What Adam Curry is reading

VIDEO-EU finance ministers give green light to banking supervisor | Business News | DW.DE | 15.10.2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:41
  EU finance ministers have taken a key step toward a new bank regulatory framework, clearing a single banking supervisory body for the 28-nation bloc. But the toughest part of the new set of rules has yet to be agreed.
  The European Union's new banking watchdog, called the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), was on Tuesday cleared to come into force November 2014. The move was announced by Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
  ''I'm very glad to note the adoption of this very important single supervisory mechanism package, thus establishing one of the main elements of Europe's banking union,'' said Sadzius on the sidelines of a meeting of EU finance ministers in Luxembourg.
  The SSM was originally planned to start early next year. But differences over its role and how it would shape relations between eurozone countries and non-euro EU members held up an agreement.
  Under the agreement reached in Luxembourg, the SSM is to be run by the European Central Bank (ECB). Provisions have been made to ensure that the 11 non-euro members of the EU are not outvoted by the 17 eurozone countries, with any action requiring a double majority in both camps.
  The Single Supervisory Mechanism is just a first step toward full banking union sought by the 28 members of the European Union. EU Market Regulation Commissioner Michel Barnier said it was now necessary to establish common rules to close failing banks and agree on a deposit guarantee fund to protect savers.
  ''We now need to go to the end of this work to be completely credible and deliver what is necessary,'' he added.
  However, the so-called Single Resolution Mechanism for troubled banks is even more controversial than the SSM. Many EU members, including Germany, are reluctant to cede control over their banks to a single EU body and wonder how to finance a banking fund for possible bank bailouts in future.
  The EU hopes to reach agreement on the issue by the end of the year to ensure the legislation reaches the European Parliament before the end of its current term in May.
  uhe/ph (AFP, dpa, AP)
Russia job for whistleblower Snowden
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:34
  31 October 2013Last updated at10:14 ETNSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has found a new job, his lawyer says.
  The former US spy agency contractor will work for a major private website in Russia, where he was granted asylum after fleeing the United States.
  "Edward starts work in November," his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
  Mr Snowden, 30, fled to Russia in June after leaking details of far-reaching US telephone espionage.
  Mr Kucherena would not disclose which site has employed Mr Snowden, citing security concerns.
  However, Mr Snowden had a very public job offer earlier this year from the head of VKontakte, a popular social networking site seen as a rival to Facebook.
  Pavel Durov, who founded VKontakte in 2006, invited Mr Snowden through a post on his own webpage to join the company's St Petersburg headquarters to work on data protection.
  Unknown locationLittle has been heard of Mr Snowden's private life in Russia, where he has lived since being granted temporary asylum in August.
  Leaks from the former intelligence analyst have rocked the US government, revealing an extensive programme of espionage that covered China, Russia and Western allies including Germany and Brazil. The US wants him extradited to face trial on criminal charges.
  Mr Snowden spent more than a month in a hotel at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport before being allowed into the country.
  It is unclear whether he remains in Moscow, though tabloid pictures of the former contractor occasionally surface.
  A Russian website, Life News, this week published a smartphone picture it said was purchased from a reader for 100,000 rubles (£1,943), purporting to show Mr Snowden taking a boat trip down the Moscow River through the city's centre. Mr Snowden was without his trademark glasses but wearing a red shirt and cream-coloured cap; the photo's background includes Moscow's landmark Christ the Saviour cathedral.
  Learning RussianIn an accompanying interview, Mr Kucherena told Life News that Mr Snowden was learning to speak Russian and had visited the Kremlin and other museums and cities in the country.
  "He's already gone a pretty long way, in terms of Russian words, in terms of knowledge of our culture...
  "For the time being, given his interest in Russia, given the attitude of Russians towards him ... given the love for him, he's receiving a fair amount of correspondence, and I don't think he has any desire to leave for another country at the moment," Mr Kucherena said.
  The lawyer did not disclose where Mr Snowden is living but said he will work in information technology at "our country's largest website".
  Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview recently that Mr Snowden could "feel safe" in Russia, though he told the Associated Press news agency that he found him "a strange guy".
  VKontakte has itself come under pressure from the Russian government, as legislators try to gain more control over what is said online. Mr Durov's residence and VKontakte headquarters were both raided by police earlier this year, ostensibly in a traffic accident investigation.
  The site has nearly 80 million users, according to industry researcher Comscore, including about 47 million inside Russia, and is controversial for allowing users access to pirated music and video content.
VIDEO- European Council Roundup, October 24-25, 2013 - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:26
EU banking union clears first hurdle | Business | DW.DE | 15.10.2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:25
  EU finance ministers have approved the first building block of an EU-wide banking union - a banking watchdog. But the real issues are still unresolved. For instance: who will pay when big banks default?
  Jose Barroso, president of the European Commission, has declared the creation of a banking union to be the most important prestige project in the European Union. Mechanisms will be created to ensure the joint supervision of banks important to the financial system and the joint liquidation of bankrupt financial institutions - all to avoid a banking crisis like the one that followed the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy five years ago.
  After months of drawn-out negotiations, European finance ministers formally approved the first pillar on Tuesday (15.10.2013). The European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, which oversees monetary policy and the stability of the euro, will in future also supervise big private banks.
  "It is an important step towards creating a legal framework that will allow the ECB to press ahead with setting up operations for banking regulation," said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch¤uble in Luxembourg.
  From next fall, the ECB is to monitor over 130 banks in the 18 eurozone states. "Now we can start looking for a suitable building and start hiring staff. Today is a good day for Europe," said J¶rg Asmussen, a member of the ECB executive.
  Banks to open accounts
  Before the ECB starts supervising Europe's banks, all 130 banks need to undergo a stress test and have their balance sheets checked for risky businesses and non-performing loans. The ECB does not want to inherit financial risks when it takes over responsibility for the banks.
  That is also where the consensus among European finance ministers ends: a more contentious issue is what happens after the stress test. As ever, it is all about cost: who will pay for any holes found in the banks' balance sheets? Experts from the EU Commission expect to find some nasty surprises in banks in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Cyprus and Greece.
  Some finance ministers from southern Europe believe European taxpayers have to take some of the burden. "That may be the case, but Germany will insist that taxpayers will be spared," warned Sch¤uble.
  After all, the main goal of the banking union is that rather than taxpayers being liable for the banks' risks, the banks' owners should have to cough up. Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, agrees: "To begin with, the bill should be paid out of private pockets. That includes bank owners, shareholders and creditors."
  ECB President Mario Draghi estimates the risks in European banks to be much smaller than two years ago. Today, the banks have a lot more equity, Draghi told the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Washington.
  Footing the bill
  EU finance ministers want to impose a clear pecking order on liability if banks fold or have to undergo restructuring. And national budgets and European rescue funds will be at the end of that chain. There is some disagreement over whether the existing European Stability Mechanism (ESM) could provide fresh capital to the banks. This would mean heavily indebted states would be off the hook, shifting liability to the ESM.
  The Irish and Spanish finance ministers are in favor of this solution, but the German finance minister is ruling it out. "The idea of a prompt recapitalization of banks, which does not accord with the German legal situation, can only be explained by lack of knowledge - presumably because people are not listening. I have explained the German legal situation often enough," said Sch¤uble. "It would be very difficult to change the legal situation in Germany. A lot of persuading would be needed."
  The Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of the Eurogroup, however, envisages a direct injection of capital from the ESM for ailing banks. "The tool for the recapitalization of banks is still under development. At the moment I think that it could be used in exceptional circumstances. Even now, but only in exceptional cases." These exceptional circumstances are so narrowly defined, they practically never happen, according to the German delegation.
  Central liquidation authority far off
  The third step of the banking union is also still a sticking point. A central authority for the liquidation and the dissolution of bankrupt banks is to be created, and the EU Commission wants to be in the driving seat.
  Sch¤uble rejects the proposal, saying it does not comply with EU law. But other candidates for this delicate task, like the ECB or the ESM, have already declined. Again, cost is the central issue. An authority for liquidation would need liquidation funds to pay the costs of bankruptcy. After all, savers' deposits and small companies should be protected.
  Dijsselbloem has promised that he and his colleagues will find solutions for these issues in the coming months, but it remains to be seen whether the solutions can be found ahead of the European elections in May 2014. A newly elected European Parliament will have a say in the matter.
  It will take some time until the banking union will be finished. "We must be ready ahead of the next banking crisis," Barroso demanded. "People doubt that we have learned all the lessons from the last banking crisis," Sch¤uble warned.
German diplomat at UNI: Going 'green' costs green
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:19
  CEDAR FALLS |A foreign diplomat from a country leading the world in environmentally friendly energy practices came to tell Iowans what they shouldn't take from their example.
  Peter Jahr, a German representative in the European Parliament, the governing body of the European Union, talked renewable energy with an intimate audience on the University of Northern Iowa campus Tuesday night.
  ''Germany has become one of leading countries for renewable energies in world,'' he said. ''But there's a bad side to every good story.''
  About a quarter of the energy used in Germany is renewable or produced through wind power, sunlight, geothermal or plant material called biomass.
  Part of a massive campaign called ''energiewende,'' German for energy transformation, the goal is that by 2022, Germany hopes to phase out nuclear energy and depend more on renewable sources.
  But Jahr was critical of the economic structure in place, saying it forces consumers to pay for a system that's producing more renewable energy than the country can handle.
  ''At times we have to pay other countries to take our energy otherwise the grid would collapse,'' he said.
  Jahr said Germans are spending billions on a renewable energy system that doesn't provide for healthy market competition.
  ''You need development and innovation. If you give too much money to renewable energy, you're sleeping well and you do nothing,'' he said. ''The example of Germany shows how difficult transforming an energy system can be.''
  A member of the Christian Democratic Union, Jahr's politically aligned with Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany who's leading the massive campaign for green energy in the country. By 2030, renewable energies would be the dominant source for 81 million Germans.
  Jahr, a part-time wheat and cattle farmer, has a deep Iowa connection. For the past four years, Jahr has selected Iowan students to work alongside him as interns in his European offices.
  Two UNI students at Tuesday night's lecture served as Jahr's personal assistants last year while they were studying at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. They witnessed first-hand the complexity of the EU, a government body representing 28 countries and political systems.
  ''It was amazing...I'll be able to apply what I saw to my classroom. And just knowing that the United States isn't the only country in the world; there's other people out there too who have some things to say,'' said Michael Lamoreux, a UNI senior studying social sciences education.
  Jahr's visit was part of the UNI Diplomat Series sponsored by the Office of International Programs and co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Center for Social and Behavioral Research and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
  Since its inception in 2011, the series has brought four other foreign leaders to Cedar Falls from countries like Austria, Taiwan and Chile.
  ''We're trying to internationalize our campus,'' said Craig Klafter, associate provost for international programs at UNI. ''While we would hope a large number of faculty, students and staff will venture out, the reality is they will probably not. We need to bring outside world to us.''
Study says 'Cash for Clunkers' created few jobs | The Detroit News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:12
  Washington '-- The nearly $3 billion ''Cash for Clunkers'' program approved by Congress in 2009 did little to boost the environment and created few jobs, a new study released Wednesday found.
  A Brookings Institution study found the $2.85 billion program ''provided a short-term boost in vehicle sales, which were pulled forward from sales that would have occurred in subsequent months. There was a small increase in employment but the implied cost per job created ($1.4 million) was far higher than other fiscal stimulus programs.''
  The study '-- from researchers Ted Gayer and Emily Parker '-- said the ''Car Allowance Rebate System,'' or CARS did little to boost employment. This is at least the fourth major study since 2012 that has raised questions about the value of the program.
  The study said far more jobs could have been created using other government stimulus programs '-- increasing unemployment benefits (at $95,000 per job); $80,000-$133,000 per job created for cutting employers' payroll taxes; $222,000 per job created for reducing employees' payroll taxes; $200,000 per job created for providing additional Social Security benefits; or $222,000 per job created for allowing the expensing of investment costs.
  The study estimates the sales led to 3,676 ''job years'' '-- sales supporting a job for a single year '-- between the automaker and auto parts sector, or at a cost of $1.4 million per job. ''This suggests that the CARS program was far less cost effective at creating jobs than other fiscal stimulus programs,'' the report said.
  The White House Council of Economic Advisers in 2009 had estimated far more jobs as a result of the program. The program ''estimated that cash for clunkers will create 70,000 jobs in the second half of 2009.'' The White House got into a war of words with Edmunds.com in October 2009 about the value of the program.
  Nearly 700,000 vehicles were traded in between July and August 2009 under the program. Participants received either a $3,500 or $4,500 voucher toward the purchase of a new car depending on the difference in fuel efficiency '-- and the car traded in had to be destroyed. The study credits Alan Blinder for proposing the idea in a New York Times op-ed in July 2008. Initially the program received $1 billion but after the program quickly ran out of money, Congress approved another $2 billion.
  The study noted that during ''Cash for Clunkers,'' the program accounted for 31.4 percent of total auto sales. Vehicle sales fell by 38 percent in September after the program expired. The study and several other studies suggest the program pulled ahead a $2 billion increase in third quarter Gross Domestic Program from the next six months. It also argues that the program ''provided a short-term boost in vehicle sales of approximately 380,000 vehicles, which were pulled forward from sales that would have occurred in subsequent months.'' The average price of vehicles purchased was $22,592.
  But the program also destroyed some perfectly good cars. ''Incentivizing the premature destruction of used vehicles represents a loss of capital stock and thus a reduction in economic wealth,'' the study said.
  A 2012 study found the program resulted in a reduction in gasoline consumption of 884 million to 2.9 billion gallons of gasoline '-- or 2.4 days to 7.9 days of total U.S. gasoline consumption. The study found the costs for reducing carbon emissions was similar to the $3,400 hybrid tax credit, but more cost effective than the electric vehicle tax credit, excise tax credit for ethanol or renewable fuel standard.
  ''The cost per ton of carbon dioxide reduced from the program suggests that the program was not a cost effective way to reduce emissions,'' the study found.
  The bill had required dealers to administer surveys to determine if people taking part had planned to buy a new car without the program. But because the program was rushed into existence, just 21 percent of buyers fully completed the survey.
  The Transportation Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In June, outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood defended the program, saying the program took automakers ''off life support.''
  ''The showrooms had been abandoned,'' LaHood said before the program took effect.
Why ObamaCare Must Be Stopped
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Real Jew News
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:50
  Brother Nathanael Productions, BroVids
  For More See:The Jews Behind Obama's Health Care SchemeClick HereAnd:Kagan's ObamaCare Vote & US JewryClick Here
  And:America's New Social ClassesClick Here
  And:Brother Nathanael's Amazing Videos (BroVids.com)Click Here
  ___________________________________Support Brother Nathanael!
  Send Your Donation To:Brother Nathanael Kapner; PO Box 1242; Frisco CO 80443E-mail: bronathanael@yahoo.com
  Scroll Down For Comments
  Brother Nathanael @ October 30, 2013
'Big Data' Is Bunk, Obama Campaign's Tech Guru Tells University Leaders - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:48
  Harper Reed (Photo by Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune)
  New York '-- Lots of college leaders and technologists are gathered in Lower Manhattan this week for a State University of New York-sponsored conference about all the great things ''Big Data'' can do for higher education.
  Harper Reed, who served as chief technology officer in President Obama's 2012 campaign, offered those people what he jokingly called ''an intervention.''
  ''Big Data is bullshit,'' Mr. Reed said in a keynote speech on Tuesday.
  Mr. Reed is generally bullish on the power of data. He took the audience through a litany of ways in which President Obama used data to win re-election, such as scraping supporters' Facebook information to blast out personalized email messages.
  But, with apologies to the technology companies sponsoring the SUNY event, Mr. Reed skewered their industry's promotion of the buzzwords ''Big Data.''
  ''The 'big' there is purely marketing,'' Mr. Reed said. ''This is all fear '... This is about you buying big expensive servers and whatnot.''
  ''The exciting thing is you can get a lot of this stuff done just in Excel,'' he said. ''You don't need these big platforms. You don't need all this big fancy stuff. If anyone says 'big' in front of it, you should look at them very skeptically '... You can tell charlatans when they say 'big' in front of everything.''
  That wasn't the only provocation the audience heard from Mr. Reed, 35, whose unruly red beard, blue sweatshirt, and dangling earrings stood out in a ballroom full of dark suits. (Nor was it the first time he had made mischief with the ''bullshit'' zinger, according to earlier headlines like ''Big Data is bovine excrement says Obama's Big Data man.'')
  During another session, ''Data Scientist: the Sexiest Job of the 21st Century,'' Mr. Reed argued that ''data scientist as a profession is largely a fad.''
  Asked a question about undergraduate education, Mr. Reed struggled to answer. When it comes to hiring, he said, undergraduate education generally ''does not matter.''
  ''I usually hire people who have very exemplary work experience,'' said Mr. Reed, who now runs a Chicago-based start-up company devoted to mobile commerce. ''Where they went to school, or what degree they have, really has no play into the hiring decision. Myself, I have a philosophy degree and a fake computer-science degree. I say fake because I really didn't learn anything.''
VIDEO-Biden Apologizes For Obamacare: "We Were Under The Impression It Was Ready To Go" | RealClearPolitics
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:54
  Please enable Javascript to watch this video
  VICE PRES. JOE BIDEN TO CNN: "We were under the impression that it was ready to go. We had the president, to his credit, almost seven weeks out was saying, 'is it going to be ready?' and to be told by the pros that, 'yeah, this is all ready to go, all in line.' Neither he or I are technology geeks and we assumed that it was up and ready to run, but the good news is that although it's not, and we apologize for that, we're confident that by the end of November it will be and there will still be plenty of time for people to register to get online."
Congress: Don't Let Citigroup Pre-Approve The Next Bailout!
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:23
  UPDATE: The House votes on Citigroup's bill TODAY! Call (202) 224-3121 now, ask for your Rep by name, and tell them to vote NO on HR 992! Then tweet this out and share it on Facebook.''Citigroup got half a trillion bucks in government help '' now Congress lets them write our laws?''
  HUH? Wall Street megabank Citigroup received $467.2 Billion dollars worth of bailout money during the financial crash '' and now Congress is literally letting them write our financial laws. 1
  HOW? Citigroup lobbyists wrote 70 out of the 85 lines of The Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act (HR 992), which would gut a crucial part of the Dodd-Frank law meant to protect taxpayers from future bailouts '' and now they're urging both parties to sign their bill as one of their first post-shutdown actions.2
  WHY? HR 992 would let Big Banks hold almost all their risky derivatives inside of the part of the bank with FDIC insurance '' which makes business cheaper for the banks, but keeps us on the hook for bailing them out if things go south.3
  This bill passed two Committees with bipartisan support, and is due to be voted on in the House of Representatives on October 30th. When this bill bill passed the House Agriculture Committee, Democratic Representative Collin Peterson warned his colleagues: ''You're putting taxpayers on the hook'...You can vote any way you want, but this could come back and haunt you.''4
  We're tired and outraged that after all their crimes, Citigroup STILL holds sway in Congress. We are calling on BOTH the Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer AND the Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy to whip AGAINST HR 992. We want to let them know that we are watching, and we know that a vote for HR 992 is a vote to help Citigroup at the expense of We, The People.
  Are you the kind of total nerd who, like us, who wants more details and sources? Read on!
  It's cheaper for banks to borrow money out of the ''insured depository'' '-- the part of the bank with FDIC insurance '-- because it has a higher credit rating.5 It has a higher credit rating, because Credit Ratings Agencies assume the government would bail that part of the bank out were something to go wrong. But why should we allow the banks to hold risky products in this safe, insured part of the bank, just because it's cheaper for them? Haven't we done ENOUGH for the Big Banks?
  While Citigroup has lobbied for this bill because they claim it's too cumbersome and expensive to move their risky derivatives out of the ''insured depository,'' you should know that Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs already hold their derivatives outside the ''insured depository,'' and are not complaining. It is only Citigroup, the bank that needed the most help, that is complaining. Why should Congress listen to the worst bank on Wall Street, and let the bank that needed to most government money write our laws?
  In Congress, the people responsible for rallying votes are called ''whips.'' We are calling on BOTH the Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer AND the Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy to whip AGAINST HR 992. We want to let them know that we are watching, and we know that a vote for HR 992 is a vote to help Citigroup at the expense of We, The People.
  Sources:
  1. New York Magazine, ''Citigroup Received More Bailout Money Than Any Other Bank.''
  2. The New York Times, ''Bank Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills.''
  3. The Other 98%, ''Alexis Breaks Down the Citigroup Bill-Writing Scandal.''
  4. The Huffington Post, ''Wall Street Deregulation Advances As Top Democrat Warns That Vote Could 'Haunt' Congress.''
  5. The New York Times, '' "http://bit.ly/citimoney">Why Did Citigroup Try to Overturn an Overhaul?''
How the NSA's MUSCULAR program collects too much data from Yahoo and Google - The Washington Post
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:06
  This document is an excerpt from Special Source Operations Weekly, an internal National Security Agency publication dated March 14, 2013. It describes a common NSA problem of collecting too much information '' and how the agency is attempting to control it.
  >> NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers
  Click to see the related section of the document.
  {{ title }}{{{ text }}}
  ]]> GRAPHIC: Barton Gellman and Matt DeLong - The Washington Post. Published Oct. 30, 2013.
Russia Diverts US Military Inspectors' Plane Due to Bad Weather
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: RIA Novosti
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:00
  CHITA, October 31 (RIA Novosti) '' A plane with US military inspectors, heading to an airport in Russia's southern Siberia under the international Open Skies treaty, had to divert to another location because of bad weather on Thursday, a police source said.
  The Open Skies Treaty, which entered into force on January 1, 2002, established a regime of unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of its 34 member states to promote openness and transparency of military forces and activities. Russia ratified the treaty in May 2001.
  The plane with military inspectors, performing an observation flight above Russia in line with the treaty, was heading to Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Republic of Buryatia. However, the crew was told to divert to Chita in the neighboring Transbaikal Territory because of dense fog in Ulan-Ude.
  ''Ulan-Ude did not permit the plane to land because of weather conditions, so the crew requested a landing in Chita. [The plane] landed and is still here,'' a Chita police source said.
  The source did not say whether it was a civil or military aircraft.
  The plane's crew is currently undergoing migration and border control, he said.
David Scott (Georgia politician) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:43
  David A. Scott (born June 27, 1945) is the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 13th congressional district, serving since 2003. The district includes the southern fourth of Atlanta, as well as several of its suburbs to the south and west. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
  Early life and education[edit]Scott was born in Aynor, South Carolina and attended high school in Daytona Beach, Florida. He received a bachelor's degree in finance from Florida A&M University, and a masters degree in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Scott is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[1]
  Georgia Legislature[edit]Scott served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1974 to 1982 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1982 to 2002.
  U.S. House of Representatives[edit]Committee assignments[edit]Party leadership[edit]Co-Chair of the Democratic Study Group on National SecurityScott is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition.[1]
  Scott was the lead sponsor on the following legislation:
  The Financial Literacy Act - an act to provide education to investors and home buyersThe Access to Healthcare Insurance Act, extending affordable healthcare coverageThe Extension for Unemployment Benefits and the Overtime Pay Protection ActsThe Moment of Silence Act for reflection or prayer at the start of each school day in the nation's public schoolsThe Retired Pay Restoration Act, giving veterans both retirement and disability payThe Zero Down Payment Act which eliminates the down payment requirement for middle and low income families who buy homes with a FHA insured mortgagesThe Mutual Fund Integrity Act which strengthens regulations of the stock marketPolitical positions[edit]Online gambling[edit]Scott is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act[2] and voted for H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[3] In 2008, he opposed H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act (a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act while the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve defined "unlawful Internet gambling").
  Healthcare Reform[edit]David Scott voted for healthcare reform. In the discussion leading up to his vote, Congressman Scott fielded several different points of view. On August 6, 2009, Scott was confronted by a local doctor who claimed to live in Scott's district. The doctor, who later appeared in subsequent debates with his opposition candidate, asked Scott why he was going to vote for a health care plan similar to the plan implemented in Massachusetts and if he supported a government-provided health care insurance option. Scott questioned whether or not the doctor was a resident of Scott's district, although the local TV station WXIA-TV's news department confirmed that the doctor did live and work in Scott's district.[4]
  Many others in attendance, however, were later discovered not to be residents of the 13th Congressional District and were 'planted' there by a vocal opposition minority. Scott also noted that Dr. Hill had not called Scott's office for setting up a meeting concerning health care but this has not been verified.[5] Scott has allegedly received death threats from neoconservative activists.[6] A swastika was found spray painted on a sign outside of his congressional office in his congressional district, reportedly painted by neoconservative activists. An investigation is underway.[7]
  Fiscal policy[edit]Although Scott voted against the first version of the 2008 bailout, he backed the final version "after being assured the legislation would aid homeowners facing foreclosures. Scott crafted an added provision dedicating $14 billion to aid those homeowners."[8]
  Same-sex marriage[edit]Scott supported two failed pieces of legislation in 2004 and 2006 that aimed to establish a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.[8][9] However, in May 2013 thinkprogress.org reported receiving an email from a spokesman of Scott saying, 'Congressman Scott fully supports marriage equality.'[10] HRC's profile of Scott also contains this sentence as his statement under 'position on marriage equality'.[11]
  Personal life[edit]David Scott is brother-in-law to baseball hall of fame member Hank Aaron.
  In 1978 David Scott founded owned Dayn-Mark Advertising (from the names of his two daughters, Dayna and Marcie), which places billboards and other forms of advertising in the Atlanta area. Scott's wife, Alfredia, now heads the business. In May 2007, it was reported that the business owes more than $150,000 in back taxes and penalties.[12] Scott's campaigns have paid the company more than $500,000 over the eight years totalling from 2002 until current date - for office rent, printing, T-shirts, and other services. He has also paid his wife, two daughters, and son-in-law tens of thousands of dollars for campaign work such as fund raising and canvassing. In 2007, Scott was named one of the 25 most corrupt members of Congress by the political watchdog groupCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.[13]
  References[edit]External links[edit]PersondataNameScott, DavidAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican politicianDate of birth1946-06-27Place of birthAynor, South CarolinaDate of deathPlace of death
GFE - Google Search
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 04:19
  Urban Dictionary: gfeLike the others said, GFE=Girlfriend experience. In some situations, it also meansthat the prostitute/escort is willing to perform some services without condoms, ...Girlfriend experience - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe girlfriend experience (commonly known as GFE) is a type of service a femalesex worker offers which includes acting like a girlfriend to the client. GFE may ...[PDF] Good Faith Estimate (GFE) - HUDwww.hud.gov/offices/hsg/ramh/res/gfestimate.pdf- Cached - SimilarThis GFE gives you an estimate of your settlement charges and loan terms if youare approved for ... Compare this GFE with other loan offers, so you can find.What is a Good Faith Estimate? What is a GFE? - Consumer ...www.consumerfinance.gov/.../what-is-a-good-faith-estimate-what-is-a-gfe. html- Cached - Similar11 Jul 2013 ... A Good Faith Estimate (GFE) is a form that provides you with basic informationabout the terms of a mortgage loan for which you have applied ...Sheffields Premier Parlour - GFE Massage - GirlFriend ExperienceGFE Massage the premier location in Yorkshire,. boasting over 28 ladies over 7days, on a weekly basis, ladies travel from all over the UK just to be part of this ...gfe-gluten free easilyAfter my gluten-free blogger friends had visited for ''my gfe retreat'' this summer, Ifound a bag of veggies in the freezer. It contained pieces of zucchini, yellow ...What does GFE mean? - GFE Definition - Meaning of GFE...www.internetslang.com/GFE-meaning-definition.asp- Cached - SimilarThis Internet Slang page is designed to explain what the meaning of GFE is. Theslang word / acronym / abbreviation GFE means... . Internet Slang. A list of ...Hooker math: BJ + DFK - $$$ = GFE - Gawker12 Feb 2008 ... In response to my post on scoring a Stanford girl, a sweet and innocent readerasks, "What does GFE mean in the listings?" GFE is "girlfriend ...GNU Font Editor - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)gfe has been decommissioned, since the free software program FontForge hasmore advanced bitmap editing facilities. This page remains for the sake of history ...
CIA is the topper-The Black Budget: Top secret U.S. intelligence funding - Interactive Graphic - Washington Post
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:49
  Central Intelligence AgencyCollect, analyze, evaluate, disseminate foreign intelligence and conduct covert operations.
  Agency fiscal year budgetsince 2004, not inflation-adjusted
  +56%
  Approximate percentagegrowth from 2004 to 2013
  National Security AgencyProtect the government's information systems and intercept foreign signals intelligence information.
  +53%
  National Reconnaissance OfficeDesign, build, and operate the nation's signals and imagery reconnaissance satellites.
  +12%
  National Geospatial-Intelligence ProgramGenerate and provide imagery and map-based intelligence, which is used for national security, U.S. military operations, navigation and humanitarian aid efforts.
  +108%
  General Defense Intelligence ProgramProvide assessments of foreign military intentions and capabilities to policymakers and military commanders. Conduct human and technical intelligence collection, document and media management.
  +3%
Gunmen dressed as clowns murder former Mexican drug lord - Telegraph
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:27
  Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, 63, was gunned down during a family event in Cabo San Lucas, a tourist resort in the Baja California peninsula, state special investigations prosecutor Isai Arias told reporters.
  Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix was arrested in 1980 in San Diego, California, for selling drugs and returned to Mexico upon his release on bail.
  In 1993, he was arrested in Mexico and jailed on drug charges. He was extradited to the United States in 2006 and was sentenced to six years in jail after confessing to selling drugs to an undercover agent.
  He was released in 2008, winning time off his sentence for good behavior, and repatriated to Mexico, according to his attorney at the time.
  Another brother, Ramon, was killed in a police shootout in 2002. Three other brothers are in US prisons, including Eduardo, who was sentenced to 15 years by a California court in August for money laundering.
  Security experts believe the cartel is now run by the brothers' sister Enedina and her son Fernando, known as "The Engineer."
  Violence linked to drug trafficking and organised crime has left more than 70,000 dead in Mexico over the past seven years.
  Edited by Bonnie Malkin
Ronald Calderon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:27
  Ronald Steven Calderon (born August 12, 1957, in Montebello, California) is a DemocraticCalifornia State Senator from the 30th Senate District. He was elected to the Senate in 2006.[2]
  Early life, education, and business career[edit]Calderon attended Montebello High School, graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He then graduated from the Western State University of Law.
  Calderon served as a manager in the manufacturing industry, a mortgage banker, and a real estate agent.[1][3]
  Senator Ronald Calderon is the second of his family to serve in the senate and the third to hold a seat in the legislature. Prior to Ronald's election his brothers Charles and Thomas also served the state assembly.
  California Assembly[edit]Elections[edit]After redistricting, Tom Calderon decided to run for California Insurance Commissioner in 2002. His brother, Ron, decided to run for the seat and won the Democratic primary with 46% of the vote.[4] He won the general election with 63% of the vote.[5] In 2004, he won re-election with 62% of the vote.[6] In 2006, he retired to run for the California Senate. His brother, Charles, succeeded him.
  Committee assignments[edit]He served as Chairman of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. He was also elected Assistant Majority Leader.
  California Senate[edit]Calderon was elected to the 30th Senate District, which includes: Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Cudahy, Huntington Park, La Mirada, Los Angeles, Montebello, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, California, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, South Gate, Whittier, East La Mirada, East Los Angeles, Florence-Graham, Hacienda Heights, South Whittier, and West Whittier.[7][8]
  Elections[edit]In 2006, incumbent Democrat State Senator Martha Escutia decided to retire. In the Democratic primary, Calderon defeated fellow State Representative Rudy Bermºdez 50.4%-49.7%, a difference of just 305 votes.[9] He won the general election with 71% of the vote.[10] In 2010, he won re-election with 69% of the vote.[11]
  Committee assignments[edit]Calderon is chairman of the Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee. Senate President Don Perata selected Calderon to lead senate efforts to reform term-limits and redistricting laws, as well as moving the state's presidential primary from June to February.[citation needed] Calderon also chairs the Select Committee on International Business Trade, in addition to sitting on the Appropriations and Energy, Utilities and Communications committees. Calderon also sits on the California Film Commission, which is tasked with promoting and subsidizing the California film industry.[1]
  2012 congressional election[edit]In August 2011, Calderon announced he would be running for congress in the newly redrawn California's 38th congressional district. He currently represents around 70% of the new CD in the State Senate for the past four years. He will face U.S. Congresswoman Linda Snchez in the Democratic primary.[12]
  Legal Troubles[edit]On June 4, 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigations raided Calderon's offices in the California State Capitol in an attempt to find evidence regarding accusations of criminal activity.[13] On the same day, the FBI also raided the office of California's Latino Legislative Caucus of which Calderon is vice chair.
  Personal life[edit]Calderon lives in Montebello with his wife Ana of 30 years and their two children, Jessica and Zachary.
  External links[edit]PersondataNameCalderon, RonaldAlternative namesShort descriptionState Senator, American banker, and businessman.Date of birth1957-08-12Place of birthMontebello, California, U.S.Date of deathPlace of death
Exclusive: Hollywood sting | Al Jazeera America
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:26
  By Trevor Aaronson and Josh Bernstein
  LOS ANGELES '-- Ronald Calderon is a powerful state senator in California who holds sway over the glamorous Hollywood movie industry. He is also, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a politician on the take.
  A hefty 56-year-old Democrat with salt-and-pepper hair, Calderon has been a red-carpet star in California politics for more than a decade. As an assemblyman and now a state senator representing suburban Los Angeles, he has established a well-earned reputation for spending campaign money and taxpayer funds on himself.
  He's used campaign cash to cover the finer things in life '-- plush golf outings, lavish trips to Cuba and Las Vegas, meals at exclusive restaurants and hotels. When California offered to purchase cars for the state's elected officials, Calderon chose the most expensive one: a $54,830 Cadillac STS V8 luxury sedan.
  Click for more on The Calderon Dynasty
  But his days as a big spender may soon be over. The FBI is hot on his trail in an investigation that could become California's biggest legislative scandal in more than two decades and could signal the downfall of a political dynasty. The FBI employed an undercover sting for more than a year that ended when agents raided the senator's office in Sacramento in June.
  Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit subsequently learned of the secret operation. This account is based on a 124-page affidavit, still under seal, filed by the FBI in U.S. District Court in Sacramento in support of a search warrant used in the raid.
  The names of several other senators, including the Senate president and the chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, have surfaced in the case, although none has been implicated.
  The document lays out a sordid tale of alleged bribery and corruption. Undercover FBI agents posed as independent movie executives interested in taking advantage of a program in which films with budgets of $1 million or more are eligible for special tax credits. The agents, focusing on Calderon, asked the senator to help lower the budget threshold to $500,000. Calderon, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on California's Film and Television Industries, agreed to help lower it to $750,000 but wanted financial assistance provided to his grown children, the affidavit says.
  On June 21, 2012, for instance, in a restaurant in Pico Rivera, Calif., outside Los Angeles, Calderon said he could lower the budget threshold if the movie executive would hire his daughter, Jessica.
  ''There might be a play, you know, to lower the tax credit.'' He went on: ''Any help you could do for my kids is '-- you know, that's diamonds for me.''
  The agent agreed to hire Calderon's daughter for $3,000 a month if the senator could help reduce the movie budget threshold ''sooner rather than later.''
  They had a deal. Calderon's wife, Ana, would draw up an employment agreement for Jessica and the movie executive. That written agreement, Calderon said, was ''to keep it legit.'' The FBI summarized his thinking in the court document: ''You never take money directly from people and you have to be careful about a tit-for-tat relationship.''
  In reality, the record says, the arrangement was tit-for-tat: There was no work for Jessica, and payments to her were linked to Calderon's efforts to sponsor favorable legislation. Over the course of the sting operation, the affidavit says, the FBI provided $60,000 to Calderon, much of it through his two children.
  For the senator, such arrangements weren't unusual. Separately, the FBI court filing says, Calderon also used his son, Zachary, to accept kickbacks from a hospital executive, Michael D. Drobot, whose companies have received more than $161 million in state insurance payments. The state has sued Drobot, alleging he was behind ''multiple fraudulent schemes.''
  Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, Calif. Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit
  RELATED '-- FBI: California state senator aided alleged multimillion-dollar fraud
  State Sen. Ronald Calderon accepted bribes from a Southern California hospital executive who ran an alleged workers' compensation scheme that brought the executive tens of millions of dollars, according to a sealed FBI affidavit obtained by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit.
  Read more
  Ronald Calderon is part of a California political dynasty that has controlled powerful state legislative committees for decades. During that time, the Calderons have been sharply criticized in the California media for using campaign cash for personal benefit. Indeed, politics and money are the lifeblood of the Calderon family.
  According to the affidavit, Ronald and his older brother Thomas, who previously held a seat in the California State Assembly, have collected more than $1 million in payments from people who have wanted to shape California laws to their benefit. In some cases, the Calderons used Californians for Diversity, a nonprofit organization connected to the Latino caucus, as their personal slush fund.
  James J. Wedick, a former FBI special agent, reviewed the court document at the request of Al Jazeera. Wedick is an expert on undercover sting operations. In 1988, his agents set up a front company in California and paid bribes in a case that led to the conviction of four elected officials and 10 legislative aides.
  This time around, he said, voters in California can expect to see another shake-up of politics and government. ''It's going to be an ugly scene when this information comes to light,'' Wedick said. ''That, in fact, you have elected officials taking money in exchange for legislation. It undermines our democracy.''
  Building a dynasty
  The story of the Calderon political dynasty begins in 1982, when Charles ''Chuck'' Calderon won the District 59 seat in the California State Assembly. In 1988, he led a group of five assemblymen in unsuccessfully challenging the leadership of powerful Speaker Willie Brown. The speaker stripped the challengers of their committee chairmanships and removed them from their choice offices.
  But Calderon was not deterred. In 1990, he won a seat in the state Senate and would later become Senate president, the first Latino to hold the position in California. At the same time, he was dogged by ethics charges. In 1994, the state fined him $15,000 for spending campaign funds on personal expenses.
  State Sen. Ronald Calderon's district office is located in Montebello, Calif., outside Los Angeles. Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit
  With his political star rising, Calderon laid the path for his siblings to join the family business of politics. In 1998, Thomas won a seat in the Assembly and was handed the plum chairmanship of the Insurance Committee. In 2002 he ran unsuccessfully for state insurance commissioner. Meanwhile, Ronald, the youngest brother, ran for and claimed Thomas' former Assembly seat.
  Ronald moved to the state Senate in 2006, and Charles, having lost an earlier bid to be state attorney general, reclaimed the seat in the Assembly.
  ''What makes the Calderons unique is that they are passing on a baton within the same family, within the same surname,'' said Louis DeSipio, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who studies California politics. ''It's not at all uncommon for an elected official who's leaving office, particularly after a long term of service, to designate a successor '... With the Calderons, though, the desire seems to have been to maintain the influence within the same family.''
  Ronald, the least polished of the three brothers, rose in power and influence after joining the state Senate. He was appointed to the California Film Commission, which allocates $100 million in annual state tax credits to various film projects. He also became active in the increasingly powerful Latino caucus and, by 2011, was appointed its vice chairman.
  The next year, Ronald Calderon met an independent movie executive who was eager to see the state tax credit requirements changed. Calderon did not realize that the friendly movie executive was an FBI undercover agent.
  Inside the FBI sting
  The FBI affidavit provides rich details on the sting. It indicates that an unidentified legislative aide introduced Ronald Calderon to an undercover agent at a lunch event in Los Angeles on Feb. 24, 2012. The agent presented himself as an independent movie executive with a studio in downtown L.A. Calderon described the movie tax credit program and also mentioned that his daughter, Jessica, was interested in the film industry.
  Over a subsequent lunch meeting, the legal document says, Calderon and the agent brokered their deal: The movie studio would hire Jessica, and Calderon would sponsor legislation that would change the movie budget requirements for a tax credit from $1 million to $750,000.
  On July 17, 2012, about a month after that lunch meeting, Calderon visited the agent's apartment in Los Angeles. The agent told him that paying Jessica a monthly retainer was ''not the industry standard,'' according to the FBI account. The agent said he wasn't paying to hire Jessica '-- he was hiring the senator. The affidavit describes this conversation:
  ''Money is not an object,'' the undercover agent said. ''I mean, I'm ready to write a check for the next year if that's what you want '--''
  ''Right, right,'' Calderon said, interjecting.
  ''For everything. That's not the issue. And it's never been an issue.''
  ''Uh, huh,'' Calderon said.
  ''Jessica's talent, uh, her acumen '-- that's not even an issue. That the whole concept behind this was '-- we have a relationship. We have a professional relationship. We have a business relationship. And to put it in very blunt terms, me hiring Jessica was not about her talents, right? It was more about accommodating something that you needed. And you needed me to take care '--''
  ''Right.''
  ''Helping your children,'' the agent finished.
  ''Right,'' Calderon said.
  Rep. Richard Kelly as he was filmed by the FBI in the course of its 1980s ABSCAM investigation. AP
  RELATED '-- FBI undercover 'stings': Catching politicians red-handed
  An all-expenses-paid trip to Napa Valley; a wad of cash, carefully counted out, laid on a desk and tucked into a suit pocket; a suitcase filled with money picked up at an airport hotel. These are just a few ways bribe money has been handled by politicians in which political favors are peddled for hard cash.
  Read more
  By August 2012, according to the affidavit, Jessica had not performed any work for the fictitious movie studio but had received $27,000 in payments. The FBI document says that when a check arrived at Calderon's ranch-style house in Montebello, where Jessica also lived, Calderon emailed the agent using coded language: ''Package received.''
  Calderon invited the agent to attend the Imagen Awards ceremony, honoring Latino entertainers, with him at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Aug. 10, 2012, the filing says. Calderon and his wife attended, and the agent came with a date of his own, another FBI operative who played the part of his girlfriend and an aspiring model. At the awards dinner, Calderon described how he planned to introduce an amendment in the Senate to lower the movie tax credit requirements. ''Nobody will ever know that the reason this happened is because of you,'' he told the agent, according to the FBI document. ''I would not have pushed this hard if it wasn't for you.''
  But his amendment hit a roadblock. A legislative aide soon informed him that the amendment would require a two-thirds vote, a near impossibility. ''We are screwed!'' Calderon wrote to the undercover agent, according to the affidavit.
  ''This is bullshit, Ron. We gotta make this work,'' the agent replied by email. ''Even if the proposed amendment is shot down, we win. If we don't even propose the amendment, then I'm done.''
  The pair met for dinner in Pico Rivera, Calif., to reassess their situation. The agent got right to the point, according to the court record: He asked if Calderon would be willing to write a letter for the movie studio's investor ''stating his commitment to introducing legislation that would lower the threshold for the tax credit legislation to $750,000.'' Calderon agreed, but for the sake of appearances, he suggested writing the letter to a group, not an individual or company. The next day, on Sept. 11, 2012, he emailed the undercover agent with several suggestions for names. ''So which name do you like?'' he wrote.
  The agent responded with the name of a fictitious group, ''United Pacific Independent Producers of California.''
  In its account, the FBI says that Calderon took the bait. The senator wrote and mailed the letter of support to the FBI undercover agents, addressed to a group that didn't exist and whose name a federal agent simply made up.
  A special fund: $50,000
  The affidavit describes how Calderon's cash-for-favors relationship with the undercover agent continued even after the movie tax credit legislation stalled. Over dinner on Oct. 16, 2012, the undercover agent asked if Calderon could hire his girlfriend, the aspiring model who was also an undercover federal agent, for a state job in Sacramento. Trouble was, the undercover agent admitted, his girlfriend didn't have any skills or relevant experience for legislative work. The affidavit lays out the following exchange:
  ''She comes with, you know, issues,'' the undercover agent said.
  ''Yeah,'' Calderon said.
  ''It is not a big thing,'' the agent said. ''But if you are willing to take that on '--''
  ''Every girl has issues,'' Calderon interrupted.
  The agent told Calderon he'd make hiring his girlfriend worthwhile. He explained that he had padded his movie budgets to give him an extra $50,000 to play with '-- cash he could make available to a helpful senator.
  ''Oh, nice,'' Calderon said.
  The agent and Calderon began to refer to the $50,000 as a ''special fund.'' On Nov. 2, 2012, Calderon asked the agent to pay $5,000 to Berklee College of Music in Boston for tuition for his son, Zachary.
  ''Maybe we can get a $5,000 check to Berklee College of Music and Zach just turns it in,'' he said.
  The agent agreed to pay the tuition, but said $5,000 would make only a small dent in the $50,000 special fund. According to the affidavit, Calderon said they could deposit the rest into other accounts, including Californians for Diversity, a nonprofit organization controlled by Thomas Calderon.
  In September, Californians for Diversity, a nonprofit run by Thomas Calderon, hosted a fundraiser at Pebble Beach Resorts. Major supporters included Walmart Stores, the Clorox Co., Shell Oil Co. and Farmers Insurance. Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit
  Ronald and Thomas Calderon used the nonprofit as a slush fund, the FBI alleges:
  ''We have this nonprofit. It is called Californians for Diversity,'' Ronald Calderon told the agent. ''So, we are gonna build this thing up and '... then, Tom and I down the road, we build that up, we can pay ourselves. Just kind of make, you know, part of a living.''
  Calderon hired the undercover agent's girlfriend as a member of his Senate staff, despite not having an open position. The hiring required the approval of Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. The Senate leader declined to comment in a brief interview with Al Jazeera other than to say, ''Let the investigation run its course.''
  The cash and gifts kept flowing, but Calderon failed to report them on his state ethics disclosure forms, state records show.
  In late October, for example, the undercover agent reserved a table for Calderon at The Bank, a nightclub inside the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Calderon and a friend went to the nightclub and, according to the affidavit, racked up a $3,939.56 bill at the agent's expense. Calderon took a photograph of himself with rappers Nelly and T.I. and emailed it to the agent.
  Two months later, the undercover agent purchased a $5,000 ticket for Calderon to attend a fundraiser for state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who represents a Los Angeles district. The event was held during a Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas.
  More money and perks flowed from the undercover agent, including a $25,000 payment to Californians for Diversity and $3,200 for Calderon to fly to Miami and meet with the undercover agent and his supposed investor. Calderon advised the investor '-- who was also an undercover agent '-- that he should hire his brother Thomas as a consultant. The investor then asked if Calderon still supported the tax credit legislation. ''Absolutely,'' he said, according to the court document. ''You have my support even if you don't hire Tom.''
  In Miami, the FBI says, the undercover agents agreed to pay $10,000 per month '-- $3,000 purportedly for Jessica, $5,000 for Thomas and the additional $2,000 to cover taxes Thomas would have to pay on the income. The investor drove Ronald Calderon to Miami International Airport and handed the senator a white envelope containing $3,000 in cash. Future payments, Calderon said, should go to Californians for Diversity.
  The next day, Calderon called the investor. There was a problem. His plan of having the movie studio pay $10,000 per month to Californians for Diversity wouldn't work, he said. State Sen. Ricardo Lara, chair of the Latino caucus, was taking greater control of nonprofits associated with the caucus.
  ''Californians for Diversity is tied into the Latino Caucus in terms that it's being sanctioned by them, and that's why I'm able to raise the money for the purpose of promoting numbers in the caucus,'' Calderon said, according to the affidavit. ''So the bylaw was changed that he's (Sen. Lara) got authority on any consultants that are hired that are paid over $5,000 a month.''
  ''Wait, who has authority? Tom or you?'' the agent asked.
  ''No, the chair of the caucus. In other words, he has to authorize anything over $5,000. So right now, Tom is already getting $5,000 a month from the caucus, from our committee. For us to add to that '-- number one, it's going to bring too much attention to us in what we're doing and right now we're in fundraising mode. And number two, then I have to go and get permission from the chair to get more, and I don't want to do that.''
  The good life: Pebble Beach
  Calderon's relationship with the generous movie producer came to an abrupt end in early June when FBI agents raided his Capitol offices in Sacramento. Soon after, he set up a legal defense fund and issued a brief statement to reporters.
  ''My family and I have gone through a lot the last several days,'' he said. ''It's been very stressful, very hard on all of us. We're all anxious to put this behind us and carry on a normal life.''
  State Sen. Ronald Calderon, attending the Californians for Diversity event in September, enjoys a cigar during an evening party. Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit
  Despite their troubles, the Calderon money machine continues running on high octane. In September, the senator attended a two-day fundraising event at Pebble Beach Resorts for Californians for Diversity, the nonprofit run by his brother Thomas. Major supporters included Walmart Stores, the Clorox Co., Shell Oil Co., Farmers Insurance and Edelstein Gilbert, a prominent California lobbying firm. Calderon golfed with industry lobbyists and then shared fireside drinks with them in the cool evening hours.
  A few days later, Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit caught up with him at a luxury golf resort in Orange County.
  The conversation was abrupt.
  Asked about the FBI investigation as he lifted clubs from the trunk of his Cadillac, Calderon said: ''I'm not really going to discuss any of that.''
  He then walked into the pro shop, refusing to answer additional questions.
  Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
Should Women Consider Taking Testosterone?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:17
  SPECIAL FROMNext Avenue
  By Linda Dyett
  Use is currently limited, but a number of studies show considerable proven and potential benefits
  Naomi, 55, a human resources executive in Guttenberg, N.J., had a hysterectomy in her 30s and suffered from hormone depletion for years afterward. "I spent a decade and a half in a fog," she says. "I lost all my sexuality and felt numb at the mere thought of sex. I cried at the drop of a hat and had sweating, pain, swelling and mood swings. My muscles were so weak that I broke my ankle -- me, a high-heel wearer."
  Fearing the potential side effects, Naomi had resisted estrogen therapy. But then five years ago, when she'd reached a low point and was ready to leave the job she loves, her gynecologist, Dr. Nancy Lebowitz, a clinical instructor at New York's Cornell Medical Center, started her on another form of hormone replacement, which she has remained on ever since. "Within a week," Naomi says, "the light came back in my life. I felt like a woman of 25. It was amazing. I no longer have those weepy moments or night sweats. I know I sound like an addict, but I'm really not."
  (MORE:What to Do About Loss of Libido)
  Greer, also 55, a pediatric dietician in Dayton, Ohio, received a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer at age 34. She recovered after chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplants, but was left feeling chronically tired, moody and forgetful, with little interest in sex. Five years ago, Dr. Rebecca Glaser, a local breast surgeon, started her on a treatment, which she continues today, that has improved her mood, memory and libido. "I feel even-keeled and normal, and my energy level is fantastic," she says. "After so many difficult years, nothing could be better than that."
  The therapy in both cases? Testosterone, widely and misleadingly understood to be the "male" hormone. Men produce 10 times more testosterone than women, but in their early reproductive years women have 10 times more testosterone than estrogen coursing through their bodies. And many experts now believe that it's the loss of testosterone, and not estrogen, that causes women in midlife to tend to gain weight, feel fatigue and lose mental focus, bone density and muscle tone -- as well as their libido. "Testosterone is our most abundant biologically active hormone," says Glaser, an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine and a leading researcher and advocate of testosterone therapy for women. "Adequate levels of testosterone are necessary for physical and mental health in both sexes."
  Benefits for Women
  "Women, before, during and past menopause, and sometimes as early as in their mid-30s, invariably have low testosterone levels," Glaser says. Not all of them will experience its wide variety of symptoms, like low libido, hot flashes, fatigue, mental fogginess and weight gain. For those who do, and who seek to avoid taking synthetic oral hormones (shown by National Institutes of Health findings to pose an increased risk for breast cancer, heart attack, stroke, blood clots and dementia), bioidentical testosterone (whose molecular structure is the same as natural testosterone) has been shown to be safe and effective.
  Some testosterone is converted by the body into estrogen -- which partly explains why it is useful in treating menopausal symptoms. For those at high risk for breast cancer, or who have had it, that conversion can be prevented by combining testosterone with anastrozole -- an aromatase inhibitor that prevents conversion to estrogen. Nonetheless, testosterone has been shown to beneficial for patients with breast cancer. Preliminary data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology have shown that, in combination with anastrozole, testosterone was effective in treating symptoms of hormone deficiency in breast cancer survivors, without an increased risk of blood clots, strokes or other side effects of the more widely used oral estrogen-receptor modulators tamoxifen and raloxifene.
  (MORE:Is Menopausal Hormone Therapy Right for You?)
  Other benefits cited for testosterone therapy include:
  Relieving symptoms of menopause, like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, incontinence and urinary urgency.Enhancing mental clarity and focus. Researchers at Utrecht University in Holland recently found that testosterone appears to encourage "rational decision-making, social scrutiny and cleverness."Reducing anxiety, balancing mood and relieving depression combined with fatigue. Dr. Stephen Center, a family practitioner in San Diego who has treated women with testosterone for 20 years, says the regimen consistently delivers "improvement in self-confidence, initiative and drive."Increasing bone density, decreasing body fat and cellulite, and increasing lean muscle mass. "Testosterone is the best remedy available for eliminating midlife upper-arm batwings," says Dr. George Yu, a urologic surgeon and aging specialist at Aegis Medical and Research Associates in Annapolis, Md.Offering protection against cardiovascular events, by increasing blood flow and dilating blood vessels, and against Type 2 diabetes, by decreasing insulin resistance.Countering the Myths
  Men and women in the United States have used testosterone therapy since the late 1930s, in many instances for more than 40 years -- with only rare adverse results. Yet many patients, and doctors, are unaware of testosterone therapy for women. The number of women in the United States currently on testosterone therapy is estimated to be in the tens of thousands -- miniscule compared with the millions prescribed oral estrogen-progestin regimens, like Premarin and Provera.
  With a growing recognition of testosterone's benefits for women, those numbers may increase, but it may still be a while before the therapy reaches the mainstream. Advocates say that the very idea requires a rethinking of long-held notions about hormones. And many women have a knee-jerk suspicion that any hormone treatment can increase their risk of breast cancer. However, clinical studies show that testosterone not only does not increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, it may play a key role in warding off the disease.
  Some women believe, also incorrectly, that testosterone therapy will produce "masculinizing" traits, like hoarseness and aggression. While the hormone may cause inappropriate hair growth and acne in some women, those side effects can be remedied by lowering the dose.
  Testosterone therapy has been approved for a variety of conditions in women as well as men in Britain and Australia. But while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved of testosterone for use in men whose natural levels are low, the agency has not sanctioned it for women, for any reason. In 2005, the FDA denied approval for a women's testosterone patch, citing concerns about long-term safety. Similar concerns have been put forth by the North American Menopause Society, although that group has also acknowledged testosterone's efficacy in treating low libido in women.
  Doctors, however, have the legal discretion to prescribe testosterone, off-label, to women, as they see fit and often do so to combat fatigue, mental fogginess and low libido. Glaser thinks this will likely remain the status quo for a while, given the prohibitive cost of conducting the long-term safety studies needed to win fuller FDA approval.
  How Treatment Works
  Women can take testosterone as a cream, through a patch or in the form of pellet implants, which have the highest consistency of delivery. Synthesized from yams or soybeans, and compounded of pure, bioidentical testosterone, the pellets, each slightly larger than a grain of rice, are inserted just beneath the skin in the hip in a one-minute outpatient procedure. They dissolve slowly over three to four months, releasing small amounts of testosterone into the blood stream, but speeding up when needed by the body -- during strenuous activities, for example -- and slowing down during quiet times, a feature no other form of hormone therapy can provide.
  (MORE: 7 Questions to Ask About Every New Prescription)
  To determine a patient's dosage, some doctors measure testosterone levels in the blood or saliva, while others make judgments based on symptoms. The problem, Glaser says, "is that testosterone is difficult to accurately measure in women. Levels vary considerably, not only throughout the month, but also during the day, making a single level unreliable."
  Side effects of the insertion procedure, which are rare, include infection, minor bleeding and the pellet "working its way out," Glaser says. Once inserted, pellets can't be removed. Some patients notice improvements within a day or two; others do not perceive benefits for a couple of weeks. If symptoms recur, patients can return for re-evaluation.
  Pellet inserts cost about $230 to $500. Since testosterone is not FDA-approved for women, though, it is rarely covered by insurers. Advocates call this unfair, because men with sagging libidos are covered, while women seeking treatment for the same condition, to say nothing of breast cancer or heart disease, are not. Testosterone pellets have long been covered for women in Britain.
  Since implantation is a surgical procedure, and the pellets are manufactured by a variety of pharmaceutical compounders, who may have varying safety standards, it's important for women to consult with an experienced, board-certified physician about treatment. But while a growing number of gynecologists, family practitioners, urologists and cardiologists, among others, now treat women with pellet implants, there is as yet no national resource to direct patients to vetted doctors who provide this treatment.
  Read more on Next Avenue:
  The Link Between Hearing Loss and DementiaCan Marijuana Prevent Alzheimer's?What Your Mystery Pains Are Trying to Tell You
  Earlier on Huff/Post50:
VIDEO-Lightening Strikes Rodeo Clown -Twice | MRCTV
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:15
  If the player does not load, please check that you are running the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.
  A professional rodeo clown says he's owes everything to God, after surviving being struck by lightening - twice.
  - See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/eric-scheiner/rodeo-clown-survives-lightening-strike-twice-i-give-everything-god#sthash.royXT81D.dpuf
VIDEO-Ryan to CMS Chief: 'Are We Really Verifying...Whether a Person's Actually Eligible for These Subsidies? | MRCTV
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 03:00
  MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
  MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 1900 Campus Commons Drive, Reston, VA 20194. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
  Copyright (C) 2013, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
VIDEO- Major Expansion Of TSA Passenger Screening Process - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 02:35
fbi director comey jamie dimon - Google Search
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 02:27
  Jamie Dimon - Huffington Postwww.huffingtonpost.com/tag/jamie-dimon- CachedSorkin's Failed Apologia for JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon... But there arealso other real things going on in the real world that have huge consequences for, ...Jamie Dimon Senate Banking Committee - Huffington Postwww.huffingtonpost.com/.../jamie-dimon-senate-banking-committee- CachedGo to Healthy Living. More in Healthy Living ... Posted 08.15.2012 | Comedy...JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has had to appear before the Senate BankingCommittee this week after his company lost somewhere between $3 billion an.Jamie Dimon Meets With Eric Holder To Talk Mortgage Probewww.huffingtonpost.com/.../jamie-dimon-eric-holder_n_3995509.html- Cached26 Sep 2013 ... WASHINGTON '-- J.P. Morgan's chief executive is at the Justice Department ...Why doesn't he go after the IRS slugs that targeted conservative ...Jamie Dimon Speech Was Like A Comedy - Business Insiderwww.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-speech-was-like-a-comedy-2013-2- Cached - Similar4 Feb 2013 ... The Best Lines From Jamie Dimon's Big Speech In Florida Today ... if you wantme to go through, but I'm not because there's press in the room.Jamie Dimon's Original Sin: 'America's Best Banker' Was Overrated ...www.theatlantic.com/business/.../jamie-dimon-s...s.../280763/- Cached22 Oct 2013 ...Jamie Dimon was the toast of Wall Street during, and shortly after, ... is walkingadvertisement for random fortune in finance, getting credit for ...James Dimon: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweekwww.businessweek.com/person/james-dimon.html- CachedJames Dimon, Chairman/President/CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. ... 6/2010-Present JP Morgan Intl Inc President; 12/2006-Present JPMorgan Chase & Co ...If JPMorgan Chase failed to stop Madoff, Jamie Dimon must gowww.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/27/125...
  3 days ago ... Chase's CEO, Jamie Dimon, must pay for this with his job. ... So why shouldn't thefeds force Dimon to resign after being at the helm for the ...
VIDEO-Russians Calling G20 USB Memory Stick Spying Story A "Diversion" From Obama's NSA Scandal - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 01:39
QRSS Plus - Automatically Updating Active QRSS Grabbers List
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 01:09
  7L1RLL (Rick) [site]JapanLast Update: 9 min and 43 secG0MQW / primary (Chris) [site]Reading, Berkshire, EnglandLast Update: 9 min and 43 secG0MQW / secondary (Chris) [site]Reading, Berkshire, EnglandLast Update: 9 min and 43 secG4CDY (Terry) [site]EnglandLast Update: 9 min and 43 secIV3ONZ (Andy) [site]Redipuglia, ItalyLast Update: 19 min and 44 secKL7 L (Laurence) [site]Wasilla, AlaskaLast Update: 9 min and 43 secLA5GOA / A (Steen) [site]NorwayLast Update: 9 min and 43 secLA5GOA / B (Steen) [site]NorwayLast Update: 9 min and 43 secOZ9QV (Jan) [site]DenmarkLast Update: 9 min and 43 secPA0TAB (HJ) [site]NetherlandsLast Update: 9 min and 43 secPA1GSJ (HJ) [site]NetherlandsLast Update: 9 min and 43 secPA2OHH (OH) [site]NetherlandsLast Update: 9 min and 43 secPA9QV (Jan) [site]NetherlandsLast Update: 9 min and 43 secVE3GTC / primary (Graham) [site]Ontario, CanadaLast Update: 9 min and 43 secVE7IGH (Gregory) [site]British Columbia, CanadaLast Update: 9 min and 43 secW4HBK - 10min (Bill) [site]Pensacola, FloridaLast Update: 9 min and 43 secW4HBK - 6hr (Bill) [site]Pensacola, FloridaLast Update: 9 min and 43 secW5GB - 40m (NMSU-ARC) [site]Las Cruces, New MexicoLast Update: 9 min and 43 secW5GB - 30m (NMSU-ARC) [site]Las Cruces, New MexicoLast Update: 9 min and 43 secZL2IK / 10min (Pete) [site]Northland, New ZealandLast Update: 9 min and 43 secZL2IK / 3hr (Pete) [site]Northland, New ZealandLast Update: 9 min and 43 secAC0XR / 10m (Brady) [site]Brighton, COLast Update: 4 days 2 hr 29 min and 43 secAC0XR 1hr (Brady) [site]Brighton, COLast Update: 4 days 2 hr 29 min and 43 secAJ4VD (Scott) [site]Gainesville, FloridaLast Update: 23 hr 29 min and 43 secDL4DTL (Maik) [site]South GermanyLast Update: 7 days 23 hr 39 min and 44 secG3ZJO (Eddie) [site]Northampton, EnglandLast Update: 7 days 23 hr 39 min and 44 secG4JVF (Philip) [site]North Derbyshire, UKLast Update: 8 days 17 hr 39 min and 44 secG6AVK (Colin) [site]Essex, EnglandLast Update: 8 days 17 hr 39 min and 44 secG6NHU (Keith) [site]EnglandLast Update: 3 hr 59 min and 44 secG8NXD (Mike) [site]Redruth, EnglandLast Update: 6 days 11 hr 49 min and 44 secGJ7RWT (Andy) [site]Jersey, EnglandLast Update: 8 days 17 hr 39 min and 44 secI2NDT (Claudio) [site]Bergamo, ItaliaLast Update: 3 days 20 hr 59 min and 44 secIK1WVQ (Mauro) [site]Albenga, ItalyLast Update: 1 hr 49 min and 44 secIZ3NVR (Stefano) [site]Roncade, ItalyLast Update: 2 days 5 hr 39 min and 44 secKE4YH (Stewart) [site]Dunedin, FloridaLast Update: 106 days 6 hr 49 min and 44 secKK7CC (Jerry) [site]Las Vegas, NevadaLast Update: 2 days 5 hr 39 min and 44 secMW0UZO (Daniel) [site]WalesLast Update: 19 days 17 hr 59 min and 43 secON4CDJ (Patrick) [site]BelgiumLast Update: 1 hr 39 min and 43 secS52AS (Roman) [site]Novo Mesto, SloveniaLast Update: 6 hr 49 min and 44 secSA6BSS (Mikael) [site]SwedenLast Update: 2 hr 59 min and 44 secVE1VDM (Vernon) [site]Nova Scotia, CanadaLast Update: 23 hr 59 min and 43 secVE3GTC / secondary (Graham) [site]Ontario, CanadaLast Update: 5 hr 39 min and 44 secVK2DDI (David) [site]New South WalesLast Update: 1 day 13 hr 9 min and 43 secVK7ZL (Bob) [site]Southern TasmaniaLast Update: 1 day 13 hr 9 min and 43 secWB5FKC (Christian) [site]El Paso, TXLast Update: 4 days 9 hr 59 min and 44 sec
Remarks by the First Lady at Sesame Workshop Licensing & Let's Move! Announcement | The White House
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 31 Oct 2013 00:57
  The White House
  Office of the First Lady
  For Immediate Release
  October 30, 2013
  State Dining Room
  2:44 P.M. EDT
  MRS. OBAMA: Thank you, everyone. (Applause.) Good afternoon. Well, welcome to the White House. I'm thrilled to have you all here today.
  As many of you know, last month, we held the first ever White House Convening on food marketing for children. And I stood in this exact room in this exact same spot with representatives from America's leading companies and organizations. And I issued a simple challenge: I challenged those leaders to market food more responsibly to our children. I challenged them to use creative, innovative marketing strategies to get our kids excited about healthy foods.
  And today, just six weeks later, it is no surprise that Sesame Workshop was the first organization to answer this call. Because that, more than anything else, is Sesame Workshop's mission: To help our kids learn and grow and fulfill every last bit of their potential.
  And that's why, nearly a decade ago, Sesame Workshop created their Healthy Habits for Life initiative to teach kids about healthy eating and exercise. And that is why, today, they're taking the unprecedented step of letting America's produce companies use Sesame Street Muppet characters to get kids excited about eating fruits and vegetables, and they're doing this free of charge. Yes! (Laughter and applause.) Free! Yes, Mel, free. (Applause.) Right here in the pocketbook. Like that. (Laughter.)
  This is a huge deal, and I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to Mel Ming and everyone from Sesame Workshop for everything they are doing for our children. You guys are phenomenal, and it is always a pleasure and an honor to work with you.
  I also want to thank Larry at PHA for their work on this initiative and so many other important initiatives. You all have been phenomenal, and I am so proud and so grateful.
  And of course, I want to give a big thank you to Jan and to Bryan Silberman and the Produce Marketing Association. Their members are already hard at work preparing to deploy the Sesame Street Muppet characters on behalf of fruits and vegetables. You guys are ready to roll, that's good. (Laughter.) And these new efforts are so incredibly important, because right now, when it comes to marketing food to our kids, as you all know, the deck is stacked against healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
  The average child watches thousands of food advertisements each year, and 86 percent of these ads are for products loaded with sugar, fat or salt. By contrast, our kids see an average of just one ad -- just one ad -- a week for healthy products like water and fruits and vegetables. Just one. And the ads that our kids are seeing are highly effective, particularly those that feature the TV and movie characters that our children have come to love and adore.
  And you don't have to take my word for it. The research bares it out. In one study, researchers gave children a choice between eating an apple, a cookie or both. Surprisingly, the vast majority of kids went for the cookies. I might do the same. (Laughter.) But when the researchers put Elmo stickers on the apples and let the kids choose again, nearly double the number of kids went for an apple. That's right, just that little Elmo sticker, the power of Elmo, was enough to get kids excited about eating a healthy snack.
  So just imagine what will happen when we take our kids to the grocery store and they see the Sesame Street Muppets lining all over the produce aisle. Just imagine. Imagine. (Laughter.) Mel's eyes are like, oh, it's going to be good. (Laughter.) Just imagine what it's going to be like, moms and dads, when our kids are begging us to buy them fruits and vegetables instead of cookies, candy and chips. It can happen.
  That's what this new collaboration between Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association is all about. It's about showing our kids that healthy food can be fun and that fruits and vegetables just don't make us feel good, but they also taste good. So this is a very important step forward.
  But while Sesame Workshop and PMA might be the first to answer our call, there is plenty of work left to be done, and there are plenty of different ways to show leadership on this issue. So I am looking forward to celebrating more companies and more organizations as they step up on behalf of our children.
  And today, we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to be joined by two furry friends from Sesame Street -- (laughter) -- who will be playing such an important role in this new effort. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Elmo and Rosita! (Applause.)
  ROSITA: Hola!
  ELMO: Hello, Hello Mrs. Obama! (Laughter.)
  MRS. OBAMA: It's great to see you. Elmo, I love the tie. You dressed up for our press conference.
  ROSITA: And I wore my pearls, my mom's pearls.
  MRS. OBAMA: Oh, my God, they're beautiful.
  ELMO: Can Elmo tell you a secret?
  MRS. OBAMA: Yes, please.
  ELMO: It's a clip-on.
  MRS. OBAMA: It's a -- oh, it's a clip-on.
  ELMO: It's a clip-on.
  MRS. OBAMA: So, how do you guys feel about getting kids pumped up and excited about eating healthy foods?
  ELMO: Oh, well, it's wonderful. Elmo loves healthy foods. Yes, Elmo thinks that fruits and vegetables are delicious.
  ROSITA: Yes, s­, s­, s­, me, too. And you know what? They help us grow healthy and strong. Check out these muscles.
  MRS. OBAMA: Let me see your muscle. Let me see it.
  ELMO: Oh, that's a giant muscle, Rosita. (Laughter.)
  MRS. OBAMA: It's mighty, mighty. Oh, yes. Oh, Elmo, oh, your muscle, too, is so powerful.
  ROSITA: Let me see your muscle. Oh. (Laughter.) Wow, strong.
  ELMO: You know, Elmo eats lots of fruits and vegetables every day, Mrs. Obama.
  MRS. OBAMA: That's very good.
  ROSITA: Oh, that's wonderful, Elmo, because you know what?
  ELMO: What?
  ROSITA: Fruits and vegetables are anytime foods.
  MRS. OBAMA: They are.
  ROSITA: You know what that means?
  ELMO: What?
  ROSITA: They're so good for you that you can eat them every single day. (Laughter.)
  MRS. OBAMA: All the time. All the time.
  ELMO: You know what Elmo loves about them, too?
  MRS. OBAMA: What?
  ELMO: They're very colorful.
  MRS. OBAMA: They are pretty.
  ELMO: Lots of different colors.
  MRS. OBAMA: Yes.
  ROSITA: And the more colors you eat, the better. Yes.
  MRS. OBAMA: Lots of colors are good.
  ELMO: It's like a rainbow of food.
  MRS. OBAMA: A rainbow of food.
  ROSITA: Beautiful rainbow.
  ELMO: Can Mrs. Obama say it? A rainbow of food.
  MRS. OBAMA: A rainbow of food. (Laughter.) It's beautiful.
  ELMO: And even if some of the foods are foods that Elmo's never tried before, Elmo likes to try new foods because they're so colorful.
  MRS. OBAMA: That's very good. I'm so proud of you.
  ROSITA: Yo tambi(C)n. Me, too.
  MRS. OBAMA: S­, s­.
  ELMO: Yes, yes --
  MRS. OBAMA: Excellent.
  ELMO: And, Mrs. Obama?
  MRS. OBAMA: Yes.
  ELMO: What are some of your favorite foods?
  ROSITA: Yes, tell us.
  MRS. OBAMA: Oh, I love sweet potatoes. I love broccoli. And you know what? I love them when they're put on a pizza. I love veggie pizza.
  ELMO: Now, wait a minute, wait a minute.
  MRS. OBAMA: What?
  ELMO: We're talking about healthy foods here, and you're going to put cheese on them?
  ROSITA: But it's good. (Laughter.)
  MRS. OBAMA: Is that funny, Elmo?
  ELMO: That's hilarious.
  MRS. OBAMA: Veggie pizza is very healthy for you.
  ROSITA: Do you know how you say broccoli in Spanish?
  ELMO: How?
  MRS. OBAMA: How?
  ROSITA: Broccoli. (Laughter.)
  MRS. OBAMA: Broccoli. That's excellent. Well, these are all good foods, and we're going to help kids learn to love all the fruits and vegetables. In fact, we actually have many of these fruits and vegetables growing in our White House Kitchen Garden. Yes.
  ELMO: Oh.
  ROSITA: Really?
  MRS. OBAMA: And guess what?
  ELMO: What?
  MRS. OBAMA: We've got a bunch of kids here today. They are out there at the garden, and they're going to help us harvest our fruits and vegetables for the fall.
  ELMO: Oh, really, really?
  MRS. OBAMA: Yes, yes.
  ELMO: Wow.
  MRS. OBAMA: And then we're going to cook a tasty meal for us all to share after we harvest the vegetables.
  ELMO: Oh, that's very exciting.
  ROSITA: Oh, oh, this is good. Yes, yes!
  MRS. OBAMA: It's going to be good. It's going to be good. (Laughter.) So here's the thing -- do you guys want to help?
  ROSITA: S­. Pero, claro que s­.
  MRS. OBAMA: Do you want to come and help us harvest, and then eat with the kids?
  ELMO: That sounds wonderful.
  MRS. OBAMA: All right, well then, let's get it done.
  ROSITA: Let's get it done.
  MRS. OBAMA: Let's Move. Let's Move. Let's Move. Let's Move. Let's Move. (Applause.) All right, I'll see you guys. I'll see you guys. Bye. (Applause.)
  I have to go change to go out to the garden. I've got to beat Elmo and Rosita. But thank you all for the work that you're doing. As you can see, we've got some good ambassadors right here. I think this is going to help.
  So, once again, thank you all, and we will see you soon. At the next press conference, we're announcing the next initiative, correct? All right, you all. Take care. (Applause.)
  END2:54 P.M. EDT
Revealed: NSA pushed 9/11 as key 'sound bite' to justify surveillance | Al Jazeera America
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 23:01
  October 30, 201312:09PM ET
  Gen. Keith Alexander, National Security Agency chief, testifies earlier this year.Mark Wilson/Getty
  The National Security Agency advised its officials to cite the 9/11 attacks as justification for its mass surveillance activities, according to a master list of NSA talking points.
  The document, obtained by Al Jazeera through a Freedom of Information Act request, contains talking points and suggested statements for NSA officials (PDF) responding to the fallout from media revelations that originated with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
  Invoking the events of 9/11 to justify the controversial NSA programs, which have caused major diplomatic fallout around the world, was the top item on the talking points that agency officials were encouraged to use.
  Under the subheading ''Sound Bites That Resonate,'' the document suggests the statement ''I much prefer to be here today explaining these programs, than explaining another 9/11 event that we were not able to prevent.''
  NSA head Gen. Keith Alexander used a slightly different version of that statement when he testified before Congress on June 18 in defense of the agency's surveillance programs.
  Asked to comment on the document, NSA media representative Vanee M. Vines pointed Al Jazeera to Alexander's congressional testimony on Tuesday, and said the agency had no further comment. In keeping with the themes listed in the talking points, the NSA head told legislators that ''it is much more important for this country that we defend this nation and take the beatings than it is to give up a program that would result in this nation being attacked.''
  Critics have long noted the tendency of senior U.S. politicians and security officials to use the fear of attacks like the one that killed almost 3,000 Americans to justify policies ranging from increased defense spending to the invasion of Iraq.
  Al Jazeera obtained the 27 pages of talking points from the NSA this week in response to a FOIA request filed June 13. The statements had been prepared for agency officials facing questions from Congress or the media over the revelations contained in classified documents that Snowden leaked to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Barton Gellman and others.
  A letter accompanying the documents notes that the talking points ''are prepared and approved for a speaker to use and do not necessarily represent what the speaker actually said at the event.''
  The NSA has not yet turned over to Al Jazeera the documents the agency used to prepare the talking points, saying those materials require additional review before they can be released.
  The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon also appear at the top of another talking-points document titled ''Media Leaks One Card,'' which contains 13 bullet points to explain the rationale behind the surveillance programs. Those points include ''First responsibility is to defend the nation'' and ''NSA and its partners must make sure we connect the dots so that the nation is never attacked again like it was on 9/11.''
  The master talking points list goes on to explain, under a subheading titled ''We Needed to Connect the Dots,'' that ''post-9/11 we made several changes and added a number of capabilities to enable us to connect the dots.''
  Continuing revelations from the Snowden documents reveal surveillance on a scale that appears to go far beyond the scope of monitoring potential attackers, however. The agency's ''head of state collection'' program, for example, reportedly included the monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.
  The talking points document advises officials to emphasize the word ''lawful'' when discussing NSA surveillance programs, and to state that ''our allies have benefited '... just as we have.''
  ''We believe that over 100 nations are capable of collecting signals intelligence or operating a lawful intercept capability that enable them to monitor communications,'' the document continued.
  Critics have called into question the veracity of the claim that NSA surveillance has thwarted more than 50 ''potential'' attacks. They claim evidence to support such assertions is lacking.
  NSA officials are advised to respond to questions about any potential civil liberties violations by citing talking points that say there have not been any ''willful violations'' and that the NSA is committed to ''upholding the privacy and civil liberties of the American people.''
VIDEO-NSA fires back at Washington Post report - Tony Romm - POLITICO.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:50
  A new report that the U.S. government had infiltrated links to Google's and Yahoo's data centers around the globe drew a sharp rebuke Wednesday from the National Security Agency, which declined to comment whether such collection had ever occurred.
  The program, exposed through Edward Snowden's leaks, relied on a broad, decades-old executive orderand allowed the NSA access to data-center connections in secret outside the United States, according to The Washington Post, which broke the story. Asked about the leak, Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA's leader, said earlier Wednesday he was unaware of the Post's report '-- adding the NSA is ''not authorized'' to access companies data centers and instead must ''go through a court process'' to obtain such content.
  Continue ReadingIn 60 secs: Politicians on NSAGreenwald: Alexander 'misleading'
  (PHOTOS: 15 great quotes on NSA spying)
  The NSA, meanwhile, emphasized it hadn't tried to circumvent U.S. law under the executive order, known by its numerical designation, 12333. ''The assertion that we collect vast quantities of U.S. persons' data from this type of collection is also not true,'' a spokeswoman said. But the NSA aide declined to discuss further whether the agency '-- perhaps under other authorities '-- had infiltrated data center connections at all.
  Google and Yahoo both told the Post it hadn't granted the NSA access to its data centers. Both companies did not immediately comment for this story.
  For now, the latest leak only adds to the serious political troubles plaguing the NSA, which this week has faced considerable flak for monitoring world leaders' communications, snooping on the United Nations and perhaps even targeting its surveillance efforts at the Vatican. The revelations together have prompted a groundswell of international fury, especially in Europe. And those complaints have resonated on Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers are weighing new ways to restrain the agency's surveillance authorities.
  (Also on POLITICO: NSA: European spying reports are false)
  Much of the focus has been on existing law '-- the so-called Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, and the PATRIOT Act, both of which grant the NSA broad capabilities to obtain phone call logs and Internet communications. But those laws don't necessarily govern the spy agency's collection capabilities overseas '-- an area in which many on Capitol Hill long have acknowledged a blind spot in their oversight.
  The latest furor centers on a project code named MUSCULAR, which targets data centers located around the world and granted the NSA access potentially to hundreds of millions of accounts, including those perhaps owned by Americans, the Post indicated. The program appears to differ from PRISM, another initiative revealed by Snowden and permitted under U.S. law, which allows the NSA to obtain data from Internet companies directly.
  Asked about the report, the NSA spokeswoman would not comment on its specifics '-- only on its legal underpinnings.
  She said the ''NSA applies Attorney General-approved processes to protect the privacy of U.S. persons '' minimizing the likelihood of their information in our targeting, collection, processing, exploitation, retention, and dissemination.''
  (Also on POLITICO: EU: Friends 'do not spy on each other')
  ''NSA is a foreign intelligence agency. And we're focused on discovering and developing intelligence about valid foreign intelligence targets only,'' the spokeswoman added.
  Earlier in the day, Alexander defended the NSA's conduct while attending a Bloomberg cyber summit. ''It's legal, it's necessary and it's authorized, in every case,'' Alexander said of existing programs that permit the NSA to collect phone records and monitor Internet communications for foreign threats.
Tom Wheeler Confirmed As Next FCC Chair | TVNewsCheck.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:34
  updated 10:36 p.m.
  Following his swearing in, the former cable and wireless telephone lobbyist will assume the top job at the agency, succeeding fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn, who has been running things as acting chairwoman since Julius Genachowski stepped down earlier this year. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cleared the way for the confirmation vote Tuesday evening by lifting his hold on a vote.
  Former cable and wireless phone lobbyist Tom Wheeler was confirmed Tuesday evening to be the next FCC chairman, according to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).
  Also confirmed was Senate aide Mike O'Rielly to the vacant Republican seat on the commission.
  Story continues after the ad
  Following his swearing in, Wheeler will assume the top job at the agency, succeeding fellow Democrat Mignon Clyburn, who has been running things as acting chairwoman since Julius Genachowski stepped down earlier this year.
  The confirmations quickly followed news that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had released his hold on a Senate confirmation vote on Wheeler.
  Cruz said in a press release earlier Tuesday that he had put the hold on due to concerns that Wheeler might try to impose new disclosure requirements on some political ads, without Congress' approval.
  But during a meeting with Wheeler in the afternoon, Cruz said the FCC nominee made clear that he had ''heard the unambiguous message'' that trying to impose the disclosure requirements, absent congressional approval ''would imperil the commission's vital statutory responsibilities, and he [Wheeler] explicitly stated that doing so was 'not a priority,' '' Cruz said.
  ''Based on those representations, I have lifted my hold on his nomination, and I look forward to working with him on the FCC to expand jobs and economic growth,'' Cruz said.
  O'Reilly's fate was tied to Wheeler's.
  Wheeler issued this statement: ''I am humbled by the Senate's confirmation and I look forward to taking the oath of office in the coming days. I am deeply grateful to President Obama for his confidence in nominating me for this position.
  ''Chairwoman Clyburn has led the commission with dedication and vision for six months. We all owe Chairwoman Clyburn a huge thank you. The chairwoman, along with Commissioners Rosenworcel and Pai and the FCC staff dealt with important issues that kept policy and the country moving forward.
  ''Congratulations to Commissioner O'Rielly for his Senate confirmation. We will be joining a dynamic and dedicated team at the FCC.
  ''What excites me about this new responsibility is how we are at a hinge moment of history; the Internet is the greatest communications revolution in the last 150 years. We must all dedicate ourselves to encouraging its growth, expanding what it enables, and assuring its users' rights are respected.''
  Acting FCC Chairwoman Clyburn said: ''I congratulate Tom Wheeler and Michael O'Rielly on their Senate confirmations. Tom brings a tremendous depth of experience, talent, and knowledge that will serve him well as the leader of this critically important agency. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding FCC Chairman. With his extensive public policy expertise and understanding of the communications landscape, Michael will certainly be an invaluable asset to the commission.
  ''The FCC family enthusiastically welcomes both Tom and Michael. I look forward to working with them, along with my current colleagues at the commission, to further communications policies that advance the public interest, bolster competition, empower consumers, and spur new waves of innovation that grow our economy and create jobs.''
  Responding to the news:
  NAB President-CEO Gordon Smith: "NAB strongly supported the nominations of both Tom Wheeler and Michael O'Rielly and we are pleased with their confirmation. We also salute the superb job done by Mignon Clyburn during her tenure as acting chair. Broadcasters look forward to working with a full complement of commissioners in the months and years ahead. Local radio and TV stations will continue our evolution to new distribution platforms, mindful that broadcasting remains an indispensable source of news, entertainment and lifeline information to communities across America."
  NCTA President-CEO Michael Powell: ''We congratulate Tom Wheeler and Mike O'Rielly on their confirmations to serve on the Federal Communications Commission and look forward to working with them in their new positions. Both individuals bring an abundance of experience and deep knowledge of media, technology and telecommunications that will serve them well as the Commission considers important policy issues. With the commission soon to be at full strength, we would also be remiss not to complement Acting Commissioner Mignon Clyburn for her steady hands and for the significant contributions made by the FCC under her watch. We look forward to working with all commissioners as we begin a new chapter with a new chairman."
  Gary Shapiro, president-CEO, Consumer Electronics Association: "We applaud the Senate on the confirmations of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly. Chairman Wheeler takes the helm of the FCC at a critical time where action is required to reallocate spectrum for wireless broadband and other services. Our nation needs strong FCC leadership to make this goal a reality. CEA and its more than 2,000 member technology companies look forward to working with Chairman Wheeler, Commissioner O'Rielly and the full FCC on spectrum reallocation and other issues vital to innovation and our nation. We thank and congratulate Acting Chairwoman Clyburn for her terrific, honorable and exemplary leadership as acting chairwoman."
Italian magazine says U.S. spies listened to pope, Vatican says unaware | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:32
  Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi talks to reporters during a news conference at the Vatican February 12, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/ Tony Gentile
  VATICAN CITY | Wed Oct 30, 2013 1:13pm EDT
  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An Italian magazine said on Wednesday that a United States spy agency had eavesdropped on Vatican phone calls, possibly including when former Pope Benedict's successor was under discussion, but the Holy See said it had no knowledge of any such activity.
  Panorama magazine said that among 46 million phone calls followed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in Italy from December 10, 2012, to January 8, 2013, were conversations in and out of the Vatican.
  In a press release before full publication on Thursday, Panorama said the "NSA had tapped the pope". It cited no source for its information.
  Asked to comment on the report, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said: "We are not aware of anything on this issue and in any case we have no concerns about it."
  Media reports based on revelations from Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. intelligence operative granted asylum in Russia, have said the NSA had spied on French citizens over the same period in December in January.
  Last week, the German government appeared to confirm that Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone had also been monitored by American spies. The issue has also caused Washington problems with Brazil and China.
  Panorama said the recorded Vatican phone calls were catalogued by the NSA in four categories - leadership intentions, threats to the financial system, foreign policy objectives and human rights.
  Benedict resigned on February 28 this year and his successor, Pope Francis, was elected on March 13.
  "It is feared" that calls were listened to up until the start of the conclave that elected Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, Panorama said.
  The magazine said there was also a suspicion that the Rome residence where some cardinals lived before the conclave, including the future pope, was monitored.
  (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Philip Pullella and Angus MacSwan)
  Tweet thisLink thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
VIDEO- CNN's Carol Costello: Obama's People Can Be "Nasty," Will "Threaten Your Job" - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 21:31
Twitter hit with $124 million lawsuit over private stock sale | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 21:07
  A person holds a magnifying glass over a computer screen displaying Twitter logos, in this picture illustration taken in Skopje September 10, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Ognen Teofilovski
  By Nate Raymond and Jonathan Stempel
  NEW YORK | Wed Oct 30, 2013 2:15pm EDT
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Twitter Inc was sued for $124 million on Wednesday by two companies claiming the social media darling fraudulently had them organize a private sale of its shares to stoke investor interest for an initial public offering then canceled it.
  In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Precedo Capital Group Inc and Continental Advisors SA accused Twitter of using the aborted sale as a way to give the money-losing company a $10 billion market valuation and higher IPO price.
  "Twitter never intended to complete the offering on behalf of Twitter stockholders, in the private market, thereby causing substantial damages to the plaintiffs in the loss of commissions, fees and expenses, as well as through their business reputation," the lawsuit said.
  The financial firms seek $24.2 million of compensatory damages, $100 million of punitive damages and other remedies.
  Jim Prosser, a spokesman for Twitter, in a statement said the company had never had a relationship with Precedo or Continental Advisors.
  "Their claim is completely without merit," he added.
  The lawsuit comes as anticipation builds for Twitter's IPO, widely considered the most highly awaited since Facebook Inc went public in May 2012.
  Last week, the San Francisco-based company said it would offer its shares at between $17 and $20 each, valuing the company at up to about $11 billion. No date has been set yet but market watchers believe the IPO could happen as early as next week.
  Twitter was holding its first large investor lunch in New York on Wednesday. Institutional investors who met with Twitter this week say they are optimistic about its upcoming IPO and see it as a more conservative offering than Facebook's splashy IPO.
  Like many Silicon Valley start-up companies, Twitter has paid employees and contractors using private stock.
  According to the lawsuit, it was worried about repeating some problems afflicting Facebook's $16 billion offering.
  In particular, the lawsuit said Twitter sought to avoid the potential for excess supply of company shares by controlling the buyers and sellers of those shares in the private market.
  Precedo, an Arizona-based broker dealer, and Continental, a Luxembourg financial adviser, said they were contacted by GSV Asset Management, an approved buyer of Twitter stock, about marketing a fund that could only purchase Twitter shares.
  GSV allegedly had negotiated an agreement with Twitter in which it would arrange the sale of up to $278 million of shares owned by employees and others, in blocks of $50 million.
  Precedo and Continental said they lined up commitments for the first $50 million block and set up road shows in the United States, Europe and Asia where GSV managing partner Matthew Hanson disclosed material non-public information about Twitter.
  But they said Twitter eventually blocked the sale after learning that Precedo and Continental had attracted investors willing to pay $19 a share, considerably above the $17 or less offered in other private market transactions.
  The firms now say Twitter "never intended" to allow the private stock sales to go forward.
  "Twitter's intention was to induce Precedo Capital and Continental Advisors to create an artificial private market wherein Twitter could maintain that a private market existed at or about $19 per share for the Twitter stock," they said.
  The case is Precedo Capital Group Inc. v. Twitter Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 13-07678.
  (Reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Tim Dobbyn and Cynthia Osterman)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
U.S. tells U.N. it won't spy on world body | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:56
  RAF Menwith Hill base, which provides communications and intelligence support services to the United Kingdom and the U.S. is pictured near Harrogate, northern England June 15, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Nigel Roddis
  By Michelle Nichols
  UNITED NATIONS | Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:40pm EDT
  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday that the United States has pledged not to spy on the world body's communications after a report that the National Security Agency had gained access to the U.N. video conferencing system.
  The United Nations contacted U.S. authorities after the spying revelations were made by German news magazine Der Spiegel in August, citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
  "I understand that the U.S. authorities have given assurances that United Nations communications are not and will not be monitored," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters on Wednesday. Nesirky declined to comment further when asked if U.S. authorities had previously spied on U.N. communications.
  A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, later on Wednesday confirmed Nesirky's remarks. "The United States is not conducting electronic surveillance targeting the United Nations headquarters in New York," the official said.
  The United States has faced international criticism over its far-reaching global surveillance activities following Snowden's disclosure of previously secret documents this year.
  U.S. allies, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have protested over American spying on foreign heads of state.
  Merkel's top foreign affairs and intelligence advisers were in Washington on Wednesday to question American officials over U.S. spying in Germany. The White House said last week the United States "is not monitoring and will not monitor" Merkel's communications, but did not deny that the chancellor may have been spied on in the past.
  President Barack Obama recently ordered the NSA to curtail eavesdropping on the headquarters of the United Nations in New York as part of a review of U.S. electronic surveillance, an American official familiar with the decision told Reuters this week. The NSA declined to comment.
  The full extent of U.S. eavesdropping on the United Nations is not publicly known, nor is it clear whether the United States has stopped all monitoring of diplomats assigned to the United Nations in New York or elsewhere around the world.
  "The inviolability of diplomatic missions, including the United Nations, has been well established in international law, and therefore all member states are expected to act accordingly," Nesirky said.
  The 1961 Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations protects functions of the United Nations, diplomatic missions and other international organizations.
  (Editing by Will Dunham)
  Tweet thisLink thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
U.S. tells U.N. it won't spy on world body
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:55
  click here to continue to articlecliquez ici pour lire l'articleweiter zum Artikelclicca qui per visualizzare l'articoloweiter zum Artikelir a la noticiaklik hier om door te gaan naar het artikelYazÄ±ya devam etmek i§in tÄ±klayÄ±n>>ÐŸÐµÑÐµÐ¹Ñ‚Ð¸ Ðº ÑÑ‚Ð°Ñ‚ÑŒÐµ>>ç>>§ç>>­é…è¯>>æ–‡ç ¼Œè¯·ç‚¹å‡>>èé‡ŒTovbb a cikkre
BBC News - World faces global wine shortage - report
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:52
  30 October 2013Last updated at14:07 ETThe world is facing a wine shortage, with global consumer demand already significantly outstripping supply, a report has warned.
  The research by America's Morgan Stanley financial services firm says demand for wine "exceeded supply by 300m cases in 2012".
  It describes this as "the deepest shortfall in over 40 years of records".
  Last year, production also dropped to its lowest levels in more than four decades.
  Global production has been steadily declining since its peak in 2004, when supply outweighed demand by about 600m cases.
  'Main drivers'Continue reading the main storyFrance, US - both 12%Italy, China - both 9%Germany - 8%UK, Russia - both 5%Spain, Argentina - both 4%Source: Morgan StanleyThe report by Morgan Stanley's analysts Tom Kierath and Crystal Wang says global wine consumption has been rising since 1996 (except a drop in 2008-09), and presently stands at about 3bn cases per year.
  At the same time, there are currently more than one million wine producers worldwide, making some 2.8bn cases each year.
  The authors predict that - in the short term - "inventories will likely be reduced as current consumption continues to be predominantly supplied by previous vintages"
  And as consumption then inevitably turns to the 2012 vintage, the authors say they "expect the current production shortfall to culminate in a significant increase in export demand, and higher prices for exports globally".
  They say this could be partly explained by "plummeting production" in Europe due to "ongoing vine pull and poor weather".
  Total production across the continent fell by about 10% last year, and by 25% since its peak in 2004.
  At the same time, production in the "new world" countries - the US, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand - has been steadily rising.
  "With tightening conditions in Europe, the major new world exporters stand to benefit most from increasing demand on global export markets."
  The report says the French are still the world's largest consumers of wine (12%).
  But it adds that the US (also 12%) is now only marginally second.
  It also states that the US together with China - the world's fifth-largest market - are seen as "the main drivers of consumption globally".
VIDEO-Warnings over 'childporn' computer virus in the Netherlands | euronews, world news
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:46
  Dutch police are warning computer users not to be taken in by a virus warning that child pornography has been found, and demanding money.
  Hundreds of people are said to have been fooled.
  Police say criminals try to shame users into paying a fine to unlock the computer.
  Several other countries have reported similar viruses.
  JavaScript is required in order to view this article's accompanying video
TERROR IN TUNISIA AS US SEEKS BASE
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: aangirfan
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:11
  In March 2013, US General Carter F Ham visited Tunisia."Some media and social networks said that the visit ... falls in line with discussions regarding the setting up of a US military base in Tunisia."
  US Military Base in Tunisia
  NATO terrorists in TunisiaIn the second half of October 2013, NATO warships were paying a visit to Tunisia MonastirOn 30 October 2013, bombers attacked holiday resorts in Tunisia.
  On 30 October 2013, a man blew himself up outside the Riadh Palm hotel in Sousse.
  Attack on Hotel in Sousse, Attack in Monastir Tunisia Live
  Tunisia, under attack by the CIA's al-Qaeda.
  The authorities pursued another suspect in Sousse and performed a sweep of the city.
  The National Guard in the tourist resort of Monastir said that there were multiple unsuccessful attacks in that city.
  The Ministry of Interior said there was one arrest in a failed attack on the Habib Bourguiba's mausoleum in Monastir.
  There were reports of an attack on another hotel in Sousse, the Vincci El Kantaoui Center.
  Attack on Hotel in Sousse, Attack in Monastir Tunisia Live
  Ben Ali, under whom Tunisia was peaceful, increasingly prosperous and generally liberal. Tunisia WAS a Moslem success story.Since the 2011 CIA-coup that toppled Ben Ali, Tunisia has been rocked by attacks blamed on CIA-led Islamist groups.On 29 October 2013, Tunisia's army launched a "huge" operation (to pretend) to track down CIA jihadists in the central Sidi Bouzid region, after six policemen had been killed.
  In October 2013 alone, nine members of the security forces were killed in clashes with suspected CIA jihadists.
  Suicide bomber hits Tunisia beach, nearby attack foiled
  Scenes from around Sousse, in Tunisia. The entertainments are by the 'Changing Ladies', performing at the Marhaba Beach Hotel.
  Anonymous said...Anyone feeling inclined to support the forces of good could head over to the Amazon site of the book 22 Faces (www.22faces.com) where author-therapist Judy Byington is being harassed by nasty people who don't like the fact she's written a compelling page-turner about a client who survived being mind controlled by the notorious Dr Greenbaum (Jewish turncoat who arrived in the US via Project paperclip to make spare cash teaching the CIA and Satanic families Nazi mind control techniques). The 6-year-old girl, astonishingly, survives the sacrificial altar and goes on to recover....and grass 'em up. Please help us scatter some haters and trolls
Facebook Wants to Track Your Mouse Cursor
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Valleywag
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:01
  A deft move from Facebook after its last privacy furor: the company just told the Wall Street Journal that it's testing a method to track everywhere your mouse moves on the site. Everyone is going to love this!
  You know the drill'--Facebook wants literally as much information about the human bodies and brains that use the site as possible. You never know what you can monetize until you have it, and of course, the site is already frothing at what it could mean for advertising revenues:
  The social network may start collecting data on minute user interactions with its content, such as how long a user's cursor hovers over a certain part of its website, or whether a user's newsfeed is visible at a given moment on the screen of his or her mobile phone, Facebook analytics chief Ken Rudin said Tuesday during an interview.
  Mr. Rudin said the captured information could be added to a data analytics warehouse that is available for use throughout the company for an endless range of purposes''from product development to more precise targeting of advertising.
  Just think: Facebook could sell ads based not only on the fact that you're a 35-year-old consultant who went to Michigan State and enjoys Battlestar Galactica and The Shins. It can sell ads on all of that, plus the way you move your mouse around'--do you tend to hover over, or put your cursor near certain kinds of ads? Boom'--that's proof they might be working, even just a little bit, and it'll trigger more of the same.
  This means, of course, that Facebook will also know how long you spend hovering over pictures of your ex-boyfriend, or how likely you are to quickly mouse past your friends' cringe-pushing wedding announcements. What it won't know is where exactly your eyeballs are pointed at the page, but with a little coding, the use of your webcam, and the ever-diminishing expectation of what Facebook doesn't know we do in the privacy of our homes, that's not impossible.
  Photo by mioi
Workforce Solutions: Hiring, Compliance, and Pay Reporting.
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:39
  Equifax Workforce Solutions replaces slow, paper-based tasks so that organizations can provide better, faster employee service. We enable organizations to meet today's demands for reduced costs and higher service levels. 9,000 organizations, including 3/4 of Fortune 500 companies, are served with Workforce Solutions web-based services in three employment-related areas. Hiring, Compliance, and Pay Reporting.
  Services include employment and income verifications through The Work Number®, unemployment tax management, and I-9 management.
  Services include onboarding and tax credits and incentives.
  Services include electronic time capture, paperless pay, and W-2 management.
  Equifax offers the only hiring, pay, and turnover benchmarks that are based on real employment data '' not self-reported survey information. With insight into the latest workforce trends, you can compare your business to reliable industry benchmarks, make key business decisions, and remain competitive in today's economy.
DIAGRAM-Equifax--The Doctor Weighs InHow does Healthcare.gov work? (Infographic) - The Doctor Weighs In
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:36
  By Eduardo Garcia @egpierro
  After spending some time trying to shop for insurance for my parents, and facing the same issues everyone has been having, I decided to put on my developer hat and try to figure out how this web application works. Using my browser's developer tools (I use Safari and Chrome) I was able to identify some of the various technical components of the application, and created the info graphic below. I also listened to the entire YouTube video and reviewed the documentation published on the U.S. House, Committee on Energy and Commerce. PPACA Implementation Failures: Didn't Know or Didn't Disclose?, Hearing, which aired on Thursday, October 24, 2013 '' 9:00am.
  According to the testimony from 4 of the main contractors associated with the Healthcare.gov project, specifically CGI Federal and QSSI/Optum, the ''Federally Facilitated Marketplace'' or FFM is a complex web application which serves as the face of the Obama Administration's highly touted Affordable Care Act. From my review of the FFM, it appears it has been built using a combination of HTML5 technologies including Twitter's Bootstrap Responsive Framework, jQuery, and Backbone.JS. The site also uses pingdom for monitoring, optimizely for testing and optimization, and virtual infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services. The FFM was developed by CGI Federal under a $293 Million contract from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
  A key component that was cited as a source of 'bottlenecks' is the Enterprise Identity Management or EIDM, which was developed by Optum/QSSI under a $85 Million contract from CMS as well. In my initial review it was unclear what technologies this system is exactly built on, but it was clear that it has a RESTful API that provides authentication, authorization, and access to FFM and, presumably, other CMS applications. It would've made sense to use this system, especially if it was already in place prior to the development of the FFM, since, presumably, it already has integrations to other systems built, and existing user data. Cheryl Campbell, SVP of CGI Federal, in the aforementioned committee hearing, kept referring to EIDM as ''the front door'' of the application. However, EIDM appears to be acting more like a AAA gateway and/or proxy, providing secure access to all back-end systems.
  Another critical component, and to me, the core of the Healthcare.gov web application, is the ''Data Services Hub''. This system was also developed by Optum/QSSI, and acts as a transactional-based data integration and web services layer to all the insurers' databases, CMS databases, and Equifax Income Verfication Services' systems. Given some of the error messages that I was able to view during my interaction with Healthcare.gov, I can tell that this system consists of a JBoss Application Server with data access components and RESTful web services developed using Java. Given my prior experience with JBoss and Java, although they are great for middleware development, they're known to be a bit slow.
  Finally, CMS has contracted with Serco to process all paper-based applications, which get entered onto the FFM using the same interface as consumers use, sans the account creation process. Presumably, Serco has special accounts in the EIDM. Obviously, if the FFM is not working properly, those paper applications will not be able to get processed.
  In closing, I look forward to the prompt resolution of all the bugs and infrastructure issues, and hope that this article provides everyone more clarity onto how Healthcare.gov really works. Please do share your comments on the section below.
Brazil Sugar fire River of Caramel
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:26
  Do:
  Para o:
NEW Braziol Sugar Fire
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:25
  Do:
  Para o:
VIDEO-Secretary Sebelius on Health Care Implementation Problems - C-SPAN Video Library
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:24
  Follow Similar Programs2
  House Committee Energy & CommerceFollow Sponsors
  The House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing titled ''PPACA Implementation Failures: Answers from HHS.'' Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified about the problems with the release of the Healthcare.gov Web .. Read MoreThe House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing titled ''PPACA Implementation Failures: Answers from HHS.'' Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified about the problems with the release of the Healthcare.gov Web site for the health insurance exchange which was provided for in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Secretary Sebelius apologized to the public for all the difficulties, saying that access to the site ''has been a miserable experience,'' and that she is committed to winning back the trust of the public.
  3 hours, 37 minutes | 989 Views
Dodd-Frank Change Among Bills Overtaken by Shutdown - Bloomberg
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 19:18
  Measures affecting Dodd-Frank Act requirements and the first bill to increase U.S. port dredging since 2007 won't move forward in Congress while the government remains shut down, according to two Republican leadership aides.
  The House probably won't move legislation on any topic other than government funding until a deal is reached to end the current impasse, according to the aides, who spoke on condition of not being identified in discussing legislative strategy.
  One of the Dodd-Frank bills would narrow what's known as the swaps push-out rule, which requires insured depository institutions to hand their swaps activities to affiliates. The other would require the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to identify potential effects on investors before setting rules to implement the law passed in 2010.
  Both those bills, H.R. 992 and H.R. 2374, were so far along that an open meeting was set for Sept. 28 to determine how many amendments would be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives. The meeting was put off indefinitely.
  The House had tentatively set aside part of next week to debate the port-dredging measure, H.R. 3080. The shutdown and efforts to resolve the impasse have clouded that schedule.
  At least 20 Republicans have said they would support a clean spending bill, enough to guarantee passage if Democrats also supported such a measure. There's no indication House Speaker John Boehner, who has sought to defund or delay the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare, would bring such a bill to the House floor.
  Important Diversion''We're going through something now that's pretty important to the nation,'' Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster said in an interview. ''Hopefully it won't throw us too far off'' the timeframe for the dredging bill, said the Pennsylvania Republican.
  Among the projects that the measure would authorize are dredging of the Sabine-Neches Waterway on the Texas-Louisiana border and deepening the Port of Savannah, which accounted for about 11 percent of U.S. container exports over the past fiscal year, according to the Georgia Ports Authority's website.
  The Sabine-Neches dredging would increase import and export capacity for Texas and Louisiana refineries owned by companies including Valero Energy Corp. (VLO), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Cheniere Energy Inc. (LNG), and Motiva Enterprises LLC.
  The dredging bill would ''enhance efficiencies of our refinery in Port Arthur, Texas,'' said Bill Day, a Valero spokesman.
  Deepening Savannah's harbor will cut shipping costs for companies such as Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), a Peoria, Illinois-based machinery manufacturer which cited the port in choosing to build a $200 million plant in Athens, Georgia.
  Spending AuthorizationThe legislation would authorize the federal government to spend about $779 million of the $1.1 billion needed for Sabine-Neches dredging, while contributing $461 million to the $662 million Savannah project.
  If the shutdown persists, it may also delay House consideration of a bill to block the implementation of federal regulations dealing with hydraulic fracturing, H.R. 2728, as well as action on border-security legislation.
  Both issues were mentioned in a Sept. 6 memo to House Republicans from Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican.
  Also in limbo: the appointment of House members to a conference committee that will work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a measure dealing with farm subsidies, H.R. 2642. House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, has the final say on the Republicans who'll handle that task. He plays a key role in the impasse and the effort to resolve it and end the resulting shutdown.
  ''The question is when will the speaker have time to focus on that, given all the other issues going on,'' House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas, an Oklahoma Republican, said in an interview.
  To contact the reporter on this story: Derek Wallbank in Washington at dwallbank@bloomberg.net
  To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katherine Rizzo at krizzo5@bloomberg.net
Thomas Sheridan's Official Blog: Russell Brand isn't Waking People Up - He is Putting You Back to Sleep
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:42
  It's always amazing to me how so many people who consider themselves to be 'awake' - still consider their beliefs being stated on the mainstream by a celebrity as being a higher accolade/validation, than any other outlet/research, or even their own convictions.Russell Brand is a pseudo-intellectual, overpaid, middle-class, media luvvie who is put out there by the BBC and the Guardian to make you forget all about Jimmy Savile and to quell your anger in a delusional state that he is 'waking others up'. Russell Brand is put on the TV screens to placate the ones already 'awake', and to put you back to sleep in the belief that this is some kind of victory. It's isn't - it is showbiz being used as a social engineering tool yet again.You do not need the BBC or Russell Brand to validate your convictions if you genuinely feel that strongly about them. The truth is already self-evident. No mainstream media, political or celebrity validation required. The Jimmy Savile horror show is the ultimate weapon we have in our arsenal which we can wake people up with. The BBC knows this, and so do their owners and personal friends of Jimmy Savile, the Royal Family. So they throw you a 'truth bone' in the form of celebrity Platitude Prosac Performance in the guise of Russell Brand talking about 'revolution' when in reality it's about distraction. Do not be bought off with this rubbish. Keep the Jimmy Savile anger raging - it is the key to bringing the whole pyramid down.Russell Brand's image is also very 'Christ'-like and this is still a very powerful archetype people are wooed by. The Christ image was also utilised by CIA creation Jim Morrison to act as another pied piper for the anti-Vietnam War generation in the mid-late 1960's. This is the same tactic being used again - forget your anger at the system - a celebrity will fight the revolution for you on the telly... Although the segment is being marketed as Paxman versus Brand it should be really titled: THE BBC VERSUS YOU (again...).
NSA infiltrates links to Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide, Snowden documents say - The Washington Post
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:35
  The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials.
  By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from among hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot.
  According to a top secret accounting dated Jan. 9, 2013, NSA's acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency's Fort Meade headquarters. In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records '-- ranging from ''metadata,'' which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.
  The NSA's principal tool to exploit the data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency's British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants.
  The infiltration is especially striking because the NSA, under a separate program known as PRISM, has front-door access to Google and Yahoo user accounts through a court-approved process.
  The MUSCULAR project appears to be an unusually aggressive use of NSA tradecraft against flagship American companies. The agency is built for high-tech spying, with a wide range of digital tools, but it has not been known to use them routinely against U.S. companies.
  White House officials and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the NSA, declined to confirm, deny or explain why the agency infiltrates Google and Yahoo networks overseas.
  In a statement, Google said it was ''troubled by allegations of the government intercepting traffic between our data centers, and we are not aware of this activity.''
  ''We have long been concerned about the possibility of this kind of snooping, which is why we continue to extend encryption across more and more Google services and links,'' the company said.
  At Yahoo, a spokeswoman said: ''We have strict controls in place to protect the security of our data centers, and we have not given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency.''
  Under PRISM, the NSA already gathers huge volumes of online communications records by legally compelling U.S. technology companies, including Yahoo and Google, to turn over any data matching court-approved search terms. That program, which was first disclosed by The Washington Post and the Guardian newspaper, is authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and overseen by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
  Intercepting communications overseas has clear advantages for the NSA, with looser restrictions and less oversight. NSA documents about the effort refer directly to ''full take,'' ''bulk access'' and ''high volume'' operations on Yahoo and Google networks. Such large-scale collection of Internet content would be illegal in the United States, but the operations take place overseas, where the NSA is allowed to presume that anyone using a foreign data link is a foreigner.
Patrick Leahy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:29
  Patrick LeahyPresident pro tempore of the United States SenateIncumbentAssumed officeDecember 17, 2012Preceded byDaniel InouyeUnited States Senatorfrom VermontIncumbentAssumed officeJanuary 3, 1975Serving with Bernie SandersPreceded byGeorge AikenChairman of the Senate Committee on the JudiciaryIncumbentAssumed officeJanuary 4, 2007Preceded byArlen SpecterIn officeJune 6, 2001 '' January 3, 2003Preceded byOrrin HatchSucceeded byOrrin HatchIn officeJanuary 3 '' 20, 2001Preceded byOrrin HatchSucceeded byOrrin HatchChairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and ForestryIn officeJanuary 4, 1987 '' January 3, 1995Preceded byJesse HelmsSucceeded byRichard LugarPersonal detailsBornPatrick Joseph Leahy(1940-03-31) March 31, 1940 (age 73)Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.Political partyDemocraticSpouse(s)Marcelle PomerleauChildren3Alma materSt. Michael's CollegeGeorgetown UniversityReligionRoman CatholicismSignatureWebsitewww.leahy.senate.govPatrick Joseph Leahy (//;[1] born March 31, 1940) is the senior United States Senator from Vermont, in office since 1975. A member of the Democratic Party, Leahy has been the President pro tempore of the United States Senate since December 17, 2012; as President pro tempore, he is third in the presidential line of succession. He is the most senior senator and took office at a younger age than any other current senator.
  Leahy is the only elected Democratic Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  Early life and family[edit]Leahy was born in Montpelier, Vermont, the son of Alba (n(C)e Zambon) and Howard Francis Leahy, a printer. His grandparents came to Vermont from Ireland and Italy during the 19th century to work at quarries.[2]
  He graduated from Saint Michael's College in 1961 and received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1964. He practiced as a lawyer until he was elected as State's Attorney of Chittenden County in 1966 and re-elected in 1970.
  Leahy married Marcelle Pomerleau in 1962; she is bilingual with French Canadian heritage from Quebec immigrants in Vermont. They reside in a farmhouse in Middlesex, Vermont that they moved to from Burlington, and have three children. Leahy celebrated his fiftieth anniversary with his wife, saying ''We hate it when we're apart from one another.''[3] Leahy is legally blind in one eye.
  U.S. Senator[edit]Early career (1974''1997)[edit]Leahy was elected to the United States Senate for the first time in November, 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal that had resulted in the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in August of that year. He won a close race with Republican Rep. Richard Mallary who was Vermont's lone congressman at the time. Leahy succeeded retiring 34-year incumbent George Aiken.[4] At 34 years old, he was the youngest Senator in Vermont history.[5] Leahy was nearly defeated in 1980 by Republican Stewart Ledbetter, winning by only 2,700 votes amid Ronald Reagan's landslide victory.[6] In 1986, he faced what was on paper an even stronger challenger in former governor Richard Snelling, but Leahy turned back this challenge, taking 64 percent of the vote. He has faced only one substantive Republican challenger since then, when in 1992 Vermont Secretary of StateJim Douglas held him to 54 percent of the vote.
  Leahy was the first non-Republican Senator from Vermont since 1856. To this day, he is the only Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Vermont. He is technically one of only three Democrats to represent Vermont in either house of Congress since the end of the Civil War. However, his election hastened Vermont's trend towards the Democratic Party, and since 2001, two other Vermont Senators have caucused with the Democrats. Jim Jeffords was elected as a Republican before he switched to become an Independent, while Bernie Sanders was elected as an Independent; he won and then refused the Democratic Party nomination.
  During his tenure as Vice-Chairman of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 1987, Leahy showed an unclassified draft report on the Iran-Contra affair to a news reporter. At a press conference, Leahy stated, "Even though it was declassified, I was way too careless about it," and accepted blame. Disclosure of that information was against the Intelligence Committee rules, and Leahy said he hastened his already planned departure from the committee because he was so angry at himself.[7]
  Later career (1998''present)[edit]The 1998 election was noteworthy in that Leahy had the endorsement of his Republican opponent, Fred Tuttle. Tuttle was the lead actor in the movie Man with a Plan, shot in Vermont, in which a farmer decides to run for the House. Tuttle told voters to vote for Leahy because he didn't want to move to Washington D.C. Leahy was touched by this gesture; he once said that Tuttle was the "distilled essence of Vermonthood".
  Leahy was one of two Senators targeted in the 2001 anthrax attacks. The anthrax letter meant for him was intercepted before it reached his office. In 2004, Leahy was awarded the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Champion of Freedom Award for efforts in information privacy and open government. Leahy is regarded as one of the leading privacy advocates in Congress.[citation needed]Leahy is heard often on the issue of land mines.
  In 2000, Senator Leahy cosigned a letter sent to Appropriations Committee conference members, requesting a delay in implementing Section 304 in H.R. 4392, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001[8] until it could be fully considered by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The amendment would introduce new felony crime laws concerning the unauthorized disclosure of information. Leahy and his colleagues indicated this would be in conflict with existing First Amendment rights and Whistleblower Protection Acts.[9][10]
  On June 22, 2004, Leahy and Vice PresidentDick Cheney participated in the US Senate class photo. After the vote, Cheney was only talking to Republicans. When Leahy asked him to come over and talk to the Democrats, Cheney upbraided Leahy for the Senator's recent excoriations of Halliburton's activities in Iraq. At the end of the exchange, Cheney told Leahy, "Go fuck yourself".[11][12] Leahy joked about the incident in 2007 when he escorted Bernie Sanders, Vermont's newly elected senator, to the well of the Senate where he was sworn in by Cheney: "When it comes to the vice president, it's always better to be sworn in than to be sworn at."[13]
  In March 2004, Leahy and Orrin Hatch introduced the Pirate Act backed by the RIAA. In July 2004, Leahy and Hatch introduced the INDUCE Act. Both were aimed at combating copyright infringement.[14]
  On November 2, 2004, Leahy easily defeated his opponent, businessman Jack McMullen, with 70.6 percent of the vote. On January 5, 2005, Leahy was sworn in for his sixth term in the Senate by Cheney.
  On September 21, 2005, Leahy announced his support for John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. On January 19, 2006, Leahy announced that he would vote against Judge Samuel Alito to be a justice on the Supreme Court. He has a mixed record on gun control, being one of the few Senate Democrats to vote against the Brady Bill. He voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and is in favor of phasing out farm subsidies that are supported by the populist wing of the Democratic Party. He voted against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Leahy voted for the Defense of Marriage Act[15] and was one of the few in his party to support the ban on intact dilation and extraction procedures.
  In 2005, Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group, presented Leahy and Senator John Cornyn with its first ever Bi-Partisan Leadership Award in honor of their cooperation on issues of government oversight and transparency, including their co-sponsorship of the OPEN Government Act of 2005, which prevented burying exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act in legislation.[16]
  On March 2, 2006, Leahy was one of 10 senators who voted against the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. The Reauthorization Act changed the appointment process for interim United States attorneys, allowing the Attorney General of the United States to make interim appointments without term limit, and without Senatorial confirmation. This was an aspect of hearings in the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. Both houses voted to overturn the interim appointment provision in March 2007.
  On January 18, 2007, Leahy received widespread coverage for his cross-examination of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the Maher Arar affair and the extraordinary rendition of Arar to Syria.[17]
  Leahy endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, and recorded a radio advertisement for the Obama campaign to be aired in Vermont.[18]
  On September 20, 2010, Leahy introduced the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, Senate Bill S. 3804, which would allow the court to issue a restraining order or injunction against Internet domain names which infringe upon copyright.[19]
  In May 2011, Leahy introduced the Protect IP Act (PIPA) to the Senate. The bill was drafted to give the US government and copyright holders additional tools to fight copyright piracy and counterfeit goods trafficking by foreign rogue websites. Critics of the bill say that it would be ineffective, impede free expression on the internet, and interfere with its infrastructure. Leahy subsequently indicated that he would favor further research into provisions that raised objections.[20]
  Senator Leahy was chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee from 1987 until 1995 and was then chairman of the Judiciary Committee from 2001 until 2003, and regained the chairmanship in 2007. He is one of the key Democratic leaders on Senate issues on rules for filling federal judgeships via advise and consent. Leahy serves as second-highest Democrat on the Appropriations Committee and as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. In his position as the second-highest Democrat on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Leahy serves as Chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Research, Nutrition and General Legislation.
  Upon the death of Senate President pro temporeDaniel Inouye on December 17, 2012, Leahy became the most senior senator in the majority party, and was elected as the new President pro tempore by unanimous consent.[21][22]
  Committee assignments[edit]Party leadership[edit]Political positions[edit]Leahy has held progressive political positions that are generally in line with those of the state. He has generally supported abortion rights, rejecting proposals to limit minors or those stationed on military bases from having the procedure performed. He has been supported by the NAACP and is outspoken in his support for affirmative action. Leahy has been one of the most gay rights-friendly members of Congress; he has supported the legalization of gay marriage and reducing discrimination against gays and lesbians. Leahy has called for the domestic partners of federal employees to receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples.[24]
  Leahy spoke strongly against a proposed constitutional ban on flag burning and on its implications for freedom of speech and expression. He rejects school prayer initiatives and plans for abstinence-only sex education. Leahy has called for a moratorium on the death penalty and more DNA testing for death row inmates. He supports rehabilitation as the goal of prisons and providing treatment instead of punishment for first time offenders. Leahy has generally supported gun control, including requiring background checks at gun shows and allowing for lawsuits against firearms manufacturers. He voted in favor of prohibiting foreign and UN aid that inhibits gun ownership.[24]
  Leahy has stated the importance of increasing the prevalence of public health care during times of economic downturn. He voted to increase Medicare benefits and to allow this organization to negotiate lower-priced, bulk prescriptions from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Leahy has broken with Democratic leadership in supporting allowing states to make bulk drug purchases on their own, an idea he has characterized as an important short term solution until Congress can agree on a similar proposal. Leahy has consistently voted to uphold Social Security and has opposed school vouchers.[24]
  Leahy has been a strong supporter of environmental policy. He has supported bills that would increase hydrogen car production, uphold Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, set a goal of reducing oil consumption by 40 percent in 2025, and increase solar and wind power funding. He has supported the establishment of greenhouse gastradeable allowances and has spoken out against the use of ethanol as a solution to rising gasoline prices.[24]
  On taxation, Leahy has consistently supported progressive rates. He has rejected proposals to remove the Estate Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax, and he has spoken out strongly against cutting taxes for the wealthy. Leahy has strongly supported the rights of employees, and has voted to increase the minimum wage and allow for more union organization. He has voted against a free trade proposal, CAFTA, but supported normalizing trade relations with China.[24]
  Leahy was a long-time critic of the Iraq War, and spoke in favor of timetables for troop withdrawal, stating that the country needs well-trained employees in both foreign service and private industry to help repair damage to its civilian structure. He has been critical of the PATRIOT Act, even though he has voted to reauthorize altered versions of it.[24] In June 2013, following the disclosure of PRISM and other covert surveillance activities by the National Security Agency, Leahy introduced a bill that would tighten guidelines related to the acquisition of FISA warrants for domestic surveillance and shorten the current FISA authorization by two years.[25]
  Leahy has always opposed the opening and operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[26][27]
  In 2013, Leahy received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[28]
  Personal life[edit]Leahy is a fan of the Grateful Dead. He has not only attended concerts, but has a collection of the band's tapes in his Senate Offices. Jerry Garcia visited him at his Senate offices, and Leahy gave a tie designed by Garcia to Senator Orrin Hatch (who responded by giving Leahy a Rush Limbaugh tie). Surviving band members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart have participated in fundraisers for Leahy and his Political Action Committee, the Green Mountain Victory Fund. Leahy appeared in a videotaped tribute to the Dead when they received a lifetime achievement award at the 2002 Jammys. His Senate website notes this response to a question from seventh grade students from Vermont's Thetford Academy who asked Leahy which Dead song was his favorite, he replied: "... my favorite is "Black Muddy River" but we always play "Truckin'" on election night at my headquarters."[citation needed]
  In a 1994 interview on ABC News, Leahy claimed that, while attending Georgetown Law School, he obtained tickets to see The Beatles' first full U.S. concert, at the Washington Coliseum, inviting a classmate, who declined, saying that the Beatles were a fad. Leahy declined to identify the classmate, but added, "He hasn't gone on to become a very good lawyer, either".
  A fan of U2, Leahy has a picture mounted on the wall of his office of himself, his wife, President Bill Clinton and Bono. On it, Bono drew an arrow pointed to himself, with the caption, "Would you trust this man with your children?"
  Leahy is a published photographer.[29]
  A big fan of Batman comics, Leahy lent his voice in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Showdown" as the Governor of the Utah territory. He appeared in cameo roles in the 1997 film Batman and Robin, the 2008 film The Dark Knight,[30] and the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.[31]
  Leahy wrote the introduction to the collected edition of Green Arrow: the Archer's Quest and the foreword to the first volume of The Dark Knight Archives, a hardcover reprinting of the first four issues of the Batman comic book.
  Electoral history[edit]United States Senate election in Vermont, 1974United States Senate election in Vermont, 1980Patrick Leahy (D) (inc.), 49.8%Stewart M. Ledbetter (R), 48.5%United States Senate election in Vermont, 1986United States Senate election in Vermont, 1992United States Senate election in Vermont, 1998United States Senate election in Vermont, 2004Patrick Leahy (D) (inc.), 71%Jack McMullen (R) 25%Craig Hill (G) 1%Keith Stern (I) 1%Ben Mitchell (LU) 0%United States Senate election in Vermont, 2010Patrick Leahy (D) (inc.), 64.36%Len Britton (R) 30.93%Daniel Freilich (I) 1.51%Cris Ericson (Marijuana) 1.16%Stephen Cain (I) 1.00%Peter Diamondstone (Socialist) 0.61%Johenry Nunes (I) 0.43%References[edit]^Voice of America pronunciation guide. Names.voa.gov (2010-09-23). Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^"Senate's Leahy finds peace on his Vermont farm". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. July 6, 2009. ^"Boston.com - Sen. Leahy and wife, Marcelle, celebrate 50 years". Boston.com. Boston.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012. ^United States Senate (April 15, 2013). "Vermont's United States Senators". senate.gov. ^oregonlive.com. The Associated Press, ed. "Patrick Leahy sworn in as president pro tempore of Senate after Daniel Inouye's death". The Oregonian. ^"U.S. SENATOR - 1980 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - VERMONT". vermont-elections.org. April 15, 2013. ^Engelberg, Stephen (July 29, 1987). "Iran-Contra Hearings; Senator Leahy Says He Leaked Report Of Panel". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010. ^Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001. Fas.org. Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^House Judiciary Committee Asserts Jurisdiction Over "Anti-Leak" Provision. Fas.org. Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^Sens. Leahy, Grassley, and Schumer Urge Deferral of New Leak Statute. Fas.org. Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for July 25 '' Countdown with Keith Olbermann. MSNBC (2007-07-26). Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^"Cheney Dismisses Critic With Obscenity". The Washington Post. June 25, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2010. ^Leahy relishing rise to power: Times Argus Online. Timesargus.com (2006-12-10). Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^Techies Blast Induce Act. Wired.com. Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^"Patrick Leahy '' Gay Marriage". Retrieved July 22, 2012. ^Good Government Award Home Page. Project On Government Oversight Website. Retrieved July 1, 2010.^"U.S. 'knew damn well' Arar would be tortured: senator". CBC News. January 18, 2007. Archived from the original on 2012-11-31. ^http://obama.3cdn.net/105d7d7f25854179d0_jpm6vafyv.mp3^Read The Bill: S. 3804 [111th. GovTrack (2010-09-20). Retrieved on December 4, 2011.^Ned Potter (January 17, 2012). "Wikipedia Blackout: Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA". ABC News. Retrieved January 17, 2012. ^http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/17/3146662/vermonts-leahy-now-3rd-in-presidential.html^http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/12/leahy-will-become-president-pro-tempore-of-senate-152221.html?hp=r1^"Daniel Inouye dies: What it means for the Senate". washingtonpost.com. December 17, 2012. ^ abcdef"Patrick Leahy on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved August 29, 2010. ^Blake, Aaron (June 24, 2013). "Leahy proposes new oversight of surveillance programs". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 24, 2013. ^Patrick Leahy (2013-05-18). "Leahy responds to Gitmo criticism". Battleboro Reformer. Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. "Mr. Evers and I agree that the status quo at Guantanamo is unacceptable. I was one of few in the Senate who strongly opposed the decision to open the prison a decade ago, and I continue to believe that the prison at Guantanamo must be closed. Mr. Evers apparently missed it, but my most recent statement about the need to close Guantanamo, two weeks ago, is on my website for all to see at leahy.senate.gov/press/gitmo. As I said in that statement, the Guantanamo prison is not necessary to keep America safe, it contradicts our most basic principles of justice, and it undermines our national security." ^Patrick Leahy (2013-04-30). "Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Committee On The Judiciary, On The President's Remarks Tuesday On Guantanamo Bay". United States Senate. Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. "Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Tuesday after President Barack Obama reiterated his position that the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed '' a view that Leahy has long shared." ^http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/tom-coburn-patrick-leahy-among-winners-of-jefferson-awards-93049.html^Roger Simon (2007-08-01). "Leahy attacks Bush, Roberts". Politico. Archived from the original on 2007-08-26. Retrieved 2013-05-18. "Instead, it contains pictures that Leahy, a published photographer, has taken. The centerpiece -- placed, Leahy says, so he can stare into it every day from his desk -- is a haunting one of a man he met in a refugee camp in El Salvador in 1982." ^Pam Belluck (2008-07-12). "Holy Cameo, Batman! It's a Senator!". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-18. ^Caitlin McDevitt (2012-07-03). "Leahy making another 'Dark Knight' cameo". Politico. Archived from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-05-18. "The Vermont Democrat, who's a big Batman fan, also made an appearance in the ''The Dark Knight'' a few years ago. In the scene, the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, holds Leahy at knifepoint." External links[edit]Chairpersons (Democratic)Ranking Members (Republican)
Leahy Demands &#39Truth Commission&#39 To Probe CIA
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:26
  The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee called Sunday for a commission to probe the use of torture against suspected terror detainees, amid calls by some that the country simply bury the controversy.
  "I know some people say, let's turn the page. Frankly, I'd like to read the page before we turn it," Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy told the CBS television's "Face the Nation" program.
  "Why not have a nonpartisan or bipartisan commission do it, like we did in 9/11, and just go back and find everything that happened?" said Leahy, referring to the blue-ribbon investigatory panel assembled in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
  The bipartisan September 11 commission probed the causes that led to the terror attacks on New York and Washington and offered guidelines to prevent future attacks.
  Leahy said he was not motivated to propose a similar panel by "some idea of vengeance" but by a quest for the truth.
  "We know that there were a number of people that made the decision to violate the law, a number of people who said that we don't have to follow our constitution," the Democratic senator said.
  He added that others who backed harsh treatment for detainees "wrote memos basically saying the president and the vice president are above the law -- that the laws of the United States don't apply to them like they do to you and me."
  "I want to know why they did that," the senator continued.
  "What kind of pressures brought them to write things that are so off the wall, and to make sure it never happens again."
  But a senior Republican senator with a long track record opposing torture, John McCain, argued that establishing an inquiry on the torture issue could prove "divisive" for a country already polarized over the issue.
  "It is well known what happened. There (are) going to be pictures that are going to be coming out, which will again authenticate that wrong things were done," the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said.
  "But are you going to prosecute people for giving bad legal advice? Are you going to keep on down this road in order? said McCain, who lost against Barack Obama in his quest last year for the White House.
  "We need to put this behind us. We need to move forward," he said, adding: "We need a united nation, not a divided one."
  Debate has raged on the issue of prosecuting officials who backed harsh interrogation for terror inmates, after the Obama administration last week released four sensitive memos that blew the lid on the practice, which was approved under former president George W. Bush, including the use of insects, simulated drowning and sleep deprivation.
  Obama has said that CIA officers involved in interrogations should not be prosecuted because they were carrying out orders. But he left the door open to possible prosecution of senior figures in the previous administration.
  Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
  -
Leahy, Sanders vote against president's pick for CIA director - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:25
  WASHINGTON -Vermont's two U.S. senators voted against President Barack Obama's choice of CIA director, in large part, because of their concerns about the president's policy on drones.
  The confirmation process for John Brennan became a forum for discussion of presidential power to order drone strikes against U.S. terror suspects on American soil.
  The administration bowed to Republican demands to explicitly stating there are limits to drone use. That cleared the way for Brennan's confirmation. But it was not enough to convince Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who were among the 34 no votes.
  Leahy said he respects Brennan, but voted against him because the administration stonewalled his request for legal justification of drone use. "... the administration has stonewalled me ... (on) ... the legal justification for the use of drones ..." Leahy said.
  Sanders said he is not convinced Brennan is adequately sensitive to the important balancing act of protecting civil liberties while ensuring national security.
  "I am not convinced that Mr. Brennan is adequately sensitive to the important balancing act required to make protecting our civil liberties an integral part of ensuring our national security," Sanders said.
Report: NSA broke into Yahoo, Google data centers
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:23
  WASHINGTON (AP) '-- The National Security Agency has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, the Washington Post reported, citing documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
  According to a secret accounting dated Jan. 9, 2013, NSA sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency's Fort Meade, Md., headquarters. In the last 30 days, field collectors had processed and sent back more than 180 million new records '-- ranging from "metadata," which would indicate who sent or received emails and when, to content such as text, audio and video, the Post reported Wednesday on its website.
  The new details about the NSA's access to Yahoo and Google data centers around the world come at a time when Congress is reconsidering the government's collection practices and authority, and as European governments are responding angrily to revelations that the NSA collected data on millions of communications in their countries. Details about the government's programs have been trickling out since Snowden shared documents with the Post and Guardian newspaper in June.
  The NSA's principal tool to exploit the Google and Yahoo data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency's British counterpart, GCHQ. The Post said NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants.
  White House officials and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the NSA, declined to comment, the Post said.
  At Yahoo, a spokeswoman told the Post: "We have strict controls in place to protect the security of our data centers, and we have not given access to our data centers to the NSA or to any other government agency."
  In a statement to the Post, Google said it was "troubled by allegations of the government intercepting traffic between our data centers, and we are not aware of this activity." Getting free access to Google's data center traffic means the NSA has bypassed Google's "gold standard" security, the Post said.
  The MUSCULAR project documents state that this collection from Yahoo and Google has led to key intelligence leads, the paper said.
Ultimate3 QRSS kit
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:28
  Written by Hans Summers Sunday, 06 October 2013 10:20The ultimate3 QRSS Transmitter Kit is the third version in the "Ultimate" QRSS/WSPR kit trilogy. Please see the original versionUltimate QRSS kitand Ultimate2 QRSS kit pages. The new "U3" version is similar to the "U2" in terms of functionality, but has a much nicer 16 x 2-row Standard LCD, with blue backlight. Now this LCD has a 0.1-inch pitch connector. So the U3 will be easier to build than the U2 (with the 0.05-inch pitch LCD connector). The new PCB will have the same size as the LCD module, and will be bolted to it using hex spacers. It therefore produces a nicer mechanical assembly than the U2 also.
  The kit isCOMING SOON, please be patient and watch this page for updates.
  Update 28-Oct-2013: Constructed one test build, photos coming soon
  Update 24-Oct-2013: PCB's arrived
  Update 19-Oct-2013: Factory informs that the PCB's have been completed and will be shipped shortly.
  Please note that all existing pending pre-orders for U2 kits, will be upgraded to the new U3 kit.
  As with the U2, the U3 comes with a pre-assembled AD9850 DDS module, andplug-in low pass filter moduleswhich are also available separately for any band from 2200m (135kHz) to 10m. The kit can transmit on any frequency from audio (500Hz) to over 40MHz, and changing bands is a matter of plugging in the appropriate low pass filter kit to attenuate unwanted harmonic output.
  InstructionsPreview photos...Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 October 2013 13:14
Text - H.R.992 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:11
  There are 2 versions of the bill:
  Shown Here:Reported in House (09/25/2013)[Congressional Bills 113th Congress][From the U.S. Government Printing Office][H.R. 992 Reported in House (RH)] Union Calendar No. 169113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 992 [Report No. 113-229, Parts I and II]To amend provisions in section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act relating to Federal assistance for swaps entities._______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2013Mr. Hultgren (for himself, Mr. Himes, Mr. Hudson, and Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned September 25, 2013 Additional sponsors: Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Bachus, and Mr. Schneider September 25, 2013 Reported from the Committee on Financial Services September 25, 2013Reported from the Committee on Agriculture; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed_______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend provisions in section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act relating to Federal assistance for swaps entities. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act''.SEC. 2. REFORM OF PROHIBITION ON SWAP ACTIVITY ASSISTANCE. Section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (15 U.S.C. 8305) is amended-- (1) in subsection (b)-- (A) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``insured depository institution'' and inserting ``covered depository institution''; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ``(3) Covered depository institution.--The term `covered depository institution' means-- ``(A) an insured depository institution, as that term is defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); and ``(B) a United States uninsured branch or agency of a foreign bank.''; (2) in subsection (c)-- (A) in the heading for such subsection, by striking ``Insured'' and inserting ``Covered''; (B) by striking ``an insured'' and inserting ``a covered''; (C) by striking ``such insured'' and inserting ``such covered''; and (D) by striking ``or savings and loan holding company'' and inserting ``savings and loan holding company, or foreign banking organization (as such term is defined under Regulation K of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (12 C.F.R. 211.21(o)))''; (3) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows: ``(d) Only Bona Fide Hedging and Traditional Bank Activities Permitted.-- ``(1) In general.--The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply to any covered depository institution that limits its swap and security-based swap activities to the following: ``(A) Hedging and other similar risk mitigation activities.--Hedging and other similar risk mitigating activities directly related to the covered depository institution's activities. ``(B) Non-structured finance swap activities.-- Acting as a swaps entity for swaps or security-based swaps other than a structured finance swap. ``(C) Certain structured finance swap activities.-- Acting as a swaps entity for swaps or security-based swaps that are structured finance swaps, if-- ``(i) such structured finance swaps are undertaken for hedging or risk management purposes; or ``(ii) each asset-backed security underlying such structured finance swaps is of a credit quality and of a type or category with respect to which the prudential regulators have jointly adopted rules authorizing swap or security-based swap activity by covered depository institutions. ``(2) Definitions.--For purposes of this subsection: ``(A) Structured finance swap.--The term `structured finance swap' means a swap or security- based swap based on an asset-backed security (or group or index primarily comprised of asset-backed securities). ``(B) Asset-backed security.--The term `asset- backed security' has the meaning given such term under section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)).''; (4) in subsection (e), by striking ``an insured'' and inserting ``a covered''; and (5) in subsection (f)-- (A) by striking ``an insured depository'' and inserting ``a covered depository''; and (B) by striking ``the insured depository'' each place such term appears and inserting ``the covered depository''. Union Calendar No. 169113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 992 [Report No. 113-229, Parts I and II]_______________________________________________________________________ A BILLTo amend provisions in section 716 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act relating to Federal assistance for swaps entities._______________________________________________________________________ September 25, 2013 Reported from the Committee on Financial Services September 25, 2013Reported from the Committee on Agriculture; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
Derivatives Pushout Bill Set to Get U.S. House Vote Next Week - Bloomberg
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 17:11
  The U.S. House plans to vote next week on a measure that would undo a Dodd-Frank Act requirement that banks move their derivatives business out to affiliates.
  The bill, included on a schedule released by Republican House leaders, would alter the 2010 law's pushout provision by allowing trading of almost all types of derivatives by units of banks with access to deposit insurance and discount borrowing. The provision was put in Dodd-Frank as a way to reduce risk by banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) and Citigroup Inc. that benefit from U.S. backstops.
  The revision, which has broad support in the House, hasn't gained traction in the Senate. A companion bill introduced by Senator Kay Hagan, a North Carolina Democrat, hasn't seen movement.
  The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill sponsored by Representative Randy Hultgren, an Illinois Republican and Representative James Himes, a Connecticut Democrat, by a 53-6 vote in May after the House Agriculture Committee advanced it by a 31-14 vote in March.
  The Federal Reserve has granted certain banks two-year extensions to comply with the Dodd-Frank requirement to separate derivative trading from U.S. units that get federal backing. The central bank has said in letters to banks that the companies must determine whether to halt the swaps activity or move it to properly capitalized affiliates.
  The House bill is H.R. 992.
  To contact the reporters on this story: Cheyenne Hopkins in Washington at chopkins19@bloomberg.net; Silla Brush in Washington at sbrush@bloomberg.net
  To contact the editor responsible for this story: Maura Reynolds at mreynolds34@bloomberg.net
Voting Machine Manufacturer Diebold Charged Over Bribery, Fraud, And ''Worldwide Pattern Of Criminal Conduct''
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:21
  No big deal, they were just the company in charge of making sure that democracy happened. Via the BRAD BLOG:
  One of the world's largest ATM manufacturers and, formerly, one of the largest manufacturers of electronic voting systems, has been indicted by federal prosecutors for bribery and falsification of documents.
  The charges represent only the latest in a long series of criminal and/or unethical misconduct by Diebold, Inc. and their executives over the past decade.
  A U.S. Attorney says the latest charges are in response to ''a worldwide pattern of criminal conduct'' by the company'...bribing government officials and falsifying documents in China, Indonesia and Russia to obtain and retain contracts to provide ATMs to banks in those countries.
  In 2010 the company settled an SEC fraud suit for $25 million. They also admitted in 2008 that they had overstated 2007 election division revenue by some 300% in hopes of manipulating stock prices.
  As earlier as 2004, thanks to documents leaked by a whistleblower, it was discovered that Diebold had illegally used uncertified certified hardware and software in California election systems and planned to lie about it to state investigators. The e-voting systems, repeatedly found over the years to be easily hacked, were decertified for use by the state at the time (though they are still used widely around much of the country today.)
  Still, nobody went to prison for any of Diebold's crimes.
European Stocks Slump On German Double-Whammy ; US Markets "Crossed"
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:16
  US and European stock markets (and European sovereign bond markets) have been sliding since early in the European morning overnight. The blame for the weakness appears to be coming from a double-whammy in Germany. First the German government resolved to push for the financial transaction tax (despite banks rejection of the proposal - well they would wouldn't they) and then later in the day when Germany's emerging coalition rejected the last-best-hope for shared sacrifice (or using more of Germany's balance sheet) - The Debt-Redemption Fund - leaving more pressure back on Draghi to save the day. Anxiety in the US is clear with VIX (and credit spreads) rising as hedgers are active - and of course, markets are broken with NASDAQ options prices 'crossed' acording to some sources.
  Europe's markets are falling rapidly...
  And the US is unhappy...
  What's wrong with this picture...
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(1 vote)
Ruud de Wild: 'Als je in de geldhandel zit, ben je geen dominee'
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: VK: Home
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:11
  Door: Joost de Vries '' 30/10/13, 16:00
  (C) ANP. Ruud de Wild in de studio van Radio 538.
  Nieuwsbreak De Rabobank blijkt ook al niet te deugen, Anouk krijgt haatmail sinds ze tegen Zwarte Piet is en De Telegraaf overweegt over te gaan op tabloid. Wat vindt 538-dj Ruud de Wild van het nieuws van de dag?
  Met welk nieuws stond u op vandaag?'Eigenlijk niet zo veel. Ja, met buikgriep. Ik heb zieken thuis. De directeur van 538 zei: dan moet je maar niet komen, dan steek je anderen aan. Maar ik ben niet zo'n thuisblijver. Daarom belde ik met een van mijn beste vriendinnen voor advies. Ze is arts, ze heeft ook een item in onze uitzending: dokter Felicia. Ze vertelde me dat deze vorm van buikgriep alleen besmettelijk is als je iemand insmeert met diarree. Dat was ik niet van plan. Ik heb tegen mijn baas gezegd dat ik de show vanmiddag gewoon doe.'
  Sterkte met de griep. Mogelijk nog een reden om misselijk te zijn: heeft u een hypotheek bij de Rabobank?'Ja, die heb ik.'
  Voelt u zich bedonderd?'Ik vroeg me gisteren wel even af: betaal ik nu ook mee aan die fraude? Maar in de kleine lettertjes staat dat ik er niet meer vanaf kan. Ach, of je nu door de hond of de kat gebeten wordt. De ING deed er ook aan mee, en Barclays ook dacht ik.'
  Maar de Rabobank adverteerde juist met een imago van onberispelijkheid.'Als je in de geldhandel zit, ben je geen dominee, of in elk geval geen oprechte lijkt mij. Maar inderdaad, van de oude Co¶peratieve Centrale Raiffeissen-Boerenleenbank is niet veel meer over. Het was altijd zo dat als je een tientje rood stond, ze heel streng waren, kwamen ze met bijlen achter je aan. Ik vond het goed dat ze streng waren, maar dan nu dit. Het valt me tegen, ik had dit niet verwacht. Het doet afbreuk aan het merk Rabobank.'
  Volgt u Anouk op Twitter?'Gaat het over buitenlanders?'
  Nee, over zwart-geschminkte Nederlanders. Ze wordt uitgemaakt voor 'landverrader' sinds ze pleit voor kleurenpieten.Ze retweet de hatelijke berichten die ze krijgt.'Het geeft ook te denken wat voor volgers zij heeft. Ik heb er ook heel veel, maar krijg niet zulke reacties. Je moet die discussie op internet ook niet aangaan. Als je met gekken wil vechten, moet je zelf gek zijn. Het is net Geenstijl, allemaal een grote bek achter het toetsenbord, maar kom je ze op straat tegen dan zijn ze poeslief. Anouk moet die mensen gewoon negeren of aangifte tegen ze doen.'
  Waar staat u in de pietendiscussie?'Erg in het midden. Ik heb geleerd dat Piet donker is wegens de schoorsteen. Het maakt me weinig uit. Schaf het af, vieren we alleen Kerst, vind ik ook prima. De wereld staat in de brand, kunnen we het ook ergens anders over hebben?'
  Nog eentje over Piet, viert u het nog met uw kinderen?'Ja, maar we krijgen geen Sint of Pieten over de vloer, die hebben ze dan al in de stad gezien. Zo vermijd ik dat thuis. Ik heb donkere kinderen, die zien ook wel dat Zwarte Piet een geschminkte blanke man is. Het is een verkleedfeest, schaf dan ook carnaval af! Het is zo'n nondiscussie.'
  Krijgen uw kinderen volgende week zo'n vettig en zout schoolontbijt?'Wat bedoel je?'
  Volgende week krijgen 40.000 kinderen Het Nationaal Schoolontbijt, ter promotie van een goed ontbijt. Volgens de organisatie Foodwatch is het ontbijt echter ongezond: te zout, te vet en te weinig fruit.'Dan spreek je met de verkeerde. Mijn kinderen eten heel gezond. Ik ben getrouwd met iemand die doet aan rawfood. En op de school van mijn kinderen mag je niet eens een boterham met hagelslag mee. Dat is verder een hele normale school in Amsterdam.'
  U eet alleen rauw?'We hebben de 20-80-regel, 20 procent alles wat je wilt en 80 procent gezond. Die 20 procent is dan uit eten, een biefstukje, patatjes. Maar ik sport veel, ik hou sowieso niet zo van een vette hap.'
  (C) ANP.
  Krijgt u De Telegraaf thuis?Nee, gelukkig niet. Parool dagelijks en NRC in het weekend.
  Punt is, De Telegraaf gaat waarschijnlijk volgend jaar over op tabloid.'Dat werd tijd! Ik geloof dat ze bij De Telegraaf ook doorkrijgen dat mensen die bangmaakcultuur niet meer vreten. Waarom zou je mensen zo overprikkelen? Ik begrijp dat mensen soms boos zijn, maar waarom moet het steeds rechtser worden? De Telegraaf is de afgelopen twintig jaar een stuk harder geworden, kijk de koppen er maar op na. Er hoeft maar (C)(C)n dingetje fout te gaan in de politiek en Rutte is te links en Samsom is een hufter. Waarom altijd die negatieve insteek? Ik vrees voor een haatsamenleving.'
  De verruwing van de samenleving baart u zorgen?'Ja, ik heb het niet zo op heel erg links en heel erg rechts. Ik ben voor de multiculturele samenleving, ook al is dat begrip volledig achterhaald. Er is ruimte voor ons allemaal. En als je zeikt, ga dan lekker weg. Zoek de zon op.'
  Over politiek gesproken, Nederland is weer een nieuwe partij rijker: de groep Bontes.'Dat interesseert me weinig. Ik ben het spoor al bijster bij de vijf grootste partijen. Wat moeten we met zo'n PVV? Deze Bontes wil aan de kaak stellen dat de PVV een stalinistisch bolwerk is, maar het is de partij van Geert Wilders. Hij wist toch waar hij aan begon? Of nog gekker: de partij is tegen de islam, vervolgens stapt een lid op in Den Haag en bekeert zich tot moslim! Het zijn allemaal debielen, als je bij zo'n partij zit, ben je een debiel. Wilders zou ze er allemaal uit moeten knikkeren.'
  Is Wilders ook een debiel?'Ik vind het jammer dat Wilders niet bij de VVD is gebleven. Daar had hij mensen om hem heen die hem wat in toom konden houden. Hij zegt niet alleen domme dingen, maar in zijn eentje verkoopt hij mooie praatjes. Dat kan hij heel goed. Als ik marketeer was en Wilders mijn merk, dan was ik erg blij met hem.'
  Tot slot nieuws uit het buitenland. Steeds minder Amerikanen zijn voor de doodstraf, nog 60 procent in tegenstelling tot 80 procent in de jaren negentig. Komen Amerikanen tot inkeer?'Nee, dat denk ik niet. Als er weer wat ergs gebeurt, gaat dat percentage weer omhoog. Ik ben sowieso het spoor even bijster met Amerika. Wij zijn bondgenoten, als er oorlog komt moeten we meedoen, tegelijkertijd worden we afgeluisterd. Als je naar de VS wilt vliegen, moet je tweeenhalf uur in de rij staan en word je behandeld als een varken.'
  Europese landen doen precies hetzelfde, zeggen de Amerikanen.'Ja, alle landen hebben boter op hun hoofd. Ik heb van Bram Moszkowicz gehoord dat wij een van de meest afgeluisterde landen zijn van Europa. Ik ben ook afgeluisterd na de moord op Fortuyn, dat weet ik vrijwel zeker. Het zal voor mijn eigen veiligheid zijn geweest. Nee, ik ben daar niet wantrouwend door geworden.'
  (C) Kippa.
  Gabber Piet, 1998.
  Vanmiddag vanaf 16.00 uur presenteert u weer ruuddewild.nl op Radio 538. Waarom moeten we luisteren?'Woensdag is altijd hakkuhdag in de show. Vandaag presenteer ik met Henk Westbroek een nieuwe versie van zijn Sinterklaasplaat: 'Sinterklaas wie kent hem niet? Sinterklaas, Sinterklaas en natuurlijk Gabber Piet.' Een happy-hardcoreversie, zijn we meteen van het hele gezeur af.'
  Dit is aflevering 194 van de dagelijkse 4 Uur Nieuwsbreak. In deze rubriek nemen we iedere dag met een interessant, bekend persoon het nieuws van de dag door.
Three ex-Murdoch journalists plead guilty to phone hacking
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:09
  LONDON: Three former senior journalists from Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid the News of the World have pleaded guilty to charges relating to phone-hacking, the trial of two of the media mogul's former editors heard on Wednesday.
  Rebekah Brooks, Murdoch's former British newspaper chief and Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-media head Andy Coulson are on trial at London's Old Bailey court accused of conspiring to illegally access voicemail messages on mobile phones, charges they deny.
  The court was told on Wednesday that ex-chief correspondent Neville Thurlbeck, former assistant news editor James Weatherup, and ex-news editor Greg Miskiw had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to intercept communications at earlier hearings.
  Their guilty pleas, which had not previously been reportable, are the first public admissions by former News of the World journalists since police launched an inquiry in 2011 into allegations that staff on the Murdoch paper had hacked the phones of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime.
Putin topples Obama in Forbes power ranking
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:08
  NEW YORK: Having outfoxed him on Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin has now pipped Barack Obama to the title of the world's most powerful leader as ranked by Forbes on Wednesday.
  It was the first time in three years that the US president has dropped to second place on the magazine's list and came as US-Russia relations slid to a new low.
  Putin, who has enjoyed 12 years of dominant rule over Russia, was again elected president in April.
  Obama, on the other hand, has just emerged scathed from an embarrassing 16-day US government shutdown caused by a budget and debt crisis in Washington.
  "Putin has solidified his control over Russia, while Obama's lame duck period has seemingly set in earlier than usual for a two-term president -- latest example: the government shutdown mess," wrote Forbes.
  In August, Russia granted asylum to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, wanted in the United States over a mammoth intelligence leak.
  A month later, Putin played the trump card again by averting Obama's threatened missile strikes on Syria with a plan for Damascus to hand over chemical weapons.
  "Anyone watching this year's chess match over Syria and NSA leaks has a clear idea of the shifting individual power dynamics," Forbes wrote.
  The 2013 list of 72 powerbrokers was chosen to reflect one for every 100 million lesser mortals on Earth.
  Third prize went to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to rule for a decade in which China is set to eclipse the US as the world's largest economy.
  Pope Francis made his debut at number four and German Chancellor Angela Merkel rounded out the top five.
  Among 13 newcomers were Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee at number 41 and Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa, in at number 64.
  There were 17 heads of state who run nations with a combined GDP of $48 trillion and 27 CEOs and chairs who control over $3 trillion in annual revenues.
  Only nine women made the cut despite representing half the world's population.
Ultimate3 QRSS Beacon Sheds New Light
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Signal to Noise - KQ2RP
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:00
  30th October 2013
  Link
  Hans Summers' Ultimate 2 QRSS Kit (which I've maintained is the most fun you can have legally in ham radio for $25 + shipping) has received a much-desired upgrade.
  The upcoming Ultimate 3 will sport a cool new blue backlit LCD! This will make things much easier on my aging eyes in the dark, dank, spiderwebbed corner of the basement that is my shack.
  For those not familiar, check out the page and read through the operating manual to see what can be done (WSPR, FSKCW, CW, Hell, etc.) with this little gem of a kit. I can't stress enough how much of a no-brainer purchase this is at this price. The build is quite easy and the fun you'll have far, far surpasses the cost. Just don't buy them all before I get mine.
  I have the first two generations of Ultimate QRSS Kit and this will be my third. The first (single band 30m) is out making the rounds amongst local hams, and the second has gotten much use in my shack, its 100mW WSPRs heard as much as 15000 km away down under.
  Tagged: hamradioamateurradioqrssham radioamateur radioqrp
UN confirms polio outbreak in Syria, aid agencies call for 'vaccination ceasefire'
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: RT - News
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:13
  Published time: October 30, 2013 03:17AFP Photo / Mustafa Ozer
  A polio outbreak in Syria has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The news has prompted calls for a 'vaccination ceasefire' as the disease threatens to spread across the country and into neighboring states.
  The WHO issued a warning stating that there is high risk of infectious polio disease spreading across Syria and beyond, after 10 cases were confirmed among young children in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour.
  Another 12 children are awaiting test results. Along with Syria, seven neighboring countries have announced plans to start emergency vaccinations in response to the risk, according to the WHO. Syria has not seen a case of polio since 1999.
  International children's charity Save the Children released the ceasefire appeal following the WHO statement and confirmation from the Syrian government.
  "Vaccination ceasefires would mean pauses in fighting to allow vaccination campaigns to take place across both sides of the conflict," the agency said.
  Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles issued the following statement: "Polio doesn't respect conflict lines or borders, so we need these ceasefires to reach all children with vaccines, no matter where they live. If chemical weapons inspectors can be allowed access across Syria with notebooks, surely aid workers can be allowed in with vaccines.''
  Miles added that the outbreak serves as further confirmation of the deteriorating situation in Syria amid the country's ongoing civil war. ''The UN Security Council recently agreed on access for humanitarian relief across Syria. This polio crisis is a clear test of whether all sides of the conflict will respect the Security Council's presidential statement and allow unhindered humanitarian aid,'' Miles said.
  Some progress was reported in the Damascus suburb of Muadhamiya, as the government blockade was relaxed for humanitarian relief efforts.
  The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund, Anthony Lake, stated that the agency and the Syrian government had agreed on the ''importance of reaching hundreds of thousands of children in some of the worst-affected parts of the war-torn country with life saving vaccines, including those against polio.''
  Health workers have warned that the civil war in Syria has created ideal conditions for the disease to breed. Polio is known to target children younger than five years of age and is spread through contaminated food and water supplies. The disease can lead to permanent paralysis and death, as breathing muscles become immobilized.
  Before Syria's civil war began, 95 percent of children were immunized against polio. However, the UN now estimates that 500,000 children have not been vaccinated against the disease.
  The large number of refugees fleeing Syria to neighboring countries on a daily basis is making the situation even more dangerous, as the virus could spread across the region.
A Byte of EU Data Protection
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: European Public AffairsEuropean Public Affairs
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:34
  In the age of internet, no longer is it necessary to follow someone's paper trail, for if one has the digital know-how, the quantity of data that can be obtained is, quite simply, shocking. The world is at your fingertips.
  Admittedly, we have become fairly reliant upon technology and for the most part it does enrich our lives. However, concern is derived from how these technologies can be abused. The abuses that concern policy makers in the EU, as well as the rest of the world, are those which serve to violate the rights of the person '' specifically privacy.
  While the data technology in each EU member state developed at different rates, across the board data protection came to light in the early 1970s amidst rumours of national authorities using individual technology trails to identify potential home-grown terrorists or criminal types, the beginning of the unseen 'big brother' using technology to its advantage for societal 'control'. With fractitious atmospheres in many European nations, such as the UK and Germany, citizen groups pressed for protection. As such, the first national data protection law in the world was passed in the federal state of Hesse (Germany) during 1970.
  As globalization and technological advancements continued, national authorities saw the need for cooperation to both protect, as well as share technically derived data. This is what led to the 1995 Directive (95/46/EC) as well as the establishment of the EDPS in 2004, which has the main tasks of supervision, consultation and cooperation facilitation. However, despite this 'cooperation' every member state currently maintains a separate system of data protection and in some, such as Germany, there are several different systems. As the rights of the person concerning technically derived data has risen in priority, it is important to separate the current draft regulation concerning EU Data Protection from the recent revelations of U.S. actions. The concentration here shall be the draft regulation concerning EU Data Protection. As a regulation instead of a directive, when passed, the new policy will be directly applicable to all EU member states, as well as EEA states in this case, without national legislation completing implementation.
  For most, the need for Data Protection is obvious, but how will this new regulation impact you, and will it really keep your data safe? Here are some highlights of differences that will be seen with the new regulation.
  Increased Scope '' Now, not only will EU data policy apply to data controllers, but will also be applicable to data processors in the EU, as well as those established outside the EU that offer goods or services to data subjects in the EU. Ideally, this means that there will not be loopholes in the protection mechanisms for EU data subjects. The potential risk here is that those established outside the EU will choose to forgo data involvement in the EEA as a result of having more 'hoops to jump through' in order to offer goods or services to EU citizens. Yet the regulation recognizes (Articles 80-84) that there are special processing procedures for journalistic purposes, health purposes, employment, research purposes, professional secrecy, and public interest.
  Auditing for Data Controllers and Processors '' For IT auditors, the new regulation may present some opportunities since data controllers, as well as processors, will be required to prove compliance with the required internal policies and mechanisms (Article 25). While this is done 'behind the scenes', what the rest of us will likely see is an increase in paperwork from processors or controllers wishing to ensure that they are in full compliance.
  New Data Protection Officers '' Entities that are public sector bodies, private sector businesses with 250 plus employees or businesses whose main activities revolve around monitoring data subjects will now be required to have Data Protection Officers in charge of ensuring compliance and being the liaison for national data protection authorities (Article 32-34). While previously business entrepreneurs may have taken to online businesses to reduce costs, this and other new requirements may reduce that likelihood due to the increase in the cost of doing business.
  Data Subject Rights '' Undeniably, the rights of a data subject will increase under the new regulation (Article 12-18), but whether the public will view this with a sigh of relief or a sigh of annoyance is yet to be seen. While the individual will be able to transfer data without hassle, all matters impacting their data must be transparent, written out, and acknowledged by the data subject. This may lead to numerous screens of check boxes, leading to data subject disengagement. [Read Farah Coppola's Article]
  International Data Transfers '' The current draft contains an exemption for the ban on exporting personal data from the EEA (Article 37-44). While this must be in the legitimate interests of the data controller or processor, one hopes that the required protection of the data while being exported will be upheld wherever it may be exported to. Otherwise, the regulation does seem to provide a loophole through which data could be exported and then misused by a third-party recipient of the data.
  Security Breaches '' In the 1995 Directive, controllers or processors were not required to notify national data protection authorities of security breaches. Now they are required to do so within 72 hours (Article 27-29). Given the vast number of controllers/processors that have the average person's data, and the number of hackers who regularly get temporary access to even small-scale systems, notification of all levels of security breaches may be overwhelming to data protection authority personnel.
  Court Action '' Now data subjects wanting to bring forth cases of non-compliance to data protection standards can bring these forth in their own EU country of residence, or where the defendant is established. Also in this regards, if data is requested from a court in a third-party country, authorization must be granted by the supervisory authority before data can be released. (Article 42)
  Having been exposed to high levels of technological engineering, programming, and security throughout my life, I still ponder if technologically derived data can ever be fully secure.I do believe that given the level of integration throughout EU and EEA states, it is necessary to streamline the protection standards. However, there must be a balance. In a way, securing data reminds me of a mother wrapping her child in bubble wrap to protect them from the world, only to realize that the child will not be able to run and play. There is a fine line between sufficient protection and over protection which could prove a hindrance to EU objectives of achieving a single digital economy, and the reduction of red tape for business endeavours.
  01001001 01110011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101001 01101110 01100110 01101111 01110010 01101101 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00100000 01110011 01100001 01100110 01100101 00111111
  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 to work with the European American Chamber of Commerce in New York City. So if you happen to be a fellow Europhile in the Big Apple or anywhere else in the USA- 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
VIDEO-America's Spy Chief Wants to Clarify Some Stuff Jon Stewart Said - Philip Bump - The Atlantic Wire
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:29
  Here is American politics, 2013 edition: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper spent five minutes in a congressional hearing rebutting jokes from Comedy Central.
  On Monday's Daily Show, Jon Stewart wrapped together the NSA spying scandal and Healthcare.gov failures in a segment called "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Him." The premise: President Obama is out of the loop on nearly everything in government. In fact, Stewart suggested, Obama wasn't the one calling the shots on surveillance. Instead, it's the nefarious-sounding "National Intelligence Priorities Framework."
  [ABC News clip] An NSA spokeswoman said it takes orders from something called the National Intelligence Priorities Framework and not the President.
  Stewart: What the fuck is this? [points to a sign that says NIPF] And did we find out about it because of some kind of "NIPF slip"? ...
  But listen, if the President doesn't know what's going on, how does he run the country?
  Correspondent Jessica Williams: Oh, Jon, no president's run the country since Kennedy. You heard what they say. Our spying operation is totally under the control of the National Intelligence Priorities Framework.
  The two go back and forth, making jokes about the NIPF, which Stewart calls a "shadowy cadre."
  Which is incorrect. It's not a "cadre," so much as a "spreadsheet" '-- but you don't have to take my word for it. During a hearing before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, prompted by committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, offered an explanation of how the intelligence-gathering system works.
  This is a document, both a document and process, that has existed in its current form since about 2003. It started during the Bush administration. but in my time in intelligence, every administration has had some form of overarching intelligence requirements document.
  So what the current version is called the NIPF, which is an amalgam of the government's intelligence both analysis and collection requirements. There is a fairly rigorous process in which the requirements of all the departments are gathered '-- Department of Defense, State, Treasury, et cetera '-- as well as those of the national security staff and, accordingly, the president's requirements are embedded in this document.
  And so on. Snooooze. Needs more jokes, Clapper.
  Clapper's office has a declassified document outlining how the NIPF works. It reads like an internal memo from a management company '-- which is largely appropriate, given that it is essentially a management system for a diverse group of government agencies. The document, like Clapper's testimony, is unexciting.
  Mind you, Rogers and Clapper didn't explicitly say that the comments were in response to Stewart's (rather listless) jokes. The NIPF has been in the news with some regularity over the past few days, as debate rages over what and when the president knew about the tapping of German chancellor Angela Merkel's private phone line. Most of the mentions of the NIPF, however, came directly from NSA or congressional spokespeople. Only Stewart really necessitated further clarification.
  Jon Stewart is an entertainer, making jokes '-- including, in the segment above, a poop joke '-- for the sake of yuks. But as has been regularly reported, young people see The Daily Show as a regular source of news. For viewers, the (erroneous) news from Monday night was: Obama lets some group called NIPF control intelligence gathering.
  Whether or not it was Clapper's explicit goal, those viewers will have all of their misconceptions cleared up just as soon as they sit down to watch Tuesday's House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing. Which will certainly happen.
VIDEO-AIRO
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:21
  AIROWe all know the importance of eating right, but keeping track of what we eat takes too much effort. AIRO is able to automatically track both the calories you consume and the quality of your meals. With a built in spectrometer, AIRO uses different wavelengths of light to detect nutrients released into the bloodstream as they are broken down during and after your meals.
  AIRO helps you become proactive about stress. It measures heart rate variability, the aggregate response of your autonomic nervous system, derived from heart rate, to measure the smallest fluctuations in your stress levels. AIRO can not only warn you as your stress levels rise but can also provide recommendations as to how best to deal with it. Over time, AIRO gets smarter by learning what calms you and what doesn't.
  We spend a third of our lives sleeping but we know very little about it. AIRO tracks your circadian rhythm and can see distinct sleep cycles. It'll wake you up at the optimum time and will let you know how much of your night's sleep was restorative.
  It's no secret that living an active lifestyle can lead to a long and healthy life. The best way to keep track of your daily activity is to monitor your heart rate; everything else is just a proxy. By tracking your heart rate, AIRO calculates the number of calories your body burns throughout the day.
  PRE-ORDER NOW
Report: Milk Could Skyrocket To $8 A Gallon If Farm Bill Not Passed CBS DC
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:17
  (credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
  Filed underNews, PoliticsLatest NewsPhotos WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) '-- The fight over renewing the nation's farm bill has centered on cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. But there could be unintended consequences if no agreement is reached: higher milk prices.
  Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to begin long-awaited negotiations on the five-year, roughly $500 billion bill this week. If they don't finish it, dairy supports could expire at the end of the year and send the price of a gallon of milk skyward.
  KLTV reports that the price of milk could reach $8 a gallon.
  ''We are pretty much at the mercy of the people that are going to pay us. We have no control over the milk price,'' dairy farm manager Bear Vanderwier told KLTV.
  One Of World's Richest Women Charged In Deadly Crash
  There could be political ramifications, too. The House and Senate are far apart on the sensitive issue of how much money to cut from food stamps, and lawmakers are hoping to resolve that debate before election-year politics set in.
  Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who is one of the negotiators on the bill, says the legislation could also be a rare opportunity for the two chambers to show they can get along.
  ''In the middle of the chaos of the last month comes opportunity,'' Klobuchar says of the farm legislation. ''This will really be a test of the House of whether they are willing to work with us.''
  The farm bill, which sets policy for farm subsidies, the food stamps and other rural development projects, has moved slowly through Congress in the last two years as lawmakers have focused on higher-profile priorities, like budget negotiations, health care and immigration legislation.
  But farm-state lawmakers are appealing to their colleagues to harken back to more bipartisan times and do something Congress hasn't done very much lately '-- pass a major piece of legislation.
  Even President Barack Obama, who has been largely silent on the farm bill as it has wound through Congress, said as the government reopened earlier this month that the farm bill ''would make a huge difference in our economy right now.''
  ''What are we waiting for?'' Obama said. ''Let's get this done.''
  The main challenge in getting the bill done will be the differences on food stamps, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The House has passed legislation to cut around $4 billion annually, or around 5 percent, including changes in eligibility and work requirements. The Senate has proposed a cut of around a tenth of that amount, and Senate Democrats and President Obama have strongly opposed any major changes to the program.
  The cost of SNAP has more than doubled over the last five years as the economy struggled, and Republicans say it should be more focused on the neediest people. Democrats say it is working as it should, providing food to those in need when times are tough.
  ''I think there are very different world views clashing on food stamps and those are always more difficult to resolve,'' says Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union.
  Obamacare Registration Page Down While Sebelius Testifies
  Johnson says coming together on the farm issues, while there are differences, will be easier because the mostly farm-state lawmakers negotiating the bill have common goals.
  Passing a farm bill could help farm-state lawmakers in both parties in next year's elections, though some Republicans are wary of debating domestic food aid in campaign season. Republican House leaders put the bill on hold during the 2012 election year.
  One way to pass the bill quickly could be to wrap it into budget negotiations that will be going on at the same time. The farm bill is expected to save tens of billions of dollars through food stamp cuts and eliminating some subsidy programs, and ''that savings has become more key as we go into budget negotiations,'' Klobuchar said.
  If that doesn't work, lawmakers could extend current law, as they did at the end of last year when the dairy threat loomed. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said he wants to finish the bill and won't support another extension.
  One of the reasons the bill's progress has moved slowly is that most of farm country is enjoying a good agricultural economy, and farmers have not clamored for changes in policy. But with deadlines looming, many say they need more government certainty to make planting decisions. Most of the current law expired in September, though effects largely won't be felt until next year when the dairy supports expire.
  If Congress allows those supports to expire, 1930s and 1940s-era farm law would kick in, as much as quadrupling the price that the government pays to purchase dairy products. If the government paid that high a price, many processors would sell to the government instead of commercial markets, decreasing commercial supply and thus also raising prices for shoppers at grocery stores.
  Some farmers are feeling the effects of the expired bill already. An early blizzard in South Dakota earlier this month killed thousands of cattle, and a federal disaster program that could have helped cover losses has expired.
  Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., also a negotiator on the conference committee, says her constituents aren't concerned with the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, but they just want to see a bill pass.
  ''Maybe the biggest question is can we put together a bill that can pass on the House and Senate floor,'' she said.
  (TM and (C) Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Don't Get Distracted By Website ''Glitches'' '' Obamacare Disaster Is MUCH BIGGER
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:11
  Yes, the website disaster could be viewed as symbolic of the Obama administration, even as Barack Obama himself goes off for another round of golf after promising the American people that he would ''fix'' the problem. Just like he promised people would be able to keep their doctors, and their existing health plans, and that we would all be saving money on healthcare, etc. This disaster is far beyond a mere website '' it is a fundamental battle between liberty and freedom, and Big Government tyranny that must be joined NOW.
  The terms ''affordable'' and ''free'' are quickly being replaced by ''sticker shock'' and ''dropped'' '' as in people being dropped from coverage.
  MILLIONS are slated to lose their health insurance in the coming months. Those who are already experiencing that initial shock, then receive a secondary sticker shock regarding just how much more expensive Obamacare is for most Middle Class Americans, in some cases, thousands more per year.
  So I ask all of you readers to continue to educate those around you. The Mainstream Media has grudgingly given coverage to the Obamacare failures, but at present, most of that coverage involves the failed website '' while largely ignoring that the ENTIRE program from the bottom up is itself one big, massive, stinking pile of FAIL.
  Don't let the media minimize that fact '' make it known far and wide, and during the 2014 Midterms, help to sweep out these progressives and any spineless Republicans who have assisted them in allowing this costly and destructive failure to continue. -UM
  __________________________________________
  NOW Available '' The Sizzling New Political Bestseller From D.W. Ulsterman
  Lust. Power. Politics.
  Noted bestselling political writer D.W. Ulsterman takes readers into the often torrid underbelly of Washington D.C., where powerful figures exist in a world dominated by power and lust and winning is the only rule that applies.
  Colin O'Shea is the young, politically talented new addition to a longtime congressman's D.C. staff. He soon finds himself immersed in dealings of deception and intrigue at the highest levels of national politics, and a too '' willing participant in the life of a beautiful and dangerous prostitute
  ''As usual, D.W. Ulsterman manages to keep the reader glued to his book, and after it is read, PRAYING the next one comes out SOON!'' -Donna M. Stearns
  ''D.W. Ulsterman is THE break out writer of 2013!'' -Big Texas
  NOW Available '' The Sizzling New Political Bestseller From D.W. Ulsterman
Readout of the President's Meeting with CEOs on Cybersecurity
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:10
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 29, 2013
  The President met today with a group of CEOs from the information technology, financial services, and energy sectors to discuss our shared efforts to improve the cybersecurity of our nation's critical infrastructure.
  The conversation highlighted the importance of the voluntary Cybersecurity Framework that is being created by the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology in partnership with a range of public and private stakeholders. The framework is part of Executive Order 13636 on Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, which was introduced in the President's 2013 State of the Union Address. The preliminary version of the framework was released in the Federal Register today for a 45 day comment period.
  The framework is intended to raise the level of cybersecurity across the U.S. critical infrastructure. To do so, the framework will lay out a set of core practices for organizations to manage their cybersecurity risk. The CEOs expressed appreciation for the way the framework was developed in partnership with the private sector and support for the process moving forward. The conversation focused on how to encourage its adoption. Participants discussed the need for framework adoption by both critical infrastructure and by their suppliers -- and the difficulties involved in helping small and medium sized business to adopt best practices. Both companies and government officials also expressed the strong desire to have Congress pass information sharing legislation that protects privacy and civil liberties.
  Attendees included:* Ajay Banga, President and CEO, MasterCard* Steve Bennett, President and CEO, Symantec* Wes Bush, Chairman, President and CEO, Northrup Grumman* Marilyn Hewson, President and CEO, Lockheed Martin* Ren(C)e James, President, Intel* Brian T. Moynihan President and CEO, Bank of America* Joseph Rigby, Chairman, President and CEO, Pepco Holdings* Charles W. Scharf, Director and CEO, Visa
VIDEO-Greenwald on DN re paypal
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:07
  AMYGOODMAN: But we don't have much time, and I want to turn, Glenn Greenwald, to your latest venture. You're leaving The Guardian this week, the newspaper and the website where you have been a columnist and a blogger, and you are beginning to start a new venture with the eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar. Tell us what you're doing.
  GLENNGREENWALD: Yeah, I mean, the venture is still something that we're shaping and figuring out how it's going to work. But, obviously, the choice for him to work with us and for us to work with him'--and by "us," I mean Jeremy Scahill, who started with Democracy Now! and has been a longtime national security correspondent for The Nation, and Laura Poitras, the documentarian and great journalist in Berlin'--I think gives people a strong sense of the kind of journalism that we intend to embolden and to strengthen. It's very unusual, I think, for people who are dissenting political figures or journalists. Usually people like that have'--are on the outside of institutional power. And what this is really about is being able to create a very well-funded, powerful, well-fortified institution that's designed not to just tolerate that kind of journalism, but to enable it and protect it and strengthen it and empower it. And the people who we're going to select are all going to be people who take the same view of adversarial journalism, that it's about holding the most powerful factions accountable, fearlessly, and without regard to threats or repercussions from the government or corporate factions. And I think that it's going to be a very formidable force in shaping how journalism is understood and how it's practiced.
  AMYGOODMAN: Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, has said he's going to put something like $250 million into your venture. He, at first, was possibly going to buy The Washington Post. Have you talked to Pierre Omidyar? Are you concerned about issues like'--well, you know, he's a founder of eBay. EBay cut off'--eBay owns PayPal, which cut off support for WikiLeaks. What kind of discussions have you had around that, which certainly would be relevant to what you want to do and your deep concerns about control?
  GLENNGREENWALD: Sure. In the very first conversation or second conversation I had with Pierre, I asked him about that exact issue. And what he told me was that, at the time'--and this is absolutely true'--he was not the CEO of eBay, he was not involved in its management or PayPal, and that he actually disagreed with that decision. And a newspaper that he owned in Honolulu, that he created and helped out and at which he was working, editorialized against the government's attacks on WikiLeaks's funding.
  You know, I've moved several times now in my career, from being an independent blogger on my own to being at Salon and to go on to The Guardian and now to this. And each time I do it, I have people say, "Look, the institution that you're going to go to, the people who are running it are going to force you into their [inaudible]. They're going to restrict what it is that you can do." And I always say the same thing, which is I would never go anywhere or stay anywhere that in any way tried to interfere with my editorial independence and freedom. And that's absolutely true of this venture.
  You know, if you look at Pierre's record of advocacy over the last several years, and especially of the past five months, he's been incredibly supportive of the NSA reporting we've been doing, of the notion of press freedom. He would not start a new business in order to make money. He would only start a new business for some goal, some civic-minded goal. And that goal, not to replicate what other journalistic outlets are doing or to restrict the independence of journalists, it's to enable independent journalists to be even more independent, to be even more adversarial and aggressive in how they do their reporting. And I am completely convinced of the passion that he has behind that vision and his willingness to adhere to it. And at the end of the day, I think neither Jeremy nor myself would ever allow anybody to restrict what we do in any way, and that certainly includes him. But we have zero worries if that's an intention; quite the opposite, we think he wants to enable us and others to do the kind of journalism that the United States people want more of.
  AMYGOODMAN: I want to thank people for bearing with us; the audio is not so great today in this video stream. But lastly, you've engaged in this very interesting conversation with Bill Keller of The New York Times, this debate between the two of you, the former executive editor of the Times. Keller began the debate by writing, "We come at journalism from different traditions. I've spent a life working at newspapers that put a premium on aggressive but impartial reporting, that expect reporters and editors to keep their opinions to themselves unless they relocate (as I have done) to the pages clearly identified as the home of opinion." He ended, saying, quote, "Embedded in The New York Times's institutional perspective and reporting methodologies are all sorts of quite debatable and subjective political and cultural assumptions about the world. And with some noble exceptions, The Times, by design or otherwise, has long served the interests of the same set of elite and powerful factions. Its reporting is no less 'activist,' subjective or opinion-driven than the new media voices it sometimes condescendingly scorns." Can you comment on that and where you're going with your new venture?
  GLENNGREENWALD: Sure. And this came out of a New Yorker piece on the reporting that we did at The Guardian that quoted Bill Keller as saying he never would have allowed me, when he was the editor of The New York Times, to take the lead in reporting on these NSA stories, because I had expressed opinions about these topics previously. And so, he and I then had an email exchange about that, and he then offered, quite generously, to have a debate and publish it in his column. And I think it really reflects two very competing and different but strong frames in how journalism is understood: the kind of traditional New York Times model that I think has neutered and, in a lot of ways, helped to kill journalism as a potent force for checking power, and the kind of journalism that I think we intend to do, where it is much more passionate and [inaudible] and intended to be overtly adversarial to those in power. And I think you see the two competing visions in that exchange. And part of what I wanted to do was lay out for people why I think our vision produces better journalism, and to point to some of the really bad journalism that The New York Times has produced over the years'--alongside some good stuff'--which I think is a byproduct of this sort of obsolete way of thinking.
  AMYGOODMAN: I want to thank you, Glenn, for being with us. Glenn Greewald, columnist on civil liberties and U.S. national security issues, is leaving The Guardian this week and is going to start his new venture with Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay, a new news organization, with Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill. This is Democracy Now! We'll link to all your latest articles, Glenn, at democracynow.org. When we come back, the biggest deal, settlement, with the largest bank. Stay with us.
ON | Sal Giambanco
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:05
  Photo: Eric Millette
  Sal leads the human capital and operations functions of Omidyar Network. In this role, he works to develop and scale the talent at Omidyar Network and its portfolio organizations. Sal brings a wealth of executive experience in human resources management to his role as a partner at Omidyar Network.
  From 2000 to 2009, Sal served as the vice president of human resources and administration for PayPal and eBay Inc. Prior to joining PayPal, Sal worked for KPMG as the national recruiting manager for the information, communications, high-tech, and entertainment consulting practices, while also leading KPMG's collegiate and MBA recruiting programs. Previously, Sal directed human resources at Tech One, Inc. and held positions at Ernst & Young and ESS Technology, Inc. Sal began his career working in the public sector in a variety of roles, primarily in education and hospital ministries.
  Sal holds an MA in philosophy from Fordham University, a Masters of Divinity from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and an AB in economics and political science from Columbia University. Sal is also currently a lecturer for the University of San Francisco School of Management Silicon Valley Immersion Program.
Glenn Greenwald Still Covering for Omidyar on PayPal
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Rancid Honeytrap
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 15:01
  I truly promise to stop blogging about Greenwald when he stops writing my blog posts for me or when lefts, media critics and transparency advocates start holding him to the same standard they hold everyone else.
  In this post here, I showed how Glenn kinda lied on Twitter when pressed about Pierre Omidyar's involvement in the suspension of Wikileaks' account by eBay-owned PayPal. I showed that, contrary to what Glenn had said, Omidyar had, in fact, effectively supported PayPal's decision. But Glenn knows that the most convincing 1/4 truths are the ones you tell over and over again, as this recent exchange with Amy Goodman shows:
  AMY GOODMAN: '...Are you concerned about issues like'--well, you know, he's a founder of eBay. EBay cut off'--eBay owns PayPal, which cut off support for WikiLeaks. What kind of discussions have you had around that, which certainly would be relevant to what you want to do and your deep concerns about control?
  GLENN GREENWALD: '...I asked him about that exact issue. And what he told me was that, at the time'--and this is absolutely true'--he was not the CEO of eBay, he was not involved in its management or PayPal, and that he actually disagreed with that decision. And a newspaper that he owned in Honolulu, that he created and helped out and at which he was working, editorialized against the government's attacks on WikiLeaks's funding.
  Glenn's background as a lawyer comes in handy, again and again, doesn't it? Yes, it's true Omidyar was not CEO of eBay. He was simply its chair, which, as we know, is a position of absolutely no influence, the way 123rd richest man in the world is a position of no influence. And yes it's also true that the editorial board of Omidyar's little Hawaiian paper wrung their hands a bit over government interference. But in the same editorial, Omidyar's board also unequivocally endorsed PayPal's decision to comply with government interference, even without a court order to do so:
  The executives [of Paypal etc] have a fiduciary duty to do what's best for their shareholders. And if they didn't respond to government warnings, they very well could risk their own business being shut down.
  So if, as Glenn expects us to, we are to give Omidyar credit for his editorial board's handwringing over government interference, then we must also credit him with his editorial board's endorsement of PayPal's decision to acquiesce. Which means that, in the absence of some record of Omidyar contradicting both PayPal and his own editorial board in some way suggestive of asserting genuine influence, Glenn is telling Amy Goodman the truth to the same extent that Omidyar meaningfully opposed PayPal's decision to capitulate to the government.
  By the way, that Goodman interview is full of all kinds of lusciousness for the rubes. Like this gem:
  [Omidyar] would not start a new business in order to make money. He would only start a new business for some goal, some civic-minded goal.
  Yeah, that's the great thing about the toxic inequality that everyone is suddenly so enamored of. It leaves billionaires free to pursue civic-minded goals, as they so often do. Where would we be without them? Perhaps we can persuade Jamie Dimon to pursue some civic-minded goals with Matt Taibbi.
  Poor Glenn. I bet Pierre hasn't even briefed him on the Booz Allenconnections yet, but no doubt he's up for whatever may come. His rabid fans believe anything '-- and woe to the blogger who doesn't '-- which is what makes him so very useful.
  UPDATE
  Mr. Bunny in comments concisely makes an excellent point about what bullshit the shareholder argument for endorsing the PayPal decision is.
  RELATED
  A Harbinger of Journalism Saved
  A Heat Vampire in Search of a Movie Deal
  Take Your Drip and Stick It
  Viva The New Journalism
  Another Snowden News Story, Another Lesson in Proper Whistleblowing
  About these ads
VIDEO-Dragon Day - Trailer 1 | Hulu Mobile Clips | Free
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:57
  Watch Dragon Day - Trailer 1 online | Free | HuluTo enjoy Hulu.com, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please
  click here to learn how.
  Watch TV shows and movies free online. Stream episodes of The Office, Glee, Family Guy, SNL and many more hit shows.
  It appears that software on your computer is blocking JavaScript. To enjoy Hulu.com, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please configure your security software or browser plugins to allow Hulu.com to load JavaScript.
  If you require assistance, please contact customer support.
DN! Drone operator
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:21
  JUAN GONZLEZ: We turn now to look at how the United States uses drones, and their impact'--this time through the eyes of one of the first U.S. drone pilots to speak out. Former Air Force pilot Brandon Bryant served as a sensor operator for the U.S. Air Force Predator program from 2007 to 2011. He manned the camera on the unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. After he left the active-duty Air Force, he was presented with a certificate that credited his squadron for 1,626 kills.
  AMYGOODMAN: In total, Bryant says he was involved in seven missions in which his Predator fired a missile at a target, and about 13 people died in those strikes. He describes the grisly scenes he watched unfold on his monitor as an Air Force drone operator in a new article in GQ magazine, "Confessions of a Drone Warrior" by Matt Power. He joins us now in our New York studio.
  Brandon Bryant, welcome to Democracy Now!
  BRANDONBRYANT: Thank you for having me.
  AMYGOODMAN: Place us in the room in 2007 with your first strike. Describe what happened.
  BRANDONBRYANT: It was roughly around January 26, the end of January. And I had gotten on shift. I used to be what they called a multi-aircraft control qualified sensor operator, which is where a pilot controls multiple drones, and then a sensor operator controls one drone. So, you have a sensor operator basically in control of the aircraft until the pilot decides to take over. And that was my typical mission and would usually result in no shots being fired. And that'--the day of my first shot, I was told to go in'--
  AMYGOODMAN: Where were you?
  BRANDONBRYANT: I was in Nevada. And'--
  AMYGOODMAN: Which base?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Nellis. And'--
  AMYGOODMAN: What did the room look like?
  BRANDONBRYANT: The room? The room is not necessarily a room. It's a trailer. It's like a eight-by-20 trailer, kind of the same size as a Formula One racing car. And so, I was told to go in there and do this. And we came across'--it was a troops-in-contact situation, where guys were firing from the top of a hill to guys on the bottom of a hill at'--
  AMYGOODMAN: In what country?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Afghanistan. And the guys at the bottom of the hill were U.S. forces, and these guys were'--needed air support. And the'--we were about to fire on the guys on the top of the hill, and we were told to back off, and an F-16 was going to drop. But the F-16 came across three individuals a short distance away, and they wanted us to fire on those guys, because they thought that those guys were coming in to reinforce.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: Now, this was a nighttime operation?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Yeah, it was.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: So you were basically dealing with infrared as you were looking at these figures?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Correct. And so, when we came across these guys, the two individuals in the front were having a heated discussion, and you could see that they were talking about something. And the guy in the back was kind of watching the sky. And they weren't really in a hurry to do anything. And so, we got the confirmation that they had weapons, and we were told to fire. And in that situation'--
  JUAN GONZLEZ: Now, does this confirmation come from troops in the field? Or does it come from'--
  BRANDONBRYANT: No, it came from somewhere else. You got to understand that the whole operation procedures is like a web, and, like, you're dealing with people from multiple locations from all over the world. And so, when we'--
  AMYGOODMAN: You're speaking'--you're hearing them in headphones, and you're watching them on a computer monitor.
  BRANDONBRYANT: Yeah, we're like'--there's like a chat program. Like so, that's the easiest way to communicate because of the satellite delay. But we weren't in radio communications with anyone except for the guys that were on the ground, so we heard them asking for air support.
  And so, we got confirmation to fire on these guys. And the way that they reacted really made me doubt their involvement, because the guys over there, the locals over there, have to protect themselves from the Taliban just as much as armed'--us'--we do, as U.S. military personnel. And so, I think that they were probably in the wrong place at the wrong time. And the way that'--I've been accused of using poetic imagery to describe it, but I watched this guy bleed out, the guy in the back, and his right leg above the knee was severed in the strike. And his'--he bled out through his femoral artery. And it'--
  AMYGOODMAN: You saw that on your computer screen?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Right.
  AMYGOODMAN: It's that detailed?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Yeah, it's pixelated, but, I mean, you could'--you could see that it was a human being, and you could see that'--what he was doing, and you could see the crater from the drone'--from the Hellfire missile, and you could see probably the body pieces that were around this guy.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: And the other two that were in this strike?
  BRANDONBRYANT: They were completely destroyed.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: Blown apart.
  BRANDONBRYANT: Blown apart.
  AMYGOODMAN: So, you watched this guy bleed out for how long?
  BRANDONBRYANT: You know, it's the femoral artery, so he could have bled out really fast. It was cold outside, you know, wintertime. It seemed like forever to me, but we'--as the Predator drone can stay in the air for like 18 to 32 hours, and so they just had us watch and do battle damage assessment to make sure that'--to see if anyone would come and pick up the body parts or anyone really cared who these people were. And we watched long enough that the body cooled on the ground, and they called us off target.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: Now, there was a'--sometime later, you think that'--you've written that you thought you killed a child, as well.
  BRANDONBRYANT: There's'--yeah.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: Could you talk about that particular day?
  BRANDONBRYANT: That was'--I was still feeling the effects of my first Hellfire shot. And, like, you have to understand that what we did over in Afghanistan and Iraq there, it's constitutionally viable. We were given permission by the American public to go to war with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. And so, when this specific Hellfire shot, we were'--the intel that we were given is that there was this commander and some of his people inside this building. And they had been watching it for multiple days. They had been keeping track of people that had gone in and out. And they had made the determination that those were the only people that were in there. And something ran around the corner, and it looked like a little person. And it made me realize that, you know, we can have all the intel in the world, and it's still not going to be perfect. And as clean as these types of strikes can be, they're in reality really dirty.
  And military operations'--being part of the military, talking about military operations, like, that's'--that's just the nature of what it is. And the real'--the real debate should be about places other than where we went to war and, you know, violating the constitutional rights of an American citizen who was in another country, who was killed without due process, and that type of thing. And my'--my goal in all of this is to talk about, like, these aren't killer robots. They're not like unfeeling people behind this whole thing. There are'--there are some people that are extremely scary when talking to them, and there was one individual who got the word "infidel" tattooed in Arabic on his side, and he had Hellfire tattoos marking every shot. But that's an extreme. Most'--
  AMYGOODMAN: You mean who you work with, who was'--
  BRANDONBRYANT: Who I worked with.
  AMYGOODMAN: '--who was killing people on the computer'--
  BRANDONBRYANT: Right.
  AMYGOODMAN: '--with the drone strikes.
  BRANDONBRYANT: Right. And that's an extreme personality. But there's a lot of like'--those people are so few in the community, so few in the military, that'--but they're looked at as like that's who everyone is. And that's not the case. Like, there's people behind there.
  AMYGOODMAN: Brandon, in this case where you believe you killed a child, the report was written up as killing a dog?
  BRANDONBRYANT: No, the report actually said enemies killed in action, executed to standards. Like, that's what the after-action report said. It was very, very antiseptic, I guess is the word.
  AMYGOODMAN: Mm-hmm.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: And help me understand this. When you're doing these drone strikes, is it basically you're on duty for a set number of hours controlling one Predator, let's say, or one drone that's over a particular area, or are you specifically assigned to particular missions and called in?
  BRANDONBRYANT: No. So, there's a shift that goes on. So, there's multiple shifts in the day. And typically, you are assigned a mission on that shift, because crew continuity is so viable. They want the same types of people on the same missions, because that means that less explanation has to happen between crews, and there's more accountability there, internal accountability. And so, but the shifts, typically they were 11-and-a-half-hour shifts with a small break in the middle, where you're flying four-and-a-half hours with a small break, four-and-a-half hours, or even longer depending on how many people we had available to fly that day.
  AMYGOODMAN: Why have you decided, Brandon, to speak out?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Because there's so much misinformation out there, that'--so much speculation, and'--and that's wrong. The United States government hasn't really done a good job of humanizing the people that do it. And everyone else thinks that the whole program or the people behind it are a joke, that we are video-game warriors, that we're Nintendo warriors. And that's'--that's really not the case. And these'--the people that do the job are just as legit and just as combat-oriented as anyone else. And I'm not like their official spokesperson. In fact, I'm probably the most hated person in the entire community right now.
  AMYGOODMAN: Why?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Because I have spoken out, and they're'--they're hurt. They feel like I'm trying to hurt them, and that's not the case. I'm trying to give them credence, you know? But the problem is, like, again, we're going back to like the Constitution and what is viable and what is not inside and outside of war zones, what the people of the American'--of America has permission'--what they have given us.
  JUAN GONZLEZ: I wanted to ask you about a certificate in which your squadron, the 3rd Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, was credited for 1,626 kills. Air Force Special Operations Command spokeswoman, Captain Belena Marquez, responded to your claims about this in an email to the Air Force Times. She wrote, quote, "Only a very small percentage of that [enemy killed in action] total can be attributed to any one crew member when assessing actual kinetic activity."
  BRANDONBRYANT: And I think that's a'--that's the misconception there, is I've never taken credit for these kills. They're not my kills. Like, I didn't drop the bombs or shoot the people on the ground. These are all the number of people that have perished in all the operations that I was told that I participated in over the five-and-a-half-year period that I actually operated. And that's a completely viable number, if you look at it. And some people could be surprised that it's not larger. And if it's the number that's solely attributed to the 3rd Special Operations Squadron, then'--and in the first place, I don't know why they gave that certificate, or whatever it was, to me, because I never cared about it in the first place. But like'--
  AMYGOODMAN: Do you feel you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Well, you know, the clinical definition of PTSD is an anxiety disorder associated with witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. And it's such a blanket term that so many people are like, "Oh, you can't get PTSD from this or that." And it's a widely'--it's a wider phenomenon than I think a lot of people realize.
  And my deal is more moral injury, like think of it'--think how you would feel when'--if you were part of something that you felt violated the Constitution. And, I mean, I swore an oath, you know? I swore to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And how do you feel if, like'--you can't use "I obeyed orders" as an excuse. It's "I obeyed the Constitution, regardless of lawful or unlawful orders." And lawful orders follow the Constitution. And that, that's the hardest part.
  And I was really unprepared for'--for it. I tried to get out multiple times and do a different job, and I was consistently told that it's the needs of the Air Force come first, and so I did it. I buckled down, and I did it. I did the job. I did it as best as I could, because I was scared that someone would come in, and they wouldn't do it very well. And I'--I mean, I paid a spiritual and mental price for that. And I think that's something that people really discount, because I didn't take any physical injury through it.
  AMYGOODMAN: Well, Brandon, I want to thank you for being with us. When I asked earlier about the dog, a child being identified as a dog, though it didn't appear in the final report, it did come out in the chatter, right, as the killings were happening?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Right. It said, upon'--like, the person who was'--I mean, there's multiple people that review the feed, and the person that was in the chat said, "Upon further review, it was a dog." So'--
  AMYGOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you for being with us. You're going to speak today also at the United Nations?
  BRANDONBRYANT: Yeah, I've been given a little'--a little time to address the folks there. It's a pretty big responsibility, I think.
  AMYGOODMAN: Well, thank you for talking to us here at Democracy Now! Brandon Bryant is a former sensor operator for the U.S. Air Force Predator program, manned the camera on the unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. After he left the active-duty Air Force in 2011, he was presented with a certificate that credited his squadron with 1,626 kills. This is Democracy Now! We'll be back in a minute.
Monteur omgekomen bij brand windmolen Ooltgensplaat | RTV Rijnmond
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:12
  29-10-2013 | 16:27 door Jaimie WillebrandBij een brand in een windmolen bij Ooltgensplaat is een man om het leven gekomen. Het gaat om een monteur die boven op de turbine zat. Hoe het is met een andere monteur, die op dezelfde plek aanwezig was, is niet bekend. De brand is inmiddels zo goed als uit, aldus een woordvoerder van de politie.
  De windmolen staat langs de Mariadijk en is 80 meter hoog. De brand brak dinsdagmiddag rond half vier uit en was in de wijde omtrek te zien. Het slachtoffer lag onderaan de windmolen. De man is gesprongen of gevallen, laat Wim Erkelens van de politie weten.
  Diepzwarte rookVolgens een ooggetuige, die vlakbij de brand was, zaten twee monteurs op de punt van de turbine. Ook zag hij een traumahelicopter, een ladderwagen en een ambulance. Een boer uit de buurt zag dikke diepzwarte rook uit de turbine komen. Ook viel hem op dat er mannen onder de windturbine aan het rennen en schreeuwen waren terwijl er onderdelen van de turbine naar beneden vielen.
  'Er was vooral veel paniek, niemand wist hoe ze het aan moesten pakken', aldus boer Cornelis Mosselman. De monteurs waren volgens de boer onderhoud aan het plegen aan de windmolens na de storm van gisteren.
  In totaal waren er vier monteurs bij betrokken, twee daarvan zijn in veiligheid.
  Foto'sBron iGO.nl / KabelTV G-O
  Video: Monteur omgekomen bij brand windmolen OoltgensplaatAudio: Loek Houtepen van de politieSlideshow: Brand windturbine OoltgensplaatAutomatisch gerelateerde artikelen
Waarom de Rabobank moet boeten: vijf vragen over de Liborfraudezaak - Economie - VK
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:08
  Door: Yvonne Hofs '' 30/10/13, 06:53
  (C) ANP. De Rabobank moet een boete van 774 miljoen euro betalen vanwege fraude met belangrijke rentetarieven.
  Vijf vragen De bank die zich graag als vriendelijk alternatief voor de zakelijke concurrenten presenteert, was een hoofdrolspeler in de internationale rentefraude. Waarom heeft de Rabobank zo'n hoge boete gekregen? En komt de bank nu in financile problemen? Vijf vragen.
  (C) anp.
  Wat zijn de Libor en de Euribor?Libor staat voor London Interbank Offered Rate, Euribor voor Euro Interbank Offered Rate. Dit zijn de rentetarieven waartegen banken elkaar geld willen lenen. Deze tarieven zijn heel belangrijk, omdat tal van andere rentetarieven op de Libor en de Euribor worden gebaseerd, waaronder de hypotheekrente. Indirect bepalen de Libor en de Euribor dus mede de prijzen die consumenten betalen voor bancaire diensten.
  De Euribor en Libor worden dagelijks vastgesteld op basis van een enquªte onder de banken die lid zijn van de acht Libor-panels en het Euribor-panel. De enquªte wordt uitgevoerd door het financile persbureau ThomsonReuters. Dat bureau vraagt elke deelnemende bank tegen welke rente de bank geld kan lenen bij andere banken. De opgegeven rentes worden vervolgens gemiddeld.
  Dat gemiddelde publiceert ThomsonReuters vervolgens als de dan geldende Libor en Euribor. Al in 2008 stelde de gezaghebbende Bank voor Internationale Betalingen (BIS) vast dat het systeem fraudegevoelig was. De banken kunnen het rentetarief be¯nvloeden door tegen de enquªteur van ThomsonReuters te liegen.
  Veel banken hebben daar belang bij, omdat ze handelen in producten waarvan de prijs van de Libor of de Euribor is afgeleid. Door de rente een duwtje in de gewenste richting te geven, kunnen ze met die handel meer verdienen. De Rabobank is het enige Nederlandse lid van de Libor-panels, van het grotere Euribor-panel is ook ING lid. Naar aanleiding van het Libor-schandaal heeft de Rabobank in juni 2012 zijn lidmaatschap van drie van de acht Libor-panels opgezegd. Begin 2013 stapte de bank ook uit het Euribor-panel.
  Waarom heeft de Rabobank nu zo'n hoge boete gekregen?Vanwege de omvang en de duur van de geconstateerde misdragingen en vanwege de omstandigheid dat de bedrijfsleiding bijzonder laks heeft gereageerd op waarschuwingen en interne en externe signalen dat medewerkers van de bank de Libor en Euribor aan het manipuleren waren. De Zwitserse bank UBS heeft tot nu toe de hoogste boete betaald van de vier banken die geschikt hebben in de Libor-affaire. Bij UBS waren 45 medewerkers actief betrokken bij de fraude. Bij de Rabobank waren dat er 30 en bij Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) gingen 21 werknemers over de schreef. Het Britse Barclays kwam er relatief licht vanaf omdat deze bank als eerste schuld bekende.
  Welk bewijs is er tegen de Rabobank?De onderzoekers hebben ongeveer vijfhonderd e-mails achterhaald waarin medewerkers onderling afspreken welk rentetarief ze die dag aan ThomsonReuters zullen doorgeven (in afwijking dus van het werkelijke rentetarief).
  Effectenhandelaren van de Rabobank deden routineus renteverzoeken aan hun collega's die als 'submitter' (de persoon die de Euribor en Libor doorgeeft aan het persbureau) werkten. Rabobank-medewerkers deden op deze wijze ook 'zaken' met andere Libor-panelleden, wat de kans vergrootte dat de rente in de gewenste richting bewoog.
  De Libor-panels bestaan uit slechts twaalf leden. Een paar foute opgaven leiden dus al snel tot een te hoge of lage Libor, ook al worden de extremen uit de enquªte weggestreept. De frauderende medewerkers handelden uit winstbejag.
  De meesten werkten op de afdeling Liquidity & Finance van de divisie Client Trading & Money Markets en werden beloond met prestatiebonussen. Door de Libor en de Euribor in de door hen gewenste richting te manipuleren, konden ze de winstdoelstellingen waarop hun bonus was gebaseerd gemakkelijker halen.
  Komt de Rabobank door de boete in de financile problemen?Nee. De bank kan dat bedrag vrij gemakkelijk opbrengen. De nettowinst van de Rabobank over 2012 bedroeg 2,1 miljard euro en die over het eerste halfjaar van 2013 1,1 miljard euro. De bank heeft dit jaar bovendien 1,5 miljard euro verdiend met de verkoop van vermogensbeheerder Robeco. Met die opbrengst wilde Rabobank het eigen vermogen verder versterken, maar de bank voldoet al aan de gestelde kapitaaleisen. Door de Libor-boete valt de jaarwinst natuurlijk wel lager uit. In juni reserveerde de Rabobank een onbekend bedrag om de Libor-boete te voldoen. De bank heeft het boetebedrag toen iets te laag ingeschat en moet dus nog wat extra opzij zetten. In de VS lopen nog wel 37 civiele rechtszaken tegen de bank.
  Worden de dertig overtreders bestraft?Van de veertien die nog bij de Rabobank in dienst zijn wordt 4,2 miljoen euro aan toegezegde bonussen over de jaren 2009 tot en met 2012 ingehouden. Het betreft slechts het deel van de bonussen dat nog niet was uitbetaald. In tegenstelling tot mede-Libor-zondaar RBS vordert de Rabobank niet de al uitbetaalde bonussen terug bij de werknemers die over de schreef zijn gegaan.
  De zestien werknemers die inmiddels vertrokken zijn, mogen hun mede dankzij de door hen gepleegde Libor-fraude - verdiende bonussen houden. De vijf ontslagen werknemers hebben daarnaast een 'substantile' ontslagvergoeding gekregen. DNB is daar in zijn rapport zeer kritisch over en constateert dat dit niet strookt met het door de Rabobank beleden 'no reward for failure'-beginsel. DNB heeft geist dat ook de raad van bestuur een deel van de toegekende bonussen over de afgelopen jaren inlevert, in totaal zo'n 2 miljoen euro.
Pentagon, Energy Department Moving Ahead with Upgraded, Precision-Guided Nuclear Bomb | Washington Free Beacon
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:57
  B-61 gravity bomb life extension urgently needed for strategic and tactical bombers
  B-61 nuclear bomb / AP
  BY:Bill GertzOctober 30, 2013 5:00 am
  The oldest nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal is being modernized with a precision-guidance kit and more modern safety features, Pentagon and Energy Department officials told Congress on Monday.
  Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, testified during a hearing of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces that upgrading the B-61 bomb is a key military necessity for nuclear deterrence and defending allies in Asia and Europe.
  ''Our requirement to deter nuclear attack is a military mission,'' Kehler said when asked why the bomb upgrade is needed. ''This B-61 weapon arms the B-2. It will arm the future long-range strike platform. It arms the dual-capable aircraft that are forward stationed in Europe as well as those of our NATO allies.''
  ''It's about deterring; it's about assuring our allies of our extended deterrent commitment to them and from a military standpoint it's about being able to offer the president a series of options that include nuclear options in extreme circumstances,'' he said.
  Four variants of 1960s-era B-61 gravity bombs are being combined into a single bomb that will be outfitted with a motorized tail kit to replace its parachute, used to slow descent, Kehler and three other officials said during the hearing.
  The tail kit is similar to the guidance packages outfitted on conventional bombs that convert them into precision-guided munitions capable of highly accurate attacks.
  The bomb upgrade will cost $8.1 billion through 2024 and is part of the Obama administration's program to modernize aging nuclear weapons called ''3 plus 2.''
  That program will update the current 12 warhead types used on land- and sea-based nuclear missiles into three interoperable missile warheads. Two aircraft bombs will be upgraded and carried on B-2 bombers, as well as F-16 and future F-35 tactical nuclear bombers.
  Equipping current and future nuclear bombers is a ''necessary and crucial component of the triad and arming that force is a top priority,'' Kehler said.
  Democrats on the subcommittee questioned the officials during the hearing about whether the expensive B-61 modernization is needed.
  In response, all four officials said the upgrade program is required to maintain U.S. nuclear deterrence and assure U.S. allies.
  The testimony by the officials in favor of the B-61 life-extension program is a setback for anti-nuclear activists in Congress and arms control groups that are opposing the bomb modernization.
  The liberal Ploughshares Fund stated in July, ''The U.S. does not need and cannot afford this nuclear budget buster.''
  Kehler said the new B-61 upgrade program would assist future warhead life-extension programs.
  Another nuclear weapon, the W-77/W-88 interoperable missile warhead, will be the next modernization effort after the B-61, and will be the first of the three exchangeable missile warheads for the 3 plus 2 strategy.
  Donald L. Cook, deputy administrator for Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), said the B-61 Mod 12 life-extension program has made ''great progress'' and is currently in its second year of development at a cots of about $1.2 billion.
  ''The B-61 [life-extension program] represents not only a critical modernization activity to sustain the health of the nuclear deterrent and a viable triad, but from the NNSA perspective it also exercises the talents and pushes the technical skills of the nuclear security enterprise'--both the labs and plants,'' Cook said. ''Overall, it is one of the most important programs in which the NNSA is currently engaged.''
  The modernization will permit the reduction in the total number of nuclear gravity bombs by a factor of two, Cook said.
  About 400 B-61s, including nearly 200 deployed in Europe, are currently deployed. The Mod 12 will consolidate four variants, Mod 3, Mod 4, Mod 7, and Mod 10.
  The bomb currently has varying yields of between .3 kilotons and 300 kilotons. A kiloton is the equivalent of 1,000 tons of TNT. Officials said Monday that the Mod 12 would have a yield at the lower end of the current variants.
  The weapons also are the key element of U.S. ''extended deterrence'' used to bolster alliances in Asia and Europe, the officials said.
  President Barack Obama announced in Berlin in June that the Pentagon would seek to further reduce U.S. nuclear arms below the 5,500 deployed strategic warheads allowed under the 2010 New START arms treaty with Russia.
  However, Russia's government has rejected U.S. efforts to engage in further arms cuts. China's government also has refused to engage in any strategic arms talks with the Obama administration. Beijing is currently engaged in a significant buildup of strategic nuclear forces.
  Madelyn Creedon, assistant defense secretary for global strategic affairs, testified at the hearing that the bomb modernization is urgently needed.
  ''I cannot emphasize this point enough: The B-61-12 is critical to U.S. nuclear deterrence and is viewed by the administration and others as the cornerstone of our extended deterrence commitment to allies around the globe,'' Creedon said.
  Under questioning from subcommittee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.), Creedon disagreed with a New York Times editorial from May that called the B-61 upgrade ''nonsensical'' and inconsistent with Obama's call to eliminate all nuclear arms.
  ''We've seen massively uninformed editorials and articles out there on the B-61,'' Rogers said.
  Creedon said the bomb modernization bolsters the president's nuclear policies that say nuclear weapons are needed as long as other states maintain nuclear arsenals.
  Ranking Democrat Rep. John Garamendi asked why the newer B-83 nuclear bomb should be used instead of modernizing the B-61.
  The officials said the B-83, which is a huge bomb with a yield of 1.2 megatons or the equivalent of 1.2 million tons of TNT, is too big for tactical nuclear use and cannot be carried on NATO or U.S. dual-use conventional nuclear jets like the F-16 and F-35.
  Eventually, the upgraded B-61 will replace the B-83, the officials said.
  Creedon said the B-61 modernization tail kit is a key element of the bomb upgrade.
  ''The improved accuracy [with the tail kit] will allow the B61-12 to achieve the same military effects of today's highest-yield versions, while incorporating the smallest yield design available,'' Creedon said.
  The role of the B-61 bomb upgrade ''in providing nuclear deterrence throughout the globe is extremely important,'' she added.
  Creedon said NATO last year affirmed its need for nuclear arms in a deterrence and posture review. The review confirmed nuclear arms as a ''core component'' of NATO defense.
  Paul J. Hommert, director of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories, that is involved in B-61 modernization, said he has expressed formal concerns about the aging bomb in recent years.
  ''While the B-61 is currently safe and secure, these concerns continue to increase,'' Hommert said.
  Among the problems are degradation in electronics, polymer components and high explosives used to trigger a nuclear blast.
  The modernization will also replace obsolete technology, Hommert said.
  Vacuum tubes used in the bombs are outdated and difficult to test, and a new radar used inside the bomb will employ radio-frequency integrated circuits.
  Also, encryption used on the codes that prevent unauthorized use of the bombs also are becoming outdated. ''So key features associated with use control and denial must be upgraded,'' Hommert said.
  Also, electronic signals sent from delivery aircraft to the bombs need updating from analog to digital technology for use with the new F-35 joint strike fighter, he said.
  The House voted down legislation in July that would have cut $23.7 million from the B-61 modernization program.
  Officials at the hearing said defense-spending cuts made under sequestration had already delayed the needed B-61 modernization program by six months.
  U.S. nuclear modernization options are limited by the Obama administration's policy of not producing new nuclear weapons. As a result, old weapons, some built in the 1960s, must undergo life-extension programs.
  The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review also stated that upgrade program will only use previously tested designs and will not expand military missions or provide new military capabilities.
  For example, under the restrictive policy, the Pentagon was prohibited from converting the B-83 into a penetrating warhead that can reach deep underground structures, a growing problem for strategic war planners and officials in charge of countering terrorists' potential use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
  By contrast, Russia and China are developing new, more modern and more lethal nuclear warheads and bombs as part of their respective strategic modernization programs.
Stage Zero Cancer-New 'stage' of cancer causing debate | Latest News - Home
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:26
  Published On: Oct 29 2013 10:17:32 PM CDTUpdated On: Oct 29 2013 11:07:20 PM CDT
  Oct. 29, 2013: Stage zero breast cancer is a term many women have never heard before and it's causing fierce debate among doctors in Houston. Rachel McNeill reports.
  HOUSTON -Stage zero breast cancer is a term many women have never heard before and it's causing fierce debate among doctors in Houston.
  Priscilla Stegman has a long family history of breast cancer.
  ''My mother died at 57 of breast cancer, my sister died of cancer at 60, my first cousin died at 47 of cancer," Stegman explained.
  And now she's one of the millions of American women facing her own diagnosis. Stegman's disease is defined with as 'stage zero' breast cancer.
  "Zero was still cancer and it's a scary word," Stegman said.
  According to oncologist, Dr. Archana Maini, stage zero breast cancer is an earlier indicator of a potentially serious disease.
  "It's pre-malignant so if left on its own it would have developed into an invasive cancer," Dr. Maini explained.
  A stage zero diagnosis is most often made following a mammogram that detects a lesion on the breast. There are also slight abnormalities in the breast cells that could eventually become cancerous.
  Richard Theriault, D.O, with MD Anderson Cancer Center says the term stage zero is being hotly debated in the medical community right now.
  "It's very controversial at the present time because screening has detected so many of these and we don't understand the biologic behavior of them, so the question is, are we over-diagnosing and therefore over-treating people whose disease would never come to the fore," Theriault said.
  Dr. Maini says some doctors are choosing to use the terms 'breast lesion' or 'abnormal cells' to define the earliest of stages.
  "What they are thinking is cancer is a word that should only be used for something that has metastasized and have adverse effects on the human body and ultimately be capable of killing the body. We should not use this word for anything less than that," she explained.
  But, a study of 400 women found that when the word 'cancer' was removed from the diagnosis, the patients chose less aggressive treatments. That concerns Dr. Maini who says even stage zero cancer cannot be ignored.
  "It does require a full fledge of treatment those women," Dr. Maini said.
  "Right now, it's what we have to work with. But as we get more knowledge about the genetics of the tumor, the biomarkers of the tumor, we'll be able to classify, this one is a real potential cancer and this one we should just leave alone,'' Theriault added.
  Priscilla Stegman went through surgery to remove what her doctor called 'a speck of dust' followed by radiation treatments and she's taking the cancer drug Tamoxifen for the next five years.
  "I'm doing everything I can to prevent it again," Stegman said.
  To do everything you can to prevent breast cancer, don't smoke, avoid alcohol and if you've reached menopause, be cautious about hormone replacement therapy. Yearly mammograms starting at age 40 for average risk women can also help detect cancer at its earliest stages.
Calgary school axes honour roll, saying it often hurts 'self-esteem and pride' of students who don't make it
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:24
  Calgary school axes honour roll, saying it often hurts 'self-esteem and pride' of students who don't make it
  Facebook | Twitter | Email | Instapaper
  Reid Southwick and Trevor Howell, Postmedia NewsTuesday, Oct. 29, 2013
  Lohini Winn, with her son Andreas, is among the parents that are upset that St. Basil Elementary and Junior High School is moving away from recognizing student academic achievements. Lorraine Hjalte/Postmedia News
  CALGARY '-- A Calgary school's decision to stop rewarding students for their academic achievements has reignited a debate over whether such award programs should remain in the classroom.
  Roughly 250 students in Grade 7 to 9 will no longer compete for the honour roll after St. Basil Elementary and Junior High School axed academic awards and year-end ceremonies.
  ''Awards eventually lose their lustre to students who get them, while often hurting the self-esteem and pride of those who do not receive a certificate,'' school officials said in a letter to parents explaining the decision
  Many parents and students have expressed shock and disappointment, and ask why officials would take away a sense of purpose for young learners and an incentive for students to work harder to get better grades.
  ''The kids that care, that are trying but don't ever achieve one, well there's something to be learned from that,'' said Jason Redelback, whose 14-year-old son is enrolled at St. Basil.
  ''You teach kids how to win, you teach kids how to lose,'' Mr. Redelback added. ''But you also teach them how to improve themselves and give them goals to strive for.''
  The school's letter to parents cites the work of education guru Alfie Kohn, who contends that ''dangling rewards in front of children are at best ineffective, and at worst counterproductive.''
  School principal Craig Kittelson acknowledged that line of thinking runs counter to tradition, but the school has the best interest of its students in mind.
  ''We're not saying not to set high goals,'' Mr. Kittelson said. ''We're still striving to get them to do their best. Kids want to do their best and we want to support them in doing their best.''
  Mary Martin, chair of the Calgary Catholic School District, would not say whether she backs the decision, but that she supports allowing schools to make their own choices based on their unique circumstances.
  ''I am aware of some schools where there has been a movement away from the one or two times a year where you stand up and get these certificates,'' Ms. Martin said. ''And the reason they are doing that is they are trying to reward students in a way that's relevant to their kids and more frequently.''
  An earlier forum on academic awards in the Calgary Catholic School District had revealed divisions among school administrators, trustees and parents on the effects that formal recognition has on students.
  'You teach kids how to win, you teach kids how to lose'
  There were concerns among those attending the forum that honours and award programs can sow jealousy among classmates, cause undue stress and spur children who are not top achievers to give up because they never win.
  Others felt that such programs build a sense of community, boost self-esteem, encourage students to work harder and open doors to scholarships down the road.
  In 2007, Red Deer teacher and author Joe Bower helped spearhead a similar move to end awards ceremonies at Red Deer's Westpark Middle School, where he then taught. But rather than end all awards, the school decided to broaden its scope, allowing teachers and students to celebrate the individual strengths and improvements of kids through personalized recognition posters.
  The response from parents of students at the Red Deer school was ''overwhelmingly positive,'' he said.
  ''We need to broaden our narrow view of what we recognize in children and what we call success and evidence of success,'' Mr. Bower said. ''Right now, many schools just focus on 80% in their core subjects. That's a pretty narrow view.''
  Dropping awards ceremonies, or celebrating all students' achievements, doesn't '-- as many have charged '-- foster mediocrity, said Mr. Bower.
  ''Every child has strengths and something to be celebrated,'' he said. ''And if you can't find them, then you're not looking hard enough.''
  At St. Basil, praise and recognition will now be immediate through feedback from teachers.
  ''We know there's value in many, many traditions, and this is something that we debated as well,'' Mr. Kittelson said.
  Postmedia News
  Posted in:News Tags:Canada, Calgary, Education, Students
Feinstein Statement on Intelligence Collection of Foreign Leaders - Press Releases - News Room - United States Senator Dianne Feinstein
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:30
  Washington'--Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued the following statement on reports the National Security Agency has conducted surveillance on leaders of foreign countries:
  ''It is abundantly clear that a total review of all intelligence programs is necessary so that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are fully informed as to what is actually being carried out by the intelligence community.
  ''Unlike NSA's collection of phone records under a court order, it is clear to me that certain surveillance activities have been in effect for more than a decade and that the Senate Intelligence Committee was not satisfactorily informed. Therefore our oversight needs to be strengthened and increased.
  ''With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies'--including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany'--let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed.
  ''Unless the United States is engaged in hostilities against a country or there is an emergency need for this type of surveillance, I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers. The president should be required to approve any collection of this sort.
  ''It is my understanding that President Obama was not aware Chancellor Merkel's communications were being collected since 2002. That is a big problem.
  ''The White House has informed me that collection on our allies will not continue, which I support. But as far as I'm concerned, Congress needs to know exactly what our intelligence community is doing. To that end, the committee will initiate a major review into all intelligence collection programs.''
  ###
Obama May Ban Spying on Heads of Allied States - NYTimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:26
  WASHINGTON '-- President Obama is poised to order the National Security Agency to stop eavesdropping on the leaders of American allies, administration and congressional officials said Monday, responding to a deepening diplomatic crisis over reports that the agency had for years targeted the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
  The White House informed a leading Democratic lawmaker, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, of its plans, which grew out of a broader internal review of intelligence-gathering methods, prompted by the leak of N.S.A. documents by a former contractor, Edward J. Snowden.
  In a statement on Monday, Ms. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, ''I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.'' Ms. Feinstein, who has been a stalwart defender of the administration's surveillance policies, said her committee would begin a ''major review of all intelligence collection programs.''
  In Germany, where the indignation over the reports that the chancellor's phone had been targeted is still mounting, officials were wary of the reports from Washington.
  There was no immediate reaction from Ms. Merkel. But Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, the chancellor's top security official, who met with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and others in July to discuss allegations that the United States bugged the diplomatic missions of Germany and other European allies, indicated on Tuesday that Berlin had registered the shift in tone from Washington.
  ''The Americans know by now that this affair is very damaging to their own interests, which is evident in the reaction of the president, as well as the Senate,'' Mr. Friedrich said in an interview with Germany's n-tv news channel.
  Peter Schaar, the German federal data protection commissioner, said Ms. Feinstein's comments served as the first indication that the authorities in Washington had grasped the gravity of European outrage over the wiretapping affair, and the wider implications the erosion of allies' trust in the United States could have, including for the economy.
  ''If we want to return to a relationship based on trust, it will require serious effort,'' said Mr. Schaar, who has long been critical of American data privacy policies. ''Officially the Americans said that they respected German law. Now we know that was not the case.''
  He pointed out that foreign companies are already wary of storing their data in clouds that are based in the United States, out of concerns over how their digital information will be handled, depriving the United States economy of millions of dollars. He said he would ''welcome'' recognition of the dangers of ignoring Europe's anger and instead agree to more stringent data security regulations, which he suggested could ''form the basis for an expanded common market in the form of a free-trade zone.''
  He called a 2002 data security agreement between the United States and the European Union, called ''Safe Harbor'' a ''fiction,'' given how much technology and the flow of information has changed in the past decade and how many new regulations have been drawn up by Washington since the treaty was signed.
  ''Consequently, I do not think it is right that we continue to facilitate the transfer of data into the U.S.A.,'' Mr. Schaar said. The agreements, he said, ''must be renegotiated, and must include reasonable protections against eavesdropping by state and secret services.''
  The German Parliament is to meet in special session on Nov. 18, with the opposition calling for the former N.S.A. contractor, Edward J. Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia, to appear before an official inquiry.
  The chancellor may address the Nov. 18 session with a speech on German-American relations.
  The White House said Monday evening that no final decision had been made on the monitoring of friendly foreign leaders. But the disclosure that it is moving to prohibit it signals a landmark shift for the National Security Agency, which has had nearly unfettered powers to collect data on tens of millions of people around the world, from ordinary citizens to heads of state, including the leaders of Brazil and Mexico.
  It is also likely to prompt a fierce debate on what constitutes an American ally. Prohibiting eavesdropping on Ms. Merkel's phone is an easier judgment than, for example, collecting intelligence on the military-backed leaders in Egypt.
  ''We have already made some decisions through this process and expect to make more,'' said a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, Caitlin M. Hayden, adding that the review would be completed in December.
  Disclosure of the White House's proposed action came after the release on Monday afternoon of Ms. Feinstein's statement, in which she asserted that the White House had told her it would cease all intelligence collection in friendly countries. That statement, senior administration officials said, was ''not accurate,'' but they acknowledged that they had already made unspecified changes in surveillance policy and planned further changes, particularly in the monitoring of government leaders.
  The administration will reserve the right to continue collecting intelligence in friendly countries that pertains to criminal activity, potential terrorist threats and the proliferation of unconventional weapons, according to several officials. It also appeared to be leaving itself room in the case of a foreign leader of an ally who turned hostile or whose actions posed a threat to the United States.
  The crossed wires between the White House and Ms. Feinstein were an indication of how the furor over the N.S.A.'s methods is testing even the administration's staunchest defenders.
  Aides said the senator's six-paragraph statement reflected exasperation at the agency for failing to keep the Intelligence Committee fully apprised of such politically delicate operations as eavesdropping on the conversations of friendly foreign leaders.
  ''She believes the committee was not adequately briefed on the details of these programs, and she's frustrated,'' said a committee staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. ''In her mind, there were salient omissions.''
  The review that Ms. Feinstein announced would be ''a major undertaking,'' the staff member said.
  The White House has faced growing outrage in Germany and among other European allies over its surveillance policies. Senior officials from Ms. Merkel's office and the heads of Germany's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies plan to travel to Washington in the coming days to register their anger.
  They are expected to ask for a no-spying agreement similar to what the United States has with Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which are known as the Five Eyes.
  The United States has historically resisted such agreements, even with friendly governments, though it explored a similar arrangement with France early in the Obama administration. But officials said they would give the Germans, in particular, a careful hearing.
  ''We have intel relationships that are already very close,'' said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the subject. ''There are other types of agreements you could have: cooperation, limits on intelligence, greater transparency. The countries on the top of the list for those are close European allies.''
  The National Security Agency has said it did not inform Mr. Obama of its reported monitoring of Ms. Merkel, which appears to have started in 2002 and was not suspended until sometime last summer after the theft of the N.S.A. data by Mr. Snowden was discovered.
  ''At that point it was clear that lists of targeted foreign officials may well become public,'' said one official, ''so many of the interceptions were suspended.''
  The N.S.A.'s documentation on Ms. Merkel's case authorized the agency's operatives in Germany not only to collect data about the numbers she was calling, but also to listen in on her conversations, according to current and former administration officials.
  It was unclear whether excerpts from Ms. Merkel's conversations appeared in intelligence reports that were circulated in Washington or shared with the White House. Officials said they had never seen information attributed to an intercept of Ms. Merkel's conversations. But they said it was likely that some conversations had been recorded simply because the N.S.A. had focused on her for so long.
  In both public comments and private interchanges with German officials, the Obama administration has refused to confirm that Ms. Merkel's phone was targeted, though it has said that it is not the subject of N.S.A. action now, and will not be in the future.
  The refusal to talk about the past has further angered German officials, who have said the surveillance has broken trust between two close allies. The Germans were particularly angry that the operation appears to have been run from inside the American Embassy or somewhere near it, in the heart of Berlin, steps from the Brandenburg Gate.
  None of the officials and former officials who were interviewed would speak directly about the decision to target Ms. Merkel, saying that information was classified. But they said the legal distinction between tapping a conversation and simply collecting telephone ''metadata'' '-- essentially the kind of information about a telephone call that would be found on a telephone bill '-- existed only for domestic telephone calls, or calls involving United States citizens.
  To record the conversation of a ''U.S. Person,'' the intelligence agencies would need a warrant. But no such distinction applies to intercepting the calls of foreigners on foreign soil '-- though those intercepts may be a violation of local law.
  That means that the intercepts of other world leaders could have also involved both information about the calls and the conversations themselves.
  Dennis C. Blair, Mr. Obama's first director of national intelligence, declined to speak specifically about the Merkel case. But he noted that ''in our intelligence relationship with countries like France and Germany, 90 to 95 percent of our activity is cooperative and sharing, and a small proportion is about gaining intelligence we can't obtain in other ways.''
  He said he had little patience for the complaints of foreign leaders. ''If any foreign leader is talking on a cellphone or communicating on unclassified email, what the U.S. might learn is the least of their problems.''
  In addition to the Germans, European Union officials and members of the European Parliament are descending on Washington to deliver a tough message: The N.S.A.'s surveillance is unacceptable and has eroded trust between the United States and Europe.
  ''The key message is there is a problem,'' said Silvia Kofler, a spokeswoman for the European Union. ''We need to re-establish the trust between partners. You don't spy on partners.''
  One potential threat, Ms. Kofler said, was to the negotiation of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, one of Mr. Obama's major trade initiatives. European Union officials, she said, were anxious to keep those talks on track but would require unspecified ''confidence-building measures'' to restore trust between the two sides.
  An administration official said the White House would take these visits seriously, having senior officials from several government agencies and the White House meet with the Germans, though no meetings have yet been scheduled.
  Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, and Melissa Eddy and Alison Smale from Berlin.
Two New Journalists Join the Team '' Omidyar Group
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:22
  We're very excited to announce two new members joining our team: Dan Froomkin and Liliana Segura. Dan and Liliana will work alongside Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill, and me as we develop our new venture with Pierre Omidyar.
  Dan Froomkin is a veteran journalist who has received national acclaim for his writing about U.S. politics and media coverage. He's been particularly focused on the issue of journalistic accountability '' i.e. correcting misinformation, asking critical questions, and holding those in power accountable to their actions.
  He was preparing to launch a website called FearlessMedia.org when we approached him about working with us. Before that, he was senior Washington correspondent and Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post. During 12 years working for The Washington Post, he spent three as editor and six as the writer of the popular and controversial White House Watch column. Dan has also worked since 2004 for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, most of that time as deputy editor of the NiemanWatchdog.org website.
  Liliana Segura is journalist and editor with a longtime focus on prisons, prisoners, and the failings and excesses of the U.S. criminal justice system''from wrongful convictions to the death penalty. She covered these and other issues most recently as an editor at The Nation Magazine, where she edited a number of award-winning stories. Previously she was a senior editor at AlterNet, where she was in charge of civil liberties coverage during the early days of Obama's presidency. She is on the board of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty and the Applied Research Center, a U.S. racial justice think tank.
  Both embody the core attributes of our new venture. We are looking very forward to working with them in building our team further.
Presidential Proclamation -- Death of Thomas S. Foley, Former Speaker of the House of Representatives
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:18
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 28, 2013
  DEATH OF THOMAS S. FOLEY
  FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  - - - - - - -
  BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  A PROCLAMATION
  As a mark of respect for the memory of Thomas S. Foley, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff on that day at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
  BARACK OBAMA
Brazil Times: Local News: Student injured by K-9 officer (10/21/13)
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 02:01
  An 11-year-old male student has been treated for "minor injuries" sustained following a bite from a Brazil Police Department K-9 officer at the Red Ribbon Awareness week kick-off event at the Clay County Courthouse Thursday, officials said.
  According to a report submitted by the K-9 officer's handler, Ray Walters, the young man was transported by ambulance to St. Vincent Clay Hospital for treatment following the incident.
  "It was an unfortunate accident," said Brazil Police Chief Clint McQueen. "Wish it hadn't happened like that but it did. We are trying to evaluate (the incident) to make sure nothing like this happens again."
  According to the report, the officer and his K-9 partner, Max, as well as another K-9 team were requested by Clay County Superior Court Judge J. Blaine Akers to carry out a simulated raid of a party with actors in place to help "educate the Clay County fifth-graders on drug awareness."
  He added the juveniles in the scenario met with officers prior to the start and were asked to remain still when the dogs searched for narcotics.
  McQueen said a very small amount of illegal drugs were hidden on one of the juveniles to show how the dogs can find even the smallest trace of an illegal substance. He added all this was done "under exclusive control and supervision of members of the court and law enforcement." Four scenarios were carried out that day with the incident occurring during the third scenario.
  "As I got closer to the actors, Max began searching the juveniles," according to the officer's report. "The first male juvenile began moving his legs around as Max searched him. When the male began moving his legs, (this is what) I believe prompted Max's action to bite the male juvenile on the left calf."
  McQueen said the result was minor puncture wounds to the leg.
  The other K-9 officer met with Walters after the incident and said that several other children involved in the scenario saw the young man shake his legs when Max approached.
  The report then stated the officer immediately shouted, "Oust," the German command for release, and after a few seconds, Max released his bite and ran behind the officer. The officer said he quickly exited with the K-9 officer after.
  McQueen said the incident was not anything "out of control," but just a quick reaction by the dog to the young man's sudden movement.
  According to the officer's report, the juvenile was transported to St. Vincent Clay Hospital. He immediately followed and spoke with the mother.
  "(The mother) was very calm and polite," the officer's reported stated. "She asked me what had happened and I explained exactly as I have here in my report. She replied with 'it's OK, accidents happen.' She stated that her son was very tough and everything would be fine."
  McQueen said the K-9 officer has to follow the same procedure as with any other dog bite. The dog has been taken out of service until test results from a veterinarian are returned.
N.S.A. Head Says European Data Was Collected by Allies - NYTimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:59
  WASHINGTON '-- The head of the National Security Agency on Tuesday vigorously challenged recent reports that the United States had been gathering the phone records of millions of Europeans, saying that the records had in fact been turned over by allied spy services.
  ''This is not information we collected on European citizens,'' said the agency's director, Gen. Keith B. Alexander. ''It represents information that we and our NATO allies have collected in defense of our countries and in support of military operations.''
  General Alexander said that phone data was generally collected outside Europe.
  The Wall Street Journal reported on its website on Tuesday that intelligence services in France and Spain had collected phone records of their citizens and turned them over to the N.S.A. as part of an arrangement to mitigate threats against American and allied troops and civilians.
  Video | James Clapper's Testimony in 2 Minutes Top intelligence officials defended their operations before a House committee on Tuesday as they faced growing criticism and calls for a congressional review of the nation's surveillance efforts.
  But General Alexander and James R. Clapper Jr., director of national intelligence, broadly defended the N.S.A.'s practice of spying on foreign leaders. Such espionage, they said, was a basic pillar of American intelligence operations that had gone on for decades.
  Both men said the intelligence was invaluable because it provided American leaders with an idea of how other countries planned to act toward the United States.
  Such spying was essential, the officials said, because other countries, including allies, spy on the United States. ''It is one of the first things I learned in intelligence school in 1963,'' Mr. Clapper said. ''It's a fundamental given.''
  The two officials defended their operations before the House Intelligence Committee at a time the N.S.A. has come under growing criticsm and calls for a congressional review of the nation's surveillance efforts. They said members of the intelligence community were also American citizens who were determined to protect American privacy while identifying national security threats.
  ''To be sure, on occasion we have made mistakes,'' Mr. Clapper said, adding that the intelligence agencies would work with Congress to address any concerns.
  But the committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, said he was disturbed by the criticisms of the intelligence services, adding that many recent reports '-- including the ones in Europe about N.S.A. collection there '-- were inaccurate.
  ''This is the time for leadership, it is not a time to apologize,'' Mr. Rogers said.
  The intelligence committee hearing took place as key Congressional Republicans and Democrats expressed misgivings in the wake of a report that the N.S.A. had targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany for surveillance for several years.
  Senator Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and one of the fiercest defenders of American surveillance operations, said Monday that she did ''not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers.''
  Ms. Feinstein said her committee would be conducting a ''major review'' of the intelligence programs.
  According to administration and Congressional officials, the White House has told Ms. Feinstein that President Obama is poised to order the N.S.A. to stop eavesdropping on the leaders of American allies. On Tuesday, another supporter of the N.S.A., Speaker John A. Boehner, raised questions about its programs.
  ''I don't think there's any question that there needs to be review, there ought to be review, and it ought to be thorough,'' Mr. Boehner said. ''We've got obligations to the American people to keep them safe. We've got obligations to our allies around the world.''
  ''But having said that, we've got to find the right balance here,'' he added. ''And clearly, there's '-- we're imbalanced as we stand here.''
  Shortly before the hearing began, protesters holding pink signs chastised Mr. Clapper and General Alexander, demanding they apologize to Ms. Merkel.
  ''It's counterproductive to spy on our own allies, let alone our own citizens,'' one of the protesters said. Mr. Rogers had one of the protesters removed a few minutes later.
  Correction: October 29, 2013
  An earlier version of the photo caption with this article misstated the title of Chris Inglis. He is the Deputy Director of the National Security Agency, not a deputy United States Attorney General.
Kremlin slips spying gadgets into G20 summit gift bags, newspapers say - latimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:52
  Russian hosts of the Group of 20 summit near St. Petersburg in September sent world leaders home with gifts designed to keep on giving: memory sticks and recharging cables programmed to spy on their communications, two Italian newspapers reported Tuesday.
  A Kremlin spokesman denied the allegations reported by Il Corriere della Sera and La Stampa, both of which attributed their stories to findings of technical investigations ordered by the president of the European Council and carried out by German intelligence.
  The USB thumb drives marked with the Russia G20 logo and the three-pronged European phone chargers were "a poisoned gift" from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turin-based La Stampa [link in Italian] said in its report.
  ''They were Trojan horses designed to obtain information from computers and cellphones,'' the paper said.
  The bugging devices were included in gift bags given to all delegates who attended the Sept. 5-6 summit at the palace in Stelna, outside of St. Petersburg, the newspapers said.
  Suspicions about the drives and rechargers were first raised by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, Il Corriere della Sera [link in Italian] said in its front-page story.
  Van Rompuy. from Belgium, ordered technical analysis of the devices by intelligence experts in Brussels and Bonn, the newspapers said. Initial investigation found "the USB sticks and the recharge cables are suitable for undercover detection of computer data and mobile phones," the Italian newspapers said Van Rompuy reported to G20 members in a confidential memo.
  Further tests are underway on the devices, and any official response to the Russian government's alleged espionage attempts would depend on those findings, the articles said, quoting an unnamed European Union official.In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov denied the allegations of attempted spying and accused Western governments of trying to divert attention away from the scandals caused by disclosures that the U.S. National Security Agency has been spying on its allies' communications.
  "It is definitely nothing other than an attempt to switch attention from the problems that really exist, which dominate the agenda between the European capitals and Washington, to problems that are ephemeral and nonexistent," Peskov said, according to the Voice of Russia broadcast.
  Relations between Moscow and Washington have been cool since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden was granted asylum in Russia in August after leaking details of widespread U.S. surveillance of foreign and domestic phone calls, texts and emails.
  British media carried extensive excerpts of the Italian newspapers' reports and official British reaction. The Telegraph coverage included an unnamed diplomat's disparaging remarks characterizing the reported Russian bugging attempt as a "schoolboy error" sure to be detected by any of the attending nations' security services.
  ALSO:
  In Syria, the number of political parties is skyrocketing
  South Africa demands apology over U.S. detention of ex-official
  China leaders were nearby during apparent Tiananmen Square attack
  Twitter: @cjwilliamslat
  carol.williams@latimes.com
VIDEO-Obama Promises To Lower Health Insurance Premiums by $2,500 Per Year - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:39
Twitter / vj44: FACT: Nothing in #Obamacare ...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:27
  Note: To use these shortcuts, users of screen readers may need to toggle off the virtual navigation.
  EnterOpen Tweet detailsgfGo to user...?This menujNext TweetkPrevious TweetSpacePage down/Search.Load new Tweets
Bushfires, Prescribed Burning and Global Warming | Bush Fire Front
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 22:46
  Bush Fire Front Occasional Paper No 1
  April 2008
  by Roger Underwood*, David Packham** and Phil Cheney***
  *Chairman, The Bushfire Front Inc, PO Box 1014 Subiaco Western Australia, 6904
  **Senior Research Fellow, School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Victoria.
  ***Honorary Research Fellow, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT
  This is not a paper about climate change or the contentious aspects of the climate debate. Our interest is bushfire management. This is an activity into which the debate about climate change, in particular ''global warming'', has intruded, with potentially damaging consequences.
  Australia's recent ratification of the Kyoto Treaty has been welcomed by people concerned about the spectre of global warming. However, the ratification was a political and symbolic action, and will have no immediate impact on the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, and therefore will not influence any possible relationship between CO2 emissions and global temperatures.
  However, the ratification could have an impact on Australian forests. Spurious arguments about the role of fire contributing to carbon dioxide emissions could be used to persuade governments and management agencies to cease or very much reduce prescribed burning under mild conditions.
  Decades of research and experience has demonstrated that fuel reduction by prescribed burning under mild conditions is the only proven, practical method to enable safe and efficient control of high-intensity forest fires.
  Two myths have emerged about climate change and bushfire management and are beginning to circulate in the media and to be adopted as fact by some scientists:
  1. Because of global warming, Australia will be increasingly subject to uncontrollable holocaust-like ''megafires''.
  2. Fuel reduction by prescribed burning must cease because it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thus exacerbating global warming and the occurrence of megafires.
  Both statements are incorrect. However they represent the sort of plausible-sounding assertions which, if repeated often enough, can take on a life of their own and lead eventually to damaging policy change.
  Why we have written this paperOver the last 20 years, there has been a significant reduction in the amount of prescribed burning under mild conditions in Australian forests. This has occurred as a result of changes to the jurisdiction of public forests, and (in some cases) the transfer of responsibility for the control of forest fires from land management agencies to the emergency services.
  The result is that Australia is already experiencing increasing numbers of high-intensity forest fires.
  This situation will worsen if there is a further reduction in the use of prescribed fire, based on a misunderstanding about the relationship between bushfires and CO2 emissions.
  In this paper we look at the facts and the science as well as the uncertainties in the relationships between bushfires, prescribed burning, carbon and global warming. Our aim is to counterbalance some of the unsupported assertions currently being presented as fact on this subject.
  Plants and the carbon cycleGreen plants use the energy of the sun to convert CO2 gas from the atmosphere into solid carbon compounds in a process called photosynthesis. Sooner or later, these carbon compounds are broken down and returned to the atmosphere by the processes of:
  (i) decay '' the slow rotting-away of vegetation;
  (ii) respiration '' breathing out CO2 by animals which have browsed on plants; or
  (iii) combustion '' burning by fire.
  To permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere it is necessary to confine it in stable compounds which will not be decayed, respired or burned. The permanent removal of carbon from the atmosphere is referred to as ''sequestration''.
  Carbon can be stored in highly stable structures such as diamonds and graphite (and to a lesser extent charcoal). These are, to all intents and purposes, removed from the carbon cycle. Carbon captured by the forests of past geological times and which became coal was very effectively sequestered '' until humans started to dig it out and burn it.
  Carbon stored in plants is referred to as ''Terrestrial Carbon''. The rate at which plants capture and emit CO2 varies between different types of vegetation, and the way the vegetation is managed, especially the frequency and intensity of fire.
  Three typical Australian vegetation typesThe three most widespread natural Australian vegetation types (or ''ecosystems'') are tropical grasslands, tropical and subtropical savannahs and tall forests.
  (i) Tropical grasslands grow during the wet season, die off in the dry season and rot away or are eaten (and respired) by termites during the next wet season. Each succeeding crop of grass is replaced by a new crop so there is no overall or long-term gain or loss of stored carbon. If the grass is burnt during the dry season (and lightning caused fires are a common feature of tropical areas) the overall situation is no different, because the burnt plants would have decayed anyway.
  But even in a grassfire, a small amount of carbon is converted to a stable, graphite-like substance called ''black carbon'' and incorporated into the soil.
  Thus, although the overall situation is just about carbon-neutral, even grassland fires effectively sequester some carbon.
  (ii) Tropical and subtropical savannahs add a level of complexity to this scene. A savannah is ''a natural parkland'', that is an area of grassland dotted with trees. In terms of area, number and frequency, most Australian bushfires occur in the savannahs of our north and inland regions. Many savannah fires are ''natural'' being started by lightning, but there is also extensive prescribed burning undertaken in these areas, especially savannahs used for cattle grazing, and on Aboriginal reserves. Over time, the carbon balance of savannah fires is also just about neutral. In some years more CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere from fires than is absorbed by post-fire regrowth, while in other years more carbon is taken up by regrowth than is lost to the atmosphere from fire (including prescribed burning and wildfires).
  The difference depends upon the climatic conditions, particularly rainfall in the early regeneration period. Where fires are followed by high-rainfall years and heavy regeneration, more carbon is stored in vegetation than was released in the fire. However, taken over many years, the carbon released in fires in tropical savannahs is virtually the same as the carbon absorbed in regrowth.
  If fire is deliberately excluded from these areas (which is difficult but has been achieved on some small experimental areas) there is an increase in bushfire fuels over time. Dead material on the ground rots or is consumed by termites, but fire fuel accumulates as bark on fibrous-barked eucalypts and in the woody shrubs that develop when fire is excluded. This increase in the fuel load means that late dry-season fires are more intense, causing death and damage to live trees, and burning down dead trees. Intense fires will rapidly consume logs and branches on the ground which may otherwise have taken years to rot away. Late dry-season fires in savannahs will therefore release CO2 to the atmosphere from the long-term carbon store; this carbon is will not immediately balanced by post-fire regrowth.
  The management approach that will optimise storage of carbon in Australian savannahs is one of low-intensity, early dry-season burning under mild weather conditions. This protects the overstorey trees and woody shrubs which are consumed by hot late-season fires.
  (iii) Tall forests store carbon in tree trunks, bark, branches and roots, in woody shrubs and mid-storey vegetation and in the litter and accumulated organic debris on the ground. Eventually all old trees begin to decay from within, and in the absence of fire, the accumulated litter on the forest floor begins to rot away. At this point, the rate of release of carbon through decay exceeds the rate of storage of carbon by new growth. Thus Australia's ''old growth'' eucalypt forests eventually stop being a carbon sink and become a source of CO2.
  Australian eucalypt forests are naturally subject to periodic fire. Fires are started by lightning or humans. The material consumed in the fire is mostly the dead leaves, twigs, and limbs which have accumulated on the forest floor, plus the bark on fibrous-barked trees such as stringybarks.
  Bushfires vary in their size, speed and intensity. This variation is mostly determined by the amount of ''fine fuel'' (defined as combustible material less than 6 mm in diameter). If there is no fine fuel present, then larger dead fuel (such as old logs and branches) or the living fuel in the trunks and canopies of the shrubs and trees will not ignite and burn. This is why even an intense fire goes out when it reaches an area which was burned recently, and carries no fine fuel.
  However the total amount of fuel consumed by a bushfire depends on the amount of moisture in the fuel. Dry fuels burn more intensely, and these intense fires dry out and burn the fine green fuels in front and above them.
  Fuel reduction by prescribed burning employs low-intensity fires lit under mild weather conditions at a time when there is still some moisture in the fuel. This ensures that the flames are generally less than a metre high and the fire is confined to the surface layer of fine fuel and the green material in the low shrubs.
  A prescribed burn in wandoo forest, Western Australia
  A properly managed prescribed fire will be conducted at a time when organic matter (including charcoal) in the soil will not burn. The ideal prescribed burn consumes only the surface fuels, leaving behind a layer of ash protecting the soil and the heavy logs.
  The amount of CO2 released by a low-intensity fire is small and the store of carbon on the forest floor is rapidly replaced as the fine fuels re-accumulate and the low shrubs regrow.
  By comparison, a hot summer bushfire burning under drought conditions will consume all of the surface fuels, including large logs and the organic matter in the soil which may have accumulated carbon for thousands of years. An intense summer bushfire will even consume the canopies of the tallest trees.
  The amount of CO2 produced by a fire is directly proportional to the total amount of fuel consumed in the fire.
  Thus a hot summer bushfire will release massive amounts of carbon. For example, the Victorian Alpine wildfires of 2006 released over 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To this will be added the carbon released over time from the decay of fire-killed trees.
  If a tall forest regenerates following the fire, the carbon released by the fire will only be depleted for a hundred years or so. Unfortunately, the next 100 years is the very time in which computer models suggest maximum storage of terrestrial carbon is essential.
  The worst possible outcome is repeated intense summer bushfires which not only kill the tall forest trees, but also sterilise the soil and incinerate soil-stored seed. By this means, a tall forest may eventually be converted to woodland and shrubland and the loss of stored carbon will be permanent.
  Thus from the point of view of carbon storage in grasslands, savannahs and tall forests, the best management approach is one in which large high-intensity wildfires are minimised by periodic prescribed burns carried out under mild weather conditions.
  What about the Kyoto Protocol?When it comes to bushfires and carbon accounting, the Kyoto Protocol is flawed. This is because CO2 emissions from uncontrolled bushfires are exempt from Kyoto accounting, while the emissions from prescribed burning are not. Under Kyoto ''rules'' a wildfire is considered to be a ''natural'' and unpreventable event like a volcano,; moreover, Kyoto is based on the concept that most fires around the world are grassfires or relatively low-intensity fires in savannah woodlands or open forests. Kyoto argues that carbon released by grass and woodland fires would have been released by natural decay and is soon replaced by regrowth within one or two growing seasons.
  Kyoto accounting fails to take into account the large, long-term(and sometimes permanent) loss associated with high-intensity bushfires and fails to recognise that, under Australian conditions, such fires can be prevented.
  Scientific research and long-experience in Australian eucalypt forests has demonstrated that forest management incorporating prescribed burning under mild conditions always reduces wildfire size and intensity. Where prescribed burning is regularly carried out, the risk of a high-intensity bushfire at a later date is greatly reduced.
  There is also an important philosophical point here. Exempting wildfires from Kyoto carbon budgets ignores the profound role of humans for tens of thousands of years as contributors to the Earth's fire regimes. It is odd reasoning that there can only exist a natural regime (good) and a human-affected regime (bad). This argument leaves no room for changing human impacts.
  Why is prescribed burning feared?Some people oppose prescribed burning, and through political influence are able to restrict burning programs by land management agencies. Opposition is based on a fear that periodic mild fires ''damage the environment''. This view is generally held by people who have no personal experience of the way the Australian bush is adjusted to (indeed thrives on) periodic mild fires.
  The assertion that prescribed burning should cease due to its impact on global warming is relatively new. The argument is two-fold:
  (i) That prescribed burns generate smoke which contains CO2 and this is therefore ''bad''; and
  (ii) The amount of CO2 released from a bushfire will be equal to the sum of the CO2 that is released from the fuel reduction burns that replace the wildfire, so you might just as well have the bushfire.
  At first glance, the second of these assertions appears likely to be true. However like all processes in nature the real situation is far more complicated, especially when more accurate carbon accounting is undertaken.
  Fire is a powerful ecological agent. Depending on the intensity, a fire will mineralize nutrients in the litter, stimulate or inhibit germination and change the light and moisture regime on the forest floor. These variables in turn will determine the composition and rate of growth of the post-fire biota.
  We believe it would be premature to consider managing fire for carbon sequestration without first considering other important factors. These include the impact of high-intensity fires on flora and fauna, soil erosion, water quality and the protection of life and community assets.
  To date, insufficient research has been made into the differential impacts on the carbon cycle of bushfires and of prescribed burning in tall forests. The distinction between intense wildfires and mild prescribed burns is almost never made in the climate literature. Fires of vastly different size and intensity are lumped together simply as ''fire'', and it is assumed that the impacts and consequences are equal. They are not and the innumerable combinations of factors that make up a fire regime (such as intensity, frequency, patchiness, size, season and so on), and the interactions of fire with different soils and vegetation types, makes the research task difficult and complex.
  What about smoke?Scientists are only just beginning to realise how complicated and subtle is the role of smoke and gases emitted from bushfires and prescribed burns. There are numerous interactions (some positive and some negative) between bushfire smoke, rainfall, ultraviolet radiation and the global radiation balance. Further complexities erupt when you consider the effect on incoming solar radiation of the smoke particles and gasses emitted from bushfires and prescribed burning. It is now also well known that bushfire smoke is a powerful agent encouraging the germination of many Australian native plants.
  The ideal management approach in Australian forests is one that incorporates periodic prescribed burning under mild weather conditions. Firstly, this will best protect environmental and human assets. But flowing on from this will be protection of the carbon store in the forest which is lost in hot summer bushfires. Although the precise data is still being developed, this fact is readily deduced from studying grassland and savannahs, where excellent research has been done.
  This research confirms that mild early season burning is preferable to late season wildfires for all reasons, especially for its ecological benefits, but also including its role in protecting carbon storage.
  Is ''global warming'' leading to increased occurrence of ''megafires''?Some environmentalists suggest that global warming is leading to an increase in the number of ''megafires'' (large, high intensity and unstoppable holocaust-like bushfires).
  However, if the current climate change models are correct, there will only be an increase in average annual temperatures of between 2 and 4 degrees over the next 100 years. The effect of this on bushfire behaviour, by itself, will be trivial. Fire intensity is far more significantly affected by fuel quantity, fuel dryness and wind strength, than it is by temperature.
  Some climate change computer models also suggest a significant reduction in rainfall, leading to increased fuel drying and increased fuel availability at lower temperatures. This is the same effect as that of drought, a phenomenon which is common in Australia.
  Drought does result in more intense fires'.....but only if nothing is done to reduce fuels before the fire occurs.
  When it comes to rainfall and bushfires, the critical factor is seasonality of rain. In Australia's temperate regions, increased rainfall in late summer will generally lead to higher decay rates and generally lower fire dangers, while a corresponding decrease in winter rainfall will provide an extended opportunity for mild low-intensity burning.
  The factor which ''doomsday'' commentators ignore is the opportunity for land managers to get in first, and reduce fuels before a potential megafire starts. In other words, the potential megafire can be forestalled, simply by the adoption of a program of fuel reduction prescribed burning under mild weather conditions.
  Putting numbers to the relative carbon balance associated with prescribed burning and wildfire in Australian forests is extremely complex, and has the potential to engage science for at least another decade. In the meantime, we know intuitively that more CO2 is emitted in high-fuel consuming summer bushfires than from low-fuel consuming prescribed burns. However, any accounting must consider not only the frequency (i.e. more low intensity vs. fewer wildfires with greater emissions) but also the rate of decomposition of unburnt biomass and rate of carbon absorption by regrowth.
  Although the principles are clear, precise data is still lacking. However, practical observations in the bush are not lacking. Land management policies can be guided by decades of records of severe forest and water catchment damage by high-intensity fires and by long experience in the management of forests to meet ecological objectives, and protection of the public at large.
  Bushfires, burning and global warmingThere are many complexities, but conclusions can be drawn from the research done to date and from a first-principles understanding of carbon pathways in natural ecosystems. We conclude:
  1. It is likely that the carbon emission and absorption situation found in savanna ecosystems will also apply in forests. In other words, over time, the overall situation will be carbon-neutral. But prescribed burning under mild conditions is still favoured over hot summer bushfires because less fuel is consumed, and less carbon emitted in the short term.
  2. The carbon released by mild prescribed burns is recovered quickly; carbon released by large high-intensity forest fires may take decades to be replaced. Looking ahead from 2008, these decades are precisely the ones in which carbon storage needs to increase if the global warming computer models are correct. Preventing large high-intensity fires should therefore be an essential part of carbon management policy.
  3. Not enough is known about the role of smoke in modulating climate. However, there is a growing body of research which shows that bushfire smoke helps to block incoming solar radiation (which heats the earth) and is an important catalyst for the regeneration of Australian plants. I
  4. Fire has always been a factor in the Australian environment, and historical records indicate that it is only recently that frequent mild fire has been deliberately taken out of the forest, to be replaced by infrequent high-intensity fire.
  5. The argument that wildfires are exempt, but the CO2 emitted by prescribed burns must be added-in to the national carbon accounts, is crooked thinking and is rejected.
  Finally, we advocate that the Precautionary Principle must apply: this means playing safe while the research is being done.
  The safe approach is not to ban prescribed burning because of an unsupported assertion that it may increase atmospheric CO2 levels, but to promote prescribed burning because it reduces the size and intensity of wildfires.
  Even if new research demonstrates little difference between large high-intensity wildfires and prescribed burning in terms of the carbon balance, high-intensity fires should still be prevented. This is because of their over-riding and devastating impacts on wildlife, soils, waterways and landscapes, their capacity to kill and injure humans, the cost and danger of suppression and the damage they inflict on community and private social and economic assets.
Holder pressed on U.S. drug agency use of hidden data evidence | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 27 Aug 2013 03:07
  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks on stage during the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in San Francisco, California August 12, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Stephen Lam
  By John Shiffman
  WASHINGTON | Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:55pm EDT
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eight Democratic senators and congressmen have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to answer questions about a Reuters report that the National Security Agency supplies the Drug Enforcement Administration with intelligence information used to make non-terrorism cases against American citizens.
  The August report revealed that a secretive DEA unit passes the NSA information to agents in the field, including those from the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and Homeland Security, with instructions to never disclose the original source, even in court. In most cases, the NSA tips involve drugs, money laundering and organized crime, not terrorism.
  Five Democrats in the Senate and three senior Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee submitted questions to Holder about the NSA-DEA relationship, joining two prominent Republicans who have expressed concerns. The matter will be discussed during classified briefings scheduled for September, Republican and Democratic aides said.
  "These allegations raise serious concerns that gaps in the policy and law are allowing overreach by the federal government's intelligence gathering apparatus," wrote the senators - Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Tom Udall of New Mexico, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.
  Holder, an appointee of U.S. President Barack Obama, is the country's top lawman as head of the Justice Department. The Justice Department is reviewing the congressional inquiry, a spokesman for Holder said on Monday.
  The Reuters reports cited internal documents that show how DEA's Special Operations Division funnels information from overseas NSA intercepts, domestic wiretaps, informants and a large DEA database of telephone records to authorities nationwide to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.
  The documents show that agents have been trained to conceal how such investigations truly begin - to "recreate" the investigative trail to effectively cover up the original source of the information, raising questions about whether exculpatory information might be withheld from defendants at trial.
  'PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION'
  The internal documents describe the process of recreating the evidence trail to omit any reference to the Special Operations Division as "parallel construction." For example, agents said in interviews, they act as if a drug investigation began with a traffic stop for speeding or a broken taillight, instead of a tip passed from the NSA. An IRS document describes a similar process for tax agency investigators.
  Justice Department officials have said they are reviewing the matter. DEA officials have said the practice is legal and has been in near-daily use since the 1990s. The purpose is to protect sources and methods, not to withhold evidence, they said.
  The three congressmen - John Conyers of Michigan, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Jerrold Nadler of New York and Bobby Scott of Virginia - wrote to Holder on August 9, shortly after the original Reuters report.
  "If this report is accurate, then it describes an unacceptable breakdown in the barrier between foreign intelligence surveillance and criminal process," the congressmen wrote.
  On the CBS program Face the Nation on August 18, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, a Republican, said the use of NSA intelligence to make non-terrorism cases should be scrutinized. "I think we need to have a very careful examination of this. I think that the trust of the American people in their government is what's at stake here," he said.
  (Editing by Howard Goller and Mohammad Zargham)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
Jaguars Pounded by 49ers, 42-10 - Yahoo Sports
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 20:06
  HomeMailNewsSportsFinanceWeatherGamesGroupsAnswersScreenFlickrMobileMoreomg!ShineMoviesMusicTVHealthShoppingTravelAutosHomesYahoo SportsSearch SportsSearch WebSign InMailHelpAccount InfoHelpSuggestionsYahooScore Strip
  League:NFLCarolina vs. Tampa BayFinal31 CAR13 TBNY Giants vs. PhiladelphiaFinal15 NYG7 PHISan Francisco vs. JacksonvilleFinal42 SF10 JAXDallas vs. DetroitFinal30 DAL31 DETCleveland vs. Kansas CityFinal17 CLE23 KCMiami vs. New EnglandFinal17 MIA27 NEBuffalo vs. New OrleansFinal17 BUF35 NOPittsburgh vs. OaklandFinal18 PIT21 OAKNY Jets vs. CincinnatiFinal9 NYJ49 CINWashington vs. DenverFinal21 WAS45 DENAtlanta vs. ArizonaFinal13 ATL27 ARIGreen Bay vs. MinnesotaFinal44 GB31 MINSeattle vs. St. LouisFinal14 SEA9 STLView AllSports HomeFantasyNFLScores / ScheduleStandingsStatsTeamsPlayersDan WetzelLes CarpenterEric AdelsonShutdown CornerVideoOddsPicksInjuriesTicketsMLBNBANHLNCAAFNCAABNASCARGolfMMASoccerAll SportsNBC SportsRivalsThePostGameGrindTVShop
Fortunately The 'A-Team' Has Arrived
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: JustOneMinute
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:31
  The NY Times reports that upgrades to the 'glitchy' Healthcare.fail website are not uniformly helpful. This is a laugher:
  Insurers reported two weeks ago that they were receiving multiple enrollments and cancellations for the same person. To address this concern, the government put a time stamp on each transaction, so insurers would know which one occurred last.
  Timestamps! This is breakthrough stuff! But wait...
  But the stamp shows the time the files were sent to insurers, and the government sends all the files at the same time once a day, so multiple transactions are shown as having occurred at precisely the same moment. In these cases, insurers said, it is hard to tell whether a consumer meant to enroll or to cancel an enrollment.
  Ms. Bataille, the spokeswoman for HealthCare.gov, said, ''We are actively working on'' the issues.
  Maybe loop in a random number generator...
BBC News - The Bangladesh poor selling organs to pay debts
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:03
  27 October 2013Last updated at20:38 ETKalai, like many other villages in Bangladesh, appears a rural idyll at first sight. But several villagers here have resorted to selling organs to pay back microcredit loans that were meant to lift them out of poverty. Journalist Sophie Cousins reports on an alarming consequence of the microfinance revolution.
  Green rice paddies surround the dusty, narrow road to the heart of Kalai, a village six hours north of Dhaka, in Bangladesh's Jotpurhat district. Children play naked, hanging off stringy bits of bamboo that hold up the makeshift hut they live in.
  Continue reading the main storyMicrocredit in BangladeshAs of December 2011, more than 34 million Bangladeshis had accessed microcredit since 1997, when it began collecting dataOf those 34 million, more than 26 million live under the poverty line - on less than $1.25 a dayThere are currently 20.65 million borrowers in BangladeshIt is estimated the sector constitutes around 3% of GDPSource: Microcredit Summit Campaign
  They, like millions of other rural Bangladeshis, grow up facing a life of hardship. In an attempt to alleviate poverty, countless numbers take on debt with microcredit lenders, only to find themselves in a difficult situation when they are unable to repay the loan.
  Some have even turned to selling their organs as a last resort to repay the loans and escape the vicious cycle of poverty.
  The idea of selling organs is not new and those in poverty throughout South Asia have resorted to it for years. But what is less known, is that more people are turning to the trade because of feeling under pressure to pay back microcredit lenders.
  These lenders were originally set up to help lift people out of poverty by offering small loans to people who do not qualify for traditional banking credit, to encourage entrepreneurship and empower women.
  Selling a kidneyMohammad Akhtar Alam, 33, bears a 15-inch scar on his stomach where he had a kidney removed. The organ removal - which is illegal in Bangladesh unless the organ is being given to a spouse or family member - combined with the inadequate post-operative care he received, has left him partially paralysed, with only one eye working and unable to do any heavy lifting.
  To earn money, he runs a small shop in the village that sells rice, flour and the occasional sweet treat.
  Continue reading the main storyAnalysisSabir MustafaEditor, BBC Bengali
  Micro credit presents a curious dilemma for Bangladesh. It has been one of the most successful tools for social development, but also with a great deal of controversy attached to it.
  Its supporters point out that, in addition to the big players such as Grameen Bank, BRAC and ASA, nearly 700 smaller non-governmental organisations are engaged in micro finance activities across Bangladesh. Together they serve in excess of 30 million rural people, mostly women. These organisations employ well over 100,000 people. According to the Micro Credit Authority, Bangladesh's regulatory body, micro finance accounts for 3% of the nation's GDP.
  In theory, these loans are expected to provide rural families with some seed capital to start and sustain small businesses, thus giving them money to spend which would help stimulate the rural economy. But critics say, in reality the small amounts of loans are not always used to invest in income-generating activities. They are often too small to create any serious capital base, and can force borrowers into a cycle of debt. They borrow more as soon as they have paid off one loan, and often they borrow from a second or third lender to pay off earlier loans.
  It is not uncommon to find people who have borrowed for more than a decade without being able to break out of the cycle. There are widespread allegations that borrowers are often harassed and shamed. Stories of households selling off stuff to keep up with payment is not uncommon. Lenders however, deny they put undue pressure on borrowers.
  A couple of years ago Mr Alam's income from driving a van was not enough to make the weekly loan repayments he was required to make from up to eight different non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which lend microcredit.
  "One day [a man] rode in my van and asked me why I was doing this," he recalls.
  "I told him that I was very poor and that I had loans from seven or eight NGOs. I owed about 100,000 taka [$1,442; £900] and I could not return the money to the NGOs. I used to try and sell furniture and things for cooking to try to repay the money."
  Mr Alam had got caught in a web of loans in which he first borrowed money from one NGO and, when he was unable to pay it off, he borrowed from other NGOs.
  His passenger worked as a middleman between organ seller and recipient and persuaded him to sell a kidney, promising 400,000 taka ($6,360; £4,000).
  Seventeen days later, Mr Alam says he returned home from a private hospital in Dhaka, barely alive and carrying only a fraction of the money he was promised.
  "I agreed to sell my kidney because I couldn't return the money to the NGOs. As we are poor and helpless, that is why we are bound to do this. I regret it," he says.
  Mohammad Moqarram Hossen, also from Kalai, is another victim.
  "I took the decision to return the money I borrowed from NGOs," he says as he reveals the scar he has been left following an operation in India to remove his kidney.
  "The doctor told me there was no risk but now I can't do any heavy work. I can't work."
  How many loans?Microcredit, hailed as a saviour for millions, aims to break the cycle of poverty by stimulating income-generating activities through providing collateral-free loans.
  But its repayment structure and the apparent inability of microfinance institutions to determine whether borrowers have multiple loans with other institutions rarely come under scrutiny.
  Consequently, it can create a vicious cycle in which borrowers borrow money from other NGOs to repay existing loans, leaving many unable to repay and some to take extreme measures such as selling organs to make repayments.
  Continue reading the main storyOrgan trafficking in BangladeshKidney transplants began in Bangladesh in 1982 and the organ trafficking industry is understood to have begun shortly afterwards.
  In 1999 the Bangladeshi Parliament passed the Organ Transplant Act, which banned the trade in body parts and advertising for organ sellers.
  Under the law, transplants are legal only between relatives and husband and wife. However, the black market continues to thrive through the work of brokers who track down sellers and recipients.
  Operations are thought to occur in private hospitals in Bangladesh where doctors turn a blind eye, or in countries such as India and Singapore, where healthcare is better. The brokers organise fake passports and forged legal documents to pretend the donor and recipient are relatives. Many hospitals have now introduced DNA tests.
  While kidneys have largely been favoured, there is now a market for liver and corneas. Experts say an average price for a kidney on the black market is $1,500 and part of a liver, $4,000.
  Professor Monir Moniruzzaman from the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University has been researching the organ trade in Bangladesh for 12 years and says some people feel they are left with no choice but to sell a body part.
  "A lot of people's debt from NGOs has spiralled out of control. Because they cannot repay the loans, there is only one way for people to get out and that is to sell their kidney," he says.
  His research into Bangladesh's organ trade reveals that of the 33 kidney sellers he interviewed, some had sold their organs due to feeling under pressure to repay loans.
  He alleges that NGO officials, from organisations such as Grameen Bank and BRAC, among others, pressure people into repaying loans by sitting all day long at the defaulter's house, verbal harassment and threatening to file a police case.
  "One of the sellers mentioned that he left his village for about a year for not being able to face the NGO officials," Professor Moniruzzaman says.
  "The social and economic pressures from NGOs was unbearable so he decided to sell his kidney to pay off his loan."
  Grameen Bank denies harassment or applying any such pressure. It points out that it has never lodged a case against a borrower for failing to pay a loan.
  "Our approach does not require that," Mohammed Shahjahan, the bank's acting managing director, told the BBC. He says that because Grameen does not impose any penalty for failure to repay debts and because borrowers are free to reschedule their loans at any point there is no pressure.
  "Most borrowers have savings in their accounts more than or equivalent to at least 75% of their loan amount. As a result they are not in a 'distress' situation at any point for payment of their instalments," he says.
  And Mohammad Ariful Hoq, an analyst at BRAC, one of the largest development organisations in the world, says repayments for their clients are "not a very big issue" - their interest rate is 27%; Grameen's maximum interest rate is 20%.
  BRAC denies pressuring borrowers or that there could be any link between microcredit and organ trafficking.
  "In our work that doesn't happen because we don't create any extra pressure on our borrowers," Mr Hoq says.
  Throughout the microfinance sector, interest is calculated on the declining balance - which means that rather than charging interest on the original loan amount it is charged only on the amount of money that remains in the borrower's hands as the loan is repaid.
  Continue reading the main storyRepayment policiesAlthough repayment policies vary with each lender, a strict repayment structure is commonIf a BRAC borrower fails to make a repayment within 15 days, a loan officer will determine if the default is wilful - and if so they will repeatedly request paymentIf this fails, management will decide on legal action on a case-by-case basis - figures for this are unavailableIf default is not deemed wilful, a borrower could eventually see the loan rescheduled and in cases such as natural disaster, written offGrameen's policy in similar cases is also to reschedule the loan, but many other micro-credit lenders do notGrameen says that if a loan does not get paid on time, it is converted into a "flexible loan" in which 50% of the loan is written off on the last day of the monthMr Hoq does admit that one-third of their 4.3 million borrowers have multiple loans: "You'll find people who are taking three loans from different organisations. There is a 30% overlap for micro-finance institutes in Bangladesh."
  However he says there is no systematic way to check if borrowers have loans with other institutions so lenders are unable to determine a borrower's risk or their level of debt. BRAC says that one method they use is to knock on a neighbour's door and ask them about their friend's economic situation. Grameen Bank says that it also has checks to see if borrowers have multiple loans.
  But analysts maintain that in practice such checks are very difficult to carry out and it is far from certain that banks are always able to get an accurate assessment of a borrower's credit history.
  Liver removedAnd recent research says the industry's loan repayment structure combined with the infrequent incomes of rural Bangladeshis can cause problems.
  The Institute of Developing Economies in Japan showed that some households were taking risky measures such as selling assets and borrowing from loan sharks in order to maintain a clean record of repayment to be assured future access to microcredit.
  Research from one body which loans money to microcredit agencies in Bangladesh found in studies between 2006-2007 that only 7% of micro-borrowers were able to rise about the poverty line.
  Nevertheless, a study earlier this year by the World Bank found that the benefits of borrowing outweighed the accumulated debt. And the Microcredit Summit Campaign believes microcredit lifted 10 million Bangladeshis out of poverty between 1990 and 2008.
  But as the demand for human organs continues to facilitate an illegal black market in Bangladesh, members of poor rural communities will continue to be lured by false promises of a better life.
  Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, 24, from Molamgari village, not far from Kalai, didn't know what a liver was when he was manipulated into believing that removing part of it for 700,000 taka ($9,690; £6,000) would be a "noble act" that would save the life of a Singaporean man.
  "I have been left without knowing how much of my liver was taken out," he says as he explains how he was transported to Dhaka for an underground operation at a private clinic.
  "After the operation I raced home and after two days I got the news that the patient had died.
  "I thought that I would be OK after I had part of my liver removed but sometimes I have pain in my chest and I have to urinate more than 50 or 60 times a day."
  Mr Hasan received 150,000 taka ($2,046; £1,280) and says he was forced to sell his family home.
  Prof Moniruzzaman says the implications of organ trafficking are devastating.
  "There is no safeguard as to where the organs are coming from and how safe they are, and on the other hand, the seller's health deteriorates after the operation. That has a huge impact on their earning capacity because they cannot go back to their old physically demanding jobs."
  There is no doubt that microcredit has empowered millions around the world.
  But as the polarisation between rich and poor increases, experts say those most impoverished will take on more debt - sometimes resorting to measures as desperate as selling their organs.
  The men of Kalai wish they had known better.
Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Corn Fields | REALfarmacy.com | Healthy News and Information
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:53
  May 19 ' A Paradigm Shift, Articles, GMOs ' 14096 Views ' Comments
  Hungary has taken a bold stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM) seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also passed a 10 year ban on GM foods.
  Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been ground with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary, deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.
  Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seek traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.
  During the invesigation, controllers have found Pioneer Monsanto products among the seeds planted.
  The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary, but they will check where the goods can be found, Bognar said. Regional public radio reported that the two biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and GMO seeds could have been sown on up to the thousands of hectares in the country. Most of the local farmers have complained since they just discovered they were using GMO seeds.
  With season already under way, it is too late to sow new seeds, so this years harvest has been lost.
  And to make things even worse for the farmers, the company that distributed the seeds in Baranya county is under liquidation. Therefore, if any compensation is paid by the international seed producers, the money will be paid primarily to that company's creditors, rather than the farmers.
  Source: NaturalSociety.com by Anthony Gucciardi
  GMOsMonsanto
  Related Posts How to Plant and Grow PotatoesNatural Sources of Essential Vitamins >>
VIDEO-African drug showing up in Houston | News - Home
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:30
  HOUSTON -An herbal stimulant primarily grown in Africa and banned in the United States has been showing up on the streets of Houston, prompting several arrests and raids.
  A joint investigation by the Precinct 5 Constable's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety began with a traffic stop earlier this year in Liberty County. Investigators said two men pulled over by state troopers were found chewing wads of oval shaped, green leaves.
  "They knew it was something, they just didn't know what it was," said Precinct 5 Chief Deputy JJ Laine.
  Laine said it was later determined the men were chewing a plant called Khat. This plant is grown in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula and its cultural use as a stimulant dates back to the 13th century.
  According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Khat contains the stimulants cathinone and cathine and produces an affect similar to amphetamines. Khat is banned in the United States and several European countries.
  The DEA reports users can become psychologically dependent on Khat and chronic use can lead to "manic behavior with grandiose delusions, violence, suicidal depression or schizophreniform psychosis characterized by paranoid delusions."
  "The first time I heard the word Khat I had absolutely no idea what we're talking about," said Laine. "The possession of it has grown in the Houston area."
  Laine said Khat is a cheaper high, going for $25 to $35 an ounce. Laine said users chew it, drink it as a tea, smoke it or even sprinkle it on food.
  Laine said Khat is primarily used in Houston's Somali, Yemenis and Ethiopian communities. Laine said in the last year several people have been arrested for Khat possession. There have been raids at a rental home in Bellaire and a southwest Houston apartment complex.
  Laine said hundreds of pounds of Khat have been seized, along with $100,000 in cash. Laine says the drug is typically being smuggled into the country disguised as "China Tea."
  "Just like other cartels, they do anything they can to get it into the country," said Laine. "We're going through an educational process now so everyone is aware of what it is, what it looks like, what it smells like."
  The concern over this drug goes beyond the users. A report prepared by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and released by the United Nations this year found "the proceeds may fund terrorist activities." The report specifically mentions the Al-Shabaab organization in Somalia.
  The National Counterterrorism Center reports Al-Shabaab has ties to Al-Qaida. The report further mentions "the legitimate Khat trade is large in East Africa and therefore likely to be of interest to both criminal and terrorist organizations."
  "Question of terrorist involvement in drugs is very important to us," said FBI Director James Comey.
  Speaking in generalities during a trip to Houston last week, Comey said terrorist groups have long tried to tap into the illegal drug trade for money.
  "So we constantly look, and I know my colleagues at DEA constantly look, at drug trafficking to see if it is generating proceeds for terrorism," said Comey.
  Laine said these concerns and the fact that Khat is relatively cheap are why investigators are working to crackdown on this problem before it becomes widespread in the Houston area.
  "If it's cheap people will try it, so that's one of the things we're doing now, trying to shut it down before it grows too much," said Laine.
VIDEO-Eye On Fewer Drone Civilian Deaths, MBDA Challenges Lockheed, Raytheon With Brimstone Missile Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:15
  AUSA: As concern increases that too many innocents are killed in drone strikes, a European missile company is telling Congress it has a highly accurate missile called the Brimstone 2 that can do the job with fewer casualties and minimal collateral damage.
  ''What we have found as a company is that this missile does not miss,'' said Douglas Denneny, vice president for business development at MBDA Inc., the American subsidiary of the European missile defense company. The Brimstone missile, which uses a laser designator and a sophisticated radar to find its targets, has been fired 300 times in Afghanistan and Libya and has a 98 percent strike rate.
  The British Ministry of Defense paid for a series of five missile tests at the Navy's China Lake complex in California to demonstrate the missile, which is normally racked in groups of three on the British Typhoon fighters. The shots were taken at vehicles traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph. All five tests were successful, with all targets destroyed. CORRECTED: UK paid for tests.
  The shots were taken from British Typhoons. The UK is integrating the Brimstone onto the drones with help from the US Air Force.
  MBDA has briefed professional staff members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) as well as other congressional committees on Brimstone 2'²s capabilities. Senior Air Force and Navy leaders have also talked with MBDA about the missile, Denneny told me this morning. One of the major differences between the Hellfire, used for all CIA and Air Force Predator strikes, and Brimstone 2 is that the current missile explodes and generates a large and deadly field of fragments. The Brimstone warhead uses a shaped charge and destroys the target with a much contained explosion that generates relatively little debris.
  Also, because it is much more accurate than the Hellfire, far fewer Brimstone missiles need be fired at a target. In addition to saving time and money, this is also likely to save lives since Hellfires often have to be fired in salvos to ensure the target is destroyed,
  But replacing the Hellfire missiles used on drones to kill terrorists is just one small part of the market MBDA has targeted here. They want to sell Brimstone's to fly on the Navy's F-18s and Fire Scout drone, the Air Force's F-16s and F-35s and the Army's Apache helicopters.
  Because of its small footprint and ability to track fast-moving and agile targets MBDA also hopes to convince the Navy that Brimstone would make a useful weapon for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) against fast boats, such as the ones Iran deploys in the Persian Gulf.
  To help attract congressional support, MBDA pledges to build Brimstone 2s at a plant they own in Huntsville, Ala. inside the Redstone Arsenal. While company officials would not confirm that Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama inserted the language, they did tell us that there is $4 million in the Senate Appropriations Committee markup to integrate the Brimstone 2 on the Navy's F-18.
  Brimstone has two prime competitors for this market: Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, who are competing for the wobbly $5 billionƒ'š‚ program known as JAGM, for Joint Air To Ground Missile.
  Where Brimstone boasts a two-mode seeker, using a semi-active laser designator and an active milllimeter wave radar, to find and lock onto its target, Lockheed and Raytheon are pursuing a different approach.
  The Raytheon JAGM features an uncooled tri-mode seeker with semiactive laser (SAL), uncooled imaging infrared and millimeter wave guidance. Lockheed's system uses a cooled seeker that it claims provided much better resolution. Raytheon counters that its system is lighter, more reliable and cheaper.
  J.R. Smith, head of business development for Raytheon's JAGM, welcomed the competition from Brimstone.
  ''The fact that MBDA wants to enter this market is a good thing. It's all about competition. This will begin to force folks to think hard about their price,'' he said. On that basis, he thinks Raytheon is in a good place.
  Smith told me MBDA is ''quoting $160 to $170K for their missile'....From our standpoint you need to do better than $160 to 170K for the missile.''
  Here's what Lockheed spokeswoman Melissa Hilliard said when we asked for comment: ;We will let the DoD identify companies it wishes to consider as potential contractors. We have our contract, and our focus is on delivering the low-cost and low-risk dual mode JAGM guidance section our customer has asked for.''
  Let the games begin.
The Economic Singularity: From Holland with Love '' Bitcoin Magazine
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:13
  Richard Kohl is a founding member of PikaPay.com, a mobile wallet that lets you send bitcoins to anyone on Twitter. He is also a board member of the Dutch Bitcoin Foundation.
  From Holland with Love
  The city of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands and home to the world's oldest stock exchange, established in 1602, has played a role throughout history as a safe harbor for new ideas. Now it may be on its way to becoming an important Bitcoin destination, and not only for its innovative Bitcoin businesses and its flurry of international Bitcoin conferences.
  This past June Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem gave a Bitcoin-friendly report to Parliament. He said:
  Bitcoin is not electronic money'... At present its eventual impact on the real economy seems negligible'...Bitcoin is not a financial product as defined by law. (Mediation in) the purchase or sale of Bitcoins is not a financial service either, so the Financial Supervision Act does not apply.
  According to these statements Bitcoins are officially recognized as local currency without any special compliance or licensing requirements. As it now stands, trading with bitcoins in the Netherlands is legally no different from barter with sticks of butter, plastic chips or bottles of beer.
  Right now anyone with a Dutch bank account can buy bitcoins online in real time without any registration process. Several Dutch services are helping users buy (and sell) with an existing payment system called iDeal. The purchased coins can be directly transferred into a mobile wallet called PikaPay that you can create just by signing in with your Twitter Name. (Disclosure: I am involved in PikaPay.)
  Many other ingredients are in place to make Amsterdam a city with a lot of Bitcoin in its future. Source Forge ranks The Netherlands as country number 8 in downloads of the client software so far this year. This month Dolf Diederichsen decided to launch his startup bit4coin in Amsterdam to benefit from the attractive atmosphere, and BitPay, one of the best-funded Bitcoin companies, has picked Amsterdam as the site of its European HQ. Both Mr. Diederichsen and BitPay CEO Tony Gallippi cited the regulatory environment as reason to establish companies here. ''I believe there is a lower risk of regulatory overreaction here than we have seen in some other markets,'' Mr. Diederichsen said.
  Of course the banks are not all happy about this situation. On October 19, 2013 one of the country's oldest daily newspapers, Het Financile Dagblad, published a critical article asking the government to regulate Bitcoin. The four main arguments behind the call for regulation were:
  Bitcoin is digital money that can be used anonymously.
  Therefore regulators can't estimate systemic risk.
  Thereby making Bitcoin a threat to the ''stability and trust'' of the current financial system.
  Regulators should restrict ''bad coins'' (the ones they don't like) in favor of ''good coins.''
  The authors of the piece, Bas Straathof and Remco Mocking, are both researchers from the Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, an independent policy research institution 80% funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
  The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Henk Kamp, is a member of the conservative Freedom and Democracy Party (VVD), whereas Finance Minister Dijsselbloem is a member of the relatively more liberal and possibly more Bitcoin-friendly Labor Party (PVDA). The current government in the Netherlands is a coalition between these two parties. At least one of the opposition parties is known to be investigating its position on Bitcoin so that there may eventually be a number of different political perspectives on the cryptocurrency from which citizens of the Netherlands can choose.
  While it's unlikely that any meaningful steps would be taken on the basis of publications like the piece done by Mr. Straathof and Mr. Mocking, it does show a burning need for education and awareness at all levels of society. The Dutch Bitcoin Foundation, of which I am a board member, was recently created to help raise the level of conversation from ''bad coins'' versus ''good coins'' to something more substantial to help Bitcoin reach its true potential in Dutch society.
  When researchers and policymakers begin to have even an inkling of Bitcoin's deeper significance '' more than ''anonymous digicash created by evil hackers to buy contraband from drug dealers'' '' there's a better chance that banks and governments of the world will start to get serious about cleaning up the global mess they've created.
  Bitcoin is not a problem that needs to be regulated. To quote our Dutch Minister of Finance, ''Bitcoin is not electronic money.'' Bitcoin is a movement that has grown into a technology that is created by a community of the world's best and brightest as a solution to that very problem of stability and trust.
  ''
  Update:
  A slightly longer form of Straathof and Mocking's article has appeared online (in Dutch).
  A short (Dutch language) interview has also been published. In the interview they state, ''It is unlikely that Bitcoin will ever prove to be a trustworthy alternative to national currencies like the dollar or euro because no government will guarantee it.''
This Is Why You Shouldn't Interrupt a Programmer | The Slightly Disgruntled Scientist
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:08
  Since @kevin_rudds_cat suggested it, I also made a two-column A4 sized PDF version.
  Update: So after being retweeted severalhundred times and being posted to Reddit, HN, the DailyWTF and so on, my poor website melted down a little. So I apologise to anyone whose carefully crafted comment was eaten by a 503 error page. If you want to share the image some more and this site's still being flaky, feel free to link directly to this tweet or any other mirrored copy of it (same goes for the two-column PDF).
Accidentally Revealed Document Shows TSA Doesn't Think Terrorists Are Plotting To Attack Airplanes | Techdirt
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:59
  Jonathan Corbett, a long-time vocal critic of TSA body scanners, has been engaged in a lawsuit against the government concerning the constitutionality of those scanners. In the course of the case, the TSA gave him classified documents, which he was ordered not to reveal. In using some of that information to make his case, he needed to file two copies of his brief: a public one with classified stuff redacted, and the full brief under seal, for the government and the courts to look at. Just one problem: someone over at Infowars noticed that apparently a clerk at the 11th Circuit appeals court forgot to file the document under seal, allowing them to find out what was under the redactions... Included in there is the following, apparently quoted from the TSA's own statements:''As of mid-2011, terrorist threat groups present in the Homeland are not known to be actively plotting against civil aviation targets or airports; instead, their focus is on fundraising, recruiting, and propagandizing.''
  Elsewhere, the TSA appears to admit that "due to hardened cockpit doors and the willingness of passengers to challenge hijackers," it's unlikely that there's much value in terrorists trying to hijack a plane these days (amusingly, that statement is a clear echo of Bruce Schneier's statement criticizing the TSA's security theater -- suggesting that the TSA flat out knows that airport security is nothing more than such theatrics).Elsewhere, in the redacted portions, the TSA is quoted as admitting that "there have been no attempted domestic hijackings of any kind in the 12 years since 9/11."
  As Corbett notes in his filing, the entire basis for the nude scanners is that they were somehow necessary to stop terrorists with explosives from getting on planes. Yet, as he makes clear, the TSA knows that there's been little threat of any such attack for quite some time. He also details how the machines are not very good at tracking down explosives, and pretty much everything that has been caught with these machines (such as guns) could be easily found via traditional metal detectors. Further, as noted above, other protections that have nothing to do with the nude scanners are the main reason (which the TSA admits) that terrorists have moved on from targeting airplanes.
  Amazingly, it appears that the government forced Corbett to redact the revelation that the TSA's own threat assessments have shown "literally zero evidence that anyone is plotting to blow up an airline leaving from a domestic airport." Corbett argues that this shows why the searches are not reasonable under the 4th Amendment. Corbett also points out that about the only thing the machines seem useful at catching are illegal drugs -- but, as he notes, that's "irrelevant to aviation security." Sure, the government may like the fact that it catches illegal drugs with these machines, but the TSA can't argue it needs the machines for "terrorism" when it knows that's not true, and then tries to keep them just because it finds some narcotics...
  While it still seems unlikely that Corbett's lawsuit will actually succeed, he's right that these revelations mean that, at the very least, Congress should be investigating why the TSA insisted that it needed these machines to find terrorists that it now admits aren't actually plotting to attack airplanes.
Forget Gravity, she's got gravitas: George Clooney's new female friend is British barrister Amal Alamuddin | Mail Online
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:30
  By Daily Mail Reporter
  PUBLISHED: 17:26 EST, 28 October 2013 | UPDATED: 17:26 EST, 28 October 2013
  He was recently spotted out with a mystery lady, sending the rumour mill into overdrive.
  But Hollywood bachelor George Clooney was clearly looking for a companion who did more than just look the part.
  The dapper actor, 52, enjoyed a civilised dinner at Berners Tavern with acclaimed barrister Amal Alamuddin, we can reveal.
  Who's that girl? George Clooney left Berners Tavern with a mystery woman in London on Thursday
  Lady in red: Amal was seen dining with George in a very exclusive London restaurant
  The brunette beauty specialises in international law, human rights, extradition and criminal law. Interestingly, she is currently representing Julian Assange, head of Wikileaks, in his extradition proceedings with Sweden.
  She has also been appointed an advisor to Kofi Annan - something which George is sure to have found interesting.
  Something he also would have found compelling was the fact she was named the hottest UK barrister in an online poll.
  Suited up: George looked dapper in a dark suit and navy blue shirt as he left the restaurant while his companion wore a red dress and grey coat
  Happy and relaxed: George and the brunette appeared to be amused at the attention they were getting
  Proving her qualifications for the title, she wore a red dress, long grey coat, bright red lipstick and glittery silver boots for her meal at the upmarket eatery.
  George's date - whether paltonic or romantic - came weeks after he was rumoured to have rekindled his romance with old flame Monika Jakisic.
  The actor and the Croatian model were reported to have enjoyed an on-off relationship since 2004 and apparently began dating again last month.
  Single and mingling: George's date came after he was rumoured to have rekindled his romance with old flame Monika Jakisic
  They were first spotted flirting at London nightclub LouLou's in May, when Clooney was still with former wrestler Keibler.
  A source claimed: 'They danced and held hands. He's been calling and texting Monika ever since.'
  At the time, Clooney insisted the story was false. He said: 'The story is made up. I wasn't holding anybody's hand.'
  An American magazine then claimed the couple spent the night at Clooney's mansion on September 25 after meeting up again in Los Angeles.
  'They spent hours talking, and have an incredible connection,' an insider said.
  Stripping off: George Clooney's rumoured new squeeze Monika Jakisic has posed for some racy photos
  So that's what he sees in her: The model, known as the Croatian Sensation, showed off her toned body
  Despite the rumoured romance, George has been going solo while promoting his latest movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock.
  Earlier this week neither star took a date to the New York premiere of the film.
  Meanwhile Stacy also appears to have moved on and is believed to be dating Jared Pobre, who she recently shared a photo of herself with at dinner in Paris.
  Former flame: George and Stacy Keibler, who he is pictured with at The Oscars in February, broke up in July
  Share or comment on this article
NarcoNews: Assassinated DEA Agent Kiki Camarena Fell in a CIA Operation Gone Awry
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:27
  DEA agent Enrique ''Kiki'' Camarena was abducted in early February 1985 shortly after leaving the US consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico. His body was found several weeks later, partially decomposed, wrapped in a plastic death shroud and buried in a shallow grave some 70 miles north of the Mexican city.
  One of the chief architects of Camarena's kidnapping, brutal torture and ultimate death, Rafael Caro Quintero, was released prematurely on Aug. 9 from a Mexican prison, by order of a Mexican federal court, after having served 28 years of a 40-year-sentence for the crime. His release caused an outcry among US law enforcers and officials, who contend his freedom is an affront to justice and to the memory of Camarena.
  Several recent reports in the US and Mexican media, however, have raised questions about the real story behind Camarena's murder. Those stories are based on interviews with several individuals who are familiar with the case, including the DEA agent who was charged with investigating Camarena's slaying, the now-retired Hector Berrellez.
  The other two individuals also knew Camarena personally and were intimately familiar with the US government operations Camarena was allegedly investigating prior to his abduction and murder. One of those men is former DEA agent Phil Jordan, who used to head the El Paso Intelligence Center, located in far West Texas along the Mexican border; the other is Tosh Plumlee, a long-time CIA operative, pilot, and, since then, whistleblower.
  The mainstream press stories '-- published by Fox News and The El Paso Times in the US, and Proceso in Mexico '-- raise the specter of CIA involvement in Camarena's death. Proceso's coverage went as far as to claim the CIA ordered Camarena's murder.
  But CIA officials released a statement to the media claiming that ''it's ridiculous to suggest that the CIA had anything to do with the murder of a U.S. federal agent or the escape of his killer [Caro Quintero].''
  Narco News, however, has uncovered previously unreported information about the Camarena case, following independent interviews with Berrellez, Jordan, Plumlee and others '-- that confirms Caro Quintero was, in fact, protected by CIA assets in the weeks after Camarena's murder and that the DEA agent's abduction may well be connected to what a renowned Mexican journalist had uncovered just prior to his assassination in Mexico in 1984.
  All of the recent mainstream press stories alleging CIA links to Camarena's murder followed the publication in early August of Narco News' story about Caro Quintero's release from a Mexican prison. It was Narco News' story that pointed out that the CIA's fingerprints were all over the Camarena case '-- an observation that other journalists, such as Chuck Bowden, had advanced in the past, back in the 1990s.
  CIA Revelations
  Former CIA contract pilot Plumlee told Narco News during the course of a series of recent interviews that after Camarena's murder in early February 1985, he was ordered by his CIA handlers to fly into a ranch located near Veracruz, Mexico.
  That ranch, he claims and DEA documents show, was controlled by the narco-trafficker Caro Quintero. It also was being used by the CIA '-- which was operating there using Mexico's intelligence service, the Federal Security Directorate, as a cover. The Federal Security Directorate, or DFS in its Spanish initials, has since been reorganized and rebranded as CISEN, which still works closely with US officials and agencies, including the CIA.
  The Veracruz ranch was being used as a drugs-and-weapons transshipment location '-- part of a larger effort to fund and supply the US-trained Contra guerrillas.
  That covert effort was at the root of a scandal known asIran/Contra, which played out during President Ronald Reagan's second term in the 1980s. One facet of the scandal involved illegally raising money via arms sales to Iran to fund the Nicaraguan Contra's counter-insurgency campaign against the government of Nicaragua. Another part of the scandal also implicated the CIA and the White House National Security Council in alleged U.S.-sanctioned narcotics and arms trafficking.
  Investigative journalist Gary Webb further bolstered the claims of the U.S. government's involvement in narco-trafficking in his now-famous Dark Alliance series published in 1996 by the San Jose Mercury News.
  Plumlee contends that at some point after Camarena's murder, Caro Quintero was transported to the CIA-linked ranch near Veracruz, where Plumlee was ordered to intercept him.
  ''I was ordered to pick up Caro Quintero at that ranch,'' Plumlee told Narco News. ''I didn't really know who he was at the time. But it was a [US government] sanctioned operation.''
  Plumlee says he flew Caro Quintero in a Cessna 310 (owned by a ''CIA cutout'' called SETCO) to a private airstrip located just across the Mexican border in Guatemala.
  ''I was told to take a person from point A to B, and I did,'' Plumlee says, referring to his job as a CIA contract pilot. ''If you ask too many questions, you won't be around too long.''
  Plumlee contends another pilot, ''also associated with SETCO,'' then picked up Caro Quintero in Guatemala and flew him to Costa Rica. (Caro Quintero was ultimately captured in Costa Rica in April 1985, some three months after Camarena was killed.)
  After dropping Caro Quintero off in Guatemala, Plumlee says he ''assumes'' the narco-trafficker was flown into John Hull's ranch in Costa Rica.
  ''John Hull's ranch [allegedly] was [another ranch] protected by the CIA and '... Hull took advantage of this protection and allowed planes loaded with cocaine to land there, charging $10,000 per landing,'' states a US Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (OIG) report issued in 1997.
  SETCO, too, was part of the covert Contra-supply effort, according to a 1998 CIA-OIG report: '...
  Read the entire investigative report here at NarcoNews: Click Here
  >>
CeeLo Green Could Cop AMAZING Plea Bargain '-- Jail Time Avoided, Drug Education Classes Instead
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Radar Online Radar Online
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:24
  CeeLo Green, the singer and star of The Voice, will escape a four-year prison sentence if he accepts a plea deal being thrashed out between his legal team and prosecutors, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.
  The 38-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of giving the drug Ecstasy to a woman who had also accused him of sexually assaulting her after a night out in Los Angeles last year.
  ''But if CeeLo decides to plead out, he will not face any jail time and the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor,'' a source with knowledge of the negotiations told RadarOnline.com.
  PHOTOS: The Name Game '' Celebs Who've Changed Their Names
  ''It would require him to attend drug education classes and narcotics anonymous meetings. It's a deal that's on the table. It's likely the case will never go to trial.''
  Added the source, ''From the outset, CeeLo has been very cooperative with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and he does not have a criminal record, which would help him in the event of any plea deal.''
  Green, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, appeared in court Oct. 21 to be arraigned on the sole charge of furnishing a controlled substance.
  PHOTOS: Celebs Who Are Most Popular On Twitter
  At the hearing, prosecutors' recommended to the judge to set his bond at $30,000 '-- a move that was agreed to and he was ordered to return to court on November 20.
  According to the district attorney, reality star Green slipped the drug to a 33-year-old woman while they were having dinner on July 13 or July 14, 2012.
  They later went back to her hotel, prosecutors have alleged.
  PHOTOS: A-Listers Before They Were Stars
  A Los Angeles Police Department statement, obtained by KTLA, detailed how the woman told police Green sexually assaulted her at the Luxe Hotel after the dinner.
  The Los Angeles Times reported the woman said she woke up naked in bed with Green in her room.
  However, prosecutors concluded there wasn't enough evidence to take the rape accusation to court.
Google's build-your-own-phone plan
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:22
  29 October 2013Last updated at07:26 ETGoogle-owned phone firm Motorola has announced a new project to let users customise their smartphone components.
  Project Ara allows users to buy a basic phone structure and add modules such as keyboard, battery or other sensors.
  Motorola has partnered with Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, who has created Phonebloks, a modular phone idea, on the project.
  Experts were unsure on how big a shake-up for the mobile phone industry the customisable handsets would represent.
  In a blog post, Motorola said that it had been working on the project for more than a year.
  "We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software - create a vibrant, third-party developer ecosystem," the firm wrote in a blog post.
  "To give you the power to decide what your phone does, how it looks, where and what it's made of, how much it costs and how long you'll keep it."
  The project will consist of what Motorola is calling an endoskeleton, the frame that will hold all the modules in place.
  "A module can be anything from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery, a pulse oximeter - or something not yet thought of," the firm said.
  Continue reading the main storyIt is predicted that 1.8bn phones will be sold this year, and that 1.5bn will be thrown away, or fall into permanent disuseA total of 5.5bn are estimated to be in use worldwideThe environmental cost of making handsets includes mining for componentsUsed phones contain hazardous elements such as lead, mercury and chlorine, but also valuable metals like goldElectronic waste is often exported to the developing world for processing - the work poisons workers and pollutes the environmentSource: CCS Insight, United Nations
  Motorola plans to begin inviting developers to create modules in a few months time with a module developer's kit launching soon afterwards.
  Motorola came across the work of Dave Hakkens, the creator of Phonebloks, while developing the project and asked him to team up with them. Phonebloks has gained much interest in recent months.
  Lego phoneMr Hakkens launched Phonebloks on crowd-promoting website Thunderclap and quickly amassed 950,000 supporters.
  "We've done the deep technical work. Dave created a community," Motorola added in its blogpost.
  Chris Green, principal technology analyst at the Davies Murphy Group consultancy, dismissed the project as a "gimmick".
  "I don't see this as being a big deal. It is not responding to any particular demand and there is no real benefit to assembling your own device,
  "The days of DIY IT, people building their own desktop PC, are gone due to falling costs of hardware," he said.
  Ben Wood, a mobile expert from CCS Insight, is equally unsure of how mass market such a product can be.
  "Creating a Lego-like phone seems on the face of it like a great idea but the commercial realities of delivering such a device are challenging. Consumers want small, attractive devices and a modular design makes this extremely difficult.
  "It's a nice idea on paper but whether we'll ever see a commercial product remains to be seen. Right now it would be a great improvement if it was easier to replace batteries and screens but even that seems unlikely in the near term."
Eurovision stars top bill at 'Cyprus Unplugged' show
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: euronews
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:20
  Eurovision stars Anna Vissi, Constantinos Christoforou and Despina Olympiou will take part in a 'Cyprus Unplugged' benefit concert at the Palais des Beaux Arts (Bozar) in Brussels on 9 November. All proceeds from the event, organised under the patronage of European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, will go to charities on the island supporting disadvantaged children and families.
  ''The social dimension of the economic crisis has been harsh on many of our citizens. Behind the statistics on unemployment and welfare, there are millions of personal stories of pain which are often hidden. I am very grateful to the artists who have agreed to perform without payment. The money raised will improve the lives of vulnerable children and families in Cyprus. At the same time it will send a clear message everywhere on the need for more solidarity, understanding and support,'' said Commissioner Vassiliou.
  The musicians will perform an 'unplugged' (acoustic) concert, accompanied by guitar, piano and bouzouki. The event will also feature Cypriot poetry.
  Commissioner Vassiliou, who is inviting fellow EU Commissioners to support the initiative, will open the concert.
  ''Our political measures in response to the crisis need to be accompanied by a response from society itself. This needs to come from organised groups, volunteers, the church and others '' but mostly from citizens themselves. I hope a lot of people will come and show their support,'' she added.
  Tickets for the concert, priced '‚¬30, are available in Brussels from the Bozar box office, 23 rue Ravenstein, as well as P(C)riple, 115 rue Froissart, Kafenio, Rue St(C)vin 134, and Attica, 49-51 Rue des Treves. They are also available via email from Margarita.Savvidou@ec.europa.eu and Panayiotis.Tsouliaridis@ec.europa.eu. Seating is unreserved.
  The following charities will benefit from the concert:
  Alkionides Charity '' supporting families in needSocial Welfare Services '' girls' hostelsAssociation for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family
  Background
  Anna Vissi, originally from Larnaca, is a music legend in the Greek-speaking world, with a career spanning four decades. She has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest three times, representing Greece in 1980 (Autostop), Cyprus in 1982 (Mono I Agap '' Only Love) and Greece again in 2006 (Everything). She has achieved major sales success with albums such as Fotia (1989 and Kravgi (2000).
  Limassol-born Despina Olympiou represented Cyprus in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malm¶, Sweden, with the song An me thimasai. Her 2003 break-through album Vale Mousiki, recorded with Michalis Hatzigiannis, went platinum (more than 300 000 sales) in Cyprus and Greece. She went on to achieve further success with Pes to Dinata (2008) and Mia stigma (2010). In 2012, Despina scored another hit with Den s' afino apo ta matia mou, a duet with Greek hip-hop artist Stereo Mike.
  Constantinos Christoforou, also from Limassol, has also appeared at Eurovision three times, representing Cyprus in 1996 with the song Mono Yia Mas, in 2002 with Gimme and in 2005 with Ela Ela. He wrote Erimi Poli for Anna Vissi which topped the Cypriot charts in 2003.
Inside The Plot To Destroy Celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson: Ex-Husband & Pal Threaten To Expose The 'Truth' Behind Choking Bust-Up
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Radar Online Radar Online
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:17
  Famous TV chef Nigella Lawson came out looking like the victim when photos were released of her then-husband Charles Saatchi choking her at a London restaurant, but now her ex and a former assistant are threatening to release secrets that could purportedly destroy The Taste star's reputation.
  The couple announced their divorce shortly after the choking incident and now advertising mogul Saatchi, 70, is reportedly planning legal action against Lawson that will expose the alleged ''truth'' behind their split '-- and he's reportedly accusing her of behavior that will blow the lid off her squeaky clean career in a letter sent to Lawson's attorney last week.
  What's more, a former friend and disgruntled ex-aide of Lawson's,Francesca Grillo, is also in on an apparent plot to take down the TV chef, providing sworn affidavits that detail the star's private life and behavior of her children.
  GALLERY: Cooking Up Trouble! 11 Celebrity Chefs Scandals
  Lawson, 53, has sought to block British publications from revealing the contents of those statements.
  RadarOnline.com has read the documents but has decided not to publish their contents.
  However, sources close to Mr Saatchi say this supposed ''truth'' about the couple's bust-up at a London restaurant will ''paint the incident in an entirely different light.''
  PHOTOS: Nigella Lawson Moves Out
  ''Charles has been portrayed as the villain in all of this but there is far more to it than meets the eye,'' a source told The Mirror newspaper.
  ''Nigella has not given her version of what caused the argument and her silence speaks volumes.
  ''When she and Charles got together following the death of her first husband John Diamond, she gave him certain assurances and on the day they argued in the restaurant he found out she had not stuck to those assurances.
  PHOTOS: Nigella Lawson Cooks Up Beach Blunder
  ''Since then information has come to light that Charles sees as confirming the reason he was upset with Nigella in the restaurant.''
  0.0000000.000000
Rabobank schikt voor 774 miljoen in Liborfraudezaak
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: VK: Home
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:15
  Door: Redactie '' 29/10/13, 13:33
  (C) anp. Bestuursvoorzitter Piet Moerland (L) en CFO Bert Bruggink tijdens de presentatie van de jaarcijfers van de Rabobank.
  Rabobank heeft schikkingen getroffen van in totaal 774 miljoen euro vanwege fraude met belangrijke rentetarieven. Dat werd dinsdag bekendgemaakt. Piet Moerland treedt per direct terug als topman van Rabobank.
  Moerland was sinds 2009 bestuursvoorzitter en zou eigenlijk volgend jaar met pensioen gaan. Hij zou daarbij tijdelijk worden opgevolgd door commissaris Marinus Minderhoud. De bestuurder die verantwoordelijk is voor de Liborhandelaren, Sipko Schat, zou wel in functie blijven.
  Hoogste strafVan de totale boete gaat 70 miljoen euro naar het Openbaar Ministerie en is daarmee veruit de hoogste OM-transactie die een Nederlands bedrijf ooit heeft moeten betalen. Rabobank betaalt verder 105 miljoen pond aan Britse toezichthouders en 800 miljoen dollar aan toezichthouders in de Verenigde Staten.
  Eerder werden Barclays, UBS en Royal Bank of Scotland al beboet voor het Liborschandaal. Rabobank krijgt na het Zwitserse UBS de hoogste straf van alle betrokken banken tot nu toe. UBS moest 1,5 miljard dollar betalen vanwege de manipulatie van het rentetarief door handelaren van de Zwitserse bank.
  De straf werd opgelegd omdat handelaren van Rabobank met collega's van andere internationale banken hebben samengespannen om het internationaal veelgebruikte rentetarief Libor te manipuleren.
  Volgens minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem van Financin zijn de opgelegde boetes terecht. 'De Liboraffaire schaadt opnieuw het vertrouwen in de financile sector. Deze vorm van schaamteloze fraude van geldhandelaren staat mijlenver van de co¶peratieve gedachte van Rabobank. Ik respecteer de beslissing van Moerland die hiermee verantwoordelijkheid neemt en zijn afkeuring op de sterkst mogelijke manier uit. De nu aangekondigde maatregelen zijn essentieel om dergelijke misstanden voor de toekomst uit te bannen.'
  De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) heeft actie ondernomen bij Rabobank naar aanleiding van de 'misdragingen'. 'Op aandringen van DNB heeft Rabobank disciplinaire maatregelen in de organisatie doorgevoerd en zijn bonussen ingetrokken. Ook heeft Rabobank in nauw overleg met DNB het initiatief genomen om de interne organisatie te versterken om voortaan dergelijke gebeurtenissen te voorkomen en de bedrijfscultuur te verbeteren', zo meldt DNB.
  Verklaring Moerland (tekst gaat verder na de video):
  Uit onderzoek is gebleken dat 30 medewerkers van Rabobank 'op enige wijze' betrokken zijn geweest bij ontoelaatbaar gedrag, aldus de Rabobank. Sommigen hebben tussen 2005 en 2010 getracht rentetarieven te be¯nvloeden, anderen waren op de hoogte of hadden dat moeten zijn.
  De bestuurders en commissarissen betreuren de misstanden, maar benadrukken ook dat bestuurders en hooggeplaatste managers er niet bij betrokken waren en er ook niet van wisten.
  Rabobank heeft de medewerkers die direct betrokken waren bij de misstanden ontslagen. Anderen kregen waarschuwingen en boetes of werden managementtaken ontnomen. Bonussen over de periode 2009 tot en met 2012, ter waarde van 4,2 miljoen euro, zijn geheel of gedeeltelijk teruggevorderd.
Greek ex-minister: We spied on 2 US ambassadors
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:10
  ATHENS: A former foreign minister of Greece says the U.S. is not the only country eavesdropping on foreign diplomats: his country's secret services did that to U.S. ambassadors in Athens and Ankara in the 1990s.
  Theodoros Pangalos spoke Tuesday on Vima FM radio during a discussion about the latest revelations in the American NSA surveillance affair. The German magazine Der Spiegel has published a slide purportedly from the NSA showing Athens as one of the locations where the NSA had monitoring capabilities.
  Pangalos, Greece's foreign minister from 1996-1999, said: "at some point the (National Intelligence Service) had managed to monitor not only the American ambassador in Athens but also the American ambassador in Ankara."
  The former minister said the monitoring didn't last long but he didn't give a specific timeframe.
Polio outbreak confirmed in Syria
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:06
  The UN health agency has confirmed an outbreak of polio in war-torn Syria, which had been free of the crippling disease since 1999, and said it feared it would spread.
  Oliver Rosenbauer, spokesman for the World Health Organisation's anti-polio division, told reporters on Tuesday that laboratory tests had confirmed the presence of the disease in 10 out of 22 suspected cases reported almost two weeks ago.
  "Out of those 22 being investigated, 10 are now confirmed to be polio type one," Rosenbauer said in Geneva.
  Laboratory results were still being awaited on the remaining 12 suspected cases in Deir al-Zor, he said.
  "Of course this is a communicable disease. With population movements it can travel to other areas. So the risk is high for its] spread across the region," Rosenbauer said.
  All 22 children were stricken with acute flaccid paralysis, which is the symptom of a number of different diseases, including polio.
  "The other 12 are still being investigated," he said, adding that test results were expected in coming days.
  Of course disease surveillance is now ongoing across Syria and neighbouring countries as well, to look for other acute flaccid paralysis cases
  Oliver Rosenbauer, World Health Organisation spokesperson
  The cases were clustered in the northeastern Deir Al Zour province, and all affected children under the age of two.
  "There are no additional 'hot' cases that we know of. Of course disease surveillance is now ongoing across Syria and neighbouring countries as well, to look for other acute flaccid paralysis cases," said Rosenbauer.
  The next step is to analyse the genetic code of the virus to try to track its source.
  Last week, as they waited for confirmation of the cases, aid agencies and Syrian health authorities stepped up efforts to vaccinate 2.4 million children against polio, as well as measles, mumps and rubella.
  The UN says that 500,000 children in Syria have not been vaccinated against polio in the past two years due to insecurity.
  Rosenbauer said that all the children who have caught the virus in Deir Al Zour appeared to have never been vaccinated against polio, or had not received a full course of vaccine.
  376
'Escape From Tomorrow' Releases Rare VOD Revenue Numbers
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Dave says...
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:09
  EXCLUSIVE: John Sloss, whose Producers Distribution Agency is releasing the provocative unauthorized Disney World-shot Escape From Tomorrow, reports that in its first two weeks, the film grossed $139,334 in theatrical revenues '-- and $120,560 in VOD/digital grosses '-- for a total take of $259,894. VOD, he said, was $55,000 and broadband revenue was $65,000. Now, that's chump change for a studio release, but groundbreaking in that Sloss even volunteered it. Unless it's after the fact on a triumph like Margin Call or Arbitrage, it feels like most multi-platform distributors would sooner give out the numbers to their personal bank accounts than timely VOD grosses. It makes my job reporting specialty box office an incomplete exercise, because VOD/digital revenues play a bigger role on the specialty film release circuit every year. Distributors say their films clean up on cable and broadband, but there is no reliable mechanism for timely tally on VOD revenues the way there is on theatricals.
  Related:Fantastic Fest: Can Disney-Set 'Escape From Tomorrow' Succeed If The Mouse Won't Roar?
  Sloss, who is on both sides of the coin in that his Cinetic Media brokers film distribution deals and PDA does multi-platform releasing on films like the Banksy documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop, has issued a challenge to his rivals: cough up the numbers as they get from cable companies, iTunes and other revenue providers, and create a level of transparency that shows what VOD really means to the bottom lines of prestige films.
  ''We are calling upon those distributors who have been pioneers of the day-and-date evolution to supply Cinetic with their cable and broadband VOD grow numbers,'' Cinetic said in a statement. ''When combined with the readily available theatrical gross numbers, it will enable us to post 'Multi-Screen Grosses' by Monday of each week. This service is designed to help filmmakers make more informed choices when deciding between more traditional theatrical scenarios and day and date releases.''
  Right now, my specialty box office report leaves me with theatrical release givens like screen count, per screen average and total gross. The VOD numbers are anybody's guess, even though they probably often dwarf theatrical revenue on day-and-date and ultra-VOD releases; there, theaters often won't play those films at all, or not through the traditional revenue split system deals between distributors and theaters. That means distribs have to ''four wall'' theaters, or essentially rent the screens for a set fee.
  ''There are a group of distributors that are increasingly moving toward day-and-date releases,'' Sloss told me. ''There must be a reason they're doing that. They know it. There's no reason why filmmakers and financiers shouldn't know it as well. Rather than just making a decision based on faith, they should be able to do just like the distributor is doing by making decisions based on information. It's time for that statistics to be known. It should have happened immediately when distributors moved from pure theatrical to day and date because it is the functional equivalent to theatrical box office.''
  Sloss said he is coming across on Escape From Tomorrow to help give filmmakers and others a chance to educate themselves on an increasingly viable distribution option. Sloss said the film''which Moore shot in secret at the Mouse House as a creepy paranoid thriller''is already in profits because the cost to make it was low, and because the percentage kept by cable and digital carriers is lower than what is shared with theater owners. Also, P&A costs are virtually nil.
  ''It only helps the cause for distributors in convincing filmmakers who are so tied to theatrical release that day and date might be a smarter alternative for them,'' Sloss said. ''Part of the reason we created FilmBuff was because I've sold over 400 films and I was frustrated with the secretiveness of distributors. Distributors are basically hired by filmmakers to distribute their films yet most of them feel it's their birthright to hold onto information until 60 days after the quarter in which their film is released. ''I want to use this to learn, frankly. I do have a sense [of VOD performance]. You can look and see if a title maintains a [high ranking] on iTunes, but that is much harder with cable, Until I get accounting statements, I really don't know. And even accounting statements are pretty opaque in breaking out the different buckets even between Subscription VOD vs. Transactional VOD. I may know a little more than the average filmmaker and that's certainly more than the average lay person, but I have a lot to learn. I think we all do.''
  Sloss's company is introducing what it calls the ''Multi-Screen Gross,'' which is effectively a combination of home and theatrical box office figures for day and date releases, which it will post on Cinetic's affiliate company FilmBuff's website.
  While tallying specialty box office this past weekend, I asked a number of companies if they would follow suit. This is hardly a ''Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall'' kind of proclamation, but any appeal toward transparency will be helpful in demystifying this release model. So how about it, IFC, Magnolia, RADiUS-TWC and Roadside Attractions?
  Get Deadline news and alerts FREE to your inbox...
RaDAR-America: RaDAR November 2013 Contest Announcement and Rules
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:48
  1. AimThe RaDAR-America contest is an event aimed at promoting the use of Rapidly Deployable Amateur Radio stations throughout North and South America. This contest is for all licensed radio amateurs. A choice is made prior to the contest to participate in one of the defined categories. The points system is so structured as to encourage portable operation, especially moveable stations.The rule structure is very close to that formulated by the founder of the contest idea: Eddie ZS6BNEThis contest will take place at the same time in South Africa (the Nation from which the idea originated), as it will here in the Americas. Please note that the most significant difference between the South African RaDAR rules and the RaDAR-America rules are in the suggested frequencies, which have been adapted and changed to comply with the IARU Region 2 band plans. If you choose to operate on the suggested South African RaDAR frequencies, please note that some are in the EXTRA band section for US operators and others are entirely outside of the IARU 2 band plan.2. Date and TimeFirst Saturday of April and first Saturday of November starting at 14:00 UTC and ending at 18:00 UTC (4 hours).3. Bands and ModesAll amateur bands, besides the WARC bands, are allowed including cross band contacts via amateur radio satellites.All Amateur Radio operating rules within the country of operation are to be respected and followed at all times.
  QSOs via terrestrial repeaters will NOT be allowed. You must make all of your contacts on Simplex only.
  Modes '' CW, SSB, AM, FM or any digital mode.
  4. Suggested HF and VHF voice calling frequenciesThe frequencies posted by HFPack http://hfpack.com/air/are suggested as HF activity frequencies if not already in use. Please note that HFPack operates USB on all bands to achieve complete compatibility with a wide variety of commercial and Military portable HF radio systems that amateurs are using.Suggested VHF frequency: 144.300. Frequencies that have a potential conflict with repeater inputs (low end of 146 Simplex) are to be avoided.
  Contesters are requested to operate by The Amateur's Codehttp://www.qcwa.org/amateur-code.htmand with the request to keep in mind that HFpack has established methods for courteous operation on the suggested frequencieshttp://hfpack.com/air/#methods[Please note that HFPack does not sanction contests and that this contest is not organised by a Founder or Moderator of the group.]
  Contesters are also requested to respect all International Distress frequencies:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_distress_frequencyhttp://www.iaru-r2.org/documents/explorer/files/Plan%20de%20bandas%20%7C%20Band-plan/R2%20LF-MF-HF%20Bandplan%202010.pdfas well as 146.520 MHz - the National Simplex Calling Frequency. Fixed stations are however encouraged to monitor these frequencies, so that they may be able to assist HAMs in distress.
  Contacts made within +/- 5kHz of the IARU Region 2 HF Distress Frequencies will not be counted for a valid QSO.Please additionally respect the NCDXF/IARU beacons operating on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930 and 28.200 MHz.5. Recommended digital modes frequenciesCW: HFPack frequencies.Other: all legal digital frequencies at established activity centers for the respective mode.6. ExchangeCall sign, Name, Report (RST), QTH and USNG grid locator (at least 6 digits). Note the grid locator can change as RaDAR operators are allowed to move to the next destination at any time.Maidenhead grid LOC information may be submitted instead of USNG locator. The grid locator of 6 digits is acceptable but should preferably be accurate to 10 digits.
  If the grid locator is not known, then some other information that could describe the location, e.g. Mabula Lodge, 40 km west of Warmbaths. Note that several SmartPhone HAM log apps support this feature (e.g. HamLog for the iPhone).
  7. Scoring1 point per QSO.1 QSO per mode, per band / satellite, per call sign. You may work another call sign several times, but only once per mode and only once per band throughout the entire contest period (you may work several call signs per band and per mode).8. Categories and multipliersThe following multipliers are applicable to determine the final score.Category multiplier:x 1 '' RaDAR Fixed station (At home or in another building). These stations may NOT call QSO, allowed to monitor and reply to QSOs only.x 2 '' RaDAR Field station (Portable away from home). These stations are to log themselves as /p ("portable"). At least one photo or video of the station MUST accompany the log.
  x 3 '' Moving RaDAR station, Car / Motorcycle / Bicycle / Maritime '' Minimum 3 miles (approx. 5 km) per 5 QSOs. These stations are to log themselves as /m ("mobile"). A photo or video of the station MUST accompany every log entry.
  x 4 '' Moving RaDAR station, on foot '' Minimum 0.6 miles (approx. 1 km) per 5 QSOs. These stations are to log themselves as /pm ("pedestrian mobile"). A photo or video of the station MUST accompany every log entry.
  Note: 1) Moving RaDAR stations can move at any time but are required to move to the next destination after five contacts have been made. The move needs to cover the required distance before further contacts are allowed to be made.2) Moving stations may also operate while in motion, but need to have covered the required distance for every 5 QSOs. Note: safety and all (traffic) laws take precedence at all times.Power multiplier:The power multiplier that applies is determined by the highest power output of any of the transmitters used during the contest.5 watts or less the power multiplier is 6.6 to 50 Watts, the power multiplier is 4.51 watts or greater, the power multiplier is 2.
  9. Bonus points (All categories)5 Points (Equivalent to five QSOs) for a minimum of one satellite or any digital mode QSO involving a computer. (For clarity: Thereafter 1 point per Satellite / Digital modes QSO)10. Notes: 1) A photo or video of a "Field" or "Moving" station MUST accompany every log entry.2) Images or videos may be posted on the contesters preferred website, preferred website service or else; links must however be listed within the log file. Photos may alternatively be copy/ pasted in to the log.3) All logs and submitted photos will be published at http://RaDAR-America.blogspot.com under the following copyright:Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en_USwith all Copyrights to the contents otherwise remaining with the submitting Amateur Radio Operator.4) Published logs and photos are to serve as a learning resource.11. Log SheetsQSOs are to be entered in the log sheets found at the following link:http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20878991/RaDARContestLog2013.docand be submitted within 14 days of the contest.Completed log sheets are to be filled out directly within WORD and emailed to:radaramericacontest (AT) gmail.comas a WORD or PDF file.
  Printed Log sheets may also be scanned or photographed and emailed.
  The winner will receive a feature Blog entry and certificate.
  Please do share all your operating tips and comments on the log sheets.
  73 de Marcus NX5MKRaDAR-America Contest Manager
Google Hides Search Terms From Publishers, Marketers - Ad Age Mobile
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:45
  When you're Google , subtle shifts have a big impact. That was the case last month, when the search giant announced it would severely limit the information publishers '' or anyone else '' would receive on the keywords driving traffic to their websites.
  Google still provides keyword data to search advertisers, but the move changed the game for organic search, leaving some publishers and advertisers in the dark.
  "It's one of the most significant losses of data marketers have seen in half a decade," said Conductor CEO Seth Besmertnik, who claimed that on average half of the traffic to the search-optimization vendor's clients' sites comes through organic search.
  Google didn't cut off publishers completely. They can still get information on the top-2,000 most-popular keywords, just not in real-time and only through Google's webmaster tools, which limits the way publishers can adjust content on the fly to attract more organic search traffic. The shift is having an impact on the earned-media strategies of marketers.
  Soon after Google turned out the lights, Rosetta partner Jason Tabeling received a panicked call from one marketer who is a huge Google advertiser that also depends heavily on organic searches.
  "His concern was, why is Google doing this?" Mr. Tabeling said.
  The answer to that varies, depending on whom you ask: Google is protecting users' privacy; it's pushing sites to run ads to recoup the lost keyword data; it's preventing sites from gaming its search-ranking algorithms. All a Google spokesperson would say is that the company has been increasingly privatizing people's searches and this most recent change extends that to users who are not signed in to a Google account.
  Over time, Google had been showing advertisers and publishers less search-query data. Wister Walcott, exec VP-products and platform at Marin Software , said that a few months ago, "half or 40% [of queries] were dark." Now, he said, "they're all dark."
  The shift is a bit like climate change -- everyone anticipates it will have an effect, but it's not felt immediately. Further, because the shift affects everyone equally, the competitive pecking order seems to be staying intact. "Clients care, but they care less because it's happening to everybody and it's not changing their business results immediately," said Rosetta's Mr. Tabeling.
  The biggest impact could be on sites like The Huffington Post and Demand Media , which create keyword-laden content to drive traffic from search. Dean Praetorius, director of trends and social media at The Huffington Post, said he's "not freaking out as much as you think" because HuffPost can look to its seven-year trove of articles and "look for similar situations and language patterns" to determine search-friendly headlines.
  Demand, for its part, said it uses many different data sets, and this one hasn't been significant.
  But it will make it harder to decipher newly popular terms driving people their way. Mr. Tabeling said marketers will likely examine how every aspect of a web page beyond keywords affects its search ranking.
  The process of crafting content to rank highly on search results pages, or search engine optimization, "is always a little bit of a guessing game," he said.
  Correction: An earlier version of this article said that Google had stopped passing organic search keyword data to site publishers. After the article was published, a Google spokesperson clarified that some keyword data is still relayed, but that site publishers have to use Google products to access that data. Ad Age regrets the error.
  View on desktop site
Google Has Gone 'Dark': The Search Giant Just Ended A Bunch Of Free Data And People Are Freaking Out - Yahoo Finance
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:44
  AP
  Google founder Sergey Brin
  Late this month, Google went "dark" in terms of providing publishers with one of its major sources of free information on which words led people searching in Google to click on their sites. The move came as Google seeks to reassure users following the NSA/PRISM domestic surveillance scandal.
  Now, all Google search is securely encrypted, and web site owners can no longer look at Google Analytics to see exactly which words people use when searching Google to find their sites.
  A lot of people who conduct marketing on the web are freaking out about it: Now, they complain they're basically flying blind.
  And they're angry, because the data that has been switched off is the "organic" search data, not the paid search data generated when people click on search ads. In other words, the only data Google is now providing about exactly what words generate incoming traffic is for people who pay to advertise on Google.
  As a replacement, Google is offering similar data in its Webmaster Tools product. However, many marketers complain that the difference between organic search data in Google Analytics and the data inside Webmaster Tools is that the latter is based on a sampling, or an average set of aggregated traffic. It's not the full data set of terms that generate all Google visits to your web site. And it isn't as accurate or useful, a source tells Business Insider, because search marketing is an extremely quant-oriented business where full, accurate datasets convey significant advantages.
  Google told Business Insider:
  Just as before, webmasters can access a rich set of search query data for their sites via Webmaster Tools. This includes viewing the top 2,000 daily search queries as well as impressions, clicks and clickthrough rates for each query, and more. As always, we'll keep looking for ways to improve how search query data is surfaced on Webmaster Tools.
  In a blog post, Google says it did this to increase users' privacy and security on the web. Now, almost all your search activity on Google will be completely anonymous. Your searches and clicks won't generate lists of words that create traffic for site publishers. Those lists were anonymous anyway '-- but they did tell publishers how users were finding their sites through Google.
  They're calling it "the data apocalypse." Ad Age says:
  "It's one of the most significant losses of data marketers have seen in half a decade," said Conductor CEO Seth Besmertnik, who claimed that on average half of the traffic to the search-optimization vendor's clients' sites comes through organic search.
  It's a punch in the face for small businesses, according to Tony Verre, CEO of Silver Arc Search Marketing:
  ... those who used analytics just to surmise if people/consumers and how people/consumers found them for something other than BRAND terms, just got a punch in the face (read Mom and Pop shops who can't afford online marketing services and help). The web might be a key component to survival for them, and taking away accurate data in the name of faux-privacy is a pretty big deal.
  And people are mad because advertisers running search campaigns still get that keyword data for the ads that they ran, in Google Analytics. (In other words, when you click on a regular "organic" Google search result, it generates no data; when you click on an ad displayed alongside the organic search results, advertisers get to know which words generated that click.) It's a contradiction, according to Rishi Lakhani, a search consultant:
  ... their idea of privacy is ridiculous to say the least. You cant offer privacy, but still SELL the data to AdWords advertisers. It's the same user. It's the same action.
  More From Business Insider
Stuff
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: W2LJ's Blog - QRP - Do More With Less.
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:42
  Some things I have been meaning to pass on:The first concerns a contest that will be held this coming Saturday - November 2nd. As Greg N4KGL explained to me:
  RaDAR is Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio. This Saturday November 2nd is the 2013 Fall RaDAR America Contest. This is not your usual contest. The contest encourages rapid deployment and redeployment but there are several categories for you pleasure. Bottom-line is if you want to have some fun between 9AM and 1 PM CDT (1400 - 1800 UTC) Saturday read on.
  So go RaDAR on foot, mobile, portable or operate fixed. RaDAR participants will be lucky to find other RaDAR participants so fixed stations are encouraged to participate. The exchange is Callsign, Name, RST, City State (Grid locator preferred). I spared you all the details but they are athttp://radar-america.blogspot.com/2013/10/radar-november-2013-contest.html
  All hams can play and it would be cool for many of you to disperse to various portable ops locations. Pick your favorite. I will be at St Andrews State Park FL and will be foot mobile on the beach. I will move 1 kilometer for every five contacts. I plan to operate around the following frequencies
  40m CW 7055 kHz SSB 718520m CW 14055 kHz SSB 14342.515m CW 21055 kHz SSB 21437.510m CW 28055 kHz SSB 284002m FM 145.565 Simplex
  Greg N4KGL
  I will admit, the concept is cool and this looks like a ton of fun. I have so much already planned for this weekend, that I will be hard pressed to squeeze it in. But if I can find the time, I will definitely join in on the fun.
  Secondly, I came across this site, which is run by Steve Roberts W1SFR. http://kx3helper.wordpress.com/I especially think Steve's QRPads are a great idea! Neat way to stack QRP rig, tuner, watt meter, etc. Steve also sells his own version of a KX3 stand, and he also sells a fully assembled version of the antenna and 9:1 UNUN that I am currently in the process of building.
  That's it for tonight. Fortunately, 10 Meters was still hopping today during lunchtime. I worked Italy and Hungary again today Currently the SSN is over 200 and the SFI is at 159. I sure hope these conditions stay with us for a while. It does a body good to hear so much activity on the bands. Reminds me of my Novice days back in the late 70s. Back then, it took a bit of effort to find an open frequency!
  72 de Larry W2LJQRP - When you care to send the very least!
DNI Clapper Declassifies Additional Intelligence Community...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: IC ON THE RECORD
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:38
  DNI Clapper Declassifies Additional Intelligence Community Documents Regarding Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
  October 28, 2013
  In June of this year, President Obama directed me to declassify and make public as much information as possible about certain sensitive intelligence collection programs undertaken under the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) while being mindful of the need to protect national security. Consistent with this directive, in September 2013, I authorized the declassification and public release of a number of documents pertaining to the Government's collection of bulk telephony metadata under Section 501 of the FISA, as amended by Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Section 215). Today I am authorizing the declassification and public release of a number of additional documents relating to collection under Section 215. These documents were properly classified, and their declassification is not done lightly. I have determined, however, that the harm to national security from the release of these documents is outweighed by the public interest.
  Release of these documents reflects the Executive Branch's continued commitment to making information about this intelligence collection program publicly available when appropriate and consistent with the national security of the United States. Additionally, they demonstrate the extent to which the Intelligence Community kept both Congress and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court apprised of the status of the collection program under Section 215. Some information has been redacted because these documents include discussion of matters that continue to be properly classified for national security reasons and the harm to national security would be great if disclosed. These documents will be made available at the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and at ICOntheRecord.tumblr.com, the public website dedicated to fostering greater public visibility into the intelligence activities of the U.S. Government.
  James R. ClapperDirector of National Intelligence
  1. February 25, 2009 NSA notification memorandum to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) of compliance incidents identified during an on-going NSA-initiated End-to-End review of its collection of bulk telephony metadata pursuant to Section 215 authorities.
  2. March 2009 Internal NSA Memorandum of Understanding required for access and query privileges of data collected through NSA's bulk telephony metadata program under Section 215 authorities.
  3. May 7, 2009 NSA notification memorandum to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) and HPSCI on the status of the on-going NSA-initiated End-to-End review of its collection of bulk telephony metadata pursuant to Section 215 authorities.
  4. July 2, 2009 Letter from the Department of Justice (DoJ) to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), providing notice of the production of NSA's June 25, 2009 Business Records Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) End-to-End Review Report to the Congressional Intelligence and Judiciary Committees.
  5. September 10, 2009 NSA notification memorandum to SSCI of presentations made to several FISC judges regarding NSA's bulk telephony metadata program under Section 215 authorities and of the FISC granting the government's request to reauthorize the bulk telephony metadata program and restoring to NSA the authority to query the metadata upon a Reasonable Articulable Suspicion standard without seeking Court approval on a case-by-case basis.
  6. October 21, 2009 Joint Statement for the Record by the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and the Associate Deputy Director for Counterterrorism of the NSA, to HPSCI providing information relating to NSA's bulk telephony metadata program under Section 215 authorities for the USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization.
  7. December 17, 2009 Letters from DoJ to Representatives Bobby Scott, John Conyers, and Jerrold Nadler providing notice of Executive branch efforts with the Intelligence Committees to make a detailed report on NSA's bulk telephony metadata program under Section 215 authorities available to all Members of Congress.
  8. August 16, 2010 Cover Letter from DoJ for submission of several documents to the Congressional Intelligence and Judiciary Committees relating to NSA collection of bulk telephony metadata under Section 501 of the FISA, as amended by Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.
  9. April 1, 2011 Memorandum from NSA to SSCI regarding NSA's receipt of cell site location information test results.
  10. September 1, 2011 NSA notification memorandum to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary on NSA's collection of telephony metadata under Section 501 of FISA.
Presidential Memorandum -- Delegation of Functions Under Sections 1261(b) and 1262(a) of Public Law 112-239
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:37
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 28, 2013
  SUBJECT: Delegation of Functions Under Sections 1261(b) and 1262(a) of Public Law 112-239
  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the functions of the President under section 1261(b) and to the Secretary of Commerce the functions of the President under section 1262(a) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, Public Law 112-239.
  The Secretary of State shall consult, as appropriate, the heads of other executive departments and agencies in the performance of his responsibilities under this memorandum.
  The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
  BARACK OBAMA
Remarks by the President and FBI Director James Comey
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:30
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 28, 2013
  12:34 P.M. EDT
  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, FBI. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Please, everybody, be seated -- those of you who have seats. (Laughter.)
  Well, good afternoon, everybody. I am so proud to be here and to stand once again with so many dedicated men and women of the FBI. You are the best of the best. Day in and day out, you work tirelessly to confront the most dangerous threats our nation faces. You serve with courage; you serve with integrity. You protect Americans at home and abroad. You lock up criminals. You secure the homeland against the threat of terrorism. Without a lot of fanfare, without seeking the spotlight, you do your jobs, all the while upholding our most cherished values and the rule of law.
  Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity: That's your motto. And today, we're here to welcome a remarkable new leader for this remarkable institution, one who lives those principles out every single day: Mr. Jim Comey.
  Before I get to Jim, I want to thank all the predecessors who are here today. We are grateful for your service. I have to give a special shout-out to Bob Mueller, who served longer than he was supposed to, but he was such an extraordinary leader through some of the most difficult times that we've had in national security. And I consider him a friend and I'm so grateful for him and Ann being here today. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
  Now, Jim has dedicated his life to defending our laws -- to making sure that all Americans can trust our justice system to protect their rights and their well-being. He's the grandson of a beat cop. He's the prosecutor who helped bring down the Gambinos. He's the relentless attorney who fought to stem the bloody tide of gun violence, rub out white-collar crime, deliver justice to terrorists. It's just about impossible to find a matter of justice he has not tackled, and it's hard to imagine somebody who is not more uniquely qualified to lead a bureau that covers all of it -- traditional threats like violent and organized crime to the constantly changing threats like terrorism and cyber-security. So he's got the resume.
  But, of course, Jim is also a famously cool character -- the calmest in the room during a crisis. Here's what a fellow former prosecutor said about him. He said, ''You know that Rudyard Kipling line -- 'If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs'-- that's Jim.''
  There's also a story from the time during his prosecution of the Gambino crime family. One of the defendants was an alleged hit man named Lorenzo. And during the trial, Jim won an award from the New York City Bar Association. When the court convened the next morning, everybody was buzzing about it, and suddenly, a note was passed down from the defendant's table, across the aisle to the prosecutor's table. It was handed to Jim, and it read: ''Dear Jim, congratulations on your award. No one deserves it more than you. You're a true professional. Sincerely, Lorenzo.'' (Laughter.)
  ''Sincerely, Lorenzo.'' Now, we don't know how sincere he was. (Laughter.) We don't know whether this was a veiled threat, or a plea for leniency, or an honest compliment. But I think it is fair to say that Jim has won the respect of folks across the spectrum -- including Lorenzo. (Laughter.)
  He's the perfect leader for an organization whose walls are graced by the words of a legendary former director: ''The most effective weapon against crime is cooperation.'' Jim has worked with many of the more than 35,000 men and women of the FBI over the course of his long and distinguished career. And it's his admiration and respect for all of you, individually, his recognition of the hard work that you do every day -- sometimes under extraordinarily difficult circumstances -- not just the folks out in the field, but also folks working the back rooms, doing the hard work, out of sight -- his recognition that your mission is important is what compelled him to answer the call to serve his country again.
  The FBI joins forces with our intelligence, our military, and homeland security professionals to break up all manner of threats -- from taking down drug rings to stopping those who prey on children, to breaking up al Qaeda cells to disrupting their activities, thwarting their plots. And your mission keeps expanding because the nature of the threats are always changing.
  Unfortunately, the resources allotted to that mission has been reduced by sequestration. I'll keep fighting for those resources because our country asks and expects a lot from you, and we should make sure you've got the resources you need to do the job. Especially when many of your colleagues put their lives on the line on a daily basis, all to serve and protect our fellow citizens -- the least we can do is make sure you've got the resources for it and that your operations are not disrupted because of politics in this town. (Applause.)
  Now the good news is things like courage, leadership, judgment, and compassion -- those resources are, potentially, at least, inexhaustible. That's why it's critical that we seek out the best people to serve -- folks who have earned the public trust; who have excellent judgment, even in the most difficult circumstances; those who possess not just a keen knowledge of the law, but also a moral compass that they -- and we -- can always count on.
  And that's who we've got in Jim Comey. I'll tell you I interviewed a number of extraordinary candidates for this job, all with sterling credentials. But what gave me confidence that this was the right man for the job wasn't his degrees and it wasn't his resume; it was in talking to him and seeing his amazing family, a sense that this somebody who knows what's right and what's wrong, and is willing to act on that basis every single day. And that's why I'm so grateful that he's signed up to serve again.
  I will spare you yet another joke about how today, no one stands taller. (Laughter.) I simply want to thank Jim for accepting this role. I want to thank Patrice and the five remarkable children that they've got -- because jobs like this are a team effort, as you well know.
  And I want to thank most all the men and women of the FBI. I'm proud of your work. I'm grateful for your service. I'm absolutely confident that this agency will continue to flourish with Jim at the helm. And if he gets lost in the building, I want you guys to help him out. (Laughter.) Because I guarantee you that he's going to have your back, make sure you've got his back as well.
  Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)
  MR. JOYCE: And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation -- James B. Comey. (Applause.)
  MR. COMEY: Thank you, Sean. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence, for honoring us, and for speaking so eloquently about the mission of the FBI and its great people.
  Thank you also to my friends and family who are gathered here today. My entire life is literally represented in this crowd, and it is a pretty picture. These are the people that I have known and loved literally my entire life and from whom I have learned so much.
  I'm especially grateful that my dad and my sister and my brothers could be here today. I wish so much that Mom could be here to enjoy this amazing day. I can still hear ringing in my entire teenage years her voice as she snapped open the shades every single morning and said, ''Rise and shine and show the world what you're made of.'' I found it less inspiring at the time -- (laughter) -- but it made us who we are. And I'll never forget that.
  And to my five troops and my amazing bride, who talked me into being interviewed for this job -- of course, with the caveat that she'd be okay because the President would never pick me. (Laughter.) I got to tell you, this is your last chance to talk to him about it. (Laughter.)
  Mr. President, I am so grateful for this honor and this opportunity to serve with the men and women of the FBI. They are standing all around this great courtyard, and standing on duty all around this country and around this world at this moment. I know already that this is the best job I have ever had and will ever have.
  That's because I have a front row seat to watch the work of a remarkable group of people who serve this country, folks from all walks of life who joined the FBI for the same reason -- they were teachers and soldiers, and police officers and scholars, and software engineers, and people from all walks of life who wanted to do good for a living. They wanted jobs with moral content, and so they joined this great organization.
  I thought about them as I stood in this courtyard just a week ago and showed a visiting foreign leader the statue that overlooks this ceremony. It's an artist's depiction of the words from our shield that the President mentioned: Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. And as I thought about that statue and those words and this ceremony, I thought I would take just a couple of minutes and tell you what those words mean and why I think they belong on our shield.
  First, fidelity. The dictionary defines fidelity as a strict and continuing faithfulness to an obligation, trust, or duty. To my mind, that word on our shield reminds us that the FBI must abide two obligations at the same time. First, the FBI must be independent of all political forces or interests in this country. In a real sense, it must stand apart from other institutions in American life. But, second, at the same time, it must be part of the United States Department of Justice, and constrained by the rule of law and the checks and balances built into our brilliant design by our nation's founders.
  There is a tension reflected in those two aspects of fidelity, those two values that I see in that word, and I think that tension is reflected in the 10-year term that I've just begun. The term is 10 years to ensure independence. But it is a fixed term of years to ensure that power does not become concentrated in one person and unconstrained. The need for reflection and restraint of power is what led Louis Freeh to order that all new agent classes visit the Holocaust Museum here in Washington so they could see and feel and hear in a palpable way the consequences of abuse of power on a massive almost unimaginable scale. Bob Mueller continued that practice. And I will again, when we have agents graduating from Quantico.
  The balance reflected in my term is also a product of lessons hard learned from the history of this great institution. Our first half-century or so was a time of great progress and achievement for this country, and for the Bureau. But it also saw abuse and overreach -- most famously with respect to Martin Luther King and others, who were viewed as internal security threats.
  As I think about the unique balance represented by fidelity to independence on the one hand, and the rule of law on the other, I think it also makes sense for me to offer those in training a reminder closer to our own history. I'm going to direct that all new agents and analysts also visit the Martin Luther King Memorial here in Washington. I think it will serve as a different kind of lesson -- (applause) -- one more personal to the Bureau, of the dangers in becoming untethered to oversight and accountability.
  That word fidelity belongs on our shield.
  Next, bravery. We have perpetrated a myth in our society that being brave means not being afraid, but that's wrong. Mark Twain once said that bravery ''is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.'' If you've ever talked to a special agent that you know well and you ask he or she about a dangerous encounter they were involved in, they'll almost always give you the same answer, ''yeah, I did it, but I was scared to heck the whole time.'' But that's the essence of bravery.
  Only a crazy person wouldn't fear approaching a car with tinted windows during a late-night car stop, or pounding up a flight of stairs to execute a search warrant, or fast-roping from a helicopter down into hostile fire. Real agents, like real people, feel that fear in the pit of their stomachs. But you know the difference between them and most folks? They do it anyway, and they volunteer to do that for a living.
  What makes the bravery of the men and women of the FBI so special is that they know exactly what they're in for. They spend weeks and weeks in an academy learning just how hard and dangerous this work is. Then they raise their right hands and take an oath, and do that work anyway. They have seen the Wall of Honor -- that I hope so much my friends and guests and family will get to see inside this building -- with pictures and links to the lives of those who gave the last full measure of devotion for their country as FBI employees.
  Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman said this: "I would define true courage to be a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger and a mental willingness to endure it."
  I called a special agent a few weeks ago after he had been shot during an arrest. I knew before I called him that he had already been injured severely twice in his Bureau career, once in a terrorist bombing and once in a helicopter crash. Yet when I got him on the phone, I got the strong sense he couldn't wait to get me off the phone. He was embarrassed by my call. ''Mr. Director, it was a through and through wound. No big deal.'' He was more worried about his Bureau car, which he had left at the scene of the shooting. (Laughter.) He felt okay, though, because his wife -- also a special agent -- was going to go get the car, so everything was fine. (Laughter.)
  The men and women of this organization understand perfectly the danger they're in every day and choose to endure it because they believe in this mission. That's why bravery belongs on our shield.
  And, finally, integrity. Integrity is derived from the Latin word "integer," meaning whole. A person of integrity is complete, undivided. Sincerity, decency, trustworthy are synonyms of integrity. It's on our shield because it is the quality that makes possible all the good that we do. Because everything we do requires that we be believed, whether that's promising a source that we will protect her, telling a jury what we saw or heard, or telling a congressional oversight committee or the American people what we are doing with our power and our authorities. We must be believed.
  Without integrity, all is lost. We cannot do the good that all of these amazing people signed up to do. The FBI's reputation for integrity is a gift given to every new employee by those who went before. But it is a gift that must be protected and earned every single day. We protect that gift by making mistakes and admitting them, by making promises and keeping them, and by realizing that nothing -- no case, no source, no fear of embarrassment -- is worth jeopardizing the gift of integrity. Integrity must be on the FBI shield.
  So, you see, those three words -- Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity -- capture the essence of the FBI and its people. And they also explain why I am here. I wanted to be here to work alongside those people, to represent them, to help them accomplish their mission, and to just be their colleague.
  It is an honor and a challenge beyond description. I will do my absolute best to be worthy of it. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
  END
  12:55 P.M.
Uncle! Uncle!
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: a.nolen
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:22
  Hanging out with Jacob?
  Well, we've come full circle. Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill are teaming up with eBay founder Pierre Omidyar to start their own news media outlet.
  Cards on the table: Pierre Omidyar is a technology billionaire who runs in the same circles as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his chess partner Warren Buffet. Omidyar's non-profits fund projects like ''Ushahidi'', from Pierre's bio at achievement.org (no laughing!):
  Among other Omidyar family philanthropies, the Omidyar Network supports the creators of the emergency communication technology Ushahidi (Swahili for ''testimony''), an application which allows users to create maps from data submitted by cell phone users'... Crowdmap, a free user-friendly web-based version of the application is now available online, thanks to the support of the Omidyar Network.
  ''Ushadhidi'' reminds me of the program Morgan Freeman's character threatened to quit Wayne Enterprises over in The Dark Knight.
  Pierre, God says it's unethical.
  The information above ought to be enough to blow this new media venture's credibility out of the water. But it gets better.
  Pierre recently teamed up with Arianna Huffington to make HuffPost Hawaii, check out their totally chummy pics here. I was in D.C. when the HuffPo mother-ship was launched: Craig's List was heavy with Arianna's ads searching for journalists to staff her outfit. This gave rise to to innumerable ''gently used'' journalism jokes, because well, there were a lot of out-of-work journalists in town and why would Huffington want to shake up the fourth estate?
  So thanks to Pierre, HuffPo's disappointing journalism now has a Pacific outlet. A lot of funky stuff seems to go down in Hawaii. Sort of like D.C.'s home away from home.
  Yes, I believe that whatever Omidyar's media venture is, it's not a spontaneous gift to truth in journalism. Why have somebody like Pierre Omidyar be the face of the money?
  Well, let's see. He's ethnically Iranian, but his parents enjoyed a privileged life in Paris. Pierre was born in 1967 and the family moved to Potomac when he was a boy'' gee, that would be sometime around the Iranian Revolution. Potomac is a tony D.C. suburb, favored by people who get rich off the federal government. Pierre went to good schools nearby and started working for Apple Computer.
  Then, magically, he founded eBay and could quit his day job. There were a few strange detours along the way, as documented by Jennifer Viegas in Pierre Omidyar: The Founder of Ebay:
  The http://www.ebay.com site also linked to a page on the Ebola virus. Called Ebola Information, the page had all sorts of links and information pertaining to the deadly disease. It is unclear why Omidyar created the page. Regardless, there is an apparent similarity between the words ''Ebola'' and ''eBay''.
  Er, yeah Jennifer. Or maybe it has something to do with his eventual 'charitable' interest in AFRICOMAfrica.
  And then there's the little PayPal thing:
  In 2002, eBay acquired the online payment processing firm PayPal, which it uses to process most of its online transactions, compelling many online sellers to employ the service.
  In 2011 Paypal refused to handle donations to Wikileaks. Why? PayPal froze Wikileaks' assets after it released stolen US diplomatic cables.
  Step back a minute here, Laura. I would have thought that at least you were smarter than this. Better find something Pierre said BACK THEN to distance himself from the Paypal decision, PRONTO.
  Does it make any sense for me to go on, or have I made my point about Greenwald's/Poitras'/Scahill's latest move?
  Just one more. Jeremy Scahill, famous from Democracy Now!, was outside Slobodan Milosevic's house the night the Serbian leader was arrested. Wow! Any journalist with prescience like that must be'... smart and hard working!
  Hear the gospel, Whistle-blowers: now you can find Laura at her own media venue! Come one come all! One stop shopping! (Pun intended.)
  The Russians just have to be in here somewhere'... but, in the meantime, my sides hurt from laughing! It makes me want to shout'...
  Photo thanks to Jim Griffith. My opinions are mine alone.
  Like this:LikeLoading...
Kanye West Suing YouTube Co-Founder
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Valleywag
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:10
  Uploading a smartphone video recording of the Kanyedashian proposal seemed like a good idea. YouTube creator Chad Hurley has been struggling to find a second success, and putting hot celeb videos on MixBit'--his newest project'--drummed up instant interest. Unfortunately, Kanye West is furious.
  TMZ says Hurley violated a non-disclosure agreement by publishing the video'--which was immediately the longest and most detailed look at the lavish ballpark ceremony:
  Our sources say they are PISSED OFF that someone present at AT&T Park secretly taped the proposal and leaked it. The couple thinks they know who did it, and that person signed a confidentiality agreement. We're told a lawsuit is imminent.
  It seems like Yeezus and Mary were OK with a few Instagrams from their guests, but Hurley's footage went beyond snapshots'--and has racked up almost 1.5 million views since last week. We were wondering why the hell the co-founder of YouTube was at Kanye West's marriage proposal, and now, it seems privacy-craving Kanye is wondering the same thing. Here's to MixBit, the startup that pissed off those two famous people that one time.
LifeSiteNews Mobile | Former heads of state call on EU to set up state surveillance of 'intolerant' citizens
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 13:05
  ROME, October 16, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) '' A council of former heads of state and government leaders has called on the European Union to establish national surveillance units to monitor citizens of all 27 EU member states suspected of ''intolerance''.
  The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), a ''tolerance watchdog'' launched under the leadership of former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski and Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, called for the establishment of government surveillance bodies to directly monitor the ''intolerant'' behavior of identified citizens and groups.
  The council, which includes former presidents of the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Albania, Latvia, and Cyprus, and former prime ministers of Spain and Sweden, made the proposal in a report delivered during a 45-minute speech to the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE).
  These ''special administrative units,'' the report says, ''should preferably operate within the Ministry of Justice.''
  ''There is no need to be tolerant to the intolerant,'' it states, especially ''as far as freedom of expression is concerned.''
  The ECTR called its proposal the ''Framework National Statute for the Promotion of Tolerance'' and presented it as part of the EU's work towards a new ''Equal Treatment Directive'' (ETD), published under the title, ''Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle for equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation''.
  European Dignity Watch, a civil rights watchdog group based in Brussels, has warned that this directive ''aims to impose governmental control over the social and economic behavior of citizens in the widest possible sense.''
  In a scathing critique, the group says that the ECTR Framework's basic principles are flawed and that it ''interferes in an unprecedented manner with citizens' freedom and rights'' and ''distorts the concepts of 'justice' and 'equality'.''
  Through ''a reversal of the burden of proof,'' the proposal ''encourages frivolous litigation'' and will lead to ''institutionalized public control'' of private opinion and thought, they say.
  The Framework demands the outlawing of ''group libel'' that it defines as ''defamatory comments made in public and aimed against a group'...or members thereof, with a view to inciting to violence, slandering the group, holding it to ridicule or subjecting it to false charges.''
  It adds that ''group libel'' ''may appear to be aimed at members of the group in a different time (another historical era) or place (beyond the borders of the State).''
  Subject to criminal sanctions would be any ''hate crimes'' that would include not only ''incitement to violence'' but ''overt approval of a totalitarian ideology, xenophobia or anti-Semitism.''
  ''Members of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups'' it adds, ''are entitled to a special protection'' in addition to the normal legal protections afforded by the state. This ''special protection'...may imply a preferential treatment'' for those identified as ''vulnerable''.
  The Framework said it hopes to take ''concrete action to combat intolerance, in particular with a view to eliminating racism, colour bias, ethnic discrimination, religious intolerance, totalitarian ideologies, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-feminism and homophobia.''
  The document proposes not only to outlaw what it defines as ''intolerance'' by governments, but also by individual citizens. It says, ''It is important to stress that tolerance must be practised not only by Governmental bodies but equally by individuals, including members of one group vis- -vis another.'' It adds that the ''guarantee of tolerance must be understood not only as a vertical relationship (Government-to-individuals) but also as a horizontal relationship (group-to-group and person-to-person).
  ''It is the obligation of the Government to ensure that intolerance is not practised either in vertical or in horizontal relationships,'' it states.
  Sophia Kuby, spokesman for European Dignity Watch, said the Framework betrays the essentially totalitarian mindset of significant elements within the European Union's apparatus. The document, if adopted by the European Parliament, she said, ''could lead to situations in which vague or unwarranted accusations are leveled against individuals and groups.''
  ''Faith-based groups and schools, adherents of a particular religion or even just parents who want to teach their children certain moral values would all be put under general suspicion of being intolerant.''
  ''Even worse,'' she said, this language ''could lead to the possibility that charges are brought on unclear or even without legal grounds.'' She said it would ''be a significant step backward,'' and ''would certainly be a dark day for European democracy.''
What's missing in our social networks?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Scripting News
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 05:37
  With Twitter getting ready to go public, it seems pretty likely they'll end up in a feature race with Facebook, competing for the same users, and ultimately the same advertising dollars.
  Meanwhile, as we all settle in on these networks, we're also settling -- missing features that would have been developed long ago if we were using open and competitive platforms. At some point the dam will break and there will be a flood of new ideas, or possibly a platform for trying out new social networking ideas.
  Examples/ideas
  1.For example, last night I was hanging out waiting for the World Series to start, and saw my friend Chuck posting on Facebook. I've been wanting to chat with him on Skype. So I sent him an email, and I launched the Skype app. I figured since he was already online, obviously just putzing around, he'd have time. I said the Skype would be "quick."
  But a half hour later he hadn't responded. Now I'm wanting to do something else, so I'd like to retract the offer. But just then an IM comes saying. I heard the bells ring, but I couldn't figure out which of my networks was pinging me. On the possibility that it was Chuck, I launched Skype and he rang me and we had our conversation. An hour later I found the message in one of my tabs that was displaying GMail.
  He was watching the football game. It hadn't crossed my mind, although I do what he's been doing when I'm watching a baseball or basketball game (I don't go in for football for some reason, unless it's the post-season and then usually just for the SuperBowl). In slow periods, during commercials, I play some Angry Birds or hassle Facebook or Twitter. I read my river. We have lots of ways of determining status, but none of them said "I'm Chuck and I'm putzing around while I'm watching a football game." I'm sure he wouldn't have minded me having that information. Had I known he was watching a game I would have known he isn't available to Skype.
  2.Another use-case. I'm getting to know someone new and I can tell she's going to be a good friend. So after our meeting a couple of weeks ago, the question is -- how are we going to communicate. I see her on Facebook. But that isn't my preferred way to communicate, for a variety of reasons. Only after a few days of negotiating, in a total fog, we decide to use email. It seems that could have happened much more quickly.
  3.I've been reading about a friend from long-ago who has two cats and a dog and is a prodigious gardener. Where does he live? What's his setup? Is it on top of a mountain, or in a valley? What does he plant? I know he goes fishing (from reading his Facebook posts) -- where?
  4.I get a Twitter DM from a person I don't know saying he's going to be in NY next week and would like to buy me coffee. I'd like to tell Twitter not to accept such messages on my behalf unless they explain why they want to meet with me. I don't want to turn down a meeting with someone who has a purpose that interests me. But if I have no idea, then I'm a little frustrated -- it might be good, but I'm not going to respond. Also it would be nice to tell the person not to bother using Twitter for this, because it's not my preferred way to communicate. I find the 140-character limit too confining.
  5.On the other hand, I'd like to be able to put a limit on the number of characters people can use in Disqus comments on my site. I don't want people using it as a blogging platform. I want to encourage them to start their own blogs, or use them if they're lying dormant. Comments are for quick short bits of information or perspective. As the word "comment" suggests.
  6.In 1979, as I was driving into San Francisco from the north over the Golden Gate Bridge, I had a thought that I must know 20 people within line-of-sight from where I am right now, but I have no way of finding them. I left a marker for myself, that someday I'd have software that would tell me who is here and give me a way to contact them. This was one of my ways of saying I lived in "information impoverished" times. Do we now have that feature? Do they all have to be on Facebook and/or Foursquare for it to work? We certainly have the technical means for having that feature. But do we actually have it, or have silos interfered?
  7.I think what's really needed is an easy to configure network system that has all the features of all the networks, and allows the user to set limits that suit them. Maybe even a form capability so right at the top they could ask you to state their objective, what action they would like me to perform, and for that 140 characters would definitely suffice.
Water balance
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: OECD Observer
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 05:34
  The discovery of the aquifers was made possible by GRIDMAP (Groundwater Resources Investigation for Drought Mitigation in Africa Programme), a joint initiative between the Kenyan government and UNESCO. Three other aquifers were also identified but must be confirmed by drilling. Funding is being sought to extend GRIDMAP to Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan, all arid countries threatened by the severest drought in the Horn of Africa for 60 years.
  Water scarcity in Africa is expected to worsen in the coming decades. Although underground reserves may exist, data on their location and capacity are outdated or incomplete. Sub-Saharan Africa is equally vulnerable. The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) recently reported that 25% of all water aid went to this region. On a positive note, however, the DAC noted that the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving the number of people without access to drinking water had been reached five years ahead of schedule. Between 2002 and 2012, the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa with access to improved drinking water had doubled.
  GRIDMAP was funded by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In terms of overall water aid, Japan is the OECD's premium donor, accounting for 23% of total water aid. The country spent US$1.8 billion in 2010-2011, more than twice as much as any other OECD country. GRIDMAP is not the only project of its kind. Similar technology is being used in Ethiopia by a project funded by the US and Belgium.
  Despite these encouraging breakthroughs on the drinking water front, the MDG for sanitation is unlikely to be met. In northern Africa, sanitation coverage increased by 18%, but by only 4-5% in sub-Saharan Africa. Part of the trouble is the lack of information on funding for sanitation. Donors have revised the accepted method of classification to distinguish aid for water supply from aid for sanitation.
  Whether for sanitation or consumption, water resources face unprecedented stress in the coming years. South Africa, for example, is the most water-stressed of OECD partners, with the exception of Israel. While water management policies are in line with international best practice, 30% of the country's renewable water resources are already being used. These resources will come under immense pressure as the population grows and economic activity increases. The OECD's Environmental Outlook to 2050 projects that over 40% of the global population will be living in water-stressed areas by that year, with a significant percentage of that population in Africa and Asia. Global water demand is expected to rise by nearly 55% due to heightened demand in manufacturing (a rise of 400%), electricity (140%) and domestic use (130%).
  New reserves such as those revealed by GRIDMAP may not be enough. Improved infrastructure and social reform is just as important. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, the daily chore of fetching water is a serious barrier to development. Women and girls are the usual water bearers, spending on average 30 minutes per day transporting it. Data from 25 sub-Saharan countries (48% of the region's population) suggest that, taken together, women spend 16 million hours per day fetching water, compared to 6 million for men. That comes to a total of 1,825 years''years that might be devoted to furthering an education or pursuing a career.
  Lyndon Thompson
  References
  Strategic groundwater reserves found in Northern Kenya. UNESCOPRESS 11 September 2013.
  OECD (2012), OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: the Consequences of Inaction, OECD Publishing
  OECD/DAC (2013), Financing Water and Sanitation in Development Countries: the Contribution of External Aid
  Please vist: www.oecd.org/africa/
  (C) OECD Observer No 296 Q3 2013
The death of George W. Bush
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 05:32
  As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter......
  I was standing in the check out and noticed that the rags had a story on that George W. Bush has Alzheimers as the breaking story. As usual the rag press has more reality in it than the Obama puppy press, so I decided to inquire to ascertain a few things.
  Mr. Bush 43 apparently has had symptoms of this for the past 5 years. It is one of the reasons for his low profile. His use of drugs and booze did not help the degradation which is now taking place.
  The shadows of this point to that this will not be a Ronald Reagan decade long drama, but it points to a passing in a year's time. He simply wants to die. He is not a sad man, but is just at a point he no longer wills to be here.It is a push pull in this in inquiry as the family wants him to stay, but he is of a different judgment.
  The rumor always was that Bush43 was homosexual and that does go to the affirmative. Rove never made any moves on him in that man crush, but it is just one of those things in that bizarre Mexican stand off in what really took place in the blackmailing of this President in past deeds.
  He does desire that Jeb should be President, but he does not want to help in the process. It is just a case of been there and done that, and he does not care for any more of it. It is why the disease is rapidly progressing and it is not helping as this is a rapid form of the disease.
  George W. Bush was America's last hope as this blog warned of, but the American elite destroyed him and destroyed their last chance. He was a born again christian and was the reason that Bush41 got to follow Reagan as W. knew the code words to speak to Christians with.It all seems such a tragedy now in the machinations from Karl Rove disarming Americans, the destruction of the Conservative GOP and what Ma Bush was grousing around about in Sarah Palin to eliminate her, just has left an epitaph on this group which no one cares to repeat.It is understandable if W. has just had enough and is looking for the parting gifts.
  Well he was the last American President and with America now dead, and nothing but a faction case of fraud elections for feudalists, it seems fitting.
  Inquiry points to that America will be burying a parade of ex presidents to the last in the next five years.
  The dominoes point to George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and then William Jefferson Blythe Clinton.As the Birther Hussein is already chicken entree in the frozen food section, and that foreign agent was not American, it is not worth mentioning.
  Will leave that at that with mixed feelings on what should have been a chance, but was squandered like Sarah Palin. America gets what it desires.
  agtG
Feinstein vows 'total review' of NSA - The Hill's DEFCON Hill
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 05:16
  Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday called for a ''total review'' of all intelligence collection programs as she criticized the National Security Agency for spying on foreign leaders.
  ''It is abundantly clear that a total review of all intelligence programs is necessary so that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are fully informed as to what is actually being carried out by the intelligence community," Feinstein said.
  Feinstein has been one of the NSA's staunchest congressional defenders amid the uproar over its phone records surveillance, but she said that the spying on foreign leaders without President Obama's knowledge was a ''big problem.''''Unlike NSA's collection of phone records under a court order, it is clear to me that certain surveillance activities have been in effect for more than a decade and that the Senate Intelligence Committee was not satisfactorily informed,'' Feinstein said in a statement. ''Therefore our oversight needs to be strengthened and increased.''
  Feinstein said that she planned to initiate a major review into all of the intelligence community's collection methods.
  ''The White House has informed me that collection on our allies will not continue, which I support,'' she said. ''But as far as I'm concerned, Congress needs to know exactly what our intelligence community is doing."
  Feinstein said she was ''totally opposed'' to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies.
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders have expressed outrage over reports that the NSA was spying on Merkel since 2002 and that it spied on 35 world leaders.
  The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Obama was not told of the intelligence gathering on world leaders until this summer.
  Feinstein called for the president to be required to approve the kinds of intelligence collection on foreign leaders that was detailed in reports over the past week.
  ''Unless the United States is engaged in hostilities against a country or there is an emergency need for this type of surveillance, I do not believe the United States should be collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers,'' Feinstein said.
  The Senate Intelligence panel has been preparing to mark-up legislation to reform the NSA's data collection practices in the wake of the uproar over its phone metadata collection.
  The House Intelligence Committee has the NSA director and other top intelligence officials testifying in a rare open hearing on Tuesday as they also prepare to craft legislation.
Former BBC driver found dead as he was due to stand trial for sex crimes uncovered as part of Savile inquiry | Mail Online
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 04:21
  David Smith, 67, was chauffeur to Savile and other celebrities in 1980sBelieved to have committed suicide on the eve of his court appearanceOfficers found him dead at his home in Lewisham, south-east LondonBy Rebecca Camber
  PUBLISHED: 18:02 EST, 28 October 2013 | UPDATED: 19:06 EST, 28 October 2013
  30shares
  30
  Viewcomments
  Chauffeur: David Smith was found dead yesterday as he was due to stand trial for sex crimes
  A former BBC driver was found dead yesterday as he was due to stand trial for sex crimes uncovered as part of the Jimmy Savile inquiry.
  David Smith, 67, chauffeur to Savile and other celebrities during the 1980s is believed to have committed suicide on the eve of his court appearance.
  Police were called to Smith's address after receiving a court summons when he failed to appear for trial. When officers attended his home in Lewisham, south-east London, they found him dead.
  Last night a spokesman said: 'Police attended a private address in Effingham Road, Lewisham on Monday 28 October as a man had failed to appear at Southwark Crown Court today.
  'At approximately 2.20pm officers entered the address and found the body of a man. A forensic medical examiner attended and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Next of kin are being informed.
  'Whilst officers believe they know the identity of the deceased, they await confirmation of formal identification.'
  A post mortem will take place in due course. Smith, of Effingham Road, Lewisham, had failed to turn up at Southwark Crown Court for the start of his trial yesterday.
  He faced two counts of indecent assault, two of indecency with a child, and one of buggery, all relating to a 12-year-old boy, between June 1 and July 21, 1984.
  Probe: Smith was the first person to be charged under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation prompted after claims were made against disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile (pictured)
  Smith's counsel Sandy Canavan said earlier today her solicitor had been attempting to contact Smith without success.
  She said: 'He has been regularly in contact, I am concerned at the lack of contact. He is the sole carer for his very aged and very unwell mother, that may have affected why he's not here today.'
  Judge Alastair McCreath said: 'He needs to be here, if his mother's poorly or not.'
  He issued a bench warrant, backed for bail, with the condition that he surrender to the court by 9.30am tomorrow morning, with the case to be listed for 10am.
  Smith was the first person to be charged under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation prompted after claims were made against disgraced TV presenter Savile.
  Scotland Yard has led the probe, and separated its inquiries into those involving Savile, those involving Savile and others, and those involving others. Smith has been investigated under the 'others' strand.
  For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for detailsShare or comment on this article
102513USAFREEDOM.pdf
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:58
  3
  Sec.601.Third-party reporting on FISA orders and national security letters.Sec.602.Government reporting on FISA orders.Sec.603.Government reporting on national security letters.TITLE VII'--PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OVERSIGHT BOARDSUBPOENA AUTHORITY Sec.701.Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board subpoena authority.
  TITLE I'--FISA BUSINESS
  1
  RECORDS REFORMS
  2
  SEC. 101. PRIVACY PROTECTIONS FOR BUSINESS RECORDS
  3
  ORDERS.
  4
  (a) P
  RIVACY
  P
  ROTECTIONS
  .'--
  5
  (1) I
  N GENERAL
  .'--Section 501(b) of the For-
  6
  eign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50
  7
  U.S.C. 1861(b)) is amended'--
  8
  (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ''and''
  9
  after the semicolon;
  10
  (B) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara-
  11
  graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following
  12
  new subparagraphs:
  13
  ''(A) a statement of facts showing that
  14
  there are reasonable grounds to believe that the
  15
  tangible things sought'--
  16
  ''(i) are relevant and material to an
  17
  authorized investigation (other than a
  18
  threat assessment) conducted in accord-
  19
  ance with subsection (a)(2) to obtain for-
  20
  eign intelligence information not con-
  21
  cerning a United States person or to pro-
  22
  VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:53 Oct 25, 2013Jkt 000000PO 00000Frm 00003Fmt 6652Sfmt 6201C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\PKBAYER\APPLICATION DATA\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\5.
  October 25, 2013 (3:53 p.m.)
  F:\M13\SENSEN\SENSEN_028.XML
  f:\VHLC\102513\102513.103.xml (559992|40)
The USA FREEDOM Act - Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:35
  Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet Collection, and Online Monitoring Act
  Purpose: To rein in the dragnet collection of data by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other government agencies, increase transparency of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), provide businesses the ability to release information regarding FISA requests, and create an independent constitutional advocate to argue cases before the FISC. End bulk collection of Americans' communications records
  ' The USA Freedom Act ends bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. ' The bill would strengthen the prohibition on "reverse targeting" of Americans'--that is, targeting a foreigner with the goal of obtaining communications involving an American. ' The bill requires the government to more aggressively filter and discard information about Americans accidentally collected through PRISM and related programs.Reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
  ' The USA Freedom Act creates an Office of the Special Advocate (OSA) tasked with promoting privacy interests before the FISA court's closed proceedings. The OSA will have the authority to appeal decisions of the FISA court. ' The bill creates new and more robust reporting requirements to ensure that Congress is aware of actions by the FISC and intelligence community as a whole.' The bill would grant the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board subpoena authority to investigate issues related to privacy and national security.Increase Transparency
  ' The USA Freedom Act would end secret laws by requiring the Attorney General to publicly disclose all FISC decisions issued after July 10, 2003 that contain a significant construction or interpretation of law. ' Under the bill, Internet and telecom companies would be allowed to publicly report an estimate of (1) the number of FISA orders and national security letters received, (2) the number of such orders and letters complied with, and (3) the number of users or accounts on whom information was demanded under the orders and letters.' The bill would require the government to make annual or semiannual public reports estimating the total number of individuals and U.S. persons that were subject to FISA orders authorizing electronic surveillance, pen/trap devices, and access to business records.National Security Letters
  ' The USA Freedom Act adopts a single standard for Section 215 and NSL protection to ensure the Administration doesn't use different authorities to support bulk collection. It also adds a sunset date to NSLs requiring that Congress reauthorize the government's authority thereby ensuring proper congressional review.Op-Eds by Congressman Sensenbrenner:6/9/13 The Guardian: This Abuse of the Patriot Act Must End7/23/13 Politico: How Secrecy Erodes Democracy 8/19/13 The Los Angeles Times: How Obama Has Abused the Patriot Act
  Related Articles:6/6/13 The Hill: Patriot Act author 'extremely troubled' by NSA phone tracking6/6/13 Fox News: Author of Patriot Act says NSA phone collection 'never the intent' of law6/6/13 Politico: NSA violated law6/27/13 The New York Times: The Criminal N.S.A.7/10/13 The Washington Post: Lawmakers say administration's lack of candor on surveillance weakens oversight7/17/13 The New York Times: Bipartisan Backlash Grows Against Domestic Surveillance7/18/13 The Guardian: White House stays silent on renewal of NSA data collection order7/28/13 The New York Times: Momentum Builds Against N.S.A. Surveillance10/10/13 The Guardian: The USA FREEDOM Act: a look at the key points of the draft bill10/10/13 The Guardian: Patriot Act author prepares bill to put NSA bulk collection 'out of business'10/11/13 The Washington Post: Patriot Act author: 'There has been a failure of oversight'
  Endorsements:NRAACLUThoughtWorksMozillaOpenTheGovernment.orgPEN American Center Association of American Publishers Brennan CenterConstitution Project The Rutherford InstituteAmerican Library Association Project On Government Oversight Bob Barr, former Member of Congress (R-Ga.); CEO, Liberty Strategies, LLC; 21st Century Liberties Chair for Freedom and Privacy, the American Conservative Union; Chairman, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.); Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy, College of William and Mary; Chief of Staff, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell , 2002-2005 Arab American InstituteAmerican Association of Law LibrariesCenter for National Security StudiesCenter for Democracy and Technology
  Center for Media and Democracy Bill of Rights Defense CommitteeAmerican Booksellers AssociationFree Press Action Fund
Once Opposed, Key Lawmakers Back New Anti-NSA Bill - NationalJournal.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:35
  The primary sponsor of the Patriot Act will introduce a bill next week aimed at reining in the National Security Administration's domestic-surveillance programs, backed by about 60 cosponsors, including at least a half dozen who voted against a similar, narrowly defeated measure brought to the House floor this summer.
  A date has not been finalized, but the Freedom Act, written by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., could drop as early as Tuesday. It follows an amendment introduced by Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., that failed by a razor-thin 205-217 margin in July.
  "Six members who voted no and two who didn't vote on the Amash amendment are original cosponsors of the USA Freedom Act," Sensenbrenner spokesman Ben Miller told National Journal. "Had they voted for the amendment, it would have passed 213 to 211."
  Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Lee Terry, R-Neb., are among those lawmakers who voted no on the Amash amendment and are now cosponsoring Sensenbrenner's legislation.
  "Rather than defunding, Congressman Terry has always believed that changes to the Patriot Act are the appropriate way to rein in the NSA," said spokesman Larry Farnsworth of Terry's switch.
  Sensenbrenner, who authored the Patriot Act, has become a vocal opponent of the NSA's sweeping surveillance apparatus since Edward Snowden, a former analyst at the agency, began leaking information about its programs earlier this year. Sensenbrenner has said that both the Obama and Bush administrations have misinterpreted a key part of the Patriot Act, Section 215, and used it as legal backing for its data collection.
  "The NSA has gone far beyond the intent of the Patriot Act, particularly in the accumulation and storage of metadata," Sensenbrenner toldNational Journal earlier this month. "Had Congress known that the Patriot Act had been used to collect metadata, the bill would have never been passed."
  An earlier draft of Sensenbrenner's bill that circulated publicly would make the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court more transparent by requiring it disclose some of its decisions and install an "office of the special advocate," which would be able to appeal the court's decisions. It would also limit Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, grant the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board subpoena powers on matters of privacy and national security, and reduce the bulk data collection outline in Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
  Since Amash's attempt to restrict the NSA's collection of phone records was defeated, the cascade of revelations about the scope of the NSA's spying'--both domestic and overseas'--has continued since then. Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel charged the U.S. with monitoring her cell phone, forcing President Obama to play damage control with yet another foreign head of state.
  The Senate Intelligence Committee is also expected to vote Tuesday behind closed doors on legislation brought by committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., to appease surveillance critics by increasing transparency and accountability of FISA. Many activists charge that Feinstein's efforts do not go far enough and largely keep the NSA surveillance apparatus in tact.
'We're Really Screwed Now': NSA's Best Friend Just Shivved The Spies | The Cable
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:21
  One of the National Security Agency's biggest defenders inCongress is suddenly at odds with the agency and calling for a top-to-bottomreview of U.S. spy programs. And her long-time friends and allies arecompletely mystified by the switch.
  "We're really screwed now," one NSA official told The Cable. "You know things are bad whenthe few friends you've got disappear without a trace in the dead of night andleave no forwarding address."
  In a pointed statement issued today, Senate IntelligenceCommittee chairman Dianne Feinstein said she was "totally opposed" to gatheringintelligence on foreign leaders and said it was "a big problem" if PresidentObama didn't know the NSA was monitoring the phone calls of German ChancellorAngela Merkel. She said the United States should only be spying on foreignleaders with hostile countries, or in an emergency, and even then the presidentshould personally approve the surveillance.
  It was not clear what precipitated Feinstein's condemnation ofthe NSA. It marks a significant reversal for a lawmaker who not only defendedagency surveillance programs -- but is about to introduce a bill expected toprotect some of its most controversial activities.
  Perhaps most significant is her announcement that theintelligence committee "will initiate a review into all intelligence collectionprograms." Feinstein did not say the review would be limited only to the NSA.If the review also touched on other intelligence agencies under the committee'sjurisdiction, it could be one of the most far-reaching reviews in recentmemory, encompassing secret programs of the CIA, the Defense IntelligenceAgency, agencies that run imagery and spy satellites, as well as components ofthe FBI.
  A former intelligence agency liaison to Congress said Feinstein'ssudden outrage over spying on foreign leaders raised questions about how wellinformed she was about NSA programs and whether she'd been fully briefed by herstaff. "The first question I'd ask is, what have you been doing for oversight?Second, if you've been reviewing this all along what has changed your mind?"
  The former official said the intelligence committees receivelengthy and detailed descriptions every year about all NSA programs, including surveillance. "They're not small books. They're about the size of those oldfamily photo albums that were several inches thick. They're hundreds of pageslong."
  A senior congressional aide said, "It's an absolute joke tothink she hasn't been reading the signals intelligence intercepts as Chairmanof Senate Intelligence for years."
  The former official added that the "bottom line question iswhere was the Senate Intelligence Committee when it came to their oversight ofthese programs? And what were they being told by the NSA, because if theydidn't know about this surveillance, that would imply they were being lied to."
  A spokesperson for Feinstein did not respond to a request formore details in time for publication. And a spokesperson for Sen. SaxbyChambliss, the intelligence committee's vice chairman, said the senator had nocomment at this time.
  In a tacit acknowledgement of how supportive Feinstein has beenof the administration's surveillance practices, the White House issued alengthy statement about her Monday statement.
  "We consult regularly with Chairman Feinstein as a part ofour ongoing engagement with the Congress on national security matters," saidNational Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden. "We appreciate hercontinued leadership on these issues as Chairman of the Senate IntelligenceCommittee. I'm not going to go intothe details of those private discussions, nor am I going to comment onassertions made in the Senator's statement today about U.S. foreignintelligence activities." The statement went on to note the administration's currentreview of surveillance practices worldwide.
  The surprise change of tone comes during a crucial week onCapitol Hill as lawmakers on opposing sides of the surveillance debate look tointroduce rival bills related to the NSA.
  Striking first blood, opponents of expansive NSA surveillanceare expected to introduce the "USA Freedom Act" on Tuesday, which would limitthe bulk data collection of records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act,install an "office of the special advocate" to appeal FISA court decisions, andgive subpoena powers on privacy matters to the Privacy and Civil LIbertiesOversight Board. Sponsored by Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers(D-MI), the bill is backed by a strong bipartisan bench of some 60lawmakers, including Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and JustinAmash (R-MI) and Sheila Jackson (D-TX).
  A draft of the bill was provided to The Cable by a congressional aide and can be viewed in full here.
  Unlike many House bills, Freedom Act has some bipartisan supportin the Senate in the form of Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, who will beintroducing a similar bill at the same time.
  On the opposing side is Feinstein, who is looking to codify theNSA's controversial phone records program in her bill set for markup this week.According to published reports, the bill would give theagency the authority to vacuum metadata of all U.S. phone calls but not theircontent, meaning duration, numbers, and time of phone calls are fair game. Aspokesperson for Feinstein said that the senator plans to move forward with thebill even in light of today's rhetorical about-face.
  While the Feinstein bill could gain support in the Senate, aCongressional aide familiar with the politics in the House say it's likely deadon arrival in the lower chamber. If it went down, however, pro-surveillancelawmakers would still likely put up a fight.
  "The fact is, the NSA has done more to save German lives thanthe German army since World War II," Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said on CNN.
  Still, others often in favor of government surveillance havecarved out surprising positions. Republican hawk John McCain, for instance, isnow calling for a special select committee toinvestigate U.S. spying. "We have always eavesdropped on people around theworld. But the advance of technology has given us enormous capabilities, and Ithink you might make an argument that some of this capability has been veryoffensive both to us and to our allies," McCain said.
  Over at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Mondayrefused to comment on the NSA's surveillance of world leaders, dismissingquestions about what he may or may not have known about intelligencecollection. "We have great respect for our partners, our allies, whocooperate with us and we cooperate with them to try to keep the worldsafe," said Hagel, standing beside New Zealand Minister of DefenseJonathan Coleman during a Pentagon press briefing. "Intelligence is a keypart of that. And I think this issue will continue to be explored, as -- as itis now, but that's all I have to say."
  Coleman responded to the same question: "New Zealand's notworried at all about this," he said. "We don't believe it would beoccurring, and look, quite frankly there'd be nothing that anyone could hear inour private conversations that we wouldn't be prep[ared to sharepublicly." Coleman then cited a political cartoon in a newspaper inWellington. It showed an analyst listening to the communiques from New Zealandwith a big stream of "ZZZs" next to it. "I don't think NewZealand's got anything to worry about, and we have high trust in ourrelationships with the U.S."
  With additional reporting by Matthew Aid and Gordon Lubold
Airline Seat Maps, Flights shopping and Flight information- Best Airplane Seats - SeatGuru
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:20
  Do you have the G-Factor? Your journey - and your flight - matter and who better than SeatGuru to make sure you have the best one possible. No one knows cabin comfort like SeatGuru: we've been helping travelers choose the best airline seat for over ten years. And now we've condensed all our knowledge into our new Guru Factor ("G-Factor") rating so you can choose the best possible flight for your journey. The G-Factor gives you comprehensive yet clear information about what to expect from the overall flight experience.
  With our newly launched flight comparison search engine, SeatGuru not only finds you the cheapest flights but just as importantly gives you our G-Factor recommendation for each flight option. We'll tell you which itineraries score high on legroom and comfort and which ones don't. Each flight from the SeatGuru price comparison engine has been run through the new G-Factor algorithm (patent pending) and comes with our straightforward recommendation: "Love it", "Like it", or "Live with it".
  The G-Factor recommendation is based on the following:
  An overall comfort score based on the type of seat, seat pitch, width, and recline for each cabinData from over 45,000 user comments on more than 700 different aircraft configurationsOur comprehensive customer service and satisfaction ratings for hundreds of airlinesIn-flight entertainment such as seatback TV, live satellite, and other audio and video optionsOnboard product offerings such as WiFi, seat power ports, and other additional amenities The G-Factor algorithm condenses all of the above and more - it is our secret formula used to calculate our SeatGuru G-Factor recommendation for each flight: "Love it", "Like it", or "Live with it".
  For those that believe the journey does matter - we've created the G-Factor to make sure you have the best flight possible.
West coast governors, BC premier sign climate accord | Politics Northwest | Seattle Times
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:16
  The three West coast governors and the premier of British Columbia signed an agreement Monday to jointly attack climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  The accord calls for Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia to ''account for the costs of carbon pollution,'' which could include policies such as as cap-and-trade programs.
  The agreement specifically says Washington ''will set binding limits on carbon emissions and deploy market mechanisms to meet those limits.''
  However, Jaime Smith, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jay Inslee said, ''This is very much a statement of intent, it's not a legally binding obligation.''
  Cap-and-trade programs typically limit the amount of greenhouse gases industries can emit and set up a market for them to buy or sell credits, depending on whether their emissions are above or below the cap.
  The leaders also committed to adopting low carbon fuel standards, among other things. That could include policies such as promoting the use of electric cars and alternative fuels.
  You can read a news release about the agreement here.
Text of H.R. 3293: Debt Limit Reform Act (Introduced version) - GovTrack.us
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:52
  HR 3293 IH
  To reform the public debt limit.
  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  October 15, 2013
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
  To reform the public debt limit.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
  SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.This Act may be cited as the 'Debt Limit Reform Act'.
  SEC. 2. REFORM OF THE PUBLIC DEBT LIMIT.(a) Authority of President To Increase Public Debt Limit- Section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  '(d) The dollar amount in effect under subsection (b) shall be increased at such times and in such amounts as the President of the United States, or his designee, may provide.'.
  (b) Government-Held Debt Not Taken Into Account for Purposes of the Public Debt Limit- Section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, as amended by subsection (a) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  '(e) Obligations held by the United States Government (including any obligation which is classified as an intragovernmental holding by the Secretary of the Treasury or which is held by any agency or instrumentality of the United States) shall not be taken into account for purposes of applying the limitation imposed under subsection (b).'.
VIDEO- King Corn - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:27
Alcohol Most Common in Sexual Assaults | 13wmaz.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:26
  Date rape drugs. Roofies. Liquid ecstasy. Special K.
  Odorless, colorless, tasteless predators that leave prey weak, confused and vulnerable.
  They are part of the standard plotline in many television thrillers, and a mythology has built around their pervasiveness.
  But the drugs most frequently associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault - known chemically as Rohypnol, gamma hydroxybutyric (GHB) and ketamine - may not be the most common assailant.
  "Quite honestly, alcohol is the No. 1 date rape drug," said Mike Lyttle, regional supervisor for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Nashville crime lab. "... Roofies are very rarely - if ever - seen in real life."
  That does not discount the threat of drink-spiking and drug-facilitated sexual assault. The number of cases involving date rape drugs may be deceiving as a vast majority of rapes go unreported, and those that are reported often are done so after a drug has left the victim's system, which limits gathering evidence through blood or urine sample testing.
  "We really don't know for sure what the actual numbers are," said Dr. Susan R.B. Weiss, associate director for scientific affairs for the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. But, she said, "drugs that are sedating drugs or incapacitating drugs probably are not that common in sexual assault.
  "We really don't know the true prevalence, but we know for sure alcohol is much more common than other drugs."
  And, experts note, awareness that alcohol alone may be just as debilitating can help change the conversation surrounding the dangers and the precautions needed to protect a potential victim of sexual assault.
  "It's a time that, I believe, all of us need to be careful," said Dr. Corey Slovis, chair of emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "The concept of trust, especially with people we don't know very well, is something that can't be counted on - especially when alcohol is involved."
  Socially accepted
  The social acceptance and accessibility of alcohol seems to reduce its recognition as a potential date rape drug. Its effects, however, demonstrate how it functions as one.
  At first, alcohol may initiate relaxation and "a little bit of euphoria," Slovis said.
  But as a person's blood-alcohol level rises with continued consumption, the physiological effects of alcohol - confusion, sedation and potential loss of consciousness - cause lowered inhibitions and may incapacitate a person, rendering him or her incapable of consenting to any sexual act, Slovis said.
  "When it comes to date rape drugs, in the vast majority of the cases, once we start talking to an officer or we look at the case, it's going to be alcohol."- Mike Lyttle, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Nashville crime labIt also may reduce the capacity of potential victims to physically resist a sexual attack, said Kathy Walsh, executive director at Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
  "There are date rape drugs in circulation, and innocent women have been raped due solely to a date rape drug or a date rape drug and alcohol," Slovis said. "However, the majority, it appears, of rapes that occur with non-consenting women occur because they have been either intoxicated more than they believe or they have been given higher quantities of alcohol than they thought they had been given."
  Scientific process
  Data from a 2007 study for the National Institute of Justice on drug-facilitated, incapacitated and forcible rape indicate that only a small fraction (0.6 percent) of female undergraduate students who were sexually assaulted when they were incapacitated were certain they had been victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault.
  Another 1.7 percent suspected they were incapacitated after having been given a drug without their knowledge.
  That same study, however, indicated that the vast majority of incapacitated sexual assault victims (89 percent) reported drinking alcohol and being drunk (82 percent) before their victimization.
  But there is another factor to consider: Most victims don't remember being drugged or assaulted and may not become aware of an attack until hours after it occurs. Many drugs associated with rape leave the bloodstream within hours.
  Victims may also choose not to report a crime. The study for the National Institute of Justice found that only 16 percent of all rapes were reported to law enforcement. Notably, victims of drug-facilitated or incapacitated rape were somewhat less likely to report to the authorities than victims of forcible rape, the study found.
  In cases where drug-facilitated assault is suspected, each toxicology screen must be done during a certain time period after the drug has been ingested in order to detect it. Victims do not have to undergo a medical exam if they do not want to report the rape to authorities.
  Urine has a longer drug detection period than blood, but if a victim urinates before being examined, traces of the drug may be gone, narrowing the chance of a positive test even when drugs are involved.
  Said Lyttle: "It's extremely rare that we get a case in (the TBI Nashville lab) with a sample that you actually think you have a shot."
  'No way to know'
  Victims will come in describing incidents that suggest they may have been drugged, but, Morante said, without the positive test, "It really is just sort of people talking ... there's no way to really know."
  The problem, she said, is "none of us really knows how prevalent and what drugs are being used."
  Still, simply going into a bar and having drinks should not put a person at risk for being sexually assaulted, Curtis said.
  "People don't get raped because they have been drinking, because they are passed out or because they are drunk. People get raped because there is a perpetrator there - someone who wants to take advantage of them."
  To protect against that, the community needs more education about bystander awareness and intervention, Curtis said. If you see someone who is vulnerable and possibly intoxicated, and you see someone who might be taking advantage of another person, step up and intervene.
  "That's how we help each other," Curtis said.
Spain summons U.S. ambassador over spying | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:26
  1 of 3. U.S. ambassador in Spain, James Costos (L), leaves the foreign ministry after being summoned to a meeting with Spain's European Secretary of State in Madrid October 28, 2013.
  Credit: Reuters/Juan Medina
  MADRID | Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:00am EDT
  MADRID (Reuters) - Spain summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to discuss allegations of spying on Spanish citizens that it said could break the climate of trust between the two countries if proved true.
  Earlier, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo said the NSA had recently tracked over 60 million calls in Spain in the space of a month, citing a document which it said formed part of papers obtained from ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
  "I had been in touch with (the U.S. ambassador) before this morning's meeting...So far, we have no official indication that our country has been spied on," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said at a joint news conference with his Polish counterpart in Warsaw.
  "As in previous occasions, we've asked the U.S. ambassador to give the government all the necessary information on an issue which, if it was to be confirmed, could break the climate of trust that has traditionally been the one between our two countries."
  Madrid has also asked the United States to provide more data from the National Security Agency (NSA), the foreign ministry said in a statement issued after a meeting between Spain's Secretary of State for the European Union, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, and U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos.
  U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered a review of U.S. surveillance programs after Snowden leaked documents that raised alarm in the United States and abroad.
  "We will continue to confer with our allies, such as Spain, through our regular diplomatic channels to address the concerns that they have raised," Costos said in a statement.
  Spain has so far resisted calls from Germany for the European Union's 28-member states to reach a "no-spy deal", after reports that the NSA monitored the phone of German chancellor Angela Merkel.
  El Mundo reproduced a graphic on Monday which it said was an NSA document showing the agency had spied on 60.5 million phone calls in Spain between December 10, 2012 and January 8 this year.
  The newspaper said it had reached a deal with Glenn Greenwald, the Brazil-based journalist who has worked with other media on information provided to him by Snowden, to get access to documents affecting Spain.
  El Mundo said the telephone monitoring did not appear to track the content of calls but their duration and where they took place.
  Snowden is currently living in Russia, out of reach of U.S. attempts to arrest him.
  (Reporting by Sarah White, Emma Pinedo and Tracy Rucinski; Additional reporting by Marcin Goettig in Warsaw; Editing by Paul Day and Ralph Boulton)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
A black box in your car? Some see a source of tax revenue - latimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:25
  WASHINGTON '-- As America's road planners struggle to find the cash to mend a crumbling highway system, many are beginning to see a solution in a little black box that fits neatly by the dashboard of your car.
  The devices, which track every mile a motorist drives and transmit that information to bureaucrats, are at the center of a controversial attempt in Washington and state planning offices to overhaul the outdated system for funding America's major roads.
  The usually dull arena of highway planning has suddenly spawned intense debate and colorful alliances. Libertarians have joined environmental groups in lobbying to allow government to use the little boxes to keep track of the miles you drive, and possibly where you drive them '-- then use the information to draw up a tax bill.
  PHOTOS: Kelley Blue Book's 10 best 'green' cars
  The tea party is aghast. The American Civil Liberties Union is deeply concerned, too, raising a variety of privacy issues.
  And while Congress can't agree on whether to proceed, several states are not waiting. They are exploring how, over the next decade, they can move to a system in which drivers pay per mile of road they roll over. Thousands of motorists have already taken the black boxes, some of which have GPS monitoring, for a test drive.
  "This really is a must for our nation. It is not a matter of something we might choose to do," said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which is planning for the state to start tracking miles driven by every California motorist by 2025. "There is going to be a change in how we pay these taxes. The technology is there to do it."
  The push comes as the country's Highway Trust Fund, financed with taxes Americans pay at the gas pump, is broke. Americans don't buy as much gas as they used to. Cars get many more miles to the gallon. The federal tax itself, 18.4 cents per gallon, hasn't gone up in 20 years. Politicians are loath to raise the tax even one penny when gas prices are high.
  "The gas tax is just not sustainable," said Lee Munnich, a transportation policy expert at the University of Minnesota. His state recently put tracking devices on 500 cars to test out a pay-by-mile system. "This works out as the most logical alternative over the long term," he said.
  Wonks call it a mileage-based user fee. It is no surprise that the idea appeals to urban liberals, as the taxes could be rigged to change driving patterns in ways that could help reduce congestion and greenhouse gases, for example. California planners are looking to the system as they devise strategies to meet the goals laid out in the state's ambitious global warming laws. But Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, has said he, too, sees it as the most viable long-term alternative. The free marketeers at the Reason Foundation are also fond of having drivers pay per mile.
  "This is not just a tax going into a black hole," said Adrian Moore, vice president of policy at Reason. "People are paying more directly into what they are getting."
  The movement is also bolstered by two former U.S. Transportation secretaries, who in a 2011 report urged Congress to move in the pay-per-mile direction.
  The U.S. Senate approved a $90-million pilot project last year that would have involved about 10,000 cars. But the House leadership killed the proposal, acting on concerns of rural lawmakers representing constituents whose daily lives often involve logging lots of miles to get to work or into town.
  Several states and cities are nonetheless moving ahead on their own. The most eager is Oregon, which is enlisting 5,000 drivers in the country's biggest experiment. Those drivers will soon pay the mileage fees instead of gas taxes to the state. Nevada has already completed a pilot. New York City is looking into one. Illinois is trying it on a limited basis with trucks. And the I-95 Coalition, which includes 17 state transportation departments along the Eastern Seaboard (including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida), is studying how they could go about implementing the change.
  The concept is not a universal hit.
  In Nevada, where about 50 volunteers' cars were equipped with the devices not long ago, drivers were uneasy about the government being able to monitor their every move.
  "Concerns about Big Brother and those sorts of things were a major problem," said Alauddin Khan, who directs strategic and performance management at the Nevada Department of Transportation. "It was not something people wanted."
  As the trial got underway, the ACLU of Nevada warned on its website: "It would be fairly easy to turn these devices into full-fledged tracking devices.... There is no need to build an enormous, unwieldy technological infrastructure that will inevitably be expanded to keep records of individuals' everyday comings and goings."
  Nevada is among several states now scrambling to find affordable technology that would allow the state to keep track of how many miles a car is being driven, but not exactly where and at what time. If you can do that, Khan said, the public gets more comfortable.
  The hunt for that technology has led some state agencies to a small California startup called True Mileage. The firm was not originally in the business of helping states tax drivers. It was seeking to break into an emerging market in auto insurance, in which drivers would pay based on their mileage. But the devices it is testing appeal to highway planners because they don't use GPS and deliver a limited amount of information, uploaded periodically by modem.
  "People will be more willing to do this if you do not track their speed and you do not track their location," said Ryan Morrison, chief executive of True Mileage. "There have been some big mistakes in some of these state pilot programs. There are a lot less expensive and less intrusive ways to do this."
  In Oregon, planners are experimenting with giving drivers different choices. They can choose a device with or without GPS. Or they can choose not to have a device at all, opting instead to pay a flat fee based on the average number of miles driven by all state residents.
  Other places are hoping to sell the concept to a wary public by having the devices do more, not less. In New York City, transportation officials are seeking to develop a taxing device that would also be equipped to pay parking meter fees, provide "pay-as-you-drive" insurance, and create a pool of real-time speed data from other drivers that motorists could use to avoid traffic.
  "Motorists would be attracted to participate '... because of the value of the benefits it offers to them," says a city planning document.
  Some transportation planners, though, wonder if all the talk about paying by the mile is just a giant distraction. At the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the San Francisco Bay Area, officials say Congress could very simply deal with the bankrupt Highway Trust Fund by raising gas taxes. An extra one-time or annual levy could be imposed on drivers of hybrids and others whose vehicles don't use much gas, so they pay their fair share.
  "There is no need for radical surgery when all you need to do is take an aspirin," said Randy Rentschler, the commission's director of legislation and public affairs. "If we do this, hundreds of millions of drivers will be concerned about their privacy and a host of other things."
  evan.halper@latimes.com
Obama's Valerie Jarrett: Often Whispered about, But Never Challenged | National Review Online
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:23
  President Obama's aides went to extraordinary lengths to uncover the identity of a senior official who was using Twitter to make snarky comments about White House staffers. Suspicion gradually centered on Jofi Joseph, the point man on nuclear nonproliferation at the National Security Council. So at a meeting in which everyone was in on the scam an inaccurate but innocuous news tidbit was revealed. When Joseph used his anonymous Twitter handle #natlsecwonk to broadcast the tidbit he was caught and promptly fired. He was not fired for revealing any secrets, but for making disparaging comments about thin-skinned administration players ranging from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.
  What apparently intensified the campaign to identify the ''snarker'' was a comment about Valerie Jarrett, the senior Obama adviser who has her own Secret Service detail and appears to exercise an inordinate amount of power behind the scenes. Joseph tweeted ''I'm a fan of Obama, but his continuing reliance and dependence upon a vacuous cipher like Valerie Jarrett concerns me.''
  Jarrett, an old Chicago friend of both Barack and Michelle Obama, appears to exercise such extraordinary influence she is sometimes quietly referred to as ''Rasputin'' on Capitol Hill, a reference to the mystical monk who held sway over Russia's Czar Nicholas as he increasingly lost touch with reality during World War I.
  Darrell Delamaide, a columnist for Dow Jones's MarketWatch, says that ''what has baffled many observers is how Jarrett, a former cog in the Chicago political machine and a real-estate executive, can exert such influence on policy despite her lack of qualifications in national security, foreign policy, economics, legislation or any of the other myriad specialties the president needs in an adviser.''
  Delamaide believes the term ''vacuous cipher'' that was applied to Jarrett stung so much because it could be used as a metaphor for the administration in general. He writes that what ''has remained consistent about the Obama administration is that vacuity '-- the slow response in a crisis, the hesitant and contradictory communication, a lack of conviction and engagement amid constant political calculation.'' The stunning revelation that President Obama wasn't kept properly apprised of problems with Obamacare's website is just the latest example of how dysfunctional Obama World can be.
  Whether Jarrett's influence is all too real or exaggerated is unknowable. What is known is the extent to which she has long been a peerless enabler of Barack Obama's inflated opinion of himself. Consider this quote from New Yorker editor David Remnick's interview with her for his 2010 book The Bridge.
  ''I think Barack knew that he had God-given talents that were extraordinary. He knows exactly how smart he is. . . . He knows how perceptive he is. He knows what a good reader of people he is. And he knows that he has the ability '-- the extraordinary, uncanny ability '-- to take a thousand different perspectives, digest them and make sense out of them, and I think that he has never really been challenged intellectually. . . . So what I sensed in him was not just a restless spirit but somebody with such extraordinary talents that had to be really taxed in order for him to be happy. . . . He's been bored to death his whole life. He's just too talented to do what ordinary people do.''
  Up against a court flatterer of that caliber it's no surprise that Jarrett has outlasted almost everyone who was in Obama's original White House team '-- from chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to political guru David Axelrod to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. All are known to have crossed her, and all are gone. As one former Obama aide once told me: ''Valerie is 'She Who Must Not be Challenged.'''
  When the revealing histories of the Obama White House are written it will be fascinating to learn just how extensive her role in the key decisions of the Obama years was.
Neuroscientists discover new ''mini-neural computer'' in the brain
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:18
  Dendrites, the branch-like projections of neurons, were once thought to be passive wiring in the brain. But now researchers at the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that these dendrites do more than relay information from one neuron to the next. They actively process information, multiplying the brain's computing power.
  "Suddenly, it's as if the processing power of the brain is much greater than we had originally thought," said Spencer Smith, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine.
  His team's findings, published October 27 in the journal Nature, could change the way scientists think about long-standing scientific models of how neural circuitry functions in the brain, while also helping researchers better understand neurological disorders.
  "Imagine you're reverse engineering a piece of alien technology, and what you thought was simple wiring turns out to be transistors that compute information," Smith said. "That's what this finding is like. The implications are exciting to think about."
  Axons are where neurons conventionally generate electrical spikes, but many of the same molecules that support axonal spikes are also present in the dendrites. Previous research using dissected brain tissue had demonstrated that dendrites can use those molecules to generate electrical spikes themselves, but it was unclear whether normal brain activity involved those dendritic spikes. For example, could dendritic spikes be involved in how we see?
  The answer, Smith's team found, is yes. Dendrites effectively act as mini-neural computers, actively processing neuronal input signals themselves.
  Directly demonstrating this required a series of intricate experiments that took years and spanned two continents, beginning in senior author Michael Hausser's lab at University College London, and being completed after Smith and Ikuko Smith, PhD, DVM, set up their own lab at the Univ. of North Carolina. They used patch-clamp electrophysiology to attach a microscopic glass pipette electrode, filled with a physiological solution, to a neuronal dendrite in the brain of a mouse. The idea was to directly "listen" in on the electrical signaling process.
  "Attaching the pipette to a dendrite is tremendously technically challenging," Smith said. "You can't approach the dendrite from any direction. And you can't see the dendrite. So you have to do this blind. It's like fishing if all you can see is the electrical trace of a fish." And you can't use bait. "You just go for it and see if you can hit a dendrite," he said. "Most of the time you can't."
  But Smith built his own two-photon microscope system to make things easier.
  Once the pipette was attached to a dendrite, Smith's team took electrical recordings from individual dendrites within the brains of anesthetized and awake mice. As the mice viewed visual stimuli on a computer screen, the researchers saw an unusual pattern of electrical signals '' bursts of spikes '' in the dendrite.
  Smith's team then found that the dendritic spikes occurred selectively, depending on the visual stimulus, indicating that the dendrites processed information about what the animal was seeing.
  To provide visual evidence of their finding, Smith's team filled neurons with calcium dye, which provided an optical readout of spiking. This revealed that dendrites fired spikes while other parts of the neuron did not, meaning that the spikes were the result of local processing within the dendrites.
  Study co-author Tiago Branco, PhD, created a biophysical, mathematical model of neurons and found that known mechanisms could support the dendritic spiking recorded electrically, further validating the interpretation of the data.
  "All the data pointed to the same conclusion," Smith said. "The dendrites are not passive integrators of sensory-driven input; they seem to be a computational unit as well."
  His team plans to explore what this newly discovered dendritic role may play in brain circuitry and particularly in conditions like Timothy syndrome, in which the integration of dendritic signals may go awry.
  Source: Univ. of North Carolina Healthcare
Russia won't like it if Iran friends the U.S. | Russia Direct
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:15
  The delay of Vladimir Putin's visit to Iran has some wondering whether the future of Russian-Iranian relations is in limbo.
  Will Iranian President Hasan Rouhani (center) improve Tehran's relations with the West? Photo: AP
  At a time when speculation about Iran's future under its eleventh president is running rampant, Russian-Iranian relations have taken on particular significance.
  At the heart of Sheikh Hassan Rouhani's election campaign was the promise to defuse the situation surrounding the nuclear program, which was intended as a way to strengthen international relations and show greater transparency in the nuclear field. It is reasonable, therefore, that the question of Iran's readiness to hold direct talks with the United States on the matter were brought up.
  The candidates for the Head of the Presidential Administration (Mohammad Nahavandian) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mohammad Javad Zarif) '' both graduates of American universities '' reiterated the need to establish friendlier relations with the West in order to eliminate 'crippling' sanctions and improve the economic situation in the country.
  For his part, Zarif was able to build a good network of contacts with his American colleagues during his time at the United Nations, while Nahavandian has a wealth of experience dealing with economic issues.
  Is Russia interested in the improvemnet of U.S.-Iran relations?
  For Russia, however, there is a far more pressing question: What will happen to its privileged relationship with Iran if the sanctions are suddenly lifted and Iran is welcomed by the United States and the European Union?
  Conspiracy theories have already started to appear among Iranian commentators that Russia might try to discredit the new president in order to maintain the status quo.
  So what grounds does Russia have to be wary of the new Iranian President?
  Rivalry at gas market
  To begin with, in May 2009 it was Rouhani himself '' as a representative of the spiritual leader of the Supreme National Security Council '' who stated at a round table discussion entitled 'Iran, Russia and the West' that Iran was a potential rival for Russia in the war for the European natural gas market. What's more, according to the latest data from BP, Iran has overtaken Russia as the world leader in proven gas reserves.
  The Nabucco pipeline project, in which Iran was initially involved as a gas supplier, was rejected by the developers of the Shah Deniz gas field, leaving Iran alone with its pipeline project to deliver gas to Europe through Iraq and Syria.
  However, the political situation in the region means that the idea is unlikely to be put into practice in the near future. This is especially true since Iran doesn't have the necessary means for the development of downstream and upstream processes.
  The situation in the gas sector could change drastically if Iran makes peace with the West. So, in this respect, Russia should be content with Iran's current predicament. Racing tensions in the Persian Gulf amid threats from the United States to attack Iranian nuclear facilities and counter-threats from Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz have contributed to oil price fluctuations, which is beneficial for Russia.
  But conspiracy theorists seem largely uninterested in the possible consequences for Russia of military intervention in Iran, which would cancel out all possible benefits from the current delimitation of Iran's access to foreign markets.
  If Iran and the West patch things up, then lifting the ban on the purchase of Iranian gas and the subsequent influx of money into the country may not only push Russia back in the pecking order of countries offering competitive gas field and infrastructure development projects in Iran, but may also leave it on the outside altogether. This is the opinion of one anonymous writer for the Iranian analytical website Tabnak.
  Changing the format of the meeting with Russia
  Another sticking point in the early days of Rouhani's presidency was the news surrounding President Vladimir Putin's postponed visit to Iran. According to Russian reports, Putin was to visit cities on the Caspian Sea and meet with the leaders of the coastal countries.
  Rouhani declined the Russian president's invitation to meet at the Iranian port town of Bandar-e Anzali, suggesting instead that they should convene in Tehran so that Putin could make the acquaintance of both the president and the Supreme Leader of Iran, His Eminence Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
  Despite the fact that Rouhani is a seasoned politician in Iran, he is still searching for the right moment to initiate the necessary reforms.
  Consequently, he needs to tread very carefully when dealing with the country's Supreme Leader. Right now, it is far more important for Rouhani to justify the trust the people have placed in him to usher in change and win the confidence of Ali Khamenei '' the person who formulates domestic and foreign policy in Iran, and can therefore sanction a more flexible position on the country's nuclear program '' than it is for him to be respectful towards President Putin.
  That's why it was necessary in this case to either change the format of the meeting so that Putin could meet the president and Supreme Leader at the same time, or to move the meeting to a more appropriate time, which is what happened in the end.
  The problems with the missile contracts
  The meeting will now take place in September at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where talks may be resumed regarding the possible withdrawal of Iran's $4 billion lawsuit against Russian Defense Export (Rosboronexport) for breaking the terms of its contract for the delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran and the possibility of replacing them with an Antey-2500 system.
  Incidentally, the problems with the missile contracts may turn out to be a convenient excuse for Iran to shy away from cooperation with Russia if relations with the West improve; it was, after all, the Russian Presidential Decree to cancel the missile deliveries that sparked distrust in the first place. Iran still remembers the strained relations it had with the Soviet Union, which even went so far as to support Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war.
  And the failure of the Russian-American 'reset', along with Russia's renewed orientation towards the East following Vladimir Putin's election for a third term in office, have only just begun to elicit feelings of optimism in Iran.
  But these fragile bonds only exist as long as there is a common enemy: the uncomfortable shadow of the Cold War and an expanding NATO for one; and the image of a Great Satan for the other. If this factor were to be removed '' and it would take long-term work on many fronts to do so '' then the suspension of the missile contract could become an excuse for Iran to be reluctant to enter into serious agreements with Russia in the future.
  But Rouhani has already proved himself to be a skilled negotiator on nuclear issues. It is thus possible that he has every chance of successfully shifting Russia's role to that of an intermediary. The missile issue has led Iranian political commentators to accuse Russia of international political opportunism, treating the actions of the Russian government with suspicion and holding it accountable for allowing Russian-Iranian relations to develop in the shadow of the United States.
  Conspiracy theories are out of place
  This notwithstanding, Rouhani gave an inspired speech four years ago at the 'Iran, Russia and the West' round table meeting about the prospects for Russian-Iranian relations; about the fact that Iran and Russia are far more than neighbors on the Caspian Sea '' they also share similar views with regard to the unacceptability of a unipolar world, the forced imposition of democracy and interference in the affairs of other states. And since Syria is on the agenda, they should also work together to solve the issue of Afghanistan.
  Rouhani believes the theory about Russia playing the Iranian card in order to improve relations with the West, including the United States, is too simplistic, as both countries are neighboring superpowers and have more compelling reasons to work together than to engage in short-term political games. He also dismissed idle speculation that, if relations between the United States and one of Russia or Iran were to thaw, then the two countries would unite against the third.
  ''Both countries are capable of pursuing independent policy,'' Rouhani said. ''So there is no need to worry.''
  It remains to be seen to what extent the president's views coincide with those he held when he was the Supreme Leader of Iran's representative on the Supreme National Security Council. For now, it is too early to pass judgment, particularly when Hassan Rouhani must first of all work out a plan for bringing order to the economy, while avoiding the problems of socio-political reform, in order to maintain his strong position in the Iranian government. And that means baseless conspiracy theories are out of place here.
  Yulia Sveshnikova is a junior research fellow in international relations at National Research University '' Higher School of Economics and an expert at the Russian Center for Political Studies (PIR Center).
Penn State: 26 People Get $59.7M over Sandusky
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 21:05
  from AP28 Oct 2013, 12:22 PM PDTpost a comment(AP) Penn State: 26 people get $59.7M over SanduskyBy MARK SCOLFOROAssociated PressHARRISBURG, Pa.Penn State said Monday it is paying $59.7 million to 26 young men over claims of child sexual abuse at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.The school said 23 deals are fully signed and three are agreements in principle, but it did not disclose the names of the recipients. The school faces six other claims, and the university says it believes some of those do not have merit while others may produce settlements.
  University president Rodney Erickson issued a statement calling the announcement a step forward for victims and the school.
  "We cannot undo what has been done, but we can and must do everything possible to learn from this and ensure it never happens again at Penn State," said Erickson, who announced the day Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 that Penn State was determined to compensate his victims.
  The settlements have been unfolding since mid-August, when attorneys for the accusers began to disclose them. Penn State has not been confirming them, waiting instead to announce deals at once.
  Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who helped negotiate several of the settlements, said his clients were satisfied.
  "They felt that the university treated them fairly with the economic and noneconomic terms of the settlement," said Andreozzi, who also represents some others who have come forward recently. Those new claims have not been presented to the university, he said.
  One client represented by St. Paul, Minn., attorney Jeff Anderson signed off on an agreement in the past week and the other is basically done, he said. Anderson counts his two clients as among the three that have been classified as agreements in principle, which Penn State said means final documentation is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.
  Anderson said his clients were focused on Penn State's changes to prevent future abuse.
  "I have to applaud them, because they said `not until we're satisfied that no one else will get hurt,'" Anderson said. "The settlement of their cases in no way heals, in no way lessens the wound that remains open and the scars that are deep."
  Penn State has spent more than $50 million on other costs related to the Sandusky scandal, including lawyers' fees, public relations expenses, and adoption of new policies and procedures related to children and sexual abuse complaints.
  It said Monday that liability insurance is expected to cover the payments and legal defense, and expenses not covered should be paid from interest paid on loans by Penn State to its self-supporting units.
  Clifford Rieders, a Williamsport attorney who negotiated one of the settlements, said the average payout matched other cases involving child abuse in educational or religious settings.
  Rieders said the cases raised the specter of embarrassing revelations if they went to trial, and a university would have to consider the effect on the victims, its overall reputation, its ability to pay and its wider objectives.
  "There are many considerations whenever you resolve a high-profile case involving serious misconduct, and I'm sure all of those and more came into play here," Rieders said.
  Sandusky, 69, has been pursuing appeals while he serves a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence on 45 criminal counts.
  He was convicted of abusing 10 boys, some of them at Penn State facilities. Eight young men testified against him, describing a range of abuse they said went from grooming and manipulation to fondling, oral sex and anal rape when they were boys.
  The 32 claimants involved in negotiations with Penn State include most of the victims from the criminal trial and some who say they were abused by Sandusky many years ago. Negotiations were conducted in secret, so the full range of the allegations hasn't been disclosed publicly.
  Sandusky did not testify at his trial but has long asserted his innocence. He has acknowledged he showered with boys but insisted he never molested them.
  The abuse scandal rocked Penn State, bringing down football coach Joe Paterno and leading college sports' governing body, the NCAA, to levy unprecedented sanctions against the university's football program.
  Three former Penn State administrators await trial in Harrisburg on charges they engaged in a criminal cover-up of the Sandusky scandal. Former president Graham Spanier, retired vice president Gary Schultz and retired athletic director Tim Curley deny the allegations, and a trial date has not been scheduled.
VIDEO- Carney won't confirm report that Obama didn't know NSA tapped Angela Merkel - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:57
Omidyar and Lilly vebturesInnoCentive Receives Venture Capital Funding
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 20:28
  The company also named founder Alpheus Bingham as president and chief executive officer. Bingham will retire as vice president for Lilly Research Laboratories.
  InnoCentive connects scientists and science-based companies online to collaborate on complex scientific challenges. The company's virtual R&D network involves 85,000 scientists worldwide that work for companies including, Lilly, Boeing, Dow Chemical and Procter & Gamble.
  Source: Inside INdiana Business
  Press Release
  ANDOVER, Mass., Feb. 1 -- InnoCentive today announced it has closed a $9 million Series A Preferred venture capital financing round led by Spencer Trask Ventures, Inc., a New York-based venture capital firm. Additionally, joining the round were Lilly Ventures and Omidyar Network.
  It was also announced that InnoCentive founder, Alpheus Bingham, Ph.D., has been appointed as InnoCentive president and CEO, and will retire from his position as vice president for Lilly Research Laboratories, a division of Eli Lilly and Company.
  "This investment is an endorsement of the strength of our global scientific network and each and every researcher who contributes to its success," said Dr. Bingham. "We are pleased to secure capital funding from Spencer Trask Ventures, a venture capital firm who believes in backing bold ideas like InnoCentive. We have chartered an aggressive growth plan for InnoCentive in the coming year and look forward to continuing to work with our business building partner, Spencer Trask, who will provide world class experience at the board level. We are grateful for their tireless efforts to help us prove and validate our open innovation model."
  "InnoCentive is a pioneer in the field of open innovation and possesses a unique and compelling business model that has the potential to transform industrial R&D globally," said Stephen T. McGrath, CEO of the Redwood City, CA-based Emerging Technologies Group at Spencer Trask & Co. "This $9M round of Series A financing reflects our mission to rapidly grow new ventures that either create new markets or transform the rules of competition in existing ones."
  "InnoCentive is removing the barriers of distance, specialization, and organization from the sciences, facilitating global collaboration that is driving scientific discovery," said Doug Solomon, vice president of investments at Omidyar Network. "Moreover, InnoCentive has created an efficient marketplace that allows research "seekers" to access the best ideas and research "solvers" market incentives to solve them."
  "This funding reflects the attainment of key achievements for InnoCentive, its online network and its future potential," said Darren Carroll, senior managing director of Lilly Ventures and chairman of the InnoCentive board of directors. "As a founding executive of InnoCentive, I have seen the network significantly reduce financial risk for innovation-driven companies and deliver cutting-edge solutions since its inception in 2001."
  InnoCentive has developed a solid global brand with their unique virtual R&D network of over 85,000 scientists spanning more than 175 countries that has greatly helped companies reduce the escalating costs required to bring products to market. InnoCentive's goal is to further advance scientific research and collaboration in worldwide markets.
  About InnoCentive
  InnoCentive is the first online forum that allows world-class scientists and science-based companies to collaborate in a global scientific community to achieve innovative solutions to complex challenges. Companies including Boeing, Dow Chemical, Eli Lilly and Company, Procter & Gamble and others, which collectively spend billions of dollars on R&D, post scientific problems confidentially on the InnoCentive Web site where more than 85,000 scientists and scientific organizations in more than 175 countries can solve them. Scientists who deliver solutions that best meet InnoCentive's challenge requirements receive financial awards ranging up to and over USD100,000. To learn more and to register as an InnoCentive Solver, visit the InnoCentive Web site at http://www.innocentive.com.
  About Spencer Trask Ventures
  Spencer Trask Ventures is a leading venture capital firm discovering ideas for the 21st century. With a network of co-investors and business leaders, Spencer Trask Ventures provides entrepreneurs with financial and intellectual capital to transform bright ideas into world-changing companies. Headquartered in New York City, Spencer Trask Ventures invests in early stage and emerging growth companies in the communications, information technology and life sciences fields. For more information please visit http://www.spencertrask.com.
  About Omidyar Network
  Omidyar Network is a mission-based investment group committed to fostering individual self-empowerment on a global scale. Established in June 2004 by Pierre and Pam Omidyar, the Network is founded on the simple core belief that every individual has the power to make a difference. Omidyar Network funds for-profits, nonprofits and public policy efforts that promote equal access to information, tools and opportunities; connections around shared interests; and a sense of ownership for participants. To date, Omidyar Network has created a diverse portfolio that fosters individual self-empowerment across the economic, political and social realms, with investments in areas such as microfinance, bottom-up media, open source, and transparency in government. Through its work, Omidyar Network intends to catalyze a new breed of business for which social impact directly drives profitability. To learn more about Omidyar Network and the organizations it has funded, please visit http://www.omidyar.net .
  About Lilly Ventures
  Lilly Ventures is the venture capital arm of Eli Lilly and Company, a leading innovation-driven pharmaceutical company. Our primary goal is to facilitate the success of companies in our areas of focus through early to expansion stage investments and value-adding resources. Lilly Ventures currently has $175 million under management and focuses on three major areas of interest: biotechnology; healthcare IT; and medical technology.
  Source: InnoCentive
The Charitable-Industrial Complex - NYTimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:39
  I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.
  Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to ''save the day'' in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.
  Often the results of our decisions had unintended consequences; distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS in a brothel area ended up creating a higher price for unprotected sex.
  But now I think something even more damaging is going on.
  Because of who my father is, I've been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It's a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.
  Philanthropy has become the ''it'' vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.
  As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to ''give back.'' It's what I would call ''conscience laundering'' '-- feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.
  But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.
  And with more business-minded folks getting into the act, business principles are trumpeted as an important element to add to the philanthropic sector. I now hear people ask, ''what's the R.O.I.?'' when it comes to alleviating human suffering, as if return on investment were the only measure of success. Microlending and financial literacy (now I'm going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) '-- what is this really about? People will certainly learn how to integrate into our system of debt and repayment with interest. People will rise above making $2 a day to enter our world of goods and services so they can buy more. But doesn't all this just feed the beast?
  I'm really not calling for an end to capitalism; I'm calling for humanism.
  Often I hear people say, ''if only they had what we have'' (clean water, access to health products and free markets, better education, safer living conditions). Yes, these are all important. But no ''charitable'' (I hate that word) intervention can solve any of these issues. It can only kick the can down the road.
  My wife and I know we don't have the answers, but we do know how to listen. As we learn, we will continue to support conditions for systemic change.
  It's time for a new operating system. Not a 2.0 or a 3.0, but something built from the ground up. New code.
  What we have is a crisis of imagination. Albert Einstein said that you cannot solve a problem with the same mind-set that created it. Foundation dollars should be the best ''risk capital'' out there.
  There are people working hard at showing examples of other ways to live in a functioning society that truly creates greater prosperity for all (and I don't mean more people getting to have more stuff).
  Money should be spent trying out concepts that shatter current structures and systems that have turned much of the world into one vast market. Is progress really Wi-Fi on every street corner? No. It's when no 13-year-old girl on the planet gets sold for sex. But as long as most folks are patting themselves on the back for charitable acts, we've got a perpetual poverty machine.
  It's an old story; we really need a new one.
  Peter Buffett is a composer and a chairman of the NoVo Foundation.
VIDEO-The Deputy Director: Mike Morell - 60 Minutes - CBS News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:28
  Miller's piece was very good. What a terrific correspondent, you should make him a regular. I liked the fact that Morell came close to disparaging American torture techniques. But I am tired of stories that frame "national security" in such a narrow light. "National security" is one of those phrases that needs redefining.Corporations that secretly fund political campaigns and that allow the rich and the powerful to set the agenda in Washington, and sponsors who soft-regulate the stories which are allowed on CBS news and other media outlets, represent a greater threat to our national security than Edward Snowden. Morell made an oblique reference to this too -- manifest as paralysis in Washington -- at the end of the interview.
  Of course, if a wealthy campaign contributor needs a provision put into a bill at the last minute, there is no paralysis in Congress. It seems today the whole point of legislation is to sneak things into bills at the last minute so We The People can spend months and years fighting to later have them undone.
  While last week's (Steve Kroft) story of congressional corruption was good, it didn't get to the heart of the matter.
Former deputy director of CIA blasts Snowden, says disclosures have put Americans at greater risk | Mail Online
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:05
  Former deputy director Michael Morell recently retired from the CIAHe blasted Edward Snowden for the majority of an interview aired Sunday night opn 60 MinutesCalling him a traitor, Mr Morell said the Snowden leaks have put Americans in greater dangerBy Ryan Gorman
  PUBLISHED: 20:28 EST, 27 October 2013 | UPDATED: 20:28 EST, 27 October 2013
  35shares
  140
  Viewcomments
  The former deputy director of the CIA blasted Edward Snowden during an interview aired Sunday night '' calling him a traitor and saying his actions have put Americans at greater risk.
  Michael Morell, formely the number two spy at the agency, called Mr Snowden's actions the most serious leak of intelligence in US history '' actions that have done far greater harm than good.
  His comments echo similar remarks made earlier this month by the head of British intelligence agency MI5.
  He's a traitor: Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell blasted Edward Snowden in a 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday night
  'I do not believe he is a whistle blower,' Mr Morell told 60 Minutes. 'I do not believe he is a hero, I believe he has betrayed his country.'
  Sharing an opinion held by many U.S. officials, the ex-spook claimed the man revered by many is a reckless traitor who has crippled the States' intelligence gathering.
  'I think this is the most serious leak '' the most serious compromise of classified information in the history of the US intelligence community,' Mr Morell continued.
  Saying both the amount and type of information revealed by the spy secret leaker is equally damning, Mr Morell bemoaned the disclosure of the CIA budget.
  The 'black book,' as it is referred to, details the agency's spending across all activites.
  He did more harm than good: Mr Morell contends the Guardian's Snowden series put Americans' lives in danger
  '[Enemies] could focus their counterintelligence efforts on those places where we're being successful, and not worry as much about those places where we're not being as successful,' Mr Morell lamented.
  When 60 Minutes correspondent John Miller suggested it was like giving a playbook to the other team, the former Presidential intelligence briefer nodded in agreement.
  If that sentiment sounds familiar, that's because it is. MI5 chief Andrew Parker earlier this month called the Guardian's series of collaborations with Mr Snowden a 'gift' to terrorists.
  'It causes enormous damage to make public the reach and limits of GCHQ techniques. Such information hands the advantage to the terrorists,' Mr Parker said in an Oct 9 speech.
  'Unfashionable as it might seem, that is why we must keep secrets secret, and why not doing so causes such harm,' he continued.
  Mr Parker claimed in the speech, given at a London think-tank, that there are several thousand U.K.-based terrorist operatives who have benefitted from the Snowden expos(C)s.
  Fury: The spy chief: MI5 director-general Andrew Parker has blasted the Guardian's publication of Britain's espionage capabilities
  Even worse, Mr Morell claims, is the possibility that Mr Snowden's files were compromised as he trotted across the globe from Washington to Hawaii, then Hong Kong to Moscow.
  'We have to assume that any material Mr Snowden had with him when he was in HK, and now in Russia, has been compromised '' I think we have to assume that,' said the former second-in-command.
  Currently squirreled away in Russia after being granted temporary political asylum, Mr Snowden has rarely been seen in public except to receive an award for 'Integrity in Intelligence.'
  That award couldn't be more juxtaposed with the way Mr Snowden's government views him.
  'What Edward Snowden did has put Americans at greater risk because terrorists learn from leaks, they will be more careful,' said Mr Morell. 'We will not get the intelligence we would have gotten otherwise.'
  Share or comment on this article
21 Journalists Make it Official: Leave News Media to Work Directly for Obama | Independent Journal Review
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:55
  Kyle Becker | On 16, Sep 2013
  The revolving door from left-wing activist news media to political positions in the Obama administration is direct and undeniable. The White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (pictured above), who ran Time's Washington Bureau, is perhaps the most visible example, but there are many others.
  While there have been a few notable exceptions of a journalist for a major publication or network leaving a position to join a Republican administration (Geoff Morrell of ABC, noted but not counted, and the late Tony Snow of Fox News being two exceptions), there is no doubt that the Democrat Party is rewarding loyal ''journalists'' with taxpayer-funded positions in the government.
  What to make of this abundantly obvious quid pro quo is up to the reader; but it is understandable from a journalist's point-of-view that one might want to leave the tanking mainstream news media industry for a secure position in government. It is also understandable that one might want to leave a position in politics for a job in news media holding the government accountable '' as long as one is transparent about his political views.
  What is not understandable is feigning objectivity and centrism, while engaging in stealth activism (some might term it 'propaganda') on behalf of a major political party. It is duplicitous and deceitful; not to mention dangerous for the free flow of information from a secretive government that once boasted about becoming ''the most transparent'' in the nation's history.
  The Atlantic, far from a ''right-wing'' publication, documents those who have defected from ''journalism'' to work in government. It's unclear whether these journalists should be applauded for coming out of the closet and showing some refreshing intellectual honesty, or should be shunned as propagandists posing as ''objective'' journalists and jettisoning their ethics as arbiters of facts in the interest of political perquisites.
  Linda Douglass, whom people might remember as a spokesperson for Obamacare, was a former Congressional correspondent for CBS and ABC, as well as a writer/editor at National Journal. She was also a traveling press secretary for the Obama campaign.
  Rick Stengell was the former Managing Editor of Time until leaving journalism to become the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the State Department.
  Shailagh Murrau, also of the Washington Post, left to join the Obama administration as Vice President Biden's communications director. Warren Bass. who was a Deputy Editor of the Washington Post's Outlook section, is now a top official in the State Department.
  Geoff Morrell is one notable holdover from the Bush administration who gave up a career in journalism at ABC News to work as a spokesman at the Defense Department.
  The Washington Post's Stephen Barr (picture unavailable) left his position as writer of the Federal Diary column to join the Labor Department as a top public affairs official.
  Rosa Brooks was a former Los Angeles Times op-ed columnist who advised Michelle Fluornoy at the Defense Department before becoming a professor at Georgetown.
  Peter Gosselin was an LA Times reporter who became the Chief Speechwriter for former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. He is now a Senior Health-care Policy Analyst at Bloomberg Government.
  Beverley Lumpkin was a former Justice Department reporter/producer for ABC and CBS and a reporter at the Associated Press. She left journalism to work for the Project on Government Oversight and joined the Department of Justice as a Public Affairs Official.
  CNN's Senior Political Producer Sasha Johnson became a Press Secretary at the Department of Transportation.
  Jill Zuckman, who was a Chicago Tribune Washington correspondent, became Director of Public Affairs and assistant to Secretary Ray LaHood at the Department of Transportation.
  Rick Weiss was a former Washington Post science reporter who joined the Center for American Progress. He is currently the communications director and senior policy strategist for the White House Office of Science and Technology.
  Anesh Raman was an international/Middle East correspondent at CNN who left to send mass emails for the Obama re-election campaign. Kate Albright-Hanna was a producer at CNN who even proposed a video strategy for the Obama campaign while working at CNN, according to the Washington Post.
  David Hoff, who was a reporter for Education Week, was hired by the Department of Education in 2009.
  Eric Dash was a New York Times reporter before joining the Treasury Department's public affairs division.
  Desson Thomson was a film critic at the Washington Post before becoming a a speechwriter for Ambassador Louis Susman. Roberta Baskin was a CBS and JTLA reporter before becoming a senior communications adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services' health-care fraud task force.
  Former Boston Globe online politics editor is now a senior adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry, who was a Senator from Massachusetts.
  Douglas Frantz, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and writer for the New York Times and LA Times, and was later a national security editor for the Washington Post, became an assistant secretary of state for public affairs earlier this month. MSNBC producer Anthony Reyes left to work for the U.S. Treasury's public affairs/new media office.
  Lest we all forget, this is an administration that has gone after adversarial journalists, like James Rosen of Fox News and various members of the Associated Press. And should it be any surprise that the Democrat Party seeks under the SHIELD bill to become the arbiter of who should have constitutional protections as a ''journalist,'' thereby repaying its mainstream news media allies for their loyalty and granting them information privileges unrecognized for citizen-journalists?
  The Constitution under the First Amendment states that: ''Congress shall make no law'... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.'' This right is irrefutable, indivisible, and non-negotiable.
  Under the Democrat Party, the federal government has been engaging in an opportunistic buy-off of journalists in the mainstream press, whose positions have been compromised by the partisan practices in their struggling news industry to begin with. The taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for partisan journalists who give up their pretenses of objectivity to officially work on behalf of big government.
Former Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley Joins CBS News | NewsBusters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:55
  The incestuous relationship between the media and the current White House continues unabated.
  CBS News announced Monday that former Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley is joining the network as a contributor:
  Former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley joins CBS News as a Contributor; it was announced by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and CBS News President David Rhodes. His appointment is effective immediately.
  In this role, Daley will bring his vast experience in politics, business and economics to CBS News.
  How many Obama officials have taken positions in the news media and vice versa?
  I've lost count.
  *****Update: The Independent Journal Review reported last month that there have been 21 members of the media that have left their jobs to join the Obama administration.
  NewsBusters has more on the revolving door between the media and this White House here.
Fuck The Guardian: Take Your Drip and Stick It | The Rancid Honeytrap
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:07
  As a prelude to reopening discussion on my problem with the Leak Keepers, here's a little light entertainment in the form of Shit I Have Recently Learned Presumably Intelligent People Believe:
  1. The engine of all change with respect to a huge, unaccountable, global surveillance apparatus is a 'debate' aiming at changes in 'policy.'
  2. Despite the global in 'global mass surveillance' the engine of The Debate is the U.S. news cycle.
  3. One wrong move with respect to The News Cycle and it's goodbye Debate! Goodbye change!
  4. Glenn Greenwald possesses a near God-like understanding of The News Cycle and thereby keeps himself and The Debate crucially injected therein.
  5. Greenwald's mastery of The News Cycle owes to the patented Drip Drip method of painfully slow leaking, which keeps the story hot and the NSA in complete agony.
  6. Glenn Greenwald's virtues, particularly his mastery of The News Cycle by way of the patented Drip Drip method, are so rare and important it justifies his and The Guardian's near monopoly on NSA leaks, no matter what he or his shady, subservient editors say or do; no matter how much their reformist politics, narrow interests, ambitions and convenience dictate tactics, priorities and timing; nor how objectionable a monopoly on state secrets affecting billions of people is on principle.
  There really is quite a lot wrong with this picture. Right off the top, I don't share the popular view that everything we want from whistleblowing is subordinate to the news-driven debate. But let's put that on hold for the moment, for the sake of showing that even if one accepts the primacy of The Debate and The News Cycle, most of the arguments for leak hoarding have the unmistakable scent of bullshit to them.
  Let's first off dispense with the idiotic idea that this alleged water torture of the NSA has any method to it. For one thing, these stories take a long time to produce. Before they see daylight, the very small number of journalists working on them have to read a large number of documents, many of which are hard to aggregate and understand without technical assistance. For a glimpse of how difficult and time-consuming this is, see this interview with staff from ProPublica about the two months they spent working on the recent piece about encryption.
  Once written, the stories certainly go through multiple reviews by layers of editors and risk-averse lawyers. At some point in the process, The Leak Keepers must carefully select the NSA documents that will be published alongside the stories, mindful of potential 'threats to national security' '' you know, that thing that no one but the NSA gives a shit about '-- and redacting accordingly. Finally, The Leak Keepers must consult with the NSA and the White House, not simply for comment, but for any concerns they may have about national security.
  There is also the matter of money and prestige, which clearly no one wants to talk about, since ambition gets in the way of the warm fuzzy feelings corporate-mediated David and Goliath spectacles are supposed to produce. But certainly whatever slows disclosure down also keeps the information commercially valuable longer, so The Leak Keepers must at the very least occasionally feel glad that this publishing 'method', that we're to understand so deftly plays both the news cycle and the last nerves of the NSA, also greatly limits the competition for exclusives, Pulitzers, book/movie deals, contracts for stories with other news outlets and advertising revenue.
  I know, cynical me. But does anyone else wonder if their interests and Greenwald's always coincide when they read stuff like this ''
  Greenwald's publisher, Metropolitan Books, announced early Thursday that [his] as-yet-untitled book will [contain] '...''new revelations exposing the extraordinary cooperation of private industry''
  and consider how the 'cooperation of private industry' '-- which, to me, is easily as critical as anything else '' is always strikingly vague in Greenwald's Guardian stories, like the PRISM stories, for instance? Will Greenwald's book answer the question of direct access definitively? If so, why the wait? Will we see any of the many slides he and his colleagues, in their infinite wisdom, withheld? Well we won't know until next year, when Greenwald's book drops. Of course, we'll also never know what agreements he's made with his publisher about withholding disclosures to keep the those 'new revelations' new, because, y'know, transparency is for other people.
  In any event, between commercial interests and the plain old difficulty of writing this shit up, clearly THERE IS NO FUCKING DRIP DRIP METHOD, and it's cringe-makingly foolish for the savvy knowing knowers on the outside, and outright dishonest for the book deal makers on the inside, to insist that there is. So stop it, already.
  Still, one may ask, even if the slow drip isn't intentional, is it nonetheless possible that the claims made for it are true? Here's what Greenwald said in comments here on this blog a few weeks back ''
  1. A mass dump gives the NSA an opportunity to 'demonize and distract attention away from [the leaks'] substance.'
  2. (Quoting verbatim) 'A staggered release prevents the NSA and its defenders from knowing what is coming, so [that] things that are untrue that you can then prove are untrue, and it also prevents them from developing effective neutralizing strategies.
  Here's what Greenwald said around the time Snowden was having asylum problems:
  ''Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had,'' '...
  ''The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare.''
  So which Greenwald should we believe? Perhaps the NSA can break the tie by way of this from Barton Gellman's prolix 'Mass surveillance is Really Fucking Expensive!' WaPo 'exclusive':
  The [NSA and other intelligence agencies] had budgeted for a major counterintelligence initiative in fiscal 2012, but most of those resources were diverted to an all-hands emergency response to successive floods of classified data released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
  Obviously, Greenwald and the NSA are in agreement '-- at least some of the time '-- that a less meticulously managed gush of secrets is really not something the NSA relishes, which is what any reasonably intelligent person would guess if left unmolested by ambitious opinion leaders and their sycophants.
  So let's be realistic, then, about the game being played here.
  It's rather naive, and maybe even grandiose for people on the left to think that on the rare occasions when their concerns land on successive front pages of The New York Times and on CNN, this is due to the supernatural savvy of a Greenwald, rather than that people in high places are very ok with certain information getting out and certain debates taking place. To quote myself on the 'miracle' of Chris Hayes:
  '...there are no miracles on cable news networks co-owned by defense contractors and cable monopolists; there aren't even happy accidents'...
  That statement has become less controversial over time as Hayes proves himself a more shamelessly servile tool than even I'd originally claimed. So it's vexing that people who rightly reject the preposterous idea that an 'unabashed man of the left' has talked his way into corporate media don't wonder at all why Greenwald is suddenly all over television strangling Jeffrey Toobin and David Gregory with their own assholes. Greenwald himself is 'genuinely amazed that it's gone as well as it has' as is Snowden and all their colleagues.
  Hey, maybe we're having this debate because people in high places want us to!
  I certainly don't believe the conspiracy theory that Snowden is a CIA warrior in a turf dispute with the NSA, but its conception of competing crime syndicates is truer in broad strokes than the left wing vision of power as one undifferentiated mass of united malice. People who use 'NSA' and 'the government' and 'the oligarchs' interchangeably and within that framework see Snowden and Greenwald as gatecrashers are seriously missing the point. Along with rival agencies and corporate elites who covet a bigger share of post 9/11 loot and power, there are certainly those who realize how the NSA's virtually unlimited snooping capabilities give the agency and its friends a tremendous amount of deal-breaking leverage. Surely the destruction of General Petraeus based on the FBI's snooping in his girlfriend's emails made a few elite hairs stand on end. Where elites are concerned, totalitarianism, like law, is for other people. A failure to come to grips with this is a failure to comprehend the scope of the NSA threat.
  From this perspective, then, comparisons of Snowden to Manning, who is the mostly unnamed subject of Greenwald's broken record about dumping, are both unfair and irrelevant. Manning was blowing the whistle on American foreign policy, which weighs much more lightly on American imaginations, particularly elite imaginations, than the prospect of NSA analysts jerking off to their pics, stalking them online, stealing their business secrets, blackmailing them or sending them to jail forever over a hyperlink.
  It was almost certainly the story Manning wanted to tell that made her non-newsworthy except as a bad example, not the way she attempted to tell it, and no amount of Greenwaldian media savvy could have made her something else. Therefore, depending on how invested certain elites are in constraining the NSA, it's unlikely that Snowden or Greenwald could do anything that would kill any discussion important people want to have, though Greenwald/Snowden could certainly do something that would reduce their stature in it.
  For the moment, Greenwald is the perfect point man for a neatly circumscribed debate in which elite interests and public interests coincide, with his wide-eyed faith in reform through government policy; his zeal, from day one, to helpfully delineate between good whistleblowing (Snowden) and bad (Manning); his uncritical genuflections to the idea of 'national security'; his willingness to redact and withhold; his anodyne preoccupation with 'privacy' to the exclusion of malfeasance; the relatively high credibility he has with harder lefts and libertarians, now rubbing off on, and immunizing, the clowns at the Guardian; and last, but certainly not least, for the determination with which he and his cultish fans smack down critics calling for more leaks, more technical information, less redacting, less subservience and greater accountability. In short, Greenwald has proven a surprisingly capable gatekeeper, whether he sees himself as such or not.
  Given that the leaks are now out there, can the NSA and its proxies be anything but sincerely grateful that the kind of resistance developing right now in Brazil and Germany isn't exploding all over the world for no reason but that Greenwald and his colleague Laura Poitras live and work in Brazil and Germany and aren't sharing the leaks with journalists elsewhere ? Can they be anything but glad that Greenwald, when confronted by security experts begging for more technical information '-- because they want to fight the NSA with software rather than debate it on the evening news '-- lectures them on how that's really not a priority, that is, when he's not doling out shit like this?
  @x7o @nvrqt One day, I hope Snowden gathers the courage that you have shown the world in order to fight the National Security State.'--Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 10, 2013
  I'm certainly sympathetic that there are all kinds of things weighing on Greenwald, Poitras, Snowden and their colleagues, not least fear of more government reprisal. But I don't think this explains everything they're doing given the extent to which they stonewall and contradict themselves. Considering that this whole thing is at least in part about transparency, and that Greenwald is one of transparency's most vocal advocates, the extent to which we're all left guessing about what they're up to, and made to feel like shitty little ingrates if we do anything but applaud, is really not good.
  When I took this all up after Alan Rusbridger 's weird, meandering, and long-overdue blog post about harassment by Cameron's goons, I posited a dump of the leaks on Cryptome as a possible alternative. In retrospect, I think that was a mistake if only because it plays too easily into a false dichotomy that Greenwald invokes every time he or his colleagues are criticized.
  So I am going to concede that for reasons of Snowden's safety among other things, we're stuck with a paternalistic system we have, but I am not going to concede that its current form is the only shape it can take. I feel that people should continue to put pressure on Greenwald and co to do things differently, and when they refuse, to press them on why.
  To put this on more concrete footing, I am offering the following questions.
  1. Considering what's happening in Brazil and Germany right now, is there a sound strategic reason why Greenwald and Poitras have tasked themselves with writing the stories for non-UK/US markets, rather than distributing leaks to partners in other countries for more efficient propagation? I understand that Greenwald is now branching out into India and Poitras is also working in another country. That's great, but considering that by Greenwald/Poitras's own account, the NSA has 150 listening posts around the world, a drip drip strategy seems particularly ill-advised and, at first glance at least, unethical.
  2. When choosing partners in the US, why did the Guardian choose the New York Times, with its abysmal record on Wikileaks and on truth-telling generally? If, for some reason, Snowden wants to keep this under the auspices of establishment journalism, could he be encouraged to open it up to less dubious institutions, like say, McClatchey? Are there any plans to seek out additional partners?
  3. Considering that a lot of people in the security field are starting to resent the withholding of technical information that would assist them in building tools to circumvent the NSA, are there any plans to distribute the leaks to engineers so that technical measures for resisting the NSA can be improved and so that more specialized stories are available to technicians?
  4. To what extent, if any, are commercial considerations affecting the timing and placement of the leaks? What financial dealings, if any, have potential to cause conflicts of interest?
  Having asked these questions, I fully expect to be frothed on and trolled by Greenwald's revoltingly dimwitted fans and various people who are clearly way more invested in the David and Goliath spectacle than in genuinely confronting the problem of establishment-managed dissent. For the last few posts, I engaged with them. This time I won't. I also won't entertain more bullshit from Greenwald or his clownish editors, nor should you.
  UPDATE
  This piece just got a mention in D.J. Pangburn's Vice interview with Sci-Fi Author Norman Spinrad. (Hi Vice readers!!!) Since Vice has one of those horrible comment sections restricted to Facebook users I was unable to reply on the post directly, so I will do so here:
  DJ ''
  As the blogger who criticized Greenwald's methods, I appreciate the mention, but not the mischaracterization of my post. I did not criticize Greenwald's 'god like awareness'. That phrase was used to characterize his adherents' tendency to imbue him with special qualities to justify his top-down, elitist approach to whistleblowing. And if you read the piece all the way to the end, you'll see that I did not advocate 'putting it all out there.' I advocated more rapid distribution of the leaks to other journalists and technicians.
  I do very much appreciate that between you and Spinrad, though, you completely typify everything I was ridiculing at the top of my post. I am also glad that, like me, Spinrad recognizes Greenwald's vigilance with respect to national security interests. His credibility-enhancing 'Manning is nuts' is the icing on the cake. Thanks!!!
  Related
  A Harbinger of Journalism Saved
  A Heat Vampire in Search of a Movie Deal
  Oligarchs Approve The NSA Debate. I Guess We're #Winning
  Cliffs Notes on a Pile-On
  Dr. Rosen and The Snowden Effect
  My reply to Glenn Greenwald's Comments on This Post
  Fuck The Guardian Part 1
  Fuck The Guardian Part 2
  The Cable News Heroism of Chris Hayes
  About these ads
Edward Snowden's Incredible Mutating Document Trove | The Rancid Honeytrap
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:54
  Every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'
  '' Mary McCarthy on Lillian Hellman
  Enlarging on a point I made in this update to my last post, I offer a sampling of all the varying tales told by the Leak Keepers and others on just how many documents Snowden gave them. When reading these accounts, keep the following in mind:
  1. A writer at the Cryptome site recently estimated that at current rates of disclosure, it will take 26 years for the Guardian to reveal all of Snowden's documents. That estimate was based on an estimate from Greenwald of 15,000 documents, which we now know to be false. The trove is at minimum five times that size and probably much larger.
  As savvy reader Paley Chayd pointed out, Cryptome generously equated the vague Leak Keeper word, 'document' with the more precise, 'page.' Chayd also noted that in Greenwald's tirade here recently, he claimed that he and his colleagues had published 'hundreds' of documents. According to Cryptome, they have published no more than 300 unique pages, a figure that consolidates everything published in the US, British, Brazilian and German press.
  2. When The Guardian introduced Snowden to the world, they stressed the meticulousness with which he chose the documents, and emphasized, offensively really, the extent to whichthis distinguished him from Chelsea Manning, whose trial had just begun. This emphasis on Snowden's meticulousness, which was picked up immediately by the mainstream press, certainly suggested a relatively small trove, since large troves can not be meticulously gone through by single, better-than-Manning whistleblowers with limited time.
  3. Only four news organizations have unlimited access to any part of what looks like a rather large trove: The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and ProPublica. Greenwald has made his lack of interest in distributing documents to other news organizations quite plain. That means whatever we learn about these documents will come through these organizations, plus whatever Greenwald and his colleague Laura Poitras write in partnership with other news organizations and publishing houses.
  4. The New York Times received over 50,000 documents two months ago. They have published one story based on The Snowden Leaks so far. Now is a good time to remember that when The New York Times had custodianship over parts of Cablegate, then editor Bill Keller bragged that he checked with the White House before publishing anything. Greenwald had some thoughts on this at the time, which Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting quoted in this write-up on Keller. Considering Greenwald's and The Guardian's current conduct, and FAIR's entirely unsurprising, cowardly silence about it, it's amusingly ironic and instructive.
  Now, at last, the tale of the living, growing document trove, as told by various news reports:
  The Guardian, June 9, 2013
  [Snowden:]''I carefully evaluated every single document I disclosed to ensure that each was legitimately in the public interest,''
  Morning Joe, June 10, 2013
  Thomas Roberts: What makes Bradley Manning any different from Edward Snowden . . . because Manning is widely considered to be a traitor and not a whistleblower?
  Greenwald: '... if you ask [Snowden] what the difference is, he will say that he spent months meticulously studying every document. When he handed us those documents they were all in very detailed files by topic. He had read over every single one and used his expertise to make judgments about what he thought should be public''and then didn't just upload them to the internet''he gave them to journalists who, he knew, and wanted to go through them each one by one and make journalistic judgments about what should be public and what wasn't, so that harm wouldn't come gratuitously, but that the public would be informed, and that he was very careful and meticulous about doing that.
  Der Spiegel, July 13, 2013
  [Greenwald] told [German news show] host Reinhold Beckmann that he and journalist Laura Poitras had obtained full sets of the documents during a trip to Hong Kong, with around 9,000 to 10,000 top secret documents in total.
  MSNBC, July 17, 2013
  ''I think there's a real misconception over whether he'll continue to leak,'' Greenwald said. ''He turned over to us many thousands of documents weeks and weeks ago back in Hong Kong'... As far as I know he doesn't have any intention of disclosing any more documents to us.''
  AFP, August 6, 2013
  ''I did not do an exact count, but he gave me 15,000, 20,000 documents. Very, very complete and very long,'' Greenwald said, responding to questions from [Brazilian] lawmakers.
  The Telegraph, August 30, 2013
  Oliver Robbins, the deputy national security adviser for intelligence, security and resilience in the Cabinet Office, said in his 13-page submission: ''The information that has been accessed [from the siezure of David Miranda's belongings at Heathrow] consists entirely of misappropriated material in the form of approximately 58,000 highly classified UK intelligence documents.
  The New York Times, September 5, 2013
  The documents are among more than 50,000 shared by The Guardian with The New York Times and ProPublica, the nonprofit news organization. They focus on GCHQ but include thousands from or about the N.S.A.
  There you have it, folks: from 9,000 meticulously chosen docs to many times that in just four months. Clearly, The Leak Keepers lied, which is something they seem very inclined to do, and which seems particularly revolting in light of the all the un-Manning shenanigans. More importantly, the surveilled people of the world '-- and by that I mean everyone '-- are never going to see most of those docs. Three cheers for old media, doing what old media always do.
  Related
  A Heat Vampire in Search of a Movie Deal
  On The Pejorative Use of 'Dumping'
  Fuck The Guardian: Take Your Drip and Stick It
  Fuck The Guardian: Part 2
  Fuck The Guardian: Part 1
  About these ads
The Rancid Honeytrap | O Rancid Sector of the extreme left'...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:54
  Among the many things I have grown to detest about the Snowden Leaks spectacle is that for every heavily redacted page that's been revealed '-- a meagre ~300 pages in five months according to Cryptome.org '-- we rubes seem to get at least twenty, sometimes very stern, lessons in proper whistleblowing from the the Leaker, the Leak Keepers, the Leak Keeper inner circle, and soldiers in the sycophant army that doltishly parrot and hype everything these people say. The lesson is as follows:
  1. Don't ever just dump your leaks on the internet.2. Make sure your leaks are properly vetted and mediated by proper mainstream journalists.
  This lesson is often, perhaps even usually, stated as, or with, some variation of the following:
  Don't be like Chelsea Manning and Wikileaks, that is, indiscriminate, reckless and dangerous to both national security and human life.
  We first received this lesson on day number one, when The Guardian introduced us to new, improved, ever-so-meticulous document leaker Snowden '-- just as Manning went to trial '-- and we have been hearing it ever since.
  Yesterday, while the Leaknoscenti were breathlessly insisting on how horrible and ever-so-important it is that European leaders are under the same surveillance regime as EVERYONE ELSE ON EARTH, the Washington Post announced:
  U.S. officials are alerting some foreign intelligence services that documents detailing their secret cooperation with the United States have been obtained by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, according to government officials.
  This seems like a trumped-up warning to people like German Chancellor Angela Merkel to dial back the righteous indignation just a bit lest subsequent disclosures implicate them as both collaborators and hypocrites. But since elite vs. elite NSA hijinx don't interest me at all, let's fast forward to the obligatory, and in this case, quite long lesson the same article provided in proper whistleblowing:
  ''[Snowden] made it quite clear that he was not going to compromise legitimate national intelligence and national security operations,'' said Thomas Drake, a former NSA executive.
  Indeed, Drake said, Snowden made clear in their conversation that he had learned the lessons of prior disclosures, including those by an Army private who passed hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables to the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, which posted them in bulk online. ''It's telling,'' Drake said, ''that he did not give anything to WikiLeaks.''
  I sometimes wonder, does Snowden ever have a conversation where he does not remark upon the crucial differences between himself and Manning? That is, when he is not imparting his truly bizarre and toxic understanding of democracy and human rights, which summarizes as secrecy about mass surveillance is a greater evil than mass surveillance? I also wonder if, when he does this, is he also the one imparting the equally mandatory mischaracterization of what Manning and Wikileaks actually did with the cables '-- here stated as 'posted them in bulk online' '' or are his intermediaries ladling that in on top?
  For emphasis, WaPo trots out the Guardian article where this lengthy lesson first began and quotes it at length:
  Snowden has instructed the reporters with whom he has shared records to use their judgment to avoid publishing anything that would cause harm. ''I carefully evaluated every single document I disclosed to ensure that each was legitimately in the public interest,'' he told the Guardian newspaper. ''There are all sorts of documents that would have made a big impact that I didn't turn over, because harming people isn't my goal. Transparency is.''
  Yes Ed is such a good whistleblower '-- so very un-Manningly responsible! '-- and as such has received the endorsement of no less an expert on proper surveillance state undermining than WaPo's own Richard Cohen, who, prior to jumping on board the whistleblowing train, was a living parody of power worshiping shitbaggery. In his recent 'Edward Snowden is No Traitor' column, Cohen recanted his prior excoriation of Snowden, writing:
  He has been careful with his info, doling it out to responsible news organizations '-- The Post, the New York Times, the Guardian, etc. '-- and not tossing it up in the air, WikiLeaks style, and echoing the silly mantra ''Information wants to be free.'' (No. Information, like most of us, wants a home in the Hamptons.)
  And now this latest article in WaPo shows that approval for Snowden's methods goes to the highest level, to the surveillance apparatus itself:
  It is those documents that may not be subject to journalistic vetting or may be breached by hackers that worry some intelligence officials.
  Fans of Drip Drip Drippery, please do read that again and then savor this, from the same article, which exaggerators, both pro and con, of the awesome disruptive power of Wikileaks are encouraged to ruminate on also:
  In the case of WikiLeaks, the State Department had a number of months to assess the potential impact of the cables' release and devise a strategy, former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
  To review, working backwards: The State Department, intelligence officials, and the living embodiment of everything vile in the Washington press establishment are in agreement that slow leaking to a small array of news sources featuring multiple layers of responsible vetting is just peachy. Well then, haven't we formed a most powerful alliance against the surveillance apparatus, when even officials from that apparatus and their flacks agree with our methods? This is some serious 11-dimensional chess kinda leaking going on right here.
  So now that the credibility Snowden and co have so assiduously sought pursuant to The Debate' is a fait accompli, can we at last pull back the veil of silence on these Manning comparisons? Specifically can we talk about how they rest on a lie? Can we then also insist more loudly on how objectionable they are, not simply because they smear Manning and distort her legacy, but because they preemptively smear and distort future whistleblowing that doesn't pass muster with insider douchebags like Richard Cohen and various intelligence officials?
  I have gone over elsewhere how the reported size of Edward Snowden's document trove keeps changing. But I fear I have crunched the numbers too little out loud to make my point plain. Let's say the trove consists only of the 50,000+ Snowden documents the New York Times recently said it received from The Guardian. Since these documents are only the documents about the GCHQ, no doubt the entire Snowden collection spread across the Times, The Guardian, Gellman, and Greenwald/Poitras is many tens of thousands of documents bigger than that.
  But for arguments sake, let's restrict ourselves to the Times' trove. And also for the sake of argument, let's assume that by some weird good fortune, each document Snowden selected for review passed his test for inclusion, despite how completely unlikely this is. If you assume that from 2009 to when he leaked, Snowden spent every working day of four 50-week years meticulously selecting documents, and that each document he looked at ended up in the trove (unlikely, verging on impossible), he would have had to review 50-60 documents per working day. Remember, we are talking about 'documents' not pages, and that they are, in Greenwald's words, 'very, very complete and very long.' It is not simply unlikely that Snowden vetted each of these documents. It is impossible. Which means that, from the standpoint of selecting documents, he is not different from Manning at all. So how about everyone stop saying that he is, ok, starting with Snowden himself.
  I have been saying things along these lines for a while now, and have been fascinated by the number of people who privately share a lot of my concerns '' shock and disappointment about the Manning comparisons started immediately '' while also disclosing their misgivings about airing their concerns publicly. Isn't that extraordinary? We are having a debate about transparency, in which people who have concerns about how that debate is being mediated are literally afraid to speak up, for fear of how it might impact their social capital or their credibility. Clearly this is not really a debate at all. By design. Which is all the more reason for people to speak up.
  Update
  I am glad that this post has provoked people who have so far pretty much stood down on the Leak Keepers' incessant Good Whistleblower/Bad Whistleblower lesson to take it up more vocally. However, if this post has inspired you to insist on how well Manning/Wikileaks meet the Edward Snowden/Richard Cohen benchmarks for proper whistleblowing, you have missed my point entirely. To the extent that Wikileaks meets this standard '-- and they do, to a point, mostly by way of withholding so much information or delaying its release '-- they are problematic in my view, and certainly the appreciation shown them by the State Department's P. J. Crowley for delaying Cablegate (cited above) makes my point.
  The point of this post is to draw attention to the Leak Keepers' incessant and toxic campaign to promote a standard for proper whistleblowing and their shamelessness in building this campaign on what appears to be an obvious lie. It's hard to point out this lie without at the same time implicitly, and quite wrongly conceding that the accusation contained in the lie '-- that Manning and WL just dumped unfiltered, unredacted data '' is genuinely damning. But if you are accepting that the State and its media lackeys are within their rights to set or ratify standards for dissent, and you are arguing for how your dissidence meets the State's standard, you've already lost the argument. It was ok that Manning didn't review every single document and it's ok that clearly Snowden didn't either.
  Related
  Edward Snowden's Incredible Mutating Document Trove
  Take Your Drip and Stick It
  My Reply to Glenn Greenwald's Comments on Take Your Drip and Stick It
  Reader x7o on 'The Debate'
  A Harbinger of Journalism Saved
  A Heat Vampire in Search of a Movie Deal
  On the Pejorative Use of 'Dumping'
  Oligarchs Approve The NSA Debate. I Guess We're #Winning
Saving Agent Snowden from his Handlers Greenwald and Omidyar By Yoichi Shimatsu | DavidShurter.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:34
  Whistleblower Edward Snowden was taken for a ride by con artists in the service of the US and UK intelligence agencies. Under the cover of ''independent journalism'', the scammers conned him out of his trove of secret NSA files, hustled him from Hong Kong ahead of legislature-sponsored public hearings on cyber-espionage, and unceremoniously dumped him, minus documents, in a transit lounge at Moscow Airport . This report shows how the American and British spymasters retrieved the top-secret files by luring the fugitive into a well-laid trap, while the mass media went along with the deception to aid the authorities in evading public calls to abolish the global surveillance state.
  Pierre Omidyar, founder of the online flea market e-Bay, is betting a reported $250 million that the accomplices of whistleblower Edward Snowden can follow up their caper with the launch of an online news site with global reach. The ethnic Iranian tycoon is funding a new media project for the team of Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill because he became ''more alarmed about the pressures coming down on journalists with the various leak investigations in Washington .'' (Pacific Business News)
  An angel investor committed to press freedom and opposed to government surveillance is every journalist's dream even though it sounds too good to be true. There are serious grounds for questioning the credibility of Greenwald and his newest patron, whose business venture Omidyar Network is closely connected with NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, Edward Snowden's erstwhile employer.
  Known for his globalist vision and ''social-impact'' projects in the developing countries, backed by immense personal wealth, Omidyar follows in the footsteps of other billionaires who launched their own electronic media projects: George Soros with his slew of propaganda organs, Ariana Huffington at HuffPost and Michael Bloomberg with his financial news arm, to name a few. These well-oiled publicity machines hardly qualify as standard-bearers of objective reporting since each of these opinion-shapers has a political agenda, from running City Hall to fomenting uprisings for regime change in support of market economics. Early on, it already appears that Omidyar, for all his sentimental sound bites, could turn out to be the worst of a bad lot.
  Partnering Booz Allen
  In stark contrast to his libertarian posturing, Omidyar is connected at the hip to the very same intelligence nexus that he publicly condemns, particularly Booz Allen Hamilton, the NSA security contractor that employed Snowden in Hawaii and Japan . One of the major investment partners with Omidyar Network, Salvadore ''Sal'' Gambianco, sits on the board of directors of Booz Allen Hamilton Holdings.
  As head of Omidyar Network's human capital operations, Giambanco vets trainees and assesses employee performance for promotion or termination. For more than a decade, Omidyar Network has had a revolving door for its employees with Booz Allen, shuttling staffers and interns for intelligence-related postings. Just a few of these individuals who worked for both Omidyar Network and Booz Allen include:
  - Dhaya Lakshminarayan who was sent to Cuba to research development programs;- Pranay Chulet hired to head Omidyar-backed Quikr in India ;- Patricia Sosrodjojo, Indonesian venture capital expert in Jakarta ; and- Michael Kent, a Booz Allen counter-terrorism specialist who served as a research associate at the Omidyar campus in Redwood City , California .
  The relationship, simply put, is corporate collusion, and if businesses could be married, Booz Allen and Omidyar Network are husband and wife.
  Inside the NSA's Big Tent
  Booz Allen and Omidyar Network are corporate members of an NSA-linked consortium called Innocentive, a consultancy focused on crowdsourcing (read: data-mining of public-opinion polls, consumer surveys and Internet-based personal data). Other member-companies include In-Q-Tel, a developer of communications monitoring software spawned with millions in start-up capital from the CIA.
  Also represented is the In-Q-Tel spin-off Palantir, which creates fictive personas or virtual trolls to mount smear campaigns to debunk or threaten journalists and critical websites online and in letters to editors. Palantir, which refers to itself as an ''electronic warfare'' firm, has created a meta-data collection program similar to the NSA's PRISM. Michael Leiter, former head of the National Counter-Terrorism Center , is the executive counsel to Palantir.
  Another corporate partner in Innocentive is Lilly Ventures, the investment arm of Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals, which produced LSD for the MK-ULTRA mind-control program and is now the lead partner in the Obama-sponsored national brain-mapping project. Full-spectrum surveillance is advancing from wireless electronics into the bio-network of the human synapses, the last frontier for total mind control. The objective of pre-crime pre-cognition, that is, the detection of criminal tendencies, for instance, resistance to authority, and intervention before the crime can happen. Using drugs to impair the mental capabilities of individuals is, of course, only a part of a wider and larger program of social engineering to ensure domination of the globalist elites over any increasingly dependant and expendable population.
  As birds of the feather that flock together, Booz Allen Hamilton and Omidyar Network are a pair of ducks in the NSA-CIA pond. These intelligence links are so thinly guised, it beggars belief that an attorney like Greenwald who practiced law in New York City could be so oblivious to the conflict of interest in regard to the security of his client Edward Snowden.
  Either Glenn Greenwald is a gullible village idiot or he is one of many actors planted in this spy charade. Nobody in the intelligence game is allowed to be that na¯ve, especially when it is crystal clear from these interlocking corporate connections that Pierre Omidyar is hardly an innocent when he has every incentive to work on behalf of Booz Allen and the NSA to recover the Snowden files.
  Sell-Out or Set Up?
  It took $250 million for Omidyar to win the fealty of the ''courageous'' and ''independent'' journalists who surrounded Snowden and controlled his every movement. The team of Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill, along with filmmaker Laura Poitras, not only kept the fugitive in the dark while mounting a clever sting operation. (''You can't let the Chinese or Russians confiscate the files'', as if Moscow or Beijing would be that stupid while the whole world was watching.) Taking his data as a ''security precaution'', the thieves thus managed to retrieve the secret documents for the spymasters in London , Langley and Fort Meade .
  ''We'll be working with them and others, but we have a long way to go in terms of what the (news) organization looks like, people's roles and responsibilities,'' said Omidyar to Pacific Business News. This leaves no doubt about who's the boss, while his other statements indicate Greenwald, Poitras and Schahill can collect the bounty money and disappear until their next Mission Impossible assignment, so long as they keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, a new team of actors will hunt them down one at a time. Accidents happen.
  What business executive in the current risk climate commits $250 million of his own savings to a vaguely defined project without a management structure or financial plan? And the objective is to protect the public from government intrusion, even if his own company profits from those encroachments on privacy? In the fantasy world of comic-book heroes, a magnate like Bruce Wayne would never throw away his fortune to buy the Daily Planet so that Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane can be crusading reporters.
  The patently ludicrous statements show that Pierre Omidyar is acting as a minder for a powerful entity, for example, the National Intelligence Council, and serving as babysitter for the non-profit funded ''journalists'' who conned Snowden out of this trove of documents and dumped him at the Moscow airport transit lounge. As winter bears down over the steppe, Snowden as his surname suggests is snowed in for the duration, thanks to the Greenwald-Poitras snow job.
  600-pound Gorilla in the Salon
  Early in his legal career in the 1990s, Greenwald was reprimanded for secretly taping witnesses during his pro bono defense of a white supremacist. This self-proclaimed civil libertarian employed the same sort of illegal surveillance that he would later criticize so loudly. Soon after being questioned in court about his electronic recording activities without the prior signing of consent forms, he closed down his private practice. If Greenwald hadn't he could be disbarred.
  In 2002, Greenwald went on to bigger things as a business partner in Master Notions, whose clients included the video production company Hairy Jocks, which produced homosexual pornography. A falling out among the partners led to Greenwald forming a new company called Hairy Studs. On the bright side of this shady business, his background in porn could mean a gold mine for Omidyar's future news company in ads from gay bathhouses and escort services from New York to Rio .
  Meanwhile, when the Internal Revenue Service put a lien on his earnings for failure to report past income, Greenwald launched his own blog to complain about overbearing government intrusion. As luck had it, his timing was perfect because CIA veteran Valerie Plame was being outed in the press by Scooter Libby, legal counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney.
  Rebounding from his unsavory start as a purveyor of sleaze, the counselor reinvented himself as a ''journalist'' writing a civil-liberties column for Salon.com, that paragon of muddled murmurs from lapdog liberals founded by Microsoft's Bill Gates. Despite its reputation as forum for pathetic poseurs and depressed Generation-X losers, Salon provided the strategic boost that propelled Greenwald into national prominence. All along something was amiss. Greenwald was being cherry-picked by an invisible hand as the anointed spokesman for civil liberties, while veteran activists with the Electronic Frontier foundation and ACLU were being bypassed and ignored.
  Cognitive Infiltration
  His golden moment arrived with a 2008 PBS radio debate over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) hosted by Amy Goodman, pitting the crusading lawyer-cum-journalist against information tsar Cass Sunstein.
  The University of Chicago law school professor rode into the White House office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on the coattails of his protege and former student Barack Obama. Married to NSA staffer Samantha Power (who was since appointed American ambassador to the UN), Sunstein is renowned for his pet cause of animal protection, advocating the right of a dog or cat to file lawsuits as a plaintiff against abusive owners. The FISA dual was therefore a match made in media heaven between world title holder Dr. Kibble Bits and the up-and-coming contender Harry Stud. (The rather dull transcript, which fails to capture the geist of the zeit, is available at www.democracynow.org.)
  Greenwald won hands down by a TKO (taking Kibblebits out), scoring against Sunstein on the issue of retroactive immunity for war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan . The trouble is, however, the fix was in. The bout went according to Sunstein's ''cognitive infiltration'' game-plan. By taking the role of bad cop, the professor set up Greenwald to emerge as the good cop, the nation's top reformer since nobody else ever had the privilege of debating the information tsar.
  After this ploy, morally outraged jurists and lawyers who wanted to press war-crimes and even genocide charges against the Bush administration were sucked into the blog-and-debate routine and nudged into the position of being the loyal opposition. The national debate rapidly shifted from condemnation of torture in Guantanamo to the minutiae of legal procedures, while candidate Obama's promise to shut down the abominable prison camp was politely forgotten. Cognitive infiltration proved to a most effective psywar technique, manipulating critics to volunteer for their own castration.
  Sunstein, who strategizes global information control for the executive branch (Office of the President, the CIA, FBI and NSA): has also promoted dirty war with the planting of agents provocateurs to infiltrate terrorist cells, protest groups and domestic militias. As seen at the Boston Marathon, government-recruited dupes and crisis actors were scripted to score astonishing feats against the ''oppressive'' government. On one hand, the violence and theatrics scare the daylights out of the public, which wipes out objections to the repressive state apparatus. On the other hand, the provos for the intelligence agencies succeed in impressing extremist movements worldwide, which then can be steered into proxy wars, false-flag attacks and assassinations of one's own troublesome political allies.
  These sorts of police-agent tactics were tested during the Vietnam War era by Obama's mentors in the Chicago circle of phony leftists, which discredited and disrupted Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) by financing the Weather Underground's rampages of arson and window-smashing. Distribution of firearms by provocateurs to young radicals brought on the Nixon COINTELPRO campaign to assassinate community leaders, notably Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party and imprison others like H. Rap Brown.
  A Better Rat Trap for Squealers
  One of Sunstein's major projects has been to contain the epidemic of insider disclosures by whistleblowers. Knowing quite well that disgruntled government employees will invariably seek legal counsel, what better tactic than to fabricate a ''civil liberties'' crusader working pro bono along with his wide network of media contacts and deep-pockets funders?
  The trap was set, and as predicted the quarry arrived, by the name of Edward Snowden. Like a mouse after cheese, the gullible mark took the bait and followed Greenwald's every instruction. Dr. Sunstein succeeded brilliantly when his ''mini-me'' puppet did what no law-enforcement agency could ever pull off '' the voluntary surrender of top-secret files.
  OK, you won. That's enough of the rough-trade scowl for the cameras, Glenn, when you'd rather just howl and roll on the floor at how easily Eddie was reeled in hook, line and sinker. Hey, stud, you deserve the reward at the rainbow's end, those big fat checks from the Iranian dude. Maybe for your next assignment, you should take over the lead role from Tom Cruise for the upcoming episode ''MI-6.''
  Hong Kong Exfiltration
  From the time of Snowden's sojourn in Hong Kong, it was clear to journalists and politicians that his local lawyer Albert Ho and the minders with British and US intelligence were not going to allow unfettered disclosure of the NSA documents to an astonished global public. When the Western spies learned that parliamentarians with the Legislative Council (LEGCO) were planning to call for open public hearings with Snowden as star witness, the whistleblower was suddenly packed off to Moscow .
  As Snowden himself had figured, Hong Kong was the ideal place of refuge with its Basic Law and legal community fiercely committed to free expression, a regional hub for the major media, a cyber-security center with top university computer departments and experts at global banks, local protesters and the Foreign Correspondents Club demanding his protection, a police force that was ordered to prevent anyone from harming the fugitive, and a Chief Executive, the city's top official, who gave his personal assurances that Snowden would not be extradited. What more could anyone ask for?
  His local lawyer Albert Ho, a legislative council member with the Democrat Party, claims that he was visited in the middle of the night by ''somebody'' urging Snowden to get out of Hong Kong . The Catholic-dominant Democrat Party is famously funded by the Washington neocon patrons, the National Endowment for Democracy, It is an open secret that since the days of Senator Jesse Helms, Democrat leaders fly to Washington to pick up checks from the intelligence chiefs.
  There was no threat from mainland authorities as falsely reported since Beijing had an interest along with every bank, company and individual in Hong Kong in the NSA communications intercepts. It was a big lie from his so-called protectors that triggered Snowden's flight from a Hong Kong ready to offer him immunity.
  Glenn Greenwald went along with the deception, meaning he had to be in on the plot to retrieve the secret-level documents for the NSA. That he has so quickly accepted an editorship with Omidyar, one of the closest allies of Booz Allen, only confirms all the other evidence on his collaboration with the spy agencies.
  Instead of an intense three weeks of public hearings revealing all of the NSA wrongdoing, with daily commentaries by cyber-security experts and, more important, the victims of state violations of privacy, Greenwald and Poitras has reduced the flow of documents to a drip feed.
  The blog called Rancid Honeytrap has sharply punctured the hot-air balloon from Snowden's erstwhile handlers, notably Greenwald:
  ''Viva the new journalism of lying repeatedly about the size of your document trove to teach the rubes valuable lessons in proper whistleblowing.''Viva the new journalism of leaking 300 pages in four months from a trove that exceeds 60,00 documents.''Viva the new journalism that probably suppressed at least one story on government orders.''Viva the new journalism of putting 50k-plus docs in the care of The New York Times since they had proven themselves so worthy in Cablegate.''Viva the new journalism that talks about the crucial role of the heroic journalist far far more than it talks about the secrets in his care.''Viva the new journalism that hoards leaks while it negotiates movie and television rights with Sony and HBO.''
  To that last point might we add: Viva for winning $250 million from the NSA nexus for your financial security into old age, if by some miracle you make that far
  Jewel in the Crown
  At that early phase, the Greenwald show was run by the Guardian. Its editor in chief Alan Rusbridger took the spotlight role for breaking the Snowden story. The Guardian breaking-news spectacle was run by the same Royalist intelligence network that harbored Julian Assange on the country estate of military officer, sniper and journalist Vaughan Smith, founder of the Frontline Club that conducted intelligence operations in the Balkans war.
  The strategic decision-making at the Guardian goes far higher than editor Rusbridger. The publishing group's chairwoman is Amelia Chilcott Fawcett, a confidante of Prince Charles who also supervises the Prince of Wales Foundation. The career of Dame Fawcett, Commander of the British Empire , shows her to be a force to be reckoned with: international attorney, CEO and executive director of Morgan Stanley Europe, director of State Street Corporation, board member of the Bank of England, and head of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian, Observer and other media assets.
  Although born in Boston , the cradle of American independence, Chilcott Fawcett is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Britain , and Atlanticist of unquestionable and unquestioning Tory persuasion. She is eminently qualified and adequately connected to direct Prince Charles's long-running dispute with upstart cousins at the CIA and NSA. While the Foreign Office remains shamelessly in debt and beholden to the Americans, British military intelligence is a Royalist bastion.
  The Princess Diana investigative reporting by the now defunct News of the World, owned by the adoptive American Rupert Murdoch, were particularly offensive to the Saxe-Coburg family aka the Windsors. The personal animosity between President George W. Bush and Prince Charles nearly wrecked the Anglo-American relationship. The mystery of the 7/7 London Tube bombing during the Gleneagles G-8 summit was especially galling, since a former CIA executive was in charge of Metro security. Only special agents had access to blast the ''tunnel below the Tube'', which has been used to convey British troops across London since World War II, according to a Special Branch police intelligence officer interviewed by this writer.
  British agents and sympathizers in Hong Kong were instrumental in erecting the security cordon around fugitive Snowden, and the Guardian new-hire Greenwald was enlisted as the American liaison. The media leaks were calibrated to cause discomfort, rather than excruciating pain, to the arrogant lads at NSA. The few documents released had no effect on British interests, but the bulk of files that affect the common interests of America and Europe remain secreted under royal seal. As the Obama White House flounders under the debt-ceiling dispute and pressure from bankers in the City of London , the Royals are enjoying a revival.
  In a nutshell the Snowden case was used by the British military intelligence in partnership with a CIA faction opposed to the heavy-handed Pentagon-NSA eavesdropping programs that threaten to knock over sensitive operations, for instance, joint operations with Qatar and Saudi intelligence to direct Al Qaeda units in Libya , Syria and Afghanistan . Since assassination targets could include American, British and other allied European officers who know too much, the Agency prefers to operate without its communications with field agents and MK-ULTRA types being monitored by lads like Snowden or any of the many generals who have a grudge against the CIA. As for disclosures on snooping, the public be damned.
  As for Greenwald's sidekicks Poitras and Schahill, so-called journalists who depend on non-profits for their handouts do not deserve mention. They have to yet pay their dues by working the night shift as sub-editors and chasing ambulances at cub reporters before boasting about their stories made for sponsors Journalism is an old-school profession not a luxury voyage of global exploration and personal discovery. No wonder Pierre is so worried about finding good editors since none of the trio qualify.
  Who is Pierre Omidyar?
  Since the existing grude match between the clowns of American and British intelligence cannot continue indefinitely, a new character must be introduced onto the circus to relieve the tension. As a person with close ties with the spy masters of U.S. , Britain , France and Abu Dhabi , Pierre Omidyar arrives with a shocking suddenness as ringmaster for the Greenwald acrobatics.
  Born in Paris in 1967 to Iranian (C)migr(C)s, Pierre Parviz/Morad Omidyar came to Maryland at age 6 with his father, a physician at Johns Hopkins, and mother, a Sorbonne-trained linguist. He attended the Potomac School in McLean , Virginia , which is better known as Langley .
  Key facts on his background are not disclosed: his family's religious affiliation, ancestral home in Iran , rank and status in the traditional social system, and ethnicity (Iranian society has been a melting pot for many millennia). His official biography is sanitized of facts and adorned with public-relations flourishes.
  One of few facts that cannot be suppressed by Omidyar obsession with privacy is his schooling at Punahou, a private academy in Honolulu , staring a year after fellow alum Barack Obama's departure. Insider connections were essential for admission to the prep school, and in that era the few channels of access for children from the Third World were through parents working for the CIA, like Obama's mother Ann Dunham (see Wayne Madsen's in-depth expose of the Obama family's work for the CIA in ''The Manufacturing of a President'').
  Persia not Iran
  Pierre's mother Elahe Mir-Djalali Omidyar had similar credentials as a Farsi linguist at Georgetown University in the mid-1970s when the Carter administration was grappling with the upsurge in popular protests in Iran against the Shah's regime, while USAID advisers were trying to identify the underlying socioeconomic causes of the unrest. At the time when the Shah of Iran's grip on power was starting to crumble, Ayatollah Khomeini was in exile in Paris . Elahe Omidyar's Ph.D.-level fluency in both Farsi and French had to be an outstanding asset.
  Founded by Dr Omidyar, the Roshan Institute for Cultural Heritage is dedicated to the preservation of Persian culture. Since the institute's literature makes a point of using Persia rather than Iran , a bit of explanation is needed. Though the two names are somewhat interchangeable, Persia refers to the polyglot empire and the ancient language that is the basis of Farsi, while Iran is more associated with the modern nation-state. The word Iran is based on Aryan, the ancient Indo-European term for '' Land of Light '' (as opposed to the higher latitudes as one travels northward). Persian in cultural reference also tends to imply the imperial dynasties and the courtly culture of the native emperors and conquering dynasties that adopted the regional culture.
  The Roshan symbol of 24-ray sun is based on a carving at the ruins of Persepolis , the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, who best-known emperors were Xerxes and Darius II. Alexander the Great, avenging Xerxes' invasion of Greece (depicted with extreme bias in the movie ''300''), either allowed or ordered the destruction of the-then world's greatest city. The two Shahs of modern Pahlavi dynasty, Reza and the CIA-installed Mohammad Reza, staged massive performances at Persepolis to identify themselves with the Achaemenid dynasty. Fate being ironic, their rule ended nearly as disastrously. For purposes of discussion here, the Omidya valorization of Persepolis indicates attachment to the Shah of Iran, whose court included many advisors and officials were Bahai followers or Jewish by birth.
  Oddly, the Roshan Institute board includes only one cultural expert, Dr. Omidyar. The others are deans, which makes sense because Roshan's main activity is to provide scholarships to students and place them in allied universities. One of the more interesting board members is former Democrat Florida congresswoman Jan Scheider, a former staffer with Terry McAuliff and lawyer for Bill Clinton. Mrs. Omidyar is one of her campaign contributors.
  Social Impact Investing
  In a similar vein with Dunham, a social worker who conducted CIA research in poor rural areas of Kenya and Indonesia , Elahe Omidyar's academic work has stressed the cultural and social milieu of Iranian society, an approach that has greatly influence her son. Pierre Omidyar advocates a ''social impact'' to investment in the developing countries, with financial support for non-governmental organizations along with private-sector investment.The emphasize on poor rural communities may sound benign, even noble-hearted, but that is exactly the same policy as the Rockefeller and Ford foundations in manipulating and suppressing grassroots movements with the goal of regime change to oust populist nationalist governments and preserving natural resources for Western corporations.
  A three-point program of liberal development theory can be summarized as:- winning hearts and minds to wage counterinsurgency and proxy wars- takeovers of land, water and essential resources to subjugate the population- promoting construction of highways, bridges and ports to gain World Bank loans and lucrative contracts through corrupt puppet leaders.
  Survivalism and Super-Flu Virus in Hawaii
  Closer to home, Omidyar funds non-profit groups involved in organic farming in Hawaii . So what could be so sinister about such exemplary clean living? Here is what the Honolulu Advertiser daily reported: ''While he's clearly enamored with the Island culture, he is also aware of the danger of living in the middle of an ocean. Omidyar worries that a pandemic could cut Hawaii 's lifelines and leave it with an 11-day supply of food. To that end, he has made pivotal donations to local nonprofits dedicated to building sustainable local food supplies. At the same time, he has stockpiled several months of food for his personal use at storage facilities on O'ahu.''
  That sounds an awful lot like a conspiracy theory. A pandemic, perhaps of highly lethal avian influenza depopulates Hawaii and the West Coast by disease and starvation, since no food arrives by ship or plan for more than two weeks. It means much of North American population is also exterminated. So what does Pierre Omidyar know that public is completely unaware of? Always remember, they who spread the plague have a monopoly on the antidote.
  Loose ends in need of tying: Pierre and his mother Elahe Omidyar founded the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, discussed below. Among the board members is former University of Hawaii Mano chancellor Virgina Hinton. The microbiologist is a top expert in the avian influenza or bird flu virus, which whe weaponized poses the greatest threat of a mass-destruction epidemic.
  Before coming to Hawaii , Dr. Hinton served as head of the animal lab at the University of Wisconsin Madison . Her chosen successor at that position was Yoshikiko Kawaoka, the Japanese scientist from Kobe University who in fact did soon at UW weaponize H5N1 into a highly lethal and contagious super-flu strain.
  Here is an excerpt from a report in the seemingly innocuous UW Alumni Association newsletter ''On Wisconsin'':
  ''Virginia Hinshaw, a former colleague at both St. Jude and UW-Madison and now provost of the University of California- Davis, recalls him as being 'extremely bright and very creative. It was obvious that he was extraordinary.'
  ''It was Hinshaw who again set the stage for Kawaoka's next move. In 1995, she left her flu lab in the School of Veterinary Medicine to become dean of the Graduate School . With her encouragement, Kawaoka applied for her job, eventually joining the faculty in 1997. 'I remember him coming to my office in the Graduate School and looking around, saying, '''I just want to see where I'm going next,'' Hinshaw laughs.
  ''Where he was headed next, however, was Hong Kong . Four months after he arrived in Madison , Kawaoka was chosen by the National Institutes ofHealth to join a select team of international researchers analyzing the H5N1 virus, which had been identified in poultry in China and had begun to appear in humans. By the end of the year, the bird flu had infected eighteen people, killing six '-- a foreboding sign of the virus's potential that raised the alarm of public health officials around the world.''
  In one word: Biowarfare. A French-born Iranian moved to Hawaii as an ideal place to raise his children, but then starts to stockpile food and drugs. It gets more worrisome because he is equipped for a biological Armageddon. Read on.
  Deseret Empire of the Mormons
  Security, of course, becomes an issue during food riots and mass panic. Not to worry, because Pierre has the leadership corps to create a private army. ''Omidyar employs a group of former Secret Service agents and ex-State Department officials to serve as his private security team and to fly his private jet, a French-made Dassault Falcon 900EX, which he keeps parked in a private hangar at Honolulu International Airport .''
  Omidyar has set up safe houses on an island in France , Southern California and Nevada along with a 640-acre ranch in Montana . ''I'd say we're probably more significantly prepared than the average family,'' Omidyar said. ''We have property all over the world and we have property we can fly to.''
  His long residence in Nevada and Montana , inside the greater Deseret Empire, offer a clue to his cult-like perspective. One of few new religions not hostile to the Church of Latter-Day Saints is the Bahai Faith, which originated in Iran although its largest temple, the Universal House of Justice, is based in Haifa , Israel .
  Another clue to Omidyar's covert connection to Bahai is his focus on development projects in Zambia , the chief target of the sect's missionary activities in Africa .
  Then, there's Omidyar's sponsorship of virus research and food stockpiling in Hawaii that corresponds to the End Times predicted by Bahai found Bahaullah: ''Soon will the present-day order be rolled up and a new one spread out in its stead.''
  The Universal House of Justice confirmed the validity of the prophecy with an epistle to this worldwide membership: ''The old order cannot be repaired; it is being rolled up before our eyes. The moral decay and disorder convulsing human society must run their course; we can neither arrest nor divert them. Our task is the build the Order of Bahaullah.''
  As this next look at numerology indicates, the old order of God the Supreme Law-Giver is ''being rolled up'' in these End Day. Only then, through mass destruction, will the vessel of faithful followers deliver the authentic world divinity, the adamant and prideful One.
  No.9 in Numerology '' Yesod
  The Bahai inner sanctum has persistently obscured the meaning of the number 9 as an ''Arab symbol for fulfillment.'' No, the mystic symbol is derived from Jewish Kabbalist numerology as the symbol the final step before divine perfection. Number 9 symbolizes the sephirot (node of knowledge and power) ''Yesod'', the vessel for action. The action is toward the fulfillment of the double-digit representing ''Malkuth'' or kingship, in the sense of divine-right monarchy. (Kabbalism and its extension Illuminism, has therefore has had an attraction to royalists and pretenders worldwide, especially in Western Europe .)
  Nine is strangely identified with the qualities of adamancy and pride that are the characteristics of Lucifer, the most intelligent angel surpassed only by God. The uneasy potency of this number, however, is limited to the institutional structure of the religious group. In fact, the actual ritual symbol of Bahai is the pentagram.
  The God-Lucifer dichotomy has earlier roots in Zoroastrian dualistic philosophy of a cosmos divided between the god of light Ohrmadz (Ahura Mazda) and his doppelganger Ahriman (Angra Mainyu), prince of darkness. This duality helps to explain the hostility of the Bahai founders toward Islam and Zoroastrianism, and their willing affiliation with the Illuminati and Kabbalist-influenced Zionism. To substitute Lucifer-as-usurper in the stead of God the good requires distancing from the fallen angel's evil image as Satan, whose reputation Bahai has done its best to rehabilitate, sanitize and salvage.
  This brings up the question: Is Lucifer aka Ahriman, No.10? Are these cultists devil worshippers? To put things more charitably, the Bahai along with the Illuminati put highest esteem on pure reason (in rejection of the charismatic nature a and capricious will of a God who imposes tough rules on mankind.) Lucifer, without his terrifying image as Satan, is an adamant hero who teaches humans to be proud of themselves, to stand tall and not to grovel before a morally oppressive and restrictive divinity of the orthodox priesthood. A defender of reason, Lucifer can therefore be the rightful God of mankind to one who is a heretic deviating from Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition.
  Illuminati of the Oxford Movement
  It is no odd coincidence then that veneration of the evening star is shared by the seemingly disconnected cults of Illuminism and Bahai The historical links between these two cults can be found in Hermano Maximiliano's ''Freemasonry, the British Empire and the Formation of the Baha'I Cult''. In a cultural crusade to preserve British imperial power, a group of elite academics formed the Oxford Movement, which promoted radical new religious leaders across the Muslim world, particularly Bahai founder Bahaullah. (The Roman Empire underestimated the growing influence of religions from the Orient, including Christianity, which led to its collapse, and the Oxford Movement was determined to avoid that fatal ideological mistake.}
  In a classic divide-and-rule exercise, Bahai was created as a ''super-faith'' that amalgamated the teachings of all world religions, and therefore deserve to replace Islam with a ''one world faith.'' It was in the interest of British imperialism in Iran and the Middle East to weaken the influence of Islam and to gain control over the Shia-promoted trend of emerging nationalism.
  ''Although it began as an experimental British foray in non-religious freemasonic cults, the Bahai movement would spawn the organizer of the future pan-Islamic movement, Jamaleddine Al-Afghani,'' writes to Maximiliano. An early advocate of Bahai, Al-Afghani went on to form the Salafi school of fundamentalist Islam, which provided the ideological foundation for the Brotherhood and Al Qaeda.
  The British spymasters who fostered Bahai and Salafism included Orientalist scholar Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Cambridge dean Edward G. Browne, while field operations with the Wahabi Salafists were led by St. John Philby.(Blunt's grand-nephew Anthony, art adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, and Philby's descendant Kim were leading members of the celebrated Oxford spy ring.) Besides the penchant for the occult and pederasty, heresy runs deep in the Oxbridge circle. (www.arabamericanencyclopedia.com) offers a good read on the Oxford Movement and Bahai.)In contrast to Salafism, which openly calls for a theocratic state, Bahai operates covertly behind the scenes to manipulate politicians and opinion leaders. For instance, unbeknownst to the public, Pierre Omidyar provided his private jet to fly State Department officials incognito for talks with Hamas and also transported former President Jimmy Carter to Tehran for secret diplomacy.
  Fatwa Against Bahai
  Behind the public pose of peacemaking, Bahai's role has not always been benign. In August, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa against contact with Bahai, following the discovery that terrorist cells included Bahai operatives. The term ''Iranian Freemasons'' recurrently arises whenever U.S. neoconservatives hatch plans to attack Iran . It has also been a mystery of how the criminal terrorist group Mujaheedeen Al-Khalq obtained the funding to build a mini-army inside neighboring Iraq and mounted elaborate assassination campaigns in Iran .
  One incident familiar to this writer was the so-called Iranian bombing in Bangkok in 2012, which were attributed to the Tehran regime. (Two suspects were convicted in August by a Thai court.) The key figure in this incident was an Iranian woman with a Jewish family name, who managed to flee immediately after inadvertent blast damaged a safe house. At the time, her escape pointed to an Israeli connection, as the planned attacks were timed to match a Mossad international campaign to offer security services and training to Asian governments.
  Alliance with Israel
  Bahai's closest international ally is the State of Israel. Nearly every Israeli president and prime minister has made an official homage to the Shrine of Bab at the Bahai World Center in Haifa . Why would the head of the Jewish state honor a new religion that claims to be the world's supreme belief?
  One motivation is the ''enemy of my enemy'' alliance, since both Bahai and Zionist are sworn to regime change in Iran . Another, historically deeper connection is the role of Jewish Kabbalism in the creation of the Bahai sect. Although developed in Al-Andalus, the Moorish realm in late-medieval/early Renaissance Spain, the Kabbala has earlier origins in the alchemistry, numerology, astronomy and philosophy of Persia and Mesopotamia as developed by Jewish, Islamic and Indian thinkers.
  These early scientific explorations led to syncretism of the respective religious beliefs and occult doctrines, often expressed as sub-schools of Sufism. The syncretistic approach was especially favored by Donmeh Jews, the disciples of Sabbatai Zevi who became superficial converts to Islam under orders from Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV.
  The various streams of hidden Jewish thought, which spread through the vast Islamic domain, eventually made its way into Europe with the Frankist movement and the Asiatic Brotherhood secret society, which profoundly influenced major figures such as Emperor Joseph of the Habsburgs (husband of Maria Theresa, ''Queen of the Night'' in Mozart's ''Magic Flute'') and the German princes of Hesse (Frankfurt region) whose banker was Mayer Rothschild, founder of the powerful Jewish banking dynasty. The merger of Kabbalist practices, including sexual libertinism, with Enlightenment philosophy led to Adam Weiskopf's formation of the Order of the Illuminati.
  During the era of British world mastery, following the defeats of Napoleonic France, the English Illuminati scholars enchanted with Orientalism reintroduced Kabbalist occultism to the Near East among the Young Turks led by Ataturk, the Bahai and the Salafists. The Rothschild clan's financing of Zionism promoted ties with and recruitment of hidden Jews across the Muslim realm, cementing a close relationship between Bahai and Israel as well as between Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and the Mossad.
  The official Bahai account paints themselves as victims of Shia Muslim persecution and pogroms, whereas the historical causes of nationalist opposition to the Bahai are more complicated. The Bahai were generally supportive of the Shahs of Iran before and after the CIA coup against the democratic Mosaddeqh regime, which nationalized the Iranian oil reserves. Bahai advisers to the court of successive Shahs promoted the secularization of Iranian society in order to banish Islamic values and undermine the nationalist Shia clergy. For Iranian nationalists, however, both secular and religious-inspired, the Shah's regime was a tool for Western control over Iran 's immense oil reserves. The Bahai are thus perceived as agents of the CIA and MI-6, which in fact many of their leaders actually were.
  Occult Triangle
  The triangular relationship of the Disraeli/Rothschid '' Oxford Movement '' Bahai/Salafism of the 19th is now being reflected in the Snowden affair with the collusion of the Zionism/Greenwald '' Guardian/Royalist '' Bahai/Omidyar. History repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as a farce.
  As Israel edges toward a first-strike attack against Iran , while ramping up its covert wars against Iranian influence in Sudan and Palestine , is it any wonder that Pierre Omidyar and Glenn Greenwald are preparing to launch a major online propaganda mouthpiece? Is this new media venture, too, part of the Bahai plan to prepare for the imminent End of the World to be delivered by an unstoppable contagion of super-flu?
  Instead of playing dangerous games, Pierre Omidyar is far better off in the luxury of fiction where he belongs rather than sentencing himself to hard labor at journalism. To lead the budding writer to the fabled shores of epic poetry and apocalyptic scenarios, let me guide him without personal ill will to his literary destiny with this short-short story of epic dimension, salted with plagiarism and peppered with cultural chauvinism, inspired by a world-renowned figure of ancient Persia whose ambitions were nearly as grand as his.
  Whenever history reaches an impasse, onto the desolate field of the forum rumbles a juggernaut bearing a demigod who showers silver coins on his new subjects like droplets of water for the thirsty. At this hour of desperate survival, citizens, spurn the siren song of obedience, for even power-obsessed Xerxes and his cruel cohort of Immortals proved weak in spirit when bloodied between the stony heights and unfathomable depths. Cunning in the sophistry of One World at Peace, the satraps of empire are masters of the dark arts of treachery and betrayal as taught by their uncanny master Angra Mainyu.
  Today, the beast again approaches to snuff out the world's one hope for reason and justice, the voice of truth arising from faith in the heart. The overwhelming odds of their 250 million pieces of silver against our 300 in bronze mean an even contest, for the difference will be tallied in righteous ferocity and deeds of glory.
  Freedom is won only by those who have faced the blood rage of the wolves and have known the Spartan conditions of this real world of hungry villages andSaving Agent Snowden from his Handlers Greenwald and Omidyar
  By Yoichi Shimatsu
  Whistleblower Edward Snowden was taken for a ride by con artists in the service of the US and UK intelligence agencies. Under the cover of ''independent journalism'', the scammers conned him out of his trove of secret NSA files, hustled him from Hong Kong ahead of legislature-sponsored public hearings on cyber-espionage, and unceremoniously dumped him, minus documents, in a transit lounge at Moscow Airport . This report shows how the American and British spymasters retrieved the top-secret files by luring the fugitive into a well-laid trap, while the mass media went along with the deception to aid the authorities in evading public calls to abolish the global surveillance state.
  Pierre Omidyar, founder of the online flea market e-Bay, is betting a reported $250 million that the accomplices of whistleblower Edward Snowden can follow up their caper with the launch of an online news site with global reach. The ethnic Iranian tycoon is funding a new media project for the team of Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill because he became ''more alarmed about the pressures coming down on journalists with the various leak investigations in Washington .'' (Pacific Business News)
  An angel investor committed to press freedom and opposed to government surveillance is every journalist's dream even though it sounds too good to be true. There are serious grounds for questioning the credibility of Greenwald and his newest patron, whose business venture Omidyar Network is closely connected with NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, Edward Snowden's erstwhile employer.
  Known for his globalist vision and ''social-impact'' projects in the developing countries, backed by immense personal wealth, Omidyar follows in the footsteps of other billionaires who launched their own electronic media projects: George Soros with his slew of propaganda organs, Ariana Huffington at HuffPost and Michael Bloomberg with his financial news arm, to name a few. These well-oiled publicity machines hardly qualify as standard-bearers of objective reporting since each of these opinion-shapers has a political agenda, from running City Hall to fomenting uprisings for regime change in support of market economics. Early on, it already appears that Omidyar, for all his sentimental sound bites, could turn out to be the worst of a bad lot.
  Partnering Booz Allen
  In stark contrast to his libertarian posturing, Omidyar is connected at the hip to the very same intelligence nexus that he publicly condemns, particularly Booz Allen Hamilton, the NSA security contractor that employed Snowden in Hawaii and Japan . One of the major investment partners with Omidyar Network, Salvadore ''Sal'' Gambianco, sits on the board of directors of Booz Allen Hamilton Holdings.
  As head of Omidyar Network's human capital operations, Giambanco vets trainees and assesses employee performance for promotion or termination. For more than a decade, Omidyar Network has had a revolving door for its employees with Booz Allen, shuttling staffers and interns for intelligence-related postings. Just a few of these individuals who worked for both Omidyar Network and Booz Allen include:
  - Dhaya Lakshminarayan who was sent to Cuba to research development programs;- Pranay Chulet hired to head Omidyar-backed Quikr in India ;- Patricia Sosrodjojo, Indonesian venture capital expert in Jakarta ; and- Michael Kent, a Booz Allen counter-terrorism specialist who served as a research associate at the Omidyar campus in Redwood City , California .
  The relationship, simply put, is corporate collusion, and if businesses could be married, Booz Allen and Omidyar Network are husband and wife.
  Inside the NSA's Big Tent
  Booz Allen and Omidyar Network are corporate members of an NSA-linked consortium called Innocentive, a consultancy focused on crowdsourcing (read: data-mining of public-opinion polls, consumer surveys and Internet-based personal data). Other member-companies include In-Q-Tel, a developer of communications monitoring software spawned with millions in start-up capital from the CIA.
  Also represented is the In-Q-Tel spin-off Palantir, which creates fictive personas or virtual trolls to mount smear campaigns to debunk or threaten journalists and critical websites online and in letters to editors. Palantir, which refers to itself as an ''electronic warfare'' firm, has created a meta-data collection program similar to the NSA's PRISM. Michael Leiter, former head of the National Counter-Terrorism Center , is the executive counsel to Palantir.
  Another corporate partner in Innocentive is Lilly Ventures, the investment arm of Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals, which produced LSD for the MK-ULTRA mind-control program and is now the lead partner in the Obama-sponsored national brain-mapping project. Full-spectrum surveillance is advancing from wireless electronics into the bio-network of the human synapses, the last frontier for total mind control. The objective of pre-crime pre-cognition, that is, the detection of criminal tendencies, for instance, resistance to authority, and intervention before the crime can happen. Using drugs to impair the mental capabilities of individuals is, of course, only a part of a wider and larger program of social engineering to ensure domination of the globalist elites over any increasingly dependant and expendable population.
  As birds of the feather that flock together, Booz Allen Hamilton and Omidyar Network are a pair of ducks in the NSA-CIA pond. These intelligence links are so thinly guised, it beggars belief that an attorney like Greenwald who practiced law in New York City could be so oblivious to the conflict of interest in regard to the security of his client Edward Snowden.
  Either Glenn Greenwald is a gullible village idiot or he is one of many actors planted in this spy charade. Nobody in the intelligence game is allowed to be that na¯ve, especially when it is crystal clear from these interlocking corporate connections that Pierre Omidyar is hardly an innocent when he has every incentive to work on behalf of Booz Allen and the NSA to recover the Snowden files.
  Sell-Out or Set Up?
  It took $250 million for Omidyar to win the fealty of the ''courageous'' and ''independent'' journalists who surrounded Snowden and controlled his every movement. The team of Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill, along with filmmaker Laura Poitras, not only kept the fugitive in the dark while mounting a clever sting operation. (''You can't let the Chinese or Russians confiscate the files'', as if Moscow or Beijing would be that stupid while the whole world was watching.) Taking his data as a ''security precaution'', the thieves thus managed to retrieve the secret documents for the spymasters in London , Langley and Fort Meade .
  ''We'll be working with them and others, but we have a long way to go in terms of what the (news) organization looks like, people's roles and responsibilities,'' said Omidyar to Pacific Business News. This leaves no doubt about who's the boss, while his other statements indicate Greenwald, Poitras and Schahill can collect the bounty money and disappear until their next Mission Impossible assignment, so long as they keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, a new team of actors will hunt them down one at a time. Accidents happen.
  What business executive in the current risk climate commits $250 million of his own savings to a vaguely defined project without a management structure or financial plan? And the objective is to protect the public from government intrusion, even if his own company profits from those encroachments on privacy? In the fantasy world of comic-book heroes, a magnate like Bruce Wayne would never throw away his fortune to buy the Daily Planet so that Jimmy Olson and Lois Lane can be crusading reporters.
  The patently ludicrous statements show that Pierre Omidyar is acting as a minder for a powerful entity, for example, the National Intelligence Council, and serving as babysitter for the non-profit funded ''journalists'' who conned Snowden out of this trove of documents and dumped him at the Moscow airport transit lounge. As winter bears down over the steppe, Snowden as his surname suggests is snowed in for the duration, thanks to the Greenwald-Poitras snow job.
  600-pound Gorilla in the Salon
  Early in his legal career in the 1990s, Greenwald was reprimanded for secretly taping witnesses during his pro bono defense of a white supremacist. This self-proclaimed civil libertarian employed the same sort of illegal surveillance that he would later criticize so loudly. Soon after being questioned in court about his electronic recording activities without the prior signing of consent forms, he closed down his private practice. If Greenwald hadn't he could be disbarred.
  In 2002, Greenwald went on to bigger things as a business partner in Master Notions, whose clients included the video production company Hairy Jocks, which produced homosexual pornography. A falling out among the partners led to Greenwald forming a new company called Hairy Studs. On the bright side of this shady business, his background in porn could mean a gold mine for Omidyar's future news company in ads from gay bathhouses and escort services from New York to Rio .
  Meanwhile, when the Internal Revenue Service put a lien on his earnings for failure to report past income, Greenwald launched his own blog to complain about overbearing government intrusion. As luck had it, his timing was perfect because CIA veteran Valerie Plame was being outed in the press by Scooter Libby, legal counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney.
  Rebounding from his unsavory start as a purveyor of sleaze, the counselor reinvented himself as a ''journalist'' writing a civil-liberties column for Salon.com, that paragon of muddled murmurs from lapdog liberals founded by Microsoft's Bill Gates. Despite its reputation as forum for pathetic poseurs and depressed Generation-X losers, Salon provided the strategic boost that propelled Greenwald into national prominence. All along something was amiss. Greenwald was being cherry-picked by an invisible hand as the anointed spokesman for civil liberties, while veteran activists with the Electronic Frontier foundation and ACLU were being bypassed and ignored.
  Cognitive Infiltration
  His golden moment arrived with a 2008 PBS radio debate over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) hosted by Amy Goodman, pitting the crusading lawyer-cum-journalist against information tsar Cass Sunstein.
  The University of Chicago law school professor rode into the White House office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on the coattails of his protege and former student Barack Obama. Married to NSA staffer Samantha Power (who was since appointed American ambassador to the UN), Sunstein is renowned for his pet cause of animal protection, advocating the right of a dog or cat to file lawsuits as a plaintiff against abusive owners. The FISA dual was therefore a match made in media heaven between world title holder Dr. Kibble Bits and the up-and-coming contender Harry Stud. (The rather dull transcript, which fails to capture the geist of the zeit, is available at www.democracynow.org.)
  Greenwald won hands down by a TKO (taking Kibblebits out), scoring against Sunstein on the issue of retroactive immunity for war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan . The trouble is, however, the fix was in. The bout went according to Sunstein's ''cognitive infiltration'' game-plan. By taking the role of bad cop, the professor set up Greenwald to emerge as the good cop, the nation's top reformer since nobody else ever had the privilege of debating the information tsar.
  After this ploy, morally outraged jurists and lawyers who wanted to press war-crimes and even genocide charges against the Bush administration were sucked into the blog-and-debate routine and nudged into the position of being the loyal opposition. The national debate rapidly shifted from condemnation of torture in Guantanamo to the minutiae of legal procedures, while candidate Obama's promise to shut down the abominable prison camp was politely forgotten. Cognitive infiltration proved to a most effective psywar technique, manipulating critics to volunteer for their own castration.
  Sunstein, who strategizes global information control for the executive branch (Office of the President, the CIA, FBI and NSA): has also promoted dirty war with the planting of agents provocateurs to infiltrate terrorist cells, protest groups and domestic militias. As seen at the Boston Marathon, government-recruited dupes and crisis actors were scripted to score astonishing feats against the ''oppressive'' government. On one hand, the violence and theatrics scare the daylights out of the public, which wipes out objections to the repressive state apparatus. On the other hand, the provos for the intelligence agencies succeed in impressing extremist movements worldwide, which then can be steered into proxy wars, false-flag attacks and assassinations of one's own troublesome political allies.
  These sorts of police-agent tactics were tested during the Vietnam War era by Obama's mentors in the Chicago circle of phony leftists, which discredited and disrupted Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) by financing the Weather Underground's rampages of arson and window-smashing. Distribution of firearms by provocateurs to young radicals brought on the Nixon COINTELPRO campaign to assassinate community leaders, notably Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party and imprison others like H. Rap Brown.
  A Better Rat Trap for Squealers
  One of Sunstein's major projects has been to contain the epidemic of insider disclosures by whistleblowers. Knowing quite well that disgruntled government employees will invariably seek legal counsel, what better tactic than to fabricate a ''civil liberties'' crusader working pro bono along with his wide network of media contacts and deep-pockets funders?
  The trap was set, and as predicted the quarry arrived, by the name of Edward Snowden. Like a mouse after cheese, the gullible mark took the bait and followed Greenwald's every instruction. Dr. Sunstein succeeded brilliantly when his ''mini-me'' puppet did what no law-enforcement agency could ever pull off '' the voluntary surrender of top-secret files.
  OK, you won. That's enough of the rough-trade scowl for the cameras, Glenn, when you'd rather just howl and roll on the floor at how easily Eddie was reeled in hook, line and sinker. Hey, stud, you deserve the reward at the rainbow's end, those big fat checks from the Iranian dude. Maybe for your next assignment, you should take over the lead role from Tom Cruise for the upcoming episode ''MI-6.''
  Hong Kong Exfiltration
  From the time of Snowden's sojourn in Hong Kong, it was clear to journalists and politicians that his local lawyer Albert Ho and the minders with British and US intelligence were not going to allow unfettered disclosure of the NSA documents to an astonished global public. When the Western spies learned that parliamentarians with the Legislative Council (LEGCO) were planning to call for open public hearings with Snowden as star witness, the whistleblower was suddenly packed off to Moscow .
  As Snowden himself had figured, Hong Kong was the ideal place of refuge with its Basic Law and legal community fiercely committed to free expression, a regional hub for the major media, a cyber-security center with top university computer departments and experts at global banks, local protesters and the Foreign Correspondents Club demanding his protection, a police force that was ordered to prevent anyone from harming the fugitive, and a Chief Executive, the city's top official, who gave his personal assurances that Snowden would not be extradited. What more could anyone ask for?
  His local lawyer Albert Ho, a legislative council member with the Democrat Party, claims that he was visited in the middle of the night by ''somebody'' urging Snowden to get out of Hong Kong . The Catholic-dominant Democrat Party is famously funded by the Washington neocon patrons, the National Endowment for Democracy, It is an open secret that since the days of Senator Jesse Helms, Democrat leaders fly to Washington to pick up checks from the intelligence chiefs.
  There was no threat from mainland authorities as falsely reported since Beijing had an interest along with every bank, company and individual in Hong Kong in the NSA communications intercepts. It was a big lie from his so-called protectors that triggered Snowden's flight from a Hong Kong ready to offer him immunity.
  Glenn Greenwald went along with the deception, meaning he had to be in on the plot to retrieve the secret-level documents for the NSA. That he has so quickly accepted an editorship with Omidyar, one of the closest allies of Booz Allen, only confirms all the other evidence on his collaboration with the spy agencies.
  Instead of an intense three weeks of public hearings revealing all of the NSA wrongdoing, with daily commentaries by cyber-security experts and, more important, the victims of state violations of privacy, Greenwald and Poitras has reduced the flow of documents to a drip feed.
  The blog called Rancid Honeytrap has sharply punctured the hot-air balloon from Snowden's erstwhile handlers, notably Greenwald:
  ''Viva the new journalism of lying repeatedly about the size of your document trove to teach the rubes valuable lessons in proper whistleblowing.''Viva the new journalism of leaking 300 pages in four months from a trove that exceeds 60,00 documents.''Viva the new journalism that probably suppressed at least one story on government orders.''Viva the new journalism of putting 50k-plus docs in the care of The New York Times since they had proven themselves so worthy in Cablegate.''Viva the new journalism that talks about the crucial role of the heroic journalist far far more than it talks about the secrets in his care.''Viva the new journalism that hoards leaks while it negotiates movie and television rights with Sony and HBO.''
  To that last point might we add: Viva for winning $250 million from the NSA nexus for your financial security into old age, if by some miracle you make that far.
  Jewel in the Crown
  At that early phase, the Greenwald show was run by the Guardian. Its editor in chief Alan Rusbridger took the spotlight role for breaking the Snowden story. The Guardian breaking-news spectacle was run by the same Royalist intelligence network that harbored Julian Assange on the country estate of military officer, sniper and journalist Vaughan Smith, founder of the Frontline Club that conducted intelligence operations in the Balkans war.
  The strategic decision-making at the Guardian goes far higher than editor Rusbridger. The publishing group's chairwoman is Amelia Chilcott Fawcett, a confidante of Prince Charles who also supervises the Prince of Wales Foundation. The career of Dame Fawcett, Commander of the British Empire , shows her to be a force to be reckoned with: international attorney, CEO and executive director of Morgan Stanley Europe, director of State Street Corporation, board member of the Bank of England, and head of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian, Observer and other media assets.
  Although born in Boston , the cradle of American independence, Chilcott Fawcett is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Britain , and Atlanticist of unquestionable and unquestioning Tory persuasion. She is eminently qualified and adequately connected to direct Prince Charles's long-running dispute with upstart cousins at the CIA and NSA. While the Foreign Office remains shamelessly in debt and beholden to the Americans, British military intelligence is a Royalist bastion.
  The Princess Diana investigative reporting by the now defunct News of the World, owned by the adoptive American Rupert Murdoch, were particularly offensive to the Saxe-Coburg family aka the Windsors. The personal animosity between President George W. Bush and Prince Charles nearly wrecked the Anglo-American relationship. The mystery of the 7/7 London Tube bombing during the Gleneagles G-8 summit was especially galling, since a former CIA executive was in charge of Metro security. Only special agents had access to blast the ''tunnel below the Tube'', which has been used to convey British troops across London since World War II, according to a Special Branch police intelligence officer interviewed by this writer.
  British agents and sympathizers in Hong Kong were instrumental in erecting the security cordon around fugitive Snowden, and the Guardian new-hire Greenwald was enlisted as the American liaison. The media leaks were calibrated to cause discomfort, rather than excruciating pain, to the arrogant lads at NSA. The few documents released had no effect on British interests, but the bulk of files that affect the common interests of America and Europe remain secreted under royal seal. As the Obama White House flounders under the debt-ceiling dispute and pressure from bankers in the City of London , the Royals are enjoying a revival.
  In a nutshell the Snowden case was used by the British military intelligence in partnership with a CIA faction opposed to the heavy-handed Pentagon-NSA eavesdropping programs that threaten to knock over sensitive operations, for instance, joint operations with Qatar and Saudi intelligence to direct Al Qaeda units in Libya , Syria and Afghanistan . Since assassination targets could include American, British and other allied European officers who know too much, the Agency prefers to operate without its communications with field agents and MK-ULTRA types being monitored by lads like Snowden or any of the many generals who have a grudge against the CIA. As for disclosures on snooping, the public be damned.
  As for Greenwald's sidekicks Poitras and Schahill, so-called journalists who depend on non-profits for their handouts do not deserve mention. They have to yet pay their dues by working the night shift as sub-editors and chasing ambulances at cub reporters before boasting about their stories made for sponsors Journalism is an old-school profession not a luxury voyage of global exploration and personal discovery. No wonder Pierre is so worried about finding good editors since none of the trio qualify.
  Who is Pierre Omidyar?
  Since the existing grude match between the clowns of American and British intelligence cannot continue indefinitely, a new character must be introduced onto the circus to relieve the tension. As a person with close ties with the spy masters of U.S. , Britain , France and Abu Dhabi , Pierre Omidyar arrives with a shocking suddenness as ringmaster for the Greenwald acrobatics.
  Born in Paris in 1967 to Iranian (C)migr(C)s, Pierre Parviz/Morad Omidyar came to Maryland at age 6 with his father, a physician at Johns Hopkins, and mother, a Sorbonne-trained linguist. He attended the Potomac School in McLean , Virginia , which is better known as Langley .
  Key facts on his background are not disclosed: his family's religious affiliation, ancestral home in Iran , rank and status in the traditional social system, and ethnicity (Iranian society has been a melting pot for many millennia). His official biography is sanitized of facts and adorned with public-relations flourishes.
  One of few facts that cannot be suppressed by Omidyar obsession with privacy is his schooling at Punahou, a private academy in Honolulu , staring a year after fellow alum Barack Obama's departure. Insider connections were essential for admission to the prep school, and in that era the few channels of access for children from the Third World were through parents working for the CIA, like Obama's mother Ann Dunham (see Wayne Madsen's in-depth expose of the Obama family's work for the CIA in ''The Manufacturing of a President'').
  Persia not Iran
  Pierre's mother Elahe Mir-Djalali Omidyar had similar credentials as a Farsi linguist at Georgetown University in the mid-1970s when the Carter administration was grappling with the upsurge in popular protests in Iran against the Shah's regime, while USAID advisers were trying to identify the underlying socioeconomic causes of the unrest. At the time when the Shah of Iran's grip on power was starting to crumble, Ayatollah Khomeini was in exile in Paris . Elahe Omidyar's Ph.D.-level fluency in both Farsi and French had to be an outstanding asset.
  Founded by Dr Omidyar, the Roshan Institute for Cultural Heritage is dedicated to the preservation of Persian culture. Since the institute's literature makes a point of using Persia rather than Iran , a bit of explanation is needed. Though the two names are somewhat interchangeable, Persia refers to the polyglot empire and the ancient language that is the basis of Farsi, while Iran is more associated with the modern nation-state. The word Iran is based on Aryan, the ancient Indo-European term for '' Land of Light '' (as opposed to the higher latitudes as one travels northward). Persian in cultural reference also tends to imply the imperial dynasties and the courtly culture of the native emperors and conquering dynasties that adopted the regional culture.
  The Roshan symbol of 24-ray sun is based on a carving at the ruins of Persepolis , the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, who best-known emperors were Xerxes and Darius II. Alexander the Great, avenging Xerxes' invasion of Greece (depicted with extreme bias in the movie ''300''), either allowed or ordered the destruction of the-then world's greatest city. The two Shahs of modern Pahlavi dynasty, Reza and the CIA-installed Mohammad Reza, staged massive performances at Persepolis to identify themselves with the Achaemenid dynasty. Fate being ironic, their rule ended nearly as disastrously. For purposes of discussion here, the Omidya valorization of Persepolis indicates attachment to the Shah of Iran, whose court included many advisors and officials were Bahai followers or Jewish by birth.
  Oddly, the Roshan Institute board includes only one cultural expert, Dr. Omidyar. The others are deans, which makes sense because Roshan's main activity is to provide scholarships to students and place them in allied universities. One of the more interesting board members is former Democrat Florida congresswoman Jan Scheider, a former staffer with Terry McAuliff and lawyer for Bill Clinton. Mrs. Omidyar is one of her campaign contributors.
  Social Impact Investing
  In a similar vein with Dunham, a social worker who conducted CIA research in poor rural areas of Kenya and Indonesia , Elahe Omidyar's academic work has stressed the cultural and social milieu of Iranian society, an approach that has greatly influence her son. Pierre Omidyar advocates a ''social impact'' to investment in the developing countries, with financial support for non-governmental organizations along with private-sector investment.The emphasize on poor rural communities may sound benign, even noble-hearted, but that is exactly the same policy as the Rockefeller and Ford foundations in manipulating and suppressing grassroots movements with the goal of regime change to oust populist nationalist governments and preserving natural resources for Western corporations.
  A three-point program of liberal development theory can be summarized as:- winning hearts and minds to wage counterinsurgency and proxy wars- takeovers of land, water and essential resources to subjugate the population- promoting construction of highways, bridges and ports to gain World Bank loans and lucrative contracts through corrupt puppet leaders.
  Survivalism and Super-Flu Virus in Hawaii
  Closer to home, Omidyar funds non-profit groups involved in organic farming in Hawaii . So what could be so sinister about such exemplary clean living? Here is what the Honolulu Advertiser daily reported: ''While he's clearly enamored with the Island culture, he is also aware of the danger of living in the middle of an ocean. Omidyar worries that a pandemic could cut Hawaii 's lifelines and leave it with an 11-day supply of food. To that end, he has made pivotal donations to local nonprofits dedicated to building sustainable local food supplies. At the same time, he has stockpiled several months of food for his personal use at storage facilities on O'ahu.''
  That sounds an awful lot like a conspiracy theory. A pandemic, perhaps of highly lethal avian influenza depopulates Hawaii and the West Coast by disease and starvation, since no food arrives by ship or plan for more than two weeks. It means much of North American population is also exterminated. So what does Pierre Omidyar know that public is completely unaware of? Always remember, they who spread the plague have a monopoly on the antidote.
  Loose ends in need of tying: Pierre and his mother Elahe Omidyar founded the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute, discussed below. Among the board members is former University of Hawaii Mano chancellor Virgina Hinton. The microbiologist is a top expert in the avian influenza or bird flu virus, which whe weaponized poses the greatest threat of a mass-destruction epidemic.
  Before coming to Hawaii , Dr. Hinton served as head of the animal lab at the University of Wisconsin Madison . Her chosen successor at that position was Yoshikiko Kawaoka, the Japanese scientist from Kobe University who in fact did soon at UW weaponize H5N1 into a highly lethal and contagious super-flu strain.
  Here is an excerpt from a report in the seemingly innocuous UW Alumni Association newsletter ''On Wisconsin'':''Virginia Hinshaw, a former colleague at both St. Jude and UW-Madison and now provost of the University of California- Davis , recalls him as being 'extremely bright and very creative. It was obvious that he was extraordinary.'
  ''It was Hinshaw who again set the stage for Kawaoka's next move. In 1995, she left her flu lab in the School of Veterinary Medicine to become dean of the Graduate School . With her encouragement, Kawaoka applied for her job, eventually joining the faculty in 1997. 'I remember him coming to my office in the Graduate School and looking around, saying, '''I just want to see where I'm going next,'' Hinshaw laughs.
  ''Where he was headed next, however, was Hong Kong . Four months after he arrived in Madison , Kawaoka was chosen by the National Institutes ofHealth to join a select team of international researchers analyzing the H5N1 virus, which had been identified in poultry in China and had begun to appear in humans. By the end of the year, the bird flu had infected eighteen people, killing six '-- a foreboding sign of the virus's potential that raised the alarm of public health officials around the world.''
  In one word: Biowarfare. A French-born Iranian moved to Hawaii as an ideal place to raise his children, but then starts to stockpile food and drugs. It gets more worrisome because he is equipped for a biological Armageddon. Read on.
  Deseret Empire of the Mormons
  Security, of course, becomes an issue during food riots and mass panic. Not to worry, because Pierre has the leadership corps to create a private army. ''Omidyar employs a group of former Secret Service agents and ex-State Department officials to serve as his private security team and to fly his private jet, a French-made Dassault Falcon 900EX, which he keeps parked in a private hangar at Honolulu International Airport .''
  Omidyar has set up safe houses on an island in France , Southern California and Nevada along with a 640-acre ranch in Montana . ''I'd say we're probably more significantly prepared than the average family,'' Omidyar said. ''We have property all over the world and we have property we can fly to.''
  His long residence in Nevada and Montana , inside the greater Deseret Empire, offer a clue to his cult-like perspective. One of few new religions not hostile to the Church of Latter-Day Saints is the Bahai Faith, which originated in Iran although its largest temple, the Universal House of Justice, is based in Haifa , Israel .
  Another clue to Omidyar's covert connection to Bahai is his focus on development projects in Zambia , the chief target of the sect's missionary activities in Africa .
  Then, there's Omidyar's sponsorship of virus research and food stockpiling in Hawaii that corresponds to the End Times predicted by Bahai found Bahaullah: ''Soon will the present-day order be rolled up and a new one spread out in its stead.''
  The Universal House of Justice confirmed the validity of the prophecy with an epistle to this worldwide membership: ''The old order cannot be repaired; it is being rolled up before our eyes. The moral decay and disorder convulsing human society must run their course; we can neither arrest nor divert them. Our task is the build the Order of Bahaullah.''
  As this next look at numerology indicates, the old order of God the Supreme Law-Giver is ''being rolled up'' in these End Day. Only then, through mass destruction, will the vessel of faithful followers deliver the authentic world divinity, the adamant and prideful One.
  No.9 in Numerology '' Yesod
  The Bahai inner sanctum has persistently obscured the meaning of the number 9 as an ''Arab symbol for fulfillment.'' No, the mystic symbol is derived from Jewish Kabbalist numerology as the symbol the final step before divine perfection. Number 9 symbolizes the sephirot (node of knowledge and power) ''Yesod'', the vessel for action. The action is toward the fulfillment of the double-digit representing ''Malkuth'' or kingship, in the sense of divine-right monarchy. (Kabbalism and its extension Illuminism, has therefore has had an attraction to royalists and pretenders worldwide, especially in Western Europe .)
  Nine is strangely identified with the qualities of adamancy and pride that are the characteristics of Lucifer, the most intelligent angel surpassed only by God. The uneasy potency of this number, however, is limited to the institutional structure of the religious group. In fact, the actual ritual symbol of Bahai is the pentagram.
  The God-Lucifer dichotomy has earlier roots in Zoroastrian dualistic philosophy of a cosmos divided between the god of light Ohrmadz (Ahura Mazda) and his doppelganger Ahriman (Angra Mainyu), prince of darkness. This duality helps to explain the hostility of the Bahai founders toward Islam and Zoroastrianism, and their willing affiliation with the Illuminati and Kabbalist-influenced Zionism. To substitute Lucifer-as-usurper in the stead of God the good requires distancing from the fallen angel's evil image as Satan, whose reputation Bahai has done its best to rehabilitate, sanitize and salvage.
  This brings up the question: Is Lucifer aka Ahriman, No.10? Are these cultists devil worshippers? To put things more charitably, the Bahai along with the Illuminati put highest esteem on pure reason (in rejection of the charismatic nature a and capricious will of a God who imposes tough rules on mankind.) Lucifer, without his terrifying image as Satan, is an adamant hero who teaches humans to be proud of themselves, to stand tall and not to grovel before a morally oppressive and restrictive divinity of the orthodox priesthood. A defender of reason, Lucifer can therefore be the rightful God of mankind to one who is a heretic deviating from Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition.
  Illuminati of the Oxford Movement
  It is no odd coincidence then that veneration of the evening star is shared by the seemingly disconnected cults of Illuminism and Bahai The historical links between these two cults can be found in Hermano Maximiliano's ''Freemasonry, the British Empire and the Formation of the Baha'I Cult''. In a cultural crusade to preserve British imperial power, a group of elite academics formed the Oxford Movement, which promoted radical new religious leaders across the Muslim world, particularly Bahai founder Bahaullah. (The Roman Empire underestimated the growing influence of religions from the Orient, including Christianity, which led to its collapse, and the Oxford Movement was determined to avoid that fatal ideological mistake.}
  In a classic divide-and-rule exercise, Bahai was created as a ''super-faith'' that amalgamated the teachings of all world religions, and therefore deserve to replace Islam with a ''one world faith.'' It was in the interest of British imperialism in Iran and the Middle East to weaken the influence of Islam and to gain control over the Shia-promoted trend of emerging nationalism.
  ''Although it began as an experimental British foray in non-religious freemasonic cults, the Bahai movement would spawn the organizer of the future pan-Islamic movement, Jamaleddine Al-Afghani,'' writes to Maximiliano. An early advocate of Bahai, Al-Afghani went on to form the Salafi school of fundamentalist Islam, which provided the ideological foundation for the Brotherhood and Al Qaeda.
  The British spymasters who fostered Bahai and Salafism included Orientalist scholar Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Cambridge dean Edward G. Browne, while field operations with the Wahabi Salafists were led by St. John Philby.(Blunt's grand-nephew Anthony, art adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, and Philby's descendant Kim were leading members of the celebrated Oxford spy ring.) Besides the penchant for the occult and pederasty, heresy runs deep in the Oxbridge circle. (www.arabamericanencyclopedia.com) offers a good read on the Oxford Movement and Bahai.)In contrast to Salafism, which openly calls for a theocratic state, Bahai operates covertly behind the scenes to manipulate politicians and opinion leaders. For instance, unbeknownst to the public, Pierre Omidyar provided his private jet to fly State Department officials incognito for talks with Hamas and also transported former President Jimmy Carter to Tehran for secret diplomacy.
  Fatwa Against Bahai
  Behind the public pose of peacemaking, Bahai's role has not always been benign. In August, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa against contact with Bahai, following the discovery that terrorist cells included Bahai operatives. The term ''Iranian Freemasons'' recurrently arises whenever U.S. neoconservatives hatch plans to attack Iran . It has also been a mystery of how the criminal terrorist group Mujaheedeen Al-Khalq obtained the funding to build a mini-army inside neighboring Iraq and mounted elaborate assassination campaigns in Iran .
  One incident familiar to this writer was the so-called Iranian bombing in Bangkok in 2012, which were attributed to the Tehran regime. (Two suspects were convicted in August by a Thai court.) The key figure in this incident was an Iranian woman with a Jewish family name, who managed to flee immediately after inadvertent blast damaged a safe house. At the time, her escape pointed to an Israeli connection, as the planned attacks were timed to match a Mossad international campaign to offer security services and training to Asian governments.
  Alliance with Israel
  Bahai's closest international ally is the State of Israel. Nearly every Israeli president and prime minister has made an official homage to the Shrine of Bab at the Bahai World Center in Haifa . Why would the head of the Jewish state honor a new religion that claims to be the world's supreme belief?
  One motivation is the ''enemy of my enemy'' alliance, since both Bahai and Zionist are sworn to regime change in Iran . Another, historically deeper connection is the role of Jewish Kabbalism in the creation of the Bahai sect. Although developed in Al-Andalus, the Moorish realm in late-medieval/early Renaissance Spain, the Kabbala has earlier origins in the alchemistry, numerology, astronomy and philosophy of Persia and Mesopotamia as developed by Jewish, Islamic and Indian thinkers.
  These early scientific explorations led to syncretism of the respective religious beliefs and occult doctrines, often expressed as sub-schools of Sufism. The syncretistic approach was especially favored by Donmeh Jews, the disciples of Sabbatai Zevi who became superficial converts to Islam under orders from Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV.The various streams of hidden Jewish thought, which spread through the vast Islamic domain, eventually made its way into Europe with the Frankist movement and the Asiatic Brotherhood secret society, which profoundly influenced major figures such as Emperor Joseph of the Habsburgs (husband of Maria Theresa, ''Queen of the Night'' in Mozart's ''Magic Flute'') and the German princes of Hesse (Frankfurt region) whose banker was Mayer Rothschild, founder of the powerful Jewish banking dynasty. The merger of Kabbalist practices, including sexual libertinism, with Enlightenment philosophy led to Adam Weiskopf's formation of the Order of the Illuminati.
  During the era of British world mastery, following the defeats of Napoleonic France, the English Illuminati scholars enchanted with Orientalism reintroduced Kabbalist occultism to the Near East among the Young Turks led by Ataturk, the Bahai and the Salafists. The Rothschild clan's financing of Zionism promoted ties with and recruitment of hidden Jews across the Muslim realm, cementing a close relationship between Bahai and Israel as well as between Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and the Mossad.
  The official Bahai account paints themselves as victims of Shia Muslim persecution and pogroms, whereas the historical causes of nationalist opposition to the Bahai are more complicated. The Bahai were generally supportive of the Shahs of Iran before and after the CIA coup against the democratic Mosaddeqh regime, which nationalized the Iranian oil reserves. Bahai advisers to the court of successive Shahs promoted the secularization of Iranian society in order to banish Islamic values and undermine the nationalist Shia clergy. For Iranian nationalists, however, both secular and religious-inspired, the Shah's regime was a tool for Western control over Iran 's immense oil reserves. The Bahai are thus perceived as agents of the CIA and MI-6, which in fact many of their leaders actually were.
  Occult Triangle
  The triangular relationship of the Disraeli/Rothschid '' Oxford Movement '' Bahai/Salafism of the 19th is now being reflected in the Snowden affair with the collusion of the Zionism/Greenwald '' Guardian/Royalist '' Bahai/Omidyar. History repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as a farce.
  As Israel edges toward a first-strike attack against Iran , while ramping up its covert wars against Iranian influence in Sudan and Palestine , is it any wonder that Pierre Omidyar and Glenn Greenwald are preparing to launch a major online propaganda mouthpiece? Is this new media venture, too, part of the Bahai plan to prepare for the imminent End of the World to be delivered by an unstoppable contagion of super-flu?
  Instead of playing dangerous games, Pierre Omidyar is far better off in the luxury of fiction where he belongs rather than sentencing himself to hard labor at journalism. To lead the budding writer to the fabled shores of epic poetry and apocalyptic scenarios, let me guide him without personal ill will to his literary destiny with this short-short story of epic dimension, salted with plagiarism and peppered with cultural chauvinism, inspired by a world-renowned figure of ancient Persia whose ambitions were nearly as grand as his.
  Whenever history reaches an impasse, onto the desolate field of the forum rumbles a juggernaut bearing a demigod who showers silver coins on his new subjects like droplets of water for the thirsty. At this hour of desperate survival, citizens, spurn the siren song of obedience, for even power-obsessed Xerxes and his cruel cohort of Immortals proved weak in spirit when bloodied between the stony heights and unfathomable depths. Cunning in the sophistry of One World at Peace, the satraps of empire are masters of the dark arts of treachery and betrayal as taught by their uncanny master Angra Mainyu.
  Today, the beast again approaches to snuff out the world's one hope for reason and justice, the voice of truth arising from faith in the heart. The overwhelming odds of their 250 million pieces of silver against our 300 in bronze mean an even contest, for the difference will be tallied in righteous ferocity and deeds of glory.
  Freedom is won only by those who have faced the blood rage of the wolves and have known the Spartan conditions of this real world of hungry villages and dying towns. The privileged perspective from gilded chariots and vast palaces under the protection of princes delivers only delusion, enslavement and slaughter.
  Freedom is for those who earn it by sacrifice, we few, the brave and happy few. Remember us. Here, at the crux of history where bards sing of hard choices, is the unforgiving soil of liberty, not a perfumed Persian garden of delights. On this rosy dawn, they come to see and to conquer. But at twilight begins the eternal night in the hell that they so fear. For us, descended from the bringer of light Apollo who in the East is called Ahura Mazda, bravery in battle and virtue in death are the greatest joys this life can bestow. Give thanks. To Victory!
  Yoichi Shimatsu, a Hong Kong-based journalist who wrote commentaries on the Edward Snowden affair published in the South China Morning Post, is former editor of The Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo and Pacific News Service in San Francisco .
EDWARD SNOWDEN CONNED OUT OF SECRET FILES
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: aangirfan
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:28
  Reportedly, the Guardian is run by MI6."Whistleblower Edward Snowden was taken for a ride by con artists in the service of the US and UK intelligence agencies. "Under the cover of 'independent journalism', the scammers conned him out of his trove of secret NSA files, hustled him from Hong Kong ahead of legislature-sponsored public hearings on cyber-espionage, and unceremoniously dumped him, minus documents, in a transit lounge at Moscow Airport . "This report shows how the American and British spymasters retrieved the top-secret files by luring the fugitive into a well-laid trap, while the mass media went along with the deception to aid the authorities in evading public calls to abolish the global surveillance state..."
Rocker and Conservative Activist Ted Nugent Survives Assassination Attempt | National Report
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 07:05
  Cassidy Pen, TNR Reporter and Staff Writer
  Rocker and Conservative Activist Ted Nugent narrowly escaped an assassination attempt Thursday when a suspected car bomb tore through his convoy, wounding 22 people and leaving a major Detroit boulevard strewn with debris '-- the first such attack since the end of the Black Power 2013 Tour.
  The strike, which left several other charred cars and broken building fa§ades, escalates the confrontation between the Nugent Camp and liberal extremists. It also hiked fears of a Nugent campaign of revenge for the outrage and raised the likelihood of an even tougher new set of guitar riffs by Nugent against liberal protesters demanding he give up his 2nd amendment constitutional rights.
  Nugent entourage spokesmen immediately compared the attack to the days of the 1960'²s free-love era, when radicals battling university campus security forces throughout the nation also attempted numerous assassinations. Far left militants failed in attempts on the lives of at least four successive right wing guitarists, the last in 1993, and succeeded in killing the drummer of a local conservative bar band.
  Since the last election, when socialist leader Barrack Obama retained control of the executive branch, the concert tour's backstage area has been under lock-down, and security have ousted nearly 2,000 members of the rock music press and other groupies/supporters.
  In mid-August, Nugent security detachments moved in on two PETA sit-ins in Las Vegas after days of warnings, forcefully dispersing the crowd. In the process, counter-violence was set in motion, as area buildings, bars and gun shops came under protest around the city.
  Far left hard-liners have stepped up protests on the Nugent tour in the Upper Peninsula and in the south, tried to rock his tour bus at the strategic Mud Island Amphitheatre in Memphis, TN, and have increasingly brought demonstrations to other concert venues.
  The New 2CD/DVD Set, In Stores NOW!
  But Thursday's bombing against Ted Nugent, whose latest DVD Ultralive Ballisticrock is out now, was a substantial escalation.
  Opening act Laura Wilde's office vowed in a statement that it would ''not allow the terrorism that the conservative rocker crushed in the 1980s to raise its ugly head again.'' Nugent Drummer ''Wild'' Mick Brown, the man who kept Dokken's beat, vowed to continue the fight against terrorism.
  National Rifle Association Speakers on TV and affiliated media urged concert ticket holders to exercise caution, report suspicious activities or individuals, and called on tour venue security to widen their crackdown on suspected liberal protesters to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.
  Nugent has for weeks vilified the protesters, associating the sporadic violence with ACORN supporters and as part of an orchestrated protest and terror campaign.
  The latest attack is likely to further isolate the socialists. ''When lives of innocents are targeted, those who support that or justify it will not be allowed into the concert venue,'' Derek St. Holmes, rhythm and co-lead guitarist, said in a statement.
  Allies of PETA sought to distance themselves from the attack. Some even ridiculed it as an attempt to frame them.
  The anti-Nugent coalition (ANC), a group of PETA and anti-2nd Amendment factions which has held protests since the Little Miss Dangerous Tour in 1986, however, predicted that the new attack would provide Nugent Security the pretext to widen the crackdown on concert goers and backstage pass holders.
  ''The ANC is against any violent act even if it is against those who shamelessly promote Ted Nugent and NRA causes because we aim to uphold the law,'' the coalition said in an official press release. ''It expects that such incidents will be used to extend the concert venue security crackdowns and to increase the use of 2nd Amendment solutions and unlawful detention of protesters which have been used by the tour authority.''
  Nugent Security officials said initial investigations showed the blast came from a parked car loaded with around 90 pounds of explosives in the trunk. They spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal the information before the probe was completed. Witnesses also said the bombing seemed to emanate from a parked car that blew up as Nugent's tour bus passed by.
Brain Games & Brain Training - Lumosity
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:16
  Brain Games & Brain Training - LumosityWe're sorry, but you must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to properly view this site. If you are unsure how to enable JavaScript, please submit a request in our Help Center.
  Build your Personalized Training ProgramEnhance memory and attentionWeb-based personalized training programTrack changes in your performanceGet Started Now
Health Check: does brain training make you smarter?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: The Conversation
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:14
  No one disputes that extensive training on a specific task will improve performance on that task. Paul BoxleyNo one who has kept their head out of the sand over the past several years needs to be told ''brain training'' is a hot topic. And it's big business too, with advocates using claims such as ''personal training design by scientists'' to market their wares.
  Decades of studies in both laboratory animals and humans have demonstrated the capacity of the brain for some degree of plasticity. This can be extremely beneficial; after someone suffers a stroke, for instance, and has to relearn some basic abilities.
  But is there any evidence that specific ''brain training'' can improve overall performance? Or is it all hype and hyperbole?
  For many, not oneThe cornerstone of scientific progress is the demonstration of evidence-based effects rather than a media vortex of gee-wizz findings in individuals, no matter how compelling these may be for the television viewer.
  Sceptics argue that brain-training studies claiming to demonstrate significant effects lack more general applicability and have shown only very specific kinds of improvement.
  Meanwhile, proponents of brain training argue studies failing to demonstrate effects employ flawed approaches, including unsatisfactory application of recommended methods.
  The key question is generalisability of benefits '' the holy grail of brain training.
  The key question for assessing the benefits of brain training is the generaliszability of benefits. Daniela Hartmann
  No one really disputes that extensive training on a specific task will improve performance on that task. But the acid test for brain training is whether it can be reliably demonstrated that training on some tasks transfers more widely to a range of other tasks and thought processes.
  In the largest study undertaken in this area to date, researchers were patently unable to demonstrate a generalisation of training across tasks.
  They conducted a six-week online study in which 11,430 participants trained several times each week on cognitive tasks designed to improve reasoning, memory, planning, visuospatial skills and attention. Improvement effects were task specific and failed to transfer to other untrained tasks.
  But in another, more recent high-profile study undertaken in older individuals, another group of researchers used a video game in which players were required to drive and identify specific road signs.
  After training, older individuals, aged 60 to 85 years, became more proficient than untrained individuals in their 20s. Their performance levels were sustained for six months, even without additional training.
  Perhaps most critically, these researchers reported that older adults performed better at other attention and working memory tests as well, demonstrating the transferability of benefits from the training game to different cognitive functions.
  But there's been much criticism of the study's findings; for example, with respect to the relatively small number of participants involved.
  The bigger pictureAnd so it goes. Volleys are fired back and forth between the two camps against the backdrop of more general and far-reaching considerations that currently appear to stack up on the side of the sceptics.
  It's widely accepted among working scientists that it's much more challenging to publish findings that demonstrate non-significant outcomes compared with findings that demonstrate statistically significant differences. So, there's a potential publication bias against studies of brain training that fail to demonstrate an effect.
  But where does this all leave us?
  It may be that brain training will show generalizability only from some specific tasks onto others.
  There have been claims, for instance, that brain training may improve intelligence (which remains an inchoate concept), or that brain training can rewire the prefrontal cortex or its connections '' or both.
  The latter (alluded to by researchers who did the video game study above) may be beneficial, given that prefrontal brain regions are known to be engaged in the coordination of many different processes.
  It's also been claimed from neuroimaging investigations that brain training can produce changes in the ''hardwiring'' of the brain. But whether these changes endure and what they truly signify remains open to question.
  You could spend your time and money on learning an instrument instead. Marco Tedaldi
  The jury is still out on brain training for otherwise healthy individuals. But if you're considering taking it up, it's important to consider that some of the principal proponents of brain training methods have a financial or other commercial stake in the packages they're endorsing.
  The key question you should ask yourself is the opportunity cost associated with brain training '' what is it you are not doing in order to spend time 'training your brain'?
  In addition to financial expense, many brain-training packages involve considerable investment of your time over an extended period.
  You might spend your time and money more effectively doing other things to improve your abilities, such as exercising, improving your diet, learning to play an instrument, or acquiring a new language.
  These alternative pursuits confer the additional benefit of social interaction, which has clearly been demonstrated to benefit our brain health.
  Sign in to Favourite1 CommentTagsBrain plasticity, Health Check
  Related articles 21 October 2013 Health Check: high-intensity micro workouts vs traditional regimes 14 October 2013 Health Check: does caffeine enhance performance? 10 October 2013 Preview: ABC's Redesign my Brain with Todd Sampson 7 October 2013 Health Check: the untrue story of antioxidants vs free radicals 4 October 2013 Understanding the brain and mind: science's final frontier?
Universities to Students: No 'Offensive' Halloween Costumes
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: FrontPage Magazine » FrontPage
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:09
  A regular column dedicated to reporting on the slanted teaching, mis-administration and sheer insanity of our nation's colleges and universities.
  Top Stories:
  Several universities across the country have taken action to warn students not to wear ''offensive'' costumes on Halloween. At the University of Colorado Boulder, Dean of Students Christian Gonzales urged students to ''consider the impact your costume decision may have on others in the CU community.'' Among the costumes she deemed offensive are cowboys, Indians, geishas, ''squaws'' and those including sombreros or blackface. At the University of Minnesota, the Office of Student Affairs issued an email to students cautioning them against costumes that ''inappropriately perpetuate racial, cultural and gender stereotypes.'' The Multicultural Center at the University of Wisconsin Madison posted a blog, ''Does this costume make me look racist?'', which lists several categories of outfits to be avoided including ''costumes that appropriate a culture,'' those guilty of ''Romanticizing a culture'' including '''poca-hottie,' gypsy, belly dancer, and geisha'' which ''have ties to oppression, rape, and genocide'' and those which stereotype cultures including ''The Mariachi, the Kimono princess and the kung fu.''Dan Kehan, a professor of psychology at Yale University, wrote a blog post on a site dedicated to the Cultural Cognition Project at Yale Law School noting that he was ''embarrassed'' to discover a positive correlation in research he was conducting between respondents who identified themselves as belonging to the Tea Party movement and ''science comprehension'''-- a correlation that he found ''surprising.'' Kehan went out of his way to note that ''I don't know a single person who identifies with the Tea Party.'' Despite his findings, Kehan added ''Of course, I still subscribe to my various political and moral assessments''all very negative'' of what I understand the 'Tea Party movement' to stand for. I just no longer assume that the people who happen to hold those values are less likely than people who share my political outlooks to have acquired the sorts of knowledge and dispositions that a decent science comprehension scale measures.''University of Arizona associate professor Pat Willerton was caught on video telling his ''Politics, Policy and Governing'' class that viewers who watch Fox News are less informed than their counterparts who get their news from liberal media sources: ''you look at MSNBC, ABC, CNN, all of these cases, the average viewer knows more than the person who doesn't consult any source. When they survey people who watch Fox News regularly, they know less.'' Willerton exhorted his students to ''look at the studies'' by which he meant a much-derided 2010 survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org. Prof. Willerton neglected to mention any criticism of this study or Fox New's point-by-point refutation. An Arizona administrator defended Willerton stating that ''To all indications, he is conducting the class responsibly and within his authority and expertise.''Further News from the Campuses:
  Prof: Conservatives Guilty of 'Tyranny' for Holding the Government 'Hostage' [CampusReform.org]
  A professor from the University of Georgia (UGA) on Friday told a local paper that conservatives were guilty of ''tyranny'' for holding the government ''hostage'' during the budget negotiations.
  Read more
  Lawsuit Claims JCTC Wrongly Fired Official [The Courier-Journal]
  A former director of human resources at Jefferson Community and Technical College is suing the college and its president, claiming he was wrongly fired in 2012 for criticizing employment decisions and expressing his conservative and religious beliefs.
  Read more
  Yale Professor 'Embarrassed' to Discover Tea Party Members are Scientifically Literate [CNSNews.com]
  You know that line liberals love to lob at the Tea Party: you're stupid. Well, obviously that's not the case, nor has it ever been true. Now, a Yale professor has released some new research showing that the so-called ''Tea Party radicals'' are actually scientifically literate.
  Read more
  UPenn Students Stage Hoax Event to Mock Bristol Palin, Abstinence [Campus Reform]
  Fliers on the University of Pennsylvania's campus announcing a speech by Bristol Palin turned out to be a hoax students created to mock the daughter of former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin who is a an adamant advocate of abstinence.
  Read more
  Pasadena Professor who Taught Porn Class Resigns [Associated Press]
  PASADENA, Calif. (AP) '-- A Pasadena City College professor who drew protests after inviting porn actors to his class has resigned.
  Read more
  Appeals Court to Consider Calif. School's Cinco de Mayo American Flag Ban [Associated Press]
  Racial tensions and gang problems were plaguing a Northern California high school when three students arrived for classes in 2010 wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.
  Read more
  Pro-Life Students Ignore Bullying to Stand Up for Babies Killed in Abortion [LifeNews.com]
  Tuesday, October 15, 2013 was the ninth annual Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity. Every year thousands of people around the world are willing to give up their voices for those who will never have one because of abortion.
  This week was no different.
  Read more
  Tribe Leads Charge to Scrap Redskins Name [NYPost.com]
  VERONA, N.Y. '-- Last winter, a group of student leaders approached the school board in upstate Cooperstown about changing their team's mascot '-- the Redskins.
  The movement caught on quickly and by May, Cooperstown Central School was known as the Hawkeyes.
  Read more
  What I Learned in Comparative Politics: White People Exploit All Others [The College Fix]
  Earlier this year, my Arizona State University government professor told my class that white people are successful because they have exploited all other people, and that Americans are not all born equal because of slavery.
  Read more
  Lawsuit! Student Ordered to Stop Handing Out Constitutions on Constitution Day Files Suit [TheFire.org]
  FRESNO, Calif., Oct. 10, 2013'--A student who was ordered by college administrators to stop handing out copies of the Constitution on campus'--on Constitution Day'--filed suit today in federal court. Modesto Junior College (MJC) student and Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen is suing the Yosemite Community College District and MJC administrators for violating his First Amendment rights. Van Tuinen is represented by the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine and is assisted by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
  Read more
  CSUN professor sparks a debate regarding academic freedom of speech for professors [Daily Sundial]
  CSUN mathematics professor David Klein has spent years defending his right to express his views about boycotting the state of Israel. His name was recently brought up during the CSU board of trustees meeting regarding the legality of his website.
  Read more
  Professor Tells Students Fox News Viewers Are Ignorant [The College Fix]
  People who watch Fox News are less informed than people who get their news from other outlets such as MSNBC and CNN, a University of Arizona professor told his upper-level government class recently, according to a recording of the comments obtained by The College Fix.
  Read more
  Will the Tolerance Agenda Destroy Christian Higher Education? [PJMedia.com]
  Last weekend my husband and I visited our son at the little Bible College he attends in Pennsylvania'... The school doesn't promote a political agenda, it simply quietly goes about the business of educating young people who desire a Christian education. As we drove away from the beautiful campus on Sunday, I couldn't help but wonder how long this school and other conservative Christian schools will survive as the new conformity enforcers continue their march through our country's institutions.
  Read more
  MIT Magazine's Funding Restored Following Title IX Concerns [TheFire.org]
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student newspaper The Tech reported last Friday that funding to another MIT student publication, Voo Doo Magazine, has been restored after a Title IX complaint against the magazine resulted in MIT's Undergraduate Association (UA) cutting its funding. But even with Voo Doo back on its feet, UA's response to the magazine's content suggests MIT students might be developing worrisome attitudes about speech and censorship.
  Read more
  Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: Click here.
Spies in the Classroom: CAIR vs. Campus Watch
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: FrontPage Magazine » FrontPage
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:08
  When on October 1, 2013, Samantha Bowden crept unannounced into the classroom of University of Central Florida communications professor Jonathan Matusitz, she wasn't hoping to advance her education on the sly. Rather, Bowden, the communication and outreach director for the Florida branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), was doing something of which Campus Watch has been frequently accused, but has never done: spying on a professor in an effort to embarrass him and, with luck, even harm his career.
  Since its inception in 2002, Campus Watch (CW)'--a project of the Middle East Forum that reviews and critiques Middle East studies in North America with an aim to improving them'--has been charged with an array of outrageous calumnies. They include paying students to infiltrate classrooms as ''spies'' or ''informers''; targeting ''pro-Palestinian'' professors; and tracking ''anti-Israel'' comments.'' (Click here for a full collection of examples.)
  Writing at his blog in 2005, University of Pennsylvania teaching assistant David Faris claimed to have been dogged by a Campus Watch ''spy'' for months: ''At Penn, one of my semesters as a teaching assistant was deeply marred by an undergraduate Campus Watch spy . . . .'' Faris flatters himself, as Campus Watch has never heard of him, then or since.
  Hatem Bazian, a Near Eastern studies lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, declared in a 2006 interview that ''he knew of students in his classroom who attended just so they could write down what he says, essentially spying on him.''
  Ben-Gurion University political geography professor David Newman, in 2010, fantasized that Campus Watch ''turns students into spies in the name of a specific political ideology.''
  In 2010, Dorit Naaman, a film and media professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, wrote that Campus Watch ''asked students to spy on their professors and track their 'anti Israel' record on a public website.''
  Meanwhile, in a 2012 interview, University of Pennsylvania political science professor Ian Lustick maintained that ''he has had students in his classes act as 'spies' for Campus Watch.''
  While such colorful tales of intrigue make for a gripping story, Campus Watch defies anyone to provide proof that it ever sent paid ''spies'' into university classrooms. Can one of the accusers make available a paycheck stub or other written evidence to indicate that Campus Watch staff sought to infiltrate a professor's classroom? Have any Campus Watch employees actually been apprehended sneaking into classrooms in the manner of CAIR's Bowden?
  Indeed, CAIR has been caught red-handed doing exactly that with which academia and its allies have fallaciously charged Campus Watch and instead of outrage, the incident has been met with silence.
  The fact that CAIR'--an Islamist outfit posing as a defender of civil rights, an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial (among other terrorist ties), and a recipient of illegal foreign funding'--has been embraced by the Middle East studies establishment (click here, here, here, here, and here for just a few examples) likely has something to do with it. It turns out the only ''spies'' Middle East studies specialists are truly concerned about are those that threaten the politically-correct view of the Middle East; when it's one of their own, they turn a blind eye. This the height of hypocrisy, not to mention a textbook example of projection.
  Campus Watch challenges these professors to denounce CAIR's harassment with the same fervor they've demonstrated over the years leveling spurious accusations of spying against CW. To do otherwise would be to demonstrate the hollowness of their concerns.
  Cinnamon Stillwell is the West Coast Representative forCampus Watch, a project of theMiddle East Forum. She can be reached atstillwell@meforum.org.
  *
  Don't miss Jamie Glazov's video interview with Steven Emerson on ''The Sordid World of CAIR'':
  Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle:Click here.
Judge OKs class-action suit against Apple, Intel, Google, Adobe
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Hacker News
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 06:06
  Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., is seen in this Aug. 19, 2004 file photo. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
  SAN JOSE -- More than 60,000 tech workers can seek monetary damages from Apple (AAPL), Intel (INTC), Google (GOOG) and Adobe Systems (ADBE) because of a federal judge's ruling in a suit claiming that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs conspired with other local executives to limit the workers' pay by barring them from moving from one company to another.
  In granting class-action status to the suit Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose cited what she termed "considerable, compelling common proof" that the Silicon Valley companies engaged in antitrust behavior by agreeing not to try to lure away each others' employees.
  Koh's decision makes it much easier for the workers to win compensation -- potentially tens of millions of dollars -- because without class-action status, each of them would have to file costly lawsuits on their own. The ruling also is likely to put pressure on the companies to reach a financial settlement with the workers, as three other companies -- Pixar, Lucasfilm and Intuit (INTU) -- did in July, said Stephen Hirschfeld, CEO of the Employment Law Alliance, a network of labor and employment lawyers.
  Although a trial in the case has been set for May 27, companies in class-action cases often try to avoid getting that far, he said, because "there is an assumption that if they actually get in front of a jury and there are thousands of plaintiffs, a jury will think, 'Well, if there's smoke, there must be fire.' "
  Judith Zahid, a San Francisco lawyer specializing in antitrust matters, said the sued companies face an additional problem if the case goes to trial because, under antitrust law, any damage award against them would be automatically tripled.
  "It raises the stakes even more" and adds further pressure to settle the case, she said.
  Officials at Adobe, Intel and Apple declined to comment on Koh's ruling. Google issued a statement that said only, "we have always actively and aggressively recruited top talent."
  In court filings, the companies have denied having an agreement not to poach each others' employees and have argued that the case doesn't warrant class-action status because they've always paid their workers well.
  The allegations prompted an investigation in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Justice to determine if the companies had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. A year later, the agency announced a settlement in which the companies acknowledged having had agreements to not "cold-call" employees at certain firms. They agreed to refrain from such no-poaching-pacts for five years, but the deal provided no compensation for their employees.
  Consequently, some workers filed suit in 2011 seeking class-action status and demanding damages for pay they lost as a result of the alleged conspiracy. Although the suit initially claimed that more than 100,000 employees were affected by the alleged scheme, the plaintiffs have since scaled that number back to about 64,000.
  In her decision, Koh noted that the accusations largely center on former Apple CEO Jobs, because each of the alleged no-hire agreements involved a company under his control or that shared at least one director who was on Apple's board.
  The lawsuit contains several examples of conversations Jobs had with other executives demanding that they not poach Apple's workers. In many cases, the suit claims, the executives complied. In one email Jobs told Google CEO Eric Schmidt, "I would be very pleased if your recruiting department would stop doing this," referring to a Google recruiter contacting an Apple engineer in 2007.
  But not everyone complied with Jobs' demands, according to evidence Koh cited in her ruling. She noted as an example an incident in 2007 when Jobs allegedly threatened to sue Palm for patent infringement if it didn't heed the no-poaching arrangement. In response, Palm's former CEO, Edward Colligan, told Jobs the demand was "not only wrong, it is likely illegal."
  In the settlement with Pixar, Lucasfilm and Intuit, the three companies -- which employed about 8 percent of the affected workers -- agreed to pay a total of $20 million, according to Kelly Dermody, the plaintiffs' lead lawyer.
  Noting that none of the workers have received that money yet, she added that it remains unclear what additional financial damages might be sought at the trial. But aside from the money, she said, just having the case certified as a class-action suit sends an important message "that people need to pay more attention to employee rights and fairness in the workplace."
  Contact Steve Johnson at 408-930-5043. Follow him at Twitter.com/steveatmercnews.
H.R.992 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 05:46
  Shown Here:Introduced in House (03/06/2013)Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act - Amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act with respect to the prohibition against certain federal assistance to swaps entities, namely the use of any advances from specified Federal Reserve credit facilities or discount windows, or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance or guarantees, for the purpose of: (1) making any loan to, or purchasing any stock, equity interest, or debt obligation of, any swaps entity; (2) purchasing the assets of any swaps entity; (3) guaranteeing any loan or debt issuance of any swaps entity; or (4) entering into any assistance arrangement (including tax breaks), loss sharing, or profit sharing with any swaps entity.
  Extends to any major swap participant or major security-based swap participant that is an uninsured U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank the exemption from the prohibition against federal assistance to swaps entities which is currently limited to any major swap participant or major security-based swap participant that is an FDIC-insured bank or savings association.
  Designates both uninsured U.S. branches or agencies of a foreign bank and insured depository institutions as "covered depository institutions."
  Requires any covered depository institution exempted from the prohibition to limit its swap and security-based swap activities to hedging and similar risk mitigating activities (as under current law), non-structured finance swap activities, or certain structured finance swap activities. (Defines "structured finance swap" as a swap or security-based swap based on an asset-backed security [or group or index primarily composed of asset-backed securities].)
  Qualifies a structured finance swap activity for the exemption if: (1) it is undertaken for hedging or risk management purposes, or (2) each asset-backed security underlying the structured finance swap is of a credit quality and of a type or category with respect to which the prudential regulators have jointly adopted rules authorizing such a swap or security-based swap activity by covered depository institutions.
  Repeals the exemption from the prohibition for any insured depository institution that limits its swap and security-based swap activities to acting as a swaps entity for: (1) swaps or security-based swaps involving rates or reference assets that are permissible for investment by a national bank; or (2) credit default swaps, including those referencing the credit risk of asset-backed securities unless they are cleared by a derivatives clearing organization or a clearing agency registered, or exempt from registration, under the Commodity Exchange Act or the Securities Exchange Act.
Data center glitch is latest problem in 'Obamacare' rollout | Reuters
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:08
  A man looks over the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) signup page on the HealthCare.gov website in New York in this October 2, 2013 photo illustration.
  Credit: Reuters/Mike Segar
  By Sharon Begley and David Morgan
  NEW YORK/WASHINGTON | Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:25pm GMT
  NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A data center critical for allowing uninsured Americans to buy health coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law went down on Sunday, the U.S. government said, in the latest problem for the "Obamacare" rollout.
  Verizon's Terremark operates the data center behind a federal system for determining eligibility for government subsidies to buy insurance nationwide and hosts HealthCare.gov, the website that makes insurance available in 36 of the 50 states.
  The data center experienced a failure on Sunday that led it to lose network connectivity, Health and Human Services Department spokeswoman Joanne Peters said.
  Online insurance exchanges opened on October 1 under the law to offer health insurance plans to millions of uninsured Americans. But it has been marred by technical glitches and delays as would-be customers encounter error messages and long waits, often failing to make it through the system despite repeated tries.
  "We are working with Terremark to get their timeline for addressing the issue," Peters said in an email. "We understand that this issue is affecting other customers in addition to HealthCare.gov, and Terremark is working (to) resolve the issue as quickly as possible."
  Peters said the newest glitch also affected a data services hub - an electronic traffic roundabout that connects numerous federal agencies and can verify people's identity, citizenship, and other facts.
  Problems with the data services hub affect customers of both HealthCare.gov and the state-run exchanges. State exchanges had been running smoothly.
  The verification is necessary to determine eligibility for tax credits that reduce the cost of monthly insurance premiums, a key provision of the law.
  A spokesman for Verizon said the problem would be fixed "as soon as possible."
  "Our engineers have been working with HHS and other technology companies to identify and address the root cause of the issue," Verizon spokesman Jeff Nelson said.
  Health officials in Connecticut, one of the 14 states, plus the District of Columbia, that launched their own health exchanges instead of relying on federal government sites, said on Sunday that potential customers would not be able to complete the sign-up process for some services but could create accounts and search for pricing comparisons.
  The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told Connecticut officials about the outage and gave no indication of when the data services hub would be functioning again, said a spokeswoman for Access Health CT, the Connecticut exchange.
  The problems with the rollout of the law have become a political liability for Obama. The White House has said Obama still has "full confidence" in HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, whose department is responsible for implementing the law. Sebelius has faced Republicans calls for her resignation.
  (Reporting by Sharon Begley and David Morgan,; Writing by Anna Yukhananov and Emily Stephenson; Editing by Christopher Wilson and Will Dunham)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints