| 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7873294.stm?ad=1 Photosynthesis viewed in a flash Jeppesen https://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_11664716 Chatman Thomsen JEPPESEN GMBH JEPPESEN GMBH; JEPPESEN $60,866 00.000.2005 ===== Federal Contracts for Federal Fiscal Year :, Extent Competed : Full and Open Competition, Level of Detail : Low (list of´contractors) ===== Community, Private intel corporations Technorati Tags: CIA, contractors, DIA, DNI, Hayden, outsourcing, private intelligence 30.May 2007 <<Outsourced Dirty Work and Legal Liability < [Jeppesen] The ACLU intends to file a lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen on Wednesday, on behalf of 3 alum of the CIA black sites who allege that the company aided the CIA in violating their human rights through its logistical support of CIA rendition flights. This raises the larger question of legal liability for private intelligence companies that are now performing espionage functions on behalf of the CIA. Not everything outsourced to private intel corporations is as warm and fuzzy as support services for the NOC (nonofficial cover) program. The nature of some of the outsourced functions formerly performed by Agency personnel is going to violate rights or else the companies will not be doing their jobs. So will the corporations performing these outsourced services be liable under US law? The ACLU seems to think so. According to the International Herald Tribune: The civil suit is to be filed in San Jose, California, under the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789. This law specifies that U.S. government agencies and U.S. corporations can be held responsible for human rights abuses against foreigners resulting from activities in a foreign country. I'm no legal expert, but the fact that this hasn't successfully been used against Agency employees makes me doubtful that private intel companies are trembling at the moment, but are taking comfort in the National Security Act of 1947 which created the CIA and gave it broad authorization to conduct the nation's dirty business. Contractors most likely seek indemnification under PL 85-804/FAR 52.250-1 that allow for release of liability for national defense related functions that involve unusually hazardous risks. Granted, it's a stretch to claim that arranging flight logistics is hazardous since it's all probably online and doesn't even risk an old-fashioned papercut. More likely is that the government will find a way to shut down the action. Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to double check with counsel... 30.May 2007 Posted by R J Hillhouse - in Private intel corporations Technorati Tags: Boeing, CIA, contractor, Jeppesen, liability, private intelligence corporation, rendition 21.May 2007 <<But Comair 5191 Pilot Jeffrey Clay and First Officer James Polehinke didn't have the 03.Aug.200- diagram. JEPPESEN, a Colorado-based company 3. that provides Comair's airport diagrams, did not publish the map because of a software error, according to the NTSB report. On 08.Sep.200- , nearly two weeks after the crash, JEPPESEN issued its version of the FAA's Aug. 3 map. JEPPERSEN interprets and produces charts based on information from the FAA. Virtually all U.S. commercial airlines receive their airport charts from JEPPESEN. ... Continued: https://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/special_packages/crash/16486129.htm 2.) JEPPESEN, a Boeing Subsidiary, Accused of Running Torture Travel Agency According to Grey and others, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary called JEPPESEN INC. cleared the airways and runways for the CIA, providing landing and navigation assistance, scheduling flight crews, and booking hotels for them. Jeppesen is a unit of Boeing's Seattle-based Commercial Aviation Division. 18.Dec.2007 https://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/12/14/bashmilah/ Bashmilah, who at age 39 is now physically a free man, still suffers the mental consequences of prolonged detention and abuse. He is undergoing treatment for the damage done to him at the hands of the U.S. government. On Friday, Bashmilah laid out his story in a declaration to a U.S. district court as part of a civil suit brought by the ACLU against Jeppesen Dataplan Inc., a subsidiary of Boeing accused of facilitating secret CIA rendition flights. Bashmilah said in the phone interview that the psychological anguish inside a CIA black site is exacerbated by the unfathomable unknowns for the prisoners. While he figured out that he was being held by Americans, Bashmilah did not know for sure why, where he was, or whether he would ever see his family again. He said, "Every time I realize that there may be others who are still there where I suffered, I feel the same thing for those innocent people who just fell in a crack." The ACLU charged that the U.S. government is improperly invoking the "state secrets" privilege to avoid judicial scrutiny of this unlawful policy. Steven Watt, an attorney with the ACLU's Human Rights Programme, told IPS, "Five men have been brutally abused with the help of a U.S. corporation, and they are entitled to their day in court." "Jeppesen must not be given a free pass for its profitable participation in a torture programme," he said. "And the government should not be allowed to use the national security defence as a way to cover up its mistakes or, worse, its egregious abuses of human rights." Antifascist Calling... Forget chocolate hearts and cute cards, on February 14, the Bush regime handed aerospace giant, The Boeing Company, an even better gift when U.S. District Judge James Ware in San Jose, California dismissed a lawsuit brought by victims of the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" torture program against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen International Trip Planning. Citing public and confidential statements filed by CIA Director Michael Hayden alleging that "proceeding with this case would jeopardize national security and foreign relations," Ware dismissed the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Ware claimed that "at the core of plaintiffs' case against defendant Jeppesen are 'allegations' of covert U.S. military or CIA operations in foreign countries against foreign nationals -- clearly a subject matter which is a state secret," the San Francisco Chronicle tells us. Despite massive documentary evidence, and the CIA's own admission of the program's existence in public testimony before Congress, once again, Bush consigliere's have resorted to the so-called "state secrets privilege" to deny victims of a U.S. Government program to "disappear" and torture alleged "terrorists" recourse to compensation under U.S. law. Jeppesen Charting and Navigation Services Jeppesen Crew Management Suite Jeppesen Flight Planning Jeppesen International Trip Planning Jeppesen OPSControl Neu-Isenburg - Informationen - UnternehmenJeppesen GmbH (Weltmarktführer in der Herstellung von Flugnavigationsunterlagen) Du Pont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH. LSG Lufthansa Service GmbH ... www.kreis-offenbach-info.de/neu-isenburg.htm For now, one thing is clear. Once the wait for the final death toll is over, there will be another agonising wait as experts drill though the statistics to learn whether Australia's bushfire preparedness policy saved or cost lives this weekend. Time for a new Australian bushfire policy? Rachel Nowak, Australasian editor https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/australias-bushfire-preparedne.html Gitmo Detainee’s ‘Genitals Were Sliced With A Scalpel,’ Waterboarding ‘Far Down The List Of Things They Did’ - Ben Armbruster Last week, two British High Court judges ruled against releasing documents describing the treatment of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. The judges said the Bush administration “had threatened to withhold intelligence cooperation with Britain if the information were made public.” But The Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend that the documents actually “contained details of how British intelligence officers supplied information to [Mohamed’s] captors and contributed questions while he was brutally tortured.” In fact, it was British officials, not the Americans, who pressured Foreign Secretary David Miliband “to do nothing that would leave serving MI6 officers open to prosecution.” According to the Telegraph’s sources, the documents describe particularly gruesome interrogation tactics: The 25 lines edited out of the court papers contained details of how Mr Mohamed’s genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, “is very far down the list of things they did,” the official said. Another source familiar with the case said: “British intelligence officers knew about the torture and didn’t do anything about it.” “It is very clear who stands to be embarrassed by this and who is being protected by this secrecy. It is not the Americans, it is Labour ministers,” former shadow home secretary David Davis said. But one unnamed U.S. House Judiciary Committee member told the Telegraph that if President Obama “doesn’t act we could hold a hearing or write to subpoena the documents. We need to know what’s in those documents.” Mohamed remains at Guantanamo Bay and “is currently on hunger strike.” “All terror charges against him were dropped last year,” the Telegraph reported. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/mohamed-torture-uk-us/ https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-torture5-2009feb05,0,222127.story China to defend record in Geneva China is due to defend its human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7878168.stm Brown 'very angry' about bonuses Gordon Brown's spokesman says he believes bankers should consider waiving their right to bonuses. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7878418.stm Obama’s Unscreened Town Hall Audience Is Clean Break From Bush’s Supporters-Only Public Events https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/obama-townhall-break-from-bush/ The realization by the public that the government’s intervention plan had not been fully thought through, and the official story that the economy was tanking, likely led to the panic seen in the next few weeks. And this was likely amplified by the ad hoc decisions to support some financial institutions and not others and unclear, seemingly fear-based explanations of programs to address the crisis. What was the rationale for intervening with Bear Stearns, then not with Lehman, and then again with AIG? What would guide the operations of the TARP? The core of Taylor’s argument, beyond finding fault with Greenspan, Bernanke and Paulson, is that arbitrary action by the government causes panic and paralysis. There’s a compelling logic to what Taylor writes. But there’s also a nagging feeling that his research is biased toward his own intellectual assumptions. Source: How Government Created the Financial Crisis -By- JOHN B. TAYLOR 09.Feb.2008 Wall Street Journal; https://online.wsj.com/article/SB123414310280561945.html Blame Bernanke and Paulson https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/wHS5bBNx9s8/ https://mrmortgage.ml-implode.com Leahy endorses ‘truth commission’ to investigate Bush DOJ abuses. - Amanda Terkel Today in a speech at Georgetown University, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said that he — like other congressional Democrats, such Rep. John Conyers (MI) and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) and Carl Levin (MI) — supports the idea of a “truth commission” to investigate abuses at the Department of Justice: One path to that goal would be a reconciliation process, a truth commission. We could develop and authorize a person or group of people universally recognized as fair minded without any ax to grind. Their straightforward mission would be to find the truth. People would be told to come forward and share their knowledge and experiences, not for purposes of conducting criminal indictments but to assemble the facts. Indeed, such a process could involve subpoena powers and even the authority to obtain immunity from prosecutions for anything accept perjury in order to get to the full truth. Leahy later added, “Rather than vengeance, we need a fair-minded pursuit of what actually happened. And sometimes is the best way to move forward is to find out the truth, find out what happened. And we do that to make sure it never happens again.” Transcript: More » https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/leahy-truth-commission/ Obama DOJ affirms Bush’s state secrets position in extraordinary rendition lawsuit. - Ali Frick In federal court today, the Obama administration signaled it would uphold the Bush administration’s state secrets position in a lawsuit regarding Bush’s use of extraordinary rendition. Five men who say they were victims of extraordinary rendition — including current Guantanamo detainee and torture victim Binyam Mohamed — sued, but the case was thrown out last year after Bush declared it to be a matter of state secrets. In an appeal today, the new administration took the same position: A source inside of the Ninth U.S. District Court tells ABC News that a representative of the Justice Department stood up to say that its position hasn’t changed, that new administration stands behind arguments that previous administration made, with no ambiguity at all. The DOJ lawyer said the entire subject matter remains a state secret. Last Wednesday, Britain’s High Court of Justice revealed that the U.S. had threatened to stop sharing evidence with Britain if it disclosed evidence of the torture Binyam Mohamed has endured. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/obama-adopts-bush-state-secrets-stance/ https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/mohamed-torture-uk-us/ https://www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/38692prs20090209.html https://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obama-administr.html https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE51351P20090204?sp=true 00.Jan.2000 -unti-l Joseph E. Stiglitz - Joseph Stiglitz was chief economist at the World Bank . Before that Joseph E. Stiglitz was the chairman of President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers. 00.000.2001 Joseph E. Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in. 06.Feb.2009 -currently- Joseph E. Stiglitz is a finance and economics professor at Columbia University. 06.Feb.2009 is the author of Globalization and Its Discontents and The Roaring Nineties. Stiglitz: Gov’t Should Bail Out Homeowners, Not Banks https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/sWUo200NLXM/ Crisis 'more serious than 1930s' Cabinet minister Ed Balls predicts the financial crisis will be "more extreme and more serious than that of the 00.000.1930 s". https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7880189.stm Obama To Name Melissa Hathaway Cybersecurity Chief - ScuttleMonkey hargrand writes "President Obama has found the cyber tsar to head his new White House office of cybersecurity. According to US press reports this morning, an announcement expected later today will confirm Melissa Hathaway is to come in as cyber chief, after being cyber coordination executive for the director of national intelligence." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/jzX-mLH-xXs/article.pl Senate votes to end debate on economic recovery package. - Faiz Shakir The Senate voted 61-36 just moments ago to pass a cloture motion on the economy recovery package, thus ending debate on the bill and moving to a vote on final passage. The motion received just one more than the 60 votes needed. Three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), and Arlen Specter (PA) — voted with the Democrats. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/09/senate-votes-to-end-debate-on-economic-recovery-package/ https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSWAT01094520090209 Army Lab Suspends Research After Toxin-Tracking Scare - Jason Sigger Problems accounting for high-risk microbes and biomaterials forces the only U.S. military lab equipped to handle the worst of the worst diseases to suspend its bioresearch operations. https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/r6_owwpRVI8/army-biolab-und.html Obama hints at cybersecurity shakeup with 60-day review Announcement that a Bush administration cybersecurity official will conduct a review of https://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10159975-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y0NOa-yjr8 "The plan is to engineer the mind by reverse-engineering the brain," says Dharmendra Modha, manager of the cognitive computing project at IBM Almaden Research Center. UPDATE : Rutgers University molecular biologist Richard Ebright wonders how many more biodefense labs are having problems tracking and handling deadly agents. In an e-mail to Danger Room, he notes: There currently are 400 U.S. institutions and 15,000 U.S. individuals authorized to possess bioweapons agents. Security measures at the overwhelming majority of the 400 U.S. institutions that possess bioweapons agents are inadequate. Very few of the 400 institutions has comprehensive video monitoring of work areas. Very few of the 400 institutions has a two-person rule (a rule requiring that at least two persons be present when bioweapons agents are handled). Very few of the 400 institutions perform psychological screening and psychological monitoring of personnel. In security circles the formation of the CNCI is regarded as possibly one of the most significant technology policy events of recent times, and something that could shape the cyber landscape. Hathaway was a top aide to President Bush and helped develop that administration’s cybersecurity initiative. A spokesman for Mr Balls insisted that the prime minister and Chancellor Alistair Darling had highlighted the "unprecedented speed and ferocity" of the crisis "time and time again". He said: "The unprecedented global nature of this crisis and its impact on the global financial sector is affecting every single economy in the world. "The Bank of England agrees with this analysis. As the deputy governor of the Bank of England, Charlie Bean, said in October: 'This is a once in a lifetime crisis, and possibly the largest financial crisis of its kind in human history."' In London, Tube workers are angry at being told they will not be paid if they failed to turn up for work during last week's heavy snow. They have accused Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) of hypocrisy, given that all bus services in the capital and much of the Tube network were withdrawn last Monday. Jeppesen GmbH company profiles. Find news and products from Jeppesen GmbH . Quick links for investor relations and press. Jeppesen GmbH contact and ... www.masterseek.de/id/21167580/Jeppesen-GmbH.htm The lawsuit claims that San Jose-based Jeppesen DataPlan Inc. should be punished for allegedly providing the CIA airplanes and crew to carry out the program that included torture. 09.Feb.2009 SEC's top cop wasn't tough enough MarketWatch 09.Feb.2009 SEC's top enforcer to leave agency Reuters 09.Feb.2009 Obama DoJ Asserts "State Secrets;" ACLU Blasts Obama Atlantic Online 09.Feb.2009 Obama Stands Behind 'State Secrets' Defense ABC News Bloomberg reports that, according to recently released IRS data, “the average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 % through the first six years of the Bush administration and their average income doubled to $263.3 million.” Much of their income came from capital gains resulting from the Bush [...] https://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-12/123398465742360.xml&coll=1 FBI officials confirmed the December incident. "As a matter of protocol in this type of matter, the FBI was called in to investigate and we determined there was no nexus to terrorism or risk to public health," said Bryan Travers, a spokesman for the FBI office in Newark. https://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-12/123398465742360.xml&coll=1 UMDNJ concedes it lost 2 dead mice infected with plague The compliment was returned when the 85-year-old veteran of the Nixon # Ford administrations said last month that the young president was in a position to create a "new world order" by shifting US foreign policy away from the hostile stance of the Bush administration. "new world order" 09.Feb.2009 -00.000.2000 -since-Frequent visits by Mr Kissinger to Russia have largely gone unreported in the Western press. A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's academic research does not prejudice the work that he conducts as chair of the ACMD." There are 500,000 regular users and between 30 million and 60 million ecstasy pills in circulation in the UK. If the advisory council recommends downgrading ecstasy next week, the Government can over-rule it - as happened with cannabis this year. The council heard last year that deaths among ecstasy users had trebled from 10 to 30 a year over the past 15 years. The cost of pills had slumped from £15.50 to £2.30. "There is not much difference between horse riding and ecstasy." In the article, titled "Equasy: An overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms", Prof Nutt wrote that "equasy", short for "Equine Addiction Syndrome", had caused 10 deaths and more than 100 road traffic accidents a year. "As for the dreaded NWO -- it's a myth." "new world order" Frequent visits by Mr Kissinger to Russia since 2000 have largely gone unreported in the Western press. 09.Feb.2009 Katholische Kirche: Kardinal Lehmann fordert Ausschluss des Holocaust-Leugners (Panorama) 09.Feb.2009 https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/0,1518,druck-606371,00.html Es ist kein Einzelfall, dass Google-Map-Mashups an die Grenze zum unheimlichen Überwachungsregister gehen. Bekannt sind Tracking-Dienste, die in den USA seit Jahren via Google Maps den Aufenthaltsort verurteilter, aus der Haft entlassener Sexualstraftäter erfassen. Diese müssen sich in vielen Staaten melden und werden regional öffentlich gemacht. Die Maps tragen ihre Bilder um die Welt. Die Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE) war in den siebziger Jahren gegründet worden und leistete bis zum Ende der Sowjetunion einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Entspannung und Kooperation zwischen Ost und West. In der Gallup-Erhebung gaben 67 % der Befragten an, sie seien mit Obamas Vorgehen in der Debatte um das Konjunkturpaket zufrieden. Lediglich 31 % äußerten sich zufrieden mit dem Ansatz der Republikaner im Kongress. Doch das Bundeskriminalamt hat andere Zahlen: Demnach ist die 09.Feb.2009 -00.000.2001 -seit-Zahl der Tatverdächtigen + der Ermittlungsverfahren im Bereich der Organisierten Kriminalität rückläufig - also von dem Moment an, als der Anschlag auf das World Trade Center auch die kriminalistische Arbeit in Deutschland erschütterte. Seit damals hätten Mafiaermittlungen keine Priorität mehr, Beamte seien verstärkt zur Terrorbekämpfung abgezogen worden, so Jansen: "Und wenn nicht ermittelt wird, gehen auch die Zahlen zurück." Das bedeute vor allem eines: Die Mafia werde hier in Ruhe gelassen und könne sich ums Geldverdienen kümmern, sagt Klaus Jansen, Vorsitzender des Bundes Deutscher Kriminalbeamter (BDK): "Die Mafia gefährdet schleichend unsere Demokratie." So fehlte in vielen Bundesländern der politische Wille für aufwendige Ermittlungen. "Die Landesregierungen fragen oft nicht, aus welchen dunklen Kanälen Investitionsgelder stammen." "Kalte Wirtschaftlichkeit" der Mafia-Clans 09.Feb.2009 Italienische Komapatientin: Streit um Sterbehilfe spitzt sich zu (Panorama) 09.Feb.2009 Absatzkrise: Sarkozy stützt Autobranche mit sechs Milliarden Euro (Wirtschaft) 09.Feb.2009 Organisierte Kriminalität: "Die Mafia gefährdet unsere Demokratie" (Panorama) 09.Feb.2009 Neue Sicherheitsarchitektur: Herzliches Missverständnis zwischen Russland und dem Westen (Politik) 09.Feb.2009 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-606531,00.html Laxton hat schnell Karriere gemacht, er war bereits mehrere Jahre in Pakistan und Afghanistan und ist derzeit Chef der Süd-Asien-Abteilung des britischen Außenministeriums und unterrichtet in diesen Fragen direkt Außenminister David Miliband, der aus einer polnisch-jüdischen Familie stammt. Der Vorfall ereignete sich für das britische Außenministerium in einer besonders heiklen Phase: In der kommenden Woche ist Großbritannien Gastgeber für einen Gipfel mit Politikern aus 35 Ländern - bei dem Treffen soll es um den Kampf gegen den Antisemitismus gehen. 09.Feb.2009 https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,druck-606461,00.html Binärsystem verwirrt Telekom Immerhin sind die Rollen hier klar verteilt: Die großen Anwender-Betriebssysteme halten sich nicht an den Standard, die Hardware-Hersteller schon. In welchen Einheiten aber nun zum Beispiel T-Online, Telekom und T-Mobile ihre Datenübertragungsraten und Inklusiv-Volumen berechnen, ist nicht wirklich ersichtlich. Die Telekom berechnet mal auf ihrer Web-Seite in Binärlogik, ein "Megabit habe 1024 Kilobit", T-Mobile wiederum gibt in Zehnersystematik an, ein Megabit habe "eine Million Bit". Eine Anfrage von SPIEGEL ONLINE vom Donnerstag, nach welchem Standard man nun rechne, hat die Telekom bis heute nicht beantwortet. 00.000.1864 Pius IX, Pope, issues the „ Syllabus Errorum “-condemning+Liberalism+ Socialism+Rationalism + URL: www.eskimo.com/~recall/bleed/1208.htm ... alfatomega.com/2004082021.html 09.Feb.2009 Antisemitismus-Vorwurf: Polizei nimmt britischen Top-Diplomaten fest (Politik) 09.Feb.2009 Klage gegen Reformvertrag: "Verfassungsgericht wird EU eindeutig in ihre Schranken weisen" (Politik) 09.Feb.2009 Nach dem Angriff: Chinas Regierungschef bittet um Gnade für Schuhwerfer (Politik) 09.Feb.2009 Stabilitätspakt: Sechs Euro-Staaten müssen mit Defizitverfahren rechnen (Wirtschaft) 09.Feb.2009 China: Zentrale des Staatsfernsehens steht in Flammen (Panorama) 09.Feb.2009 Ägypten: Grabkammer mit 30 Mumien gefunden (Wissenschaft) 09.Feb.2009 09.Feb.2009 Finanzkrise: Barclays' Milliardengewinn stützt Europas Börsen (Wirtschaft) 09.Feb.2009 09.Feb.2009 Schnee in den Alpen: Zahl der Passsperren erreicht Rekordwert (Reise) 09.Feb.2009 09.Feb.2009 Deutsche-Bank-Trader Weinstein: Ein Pokerspieler stürzt ab (Wirtschaft) 09.Feb.2009 09.Feb.2009 Reluctant Recruits - Transnational Institute In 00.Nov.1996 six contracted pilots working for a Virginia-based firm, Dyncorp , which also supplied "fewer than a dozen" technicians and mechanics, ... 12.Jul.2005 Zusammenspiel von totaler ( Erd-)Überwachung + menschlichem Fehlverhalten, ... www1.uni-hamburg.de/kriminol/surveillance/aktuell_archiv.html "An Israeli lawyer named Mordechai Mincher is the one who represented Montesinos at the Israeli banks in Switzerland and he is also the person upon whose ... www.radioislam.org/crime/launder/peru-launder.htm Perils of Peru - Haaretz - Israel News They include arms dealer Zvi Sudit, businessman Rony Lerner, lawyer Mordechai Mincher (formerly a legal adviser to the Eisenberg Group), Ilan Weil and James ... 00.000.2007 Safe Haven | The Recession of Long-time reader Jerome Schonbachler of EFG (the third-largest private bank in Switzerland) came over from Geneva. He and his team are going to work with ... www.safehaven.com/article-6419.htm 00.000.2007 Check Blogdigger for more on ... finds a link to Tommy Kontogiannis . Kontogiannis is the guy who bribed ... alfatomega.com/20080214.html Mortgage Fraud - Selected Resources For Mortgage Fraud Mortgage Fraud Blog - Mortgage Fraud News | Real Estate Fraud News . The feds have never charged Kontogiannis for his mortgage fraud or related criminal ... www.aspwebwizard.com/mortgage-refinance/mortgage-fraud.php 21.Nov.2008 ... For a decade, Thomas T. Kontogiannis led an elaborate criminal scheme, according to a ... Mortgage Fraud News | Mortgage Fraud Blog ... www.mortgagedaily.com/LawsuitDljVsKontogiannis112108.asp "mortgage fraud news" news from MortgageDaily.com DLJ Buys $50 Million in Bogus Loans - Lawsuit filed against Thomas Kontogiannis . .. Mortgage Fraud News | Mortgage Fraud Blog Mortgage broker, originator and ... 07.Dec.2007 Mortgage Fraud Blog from FraudBlogger.com - Archives 07.Dec.2007 ... Federal prosecutors in San Diego are seeking a sentence of ten years for Thomas Kontogiannis for a $100 million mortgage fraud scam that he ... www.fraudblogger.com/Blog120707.asp news from MortgageDaily.com mortgage fraud blog free mortgage news mortgage news for PDAs, ... DLJ Buys $50 Million in Bogus Loans - Lawsuit filed against Thomas Kontogiannis . 67.67.189.54/ffresults.asp?id=151736&map=0&page=0&ics=1&srt=d A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's academic research does not prejudice the work that he conducts as chair of the ACMD." There are 500,000 regular users and between 30 million and 60 million ecstasy pills in circulation in the UK. If the advisory council recommends downgrading ecstasy next week, the Government can over-rule it - as happened with cannabis this year. The council heard last year that deaths among ecstasy users had trebled from 10 to 30 a year over the past 15 years. The cost of pills had slumped from £15.50 to £2.30. But you're always running the risk of even a very small minor incident, which is what this is." "As a matter of protocol in this type of matter, the FBI was called in to investigate and we determined there was no nexus to terrorism or risk to public health," said Bryan Travers, a spokesman for the FBI office in Newark. 09.Feb.2009 Weltwirtschaftskrise: Export-Wachstum sinkt auf Fünf-Jahres-Tief (Wirtschaft) 09.Feb.2009 https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18390.html Latin America poverty 'may soar' A senior UN official says the world's economic crisis could cause poverty in Latin America to rise by 15% this year. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7876169.stm Photosynthesis viewed in a flash Using ultra-short laser pulses, scientists hope to understand how plants harvest the Sun's energy. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7873294.stm 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7876184.stm US seeks to rework foreign ties The US seeks a new tone in its foreign policy and wants to "reset" ties with Moscow, Vice-President Joe Biden says. Temperatures set to drop further The coldest snap for 20 years shows no sign of letting up, with temperatures expected to plummet overnight. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7876888.stm Pound's slide hits Foreign Office The collapse of the pound will put the Foreign Office under "serious financial pressures" in the coming year, a parliamentary report warns. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7876614.stm Maternity units 'shut to mothers More hospitals in England turned away women in labour 00.000.2008 because they were full, figures obtained by the Tories suggest. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7875090.stm Government plans travel database The government is compiling a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7877182.stm Treasury orders probe into banks The Treasury is to order an independent probe into how banks are managed, chancellor Alistair Darling says. 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7877161.stm In a May 2006 op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Hoekstra wrote: But every time classified national security information is leaked, our ability to gather information on those who would do us harm is eroded. … I regret that I see little sign of intolerance for unauthorized disclosures of intelligence to the media from some of my Democratic colleagues today. … We are a nation at war. Unauthorized disclosures of classified information only help terrorists and our enemies – and put American lives at risk. 09.Feb.2009 https://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/13/opinion/oe-hoekstra13 Hoekstra leaks unauthorized intelligence information via Twitter. 09.Feb.2009 https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/hoekstra-twitters-iraq/ Senate centrists’ plan = 600,000 fewer jobs. - Faiz Shakir The Senate “centrists,” led by Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-NE), are cheering the fact that they’ve cut $86 billion in spending from the economy recovery package. “ Spending for the states and education took the biggest hit, compared with the House bill. State fiscal stabilization funding was cut back $40 billion, school construction dropped $16 billion, and a proposed $3.5 billion line for higher education construction was zeroed out.” Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman puts those cuts in perspective: Now the centrists have shaved off $86 billion in spending — much of it among the most effective and most needed parts of the plan. In particular, aid to state governments, which are in desperate straits, is both fast — because it prevents spending cuts rather than having to start up new projects — and effective, because it would in fact be spent; plus state and local governments are cutting back on essentials, so the social value of this spending would be high. But in the name of mighty centrism, $40 billion of that aid has been cut out. My first cut says that the changes to the Senate 09.Feb.2009 https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/600k-jobs/ 09.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7877182.stm?ad=1 Job Losses: Comparing Recessions - Barry Ritholtz This is one nasty looking chart: 09.Feb.2009 https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/FVXmOpB92Uk/ Time Magazine 09.Feb.2009 https://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/02/06/how-bad-is-it/ https://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS_reports_by_date 30.Jul.1996 https://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_Worker_Rights_Provisions_and_Trade_Policy:_Shoult_They_Be_Linked%3F%2C_July_30%2C_1996 Jetzt hat der Forscher sein Modell nun auf Iran angewandt - https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,druck-606257,00.html https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,druck-606280,00.html Zürich schafft Steuerprivilegien für reiche Ausländer ab https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,druck-606287,00.html EU-Staaten wird das Geld knapp 06.Feb.2009 A 10-Year Stretch That’s Worse Than It Looks -FLOYD NORRIS NYT, 06.Feb.2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07charts.html Kyl: It’s ‘dangerous’ and ‘careless’ to describe a potential depression as a ‘catastrophe.’ - Matt Corley The economy is currently experiencing what may be the longest recession since the Great Depression and is edging closer to another depression. In his weekly video address today, President Obama argued that “if we don’t move swiftly to put” his economic recovery plan “in motion, our economic crisis could become a national catastrophe.” Despite the seriousness of the moment, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) doesn’t like the stark language that Obama is using to describe the potential consequences of inaction, telling the New York Times that Obama is using “some dangerous words“: “In discussing with the American people his approach to the stimulus of our economy, he has first really used some dangerous words,” said Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Republican. Mr. Kyl added, “It seems to me that the president is rather casually throwing out some careless language.” This isn’t the first time that Kyl has complained about Obama’s choice of words. After the Inauguration, Kyl told an Arizona radio station that Obama’s speech was “low-brow” for proclaiming “an end to the petty grievances and false promises” of the Bush years. 07.Feb.2009 https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/kyl-obama-words/ US diplomat expelled from Ecuador Ecuador's left-wing President Rafael Correa expels a US customs attache in an argument over anti-drug policies. 07.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7877229.stm 07.Feb.2009 https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/02/06/business/20090207_CHARTS_graphic.html Source: Biggest job loss ever for retail sector Rex Nutting MarketWatch, 12:42 p.m. EST Feb. 6, 2009 07.Feb.2009 https://tinyurl.com/WillRetailEverRecover Afghanistan 'tougher than Iraq' The new US special envoy to Afghanistan says winning the conflict there will be "much tougher" than in Iraq. 07.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7877505.stm Russia 'positive' on US approach Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov welcomes the US promise to "press the reset button" in their relationship. 07.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7877415.stm Obama reconsidering Afghanistan surge? - Faiz Shakir President Obama was expected to “formally approve additional deployments” to Afghanistan last week. But on Friday, ABC News reported that Defense Secretary Robert Gates was deferring a decision on whether to send more more troops “until President Obama decides what force levels he wants.” The Pentagon has presented a proposal to send three additional brigades — 17,000 troops. The U.K. Sunday Times reports: The Pentagon was set to announce the deployment of 17,000 extra soldiers and marines last week but Robert Gates, the defence secretary, postponed the decision after questions from Obama. The president was concerned by a lack of strategy at his first meeting with Gates and the US joint chiefs of staff last month in “the tank”, the secure conference room in the Pentagon. He asked: “What’s the endgame?” and did not receive a convincing answer. Larry Korb, a defence expert at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, said: “Obama is exactly right. Before he agrees to send 30,000 troops, he wants to know what the mission and the endgame is.” Obama and Gates seem to be leaning towards a “more modest approach, defining the mission as limited solely to stabilizing Afghanistan.” 08.Feb.2009 https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/08/obama-reconsidering-afghanistan-surge/ 08.Feb.2009 https://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/07/holbrooke.afghanistan/ Obama aide urges stimulus haste A top US presidential advisor calls for lawmakers to quickly draw up a final version of the financial stimulus package. 08.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7877665.stm PM orders rethink on soldier home Gordon Brown orders a council which told a disabled soldier he could not build a specially-adapted home to reconsider. 08.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7877777.stm Sacrificing Accuracy For Speed and Efficiency In Processors - Soulskill-Skudd writes "Modern computing has always been reliant on accuracy and correct answers. Now, a professor at Rice University in Houston posits that some future applications could be revolutionized by 'probabilistic computing.' Quoting: 'This afternoon, Krishna Palem, speaking at a computer science meeting in San Francisco, will announce results of the first real-world test of his probabilistic computer chip: The chip, which thrives on random errors, ran seven times faster than today's best technology while using just 1/30th the electricity. ... The high density of transistors on existing chips also leads to a lot of background "noise." To compensate, engineers increase the voltage applied to computer circuits to overpower the noise and ensure precise calculations. Palem began wondering how much a slight reduction in the quality of calculations might improve speed and save energy. He soon realized that some information was more valuable than other information. For example, in calculating a bank balance of $13,000.81, getting the "13" correct is much more important than the "81." Producing an answer of $13,000.57 is much closer to being correct than $57,000.81. While Palem's technology may not have a future in calculating missions to Mars, it probably has one in such applications as streaming music and video on mobile devices, he said.' 08.Feb.2009 https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/UMIePdA8Hew/article.pl 'Staggering' cost of food waste Scottish families throw away an average of £410 worth of unused food each year, it is revealed. 08.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7877767.stm 'Improve credit access' urges CBI The credit crunch will get worse for UK firms without government action to improve access to new finance, the CBI says. 08.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7877287.stm Economy 'threatens' news accuracy Press intrusion and inaccurate reporting are getting worse because of the recession, a report has said. 08.Feb.2009 https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7878090.stm 08.Feb.2009 https://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/02/words-from-the-investment-wise-282009/ Words from the Investment Wise 2.8.2009 Words from the Investment Wise Posted By Prieur du Plessis On 08.Feb.2009 07:22 am In BP Cafe , Economy , Markets | 1 Comment Global stock markets shrugged off dire news on the US employment front, arguing that the gloomy data would hasten US lawmakers’ passage of a stimulus package. After falling for four straight weeks and recording the worst performance of the major US indices for January on record, Wall Street reversed course on the back of a stimulus-induced rally. The US government seems on track to announce two new recovery plans next week. Firstly, Senate Democrats reached an agreement with Republican moderates on Friday regarding a fiscal stimulus package. The deal, in essence, entails about $110 billion in cuts to the roughly $900 billion legislation, according to [1] The New York Times. Secondly, a rescue plan to inject billions of dollars into banks and entice investors to purchase toxic assets will be outlined on Monday by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. At a combined value for Hershel and Planck of approximately 1.7 billion euros, you get an idea of just how risky this strategy is. If the rocket fails, both missions are lost. One is tempted to say "good luck"; but as Göran Pilbratt points out, when you have put as much effort into these missions as Esa has over the past 20 years, "luck doesn't come into it". "We know very little about that and we need to understand it in order to put together a picture of how the Universe we live in today grew from the earliest stages after the Big Bang." Of those interviewed by YouGov, 75% said newspapers frequently published stories they knew to be inaccurate, while 70% said there were too many invasions of privacy by newspapers. The 7% level of people who trusted newspapers to behave responsibly was lower than that for banks. Ancient sewers Human rights activists and trade unionists I have talked to ask a simple question. If the government of India can spend billions on its space programme, if Delhi can reach all its targets for the beautification of the city in time for the 00.000.2010 Commonwealth Games, including an underground train system, then why can't the sewage system be modernised? Why does it still rely on sending practically naked men down below the streets to clear the drains with their bare hands, being exposed to noxious gases which could take them to a premature grave? I put these questions to the authorities. The reply? "We are trying our best." It did not really feel good enough after what I had seen. The law courts have passed several orders banning human beings from going into the sewage system unless it is an emergency. In Delhi it looks as if every day is an emergency in the sewers. It did not take long for Barack Obama to crave the wind in his hair again. Several weeks of Sisyphean efforts at building a bipartisan consensus on his $800bn stimulus plan appear to have won the White House very little ... Der republikanische Abgeordnete John Ensign wies den Vorwurf zurück, dass seine Partei das Konjunkturprogramm bewusst verzögere. 00.000.2009 genau zu dem Zeitpunkt sichtbar, wenn die Bürger davon überzeugt werden müssen, dass die Konjunkturprogramme mit der Zeit Ergebnisse bringen", zitiert die "Financial Times Deutschland" (Montagausgabe) aus der Studie. Investors are heavily betting the Obama administration's bank rescue plan, to be unveiled at on Tuesday, will extend the stock market's rally into this week and bolster the fragile US economy 00.000.1967 -Erst nach dem Krieg vo-n begann Israel mit dem Siedlungsbau auf der Westbank, und nach dem Yom-Kippur-Krieg waren es wieder die Sozialdemokraten, die junge Familien ermutigten, im besetzen Sinai zu siedeln. Diese Politik hat niemand so treffend zusammengefasst wie der damalige Verteidigungsminister Mosche Dajan, der verkündete, ihm sei "Scharm al-Scheich ohne Frieden lieber als Frieden ohne Scharm al-Scheich". Zürich - Zürich ist kein Paradies mehr für Reiche: Mit einer Mehrheit von 52,9 % stimmten die Einwohner des Kantons Zürich am Sonntag für eine Volksinitiative zur Abschaffung der so genannten Pauschalbesteuerung. Vermögende Ausländer, die in der Schweiz nicht arbeiten, mussten bisher nur die Höhe ihres Aufwandes, etwa für Instandhaltung oder ihrer Villa, besteuern. Jetzt werden sie wie jeder Schweizer nach Vermögen und Einkommen veranlagt. 08.Feb.2009 ) US-Senat: Demokraten wütend über Kompromisse im Konjunkturpaket (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Koma-Patientin Englaro: Sterbehilfe-Debatte spaltet Italien (Panorama) 08.Feb.2009 ) Schweizer EU-Volksabstimmung: Die guten Europäer (Politik) researchers are starting to describe the new system with phrases like the intelligent grid, the energy net, and the Energy Web Biden hatte bei seinem Auftritt am Samstag für einen "Neustart" der Beziehungen zu Moskau geworben. Mesquitas Modell basiert auf der Spieltheorie und der sogenannten Theorie der rationalen Entscheidung. Mathematische Modelle dieser Art versuchen, das Verhalten von Verhandlungsparteien vorherzusagen, indem Parameter wie die Interessen und der Einfluss der einzelnen Akteure berücksichtigt werden. Diese Theorien werden vor allem in den Politik- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, in der Biologie, der Psychologie und der Soziologie eingesetzt. Unumstritten ist das allerdings nicht: Kritiker bezweifeln etwa, ob das Primat der rationalen Entscheidung ohne weiteres von ökonomischen Modellen auf Politik und Gesellschaft übertragbar ist. "Wenn ich die Feldwebelfresse nicht mehr sehen müsste." Wilhelm über General Erich Ludendorff während des Ersten Weltkrieges. "Kein Mensch ist mir dankbar." forum.politik.de/forum/showthread.php?p=8336342 Vom Militaristen zum Pazifisten: Politisches Leben und Wirken des ... Autor : Zirkel, Kirsten. Titel : Vom Militaristen zum Pazifisten: Politisches Leben und Wirken des Generals Berthold von Deimling vor dem Hintergrund der ... 08.Feb.2009 Schweiz: Zürich schafft Steuerprivilegien für reiche Ausländer ab (Wirtschaft) 08.Feb.2009 Illegaler Autohandel: Abwrackprämie lockt Betrüger (Auto) y Gastkommentar: In Israel bringen die Falken den Frieden (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Präsidentschaftswahl in Iran: Ex-Staatsoberhaupt Chatami will erneut antreten (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Fusionsverhandlungen: WestLB erwägt Dreierbündnis (Wirtschaft) 08.Feb.2009 ) 08.Feb.2009 Bush: Gerichtstermin für den Schuhwerfer von Bagdad https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,606269,00.html Attacke auf Bush: Gerichtstermin für den Schuhwerfer von Bagdad (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Sicherheitskonferenz: Obamas Berater rügt mangelnde Hilfe für Afghanistan (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Raketenabwehrstreit mit den USA: Freundliche Töne aus Russland (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 "In the Electric Mist": Tommy Lee Jones auf Killerjagd (Kultur) Das Palais Montgelas auf dem Promenadeplatz in München ist Teil des Luxushotels Bayerischer Hof. https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18390.html https://www.stmugv.bayern.de/aktuell/reden/detailansicht.htm?tid=9487 https://www.wasserstiftung.de/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfI14ATJdTc&feature=related https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18390.html Latin America poverty 'may soar' A senior UN official says the world's economic crisis could cause poverty in Latin America to rise by 15% this year. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7876169.stm Photosynthesis viewed in a flash Using ultra-short laser pulses, scientists hope to understand how plants harvest the Sun's energy. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7873294.stm https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7876184.stm US seeks to rework foreign ties The US seeks a new tone in its foreign policy and wants to "reset" ties with Moscow, Vice-President Joe Biden says. Temperatures set to drop further The coldest snap for 20 years shows no sign of letting up, with temperatures expected to plummet overnight. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7876888.stm Pound's slide hits Foreign Office The collapse of the pound will put the Foreign Office under "serious financial pressures" in the coming year, a parliamentary report warns. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7876614.stm Maternity units 'shut to mothers' More hospitals in England turned away women in labour 00.000.2008 because they were full, figures obtained by the Tories suggest. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7875090.stm Government plans travel database The government is compiling a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7877182.stm Treasury orders probe into banks The Treasury is to order an independent probe into how banks are managed, chancellor Alistair Darling says. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7877161.stm 00.May 2006 In a op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Hoekstra wrote: But every time classified national security information is leaked, our ability to gather information on those who would do us harm is eroded. … I regret that I see little sign of intolerance for unauthorized disclosures of intelligence to the media from some of my Democratic colleagues today. … We are a nation at war. Unauthorized disclosures of classified information only help terrorists and our enemies – and put American lives at risk. https://articles.latimes.com/2006/may/13/opinion/oe-hoekstra13 Hoekstra leaks unauthorized intelligence information via Twitter. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/hoekstra-twitters-iraq/ Senate centrists’ plan = 600,000 fewer jobs. - Faiz Shakir The Senate “centrists,” led by Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-NE), are cheering the fact that they’ve cut $86 billion in spending from the economy recovery package. “Spending for the states and education took the biggest hit, compared with the House bill. State fiscal stabilization funding was cut back $40 billion, school construction dropped $16 billion, and a proposed $3.5 billion line for higher education construction was zeroed out.” Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman puts those cuts in perspective: Now the centrists have shaved off $86 billion in spending — much of it among the most effective and most needed parts of the plan. In particular, aid to state governments, which are in desperate straits, is both fast — because it prevents spending cuts rather than having to start up new projects — and effective, because it would in fact be spent; plus state and local governments are cutting back on essentials, so the social value of this spending would be high. But in the name of mighty centrism, $40 billion of that aid has been cut out. My first cut says that the changes to the Senate https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/600k-jobs/ https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7877182.stm?ad=1 Job Losses: Comparing Recessions - Barry Ritholtz This is one nasty looking chart: https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/FVXmOpB92Uk/ Time Magazine https://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/02/06/how-bad-is-it/ Nanotube Memory Finally Beats Flash For Speed - ScuttleMonkey holy_calamity writes "Although flash memory that stores each bit on a single nanotube has been tinkered with in the lab for years, it has always been much slower than the devices in use today. A Finnish team has now cracked that, demonstrating single bits of nanotube memory that can be written in just 100 nanoseconds. Existing flash memory takes tens of microseconds." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/02dxlOVpekY/article.pl Universal Power Adapter Struggling For Support - Soulskill Ian Lamont writes "Last year, there was a lot of hopeful discussion surrounding an initiative to have the consumer electronics industry standardize their products on a USB-based universal power adapter devised by Green Plug. Eight months later, the effort has stalled. The reason: manufacturers have balked from using Green Plug's technology. '... Gadget makers seem to have no compelling financial incentive to adopt Green Plug's technology. It would require them to add Green Plug's chip, or similar hardware and software, into every phone, camera, or music player they build, making them more expensive and more complicated to build. Another stumbling block for manufacturers: A universal power supply would kill the market for replacement power supplies. Manufacturers sell these at a steep markup price to customers who lose or break the original one that came with the device, and aren't tech-savvy enough to procure a low-cost generic replacement.' Green Plug is now trying to drum up public outcry through a (slow) website, but the number of supportive and votes remains relatively low." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/JjwUgsI_JDA/article.pl Privacy Group Calls Google Latitude a Real 'Danger' - Soulskill CWmike writes "Privacy International is calling Google's new mapping application an 'unnecessary danger' to users' security and privacy. The criticism follows the unveiling this week of Google Latitude, an upgrade to Google Maps that allows people to track the exact location of friends or family through their mobile devices. Google Latitude not only shows the location of friends, but it can also be used to contact them via SMS, Google Talk or Gmail. 'Many people will see Latitude as a cool product, but the reality is that Google has yet again failed to deliver strong privacy and security,' said Simon Davies, director of London-based Privacy International, in a statement. The group's chief concern is that Google Latitude lacks sufficient safeguards to keep someone from surreptitiously opting into the tracking feature on someone else's device." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/gJ61DXAEKTY/article.pl https://www.scripting.com/stories/2009/02/06/dontBoycottKellogg.html Don't boycott Kellogg https://www.scripting.com/stories/2009/02/06/dontBoycottKellogg.html Google knows where your eyeballs go Google's watching what people are looking at when they search. Should you be scared? The company says it's helped make the Google home page work better. https://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10158806-2.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 Kaiser: Worker data breached, identity fraud reported Health care provider Kaiser notifies its nearly 30,000 Northern California employees that data breach may have exposed their personal information. https://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10158957-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 Microsoft's Ballmer likens economy to depressions of 1837, 1873, and 1929 Chief executive Steve Ballmer tells Democrats economic conditions represent a "once in a lifetime" crisis caused by too much debt and a "fundamental economic reset" is necessary. https://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10158959-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 CIA Agent Pleads Guilty to Misusing Covert Credit Cards - Kevin Poulsen A career CIA case officer admits to abusing four special credit cards used by the agency to conceal its activities, ringing up $75,000 in personal charges while living in a hotel under an assumed name. https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/rImS_7ebQGo/cia-agent-plead.html Digital Overload Is Frying Our Brains - Brandon Keim The high-speed, hyperconnected world we live in may be eroding our ability to pay attention. Our brains are being trained to expect distraction, and the results could lead to an attention-deficient future society. https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/PHyAJRIswV4/attentionlost.html Climate history 'helps conserve' Understanding a region's climatic history can help conservationists find new species, a study suggests. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7870717.stm Agents 'attended INLA death plot' An INLA meeting plotting the murder of Billy Wright was attended by two security forces agents, an inquiry is told. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7875776.stm Council funds facing rate squeeze Council budgets are under growing financial pressure due to cuts to interest rates, the Local Government Association says. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7876149.stm US senators 'agree' economy bill Senate Democrats say they have enough Republican backing to pass the US economic stimulus plan, but only in reduced form. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7876139.stm Joy and concern Mixed emotions at Pakistani nuclear scientist's release https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7875019.stm Brown warns banks on bosses' pay The Prime Minister insists there should be "no reward for failure" at banks which have had to be bailed out by the taxpayer. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7871828.stm Boeing in $3bn air force contract Boeing receives a US Air Force contract for 15 C-17 military cargo aircraft, worth nearly $3bn (£2bn). https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7876128.stm Oil falls towards $39 as U.S. job losses mount Source: www.washingtonpost.com LONDON (Reuters) Oil fell $2 a barrel toward $39 on Friday after news of more job losses in the United States heightened the prospect for still weaker demand in the world's biggest oil consumer. https://www.rssmicro.com/article/Oil_falls_towards_39_as_U_S_job_losses_mount.i238047938.html In a new analysis, ThinkProgress has found that Republican lawmakers outnumbered Democratic lawmakers 75 to 41 on cable news interviews by members of Congress (from 6am on Monday 2/2 through 11pm on Thursday 2/5): https://thinkprogress.org/senate-cable-analysis/ Key Bush Gitmo advisers burrowing in at the Pentagon. - Ali Frick The AP reports that three senior officials “tapped by the Bush administration to oversee detainee policy at Guantanamo Bay” remain in their jobs, weeks after Bush left office and despite President Obama’s efforts to dramatically change the U.S.’s detention policies. Two of them “have been shunted into civil service jobs,” meaning Obama can’t simply fire them. On Wednesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressing concern about former Bush appointees that “have been improperly converted to career positions within the Department of Defense” and asked Gates to investigate: I ask that you immediately review the circumstances behind the conversion of these positions and the hiring of any former Bush administration appointees as career or temporary officials within the Office of Detainee Affairs. … This is especially disconcerting within the Office of Detainee Affairs due to the nature of the policy recommendations that office provides regarding Guantanamo. ThinkProgress has more on Bush appointees who have burrowed their way into lasting posts here, here, and here. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/06/bushies-burrowing-detainee-office/ https://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/07/bush-burrowing/ https://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/22/scientist-burrowing/ https://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/18/white-house-burrowing/ Gingrich’s Economic Recovery Plan: Obama Should Spend At Least 35 Days Talking To Republicans - Amanda Terkel This morning on NBC’s Today Show, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich blasted President Obama for not working enough with Republicans on the economic recovery package. He said that Obama was wasting time giving “partisan” speeches to House Democrats, when he should be hosting bipartisan meetings. Gingrich then held himself up as a model: GINGRICH: I think he is in real danger of becoming Jimmy Carter instead of Ronald Reagan. … What we got last night wasn’t let’s reason together, let’s sit down and negotiate. You know, when we did the balanced budget bill — which saved $405 billion in federal debt over four years and it’s the only time since the 1920s — President Clinton and I had to negotiate for 35 days in order to work out all the details. […] This is more money than the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war have cost in seven years, and you don’t just ram that through unthinkingly. You expect your representatives and senators to try to make the bill work. Host Matt Lauer pointed out to Gingrich that “the situation is different this time around” than during the Clinton administration. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/06/gingrich-stimulus/ Kerry: Republicans insisting on housing relief are ‘a year late’; they have ‘created’ the crisis. - Satyam Kha In recent weeks, conservatives have made housing their new battle cry, claiming that there isn’t enough addressing the housing crisis in the recovery bill. But as ThinkProgress has noted, they have been stalling housing relief for months. In an impassioned floor speech today, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) recounted how the GOP’s stubborness has “created” the current crisis: KERRY: We put in a 15 billion provision in the Finance Committee. … It came to the floor of the Senate. And guess what? And the very people who are here on the floor now stripped it. The President and the administration opposed it. And for nine months, they sat there while 10,000 homes a day were being foreclosed, and they allowed us to slide into where we are today. “They are about 10 months, a year, late on that effort, and they have created…a situation where it’s out of control,” he concluded. Watch it: “We were subject to two years of inaction by the previous administration; that’s why bankruptcy is now an issue,” said House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA). https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/06/kerry-housing-stimulus/ https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18440_Page2.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/business/16rescue.html https://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/27/housing-recovery/ Obama appoints gay man to faith-based initiatives office. - Ali Frick Yesterday, ThinkProgress noted that President Obama was stalling in overturning Bush’s rule that allowed religious groups to discriminate — usually against gay people — in their hiring. Today, Obama made an important gesture in naming Fred Davie, the openly gay president of Public/Private Ventures, to serve on on the policy council of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Speaking about his hopes for the Office yesterday at the National Prayer Breakfast, Obama emphasized the importance of reaching out to “foster a more productive and peaceful dialogue on faith“: I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding (HT: Huffington Post) https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/05/obama-faith-based-discrimination/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/this_is_my_prayer/ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/06/obama-appoints-gay-man-to_n_164783.html The €3 billion machine, which will smash protons into each other at unprecedented energies to study the deepest layers of physical reality, LHC may start up again in September https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/lhc-may-start-up-again-in-sept.html Die vier Sterne auf den Schulterklappen von Petreaus funkeln angriffslustig im Scheinwerferlicht, als der General seine Rede vom Blatt abliest. Er wiederholt noch einmal das afghanische Sündenregister: Mohn, Terror, Taliban. Das Land sei noch nie freundlich zu ausländischen Kräften gewesen, deswegen nenne man den Hindukusch ja auch Friedhof der Großmächte. Das müsse sich jetzt ändern. Seine Armee funktioniert immer noch nicht richtig, ohne die Nato-Truppen wäre Karzai nur noch ein paar Wochen im Amt. Regierungen und Zentralbanken müssten sich glaubhaft zu ausreichenden Maßnahmen verpflichten, um eine Wiederholung der Weltwirtschaftskrise zu verhindern, "Wenn dieses Gesetz verabschiedet wird, ist das ein sehr schlechter Tag für Amerika", sagte der frühere Präsidentschaftskandidat John McCain. 08.Feb.2009 08.Feb.2009 Finanzmärkte: Kauder will Firmenkäufe ohne Eigenkapital unterbinden (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Himmelsspektakel: Grüner Komet nähert sich der Erde (Wissenschaft) 08.Feb.2009 Karzai auf der Sicherheitskonferenz: Change - bald auch am Hindukusch (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Bad Bank: Obama hält nach Geldgebern für Giftpapiere Ausschau (Wirtschaft) 08.Feb.2009 08.Feb.2009 Unternehmensgewinne: Steinbrück fordert Arbeitsplätze statt Dividenden (Wirtschaft) 08.Feb.2009 08.Feb.2009 https://www.cdt.org/righttoknow/10mostwanted/ 8) Endangered Species Recovery Plans (DOI) -- These documents detail how the government plans to defend endangered species and eventually get them off of the endangered species list. The Fish and Wildlife Service has told us that it plans to put these 700+ documents online eventually; meanwhile, researchers, students, and concerned citizens have to pay to have them sent in paper. Instead, the Court refers people to one or more of 10 different unofficial Web sites, which publish various subsets of opinions, updated with varying frequency. While Court officials have said that they are exploring the possibility of creating a Web site, there is no official source of information from the highest court in the land. In addition to opinions, the Court should post briefs, at least in cases accepted for oral argument. Die Briten speichern von Ein- und Ausreisenden Namen, Adressen, Telefonnummern, Reservierungen, Reiserouten und Kreditkarteninformationen. Äh, wie meinen?!? Das hilft gegen Terrorismus, weil ...??? Vor allem: die Briten! Keinem anderen Staat sind so viele vertrauliche Daten abhanden gekommen wie den Briten! Und DIE wollen meine Kreditkartendaten in ihrer Terrordatenbank abspeichern?!?!? Das kann sich ja wohl nur um einen schlechten Scherz handeln! 00.000.1913 Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, a forceful proponent for open government, stated "Sunlight is the best disinfectant; electric light the most efficient policeman". Those wise words are still true today. Welcome, Congress, to our generation's electric sun . Die sind auch echt völlig merkbefreit bei Lidl. blog.fefee.de/Und noch ein Verkacker geradezu biblischen Ausmasses einer sogenannten "Security-Firma": Kaspersky kann nicht mal ihren eigenen Datenbankserver absichern. Alter one of the parameters and you have access to EVERYTHING: users, activation codes, lists of bugs, admins, shop, etc. Und DIE sollen die Windows-Rechner der Welt absichern?! Das hilft gegen Terrorismus, weil ...??? Vor allem: die Briten! Keinem anderen Staat sind so viele vertrauliche Daten abhanden gekommen wie den Briten! Und DIE wollen meine Kreditkartendaten in ihrer Terrordatenbank abspeichern?!?!? Das kann sich ja wohl nur um einen schlechten Scherz handeln! Ranstorp: Ich denke, man sollte diese Menschen aufnehmen. Aber es ist sicher kein Fehler, wenn die Behörden sie im Auge behalten, denn einige könnten Symbolfiguren der Szene werden und Heldenstatus erlangen. Das könnte zu Radikalisierung führen. Ein Terrorproblem ist es wahrscheinlich eher nicht. Die Aufnahme von Wir werden definitiv eine konstruktive Rolle zur Lösung des Problems spielen. Wir sind jedoch nicht so primitiv, als dass man uns erst, wie 2001, dazu benutzen könnte, das Afghanistan-Problem zu lösen und uns dann aber wenig später in die "Achse des Bösen" einreiht. 08.Feb.2009 Abwrackprämie: Kunden stürmen die Autohäuser (Auto) 08.Feb.2009 Irans Parlamentspräsident: "Die Großmächte müssen akzeptieren - auch auf unserer Seite gibt es Vernunft" (Politik) 08.Feb.2009 Sanierungspläne: US-Autobauer wollen erneut Tausende Stellen streichen (Wirtschaft) On Thursday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted there should be "no reward for failure" at banks which have had to be bailed out by the taxpayer. Earlier, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson sent a direct warning to RBS, saying the bank risks alienating ordinary people if it gives its executives "exorbitant" bonuses. Big Brother Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: "The government seems to be building databases to track more and more of our lives. "The justification is always about security or personal protection. But the truth is that we have a government that just can't be trusted over these highly sensitive issues. We must not allow ourselves to become a Big Brother society." A spokesman for campaign group NO2ID said: "When your travel plans, who you are travelling with, where you are going to and when are being recorded you have to ask yourself just how free is this country?" The Bush43 Republicans took Reaganomics to a whole new level with not only with more sweeping tax cuts but with addition of the expense of two wars which HAD to be financed by (foreign) borrowed money. The current economic crisis is entirely due to the fiction that income tax-cuts are a sacrosanct device for endless national prosperity, and that “individuals know best how to spend their money”. History and the facts say otherwise and the US wouldn’t be in the mess its in know if it weren’t for the mindless acceptance and promotion of this ridiculous trope. ( AND lest I forget, there has been a Democratic Party contingent deserves some blame as well). So please, chew on that if you would. 07.Feb.2009 at 2:59 pm https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/07/recovery-v-bush-tax-cuts/ Where were these keepers of the cash when billions went missing in Iraq? And what is the real story behind Rumsfeld revelation of $2 trillion missing at the Pentagon on September 10th 2001? Team Obama, let’s start digging? PEACE February 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am tarazan: When these named senators were “rubber stamping” for Bush, it was because Bush had the goods on them via his warantless wiretapping - it’s called “blackmail”. Time to begin digging into the closets of this gang of vocal thugs in the GOP. No doubt there’s plenty of criminal behavior and dirt to be had on each of them. Vitter’s “scum” speaks for itself as he is a whoremonger extraordinaire; Graham’s caught in several scandals (Abramoff not the least of his problems); McCain has cheated the IRS with Cindy’s tax returns and has the Vicky Iseman business to still explain….and the list of criminal behavior by these thugs goes on…and on. February 7th, 2009 at 10:02 am It’s also global. We only control part of the world economy – a very important part.” Mit der Demonstration am Freitag wollte er zusammen mit Aktivisten aus Spanien, Großbritannien, den USA und Polen, auf die Lage im Gaza-Streifen aufmerksam machen. "Unser Demonstrationszug ist eine Erinnerung an das andauernde Leiden in Palästina", zitierte ihn die Internet-Seite der Zeitung "Daily News Egypt" am Freitag. Das Auswärtige Amt in Berlin bestätigte unterdessen, dass der Fall bekannt und die Botschaft vor Ort eingeschaltet sei. "Wir bemühen uns um Aufklärung", sagte ein Sprecher. Philip Rizk ist Deutsch-Ägypter, er hat die doppelte Staatsbürgerschaft. Sein Vater stammt aus Ägypten, seine Mutter aus Deutschland. Geboren ist er auf Zypern, aufgewachsen in Kairo, wo er die deutsche Schule besuchte. Um Philosophie zu studieren, ging er für ein Semester nach Freiburg und dann mit einem Stipendium in die USA, nach Wheaton. Jetzt studiert er Middle East Studys an der American University in Kairo. Momentan schreibt er an seiner Master-Arbeit, auch darin beschäftigt er sich mit dem Gaza-Konflikt. Mittlerweile sei er zum "Hauptsitz des Nationalen Sicherheitsdienstes" gebracht worden, sagt sie, "das haben wir heute aus inoffiziellen Quellen des Nationalen Sicherheitsdienstes erfahren." 07.Feb.2009 Bundestagsgutachten: Große Zweifel an geplanter Sperrung von Kinderporno-Seiten im Internet (Netzwelt) 07.Feb.2009 Madagaskar: Militär massakriert Demonstranten (Politik) 07.Feb.2009 Discounter: Lidl-Kunden sollen Prospektausträger überwachen (Wirtschaft) 07.Feb.2009 Sicherheitskonferenz: Das Orakel von München (Politik) Das ist der Abschied vom unipolaren Weltbild der Bush-Regierung. Das also sei die gute Neuigkeit, sagt Biden: dass Amerika in Zukunft gemeinsam mit anderen handeln werde. Und lächelnd fügt er an: "Die schlechte Nachricht ist, dass die Amerikaner nun auch mehr Hilfe von ihren Partnern erbitten." Statt Denken in "Nullsummenmentalitäten" und Ideologien müssten die Völker einander zuhören. Kein Land, betont Biden, könne die gegenwärtigen Bedrohungen allein bewältigen, egal wie mächtig es sei. Was wird Biden sagen, hier im prunkvollen Saal des "Bayerischen Hofs"? 07.Feb.2009 Landesbanken: WestLB macht dank Bad Bank Gewinn (Wirtschaft) 07.Feb.2009 Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz: Biden schlägt die Brücke nach Europa (Politik) 07.Feb.2009 Ausspähaffäre: Telekom beschäftigt seit zehn Jahren umstrittene Detektei (Wirtschaft) 07.Feb.2009 Spionage- und Hackerabwehr: Bundeswehr baut geheime Cyberwar-Truppe auf (Netzwelt) President Barack Obama pounded Republicans on Saturday for policies that fueled the US economic crisis, while welcoming a Senate deal on his stimulus bill that ideologically split lawmakers hope to finish by ... Obama pushes stimulus plan while GOP pushes back It is neither a natural resource nor does it represent one. It is not necessary for survival unless we have been conditioned to accept it as such The most valuable, untapped resource today is human ingenuity. This is the unifying imperative. a world government with themselves and large corporations at the helm, and the vast majority of the world's population subservient to them. Our vision of globalization empowers each and every person on the planet to be the best they can be, not to live in abject subjugation to a corporate governing body. The measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power. “I have mailed this information to many people, including the 9/11 Commission, but no one seems to be registering these facts.” https://69.28.73.17/thornarticles/powerdown.html 11.Sep.2001 2) Video cameras positioned atop the World Trade Center which were used to feed daily images to local television stations were inexplicably inoperative that morning. 11.Sep.2001 -Tuesday- Due to his IT-related duties on Saturday & Sunday Forbes had off, and thus watched the World Trade Center towers collapse from his apartment. While doing so, he recalled, “I was convinced immediately that something was happening related to the weekend work.” 08.Sep.2001 -early-Saturday morning- and continued 09.Sep.2001 -until-mid-Sunday afternoon – approximately 30 hours. As a result of having its electricity cut, the WTC’s security cameras were rendered inoperative, as were its I.D. systems, and elevators to the upper floors. that there was power to the WTC’s lower floors, and that there were plenty of engineers going in-and-out of the WTC who had free access throughout the building due to its security system being knocked out. In an e-mail to journalist John Kaminski, author of The Day America Died (Sisyphus Press) and America’s Autopsy Report (Dandelion Books), Forbes wrote: “Without power there were no security cameras, no security locks on doors, and many, many ‘engineers’ coming in and out of the tower.” Let’s find that extra whatever it has to be so that we can cross the ridge and we are free. And so forth and so on. We are rising up now as into the dawning of the age just the same way that you turn the page and it is being written every moment we are here. We are writing it. It is being written on us; by us, for us, against us, because of us, in spite of us, without us or I don’t know… it just goes on. Sie jedoch einen Link zu https://www.uceprotect.net irgendwo auf Ihrer Webseite ausbringen oder etwas spenden. 1811-1858 Dirichlet, Rebecka, geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy 1794-1861). Hensel, Wilhelm ( 1889-1956). Kempner, Paul ( 1880-1944 ). Manovill, Alfred () ... www.panwitz.net/person/ LookupAnyone.com - People Directory - Pamela Manovich — Roy ... Manovill, Alfred · Manovill, Benedict · Manovill, Dave · Manovill, Hugo · Manovill, Laura · Manovill, Megan · Manovill, Michael · Manovill, Phil ... _A_O_inzoome_ .. London Luxembourg Majorca; Mamroth, Paul; Management, Supply; Mandelbaum, Jakob; Mannheimer, Fritz; Manovil, Alfred; Manovill, Alfred ; Marcos, Ferdinand ... alfatomega.com/_A_O_inzoome_/20080211.htm _A_O_inzoome_ Makshtas, AP; Maliki-Regierung; Manor, Roke; Manovill, Alfred ; Martin, S. MARTIN S.DOUGLAS 2 MARTIN SAMUEL L 3 MARTIN SANDRA 4 MARTIN SANDY 1 ... alfatomega.com/_A_O_inzoome_/20080407.htm _themes_/_abramoff_http Lefever California Independent Business PAC ~ Howard Ahmanson , Jr., Edward G. Atsinger III, Roland Hinz and Lila Hinz, Richard A. ...alfatomega.com/_themes_/_abramoff_links_search.html 01.Apr.2006 Cannonfire published its most famous post. Konrad Freiberg, Vorsitzender der Gewerkschaft der Polizei, appelliert an die Gerichte, bei der Genehmigung von Demonstrationen die Belange der Polizei zu berücksichtigen: "Die Grenzen der Belastbarkeit sind überschritten." Außerdem droht der Verkehr auf der A5 zusammenzubrechen, weil in neun Bundesländern die Osterferien beginnen. 03.Apr.2009 lädt Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel die Teilnehmer zum Essen nach Baden-Baden ein, am nächsten Tag wird Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy in einem symbolischen Akt den Rhein bei Kehl überschreiten, um die Rückkehr Frankreichs in die militärischen Strukturen der Nato zu dokumentieren. Bis jetzt sind bereits 14.000 Polizisten zum Schutz der Politiker und Veranstaltungsorte eingeplant, Experten rechnen damit, dass ihre Zahl auf 20.000 steigen könnte. Die Liste der Artenschutz-Projekte ist lang: Mit Malaria befallene Pinguine müssen behandelt, der Lebensraum von Land- und Wasser-Leguanen geschützt und Feuerameisen ausgerottet werden. Trotz aller Herausforderungen und Rückschläge arbeiten die Naturschützer unermüdlich. Seit Rafael Correa vor zwei Jahren Präsident Ecuadors wurde, setzt sich auch die Regierung klar für den Erhalt der Artenvielfalt auf Galápagos ein. "Jetzt arbeiten der private Sektor, Naturschützer und die internationale Gemeinschaft zusammen", sagt Felipe Cruz. "Ich glaube, dass wir eine bessere Zukunft vor uns haben." 07.Feb.2009 00.000.2006 ist Isabela frei von Ziegen, kurz darauf folgten die Inseln Floreana und Santiago. 07.Feb.2009 -00.000.1994 -seit- auf den Galápagos-Inseln verboten ist, die 27 Haiarten zu jagen, fangen Fischer die Tiere noch immer, schneiden ihnen die Flossen ab und werfen sie blutend wieder ins Meer. Kilometer vor der Küste von Ecuador liegt. Dazu kommen 27.000 Einwohner auf den fünf besiedelten Inseln. Und die Invasion des Menschen hat Spuren hinterlassen. Die Hälfte aller endemischen Tierarten und jede fünfte einheimische Pflanze ist bedroht. 07.Feb.2009 -00.000.2007 -Seit-stehen die Galápagos-Inseln auf der Roten Liste des bedrohten Welterbes der Uno-Organisation für Erziehung, Wissenschaft und Kultur (Unesco). Das größte Problem sind die fremden Pflanzen, Insekten und Säugetiere, die der Mensch einschleppt. Mittlerweile gibt es auf den Inseln mehr eingeführte Sträucher und Gewächse (rund 720 Arten) als einheimische (rund 500), und auch fast jedes vierte Insekt ist fremd, wie die Unesco 2006 über Galápagos berichtete. Als Kriterien für eine erfolgreiche Mission nannte er: "Afghanistan darf nie wieder ein Zufluchtsort für Terroristen werden, die Regierung muss Sicherheit und Stabilität aus eigener Kraft gewährleisten können, und die elementaren Menschenrechte müssen gewahrt sein. Dann können wir unsere Soldaten abziehen." Auf die Frage nach einem Datum dafür antwortete er: "Wir reden nicht über Jahrzehnte, sondern über Jahre." Die gesamte Antarktis erwärmt sich - und das schon seit 50 Jahren. Zwar sind die Temperaturanstiege noch relativ gering; die Westantarktis hat sich pro Dekade im Schnitt um 0,17 Grad erwärmt, der Osten um 0,1 Grad. Aber der Trend nach oben ist eindeutig. 07.Feb.2009 [...] 25 Millionen Kubikkilometer gefrorenes Wasser liegen am Südpol. In Zeiten des Klimawandels ist die Antarktis damit ein entscheidender Faktor für die Zukunft der Erde - denn auch auf dem südlichen Kontinent wird es immer wärmer. "Wenn wir nicht schnell zu einer Unterzeichnung des Rettungspakets kommen, wird sich eine Wirtschaft, die ohnehin in einer Krise ist, einer Katastrophe gegenübersehen." "Dieser Kompromiss hat das Gesetz deutlich verbessert. Es wird uns helfen, uns von dieser gefährlichen Rezession zu erholen." Ihr Parteifreund Senator Arlen Spector sagte: "Wir müssen handeln, und unter den gegebenen Umständen ist dies das Beste, was wir tun können." "Wenn dieses Gesetz verabschiedet wird, wäre das ein sehr schlechter Tag für Amerika", kritisierte dagegen Senator John McCain, der unterlegene Präsidentschaftskandidat der Republikaner. Der Investitionsplan bürde den künftigen Generationen enorme Schulden auf, ohne das er wirklich die Wirtschaft ankurbeln werde. 07.Feb.2009 https://www.netzeitung.de/servlets/page?section=784&item=1269777 Die Ergebnisse könnten ein erster Hinweis darauf sein, dass weniger Kalorien auch im späteren Leben altersbedingte Probleme wie Demenz vorbeugen könnten. 00.Sep.2008 -Bereits im- waren in den USA 31,5 Millionen Menschen auf Lebensmittelmarken angewiesen – so viele wie noch nie seit dem Start dieses Programms, das diejenigen, die im sozialen Nichts angekommen sind, zumindest vor dem Verhungern bewahren soll. 07.Feb.2009 Steinmeier will eine Welt ohne Atomwaffen 07.Feb.2009 Unternehmen: Auto-Krise verschärft sich weiter 07.Feb.2009 Seehofer geht gegen Bankenskandale vor 07.Feb.2009 Napolitano stoppt Notverordnung gegen Sterbehilfe 07.Feb.2009 Horrorzahlen alarmieren Obama 07.Feb.2009 Italiens Streit um Sterbehilfe spitzt sich dramatisch zu 07.Feb.2009 Pouvoir d'achat : l'autre plan de Sarkozy 07.Feb.2009 Les syndicats veulent maintenir la pression 07.Feb.2009 Cinco detenidos por corrupción urbanística en alcaldías del PP 07.Feb.2009 Obama: stimulus delay inexcusable 07.Feb.2009 Vatikan räumt Kommunikationsmängel ein Ten activists + journalists detained Thursday by the Israeli navy on a cargo ship carrying humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip have returned to Lebanon, security officials + activists said. 07.Feb.2009 Arab nations appeal to United Nations to stop Israeli 'piracy': "My government condemns the Israeli actions and considers them a blatant and flagrant breach to international law and international humanitarian law," she wrote. 07.Feb.2009 Egypt holds Hamas money bound for Gaza: Hamas official Ayman Taha deposited more then $11 million (7.5 million pound) in cash in a bank in the Egyptian town of El Arish on Thursday after Egyptian authorities stopped him taking it home to Gaza, police sources said. 07.Feb.2009 Obama Endorses Two-State Solution for Arab-Israeli Conflict : "Lasting peace requires more than a long cease-fire, and that's why I will sustain an active commitment to seek two states living side by side in peace and security," Obama said. 07.Feb.2009 George Mitchell and the end of the two-state solution: The super diplomat's biggest challenge, as he wraps up his first trip and lays plans for future journeys, lies in coming to terms with a grim and unavoidable fact: The two-state solution is on its deathbed. 07.Feb.2009 Talk to Hamas: Blair: In a U-turn on the isolation of the Palestinian group Hamas, Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair criticized the West's isolation of the Palestinian group, calling for including Hamas into the Middle East peace process. 07.Feb.2009 Abbas says Israel should pay for war crimes : Mr Abbas, on a tour of Europe to speak to governments about aid and reconstruction in Gaza, said Israel had committed war crimes during its offensive in Gaza. 07.Feb.2009 Hamas’ popularity soars after Gaza war, poll shows; Fatah declines: The %age of individuals who would vote for Hams if parliamentary elections were held today rose to 28.6% compared with 19.3% in April. The popularity of Fatah declined from 34% last April to 27.9% in the poll. 07.Feb.2009 Israel Heads Right: Led by Avigdor Liberman, Israel Beiteinu has actually overtaken the once powerful Labour party of Ehud Barak and is fast closing the gap on the top two contenders, Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, which opinion polls give 26-29 seats compared to 24-27 seats for Tsipi Livni's centre-right Kadima 07.Feb.2009 Netanyahu: Lieberman campaign against Israeli Arabs is 'legitimate': Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday branded as "legitimate" rival prime ministerial candidate Avigdor Lieberman's electoral campaign against Israeli Arabs. 07.Feb.2009 Turkey prosecutor to probe whether IDF Gaza op was 'genocide': The Ankara chief prosecutor's office said Friday that the investigation was opened after an Islamic human rights organization filed an official complaint against Israeli leaders, including the president, prime minister and foreign minister. 07.Feb.2009 Long Friendship with Israel in Peril: For decades, isolated Israel could count on Turkey as its only Muslim friend, if not ally, in the tumultuous Middle East. After Israel's assault on Gaza, that friendship is in doubt. 07.Feb.2009 Israel, Iran, Pakistan World's Least Popular Nations: Majorities in 19 out of the 21 countries rated Israel negatively - the two exceptions being the U.S. (47 % positive, 34 % negative) and Russia (24 % positive, 21 % negative). Views about Israel were most negative in Egypt (87 %), Spain (71 %), Turkey (70 %), Australia (67 %), and Germany (65 %), according to the survey, which was completed before Israel's widely criticised military campaign against Gaza. 07.Feb.2009 Panetta Open to Tougher Methods in Some C.I.A. Interrogation: Leon E. Panetta, the White House pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, on Thursday left open the possibility that the agency could seek permission to use interrogation methods more aggressive than the limited menu that President Obama authorized under new rules issued last month. 07.Feb.2009 Obama CIA pick may back "limited" abuse prosecution: President Barack Obama's choice to head the CIA said on Thursday he would support "limited" prosecution of any agents who deliberately violated the law in interrogating terrorism suspects. 07.Feb.2009 Key Bush Gitmo Advisers Still On Job At Pentagon: A senior judge who has not followed President Barack Obama's order to halt military trials at Guantanamo Bay is among Bush administration appointees still overseeing how the Pentagon deals with terror captives. 07.Feb.2009 Protests as US warship docks in Nagasaki: A US warship docked Thursday in Nagasaki to the protests of residents and a boycott by local leaders who said the visit was in poor taste in a city obliterated by a US atomic bomb. 07.Feb.2009 UK: Peers warn surveillance state is threat to freedom: The vast growth of surveillance and data collection risks undermining freedoms vital to the British way of life, a group of eminent peers is warning today. 07.Feb.2009 Psychiatry's 'Shock Doctrine': Are We Really OK With Electroshocking Toddlers?: Many Americans think electroconvulsive therapy has been abandoned. But American psychiatry still regards it as a respected treatment, even for kids. 07.Feb.2009 Toyota warns of big annual loss : Toyota Motor, the world's biggest automaker, warned Friday it expects an annual operating loss of 4.9 billion dollars, its first ever, as the economic crisis sends car sales plunging. 07.Feb.2009 UK: Bail-out bankers rush through bonuses to thwart Government crackdown: Politicians today condemned a rush by thousands of bankers to pick up bonuses of millions of pounds before a government crackdown. 07.Feb.2009 Bush overpaid banks in bailout, watchdog says: The Bush administration overpaid tens of billions of dollars for stocks + other assets in its massive bailout last year of Wall Street banks + financial institutions, a new study by a government watchdog says. 07.Feb.2009 List of Banks Receiving Funds From $700B TARP: This list includes all the banks receiving funds from the Treasury's $700B Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). 07.Feb.2009 On the Brink of Bankruptcy, U.S. Auto-Parts Companies Seek Bailout: U.S. companies that make and supply auto-parts to major carmakers are pleading for a bailout from Washington, as many are now on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. Auto-parts companies may seek between $10 billion and $12 billion in cash and guarantees from the federal government as soon as this week. 07.Feb.2009 US jobless claims hit 26-year high: The latest data confirms that the US economy is continuing to contract at an accelerating pace. Broad layers of the population are being hit with mounting layoffs, wage cuts, and worse working conditions. 07.Feb.2009 Senate approves $15,000 tax credit for homebuyers: The homebuyer tax credit offered by GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson would apply to any home purchased as a main residence and would cost taxpayers $19 billion. Senators approved it by a voice vote, adding the idea to President Barack Obama’s economic recovery bill. 07.Feb.2009 Revolt brews in counties: Counties in California say they've had enough – and they aren't going to take it anymore. In what amounts to a Boston Tea Party-style revolt against the state Capitol, they're threatening to withhold money. 07.Feb.2009 Military Iraq withdrawal plans include 19-, 23-month options: Responding to a request by President Barack Obama, top military and diplomatic advisers on Iraq have submitted a report to the White House that spells out the risks of drawing down U.S. forces in Iraq over periods as long as 23 months, two defense officials told McClatchy. 07.Feb.2009 Pentagon Spends $4.7 billion On 07.Feb.2009 Pentagon clashes with media over control of information: "You want to make sure you edit it in the right way," Conway said. "You have to go through the steps. ... Is this something that is going to make Joe Six-Pack look up from his TV dinner or his fast-food meal and look up at the TV and say, 'Wow, the American troops are kicking butt in Iraq?'" 07.Feb.2009 US military suicide rate at record high: 07.Feb.2009-00.000.1980 -since records began to be kept-American troops are taking their own lives in the largest numbers. 07.Feb.2009-00.000.2009 Russia plans to start up Iran nuclear plant : Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly said Moscow does not want Iran to be armed with nuclear weapons but that Russia sees no evidence Tehran is seeking to build atomic bombs. 07.Feb.2009 Tough language on Iran continues under Obama: The US says it seeks to work more with Russia to end Tehran's nuclear activities a day after Moscow offered to help begin direct US-Iran talks. 07.Feb.2009 Iran ready to welcome US 'real changes': Iran says it is ready to cooperate with the US to tackle problems facing the world if it sees 'true and correct changes' in US policies. 07.Feb.2009 US Threats against Iran Foiled by Armed Forces: Military Official: Iran's armed forces have foiled a scenario by Washington to complete its chain of threats to the region by opening a front against Iran following the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, a senior military advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader said here Wednesday. Israel to Obama - hold Iran's feet to fire : Israel will go along with U.S. President Barack Obama's Iran diplomacy, but try to shorten the deadline for results by signalling its willingness to attack Iranian nuclear sites if need be. 07.Feb.2009 Taliban hold upper hand in Swat Valley: Despite the police and military action, local media reports reveal that control over the Swat Valley has essentially fallen into the hands of the insurgency. 07.Feb.2009 India links Pakistan ISI to Mumbai raid planners: India has for the first time directly accused Pakistan's ISI spy agency of links to the planners of last year's deadly militant attacks on Mumbai. 07.Feb.2009 Exclusive: Gates Delays Troop Decision: Defense Secretary Robert Gates has deferred a much-anticipated decision on sending additional troops into Afghanistan until President Obama decides what force levels he wants. 07.Feb.2009 The Politics Of Bollocks -By- John Pilger In the 21st century, people power remains a huge and exciting and largely untapped force for change, but it is nothing without truth. "In the time of universal deceit," wrote George Orwell, "telling the truth is a revolutionary act." Continue 07.Feb.2009 Obama's CIA Man - Afshin Rattansi Interviews Retired CIA Man, Ray McGovern -Video 07.Feb.2009 Obama CIA Choice Nets $700,000 From Rescued Banks -By- Christine Seib in New York 07.Feb.2009 The Nightmare of Netanyahu Returns -By- Johann Hari- This is the man calling for the re-occupation of Gaza to 'liquidate' its elected government. Continue 07.Feb.2009 'It May Be Time For Mr. Cheney To Leave This Country' -Video - Keith Olbermann Special Comment 07.Feb.2009 On The Edge -By- Paul Krugman "By giving a cow a name and treating her as an individual, farmers can increase their annual milk yield by almost 500 pints," said the university's Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson in a news release. Thanks again Scott! posted by Prof. Hex telling an audience which included the newly-inaugurated President, Barack Obama, that faith should be restored "to its rightful place, as the guide to our world and its future." Wie konnte so ein Crackpot jemals Premierminister 06.Feb.2009 Einigung: Deutsche Bank legt Rechtsstreit mit Parmalat bei (Wirtschaft) 06.Feb.2009 Religion: Piusbruderschaft schließt Holocaust-Leugner aus (Panorama) 06.Feb.2009 Italien: Berlusconi erlässt Notverordnung gegen Sterbewunsch (Panorama) 06.Feb.2009 Sicherheitskonferenz: Merkel und Sarkozy gründen militärischen Kampfverband (Politik) 06.Feb.2009 Bundeswehr: Führungsakademie startet Umfrage zu gefallenen Soldaten (Politik) https://www.financialarmageddon.com/2009/02/more-in-the-family.html Police Blotter: Courts split over police searches of handhelds If you are arrested, can police officers search every file on your cell phone or handheld looking for incriminating material? They think they can, as so do some judges. https://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10158244-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 U.K. Lords: Too much spying on Brit citizens A report from the House of Lords decries the "gradual but incessant creep" toward pervasive surveillance via Web monitoring and 4 million CCTV cameras. https://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10158323-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 Rise in measles 'very worrying' 00.000.2008Measles cases rose 36% in England and Wales, figures show, prompting concern among health officials. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7872541.stm Court pressed on 'torture' case The High Court is asked to reconsider a ruling that US intelligence relating to torture claims should remain secret. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7874133.stm Pakistan nuclear scientist 'free' Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist AQ Khan is freed from house arrest and says he does not care what the US thinks. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7873962.stm US unemployment rate reaches 7.6% The US economy lost 598,000 non-farm jobs during January, figures show, as unemployment hits a 16-year-high. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7874955.stm Test spots prions on equipment Scientists have perfected a highly sensitive test to detect vCJD-causing proteins on surgical instruments. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7860993.stm Huge rise in companies going bust The number of firms going bust in England and Wales rises by 220% because of the recession, official figures show. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7874026.stm Warning over 'surveillance state' Electronic surveillance and collection of personal data has become "pervasive" in British society, peers warn. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7872425.stm Obama denounces stimulus hold-up US President Barack Obama says the Senate's delay in passing his economic stimulus bill is "inexcusable and irresponsible". https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7875520.stm Advertising slump hits News Corp Rupert Murdoch's News Corp makes a $6.4bn loss as falling advertising revenues force it to write-down assets. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7873576.stm CIA nominee decries waterboarding Leon Panetta, President Obama's nominee to head the CIA, condemns waterboarding as "torture" and "wrong". https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7873537.stm German industrial output plunges German industrial output sees a record fall in December, after a sharp contraction in manufacturing activity. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7874565.stm US watchdog attacks bail-out plan The US treasury paid $78bn too much during its rescue of financial institutions last year, says a Congressional watchdog. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7874434.stm Google Earth 5.0 Silently Changes Update Policy - kdawson mario_grgic writes "Recently announced Google Earth version 5.0 adds interesting new features like images of ocean floors and some detailed images of Mars. But it also brings another unwelcome change for Mac OS X users. Google Software update daemon is installed when the application is launched for the first time. The user is greeted with an uninformative message that does not really explain what is about to happen. After the user accepts, Google Update Agent is downloaded and installed. It updates all Google applications and not just Google Earth. Also, it runs on an unchangeable schedule of its own (instead of, say, only when one of Google's apps is launched), consuming system resources. Worst of all it can not be simply removed, since it is downloaded and installed again once Google Earth is launched. Users really have only two choices: live with it, or uninstall all Google apps. There's a discussion about the updater in this Google Group, including details of a way to disable it (not for the faint of heart). So fellow Slashdotters, has Google crossed the line?" https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/WckbvwEHv4g/article.pl General to Nuke Crews: Get It Right, or Else - Noah Shachtman After a series of nuclear handling mishaps, the Air Force is clamping down on the troops who tend to atomic weapons. Some in the military are grumbling about impossible-to-pass inspections. Major General Don Alston, the Air Force's new man at the Pentagon overseeing all things nuclear, has a message for the grumblers: Suck it up. https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/-sWec0IryeA/don-alston-inte.html Source: www.huffingtonpost.com - WASHINGTON — As it fights two wars, the Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls "the human terrain" of world public opinion. In the process, it is raising concerns of spreading propaganda at home in violation of federal law. An Associated Press investigation found that over the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 %, to at least $4.7 billion this year, according to Department of Defense budgets and other documents. That's almost as much as it spent on body armor for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2006. This year, the Pentagon will employ 27,000 people just for recruitment, advertising and public relations _ almost as many as the total 30,000-person work force in the State Department. "We have such a massive apparatus selling the military to us, it has become hard to ask questions about whether this is too much money or if it's bloated," says Sheldon Rampton, research director for the Committee on Media and Democracy, which tracks the military's media operations. "As the war has become less popular, they have felt they need to respond to that more." Yet the money spent on media and outreach still comes to only 1 % of the Pentagon budget, and the military argues it is well-spent on recruitment and the education of foreign and American audiences. Military leaders say that at a time whe Pentagon Boosts Spending On PR Efforts, Raises Propaganda Concerns https://www.rssmicro.com/article/Pentagon_Boosts_Spending_On_PR_Efforts_Raises.i237733701.html Watchdog: Bush overpaid banks in bailout -Source: www.rrstar.com The Bush administration overpaid tens of billions of dollars for stocks and other assets in its massive bailout last year of Wall Street banks and financial institutions, a new study by a government watchdog says. The Congressional Oversight Panel, in a report released today, said last year’s overpayments amounted to a taxpayer-financed $78 billion subsidy of the firms. The findings added to the frustrations of lawmakers already wary of the $700 billion rescue plan, known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Congress approved the plan last fall, but members of both parties criticized spending decisions by the Bush administration and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Financially ailing insurance giant American International Group, which the Treasury Department deemed to be too big to be allowed to fail, received $40 billion from the Treasury for assets valued at $14.8 billion, the oversight panel found. “Now there could be lots of policy reasons that Treasury might decide that it wanted this money to be in the banks,” panel Chairwoman Elizabeth Warren said this morning on CBS. “But our question is the one we put to Secretary Paulson, and that is, ‘Are you putting it in and getting back assets that are worth equivalent value?’ He told us yes; our independent investigation said no.” The misgivings come as new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is preparing to place the Obama administration’s imprint on the program with a sweep https://www.rssmicro.com/article/Watchdog_Bush_overpaid_banks_in_bailout.i238080711.html Seed vault hit by financial crisis Do we need a bail-out package for the world's plants? The Millennium Seed Bank Project, run by the UK Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew stores over 1 billion seeds from more than 18,000 plant species. It is well on its way to achieving its goal of safeguaring 25% of the world's plant species by 2020 but has run into trouble. The enterprise is funded in part by lottery money and in part by corporate funds, but the global economic crisis means companies are not able or willing to contribute as much as initially intended. Apparently, the 2012 London Olympics are also putting strain on lottery funds. According to seed bank director Paul Smith it take $14 million a year to keep the vault running (each seed costs nearly $3000 to collect and store). So far, seed banks around the world hold just 0.6% of the global plant biodiversity. The Millennium project aims to collect the rest. Why should we care? Because plants are the basis of life on Earth. They harvest solar energy and make it available to us as food. The World Conservation Union has shown that mass agriculture has put certain key crop species and varieties at risk of extinction because we tend to grow the same few varieties everywhere. Plants also are a key inspiration for medicine. It's not the first time a major seed vault has been at risk of financial melt-down. 00.000.1992 the Russia's Vavilov Institute in St Petersburg, sole home to plant varieties that are extinct in nature, ran out of cash and pleaded for $2.5 million to keep its operations up and running. 00.000.1982-Ten years earlier, it had helped save the US soy industry by providing a strain of bean that was resistant to the destructive cyst nematode. It's still around today. https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/01/doomsday-vault-hit-by-financia.html ‘Real’ unemployment rate hits a record 13.9% in January https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBigPicture/~3/skgoVFec7KM/ Obama takes aim at his stimulus opponents: ‘You’re headed for a cliff.’ - Faiz Shakir Tonight, in an address before a House Democratic retreat, President Obama issued a strident defense of his economic recovery package: We can’t embrace the losing formula that says only tax cuts will work for every problem we face; that ignores critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, or the soaring cost of health care, or falling schools and crumbling bridges and roads and levees. I don’t care whether you’re driving a hybrid or an SUV — if you’re headed for a cliff, you’ve got to change direction. That’s what the American people called for in November, and that’s what we intend to deliver. Republicans — and even some Democrats — have mounted attacks on the economy recovery package with a variety of superfluous attacks. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), for instance, said, “This was not a stimulus bill. It was a spending bill.” Obama fired back: “So then you get the argument, well, this is not a stimulus bill, this is a spending bill. What do you think a stimulus is? That’s the whole point. No, seriously. That’s the point.” “A growing number of states are running out of cash to pay unemployment benefits, a sign of how far social-welfare systems are being stretched by the swelling ranks of the jobless in the deteriorating U.S. economy,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Seven states emptied their unemployment-insurance trust funds in recent months while “another 11 states are in jeopardy of depleting reserves by year’s end.” More » https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/06/thinkfast-february-6-2009/ 06.Feb.2009 Bahn-Datenskandal: Aufsichtsrat sichert Gewerkschaften umfangreiche Aufklärung zu (Wirtschaft) 06.Feb.2009 Schneechaos: Der Winter macht den Briten zu schaffen (Panorama) 06.Feb.2009 Nahost-Konflikt: Vereinte Nationen stoppen Hilfslieferungen nach Gaza (Politik) 06.Feb.2009 Nervöse Börse: Anonymer Brief lässt Aktie von Julius Bär abstürzen (Wirtschaft) 06.Feb.2009 https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,druck-606031,00.html "Akzeptieren Sie es, dass ich den Ball an Sie zurückspiele". Barroso sprach bei einem Treffen in Moskau von großer "Beunruhigung" in der europäischen Öffentlichkeit über die Ermordung von Journalisten und Menschenrechtlern. Im Putin reagierte schroff auf die Vorwürfe - und attackierte seinerseits die zur EU gehörenden baltischen Staaten. Der Carlyle-Mitgründer forderte seine Kollegen auch zur Selbstkritik auf: "Wir müssen bei uns genau das tun, was wir sonst immer unseren Portfoliofirmen verordnen." Nur so könne das Konzept Private Equity als bevorzugte Anlageform vieler Investoren aus der Krise hervorgehen. Das Unternehmen habe die Schulden für den eigenen Kaufpreis bedienen und seine Gewinne an den Finanzinvestor abführen müssen. Deshalb habe Edscha kaum Eigenkapital bilden können, das nötig gewesen wäre, um die schwere Krise zu überstehen. 00.000.2003 -Seit- gehört Edscha dem amerikanischen Private-Equity-Fonds Carlyle. Grund für die Edscha-Pleite ist natürlich auch der Umsatzeinbruch durch die Wirtschafts- und Autokrise. Aber Arbeitnehmervertreter machen den Investor für die Pleite verantwortlich. "Ausgesaugt bis zur Blutleere" "I've seen social theorists argue that creativity happens around the edge of chaos," Markoff said. "I have no direct proof of that, but it seems that many early people in a variety of places like the Stanford Research Institute and the Stanford AI Lab + Xerox PARC were deeply immersed in (psychedelic culture + the anti-war movement), besides being engineers." Even more prominent in tying the psychedelic culture to the emergence of modern Silicon Valley was the experimentation of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. "Steve talked about it, and so has Bill Gates," Markoff said of experimentation with LSD. Jobs said it was "one of the two or three most important experiences of his life, and as a result of those kinds of experiences, he (feels) set apart from some of the more buttoned down corporate America (types) that he deals with." Ultimately, then, the question of whether Leary himself directly helped birth the modern Silicon Valley with his research and experimentation is besides the point: if it wasn't him, then it was others who were following a similar path. There's value in archiving 00.Jan.2009 the US imposed sanctions on people and companies linked to Dr Khan. 00.Jul.2008 Dr Khan told the media that 00.000.2000 Pakistan had transported uranium enrichment equipment to North Korea with the full knowledge of the country's army, then headed by Gen Musharraf. The former leader has repeatedly stated that no-one apart from Dr Khan had any knowledge of the transportation of nuclear technology. All ages losing homes More families are living with relatives, based on the most recent statistics available. Nearly 3.5 million brothers or sisters are living in a sibling's house, according to 2007 Census Data, up from 3 million 00.000.2000. And 3.6 million parents live with their adult children, up from 2.3 million. About 6.7 million householders live with other relatives, such as aunts or cousins, compared with 4.8 million 00.000.2000. That year, the housing market was beginning its boom stretch, which lasted until late 2005. I have not seen yet, in any article or discussion about bank bailouts, govt insurance, or bad bank formation, the acknowledgment that the housing bubble WAS INDEED a bubble. Yes, people do still purchase tulip bulbs, but who would argue that eventually tulips will reach the peak valuations they reached at the top of the tulip mania bubble? If the Dutch govt had stepped in and purchased tulip bulbs at 50% of their peak value, or insured the dealers against further losses…how would that have worked out? Do you think that tulip bulbs would have recovered their valuations even thirty years later? You have probably already been alerted to Paul Krugman's important Op Ed piece in the NYT. He emphasizes that the economic news is even grimmer than you may think. Here's one point that gnaws at me... Developers of commercial real estate, watching rents fall and financing costs soar, are slashing their investment plans. Mithilfe dieser Sicherheitslücke und ein wenig Hackarbeit könnten böswillige Personen Mobiltelefonbesitzer unbemerkt verfolgen: ein Traum nicht nur für Stalker und misstrauische Lebenspartner. Ein Sprecher der Bahn bestätigte SPIEGEL ONLINE, was Beckedahl im Blog berichtet: Man werde die Unterlassungserklärung, die man dem Blogger habe zukommen lassen, nicht weiter durchzusetzen versuchen. Das Ziel, das von Beckedahl online gestellte Dokument aus der Öffentlichkeit zu verbannen, ist ohnehin gescheitert. Sollte der Plan nicht rasch umgesetzt werden, stehe die Wirtschaft vor einer Katastrophe, sagte Obama. Republikaner bremsen Konjunkturpaket 00.Jan.2009 erreichte die Zahl der Erwerbslosen einen neuen Rekord - und stieg stark wie seit rund 34 Jahren nicht mehr. Washington - Die Talfahrt am US-Arbeitsmarkt hat sich auch zum Jahresbeginn 2009 fortgesetzt - und sich sogar noch beschleunigt, teilte das US-Arbeitsministerium am Freitag mit. Die Arbeitslosenquote liegt inzwischen nach Rechnung der Statistiker bei 7,6 % - 0,4 Punkte höher als noch im 00.Dez.2008. 06.Feb.2009 Netzwelt-Ticker: Blogger setzt sich gegen Bahn durch (Netzwelt) 06.Feb.2009 Vatikan: Kardinal verteidigt Wiederaufnahme Williamsons (Panorama) Noch ablehnender sind lediglich Ägypter und Japaner gegenüber dem israelischen Staat eingestellt. "Eine geniale Idee", sagt Abteilungsleiter Peter Lee. "Ich hatte ja schwere Zweifel, ob das je was wird mit der programmierbaren Materie. Aber jetzt glaube ich, dass es möglich ist." Es war mal eine Sensation, dass Bildschirme beliebige Bilder aus dem Nichts hervorzaubern - nun aber wird die Materie selbst programmiert: Illusionen zum Anfassen. "Die Simulation beweist, dass wir die Steuerung beherrschen", sagt Goldstein. "Das war unsere größte Sorge." "Wenn wir nicht rasch zu einer Unterzeichnung des Rettungspakets kommen, wird sich eine Wirtschaft, die ohnehin in einer Krise ist, einer Katastrophe gegenübersehen", Virginia an die Adresse der Republikaner. Steuererleichterungen allein seien eine "Verlierer-Formel", mehr öffentliche Investitionen seien nötig. Der Opposition warf er "Verzögerungs- und Ablenkungsmanöver" vor. "Im Vatikan stimmt einiges nicht", sagt Gemmingen wieder, "also, wir sind schon Idioten." Und wiegelt ab: Er wisse das Allermeiste doch auch nicht. "Auch wenn ich ständig etwas dazu sage." Die Zuhörer lachen, doch der Seelsorger kann es eigentlich nicht spaßig gemeint haben. 06.Feb.2009 Hängepartie im Kongress: US-Senatoren wollen Konjunkturpaket zusammenstreichen (Politik) 06.Feb.2009 Anschlag auf "USS Cole": Richterin stoppt Verfahren gegen Terrorverdächtigen (Politik) 06.Feb.2009 Wirtschaftskrise: Medienmogul Murdoch muss Rekordverlust wegstecken (Wirtschaft) Nach Darstellung der UCK handelte es sich bei den Toten um Zivilisten, die von serbischen Einheiten kaltblütig ermordet worden waren. Nach serbischer Darstellung waren die Toten Gefechtsopfer, die später von der UCK mediengerecht aufeinander geworfen wurden, um den Eindruck eines Massakers zu vermitteln. Der Vorfall, obwohl nie restlos aufgeklärt, bildete den wichtigsten Vorwand für die NATO-Angriffe – d. Red. Maßgeblicher Mann bei der Beschaffung Mevlüt K. soll der maßgebliche Mann hinter der Beschaffung der Zünder gewesen sein. Deutsche Ermittlungsakten weisen ihn als hochkarätigen Islamisten aus: Er habe dem Netzwerk des 2006 von den Amerikanern getöteten al-Kaida-Topterroristen al Sarkawi angehört und dort logistische Aufgaben erfüllt. Zudem sei er Kopf einer Gruppierung, die sich mit Anschlagsplanungen beschäftige, und verfüge über Kontakte zu Dschihad-Kämpfern in Tschetschenien und dem Iran. Mevlüt K. ist von libanesischen Behörden international zur Festnahme ausgeschrieben - wegen des Versuchs, durch Bildung einer al Kaida-Zelle im Libanon Terroranschläge zu verüben. Doch Mevlüt K., der mutmaßliche CIA-Mann, lebt nach stern.de -Informationen in der Türkei als freier Mann. Ich bin schockiert, SCHOCKIERT!!, dass diese vertrauliche Information an die Presse geraten konnte! Haben die nur Pfuscher beim BKA? Können die nicht mal eine für unsere Regierung derart peinliche Akte unter Verschluß halten?! Mann Mann Mann. EIN-mal mit Profis arbeiten! Und wisst ihr, was mir gerade ein Vögelchen flüstert, wer diese Story nicht bringen wollte? Na? Kommt ihr nie drauf! Das ehemalige Nachrichtenmagazin aus Hamburg! Dabei hat selbst deren Oberpanikmacher nach nur wenigen Jahren der Hofberichterstattung gemerkt, dass er da als Depp vom Dienst benutzt wird, um die Terroragenda unserer Junta zu verbreiten. Und das ist deren Vorzeige-Terrorfall, mit dem sie die ganzen Gesetze begründen!! Immerhin, eines muss man denen lassen. Ich fühle mich hier erstklassig unterhalten. Wenn die nicht eh schon aus dem Staatssäckel bezahlt würden alle könnte man über eine Art GEZ-Gebühr für die nachdenken. The divorce rate in Indonesia rises dramatically, with analysts saying the cause is a change in women's attitudes. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7869813.stm Ten killed in Brazilian slum raid Ten people are killed in a police raid on shanty towns in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, officials say. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7871208.stm Kyrgyzstan MPs to debate US base Kyrgyzstan's parliament prepares to debate the closure of a key US air base supporting US and Nato operations in Afghanistan. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7871216.stm Obama's Prisoner Dilemma: Reject Torture, Defend Torturers - David Kravets From the beginning of his term, President Barack Obama has decried the Bush administration's policies of torture and secret detentions. Yet the Justice Department is supplying lawyers for several top former Bush officials being sued for allegedly carrying out the previous administration's policies. https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/YDbPNBd5Vuo/analysis-dilemm.html TARP recipients spent $114 million last year lobbying Congress and funding political campaigns. - Ben Armbruster The Center for Responsive Politics reports today that beneficiaries of the $700 billion Troubled Assets Relief Program “have spent a total of $114.2 million on lobbying in the past year and contributions toward the 2008 election.” 00.000.2008 The companies’ political activities “have, in part, yielded them $295.2 billion from the federal government,” which the Center notes is “an extraordinary return of 258,449 %.” The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced rules aimed at curbing the influence of lobbyists, politicians and others in determining which firms get bailout cash.” https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/04/tarp-companies-lobby/ Cheney’s Reprised Scare Tactic: Warns Of WMD Attack If Bush Policies Are Reversed https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/04/cheney-high-probability-attack/ Military official: ‘Frankly, we don’t have’ an end game in Afghanistan. - Faiz Shakir President Obama is finalizing a plan to send tens of thousands of more troops to Afghanistan as “part of a push to beat back the resurgent Taliban and secure regions of Afghanistan that are beyond the reach of the weak central government in Kabul.” NBC’s military correspondent Jim Miklaszewski reports that Pentagon officials haven’t been able to provide an answer to Obama’s concern about having an “end game” strategy in place: According to military officials during last week’s meeting with Defense Secretary Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon’s “tank,” the president specifically asked, “What is the end game?” in the U.S. military’s strategy for Afghanistan. When asked what the answer was, one military official told NBC News, “Frankly, we don’t have one.” But they’re working on it. The New York Times reported recently, “Even as Mr. Obama’s military planners prepare for the first wave of the new Afghanistan ’surge,’ there is growing debate, including among those who agree with the plan to send more troops, about whether — or how — the troops can accomplish their mission, and just what the mission is.” https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/04/afghanistan-end-game/ “If I didn’t pay [bonuses], the people were going to go. … These people didn’t choose to cure cancer. These people didn’t choose to do public service work…These people chose to make money.” [Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric] https://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10049 Video: The reality about ‘clean’ coal. - Amanda Terkel The coal industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to convince the public that clean coal is more than a myth (it isn’t). Its gimmicks have included “blogger brigades,” cartoon “coal carolers,” and countless ads. The Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson has put together a short video spoofing these ads to show the truth about dirty coal. Watch it: https://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/02/04/coal-isnt-clean/ Former Gregg Aide Tied To Abramoff Scandal, Court Documents Report He Took Gifts In Exchange For Favors - Matt Corley Earlier today, the AP reported that Kevin Koonce, who worked as Commerce Secretary-nominee Judd Gregg’s legislative director from 2002-04, “has been caught up in a long-running investigation into a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal.” Koonce “was cited in a guilty plea last week by Todd Boulanger, a former deputy to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff,” as having taken gifts exceeding $10,000 in exchange for favors in spending legislation. At the White press briefing today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to the story about Koonce: GIBBS: I don’t know about the vetting. I know that the Secretary-designate is not a target or a subject of any of the investigation about an employee that I think left his office in 00.000.2004 and I would direct you to them for additional statements. … This obviously is somebody who left his employment quite some time ago. Watch it: According to Boulanger’s plea documents, Koonce “tried to help insert spending measures and add other amendments to legislation for Boulanger’s clients.” At one point, Boulanger sent an e-mail to Abramoff saying that he was confident Koonce’s boss would help them out: Later, Boulanger sent an e-mail to Abramoff expressing confidence that the senator for whom the staffer worked would give them a favor. “Easy money,” Boulanger wrote, adding that the aide “practically lives in our various suites. We are shady.” As Raw Story notes, Gregg’s spokesman Joel Maiola said 00.000.2006 that Gregg had “never had any contact” with Abramoff, despite his acceptance of donations from “two Indian tribes represented by Abramoff’s firm 00.000.2002 and 2004.” Gregg reportedly donated the $12,000 to a New Hampshire-based charity. https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/04/gibbs-gregg-koonce/ UK Can't Read Its Own ID Cards - samzenpus An anonymous reader writes "Despite the introduction of ID cards last November, it has emerged that Britain has no readers that are able to read the cards' microchips, which contain the person's fingerprints and other biometric information. With cops and border guards unable to use the cards to check a person's identity, critics are calling the £4.7bn scheme 'farcical' and a 'waste of time.'" https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/VgWpnK_qgi0/article.pl First draft of Neanderthal genome completed https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/first-draft-of-neanderthal-gen.html China declares drought emergency China declares an emergency in north and central drought-hit regions, where nearly four million people are short of water. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7871964.stm Ocean Acidification from CO2 Is Happening Faster Than Thought A lesser-known consequence of having a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air is the acidification of water. Oceans naturally absorb the greenhouse gas; in fact, they take in roughly one third of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities. When CO2 dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid, the same substance found in carbonated beverages. New research now suggests that seawater might be growing acidic more quickly than climate change models have predicted. Marine ecologist J. Timothy Wootton of the University of Chicago and his colleagues spent eight years compiling measurements of acidity, salinity, temperature and other data from Tatoosh Island off the northwestern tip of Washington State. They found that the average acidity rose more than 10 times faster than predicted by climate simulations. https://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ocean-acidification What do we need? More government is needed, they agreed. The key moment when the world could be saved will be 2 April in London, when the new grouping of nations known as the G20 will hold a summit. It must tackle climate change as well as the financial crisis. But it needs the latest science. That's a problem because the last report by the IPCC is out of date. Mohan Munasinghe, vice-chairman of the IPCC, admitted to the meeting that concerns about potential tipping points in the climate system had been left out of the summary report, in part because of political pressure. "Most politicians don't know this," said Wijkman. "I am scared we will get an inadequate agreement that will lock us into believing we've solved the issue for another 10 years." Dunlop agreed: "We are running into tipping points," he said. Warming is on the brink of destabilising ice sheets and unlocking methane trapped in permafrost - unleashing warming that could not be halted. Hold onto your hats. It could be a stormy year. Fred's footprint: Credit crunch mustn't stifle climate change action https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/fred-pearce-senior-environment.html Two British High Court judges “ruled against releasing documents describing the treatment of a British detainee” at Guantanamo Bay saying the Bush administration “had threatened to withhold intelligence cooperation with Britain if the information were made public.” The judges expressed dismay that “there would be made a threat of the gravity of the kind made by the United States government.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020402999.html Obama's Proposed Space Weapon Ban - CmdrTaco eldavojohn writes "Obama's proposed ban on space weapons is a complete 180 from George W. Bush's stance on them. Space.com looks at the two sides of the issue and quotes Michael Krepon explaining, 'The Bush administration rejected space diplomacy. We refused to negotiate on any subject that could limit US military options. We have a shift from an administration that was very dismissive of multilateral negotiations [as a whole], to an administration that is open to that possibility if it improves US national security.' You may recall discussing the necessity of space based weapons and Michael Krepon from 2005." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/C3cR23gTCBc/article.pl Uses P2P Video & Adds Terrible EULA - CmdrTaco Futurepower(R) writes " 's use of software called Octoshape presents an incredibly abusive EULA. If you agree to the EULA, you agree that can use your bandwidth, and that you will pay any costs. Also, you lose the right to monitor your own network traffic. You can't even use information collected by your own firewall. Quoting the EULA: 'You may not collect any information about communication in the network of computers that are operating the Software or about the other users of the Software by monitoring, interdicting or intercepting any process of the Software. Octoshape recognizes that firewalls and anti-virus applications can collect such information, in which case you not are allowed to use or distribute such information.' " https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/-6wysMdVPtk/article.pl Snow kills six Moroccan children Six brothers and sisters die after their house collapses because of heavy snow in Morocco, state media says. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7872831.stm RIAA and BSA's Lawyers Taking Top Justice Posts - CmdrTaco An anonymous reader writes "Following the appointment of RIAA's champion Donald Verrilli as associate deputy attorney general, here's a complete roundup of all the RIAA and BSA-linked lawyers comfortably seated at top posts at the Department of Justice by the new government. Not strange, since US VP Joe Biden is well known for pushing the copyright warmongers agenda in Washington. Just in case you don't know, Verrilli is the nice man who sued the pants off Jammie Thomas." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/jHW3VmG31XA/article.pl State Wants DNA Samples For Any Arrest - CmdrTaco An anonymous reader writes in to say that "Suspects arrested in cases as minor as shoplifting would have to give a DNA sample before they are even charged with a crime if a controversial proposal is approved by the Legislature. "It is good technology. It solves crimes," claims Don Pierce, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Under the bill, authorities would supposedly destroy samples and DNA profiles from people who weren't charged, were found not guilty or whose convictions were overturned. Others believe that this is just another step in the process to build a national DNA database with everyone in it." https://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/TAAjFX9opE4/article.pl Obama gets a blessing from "good friend" Blair Tony Blair becomes the first leading British politician to meet Barack Obama since he was sworn in as US President. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7873000.stm Brown warns banks on bosses' pay The Prime Minister insists there should be "no reward for failure" at banks which have had to be bailed out by the taxpayer. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7871828.stm Greenpeace: Stimulus plan cuts carbon emissions How much does the economic stimulus plan help climate change? A Greenpeace-commissioned study finds that the clean-energy provisions will have a significant impact. https://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10157485-54.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5 Today, TP’s Faiz Shakir went on MSNBC and debated the Heritage Foundation’s Bruce Klingner on whether or not Leon Panetta is qualified to lead the CIA. Faiz argued that the CIA doesn’t need a director who’s going to simply “produce reports”; more important is his ability to get the attention from the White House, as highlighted by the inability of George Tenet to do so: SHAKIR: A quick story: You know, on 10.Jul.2001 George Tenet got into a car, and went over to the White House and tried to warn Condoleezza Rice about 9/11. They didn’t listen to him, and that’s because they didn’t really trust George Tenet. Leon Panetta is quite the opposite. He’s somebody who the White House is going to trust and that’s good news for the agency employees. https://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/30/911-meeting/ https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/05/shakir-khanna-media/ Miliband defends secrecy stance David Miliband tells MPs that disclosing classified US papers could do "real and significant damage" to national security. https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7871226.stm Drone 'Surge'; Predator Flights Up 94% - Noah Schachtman Forget the extra troops. The big "surge" in Afghanistan and Iraq has been the astronomical increase in the robotic https://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/index/~3/AZ0nX51HGdg/drone-surge-pre.html How many intelligent civilisations are in our galaxy? Maggie McKee, space editor We know of only one for sure (and some might argue even that's a stretch). https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/02/how-many-intelligent-civilisat.html Rep. Pete Sessions: Taliban is ‘a model’ for how GOP can become an ‘insurgency.’ - Ali Frick In an interview with Hotline, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) said the Republican party will have to be come an “insurgency” to counter Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and added that the Taliban can serve as “a model”: “Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban,” Sessions said during a meeting yesterday with Hotline editors. “ And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person’s entire processes. And these Taliban — I’m not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that’s not what we’re saying. I’m saying an example of how you go about [sic] is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with.” […] When pressed to clarify, Sessions said he was not comparing the House Republican caucus to the Taliban, the Muslim fundamentalist group. “I simply said one can see that there’s a model out there for insurgency,” Sessions said before being interrupted by an aide. Sessions made a similar analogy last week at the House Republicans’ retreat, saying that Republicans “need to get over the idea that they’re participating in legislation and ought to start thinking of themselves as ‘an insurgency’ instead.” https://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/05/sessions-gop-insurgency/ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/05/gop-rep-we-need-might-an_n_164227.html https://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/02/sessions_gop_in.php https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18285.html Shun protectionism says Mandelson Lord Mandelson reiterates his warning that the UK must resist the "temptation to retreat into economic protectionism". https://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7873195.stm Die Finanzkrise habe sich inzwischen zu einer Wirtschaftskrise entwickelt und drohe, im laufenden Jahr auch zu einer Krise der Arbeitslosigkeit zu werden. Für die Entwicklungsländer werde die Situation nicht zuletzt eine menschliche Krise bedeuten. Dies dürften die Industriestaaten nicht außer Acht lassen. Auch wenn das Risiko "hypothetisch" sei, zeigten wissenschaftliche Studien und unterschiedliche Vorschriften in verschiedenen Ländern, dass es "Unsicherheit über die Unschädlichkeit" von Mobilfunkstrahlung gebe, erklärten die Richter. 00.000.2006 hatte Bouygues die Antenne am Rande einer Siedlung in der Kleinstadt Tassin-la-Demi-Lune errichtet. Anwohner klagten daraufhin über Schlafstörungen und Ekzeme. US-Generäle in der afghanischen Hauptstadt Kabul »kochen« vor Wut – wohlgemerkt, nicht ob der Toten, sondern wegen des »Verrats«. 05.Feb.2009 Estos son los estafados por Madoff 05.Feb.2009 Miliband backs Guantánamo secrecy 05.Feb.2009 SPIEGEL-Umfrage: Krise kostet die Regierung Vertrauen (Politik) 05.Feb.2009 Jagd auf afghanische Drogendealer: Nato-Oberbefehlshaber manövriert sich ins Aus (Politik) 05.Feb.2009 Daten-Schnüffelei: Datenschutzbeauftragter fordert härtere Strafen (Netzwelt) 05.Feb.2009 Vatikan-Debakel: Papst am Pranger (Politik) One can reasonably argue that this ancient myth of a Jewish nation exiled until its 20th century return is of little consequence; whether the Jewish people share a common genetic ancestry or are a far-flung collection of people who share the same faith, a common national identity has in fact developed over the centuries. But Zand's central contention stands, and has some significant implications for the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. As Israeli journalist Tom Segev summarized, in a review of the book in Ha'aretz : There never was a Jewish people, only a Jewish religion, and the exile also never happened -- hence there was no return. Zand rejects most of the stories of national-identity formation in the Bible, including the exodus from Egypt and, most satisfactorily, the horrors of the conquest under Joshua. 05.Feb.2009 Iraq's Shocking Human Toll About 1 Million Killed, 4.5 Million Displaced, 1-2 Million Widows, 5 Million Orphans -By- John Tirman 05.Feb.2009 When Did We Stop Caring About Civilian Deaths During Wartime? -By- Robert Fisk- I wonder if we are "normalising" war. It's not just that Israel has yet again got away with the killing of hundreds of children in Gaza. Continue 2002 dropping of a one-ton bomb on the home of Hamas leader Salah Shehade. Apart from the intended victim, 14 people, most of them children, were killed. Continue 05.Feb.2009 05.Feb.2009 PetraeusVersus the President? 05.Feb.2009 The Bogus 'War on Terror' Glasnost In London – War Fever In Washington -By- Eric Margolis 05.Feb.2009 Economic Death Spiral at the Pentagon -By- Tom Engelhardt & Chalmers Johnson 05.Feb.2009 California Goes Broke, Halts $3.5 Billion in Payments -By- Stephen C. Webster 05.Feb.2009 The Perfect Storm -By- Vladimir Putin 05.Feb.2009 Obama: Catastrophe Coming If Stimulus Not Passed: President Obama said Wednesday the recession will turn into "a catastrophe" if the economic stimulus is not passed quickly, lobbying anew for the plan as its price tag climbed above $900 billion and drew more criticism. 05.Feb.2009 The New Thought Police: George Orwell's secret police have nothing on two new NSA systems designed to read people's minds. 05.Feb.2009 Bush_terror_memos_0203.html Dozens of secret Bush surveillance, executive power memos found; Could be made public: Details about more than three dozen secret memoranda written by Bush Administration officials now sit atop a chart created by a public interest reporting group. The memos track new details about dozens of secret Bush Administration legal positions on torture, detention and warrantless wiretapping. 05.Feb.2009 Pentagon pick shows challenges of Obama's ethics rules: The man President Obama nominated to become the No. 2 manager at the Pentagon isn't the first person for that job to come from the defense industry. But Mr. Obama's own executive order on ethics has now become a stumbling block as the White House seeks to push the former lobbyist through confirmation. 05.Feb.2009 Mexico’s Central Bank Intervenes to Halt Peso Slide: The intervention is an “extraordinary” measure beyond the bank’s normal offer to buy $400 million worth of pesos a day, the press office said. 05.Feb.2009 Striking workers stand firm on British jobs: Day eight of the unofficial strike action over the use of foreign labour at Lindsey Oil Refinery would see no let up in the battle which has seen walkouts across the UK. the democratically-elected ruler of the Gaza Strip, must be aimed at assassinating Prime Minister Ismail Haniya. "The last such case to have found its way to court was probably in relation to US Army activities in Vietnam." 05.Feb.2009 UN chief urges end to Afghan deaths: Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, has called on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan to prevent more civilian deaths. 05.Feb.2009 Kyrgyzstan to shut key NATO base: Video report: The President of Kyrgyzstan has announced that the US military will have to leave the Manas Air Base near Bishkek. The facility is central to NATO operations in Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz government said the US wasn't prepared to pay an appropriate fee to use the base. 05.Feb.2009 Pakistan: 10 trucks torched along US supply line: Attackers set fire to at least 10 trucks parked overnight near Landi Kotal, a town close to the famed Khyber Pass that connects Pakistan with Afghanistan, local government official Fazl Rabi said. 05.Feb.2009 Obama Bombs Pakistan: Video and transcript: BILL MOYERS: Marilyn, what did you think last weekend when four days into the Obama administration we read those reports of the strikes in Pakistan? MARILYN YOUNG: My heart sank. It absolutely sank. 05.Feb.2009 Russia to discuss with U.S. non-military transit to Afghanistan: Moscow is hoping for constructive talks with the U.S. on the transit of non-military cargo via Russia to Afghanistan, a top Russian diplomat said Wednesday. 00.Jan.2009 Saudi courts convicted 25 young Iraqi men of trespassing into Saudi Arabia. Their punishment: beheading. Continue 05.Feb.2009 Freedom Of The Press In The USA? NY Man Admits He Helped Air Hizbullah TV -By- ASSOCIATED PRESS 00.000.1948 it took over 78 % of Palestine, an area much larger than that 00.000.1947 suggested for a Jewish state by the UN General Assembly. Continue 05.Feb.2009 The Oldbury-upon-Utopia -By- Hasan Shikoh - "They are pretending not to know that their fellow citizens of the world are being taken away and locked up in open-air concentration camps." Continue 05.Feb.2009 Controversial Bestseller Shakes the Foundation of the Israeli State -By- Joshua Holland According to US government propaganda, terrorist cells are spread throughout America, making it necessary for the government to spy on all Americans and violate most other constitutional protections. Among President Bush’s last words as he left office was the warning that America would soon be struck again by Muslim terrorists. Continue 05.Feb.2009 James Bamford: The Spy Factory Must Watch Video -By- PBS - Includes Transcript 05.Feb.2009 How I Saved The USA Cheney warns of new attacks -By- JOHN F. HARRIS & MIKE ALLEN & JIM VANDEHEI Aber hey, unter Obama wird solchen Frankensteins sicher das Budget zusammen gestrichen, denkt sich jetzt vielleicht der eine oder andere. Nun, ... Obama will die Rüstungsausgaben erst mal um 40 Milliarden Dollar steigern. Denn wenn die USA etwas brauchen, dann sind es mehr Waffen! 04.Feb.2009 blog.fefee.de/Auch in Kanada wartet die Polizei nicht ab, bis Terroristen kommen und das Land bedrohen: Agent der Royal Canadian Mounted Police räumt Schlüsselrolle beim Aufbau und Betrieb eines "Terrorcamps" ein. The defence has argued this week that without Mubin Shaikh, there would have been no terrorist conspiracy. Aber aber, von solchen Details wollen wir uns doch hier nicht aufhalten lassen! Bei uns stand ja auch eine Gesetzesänderung an, weil 129a nur bei terroristischen Vereinigungen greift, und dabei sind doch die ganzen Sündenböcke immer wahnsinnige Einzeltäter. 05.Feb.2009 Patzer in der Personalpolitik: Obama kämpft gegen seine erste Krise (Politik) 05.Feb.2009 Wirtschaftskrise: EZB hält Leitzins bei zwei % (Wirtschaft) 05.Feb.2009 Streit um Schuldenlimits: Struck und Oettinger wollen Finanzhilfen für arme Länder (Politik) UC Riverside / Love lab Schwamm: Eine der simpelsten Formen mehrzelliger Tiere 635 Millionen Jahre alt sind die organischen Moleküle aus der Zellmembran von Schwämmen, die im Sedimentgestein einer Bohrstätte im Oman steckten, berichtet das Team um Gordon Love im Fachmagazin "Nature". Die primitiven Tiere haben demnach schon rund hundert Millionen Jahre vor der Kambrischen Explosion die flachen Küstengewässer besiedelt. 00.000.1863 In den niederländischen Kolonien wurde die Sklaverei abgeschafft Ihre Wirtschaftlichkeit basierte auf Sklavenarbeit - 16 Stunden oder mehr schufteten Tausende schwarzafrikanische Zwangsarbeiter täglich bei der Zuckerrohrernte. Deren Ernährung musste gesichert sein, selbstverständlich nicht aus humanitären Überlegungen, sondern aus rein ökonomischen. Im karibischen Raum sowie im Norden Südamerikas wiederum war Stockfisch Sklavenspeise, jahrhundertelang. Die Trockenkonserve machte den ökonomischen Erfolg der Plantagenwirtschaft sogar erst möglich. Das explosive Wachstum dieser Branche im 17. Jahrhundert verwandelte die großen und kleinen Eilande der Karibik in wahrhafte Zuckerinseln Offiziellen Schätzungen zufolge werden in Bangladesch zehn % der Nahrungsmittel - vor allem Reis, Getreide und Kartoffeln - von Ratten aufgefressen. "Wir haben nun mal eine Marktwirtschaft", sagt Peter Lischke von der Verbraucherzentrale Berlin. "Die Unternehmen können ihre Preise frei gestalten." Seine Empfehlung: Wenn es irgendwie geht, sollte man sein Konto im Plus halten - und Dispozinsen auf diese Weise ganz vermeiden. Aber warum sind die Kreditzinsen überhaupt so hoch, während die Guthabenzinsen fallen? Wenn hier ein Kunde sein Girokonto über den Disporahmen hinaus überzieht, verlangt die Commerzbank knapp 20 % Zinsen. "Bei einem Leitzins von zwei % ist das einfach unverschämt", sagt Tenhagen. Er rät Verbrauchern: "Sie müssen Angebote aktiv vergleichen - und notfalls die Bank wechseln." Santander ist bislang im Vergleich zu vielen europäischen Konkurrenten gut durch die Finanzkrise gekommen und hält auch der Rezession auf dem Heimatmarkt stand. Als Grund dafür gilt die Konzentration auf das Privatkundengeschäft. Zudem steuerte Vorstandschef Emilio Botin das Institut an der Immobilienkrise auf der iberischen Halbinsel vorbei. Die stillen Großinvestoren im Hintergrund mit schier endloser Toleranzgrenze, "bereit, jedes Risiko einzugehen". Die Aufsichtsbehörden wie die SEC, "die beide Augen zudrückten". Kleininvestoren, neue Hausbesitzer, Institutionen, Fondsmanager, ausländische Regierungen. "Als alle munter Geld machten, hat sich da jemand über uns beschwert, über unsere Gebühren, unsere Boni?", fragt Salinas. "Nein. Keine Seele." Late-Night-Comedians verhöhnen sie als "Ratten". Die Abgeordnete Claire McCaskill nannte sie "einen Haufen Idioten". US-Präsident Barack Obama hat sie ins Visier genommen, nicht zuletzt wegen anhaltender Bonus-Bezüge ("eine Schande"). Er verordnete ihnen am Mittwoch obendrein Gehaltsobergrenzen, so ihre Konzerne Staatshilfen wollen - Kapitalismus an der Regierungskandare. "Ihre neue Rolle", schreibt die "New York Times" halb mitleidig, halb hämisch, "ist die Rolle der nationalen Parias." Erhard nannte solche Redensarten "Volksbetrug". Der ehemalige US-Präsident Franklin D. Roosevelt hat das Konzept entwickelt und in den dreißiger und vierziger Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts getestet. FDR, wie man den Kriegs- und Krisenpräsidenten in Kurzform nennt, ist in Amerika anhaltend populär. Obama bezeichnet ihn als sein Vorbild. 05.Feb.2009 Spanische Großbank: Santander trotzt der Krise mit Milliardengewinn (Wirtschaft) 05.Feb.2009 Christlicher Fundamentalismus: Kirche der Extreme (Panorama) 05.Feb.2009 Archäologie: Forscher finden Hütte von Robinson Crusoe (Wissenschaft) 05.Feb.2009 Rekordfund: Sternenfabrik produziert am Limit (Wissenschaft) 05.Feb.2009 Investmentbank: Goldman Sachs will Milliardenhilfe noch 2009 zurückzahlen (Wirtschaft) 05.Feb.2009 Unruhe im Papst-Geburtsdorf: "Das hat er sicher nicht mit Absicht gemacht" (Panorama) |