No Agenda Episode 597 - "Prison Prep"
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- From Sir Ludark Babark Fudgefountain
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- TODAY
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- "I've been having such a busy day with doing diplomacy"
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- Presidential Proclamation -- Read Across America Day, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- Literacy is the foundation of every child's education. It opens doorways to opportunity, transports us across time and space, and binds family and friends closer together. When parents, educators, librarians, and mentors read with children, they give a gift that will nourish souls for a lifetime. Today, Americans young and old will take time to get lost in a story and do their part to cultivate the next generation of talent and intellect.
- This day is also a time to honor the legacy of Theodor Seuss Geisel, known to us as Dr. Seuss. Countless Americans can recall his books as their first step into the lands of letters and wordplay. With creatures, contraptions, and vibrant characters, they have led generations of happy travelers through voyages of the imagination. Yet his tales also challenge dictators and discrimination. They call us to open our minds, to take responsibility for ourselves and our planet. And they remind us that the value of our possessions pales in comparison to that of the ties we share with family, friends, and community.
- From children's stories to classic works of literature, the written word allows us to see the world from new perspectives. It helps us understand what it means to be human and what it means to be American. During Read Across America Day, let us celebrate, rediscover, and engage our children in this wonderful pastime.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 3, 2014, as Read Across America Day. I call upon children, families, educators, librarians, public officials, and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
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- Presidential Proclamation -- Colorectal Cancer Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- NATIONAL COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- The second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, colorectal cancer claims more than 50,000 American lives each year. Because the odds of survival rise dramatically when this cancer is caught early, calling attention to it can save lives. During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we aim to improve public understanding of risk factors and screening recommendations, reach for better treatments, and set our sights on a cure.
- While anyone can get colorectal cancer, the risk increases with age. Nine out of ten cases occur in people over 50 years old, and the likelihood is also greater for people of African-American or Eastern European descent and those with inflammatory bowel disease or a family history of colorectal cancer. Symptoms can include stomach pain, aches, or cramps that do not go away and weight loss without a known cause. Yet many cases have no symptoms, especially early on, when it can be prevented or more effectively treated. That is why it is crucial for people of all ages to discuss colorectal cancer with their doctors and those at risk or between ages 50 and 75 to get regular screenings.
- My Administration is funding research to improve prevention and treatment, and to identify the best ways to promote colorectal cancer screening. We are also working to ensure screenings and treatment are available and affordable for all. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds programs that provide these tests to underserved, at-risk Americans. And under the Affordable Care Act, most health insurance plans cover recommended preventive services, including colorectal cancer screening for adults ages 50 to 75, at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Thanks to the health care law, insurance companies can no longer put annual or lifetime dollar caps on essential health benefits or discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. Americans have their first chance to sign up for affordable, high quality coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace through open enrollment until March 31st, and annually going forward.
- Everyone has a role to play in reducing deaths from colorectal cancer. This month, I encourage Americans to talk to at-risk parents, grandparents, or friends of all ages about getting screened. If we look out for one another, we can better the chances of survival and keep more families whole.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2014 as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage all citizens, government agencies, private businesses, non-profit organizations, and other groups to join in activities that will increase awareness and prevention of colorectal cancer.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
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- Presidential Proclamation -- National Consumer Protection Week, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- The premise that we are all created equal is the opening line in the American story, and while we do not promise equal outcomes, we have always strived to deliver equal opportunity. When everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and plays by the same set of rules, the best ideas rise to the top and our economy thrives. After 6 years of digging out of a historic crisis brought on by widespread abuses in our financial system, it is clearer than ever that we cannot succeed without strong consumer protections. This week, we remember that our Nation's economy is only as strong as its people, and we recommit to fostering a sense of basic fairness in our marketplace.
- Since I took office, my Administration has worked tirelessly to expose deceptive mortgage schemes, crack down on abusive debt collection practices, and ensure an irresponsible few cannot hurt consumers by illegally rigging markets for their own gain. We have taken action to prevent credit card companies from hiding fees in intentionally obscure text and given families access to clear, comprehensive information on student loans. We passed the strongest consumer financial protection law in history and created an independent watchdog charged with looking out for the American people in the financial world. And to introduce more choice for those planning for retirement, I launched the myRA program, a new type of savings bond that lets Americans keep the same account, even if they change jobs.
- It is also critical that all Americans know their rights and have the tools to weigh the risks and potential benefits of their choices in the open market. In partnership with consumer advocates, my Administration launched www.NCPW.gov, which provides advice on everything from avoiding scams, protecting identities, and staying informed about product recalls to managing debt and making sound financial decisions.
- During National Consumer Protection Week, let us recognize the men and women who power the engine of prosperity. Together, let us build an economy that works for everyone, leaves no one behind, and allows every American to pursue their own measure of happiness.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2 through March 8, 2014, as National Consumer Protection Week. I call upon government officials, industry leaders, and advocates across the Nation to share information about consumer protection and provide our citizens with information about their rights as consumers.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
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- Iowa House votes to legalize gun silencers
- Representative Matt Windschitl.
- The Iowa House has voted to get rid of the state law that bans the sale and possession of gun silencers. Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley who is a gun smith, calls them ''suppressors'' and he said they can help preserve the hearing of gun owners who regularly fire off rounds at gun ranges.
- ''This is a good bill and I think it is a prime opportunity for us to expand a freedom and a liberty that Iowans deserve,'' Windschitl said during today's debate. '''...Thirty-nine other states already allow their citizens to be able to possess these. I don't think Iowans should be restricted from having them.''
- The bill passed on an 82-16 vote. Critics like Democratic Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeshell of Ames say muffling the sound of gun shots is a bad idea.
- ''This legislation does not meet my litmus test for firearms legislation, that it provide more safety from gun violence in schools, theaters, malls or to the general public,'' Wessel-Kroeshell said.
- Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, also voted against the bill.
- ''By muffling the noise generated with every shot'...a silencer would provide a new degree of intimacy for public mass murder,'' Mascher said, ''delaying by crucial seconds or minutes the moments when someone can call the police after overhearing strange bangs coming from a theater or classroom.''
- Representative Windschitl responded: ''To insinuate that somehow allowing law-abiding citizens to have that attachment on the end of their firearm is going to create more violence or allow for other tragedies to happen because someone's not hearing the shot as readily as what they would without a supressed weapon, I find that just ludicrous.''
- Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, a Democrat from Des Moines who voted against the bill, said many residents in his inner city community live ''in fear'' because of the number of illegal guns on the streets and he worries silencers will make things worse.
- ''These young people are obtaining weapons and they're obtaining weapons that are Glocks and they're obtaining weapons that aren't just little pea shooters or, you know, pellet guns,'' Abdul-Samad said. ''These are weapons that are killing individuals, not only in schools but in neighborhoods.''
- Representative Chris Hagenow, a Republican from Windsor Heights who voted for the bill, calls it ''common sense'' legislation that addresses the rights of ''law-abiding citizens'...not the criminals.''
- ''It's disappointing that we have to kind of resort to scare tactics and what seems like some of what we've devolved to in this debate,'' Hagenow said.
- The bill is not likely to come up for a vote in the Senate. The Democrat in charge of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the bill does not intend to advance it.
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- Oscars
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- 'Sad!' MTV host notices something about crowd reaction to McConaughey's God-thanking Oscars speech | Twitchy
- WOW! @McConaughey thanks God and the audience gives a slow clap. Come on, Hollywood. #Oscars
- '--Andrea Chapman (@STL_Blonde) March 03, 2014As Twitchy reported, actor Matthew McConaughey won hearts with his acceptance speech for his Best Actor win at Sunday night's Academy Awards. The actor thanked God in his faith-filled speech.
- MTV host and ''Real World: Brooklyn'' alum Chet Cannon noticed a little something about the crowd reaction.
- Mathew McConaughey seems like a really good man. Did you notice when he thanked God, the audience nearly took his award away? #Oscars'--Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) March 03, 2014
- @Chet_Cannon that got less claps than woody Allen did. Tough crowd.'--gabrielle. (@whatgabisaid) March 03, 2014
- So Matthew McConaughey mentions God in speech and the crowd is basically silent. Well, at least they didn't boo. #DemocratPartyConvention'--Linda Marie (@HudBannon) March 03, 2014
- https://twitter.com/camilaci25/status/440353818924949504
- This Twitter user sums it up:
- Well after watching all the #Oscars, I consider Matthew McConaughey speech to not only be the best, but his public love for God was brave,'--Dana Loves Racing (@DriverAppear) March 03, 2014
- Amen. Although, it is also sad that speaking of your faith must now be an act of bravery.
- Matthew McConaughey rattles Oscar crowd, wins hearts by thanking God
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- Ellen does Samsung Oscars selfie, tweets from iPhone backstage
- It seems that brand loyalty only goes so far. Perhaps 40 feet.
- (Credit: Mark Gurman/Twitter)Despite Hollywood stars declaring their solidarity with all the world's struggling people, there's sometimes a nagging sense that many are quite into money.
- Some, myself included, admired how overtly Oscars presenter Ellen Degeneres integrated the vast Samsung phones into her performance.
- Hollywood folk do have this other side to them off camera, though. In Ellen's case, she seemed to prefer a different camera when she's away from the TV lens.
- More Technically IncorrectFor a wily tweeter, 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, noticed that she tweeted another selfie of herself and a very fine and famous face from backstage. For this task, she used her iPhone.
- Thankfully, she isn't the first artist to slip back out of sponsored character. Alicia Keys, shortly after being named BlackBerry's creative director, tweeted from an iPhone.
- But don't worry, she was hacked. At least that's what she said.
- And then there was tennis star David Ferrer, who tweeted his love for his Galaxy S4. From his iPhone.
- In Ellen's case, you might imagine that Samsung's representatives might have been striking their faces with frustrated palms.
- I wonder if they'll be taking selfies of the moment.
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- Behind the Preplanned Oscar Selfie: Samsung's Ad Strategy - WSJ.com
- It's no accident that Ellen DeGeneres used a Samsung Galaxy Note. The WSJ's Min-Jeong Lee has the details. Photo: ABC
- Samsung Electronics Co. spent an estimated $20 million on ads to run during breaks in the Academy Awards broadcast on Sunday night. But Samsung may have got more promotional mileage from Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres during the show itself.
- Ms. DeGeneres toyed with a white Samsung phone during the broadcast, including when she handed a Galaxy Note 3 to actor Bradley Cooper so he could take a "selfie" photo of himself and other stars including Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Lawrence surrounding the host.
- While the stunt felt spontaneous, it wasn't entirely unplanned. As part of its sponsorship and ad pact for the Oscars with ABC, the TV network airing the show, Samsung and its media buying firm Starcom MediaVest negotiated to have its Galaxy smartphone integrated into the show, according to two people familiar with the matter. ABC is a unit of Walt Disney Co.
- Samsung gave ABC smartphones to use during the broadcast and was promised its devices would get airtime, these people said. At least one of the product plugs was planned: during the "red carpet" preshow, ABC ran a clip of six aspiring young filmmakers touring Disney Studios. The group were seen in the video using Samsung devices.
- The origin of the "selfie" shot was a little different. Ms. DeGeneres, in the days leading up to the broadcast, decided she wanted to take "selfies" during the show and ABC suggested she use a Samsung since it was a sponsor, another person familiar with the matter said.
- During rehearsals Samsung executives trained Ms. DeGeneres on how to use the Samsung Galaxy, two people familiar with the matter said.
- "It was a great plug for the Samsung brand," said Allen Adamson, managing director at Landor Associates, a branding firm owned by WPP PLC. "Ellen's selfie is going to be more impactful than their commercials. You can't buy that magic of going viral," he added.
- Having products appear in a program'--product placement'--has been a part of the TV business since the early days of the medium.
- But it has become a more popular marketing technique in recent years as ad-skipping via digital video recorders has prompted marketers to look for ways to break free of the confines of the commercial break.
- Ad-skipping is far less common during an event like the Academy Awards, which most viewers are watching live. Even so, advertisers say, product placement combined with ad buys help viewers better remember the products being promoted.
- At the same time, TV networks typically reserve such product placement for big spending advertisers, media buyers say. Samsung was one of the biggest sponsors of this year's Oscars broadcast, buying five minutes of commercial time.
- While Samsung declined to comment on the financial details of its ad deal with ABC, ad tracker Kantar Media estimates that advertisers were paying roughly $1.8 million for 30 seconds worth of Oscar ad time this year.
- That implies Samsung could have spent $18 million on ad time this year. By comparison, the company spent a total of $24 million advertising on the Oscars since 2009, according to Kantar.
- The cost of the product placement was included in Samsung's overall package, said one person familiar with the situation.
- Helping reinforce the value of the plug was Ms. DeGeneres' tweeting of the selfie. It was retweeted nearly 3 million times as of Monday afternoon. While the tweet didn't mention Samsung, the fact it was taken by a Samsung phone was clear on the TV screen at the time.
- At one point Samsung was getting about 900 mentions a minute on social media, according to Kontera, a company that tracks content on social media sites.
- Still, as the lines between entertainment and advertising continue to blur ad experts warn that these overly promotional gimmicks could turn off consumers.
- So far, there has been few complaints about Samsung's Oscar plug. Kontera said that 23% of the online commentary around the "selfie" on social media has been positive and about 69% of the comments have been neutral. Only 8% of the comments were negative, the company added.
- The Samsung stunt didn't come off without a hitch: many people were quick to note on Twitter that the Oscar host was also tweeting during the evening with rival Apple's iPhone.
- Samsung declined to comment about Ms. DeGeneres' iPhone usage.
- Samsung wasn't the only brand that got a big plug last night. Ms DeGeneres ordered pizza for some in the audience from Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria in Los Angeles.
- The boxes carried a Coca-Cola logo, which didn't advertise during the program. Rival Pepsi was an Oscar advertiser.
- "Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria getting a thank-you note tomorrow," read a tweet sent out last night from Wendy Clark, Coca-Cola's senior vice president of integrated marketing communications.
- Write to Suzanne Vranica at suzanne.vranica@wsj.com
- Corrections & Amplifications
- Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria in Los Angeles delivered pizzas to the Dolby Theatre audience during the Oscar telecast. An earlier version of this article misspelled the pizzeria's name as Big Mamma's and Pappa's.
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- Origins and Techniques of Monarch Mind Control - The Vigilant Citizen
- Monarch Programming is a method of mind control used by numerous organizations for covert purposes. It is a continuation of project MK-ULTRA, a mind-control program developed by the CIA, and tested on the military and civilians. The methods are astonishingly sadistic (its entire purpose is to traumatize the victim) and the expected results are horrifying: The creation of a mind-controlled slave who can be triggered at anytime to perform any action required by the handler. While mass media ignores this issue, over 2 million Americans have gone through the horrors of this program. This article looks at the origins of Monarch programming and some of its methods and symbolism.
- NOTE: This article contains disturbing elements and might triggerMonarchsurvivors.
- Monarch programming is a mind-control technique comprising elements of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) and Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). It utilizes a combination of psychology, neuroscience and occult rituals to create within the slaves an alter persona that can be triggered and programmed by the handlers. Monarch slaves are used by several organizations connected with the world elite in fields such as the military, sex slavery and the entertainment industry. This article will look at the origins of Monarch programming, its techniques and its symbolism.
- OriginsThroughout the course of history, several accounts have been recorded describing rituals and practices resembling mind control. One of the earliest writings giving reference to the use of occultism to manipulate the mind can be found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It is a compilation of rituals, heavily studied by today's secret societies, which describes methods of torture and intimidation (to create trauma), the use of potions (drugs) and the casting of spells (hypnotism), ultimately resulting in the total enslavement of the initiate. Other events ascribed to black magic, sorcery and demon possession (where the victim is animated by an outside force) are also ancestors of Monarch programming.
- It is, however, during the 20th century that mind control became a science in the modern sense of the term, where thousands of subjects have been systematically observed, documented and experimented on.
- One of the first methodical studies on trauma-based mind control were conducted by Josef Mengele, a physician working in Nazi concentration camps. He initially gained notoriety for being one of the SS physicians who supervised the selection of arriving prisoners, determining who was to be killed and who was to become a forced labourer. However, he is mostly known for performing grisly human experiments on camp inmates, including children, for which Mengele was called the ''Angel of Death''.
- Mengele is infamous for his sordid human experiments on concentration camps prisoners, especially on twins. A part of his work that is rarely mentioned however, is his research on mind control. Much of his research in this field was confiscated by the Allies and is still classified to this day.
- ''DR. GREEN (Dr. Joseph Mengele): The most significant programmer, perhaps one could give him the title of the father of Monarch Programming was Joseph Mengele, an ex-Nazi Concentration Camp doctor. Thousands of Monarch mindcontrolled slaves in the U.S. had ''Dr. Green'' as their chief programmer.''
- ''Dr. Joseph Mengele of Auschwitz notoriety was the principle developer of the trauma-based Monarch Project and the CIA's MK Ultra mind control programs. Mengele and approximately 5, 000 other high ranking Nazis were secretly moved into the United States and South America in the aftermath of World War II in an Operation designated Paperclip. The Nazis continued their work in developing mind control and rocketry technologies in secret underground military bases. The only thing we were told about was the rocketry work with former Nazi star celebrities like Warner Von Braun. The killers, torturers, and mutilators of innocent human beings were kept discretely out of sight, but busy in U.S. underground military facilities which gradually became home to thousands upon thousands of kidnapped American children snatched off the streets (about one million per year) and placed into iron bar cages stacked from floor to ceiling as part of the 'training'. These children would be used to further refine and perfect Mengele's mind control technologies. Certain selected children (at least the ones who survived the 'training') would become future mind controlled slaves who could be used for thousands of different jobs ranging anywhere from sexual slavery to assassinations. A substantial portion of these children, who were considered expendable, were intentionally slaughtered in front of (and by) the other children in order to traumatize the selected trainee into total compliance and submission''.
- Mengele's research served as a basis for the covert, illegal CIA human research program named MK-ULTRA.
- MK-ULTRADeclassified MK-Ultra document
- Project MK-ULTRA ran from the early 1950s to at least the late 1960s, using American and Canadian citizens as its test subjects. The published evidence indicates that Project MK-ULTRA involved the use of many methodologies to manipulate individual mental states and alter brain functions, including the surreptitious administration of drugs and other chemicals, sensory deprivation, isolation, and verbal and physical abuse.
- The most publicized experiments conducted by MK-ULTRA involved the administration of LSD on unwitting human subjects, including CIA employees, military personnel, doctors, other government agents, prostitutes, mentally ill patients, and members of the general public, in order to study their reactions.
- However, the scope of MK-ULTRA does not however stop. Experiments involving violent electroshocks, physical and mental torture and abuse were used in a systematic matter on many subjects, including children.
- Declassified picture of a young MK-ULTRA subject, 1961.
- Although the admitted goals of the projects were to develop torture and interrogation methods to use on the country's enemies, some historians asserted that the project aimed to create ''Manchurian Candidates'', programmed to perform various acts such as assassinations and other covert missions.
- MK-ULTRA was brought to light by various commissions in the 1970s, including the Rockefeller Commission of 1975. Although it is claimed that the CIA stopped such experiments after these commissions, some whistle-blowers have come forth stating that the project simply went ''underground'' and Monarch Programming has become the classified successor of MK-ULTRA.
- The most incriminating statement to date made by a government official as to the possible existence of Project MONARCH was extracted by Anton Chaitkin, a writer for the publication The New Federalist. When former CIA Director William Colby was asked directly, ''What about monarch?'' he replied angrily and ambiguously, ''We stopped that between the late 1960s and the early 1970s.''
- Monarch ProgrammingAlthough there has never been any official admittance of the existence of Monarch programming, prominent researchers have documented the systematic use of trauma on subjects for mind-control purposes. Some survivors, with the help of dedicated therapists, were able to ''deprogram'' themselves to then go on record and disclose the horrifying details of their ordeals.
- Monarch slaves are mainly used by organizations to carry out operations using patsies trained to perform specific tasks, who do not question orders, who do not remember their actions and, if discovered, who automatically commit suicide. They are the perfect scapegoats for high-profile assassinations (see Sirhan Sirhan), the ideal candidates for prostitution, slavery and private movie productions. They are also the perfect puppet performers for the entertainment industry.
- ''What I can say is I now believe that ritual-abuse programming is widespread, is systematic, is very organized from highly esoteric information which is published no-where, has not been on any book or talk show, that we have found it all around this country and at least one foreign country.
- People say, ''What's the purpose of it?'' My best guess is that the purpose of it is that they want an army of Manchurian Candidates, ten of thousands of mental robots who will do prostitution, do movies, smuggle narcotics, engage in international arms smuggling, all sorts of very lucrative things, and do their bidding and eventually the megalomaniacs at the top believe they'll create a Satanic Order that will rule the world''.
- Monarch programmers cause intense trauma to subjects through the use of electroshock, torture, abuse and mind games in order to force them to dissociate from reality '' a natural response in some people when then are faced with unbearable pain. The subject's ability to dissociate is a major requirement and it is ,apparently, most readily found in children that come from families with multiple generations of abuse. Mental dissociation enables the handlers to create walled-off personas in the subject's psyche, which can then be programmed and triggered at will.
- ''Trauma-based mind control programming can be defined as systematic torture that blocks the victim's capacity for conscious processing (through pain, terror, drugs, illusion, sensory deprivation, sensory over-stimulation, oxygen deprivation, cold, heat, spinning, brain stimulation, and often, near-death), and then employs suggestion and/or classical and operant conditioning (consistent with well-established behavioral modification principles) to implant thoughts, directives, and perceptions in the unconscious mind, often in newly-formed trauma-induced dissociated identities, that force the victim to do, feel, think, or perceive things for the purposes of the programmer. The objective is for the victim to follow directives with no conscious awareness, including execution of acts in clear violation of the victim's moral principles, spiritual convictions, and volition.
- Installation of mind control programming relies on the victim's capacity to dissociate, which permits the creation of new walled-off personalities to ''hold'' and ''hide'' programming. Already dissociative children are prime ''candidates'' for programming''.
- Monarch mind control is covertly used by various groups and organizations for various purposes. According to Fritz Springmeier, these groups are known as ''The Network'' and form the backbone of the New World Order.
- Origins of the NameMonarch mind control is named after the Monarch butterfly '' an insect who begins its life as a worm (representing undeveloped potential) and, after a period of cocooning (programming) is reborn as a beautiful butterflies (the Monarch slave). Some characteristics specific to the Monarch butterfly are also applicable to mind control.
- ''One of the primary reasons that the Monarch mind-control programming was named Monarch programming was because of the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch butterfly learns where it was born (its roots) and it passes this knowledge via genetics on to its offspring (from generation to generation). This was one of the key animals that tipped scientists off, that knowledge can be passed genetically. The Monarch program is based upon Illuminati and Nazi goals to create a Master race in part through genetics. If knowledge can be passed genetically (which it is), then it is important that parents be found that can pass the correct knowledge onto those victims selected for the Monarch mind control.''
- ''When a person is undergoing trauma induced by electroshock, a feeling of light-headedness is evidenced; as if one is floating or fluttering like a butterfly. There is also a symbolic representation pertaining to the transformation or metamorphosis of this beautiful insect: from a caterpillar to a cocoon (dormancy, inactivity), to a butterfly (new creation) which will return to its point of origin. Such is the migratory pattern that makes this species unique.''
- MethodThe victim/survivor is called a ''slave'' by the programmer/handler, who in turn is perceived as ''master'' or ''god.'' About 75% are female, since they possess a higher tolerance for pain and tend to dissociate more easily than males. Monarch handlers seek the compartmentalization of their subject's psyche in multiple and separate alter personas using trauma to cause dissociation.
- The following is a partial list of these forms of torture:
- 2. Confinement in boxes, cages, coffins, etc, or burial (often with an opening or air-tube for oxygen)
- 3. Restraint with ropes, chains, cuffs, etc.
- 5. Extremes of heat and cold, including submersion in ice water and burning chemicals
- 6. Skinning (only top layers of the skin are removed in victims intended to survive)
- 10. Forced ingestion of offensive body fluids and matter, such as blood, urine, feces, flesh, etc.
- 11. Hung in painful positions or upside down
- 14 Compression with weights and devices
- 16. Drugs to create illusion, confusion, and amnesia, often given by injection or intravenously
- 17. Ingestion or intravenous toxic chemicals to create pain or illness, including chemotherapy agents
- 18. Limbs pulled or dislocated
- 19. Application of snakes, spiders, maggots, rats, and other animals to induce fear and disgust
- 20. Near-death experiences, commonly asphyxiation by choking or drowning, with immediate resuscitation
- 22. Forced to perform or witness abuse, torture and sacrifice of people and animals, usually with knives
- 23. Forced participation in slavery
- 24. Abuse to become pregnant; the fetus is then aborted for ritual use, or the baby is taken for sacrifice or enslavement
- 25. Spiritual abuse to cause victim to feel possessed, harassed, and controlled internally by spirits or demons
- 26. Desecration of Judeo-Christian beliefs and forms of worship; dedication to Satan or other deities
- 27. Abuse and illusion to convince victims that God is evil, such as convincing a child that God has abused her
- 28. Surgery to torture, experiment, or cause the perception of physical or spiritual bombs or implants
- 29. Harm or threats of harm to family, friends, loved ones, pets, and other victims, to force compliance
- 30. Use of illusion and virtual reality to confuse and create non-credible disclosure
- ''The basis for the success of the Monarch mind-control programming is that different personalities or personality parts called alters can be created who do not know each other, but who can take the body at different times. The amnesia walls that are built by traumas, form a protective shield of secrecy that protects the abusers from being found out, and prevents the front personalities who hold the body much of the time to know how their System of alters is being used. The shield of secrecy allows cult members to live and work around other people and remain totally undetected. The front alters can be wonderful Christians, and the deeper alters can be the worst type of Satanic monster imaginable''a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde effect. A great deal is at stake in maintaining the secrecy of the intelligence agency or the occult group which is controlling the slave. The success rate of this type of programming is high but when it fails, the failures are discarded through death. Each trauma and torture serves a purpose. A great deal of experimentation and research went into finding out what can and can't be done. Charts were made showing how much torture a given body weight at a given age can handle without death.''
- ''Due to the severe trauma induced through ECT, abuse and other methods, the mind splits off into alternate personalities from the core. Formerly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, it is presently recognized as Dissociative Identity Disorder and is the basis for MONARCH programming. Further conditioning of the victim's mind is enhanced through hypnotism, double-bind coercion, pleasure-pain reversals, food, water, sleep and sensory deprivation, along with various drugs which alter certain cerebral functions''.
- Dissociation is thus achieved by traumatizing the subject, using systematic abuse and using terrifying occult rituals. Once a split in the core personality occurs, an ''internal world'' can be created and alter personas can be programmed using tools such as music, movies (especially Disney productions) and fairy tales. These visual and audio aids enhance the programming process using images, symbols, meanings and concepts. Created alters can then be accessed using trigger words or symbols programmed into the subject's psyche by the handler. Some of the most common internal images seen by mind control slaves are trees, Cabalistic Tree of life, infinity loops, ancient symbols and letters, spider webs, mirrors, glass shattering, masks, castles, mazes, demons, butterflies, hour glasses, clocks and robots. These symbols are commonly inserted in popular culture movies and videos for two reasons: to desensitize the majority of the population, using subliminals and neuro-linguistic programming and to deliberately construct specific triggers and keys for base programming of highly-impressionable MONARCH children. Some of the movies used in Monarch programming include The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and Sleeping Beauty .
- The movie The Wizard of Oz is used by Monarch handlers to program their slaves. Symbols and meanings in the movie become triggers in the slave's mind enabling easy access to the slave's mind by the handler. In popular culture, veiled references to Monarch programming often use analogies to The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.
- In each case, the slave is given a particular interpretation of the movie's storyline in order to enhance programming. For example, a slave watching The Wizard of Oz is taught that ''somewhere over the rainbow'' is the ''happy place'' dissociative trauma slaves must go to in order to escape the unbearable pain being inflicted upon them. Using the movie, programmers encourage slaves to go ''over the rainbow'' and dissociate, effectively separating their minds from their bodies.
- ''As mentioned before, the hypnotist will find children easier to hypnotize if they know how to do it with small children. One method that is effective is to say to the small children, ''Imagine you are watching a favorite television show.'' This is why the Disney movies and the other shows are so important to the programmers. They are the perfect hypnotic tool to get the child's mind to dissociate in the right direction. The programmers have been using movies since almost day one to help children learn the hypnotic scripts. For children they need to be part of the hypnotic process. If the hypnotist allows the child to make up his own imagery, the hypnotic suggestions will be stronger. Rather than telling the child the color of a dog, the programmer can ask the child. This is where the books and films shown the child assist in steering its mind in the right direction. If the hypnotist talks to a child, he must take extra precaution not to change the tone of his voice and to have smooth transitions. Most of the Disney films are used for programming purposes. Some of them are specifically designed for mind-control.''
- Levels of Monarch ProgrammingThe levels of Monarch Programming identify the slave's ''functions'' and are named after the Electroencephalography (EEG) brainwaves associated with them.
- Types of brain waves in EEG
- Regarded as ''general'' or regular programming, ALPHA is within the base control personality. It characterized by extremely pronounced memory retention, along with substantially increased physical strength and visual acuity. Alpha programming is accomplished through deliberately subdividing the victims personality which, in essence, causes a left brain-right brain division, allowing for a programmed union of Left and Right through neuron pathway stimulation.
- BETA is referred to as ''sexual'' programming (slaves). This programming eliminates all learned moral convictions and stimulates the primitive instinct, devoid of inhibitions. ''Cat'' alters may come out at this level. Known as Kitten programming, it is the most visible kind of programming as some female celebrities, models, actresses and singers have been subjected to this kind of programming. In popular culture, clothing with feline prints often denote Kitten programming.
- DELTA is known as ''killer'' programming and was originally developed for training special agents or elite soldiers (i.e. Delta Force, First Earth Battalion, Mossad, etc.) in covert operations. Optimal adrenal output and controlled aggression is evident. Subjects are devoid of fear and very systematic in carrying out their assignment. Self-destruct or suicide instructions are layered in at this level.
- THETA '' Considered to the ''psychic'' programming. Bloodliners (those coming from multi-generational Satanic families) were determined to exhibit a greater propensity for having telepathic abilities than did non-bloodliners. Due to its evident limitations, however, various forms of electronic mind control systems were developed and introduced, namely, bio-medical human telemetry devices (brain implants), directed-energy lasers using microwaves and/or electromagnetics. It is reported these are used in conjunction with highly-advanced computers and sophisticated satellite tracking systems.
- In ConclusionIt is difficult to remain objective when describing the horrors endured by Monarch slaves. The extreme violence, the abuse, the mental torture and sadistic games inflicted on victims by ''notable scientists'' and high-level officials prove the existence of a true ''dark side'' in the powers that be. Despite the revelations, the documents and the whistle-blowers, a great majority of the population ignores, dismisses or avoids the issue altogether. Over two million Americans have been programmed by trauma mind-control since 1947 and the CIA publicly admitted its mind control projects in 1970. Movies such as The Manchurian Candidate have directly referred to the subject, even depicting actual techniques, such as electroshock, the use of trigger words and microchip implementation. Several public figures we see on our TV and movie screens are mind control slaves. Famous people such as Candy Jones, Celia Imrie and Sirhan Sirhan have gone on record and disclosed their mind control experiences'...and yet the general public claims that it ''cannot exist''.
- The research and funds invested in project Monarch do not however only apply to mind control slaves. Many of the programming techniques perfected in these experiments are applied on a mass scale through mass media. Mainstream news, movies, music videos, advertisements and television shows are conceived using the most advanced data on human behavior ever compiled. A lot of this comes from Monarch programming.
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- SilvaUltraMind System - The Largest Silva Mind Training Site on the World Wide Web - Discover a New Method to Control Your Mind by Jose Silva - Silvaultramindsystem.com
- The Silva Ultra Mind System is no longer The Silva Method's latest and most up to date program for training your intuition.If you stumbled onto this page seeking to enhance your intuition, you'll want to check out Silva Intuition System for the latest tools and techniques to fully harness the power of your mind.
- In studying some of the world's most successful people Jose Silva found 2 reasons for their success. You probably know the first reason, the second is more surprising. Read on to learn what it is.Over 1 million people have used Jose Silva's mind training techniques to help them build a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life '' through good times and bad.Are You Living Up to Your True Potential?Imagine how you would feel if you had it all'...
- Peace of Mind and HappinessCareer Fulfillment,Loving Relationships,Vibrant Health,Creative Expression.Wouldn't that be wonderful?
- Look at your life'--do you have what you really, really want?
- Or are you settling?Have you given up on creating the ideal life you once dreamed of?
- I'm here to tell you that if you refocus'--you can create the life you want.
- If you desire to expand your potential as a human being and if you want to have a stronger impact on the world around you, the information here will be of great interest to you.
- In the next few minutes, we'll show you how to manifest your dreams.
- But a Warning:What we're going to reveal runs contrary to what many well known self-help gurus tell you.So I urge you to read every word of this article because the secret that can single-handedly turn your desires into reality is revealed in this page'--and you don't want you to miss it.
- Best of AllI have been investigating and researching everything in the self-help and metaphysical field for the last 20 years'....I have learned many techniques to help people, and the best of all is The Jose Silva UltraMind ESP System. I cannot imagine anyone not wanting to learn Jose Silva's System once they understand how valuable these techniques are.
- ~ Ellen Roper, certified hypnotherapist. from
- The Jose Silva UltraMind System is'...a method of dynamic meditationto help you find your purpose in lifeand powerfully move you towards this greater goal.Since the 1960s, Jose Silva has been developing and perfecting his mind training system. Over one million people have attended his seminars and his books have sold millions of copies.
- The Silva UltraMind Seminar is the pinnacle of his work. Developed in the late 90s, just shortly before Mr. Silva passed away in 1999.
- Silva has always been ahead of his time. He was training people in meditation, self-hypnosis and creative visualization before these terms were embedded in public consciousness.
- You've heard of affirmations, goal setting seminars, positive visualizations and meditation. Hundreds of programs offer these (many of them borrowed from Silva's work).
- But the Silva UltraMind System goes beyond this.
- The Silva UltraMind System trains you to use your mind to such a powerful extent that within a few days you are able to demonstrate ESP and influence healing in others.
- We also teach you how to identify your mission in life and to use the power of your creative mind, to propel you toward this goal.
- In short, we train you to do things you never thought possible.Watch the Video Below to See What People Are Saying about Silva''It gave me real techniques for my business and personal life.''''I had a lot of questions'...and everything got answered.''''I Have Been Called the Miracle Man. In 6 Months, My Tumors Were Gone!''''This is amazing'...that first story is my story almost to the letter..In 1999. I was diagnosed with lung cancer.The Drs. told me..and showed me the four tumors on my lung'...They told me I had 8 months to 1yr to live. Thats when I first heard of the Jose Silva method'...of meditation to heal ones self'...and I used that method for 6 months'...and just like in your first story'...after 3 months the Dr.didn't understand how the tumors was SHRINKING'...and after 6 months..that they were completely gone'...
- Now I also did the chemo and changed my diet'...but the doctors called their miracle'... and to this day when I go back for checkups'...they still call me the miracle man'....but I know that GOD played a huge part, if not all of this miracle'...after all it was HIM that put the doctors in my life and the Silva method'...so yes it was GOD that got me better'...Thank you''
- What Other Programs Do Not Tell You'...If you're looking for a motivational pep talk about how you can be rich, achieve perfect health and obtain everything you desire then you're on the wrong path.
- Other self improvement systems tell you that you can achieve anything you desire through the use of your mind.
- I'm sorry'--but this is NOT true.Let me explain why'...You are entitled to have every success, happiness and fulfillment you can dream of. We were all sent here with a job to do and the resources to fulfill that task. So why then do so many people not receive the things in life that they are naturally entitled to and deserve?
- The answer is a simple one.Many people try to achieve what they think they should do, instead of what they were sent here to do.
- Many goal-setting techniques claim to teach you to manifest anything you desire'--but all these systems have a common flaw:
- If you're aiming for a goal or outcome that is not part of the greater plan for you then you will fail.You can achieve anything you desire IF and only IF, what you desire is part of life's greater plan for you.Everyone is put on this planet for a reason. Find out what that reason is'--and doorways will open for you.Did the Universe want Mother Theresa to be rich? She gave up her job and moved to India to help the poor'... and in the process helped bring dignity and happiness to millions of sick and poor children.
- Was Helen Keller meant to have perfect health? A childhood illness left her deaf and blind yet she went on to become a successful teacher and an inspiration for millions of people with disabilities.
- The point is this:You were born for a reason.Do you know what that reason is?If you don't, then you may face roadblocks in life. These roadblocks could be a lousy job, bad health, a troubled relationship'...
- But when you find your life mission, then no matter how bad things look now'--you will be on the right path.
- Silva UltraMind teaches you to tap into your intuition to understand what your purpose in life is. You then learn how to use your mind to create all manner of coincidences to propel you towards this goal or purpose.
- Understand this and you understand the true secret of success.Author Burt Goldman on Silva UltraMindWe have all heard many times that anyone can control the direction and pattern of their lives if they just know how. In Silva UltraMind, you will learn simple, practical and safe ways to bring about this control. Silva UltraMind consists of scientifically researched, tested, proven techniques which you receive in a step-by-step, learn-by-doing manner. You will see noticeable results quickly.
- ~ Burt Goldman, Author of the Power of Self Mind Control from
- Filmed during our classes in Anaheim and New York, Aug 2007
- What's Possible TodayThe Silva UltraMind System was designed to help you not just achieve what you want'--*but to achieve what is right for you.*
- In the 50s, Jose Silva discovered that it was possible to train people to function at the Alpha level. He was the pioneer of the idea that the human mind had abilities beyond the 5 senses and that these abilities could be harnessed to improve one's life.
- The self-improvement programs that emerged in the 70s, 80s and 90s popularized this discovery.
- But Silva has always been ahead of the pack'...In the late 90's Silva made another discovery which was as controversial as his suggestion in the 1950s that everyone had ESP.
- Silva discovered that everyone has a certain 'path' or 'purpose' in life. Too many people face roadblocks because they ignore their calling or aim for goals outside their life purpose.
- The Mind Training programs of the 90s in short'--were incomplete.
- To use your mind to encourage healing, or to manifest coincidences'--you must first be sure that what's you're aiming for lies within your purpose.
- The UltraMind System is designed to do just this.
- Jose Silva's Credentials:50 Years of Research & Development.One Million Graduates Worldwide.10 Million Books Sold.When you attend a Silva seminar you are attending the most advanced human empowerment program available.
- Jose Silva conducted years of research and invested close to $500,000 (or $2 million in today's dollar value) to learn what made some people happier and more successful than others. He then developed the Silva method and technique to help people take advantage of his findings.
- You will learn a series of specific self management techniques to help you overcome any impediment to your happiness and help you achieve you life's missions. The Silva UltraMind System is the latest of Jose Silva's work. (His earlier work was known as Silva Method or Silva Mind Control Method).
- Silva has always been ahead of his time. He was training people in meditation, self-hypnosis and creative visualization before these terms were embedded in public consciousness.
- You've heard of affirmations, goal setting seminars, positive visualizations and meditation. Hundreds of programs offer these (many of them borrowed from Silva's work).
- But the Silva UltraMind System goes beyond all this.It combines Science and Spirituality to produce a training system that delivers results and changes lives.
- In short, we train you to do things you never thought possible.Mental Sports TrainingVisualization, mental rehearsal, stress management, and intuition are as much a part of an athlete's training regimen as diet, exercise, and sport specific practice. The Silva System allows instant access to these mental techniques
- ~ Lance R. Miller, International Shooting Coach; Director, Fla. State Junior Olympic Camp; 1995, USA Shooting, Coach of the Year. from
- Here's what you will learn'... in just 2 days#1 Learn to Meditate Like a MonkFirst, we train you to reach your Alpha Level of Mind. This is a deep level of consciousness that people achieve during meditation. The Alpha level is associated with intuition and ESP.
- We train you to achieve this deep level of mind, at will, in less than 1 minute. Accomplishing this alone is a valuable feat'--you are probably aware of the many benefits associated with meditation.
- Meditation is fast gaining recognition worldwide. According to CBS news on Aug 27 2003 ''More and more doctors recommend it.'' It's supposed to help depression, control pain, increase longevity, slow down cancers, invigorate the immune system, and significantly reduce blood pressure.
- Time Magazine even devoted an entire issue to Meditation on Aug 4 2003 and credited it as a solutions to range of illnesses from skin conditions, stress, and chronic heart disease to AIDs and infertility. It even reported that ''meditation can sometimes be used to replace Viagra''.
- In just the first day of training, you will be able to meditate and relax your mind and body within 1 minute. Stress, headaches, tensions, anger and insomnia will truly be a thing of the past.
- 2# Develop Your Powers of Healing and ESPOnce you learn to meditate we teach you to tap into your ESP. You will experience undeniable evidence of your own ESP by Day 2. This is an incredibly powerful and emotional moment for many of our graduates.
- You will be given names and locations of random people unknown to you and you will receive information on them and their state of health through intuition.
- You will then be trained to use distant healing to help these people accelerate their rate of recovery (distant healing has been proven to be scientific fact in the last decade).
- We guarantee you will experience this or you can get your complete money back. You be the judge. You will learn to use this ability to make important decisions in life. Are you in the right job? Are you with the right person? Should you make a career move?
- Imagine having intuition that can always help you make the right decision and point you towards your mission in life.
- Imagine having intuition that knows what lies ahead, and has the ability to lead you to success, happiness and fulfillment.
- This is the core of the UltraMind System:
- When you know what you're put on earth for and strive to accomplish this you will the barriers disappear. Coincidences will occur to move you along your path and success and happiness will come by with supreme ease'... as if by magic.
- 3# Use Your Mind to Create Positive CoincidencesOnce you learn your mission in life and get on the right path we will teach you powerful visualization techniques to solve any kind of problem you may face in life that keeps you from this mission.
- Graduates have reported being able to accelerate healing and amaze their doctors.Salesmen have reported dramatic increase in their commissions.Others have reported meeting their soul-mates or being able to strengthen troubled relationships.Many more have reported being able to achieve dreams and goals with surprising ease (many of these stories are detailed in our testimonials section).When you are on the right path, you can create coincidences to push you towards the solution and break down barriers. You can become a super-achiever. This applies to any goal'--better health, better relationships, increase in wealth and greater creativity.
- These techniques stay with you for life. In other words'--once you learn it you can always use it'--the ability never leaves you.
- Learn The Two Most Powerful Silva Techniques'...You will learn:
- The Three Scenes Technique:Program your mind to push you towards a goal. This technique does not just serve to create self-motivation internally '' it will actually create external coincidences, things otherwise considered beyond your control, to help you achieve your goal. Luck '' you will find, is something you control.
- The Mental Video Technique:Nothing you've read comes close to this amazing technique.
- Program your mind to tap into higher consciousness while you sleep to bring you answers to complex problems and provide you with guidance in life. You see this guidance as dreams, ideas that pop into your head or physical coincidences in the form of meaningful signs.
- Use this powerful technique to make the RIGHT decisions, 70%, 80% even 95% of the time.
- Best of AllI have been investigating and researching everything in the self-help and metaphysical field for the last 20 years'....I have learned many techniques to help people, and the best of all is The Jose Silva UltraMind ESP System. I cannot imagine anyone not wanting to learn Jose Silva's System once they understand how valuable these techniques are.
- ~ Ellen Roper, certified hypnotherapist. from
- Do the results work for ordinary people in tough circumstance?Yes!In Baltimore we conducted a class for homeless people.
- 70% of participants were able to find jobs within 2 weeks.Imagine what Silva Can Do for You.So What Makes Silva UltraMind a So Unique?A Quick Summary Important ReadThere are Three Things about Silva UltraMind that makes it decades ahead of other programs available.
- First '' Learning to Function in the Alpha LevelThe Alpha Level is the level of mind you attain when you are in meditation or light sleep. Affirmations, Visualization, Healing, NLP, Intuition, Clairvoyance, Healing, ALL work hundreds, if not thousands of time better at this level.
- This is the level where you can harness your subconscious mind'--while remaining wide awake.
- You do not need expensive electronics aids, audios or special rooms to reach the Alpha level. Silva UltraMind teaches you to go into this level at will.
- Yes, you can reach alpha on a crowded bus, during a business meeting or in the middle of your work day. You can use these 'alpha moments' to tap into you intuition, to practice visualization, to give yourself a boost of energy or to 'de-stress'.
- Learn to reach Alpha anytime, naturally within 1 minute.
- Second '' Discover Your Purpose in LifeHave you ever felt like there was something more you should be doing with your life?
- Maybe you felt that there is a hidden talent just ready to burst into success.
- Or a special mission, a soul purpose, you are ready to achieve?
- Wouldn't it be nice to have guidance from higher intelligence as to how to achieve all this?
- Many self-improvement programs tell you that by tapping into your mind you can have ''anything you desire''.
- I'm afraid this is not true.
- Silva's research has shown that you can have anything you want'--IF and ONLY IF'--it is part of your soul's plan for you.
- UltraMind teaches you to tap into you intuitive mind to make the right decisions and to point yourself in the right direction. We help you find your Life Purpose.
- If you aiming towards the wrong goal, then you may face roadblocks in life. These roadblocks could be a lousy job, bad health, a troubled relationship'...
- Think about your life right now'--do you see roadblocks?
- Silva UltraMind teaches you to tap into your intuition to understand what your purpose in life is'--and to blast through these roadblocks.
- With Silva UltraMind you can live a life aligned with your True Purpose and make the rights decisions in all aspects of your life.
- Third '' Moving Towards this Purpose and Achieving Your GoalsOnce you have learned to function at the Alpha Level and to tap into your intuition to identify what you should be doing'--rather than what you think you should do'--you are now ready to use the Silva Three-Scenes-Technique.
- When you are clear on what your Purpose is'--that is, what you can be doing to benefit humanity and to fulfill your reason for being'--you will find that, almost as if by magic, coincidences happen to push you towards your purpose.
- The Three-Scenes-Technique is a tool we teach to help you manifest ''coincidences'' to move you towards this purpose.
- With Jose Silva's UltraMind ESP System, you have all the tools you need to obtain guidance and help from higher intelligence to prepare yourself to succeed in your life's mission.
- Silva UltraMind is the culmination of Jose Silva's 55 years of research and real-world experience with millions of people who attended his seminars.
- No other program comes close.
- The Greatest Discovery'...The greatest discovery of the 19th century was not in the realm of the physical sciences, but the power of the subconscious mind touched by faith. Any individual can tap into an eternal reservoir of power that will enable them to overcome any problem that may arise. All weaknesses can be overcome, bodily healing, financial independence, spiritual awakening, prosperity beyond your wildest dreams. This is the superstructure of happiness.
- ~ William James, Harvard Psychologist, the Father of American Psychology from
- What would it be like to go around the rest of your life without your sense of sight, touch or hearing? What are these senses worth to you. They're Priceless. Yet many people see it as absolutely normal to go through life without ever using their sense of intuition and their mind's ability to create favorable coincidences to push them to their goals.
- The Silva Ultra Mind System Will Unlock The Full Power Of Your Mind '' We Guarantee ItWe're Giving You 60 Risk-Free Days To Discover Your True PotentialDear Friend,
- I'm not a fan of hype, and I would never settle for mediocre results. I wouldn't want it for myself, and I most definitely don't want it for you.
- What I'm going to give you is nothing short of a breakthrough. A life-changing experience that'll change the way you live your life for the better.
- The key to this breakthrough life is in your mind '' and I've cracked the code, the method to finding that key so that no matter who you are, you'll be instantly, effortlessly experiencing the kind of mental powers, revelations and abilities that usually come with decades of practice and study.
- It's helped tens of thousands of Silva students, and it WILL help you.
- Just to remind you, here's what you'll get:
- 1) 41 Lessons on 8 CDs. Dozens of practical and useful tips and success stories on how to shape your life using Silva's techniques.2) 8 Powerful Mind Stimulation Exercises designed by Jose Silva. Each ranges from 20 '' 45 minutes.3) The Alpha Relax Sound and the Long Relax Recording which Jose invested years in developing. Use this to help any member of your family instantly relax and reach a deep meditative level of mind.4) The Silva UltraMind System Workbook on CD-ROM.5) All Produced by the prestigious Nightingale-Conant Company.
- How confident am I that the Silva UltraMind System will do all that I've promised? I'll put everything on the line:
- If the Silva UltraMind System doesn't give you the biggest, most profound mental breakthrough in your life, just return it to me within 90 days and I'll return every cent of your money.
- No questions asked, no hidden caveats, and absolutely no risk on your part. Just one promise that I stand by with every inch of my credibility and reputation.
- But let me make it even sweeter for you '' even if you return the Silva UltraMind System to us, you can still keep all the bonuses as a thank you for trying us out.
- So I hope you're ready for a breakthrough life. Because it's ready for you.
- What's your excuse for not living your purpose? How do you want to be remembered by friends and family when you move on? What impact on humanity will you make? These are questions you must ask yourself. They will help guide you towards your life's mission.
- You were born for a reason.Do you know what that reason is?Free Audio & e-BookNew to Silva? Try our free e-Book and Audio program: The Unlimited You.
- - 30 Mins of Audio- 9 Wonderful Lessons- Fantastic Reviews.
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- Home Study ProgramIf you're unable to travel to a seminar the Silva UltraMind Home Study Program is a perfect choice.
- 42 audio recordings from 4 Top Trainers.
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- Go through a Life Transforming 2-day Seminar.
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- ''Will Completely Change Your Life in So Many Ways''With The Jose Silva UltraMind ESP System, you can learn to use your mind in a more powerful way to communicate with others better, to tap into your intuition easier, to enjoy success, happiness and health and to help others do the same!Based on Jose Silva's 22 years of research, this phenomenal audio tape series will completely change your life in so many positive, empowering ways. Instead of listening to talk radio while you drive to and from work every day, you can be programming your mind to achieve anything you desire'...no kidding!''
- ~ Christine Lyn Harvey, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, New Living Magazine from New York City
- P.S. If you'd like to experience Silva for free, try our Online Training Program. It's in eBook and Web Audio format, which you can start using immediately.
- P.P.S. Each and every claim or promise we make is backed by sound scientific research and countless success stories. In fact over 6 million people have used Silva for a happier, healthier, more prosperous life '' isn't it time you joined them?
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- About - SilvaUltraMind System - The Largest Silva Mind Training Site on the World Wide Web - Discover a New Method to Control Your Mind by Jose Silva - Silvaultramindsystem.com
- Helping you obtain the guidance you need to fulfill your purpose in life.
- Imagine if you could actually connect with a higher power that could guide you to make the correct decisions in your life. Imagine having a guide who actually knows what lies ahead, who can point you to success, happiness, and fulfillment you deserve. We were sent here to planet earth with a purpose and with the internal resources to succeed. But we need to learn to tap into these resources.
- This is what the Silva UltraMind ESP System is all about.
- The system was developed by Jose Silva and divine intervention. Jose Silva ran a successful television and radio repair shop in Laredo, Texas in the 1940s to 1970s. When one of his children began bringing home bad grades, Silva began to study psychology in an effort to find ways to help his children do better in school.
- Psychology led him to hypnosis which led him to meditation, which led directly to his children developing the ability to sense what he was thinking. As a result of this unexpected turn of events, he began to study metaphysics.
- Eventually Silva refined a method that can teach anyone how to develop their own intuition so that they can gather information with their minds that is not available to their physical senses and verify that the information is accurate. He founded the Silva Mind Control Method in Laredo, Texas.
- By 1966 word of the Silva Mind Control Method had spread beyond Laredo. Jose Silva had been teaching the Silva Mind Control Method to more than 100 people every week in Laredo. Thus at 52 Silva began the work that would make him famous throughout the world. Today the Silva Mind Control Method is taught in all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. The program is offered in 29 different languages. Over one million graduates have emerged from the course and The Silva Mind Control Method was also turned into a best-selling book.
- Through the years, a number of scientific studies have been made concerning the nature of reported benefits of the Silva Mind Control Method, both physiological and psychological. Results of research by Dr. J.W. Hahns, prove that the Silva Mind Control Method helps to improve health, sleep, relaxation ability, memory, confidence, self worth, habit control, creativity, psychic awareness, scholastic and athletic abilities.
- Jose Silva spent over 30 years studying the human brain and the power of subconscious mind. His research has revealed that 90 percent of people use only the left brain hemisphere to think with. They do both their thinking and acting with only the left brain hemisphere.
- Only 10 percent of humanity think with the right brain hemisphere, and then act with the left brain hemisphere. They are healthier, make fewer mistakes, have fewer accidents, are luckier and are more successful in life. In other words, the 10 percent are classified as geniuses.
- By the mid-90s public acceptance of ESP had gone up significantly (according to the Gallup Poll, 54% of Americans now believe in it). At this point Jose Silva decided to produce a seminar devoted exclusively to ESP. This is the Silva UltraMind Seminar, which Jose Silva developed in the mid-90s.
- UltraMind also has a focus on helping people use their ESP to discover their purpose in life. Silva sincerely believed that everyone is put on Earth for a reason and it is up to us to fulfill this plan. UltraMind teaches a powerful new technique called the Mental Video technique which Silva developed to help people learn of their life plan and gain intuition to help them make important decisions.
- The Silva UltraMind ESP System is the result of 30 years of experience and research with the Silva Mind Control Method by Jose Silva. The Silva UltraMind ESP System provides an easy way that you can use to connect with your higher source and get the guidance and direction you need for success. This means you regain the power to manifest, to heal and to attract what you desire into your life.
- The UltraMind ESP System is designed to help you find out what your mission in life is; to make decisions about what to do with your life; and the best ways to do it. Silva provides the most powerful techniques on the planet for getting rid of problems that can impede your progress towards your goals. It also provides you with the most powerful and effective programming techniques ever developed to help you reach your goals. Techniques which were at one time only available through advanced Silva workshops, ancient mystery schools and training such Hemi-Sync at The Monroe Institute.
- According to Jose Silva, ''This is the course I have wanted to teach since the beginning, however, humanity was not ready back then.'' The UltraMind System takes you to deeper levels of the mind for more effective programming, decision making, and success.
- Jose Silva, through his mind training systems, literally changed people's consciousness. When he began teaching his systems back in 1966, most people didn't believe in ESP. Today, belief in ESP is universal. Jose Silva said ''the reason we were given psychic ability is so that we can find out what we were sent here to do, and how to do it successfully.''
- That's what Jose Silva's UltraMind ESP System is all about. It's the culmination of his life and research. He created it shortly before his transition in 1999 at the age of 84. Certified instructors present the Silva UltraMind ESP System training throughout the United States and Canada.
- This is an investment which will change your life now and in the future, so that the rest of your life is the best of your life. You are invited to attend the next presentation of the Silva UltraMind ESP System in your area. For more information please contact us.
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-
- Stars Hit Hollywood Domino Event For Charity
- Celebrities came together last week at the Hollywood Domino Event Sponsored by Heineken and Jose Cuervo, to raise much needed funds for Artists for Peace and Justice to benefit Haiti and the rebuilding Port-au-Prince after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
- Maria Bello Sipping Jose Cuervo Oscar Gold Signature CocktailCredit/Copyright: Getty ImagesThe night featured a special performance by Rumer Willis and a throng of celebrities including: Jon Hamm, Kate Beckingsale, Kevin Jonas, Vanessa Hudgens, Adrien Brody, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Paul Haggis, AnnaLynne McCord, Kellan Lutz, Maria Bello, David and Odette Annable.
- Kate Beckingsale At Hollywood Domino EventCredit/Copyright: Getty ImagesKellan Lutz At Hollywood Domino EventCredit/Copyright: Getty Images
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-
- Ukraine
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- Obama year of action to use EO for gas exports
-
- U.S. Hopes Boom in Natural Gas Can Curb Putin - NYTimes.com
- At the helm of the new energy diplomacy effort is Carlos Pascual, a former American ambassador to
- Ukraine, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources. The 85-person bureau was
- created in late 2011 by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of state at the time, for the purpose
- of channeling the domestic energy boom into a geopolitical tool to advance American interests around
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- Russian bad guy is needed change in script from Muslim terrorists
- Muppets Most Wanted Promotion
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- Ukraine distraction from Obama budget
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- Crimea-Egypt Weapons Route
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-
- Clinton calls Putin Hitler
- Almost like NAForums: blah, bleh, bleh bleh, blah, HITLER!
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- Abby and Liz needed to distract from Ashton phone call
- $15Billion 'matching bid'
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-
- Skull & Bones
- Kerry almost did this war thng with Syria before Putin pulled the CW card
- The last time we let these aholes out of our aight we got our 'Pearl Harbour' and Iraqi WMD
- They are actually driving a wedge between Obama and Putin - Why does no one see this?
-
- National Endowment for Democracy
- NED, a $100 million-a-year agency created by the Reagan administration
- in 1983 to promote political action and psychological warfare against
- targeted states, lists 65 projects that it supports financially inside
- Ukraine, including training activists, supporting "journalists" and
- promoting business groups, effectively creating a full-service structure
- primed and ready to destabilize a government in the name of promoting
- "democracy." [See Consortiumnews.com's "A Shadow US Foreign Policy."]
-
- Nudelman
- State Department neocons also put their shoulders into shoving
- Ukraine away from Russia. Assistant Secretary of State for European
- Affairs Victoria Nuland, the wife of prominent neocon Robert Kagan and
- the sister-in-law of the Gates-Petraeus adviser Frederick Kagan,
- advocated strenuously for Ukraine's reorientation toward Europe.
- Last December, Nuland reminded Ukrainian
- business leaders that, to help Ukraine achieve "its European
- aspirations, we have invested more than $5 billion." She said the U.S.
- goal was to take "Ukraine into the future that it deserves," by which
- she meant into the West's orbit and away from Russia's.
- But President Yanukovych rejected a European Union plan that would
- have imposed harsh austerity on the already impoverished Ukraine. He
- accepted a more generous $15 billion loan from Russia, which also has
- propped up Ukraine's economy with discounted natural gas. Yanukovych's
- decision sparked anti-Russian street protests in Kiev, located in the
- country's western and more pro-European region.
- Nuland was soon at work planning for "regime change," encouraging
- disruptive street protests by personally passing out cookies to the
- anti-government demonstrators. She didn't seem to notice or mind that
- the protesters in Kiev's Maidan square had hoisted a large banner
- honoring Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist who collaborated with
- the German Nazis during World War II and whose militias participated in
- atrocities against Jews and Poles.
-
- Media literally creating the 'storm'?
-
- Polish foreign minister warns Ukraine protest leaders: 'Sign deal or you will all die'
- The Polish foreign minister has been filmed telling a protest leader that if
- the opposition did not sign up to a deal offered by Ukrainian President
- Viktor Yanukovych "you will all be dead".
-
- Text of H.R. 4152: To provide for the costs of loan guarantees for Ukraine. (Introduced version) - GovTrack.us
- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- (for himself and ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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
- To provide for the costs of loan guarantees for Ukraine.
- 1.From amounts appropriated or otherwise made available under Economic Support Fund in division K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113''76), and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, funding from unobligated balances shall be made available for the costs, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of loan guarantees for Ukraine, which are authorized to be provided in an appropriations Act, in accordance with section 504 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided, That amounts made available for the costs of such guarantees shall not be considered assistance for the purpose of provisions of law limiting assistance to such country: Provided further, That none of the funds may be made available from amounts designated pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
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-
- Executive Order -- Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine | The White House
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BLOCKING PROPERTY OF CERTAIN PERSONS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE
- By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
- I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, find that the actions and policies of persons -- including persons who have asserted governmental authority in the Crimean region without the authorization of the Government of Ukraine -- that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. I hereby order:
- Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person (including any foreign branch) of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
- (i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, directly or indirectly, any of the following:
- (A) actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine;
- (B) actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine; or
- (C) misappropriation of state assets of Ukraine or of an economically significant entity in Ukraine;
- (ii) to have asserted governmental authority over any part or region of Ukraine without the authorization of the Government of Ukraine;
- (iii) to be a leader of an entity that has, or whose members have, engaged in any activity described in subsection (a)(i) or (a)(ii) of this section or of an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;
- (iv) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any activity described in subsection (a)(i) or (a)(ii) of this section or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or
- (v) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.
- (b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.
- Sec. 2. I hereby find that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in subsection 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of such persons. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions).
- Sec. 3. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.
- Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not limited to:
- (a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and
- (b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
- Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
- (b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
- Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order:
- (a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;
- (b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and
- (c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.
- Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.
- Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
- Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to submit the recurring and final reports to the Congress on the national emergency declared in this order, consistent with section 401(c) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 1641(c)) and section 204(c) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1703(c)).
- Sec. 10. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
-
- Obama Sanctions 'Individuals and Entities' Involved in Ukraine Crisis | The Weekly Standard
- President Obama "has signed an Executive Order that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine," according to the White House.
- White House spokesman Jay Carney explains in a statement:
- "As President Obama has made clear, the United States is pursuing and reviewing a wide range of options in response to Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity '' actions that constitute a threat to peace and security and a breach of international law, including Russia's obligations under the UN Charter and of its 1997 military basing agreement with Ukraine, and that are inconsistent with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and the Helsinki Final Act.
- "Pursuant to the President's guidance, today the State Department is putting in place visa restrictions on a number of officials and individuals, reflecting a policy decision to deny visas to those responsible for or complicit in threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This new step stands in addition to the policy already implemented to deny visas to those involved in human rights abuses related to political oppression in Ukraine.
- "In addition, the President has signed an Executive Order that authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for activities undermining democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine; threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine; contributing to the misappropriation of state assets of Ukraine; or purporting to assert governmental authority over any part of Ukraine without authorization from the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. This E.O. is a flexible tool that will allow us to sanction those who are most directly involved in destabilizing Ukraine, including the military intervention in Crimea, and does not preclude further steps should the situation deteriorate.
- "These actions build upon the previous actions the United States has taken, including suspending bilateral discussions with Russia on trade and investment; suspending other bilateral meetings on a case-by-case basis; putting on hold U.S.-Russia military-to-military engagement, including exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits, and planning conferences; and our agreement with G-7 nations to suspend for the time being our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June. Depending on how the situation develops, the United States is prepared to consider additional steps and sanctions as necessary.
- "At the same time, as the President has said, we seek to work with all parties to achieve a diplomatic solution that de-escalates the situation and restores Ukraine's sovereignty. We call on Russia to take the opportunity before it to resolve this crisis through direct and immediate dialogue with the Government of Ukraine, the immediate pull-back of Russia's military forces to their bases, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and support for the urgent deployment of international observers and human rights monitors who can assure that the rights of all Ukrainians are protected, including ethnic Russians, and who can support the Ukrainian government's efforts to hold a free and fair election on May 25.
- "As we follow developments in Ukraine closely, the United States reaffirms its unwavering commitment to our collective defense commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty. We will continue to pursue measures that reinforce those commitments, to include the provision of additional support to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission and our aviation detachment in Poland."
-
- Obama orders sanctions over Ukraine, citing threat to US | TheHill
- The White House on Thursday moved to impose economic sanctions and visa restrictions on those responsible for or supporting the Russian incursion into Ukraine.
- White House press secretary Jay Carney said the State Department was moving to put in place visa restrictions on ''a number of officials and individuals'' responsible for or complicit in actions that threatened the sovereignty of the former Soviet republic.President Obama has also signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against those who have threatened ''the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine.''
- Under the executive order, the U.S. would freeze assets, block property under U.S. jurisdiction, and prevent American companies from doing business with any individual or entity identified by the administration.
- Carney called the order a ''flexible tool'' that would allow the U.S. to target those directly responsible for the incursion, but warned further sanctions were possible if the situation deteriorated.
- ''We call on Russia to take the opportunity before it to resolve this crisis through direct and immediate dialogue with the Government of Ukraine, the immediate pull-back of Russia's military forces to their bases, the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and support for the urgent deployment of international observers and human rights monitors who can assure that the rights of all Ukrainians are protected, including ethnic Russians, and who can support the Ukrainian government's efforts to hold a free and fair election on May 25,'' Carney said.
- The White House announcement follows a number of steps taken in the immediate aftermath of the Russian move into Crimea designed to ratchet up pressure on Moscow to withdraw. The Obama administration suspended bilateral discussions with Russia on trade and investment, put on hold joint military exercises, and suspended planning for a planned G8 meeting in Sochi.
- The move also builds on travel restrictions announced last month targeting members of the former Ukrainian government responsible for "undermining democratic institutions" within the country.
- In his executive order, Obama described the crisis in Ukraine as an ''unusual and extraordinary threat'' to the national security of the United States.
- While the president's move responds to domestic political pressure to stand up to Putin, its unclear what actual impact the targeted sanctions will have. Trade between the U.S. and Russia is relatively limited, and European leaders have been reluctant to follow suit. Russia is Europe's third-largest trading partner, and countries like Germany and France are heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil.
- "Whether (sanctions) will come into force depends also on how the diplomatic process progresses," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
- Obama's move comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working on sanctions legislation. Senate Foreign Relations panel Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said his committee was developing language, and planned to meet with administration witnesses on Thursday.
- ''We are also consulting with the administration on possible sanctions actions against individual Russians and Ukrainians that range from visa bans and asset freezes, to the suspension of military cooperation and sales, as well as economic sanctions,'' he said.
- House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has also said that he's asked his committee chairmen to work on legislation to ''put pressure on Russia.'' The House Foreign Relations Committee is slated to mark up a resolution urging sanctions on Thursday.
- The resolution ''calls on the Administration to work with our European allies and other countries to impose visa, financial, trade, and other sanctions on senior Russian Federation officials, majority state-owned banks and commercial organizations, and other state agencies, as appropriate.''
- --This report was updated at 8:23 a.m.
-
- The Daily Star - Mobile Edition :: News :: International :: Obama to impose sanctions over Ukraine
- WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the freezing of U.S. assets and a ban on travel into the United States of those involved in the Russian military intervention into the Crimea region of Ukraine.
- Obama signed an executive order aimed at punishing those Russians and Ukrainians responsible for a Russian move into Crimea, a crisis that has raised old-style Cold War tensions.
- The order, the White House said in a statement, is "a flexible tool that will allow us to sanction those who are most directly involved in destabilizing Ukraine, including the military intervention in Crimea, and does not preclude further steps should the situation deteriorate."
- In addition, the State Department is putting in place visa bans on a number of officials and individuals responsible for or complicit in threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
- The order was announced as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Rome.
- A senior State Department official said the United States had informed the Europeans beforehand about the sanctions.
- Obama is attempting to rally global opinion against the Russian move, which Russian President Vladimir Putin says was aimed at protecting ethnic Russians in the Crimea region of southern Ukraine.
- The United States wants Russian troops to return to their bases in Crimea and for Moscow to allow international monitors into the region to ensure the human rights of ethnic Russians there are protected.
- "We call on Russia to take the opportunity before it to resolve this crisis through direct and immediate dialogue with the government of Ukraine," the White House said.
- The Obama order targets any assets held in the United States by "individuals and entities" responsible for the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, threatening its territorial integrity or seeking to assert governmental authority over any part of Ukraine without authorization from the Ukrainian government in Kiev.
- The White House also said it is prepared to consider additional steps and sanctions as necessary.
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-
- Article: What Neocons Want from Ukraine Crisis | OpEdNews
- The gravest threat to this Obama-Putin collaboration has now emerged in Ukraine, where a coalition of U.S. neocon operatives and neocon holdovers within the State Department fanned the flames of unrest in Ukraine, contributing to the violent overthrow of democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych and now to a military intervention by Russian troops in the Crimea, a region in southern Ukraine that historically was part of Russia.
- Though I'm told the Ukraine crisis caught both Obama and Putin by surprise, the neocon determination to drive a wedge between the two leaders has been apparent for months, especially after Putin brokered a deal to head off U.S. military strikes against Syria last summer and helped get Iran to negotiate concessions on its nuclear program.
- Putin also is reported to have verbally dressed down Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan over what Putin considered their provocative actions regarding the Syrian civil war.
- American neocons -- along with Israel and Saudi Arabia -- had hoped that Obama would launch military strikes on Syria and Iran that could open the door to more "regime change" across the Middle East, a dream at the center of neocon geopolitical strategy since the 1990s.
- This neocon strategy took shape after the display of U.S. high-tech warfare against Iraq in 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union later that year. U.S. neocons began believing in a new paradigm of a uni-polar world where U.S. edicts were law.
- The neocons felt this paradigm shift also meant that Israel would no longer need to put up with frustrating negotiations with the Palestinians. Rather than haggling over a two-state solution, U.S. neocons simply pressed for "regime change" in hostile Muslim countries that were assisting the Palestinians or Lebanon's Hezbollah.
- Iraq was first on the neocon hit list, but next came Syria and Iran. The overriding idea was that once the regimes assisting the Palestinians and Hezbollah were removed or neutralized, then Israel could dictate peace terms to the Palestinians who would have no choice but to accept what was on the table.
- U.S. neocons working on Netanyahu's campaign team in 1996, including Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, even formalized their bold new plan, which they outlined in a strategy paper, called "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm." The paper argued that only "regime change" in hostile Muslim countries could achieve the necessary "clean break" from the diplomatic standoffs that had followed inconclusive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
- In 1998, the neocon Project for the New American Century called for a U.S. invasion of Iraq, but President Bill Clinton refused to go along. The situation changed, however, when President George W. Bush took office and after the 9/11 attacks. Suddenly, the neocons had a Commander in Chief who agreed with the need to eliminate Iraq's Saddam Hussein -- and a stunned and angry U.S. public could be easily persuaded. [See Consortiumnews.com's "The Mysterious Why of the Iraq War."]
- So, Bush invaded Iraq, ousting Hussein but failing to subdue the country. The U.S. death toll of nearly 4,500 soldiers and the staggering costs, estimated to exceed $1 trillion, made the American people and even Bush unwilling to fulfill the full-scale neocon vision, which was expressed in one of their favorite jokes of 2003 about where to attack next, Iran or Syria, with the punch line: "Real men go to Tehran!"
- Though hawks like Vice President Dick Cheney pushed the neocon/Israeli case for having the U.S. military bomb Iran's nuclear facilities -- with the hope that the attacks also might spark a "regime change" in Tehran -- Bush decided that he couldn't risk the move, especially after the U.S. intelligence community assessed in 2007 that Iran had stopped work on a bomb four years earlier.
- The neocons were dealt another setback in 2008 when Barack Obama defeated a neocon favorite, Sen. John McCain. But Obama then made one of the fateful decisions of his presidency, deciding to staff key foreign-policy positions with "a team of rivals," i.e., keeping Republican operative Robert Gates at the Defense Department and recruiting Hillary Clinton, a neocon-lite, to head the State Department.
- Obama also retained Bush's high command, most significantly the media-darling Gen. David Petraeus. That meant that Obama didn't take control over his own foreign policy.
- Gates and Petraeus were themselves deeply influenced by the neocons, particularly Frederick Kagan, who had been a major advocate for the 2007 "surge" escalation in Iraq, which was hailed by the U.S. mainstream media as a great "success" but never achieved its principal goal of a unified Iraq. At the cost of nearly 1,000 U.S. dead, it only bought time for an orderly withdrawal that spared Bush and the neocons the embarrassment of an obvious defeat.
- So, instead of a major personnel shakeup in the wake of the catastrophic Iraq War, Obama presided over what looked more like continuity with the Bush war policies, albeit with a firmer commitment to draw down troops in Iraq and eventually in Afghanistan.
- The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
-
- Frederick Kagan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Frederick W. Kagan is an American resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and a former professor of military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
- Biography[edit]Kagan graduated from Hamden High School before earning a B.A. in Soviet and East European studies and a Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet military history, both from Yale University. He worked as an Assistant professor of military history at West Point from 1995''2001 and as an Associate professor of military history from 2001''2005. The courses he taught at West Point included the history of military art, grand strategy, revolutionary warfare and diplomatic history.
- Kagan's brother is foreign policy analyst Robert Kagan, whose wife is Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the United States Department of State. Frederick Kagan is married to Kimberly Kagan, president of the Institute for the Study of War.
- Frederick Kagan and his father Donald Kagan, who is a professor at Yale and a fellow at the Hudson Institute, together authored While America Sleeps: Self-Delusion, Military Weakness, and the Threat to Peace Today (2000). The book argued in favor of a large increase in military spending and warned of future threats, including from a potential revival of Iraq's WMD program.[1] Frederick along with his brother Robert Kagan, who is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, and their father Donald, are all signatories to the Project for the New American Century manifesto titled Rebuilding America's Defenses (2000).[2]
- Influence[edit]Kagan authored the "real Iraq Study Group" report as the AEI's rival to the ISG report of James Baker and Lee H. Hamilton in December 2006. The AEI report, titled Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq, was released on January 5, 2007, and Kagan was said to have won-over the ear of President George W. Bush,[3] strongly influencing his subsequent "surge" plan for changing the course of the Iraq War. Along with retired Gen. Jack Keane, retired Col. Joel Armstrong, and retired Maj. Daniel Dwyer, Kagan is credited as one of the "intellectual architects" of the surge plan.[4] According to Foreign Policy magazine, Kagan's essay, "We're Not the Soviets in Afghanistan," influenced the strategic thinking of Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates, that reportedly influenced Gates' decision to support sending 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.[5]
- Petraeus[edit]In 2010, U.S. Army General David H. Petraeus '-- appointed by President Barack Obama to head international forces in Afghanistan '-- hired Kagan as one of two experts on fighting corruption.[6] An article in the Washington Post on 19 December 2012 discussed the relationship that the Kagans had with General Petraeus, and to a much lesser extent with his successor in July 2011, Gen John R. Allen. It discussed various visits made by the Kagans from mid-2010 including their having been given access to the Combined Joint Intelligence Operations Center in Petraeus' headquarters. It commented on and raised questions about their sponsorship by Defense contractors through the American Enterprise Institute. It also detailed how the Kagans had become involved in Iraq in 2007 under an initiative by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who was their first introduction to Afghanistan in 2010.[7]
- Bibliography[edit]References[edit]^Kennicott, Philip (2005-05-13). "Yale Historian Donald Kagan, Mixing the Old And the Neo". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-19. ^Donnelly, Thomas; et al. (September 2000). "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New American Century" (PDF). Project for the New American Century. p. 78. Retrieved 2007-01-19. ^Benjamin, Mark (2007-01-06). "The real Iraq Study Group". salon.com. Retrieved 2007-01-19. ^Beinart, Peter (2007-01-18). "Bush's 'surge' could deep-six McCain's 2008 presidential hopes". The Free Lance'--Star. Retrieved 2007-01-19. ^Kaplan, Fred (2010-09-01). "The Transformer". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2010-08-17. ^Laura King and Paul Richter, U.S. sends warning to Afghanistan, and John Kerry delivers the message, Los Angeles Times, August 18, 2010.^Civilian analysts gained Petraeus's ear while he was commander in Afghanistan, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, 19 December 2012, accessed 20 December 2012External links[edit]Transcript[edit]See also[edit]PersondataNameKagan, FrederickAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican historianDate of birthMarch 1970Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
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- Robert Kagan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Robert Kagan (born September 26, 1958 in Athens, Greece) is an American historian, author and foreign policy commentator at the Brookings Institution. He was a co-founder of the Project for the New American Century.[1][2] More recently, his book The World America Made has been publicly endorsed by US President Barack Obama, and its theme was referenced in his 2012 State of the Union Address.[3][4]
- Early life and education[edit]Robert Kagan is the son of Donald Kagan and brother of Frederick Kagan. Kagan graduated from Yale University in 1980, having studied history and having founded the Yale Political Monthly.[5] He later earned an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a PhD in US history from American University in Washington, D.C. He is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.[4]
- In 1983, Robert Kagan was foreign policy advisor to New YorkRepublicanRepresentativeJack Kemp. Between 1984 and 1986, he worked at the State Department Policy Planning Staff and was a speechwriter for Secretary of State George P. Shultz. From 1986 to 1988, he served in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs at the State Department. [4] In 1997, he co-founded and served as a director for the now-defunct Project for the New American Century.[1][2][6]
- Kagan has been described as a neoconservative foreign-policy theorist,[7][8][9] although Kagan has adamantly rejected being labeled as a "neoconservative".[10] Kagan describes his foreign-policy views as deeply rooted in American history and widely shared by Americans.[11]
- Kagan spent 13 years as a Senior Associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, before joining the Brookings Institution as a senior fellow in the Center on United States and Europe in September 2010.[12][13][14][15][16] He was a foreign policy advisor to John McCain, the Republican Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election.[17][18]
- He also serves on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.[19] He serves on the board of directors for The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI)[20] and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[21]
- Kagan is a columnist for the Washington Post.[4] He is a contributing editor at both The New Republic and the Weekly Standard, and has also written for the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, Commentary, World Affairs, and Policy Review. Kagan wrote an essay in the February 2, 2012 issue of The New Republic on "the myth of American decline",[22] which drew the praise of President Obama, who "spent more than 10 minutes talking about it...going over its arguments paragraph by paragraph."[23] That essay was an excerpt from his most recent book, the New York Times bestseller, The World America Made. His book, Of Paradise and Power, was a national and international bestseller and has been translated into 25 languages. His book, Dangerous Nation, won the 2007 Lepgold Prize from Georgetown University.[24] He has been listed by Foreign Policy and Prospect as one of the world's "Top 100 Public Intellectuals."[25]
- John Bew and Kagan are scheduled to lecture on March 27, 2014, on Realpolitik and American Exceptionalism at the Library of Congress.[4]
- ^ abStelzer, Irwin (2004). The neocon reader. New York: Grove Press. p. 312. ISBN 0-8021-4193-5. "Robert Kagan... Co-founder with William Kristol of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC)." ^ abPNAC. "Robert Kagan". Retrieved 18 March 2012. "Robert Kagan is co-founder with William Kristol of the Project for the New American Century." ^Landler, Mark (2012-01-27). "Obama's Theme of U.S. Resilience Finds Support in New Book - NYTimes.com". The New York Times (New York: NYTC). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^ abcdeSteinhauer, Jason (21 February 2014). "Three-Part Lecture Series at the Kluge Center Looks at Foreign Policy Through the Lens of Realpolitik". Library of Congress. Retrieved 21 February 2014. ^"Robert Kagan '80 follows father but forges own path". Yale Daily News. 2005-10-27. Retrieved 2010-11-20. ^"About PNAC". newamericancentury.org. 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^Bacevich, Andrew (2008). "Present at the Re-Creation | Foreign Affairs". foreignaffairs.com. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^Beaumont, Peter (2008-04-26). "The Observer Profile: Robert Kagan". The Guardian (London: GMG). ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^Dionne, E.J. (2011-02-02). "A conservative split aids Obama on Egypt". The Washington Post (Washington DC: WPC). ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^DeSantis, Mark (2012). "'The World America Made': Robert Kagan for the defense". old.post-gazette.com. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^Colvin, Mark (2004). "America still capable of military strikes: Robert Kagan". abc.net.au. Retrieved 18 March 2012. ^Robert Kagan joins Brookings^Profile on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace site^"I Am Not a Straussian" by Robert Kagan^"Robert Kagan Follows Father but Forges Own Path", Andrew Mangino, Yale Daily News^Robert Kagan profile on "Right Web"^Foreign policy: 2 camps seek McCain's ear - International Herald Tribune^Reynolds, Paul (2008-04-29). "Not the end of history after all". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-04-29. ^"Inaugural Meeting of Secretary Clinton's Foreign Affairs Policy Board". Retrieved 2012-02-19. ^"Directors and Staff". The Foreign Policy Initiative. Retrieved 2010-11-20. ^"Membership Roster - Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2010-11-20. ^Robert Kagan (11 January 2012). "Not Fade Away: The myth of American decline.". The New Republic. Retrieved 2012-02-19. ^Josh Rogin (26 January 2012). "Obama embraces Romney advisor's theory on 'The Myth of American Decline'". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2012-02-19. ^"Georgetown Awards 2007 Lepgold Book Prize". Georgetown University. 2008-09-17. ^"Top 100 Public Intellectuals". Foreign Policy. May 2008. External links[edit]"The End of the End of History: Why the twenty-first century will look like the nineteenth." Kagan in The New Republic, 23 April 2008.Video debates featuring Kagan on Bloggingheads.tvAudio: Robert Kagan in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion showThe Forum[1]The Politic interviews Robert Kagan on Russian foreign policy at the beginning of Barack Obama's first presidential term'--April 2009Booknotes interview with Kagan on Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order, February 16, 2003.C-SPAN Q&A interview with Kagan, March 4, 2007C-SPAN Q&A interview with Kagan, March 4, 2012Hey, What's the Big Idea? by Michael Crowley Time.com, Feb. 02, 2012Lest We Forget: Neo-conservatives and Republican Foreign Policy, 1976-2000PersondataNameKagan, RobertAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican political scientistDate of birthSeptember 26, 1958Place of birthAthens, GreeceDate of deathPlace of death
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- [Live updates] Crimea moves to autonomy as EU leaders meet in Brussels
- Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia on Thursday and its Moscow-backed government set a referendum within 10 days on the decision in a dramatic escalation of the crisis over the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula.
- The decision came as European Union leaders gathered for an emergency summit to seek ways to pressure Russia to back down and accept mediation.
- EU leaders had been set to warn but not sanction Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine after Moscow rebuffed Western diplomatic efforts to persuade it to pull forces in Crimea back to their bases. According to EU sources the leaders gathered in Brussels delayed the discussion on sanctions to Russia to a new meeting in two weeks.
- The United States has said it is ready to impose sanctions such as visa bans, asset freezes on individual Russian officials and restrictions on business ties within days rather than weeks.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov refused to meet his new Ukrainian counterpart or to launch a ''contact group'' to seek a solution to the crisis at talks in Paris on Wednesday despite arm-twisting by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and European colleagues. The two men will meet again in Rome on Thursday.
- Tension remains high in Ukraine's southern Crimea region, where a senior United Nations envoy was surrounded by a pro-Russian crowd, threatened and forced to get back on his plane and leave the country.
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- Crimea's Parliament Decides to Secede to Russia
- MOSCOW, March 6 (RIA Novosti) '' The parliament of Crimea, a majority ethnic Russian region within Ukraine, decided Thursday to secede from the country and become part of Russia, according to a statement on its website.
- A popular vote to approve the decision or restore the 1992 Crimean Constitution, whereby the peninsula would remain an autonomous republic within Ukraine, is scheduled for March 16, the statement said.
- The ballot, to be printed in the Russian, Ukrainian and Tatar languages, will include only those two questions. Neither question would allow voters to indicate a preference for independence.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with senior officials in an emergency session of his Security Council to discuss the decision by Crimea's parliament to secede, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
- Putin said Tuesday that Russia was not considering annexing Crimea, but that the residents of a region can determine their own future.
- Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov said there was ample time for his country's parliament to pass legislation that he introduced last week to annex Crimea.
- Rallies around the predominantly Russian-speaking peninsula following the formation of the new government in Kiev have openly called for secession and annexation by Russia.
- Crimean officials have refused to recognize as legitimate the new central government in Kiev, which ousted President Viktor Yanukovych on February 22.
- Clashes in Ukraine's Crimea
- Thousands of troops apparently under Russian command but lacking official insignia have taken control over Ukrainian military bases across Crimea in the past week.
- Russia's parliament has approved military intervention in Ukraine, but President Vladimir Putin has denied that troops have been deployed and has called the masked soldiers ''local militia.''
- The referendum was originally scheduled to be held May 25, the same day as Ukraine's early presidential election.
- Updated to include information on Russian Security Council meeting, Mironov's legislation, edits throughout.
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- Kiev snipers were Opposition hitmen - The Hindu
- Demonstrators break police ranks as they storm the regional administrative building in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Hundreds of demonstrators waving Russian flags have stormed a government building in Donetsk in the eastern Ukraine. The region is the home area of fugitive Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country after massive protests in Kiev. Photo: AP
- The snipers who shot dozens of protesters in Ukraine were not police but hitmen hired by the opposition, according to a sensational leaked phone call that casts in a new and shocking light the Ukrainian ''revolution.''
- In the transcript of the intercepted phone call, posted on the Russia Today website on Wednesday, Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Paet told EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton that it was not Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich who was behind the shootings, ''but it was somebody from the new coalition.''
- Mr. Paet called Ms. Ashton after his visit to Kiev on February 26, five days after the opposition seized power.
- Recalling his meeting with Dr. Olga Bogomolets, who treated people shot by snipers during protests in Kiev in the run-up to Mr. Yanukovych's ouster, Mr. Paet said: ''What was quite disturbing, this same Olga told as well that all the evidence shows that the people who were killed by snipers from both sides, among policemen and then people from the streets, that they were the same snipers killing people from both sides.''
- Ms. Ashton is heard saying in response: ''Well, yeah'...that's, that's terrible.''
- The Estonian Minister continued: ''She then also showed me some photos she said that as a medical doctor she can say that it is the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened.
- ''So there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovych, but it was somebody from the new coalition,'' Mr. Paet said.
- A total of 94 people were killed and another 900 injured during the violent clashes between police and protesters at Maidan Square in Kiev last month.
- The Estonian Foreign Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the tape, which RT said was reportedly uploaded by officers of Ukraine's security service, SBU, loyal to Mr. Yanukovych.
- Mr. Paet described the sniper issue as ''disturbing,'' adding that ''it already discredits from the very beginning'' the new U.S.-backed Ukrainian government.
- Ms. Bogomolets has been appointed Health Minister in the interim cabinet.
- The EU foreign policy chief told the Estonian Minister that ''we do have to investigate,'' but then suggested that the scandal should be kept under wraps.
- ''Being an activist and a doctor, it's very important, but she [Bogomolets] is not a politician; they have to come to some kind of accommodation for the next few weeks'... and then we have the election and things will change.''
- The killing of civilians became a tipping point in the three-month-long standoff between the government and the opposition.
- Mr. Yanukovych had all along insisted he had not given orders to shoot, but the new authorities accused him of ''mass murder'' and issued an arrest warrant against him.
-
- Kiev snipers were Opposition hitmen - The Hindu: Mobile Edition
- Demonstrators break police ranks as they storm the regional administrative building in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Hundreds of demonstrators waving Russian flags have stormed a government building in Donetsk in the eastern Ukraine. The region is the home area of fugitive Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country after massive protests in Kiev. Photo: AP
- Leaked phone call provides new insights into last month's clashes
- The snipers who shot dozens of protesters in Ukraine were not police but hitmen hired by the opposition, according to a sensational leaked phone call that casts in a new and shocking light the Ukrainian ''revolution.''
- In the transcript of the intercepted phone call, posted on the Russia Today website on Wednesday, Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Urmas Paet told EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton that it was not Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich who was behind the shootings, ''but it was somebody from the new coalition.''
- Mr. Paet called Ms. Ashton after his visit to Kiev on February 26, five days after the opposition seized power.
- Recalling his meeting with Dr. Olga Bogomolets, who treated people shot by snipers during protests in Kiev in the run-up to Mr. Yanukovych's ouster, Mr. Paet said: ''What was quite disturbing, this same Olga told as well that all the evidence shows that the people who were killed by snipers from both sides, among policemen and then people from the streets, that they were the same snipers killing people from both sides.''
- Ms. Ashton is heard saying in response: ''Well, yeah'...that's, that's terrible.''
- The Estonian Minister continued: ''She then also showed me some photos she said that as a medical doctor she can say that it is the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened.
- ''So there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers, it was not Yanukovych, but it was somebody from the new coalition,'' Mr. Paet said.
- A total of 94 people were killed and another 900 injured during the violent clashes between police and protesters at Maidan Square in Kiev last month.
- The Estonian Foreign Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the tape, which RT said was reportedly uploaded by officers of Ukraine's security service, SBU, loyal to Mr. Yanukovych.
- Mr. Paet described the sniper issue as ''disturbing,'' adding that ''it already discredits from the very beginning'' the new U.S.-backed Ukrainian government.
- Ms. Bogomolets has been appointed Health Minister in the interim cabinet.
- The EU foreign policy chief told the Estonian Minister that ''we do have to investigate,'' but then suggested that the scandal should be kept under wraps.
- ''Being an activist and a doctor, it's very important, but she [Bogomolets] is not a politician; they have to come to some kind of accommodation for the next few weeks'... and then we have the election and things will change.''
- The killing of civilians became a tipping point in the three-month-long standoff between the government and the opposition.
- Mr. Yanukovych had all along insisted he had not given orders to shoot, but the new authorities accused him of ''mass murder'' and issued an arrest warrant against him.
-
- The ex-Israeli soldier who led a Kiev fighting unit - WorldIsrael News - Haaretz Israeli News source
- Delta, the nom de guerre of the Jewish commander of a Ukrainian street-fighting unit, is pictured in Kiev earlier this month. / Photo by CourtesyBy JTA
- He calls his troops ''the Blue Helmets of Maidan,'' but brown is the color of the headgear worn by Delta '-- the nom de guerre of the commander of a Jewish-led militia force that participated in the Ukrainian revolution. Under his helmet, he also wears a kippah.
- Delta, a Ukraine-born former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, spoke to JTA Thursday on condition of anonymity. He explained how he came to use combat skills he acquired in the Shu'alei Shimshon reconnaissance battalion of the Givati infantry brigade to rise through the ranks of Kiev's street fighters. He has headed a force of 40 men and women '-- including several fellow IDF veterans '-- in violent clashes with government forces.
- Several Ukrainian Jews, including Rabbi Moshe Azman, one of the country's claimants to the title of chief rabbi, confirmed Delta's identity and role in the still-unfinished revolution.
- The ''Blue Helmets'' nickname, a reference to the UN peacekeeping force, stuck after Delta's unit last month prevented a mob from torching a building occupied by Ukrainian police, he said. ''There were dozens of officers inside, surrounded by 1,200 demonstrators who wanted to burn them alive,'' he recalled. ''We intervened and negotiated their safe passage.''
- The problem, he said, was that the officers would not leave without their guns, citing orders. Delta told JTA his unit reasoned with the mob to allow the officers to leave with their guns. ''It would have been a massacre, and that was not an option,'' he said.
- The Blue Helmets comprise 35 men and women who are not Jewish, and who are led by five ex-IDF soldiers, says Delta, an Orthodox Jew in his late 30s who regularly prays at Azman's Brodsky Synagogue. He declined to speak about his private life.
- Delta, who immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, moved back to Ukraine several years ago and has worked as a businessman. He says he joined the protest movement as a volunteer on November 30, after witnessing violence by government forces against student protesters.
- ''I saw unarmed civilians with no military background being ground by a well-oiled military machine, and it made my blood boil,'' Delta told JTA in Hebrew laced with military jargon. ''I joined them then and there, and I started fighting back the way I learned how, through urban warfare maneuvers. People followed, and I found myself heading a platoon of young men. Kids, really.''
- The other ex-IDF infantrymen joined the Blue Helmets later after hearing it was led by a fellow vet, Delta said.
- As platoon leader, Delta says he takes orders from activists connected to Svoboda, an ultra-nationalist party that has been frequently accused of anti-Semitism and whose members have been said to have had key positions in organizing the opposition protests.
- ''I don't belong [to Svoboda], but I take orders from their team. They know I'm Israeli, Jewish and an ex-IDF soldier. They call me 'brother,''' he said. ''What they're saying about Svoboda is exaggerated, I know this for a fact. I don't like them because they're inconsistent, not because of [any] anti-Semitism issue.''
- The commanding position of Svoboda in the revolution is no secret, according to Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Heritage Foundation think tank.
- ''The driving force among the so-called white sector in the Maidan are the nationalists, who went against the SWAT teams and snipers who were shooting at them,'' Cohen told JTA.
- Still, many Jews supported the revolution and actively participated in it.
- Earlier this week, an interim government was announced ahead of election scheduled for May, including ministers from several minority groups.
- Volodymyr Groysman, a former mayor of the city of Vinnytsia and the newly appointed deputy prime minister for regional policy, is a Jew, Rabbi Azman said.
- ''There are no signs for concern yet,'' said Cohen, ''but the West needs to make it clear to Ukraine that how it is seen depends on how minorities are treated.''
- On Wednesday, Russian State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin said Moscow was concerned about anti-Semitic declarations by radical groups in Ukraine.
- But Delta says the Kremlin is using the anti-Semitism card falsely to delegitimize the Ukrainian revolution, which is distancing Ukraine from Russia's sphere of influence.
- ''It's bullshit. I never saw any expression of anti-Semitism during the protests, and the claims to the contrary were part of the reason I joined the movement. We're trying to show that Jews care,'' he said.
- Still, Delta's reasons for not revealing his name betray his sense of feeling like an outsider. ''If I were Ukrainian, I would have been a hero. But for me it's better to not reveal my name if I want to keep living here in peace and quiet,'' he said.
- Fellow Jews have criticized him for working with Svoboda. ''Some asked me if instead of 'Shalom' they should now greet me with a 'Sieg heil.' I simply find it laughable,'' he said. But he does have frustrations related to being an outsider. ''Sometimes I tell myself, 'What are you doing? This is not your army. This isn't even your country.'''
- He recalls feeling this way during one of the fiercest battles he experienced, which took place last week at Institutskaya Street and left 12 protesters dead. ''The snipers began firing rubber bullets at us. I fired back from my rubber-bullet rifle,'' Delta said.
- ''Then they opened live rounds, and my friend caught a bullet in his leg. They shot at us like at a firing range. I wasn't ready for a last stand. I carried my friend and ordered my troops to fall back. They're scared kids. I gave them some cash for phone calls and told them to take off their uniform and run away until further instructions. I didn't want to see anyone else die that day.''
- Currently, the Blue Helmets are carrying out police work that include patrols and preventing looting and vandalism in a city of 3 million struggling to climb out of the chaos that engulfed it for the past three months.
- But Delta has another, more ambitious, project: He and Azman are organizing the airborne evacuation of seriously wounded protesters '-- none of them Jewish '-- for critical operations in Israel. One of the patients, a 19-year-old woman, was wounded at Institutskaya by a bullet that penetrated her eye and is lodged inside her brain, according to Delta. Azman says he hopes the plane of 17 patients will take off next week, with funding from private donors and with help from Ukraine's ambassador to Israel.
- ''The doctor told me that another millimeter to either direction and she would be dead,'' Delta said. ''And I told him it was the work of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.''
- Your talkback has been submitted successfully.If selected for publication, it will appear as soon as possible on Haaretz.com.
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- Turkey grants US warship permission to enter Black Sea '-- RT News
- Published time: March 05, 2014 16:30Edited time: March 06, 2014 04:17The US Navy Warship USS Taylor.(Reuters / Yevgeny Volokin)
- Turkey has given a US Navy Warship the green light to pass through the Bosphorus within the next two days as tensions in Ukraine's Crimea region continue to divide world powers.
- Turkish sources, speaking with the Hurriyet Daily News on Wednesday, declined to elaborate on the name of the US warship. The same officials told the daily on condition of anonymity that the ship in question was not the USS George H.W. Bush nuclear aircraft carrier as suggested in some news reports, as it did not meet the standards specified by the 1936 Montreux Convention in terms of weight.
- The US vessel to pass through the straits will meet the convention's standards, the sources said.
- On Wednesday, the Russian Black Sea Fleet Staff confirmed to the Itar-Tass news agency that a US destroyer was expected to enter the Black Sea later this week.
- On Sunday, Tass reported that the guided-missile frigate USS Taylor, one of two Navy ships assigned to the Black Sea during the Sochi Winter Olympics was still in the Turkish Black Sea port of Samsun. The frigate was deployed on February 5 along with the amphibious command ship, USS Mount Whitney. According to the Montreux Convention, warships of countries which do not border the Black Sea cannot remain in the waters for longer than 21 days. While the USS Mount Whitney left on February 25, the USS Taylor remained at the Turkish port, ostensibly for repairs after running aground on February 12.
- Meanwhile, it was reported on Tuesday that two Russian warships entered the Black Sea through the Bosphorus. The 150 'Saratov' landing ship and the 156 'Yamal' assault ship crossed the strait around 05:30 GMT, en route to the Black Sea, the Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
- No coastguard boats were seen escorting the ships. The Ukrainian Hetman Sahaydachny followed shortly thereafter, crossing the Dardanelles Strait off Turkey's west coast. Two coastguard vessels were reported by AA to be escorting the ship.
- The vessel, which had participated in NATO-led Ocean Shield and Atalanta counter-piracy operations, reportedly docked near Odessa port on Wednesday, says the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
- The traffic through the Turkish straits comes as tensions between the West and Russia over recent events in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, continue to simmer.
- Russia currently leases a military wharf and shore installations in the Crimean port of Sevastopol. The Ukrainian government agreed to extend Russia's lease on the territory in 2010, allowing the Russian Black Sea Fleet to effectively stay in Crimea until 2047.
- Five Russian naval units are currently stationed in the port city of Sevastopol, including the 30th Surface Ship Division, the 41st Missile Boat Brigade, the 247th Separate Submarine Division, the 68th Harbor Defense Ship, and the 422nd Separate Hydrographic Ship Division.
- On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the military personnel of the Black Sea Fleet are ''in their deployment sites" and ''additional vigilance measures were taken to safeguard the sites.''
- ''We will do everything to prevent bloodshed," he said, speaking ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with his US counterpart, John Kerry, since the crisis erupted.
- Over a week after the government of Viktor Yanukovich was toppled by violent street protests, fears of deepening political and social strife have been particularly acute in Ukraine's pro-Russian east and south.
- One day after voting to oust Yanukovich, a newly reconfigured parliament did away with a 2012 law on minority languages, which permitted the use of two official languages in regions where the size of an ethnic minority exceeds 10 percent.
- Apart from the Russian-majority regions affected by this law, Hungarian, Moldovan and Romanian also lost their status as official languages in several towns in Western Ukraine.
- Authorities in the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea '' where over half the population is ethnically Russian '' requested Moscow's assistance following the legal downgrade of the Russian language.
- Western states have accused Russia of militarily intervening in Crimea and called on Russian troops to return to their Black Sea bases. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently dispatched military observers to Kiev. The observers from the pan-European security body are en route to Crimea, where they will monitor the situation on the ground.
- On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated President Putin's previous words that Russian troops had not actually been deployed from their bases in Crimea. Lavrov said that forces with unmarked uniforms which had taken de-facto control over Crimea are self-defense units that are not under Russia's auspices.
- "If they are the self-defense forces created by the inhabitants of Crimea, we have no authority over them," Lavrov told a news conference in Madrid after a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo.
- "They do not receive orders [from us]," he said.
- On Saturday, the Russian Federation Council '' the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia '' approved President Vladimir Putin's request to send the country's military forces to Ukraine to ensure peace and order in the region ''until the socio-political situation in the country is stabilized.''
- According to the bilateral agreement concerning Russia's Black Sea Fleet military bases in Crimea, Moscow is allowed to have up to 25,000 troops in Ukraine.
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- Remarks at a Solo Press Availability
- SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. Let me say, first of all, how incredibly moving it was to walk down Institutska Street and to have a chance to be able to pay my respects on behalf of President Obama and the American people at the site of last month's deadly shootings. It was really quite remarkable, I have to tell you, to see the barricades, see the tires, see the barbed wire, see the bullet holes in street lamps, the extraordinary number of flowers, the people still standing beside a barrel with a fire to keep them warm, the shrouded vision in the clouds and the fog of the buildings from which the shots came, and the pictures, the photographs, of those who lost their lives, of the people who put themselves on the line for the future of Ukraine.
- It was deeply moving to walk into a group of Ukrainians spontaneously gathered there and to listen to them, to listen to their pleas of passion for the right not to go back to life as it was under former president Yanukovych. One woman who pleadingly said how poor they were, how the rich lived well, and how those in power took the money, and how they were left behind. And particularly, one man who told me that he had recently traveled to Australia, and he had come back here, but he came determined to be able to live as he had seen other people live in other parts of the world.
- So it was very moving, and it gave me a deep, personal sense of how closely linked the people of Ukraine are to not just Americans, but to people all across the world who today are asking for their rights, asking for the privilege to be able to live, defining their own nation, defining their futures. That's what this is about.
- And the United States extends our deepest condolences to those whose grief is still very fresh and those who lost loved ones, who bravely battled against snipers on rooftops and people armed against them with weapons they never dreamt of having. These brave Ukrainians took to the streets in order to stand peacefully against tyranny and to demand democracy. So instead, they were met with snipers who picked them off, one after the other, as people of courage, notwithstanding the bullets, went out to get them, drag them to safety, give them comfort, expose themselves. They raised their voices for dignity and for freedom. But what they stood for so bravely, I say with full conviction, will never be stolen by bullets or by invasions. It cannot be silenced by thugs from rooftops. It is universal, it's unmistakable, and it's called freedom.
- So today, in another part of this country, we're in a new phase of the struggle for freedom. And the United States reaffirms our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to international law. We condemn the Russian Federation's act of aggression. And we have, throughout this moment, evidence of a great transformation taking place, and in that transformation we will stand with the people of Ukraine.
- Today, Ukrainians are demanding a government with the consent of the people. And I have to say that we all greatly admire the restraint that the transitional government has shown as it makes this transition. They have shown restraint, despite an invasion of Ukrainian homeland and a Russian Government that has chosen aggression and intimidation as a first resort. The contrast really could not be clearer: determined Ukrainians demonstrating strength through unity and a Russian Government out of excuses, hiding its hand behind falsehoods, intimidation, and provocations.
- In the hearts of Ukrainians and the eyes of the world, there is nothing strong about what Russia is doing. So it's time to set the record straight. The Russian Government would have you believe it was the opposition who failed to implement the February 21st agreement that called for a peaceful transition, ignoring the reality that it was Yanukovych who, when history came calling, when his country was in need, when this city was the place where the action was, where the leaders of the nation were gathered in order to decide the future, he broke his obligation to sign that agreement and he fled into the night with his possessions, destroying papers behind him. He abandoned his people and eventually his country.
- The Russian Government would have you believe that the Ukraine Government somehow is illegitimate or led by extremists, ignoring the reality that the Rada, representing the people of Ukraine, the elected representatives of the people of Ukraine '' they overwhelming approved the new government, even with members of Yanukovych's party deserting him and voting overwhelmingly in order to approve this new government. It was thanks in part to the votes from Yanukovych's own party that the future of Ukraine changed. And today, the Rada is the most representative institution in Ukraine.
- The Russian Government would also have you believe that the calm and friendly streets '' one of which I walked down but many of which I just drove through '' that somehow these streets of Kyiv are actually dangerous, ignoring the reality that there has been no surge in crime, no surge in looting, no political retribution here. The Russian Government would have you believe, against all the evidence, that there have been mass defections of Ukrainians to Russia, or that there have been mass attacks on churches in eastern Ukraine. That hasn't happened, either.
- They would have you believe that ethnic Russians and Russian bases are threatened. They'd have you believe that Kyiv is trying to destabilize Crimea or that Russian actions are legal or legitimate because Crimean leaders invited intervention. And as everybody knows, the soldiers in Crimea, at the instruction of their government, have stood their ground but never fired a shot, never issued one provocation, have been surrounded by an invading group of troops and have seen an individual who got 3 percent of the vote installed as the so-called leader by the Russians.
- They would have you believe that Kyiv is trying to destabilize Crimea, or that somehow Russian leaders invited intervention. Not a single piece of credible evidence supports any one of these claims '' none.
- And the larger point is really this: It is diplomacy and respect for sovereignty, not unilateral force, that can best solve disputes like this in the 21st century. President Obama and I want to make it clear to Russia and to everybody in the world that we are not seeking confrontation. There's a better way for Russia to pursue its legitimate interests in Ukraine. If you were legitimately worried about some of your citizens, then go to the government. Talk to them about it. Go to the UN. Raise the issue in the Security Council. Go to the OSCE. Raise it in one of the human rights organizations. There are countless outlets that an organized, structured, decent world has struggled to put together to resolve these differences so we don't see a nation unilaterally invade another nation. There's a better way for Russia to pursue its legitimate interests in Ukraine.
- Russia can choose to comply with international law and honor its commitments under the Helsinki Final Act under the United Nations Charter. If it wants to help protect ethnic Russians, as it purports to, and if they were threatened, we would support efforts to protect them, as would, I am told, the Government of Ukraine. But if they want to do that, Russia could work with the legitimate Government of Ukraine, which it has pledged to do. It cannot only permit, but must encourage, international monitors to deploy throughout Ukraine. These are the people who could actually identify legitimate threats. And we are asking, together with the Government of Ukraine, together with the European community, for large numbers of observers to be able to come in here and monitor the situation and be the arbiters of truth versus fiction. Russia, if it wanted to help deescalate the situation, could return its troops to the barracks, live by the 1997 base agreement, and deescalate rather than expand their invasion.
- Now, we would prefer that. I come here today at the instruction of President Obama to make it absolutely clear the United States of America would prefer to see this deescalated. We would prefer to see this managed through the structures of legal institutions, international institutions that we've worked many years in order to be able to deal with this kind of crisis. But if Russia does not choose to deescalate, if it is not willing to work directly with the Government of Ukraine, as we hope they will be, then our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically, and economically.
- I would emphasize to the leaders of Russia this is not something we are seeking to do; this is something Russia's choices may force us to do. So far, we have suspended participation in the preparations for the Sochi G8 summit. We have suspended military-to-military contacts, and we have suspended bilateral economic dialogue, and we are prepared to take further steps if Russia does not return its forces to the barracks and engage in a legitimate policy of de-escalation.
- At the same time, the United States and its partners '' our partners '' will support Ukraine. We will support it as it takes difficult steps to deal with its economy. And I appreciate the meeting that I just had with the acting president and the prime minister and other leaders as we discussed how to strengthen the economy and move rapidly towards free, fair, open elections that can take place very shortly.
- We are working closely and we'll continue to work closely with the IMF team and with international partners in order to develop an assistance package to help Ukraine restore financial stability in the short run and to be able to grow its economy in the long run. I'm pleased to say that this package includes an immediate $1 billion in a loan guarantee to support Ukraine's recovery, and we are currently working with the Treasury Department of the United States and with others to lay out a broader, more comprehensive plan. We will provide the best expertise available to help Ukraine's economy and financial institutions repair themselves, and to work towards these free, fair, fast, inclusive elections.
- We're also working with the interim government to help combat corruption and to recover stolen assets, and we are helping Ukraine to cope with Russia's politically motivated trade practices, whether it's manipulating the energy supply or banning the best chocolates made in Ukraine. The fact is this is the 21st century, and we should not see nations step backwards to behave in 19th or 20th century fashion. There are ways to resolve these differences. Great nations choose to do that appropriately.
- The fact is that we believe that there are a set of options available to Russia and to all of us that could move us down a road of appropriate diplomacy, appropriate diplomatic engagement. We invite Russia to come to that table; we particularly invite Russia to engage directly with the Government of Ukraine, because I am confident they are prepared to help work through these issues in a thoughtful way.
- I'm very proud to be here in Ukraine. Like so many Americans and other people around the world, we've watched with extraordinary awe the power of individuals unarmed except with ideas, people with beliefs and principles and values who have reached for freedom, for equality, for opportunity. There's nothing more important in this world. That is what drives change in so many parts of the world today.
- It's really partly why the world is in such a state of transformation in so many different places at the same time, because we're all connected. We all understand what other people are doing and the choices they have and the lives they get to lead. And all over the world young people are saying: We do not want to be deprived of those opportunities. That's what this is about. And it is about all those who value democracy and who support the opportunity for this country to join the legions of others who want to practice it.
- The United States will stand by the Ukrainian people as they build the strong, sovereign, and democratic country that they deserve, and that their countrymen and women just so recently gave their lives in extraordinary courageous acts in order to ensure for the future. We must all step up and answer their call.
- I'm happy to take some questions.
- MS. HARF: Great. Thank you. The first question is from Andrea Mitchell of NBC. There's a microphone coming.
- QUESTION: Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, U.S. officials have been saying that Vladimir Putin will be isolated by his actions. Yet today, he seemed defiant, speaking for an hour, taking questions. He said, among other things, that Russia reserves the right to take any action, to use any means '' obviously, military means. He described events here as an unconstitutional coup. He denied that there were any Russian troops in Crimea, occupying Crimea. He blamed the crisis on United States interference, saying that the U.S. --
- SECRETARY KERRY: He really denied there were troops in Crimea?
- QUESTION: Yes, he did. He also blamed the crisis on the United States, saying that the United States was acting as though it were conducting an experiment across the ocean on lab animals, on rats here. And he showed no sign of being ready to step down '' step down or de-escalate the military presence in Crimea. There have been fire '' shots fired today. There's the presence reported of naval Russian ships along the isthmus between Ukraine and Crimea.
- So with all of that, how has the U.S. pressure worked against Putin? What is your reaction to his assertions? And also, while you were here you met with many leaders. You did not meet with Yulia Tymoshenko. Is she viewed by the United States as not part of the solution or as possibly part of the problem?
- SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me answer the last part of the question first: not at all. I thought I actually might bump into her, but I didn't. I had the meetings with the current group that represent the parties that have come together and most likely presidential candidates at this moment who '' with whom I've been in touch and working with. I met with a number of them in Munich previously, and so we continued that conversation.
- But with respect to President Putin's comments, I've spoken as directly to President Putin today as I can to invite him to engage in a legitimate and appropriate dialogue, particularly with the current Government of Ukraine, knowing that there's an election in 90 days and the people of Ukraine will have an opportunity to ratify their future leadership. The fact is that in the eastern part of the country, Russia recently tried to get a couple of city councils to actually pass something asking for Russians to come in. And lo and behold, those councils did the opposite. They said, ''We don't want Russia to come in. We want our independence.''
- And I think that it is clear that Russia has been working hard to create a pretext for being able to invade further. Russia has talked about Russian-speaking minority citizens who are under siege. They're not. And in fact, this government has acted remarkably responsibly by urging total calm, by not wanting to have any provocation, by avoiding even their troops who have a legal right to resist the invasion of other troops, but has ordered them not to engage to give a pretext of anybody being in danger. Here in the streets today, I didn't see anybody who feels threatened, except for the potential of an invasion by Russia.
- So I would hope that President Putin, who is insisting against all evidence everywhere in the world about troops being in Crimea that they're not there, that he will step back and listen carefully that we could like to see this de-escalated. We are not looking for some major confrontation. But '' and I do not believe that his interests, which we understand '' a base, strong ties, everybody knows that Khrushchev gave the Crimea to the Ukraine back in 1954 or '6, I think it was. We all know these things. There's a long history of connection. We get it. But those things can continue and be worked out through the legal process, through the direct relationship with the Government of Ukraine. It is not appropriate to invade a country and at the end of a barrel of a gun dictate what you are trying to achieve. That is not 21st century, G8, major nation behavior.
- And what we are looking for here is a responsible way to meet the needs of the parties but respect the integrity, the sovereignty, the territorial integrity of Ukraine. And in fact, the UN Charter, the Final Act of Helsinki, the 1994 Budapest Agreement, and the 1997 Base Agreement between Russia and Ukraine all require a certain set of standards which have not been followed here.
- So again, we would like to see President Putin address the problems not by deploying forces, not through confrontation, but by engaging in the time-honored tradition of diplomacy, of discussion, of negotiation, and let's find a path forward which puts everybody on a track that benefits this region and the world more effectively.
- QUESTION: And will Germany stand with you against (inaudible)?
- SECRETARY KERRY: Excuse me. We will be having further discussions. I think the President will be talking before long with Chancellor Merkel. I'm having more conversations with Foreign Minister Steinmeier. And I believe we will stand united. I believe that.
- MS. HARF: Okay. Our final question comes from Maria Korenyuk of EuroNews.
- QUESTION: (Off-mike.) Thank you.
- SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me answer the second part first. We're working on support as rapidly as we could make it available. We already have people working on the economic '' with the IMF team, consulting with the government, working to get the facts together. We're trying to actually define the needs as accurately as is possible, and as I said to you, we've announced the $1 billion loan guarantee. We actually have the money appropriated. We know where we're heading with that. We have additional initiatives that can be quickly put together as our team works in Washington.
- The President has instructed all of us to look at every option available with respect to direct economic aid. And the President, particularly, yesterday when he met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in the White House, made a statement about Ukraine in which he asked Congress, which has been making very strong statements about support for Ukraine, to come to the table quickly with an economic package appropriated by the Congress. We want that to happen immediately.
- So this is urgent. We understand that. I don't think it's appropriate for the United States or any other country to come here, talk about the strength and courage of the people in the streets, to underscore the value of democracy and of freedom that people are fighting for here, and then just walk away and not doing anything about it. So we are committed, and we are going to work to do what we can within our system as rapidly as possible.
- And with respect to the first part of your question, I '' our purpose is to try '' I've said this several times today '' I want to repeat it. We have lots of options, obviously. There are lots of tools at the disposal of the President of the United States and the United States of America and other countries. But none of us want to escalate this so that it becomes the kind of confrontation where people can't find a reasonable path forward and where, as a result, you're stuck in a place that's very hard to climb down from. That is not where we would like to see this go, which is why President Obama is stressing and wants me to stress our effort to try to find a way forward which allows Russia to have its interests '' and they do have some interests '' to be properly listened to and properly taken into account in the system.
- I have heard each Ukrainian leader who's talked to me acknowledge that they understand that, that there will be a relationship with Russia. There is a capacity for a strong relationship between Ukraine and Russia, but it is a relationship that shouldn't be at the expense of not being able to have a relationship with the rest of the world, and not be forced on them, and not a relationship that precludes the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation of Ukraine being respected. That's what should guide this, and that's exactly what is motivating our efforts here right now.
- Thank you all very, very much. I appreciate it. Good to be with you. I'm sorry. We have, unfortunately, a schedule to stay on and I apologize for that. I would like to take more questions but we've got to run. Thank you.
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- John Kerry Rips Russia, Putin In Ukraine - Business Insider
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was dumbfounded on Tuesday when he was asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin denying his troops are in the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
- Kerry spoke Tuesday at a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, after he met with the transitional Ukrainian government and delivered an aid package including $1 billion in loan guarantees.
- "He really denied there were troops in Crimea?" Kerry said in response to a question from NBC News' Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday.
- "Yes, he did," Mitchell replied.
- In a press conference in Russia earlier Tuesday, Putin denied the Russian-speaking soldiers occupying key Crimean military sites were Russian special forces. Rather, Putin said they were local self-defense forces.
- "There are many military uniforms. Go into any local shop and you can find one," he said.
- Kerry accused the Russian government of "hiding its hand behind falsehoods, intimidation, and provocations" with its aggression in Ukraine.
- Kerry and U.S. President Barack Obama, who spoke at a budget-related event in Washington, both said that Russia had violated international law with its aggression in the Crimean peninsula.
- "There is a strong belief that Russia's action is violating international law," Obama told reporters. "President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations. I don't think that's fooling anybody."
- Kerry and Obama also both said that Russia's aggression was not a sign of strength, pledging full support to the Ukrainian people.
- "We all greatly admire the restraint that the transitional government has shown," Kerry said. "They have shown restraint, despite the invasion of the Ukrainian homeland and a Russian government that has chosen intimidations."
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- Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Stakeout on Ukraine
- Remarks by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Stakeout on Ukraine
- Good evening. Today in the Council, the United States renewed its call for the international community to support the newly formed government of Ukraine and prevent unnecessary violence.
- Unfortunately, the Russian Federation Council's authorization of the use of military force in Ukraine is as dangerous as it is destabilizing. It is past time for the threats to end. The Russian military must pull back.
- It is ironic that the Russian Federation regularly goes out of its way in the Security Council chamber to emphasize the sanctity of national borders and sovereignty. Today, Russia would do well to heed its own warnings. Russia's actions in Ukraine violate Russia's commitment to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Ukraine, and pose a threat to international peace and security. We have said from the outset that we recognize and respect Russia's historical ties to Ukraine. But instead of engaging the government of Ukraine and international institutions about its concerns for ethnic Russians, it ignored both and has instead acted unilaterally and militarily.
- The United States, again, calls for the immediate deployment of international observers from either the OSCE or United Nations to Crimea and other parts of Ukraine to provide transparency about the movement and activities of military and para-military forces in the region and to defuse the tension between groups. The best way to get the facts, to monitor conduct and to prevent any abuses is to get international monitors and observers - including from UN and OSCE - on the ground as soon as possible. We are also working to stand up an international mediation mission to the Crimea to begin to deescalate the situation, and to facilitate productive and peaceful political dialogue among all Ukrainian parties.
- Less than one week since the sun set on the Sochi Olympics, we are at a critical moment. The United States considers the current actions by Russia in Ukraine as unacceptable behavior for a G-8 member. The United States will stand with the people of Ukraine and the Ukrainian government in Kyiv. And as the President has said, intervention by the Russian military will be both a grave mistake and have costs and consequences.
- With that, I'll take a couple questions.
- Reporter: James Bays from Al Jazeera. I know that President Obama has been speaking to President Putin. President Putin now has this authorization, but there's clearly now a gap before he decides whether he's going to use it. Just, explain to us if you can on camera what is the message from the U.S. to President Putin right now?
- Ambassador Power: The message is, pull back your forces. Let us engage in political dialogue. Engage with the Ukrainian government which is reaching out to you for that dialogue. The occupation . . . the military presence in Crimea is a violation of international law and we all need to allow cooler heads to prevail and to negotiate a peaceful way out of this crisis. Military force will never be the answer to this crisis.
- Reporter: Ambassador, what are those costs that the United States says that Russia will suffer; and secondly, as a champion of human rights, doesn't it trouble you that there are four senior members of this Ukrainian government who have come from very far right, extremist parties?
- Ambassador: I think what you heard from President Obama in the readout that the White House issued is that the United States has already suspended its preparation for the G-8 Summit that was supposed to take place in Sochi. And what I can say is that, again, the political and economic isolation that that represents is only going to deepen as this crisis escalates. And that is why, again, it is incredibly important that an international observer mission get into Ukraine as soon as possible; that all countries embrace the prospect of international mediation, such as that offered by the UN Special Envoy Robert Serry; and that we embrace the fundamental tenets of the UN Charter: territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of Ukraine, avoiding the use of force, and the threat of force, and returning to the path of peaceful dialogue.
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- CIA reportedly says Russia sees treaty as justifying Ukraine moves - latimes.com
- [Updated, 8 p.m., March 3: WASHINGTON '-- CIA director John Brennan told a senior lawmaker Monday that a 1997 treaty between Russia and Ukraine allows up to 25,000 Russia troops in the vital Crimea region, so Russia may not consider its recent troop movements to be an invasion, U.S. officials said.
- The number of Russian troops that have surged into Ukraine in recent days remains well below that threshold, Brennan said, according to U.S. officials who declined to be named in describing private discussions and declined to name the legislator.
- Though Brennan disagrees that the treaty justifies Russia's incursion, he urged a cautious approach, the officials said. Administration officials have said Moscow violated the treaty, which requires the Russian navy, which bases its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, to coordinate all military movements on the Crimean peninsula with Ukraine.]
- The next day, Russian troops took up positions around key facilities in Crimea, and by nightfall the CIA assessed that Russia was in control of the region, officials said.
- ''This was not predicted,'' said a U.S. official, who asked not to be named in discussing the classified briefings.
- The intelligence officials defended their analysis, however, saying Putin may have made a spur of the moment decision to take military action.
- U.S. intelligence agencies have ''provided timely and valuable information that has helped policymakers understand the situation on the ground and make informed decisions,'' said Shawn Turner, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence. ''That continues to be the case. Any suggestion that there were intelligence shortcomings related to the situation in Ukraine are uninformed and misleading.''
- The difficulty in predicting the Russian military moves echoed a similar intelligence gap in August 2008 when Russian troops backed separatist forces in South Ossetia against the republic of Georgia in a five-day war. The CIA was caught off guard at the time, officials said later.
- A former CIA case officer, who also declined to be named in discussing sensitive issues, said that the agency's focus on counter-terrorism over the last 13 years has undermined its ability to conduct traditional espionage against key adversaries, including Russia.
- The CIA station in Kiev, Ukraine, ''cannot be larger than two or three case officers,'' the former official said. ''Did they have sources that could have forecast Russian intentions? Almost certainly not.''
- Another former senior intelligence officer with experience in the region said the CIA doesn't have sources that could have forecast Putin's plans in Crimea. But, he said, it shouldn't be viewed as an intelligence failure if analysts didn't anticipate the actions of Russian troops operating out of bases there.
- ''The presence of Russian troops there is a fait accompli, so nobody is going to be watching what's happening in those bases,'' he said.
- A CIA spokesman rebuffed the notion that the agency's espionage muscles had atrophied.
- ''Although we do not talk about our specific intelligence efforts, the agency is a versatile global organization that is more than capable of addressing a range of national security threats simultaneously and it does so every day," said spokesman Dean Boyd. "Anyone suggesting otherwise is seriously misinformed.''
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- A Remarkable Court Opinion in Chevron Case | National Review Online
- Chevron, which some years back was presented with a multi-billion-dollar judgment related to pollution claims in Ecuador, has been engaged in a years-long battle against a coalition of lawyers, environmental groups, and activists, and its defense has been an interesting one: Not only has Chevron rejected the specific claims against it, it has maintained that the case is the result of a criminal conspiracy involving those same lawyers and environmentalists, corrupt judges, bribery, and more. The company's general counsel, Hewitt Pate, said today: ''The case against Chevron was the result of fraud, bribery, and other crimes, and its aim was extortion.''
- The story might have struck many as too implausible even for a B movie, but a U.S. district court today issued a remarkable opinion confirming that the judgment against Chevron is indeed the result of fraud. (The complete, 500-page opinion is here.) District Judge Lewis Kaplan writes:
- This case is extraordinary. The facts are many and sometimes complex. They include things that normally come only out of Hollywood '-- coded emails among [lead plantiffs' attorney Steven] Donziger and his colleagues describing their private interactions with and machinations directed at judges and a court appointed expert, their payments to a supposedly neutral expert out of a secret account, a lawyer who invited a film crew to innumerable private strategy meetings and even to ex parte meetings with judges, an Ecuadorian judge who claims to have written the multibillion dollar decision but who was so inexperienced and uncomfortable with civil cases that he had someone else (a former judge who had been removed from the bench) draft some civil decisions for him, an 18-year old typist who supposedly did Internet research in American, English, and French law for the same judge, who knew only Spanish, and much more.
- The questionable conduct ranges from the spectacular to the banal: There were bribed judges, to be sure, but there were also articles in The Huffington Post and Politico authored by former Andrew Cuomo and DNC aide Karen Hinton, who, according to court documents, as a public-relations consultant had attempted to negotiate for herself a ''success fee'' of ''at least 5 percent'' of fees related to settlement of the case, along with a $10,000-a-month retainer and expenses. Writing in Politico, Hinton asked: ''I do advocacy work. So why am I accused of being part of a criminal conspiracy? . . . Chevron has charged that the Ecuadorian 'conspirators' and their 'co-conspirators,' like me, lied, manufactured evidence about the contamination, and committed fraud.''
- According to Judge Kaplan's opinion, that's about right.
- What's notable here is that Chevron's complaint is under the RICO law, meaning that it implies the existence of an ongoing criminal organization. What we have here, if the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is correct, is the new face of organized crime, and one of the most spectacular attempts at extortion in recorded history.
- I've been following the case for a while and will have more to say when I've gone through the documents, but the decision is a very bad one for everybody who had a part in the case '-- from prestigious law firms to environmental groups '' especially those with a financial interest in its outcome. Setting aside the legal reasoning and looking only at the findings of fact in the case, a great many reputations will need reconsidering.
- In the interest of full disclosure, I note that Chevron has occasionally advertised in National Review, and has in the past donated to the National Review Institute.
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- Ukraine And Chevron To Develop Shale Gas
- KYIV -- Ukraine's government has approved a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with the U.S.-based company Chevron to explore and develop shale-gas deposits in the Lviv region.Ukrainian Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Oleh Proskuryakov announced the government's approval of the deal and said the PSA would be signed with Chevron on November 5 on the sidelines of an international economic forum in Kyiv.
- Chevron says it will invest some $350 million in exploring sites in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts and that its investment in the project will eventually total some $10 billion.
- Ukraine is looking to develop three large shale-gas deposits with help from foreign companies. The three sites contain an estimated equivalent of 3 trillion cubic meters of gas, enough to meet Ukraine's energy needs for decades.
- Meantime, Ukraine's energy minister has acknowledged that state oil and gas company Naftohaz has fallen behind in payments for Russian gas, but said he expects the matter to be settled very soon.Eduard Stavytskyy said there had been "slight delays in payments" but that he believes the matter will be settled in the coming days. He said a Ukrainian delegation led by the Naftohaz CEO, Yevhen Bakulin, is currently in Moscow.
- Aleksei Miller, the head of Russia's Gazprom, said Ukraine owes the state-controlled company $882 million for gas shipped in August. Miller also said that "advance payments will be considered in the future, as stipulated by the contract."
- With reporting by ITAR-TASS, Reuters and Interfax
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- Chevron Draws Europe Toward Natural Gas Independence: Energy - Bloomberg
- Chevron Corp. (CVX) is betting it can win over eastern Europeans with the idea of energy independence even after dry wells and government delays led Exxon Mobil Corp. and Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) to scrap efforts to tap natural gas deposits in Polish shale.
- Bringing shale drilling to Europe from North America promises to help the region ease years of dependence on Russian fuel and hurts the Kremlin's ambition to secure the country's future as an energy superpower. Use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, upended the U.S. gas industry, which overtook Russia as the biggest producer, driving prices to a decade-low.
- ''This resource could certainly enhance energy security within Europe and also bring enormous economic benefits,'' said Ian MacDonald, Chevron vice president for Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East. ''Chevron believes that upon learning how these hydrocarbon resources can be explored for and developed safely, the governments and citizens of central Europe will be supportive.''
- President Vladimir Putin is pushing investment in Russia's gas industry, with new fields and a pipeline to Asia planned.
- Chevron has leased or licensed for exploration 5.6 million acres in Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria, an area the size of New Jersey. Its joint venture in Lithuania has a license for about 600,000 acres, and Chevron is applying for another 450,000. In Ukraine alone it agreed to spend $400 million on exploration. Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) won rights to explore for shale gas in the Yuzivska field in Ukraine's Kharkiv region in May 2012, and signed a production sharing agreement in January.
- Doubtful RevolutionYet the prospect of a European shale revolution is in doubt before it has begun. Exxon said in June 2012 it was pulling out of Poland after its first wells produced disappointing results, which was followed by Talisman. On May 7, Marathon Oil Corp. said it was quitting after failing to find commercially viable resources and it would seek to dispose of its 11 licenses.
- In the U.S. in contrast, Exxon plans a $10 billion Texas export terminal to ship abroad excess domestic gas.
- Deposits in Poland have turned out to be deeper and harder to exploit than those in the U.S. due to geology and poor roads to remote eastern regions. Estimated reserves in the European country were cut to 9 trillion cubic feet last year by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, from 44 trillion in 2011.
- ''Big companies like Shell and Chevron could become afraid to invest,'' said Volodymyr Omelchenko, head of energy analysis at the Razumkov research group in Kiev and former director of shipments at Ukraine's NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy. ''Ukraine has an enormous potential but realization will be difficult because the legal system is governed by old Soviet traditions.''
- Unlikely AllianceEnvironmental campaigners, in an unlikely alliance of interests with Russian gas-export monopoly OAO Gazprom (GAZ), have also held up investment in the shale industry. Chevron had its license revoked in Bulgaria last year after hundreds protested in Sofia over concerns fracking would pollute water and land.
- A report in the corporate Gazprom Magazine said prospects for shale are undermined by lower reserves estimates, green protests and the harm to profits of low prices. ''Europeans have no real alternative to cooperation with Russia,'' it concluded.
- That possibility hasn't stopped Chevron. On top of four wells in Poland, the second-biggest U.S. oil company plans an exploration well in Romania, has begun work in Lithuania and been awarded 1.6 million acres in Ukraine. Chevron also carried out its first central European fracking operation at a well in southeastern Poland.
- Winning Support''While the shale gas revolution may not be on the same scale as what we have seen in the U.S., we are still confident of the opportunities,'' MacDonald said by e-mail. ''Unlike the U.S., in central Europe there's little pre-existing geological data. The exploration activities we are currently undertaking will be important in assessing the resource potential.''
- Chevron will explore for as long as five years, he said. That commitment is winning support from some governments.
- ''Romania, Poland and Lithuania are in favor of shale gas as these countries see the natural gas problem as more than just an issue of getting cheaper energy,'' Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on July 18. ''It's important for us to have cheaper energy, especially because of its impact on the economy and the population, but more so to stop relying on imports from Russia, from Gazprom.''
- Romania ended a moratorium on exploration in December.
- Gazprom, supplier of more than a quarter of Europe's gas consumption, faces a ''major threat'' from the U.S. shale boom and an increase in trade in liquefied natural gas, Paul Vickars, an analyst at Societe Generale SA, said in a note on July 22.
- Ukraine is considering following Romania's lead in easing limits on prices gas companies can charge households. The Oleska area may hold enough gas to supply Ukraine for almost 60 years, said Dmitriy Marunych, chairman of the Energy Strategies Fund.
- ''The government has created favorable conditions for big international oil and gas explorers, perhaps too comfortable,'' Marunych said. ''I have no doubt that in the future shale gas will result in a reduction of imports from Russia.''
- To contact the reporter on this story: Ladka Bauerova in Prague at lbauerova@bloomberg.net
- To contact the editor responsible for this story: Will Kennedy at wkennedy3@bloomberg.net
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- FACT SHEET: International Support for Ukraine
- Office of the Press Secretary
- President Obama has made clear that the United States will continue to support the Government of Ukraine, including economically. We have been working closely with international partners to develop an assistance package that will provide rapid financial and technical assistance to help Ukraine restore economic stability and conduct free, fair, and inclusive new elections that will allow the Ukrainian people to continue to make democratic choices about their future.
- The new Ukrainian government has inherited an economy with enormous potential but that is currently financially fragile and uncompetitive. The Government of Ukraine has said publicly that it will work to meet these urgent challenges. As the government implements important reforms, the United States will work with its bilateral and multilateral partners to ensure that Ukraine has sufficient financing to restore financial stability and return to growth.
- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is already engaging to help stabilize the Ukrainian economy. We understand that an IMF mission is currently in Kyiv working with the Ukrainian government at their request. The IMF will be at the front lines of an international package for Ukraine and is positioned to support robust and market-oriented reforms needed to restore Ukraine to economic health, including via providing large-scale financing and technical support. At the same time, the United States is working alongside international partners and the Government of Ukraine to assemble a package of assistance to complement and support an IMF program.
- As part of this international effort, the United States has developed a package of bilateral assistance focused on meeting Ukraine's most pressing needs and helping Ukraine to enact the reforms needed to make its IMF program a success. We are working with Congress to approve the 2010 IMF quota legislation, which would support the IMF's capacity to lend additional resources to Ukraine, while also helping to preserve continued U.S. leadership within this important institution. We are ready to work with Congress and the Government of Ukraine to provide U.S. loan guarantees and other financial and technical assistance to address Ukraine's four most urgent needs:
- Critical assistance with economic reforms, including by cushioning their impact on vulnerable Ukrainians: The U.S. Administration is working with Congress and the Government of Ukraine to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees aimed at helping insulate vulnerable Ukrainians from the effects of reduced energy subsidies. At the same time, the United States is moving quickly to provide technical expertise to help the National Bank of Ukraine and the Ministry of Finance address their most pressing challenges. The United States is dispatching highly experienced technical advisors to help the Ukrainian financial authorities manage immediate market pressures. The United States will also provide expertise to help Ukraine implement critical energy sector reforms.
- Conducting free, fair, and inclusive elections: The United States will provide technical assistance to train election observers, help bring electoral processes in line with international standards, and promote robust participation by civil society organizations and a free and independent media.
- Combatting corruption and recovering stolen assets: The United States is preparing to help the government respond to the clear demands of the Ukrainian people for more robust safeguards against corruption and additional efforts to recover assets stolen from the people of Ukraine. The United States will support the government as it takes tangible steps to reduce corruption and increase transparency, including in areas such as e-government and public procurement. The United States is deploying an interagency team of experts to Kyiv this week to begin to work with their Ukrainian counterparts to identify assets that may have been stolen, identify their current location, and assist in returning those assets to Ukraine.
- Withstanding politically motivated trade actions by Russia, including in the area of energy: The United States is preparing to provide technical advice to the Ukrainian government on Ukraine's WTO rights with respect to trade with Russia. At the same time the United States is ready to provide assistance and financing to help Ukrainian businesses find new export markets and adjust to trade pressures and to enhance energy efficiency, helping to reduce dependence on imported gas.
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- US media escalates propaganda offensive on Ukraine
- 4 March 2014In the wake of the right-wing coup in Ukraine organized by the United States and the European powers, the American media is responding with a torrent of inflammatory war propaganda directed against Russia.
- In the newspapers and on the airwaves, the demonization of Russia is unrelenting. The coverage of events follows a single simplistic story line. The actions of Russia are portrayed as the epitome of evil. Its president, Vladimir Putin, is the devil incarnate.
- The historical background, the economic interests, the political context and the geo-strategic calculations that underlie Russia's actions are ignored. No facts are allowed to get in the way of the programmed message. No lie is too absurd or ridiculous. The purpose of the propaganda campaign is not to convince public opinion, but to intimidate it.
- Monday's lead editorial (''Russia's Aggression'') in the New York Times does not contain a trace of analysis. It consists entirely of denunciations, saber-rattling and limitless hypocrisy.
- The Times begins by denouncing ''Putin's cynical and outrageous exploitation of the Ukrainian crisis to seize control of Crimea.'' Reality is stood on its head. The United States supported right-wing and fascistic forces in Ukraine to bring about regime-change in a country on Russia's border. These operations were exposed to the world in a telephone conversation leaked last month in which the US ambassador to Ukraine and the US assistant secretary of state discussed the composition of a new Washington-backed government. Of course, the Times makes no reference to this episode.
- With breathtaking cynicism, the Times demands that Obama tell Putin that Russia ''has stepped far outside the bounds of civilized behavior, and that this carries a steep price in international standing and in economic relations.''
- Who is outside the bounds of ''civilized behavior?'' The United States has intervened in country after country'--from Panama, Grenada and Vietnam to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. Its military operations over the past quarter-century have resulted in the deaths of at least a million people.
- The Times also published a column (''Putin's Crimean Crime'') by Roger Cohen, who postures as an intellectual and foreign policy specialist. He has over the years championed every manner of US military aggression, from the Balkans to Syria. He counted as a close personal friend the late US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, who was killed at the US consulate in Benghazi after helping organize the operation to overthrow the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
- Cohen's Times column consists of a string of insults and epithets. Ukraine's deposed leader Yanukovych is described as a ''bungling, sybaritic, trigger-happy president,'' and Putin as being ''obsessed'' with Russia's ''imperium.''
- Putin's actions are portrayed as incomprehensible. Why should he feel threatened by ''NATO's expansion into the Baltic states;'' ''the European Union's embrace of the likes of Poland and Romania;'' ''the humbling by NATO of Serbia;'' or ''the West's perceived manipulation of a United Nations mandate to have its way in Libya?'' Clearly, Putin is mad!
- In a brief and repugnant foray into history, Cohen refers in passing to the crimes of the Nazis in Ukraine during World War II, but does so in a manner that suggests they were only a continuation of Stalin's crimes. ''The Nazis later [after Stalin] did their worst,'' he writes blithely, stating that ''more millions died.'' Here Cohen joins a growing list of right-wing historians who are relativizing Nazi crimes as part of an effort to justify German remilitarization today.
- Cohen then refers without explanation to the ''corpse-filled ravine of Babi Yar.'' Readers unfamiliar with history might assume that Cohen is referring to a Stalinist atrocity. He does not inform his readers that the Babi Yar ravine in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev was the site of the horrific massacre of 33,000 Jews by the Nazis on September 29''30, 1941.
- This event occurred just three months after the start of the Nazi ''war of extermination'' [Vernichtungskrieg] against the Soviet Union. The operations of German imperialism included the murder of six million European Jews. Approximately 27 million Soviet soldiers and civilians died in the struggle to defeat the onslaught of Germany's fascist regime.
- Significantly, Cohen refers to Babi Yar without mentioning the political pedigree of the forces in Ukraine with which the United States and Germany are currently working. The opposition is dominated by virulent anti-Semites.
- The Svoboda party is the major political force in the protests that overthrew Yanukovych. It was formed in 2004 as part of a rebranding effort by its predecessor organization, the Social National Party of Ukraine (SNPU). This party, whose members wore insignias that had been used by the Waffen SS, was compelled to change its name because its close association with fascism complicated the US effort to integrate it into the ''Orange Revolution,'' which was finally carried out in 2005.
- Oleh Tyahnybok is the long-time leader of Svoboda and participated in the meetings with US and EU officials that prepared last month's regime-change. In 2004, Tyahnybok gave a speech on Mount Yavoryna in which he lauded the Ukrainian Insurgent Army of the World War II era. The UIA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) ''fought against the Russkies, fought against the Germans, fought against the Yids [Jews] and other filth that wanted to take from us our Ukrainian state,'' he said. Tyahnybok praised his listeners as the force most feared by ''the Russkie-Yid mafia that controls Ukraine.'' In 2005, Tyahnybok signed a petition demanding the banning of Jewish organizations in Ukraine.
- Roger Cohen studiously avoids any reference to the fascistic and anti-Semitic forces with whom the US is allied in the Ukraine. In this, however, Cohen is not alone. The subject is all but taboo in the US press.
- The line of the New York Times is identical to that of the Wall Street Journal (which editorializes that Russia's ''brazen aggression brings the threat of war to the heart of Europe for the first time since the end of the Cold War''), the Washington Post (which insists that the Obama administration ''spell out the consequences for Russia's invasion of Ukraine'') and the Nation magazine (whose chief foreign policy correspondent and ex-Larouchite Robert Dreyfuss writes that ''Vladimir Putin must back down.'')
- The coordinated character of the US media response makes clear that one is not dealing with the writings of individuals, but rather the unfolding of a quite deliberate plan aimed at indoctrinating the public to accept actions previously considered unthinkable.
- Influential policy experts are calling for military action. Andrew Kuchins of the Center for Strategic and International Studies writes that Russian military intervention beyond Crimea ''is a red line that will mean war with Ukrainian and NATO forces if it is crossed.'' He adds, ''US and NATO forces need to be deployed to the Black Sea in close proximity to the Ukrainian Coast.''
- Such a war would have catastrophic consequences. The fight against war requires an unrelenting struggle to expose the lies of the media. We urge our readers to build up the following of the World Socialist Web Site among workers and youth. Share and distribute our articles. The people of the world must be alerted to the grave danger that exists.
- Joseph Kishore and David North
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- Warning shots fired by Russian troops, but hopes are raised for peaceful solution to Crimean crisis as Ukrainian prime minister says 'high level' talks have begun between the countries' ministers | Mail Online
- A dozen Russian soldiers fired warning shots as 300 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers marched to Belbek air baseThe Ukrainian troops were employed at the air base before Russians forces seized control over the weekendStand-off comes as both Russia and Ukraine send warships into the Bosphorus straits, heading towards CrimeaUkraine's new Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk now says his country is taking part in 'high-level' talks with RussiaPutin said there is no need for violence - but insisted he has the right to use 'all means' to protect Russians in CrimeaU.S announces a $1billion energy aid package for Ukraine while Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in countryRussia test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) today - but US were informed prior to launchBy John Hall and Lizzie Edmonds
- PUBLISHED: 04:42 EST, 4 March 2014 | UPDATED: 16:17 EST, 4 March 2014
- This is the moment Russian troops guarding an air base in Crimea fired warning shots into the air as they were approached by unarmed Ukrainian troops.
- About a dozen Russian soldiers at the Belbek air base warned the Ukrainians, who previously employed at the base until Russians seized control over the weekend, not to get any closer.
- The troops fired several warning shots into the air and said they would shoot the 300-strong group of Ukrainian soldiers if they continued to advance.
- Despite the tense stand-off, hopes for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis were raised today after the two countries' ministers began 'high level' talks.
- Tense: Russian troops in control of the Belbek air base in the Crimea region fired warning shots into the air as around 300 Ukrainian soldiers demanded their jobs back
- Hold fire: A Russian soldier restrains a colleague after he fired his weapon into the air and screamed orders at an approaching group of unarmed Ukrainian troops
- Stand-off: Around 300 Ukrainian troops, led by Colonel Yuli Mamchor (left), march towards Belbek air base to confront occupying Russian soldiers
- Shots fired: A Russian soldier is seen firing warning shots into the air as his colleagues point their guns at the unarmed Ukrainian soldiers
- Leader: Colonel Yuli Mamchor (right), commander of the Ukrainian military garrison, speaks to gun-wielding Russian troops occupying the Belbek airbase in Crimea
- Ukraine's new Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk has said his country were taking part in talks with Russia - but gave no further detail.
- He then reiterated his view that Russia should withdraw forces from the region.
- The announcement came as Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was currently no need for further violence in Ukraine - but added he reserves the right to use 'all means' to protect Russian speakers in the country.
- Putin today ordered thousands of Russian troops participating in military exercises near Ukraine's border to return to their base.
- Stop: This Russian soldier is believed to have ordered the unarmed Ukrainian troops to stop advancing towards them or he would shoot
- Outnumbered: The dozen Russian troops fired several warning shots into the air and said they would shoot the 300 Ukrainian soldiers (left) if they continued to march
- Hidden: A group of mostly-masked pro-Russian militants arrived at the air base shortly after the stand-off, as Russian-led troops blockade Ukrainian military bases
- Marksmen: A Russian soldier guards the occupied Belbek airbase after Ukrainian troops marched on the area earlier today
- Support: Shortly after the stand-off, a group of masked pro-Russian troops arrived (left) to provide backup to the dozen or so Russian soldiers (right) on the site
- Colonel Yuli Mamchor (centre), commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at the Belbek air base, leads his unarmed troops to retake the airfield from Russian soldiers
- Honour: Colonel Yuli Mamchor gives a salute to a Ukrainian flag before leading around 300 unarmed troops towards the Belbek airfield
- The action saw the stock markets rebound after dipping due to tensions in the region yesterday.
- Russian stocks and the rouble were up, while gold and the Japanese yen fell. European stocks rose, with the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index up 1.8 percent - recouping over half of Monday's losses driven largely by the Ukraine crisis.
- MSCI's all-country world stocks index, which tracks stocks in 45 countries, was up half a percent. U.S. stock index futures were up more than 1 percent - suggesting a higher open on Wall Street.
- Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Ukraine for a five-hour show of support for the fledgling government in the country.
- Intimidating: An armed Russian serviceman stands behind a line of pro-Russian activists at the Belbek Sevastopol International Airport
- A pro-Russian activist (left) stands guard at the air base while armed Russian soldiers (right) watch Ukrainian troops relaxing and playing football on the airfield
- Moment of peace: Russian soldiers watch Ukrainian servicemen play football following the tense stand-off at Belbek airport
- Keeping calm: Ukrainian servicemen play with a football near Russian military vehicles at the Belbek Sevastopol International Airport
- Russian troops fire warning shots at Ukraine troops
- Kerry's arrival came as the U.S has formally announced a $1billion energy aid package for Ukraine - a serious indication it is about to announce economic sanctions against Russia.
- The package will include energy aid, training for financial and election institutions, and anti-corruption efforts.
- U.S. officials traveling with Kerry also said the Obama administration is considering hitting Russia with unspecified economic sanctions as soon as this week.
- The officials added that the U.S. has suspended what was described as a narrow set of discussions with Russia over a bilateral trade investment treaty.
- It is also going to provide technical advice to the Ukraine government about its trade rights with Russia.
- During his visit, Kerry was to pay homage to the dozens of protesters who were killed on February 20 in anti-government demonstrations that days later ousted Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych.
- Elsewhere, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said secret documents which revealed Britain would not impose sanctions or support military action against Russia do 'not necessarily' reflect the Government's final decision on the crisis.
- Hague told MPs all options remain open after the leaked document, reportedly photographed as it was carried in to Downing Street, appeared to reveal initial opposition to trade sanctions.
- A television presenter for a Russian television channel was today told to go to Crimea by her bosses after she spoke out about the conflict.
- Abby Martin said Russia was 'wrong' for its action in Ukraine. Russia Today, the channel she works for, then said they were sending her to the region to 'make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story.'
- A girl plays with a balloon near an armed man, believed to be Russian servicemen, near the gates of a Ukrainian military unit in Crimea
- A Ukrainian soldier inside the seized Belbek military base gets an affectionate pet from a woman on the outside
- Armed Pro-Russian soldiers guard an Ukraine's infantry base the region - while a group of others march off towards some military vehicles
- An armed man in military uniform sits atop of an Russian 'GAZ Tigr' infantry mobility vehicle, outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit
- A Russian soldier sits on top of a military armoured personnel carrier (APC). Putin said today he had ordered troops in Crimea to return to their bases
- Ukrainian forces at the tense stand-off which took the Belbek air base were led by Colonel Yuli Mamchor, commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at Belbek.
- He was seen speaking to gun-wielding troops at the air base while Ukrainian troops advanced.Warning shots were then fired in tense and dramatic scenes.
- One Russian soldier says: 'I want your officer here. We'll be shooting your legs.
- A Ukrainian soldier responds: 'You will pay for this. You'll be responsible.'
- Another adds: 'America stands with us.'
- The Russian soldier then replies: 'Commander, calm down your crowd.'
- However, moments later, the Ukrainian soldiers arrange a quick game of football - while the Russians observed, looking decidedly unimpressed.
- The new Ukrainian government has said the troops that seized Belbek and other Ukrainian military bases across Crimea were Russian - but Vladimir Putin denied it, saying they were self-defence forces answering to Crimea's pro-Russian regional government.
- Mr Putin said today 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea have 'dispersed'.
- But the Russian president showed no signs of loosening the stranglehold on the Crimean peninsula, openly defying the threat of diplomatic and economic sanctions from world leaders.
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lights a candle and lays roses atop the Shrine of the Fallen in Kiev
- John Kerry and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt light candles and lay roses in Kiev for those who died in protests
- Cameras gather round John Kerry as he pays tribute to victims of recent anti-government protests in Independence Square
- U.S. President Barack Obama answers a question after it was announced the country would deliver $1billion in aid to the region
- Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a news conference and said he saw no need to use military force in the Crimea region for now
- He later described events in Ukraine as an 'anti-constitutional coup and armed seizure of power' at a press conference this morning, adding that 'militants' had plunged the country into 'chaos'.
- Putin added that there is currently no need for Russian troops to extend further into Ukraine than Crimea, but he has not ruled out doing so.
- Russia reserves the right to use 'all means' to protect citizens in Ukraine, he told a news conference.
- Putin added that if Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine asked for help, then Moscow would respond, saying: 'If we see this anarchy beginning in the eastern regions we reserve the right to use all means'.
- He also insisted that ousted Viktor Yanukovych was still the legitimate president of Ukraine, accused the West of encouraging the street protests that had ousted him, and added that Yanukovych would have been killed without Russia's help.
- Russia said it had successfully test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Tuesday.
- The Strategic Rocket Forces launched an RS-12M Topol missile from the southerly Astrakhan region and the dummy warhead hit its target at a proving ground in Kazakhstan, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov told state-run news agency RIA.
- A US official confirmed they received nomination from Russia ahead of its test-fire.
- Obama dismisses Putin's justification for Ukraine intervention
- Location: Belbek is in the south west corner of the Crimean peninsula, close to the port city of Sevastopol
- Conflict: Occupying Russian soldiers stand on command in front of Ukrainian murals at Belbek air base, deep in the heart of the Crimea
- Keeping warm: Following the air base stand-off, armed Russian troops huddled together in small groups to keep warm as they stood guard
- Ukrainian servicemen wait for orders at Belbek air base after a tense stand-off with occupying Russian troops
- Keeping watch: Russian soldiers train their guns on unarmed Ukrainian servicemen at Belbek airport
- Russian servicemen stand guard in front of a Ukrainian mural shortly after facing off against troops who had tried to reclaim the air base
- Unarmed: None of the Ukrainian servicemen (pictured) were carrying weapons when the warning shots from Russian troops were fired
- Threat: About a dozen Russian soldiers (pictured) have been stationed at the base since the weekend. They warned the advancing Ukrainians not to approach them
- Dispute: Ukraine has effectively lost control of the Crimean peninsula and admits it has 'no military options' to make Moscow withdraw from the region
- Ukraine's new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk will meet EU leaders on Thursday ahead of an emergency summit the same day on the crisis in his country, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said.
- EU leaders 'will discuss situation in Ukraine with PM Yatsenyuk in Brussels Thursday prior to extraordinary summit,' Van Rompuy said on Twitter this morning.
- Earlier in the day, two Russian warships on their way to Crimea passed through Istanbul's Bosphorus straits.
- The Saratov and Yamal warships, which are usually based in the Mediterranean, were seen sailing unaccompanied through the Marmara Sea before entering the straits at around 7.30am local time.
- At the same time as the Russian warships headed towards the Crimea, a Ukrainian ship called 'Hetman Sahaidachny entered the straits at Canakkale in Turkey.
- The head of Ukraine's security service also this morning suggested the country has come under a number of cyber attacks from illegal telecommunications equipment installed in Crimea since Russian troops moved into the region.
- Valentyn Nalivaichenko said the mobile phones of lawmakers had been hit by the cyber attacks.
- The Kremlin, which does not recognise the new Ukrainian leadership, insists it made the move to protect millions of Russians living in the region, with Moscow's UN envoy adding that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych had asked the country to send troops across the border.
- Ukraine has effectively lost control of the Crimean peninsula and admits it has 'no military options' to make Moscow withdraw.
- Did someone say shoot? Ukraine troops in bizarre football match
- Ready for talks: Ukrainian servicemen wait for orders at Belbek airport after arriving at the base for negotiations with Russian soldiers
- Negotiations: Colonel Yuli Mamchor walks past armed Russian soldiers as he returns to his Ukrainian troops. He had just been speaking with Russian troop leaders
- Calm: Colonel Yuli Mamchor, the leader of the unarmed Ukrainian troops involved in the stand-off, calmly chats with armed Russian soldiers
- Heavily armed and camouflaged Russian soldiers duck beneath a small mound as the unarmed Ukrainian troops arrived at the site
- Taking a break: Unarmed Ukrainian troops rest on the Belbek airfield after they confronted soldiers under Russian command
- Brave: Unarmed Ukrainian troops (pictured) confronted the heavily armed Russian soldiers who have been occupying Belbek air base
- Unarmed: A Ukrainian solider chats on his mobile phone as a group of 300 march on Belbelk air base with the intention of reclaiming it from Russian troops
- Taking back Belbek: The unarmed Ukrainian soldiers line-up for photographs before marching towards the armed Russian troops
- Waiting around: Unarmed Ukrainian troops rest on the Belbek airfield after confronting Russian soldiers who have been occupying the base in Crimea
- Loyal: Unarmed Ukrainian troops carry the flag of their regiment alongside the Ukrainian flag as they marched on Belbek air base
- Liberate: Around 300 Ukrainian troops arrived at the base hoping to reclaim it from the dozen or so Russian soldiers occupying the site
- Earlier this morning, two Russian warships on their way to Crimea passed through Istanbul's Bosphorus straits
- The Saratov and Yamal warships, which are usually based in the Mediterranean, were seen sailing unaccompanied through the Marmara Sea before entering the straits
- At the same time as the Russian warships headed towards the Crimea, a Ukrainian ship called 'Hetman Sahaidachny' entered the straits at Canakkale in Turkey
- Ukrainian troops watch as Russian Navy ships bloc the entrance of the navy base in Sevastopol
- The Russian foreign minister said Russian troops were protecting people from 'ultra-nationalist threats' and would be staying put.
- Justifying military action, Sergei Lavrov said: 'This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life.'
- The disclosure of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych's support for Russian military intervention was made at the third emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council since Friday.
- Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin told a Security Council meeting Yanukovych wrote to Putin on Saturday requesting Russian troops be sent into Ukraine.
- It came amid fears that the Kremlin might carry out more land grabs in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine.
- Russia faced demands from almost all council members to pull its troops out of Crimea and got no support for its military action from close ally China.
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- Svoboda: The Rising Spectre Of Neo-Nazism In The Ukraine
- Ihor Miroshnychenko, the deputy chief of Svoboda, wrote on his Facebook account: ''[Kunis] is not Ukrainian, she is a Yid. She is proud of it, so [the] Star of David be with her.''
- However, this was only the latest inflammatory incident involving the extreme right-wing party which espouses a virulently xenophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-gay, and anti-Russian agenda.
- European and Israeli leaders expressed shock in October when Svoboda gained more than 10 percent of the electorate in parliamentary elections, entering the legislature for the first time ever. (In some western regions of Ukraine, Svoboda gained as much as 40 percent of the vote.).
- As recently as the 2007 parliamentary elections, Svoboda only garnered 0.76 percent of the total vote.
- In the parliament, Svoboda now boasts 37 deputies '' making it the fourth largest party in the 450-member body -- who are adamantly opposed to pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
- Founded in 1991 as the Social-National Party of Ukraine, Svoboda has apparently appealed to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians weary of economic woes and rampant corruption in government. Recent reports suggest that the party has derived significant support from the well-educated and the young.
- "I'm for Svoboda," a supporter named Vadim Makarevych told BBC at a rally in Kiev. "We have to stop what is happening in our country. It's banditry and mafia."
- Svoboda members have been in the middle of a number of violent brawls that have erupted in parliament since the election, solidifying its image as a rabble-rousing organization.
- Andreas Umland, a German-born visiting Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy who is an expert on extremist groups, told the Financial Times: ''The surge in Svoboda's popularity is clearly a protest vote, a reaction to the policies of Yanukovich, who draws his support mostly from Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine and whose policies are seen by many voters as 'Ukrainaphobic'.''
- Umland added: ''For many Ukrainians, Svoboda is viewed as a disciplined party that could put up the strongest of fights with Mr. Yanukovich and his oligarchs.''
- The party is linked to the Patriots of Ukraine, widely regarded as a neo-Nazi group, and is also informally allied with France's extreme right wing National Front.
- Among other things, Svoboda (which means 'freedom') seeks to end all immigration and ensure that all civil servant jobs are filled by ethnic Ukrainians.
- Anti-Semitism appears to hold a core position in Svoboda's party ideology. In 2004, the party's charismatic leader Oleh Tyahnybok delivered a speech in parliament in which he alleged that a "Muscovite-Jewish mafia" was controlling the Ukraine and threatened the country's very existence.
- Tyahnybok also claimed that ''organized Jewry'' dominate Ukrainian media and government, have enriched themselves through criminal activities and plan to engineer a ''genocide'' upon the Christian Ukrainian population.
- Another top Svoboda member, Yuriy Mykhalchyshyn, a deputy in parliament, often quotes former German Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, as well as other Third Reich luminaries like Ernst Roehm and Gregor Strasser.
- Tyahnybok has repeatedly sought inspiration from Ukrainian insurgents who fought in World War II.
- ''They did not fear, but took up their automatic rifles, going into the woods to fight Muscovites, Germans, Jewry and other filth which wanted to take away our Ukrainian nationhood. It's time to give Ukraine to the Ukrainians. Like them, you are most feared by the Moscow-Jewish mafia which today runs Ukraine,'' he said.
- Responding to concerns about his party's anti-Semitism, Tiahnybok insisted Svoboda is pro-Ukrainian and not hostile to any other group.
- ''I respect the position of [Israel], which defends the interests of its citizens,'' he said after the parliamentary elections.
- ''I would like to ask Israelis to also respect our patriotic feelings. Probably each party in the [Israeli parliament] Knesset is nationalist. With God's help, let it be this way for us too.''
- Svoboda also assails non-whites.
- In February, Yuriy Syrotiuk, a Svoboda spokesman, expressed his unhappiness over the appearance of Gaitana-Lurdes Essami, a half-Ukrainian, half-Congolese singer, who represented Ukraine in the Eurovision music contest, citing that she ''is not an organic representative of the Ukrainian culture.''
- Svoboda also expresses extreme hostility towards homosexuals '' party members recently attacked and sprayed tear gas at the participants of a gay rights rally in the capital Kiev.
- ''Thanks to the five nationalists, the Sabbath of 50 perverts was broken up,'' Svoboda stated, referring to the disturbance.
- ''They pulled out banners with perverted slogans, after which the protesters used teargas on them, but they received a decent rebuff.''
- Separately, the integrity and retention of Ukrainian language and culture also represents a pillar of Svoboda's ideology.
- Alarmed by the expanding use of the Russian tongue in public and government, the party has advocated for the banning of the foreign language. Among other measures, Svoboda demands that all parliamentarians speak Ukrainian instead of Russian.
- The Svoboda party has also opposed the renaming of streets in the country to Russian-friendly titles.
- Indeed. Moscow appears to draw the most opprobrium from Svoboda, which alleges Russia is still suppressing the Ukraine and frustrating its integration with the EU.
- Indeed, in refuting charges of anti-Semitism, Svoboda frequently notes that, like the Jews, Ukrainians also suffered a holocaust -- Joseph Stalin's induced famine in the 1930s which killed millions.
- But Svoboda's longer-term viability remains doubtful. The Kyiv Post newspaper reported that if presidential elections were held now Tiahnybok would only receive 7.8 percent of the vote, far below the 25 percent that the incumbent Yanukovych would get. (The next actual election is not scheduled until 2015).
- In the meantime, Ukraine's economy, which essentially collapsed in 2009, could prompt more voters to embrace extremist political parties.
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- In Kiev, an Israeli army vet led a street-fighting unit | Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Delta, the nom de guerre of the Jewish commander of a Ukrainian street-fighting unit, is pictured in Kiev earlier this month. (Courtesy of 'Delta')
- (JTA) '-- He calls his troops ''the Blue Helmets of Maidan,'' but brown is the color of the headgear worn by Delta '-- the nom de guerre of the commander of a Jewish-led militia force that participated in the Ukrainian revolution.
- Under his helmet, he also wears a kippah.
- Delta, a Ukraine-born former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, spoke to JTA Thursday on condition of anonymity. He explained how he came to use combat skills he acquired in the Shu'alei Shimshon reconnaissance battalion of the Givati infantry brigade to rise through the ranks of Kiev's street fighters.
- He has headed a force of 40 men and women '-- including several fellow IDF veterans '-- in violent clashes with government forces.
- Several Ukrainian Jews, including Rabbi Moshe Azman, one of the country's claimants to the title of chief rabbi, confirmed Delta's identity and role in the still-unfinished revolution.
- The ''Blue Helmets'' nickname, a reference to the U.N. peacekeeping force, stuck after Delta's unit last month prevented a mob from torching a building occupied by Ukrainian police, he said.
- ''There were dozens of officers inside, surrounded by 1,200 demonstrators who wanted to burn them alive,'' he recalled. ''We intervened and negotiated their safe passage.''
- The problem, he said, was that the officers would not leave without their guns, citing orders. Delta told JTA his unit reasoned with the mob to allow the officers to leave with their guns.
- ''It would have been a massacre, and that was not an option,'' he said.
- The Blue Helmets comprise 35 men and women who are not Jewish, and who are led by five ex-IDF soldiers, says Delta, an Orthodox Jew in his late 30s who regularly prays at Azman's Brodsky Synagogue. He declined to speak about his private life.
- Delta, who immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, moved back to Ukraine several years ago and has worked as a businessman. He says he joined the protest movement as a volunteer on Nov. 30, after witnessing violence by government forces against student protesters.
- ''I saw unarmed civilians with no military background being ground by a well-oiled military machine, and it made my blood boil,'' Delta told JTA in Hebrew laced with military jargon. ''I joined them then and there, and I started fighting back the way I learned how, through urban warfare maneuvers. People followed, and I found myself heading a platoon of young men. Kids, really.''
- The other ex-IDF infantrymen joined the Blue Helmets later after hearing it was led by a fellow vet, Delta said.
- As platoon leader, Delta says he takes orders from activists connected to Svoboda, an ultra-nationalist party that has been frequently accused of anti-Semitism and whose members have been said to have had key positions in organizing the opposition protests.
- ''I don't belong [to Svoboda], but I take orders from their team. They know I'm Israeli, Jewish and an ex-IDF soldier. They call me 'brother,''' he said. ''What they're saying about Svoboda is exaggerated, I know this for a fact. I don't like them because they're inconsistent, not because of [any] anti-Semitism issue.''
- The commanding position of Svoboda in the revolution is no secret, according to Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Heritage Foundation think tank.
- ''The driving force among the so-called white sector in the Maidan are the nationalists, who went against the SWAT teams and snipers who were shooting at them,'' Cohen told JTA.
- Still, many Jews supported the revolution and actively participated in it.
- Earlier this week, an interim government was announced ahead of election scheduled for May, including ministers from several minority groups.
- Volodymyr Groysman, a former mayor of the city of Vinnytsia and the newly appointed deputy prime minister for regional policy, is a Jew, Rabbi Azman said.
- ''There are no signs for concern yet,'' said Cohen, ''but the West needs to make it clear to Ukraine that how it is seen depends on how minorities are treated.''
- On Wednesday, Russian State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin said Moscow was concerned about anti-Semitic declarations by radical groups in Ukraine.
- But Delta says the Kremlin is using the anti-Semitism card falsely to delegitimize the Ukrainian revolution, which is distancing Ukraine from Russia's sphere of influence.
- ''It's bullshit. I never saw any expression of anti-Semitism during the protests, and the claims to the contrary were part of the reason I joined the movement. We're trying to show that Jews care,'' he said.
- Still, Delta's reasons for not revealing his name betray his sense of feeling like an outsider. ''If I were Ukrainian, I would have been a hero. But for me it's better to not reveal my name if I want to keep living here in peace and quiet,'' he said.
- Fellow Jews have criticized him for working with Svoboda.
- ''Some asked me if instead of 'Shalom' they should now greet me with a 'Sieg heil.' I simply find it laughable,'' he said.
- But he does have frustrations related to being an outsider: ''Sometimes I tell myself, 'What are you doing? This is not your army. This isn't even your country.'''
- He recalls feeling this way during one of the fiercest battles he experienced, which took place last week at Institutskaya Street and left 12 protesters dead.
- ''The snipers began firing rubber bullets at us. I fired back from my rubber-bullet rifle,'' Delta said. ''Then they opened live rounds, and my friend caught a bullet in his leg. They shot at us like at a firing range. I wasn't ready for a last stand. I carried my friend and ordered my troops to fall back. They're scared kids. I gave them some cash for phone calls and told them to take off their uniform and run away until further instructions. I didn't want to see anyone else die that day.''
- Currently, the Blue Helmets are carrying out police work that include patrols and preventing looting and vandalism in a city of 3 million struggling to climb out of the chaos that engulfed it for the past three months.
- But Delta has another, more ambitious, project: He and Azman are organizing the airborne evacuation of seriously wounded protesters '-- none of them Jewish '-- for critical operations in Israel. Azman says he hopes the plane of 17 patients will take off next week, with funding from private donors and with help from Ukraine's ambassador to Israel.
- One of the patients, a 19-year-old woman, was wounded at Institutskaya by a bullet that penetrated her eye and is lodged inside her brain, according to Delta.
- ''The doctor told me that another millimeter to either direction and she would be dead,'' Delta said. ''And I told him it was the work of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.''
-
- Enlargement of NATO - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the process of including new member states in NATO. NATO is a military alliance of states in Europe and North America whose organization constitutes a system of collective defence. The process of joining the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty and by subsequent agreements. Countries wishing to join have to meet certain requirements and complete a multi-step process involving political dialogue and military integration. The accession process is overseen by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body.
- After its formation in 1949, NATO grew by including Greece and Turkey in 1952 and West Germany in 1955, and then later Spain in 1982. After the Cold War ended, and Germany reunited in 1990, there was a debate in NATO about continued expansion eastward. In 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined the organization, amid much debate within the organization and Russian opposition.[1][2] Another expansion came with the accession of seven Central and Eastern European countries: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. These nations were first invited to start talks of membership during the 2002 Prague summit, and joined NATO on 29 March 2004, shortly before the 2004 Istanbul summit. Most recently, Albania and Croatia joined on 1 April 2009, shortly before the 2009 Strasbourg''Kehl summit.
- Future expansion is currently a topic of debate in many countries. Cyprus and Macedonia are stalled from accession by, respectively, Turkey and Greece, pending the resolution of disputes between them. Other countries which have a stated goal of eventually joining include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Georgia. The incorporation of former Warsaw Pact countries has been a cause of increased tension between NATO countries and Russia. Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly agreed to allow German reunification within NATO after being promised that NATO would not expand "one inch to the east."[3]
- Past enlargementsEditNATO has added new members six times since its founding in 1949, and NATO comprises twenty-eight members. Twelve countries were part of the founding of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1990, with the reunification of Germany, NATO grew to include the former country of East Germany. Between 1994 and 1997, wider forums for regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbors were set up, including the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue initiative and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In 1997, three former communist countries, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, were invited to join NATO. After this fourth enlargement in 1999, the Vilnius group of The Baltics and seven East European countries formed in May 2000 to cooperate and lobby for further NATO membership. Seven of these countries joined in the fifth enlargement in 2004. Albania and Croatia joined in the sixth enlargement in 2009.
- Criteria and processEditArticle 10EditArticle 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty describes how non-member states may join NATO:
- ''The Parties may by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to this Treaty. Any State so invited may become a Party to the Treaty by depositing its instrument of accession with the Government of the United States of America. The Government of the United States of America will inform each of the Parties of the deposit of each such instrument of accession.[4]''This article poses two general limits to non-member states. European states are eligible for membership and these states need the approval of all the existing member states. The second criterion means that every member state can put some criteria forward that have to be attained. In practice, NATO formulates in most cases a common set of criteria, but for instance Greece blocks the Republic of Macedonia's accession to NATO, due to the disagreement over the use of the name Macedonia. Turkey similarly opposes the participation of the Republic of Cyprus with NATO institutions as long as the Cyprus dispute is not resolved.[5]
- Individual Partnership Action PlanEditNATO began the Individual Partnership Action Plans programme at the 2002 Prague Summit, as a mechanism to tailor relations with specific countries, which may include eventual membership. The programme is also used for countries not intending to join NATO, but that require the additional diplomatic resources. Plans have so far only been implemented with countries already members of the NATO-organized Partnership for Peace. As of 2009, Individual Partnership Action Plans are in implementation with seven countries:[6]Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Montenegro. In April 2011 Serbia's request for an IPAP was approved, and the agreement is currently under negotiations.[7]
- Armenia,[8][9] Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,[10] Moldova,[11] and Serbia[7][12] have stated they have no desire to join NATO. Georgia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the other hand, are actively working towards future NATO membership.
- Intensified DialogueEditIntensified Dialogue is viewed as an additional stage before being invited to enter the alliance Membership Action Plan (MAP), that may complement that country's Individual Partnership Action Plan. As of 2010, Georgia was engaged in an Intensified Dialogue with NATO after being promised a Membership Action Plan in the spring of 2008. Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina participate in Intensified Dialogue and have also received Membership Action Plans. Serbia was offered an Intensified Dialogue program on 3 April 2008, but it has not responded to the offer.[13]
- In the 2000s, the government of Ukraine was leaning towards NATO membership, and a deeper cooperation with the alliance was set by the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan signed in 2002. It was later agreed that the question of joining NATO should be answered by a national referendum at some point in the future.[14] In April 2005, Ukraine entered into Intensified Dialogue with NATO,[15] and during the 2008 Bucharest summit NATO declared that Ukraine could become a member of NATO when it wants to join and meets the criteria for accession.[16] However, by 2010 Ukraine had announced that it no longer had NATO membership as a goal under the foreign policy of President Viktor Yanukovych.[17] Ukraine has a close relationship with NATO, and it is the most active member of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program.
- Membership Action PlanEditThe Membership Action Plan (MAP) mechanism is the stage in the procedure for nations wishing to join where their formal applications are reviewed by the current members. The mechanism was approved in the 1999 Washington summit. A country's participation in MAP entails the annual presentation of reports concerning its progress on five different measures:[18]
- Willingness to settle international, ethnic or external territorial disputes by peaceful means, commitment to the rule of law and human rights, and democratic control of armed forcesAbility to contribute to the organization's defence and missionsDevotion of sufficient resources to armed forces to be able to meet the commitments of membershipSecurity of sensitive information, and safeguards ensuring itCompatibility of domestic legislation with NATO cooperationNATO provides feedback as well as technical advice to each country and evaluates its progress on an individual basis.[19] Once a country is agreed to meet the requirements, NATO can issue that country an invitation to begin accession talks. Currently, three countries have a Membership Action Plan:[20]Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro.
- Georgia has expressed interest in receiving a MAP. Ukraine had expressed interest in receiving a MAP before June 2010, when it announced a policy change of not seeking NATO membership. Previously, at the 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, both countries had not received MAPs but instead a vague promise to be admitted to NATO at some point; however, Georgia's war with Russia later that year crippled its military and revealed how contentious their prospective membership was. Former MAP participants were Albania and Croatia between May 2002 and April 2009, when they joined NATO. The final accession process, once invited, involves five steps leading up to the signing of the accession protocols and the acceptance and ratification of those protocols by the governments of the current NATO members.[21]Georgia and Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina were designated as "aspirant countries" at the North Atlantic Council meeting on 7 December 2011.[22]
- Current statusEditFive states currently have an advanced partnership with NATO but have not expressed a desire for membership. In addition, Serbia is currently negotiating an IPAP, but does not wish to become a full member of NATO.[7][12]
- Notes^NATO-Ukraine Action Plan adopted on 22 November 2002.[27]Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently the only countries with a Membership Action Plan. In 2008, Greece blocked an invitation to its northern neighbor, pending resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute.[33] Macedonia was part of the Vilnius group, and had formed the Adriatic Charter with Croatia and Albania in 2003 to better coordinate NATO accession.[34]
- Notes^Invited to join the MAP, but no Annual National Programme will be launched until one of the conditions for the OHR closure '' the transfer of control of immovable defence property to the central Bosnian authorities from the two regional political entities '' is fulfilled.[41]Bosnia and HerzegovinaEditThe 1995 NATO bombing of Bosnia and Herzegovina targeted the Bosnian Serb Army and together with international pressure led to the resolution of the Bosnian War and the signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. Since then, NATO has led the Implementation Force and Stabilization Force, and other peacekeeping efforts in the country.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Partnership for Peace in 2006, and signed an agreement on security cooperation in March 2007.[46] The nation began further cooperation with NATO within their Individual Partnership Action Plan in January 2008.[40] Bosnia then started the process of Intensified Dialogue at the 2008 Bucharest summit.[47] The country was invited to join the Adriatic Charter of NATO aspirants on 25 September 2008.[34] Then in November 2008, a joint announcement from the Defence Minister and NATO Mission Office in Sarajevo suggested that Bosnia and Herzegovina could join NATO by 2011 if it continues with the reforms made in the defence-area so far.[48]
- In January 2009, Defence Minister Selmo CikotiÄ again confirmed Bosnia's interest in seeking a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the 2009 summit, with membership by 2012 at the latest.[49] In February 2009 The Defence Minister of BiH Selmo Cikotic presented some poll numbers on NATO-membership: 70% of the country supports NATO-membership; However while 89% of the Federation Entity supports NATO-membership, only in 35% RS-entity did.[citation needed] While the country did not receive an MAP at the April 2009 summit in Strasbourg''Kehl, Stuart Jones, an official of the US State Department, said on a September 2009 visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that NATO was going to look at the possibilities for them to receive one in a December 2009 summit, repeating strong US support for the possibility. Then on 2 October 2009, Haris SilajdžiÄ, the Bosniak Member of the Presidency, announced official application for Membership Action Plan. On 22 April 2010, NATO agreed to launch the Membership Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but with certain conditions attached.[42] Turkey is thought to be the biggest supporter of Bosnian membership, and heavily influenced the decision.[50]
- GeorgiaEditGeorgia has moved quickly following the Rose Revolution in 2003 to seek closer ties with and eventual membership of NATO. Georgia's powerful northern neighbor, Russia, has opposed the closer ties, including those expressed at the 2008 Bucharest summit where NATO members promised that Georgia would eventually join the organization.
- Complications in the relationship between NATO and Georgia includes presence of Russian forces in internationally-recognized Georgian territory as a result of multiple recent conflicts, like the 2008 South Ossetia war, over the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are home to a large number of citizens of the Russian Federation. A nonbinding referendum in 2008 resulted in 77% of voters supporting NATO accession.[51]
- On 21 November 2011, Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev while addressing soldiers in Vladikavkaz near the Georgian border stated that the 2008 invasion had prevented any further NATO enlargement into the former Soviet sphere.[52]
- In May 2013, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that his goal is to get a Membership Action Plan for his country from NATO in 2014.[53]
- MacedoniaEditNATO's invitation to Macedonia was blocked by Greece at the 2008 Bucharest summit. NATO nations agreed that the country would receive an invitation upon resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute.[33] Greece believes that its neighbor's constitutional name implies territorial aspirations against its own region of Greek Macedonia. After the veto, Greece was sued in the International Court of Justice, over the use of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" as an acceptable option to enter NATO with. The ICJ ruled in December 2011 that Greece was wrong to have blocked its neighbor's bid.[54] Greece may also block Macedonia's accession to the European Union over the naming dispute.[55]
- A poll following the summit showed that 82.5% of citizens surveyed opposed changing the constitutional name in order to join NATO.[56] NATO membership in general is supported by 85.2% of the population.[57] Elections were called following the 2008 summit, resulting in further support for the center-right pro-NATO party, VMRO''DPMNE. The elections were marred by violence that was criticized by NATO members.[58]
- The country joined the Partnership for Peace in 1995, and commenced its Membership Action Plan in 1999, at the same time as Albania. Participating in the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo, it received aid from NATO in dealing with refugees fleeing from Kosovo. In August 2001, NATO intervened in the 2001 insurgency, during which a rebel Albanian group, the National Liberation Army, fought government forces. In Operation Essential Harvest, NATO troops joined with the Macedonian military to disarm rebel forces following a cease-fire agreement.[59]
- MontenegroEditIn 2005 the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro had paved its way for NATO membership by adopting a Resolution in favor for it. Montenegro declared independence from its State Union with Serbia on 3 June 2006. The new country subsequently joined the Partnership for Peace programme at the 2006 Riga summit. In November 2007, Montenegro signed a transit agreement with NATO, allowing the alliance's troops to move across the country.[60] Montenegro then signed an agreement with the United States, in which Montenegro will destroy its outdated weaponry as a precondition for NATO membership.[61] In late 2007, Montenegro's Defence Minister Boro VuÄiniÄ said that Montenegro would intensify its accession to the alliance after the 2008 Bucharest summit.[62] Montenegro has received support for its membership from many NATO countries, including Romania and Turkey.[63][64] Montenegro adopted an Individual Partnership Action Plan in June 2008 and was invited to join the Adriatic Charter of NATO aspirants on 25 September 2008.[34][65] The country applied for a Membership Action Plan on 5 November 2008 with support of Prime Minister Milo ÄukanoviÄ,[66] which was granted in December 2009.[38]
- The present political climate is dubious on Montenegro's potential membership in the NATO. According to the October 2009 poll, only 31.2% of Montenegro's populace is in support of NATO membership, while 44% is opposed.[67] The memory of NATO's 1999 bombing campaign of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its destruction and civilian casualties thereof form a crucial part of the dominating opposition to NATO membership in Montenegro, although NATO's role and approach to the Kosovo problem have further considerably aided the objection. Serbia's recent declared "military neutrality" has also influenced on Montenegro's non-decisive position on the question of NATO membership. Montenegro has begun to contribute to NATO military missions. The country plans to deploy 40 soldiers, a three member military medical team, and two officers under German command to Afghanistan in 2010. Montenegrin peacekeepers will also be deployed to Liberia and Somalia.[68]
- Membership debatesEditColombiaEditA close strategic ally and trade partner of NATO members the U.S. and Spain, Colombia has always been a strong supporter of NATO and its actions. In 2009, the Colombian Government asked to be part of the ISAF and work with the Spanish contingent in the mine detection operations,[69] but this failed to materialize due to the internal conflict that Colombia faced. In March 2011, Colombia voted in favor of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, thus officially allowing for NATO military intervention in the Libyan civil war.[70] In April 2012, Colombia was amended into the NATO ATP-56(B) which gave Colombia the "associate" status and to re-establish air to air fuel with NATO member countries.[71][72]
- On 4 June 2013, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that Colombia will be signing a Cooperation Agreement with the NATO in hopes of eventually joining the military alliance. Santos also stated that: "If we can achieve peace, the army will be in a place where it will be able to distinguish itself internationally as well. We are already doing it on many fronts."[73] In response, the U.S. government noted, "Our goal is certainly to support Colombia as being a capable and strong member of lots of different international organizations, and that might well include NATO. Ultimately this is a decision that all of the NATO members would have to make."[74]
- However, on the same day, a Colombian and NATO official both objected to NATO membership for Colombia. Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon stated his country merely wished to sign a cooperation deal with NATO,[75] and a NATO official noted that, "There is no immediate plan for establishing a formal partnership between the alliance and Colombia, but we are exploring the possibility of carrying out specific activities together...and we are currently developing a security of information agreement which would allow the exchange of classified information between the alliance and Colombia."[76]
- FinlandEditFinland participates in nearly all sub-areas of the Partnership for Peace programme, and has provided peacekeeping forces to both the Afghanistan and Kosovo missions. However, a 2005 poll indicated that the public was strongly against NATO membership.[77] The possibility of Finland's membership in NATO was one of the most important issues debated in relation to the Finnish presidential election of 2006.[78]
- The main opposition candidate in the 2006 election, Sauli Niinist¶ of the National Coalition Party, supported Finland joining a "more European" NATO.[78] Fellow right-winger Henrik Lax of the Swedish People's Party likewise supported the concept. On the other side, president Tarja Halonen of the Social Democratic Party opposed changing the status quo, as did most other candidates in the election. Her victory and re-election to the post of president put the issue of a NATO membership for Finland on hold for the duration of her term. Finland could however change its official position on NATO membership after the new EU treaty clarifies if there will be any new EU-level defence deal, but in the meantime Finnish Defence Forces are making technical preparations for membership, stating that it would increase Finland's security.[79] Currently no political party explicitly supports NATO membership.
- Other political figures of Finland who have weighed in with opinions include former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari who has argued that Finland should join all the organizations supported by other Western democracies in order "to shrug off once and for all the burden of Finlandization".[80] Another ex-president, Mauno Koivisto, opposes the idea, arguing that NATO membership would ruin Finland's relations with Russia. Finland has received some very critical feedback from Russia for even considering the possibility of joining NATO,[81] with a 2009 study suggesting this could have repercussions for Russia's relations with the EU and NATO as a whole.[82] In October 2009, Finnish Prime MinisterMatti Vanhanen reiterated that Finland had no plans to join NATO, and stated that the main lesson of the 2008 South Ossetia war was the need for closer ties to Russia.[83]
- A survey conducted by pollster Taloustutkimus for YLE in June 2013 found that 52 percent of Finns opposed membership of NATO, while 29 percent supported and 19 percent were undecided.[84]
- KosovoEditThe Republic of Kosovo[a] aspires to join NATO.[85][86] However, four NATO member states, Greece, Romania, Spain and Slovakia, do not recognize Kosovo's independence.[87]United Nations membership, which Kosovo does not have, is considered to be necessary for NATO membership.[88]
- SerbiaEditThe NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 resulted in strained relations between Serbia and NATO. Relations were further strained following Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008 while a protectorate of NATO. However, Serbia was invited and joined the Partnership for Peace programme during the 2006 Riga Summit.
- Although NATO membership is not a stated goal,[12] the Alliance has offered Serbia an invitation to enter the intensified dialogue programme whenever the country is ready.[89] In 2007, Serbia's Parliament passed a resolution which declared their military neutrality until such time as a referendum was held on the issue.[90] On 1 October 2008, Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Å utanovac signed the Information Exchange Agreement with the NATO, one of the prerequisites for fuller membership in the Partnership for Peace programme.[91] In April 2011 Serbia's request for an IPAP was approved by NATO, and the agreement is currently under negotiations.[7] Serbia submitted a draft IPAP in May 2013.[92]
- A poll in September 2007 indicated that 28% of Serbian citizens supported NATO membership, with 58% supporting membership in the Partnership for Peace program.[93] A recent poll in July 2013 indicated that support for NATO membership had dropped to 13%.[94] The minor Liberal Democratic Party and Serbian Renewal Movement remain the most vocal political parties in favor of NATO membership.[citation needed]
- SwedenEditIn 1949 Sweden chose not to join NATO and declared a security policy aiming for non-alignment in peace and neutrality in war. A modified version now qualifies non-alignment in peace for possible neutrality in war.[citation needed] As such, the Swedish government decided not to participate in the membership of NATO because they wanted to remain neutral in a potential war. This position was maintained without much discussion during the Cold War. Since the 1990s however there has been an active debate in Sweden on the question of NATO membership in the post''Cold War world.[citation needed] These ideological divides were visible again in November 2006 when Sweden could either buy two new transport planes or join NATO's plane pool, and in December 2006, when Sweden was invited to join the NATO Response Force.[95][96] While the governing parties in Sweden have opposed membership, they have participated in NATO-led missions in Bosnia (IFOR and SFOR), Kosovo (KFOR), Afghanistan (ISAF) and Libya (Operation Unified Protector).[97][98][99]
- The Swedish Centre Party and Social Democratic party have remained in favor of non-alignment.[100][101] This preference is shared by the Green party, Left party and the Christian Democrats.[102][103][104] The right wing Moderate Party as well as the Liberal party are the only parties with representation in the parliament today that are in favor of NATO membership.[105][106] Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stated on 18 September 2007 that Swedish membership in NATO would require a "very wide" majority in Parliament, including the social democrats, and coordination with Finland.[107] A 2005 poll indicated that 46% of Swedes were opposed to NATO membership, with 22% supporting it.[108] Another poll in May 2008 showed that 37% of the Swedes are in favor of membership, while 41% are against. Support for NATO membership though, has risen dramatically since March 2008, when only 29% were in favor.[109]
- UkraineEditUkraine's relationship with NATO is governed by the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan, adopted on 22 November 2002.[27][25] In April 2005, Ukraine entered into Intensified Dialogue with NATO.[15]
- At the beginning of 2008, the Ukrainian President, Prime Minister and head of parliament sent an official letter to apply for the Membership Action Plan. The idea of Ukrainian membership in NATO had gained support from a number of NATO leaders.[110] At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declared in a press conference that Georgia and Ukraine will join NATO. Within the NATO-Ukraine working commission, NATO officials reassured Ukraine officials that they are willing to invite their country to join the Alliance. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Alexander Grushko, announced that NATO membership for Ukraine was not in Russia's best interests and wouldn't help the relations of the two countries.[111]
- According to numerous independent polls conducted since 2002, Ukrainian public opinion on NATO membership is split, with the majority of those polled against joining the military alliance and many identifying it as a threat.[112][113] According to the FOM-Ukraine pollster, as of April 2009, 57% of Ukrainians polled were against joining the alliance, while 21% were in favor.[114] A Gallup poll conducted in October 2008 showed that 45% associated NATO as a threat to their country, while only 15% associated it with protection.[115]
- Protests, such as the 2006 anti-NATO protests in Feodosiya, have taken place by opposition blocs against the idea, and petitions signed urging the end of relations with NATO. Influential Ukrainian politicians like Yuriy Yekhanurov and Yulia Tymoshenko have stated Ukraine will not join NATO as long as the public continues opposing the move.[116] This was also confirmed by a 6 March 2008 agreement between the parliamentary coalition and opposition parties which says that any international agreements regarding Ukraine's entry to NATO must be decided by referendum. In 2008 the Ukrainian government started an information campaign, aimed at informing the Ukrainian people about the consequences of membership.[112][117]
- The 2010 election returned Viktor Yanukovych as Ukrainian President and marked a turnaround in Ukraine's relations with NATO. In February 2010, he stated that Ukraine's relations with NATO were currently "well-defined", and that there was "no question of Ukraine joining NATO". He said the issue of Ukrainian membership of NATO might "emerge at some point, but we will not see it in the immediate future."[118] While visiting Brussels in March 2010, he further stated that there would be no change to Ukraine's status as a member of the alliance's outreach program.[119] He later reiterated during a trip to Moscow that Ukraine would remain a "European, non-aligned state."[120][121] Then, on 3 June 2010 the Ukrainian parliament voted to exclude the goal of "integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership" from the country's national security strategy in a bill drafted by Yanukovych himself.[122] The bill forbids Ukraine's membership of any military bloc, but allows for co-operation with alliances such as NATO.[123]European integration is still part of Ukraine's national security strategy.[122]
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Retrieved 7 October 2008. ^"NATO's relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹". NATO. Retrieved 2013-11-14. ^"NATO's relations with Montenegro". NATO. Retrieved 2013-11-14. ^"Press release: Prime Minister Zeljko Sturanovic meets with Ambassadors of NATO countries to Montenegro". The Government of the Republic of Montenegro. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008. [dead link]^ ab"Montenegro Joins NATO Membership Action Plan". 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2009. ^"NATO's relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina". NATO. Retrieved 2013-11-13. ^ ab"NATO approves BiH's pre-membership action plan". SETimes.com. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008. ^ ab"Bosnia and Herzegovina and Membership Action Plan". NATO. 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2013-11-17. ^ ab"Bosnia gets Nato membership plan". BBC News. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010. ^"NATO's relations with Georgia". NATO. Retrieved 2013-11-13. ^"NATO offers Intensified Dialogue to Georgia". NATO. 21 September 2006. ^"NATO Grants 'Intensified Dialogue' to Georgia". Civil Georgia. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2008. ^"Bosnia, NATO sign security deal". B92. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2008. ^"Bosnia hopes to join NATO by 2015". Haaba. AFP. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^NumanoviÄ, S. (12 November 2008). "BiH ulazi u NATO 2011. godine?". Dnevni avaz (in Bosnian). Retrieved 12 November 2008. ^Fena (1 January 2009). "Posljednji korak ka punopravnom Älanstvu". Dnevni avaz (in Bosnian). Retrieved 1 January 2009. ^http://www.danas.org/content/nato_bih/2020960.html^"Some 77% Georgians vote to join NATO". People's Daily Online. 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Russia says Georgia war stopped NATO expansion". Reuters. 21 November 2011. ^Kucera, Joshua (2013-05-02). "Ivanishvili: We Will Get NATO MAP in 2014". Retrieved 2013-08-17. ^"ICJ rules Greece 'wrong' to block Macedonia's Nato bid". BBC News. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2012. ^Marusic, Sinisa-Jakov (25 March 2009). "Macedonia 'Respects' Greece's Identity". Balkin Insight. Retrieved 2 April 2009. [dead link]^"Macedonians Won't Give Up Name for NATO". Angus Reid Global Monitor. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Macedonians Hugely Oppose Name Change For NATO Entry '-- Poll". Dow Jones Newswires. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"PM claims win in Macedonian poll". BBC News. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"NATO's relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". NATO. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008. ^Xuequan, Mu (27 November 2007). "Montenegro, NATO sign transit arrangement". Xinhua (ChinaView). Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Turkey's Gul meets with Pakistani leaders". Southeast European Times. 12 April 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Montenegro moving towards NATO membership". B92. 26 December 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Romania wants Macedonia, Albania and Croatia to join NATO". MakFax. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Ankara lends support to Montenegro's bids for membership in NATO, EU". Today's Zaman. 19 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"NATO's relations with Montenegro". NATO. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Montenegro submitted its formal application for NATO's Membership Action Plan (MAP)". Njegoskij Fund Network. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2009. ^"Political Public Opinion in Montenegro" (PDF). Foundation Open Society Institute. October 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010. ^http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/features/setimes/features/2009/07/30/featue-02^http://colombiareports.com/colombia-plans-on-sending-soldiers-to-afghanistan-before-august/^Security Council Approves No-Fly Zone over Syria^http://www.webinfomil.com/2013/05/por-primera-vez-la-fuerza-aerea_19.html^http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/4BB2A3B9_5056_A318_A8BA245A70F14795.pdf^http://www.interaksyon.com/article/63084/colombia-heads-toward-nato-membership^U.S. might support Colombia NATO bid: State Department officialRaw Story^Colombia Minister Says No to NATO Membership^NATO Rules Out Colombia Membership^"Clear majority of Finns still opposed to NATO membership". Helsingin Sanomat. 28 February 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^ abBult, Jeroen (3 March 2006). "Finland Debates Its Ties With NATO". Worldpress. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^Rettman, Andrew (26 April 2007). "Finland waits for new EU treaty before NATO membership review". EUobserver. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Former President Ahtisaari: NATO membership would put an end to Finlandisation murmurs". Helsingin Sanomat. 15 December 2003. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^Jakobson, Max (20 January 2004). "Finland, NATO, and Russia". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^Waking the Neighbour: Finland, NATO and Russia:Keir Giles and Susanna Eskola, UK Defence Academy, November 2009^Deeper Russia Ties Is Georgia War Lesson, Finnish Premier SaysBloomberg Retrieved on 9 October 2009^O'Dwyer, Gerard (1 August 2013). "Moscow Criticized For Meddling In Finland's NATO Debate". Defense News. Retrieved 3 August 2013. ^"U.S. to Help Kosovo Join EU, NATO '' Clinton". RIA Novosti. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2013-11-11. ^"Kosovo aims to form military force and join NATO". Stars and Stripes. 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2013-11-11. ^"Kosovo looking to join the Adriatic Charter". 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-11-11. ^"Daily: No NATO membership for Kosovo". 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2013-11-11. ^"NATO offers "intensified dialogue" to Serbia". B92. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Serbian parliament's Kosovo resolution". B92. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-17. ^"Serbia signs information exchange agreement with NATO". Southeast European Times. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2008. ^"Serbia and NATO, are we at a turning point?". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-11-11. ^"Serbians Yearn for EU, Reject Joining NATO". Angus Reid Global Monitor. 25 December 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Majority of Serbs Polled Wish to Join EU, but Only 13% Support NATO Membership". Atlantic Council. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013. ^"Sweden 'should join NATO plane pool'". The Local. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Sweden could join new NATO force". The Local. 2 December 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"IFOR/SFOR '' Bosnien". mil.se. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2010. ^"Om insatsen i Kosovo". mil.se. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2010. ^"Om insatsen i Afghanistan". mil.se. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2010. ^"Nato". Centerpartiet (in Swedish). 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2008. [dead link]^"NATO". Socialdemokraterna (in Swedish). 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008. [dead link]^"NATO". Milj¶partiet (in Swedish). 29 August 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"F¶rsvar och s¤kerhet". V¤nsterpartiet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2008. [dead link]^"Security and Defense". Kristdemokraterna (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Vill moderaterna att Sverige ska g¥ med i NATO?". Moderaterna (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Sverige i v¤rlden". Folkpartiet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^Jonsson, Gunnar (18 September 2007). "Riksdags¥ret inleds idag". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Swedes Still Opposed to NATO Membership: Poll". Agence France-Presse. 15 May 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^"Allt fler vill att Sverige g¥r med i Nato". Dagens Nyheter. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2008. ^Äurianov, Marta (20 March 2006). "President GaÅparoviÄ meets Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister". The Slovak Spectator. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^News of Ukraine :: Interfax '' Ukraine^ abKhrestin, Igor (18 August 2008). "Politics as usual". UNIAN. Retrieved 20 September 2008. ^Razumkov Centre poll Retrieved on 26 August 2009^FOM-Ukraine April 2009 survey, FOM-Ukraine Retrieved on 4 June 2009^Ukrainians May Oppose President's Pro-Western GoalsGallup Retrieved on 26 August 2009^"Ukraine will not join NATO without referendum". GlobalSecurity5 (173). 19 January 2008. 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- Last modified on 3 March 2014, at 01:45
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- Will Russia Go to War Over Ukraine? Don't Bet on It | Institutional Investor
- Crimean incursion has given Putin what he wants '-- control of Russia's historic Black Sea port '-- without the baggage of Ukraine's struggling economy.
- It is hard for me to see a full-blown war between Russia and Ukraine. There are so few cultural differences between these two countries. Ukraine has its own language, but almost everyone (outside of small villages) speaks flawless Russian. If there is a war between these two countries, it will be a civil war.
- Ukraine is being pulled in three directions. The western side of the country, the one that is geographically closest to Europe and more industrialized, wants to be part of Europe and wants to retain its Ukrainian culture. The eastern part is heavily populated by Russians and wants to be part of Russia. And then there is Crimea, the stepchild that feels it has been neglected by its new parent (Ukraine) and wants to be closer to its biological parent (Russia). Just like Sochi, which is also on the warm Black Sea, Crimea is a tourist destination, and from what I've heard it generates a lot of tax revenue that it sends to Kiev but gets little back.
- I don't see Russia conquering Ukraine for one simple reason: Ukraine is not Norway, which has an $800 billion sovereign fund and is extremely wealthy. (I hope I'm not giving Mr. Putin new ideas here.) Ukraine is as poor as Russia would be without oil and gas. At $3,867, the country's GDP per capita is barely one quarter that of Russia's ($14,037). There are no synergies between the two countries except that if they merged Russia would have to worry less about the natural gas pipeline that goes through Ukraine to Europe. Putin is anything but dumb or economically illiterate; integrating Ukraine into Russia would be like tying a giant weight to Russia's neck.
- Trying to read Putin's true intentions is difficult '-- or maybe not. Putin wants to walk a fine line and not veer too far from the Russian constitution. (In another life he would be a great U.S. lawyer.) Let me give you an example of how he operates. The Russian constitution allows the president only two consecutive (important word) terms. Putin probably could have done a Bloomberg and changed the constitution to run for a third term, but he didn't. He helped his then-puppet prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, to become president and then championed change in the Russian constitution to extend the presidential term from four to six years. At the end of Medvedev's first term, Putin then ran for president again and won. He guaranteed himself power for 12 years without violating the constitution.
- Putin wants to nudge Crimea toward autonomy from Ukraine. Crimea was going to hold a referendum on May 30, which now will be pushed up to March 25. You may say, didn't Putin just invade another sovereign nation? By placing troops in Crimea, Russia violated international law, but a strong country can justify breaking international law if it considers its actions morally right. The U.S. broke international law by sending Team Six to Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden. The U.S. did not ask and never got permission from Pakistan for our military to cross their borders, so we did violate international law; but not a single U.S. citizen (including present company) was upset about it.
- Also, the Russians don't consider Crimea to really be part of Ukraine because until 1954 it belonged to Russia. Half of its population is Russian. Currently, Russians see their troops in Crimea as peacekeepers, protecting their fellow Russians from ''Ukrainian nationalists.'' Putin is placing a bet that the upcoming referendum will legitimately (at least in Russian eyes) make Crimea autonomous from Ukraine. Ukrainian law doesn't recognize this referendum as legitimate, but a few thousand troops on the ground and the presence of the Russian Navy may change Kiev's mind.
- An autonomous Crimea is a Russian Crimea. Maybe Putin, by taking advantage of political instability in Ukraine, will achieve what he really wants: control of a very strategic warm-water port without spilling a single drop of blood. He hinted at as much on Tuesday in his first public comments since the incursion, telling Russian media that he saw ''no need'' to use force in eastern Ukraine.
- The international community, including the U.S., may show their outrage, but their options are limited to unfriending Russia on Facebook or '-- worst case, if things really escalate '-- unfollowing Russia on Twitter. We will not go to war with Russia over a peninsula that used to belong to Russia. If this story ends at Crimea (no Russian troop movements toward Kiev), then Europe and the U.S. will issue some empty threats and the G8 will revert to the G7 for a while. But international rhetoric will die down, especially if Crimean voters opt for autonomy. Russia will keep its ''peacekeepers'' in Crimea with the blessing of newly minted ''autonomous'' republic (which on paper will still be part of Ukraine).
- Finally, as a bonus to Russia, Ukraine may become ineligible to join NATO, as its charter prohibits new members that have ongoing territorial disputes. So Putin may be playing three-dimensional chess while the rest of the world is still learning checkers. Or perhaps he is just an egotistical maniac who wants to bring the gang (the former Soviet republics) back together. Time will tell.
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- BBC News - Estonia PM Ansip resigns - Europe's longest-serving PM
- 4 March 2014 Last updated at 15:10
- Andrus Ansip last year After nine years in office, Estonian PM Andrus Ansip has announced his resignation to enable a successor to lead his party into 2015 elections.
- Mr Ansip, who at 57 is the longest-serving prime minister in the European Union, is likely to be replaced by European Commissioner Siim Kallas.
- He implemented harsh austerity measures as Estonia entered recession after the global financial crisis in 2008.
- Mr Ansip also brought Estonia into the eurozone in 2011.
- Estonia has been widely praised for introducing a the tough measures from 2008-2009 and the economy bounced back in 2011, climbing 9.6%.
- But the recovery has faltered in recent months with growth expectations little above 2% this year and Mr Ansip's popularity has also dipped.
- A trained chemist and former Communist Party official in the years before the break-up of the Soviet Union, Mr Ansip became mayor of Estonia's second city Tartu before joining the government.
- His Reform party which leads the centre-right coalition has been caught up in a party funding scandal. Opinions polls put the party's support at its lowest level since he came to office.
- Under Estonian law, the prime minister's resignation brings an end to the government. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves now has 14 days to come up with a candidate to replace him.
- Mr Ansip has himself expressed interest in working in Brussels, while Mr Kallas who is currently vice-president of the European Commission is hoping to return to Tallinn as prime minister. Mr Kallas has already served as prime minister.
- Estonia was once described by a critic as a "poster child for austerity defenders".
- When it was hit by the global financial crisis, Mr Ansip's government reacted by slashing public sector wages and government spending. Ministers also saw a big cut in salaries. A 21% flat rate of income tax also came into force.
- The economy contracted by a fifth but quickly recovered.
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- The Rape of Ukraine: Phase Two Begins
- F. William Engdahl21st Century WireThe events in Ukraine since November 2013 are so astonishing as almost to defy belief.
- An legitimately-elected (said by all international monitors) Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovich, has been driven from office, forced to flee as a war criminal after more than three months of violent protest and terrorist killings by so-called opposition.
- His ''crime'' according to protest leaders was that he rejected an EU offer of a vaguely-defined associate EU membership that offered little to Ukraine in favor of a concrete deal with Russia that gave immediate '¬15 billion debt relief and a huge reduction in Russian gas import prices. Washington at that point went into high gear and the result today is catastrophe.
- A secretiveneo-nazi military organization reported linked to NATO played a decisive role in targeted sniper attacksand violence that led to the collapse of the elected government.
- But the West is not finished with destroying Ukraine. Now comes the IMF with severe conditionalities as prerequisite to any Western financial help.
- After the famous leaked phone call of US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland (photo, left) with the US Ambassador in Kiev, where she discussed the details of who she wanted in a new coalition government in Kiev, and where she rejected the EU solutions with her ''Fuck the EU'' comment,[1] the EU went it alone. Germany's Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier proposed that he and his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, fly to Kiev and try to reach a resolution of the violence before escalation. Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski was asked to join. The talks in Kiev included the EU delegation, Yanukovich, the three opposition leaders and a Russian representative. The USA was not invited.[2]
- The EU intervention without Washington was extraordinary and reveals the deeping division between the two in recent months. In effect it was the EU saying to the US State Department, ''F*** the US,'' we will end this ourselves.
- After hard talks, all major parties including the majority of protesters, agreed to new presidential elections in December, return to the 2004 Constitution and release of Julia Tymoshenko from prison. The compromise appeared to end the months long chaos and give a way out for all major players.
- The diplomatic compromise lasted less than twelve hours. Then all hell broke loose.
- Snipers began shooting into the crowd on February 22 in Maidan or Independence Square. Panic ensued and riot police retreated in panic according to eyewitnesses. The opposition leader Vitali Klitschko withdrew from the deal, no reason given. Yanukovich fled Kiev.[3]
- The question unanswered until now is who deployed the snipers? According to veteran US intelligence sources, the snipers came from an ultra-right-wing military organization known as Ukrainian National Assembly '' Ukrainian People's Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO).
- IMAGE: Members of UNA-UNSO marching in Lviv.
- Strange Ukraine 'Nationalists'
- The leader of UNA-UNSO, Andriy Shkil, ten years ago became an adviser to Julia Tymoshenko. UNA-UNSO, during the US-instigated 2003-2004 ''Orange Revolution'', backed pro-NATO candidate Viktor Yushchenko against his pro-Russian opponent, Yanukovich. UNA-UNSO members provided security for the supporters of Yushchenko and Julia Tymoshenko on Independence Square in Kiev in 2003-4.[4]
- UNA-UNSO is also reported to have close ties to the German National Democratic Party (NDP). [5]
- Ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the crack-para-military UNA-UNSO members have been behind every revolt against Russian influence. The one connecting thread in their violent campaigns is always anti-Russia. The organization, according to veteran US intelligence sources, is part of a secret NATO ''GLADIO'' organization, and not a Ukraine nationalist group as portrayed in western media. [6]
- According to these sources, UNA-UNSO have been involved (confirmed officially) in the Lithuanian events in the Winter of 1991, the Soviet Coup d'etat in Summer 1991, the war for the Pridnister Republic 1992, the anti-Moscow Abkhazia War 1993, the Chechen War, the US-organized Kosovo Campaign Against the Serbs, and the August 8 2008 war in Georgia. According to these reports, UNA-UNSO para-military have been involved in every NATO dirty war in the post-cold war period, always fighting on behalf of NATO. ''These people are the dangerous mercenaries used all over the world to fight NATO's dirty war, and to frame Russia because this group pretends to be Russian special forces. THESE ARE THE BAD GUYS, forget about the window dressing nationalists, these are the men behind the sniper rifles,'' these sources insist. [7]
- If true that UNA-UNSO is not ''Ukrainian'' opposition, but rather a highly secret NATO force using Ukraine as base, it would suggest that the EU peace compromise with the moderates was likely sabotaged by the one major player excluded from the Kiev 21 February diplomatic talks'--Victoria Nuland's State Department.[8] Both Nuland and right-wing Republican US Senator John McCain have had contact with the leader of the Ukrainian opposition Svoboda Party, whose leader is openly anti-semitic and defends the deeds of a World War II Ukrainian SS-Galicia Division head.[9] The party was registered in 1995, initially calling itself the ''Social National Party of Ukraine'' and using a swastika style logo. Svoboda is the electoral front for neo-nazi organizations in Ukraine such as UNA-UNSO.[10]
- One further indication that Nuland's hand is shaping latest Ukraine events is the fact that the new Ukrainian Parliament is expected to nominate Nuland's choice, Arseny Yatsenyuk, from Tymoshenko's party, to be interim head of the new Cabinet.
- Whatever the final truth, clear is that Washington has prepared a new economic rape of Ukraine using its control over the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- IMF plunder of Ukraine Crown Jewels
- Now that the ''opposition'' has driven a duly-elected president into exile somewhere unknown, and dissolved the national riot police, Berkut, Washington has demanded that Ukraine submit to onerous IMF conditionalities.
- In negotiations last October, the IMF demanded that Ukraine double prices for gas and electricity to industry and homes, that they lift a ban on private sale of Ukraine's rich agriculture lands, make a major overhaul of their economic holdings, devalue the currency, slash state funds for school children and the elderly to ''balance the budget.'' In return Ukraine would get a paltry $4 billion.
- Before the ouster of the Moscow-leaning Yanukovich government last week, Moscow was prepared to buy some $15 billion of Ukraine debt and to slash its gas prices by fully one-third. Now, understandably, Russia is unlikely to give that support. The economic cooperation between Ukraine and Moscow was something Washington was determined to sabotage at all costs.
- This drama is far from over. The stakes involve the very future of Russia, the EU-Russian relations, and the global power of Washington, or at least that faction in Washington that sees further wars as the prime instrument of policy.
- Writer F. William Engdahl is a geopolitical analyst and the author of ''Full Spectrum Dominance: Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order''.
- [2] Bertrand Benoit, Laurence Norman and Stephen Fidler , European Ministers Brokered Ukraine Political Compromise: German, French, Polish Foreign Ministers Flew to Kiev, The Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2014, accessed in http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579397351862903542?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303636404579397351862903542.html
- [3] Jessica Best, Ukraine protests Snipers firing live rounds at demonstrators as fresh violence erupts despite truce, The Mirror UK, February 20, 2014, accessed in http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ukraine-protests-snipers-firing-live-3164828
- [6] Source report, Who Has Ukraine Weapons, February 27, 2014, private to author.
- READ MORE UKRAINE NEWS AT:21st Century Wire Ukraine Files-
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- 'Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east '-- RT News
- Published time: March 03, 2014 07:08Edited time: March 03, 2014 08:36Combo made of file pictures shows businessman Igor Kolomoisky (left) and Serhiy Taruta, Ukrainian businessman (RIA Novosti / Nikolai Lysenko, wikipedia.org)
- The self-proclaimed government in Kiev has appointed two of Ukraine's richest men to govern large industrial regions in the defiant east. One of the reasons for the Maidan protest was the influence the rich have on politics in the country.
- The appointments of new governors of Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk Regions are among 18 made on Sunday by Kiev, which is struggling to consolidate power after the coup which ousted President Yanukovich last month.
- The newly-appointed Dnepropetrovsk governor is Igor Kolomoysky, Ukraine's third-wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion. He co-owns the informal commercial group Privat, which includes Ukraine's largest bank Privatbank, which Kolomoysky heads, as well as assets in the oil, ferroalloys and food industries, agriculture and transport.
- A former ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, Kolomoysky reportedly had a falling out with her and refused to finance her election campaign in 2010, which the ex-prime minister subsequently lost to Yanukovich. Kolomoysky was reported to be a principal sponsor of the UDAR party, which is one of the three fueling the street campaign to oust Yanukovich. Kolomoysky has a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizenship and controls his business empire from Switzerland.
- The new governor of Donetsk Region is Sergey Taruta, who is estimated to worth around $2 billion, putting him among the top-10 wealthiest people in Ukraine. He heads ISD, one of the biggest mining and smelting companies in the world, and also own Donetsk-based Metallurg Football Club.
- Not a stranger to politics, he used to sponsor Viktor Yushchenko, who came to power in Ukraine after the Orange Revolution of 2004. Among his personal habits is a reputed love for luxurious jewelry and ostentatious gold statues, reports RT's Peter Oliver.
- The appointments will have ''a positive effect on the regional aspect,'' believes Vladimir Groisman, who was appointed vice-president for regional development in the self-installed government.
- ''They are well-known and wealthy people. They had a choice '' they could by a plane ticket or fly their own plane and go to another country and wait for the developments there. Or they could take responsibility. I respect their choice,'' he said.
- Among the accusations mounted on Yanukovich by protesting crowds in Kiev was the charge that he used his presidential power to take over assets of Ukrainian businessmen and make an illegal fortune for himself and his allies. Some Ukraine observers suggested that the oligarchs, threatened by presidential greed, financed the Maidan protests, seeing them as leverage on the government.
- After his ouster, photos from Yanukovich's opulent residence of gilded furniture and a private zoo in suburban Kiev made headlines worldwide. There is little doubt that many of those who sought to topple him for being corruptly enriched would eye the appointment of affluent businessmen to offices of power with a deal of suspicion.
- The feeling is palpable in many comments in Ukrainian media.
- ''That's good news. I'm tired of those businessmen in power,'' said one sarcastic commenter at the site of the Ukrainskaya Pravda a leading online news service.
- ''It's OK. The oligarchs have been controlling the regions anyway. I think they will provide order, because only they have the authority, unlike some middle-rank appointees,'' soothes another one.
- ''Are they handing out fiefs? I'm sick of it. Is that what the people died for at the Maidan?'' another commenter says.
- There is also the regional aspect, which Groisman mentioned. The better-developed industrial east of Ukraine depends on business ties with Russia and would be hurt badly by the EU association agreement, which the new government wants to sign as soon as possible. Mistrust towards Kiev is growing in the east, with several regions already declaring they would not be taking orders from the capital.
- The defiant regions seek greater autonomy from the central authorities. Having the right to elect their own governors as opposed to have them appointed in Kiev, is one of the demands regularly voiced at the protest rallies in eastern and southern Ukraine.
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- Oligarchs
- Because the Americans would never do that'...
- I don't think anyone is surprised to learn that the new 'Maidan' government in the Ukraine has appointed a handful of oligarchs to rule over industry-rich, and largely pro-Russian, eastern regions. Nor were folks surprised to hear that one of the first delegations the West sent to 'Kyiv' were a handful of bankers ''economic reformers''.
- It may turn your stomach to read that the new nationalist government, who seem like a bunch of 'neo-Nazis' from Central Casting, is now attacking the Ukrainian riot police for doing their job. The junta in Kyiv is considering making dual citizenship and being politically active punishable by 10 years in jail; this new law comes just as Russia began to provide sanctuary for Berkut (riot police) and other Ukrainian refugees by offering dual citizenship. Illegalization of politically-active dual citizens is a move aimed at liquidating opposition to the Kyiv regime. American activists take note, just like with drones, you're next.
- A few weeks ago I wrote how Mikhail Bulgakov distrusted Ukrainian Nationalism in the 1910s, because he saw it was a tool of Bolshevism, the internationally-funded movement that had just eaten Russia. He thought that the nationalists' foolishness would guarantee a future of debt and backwardness for generations of Ukrainians. I predicted how modern nationalist tools would hand over Ukraine to Western bankers, social engineers'...
- And look what happened! Maidan Nationalists, do you like millionaires messing in your politics?
- The self-proclaimed government in Kiev has appointed two of Ukraine's richest men to govern large industrial regions in the defiant east. One of the reasons for the Maidan protest was the influence the rich have on politics in the country.
- Do you feel that dual citizenship should be illegal?
- The newly-appointed Dnepropetrovsk governor is Igor Kolomoysky, Ukraine's third-wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion. He co-owns the informal commercial group Privat, which includes Ukraine's largest bank Privatbank, which Kolomoysky heads, as well as assets in the oil, ferroalloys and food industries, agriculture and transport.
- A former ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, Kolomoysky reportedly had a falling out with her and refused to finance her election campaign in 2010, which the ex-prime minister subsequently lost to Yanukovich. Kolomoysky was reported to be a principal sponsor of the UDAR party, which is one of the three fueling the street campaign to oust Yanukovich. Kolomoysky has a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizenship and controls his business empire from Switzerland.
- If I was a Ukrainian Nationalist right now, I'd turn my lynch mob on the American and Israeli 'military advisors' who just sold my brothers' sacrifice to the highest bidder. But if the nationalists were smart, they wouldn't have worked with these agentsprovocateurs in the first place. Let's hope that Russia finds a way to keep the peace'... again.
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- "Biggest crisis in 21st century Europe"; UK foreign minister on situation in Ukraine
- Britain's Foreign Minister William Hague called for a strong international response to Russia's de facto control of Ukraine's Crimea region, describing it as the biggest crisis in 21st century Europe.
- Hague, who was in Kyiv to meet the new Ukrainian government, also paid his respects to those who lost their lives in protests in February.
- Over in Brussels, EU Foreign Ministers held an emergency meeting.
- Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, made his views clear ahead of the meeting.
- ''One has no right whatsoever to invade other countries under the pretext of protecting, allegedly protecting its own citizens,'' he said, adding clarification, ''I mean, there have been times in the history of Europe in the past when ruthless regimes have been applying that particular theory/doctrine. And that it has been a fundamental principle of European peace, order and security since the Cold War to refute that particular doctrine.''
- Addressing the UN in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov answered Western criticisms by calling for the interests of the Ukrainian people to be put first, whilst also defending the rights of Russian-speakers in the country.
- ''All obligations, signed in an agreement of February 21st, must be fulfilled, including the start of a constitutional reform for all the regions of Ukraine taking into account their opinions,'' Lavrov said, continuing, '' this reform should then be put to a national referendum.''
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he will ask the Russian foreign minister to abstain from any acts or rhetoric which could cause the situation in Ukraine to escalate.
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- Sergei Lavrov defends Russia's position on Ukraine
- In Geneva, during talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has firmly defended the Kremlin's policy in Ukraine.
- While Ban, himself, urged Moscow to refrain from acts and rhetoric that might worsen the situation, Lavrov, in an address to the UN's Human Rights Council, blamed the West for polarising Ukranian society.
- ''Those who attempt to interpret the situation as an act of aggression and threaten us with sanctions and boycotts '' these are the very same partners of ours who have consistently encouraged political forces close to them to deliver an ultimatum and refuse dialogue, to ignore the concerns of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, which has ultimately polarised Ukrainian society. We call for a responsible approach to put aside geo-political calculations, and above all to put the interests of the Ukrainian people first,'' Lavrov said.
- Despite a wave of Western criticism against Moscow, inside Russia several large-scale rallies were held across the country over the weekend in support of President Vladimir Putin's position on Ukraine.
- 1783: Crimea annexed by Russian Empire.1853: Crimean War begins between Russian Empire and a French-, British- and Ottoman-Empire and Sardinian alliance for influence over territories in the diminishing Ottoman Empire. Principal fighting takes place in Crimea.
- 1854: Allied troops land in Crimea and besiege the city of Sevastopol, home of the Tsar's Black Sea fleet.
- 1856: Russia loses the Crimean War.
- 1917: Russian Civil War begins. Crimea changes hands several times.
- 1921: The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is created as part of the Russian SFSR, which was to become part of the new Soviet Union. Crimea experiences the first of two severe famines in the 20th century.
- 1941: Germany invades and takes over much of Crimea as part of its World War II campaign.
- 1944: Sevastopol comes under the control of Soviet Union troops. The city is destroyed. ''Ethnic cleansing'' programme begins under order of Joseph Stalin. Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Bulgarians and Greeks deported to Central Asia.
- 1945: The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is abolished and becomes a province of Russia.
- 1954: Crimean region becomes part of Ukraine, after decree by USSR.
- 1967: Crimean Tatars rehabilitated, but banned from returning to their homeland until the Soviet Union is in its last days.
- 1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union. Crimea becomes part of the newly-independent Ukraine. Russia's Black Sea Fleet remains stationed in the region.
- 1994: Russia agrees that Crimea is legally part of Ukraine and pledges to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
- 1998: Current constitution put into place. Territory's name changed to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
- 2008: Ukrainian foreign minister Volodymyr Ohryzko accuses Russia of handing out Russian passports to Crimean residents. Describes it as a ''real problem'' given Russia's policy to protect its citizens abroad with military intervention.
- 2009: Polls in Crimea suggest the population is opposed to the idea of becoming part of Russia. Anti-Ukraine demonstrations held by ethnic Russian residents in Crimea later in the year.
- 2010: Treaty to extend Russia's lease on a military wharf in Sevastopol until 2042 ratified by Ukraine and Russia.
- 2014: Pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters clash in Crimean city of Simferopol. Vladimir Putin deploys Russian armed forces in key points in Crimea. Foreign ministry states this is in line with Ukraine-Russia agreements. Russian parliament grants President Putin's request to use military force in Ukraine. EU and US condemn the motion.
- Copyright (C) 2014 euronews
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- Russia Enlists Chinese Support on Ukraine Position
- MOSCOW, March 3 (RIA Novosti) '' Russia says it has enlisted China's support for its claim that the overthrow of the government in Ukraine last month was orchestrated by ''external forces.''
- The situation in Ukraine was discussed Monday at consultations in Moscow between Chinese deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping and his Russian counterpart, Grigory Karasin.
- ''The Chinese side expressed understanding of Russia's analysis of reasons behind the deep political crisis in Ukraine and the role of external forces that acted to support Euromaidan,'' Russia foreign ministry said, referring to the informal name of the uprising that culminated with the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.
- More than 90 people were killed '' including dozens of protesters and more than a dozen policemen '' during months of largely peaceful demonstrations that sporadically tipped over into violence.
- Moscow has routinely blamed the United States and the European Union of lending the protest movement their support, while some lawmakers have claimed Western governments offered funding and training to demonstrators.
- The Foreign Ministry said China blames Ukraine's opposition for failing to comply with an EU-brokered agreement with Yanukovych on February 21 to end the months-long political standoff that had gripped the country.
- That deal envisioned elections by the end of the year and reforms to the constitution. A Russian representative who oversaw the agreement refrained from signing it.
- Opposition forces occupied parliament on February 22, as Yanukovych fled the capital for destination unknown, until finally surfacing in southern Russia around a week later.
- Yanukovych has described his ouster as a coup and insists he remains the country's legitimate head of state.
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- The crisis in Ukraine
- 3 March 2014The crisis that has erupted in Ukraine following the right-wing coup engineered by the United States and Germany and the intervention of Russia into Crimea has created the most dangerous international confrontation since the end of World War II. Almost overnight, in a manner not seen since the 1930s, ultimatums are being issued and military forces are being placed on high alert in Europe.
- All of the claims that the dissolution of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the 20th century era of wars and revolutions have been blown to pieces by the events of the past several days. The 20th century was the ''unfinished century,'' whose unresolved economic, social and political contradictions underlie the explosive tensions of the present century. One hundred years after the outbreak of World War I and 75 years since the beginning of World War II, mankind is again facing the dangers of world war and fascism.
- The principal responsibility for the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine rests with the United States and Germany. Both countries, along with their European Union allies, systematically intervened to channel popular dissatisfaction with the corrupt regime of President Viktor Yanukovych behind ultra-right nationalist and fascist forces. Their aim all along was to topple the elected government and install a regime aligned with Western imperialism and willing to participate in its well-advanced plans for the geopolitical isolation and carve-up of Russia.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with leaders of the right-wing opposition. Her party, the Christian Democratic Union, financially supported the Udar party of former boxer Vitali Klitschko. Top European Union officials marched with the Svoboda party fascists and Right Sector armed gangs in Kiev's central square.
- US Undersecretary of State for Europe and Asia, Victoria Nuland, made at least four trips to Kiev, joining the neo-fascist ''protesters'' and meeting with opposition figures Klitschko, Arseny Yatsenyuk and the notoriously anti-Semitic Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok. She acknowledged in December that the US had poured $5 billion into Ukraine since the 1990s to build up US proxy forces in the country.
- Nuland's leaked telephone conversation with Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, in which they discussed installing Yatsenyuk after toppling Yanukovich, exposed the degree to which Washington was manipulating events in the country.
- There is no question but that Russia is confronted with an existential threat. The integration of Ukraine into the expanding anti-Moscow alliance would render Russia more vulnerable to imperialist aggression and destabilization. Future operations will unfold not only on the periphery of Russia, but within its borders. The United States and the European imperialist powers will have no difficulty finding new ''human rights'' causes to encourage, finance and arm.
- However, the dangers confronting Russia'--which threaten its dismemberment and reduction to semi-colonial status'--cannot be lessened, let alone overcome, by the Putin regime's resort to military force. No support can be given to the actions of Putin. His response to the aggressive actions of US and German imperialism is bereft of any progressive content.
- Putin represents oligarchs who enriched themselves by plundering state industry following the dissolution of the USSR. His regime is incapable of making any appeal to the Ukrainian working class or to progressive sentiment within the country. Instead, he seeks to whip up chauvinism both in Russia and eastern Ukraine, adding to the dangers of civil and sectarian warfare stoked up by the Ukrainian fascists and their American and German backers.
- The statements of US spokesmen such as Secretary of State John Kerry on the crisis reek of hypocrisy and deceit. Over the weekend, Kerry condemned Russia's ''violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity'' as being in contravention of the United Nations Charter and ''a threat to the peace and security of Ukraine, and the wider region.''
- Kerry, who voted in 2002 to authorize President George W. Bush to invade Iraq on the basis of lies about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, declared, ''You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on [a] completely trumped up pretext.'' The fact that such statements can be made without any challenge from the ''mainstream'' media only underscores the complete integration of the corporate-controlled media with the American intelligence and military apparatus and its role as a purveyor of state propaganda.
- But the record of Washington speaks for itself. Just over the past 25 years, the United States has invaded, bombed or overthrown governments in Panama, Grenada, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. It has carried out assassinations and cyber attacks against Iran and is intervening massively to overthrow the government of Syria.
- The United States does not accept any nation's right to sovereignty or territorial integrity. Once a country runs afoul of the predatory interests of US imperialism around the world, it is targeted for attack and regime-change.
- Nor is there the slightest democratic content to the fascist-dominated protest movement in Kiev and western Ukraine. The extreme nationalist forces dominating these protests trace their political lineage back to the Ukrainian fascists who allied themselves with the Nazi invaders in World War II, who murdered millions of Ukrainians. The predecessors of Svoboda and the Right Sector aided in the annihilation of the country's Jewish population. Since the installation of the new far-right government, reports have proliferated of fascist attacks on Jews in Kiev.
- Washington and Berlin, in utilizing these forces to install a puppet regime and gain effective control over Ukraine, are stoking an explosion of tensions between various ethnic and religious groups that threatens to dwarf the bloodbath that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which was likewise instigated with US and German support.
- Germany's role is particularly sinister. In making a renewed thrust into Ukraine, it is reviving the legacy of German imperialism in World War I and World War II, both of which saw German troops invade Ukraine and carry out mass atrocities. Its intervention in Ukraine coincides with public declarations by German officials calling for a revival of German militarism and apologias by leading academics for Hitler and the Nazis.
- The US-German regime-change operation in Ukraine is part of a broader drive ongoing since the breakup of the Soviet Union to integrate former Soviet republics in Europe and Asia into US imperialist-dominated military, economic and political structures such as NATO. This has included the Western-orchestrated ''color revolutions'' in Georgia and Ukraine.
- The coup in Ukraine represents a major milestone in this campaign. Effective US control of Ukraine opens up the possibility of US or US-linked troops being stationed directly on Russia's western border. It threatens Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea, which is Moscow's only water route into the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Middle East. It will be used as well to push Georgia into NATO and fuel separatist and secessionist agitation by a wide variety of ethnic and religious minorities within Russia.
- This does not alter the fact that Russia's intervention into Crimea is politically bankrupt. The Putin regime is an organ of capitalist restoration and the product of the degeneration and overthrow at the hands of Stalinism of the economic and social foundations of the workers' state established by the 1917 October Revolution. It is a comprador regime with no real independence from imperialism.
- It cannot make an appeal to the working class in Ukraine under conditions where it is imposing brutal austerity measures on Russian workers, repressing political dissent, and whipping up Russian chauvinism in an attempt to divert social opposition at home.
- In the Ukraine events, the world is witnessing the catastrophic consequences both within Russia and internationally of the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. These consequences are the ultimate outcome of the nationalist policies pursued by the Stalinist regime that usurped political power from the Soviet working class and repudiated the program of world socialist revolution upon which the October Revolution was based.
- One of the issues that propelled the 1917 revolution was the struggle against imperialist domination of Russia. But this could be successfully fought only through the revolutionary mobilization of the working class based on a socialist and internationalist program. If nationalism could not protect Russia from imperialist predations in World War I, then all the more reactionary and impotent are attempts to invoke it today.
- It is worth recalling Trotsky's warnings that the dissolution of the Soviet Union would result in Russia's descent to a semi-colonial status. Trotsky in the 1930s, under conditions of the Stalinist regime and its reign of terror against all socialist elements in the country, raised the slogan of an independent Soviet Ukraine, insisting that independence on a bourgeois basis could have only the most reactionary implications. A bourgeois Ukraine, moreover, could be nothing other than a plaything of the various imperialist powers. So it was then, so it remains today.
- The ICFI denounces all those liberal and pseudo-left political organizations and publications that have promoted the Kiev protests as a genuinely democratic and even revolutionary movement. They have deliberately concealed the fact that it is not a working class movement. They have sought to hide the links of the leaders to forces who collaborated with the Nazis and the Holocaust in World War II.
- The answer to the imperialist plans to carve up Russia and gain direct control over vast territories and resources cannot be found in the promotion of Russian nationalism, no more than the grievances of the long-suffering Ukrainian masses can be resolved by the promotion of Ukrainian nationalism. The crisis that has erupted in Ukraine poses with the greatest urgency the need for the working class to assert its own interests on the basis of its own independent program. It is the absence of a revolutionary leadership fighting to mobilize the working class on the basis of such a program that has enabled fascistic forces, financed and backed by US and German imperialism, to gain the upper hand.
- The answer to this crisis is the unification of the Ukrainian and Russian working class on the basis of a socialist and internationalist program. Ukraine has a powerful revolutionary history. In the 19th century, Ukrainian-born Marxists rejected the program of nationalism and instead championed the program of working class internationalism. The greatest of these was Leon Trotsky.
- It is to these great traditions that workers and youth must return today, in Ukraine, Russia and internationally, through the building of the world party of socialist revolution, the International Committee of the Fourth International.
- International Committee of the Fourth International
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- G-7 Leaders Statement
- Office of the Press Secretary
- We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in contravention of Russia's obligations under the UN Charter and its 1997 basing agreement with Ukraine. We call on Russia to address any ongoing security or human rights concerns that it has with Ukraine through direct negotiations, and/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We stand ready to assist with these efforts.
- We also call on all parties concerned to behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility, and to decrease the tensions.
- We note that Russia's actions in Ukraine also contravene the principles and values on which the G-7 and the G-8 operate. As such, we have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June, until the environment comes back where the G-8 is able to have meaningful discussion.
- We are united in supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own future. We commit ourselves to support Ukraine in its efforts to restore unity, stability, and political and economic health to the country. To that end, we will support Ukraine's work with the International Monetary Fund to negotiate a new program and to implement needed reforms. IMF support will be critical in unlocking additional assistance from the World Bank, other international financial institutions, the EU, and bilateral sources.
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- F-Russia
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- RT reacts to Liz Wahl's resignation '-- RT USA
- Published time: March 06, 2014 01:14Liz Wahl
- During a live broadcast on Wednesday, RT America presenter Liz Wahl announced she was stepping down, citing her disagreements with the network's editorial policy. RT issued a statement following her resignation.
- Ms. Wahl's resignation comes on the heels of her colleague Abby Martin's recent comments in which she voiced her disagreement with certain policies of the Russian government and asserted her editorial independence. The difference is, Ms. Martin spoke in the context of her own talk show, to the viewers who have been tuning in for years to hear her opinions on current events '' the opinions that most media did not care about until two days ago. For years, Ms. Martin has been speaking out against US military intervention, only to be ignored by the mainstream news outlets '' but with that one comment, branded as an act of defiance, she became an overnight sensation. It is a tempting example to follow.
- When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.
- We wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path.
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- Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit - The Daily Beast
- Liz Wahl wasn't just disgusted by the Kremlin-funded TV network's handling of Ukraine, she says in an exclusive interview. RT's coverage of the entire world ''made me feel sick.''
- American journalist Liz Wahl just made Vladimir Putin's enemies list.
- Wahl, an American anchor for RT-America, a cable news network funded by the Russian government, stunned viewers Wednesday, when, at the end of her 5 PM broadcast, she announced her resignation from the channel.
- The announcement was stunning. But Wahl's decision to quit the network was a long time coming. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, she says that, ''When I came on board from the beginning I knew what I was getting into, but I think I was more cautious and tried to stay as objective as I could.'' Yet repeated attempts by her superiors at the network to censor her work and distort the truth ultimately convinced Wahl that, to keep her integrity intact, she would have to depart.
- (Read More on the Crisis in the Ukraine)
- ''As a reporter on this network I face many ethical and moral challenges especially me personally coming from a family whose grandparents came here as refugees during the Hungarian revolution, ironically to escape the Soviet forces,'' she told network viewers, immediately following a report claiming that the new Ukrainian government, which ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, is composed mainly of fascists and neo-Nazis. ''I'm very lucky to have grown up here in the United States. I'm the daughter of a veteran. My partner is a physician at a military base where he sees every day the first-hand accounts of the ultimate prices that people pay for this country. And that is why personally I cannot be part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I am proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth and that is why after this newscast I'm resigning.''
- Wahl then stared resolutely at the camera for a full five seconds before the network cut to a commercial break.
- Wahl's announcement comes on the heels of another on-air act of straying-off-the-Kremlin-script. On Monday, RT host Abby Martin ended her program ''Break the Set'' by denouncing Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. RT management said that they would send Martin to the Ukrainian region of Crimea currently occupied by Russian troops, an offer which she refused. Yet while Martin was praised in many quarters for her independence, she remains an employee of the network, and there are no indications that she has been punished.
- Wahl initially reached out to me in August, after I launched my own impromptu protest on RT against Putin's homophobic repression. Wahl felt morally compromised working for the network, she told me, but wasn't yet prepared to quit.
- Watch anchor Liz Wahl quit on air.
- We stayed in touch periodically over the past 6 months, and I always encouraged her to follow her conscience in making a decision about her professional future. The network's absurd coverage of Russia's invasion, Wahl told me earlier this week, was the last straw.
- (In a statement, RT said that Wahl's on-air defection was "nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.")
- ''In order to succeed there you don't question'... In a way you kind of suppress any concerns that you have and play the game.''
- Wahl, for her part, says that while the Kremlin influence over RT isn't always overt, that journalists there understand what they have to do to succeed and fall into line accordingly. ''I think management is able to manipulate the very young and na¯ve employees,'' she says. ''They will find ways to punish you covertly and reward those that do go along with their narrative.''
- ''It's interesting that our motto is 'Question More,''' she says of the RT slogan. (It once adorned posters showing President Obama morphing into former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the words, ''Who poses the greater nuclear threat?'')
- ''In order to succeed there you don't question'... In a way you kind of suppress any concerns that you have and play the game.''
- Wahl recalls a story she attempted to report about last year's French intervention in Mali, aimed at repelling an al-Qaeda takeover of the country. She interviewed a Malian man who ''talked about what it was like to live under sharia law, people getting limbs amputated'...And I thought it was probably one of the best interviews that I've ever done. I was touched by what he said as a first hand source, but he also talked about how the French were well-received there and how they were waving French flags and how they should have come sooner, how grateful a large part of the population was, having seen people being literally tortured and having their limbs cut off.''
- That story, however, didn't fit the RT narrative, which portrays every Western military intervention as an act of imperialism while depicting Russian ones as mere humanitarian attempts at ''protecting'' local populations, as the network constantly describes Moscow's role in Crimea. Needless to say, Wahl's interview with the thankful Malian never aired. ''I was told after that it was a 'weak' interview,'' Wahl said.
- Though RT America has many American staffers, Wahl says that Russian expatriates call the shots. ''They're definitely at the top, the Russians, they're kind of able to pull the strings'... I just think it's absurd that we're just a few blocks away from the White House and this is all able to go along,'' she says.
- Having worked on the inside, Wahl perfectly understands RT's marketing strategy, which is to appeal to a young, Western demographic cynical about mainstream media outlets and traditional political authority. ''I think some of them are kind of like this hipster generation, they just kind of think it's cool to question authority,'' she says.
- But what the network's many young viewers don't understand, or refuse to understand, is that the channel's message emanates from the most authoritarian of sources: the Kremlin. ''I don't think it's a service to anybody to push a narrative that's not true or actively twist the truth.''
- ''It actually makes me feel sick that I worked there,'' Wahl says. ''It's not a sound news organization, not when your agenda is making America look bad.''
- As much as Wahl had to suppress her guilty conscience during the two-and-a-half-years she worked for RT, she believes it's the networks viewers'--1.2 billion on YouTube'--who are hurt most by its constant and deliberate distortion of the truth. ''In a way I feel bad for those people because they really believe strongly that we're telling the truth and we're on the right side. And that's crazy to me.''
- Wahl did a very brave thing. Unlike Martin, who will continue to cash Putin's paychecks, Wahl is now out of a job. But that's the price real reporters'--not Russian-government funded propagandists'--have to pay if they are concerned with quaint notions like objectivity and the truth. Hopefully, Liz Wahl's act of defiance will inspire a wave of defections from Putin TV.
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- RIA Novosti Revamp Under Way as Liquidation Kicks In
- MOSCOW, March 6 (RIA Novosti) '' Three months after a surprise Kremlin announcement that Russian state news agency RIA Novosti was to be liquidated, changes are under way at the company.
- As employees were asked to choose whether to stay on at RIA Novosti's replacement agency or sign redundancy contracts, the agency's editor-in-chief Iraklii Gachechiladze said Thursday that staffing procedures for the new company were almost complete and that its final structure could be unveiled next week.
- Employees up to and including the agency's editor-in-chief were stunned on December 9 by a presidential decree liquidating RIA Novosti, Russia's largest state-run news agency. Under the decree, RIA and state radio Voice of Russia are to be disbanded and their remaining structures merged into a replacement organization named Rossiya Segodnya, which is Russian for ''Russia Today.''
- News and commentary website Slon.ru ran a story Wednesday quoting a letter sent to employees of RIA Novosti's regional offices in which the department's head described the situation as ''a rather bleak picture.''
- The letter said the number of regional correspondents would be slashed, while those remaining will work from home, the report said.
- Gachechiladze criticized the report, saying Slon.ru had failed to properly secure RIA Novosti's position on developments.
- ''Even respected publications such as Slon.ru aren't trying to reach RIA's press service before publishing materials,'' said Gachechiladze. ''All the reforms are taking place with as much transparency as possible, therefore there is no need to rely on different interpretations of the events taking place.''
- Even rank-and-file employees within the company have been left largely in the dark about plans for Rossiya Segodnya and about the specifics of its future editorial policy since the RIA Novosti liquidation news was announced, however.
- The decision to abolish RIA Novosti was widely interpreted as another in a series of shifts in Russia's news landscape pointing toward a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector.
- Independent liberal-leaning TV station Dozhd faces the imminent prospect of closure after cable and satellite providers stopped carrying the channel over a contentious poll about World War II.
- On Wednesday, Izvestia daily newspaper reported that a ruling United Russia party deputy is readying legislation that would, among other things, make it a crime to ''allow publication of false anti-Russian information.''
- Starting Wednesday, staff at RIA Novosti's Moscow-based English-language desk was asked to decide whether they wanted to work at Rossiya Segodnya or accept compensation packages. The bulk of the writers and editors for the English-language service have opted for the latter option.
- The new agency is to be headed by Dmitry Kiselyov, a notoriously outspoken conservative TV presenter, and will share its editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan, with the Kremlin-funded TV news channel RT.
- RT, which was formerly known as Russia Today, has been at the center of controversy recently with two reporters at the channel ''going rogue'' to openly criticize Russia's interventions in the southern Ukrainian province of Crimea in the past few days. Criticism of the Kremlin typically gets little to no attention on RT, while content devoted to negative aspects of life in Western countries makes up a substantial part of its broadcasts.
- Kiselyov's ascendancy appears to point to efforts by the Russian authorities to appeal more to ultra-conservative values, a trend best signaled by last year's passage of a law banning the promotion of homosexual ''propaganda'' to minors.
- In Kiselyov's most notorious on-screen harangue, dating back to 2012, he suggested it would be advisable to ''burn or bury the hearts of gays'' who die in car crashes.
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- Australian government backs Washington's anti-Russian confrontation
- By Peter Symonds5 March 2014The entire Australian political and media establishment has lined up in lock-step behind the Obama administration's intervention into the Ukraine crisis, its support of last month's fascist-led putsch and its denunciations of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the dispatch of troops into Crimea.
- The Liberal-National Coalition government hauled in the Russian ambassador to Canberra, Vladimir Morozoy, on Monday for a dressing down. Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared that the ambassador had been told ''in no uncertain terms'' what the Australian government thought of Russian ''aggression'' in Ukraine.
- In comments noteworthy only for their staggering hypocrisy, Abbott denounced the ''unprovoked aggression'' and demanded that Russia ''back off,'' withdraw from Ukraine and allow ''the people of the Ukraine... to determine their future themselves.'' These remarks not only ignore the direct involvement of the US and Germany, with fascistic Ukrainian organisations such as the Svoboda party and Right Sector, in ousting the Russian-aligned President Victor Yanukovych, but also Canberra's support for US unprovoked aggression in a series of wars, including in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
- Speaking to the media, ambassador Morozoy denounced the ''anti-Russian hysteria'' being whipped up, and defended the Russian intervention into Crimea, saying it sought to protect Russia's interests and those of the Russian-speaking majority. However, Putin's corrupt regime in Moscow, representing the interests of wealthy oligarchs, offers no progressive solution. Its stirring up of chauvinism in Russia and eastern Ukraine only heightens the danger of a descent into civil and ethnic warfare, stoked up by fascist forces in Kiev.
- Abbott's comments take their cue from Washington, as part of its international campaign to wind up threats against the Russian government, to force it to accept the right-wing, US-backed regime in Kiev. Abbott announced that a planned visit by the Australian trade minister to Moscow had been called off, along with a trip to Australia by Russia's national security adviser.
- Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop reinforced Abbott's remarks, adding that Canberra had used its position on the UN Security Council to send ''a clear, unequivocal message'' of support for ''Ukrainian sovereignty'''--that is, for the regime in Kiev. Bishop indicated that the government would ''consider what further actions, such as boycotts and sanctions, may be taken.''
- The opposition Labor Party immediately signalled its unalloyed bipartisanship and loyalty to Washington. Opposition leader Bill Shorten and deputy leader Tanya Plibersek made a point in parliament of formally ''associating'' themselves with, that is fully endorsing, the remarks of Abbott and Bishop. Speaking to the media in Hobart, Shorten demanded that Russia ''take its nose out of Ukrainian business.''
- In media comments on Monday, Greens leader Christine Milne repeated the US line, declaring that ''the world must take a strong stand to protect the sovereignty of the Ukraine against the Russian invasion.'' She offered the full support of the Greens for ''what the Australian government is doing, and other countries around the world, through the UN Security Council to try to seek a backing off [by Russia].''
- The Australian media has joined the international deluge of anti-Putin and anti-Russian propaganda. An editorial in Murdoch's Australian today commended the government for its stance as ''part of the worldwide response to such unjustified aggression.'' Well practised in the method of the big lie, the newspaper went on to declare that there was ''no evidence'' that Ukraine was in ''the hands of Nazi-style extremist nationalists hell-bent on destroying the lives of Ukraine's Russian-speaking communities.''
- The only note of caution in ruling circles was sounded by former Coalition Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, writing in the Guardian. After pointing to two decades of US efforts to push the NATO alliance right up to Russia's borders, he referred to Guardian writer Seumas Milne who had described those fighting to oust Yanukovych as ''pro-fascist, pro-nazi and anti-Jew.'' Concerned that the US intervention in the Ukraine could backfire, Fraser wrote: ''If but a small part of what he [Milne] then said was correct, the West has once again chosen some unsavoury partners and that does not augur well for the future.''
- The slavish support of all the major parties for Washington's aggressive actions in Ukraine is in line with Australian backing for the Obama administration's ''pivot to Asia'''--a strategy aimed at diplomatically isolating and militarily encircling China. So intertwined are the Ukraine events with the Asian ''pivot'' that Australian strategic analysts have already begun to debate the implications.
- Writing in the Australian Financial Review on Monday, Hugh White, who has previously criticised the ''pivot'' and urged the US to accommodate China's interests in Asia, concluded that ''US impotence'' in dealing with ''Russia's aggressiveness'' in Ukraine would only raise doubts in Japan about US willingness to defend its claims to disputed islands in the East China Sea against China. ''Obviously, the weaker Washington looks in Ukraine, the more boldly Beijing will challenge US leadership in Asia, and the more Japan will look to its own defence.''
- Peter Jennings, head of the government-sponsored Australian Strategic Policy Institute, countered yesterday in the Australian Financial Review. In a comment entitled ''Ukraine's simple lessons for Asian security,'' he argued that the US had strengthened its position in both Europe and Asia because its allies would see the need for Washington's military backing. ''In Asia, Japan will watch Ukraine and conclude that it is a good thing it has a formal alliance with the US and a large American military presence on its soil.''
- In fact, the underlying premise of this exchange'--Russian and China ''aggression'''--stands reality on its head. In its efforts to undermine any potential threat to US hegemony, the Obama administration has deliberately inflamed festering disputes, whether in Ukraine or the East China Sea, in a bid to weaken Russia and China and strengthen its dominance across the Eurasian landmass.
- In his Guardian comment, Malcolm Fraser warned that the ''totally one-sided view'' presented by Western leaders and media'--it is all Russia's fault'--provided no way out of ''the present intractable, difficult and extraordinarily dangerous problem.'' Likewise in Asia, he remarked, ''the US has embarked on what may regard as a foolish and dangerous policy in the Western Pacific: a policy of containment of China.'' He asked whether ''the mistaken policies of the US and the unfolding drama in Ukraine... [could] push both Russia and China towards a strategic partnership'' and rekindle the Cold War.
- However, Fraser's appeal for greater understanding and international cooperation falls on deaf ears, precisely because behind the Ukraine crisis are powerful economic driving forces generated by the deepening global breakdown of capitalism. In Asia and Europe, the determination of US imperialism to exploit its military might to offset its relative economic decline is leading inexorably, not to a new version of the Cold War standoff, but to confrontation and military conflict.
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- NO AGENDA MUCH?-The Washington Post Uses Biased Experts to Promote Propaganda on Venezuela - The Intercept
- The Washington Post's Feb. 19 article about the recent spate of unrest in Venezuela took a breathlessly laudatory stance towards the opposition against President Nicols Maduro. The opening paragraphs offer a good indication of its tenor:
- Leopoldo L"pez, the defiant Venezuelan opposition leader taken into custody Tuesday in front of thousands of anti-government protesters, spent last night in a prison on a military base.
- But even there, the government couldn't shut him up'....
- It was the kind of passionate, personal appeal and call to action that showed exactly why the Harvard-educated L"pez has been at the center of the most serious challenge yet to the struggling Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chvez.
- The piece continues in a similarly effusive manner throughout; but what's most interesting about it are the sources which the authors choose to cite as impartial experts. Not only do they appear hostile to the Venezuelan government and supportive of the opposition, they also appear to have serious, unstated conflicts of interest that cast doubt on the integrity of the Washington Post's entire reportage on this issue.
- At one point, the article quotes Michael Shifter ''president of Inter-American Dialogue, a think-tank in Washington'', as giving the following analysis of the situation: ''L"pez is saying, 'this is intolerable, let's not be resigned to it.''... He felt this wasd his moment to act, to take to the streets.'' Going further, the piece also quotes Mois(C)s Nam '' omitting to mention that he too is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue '' excoriating the previous opposition leader for not going far enough in challenging Maduro when he had the opportunity.
- What the authors failed to explain is that the Inter-American Dialogue is a think-tank whose members happen to include several officials from Venezuela's previous government '' the same one deposed by Hugo Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution. Even more distressingly, the Dialogue counts among its funders organizations such as Exxon Mobil, Chevron, the U.S. government through USAID, and the embassies of Canada, Mexico and Guatemala among others.
- That these groups have distinct political and financial interests in Venezuela casts some doubt on the impartiality of the viewpoints their funded analysts produce. Indeed, a 2006 diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks uncovered the fact that U.S. officials were planning to implement a ''5-point strategy'' to undermine the Chavez government, specifically using USAID as a means to accomplish this. That USAID also happens to be a prime funder of the Inter-American Dialogue raises some serious questions about its unstated mission in the country.
- For his part, Shifter has become a high-profile public critic of the Maduro administration in the mainstream press, where his organization is still depicted as a benign, ''nonpartisan policy group''.
- Indeed, a 2012 study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) documented both Shifter's political and corporate connections as well as the breadth of his reach in the media, remarking that, ''What he says is very likely indistinguishable from the views of the monied interests backing his think tank.'' His appearance in the Washington Post last week was far from an aberration. He '-- along with others from the Dialogue '-- are regularly cited in articles on the region and Shifter himself has penned articles for the New York Times, Foreign Policy and others. In a 2005 op-ed in the Post he wrote:
- Chavez is aggressively using rhetoric that bashes the Bush administration and claims the banner of social justice to consolidate his power'...The challenge for U.S. policy is to contest the validity of Chavez's claims and his grandiose but wrongheaded designs.
- Not to be outdone, Mois(C)s Nam also took to the pages of Post in 2011 to publish an article entitled ''Imagining a World Without Hugo Chavez'', forecasting his death and the continued empowerment of his elected government. At one point, Nam laments American hesitance to involve itself more forcefully in Venezuelan politics due to its entanglements elsewhere saying:
- [W]hat role would Chavez's opponents play in a transition? These include the growing segment of Venezuela's civil society that opposes him '-- especially the student movement and a new breed of young leaders '-- and, of course, the United States. In both cases, their influence would probably be limited: The former lacks guns, thugs or money; the latter is too busy dealing with crises elsewhere.
- That the sources of this supposedly expert analysis are funded by corporations and governments openly hostile to the Venezuelan government, and which have even attempted its overthrow in the past, would appear to be a fairly glaring omission.
- A Washington Post reader emailed the co-author of the story, Post staff writer Nick Miroff, asking why he didn't explain the Inter-American Dialogue's ties to Venezuela's opposition and to business interests. In an email that made its way to The Intercept, Miroff wrote back that he didn't think it necessary. (Contacted by The Intercept, Miroff confirmed the email was his, but said we did not have his permission to publish it. We don't need his permission.)
- Miroff wrote that he ''quoted Michael Shifter for the simple reason that he's a terrific Latin America analyst, and often has smart, thoughtful observations to share.'' He pointed out that he stated in the story that Shifter had known Lopez for many years, ''signaling to readers that he has a personal relationship with him.'' He continued:
- As for his organization receiving money from oil companies, or USAID, I think it's relevant, but not necessarily worth spending ink on. A LOT of DC think tanks and universities and NGOs receive money from oil companies and other interests. Do we need to disclose all of those affiliations, every time? Chevron is one of the biggest foreign oil companies working in Venezuela and paying royalty $ to the government.
- Miroff praised what he called ''a good question,'' but concluded that ''I think in many cases it's up to the reader to look up the organization and decide whether or not they think the comments are colored by donor interests. In Shifter's case, I don't believe they are.''
- So there you have it: Because the infiltration of oil companies and other vested interests in policymaking has become so entrenched, there's no point even mentioning it anymore. That Michael Shifter runs an organization funded by many of the same corporations and governments which have open conflicts with the Venezuelan government is apparently immaterial to him also providing expert analysis on political developments in Venezuela.
- Even more incredibly, his colleague at the Inter-American Dialogue Mois(C)s Nam was formerly Venezuela's Minister of Trade and Industry during the tenure of President Carlos Andr(C)s P(C)rez '' a leader who was electorally deposed by Chavez and who presided over the massacre of hundreds of unarmed protestors in the country. Nonetheless, his commentary has been included without even the slightest acknowledgment of what appears to be a deeply prejudicial history.
- None of this is written necessarily as a defence of the Venezuelan government or a commentary on events in that country, but rather to demonstrate the fundamental incapacity of the mainstream media to cover this story in a way that is not corrupted by corporate and political interests.
- The corrosive influence of corporations and government in the news media has long been documented. The establishment press has demonstrated time and again its reflex to serve as a tool of powerful vested interests, and to act essentially as the communications arm of U.S. foreign policy. The Washington Post's coverage is just the most glaring and recent example of such behavior.
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- Breaking:largest oil refinery in Europe. It is located in Tatarstan, Russia it is on fire. Was Russia attacked | count down to zerotime.com
- ''Neftekamskneftehim'' is the largest oil refinery in Europe. It is located in Tatarstan, Russia and today, at 7.00pm Moscow Time, dozens of firemen were urgently summoned as the oil giant started burning.
- If this is an attack then the west has just hit Russia where it hurts. The timing is perfect Russia is at at defcon one. Russian wealth is based on oil and gas. Was it a missile a bomb we dont know yet but whatever it was it was no accident.
- Russia will no doubt see this as an attack on its own ground and a very public attack expect major cites in the US and or Europe to be hit in the same way and or now a full invasion of the Ukriane
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- Video: Pussy Riot Disrupts Russian Orchestra in S.F. With Rainbow Flag(Permission granted for free use of the photos, as long as you credit them to Bill Wilson of Gays Without Borders. Kindly send us links if you
- Video: Pussy Riot Disrupts Russian Orchestra in S.F. With Rainbow Flag(Permission granted for free use of the photos, as long as you credit them to Bill Wilson of Gays Without Borders. Kindly send us links if you use the images.)The St. Petersburg Philharmonic's performance on Monday, March 3 at Davies Hall in San Francisco was delayed when a young queer feminist donned a brightly colored balaclava and waved a rainbow flag in full view of the entire audience and musicians.A longtime gay video documentarian was inside the hall when the interruption occurred and shared his video with me. I didn't shoot it. The anonymous woman who disrupted the concert shared this report and statement about the action inside Davies Hall:
- For all women and queers across the globe, tonight I had the opportunity to call out Yuri Temirkanov for being openly sexist and for supporting Putin's regime. Our actions were in solidarity with all LGBTQ people and feminists trying to survive in Russia and here in San Francisco. We will not be quiet when sexist supporters of Putin come to town. After braving the rain outside the symphony hall with Pussy Riot supporters, I made my way inside to a seat located on stage directly above and behind the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. As conductor Yuri Temirkanov took to the stage to begin the evening's performance, the concert hall fell silent. I rose from my seat and looked directly into his eyes through my neon yellow balaclava. As I unfurled a rainbow flag, an action which is illegal in Russia, I stole the show by making sure that Yuri and the audience knew the reason for our anger and protest. Transcript of Pussy Riot disruption: "Yuri you are a sexist Putinist! How dare you say we are weak, Women are not weak! Yuri you are a sexist Putinist! Tell Putin to Free Pussy Riot now! Free Pussy Riot! Gay rights now in Russia!" We remain anonymous in solidarity with Pussy Riot in Russia as some members have avoided arrest for their illegal political performances by cloaking their identities.
- Nearly thirty gay and feminist campaigners and their allies came out to hold signs reading "Gay is OK! Russia", "We Love Pussy Riot!", "Protect LGBT Russians", and many dressed in the iconic clothing favored by the original Russian band. Some of the protesters adopted the name Pussy Riot/SF for tonight's actions. Also present were members of Gays Without Borders.Standing in front of a rainbow flag, an activist read a list of names of Russians and foreign nationals arrested in Russia since the start of 2014, many of whom are LGBT people or belong to Pussy Riot. Mention was made of the fact that Pussy Riot was arrested for hooliganism on March 3, 2012, and activists said there was no better way to mark this tragic anniversary that with a public demonstration.The solidarity rally concluded with Pussy Riot/SF members singing "Putin Will Teach You to Love the Motherland" in English and then dancing on the rain-soaked sidewalk. Shouts of "Down with Putin!" erupted from the crowd as concert-goers made their way to the box office and entrance.Many thanks to everyone who participated in tonight's terrific solidarity activism inside and outside Davies Hall in San Francisco!
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- Egypt's Sisi heads to Moscow for talks - Al Jazeera English
- Egypt's military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has left for an official visit to Russia to discuss bilateral cooperation with the Kremlin, the Associated Press news agency reported.
- Sisi and Nabil Fahmy, Egypt's foreign minister, will hold "2+2" talks with their Russian counterparts on a two-day trip that started on Wednesday, military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said in a statement.
- The trip comes "in response to the historic visit of the Russian defence and foreign ministers to Cairo" last November, the army statement said.
- Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Cairo for two days in mid-November to discuss weapons sales as well as political and economic ties.
- That visit came amid tension between Egypt and its longtime ally the United States, which has suspended some of its military aid to Cairo after Sisi toppled the former president, Mohammed Morsi, in July.
- Since Morsi was overthrown, the military-installed government has been waging a deadly crackdown on his supporters that has left more than 1,400 people dead, according to rights group Amnesty International, and thousands of others jailed.
- Sisi is expected to stand in upcoming presidential elections.
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- Kazakhstan devalues national currency
- By Clara Weiss3 March 2014On February 11, without any prior warning, Kazakhstan's national bank announced the devaluation of the tenge by 18.9 percent against the US dollar. The purchasing power of the working population was thereby reduced at a stroke by almost one fifth.
- The devaluation of the Kazakhstani tenge is the latest in a series of devaluations by developing countries. In the face of the intensifying economic crisis, South Africa, Russia, Argentina, Turkey, and Brazil have all devalued their currencies in recent months. Drastic currency devaluations could now follow in Ukraine and Belarus.
- Kazakhstan's government justified the devaluation of the tenge with the loss in value of the Russian ruble last year of around 15 percent. At the beginning of February, US$1 cost 35.25 rubles, its lowest value since 2009.
- The news agency Bloomberg stated that the devaluation of the tenge was the beginning of a currency war between Russia and Kazakhstan.
- Russia and Kazakhstan have been in a customs union with Belarus since 2010. The devaluation of the Russian ruble has increased competitive pressure on local producers in Belarus and Kazakhstan.
- Kazakhstan and Russia are competitors on the world market, particularly for raw materials such as oil. After Russia, Kazakhstan is the country with the largest reserves of raw materials in the former Soviet Union. For both countries, the most important importers of raw materials are the European Union (EU) and China. While the EU has been in a recession for years, economic growth has also recently slowed sharply in China.
- Kazakhstan was previously hit hard by the global financial crisis in 2008-2009. Until then, it had experienced a relative economic boom along with Russia and Azerbaijan, based mainly on the export of oil. Oil exports account for 60 percent of Kazakhstan's total exports of raw materials.
- The country depends for around 73 percent of its economic output on exports of raw materials, resulting in the economy being very vulnerable to price gyrations on the world market. Due to high prices for raw materials, Kazakhstan was able to build a good trade balance in recent years, meaning it had in the long term taken in more through exports than it spent on imports.
- However, the balance of trade in 2013 fell by 82 percent to an estimated US$180 million, according to central bank figures.
- Declining prices on the market for raw materials has contributed significantly to this. The price for oil has dropped over recent months, falling below US$100 per barrel in February.
- Signs of a new economic crisis in Kazakhstan increased last year. According to Bloomberg, the country has registered a drop in trade of goods and services for four of the last six quarters.
- Warnings are also mounting over a consumer credit bubble that has been developing since 2009. In the face of the sharp fall in the balance of trade surplus, domestic indebtedness is assuming threatening dimensions.
- Analysts anticipate that the Belarusian ruble and Ukrainian hryvnia will be devalued by the countries' respective central banks. The Belarusian ruble fell last year by around 10 percent against the US dollar. The hryvnia has also weakened, due to the political instability in the country as well as the devaluation of the ruble in Russia. The hryvnia was worth less than US$9 at the beginning of February for the first time since February 2008. This equates to a 10 percent loss in value since the start of November.
- For the working class, the currency devaluations mean a major attack on their living standards, and it has already provoked strong social unrest in Kazakhstan.
- There have been numerous protests against the devaluation of the tenge since February 11. Dozens of protesters surrounded the building of the national bank in Almaty on February 12. Three days later, around 200 people demonstrated in Almaty against the devaluation. Some 30 demonstrators were arrested in the process.
- After press reports about the threatened bankruptcy of three banks, Kaspi Bank, Alians Bank and Centrcredit Bank, the banks were stormed in the two large towns of Astana and Almaty. Several dozen people protested the next day in front of the national bank building in Almaty, because their mortgage debt, which they took out in American dollars, was sharply increased by the devaluation of the tenge.
- However, those most severely affected by the currency devaluation are the working class and the impoverished rural population. According to the Interfax news agency, the average monthly wage of a worker in 2012 was between US$103 and US$517. At the same time, 34 percent of the population earned less than US$310 per month. The tenge devaluation will above all drive up prices for essential foodstuffs like bread, sugar, milk products, fruit and oil. Between 50 and 75 percent of these are imported by Kazakhstan.
- Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the restoration of capitalism, Kazakhstan has been marked by extreme social inequality. While in 2011, between 70 and 80 percent of the population lived in poverty, according to an estimate from the Asian-Caucasus Institute Analyst think tank, the richest 50 oligarchs in the country controlled US$24 billion in 2012. The president of Kazakhstan and former general secretary of the Communist Party in Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, alone had an estimated wealth of US$7 billion in 2010.
- The sharp social tensions erupted in December 2011, when on the 20th anniversary of the country's independence, the government allowed the shooting of oil workers who had been striking for months in the city of Zhanaozen. Although official estimates stated 17 workers died, other sources assumed a figure as high as 70.
- Early in 2013, protests took place across the country against the pension reform, through which workers' monthly pension contributions will increase by 5 percent from 2018 and the retirement age for women will rise from 58 to 63. The devaluation of the tenge will further intensify social tensions in the country.
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- Elite$
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- Rumor is Obama is nailing Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt
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- Microsoft's Gates reclaims title as world's richest
- Microsoft's Gates reclaims title as world's richest49 minutes agoBill Gates answers questions during an interview on January 21, 2014 in New York
- The surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76 billion beating out Mexico's Carlos Slim's $72 billion.
- The annual list, released Monday, counted 1,645 men and women as billionaires, with an average wealth of $4.5 billion and a collective wealth of $6.4 trillion, up $1 trillion from a year ago.
- Gates, co-founder of the US software firm, showed his staying power at the top'--the world's richest man for 15 of the past 20 years, according to Forbes'--despite spending recent years giving away large sums of money to global health and anti-poverty programs.
- Gates owns about 4.4 percent of Microsoft, making up less than 20 percent of his total fortune.
- But the company's share price has risen 25 percent over the past year, and, along with gains in other assets, he has added $7 billion to his fortune since a year ago, according to Forbes.
- Slim, with a hand in everything from telecommunications (America Movil) to mining, finance and industry (Grupo Carso), to retailing and real estate across the Americas region, was worth $1 billion less than a year ago, hit in part by sagging markets in South America.
- Graphic showing key moments in the life of Bill Gates
- In third was Spain's Amancio Ortega, whose pockets have filled with profits from fashion: his hugely successful Inditex garment empire, parent of popular chains Zara, Pull & Bear, and Bershka. More recently, Ortega heavily invested in real estate in Europe and the United States; his worth was put at $64 billion.
- A familiar cast of mega-wealthy filled out the rest of the top ten: US investment guru Warren Buffett ($58.2 billion); software group Oracle's founder and chief executive Larry Ellison ($48 billion); US industrialists and brothers Charles and David Koch (each with $40 billion); Las Vegas casino king Sheldon Adelson ($38 billion); Walmart heiress Christy Walton ($36.7 billion) and her brother Jim Walton ($34.7 billion).
- Together the $507 billion held by the top ten is larger than the entire size of the economy of Norway, or Belgium or Poland in 2012.
- Explore further:Tech sector rides on rich list
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
- Related StoriesTech sector rides on rich list Mar 04, 2013
- America's technology sector remained a driving force for the world's billionaires, led by Microsoft's Bill Gates and other familiar names, a Forbes survey showed Monday.
- Zuckerberg tops US donations with $1 bn Feb 10, 2014
- Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was America's most generous donor in 2013, giving nearly $1 billion of his fortune to charity, according to a magazine report on Monday.
- Mexican mogul Slim expands empire in Europe Jun 15, 2012
- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim on Friday moved to spread his telecoms empire into central and eastern Europe by raising his stake in Telekom Austria to 9.9 percent with the aim of obtaining 25.9 percent.
- Sandberg a billionaire as Facebook shares hit new high Jan 22, 2014
- Facebook shares climbed to a new high on Tuesday, catapulting chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg onto the roster of tech billionaires.
- Bill Gates: From teen geek to world's richest man Feb 04, 2014
- As a geeky-looking teenager, he started in a garage and created the world's biggest software company. He then became the world's richest man and the world's most prominent philanthropist.
- 'In the house': Investment guru Buffett joins Twitter May 02, 2013
- Investment guru and mega-billionaire Warren Buffett took a new plunge Thursday: He sent his first message on Twitter'--and within a short time had more more than 100,000 followers.
- Japan LCD screen giant plans $4.0 bn share sale 2 hours ago
- Japan Display, the world's biggest maker of screens for smartphones and tablet computers, on Monday announced details of a share offering that could raise up to $4.0 billion.
- Bitcoin exchange looks into criminal complaint (Update) 6 hours ago
- The Tokyo bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy protection blamed theft through hacking for its losses Monday, and said it was looking into a criminal complaint.
- Cisco cleared in rights case, as tech sector watches Mar 01, 2014
- A US court has cleared Cisco Systems over liability for human rights abuses in China, in a case closely watched by the global technology sector and activists.
- Apple's Cook tries to tantalize shareholders Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--Apple CEO Tim Cook is still trying to convince shareholders that the iPhone maker remains a step ahead in the race to innovate, even though recent performance of the company's stock lags behind other technology trendsetters.
- Google pledges $6.8M for San Francisco program Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--Google is donating nearly $7 million to allow San Francisco to continue providing free bus and other transportation services to low-income city kids.
- Tokyo bitcoin exchange files for bankruptcy Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--The Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange in Tokyo filed for bankruptcy protection Friday and its chief executive said 850,000 bitcoins, worth several hundred million dollars, are unaccounted for.
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- Tangent2not rated yet25 minutes ago
- What about the other richest families that hide away from the spotlight, such as bilderberg, rothschilds, rockefeller, etc? If 1% of the population has 99% of the wealth, then the numbers presented in this article don't add up.
- Daimler job ads suggest Mercedes cars soon to have Android/iOS phones integrated into dash(Phys.org) '--Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has posted job ads looking for software engineers to help implement a system for allowing integration between dashboard technology and user smartphones ...
- Instant messaging will get Tor treatment in TIMBThe Tor Foundation which has made it possible for privacy-bent Tor users to anonymously browse the web is now turning to enabling people to autonomously do instant messaging with a Tor-enabled service, dubbed ...
- Metadata and the law: What your smartphone really says about youMetadata related to lawful interception has been in the news a bit lately. You may have seen last week the Australian Federal Police (AFP) called for more access to electronic metadata as a Senate committee evaluates Australian mass surveillance laws. ...
- Emergency services benefit from a high-speed wireless technologyWhen disaster strikes '' such as January's bushfire in Victoria or the recent cold spell that froze much of north America '' it's vital for emergency services to get the latest information.
- Bitcoin exchange looks into criminal complaint (Update)The Tokyo bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy protection blamed theft through hacking for its losses Monday, and said it was looking into a criminal complaint.
- House panel discuses Mars 2021 manned flyby mission(Phys.org) '--The U.S. House of Representative's Science, Space and Technology Committee has met to discuss the virtues and possibility of asking NASA to assist a private foundation in conducting a manned ...
- Johns Hopkins doctors remove baby's brain tumor that contained teethDoctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital have removed a rare tumor that contained several fully grown teeth from a baby boy's brain.
- Vaccines prevent millions of infections, save billions in costs: CDC(HealthDay)'--Childhood vaccines have the potential to prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease among Americans born in a given year, according to a new analysis.
- Going live with EHR leads to frustrations, productivity hit(HealthDay)'--Implementing an electronic health record (EHR) system takes excessive physician and staff time and disrupts practice, according to survey results published Feb. 24 in Medical Economics.
- CT scans don't interfere with cardiac rhythm devices(HealthDay)'--Cardiac rhythm management devices should not be a cause for delaying computed tomography (CT) imaging procedures, according to research published online Feb. 26 in the Journal of the American Co ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
- Microsoft's Gates reclaims title as world's richest49 minutes agoBill Gates answers questions during an interview on January 21, 2014 in New York
- The surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76 billion beating out Mexico's Carlos Slim's $72 billion.
- The annual list, released Monday, counted 1,645 men and women as billionaires, with an average wealth of $4.5 billion and a collective wealth of $6.4 trillion, up $1 trillion from a year ago.
- Gates, co-founder of the US software firm, showed his staying power at the top'--the world's richest man for 15 of the past 20 years, according to Forbes'--despite spending recent years giving away large sums of money to global health and anti-poverty programs.
- Gates owns about 4.4 percent of Microsoft, making up less than 20 percent of his total fortune.
- But the company's share price has risen 25 percent over the past year, and, along with gains in other assets, he has added $7 billion to his fortune since a year ago, according to Forbes.
- Slim, with a hand in everything from telecommunications (America Movil) to mining, finance and industry (Grupo Carso), to retailing and real estate across the Americas region, was worth $1 billion less than a year ago, hit in part by sagging markets in South America.
- Graphic showing key moments in the life of Bill Gates
- In third was Spain's Amancio Ortega, whose pockets have filled with profits from fashion: his hugely successful Inditex garment empire, parent of popular chains Zara, Pull & Bear, and Bershka. More recently, Ortega heavily invested in real estate in Europe and the United States; his worth was put at $64 billion.
- A familiar cast of mega-wealthy filled out the rest of the top ten: US investment guru Warren Buffett ($58.2 billion); software group Oracle's founder and chief executive Larry Ellison ($48 billion); US industrialists and brothers Charles and David Koch (each with $40 billion); Las Vegas casino king Sheldon Adelson ($38 billion); Walmart heiress Christy Walton ($36.7 billion) and her brother Jim Walton ($34.7 billion).
- Together the $507 billion held by the top ten is larger than the entire size of the economy of Norway, or Belgium or Poland in 2012.
- Explore further:Tech sector rides on rich list
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
- Related StoriesTech sector rides on rich list Mar 04, 2013
- America's technology sector remained a driving force for the world's billionaires, led by Microsoft's Bill Gates and other familiar names, a Forbes survey showed Monday.
- Zuckerberg tops US donations with $1 bn Feb 10, 2014
- Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was America's most generous donor in 2013, giving nearly $1 billion of his fortune to charity, according to a magazine report on Monday.
- Mexican mogul Slim expands empire in Europe Jun 15, 2012
- Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim on Friday moved to spread his telecoms empire into central and eastern Europe by raising his stake in Telekom Austria to 9.9 percent with the aim of obtaining 25.9 percent.
- Sandberg a billionaire as Facebook shares hit new high Jan 22, 2014
- Facebook shares climbed to a new high on Tuesday, catapulting chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg onto the roster of tech billionaires.
- Bill Gates: From teen geek to world's richest man Feb 04, 2014
- As a geeky-looking teenager, he started in a garage and created the world's biggest software company. He then became the world's richest man and the world's most prominent philanthropist.
- 'In the house': Investment guru Buffett joins Twitter May 02, 2013
- Investment guru and mega-billionaire Warren Buffett took a new plunge Thursday: He sent his first message on Twitter'--and within a short time had more more than 100,000 followers.
- Japan LCD screen giant plans $4.0 bn share sale 2 hours ago
- Japan Display, the world's biggest maker of screens for smartphones and tablet computers, on Monday announced details of a share offering that could raise up to $4.0 billion.
- Bitcoin exchange looks into criminal complaint (Update) 6 hours ago
- The Tokyo bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy protection blamed theft through hacking for its losses Monday, and said it was looking into a criminal complaint.
- Cisco cleared in rights case, as tech sector watches Mar 01, 2014
- A US court has cleared Cisco Systems over liability for human rights abuses in China, in a case closely watched by the global technology sector and activists.
- Apple's Cook tries to tantalize shareholders Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--Apple CEO Tim Cook is still trying to convince shareholders that the iPhone maker remains a step ahead in the race to innovate, even though recent performance of the company's stock lags behind other technology trendsetters.
- Google pledges $6.8M for San Francisco program Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--Google is donating nearly $7 million to allow San Francisco to continue providing free bus and other transportation services to low-income city kids.
- Tokyo bitcoin exchange files for bankruptcy Feb 28, 2014
- (AP)'--The Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange in Tokyo filed for bankruptcy protection Friday and its chief executive said 850,000 bitcoins, worth several hundred million dollars, are unaccounted for.
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- Tangent2not rated yet25 minutes ago
- What about the other richest families that hide away from the spotlight, such as bilderberg, rothschilds, rockefeller, etc? If 1% of the population has 99% of the wealth, then the numbers presented in this article don't add up.
- Daimler job ads suggest Mercedes cars soon to have Android/iOS phones integrated into dash(Phys.org) '--Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has posted job ads looking for software engineers to help implement a system for allowing integration between dashboard technology and user smartphones ...
- Instant messaging will get Tor treatment in TIMBThe Tor Foundation which has made it possible for privacy-bent Tor users to anonymously browse the web is now turning to enabling people to autonomously do instant messaging with a Tor-enabled service, dubbed ...
- Metadata and the law: What your smartphone really says about youMetadata related to lawful interception has been in the news a bit lately. You may have seen last week the Australian Federal Police (AFP) called for more access to electronic metadata as a Senate committee evaluates Australian mass surveillance laws. ...
- Emergency services benefit from a high-speed wireless technologyWhen disaster strikes '' such as January's bushfire in Victoria or the recent cold spell that froze much of north America '' it's vital for emergency services to get the latest information.
- Bitcoin exchange looks into criminal complaint (Update)The Tokyo bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy protection blamed theft through hacking for its losses Monday, and said it was looking into a criminal complaint.
- House panel discuses Mars 2021 manned flyby mission(Phys.org) '--The U.S. House of Representative's Science, Space and Technology Committee has met to discuss the virtues and possibility of asking NASA to assist a private foundation in conducting a manned ...
- Johns Hopkins doctors remove baby's brain tumor that contained teethDoctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital have removed a rare tumor that contained several fully grown teeth from a baby boy's brain.
- Vaccines prevent millions of infections, save billions in costs: CDC(HealthDay)'--Childhood vaccines have the potential to prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease among Americans born in a given year, according to a new analysis.
- Going live with EHR leads to frustrations, productivity hit(HealthDay)'--Implementing an electronic health record (EHR) system takes excessive physician and staff time and disrupts practice, according to survey results published Feb. 24 in Medical Economics.
- CT scans don't interfere with cardiac rhythm devices(HealthDay)'--Cardiac rhythm management devices should not be a cause for delaying computed tomography (CT) imaging procedures, according to research published online Feb. 26 in the Journal of the American Co ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
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- Sarkozy couple seek tape injunction
- 6 March 2014Last updated at 12:46 Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni are to launch legal action after secret recordings of them were leaked online.
- Lawyers for Mr Sarkozy say they will file a request for an injunction to prevent more from being published.
- They say the recordings were made by a former aide, Patrick Buisson, without the couple's knowledge.
- Though embarrassing, the transcripts are unlikely to cause political damage, correspondents say.
- Mr Sarkozy was said to be furious after it emerged that Mr Buisson had recorded hundreds of hours of meetings and private conversations during his 2007-12 term as French president.
- In a statement, Mr Buisson's lawyer confirmed that the tapes had been made but claimed they had been done to help him to keep a proper record of all discussions with Mr Sarkozy and other officials.
- Most of the recordings were destroyed and those that have been made public must have been stolen, the lawyer added.
- 'Betrayed'Some of the recordings were published by satirical magazine Le Canard Enchaine and website Atlantico on Wednesday.
- The initial revelations contain excerpts in which top officials express scorn over the presence of Mr Sarkozy's wife at meetings at the Elysee.
- They also suggest that Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy was unhappy she had lost income when she married Mr Sarkozy, and hoped to boost her finances by advertising anti-ageing products.
- Mr Sarkozy himself is shown to have been dismissive, even mocking, of the capacities of some of his ministers.
- Henri Guaino, one of Mr Sarkozy's closest allies, said the former president felt "betrayed" by Mr Buisson.
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- Senior Tory adviser Patrick Rock arrested on child abuse images allegations - Crime - UK - The Independent
- Patrick Rock, who had been involved in drawing up proposals for internet porn filters, resigned after being questioned by police. Officers from the National Crime Agency examined Downing Street's computer systems and offices used by Mr Rock, 62.
- He was an been adviser to the Conservative party for 30 years and got to know Mr Cameron in the mid-1990s when they were both worked for Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary.
- The Prime Minister brought him into Downing Street in 2011 to work in the Number 10 policy unit. He took responsibility for home affairs issues and was among officials who were involved in drawing up controls against internet images of child abuse.
- A Downing Street spokesman said: ''On the evening of February 12, Downing Street was first made aware of a potential offence relating to child abuse imagery. It was immediately referred to the National Crime Agency.
- "The Prime Minister was immediately informed and kept updated throughout. Patrick Rock was arrested at his home in the early hours of February 13, a few hours after Downing Street had reported the matter.
- "Subsequently, we arranged for officers to come into No 10 and have access to all IT systems and offices they considered relevant.
- "This is an ongoing investigation so it would not be appropriate to comment further, but the Prime Minister believes that child abuse imagery is abhorrent and that anyone involved with it should be properly dealt with under the law.''
- The Daily Mail quoted a friend of the Prime Minister as saying: ''He has known Patrick for a long time and never expected anything like this.''
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- David Cameron's aide on child internet policy has been arrested for child pornography
- Thanks to everyone who contributed to our Typhoon Haiyan fundraiser!
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- /r/worldnews is for major news from around the world except US-internal news / US politicsEditorialized titlesFeature storiesUS internal news/US politicsEditorials, opinion, analysisNon-English articlesRaw images and videosPetitions, advocacy, surveysAll caps titlesBlogspam (if stolen content/direct copy)TwitterOld news ('¥2 weeks old) articlesRacismSexismHomophobiaOther offensive contentUnlabeled NSFW images/videosMemes/GIFsRepeat offenders may be banned
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- Getuige: Opstelten gaf foute informatie over Demmink - Binnenland - VK
- Door: Redactie '' 05/03/14, 15:00
- (C) anp. Minister van Veiligheid en Justitie Ivo Opstelten.
- UPDATE Politie en Justitie waren al in 1997 op de hoogte van de mogelijke betrokkenheid van oud-topambtenaar Joris Demmink en drie hoofdofficieren van justitie bij seksueel misbruik van minderjarige jongens. De namen werden bij de start van het zogeheten Rolodex-onderzoek al genoemd, zo verklaarde een getuige vanmorgen tegenover de rechter-commissaris in Utrecht. Ook de huidige staatssecretaris van Justitie Fred Teeven zou op de hoogte zijn geweest. Minister Opstelten (Justitie) schreef in 2012 nog aan de Kamer dat de naam van Demmink niet in het onderzoek voorkwam. In een reactie herhaalde Opstelten vanmiddag die verklaring.
- De getuige, Leendert de Koter, was destijds als rechercheur van de criminele inlichtingendienst (CRI) betrokken bij Rolodex-onderzoek. Hij verklaarde vanmorgen onder ede dat de Rijksrecherche de namen van Demmink en de drie officieren van justitie - Holthuis, Wabeke en Wooldrik - destijds heeft aangedragen.
- Ook staatssecretaris Teeven zou destijds op de hoogte zijn geweest van de namen van de van misbruik verdachte mannen. De bewindsman was destijds als officier van justitie betrokken bij het onderzoek en was volgens De Koter aanwezig bij werkoverleggen waar de naam van Demmink 'regelmatig' werd genoemd.
- Opstelten: het klopt nog altijdMinister Opstelten zelf herhaalde vandaag zijn eerdere lezing: 'Wij zijn uitgegaan van wat het OM ons heeft meegedeeld: dat de oud-secretaris-generaal nooit is voorgekomen in het kader van het Rolodex-onderzoek.' Volgens Opstelten klopt dat nog altijd. Hij ontkent dat hij de Kamer verkeerd heeft ge¯nformeerd. Dat het OM hem en zijn voorgangers verkeerd zou hebben ge¯nformeerd, kan hij zich 'niet voorstellen'.
- Een tweede getuige, toenmalig hoofd van de zedenpolitie Jaap hoek, ondersteunde de lezing van Opstelten vanmiddag in de rechtbank. Hij stelde resoluut dat hij de naam van Demmink niet tegen is gekomen. Hoek was destijds teamleider van het Rolodex-onderzoek. Hij zei ook dat hij zich de namen van de hooggeplaatsten in het onderzoek niet kon herinneren. De zaak gaat maandag verder met het verhoor van een oud-medewerkster van Demmink.
- Gelogen'Als de lezing van De Koter klopt, moeten ook de ministers van Justitie Ernst Hirsch Ballin, Ivo Opstelten en Piet Hein Donner op de hoogte zijn geweest van het opduiken van de namen in het onderzoek', aldus Volkskrantverslaggever Toine Heijmans vanuit de rechtszaal.
- 'Donner heeft eerder gezegd dat er 'geen rook' was, maar dat blijkt nu dus niet juist. Of er ook vuur was, is even de vraag. Volgens de getuige is er immers niets belastends gevonden.' In 2007 schreef minister Ballin aan de Kamer: 'De topambtenaar van Justitie is in het Rolodex-onderzoek in het geheel niet genoemd.' Opstelten herhaalde dit in een Kamerbrief op 3 oktober 2012. Heijmans: 'Dus of Opstelten wist het niet, of hij heeft gelogen of de De Koter heeft vanochtend niet de waarheid vertelt.' Een vierde optie is dat de ministers alleen de schriftelijke neerslag van het artikel hebben gezien, waarin de naam van Demmink niet voorkwam.
- Opstelten zei vandaag ook in het Libelle Nieuwscaf(C) dat hij zich op geen enkele manier zorgen maakt over zijn eigen politieke positie. Van de juistheid van de beschuldigingen aan het adres van Demmink 'is nooit iets gebleken in alle onderzoeken die mijn voorgangers en ik hebben gedaan'. 'Maar het Hof heeft nu toch besloten dat er aanwijzingen zouden kunnen zijn en heeft het OM bevolen extra onderzoek te doen. Daar is men mee gestart en dat is nu onder de rechter. Het is goed gebruik dat als een zaak onder de rechter is, de minister even zijn mond houdt en wacht waar de rechter en het OM mee komen. Ik vind het heel vervelend dat dit loopt, maar het zijn de feiten in de rechtsstaat.'
- Onderzoek 'kapotgemaakt'Ook opmerkelijk is volgens Heijmans dat getuige De Koter beweert dat het onderzoek naar de hoofdverdachte destijds is 'kapotgemaakt'. 'Oftewel: iemand heeft gelekt. De huiszoeking liep op niets uit omdat de verdachte al op de hoogte was. Dat verhaal ging al langer rond, maar wordt nu voor het eerst onder ede bevestigd.'
- Heijmans: 'Verder is er gevraagd om een observatieteam in te stellen voor Demmink en de andere drie officieren. Dat werd echter afgewezen door de huidige korpschef van Amsterdam, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg. Die werkte destijds bij het CRI.'
- Civiele zaakDe rechtszaak tegen Demmink betreft een civiele zaak. De verhoren zijn aangevraagd door stichting De Roestige Spijker, die zegt naar de waarheid te zoeken. Er volgt geen vonnis. Toch is alles wat vandaag ter sprake komt van belang. Als er bewijs boven tafel komt heeft dat grote gevolgen. Gisteren werd Demmink door een getuige onder ede van ontucht beschuldigd. Het OM maakte vorige maand bekend te zijn begonnen met een strafrechtelijk onderzoek naar de oud-topambtenaar.
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- Create our own SIGDEv SIGINT powerpoint document fake
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- The McClatchy Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The McClatchy CompanyTypePublicTraded asNYSE: MNIIndustryPublishingFoundedFebruary 3, 1857HeadquartersSacramento, CaliforniaKey peopleJames McClatchy (founder); Patrick J. Talamantes (current CEO)ProductsNewspapersRevenue$1,143,129,000 (2009)[1]Operating income$198,512,000 (2009)[1]Net income$54,090,000 (2009)[1]Employees7,800 full and part-timeWebsiteThe McClatchy CompanyThe McClatchy Company is a publicly traded Americanpublishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million.[2] In 2006, it purchased Knight Ridder, which at the time was the second-largest newspaper company in the United States (Gannett was and remains the largest). In addition to its daily newspapers, McClatchy also operates several websites and community papers.
- The company originated with The Sacramento Bee, which was first published on February 3, 1857 after the California Gold Rush. James McClatchy took over as editor of the Bee within a week.
- For most of its history, the company was focused on the newspaper business in California's Sacramento Valley and San Joaquin Valley. It acquired its first out-of-state newspapers in 1979 and through numerous subsequent acquisitions has grown into a nationwide company in the US. In its first moves outside its home state, McClatchy bought the Anchorage Daily News in Anchorage, Alaska, and the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Washington.
- McClatchy acquired then-ABC-affiliate KOVR from Metromedia in 1963. The company's own Modesto Bee reported the sale of the station.[3] It was sold to The Outlet Company in 1978 and today exists as a CBSowned-and-operated station.
- In 1990, McClatchy acquired three dailies in South Carolina: The Herald in Rock Hill, The Island Packet in Hilton Head, and The Beaufort Gazette of Beaufort. In 1995, it acquired The News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, and in 1998, it bought the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.
- In January 2004, McClatchy bought the Merced Sun-Star of Merced, and five affiliated non-dailies in California's San Joaquin Valley.
- The company's biggest acquisition occurred on June 27, 2006 when McClatchy purchased Knight Ridder. Because McClatchy was so much smaller than Knight Ridder at the time, one observer equated the deal as "a dolphin swallowing a small whale."[4] The purchase price of $40 and 0.5118 shares of McClatchy Class A stock per share was valued in total at about $4 billion in cash and stock. The company also assumed $2 billion in debt. This purchase added 20 newspapers to the company stable and the immediate sale (over the next five weeks) of 12 publications including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Those sales were completed on Aug. 2, 2006
- In July 2008, McClatchy sold the company's digital advertising network, "Real Cities" to a Chicago-based marketing firm named Centro. The "Real Cities" network was liquidated by Centro the following month.
- The Minneapolis-St. PaulStar Tribune, acquired in 1998 and sold in 2007 to private-equity firm Avista Capital Partners for $555 million, had the highest circulation of all McClatchy newspapers.
- The company also owns a portfolio of digital assets, including 16.0% of CareerBuilder, LLC, which operates CareerBuilder.com; 25.6% of Classified Ventures, LLC, a company that offers classified websites, such as the auto website Cars.com and the rental site Apartments.com; and 33.3% of HomeFinder, LLC, which operates the online real estate website HomeFinder.com. McClatchy also owns 49.5% of the voting stock and 70.6% of the nonvoting stock of The Seattle Times Company.
- Company infrastructureEditAs of 2008, the company had about 14,000 employees. The company has two classes of stock, allowing the founding McClatchy family to retain control. In the Knight Ridder purchase, for example, McClatchy shareholders did not need to act in approving the purchase because the family had already voted their shares in favor.
- Editor and Publisher reported in October 2006 that McClatchy revenue ending August 2006 was down over one percent from August 2005. Between the announced purchase of Knight Ridder in March 2006 and late 2009, the stock value of McClatchy (MNI) declined significantly.[5] On December 18, 2008, McClatchy common stock fell below $1 per share. The market capitalization of the company fell below $100 million, down over 98% since the purchase of Knight Ridder in early 2006.[6] In 2010-2011 the stock has recovered off of its low, but is still down over 90% from the peak.
- McClatchy has an Internet subsidiary, McClatchy Interactive (formerly known as Nando Media), which provides business support and material for Internet media (part of the News & Observer purchase). Other operations include Newsprint Ventures Inc., a consortium that operates the Ponderay newsprint mill near Spokane, Washington.
- McClatchy also inherited a partnership with the Tribune Company in the news service Knight Ridder-Tribune Information Services, now McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), when it acquired Knight Ridder.[7]
- I. F. Stone MedalEditIn 2008, McClatchy's bureau chief in Washington, D.C., John Walcott, was the first recipient of the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence, awarded by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism.[8] In accepting the award, Walcott commented on McClatchy's reporting during the period preceding the Iraq War:
- Why, in a nutshell, was our reporting different from so much other reporting? One important reason was that we sought out the dissidents, and we listened to them, instead of serving as stenographers to high-ranking [Bush administration] officials and Iraqi exiles.[8]
- McClatchy journalists have also won dozens of Pulitzer prizes over many decades.
- CriticismEditOn 04 August 2013, McClatchy Newspapers, citing anonymous sources, reported on conversations between Ayman al-Zawahri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as the head of Al Qaeda, and Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the head of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, discussing an imminent terrorist attack. Two days before that, The New York Times agreed to withhold the identities of the Qaeda leaders after senior American intelligence officials said the information could jeopardize their operations. Government analysts and senior officials said the impact of this disclosure caused more immediate damage to American counterterrorism efforts than the thousands of classified documents disclosed by Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor due to a sharp drop in the terrorists' use of a major communications channel that the authorities were monitoring. Since then, senior American officials have scrambled to find new ways to surveil the electronic messages and conversations of Al Qaeda's leaders and operatives.[9]
- Anchorage Daily News (Anchorage, Alaska) '' acquired 1979The Beaufort Gazette (Beaufort, South Carolina) '' acquired 1990Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Illinois) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Washington) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseCentre Daily Times (State College, Pennsylvania) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseLedger-Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Fresno Bee (Fresno, California) '' founded 1922 by McClatchy family membersThe Herald (Bradenton) (Bradenton, Florida) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Herald (Rock Hill) (Rock Hill, South Carolina) '' acquired 1990The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Island Packet (Hilton Head, South Carolina) '' acquired 1990The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseLexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseMerced Sun-Star (Merced, California) '' acquired 2004The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Modesto Bee (Modesto, California) '' acquired 1924The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina) '' acquired 1995El Nuevo Herald (Miami, Florida) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Olathe News (Olathe, Kansas) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchase (twice-weekly publication as of April 2008)The Olympian (Olympia, Washington) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) '' founded 1857, original paperFort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe State (Columbia, South Carolina) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseSun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseSun News (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington) '' acquired 1986The Telegraph (Macon) (Macon, Georgia) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseThe San Luis Obispo Tribune (San Luis Obispo, California) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseTri-City Herald (Kennewick, Washington) '' acquired 1979Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas) '' acquired 2006 in Knight Ridder purchaseDailies acquired in Knight Ridder purchase and soldEditAberdeen American News (Aberdeen, South Dakota) (Completed June 27, 2006)Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)The Herald (Monterey, California) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, California) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) (Completed June 27, 2006)Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (Completed June 29, 2006)The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (Completed June 29, 2006)Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, California) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minnesota) (Completed June 27, 2006)Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, North Dakota) (Completed June 27, 2006)Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) (Completed Aug. 2, 2006)ReferencesEditLast modified on 26 February 2014, at 19:14
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- WASHINGTON: Probe: Did the CIA spy on the U.S. Senate? | National Security & Defense | McClatchy DC
- WASHINGTON '-- The CIA Inspector General's Office has asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations of malfeasance at the spy agency in connection with a yet-to-be released Senate Intelligence Committee report into the CIA's secret detention and interrogation program, McClatchy has learned.
- The criminal referral may be related to what several knowledgeable people said was CIA monitoring of computers used by Senate aides to prepare the study. The monitoring may have violated an agreement between the committee and the agency.
- The development marks an unprecedented breakdown in relations between the CIA and its congressional overseers amid an extraordinary closed-door battle over the 6,300-page report on the agency's use of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists held in secret overseas prisons. The report is said to be a searing indictment of the program. The CIA has disputed some of the reports findings.
- White House officials have closely tracked the bitter struggle, a McClatchy investigation has found. But they haven't directly intervened, perhaps because they are embroiled in their own feud with the committee, resisting surrendering top-secret documents that the CIA asserted were covered by executive privilege and sent to the White House.
- McClatchy's findings are based on information found in official documents and provided by people with knowledge of the dispute being fought in the seventh-floor executive offices of the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Va., and the committee's high-security work spaces on Capitol Hill.
- The people who spoke to McClatchy asked not to be identified because the feud involves highly classified matters and carries enormous consequences for congressional oversight over the executive branch.
- The CIA and the committee declined to comment.
- Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, declined to discuss the matter and referred questions to the CIA and the Justice Department.
- In question now is whether any part of the committee's report, which took some four years to compose and cost $40 million, will ever see the light of day.
- The report details how the CIA misled the Bush administration and Congress about the use of interrogation techniques that many experts consider torture, according to public statements by committee members. It also shows, members have said, how the techniques didn't provide the intelligence that led the CIA to the hideout in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was killed in a 2011 raid by Navy SEALs.
- The committee determined earlier this year that the CIA monitored computers '' in possible violation of an agreement against doing so '' that the agency had provided to intelligence committee staff in a secure room at CIA headquarters that the agency insisted they use to review millions of pages of top-secret reports, cables and other documents, according to people with knowledge.
- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, a panel member, apparently was referring to the monitoring when he asked CIA Director John Brennan at a Jan. 29 hearing if provisions of the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act ''apply to the CIA? Seems to me that's a yes or no answer.''
- Brennan replied that he'd have to get back to Wyden after looking into ''what the act actually calls for and it's applicability to CIA's authorities.''
- The law makes it a criminal act for someone to intentionally access a computer without authorization or to go beyond what they're allowed to access.
- People familiar with the issue said it wasn't clear whether the monitoring violated any law or administrative regulations.
- Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., who has led calls for the CIA to allow the release of the report, also appeared to be referring to the monitoring in a letter he sent Tuesday to President Barack Obama.
- ''As you are aware, the CIA has recently taken unprecedented action against the committee in relation to the internal CIA review and I find these actions to be incredibly troubling for the committee's oversight responsibilities and for our democracy,'' Udall wrote. ''It is essential that the committee be able to do its oversight work '' consistent with our constitutional principle of the separation of powers '' without the CIA posing impediments or obstacles as it is today.''
- Udall also called on Obama to strip the CIA of control over how much of the Senate report should be made public. The report remains classified nearly 15 months after the panel approved the document and turned it over to the agency for vetting.
- ''It is my belief that the declassification of the Committee Study is of paramount importance and that decisions about what should or should not be declassified regarding this issue should not be delegated to the CIA, but directly handled by the White House,'' Udall wrote.
- Udall has led a handful of lawmakers in pressing for the release of the report's conclusions, which committee members have publicly said show that the CIA misled the Bush administration and Congress about the intelligence gained from using water-boarding and other interrogation techniques. On Tuesday, Hayden said ''For some time, the White House has made clear to the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that a summary of the findings and conclusions of the final '... report should be declassified, with any appropriate redactions necessary to protect national security.''
- The conflict over the committee's investigation heightened late last year when the committee discovered that a CIA internal review confirming some of the committee's findings had been withheld from Senate investigators.
- In his letter to Obama, Udall said the internal report not only corroborates aspects of the committee's investigation, but ''acknowledges significant mistakes and errors made during the course of the CIA program.''
- ''It is vital that we understand how and why the content of the CIA's internal review contradicts the CIA's official June 27, 2013, response to the Committee,'' he added.
- The agency has downplayed the importance of the document, characterizing it as a compilation of summaries of classified documents, rather than an analytical report.
- CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect date for the hearing at which Sen. Wyden asked CIA director Brennan whether federal computer fraud law applied to the CIA.
- Email: jlanday@mcclatchydc.com; mtaylor@mcclatchydc.com; awatkins@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @jonathanlanday, @marisaataylor, @alimariewatkins
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- The Inverse of Oversight: CIA Spies On Congress - The Intercept
- In the wake of an explosive new allegation that the CIA spied on Senate intelligence committee staffers, one senator felt this morning that he needed to make something clear.
- ''The Senate Intelligence Committee oversees the CIA, not the other way around,'' Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) said in a press release.
- In normal circumstances, that would have been a statement of the obvious. Today, it was more a cry for help.
- McClatchy News Service on Tuesday reported that the CIA's inspector general has asked for a criminal investigation into CIA monitoring of computers used by Senate aides who were investigating the agency's prominent role in the Bush-era torture of detainees.
- Specifically, McClatchy reported: ''The committee determined earlier this year that the CIA monitored computers '' in possible violation of an agreement against doing so '' that the agency had provided to intelligence committee staff in a secure room at CIA headquarters that the agency insisted they use to review millions of pages of top-secret reports, cables and other documents, according to people with knowledge.''
- In a letter to President Obama on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) referred to what he called ''unprecedented action against the Committee in relation to the internal CIA review,'' and described it as ''incredibly troubling for the Committee's oversight responsibilities and for our democracy.''
- The allegation comes on the heels of a fruitless quest by members of the House and Senate to get NSA officials to confirm or deny whether information on phone calls by members of Congress has been swept up in the agency's metadata dragnet. (Since it's so indiscriminate, presumably they have, but the NSA won't say so.)
- The Senate report at the heart of this confrontation took four years to complete, runs 6,000 pages, and was adopted by the committee in December 2012. It is said to be highly critical of both the CIA's role in the torture regime and its public protestations of innocence. But the White House, under ferocious lobbying by the CIA, has refused to declassify it.
- Most recently, controversy has arisen over an internal CIA report that was reportedly critical of the agency's practices, but was withheld from Senate investigators.
- Heinrich, in his statement, complained: ''Since I joined the Committee, the CIA has refused to engage in good faith on the Committee's study of the CIA's detention and interrogation program. Instead, the CIA has consistently tried to cast doubt on the accuracy and quality of this report by publicly making false representations about what is and is not in it.''
- The resistance to oversight about torture mirrors similar problems legislators have experienced when it comes to trying to monitor surveillance programs and other secret activities, with one huge exception: The torture report was championed and endorsed by Senate intelligence committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and other senior members of that committee. By contrast, Feinstein and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) have emerged as the strongest defenders of surveillance activity, leaving the so-far-losing battle for disclosure to be fought by more rebellious legislators.
- The consistent theme is that members of Congress are finding themselves at an ever-increasing disadvantage when it comes to even finding out what intelligence agencies are doing '-- not to mention reining them in.
- More often, the only way members of Congress can pierce the veil of secrecy is through classified briefings. But those briefings are often problematic, some members of Congress say. First, it's too easy for briefers to give them the runaround '-- and then they feel circumscribed in what they can say publicly.
- For those reasons, some members, like Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) generally avoid secret briefings. A Sensenbrenner spokesman recently told MSNBC the congressman ''does not want to be limited by the restraints of confidentiality.''
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said on Tuesday that he felt limited in what he could say in response to documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
- ''We were stuck, because if you're a member of Congress you are not a declassifier and even if something is out there, unless it has been formally declassified, you can be arrested for commenting on or echoing things, even if they're out in the public domain, because now you're confirming it to be true,'' he said.
- The unlikelihood of such a spectacle aside, any member can always go to the floor and say whatever they want. The U.S. Constitution Article 1, Section 6, specifically protects senators and representatives from such repercussions, stating that ''for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.''
- Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) famously respond to Attorney General Eric Holder's contention that senators had been ''fully briefed'' on surveillance programs at a June 2013 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing by saying: '''Fully briefed' doesn't mean that we know what's going on.''
- Here is video of Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) describing the futility of getting information in intelligence briefings for members of Congress at the Cato Institute in October 2013: ''You'll find that it's just a game of 20 questions,'' he said. But ''you don't know what questions to ask'.... You don't have any idea what kind of things are going on.''
- You have to start just spitting out random questions. Does the government have a moon base? Does the government have a talking bear? Does the government have a cyborg army? If you don't know what kind of things the government might have, you just have to guess and it becomes a totally ridiculous game of twenty questions. If you ask something in slightly the wrong way, they will tell you no. They'll say No , we don't do that. Or NO, that agency doesn't do that. Maybe some other agency does it, but they're not going to tell you that'.... Or no, we can't do that under this program, but we can do it under this program.. they don't tell you that information'... but you don't know what the other programs are.
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- US Justice Department protocols include sweeping attacks on press freedom
- By Eric London4 March 2014In an order published by Attorney General Eric Holder on February 27, the Obama administration granted itself unprecedented powers to spy on and prosecute journalists. The new policy announcement directly violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides that ''Congress shall make no law'...abridging the freedom speech, or of the press'...''
- Last year, the administration announced it was preparing a series of ''reforms'' after it was caught wiretapping the phone lines of journalists with the Associated Press. In what has become the standard practice of the administration, however, the banner of ''reform'' has been used to obscure the establishment of the legal foundations for a police state.
- Although the administration presents the new protocols as protective of democratic rights, the content of the order represents a significant escalation in the attack on freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
- As an initial matter, the order is an assertion by the executive branch that it has the power to regulate itself on pressing constitutional matters. Under the separation of powers doctrine, however, the U.S. Constitution proscribes precisely such conduct. If the executive branch has the right to determine for itself the constitutionality of its own actions, then presumably the judicial branch exists simply to rubber stamp the executive's decisions. This implies that there are no limits to efforts by the executive to expand its powers.
- The regulations announced by the administration in themselves amount to an assertion of massive repressive powers. Under the new rules, the power of the attorney general to use ''certain law enforcement tools, including subpoenas, court orders'...and search warrants to seek information from, or records of, non-consenting members of the news media'' is greatly expanded.
- Among the protocols that ostensibly limit the power of the executive branch to rummage through journalists' papers and documents, one regulation stands out. The Department of Justice order standardizes a process of government intimidation through which journalists will be given the opportunity to ''voluntarily'' hand over their communications and notes through what the Department of Justice calls ''negotiations.'' The order sets forth that the government will be allowed to exercise a subpoena or search warrant only after negotiations have taken place.
- The imposition of such a ''negotiation'' requirement has chilling implications for freedom of the press. Under this requirement, officials from the executive branch will visit journalists in their homes and workplaces and bully them into handing over communications and work product under threat of prosecution and subpoena.
- Aside from being forced to break source confidentiality, members of the ''fourth estate'' will now be obliged to carry out their investigations under the constant threat of a phone call or visit from government ''negotiators.'' Journalists will operate under a climate of fear in which only the most courageous will consider making connections with whistleblowers, and only the boldest will work to expose government lies and crimes.
- For the Obama administration, these are not unintended consequences. To the contrary, the administration sees quashing all exposures of government illegality'--such as the revelations of massive government spying by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden'--as a central goal. Fearful of the impact the leaks by Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden have had on the political consciousness of the population, the administration hopes that the imposition of a ''negotiation'' requirement will force journalists to think twice about publishing information that runs counter to the interests of the state.
- Even the supposed restriction on government surveillance and persecution of reporters in the form of the negotiation requirement can be easily evaded. The rule that a negotiation must occur between the government and a journalist before a subpoena or warrant is issued can be overridden if ''the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such negotiations would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.'' This is a loophole wide enough to drive the proverbial truck through.
- The order also carves out a rule of general exception in cases related to ''national security.'' For example, any requirement that the government give notice to journalists before it violates their First and Fourth Amendment (banning unreasonable searches and seizures) rights does not apply where the journalist ''is or is reasonably likely to be'...committing or attempting to commit a crime of terrorism,'' or is ''aiding, abetting, or conspiring in illegal activity'' related to ''terrorism.''
- It should be noted that the criterion defined by the phrase ''reasonably likely'' is extremely loose, giving the government license to spy far beyond the scope of the ''probable cause'' standard spelled out in the Fourth Amendment. The decision to apply this exception, moreover, will be made unilaterally by the executive branch, without any review or sanction from a court of law.
- This exception is clearly intended to apply to journalists such as Assange and Glenn Greenwald, who work with (''aid and abet'') whistleblowers like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden (''criminals'' under the Espionage Act of 1917). In effect, this means that any journalist who helps publish leaked material is engaging in activity that is related to a criminal investigation and therefore forfeits both his or her First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights.
- The order also includes the ''restriction'' that the attorney general himself expressly authorize subpoenas, warrant applications and court-ordered seizures. But this is not a genuine limitation. To the contrary, it is an expansion of the powers of the chief federal law enforcement official.
- Even this requirement is watered down by exceptions. Lower-ranking officials in the Department of Justice will be able to issue subpoenas to journalists and news organizations for ''information unrelated to ordinary newsgathering activities,'' ''for information or records relating to personnel not involved in ordinary newsgathering activities,'' and ''for information related to public comments, messages, or postings by readers, viewers, customers, or subscribers.''
- In other words, journalists can be brought before a court under oath to testify on the content of forum posts made by readers.
- Perhaps the broadest language in the order comes in the section pertaining to the role of the intelligence apparatus in directing the Department of Justice to pursue certain journalists. The attorney general may subpoena members of the news media in ''investigations of unauthorized disclosures of national defense information or of classified information, where the Director of National Intelligence, after consultation with the relevant Department or agency head(s), certifies to the Attorney General the significance of the harm raised by the unauthorized disclosure and that the information disclosed was properly classified and reaffirms the intelligence community's continued support for the investigation and prosecution.''
- In such circumstances, the government need not show probable cause in order to obtain the content of the private communication of a journalist. It need only offer ''specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the contents of a wire or electronic communication, or the records or other information sought, are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation.''
- These unprecedented attacks on press freedom are being carried out by the Obama administration on the basis of the pseudo-legal argument that democratic rights must be ''balanced'' against national security needs.
- The only legal justification provided by the administration throughout the entire order is the assertion that the government must ''strike the proper balance among several vital interests: (1) protecting national security, (2) ensuring public safety, (3) promoting effective law enforcement and the fair administration of justice, and (4) safeguarding the essential role of the free press'...''
- Such a balancing test is unconstitutional on its face. There is no asterisk at the conclusion of the Bill of Rights'--no caveat that ''some restrictions may apply.'' To the contrary, the basic democratic rights of the population were declared ''inalienable'' by the signers of the Declaration of Independence. But these rights find no defenders within the contemporary political and media establishment.
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- Department of Justice Releases Documents on Pen Registers and...
- Department of Justice Releases Documents on Pen Registers and Trap and Trace Applications to the FISC
- On Friday, the Attorney General through the Department of Justice, declassified and released 24 documents that were responsive to a portion of a Freedom of Information Act request by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. These one-page documents, titled ''The Attorney General's Report on the Use of Pen Registers and Trap and Trace Devices under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,'' are reports to the Congressional intelligence and judiciary committees that identify how many applications the U.S. Government filed with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) seeking authorization to use pen registers and/or trap and trace devices, and how many the FISC authorized, during specific time periods. The documents cover the time period from 2001 through 2012.
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence Public Affairs
- Edited 03/04/14 at 5:15 EST '-- An earlier version of this release did not reflect that the Congressional judiciary committees also received the Attorney General's reports. The original statement also indicated a date range for the released documents through 2013. To clarify, while the final document is dated 2013 it reports on numbers from 2012.
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- Federal Register | Policy Regarding Obtaining Information From, or Records of, Members of the News Media; and Regarding Questioning, Arresting, or Charging Members of the News Media
- (a) Statement of principles. (1) Because freedom of the press can be no broader than the freedom of members of the news media to investigate and report the news, the Department's policy is intended to provide protection to members of the news media from certain law enforcement tools, whether criminal or civil, that might unreasonably impair ordinary newsgathering activities. The policy is not intended to extend special protections to members of the news media who are the focus of criminal investigations for conduct not based on, or within the scope of, ordinary newsgathering activities.
- (2) In determining whether to seek information from, or records of, members of the news media, the approach in every instance must be to strike the proper balance among several vital interests: protecting national security, ensuring public safety, promoting effective law enforcement and the fair administration of justice, and safeguarding the essential role of the free press in fostering government accountability and an open society.
- (3) The Department views the use of certain law enforcement tools, including subpoenas, court orders issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) or 3123, and search warrants to seek information from, or records of, non-consenting members of the news media as extraordinary measures, not standard investigatory practices. Subpoenas or court orders issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) or 3123, in particular, may be used, after authorization by the Attorney General, or by another senior official in accordance with the exceptions set forth in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, only to obtain information from, or records of, members of the news media when the information sought is essential to a successful investigation, prosecution, or litigation; after all reasonable alternative attempts have been made to obtain the information from alternative sources; and after negotiations with the affected member of the news media have been pursued, unless the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such negotiations would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.
- (4) When the Attorney General has authorized the use of a subpoena, court order issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) or 3123, or warrant to obtain from a third party communications records or business records of a member of the news media, the affected member of the news media shall be given reasonable and timely notice of the Attorney General's determination before the use of the subpoena, court order, or warrant, unless the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such notice would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.
- (b) Scope.'--(1) Covered individuals and entities. (i) The policy governs the use of certain law enforcement tools to obtain information from, or records of, members of the news media.
- (ii) The protections of the policy do not extend to any individual or entity who is or is reasonably likely to be'--
- (A) A foreign power or agent of a foreign power, as those terms are defined in section 101 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1801);
- (B) A member or affiliate of a foreign terrorist organization designated under section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189(a));
- (C) Designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the Department of the Treasury under Executive Order No. 13224 of September 23, 2001 (66 FR 49079);
- (D) A specially designated terrorist as that term is defined in 31 CFR 595.311 (or any successor thereto);
- (E) A terrorist organization as that term is defined in section 212(a)(3)(B)(vi) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(vi));
- (F) Committing or attempting to commit a crime of terrorism, as that offense is described in 18 U.S.C. 2331(5) or 2332b(g)(5);
- (G) Committing or attempting the crime of providing material support or resources, as that term is defined in 18 U.S.C. 2339A(b)(1), to a terrorist organization; or
- (H) Aiding, abetting, or conspiring in illegal activity with a person or organization described in paragraphs (b)(1)(ii)(A) through (G) of this section.
- (2) Covered law enforcement tools and records. (i) The policy governs the use by law enforcement authorities of subpoenas or, in civil matters, other similar compulsory process such as a civil investigative demand (collectively ''subpoenas'') to obtain information from members of the news media, including documents, testimony, and other materials; and the use by law enforcement authorities of subpoenas, or court orders issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) (''2703(d) order'') or 18 U.S.C. 3123 (''3123 order''), to obtain from third parties ''communications records'' or ''business records'' of members of the news media.
- (ii) The policy also governs applications for warrants to search the premises or property of members of the news media, pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41; or to obtain from third-party ''communication service providers'' the communications records of members of the news media, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(a) and (b).
- (3) Definitions. (i)(A) ''Communications records'' include the contents of electronic communications as well as source and destination information associated with communications, such as email transaction logs and local and long distance telephone connection records, stored or transmitted by a third-party communication service provider with which the member of the news media has a contractual relationship.
- (B) Communications records do not include information described in 18 U.S.C. 2703(c)(2)(A), (B), (D), (E), and (F).
- (ii) A ''communication service provider'' is a provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service as defined, respectively, in 18 U.S.C. 2510(15) and 18 U.S.C. 2711(2).
- (iii)(A) ''Business records'' include records of the activities, including the financial transactions, of a member of the news media related to the coverage, investigation, or reporting of news, which records are generated or maintained by a third party with which the member of the news media has a contractual relationship. Business records are limited to those that could provide information about the newsgathering techniques or sources of a member of the news media.
- (B) Business records do not include records unrelated to ordinary newsgathering activities, such as those related to the purely commercial, financial, administrative, or technical, operations of a news media entity.
- (C) Business records do not include records that are created or maintained either by the government or by a contractor on behalf of the government.
- (c) Issuing subpoenas to members of the news media, or using subpoenas or court orders issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) or 3123 to obtain from third parties communications records or business records of a member of the news media. (1) Except as set forth in paragraph (c)(3) of this section, members of the Department must obtain the authorization of the Attorney General to issue a subpoena to a member of the news media; or to use a subpoena, 2703(d) order, or 3123 order to obtain from a third party communications records or business records of a member of the news media.
- (2) Requests for the authorization of the Attorney General for the issuance of a subpoena to a member of the news media, or to use a subpoena, 2703(d) order, or 3123 order to obtain communications records or business records of a member of the news media, must personally be endorsed by the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter.
- (3) Exceptions to the Attorney General authorization requirement. (i)(A) A United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter may authorize the issuance of a subpoena to a member of the news media (e.g., for documents, video or audio recordings, testimony, or other materials) if the member of the news media expressly agrees to provide the requested information in response to a subpoena. This exception applies, but is not limited, to both published and unpublished materials and aired and unaired recordings.
- (B) In the case of an authorization under paragraph (c)(3)(i)(A) of this section, the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter shall provide notice to the Director of the Criminal Division's Office of Enforcement Operations within 10 business days of the authorization of the issuance of the subpoena.
- (ii) In light of the intent of the policy to protect freedom of the press, ordinary newsgathering activities, and confidential news media sources, authorization of the Attorney General will not be required of members of the Department in the following circumstances:
- (A) To issue subpoenas to news media entities for purely commercial, financial, administrative, technical, or other information unrelated to ordinary newsgathering activities; or for information or records relating to personnel not involved in ordinary newsgathering activities.
- (B) To issue subpoenas to members of the news media for information related to public comments, messages, or postings by readers, viewers, customers, or subscribers, over which the member of the news media does not exercise editorial control prior to publication.
- (C) To use subpoenas to obtain information from, or to use subpoenas, 2703(d) orders, or 3123 orders to obtain communications records or business records of, members of the news media who may be perpetrators or victims of, or witnesses to, crimes or other events, when such status (as a perpetrator, victim, or witness) is not based on, or within the scope of, ordinary newsgathering activities.
- (iii) In the circumstances identified in paragraphs (c)(3)(ii)(A) through (C) of this section, the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter must'--
- (A) Authorize the use of the subpoena or court order;
- (B) Consult with the Criminal Division regarding appropriate review and safeguarding protocols; and
- (C) Provide a copy of the subpoena or court order to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs and to the Director of the Criminal Division's Office of Enforcement Operations within 10 business days of the authorization.
- (4) Considerations for the Attorney General in determining whether to authorize the issuance of a subpoena to a member of the news media. (i)(A) In criminal matters, there should be reasonable grounds to believe, based on public information, or information from non-media sources, that a crime has occurred, and that the information sought is essential to a successful investigation or prosecution. The subpoena should not be used to obtain peripheral, nonessential, or speculative information.
- (B) In civil matters, there should be reasonable grounds to believe, based on public information or information from non-media sources, that the information sought is essential to the successful completion of the investigation or litigation in a case of substantial importance. The subpoena should not be used to obtain peripheral, nonessential, cumulative, or speculative information.
- (ii) The government should have made all reasonable attempts to obtain the information from alternative, non-media sources.
- (iii)(A) The government should have pursued negotiations with the affected member of the news media, unless the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such negotiations would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm. Where the nature of the investigation permits, the government should have explained to the member of the news media the government's needs in a particular investigation or prosecution, as well as its willingness to address the concerns of the member of the news media.
- (B) The obligation to pursue negotiations with the affected member of the news media, unless excused by the Attorney General, is not intended to conflict with the requirement that members of the Department secure authorization from the Attorney General to question a member of the news media as required in paragraph (f)(1) of this section. Accordingly, members of the Department do not need to secure authorization from the Attorney General to pursue negotiations.
- (iv) The proposed subpoena generally should be limited to the verification of published information and to such surrounding circumstances as relate to the accuracy of the published information.
- (v) In investigations of unauthorized disclosures of national defense information or of classified information, where the Director of National Intelligence, after consultation with the relevant Department or agency head(s), certifies to the Attorney General the significance of the harm raised by the unauthorized disclosure and that the information disclosed was properly classified and reaffirms the intelligence community's continued support for the investigation and prosecution, the Attorney General may authorize the Department, in such investigations, to issue subpoenas to members of the news media. The certification will be sought not more than 30 days prior to the submission of the approval request to the Attorney General.
- (vi) Requests should be treated with care to avoid interference with ordinary newsgathering activities or claims of harassment.
- (vii) The proposed subpoena should be narrowly drawn. It should be directed at material and relevant information regarding a limited subject matter, should cover a reasonably limited period of time, should avoid requiring production of a large volume of material, and should give reasonable and timely notice of the demand.
- (5) Considerations for the Attorney General in determining whether to authorize the use of a subpoena, 2703(d) order, or 3123 order to obtain from third parties the communications records or business records of a member of the news media. (i)(A) In criminal matters, there should be reasonable grounds to believe, based on public information, or information from non-media sources, that a crime has been committed, and that the information sought is essential to the successful investigation or prosecution of that crime. The subpoena or court order should not be used to obtain peripheral, nonessential, or speculative information.
- (B) In civil matters, there should be reasonable grounds to believe, based on public information, or information from non-media sources, that the information sought is essential to the successful completion of the investigation or litigation in a case of substantial importance. The subpoena should not be used to obtain peripheral, nonessential, cumulative, or speculative information.
- (ii) The use of a subpoena or court order to obtain from a third party communications records or business records of a member of the news media should be pursued only after the government has made all reasonable attempts to obtain the information from alternative sources.
- (iii)(A) The government should have pursued negotiations with the affected member of the news media, unless the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such negotiations would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.
- (B) The obligation to pursue negotiations with the affected member of the news media, unless excused by the Attorney General, is not intended to conflict with the requirement that members of the Department secure authorization from the Attorney General to question a member of the news media as set forth in paragraph (f)(1) of this section. Accordingly, members of the Department do not need to secure authorization from the Attorney General to pursue negotiations.
- (iv) In investigations of unauthorized disclosures of national defense information or of classified information, where the Director of National Intelligence, after consultation with the relevant Department or agency head(s), certifies to the Attorney General the significance of the harm raised by the unauthorized disclosure and that the information disclosed was properly classified and reaffirms the intelligence community's continued support for the investigation and prosecution, the Attorney General may authorize the Department, in such investigations, to use subpoenas or court orders issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2703(d) or 3123 to obtain communications records or business records of a member of the news media. The certification will be sought not more than 30 days prior to the submission of the approval request to the Attorney General.
- (v) The proposed subpoena or court order should be narrowly drawn. It should be directed at material and relevant information regarding a limited subject matter, should cover a reasonably limited period of time, and should avoid requiring production of a large volume of material.
- (vi) If appropriate, investigators should propose to use search protocols designed to minimize intrusion into potentially protected materials or newsgathering activities unrelated to the investigation, including but not limited to keyword searches (for electronic searches) and filter teams (reviewing teams separate from the prosecution and investigative teams).
- (d) Applying for warrants to search the premises, property, or communications records of members of the news media. (1) Except as set forth in paragraph (d)(4) of this section, members of the Department must obtain the authorization of the Attorney General to apply for a warrant to search the premises, property, or communications records of a member of the news media.
- (2) All requests for authorization of the Attorney General to apply for a warrant to search the premises, property, or communications records of a member of the news media must personally be endorsed by the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter.
- (3) In determining whether to authorize an application for a warrant to search the premises, property, or contents of communications records of a member of the news media, the Attorney General should take into account the considerations identified in paragraph (c)(5) of this section.
- (4) Members of the Department may apply for a warrant to obtain work product materials or other documentary materials of a member of the news media pursuant to the ''suspect exception'' of the Privacy Protection Act (''PPA suspect exception''), 42 U.S.C. 2000aa(a)(1) and (b)(1), only when the member of the news media is a focus of a criminal investigation for conduct not based on, or within the scope of, ordinary newsgathering activities. In such instances, members of the Department must secure authorization from a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
- (5) Members of the Department should not be authorized to apply for a warrant to obtain work product materials or other documentary materials of a member of the news media under the PPA suspect exception, 42 U.S.C. 2000aa(a)(1) (b)(1), if the sole purpose is to further the investigation of a person other than the member of the news media.
- (6) A Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division may authorize, under an applicable PPA exception, an application for a warrant to search the premises, property, or communications records of an individual other than a member of the news media, but who is reasonably believed to have ''a purpose to disseminate to the public a newspaper, book, broadcast, or other similar form of public communication.'' 42 U.S.C. 2000aa(a) and (b).
- (7) In executing a warrant authorized by the Attorney General or by a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division investigators should use search protocols designed to minimize intrusion into potentially protected materials or newsgathering activities unrelated to the investigation, including but not limited to keyword searches (for electronic searches) and filter teams (reviewing teams separate from the prosecution and investigative teams).
- (e) Notice to affected member of the news media. (1)(i) When the Attorney General has authorized the use of a subpoena, court order, or warrant to obtain from a third party communications records or business records of a member of the news media, the affected member of the news media shall be given reasonable and timely notice of the Attorney General's determination before the use of the subpoena, court order, or warrant, unless the Attorney General determines that, for compelling reasons, such notice would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm.
- (ii) The mere possibility that notice to the affected member of the news media, and potential judicial review, might delay the investigation is not, on its own, a compelling reason to delay notice.
- (2) When the Attorney General has authorized the use of a subpoena, court order, or warrant to obtain communications records or business records of a member of the news media, and the affected member of the news media has not been given notice of the Attorney General's determination before the use of the subpoena, court order, or warrant, the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter shall provide to the affected member of the news media notice of the order or warrant as soon as it is determined that such notice will no longer pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm. In any event, such notice shall occur within 45 days of the government's receipt of any return made pursuant to the subpoena, court order, or warrant, except that the Attorney General may authorize delay of notice for an additional 45 days if he or she determines that, for compelling reasons, such notice would pose a clear and substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation, risk grave harm to national security, or present an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm. No further delays may be sought beyond the 90-day period.
- (3) The United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter shall provide to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs and to the Director of the Criminal Division's Office of Enforcement Operations a copy of any notice to be provided to a member of the news media whose communications records or business records were sought or obtained at least 10 business days before such notice is provided to the affected member of the news media, and immediately after such notice is, in fact, provided to the affected member of the news media.
- (f) Questioning members of the news media about, arresting members of the news media for, or charging members of the news media with, criminal conduct they are suspected of having committed in the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of news, or while engaged in the performance of duties undertaken as members of the news media. (1) No member of the Department shall subject a member of the news media to questioning as to any offense that he or she is suspected of having committed in the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of news, or while engaged in the performance of duties undertaken as a member of the news media, without notice to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs and the express authorization of the Attorney General. The government need not view the member of the news media as a subject or target of an investigation, or have the intent to prosecute the member of the news media, to trigger the requirement that the Attorney General must authorize such questioning.
- (2) No member of the Department shall seek a warrant for an arrest, or conduct an arrest, of a member of the news media for any offense that he or she is suspected of having committed in the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of news, or while engaged in the performance of duties undertaken as a member of the news media, without notice to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs and the express authorization of the Attorney General.
- (3) No member of the Department shall present information to a grand jury seeking a bill of indictment, or file an information, against a member of the news media for any offense that he or she is suspected of having committed in the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of news, or while engaged in the performance of duties undertaken as a member of the news media, without notice to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs and the express authorization of the Attorney General.
- (4) In requesting the Attorney General's authorization to question, to arrest or to seek an arrest warrant for, or to present information to a grand jury seeking an indictment or to file an information against, a member of the news media for an offense that he or she is suspected of having committed during the course of, or arising out of, the coverage or investigation of news, or while engaged in the performance of duties undertaken as a member of the news media, a member of the Department shall state all facts necessary for a determination by the Attorney General.
- (g) Exigent circumstances. (1) A Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division may authorize the use of a subpoena or court order, as described in paragraph (c) of this section, or the questioning, arrest, or charging of a member of the news media, as described in paragraph (f) of this section, if he or she determines that the exigent use of such law enforcement tool or technique is necessary to prevent or mitigate an act of terrorism; other acts that are reasonably likely to cause significant and articulable harm to national security; death; kidnapping; substantial bodily harm; conduct that constitutes a specified offense against a minor (for example, as those terms are defined in section 111 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, 42 U.S.C. 16911), or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such a criminal offense; or incapacitation or destruction of critical infrastructure (for example, as defined in section 1016(e) of the USA PATRIOT Act, 42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
- (2) A Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division may authorize an application for a warrant, as described in paragraph (d) of this section, if there is reason to believe that the immediate seizure of the materials at issue is necessary to prevent the death of, or serious bodily injury to, a human being, as provided in 42 U.S.C. 2000aa(a)(2) and (b)(2).
- (3) Within 10 business days of a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division approving a request under paragraph (g) of this section, the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General responsible for the matter shall provide to the Attorney General and to the Director of the Office of Public Affairs a statement containing the information that would have been given in requesting prior authorization.
- (h) Failure to comply with policy. Failure to obtain the prior approval of the Attorney General, as required by this policy, may constitute grounds for an administrative reprimand or other appropriate disciplinary action.
- (i) General provision. This policy is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
- 4.Section 59.3 is revised by adding a new sentence at the end of paragraph (d) to read as follows:
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- Shut Up Slave!
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- Britain's Legoland to shut after extremist threats | Repost - Content Publishing for Your Content Strategy
- Britain's Legoland to shut after extremist threats (via AFP)Legoland in Britain will close its hotel this weekend after far-right extremists made threats against the theme park for agreeing to host a Muslim family fun day. The resort and its hotel had been hired out by a group called the Muslim Research and'...
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- Second Amendment Group to Connecticut: Put Up or Shut Up | National Review Online
- A few days ago, I wrote about the considerable number of Connecticut gun owners who have simply refused to comply with the post-Newtown rules and register their ''assault weapons'' with the state. Connecticut, I observed, has created a ''real problem'' for itself.
- Today, the pro-Second Amendment group, Connecticut Carry, went one stage further, issuing a provocative press release in which it suggested that ''the state does not have the balls to enforce [the new] laws'' and demanded that authoritiespicka course of action: ''It's time,'' the group argues in summation, ''for the State to enforce the tyranny they passed or repeal it entirely'':
- As many media sources have pointed out, there is very little compliance with the new edicts, and there is absolutely no way for the State to know who is obeying the law or not. State officials have made their bluff, and Undersecretary Lawlor has made his position clear, that the State will enforce the laws. We say: Bring it on. The officials of the State of Connecticut have threatened its citizens by fiat. They have roared on paper, but they have violated Principle. Now it's time for the State to man-up: either enforce its edicts or else stand-down and return to the former laws that did not so violently threaten the citizens of this state.
- There is nothing that will so completely destroy faith in those edicts faster than the State-provoked chaos and violence that will be required to enforce the 2013 anti-gun laws. Connecticut residents should not have to live in perpetual fear of ''the jack boot'' coming down on them. Unenforced, frequently repeated threats fall on deaf ears. By passing laws that they cannot or choose not to enforce, State officials tell the public that this State is ignorant, immoral, blind, and impotent in its legal and decision making processes. The passage of such foolishly conceived, insufferable laws is an affront to every law-abiding citizen. Every official who supports such legal foolishness mocks our State and the Constitution they swore to uphold.
- If the state does not have the stomach to enforce these laws, then the legislature has until May 7th, 2014 to completely repeal these immoral edicts and let the residents of Connecticut return to their rightfully owned property and former exercise of constitutional rights and practices without any threat of State violence.
- Harsh as it might sound, this isn't an unreasonable dichotomy. As the Hartford Courant reported at the time, there are now ''enough people in serious violation of Connecticut gun laws to fill a small town at least, a very big town more likely and perhaps as many as live in the state's largest cities.'' The state thus finds itself in a quandary. To enforce the laws more aggressively would, in Connecticut Carry's words, likely ''not survive the public outcry and resistance that would occur'' (really, all it would need is a good story about authorities connecting an individual to a sales record and searching his house '-- or, worse, confiscating a weapon '' and the whole liberty movement would mobilize). On the other hand, authorities had rather banked on their reforms being a success and, having stood before the nation in early 2013 and painted themselves as trailblazers and model-makers, the state's fate is now pretty much inextricable from the wider gun-control movement's success. After all, ifConnecticut gives up, what chance does anywhere else have?
- One to watch, certainly. The full release ishere.
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- Eugenics
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- Planned Parenthood Training School Nurses To Push Sex Ed On Kids As Young As Kindergarten'...
- Who in their right mind thinks Planned Parenthood grooming our kids for sex is a good idea?
- Planned Parenthood's Elokin CaPece is on a global mission'--to make ''sexperts'' of students across the mid-south and send them forth to indoctrinate the world. The University of Memphis campus newspaper, The Daily Helmsman, is hawking ''sexpert'' training at Planned Parenthood, ''offering students the opportunity to become educators and advocates for sexual health and safety on college campuses throughout the MidSouth.''
- CaPece, education director for Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, is quoted in the article: ''I hope sexperts becomes a revolution. . . . That we teach you what you need to know about sex and you go and teach the world.''
- How do these Planned Parenthood trained ''sexperts'' see their mission? ''I just want everyone to do what they want as long as they're safe and to destigmatize the idea that sex is bad or wrong, outside of the context of marriage,'' a senior University of Memphis sexpert graduate says. Her analysis is much more honest and on point than the explanations given by Planned Parenthood.
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- Bullying
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- Basketball Rules That 'De-Emphasize Winning' Disqualify Undefeated Team '-- but Watch What the 10-Year-Old Players Did in Protest | Video | TheBlaze.com
- The Windsor Warriors were on their way.
- The Canadian basketball team of 10-year-olds was powering through the Blessed Sacrament tournament recently, going undefeated and looking forward to an appearance in the championship game.
- Then they got the bad news. They were disqualified.
- An opposing coach noticed the Warriors weren't giving equal playing time to everyone on the squad, among new ''modified rules'' that promote fun and ''de-emphasize winning,'' tournament head John Rocchi told TheSpec in Hamilton, Ontario.
- Image source: The Spectator video screengrab
- But the Warriors didn't take the disqualification lying down Sunday. Their parents reportedly made protest signs out of pizza boxes demanding ''fair play,'' and the players and their families assembled on the court at Cathedral High School and marched in a circle, holding their signs aloft and chanting ''We want gold! We want gold!''
- In the end, the Warriors' protest shut down the tournament '-- the other teams packed up and went home'...and the gold medal game was canceled.
- Rocchi decried the Warriors' apparent breaking of the equal time for all players rule a ''classic case of 'win at all costs.'''
- Anthony Ivanovski, a Warriors player, told TheSpec he and his teammates worked their ''hearts off.''
- ''We've been practicing for this '... then it comes to the big game and we can't even play, even though we won four games in a row '... They had one win all weekend and they get to play?''
- It appears that more than one Warriors team was on hand, which may explain the different colored jerseys. (Image source: The Spectator video)
- Rocchi said the equal time rule is based on the Canadian Sport for Life model for youth athletics. CS4L's ''Learn to Train'' stage for boys aged 9-12 indicates ''a greater amount of time should be spent training and practicing skills than competing.''
- Further the CS4L site links to a CBC News piece titled ''Remove scoreboards from youth sports, group says,'' which quotes Richard Way, project lead for Long-Term Athlete Development with CS4L, who said keeping scores and standings for young children does nothing to build self-esteem and positive sportsmanship.
- ''When we have a little eight, nine-year-old that wants to be creative and take some risks in a game, they're yelled at by parents to pass the ball because it might be a goal against the team and then drop them in the standings,'' Way said, adding that the argument that keeping track of wins and losses builds character in young players is ''laughable.''
- It should be noted that the CS4L model emphasizes winning once athletes get older and look to bigger stages of competition.
- Windsor mom Shantelle Browning-Morgan said the Blessed Sacrament tournament was ''unjust.''
- ''If you set a precedent on Friday night, you should stick to that,'' she told TheSpec.
- ''It is about the children. They are our next generation,'' she added, noting that while the protest hurt the other teams, ''you have to stand up for something when you know it's right. You have to be inconvenient.''
- Image source: The Spectator video
- Local radio host Scott Thompson took the Windsor parents to task, saying they weren't ''giving a rats arse about the majority of the other kids who didn't get to play or even those on their own team who were denied equal time'...To those parents of the Windsor Warriors, shame on you!''
- Rocchi also said an email from Basketball Ontario was sent in December clarifying the rules in question; Windsor said it didn't get that message '-- and Rocchi noted he hadn't seen it before last weekend'...but rules had to be honored.
- Regarding the Windsor players and parents, Rocchi said he ''feels for them'' but that the protest wasn't necessary.
- ''You're getting five games, a T-shirt and a medal,'' Rocchi told TheSpec. ''Who cares what color the medal is?''
- In the below YouTube clip and photos, it appears that the more than one Warriors team was on hand, which may explain the different colored jerseys:
- This story has been updated.
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- EUROLand
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- Politie alert op dreiging landelijke acties - AD.nl
- Politie alert op dreiging landelijke acties - AD.nl
- bewaarDoor: redactie6-3-14 - 09:26 bron: ANPPlatform Landelijke Demonstratie wil de boel platleggenArchieffoto (C) anp.De politie beraadt zich op voor morgen aangekondigde acties en demonstraties door het hele land. 'We verzamelen informatie en bekijken of speciale maatregelen nodig zijn', aldus een woordvoerder. Ook is een zogenoemde veiligheidsstaf voor grootschalig en bijzonder optreden.
- Het platform Landelijke Demonstratie 2013 wil met acties door het hele land morgen de boel platleggen. Op de site van de initiatiefnemers stonden donderdag al ruim 30 acties en demonstraties aangekondigd. De club roept via sociale media op te demonstreren tegen allerlei bezuinigingen. De politiewoordvoerder zegt dat er contacten zijn met de initiatiefnemers.
- Bij een aantal demonstraties zouden vrachtwagenchauffeurs op snelwegen in actie komen. De acties hebben motto's als: Nijmegen is het zat, Friesland 7 maart alles plat, West Brabant in opstand en Strijders voor Nederland. Ook op de Dam in Amsterdam wordt gedemonstreerd.
- De groep is opgericht door mensen die tegen het regeringsbeleid zijn, maar ook tegen de EU. Ze stelt niet politiek gekleurd te zijn. Op de website, die is bedoeld om demonstraties en acties te ondersteunen en voor te bereiden, staan regels. Zo mogen geen wegen en kruispunten worden geblokkeerd, en moet de demonstratielocatie na gebruik netjes worden opgeruimd.
- SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVERENRapporteer een fout in het artikel aan onze redactieMeer overgerelateerd nieuwsMeer over(C) 2014 De Persgroep Digital. Alle rechten voorbehouden.Lees de gebruiksvoorwaarden. - Privacy
- Volg het nieuws op onze zustersite in Belgi www.hln.be.
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- Rome at risk of Detroit-style bankruptcy
- By Marc Wells4 March 2014The newly appointed, unelected government of Democrat prime minister Matteo Renzi has approved a decree last Friday, the so-called Salva-Roma ter (Rescue Rome 3), which provides a temporary relief of '¬570 million (US$786 million) for Italy's capital in the form of an advance on future revenues on the backdrop of a budget hole worth '¬816 million (US$1.12 billion). Additional tax increases on basic services are left to the city council's discretion.
- The rescue decree temporarily staves off the city' s bankruptcy, allowing it to briefly continue its operations and pay salaries to some 25,000 employees. Comparisons with Detroit have become common in the last few days. The day before the decree passed, the Wall Street Journal commented, ''The Eternal City [is] now teetering on the brink of a Detroit-style bankruptcy.'' International Business Times headlined a column, ''Rome on the Brink as Detroit-Style Bankruptcy Meltdown Looms.''
- The comparisons are certainly apt. Like Detroit's federal bankruptcy proceedings, the decree unequivocally prepares the framework for an unprecedented and devastating assault on public workers and services as well as the potential sell-off of its invaluable assets, while only postponing an even larger crisis and possible default.
- The implications of this savage attack will go well beyond the territorial confines of the city of Rome, serving as an example for the rest of Italy and the European Union (EU). The head of Rome's city council, Mirko Coratti, admitted, ''A default of Italy's capital city would trigger a chain reaction that could sweep across the national economy.''
- Two previous Salva-Roma bills didn't pass'--one in December, one earlier in February'--as the political elite sought to increasingly create a climate of phony emergency that prepared the field for more drastic measures.
- The approved decree specifically sets draconian conditions that resemble the diktats imposed by the Troika on Greece last year. Rome's mayor, Ignazio Marino, also a Democrat and a US-trained transplant surgeon, is tasked with presenting a budget plan that would effectively close the financial black hole that's swallowing the city.
- Importantly, the decree imposes a ''reconnaissance of the personnel requirements in the companies'' affiliated to the municipality. The language spells out redundancies, layoffs and speedups. The two major service companies being immediately targeted are Atac, which provides public transportation, and Ama, which ensures waste management services.
- The two companies have been targeted by a relentless campaign of vilification aimed at placing responsibility for the city's budget crisis on them, or, more correctly, on their workers, often portrayed as inefficient, lazy and guilty of absenteeism on the job.
- Under the guise of ''adopting innovative models for service management,'' including ''resorting to liberalization,'' the measure will launch the privatization of crucial social services such as transport and garbage collection.
- Other city services will undergo ''disposal or liquidation,'' with consequent layoffs. Among these, culture is being directly targeted. Zetema, a company operating on about a US$40-million-a-year budget for cultural activities and services, will be downsized, if not shut down.
- Significantly, the diktat threatens Rome's immense historical and cultural heritage, as it establishes terms to sell off some of the city's precious real estate, a move that greatly resembles the sale of art planned for the Detroit Institute of Arts by Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr.
- Since the onset of the 2008 world financial crisis, the city of Rome has been faced with increasing challenges. Its administrators have either sought to find short-term solutions or been involved in shady financial derivative transactions that have further deepened the Eternal City's budgetary crisis.
- Contrary to the common mantra echoed by the servile media that workers as well as inept administrators are the main cause of Rome's budget imbalances, the role of finance capital and derivative schemes is emerging as the main component of the crisis.
- Two years ago, evidence surfaced that many Italian municipalities had acquired derivatives and similar financial instruments, greatly destabilizing public accounts. Rome is no exception. A preliminary investigation by congresswoman Carla Ruocco (Five-Star Movement or M5S, Beppe Grillo's organization) found that in 2008 the city reported losses of '¬147 million from nine derivatives it had contracted.
- In 2012, Special Commissioner Massimo Varazzani had terminated seven out of the nine. His office was probed by the inquiry and rejected on two occasions any release of information, considering the inquiry ''an inadmissible monitoring on the administration's performance.'' The language shows a striking contempt for democratic rule.
- It must be noted, Carla Ruocco's intention is to corroborate her party's position that the city's finances must not be rescued, since any such maneuver would only protect ''the caste,'' referring to the political elite. In particular, M5S focuses on various privileges, such as the so-called golden rents and other perks enjoyed by politicians.
- While M5S presents itself as a champion against corruption, the true aim of its policies is to throw 25,000 workers into misery. Grillo's group continues to campaign in favor of cutting ''waste'' and for the abolition of local municipalities and provinces, thereby wiping tens of thousands of jobs considered by Grillo to be ''parasitic'' (see ''The political significance of Beppe Grillo's Five-Star Movement'').
- But workers have no friends whatsoever in the political establishment. Renzi's undemocratic nomination has enjoyed the support of trade unions and the entire pseudo-left.
- Fully aware of Renzi's destructive Jobs Act, a policy that will effectively obliterate basic workers' rights such as a contract, benefits and salary protection, the ex-Stalinist CGIL president Susanna Camusso confirmed her support for a recent agreement with Confindustria, the industrialists' association, which essentially provides sanctions against workers not complying with regressive clauses such as the avoidance of strikes.
- Every organization of the pseudo-left supports trade unions and their open collaboration with governments and bosses. What remains of Franco Turigliatto's Anti-Capitalist Left, a Pabloite conglomerate of political opportunists, acknowledges the betrayals of unions like CGIL. It nonetheless maintains that workers must form a ''united front'' with all those forces of the ''left,'' from within the very union that is proving instrumental in every attack against them.
- Left, Ecology and Liberty's (SEL's) leader Nichi Vendola is more blatant in his zig-zags. Until about the time Renzi took power, Vendola had been one of his staunchest supporters, declaring, ''A turn is needed with Renzi's Democratic Party,'' or ''Renzi has broken all old patterns,'' or even ''With Renzi we must work to build an alternative coalition.'' Then, in an attempt to fake a leftist posture, Vendola's party voted no confidence to Renzi's government on February 24-25.
- Rifondazione Comunista (PRC) poses as a defender of Rome against privatizations and layoffs on the basis of Renzi's decree. In reality, the party is openly negotiating with the prime minister. PRC's local administrators Maurizio Acerbo and Francesco Marola signed an appeal supporting Renzi's ''intervening in this [public education] emergency which is a product of the disproportionate cuts voted by his party.'' In other words, they agree on the need to cut social programs.
- Roman and Italian workers must assimilate the lessons of their brothers and sisters in Detroit. The SEP-sponsored Detroit Inquiry must serve as the opening shot for a political international mobilization against any and all agents of capital.
- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
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- Kale
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- Onverwacht: 'superfoods' blijken smerige hoax
- Als u een hip persoon in uw naaste omgeving heeft, dan heeft u de term 'superfoods' vast al eens gehoord. Zo niet: superfoods eten betekent knagen op bessen en zaden en dan denken dat je het verouderingsproces vertraagt of kanker voorkomt. Oftewel, duur smerig eten dat middels marketingspeak verkocht wordt als heilzaam voor lichaam en geest. Nu de grote verrassing: superfoods bestaan helemaal niet en zijn niet gezonder dan ander voedsel, groetjes, de wetenschap. Gojibessen, gepeld hennepzaad, tarwegras, kokospalmsuiker, chlorellapoeder, gerstegraspoeder en natuurlijk quinoa. U weet wel, dat superproduct waarmee al de hipsters arme Peruaanse armoedzooiers doodvreten. Zo mooi dat al die snobistische 'kijk mij eens dit onbekende zaadje superkracht knabbelen en turbogezond zijn' fucking losers dus blijkbaar al die tijd vooral veel te veel geld hebben betaald voor ontzettend goor voedsel dat niet eens doet wat de marketingmensen beloofden. Ze zijn er allemaal ingetrapt, met hun gezondheidsfobie. Ze zijn zaad gaan knabbelen alsof ze eekhoorns in een bukkakefilm zijn, hebben daar tiefusveel geld voor neergelegd en ze zijn waarschijnlijk slechter af omdat je op ongepeld sesamzaad nu eenmaal minder goed functioneert dan op een gevarieerd dieet. Wij lachen. Net als homeopathie, de islam en de PvdA vinden wij ook dit een schitterende hoax en lachen we ons de ballen uit de broek dat er zoveel mensen tegelijk intrappen. Stelletje achterlijke kuddedieren. En dan gaan we nu met zijn allen Kimberly Klaver uitlachen, die onlangs nog vol trots in een TV-item verkondigde haar interne organen te vernachelen met superfoods. Na de break!
- Johnny Quid | 06-03-14 | 13:54 | Link | Reageer ookJe bent ingelogd als: (Uitloggen)
- Probeer trouwens eens de totaal officieuze niet-ondersteunde third-party GeenStijl extension die compleet niet door ons ondersteund wordt en volledig op eigen risico is.
- Je bent niet ingelogd, klik hier om dat wel te doen: login of doe een CookieSync.
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- Agenda 21
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- Climate engineering ideas no longer considered pie in the sky - latimes.com
- WASHINGTON '-- As international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stall, schemes to slow global warming using fantastical technologies once dismissed as a sideshow are getting serious consideration in Washington.
- Ships that spew salt into the air to block sunlight. Mirrored satellites designed to bounce solar rays back into space. Massive "reverse" power plants that would suck carbon from the atmosphere. These are among the ideas the National Academy of Sciences has charged a panel of some of the nation's top climate thinkers to investigate. Several agencies requested the inquiry, including the CIA.
- At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Ca±ada Flintridge, scientists are modeling what such technologies might do to weather patterns. At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., a fund created by Microsoft founder Bill Gates '-- an enthusiast of research into climate engineering '-- helps bankroll another such effort.
- "There is a level of seriousness about these strategies that didn't exist a decade ago, when it was considered just a game," said Ken Caldeira, a scientist with the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University, who sits on the National Academy of Sciences panel. "Attitudes have changed dramatically."
- Even as the research moves forward, many scientists and government officials worry about the risks of massive climate-control contraptions.
- Some fear the potential for error in tampering with the world's thermostat. Get it wrong, they say, and the consequences could be disastrous.
- Many also say the public could develop a false hope that geo-engineering schemes alone could halt climate change. That, they worry, would undermine already tenuous support for efforts to seriously reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to warming the climate.
- Even so, once-skeptical federal officials and scientists at major research institutions including Stanford, Harvard and Caltech have decided that ignoring these largely untested technologies also poses dangers.
- "There has been so little movement globally and, particularly, nationally toward mitigation of climate change that we're in a situation where we need to know what the prospects are for this," said Marcia McNutt, a former director of the U.S. Geological Survey, who is chairwoman of the National Academy of Sciences panel.
- "Whether we wind up using these technologies, or someone else does and we suddenly find ourselves in a geo-engineered world, we have to better understand the impacts and the consequences," she said.
- Agencies are struggling to analyze the possibilities of weather control and how it might be policed. In November, the Congressional Research Service advised lawmakers to pay attention to the issue, saying "these new technologies may become available to foreign governments and entities in the private sector to use unilaterally '-- without authorization from the United States government or an international treaty."
- That already happened to a limited extent in mid-2012 when a California businessman, Russ George, dumped 200,000 pounds of iron-rich dust off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, in an effort '-- many say publicity stunt '-- aimed at spurring a massive plankton bloom.
- The theory of ocean fertilization holds that more plankton would increase the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. George's test did appear to cause more plankton to bloom, but it is unclear whether it had any effect on carbon dioxide levels in the air.
- That same year, British scientists canceled plans to test the effect that spraying liquids at high altitude would have on sunlight. The proposed small-scale test involved launching a balloon high above the sea and spraying what would have amounted to a couple of bathtubs of water into the atmosphere. In theory, that would mimic the cooling effect that occurs when ash from a volcanic eruption blocks sunlight.
- The experiment was grounded amid a heated dispute, which continues today, over whether field tests should be taking place at all in the absence of international rules guiding how to go about them. Some prominent climate experts have argued that the technology the British scientists were testing, were it ever to be used on a large scale, could exacerbate extreme drought and flooding in parts of the world.
- "We need to consider whether we have the right legal architecture in place to make sure bad things don't happen," said Harvard law professor Jody Freeman, a former White House counselor for energy and climate change. "It is important we have some control and society is engaged in the risks."
- The technologies being proposed are numerous, and often odd.
- "I have seen all kinds of proposals," said James Fleming, author of "Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control" and a member of the National Academy geo-engineering committee.
- "There is a crazy new one in my email every week," he said. "There are a lot of Rube Goldbergs out there, and some Dr. Strangeloves."
- Of the technologies being considered, those that would remove carbon tend to be less controversial. Riley Duren, chief systems engineer for Earth science and technology at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, estimates, for example, that counteracting today's emissions would require about 30,000 of what he calls reverse power plants: enormous steel structures developed by a start-up in Calgary, Canada, that would use fans to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
- The bids to redirect sunlight are much more economical and could be deployed more quickly. They also carry much more risk, the congressional research study warns.
- Proposals in that category include efforts at cloud whitening, in which planes or ships would shoot particles of sea salt into the sky, stimulating the formation of brighter clouds that would reflect sunlight. Other proposals would inject sulfates into the atmosphere to absorb heat, or bounce solar radiation back into space.
- In addition to the danger of exacerbating drought, the congressional report warns, if such contraptions malfunctioned or were otherwise shut down, the climate could rapidly warm, "leaving little time for humans or nature to adapt."
- The authors echo the concerns of many scientists that small changes in climate over the history of Earth have been known to have severe consequences.
- Much of the momentum behind geo-engineering comes from an organization Gates created with Caldeira and Harvard professor David Keith. The two scientists have been getting $1.3 million annually from Gates to fund their research, as well as to distribute to other projects, such as the modeling being done at Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Caldeira said. They also hold cram sessions for the billionaire a few times each year on climate and energy issues, including geo-engineering.
- Caldeira and Keith hope the National Academy effort will open the way for government-sponsored field tests. But McNutt cautions that may not happen.
- John Latham won't be staying idle waiting for the government to resolve that debate. A senior research scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., Latham is confident that he and his partners have developed a viable contraption.
- Their cloud-brightening scheme would involve ships at sea unleashing a spray of salt particles. It would use nozzles designed by Armand Neukermans, a physicist who helped invent the inkjet printer while at Hewlett-Packard.
- As recently as last year, the group had little hope of securing enough money to test the contraption outside the lab, Latham said. But as the buzz around geo-engineering has intensified, some wealthy individuals have stepped forward with about $1 million needed for a small-scale trial.
- Latham anticipates that within two or three years he will be conducting a government-sanctioned field test over thousands of acres of ocean.
- "People are getting more and more desperate about climate change," he said. "I think it is quite probable we will get the OK to do this."
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- Facebook has the same market cap as Bank of America.
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- Cabin fever: Are tiny houses the new American dream? | Grist
- Tiny houses have seemingly taken over the landscape of aspirational real estate, and not just for the green-minded. When it comes to choosing a compact cottage of one's own, tiny house fetishists need only adopt the guiding principle of sage philosopher Ludacris: What's your fantasy?
- Ranging from impossibly twee to space-age minimalist, with rustic cabins in snow-covered woods lying somewhere in between, there's seemingly no limit of miniature dwellings to fill the Pinterests of a growing audience. The prolific Tiny House Swoon website, for example, offers pages upon pages of shelter porn for those who dream of downsizing: a fairy-tale treehouse in Germany; a stark West Virginia cabin built entirely of recycled materials; and a transparent cube unit in Switzerland that may as well have been abandoned by an extremely adorable Martian.
- What's the appeal of a home the size of a toolshed? You can't scroll through a page of design sites such as Inhabitat and Dwell without hitting at least one. Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger, launched LifeEdited, an online publication about downsized living inspired by his own 420 square-foot apartment, in 2010. Outside of niche publications, tiny houses been featured in The New York Times, The Independent, and even Fox News '' and that's just in the past two months. Is all this hype a real push toward more sustainable lifestyles, or is it just a manifestation of widespread preoccupation with cuteness?
- I spoke with Sally Augustin, an environmental psychologist based in Chicago and founder of design consultancy Design with Science. I asked her about how our most primitive instincts can cause this fascination with pocket-sized homes.
- ''If you go back to [prehistoric times], when we didn't have all the tools and such that we have now, certain types of environments were really desirable to us,'' she says. ''They'd be places where we were protected, felt secure, but we could survey the world around us easily '-- think of the mouth of a cave in a hill, with a view out over the valley. I think a lot of tiny homes have that sort of arrangement, and so appeal to us at a really fundamental level, psychologically.''
- She has a point. The most titillating tiny house photographs tend to feature a lone structure perched on a cliff over the ocean, nestled in a mountainside, or presiding over a vast prairie. But what about the more pragmatic placements of tiny houses '-- in cities, for example '-- where a million-dollar view isn't an option? What's the appeal there?
- ''Small spaces give you a lot of control over the experience you have there,'' says Augustin. ''You can be certain that you'll have control over all the different sensory experiences, and you can also really personalize a small space so it sends exactly the right messages about who you are and what you value about yourself. McMansions, on the other hand '-- nothing is very distinctive [about them.]''
- Without even taking the environmental or economic benefits into account, tiny houses appeal to both our most primitive instincts and our desire to be unique snowflakes '-- a pretty enticing combination.
- And those benefits are certainly real. It's logical that a small house would use fewer resources than a large one, but the size of that margin hasn't been extensively measured. However, a 2010 study of small homes by the Oregon Department of Environmental Equality (DEQ) '-- and one would expect nothing less from the Most Delightfully Offbeat State in the Union '-- found that among 30 different green construction practices, reducing house size had the greatest environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas reduction. According to the DEQ, a 50 percent reduction in a house's square footage corresponds to a 36 percent reduction in carbon emissions over its lifetime.
- In this study, a ''small'' house was defined as one measuring 1,630 square feet, and ''extra-small'' as 1,150 square feet. The prototypical tiny house tends to range from 120 to 500 square feet.
- Ryan Mitchell, founder of The Tiny Life website, did some investigation into the financial advantages of tiny houses by surveying 120,000 tiny house owners. Mitchell found that the average cost of an owner-built tiny house is $23,000 '-- one-twentieth of the average cost of a house in the United States, with mortgage interest included. And for 68 percent of tiny house dwellers, mortgages aren't even a concern.
- I spoke with Nithya Priyan, 39, and Ally Muller, 29, who just finished construction of their own tiny house in Chico, Calif. Nithya works as an architect, and Muller, as a yoga instructor. Even on the spectrum of tiny houses, theirs is small, measuring just 120 square feet. The couple has lived in the house for about six months now, five of which were spent ''camping'' in the unfinished structure, which Muller readily acknowledges was a horrible idea. But now that it's fully functional: ''I love it,'' she gushes. ''I was shocked '-- I had my reservations, to be honest, but I absolutely love it.''
- Muller and Nithya in their self-built, 120 square foot ''micro-homestead.''The couple decided to go tiny because it enabled them to live simply, sustainably, and completely within their means. With no construction experience at all, they designed and built the house for just $8,500 on one-tenth of an acre. Their living costs in utilities have also drastically decreased '-- the unit is powered only by a 30-amp, 240-volt electrical supply, uses a 19-gallon water heater, and was kept warm entirely by the couple's body heat this winter. Sexy!
- Nithya's interest in tiny living began when he was an architecture student in his native Singapore: ''My thesis project was on housing in repurposed cargo containers. I always had this strong interest in living in unconventional spaces '... [and in] the whole idea of not having unnecessary stuff.''
- While talking to Nithya and Muller about their lifestyle, the conversation keeps coming back to the idea of designing a living space for humans, instead of '-- in the words of George Carlin '-- as a ''place to put our stuff.'' And sure enough, the great appeal of their ''micro-homestead,'' as they call it, is that it fits them perfectly.
- ''It feels less about cramming ourselves into it, and more about it fitting us like a glove,'' says Nithya.
- ''Tailor-made!'' Muller adds.
- And for them, there's no going back. They tell me that they're committed to ''simple living'' from here on out. Their future plans for the property include growing their own food, harvesting rainwater, and raising chickens.
- Cherae Stone of Tahlequah, Okla., population 16,000, moved into her tiny house in October of last year, and is similarly enamored. Stone, 54, is a massage therapist and holistic health specialist. In 2008, she endured a series of great challenges: She lost her job, then her retirement savings, and then her father, and to top it all off, broke her arm, leaving her unable to work for months.
- ''I was kind of in a daze at the time,'' she says. ''You follow the rules, you do what you're supposed to in America, and you think everything is going to be OK.''
- Stone's plan, initially, was to move out of the 2,000 square-foot home in which she'd raised her family and purchase a large, 150-year-old (read: high-maintenance) house in Tahlequah. With her children grown and moved away, her savings depleted, and apprehensive about going back into debt, she began to reconsider the purchase:
- ''I had to decide, 'Do I want to put X amount of dollars [that I made from selling my house] into this property, and then work my butt off every day from sun-up to sundown to keep it repaired, or do I want to take this money and have something built to fit me?'''
- While exploring her options, Stone found some images of tiny houses online, and instantly fell in love. ''Have you seen the Tiny Texas Houses?'' she asks me. ''Oh, my gosh. They are works of art!''
- She abandoned her plan to buy the 150-year-old house, and instead put the money from her property sale toward a lot on the Illinois River. She calls the area ''beautiful,'' adding, ''it's the place everyone wants to live if they're from here.'' Then, she commissioned a 240 square-foot house from Scott Stewart of Slabtown Customs in Mountain View, Ark. Stone and Stewart worked together on the design and used Arkansas pine and corrugated tin as base materials. The house took about six months to construct.
- Cherae Stone's 240 square-foot house, made of Arkansas pine and corrugated tin, took just six months to construct.Was environmental impact a factor in Stone's decision? ''Absolutely,'' she says. And since she's moved into the house, she's been paying a lot more attention to the sustainability and healthiness of her lifestyle. But another, equally significant factor was the idea of a simple, baggage-free lifestyle.
- Stone tells me that I would not believe the amount of stuff that she's gotten rid of since downsizing. ''The hardest thing has been the books '-- that's an ongoing process,'' she says. ''But [even now], I've still got every single thing I need.''
- She's also reacting to the American culture of ''buy more.'' ''In the United States, we very often are defined '-- and we define ourselves, as well '-- by what we do for a living, and what we own. 'This is what I do, this is what I have.' But that doesn't fit my way of being in the world. It doesn't make sense in the long term, for any of us. It's not healthy.''
- By opting for small and simple over large and lavish, are Stone, Nithya, and Muller living the new dream? In today's economic climate, a culture of excess seems increasingly ridiculous, and more and more people are beginning to question a lifestyle facilitated by debt. In talking to tiny house enthusiasts, I hear a number of themes repeated: affordability, simplicity, living within one's means. There's an intent focus on unburdening oneself from material possessions, and fixating on things besides money. These may sound like radical ideas, the soapbox declarations of crazed anarchists or hippies, but the people who are espousing them are intelligent, educated, and, for all practical purposes, quite normal.
- I must admit: I hear these ideas more loudly and with more enthusiasm than ''I want to save the planet!'' But that motivation is still very much present, and there's no question that shrinking one's ecological footprint is a significant reality for anyone who's downsized their lifestyle. And that just might be the big hope for greater environmental consciousness: that it will sneak in on the heels of a desire for a more affordable, simplified lifestyle.
- Check back with us in the coming weeks, as we explore the tiny house movement and the future of miniature communities.
- Eve Andrews is a Grist fellow and new Seattle transplant via the mean streets of Chicago, Poughkeepsie, and Pittsburgh, respectively and in order of meanness. Follow her on Twitter.
- Find this article interesting?Donate now to support our work.
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- Common Core's Little Green Soldiers - Climate Change Dispatch
- Written by Mary Grabar, Right Side News on March 04 2014.
- Remember the children singing praise songs to Obama back in 2008? Remember young teenage boys marching in formation and shouting out thanks to Obama for their promising futures?
- The appointment of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education initially was seen as a savvy bipartisan move. But under his watch the Department of Education has become a propaganda arm used to influence the next generation to accept the idea of catastrophic man-made climate change as per the UN, the Environmental Protection Agency, and such groups as the National Wildlife Federation.
- In a multi-pronged approach, the Department is teaming up with various non-profit and government organizations and curriculum companies to promote ''fun'' contests and activities for students, while promoting the next phase of Common Core ''State Standards'''--in science.
- For example, the Department's latest Green Strides newsletter (February 28) announced three contests for K-12 students who display their agreement with the government's position on climate change.
- In that newsletter, the Department of Education announced that another federal agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its National Environmental Education Foundation, have ''launched an exciting video challenge for middle school students called Climate Change in Focus.'' In this contest, middle school students are asked to make a video that ''expresses why they care about climate change and what they are doing to reduce emissions or to prepare for its impacts.'' To win loyalty to the EPA, it is announced that winning videos will be highlighted on the EPA website. The effort sounds like the kids' cereal box promotions of yore: the top three entries will receive ''cool prizes like a solar charging backpack,'' winning class projects will receive special recognition for their school, and the first 100 entrants will receive a year's subscription to National Geographic Kids Magazine.
- Another contest, National Wildlife Federation's Young Reporters for the Environment, invites students ''between the ages of 13-21 to report on an environmental issue in their community in an article, photo or photo essay, or short video.'' Entries should ''reflect firsthand investigation of topics related to the environment and sustainability in the students' own communities, draw connections between local and global perspectives, and propose solutions.''
- Students are also encouraged to make nominations for ''Champions of the Earth,'' a ''UN-sponsored award for environment, Green Economy, and sustainability.'' Among the 2013 laureates are Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, who orchestrated a public-private biosphere reserve status for a region in Mexico, and Brian McLendon, of Google Earth.
- Students already get exposed to climate change and sustainability in textbooks which are bought with taxpayer funds, as well as in videos and online materials produced by taxpayer-supported Public Broadcasting. Many students, of course, have had to sit through Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.
- Quite obviously, a middle school student does not have the necessary scientific knowledge to make videos about climate change'--a particularly challenging scientific problem.
- The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)'--the next phase of Common Core'--will make the situation worse, however. Students will be even less capable of distinguishing science from propaganda. These standards, like those for math and English Language Arts, were produced by Achieve, a nonprofit education group started by corporate leaders and some governors.
- As in the standards for English Language Arts and math, the NGSS are intended to be transformative, or as Appendix A states, ''to reflect a new vision for American science education.'' They call for new ''performance expectations'' that ''focus on understanding and applications as opposed to memorization of facts devoid of context.''
- It is precisely such short shrift to knowledge (dismissively referred to as ''memorization'') to which science professors Lawrence S. Lerner and Paul Gross object. The standards bypass essential math skills in favor of ''process,'' they asserted last fall at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation blog.
- Common Core standards, in all disciplines, are written with a lot of fluff to conceal their emptiness.
- Lerner and Gross discovered ''inconsistency between strong NGSS (and Appendix C) assertions and what was actually found by the mathematicians, among others, of our reviewing group.''
- (The Common Core math standards themselves have garnered much criticism among teachers, parents, and students; focusing so much on ''process,'' they make simple problems bizarrely confusing, as a collection of examples illustrates.)
- Lerner and Gross condemn the ''Slighting of mathematics,'' which does ''increasing mischief as grade level rises, especially in the physical sciences.'' Physics is ''effectively absent'' at the high school level.
- ''Several devout declarations'' appear, however, the authors sardonically point out, as they note this one from Appendix C:
- In particular, the best science education seems to be one based on integrating rigorous content with the practices that scientists and engineers routinely use in their work'--including application of mathematics.
- Lerner and Gross attack the ''practices'' strategy, as an extension of the ''inquiry learning'' of the early 1990s, which had ''no notable effect on the (mediocre) performance of American students in national and international science assessments.''
- With some sarcasm, they write, ''It is charming to say '. . . students learn science effectively when they actively engage in the practices of science.''' However,
- Students will not learn best if they practice science exactly as do real scientists. A firm conclusion in cognitive science contradicts that claim. Beginners don't and can't 'practice' as do experts. The practices of experts exploit prior experience and extensive build-up in long-term memory of scaffolding: facts, procedures, technical know-how, solutions to standard problems in the field, vocabularies'--of knowledge in short.
- Not only do the Next Generation Science Standards shirk the necessary foundations in math and science knowledge, but they explicitly call for including ideological lessons, such as ''Human impacts on Earth systems.'' For grades K-2, students are to understand, ''Things people do can affect the environment but they can make choices to reduce their impact.'' In grades 3 through 5, students will learn ''Societal activities have had major effects on the land, ocean, atmosphere, and even outer space. Societal activities can also help protect Earth's resources and environments.'' This is from part ESS3.C of the NGSS standards.
- ''Human impacts on Earth systems'' are huge topics, when approached legitimately. They present quandaries to scientists at the top levels. Yet NGSS imposes them on kindergartners. The objective, of course, is not teaching legitimate science, but indoctrination.
- Amazingly, ten states have already voluntarily adopted the Standards.
- Such efforts, coordinated by the Department of Education, threaten the future of science itself.
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- "Climate Change in Focus" Student Video Contest | A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change | US EPA
- The National Environmental Education Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are partnering to bring you this climate change student video contest. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a video that is 30-120 seconds long (so 2 minutes maximum) and that answers these two questions:
- Why do you care about climate change?How are you reducing carbon pollution or preparing for the impacts of climate change?Your video should describe how climate change affects you, your family, friends, and community, now or in the future. Be cool! Be creative! Use storytelling or images or shadow puppets or anything that explains the steps you're taking, or could take, to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for a changing climate. Feel free to recruit your friends and make it a group project (one prize will be awarded for each winning entry).
- See below for all of the contest details. For ideas to get you started on your video masterpiece, and a road map to more information, visit the web page Climate Change Facts and Resources: Ideas to Get You Started on Your Video Masterpiece. If you've already reviewed all the details below and have created your video - Apply Now!
- Prizes!The first 100 students who enter will receive a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine1st Place: Solar Charging Backpack...and Your Video featured on EPA's website for all to see!2nd Place: Pulse Jump Rope (generates energy to charge your phone)3rd Place: Soccket Soccer Ball (turns kinetic energy from play into electrical energy that can be used to power small devices)Note about class prizes: Winning videos submitted as part of a school project will also receive special recognition by EPA and NEEF and a plaque for their school.
- *Prizes selected and purchased by the National Environmental Education Foundation.
- Who can enter?The contest is open to U.S. residents who are ages 11 to 14 on or before January 10, 2014. Videos must be created and produced by individuals who meet these criteria.
- Important: In order to enter your video in the contest, we'll need your parent or guardian to fill out an application form and submit a parental consent form (PDF)(3 pp, 199K, About PDF) and your video online (see the next section to learn how).
- Note for Teachers: This video contest would make a great project for your middle-school class. If teachers wish to upload a video on behalf of their students, they must first obtain and submit parental consent forms (PDF)(3 pp, 199K, About PDF) for all students whose names or images appear in the video. This ensures compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and EPA's Children's Privacy Policy.
- How do I get started?Be sure to review the web page Climate Change Facts and Resources: Ideas to Get You Started on Your Video Masterpiece. This page provides key facts, important definitions, questions for exploration, and links to great resources.
- Also check out our list of video-making suggestions (PDF)(2 pp, 310K, About PDF) that every award-winning director should know.
- How do I enter?For students:Read the web page Climate Change Facts and Resources: Ideas to Get You Started on Your Video Masterpiece, do some additional research using the resources listed in it, and then create a video that is 30-120 seconds long and answers the two questions above. Also see our helpful video-making suggestions (PDF)(2 pp, 310K, About PDF).Ask your parent or guardian to read all the information on this Web page carefully to be sure you're eligible to enter and that your video and music are within our guidelines (see our Contest Technical Guidelines). For teachers, please see below.Finally, when you're ready, have your parent or guardian submit your application form and upload your video, . The previous link will take you to the website of our project partner, the National Environmental Education Foundation, who will collect the entries for judging. Once we have the form and video, your parent or guardian will be notified via email that your entry was received.For teachers:Have your middle-school class read the web page Climate Change Facts and Resources: Ideas to Get You Started on Your Video Masterpiece, do some additional research using the resources listed in it, and then create a video that is 30-120 seconds long and answers the two questions above. Also see our helpful video-making suggestions (PDF)(2 pp, 310K, About PDF).Obtain parental consent forms (PDF)(3 pp, 199K, About PDF) for all students whose names or images will appear in the video. (This ensures compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and EPA's Children's Privacy Policy.Make sure the final video meets all the Contest Technical Guidelines.Submit an application form, parental consent forms (PDF)(3 pp, 199K, About PDF), and upload the video at the website of our project partner, NEEF. Please note that videos uploaded without a parental consent form will not be considered for the contest and will be deleted from the system in order to comply with EPA's Children's Privacy Policy.When is the deadline?The deadline for submitting entries has been extended to March 18, 2014 at 3:00 PM (ET). Winners will be announced to the public on this website on or around April 22, 2014. Winners will be notified via email.
- How will the videos be judged?Videos will be judged based on how well you answered the contest questions, your overall creativity, video quality, production, presentation, and the scientific accuracy of your content. If you're really interested in the nitty-gritty details, you can read our official judging criteria form (PDF)(1 pg, 145K, About PDF).
- VideosBelow is a list of technical requirements for your video submission. Ignoring these can lead to disqualification of your wonderful creation, so follow these carefully:
- Video files must be 30-120 seconds long.Video files must be in one of the following formats: .mp4, .mov, .avi, or .wmv.Maximum video file size is 2GB.Minimum video quality is 480 Standard Quality (704 x 480 dimensions). HD quality is preferable, either 720 (1280 x 720 dimensions), or 1080 (1920 x 1080 dimensions).Videos must be recorded and produced in English.Videos can't contain or encourage dangerous or unsafe activities. For example, if we get a video featuring cycling or rock climbing, and there's no helmet to be seen on the participants, better luck next time.Videos that contain any profanity will be disqualified, so be sure to edit it out.Videos must be an original creation; however, you're allowed to use stock footage.More than one video can be submitted per participant, if your creative juices are really flowing.MusicIf you want to use music in your video, then avoid using copyrighted music, which is music on the radio or purchased in a store. In other words, if you haven't talked to Rihanna about using one of her songs, then don't use it. On the other hand, you can use your own music (such as something you made with GarageBand or iMovie) or royalty-free music from a royalty-free music site. To find royalty-free music, check out Freeplaymusic.
- Legal StuffThe following are legal details that we have to share. If you have any questions about these, your parent or guardian can explain their meaning:
- This contest is sponsored by the nice folks at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), with support from Abt Associates and Colehour+Cohen, so employees from these groups and each of their respective affiliated companies or agents and the immediate family members of, and any person living with these employees, are not eligible to enter.Video entries must be original, produced by amateurs and not have been produced for compensation or previously posted on any other Web page.EPA and others acting on its behalf, including NEEF, retain a irrevocable license to publish, use, duplicate, disclose, exhibit, display, modify or edit any video entry submitted for this contest. EPA and NEEF have the right, but not the obligation, to revise and use all entries for informational and marketing purposes and, upon notice to the participant, to allow its partner organizations to use the submitted entries without further compensation to the participant.Personal information collected for the contest will never be sold. The information collected for the contest will only be used to contact participants in direct relation to the contest.The contest winners' names (and the names of any finalists EPA may select) will be announced publicly, after consultation with the winners and finalists.All personal information collected through the contest websites for both EPA and NEEF will be destroyed within 6 months of the conclusion of the contest or otherwise managed in accordance with the appropriate EPA Records Schedule. Any videos posted to YouTube for publicity purposes will be subject to YouTube's privacy policyEPA and NEEF reserve the right to not select a winner if none of the entries received are judged to be high quality.Entries that include content that violates the rights of third parties (including, but not limited to, rights of copyright), are deemed to be obscene or libelous, contain violence or show attacks on individuals or organizations, portray political lobbying, promote or demonstrate political advocacy, litigation initiatives, initiatives with religious purposes, policy advocacy or any other forms of advocacy will be disqualified.For more information regarding EPA's privacy policy for minors, please see our parental consent form (PDF)(3 pp, 199K, About PDF) and EPA's Children's Privacy Policy.
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- Climate scientists want to interact more directly with the public
- Phys.Org Mobile: Climate scientists want to interact more directly with the public07:30, Earth/Environment
- Climate scientists need to interact more directly with the public through blogs and social media, researchers from the University of Bristol, the University of Reading and the Met Office argue in a commentary in this week's Nature Climate Change.
- Dr Tamsin Edwards of Bristol's Cabot Institute and colleagues believe that scientists should engage in 'many-to-many' communication with the public on platforms like blogs and social media sites, where they can present their research frankly and directly to the public.
- Dr Edwards said: "It's no wonder the public can get confused about such recent phenomena as the slowdown in global surface warming '' and climate science more generally '' when they almost always hear about it second hand from sources that have their own particular angle or that over-simplify. We think as many climate scientists as possible should get out there and tweet, blog, or talk to the media directly so our science is communicated in the most accurate way it can be."
- Since it was first proposed, the idea of global warming has remained a controversial topic, generating differing opinions from proponents and sceptics. Claims like 'global warming has stopped' and the popularisation of the term 'global warming pause' by the media are considered to underplay the potential role of the natural variability of the global climate, which may pass misinterpreted messages to the public and cause confusion.
- In their commentary, the scientists point out that there is no unanimous conclusion to be drawn from current climate models, and no model can fully predict the change that will happen.
- They refer to discussion of the slowdown in global warming which was a relatively small part of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5) but was reported prominently in the mainstream media. While much of the coverage accurately reflected the views of scientists, some was less aligned with the conclusions of the IPCC.
- Dr Edwards said: "This media attention was perhaps predictable given the long-term sceptical narrative about the pause. For the past seven or eight years, there has been a pervasive trend in some parts of the media, especially in the UK, to prominently highlight the slowdown and suggest that climate models are 'running too hot'. As climate scientists, we need to ask ourselves whether we did enough to accurately communicate the slowdown, and how we could do it better in future."
- Maintaining direct communication with the public through tweeting and blogging comes with certain costs and risks, Dr Edwards and colleagues acknowledge. However, they believe this may be the best way to convey the true complexity and uncertainty of climate and demonstrate the real process of climate science research.
- More information: "Pause for thought." Ed Hawkins, Tamsin Edwards, Doug McNeall. Nature Climate Change 4, 154''156 (2014) DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2150. Published online 26 February 2014
- Provided by University of Bristol
- [Home] [Full version] [RSS feed] [Forum]
- Phys.Org Mobile: Climate scientists want to interact more directly with the public07:30, Earth/Environment
- Climate scientists need to interact more directly with the public through blogs and social media, researchers from the University of Bristol, the University of Reading and the Met Office argue in a commentary in this week's Nature Climate Change.
- Dr Tamsin Edwards of Bristol's Cabot Institute and colleagues believe that scientists should engage in 'many-to-many' communication with the public on platforms like blogs and social media sites, where they can present their research frankly and directly to the public.
- Dr Edwards said: "It's no wonder the public can get confused about such recent phenomena as the slowdown in global surface warming '' and climate science more generally '' when they almost always hear about it second hand from sources that have their own particular angle or that over-simplify. We think as many climate scientists as possible should get out there and tweet, blog, or talk to the media directly so our science is communicated in the most accurate way it can be."
- Since it was first proposed, the idea of global warming has remained a controversial topic, generating differing opinions from proponents and sceptics. Claims like 'global warming has stopped' and the popularisation of the term 'global warming pause' by the media are considered to underplay the potential role of the natural variability of the global climate, which may pass misinterpreted messages to the public and cause confusion.
- In their commentary, the scientists point out that there is no unanimous conclusion to be drawn from current climate models, and no model can fully predict the change that will happen.
- They refer to discussion of the slowdown in global warming which was a relatively small part of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5) but was reported prominently in the mainstream media. While much of the coverage accurately reflected the views of scientists, some was less aligned with the conclusions of the IPCC.
- Dr Edwards said: "This media attention was perhaps predictable given the long-term sceptical narrative about the pause. For the past seven or eight years, there has been a pervasive trend in some parts of the media, especially in the UK, to prominently highlight the slowdown and suggest that climate models are 'running too hot'. As climate scientists, we need to ask ourselves whether we did enough to accurately communicate the slowdown, and how we could do it better in future."
- Maintaining direct communication with the public through tweeting and blogging comes with certain costs and risks, Dr Edwards and colleagues acknowledge. However, they believe this may be the best way to convey the true complexity and uncertainty of climate and demonstrate the real process of climate science research.
- More information: "Pause for thought." Ed Hawkins, Tamsin Edwards, Doug McNeall. Nature Climate Change 4, 154''156 (2014) DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2150. Published online 26 February 2014
- Provided by University of Bristol
- [Home] [Full version] [RSS feed] [Forum]
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- NEI Small Reactor Forum Report '' Part 1
- The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) hosted its biannual Small Reactor Forum on February 25, 2014. The agenda for the one day event included six well-organized sessions with presentations from three small reactor vendors, the industry trade group, the regulatory agency, and several outside observers with a significant interest in the technology from a variety of perspectives. The slide show presentations are available from the conference archive page.
- Of course, the slides only provide a hint of the content that was presented and discussed.
- Perhaps reflecting the fact that there are far more conferences focused on discussing smaller reactors than there are small reactor construction projects, the event attracted a smaller than expected crowd. In a challenging economic environment, there are often fewer resources available to invest in projects where the payoff seems to be in the distant future than there are for projects with more immediate payoffs. Competition for attendees can be fierce when there is only a limited pot of money, most of the recipients have been already identified, and the near-term potential for increased resources seems dim.
- Despite the disappointing attendance numbers, the event provided a worthwhile progress report on a number of tasks that must be accomplished in order to make smaller nuclear reactors a viable energy option.
- Marv Fertel, the President and CEO of NEI, started off the conference with cautious optimism. He noted several significant challenges that are making it difficult to believe that now is great time to start new nuclear projects. He mentioned how the events at Fukushima have caused many to rethink the use of nuclear energy, how competition from low natural gas prices in the United States has helped to create a low priced electricity market where capital intensive projects have a difficult time, how a slow recovery from the economic recession that started in 2008 has created a period of slow electricity demand growth that has reduced the need for any new supplies and how renewable energy portfolio mandates have pushed additional generating capacity into a market that is already fully supplied, making existing baseload power plants uneconomical to operate.
- He reminded people, however, that a seasonably cold winter has exposed the vulnerability of the natural gas supply infrastructure; during periods of intense cold, the system constraints have resulted in substantial price spikes. He pointed out the fact that electric power grids in the US and around the world have generally been better off when built on a diverse base of supply options and described NEI's current initiatives to inform policy makers about the way that supply diversity can provide resiliency when certain fuel options are constrained by environmental or infrastructure considerations.
- Even with those efforts underway, he acknowledged that economic considerations may result in a series of separate decisions to shut down as many as thirty of the existing nuclear reactors in the United States between now and 2035; most of those plants will be in the smaller, single unit category, but they are not the only ones that are economically challenged in the current environment.
- He pointed out how the smaller reactor designs under development will provide a new option for utilities in order for them to be able to provide electricity for a growing population in an environmentally responsible manner. Because of the challenges facing existing plants, Fertel believes that small modular reactors are even more important today than they were four or five years ago because they may be available for rapid deployment in market-appropriate increments.
- Fertel did not say this, but the logic seemed pretty clear. If (when?) gas prices rise more rapidly than expected or if (when?) gas demonstrates continued volatility because of demand variations, policy makers should realize that permanent decisions to shut down reliable baseload power plants were mistakes. If that happens, it would be useful to have an option to build smaller nuclear plants on a more responsive schedule than is possible for very large units.
- NRC Commissioner Apostolakis followed Fertel's introduction with a carefully non-committal brief about the efforts that the NRC has made to prepare for expected design certification applications that will use the existing regulations with few modifications. He described the effort that has gone into early discussions between reactor vendors and the Commission staff and the effort to slightly modify the direction given to license application reviewers by creating design specific review standards that take into account the unique features that each reactor vendor has proposed in order to meet the established general design criteria.
- Not surprisingly for people who know his background, Commissioner Apostolakis spoke favorably about the possibility of the commission receiving and accepting certain new approaches that might rely more on a risk-informed analysis than on strict, one-size-fits-all application of numbers that were derived on an assumption that all reactors are large, producing approximately 1 GWe.
- One specific number he mentioned that might be amenable to a risk-informed approach was the diameter of the emergency planning zone. He also stated that the NRC is ready to listen to design-based vendor proposals for control room staffing rules, response teams, and security staffing. He described, in general terms, internal discussions that are ongoing regarding the potential need for NRC inspectors at module fabrication facilities and a need to determine how manufacturing might affect the process of closing items left open in the design certification to be closed based on inspections, testing, analysis and acceptance criteria (ITAAC).
- Dr. Pete Lyons, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy, described how the Administration recognizes the importance of energy diversity and the role of nuclear energy as a very low emission technology in the ''all of the above'' list of options. He emphasized the substantial amount of interest in SMRs that he has heard while on his international trips. He alluded to the fact that some of the countries most interested in building nuclear plants, including smaller nuclear plants, are countries with large domestic fossil fuel resources. He pointed out that they are realizing that they would rather use something else to produce domestic electricity so that they have more product to sell into the lucrative international market.
- That might be something for the US to consider, especially as it invests in more capacity to export products like coal and natural gas and considers loosening restrictions on exporting crude oil.
- Several characteristics of smaller reactors make them attractive around the world, including the fact that they are a better fit for smaller grids and the fact that they have a good potential for air cooling in places where water resources are limited. The DOE recognizes that the economics of smaller reactors will not work unless vendors are able to assemble a large enough order book to encourage investment in the factories that will enable the economy of mass production to overcome the disadvantage of smaller unit sizes. Building just one or two units would be a failure of the vision. As a rough measure of the potential scale of the program, Dr. Lyons threw out a figure of 50 GWe from smaller reactors in the US in the next several decades, but he added a number of caveats that admitted that the number was still just a guess at this point.
- Dr. Lyons described the DOE's program to support the design and technical licensing evaluation of two specific design options and described how it is modeled after the Nuclear Power 2010 program. Dr. Lyons was quite proud of the impact of that program, calling it a great success. The ''bumper sticker'' on the slide describing the SMR program, which was legislatively limited to two recipients, stated ''The U.S. Government wants to support the safest, most robust SMR designs that minimize the probability of any radioactivity release.'' Here is how Dr. Lyons described the selection process.
- At the moment, we have the two awards that have been announced, B&W mPower and NuScale. Certainly we had outstanding applications. We had a number of applications from US companies. It was a tough competition, a very tough competition. We used quite a range of different tools in finally coming up with identifying the successful candidates in those solicitations. You might find it interesting, even though we were required to have only an internal government panel, which we certainly had, we also used a number of private, unbiased individuals to also review the application. So we had a variety of different reviews of the applications in order to make this very, very difficult decision but B&W mPower and NuScale came through on top of those two procurements.
- Aside: That part of Dr. Lyon's presentation provides some context for a comment that Pierre Oneid, Senior Vice President & Chief Nuclear Officer Holtec International, made later in the day. Holtec was not one of the two vendors chosen, but Oneid stated that the company does not really want DOE's money as much as they want their stamp of approval. There is a strong undercurrent of feeling that the DOE small reactor program was specifically '-- and inappropriately '-- designed to anoint the government as the selection body for the winners and losers in the race to build smaller nuclear reactors. End Aside.
- In response to a question from the audience, Dr. Lyons indicated that there is no current plan to ask for any additional money or to issue any additional funding opportunity application processes.
- Despite the discomfort that many Americans have with the idea of the government selecting winners and losers, I am starting to come to the conclusion that nuclear energy might be an exception. Standardization provides a number of economic benefits, but leaving the decision to ''the market'' eliminates many of those benefits for a technology with the kind of long lead times associated with nuclear technology.
- There was a lot more to the conference, but this post is already long enough. I will cover the rest in a separate post.
-
- China: Ethnic Uighurs say they are being harassed after train station knife attack blamed on separatists
- The city of Kunming in the south of China, close to Vietnam is still reeling from a violent knife attack on the city's train station which left at least 29 dead.
- The attack has been blamed on ethnic Uighurs from the Xinjiang region in the north of China, more than 4,000 kilometres away, who want independence.
- Ethnic Uighurs living in Kunming say they are now living in fear of retaliation and are constantly harassed by police.
- ''I have already been checked three times. The police point their guns at us. What can we do? We don't know what really happened either. We feel very unsafe ourselves,'' said restaurant worker Aniwar Wuppar.
- Many have stories of being evicted from their homes, and there is sympathy from some locals.
- ''I heard on the news that a lot of Xinjiang people have been turned away from places to stay. I think for that to happen in this day and age is unnecessary. Everyone wants peace, unity and stability. In the end, the attack was the work of a small number of people. People shouldn't reject them all.'' said local woman, Da Limei
- Although there has been violence and instability in Xinjiang region for many years, it is the first time Uighurs have been blamed for such a large-scale attack so far from home.
- In October, Uighurs were held responsible for driving a jeep into a crowd in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, which crashed and burst into flames, killing five people.
-
- How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe's climate
- How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe's climate1 hour agoThe open air plays of the ancient Greeks may offer us a valuable insight into the Mediterranean climate of the time, reports new research in Weather. Using historical observations from artwork and plays, scientists identified 'halcyon days', of theatre friendly weather in mid-winter.
- "We explored the weather conditions which enabled the Athenians of the classical era to watch theatre performances in open theatres during the midwinter weather conditions," said Christina Chronopoulou, from the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens. "We aimed to do so by gathering and interpreting information from the classical plays of Greek drama from 5th and 4th centuries B.C."
- Ancient Athenians would enjoy the open theatre of Dionysus in the southern foothills of the Acropolis and when possible they would have watched drama in the middle of winter between 15 January and 15 February.
- From Second World War bombing raids, to medieval Arabic writings historians and climatologists continue to turn to surprising sources to help piece together the climate of our ancestors. In this case the team turned to the writings of 43 plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes and several were found to contain references about the weather. Greece enjoys long, hot, dry summers, yet in contrast the rare theatre friendly 'halcyon days' of clear, sunny weather during winter appeared to be especially noteworthy.
- "The comedies of Aristophanes, often invoke the presence of the halcyon days," concluded said Dr. Chronopoulou. "Combining the fact that dramatic contests were held in mid-winter without any indication of postponement, and references from the dramas about the clear weather and mild winters, we can assume that those particular days of almost every January were summery in the fifth and maybe in the fourth centuries BC."
- Explore further:Britain: Atlantic 'storm factory' brews up more wet winter weather
- More information: Christina Chronopoulou, A. Mavrakis, 'Ancient Greek drama as an eyewitness of a specific meteorological phenomenon: indication of stability of the Halcyon days.' Weather, DOI: 10.1002/wea.2145
- More from Physics Forums - Earth
- Britain: Atlantic 'storm factory' brews up more wet winter weather Jan 31, 2014
- With Met Office figures showing parts of Britain have had the wettest January on record, Reading weather experts say an Atlantic 'storm factory' is to blame - and there could be more to come.
- Ancient Arabic writings help scientists piece together past climate Feb 26, 2012
- Ancient manuscripts written by Arabic scholars can provide valuable meteorological information to help modern scientists reconstruct the climate of the past, a new study has revealed. The research, published in Weather, analys ...
- Climate change unlikely to reduce UK's excess winter death rate, study reports Feb 23, 2014
- New research published today has found that climate change is unlikely to reduce the UK's excess winter death rate as previously thought.
- Federal forecasters don't expect an extreme winter Nov 21, 2013
- The weather forecast for this winter is mostly a shrug of the shoulders.
- Would seasonal forecasting enable us to cope with our changing weather? Feb 28, 2014
- We've experienced an exceptionally wet and windy winter, and while our weather forecasters are far better at telling us what to expect in the next two or three days, they still struggle with long range seasonal forecasting.
- Climate change threatens Winter Olympics Jan 23, 2014
- Only six of the previous Winter Olympics host cities will be cold enough to reliably host the Games by the end of this century if global warming projections prove accurate.
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- Nepal to force Everest climbers to collect rubbishClimbers scaling Mount Everest will have to bring back eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of garbage under new rules designed to clean up the world's highest peak, a Nepalese official said Monday.
- Video: Colourful coral spawning event captured on filmEach year researchers flock to The University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station to witness and study the annual coral spawning event.
- Daimler job ads suggest Mercedes cars soon to have Android/iOS phones integrated into dash(Phys.org) '--Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has posted job ads looking for software engineers to help implement a system for allowing integration between dashboard technology and user smartphones ...
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- Microsoft's Gates reclaims title as world's richestThe surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76 billion beating out Mexico's Carlos Slim's $72 billion.
- Johns Hopkins doctors remove baby's brain tumor that contained teethDoctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital have removed a rare tumor that contained several fully grown teeth from a baby boy's brain.
- Vaccines prevent millions of infections, save billions in costs: CDC(HealthDay)'--Childhood vaccines have the potential to prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease among Americans born in a given year, according to a new analysis.
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
- How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe's climate1 hour agoThe open air plays of the ancient Greeks may offer us a valuable insight into the Mediterranean climate of the time, reports new research in Weather. Using historical observations from artwork and plays, scientists identified 'halcyon days', of theatre friendly weather in mid-winter.
- "We explored the weather conditions which enabled the Athenians of the classical era to watch theatre performances in open theatres during the midwinter weather conditions," said Christina Chronopoulou, from the National and Kapodestrian University of Athens. "We aimed to do so by gathering and interpreting information from the classical plays of Greek drama from 5th and 4th centuries B.C."
- Ancient Athenians would enjoy the open theatre of Dionysus in the southern foothills of the Acropolis and when possible they would have watched drama in the middle of winter between 15 January and 15 February.
- From Second World War bombing raids, to medieval Arabic writings historians and climatologists continue to turn to surprising sources to help piece together the climate of our ancestors. In this case the team turned to the writings of 43 plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes and several were found to contain references about the weather. Greece enjoys long, hot, dry summers, yet in contrast the rare theatre friendly 'halcyon days' of clear, sunny weather during winter appeared to be especially noteworthy.
- "The comedies of Aristophanes, often invoke the presence of the halcyon days," concluded said Dr. Chronopoulou. "Combining the fact that dramatic contests were held in mid-winter without any indication of postponement, and references from the dramas about the clear weather and mild winters, we can assume that those particular days of almost every January were summery in the fifth and maybe in the fourth centuries BC."
- Explore further:Britain: Atlantic 'storm factory' brews up more wet winter weather
- More information: Christina Chronopoulou, A. Mavrakis, 'Ancient Greek drama as an eyewitness of a specific meteorological phenomenon: indication of stability of the Halcyon days.' Weather, DOI: 10.1002/wea.2145
- More from Physics Forums - Earth
- Britain: Atlantic 'storm factory' brews up more wet winter weather Jan 31, 2014
- With Met Office figures showing parts of Britain have had the wettest January on record, Reading weather experts say an Atlantic 'storm factory' is to blame - and there could be more to come.
- Ancient Arabic writings help scientists piece together past climate Feb 26, 2012
- Ancient manuscripts written by Arabic scholars can provide valuable meteorological information to help modern scientists reconstruct the climate of the past, a new study has revealed. The research, published in Weather, analys ...
- Climate change unlikely to reduce UK's excess winter death rate, study reports Feb 23, 2014
- New research published today has found that climate change is unlikely to reduce the UK's excess winter death rate as previously thought.
- Federal forecasters don't expect an extreme winter Nov 21, 2013
- The weather forecast for this winter is mostly a shrug of the shoulders.
- Would seasonal forecasting enable us to cope with our changing weather? Feb 28, 2014
- We've experienced an exceptionally wet and windy winter, and while our weather forecasters are far better at telling us what to expect in the next two or three days, they still struggle with long range seasonal forecasting.
- Climate change threatens Winter Olympics Jan 23, 2014
- Only six of the previous Winter Olympics host cities will be cold enough to reliably host the Games by the end of this century if global warming projections prove accurate.
- Global warming felt to deepest reaches of ocean 22 hours ago
- In the mid-1970s, the first available satellite images of Antarctica during the polar winter revealed a huge ice-free region within the ice pack of the Weddell Sea. This ice-free region, or polynya, stayed ...
- What sculpted Africa's margin? Mar 02, 2014
- Break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana about 130 Million years ago could have lead to a completely different shape of the African and South American continent with an ocean south of today's Sahara desert, as geoscientists ...
- GOES-West satellite eyes soggy storm approaching California Feb 28, 2014
- A swirling Eastern Pacific Ocean storm system headed for California was spotted by NOAA's GOES-West satellite on February 28. According to the National Weather Service, this storm system has the potential ...
- NASA satellite sees great freeze over Great Lakes Feb 28, 2014
- At night, as cold settles in, lake ice creaks and groans. It's been excessively cold, and I camped exposed on the snow-swept surface. Other than the lack of vegetation and the sounds at night, you'd never ...
- Measuring ice particles and water vapor in the upper troposphere Feb 28, 2014
- A Colorado State University-led research team is designing and building a new instrument to help NASA measure ice particles in clouds and water vapor in the upper troposphere.
- Northern Sumatra dealing with smoke from fires Feb 28, 2014
- On February 27, 2014, the Wall Street Journal and Southeast Asia Realtime reported that: "the plantation-rich province of Riau on Indonesia's Sumatra Island has declared a state of emergency as fires set fo ...
- User comments : 0More news stories
- Pilbara coral finds refuge on artificial reefLeftover concrete sleepers and spare rock boulders have proven key to coral communities regaining a foothold in the heavily used Port of Dampier, research has found.
- Climate scientists want to interact more directly with the publicClimate scientists need to interact more directly with the public through blogs and social media, researchers from the University of Bristol, the University of Reading and the Met Office argue in a commentary ...
- Global warming felt to deepest reaches of oceanIn the mid-1970s, the first available satellite images of Antarctica during the polar winter revealed a huge ice-free region within the ice pack of the Weddell Sea. This ice-free region, or polynya, stayed ...
- Nepal to force Everest climbers to collect rubbishClimbers scaling Mount Everest will have to bring back eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of garbage under new rules designed to clean up the world's highest peak, a Nepalese official said Monday.
- Video: Colourful coral spawning event captured on filmEach year researchers flock to The University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station to witness and study the annual coral spawning event.
- Daimler job ads suggest Mercedes cars soon to have Android/iOS phones integrated into dash(Phys.org) '--Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has posted job ads looking for software engineers to help implement a system for allowing integration between dashboard technology and user smartphones ...
- House panel discuses Mars 2021 manned flyby mission(Phys.org) '--The U.S. House of Representative's Science, Space and Technology Committee has met to discuss the virtues and possibility of asking NASA to assist a private foundation in conducting a manned ...
- Microsoft's Gates reclaims title as world's richestThe surging price of Microsoft shares returned US tech tycoon Bill Gates back to the top of Forbes's world's billionaires list, with his $76 billion beating out Mexico's Carlos Slim's $72 billion.
- Johns Hopkins doctors remove baby's brain tumor that contained teethDoctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital have removed a rare tumor that contained several fully grown teeth from a baby boy's brain.
- Vaccines prevent millions of infections, save billions in costs: CDC(HealthDay)'--Childhood vaccines have the potential to prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease among Americans born in a given year, according to a new analysis.
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
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- Germany's energy transformation 2.0: On track to become a legislative reality?
- Following a lengthy three-month negotiation marathon leading up to the coalition agreement between the centre-left social democrats and Merkel's conservative CDU-CSU, a specific blueprint for Germany's energy policy was set out by the German energy ministry on 22 January 2014.
- As a centrepiece of this agenda stands what the government has labelled as a ''relaunch'' of the energy transformation (Energiewende) '' an ambitious project launched in 2003 intended to reduce the country's CO2 emissions, increase its energy independence and boost its innovative industry through an aggressive investment in renewable energy.
- The transformation is the country's first attempt at changing the basic tenets of its energy supply since the industrial revolution. By 2050, 80% of German electricity production is to be generated through renewables (up from the current 17%). As a key interim success, the reform has led Germany to expand the share of renewable energy in its electricity production to 25%.
- Faced with mounting adaptation costs and fears of a loss of competitiveness, the government is expected, however, to significantly alter the framework through which this transformation is to take shape in the short and mid-term. A recent expert study confirmed the urgency of reform to achieve the above goals.
- Heading the reform efforts, a newly created ministry for economic affairs and energy has presented the outline of a draft legislative proposal which was approved by the German cabinet and could become law as early as August 2014. What are the specific measures agreed to by the government as key pillars of the reform?
- I. Core elements: Adapting targets & subsidy schemesOverall, the new government will reconfigure the anatomy of its energy transformation to accommodate its environmental goals with those of resource security, competitiveness and affordable energy prices. Meanwhile, its targets remain ambitious: Germany envisages a renewable energy share on its electricity consumption of 40%''45% by 2025 and 55%''60% by 2035 (now in 2014 it is 25%).
- The government also seeks to turn renewable energy producers from recipients of subsidies to entrepreneurs.
- Overall, the future incentive structure for renewables is presented as a shift away from an indiscriminate promotion of renewable energy to more targeted, selective and market-based criteria.
- The unlimited feed-in priority for renewable energy would be kept.
- The old reduction tariffs would only apply to those plants approved before 22 January 2014. Those renewable energy plants set to start operations after 1 August 2014 will see their subsidy reduced from an average '¬0.17/kWh to '¬0.12/kWh in 2015. A new level of subsidies for renewable energy will be determined through a bidding process starting in 2018, following a study of the competitiveness for such a move.
- Furthermore, not all sources of renewable energy would be treated equally. While the off-shore wind power industry would continue receiving a '¬0.19/kWh subsidy from 2017-2025 in order to generate 6,5GW by 2020 and 15 GW by 2030, on-shore wind power plants would see their subsidies decrease. Until 2020, only those on-shore wind power plants with a capacity below 2500 Megawatt (some 1000 wind turbines) would continue enjoying full-scale benefit. Areas with strong wind exposure would see their reductions sink by 10 to 20% below their 2013 levels.
- A maximum output is also set for the photovoltaic industry (2500 MW). The coalition plans do not contain major changes here, as existing laws already foresee the phasing out of subsidies upon reaching maximum output levels.
- Moreover, by ending subsidies for biogas plants using sludge substrate, the new German government seeks to cap excessive maize production in order to end the ''food for fuel'' debate. Subsidies are to be significantly lowered if the maximum annual biomass output exceeds 100 MW.
- These changes mean that owners of newly built wind and solar plants will gradually be required to become direct marketers of their energy rather than receiving a government-guaranteed feed-in tariff to achieve a more competitive price level of renewables.To promote energy efficiency, the new government intends to launch a national action plan aimed at saving 30% of energy for companies and in building infrastructure. This plan could include incentivising the purchase of energy-saving home appliances, the ''top runner principle'' (according to which the standard is set by the most efficient appliance on the market) and extra cash for the German public investment bank's (KfW) funding scheme for energy-focused building refurbishment.
- Political Background: High stakes for a successful transformationWhile the proposed reform efforts signal a lower level of substantive ambition, the 'Energiewende' still occupies a prominent spot on Germany's medium-term political agenda.
- First, with the newly created dedicated ministry, the energy transformation will receive an administrative upgrade. In the past, responsibility for Germany's energy transformation was scattered across a patchwork of several ministries (including ministries of environment, economic affairs, development cooperation, transport and ministry of agriculture) as well as various agencies. While this configuration will still continue to a certain extent on cross-cutting issues, the top coordination function will be taken on by the new Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, raising hopes for more transparency as well as efficiency.
- Second, in addition to a more streamlined bureaucratic management, Germany's energy transformation will receive stronger political clout. The new minister Sigmar Gabriel is expected to hold ambitions for higher political office '' possibly aspiring to become the next candidate for Chancellor of the Social Democrats. As such, his chances will be measured in large part by how well he manages the antagonistic forces of this debate. On the one side, there is a powerful industry-friendly wing (led in his own party by Hannelore Kraft, minister-president of the SPD stronghold and powerful mining state of North Rhine-Westphalia) advocating for employment and energy affordability. On the other side stands the advocates for renewable energy (most vocally articulated by the opposition Green party) and the environment ministry, led by Gabriel's party-ally and friend Barbara Hendricks.
- Having previously served as the country's Minister for Environment, and having campaigned for lower electricity prices, Gabriel has a record of knowing both sides of the debate:
- Pessimists would argue that elections are won with low energy prices in the short-term rather than by incremental steps towards long-term visions. Similarly, fears could be voiced that the new ministry '' as its title suggests '' does little more than tying economic caveats to any ambitious energy agenda.
- Yet these voices overlook a general ''green'' public consensus persisting since the events of Fukushima and high expectations for the success of the energy transformation in Germany. Political leaders eying higher office cannot ignore these expectations. In the future, Germany's energy transformation will speak with one institutional voice, nurturing hopes for clearer political direction, a one-stop shop for investors and a possibility to keep raging disputes between industry and environmental advocates in-house, adding authority and weight to any decision taken.
- II. Burden Sharing: Domestic and European challengesA successful conclusion of the energy transformation will depend on mastering two key challenges which will define the mid-term trajectory of the German energy transformation: one at the domestic and one at the EU level.
- Ensuring affordable electricity prices for households & industry
- At the domestic level, the question is one of domestic burden-sharing of the annual '¬23 billion in adaptation costs: this debate focuses on the so-called renewable surcharge (''EEG Umlage''). This surcharge, currently paid mostly by electricity consumers, compensates for the gap between the government-guaranteed feed-in tariff for all renewables and their market price. This surcharge has tripled since 2010 to amount to 6.24 cent per kWh in 2014 and is on a trajectory to gradually increase over the coming years. German households pay 48% more for electricity than the European average.
- On the other side, an estimated 2300 German enterprises enjoy an exemption from this surcharge totalling around 5.1 billion euros for 2014, up from '¬4 billion in 2014 to protect their international competitiveness.
- Here, Germany's energy minister Gabriel will have to reconcile the concerns over competitiveness of an influential industrial base '' vocal also within his party and his campaign commitments to lower electricity prices.
- The issue is further complicated by the influence of the German Laender, individual federal states which have voiced their opposition to individual funding cuts of the proposed reform (Bavaria/Lower Saxony for biomass and Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein for wind power).
- A domestic debate over who should pay the bill for the German energy transformation is already in full swing with its four main contenders '' industry, the renewable sector, electricity consumers and the next generation '' each equipped with powerful lobbies. While progress has been made towards a compromise, important issues remain to be resolved.
- Playing by European rulesAt the European level, the domestic re-distribution of costs has led to a legal dispute with the European Commission.
- After months of investigations, the European Commission's DG Competition has launched an investigation into the renewable surcharge exemption scheme unilaterally benefiting Germany's energy-intensive industries, suspecting an illegal form of state aid.
- If the EU charges are enforced as stated, an estimated five billion euros in penalties could be levelled against Germany's large energy-intensive companies including demands to pay back benefits already granted under the exemption scheme since 2012. Although this period is significantly shorter than if the penalty accounted for since the beginning of Germany's energy transformation in the year 2003, this is a scenario the German government seeks to prevent at all costs.
- In addition to bearing the penalties, the absence of an agreement will see Germany being unable to grant reductions to its industry for the year 2015.
- To suspend its concerns, the Commission requires that the number of eligible industries be considerably reduced, the total capacity of energy consumption be limited and that all companies pay a minimum of 15-20% of the surcharge.
- The Commission also wants Germany to switch to a public-bidding process sooner than the currently announced starting date of 2017.
- Meetings between Gabriel and Almunia on 18 February resulted in an agreement that the German energy-intensive steel, aluminium and zinc industry will continue to benefit from exemptions on principle. However, a decisive disagreement concerns the level of reductions, for while Germany seeks full exemption for these industries; Almunia favours a maximum reduction from the surcharge of 80%.
- Overall, Gabriel announced the introduction of an ''appropriate'' contribution by industries to the renewable energy infrastructure. Total annual industry reductions worth '¬ 5.1 billion may be cut by a mere '¬ 0.7-1 billion. The definite number will be announced in the third quarter of 2014.
- While an agreement with the EU level appeared in reach, on 20 February, Sigmar Gabriel scattered the optimism by speaking out with a stern warning against the Commission: ''Those who do not handle the burdening of the German industry extremely sensitively, is dealing with explosives''.
- Germany favours a negotiated outcome. However, it has kept all legal remedies in case such an outcome cannot be achieved. On 28 February, Germany officially filed an action for annulment against the Commission's on-going investigation into exemptions from the renewable surcharge of industries as illegal forms of state aid before the European Court of Justice.
- EU-Germany Legal Dispute '' BackgroundBroadly, the EU seeks to balance concerns over a De-industrialization of Europe globally with a level-playing field on state aid policies inside its internal market.
- Formally, it is the Commission's mandate and responsibility to implement EU law and impose penalties if it sees EU low violated. Politically, the supranational body will also seek to avoid appearing to condone sweetheart deals for the EU's largest member state.
- Economically and strategically however, the Commission also has a strong stake in a successful energy transformation in Germany, both with a view to ensure EU competitiveness and to promote the precursor of renewable energy in Europe.
- While agreeing on the need for harmonized rules across Europe, Germany argues for the special status of its industry as other member-states do not subject this sector to levies comparable to its EEG scheme.
- In short, both sides share an interest in a workable compromise.
- III. High stakes '' Tight timelineResolving the remaining areas of tension between Berlin and Brussels is a matter of legislative urgency.
- After resolving German domestic conflicts, Sigmar Gabriel will make a legislative proposal for a reform of the German renewable energy act (EEG) including its surcharge compensation scheme on 8 April.
- On the following day, 9 April, the European Commission is scheduled to propose guidelines on environmental and energy state aid '' determining the EU legal framework through 2020. In making its proposal, the Commission is expected to consider the reform proposal in its evaluation of the renewable energy act's overall conformity with EU law.
- Given the transformative nature of the project, there are high stakes and strong pressures weighing on the German energy transformation plan over the coming months. These originate from a need to rebalance costs domestically and overcome legal hurdles at the European level. Politically, a grand coalition government has historically proven to be in a unique position to tackle such challenges.
- While there will likely be many hiccups on the way to seeing Germany achieve its ambitious 2050 energy goals, the new German government appears determined to reach a European solution.
- Whether Germany's largest project since reunification will take the latter's full 45 years until completion, is therefore still an open question.
- Ana Mingo JaramilloI am a Spanish citizen, born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Guatemala and Germany. I completed my BA Degree in International Relations at the Dresden University of Technology (TU-Dresden), I hold a MA degree in European Studies and MA degree in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University. Alongside my studies, I have worked for the Observatory for Parliaments after the Lisbon Treaty, and for the Maastricht Centre for European Governance, at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Mexico City and the World Health Organization in Washington DC. I currently work for a EU consultancy firm in Brussels and my fields of interest include EU Transport and Energy policies and EU-Latin America relations.I have a passion for international affairs, Daft Punk, Mexico City, Belgian frites, football (playing and watching), books by Mario Vargas Llosa, Wes Anderson films, David Alfaro Siqueiros, social media and gadgets.
- Feel free to contact me at ana@europeanpublicaffairs.eu.
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- EU condemns terrorist attacks in China
- EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Sunday condemned the Kunming terrorist attacks and sent condolences to the victims' families.
- "The High Representative is appalled by the reports she has received of the significant loss of life and the many casualties caused by a mass knife attack that took place at Kunming train station in China yesterday," Ashton's spokesman Sebastien Brabant told Xinhua.
- "There is never any justification for such heinous crimes," said the spokesman.
- "The High Representative wishes to extend her condolences and sympathy to the families who have suffered death and injury as a consequence," he said.
- Twenty-nine civilians were confirmed dead and more than 140 others wounded after a group of knife-wielding militants attacked the railway station in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, on Saturday.
- The authorities said that it was an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack.
- Evidence at the scene showed that the attack was carried out by Xinjiang separatists, said the municipal government of Kunming.
- By leaving a comment, you agree to abide by all terms and conditions (See the Comment section).
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- UN Security Council slams terrorist attack in southwest China
- The UN Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned a deadly terrorist attack in a railway station in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and urged "all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with relevant governments" in fighting terrorism."The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack on 1 March 2014 in Kunming Train Station, China, which has caused numerous deaths and injuries of innocent civilians," said a statement issued by the 15-nation UN body to the press here. "The members of the Security Council extended their deepest sympathy and condolence to the victims and their families suffered from such most heinous terrorist attack, as well as to the people and the government of the People's Republic of China."
- Order has been restored since Saturday night when the railway station in Kunming, a well-known tourist city, was gripped by a deadly terrorist attack that left 29 civilians dead and more than 130 others injured.
- "The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever and by whomsoever committed," said the council statement. "The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations."
- The Security Council also stressed the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this terrorist attack to justice.
- The Kunming municipal government said Sunday that evidence at the crime scene showed that the Kunming Railway Station terrorist attack was orchestrated by Xinjiang separatist forces. No details have been given.
- The foreign affairs office of the Yunnan provincial government said as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday, there were no reports that foreigners were killed or injured in the attack. Neither was any compatriot of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao among the victims.
- The international community has strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack on civilians at Kunming railway station.
- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday condemned in the strongest terms the terrible attack. "The secretary-general notes that there is no justification for the killing of innocent civilians and hopes that those responsible will be brought to justice," said the statement issued by Ban's spokesman.
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- Haiti
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- Stars Hit Hollywood Domino Event For Charity
- Celebrities came together last week at the Hollywood Domino Event Sponsored by Heineken and Jose Cuervo, to raise much needed funds for Artists for Peace and Justice to benefit Haiti and the rebuilding Port-au-Prince after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
- Maria Bello Sipping Jose Cuervo Oscar Gold Signature CocktailCredit/Copyright: Getty ImagesThe night featured a special performance by Rumer Willis and a throng of celebrities including: Jon Hamm, Kate Beckingsale, Kevin Jonas, Vanessa Hudgens, Adrien Brody, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Paul Haggis, AnnaLynne McCord, Kellan Lutz, Maria Bello, David and Odette Annable.
- Kate Beckingsale At Hollywood Domino EventCredit/Copyright: Getty ImagesKellan Lutz At Hollywood Domino EventCredit/Copyright: Getty Images
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- US-imposed government of Haiti arbitrarily seized an island
- Each political note has its own anchor in case you want to link to it.
- My intention is to make links only to publicly accessible, stable URLs. If you find a link to a page that requires subscription, please report that as you would report any other broken link.
- 02 March 2014 (Venezuelan TV channels give plenty of coverage to the opposition)Venezuelan TV channels give plenty of coverage to the opposition and to the opposition's protests.
- 02 March 2014 (Koch brothers pretend to be defenders of Americans with cancer)The Koch brothers pretend to be defenders of Americans with cancer, except when it comes to releasing carcinogens from their factories.
- 02 March 2014 (State subsidies to movie companies)State subsidies to movie companies screw the public to the tune of almost 2 billion dollars a year.
- The general practice of giving business tax cuts to win business away from other cities, states or countries makes different regions compete to kowtow to business. It is nothing but dooH niboR, and every company that asks for this should be told to jump in the lake.
- 02 March 2014 (US government's sleazy dealings with John Kiriakou)The US government's sleazy dealings with John Kiriakou about his treatment in prison have convinced him he is a political prisoner.
- Even a hero can be slow to catch on to some things ;-).
- 02 March 2014 (Permission to unlock a portable phone)The US Congress seems likely to legislate permission to unlock a portable phone from a phone company '-- but only until 2015.
- The ban on unlocking portable phones is one specific case of a broad injustice: the DMCA's prohibition on breaking digital handcuffs of any kind, and on distributing software or hardware that can do so. The obsession with this tiny part of the injustice has distracted people from the rest. Instead of banning people from breaking digital restrictions management (DRM), we should ban DRM.
- Join our campaign against DRM!
- 02 March 2014 (Exploring for oil in the US Atlantic coast)Exploring for oil in the US Atlantic coast would injure and kill marine mammals including endangered whales.
- Burning the oil would endanger most species on Earth.
- 02 March 2014 (Background to the Dan River ash spill)Background to the Dan River ash spill: business-subservient Republicans ordered the water pollution inspectors to think of businesses as their "customers".
- Plutocratist politicians (mostly Republicans, but Democrats do it too) aim to abolish "job-killing" regulations so as to open the door to people-killing pollution.
- 02 March 2014 (Heat waves that kill lots of bats)Global heating in Australia has brought heat waves that kill lots of bats.
- This is a sign of the massive extinction that we are bringing on the world. I've seen estimates that 2/3 of all species will be wiped out, but nobody can really predict this; it might be as few as half, or it could be a lot closer to 100%.
- 02 March 2014 (EPA says it will oppose the Pebble Mine)The EPA says it will oppose the Pebble Mine.
- I have signed and posted several petitions against that mine.
- 02 March 2014 (Starvation wages of tea pickers in Assam)The starvation wages of tea pickers in Assam makes their children vulnerable to slave traffickers.
- 02 March 2014 (Russian stooge in the Crimea is asking Putin for military assistance)A Russian stooge in the Crimea is asking Putin for military assistance, which of course Russia says it will grant.
- It also appears someone in the Crimea is fighting back.
- A few days ago I suggested that the Crimea should hold a plebiscite in two years to choose whether to be part of Ukraine. I still think that would be the proper course. If the Crimea's inhabitants are determined to rejoin Russia, it would be wrong to stop them by force. However, if Ukraine gets its democratic act together, a couple of years' reflection may convince the Crimeans that being ruled by Putin is undesirable.
- Putin does not want them to have a chance to reflect.
- 02 March 2014 (Pakistani Taliban attacked the guards of a polio vaccination team)Pakistani Taliban attacked the guards of a polio vaccination team.
- 02 March 2014 (Urgent: Allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen)Everyone: call on Israel to allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen.
- 02 March 2014 (The Service Employees International Union will picket the Oscar ceremony)The Service Employees International Union will picket the Oscar ceremony to protest the company that was hired for security.
- 02 March 2014 (Ocean acidification has wiped out three years of production at a scallop farm)Ocean acidification has wiped out three years of production at a scallop farm in British Columbia.
- Since ocean acidification will get progressively worse with each year's emission of CO2, you can see that there won't be a lot of scallops growing in 30 years. In 80 years they may be extinct, along with clams and lots of species of fish.
- There will be plenty of jellyfish instead.
- 02 March 2014 (The proposed Nicaragua canal)The proposed Nicaragua canal, whose environmental impact study seems to be being written in a corrupt way, threatens lots of ecosystem damage.
- 02 March 2014 (US Navy knew the USS Reagan was contaminated with radiation from Fukushima)The US Navy knew the USS Reagan was contaminated with radiation from Fukushima.
- Lying to the public is the Reagan tradition.
- 02 March 2014 ("Scientific" arguments for pesticide-resistent GMOs)Poking holes in Monsanto's "scientific" arguments for pesticide-resistent GMOs.
- 02 March 2014 (US-imposed government of Haiti arbitrarily seized an island)The US-imposed government of Haiti arbitrarily seized an island, Ilavach, inhabited by 16000 people, to turn it into a resort that will provide income for business owners and a few employees.
- The inhabitants were not asked their opinion. Colonial regimes see no need to ask the colonized people what they want.
- 02 March 2014 (US courts absurdly grant corporations the rights of human beings)US courts exempt corporations from the legal and moral responsibilities of human beings even while absurdly granting them the rights of human beings.
- This is plutocracy at work: the rich demand society find an excuse to place them legally above you and me.
- 02 March 2014 (Developments in Lidar threaten our privacy)Developments in Lidar threaten our privacy.
- I wonder if we could regularly jam lidar.
- 02 March 2014 (Australia must cut carbon emissions 15% by 2020)Australia must cut carbon emissions 15% by 2020 to do its share to avoid global heating disaster.
- That is three times what the Australian government says it plans to achieve.
- 02 March 2014 (Girl scouts commit to making cookies from ethically produced palm oil)Two girl scouts launched a campaign that eventually resulted in a commitment to make girl scouts cookies from ethically produced palm oil.
- While commitments of this sort, from the girl scouts and from Kellogg, are steps forward, I am skeptical that this sort of commitment can be enough to end deforestation for palm oil production. The problem is that many companies buy palm oil, and if we convince the well-known companies to reject palm oil made by deforestation, the other companies will buy it instead.
- For real victory we need stiff punishment for everyone that cuts down rainforest and grows palm oil, together with a tax on palm oil to pay for helping the forest reclaim land from seized plantations.
- Steps like these can contribute by building a movement strong enough to eventually succeed in enacting such laws.
- 02 March 2014 (Wettest recorded winter for England and Wales)This winter is the wettest ever recorded for England and Wales.
- 02 March 2014 (Israel lobby presents massive collection of falsehoods)Israel's lobby in the US has gone off the deep end, presenting a massive collection of falsehoods instead of history.
- 02 March 2014 (Florida wants to send lone firemen to wildfires)Florida's save-all-the-money-for-the-rich government wants to send just a single fireman when a wildfire is reported.
- 02 March 2014 (UK accuses human rights defender Moazzam Begg of "terrorism")Moazzam Begg was inspired by his torture in Guantanamo to become a human rights defender; now the UK has accused him of "terrorism", apparently twisting that word in the usual way.
- 02 March 2014 (Honoring the persecuted dissidents who opposed fighting WWI)Honoring the persecuted dissidents who opposed fighting World War I.
- I won't say that the UK (or France, or the US) should have stayed out of World War I, but even without totally agreeing with these dissidents, I can condemn the way they were oppressed by the state.
- 01 March 2014 (Fossil fuels are becoming more expensive, and this is causing rioting )Fossil fuels are becoming more expensive, and this is causing rioting around the world.
- 01 March 2014 (What Does a Soviet Submarine Have to Do With US Government Secrecy?)What Does a Soviet Submarine Have to Do With US Government Secrecy?
- 01 March 2014 (Dissident banned from communicating with the press or the public)Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been banned from communicating with the press or the public.
- 01 March 2014 (Obama's Failure to Live Up to His Own Five Commandments)From Guantanamo to Limitless War, Obama's Failure to Live Up to His Own Five Commandments.
- 01 March 2014 (Wang Yam was convicted of murder after a secret trial)Wang Yam was convicted of murder after a secret trial (obviously unjust), and there is evidence that the UK government is covering up some sort of skullduggery. Not the least of this evidence is the decision to prohibit him from telling the European Court what happened.
- I hope he told someone else who is in a position to tell the public these secrets.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Oppose all kinds of fast track for business empowerment treaties)
- US citizens: tell Senator Wyden to oppose all kinds of fast track for business empowerment treaties.
- 01 March 2014 (The Express Tribune has given up covering Taliban terrorism)The Express Tribune has given up covering Taliban terrorism after the murder of several of its employees.
- 01 March 2014 (Pro-Russia forces have taken over two airports in the Crimea)Pro-Russia forces (probably Russian soldiers out of uniform) have taken over two airports in the Crimea.
- It seems to be a full-scale Russian invasion in disguise.
- 01 March 2014 (EU will require large companies to report on environmental and social impacts of their operations)The EU will require large companies to report on the environmental and social impacts of their operations.
- This could be the basis for actions to protect the environment and reduce abuse of workers, but results are not guaranteed; they depend on followup to these reports.
- 01 March 2014 (Americans need a lot more information about what their food contains)Proposed FDA labeling standards could be a small step forward, but Americans need a lot more information about what their food contains.
- 01 March 2014 (Starved to death after welfare benefits were cut off)A British man starved to death after his welfare benefits were cut off because he was declared "fit to work".
- In the US, where such benefits are essentially not available to single adults, I'm sure thousands of unemployed homeless people die from their situations every year.
- 01 March 2014 (Burma has ordered Medecins sans Frontieres out of Rakhine state)Burma has ordered Medecins sans Frontieres out of Rakhine state, site of ethnic/sectarian violence, apparently to prevent information on the extent of the violence from getting out.
- 01 March 2014 (Google will challenge decision that gave an actress a copyright claim)Google will challenge the decision that gave an actress a copyright claim over the controversial movie she participated in.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Investigate the possible murder of Alfred Wright and the possible cover-up)Everyone: call on Texas to investigate the possible murder of Alfred Wright and the possible cover-up.
- 01 March 2014 (Obama says $47k a year makes you "wealthy")Obama says $47k a year makes you "wealthy" so Medicare should charge you more.
- 01 March 2014 (How Ohio Pulled 4 Billion from Communities and Redistributed It Upwards)How Ohio Pulled 4 Billion from Communities and Redistributed It Upwards (to the rich).
- It started with a trickle-down tax cut that was supposed to make more jobs (but naturally didn't).
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Stop approving pesticide-resistent genetically engineered crops)US citizens: call on the EPA to stop approving pesticide-resistent genetically engineered crops, and instead focus on non-toxic integrated pest management.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Support limiting massive general surveillance)US citizens: phone Senator Reid to support limiting massive general surveillance.
- The US Freedom Act is just the beginning of what we need, but we need to start somewhere.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Tell Ohio officials to cancel their plans to hinder urban blacks from voting)Everyone: tell Ohio officials to cancel their plans to hinder urban blacks from voting.
- Although these measures were chosen to disproportionately hit blacks, the motive for them is not racial hatred as such. Rather, it's a plan to rig the election by Republicans who know that blacks won't vote for them.
- 01 March 2014 (Tony B'liar endorses right-wing views)Tony B'liar has thrown off his Labour pretensions and endorses right-wing views while he hangs around with plutocrats.
- For Britain's honor it must prosecute him, just as the US needs to prosecute Dubya.
- 01 March 2014 (UK gov't ordered a disabled woman to look for work even though she is in a coma)The UK government ordered a disabled woman to look for work even though she is in a coma.
- Deciding whether someone is disabled or capable of working calls for care and thought, if it is to be done right. However, the right-wing government would rather treat it as a no-brainer. Indeed, the job could be done exactly to the government's liking by a woman in a coma. Just tell her to "push this button if the person really is disabled."
- Since the state wants to reexamine disabled people frequently, this could provide work for every comatose person in the UK.
- 01 March 2014 (Court twisted copyright law to justify banning video)A US appeals court twisted copyright law to justify banning the video, "The Innocence of Muslims".
- The video is full of bigotry and intolerance, and is of no value in my opinion. However, the pressure to censor it reflects bigotry and intolerance too, and courts should not cater to this.
- Above all, we must never surrender freedoms to rescue hostages taken by the enemies of freedom, and that's in effect what the plaintiff's situation was.
- 01 March 2014 (Tricky plan to outfox MEPs that support network neutrality)The European Commission, which opposes network neutrality, is using a tricky plan to outfox the MEPs that support it.
- 01 March 2014 (US gov't will keep companies suggestions for reforming NSA surveillance secret)The US government says it will keep companies suggestions for reforming NSA surveillance secret '-- for privacy's sake!
- These suggestions are probably worthless, because they are about details of implementing a minor change that would not really restore our privacy rights. (That's why Obama proposed it.)
- Nonetheless, the hypocrisy of citing privacy as a reason when the whole point is wholesale trampling of Americans' privacy stinks.
- 01 March 2014 (Conflicts of interest in environmental evaluation of the Keystone XL)The State Department is squinting very hard not to see the conflicts of interest in its environmental evaluation of the Keystone XL pipeline. A very narrow investigation saw nothing wrong.
- The sophisticated way to rig an investigation is to decide precisely what to investigate, how, and who will do it, so as to assure the desired result. I think this result reflects a decision to approve the pipeline no matter what level of obtuseness and dishonesty it may require.
- 01 March 2014 ("Stand your ground" laws have shielded over 130 killers)"Stand your ground" laws have shielded over 130 killers, in a racially biased fashion, and more states are adopting them.
- Paradoxically, "stand your ground" gives everyone the same privilege that thugs enjoy.
- The privilege is dangerous in the hands of a thug, and dangerous in anyone else's hands too.
- 01 March 2014 (Around 1/3 of the thugs of King City, California, were arrested)Around 1/3 of the thugs of King City, California, were arrested for impounding the cars of poor residents in order to make off with them.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline)EU citizens: Please answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Delay cutting off food stamps)US citizens: call on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to delay cutting off food stamps for some families.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Submit on Copyright in the EU)EU citizens: Please answer the copyright consultation by the March 5 deadline.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Insist on GMO Company Responsibility)US citizens: by March 4, submit a comment to the USDA to insist that companies that make or grow GMOs must be responsible for genetic contamination of other farms.
- 01 March 2014 (Urgent: Call for Shuhada Street Reopening)Everyone: call on Israel to allow Shuhada Street in Hebron to reopen.
- 28 February 2014 (Hong Kong press freedom threatened by business ties)Hong Kong's press freedom is threatened by the business ties of its mainstream media, much as occurs in the US, but Hong Kong journalists are often physically attacked too.
- 28 February 2014 (Unidentified soldiers seize regional parliament of Crimea)Unidentified professional soldiers have seized the regional parliament of the Crimea on behalf of Russia.
- I suppose this was arranged by Russia.
- 28 February 2014 (Egyptian workers start wave of strikes)Egyptian workers have concluded that the new government will do nothing for them, and have started a wave of strikes.
- 28 February 2014 (Navy knew Fukushima dangerously contaminated USS Reagan)Documents Say Navy Knew Fukushima Dangerously Contaminated the USS Reagan.
- 28 February 2014 (DOJ ducking scrutiny after misleading Supreme Court)DOJ Still Ducking Scrutiny After Misleading Supreme Court on Surveillance.
- 28 February 2014 (UK conservatives reject plans to reduce child poverty)The UK Conservatives reject plans to reduce child poverty. I guess they conflict with the Conservatives' plans to increase poverty.
- 27 February 2014 (Credit Suisse helped 22000 Americans evade US taxes)The US Senate is pursuing Credit Suisse for helping 22000 Americans evade US taxes.
- 27 February 2014 (GCHQ collected Yahoo webcam images of almost 2 million people)GCHQ collected Yahoo webcam images of almost 2 million people, some of them nude.
- It's irrelevant for investigation but handy for blackmail.
- 27 February 2014 (Author Stieg Larsson made progress in investigating the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme)Author Stieg Larsson made progress in investigating the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme.
- 27 February 2014 (The Reality of Cartel And Monopoly)The Prevailing Myth of Consumer Clout Distracts Us From the Reality of Cartel And Monopoly.
- 27 February 2014 (Proposed geoengineering methods have inherent limits)Proposed geoengineering methods have inherent limits and can't counteract global heating.
- 27 February 2014 (Global heating has not ceased since 2000)The US NAS and the Royal Society go on record affirming that global heating has not ceased since 2000.
- 27 February 2014 (Missionary confessed he was setting up a spy ring)A South Korean missionary arrested months ago in North Korea has confessed he was setting up a spy ring. Under the circumstances, I am skeptical of this confession. Truth is of little importance to the North Korean state.
- Bullying people to make false confessions is, alas, not limited to North Korea.
- 27 February 2014 (Working hard to market unhealthful foods to children)Fast food companies are working hard to market unhealthful foods to children.
- 27 February 2014 (Indentured servitude called Kafala)Foreign workers in Qatar and some other Gulf states are forced into a sort of indentured servitude called Kafala.
- 27 February 2014 (The cost of caring for disabled middle-class old people)The cost of caring for disabled middle-class old people in the US regularly bankrupts them.
- 27 February 2014 (Amnesty International has accused Israeli soldiers of killing and wounding many Palestinian civilians)Amnesty International has accused Israeli soldiers of killing and wounding many Palestinian civilians for no reason.
- These soldiers enjoy almost total impunity.
- 27 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose two anti-environment bills)US citizens: call on your congresscritter to oppose two anti-environment bills.
- 27 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose purchase of palm oil made via deforestation)Everyone: call on Proctor and Gamble to commit to stop buying palm oil made via deforestation.
- 27 February 2014 (Australian gov't hides from need to curb frequency of droughts)The Australian government offers aid to farmers hit by drought now, but hides from the need to stop making drought more frequent.
- 27 February 2014 (30% insufficiency in fresh water predicted for 2030)A 30% insufficiency in fresh water is predicted for 2030.
- I think the fresh water scarcity demonstrates that humanity needs a new ethic of reproduction and resource use.
- 27 February 2014 (Fracking likely to delay adoption of renewable energy)A UN warning: the effect of fracking is to delay the adoption of renewable energy.
- 27 February 2014 (Companies trying to make plastic by taking CO2 out of the air)Companies are trying to make plastic by taking CO2 out of the air.
- Plastics made in this way should not have to compete on an equal basis with plastics made from petroleum. Rather, they should be subsidized through a greenhouse gas emissions tax, which in their case would be negative (a subsidy).
- 27 February 2014 (Palestinian teenager transferred to political prison after two hunger strikes)15-year-old Palestinian prisoner Ubaida Asaid, who is imprisoned without charges, needed two hunger strikes to get transferred to a political prison rather than being locked up with criminals.
- 27 February 2014 (Convicted anti-fracking protester calls for increased activism)Convicted anti-fracking protester Natalie Hynde calls for more to resist fracking.
- 27 February 2014 (US still claims it works to "promote democracy")The US continues to claim that it works to "promote democracy", although its actions often hardly fit that description.
- 27 February 2014 (Tiny GPS trackers on birds)Tiny GPS trackers on birds are providing a wealth of surprising information about their migration practices.
- I'm entirely in favor of this, but the threat of using such trackers on people should be obvious.
- 27 February 2014 (Political power of the military-industrial complex)Right-wing criticism of needed cuts in the US Army illustrate the political power of the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned about.
- 27 February 2014 (The Manifold Lies of Chris Christie)The Manifold Lies of Chris Christie.
- 27 February 2014 (US to make school meals less fattening)The US will take steps to make school meals less fattening.
- This seems like a positive step, but the fact that it needs the support of beverage companies illustrates the lack of democracy in the US. In a democracy, the people would be strong enough to adopt policies that some businesses don't like.
- Please don't buy any Coca Cola Company products; please support the world-wide boycott of Coca Cola Company, launched because of the murder of union organizers in Colombia.
- 27 February 2014 (Credit cards to be connected with cell-phone location tracking)Credit cards will be connected with cell-phone location tracking.
- Schemes like this, that pressure people to let themselves be tracked, worry me greatly for the future. However, this one will only pressure those that are already surrendering to pressure, by paying with credit cards. Don't be tracked '-- pay cash!
- 27 February 2014 (Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at fleeing children)A few Palestinian children threw stones at some Israeli occupation soldiers, so the soldiers fired tear gas at a crowd of fleeing children.
- 27 February 2014 (Israel arrests Palestinian journalist for "incitement")Israel arrested a Palestinian journalist for calling an Israeli official "the mayor of occupied Jerusalem".
- Does that look like a crime to you? I don't know whether I agree with the statement or not, simply because I don't know the pertinent facts about that man's office; but even if the statement is a stretch, it must not be a crime.
- 27 February 2014 (Bringing a Palestinian child back to Gaza after surgery)For a Palestinian, getting a permit to bring a 7-year-old child to Gaza after surgery is not easy.
- 27 February 2014 (Cutting back on nurses increases death rate after surgery)Cutting back on nurses in European hospitals increases the death rate after surgery.
- US hospitals cut back on nurses 20 years ago. A friend who was a nurse quit the profession rather than take legal responsibility for supervising lots of untrained personnel, more than she could effectively supervise, and be at risk of a lawsuit if any of them screwed up.
- 27 February 2014 ("Social smokers" underestimate danger to their health)People who smoke a few cigarettes a day underestimate the danger to their health.
- 27 February 2014 (Journalist detained and tortured by Somali security agents)[Somali] Security Agents Still Hound Journalist After Detaining, Torturing Him.
- 27 February 2014 (Pakistani thugs torture man for protesting US drone attacks)Kareem Khan was grabbed by Pakistani thugs and tortured for campaigning against US drone attacks.
- 27 February 2014 (Turkish PM accused of corruption)Turkish PM Erdogan is accused of corruption with phone call recordings he claims are falsified.
- I don't know what the truth is about these recordings, but it is clear that he is the enemy of freedom in Turkey.
- 27 February 2014 (Iranian journalist attacked and arrested while protesting)Iranian journalist and dissident Mohammad Nurizad was attacked and arrested by thugs as he protested in front of the "intelligence ministry".
- 27 February 2014 (Agitation in the Crimea for secession from Ukraine)In the Crimea, with a Russian-descent majority, there is agitation for secession from Ukraine.
- It seems to me that if the inhabitants of the Crimea want to become part of Russia, they should be allowed to do so; therefore, I suggest committing to hold a plebiscite in two years time to decide this.
- That will give the Crimeans a chance to see whether the government of Ukraine is democratic and to think about whether they really prefer to be ruled by Putin.
- 27 February 2014 (North Korean escaper sends leaflets to North Korea)North Korean escaper Park Sang Hak sends balloons with leaflets over the sky of North Korea.
- 27 February 2014 (US Army's infiltration of antiwar protesters)The US Army infiltrated antiwar protesters in Washington State.
- 27 February 2014 (Chinese man sues local gov't over cost incurred due to pollution)Chinese Man Demands Local Government Repay Cost Of His Treadmill In Landmark Anti-Pollution Lawsuit.
- 27 February 2014 (Over 60 potential sources of pollution along Elk River)Over 60 West Virginia Facilities Could Contaminate The Elk River's Water Supply, Report Finds.
- 26 February 2014 (9 of the 10 most unhappy US states are run by Republicans)9 of the 10 most unhappy US states are run by Republicans.
- 26 February 2014 (Possible execution for calling for independence for the Uighurs)A Uighur Chinese faces possible execution for calling for independence for the Uighurs.
- I have no opinion on the question of independence for the Uighurs, but criminalizing his point of view is clearly wrong.
- 26 February 2014 (Pilots exposed to Agent Orange)Pilots that flew US planes that had previously been used to drop Agent Orange on Vietnam were exposed to the toxin, perhaps to high levels of it.
- Keep this in mind with regard to the corn that is designed to be resistant to Agent Orange.
- 26 February 2014 (Don't shrink the US post office '-- what the US needs is jobs)Don't shrink the US post office '-- what the US needs is jobs.
- 26 February 2014 (A complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a good idea)A complete US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a good idea.
- 26 February 2014 (Assumptions about values)Which expenses the media blame for tight budgets reflects assumptions about values.
- When we're talking about proprietary software such as Mr Bill profits from, don't get distracted by the price paid for it; that's a secondary problem: proprietary software is an injustice even if it costs nothing.
- 26 February 2014 (The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is leaking)The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which was supposed to hold nuclear waste and never ever leak, is leaking.
- I'm not sure that this leak is dangerous, but until people understand how it happened, there is no way of guessing how much more may leak.
- 26 February 2014 (Ireland faces a lot of embarrassment)Ireland faces a lot of embarrassment for imprisoning anti-military protester Margaretta D'Arcy.
- 26 February 2014 (Right-wing extremists arrested for plotting an attack on the US gov't)Right-wing extremists have been arrested for plotting an attack on the US government.
- I have no more sympathy for these right-wing militants than for Islamists, but in both cases we must beware of letting the state manufacture plots to prosecute people who would otherwise never have done any harm.
- 26 February 2014 (Foreign domestic workers in Qatar are subject to slave-like conditions)Foreign domestic workers in Qatar are subject to slave-like conditions.
- This happens in the UK too, and it's unacceptable in either place.
- 26 February 2014 (Personalized "news" feeds)Personalized "news" feeds are atomizing society and facilitating well-funded pseudoscience such as global heating denialism.
- 26 February 2014 (Thug visits a person according to algorithm)In Chicago,
- For a thug to visit a person with a sign is not violence and doesn't deny that person's human rights. Thugs often bully and threaten people, but if all the thug does is show up at someone's door with a sign, that is not bullying.
- Thus far, I don't see any reason why this needs to be restricted or why it matters what the algorithm is that selects people for visits.
- The real question here is, does that visit tend to make a person less likely to commit crimes? And if so, what other effects does it tend to have?
- If the visits '-- or other consequences of selection '-- tend to have harmful effects on the person selected, that would be a real problem, and whether race indirectly causes people to be selected would become a real issue.
- Here's where this might lead.
- 26 February 2014 (The Patent System)The patent system is, at best, not work keeping.
- 26 February 2014 (A $10.10 minimum wage)A $10.10 Minimum Wage Would Make A DVD At Walmart Cost One Cent More.
- 26 February 2014 (US Lags Behind World in Temp Worker Protections)U.S. Lags Behind World in Temp Worker Protections.
- 26 February 2014 (Obama fighting cuts to the military)President Obama Is Fighting Cuts to the Military, Not Demanding Them.
- 26 February 2014 (The US Should Respect Venezuela's Democracy)The US Should Respect Venezuela's Democracy.
- 26 February 2014 (Growth and retreat of Qori Kalis glacier in Peru)The growth and retreat of the giant Qori Kalis glacier in Peru has been linked to world temperature.
- 26 February 2014 (Public Knowledge condemns bill to legalize unlocking of mobile phones)Public Knowledge has condemned a bill to legalize unlocking of portable phones because it has been modified so as to endorse in principle the idea that copyright should control this activity.
- I agree. The DMCA provisions that ban breaking DRM must be repealed entirely and replaced with a ban on DRM (digital restrictions management).
- 26 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose fracking)Everyone: tell the CEO of ExxonMobil that he's not the only one whose backyard shouldn't be fracked in.
- Don't let the oil companies drive us to frack and fruin.
- 26 February 2014 (Denial of global heating)Denial of global heating is a form of pseudoscience.
- 26 February 2014 (LinkedIn setting up censored Chinese subsidiary)LinkedIn is setting up a censored Chinese subsidiary.
- 26 February 2014 (Man in Japan tries and fails to kill without a gun)A man in Japan tried to kill strangers, but since he couldn't find a gun, he had to use a car, and didn't succeed in killing anyone.
- 26 February 2014 (NYC postpones plan to wake up homeless people sleeping on train)New York City postponed a plan to wake up all the homeless people sleeping on the E train line.
- 25 February 2014 (Edward Snowden's moral courage)Edward Snowden's moral courage, and why massive surveillance made it necessary.
- I know something about moral courage. Thousands of programmers could, in 1983, have decided to reject the enticing profits of proprietary software and develop a free operating system, but I'm the only one who did it.
- I had the determination to swim against the current, and keep doing so despite ridicule, insults, and attempts to convince me to ruin everything by compromising too far. But I didn't have to face a threat to put me in prison.
- Snowden's act demanded far more moral courage than mine, and I honor him for that.
- 25 February 2014 (Children murdered by Boko Haram)Boko Haram murdered school children sleeping in their dormitory.
- 25 February 2014 (Advertising designed to look like news articles)Prestigious journalistic outlets now publish advertising designed to look just like news articles.
- 25 February 2014 (Perpetrators of mass murder in Indonesia in power and honored)The perpetrators of mass murder in Indonesia in 1965/6 remain in power and honored. A documentary that offered them a chance to re-enact the crimes they are proud of has started a debate about the crime.
- 25 February 2014 (China's air pollution interferes with agriculture)China's air pollution is so bad that it interferes with agriculture.
- 25 February 2014 (If Hillary Is the Only Candidate, Where Does She Stand on Keystone XL)If Hillary Is the Only Candidate, Where Does She Stand on Keystone XL?
- I won't vote for a right-winger like Hillary Clinton. I did not vote for her husband in 1996 after I had seen what a right-winger he was, and I did not vote for Obama for the same reason. It was clear even in 2008 that he was talking about "Change" to avoid taking a stand for any important change.
- I think it will be an advance if a woman can get elected president, just as it was an advance that a black man can get elected president, but I won't support a candidate because of that person's sex or race. Nor will I support the Democrats merely because Republicans might be worse. Voting for the "lesser of two evils" is a road to ever worse. If Ms Clinton is the Democratic candidate, I will vote Green (again).
- I hope to have the chance to vote for Elizabeth Warren.
- 25 February 2014 (Reparations for the slave trade)Former plantation colonies of the UK want reparations for the slave trade.
- The descendants of slaves in the US deserve reparations because the effects continue. Whether this applies to most of the countries in the Caribbean, I don't know, but Haiti certainly deserves reparations from France.
- 25 February 2014 (Deal with EU would have limited benefits for Ukrainians)The people of Ukraine should think carefully before making a deal with the EU.
- 25 February 2014 (World-wide fishing police force)Proposing a world-wide fishing police force.
- 25 February 2014 (Yanukovych's millions hidden offshore)Yanukovych's hidden millions spotlight how easy it is to hide the fruit of corruption offshore.
- 25 February 2014 (Temporary cooling due to volcanic eruptions)Volcanic eruptions since 2000 have caused a temporary cooling that cancels out part of the heating effect of greenhouse gases.
- To cancel it out entirely would require a higher level of vulcanism. However, that would work only for a time. As we pump more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, cancelling them out would require a steadily increasing level of vulcanism.
- Setting aside the harm those eruptions would do if they occurred, there is no reason to expect them to happen.
- Moreover, eruptions can also emit greenhouse gases, so over the long term they can make things worse.
- 25 February 2014 (Dirty tricks used by GCHQ to ruin people's reputations)GCHQ uses dirty tricks to ruin people's reputations. It uses this tactic against dissidents who are in no sense terrorists.
- 25 February 2014 (Active whistleblower inside the NSA)There may be an active whistleblower inside the NSA now.
- 25 February 2014 (Digital delivery of bills)Is digital delivery of bills and such more sustainable than mailing paper? It's not clear.
- What is clear to me is that I'd rather not have the information going through the internet. I don't do banking over the internet, and I get my statements in paper.
- 25 February 2014 (Anatomy of the Deep State)Anatomy of the Deep State: Beneath Veneer of Democracy, The Permanent Ruling Class.
- 25 February 2014 (Hypocrisies of the Super-Rich)Hypocrisies of the Super-Rich.
- 25 February 2014 (Australians rally against gov't secrecy about treatment of refugees)Australians rallied against the government's secrecy about how it is treating refugees.
- 25 February 2014 (Attack on Sea Shepherd vessel)Sea Shepherd says Japanese whaling ships attacked one of its vessels in an attempt to damage it.
- Australia's right-wing government does not know what is happening because it cancelled a commitment to send a ship to monitor the whaling fleet.
- 24 February 2014 (Anti-Putin protesters of 2012 sentenced to 4 years in prison)The anti-Putin protesters of 2012 have been sentenced to 4 years in prison, a little less than some US protesters.
- 24 February 2014 (Economic growth in Africa is going mainly to the rich)Economic growth in Africa is going mainly to the rich.
- I suspect "free trade" and other neoliberal dooH niboR policies that are designed to transfer wealth to the rich.
- 24 February 2014 (11 million homes are empty in Europe, as many are homeless)11 million homes are empty in Europe, as many are homeless.
- Homeless is still increasing in Ireland.
- 24 February 2014 (Urgent: Cut the nuclear weapons budget)US citizens: call on Obama to cut the nuclear weapons budget.
- 24 February 2014 (NSA snooped on Merkel's aids)Ever since Obama told the NSA to stop snooping on Angela Merkel, it has snooped on her aides instead to get the same data.
- 24 February 2014 (Obama's men continue promoting the TPP)Obama's men continue promoting the TPP with a long string of falsehoods and half-truths.
- 24 February 2014 (Ukraine now faces threat of IMF shock treatments and "free trade")Ukraine now faces the threat of IMF shock treatments and "free trade" with the EU.
- 24 February 2014 (Uganda's president signed the anti-homosexuality and censorship bill)Uganda's president signed the anti-homosexuality and censorship bill.
- 24 February 2014 (Artificial intelligence could make massive surveillance even more dangerous)Artificial intelligence could make massive surveillance even more dangerous.
- 24 February 2014 (Urgent: Support Yevgeniy Vitishko)Everyone: support Russian environmentalist Yevgeniy Vitishko.
- 24 February 2014 (Urgent: Call on the US Olympic Committee to reject BP as a sponsor)US citizens: call on the US Olympic Committee to reject Billionaire Polluters as a sponsor.
- 24 February 2014 (Urgent: BP's suspension from new federal contracts)US citizens: call on the EPA not to lift Billionaire Polluters' suspension from new federal contracts.
- Make BP mean Billionaires Punished.
- 24 February 2014 (Monitoring employees' movements and conversations)Some US businesses install lots of sensors to monitor employees' movements and conversations.
- 24 February 2014 (Proposed HTTP 2 spec includes just what the NSA wants)The proposed HTTP 2 spec includes allowing ISP proxies to decrypt communications between your computer and any web site. Just what the NSA wants!
- 24 February 2014 (Uganda's president backtracking on anti-homosexuality legislation)Uganda's president Museveni is backtracking on signing the anti-homosexuality legislation.
- The most clearly unjust provision I've seen listed in this law is its prohibition on expressing the position that homosexuality is acceptable. I'm not saying this provision is more unjust than the others (I am not trying to compare them on that dimension), but rather that the injustice of this provision is the most indisputable, because it violates freedom of speech.
- 24 February 2014 (Nefarious role of US in Ukraine)In Ukraine, Chaos and Violence Hide Nefarious Role of US.
- This article points out a side of the situation which our media tend to ignore; but it seems to ignore the other side which our media focus on. President Yanukovych's thugs were the ones that started shooting the protesters, and as long as they continued, there was no reason to criticize the protesters for shooting back.
- 24 February 2014 (Civil disobedience)A lesson in real life for the foolish judges that tell activists they should limit themselves to the ineffective and ignored methods of protest that have not been prohibited.
- If any lawful method of protest starts to be effective, the state finds an excuse to ban it or crush it. Consider how the Occupy protests were violently crushed. Now consider the ag-gag bills.
- 24 February 2014 (Acceleration of global heating worse than expected)Global heating's reduction of Arctic sea ice has accelerated global heating worse than scientists expected.
- 23 February 2014 (Arrest of Mexican drug kingpin)Is drug kingpin Guzmn the Mexican state's prisoner or its ally and honored guest?
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose imprisonment of protesting nuns)Everyone: tell the Justice Department that protesting nuns shouldn't be imprisoned while banksters enjoy impunity.
- 23 February 2014 (Attack on wedding party in Yemen)It is impossible to tell whether some of the people in the Yemeni wedding party were supporters of al Qa'ida, but even if some were, is it right to attack a wedding party?
- 23 February 2014 (US military uses foreign sweatshops)The US military produces propaganda clothing in foreign sweatshops.
- 23 February 2014 (Egypt's military rulers)Egypt's military rulers are saying the US is plotting against them while continuing to accept lots of US support.
- 23 February 2014 (Diseases spreading from honeybees to bumblebees)Honeybees are spreading diseases to bumblebees.
- 23 February 2014 (Egyptian soldiers attack alleged terrorists from helicopters)Egyptian soldiers attacked alleged terrorists from helicopters.
- If the people attacked were indeed bombers associated with al-Qa'ida, that's a good reason to arrest and prosecute them; but does Egypt need to attack criminals in Egypt with the army? This attack is the sort of thing one would expect in a civil war.
- 23 February 2014 (Pension funds that invest in fossil fuels)Pension funds that invest in fossil fuels are ruining their clients' descendants' lives.
- 23 February 2014 (The campaign for privatization of US public schools)The campaign for privatization of US public schools started from a false report of a nonexistent fall in US educational results.
- 23 February 2014 (Governments promoting dangerous changes in "internet governance")Governments that want more control over the Internet are using the revelations about government snooping as an excuse to promote dangerous changes in "internet governance."
- 23 February 2014 (A report from Venezuela)A report from Venezuela.
- 23 February 2014 (Athabasca River in Alberta is being contaminated by waste from tar sands oil)The Athabasca River in Alberta is being contaminated by waste from tar sands oil, which was disposed of in the cheapest possible way: dumped on the ground.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Preserve funding for vital conservation programs)US citizens: call on Congress to preserve funding for vital conservation programs.
- 23 February 2014 (UK gov't still denies that its policies have pushed many Britons into hunger)The UK government still denies that its policies have pushed many Britons into hunger, and still pretends that they are poor because they are lazy, as an excuse to waste their time applying for an inadequate quantity of jobs.
- Food banks are admirable, but their inadequacy demonstrates the need for adequate government aid for the poor.
- 23 February 2014 (Anti-Putin protesters convicted of "rioting" and attacking thugs)Anti-Putin protesters from 2012 have been convicted of "rioting" and attacking thugs.
- It's probably the "He hit my stick with his head" accusation that thugs around the world like to make after they attack someone. Even in the US, courts tend to believe the thugs if there's no hard evidence to the contrary.
- 23 February 2014 (Law to make schools protect personal data of students)California is considering a law to make schools protect personal data of students.
- The proposal is well-meaning, but I think its provisions are inadequate because the US government will find some way to collect that personal data.
- The law really should order schools not to release data about their students to any one except the student, or to another school that the student wishes to enroll in.
- 23 February 2014 (Fix the Debt's campaign has failed)Fix the Debt's campaign to cut government spending on the non-rich has failed.
- However, if Obama is presenting a smaller deficit as an improvement, rather than a sign of a failure to stimulate the economy, he is still a right-wing influence.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: demand an end to (illegal) threats against whistleblower John Kiriakou)US citizens: phone the Bureau of Prisons to demand an end to (illegal) threats against whistleblower John Kiriakou.
- 23 February 2014 (The IRS proposals for campaign spending)The IRS proposals for campaign spending by 501(c)(4) organizations don't go far enough to stop them from filtering dark money from billionaires and businesses.
- 23 February 2014 (FCC is trying to defend network neutrality with half-measures)The FCC is trying to defend network neutrality with half-measures instead of the common carrier status that really should apply.
- 23 February 2014 (Venezuela is filtering the internet as a reaction to the protests)Venezuela is filtering the internet as a reaction to the protests.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Do not allow drilling for oil in Arctic waters)US citizens: tell the Secretary of the Interior not to allow drilling for oil in Arctic waters.
- 23 February 2014 (Killed for being used by Facebook)Islamist fanatics in Syria reportedly killed a girl for being used by Facebook.
- Being used by Facebook is bad enough '-- these people need help quitting, not punishment.
- 23 February 2014 (Judge Tosses Muslim Spying Suit Against NYPD)Judge Tosses Muslim Spying Suit Against NYPD, Says Any Damage Was Caused by Reporters Who Exposed It.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose the Keystone XL pipeline)Everyone: call on Ms Clinton to heed Jeffrey Sachs and oppose the Keystone XL pipeline.
- 23 February 2014 (Recommendations for UK NHS)Recommendations for what the UK NHS should do to allay fears of misuse of people's medical records.
- I think this does not go far enough. No companies should be given access to any of this data. We can't trust pharma companies to investigate the effects of their own drugs, so that work should be done by universities with no direct contact with the company.
- 23 February 2014 (Peace deal in Ukraine)In Ukraine, the protesters and the president have made a long-term peace deal.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Stop allowing veto of judge nominees by a solitary senator)US citizens: call on Senator Leahy to change the practice that enables a solitary Republican senator to veto a judge nominee.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Ban practice of feeding antibiotics to livestock)US citizens: tell the FDA to ban the practice of feeding antibiotics to livestock even when they are not sick.
- 23 February 2014 (Plans for systematic tracking of drivers in the US)The Committee for Public Safety '-- oops, Department of Homeland Security '-- has not canceled its plans for systematic tracking of drivers via license plate recognition.
- It should be illegal for companies to systematically accumulate records of license plates unless they are (1) invalid or (2) subject to specific surveillance orders issued by a court.
- 23 February 2014 (Ukraine may be in process of splitting up)Ukraine's parliament removed President Yanukovych, but the country may be in the process of splitting up anyway.
- Accusations that Germany and the US are paying protesters in Ukraine.
- 23 February 2014 (Ecological consequences of a new canal through Nicaragua)A new canal through Nicaragua could cause tremendous ecological damage and is likely to be of no benefit to most Nicaraguans.
- Container shipping has no need for a canal. The containers can be offloaded at one coast, then shipped by rail to the other coast. This would require a little more work, but (with a fast train line) could even reduce shipping time.
- 23 February 2014 (Hot weather, violent crime and theft)A study concludes that hot weather increases violent crime and theft.
- Global heating might then lead to an increase, though it is not certain that the effects of week-to-week temperature variation would apply also to a permanent temperature rise.
- 23 February 2014 (Supposed limits on US surveillance of journalists' communications)Supposed limits on US surveillance of journalists' communications are meaningless because they don't apply to using the PAT RIOT act against journalists.
- 23 February 2014 (AT&T's misleading surveillance report)AT&T's surveillance report is more misleading than accurate, because it omits 80 million NSA targets.
- 23 February 2014 (Algorithmic prison)Welcome to Algorithmic Prison.
- 23 February 2014 (Entrapment mills in the US)The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operated entrapment mills across the US.
- 23 February 2014 (Proposed ban on aiding military interrogations fails to pass)A proposed ban on aiding military interrogations won 53% of the votes at the American Psychological Association's conference, but failed because it needed a 2/3 majority to pass.
- 23 February 2014 (Egyptian thugs cram 45 prisoners into van and bomb them with tear gas)Egyptian thugs crammed 45 prisoners into a van meant for 24, left them for hours in intense heat without water or air, then finished off most of them with a tear gas bomb.
- Then, of course, the thugs made up lies to excuse this.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Respect for wildlife refuge on Merritt Island)US citizens: call on the FAA to respect the wildlife refuge on Merritt Island.
- 23 February 2014 (Urgent: Regulate emissions of methane)US citizens: call for regulating emissions of methane.
- 23 February 2014 (Family made ill and displaced by tar sands industry)Meet The Family The Tar Sands Industry Wants To Keep Quiet.
- 23 February 2014 (Thug shoots teenager after mistaking Wii controller for gun)Cop Allegedly Shot And Killed Teenage Boy After Mistaking His Wii Controller For A Gun.
- The important issue is not the mistake made on this one occasion but the general factors that make such mistakes likely.
- 23 February 2014 (The claim that raising minimum wage will cost jobs)The Troubling Fine Print In The Claim That Raising The Minimum Wage Will Cost Jobs.
- 23 February 2014 (Influence of oil money on Texas legislature)Saturated with Oil Money, Texas Legislature Saved Industry from Pollution Rule.
- 23 February 2014 (US courts moving to discard the "third party" doctrine)US courts are moving to discard the "third party" doctrine which says that people have no "expectation of privacy" in information that they provide to a "third party".
- If this change is universally adopted, it will only partly reduce the harm done by accumulating massive digital dossiers about everyone.
- 23 February 2014 (Spying on email between FARC peace negotiators and foreign journalists)Colombia spied on email between FARC peace negotiators and foreign journalists.
- The FARC is Colombia's second-worst terrorist group. The worst one is the army-backed paramilitaries.
- 22 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose plans for Navy sonar exercises)US citizens: call on the Navy to drop its plans for sonar exercises that will kill lots of marine mammals.
- 22 February 2014 (Prostitutes in Italy demand right to pay tax to get a pension)Prostitutes in Italy demand the right to pay tax and get a pension.
- 22 February 2014 (America's Highest Paid Government Workers)New Report Exposes America's Highest Paid Government Workers.
- 22 February 2014 (Wal-Mart won't give workers a raise)Wal-Mart firmly denies the idea that it will give its workers a raise.
- However, the worst thing about working for Wal-Mart is that it usually is too few hours to make a living, and has no benefits or job security.
- 22 February 2014 (Urgent: Support EU Net Neutrality)EU citizens: call on certain MEPs to support a specific aspect of network neutrality when they vote on Feb 24.
- 22 February 2014 (Plastic food packaging leaches hormone-disrupting substances)People are exposed to low levels of toxic and hormone-disrupting substances throughout their lives, as they leach into food from plastic packaging. There is very little research into the effects of this.
- It is a difficult question to study; there is no way to do a controlled experiment, and it is hard to find comparable populations that differ mainly in how much they keep food and beverages in plastic packaging.
- 22 February 2014 (Press under Threat on Anniversary of Libyan Revolution)Press under Threat on Anniversary of Libyan Revolution.
- 22 February 2014 (Journalist reports that someone was messing with his word processor)Journalist Luke Harding reports that someone was messing with his word processor as he wrote a book about Snowden.
- 22 February 2014 (Urgent: Advocate changes going the opposite of fast track)US citizens: call on Rep Pelosi and Senator Reid to advocate changes going the opposite of fast track.
- 22 February 2014 (Privatization of electricity in Australia)Privatization of electricity in parts of Australia turned out to be inefficient: it caused prices there to shoot up.
- High prices of electricity might have a positive effect: incentivizing conservation efforts. But it would have been better to do that with a tax increase, rather than giving away the increase to private parties.
- 22 February 2014 (Right-Wingers warn of the danger of a "wage explosion")Wages in Australia have been falling, but right-wingers warn of the danger of a "wage explosion".
- This is standard right-wing tactic.
- 22 February 2014 (Australia has put refugees in danger)Australia has put refugees in danger by leaking their personal data to the countries they fled from.
- 22 February 2014 (Urgent: Opt out of the UK's lax medical records sharing system)In the UK: opt out of the UK's lax medical records sharing system.
- 22 February 2014 (Islamic oppression reaches a new extreme)Islamic oppression reaches a new extreme: in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to go to a medical clinic without a male guardian.
- 22 February 2014 (Bill to restrict local thugs from acquiring armored vehicles, machine guns, and so on)New Hampshire is considering a bill to restrict local thugs from acquiring armored vehicles, machine guns, and so on.
- The local citizens would be empowered to permit exceptions.
- Let's have this in every state!
- 22 February 2014 (Criticizing "voluntourism")Criticizing "voluntourism": don't think that your brief participation in an aid project will be constructive if you don't have a special skill to do the job.
- 22 February 2014 (HIV denialists are using the DMCA)HIV denialists are using the DMCA to censor criticism of their video.
- 22 February 2014 (Arrested and beat up a man for helping people)Vindictive San Francisco thugs arrested and beat up a man for helping people who had a bicycle accident.
- 22 February 2014 (Some poor Venezuelans have joined in protests)Some poor Venezuelans have joined in protests.
- 22 February 2014 (It would take many Snowdens)It would take many Snowdens to give Americans a picture of all the things the US government is secretly doing that might be dangerous.
- 22 February 2014 (Snipers killed protesters in Kiev)Snipers killed protesters in Kiev.
- Ukrainian thugs burned down the internet tent at the protest camp.
- The western part of Ukraine is starting to break away.
- Naturally, the government calls the protesters "terrorists".
- I hear that some sort of deal has been made.
- 22 February 2014 (Ethiopian woman raped in Sudan won't be executed)The Ethiopian woman raped in Sudan won't be executed, but faces a fine she surely cannot pay.
- 22 February 2014 (Journalists are now on trial in Egypt for their journalism)Al-Jazeera journalists are now on trial in Egypt for their journalism.
- 22 February 2014 (South Africa tried to force a gay rights activist unto a flight to Uganda)South Africa tried to force a gay rights activist unto a flight to Uganda where he would face imprisonment for his political views.
- 22 February 2014 (US Must Account for 'Turning Wedding Into a Funeral')Drone Report: US Must Account for 'Turning Wedding Into a Funeral'.
- 22 February 2014 (If our frack well explodes, you get a free pizza!)Chevron: if our frack well explodes, you get a free pizza!
- 22 February 2014 (The copyright on The Hindus)Readers have served Penguin India with a demand to surrender the copyright on The Hindus if it is not going to publish the book there.
- I wonder if Doniger's contract says the rights revert to her when the book goes out of print.
- 22 February 2014 (Billionaire plans to support candidates that intend to curb global heating)The existence of one billionaire who plans to support candidates that intend to curb global heating does not make it ok to let billionaires determine the results of elections.
- 22 February 2014 (Massive extinction at the end of the Permian period)The massive extinction at the end of the Permian period occurred in a time span between 10,000 and 110,000 years '-- rapid in geological time.
- One candidate is a supervolcano that emitted tremendous amounts of CO2.
- 22 February 2014 (Urgent: Bring the minimum wage raise bill to a vote)US citizens: tell Congress to bring the minimum wage raise bill to a vote.
- 22 February 2014 (Republican extremist wants more right-wing policies)A Republican extremist claims he wants to reduce poverty by pushing more of the right-wing policies that have increased poverty in the US so far.
- 22 February 2014 (Rand Paul on NSA spying)Rand Paul: telling Americans that the NSA spies on us all does not make it right to do so.
- I disagree with his "cheating spouse" analogy, since I do not believe monogamy should be a requirement for love.
- 22 February 2014 (Why right-wing ideologues deny global heating)Right-wing ideologues deny global heating because confronting it requires massive governmental activity.
- This is not to say there is no room for markets in preventing this disaster. One of the advantages of the carbon tax is that it puts the free market to work in reducing emissions.
- 22 February 2014 (Massive surveillance of forests)One good use of massive surveillance surveils forests rather than people.
- 21 February 2014 (Injustice of the TPP)A web comic explains the injustice of the TPP.
- Even if we defeat the TPP, we should not forget the politicians who are trying to inflict it on us. They have proved they are on the wrong side, the 1%'s side.
- 21 February 2014 (Ukrainian protesters defeat riot thugs)Ukrainian protesters defeated riot thugs to take control of Independence Square, but it seems the right-wing extremists are taking the lead among them.
- 21 February 2014 (Delusional man faces death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy)A delusional man faces the death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy.
- This law is the reason I will not go to Pakistan. Nobody should go there.
- 21 February 2014 (The protests in Venezuela)More about the protests in Venezuela.
- I do not find it implausible that the US has helped organize the protests. I do not find it implausible that a provocateur (either working for the Venezuelan government or working for the US) has killed people on both sides.
- In any case, it is clearly wrong to prosecute the leader of a protest because violence breaks out later. This resembles what the US did to the Haymarket martyrs.
- 21 February 2014 (Whistleblower at Hanford nuclear facility fired)The cleanup manager at the Hanford nuclear facility was fired after informing the public about safety faults.
- Previous whistleblowers were fired, too. I guess we can't believe anything the employees say unless they get fired.
- 21 February 2014 (Volkswagen workers bullied by Republican state politicians)Republican state politicians in Tennessee bullied Volkswagen workers, who then voted not to unionize.
- 21 February 2014 (Minimum wage needs to be combined with a welfare system)Republicans have seized on a study that predicts that increasing the minimum wage would eliminate 500,000 jobs but lift 900,000 workers out of poverty.
- The minimum wage needs to be combined with a welfare system for those who are unemployed. That way, all low-paid workers benefit, whether they are still working or not.
- To work out an example, suppose half a million jobs are eliminated, and 50 million minimum-wage workers get a raise. If those workers pay 3% of their increase in income as tax, that would cover the costs of supporting the other half-million, and all will be better off than they are now.
- This sort of system to transfer income from the rich (who have grabbed an ever-increasing share) to the rest is exactly what we need.
- 21 February 2014 (New land-grab for US farmland by big companies)A new land-grab for US farmland by big companies threatens to increase consolidation and could make working conditions worse.
- 20 February 2014 (G8 Brings Big Ag Colonialism to Africa)G8 Brings Big Ag Colonialism to Africa
- It's the usual neoliberal "solution": big foreign companies lobby for permission to "invest", which means taking control.
- The G8 New Alliance facilitates investors' "access to land", which means local people lose their land and end up in penury.
- Another aspect is pushing farmers to seeds they can't reproduce. This makes them dependent on agribusiness and reduces diversity.
- The G8 New Alliance also threatens Ethiopia's distributed seed bank.
- 20 February 2014 (Australia giving away natural resources to foreign mining companies)Australia is practically giving away its natural resources to foreign mining companies.
- I would guess that a few strategically chosen Australians receive some of those profits.
- 20 February 2014 (Urgent: Bringing back postal banking)US citizens: sign this petition for bringing back postal banking.
- 20 February 2014 (Ecuador's oil drilling)Ecuador's oil drilling in the Yasuni National Park is supported by roads it calls "trails", as it pushes indigenous people off their land. To cover up the truth, it restricts access by journalists.
- I would not criticize Ecuador for starting the planning to exploit the area before formally announcing failure of its plan to permanently protect the area. That plan depended on donations from wealthier countries, and it was already clear that the funds requested were not forthcoming. Its failure was not Ecuador's fault.
- However, it appears that Ecuador treated this as more than a contingency plan.
- Meanwhile, Chevron, which is grasping at even imaginary straws to get out of its judgment for pollution in Ecuador, is twisting the RICO law to claim that any criticism of Chevron is "racketeering".
- 20 February 2014 (Urgent: Extend unemployment benefits by cutting the war budget)US citizens: call for extending unemployment benefits by cutting the war budget.
- 20 February 2014 (Kellogg has agreed to buy palm oil only from suppliers that protect wildlife and human rights)Kellogg has agreed to buy palm oil only from suppliers that protect wildlife and human rights.
- We will have to keep after Kellogg to truly implement this agreement, since it will have an incentive to wink at abuses. However, what worries me even more is that the unethical suppliers will simply sell to other companies. To stop the deforestation caused by palm oil requires systematic enforcement not dependent on one purchaser.
- 20 February 2014 (Residents resisting attempt to evict them all for an ecotourism scheme)Residents of Ile a Vache, Haiti, are resisting an attempt to evict them all for an ecotourism scheme.
- 20 February 2014 (Ukraine thugs attacked 20 journalists as well as many civilian protesters)The Ukraine thugs attacked 20 journalists as well as many civilian protesters.
- The fighting in Kiev was started by thugs who had been positioned as snipers.
- 20 February 2014 (Comcast regularly mistreats its broadband customers)Comcast regularly mistreats its broadband customers.
- If it gets permission to merge and get bigger, this can only get worse.
- 20 February 2014 (Urgent: Support use of eminent domain to rescue US home owners)US citizens: call on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to support the use of eminent domain to rescue US home owners from the banksters.
- 20 February 2014 (The Australian shark cull)The Australian shark cull is driven by the aim of reducing tiny risks to zero, together with exaggeration of those risks, stirred up by sensationalist media.
- It's too bad we don't attend with similar determination to the really big risks: obesity, environmental pollution, plutocracy and its consequent often-deadly poverty, and global heating.
- 20 February 2014 (Deal between protesters and Ukrainian gov't breaks down)A deal between protesters and the government broke down and thugs attacked the protesters, who fought back.
- 20 February 2014 (Guatemala's attorney general forced to leave office early)Guatemala's attorney general, who prosecuted the corrupt and genocidal elite, has been forced to leave office early.
- 20 February 2014 (Thugs use whips to break up Pussy Riot performance)Thugs broke up a Pussy Riot performance by attacking the performers with whips.
- 20 February 2014 (US protesters sentenced to as much as 5 years in prison)US protesters for nuclear disarmament have been sentenced to as much as 5 years in prison.
- The "sabotage" they were convicted of was symbolic.
- Keep this in mind when other countries threaten large penalties against protesters. It's equally wrong when the US does it.
- 20 February 2014 (Urgent: Reject the idea that presidents are allowed to kill at will)US citizens: reject the idea that presidents are allowed to kill at will.
- 20 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose letting poultry agribusinesses inspect their own chickens)US citizens: call on the Department of Agriculture not to let poultry agribusinesses inspect their own chickens.
- That would be letting the fox watch the henhouse.
- 20 February 2014 (Venezuelan opposition leader surrenders to state)Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo L"pez has surrendered to the state, daring the state to prosecute him.
- I don't know what his political platform is. I suspect it is to benefit foreign businesses and their local allies, which I do not support at all. Nonetheless, he is also standing for political freedom, in a short-term sense. Maduro had better get behind this too.
- 20 February 2014 (The erroneous idea that everyone needs to be good at math)On the erroneous idea that everyone needs to be good at math.
- Speaking as one who loves math as it ought to be loved '-- for its beauty '-- I agree with the article. My knowledge of mathematical logic informs me that it is a fallacy to think that "There are mathematical jobs available now for workers who are good at math" implies "If everyone were good at math, there would be mathematical jobs for everyone."
- The US, especially, has no need to increase workers' productivity. Its production is high enough. The US needs to change the economic system so that everyone can have a decent life, not just the small fraction whose labor is still in high demand.
- 20 February 2014 (Why same-sex marriage rights have gained so much in the US)Now we see why same-sex marriage rights have gained so much in the US: businesses want to be able to hire gay professionals.
- Legalizing same-sex marriage is the right thing to do. But if we need to depend on business support to win for a worthy cause, we can't defeat the plutocrats' class war that is driving most Americans, gay or straight, into poverty.
- The Casualty of America's Same-Sex Marriage Fight: Civil Unions.
- 20 February 2014 (North Carolina riverbed coated by toxic coal ash)North Carolina riverbed coated by toxic coal ash, officials say.
- 20 February 2014 (UK makes the poor futilely apply for jobs at grueling pace)The UK's excuse to crush the poor is to demand they futilely apply for jobs at a grueling pace, or be left to starve.
- This "culture of fear" often leads to hunger and homelessness.
- 20 February 2014 (Refuting the apologists for the 1%'s class war)Refuting the apologists for the 1%'s class war.
- 19 February 2014 ("Free trade" agreements block vital regulations on banks)"Free trade" agreements block vital regulations on banks.
- 19 February 2014 (Where Syrian Islamists take control, they oppress)Where Syrian Islamists take control, they oppress women, and men too.
- 19 February 2014 (UK court ruled in favor of the interrogation of David Miranda)A UK court ruled in favor of the interrogation of David Miranda even though it was intended to interfere with press freedom.
- Laws that authorize oppression are typical of unjust regimes. All that court did was confirm, yet again, that the UK is one of them.
- 19 February 2014 (Proposed "European internet" not meant to protect from massive surveillance)The proposed "European internet" is not meant to protect Europeans from massive surveillance.
- 19 February 2014 (Right to repair digital products)South Dakota is considering a law to give purchasers of digital products a right to be able to repair them.
- 19 February 2014 (US gov't has published a falsified history of the Vietnam War)The US government has published a falsified history of the Vietnam War '-- a work of propaganda directed at misleading future generations of Americans.
- 19 February 2014 (Mozilla is planning to put advertising into Firefox)Mozilla is planning to put advertising into Firefox, and talking about it in ways that don't acknowledge that.
- 19 February 2014 (Ethiopian gov't snuck spyware into exile's computer through a Word file)The Ethiopian government snuck spyware into an Ethiopian exile's computer through a Word file.
- This is one of many reasons you should refuse to open a Word file.
- 19 February 2014 (FEMA falsified the flood risk for 500 rich people's seaside mansions)FEMA falsified the flood risk for 500 rich people's seaside mansions so they could get cheap government flood insurance at our expense.
- 19 February 2014 (An Ethiopian migrant in Sudan faces capital charges for getting raped)An Ethiopian migrant in Sudan faces capital charges for getting raped.
- 19 February 2014 (Wikipedia Mounts Courtroom Defense for Editor Sued by Politician)Wikipedia Mounts Courtroom Defense for Editor Sued by Politician.
- The editor (i.e., contributor) was ordered to delete the text that he wrote in that politician's page, and did so, but others restored it immediately. The judge does not seem to understand this.
- 19 February 2014 (Banksters hired by the White House to work on the TPP)Two banksters get lots of money from Bank of America and Citigroup and then were hired by the White House to work on the TPP.
- This is the worst kind of corruption of the government.
- 19 February 2014 (Former members of Pussy Riot were arrested in Sochi)Former members of Pussy Riot were arrested in Sochi, apparently to prevent a hypothetical protest.
- Sochi is under special Olympic repression that is worse than the usual repression of Russia.
- 19 February 2014 (Proprietary software developer fights with other proprietary software developers)One proprietary software developer fights with other proprietary software developers, with the user's computer as battlefield.
- 19 February 2014 (Censorship of Wendy Doniger's book, The Hindus, in India)Wendy Doniger's book, The Hindus, has been "recalled" in India by its publisher, which was threatened legally by a Hindu militant group that didn't like the book.
- The censorship has extended to web downloads.
- This act of censorship has provoked a world-wide reaction.
- Many important works are banned in India, including the book Lajja by Taslima Nasrin which describes persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh.
- 18 February 2014 (Corporate Cronyism)Corporate Cronyism: The Secret to Overpaid CEOs.
- 18 February 2014 (How NSA combines phone call data with internet contact data)How the NSA combines phone call data with internet contact data to collect more information about Americans in general.
- 18 February 2014 (UK thugs face criminal charges for arresting protester)Two UK thugs face criminal charges for arresting a student protester.
- 18 February 2014 (High-tech fishing operations)High-tech fishing operations are leaving Senegal's traditional fishers with no fish.
- 18 February 2014 (Ray McGovern suing CIA for putting him on a watch list)Ray McGovern is suing the CIA for putting him on a watch list because of his lawful political activity.
- 18 February 2014 (True Free Market Proponents Should Support Private-Public Competition)True Free Market Proponents Should Support Private-Public Competition.
- 18 February 2014 (Antidemocracy movement in Thailand attacked)The antidemocracy movement in Thailand attacked with guns and teargas.
- 18 February 2014 (Petition against water privatization)Over a million EU citizens have filed an initiative petition against water privatization.
- The legal effect of the initiative is only to direct the European Union to consider the issue. We will have to see whether this has more influence than a petition on whitehouse.gov.
- 18 February 2014 (Students in Venezuela have been protesting for days against Maduro's government)University students in Venezuela have been protesting for days against Maduro's government, and a leader of the opposition has been accused of terrorism.
- Several other South American countries condemned the protesters' violence.
- I can well believe that US diplomats are plotting to overthrow the government of Venezuela. The US supported the coup attempt a decade ago. However, the shortages, caused by price controls, and other real grievances are stimulating real opposition.
- Accusing protesters of "terrorism" is wrong in Venezuela just as it's wrong in the US or Russia or Egypt.
- 18 February 2014 (Sousveillance can become self-implemented surveillance)Sousveillance in a competitive situation can become, in effect, a form of nearly obligatory self-implemented surveillance.
- 18 February 2014 (Urgent: Stop selling Roundup)Everyone: call on Monsanto to stop selling its wildlife-destroying pesticide, Roundup.
- 18 February 2014 (Was Snowden Justified?)Debate: Was Snowden Justified? Former NSA Counsel Stewart Baker vs. Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.
- 18 February 2014 (US and UK surveillance specifically targeted Wikileaks)US and UK surveillance specifically targeted Wikileaks.
- 18 February 2014 (Banks made tremendous money from fees on credit card payments)US banks make tremendous money from the fees on credit card payments.
- In addition, when you use a credit card, they get data about your purchases. That's more important to me than the 2% fee. Don't be tracked, pay cash!
- 18 February 2014 (Frequency of heat waves exceeded)The frequency of heat waves in parts of Australia has already exceeded what was forecast for 2030.
- 18 February 2014 (Kerry gave strong speech about danger of global heating)Kerry gave a strong speech about the danger of global heating.
- Will he practice what he preached, and kill the Keystone XL pipeline?
- 18 February 2014 (Free enterprise flaws)Free enterprise does a great job'...except for certain giant and sometimes deadly flaws.
- 18 February 2014 (Floods in England exacerbated by farm deregulation)Farm deregulation, based on right-wing pander-to-business ideology, exacerbated the floods in England.
- 18 February 2014 (Fossil fuel use is subsidized almost 2 trillion dollars a year)Fossil fuel use is subsidized almost 2 trillion dollars a year, which makes renewable energy appear discouragingly expensive.
- 18 February 2014 (Karzai to change domestic abuse law)Karzai said he will change the law that would have stopped abused women from testifying against the relatives that did it.
- 18 February 2014 (Right-wing claims bigotry is expression of religious freedom)The latest right-wing bigotry tactic is to claim bigotry is an expression of religious freedom.
- 18 February 2014 (Venezuela bans Colombian TV channel)Venezuela banned a Colombian TV channel which was the only one that gave substantial coverage to anti-government protests.
- 18 February 2014 (Urgent: Clarify IRS rules about electioneering by nonprofits)US citizens: support clarifying IRS rules about electioneering by nonprofits.
- 18 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose bill that bans states from mandating GMO labeling)US citizens: oppose the bill to ban states from mandating GMO labeling.
- 18 February 2014 (Urgent: Government By The People Act)US citizens: phone to ask your Congresscritter to cosponsor the Government By The People Act.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 18 February 2014 (Paris censors street artist)Paris Censors Street Artist Who Criticized Anti-Piracy Law.
- 18 February 2014 (Dangerous jump in births in Egypt in 2012)Egypt in 2012 experienced a dangerous jump in births.
- This was perhaps due to Morsi's policies.
- 18 February 2014 (Gay rights activist in Sochi arrested for nondisruptive protest)Gay rights activist Vladimir Luxuria was arrested for a nondisruptive protest in Sochi.
- Banning any point of view is an offense against human rights.
- 18 February 2014 (UK agents harass Edward Snowden's lawyer)The US had subservient UK agents harass Jesselyn Radack, Edward Snowden's lawyer, as she was going to the UK.
- They told her she is on a sort of US no-fly list, the "inhibited persons" list. Perhaps as a lawyer she appears "inhibited" when asked to talk about her clients' affairs.
- 18 February 2014 (Kim Jong-un could face charges of crimes against humanity)The UN warns Kim Jong-un that he could face charges at The Hague for crimes against humanity.
- Here are details of the charges.
- Even if the Security Council approves the charges, I see no way the court could have a chance of getting him and trying him. Still, this recognition of how monstrous North Korea is may do some good.
- 18 February 2014 (How Privatization Perverts Education)How Privatization Perverts Education.
- 18 February 2014 ("Libertarians" who earned fortunes from the gov't)5 Obnoxious Libertarian Oligarchs Who Earned Fortunes from the Government They'd Like to Destroy.
- 18 February 2014 (Australia taught by US to spy on Indonesian gov't)The US taught Australia how to spy on the Indonesian government about its position in a trade dispute with the US.
- If the trade dispute was the one about clove-flavored cigarettes, Indonesia deserves no sympathy for insisting the US allow those deadly addictive products. Trade treaties are being used world-wide to block measures to discourage smoking, which is an additional reason those treaties must be abolished. But these treaties and the surveillance are different issues.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Repeal "stand your ground" laws)US citizens: call for repeal of "stand your ground" laws that provide an excuse for what is effectively murder.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Reject politicization of the NSF grant procedure)US citizens: tell Congress to reject politicization of the NSF grant procedure.
- 17 February 2014 (The CEO of AOL tried to shaft the employees on their benefits)to shaft the employees on their benefits because a couple of them had big medical expenses.
- In this context, I have to mention that I don't think it serves society's interests to go to such lengths to save a very premature baby which hasn't even started to become a human being. But that does not justify Mr Armstrong's position. There are lots of reasons why employees (or their family members who are already human beings) might need expensive medical care. Also, the point about commercial pressures that lead women to delay having children and thus face greater risks when they do is valid.
- 17 February 2014 (Gates Foundation's plan for redesigning education in US)Resistance is growing against the Gates Foundation's plan for redesigning education in the US.
- 17 February 2014 (The danger of fossil fuels under a right-wing deregulating state)A series of spills and explosions have highlighted the danger of fossil fuels under a right-wing deregulating state.
- Investigating all sorts of dangerous facilities, and punishing infractions with stern rectitude, is one of the many necessary jobs that only a state can do well.
- 17 February 2014 (The Moral Movement)The Moral Movement (against right-wing cruelty) brought 80,000 people to Raleigh, North Carolina, and is spreading to other nearby states.
- 17 February 2014 (Obama's drone assassination program is illegal)The ACLU warns that Obama's drone assassination program is illegal.
- Supposedly, in post-constitutional America, Obama can kill anyone anywhere for any reason.
- 17 February 2014 (Future global heating in Britain)Future global heating is likely to cause Britain worse droughts some of the time, as well as worse floods at other times.
- 17 February 2014 (So you think you have nothing to hide'...)So you think you have nothing to hide'...
- 17 February 2014 (Comcast-Time Warner Deal)Why the Comcast-Time Warner Deal Is Far More Dangerous Than You Think.
- 17 February 2014 (Obama rewarding donors with ambassadorships)Obama is rewarding donors with ambassadorships a lot more than his predecessors did.
- 17 February 2014 (Thugs tased and beat up a deaf man for trying to sign at them)Thugs in California tased and beat up a deaf man for trying to sign at them.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Appoint more public interest lawyers as judges)US citizens: call on Obama to appoint more public interest lawyers as judges rather than corporate lawyers.
- 17 February 2014 (Gov't trying to intimidate Australian Broadcasting Corporation)The Australian government is trying to intimidate the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- 17 February 2014 (Massive extinction events)Earth has had six massive extinction events, each apparently for a different cause. This one is caused by humans.
- 17 February 2014 (Congolese exiles face torture if sent back by UK)Leaked orders show Congolese exiles face torture if sent back by the UK.
- 17 February 2014 (Deaths of construction workers in Qatar due to abusive conditions)400 construction workers have died working on sports facilities in Qatar, due to the abusive conditions. 4000 are expected to be killed by the time they are used in 2022.
- 17 February 2014 (Wealthier Americans increasingly unwilling to "pay for them")The wealthier Americans are increasingly unwilling to "pay for them" (i.e., all the rest).
- We should not give those arrogant bastards any choice about it.
- 17 February 2014 (Money taken out of war budget to restore veterans' benefits)Senator Sanders restored cuts in veterans' pensions by taking the money out of the war budget.
- It is a net plus for Americans because military spending (especially overseas military spending) benefits mainly a few businesses and makes few jobs.
- 17 February 2014 (NY Times adds bias for the sake of appearing unbiased)The New York Times reported on a sham right-wing "institute", but then for the sake of "balance" criticized Liberal groups that don't do the same thing.
- 17 February 2014 (The harm done by NAFTA and US-Korea free exploitation treaty)NAFTA and the US-Korea free exploitation treaty have both done US workers documented harm.
- US companies said they would create more jobs if NAFTA were signed, then did the opposite.
- 17 February 2014 (Child pornography used as excuse for internet censorship)"Child pornography is great" '-- as an excuse for internet censorship.
- 17 February 2014 (The Mobsters of Wall Street)The Mobsters of Wall Street.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Restore Snowden's passport)US citizens: call on the US to restore Snowden's passport.
- 17 February 2014 (US now allows banks to deal with state-legalized marijuana businesses)The US now allows banks to deal with state-legalized marijuana businesses.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Call on US to promise no foul play against Snowden)Everyone: call on the US to promise no foul play against Snowden.
- 17 February 2014 (Fish farms accused of destroying wild salmon in Scotland)Fish farms accused of destroying wild salmon in Scotland.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Support Don't Spy on US campaign)UK citizens: support the Don't Spy on US campaign.
- This campaign does not go far enough, but it is worth supporting anyway.
- 17 February 2014 (Privatization is costly and harmful)US cities and states are discovering that privatization is costly and harmful.
- A private operator has a financial incentive not to do the whole job. If it sells to the public in a competitive market, people will judge it on that. Otherwise, it will screw people without restraint.
- 17 February 2014 (Urgent: Support network neutrality)EU citizens: talk with your MEPs to support network neutrality.
- 17 February 2014 (Uganda's law censoring "promotion of homosexuality" has been approved)Uganda's law censoring "promotion of homosexuality" and imposing prison for any touching in public has been approved.
- The influence of genes on homosexuality is not a secure base for arguing for equal rights for homosexuals.
- I think the issue is simple. People who don't want to have sex with you have a right not to have sex with you, and aside from that it's none of their business who you have sex with.
- 17 February 2014 (Global heating denialist tactic)A global heating denialist tactic is to misrepresent the consensus of nearly all climate scientists and pretend it is something very weak.
- 17 February 2014 (Efforts to confirm indigenous people's land rights are stalling)As business increasingly looks for land grabs, efforts to confirm indigenous people's land rights are stalling.
- 17 February 2014 (The Syrian peace talks are hopelessly deadlocked)The Syrian peace talks are hopelessly deadlocked.
- No one has any idea of a feasible form of intervention that would make things better.
- 17 February 2014 (Muslim extremist banned from preaching)A British Muslim extremist, perhaps a convert (judging from his name), has been banned from preaching on pain of arrest.
- Incitement to murder is legitimately punished. This man's "vigilante patrols" may have included attacking passers-by. (Some such Islamist vigilantism in Britain has done that.) If he advocates Shari'a law, then he has no respect for others' human rights. He is evidently an example of the tendency for religions to inspire hatred, which is common today in Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism.
- But that doesn't justify banning him from stating his views, which is not a crime. That tramples his human rights.
- The UK fails to distinguish between "discrimination and persecution" and stating a political position.
- 17 February 2014 (Turkish gov't taking control of the judiciary)The Turkish government is taking control of the judiciary so as to resist corruption charges against relatives of ministers.
- 15 February 2014 (In Dubai, the law makes every battered wife a prisoner)In Dubai, the law makes every battered wife a prisoner.
- 15 February 2014 (US mainstream media)When US politicians stimulate fear of terrorism in order to take more control, the US mainstream media support them.
- 15 February 2014 (Thugs shot Eugene Mallory to death, then made false accusations about him)Thugs implementing the War on Drugs shot Eugene Mallory to death in his bed, then made false accusations about him (as usual).
- 15 February 2014 (Former FCC commissioner regrets the consolidation)A former FCC commissioner regrets the media consolidation that the FCC permitted over and over.
- 15 February 2014 (Water in West Virginia)Although the water in West Virginia is supposed to be "safe", people are still having horrible reactions to it.
- 15 February 2014 (Law banning private license plate recorders is being challenged)A Utah law banning private license plate recorders is being challenged in court.
- This sort of law is vitally needed to curb massive surveillance. People must be free to take photos and videos, but companies should not be allowed to systematically watch everyone.
- The perverse Corporations United decision (to call it what it really is) in which the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are entitled to human rights may lead to a bad decision on this law. Please support the campaign for a constitutional amendment to cancel that decision.
- 15 February 2014 (Anti-Drone activist arrested and tortured)Pakistani anti-drone activist Kareem Khan was arrested and tortured by Pakistani thugs.
- 15 February 2014 (The History of Surveillance and the Black Community)The History of Surveillance and the Black Community.
- 15 February 2014 (Congresscritters in the pocket of the copyright industry)Congresscritters in the pocket of the copyright industry abolish and create subcommittees to make sure Hollywood has power over you.
- I recommend people join in my almost-boycott of Hollywood: never pay to see a movie unless you have some reason to believe it is actually good. While in theory this is not a complete boycott, in practice the difference is small.
- 15 February 2014 (Too warm to hold winter Olympics again)Of the 19 places where winter Olympics have been held, 13 will be too warm in 2080 to do so again.
- By 2080 I expect the world economy will be too shattered to continue holding events like the Olympic games. Thus, I have to admit that global heating will have occasional minor benefits. However, they will be minuscule compared to the disaster.
- 15 February 2014 (Thugs who shot innocent women won't even be fired)The thugs who shot innocent women in LA (while looking for one man) won't even be fired.
- 15 February 2014 (For US gov't, leaks from people who like drones are good)For the US government, leaks from people who like drones are good; leaks from people who don't like drones are bad.
- 15 February 2014 (GMOs Are Killing the Bees, Butterflies, Birds and... ?)GMOs Are Killing the Bees, Butterflies, Birds and... ?
- 15 February 2014 (Pensacola makes it illegal for homeless people to use blankets)The latest clever idea for persecuting homeless people: Pensacola has banned using a blanket or newspaper to protect oneself from the weather.
- Everyone who supported that deserves to be sentenced to a year of homelessness.
- 15 February 2014 (Massive surveillance and confirmation bias of investigators)Another danger from massive surveillance: once investigators believe someone is guilty of a crime '-- any crime '-- confirmation bias will encourage them to focus on whichever parts of the surveillance information confirm that suspicion, and ignore the parts that say otherwise.
- 15 February 2014 (US gov't considers laws requiring remote kill switch in smartphones)California and the US government are considering laws requiring a remote kill switch and erasure feature in all smartphones.
- This would make them even more open to attack by the state.
- 15 February 2014 (Abuse of state secrets privilege)Obama said, "We must not protect information merely because it reveals the violation of a law or embarrassment to the government", but that's exactly what the government continues to do.
- "How far would [officials] be willing to go to cover up serious crimes such as torture and assassination?"
- 15 February 2014 (Brazil persecuting sex workers)Brazil is persecuting sex workers to "clean up its image".
- 14 February 2014 (Idaho's "Ag-Gag" Law Latest to Criminalize Defenders of Animals)Idaho's "Ag-Gag" Law Latest to Criminalize Defenders of Animals.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Reject Obama's anti-abortion judge nominee)US citizens: call on the Senate to reject Obama's anti-abortion judge nominee.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Stand firm against Republican hostage taking)US citizens: call on congressional Democrats to stand firm against Republican hostage taking.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Object to GM corn designed to be used with Agent Orange)US citizens: object to GM corn designed to be used with Agent Orange.
- 14 February 2014 (The Other NRA)The Other NRA: National Restaurant Association Eviscerates Rights of Customers, Workers, and Children.
- 14 February 2014 (Natural gas leaks a lot more methane than was previously believed)Natural gas leaks a lot more methane, and contributes a lot more to global heating, than was previously believed.
- 14 February 2014 (Ocean heating seems to have caused grave damage to coral reef)Ocean heating seems to have caused grave damage to an old, remote coral reef whose location keeps it safe from other human-caused depredations.
- 14 February 2014 (Privatized prison covered up understaffing)A privatized prison in Idaho covered up its understaffing by fraudulent overbilling.
- The million dollar non-fine seems inadequate as a punishment. The company ought to be prosecuted and put in its own prison.
- It has been pointed out that one aspect of white privilege is that whites are less likely to be prosecuted for certain crimes than blacks are. By the same criterion, the most privileged class in the US is that of corporations.
- 14 February 2014 (Comparing protection of elephants with prohibition of drugs)Comparing protection of elephants with prohibition of drugs.
- There is a significant difference between the two. Ivory has no physiological effect; if people like owning ivory, that is just an acquired taste, which they could easily learn to change. Nonetheless, the article could be right.
- 14 February 2014 (TEPCO Blasted for Withholding Data as Fukushima Radiation Levels Soar)TEPCO Blasted for Withholding Data as Fukushima Radiation Levels Soar.
- 14 February 2014 (Almost 6 million Americans can't vote because of previous criminal convictions)Almost 6 million Americans can't vote because of previous criminal convictions,mainly from minority groups because members of those groups are more likely to be prosecuted. This is enough to change the outcome of elections.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Reject the environmental impact statement for Keystone XL)US citizens: tell the State Department not to follow its joke of an environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL pipeline, and reject it.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Have the EPA block Pebble Mine)US citizens: call on Obama to have the EPA block Pebble Mine.
- 14 February 2014 (A new geological period)Geologists are seriously considering the idea that humans, through global heating and ecological disruption, have caused a new geological period, which they propose to call the Anthropocene.
- I am concerned that the name "Anthropocene" may provoke irrational pride: some humans may think, "An epoch named after US humans proves our importance '-- we've really made it now." Even people who would not say this may feel it and be subtly influenced by it. That would be most unfortunate, since considering the epoch as an award would lead people not to recognize this development as the catastrophe that it is.
- I therefore suggest choosing another name. The name that best characterizes what's coming in this epoch is "Obscene".
- Seriously, since the change consists primarily of global heating, how about "Thermocene"? The heating is caused mainly by combustion (of fossil fuel and forests), so how about "Pyrocene"?
- 14 February 2014 (Court rules warrant required for access to people's prescriptions)An ACLU victory: a federal court ruled that the government needs to get a warrant before it can access the confidential data base of people's prescriptions.
- It's a step in the right direction, but access is still too easy. The state should not create a centralized data base of everyone's prescriptions.
- 14 February 2014 (Record pace of school shootings in the US)School shootings are happening in the US at record pace, and 3/4 of the shooters found their guns at home.
- 14 February 2014 (Deputy Attorney General's testimony about snooping)Congresscritters say Deputy Attorney General James Cole's testimony about snooping on their phone calls was "not entirely accurate". It was the usual misleading half-truth.
- 14 February 2014 (Things you can't do in the US while black)21 things you can't do in the US while black.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Block merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable)US citizens: call on the US to block the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
- These are the two biggest US cable operators.
- It should be a no-brainer to block such a merger, but the US government is too corrupt to be counted on even for no-brainers.
- These two companies are both ALEC members, and ALEC supports their lobbying campaigns to eliminate local regulation of cable TV and ban public network access.
- 14 February 2014 (Freedom to protest in the US is under attack)Freedom to protest in the US is under systematic attack.
- 14 February 2014 (Brazilian Landless Workers protest against president's support for agribusiness)The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement is protesting against President Rousseff's support for agribusiness.
- In the 1990s, I was told, activists of this movement were arrested on the pretext that they were using unauthorized copies of Windows. They could not afford authorized copies, of course. Then I heard that they had switched to GNU/Linux to protect themselves.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Tell mainstream media to talk about TPP)US citizens: tell the mainstream media to start talking about the TPP.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Support Children 404)Everyone: Support Children 404 and demand Russia drop charges against Elena Klimova.
- 14 February 2014 (Iran executes Arab poet)Iran has executed an Arab poet, labeled as "terrorist".
- 14 February 2014 (Belgium to give children option of euthanasia)Belgium will give children dying slowly in great pain the option of euthanasia.
- 14 February 2014 (UK floods part of trend)The devastating UK floods are part of a trend: 4 of the 5 wettest years ever recorded have occurred since 2000.
- 14 February 2014 (Loopholes for the rich to cut student loan debt)Elizabeth Warren Calls for Closing Loopholes for the Rich to Cut Student Loan Debt.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose chained CPI)US citizens: tell Obama, no chained CPI '-- no cuts in Social Security, not even veiled cuts.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Extend the Clean Water Act)US citizens: call for extending the Clean Water Act to all waterways.
- 14 February 2014 (Urgent: Keep wolves protected)US citizens: call on the Fish and Wildlife Service not to delist wolves from protection.
- 14 February 2014 (USA Freedom Act not enough)NSA Whistleblower: USA Freedom Act Will Not Go Far Enough To Protect Civil Liberties.
- It falls short in other ways too.
- We should support it, but we must demand more.
- 14 February 2014 (Australian plan to kill large sharks violates treaty)The Australian plan to kill large sharks violates a treaty meant to protect migratory endangered species such as the great white shark.
- 14 February 2014 (ISP lobbyists pressured legislatures to ban public broadband)ISP lobbyists have pressured (or paid?) 20 states' legislatures to ban public broadband.
- 14 February 2014 (US Republicans' "concern" about future generations)If US Republicans are serious in their concern for future generations, they should protect them from global heating disaster.
- This reasoning won't influence congressional Republicans, because they don't care about future generations except for the wealthy. Their pretended concern is nothing but an excuse to kick the poor today.
- 14 February 2014 (Protest in Bosnia against privatization)The protests in Bosnia are aimed at privatization which (as usual) was done so as to screw the non-rich, and at the corruption of the state.
- I don't know the facts, but my guess is that some of the ex-Yugoslav industries should have been privatized, because they made products for a competitive market. That doesn't justify cheating the workers. Perhaps they should have been turned into worker cooperatives.
- 14 February 2014 (Nonviolent protester faces three years in prison in Russia)Russian environmentalist Evgeny Vitishko faces three years in prison for spray-painting on a fence.
- Similar repression of nonviolent protest is found also in the US.
- 14 February 2014 (2014 World Press Freedom Index)Biggest Rises and Falls in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index.
- 14 February 2014 (Music factories trying to force ISP to punish customers for sharing)The big music factories are trying to force a major Irish ISP to start punishing customers accused of sharing.
- To make a deal with the copyright industry is self-delusion. If you try to "meet them half way", they come back later and demand the rest.
- 13 February 2014 (Yellen acknowledges "economic recovery" failed to provide jobs)Janet Yellen acknowledged that the US "economic recovery" has failed to provide jobs.
- While I am glad Yellen recognizes the problem, interest rates have little leverage for correcting it. Low interest rates help banksters make more money, but they have no reason to put this into the rest of the economy. What we need is to expand deficit spending. When Obama endorsed the Republicans' goal of deficit cutting, he screwed the US until we replace him.
- 14 February 2014 (Stasi collected metadata too)The Stasi, the East German secret police, collected metadata too. But it could not collect everyone's metadata as the US does.
- 14 February 2014 (Obama considering assassination of an American in a country where the US is not at war)Obama is considering launching an assassination of an American in a country where the US is not at war.
- The fact that no attempt has been made to charge that person with a crime adds to the scandal, but if there were charges against that person, that would not justify summary execution.
- 14 February 2014 (CIA drone attacks)More about how CIA drone attacks are aimed at SIM cards identified based on metadata.
- 14 February 2014 (Glenn Greenwald says he will not remain in exile forever)Glenn Greenwald says he will not remain in exile forever, even though the US government refuses to say whether he will be prosecuted for his journalism.
- 14 February 2014 (Mass surveillance endangers journalism)The Committee to Protect Journalists warns that mass surveillance endangers journalism.
- 13 February 2014 (The Israeli army)Israeli soldiers shot and killed unarmed Mohammad Mahmoud Mubarak as he was busy directing traffic. Then they claimed he has shot at them first, although he was unarmed and nobody shot except them.
- The Israeli army arrests Palestinian children and tortures them into signing confessions they can't read.
- 13 February 2014 (North Carolina protects Duke Energy from penalties for spill)North Carolina's first response to Duke Energy's coal ash spill was to minimize it and protect the company from penalties.
- 13 February 2014 (EU-Israel relations depend on outcome of peace talks with Palestine)The EU envoy to Israel says that relations will depend on the outcome of peace talks with Palestine.
- Since the peace talks began, Israel has accelerated its demolitions of Palestinians' houses.
- 12 February 2014 (Bill in US congress would punish universities for making statements in support of a boycott of Israel)A bill in the US congress would punish universities for making statements in support of a boycott of Israel.
- It might be harder to punish them for supporting a boycott of companies and institutions that support the illegal Israeli colonies in Palestinian territory.
- 12 February 2014 (US and UK have fallen down in ratings for freedom of the press)The US and UK have fallen down in ratings for freedom of the press.
- It may not be enough to help us but it is a start.
- 12 February 2014 (UK gov't to provide "unlimited" funds for repairs)After floods have caused tremendous damage to houses and transport in the UK, the government says it will provide "unlimited" funds for repairs.
- Given their perverse austerity policies, they will take those funds out of aid for the poor. But why didn't they offer unlimited funds to prevent floods '-- including curbing CO2 emissions that are likely to make for worse floods in the future?
- 12 February 2014 (New Suit Against Tokyo Electric Power)US Sailors Sick From Fukushima Radiation File New Suit Against Tokyo Electric Power.
- 12 February 2014 (Iowa farmers tell a presidential hopeful)Iowa farmers tell a presidential hopeful that supporting big food processing companies does not mean supporting them.
- 12 February 2014 (Canada's government is attacking democracy on behalf of oil companies)Canada's government is attacking democracy on behalf of oil companies.
- 12 February 2014 (Urgent: Support campaign for proper prosecution of rape by soldiers)US citizens: support the campaign for proper prosecution of rape by soldiers.
- 12 February 2014 (Urgent: Endorse the Google shareholder resolution)Everyone: Endorse the Google shareholder resolution aimed at Google's support for right-wing groups such as ALEC.
- 12 February 2014 (Google wants to detect that lots of people are taking photos or videos)Google wants to detect that lots of people are taking photos or videos with their phones '-- and call the thugs.
- Why should Google be allowed to know what people are doing?
- 12 February 2014 (Anger in Bosnia)Anger in Bosnia, But This Time the People Can Read Their Leaders' Ethnic Lies.
- 12 February 2014 (Urgent: Protect people rather than mining companies)Everyone: tell the governor of North Carolina to start protecting people rather than the mining companies that make toxic pollution.
- 12 February 2014 (Urgent: Make Farm Bill favor healthful food)US citizens: call on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to implement the Farm Bill in a way that favors healthful food.
- 12 February 2014 (Warm winter in Sochi)It is so warm in Sochi that snowboarders are having trouble.
- In 2054 they will need to hold the winter Olympics in a far more northerly place. By 2074, the world will have no attention or money left to hold such games.
- 12 February 2014 (Infiltration of undercover thugs in political groups in UK)UK victims of undercover thug infiltrators in political groups have launched a campaign for an independent inquiry into the practice.
- 12 February 2014 (Seattle area sheriff wants police dept. instead of a thug dept.)One sheriff in the Seattle area wants to run a police department instead of a gang of thugs.
- 12 February 2014 (UK thugs arrest student protesters to get their names)UK thugs arrested student protesters for no reason except to get their names, then the university suspended them for protesting.
- The thugs had besieged the students for hours.
- 12 February 2014 (How the NSA Helps the US Assassinate)Greenwald/Scahill: How the NSA Helps the US Assassinate.
- 12 February 2014 (Human rights lawyer Lynne Stewart railroaded)The railroading of human rights lawyer Lynne Stewart demonstrates the degradation of the US trial system.
- You can see the effects of this in the repeated convictions of "criminals" who only went along with plans suggested by thugs and would never have been able to carry them out.
- 12 February 2014 (Woman attacked by thug gets threatened with 7 years in prison)Cecily McMillan elbowed the person attacking her from behind, who turned out to be a thug, so she is threatened with 7 years in prison.
- I wonder who groped her breast '-- was that the thug?
- Thugs often attack innocent people, and make a special point of attacking people who are particularly virtuous (such as protesters for good causes). They are hardly ever prosecuted for this. If once in a while they get hit back, that's only a small step towards justice.
- 12 February 2014 (Indian mining company suing poor villagers)An Indian mining company is suing poor villagers as well as destroying their forest.
- 12 February 2014 (Xenophobia rising around the world)Xenophobia is rising around the world: "these are dangerous times to look foreign".
- I understand the pressure to limit immigration. As millions start to flee from land that has turned into desert or ocean, this pressure will become enormous. No country is obliged to accept millions of refugees.
- However, it makes a difference that our carbon emissions are responsible for the spreading deserts and oceans '-- and stop them. If we don't want to accept those millions of refugees we should stop destroying their land.
- 12 February 2014 (Spanish judge opens criminal investigation of Chinese ex-officials)A Spanish judge has opened a criminal investigation of Chinese ex-officials for crimes against Tibetans.
- I suspect that the mostly-right-wing US government is pressuring Spain's government to end this practice. Obama protects Bush and his torturers from criminal prosecution.
- Time to Take a Stand to End US Impunity
- 12 February 2014 (Obama to imprison another whistleblower)Obama will imprison another whistleblower, who was identified by massive surveillance of journalists' phone call records.
- 12 February 2014 (Charter of Digital Rights)European Parliament candidates are asked to sign this proposed Charter of Digital Rights.
- It is not strong enough on certain issues. For instance, it fails to oppose the censorship which many EU countries have already imposed, and fails to call for an end to existing mass surveillance measures such as the mandatory data retention for ISPs and phone companies.
- However, I support it anyway.
- 12 February 2014 (Verizon is slowing Netflix traffic)Now that US network neutrality has been eliminated, Verizon is slowing Netflix traffic.
- It would be great if Verizon killed off Netflix, whose business is fundamentally unethical because of DRM. But there is little chance of that; eventually they will make a deal, with Netflix paying Verizon some money.
- 12 February 2014 (Aristide removed because he was unwilling to privatize)Aristide reported in 2005 that Dubya had him removed because he was unwilling to privatize as the US demanded.
- 12 February 2014 (Thugs in Egypt and Sudan regularly conspire with kidnapers)Thugs in Egypt and Sudan regularly conspire with kidnapers that torture Eritrean refugees to squeeze money out of their relatives.
- To ransom hostages is cowardly; the right thing to do is to hold a funeral for them, in effect spitting in the kidnapers' faces. This takes courage, but discourage kidnapers, whereas a cowardly response keeps it going.
- It is not clear how the Eritreans first fall into the hands of traffickers.
- 12 February 2014 (US gov't destroyed and hid photos of Osama bin Laden body)The US government destroyed and hid photos of Osama bin Laden body in contempt of a Freedom of Information Act request.
- What can you expect from these thugs? They murdered bin Laden to avoid the inconvenience of putting him on trial.
- 12 February 2014 (Volunteers who fought against Franco and fascism would be charged with "terrorism")Under today's British laws, the volunteers who fought in Spain against Franco and fascism would be charged with "terrorism."
- 12 February 2014 (Qatar to protect construction workers from abuses)Qatar will undertake to protect construction workers from abuses, but only on a few specific projects.
- 12 February 2014 (Republicans trying to amend US Constitution)Republicans controlling state governments are trying to amend the US Constitution to require a balanced budget, which would mean making recessions worse.
- 11 February 2014 (Culture of 'Impunity' for US Soldiers)Overseas, Culture of 'Impunity' for US Soldiers Guilty of Sexual Assault.
- The first rule of ensuring that a foreign army can get along with local civilians is to punish any crimes by soldiers against civilians very sternly. The US may think it doesn't need to do this. The US is mistaken.
- 11 February 2014 (US military aid to Israel)The enormous US military aid to Israel includes bombs and planes used to attack civilians in Gaza.
- 11 February 2014 (Urgent: Tell General Mills to remove GMOs from its all its cereals)Everyone: tell General Mills to remove GMOs from all its cereals, not just from Cheerios.
- 11 February 2014 (Urgent: Tell World Bank to stop financing land grabs)Everyone: demand that the World Bank stop financing land grabs in Kenya and elsewhere.
- 11 February 2014 (Australian supporter of boycotting Israel sued)An Australian supporter of boycotting Israel is being sued for refusing to support a study application by an Israeli academic.
- If Lynch's grounds for refusal were as stated, that the scholar was associated with a university with a campus in a colony in Palestinian territory, that was political, not racial. So I think the lawsuit is mistaken.
- However, I criticize Lynch's decision to apply the boycott to an individual person. The American Studies Association, in adopting a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, emphasized that this was not aimed at Israeli scholars.
- 11 February 2014 (California's drought)California's drought may be the worst in 500 years, and it is going to get worse.
- 11 February 2014 (Entitlements for the rich)How Entitlements for the Rich Cheat the Rest of Us.
- 11 February 2014 (US Catholic school fires teacher for getting pregnant)A Catholic school in the US fired a teacher for getting pregnant.
- 11 February 2014 (China helping Kenya prosecute ivory smugglers)China has started helping Kenya prosecute ivory smugglers.
- 11 February 2014 (Thai gov't arrests leader of antidemocratic protest movement)The Thai government has arrested a leader of the antidemocratic protest movement.
- I can't criticize the arrest of people that represent a minority and try to sabotage elections.
- 11 February 2014 (Bottom trawling)Bottom Trawling: How to Empty the Seas in Just 150 Years.
- 11 February 2014 (Tar sands leaks in Canada)Tar sands leaks in Canada that were reported last May have not been stopped.
- 10 February 2014 (Unprecedented speed-up of the trade winds)An unprecedented speed-up of the trade winds is driving the Earth's heat gain into the ocean instead of letting it accumulate in the atmosphere.
- Aside from the point that the speed-up is cyclical, there's also the point that the reason it causes heat to go into the ocean is that the air is hotter than the ocean. Once the ocean gets sufficiently hotter, heat will start to remain in the air.
- Today's extreme weather is just a foretaste of what we have already made inevitable in a few decades. The question is whether we will take steps now to prevent it from getting even worse.
- 10 February 2014 (We must build, build, build)To prevent all but the rich from being squeezed out of major cities, we must build, build, build.
- The obstacle is zoning that was designed to prevent the sort of density that we need in order to accommodate everyone.
- 10 February 2014 (Urgent: Make college tuition gratis)US citizens: call on the government to make college tuition gratis.
- (I try to avoid using the word "free" to mean "zero price" even when we're not talking about software.)
- 10 February 2014 (Turks protested state-imposed internet censorship)Once again, Turks protested state-imposed internet censorship on the street.
- 10 February 2014 (Businesses and products that aim at middle-class customers are failing)Across the US, businesses and products that aim at middle-class customers are failing '-- because those customers aren't there any more.
- 10 February 2014 (Responses to creationists' 22 questions)Responses to creationists' 22 questions.
- 10 February 2014 (Drug maintenance)Substitute drug maintenance problems are pretty effective at saving addicts' lives and enabling them to do useful work.
- I speculate that what makes the substitute drugs safer is that they are regulated and medically administered. In other words, part of what makes the original drug so dangerous is prohibition.
- 10 February 2014 (No-Fly list)The US spent 7 years covering up the fact that it had put Rahinah Ibrahim on the no-fly list by mistake.
- This list is punishment without trial, and as such is a prima facie injustice.
- 10 February 2014 (Syngenta's own documents prove that it tried to sabotage and discredit Professor)Syngenta's own documents prove that it tried to sabotage and discredit Professor Hayes, whose work showed that Syngenta's pesticide atrazine was dangerous.
- 10 February 2014 (US television has a nearly total blackout about the TPP)US television has a nearly total blackout about the TPP.
- 10 February 2014 (Republicans set up fraudulent web sites)Republicans set up fraudulent web sites pretending to represent Democratic candidates so as to divert donors' money.
- This reflects the motto of the Republican Party, "By hook or by crook", as observed in voter suppression laws and distribution of false information about where to vote, as well as just plain lying about Democrats.
- 10 February 2014 (Urgent: Tell Whole Foods to allow workers to leave for emergencies)Everyone: tell Whole Foods to stop firing workers because they have to leave for an emergency.
- 10 February 2014 (Treating global heating as news)The time scale of global heating makes it hard to treat as news, but it could be the end of all news.
- 10 February 2014 (US states slowly passing laws to allow assisted suicide)US states are slowly passing laws to allow the terminally ill to get help in suicide.
- This is a step forward, but it is a shame to limit this escape route to those who are going to die soon anyway, and exclude people who can't commit suicide on their own because they are totally physically incapacitated. Some of those people face possibly decades of futile boredom, in some cases combined with horrible pain.
- 10 February 2014 (Mexican gangsters kidnap girls for prostitution)Mexican gangsters roam villages and kidnap girls as young as 7 for prostitution. No one dares openly resist them; the corrupt thugs are no help.
- 10 February 2014 (Widespread flooding in the UK)Widespread flooding has shown what a disaster global heating will bring to Britain.
- The hard part will be to make the government confront the costs of avoiding the disaster, which get higher with delay.
- 10 February 2014 (Homosexuality of gays fleeing Uganda questioned)Now that homosexuals fleeing Uganda can claim asylum because they'd face persecution there, how to decide if someone is not faking being gay?
- 10 February 2014 (Arrests for money laundering with bitcoin)Why Are Bitcoiners Going to Jail for Money Laundering While Big Banks Walk?
- 10 February 2014 (Protesters convicted of being led by thugs to prepare molotov cocktails)A bunch of protesters were convicted of being led by thugs to prepare molotov cocktails, but they were acquitted of "terrorism" charges.
- 10 February 2014 (A blow to Australia's immigration policy secrecy)Another blow to Australia's immigration policy secrecy, which consists of "We won't tell you what we're doing" and "How dare you make accusations?"
- 10 February 2014 (Imprisoned in Dubai for posting a humorous video)Shezanne Cassim was imprisoned in Dubai for posting a humorous video that didn't even criticize country's despicable government.
- 10 February 2014 (Depletion of groundwater around the world)Humans are depleting groundwater around the world, just as global heating is reducing rainfall in many areas.
- 10 February 2014 (Urgent: Tell NHS not to sell patient data to companies)Britons: tell the NHS not to sell patient data to companies.
- 10 February 2014 (Urgent: Support network neutrality)US citizens: phone your congresscritter in favor of network neutrality.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 10 February 2014 (UK environmental research organization's dirty deal with Shell)The UK's environmental research organization has made a dirty deal with Shell.
- 10 February 2014 (Protesters in Rio de Janeiro occupy main train station)Protesters in Rio de Janeiro occupied the main train station and let everyone travel gratis.
- 10 February 2014 (The Australian plan to kill large sharks)The Australian plan to kill large sharks, which migrate very far, pushes this endangered species towards extinction to save a tiny number of humans.
- South Africa is concerned that this will wipe out sharks there too, since sharks swim between the two continents.
- 10 February 2014 (Australian Navy sailors burned boat people as punishment)Boat people towed to Java by the Australian Navy in an Australian lifeboat say the Navy sailors burned people as punishment for asking to use a toilet.
- Since the Australian government is covering up the whole activity, its denials are worthless. If it wants to convince us, it should make recordings as proof. As long as it covers up its actions we should believe all the accusations.
- 10 February 2014 (When a company sponsors university research on its products)If vitamins don't address medical problems, will university researchers funded by a vitamin company tell us?
- I need to point out that the same exact problem exists for the Big Pharma companies.
- 10 February 2014 (US Green Party says Farm Bill should be vetoed)The US Green Party says the Farm Bill should be vetoed.
- 10 February 2014 (Mainstream media still try to cover up US and UK's actions in Middle East)Mainstream media are still struggling to cover up US and UK's actions in the Middle East.
- 10 February 2014 (Sponsors of the Olympic games)Sponsors of the Olympic games that refused to publicly criticize Putin's repression: Atos, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, General Electric, McDonald's, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
- 10 February 2014 (Garry Kasparov on the Sochi Olympics)Garry Kasparov says that the Sochi Olympics are all about Putin's cult of personality.
- 10 February 2014 (Part of the cause of lower pay for women)Part of the cause of lower pay for women is that male senior managers are afraid of being accused of sexual harassment if they socialize or meet with women employees.
- 10 February 2014 (Israeli thugs attack Palestinian protest camp)Israeli thugs attacked a Palestinian protest camp near Jericho.
- 10 February 2014 (Japanese women organizing sex strike)Japanese women are organizing a sex strike against men that vote for a sexist candidate.
- 10 February 2014 (UK's privatization of its post office)The UK's privatization of its post office was a giant give-away to the investors.
- 10 February 2014 (The way most Internet users use the net is bad)If you are like most Internet users, the way you use the net is bad for you directly, in addition to snooping on you.
- 09 February 2014 (Law Must Be Free and Accessible to All)Ralph Nader: The Law Must Be Free and Accessible to All '-- Not Secret and Profitable.
- 09 February 2014 (US is ignoring efforts towards nuclear disarmament)The US is ignoring efforts towards nuclear disarmament.
- 09 February 2014 (It's no use retraining US workers to fit jobs better)It's no use retraining US workers to fit jobs better, because the available jobs are simply far too few.
- Perverse economics contribute to the lack of jobs.
- 09 February 2014 (Urgent: Don't allow a vote on Fast Track)US citizens: Tell Senator Reid, don't allow a vote on Fast Track.
- 09 February 2014 (Urgent: Defend EPA regulation of power plant CO2 emissions)US citizens: call on your senators to defend EPA regulation of power plant CO2 emissions.
- 09 February 2014 (Urgent: Get the facts right about the Keystone XL)US citizens: sign this petition calling on Kerry to get the facts right about the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline.
- Please do not access this page with Javascript enabled. I would be ashamed to have posted the link if you did that.
- 09 February 2014 (Favelas And Middle Classes)Brazil's Government Has Set the Favelas And Middle Classes Against Each Other.
- 09 February 2014 (The Ukrainian Protesters Must Make a Decisive Break with the Far Right)The Ukrainian Protesters Must Make a Decisive Break with the Far Right.
- 09 February 2014 (FBI forcing ISPs and phone companies to install metadata monitors)The FBI is forcing ISPs and phone companies to install metadata monitors called "port readers".
- 09 February 2014 (Haiti deserves reparations)Haiti deserves more than forgiveness of it dictator-imposed debt. It deserves reparations.
- 09 February 2014 (Palestine has been negotiating for 20 years under grave threat)Palestine has been negotiating for 20 years under grave threat; now Israel is starting to feel the pressure of possible European boycott.
- 09 February 2014 (ABC spins very hard)ABC spins very hard to pretend that stock market trends are relevant to most Americans.
- 08 February 2014 (Urgent: End the war on marijuana at the federal level)US citizens: ask your congresscritter to support bills that would end the war on marijuana at the federal level.
- 08 February 2014 (Urgent: Call for stopping the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion)US citizens: call for stopping the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion.
- 08 February 2014 (Children of the Occupation: Growing up in Palestine)Children of the Occupation: Growing up in Palestine.
- 08 February 2014 (3000 civilians were killed by fighting in Afghanistan in 2013)3000 civilians were killed by fighting in Afghanistan in 2013, mostly by the Taliban (as usual).
- 08 February 2014 (New video surveillance systems)New video surveillance systems can see everyone's movements in a whole city.
- Here's the ACLU's response.
- What matters is not which people they do track, but which people they could track after the fact. If they can track where journalists or whistleblowers went in the past, democracy is sunk.
- 08 February 2014 (Paying partially disabled workers a pittance)In the US it is legal to pay partially disabled workers a pittance, and thousands of people are exploited in this way.
- 08 February 2014 (Test of 900 foods in the UK)A test of 900 foods in the UK found that over 300 were falsely labeled.
- 08 February 2014 (Arrested for carrying cameras on the street)In Egypt people are arrested for carrying cameras on the street.
- 08 February 2014 (Assad has agreed to a truce and to allow civilians to be evacuated from Homs)Assad has agreed to a truce and to allow civilians to be evacuated from Homs.
- 08 February 2014 (Privatized probation companies)Privatized probation companies in the US jail poor people who can't pay the fees.
- These companies have thousands of poor Americans jailed when they are too poor to pay the fines they owe.
- 08 February 2014 (Journalist who reported on use of illegal fishing method was killed by fishermen)Cambodian journalist Suon Chan, who reported on use of illegal fishing methods, was killed by fishermen.
- 08 February 2014 (Campaigning for women's rights in Morocco)Campaigning for women's rights in Morocco.
- The practice in which relatives despise girls that have been raped is found in many parts of the world. In Samoa, men used (and perhaps still use) surreptitious rape to as a means to force girls to come and live with them; they knew their families would reject them for being raped. This happens because the girl's parents think of her as an asset rather than as a person.
- 08 February 2014 (Urgent: Call for extension of unemployment benefits)US citizens: call for extension of unemployment benefits.
- 08 February 2014 (Senator Warren challenged other senators)Senator Warren challenged other senators: does anyone believe that US enforcement of banking regulations is working?
- 08 February 2014 (UK plants to entrust everyone's medical records to propriety software)The UK plans to entrust everyone's medical records to proprietary software (which is asking for trouble) made by a company with a track record for shafting the public, thanks to an inadequate concern for privacy starting from the top.
- The system will also allow the state easy access to all the data. Naturally.
- 08 February 2014 (Urgent: Reject the Empty Oceans Act)US citizens: call on Congress to reject the Empty Oceans Act.
- 08 February 2014 (Obama should appoint public interest lawyers as judges)Now that Obama can get judges confirmed, he should appoint public interest lawyers as judges.
- 08 February 2014 (Ukrainian protest leader says thugs captured him and tortured him)A Ukrainian protest leader says that thugs captured him and tortured him into making a confession that he was paid by the US.
- 08 February 2014 (UK thug sentenced to prison for making a false accusation)A UK thug has been sentenced to prison for making a false accusation, saying that an important politician called him a "pleb". The politician, being a Tory, probably thought this but apparently did not say it.
- While this is the right thing to do, I wonder when the UK, US, and other countries will start sentencing thugs to prison for making more serious false accusations against people who are not important politicians.
- 08 February 2014 (Philip Seymour Hoffman)Philip Seymour Hoffman Is Another Victim of Extremely Stupid Drug Laws.
- 08 February 2014 (Campaigning against female genital mutilation)Teenage girls in Britain are campaigning against female genital mutilation.
- They know that girls in their communities are at risk.
- 08 February 2014 (Journalist held and interrogated)Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is held and interrogated for hours every time he returns to the US.
- 07 February 2014 (Turkey's new internet law)Turkey's new internet law allows the state to block a web site by administrative decree, and requires ISPs to record people's contacts.
- Several European countries also block web sites by decree, and the US government "seizes" domain names by decree. India has the power to take down a web site by decree. These practices are unjust in any country.
- The tracking of web visits also exists in Europe and to some extent in the US.
- 07 February 2014 (Urgent: Establish a public health care option)Citizens of Massachusetts: sign this petition for establishing a public health care option.
- 07 February 2014 (Australian gov't fabricating excuse to end program to promote renewable energy)The Australian government, which will do anything to boost the fossil fuel industry, is now fabricating an excuse to end the program to promote renewable energy.
- 07 February 2014 (The world's marine reserves)More than half of the world's marine reserves are inadequately protected and fail to encourage wildlife.
- 07 February 2014 (DEA's guide for how to disguise use of secret snooping data)The DEA's guide for how to disguise use of secret snooping data has been published.
- 07 February 2014 (Chaos Computer Club has filed a criminal complaint)The Chaos Computer Club has filed a criminal complaint accusing the German government and other governments of illegal surveillance.
- 07 February 2014 (Five predictions made by Karl Marx)Five predictions made by Karl Marx that fit today's extreme form of capitalism.
- 07 February 2014 (Lured to paying millions in subsidy for big sports events)Cities and states are lured to paying millions in subsidy for big sports events based on wildly exaggerated estimates of how much the local economy will gain from the events.
- This article refers to the Superbowl, but it's the same for the Olympics or the World Cup.
- I would tell the boosters of these games to seek private investment if they are so profitable.
- 07 February 2014 (Qatar Airways subjects flight attendants to a regime almost like prison)Qatar Airways subjects flight attendants to a regime almost like prison, firing them for the slightest infraction of absurd rules.
- Qatar is one of the countries I would never visit. The required iris scan is just one of the reasons. I won't even change planes in the U.A.E.
- Nobody should ever work in a country that demands exit visas.
- 07 February 2014 (Kim Dotcom's lawsuit)New Zealand's digital snooping agency says it failed to preserve the data for Kim Dotcom's lawsuit alleging illegal snooping.
- 07 February 2014 (UK agents ran DDOS campaigns against Anonymous)UK agents ran DDOS campaigns against Anonymous, interfering with their chat sites and with all the other sites co-hosted with them.
- I reject the term "DDOS attack". When activists do it, it is a form of online protest; I won't call it an "attack" when someone else does it. What happened here is that the state sent a crowd of state agents to protest at a people's houses and the pubs where they meet.
- 06 February 2014 (Urgent: Fix the Voting Rights Act)US citizens: support fixing the Voting Rights Act.
- 06 February 2014 (Urgent: Support the Government By The People Act)US citizens: Support the Government By The People Act.
- 06 February 2014 (Egyptian journalist tortured by thugs)Egyptian journalist Hossam al-Meneai was tortured by thugs, says the American journalist who was arrested with him.
- 06 February 2014 (Japan's secrecy law)Americans need to be concerned about Japan's secrecy law.
- 06 February 2014 (2013 was second-hottest recorded non-el-Nińo year)2013 was the second-hottest non-el-Nińo year since records began.
- 06 February 2014 (Iraq gov't imprisons, tortures, and executes women, without trial)Iraq's US-installed government imprisons women without trial, tortures them into confessing (or threatens to rape their daughters), then executes them. All this to punish their male relatives.
- 06 February 2014 (French protection for organizers of the Rwandan massacres)French protection for organizers of the Rwandan massacres may be exposed in court.
- 06 February 2014 (Why the NSA spied on German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder)The NSA spied on German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder because he refused to help Dubya conquer Iraq.
- 06 February 2014 (Evidence that Sri Lankan soldiers and thugs covered up murders)Evidence that Sri Lankan soldiers and thugs destroyed graves to cover up murders, under orders from the high command.
- There is evidence also against the LTTE, which is no surprise. But those responsible are dead.
- 06 February 2014 (The US Farm Bill)What's good and what's bad in the US Farm Bill.
- 06 February 2014 (Evidence that Three Mile Island meltdown made people sick in Pennsylvania)Evidence that the Three Mile Island meltdown made lots of people sick in Pennsylvania, and killed animals.
- 06 February 2014 (Israel authorizes additional colonies in Palestinian territory)Israel continues making a mockery of peace talks by authorizing additional construction of colonies in Palestinian territory.
- 06 February 2014 (European Parliament strengthens energy targets)The European Parliament strengthened the weak energy targets that the European Commission had proposed.
- 06 February 2014 (Congress and Obama making America's children go hungry)Congress and Obama, with the cuts in food stamps, are making America's children go hungry.
- Republicans aim to force US women to have more children and prevent them from feeding these children.
- 06 February 2014 (Water being used up by oil and gas drilling in the US)Oil and gas drilling in the US are using up lots of water in the driest areas.
- 06 February 2014 (Laws against homosexuality)Although Russia has banned saying "It's not bad to be gay", its law is does not go as far as some other countries' laws against homosexuality.
- 06 February 2014 (Land of "opportunity")Obama harps on "opportunity" to distract from high US inequality, but the US poor haven't got much opportunity either.
- 06 February 2014 (CVS to stop selling tobacco)CVS has decided to stop selling tobacco.
- I don't advocate banning tobacco, because prohibiting addictive drugs does great social harm. However, it should not be sold in pharmacies because selling it there gives tobacco a sort of medical endorsement.
- 06 February 2014 (US temporarily ceases drone attacks in Pakistan)The US has temporarily ceased drone attacks in Pakistan to try to encourage peace talks.
- 06 February 2014 (UK's floods partly due to extractive agriculture)Extractive agriculture is part of the cause of the UK's floods.
- 06 February 2014 (Russia arresting people who monitor environmental damage from Olympic games)Russia is arresting people who monitor environmental damage from the Olympic games, using bizarre and meaningless pretexts.
- 05 February 2014 (The use of chemical weapons in Syria)Some US claims about the use of chemical weapons in Syria can't be true.
- 05 February 2014 (Syria destabilized by effects of global heating and by Dubya's occupation of Iraq)Chomsky reports on how Syria was destabilized by effects of global heating and by the consequences of Dubya's occupation of Iraq.
- This does not in any way excuse Assad for his tyranny and crimes. It also does not excuse Qatar and Saudi Arabia for funding and encouraging an armed rebellion in Syria when peaceful protests were going strong.
- The recent report about execution of prisoners by Assad's men was paid for by Qatar.
- That doesn't mean the it isn't true, but Qatar should not succeed in hiding its atrocities behind Assad's atrocities.
- 05 February 2014 (Bans on shark fins)The NOAA has retreated from trying to abolish state bans on shark fins.
- 05 February 2014 (Facebook's mobile app snoops on SMS messages)Facebook's mobile app snoops on SMS messages.
- 05 February 2014 (Indian thugs attacked a demonstration by Christian Dalits)Indian thugs attacked a demonstration by Christian Dalits outside the parliament.
- 05 February 2014 (Workers without health care)Republicans want to make it easier for employers to leave workers without health care: just give them only 39 hours a week of work.
- 05 February 2014 (Republicans keep trying to hurt the unemployed)Since the US deficit has gone down greatly, why do Republicans keep trying to hurt the unemployed?
- Because the misguided goal of cutting the deficit was always just an excuse to take from the non-rich.
- 05 February 2014 (Republicans purse only non-rich drug users)The Republicans will pursue their War on Drug Users to the end, but only against non-rich drug users.
- 05 February 2014 (NAFTA and the TPP)NAFTA hurt family farms in Mexico, the US and Canada, at the expense of agribusiness. The TPP threatens to do the same in many more countries.
- 05 February 2014 (Tar sands oil companies' toxic pollution)Researchers say that tar sands oil companies have greatly underestimated the amount of toxic pollution they produce.
- 05 February 2014 (To build Olympic games venue, Russia destroyed forests and wetlands)To build the Olympic games venue, Russia destroyed forests and wetlands and "replaced" them with ecologically worthless artificial substitutes.
- 05 February 2014 (Is Freeing a Duck "Terrorism"?)Is Freeing a Duck "Terrorism"?
- I only partly agree with the idea of animal rights, but I do support human rights, and labeling animal rights activism as "terrorism" clearly violates them. I don't have to agree with them to support their right to campaign for their views.
- 05 February 2014 (FISA orders and national security letters)Google, Facebook and other companies have released statistics showing at most 100,000 users have been subject to FISA orders and national security letters.
- That's a small fraction of the users '-- but if they include journalists, whistleblowers and dissidents, democracy is in danger.
- What matters is not how many people's data the state has looked at but how many people's data the state could look at when it wishes.
- 05 February 2014 (Urgent: Stop South Dakota from taking children from relatives)US citizens: call on Obama to stop South Dakota from taking Lakota children away from their relatives on trivial excuses.
- I think the word "kidnapping" used in the petition is incorrect, but I signed anyway because I think the substance is valid.
- 05 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose bills intended to attack wildlife and wetlands)US citizens: urge your congresscritter to oppose several bills intended to attack wildlife and wetlands.
- 05 February 2014 (Urgent: Extend the Production Tax Credit for renewable energy)US citizens: call on your senators to extend the Production Tax Credit for renewable energy.
- 05 February 2014 (International Olympic Committee supports Russian repression)With the International Olympic Committee supporting Russian repression, the Olympic Spirit means repression.
- This is not surprising given that the Olympic Games have for many years brought repression to every place they have been held.
- 05 February 2014 (Bounties for murder of political candidates in Colombia)Colombia's principal terrorist group, the state-linked paramilitaries, have announced bounties for the murder of political candidates.
- 05 February 2014 (Karzai has been holding peace talks with Taliban for months)Karzai has been holding peace talks with the Taliban for months.
- I wish these talks had made progress. Given that the Afghan government lacks the support necessary to defeat the Taliban, and that it increasingly spits on women's rights, I don't think trying to "win the war" makes any sense.
- Pakistan is also trying to talk with the Taliban.
- 05 February 2014 (Antidemocratic Party in Thailand sues to invalidate elections)The Antidemocratic Party in Thailand has sued to invalidate the elections on the grounds that the actions of the Antidemocratic Party interfered with voting.
- 05 February 2014 (Foreign journalists escape from Egypt)Several foreign journalists succeeded in escaping from Egypt before they could be captured by the forces of state repression.
- The coup has taken Egypt from a danger of repression to blatant repression.
- 05 February 2014 (Laws needed to help reduce cancer rates)With cancer rates increasing world-wide due to tobacco, alcohol and obesity, cancer treatment is not enough '-- laws are needed to make it easier to avoid those dangers.
- 05 February 2014 (Drought in southwestern US)Superstitious Nevada farmers are holding prayer sessions asking for an end to the drought in the southwestern US.
- They ought to be holding Keystone XL protests instead: that would at least have a chance to reduce the future droughts that are expected to be much worse.
- 05 February 2014 (Opting out from tracking by commercial data brokers)One writer tried to "opt out" from tracking by commercial data brokers and found that the possibility of doing so is rather spotty.
- I have opted out from these data brokers by paying cash.
- 05 February 2014 (NPR's whitewash of toxic sewage sludge)NPR published a whitewash of toxic sewage sludge.
- 04 February 2014 (Hiring collusion between big tech companies)The hiring collusion between big tech companies shows that their adoration of the "free market" is just a story they tell to fool the gullible.
- A competitive market is a kind of social system. For certain purposes, is a good solution. Keeping it competitive depends on state regulation.
- 04 February 2014 (West Virginia toxic spill not over yet)The West Virginia toxic spill isn't over yet. Moreover, it's just part of a permanent toxic spill that usually goes unnoticed in the media.
- 04 February 2014 (Mexico's supposed crackdown on pimps)Mexico's supposed crackdown on pimps that force women into prostitution has got off to a weak start.
- 04 February 2014 (How web sites correlate information about visitors with names)Clever tricks that web sites use to collect information about visitors and correlate those with names.
- How these companies currently use the data they collect is not significant because (1) they could change those policies tomorrow and (2) those policies don't apply when government agencies such as the NSA collect the data.
- 04 February 2014 (Uganda bans miniskirts)Uganda's first step to impose control on women is to ban miniskirts, not to mention bikinis, and any pictures of them, and any writing about them.
- I think even the song "Itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polkadot bikini" will be criminalized by this law, not to mention lots of movies that could get a G rating in the US.
- 04 February 2014 (Facebook)One user writes that Facebook led her to be in love with "the projection of [her] own desired life".
- Cutting down on the amount of her usage by Facebook may have addressed this problem, but not all the others.
- 04 February 2014 (People in Rio de Janeiro mock surreal prices)People in Rio de Janeiro are mocking the surreal prices provoked by the coming World Cup.
- 03 February 2014 (Dioxin contamination in seafood caught in Galveston Bay, Texas)Seafood caught in Galveston Bay, Texas, is contaminated with dioxin.
- 03 February 2014 (Prince drops lawsuit against fans for distributing recordings)Prince, who briefly thought of changing his name to Jerk, has dropped a lawsuit against his fans for distributing "bootleg" recordings.
- I see nothing wrong with that practice.
- 03 February 2014 (The cost of the "US War on Drugs")The US "War on Drugs" has cost a trillion dollars in South America, and resulted in over 100,000 killed.
- 03 February 2014 (Toxic substances in clothing)Clothing, even for children, often contains toxic substances.
- 03 February 2014 (Japan wants to sell India some potential meltdowns)Japan wants to sell India some potential meltdowns.
- 03 February 2014 (Pentagon spends millions on directing Hollywood)The Pentagon spends millions on directing Hollywood to make pro-military propaganda and convince Americans to support military adventures.
- 03 February 2014 (Obama's "MyRA" retirement accounts)Obama's "MyRA" retirement accounts won't do much good for the Americans who might try to use them.
- 03 February 2014 (Ten arguments against prohibition of prostitution)Ten arguments against prohibition of prostitution.
- 03 February 2014 (Christians try to shut down art that makes fun of their religion)It's not just Muslims that try to shut down art that makes fun of their religion. In Australia, Christians are trying.
- 03 February 2014 (Japanese whalers' violent tactics)Sea Shepherd described Japanese whalers' violent tactics.
- 03 February 2014 (TSA knew X-ray scanners were useless and dangerous)The Theater of Security Agency and all its staff knew in advance that X-ray scanners were useless and dangerous. The TSA delayed and endangered passengers with those machines solely to give the impression it was Doing Something.
- The article also says that power-tripping TSA agents impose extra searches and delays as a form of harassment, while dishonestly claiming it is a "random search".
- 03 February 2014 (Obama fails to recognize that he could end marijuana prohibition)Obama says he thinks prohibition of marijuana is unfortunate but fails to recognize that he could end that prohibition any day.
- 03 February 2014 (Letting stores have too much information about the purchaser)Staples and many other stores offer different prices to different customers and don't admit that they are doing so.
- This is a consequence of letting them have too much information about the purchaser. When I buy something, the store doesn't know who I am, because I pay cash.
- 03 February 2014 (Straight White Male)In gaming terms, Straight White Male is the lowest "difficulty setting" for real life.
- 03 February 2014 (Tens of thousands of people blocked from voting in Thai election)The anti-government movement in Thailand, a substantial minority with some powerful backing, has blocked tens of thousands of people from voting in the election.
- We have to consider them the anti-democracy movement.
- 03 February 2014 (Presidential election in Afghanistan)Afghanistan is trying to have a democratic election for president.
- 03 February 2014 (Canada keeping business rights treaty secret)Canada is negotiating a business rights treaty with the EU, and says it has to be kept secret in order to negotiate it, even the parts that are supposedly finished.
- 03 February 2014 (Pakistan's secret record of casualties of US drone attacks)Leaked: Pakistan's secret record of the casualties of US drone attacks. In 2009, it abruptly stops treating which casualties are civilians.
- 03 February 2014 (The pseudoscience told to US Senate about global heating)Refuting the pseudoscience that the US Senate was told about global heating.
- 03 February 2014 (George Lakoff's advice on framing)George Lakoff's advice on framing is vital for progressives.
- It's also vital for the free software movement. We reject the weak compromises advocated under the term "open source"; we take a clear moral stand.
- 03 February 2014 (Australian gov't uses its lifeboats to move boat people to Indonesia)The Australian government is secretly transferring boat people onto its own lifeboats and towing those boats to Indonesia.
- 03 February 2014 ("Free trade" increases inequality in developed world)Studies confirm that "free trade" is the main cause of increased inequality in the developed world.
- 03 February 2014 (Many companies only say they support curbing global heating)Many companies say they support action to curb global heating, then contribute to groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce that try to prevent it.
- 03 February 2014 (Obama still supports Clapper after admitting he lied to Congress)Obama still supports Clapper even after admitting (euphemistically) that Clapper lied to Congress.
- Obama was never much of a supporter of human rights.
- 03 February 2014 (Canada's WiFi tracking scheme)More about Canada's WiFi tracking scheme, which seems to have been a dry run for the NSA.
- 03 February 2014 (China kicks out foreign journalists in retaliation for criticism)China struggles to pretend it is not kicking out foreign journalists in retaliation for criticism in the press.
- The US is not spotless on this issue either: it requires journalists to apply for a special visa, even if they come from countries whose citizens normally don't require a visa.
- 03 February 2014 (Gates Foundation and US gov't want to track all students)The Gates Foundation and the US government want to track all students from preschool to workforce.
- 03 February 2014 (Utah public school makes students pay for lunches)Utah School Threw Out Students' Lunches Because They Were In Debt.
- It is disgusting for public schools to make students pay for lunch, or for anything.
- 03 February 2014 (UK wants to secretly subpoena journalists' notes)The UK wants to secretly subpoena journalists' notes.
- 03 February 2014 (US State Dept. adopts bogus evaluation of planet-roaster pipeline)The US State Department adopted another bogus evaluation of the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline.
- 02 February 2014 (Flooding in the UK)Global heating was expected to bring flooding to the UK in 2030, but it is hitting already.
- 02 February 2014 (US to pressure Sri Lanka to investigate war crimes committed against Tamil civilians)The US is going to pressure Sri Lanka to investigate war crimes committed against Tamil civilians.
- This is the right thing to do, but when will the US investigate the war crimes committed by Dubya in Iraq?
- 02 February 2014 (Drop the "all of the above" energy policy)If Obama wants to save our climate, he must drop the "all of the above" energy policy.
- 02 February 2014 (Urgent: Raise the minimum wage)US citizens: call on Congress to raise the minimum wage.
- I've promoted similar campaigns before, and it is good to keep showing Congress pressure to do this.
- 02 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose the cuts in food stamps)Citizens of California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin: call on your senators to oppose the cuts in food stamps, which will fall mainly on those states.
- 02 February 2014 (Surveillance in the US today exceeds Orwell's worst nightmare)Surveillance in the US today exceeds Orwell's worst nightmare.
- This level of surveillance is incompatible with democracy.
- 02 February 2014 (7 big omissions in the State Department's whitewash of Keystone XL)7 big omissions in the State Department's whitewash of Keystone XL.
- 02 February 2014 (Global heating is helping fungus kill the Douglas fir trees of the Pacific Northwest)Global heating is helping fungus kill the Douglas fir trees of the Pacific Northwest.
- 02 February 2014 (Obama Turns to Big Business)Record-Breaking Long-Term Unemployment in Virtually Every State, and Obama Turns to Big Business?
- 02 February 2014 (The Indian ID card)The Indian ID card is the world's biggest biometric scheme, and the state has tried to impose it on everyone.
- 02 February 2014 (Media Suffer Winter Chill in Coverage of Sochi Olympics)Media Suffer Winter Chill in Coverage of Sochi Olympics.
- 02 February 2014 (Bayer CEO says)Bayer CEO says, "We did not develop this medicine (Nexavar) for Indians, We developed it for Western patients who can afford it."
- 02 February 2014 (Heed the Warnings in Extreme Weather '-- Or Risk Losing Earth)Heed the Warnings in Extreme Weather '-- Or Risk Losing Earth.
- 02 February 2014 (Vehicle-To-Vehicle communication systems for cars)Proposed vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems for cars could turn out to be a way to track them.
- It's possible to design such a system so that it provides the same benefits and can't be used for tracking. All it requires is political will.
- 02 February 2014 (The More We Learn about Nuclear Past, the More an 'Accident' Seems Likely)The More We Learn about Nuclear Past, the More an 'Accident' Seems Likely.
- 02 February 2014 (The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan)Most Americans consider the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan failures.
- The conquest and occupation of Iraq were much worse than a failure '-- the right term is "crime against humanity". Bush deserves to be prosecuted for it.
- But was it a failure? In terms of its stated purpose, eliminating Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, it was a success before the start '-- since he didn't have any.
- 02 February 2014 (Mobile surveillance robots for shopping malls)New product: mobile surveillance robots for shopping malls.
- I do feel irritated when I get checked by "security", usually at airports. I hope you do, too. If this robot keeps permanent records, which I expect it will, it will be like a mobile surveillance camera installation.
- 02 February 2014 (Toxic spills in coal country)In coal country, toxic spills happen continually and people are disposable. It has been that way for over a century, as companies find excuses to block or ignore regulations against pollution.
- 02 February 2014 (Secret EU plan to put remote control devices in all cars)The EU has a secret plan to put devices in all cars to allow them to be stopped remotely.
- This would be used by the state against criminals and protesters, but experience shows that others will find out how to use it too.
- 02 February 2014 (Islamist terror growing in Egypt)Islamist terror is growing in Egypt.
- 02 February 2014 (The White Maleness of Geek Culture)Forget Iron Man-Child '-- Let's Fight the White Maleness of Geek Culture.
- 02 February 2014 (The Spanish government's plan to nearly ban abortion has roused big opposition)The Spanish government's plan to nearly ban abortion has roused big opposition.
- 02 February 2014 (Canada's spy agency snoops on WiFi users in airports)Canada's spy agency snoops on WiFi users in airports, then follows them through other connections. We don't know how it does this.
- 02 February 2014 (Very Urgent: Do not to approve the Keystone XL)US citizens: call on Obama not to approve the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline.
- 02 February 2014 (Urgent: Oppose "fast track" for the TPP)US citizens: call on Minority Leader Pelosi to oppose "fast track" for the TPP.
- 02 February 2014 (Clapper thinks Japan's state secrecy law is a great thing)Clapper thinks Japan's state secrecy law, which impedes access to information about the handling and status of the Fukushima meltdowns, is a great thing.
- 01 February 2014 (Assad's army has demolished entire neighborhoods)Assad's army has demolished entire neighborhoods whose inhabitants were thought to favor the rebels.
- 01 February 2014 (For-profit colleges in the US prey on people)For-profit colleges in the US prey on people desperate for a way to escape poverty using exaggerated claims and high-pressure sales.
- Federal student loans should not be available for these schools. However, the underlying problem is that of the plutocratic policies that favor the rich and have driven 1/3 of the middle class down and out.
- 01 February 2014 (The death penalty in the US)The evolution of the death penalty in the US responds to a philosophical conflict.
- 01 February 2014 (UK gov't rationing access to health care through the NHS)The skinflint UK government is rationing access to health care through the NHS.
- That dumps Britons into a US-like situation where the wealthy can pay for their own care while the rest are screwed.
- 01 February 2014 (The Great Barrier Reef faces death by a thousand cuts)The Great Barrier Reef faces death by a thousand cuts.
- 01 February 2014 (Moving money to public banks)As some cities consider removing their money from the big fraudster banks, they need another place to put that money, such as public banks.
- 01 February 2014 (Some penguin species are threatened by the effects of global heating)Some penguin species are threatened by the effects of global heating.
- 01 February 2014 (Urgent: End the NFL's tax exemption)US citizens: call on Congress to end the NFL's tax exemption.
- 01 February 2014 (Urgent: Permanently cancel plans to drill for oil in Alaskan Arctic waters)US citizens: call on Obama to permanently cancel plans to drill for oil in Alaskan Arctic waters.
- 01 February 2014 (India passed a law to end manual scavenging of human wastes)India passed a law to end manual scavenging of human wastes, but isn't implementing it very energetically.
- Simply dictating "no more manual scavenging of human wastes" won't change anything in places where the systems require manual scavenging. What's needed is a program to build sewer systems and toilets connected to them. That will take money and time.
- 01 February 2014 (Communities in California are about to run out of water)17 rural communities in California are about to run out of water. They contain at least 11,000 people.
- The drought extends across most of the state, but it is only a foretaste of what global heating will bring.
- 01 February 2014 (The only independent TV channel may be pushed off the air in Russia)The only independent TV channel may be pushed off the air for asking a question about Russia's strategy during World War II.
- Whatever you think about the question, the response seems suspiciously extreme.
- 01 February 2014 (Very urgent: Join protest vigil against Keystone XL pipeline on Monday)In the US: join a protest vigil against the Keystone XL pipeline on Feb 3.
- 01 February 2014 (Armed, masked Israelis attack Palestinian farmers)Armed, masked Israelis attacked some Palestinian farmers; Israeli troops came and molested the Palestinians further.
- 01 February 2014 (Netanyahu's proposal to give Palestine some sovereignty)Netanyahu's proposal to give Palestine sovereignty over some Israeli settlements was meant to provoke Palestinian rejection, but some Israelis rejected it first.
- 01 February 2014 (More comments on situation in Ukraine)More comments on the situation in Ukraine.
- 01 February 2014 (Farmageddon)A review of Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat.
- The article dares to raise the question of how many children we should have. Having no children is an important way to contribute to civilization's survival. It also frees you to do something that matters with your life, even if you're not rich.
- 01 February 2014 (New study shows neonicotinoid pesticide endangers bumblebees)A new study shows that a neonicotinoid pesticide damages bumblebees' ability to collect pollen for their young.
- Bumblebees are important pollinators; endangering them is playing with fire. The doubts that are raised in the article might affect the level of damage that normally occurs, but not the fact that it happens.
- 01 February 2014 (The axolotl seems to be extinct in the wild)The axolotl seems to be extinct in the wild.
- 01 February 2014 (UK gov't backs down from prosecuting man who tried to 'steal' food from garbage bin)Public pressure made the UK government back down from prosecuting the men who tried to 'steal' food from a supermarket's garbage bin.
- 01 February 2014 (Persecution of gays in Nigeria)Persecution of gays in Nigeria ranges from betrayal to trial to lynching.
- 01 February 2014 (Egypt to charge 20 journalists with ludicrous charges)Egypt plans to charge 20 al-Jazeera journalists with ludicrous charges ranging from belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood to "harming the national interest" and illicit possession of broadcast equipment.
- This is Putinesque contempt for freedom of the press.
- Some of these journalists are being kept in brainwashing conditions similar to those Bradley Manning suffered.
- This also reminds me of the Yemeni journalist imprisoned at Obama's request for interviewing terrorists.
- 01 February 2014 (China installing solar generating capacity at an amazing pace)China is installing solar generating capacity at an amazing pace, but coal generating capacity 3 times as fast.
- This is not progress, merely regress a little slower than it might have been. Progress will be when the amount of coal-based generation goes down.
- 01 February 2014 (Selling shark fins)The US government is advancing a regulation about sharks that would overturn state and local bans on selling shark fins.
- 01 February 2014 (Britain Will Have to Adapt to Climate Change '-- And Fast)Flooding Experts Say Britain Will Have to Adapt to Climate Change '-- And Fast.
- This is the result of failing to curb global heating a decade ago. With the fossil policies of today's fossil governments, it will be a lot worse in 30 years.
- 01 February 2014 (NSA spied on other countries' participation in 2009 Copenhagen climate conference)The NSA spied on other countries' participation in the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference.
- This was when the attempt to reach a global agreement to reduce CO2 emissions and avert disaster failed spectacularly because many governments were unwilling to agree on a real solution. The US was unwilling, and this NSA surveillance surely helped the US government achieve its aim of "no deal, burn away!"
- 01 February 2014 (Clapper told Congress that al-Nusra would like to attack the US)Clapper told Congress that al-Nusra, one of the Syrian factions that labels itself as "al-Qa'ida", would like to attack the US.
- Clapper has lied to Congress before with impunity; I would not put it past him to lie about this too. Whether this is true or not, his am is surely to convince us that massive general surveillance is necessary.
- If he is not lying, perhaps he is exaggerating. Perhaps some member of al-Nusra said to others, "Wouldn't it be great to attack Americas some day?" and others said, "Sure, after we kill all the Syrian Shi'ites and Christians, let's kill Americans next."
- An interesting point is that al-Nusra is part of the group of Syrian factions that the US may support because it is fighting against ISIS.
- Syria is a fight involving at least three sides that are murderous and evil. If any one of them were the only one, we could envision intervening against that side if the Syrian people wanted us to. Those who want an intervention against one side can easily cite valid reasons for it.
- But it is not feasible to intervene against all the evil sides; and if we were to intervene against only some of them, in effect we would be supporting the others.
- I don't see any military way to make things better in Syria; at least let's avoid making them worse.
- 01 February 2014 ("School choice" proves to give no academic benefit)Now that "school choice" proves to give no academic benefit, the advocates of this indirect scheme of privatization hunt for bizarre excuses.
- 01 February 2014 (Thugs' investigations can't be trusted)How many other UK convictions of protesters and others are invalid because of dishonesty by the thugs? Their own investigations can't be trusted.
- 01 February 2014 (Urgent: Sign this petition for network neutrality)US and EU citizens: sign this petition for network neutrality.
- 01 February 2014 (Urgent: Stop pushing the TPP)US citizens: tell Obama to stop pushing the TPP.
- 31 January 2014 (Right-wing "marriage promotion" programs)Right-wing "marriage promotion" programs are an excuse for shafting the poor, and do nothing to reduce the obstacle that make poor people's marriages fail: poverty itself.
- The article also shows that ease of access to divorce has nothing to do with successful marriages.
- As for Ross Douthat's idea of trying to force women to have babies so that they might feel it necessary to get married, it's not only a nonsequitur, it is perverse. We need fewer babies to be born.
- 31 January 2014 (Pollution of Gaza's aquifer)Israel is blocking Gaza's wastewater plant from operating, which is causing further pollution of Gaza's aquifer.
- I guess the plan is to make Gazans get sick and die.
- 31 January 2014 (B'liar has endorsed the Egyptian military government)Tony B'liar has endorsed the Egyptian military government.
- It's true that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood trampled Egyptians' human rights. That's what Islamists stand for. However, the coup government has gone much further in this harm.
- 31 January 2014 (Shell abandoned plans to drill for oil in Alaskan Arctic this year)Shell abandoned plans to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic this year.
- That delays the damage but we need to block it entirely.
- 31 January 2014 (Scarlett Johansson chose to promote SodaStream rather than Oxfam)Unable to do both, Scarlett Johansson chose to promote SodaStream rather than Oxfam.
- I guess SodaStream pays more.
- 30 January 2014 (Activist Vera Scroggins)Activist Vera Scroggins has been banned from going to the local hospital, the local supermarket and the local Chinese restaurant by an extremely broad anti-protest injunction for a fracker.
- Merely to ban someone from really protesting is injust in itself.
- 30 January 2014 (Roundup responsible for the great decline in Monarch butterflies)Roundup is responsible for the great decline in Monarch butterflies.
- 30 January 2014 (Fanmi Lavalas activists face criminal charges)Fanmi Lavalas activists face criminal charges, which seem to have been fabricated.
- 30 January 2014 (Pakistan's Prime Minister wants negotiation with the Taliban)Pakistan's Prime Minister wants negotiation with the Taliban.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: condemn the House's foodstamp cuts and call on the Senate to undo them)US citizens: condemn the House's foodstamp cuts and call on the Senate to undo them.
- 30 January 2014 (Justin Bieber is Lucky That He's Rich)Justin Bieber is Lucky That He's Rich. Poor Immigrants Don't Get Off so Lightly.
- If Bieber was driving drunk, that charge should not be dropped. Drunk drivers risk killing someone, and stars are no exception. On the other hand, people shouldn't be deported for minor things.
- 30 January 2014 (Does Obama Administration View Journalists as Snowden's "Accomplices"?)Does Obama Administration View Journalists as Snowden's "Accomplices"? It Seems So.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: Ban pharmacists from making up drugs for executions)US citizens: Call on the American Pharmaceutical Association to ban pharmacists from making up drugs for executions.
- 30 January 2014 (Showering in Formaldehyde? Fresh Fears in West Virginia)Showering in Formaldehyde? Fresh Fears in West Virginia.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on Wilmar to stop causing deforestation)Everyone: call on Wilmar to carry out its promises to stop causing deforestation.
- 30 January 2014 (Schools where US taxpayers fund teaching of anti-science)Schools where US taxpayers fund teaching of anti-science.
- 30 January 2014 (Obama's efforts aimed at ending imprisonment without trial)Obama's efforts aimed at ending imprisonment without trial are so slow and narrow that we can conclude they are programmed not to do the job.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: Ban the pesticide sulfoxaflor)US citizens: call on the EPA to ban the pesticide sulfoxaflor, which is known to hurt bees.
- 30 January 2014 (Israeli troops attacked a peaceful protest in the Jordan Valley)Israeli troops attacked a peaceful protest in the Jordan Valley. The authorities arrested two activists, handcuffed them, kicked them in the ribs, blindfolded them, lodged false charges against them, and did not let them contact lawyers.
- 30 January 2014 (The environmental damage that frackers will do)Frackers should have to pay a lot of money to cover the environmental damage they will do.
- 30 January 2014 (10 Things The West Needs To Know About The Situation In Kiev)A Ukrainian Explains 10 Things The West Needs To Know About The Situation In Kiev.
- 30 January 2014 (Progress of Port-au-Prince reconstruction)The rich in Haiti say that Port-au-Prince is being rebuilt, but the poor don't see much improvement since the earthquake.
- 30 January 2014 (Greek Coast Guard accused of sinking migrant boat)Boat people accuse the Greek Coast Guard of causing their boat to sink and then kicking people who tried to cling to the Coast Guard ship.
- If these charges are false, why didn't the Coast Guard make a video to document the truth?
- The migrants share the responsibility for the death of the children, having brought them on such a dangerous trip, but that doesn't excuse the Coast Guard for killing them.
- This doesn't mean that migrants are entitled to go to Greece just because they would like to. I understand that they had to flee Afghanistan and Syria, but they could stay in Turkey (which is where they were coming from).
- 30 January 2014 (Pakistan imposes state of emergency)Pakistan has imposed a state of emergency, including secret courts and allowing thugs to freely shoot to kill, supposedly as part of a plan to suppress the Taliban.
- 30 January 2014 (Much of GCHQ's spying is illegal, warns British lawyer)A British lawyer told members of Parliament that much of GCHQ's spying is illegal.
- 30 January 2014 (Karzai accuses US of carrying out false-flag suicide bombings)Karzai accuses the US of carrying out false-flag suicide bombings in Afghanistan.
- I don't think it is true in this case, but the US has done things like this before.
- 30 January 2014 (Many species of fish becoming smaller)Global heating may be responsible for making many species of fish smaller, up to 1/3 smaller than 38 years ago.
- Intense fishing may be responsible, because there is usually a size limit on allowable catch; that selects for fish that become mature with a smaller size.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: Extension of unemployment benefits)US citizens: phone your senators to support extension of unemployment benefits.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 30 January 2014 (Urgent: End prohibition of marijuana)US citizens: call on your congresscritter to end prohibition of marijuana.
- 30 January 2014 (What SF techies could do to stop resentment)Some obvious ideas for what San Francisco techies could do to help convince the rest of the city's residents not to resent them.
- However, there is no substitute for building a lot more living space in San Francisco.
- 30 January 2014 (US states trying experimental combinations of drugs for executions)US states can't get drugs to execute people with, so they are trying experimental combinations with unpredictable results.
- I think the means of execution is a secondary issue '-- the death penalty is wrong regardless of how it is done.
- 30 January 2014 (US prison illegally harassing prisoner John Kiriakou)US prison is illegally harassing prisoner John Kiriakou, for instance by reading the letters he sends, and reading mail from his lawyer, and claiming he is forbidden to write to the media.
- 30 January 2014 (Logging into sites through Facebook)When users log in to a site through Facebook, Facebook gives the site access to lots of information about the user.
- If this is what a site demands from you, you should not touch it anyway!
- 30 January 2014 (Australian protesters try to block clearance of forest)Australian protesters are trying to block the clearance of a forest which is needed to launch a coal mine.
- Both the means and the end endanger civilization's survival.
- 30 January 2014 (Using Google Maps from a smartphone gives data to the NSA)If you use Google Maps from a smartphone, you're giving data to the NSA.
- To some extent this is because Google designed it to track you. This includes the fact that it asks you which address you're interested in. I used to use Google Maps, back when it worked without running nonfree Javascript code, but I never entered an address; instead I scrolled around in the area I was interested in and found the address for myself.
- I've pointed out for years that the system could do the same job while respecting privacy more by searching the map data in your own computer for the addresses you're interested in.
- 30 January 2014 (ALEC claims it does not track bills despite proof otherwise)ALEC claims it does not track the progress of bills that follow its proposals, notwithstanding proof that it does so. It could be that ALEC faces an IRS investigation and is trying to cover up.
- 30 January 2014 (UK to prosecute three men for taking food from garbage bin)The UK will prosecute three men for taking food from a supermarket's garbage bin.
- This decision is coherent with the rest of UK policy. The UK government has worked hard to drive Britons to starvation. To allow them to eat food meant for the landfill would spoil all that work.
- In a place with a sufficiency of food overall, hungry people who can't afford food are entitled to steal food.
- 30 January 2014 (Alabama Senate on verge of extending War on Women)Alabama's legislature is on the verge of extending the Republican War on Women by authorizing hospitals and medical personnel to refuse medical care (even in an emergency) involving ending a pregnancy.
- 30 January 2014 (NYC thugs beat up old man)NYC thugs beat up an old man who was crossing the street against the light, then charged him with "resisting arrest" (he ignored their orders because he doesn't understand English). Naturally, the New York thug commissioner stood up for the thugs.
- The author may be right that most thugs would not engage in such violence. But nearly all thugs will defend their fellow thugs who do carry out such attacks, and that's why they deserve the name of "thugs".
- 30 January 2014 (Growing inequality in the US)The US is suffering from its growing inequality.
- 30 January 2014 (Reevaluation of Robert Gates by his former boss)Robert Gates' former boss in the CIA evaluates him again.
- 30 January 2014 (FDA concealed danger posed by livestock antibiotics)FDA Concealed the 'High Risk' Livestock Antibiotics Pose to People.
- 30 January 2014 (Study suggests link between DDT and Alzheimer's)A study suggests a connection between DDT and Alzheimer's disease.
- 29 January 2014 (Costs of Privatization Hidden in Plain Sight)Costs of Privatization Hidden in Plain Sight.
- It is no accident that privatizations are set up to give the public a bad deal. They are designed to do that.
- 29 January 2014 (Companies can tell when you're about to buy something)Information-gathering companies want to know so much about you that they can tell when you're about to buy something.
- If these companies know what you're likely to do, the NSA will know if you are planning to be a whistleblower. The existing level of general surveillance in the US is already too much for democracy.
- I will continue not to use most of the systems that would give companies such information about me. Don't be tracked '-- pay cash!
- 29 January 2014 (Companies allowed to publish rough numbers of demands for people's data)The government has made a small concession allowing companies to publish the rough numbers of certain kinds of demands for people's data.
- This is not quite enough for us to tell whether we are all being surveilled. One single order (such as the one for Verizon) can cover the data of millions of people.
- What we really need is for each company to publish a figure (even if approximate) for how many people's data was actually delivered to the government.
- 29 January 2014 (RNA interference can be used to make pesticides)RNA interference can be used to make pesticides, but they can go wrong.
- The proposed applications vary in terms of the danger of bad side effects. Dosing bees with RNA to kill varroa mites is unlikely to result in exposing other wild insects to that RNA; if it doesn't hurt the bees, it won't do harm. By contrast, corn that generates interfering RNA can't avoid exposing all the species that live near the field, and there are lots of those.
- I think that the interfering RNAs should be delivered in sprays, not made by crops, for two reasons:
- The sprays would not deny farmers the right to save and trade seeds.The sprays could be applied at particular times, which might reduce the danger to other insects that are not the targets.29 January 2014 (Fastest-Growing US jobs susceptible to automation)The predicted fastest-growing US jobs for the next decade are, mostly, very susceptible to automation.
- It looks like the US is heading for a situation where millions of people who are fit to work can't find any jobs. The plutocrats would like to take advantage of this to force wages down for just about everyone. Instead we must redesign society so that everyone can have a decent life, even those who get no work. This could involve welfare for everyone. This could involve rejecting, even banning certain forms of automation. One way or another, it must be done.
- 29 January 2014 (Dutch appeals court says ISPs are not required to block access to the Pirate Bay)A Dutch appeals court says ISPs are not required to block access to the Pirate Bay.
- This is a victory for internet freedom.
- 29 January 2014 (Copyright industry is doomed)Rick Falkvinge says the copyright industry is doomed, because it can survive only by surveilling all forms of private correspondence.
- I wish I could be so confident. I fear that states, which already seek to surveil all private correspondence and already act as agents for the copyright industry, will extend their surveillance to the point of achieving what Falkvinge considers impossible.
- There is another way that the copyright industry can succeed in subjugating everyone: through streaming. If people are so foolish as to tolerate streaming instead of having a copy, no one will be able to share.
- It is clear that we must reject any streaming service that doesn't allow users to download copies. And if it does allow users to download copies, we must make a point of using it that way.
- Out, out, damned Spotify!
- 29 January 2014 (If You Used This Secure Webmail Site, the FBI Has Your Inbox)If You Used This Secure Webmail Site, the FBI Has Your Inbox.
- This is comparable to searching all the apartments in 20 blocks of Manhattan just in case their might someday be warrants against some of the residents.
- 29 January 2014 (Police Banned From Enforcing Traffic Laws In Oklahoma Town)Police Banned From Enforcing Traffic Laws In Oklahoma Town Over Abuse Of Traffic Tickets For Money.
- 29 January 2014 (Get governments to fund research in integrated pest management)Can we get governments to fund research in integrated pest management instead of supporting Monsanto?
- 29 January 2014 (Ukraine has repealed the new repressive law)Ukraine has repealed the new repressive law that forbid protests and imposed censorship.
- 29 January 2014 (Thugs in the Philippines tortured suspects for fun)Thugs in the Philippines tortured suspects for fun.
- 29 January 2014 (Urgent: Use money allocated for war to pay for benefits for veterans)US citizens: support Bernie Sanders' bill to use money allocated for war to pay for benefits for veterans.
- 29 January 2014 (Plutocrats often compare progressive taxation with Nazism)Plutocrats often compare progressive taxation with Nazism.
- 29 January 2014 (The Dominant Grand Narrative Of Our Time)Propaganda: The Dominant Grand Narrative Of Our Time.
- 28 January 2014 (Angry Birds spies for the NSA)Angry Birds spies for the NSA as well as for companies.
- 28 January 2014 (Sentenced without a trial for suspicion of perhaps intending to commit crimes)UK residents who were sentenced in effect to restrictive probation without a trial for suspicion of perhaps intending to commit crimes, who ran away and hid, are appealing the probation order.
- One of them faces criminal charges for violating the restrictions of this punishment without trial.
- 28 January 2014 (Peru approved gas prospecting deep inside an indigenous people's reserve)Peru has approved gas prospecting deep inside an indigenous people's reserve.
- 28 January 2014 (US middle class)1/3 of the US middle class in 2008 is no longer middle class.
- 28 January 2014 (Snowden responds to Obama's proposals)Edward Snowden responds to Obama's proposals for minor changes in the general surveillance of everyone.
- 28 January 2014 (Urgent: Stop causing deforestation)Everyone: tell Kellogg's to adopt a firm policy to stop causing deforestation.
- 28 January 2014 (Obama's "Promise Zones" promise very little)Obama's "Promise Zones" promise very little.
- 28 January 2014 (US bomb attack in Somalia)A US bomb attack in Somalia killed one of the main leaders of the Shabaab.
- I have no sympathy for Sahal Iskudhuq, or for the Shabaab, which is an Islamist extremist group. However, the death of a leader in such a group is generally not much of a setback. Lots of others are ready to take his place. What affects the success of the group is its power to recruit. Did this attack reduce that, or increase that?
- Given that there is a civil war in Somalia, in principle the US can legitimately give the government military support. Did that government ask for this attack? Maybe in general terms.
- But let's not forget that this government was imposed by outside intervention. While it now has control of substantial territory, it's not clear that it qualifies as more than a puppet. Furthermore, al-Shabaab is the result of the previous US-organized intervention, carried out by Ethiopia as a proxy, which destroyed Somalia's previous stable government, which was Islamist too but not as extremist as al-Shabaab.
- It all raises the question of whether these interventions are good for anyone except arms companies, participants in the perhaps puppet Somali government, and Islamist extremists.
- 28 January 2014 (Right-wing US policies)Right-wing US policies have made American workers and students so afraid of losing the competition with each other that they dare not fight back.
- 28 January 2014 (Taliban intimidating Pakistani journalists)The Taliban are intimidating Pakistani journalists who might criticize their crimes.
- 28 January 2014 (Tunisia adopted constitution that recognizes religious freedom)Tunisia has adopted a constitution that recognizes religious freedom. However, freedom of expression may not be strong enough.
- 27 January 2014 (Poorest neighborhood in New Orleans has only partly rebuilt)8 years after Hurricane Katrina, the poorest neighborhood in New Orleans has only partly rebuilt.
- Global heating is raising sea level. What would be considered today a 100-year-flood will in 50 years be much more frequent.
- 27 January 2014 (Right to a public trial is threatened)The right to a public trial is threatened in the trial of Chicago protesters accused of terrorism.
- 27 January 2014 (DNA from plants humans eat gets into the human bloodstream)DNA from plants humans eat gets into the human bloodstream. This adds to the reasons for concern about genetically modified plants.
- It's clear that these GMOs can't be broadly toxic to humans, for the consequences would have been impossible to miss. However, problems affecting particular classes of people (perhaps depending on the details of their immune systems) are not impossible.
- What worries me most is the spread of pollen. Plants do hybridize in nature.
- 27 January 2014 (UK press fears mandatory prior censorship will be imposed)The UK press fears a system of mandatory prior censorship will be imposed.
- 27 January 2014 (Maker of fraudulent "bomb detectors" paid UK gov't to help sell them)The maker of fraudulent "bomb detectors" paid the UK government to help sell them.
- The US government also acts as the marketing arm for companies such as Microsoft. In 2011 the Indian state of Tamil Nadu switched from distributing computers with GNU/Linux to distributing them with Windows, and this is suspected to be the result of a visit by Hillary Clinton.
- This adds to many other reasons for not supporting her candidacy for president.
- 27 January 2014 (Egypt arrested over 1,000 protesters and killed 49)Egypt arrested over 1,000 protesters and killed 49 on the anniversary of the start of protests against Mubarak.
- 27 January 2014 (Anti-Government Thai protesters)The anti-government Thai protesters, representing a substantial minority with a lot of clout, have seized and shut polling stations to block the election.
- 27 January 2014 (Half the children in Afghanistan are stunted from early malnutrition)Half the children in Afghanistan are stunted from early malnutrition.
- I think people should not have children under such circumstances, but women in Afghanistan are not given the choice.
- 27 January 2014 (Snowden says NSA does industrial espionage)Snowden says the NSA does industrial espionage.
- 27 January 2014 (CIA paid Poland $15 million to run secret prison there)The CIA paid Poland $15 million to run a secret prison there.
- 27 January 2014 (Using "citizen search warrants" to make gov't come clean)Activists have used "citizen's search warrants" to make governments come clean about dirty plans.
- 27 January 2014 (Disaster in Fukushima not end of humanity)Yes, Things are Very Bad at Fukushima but it's not the Apocalypse.
- The word "disaster" can be applied to events considerably less severe than the end of humanity, and it clearly applies to the Fukushima meltdowns even though no significant radiation reaches the US.
- 27 January 2014 (JP Morgan shows that crime does pay)JP Morgan shows that crime does pay.
- 27 January 2014 (Keeping ecosystems in balance )How wolves in the US, and big cats in Africa, keep ecosystems in balance by preventing population explosions of their prey.
- Sea otters protect the kelp forests of the Pacific coast; the decline of sea otters fuels global heating.
- 27 January 2014 (Ukraine's president offering concessions to opposition)Ukraine's president has started offering concessions to the opposition, but the torture of many protesters and journalists by riot thugs has made the protesters so angry that they demand more.
- 27 January 2014 (Very urgent: Oppose provocation of war with Iran (bill S. 1881))US citizens: phone your senators to oppose S. 1881, the bill to provoke war with Iran.
- 27 January 2014 (Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe sued for conspiring to keep wages down)Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe are being sued for conspiring to keep wages down.
- 27 January 2014 (The right to walk the streets unmolested)If Darrin Manning Were a High School Dropout, He'd Still Have the Right to Walk the Streets Unmolested.
- 27 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on World Bank to stop funding coal)US citizens: call on the World Bank to stop funding coal.
- 27 January 2014 (Urgent: Drop charges against Darrin Manning)Everyone: call for dropping charges against Darrin Manning.
- 27 January 2014 (Urgent: Support state laws to label GMOs)US citizens: tell your state legislators not to be scared when Big Food companies spread false claims that state laws to label GMOs are unconstitutional.
- 27 January 2014 (Indian villagers obtain order to demolish Coca Cola plant)Indian villagers have obtained a demolition order for a Coca Cola plant that sucks the water from their farmland.
- 27 January 2014 (5 journalists killed in Egypt since coup in July)5 journalists have been killed in Egypt since the coup in July, dozens have been attacked, and dozens imprisoned.
- 27 January 2014 (The Global Elite: Rigging the Rules That Fuel Inequality)The Global Elite: Rigging the Rules That Fuel Inequality.
- 27 January 2014 (Anti-gov't protesters face repression in Cairo)Anti-government protesters (some pro-Morsi, some pro-democracy) faced repression in Cairo.
- With pro-government rallies too, it is not easy to tell which side has more popular support.
- 27 January 2014 (UK politician threatened for not condemning cartoon of Jesus & Mohammed)A UK politician faces threats for saying that a shirt showing Jesus and Mohammed greeting each other is not horrible.
- 27 January 2014 (Low wages offered by employers don't attract skilled workers)Companies say the US has a "skills gap", but really it's just that employers are trying to push wages down and skilled workers are not enthusiastic.
- Even if there were enough job offers to give every American that would like to work a low-paid job, that wouldn't make the country prosperous. Additional demand for workers is needed in order for wages to rise. So we need to create more jobs '-- until we reorganize society so you can have a decent life without working if nobody wants your labor.
- 27 January 2014 (Electric cars plus cleaner electric generation)Electric cars can reduce pollution (including greenhouse gas) provided they are combined with a push for cleaner electric generation.
- 27 January 2014 (San Francisco residents up in arms over rise in price of housing)San Francisco residents are up in arms against employees of Google and other companies for driving up the price of housing there.
- I sympathize with them, and with everyone that wants to live in San Francisco, and I think the real solution is to build a lot more housing space there.
- 27 January 2014 (Obama authorizes brainwashing techniques)Obama banned physical torture, but authorizes brainwashing techniques such as long-term sleep deprivation and long-term solitary confinement.
- Long-term solitary confinement is also practiced on many US convicts.
- 27 January 2014 (Medical marijuana for children with epilepsy)Medical marijuana is the only hope for some children with epilepsy.
- 27 January 2014 (Corpse with deformed fetus inside to be taken off life support)A court ruled that Texas law doesn't require keeping a corpse on life support for the sake of the deformed fetus inside it.
- 27 January 2014 (Campaign to eliminate toxic substances from clothing factories)The campaign to eliminate toxic substances from clothing factories.
- 26 January 2014 (Very urgent: Call on Monsanto to stop hiding costs of GMOs)Everyone: call on Monsanto to stop hiding the costs of GMOs.
- 26 January 2014 (Fracking in the UK)Fracking in the UK may produce marginally less CO2 than using imported gas; but if that gas is used elsewhere, the emissions from fracked UK gas will add to the total.
- When demand is elastic, increased supply causes a lower price and increased consumption. To burn less fossil fuels we must reduce the supply. A rising price would indicate success.
- 26 January 2014 (UK law that will restrict organized political activity)The UK has passed a law that will restrict organized political activity, except by the companies that can afford their own lobbyists.
- 26 January 2014 (Three protesters on trial in Chicago for alleged terrorism)Three protesters are on trial in Chicago for alleged terrorism, although it seems that thug provocateurs may have fabricated everything.
- The intense security and obstruction of public and press access to the trial is, in effect, a way of prejudicing the jury to think the defendants are very dangerous people.
- 26 January 2014 (The result of skimping on higher education)The result of skimping on higher education is that most teachers are exploited "adjuncts" with no hope of tenure and intolerably low pay.
- 26 January 2014 (Proprietary video games give the illusion of agency)Proprietary video games give the illusion of agency because the players can choose the little details of what they do. The important choices are imposed on them.
- 26 January 2014 (Further emission of CO2 will cost business money)Further emission of CO2 will cost business money. Given plutocratic (thus, illegitimate) government, that seems to be a crucial point to try to limit global heating.
- 26 January 2014 (Egypt's repression includes arrest of an al-Jazeera news team)Egypt's repression includes arrest of an al-Jazeera news team, supposedly accused of "broadcasting false news" although they have never actually been charged.
- For such a thing to be a crime indicates tyranny.
- 26 January 2014 (Terror bombings in Egypt)A series of terror bombings in Egypt have been claimed by self-described Islamists.
- The regime blames the Muslim Brotherhood for these bombings, with no evidence. A few months ago I predicted that some Islamists who formerly supported the MB would turn to violence in response to the massacre of protesters.
- However, another possibility occurs to me. Given how much these bombings benefit the military rulers, I wonder whether some of them are false flag attacks '-- carried out by the military and attributed to Islamists.
- Neither explanation seems impossible. I can envision Islamist extremists who continue using violence even when it is self defeating, and I would not put anything past al-Sisi's men.
- 26 January 2014 (Mentally ill man sentenced to death for claiming to be the prophet Mohammed)A mentally ill man has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for claiming to be the prophet Mohammed.
- Muslims who don't want their religion to be equated with oppression had better demand the repeal of laws against blasphemy.
- 26 January 2014 (European Court of Human Rights has demanded information about GCHQ)The European Court of Human Rights has demanded information from UK ministers about GCHQ for a case about whether it violates privacy rights.
- 25 January 2014 (Sentenced to life imprisonment through a secret trial)Chinese dissident in exile Wang Yam was sentenced to life imprisonment in the UK through a secret trial, almost as if he were in China.
- 25 January 2014 (GMO crops might produce the "fish oils" that are made in nature)Genetically modified crops might produce the "fish oils" that are made in nature by algae and accumulated by fish.
- Will these crops be safe for humans to eat, and for wildlife? I don't see any obvious reason why they would not be, but you can't predict what will happen in complex systems such as the human body or natural ecosystems. Only trial will tell.
- It could be that it is safe for most people but a few are allergic to it. It is important to maintain alternatives, so that anyone who is allergic can avoid this.
- These crops would be patented, which means they would deny farmers their traditional right to save seeds. Note how the person interviewed cites the bogus term "intellectual property" to justify the radical claim that the results of publicly funded research should be used to extract money from the public.
- 25 January 2014 (Why did thugs arrest three happy teenagers)Why did the thugs in Wisconsin mistake a basketball victory gesture for "gang membership" and arrest three happy teenagers?
- 25 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on Iraq not to execute prisoner al-Qahtani)Everyone: call on Iraq not to execute prisoner al-Qahtani, who was tortured into a confession (like many others in Iraq).
- 25 January 2014 (The Modern Day 'Starving Artist' Is Likely On Food Stamps)The Modern Day 'Starving Artist' Is Likely On Food Stamps.
- 25 January 2014 (Urgent: Support bill to refuse cooperation to NSA massive surveillance)Everyone: support the bill in the State of Washington to refuse cooperation to NSA massive surveillance.
- 25 January 2014 (Urgent: Support the science-based estimate of the cost of emitting CO2)US citizens: support the science-based estimate of the cost to society of emitting CO2.
- 25 January 2014 (Urgent: Living wage for federal contract workers)US citizens: Call on Obama to order a living wage for federal contract workers.
- 25 January 2014 (Urgent: Free imprisoned Tibetan singers)US citizens: Call on China to free imprisoned Tibetan singers.
- 25 January 2014 (Unreported, possibly toxic, chemical in West Virginia spill)There was a second possibly toxic chemical in the West Virginia toxic spill, which the company didn't bother to report.
- Since the company is already bankrupt, its owners probably see no reason to care what happens.
- Once the spill happens, our system for preventing spills has already proved inadequate. We must inspect chemical plants frequently, and tax them enough to pay for it. They must be required to report about the storage of toxic materials, too; we cannot cater to their desire for secrecy.
- 25 January 2014 ("Homeland Security" attacks man suspected of "movie theft")"Homeland Security" attacked a man who wore his Google Glasses into a movie theater, because the MPAA suspected him of "movie theft".
- I would ask people to remove Google Glasses in any private gathering. It's not a wise idea to depend on them for your lenses.
- 25 January 2014 (Curbing global heating for the sake of economic growth)Attempting to convince finance ministers that they need to curb global heating for the sake of economic growth.
- It makes perfect sense if you want growth in jobs and income for most people. It's not good for fossil fuel billionaires, though.
- 25 January 2014 (Beijing to go all-out to reduce air pollution)Beijing will go all-out to reduce air pollution from both cars and power plants. This includes moving away from coal.
- 25 January 2014 (Iran's president asks for western investment)Iran's president is at Davos asking for western investment.
- Western investment comes with dangerous strings, which would add to (not replace) Iran's home-grown repression.
- 25 January 2014 (V¤exj¶ builds "passive houses" that need no heating)V¤exj¶, in Sweden, builds "passive houses" that need no heating even in the coldest winters.
- The US could do this too, if it appreciated the extent of the danger that threatens.
- 25 January 2014 (Australian gov't says it can't afford the welfare system)The Australian government says it can't afford the welfare system. Meanwhile it proposes to offer amnesty to rich tax-evaders.
- It's just a matter of priorities: the rich or the poor.
- 25 January 2014 (Assad has cut off polio vaccination in rebel-controlled areas)Assad has cut off polio vaccination in rebel-controlled areas, as well as other supplies necessary for public health such as preventing water-borne disease.
- 25 January 2014 (The Ukraine anti-protest law)The Ukraine anti-protest law also abolishes fair trials and imposes arbitrary censorship.
- It also bans collecting information about thugs, which I presume includes photos or videos of what they do. In the US, that's not illegal, but the thugs wish it were, so they fabricate accusations against those who take photos.
- Thugs have been fighting with protesters in Kiev, and the protesters have been fighting back.
- Subsequently a truce was agreed, for talks between the president and the opposition. However, no deal was reached.
- This report claims that the violence was started by right-wing infiltrators. I have no way to evaluate this claim.
- 25 January 2014 (Clever scheme for distributing anti-censorship software)A clever scheme for distributing anti-censorship software in China.
- People should try this in the UK!
- 25 January 2014 (Canadian gov't liquidated the library of Health Canada)The Canadian government liquidated the library of Health Canada. The scientists are scrambling to create their own research resources.
- 25 January 2014 (Tunisia's new constitution)Tunisia's new constitution seems pretty good in regard to freedom of expression, but some points need improvement.
- 25 January 2014 (Presence of software in products prevents people from owning them)The EFF explains how the presence of software in products is used to prevent people from owning them.
- It's a good article but has two flaws. It uses the weak term "digital locks" to refer to DRM, and refers to the confusing term "intellectual property".
- 25 January 2014 (Tracking phone calls to a newspaper)Tracking phone calls to a newspaper, to find a leaker, has created a scandal in Costa Rica.
- I wish the US courts responded with such diligence to the scandal of its own far worse surveillance.
- 25 January 2014 (General Mills will continue to mean Genetically Modified)In cereals other than Cheerios, General Mills will continue to mean Genetically Modified.
- 25 January 2014 (Agricultural land as large as Belgium polluted with heavy metals)China plans to stop using agricultural land as large as Belgium because it is polluted with heavy metals.
- 24 January 2014 (Urgent: Support the rights of pregnant workers)US citizens: call on congressional Republicans: if they want to interfere with abortions, they should support the rights of pregnant workers.
- 24 January 2014 (ACLU sues to make schools stop imposing Christianity)The ACLU is suing to make South Carolina public schools stop imposing Christianity (and mocking students that don't agree).
- The school teaches bogus science, too.
- 24 January 2014 (NSA massive surveillance is illegal)The independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board concluded that NSA massive surveillance is illegal.
- 24 January 2014 (Harsh punishments for minor cyber "crimes" in the US)The US systematically imposes harsh punishments for minor cyber "crimes".
- I don't think most of these "crimes" should be punished at all. In particular, net protests at a web site virtual are the equivalent of a protest on the street. It is a mistake to call them "attacks".
- 24 January 2014 (Bugs in Chrome turn it into listening device)Bugs in Chrome allow sites to turn its speech recognition into a listening device.
- If the speech recognition is implemented, as I suspect, by a Google server (this would be SaaSS) then Google and the NSA are certainly listening to anything you say to this "feature".
- 24 January 2014 (Utah gives homeless people apartments)Utah has a solution for homelessness: give homeless people apartments.
- 24 January 2014 (Another attempt at citizen's arrest of Tony B'liar)Another attempt to do a citizen's arrest on Tony B'liar failed, but eventually we will make him stand trial.
- 24 January 2014 (NSA and GCHQ collect 200 million phone text messages a day)The NSA and GCHQ collect 200 million phone text messages a day, and look through them with little restraint.
- 24 January 2014 (FISA court judges oppose fixing problems with court)The FISA court judges have recognized they cannot truly oversee the NSA, but they oppose any change that might fix this.
- 24 January 2014 (Woman in India sentenced to be raped as punishment)A woman in India was sentenced to be raped as a punishment for not paying the fine for having unauthorized sex.
- Her lover seems to have been fined as well, but it was his wife who actually paid the fine.
- 24 January 2014 (Drought in California)California is in drought, perhaps the worst ever recorded. Little snow has fallen in the US west this winter '-- it has all gone to the center and east.
- Global heating is expected to make the US southwest more arid, so this is just a foretaste.
- 24 January 2014 (Gates Foundations' investments)The Gates Foundation's investments, compared with its stated principles.
- The article presents the information annoyingly via images, which help the companies by presenting their logos. I see no reason to do that. Here's what the text in those images says.
- Gates Foundation says: "Our nutrition efforts focus on delivering proven interventions and developing better tools and strategies for providing pregnant women and young children with the foods and nutrients they need"
- The foundation's trust invested in:
- Coca-ColaMacDonaldsPepsicoBurger KingYum! (parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, & Pizza Hut)Bill Gates says: "As a businessman, I believe the free market fuels growth. Unfortunately, the market often fails to address the needs of the poorest".
- The Gates foundation trust invested in Walmart.
- Gates Foundation says: Bill and Melinda Gates "Have defined areas in which the endowment will not invest, such as companies whose profit model is centrally tied to corporate activity that they find egregious".
- The Foundation's trust invested in:
- Geo (The Geo Group) (Private prison company)G4S (UK Based private security company & operator of 19 juvenile detention facilities in the US)DynCorp International (Military contractor)Gates Foundation says: "The foundation believes that climate change is a major issue facing all of us, particularly poor people in developing countries '..."
- The foundation's trust invested in:
- ExxonMobilBPShellArchCoalConocoPhillipsDevon (oil & gas company)FirstEnergy (electric company)Energy Future Holdings (electric company)Schlumberger (engineering firm) (oilfield services)BakerHughes (Texas engineering firm) (oilfield services)Duke Energy (electric company)Cenovus (Canadian oil sands developer)Coal India (Indian coal producer)ChevronTotal (French oil company)Peabody Energy (Coal producer)24 January 2014 (14 things)14 things that conservatives compare to slavery.
- I won't say that nonfree software is as bad as slavery. It's oppressive, but not as much so as slavery.
- 24 January 2014 (Republican wreckers)Republican wreckers in Congress have repealed the energy efficiency standards for light bulbs.
- 24 January 2014 (Urgent: Make public corporations disclose political spending)US citizens: tell the SEC to bring back its rule to make public corporations disclose their political spending.
- 24 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on Stop and Shop to label products with GMOs)In Massachusetts: call on Stop and Shop to label products with GMOs.
- 24 January 2014 (Urgent: Repeal authorization for war with Iraq)US citizens: call on Congress to repeal the authorization for war with Iraq.
- 24 January 2014 (UK thugs anticipate riots caused by austerity)UK thugs demand water cannon to use against the people, saying that austerity is going to cause riots.
- 24 January 2014 (Nobel laureate campaigns against "luxury journals")Nobel laureate Randy Schekman campaigns against the "luxury journals" that use their prestige to maintain an exploitative relationship with science.
- 24 January 2014 (US adults giving up looking for work)The percentage of US adults in or looking for employment fell to under 63%. Large numbers have recently given up looking for work.
- Perhaps they gave up hope of finding a job long ago, and were counted as seeking employment only because of their unemployment benefits. Once those were cut off, they had no reason to keep looking for work that they know they can't find.
- 24 January 2014 (4th warmest year on record)NOAA says 2013 is tied for the 4th warmest year on record.
- 24 January 2014 (The US blocked Snowden from going anywhere but Russia)Snowden refutes the absurd charges that he spied for Russia.
- It is no coincidence that Snowden is in Russia. It is because the US blocked him from going anywhere else.
- Why does the US want Snowden to be in Russia rather than Bolivia or Venezuela? I conjectured last July that it is in order to smear him one way or another.
- 24 January 2014 (New supermarket to sell otherwise wasted food)A new supermarket plans to sell edible but slightly bruised or wilted food, that is currently wasted.
- 24 January 2014 (The deadlocked Israeli-Palestine peace talks)Reportedly Kerry wants to extend the Israel-Palestine peace talks, because they are deadlocked (of course).
- Netanyahu would like the talks to continue so that (1) he can say he is trying to make peace, and (2) occasionally the US will make a concession to him.
- 24 January 2014 (Israeli teacher may be fired for criticizing Israeli army)An Israeli teacher may be fired for saying negative things about the Israeli army and the occupation of Palestine. His students have taken to the street to support him.
- The most ironic part is the claim that such ideas should not be heard in a civics class.
- 24 January 2014 (London thugs attack organizations that resist institutional racism)The London thugs are so committed to institutional racism that they systematically attack the organizations that resist it.
- They offer money to innocent victims of their attacks, but never admit responsibility.
- 24 January 2014 (Rule of law endangered in Turkey)Erdogan's struggle to retain power in Turkey at all costs now endangers rule of law.
- 23 January 2014 (EU adopts targets for greenhouse gas reductions)The EU has adopted targets for greenhouse gas reduction and for renewable energy generation, for 2030.
- Announcing a target is only the first step to reaching it. It is a good thing that the corrupt EU governments (mainly UK) that serve the fossil fuels were overridden, but they did weaken the targets.
- Meanwhile, these targets are insufficient to prevent disaster.
- The big question, for civilization, is whether the US, Canada and Australia, effectively subservient to fossil fuel companies, will frustrate hopes for a climate protection agreement in 2015. They have won every time so far.
- Success requires cooperation from China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and other major countries.
- 24 January 2014 (Many Chinese anti-corruption activists are being put on trial)Many Chinese anti-corruption activists are being put on trial.
- The Chinese government hardly tries to disguise the fact that they are being tried for political activities, unlike the US where protesters face charges of a "terrorist hoax" for the glitter that fell off their banner.
- 24 January 2014 (Shell blocked from oil drilling in Alaskan waters)Shell has been blocked from oil drilling in Alaskan waters on the grounds that the threats to the environment have not been studied.
- 24 January 2014 (The European Union's new renewables target)The European Union's new renewables target does not apply to individual countries; the UK now has no target for renewable energy.
- This is what the UK government fought for, so that it could slow the increase of renewable energy and burn as much fossil fuel as possible.
- 24 January 2014 (The Russian law against "homosexual propaganda")The Russian law against "homosexual propaganda" has stirred up a wave of private violence against homosexuals.
- Advocacy of gay rights is also banned by the law.
- 23 January 2014 (Syrian women are organizing to campaign for peace in Syria)Syrian women are organizing to campaign for peace in Syria.
- 23 January 2014 (2013 fourth hottest on record)9 of the 10 hottest years on record were since 2001, the exception being 1998 which had a very strong El Ni±o. In 2013, the short-term variable factors operated for cold; despite them, it was tied for fourth hottest on record.
- When we get another strong El Ni±o, we will see what hot is.
- 23 January 2014 (Ethics complaint dismissed against John Leso)The American Psychological Association dismissed the ethics complaint against its member John Leso, who help plan Bush regime torture policies, despite conclusive evidence.
- The organization claims to have high ethical standards but apparently will go to great lengths not to uphold them in practice.
- 23 January 2014 (Koch brothers paid for ALEC's report)The Koch brothers paid for ALEC's report, "Rich States Poor States", which ranks states based on how little they spend.
- 23 January 2014 (Students in London supported a planned strike by university staff)Students in London supported a planned strike by university staff.
- 23 January 2014 (Poor women face more abuse)Poor women in various countries face more abuse from men and use less contraception.
- Lack of money to meet ordinary needs could be responsible for both. The sense of desperation causes stress that leads to anger; some men would express that anger with violence. Poverty may also impede access to contraception.
- A decent society offers everyone a decent life. This can involve having to work, but should not impose the stress of being poor.
- 22 January 2014 (Australian thugs convicted of shooting prisoner repeatedly)Two Australian thugs were convicted of shooting a prisoner repeatedly with tasers.
- 22 January 2014 (Air pollution from China spreads smog to US west coast)Heavy air pollution from China spreads smog to the US west coast.
- 22 January 2014 (Artificial island near Lagos)An artificial island built near Lagos for Nigeria's wealthy shows how the elite plan to wall themselves off and leave the rest to suffer from human and environmental disasters.
- 22 January 2014 (Victoria considers laws that would empower thugs to ban protests)Victoria (in Australia) is considering laws that would empower thugs to ban a protest based on their subjective impressions. This is tantamount to a policy of no protests but the state could pretend it is not so.
- 22 January 2014 (Western banks help Chinese elite hide wealth)Major western banks help the Chinese political elite hide their wealth.
- 22 January 2014 ("National Security" system turned on peaceful protesters)The US, UK and Canada are turning their "national security" system on peaceful protesters, on behalf of fossil fuel companies.
- 22 January 2014 (Prosecutors concealed evidence)Bristons convicted of a protest against coal-fired electricity had their convictions overturned because prosecutors concealed evidence in their trial '-- for instance, that an undercover thug was snooping on them.
- This is good, but prosecuting people for a peaceful protest is an injustice even with a fair trial.
- The UK thugs continue attacking protesters arbitrarily; a legal advisor at a fracking protest was left injured after thugs attacked him as he was talking to them.
- 22 January 2014 (Syrian refugees)Syrian refugees strongly wish for a negotiated settlement and a cease-fire.
- 22 January 2014 (Urgent: Stop killing whales)Everyone: call on Iceland to stop killing whales.
- 22 January 2014 (Urgent: Counteract the Corporations United decision)US citizens: call on your congressional representatives to counteract the Corporations United (*) decision.
- * Officially called the "Citizens United" decision.
- In my message I urged legislators to work on various corrective approaches in parallel.
- 22 January 2014 (Australia responsible for Nauru)Australia has converted Nauru into a quasi-satellite and is therefore responsible for Nauru's absolution of independence for the judiciary.
- 22 January 2014 (Growing opposition to the TPP)The growing opposition to the TPP means we may be able to defeat "fast track", which would make it hard for it to be ratified at all.
- 22 January 2014 (19 things that conservatives compare to slavery)19 things that conservatives compare to slavery.
- I won't say that nonfree software is as bad as slavery. It's oppressive, but not as much so as slavery.
- 22 January 2014 (People taught to despise Obama's health care program become grateful)As Obama's health care program starts giving Americans health coverage, people who were taught to despise it become grateful.
- 21 January 2014 (Urgent: Answer EU's copyright survey)Everyone: answer the European Union's copyright survey. You can answer even if you are not European.
- Here are explanations of what's behind the questions, and suggestions for answering.
- 21 January 2014 (Urgent: Support blocking impetus for war in Iran)US citizens: support Senator Reid in blocking the impetus for war with Iran.
- 21 January 2014 (Pakistani Taliban fatally attack TV team)The Pakistani Taliban fatally attacked a Pakistani TV team, and it's not the first time.
- 21 January 2014 (Losing sight of what freedom is)"Consumerism's petty liberties have made us inhumanly passive. We've forgotten what freedom is, and how easily it is lost."
- My not having a TV or a DVD player and not doing internet shopping protects me from the deepest level of that strange trap.
- 21 January 2014 (Mining in Haiti)Mining may expose Haiti to the "resource curse".
- 21 January 2014 (Global heating denial movement entirely from paid campaign)Denial of global heating had no political influence in 1990. That movement results entirely from a paid political influence campaign.
- 21 January 2014 (Syrian gov't photographer defects with photo evidence of torture)A Syrian government photographer defected with his photos, which showed 11,000 prisoners' corpses that appeared to have been tortured as well as killed.
- 21 January 2014 (Widely used pesticide makes bumblebees smaller)A widely used pesticide makes bumblebees smaller, which tends to harm colony survival.
- 21 January 2014 (Turkish gov't prohibits offering first aid to protesters)The Turkish government has prohibited offering first aid to injured protesters.
- 21 January 2014 (France considers laws to give women social equality)France is considering a wide range of laws to give women social equality.
- 21 January 2014 (Millions of old files withheld from publication by UK gov't)The UK government holds millions of old files that have been withheld from publication, apparently illegally. Some of these files go back to the 17th century.
- 21 January 2014 (Urgent: Sign petition against TPP)US citizens: sign 350.org's petition against the TPP.
- 350.org is against the treaty because it would obstruct efforts to avoid global heating disaster.
- 21 January 2014 (Centralized digital medical records)Centralized digital medical records risk privacy violations, but the UK's lax policy is turning "risk" to "ensure".
- 21 January 2014 (Tech companies lobbying secretly to prevent EU from taxing earnings)A group of multinational tech companies, probably including Google, are lobbying secretly to prevent the EU from taxing their earnings.
- 21 January 2014 (Protesters enraged by anti-protest restrictions in Ukraine)Large numbers of protesters, enraged by new limits on protests, battled thugs in Ukraine.
- The anti-protest restrictions are interesting. The ban on amplifiers follows New York City, which restricted Occupy Wall Street the same way. The ban on masks is found in France and in many other places. These restrictions on protesters are antidemocratic no matter where they are found.
- 21 January 2014 (Fighting 'extremism' in Syria)Fighting 'extremism' in Syria by supporting whoever its enemy is at the moment is not well thought out.
- 21 January 2014 (Iran stops enriching uranium to 20% U235)Iran has stopped enriching uranium to 20% U235, with inspectors to witness.
- 21 January 2014 (Turks protest again against internet censorship)Turks protested again on the street against internet censorship, and were attacked by thugs.
- 21 January 2014 (CO2 emissions 'outsourced')CO2 emissions are being 'outsourced' by rich countries to rising economies.
- 21 January 2014 (Rise of global inequality due to plutocratic gov'ts)Global inequality is rising due to plutocratic governments. The richest 85 people own more wealth than half of humanity.
- 21 January 2014 (Cuba moving to allow private business)Cuba is moving to allow private business, in a limited territory.
- This can be good if it leads to respect for human rights. It will be bad if, as in China, it leads to corrupt plutocratic tyranny.
- 21 January 2014 (The Betamax argument)Thirty Years Since Betamax, and Movies Are Still Being Made.
- 21 January 2014 (Study suggests unusual El Nińo events will double in frequency)A study suggests unusual "extreme" El Nińo events, which cause economic damage and can kill thousands of people, will double in frequency due to global heating.
- 21 January 2014 (US gov't wants to further develop face recognition technology)Today's face recognition technology can't recognize you as you walk on the street, but the US government is setting out to develop that.
- 20 January 2014 (Congress wants to bar Obama from transferring CIA drone attacks to Pentagon)Congress added a rider to a large bill to bar Obama from transferring CIA drone attacks to the Pentagon.
- The reason for that transfer is that the Pentagon has to obey laws of war which the CIA secretly ignores. It is bizarre for Congress to concern itself with such a thing. I wonder if some members of Congress were blackmailed.
- 20 January 2014 (Company responsible for toxic spill in West Virginia goes bankrupt)"Freedom Industries", the company responsible for the toxic spill in West Virginia, has gone bankrupt.
- In a small way, this is deserved punishment for the owners '-- but nowhere near enough. Chemical and fossil fuel octopuses operate by atomizing their facilities under lots of tentacle corporations, so that in the event of an accident, only one tentacle goes bankrupt and the victims can't get compensation.
- Perhaps we need laws to make holding companies responsible for the debts of their tentacles.
- 20 January 2014 (Appoint a team that can investigate anything the NSA does)An NSA whistleblower says that the only way to do sufficient oversight is to appoint a team that can investigate anything the NSA does.
- 20 January 2014 (How many members of Congress does the NSA control through blackmail)How many members of Congress does the NSA control through blackmail?
- 20 January 2014 (UK appears to have snooped on Belhaj's communication with his lawyers)The UK appears to have snooped on Belhaj's communication with his lawyers, and played legal games to get the judge in his lawsuit to disregard that violation of his rights.
- 20 January 2014 (Why You Need to Fight America's Copyright Laws)The End of Ownership: Why You Need to Fight America's Copyright Laws.
- 20 January 2014 (Iraqi government is attacking Ramadi)The Iraqi government is attacking Ramadi.
- I've seen reports that local Sunnis are allied with the government, and reports that they are the ones being attacked. I don't know which to believe.
- 20 January 2014 (World Bank lent millions to a Honduran palm oil company)The World Bank lent millions to a Honduran palm oil company that peasants say forced them off their land.
- 20 January 2014 (Using arbitration rather than going to court)The CPFB is considering whether to stop banks from requiring customers to use arbitration rather than going to court.
- This is good, but mandatory arbitration is found also in other contexts, including between companies and employees.
- 20 January 2014 (Mayor of Hoboken says Christie blocking Hurricane Sandy rebuilding funds)The Mayor of Hoboken says Chris Christie is blocking Hurricane Sandy rebuilding funds to extract support for a building project for rich cronies.
- 20 January 2014 (Specialized machine can replace human cooks for making hamburgers)A specialized machine can replace human cooks for making hamburgers. This threatens to eliminate millions more jobs in the US.
- Keeping wages low is not a solution. That would force people into worse poverty, and then the machines would get cheaper.
- Although it is a different issue, keep in mind that it isn't healthy or sustainable to eat lots of hamburgers.
- 20 January 2014 (UK prosecutors want to evict and force prostitutes to work on street)UK prosecutors falsely claim that prostitutes are controlled by unidentified pimps as an excuse to evict them and force them to work on the street.
- 20 January 2014 (Egyptians voted for constitutional changes)98% of Egyptians voted for constitutional changes, which combine greater rights for women with greater power for the suppression forces.
- I have no knowledge with which to weigh the good of the former against the bad of the latter, but I would guess that the Egyptian constitution still fails to defend human rights, including the right to change one's position regarding religion (including ceasing to be a Muslim) and the right to criticize or mock any idea (including, for instance, Islam).
- The one-sided result convinces me that charges of intimidation are valid.
- 20 January 2014 (Tiny transmitters)Tiny transmitters allow scientists to track migrating birds.
- That's very good, but I fear they will track us too.
- 19 January 2014 (A few heroic Nigerians continue defending the rights of gays)A few heroic Nigerians continue defending the rights of gays.
- 19 January 2014 (When Small Government Doesn't Work)West Virginia Chemical Spill: When Small Government Doesn't Work.
- 19 January 2014 (Businesses that have access to TPP text give lots of money)The privileged few businesses that have access to the TPP text give lots of money to the congresscritters most closely involved.
- 19 January 2014 (Ukraine has plans to adopt Internet repression)Ukraine has plans to adopt the whole suite of standard forms of Internet repression.
- 19 January 2014 (An Iran Hawk's Case Against New Iran Sanctions)An Iran Hawk's Case Against New Iran Sanctions
- 19 January 2014 (DMCA takedown system undermines fair use)The DMCA takedown system undermines fair use by making it easy for bullies to get fair use taken down.
- 19 January 2014 (Voter-ID law was struck down as unconstitutional)Pennsylvania's voter-ID law was struck down as unconstitutional.
- This is not final; it will probably be appealed to other courts.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Support the USA FREEDOM Act)US citizens: Sign this petition calling on your congresscritter and senators to support the USA FREEDOM Act.
- It is not enough to protect democracy from digital surveillance, but it is a step in the right direction.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Support paid family and medical leave)US citizens: support paid family and medical leave.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Promote biofuel made from plant waste and cut down use of ethanol)US citizens: call on the EPA to promote biofuel made from plant waste and cut down the use of ethanol made from food.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Stop supporting ALEC)Everyone: call on Google, Facebook and Yelp to stop supporting ALEC.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose war with Iran)US citizens: call on your senators to oppose S.1881, which is designed to get the US into war with Iran.
- 19 January 2014 (Bizarre accusations in Egypt)Bizarre accusations in Egypt that the US wants to assassinate General al-Sisi.
- This is ridiculous. The US is more or less a supporter of the Egyptian military government, as it was of Mubarak.
- 19 January 2014 (Smears against marijuana)US media repeat persistent government smears against marijuana.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Replace the part of Voting Rights Act)US citizens: call on Congress to replace the part of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down.
- 19 January 2014 (Urgent: Tell Obama to stop proposing veiled cuts in Social security)US citizens: tell Obama not to propose veiled cuts in Social Security again.
- 19 January 2014 (London wants to track people with RFIDs in cars)London wants to use RFIDs in cars to charge for parking. And track people.
- 19 January 2014 (Poaching of rhinos in South Africa)Poaching of rhinos in South Africa is accelerating and on track to wipe them out in 20 years.
- Of course, the last few will be better protected, so it might take a few more years for poachers to get them all. However, when a species is reduced to a few individuals, its genetic diversity is reduced and it is more vulnerable for hundreds of thousands of years thereafter.
- 19 January 2014 (Former undercover thug testifies about practices of UK thugs)Former undercover thug Peter Francis was given immunity and testified about the infiltration practices of UK thugs.
- 19 January 2014 (UK gov't worked closely with fracking companies to manipulate public)The UK government worked closely with fracking companies to manipulate the public and overcome opposition.
- It's no surprise. The UK government's goal is to emit as much CO2 as possible, as soon as possible, while slowing down development of renewable energy as much as it can get away with.
- 19 January 2014 (The soldiers that control US nuclear missiles)The soldiers that control US nuclear missiles are prone to various peccadilloes which, in that context, might lead to something really important.
- 19 January 2014 (Obama's NSA "reforms")Obama's NSA 'Reforms' Are Little More Than a PR Attempt to Mollify the Public.
- Advocates and Digital Rights Defenders Reject Obama's Whitewash of Intrusive Spying Regime.
- Obama Continues War on National Security Whistleblowers.
- 19 January 2014 (The small improvements in US bank regulations)The small improvements in US bank regulations may be doing some real good: the banksters profits are down.
- 19 January 2014 (Obama's drone killings rouse Yemen to demand US stay out)Obama's drone killings have roused all Yemen to demand the US stay out.
- 19 January 2014 (Israel considers plan to ban the word "Nazi")Israel is considering a plan to ban the word "Nazi" outside a few specific exceptions.
- Would it be forbidden to call a right wing-group "Neo-Nazi"? What about "Soup Nazi"? Would Seinfeld be banned in Israel?
- 19 January 2014 (Residents of Rio's favelas threatened with eviction)Now that many of Rio's favelas are peaceful, and relatives are returning to them, they are threatened with eviction in the name of possible landslides, or as schemes for gentrification.
- 19 January 2014 (UK Labour leader says he will break up big 5 banks)The UK Labour leader says he will forcibly break up the big 5 banks '... a little.
- Why push for just 7 big banks? Why not make them split into 20 or even 50, so that none of them is too big to fail? It's the same work either way.
- Instead of micromanaging the splitting, my tax proposal would pressure the banks to split themselves up.
- 19 January 2014 (Acceleration of greenhouse gas output)Greenhouse gas output grew faster from 2000 to 2010 than in the previous decades, says the IPCC.
- The report cites growing human population as part of the cause. For decades this problem has been the one whose name most people dare not mention.
- 19 January 2014 (A proposed GMO that is probably a good idea)One proposed genetically modified organism seems like probably a good idea.
- Genetic engineering is a method of modifying organisms, not a kind of organism. The results are disparate. Whether any given genetic modification is safe (for humans that eat it, for the environment, for the rights of farmers) depends on the details. It has to be tested and evaluated separately for each GM variety, since we have too little experience to generalize about the effects. Likewise, whether it really improves anything is also a matter of details. The GMOs now in use mostly go with use of pesticides.
- 19 January 2014 (Ellen Brown's campaign to set up a state-owned bank)Ellen Brown is running for treasurer of California as a campaign to set up a state-owned bank for the state to deposit in and borrow from.
- 18 January 2014 (Greek satirist imprisoned for making fun of dead monk)Censorship in Greece: a satirist has been imprisoned for making fun of a long-dead monk.
- 18 January 2014 (Obama's campaign promise on GMO labeling)Calls Intensify for Obama to Fulfill Campaign Promise on GMO Labeling.
- 18 January 2014 (Putting together what Obama says with what NSA officials say)If you put together what Obama says with what NSA officials say, it adds up to an assassination threat against Snowden.
- 18 January 2014 (NYC to compensate protesters injured by thugs in 2004)New York City had to pay 18 million dollars' compensation to protesters injured by thugs in 2004.
- These compensation claims don't make up for the initial wrong, and if they don't convince the city to make the thugs stop attacking protesters, they are totally inadequate.
- 18 January 2014 (US military infiltrates internet multiuser games)The US military infiltrates internet multiuser games such as Second Life, and may be using them to propagandize Americans in favor of certain policies. Perhaps increased military spending, or war, or whatever the president tells them to propagandize for.
- 18 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose growing Agent Orange-resistant corn)US citizens: Tell the USDA you oppose the growing of corn designed to be resistant to Agent Orange.
- 18 January 2014 (Today's marijuana impacts memory more than it did 30 years ago)Changes in marijuana have made it impact memory a lot more now than it did 30 years ago.
- 18 January 2014 (Australian gov't cracking down on renewable energy projects)As Australian heat waves get ever worse, the government cracks down on renewable energy projects.
- 18 January 2014 (Chris Christie's financial connections with the Koch brothers)Greg Palast reports Chris Christie's financial connections with the Koch brothers.
- 18 January 2014 (Surveillance of Americans by "border" patrol drones)More about surveillance of Americans by "border" patrol drones.
- 18 January 2014 (Ukraine adopts new anti-protest law)Ukraine has adopted a new anti-protest law, banning unauthorized megaphones and also masks.
- If face recognition software comes into widespread use, wearing a mask will be the only way to avoid being tracked everywhere on the street.
- 18 January 2014 (UN still does not screen peacekeepers for cholera)The UN still does not screen its peacekeepers for cholera.
- 18 January 2014 (Man kept in solitary confinement for a month in Australia)An Australian was kept in solitary confinement for a month, before trial, on charges of being in a pub with four members of a banned motorcycle club.
- These charges, whether true are false, are obviously unjust. It is prima facie injustice to ban groups without trial.
- 18 January 2014 (Asylum seekers on Christmas Island on hunger strike)Asylum seekers parked permanently on Christmas Island have started a hunger strike.
- 18 January 2014 (Pebble Mine would devastate salmon fisheries)The EPA reports that the Pebble Mine would devastate salmon fisheries in the region of Bristol Bay.
- 18 January 2014 (Increased frequency of heat waves in Australia)Heat waves in Australia have become considerably more frequent since 1971.
- 18 January 2014 (Inadequate safety precautions at West Virginia chemical storage facility)The West Virginia chemical storage facility that leaked did not maintain adequate safety precautions, and neither does the site where the company moved the chemicals after the spill.
- 18 January 2014 (Distortions and lies about "fast track")The US Trade Representative spreads distortions and lies about "fast track".
- 18 January 2014 (Urgent: Stricter rules on emissions from cars)US citizens: call on the EPA to go ahead with stricter rules on emissions from cars.
- 18 January 2014 (Criminal gangs had infiltrated several UK agencies)A secret UK report from 2003, recently leaked, said that criminal gangs had infiltrated several UK agencies including prosecution and customs, as well as the thugs.
- This is the small-time organized crime. The big-time cheating occurs in the banks that compose the City of London, and they have made most of it legal.
- 18 January 2014 (Chemical that spilled in West Virginia)Very little is known about the health effects of the chemical that spilled in West Virginia. No research has been published.
- 18 January 2014 (Urgent: Urge Brazil to offer asylum to Snowden)Everyone: urge Brazil to offer asylum to Snowden.
- 18 January 2014 (Cesium from Fukushima has spread around the Pacific Ocean)Cesium from Fukushima has spread around the Pacific Ocean and plankton samples contain small amounts of cesium.
- A lot of the fish caught in the Pacific Ocean are showing small levels of cesium from the Fukushima meltdowns.
- When large numbers of people are exposed to small levels of radioactivity, a small danger for each person can add up to a substantial number of additional deaths. It might mean, for instance, 101,000 cases of a certain kind of cancer in a population of 10 million, instead of 100,000. 1000 deaths is worth avoiding if possible, but there is no reason for any one person to go to great lengths to avoid this small danger.
- 18 January 2014 (Europe's "foreign aid")Some of Europe's "foreign aid" is really loans to countries that would struggle ever to repay.
- 18 January 2014 (Trillion dollars a year of investment to avoid 2C of global heating)The UN climate head calls for a trillion dollars a year of investment to avoid 2C of global heating.
- Each year we wait will increase the rate of spending required.
- 18 January 2014 (We Can't Legally Tell You if We Spied on You)NSA to Sen. Sanders: We Can't Legally Tell You if We Spied on You.
- Will Congress dare pass a law saying "yes you can tell us"?
- 18 January 2014 (American familiarity with democracy)"These days Americans have as much familiarity with democracy as they do with homesteading on the frontier."
- 18 January 2014 (Environment chapter of the TPP has been leaked)The environment chapter of the TPP has been leaked. It offers toothless pretend protection for the environment.
- 17 January 2014 (Urgent: Tell DOJ to hold company responsible for toxic spill)US citizens: call on the Department of Justice to go after the company (perversely named "freedom industries") that spilled toxic chemicals in West Virginia's water.
- 17 January 2014 (Urgent: Tell West Virginia to hold company responsible for toxic spill)Everyone: call on West Virginia to hold the company responsible for the large toxic spill fully responsible.
- 17 January 2014 ("Organic" chicken from eggs injected with antibiotics)Wait, We Inject Antibiotics Into Eggs for Organic Chicken?!
- 17 January 2014 (Global heating and economic inequality)The world cannot address economic inequality without preventing global heating disaster.
- 17 January 2014 (Whole Food agrees to stop selling food grown in recycled sewage)Whole Foods, under pressure, agreed to stop selling food grown in recycled sewage sludge.
- 17 January 2014 (NAFTA's harmful legacy)NAFTA's harmful legacy affects more than just the three countries that signed it. NAFTA introduced the unjust "investor-state" provision.
- 17 January 2014 (US gov't drone surveillance on homes of Americans)Drone surveillance of the US "border" goes beyond what the US government says.
- The "border" area stretches a considerable distance from each frontier or coast, and includes the homes of most Americans.
- 17 January 2014 (US farmers starting to reject GMOs)Even US farmers are starting to reject GMOs.
- In principle, genetic engineering could be great for agriculture. But not when it's developed by companies that are always seeking opportunities to cut corners on safety.
- 17 January 2014 (UK border guards rob Kurdish protesters of cash)Kurdish protesters leaving the UK for Paris were robbed of their cash by the border guards who accused them of planning to give it to the PKK.
- The is a rebel group; I don't know whether it is terrorist. Banning contributions to the PKK is legitimate, but taking away small amounts of cash like this on unproved suspicion is gratuitously nasty. The PKK would be on its knees if it depended on that funding mechanism.
- 17 January 2014 (Signs of spring in January in the UK)Global heating at work: signs of spring in January in the UK.
- 17 January 2014 (Trees grow faster as they get bigger)Trees grow faster as they get bigger.
- This means that cutting down old forests and replacing them with new tree plantations '-- as the UK government wants to do '-- would require the new plantations to be far larger.
- 17 January 2014 (Global investment in clean energy falling)Global investment in clean energy is falling, reflecting powerful efforts by politicians whose goal is to keep people burning lots of fossil fuel.
- Billionaire Polluters predicts that greenhouse gas emissions will rise 30% by 2035.
- In effect, it predicts that the half-hearted efforts to curb global heating will fail, partly thanks to the lobbying of fossil fuel companies such as BP itself.
- US emissions of CO2 rose slightly in 2013 due to increased burning of coal.
- Coal spews lots of toxic pollution, including radioactive fallout. The EPA needs to make rules to reduce use of coal.
- Canada says it will increase CO2 emissions almost 40% by 2030, which is probably an underestimate of the emissions that extraction of oil from tar sands will cause. Furthermore, it doesn't count the emissions from burning that oil in other countries.
- 17 January 2014 (How Israel obtained nuclear technology)How Israel obtained nuclear technology, with the help of various western countries, and the US was eventually drawn in to the pretense.
- 17 January 2014 (Stopping abuse of children does not require censorship)People in Britain are accused of arranging to have children sexually abused in the Philippines and get video streamed to them.
- Censorship laws are not needed to prosecute this, since they have participated in conspiracies to abuse those children. In general, the real abuse of real children can be stopped without censorship.
- 17 January 2014 (Hopeless ill couple get daughter to assist suicide)Georgina Roberts obtained poison, then helped her hopelessly ill parents kill themselves.
- It is horrible that people find themselves in such situations. It's even more horrible if they are denied escape.
- 16 January 2014 (German and British companies sold goods made by prison factories)German and British companies sold goods made by prison factories in East Germany during the 70s and 80s.
- The companies may not have done this intentionally, but it should not have been able to happen.
- 16 January 2014 (Deep debates in Iran)The idea of making an agreement with the Great Satan is creating deep debates in Iran.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: Reject a huge natural gas export terminal)Everyone: call on the governor of Maryland to reject a huge natural gas export terminal which would push for more fracking.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: No new sanctions against Iran)US citizens: phone your congresscritter and say, no new sanctions against Iran '-- allow diplomacy to work.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 16 January 2014 (The Latest election in Bangladesh)The latest election in Bangladesh was won by banning opposition parties.
- 16 January 2014 (Megan Rice likely to be imprisoned for the rest of her life)Megan Rice is likely to be imprisoned for the rest of her life for a protest in which she trespassed in a US military base. The maximum sentence is 30 years, and she is already 83 years old.
- Her protest demonstrated that security protecting US atomic weapons is totally inadequate; that alone was a service. She did, and intended, no harm.
- Contrast this with Putin's threat of only 15 years' imprisonment for Greenpeace protesters.
- 16 January 2014 (Non-fanatical Islam in Pakistan under attack)Non-fanatical Islam in Pakistan is under attack from Saudi-funded strict fanatics.
- The incorporation of lots of superstitions in Barelvism makes it vulnerable to rationalist criticism, but the replacement they propose is not rationality.
- This is one of the dangers of Islam: the forms that are not cruel and harsh are vulnerable to fanatics who claim that it isn't true Islam if it isn't cruel and harsh.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: Classify ISPs as telecommunications services and make them common carriers)US citizens: call on the FCC to classify ISPs as telecommunications services and make them common carriers.
- 16 January 2014 (Declaration of empathy with Indian Dalits)US Black leaders signed a declaration of empathy with Indian Dalits.
- 16 January 2014 (1/5 of Britons borrowed money to pay for their housing last year)Survey found that 1/5 of Britons borrowed money to pay for their housing last year.
- This is what the totally unnecessary cruelty of the government causes.
- 16 January 2014 (Netanyahu's ally called Kerry "obsessive and messianic")Netanyahu's ally called Kerry "obsessive and messianic", which is ironic given how far Kerry has acceded to ridiculous Israeli demands and ignored the Israeli government's contempt.
- Israel is using these negotiations to kill time, and demonstrating how much contempt the US government will swallow from that direction.
- 16 January 2014 (GMOs are touted in the media as solutions to big problems)Time after time, new GMOs are touted in the media as solutions to big problems, and they turn out not to do the job after all.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: petition against fast track for the TPP)US citizens: sign this petition against "fast track" for the TPP.
- 16 January 2014 (Shooting in a school in Roswell, New Mexico)There was a shooting in a school in Roswell, New Mexico.
- It has not yet been claimed that a UFO or an alien is involved, but I think it's only a matter of time.
- 16 January 2014 (Senator Warren's program)Senator Warren's program goes deeper than Mayor de Blasio's.
- 16 January 2014 (Dongria Kondh people deny approval for giant mine)Under a judgment from India's Supreme Court, the Dongria Kondh people denied approval for a giant mine in their territory.
- Victories like this are not final. Businesses generally make another attempt to undermine the same opposition.
- 16 January 2014 (Google's purchase of Nest)Google's purchase of Nest indicates that Google wants to control the "internet of things" '-- and entice people into handing over lots more information about their lives to Google.
- If you want something to figure out that it should turn up your home thermostat because you're heading for home and the day is cold, there is no a priori reason why that should involve any company's server. That computation is yours, personally, and need not involved anyone else.
- Google wants it to involve a Google server, but doing it that way is SaaSS (service as a software substitute).
- 16 January 2014 (Kissinger directly urged Argentine gov't to get rid of dissidents)A memo shows that Kissinger directly urged the Argentine government to do away with dissidents.
- All the governments in South America that worked together in the 70s to crush dissent said they were fighting "terrorists". Remember that any time a government proposes an "anti-terrorist" law.
- 16 January 2014 (US gov't surveillance has little to do with stopping terrorism)A study of real cases finds that the US government's general surveillance has very little to do with stopping terrorism.
- 15 January 2014 (UK establishes quotas for defeating asylum seeker appeals)The UK has established quotas for defeating asylum seeker appeals.
- 15 January 2014 (UK thug tries to justify attacking journalism)The UK thug who demanded journalists' notes etc. about an undercover thug whistleblower says he wants this because the whistleblower refuses to testify. The whistleblower says he won't testify because other UK thugs have threatened to prosecute him if he does.
- In effect, the thugs' left hand pleads it is justified in attacking journalism to compensate for the right hand's attack on justice.
- 15 January 2014 (California thugs acquitted after murdering a man)Thugs who beat a man to death were acquitted of murder.
- It makes no difference that the man was suspected of a crime. That would be grounds to arrest him, but not to batter him to death once he was held down on the ground.
- What could possibly have been in the minds of those jurors? Were they kept in the dark about important evidence? Do they give "officers of the law" improper respect?
- All Of Us Need To Be Very Afraid Now: "Peace Officers" Who Beat Homeless Mentally Ill Man To Death Somehow Found Not Guilty.
- 15 January 2014 (Bulgaria considers law to punish journalists)Bulgaria is considering a law that would punish journalists working for foreign news organizations.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: Cancel the Pebble Mine)Everyone: call on Northern Dynasty to cancel the Pebble Mine
- The other two companies have already dropped out.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose European Commission's plan to allow ISPs to censor internet)Citizens of the EU: ask your MEP to oppose the European Commission's plan to allow ISPs to censor the internet, blocking or slowing down sites however they wish.
- 16 January 2014 (Thug charged with murder after shooting a man in a theater)A Florida thug has been charged with murder after shooting a man in a theater in an argument.
- I hope that the "stand your ground" law won't let him get off.
- 16 January 2014 (Apple trying to sabotage and replace a court-appointed monitor)Apple is trying to sabotage and replace a court-appointed monitor whose job is to make sure Apple obeys anti-trust requirements.
- I guess this is what happens when a court-appointed monitor tries to do his job right. It suggests that Apple is too big to monitor, and therefore too big to be allowed to exist.
- 16 January 2014 (Urgent: oppose "fast track" for the TPP)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to oppose "fast track" for the TPP.
- The TPP is a dooH niboR treaty, designed to give more riches to the rich, and would do it based on taking freedom and safety from everyone.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 16 January 2014 (Net neutrality rules were found unconstitutional)The FCC'snet neutrality rules were found unconstitutional because it didn't go all the way to make ISPs common carriers.
- The solution is obvious: make them common carriers.
- 16 January 2014 (Rima Najdi walked around Beirut in an unrealistic suicide bomber costume)Rima Najdi walked around Beirut in an unrealistic suicide bomber costume to encourage people to think.
- 16 January 2014 (President Hollande refused to answer questions about a sex scandal)President Hollande refused to answer questions about a sex scandal in his private life, insisting that it is a private matter.
- I agree. Furthermore, I think scandals about the "other lover" are to be blamed on the misguided demand for monogamy, which is tantamount to demanding "perfection or nothing".
- 16 January 2014 (How oil heated up factional and interethnic rivalry in South Sudan)How oil heated up the factional and interethnic rivalry in South Sudan to the point of warfare.
- 16 January 2014 (UK, Poland and a few other have blocked EU-wide fracking regulations)The UK, Poland and a few other governments that are evidently for shale have blocked EU-wide fracking regulations.
- 16 January 2014 (Former member of Afganistan's parliament had to flee)Noorzia Atmar, former member of Afganistan's parliament, had to flee when threatened by reprisals from her family and her ex-husband's family.
- Sahar Gul, tortured by her in-laws, faces the danger of a law that would ban women from testifying when they accuse their relatives or in-laws of torturing them.
- I wish we could do something to protect Afghan women, but supporting Karzai's government isn't doing it. There isn't enough will in Afghan society to do this.
- The only idea that occurs to me is to arm Afghan women and help them form refugee camps where they can defend themselves. That plan might be inadequate for various reasons, but it illustrates the though of new thinking that we have to try.
- 15 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose cuts to food stamps)US citizens: insist on no cuts to food stamps.
- 15 January 2014 (Urgent: Close the Guantanamo prison)US citizens: call on Obama to close the Guantanamo prison.
- 15 January 2014 (Jump in number of Australians seeking help quitting cigarettes)Plain packaging for cigarettes in Australia was followed immediately by a big jump in the numbers of people asking for help in quitting.
- 15 January 2014 (Individual banksters face charges for falsifying Libor rate)Individual banksters face criminal charges for falsifying the Libor rate.
- They were in charge of local trading activities, and must have been 2 or more levels down from the top management. Was it possible that Libor rigging could be so widespread without encouragement from above?
- 15 January 2014 (Humans can detect small changes yet not know what the change was)An experiment shows that humans can often detect that there has been a small change in a scene, even though they cannot determine what the change was.
- This mental ability provides a rational explanation for many experiences that people often interpret as premonitions or otherwise supernatural.
- 15 January 2014 (Unfair conditions of Egypt's vote on new constitution)Egypt's vote on the new constitution, which gives the military too much power, is being run in unfair conditions.
- Many Egyptians intend to vote yes, but the point is that the unfair conditions mean they have never been exposed to arguments against.
- 15 January 2014 (Nigeria imposes long prison sentences on homosexuality)Another victory for bigotry, as Nigeria imposed long prison sentences on homosexuality and even membership in organizations associated with homosexuality.
- 15 January 2014 (ACLU Stops Suspicionless Home Searches)ACLU Stops Suspicionless Home Searches in Etowah County, Alabama.
- 15 January 2014 (The US seems unable to end the wars it starts)The US is good at starting wars, but doesn't seem to be able to end them.
- 15 January 2014 (9% of wetlands in China lost in last decade)9% of wetlands in China have been lost in the last decade.
- 15 January 2014 (Apple's ibeacon tracks patrons in stores)Apple's ibeacon gives physical stores a new way to track patrons.
- E-commerce already enables the abuse that you can't tell what price is offered to someone else. Things like ibeacon could extend the abuse to physical stores.
- 15 January 2014 (Australia refuses asylum to Iranian woman who arrived by boat)An Iranian woman fled in a boat to Australia, only to find out on arrival that Australia had just announced a policy to refuse asylum to anyone that arrived by boat.
- She had to struggle to get medical care for her husband.
- 14 January 2014 (Israel shut down Palestinian landfill)The Palestinian Authority won't allow Israeli colonies to use its landfill, so Israel has shut it down entirely.
- 14 January 2014 (No evidence that yoga can cleanse anyone's liver)Pseudoscience: there is no evidence that yoga can cleanse anyone's liver.
- 14 January 2014 (Urgent: Tell Starbucks to stop trying to undermine San Jose's living wage law)Everyone: tell Starbucks to stop trying to undermine San Jose's living wage law.
- 14 January 2014 (Ten Examples of Welfare for the Rich and Corporations)Ten Examples of Welfare for the Rich and Corporations, in the US.
- 14 January 2014 (Israel shoots at Palestinian fishing boat)Israel shoots at Palestinian fishing boats that get 4 miles from shore.
- Sometimes they get shot even closer to shore.
- 14 January 2014 (Urgent: Plan to tie restoration of unemployment benefits with an attack on the EPA)US citizens: call on your senators to oppose the lunatic plan to tie restoration of unemployment benefits with an attack on the EPA.
- 14 January 2014 (Israeli gov't asked for bids to expand colonies)The Israeli government asked for bids to expand colonies in Palestinian territory.
- When Israel demolishes a colony in Palestine that it has not authorized, the fanatical "settlers" retaliate against any Palestinians that are handy.
- Even settler children age 12 participate in pogroms.
- The fanatics enjoy protection from the Israeli army even in the act of attacking Palestinians.
- There have been dozens of such attacks, amounting to a sustained campaign of robbery.
- 14 January 2014 (Man from Afghanistan given asylum because he is an Atheist)A man from Afghanistan has been given asylum in the UK because he is an Atheist.
- Afghanistan follows most Muslim countries in having legal retribution against Muslims that convert to any other position. The world needs to be more aware that Islam in political power means persecution.
- 14 January 2014 (UK thugs fishing for excuse to punish whistleblower)The UK thugs are fishing for an excuse to punish the whistleblower who revealed that UK thugs spied on the family of Stephen Lawrence.
- This is the way whistleblowers are generally treated.
- 14 January 2014 (EU farm subsidy policies)EU farm subsidy policies pressure farmers to cut down forests for no use at all.
- 14 January 2014 (Virginia chemical spill and New Jersey bridge harassment)Comparing the West Virginia chemical spill, which has poisoned the water for a while region, with the New Jersey bridge harassment.
- While it was an accident that this particular plant leaked toxins into the river just now, it is no accident that the US has lots of chemical plants that have a certain chance of poisoning people or exploding at any time. That is the result of policy choices.
- 13 January 2014 ("lack of respect for the prophet")Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed faces charges of "lack of respect for the prophet" for an article criticizing Mohammed.
- What else would you expect from a man whose name parodies "Mohammed" twice ;-).
- Mauritania is not alone in this sort of injustice: most countries that identify themselves as Muslim trample religious freedom and freedom of expression. It is one of the standard injustices of Islam.
- 13 January 2014 (Internet does not boost democracy in nondemocratic states)A study finds that in nondemocratic states, the internet does not boost democracy; rather, it has become an instrument to suppress dissent.
- It can do this in the US too: the US massive surveillance system is the seed of what the elite will want whenever anything makes the populace desperate enough to demand change.
- William Binney proposed to give the NSA a spy system that wouldn't spy on ordinary Americans, but the highest officials rejected it.
- 13 January 2014 (The Ugly Truth about Charter Schools)The Ugly Truth about Charter Schools: Padded Cells, Corruption, Lousy Instruction and Worse Results.
- Charter schools are a form of privatization. In general, privatization is presented as a way to make some service more efficient, but its real effect is to enrich a few. That's true in this case, but it also represents a way for the state to abandon poor people, now increasingly considered superfluous by the plutocratic state.
- 13 January 2014 (Restaurants replacing waiters with computerized order-takers)Some restaurants are replacing waiters with computerized order-takers. This threatens to leave millions more Americans unemployed.
- Applebees alone may cut half a million jobs.
- Using an ithing to take the orders is bad for restaurant, too. It is full of nonfree software that tramples the freedom of the user (in this case, the restaurant) and exposes the user to malware
- For the sake of sales clerk's employment, I refuse to use the self-checkout machines in supermarkets and drug stores. When I go into a drug store that has these machines, I shout to the people who use them, "Using those machines puts Americans out of work".
- I think we should prohibit those machines simply to keep employment up.
- 13 January 2014 (Handing over personal data to stores)Handing over personal data to stores turns out to be no safer with big stores than with any other stores.
- The risk that the store's copy of your personal data might be obtained by crackers should not distract you from the bigger risk '-- the use that will be made of your personal data with permission of companies that possess it.
- I won't give any personal data to a store, because I don't want my purchases to be associated with me. I won't give the store even my name.
- The worst piece of data to give to a store is your credit card number. Even if it is never obtained by crackers, it will identify you to the store's data base together with what you bought.
- Do as I do: pay cash, and never give stores your personal data. If you never give it, you won't learn it as a habit, so you won't start handing it over as a habit.
- 13 January 2014 (UK gov't for shale)The UK government is entirely for shale, and hopes that local councils are for shale as well.
- 13 January 2014 (Iran nuclear agreement)Iran and other countries have worked out the last details of the nuclear agreement, and the implementation will begin on Jan 20 '-- provided Congress doesn't ruin everything.
- 14 January 2014 (Urgent: Reject Monsanto's Biological Restrictions Management)Everyone: urge Brazil to reject Monsanto's BRM (Biological Restrictions Management), also known as "terminator seeds".
- 13 January 2014 (Mosaic of mutually hostile militias in Syria)Syria outside Assad's control is a mosaic of mutually hostile militias.
- 13 January 2014 (Pine Island Glacier melting irreversibly)Global heating has pushed the giant Pine Island Glacier into irreversible melting, and will melt away over the next few decades.
- This is expected to raise global sea level by just one centimeter. If only the melting ice were limited to this! However, melting for the whole Antarctic melting is speeding up.
- 13 January 2014 (Claims that terrorists changed tactics due to Snowden unfounded)Retiring NSA Deputy Director Admits Agency Can't Prove Terrorists Changing Tactics Because of Snowden.
- This demonstrates once again pro-surveillance officials' predilection for stretching the truth. Aside from that, the issue is a secondary one. Even if terrorists change their tactics, and even if that helps them a little, they are a secondary threat. A government that surveils everyone and thus eliminates democracy is more dangerous than any independent terrorists.
- 13 January 2014 (US gov't recognizes x-ray body scanners could be dangerous)A lawsuit by the Electronic Privacy Information Center pushed the US government to recognize that x-ray body scanners could be dangerous. Now EPIC has made the DHS yield its information on test results and radiation risk estimates for airport body scanners.
- 13 January 2014 (Land taken away from peasants in Argentina to grow GM soybeans)Cultivation of genetically modified soybeans by plantations has taken over most of Argentina's agricultural land, and this involves taking land away from lots of peasants.
- 13 January 2014 (US sailors drenched with radioactive fallout near Fukushima)US sailors say they were drenched with radioactive fallout which caused them persistent medical problems, while their ship was rescuing people swept out to sea near Fukushima.
- 13 January 2014 (UK generals in Bush forces face possible prosecution)UK generals in the Bush forces, and politicians, face possible prosecution in the International Criminal Court because they did not prevent torture of prisoners.
- 13 January 2014 (Dangerous cost-cutting and slipshod work at Fukushima)Yoshitatsu Uechi, a worker at Fukushima, says he repeatedly encountered dangerous cost-cutting and slipshod work there.
- 13 January 2014 (Tracking company encourages stores to track customers through WiFi)A tracking company is encouraging stores to track customers through the WiFi chips of mobile phones.
- This particular company doesn't know anyone's name, but there are other companies that can relate the phone's MAC address to a name. Put those two data bases together and presto, it says who has gone where.
- If the phone talks to the phone network, then the phone company already records where it goes. The two methods of tracking lead to the same intolerable result.
- 13 January 2014 (A few congresscritters try to smear Snowden)A few congresscritters are trying to smear Snowden by saying that his disclosures "could" do harm to US national security.
- Such a weak assertion could be said of anything you do, even getting out of bed.
- Since the security of America includes the security of our democracy, massive general surveillance by the US government does great harm to our democracy.
- Snowden is a hero because he gave us the beginning of a chance to defend our democracy from that threat.
- 13 January 2014 (Urgent: Feb 11 action against NSA surveillance)Everyone: support the Feb 11 action against NSA surveillance.
- To fight surveillance effectively, our target must go beyond the NSA. Other branches of government do surveillance too; we must limit license plate recognizers and face recognizers even if they are run by local governments.
- The root of surveillance is when digital systems record data about people. We must demand the redesign of digital systems to retain little data about people in general.
- 13 January 2014 (Quantifying the social cost of carbon emissions)Quantifying the social cost of carbon emissions might encourage governments and companies to take necessary steps.
- If you understand that global heating is probably leading to disaster, and we don't know exactly how far away the disaster is, you don't need to a measure of the cost of short-term effects. However, that measure may help to convince short-term-minded people.
- 13 January 2014 (Consequence of privatizing electric generation in Argentina)Privatization of electric generation in Argentina was supposed to attract investment, but the companies extracted money instead of investing.
- 13 January 2014 (UK's "lobbying" bill threatens to restrict civil society)The UK's "lobbying" bill threatens to restrict civil society, while business lobbying will simply adapt.
- 13 January 2014 (Australian gov't to pay companies that produce CO2)The Australian government's plan to reduce CO2 emissions is to give money to the companies that produce it, then let them do whatever they wish.
- It also endorses cap-and-trade, which pretends to reduce emissions but really promotes pretend reductions.
- That government will say anything whatever, but its actions are in service to fossil fuel companies.
- 13 January 2014 (Freedom of speech in Turkey and France)Hrant Dink, martyr for freedom of speech, was tried in Turkey for the "crime" of affirming the genocide of the Armenians. Then, when France first considered a law to make it a "crime" to deny the genocide of the Armenians, Dink said he would go to France and deny it as a protest.
- Turkey now plans to increase internet censorship and make it harder to evade.
- Banning "hate speech" is an excuse for dangerous policies. No matter what we think of views, we must not ban their expression.
- 13 January 2014 (Former Merck employees claim Merck falsified data)Former Merck employees claim in a lawsuit that Merck falsified data about the effectiveness of its vaccine against mumps, and used incorrect test procedures designed to make the vaccine look more effective than it really was.
- I found out about this through a site called nvic.org, but that site exaggerated and distorted this issue by presenting the vaccine as unsafe. Another page claimed that a tiny amount of formaldehyde in a vaccine was dangerous on principle, though it is much less formaldehyde than is normally found in the human body. While that site is not 100% false, it is not reliable either.
- Unfounded rumors claiming vaccines are dangerous has led people to refuse vaccination for their children, which ironically has resulted in disease outbreaks that really damage children. The most glaring instance is the opposition to polio vaccination in Pakistan and Syria, which results in permanent palsy for some children.
- 13 January 2014 (Obama talks about cutting taxes for business to "help" the poor)Obama talks about helping small areas in the US with lots of poverty, but part of the "help" is cutting taxes for business.
- Once a tax cut gets applied to a part of the US, businesses will push to spread it to more parts. Then businesses elsewhere say that "fairness" means they should get a tax cut too. Eventually it spreads into a general tax cut for business.
- Business pays too little taxes in general. If we want to put specific zones at an advantage, let's raise taxes for business everywhere except those zones.
- 13 January 2014 (Polarization and gridlock benefits the rich in the US)Study: Polarization and Gridlock Work Well for the Wealthiest Americans.
- The idea that Congress is "not functioning" represents a fundamental misunderstanding, comparable to saying that a football game is "not functioning" because the score is 0-0. What it means is that neither side can overcome the other side to score.
- However, that analogy goes only so far. In Congress, it's not a mere game. The two sides are "totally for the rich" and "mostly for the rich but with some concern for the rest", and the points that are occasionally scored against the poor do tremendous harm.
- 13 January 2014 (The US national security jihad)The US has replaced checks and balances and rule of law with the national security jihad.
- 13 January 2014 (Nauru requires $7000 special visas for journalists)Nauru, where Australia stores unwanted asylum seekers, now demands $7000 dollars for a journalist's visa, effectively saying Australia's dirty deeds are off limits to journalism.
- It is an injustice to require special visas for journalists. The US should set a good example by abolishing the practice.
- 13 January 2014 (Responsibility for the Washington Bridge hold-up)Exposure Chris Christie's underlings' disguised retribution scheme has called attention to bad decisions that are clearly the responsibility of Christie himself.
- I won't claim that Christie must have known about this particular scheme. I would not expect a governor to personally pay attention each specific action taken, whether ethical or not. However, he may have told, or led, his underlings over the years to plan various kinds of political pressure and retaliation and not bother him with the details. That would still make him responsible overall.
- 12 January 2014 (Medecins Sans Frontiers has wrestled with ethical and political questions)Medecins Sans Frontiers has wrestled with various ethical and political questions about how to carry out its mission.
- 12 January 2014 (Surveillance of prescriptions)One form of massive surveillance, usually ignored, is surveillance of prescriptions.
- 12 January 2014 (US policy has spread al Qa'ida to many countries)US policy has spread al Qa'ida to many countries.
- 12 January 2014 (Death threat for investigating drone bombing)Baraa Shiban has received a death threat for investigating the casualties from a drone bombing in Yemen.
- 12 January 2014 (Most members of Congress are millionaires)Most members of Congress are millionaires.
- 12 January 2014 (Pakistani internet rights group suing UK gov't)The Pakistani internet rights group Bytes for All is suing the UK government for surveillance of its communications.
- 12 January 2014 (India has implemented massive surveillance of communications)India has implemented massive surveillance of communications, with no court supervision.
- 12 January 2014 (Two points Gates does not mention)Two points Gates does not mention when criticizing Obama about Afghanistan.
- Notwithstanding these points, Obama is ultimately responsible for his decisions.
- 12 January 2014 (Feminist playwright driven out of Turkey)Feminist playwright Meltem Arikan was driven out of Turkey by threats from fanatical supporters of the ruling party.
- They accuse her experimental play Mi Minor of being a plan for the Gezi Park protests.
- 12 January 2014 (Call on California's governor not to permit fracking)Everyone: call on California Governor Brown not to permit fracking.
- 12 January 2014 (The frequent blooms of plankton in parts of the Pacific)Global heating may have to do with more frequent blooms of plankton in certain parts of the Pacific, but they have nothing to do with radiation or Fukishima.
- 12 January 2014 (Corruption and pandering in Canada)Canada's government in 2013 displayed a record of blatant and shameless corruption and pandering.
- 12 January 2014 (UK pushing law to make ASBOs even more sweeping and arbitrary)The UK is pushing a law to make arbitrary prohibitions (ASBOs) even more sweeping and arbitrary.
- People could be subject to two years in prison for almost any sort of behavior that judges dislike. Protests and meetings could be banned arbitrarily.
- 12 January 2014 (FBI neglects white-collar crime)The FBI has shifted its focus to terrorism, neglecting white-collar crime. The attorney general sets an example of neglecting white-collar crime by declaring the banksters too big to jail.
- 12 January 2014 (US Fish & Wildlife Service to drop rat poison on Farallon Islands)The US Fish And Wildlife Service plans to drop rat poison on the Farallon Islands to eradicate mice that threaten the survival of endangered storm petrels there.
- To eradicate mice (or rats or cats) from an island in order to protect endemic wildlife is entirely legitimate. It is only the method they propose that threatens to be very foolish.
- 12 January 2014 (Lester Grinspoon convinced that marijuana is not harmful)Lester Grinspoon explains how his clinical observations convinced him that marijuana is not harmful and should be legal.
- 12 January 2014 (European Parliament to invite Snowden to give testimony)A committee of the European Parliament has decided to invite Snowden to give testimony remotely.
- 12 January 2014 (When The FBI Asks You To Backdoor Your Software)What It's Like When The FBI Asks You To Backdoor Your Software.
- I am shocked that anyone would agree to do this '-- or that anyone thinks most developers would agree to do this.
- 12 January 2014 (Artist not allowed to speak with prisoners in Guantanamo)An artist who visited Guantanamo was not allowed to speak with prisoners, or even see them clearly, but she could see the evil that has contaminated the US.
- Guantanamo attacks the freedom of prisoners' relatives, too, when it requires them to communicate through the Skype client, a program that denies freedom to its users.
- 11 January 2014 (Campaign against eating shark fin)The campaign against eating shark fin is making great strides in China.
- The only reason banquets ever serve shark fin soup is to prove how much the sponsor is willing to spend.
- 11 January 2014 (Life in the electronic concentration camp)Life in the electronic concentration camp: the many ways that you're being tracked, catalogued and controlled.
- 11 January 2014 (US hospitals systematically gouge on prices)US hospitals systematically gouge on prices.
- 11 January 2014 (NSA Insiders Reveal What Went Wrong)NSA Insiders Reveal What Went Wrong.
- 11 January 2014 ('Groundbreaking' Guidelines to Stop 'School-to-Prison Pipeline')Advocates Hail 'Groundbreaking' Guidelines to Stop 'School-to-Prison Pipeline'.
- I think another crucial point is to make sure that no thugs are stationed normally in the school.
- 11 January 2014 (Over 40,000 people may have been falsely convicted)Over 40,000 people may have been falsely convicted due to dishonesty in a Massachusetts crime lab. The ACLU wants the State of Massachusetts to take the initiative to reinvestigate the cases and free anyone who ought to be freed.
- 11 January 2014 (How "too big to fail" turns into "too big to jail")How "too big to fail" turns into "too big to jail".
- Taxing banks' gross income, at a percentage that increases with the size of the bank, would put large banks under financial pressure to split up.
- 11 January 2014 (Urgent: Support the Truth in Settlements Act)US citizens: support the Truth in Settlements Act.
- I might suggest going even further: rather than publicizing the details of these settlements so as to embarrass the government out of accepting weak provisions, why not rule out weak provisions?
- 11 January 2014 (Israel proposing to raise threshold for party to enter parliament)Israel is proposing to raise the threshold for a party to enter parliament, in the aim of excluding the Arab parties. Juggling the threshold is the parliamentary system's equivalent of US voter suppression laws.
- Meanwhile, in a complex of ironies, the extremist Lieberman wants to transfer some Arab villages from Israel to Palestine, as a drop of ethnic cleansing, but the inhabitants would rather be Israeli Arabs.
- 11 January 2014 (Urgent: Switch to safer chemicals and processes)US citizens: call on the EPA to require and help chemical plants to switch to safer chemicals and processes.
- 11 January 2014 (Heavy rains in UK likely due to global heating)The series of heavy rains (and floods) experienced by the UK in the past month is more likely due to global heating.
- It would not have been impossible before, but CO2 and methane emissions are making it more probable in the future.
- 11 January 2014 (Corporations hide in cyberspace)Corporations hide in cyberspace, with no physical address, making it hard to sue them.
- 11 January 2014 (US mainstream media on destruction of Falluja)US mainstream media talk about the Bush forces' destruction of Falluja as if it were a heroic sacrifice, rather than an atrocity.
- 11 January 2014 (A cell phone for children)A cell phone for children that's turns the child's whole world into a cell.
- The aim is total robotic tracking of children, then old people, then everyone.
- Don't make the mistake of postponing your rejection of intrusive surveillance technology till it gets even worse. I started years ago.
- 12 January 2014 (Urgent: Diplomacy with Iran)US citizens: phone your senators to oppose putting new sanctions on Iran.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 11 January 2014 (Urgent: Expand Social Security)US citizens: support the Social Security expansion bill.
- 11 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose stopping states from requiring GMO labeling)US citizens: tell the FDA you oppose the plan to stop states from requiring GMO labeling.
- 11 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on Morocco to change rape law)Everyone: call on Morocco to change the law that allows rapists to escape punishment by forcing their victims to marry them.
- 11 January 2014 (Being a "strong leader")For a politician to be a "strong leader" overlaps with being a bully.
- 11 January 2014 (Peak oil)Peak oil has not gone away: the supply of oil per unit time may contract, and cause economic problems.
- The crucial question, not apparently addressed here, is: would it be possible to burn oil faster than it's going to be available, while avoiding the worse disaster that global heating is taking us towards?
- A limit at a place that, for other reasons, we must not even approach is no real limit.
- 11 January 2014 (The forces in control of Falluja)Maybe the forces in control in Falluja are not al Qa'ida.
- This would be entirely plausible, except for the report that local Sunnis said they are allied with the Iraqi government against al Qa'ida.
- I'm not sure what to make of this.
- 11 January 2014 (US protesters could be imprisoned for 10 years)US protesters could be imprisoned for 10 years because prosecutors called their banner a "terrorist hoax".
- We should tell those prosecutors to go to Russia if they don't like American freedom.
- 11 January 2014 (The proposed "privacy and security" act)Senator Leahy's "privacy and security" act would make the CFAA even easier to stretch. People could face years in prison for just proposing to violate the terms of service of any web site.
- 11 January 2014 (Verizon trying to trash net neutrality for cabled Internet)A lawsuit might allow Verizon to trash net neutrality for cabled Internet even as AT&T trashes network neutrality on mobile devices.
- 11 January 2014 (CREDO Mobile reports number of times it had to give customer data to US gov't)CREDO Mobile is the first phone company to report how many times it had to give customer data to the US government.
- This information does not really tell us much, since any one of these requests might have covered all of the company's customers. But it shows their heart is in the right place.
- 11 January 2014 (US data brokers group people into lists and sell their names)US data brokers sell lists of people with HIV, lists of people with drug addictions, lists of elderly gamblers, and other lists that are particularly subject to abuse.
- 11 January 2014 (Hidden dangers of Senator Rubio's "reforms" to help the poor)Senator Rubio's "reforms" for US help for the poor have hidden dangers.
- 11 January 2014 (Global heating won't limit itself by causing more clouds)New modeling concludes that global heating won't limit itself by causing more clouds.
- 11 January 2014 (Koch brother's TV ads against the recall of anti-worker governor)When Wisconsin's anti-worker Governor Walker was facing recall, the Koch brothers bought TV ads invoking a peculiar principle that it's unfair to recall an official merely to stop him from pushing horrible laws.
- 11 January 2014 (An argument against the "need" for massive surveillance)The NSA's capabilities for breaking security of specific systems are an argument against "need" for massive surveillance of everyone.
- 11 January 2014 (Robots being developed for farm tasks)Robots are being developed for many farm tasks.
- These jobs are done inefficiently by humans, often at very low pay and in bad conditions. If new the robots are able to do the jobs, it will be good that people don't have to live like that. On the other hand, it will not be good if they starve instead.
- At a meeting in Cambridge, some 15 years ago, a man said, "If robots make it, we've gotta take it." We must not let the owners of the robots own what the robots produce, leaving most people with only trickle-down.
- If you're a farmer, watch out for nonfree software in these robots!
- 11 January 2014 (Senegal coast guard captures Russian intensive fishing ship)Senegal's coast guard captured a Russian intensive fishing ship. Russia's response is to blame Greenpeace.
- 11 January 2014 (Republican governors who solicited secret-source money)Several Republican governors are being attacked for soliciting secret-source money to support their campaigns.
- 10 January 2014 (General pattern of smearing whistleblowers)Personal insults directed against Edward Snowden reflect a general pattern of smearing whistleblowers, but the real target is not Snowden but the act of whistleblowing.
- 10 January 2014 (Ford says cars have GPS so they know everywhere the car goes)Ford says its cars have GPS so they know everywhere the car goes.
- This is a consequence of the fact that the GPS data is stored by software that is nonfree, not controlled by the driver or car owner.
- It is not clear to me whether this applies only when the car has a GPS navigator installed, or whether it means all new Ford cars.
- More about surveillance of cars in the US.
- 10 January 2014 (NSA whistleblowers warn about Obama's "reforms")NSA whistleblowers warn that Obama's "reforms" are being managed so as to avoid any real improvement. They make recommendations for real reform.
- 10 January 2014 (The loss of large carnivores around the world)The loss of large carnivores around the world is causing damage to plants and animals through ecological effects.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: Enforce requirement for TV stations to say who pays for ads)US citizens: call on the FCC to enforce the requirement for TV stations to say who pays for ads.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: 60 Minutes smear of US clean energy industry)Everyone: call on 60 Minutes to clean up its smear of US clean energy industry.
- 10 January 2014 (Four Years after Earthquake in Haiti)Four Years after Earthquake, Housing, Sanitation, Health Care are Still Pressing Needs in Haiti.Aid has been misused, or diverted into plans to employ more Haitians working for export for a pittance.
- What Haiti really needs is to end the US occupation.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose "fast track" for the TPP)US citizens: email your congresscritter to oppose "fast track" for the TPP.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: Regulate carbon emissions from new power plants)US citizens: support the EPA's plan to regulate carbon emissions from new power plants.
- 10 January 2014 (UK's Liberal Democrats consider reduction of data collection)The Liberal Democrats in the UK are looking at a platform involving reducing the collection of data.
- 10 January 2014 (US electric utilities trying to stop installation of solar panels)US electric utilities are slamming the brakes on installation of solar panels, and homeowners are fighting back. I've heard that the same is happening in Spain.
- Many homeowners would be delighted to disconnect from the electrical grid, and depend on their own solar power and their own batteries. If they use heavy equipment such as washing machines only when the sun shines, and leave refrigerators closed at night, it might work. However, some cities in California prohibit this: I'm told that in San Jose, a house with no electric utility account will be condemned just for that.
- 10 January 2014 (Campaign in UK to reduce sugar in foods)A campaign in the UK to reduce the general level of sugar in foods.
- 10 January 2014 (NSA critics meet with White House Officials)NSA's Harshest Critics Meeting With White House Officials Tomorrow.
- 10 January 2014 (Last-ditch scheme to block mandatory labeling of GMOs)A last-ditch scheme to block mandatory labeling of GMOs: a scheme for voluntary labeling.
- 10 January 2014 (California Introduces Landmark Bill to Deny the NSA State Resources)California Introduces Landmark Bill to Deny the NSA State Resources.
- This effort is good because it is resistance, but a real solution can't be reached in this direction.
- 10 January 2014 (20 million Indians work making bricks)20 million Indians work making bricks, many of them children, and many of them as slave labor.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: Demand a clean minimum wage bill)Citizens of Massachusetts: demand a clean minimum wage bill that doesn't cut unemployment benefits.
- 10 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose HR 2279)US citizens: phone your congresscritter and say, oppose HR 2279, which would turn the laws requiring cleanup of polluted land into a sham.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 09 January 2014 (Inequality)While it's the cold that directly kills homeless people, the underlying cause is the inequity that makes them poor and therefore homeless.
- 09 January 2014 (NSA wants to have companies accumulate dossiers)The NSA wants to have companies accumulate dossiers for the NSA to look at later.
- To a large extent, this is how the massive surveillance system already works.
- 09 January 2014 (Thugs in Nebraska seized the victims' cameras)Thugs in Nebraska seized the victims' cameras that held proof of their crimes, but fortunately there was a third camera.
- There won't always be another camera. For thugs to seize or destroy cameras or their contents should be a crime, regardless of other circumstances.
- 09 January 2014 (Fans of Insane Clown Posse sue the US for harassment)The fans of Insane Clown Posse are suing the US for harassing them by labeling them as gang members.
- 09 January 2014 (UK ISPs take on liability by applying censorship)UK ISPs, by applying censorship, have made themselves liable for anything illegal that they do transmit.
- I fear that the UK government will respond by immunizing them.
- 09 January 2014 (Incidence of hypoglycemia highest at month's end)The incidence of hypoglycemia is highest at the end of the month, because poor people with diabetes have spent the month's money and can't afford food.
- The solution is difficult if we accept as immutable that they can't get more money. However, Congress could give them more money easily enough. The problem is ill will.
- Is America Ready for a New War on Poverty?
- 08 January 2014 (Superbugs in chicken meat)Mystery: why does chicken meat from chicken never exposed to antibiotics carry superbugs just as often as other chicken?
- 08 January 2014 (Jury rules London thugs lawfully shot Mark Duggan)The jury ruled that London thugs lawfully shot Mark Duggan.
- It's possible that the thugs really believed Duggan had a gun. It's possible he did have one, in the box. It's possible the thug who shot Duggan really believed at the time that the gun was in his hand. These are not implausible.
- But it seems clear that someone other than Duggan put the sock-covered gun on the other side of the fence, and the obvious suspects are thugs trying to make the shooting look justified.
- I think that calls for its own investigation.
- 08 January 2014 (Antibiotic resistance is creeping up on us)Warning: antibiotic resistance is creeping up on us.
- 08 January 2014 (Wetlands contaminated with neonicotinoid pesticides)Wetlands are being contaminated with neonicotinoid pesticides, which threatens disastrous effects on wildlife.
- These pesticides are persistent Even if we stop using them, it could take years for them to dissipate.
- 08 January 2014 (NAFTA)NAFTA: 20 Years of Regret for Mexico. (Not to mention the US.)
- 08 January 2014 (Afghanistan made worse by Obama and Clinton)How Obama and Clinton made Afghanistan go from bad to worse.
- 08 January 2014 (How abusive sweatshops receive US tax money)How Uncle Sam's Cash Is Funneled Into Abusive Sweatshops (in Bangladesh).
- 08 January 2014 (The Internet of Things Is Wildly Insecure '-- And Often Unpatchable)The Internet of Things Is Wildly Insecure '-- And Often Unpatchable.
- When the article says "Linux operating system", I think it really does mean Linux '-- the kernel Linux, not a complete operating system such as GNU/Linux.
- 08 January 2014 (Enforcement of laws to protect forest in Brazilian Amazonia)In Brazilian Amazonia, enforcement of laws to protect the forest is so weak that the loggers barely put a fig leaf over it.
- 08 January 2014 (Puncturing the argument for keeping Bush forces in Iraq)Puncturing the right-wing claim that the US should have kept the Bush forces in Iraq.
- 08 January 2014 (USDA's limited standards for approving GMOs)The USDA's standards for approving GMOs are limited to such narrow concerns that they are little different from deregulation.
- 08 January 2014 (Activists in 1971 stole FBI documents to prove wrongdoing)In 1971, heroic activists stole FBI documents that proved the FBI was infiltrating US dissidents.
- They found that the FBI had specifically tried to blackmail Martin Luther King Jr. into committing suicide.
- One of the activists explains what they did and why.
- 08 January 2014 (Droughts in Australia)Large parts of Australia are stricken by drought again, after just a couple of years of adequate rain since the previous drought.
- This combines with the effects of the hot weather. Global heating is expected to make Australia more arid as well as generally hotter. It is also expected to reduce global food production; indeed, it seems to be already doing so.
- 08 January 2014 (India imposes usual tax rate on commercial use of US embassy grounds)India has imposed the usual tax rate on commercial use of the grounds of the US embassy.
- Bravo for this, but the government of India would do a lot more good for Indians by cracking down on inadequate wages for Indian workers, whether they are working in the US or in India.
- 08 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose requiring women to prove rape to justify abortion)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to oppose bill HR.7, which would require women who were made pregnant by rape to prove the rape to justify an abortion.
- The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
- 08 January 2014 (The sublet/resale economy)The "sharing economy" smears the word "sharing" '-- "sublet/resale economy" would be a better term. And note that these activities generate few jobs, so they can't solve society's real problems.
- 08 January 2014 (Congress must hold a real investigation of the NSA)Congress must hold a real investigation of the NSA.
- 08 January 2014 (UK gov't guided by meetings with lobbyists)The UK government considered making alcohol more expensive to encourage people to drink less, but changed course after 130 meetings with lobbyists.
- 08 January 2014 (Using SO2 to cancel global heating would cause massive droughts)Pumping sulfur dioxide into the air could cancel global heating, but it would cause massive droughts.
- 08 January 2014 (Israeli intelligence continues using torture)Israeli intelligence continues using torture, distorting a Supreme Court ruling against torture into meaninglessness.
- 08 January 2014 (Professor Ahmad Qatamesh freed from Israeli prison)Professor Ahmad Qatamesh has been freed from Israeli prison after 2.5 years. He was never charged with a crime, and Amnesty International pushed for his release.
- 08 January 2014 (Gov't of Ghana wants to close refuges for people accused of witchcraft)The government of Ghana wants to close the refuges for people accused of witchcraft; this is likely to cause those people to be killed.
- 08 January 2014 (Comparing Arab and Israeli racist insults)Comparing Arab and Israeli racist insults.
- 07 January 2014 (Protest in Burma against jailing of journalist)Journalists in Burma protested the jailing of a journalist.
- The charges are typical of states that want to punish journalism and pretend that it is something else.
- 07 January 2014 (Stealing Honduran peasants' land to avoid cutting emissions)Honduran peasants' land was stolen to grow palm oil, which provides "carbon offsets" for international businesses, so they can avoid cutting emissions. Crushing the resistance peasants' resistance seems to have part of the motive for the coup.
- Emissions trading is a mistake in general; it has been gamed so much that it achieves nothing, while promoting evil like this in Honduras. A tax on fuels can't be gamed.
- 07 January 2014 (Al-Nusra among Syrians fighting the Islamic State of Iraq)The Syrians fighting the Islamic State of Iraq include al-Nusra, another al-Qa'ida supporter.
- 07 January 2014 (Wind energy projects canceled due to cuts in UK support)Cuts in UK support for offshore wind energy has led to cancellation of many projects.
- 07 January 2014 (Spain reduces fossil fuel use in electricity)Spain reduced fossil fuel use in electricity by around 30% last year due mainly to installation of a lot of renewable energy generators.
- 07 January 2014 (Reducing the number of birds and bats killed by wind turbines)Various methods are being tested to reduce the numbers of birds and bats that are killed by wind turbines.
- 07 January 2014 (New Jersey ignores accusations about attacks by thugs)New Jersey ignores 99% of accusations about attacks by thugs.
- 07 January 2014 (Theft of Americans' retirement funds)Stealing Americans' retirement funds in 4 despicable steps.
- 07 January 2014 (Network of pollinator species could collapse suddenly)The network of pollinator species and the plants that depend on them could collapse suddenly if it is stressed past a certain point.
- 07 January 2014 (Climate Change Imperils Peru's Drive to End Poverty)Climate Change Imperils Peru's Drive to End Poverty.
- 06 January 2014 (US mainstream media disparages idea of punishing banksters)US mainstream media persistently disparage the idea that banksters should be punished for well-documented crimes, including the fraudulent foreclosures against thousands (maybe millions) of American homeowners.
- 07 January 2014 (Obama gave up on the war in Afghanistan in 2011)Obama gave up on the war in Afghanistan in 2011.
- So why didn't he end the war? Fear of being called a quitter, I guess.
- 07 January 2014 (Gov't has responsibility to fight poverty)86% of Americans believe the government has the responsibility to fight poverty.
- The fact that so many politicians are elected who oppose this is a measure of voter suppression and dishonesty of the media.
- 07 January 2014 (JPMorgan Chase banking scandals)JPMorgan Chase seems to be involved in just about every banking scandal.
- 07 January 2014 (Boeing imposed pay and benefit cuts on workers)Highly profitable Boeing has imposed pay and benefit cuts on its workers by threatening to move production.
- This is, of course, what the rich generally want to do: pay workers less. Laws and treaties need to be changed so that they can't.
- 07 January 2014 (Body of brain-dead woman who is 20 weeks pregnant is being kept alive)The body of a brain-dead woman in Texas who is 20 weeks pregnant is being kept alive so the fetus can be born.
- This might make sense if the father wanted that baby as a relic of his deceased wife '-- which he doesn't '-- except that nobody knows whether it is healthy.
- 07 January 2014 (Extreme cold in US may be due to heating of the Arctic)Paradoxically, the extreme cold in the US today may be due to to the heating of the Arctic.
- 07 January 2014 (Urgent: Call on Disney to stop promoting fracking to children)In the US: Call on Disney to stop promoting fracking to children.
- 07 January 2014 (Measurements of atmospheric CO2 may come to an end)The longest running sequence of measurements of atmospheric CO2 concentration may come to an end because funding has been cut.
- 07 January 2014 (Wild dolphin keeps trying to play with humans)A wild dolphin that lives near the Australian coast keeps trying to play with humans and ignores other dolphins.
- There are reasons to avoid accustoming wild animals to people, but when that has already occurred, there's no use denying it. At some point, we might as well accept that this dolphin needs human company.
- 07 January 2014 (Complaints that fracking wells harmed water supplies in he US)There have been thousands of complaints that fracking wells harmed water supplies in he US. Only a few of the complaints have been confirmed, and maybe many of them are spurious. However, I suspect that the tests miss some real problems.
- Secrecy about what chemicals are used in the wells may make it hard to confirm that contamination is due to fracking.
- 07 January 2014 (AT&T invites web services to pay to for exemption from data caps)AT&T invites web services to pay to for exemption from data caps, thus proving the supposed reason for data caps does not exist.
- The result will be to give bigger companies an advantage of smaller competitors.
- Of course, many of these services are bad in their nature, such as the movie rentals with DRM. But that's an independent issue.
- Please don't refer to web pages as "content".
- 07 January 2014 (Urgent: Stop the robbing and swindling of workers in Haiti)Everyone: call on Hanes to stop robbing and swindling workers in Haiti.
- 07 January 2014 (The EU's commitments to free expression: Libel and privacy)The EU's commitments to free expression: Libel and privacy.
- 07 January 2014 (Rhinos)It appears that rhinos can no longer survive in Kenya except in special sanctuaries. And maybe not even there.
- 07 January 2014 (Digital Rights Ireland needs help coping with legal costs)Digital Rights Ireland asks for help coping with legal costs imposed when it asked for permission to intervene in a trial and was denied.
- If not helped, the organization could get shut down.
- 07 January 2014 (CIA lawyer approved torture)CIA Lawyer: Stopping Torture 'Would Have Been Easy,' But I Approved It Anyway.
- 07 January 2014 (Proof that governments can reduce poverty)LBJ's War on Poverty cut poverty in the US by 40%.
- It proves that governments can reduce poverty. But then right-wingers took power, put an end to these efforts, and drove poverty up again.
- 07 January 2014 (Conservative media platform for global heating denial)Conservative media provide a platform to the 3% of climate scientists who deny global heating, and don't mention how their predictions have proved wrong in the past.
- 07 January 2014 (Enemies of al Qa'ida in Syria include other Islamist groups)The enemies of al Qa'ida in Syria include other Islamist groups.
- 07 January 2014 (Five Australians face charges for staying in the same hotel)Five Australians face charges of being members of a motorcycle gang and staying in the same hotel. Being in a hotel is not a crime for people in general, only for them.
- Next will they pass a law making it a crime to breathe and have your name?
- 07 January 2014 (Thousands of bats killed by heat wave in Australia)A heat wave killed thousands of bats in an area of Australia.
- In a couple of decades, none of those bats will live anywhere near.
- 07 January 2014 (Building a house near the coast)New South Wales gave permission to build a house near the coast, on condition it be demolished in 20 years if sea level rises as expected.
- It is a kind of foresight '-- at least it does not ignore the issue '-- but it seems wasteful and foolish to build a house that will need to be demolished in 20 years.
- What the court appears to have done is much more foolish: permission with no foresight at all.
- 07 January 2014 (Judging who to hire based on Facebook pages)Judging who to hire based on Facebook pages seems to be completely ineffective. (As well as an invasion of privacy.)
- 07 January 2014 (Stockpile of confiscated ivory destroyed)China has destroyed a large stockpile of confiscated ivory to campaign against buying ivory.
- I can't understand the mentality of a person who would buy something totally frivolous at the cost of rushing a species to extinction.
- 07 January 2014 (Overfishing of bluefin tuna)Bluefin tuna are so overfished that most of the fish caught are juveniles.
- 07 January 2014 (Failure to start peace negotiations in South Sudan)Peace negotiations in South Sudan failed to get started.
- Part of the basis for the fighting is tribal hatred, but when interethnic hostility reaches the point of fighting, often it has been stirred up by politicians.
- I have a suspicion that the oil in the ground has something to do with it, and that the US government is playing some sort of game to get control of that oil.
- 07 January 2014 (More punishment for Britons)The UK government announces more punishment for Britons on the way to a mythical, meaningless "recovery".
- 06 January 2014 ("The [unlikely] possibility of success is used to call the majority of people failures")"The [unlikely] possibility of success is used to call the majority of people failures."
- 06 January 2014 (US gov't didn't need any more surveillance to stop the Sep 11 attacks)The US government didn't need any more surveillance to stop the Sep 11 attacks. It had plenty of warnings '-- here are the details.
- 06 January 2014 (Even to preserve public domain requires a fight)Even to preserve the public domain from further attacks requires a fight.
- Preserving the public domain is not enough. Copyright is too restrictive and we must reduce it.
- 06 January 2014 (US gov't goes to cruel extremes to collect college debt)The US government goes to cruel extremes to collect college debt.
- The idea that the US government needs to collect student loans from those who are unable to work is absurd. The only "economy" that depends on collecting this money is that of the evil rich. Even asking students to pay for college is right-wing. If they have to pay, it should be based on their incomes, as in the Oregon plan.
- What's more, a large part of these debts were for payments to for-profit colleges that tend to be a waste of money in the first place. By allowing loans for those colleges, the government entices people into debts they can't pay.
- 06 January 2014 (Drug trafficking involves lots of killing)Drug trafficking involves lots of killing; the number murdered, over decades, may amount to millions.
- Those directly responsible are the killers. Drug users help create the circumstances that encourage the traffickers/killers, but they are not alone in doing so. Prohibition plays an equally crucial role.
- 06 January 2014 (Rich Republicans have put 50 million dollars into defeating Tea Party loonies)Rich Republicans have put 50 million dollars into defeating Tea Party loonies whose risible statements have imperiled their dooH niboR agenda.
- 06 January 2014 (The Canadian gov't trashed archives of scientific data and research)The Canadian government trashed archives of scientific data and research, especially pertaining to the environment.
- Canadian scientists say this was done to sabotage informed resistance to the extractivist agenda.
- 06 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose new sanctions against Iran)US citizens: call on your senators to oppose new sanctions against Iran. Give diplomacy a chance.
- 06 January 2014 (Long-term unemployment)Long-term unemployment makes many young people despair and think of suicide.
- 06 January 2014 (The "defensive patent license")The "defensive patent license" ought to be called the "still offensive patent license", because of the exclusion of anything it calls a "clone" '-- which is itself dishonest, since it the way they define it, it includes a lot more than clones. It includes any similar functionality.
- Apple could license its patents this way and still use them against free software smart phones.
- 06 January 2014 (US plagued by redistributionist politicians)The US is plagued by redistributionist politicians, redistributing as usual to the rich.
- I'm proud to be a redistributionist: I say we should move that money back.
- 06 January 2014 (Peer pressure turns children into competitive consumers)Peer pressure turns children into competitive consumers.
- 06 January 2014 (NSA refuses to say whether it snoops on Congress)The NSA refuses to say whether it snoops on Congress.
- I suspect it makes special efforts to snoop on Congresscritters, in order to blackmail them.
- 06 January 2014 (Underfunding of medical care in UK kills people)Underfunding of medical care in the UK kills people by slowing down the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
- 06 January 2014 (UK gov't wants to destroy old-growth forests)The UK government wants to destroy old-growth forests and replace them with tree plantations.
- 06 January 2014 (Jacob Appelbaum's speech)The full text of Jacob Appelbaum's speech about NSA attack methods and what they can do to computer systems.
- 06 January 2014 (Urgent: Stop persecution of journalists in the US and UK)Everyone: call on the US and UK governments to stop persecuting journalists that write about the wrongdoing of the state.
- 06 January 2014 (Syrian rebels say they have launched outright war with al Qa'ida)The non-al-Qa'ida Syrian rebels say they have launched outright war with al Qa'ida.
- Before rejoicing, we need to get confirmation of what is really happening, though that won't be easy to get.
- 06 January 2014 (Welcome to the New America: Low-Wage Nation)Welcome to the New America: Low-Wage Nation.
- 06 January 2014 (USDA wants to deregulate Agent Orange-resistant GM corn)The USDA says it wants to deregulate GM corn that is resistant to Agent Orange.
- Talk about "bringing the war back home"!
- 06 January 2014 (GAP statement on Snowden and NSA domestic surveillance)The Government Accountability Project Statement on Edward Snowden and NSA Domestic Surveillance.
- 06 January 2014 (Fixing unemployment and inequality in the US)The US does not have a choice between fixing unemployment and fixing inequality. Fixing one requires fixing the other.
- 06 January 2014 (Israel Lobby in the US tries again to kill deal with Iran)The Israel Lobby in the US is trying again to kill the deal with Iran.
- 06 January 2014 (Israel's control of the Jordan valley)As the US endorses letting Israel retain control of the Jordan valley, maintaining a permanent siege of Palestine, Netanyahu demands even more.
- 06 January 2014 (Idaho to take back a privatized prison)Idaho will take back a privatized prison that has been run horribly.
- For a company to squeeze a profit out of a prison, it has to mistreat the prisoners somehow.
- 06 January 2014 (The NY school-to-prison pipeline)Imploring Mayor de Blasio to close the school-to-prison pipeline.
- 06 January 2014 (Effect of global heating in Australia)2013 was Australia's hottest year, and for each of its regions too.
- Abbott says he will bring about a small, insufficient reduction in emissions by 2020, by methods that aren't likely to work at all. Planting trees may be good in other ways, but it takes a long time for them to pull CO2 out of the air, assuming they don't die or even burn.
- The new planned coal mines would swamp that.
- Meanwhile, Abbott has appointed a "business advisor" that campaigns loudly to deny global heating.
- We can guess what business his advice represents.
- What will we see next on the Abbott and Australia show? Perhaps this: Abbott lights a match on Australia, and Australia says, "Hay, Abbott!"
- 06 January 2014 (The low carbon price in emissions-trading schemes)The carbon price in emissions-trading schemes has fallen so low that the schemes do nothing to reduce emissions.
- 06 January 2014 (UK landlord companies refusing to rent to people on welfare)Large UK landlord companies are refusing to rent to people on welfare.
- The Tories are evil, greedy monsters that deserve to live on the street along with the banksters.
- 06 January 2014 (Senator asks NSA whether it snoops on Congress)Senator Sanders has asked the NSA whether it snoops on Congress.
- 06 January 2014 (UK gov't to cut off another aid program)As poor in the UK face hunger and homelessness, the government has announced it will cut off another aid program which is meant to help in "emergencies".
- It would defeat the purpose of pushing millions into emergencies, if there's a program that would help.
- 06 January 2014 (Cambodian thugs shoot protesting garment workers)Cambodian thugs shot garment workers protesting for higher pay.
- We must put an end to the treaties that drive countries to compete to offer foreign business the lowest wages.
- 06 January 2014 (Australian gov't wants Greenpeace activist to pay for "assistance")The Australian government wants Greenpeace activist Colin Russell to pay for the useless "assistance" it gave him when he was persecuted by Putin.
- In effect, Abbott seeks a way to punish him financially after Putin jailed him for months.
- This is because Abbott and Putin are on the same side '-- the extractivist side.
- 05 January 2014 (How MIT's callousness and exaggerations condemned Aaron Swartz)How MIT's callousness and exaggerations condemned Aaron Swartz.
- David LaMacchia set up an internet bulletin board site where anyone could upload and download files. He didn't put the files in it himself, but the US government wanted to hold him personally responsible for the files that were uploaded. US government representatives systematically smeared LaMacchia, who on his lawyer's advice did not dare say they were wrong; but he had already explained the facts to people at the Artificial Intelligence Lab, and that's where I heard them. This article repeats the givernment's claim.
- The government used this smear to push for the passage of the law that criminalized noncommercial sharing on the Internet, an attack on our rights that we will have to fight to undo.
- 05 January 2014 (US puts nonviolent accused "terrorists" in solitary confinement for years)The US regularly puts nonviolent accused "terrorists" in solitary confinement for years, blocking them from discussing their cases properly with their lawyers, and eventually gets them to plead guilty after their minds have broken.
- 05 January 2014 (US prosecution of thoughtcrime)US suppression of possible Muslim "radicalization" has been stretched to the point of prosecution of thoughtcrime.
- You don't have to be Islamist, or even Muslim, to think that people in a country conquered by the US have the right to resist occupation. Anyone who hates oppression believes that. Why shouldn't Muslims say that?
- On the other hand, anyone who is such a "good" Muslim as to support Islam's contempt for women, its cruel Shari'a law, or its disrespect for everyone's religious freedom, deserves plenty of criticism. You can't duck the odium of those views by saying it's a religion.
- 05 January 2014 (Urgent: Do not turn the Endangered Species Act into a hollow absurdity)US citizens: Sign this petition calling on Congress not to turn the Endangered Species Act into a hollow absurdity.
- 05 January 2014 (Urgent: Sign petition calling for prosecution of Clapper)US citizens: sign this petition calling for prosecution of Clapper for lying to Congress.
- 05 January 2014 (Urgent: Sign this petition for Obama to give Snowden amnesty)US citizens: sign this petition for Obama to give Snowden amnesty.
- And this one: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snowden/Dp03vGYD
- There is another campaign asking people to fax Obama copies of the New York Times editorial that says Snowden should be offered a reduced punishment. I think that is an insult to a hero, and I didn't support it. I support this instead.
- 05 January 2014 (Just about all the sides fighting against al Qa'ida)Just about all the sides in Syria and Iraq are fighting against al Qa'ida. Even some other Islamist militias.
- The defeat of al Qa'ida would mean the defeat of the worst sort of fanaticism. However, if the other Islamist militias are part of the winning side, I fear that women, human rights and non-Muslims in those areas will still be on the losing side.
- 05 January 2014 (Taliban attacked and murdered foreign climbers on a mountain in Pakistan)Taliban attacked and murdered foreign climbers on a mountain in Pakistan, as an intentional reprisal against people who had nothing to do with the war.
- This is much nastier than US drone attacks. Imagine if the US had deliberately targeted a wedding party while believing that everyone there was a noncombatant, and you'd have an equivalent for this.
- Pakistan says it has arrested those responsible.
- 05 January 2014 (US participated directly when Columbia attacked FARC camp in Ecuador)The US participated directly when Colombia attacked a FARC camp just across the border in Ecuador.
- The argument that a state has the right to fight its enemies when they are sheltered by another state is valid in some circumstances, but one must look at the rest of the situation. For instance, did the Ecuadorian government shelter or sponsor that camp (or even know about it)? Did Colombia ask Ecuador for assistance in dislodging it?
- There may be other relevant factors. The Colombian state was and still is closely connected with the worst terrorist group in Colombia, the paramilitaries.
- Although the FARC have degenerated into drug trafficking and kidnap for profit, they are still better than the paramilitaries. Is support for the FARC justified on these grounds?
- 05 January 2014 (Michael Moore: The Obamacare We Deserve)Michael Moore: The Obamacare We Deserve.
- I'm a real Liberal, and Obama is hardly much of a Liberal, so I don't silence my views to support him.
- 05 January 2014 (Israel Cages Palestinian Children in Outdoor Holding Pens During Freezing Storm)Israel Cages Palestinian Children in Outdoor Holding Pens During Freezing Storm.
- 04 January 2014 (Employees of M¨decins Sans Fronti¨res seem to have been kidnaped in Syria)Employees of M¨decins Sans Fronti¨res seem to have been kidnaped in Syria.
- 04 January 2014 (Ralph Nader calls on Dubya)Ralph Nader calls on Dubya to accept responsibility for turning Iraq into a place of horror.
- 04 January 2014 (Urgent: Extend unemployment benefits)US citizens: call on the Senate to extend unemployment benefits.
- 04 January 2014 (Bretons protesting tax on truck travel)Bretons are protesting and destroying cameras to prevent implementation of a tax on truck travel.
- Taxes like this are necessary to conserve fuel, and the pain they impose is nothing compared to the pain they will avoid. I think the protesters are making a mistake '-- like protesting about a visit to the dentist.
- The tax money should be to stimulate the economy in other ways.
- 04 January 2014 (Iraqi state allied with non-radical Sunnis)The Iraqi state has allied with non-radical Sunnis to fight al Qa'ida.
- If Sunnis and Shi'ites can work together, it might offer some hope for ending the terror in Iraq.
- 04 January 2014 (Urgent: Ban hunting dolphins to use as bait for sharks)Everyone: call on Peru to ban hunting dolphins to use as bait for sharks.
- The dolphins are not endangered, but the sharks are on the road to being wiped out.
- 03 January 2014 (Urgent: Oppose cuts in food stamps)US citizens: tell the Senate, no cuts in food stamps!
- 03 January 2014 (UK's "back to work" schemes)UK local governments use "back to work" schemes as a way to make people do real work for much less than the minimum wage.
- 03 January 2014 (UK austerity to create wave of mass homelessness)UK austerity is about to create a wave of mass homelessness.
- 03 January 2014 (Newly released papers expose lies by and about Margaret Thatcher)Newly released papers expose several lies by and about Margaret Thatcher.
- In particular, there was her lie to the striking miners, claiming she had no plans to close additional mines. What else would right-wing politicians do besides lie?
- 03 January 2014 (India rich, but half of all Indians abjectly poor)Selling out to business has made India rich, while making half of all Indians abjectly poor.
- What India needs most is to provide reliable modern contraception to every woman in India.
- 03 January 2014 (UK's "porn filter" a system of outsourced state censorship)The UK's "porn filter" is a system of outsourced state censorship, based on the standard idiotic excuse.
- 03 January 2014 (Mesh networks)Mesh networks could make the internet more flexible and reduce surveillance.
- 03 January 2014 (Iceland's ice melting fast)Iceland's ice is melting fast, and when it goes, Iceland will be short of water.
- Its longest bridge spans a river that has gone permanently dry.
- 03 January 2014 (The plan to remove grey wolf from endangered species list)The plan to remove the grey wolf from the endangered species list is based on twisting the meaning of the law so as to make it systematically ineffective.
- 03 January 2014 (Physical surveillance devices that can be installed on computers)Information about the tiny physical surveillance devices that the NSA (or anyone) can install.
- I am not especially bothered by the NSA's having these, since they won't be installed everywhere (and in the US would require a court order). What's dangerous to democracy is general surveillance applied to everyone.
- 03 January 2014 (Rapists murder Indian girl who reported rapes)An Indian girl who reported rapes was subsequently murdered by the rapists.
- 03 January 2014 (Planned mines in Sweden threaten reindeer)Giant mines planned in Sweden will block reindeer migration, and dust spread by the mines will kill reindeer anyway.
- 03 January 2014 (Global heating melts continental ice and increases sea ice)If someone tells you that the ship now caught in sea ice near Antarctica disproves global heating, here's the real science.
- 03 January 2014 (Software freedom on farms)The software freedom fight comes to the farm, as computerized farm machines have created a battle over whether farms will control their own computing and data, or be prey to Monsanto and other large companies.
- It's regrettable that this idealistic author adopts the anti-idealistic term "open source", which was designed to suppress this sort of idealism. Clearly, the suppression does not work 100%, but it continues to weaken our movement.
- 03 January 2014 (An Economy That Benefits Ordinary People?)An Economy That Benefits Ordinary People? What We Learned From the 1%.
- How to reverse financialization.
- 03 January 2014 (Iraq's deadliest year since 2008)2013 was Iraq's deadliest year since 2008.
- 03 January 2014 (Republicans plan new impediments to abortion)Republicans are planning a new series of artificial impediments to abortion.
- Considering the many ways not having an abortion can harm a woman '-- before, during, and years after birth '-- it would make more sense to require a waiting period for the decision not to have an abortion.
- 03 January 2014 (Chomsky on rich countries' race towards disaster)Chomsky on the NSA, earth's destruction, the loss of journalism, the downgrading of education, and more.
- 03 January 2014 (NSA, Benghazi and the Monsters of Our Own Creation)NSA, Benghazi and the Monsters of Our Own Creation: the US government knows everything but learns nothing.
- The same can be said about al Qa'ida in general. Despite all its intelligence gathering, the US has only managed to make al Qa'ida stronger.
- 03 January 2014 (ACLU trying to find out about NSA surveillance of Americans)The ACLU is trying to find out about the surveillance of Americans that the NSA does as a byproduct of supposedly spying on foreigners.
- 03 January 2014 (NSA intercepting laptops bought online)NSA Intercepting Laptops Bought Online to Install Spy Malware.
- 03 January 2014 (Gmail)Gmail was planned from the start as a massive surveillance system, to make psychological profiles not only of Gmail users but of everyone who sends mail to Gmail users.
- 03 January 2014 (NY Times uses truncated time lines to make claims about Gaza)The New York Times (and other media) use truncated time lines to claim that fighting between Israel and Gaza is always started by Gazans.
- A few years ago it was noted that it was typically Israel that broke the truce with Hamas.
- 03 January 2014 (Urgent: Monsanto Protection Act)US citizens: call for allowing the Monsanto Protection Act to lapse.
- 03 January 2014 (From Turing to Snowden)From Turing to Snowden: How US-UK Pact Forged Modern Surveillance (of everyone).
- It should be noted that the US got various warnings of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, but officials did not take the warnings seriously.
- 02 January 2014 (World's population considers USA to be the biggest threat to world peace)A world-wide poll found that the world's population considers the USA to be the biggest threat to world peace.
- 02 January 2014 (Families applying for welfare in Florida can't be required to take drug tests)An ACLU victory: families applying for welfare in Florida can't be required to take drug tests.
- I joined the ACLU when George I criticized Governor Dukakis for being a "card-carrying member", effectively likening the defense of civil liberties to Communism. I asked myself, "If Michael Dukakis can be an ACLU member, why am I not one?" Then I joined.
- 02 January 2014 (22000 students in New York City are homeless)22000 students in New York City are homeless.
- Will Mayor de Blasio help them find shelter? There are places in New York City where tents could be set up.
- 02 January 2014 (Legal marijuana stores are opening in Colorado)Legal marijuana stores are opening in Colorado.
- 02 January 2014 (Transporting oil by rail is very dangerous)Transporting oil by rail is very dangerous, but pipelines are becoming less safe, too.
- Why are pipelines less safe than previously? Maybe they are just getting old. Maybe the government doesn't require as much inspection and maintenance as before. Maybe the government has fewer inspectors, or doesn't dare fine companies enough to make them comply. It certainly isn't trying hard enough.
- 02 January 2014 (Global heating denialism)Abbott is using his "business advisor" to spread global heating denialism.
- Abbott warned Australia that he isn't the suppository of all wisdom, but who needs a suppository with shit like this?
- 02 January 2014 (Netanyahu's demand for recognizing Israel as a "Jewish state")Ideas for compromise about Netanyahu's demand for recognizing Israel as "a Jewish state" rather than just a state.
- 02 January 2014 (The Israel double standard)The Israel double standard: other countries get sanctions for violating human rights, but Israel only gets a boycott.
- 02 January 2014 (Palestinians in Jerusalem)10,000 Palestinian children living with their parents in Jerusalem can't get Jerusalem residency cards, or health care , and after they reach 16 they won't be allowed to live with (or even visit) their mothers.
- Required identity cards are an injustice in themselves, of course, even if not applied in this discriminatory fashion.
- 02 January 2014 (15 things everyone would know if there were a Liberal media)Daily Kos: 15 things everyone would know if there were a Liberal media.
- 01 January 2014 (Congressional Republicans ask IRS to produce one-sided report)Congressional Republicans ask the IRS to produce a one-sided report, creating an appearance of a scandalous political bias, which the same Republicans then attacked.
- 01 January 2014 (Companies cheat homeless people recruited to work on Fukushima cleanup)Japanese companies recruit homeless people to work on the Fukushima cleanup, then cheat them of their wages.
- I'm glad that there is work available for homeless people, but cheating them is despicable. (It's common practice for businesses to cheat workers.) And this work might be dangerous to them, and to others if not done right. It needs to be done by people who know what they are doing.
- 01 January 2014 (Services that claim to test your DNA)Services that claim to test your DNA and predict risk of various diseases don't really know what they are doing.
- 01 January 2014 (Jobs for college graduates to be replaced by AIs)Some researchers expect that 10 to 20 percent of jobs for college graduates will be replaced by AIs in the next two decades.
- This is in addition to many other jobs that will be eliminated '-- drivers, for instance, and supermarket sales jobs.
- We are already seeing the effects of this, in long-term unemployment of people who have given up looking for jobs. All economic growth goes to the rich few, so it creates few jobs. The jobs lost to computerization will not be replaced by other jobs.
- If you are a young person now and you are not brilliant or aiming at a career such as medicine, I recommend that you not get yourself in debt to go to college. You'll never pay that debt off. Instead, organize for your state to adopt Oregon's plan for funding a college education. If it takes ten years to win, you can go to college then, and you'll still be better off.
- Passing the entrance exam for a Japanese university is less challenging for an AI than you might suppose. Those exams focus on rote learning, so passing requires a lot of knowledge but no creativity. It does, however, require human-style common sense for the reading comprehension, and that is the central challenge in AI.
- 01 January 2014 (Oil extraction from Canadian tar sands spews out mercury)Oil extraction from Canadian tar sands spews out mercury, which is toxic.
- Burning coal also spews mercury.
- Letting companies "regulate themselves" is a standard right-wing agenda. The conservative regime in the US is considering letting chicken factories inspect themselves.
- 01 January 2014 (NSA's methods of spying on computers include physical spy devices)The NSA's methods of spying on computers include physical spy devices such as radio-transmitter USB plugs, as well as devices they insert into a computer while it is being shipped.
- Greenwald and an ACLU lawyer comment on how Obama is the NSA's trojan horse in the Democratic Party.
- We had a name, in the 1980s, for politicians with views like Obama's: "Republicans". I used to be a Democrat '... until the Democratic party as a whole turned conservative and no longer deserved my support. However, we are now electing some Democrats worthy of the name, such as Elizabeth Warren.
- 01 January 2014 (Owners of factory face murder charges)The owners of the factory in which fire killed 112 workers now face murder charges.
- I don't think that the executives of western clothing lines deserve to be charged with murder. It is more effective to make them responsible for the working conditions of the factories that make their clothing '-- and prosecute every time they fail to check, not just on the rare occasions when that kills someone.
- 01 January 2014 (3 more Guantanamo prisoners released)3 more prisoners in Guantanamo have been released.
- The US has known for 10 years that there was never any reason to imprison them.
- 01 January 2014 (Obama keeps lying to whitewash the NSA)Obama keeps lying to whitewash the NSA.
- 01 January 2014 (Oppression of humans by shoot-to-kill rangers in Tanzania)Shoot-to-kill rangers protected elephants, but oppressed humans.
- What can the replacement be?
- 01 January 2014 (Egypt applies US-style forfeiture)Egypt is applying US-style forfeiture to 500 leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.
- 01 January 2014 (Extreme weather disasters in the Caribbean)Extreme weather disasters in the Caribbean.
- 01 January 2014 (Redistribution of US wealth in the past five years)The Shocking Redistribution of [US] Wealth in the Past Five Years.
- 01 January 2014 (New model says 4C of global heating by 2100)A new climate model says we are on track for 4C of global heating by 2100.
- 01 January 2014 (Israeli gov't backs plan to keep West Bank permanently under siege)The Israeli government displayed its contempt for Kerry's "peace negotiations" by backing a plan to annex a large fraction of the West Bank in order to keep it permanently under siege.
- Netanyahu does not care how this affects the "negotiations", since he has no intention of making a peace agreement. I think his goal is to show that he still has the US government cowed; that he can ridicule the US and the "negotiations" and Kerry won't dare make a peep.
- 01 January 2014 (NSA's catalog of attack software)The NSA's catalog of attack software: they can attack BIOSes, routers, even the firmware of hard drives.
- 01 January 2014 (NSA's special cracking unit)The NSA has a special unit to crack security of machines that are hard to crack.
- It is legitimate to have a unit like this, but its operations must be very strictly controlled, and we cannot trust officials that lie to Congress to do that.
- The comparison with "plumbers" is telling, since Nixon used the same metaphor to describe his team of burglars, whose best known crime was in the Watergate hotel.
- 01 January 2014 (States that vote right-wing tend to take from Federal gov't)States that vote right-wing tend to take from the Federal government, while Democratic states contribute.
- 01 January 2014 (Another oil train collision)Another oil train collided and started another big fire.
- We were lucky this time '-- the collision took place in a deserted area and it seems nobody was directly hurt. Oil trains go through towns and cities, and we can't be lucky every time.
- 01 January 2014 (Urgent: Wait for Edward Snowden at the airport)Everyone: On Jan 3, make a sign saying "Edward Snowden", go to an airport, and wait for him to arrive.
- Each note starts with a date and a brief topic in parentheses. That text is also a link to that note.For instance, if the note starts with "20 July 2003 (Iraq)" then you can link to it with "http://www.stallman.org/notes/may-aug-03.html#20 July 2003 (Iraq)".
- Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
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- LGBBTQQIAAP
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- Meet The World's LGBT Billionaires - Forbes
- This year's Forbes Billionaires list featured 172 women '' more than ever before '' and unearthed 268 new ten-figure fortunes. At least one member of the world's 50 richest people can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Yet just seven, or 0.4%, of the globe's 1,645 billionaires openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
- With a combined net worth of nearly $16 billion, the select group of LGBT ten-figure fortunes includes media mogul David Geffen, PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel and Hyatt hotel beneficiary Jennifer Pritzker, one of the Pritzker family's 11 billionaires.
- In August 2013, Jennifer became the first and only transgender billionaire in the world when she announced she would be identifying herself as a woman for all business and personal undertakings. A retired army lieutenant colonel, she is CEO of private wealth management firm Tawani Enterprises in Chicago and has a personal net worth of $1.8 billion.
- ''This change will reflect the beliefs of her true identity that she has held privately and will now share publicly,'' a statement in Crain's Chicago Business explained.
- Among the openly-gay hyper-wealthy are Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the duo behind fashion power house Dolce & Gabbana. The retail-rich pair are joined by Michael Kors, who became a billionaire this year.
- Some of these businessmen and women have used their fortunes to advocate for gay rights. Jon Stryker, heir to the Stryker Corp. medical equipment family fortune, is one of the world's most prolific donors to LGBT charities. Though Laura Rickets is not a member of the Forbes Billionaires list just yet, the lawyer daughter of Chicago Cubs billionaire Joe helped fund the Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition; her stake in the Cubs makes her the first openly-lesbian co-owner of a major-league franchise.
- Of course, that's not to say there aren't LGBTQ billionaires whose sexuality is not public knowledge. A 2013 Gallup poll estimates that 3.5% of Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender; statistically, 19 of America's 492 billionaires should identify as such. As it stands, five of the world's seven richest LGBT individuals are American.
- Some U.S. billionaires have expressed their allegiance for their gay daughters and sons financially: hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer has given more than $10 million to support marriage equality '' his gay son, Andrew, tied the knot '' while Progressive insurance's Peter Lewis has donated $250,000 to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund in 2008, as my colleague Clare O'Connor noted. His son, Jonathan, is also gay.
- Several Silicon Valley elite, including Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, supported marriage equality, while New York Mayor emeritus Michael Bloomberg has long donated to LGBT causes. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sits on the advisory board of Athlete Ally, a nonprofit targeting homophobia in sports.
- Of course, not all high net worth parents are as supportive. Hong Kong businessman Cecil Chao reportedly offered to double the $65 million reward he proposed in 2012 for the man who successfully seduces and marries his lesbian daughter, according to CNBC. His daughter Gigi, who married her long-term girlfriend in 2012, is an LGBT rights activist and charity worker in Hong Kong.
- ''I understand that he loves me, it's just he's from another time and it's difficult for him to understand the plight of the LGBT [community],'' Gigi Chao told the South China Morning Post. Gigi remains an executive director at Chao's Cheuk Nang property development company.
- Being wealthy does not necessarily make it easier to publicly identify as gay. Thiel, who joined the Forbes Billionaires list in 2007 based on the returns of his hedge Clarium Capital and an investment in Facebook, only came out to his friends in 2003, according to The New Yorker. He would have been 35 at the time.
- ''Do you know how many people in the financial world are openly gay?'' Thiel reportedly asked one friend, explaining that he didn't want his sexual orientation to get in the way of his work, writes The New Yorker's George Packer.
- According to our industry categorizations, 252 billionaires derived their wealth from finance or investments in 2014. By our reckoning, Thiel is the only one who is openly gay.
- Of course, some countries are more equal than others in terms of gay rights, which might explain why nations with the second- and third-highest number of billionaires '' China, 152, and Russia, 111 '' do not list a single LGBT billionaire.
- Have we left anyone off? Let us know in the comments, or Tweet @natrobe.
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- Common Core
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- CNN to Launch New Original Series, CHICAGOLAND, with Executive Producer Robert Redford in 2014 '' CNN Press Room - CNN.com Blogs
- Sundance Productions' CHICAGOLAND is produced by BCTV 'Brick City' filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin
- Executive produced by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn of Sundance Productions, and award-winning filmmakers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin of BCTV, CHICAGOLAND is a non-scripted, eight-part original series about a heartland American city. It is as authentic an American city as there is, and the series will explore where politics and policy meet real people's lives '' in a city generating change and innovation in social policy, education, and public safety '' to meet national and local challenges. Preview: http://cnn.it/Ly5zCU
- Beginning in early 2014, viewers will watch the riveting, real-life drama of a city looking to unite at this critical moment in the city's history. In the aftermath of a countrywide economic collapse, Chicago faces the challenges of improving its public education system, and neighborhood and youth safety. Can the city's leaders, communities, and residents come together in ways that expand opportunities and allow aspirations to be realized?
- ''The vibrant culture and opportunities inherent in this 21st century, world-class city run alongside profound daily challenges,'' said Redford. ''Much of it falls on the shoulders of its tough, visionary mayor, his team and people doing heroic work in neighborhoods throughout the city,'' continued Redford. ''Chicago has always had a rhythm all its own. It's a city that wears its heart on its sleeve and I am honored to be a part of telling this story,'' he added.
- ''We're very pleased to bring this unique long-form series to the network,'' said Amy Entelis, senior vice president for talent and content development for CNN Worldwide. ''CHICAGOLAND is a creative exploration of stories relevant to every city and every American,'' Entelis said.
- ''CNN is thrilled to collaborate with the team that brought the award-winning BRICK CITY to television, and producers Redford and Michalchyshyn, to spotlight this groundbreaking story,'' said Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for CNN Worldwide. ''CHICAGOLAND will be shared with CNN's global audience '' and supported by supplemental reporting on the critical issues explored in the series,'' Malhotra said.
- ''Chicago is the quintessential American city and where it goes tells us a lot about where our country is going,'' said series producer Levin. ''We are excited to bring this new kind of docu-series to CNN.''
- ''If change can happen here '' at this school, it can happen anywhere,'' Fenger High School principal Liz Dozier vows in CHICAGOLAND. Fenger's stories, and other Chicago tales, unfold on CNN in early 2014.
- About Sundance Productions
- Launched and founded in 2012 by Robert Redford and Laura Michalchyshyn, Sundance Productions develops and produces innovative, compelling television content for linear and digital platforms in the U.S. and around the world. Sundance Productions partners with leading story-tellers, directors, and producers for the production of authentic tentpole series and specials across all platforms.
- CNN Worldwide is a portfolio of two dozen news and information services across cable, satellite, radio, wireless devices and the Internet in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Domestically, CNN reaches more individuals on television, the web and mobile devices than any other cable TV news organization in the United States; internationally, CNN is the most widely distributed news channel reaching more than 271 million households abroad; and CNN Digital is a top network for online news, mobile news and social media. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world's most extensively utilized news service partnering with hundreds of local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company.
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- CNN Spending Millions on Rahm Emanuel ad campaign for 'Chicagoland' TV series - Illinois Review
- CHICAGO - Last week, CNN kicked off its national promotional campaign for ''Chicagoland,'' the unscripted reality TV series starring Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin and executive producer Robert Redford created the series.
- Regarding the series, Redford gushed with praise for the former White House Chief of Staff who has had- until now '' a reputation for viciousness.
- Nicknamed the ''Godfather,'' Emanuel is known for his temper and vindictive displays. He once sent a dead fish to a pollster who was late in delivering poll results. At a post-election dinner in 1996, Emanuel reportedly plunged a stake into a table and rattled off the names of his enemies shouting, ''Dead! Dead! Dead!''
- But that's not quite the portrait Redford paints when describing his portrayal of Emanuel and his role in the series:
- ''The vibrant culture and opportunities inherent in this 21st century, world-class city run alongside profound daily challenges. Much of it falls on the shoulders of its tough, visionary mayor [Rahm Emanuel], his team and people doing heroic work in neighborhoods throughout the city,'' Redford said in a CNN press statement.
- For an unpopular Chicago mayor like Emanuel, this series could have all the makings of a national political rebrand.
- And it apparently has a million-dollar ad campaign featuring Emanuel to boot.
- ''Chicagoland'' ad on CTA bus
- According to a Chicago Transit Authority spokesperson, 195 king-sized billboards bearing Emanuel's image are running on CTA buses through March 22nd at a cost of approximately $100,000. The spokesperson said CNN was purchasing bus and rail ads in other markets but could not provide further details.
- In addition to the CTA bus ads, giant billboards (photo right) of Emanuel also appear on buildings and on digital signage throughout Chicagoland. CNN's press office did not respond to a request for comment about the total size of the national ad buy for Emanuel's ''Chicagoland'' series. However, even a 10 or 20 city promotional buy would cost '' by these estimates '' upwards of several million dollars.
- The timing of the series' release also deserves question. Emanuel is up for re-election in Chicago in February 2015 and his Chicago approval numbers are in the tank.
- According to the most recent Crain's/Ipsos Poll taken last fall:
- Just 2 percent of Chicagoans surveyed said they strongly approve of the mayor's job performance, with 12 percent somewhat approving and 5 percent leaning that way. At the opposite end, 13 percent strongly disapprove, 9 percent somewhat disapprove and 13 percent lean toward disapproval.
- In Chicago, that gives Mr. Emanuel a net minus 16 rating, down from the plus 4 he had in September, when 37 percent approved and 33 percent disapproved.
- Chicago election attorney James Nally says Illinois law does not prevent or inhibit this promotion of Emanuel. ''There is no equal time rule in Illinois. Equal time is federal.''
- And Emanuel is not a federal candidate '' not yet at least.
- That Levin and Benjamin are also agency clients of Rahm Emanuel's brother Ari, the co-CEO of WMA has also raised eyebrows. Due to these conflicts-of-interests, WME did not represent the ''Chicagoland'' directors in their negotiations with CNN. It is not known whether WME still took its agency fee from the CNN contract since the directors are under contract.
- The eight-part documentary series airs every Thursday beginning March 6, 2014, with repeats on Saturdays and Sunday nights.
- For Emanuel, the CNN prelude to his re-election effort and accompanying ad campaign could not have come at more politically opportune time.
- William J. Kelly is a television producer and conservative columnist. He currently hosts ''Power Player'' on Tribune's 24-hour news channel CLTV.
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- 'Chicagoland' - CNN, Robert Redford Pen Love Letter to Rahm Emanuel?
- CNN's new reality miniseries Chicagoland may break that mold for ideological reasons.
- The show, which begins at 10 p.m. EST Thursday, takes a long look at the Windy City and its mayor, Rahm Emanuel. Given the city's reputation for corruption and high murder rates, it seems like prime fodder for a news network looking to expand its reality show roster with a side of grit.
- Consider the ad published in Entertainment Weekly trumpeting the new show. Here are some quotes used to gin up interest:
- Thanks to the Chicago Public Schools, my parents could focus on me not my deafness. I was free to learn, to play and most importantly, free to dream. - Marlee Matlin, a deaf actress best known for Children of a Lesser God.
- Someone said to me once I can tell you're from Chicago because you look me in the eyes. I'm really proud to be from Chi-Town," actor Jeremy Piven, Entourage.
- And here's the tag line: A City Is Only as Strong as Its Leaders ...
- Redford described both his show and his unabashed admiration for Mayor Emanuel to CNN recently to help promote the series.
- It's painful to see the disparate parts of a city where there's poverty, and there's crime, but that's not exclusive to Chicago. It's in every city. So I think it's important, rather than just dwelling on the negative parts. ... But let's see the other side of it. Let's see the more positive side, because it does exist. And put the two together, and then you get a complete picture of what a city is like.
- The famed actor also acknowledges his true feelings for the show's main character.
- Look, I have a high regard for Rahm Emanuel. It is not an easy job. To manage a city like Chicago with so many disparate parts to it is not an enviable task. I think that he is as qualified as anybody, but boy, it's like being the president of the United States.
- Now, is this how a supposedly fair and balanced news outlet handles the coverage of a major city via a docu-series? Perhaps the finished product will be more objective. So far, all signs point to anything but that approach.
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- Bank$ters
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- How the post office could save the economy '-- and change your life - Salon.com
- Ever since the inspector general of the U.S. Postal Service authored a white paper endorsing the concept of postal banking, more advocates and policymakers have become intrigued. Postal banking is actually an old idea: Dozens of countries offer simple financial services through their posts, and here in America, Postal Savings Accounts served millions of customers from 1911-1967 (the post office still sells money orders today). But it could also fix a number of our current problems simultaneously, even ones you haven't thought about. Here are 10 different applications of postal banking, in order from most to least obvious:
- 1) Financial inclusion for low-income Americans. The most recent data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation shows that about 10 million households are ''unbanked,'' with no access to traditional financial services. Another 24 million are ''underbanked,'' meaning they have a bank account but still use alternative services like check cashing stores, pawnbrokers or payday lenders. The unbanked and underbanked represent over one in four households in the U.S. In many cases they literally can't find a bank in their communities; 93 percent of all bank branch closings since 2008 have come in ZIP codes where the average household income is below the median level. By offering basic financial services '' an ATM card, an interest-bearing savings account, even potentially small loans '' the Postal Service can give millions stable access to banking, a critical component of our modern society. Try renting a car, obtaining health insurance on healthcare.gov or even getting a job without a bank account.
- 2) Reducing inequality and boosting the economy. Unbanked and underbanked Americans pay a hefty price for their lack of access. According to the Postal Service IG report, the average household spends $2,412 a year on interest and fees for alternative financial services. This is about one-tenth of their gross income, going right into the corporate accounts of unscrupulous and predatory operations. If the post office can deliver these services at a dramatic discount, they could save families thousands of dollars, and drive the conglomerates that prey on these communities out of business. Not only does this fit with the regulatory imperative of protecting Americans from financial abuse, it gives them breathing room to pay for necessities, putting the money back into the economy. People who filed for bankruptcy in 2012 were just $26 a month short of meeting their expenses. Discounted financial services could fill that gap, lifting many Americans out of desperation and stretching their income.
- 3) Stabilizing the Postal Service. We should be careful with trying to balance the books of the post office on the backs of the working poor. But the good news is that the Postal Service's finances are not as dire as advertised '' most of the recent shortfall comes from them having to pre-fund retirement benefits 75 years out, something no public agency or private business has to do '' and the modest income earned from basic banking services can merely help keep them flush. It's a far better alternative than mass layoffs and branch closures at the nation's second-largest civilian employer, which allows hundreds of thousands of families a union job and a ladder into the middle class. Post offices already have the critical physical infrastructure to serve these communities '' 58 percent of their branches are in ZIP codes with one bank branch or fewer. Offering banking will ensure the Postal Service keeps those branches and survives long into the future.
- 4) A better way to deliver federal benefits. Did you know that Social Security benefits no longer get distributed via check? State and federal agencies, to save money and promote convenience, have started to deliver benefits through direct deposit, or for those without a bank account, through electronic benefits transfers (EBT) onto debit cards. Predictably, big banks pick up this business and charge high fees for beneficiaries to access food stamps or unemployment insurance. With postal banking, federal benefits could get loaded onto Postal ATM Cards at no additional cost, saving the government and beneficiaries money. Moreover, the unbanked would have an easy way to access their benefits.
- 5) A savings vehicle for the poor. President Obama tried to address the problem of inadequate savings for retirement with myRA, a savings system deducted from paychecks that earns a modest rate of return without risk of loss. I've written about how myRA doesn't really do much to solve the retirement crisis. More important, myRA accounts over $15,000 must get rolled over into a Roth IRA, subjecting that money to the vicissitudes of the market and the Wall Street financial advisers who charge exorbitant fees for the privilege. The Postal Service could offer the exact same savings account as myRA, without having to roll it over. This at least promotes savings that could be used in an emergency or as a modest aid in retirement.
- 6) Bringing immigrants into society. Historical data shows that the old Postal Savings System was most popular with recent immigrants, who had experience doing their banking at postal branches in their countries. Currently, immigrants take advantage of the post office for money orders and ''Dinero Seguro,'' an electronic money transfer service to nine Latin American countries. Adding postal banking could really cater to these communities by hooking up with other global postal systems. The International Financial System of the Universal Postal Union includes over 60 countries, making it simple and cheap to transfer funds electronically from one country to another. International money transfers from the U.S. rose to $51 billion in 2012, and the Postal Service is well-positioned to facilitate this. Immigrants using a government agency could bring them closer into U.S. society and ease the hardships of our immigration system.
- 7) Preventing identity fraud. The recent data breaches at Target have revealed a shocking truth '' America has the worst payment security system in the world, and as a result, over half of the world's identity theft happens here. Unlike most developed countries, U.S. credit and debit cards have a magnetic stripe, instead of the more secure ''chip-and-PIN'' system (where cards have a microchip in them, and customers have to use a PIN number at the point of sale). If you read the excuses from major banks about why they haven't upgraded this outdated system, you'll see a lot of finger-pointing at retailers who don't have the proper card readers. In reality, banks just don't want to pay for the upgrade of issuing new cards and the customer service of dealing with forgotten PIN numbers. The Postal Service, with no old debit cards to retire, could immediately use chip-and-PIN systems and force the upgrade the country needs.
- 8) Modernizing the payment system. Hey, forget credit and debit cards; that's old technology. Countries like Kenya have successfully experimented with mobile payments, making transferring money as simple as sending a text message. Benefiting from starting from scratch, the Postal Service could integrate accounts with mobile seamlessly, enabling convenient payments through smartphones for everything from utility bills to the corner store. Our current payment system is slow; it takes days for a check or debit card transaction to clear when with mobile payments it could take minutes, and banks refuse to upgrade the system (notice a pattern?). The Postal Service could serve as the backbone for a new system that would improve payments for individuals and small businesses.
- 9) Safeguarding personal data. Like every other business in America, banks sell your personal information to advertisers and use your data as a profit center. This is one way that predatory lenders target low-income communities, finding their leads through personal financial data. With postal banking, your information is likely to be protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, which applies to all government agencies. This would be perhaps the first legitimate halt to the mass big data grab that infects practically everything we do these days, and it would help prevent deceptive credit practices by denying crooked businesses the information they need to target people.
- 10) Ending recessions. Truly. Postal banking would integrate well with the concept of giving everyone with a Social Security number an ATM account with the Federal Reserve, instead of intermediating it through a commercial bank. The physical ATMs could be at any of the 35,000 postal branches nationwide (or through their mobile-enabled postal account). Rajiv Sehti, an economics professor at Barnard College and Columbia University, explains that this would allow the Fed to directly target economic downturns. When the economy lags, the Fed could place a few hundred dollars in everyone's account, with the proviso that it gets spent immediately. That would offer an immediate and timely Keynesian stimulus, paid for by normal Fed operations (the Fed made $79.5 billion last year alone). Conducting monetary policy this way would do a lot more to help Main Street than the current quantitative easing, which raises asset prices and helps mostly the wealthy.
- This menu of possibilities for postal banking makes it extremely attractive, along with the fact that, according to the inspector general report, the Postal Service may explore it under its existing authority, rather than having to hope for an act of Congress. The Postal Service Board of Governors can begin this process tomorrow by starting some pilot programs. New Board of Governors nominee Vicki Kennedy (Ted's widow) can follow in her family's footsteps by improving the lives of millions of ordinary Americans through postal banking, the Swiss army knife of public policy.
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- Out There
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- Raffi Khatchadourian: Can an Audacious Plan to Create a New Energy Resource Help Save the Planet? : The New Yorker
- Years from now'--maybe in a decade, maybe sooner'--if all goes according to plan, the most complex machine ever built will be switched on in an Alpine forest in the South of France. The machine, called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, will stand a hundred feet tall, and it will weigh twenty-three thousand tons'--more than twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower. At its core, densely packed high-precision equipment will encase a cavernous vacuum chamber, in which a super-hot cloud of heavy hydrogen will rotate faster than the speed of sound, twisting like a strand of DNA as it circulates. The cloud will be scorched by electric current (a surge so forceful that it will make lightning seem like a tiny arc of static electricity), and bombarded by concentrated waves of radiation. Beams of uncharged particles'--the energy in them so great it could vaporize a car in seconds'--will pour into the chamber, adding tremendous heat. In this way, the circulating hydrogen will become ionized, and achieve temperatures exceeding two hundred million degrees Celsius'--more than ten times as hot as the sun at its blazing core.
- No natural phenomenon on Earth will be hotter. Like the sun, the cloud will go nuclear. The zooming hydrogen atoms, in a state of extreme kinetic excitement, will slam into one another, fusing to form a new element'--helium'--and with each atomic coupling explosive energy will be released: intense heat, gamma rays, X rays, a torrential flux of fast-moving neutrons propelled in every direction. There isn't a physical substance that could contain such a thing. Metals, plastics, ceramics, concrete, even pure diamond'--all would be obliterated on contact, and so the machine will hold the superheated cloud in a ''magnetic bottle,'' using the largest system of superconducting magnets in the world. Just feet from the reactor's core, the magnets will be cooled to two hundred and sixty-nine degrees below zero, nearly the temperature of deep space. Caught in the grip of their titanic forces, the artificial earthbound sun will be suspended, under tremendous pressure, in the pristine nothingness of ITER's vacuum interior.
- For the machine's creators, this process'--sparking and controlling a self-sustaining synthetic star'--will be the culmination of decades of preparation, billions of dollars' worth of investment, and immeasurable ingenuity, misdirection, recalibration, infighting, heartache, and ridicule. Few engineering feats can compare, in scale, in technical complexity, in ambition or hubris. Even the ITER organization, a makeshift scientific United Nations, assembled eight years ago to construct the machine, is unprecedented. Thirty-five countries, representing more than half the world's population, are invested in the project, which is so complex to finance that it requires its own currency: the ITER Unit of Account.
- No one knows ITER's true cost, which may be incalculable, but estimates have been rising steadily, and a conservative figure rests at twenty billion dollars'--a sum that makes ITER the most expensive scientific instrument on Earth. But if it is truly possible to bottle up a star, and to do so economically, the technology could solve the world's energy problems for the next thirty million years, and help save the planet from environmental catastrophe. Hydrogen, a primordial element, is the most abundant atom in the universe, a potential fuel that poses little risk of scarcity. Eventually, physicists hope, commercial reactors modelled on ITER will be built, too'--generating terawatts of power with no carbon, virtually no pollution, and scant radioactive waste. The reactor would run on no more than seawater and lithium. It would never melt down. It would realize a yearning, as old as the story of Prometheus, to bring the light of the heavens to Earth, and bend it to humanity's will. ITER, in Latin, means ''the way.''
- The main road to the ITER construction site from Aix-en-Provence, where I had booked a room, is the A51 highway. The drive is about half an hour, winding north past farmland and the sun-glittered Durance River. Just about every form of energy is in evidence nearby, from hydroelectric dams to floating solar panels. Seams of lignite, a soft brownish coal, run beneath the soil in Provence, but the deposits have become too expensive to mine. Several miles from Aix, a large coal plant, with a chimney that climbs hundreds of feet into the sky, is being converted to burn biomass'--leaves, branches, and agricultural debris. ITER is being built a mile or two from the wooded campus of the Commissariat l'nergie Atomique et aux nergies Alternatives, a state-funded research organization, created in 1945 to advance nuclear power, and now also renewable energy. Evergreen oak and Aleppo pine cover the foothills; beneath them, the French government maintains its largest strategic oil reserve.
- ITER's headquarters, a five-floor edifice, was erected two years ago. An undulating wave of gray concrete slats shade its floor-to-ceiling windows. Its interior is simple: whitewashed walls, polished-concrete floors. The building's southern fa§ade overlooks a work site, more than a hundred acres of construction on the opposite side of a berm. By the time the reactor is turned on'--the formal target date for its first experiment is 2020'--the site will be home to a small city. Nearly forty buildings will surround the machine, from cooling towers to a cryogenics plant, which will produce liquid helium to cool the superconducting magnets. A skywalk extends from the second floor of the headquarters to the berm, where a capacious NASA-style control room will one day be built. For now, the bridge ends in a pile of ochre dirt, and the only way to the vast expanse of construction is via a circuitous drive.
- When I arrived, on a late-summer morning, the air was dry and warm'--filled with the aroma of pine, lavender, and wild thyme. Five hundred people work for ITER's central organization, but an unusual sense of quiet and vacancy permeated the place; this was August in France, and many workers had taken time off. The atmosphere seemed to be drawn from the imagination of J. G. Ballard: the modernist husk of a utopian project, half-finished, half-populated, isolated amid a primeval forest. A few people with clipboards stood beneath the sun to map out an expansion to the headquarters. To save money, an entire wing had been abandoned during the construction, and employees worked out of temporary annexes'--their staircases and walls hollow, like stage sets'--built several hundred yards away, with shuttle buses moving among the buildings. The busing has proved to be impractical, and so the wing will be constructed after all, though now at greater expense.
- In a bare lobby, I wandered over to a model of the reactor core: a cylinder, dense with mechanical parts, rendered in brightly colored bits of machined plastic. ITER's design is based on an idea that Andrei Sakharov and another Russian physicist, Igor Tamm, sketched out in the nineteen-fifties. It is called a tokamak'--old Soviet shorthand for a more precise and geometrical name, toroidalnaya kamera s aksialnym magnitnym polem, or ''toroidal chamber with an axial magnetic field.'' Sakharov's rough sketch depicted a doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber, or torus, ringed with electromagnets, and that is how ITER's core will look, too, once it is completed.
- In myriad ways, the project is a fragment of the Cold War stranded in the present day. Sakharov had predicted that a reactor based on his sketch would produce energy in only ten or fifteen years. Subsequent physicists who built and ran experimental tokamaks were equally optimistic, always predicting success in a decade or two or three. Yet, while other scientific challenges have been overcome'--launching Yuri Gagarin into orbit; delivering a rover to Mars; sequencing the human genome; discovering the Higgs boson in CERN's Large Hadron Collider'--controlled thermonuclear energy has remained elusive. The National Academy of Engineering regards the construction of a commercial thermonuclear reactor'--the kind of device that would follow ITER'--as one of the top engineering challenges of the twenty-first century. Some in the field believe that a working machine would be a monument to human achievement surpassing the pyramids of Giza.
- ITER was first proposed in 1985, during a tense summit in Geneva between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, who agreed to collaborate ''in obtaining this source of energy, which is essentially inexhaustible, for the benefit for all mankind.'' Since then, the co¶peration has expanded to include the European Union, China, Japan, South Korea, and India. In the ITER lexicon, each partner is a Domestic Agency. Unlike any previous scientific collaboration, no partner has full control, and there is no over-all central budget. Each country makes its primary contribution in the form of finished components, which the ITER organization will assemble in France. The arrangement could serve as a model for future collaborations'--or as one to avoid. At the headquarters, there is a circular dais, where representatives from the Domestic Agencies come and sit, with flags and placards before them, like members of the U.N. Security Council. But there are limits to diplomacy in nuclear engineering. Big machines either work as they're supposed to or they don't. Compromise and politesse can be disastrous. Thousands of components'--many of them huge machines in their own right'--must be slotted beside one another, more or less perfectly, and there will be scant ability to correct imperfections after they are delivered. Ultimately, the project's success may rest on a simple question: Will everything fit together?
- Stefano Chiocchio, ITER's head of design integration'--its chief puzzle master'--works in one of the temporary annexes near the headquarters. His BlackBerry typically contains an impossible schedule of overlapping appointments, forcing him to conduct meeting triage as he rushes around like a zigzagging atomic particle. Rather than take the shuttle among the buildings, he drives his car to save minutes. When he speaks, he often gets halfway through a sentence, stops, and says, ''O.K.'''--ending his thought right there. Sometimes a friend will stop him mid-stride, and say, ''Stefano,'' and smooth out his rumpled collar.
- Chiocchio's engineers are, in a sense, the project's Praetorian Guard, as one ITER official told me. So far, the vast machine exists only as 1.8 terabytes of digital information, accessible on a secure computing cloud, and backed up every night to a bank of hard drives in Barcelona. The hard drives are secured, but the main threat to the files is the work itself'--with alterations to the design coming simultaneously from the ITER headquarters, from the Domestic Agencies, and from subcontractors around the world. Ideally, the changes are added only with the Praetorian Guard's approval. Still, incompatibilities proliferate, with many lying in wait like insurgents. Chiocchio's team must hunt down entire taxonomies of conflicts'--''nonconformities'' and ''clashes'' and ''deviations.'' On most days, it seems that there aren't enough hours to do it.
- I was supposed to meet Chiocchio on the fifth floor of the main building, but when I arrived there was no receptionist, no security to speak of, no one I could find to ask where he was. I heard my footsteps echo down the long, sunlit corridors as I looked for him. In one conference room, I interrupted a meeting, and a few seconds later a short, smiling man in his fifties came rushing out. It was Chiocchio. His hair, virtually gone on top, graying and wavy on the sides, framed a tired face with rounded features. Greeting me warmly, he ushered me back into the room, and urged me to sit.
- Two dozen engineers were seated around tables arranged in a horseshoe, and the mood was sombre. A sense of crisis has come to surround ITER like the concentric nebulae of a dying sun. The project has been falling behind schedule almost since it began'--in 1993, it was thought that the machine could be ready by 2010'--and there will certainly be further delays. Morale is through the floor, and one can expect cynicism, disagreements, black humor. ''There is anxiety here that it is all going to implode,'' one physicist told me. Many engineers and physicists at ITER believe that the delays are self-inflicted, having little to do with engineering or physics and everything to do with the way that ITER is organized and managed. Key members of the technical staff have left; others have taken ''stress leave'' to recuperate. Not long ago, the director-general, Osamu Motojima, a Japanese physicist, who has run the organization since 2010, ordered workmen to install at the headquarters' entrance a granite slab proclaiming ITER's presence. People call it a tombstone.
- Chiocchio's engineers had assembled to discuss their most urgent problem: delays in constructing the enormous building that will house the tokamak. The holdup had its own history. ITER had ended up in Provence following years of geopolitical argument over its location. The fight narrowed until just two countries remained, France and Japan, and finally a compromise was struck: the site would be in France, but ITER's director-general would be Japanese. There are many reasons that building a project like ITER in France makes good sense; France is singularly reliant on nuclear power, and Europe has built some of the world's most well-regarded tokamaks. But the region is prone to earthquakes, and to winds so strong that they can cause a large building to sway several inches. So the machine, along with two structures housing critical equipment, will be built on a special foundation'--a concrete slab, called the B2 slab'--that will be supported by hundreds of anti-seismic plinths, in what ITER engineers call the Tokamak Seismic Isolation Pit. The slab must support three hundred and sixty thousand tons of equipment and infrastructure.
- Early on, to maintain the schedule, construction was rushed forward, even though significant portions of the tokamak design were incomplete. It was like building the shell of a rocket before its engine is designed'--or worse, because, as Chiocchio said, ''one of the difficulties with this nuclear building is that after it is built, in many cases, you cannot drill a hole in it. Once a wall is finished, that's it. The building has a safety function, a confinement function, and one of the main requirements is that it has no cracks through which radioactivity can migrate and escape. We have to be sure that we have not missed anything'--every pipe, every cable'--because if we do miss something, and someone says, 'O.K., let's just bolt this to the wall''--well, no, we cannot do that.'' And yet ITER's tremendous scale and machine density make it virtually impossible to know where everything will go. Six thousand miles of cable will run through the machine, delivering electrical power to two hundred and fifty thousand terminal points. One heating system will send a million watts of microwave radiation through a window made of a large synthetic diamond. The system will require perfectly straight tubular guides to transport the waves; no other component can impede them.
- To solve the riddle of building-before-machine, the engineers have been designing special portals throughout the structure. ''Basically, what we have to do now is make sure we have predefined places, with steel plates embedded in the walls, where we can support all the systems that we have inside,'' Chiocchio explained. ''We have to put in a lot of these embedment plates, more than eighty thousand, but each one costs a lot of money, and the European Domestic Agency, which is responsible for the building, is complaining that we are putting in too many.'' Complaints become arguments, arguments become delays, and delays with the building now threaten the whole project. ''If the building is not finished, we will have components sitting along the road. A day of delay now starts costing, I don't know, probably close to a million euros.''
- In the conference room, the engineers studied a PowerPoint presentation titled ''TKM Complex'--B1 level status week 34 and actions week 35.'' A member of the design-integration team, Jean-Jacques Cordier, was leading the discussion. As the meeting ended, he noted that there was not enough time to vet the components that occupy the third floor: plans had to be gathered, specifications brought up to date, problems reconciled. ''It is not reasonable,'' he said. ''It means that we would need to process thousands of data points in three weeks.'' Chiocchio asked if things would speed up after early floors were finished, but there were simply too many details to work through before delivering drawings to the contractor. ''We have no more float,'' Cordier said. ''If we delay now, we will have a real delay. The only way to avoid a schedule loss is to increase our resources to cope with it.''
- That afternoon, Chiocchio joined me for lunch. He seemed exhausted. ITER, by the time it is finished, will contain ten million individual parts, but he had only twenty-eight people working for him. He later showed me a room near his office where three men sit at workstations every day to hunt down conflicts. Before each man, there was the huge ITER puzzle in miniature, filling up two computer screens. Up close, the design looked as though someone had taken the industrial landscape that runs alongside the New Jersey Turnpike and compressed it into a cube the volume of a Holiday Inn. ''We have to check everything, from clashes to interfaces'--like here,'' one of the men said, pointing to a schematic where a support structure for the tokamak was not lining up with an embedment plate. To fix it, he would have to inform a team of designers two floors below. Usually, members of the Guard relay messages that others do not want to hear, he said, adding, ''In fact, we are not well loved by everybody.''
- As Chiocchio saw it, many design conflicts arise because of the project's political underpinnings. Changes to one component often make others (built in other countries) more expensive, and the ensuing arguments are difficult to resolve. From the outset, each Domestic Agency vied to build the machine's state-of-the-art components, so that its industries could gain the know-how; as a result, the design and the manufacture of the most sophisticated parts have been split apart in ways that are politically expedient but are at odds with engineering prudence. A single manufacturer should build ITER's vacuum chamber, a high-precision device that must operate with perfect symmetry. Instead, it will be constructed in nine segments, two in Korea and the rest in Europe. The design calls for certain features to be welded, but the Europeans decided to use bolts, which are cheaper. The Praetorian Guard, with little more than the power of persuasion, must insure that the device is whole.
- Common frames of reference are often hard to find, and Chiocchio was constantly working to prevent ITER from becoming a scientific Tower of Babel. He pushes scientists to use the same terminology (even, occasionally, the same language), and to use the same metric standard of measurement. It is the job of a scold, but he has been with ITER for two decades, and, like many people who build tokamaks, he came to the project with a sense of mission. Thermonuclear energy'--or nuclear fusion, as it is also called'--differs from fission, the type of atomic reactions harnessed by existing reactors, and its promise is vastly greater. An engineer who has devoted his career to the goal of a working reactor once told me, ''Fusion has an interesting pathology to it'--the allure of it is so immense.'' In the ITER headquarters, one can sense this: a psychological force that attenuates, or confines, pessimism like a magnetic field. I picked up on it one afternoon when a dispirited physicist brightened as he made the case, half joking, that the spaceship in ''Star Trek'' was powered by fusion.
- Chiocchio has been touched by it, too. He had started his career in fission, his interest emerging out of dire predictions about peak oil. ''There was this story of limited growth, how the planet would be affected by its lack of resources, and I thought nuclear energy would help solve this,'' he told me. ''But, after a few years, I was, let's say, impacted by Chernobyl, which stopped nuclear activities worldwide. In Italy, the project that I was working on came slowly to an end'--O.K., it wasn't stopped, but it was clear that there was no more political support for building new nuclear plants.'' He eventually found contract work with a European tokamak called the Joint European Torus, or JET, and later made his way to ITER. ''Fusion looked like it would have a chance'--a clean alternative to fission,'' he said. ''But there is a difference: fission is a reality. Fusion is on its way toward reality.''
- The basic physics of thermonuclear energy is seductively simple. Fission produces energy by atomic fracture, fusion by tiny acts of atomic union. Every atom contains at least one proton, and all protons are positively charged, which means that they repel one another, like identical ends of a magnet. As protons are forced closer together, their electromagnetic opposition grows stronger. If electromagnetism were the only force in nature, the universe might exist only as single-proton hydrogen atoms keeping solitary company. But as protons get very near'--no farther than 0.000000000000001 metres'--another fundamental force, called the strong force, takes over. It is about a hundred times more powerful than electromagnetism, and it binds together everything inside the atomic nucleus.
- Getting protons close enough to cross this barrier and to allow the strong force to bind them requires tremendous energy. Every atom in the universe is moving, and the hotter something is the greater its kinetic agitation. Thermonuclear temperatures'--in the sun's core, fifteen million degrees'--are high enough to cause protons to slam together so forcefully that they are united by the strong force. Hydrogen nuclei slam together and form helium. Helium nuclei slam together and form beryllium. The atoms take on more protons, and become heavier. But, strangely, with each coupling a tiny amount of mass is lost, too. In 1905, Einstein demonstrated, with his most famous equation, E=mc2, that the missing mass is released in the form of energy as the nucleus is bound together. The quantity of energy is awesome'--in some cases, a thousand times what is needed to get atoms to bind in the first place. Without it, stars would not burn, and space would remain forever cold.
- The sun is, essentially, a four-hundred-quintillion-megawatt thermonuclear power plant, fuelled by billions of years' worth of hydrogen. Five* million tons of it is converted into energy every second. ''If you go back, really far, you see the first caveman crawl out of his cave and be surprised every time the sun came up'--that was the first time mankind encountered a fusion reactor,'' Ned Sauthoff, a physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Tennessee, who serves as ITER's American project manager, told me. ''It was ninety-three million miles away. But, of course, the caveman was impressed by the warmth and the light, and, being human, he said, 'How can I have one of those?' ''
- In this quest, humanity first dabbled with fire, a pale facsimile of the sun, and then with scientific fraud. In 1951, Argentina's President, Juan Per"n, announced that, on the island of Huemul, his scientists had built the world's first thermonuclear reactor'--something that neither the United States nor the Soviet Union, with their grand weapons programs, had sought to do. Crude fission reactors, yes: Enrico Fermi had created one in Chicago as early as 1942. But, at that time, fusion had only one real place in the American scientific imagination: the hydrogen bomb, still in secret development, not yet detonated.
- The announcement was front-page news in the Times. Per"n extolled the reactor, pronouncing it ''transcendental.'' Instead of providing details, he introduced the project's chief designer, Ronald Richter, a scientist from Austrian-controlled Czechoslovakia who had conducted military-sponsored research in Germany during the Third Reich**. On Huemul, Richter had built a concrete bunker, nearly the shape of a cube, which housed a machine that he called a ''thermotron.'' Few people had access to the device, and what little Richter described quickly raised doubts. Some physicists suspected that he was a swindler, or crazy'--though an American intelligence assessment wondered if he was a ''mad genius'' who was ''thinking in the year 1970.'' When public pressure grew for a demonstration, Richter began to act erratically. He made requests for gunpowder, to improve the efficacy of his machine. Eventually, military technicians went to visit Huemul, and returned announcing the ''Richter discovery a colossal bluff.''
- The triumphant announcement, followed by scientific retreat and humiliation, set a pattern that would plague the field for decades. Still, Richter's thermotron did have an unexpected consequence: it prompted American physicists to consider what a genuine thermonuclear reactor might look like. The day the Times published the story, Lyman Spitzer, a thirty-six-year-old Princeton astrophysicist who had been recruited to work on the hydrogen bomb, rushed out to get a copy. Spitzer was among the thermotron's skeptics, but he was intrigued. With fusion reactions a million times more energetic than fire, two and a half pounds of the right hydrogen isotopes could produce as much energy as eighteen million pounds of coal.
- Spitzer was on his way to Aspen for a ski trip, and as he went up the chairlifts, again and again, he turned the idea over in his head. As an astrophysicist, he was familiar with the punishing conditions that stars require to burn, and the lack of any physical material to contain them. At the super-high temperatures necessary for fusion, the hydrogen atoms would be unlike any of the common states of matter'--solids, liquids, or gases'--but would exist as ionized gas, or plasma, which would have unique electrical properties. Ninety-nine per cent of the visible universe is plasma. Spitzer knew that the ionized gas, with its free-floating charged particles, would respond to magnetic fields. Perhaps, he reasoned, a system of magnets could contain a thermonuclear cloud in a vacuum. The plasma would never have to touch a thing.
- Spitzer was given time off from his bomb work to set up a secret thermonuclear-energy project in an old rabbit hutch at Princeton. He designed a tabletop device, which he called a stellarator, that looked like a pipe twisted into a figure eight. When the device was first turned on in the darkened hutch, an instantaneous purple glow appeared: the plasma, lasting a millisecond. Eventually, Spitzer was able to heat the ions to a million degrees. As he tinkered with his stellarator, government investment in thermonuclear energy began to increase, with budgets entering the millions, and competing scientists developed different magnetic bottles. There was the Perhapsatron, the ''mirror'' machine, the Fusor.
- No matter the approach, the physicists reasoned that, as the plasma became denser, hotter, and longer-lasting, the conditions for fusion would eventually be met. But, because the point of the research was to build a commercial reactor, simply fusing atoms would not be enough. The plasma would have to produce at least as much energy as the physicists were pouring into it'--an atomic breakeven'--and then, beyond that, generate a net gain in energy. The ultimate goal, which the physicists called ''ignition,'' is to excite the plasma to a state where it will heat itself like a star, requiring the barest effort to sustain and control.
- The early machines performed terribly. They sucked up huge amounts of energy, only to run instantaneous plasmas. As the physicists quickly realized, they were working against physical conditions totally inhospitable to thermonuclear energy. In the sun's inner core, gravity is so crushing that light and heat from fusion can take more than a hundred thousand years to zigzag through the thick gas and reach Earth. With that kind of pressure impossible to replicate here, the scientists sought to compensate with extreme temperature. But the plasma had other ideas. Merely containing it long enough to heat was a challenge. One had only to look at the surface of the sun'--a roiling sea of plasma instability'--to see why. One scientist compared the effort to holding jelly in rubber bands.
- In 1958, with progress largely stalled, the work was declassified and exchanged with academics, and even with the Soviets. The West learned of Sakharov's tokamak, conceived during a break in his bomb work. The tokamak had trouble with plasmas, too, but it was a remarkably elegant design. Spitzer had fashioned his vacuum chamber into a figure eight to correct for an unavoidable imbalance in magnetic fields. Sakharov had designed a chamber that was compact, symmetrical, shaped like a doughnut'--the torus. To correct for the same magnetic imbalance, he decided to drive a powerful current through the plasma, to keep it from drifting. The process would not only stabilize the swirling ionized gas but also heat it. Soon, tokamaks were achieving new milestones: denser, hotter plasmas. No device was more promising. If a self-sustaining star could be formed inside Sakharov's chamber, the heat could drive turbines that would provide near-limitless energy.
- By the time Chiocchio joined ITER, in 1993, the field of fusion had travelled an uneven road of setbacks and accomplishments. Scientists were building bigger and bigger tokamaks, having calculated that as the chamber's volume increased so would its capacity to maintain a plasma that was stable and energetic enough to heat itself. The bigger the machines got, the more expensive they became, and more was expected of them. In Washington, their shortcomings were harshly judged'--especially as the oil crises of the nineteen-seventies waned, and oil seemed plentiful. In the eighties, two chemists announced that they had produced ''cold fusion'': thermonuclear reactions, at room temperatures, in what looked like an ordinary test tube. The claims were quickly exposed as a fraud, adding a patina of credulousness to genuine research that was already struggling with credibility. And yet, by 1993, physicists were making a clear approach toward breakeven. They were hopeful that if they could build a big enough machine the barrier could be breached'--decades of frustrating effort would finally yield energy.
- In those early years, ITER had'--for the only time in its history'--a single visionary at its helm: a French physicist named Paul-Henri Rebut. Balding, with intense eyes darting behind large glasses, Rebut had designed JET, a widely praised machine with a vacuum chamber big enough to walk through. Some colleagues referred to him as a genius; he could attend to engineering obstacles with extreme focus, and was able to visualize simple solutions for intricate problems. At JET, Rebut wandered the halls of the design office at night'--he thought more clearly while pacing'--and sometimes he went from workstation to workstation, penning corrections or x-ing out whole ideas. ''He could be brutal,'' Chiocchio recalled. ''But he was very, very clever.''
- Once Rebut had agreed to take charge of ITER, he moved with characteristic boldness. For years, in various workshops, a conceptual design had been sketched out for a dual-purpose machine that was partly an experiment to prove fusion's feasibility and partly a prototype for a commercial reactor. Rebut tossed out the design and replaced it with his own: a gargantuan device, in effect a full prototype. In his mind, fusion was already feasible'--and, as he had once explained, ''There is a general tendency not to be harsh enough in this field and to go too slowly, not to make the necessary step large enough.'' He envisioned a vacuum vessel seventy-two feet in diameter. Its plasma would produce a gigawatt, or a billion watts, possibly more, and run for a thousand seconds. He saw no point in the massive global effort without chasing the ultimate goal: ignition.
- At that time, ITER had no formal organization. ''All of us were basically assigned to this international team from our own countries,'' Chiocchio recalled. Three offices were opened: one in Garching, Germany, where components inside the vacuum chamber were being worked on; another in Naka, Japan, which concentrated mostly on magnets; and a design center in San Diego, where Rebut was based. Chiocchio worked in Germany, but he sometimes flew to see Rebut. ''I remember he had a chair with wheels, and was rolling among the workstations of the designers,'' he recalled. ''Rebut himself was the integrator. We were sending them faxes every evening, and they were sending us responses by fax every morning. We were joking, this is design by 'strategic fax.' But the approach was not entirely entropic. It had an advantage. Instead of working eight hours a day, we were working sixteen.''
- The design was extremely elastic: features shifted continually in relation to other features that were also shifting. ''The team was not so big, so we knew each other well,'' Chiocchio said. Working at the conceptual level'--without worrying over fine details'--they could grasp what colleagues in other divisions were doing. The plasma was constantly exerting new and unforeseen forces, which the ITER engineers struggled to measure and to incorporate into their designs. ''The mentality of fission is that there is a systematic process'--you define your loads, your criteria, and then you produce a design,'' Chiocchio told me. ''At the beginning, at ITER, sometimes I would ask my boss, 'Can you tell me what the main requirements are for this component?' And he would say, 'What are you talking about? Try to find a solution.' It was a bit more of a, let's say, creative engineering environment.''
- Rebut himself did not bother documenting the requirements. This was information that he kept easily in his head. An American representative urged him to work in a more standardized way, but he refused. The design was growing in scale and cost, and Rebut's intuitive style and unwillingness to engage in basic diplomacy began to work against him. In 1994, the United States succeeded in having him removed. As it was not Rebut's way to leave subtly, he went to Congress, and argued that the ITER organization had insufficient legal authority, insufficient independent funding, and, perhaps worst of all, a leadership of incompetent bureaucrats. By focussing on consensus, he argued, the parties made decisions based on the lowest common denominator. The representatives assigned to the ITER Council were ''more concerned with the work awarded to each home team than by the success of the engineering design activity.'' If things did not change, Rebut predicted, the machine would never succeed.
- ITER was only an idea, a pile of schematics worked out in three countries by intercontinental fax, and yet the collaboration was already fraying. In the United States, the 1994 Republican revolution ushered into Congress lawmakers hostile to internationalism'--especially in the case of a scientific project that offered no immediate utility. No one could doubt the vision in Rebut's design, but the price'--ten billion dollars'--was conspicuous for a field that had generated not one electron of net power. Even within the fusion community, there was growing skepticism. Fearing that the American contribution to ITER would soak up funding for domestic research, some scientists quietly lobbied against it. In 1996, two physicists from the University of Texas at Austin, William Dorland and Michael Kotschenreuther, joined with researchers at Princeton to run a computer model based on the ITER design; it suggested that the reactor had no chance of meeting its goals. The story made the Times. The people who were with the project embraced the news, Chiocchio told me: ''The team reacted in the right way. It was not 'No, no, no''--it was really trying to understand, based on their analysis, how we should correct anything.'' But within political circles the Times story could not have been encouraging.
- The ITER team reached out to James Sensenbrenner, the chair of the House Committee on Science, which oversaw the fusion-research budget. ''Sensenbrenner visited Naka, to see the prototypes that we had built for the vacuum vessel and the magnets,'' Chiocchio said. ''The people who organized the visit told me, 'Ah, we really managed to convince him that we are using the taxpayers' money well.' '' Sensenbrenner returned to Washington and set out to insure that ITER would never be built. Congress cut funding for the project, and in 1999 the United States withdrew; the San Diego office was shut down, flights were cancelled, and American physicists were instructed not to participate. Chiocchio told me, ''We thought it was the end of ITER.''
- The timing was painfully ironic: the justification for the project was only growing stronger. For decades, physicists had been working with a heavy hydrogen isotope called deuterium, which is abundant in seawater. Calculations had long indicated that a half-and-half mixture of deuterium and tritium'--an even heavier hydrogen isotope'--would produce the ideal conditions, but tritium is rare and radioactive; it would irradiate expensive machines that were not fully designed for it. In the nineties, two tokamaks experimented with it sparingly. One, at Princeton, achieved temperatures as high as five hundred million degrees, and in three years of experiments made huge advances. In Europe, scientists at JET, using only ten-per-cent tritium, produced more than a megawatt of fusion power. The trial fell short of breakeven, but the scientists estimated that, with the ideal tritium mixture, their plasma would have produced more energy than was put into it'--for the first time, in theory, a net gain. Several years later, they set out to confirm their estimate, and succeeded in producing a sixteen-megawatt plasma, a record, though they still narrowly missed breakeven. As Chiocchio put it, ''There was really this impression that we were very close to the target.''
- The history of physics is littered with unrealized grand experiments: old blueprints buried in file drawers, half-built machinery packed in crates, excavated earth filled with pooling rainwater'--the detritus of Big Science. As the frontier of human knowledge pushes forward, so, too, does the cost and the complexity of further exploration. Telescopes grow larger. Space is probed at greater depths. Atomic particles are smashed more forcefully. Many scientific questions now demand resources that no individual can marshal'--no single university, no single company, and, increasingly, no single government. ''But big science has the special problem that it can't easily be scaled down,'' the physicist Steven Weinberg recently observed in The New York Review of Books. ''It does no good to build an accelerator tunnel that only goes halfway around the circle.'' And so such projects are often born out of vexed politics, then hampered by limited funding, and by a willingness to abandon them at any time. To some extent, the experiments that succeed are aided by a willful dose of unrealism'--budgets imagined too lean, timetables too short, human behavior too nearly ideal. Crisis emerges when reality finally asserts itself.
- In facing such a crisis, ITER was not alone. Many large machines have been commissioned, and then, as costs soared, cancelled midway. Last summer, at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory'--a federally funded institution that grew out of Lyman Spitzer's rabbit hutch'--I was shown the partially assembled segments of a device called the National Compact Stellarator Experiment. Each piece was an exquisite metallic artifact, made primarily of stainless steel, curving and twisting in ways that could not have been designed before the advent of supercomputers. The assembly requirements were so precise that building the thing in the way that the laboratory promised was impossible. The project'--tens of millions of dollars over budget, and years behind schedule'--was killed five years ago, though it was hard to tell, as the scientists spoke dreamily about seeing it assembled one day. In a way, the machine suffered a less painful fate than the Mirror Fusion Test Facility, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which was fully built before it was defunded, in 1986'--without being used even once.
- In the nineties, there was every reason to think that ITER had reached its end, too, with America's role in it so significant, and the mood in Washington so austere. But, as Weinberg told me, ''It is hard to turn off international collaborations'''--large-scale bureaucratic inertia can be its own saving grace. By the time the United States withdrew, another French physicist, Robert Aymar, was in charge, and he decided to reduce the astronomical cost by making a smaller machine. The redesign had to be conducted on a tight budget, with a small staff; begun in 1998, it was not completed until 2001. The new machine would be built for the ideal tritium mixture, but it would no longer strive to attain ignition. Instead, it would produce ten times the energy fired into the plasma, at half a gigawatt. Aymar put its value at five billion dollars, and the number'--precisely (and conveniently) half of ITER's earlier cost'--was soon cited as its price. But the estimate was intended only as a guide to divide work among the parties, and did not consider real-world manufacturing expenses, or the unusual way the work would ultimately be split up. The design was still far from complete, and just about everyone knew that the figure was a gross underestimate. ''Of course, bureaucrats wanted to get ITER approved, and politicians were happy to turn a blind eye,'' an official told me. ''If they would have said, 'Oh, instead of five billion this will be fifteen billion,' then probably nobody would have wanted to build it.''
- Urged by a consensus of American academics, the United States rejoined; an agreement formally binding the parties together was finally signed, and offices for the American Domestic Agency were opened at Oak Ridge. But the willful unrealism remained. The first two leaders of ITER had no background in plasma physics. The director-general, Kaname Ikeda, was a Japanese civil servant and a nuclear engineer. His chief deputy, Norbert Holtkamp, came from the world of high-energy particle accelerators. Holtkamp did what he could to shield the fledgling organization. ''He once said, 'If you spend as much money as you can, after the first billion no one is going to stop us,' and so he spent and spent and spent,'' one former ITER engineer told me. ''The design wasn't finished! But he just wanted to go already: move, move, move.'' (Holtkamp denies making the comment.) Science and politics fused. When European engineers who had invested decades of research on tokamak inner walls proposed building ITER's, a Chinese official stood and, deeply upset, argued vehemently that it was the height of arrogance to presume that China could not manufacture a wall. And so it was decided: China would make part of the wall.
- Soon enough, reality again asserted itself: the schedule slipped, and costs rose. In 2010, Ikeda and Holtkamp were out, and Osamu Motojima was in. As a plasma physicist, as a fusioneer, Motojima understood what was at stake: if ITER fails, the quest for thermonuclear energy might be set back indefinitely. After taking the helm, he declared, ''The dream is alive!'' One afternoon, David Campbell, ITER's chief physicist, told me, ''I can go across the hall and look at the construction site, and sometimes I have to tell myself, 'We're building ITER out there!' It took a long time to get this far. Even though there are frustrations with the system, even though the members are not happy because the cost has gone up and the schedule is longer than they want, everyone is committed to it.''
- When I walked up to the Commissariat l'nergie Atomique, Chiocchio was standing at the front gate, shielding his eyes from the sun. He seemed taken aback by my presence, and then he smiled warmly and told me that there wasn't much time. It was 8 A.M., and we were trying to make an 8 A.M. meeting in a ''virtual reality room'' that ITER was renting from the C.E.A., in order to study the tokamak design in three dimensions. We still had to get credentialled, and then drive through the sprawling grounds.
- A few minutes later, we parked at the back entrance of a concrete building, and I followed him through a steel door and into a massive hall. ''This is the building for Tore Supra'--the first European superconducting tokamak,'' he said. We walked past the machine, a twenty-five-year-old behemoth designed by Aymar. Tokamaks, as they are currently designed, work in pulses, and in 2003 Tore Supra set a record for the longest plasma pulse: six minutes. A few years later, a Japanese tokamak ran for five hours. These long pulses did not attempt to generate energy; rather, they attempted to show that a tokamak could one day produce a plasma that engineers call ''steady state.'' ITER is being designed to run its highest-performing plasmas for up to five hundred seconds; but a real reactor would need to work continuously'--something that no one has figured out how to do.
- We rushed through a dim lobby and then into a small room, where about fifteen engineers had convened. A blurry rendition of the ITER tokamak was projected on a large screen, and polarized goggles were being handed out so that the 3-D effect would be perceptible. I put on the goggles and looked at the cylindrical reactor core, its dense crush of parts, rendered in bright colors, seeming to float in a vast gray horizonless space. The projection had the tactility of an object. Chiocchio walked over to the window, and stood next to another engineer. ''You better take your seat or you will lose it,'' he said. He pointed to an empty chair and laughed. ''This is how it works: competition, O.K.'--'' There was no point in his sitting anyway. He could stay for only a few minutes before the next meeting.
- A senior member of the Praetorian Guard was running the review: Jens Reich, a lanky German mechanical engineer with the intensity of an overworked Ph.D. candidate. Reich grew up near the Baltic Sea, and started his career in R. & D. for washing machines and other household appliances. When money for the research dried up, he applied for a job at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, which was hiring people to build a billion-dollar stellarator called Wendelstein 7-X. Right away, he sensed that he belonged to an important but easily misunderstood mission. ''I have friends working on solar power,'' he told me. ''What we are doing is not so obvious.''
- The purpose of Reich's review was primarily to evaluate changes that various Domestic Agencies were proposing for the magnets, beginning with one called the central solenoid, the most important American contribution to ITER. In grade school, children often make solenoids by wrapping wire around a nail and then attaching the wire to a battery: the current magnetizes the coil. ITER's solenoid will work in the same way, but it will weigh a thousand tons, and stand as a forty-foot column in the center of the vacuum chamber. Its coil will be more than twenty miles long, and it will be made with niobium-3-tin, an exotic material rarely used in large industrial projects. The metal was selected because it can generate extreme magnetic fields: two hundred and sixty thousand times greater than Earth's. Key to the original Soviet tokamak design, the solenoid will send huge pulses of electricity through the plasma, to heat and stabilize it. David Everitt, the engineer at Oak Ridge in charge of the magnet's construction, told me to think of it as a giant sparkplug. ''It will be a technological wonder,'' he said. ''It has to do so many things. The current is not constant. It has a very high magnetic field'--not the highest ever, but very high'--and where the current in one module is opposite the one in the adjacent module there is a very large separating force.''
- When ITER engineers talk of a very large separating force, what they mean is a cataclysmic rupture. The solenoid will be built in six modules, stacked one atop another like poker chips. The benefit of this design is that the various modules can run opposing magnetic fields, giving physicists the ability to mold the plasma in different ways. The drawback is that those fields also create tremendous opposing forces, which are inclined to blow the stack apart if they are not severely counterbalanced. The magnet's designers have calculated that the forces can reach sixty meganewtons, or twice the thrust that a NASA Space Shuttle requires for liftoff. The stack can compress just as powerfully. When structural engineers learned of the design, their reaction was: Holy mackerel! You want to do what?
- Depending on whom you talk to, the history of the central solenoid epitomizes either ITER's flaws or its ability to overcome them. From the start, the magnet's technical requirements indicated that it would be extremely difficult to build. To prevent the solenoid from launching through the roof, a thousand and eighty screws must be fixed to the top and the bottom, to keep the stack in viselike compression. Moreover, niobium-3-tin is difficult to work with. It does not attain its superconducting properties until it is baked: cables made with strands of it must be coiled into a module, then heated for days in a custom-made furnace flooded with argon gas. The strands, each one less than a millimetre thick, are interwoven with copper. In the furnace, the metals bind into a fragile matrix that later cannot be flexed.
- ''The challenge for the central solenoid is that it has to ramp up every time you do a plasma shot, which is thousands of times during the lifetime of the machine'--so you have to create a superconducting cable that can pulse tens of thousands of times without degrading, and that is very hard with niobium-3-tin,'' an engineer who worked on the magnet told me. ''It is a brittle material. How is it not going to become dust? With each pulse, you are literally breaking it, micro-fracturing it. So what is the solution? Don't pulse so many times, or pulse with less energy. But you cannot do either. If you pulse with less energy, then you don't get the heating that you need, and if you pulse fewer times then the life of the machine is shorter. So you are pushing up against the limit of what the material can do.''
- The project's internecine politics made matters only worse. People at ITER use the term ''conductor zoo'' to refer to the menagerie of materials going into the magnets. The niobium-3-tin strand is produced by a dizzying array of subcontractors in six countries, in ways so disparate that their samples even look different. As Chiocchio explained, ''You have suppliers from all over the world, and it is really a nightmare.'' Japan, which had worked on the prototype for the solenoid, wanted a hand in developing its cables, so it campaigned to supply its own materials to the zoo. In 2010, two Japanese companies sent samples to a test facility in Switzerland. The results were spectacularly poor. The solenoid is designed to run sixty thousand pulses in ITER's lifetime, but the Japanese cable was degrading after six thousand. Engineers began to worry: ''Is this going to be a fatal flaw for ITER?''
- Officials at Oak Ridge, concerned that the schedule was at risk, contacted an ITER supplier in New Jersey, Oxford Superconducting Technology, which was producing niobium-3-tin strand for other large magnets in the machine. They requested a sample that could work for the solenoid, and in 2012, after it performed well in tests, they urged the Japanese to purchase the material from Oxford. ''In the structure of ITER, it was very hard to convince the Japanese that was something they wanted to do: spend a lot of money in the U.S. on conductors,'' a former Oak Ridge official told me. The Japanese refused, and the threat of delay grew. The engineers'--attempting to maintain the spirit of collaboration'--tried twisting the Japanese cable more tightly, in the hope that it would perform better. New samples were sent to Switzerland, and, after more than two years of discussion and trials, the Japanese product finally worked. ''There was a whole lot of relief around the world,'' the former official said. Some engineers were proud of the teamwork, but the problem need not have existed, and the issue remains sensitive. When Science published a news item about the success, Motojima wrote to say that it was unfair to imply that the Japanese manufacturers had ever failed. ''This is not correct,'' he insisted.
- The effects of the delay are still evident on the ground. Officials at Oak Ridge had subcontracted the construction of the solenoid to General Atomics, a family-owned company in San Diego, with a portfolio that ranges from nuclear batteries to algae-based animal feed. After winning the contract, in 2011, General Atomics constructed a sixty-thousand-square-foot workspace, in a large building overlooking the dry arroyos of Sycamore Canyon. (The building belongs to a corporate affiliate that makes Predator drones, though that part is ''secure.'') Before I flew to France, the solenoid project's chief engineer gave me a tour of the vast, mostly empty space. He talked about the problem of how to move the extremely heavy modules among workstations. In addition to a thirty-five-ton crane, he had purchased a large pallet that glides on a cushion of compressed air. A company called Airfloat makes them for various industries; an airplane fuselage or a locomotive built on an Airfloat pallet can slide like a shopping cart.
- ''That magnet is so heavy that we had to spend time super-duper reinforcing the floor,'' a spokesperson for the company said. Nearly a million dollars' worth of concrete had been poured, mostly to a depth of eighteen inches'--capable of bearing two hundred tons, the combined weight of a module and the equipment needed to work on it. As the concrete set, it was precisely levelled: a tilt of more than an eighth of an inch spanning ten feet was unacceptable. Too great an incline would disturb the air beneath the pallet, allowing millions of dollars' worth of superconducting cable to drift out of control. The floor looked like a shelf of polished glass; as we crossed it, I asked the chief engineer if he was ever tempted to put on skates and race across. He grinned, and said, ''We've had all kinds of crazy ideas, about having a criterium in here'--a bunch of us have bikes'--or a roller-hockey tournament.''
- A hundred feet away, two young people were working in what seemed like an Arctic encampment atop the shelf. They were wearing white Tyvek bodysuits, and were dipping the superconducting cable into epoxy, trying to figure out another problem: coils of the material seemed to be shrinking after they were vacuum-sealed. We walked over to a massive slinky: empty cable jacketing from Japan that had arrived in a plywood box stamped ''Fragile.'' The slinky contained half a mile of metal. This is how all the cable will come. The engineer shook his head at the scale.
- General Atomics had wanted to make several changes to the solenoid's design, and, with the ITER team convened in the C.E.A.'s virtual-reality room, Jens Reich begin to review them. Above the virtual tokamak, there was a command: ''Navigate'--fly.'' The session's pilot'--a technician holding a joystick'--stepped forward, and navigated the team through the cyberscape. We swooped toward ITER's base, then into the vacuum chamber. The computer could not handle the entire ITER schematic in 3-D, so on Reich's command the renderings for most of the machine were subtracted, leaving only the solenoid.
- Working though a checklist from General Atomics, Reich guided the pilot to various locations. Some features'--pipes and cables'--were shielded in casings, so the pilot used a tool to cut through the shielding, as if it were an object. Reich asked the pilot to bisect the solenoid, and the team studied its cross-section. To manufacture the magnet, General Atomics wanted to alter its geometry, and when the pilot measured the modules it was clear that they had slightly widened. Reich made a note: if the available gaps in the design were too small, the consequences would be severe. A bit later, he noticed two pipes that went nowhere. ''How about those?'' he said. ''What is that?'' No one knew. ''There is an intermediate piece missing,'' he said, and noted it. On the whole, though, Reich was pleased. The design was nearly final, and he was already considering the magnet's complex installation.
- In May, the Japanese are scheduled to begin delivering the conductor to General Atomics, which is scheduled to complete all six modules by 2018. The company will ship the finished pieces to the Port of Galveston, with each module'--fourteen feet in diameter'--delivered on trucks propelled by as many as thirty axles, to support their weight. The journey will likely be made after midnight, because the trucks will need to occupy two highway lanes. In Galveston, the modules will be loaded onto a ship that will travel to Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseilles. From there, they will be hauled along a specially fortified road to the tokamak's assembly hall, and stacked and compressed and wired and tested. The height of the hall is dictated by the height of the solenoid. Once the stack is built, it will be attached at its top to a crownlike jig. Suspended from the ceiling, a sliding crane'--with four hooks hanging off steel cables'--will lift the jig, and with it the solenoid, hanging vertically. Every variable will be precisely accounted for: the amount the cables will stretch while bearing the immense weight; the crane's momentum as it moves; the degree to which the magnet will sway; even the weather'--the wind hitting the building, and how the force of it might affect the crane's journey. Slowly, the solenoid'--all one thousand tons of it'--will be carried to the tokamak and lowered into the center of the vacuum chamber. If it is just millimetres too wide, it will not fit in the tight cylindrical space designed for it. There is no room for error.
- What will happen when ITER is turned on? This much is certain: a synthetic star, as it takes shape inside an earthbound device, is a cryptic marvel. The only way to observe it is from the remove of a control room: the magnetic fields are invisible, the plasma makes no sound. But visit a working tokamak'--in South Korea or Switzerland or India'--and ask what would happen if you stood beside the machine, while it is on, and threw a kitchen magnet into the air. Answer: The magnet would zoom toward the core and blast a hole in the machine. What if the plasma suddenly dissipates? Answer: Gargantuan forces are likely to surge, perhaps even lifting the device, as runaway electron beams tear wildly into the machine. In the control room, it might appear that not much is happening, but you will be surrounded by a science of extremity.
- What will happen when ITER is turned on? The answer, as with all experiments, is something of a mystery, since no one has yet produced a plasma that is hot and dense and durable enough to heat itself. Will such a thing be more difficult to contain, or will it possess an unforeseen equilibrium?
- While ITER is running, the machine's central brain, a computer system called CODAC, will monitor a hundred and twenty thousand streams of information'--among them the plasma's temperature, fluctuations in electromagnetic activity, and the forces that the reactions exert on the machine. Until then, physicists around the world are working with supercomputers to help predict how the atomic particles will behave. Since the first Soviet tokamaks, the plasma's volatile magnetic storms and turbulence are far better understood'--one physicist described them to me as swirls within swirls within swirls'--but they remain a perplexing scientific frontier. Physicists have developed an entire nomenclature for the instabilities: sawteeth, drift, tearing, sausage, interchange, counter-streaming, helical kink, bump-in-tail. They can seem, at times, like the scientists in Stanislaw Lem's ''Solaris,'' peering into the ''plasmatic eddies'' of a sentient ocean, whose behavior is beyond understanding.
- In the nineteen-eighties, tokamak performance had hit a ceiling because turbulence at the edge of plasmas was impossible to control: electromagnetic eddies carried energy outward from the superhot core in diffuse and unpredictable ways, abrading the tiles on the tokamak walls, sucking impurities into the plasma and cooling it. These instabilities seemed insurmountable until researchers in Germany stumbled upon a discovery: under the right heating conditions, the plasma contained itself by forming a steep, clean pedestal at its perimeter, with its inner temperature and density ballooning. At first, the effect was doubted. There was no theory to explain it, and plasmas had rarely offered gifts, only obstacles. But the pedestal was real, and it was christened H-Mode. It is now ubiquitous in tokamaks, though physicists still have only a general idea how it works, and maintaining it is hard: when the pressure behind the pedestal is too great, the plasma erupts into flares that must be quelled.
- It is unclear whether ITER will have enough power to achieve H-Mode. The relevant heating systems on the largest existing tokamak are the size of five shipping containers; ITER's will be three times larger, and will have to work in an unproved way, just as pliers the size of a skyscraper cannot be opened by hand. Even if the systems work, there might not be enough of them. Current extrapolations offer only a hazy guide to what ITER will require for the pedestal, with the range of uncertainty'--what physicists call the error bar'--remaining frustratingly large. Joe Snipes, a physicist at ITER's headquarters, told me, ''We tried and tried and tried'--and when I say 'we' I mean the entire fusion community, experts from around the world working on different machines'--we tried to reduce the error bar, but we really couldn't do it; the H-Mode depends on so many different factors that we don't understand.'' Some engineers wonder if the relevant heating systems'--hardware, costing a billion dollars, first developed for Reagan's Star Wars Defense Initiative'--have outlived their usefulness in tokamaks. Others believe that everything must be tried, because ITER ultimately remains an experiment: mapping the way is its purpose.
- Snipes's job will be to run the plasma. Not long ago, in the headquarters, he gave a lecture for engineers titled ''Operational Limits on ITER.'' Most of what he had to say involved the uncertainties of plasma behavior, but he reminded his colleagues that some limits might be imposed simply by the way ITER is built. While the Praetorian Guard was worrying over the gaps among components, trying to insure that there will be enough space to assemble the machine, the physicists were worrying over them, too. Neutrons are expected to pour out of ITER's plasma like a tsunami. Because these particles have no charge, they will escape the grip of ITER's magnets, advancing through any space that they can find, pushing into, or even through, obstructions'--solid matter will not always stop them.
- Early on, physicists understood that, as more gaps were introduced into the design, more neutrons would penetrate the machine, heating whatever absorbed them. To study the plasma's effects on the structure, they purchased a million C.P.U. hours on MareNostrum, a supercomputer in Barcelona that is housed in a pristine glass box in the dimly lit nave of a nineteenth-century chapel. ITER's magnets will be encased in a cryostat and continuously cooled with liquid helium. If they get warmer than negative two hundred and sixty-seven degrees, they will ''go normal,'' and lose the quality that makes them superconducting. At that point, the enormous electrical current running through them will look for an alternate outlet, like a dammed river. If all eighteen toroidal-field magnets were to experience this phenomenon at once, forty-one billion joules of energy would seek a new place to go. One scientist compared the outcome to two 747 airplanes simultaneously crashing into the machine.
- Complex calculations are required to predict how many neutrons will hit the magnets, but gaps are being introduced faster than the analysis can be done. ''The physicist responsible for this is constantly upgrading his models,'' Snipes told me. ''Every little gap causes him tremendous headaches. Now, it probably won't be a problem'--we will lower the plasma performance before we get to that dangerous state'--but it will limit how high we can go.'' In other words, even if ITER is able to produce record thermonuclear reactions, the machine may not be able to cope with them'--an immensely frustrating prospect. Since the days of Dorland and Kotschenreuther, there have been far more encouraging computer models; one predicts that ITER could theoretically reach ignition. But, if the gaps proceed apace, even the project's fundamental goals may be compromised.
- ''This is what happens when you are driven by a schedule that is not realistic, or when you are asked to build a machine with too few people, or too little money'--so something has to give,'' a scientist affiliated with the project said. ''Whenever the director-general celebrates a milestone, he doesn't acknowledge the shortcuts that have been taken to get to that milestone.'' ITER is continually being reshaped to meet the demands of lower cost. The tokamak once had two exhaust components, called diverters. Now it has one. ''And that is risky,'' the scientist added. ''That's like building only one Space Shuttle, and expecting it to run for thirty years. If something happens to that one diverter, it could take five years to make another, so that might be the end of the project.'' The compromises are a source of constant arguments, many of which go unresolved or are resolved cynically, people say, because Motojima fosters a culture antithetical to open science, because technical needs give right of way to diplomatic sensitivities, because ITER's organizational structure is being modelled on that of a Japanese corporation'--heavy on administration and intensely concerned with projecting an image of progress. ''This project is supposed to be about hope, but fear runs rampant within it,'' the scientist said. ''Efforts are made on many levels to hide the problems, in part because people believe the situation can't be remedied, and in part because some of the decision-makers will be dead by the time the big red button is pushed.''
- By summertime, the working atmosphere within the largest scientific collaboration in history was growing increasingly anxious. ''ITER has always been a bit of a hectic place to work, eh?'' Chiocchio had told me, but the frustrations were clearly mounting. In the previous year, ITER had met barely half its goals. The latest target date for turning on the machine'--2020'--was again slipping. Officials were now quietly talking about 2023 or 2024. What if the schedule continued to slide? Engineers operate in a world of strictly measured loads and heat fluxes, but political forces are impervious to precise measurement. Still, the ultimate repercussions were obvious: there would come a point, eventually, when frustrated politicians decided that ITER was simply not worth the increasing expense of delay.
- In June, the ITER Council gathered in Tokyo, and it was evident that the organization was grappling with its own inner turbulence. At one point, the council member from Korea picked up his papers and stormed out. Ned Sauthoff, the U.S. project manager, bluntly made it known that he thought the project's nuclear-safety culture was lacking. America's involvement was growing more tenuous. The Department of Energy had cut funding for a tokamak at M.I.T. to help pay for ITER, and the decision had familiar implications; members of Congress were invited to view the inert machine, and they returned to the Hill expressing outrage. (''ITER is going to eat our whole domestic program.'') Official estimates of the U.S. contribution had doubled, to a billion dollars, and then rose again, to $2.4 billion, merely to get to ''first plasma'''--essentially, just turning on the machine. Before summer's end, Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee that handles appropriations for energy development, announced that she would discontinue all funding for ITER until the Department of Energy provided a detailed assessment of the total American financial commitment. The request was both logical and impossible to answer accurately; even people at ITER did not know. The department was reluctant to provide a number, and Sauthoff told me, ''We are in unknown territory.''
- Motojima, meanwhile, was struggling to make the organization simpler and more centralized, but his efforts were trapped in a Catch-22: the Domestic Agencies wouldn't turn over more control to ITER's headquarters without greater trust in its effectiveness, but the organization could never be more effective without greater central authority. Something clearly had to change. When I met Motojima, he had just returned from Siberia'--to visit an ITER contributor in Novosibirsk'--and he seemed tired. He had his own theory about the sinking morale: it was partly caused by the incessant work, but it also had a psychological component, in that people could not witness the physical manifestations of their work. Most ITER employees cannot see the construction site from their windows, or components built off-site. In time, large pieces would arrive. Progress would be measurable. Attitudes would shift. From his office, on the fifth floor, construction on the vast tokamak work site was always visible.
- Still, Motojima was weathering fierce criticism. It had been decided in Tokyo that, once and for all, the schedule had to be made realistic. A council member told me, ''Outsiders look in and say, 'This is rotten.' They say, 'Oh, the project of fusion itself is misguided,' that this is an impossible dream. No, no, no! The leadership at ITER is what is rotten. We have to converge on a solution, a possible way out of this mess. If we don't, then we will have trouble'--I think a total shakeup of the whole project, the leadership, maybe something else. I mean, any partner country can leave, but that is not very useful, because the project is executable. All the member states are not getting together as one team, with one goal. We have to rectify this.''
- The shakeup was unavoidable. In October, a confidential management assessment determined that the project was ''in a malaise and could drift out of control.'' It made eleven stark recommendations, among them that Motojima be replaced as quickly as possible. The ITER Council convened an emergency session. The stakes were particularly high for the American delegation, which still needed to placate Congress. The Department of Energy had offered Feinstein a new estimate of the U.S. contribution'--ranging from four billion dollars to $6.5 billion'--and she had agreed to fund ITER (and the M.I.T. machine), but not without conditions. About twelve per cent of the money would be withheld until the eleven recommendations were meaningfully followed. In essence, she was saying that ITER had to turn itself around, or the U.S. role might again be in jeopardy.
- As people involved in ITER began to wonder who would succeed Motojima'--one suggested Condoleezza Rice'--he hastened to make changes. He summarily fired his head of magnets, an outspoken but respected veteran of twenty-six years, and merged the Praetorian Guard's work with that of other divisions. ''I am no longer the head of design integration,'' Chiocchio told me, but, no matter how many times he tried to explain his new place in the bureaucracy, it was hard for me to grasp. He had gained a few responsibilities, and lost others. ''Basically,'' he told me, ''I keep doing exactly the same work.''
- When Chiocchio joined ITER, concerns about energy were largely economic. Climate change has made them a matter of survival. It is virtually an article of faith among some fusioneers that creating miniature stars on Earth is a non-optional part of humanity's future'--a view that mirrors arguments put forth by a growing number of environmentalists who once decried nuclear power. The belief rests on a simple premise: burning fossil fuels is a paramount ecological ill, but no existing form of renewable energy can replace it. David MacKay, a physicist at Cambridge University, once posed the question of what would need to happen for the United Kingdom to entirely stop using fossil fuels. He arrived at this instructive hypothetical: even if the country cut energy consumption by half, it would still require a wind farm the size of Wales, along with fifty new nuclear-fission plants, and photovoltaic cells with twice the surface area of Greater London'--but situated in a far-off desert, with the electricity somehow delivered to British consumers.
- On a warm afternoon, Chiocchio stopped by the office of Guenter Janeschitz'--''ITER's Schwarzenegger,'' an engineer had told me. Tall, blond, and Austrian, Janeschitz was a senior adviser in the director-general's office, but his role was broader and vaguer than that'--as Chiocchio put it, ''If you look at the organization, it's not clear where he is.'' Often, during a crisis, Janeschitz is there. Chiocchio had known him since the nineteen-nineties. ''Once, I went to my wife, and I said, 'My life in fusion will be very brief, because I am always arguing with Guenter,' '' he recalled. ''But then one day he came to me, and he said, 'I like you. You do not say yes to me, and I need people like you.' This made me respect him: he has very strong opinions, but he also really listens to people.''
- Sitting at his computer, Janeschitz made his case for fusion: ''In the next several decades, we have to replace oil, and in the next century we have to replace natural gas'--and these two, taken together, represent sixty per cent of the total energy use of every country today. This is a huge amount of energy. To replace it would require many nuclear power stations, or coal-powered stations. Now, coal will be available for a long time, so coal is an option. China is building a coal-powered station almost every week'--and that is just coal. But China also has an oil-usage growth of nine or ten per cent per year. This is an exponential curve. This is not sustainable. So we will see, at one point, an increase in the price of oil. When you have a barrel going for two hundred dollars or three hundred dollars, it will be felt throughout the world economies.''
- Janeschitz pointed to a pie chart of Germany's energy consumption. ''You see the renewables are at twelve per cent,'' he said. ''But most of this comes from biomass. Wind and solar make up only two per cent, and they are already built up quite a lot. So maybe we can go up to fifteen per cent, maybe even twenty. But that is it. And the fluctuation in energy for many renewables means that you need a lot of storage. If you have too much, where do you put it? And if you have too little'--in Germany, with all this wind energy, they still have gas-powered stations that switch on if the wind is not blowing. Then you have to transfer the energy to where it is needed. In Germany, the wind blows in the North Sea, but much of the industry is in the south. So they have to build electric lines through the country. They are building them now, and the cost is a lot.'' I later looked it up: the cost is more than three billion euros.
- ''Fusion should come in at the price of wind,'' Janeschitz continued. ''Some of our colleagues dream of fusion coming in at today's competitive energy prices, but that means that they have to produce science-fiction physics on science-fiction machines. If you are realistic, fusion will not be cheap. But, considering that oil prices will be higher than they are today, then it will be O.K. Coal might be cheap, but because of climate change it will be a big problem. Some people propose sequestering the CO2 from coal deep into the earth, but, I mean, do you want to live over land with high-pressure CO2 underneath it? And the energy and expense to capture and transport that CO2 to a suitable site, and then to press it down'--my God, you would have pipelines across the country. And, in two or three centuries, you wouldn't have enough sites to do it. It is like renewables: the problem is scale. Oh, I can harness the wind. I can harness solar. Yes, but now talk about numbers, which most politicians forget. Talk about gigawatts. Talk about terawatts'--then things become interesting. This is thousands of nuclear power stations. This is millions of windmills'--of course, while the wind is blowing. And, if it doesn't blow, what do you do?''
- Critiques of nuclear fission often focus on the waste, but scientists like Janeschitz worry about the supply, too. It is estimated that, with the current reactor technology, the world's supply of uranium will be consumed in about a century. What then? There are designs for more efficient fission reactors, and for ''breeder'' reactors, which spawn their own fuel, but they will require billions of dollars in investment, and their widespread use might abet the proliferation of fissile material. Will the public accept this? Janeschitz seemed to think no. Robert Iotti, the chairman of the ITER Council and an executive in the nuclear-power industry for decades, concurred: ''I think ITER is an absolute necessity for the world'--otherwise I wouldn't put up with the frustrations.''
- Janeschitz envisions a future in which thousands of commercial thermonuclear reactors will one day operate, with plasmas burning within: points of astral light across the globe. ''In my opinion, you need very big fusion power to make it viable'--two- or three-gigawatt power stations,'' he told me. He believes that political will and imagination are the crucial factors in determining when this vision becomes reality. This belief, expressed in this way, is common among his peers, who often use ''political will'' as a synonym for money. South Korea has a lot of political will. At the moment, China is building a fusion-research facility, in Huainan, that resembles a small metropolis, with an Epcot-like orb at its center, and it is even designing a reactor prototype. As one ITER official joked, ''We make a modification to ITER on a Friday, and by Monday they have added it to the design of their machine.''
- In the United States, political will has long been governed by a form of Washingtonian special relativity: depending on whether you are inside or outside the fusion community, the view differs dramatically. Typically, outsiders cannot comprehend how the massive expenditures never manage to yield energy. Typically, insiders cannot comprehend how little is being invested in a project that presents such immense technical obstacles and also such potential. A graph commonly passed around among the insiders'--an enduring scrap of twentieth-century budgetary ephemera'--depicts the 1976 federal plan to build a working thermonuclear reactor. The graph tracks various scenarios for attaining fusion energy. The ''maximum'' effort, the most expensive up front, with initial spending as high as nine billion dollars a year, was projected to yield a reactor by 1990. The ''moderate'' effort, with spending never exceeding four billion dollars in a year, would take fifteen more years. The fusion community might be easy to criticize for its many unmet milestones, but for decades the United States has never come close to even the moderate effort. In 1977, when the American fusion budget was at its peak, government investment in the research, adjusted for inflation, was seven hundred million dollars; by 1991, this had fallen by more than half. It is now half a billion, not appreciably more than the Korean budget. A Department of Energy official who was involved in the decision to shut down M.I.T.'s machine told me that American researchers should prepare to work on foreign technology.
- After one of our talks, Janeschitz shared a rough sketch that he had worked on for an ''ultra-fast track'' to a commercial fusion reactor'--an Apollo program-like commitment. ''The Apollo program was a similar challenge,'' he said. ''But it had unlimited money, and a central team that controlled the money.'' The United States spent more than a hundred billion (in today's dollars) on NASA missions in the fourteen years after Sputnik launched'--almost eight billion per year. In Janeschitz's back-of-the-envelope calculations, the ultra-fast track, over a similar time frame, would cost thirty billion. The need is, without question, more pressing than it was for Apollo. By mid-century, the atmosphere will likely contain five hundred parts per million of CO2, and by 2100 its effect on the oceans alone will be devastating: a near-total ecological collapse.
- But even if ITER meets its objectives'-- even if it surpasses them, and achieves ignition'--the work ahead is humbling. Assuming that the physics of tokamaks is perfected, and fusioneers can hold a synthetic star indefinitely in a magnetic bottle, someone will still have to solve the tricky problem of how to protect all the machinery that surrounds that bottle. The plasma in a commercial reactor will be a cloud of atom-size H-bombs detonating unceasingly. The tritium fuel is radioactive, but it will not be a source of radioactive waste'--it will be transformed into helium. The machine itself will become the waste. Under constant neutron bombardment, nearly all of the tokamak's crucial parts will become ''activated.'' Their radioactivity will be low, and will last only about a hundred years'--a time frame that scientists tend to believe is manageable'--but the structural impact of the neutrons will be awesome.
- Janeschitz's ultra-fast track includes huge spending on research and development in materials science. Some would go toward developing metals resistant to activation, and some toward more immediate structural problems. Neutrons that drive into the wall of the steel vacuum chamber will cause gaseous bubbles to cavitate within it, diminishing the integrity of the chamber. In a commercial reactor, the neutrons, like a billiard break, would rearrange the entire molecular structure of key components. ''Imagine a substance where every atom is displaced every two weeks,'' a scientist involved in the research told me. ''The material completely remakes itself!''
- A few years ago, in an academic paper, three materials scientists wondered if fusion's demands represented the single greatest challenge of their discipline. The lead author, Brian Wirth, who is affiliated with Oak Ridge, told me that his colleagues had documented a strange phenomenon on tokamak tiles made out of tungsten, an extremely dense metal. Tiles facing the plasma were degrading, even when the conditions were not especially severe: exposure to low-temperature plasmas was causing what scientists call ''fuzz'' to emerge on them. ''The best way to describe it is the steel wool that you use to clean your pots, except that the steel wool is nanometre dimensions,'' he told me. ''The tungsten has lost all its strength, and you can literally wipe off layers of this fuzz with your thumb. There is not a unified model for understanding why it forms, and whether we can control it.''
- I asked Wirth if the materials inside a commercial thermonuclear reactor had to be more resilient than the shielding for the International Space Station. ''The simple answer is: if you told me that physicists could create a steady-state plasma device, I do not have the materials today to build that,'' he said. ''There are certainly harsh radiation conditions in space, but the particle flux'--the rate of particles hitting the Space Station'--is about twelve to fifteen orders of magnitude less than the rate that they are going to hit the first wall in a prototype reactor.''
- There is, at the moment, very little political will to resolve this problem. But Wirth believes that ''a billion-dollar-class machine'''--a device that would be as complex as some of the world's largest particle accelerators'--is needed to bombard different substances with neutrons in order to develop commercially relevant materials for fusion.
- The magnitude of these challenges, combined with many others, has caused some early proponents of tokamaks to question whether the design itself is intrinsically flawed. In the seventies, Robert Hirsch directed the federal government's fusion program, and helped garner funding for some of the largest tokamaks ever built. But he has come to believe that there is no way a public utility will want to manage a device so complex and precarious, even if it can produce energy. For too long, he says, fusion has been in the hands of academics and government researchers who have neglected the practicality of their devices, focussing only on the physics within them.
- Janeschitz told me, ''When Benz invented the car, I am sure many people were saying, 'I will just take my horse'--it is a lot simpler.' The truth is, most of the large tokamaks have been working for decades, and none have been retired for technical problems.'' Moreover, the design of a commercial reactor would inevitably be a lot simpler than ITER, because it would not need to retain the flexibility of an experiment. With an Apollo-like commitment, Janeschitz told me, fusion's remaining problems could be worked out within a lifetime. But the funding would need to come in significant amounts, and mostly at once, not dribbled over decades. As he sketched out his vision, he alluded to an aphorism by an early Soviet tokamak pioneer, a quote that practically echoes among the halls of ITER's headquarters: ''Fusion will be ready when society needs it.''
- Before I left France, I joined Janeschitz and Chiocchio, along with several other members of the Praetorian Guard, for a tour of the ITER construction site. It was noontime, and the sun was bright and warm. The group might have been burdened by complex physics and by even more complex politics, but this was still a beautiful afternoon in Provence. We headed down a dirt road through the trees, passing cables and transformers that would direct power from the French national grid into ITER. A dozen yellow earthmoving vehicles'--dump trucks, backhoes, dozers'--were lined up in a neat row. In the distance, cranes spanned upward, their L-shaped silhouettes still against the open sky. For a project that was desperate to make up time, the site was oddly quiescent.
- ''They are on lunch break,'' Janeschitz said dryly.
- We passed an empty building as long as five Olympic pools. ITER's poloidal field magnets, too large to move any great distance, will be made there. We passed a mockup station for the vast concrete slab that will eventually support the reactor. Construction on the slab had stalled, because of another conflict: to save money, the European Domestic Agency had insisted that it be half as thick as the design had specified'--a change that the French regulator decided was unsafe. To resolve the impasse, ITER's engineers designed a new structure to distribute the machine's weight more widely. Chiocchio then had to find space for it. ''It took six months,'' he said. ''The machine was already designed'--every component was already designed. You couldn't change anything.'' Janeschitz shook his head, and said, ''Of course, then you find there are complaints, because of cost and late changes.''
- To get to the tokamak construction pit, we descended a metallic staircase until our feet hit earth, fifty-five feet below. The pit was so wide that it took some mental adjustment to appreciate its depth. We were in a canyon. The dirt at the bottom'--sunbaked and cracked'--had been rolled flat, and piles of equipment were stored across the expanse. Towering over the space where the B2 slab was being built were smooth retaining walls buttressing the pit. You could see the concrete plinths'--four hundred and ninety-three of them'--each a small monolith, topped with anti-seismic bearings. In an earthquake, the bearings will allow the slab to sway from side to side.
- Even considering all the project's difficulties, it was hard not to feel the majesty of what was being attempted. At the center of the base mat, miles of rebar were bent into an elegant spiderweb spanning nearly two hundred feet. One day, all of those lines would be buried in concrete, and the tokamak would stand at the center, where the webbing was densest. After pausing at the edge, taking in the expanse, everyone suddenly set out across a row of wooden planks toward the inner radius of the spiderweb, where the tokamak core will be supported: ground zero. It's hard to know why we were all going out there; the center offered no better view of the huge slab than standing off to the side. There was, perhaps, the human impulse to be right there, where something notable will happen. Fusion, the most plentiful energy source in the universe, has never produced energy on Earth. Nature had shielded the planet from the punishing conditions it requires with a great buffer: millions of miles of empty space. What the physicists and the engineers in the South of France were attempting to do was to traverse that boundary. Thirty-five countries were trying somehow to cross it together. On some level, the arrangement would necessarily be a messy one.
- That evening, at a caf(C) near the work site, I had a drink with an ITER physicist, who was despondent, fearing that the machine would never work. Why he was staying with the project he couldn't say. But a few weeks later, after thinking about it, he told me that his mood had lifted. He had come to see his role in both small and sublime terms'--akin to a stonemason toiling for years on the York Minster cathedral (begun 1220, finished 1472) without witnessing the work being completed. ''I now expect to devote my full professional career before seeing a decent plasma in ITER,'' he said. ''This does not bug me. There have been many scientists before me, working for this same goal, who will not see this. Martin Luther King had a dream fifty years ago. He did not live long enough to see that dream realized. But, thanks to him, we have made wonderful strides in helping his dream be fulfilled. The scientists working on ITER have a dream that could be as powerful as Martin Luther King's'--not for human equality but for energy independence. We won't see this dream realized. But each day I go to work I have a hidden smile knowing that I am helping us get one day closer to our ITER dream.'' '...
- *A previous version of this article misstated how many tons of hydrogen are converted into energy every second.
- **Richter did not work under Werner Heisbenberg, as previously stated.
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- Ottomania
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- How will the fake assassination attempt be conducted? - Today's Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news
- As the elections near, AKP leader Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan's language grows more and more pungent. His rhetoric paves the way not only for those seeking to foment turmoil and chaos in Turkey, but also for the groups that are willing to steer developments to promote the interests of the ruling party. The climate is becoming suitable for those who are eager to create a situation in which ErdoÄan would be perceived as a victim and the Hizmet movement as being responsible for his victimization and by doing so, boost electoral support for ErdoÄan's party. It is for this reason that pro-government media outlets started voicing potential attacks and assassination attempts against the prime minister and the AKP.
- Fake assassination attempts are very fashionable in Middle Eastern dictatorships. For instance, in Egypt, there was a fake assassination attempt against Hosni Mubarak on Sept. 26, 1999, i.e., 22 days before a referendum.
- The security analysts I consulted with list the following possibilities for such a fake assassination attempt:
- First of all, the sub-contractor should facilitate the portrayal of ErdoÄan and the AKP as victims and the Hizmet movement as the mastermind behind the attempt and, therefore, as a terrorist organization. This subcontractor should be readily available for use by intelligence units.
- The security expert I consulted claimed an attack which was conducted last year in Ankara and which was striking not only in terms of its consequences but also with regards to its timing was performed by someone who was linked to intelligence units. This hair-raising claim further raised my suspicions.
- According to police sources, an organization which was recently established in response to police operations in Greece against the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) may attempt to assassinate politicians or other leading figures in Turkey. The DHKP/C has already stated it will stage similar acts.
- According to information received by security forces: "A group of five or six DHKP/C militants -- Å., H., Ä°., Y. and ., some of the group members -- will enter Turkey and these militants will disguise themselves as police officers and try to stage an armed or suicide attack against ErdoÄan during a rally or ceremony in Ä°stanbul."
- Given the fact that ErdoÄan reshuffled thousands of police officers and has been very aggressive against the Hizmet movement, pro-government media outlets will immediately stage a campaign to manipulate public perceptions ahead of the elections.
- The second possibility is a more complicated attempt related to the settlement process. It is no secret that there are several members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who are discontented with the settlement process. Recently, it was reported that some 300 PKK militants were ready to stage attacks in urban areas. I think everyone knows the PKK is not solely the PKK. By using the ''deep'' PKK, fake attacks may be launched to make the public believe that the AKP has been victimized and to accuse the Hizmet movement of being connected to these attacks. You will remember that PKK leaders had openly targeted the Hizmet movement during the row between the AKP and the Hizmet movement.
- Security analysts also draw attention to the legionnaires who are selected from Turkish expats in Europe, like mer G¼ney. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards or the Quds Force may organize such an attack. This analysis has firm standing. It is known that these organizations performed very sophisticated attacks in the 1990s in Turkey and later in Syria. In this respect, this is a possibility.
- It wouldn't be a surprise for ErdoÄan to use such fake assassinations and attacks as a pretext for a mass crackdown on the Hizmet movement, particularly given the fact that the judiciary has recently been subordinated to the ruling party. In such a mass operation against the Hizmet movement, the prosecutors and judges hand-picked by the justice minister thanks to a recent amendment to the law on the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) would be very useful.
- I had written about this before. It is the duty of police officers to prevent fake assassinations so as not to manipulate public opinion. I hope they abandon this project as their plans have been exposed.
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- Vaccine$
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- Gupta: 'doubling down' on medical marijuana
- A growing number of patients want cannabis as a medicine"It is irresponsible to not provide the best care we can," Sanjay Gupta saysThose with influence are paying attention to the debateThe public has become intensely engagedEditor's note: Don't miss "Weed 2: Cannabis Madness: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports," at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Also, Dr. Gupta will be answering your questions on Reddit at noon ET Friday.
- (CNN) -- It's been eight months since I last wrote about medical marijuana, apologizing for having not dug deeply into the beneficial effects of this plant and for writing articles dismissing its potential. I apologized for my own role in previously misleading people, and I feel very badly that people have suffered for too long, unable to obtain the legitimate medicine that may have helped them.
- I have been reminded that a true and productive scientific journey involves a willingness to let go of established notions and get at the truth, even if it is uncomfortable and even it means having to say "sorry."
- It is not easy to apologize and take your lumps, but this was never about me.
- This scientific journey is about a growing number of patients who want the cannabis plant as a genuine medicine, not to get high.
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon and CNN's chief medical correspondent.
- It is about emerging science that not only shows and proves what marijuana can do for the body but provides better insights into the mechanisms of marijuana in the brain, helping us better understand a plant whose benefits have been documented for thousands of years. This journey is also about a Draconian system where politics override science and patients are caught in the middle.
- Since our documentary "Weed" aired in August, I have continued to travel the world, investigating and asking tough questions about marijuana.
- I have met with hundreds of patients, dozens of scientists and the curious majority who simply want a deeper understanding of this ancient plant. I have sat in labs and personally analyzed the molecules in marijuana that have such potential but are also a source of intense controversy. I have seen those molecules turned into medicine that has quelled epilepsy in a child and pain in a grown adult. I've seen it help a woman at the peak of her life to overcome the ravages of multiple sclerosis.
- I am more convinced than ever that it is irresponsible to not provide the best care we can, care that often may involve marijuana.
- I am not backing down on medical marijuana; I am doubling down.
- I should add that, although I've taken some heat for my reporting on marijuana, it hasn't been as lonely a position as I expected. Legislators from several states have reached out to me, eager to inform their own positions and asking to show the documentary to their fellow lawmakers.
- I've avoided any lobbying, but of course it is gratifying to know that people with influence are paying attention to the film. One place where lawmakers saw a long clip was Georgia, where the state House just passed a medical marijuana bill by a vote of 171-4. Before the legislative session started, most people didn't think this bill had a chance.
- More remarkable, many doctors and scientists, worried about being ostracized for even discussing the potential of marijuana, called me confidentially to share their own stories of the drug and the benefit it has provided to their patients. I will honor my promise not to name them, but I hope this next documentary will enable a more open discussion and advance science in the process.
- Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, defined as "the most dangerous" drugs "with no currently accepted medical use."
- Neither of those statements has ever been factual. Even many of the most ardent critics of medical marijuana don't agree with the Schedule I classification, knowing how it's impeded the ability to conduct needed research on the plant.
- Even the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow, seems to have softened her stance; she told me she believes we need to loosen restrictions for researchers.
- Along the way, the public has become intensely engaged. Our collective society has paid closer attention to this issue than ever before, and with that increased education, support for medical marijuana has only grown, including in some unexpected places.
- Pete Carroll, the coach of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks, said the National Football League should explore medical marijuana if it helps players. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't dismissed the idea, saying that if marijuana is reconsidered by the medical establishment, the league would treat it the same as any other medicine. Goodell also says the NFL is following the science that suggests marijuana may help recovery from concussions.
- Recently, I had the chance to tell him that the United States already holds a patent on medical marijuana for that very purpose. Patent No. 6630507: Cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke or trauma.
- However, this particular issue still bothers me: How can the government deny the benefits of medical marijuana even as it holds a patent for those very same benefits? Members of the Food and Drug Administration declined my repeated requests for an interview.
- This past year, President Barack Obama told the New Yorker magazine, "I don't think (marijuana) is more dangerous than alcohol." And yet, as alcohol remains available to any adult, the president has not moved to remove marijuana from the list of the most tightly controlled substances in the country.
- Since I started my reporting on this topic, I have mostly resisted temptation to inject a subjective moral equivalency into this discussion, such as pitting alcohol against marijuana or reminding you that cocaine and methamphetamine are actually more available than marijuana to patients, physicians and medical researchers: They are Schedule II drugs, with recognized medical uses. Or telling you that on average, a person dies every 19 minutes in this country from a legal prescription drug overdose, while it is virtually unheard-of to die from a marijuana overdose.
- But, with a discussion like this, consistency does matter. Terms matter, too.
- We are talking about a medicine, known scientifically as cannabis. In order for people to start thinking of this substance as a medicine, perhaps we should start calling it by its medical name, something that was suggested to me by medical marijuana advocates pretty much everywhere I went this year.
- I've tried to pull together these latest developments in our new documentary, "Cannabis Madness." Although the 1936 film "Reefer Madness" was propaganda made to advance an agenda with dramatic falsehoods and hyperbole, I hope you will find "Cannabis Madness" an accurate reflection of what is happening today, injected with the best current science.
- You will meet families all across the country -- a stay-at-home mom from Ohio, a nurse practitioner from Florida, an insurance salesman from Alabama -- more than 100 families who have all left jobs, homes, friends and family behind and moved to Colorado to get the medicine that relieves their suffering.
- As things stand now, many of these good people don't ever get to return home. Why? Because transporting their medicine, even if it is a non-psychoactive cannabis oil, could get them arrested for drug trafficking. And so they are stuck, cannabis refugees.
- You will meet them, and if you're like me, you'll be heartbroken to hear their stories, but you'll also have a lump in your throat when you see the raw, true love these parents have for their sick children.
- History books may one day draw a parallel between this chapter of medical marijuana and the story of David and Goliath. Playing the role of David's slingshot, which ultimately brought Goliath to his knees, would be a 2-year-old girl named Vivian Wilson. She inspired her father to challenge the system in a spectacular way that caused a nation to stop for a moment and take note.
- For months, we have filmed and followed the Wilson family with all of their trials and tribulations, and you will meet the whole family in the upcoming documentary.
- I am a father myself, first and foremost. I don't want my children taking or being offered a psychoactive substance. As a neurosurgeon, I know that the developing brain is more susceptible to the most harmful effects of cannabis and that brain development continues well into our mid-20s.
- I also worry that generations from now, my great-grandkids will find Internet headlines referring to me as the "pot doc." I do hope they will also read the rest of the story and understand the lives of the countless people who have suffered needlessly when a plant could have helped. I hope they know that I have dedicated my time to researching the medical literature, speaking to the scientists in person and piecing together a fact-based presentation meant to educate, not frighten.
- I hope future generations won't consider me naive. Yes, I know there is a concern that many people out there will feign ailments just to get marijuana. But withholding legitimate treatment for the needy is a very unjust way of addressing that concern.
- As a physician and reporter, I feel a deeper obligation to present the real stories, soundly supported with the science from all over the world.
- When I first apologized for my previous marijuana reporting, I was thinking about the impact that reporting may have had on Charlotte Figi. She is a sweet little girl whose brain was locked in nearly nonstop seizure activity. Without success, she tried seven different medications, stringent diets and high-dose supplements. Modern medicine had nothing more to offer, which is why her parents turned to an ancient plant. As you know, it worked.
- And, as you will see, she is one of so many patients out there, suffering from different ailments, who believe cannabis rescued them when nothing else did.
- For conditions like Charlotte's, the American Epilepsy Society says that there are a million people for whom existing therapies do not control their seizures. The society recently said anecdotes about medical marijuana "give reason for hope" and said it supports "well-controlled studies that will lead to a better understanding of the disease and the development of safe and effective treatments."
- You should know that Charlotte continues to do well. When I saw her around the holidays, she ran over and gave me a hug. She looked me in the eyes, took me by the hand and led me all around to meet her friends. She is a delightful, happy and now healthy little girl.
- I know the discussion around this topic will no doubt get heated. I have felt that heat. But I feel a greater responsibility than ever to make sure those heated discussions are also well-informed by science.
- And, with that: I hope you get a chance to watch on March 11 at 10 p.m. Eastern.
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- Philip Seymour Hoffman died of accidental drug overdose: coroner - latimes.com
- 'Capote' | 2005Philip Seymour Hoffman in his Oscar-winning role as Truman Capote in Sony Pictures Classics' "Capote." (Attila Dory / Sony Pictures Classics)
- By Michael MuskalFebruary 28, 2014,1:20 p.m.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman died accidentally of acute drug intoxication, New York officials announced Friday.
- Hoffman, an Oscar-winning actor as well as a producer and director, was found in his Manhattan apartment Feb. 2. Drugs, including heroin, were found on the scene.
- In an email, the office of New York's chief medical examiner confirmed that Hoffman, who had battled addiction, had died from ''acute mixed drug intoxication'' with substances including heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamines.
- The official ruling was an accidental death.
- The actor had entered a drug rehabilitation program in 1989 when he was 22 and had been sober for more than two decades until he relapsed in 2013. He checked himself into rehab in May.
- Hoffman's body was found by a friend, playwright and screenwriter David Bar Katz.
- Hoffman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in the 2005 film ''Capote'' and was nominated three times for best supporting actor.
- His funeral was held Feb. 7 at St. Ignatius Loyola church in Manhattan.
- He is survived by his partner and three children.
- Mississippi man, kicking in body bag, back from the dead. Sort of.
- Kerry Kennedy found not guilty in misdemeanor drugged driving case
- James Holmes assigned a trial date in Aurora, Colo., massacre: Oct. 14
- We've upgraded our reader commenting system. Learn more about the new features.Los Angeles Times welcomes civil dialogue about our stories; you must register with the site to participate. We filter comments for language and adherence to our Terms of Service, but not for factual accuracy. By commenting, you agree to these legal terms. Please flag inappropriate comments.Having technical problems? Check here for guidance.
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- NA-Tech
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- Mozilla anger over Dell Firefox fee
- 6 March 2014Last updated at 12:33 Mozilla is investigating reports that Dell is charging users with new computers to install the Firefox browser.
- One user told the Register website that he had been asked to pay £16.25 to have the browser installed.
- Firefox is a free, open-source piece of software that can be installed by anyone in about 10 minutes.
- Mozilla said there was "no agreement" with Dell that would allow it to charge for installing Firefox.
- "Our trademark policy makes clear that this is not permitted and we are investigating this specific report," said Denelle Dixon-Thayer, vice-president of Mozilla's general counsel.
- In Mozilla's policy document on that, it clearly states: "If you are using the Mozilla Mark(s) for the unaltered binaries you are distributing, you may not charge for that product.
- "By not charging, we mean the Mozilla product must be without cost and its distribution (whether by download or other media) may not be subject to a fee, or tied to subscribing to or purchasing a service, or the collection of personal information."
- Labour costsIn response Dell said that the money was being charged for the time and labour involved.
- "In this particular situation, the customer would not be charged for the Mozilla Firefox software download, rather the fee would cover the time and labour involved for factory personnel to load a different image than is provided on the system's standard configuration."
- There was anger on Twitter about the row.
- "Shame on @DellUK for selling @Firefox to customers," said one.
- Another commented: "That's £100 per hour to install free software."
- Firefox has proved to be a popular browser. It reported that, at the end of 2013, it had half a billion users around the world on desktop computers and another 50 million on Android.
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- The avg base salary at Twitter is higher than the ABS at Apple. The market has lost it's mind.
- In September 2012, shortly after Marissa Mayer took charge of Yahoo, she moved swiftly to try and rectify what was considered the search giant's biggest problem: a lack of talent. The company's long-serving head of human resources departed, and a former private-equity executive, handpicked by Mayer, replaced him.
- Since then Yahoo has been on an acquisition spree'--or more accurately an acqui-hire spree, buying some 37 companies and their staff, according to CB Insights, the biggest of which was the $1.1 billion purchase of blogging service, Tumblr.
- And now Yahoo thinks the problem is solved and its talent crisis is over. At least, so suggested its chief financial offer, Ken Goldman, who spoke at a Morgan Stanley investor conference in San Francisco this week. Goldman was asked whether an exodus of Yahoo veterans to places like Facebook, Google and startups could affect the quality of its services.
- ''There's no question that we lost a number of folks along the way. We lost that because, in some respects, we pushed them out,'' he said. ''When we came to the company, and we talked about acquisitions'...frankly, companies did not want to be acquired by Yahoo'...and for us to even acquire them we would have to pay a 'Yahoo premium' because they didn't want to come here. That's not the case any more.''
- Competition for talent in Silicon Valley is fierce, and of course the CFO is going to talk up Yahoo as a good place to work. But Goldman's statement is backed up by the company's annual report, which claims that it received more than 340,000 job applications in 2013, double the number in 2012. According to the career site Glassdoor, Yahoo was the third-highest-paying company in Silicon Valley for engineers last year, behind Juniper Networks and LinkedIn.
- But salary isn't everything; unlike Facebook, Google or Twitter, Yahoo did not make it into Glassdoor's separate list of the 50 best places to work.
- Mayer has received her fair share of criticism for not letting staff work from home and for scheduling weekly meetings on Friday afternoons. But if the company is to be believed, the cultural change she has instigated is working.
- ''She deserves the credit relative to changing the attitude and morale and the desire, if you will, to'... attract new folks as well as to retain folks we have,'' Goldman said. ''So I think '' I'm very confident. If you talk to anybody at Yahoo today you would find them, whether they've been here for a year or five years, they're very, very pleased with what they see in working at Yahoo. I'm absolutely, very confident in that relative to attrition and our ability to hire all points to that.''
- Read This Next: Why major creative breakthroughs happen in your late thirties
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- Magic Numbers
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- obamacare | Search Results | 33 World News
- Rasmussen Poll: 33 Percent of Americans Hurt by ObamacareObamaCare tax cost 33,000 jobs, medical trade group saysObamacare Unlikely to Create a Nation of Part-Timers: Only 33,000 businesses with more than 50 employees don't already provide insuranceNew Poll: Only 33% of Americans Support Repealing, Defunding Or Delaying ObamacarePoll shows ObamaCare could be a factor in Senate races: 33% of public strongly opposedCountdown to Obamacare: 33 daysUPS drops health insurance for 33,000 employee spouses, blames Obamacare$33 million grant for PA's Obamacare exchange is still waiting for a use33,000 Pages of Obamacare Regulations, New Delay Hidden in Frequently Asked Questions
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- Kim Jong-Un 'orders 33 people to be executed' say South Korean press | Mail Online
- North Koreans face execution for link with Christian missionary - Kim Jung-wookKim Jong-un is combating a wave of dissatisfaction against his "juche" doctrine and repressive regimeNo end to his brutality - having previously killed his Uncle Jang Song-Thaek and other top officials close to himBy Mark Shapland
- PUBLISHED: 04:35 EST, 5 March 2014 | UPDATED: 07:57 EST, 5 March 2014
- Thirty-three North Koreans face execution after being charged with attempting to overthrow the repressive regime of Kim Jong-un.
- The Koreans have landed themselves in hot water after it emerged they had worked with South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook and received money to set up 500 underground churches. It is understood they will be put to death in a cell at the State Security Department.
- Experts believe the North Koreans are being punished more harshly than usual as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un combats a wave of dissatisfaction at the regime's isolationist "juche" doctrine.
- Sorry: Kim Jung Wook, a South Korean Baptist missionary, says he is sorry for his 'anti-state crimes'
- Interrogated: The missionary speaks under the portrait of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il during a news conference in Pyongyang
- Missionary Kim Jung-wook was arrested and jailed last year for allegedly trying to establish underground churches. Last week he held a press conference at which he apologized for committing "anti-state" crimes and appealed for his release from North Korean custody.
- He told reporters that he was arrested in early October after entering the North from China and trying to make his way to Pyongyang with Bibles, Christian instructional materials and movies.
- Kim Jung-wook said he had received assistance from South Korea's intelligence agency.
- "I was thinking of turning North Korea into a religious country, and destroying its present government and political system," he said at the time.
- "I received money from the intelligence services and followed instructions from them, and arranged North Koreans to act as their spies. And I also set up an underground church in China, in Dandong, and got the members to talk and write, for me to collect details about the reality of life in North Korea, and I provided this to the intelligence services."
- A South Korean intelligence source in China took issue with Kim's account, saying that the missionary did not enter North Korea voluntarily, but was kidnapped by agents of the Pyongyang government in China.
- During Kim Jung-wook's press conference, North Korean officials also showed video of North Koreans who confessed to coming into contact with the missionary.
- The North Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that they said that Kim told them to build a church on the site where a massive statue of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-Sung, stands in Pyongyang whenever the regime falls.
- North Korea continues to hold Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae, who was detained while leading a group on a tour of North Korea in 2012 and later sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. Bae was moved to a hospital last summer in poor health, but said at the news conference that he was being transferred back to prison.
- All smiles: Kim Jong Un (right), smiles with Vice Marshal and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Choe Ryong Hae (centre) and Vice Marshal and the military's General Staff Chief Ri Yong Ho in 2012
- Treachery: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Choe Ryong Hae pictured in July last year, before rumours of a disappearance surfaced
- Kim Jong Un is fast gaining a reputation for brutality and destroying those closest to him.
- Yesterday there were reports that North Korea's number two leader Choe Ryong Hae's had disappeared and there are fears that he is the lastest to be purged.
- Choe is said to have displeased the leader by taking management of several state-owned industries. It is understood that Choe is in jail and being interrogated.
- Choe held several top positions in the North Korean leadership after Kim ordered the high-profile execution of Jang Song Thaek, the previous incumbent and Kim's uncle and mentor.
- Kim's uncle Jang, 67, was executed in December, after being accused of plotting to overthrow the communist regime.
- Jang was married to Kim Kyong Hui, Kim's aunt and former leader Kim Jong-Il's sister and was killed by firing squad.
- It has since been claimed that members of his uncle's family were rounded up by the dozen following his arrest and subsequent death in December.
- Jang Song-Thaek's children, brothers and grandchildren were condemned to death, according to media reports in South Korea.
- As well as his uncle, other high-ranking members of the military have been purged by Kim Jong-Un, including three defence ministers and three chiefs of the army's general staff.
- Kim Chol, the vice minister of the army, was reportedly put to death in October 2012 by soldiers firing mortar rounds at him.
- In August last year, members of a female musical group, Unhasu Orchestra - which included the dictator's ex-girlfriend - were reportedly publicly machine-gunned apparently for watching pornography and filming themselves naked.
- There are said to have been between 40 to 80 public mass executions in North Korea in 2013.
- Prisoners harrowing accounts of life in North Korean camps
- Taken out: Kim Jong-Un ordered the execution of his uncle Jang Song-Thaek in December last year, after a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason
- Executed: Jang Song Thaek, previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, is seen with his hands tied with a rope as he is dragged into the court by uniformed personnel shortly before his death
- Share or comment on this article
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- 2030
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- 'Earth's helium reserves to run out by 2030' - Hindustan Times
- Earth's helium reserves will run out by 2030, a leading expert has claimed.
- According to Nobel laureate Prof Robert Richardson of Cornell University, the US supplies 80 per cent of the helium used in the world at a very cheap rate and these supplies will run out in 25 to 30 years' time.
- And, once the helium reserves are gone, there will be no way of replacing it, the Professor of physics said.
- "There is no chemical means to make helium. The supplies we have on Earth come from radioactive alpha decay in rocks. Right now it's not commercially viable to recover helium from the air so we've to rely on extracting from rocks.
- "But if we do run out altogether, we will have to recover helium from the air and it will cost 10,000 times what it does today," Prof Richardson told the New Scientist.
- A US law states that the biggest store of helium in the world -- in a disused airfield in Texas -- must be sold off by 2015 and is being sold at far too cheap a price. This means that the Earth's resources of helium are being depleted at an astonishing rate because it is too cheap to recycle.
- Helium is formed on Earth as rocks steadily decay and nearly all of our reserves have been formed as a by-product of the extraction of natural gas. The only way to obtain it will be to capture it from the decay of tritium -- a radioactive hydrogen isotope, which the US stopped making in 1988.
- So what should the US do?
- "Get out of the business and let the free market prevail. The consequence will be a rise in prices. Party balloons will be US dollars 100 each but we'll have to live with that. We will have to live with those prices eventually anyway," he said.
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- VIDEO
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- VIDEO- Ukraine got Talent - strip dance. incredible performance - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Polish foreign minister warns Ukraine protest leaders: 'Sign deal or you will all die' - Telegraph
- Asked later to confirm his statement, Mr Sikorski told ITV that the threat of martial law had been real.
- "To my knowledge interior ministry troops were being readied," he said according to the news channel.
- The astonishing warning will disturb an international community which has been pressing hard for a deal to bring an end to the violence which left over 70 protesters dead amid sniper attacks on Thursday.
- While it is hoped that the agreement will stop Ukraine sliding into civil war, the suggestion that it has apparently been forced on the opposition on the threat of deadly force will be difficult to stomach.
- The agreement, which calls for early presidential elections, the return of the 2004 constitution and the formation of a government of national unity, was the result of nearly 24 hours of non-stop shuttled diplomacy by the EU foreign ministers and a Russian government delegation headed by former ombudsman Vladimir Lukin.
- ''Good compromise for Ukraine. Gives peace a chance. Opens the way to reform and to Europe. Poland and EU support it,''Mr Sikorski posted on his Twitter page just before the signing ceremony.
- Mr Yanukovych and the three opposition party leaders Arseny Yatsenyuk, Vitalty Klitchko, and Oleh Tyahnybok, finally signed at 4 PM.
- Mr Yanukovych first announced the agreement would be signed at midday, but opposition parties initially refused to confirm that an agreement had been reached.
- The deal grants several key demands that protesters have put forward in the past. Returning the 2004 constitution would strip Mr Yanukovych of many of the sweeping executive powers the presidency currently enjoys.
- Mr Yatsenyuk, Mr Klitchko, and Mr Tyahnybok reportedly refused to sign until they had consulted with protesters, apparently worried that they would fail to sell the compromise to an increasingly hard-line crowd who want Mr Yanukovich's resignation or nothing.
- In the event Mr Sikorski and his German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeier left the presidential administration building to persuade the Maidan Civil Council, the opposition's rough equivalent of a parliament, to ''mandate'' the three leaders to sign the agreement.
- It is far from clear that all protesters within the disparate alliance will abide by the deal, and Mr Sikorski's unsettling revelation could act as a call to arms for the more radical groups that have joined the movement.
- Among protesters on Maidan, the attitude to Mr Yanukovych's offer of snap elections and return to the 2004 constitution is best summarised as one of indifference.
- "There is no possible deal that would mean anything to us. There was a chance for compromise, and Yanukovych missed it. He has two choices - exile or prison," said one self defence volunteer who declined to be named.
- Pravy Sektor, the right-wing paramilitary group whose fighters have played a prominent role in fighting since January, immediately rejected the elements of the deal announced by Mr Yanukovych.
- "After reading Mr Yanukovych's statement, we must state the obvious fact that the criminal regime is still not sufficiently aware of either the graveness of their own misdeeds or the depths of the people's anger,'' the group said in a statement posted on its website before news of Mr Sikorski's warning broke.
- ''This statement does not include a clear commitment to dismiss the pseudo-president or dissolve parliament'... or the punishing the leaders of law enforcement agencies and those who carried out criminal orders,'' the statement went on. ''The national revolution continues.''
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- VIDEO- "YOU JUST DON'T INVADE A COUNTRY ON PHONY PRETEXT IN ORDER TO ASSERT YOUR INTEREST!" Sec John Kerry - YouTube
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- VIDEO-"Christiane Amanpour goes after Wolf Blitzer on CNN" - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Hillary Clinton: I'm Not Comparing Putin To Hitler, I'm Just Saying He's Acting Like Hitler
- Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin as ''a tough guy with a thin skin.'' Clinton was speaking at UCLA where she added she supported the Obama administration's efforts to reach a diplomatic solution in Ukraine.
- Clinton reiterated comments she made at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday afternoon, where she compared Russia's decision to issue passports in the Crimean region to the ''population transfers'' carried out by Nazi Germany before World War II.
- ''The claims by President Putin and other Russians that they had to go into Crimea and maybe further into Eastern Ukraine because they had protect the Russia minorities,'' Clinton said Wednesday, ''that is reminiscent of claims that were made back in the 1930s when Germany under the Nazis kept talking about how they had to protect German minorities in Poland, in Czechoslovakia, and elsewhere throughout Europe. So I just want everybody to have a little historic perspective. I'm not making a comparison certainly, but I am recommending that we perhaps can learn from this tactic that has been used before.''
- Clinton addressed Putin and her knowledge of his world view at the event, as well.
- ''As for President Putin, I know we are dealing with a tough guy with a thin skin,'' Clinton said. ''I've had a lot of experience '-- well, not only with him but with people like that '-- but in particular with President Putin. I know that his political vision is of a greater Russia.''
- ''I support the administration's call for Russia to respect its obligation and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of Ukraine,'' Clinton added.
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- VIDEO-Muppets Most Wanted Official Trailer - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Girl Scouts earn 'Polar Vortex' patch | WISHTV.com
- INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) '' Officials say three people were seriously hurt after a crash on I-70 eastbound Wednesday night.
- The right lane of eastbound I-70 '... More >>
- INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) '' Indianapolis firefighters are reminding parents and caregivers about their ''car seat'' program after a deadly crash Tuesday night.
- IMPD detectives say '... More >>
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- VIDEO- John Kerry Shocked to Learn Putin Denies Russian Troops in Crimea - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Netanyahu "I Think It's Time To Recognize A Jewish State! We've Only Been There 4000 Years!" - YouTube
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- VIDEO- "ABBY MARTIN IS AN OUT-AND-OUT LUNATIC! SHE'S A 9/11 TRUTHER!" James Kirchick - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Los Angeles City Council Votes To Ban Electronic Cigarettes In Bars And Restaurants - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Anderson Cooper Interviews Liz Wahl RT Anchor Who Quit - " RT Is Not About Truth " - CNN - 3-5-14 - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Video: RT Anchor Quits On Air - The Daily Beast
- An American anchor working for state-owned television station Russia Today quit on air on Wednesday. Liz Wahl, in the network's D.C. bureau, announced she could no longer be "part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin. I'm proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why, after this newscast, I am resigning."
- "It actually makes me feel sick that I worked there," Wahl told The Daily Beast exclusively.
- She had been planning this move for some time. "When I came on board from the beginning I knew what I was getting into, but I think I was more cautious and tried to stay as objective as I could," she said, explaining that she was repeatedly censured by her superiors.
- The Kremlin's influence over RT is subtle, Wahl said, but management manipulates its employees, punishing those who stray from the narrative. "In order to succeed there you don't question," Wahl explained.
- RT has had some doozies recently, like "Self-defense forces ranks swell in anticipation of Crimea showdown with radicals" and "Tea, sandwiches, music, photos with self-defense forces mark peaceful Sunday in Simferopol."
- On Tuesday, RT anchor Abby Martin denounced Putin's invasion of Crimea. "I can't say enough how strongly I am against any state intervention in a sovereign nation's affairs. What Russia did is wrong." Soon after, Martin's bosses said they would sent her to Crimea, which she declined.
- "I just think it's absurd that we're just a few blocks away from the White House and this is all able to go along," Wahl said.
- Read The Daily Beast's complete coverage of Putin, Russia, and Ukraine here.
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- VIDEO-Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Catherine Ashton discuss Ukraine over the phone - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Cummings goes ballistic at Lerner hearing - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Obama Chides Romney: 'The 1980s Are Calling, They Want Their Foreign Policy Back' - YouTube
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- VIDEO-3rd-Graders Caught Smoking Pot In Sonora School Bathroom CBS San Francisco
- Get Breaking News FirstReceive News, Politics, and Entertainment Headlines Each Morning.
- Sign UpSONORA (CBS SF) '-- Three third-grade students at a Sonora elementary school were busted for smoking pot in the school's bathroom last week.
- Two 8-year-olds and a 9-year-old were caught by another student, who immediately informed school administrators. Those officials then alerted local police.
- The students were questioned by officers, and later released to their parents on February 27th.
- Sonora Elementary School Principal Chris Boyles would not speak with CBS SF regarding the case, but Superintendent Leigh Shampain confirmed that the students were caught smoking marijuana in the school's bathroom. He would not discuss how the students might be disciplined.
- ''(I'm) shocked. To be in third grade and have their own pipe,'' parent Linda Rodriguez commented to KTXL-TV. ''I think they should be expelled, but I also think they should follow it further to where they found (the drugs).''
- The case was forwarded to the Tuolumne County Probation Department.
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- VIDEO-What a Reporter Told John Kerry About Putin Surprised Him So Much He Had to Ask If It Was True | Video | TheBlaze.com
- ');jQuery.ajax({ url: "/_k2/collectXML.asp", type: "POST", dataType: "xml", contentType: 'text/xml', data: xmlPayload, success: onK2Success, error: onK2Error, complete: removeLoadSpinner });};});jQuery('#cf-finder').on('submit', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Submit', 'ZipCode');var cfid = jQuery('#cf-provider').val()if(window.xmlResponse.children('provider').eq(cfid).length === 1) {window.provider = window.xmlResponse.children('provider').eq(cfid);if(window.provider.children('STATUS').text() === '1') {jQuery('#cf-screen-1').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-2').show(0);} else {jQuery('#cf-screen-1').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-3').show(0);}}jQuery('.cf-channel-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(decodeURIComponent(window.provider.children('NAME').text())); });jQuery('.cf-number-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(window.provider.children('CHANNEL').text()); });if(window.provider.children('PHONE').text() !== '') {jQuery('.cf-email-option').hide(0);jQuery('.cf-phone-option').show(0);jQuery('.cf-phone-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(window.provider.children('PHONE').text()); });} else {}return false;});jQuery('#cf-continue').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Continue', 'Provider');jQuery('#cf-screen-3').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-4').show(0);return false;});jQuery('#cf-email-skip').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Skip', 'Provider');jQuery('#cf-screen-4').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-5').show(0);return false;});jQuery('#cf-email-submit').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Email', 'Provider');fname = jQuery('#cf-fname').val();lname = jQuery('#cf-lname').val();email = jQuery('#cf-email').val();providertext = window.provider.children('NAME').text()if(jQuery('#cf-optin').is(':checked')) {optin = 'YES';} else {optin = 'NO';}xmlEmailPayload = xmlEmailPayload.replace('[[[ZIP]]]', window.zipcode).replace('[[[FNAME]]]', fname).replace('[[[LNAME]]]', lname).replace('[[[EMAIL]]]', email).replace('[[[OPTIN]]]', optin).replace('[[[PROVIDER]]]', providertext).replace('[[[K2USERID]]]', window.xmlResponse.children('K2USERID').text());jQuery.ajax({ url: "/_k2/UserXML.asp", type: "POST", dataType: "xml", contentType: 'text/xml', data: xmlEmailPayload });jQuery('#cf-screen-4').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-5').show(0); return false;});});Channel FinderFind TheBlaze on your TV This zipcode is invalid, please try again
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- VIDEO-TV Anchor Launches Into Minute-Long Monologue Criticizing Russia. The Station? That's the Surprise. | Video | TheBlaze.com
- At the end of her news report Monday, the host of a show on Russia's English news channel Russia Today gave her own strong thoughts on the country's recent involvement in the Ukraine.
- Abby Martin, who hosts RT's ''Breaking the Set,'' said before wrapping up that she wanted to ''say something from my heart.''
- ''Just because I work here for RT doesn't mean I don't have editorial independence,'' the host based in RT's D.C. bureau said. ''And I can't stress enough how strongly I am against any state intervention in a sovereign nation's affairs.
- Abby Martin, Host of the RT show ''Breaking the Set,'' took at moment on air to voice her strong opinions against Russia's invasion into the Ukraine. (Image source: YouTube)
- ''What Russia did was wrong. I admittedly don't know as much as I should about the Ukraine's history and of the cultural dynamics of the region, but what I do know is that military intervention is never the answer,'' Martin continued. ''And I will not sit here and apologize or defend military aggression.
- ''Furthermore, the coverage I have seen of the Ukraine has been truly disappointing from all sides of the media spectrum and rife with disinformation. Above all, my heart goes out to the Ukrainian people who are now wedged as pawns in the middle of a global power chess game. They're the real losers here. All we can do now is hope for a peaceful outcome for a terrible situation and prevent another full-blown Cold War between multiple super powers.
- ''Until then, I'll keep telling the truth as I see it,'' she finished.
- But that message seems to be lost on the person who uploaded the video. In the YouTube video of Martin's RT clip, a pop-up message appears a few seconds in saying that ''this monologue was censored'':
- Martin's monologue, while her opinion, seems to falls in line with the show's question-the-''establishment'' theme.
- ''There are too many rules in our society that only prop up the establishment '' an establishment that tries its hardest to divide and conquer the people,'' the show's website says. '''Breaking the Set' is a show that cuts through the pre-written narrative that tries to tell you what to think, and what to care about.''
- She has not made a public statement about her speech yet, but retweeted a Van Gough quote on Twitter:
- I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent Van GoghRussian media coverage has been criticized for painting an unrealistic picture of its invasion into the Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
- Update: In a statement to the Huffington Post, RT said there are ''absolutely no reprimands made against Ms. Martin'' for her views.
- ''Contrary to the popular opinion, RT doesn't beat its journalists into submission, and they are free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air. This is the case with Abby's commentary on the Ukraine,'' the statement said.
- It also sai they would be ''sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story.''
- Martin on the other hand said on Twitter that she would not be going to Crimea.
-
- AUDIO-Critics Question FDA's Approval Of Zohydro : NPR
- Prominent universities and drug addiction organizations are asking the FDA to reconsider its approval of a controversial painkiller called Zohydro. It's 10 times more powerful than OxyContin.
- Copyright (C) 2014 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
- This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
- And I'm David Greene, good morning.
- The Food and Drug Administration is under enormous pressure to change its mind about a powerful new prescription painkiller. Forty-two public health groups are urging the FDA to withdraw its support of Zohydro. The drug is similar to Oxycontin, except it comes in significantly higher doses. The FDA approved Zohydro last year, despite its own advisory panel voting against it. And critics are, among other things, raising questions about that approval process.
- NPR's Laura Sullivan reports.
- LAURA SULLIVAN, BYLINE: When Zohydro is released next month, it will be one of the most powerful prescription painkillers on the market. It's highest dosage will contain five to 10 times as much hydrocodone as the widely used Vicodin. The drug company's literature says an adult could overdose on two capsules. A child could die from swallowing just one pill.
- DR. MICHAEL CAROME: People are going to die from this drug.
- SULLIVAN: Dr. Michael Carome is the director of Health Research for Public Citizen.
- CAROME: We are in the midst of a public health crisis. There is an epidemic of opioid addiction resulting in thousands of deaths. And the last thing we need now is another high-potent, high-dose, long-acting opioid drug, Zohydro, that will simply feed the epidemic.
- SULLIVAN: Overdose deaths and addiction rates from prescription painkillers similar to Zohydro have grown dramatically in recent years. Carome and 41 other health care advocates are asking the FDA to remove its approval of the drug. Zohydro is a crushable pill. That means it's snortable and, some experts say, more prone to abuse than other drugs like the new versions of Oxycontin, which are no longer crushable. The drug company Zogenix is marketing the drug.
- DR. BRAD GALER: There's a lot of misinformation being put out there by people who don't have all the facts.
- SULLIVAN: Dr. Brad Galer is the company's chief medical officer. He says they will introduce a non-crushable version of Zohydro in three years. And the company will closely monitor prescription transfer abuse. But he says millions legitimately need this drug.
- GALER: We're talking about patients that are in bed, depressed, can't sleep, can't work, can't interact with their loved ones. It's a very significant medical health problem that is being ignored.
- SULLIVAN: That argument isn't sitting will with public health advocates. Dr. Andrew Kolodny is chief medical officer at the Phoenix House Foundation.
- DR. ANDREW KOLODNY: We have many opioid formulations on the market. There's absolutely no need for a new opioid formulation.
- SULLIVAN: FDA's own advisory panel seem to agree. The panel voted 11-to-2 not to approve the drug. Then in November, top FDA officials overruled that panel. And that's where things get complicated. Last fall, a series of emails were made public from a Freedom of Information Act request. They were emails between two professors who had, for a decade, organized private meetings between FDA officials and drug companies who make pain medicine. The drug companies pay the professors thousands of dollars to attend.
- And here's what has critics concerned. One of those companies was Zohydro's original manufacturer, Elan Corp. Zogenix wasn't in the picture yet but went on to partner with Elan.
- Dr. Kolodny, of Phoenix House Foundation.
- KOLODNY: When those emails surfaced, I think for many of us there was a sense of ah-ha.
- SULLIVAN: Elan has a new owner, and the company did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, the FDA said the meetings did not address specific drugs and that the FDA took part to develop better research methods. The statement says those research methods may have benefitted companies making pain drugs but that they also benefitted patients.
- Zohydro's Dr. Galer attended the meetings when he worked for another drug company.
- GALER: Those actually were looking at old studies to improve patient care.
- SULLIVAN: So I asked him...
- But if the drug manufacturers are sitting in a room with FDA officials, talking about pain drugs, and they're there because they spent 20- to $30,000 to be in the room, and some of these other advocates aren't allowed in that room at the same time, does that raise any concerns for you that that could be a conflict of interest?
- GALER: Well, again, I'm here as chief medical officer for Zogenix. Zogenix was not involved whatsoever. All I can say is that this medication, Zohydro E.R., will benefit many patients.
- SULLIVAN: But police agencies are worried.
- MAJOR JASON BOGUE: It's a problem we're trying to get ahead of because we know it's coming.
- SULLIVAN: Maj. Jason Bogue runs the narcotics division of the Prince George's County Police Department, in Maryland. He's been battling prescription drug abuse and its crime, violence and addiction. He doesn't want to battle Zohydro.
- BOGUE: The impact that that has on society, the impact that it has on families, it's catastrophic. I can see this compounding that problem.
- SULLIVAN: Attorneys general from 28 states have already asked the FDA to reconsider its approval. But in its statement, the agency said, the data shows the drug is safe, effective and needed.
- Laura Sullivan, NPR News, Washington.
- Copyright (C) 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
- NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
-
- VIDEO-Joe Biden Unwittingly Pitches Obamacare To A Canadian Tourist (VIDEO)
- Vice President Joe Biden can't convince a Canadian tourist to sign up for Obamacare, even with all the charm in the world at his disposal.
- Biden made a stop at a pancake house Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz. to try to sell the health care law to customers, Phoenix TV station KTVK reported. The cameras caught his sales pitch to one woman sitting outside in particular.
- "You should sign up. We gotta make sure everybody young signs up for health care," Biden told the woman. "It's affordable. You can get subsidies to do it, and it's in your interest. Even if you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for your parents. Give them peace of mind."
- The woman, who KTVK only identified as Jackie, didn't have the heart to tell the vice president that she was only visiting Arizona and wasn't a U.S. citizen.
- "I just didn't know if I should say I'm sorry, Canadian. Don't know if I can help you out," she told KTVK. "He's for it, I'm for it. I hope it works out here."
- Watch below, courtesy of KTVK:
-
- VIDEO Hillary Clinton Exposed, Movie She Banned From Theaters - Full - YouTube
-
- Remember Obama Mocking Romney Over Russia Concerns? 'The 1980s Are Now Calling to Ask for Their Foreign Policy Back' | Video | TheBlaze.com
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