brought upstairs for a meeting, CGI officials found both suites occupied'--one by Band, one by Kelly, who were pitching potential clients. After that, Teneo lost its special access.
  A month later, Clinton got a firsthand taste of Teneo's promotional style. He had been invited to the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. Declan Kelly was also on the speaking schedule, and, according to one person with close knowledge of the event, Kelly's remarks suggested that it was Teneo that had brought Clinton to Ireland. Clinton went ashen, according to this person, and later exploded in anger, railing that Kelly had embarrassed him in front of the prime minister. (Kelly did not respond to a request to comment.)
  At around the same time, Clinton was receiving reports of just how boldly Band had been offering his consulting services to major donors to CGI or the foundation, according to two people close to the foundation. According to these people, Band's pitch left the donors with the distinct impression that Clinton had encouraged the donors to avail themselves of Band's services. Among the people who Band may have approached, Clinton was told, was media mogul Haim Saban, who has donated more than $10 million to the foundation. Through a spokesman, Saban denied that Band had made such a pitch. However, one person close to the foundation says that Band's consulting for donors came to the fore in a 2011 audit of the foundation's finances by a New York law firm. The second person close to the foundation says that one major donor complained directly to Clinton that he had been writing large checks to Band and was upset that his access to Clinton had decreased. ''The president was furious.''
  As Band's relationship with Clinton deteriorated, he sought public ways to demonstrate that nothing had changed. In September 2011, the White House made overtures to secure Clinton's participation in Obama's reelection campaign. The first step, it was deemed, would be a round of golf. The initial thinking in the White House was to include Joe Biden, an old Clinton chum.
  Band was involved in the planning, and he sensed an opportunity to raise his profile. According to people aware of the discussions, he started talking up a different arrangement: a game with the two presidents, Bill Daley (Obama's then''chief of staff and a former Clinton Cabinet member) and himself. The proposal had a certain symmetry'--the current president, the former president, and their top aides. Daley expressed interest, and the plan acquired its own momentum. The White House wasn't happy, but it knew that Band still controlled access to Clinton. The upshot was that the vice president was bounced and Band got into the frame. (Daley told me he was unaware of any plotting to exclude Biden.) ''Once he got Daley on board, it was just a matter of time before he could get to pushing out the vice president,'' says one person close to the negotiations. ''Doug was on a separate track.'' The round was held, to much media fanfare, on a muggy Saturday on the links at Andrews Air Force Base.
  Clinton was thrilled to find that the Obama team wanted to deploy him to full advantage. Throughout the campaign, however, Band was unwilling to let bygones be bygones. He demanded that the Obama team help pay off Hillary's 2008 campaign debt as a condition of Bill's assistance. Though he had no campaign experience, he objected to the locations that the Obama campaign wanted Clinton to visit. He insisted that Clinton spend more time in Florida (Band's home state), rather than being dispatched to, say, Minnesota. He tussled with Obama's people about who would speak first or second in joint appearances. Band's relations with Obama strategist David Plouffe were ''disastrous,'' says one high-ranking Democratic source. ''Doug made everything harder than it needed to be,'' says the source. ''Dealing with the Clinton world always had something to do with what Doug wanted. You had to go through a big process and suck up to Doug, and he had to tell you for a long time how stupid you were.''
  Eventually, the source says, a couple of senior campaign officials told Clinton about the problem. ''Most people in that role ... usually reflect [their] boss. Doug did not reflect his boss. Clinton is easy to work with and likes to get stuff done,'' says the source. ''I would be surprised if Clinton had a full assessment of how difficult Doug was.'' For a while, Band was ''still trying to be part of things,'' the source adds. Eventually, though, his gatekeeper role was passed to other Clinton aides. Meanwhile, Band's reputation inside the Obama campaign became outright toxic after The New Yorker reported that he planned to vote for Mitt Romney, which Band denied.
  By the election's end, Band's standing in Clintonland had visibly declined. In January, he went off the payroll of Clinton's personal office, though not without negotiations about whether he would be allowed to keep his valuable presidentclinton.com e-mail address. His role within CGI was also the subject of dispute. The foundation stopped paying him in 2011, but he remained on CGI's advisory board. Tensions simmered between Band and Chelsea Clinton, who has assumed a more active role in what is now officially the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Chelsea, who once felt only fondness for Band as a trusted member of her family's circle, came to worry that the overlap between the foundation and Band's business interests could backfire on the Clintons. Podesta, who came in to put the foundation's house in order in 2011, says, of the grumbling about Band: ''There was a kind of capacity issue. You can't do everything.''
  Meanwhile, Hillary's adoption of the foundation as a temporary perch this year has left even less space for Band. ''Hillary and Chelsea's view was, Look, if you're going to work for the foundation you should work for the foundation and nothing else,'' says the Clinton friend. ''But for Doug, it was hard, because he's been involved in it from the beginning. It was, Yeah, come on man, I can do both.'' He added, ''I don't think [Chelsea] was wrong. In the past, no one would care what he was doing, dealing with all those people. Today, the last thing anyone wants is noise.''
  Bill Clinton tried to smooth things over in a March 2012 statement, writing, ''I couldn't have accomplished half of what I have in my post presidency without Doug Band.'' (The New York Times reported that Band helped edit the statement.) Likewise, Hillary's camp has struck a conciliatory tone. ''While she recognizes that after years of putting her family first, Doug's family must be his priority, she appreciates the support he continues to provide to the president and the Foundation,'' one long-term Hillary adviser wrote in an e-mail.
  These days, Clinton and Band now speak only every couple of months when they run into each other at events, such as a fund-raiser Band co-hosted for Terry McAuliffe in February. ''It's gone from being a surrogate son relationship to an awkward thickness when they're in the room together,'' says one person with close knowledge of the relationship who has witnessed this dynamic firsthand. ''It's like when your wife cheats on you, and after the divorce, you have to see them at the friend's wedding or at the supermarket. There's a strangeness to it.''
  This person says the two men have had ''tense conversations'' and that Clinton is deeply pained by his aide's efforts to capitalize on their relationship. Others close to Clinton have also observed a distinct chill between them. As always, however, Clinton detests confrontation. ''It's hard for him,'' says the person with close knowledge of the relationship. ''At some points in his career, he spent more time with Doug than he did with his own wife. They knew everything about each other, he loved seeing Doug's family, loved the stories and the antics. And then, to have it turn into 'your adoptive son has run away.' ... It burns him internally, and his way to deal with it is not to talk about it.''
  Of course, it is very much in Band's interest to downplay any animosity. ''Doug's currency is as a Clinton guy,'' says Band's former White House colleague. ''Doug has developed a network that stands on his own'--the number of people who know him around town and around Washington and around the world is pretty big. But what they think of him is as a person who knows President Clinton and is close to President Clinton.'' Band and Teneo now have a large payroll riding on that image.
  Band's friends say he has entered a new chapter of his life'--less concerned with politics and more focused on Max and Sophie, whom he speaks about in near-reverential terms. In late June, he added more room for his growing family (he and Lily are expecting their third child), purchasing another eighth-floor unit in the Essex House for $1.5 million. ''There's good in the world that he has done, and now his family and his friends are his real focus,'' says Sobelman. ''When we talk, it's more: How's work? It's going well. Now, let's talk football.'' Band is also teaching an occasional class at New York University where he is billed as ''the Honorable Doug Band''; the syllabus kicks off with a Politico piece describing him as ''by far [Clinton's] most powerful aide.''
  The ultimate measure of Band's place in Clintonland will come if Hillary runs for president. Some in Clinton circles predict that Band would, for once, remain outside the action, doing no more than fund-raising. ''There are a lot of people jockeying for position and Doug is a little bit on the sidelines,'' says the former White House colleague. ''It's good to have someone around Clinton who is a little less 'us against them,' a little more 'we're all in this together.' '' But others believe Band would be right back at Clinton's side if given the chance, despite all that has come between them. ''You never really leave ... because you don't want to,'' says Begala. ''I'm sure if the bell rings again, Doug will come running.''
  Alec MacGillis is a senior editor at The New Republic.
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VIDEO-Some traders got 'no taper' decision news early
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 20:43
  In the wake of an unusual trading pattern after the Federal Reserve's decision to continue economic stimulus last week, Fed officials have contacted certain news organizations to discuss rules and procedures for the central bank's advance release of sensitive information, CNBC has learned.
  On Sept. 18, the Federal Reserve shocked the financial world with its decision not to scale back its level of support to the economy as most market participants expected.
  Financial markets reacted at the speed of light, pushing stocks dramatically higher in just moments. But it looks like the speed of light just wasn't fast enough for some traders.
  Some traders in Chicago appear to have had access to the Fed's decision before anyone else in the Windy City. According to trading data reviewed by CNBC, they began buying in Chicago-traded assets just before others in that city could possibly have been aware of the Fed's decision. By one estimate, as much as $600 million in assets changed hands in the milliseconds before most other traders in Chicago could learn of the Fed's September surprise'--a sharp contrast to the very low volume of trading ahead of the Fed's decision.
  Eric Hunsader, founder of the market analysis firm Nanex, first spotted the unusual trading pattern and alerted CNBC to it.
  (Read more:No taper! Did Bernanke fool the Street?)
  It's not exactly clear how the information got to Chicago markets so quickly. But the Federal Reserve is concerned enough about the unusual event that it has begun discussions with news organizations. In response to specific questions about the unusual trading activity, the Fed released a statement to CNBC saying, "We will be conducting follow-up conversations with news organizations to ensure our procedures are completely understood."
  And, the Fed said, "As is generally the case with other releases of market-sensitive information by government agencies, news organizations receiving embargoed information from the Federal Reserve agree in writing to make no public use of the information until the time set for its release." A Federal Reserve spokesman declined to name the organizations it is in discussions with. The spokesman did not respond on the record when asked whether any of the organizations broke the Fed's rules.
  The precise timing of the release is crucial because information can only travel as fast as the speed of light'--a physical reality first laid out by Albert Einstein. Information'--like a Fed decision'--released in Washington takes as much as 7 milliseconds to travel to Chicago, where futures and other assets are traded. And because high-speed trading firms are now able to execute trades at the millisecond level, there is a brief window of time in which information can be publicly available in Washington but is still traveling to Chicago, where computers won't receive it until milliseconds later.
  Thanks to modern technology, that window is long enough for some to profit if they know which direction the market is about to go and can place millisecond-level trades accordingly. None of this trading would typically involve a human being'--it takes slow-moving humans about 300 milliseconds just to blink an eye, making them much too slow to react to news at the millisecond level. Instead, high-speed data feeds are plugged directly to algorithmic trading computers, which in turn analyze the news as it comes in and execute pre-programed trading strategies.
  So how did information about the Fed's decision apparently get into computers in Chicago faster than the speed of light would allow?
  Here's the chronology of what happened on Wednesday. In advance of the release of the market moving decision, Federal Reserve officials followed a standard procedure to choreograph a tightly planned embargo operation that gave reporters advance copies of the Fed's decision. Inside a secure so-called "lockup" room on the top floor of the William McChesney Martin Jr. building, Fed officials instructed reporters not to send information about that decision to the outside world before precisely 2 p.m. EDT as measured by the national atomic clock in Colorado.
  The doors were locked at 1:45 p.m., and Fed staffers handed out copies of the statement at 1:50 p.m., allowing reporters a few minutes to digest the complicated document before reporting on its contents. At 1:58 p.m. television reporters were escorted out of the room to a balcony where cameras had been positioned. The Fed's security rules dictated that television reporters were not allowed to speak before precisely 2 p.m. Print reporters were told they were allowed to open a phone line to their editors at headquarters offices a few moments in advance of the hour, but not allowed to interact with people on the other end of the line until exactly 2 p.m.
  On top of those precautions, every media person entering the lockup'--including two employees of CNBC'--was required to sign an agreement that read: "I understand that I may make no public use of the documents distributed by Federal Reserve Board (FRB) staff or the information contained therein, including broadcasting, posting on the Internet or other dissemination, until the time the FRB has set for their public release."
  (Read more:Buying an edge: The high-tech race for economic data pays)
The Man Who Knew Too Much
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: JustOneMinute
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:59
  The Justice Department announced a plea in the controversial Yemen leak investigation, and Hollywood script writers have some new material:
  Former F.B.I. Agent Pleads Guilty in Leak to A.P.
  By CHARLIE SAVAGE
  WASHINGTON '-- A former F.B.I. agent has agreed to plead guilty to leaking classified information to The Associated Press about a foiled bomb plot in Yemen last year, the Justice Department announced Monday. In a twist, the former agent had already been under investigation in a separate child pornography case, and he has also agreed to a guilty plea in it.
  That is a heck of a plot twist. The Times provides some details:
  Federal investigators said they were able to identify the man, Donald Sachtleben, a former bomb technician, as a suspect in the leak case only after secretly obtaining A.P. reporters' phone logs, a move that set off an uproar among journalists and members of Congress of both parties when it was disclosed in May.
  Yeah, yeah, they needed the very broad subpoena, or so they say:
  Nearly a year later, in May 2013, the Justice Department disclosed that after the F.B.I. had interviewed more than 550 officials and been unable to solve the case, investigators secretly used subpoenas to telephone companies to obtain calling records for 20 lines associated with A.P. bureaus and reporters. The scope and secrecy of the subpoenas outraged journalism organizations and lawmakers of both parties, who accused the department of going too far.
  But what about the child pornography?
  The Justice Department said the phone records had proved crucial in identifying Mr. Sachtleben as a suspect. In a bizarre coincidence, investigators then discovered that other law enforcement officials had already seized his computer and other electronic materials in an unrelated child pornography investigation.
  In a bizarre coincidence they already had his computer and had searched it for kiddie porn but never noticed the classified info reportedly stored on it. Really? Or had they noticed the classified intel but were troubled by their lack of a plausible warrant authorizing a search for it?
  Eventually the pieces fell into place for these fortunate investigators:
  ''Sachtleben was identified as a suspect in the case of this unauthorized disclosure only after toll records for phone numbers related to the reporter were obtained through a subpoena and compared to other evidence collected during the leak investigation,'' the Justice Department said. ''This allowed investigators to obtain a search warrant authorizing a more exhaustive search of Sachtleben's cellphone, computer and other electronic media, which were in the possession of federal investigators due to the child pornography investigation.''
  A court filing said agents discovered evidence that he had stored classified intelligence information on the computer without authorization, leading to a separate charge under the Espionage Act.
  The timing of the kiddie porn case was extraordinary:
  The court filing said that he met one of the A.P. reporters, identified only as Reporter A, in 2009, and that in the following years he helped the journalist with information about bomb-related issues.
  One court filing quoted text messages in which the reporter reached out to Mr. Sachtleben on April 30, 2012, after ABC News reported that Mr. Asiri might have been working on bombs that could be surgically implanted. Mr. Sachtleben and the reporter exchanged several text messages, quoted in the court filing, speculating about the ABC report. As it turns out, the contractor was about to take a trip to Quantico. On May 2, he visited the lab where the underwear device was being examined, it said, and soon called the reporter.
  Two and a half hours later, the court filing said, two A.P. reporters began calling government officials saying they knew that the United States government had intercepted a bomb from Yemen and that the F.B.I. was analyzing it.
  The next day, May 3, 2012, law enforcement agents in Indiana, working on an unrelated case involving the distribution of child pornography on the Internet, obtained a search warrant for Mr. Sachtleben's house, court filings show. They seized his computers on May 11.
  So in the world being presented by the Justice Department and the Times, government officials became aware of an important leak when reporters began calling on May 2 2012 but only tracked the initial leak back to Schachtleben a year later.
  But in the world I have been reading about lately the NSA has pretty much real-time access to all sorts of phone record metadata.
  So in a slightly different world from the one described by the Times, worried intelligence officials found out almost immediately who the AP reporter had recently spoken with that might have compromised the Yemen probe (which involved British and Saudi intelligence in an operation that was ongoing as of May 2, so the US leak was a potential international embarrassment).
  And the next day the improbable kiddie porn raid shuts the guy up. Seriously - a guy with 25 years with the FBI was trading kiddie porn under the crafty account of "pedodave69@yahoo.com"? Hide in plain sight has been done.
  Well. The Feds stifled him with the trumped-up kiddie porn charge and waited for the leak investigators to uncover a publicly plausible trail to the truth. But a year later, the leak investigation remained stalled. So, the AP subpoena, the new search warrants for the already-seized computer, et voila. All very above-board, and who will doubt it?
  Meanwhile, the Times slides right past an obvious question - Sachtleben may have leaked to the AP about the fact that the Yemen bomb was in the possession of the FBI (original story), but it was in follow-ups that the leaks about the Saudi/British double agent were published. To be fair, the Times probably won't be aggressively investigating other news agencies leaks, but still, here is the timeline they present:
  On May 7, 2012, The A.P. broke the news that the bomb plot had been disrupted, setting off further disclosures.
  That evening, Richard A. Clarke, a former Clinton administration national security official who had been briefed on the case by John O. Brennan, then the top White House counterterrorism official and now the C.I.A. director, said the plot never came close to being carried out because it was under ''insider control'' by intelligence officials.
  Soon, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times [link] and other news organizations reported that the would-be suicide bomber in the operation had been a double agent.
  So a possibility is that Sachtleben tipped the AP to the existence of the bomb plot. Other officials then disclosed during their victory lap that the Brits and Saudis had been involved. And now Sachtleben takes the fall for everything, and why not, since he is dealer in kiddie porn anyway? That saves Eric Holder from having to figure out who at Obama 2012 the White House might have leaked the follow-up details and saves the press from yet another nasty investigation, so win-win-win.
  "THEY'RE ALL INSANE": The Sachtleben arrest was so unlikely on its face that back in the day it was linked to the bizarre disappearance of FBI agent Stephen Ivens. However, the source of the link is the EU Times, which has no credibility, and Sorcha Fall, aka Source Fail.
  Knowing what we know now about the capabilites of the NSA, I think it is entirely plausible that they identified the Sachtleben/Yemen leak connection immediately and then felt obliged to conceal their knowledge. As to why he is not fighting the kiddie porn charges, its because they have him on other serious stuff. Well, maybe. Or maybe we have been told the full truth and nothing but the truth.
The Real Kenya al Qaeda Event
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:56
  As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter blah, blah, blahNot going to invest much in this as Americans dying in February 2014 is their own fault. Yes that is what Kenya was about as it was a trial run on America.
  The Kenyan regime was in no this as was Cousin Obama. The regime did not know this was about an American audition, but the stage act promised more bribery funds from the Fang Jinn to grow a nice European banking next egg.
  Where was I?
  The Somalians were fall fellows. That Minneapolis Minnesota is like terror central for turning out the nuts and that is why they put the tree there to grow them, safe and secure.
  The leaders were Arab al Qaeda. This was their show and the Somalian corpses were just dressing for future minding in Kenya and Somalian operations.
  Where was I?
  Was a practice run. Not run out of Eric Holder's NSA shadow cell. Probably getting to much highlight on the lowlights so run in a new direction. I did not bother to inquire that part as am exhausted and have better things to do
  I suppose I could lock down location, and numbers of Americans, but pony does not work proper on bad stable conditions while master lives on the good stuff.
  Hee haw......who let that damn mule in the story.
  Where was I?
  That is enough information as you now know what was behind it, as who cares that a pile of targets were hidden in the pile of bodies in Kenya.
  Crapper in the wrapper....got that out of me and that was a secret or something. Different levels weedhopper, so many levels and all you see is the pretty girl.
  Let' sing...
  No let's recite poetry........
  I knew and old woman who lived in a shoeWhy oh, why, what could she do?She could sew with lace, but not lace her shoeSo she did nothing, but lived in a shoe.
  That is pretty good. Probably give the Grims a run on the brother stuff with the sister Cherry, but my sisters are all disowned from me as they are the pits.
  Am I ever on fire..........writing poetry and making double entendre without even thinking about it.
  OK so I pissed with you this long in making both your legs wet and you got to go dry hump some......what is in vogue to dry hump but a hand now.......wonder if God knew all the problems sin could come from with hands....such wicked tools...and they say tongues are bad, but you need someone elses tongue to get you into trouble when your own hand gets the real lather.
  Where was I?
  OK so I give you three guesses.....no as you do not give me anything and if Tuco taught me anything it was something other than that.
  OK
  New Jersey is the target
  Christie knows nothing of this as he is too dumb to be trusted.......is what the inquiry said when I asked.
  5987 dead from arms fire and things that go bang.
  You really get too much free rides from the pony.
  nuff said but not I suppose as I have to work miserable until I get that several hundred thousand dollar donation.
  agtG
SAS IN MALL WHEN ATTACK BEGAN
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: aangirfan
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:52
  At the Kenyan mall, the man with the gun is in the UK's Special Air Services (SAS). According to the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph:
  "The SAS soldier shown above was having coffee at the Westgate mall (in Kenya) when it was attacked.
  "With a gun tucked into his waistband, he was pictured helping two women out of the complex.
  "He is said to have returned to the building on a dozen occasions, despite intense gunfire.
  "Sources said the soldier was with the SAS, but he cannot be named for security reasons.
  "A friend in Nairobi said: 'He went back in (the mall) 12 times."Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ (The Daily Mail has now deleted its original story)Nairobi terror attack: 'SAS hero' saves up to 100 lives - Telegraph...Samantha Lewthwaite, suspected of working for Britain's MI6.A senior Kenyan anti-terror officer says: 'We believe she (Samantha Lewthwaite) was commanding the operation (the attack on the mall) but her fate is not yet known. It is understood she was a sniper also.'The Mail revealed yesterday that soldiers say they saw a white woman shouting orders to gunmen, while a Twitter account purporting to represent Al Shabaab praised Lewthwaite.
  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
  "Two British Special Forces advisers and several MI6 agents were involved" in the mall operation,Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
  Reportedly, the Mall terrorists gave out Mars bars to some of the children.Terrorist gave my kids Mars bars
  Who was killed and who survived:Israel - no deaths reported
  USA - no deaths reported
  The dead were reported to be citizens of KENYA, GHANA, INDIA, CHINA, PERU, SOUTH AFRICA...
  Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
  Britain's SAS (Special Air Services) have reportedly trained the Khmer Rouge, the Tamil Tigers and Indonesia's notorious Kopassus.Britain's SAS trained the Khmer Rouge
  It was the British Special Air Services (SAS) firm Keenie Meenie Services which reportedly trained the Tamil Tigers.
  (Southern India, Sri Lanka terrorist groups)
  SHOCK: RUTO CLAIMS West Gate Mall Attack was ARRANGED to FIX him and President KenyattaThe Kenyan Daily Post has "identified different codes" used by the group that attacked the Kenyan Mall on 21 September 2013.DAILY POST: Codes used by AL SHABAAB
  Reportedly, the codes relate to Masonic lodges in Charlotte, North Carolina.Harvey Point, in North Carolina, is used for CIA paramilitary and 'counter-terrorism' courses that involve high explosives and ballistics. Harvey Point was used by Navy SEAL Team Six to train for the raid that pretended to kill Osama bin Laden, in a scale mockup of the secret compound.[3][4]Reportedly, Somalia's al-Shabaab terror group has released the names and nationalities of 9 attackers at the Westgate mall in Nairobi.
  Alleged Kenya Mall Attackers Named by Al Shabaab - All Africa
  They released the names via a Twitter account which is now suspended.
  Below are the names and nationalities of 'the attackers'.
  1: Ahmed Mohamed Isse, 22 years old from Minnesota, USA2: Abdifatah Osman Keynadiid, 24 years old from Minnesota, Minneapolis3: General Mustaf Nuradin, 27 years from Kansas City, America
  4: Qasim Said, 22 year old from Garissa Kenya
  5: Ahmed Nasir Shirdon, 24 years old from UK
  6: Zaki Jma'a Arale, 20 years old from Hargeisa Somalia.
  7: Ismail Guled, 23 years old from Finland
  8: Siad Nuh, 25 years old from Kismayu, Somalia
  9: Abdirazaq Mowlid, 24 years old from Canada
  Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the usual suspects have carried out an attack on a church (above).
  Did Americans help
Marissa Mayer Isn't The #1 Anything
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Valleywag
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:50
  In this month's issue ofFortune, we "meet the most important young iconoclasts, risk-takers, and rule breakers in business"'--40 of them, to be exact. At the top of the 40 Under 40 prestige pile is Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, who, despite lavish press, has accomplished about as much for Yahoo! as you have.
  Here is why Mayer rests'--and I do mean rests!'--atop the list, according to Fortune:
  "Get in over your head" is Mayer's guideline. It's this career philosophy that has fueled her turnaround effort at Yahoo since she joined the company as CEO last year, at age 37, after more than a decade at Google. Mayer has replaced key Yahoo executives, made a string of acquisitions (22 so far, including Tumblr'--see No. 24'--for $1.1 billion), and overhauled Yahoo's culture and HR rules (its logo too) in an effort to make the company innovative again. Revenue growth is her challenge, but investors like what our newly crowned No. 1 has done: The stock is up 86% since she came in.
  This is all more or less true, but by no means justifies a top spot, to say nothing of "iconoclast." Examine any of these sentences alone, and you'll see a corporate black eye, not plaudits.
  But fine, this is Fortune, not an epic poem, and so it's enough to be a above-capable businessperson. Is she?
  Mayer landed at Yahoo! after a series of clear demotions at Google'--she entered the former after a downward slide at the latter. Over the past year and change as CEO, she's earned headlines and retweets not through her deeds, but through discussion of her deeds. Corporate theater, innovation as exhibition'--Mayer is a household name (at least in geekier households) by virtue of being Marissa Mayer. She's gotten people talking about Yahoo! into conversations again, but can any of us remember what any of those conversations were about? Repeating a noun for its own sake doesn't do much to elevate that noun, no matter what purple font it's rendered in.
  Push aside URLs and magazine spreads, and what's left? What has Marissa Mayer done? How has Yahoo! changed under her?
  She's pissed off the company bybanningpeople from working from home.Yahoo! Mailreceived some new features, about a decade after it would have mattered.The company's Yahoo.com homepage saw someminor changes.A bunch of old shit from the 90s that no one used anymore wasshut down.Yahoo! boughtTumblrfor far less than its investors hoped, largely because Tumblr was going to run out of money soon.It also bought 21 otherpissantstartups on the cheap, earning attention and little else along the way'--some of these TJ Maxx sale rack acquisitions were folded into existing products to bolster apps. None of Yahoo's iOS apps are in the topone hundredmost popular free downloads.Flickr saw a big redesign'--and a good one!'--years after most users had moved on.Mayer sat in a chair, upside-down, for aVogue September Issue spread.Mayer spent a weekenddesigning a new logofor the company, which everyone hated.In summation: bought a bunch of middling companies, bought Tumblr, minor page design changes, a new logo, a magazine spread, and no working from home. The company's stock value has leapt, sure'--but this is almost entirely the fruit of a fortuitous investment in Alibaba, a an enormously successful Chinese startup being successful on the other side of the planet without help from Mayer. When the Alibaba cash runs out'--and one day it will'--which of the aforementioned feats will Mayer be able to lean on? The logo? Giving a teenager $30 million?
  Self-perpetuating buzz is a short term enterprise, and Yahoo! under Mayer has been all about the short term.
  What can Mayer do that'll get people talking about Yahoo! today?
  What can Mayer do that'll get people talking about Mayer today?
  How can Yahoo! keep its head above water for one more day? What do we have left? Well, we can always change the logo. AllThingsD's Kara Swisher calls Marissa Mayer the "Hey-look-at-me" CEO. That's not entirely fair: she has places like Fortune saying "Look at her!" just as much. For a peek at real corporate power, it'd be hard to avoid staring at Sheryl Sandberg, disqualified from the Fortune list by her age on a ranking that includes Will.I.Am. Maybe we should just look away from lists entirely.
Helsinki responds best and Lisbon worst to the honest city test that plants wallet containing £30 and a family photo in public places | Mail Online
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:07
  Test by Reader's Digest dropped wallets in 16 cities worldwide and counted how many were given backHelsinki in Finland topped the survey, handing back 11 of 12 wallets, while only one was returned in Lisbon, PortugalNew York was joint third while London came joint ninth in the testBy Kieran Corcoran
  PUBLISHED: 09:50 EST, 24 September 2013 | UPDATED: 10:52 EST, 24 September 2013
  It is a classic conundrum and a yardstick of morality - if you found an abandoned wallet, would you give it back?
  But while everyone would have their own reasons for keeping or returning a lost item, a new study has revealed which cities worldwide have the best record for acts of honesty.
  A total of 16 cities - including New York, London and Mumbai - were put to the test when 12 wallets were dropped in prominent places containing family photographs, contact details and the equivalent of £30 in cash.
  Moral quandry: Wallets containing personal items and £30 cash were dropped in cities around the world
  Centre of honest: Helsinki topped the study by returning 11 of the 12 wallets left there
  Of the 192 wallets, just under half were returned, but the results varied strikingly from city to city in the study, commissioned by Reader's Digest.
  Finnish capital city Helsinki returned 11 of its wallets, while in Lisbon, Portugal, only one of the wallets was returned - by a couple on holiday from Holland.
  Interestingly, the study, which will feature in the October issue of the magazine, showed that whether a place was rich or poor had no effect on whether people kept the money or not.
  Mumbai in India scored second-best in the study by returning nine of the 12 wallets, despite the fact that the 3000 rupees they each contained would go a lot further than 43 francs in wealthy Zurich, Switzerland, where only four were returned.
  Closer to home, London came joint ninth of the 16 cities tested, returning only five of 12 wallets - the same result as Warsaw in Poland and one worse than Berlin in Germany.
  Finders keepers: Lisbon in Portugal did less well, only returning one wallet of the 12
  The people carrying out the study also found that age and gender were no predictors of honesty, as men, women, children and pensioners kept and returned wallets in equal measure.
  Lasse Luomakoski, a 27-year-old student who returned a wallet in Helsinki, thought that her people were naturally disposed to be honest.
  He said: 'Finns are naturally honest, it's typical for us. We are a small, quiet, closely-knit community.
  We have little corruption and we don't even run red lights.'
  Good Samartians: Rahul Rai, left, in Mumbai and Manca Smolej, right, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, both returned wallets
  Vaishali Mhaskar, a mother of two, returned a wallet left in the Mumbai general post office and said: 'I teach my children to be honest, just like my parents taught me.'
  Occasionally people made attempts to return the wallets then gave up - a woman in Bucharest asked two passers-by whether they owned it before taking it for her own.
  A emergency worker in Moscow described it as his professional duty to give it back, and handed the wallet to a security guard.
  REVEALED: THE MOST HONEST AND DISHONEST CITIES IN THE WORLD1. Helsinki, Finland - 11 out of 12 wallets
  2. Mumbai, India - 9 out of 12
  =3. Budapest, Hungary - 8 out of 12
  =3. New York City, USA - 8 out of 12
  =5. Moscow, Russia - 7 out of 12
  =5. Amsterdam, Netherlands - 7 out of 12
  =7. Berlin, Germany - 6 out of 12
  =7. Ljubljana, Slovenia - 6 out of 12
  =9. London, UK - 5 out of 12
  =9. Warsaw, Poland - 5 out of 12
  =11. Bucharest, Romania - 4 out of 12
  =11. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 4 out of 12
  =11. Zurich, Switzerland - 4 out of 12
  14. Prague, Czech Republic - 3 out of 12
  15. Madrid, Spain - 2 out of 12
  16. Lisbon, Portugal - 1 out of 12
  He said: 'I am an officer and I am bound by an officer's ethical code.
  'My parents raised me as an honest and decent man.'
  However, being in uniform did not guarantee a sense of duty - in Zurich one wallet was taken and kept by a tram driver - despite the fact that Zurich's tram system runs a city-wide lost and found service.
  However, there were many instances of outright dishonesty reported. One man picked up a wallet, looked inside and immediately climbed into a flash Mazda and drove off.
  A male New Yorker found the money and marched straight into a convenience store to emerge with a stash of cigarettes.
  But in a heart-warming exception, reporters followed a elderly man in Amsterdam into a liquor store after he picked up the wallet - only to find he had asked the shop attendant to phone the number inside to have the wallet returned.
  Catherine Haughney, editor of Reader's Digest, said: 'It is truly inspiring to see that there are so many honest people in the world.
  'And most of all, that honesty is valued among young and old, men and women, poor and rich in very different cultures.'
  Share or comment on this article
Who We Are | Team Rubicon
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:41
  Team: noun |tÄ'm| : 1: a number of persons associated together in a group or activity 2: emphasizes the organization's focus on small, cohesive units
  Rubicon: proper noun |r¼-bi-Ä·¤n| : a bounding or limiting line; especially: one that when crossed commits someone irrevocably. Origin: River in Northern Italy marking the border of Gaul and Rome; crossed by Julius Caesar in 49 B.C., considered by the Senate an act of war
  TEAM RUBICON: proper noun | tÄ'm r¼-bi-Ä·¤n| : 1: a group of military veterans and medical professionals irrevocably committed to changing veteran reintegration and disaster response 2: the ''Nation'' of supporters who make this mission possible
  President & Co-FounderJacob Woodgraduated from the University of Wisconsin, where he played football, with a double major in Business and Political Science. He honorably served four years in the United States Marine Corps, deploying to Iraq in 2007 as an infantry squad leader and to Afghanistan in 2008 as a Scout-Sniper. He graduated Scout-Sniper School at the top of his class and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with ''V'' for valor in the face of the enemy while in Iraq. Jake serves on numerous veteran committees and speaks about veteran issues and social entrepreneurism.
  Vice-President & Co-FounderWilliam McNultyis a Marine who served in both the infantry and intelligence. He has worked in support of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Council's Iraq Threat Finance Cell. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Communication Studies from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in Government from The Johns Hopkins University.
  Director of FinanceDipali Mehtais a certified public accountant, originally from the Washington, DC area. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Commerce with concentrations in accounting and management information systems. She has over 18 years of accounting experience in both public and corporate accounting.
  Director of Field OperationsAndrew Stevensoversees the operational tempo and scope of work for all field missions. With a background and education in emergency/disaster management, Andrew worked for the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management as the state planner for critical infrastructure protection and community emergency planner. A former U.S. Marine, he acted as an Assistant Operation Chief and react team leader for Tango 5/11 during the initial assault on Iraq in 2003. Andrew has traveled to nearly 40 countries, including two TR missions to the Thai-Burma border and Mozambique.
  Director of Strategic PartnershipsMatt Pelakis currently working as a Firefighter/Paramedic in Poughkeepsie, NY and has over 13 years experience in EMS and technical rescue. He has worked in a multitude of environments from busy urban systems, to rural, to third world. Matt has over 12 years of Army service as an infantryman and forward observer and is currently serving in the National Guard in NY. Matt deployed to Iraq with the Army in 2004 and also worked as an overseas contractor with the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service. He deployed to Pakistan with Team Rubicon following the massive 2010 floods.
  Director of Program DevelopmentMatt Runyonis responsible for the development, implementation and management of Team Rubicon's veteran programs. Originally from Akron, Ohio, Matt is a graduate of the USC's Leventhal School of Accounting (Fight On!). He is an 8 year Army veteran, deploying with the 56th Military Police Co. in support of Police Transition Team operations from 2007-2008. Matt joined TR full-time after working in varying corporate finance and contract negotiation roles for Raytheon Company. In his spare time, Matt keeps a positive and hopeful attitude while enduring the unending pain of being a Cleveland sports fan.
  Director of PersonnelNicole Greengraduated from the Air Force Academy with a BS in Political Science. She served as an intelligence officer in Iraq in 2003. Nicole holds an MA in Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution from Norwich University and has worked as an English teacher in Russia, Critical Thinking instructor for the Army, and Strategy and Operations consultant for Deloitte and Touche. She is a passionate advocate for the strengths veterans offer their communities and the corporate world.
  Chief Medical OfficerJohn P. Sutter, M.D.is a board certified family practitioner who, when not traveling, lives in New York City. He splits his professional duties between volunteering with Team Rubicon, and working intermittent shifts in rural Alaska where he provides full spectrum family medicine care to native Yupik populations. He received his B.A. in international relations from the University of Virginia, where he also served as a volunteer firefighter. During medical school at George Washington University, and during residency at UCSD, he volunteered for medical relief trips to Tibet, Malawi, South Sudan, and the Philippines.
  Digital Media CoordinatorKirk JacksonOriginally from the Houston area, Kirk attended NYU, followed by a 7 year master's degree from the NYC School of Hard Knocks where he learned more than he cared to about the film and television industry. While working in the documentary and nonprofit realm, Kirk began producing and managing digital media for Team Rubicon in late 2010. In addition to being a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies, he loves to sit on the porch with his wife and children to watch dueling hummingbirds while sipping a season-appropriate cocktail.
  Communications CoordinatorMike Leea native of Chicago, graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Creative Writing. At LMU, Mike developed international and domestic volunteer trips and served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Student Veterans Organization. Mike's professional background is in advertising and marketing, and has experience in executing large print and digital campaigns for non-profit and tourism clients. He lives in Los Angeles where he thinks a lot about dogs, bourbon, and the Chicago Bears.
  Operations Planning AssociateEvan Koepkejoins us from the University of Virginia and the world of wilderness rescue. There, he merged an education in planning methods and emergency management with experiences in remote emergency operations. Evan has served as Chairman of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference, interned with the Homeland Security Institute and Red Cross, and provided training in wilderness SAR and lost person behavior. Free time is dedicated to providing TR an accent of kilt and highland bagpipe.
  Office ManagerMaurice Johnsonis currently pursuing his B.A. in Human Resource Management and previously served 8 years in the United States Navy as a Personnel Specialist. While serving in the Navy, he had been on four deployments, visiting five of the seven continents. Maurice is currently volunteering for the Navy Recruiting District of Los Angeles as an ombudsman. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and bambino where they enjoy walks on the beach and being wonderful parents.
  Operations Training AssociateChris Whartonalso known as ''The Brit,'' is British by birth and Welsh by choice. An Iraq conflict veteran, firefighter, and hazardous materials technician, Chris also responded to the earthquake/tsunami in Japan in 2011. Following his time in Japan, Chris determined that the best way to save lives was educate people before a disaster strikes, rather than try to rescue them afterwards. A life-long adventurer and outdoorsman, when Chris is not helping train TR volunteers in operational excellence, he can be found dangling under the love of his life: his para-glider.
  AmbassadorJoshua Maverick Websteris currently an Army Officer stationed in Vicenza, Italy. He recently spent 8 years as an Air Force Pararescueman ''PJ'' for the 131st Rescue Squadron in Mountain View, California. He previously served as an Army Ranger Team Leader at 2/75th Ranger Battalion and was released honorably after two combat tours in Afghanistan. He is a registered Paramedic and holds a B.A. in History from UCLA.
1.3 tons of cocaine found on Air France plane
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:40
  By Holly Yan, CNN
  updated 7:54 AM EDT, Tue September 24, 2013
  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  NEW: Venezuela says it has detained three members of the National GuardThe cocaine traveled in 30 colorful suitcases from Venezuela to FranceThe bags weren't registered to any of the passengers on the flightSeveral people have been taken into custody, France's interior minister said(CNN) -- There was something odd about the 30 suitcases that showed up on a flight from Venezuela. The colorful bags weren't registered to any of the passengers on the plane.
  When French officials opened them up, they discovered why -- 1.3 tons of pure cocaine were stuffed inside the anonymous bags.
  The street value of the stash? About 200 million euros, or $270 million.
  $2.6 million in cocaine found in British woman's luggage
  The catch was made on September 11, but French authorities didn't publicize the find until Saturday.
  On Sunday, Venezuela's Public Ministry said that authorities had detained three members of the National Guard in connection with the incident.
  It wasn't immediately clear exactly what they are accused of doing.
  Woman busted in Spain for cocaine in breast implants
  The suitcases came from Caracas aboard an Air France flight to Paris, but did not match any of the passengers on board, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
  "Several" people have been taken in custody, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls told reporters Saturday.
  Authorities worked with Spanish, British and Dutch police on the investigation, BFMTV said.
  This case "illustrates the importance of strengthening International cooperation in the fight against traffickers," Valls said.
  Venezuelan authorities are also investigating. The Public Ministry said prosecutors will investigate, along with the Counterdrug Command of the National Guard in Simon Bolivar International Airport, to see if any criminal activity took place.
  Suspected drug smugglers sail to jail
  CNN's Christabelle Fombu and Nelson Quinones contributed to this report.
Is 'White Widow' Samantha Lewthwaite Behind Nairobi Westgate Mall Attack?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:37
  Speculation is running rampant about the infamous ''White Widow'' Samantha Lewthwaite''a British-born woman who has been connected to multiple terrorist attacks in the past''being behind the attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
  The speculation intensified late Monday after Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed told PBS that a Briton is one of the attackers.
  She said that the attacker from Britain was a woman who has ''done this many times before.''
  The attack has killed at least 62 people, left over 175 others wounded, and is not over. Gunmen from al-Shabab are still in the the mall and are holding hostages.
  Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Westgate, an affluent mall in Kenya's capital city, that specifically targeted non-Muslims. The 10 to 15 al-Shabab extremists stormed the mall from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians. The Islamic extremist rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia.
  Multiple U.K. news agencies speculated late Saturday that Lewthwaite is at the heart of al-Shabab.
  ''Samantha Lewthwaite, a mother of three from Buckinghamshire, is a senior figure in al Shabab who claimed responsibility for the Nairobi attack,'' according to the Daily Star.
  People in Kenya were saying on Twitter that Lewthwaite is likely behind the attack and may even be at the mall.
  ''FORMER HOSTAGES: Ringleader of #WestgateAttack is a lady with British accent. Might be the elusive widow,'' said Robert Alai, a Kenyan blogger who has been live tweeting the situation, on Sunday.
  On Monday, Alai added that Lewthwaite ''might have travelled on KQ604 from Nairobi to Mombasa on 1st August.''
  Three sources, an intelligence officer and two soldiers, told Reuters that one of the killed attackers was a white woman.
  Asked it was Lewthwaite, the intelligence officer said: ''We don't know.''
  Lewthwaite is the widow of Germaine Lindsay, who killed 56 (including himself) and injured hundreds of others by detonating bombs on three trains on the London subway system in 2005, along with two other Islamist terrorists.
  She is suspected to be connected to multiple terror attacks, including a plot to attack tourist hotels in Mombasa''Kenya's second-largest city''in late 2012.
  However, it could be that Lewthwaite has nothing to do with the attack.
  ''Security sources and a Kenyan anti-terror officer denied any suggestions that the attack was linked to Samantha Lewthwaite,'' reported the Daily Telegraph. ''She is believed to be living with al-Shabab cells in Somalia.''
  Other reactions on Twitter included:
  -One Mombasa resident took the denials by al-Shabaab that Lewthwaite was involved in the attack to implicate the opposite: ''Fact that the Al-Shabab handle [Twitter account] denied any involvement of a woman in the attack points more fingers at that white widow lady.''
  -Tom Githire, a Nigerian resident, said: ''We almost got the White Widow terror leader last year, twice, and she escaped by bribing her way out..and her contacts in the police.''
  -Shamsa Birik, a development worker in Nairobi, said: ''Somali journalists seem to be much ahead with news. They were tweeting about 'white widow' in the morning. Only that they tweeting in Somali. Also Somali websites have good leads on the info. Only that nobody knows they exist.''
  Story developing; check back for updates
  Follow @ETBreakingNews for breaking news from around the world.
  MORE on Kenya Attack:
  Jacktone Puodi, Kenyan Soldier, Reported Dead in Westgate Mall Attack
  Mbugua Mwangi Dead: Nephew of Kenya's President Killed in Nairobi Mall Attacks
  Kenya: Kristina Pratt, President Kenyatta's Sister, Escapes Nairobi Mall Attack
  Robert Alai, Kenyan Blogger, Earns Praise for His Coverage of Kenya Terror Attack at Westgate Mall
  The Associated Press contributed to this report.
British terror suspect linked to 'white widow' Samantha Lewthwaite reportedly killed - Telegraph
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:36
  The two were charged alongside Jermaine Grant, from east London, whose trial for possessing explosives and plotting bomb attacks will continue in Kenya's port city of Mombasa on Sept 23. Lewthwaite and Ghani are believed to have rented an apartment for Grant in the city, paid for the purchase of bomb-making chemicals, and were working closely with him when police stumbled on their plots.
  Grant was arrested just before Christmas 2011, but Lewthwaite and Ghani fled and had not been heard of until Thursday.
  The group to which Ghani was attached was attacked while in hiding in the town of Shongolow. Hammami is understood to have fallen out with al-Shabaab's leadership, which has made attempts on his life before and which recently repeated that he should be killed.
  The men were killed on the orders of al-Shabaab's chief commander, the Afghanistan-trained Moktar Ali Zubeyr, sources in Somalia said.
  Gunmen posing as travellers pretended to stop in the town to pray before opening fire when they saw their targets.
  Ghani was reportedly with up to eight other armed men, three of whom were killed alongside him. Two of the others escaped and al-Shabaab fighters captured at least two others.
  ''There was a gun battle between Amriki and his men and other fighters,'' said Moalim Ali, a local resident. ''The reports are that Amriki is among those killed,''
  Al-Shabaab did not immediately confirm the killings. On its Twitter account, it said only that, ''Mujahideen forces today ambushed a convoy of apostate militia '... killing 3 and injuring over 10''. But posts on a website supportive of Hammami appeared to confirm his death. He has been falsely claimed to have been killed on at least two occasions in the past, but security sources said that yesterday's reports were ''the most credible'' yet.
  Ghani used the aliases Osama al-Britani and Sheikh Osama al-Muhajir and was said to have been very close to Hammami, who is originally from Alabama. Hammami was among the most prominent foreign militants fighting in Somalia. Jerky videos that he posted on Youtube showed him enthusiastically promoting al-Shabaab's battle to overthrow the internationally backed government, before he fell out with the leadership.
  He has been on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List since November last year. In March, the US State Department offered a $5million (£3.1million) reward for information leading to his killing or capture. Police have previously described Ghani as ''very dangerous'' and he has been described in some news reports as an al-Qaeda bomb maker.
  Lewthwaite is still being hunted. Last year, the pair were suspected of being part of a terrorist cell that was planning attacks in 2011 on hotels and restaurants in Mombasa.
  Her former husband Lindsay blew up an underground train at King's Cross in 2005. She is believed to be on the run with her three children.
LiveLeak.com - Ally of world's most wanted woman the White Widow is shot dead in Somalia raid: Briton killed by rival Islamic militants
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:35
  Ally of world's most wanted woman the White Widow is shot dead in Somalia raid: Briton killed by rival Islamic militants
  Ally of world's most wanted woman the White Widow is shot dead in Somalia raid: Briton killed by rival Islamic militants
  British bomb-maker Habib Ghani was ambushed in a raid by a rival groupHe had been on the run with 7/7 bomber's wife, Samantha Lewthwaiteal-Shabab gunmen lay in wait posing as camel herders outside villageThe group had been hunting rival members following a splitBy Rebecca Camber and Sara SmythPUBLISHED:22:57 GMT, 12 September 2013UPDATED:12:56 GMT, 13 September 2013A British bomb-maker on the run withthe widow of a London 7/7 bomber is believed to have been killed in agun battle in Somalia.HabibGhani, 28, was ambushed along with one of America's most wantedterrorists in a dawn raid after falling out with commanders frommilitant group al-Shabab.Thefanatic '' who also called himself Osama al-Britani '' was a key ally ofMuslim convert Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, who was married to King's Crossbomber Jermaine Lindsay.
  Killed: Habib Ghani(left) is believed to have been shot dead in Somalia. He has been on therun with Samantha Lewthwaite (right) since 2011
  The so-called 'WhiteWidow', who is the world's most wanted woman, has been on the run inEast Africa after police foiled a Christmas bomb plot against Westerntourists in the coastal resort of Mombasa in 2011.Policebelieve the soldier's daughter from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, hadbeen working with Ghani for several years, although she was not thoughtto have been present when gunmen struck early yesterday.Ghani, from Hounslow, west London, andOmar Hammami, also called al-Amriki (The American), are thought to havebeen shot by gunmen from al-Shabab, who overpowered their bodyguards in avillage where they had been in hiding since fleeing the terror group inJune.
  'Dead': Militants in Somalia have claimed thatAmerican jihadist Omar Hammami has been killed. In April, he tweetedthis pictured, right, following what he called an assassination attemptas he was in a tea shop
  Killed: Hammami, right, joined al-Shabab in 2006. He is pictured withdeputy leader of al-Shabab. Sheik Mukhtar Abu Mansur Robow, left, in2011 but he went on the run after falling out with the group
  Popular: Hammami was voted president of his Sophomore class and dated one of the most popular girls in school
  Convert: Soldier's daughter Samantha Lewthwaite pictured at school
  Residents in al-Baate village in southern Somalia said their bodies were dragged away by rebels.'This morning al-Amriki and his comrades were attacked by well-armed fighters,' said Hussein Nur.After a brief fight, al-Amriki and his two colleagues were killed. Several of their guards escaped.'The al-Shabab gunmen struck at 5.30am, just after morning prayers, capturing the jihadists unawares.Sources said the gunmen had lain in wait for several days, posing as camel herders.
  Ghani and Hammami were allies of Somali Islamist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys,who split from al-Shabab in June, causing a rift in the group's ranks.Since the split, al-Shabab has been hunting down and killing allies of Aweys.
  Al-Amriki was on the FBI's MostWanted terror list and a $5million (£3.1million) bounty was offered forinformation leading to his capture.Ghaniwas born in the UK to a Pakistani father and a Kenyan mother. Accordingto police sources, he left his home in Hounslow several years ago andgained bomb-making experience in Pakistan.Last night details emerged about Ghani's secret life in Somalia where he was also known locally as Sheikh Towfiq.
  Target: One of Americas most wanted terrorists, Omar Hammami (left), waskilled alongside Ghani. Lewthwaite and Ghani had been on the run since2011 when police swooped on another extremist, Jermaine Grant (right)
  The bearded Briton was living withhis Somalian wife Habibo and two children, a boy aged three and a babygirl just a few months old, in the remote town of Hawalbarbar which hasno electricity.He owned a small kiosk, where he charged phone batteries with his solar-powered adapter for a fee.
  Ghaniand Lewthwaite were said to have fled Kenya in December 2011 as policeswooped on a third and unconnected British extremist, Jermaine Grant,who was living on the other side of Mombasa.Policefeared she and Ghani were planning to unleash a terror attack as thetourist season got under way but she managed to slip the net.Lewthwaite is believed to be a vital conduit between Al Qaeda groups in Pakistan and East Africa.
  White Widow: Samantha Lewthwaite converted to Islam and married 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay (pictured)
  Slaughter: Shehzad Tanweeer, Jermaine Lindsay and Mohammad Sidique Khanwith their rucksacks at Luton railway station while carrying out a dryrun days before the blasts killed 52
  The mother of four converted to Islam at the age of 17 and married Lindsay in 2002 after meeting him on the internet.
  Shewas seven months pregnant when Lindsay, a Jamaican convert fromHuddersfield, killed 26 people when he blew himself up on a PiccadillyLine train in July 2005.Sinceher disappearance, Lewthwaite has been linked to a spate of grenadeattacks in Mombasa, including one which killed three people.Ghani'sfamily, who live in a modest £270,000 terraced house in a quietsuburban street, refused to speak to reporters last night.AForeign Office spokesman said: 'We are aware of reports of the death ofa British national in Somalia and are looking into this.'
  WHITE WIDOW CONVERT FROM BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REMAINS AT LARGESamantha Lewthwaite, 29, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, has been on the run for nearly two years.
  Lewthwaite is suspected of fundingterrorist groups in Kenya and was questioned by police in December 2011,but she managed to slip away and has been on the run ever since.Themother-of-three was pregnant with Jermaine Lindsay's baby when he blewhimself up on a tube at Kings Cross, killing 26 people.Fiftytwo people were killed and more than 700 were injured when four suicidebombers struck in London during the morning of July 7, 2005.Mohammad Sidique Khan killed seven people including himself on a train heading towards Paddington from Edgware Road.
  Shehzad Tanweer detonated a bomb aboard a train between Liverpool Street station and Aldgate tube station, killing seven.
  And Hasib Hussain detonated his bomb on the top deck of a bus in Tavistock Square killing 13 people.
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2419556/Habib-Ghani-ally-White-Widow-Samantha-Lewthwaite-shot-dead-rival-Islamic-militants-Somalia.html
Mother Nature and the Middle Class - NYTimes.com
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:15
  IF you fell asleep 30 years ago, woke up last week and quickly scanned the headlines in Iran and Egypt you could be excused for saying, ''I didn't miss a thing.'' The military and the Muslim Brotherhood are still slugging it out along the Nile, and Iranian pragmatists and ideologues are still locked in a duel for control of their Islamic Revolution.
  So go back to sleep? Not so fast. I can guarantee that the next 30 years will not be the same old, same old. Two huge new forces have muscled their way into the center of both Egyptian and Iranian politics, and they will bust open their old tired duopolies.
  The first newcomer is Mother Nature. Do not mess with Mother Nature. Iran's population in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution occurred was 37 million; today it's 75 million. Egypt's was 40 million; today it's 85 million. The stresses from more people, climate change and decades of environmental abuse in both countries can no longer be ignored or bought off.
  On July 9, Iran's former agriculture minister, Issa Kalantari, an adviser to Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, spoke to this reality in the Ghanoon newspaper: ''Our main problem that threatens us, that is more dangerous than Israel, America or political fighting, is the issue of living in Iran,'' said Kalantari. ''It is that the Iranian plateau is becoming uninhabitable. ... Groundwater has decreased and a negative water balance is widespread, and no one is thinking about this.''
  Thomas L. Friedman
  Josh Haner / The New York Times
  He continued: ''I am deeply worried about the future generations. ... If this situation is not reformed, in 30 years Iran will be a ghost town. Even if there is precipitation in the desert, there will be no yield, because the area for groundwater will be dried and water will remain at ground level and evaporate.'' Kalantari added: ''All the bodies of natural water in Iran are drying up: Lake Urumieh, Bakhtegan, Tashak, Parishan and others.'' Kalantari concluded that the ''deserts in Iran are spreading, and I am warning you that South Alborz and East Zagros will be uninhabitable and people will have to migrate. But where? Easily I can say that of the 75 million people in Iran, 45 million will have uncertain circumstances. ... If we start this very day to address this, it will take 12 to 15 years to balance.''
  In Egypt, soil compaction and rising sea levels have already led to saltwater intrusion in the Nile Delta; overfishing and overdevelopment are threatening the Red Sea ecosystem, and unregulated and unsustainable agricultural practices in poorer districts, plus more extreme temperatures, are contributing to erosion and desertification. The World Bank estimates that environmental degradation is costing Egypt 5 percent of gross domestic product annually.
  But just as Mother Nature is demanding better governance from above in both countries, an emergent and empowered middle class, which first reared its head with the 2009 Green revolution in Iran and the 2011 Tahrir revolution in Egypt, is doing so from below. A government that just provides ''order'' alone in either country simply won't cut it anymore. Order, drift and decay were tolerable when populations were smaller, the environment not so degraded, the climate less volatile, and citizens less technologically empowered and connected.
  Both countries today need ''order-plus'' '-- an order that enables dynamism and resilience, and that can be built only on the rule of law, innovation, political and religious pluralism, and greater freedoms. It requires political and economic institutions that are inclusive and ''sustainable,'' in both senses of that word. Neither country can afford the old line that Hosni Mubarak used for so many years when addressing American leaders: ''After me comes the flood, so you'd better put up with my stale, plodding but stable leadership, otherwise you'll get the Muslim Brotherhood.''
  That is so 1970s. As Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment, puts it: In the Middle East today ''it's no longer 'After me, the flood' '-- Apr¨s moi, le d(C)luge '-- but 'After me, the drought.' '' Syria's revolution came on the heels of the worst drought in its modern history, to which the government failed to respond.
  Iran's Islamic leadership seems to realize that it cannot keep asking its people to put up with crushing economic sanctions to preserve a nuclear weapons option. Mother Nature and Iran's emergent middle classes require much better governance, integrated with the world. That's why Iran is seeking a nuclear deal now with Washington.
  And that's why two of the most interesting leaders to watch today are President Rouhani of Iran and Egypt's new military strongman, Gen. Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. Both men rose up in the old order, but both men were brought into the top leadership by the will of their emergent middle classes and newly empowered citizens, and neither man will be able to maintain order without reforming the systems that produced them '-- making them more sustainable and inclusive. They have no choice: too many people, too little oil, too little soil.
  And pay attention: What Mother Nature and these newly empowered citizens have in common is that they can both set off a wave '-- a tsunami '-- that can overwhelm their systems at any moment, and you'll never see it coming.
2030: A "perfect storm" of global resource shortages - CNBC
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:13
  Corporate leaders give themselves a lousy grade on their efforts to develop sustainable supplies of natural resources strained by a growing global population and a rapidly expanding middle class of consumers.
  With demand for everything from food and water to rare earth minerals expected to continue to rise, companies and governments are increasingly undertaking a variety of efforts to develop a more sustainable supply chain, one of the topics highlighted at the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting.
  Among other projects, the Clinton Global Initiative last year helped launch Sustainable WasteResources International to tackle the health and environmental impact of billions of tons of waste produced worldwide.
  (Read more:Clinton Global Initiative is 'mobilizing for impact')
  This year's week-long conference will bring together more than 1,000 global leaders'--some 60 current and former heads of state, including President Barack Obama, along with NGO and philanthropy leaders from over 70 nations'-- to brainstorm ways to head off increasing strains on the natural resources that keep the global economy on track.
  They have a lot of work ahead of them, based on the main finding of a recent survey conducted for the U.N. Global Compact, the world's largest corporate initiative to develop a more sustainable global economy. The survey of more than 1,000 CEOs across the world'--the largest of its kind ever conducted'-- found that two-thirds believe the global economy is not on track to meet the demands of a growing population.
  Despite wider awareness of the need to adopt sustainable practices "business efforts on sustainability may have plateaued," according to the report, conducted by Accenture and released Friday.
  In the short term, the tough economic climate has made it more difficult for businesses to justify these investments. But the long-term outlook hasn't changed, according to Craig Hanson, director of the People and Ecosystems Program at the World Resources Institute.
  (Read more: A hungry world: Lots of food, in too few places)
  "The outlook does look dire for many types of natural resources if we continue on the status quo," he said. "The tough issue is that many of the places that face those resource constraints don't have the technical or human capacity to adjust and deal with an acute shortage."
  But corporate CEOs report that they're having a harder time justifying the investment in overhauling their supply chains to promote sustainability. "Signals from consumers are mixed" and "investor interest is patchy," according to the U.N. Global Compact study.
  The CEOs also say that for these efforts to succeed, both businesses and governments need to collaborate better to apply solutions across industries and sectors. Both also need to better share the financial impact.
  Global businesses may also feel less urgency to advance sustainability at a time when sluggish economic growth has eased the upward pressure on supplies of raw materials and commodity prices. Ongoing advances in supply chain management also may have sparked hopes that future technologies may help head off looming resource crises.
  German software giant SAP, for example, is among a broad range of companies helping businesses and governments apply new processes and technologies to squeeze more efficiency out of a variety of resource supply chains. Rapid advances in data analytics, for example, are helping track down and reduce waste.
  "There is always the hope that you'll find more," said Peter Graf, chief sustainability officer at SAP, one of the companies participating in the Clinton Global Initiative conference. "Mankind has become more and more sophisticated as over the last 100 years to go and exploit those resources. The problem right now is that demand is outgrowing our ability to find new resources. The risk is that we're outgrowing our ability to find new stuff."
  (Read more:As drought spreads, firms could be up the creek)
  The relentless growth of human population in the modern world has brought dire warnings of resource shortages ever since British economist Thomas Malthus more than 200 years ago predicted that overpopulation would bring a catastrophic famine.
  Since then, tight supplies of raw materials and commodities have typically spurred investment in new production, and research in efficiency and substitution of cheaper materials have helped head off shortages. As a result, for much of the last century, the global economy was fueled by a seemingly endless supply of cheap, abundant raw materials.
  But the rapid expansion of the global pool of middle-class consumers is straining the world's supplies of natural resources'--from energy and minerals to water and food'--at a pace that would make Malthus say "I told you so."
  "It's not the total number of people, it's the number in the consuming class," Fraser Thompson, a senior fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, co-author of a 2011 report on resource sustainability. "That's where the real transformational change is happening."
  (Read more:The American invention India really craves--exurbs)
  The numbers are stark. While the current world population of about 7 billion is projected to top 8 billion by 2030, almost all of that growth is expected to come in the developing world. That means the current population of consumers'-- people with more than $10 a day to spend'-- is expected to more than double from 1.8 billion to 4.8 billion.
Common Core-home | inBloom
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  inform and involve each student and teacher with data and tools designed to personalize learning.
  Our StoryLearn about the inBloom vision for how data, applications, and people can work together to create better opportunities for students and educators
  Data PrivacyStudent data privacy is a top priority for inBloom. Read about inBloom's approach to protecting sensitive data, developed in collaboration with states, districts, and privacy experts
Kenya shopping mall attack: Up to 10 hostages still remain inside complex as terror siege enters THIRD day | Mail Online
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  Kenyan security forces still have not cleared the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi of terrorist - as the siege enters its third dayUp to ten people are still though to remain hostage inside the shopping complexA major military offensive was launched on Sunday night by Kenyan defence forces'This will end tonight. Our forces will prevail. Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win,' Kenya's Disaster Operations Center tweeted on SundayAs many as five of the alleged attackers are believed to be from the United StatesCanadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges, 29, and pregnant Kenyan radio journalist Ruhila Adatia among the deadSomalian terrorist group al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack which they live-blogged on TwitterSo far at least 68 people have been reported to have died and 175 people injuredBy Louise Boyle, Ellie Buchdahl, Stuart Woledge, Ryan Gorman and James Nye
  PUBLISHED: 18:58 EST, 21 September 2013 | UPDATED: 05:06 EST, 24 September 2013
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  The FBI is investigating claims that up to five of the terrorists who killed 68 people in a despicable attack on an upmarket Kenyan shopping mall are Americans, as the the siege moved into its third day with fresh gunfire and explosions reported coming from the center on Monday morning in Nairobi.
  As day broke following a quiet night,journalists near the upmarket Westgate complex heard bursts of rifle fire and muffled blasts. A Kenyan Red Cross official, Abbas Guled, said there appeared to be clashes inside the building and Kenyan military officers said a small number of hostages remained inside the mall.
  On Sunday, the Kenyan military reported that it had rescued hostages and secured 'most parts' of the center following the two day standoff but that up to ten hostages remained trapped inside with heavily militants from Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab movement.
  'We are yet to get confirmation from what's happening in the building,' Colonel Cyrus Oguna, a Kenyan military spokesman, told The Associated Press.
  WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE COVERAGE
  Siege: Kenya security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall after shooting started inside the mall early Monday morning, Sept. 23, 2013
  Assault: Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall after firing started inside the mall early Monday morning - Kenya's military launched a major operation at the upscale Nairobi mall and said it had rescued "most" of the hostages
  Ongoing Military Operation: Kenya security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall
  Waiting and Watching: Onlookers gather on a hill to observe the Westgate Mall after a bout of heavy gunfire just after dawn in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 23, 2013
  Standoff: A Kenyan police officer (L) and a Kenya Defense Forces soldier (R) prepare for an incoming fire at the Oshwal Centre adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the hostage situation continues in Nairobi, Kenya on early Monday morning
  Patience: Members of Kenya's security forces man a checkpoint outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya early Monday, Sept. 23, 2013
  Kenyan policemen gather for a briefing near the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital Nairobi, September 23, 2013. Heavy and sustained gunfire was heard from the Kenyan shopping mall on Monday morning
  A truck of security forces arrives at the Westgate Mall after a bout of heavy gunfire just after dawn in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 23, 2013.
  Sources close to terror group Al Shabaab told CNN on Sunday that nine extremists had been named on their Twitter account along with their nationalities and allegedly included U.S. citizens. The account has now been suspended by the site.
  And just before evening on Sunday Kenya Defence Forces posted on its Twitter account that 'most of the hostages hostages have been rescued' and that security forces had taken control of 'most parts of the building' - however, the operation is still continuing and only a small number remained under the control of the militants.
  The dramatic assault, which began shortly before sundown, came as two helicopters circled the Westgate mall, with one skimming very close to the roof.
  They added that four military personnel were injured in the operation and officials attached to the defense forces did not elaborate how the hostages were freed or if the extremists were in custody.
  Some gunmen are reported to be currently holed up in a supermarket in the shopping mall complex.
  The revelation that Americans could be involved in the terror atrocity came after a large explosion today rocked the upmarket mall where as many as 15 Islamic extremists had been holding the hostages a day after attacking it, killing at least 68 and injuring at least 175 people - including five Americans.
  Kenyan paramilitary officers walk towards a small shopping arcade adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the hostage situation continues in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday
  Rescue mission: An image from AFP TV shows military forces taking position inside the shopping mall
  Kenyan police officers take cover to prepare for the incoming fire at the Oshwal Centre adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the hostage situation continues in Nairobi, Kenya, in the early hours of 23 September 2013
  Assault: A Large number of troops from the kenya defence force arrived to strengthen the already formidable numbers of troops available as a Kenyan army helicopter flies low near the Westgate mall in Nairobi on Sunday
  Tense: Kenyan paramilitary officers walk towards a small shopping arcade adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the fate of the hostages remained unclear on Monday morning
  Armed response: Kenyan troops with machine guns take up position in the mall. The terrorist group al Shabaab demanded that Kenyan troops leave Somalia where they have pushed the militants on to the defensive in the past two years as part of an African Union-backed peacekeeping mission
  Fleeing to safety: A soldier directs people up stairs inside the Westgate shopping mall after a shootout in Nairobi, Kenya
  Laying siege: Armed police crouch down and take position during a gun battle with Islamic terrorists at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday
  Lock-down: Kenya security personnel walk to their positions outside the shopping mall as the siege continued yesterday
  The Kenyan military stormed the four-story mall and there have been sporadic gun battles with extremists. Kenyan troops were seen carrying in at least two rocket-propelled grenades - and, earlier, military helicopters hovered over the mall.
  It came after the wife of a U.S. embassy worker was identified as one of the dead. Four Americans are among the 175 wounded in the attack byal Qaeda-linked extremists, who opened fire in the mall after reportedly allowing Muslims to flee.
  Reuters had earlier reported that Secretary of State John Kerry said the wife of a U.S. diplomat working for the U.S. Agency for International Development was killed. However the State Department said that it was in fact the wife of a national working for the U.S. embassy in Nairobi.
  There are currently no reports of American casualties.
  According to NBC News, the FBI is actively investigating whether as many as five Americans were part of the terror cell which launched the deadly mall attack.
  However, sources close to the investigation have cautioned that authorities have not confirmed this and at present do not know for sure who is involved and their nationalities.
  The suggestion that Americans were involved in the deadly terror attack originated from the Twitter feed claiming to belong to the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab, which is claiming responsibility for the outrage.
  That account lists specific names and the homes states of the alleged American terrorists - of which two are purportedly from the St. Paul-Minneapolis area in Minnesota and another from Kansas City in Missouri.
  St. Paul-Minneapolis has the largest Somali population outside of Mogadishu, with some 85,700 members.
  It is thought that the FBI will have already acted on the information available to them and will have acertained whether the individuals are in the country or have traveled abroad.
  Kenya's Red Cross said that 49 people were reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could form the basis of the number of people held captive.
  The Red Cross added on Sunday that the death toll had risen from 59 to 68 after nine more bodies were recovered in a joint rescue mission.
  Kenyan police said on Twitter on Sunday that a 'MAJOR' assault by security forces had started to end the two-day siege.
  'This will end tonight. Our forces will prevail. Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win,' Kenya's Disaster Operations Center tweeted.
  The assault came about 36 hours after up to 15 al Shabaab extremists stormed the mall from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians.
  Kenya's interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the military had identified the attackers' locations but that the operation is very 'delicate'.
  An injured person arrives in an ambulance at the Aga Khan Hospital following an attack at the Westgate Mall where gunmen opened fire and threw grenades in Kenya. Pictured right, relatives help a woman at the Nairobi City Mortuary after she identified the body of a victim of the Saturday attack
  Army: Soldiers were drafted in to help police tackle the gunmen - terrorists from the Somali al-Shabaab organisation, which has links to al-Qaeda
  Kenyan policemen and soldiers taking position as they battle Somali militants who have killed at least 68 people and injured 175 at a Nairobi shopping center
  A Kenyan soldier holding a dog by its leash enters the main gate of Westgate Shopping Center as the military tried to overpower the terrorists on Sunday
  Escape: Women carrying children run for safety after al Shabaab terrorists stormed Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya armed with guns and grenades
  Ordeal: People come out from hiding under a car next to bodies in a car park as police search for the armed radicals
  Terrified civilians are among the fortunate who were evacuated from a shopping mall following a terrorist attack where at least 68 people were dead
  'We have confirmed the location of the criminals but will not give (out) the details,' he said. 'We don't want to lose innocent life.'
  A State Department official told MailOnline on Sunday: 'The situation is ongoing. There are no new reports of American citizen casualties.
  'The United States remains committed to continuing our close cooperation with the Kenyan government to combat the shared threat of international terrorism.'
  One nearby hospital has taken in at least 128 patients and performed 28 surgeries to remove bullets and shrapnel in the first 24 hours since the attacks began Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
  'We have at least two critical patients currently, one with bullets lodged near the spine,' M.P. Shah Hospital Chairman Manoj Shah told the AP. He added that four of the 19 fatalities at this particular hospital were children.
  As the massacre unfolded, witnesses described terrifying scenes in which men, women and children of all ages and nationalities were brutally cut down by gunfire.
  Around 1,000 people were evacuated from the mall with many running from the center with their hands raised while others crawled on their bellies to safety.
  The Westgate Mall is a popular weekend spot with wealthy Kenyans and foreign expats with its array of big-brand stores, coffee shops and sushi restaurants.
  Location: The attack took place in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya
  Fleeing: A police officer holds a gun to provide cover for customers running out of the Westgate shopping mall following the terrorist massacre that began on Saturday around noon (local time)
  Courage under fire: Kenyan troops taking position to battle the al-Qaeda-affiliated troops in Nairobi on Saturday
  A wounded soldier is removed from an ambulance at an emergency staging area near the Kenyan mall where gunmen shot dead at least 59 people
  Bloodied: Elaine Dang (right), an American believed to be from San Diego and working in Kenya, was injured on Sunday. She is now recovering in hospital
  A Kenyan police officer runs towards a crowd outside the Westgate mall in Nairobi on Sunday as authorities fought to free hostages who have now been trapped inside for more than 24 hours. Pictured right, people walk and crawl out of the shopping center with their hands raised following the militant attack
  Anxious: Onlookers stand along the road and look from a distance at Westgate Shopping Centre, where gunmen are holding hostages, in Nairobi on September 22, 2013
  Saved: A woman sobs as she is brought out of the shopping center in a cart after terrorists launched an attack on Saturday
  Rescue: Armed police guide a woman carrying a child to safety at Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi after terrorists stormed the building
  On Sunday, President Barack Obama called Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to express his condolences.
  'President Obama reiterated U.S. support for Kenya's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice,' the White House said in a statement.
  The names of the dead began to emerge over the weekend as the siege continued. Canadian diplomat Anne-Marie Desloges, 29, and a pregnant Kenyan radio journalist Ruhila Adatia were identified as being killed in the terrorist attack.
  A renowned Ghanaian poet and statesman Kofi Awoonor was killed. The esteemed professor was a former ambassador Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations.
  Elaine Dang, 26, a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, has been named as one of the injured and is recovering in hospital today. She tweeted on Sunday: 'I am recovering. Thank you for all the love and support - in Kenya and overseas. Terrorism knows no religion.'
  She then posted a picture of herself and added: 'Proof that I am OK - hanging out with some of my best friends in Nairobi.'
  The mall, a popular haunt for rich Kenyans and expats, is dotted with bodies lying in pools of blood. Some victims were shot dead as they sat in their cars, while others have been left with horrific injuries.
  Kenyans lie on stretchers to donate blood for the victims of the Westgate terror attack on Sunday after the country's president urged volunteers to come forward following the atrocity
  Carried to safety: A policeman carries a baby along with his machine gun (left) while a Red Cross worker holds a screaming child after masked gunmen stormed an upmarket mall and sprayed bullets on shoppers
  Staging: Kenya Defense Forces soldiers prepare for the final push to rescue the hostages and neutralize the gunmen on Sunday in what was being described as a 'delicate' situation
  Emotional: Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta (center) makes a statement to the nation following the overwhelming numbers of casualties from the Westgate mall terror attack. Kenyatta said his nephew and his fianc(C)e were among the 59 dead
  Gunfire erupted briefly on Sunday inside the Nairobi shopping mall where Islamist militants are holed up with hostages.
  The terrorists, using guns and grenades, slaughtered 68 people in the attack, according to Kenyan Interior Minister Joe Lenku. A large Kenyan security force has laid siege to the mall and taken control of its security cameras.
  Five hostages were released on Sunday at around 2am local time. It is thought that Israeli soldiers are assisting with the rescue mission: 'The Israelis have entered and they are rescuing the hostages and the injured,' a source told AFP.
  Two wounded Kenyan security forces officers were carried out of the mall this morning after a barrage of gunfire was heard.
  Two gunmen have been killed by authorities, but as many as 15 remain, CNN reported. Is is believed that one of the militant fighters is a woman.
  Jonathan Maungo, a private security guard, told Reuters: 'They entered through blood, that's how they'll leave.'
  Relief: Elaine Dang, an American who works in Kenya, tweeted this picture from her hospital bed and thanked her supporters
  Terrified shoppers told of how they huddled in back hallways and prayed they would not be found by the militants. When the way appeared clear, crying mothers clutching small children and blood-splattered men sprinted out of the mall.
  At one burger restaurant, a man and woman lay in a final embrace after they had been killed, before their bodies were removed. Pop music was still playing over the loudspeaker.
  Witness Elijah Kamau said the gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave and that non-Muslims would be targeted, as they began their attack.
  The gunmen threw grenades and then opened fire, sending shoppers and staff fleeing for their lives.
  Charles Karani, 41, an IT engineer, said: 'I hid under a car with my daughters, and I saw the men line up maybe 40 people and ask them who was Muslim, and if they were to prove it by saying the name of the Prophet's mother. Those who got it wrong were shot.
  'There was blood everywhere. Two ladies under the car with me had gunshot wounds on their legs.
  'Another Indian gentlemen was hit in the face by a bullet but he seemed not to be gravely hurt. Other people for sure are dead. I saw four people lying, not moving.
  Somali-based militant group al-Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the atrocity in which men armed with guns and grenades stormed the mall and targeted non-Muslims.
  In what is believed to be a first, terrorists live-tweeted the attack on their Twitter account until it was suspended.
  Horror: Shoppers hurry down an escalator with their hands in the air as they make their way out of the shopping centre to safety
  Desperation: A crowd of people hold their arms out to catch a Kenyan woman as she jumps out from the air vent where she had been hiding from the gunmen
  Spree: Shots are still being heard in the mall as police and terrorists engage in a stand-off
  Hands up: Hostages of all nationalities head for the exit with their arms raised to show they are not carrying any weapons
  Identified: Canadian diplomat Annemarie Desloges, 29, was shot dead by the gunmen at the Nairobi mall. Pictured right, with her husband Robert on their wedding day
  The savage attack took place on the International Day of Peace, which is usually celebrated by temporary cease-fires in conflict zones in order to allow for humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
  'We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the U.S. Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance,' Marie Harf, deputy spokesman for the State Department said in the statement.
  'We condemn this senseless act of violence that has resulted in death and injury for many innocent men, women, and children.'
  Citing privacy concerns, the U.S. Embassy declined to identify the Americans involved but an official did tell the Associated press that four Americans were injured in the assault.
  Relatives of Kenyan president among dead in shopping mall attack
  Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says he shares the grief of the nation - his nephew and nephew's fiancee are among the dead.
  'We shall hunt down the perpetrators wherever they run to,' said President Kenyatta. 'We shall get them. We shall punish them for this heinous crime.
  'We are as brave and invincible as the lions on our coat of arms, my government stands ready... I urge all Kenyans to stand together and see this dark moment through,' the clearly shaken president continued.
  'The despicable perpetrators of this cowardly act hoped to intimidate, divide and cause despondency amongst Kenyans. We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again.'
  He urged Kenyans to 'remain calm and vigilant' and asked them to donate blood to help treat the injured.
  Hundreds of Kenyans donate blood for Nairobi victims
  Here they come to save the day: Kenya Defense Forces arrive outside the Westgate Mall just after dawn, it didn't take long for the gunmen to start firing at them
  Wounded: A Kenyan policeman sits clutching his stomach alongside his rifle while a colleague exchanges fire with the terrorists
  Scared: Clearly distressed, this family join hands as they make their way out of the building. Bullet wounds can be seen in the glass behind them
  Cat and mouse: A security officer points out the location of where some of the terrorists may be hiding to his colleagues, all three of whom have their pistols at the ready
  A confidential United Nations report cited by the New York Times called the attack 'a complex, two-pronged assault' with two squads of gunmen opening fire while storming the mall from different floors. Witnesses told the paper one of the gunmen was a woman.
  MASSACRE AT THE MALL: TIMELINE OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKThe timeline is on Kenyan time, seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the U.S.
  Saturday, 12.30pm: Terrorists storm the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, an upmarket shopping center, through the front entrance.
  Initially, shoppers believe the attack to be a robbery. Reports of grenade explosions
  12.45pm: Up to 15 gun-wielding suspects swarm the mall as terrified shoppers run for their lives and others shelter in closets, refrigerators and back hallways.
  1pm: Kenyan security forces launch an assault on the mall to flush out the gunman
  3pm: The first bodies are removed from the mall including those who were shot dead at lunch tables and a couple lying in a final embrace.
  4pm: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta says he has lost several family members before vowing that terrorists would be defeated.
  Among the 39 being reported dead are the wife of an American diplomat along with Canadian and Ghanian diplomats.
  9pm: al Shabaab, a Somali-militant group with links to al Qaeda, claim responsibility for the attack.
  2am: Five hostages are released. Up to 15 remain inside while their relatives hold a vigil at a Red Cross center nearby
  11am: Bursts of gunfire from the building as Kenyan security forces close in. Israeli troops brought in for support
  Sunday 2pm: 59 people dead; with 175 injured and 15 hostages still trapped
  Several armed units and soldiers could be seen on Kenyan television streaming into the area surrounding the mall as the siege approached the 20-hour mark. Reports also indicated the gunmen were firing on authorities staged in the parking lot as the sun came up on Sunday. Continuous sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the morning.
  Hannah Chisholm, visiting Nairobi from the UK, said she and 60 others barricaded themselves in a large storeroom.
  'We kept running to different places but the shots were getting louder so we barricaded ourselves along with about 60 others into a large storeroom. There were children hiding with us as well as someone who had been shot,'she told the BBC.
  'The gunfire was loud and we were scared but at that point we thought the gunmen were thieves so we assumed they wouldn't try to reach the storeroom,' she added.
  Diplomat Annemarie Desloges, 29, was killed in the terror attack, the Canadian government confirmed on Sunday.
  Mrs Desloges was shopping with her husband when the attack took place, according to the Vancouver Sun. She was a liaison officer with the Canada Border Services Agency, working on immigration issues, the paper noted. Mrs Deloges had been living in Kenya for two years.
  Britain's Foreign Office said at least three UK nationals were killed in the attack and warned that the number of such fatalities is 'likely to rise as further information becomes available'.
  It was reported today that a person holding dual Australian and British citizenship was killed in the attack.
  French President Francois Holland said two French women were killed.
  One South African citizen was killed, said the country's International Relations Department.
  Two Indians were killed and four wounded in the attack, said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman for India's External Affairs Ministry.
  Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said a 33-year-old Dutch woman died in the attack and that seven other Dutch citizens who were in the mall escaped unharmed. The victim's identity was not released.
  A 38-year-old Chinese woman was killed in the shopping mall 'terror attack', the Chinese Embassy in Kenya said in a statement. Her son was injured and hospitalized in stable condition, according to the statement posted on the embassy's website.
  Pregnant Kenyan radio journalist Ruhila Adatia was confirmed among the dead. Prior to going shopping for baby clothes, Ms Adatia was hosting a children's cooking competition in the mall's parking lot.
  The popular presenter posted several pictures taken posing with fans to Instagram in the hours before the attack.
  Fellow journalist Kamal Kaur, who was with Ms Adatia in the mall when she was shot dead, told KTN that her children had been injuried. Both children suffered shrapnel wounds to the legs and one had a head injury, she said.
  Witness describes close encounter with Nairobi mall gunmen
  Ms Dang, 26, is helped from the shopping mall covered in blood and is believed to be recovering in hospital
  Killed in the attack: Ruhila Adatia, who was expecting a child, was at the Nairobi mall shopping for baby clothes when the terrorists struck on Saturday
  Tragedy: Mrs Adatia, who was expecting her first child, was shopping for baby clothes when she was killed in the attack by al-Shabaab terrorists
  Shaken: Journalist Kamal Kaur reported that she had been injured in the attack and that her children had suffered shrapnel wounds to the legs
  Desperation: An injured woman, whose face and clothes are drenched in blood, lies on the ground outside the shopping mall screaming for help
  Helping hands: An injured man is carried out of the Westgate shopping center after Saturday's attack
  Scramble: People crawl on their stomachs to safety as security forces keep a lookout at the Nairobi mall on Saturday
  Fleeing: A child runs to safety across the shopping mall
  AL-SHABAAB AT A GLANCETranslated from Arabic means 'the Youth'Evolved from being the de-facto police in Mogadishu, Somalia into terrorismBegan suicide bombings in 2009 while attempting to overthrow Somali transitional governmentThe largest Somalian terror organizationAffiliated with al QaedaHas recruited members from many countries, including the U.S.14 youths from Minnesota were charged in 2009 for trying to join the groupAlso claimed responsibility for 2010 attack in Uganda that killed 74 at a soccer matchMain targets are Kenya and Uganda because they fund Somali governmentSource: al-Jazeera America
  'She was so excited about her baby, I don't know what to do'... I'm lost, I'm lost,' a hysterical Ms Kaur told the station between uncontrollable crying.
  'Images of the day keep flashing in front of my eyes. Dead bodies, injured people, wailing, crying, scared, Ms Kaur tweeted hours after the attack.
  'He stood there with a gun. Aiming it where the kids were. And the b*****d shot them,' Ms Kaur tweeted.
  Al-Shabaab, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (HSM), claimed responsibility for the atrocity on Twitter.
  The terrorist organization said that it had previously warned the Kenyan government that, if they did not remove military forces from Somalia, there would be 'severe consequences'.
  'For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it's time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land,' terrorists tweeted, before launching into a chilling account of the attack as it unfolded.
  The militant group wrote: 'The Mujahideen entered Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the Kenyan Kuffar inside their own turf.'
  The organization claimed it had killed more than 100 Kenyan 'kuffar', a derogatory term used to describe non-Muslims.
  'Since our last contact, the Mujahideen inside the mall confirmed to @HSM_Press that they killed over 100 Kenyan kiffar & battle is ongoing.' the tweets continued.
  'What Kenyans are witnessing today at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military, albeit largely miniscule in nature,' read the final tweet.
  Twitter soon suspended the Twitter account, citing terms of service regarding violence or threats. Twitter has declined any further comment.
  Witnesses who escaped the attack said anyone who could recite a Muslim prayer to their captors was allowed to leave unscathed. But the attackers turned their guns on anyone who could not prove they were Islamic.
  Chilling: al-Shabaab terrorists live-tweeted the attack until Twitter suspended their account
  Protection: A mother and her children lie on the floor as they attempt to hide while the gunmen armed with automatic weapons go on the rampage
  Terrified: A young girl in tears is led away form the terror by a police officer
  Safety: Shoppers and shop assistants raise their hands as they are escorted out by armed police
  Children: A soldier carries one of the survivors to safety as armed police hunt for the gunmen
  Hunt: Armed police search customers taking cover inside a bathroom at the shopping centre
  Another survivor claimed that the gunmen told Muslims to stand up and leave and that only non-Muslims would be targeted when they opened fire at the upmarket mall of the Westlands district around midday on Saturday.
  'Militants went into the mall and executed people: women and children, anyone who got in their path,' New York Times staff photographer Tyler HIcks told the paper in an interview. Mr Hicks was in the mall during the attack.
  Pools of blood everywhere: This close up shows the hand of a man killed by the gunmen
  Gunfight: Police are still trying to escort people away from the site where fighting continues
  Hostages: Police say armed men are still in the building and are holding prisoners
  Release: Hostages move out in a line after being rescued from the mall
  Deadly: Armed police search Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi for the last remaining gunmen
  Search: Police scour the centre with guns to try and locate the terrorists still holding hostages
  Make-shift: An injured woman is wheeled out of the shopping center in a shopping cart
  Shattered glass: A police officer tries to secure an area inside the Westgate Shopping Centre where gunmen went on a shooting spree in Nairobi
  Shootout: Soldiers and armed police fire at the suspected terrorists as they try to wrest back control of the shopping centre
  Special forces: The army and elite squads have been drafted in to help police flush out the gunmen
  Shootout: A police officer takes up position at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi
  Stand-off: Soldiers are still searching in and around the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi after the supposed terrorist attack
  Police initially believed the attack was an attempt by about ten armed men to rob a shop. But Elijah Kamau, another survivor witness, said that the gunmen had announced that they were targeting non-Muslims as they began their attack at the center.
  Some of those who escaped were 'challenged to recite a Muslim prayer and were then let out', according to Allan Sayers, who contacted MailOnline and said he was in the Westgate mall five minutes before the attack.
  Mr Sayers said people were still in text and phone contact with some of the hostages.
  Wounded: A security officer helps an injured woman away from the building
  Relief: A woman who had been held hostage makes it out alive from the mall, where seven are still being held
  Injured: A security officer talks to his colleagues shortly after being helped from the scene having been wounded
  Witnesses recount Nairobi massacre
  Critical: A victim is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi for emergency treatment
  Rescue: A woman is shipped to an ambulance in a shopping trolley by centre staff
  Devastating: Injured people receive assistance from bypassers at the scene of the shooting
  Family mall: Customers who had planned a Saturday of shopping were forced to run following a shootout between unidentified armed men and the police
  Terrorist: Somali Islamist attacks are not uncommon in Kenya, although police have not confirmed the identity of the attackers
  Horror: Customers are evacuated from the shopping centre covered in blood
  Victim: Rescuers attempt to evacuate a man injured in the shooting
  Killings: The fate of the hostages remained unclear this morning despite earlier statements from police saying most of those held had been rescued
  Help: A man carries a boy away from the scene of the carnage earlier today
  Shock: Witnesses said a half dozen grenades went off along with volleys of gunfire that started at midday
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Railway linking North Korea and Russia reopens | Fox News
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:37
  SEOUL (AFP) '' Russia and North Korea have reopened a rail link that Pyongyang hopes will offer a trading boost to the isolated, sanctions-squeezed state.
  The 54-kilometre (33-mile) track from the Russian border town of Khasan to the North Korean port of Rajin was opened for service at a special ceremony on Sunday, the North's official KCNA news agency reported.
  Rajin is the centrepiece of the Rason Special Economic Zone established by North Korea in 1991 in an apparent effort to emulate the success of similar zones set up by China.
  Located in the far northeast where the borders of North Korea, Russia and China converge, Rajin was chosen because of its potential as a warm-water port for the North's two giant neighbours.
  At a summit in 2001, North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-Il and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to restore the rail link, as part of a joint project that included a container terminal in Rajin.
  Work on the railway line began in 2008.
  Since receiving special economic zone status more than two decades ago, Rason has largely failed to fulfil expectations, but development activity there has gained momentum in the last few years.
  Rajin's potential as a lucrative trading hub is an increasingly attractive prospect for a country burdened by a raft of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons programme.
  Initially, the rail link will transport Russian coal supplies to Asia-Pacific markets.
  The initial vision was for the Khasan-Rajin link to eventually become part of the so-called "Iron Silk Road" -- a rail network spanning Asia and Europe.
  But that idea envisages a train service linking the entire Korean peninsula -- a project that looks like being held permanent hostage to volatile North-South Korean relations.
Scientists Prove Abiotic Oil Is Real!
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:25
  Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find
  What would happen if it were proven that "fossil fuels" weren't the result of decaying plant and animal matter, were actually created within the Earth due to simple chemistry and you could not be scared into believing that we were "running out" of oil and natural gas?
  Estimates of how much crude oil we have extracted from the planet vary wildly. As late as May of 2009 a report published in the International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology suggested that we may have used more than we think.
  The idea that we are running out of oil is not a new one. Scientists have told us that oil is a limited resource which was formed millions of years ago by the decaying vegetation and biomass of extinct species of plants and animals. With an estimated 1- trillion barrels of oil already extracted from deep wells since commercial drilling began around 1870, many predict that we are nearing the mid-point of remaining oil on the planet.
  But there have always been those who claim that oil is a natural substance that forms automatically in the Earth's mantle. They say that it is virtually everywhere, if you can drill deep enough to tap it.
  Proponents of so-called "abiotic oil" claim that the proof is found in the fact that many capped wells, which were formerly dry of oil, are found to be plentiful again after many years, They claim that the replenished oil is manufactured by natural forces in the Earth's mantle.
  Critics of the abiotic theory disagree. They claim that capped wells may appear to refill after a few years, but they are not regenerating. It is simply an effect of oil slowly migrating through pore spaces from areas of high pressure to the low-pressure area of the drill hole. If this oil is drawn out, it will take even longer for the hole to refill again. They hold that oil is a non-renewable resource generated and deposited under special biological and geological conditions.
  Until now these believers in "abiotic oil" have been dismissed as professing "bad science" but -- alas -- a new study has proven them correct!
  Reported in ScienceDaily, researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to prove that fossils from animals and plants are not necessary for crude oil and natural gas to be generated. The findings are revolutionary since this means, on the one hand, that it will be much easier to find these sources of energy and, on the other hand, that they can be found all over the globe.
  "Using our research we can even say where oil could be found in Sweden," says Vladimir Kutcherov, a professor at the Division of Energy Technology at KTH.
  Together with two research colleagues, Vladimir Kutcherov has simulated the process involving pressure and heat that occurs naturally in the inner layers of the earth, the process that generates hydrocarbon, the primary component in oil and natural gas.
  According to Vladimir Kutcherov, the findings are a clear indication that the oil supply is not about to end, which researchers and experts in the field have long feared.
  Abiotic Oil
  The abiotic oil formation theory suggests that crude oil is the result of naturally occurring and possibly ongoing geological processes. This theory was developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, as the Union needed to be self sufficient in terms of producing its own energy. The science behind the theory is sound and is based on experimental evidence in both the laboratory and in the field. This theory has helped to identify and therefore develop large numbers of gas and oil deposits. Examples of such fields are the South Khylchuyu field and the controversial Sakhalin II field.
  In its simplest form, the theory is that carbon present in the magma beneath the crust reacts with hydrogen to form methane as well as a raft of other mainly alkane hydrocarbons. The reactions are more complicated than this, with several intermediate stages. Particular mineral rocks such as granite and other silicon based rocks act as catalysts, which speed up the reaction without actually becoming involved or consumed in the process.
  Experiments have shown that under extreme conditions of heat and pressure it is possible to convert iron oxide, calcium carbonate and water into methane, with hydrocarbons containing up to 10 carbon atoms being produced by Russian scientists last century and confirmed in recent US experiments. The absence of large quantities of free gaseous oxygen in the magma prevents the hydrocarbons from burning and therefore forming the lower energy state molecule carbon dioxide. The conditions present in the Earth's mantle would easily be sufficient for these small hydrocarbon chains to polymerise into the longer chain molecules found in crude oil.
  Vladimir Kutcherov adds that there is no way that fossil oil, with the help of gravity or other forces, could have seeped down to a depth of 10.5 kilometers in the state of Texas, for example, which is rich in oil deposits. As Vladimir Kutcherov sees it, this is further proof, alongside his own research findings, of the genesis of these energy sources -- that they can be created in other ways than via fossils. This has long been a matter of lively discussion among scientists.
  "There is no doubt that our research proves that crude oil and natural gas are generated without the involvement of fossils. All types of bedrock can serve as reservoirs of oil," says Vladimir Kutcherov, who adds that this is true of land areas that have not yet been prospected for these energy sources.
  But the discovery has more benefits. The degree of accuracy in finding oil is enhanced dramatically -- from 20 to 70 percent. Since drilling for oil and natural gas is a very expensive process, the cost picture will be radically altered for petroleum companies, and in the end probably for consumers as well.
  "The savings will be in the many billions," says Vladimir Kutcherov.
  To identify where it is worthwhile to drill for natural gas and oil, Vladimir Kutcherov has used his research to arrive at a new method. It involves dividing the globe into a finely meshed grid. The grid corresponds to fissures, so-called 'migration channels,' through underlying layers under the surface of the earth. Wherever these fissures meet, it is suitable to drill.
  According to Vladimir Kutcherov, these research findings are extremely important, not least as 61 percent of the world's energy consumption derives from crude oil and natural gas.
  The next step in this research work will involve more experiments, but above all refining the method will make it easier to find places where it is suitable to drill for oil and natural gas.
  Vladimir Kutcherov, Anton Kolesnikov, and Alexander Goncharov's research work was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.
  Methane-derived hydrocarbons produced under upper-mantle conditions
  Anton Kolesnikov1,2, Vladimir G. Kutcherov2,3 & Alexander F. Goncharov1
  Abstract
  There is widespread evidence that petroleum originates from biological processes1, 2, 3. Whether hydrocarbons can also be produced from abiogenic precursor molecules under the high-pressure, high-temperature conditions characteristic of the upper mantle remains an open question. It has been proposed that hydrocarbons generated in the upper mantle could be transported through deep faults to shallower regions in the Earth's crust, and contribute to petroleum reserves4, 5. Here we use in situ Raman spectroscopy in laser-heated diamond anvil cells to monitor the chemical reactivity of methane and ethane under upper-mantle conditions. We show that when methane is exposed to pressures higher than 2 GPa, and to temperatures in the range of 1,000-1,500 K, it partially reacts to form saturated hydrocarbons containing 2-4 carbons (ethane, propane and butane) and molecular hydrogen and graphite. Conversely, exposure of ethane to similar conditions results in the production of methane, suggesting that the synthesis of saturated hydrocarbons is reversible. Our results support the suggestion that hydrocarbons heavier than methane can be produced by abiogenic processes in the upper mantle.
  Other relevant studies:
  1. Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia 20015, USA
  2. Lomonosov Moscow State Academy of Fine Chemical Technology, 117571 Moscow, Russia
  3. Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
  COMMENTS:
  I just read a book about abiotic oil and the scientific evidence and politicalization of it. It's called, "Oil, The 4th Renewable Resource." the website is http://www.oilrenewables.com
  Check it out and see for yourself.
  Thanks for your hard work in researching this.
  Marissa
Samantha Lewthwaite: 'the white widow' linked to Nairobi attack
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:03
  Photo of fake South African passport of Samantha Lewthwaite, nicknamed the 'white widow' released by Kenyan police in December 2011 Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images
  Witnesses to the Kenyan shopping centre massacre have said a woman who spoke English was one of the attackers.
  The developments come as British counter-terrorism officials try to establish if Britons were involved in the attack, and whether or not Samantha Lewthwaite, already wanted for terror offences in Kenya, commanded the killers.
  Lewthwaite is the widow of Jermaine Lindsay, one of the 7/7 suicide bombers.
  On Monday, Kenyan officials said all the attackers were men. Hours later the foreign minister said a British woman who had repeatedly been involved in terrorist activity was among the attackers.
  Her associate and fellow Briton, Germaine Grant, is due to go on trial on Tuesday in Kenya for terrorism offences, with Scotland Yard officers expected to testify against him.
  A Kenyan newspaper, The Star, said survivors recalled a woman giving orders as the attackers stormed the shopping centre.
  It said two employees of the Radio Africa Group told the newspaper that "a woman appeared to be giving orders." They added: "One said her face was covered but she had a woman's arms and body. She was not carrying a gun but had a large bag around her waist."
  The witnesses said she gave instructions in English which would be translated into Swahili as the attackers took hold of the shopping centre.
  The paper quoted a witness as saying: "The woman was not armed but as soon as she issued orders, the men would go on a killing rampage."
  Another witness said: "It was definitely a woman because we could tell it from the voice."
  The paper said security officials who have viewed CCTV footage of the attack agree there is a light skinned or even Caucasian person among the attackers. But some officials believe it is a woman with a pony tail while others believe that is being confused for a bandana.
  The British home secretary, Theresa May, supported the UK official line by saying next to nothing about claims that Britons were a part of the terror attack. On a visit to Pakistan, May said: "I'm aware of the reports that there has been a British woman involved.
  "At this time until we've seen the investigation completed, it's not possible to comment further. As I indicated earlier, I'm not able to give further details."
  It also emerged that the grandmother of Lewthwaite, originally from Banbridge, Northern Ireland, had been admitted to hospital due to stress, it was claimed.
  Elizabeth Allen, from Banbridge, Co Down, was given a panic alarm by police to contact if her granddaughter made contact.
  Joan Baird, a veteran Ulster Unionist councillor in Banbridge who knows the family, said: "This is so distressing for everyone. Mrs Allen is 85 and she is in and out of hospital. It is just so distressing.
  "Certainly, everybody in the town is shocked and distressed by the news."
  On Monday, Kenya's foreign minister said a British woman who has allegedly taken part in terrorist activity "many times before" was among the attackers .
  Amina Mohamed said the militant acted alongside "two or three" Americans during the atrocity in Nairobi which has left at least 62 people dead, including six Britons.
  Lewthwaite is known to be in east Africa and is wanted by Kenyan police over alleged links to a terror cell that planned a coastal bombing campaign.
  In March last year, officials said she had fled to Somalia and that officers were hunting a woman who used several identities.
  The Kenyan authorities had claimed all the militants involved in the three-day mall siege were men, but Mohamed appeared to contradict this in a US television interview on Monday.
  "From the information that we have, two or three Americans [were involved] and I think so far I have heard of one Brit ... a woman ... and I think she has done this many times before," she told the PBS NewsHour programme.
  Mohamed said the Americans were 18 to 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin and lived "in Minnesota and one other place" in the US.
  US officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it had "no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities" of the attackers.
  White House spokesman Ben Rhodes said US officials have seen "reports coming out of al-Shabaab that indicate information along those lines", referring to possible involvement of Americans in the attack. "But we have to run those to ground, of course," he said. "We do monitor very carefully and have for some time been concerned about efforts by al-Shabaab to recruit Americans or US persons to come to Somalia.
  "This is an issue that has been tracked very closely by the US government, and it's one that we'll be looking into in the days ahead."
Former F.B.I. Agent to Plead Guilty in Press Leak - NYTimes.com
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:54
  WASHINGTON '-- A former F.B.I. agent has agreed to plead guilty to leaking classified information to The Associated Press about a foiled bomb plot in Yemen last year, the Justice Department announced Monday. In a twist, the former agent had already been under investigation in a separate child pornography case, and he has also agreed to a guilty plea in it.
  Federal investigators said they were able to identify the man, Donald Sachtleben, a former bomb technician, as a suspect in the leak case only after secretly obtaining A.P. reporters' phone logs, a move that set off an uproar among journalists and members of Congress of both parties when it was disclosed in May.
  Mr. Sachtleben, 55, of Carmel, Ind., who was an F.B.I. agent from 1983 until 2008 and was later hired as a contractor, has agreed to serve 43 months in prison for the leak, the Justice Department said. His case is the eighth leak-related prosecution under the Obama administration. Only three such cases were prosecuted under all previous presidents.
  ''This prosecution demonstrates our deep resolve to hold accountable anyone who would violate their solemn duty to protect our nation's secrets, and to prevent future, potentially devastating leaks by those who would wantonly ignore their obligations to safeguard classified information,'' said Ronald C. Machen Jr., the United States attorney for the District of Columbia.
  Donald Sachtleben is said to have leaked details of a foiled bomb plot to The Associated Press.
  Mr. Sachtleben has separately agreed to plead guilty and serve 97 months in the pornography case. His total sentence, should a judge accept the plea deal, is 140 months, or nearly 12 years. The 43-month sentence for leak-related offenses is the longest ever imposed by a federal civilian court in such a case, although a military judge last month sentenced Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Pfc. Bradley Manning, to 35 years in prison for leaking archives of documents to WikiLeaks.
  Paul Colford, a spokesman for The A.P., would not discuss the case, saying, ''We would never comment on our sources.''
  The case originated in a successful intelligence operation in April 2012 that disrupted a plot by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemen-based offshoot of the main group, to destroy an airliner. The government was able to obtain a special underwear bomb apparently designed by the terrorist group's master bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, to evade detection in airport security checks.
  On May 7, 2012, The A.P. broke the news that the bomb plot had been disrupted, setting off further disclosures.
  Ibrahim al-Asiri
  Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior, via Associated Press
  That evening, Richard A. Clarke, a former Clinton administration national security official who had been briefed on the case by John O. Brennan, then the top White House counterterrorism official and now the C.I.A. director, said the plot never came close to being carried out because it was under ''insider control'' by intelligence officials.
  Soon, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and other news organizations reported that the would-be suicide bomber in the operation had been a double agent.
  The disclosure about the Yemen bomb plot came as Republicans were accusing the White House of deliberately leaking a variety of secret information to make President Obama look tough on national security issues in an election year, an allegation that the White House denied. Amid Republican calls for independent prosecutors, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. assigned Mr. Machen to handle the Yemen bomb plot case.
  Nearly a year later, in May 2013, the Justice Department disclosed that after the F.B.I. had interviewed more than 550 officials and been unable to solve the case, investigators secretly used subpoenas to telephone companies to obtain calling records for 20 lines associated with A.P. bureaus and reporters. The scope and secrecy of the subpoenas outraged journalism organizations and lawmakers of both parties, who accused the department of going too far.
  The Justice Department said the phone records had proved crucial in identifying Mr. Sachtleben as a suspect. In a bizarre coincidence, investigators then discovered that other law enforcement officials had already seized his computer and other electronic materials in an unrelated child pornography investigation.
  ''Sachtleben was identified as a suspect in the case of this unauthorized disclosure only after toll records for phone numbers related to the reporter were obtained through a subpoena and compared to other evidence collected during the leak investigation,'' the Justice Department said. ''This allowed investigators to obtain a search warrant authorizing a more exhaustive search of Sachtleben's cellphone, computer and other electronic media, which were in the possession of federal investigators due to the child pornography investigation.''
  A court filing said agents discovered evidence that he had stored classified intelligence information on the computer without authorization, leading to a separate charge under the Espionage Act.
  During his 25-year career with the F.B.I., Mr. Sachtleben worked on many major terrorism cases, a court filing said, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 1998 American Embassy bombings in Africa, the 2000 bombing of the American destroyer Cole in Yemen, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
  He held a top secret clearance and, among other assignments, he worked for the explosives unit at the F.B.I. laboratory in Quantico, Va. The court filing said that he met one of the A.P. reporters, identified only as Reporter A, in 2009, and that in the following years he helped the journalist with information about bomb-related issues.
  One court filing quoted text messages in which the reporter reached out to Mr. Sachtleben on April 30, 2012, after ABC News reported that Mr. Asiri might have been working on bombs that could be surgically implanted. Mr. Sachtleben and the reporter exchanged several text messages, quoted in the court filing, speculating about the ABC report. As it turns out, the contractor was about to take a trip to Quantico. On May 2, he visited the lab where the underwear device was being examined, it said, and soon called the reporter.
  Two and a half hours later, the court filing said, two A.P. reporters began calling government officials saying they knew that the United States government had intercepted a bomb from Yemen and that the F.B.I. was analyzing it.
  The next day, May 3, 2012, law enforcement agents in Indiana, working on an unrelated case involving the distribution of child pornography on the Internet, obtained a search warrant for Mr. Sachtleben's house, court filings show. They seized his computers on May 11.
Obama Caught on Hot Mic Cracking Joke About Michelle | Video | TheBlaze.com
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:31
  President Barack Obama was caught on a ''hot mic'' on Monday making a joke about quitting smoking at his wife's expense.
  During a light-hearted conversation with Maina Kiai, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, in New York, Obama revealed why he hasn't had a cigarette in years.
  ''No, no,'' Obama replied after he told the UN official he hoped he had quit smoking. ''I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years. That's because I'm scared of my wife.''
  (CNN)
  Though some wives and significant others are more lenient when it comes to such jokes, others aren't amused at being depicted as the ''scary'' wife.
  ''Be careful with those open microphones,'' CNN's Wolf Blitzer said after airing the video. That's good advice.
  As The Hill points out, First Lady Michelle Obama told iVillage last year that Obama's daughters insisted their father quit smoking.
  ''They are at the age now where you can't hide, it's clear,'' she said in the interview. ''He would have to start having those conversations because we discuss all the time '... we talk about drugs. We talk about sex. We talk about smoking. We talk about it all.''
  ''
MSNBC Host's 'Geography Refresher' Turns Out to Be Only an Embarrassing Gaffe | Video | TheBlaze.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:28
  On Monday, MSNBC's Toure attempted to provide his viewers his ''geography refresher,'' pointing out that Kenya is ''located on the northern coast of Africa, right next door to Somalia.'
  Except, Kenya isn't located on the northern coast of Africa. It's not even close to the northern coast of Africa, in fact.
  BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski led the charge on Twitter Monday, providing Toure with a map showing Kenya is actually located on the eastern coast of Africa. The country is even highlighted on the helpful map:
  (Twitter screengrab via Mediaite)
  Watch the geography fail via MSNBC/Twitchy video below:
  (H/T: Mediaite)
  ''
WH advisor says al Shabaab attack is proof of Obama's success | TheBlaze.com
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:25
  While most would probably view this weekend's terrorist attack in Kenya as proof that al Qaeda is indeed not ''on the run'' as President Obama once proclaimed, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Monday that the attack proves that the president's counter-terrorism policies are working.
  (Image: AP)
  The Hill reports the dizzying spin:
  ''The fact of the matter is we've actually had a very aggressive effort to go after al Shabaab in Somalia, both through direct U.S. counterterrorism efforts, but also through support for AMISOM, the international force, including Kenya, that has pushed al Shabaab out of a number of its strongholds in Somalia,'' Rhodes told reporters traveling with the president. ''And, frankly, I think it was that pressure on al Shabaab that, in terms of their own professed motivation, led them to pursue an attack against Kenya.''
  Rhodes also vowed that the administration would investigate claims that American citizens were among the attackers. Al Shabaab is known to seek to recruit disaffected Somali refugees, notably in Minneapolis.
  ''We do monitor very carefully and have for some time been concerned about efforts by al Shabaab to recruit Americans or U.S. persons to come to Somalia,'' Rhodes said. ''So this is an issue that has been tracked very closely by the U.S. government, and it's one that we'll be looking into in the days ahead.''
Kenya's Foreign Minister Reportedly Says Al Qaeda, Not Just Al-Shabab, Is Behind Mall Attack | TheBlaze.com
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  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:24
  Kenya's foreign minister told Al Jazeera that the terrorist group Al Qaeda, not just Al-Shabab, was behind this weekend's deadly mall attack.
  Kenyan Defense Forces leave the near vicinity of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi Kenya Monday Sept. 23 2013. Multiple large blasts have rocked the mall where a hostage siege is in its third day. Associated Press reporters on the scene heard multiple blasts and a barrage of gunfire. Security forces have been attempting to rescue an unknown number of hostages inside the mall held by al-Qaida-linked terrorists. (AP Photo/ Jerome Delay)
  In an interview Monday, Amina Mohamed told the news-outlet that Al Qaeda was responsible for the attack and two-day stand off that has killed at least 68 people.
  Mohamed said roughly 20 men and women from a variety of nationalities were behind the attack, according to Al Jazeera.
  This is a breaking news story. Updates will be added.
  Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter
  ''
Business Insider
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:13
  Business Insider Video
  Below, we've embedded probably the most intense moment you'll ever hear during a workplace conference call.It's from a call AOL CEO Tim Armstrong hosted Friday morning.
  In the recording, obtained by media business blog Romenesko, Armstrong is speaking to the 1,000 or so employees of AOL's local news network, Patch.
  To set the scene'...
  The day before the call, during AOL's Q2 earnings call, Armstrong told Wall Street analysts that Patch would shrink from 900 to 600 websites.
  Patch employees took Armstrong's comments to mean that hundreds of them would soon lose their jobs.
  Obviously, this sent morale plummeting.
  The call was supposed to be Armstrong's attempt to rally the troops.
  During the first minute or so of the recording, Armstrong says things like: "If you don't believe what I'm about to say, I'm going to ask you to leave Patch'...We have to get Patch into a place where it's going to be successful."
  But then things go suddenly awry.
  At exactly two minutes into the recording, Armstrong addresses someone in the room with him.
  He says, "Abel, put that camera down, now."
  Then, without taking a breath, Armstrong says, "Abel, you're fired. Out."
  It's pretty shocking stuff.
  The person Armstrong is talking to in the recording is Abel Lenz, Patch's Creative Director. Obviously, Lenz is no longer with the company.
  Armstrong picked an odd reason to fire him.
  We hear that Lenz, based in New York, would always take pictures of people talking on company-wide conference calls so that he could post them on Patch's internal news site.
  Listen up:
Article Page | TheStreet
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:10
  By Leon Lazaroff - 09/23/13 - 7:15 AM EDT
  Tickers in this article: AOLNEW YORK - has been through so many transformations, premature deaths and tantalizing regenerations that the Internet company best known for piloting the worst merger in U.S. business history is attempting to fashion itself yet again, this time as a technology company that produces a lot of premium-video content.
  When AOL CEO Tim Armstrong takes a New York stage Monday evening to host what he's billing as the first-ever online programming upfront, Bob Lord, the former CEO of digital marketing trailblazer Razorfish and the Publicis Group, will likely be nearby.
  And for good reason. Though Susan Lyne, formerly of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and ABC Entertainment is handling the creation of AOL's lineup of original programming, Lord has been tasked with selling the content upfront, in the same manner that television networks like have been selling advertising time on their broadcasts for much of the past 60 years.
  "Monday is a watershed moment not only for AOL but for Internet programming," said Robert Peck, Sun Trust Robinson managing director and Internet analyst in a phone interview. "It's the first time we've seen something like this happen, and it demonstrates that Tim is trying to embrace the trend to premium-video content that his advertisers are telling him is happening."
  AOL may still be best known for its disastrous $350 billion merger with Time Warner in 2000. But in the four years since the two companies split, the digital publisher has quietly acquired an array of Internet advertising platforms that let machines buy and sell online ads, especially more lucrative video ads (as opposed to display advertising).
  On Monday, AOL will attempt to sell marketers, advertising agencies and Wall Street investors on a group of original online programming featuring personalities such as Gwynneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hank Azaria and Nicole Richie. The programming is aimed at appealing to corporate advertisers looking for content of a much higher quality that the vast clutter of DIY creations that populate the Web.
  To do this, Lord wants to sell marketers on AOL's programming at Huffington Post, TechCrunch and the company's still popular Web portal. But he also wants to show them how AOL's platform Advertising.com, Ad-Tech and Adap.TV, the online video technology service it acquired last month for $405 million in cash (Armstrong's largest acquisition since taking over its top job in 2009) can make AOL the go-to place for matching advertisers and video publishers that use computers to power what the industry calls programmatic buying.
  It's all tall order but likely stands as AOL's best and maybe final attempt to remake itself into something that is greater than the sum of its diverse array of properties.
  "AOL is a media company but it's also a technology company, which is something I think people overlook," Lord said in a phone interview. "When you look at the pieces that Tim has assembled, it rivals what Google has put together."
  Lord's pitch is that AOL's technology will save marketers money by finding the right place for them to place their message in the fastest most efficient manner. It may come as a surprise to know that AOL posts more online video than any other site on the Internet apart from Google.
  "The automated play will allow us to give money back to the marketers and the agencies, so that they can do more in creativity and content," he said.
  The company could certainly use a shot in the arm. Profit last quarter fell short of analysts' forecasts, ending of streak of six straight quarters in which net income surpassed estimates.
  Profit, excluding some items, was 41 cents a share, missing the 45 cents analysts predicted, on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That broke AOL's streak of six straight quarters of topping profit estimates, raising questions about Armstrong's ability to consistently deliver growth. In August, Armstrong fired some 500 employees from Patch, the money-losing hyper-local news operation that he helped create, an enterprise that has mostly struggled to gain traction with advertisers. Armstrong promises Patch will be profitable by year's end.
  Raising questions about AOL's work culture, Armstrong attracted some negative attention by abruptly firing an employee in the midst of a company-wide conference call held ironically to rally his Patch employees to work harder. A recording of the heated firing went viral prompting Armstrong to issue an apology.
  For AOL and others in the digital-publishing business, the big target is the $197 billion that Magna Global forecasts will be spent in 2013 on television advertising. By contrast, about $6.6 billion will be spent on online video advertising, according to the researcher. AOL's goal, shared by its many rivals, is to shave even a few percentage points off that mountain of revenue.
  "The shift will happen as we prove that we can get to audiences at a scale level through machines and machine logic," Lord said.
  Lord insists that the Internet is poised for a dramatic shift in advertising expenditures. To illustrate his point, he likes to make an analogy with electronic trading in stocks and bonds. Time was when Wall Street scoffed at the idea of trading through computers as if the process rested solely on men in blue coats scurrying about in open-aired floors in New York and Chicago. Yet that transformation occurred, and then some. The same transformation, Lord argues, is poised to take place in online advertising.
  And AOL wants to be among its leaders, selling both its content and technology while erasing all lasting memories of that silly thing that happened with Time Warner many years ago.
  "The previous attempts to grow, things like Patch weren't as successful as Tim would have hoped," Peck said. "But what I like here is he's clearly focusing on the emerging trends of programmatic as well as video, and he's leading the charge there. Bob Lord is the right man for the job. This is sort of like Growth 2.0 for them."
  Written by Leon Lazaroff in New York
  Tickers in this article: AOLNews latest from sectionNews latest from TheStreet
Former FBI Agent to Plead Guilty in Associated Press Leak Case - WSJ.com
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 13:05
  A longtime bomb expert for the Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to plead guilty to disclosing closely guarded details of a 2012 terror investigation to the Associated Press.
  Authorities said Monday that Donald Sachtleben, who retired from the FBI in 2008 but continued to work for the agency as a consultant, gained knowledge of a failed 2012 "underwear bomb" plot by al Qaeda.
  Mr. Sachtleben, in a statement issued by his lawyers, said he was "deeply sorry" for his actions. "While I never intended harm to the United States or to any individuals, I do not make excuses for myself," he said.
  As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, Mr. Sachtleben, who worked as an FBI agent for 25 years, also plans to plead guilty to distributing child pornography, the result of a separate investigation that overlapped with the leak probe.
  Under the terms of the plea deal, Mr. Sachtleben's expected sentence will be more than 11 years'--eight years on the child-pornography charge and 3½ years for the leak of national defense information. Officials said 31/2 years is the longest prison term ever received in a leak prosecution of a civilian.
  In August, Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prisonfor leaking military and diplomatic documents to Wikileaks. Pfc. Manning, who later said he wished to live as a woman and be known as Chelsea Manning, could be eligible for parole in about eight years.
  In May 2012, the AP wrote about the failed underwear-bomb plot, which was the work of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemen-based affiliate of the global terror group.
  The 2012 underwear bomb sought to improve on a failed Christmas Day 2009 underwear bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound airliner, said counterterrorism officials. After the initial AP report about the new bomb, subsequent articles revealed the would-be bomber actually was a mole working on behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency and foreign intelligence agencies.
  Authorities have called the case one of the most damaging national-security leaks they have seen. Some officials have said the operation against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula could have gone on if not for the leak.
  The case prompted a new furor, though, when it was disclosed earlier this year that U.S. prosecutors had seized the records of about 20 phone lines at the AP or its employees in their effort to find the leaker or leakers. Lawmakers and civil-liberties groups criticized the Obama administration for what they called a violation of First Amendment protections.
  According to documents filed Monday in federal court in Indianapolis, Mr. Sachtleben signed a plea agreement admitting to unauthorized disclosure of national defense information. He earlier agreed to plead guilty to the child-pornography charges.
  Authorities say the leak investigation and child-pornography case proceeded separately, until investigators compared phone records of people familiar with the details of the bomb plot case against records of the phones associated with AP, and began looking at Mr. Sachtleben. They found the government had seized his computer as part of the pornography probe.
  In May, investigators got a subpoena to examine the computer for the leak probe, said a federal official. That search showed multiple contacts between Mr. Sachtleben and one of the AP reporters who wrote the story, an official said.
  An AP spokesman said, "We never comment on our sources."
  Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
  A version of this article appeared September 24, 2013, on page A2 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Prison-Time Deal in AP Bomb Leak.
GeenStijl : NL slachtoffer Nairobi was 8,5 maand zwanger
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:50
  De 33-jarige Nederlandse vrouw die samen met haar Australische partner vermoord werd tijdens de Westgate Shopping Mall Massacre is Elif Yavuz, uit Cambridge, Massachussettes. Ze werkte in Kenia voor de Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Yavuz, die studeerde aan de Radboud Nijmegen, was 8 maanden zwanger van de Australische architect Ross Langdon. "He was a much loved local lad," schrijft een vriend van het stel op zijn blog. Bovenstaande foto, waar Yavuz Bill Clinton de hand schudt, komt van haar Facebook. Ondertussen, in Nairobi is de belegering nog steeds niet ten einde. Er worden volgens het Rode Kruis nog 69 mensen vermist. De stand-off bij het winkelcentrum is live te volgen op RTL Livestream.Update: Nederlander (38) opgepakt in Kenya, meldt RTL.Update: NairobiDichtbij: Tien personen gearresteerd op Jomo Kenyatta Airport. Wilden met de KLM naar Amsterdam.Update 12:40: Zwarte rook boven het winkelcentrum.FOTO: Rookpluim + roofvogel boven winkelcentrum.
  Pritt Stift | 23-09-13 | 11:11 | Link | Reageer ookJe bent ingelogd als: (Uitloggen)
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GeenStijl : Islam is een zieke ideologie. Allemaal
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:46
  Er is in Nairobi een 38-jarige 'Nederlander' opgepakt. Tien anderen zijn gearresteerd toen ze op een KLM-vlucht naar Amsterdam wilden stappen. Veel daders zijn naar verluidt Amerikanen, Canadezen en Britten. Waaronder westerse bekeerlingen. Zondag moest de politie in Den Haag traangas gebruiken om 'voetballende' moslims in Spoorwijk in het gareel te houden. Zij droegen van die soepjurken en wapperden met een Ummah-vlag. Dezelfde vlag die je regelmatig ziet als decor in extremistische beelden van onthoofdingen en overige islamitische gruweldaden. Sommige van de Spoorwijksalafisten zijn blanke bekeerlingen, zo lijkt op sommige foto's te zien. De Vlaamse sp.a-burgemeester van Vilvoorde waarschuwt vandaag in De Standaard voor razendsnelle radicalisering van jongeren. Ook westerse jongeren. Nederland kent, net als Belgi, tientallen Jihadgangers die hun leven willen geven voor Allah de Barmhartige. Mochten ze overleven, dan willen ze natuurlijk terugkeren in de veilige schoot van de minstens zo barmhartige Nederlandse verzorgingsstaat. Ook, misschien wel jºist, de westerse bekeerlingen. Als tikkende tijdbommen terug in het thuisland. Roomblank, dus onopvallend. Want islam is geen ras, islam is een ideologie. En islam is een probleem. Als we het verdommen om dat te beseffen omdat zo'n standpunt niet genuanceerd genoeg is, omdat het 'racistisch' is, of vanwege andere kul waar het Goede Volk altijd mee aan komt zetten, dan zijn het straks niet de populistische Prinsenvlaggen die gewelddadig worden tegen moslims. Dan zijn het moslims die gewelddadig worden tegen westerlingen. Libi. Egypte. Jemen. Irak. Afghanistan. Pakistan. Somali. Syri. Mali. Saudi-Arabi. London. Brussel. Schilderswijk. 020-Gaza. They're here. And they ain't fucking friendly. Maar ondanks de manifestatie van vele symptomen is islam nog steeds een ziekte die door de Westerse sociale geneeskunde niet als zodanig erkend wordt, en dientengevolge ook niet op een humane, ontwikkelde manier genezen kan worden. Vooral laten etteren hoor. Da's de snelste weg naar een agressieve outbreak. Terug naar Nairobi. Ze was 33, slim, succesvol en 8,5 maand zwanger. En ze werd afgeslacht omdat ze geen moslim was. Wie is nou de geesteszieke, genocide plegende fascist in dit verhaal, de bezorgde westerling, of de moslim die de trekker overhaalde? 'Islam is vrede', zeggen de gematigden en de apologeten altijd. Maar dan wel vrede op dezelfde manier als waarop we in het Westen kanker proberen te romantiseren: met fietstochten, roze strikjes en halfnaakte krachtdansjes op de muziek van Dire Straits. Inderdaad. Na¯ef escapisme waar de ziekte geen greintje minder levensbedreigend van wordt.Foto-Update. Goran Tomasevic (Reuters) fotografeerde dit doodgeschoten stel in de Westgate Shopping Mall. U weet wie het zijn.
  Van Rossem | 23-09-13 | 20:35 | Link | Reageer ookJe bent ingelogd als: (Uitloggen)
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China just bought 5% of Ukraine - Quartz
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  Archived Version
  Tue, 24 Sep 2013 00:25
  China has inked a deal to farm three million hectares (paywall), or about 11, 583 square miles of Ukrainian land over the span of half a century'--which means the eastern European country will give up about 5% of its total land, or 9% of its arable farmland to feed China's burgeoning population.
  Under the deal between China's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or XPCC, and KSG Agro, an Ukrainian agricultural company, crops and pigs raised in the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk will be sold at preferential rates to two Chinese state-owned grain firms. The project will launch with 100,000 hectares and eventually expand to three million. Here's some context on what that looks like:
  The deal comes after Ukraine lifted a law barring foreigners from buying Ukrainian land last year. As part of the deal, China's Export-Import bank has given Ukraine a $3 billion loan for agricultural development. In exchange for its produce, Ukraine will receive seeds, equipment, a fertilizer plant (Ukraine imports about $1 billion worth of fertilizer every year), and a plant to produce a crop protection agent. XPCC also says it will help build a highway in Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea as well as bridge across the Strait of Kerch, a transport and industrial center for the country.
  Critics say the move exemplifies a slew of global land deals that smack of colonialism and resource extraction by richer countries in poorer ones. Today, such deals are increasingly motivated by governments seeking food security for their citizens, rather than profit-mongering by private companies. Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, the US and other countries have been buying up foreign farmland, especially after the global food price spike of 2007 to 2008 that spurred global riots. According to a report last year by the nonprofit Grain, the main target of these purchases has been Africa but also Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. Between 0.7% and 1.75% of the world's farmland is being transferred from locals to foreign investors, another study in January found.
  Given its dwindling available farmland and expanding population, China has been among the most aggressive. The country eats about one-fifth of the world's food supplies, but is home to just 9% of the world's farmland, thanks to rapid industrialization and urbanization of the formerly agrarian nation. Its deal with Ukraine is its biggest farmland investment yet. Since 2007, China has bought farmland (pdf) in South America, Southeast Asia and Africa.
  Some analysts fear the Ukraine-China pair up paves the way for an eventual Chinese takeover of all of Ukraine's farmable land. Similar fears about local food security led the government of the Philippines to block a China investment deal; Mozambique has resisted the arrival of Chinese farmers who would have displaced locals.
  Others argue the project gives Ukraine the opportunity to boost food exports. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the country has been slow to fully privatize and develop its agricultural industry.
Is it a problem that Australia sends the most foreign fighters to Syria?
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  Archived Version
  Source: The Conversation
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:17
  Australia sends more foreign fighters to Syria than any other western nation '' including suspected suicide bomber 'Abu Asma al-Australi'. What problems does this pose? Twitter/@AbuSiqrA married Queenslander using the nom de guerre ''Abu Asma al-Australi'' featured as a suicide bomber in a promotional video released by the Syrian al-Qaeda affiliate Jahbat al-Nusra earlier this month.
  He was hardly the first ''al-Australi'' involved in the Syrian civil war. A 30-year old married Melbourne bricklayer who operated under the alias ''Abu al-Walid al-Australi'' has also been celebrated as a martyr in al-Nusra propaganda videos since he was killed late last year. ASIO believes that there are at least 200 Australians who have gone to fight in Syria, more than double the number believed from any other Western country.
  But why has Australia's contribution to the Syrian War been so large both in absolute numbers and relative to its population size?
  Australians have fought abroad as insurgents in a number of other civil wars, although never as the largest group among foreign fighters. However, we can examine these historical cases for data about why foreign fighters sign up, what their recruiters tell them they are fighting for, and the impact that these individuals have on their wars and their societies at home.
  In my new book Foreign Fighters, I examined transnational recruitment by insurgent groups worldwide over the past 200 years. Approximately one in five rebel groups have augmented their forces by persuading people outside their country to join the fight.
  In different cases, local insurgents share common ties of religion, ethnicity or ideology with their foreign target audiences, but they employ the same recruitment strategy. In every case, recruiters claim '' sometimes accurately '' that the entire identity group faces a threat to its existence and the recruit must fight in the name of both duty and self-interest.
  They typically reach potential recruits through institutions or representatives of the community, whether houses of worship, union meetings or summer camps. The most receptive in the audience already strongly identify with the group, but tend to be marginalised in the broader society, often because they are members of a minority group.
  Other motives, such as adventure-seeking, profit, or ego-gratification might prompt individuals to sign up, but they are consistently told that the situation is dire. And it is the foreign fighters who engage in most of the highly aggressive combat and suicide operations, in part because they believe that the conflict must be won at all costs for their people.
  These descriptions reflect the Australian recruits on both sides of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. There were leftists and unionists who believed that fascism had to be halted and so fought with the Communists, and Catholics who were told that Communism was set to obliterate the Catholic Church and joined the fascists in response.
  They are also true of the Jewish Australian volunteers in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence who were told that their help was needed to establish a homeland or else the Holocaust would inevitably resume. Successor organisations continue to recruit diaspora Jews worldwide using a defensive frame even though they are no longer insurgents. Quite possibly, Ben Zygier (Prisoner X) signed up for the same reason.
  Ben Zygier '' or 'Prisoner X' '' was an Australian citizen recruited to work for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. ABC
  The portrayal of a global Muslim community under threat has also been applied by jihadis to every civil war since Afghanistan in the 1980s. It brought recruits to Bosnia, including David Hicks. There were, however, foreign fighters on all sides of the Yugoslavian wars of the 1990s, and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) staff in Croatia in the 1990s were acquainted with the local expression ''kangaroo villages'' to describe towns that had been repopulated after ethnic cleansing by transplants from Australia.
  But it is the narrative of a single global war against Muslims '' being fought on every battlefield from Kosovo to the Philippines '' that has made it easy for al-Qaeda branches and like-minded groups to recruit for jihad. It has been effective in Somalia, where Somali-Australian and Lebanese-Australian volunteers learned the skills that they hoped to employ in the thwarted 2009 plot to blow up the Holsworthy Army Barracks.
  The confrontation in Syria, and to an extent in Iraq before it, requires a slightly different frame: that of Sunni Muslims being destroyed by Shia governments. That said, there are also Australian Shiite volunteers among the ranks of Hezbollah militants fighting for the Assad regime. Most likely, the particular ties of the Australian Lebanese community with its connections in the region facilitate easy access into Syria and give Australia its disproportionate presence in this conflict.
  Convicted terrorist David Hicks trained with the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. AAP
  But this coincidence can have consequences. A study published earlier this year found that most jihadis prefer to go and fight on foreign battlefields, away from the constraints of their home societies. But among those who survive and return home with combat experience, about 10% become involved in militant activity in their countries of origin.
  As the numbers of Australians fighting in Syria and elsewhere continues to mount, the odds that some will return home to continue the fight grow as well. Indeed, the Holsworthy plot was the attempted first case of blowback against a western country by foreign fighters in Somalia. The same transnational networks that permit recruitment and mobilisation make geographic distance irrelevant.
  Stopping the outflow of foreign fighters is difficult, and intercepting them requires active surveillance and inevitable profiling. The best alternative in the long run is to try to build inclusive national and civic identities '' if not Australian patriotism '' so that alternate transnational identities do not matter enough to go to a distant war zone to kill and die for. This might be effected through national service, either military or in local community building programs like AmeriCorps in the United States.
  But it is late in the day to do any such thing for Syria. The best option at this point is vigilance as the latest ''al-Australis'' return home, in some cases to become recruiters themselves.
  Sign in to Favourite Post a CommentTagsSyria, War, Conflict, Foreign Affairs
  Related articles 20 September 2013 Why is Australian foreign aid so important? 20 September 2013 New York is Jakarta: why Tony Abbott should attend Leaders' Week at the UN 19 September 2013 Preventing medical help has become a new form of warfare 18 September 2013 In praise of prevarication: Barack Obama's Syria strategy 16 September 2013 Explainer: how will Syria's chemical weapons be destroyed?
Step Aside Trillion Dollar Coin, Here Comes The Trillion Dollar Bill
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  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:16
  With just over a week left until a potential government shutdown, especially since the House just passed a stopgap funding measure which included an Obamacare defunding measure and which is dead in the Senate, the issue of a government shutdown with no counterproposal on the table is suddenly concerning to investors, as can be seen in the following Bloomberg chart comparing articles mentioning "government shutdown" vs "debt ceiling."
  However, it should be the other way around: while Congress may gamble with the debt ceiling until the 11th hour and 59th minute, as it knows it can always punt to Bernanke and "Mr Chair(wo)man will get to work", it will hardly jeopardize paying itself a salary for a terrific job well done.
  So as we await for the inevitable announcement when the government will promptly resume paying itself, we are far more interested in how long it will take until the debt ceiling fight takes front and center space, and the now annual tradition launched by a handful of monetary misfits, namely the pitching of the idiotic platinum trollin' trillion dollar coin idea, even though the Fed and Treasury took an unprecedented step and publicly told said misfits to kill the idea before they lose any more of what little credibility they had left by filling the internet with their vacuous stupidity.
  Sadly, since US fiscal and monetary policy en masse has become just that, vacuous stupidity, we wish to introduce our own piece of monetary ridiculousness: the trillion dollar bill.
  It is not made out of platinum - in fact Charmin' one-ply will do - but the good news is that the Treasury would merely have to issue a trillion dollar bond to net out the Fed's balance sheet upon its monetization (and the last thing Congress has problems with is authorizing the spending ludicrous amount of money). After all, under the auspices of the Magic Money Tree theory of money, infinite government debt is simply a manifestation of infinite wealth for the private sector, and as such it is a win-win for everyone.
  So without further ado, here is the solution to all of America's debt problems: the Trillion Dollar Bill.
  h/t @mrneutr0n
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.8(6 votes)
CAROLINA MASON LINK TO KENYA MALL ATTACK?
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  Archived Version
  Source: aangirfan
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:14
  The Kenyan Daily Post has "identified different codes" used by the group that attacked the Kenyan Mall on 21 September 2013.DAILY POST: Codes used by AL SHABAAB
  Reportedly, the codes relate to Masonic lodges in Charlotte, North Carolina.Harvey Point, in North Carolina, is used for CIA paramilitary and 'counter-terrorism' courses that involve high explosives and ballistics. Harvey Point was used by Navy SEAL Team Six to train for the raid that pretended to kill Osama bin Laden, in a scale mockup of the secret compound.[3][4]Reportedly, Somalia's al-Shabaab terror group has released the names and nationalities of 9 attackers at the Westgate mall in Nairobi.
  Alleged Kenya Mall Attackers Named by Al Shabaab - All Africa
  They released the names via a Twitter account which is now suspended.
  Below are the names and nationalities of 'the attackers'.
  1: Ahmed Mohamed Isse, 22 years old from Minnesota, USA2: Abdifatah Osman Keynadiid, 24 years old from Minnesota, Minneapolis3: General Mustaf Nuradin, 27 years from Kansas City, America
  4: Qasim Said, 22 year old from Garissa Kenya
  5: Ahmed Nasir Shirdon, 24 years old from UK
  6: Zaki Jma'a Arale, 20 years old from Hargeisa Somalia.
  7: Ismail Guled, 23 years old from Finland
  8: Siad Nuh, 25 years old from Kismayu, Somalia
  9: Abdirazaq Mowlid, 24 years old from Canada
  Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the usual suspects have carried out an attack on a church (above).
  Did Americans help
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is trying to sell corporate advertisers and Wall Street investors on the idea
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  Source: Valleywag
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:12
  AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is trying to sell corporate advertisers and Wall Street investors on the idea of AOL as a home for original online programming "featuring personalities such as Gwynneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Hank Azaria and Nicole Richie." Happy Advertising Week, everyone.
VIDEO/AUDIO-Center for Security Policy | Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman, a Close Clinton Family Affiliate, Arrested In Egypt
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  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:22
  Secure Freedom Radio Podcasts | September 19, 2013 | Nuclear Deterrence, The Arab Spring, The Muslim Brotherhood in AmericaWith Clare Lopez, Raymond Stock, Adam Kredo, Fred Fleitz
  CLARE LOPEZ, a former CIA officer and senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, explains the U.S. attorney's office in New York's seizure of an Iranian skyscraper, as well as the growing tension involving the Iranian nuclear program.
  RAYMOND STOCK, of the Middle East Forum, assesses the situation in Egypt in the context of wavering US support in the region.
  ADAM KREDO, of the Washington Free Beacon, breaks the story about Gehad el-Haddad, a former top Clinton Foundation adviser, arrested in Egypt for ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Kredo also discusses the larger connections the Clintons have with radical Islamists and their employment of el-Haddad and Huma Abedin.
  FRED FLEITZ, a former CIA analyst and founder of LIGNET.com, analyzes the complications of the chemical weapons agreements in Syria, as well as recent events in the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs.
DC Navy Yard Shooting Linked To Obama's Arrest For Treason??
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  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 17:53
  Now this is an interesting twist to this saga of lies and betrayals,by the Obama regime. Could this be true? Treason is exactly what he is guilty of. If this False Flag Op was to prevent his arrest, then we have a whole new ball games, ladies and gentlemen. ''In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.'' '' Franklin D. Roosevelt. U.S. military police were targeted and killed by Obama in the Washington DC Navy Yard shooting. Why? Agents from the U.S. military's criminal investigation units had uncovered a plot to detonate a nuclear device in the heart of the nation's capitol as part of an Obama government false flag. Officials from NCIS (United States Naval Criminal InvestigativeService) and the U.S. Office of the Provost (both with field offices inside the Washington DC Navy Yard) had threatened to arrest Obama for planning to attacked Syria without Congressional approval following a planned nuclear detonation false flag in Washington DC. The Office of the Provost is on the second floor of Building 34, One First Avenue, Charlestown Navy Yard and NCIS is located at 716 SICARD STREET SE, SUITE 2000, WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC.
  You Tube presentation.
  The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy. It investigates activities concerning crimes against or by United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel, along with national security, counter-intelligence, and counter-terrorism cases. A false flag is the crime of treason '' levying war against the United States. If United States Navy or United States Marine Corps personnel are involved in planning for and preparing a false flag event in Washington DC or anywhere else in the United States, NCIS and its agents are duty bound to investigate and take action to counter those terrorist acts against the United States.
  Prior to the Washington DC Navy Yard shooting the Joint Chief of Staff and Provost Marshals were planning and preparing to arrest Obama for treason. For levying war against the United States with a planned false flag in Washington DC on the anniversary of 9/11 '' a nuclear detonation.
  In the United States the Office of the Provost has the authority to arrest the President if he or she violates the terms of his/her employment, or commits an act that is detrimental to the United States. He/she can be held liable, arrested, imprisoned etc., depending on the depth of the violation, by the Provost Marshal.
  If it has been determined that the president of the United States has committed treason in a manner unmistakable to all, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff convenes a covert meeting (in this case the Washington DC Navy Yard) to get a vote of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Provost Marshall General of the Army and/or Marines will usually be in attendance. Remember that a military officer takes an oath of office to do one thing and one thing only '' '''...'.... to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign OR DOMESTIC.'' They must determine above a reasonable doubt that the enemy domestic is the treasonous president before they can attempt to arrest him or her.
  Once the Joint Chiefs of Staff have determined beyond a reasonable doubt that the president has committed treason a convoy of 10 to 12 HIGH ranking officers (13 killed at the Navy Yard) depart the Pentagon, accompanied by a large contingency of Military Police (Provost Marshals, NCIS agents) and all necessary armament and provisions to enter the grounds of the White House, by FORCE if necessary, and proceed to the location of the president and put him under arrest. Then, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would advise the Speaker of The House, The President of the Senate, The Attorney General and the Secretary of State of their actions. Obama's response to the threat of arrest was a coordinated assault against NCIS agents who uncovered the false flag plot against the United States and Provost Marshals who threatened to arrest Obama at the Washington DC Navy Yard.
  Have you wondered why not all of the names and the rank of those who were killed in the assault have been released? The White House (Obama) ordered their names and rank classified as it would raise alarm bells in Washington DC should the public know Joint Chiefs of Staff members, Provost Marshals and NCIS agents were targeted and killed for threatening to arrest Obama for treason. The White House is claiming that the names of those killed are being withheld pending next of kin notification.
  On September 28, 2009 the History Channel released a movie titled ''Day AfterDisaster''. The entire movie is about Washington DC being the target and victim of a nuclear detonation. The movie also features Obama talking about nuclear detonations in the U.S. Movie 0.50 time stamp '' ''One terrorist, one nuclear weapon could unleash massive destruction'' ~ Obama says. Last year PRESS Core wrote an article titled ''COG planning for and preparing Washington DC nucleardetonation false flag event.'' after receiving information that September 30, 2012 was the day ''Day after Disaster'' was to executed in real-time. Obama's planned false flag attack for September 30, 2012 was averted after the public was made aware of the false flag beginning August 18th, 2012.
  Obama's 9/11 anniversary false flag was thwarted when the Joint Chief of Staff and the Provost Marshals from the Washington DC Navy Yard confronted Obama and threatened to arrest him for treason for planning to detonate one or more nukes in the nation's capitol '' Washington DC.
  The EUTimes reported June 27, 2013 '' ''Obama Requests 15,000 Russian Troops For ''Upcoming''Disaster'' In that story it claims Obama ''has requested at least 15,000 Russian troops trained in disaster relief and ''crowd functions'' [i.e. riot control] be pre-positioned to respond to FEMA Region III during an unspecified ''upcoming'' disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III includes Delaware,Washington, D.C (formally the District of Columbia) , Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia areas.
  According to this report, this unprecedented request was made directly to Minister Vladimir Puchkov by US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Director Janet Napolitano (now retired) who said these Russian troops would work ''directly and jointly'' with her Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of whose mission is to secure the continuity of the US government in the event of natural disasters or war.
  This report has been verified. The origins of this report can be read on the website of Ministry of the Russian Federation for Affairs for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters '' or internationally as EMERCOM of Russia - ''The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and the USA Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are going to exchange experts during joint rescue operations in major disasters. This is provided by a protocol of the fourth meeting of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Working Group on Emergency Situations and seventeenth meeting of Joint U.S.-Russia Cooperation Committee on Emergency Situations, which took place in Washington on 25 June.''
  ''In addition, the parties approved of U.S. Russian cooperation in this field in 2013-2014, which envisages exchange of experience including in monitoring and forecasting emergency situations, training of rescuers, development of mine-rescuing and provision of security at massevents.''
  Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ABC News Aug 27, 2013: ''A massive and ''serious'' cyber attack on the U.S. homeland is coming, and a natural disaster '-- the likes of which the nation has never seen '-- is also likely on its way.''
  The only way anyone could know that there is ''a natural disaster '-- the likes of which the nation has never seen '-- is also likely on its way'' is if you are the one planning and preparing it.
  ''You also will have to prepare for the increasing likelihood of more weather-related events of a more severe nature as a result of climate change, and continue to build the capacity to respond to potential disasters in far-flung regions of the country occurring at the same time.
  ''You will need a large bottle of Advil,'' Napolitano joked.
  Napolitano is hinting at what the United States government (Obama) is planning and preparing for using its weather modifying weapon of mass destruction called HAARP.
  Don't think the U.S. government is planning to detonate a nuke in Washington DC? They've already planned for it. DHS (illegal posse posse comitatus force) / FEMA Washington DC nuclear detonation scenario report '' http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dhs/fema/ncr.pdf complete with nuclear detonation maps, charts and fatality estimates. NCR stands for National Capital Region.
  Why else would Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano suddenly resign her post (announced her resignation July 12, 2013) and leave Washington DC for California? Because while she was Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano planned for and prepared for a major Washington DC event. She got out of dodge before the ''attack on the U.S. homeland is coming''.
  Janet Napolitano's resignation as Department of Homeland Security Secretary was effective '... September 7, 2013 '' just 4 days before the planned 9/11 anniversary nuclear device detonation false flag. Just before leaving her post Dyess Air Force base reportedly moved nuclear warheads to the East Coast of the United States in a secret transfer that had no paper trail. The Dyess Air Force Commander allegedly authorized unknown parties to transfer nuclear warheads to an unknown location on the U.S. East Coast, where the warheads would then be picked up and potentially utilized. Conspiracy?
  Legal definition for conspiracy'' An agreement between two or more persons to engage jointly in an unlawful or criminal act, or an act that is innocent in itself but becomes unlawful when done by the combination of actors.
  A conspiracy is codified as a criminal offense. A conspiracy is not fiction, made up, make belief or theory. A conspiracy is an indictable offense wherein '' two or more persons engage jointly in an unlawful or criminal act. The evidence reveals that Obama, the DHS, FEMA and other agencies of the United States are actively conspiring to levy war against the United States through a false flag '' an unlawful or criminal act.
  Source
Education Dep't Strategy Is to Educate Adult Non-Citizens | CNS News Mobile
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 17:51
  Adult learners in Omaha, Nebraska. (AP File Photo)
  (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Education Department, anticipating an influx of foreigners in the years ahead under immigration reform, says it plans to create an "adult learning infrastructure" to meet demand for "high-quality English language" skills and other basics.On page 10 of its draft strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2014-2018, the Education Department says it will work to "transform" the adult education system -- "and create an adult learning infrastructure that better meets the demand for high-quality English language, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills. This infrastructure must accommodate the increased demand for skills from industry and business, as well as for services that may result from comprehensive immigration reform."
  The word "immigration" appears only on page 10 of the 42-page report, which mainly focuses on improving the administration's "cradle-to-career education strategy."
  In the paragraph dealing with adult education, the department says it is concerned about the number of adults who lack "foundational" literacy and numerical skills:
  "Because of this, too many adults cannot enter or complete a post-secondary education or training program," the report says. "Data on educational attainment and skills show that there are at least 30 million Americans without basic literacy skills in need of educational credentials for work. The social and economic consequences are severe for these adults and their families, as well as for their communities, where large numbers of low-skilled adults can limit economic development. The current adult education system is not equipped to handle this challenge, serving less than 3 percent of the need."
  The draft strategic plan, released last week, does not say how the Education Department will "transform" the adult learning infrastructure, but it does say that post-secondary institutions "must increase their capacity to serve the growing number of Americans who require education and/or training beyond high school to compete in the workplace, particularly the tens of millions of Americans who have basic literacy and workforce training needs."
  A 2012 report --"Improving Adult Literacy Instruction" -- says major employers, existing training and education organizations, faith-based groups, and other community groups should be enlisted to help in the effort.
  The Education Department's Division of Adult Education and Literacy provides funds to states for adult education and literacy programs. The amount each state receives is based on a formula established by Congress.
  In Fiscal Year 2013, the division allocated $553,990,840 to the states for adult education programs and English literacy/civics education for immigrants. The states, in turn, distribute the taxpayer money to local entities to provide adult education and literacy services.
  The Education Department is inviting public comment on its draft FY2014-2018 Strategic Plan at strategicplancomments@ed.gov until Oct. 4.
CBC My Region - Arctic ice level rebounds from record 2012 low
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:31
  The amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank this summer to the sixth lowest level, but that is much higher than last year's record low.
  The amount of ice covering the Arctic Ocean was much higher in 2013 than it was in 2012, but it's still among the lowest levels on record.
  The amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank this summer to the sixth lowest level, but that is much higher than last year's record low.
  The ice cap at the North Pole melts in the summer and grows in winter; its general shrinking trend is a sign of global warming. The National Snow and Ice Data Center said Friday that Arctic ice was at 1.97 million square miles (5.1 million sq. kilometers) when it stopped melting late last week.
  It takes scientists several days to confirm sea ice hit reached its lowest level and is growing again.
  The minimum level reached this summer is about 24 per cent below the 20th Century average, but 50 per cent above last year when a dramatic melt shattered records that go back to 1979.
  Center director Mark Serreze says cooler air triggered a "considerable recovery," from last year, while the ocean temperatures were still warmer than normal. But he adds climate change deniers who point to the bounce back from last year '-- which skewed the trend '-- would be wrong.
  "If you threw out last year, this year would be very much in line of what we've seen in recent years," Serreze says. "We are not seeing a long term recovery here. No way."
  Overall, since 1979 Arctic sea ice has been shrinking at a "pretty darn big" rate of about 12 per cent per decade and "this is not going to reverse your trend, not in the least," Serreze says.
BBC News - Human role in warming 'more certain' - UN climate chief
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:20
  23 September 2013Last updated at08:00 ETBy Roger HarrabinEnvironment analystScientists are more certain than ever that greenhouse gases from human activities are heating the planet, the head of the UN's climate panel says.
  Rajendra Pachauri made the comments in an interview with BBC News.
  The panel is due to deliver its latest report on the state of the climate later this week in Stockholm, Sweden.
  Its last report was criticised after an error on glaciers unveiled other flaws, but Prof Pachauri said procedures had been reformed and strengthened.
  He also dismissed suggestions of a slowdown in global warming.
  "There's definitely an increase in our belief that climate change is taking place and that human beings are responsible,'' he told me.
  "I don't think there is a slowdown (in the rate of temperature increase). I would like to draw your attention to the World Meteorological Organization which clearly stated on the basis of observations that the first decade of this century has been the warmest in recorded history.
  "And I think the rest will be brought out by the report itself when it's released."
  Prof Pachauri's insistence that warming has not slowed hints at a focus of debate this week in Stockholm: Global temperatures have not been increasing as fast as scientists predicted, and several governments insist that this puzzle is properly addressed in the final summary.
  Have computer climate models overestimated the sensitivity of the planet to increasing CO2? Or has excess heat been stored up in oceans whence it will emerge to super-heat the planet in decades to come? Or both?
  Or just perhaps it could be something else.
  Unprecedented changeThe draft says a doubling of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere above pre-industrial levels (expected by mid-century) is likely to result in a temperature rise globally of between 1.5 and 4.5C.
  Any rise above 2C could risk major changes on Earth, according to projections, but the results of recent modelling involves a downward tweak at the bottom of the range, offering the tantalising prospect to politicians that if humans are very lucky, they could get away with rising CO2 emissions for a bit longer than previously expected.
  The panel is struggling to offer a definitive answer as to why warming is not happening at the rate previously projected. But it will be anxious to ensure that the likelihood of a fortunate escape for humanity should not be overplayed.
  It is expected to say that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have already warmed the ocean, melted snow and ice, raised sea levels and increased climatic extremes.
  It will also warn that unless emissions are cut soon, we are likely to suffer severe changes in the climate unprecedented for hundreds of thousands of years.
  Prof Pachauri's leadership of the panel has been strongly supported by developing countries, although he has faced criticism in the West. He told me he had no plans to retire after the forthcoming report.
  He said the panel enjoyed massive support, with 3,000 people volunteering to act as authors, 831 of whom were selected.
  Tightening proceduresIn the detailed text of its last report, the UN panel made a controversial mistake on glaciers.
  Prof Pachauri said: "We made one mistake about the glaciers melting by 2035 - for which we have apologised. That was totally out of character because we always give a range for these things and it somehow slipped through.
  "But it wasn't included in the technical summary or the summary for policymakers, it just somehow escaped attention.
  ''What we did say about the glaciers was in substance not all that wrong '' the glaciers are melting across the globe so that is something we stand by.
  Continue reading the main storyAdaptation
  Action that helps cope with the effects of climate change - for example construction of barriers to protect against rising sea levels, or conversion to crops capable of surviving high temperatures and drought.
  ''This time we have been doubly careful... [that] we don't have any mistake of that type. And I hope that [the report] will reassure everyone that human influence is having a major impact on the Earth's climate.''
  Prof Pachauri said he anticipated attempts to discredit the panel. But he claimed evidence of extreme events was persuading more and more people, especially in the US, that humans were taking a risk with the climate.
  Indeed, the report is expected to say it is very likely that manmade climate change has produced higher precipitation in America.
  "Hopefully,'' he said, ''there are enough sane and sensible people in the public who will ultimately prevail."
  The broader question is whether science itself will prevail over politics. Whatever the pronouncements of the UN panel, emissions are expected to continue to increase into the foreseeable future as politicians weigh risks to energy bills and competitiveness against risks to the planet.
  The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has re-confirmed that he will invite world leaders to a climate summit next year in an attempt to galvanise action.
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It Begins: Monte Paschi "Bails In" Bondholders, Halts $650 Million In Coupon Payments
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  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:18
  Recall that three weeks ago we warned that "Monti Paschi Faces Bail-In As Capital Needs Point To Nationalization" although we left open the question of "who will get the haircut including senior bondholders and depositors.... given the small size of sub-debt in the capital structures." Today, as many expected on the day following the German elections, the dominos are finally starting to wobble, and as we predicted, Monte Paschi, Italy's oldest and according to many, most insolvent bank, quietly commenced a bondholder "bail in" after it said that it suspended interest payments on three hybrid notes following demands by European authorities that bondholders contribute to the restructuring of the bailed out Italian lender. Remember what Diesel-BOOM said about Cyprus - that it is a template? He wasn't joking.
  As Bloomberg reports, Monte Paschi "said in a statement that it won't pay interest on about 481 million euros ($650 million) of outstanding hybrid notes issued through MPS Capital Trust II and Antonveneta Capital Trusts I and II." Why these notes? Because hybrid bondholders have zero protections and zero recourse. "Under the terms of the undated notes, the Siena, Italy-based lender is allowed to suspend interest without defaulting and doesn't have to make up the missed coupons when payments resume." Then again hybrids, to quote the Dutchman, are just the template for the balance of the bank's balance sheet.
  Why is this happening now? Simple: the Merkel reelection is in the bag, and the EURUSD is too high (recall Adidas' laments from last week). Furthermore, if the ECB proceeds with another LTRO as many believe it will, it will force the EURUSD even higher, surging from even more unwanted liquidity. So what to do? Why stage a small, contained crisis of course. Such as a bail in by a major Italian bank. The good news for now is that depositors are untouched. Unfortunately, with depositor cash on the wrong end of the (un)secured liability continuum it is only a matter of time before those with uninsured deposits share some of the Cypriot pain. After all, in the brave New Normal insolvent world, "it is only fair."
  To wit:
  ''In the new world we're in, bondholders pick up the tab when they can be forced to,'' said John Raymond, an analyst at CreditSights Inc. in London. ''State aid rules impose losses where possible.''
  European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters on Sept. 7 the bank should receive final approval for its restructuring plan within two months. The lender, which received a 4.1 billion-euro bailout, submitted a revised plan that more than doubles the amount of new capital it intends to raise to 2.5 billion euros as it seeks to repay the aid.
  Almunia recommended that ''cash outflows from the beneficiary to hybrid capital holders and subordinated debt holders be prevented to the maximum extent possible,'' in a letter sent to Italian Finance Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni dated July 16 and seen by Bloomberg News.
  More importantly, this is just the start:
  Monte Paschi's 108 million euros of undated, non-cumulative trust preferred stock issued through Antonveneta Capital Trust II fell 5 cents on the euro to 41 cents, according to Bloomberg bond prices. That's the lowest price since April 23, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
  While the bank is halting payments on the bonds that make up its Tier 1 capital, the most-junior layer of debt capital instruments, it also has the equivalent of about 2.6 billion euros of more-senior Upper Tier 2 debt in three issues in euros and pounds.
  While Monte Paschi is making payments on these notes, it isn't clear that it will be able to go on doing so, said Raymond.
  Expect an update from the bank on Wednesday when it will hold a conference call.
  Investors may be betting the bank will buy back the debt ''at or slightly below current trading levels,'' according to Eva Olsson, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities in London. Individual investors in Italy hold many of the bonds and have been an important source of funds for banks in recent years, she said.
  "Monte likely will have to raise capital next year and we view any capital raising exercise in the market as challenging,'' Olsson wrote.
  Indeed, and best of luck. As for how "bailed in" capital figures in terms of a bank's equity buffer/Tier 1 capital
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(7 votes)
VIDEO- EXCLUSIVE: Cory Monteith Emmy Montage (final 20 seconds) - YouTube
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  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:16
UN climate experts stress solidity of new report (Update)
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:14
  UN climate experts stress solidity of new report (Update)Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.2 hours ago by Karl RitterFrom left, Lena Ek, Ministry of the Environment of Sweden, Prof. Thomas Stocker, IPCC working group and Prof. Dahe Qin, IPCC Working group during the IPCC meeting in Stockholm Monday Sept. 23, 2013. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Stockholm until 27 September to prepare and present new conclusions on climate change and its scientific basis. (AP photo / Scanpix Sweden / Bertil Enev¥g Ericson)
  Seeking to dispel any doubts over the credibility of their work, U.N. climate experts called their latest report an unbiased and reliable assessment of global warming as they presented it Monday to officials from 110 governments for a final review.
  The landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to state with more confidence than its previous four assessments that global warming is mostly man-made.
  It's also going to provide updated observations and projections of the changes happening in the climate system, from the melting of Arctic sea ice to the warming and acidification of oceans.
  Thomas Stocker, co-chair of the working group that wrote the report, said it has undergone multiple stages of review, with more than 50,000 comments considered by the authors. The final version is scheduled to be adopted at the end of an IPCC conference this week in Stockholm.
  "I know of no other document that has undergone this scrutiny," Stocker said as the meeting opened. "It stands out as a reliable and indispensable source of knowledge about climate change."
  He said millions of measurements on land, at sea, in the air and from space underpinned what he called an "unprecedented and unbiased view of the state of the climate system."
  The IPCC's work to improve the world's understanding of climate change won it the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 together with climate campaigner Al Gore. But a series of errors embarrassed the authors of its previous climate assessment, which was completed that same year.
  Among the most prominent was an incorrect statement that the glaciers in the Himalayas were melting faster than others and that they would disappear by 2035'--hundreds of years earlier than other information suggests.
  An independent review of the U.N. climate panel in 2010 found that overall it has done a good job but needs more openness and regular changes in leadership. It also called for stronger enforcement of its reviews of research and adoption of a conflict of interest policy.
  IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri told The Associated Press on Monday that he hopes the review has helped enhance the panel's credibility.
  "Our processes were found to be very strong. Very good. Very effective," he said. "But you know we have been in existence for 20-odd years and therefore it was time for us to get a second opinion on how we could improve ourselves. And I'm sure we've done very well in implementing the recommendations."
  The report being completed in Stockholm deals with the physical science aspects of the climate system and is the first of a four-part assessment that covers several aspects of global warming.
  Earlier Monday, Pachauri told delegates in Stockholm that the latest report marks "a new milestone in the understanding of climate change."
  He said the fact that 60 percent of the authors were new to the IPCC process "show the inclusivity and openness" of the U.N.-sponsored panel "and the emphasis we place on new knowledge and expertise and fresh perspectives and approaches."
  Explore further:Human activity is 'almost certainly' driving climate change, IPCC leaked report says
  (C) 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
  More from Physics Forums - Earth
  Related Stories
  Human activity is 'almost certainly' driving climate change, IPCC leaked report says Aug 21, 2013
  Human activity is almost certainly the cause of climate change and global sea levels could rise by several feet by the end of the century, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ...
  Australia heatwave part of global trend: IPCC chief Jan 15, 2013
  Australia's extreme summer heatwave, which caused devastating bushfires and saw temperature forecasts go off the scale, is part of a global warming trend, the UN's climate panel chief said Tuesday.
  UN climate panel denounces fresh data leaks (Update) Jan 09, 2013
  The UN's climate science panel bemoaned Wednesday a fresh leak of data from a landmark report on global warming that it will start releasing this year.
  Climate at five minutes to midnight: IPCC head Sep 02, 2013
  Humanity has pushed the world's climate system to the brink, leaving itself only scant time to act, the head of the UN's group of climate scientists said on Monday.
  Major climate change report draft leaked online: IPCC Dec 14, 2012
  A major report on climate change being compiled by the United Nation's climate science panel was on Friday leaked online in what appeared to be an attempt by a climate sceptic to discredit the panel.
  UN report to point to mounting climate challenge Sep 21, 2013
  Scientists will hike pressure next week on the UN's troubled climate talks as they release a report pointing to the dizzying challenge of meeting the international body's target for global warming.
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  Scientists will hike pressure next week on the UN's troubled climate talks as they release a report pointing to the dizzying challenge of meeting the international body's target for global warming.
  User comments : 2Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank
  Display comments: newest first
  VendicarE5 / 5 (1)52 minutes ago
  Where are the paid industry shills?Shouldn't they be here by now to try and counter the rock solid science through lies, distortions and fear?
  I guess they haven't arrived at their Libertarian Stink Tank offices yet.
  Sinister1811not rated yet39 minutes ago
  Where are the paid industry shills?
  Shouldn't they be here by now to try and counter the rock solid science through lies, distortions and fear?
  I guess they haven't arrived at their Libertarian Stink Tank offices yet.
  My guess is that they're looking for the nearest sandpit. lol
  More news stories
  Health check for Perth waterwaysA new report has found that the health of Perth's iconic Swan-Canning Estuary has improved in recent years.
  Los Alamos National Laboratory describes storm damage to environmental monitoring stations, canyonsHours after a disaster declaration by Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory officials on Friday described "millions" of dollars in damage to environmental monitoring stations, monitoring wells, ...
  New US climate map shows temperature changes in HDIf you're interested to see how warm your neighborhood will look like at 2090, here's a chance. There's new data available that has monthly climate projections for the continental United States at the size ...
  Dating our galaxy's dormant volcano(Phys.org) '--A dormant volcano'--a supermassive black hole'--lies at the heart of our galaxy. Fresh evidence suggests that it last erupted two million years ago.
  Hubble eyes a smoldering star(Phys.org) '--This new image, snapped by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the star HD 184738, also known as Campbell's hydrogen star. It is surrounded by plumes of reddish gas'--the fiery red and orange ...
  Carbon nanotube logic device operates on subnanowatt power(Phys.org) '--Researchers have demonstrated a new carbon nanotube (CNT)-based logic device that consumes just 0.1 nanowatts (nW) in its static ON and OFF states, representing the lowest reported value by ...
  Some parts of memory still developing deep into childhoodA new study provides evidence that one important part of memory undergoes substantial development even after the age of 7.
  Health reform: Young adults may be key to making it all work(HealthDay)'--Few uninsured young adults know about the state health insurance exchanges opening for business on Oct. 1, surveys show. But even if they did, would they snap up health coverage?
  HEALTH REFORM: exchanges will be cornerstone for coverage choices(HealthDay)'--A new way of shopping for health insurance is coming to your state.
  'Superbug' MRSA infections aren't dropping in children: CDC(HealthDay)'--Although rates of infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are declining among American adults, the rates among children remain largely unchanged, a new government study ...
  (C) Phys.org' 2003-2013
  UN climate experts stress solidity of new report (Update)Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.2 hours ago by Karl RitterFrom left, Lena Ek, Ministry of the Environment of Sweden, Prof. Thomas Stocker, IPCC working group and Prof. Dahe Qin, IPCC Working group during the IPCC meeting in Stockholm Monday Sept. 23, 2013. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Stockholm until 27 September to prepare and present new conclusions on climate change and its scientific basis. (AP photo / Scanpix Sweden / Bertil Enev¥g Ericson)
  Seeking to dispel any doubts over the credibility of their work, U.N. climate experts called their latest report an unbiased and reliable assessment of global warming as they presented it Monday to officials from 110 governments for a final review.
  The landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to state with more confidence than its previous four assessments that global warming is mostly man-made.
  It's also going to provide updated observations and projections of the changes happening in the climate system, from the melting of Arctic sea ice to the warming and acidification of oceans.
  Thomas Stocker, co-chair of the working group that wrote the report, said it has undergone multiple stages of review, with more than 50,000 comments considered by the authors. The final version is scheduled to be adopted at the end of an IPCC conference this week in Stockholm.
  "I know of no other document that has undergone this scrutiny," Stocker said as the meeting opened. "It stands out as a reliable and indispensable source of knowledge about climate change."
  He said millions of measurements on land, at sea, in the air and from space underpinned what he called an "unprecedented and unbiased view of the state of the climate system."
  The IPCC's work to improve the world's understanding of climate change won it the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 together with climate campaigner Al Gore. But a series of errors embarrassed the authors of its previous climate assessment, which was completed that same year.
  Among the most prominent was an incorrect statement that the glaciers in the Himalayas were melting faster than others and that they would disappear by 2035'--hundreds of years earlier than other information suggests.
  An independent review of the U.N. climate panel in 2010 found that overall it has done a good job but needs more openness and regular changes in leadership. It also called for stronger enforcement of its reviews of research and adoption of a conflict of interest policy.
  IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri told The Associated Press on Monday that he hopes the review has helped enhance the panel's credibility.
  "Our processes were found to be very strong. Very good. Very effective," he said. "But you know we have been in existence for 20-odd years and therefore it was time for us to get a second opinion on how we could improve ourselves. And I'm sure we've done very well in implementing the recommendations."
  The report being completed in Stockholm deals with the physical science aspects of the climate system and is the first of a four-part assessment that covers several aspects of global warming.
  Earlier Monday, Pachauri told delegates in Stockholm that the latest report marks "a new milestone in the understanding of climate change."
  He said the fact that 60 percent of the authors were new to the IPCC process "show the inclusivity and openness" of the U.N.-sponsored panel "and the emphasis we place on new knowledge and expertise and fresh perspectives and approaches."
  Explore further:Human activity is 'almost certainly' driving climate change, IPCC leaked report says
  (C) 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
  More from Physics Forums - Earth
  Related Stories
  Human activity is 'almost certainly' driving climate change, IPCC leaked report says Aug 21, 2013
  Human activity is almost certainly the cause of climate change and global sea levels could rise by several feet by the end of the century, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ...
  Australia heatwave part of global trend: IPCC chief Jan 15, 2013
  Australia's extreme summer heatwave, which caused devastating bushfires and saw temperature forecasts go off the scale, is part of a global warming trend, the UN's climate panel chief said Tuesday.
  UN climate panel denounces fresh data leaks (Update) Jan 09, 2013
  The UN's climate science panel bemoaned Wednesday a fresh leak of data from a landmark report on global warming that it will start releasing this year.
  Climate at five minutes to midnight: IPCC head Sep 02, 2013
  Humanity has pushed the world's climate system to the brink, leaving itself only scant time to act, the head of the UN's group of climate scientists said on Monday.
  Major climate change report draft leaked online: IPCC Dec 14, 2012
  A major report on climate change being compiled by the United Nation's climate science panel was on Friday leaked online in what appeared to be an attempt by a climate sceptic to discredit the panel.
  UN report to point to mounting climate challenge Sep 21, 2013
  Scientists will hike pressure next week on the UN's troubled climate talks as they release a report pointing to the dizzying challenge of meeting the international body's target for global warming.
  Recommended for you
  Health check for Perth waterways 22 minutes ago
  A new report has found that the health of Perth's iconic Swan-Canning Estuary has improved in recent years.
  Los Alamos National Laboratory describes storm damage to environmental monitoring stations, canyons 32 minutes ago
  Hours after a disaster declaration by Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory officials on Friday described "millions" of dollars in damage to environmental monitoring stations, monitoring wells, ...
  New US climate map shows temperature changes in HD 52 minutes ago
  If you're interested to see how warm your neighborhood will look like at 2090, here's a chance. There's new data available that has monthly climate projections for the continental United States at the size ...
  Carbon cleanup would save millions of lives, study finds 20 hours ago
  Reducing fossil-fuel emissions to safer levels would save millions of lives annually by the end of the century, a study said on Sunday.
  UN climate report will not sway US deniers Sep 21, 2013
  The upcoming UN report on climate change is not likely to rattle US deniers of global warming who hold sway in the halls of power, experts say.
  UN report to point to mounting climate challenge Sep 21, 2013
  Scientists will hike pressure next week on the UN's troubled climate talks as they release a report pointing to the dizzying challenge of meeting the international body's target for global warming.
  User comments : 2Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank
  Display comments: newest first
  VendicarE5 / 5 (1)52 minutes ago
  Where are the paid industry shills?
  Shouldn't they be here by now to try and counter the rock solid science through lies, distortions and fear?
  I guess they haven't arrived at their Libertarian Stink Tank offices yet.
  Sinister1811not rated yet39 minutes ago
  Where are the paid industry shills?
  Shouldn't they be here by now to try and counter the rock solid science through lies, distortions and fear?
  I guess they haven't arrived at their Libertarian Stink Tank offices yet.
  My guess is that they're looking for the nearest sandpit. lol
  More news stories
  Health check for Perth waterwaysA new report has found that the health of Perth's iconic Swan-Canning Estuary has improved in recent years.
  Los Alamos National Laboratory describes storm damage to environmental monitoring stations, canyonsHours after a disaster declaration by Los Alamos County, Los Alamos National Laboratory officials on Friday described "millions" of dollars in damage to environmental monitoring stations, monitoring wells, ...
  New US climate map shows temperature changes in HDIf you're interested to see how warm your neighborhood will look like at 2090, here's a chance. There's new data available that has monthly climate projections for the continental United States at the size ...
  Dating our galaxy's dormant volcano(Phys.org) '--A dormant volcano'--a supermassive black hole'--lies at the heart of our galaxy. Fresh evidence suggests that it last erupted two million years ago.
  Hubble eyes a smoldering star(Phys.org) '--This new image, snapped by NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, shows the star HD 184738, also known as Campbell's hydrogen star. It is surrounded by plumes of reddish gas'--the fiery red and orange ...
  Carbon nanotube logic device operates on subnanowatt power(Phys.org) '--Researchers have demonstrated a new carbon nanotube (CNT)-based logic device that consumes just 0.1 nanowatts (nW) in its static ON and OFF states, representing the lowest reported value by ...
  Some parts of memory still developing deep into childhoodA new study provides evidence that one important part of memory undergoes substantial development even after the age of 7.
  Health reform: Young adults may be key to making it all work(HealthDay)'--Few uninsured young adults know about the state health insurance exchanges opening for business on Oct. 1, surveys show. But even if they did, would they snap up health coverage?
  HEALTH REFORM: exchanges will be cornerstone for coverage choices(HealthDay)'--A new way of shopping for health insurance is coming to your state.
  'Superbug' MRSA infections aren't dropping in children: CDC(HealthDay)'--Although rates of infection with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are declining among American adults, the rates among children remain largely unchanged, a new government study ...
  (C) Phys.org' 2003-2013
Al-Shabab Attacked Shopping Area In Mogadishu, Somalia At Same Time As Kenyan Mall Attack | Weasel Zippers
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:04
  Coordinated strikes to get back at both the Somali and Kenyan governments for combatting al-Shabab terrorism.
  Via EastAfrican:
  A heavy blast in Somali's capital Mogadishu's Bakara market has left dozens injured.
  The explosion occurred at the forex exchange section of the busy market at around 11am, the same time gunmen invaded the Westgate Mall in Kenya's capital Nairobi.
  Somali police arrived at the scene and secured the area.
  Unknown gunmen have launched planned attacks inside the busy market several times.
  Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for these attacks as well.
Senior Kenyan Official Confirms Nairobi Mall Attackers ''Multinational Collection From All Over World'' | Weasel Zippers
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:04
  As we reported yesterday and our information went beyond simply relying upon a CNN tweet. Again, we will not know for certain until the attackers are defeated. This attack also went off at the same time as an attack in Mogadishu, an attack that is not receiving the attention the Nairobi attack is, which attack was also claimed by al-Shabab.
  (Reuters) '' Gunmen involved in an attack on a Nairobi shopping mall came from several countries, a senior Kenyan security official said on Monday, without revealing what those nations were.
  ''We have an idea who they are, their nationality and even the number,'' said Julius Karangi, Kenya's chief of general staff, adding that militants were ''clearly a multinational collection from all over the world.''
  ''We have also have an idea that this is not a local event. We are fighting global terrorism here and we have sufficient intel (intelligence) to suggest that,'' he said.
51 UN Countries Vote to Keep Israel's Nuclear Arsenal Hidden from Public View
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:02
  Source:21st Century WireWith all of the 24/7 righteous indignation about weapons of mass destruction in Syria and call for 'compliance with international norms', the mainstream media barely mentioned this week's UN vote on whether or not Israel should enter the international community by allowing nuclear weapons inspectors to see what its been hiding for decades now '' a full-blown nuclear weapons program.
  Hiding a military nuclear arsenal is no small feat. What this latest US-led lobbying effort in the UN demonstrates clearly, is that the State of Israel, shielded by its chief backers the United States, Great Britain and France, maintains its own set of rules outside of international laws and norms.
  One might ask the question: does Israel plan to use its nukes on any other countries? If not, why does it need to maintain them, and in secret?
  Along with the US, Israel has already threatened to attack Iran on the basis that Iran might, one day, build a nuclear weapon. Both the US and Israel say this would be a ''pre-emptive strike'' - just in case Iran might attack Israel at some point in the future, even though Iran, unlike Israel, has no history of aggression against any of its regional neighbors. In fact, the State of Israel was founded upon unwarranted aggression, terrorist bombings and ethnic cleaning programs targeting native Palestinian Arabs who previously lived within its ever-expanding borders.
  This is the definition of a triple standard,
  ''Of the 94 countries that voted on the resolution to force Israel to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, 51 voted against the proposal. Interestingly ALL the Middle Eastern States were in favor of Israel joining, with the United States, Britain and the European nations forming the majority that voted against it'''...
  Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Companies to pay $350,000 fine over fake online reviews | Internet & Media - CNET News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:59
  A collection of 19 companies promise to stop the practice and agree to pay a total fine of $350,000, reports The New York Times.
  A teeth-whitening service, a laser hair-removal chain, a charter bus company, and an adult entertainment club are among those due to pay fines in a case involving phony online reviews.
  On Monday, New York regulators are scheduled to announce agreements with 19 companies accused of posting fraudulent reviews of their services or those of their clients, the New York Times has reported. The companies in question have all pledged to end the practice and will pay a collective fine of $350,000.
  Among the companies involved in the case are "reputation-enhancement firms." These businesses post fake reviews on behalf of their clients on such sites as Google, Yelp, and Yahoo. Investigators with the New York attorney general's office found people in Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Eastern Europe willing to create stellar reviews of businesses they had never used, all for just a buck per review, according to the Times.
  One company charged in the investigation, US Coachways, hired freelancers to write positive reviews to counteract the slew of negative comments from customers about its bus service, the Times added.
  "What we've found is even worse than old-fashioned false advertising," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, according to the Times. "When you look at a billboard, you can tell it's a paid advertisement -- but on Yelp or Citysearch, you assume you're reading authentic consumer opinions, making this practice even more deceiving."
To Be, Or Not To Be? '' Norway's Regional Involvement
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: European Public AffairsEuropean Public Affairs
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:54
  Norway, home to roughly 5 million people, is often thought to be isolated from the European Union. As a colleague said to me as I sat reading about the recent Norwegian elections, ''Why bother? Norway will never join the EU, with their oil they don't need to bother with the rest of us.'' This casual remark, while bearing no ill will, is disappointing. For, in truth, the Kingdom of Norway is quite involved. The regional cooperation stemming from the EU has affected every corner of the world, and most assuredly Norway, a country with long-standing historic and economic ties to member states, is no exception.
  What is all this talk of oil, and Norwegian self-reliance?In 1969, the future of the Norwegian economy changed with the discovery of oil in the North Sea. As the sixth largest exporter of oil in the world, Norwegians continue to benefit economically, with an average disposable income increase of 3.8% per year from 2008-2012 compared with the OECD average at .8% a year.
  There are regional jokes that the Norwegians, as former Vikings, are hiding their good fortunes under heavy guard to avoid being plundered. In true Viking spirit, this inspires an image of casks of gold being lowered into peat bogs, yet in the modern age this is being done through funds and investing. The Government Pension Fund Global, known as simply the Oil Fund is most likely, at a current value of 760 billion US dollars, the largest sovereign wealth fund in existence. Estimated to grow to over 1.1 trillion US dollars by 2020, the fund owns approximately 1% of world's stocks, and 2.5 % of European publicly listed companies. The Norwegian Finance Ministry are the owners, while it is run by the Central Bank.
  How is Norway engaged as a partner of Europe?Ironically, the common misperception is that Norway is economically independent due to their oil fund, yet, despite their great coffers, Norway is highly engaged with Europe regarding monetary regulation, trade, and economics. The cooperation doesn't stop there, touching upon foreign policy, climate change, energy, innovation, as well as justice and home affairs.
  Norway is not a member state of the EU, having rejected membership with public referendums in 1972 and 1994. However, it has been a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) since 1960, when EFTA was established together with Austria, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Norway is a part of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement and is also a part of the Schengen Agreement. The Schengen, EEA, and EFTA are the chief grounds upon which Norway has built not only an economic, but a political and social relationship with the European Union.
  The EEA is the most extensive economic agreement that Norway has ever entered into, with the ultimate purpose of expanding the EU internal market to EEA EFTA states, those being Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The EEA extends the four freedoms of the EU internal market '' free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital, non-discrimination, and equal competition.
  From 2009- 2014 Norway will have given 1.79 billion Euros to reduce disparities in the EEA, as well as contributing to EU programme budgets (in 2010 Norway contributed 230 million Euros). Norway's involvement does not stop at merely writing a check. In 2010, Norway was a participant in 26 EU agencies, and was actively engaged in 19 EU programmes. Norway is, undeniably, involved in the European Union.
  Norway in the futureNotorious for being concerned with economic stability in the long term, the government is having a problem quite different from other nations around Europe and the world. While elsewhere unemployment is high, and citizens are feeling the pinch of less 'disposable income', statistically unemployment is low and amount of disposable income is rising for Norwegians. While Norway may be open to recruiting talent from elsewhere, with roughly 10% of their population not born in Norway, talent in the technical field is dominated by the oil industry, while the public sector including education and innovation is also large. It is important to think of Norway as more than just oil. 95% of Norwegian electricity comes from the renewable resources of hydro and wind power, making them an example for other nations around the world regarding green energy.
  Norway is looking into the crystal ball and preparing itself for a day when its precious oil resource does not see the profit turnovers of today. In 1990, when the Oil Fund was created the purpose was to promote non-oil industries, such as shipping. The fund in essence, is using the oil profits of today, to secure Norway's future for years to come. Considering the current levels of regional involvement, it is predictable that Norway will continue to be a strong partner for the EU.
  The September 2013 election saw the fall of the incumbent's popularity and a switch from the liberal government to a coalition government led by Conservative Erna Solberg (switch will take place in October). While neither of the two leading candidates was anti- EU, the issue of the EU is always a hot topic leading up to elections. To be, or not to be, a member state will, for the foreseeable future, be a chief concern.
  And yet, while some view this question as a clear-cut issue, rendering politicians without a middle ground '' it does, when examined, appear that politicians, unbeknownst to most, have found a middle ground regarding regional cooperation. In essence, the answer for 'to be or not to be' is '' to be in part but not in all.
  Resources:Click for Norwegian Statistics
  Click for Norway Government/ Ministry Information
  Click for Norwegian Parliament
  Click for Norway Mission to EU
  Natasha Marie LevantiI have a great passion for all aspects of European policy and politics, as well as North American politics. Having been born and raised in the U.S., I tend to see things in Europe with a different 'twist'. I received my Bachelor's from University of Richmond, receiving a degree in Leadership Studies and International Studies, with a concentration in World Politics and Diplomacy. My life and passions were pivotally changed by studying in Denmark during 2010-2011. There I became 'hooked' on European politics and commenced a two-year research project, specifically on Danish Parliamentarians.This is what led me to a Masters in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and what has also led me back to the United States for an internship in New York City with the European American Chamber of Commerce. So if you happen to be a fellow Europhile in the Big Apple - I would love to hear about it.
  Whenever you read my posts, feel free to contact me for questions or comments, preferably in English, Danish, or French.
  Email at natashalevanti@europeanpublicaffairs.eu or tweet me at @NatashaLevanti
No Title Ness
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:54
  People always want to know who Lame Cherry is, when here am I, just this nobody to bash about the brier patch, as certainly I have had a bad day today, and it is time to beat on a woman to make me feel better as I go back to my nice computers to hide behind or my millions in fortune.
  For some reason, the humans just seem to not get this. Yes the lords and priests glimpse the mystery of me, but for most they believe their ISP information and the hum on the wire, when I have told them all who I am, and yet their clearances are not enough or their mental capacities to comprehend who I am.
  Alice, no not ALICE who you think is Alice, not even Alice in the above black operations which were covered by ALICE, is not even where you can comprehend. I went down the rabbit hole and if I go through the looking glass, there is going to be real problems in this.
  Let me educate the spiders who read these things and their tops who page through this stuff and are so compartmentalized they do not still see Lame Cherry.
  I told you that it was the Nazi who opened the doors. That is what those movies were about to enhance the belief in the doors so they would operate better in the matrix......that crop circle thing you know was part of it, as the hidden knowledge was put on display.It is how the German army went from horse troops to rockets and jets in four years while the Americans played with plywood Mustangs.It was the knowledge from the demons that they gave at Roswell, and provided the stepping stones to the 21st century in all that money was used by funnel to target specific industrial platforms to introduce all of those inventions. Quasar just built things too American good and went bankrupt, but the conglomerates gave a perfecting too to the knowledge which was being unleashed, all harnessed to capitalism to provide the immense funds for hundreds of Manhattan Projects.
  They tried all that Dark Angel stuff in weaponized humans, but it took too long to grow up beastials, and they fucked too much and were not able to be controlled. The gorilla guys were the last phase of it all, and as my science teacher mentioned once that not all of that was done in the test tubes.
  It was the robotics that outpaced all the devolution stuff you see. Takes to long to grow humanoids which break down, and cyborgs might be nice to infiltrate with on the metals, but when you got the next gen of the empty shells filling with demons for outsource performance, then why invest resources in the borgs when the artificials are there and you can fire wire a human brain to believe anything it sees.Do not need people really as can grow the tissue in a tube, and with the immortals skulking about in their extended life stepping stone forms waiting to keyword the magik chant, not much need for an Asian slave tech or a Mexican slave labor group, as the artificials and holograms can perform the service..........do not need ants at the picnic.
  That is what this is all about really is the ants have annoyed me. I try to be pleasant but they insects always start lecturing at me or thinking we should be friends. The dogs are pleasant enough, but I just have never been fond of insect life and I detest felinoids...are the worse in always clawing, then purring and clawing in being frustrated they are what they are.
  I probably should not be stating the above as if you intelligence contractors start asking questions about this, you are going to get a great deal of attention in finding out how popular you will be, as what was just touched on was a generation of weapons programs and their evolution....and I never even touched on the matrix.
  Did you noticed that Alex Jones guest host in speaking of ELF weapons, mentioned army, air force, marines in psyops, but for some reason never mentioned the Naval operations which were hijacked for Aaron Alexis demise.I wonder why the Navy is so very shy.
  Alice, if only there was a little chath, so I could sit in the brier patch without the bother. I could have used the German but for some reason ants who think they are bright take issues in my cyber language speaking to the artificials.It would be such a good thing really, as then all of this would be so much less annoying. Yes you all want power and do not know that it does not emanate from this side of the looking glass, but from where I came from.
  Yes some of my friends are Vulcans, but even in that it is all lost. What would Alice do really as it would be so much more erotic art to be a lab technician finding she was in too deep when all she wanted to do was experiment more than with cancer.
  Maybe I should take you through the looking glass. Would it not be interesting to have a vacation in 486 BCE and let you run wild in Florida......bring you back to 21st land and then we would see how you might adapt just as an experiment.If I bluff with with what most would consider absolute power, then what power really resides when Alice was 10 feet tall.
  All I want for Christmas is my two front feetMy two front feet, my two front feetAll I want for Christmas is my two front feetWould that not be a mystery of frankenfeat
  Do not ask Alice when she was small. Ask the brain of papa as he will tell all.
  Pony is tired now.......odd how in Heinlein's pony world, the horses ate meat and their tentacles were alive and it was all watched over by balloon plumes.
  I suppose it is hard to haunt the demon possessed as they are already haunted.
  agtG 243
Remarks by the President at the Memorial Service for Victims of the Navy Yard Shooting
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:50
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  September 22, 2013
  The Marine BarracksWashington, D.C.
  THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Hagel, Secretary Mabus, Admirals Greenert and Hilarides, Mayor Gray, leaders from across this city and our Armed Forces, to all the outstanding first responders, and, most of all, the families whose hearts have been broken -- we cannot begin to comprehend your loss. We know that no words we offer today are equal to the magnitude, to the depths of that loss. But we come together as a grateful nation to honor your loved ones, to grieve with you, and to offer, as best we can, some solace and comfort.
  On the night that we lost Martin Luther King Jr. to a gunman's bullet, Robert Kennedy stood before a stunned and angry crowd in Indianapolis and he broke the terrible news. And in the anguish of that moment, he turned to the words of an ancient Greek poet, Aeschylus: ''Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.'' Pain which cannot forget -- drop by drop upon the heart.
  The tragedy and the pain that brings us here today is extraordinary. It is unique. The lives that were taken from us were unique. The memories their loved ones carry are unique, and they will carry them and endure long after the news cameras are gone. But part of what wears on as well is the sense that this has happened before. Part of what wears on us, what troubles us so deeply as we gather here today, is how this senseless violence that took place in the Navy Yard echoes other recent tragedies.
  As President, I have now grieved with five American communities ripped apart by mass violence. Fort Hood. Tucson. Aurora. Sandy Hook. And now, the Washington Navy Yard. And these mass shootings occur against a backdrop of daily tragedies, as an epidemic of gun violence tears apart communities across America -- from the streets of Chicago to neighborhoods not far from here.
  And so, once again, we remember our fellow Americans who were just going about their day doing their jobs, doing what they loved -- in this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country strong and our Navy the finest fleet in the world. These patriots doing their work that they were so proud of, and who have now been taken away from us by unspeakable violence.
  Once more we come together to mourn the lives of beauty and to comfort the wonderful families who cherished them. Once more we pay tribute to all who rushed towards the danger, who risked their lives so others might live, and who are in our prayers today, including Officer Scott Williams. Once more our hearts are broken. Once more we ask why. Once more we seek strength and wisdom through God's grace.
  You and your families, this Navy family, are still in the early hour of your grief. And I'm here today to say that there is nothing routine about this tragedy. There is nothing routine about your loss. Your loved ones will not be forgotten. They will endure in the hearts of the American people and in the hearts of the Navy that they helped to keep strong, and the hearts of their coworkers and their friends and their neighbors.''I want them to know how she lived,'' Jessica Gaarde said of her mother Kathy. ''She is not a number, or some statistic.'' None of these 12 fellow Americans are statistics. Today, I want every American to see how these men and women lived. You may have never met them, but you know them. They're your neighbors -- like Arthur Daniels, out there on the weekend, polishing his white Crown Victoria; and Kenneth Proctor, with his beloved yellow Mustang, who, if you asked, would fix your car, too.
  She was the friendly face at the store. Sylvia Frasier, with her unforgettable gold hair, who took a second job at Walmart because, she said, she just loved working with people. She was the diehard fan you sat next to at the game. Kathy Gaarde loved her hockey and her Caps, a season ticket holder for 25 years.
  They were the volunteers who made your community better. Frank Kohler, giving dictionaries to every third-grader in his county; Marty Bodrog, leading the children's Bible study at church. They lived the American Dream -- like Kisan Pandit, who left everything he knew in India for this land of opportunity, and raised a wonderful family and dedicated himself to the United States Navy. They were proud veterans -- like Gerald Read, who wore the Army uniform for more than 25 years; and Michael Arnold, who became one of the Navy's leading architects, of whom a colleague said, ''nobody knew those ships like him.''
  They were dedicated fathers -- like Mike Ridgell, coaching his daughter's softball teams, joining Facebook just to keep up with his girls, one of whom said, ''he was always the cool dad.'' They were loving mothers -- like Mary Francis Knight, devoted to her daughters, and who had just recently watched with joy as her older daughter got married. They were doting grandparents -- like John Johnson, always smiling, giving bear hugs to his 10 grandchildren, and who would have welcomed his 11th grandchild this fall.
  These are not statistics. They are the lives that have been taken from us. This is how far a single act of violence can ripple. A husband has lost his wife. Wives have lost their husbands. Sons and daughters have lost their moms and their dads. Little children have lost their grandparents. Hundreds in our communities have lost a neighbor, and thousands here have lost a friend.
  As has been mentioned, for one family, the Daniels family, old wounds are ripped open again. Priscilla has lost Arthur, her husband of 30 years. Only a few years ago, as Mayor Gray indicated, another shooting took the life of their son, just 14 years old. ''I can't believe this is happening again,'' Priscilla says.
  So these families have endured a shattering tragedy. It ought to be a shock to us all as a nation and as a people. It ought to obsess us. It ought to lead to some sort of transformation. That's what happened in other countries when they experienced similar tragedies. In the United Kingdom, in Australia, when just a single mass shooting occurred in those countries, they understood that there was nothing ordinary about this kind of carnage. They endured great heartbreak, but they also mobilized and they changed, and mass shootings became a great rarity.
  And yet, here in the United States, after the round-of-clock coverage on cable news, after the heartbreaking interviews with families, after all the speeches and all the punditry and all the commentary, nothing happens. Alongside the anguish of these American families, alongside the accumulated outrage so many of us feel, sometimes I fear there's a creeping resignation that these tragedies are just somehow the way it is, that this is somehow the new normal.
  We can't accept this. As Americans bound in grief and love, we must insist here today there is nothing normal about innocent men and women being gunned down where they work. There is nothing normal about our children being gunned down in their classrooms. There is nothing normal about children dying in our streets from stray bullets.
  No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence -- none. Here in America, the murder rate is three times what it is in other developed nations. The murder rate with guns is ten times what it is in other developed nations. And there is nothing inevitable about it. It comes about because of decisions we make or fail to make. And it falls upon us to make it different.
  Sometimes it takes an unexpected voice to break through, to help remind us what we know to be true. And we heard one of those voices last week. Dr. Janis Orlowski's team at Medstar Washington Hospital Center treated the wounded. And in the midst of one of her briefings, she spoke with heartbreaking honesty as somebody who sees, daily and nightly, the awful carnage of so much violence. We are a great country, she said, but ''there's something wrong.'' All these shootings, all these victims, she said, ''this is not America.'' ''It is a challenge to all of us,'' she said, and ''we have to work together to get rid of this.''
  And that's the wisdom we should be taking away from this tragedy and so many others -- not accepting these shootings as inevitable, but asking what can we do to prevent them from happening again and again and again. I've said before, we cannot stop every act of senseless violence. We cannot know every evil that lurks in troubled minds. But if we can prevent even one tragedy like this, save even one life, spare other families what these families are going through, surely we've got an obligation to try.
  It's true that each of the tragedies I've mentioned is different. And in this case, it's clear we need to do a better job of securing our military facilities and deciding who gets access to them. And as Commander in Chief, I have ordered a review of procedures up and down the chain, and I know that Secretary Hagel is moving aggressively on that. As a society, it's clear we've got to do a better job of ensuring that those who need mental health care actually get it, and that in those efforts we don't stigmatize those who need help. Those things are clear, and we've got to move to address them.
  But we Americans are not an inherently more violent people than folks in other countries. We're not inherently more prone to mental health problems. The main difference that sets our nation apart, what makes us so susceptible to so many mass shootings, is that we don't do enough -- we don't take the basic, common-sense actions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people. What's different in America is it's easy to get your hands on gun -- and a lot of us know this. But the politics are difficult, as we saw again this spring. And that's sometimes where the resignation comes from -- the sense that our politics are frozen and that nothing will change.
  Well, I cannot accept that. I do not accept that we cannot find a common-sense way to preserve our traditions, including our basic Second Amendment freedoms and the rights of law-abiding gun owners, while at the same time reducing the gun violence that unleashes so much mayhem on a regular basis. And it may not happen tomorrow and it may not happen next week, it may not happen next month -- but it will happen. Because it's the change that we need, and it's a change overwhelmingly supported by the majority of Americans.
  By now, though, it should be clear that the change we need will not come from Washington, even when tragedy strikes Washington. Change will come the only way it ever has come, and that's from the American people. So the question now is not whether, as Americans, we care in moments of tragedy. Clearly, we care. Our hearts are broken -- again. And we care so deeply about these families. But the question is, do we care enough?
  Do we care enough to keep standing up for the country that we know is possible, even if it's hard, and even if it's politically uncomfortable? Do we care enough to sustain the passion and the pressure to make our communities safer and our country safer? Do we care enough to do everything we can to spare other families the pain that is felt here today?
  Our tears are not enough. Our words and our prayers are not enough. If we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work, and go to school, and walk our streets free from senseless violence, without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we're going to have to change. We're going to have to change.
  On Monday morning, these 12 men and women woke up like they did every day. They left home and they headed off to work. Gerald Read's wife Cathy said, ''See you tonight for dinner.'' And John Johnson looked at his wife Judy and said what he always said whenever they parted, ''Goodbye beautiful. I love you so much."
  ''Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.''
  What Robert Kennedy understood, what Dr. King understood, what all our great leaders have always understood, is that wisdom does not come from tragedy alone or from some sense of resignation in the fallibility of man. Wisdom comes through the recognition that tragedies such as this are not inevitable, and that we possess the ability to act and to change, and to spare others the pain that drops upon our hearts. So in our grief, let us seek that grace. Let us find that wisdom. And in doing so, let us truly honor these 12 American patriots.
  May God hold close the souls taken from us and grant them eternal peace. May He comfort and watch over these families. And may God grant us the strength and the wisdom to keep safe our United States of America.
An Osmond Offers Up a Bit of Home
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: LIVE@LEEDS
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:49
  JULIE LASKY NY Times 09/18/13
  Those who remember Donny Osmond singing ''You Are My Sunshine'' on the Andy Williams show in 1963 have probably become so inured to life's little curve balls that they won't be surprised to learn that the popular entertainer, now 55 and a grandfather several times over, is about to release a housewares collection with his wife, Debbie. Everyone else, take a moment to compose yourself.
  Donny Osmond Home will kick off in January with 1,000 items, including furniture, lights, rugs, bedding, dinnerware, bath accessories and home-improvement tools. Some of the goods will be available through online retailers later this year; a list will be posted on donnyosmond.com starting on Sept. 24.
  Mr. Osmond discussed his new business from Las Vegas, where he and his sister, Marie, have been performing a long-running nightclub act at the Flamingo Hotel. This interview was edited and condensed.
  Q. Last month, you blogged about a recent operation. How are you?
  A. I knew that would be the first question. It's a real bummer, let's put it that way. As Marie said on stage, I broke my butt. I tore the tendon from the gluteus medius muscle right off the bone as I was dancing, but I finished the show in that condition.
  I imagine you've found housewares easier on the muscles, but still I wonder what made you veer into design.
  This is something that is more organic than one would imagine. For 35 years now, Debbie and I have been married and she's always created this wonderful atmosphere at home for me, because my world, as you can imagine, is crazy, with the touring and traveling. Now that we're getting older, it's something she and I can do for the rest of our lives together. Because you know the term ''family'' is pretty synonymous with the term ''Osmond.''
  How would you describe the collection?
  I wish Debbie was on the phone, too. There's going to be '-- I'm leaning these different types of phraseology because it's such a new business to me '-- but it's more of a transitional style, if that makes any sense. It's kind of eclectic with a kind of a modern flair. The same way as I've handled my career for 50 years, you have to learn to adapt and change. We're told by our marketing team that honeycomb and the color gray are trending right now, so Debbie and I these last couple of days have sat with our design team, through the computer. We approved certain styles, and it's perfectly in line with what she and I like.
  I caught glimpses of your Utah home in an interview you did some years ago with Kathie Lee Gifford. It seemed comfortable and traditional. Would you say that sums up the style of Donny Osmond Home?
  Keep in mind that's the only time we've ever opened up our home for an interview, and probably the last. We maintain that our home is very private, even though we're opening up our style. I think a very comfortable, very homey atmosphere is a nice guideline. But there might be something a little more elegant or a little more transitional. It really depends on the taste of the buyers.
  Having partnered for many decades with your sister, what is it like to work with your wife? Is this your first partnership?
  Yes, it's the first. No! For 35 years she's been my partner.
  What does each of you bring to the table?
  I bring the support. She's got the eye for this. What's really interesting, over the years our tastes have actually become one. I remember when we first got married in 1978, I was more modern and she was more traditional. But in 1978 the styles were so different, so you're constantly evolving. That's what we want to bring to the public: all different kinds of things available at different prices. A lot of people can afford these things.
  Each phase in your career has brought a different relationship to your audience. Who do you hope to connect to with this collection?
  Fantastic question. Let me tell you a story: I look out at the audience every night in Vegas. Right after I won ''Dancing With the Stars,'' there was a little 10-year-old kid who had watched every week. He was dressed in this suit and he had a tie on and he was with his mom and dad. He was watching me intently through the entire show. Afterward we did a meet-and-greet. I saw this little kid in line, and the closer he got the more excited he got. He came up and shook my hand. He said, ''Mr. Osmond, I didn't know you could sing, too.''
  Here's another little story: Last year, I had a meeting over at one of the hotels here in Vegas. As I was coming up to give them my car in the parking structure, I heard the song I did for the Disney movie ''Mulan.'' I followed the sound and came to a van, and all these U.C.L.A. students were in there, half-asleep because they were up all night either gambling or partying. They were on their way back to L.A. I knocked on the window, and the driver rolled down the window and turned the music down. He said, ''Can I help you?'' I said, ''That song you're listening to. That's me.'' He said: ''Are you Donny Osmond? This is our theme song when we have tests and exams.'' It starts out, ''Let's get down to business.''
  So now I've got fans that are 10-year-olds, college students, parents and grandparents. So here's the answer to your question: I don't know. How do you appeal to that wide a demographic? You've got to be eclectic. You've got to be broad-based.
  You're probably short on time, but I have another story.
  Do please tell it.
  Last night at the meet-and-greet, this lady comes up to me and she says, ''My 5-year-old daughter listens to you all the time.'' I said, ''Oh, that's so sweet.'' She said, ''She keeps asking for 'Anaconda, Anaconda.' And we finally realized she was asking for ''and they called it '... puppy love.'' Now I've got a 5-year-old fan.
  What was your home like growing up?
  Which hotel would you really like to refer to? I was always on the road. But seriously, my home, when we did come home from a tour, was a big Spanish house in San Fernando Valley, Calif. It wasn't elegant, it wasn't a mansion. We didn't drive fancy cars. That's one thing my father and mother taught us: Live within your means. If you have means, don't flaunt it.
  In your book ''Life Is Just What You Make It,'' you said that at a low career point you thought of tossing it all in and starting a home security business. Why home security?
  Yeah, it was 1988 and just before ''Soldier of Love'' hit in 1989, and I had tried so hard to get back out on the charts and couldn't do it, even with Peter Gabriel's help. The reason I liked home security is because I was always interested in electronics. I don't think it had anything to do with my own security. I'm just an electronics geek. I had pretty much lost everything in the early 1980s and I had to rebuild. In 1988, I had three children and I thought, ''How am I going to support a family?'' That was an alternative, and thank goodness it didn't go that way.
  If you could relive any decade of your life, which would it be?
  Well, I've got to be honest. The '70s were amazing, even through the purple socks and the ''Puppy Love.'' Yeah, I enjoyed it but I wished I enjoyed it a little bit more. I'm reading a great book called ''The Power of Now.'' I'm learning how to enjoy the moment.
  But I have to be honest: I'm enjoying this moment more than any in my life because I really don't have to prove anything anymore. I'm never going to be in coasting mode. I'm always going to be climbing some kind of mountain. But it's such an enjoyable time in my life with my wife and kids and grandbabies. And we're trying to open up that joy we've had in our home and make it accessible to other people. That's the message: Create an atmosphere of love and peace and refuel at home. JULIE LASKY
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China's Wanda Unveils $8.2 Billion Movie Fund as Hollywood A-Listers Lend Support - The Hollywood Reporter
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:44
  QINGDAO, China '' China's Wanda Group has unwrapped an $8.2 billion film investment plan to transform the country's movie industry into the world's biggest within five years, and group chairman Wang Jianlin said the company, which bought the AMC theater chain last year, is just starting to expand globally.
  Hollywood A-listers turned out in force in searing sunshine in Qingdao, northeastern China, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman and Harvey Weinstein there to show moral support for the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis complex, which is slated to open in 2017 in the eastern Chinese port city.
  The facility will include a 10,000-square-meter film studio and 19 smaller facilities, along with a theme park similar to the Universal Studios franchise. The project will also include a permanent auto show, a yacht center, an international hospital, hotels and bars.
  "The future of the world's film industry is in China because we have 1.3 billion people, and we will have the biggest film business in the world by 2018," Wang told the assembled glitterati, which also included the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, as well as John Travolta, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ewan McGregor, Kate Beckinsale and Christoph Waltz. Several agents also attended, including WME's Mike Simpson and UTA's Jeremy Zimmer.
  Wanda has signed agreements with film studios and talent agencies to have about 30 foreign movies produced at the new facility every year, as well as 100 local films.
  Wang, who spent 17 years in the People's Liberation Army and is a key adviser to the ruling Communist Party, said the Academy had signed an agreement supporting an annual Qingdao International Film Festival every September starting from 2016. He said it would be one of the world's top international film festivals within three to five years, pending government approval.
  PHOTOS: Exclusive Portraits of Jason Bateman, Nicole Kidman and Other Stars at the Toronto Film Festival
  Depending on the success of the festival, Wang said he would consider expanding the relationship with the Academy. Last week, Wanda donated $20 million toward the organization's film museum in Los Angeles.
  The Communist Party has identified culture as a "pillar industry" and Wang expects annual revenues of 80 billion yuan ($13.1 billion) from Wanda's cultural business.
  "China's economy is growing fast but it's still only half the U.S. economy, but in less than 10 years it will catch up. The Chinese movie industry cannot compete with Hollywood and there is a big gap, but that also means the potential is great. The Chinese culture industry is only 2 percent of our economy, but in America it's 20 percent of the economy," he said.
  Wang, China's richest individual, bought AMC Entertainment for $2.6 billion last year. That acquisition is just the beginning of Wanda's global ambitions, he said.
  "My target is for Wanda to be one of the world's biggest companies in the culture industry; this is why I haven't retired yet," said the 59-year-old.
  Also in attendance were a host of Chinese stars such as Zhang Ziyi, Jet Li, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, Huang Xiaoming and Vicki Zhao.
  STORY: Cinema, Property Tycoon Wang Jianlin Named China's Richest Person
  Others braving the stark Qingdao sun were representatives from China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), Qingdao city government officials and representatives from U.S. studios including Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate and The Weinstein Co.
  DiCaprio is one of the best known foreign stars in China because of Titanic, one of the biggest box-office successes ever in the country, and the disaster epic was one of the top-performing movies of last year when re-released in 3D.
  "Whether we can attract foreign production companies to come here depends on the market. They will definitely come as long as production costs are low," said Wang.
  Wang, who made his fortune in real estate, said earlier this month that Wanda has a war chest of up to $5 billion every year to acquire foreign assets, a potent signal of the group's overseas ambitions.
  STORY: Wanda Orders Up to 120 New Imax Theaters for China
  Wanda operates 72 Wanda commercial plazas, 38 five-star hotels, more than 6,000 cinema screens, 62 department stores and 68 karaoke outlets.
  The group owns over 9 million square meters of investment property and has been busy buying up assets in many developed markets, with entertainment a key part of the group's ambitions.
  "By mergers and acquisitions we want to help Chinese films overseas. Last year we helped three and this year it will be five. The box office doesn't really matter, it's to let people know," he said, forecasting that China will match U.S. box-office receipts by 2018 and double them by 2023.
  Wanda's film company Wanda Media has been involved in Keanu Reeves' directorial debut Man of Tai Chi, Police Story 2013 with Jackie Chan, and The Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven 3D with Donnie Yen and Chow Yun-fat.
  Wang has just completed a $1.57 billion shopping spree in Britain, which included the purchase of luxury British yacht builder Sunseeker and investment in a 160-room high-rise hotel project in London.
  Other overseas plans include a $1 billion investment in a five-star hotel in New York. He has previously said he wants to build Wanda hotels in eight to 10 cities outside China over the next decade.
German group claims to have hacked Apple iPhone fingerprint scanner - Yahoo News Canada
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  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:44
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King William, Prince George and Kim Kardashian (The Rise of the Anglo-Franco Empire) | hollywoodilluminatidotcom
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:30
  Illuminati Intelligence Report.
  If Kim Kardashian is looking for something more meaningful to do in life and seeing how Kanye West is her new un-official business/pr/personal manager then may I suggest that Kim Kardashian work with Prince William on African Conservation? Kim Kardashian has global appeal and she is only 30-something, so she needs to join the New Generation of Global Leaders and help solve some of the problems which the current leaders and the ones that came before them, have helped to create in this world.
  China is not only one of Africa's largest oil polluters, with numerous oil spills that go un-reported to the international community but China also drives animal extinction in Africa and in Latin America by over investment/development based on greed along with their appetite to eat EVERYTHING in sight. This is why Africa and the South American Rain Forest are seeing extinction of wild animals because the Chinese create a demand, simply from their habit of wanting to eat rare or endangered species. This Chinese problem, is never talked about in the media.+=
  China, The United Nations and India actually form ''peace keepers'' and pays them by allowing these men to invade countries in Africa and allowing them to rape five year old African Girls.(I find it funny that after the private-criminal owned Federal Reserve Bank in the U.S., announces that they will print up more of our money; which is all sent to China, Germany and handed to private people like Soros/Bill Gates/Warren Buffet; that China magically comes up with 8 billion dollars to finish buying off Hollywood and our media)
  Then to add insult to injury, the U.S./French and British Governments would like for us to get behind their war efforts but at the same time, these governments are cannibalizing their own populations with Homeland Security, FBI, N.S.A., TSA, C.I.A.-Cop Units, petty lifestyle regulations/fines, E.P.A. and other groups meant to terrorize citizens. How can the citizens give their support to their government's global objectives, if the government is attacking them? It can not be done, which is why the U.S. Military is starting to refuse war orders.
  (Brezinski is the biggest threat to the U.S./Western Europe because he pushes for endless wars, that are designed to bankrupt our countries, while he invest in China/India with money being handed to him by the U.S. Federal Reserve. They steal our fake money, buy up land in Africa, Latin America and Asia; while sticking us with their debt and theft bill. From the global financial systems to terror wars; the entire thing is one big fraud.)
  Mean while, China/India/Russia are just scooping up the entire world with fiat money from shady banks within the U.S. Federal Reserve Banking Mafia Network. The citizens of the U.S., Canada, UK and France will never tolerate being in North Korea; all they are doing is pissing every one off but yet the whine to us for support when it comes Syria, Africa, Iran or in helping to fend off China, Russia and India.
  Are the Chinese bad? Yes and No. China and India are mostly ''shell countries'' where European and American Investors hide because these European and American Investors do not want to be subjected to decency standards or they wish to violate human rights.
  Now the reason why we can not expose China and even India in their many, many, many gross and egregious environmental and human violations; is because China is not only allowed to buy up Hollywood and our media but Wall St Bankers, German Bankers, French Bankers and British Bankers are stealing money from our countries and investing it into China.
  China and India along with the United States actually run rape gangs in Africa and Latin America but these rape gangs or rebels are often hidden by the United Nation's Banner and even American Evangelical Non-Profits.
  American NGO's and religious based non-profits are some of the most corrupt in the world. Even Israel had to kick out American NGO's and non-profits.
  So, that's the deal in a nut-shell and for all of these A-List Hollywood Celebrities that want something to do, in order to make their global foot-print, then I suggest working with Prince William because Prince William understands the 3rd world and Africa.
  If you deal with Christian based charities in Africa or the UN, you will end up getting in trouble, when it gets exposed that 99% of American/UN charities or NGO's are being run by corporations and being used as spy agencies, blood diamond movers, child sex ring operators and even helping the UN run terror groups.
  We are going to have a major global transformation but not in the way that the New World Order has mapped out. I like Russia and I have respect for Russia because Russia is the only country that has been to Venus, even though the Cosmonauts died but I do respect Russian Innovation and the Russian Mind.
  The Anglo-Franco Empire are basically humoring the UN, Russia, India, Brazil and China. We can take over the entire world any time that we want, except we have too many people in government that are loyal or funded by Globalist Bankers and these bankers are loyal to China. So, when Prince William is King you can expect a rise of the Anglo-Franco Empire but China, India, Brazil and Russia will be unable to compete with our global power.
  A lot of these other royal families are nothing more than corporate entities that were created by European Bankers/Oil Companies when the Europeans went into the Middle East, divided up the land and picked one tribe and started calling them ''royal'' in Arabia, in order to have a Royal-Dictator Family that would give them good deals on the oil fields. They did the same thing in Africa and in Asia.
  The British Royal Family and other Euro Royals actually sanctioned this madness and now these fake royals in Arabia, Africa and Asia are out of control and will have to be abolished.
  At one point in time, the Euro Royal Families thought that they would own the multi-national corporations and even these Big Oil created ''Royal'' fraud dictators in the Mid East but in reality; these corporations and Saudi Arabia owns them.
  A King William will have to undo all of this madness, which these other ''royals'' have created. Now, Prince George Alexander Louis is of British, German-French, Greek and even North/East African Ancestry. In fact, Prince George Alexander Louis will be King over a New Rome. An empire that will reach from Europe, to the Mid East and even going into Africa and parts of Asia.
  I know this because Prince George Alexander Louis was laid out before me; before he was even born. I knew that Kate would have a male child..a great knight that had spiritual significance, which is why I posted up the Tarot Card showing the Knight of Wands. It came to me in a vision about a week before Kate gave birth.
  I also had a vision of a Ram and Prince George as a Goat, which I had no idea what it meant, before I called my grand mother in Louisiana and she directed me to the Christian Bible and told me to just open it up at random and it would give me my answer.
  Starting when Prince William becomes King, we have to actually re-assign souls to other star-planetary systems. I know how to do this and I know how to map this out, so when Prince William becomes King, there will be lots of work to do, in order to re-balance and free the world from the evil-doers but have faith'.....I got this.
  ______________________________________________________________________________________
Readout of the President's Call with President Kenyatta of Kenya
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:28
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  September 22, 2013
  President Obama called President Kenyatta of Kenya this morning to express condolences to the government and people of Kenya for the terrorist attack carried out by al-Shabaab yesterday on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi. President Obama reiterated U.S. support for Kenya's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. The President also reaffirmed the strong and historic partnership between the United States and Kenya as well as our shared commitment to combating terrorism and promoting peace and prosperity in East Africa and around the world.
Proxy war heats up: Mortar shell hits Russian embassy compound in Damascus, injures 3
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  Archived Version
  Source: RT - News
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:27
  Published time: September 22, 2013 13:00Edited time: September 23, 2013 01:07View of Damascus. (AFP Photo / Ammar al-Arbini)
  A mortar shell has hit the Russian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus, injuring three people. The Russian Foreign Ministry and Syria's authorities are taking measures to ensure additional security.
  ''On the morning of September 22, as a result of mortar shelling in the Damascus Mazraa district, one of the shells exploded on the territory of the Russian Embassy in Syria,'' said Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement adding that the three injured employees do not have life-threatening conditions.
  The upscale Mazraa district also houses several Syrian security institutions, a soccer stadium and nightclubs.
  Earlier reports suggested that there were two shells and several people were wounded, but they were not confirmed.
  "Russia's embassy is working normally," the embassy's guard on duty stressed earlier, as cited by Itar-Tass.
  The US Department of State has condemned the shelling of the Russian embassy, expressing its ''concern for the welfare of those injured in the incident.''
  ''We condemn any attack against individuals or facilities protected by international law. The United States continues to emphasize that those responsible for atrocities on all sides must be held accountable,'' said a press statement published on the State Department's website.
  In recent months of the ongoing civil war in Syria, rebels have launched a number of mortar shells into the center of the Syrian capital, where many embassies and senior Syrian officials are based.
  Earlier in February the Russian embassy was damaged when a car bomb exploded nearby, killing 50 people on the Damascus highway. According to Russian officials no one was injured at the embassy, but the blast blew out windows in the building.
  The Sunday attack comes after Syria agreed to Russia's proposal to put its chemical arsenal under international control for further destruction. The Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem wrote to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to notify it of Syria's decision to join the Chemical Weapons Convention. President Bashar Assad personally vowed to hand over the country's chemical arms to be destroyed.
  The US has threated to use military force in Syria "to deter" a repetition of such incidents if Damascus fails to submit a complete list of chemical arms within a week, in accordance with the chemical weapons convention. An international response will follow to conform with UN Charter Chapter 7, "action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security" if other measures fail, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
  Damascus has already begun submitting information on its arms to the Organisation for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW), meeting the first deadline of a US-Russia brokered deal to hand over the arms under international control.
  However on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the US is trying to 'pressure' Russia into approving a UN resolution that would allow military intervention, saying that in exchange they will keep working on Syria's entry into the OPCW.
Hillary Clinton's Two Decades in the Political Spotlight -- New York Magazine
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  Archived Version
  Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:19
  Photo: Douglas Friedman/Trunk Archive
  For four years, Hillary Rodham Clinton flew around the world as President Barack Obama's secretary of State, while her husband, the former president Bill Clinton, lived a parallel life of speeches and conferences in other hemispheres. They communicated almost entirely by phone. They were seldom on the same continent, let alone in the same house.
  But this year, all that has changed: For the first time in decades, neither one is in elected office, or running for one. Both are working in the family business, in the newly renamed nonprofit that once bore only Bill's name but is now called the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, which will hold its annual conference in New York next week.
  ''We get to be at home together a lot more now than we used to in the last few years,'' says Hillary Clinton. ''We have a great time; we laugh at our dogs; we watch stupid movies; we take long walks; we go for a swim.
  ''You know,'' she says, ''just ordinary, everyday pleasures.''
  In the world of the Clintons, of course, what constitutes ordinary and everyday has never been either. So the question was inevitable: Given who he is, and who she is, does Bill, among their guffaws over the dogs and stupid movies, harangue her daily about running for president?
  To this, Hillary Rodham Clinton lets loose one of her loud, head-tilted-back laughs. ''I don't think even he is, you know, focused on that right now,'' she says. ''Right now, we're trying to just have the best time we can have doin' what we're doin'.'‰''
  There's a weightlessness about Hillary Clinton these days. She's in midair, launched from the State Department toward '... what? For the first time since 1992, unencumbered by the demands of a national political campaign or public office, she is saddled only with expectations about what she's going to do next. And she is clearly enjoying it.
  ''It feels great,'' she says, ''because I have been on this high wire for twenty years, and I was really yearning to just have more control over my time and my life, spend a lot of that time with my family and my friends, do things that I find relaxing and enjoyable, and return to the work that I had done for most of my life.''
  Relaxing, for a Clinton, especially one who, should she decide to run, is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in 2016, does not seem exactly restful. The day before we speak, she was awarded the Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia'--presented by Jeb Bush, another politician weighted with dynastic expectations and family intrigue, who took the opportunity to jest that both he and Clinton cared deeply about Americans'--especially those in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
  Afterward, Clinton stepped backstage, a red-white-and-blue ribbon around her neck pulled taut by a saucer-size gold medal. ''It is really heavy,'' she said, with that plain-home midwestern tone she deploys when she wants to not appear the heavy herself. In the room with her were some of her close advisers'--Nick Merrill, a communications staffer and acolyte of Hillary's suffering top aide, Huma Abedin; and Dan Schwerin, the 31-year-old speechwriter who wrote all the words she had spoken moments ago. Local policemen with whom Clinton had posed for photos milled about behind her.
  Outside was the usual chorus accompanying a Clinton appearance, befitting her status as the most popular Democrat in America: news helicopters buzzing overhead and protesters amassed across the street who raised signs that read benghazi in bloodred paint and chanted antiwar slogans directly at her as she spoke at the outdoor lectern.
  Though she was officially out of the government, it was not as if she could leave it, even if she wanted to. That week Clinton had met with Obama in the White House to discuss the ongoing Syria crisis, and now Obama was on TV that very evening announcing a diplomatic reprieve from a missile attack on Syria'--a series of decisions that Clinton had lent her support to every step of the way. ''I've been down this road with them,'' she tells me the next day. ''I know how challenging it is to ever get [the Russians] to a 'yes' that they actually execute on, but it can be done. I think we have to push hard.''
  Clinton has taken a press hiatus since she left the State Department in January'--''I've been successful at avoiding you ­people for many months now!'' she says, laughing. She is tentative and careful, tiptoeing into every question, keenly aware that the lines she speaks will be read between. In our interview, she emphasizes her ''personal friendship'' with Obama, with whom she had developed a kind of bond of pragmatism and respect'--one based on shared goals, both political and strategic. ''I feel comfortable raising issues with him,'' she says. ''I had a very positive set of interactions, even when I disagreed, which obviously occurred, because obviously I have my own opinions, my own views.''