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4/30/2004
Tank: NASDAQ Down 6.3% this Week :.U.S. stocks fell on Friday as worries that the Federal Reserve will start laying the groundwork for higher interest rates when it meets next week offset positive earnings from big companies like Procter & Gamble Co. (PG).
Five sessions of losses left the Nasdaq with its biggest weekly fall for two years.
For the week, the Dow fell 2.3 percent, the S&P 500 fell 2.9 percent and Nasdaq fell 6.3 percent. For the month of April, the Dow fell 1.3 percent, the S&P 500 fell 1.7 percent and Nasdaq fell 3.7 percent.
posted by Kevin at 4:03 PM
Biometric IDs OK With U.K. :.I told you, people will go for it: About 80 percent of 1,000 British adults recently surveyed say they want a biometric identification card, citing concerns about illegal immigration and identity theft.
posted by Kevin at 1:00 PM
U.S. Forces Turn to Saddam General to End Standoff :.HAHAHA! U.S. forces turned to a former general in Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard to help end a standoff with guerrillas in Falluja on Friday, but there was no end to violence and another two Marines were killed.
Some of the troops battling Sunni guerrillas and foreign Muslim fighters pulled back and, in a reversal of Washington's refusal to deal with members of Saddam's regime, former general Jasim Mohamed Saleh said he would lead a force to restore order.
"We have now begun forming a new emergency military force," he told Reuters, saying Falluja "rejected" the U.S. presence in the month-long standoff.
posted by Kevin at 12:44 PM
U.S. Hired Mercenaries to Carry Out Torture in Iraq :.Lawyers for the soldiers argue they are being made scapegoats for a rogue military prison system in which mercenaries give orders without legal accountability.
A military report into the Abu Ghraib case - parts of which were made available to the Guardian - makes it clear that private contractors were supervising interrogations in the prison, which was notorious for torture and executions under Saddam Hussein.
One civilian contractor was accused of raping a young male prisoner but has not been charged because military law has no jurisdiction over him.
Hired guns from a wide array of private security firms are playing a central role in the US-led occupation of Iraq.
The killing of four private contractors in Falluja on March 31 led to the current siege of the city.
But this is the first time the privatisation of interrogation and intelligence-gathering has come to light. The investigation names two US contractors, CACI International Inc and the Titan Corporation, for their involvement in Abu Ghraib.
Titan, based in San Diego, describes itself as a "a leading provider of comprehensive information and communications products, solutions and services for national security". It recently won a big contract for providing translation services to the US army.
CACI, which has headquarters in Virginia, claims on its website to "help America's intelligence community collect, analyse and share global information in the war on terrorism".
Neither responded to calls for comment yesterday.
According to the military report on Abu Ghraib, both played an important role at the prison.
At one point, the investigators say: "A CACI instructor was terminated because he al lowed and/or instructed MPs who were not trained in interrogation techniques to facilitate interrogations by setting conditions which were neither authorised [nor] in accordance with applicable regulations/policy."
Colonel Jill Morgenthaler, speaking for central command, told the Guardian: "One contractor was originally included with six soldiers, accused for his treatment of the prisoners, but we had no jurisdiction over him. It was left up to the contractor on how to deal with him."
She did not specify the accusation facing the contractor, but according to several sources with detailed knowledge of the case, he raped an Iraqi inmate in his mid-teens.Related: Blackwater Recruits Pinochet Death Squad Members for Iraq Merc Duty
posted by Kevin at 12:31 PM
American Torture of Iraqi Prisoners :.Liberation: VIDEO footage of US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners of war horrified America yesterday.
The TV stills showed a hooded captive standing on a box with wires attached to his hands, and naked prisoners stacked in a human pyramid while jeering troopers look on laughing.
Six soldiers now face court martial and jail. One allegedly boasted that the captives "broke within hours". Seven others, including a general, are suspended from duty and may be disciplined.
posted by Kevin at 12:16 PM
4/29/2004
Rise of the Machines, Uh... Robotic Traffic Cones :.Not quite killer robots, but you can get an idea of where this society is headed. More humans get pink slips, but the creators of this technology are so concerned about the safety of the workmen, you don't need to think about that. This is all about saving the workers. HA! Wink, blink, nod. Meanwhile, the next step is to eliminate the human driver from the truck that deploys these things, and so it goes: The markers are delivered to the roadside by a specially equipped truck, from which an operator controls their deployment using a laptop computer. Each fleet of robots is made up of a lead robot or "shepherd", which is equipped with a Global Positioning System satellite navigation receiver, plus a number of less expensive "dumb" units.
The laptop screen displays an image of the road, captured by a camera mounted on top of the truck. Using software developed by Farritor's team, the operator marks on the screen where the barrels should be placed.
posted by Kevin at 1:48 PM
Urban Warfare: Is Iraq a Rehearsal for U.S. Hoods? :.Yep: Today, many of the Marines inside Fallujah are graduates of these Urban Warrior exercises as well as mock combat at "Yodaville," the Urban Training Facility in Yuma, Arizona, while some of the Army units encircling Najaf and the Baghdad slum neighborhood of Sadr City are alumni of the new $34 million MOUT simulator at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
This tactical "Israelization" of U.S. combat doctrine has been accompanied by what might be called a "Sharonization" of the Pentagon's worldview. Military theorists are now deeply involved in imagining how the evolving capacity of high-tech warfare can contain, if not destroy, chronic "terrorist" insurgencies rooted in the desperation of growing mega-slums.Outsourcing is good for you. Don't forget it.
posted by Kevin at 2:39 AM
Is Bush Brain Damaged from Drugs? :.I don't know about how much I believe in the authenticity of this article, but it wouldn't shock me if it was real: "At one point during a staff conference, the President stood up and began to speak in an unknown language. Mr. Rove was able to stop the President and get him to resume his seat. It was reported by [redacted] that for a period of time (about fifteen minutes) after this incident, the President appeared to be 'somewhat confused and very inarticulate.'"
posted by Kevin at 2:33 AM
Lawyers Try to Gag FBI Worker Over 9/11 :.The Bush administration will today seek to prevent a former FBI translator from providing evidence about 11 September intelligence failures to a group of relatives and survivors who have accused international banks and officials of aiding al-Qa'ida.
Sibel Edmonds was subpoenaed by a law firm representing more than 500 family members and survivors of the attacks to testify that she had seen information proving there was considerable evidence before September 2001 that al-Qa'ida was planning to strike the US with aircraft. The lawyers made their demand after reading comments Mrs Edmonds had made to The Independent.
But the US Justice Department is seeking to stop her from testifying, citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege". Today in a federal court in Washington, senior government lawyers will try to gag Mrs Edmonds, claiming that disclosure of her evidence "would cause serious damage to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States".
Mrs Edmonds, 33, a Turkish-American who had top secret security clearance, claimed this month that while working in the FBI's Washington headquarters, she saw information proving senior officials knew of al-Qa'ida plans to attack the US with aircraft months before the strikes. She has provided sworn testimony to the independent panel appointed by President George Bush to investigate the circumstances surrounding 11 September.
posted by Kevin at 2:23 AM
Pentagon Official Says Nanotechnology a High Priority :.The U.S. military expects advances in nanotechnology to impact every major weapons system and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually on various research programs, a senior military science adviser said Thursday at a meeting of nanotechnology specialists.
"Nanotechnology is one of the highest priority science and technology programs in the Defense Department," said Clifford Lau, the senior science adviser in the Pentagon's office of basic research. Lau, who also serves as president of the nanotechnology council at the engineering group IEEE, said research is being coordinated across the military branches, and plans are in place to transition the technology from basic research to deployment.
In addition, service branches recently have opened sophisticated facilities for nanotech research, including the Army Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and the Naval Research Laboratory's nanotech institute, a windowless, controlled environment capable of the most advanced research. <--- They think they will be able to contain "it." I hope they're right.
posted by Kevin at 2:20 AM
Britain: Police Will be Able to Order Eye Scans Under ID Card Plan :.Police will have powers to stop and check people against a national biometric database under plans for a compulsory identity card scheme to be unveiled today.
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, confirmed that police would be able to compare people against national fingerprint or iris records even if they did not carry the controversial document.
posted by Kevin at 2:11 AM
Britain: GBP2,500 Fine For Refusing ID Card :.People who refuse to register for the government's planned ID card scheme could face a "civil financial penalty" of up to GBP2,500, it has emerged.
David Blunkett said not making registering a criminal issue would avoid "clever people" becoming martyrs.
posted by Kevin at 2:09 AM
Quote from Joseph Schumpteter, Imperialism and Social Classes, 1919Does this sound familiar? "There was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger or under actual attack. If the interests were not Roman, they were those of Rome's allies; and if Rome had no allies, the allies would be invented. When it was utterly impossible to contrive such an interest -- why, then it was the national honor that had been insulted. The fight was always invested with an aura of legality. Rome was always being attacked by evil-minded neighbours...The whole world was pervaded by a host of enemies, it was manifestly Rome's duty to guard against their indubitably aggressive designs."
posted by Kevin at 1:53 AM
4/28/2004
U.S. Intelligence to Track Blogs :.I've got a newsflash for you. I've been tracking U.S. military and intelligence agencies on Cryptogon for nearly two years: Some blogs are whimsical and deal with "soft" subjects. Others, though, are cutting edge in delivering information and opinion.
As a result, some analysts say U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials might be starting to track blogs for important bits of information. This interest is a sign of how far Web media such as blogs have come in reshaping the data-collection habits of intelligence professionals and others, even with the knowledge that the accuracy of what's reported in some blogs is questionable.
Still, a panel of folks who work in the U.S. intelligence field - some of them spies or former spies - discussed this month at a conference in Washington the idea of tracking blogs.
posted by Kevin at 5:09 AM
CBS News Channel Eyewitness Describes 'Secondary Explosions' in the WTC :.My dad was involved with construction for about 20 years. I watched the events of 9/11 on the TV with him. As each tower came down, he said, "That's a controlled demolition." And I said, "Oh, ok, sure, dad." Uhhh.... Never mind the fact that it's obvious, just from watching the video. Hearing an eyewitness describe "secondary explosions," though, is another matter. All of this, however, is unthinkable. My rational thought processes are telling me this is bullshit, because it has to be; but the little voice in the back of my head is saying, "You know it's true."
posted by Kevin at 5:01 AM
Quiz: Are You the Devil? :.Unchanged since 3000 years, the decisive criterion for being the Evil Umpire isn't horns, hoofs, or a fondness to toast people literally. It is a single question: do you support plunder and murder by your leaders? If you do not, you are the Devil, the Shaitan, the Mara, the Unamerican, the Anti-Aryan, the Anti-Semite, the traitor of your country, the Enemy of the Proletariat - pick the devil figure of your favorite ideology. The fact that this would qualify even Jesus, Buddha, Karl Marx or George Washington for devils of their own beliefs yet it remains unchanged reveals the true priority of the genre. Ideology exists to justify crime.
posted by Kevin at 4:37 AM
Syrian Security Units Clash with "Foreign Special Forces" :.Oh, now who could possibly be tasking "foreign special forces" inside Syria? I don't know about you, but to me, this looks like the shit just hit the fan on a joint Israeli/U.S. operation. On the other hand, it's possible that Israeli troops/spooks wern't involved. Sharon has his hand so far up Bush's ass, it's probably standard operating procedure for U.S. troops to do Israel's dirty work nowadays: A undercover special forces operation being run by "foreign governments" became embroiled in a bloody battle in Damascus, Syria early this evening sources close to the Syrian Foreign Ministry told Aljazeera.com.
Explosions and gunfire were heard in the diplomatic neighborhood as Syrian police and army units fought the "Foreign Special Forces" during which a number of cars were destroyed.
It is widely known coalition special forces based out of Iraq are in operation inside the Syrian side of the Iraqi border to stem the flow of foreign fighters. This incident is the first which has targeted the capital Damascus.
It is understood the "Foreign Special Forces" sustained losses and some have fled into the city.
posted by Kevin at 4:28 AM
Mercenary Killed in Iraq Was Apartheid Assassin :.This is a good start, I'd say. He has surely been on the CIA payroll for decades. Well, not anymore: A security contractor killed in Iraq last week was once one of South Africa's most secret covert agents, his identity guarded so closely that even the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not discover the extent of his involvement in apartheid's silent wars.
Gray Branfield, 55, admitted to being part of a death squad which gunned down Joe Gqabi, the ANC's chief representative and Umkhonto weSizwe operational head in Zimbabwe on July 31 1981. Gqabi was shot 19 times when three assassins ambushed him as he reversed down the driveway of his Harare home.
Author Peter Stiff this week confirmed information that Branfield was an operative identified in his books, The Silent War, Warfare By Other Means and Cry Zimbabwe as "Major Brian". He said Branfield, a former detective inspector in the Rhodesian police force specializing in covert operations against guerrilla organizations, came to South Africa after Zanu-PF came to power in 1980.
In South Africa he joined the SA Defense Force's secret Project Barnacle, a precursor to the notorious Civil Co-operation Bureau (CCB) death squad.
posted by Kevin at 4:10 AM
Dems Face Oh Shit Moment with Kerry :.The problem with most Democrats is that they still believe they're not Republicans, and vice versa. Choke on it, you hypocrites: With the air gushing out of John Kerry's balloon, it may be only a matter of time until political insiders in Washington face the dread reality that the junior senator from Massachusetts doesn't have what it takes to win and has got to go. As arrogant and out of it as the Democratic political establishment is, even these pols know the party's got to have someone to run against George Bush. They can't exactly expect the president to self-destruct into thin air.
With growing issues over his wealth (which makes fellow plutocrat Bush seem a charity case by comparison), the miasma over his medals and ribbons (or ribbons and medals), his uninspiring record in the Senate (yes war, no war), and wishy-washy efforts to mimic Bill Clinton's triangulation gimmickry (the protractor factor), Kerry sinks day by day. The pros all know that the candidate who starts each morning by having to explain himself is a goner.
posted by Kevin at 4:03 AM
Median Price of a Home in California Increases 22% in March, Sales Up 4% :.HAHAHAHA! It's all fun and games until Greenspan leans left instead of right the next time he farts. Remember how happy everyone was with the NASDAQ in the high 4000s? You guys with the ARMs, make your time: The median price of an existing home in California in March increased 22 percent and sales increased 4 percent compared to the same period a year ago, the California Association of REALTORS(R) (C.A.R.) reported today.
"The median price of a home continued its run of double-digit price increases last month as buyers scrambled to purchase homes amid concerns of rising mortgage interest rates," said C.A.R. President Ann Pettijohn. "This unprecedented demand helped push the median price of a home in many regions in the state to record highs in March. And at $428,280, the median price for the state also hit a record high in March compared to $351,130 just one year ago."
posted by Kevin at 3:58 AM
Thought Criminal: Secret Service Questions Student on Drawings :.Secret Service agents questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for an art class, one of which depicted President Bush's head on a stick.
Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading "End the war -- on terrorism."
The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service.
"We involve the police anytime we have a concern," Prosser Superintendent Ray Tolcacher told the Tri-City Herald newspaper.
Secret Service agents interviewed the boy last Friday. The student, who was not arrested, has not been identified.
The school district disciplined him, but district officials refused to say what the punishment was. Tolcacher said the boy was not suspended.
The artwork was apparently part of an assignment to keep a notebook of drawings, according to Kevin Cravens, a friend of the boy's family.
posted by Kevin at 3:42 AM
Fed Warns of Dramatic Rise in Oil Futures :.I'm convinced that the impending energy crisis is being manufactured according to some grim plan. There are too many viable energy alternatives for this kind of nonsense to be happening! Current U.S. energy policy is the equivalent of someone driving a car toward a wall at 100 miles per hour and taking their hands off the wheel, just to see what will happen. It doesn't seem to make any sense. There's no reason for this to be happening... Well, unless you plan on locking down society over the next several years. Ahhh, now U.S. energy policy makes plenty of sense: Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, warned on Tuesday that the "dramatic" rise of oil and gas futures was "an economic event that can significantly affect the long-term path of the US economy".
In the latest of a series of cautions from economic policymakers, Mr Greenspan said the rise in six-year oil and gas futures was "almost surely going to affect the growth of oil and gas consumption in the US and the nature of the capital stock investments currently under contemplation".
posted by Kevin at 3:34 AM
U.S. Military Powers Base Primarily with Wind and Solar Power :.I almost fell out of my chair when I read this one. Why is it that the sane course of action is only taken on very rare occasions? I would expect the U.S. military to spend several billion dollars on a pipeline to carry diesel fuel out to this remote island. Maybe air ship it, at great expense. Accomplish the goal in the dumbest, most expensive way possible. It almost frightens me that the military did something that makes sense! For observers of alternative power developments, make a point of reading this story all the way through. No battery banks. This power goes directly to end use applications that are mission critical. Take what they are doing a little further. If they didn't need the desalination, they could use the excess power to make hydrogen for a fuel cell system, which could serve as the "battery" system they didn't want to use. I've re-read this story three times. I'm actually suspicious now. Since when did the U.S. military become concerned with pollution!? Hmmm. After the Pentagon warned Bush that the weather was going to bring down the show!? Forget it. I'm letting this go at this point without further speculation. While I think there's much more to this, I guess, at the same time, I've become so sullen and grim that it's hard to accept good news when it occurs: Three electrical engineers from the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory are overseeing the installation of wind turbines on a tiny South Atlantic island occupied by the U.S. Air Force.
The 900-kilowatt turbines will help the military base reduce its use of diesel generators and lower air pollution.
The combination of the six wind turbines, plus solar cells that were also installed, can supply enough power when the wind is blowing to run the whole base.
The savings on diesel fuel alone will be $400,000 to $750,000 each year.
The two turbines will pay for themselves within eight years and are expected to run for at least 25 years, said Charlie Clinchard, who has overseen their installation from Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.
Part of the challenge Meyers faced was making sure a steady electrical supply is available to power the computers at the base, which track rockets and satellites for NASA and the Air Force as they take off from Florida and later are in orbit.
"We need 100 percent reliability because we've got to have power during a rocket launch, even if the wind isn't blowing," Clinchard said.
The INEEL group has developed a system that senses wind power and then automatically powers the diesel generators up or down to compensate.
A battery system wouldn't have worked as well because it would've been too expensive and hard to maintain, Meyers said.
As a benefit, the system uses extra power to run a desalination plant to provide the base with fresh water.
posted by Kevin at 3:25 AM
Army Asks Ski Resorts to Return Its Howitzers :.There's no draft planned, oh no, not when every spare artillery piece needs to be sent into combat: The U.S. military is demanding the return of five howitzers that two Sierra Nevada ski resorts use to prevent avalanches, saying it needs the guns for the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain received the artillery pieces on loan from the Army and began using them last year to fire rounds into mountainsides and knock snow loose.
But the ski resorts received word earlier this month that the Army's Tank Automotive and Armaments Command at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois needs the howitzers back.
"I need to have them back in the troops' hands within 60 to 90 days," said Don Bowen, the Army command's team leader in charge of the howitzers.
"It's a very short timeframe to get them serviceable and back into the theater in southwest Asia. Afghanistan-Iraq is the immediate concern."
posted by Kevin at 3:00 AM
Another Job Being Outsourced: Porn Star :.The big bad empire can't even produce its own blue jeans.... and it's getting to be that way with PORN! Add porn star to the list of U.S. jobs that are going overseas.
American X-rated film directors are heading to Brazil in search of uninhibited women, exotic locations and cheap production costs. The going rate for a Brazilian X-rated actress is about $175 per sex scene, a fraction of what talent in the Los Angeles area costs.Research Credit: BW
posted by Kevin at 2:55 AM
4/27/2004
BREAKING: "The Whole Place Went Dark, the Generator Began Passing Smoke"As you may or may not know, California's electric power infrastructure operates on the verge of collapse during the Summer months. With some record high temperatures shattered by as much as ten degrees yesterday, California is getting an early start on Summer. This morning, a Cryptogon source, who works for a "household name" corporation in the U.S. (financial services sector), shared information about how the air conditioning system in the building shut down. Later this afternoon, the source sent the following: > it happened again this afternoon, the whole place went dark, the generator > began passing smoke. we got the lights back but every network connection was > down for about an hour. human batteries, suddenly unplugged from the > apparatus, bokked around dazed. i put my earplugs in and read more illich: > "both the balance that defines man's need for a hospitable environment and > the balance that defines everyone's need for authentic activity are now > close to the breaking point. and still this danger does not concern most > people." ... "organized self-protection of the addict-consumer only raises > the quality of the dope and the power of the peddler." > > if you haven't read it yet, you really must.
posted by Kevin at 4:42 PM
Cryptogon Special Report:
Are U.S. Troops Being Drugged for Urban Combat Operations in Iraq? :.Eyewitness reports from Fallujah indicate that U.S. troops are laughing during combat operations. Laughing when enemy forces are pouring heavy fire on them. Laughing as their buddies fall down dead. From the Mathaba.net article: Mafkarat al-Islam's correspondent in al-Fallujah reports that for more than 10 days the Resistance fighters in the besieged city have been remarking about a phenomenon that they find strange and surprising. Resistance fighters have frequently noticed that many of the American aggressor troops are laughing as they storm into districts in al-Fallujah. The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent personally witnessed this clearly when he was close to the events as US aggressors tried to storm an-Nizal neighborhood in the besieged city on Saturday.
The correspondent wrote that he saw two American soldiers laughing, such as to arouse pity for them, despite all the Resistance gunfire being poured at their position and their comrades dying around them. Both of the Americans were later killed in the battle. The Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent writes that the Resistance learned later from interrogations of captured American Marines that the US military medical service distributes a type of halucinogenic pill to the troops that prompts laughter and reduces the sense of fear in combat conditions.
The reverse situation has been revealed in the despair and terror exhibited by the US troops when their lines of supply of food and medicine have been cut, a phenomenon that has been witnessed by nearby Resistance fighters.AnalysisIt would be easy for the uninitiated reader to blow this story off as complete and total BS.... As a Cryptogon reader, though, you don't have that luxury. I would say that there is a VERY STRONG possibility that the account given above is accurate. What follows is just a small sample of some of the information that is available on the pharmacological "enhancement" of combat troops. Draw your own conclusions: The Apocalypse in Grozny, ChechnyaThere were persistent reports of Russian soldiers injecting themselves with syringes and taking capsules as they turned Grozny into Hell on Earth. This is a typical account: As for the reports of drug use by the Russian troops, I was told that representatives of the International Red Cross who had been in the village the day before me, gathered up a number of syringes and capsules that were found in the streets and houses where the Interior Ministry troops had been located. Residents told me that they had seen Russian soldiers injecting themselves openly.U.S. Pilots Routinely Take Amphetamines a.k.a. Go-PillsFrom CNN: A lawyer for one of two U.S. pilots who released a bomb over southern Afghanistan in April, accidentally killing four Canadian soldiers, says the Air Force had pressured the pilots to take amphetamines that may have impaired their judgment during the mission.DARPA Trying to Create No Sleep SoldiersFrom ABC News: "Eliminating the need for sleep during an operation ? will create a fundamental change in war fighting and force employment," says a recent statement by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
To strive toward creating the no-sleep soldier, DARPA has funded a multi-tiered program from tinkering with a soldier's brain using magnetic resonance to analyzing the neural circuits of birds that stay awake for days during migration. The hope is to stump the body's need for sleep, at least temporarily.
"This program is really out of the box," says John Carney, director of DARPA's Continuous Assisted Performance program. "We want to look at capabilities in nature and leverage it so we can apply it in ways that no one thought possible."DARPA: Monsters Inc.From the Moscow Times: Pentagon dark lord Donald Rumsfeld is shoveling billions of tax dollars into the research furnaces of federal laboratories and private universities across the land in the wide-ranging effort to spawn "super soldiers," fired by drugs and electromagnetic "brain zaps" to fight without ceasing for days on end. The work is being directed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) -- yes, the same outfit now laboring under convicted terrorist-conspirator John Poindexter to build the "Total Information Awareness" network that will allow the government to monitor the electronic records and communications of every citizen.
The DARPA "war fighter enhancement" programs -- an acceleration of bipartisan biotinkering that's been going on for years -- will involve injecting young men and women with hormonal, neurological and genetic concoctions; implanting microchips and electrodes in their bodies to control their internal organs and brain functions; and plying them with drugs that deaden some of their normal human tendencies: the need for sleep, the fear of death, the reluctance to kill their fellow human beings.Preventing Hearing Loss from Combat NoiseFrom Wired: In the armed forces, however, earsplitting sounds are already commonplace. So, starting next month, according to Marine Corps Times, incoming grunts to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego will be given the antioxidant pills as part of a six-week trial.Related Fictionalization in Film: Jacob's LadderOne of the plot components of Jacob's Ladder involves the drugging of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam in order to increase their combat effectiveness. FYI: This is an excellent movie that most people neither liked nor understood. Of course, this is one of my favorite films. If you've never seen it, watch it at least twice. If you have seen it, watch it again and pay very close attention to everything; names of characters, books on shelves, the dialog, etc. WARNING: Not a good date movie; unless you never want to see the girl again, then it's a great date movie.
posted by Kevin at 4:35 AM
Avaliable Now: General Electric 3.6 Megawatt Wind Turbine :.How many of these wind turbines could we (the U.S. taxpayers) buy for two trillion dollars? More than a few. <--- Sarcasm. Hint: Two trillion dollars is the estimate of what the nightmare in Iraq is going to cost the U.S. taxpayer over a decade. The weird thing about wars for oil is that they're not necessary....unless you're part of the cabal that wants to ride that paradigm into the dirt for every last nickel. 3.6 megawatts per unit... Just add wind. Keep that in mind as the corpses continue to pile up: A larger version of our proven 1.5 MW design, the 3.6 MW machine was specifically designed for high-speed wind sites. With a rotor diameter of 104 meters and a swept area of 8,495 square meters, the new wind turbine is ideal for offshore markets worldwide. Active yaw and pitch regulated with power/torque control capability and a double-fed asynchronous generator, it uses a distributed drive train design where all nacelle components are joined on a common structure, providing exceptional durability. The generator and gearbox are supported by elastomeric elements to minimize noise emissions.
posted by Kevin at 3:58 AM
Is Cold Fusion Heating Up? :.Our energy problems could be solved with wind, solar, hydro, ethanol, biodiesel, aquafuel and fuel cell technologies. But never mind all of that. Maybe these crusty, old, drunk professors will get their shit together one of these decades: The evidence for "new physics" has been building for years, says Peter Hagelstein, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, who chaired the tenth International Conference on Cold Fusion in Cambridge last August. Experiments performed under properly controlled conditions reliably produce more heat than standard theory predicts. Nuclear products show up in about the right amounts to account for this excess heat. Patterns have emerged that explain previous anomalies. When Hagelstein saw how pieces of the puzzle were fitting together at the August meeting, he urged the Department of Energy to reconsider a field that had been cast out of orthodox science soon after its birth.
posted by Kevin at 3:28 AM
Synthetic Life: Humans Playing God and Acting Stupid :.In my opinion, if imminent financial chaos/"terrorism" doesn't bring down the show, a genetic engineering mishap will. I make a lot of noise about killer robots on Cryptogon, but, in terms of destructive potential, the antics centered around genetic engineering may just leapfrog robotics and AI. Quacks with PhDs are tinkering with the building blocks of life itself! This is the equivalent of a zoo keeper placing a crate full of hand grenades inside a gorilla cage: Biologists are crafting libraries of interchangeable DNA parts and assembling them inside microbes to create programmable, living machines.
This nascent field has three major goals: One, learn about life by building it, rather than by tearing it apart. Two, make genetic engineering worthy of its name--a discipline that continuously improves by standardizing its previous creations and recombining them to make new and more sophisticated systems. And three, stretch the boundaries of life and of machines until the two overlap to yield truly programmable organisms.Related: SARS Escaped Beijing Lab TwiceWhat if a malevolent micro-cyborg gets loose? I guess we can always call Rick Deckard.
posted by Kevin at 1:17 AM
SARS Escaped Beijing Lab Twice :.The latest outbreak of sever acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China, with eight confirmed or suspected cases so far and hundreds quarantined, involves two researchers who were working with the virus in a Beijing research lab, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday (April 26).
posted by Kevin at 12:52 AM
Iraq Photo Album :.WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES.
posted by Kevin at 12:33 AM
Oregon Cops: 71 Year Old Blind Woman Pepper-Sprayed and Shocked with Stun Gun :.The city of Portland has agreed to pay $145,000 to an elderly blind woman after police pepper-sprayed and shocked her with a stun gun.
The altercation began as an attempt to remove shrubs and appliances from 71-year-old Eunice Crowder's yard, and ended with police citing her for harassment and disobeying an order.
This week, the city agreed to settle her excessive force lawsuit out of federal court, a month after a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge dismissed the violations against her.
"This case goes to show that police misconduct and excessive force can happen to anybody outside the mainstream," said Ernest Warren Jr., Crowder's lawyer. "It does not have to be an African American; it can be someone who is elderly and white."
posted by Kevin at 12:20 AM
4/25/2004
Two Cryptogon Readers Contribute $50 and $15Many thanks!
posted by Kevin at 4:59 AM
Cyberkinetics Inc.: Bi-Directional Brain Interfaces :.Cyberkinetics is a leader in the rapidly emerging field of brain computer interfaces. Cyberkinetics' technology allows for the creation of direct, reliable and bi-directional interfaces among the brain, nervous system and a computer. The development of safe, robust implants for recording from, and/ or stimulating, the brain surface will open the potential to study other complex signals from the brain. Cyberkinetics' technology platform, called BrainGate System, may allow breakthrough applications which leverage the translation of thought into direct computer control. Such applications may include novel communications interfaces for people with motor impairment, as well as the monitoring and treatment of certain diseases which manifest themselves in patterns of brain activity, such as epilepsy and depression.
posted by Kevin at 4:40 AM
Arrests Made for Feeding Homeless :.Three more people, at least one of them a USF student, were arrested Sunday by Tampa police for feeding homeless people in a public park.
USF student Jimmy Dunson was arrested at Massey Park in downtown Tampa for the second time on a trespassing charge. Unlike March 28, when he was arrested on the same charges and detained but not taken to jail, Dunson was taken to Orient Road Jail, where he was still being held Sunday night, a police report said.
Others arrested include Chris Ernesto, 40, and Amberly Banks, 22. It could not be determined Sunday if the two are USF students. Banks was released on $500 bond.
posted by Kevin at 4:23 AM
U.S. Government Agencies Banned from Speaking About "Day After Tomorrow" :.WORKERS at US government agencies, including Nasa, have been banned from speaking publicly about a controversial Hollywood film depicting mayhem caused by global warming.
Although the multi-million pound movie � The Day After Tomorrow � is not based on scientific fact, the government has demanded silence over the film amid fears it will ignite anger at the Bush administration�s inattention to climate change.
A month before the release of the movie, directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal, space agency employees were given a message that �no-one from Nasa is to do interviews or comment on anything to do with� the film.Related: Pentagon Tells Bush: Climate Change Will Destroy Us
posted by Kevin at 4:14 AM
Britain: ID Card Trials to Start Next Week :.If you take this, you might as well take the chip: The pilot will involve 10,000 volunteers and be run from the Passport Office in London and three other centres around Britain.
The government hopes the pilot scheme will pave the way for compulsory identity cards for everyone within the next decade.
Ministers are due to set out details of plans for a nationwide identity database on Monday.
Biometric options
They will publish draft legislation and Home Secretary David Blunkett says he wants a Bill paving the way for the scheme to be passed before the next general election.
Carrying false identity papers is also to be made a specific offence for the first time under the plans, with offenders facing up to 10 years in jail, say government sources.
The new ID cards will hold biometric details - facial dimensions, an iris scan or fingerprints.
The pilot scheme will try to assess which of the three options works best.
Neil Fisher, from QinetiQ - one of the companies developing the new technology, said the public would want to be able to prove their identity to show they were not a risk.
He told the BBC's 10 O'Clock News: "You will want this to be part of your life.
"You will want, in what's fast becoming a digital society, to be able to authenticate your identity almost for any transaction that you do, be it going to the bank, going to the shops, going to the airport."Related: Revelation 13:16-18Revelation 13
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
posted by Kevin at 4:08 AM
German Intelligence Points to Two Saudi Companies as Having Al Qaeda Links :.Two private Saudi companies linked with suspected Al Qaeda cells here and in Indonesia also have connections to the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency and its longtime chief, Prince Turki bin Faisal, according to information assembled by German intelligence analysts.
The Twaik Group and Rawasin Media Productions, both based in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, have served as fronts for the Saudi General Intelligence Directorate, according to an inquiry by Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND.
posted by Kevin at 1:01 AM
4/24/2004
Scienctist Found Dead Outside Biochemical Firm in Fremont :.Another one! A research scientist found dead Friday morning in front of the biochemical firm he worked for apparently died after inhaling a combination of potassium cyanide and acid, police said.
An employee arriving at Ciphergen Biosystems Inc., 6611 Dumbarton Circle, about 6:20 a.m. found the 29-year-old man, whom he worked with, lying on the sidewalk in front of the west entrance, and immediately called authorities, Sgt. Jeff Swadener said.
Early indications are that he died after inhaling fumes he created by mixing an acid with powder potassium cyanide, said Detective Bill Veteran. There were no signs of foul play, he said. Fire officials said cyanide attacks the central nervous system.
It is unknown how long the man was lying in front of the firm, but company records show he last entered the building about 11 p.m. Thursday, said Geoff LaTendresse, a Fremont Fire Department division chief.
Officials at the scene said they found a suicide note inside the building but didn't know why the man, whose identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin, decided to mix the two agents.
The chemicals used in the apparent suicide are used in small amounts in some research projects the firm does, said Jim Shunk, a human resources director for the company. He was unsure of the chemicals' availability or how much was kept at the site.
Ciphergen is a biotechnology company that studies proteins and produces protein chips for cancer research.Related: Microbiology: The Most Dangerous Area of Inquiry in the World
posted by Kevin at 4:12 PM
Israeli Forces Caught Using Boy as Shield :.Better give Israel another billion dollars: A photograph of a Palestinian boy tied to an Israeli police jeep has been handed to justice officials charged with investigating complaints over the use of "human shields" against demonstrators.
The boy, 13-year-old Mohammed Bedwan, and three adult protesters were tied to border police vehicles last week during one of what have become almost daily demonstrations against the routing of the Israeli government's barrier through Palestinian land.
The photograph, taken by human rights activists in the village of Biddo, north-west of Jerusalem, shows Mohammed tied by an arm to a mesh on the jeep windscreen - a mesh intended to protect the vehicle and its driver against stones and rocks. Police said last night that the Justice Ministry's police complaints unit was investigating the case.
posted by Kevin at 3:59 PM
Chuck-A-Rama :.Now that I've had several beers, I think that it's perfectly appropriate to post this. All I have to say is, "God Bless America." A couple on a low-carb diet were kicked out of a buffet restaurant after the manager said they'd eaten too much roast beef.
Sui Amaama, who along with his wife have been on the Atkins Diet for two weeks, was asked to leave after he went up to the buffet at the Chuck-A-Rama in suburban Taylorsville for his 12th slice of roast beef.
"It's so embarrassing actually," said Isabelle Leota, Amaama's wife. "We went in to have dinner, we were under the impression Chuck-A-Rama was an all-you-can-eat establishment."
Not so, said Jack Johanson, the restaurant chain's district manager.
"We've never claimed to be an all-you-can-eat establishment," said Johanson. "Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating."
The general manager who was carving the meat Tuesday became concerned about having enough for other patrons and asked Amaama to stop, Johanson said.
Offended, the couple asked for a refund. The manager refused and called police when they would not leave.
The couple said they have eaten at Chuck-A-Rama's $8.99 buffet at least twice a week, but did not plan to return.
posted by Kevin at 2:39 AM
Sharon: 'We may kill Arafat' :.For fuck's sake, this would about do it. The End: Ariel Sharon issued an ominous warning last night that Yasser Arafat could be the next Palestinian leader to be in Israel's line of fire, when he reneged on a promise not to harm his old adversary.
In dramatic remarks certain to aggravate regional hysteria over Israel's targeted killings of Palestinian militant leaders, the Israeli prime minister said he had told President George Bush that he was no longer prepared to exempt Mr Arafat from physical harm.
posted by Kevin at 2:21 AM
4/23/2004
Diebold May Face Criminal Charges :.After harshly chastising Diebold Election Systems for what it considered deceptive business practices, a California voting systems panel voted unanimously Thursday to recommend that the secretary of state decertify an electronic touch-screen voting machine manufactured by the company, making it likely that four California counties that recently purchased the machines will have to find other voting solutions for the November presidential election.
The panel also voted to send the findings of its recent Diebold investigation to the state's attorney general for possible criminal and civil charges against the firm for violating state election laws.
posted by Kevin at 7:49 PM
Rise of the Machines: Remotec ANDROS I was perusing terminator robot technology, as I like to do to relax on occasion, and I came across the SWAT Options page for the Remotec ANDROS series of robots. These were my personal favorites: Shotgun Mount Assembly (fits Benelli shotgun)
The Shotgun Mount Assembly attaches to the side of the manipulator and includes a remote firing control. It is designed for a 12 gauge, semi-automatic weapon including, but not limited to; Remington, Browning and Benelli systems. The shotgun mount assembly can be fitted with laser sight.
SL-6 Mount
The SL-6 is connected to the weapons quick disconnect mount on the manipulator. The SL-6 can fire a variety of non-lethal rounds including, but not limited to, rubber balls, gas cartridges of various irritants and bean bag ammunition. The SL-8 can also be attached to this mount.
Streetsweeper Mount
The street sweeper is connected to the weapons quick disconnect mount on the manipulator. The street sweeper (STRIKER) is a 12-gauge, 12 shot and rotating drum magazine allowing use of all types of lethal and non-lethal rounds.
Gas Dispenser Mount
The gas dispenser can be connected to the weapons quick disconnect mount on the manipulator. The mount holds a gas cylinder with a modified valve to electrically control the release of gas. The cylinder can be filled with CS, CN or NS agents.Information on Remotec: REMOTEC is the current world leader in providing mobile robot systems for use in hazardous-duty operations. REMOTEC robots are in use worldwide by military organizations, law enforcement agencies, nuclear facilities and research laboratories. With over 700 robots in operation, the robotic technology developed by REMOTEC is becoming the standard for hazardous-duty robots. Established in 1980 initially as a remote systems engineering firm, REMOTEC has since redirected its mission to the design, manufacture and marketing of mobile robot systems that are capable of replacing human workers in all types of hazardous environments.
REMOTEC is a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman and reports directly to Northrop Grumman Land Combat Systems within the Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector (ESSS), in Baltimore, Maryland.
posted by Kevin at 3:05 AM
Cryptogon Organic Garden: First ResultsI believe that striving for self sufficiency is the ultimate revolutionary act. With present society hopelessly broken and near collapse, I advocate, for myself, and everyone else, an immediate withdrawal---to the extent possible---from this system in order to focus on core necessities of human survival, happiness and creativity. I thought about the characteristics of a sane society, and one of the first things that came to mind was food. Clean, locally produced, nutrient rich food. In other words, the society should produce food that bares no resemblance to the toxic, bland tasting, industrially pHarmed and manufactured garbage most people presently consume. Since my model "society" will most likely start out as just me, and maybe a couple of other daring souls, I decided that I had to learn how to grow my own food. As with most of the other daunting tasks I've faced in my life, I started out by reading. Over a period of a few months, I read several books on organic agriculture and self sufficiency. I created a compost pile and prepared a raised garden bed. I sowed my seeds according to standard crop rotation protocols, and before I knew it, seedlings were coming up. Almost at random, I had picked the Mesclun Salad Mix from Seeds of Change, as my main "green" salad mix. The seed mix contains a number of unusual greens and lettuces. I was amazed by how easy these vegetables were to grow. They germinated in about two days and grew very fast. I harvested the first batch of my Mesclun greens today. The taste shocked me. I've never eaten vegetables that tasted like this before. It was a totally different experience. The leaves were juicy, they tasted sweet, spicy and very complex. This is the first time I have ever eaten vegetables that were this fresh. They were, quite literally, alive. At this point I had what can only be described as a religious experience. I flashed back on my memories of reading my books, designing my garden in my head and on paper, building my compost pile, turning in the bags of chicken manure with my pitchfork and making sure everything was working properly. Watering my pile... Taking its temperature (yep, I bought a compost thermometer). I thought about assembling the pine boards into a raised bed and filling it with my compost... Etc. Etc. It dawned on me: I'm eating food that I grew myself without any pesticides or synthetic fertilizer. I realized that I learned none of these critical skills at any point during my formal education. I laughed and said out loud, "What an incredible fraud." As someone who was raised to believe in the Machine, as someone who has served the Machine and as someone who finally understands the Myth of the Machine, tending my garden (and eating these little green leaves) is probably one of the most significant activities I have ever undertaken in my life. Related: A Shovel, a Wheelbarrow and a Pile of Dead LeavesRelated: A Shovel, a Cell Phone and an Epiphany in the Dirt
posted by Kevin at 1:59 AM
Photos of Military Coffins :.Related: War President MosaicFull res image here.
posted by Kevin at 1:22 AM
BushDraft.com :.BushDraft.com was started to link all the news stories on Bush's plans for a draft, and provide a place where people can find non-biased reports and articles about the draft.
posted by Kevin at 1:20 AM
Hydrogenics 10 Kilowatt Fuel Cell Available Now :.Hydrogenics HyPM 10 fuel cell power module establishes the benchmark in commercialized multi-kilowatt fuel cell power modules. HyPM 10 has been recognized as a superior packaged fuel cell power solution by world leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and system integrators and is well-suited for today's early adopting markets over a wide range of applications.See also: Hydrogenics HyLYZER Electrolyzer Modules
posted by Kevin at 1:17 AM
Solar Hydrogen Eco House :.Hydrogen should not be thought of as a fuel, but rather as a battery. As long as we "charge" the battery (i.e. obtain hydrogen) using clean power sources such as solar and wind, hydrogen makes sense. Politicians, however, want to use nuclear power to isolate hydrogen. That's a very stupid idea.
AquaFuel makes more sense for near term automobile applications than hydrogen. This gas is much easier to store than hydrogen. In addition, more usable "fuel" is produced per watt of power input when compared to hydrogen production with electrolysis. I'm not sure if AquaFuel can be used in fuel cells. My guess is that it would work, but that's just a guess. Check out the way things could be using technology available now: The eco-house relies on a photovoltaic (PV) hydrogen production and storage system to power household appliances and a fuel cell that can convert the chemical energy into electricity.
The system uses solar power to convert ionised water into hydrogen through the process of electrolysis. Forty-two multi-crystal PV panels which can produce a total peak power of 5kWp are mounted on the rooftop. When sunlight hits the PV panels, the solar energy is converted into electricity, which is then used to run an electrolyser unit inside the house.
The electrolyser has a capacity of 0.54cu.m per hour of hydrogen production, and is used to transform electrical energy from the PV panels into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen.
It then electrolyses purified water supplied by a water purification system, producing hydrogen and oxygen which are then vented into the atmosphere. A hydrogen gas purifier then purifies the hydrogen before storing it in a 1,500-litre vertical-standing storage tank outside the house. This hydrogen is then used to run a fuel cell, cooking stove, and boiler for the absorption air-conditioning system.
posted by Kevin at 12:41 AM
Gap, Wild Planet to Team Up on Spy Shorts :.In the book 1984 by George Orwell, The Spies is an organization that is comprised of children who have been indoctrinated to serve Big Brother, spy on their parents and finger potential thought criminals for arrest. Right now, a nightmarish system of control is under construction, and your children are going to grow into adults who have been hardwired to accept it: Wild Planet Toys, a toymaker known for its adventure and surveillance products, said on Thursday it is teaming up with Gap Inc.'s GapKids unit on a line of cargo shorts with spy tools.
Spy Gear Cargo Shorts will be sold for $29.50 at GapKids stores and come with a "micro listener" device with a sound dish, earbud and microphone or "night spyer" with a telescopic lens and focusing red beam.
A voice scrambler and motion alarm will be sold separately at GapKids stores. The items will be available April 23 in all GapKids stores in the United States, Canada, the UK, Japan and France.Research Credit: AL
posted by Kevin at 12:36 AM
4/22/2004
Saddam Hussein, the U.N. and Corporations Use Oil-for-Food Program as Slush Fund :.And who is going to head the investigation into one of the greatest financial scandals of all time? FORMER FEDERAL RESERVE BANK CHAIRMAN PAUL VOLKER: Bowing to intense public and political pressure the UN Security Council has decided, by a unanimous vote, to authorize an independent inquiry into allegations of corruption and fraud surrounding the UN's oil-for-food program.
A multibillion dollar financial scandal is alleged. For months, rumours of corruption and secret payoffs have swirled around the oil-for-food program which the UN ran in Iraq from 1996 to 2003.
The $67 billion humanitarian aid project was shut down last year when the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq.
Saddam Hussein, senior UN staff members and companies from Security Council member-countries are accused of conspiring together to skim billions from the program.
Russia and France wanted a discreet internal probe, thinking it was better to keep the corruption charges in-house at the UN rather than have outside investigators poking into the alleged links between Saddam, top UN staffers and Russian and French companies.
Resolution 1538, as it is officially known, may come to be remembered as the official lifting of the lid on a financial scandal that could ultimately dwarf even the worst excesses of Wall Street.
The UN oil-for-food program in Iraq was supposed to be a humanitarian effort. Profits from Iraqi oil sales were to be used exclusively to buy food and medicine for the people of Iraq.
But it seems billions of dollars may have gone missing.
The probe will be led by Paul Volker, a former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
posted by Kevin at 11:46 PM
Eyewitness to Flight 93 Shootdown on Howard Stern :.Howard Stern Show | April 21 2004
A caller to the Howard Stern Show related the story of how he saw Flight 93 in flames while it was in the air and two other aircraft circling it.
Please understand that we do not advocate the usual content of Stern's show, but this is interesting nonetheless.
posted by Kevin at 11:32 PM
About 9% of Michigan Families Going Hungry :."Food insecurity" is rising in the state, a nationwide report released today shows.
About 9 percent of Michigan families -- or 359,444 households -- often don't know where their next meal is coming from, according to the study.
About a third of them occasionally go hungry, said the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C.
Driving the "food insecurity" numbers -- a term coined by the federal government to measure hunger -- is Michigan's stubborn unemployment rate, the anti-hunger research and policy group said.
posted by Kevin at 11:28 PM
Global Warming Floods Threaten Four Million Britons :.Risks of flooding are growing to "unacceptable levels" because of climate change with up to 4 million Britons facing the prospect of their homes being inundated, according to a report to be published today by the government.
The report by the Office of Science and Technology gives the most chilling picture yet of how global warming will affect the lives of millions of Britons over the next half century.
Compiled by 60 experts under the leadership of the government's chief scientist Sir David King, it shows that many towns in Britain are threatened by rising sea levels, river flooding and the overwhelming of Victorian drains by flash floods.
The report, Future Flooding, looks forward to 2080 but says that the threat is already growing and most of the worst of its predictions will have happened by 2050.
posted by Kevin at 1:24 AM
4/21/2004
Vermont Nuclear Plant Missing Fuel Rods :.Two pieces of a highly radioactive fuel rod are missing from a Vermont nuclear plant, and engineers planned to search onsite for the nuclear material, officials said Wednesday.
The fuel rod was removed in 1979 from the Vermont Yankee reactor, which is currently shut down for refueling and maintenance. Remote-control cameras will be used to search a spent fuel pool on the property, officials said.
"We do not think there is a threat to the public at this point. The great probability is this material is still somewhere in the pool," said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan.
posted by Kevin at 7:20 PM
A Cryptogon Reader Contributed $10I've decided that cash contributions to Cryptogon warrant mentioning as news. These are such rare and wonderful events, I want to share them with all of you. Doing this will also serve to remind the 99% of you, who are useless takers, that someone out there did their part to support Cryptogon and the alternative perspectives, original analysis and general weirdness that I uncover and present here EVERYDAY FOR FREE. UPDATE: Another Cryptogon Reader Just Contributed An Additional $10!Shock and awe!
posted by Kevin at 7:02 PM
National Lab Does Research on Cleaning Up Diesel Engines, Makes No Mention of Clean Diesel Fuels :.This is the email I sent: To: media@anl.gov
Subject: If you really wanted cleaner diesel...
I find it astonishing that an article about work being done to clean up diesel engines makes no mention of biodiesel or vegetable oil. Can anyone in your organization explain to me (and my readers) why this is the case? Why not utilize clean, renewable, non petroleum based solutions?
Please see:
http://www.biodiesel.org/
FYI: This matter is mentioned on my site: http://www.cryptogon.com/2004_04_18_blogarchive.html#108259519004755530
Thank you,
KevinFrom the Argonne National Laboratory article: In the first use ever of a new three-dimensional technique to study diesel engine emissions, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory developed information that could lead to improved exhaust-cleaning devices, ways for industry to meet environmental regulations, and new insights on the impact to public health from diesel engine emissions.Hmmm, well, this guy, and thousands of others like him, seem to have found the answer to clean running diesel engines. Why, then, is the U.S. Department of Energy wasting our tax money on tail chasing exercises?
posted by Kevin at 5:53 PM
Italy Seizes 8,000 Kalashnikovs Headed to U.S. :.I think a better headline might be: Italian Customs Stumbles Upon CIA Cut Out Operation's Gun Buy. I'd love to know the name of the company in Georgia that's behind this one: Italian customs has seized more than 8,000 Kalashnikovs and other weapons on a ship headed to the United States, officials said Tuesday.
The arms, worth about six million euros, were discovered aboard a ship arriving from Romania that pulled into the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro on its way to the United States, Italy's customs said in a statement.
According to travel documents, the arms are the property of a large U.S. company headquartered in the U.S. state of Georgia.
"We know that the destination was North America, but we don't effectively know if that's where the arms were going," a customs official told RAI state television.
The arms were found inside three different containers during a routine customs check earlier this week. They were confiscated due to discrepancies in the customs forms but the news was only made public Tuesday.
The customs office said the weapons had been described as "common guns" instead of assault rifles and longer-range combat arms in the travel documentation.Interesting note: There is no way these guns alone are worth six million euros. Impossible. This would indicate that each weapon cost 750 euros or about US$888. Why purchase Romanian AKs when, for the same money, one could buy rifles from Heckler & Koch, Fabrique Nationale, Sig, etc.? The answer might be that absolutely anything is possible in Romania, with a relatively small amount of bribe money. All countries are banana republics; all countries are corrupt. What varies, from one place to the next, is the cost of doing business. Something very strange is happening here, and my guess is that this one will go the way of the WalMart truck loaded with $30 million worth of cocaine.
posted by Kevin at 12:30 AM
4/20/2004
Compulsory Military Camp for Russian Schoolboys :.Chechnya is the itch that Putin just can't scratch. This is the logical result. And who knows... As the U.S. continues to encircle Russia, well, you get the picture: Up to 30,000 schoolboys from Moscow were yesterday sent to boot camp as part of a Kremlin initiative designed to increase patriotic fervour among teenagers.
The army camp is seen as the final stage in the training of 15- and 16-year-olds, who now have to study basic army skills. They will spend 40 hours in military training over five days. Those who object to the military elements are offered alternative work such as cleaning floors.
Colonel Yevgeny Burdinsky, head of army recruitment, told Interfax: "The main aim is to give youngsters the chance to appreciate themselves, and to evaluate their military knowledge they have acquired during their primary military training and their physical and moral readiness for future military duty."
posted by Kevin at 11:20 PM
Simon Wiesenthal Center: Websites that Question Official 9/11 Story Are "Hate Sites" :.It's almost sad, watching fascist, hypocrite, Zionist pigs rotting in their own filth. How many of the groups who operate ANY of the websites in this bullshit report have robotic gun turrets on a criminal, Apartheid-style partition wall or use military bulldozers to kill American peace activists? Well, the answer is none. If the Simon Wiesenthal Center was anything other than a complete fraud, it would cite the Israeli and United States governments (the U.S. is Israel's primary supporter) as terrorist organizations: The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which has been tracking hate Web sites for nine years, describes in the report released Monday more than 200 of about 4,000 online hate sites it monitors.
The group said it has seen a surge this year in the number of sites that promote terrorist recruitment, urging young people to join "holy wars" and become suicide bombers.
The report includes sites that deny the Holocaust, theorize September 11 conspiracies and glorify al Qaeda. The more common hate sites feature racism, anti-Semitism and gay bashing.Related: American State Terrorism
posted by Kevin at 7:06 PM
RFID in Dental Work!? :.I shit you not, this is on CNN: Privacy advocates are alarmed by a new technology that might be able to monitor even the tiniest aspects of our lives. It comes in the form of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips.---SNIP--- But regardless of protests, the chips are coming.
Wal-Mart has mandated that its 100 top suppliers incorporate the chips on cartons and pallets by January 2005.
The U.S. military is also going to RFID chips for its complex supply chain.
The chips could even be used in dental work to uniquely identify the various pieces of hardware in your mouth.Research Credit: AL
posted by Kevin at 6:23 PM
Serious Flaw in TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) :.This is a very arcane and technical issue and I wouldn't expect most people to pay any attention to it. What I would like folks to realize is that Microsoft is going to make the case for a DRM/"trusted" TCP/IP (if you don't know, TCP/IP is the mechanism by which information is exchanged on most networks, including the Internet) that will require a "trusted" operating system. Obviously, this operating system will be Microsoft's Longhorn. You DO NOT want TCP/IP going down the DRM road to oblivion. Hear me: This would be bad. Here are my stories on Digital Rights Management if you don't know what any of this means. This story should be viewed in terms of making sure that governments and corporations do not make overtures to scrap open standards for national security reasons. While I believe that this is inevitable, at least you will be aware of what's happening when "it" comes down: The fact that TCP sessions can be reset by sending suitable RST and SYN packets is a design feature of TCP according to RFC 793, but a reset attack is only possible at all because the source IP address and TCP port can be forged or "spoofed".
Although denial of service using crafted TCP packets is a well known weakness of TCP, until recently it was believed that a successful denial of service attack was not achievable in practice. The reason for this is that the receiving TCP implementation checks the sequence number of the RST or SYN packet, which is a 32 bit number, giving a probability of 1/2^32 of guessing the sequence number correctly (assuming a random distribution).
The discoverer of the practicability of the RST attack was Paul A. Watson, who describes his research in his paper "Slipping In The Window: TCP Reset Attacks", presented at the CanSecWest 2004 conference. He noticed that the probability of guessing an acceptable sequence number is much higher than 1/2^32 because the receiving TCP implementation will accept any sequence number in a certain range (or "window") of the expected sequence number. The window makes TCP reset attacks practicable.More: Mainstream Article on this Flaw
posted by Kevin at 6:13 PM
A Clear and Present Danger to the World :.HE is the most dangerous man in the world.
A warmonger. A crackpot fundamentalist. A fanatic and a fool who has only the barest grasp of the killing power of the forces under his command.
His name is George W Bush and his main battle plan is to set the world on fire.
September 11 was a crime against humanity but from Afghanistan to Iraq, and now in Israel, Bush has blazed a purposeless trail of destruction and multiplied the dangers of terrorism a thousand-fold.
The War Against Terror has turned into a war of terror in Iraq as American troops butcher their way through the civilian population in pursuit of an enemy that grows stronger daily with each dead Iraqi civilian.
And in Israel Bush has overnight primed the entire region for a new cycle of slaughter by backing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's illegal land-grab of Palestinian territory and offering the Arabs nothing in return only despair.
posted by Kevin at 4:40 PM
2004 G8 Summit on Sea Island: A National Special Security Event :."Free Trade" policies are so popular that the participants have to meet in secret, on a closed island that is protected by a naval armada: The Coast Guard proposes to establish temporary security zones and a temporary regulated navigation area, from June 5, 2004, through June 11, 2004, for the G-8 Summit to be held in Sea Island, Georgia. These proposed rules are required to provide for the security of the public, the G-8 Summit and its participants, and the safety of the waterways due to the potential for hostile and violent acts from demonstrators protesting the G-8. The proposed temporary security zones would prohibit the entry of all vessels into all waters of the Savannah River from Port Wentworth south to the boundary of the proposed temporary regulated navigation area that is located in the vicinity of the south east tip of Elba Island at the western portion of the Lower Flats Range. The proposed temporary regulated navigation area would control the movement of all vessels operating on the Intracoastal Waterway in the vicinity of Fields Cut and south through Elba Island Cut to St. Augustine Creek.
posted by Kevin at 4:33 PM
Greenspan: Grab Your Ankles :.Those of you with adjustable rate mortgages are about to find out what being bent over a barrel feels like. The only reason that millions of Americans were able to get home loans is because they were able to INITIALLY make payments on their adjustable rate loans. Initially. That's right. They COULD NOT get qualified for fixed rate loans because the household income was not sufficient to pay the higher monthly obligation. So, with people barely able to make the payments on the ARM at the bottom of the interest rate scale, and with more jobs leaving the U.S. everyday, an interesting question arises: What happens when rates rise as companies continue fire employees en masse? Well, you don't need to be a genius to do the math.
posted by Kevin at 3:59 PM
Senator Chuck Hagel: U.S. May Need Military Draft to Boost Iraq Force :.Well, I hate to say I (and a handful of other researchers) told you so... And to all the people in the U.S. military who told me that a draft was, "impossible," "not necessary," and "BULLLLLLLLLLSHIT," take a look at what was discussed in the U.S. Senate today. They are starting the perception management campaign of breaking the news of a military draft to the general public: 
"There's not an American ... that doesn't understand what we are engaged in today and what the prospects are for the future," Senator Chuck Hagel told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on post-occupation Iraq.
"Why shouldn't we ask all of our citizens to bear some responsibility and pay some price?" Hagel said, arguing that restoring compulsory military service would force "our citizens to understand the intensity and depth of challenges we face."
The Nebraska Republican added that a draft, which was ended in the early 1970s, would spread the burden of military service in Iraq more equitably among various social strata.Picture Credit: TK
posted by Kevin at 3:44 PM
U.S. Marines Engaged in 'Silent War' Near Syrian Border :.The United States has been fighting what officials term a silent war with Syria which killed at least five soldiers over the weekend.
U.S. officials said U.S. Marines have deployed along the Syrian border to stop the flow of insurgents and equipment to Iraq. They said Marines have engaged with both Sunni insurgents as well as some Syrian security personnel along the border in clashes that have intensified over the last few weeks.
posted by Kevin at 1:52 AM
4/19/2004
Turning Kids Into Slaves: Students Clock-In at School Using Smart Cards :.THE dreary ritual of taking the class register will be consigned to the education history books by a Scottish school later this year.
St Thomas of Aquin's High School in Edinburgh will become the first in the country to replace the age-old Biro ticks on graph paper with a sophisticated new clocking-in system based on ID swipe cards.
Education chiefs say the system will allow them to monitor truancy rates much more effectively, as well as freeing up precious time for teachers. If it proves successful, pupils across Scotland will be clocking-in to lessons within a few years.
posted by Kevin at 6:34 PM
Shell Oil: Lies, Cover-Ups, Fat Cats and an Oil Giant in Crisis :.Shell was embroiled yesterday in Britain's biggest corporate scandal for almost 20 years after it admitted a three-year plan to deceive its shareholders.
The City reacted with astonishment after the crisis-stricken multinational released details from an internal report that exposed how the company had deliberately overstated its oil and gas reserves for several years.
Judy Boynton, the finance chief, became the third boardroom casualty of the furore that followed the shock 20 per cent downgrade in reserves three months ago. The Shell affair, the most damaging scandal in the UK since the Guinness debacle 18 years ago, has already led to the departure of the chairman, Sir Philip Watts, and the head of exploration and production, Walter van de Vijver.
The pair were savaged in the damning, independent report commissioned by Shell for appearing to know that reserves failed to meet market rules as far back as 2001. The report listed a bewildering array of e-mails sent between increasingly desperate executives. In one, Mr van de Vijver told Sir Philip last November: "I am sick and tired about lying about the extent of our reserves issues and the downward revisions that need to be done because of far too aggressive/optimistic bookings.''
A month later, Mr van de Vijver, responding to an internal report that suggested Shell's position on the reserves was a violation of US securities law, wrote: "This is absolute dynamite, not at all what I expected and needs to be destroyed."
posted by Kevin at 5:50 PM
Madrid Policeman's Body Burned :.WTF? The body of a Spanish police officer who was killed in a raid on suspected Islamic terrorists was removed from its tomb Sunday night, dragged across a cemetery, doused with gasoline and burned, a Spanish police official told CNN.
Police do not know who committed the crime, and an investigation is under way.
Francisco Javier Torronteras, a special operations police officer, died April 3 during a police raid in a Madrid suburb where police believed suspects behind the March 11 Madrid train bombings were hiding.
posted by Kevin at 5:46 PM
Rise of the Machines: Robot Plane Passes Bombing Test :.Under human supervision but without human piloting, a prototype of the Boeing Co.'s X-45 took off from the desert base, opened its bomb bay doors, dropped a 250-pound (114-kilogram) Small Smart Bomb and then landed.
The inert bomb struck within inches of the truck it was supposed to hit, Boeing said, adding that had the bomb contained explosives, the target would have been destroyed.
posted by Kevin at 4:48 PM
GM, Ford to Spend $720 Million on New Transmission System: Improves Fuel Economy by About 4% :.Spending hundreds of millions of dollars ($1 billion by the time the first car ships) in order to realize a 4% increase in fuel economy... Gee, that's, uhh... great. Keep in mind that a group of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute managed to double the efficiency of solar cells with a grant of only $700,000! Are you clear on that!? They increased the efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity by 100%---over previous photovoltaic technology---at a cost of only $700,000. Put that in your SUV and smoke it: Tom Stephens, GM's vice president of powertrains, said developing a six-speed automatic transmission jointly will save the two companies millions of dollars. By the time the transmissions make it to market in 2008, the total cost of the investments made by the two companies will total over $1 billion.
posted by Kevin at 4:04 PM
HaircutI walked into a local Great Clips store, greeted the girl behind the counter and said I needed a haircut. "Sure, can I get your phone number?" she asked. "Why do you need my phone number?" I asked. "Oh this system makes us ask for it. That's how we identify you." You can imagine where this was going... I briefly thought about how Alex Jones screams at idiots with his bullhorn, "You are living in a controlled society! You are being lied to!" But my goal, this day, was to get a haircut, not to unplug this woman from the Matrix, or get the cops called on me. "I don't want to give you my phone number. I just want a haircut." "Oh, that's ok. Just give me your name and address." I thought she was joking. I laughed. But she wasn't joking. She was smiling in a way that people who have to deal with the general public force themselves to smile... like she was thinking, "I'm ready to type your info into the computer now. Let's get on with it." "I'm not giving you my name. I'm not giving you my phone number. And I'm sure as hell not giving you my address. I want a haircut and I don't see why my personal information needs to be added to a database for that. Does that make sense?" She broke down, "I hate this stupid thing. Lots of customers complain about it. Hold on." She walked away and got a manager. The manager came over an typed something into the computer. She said, "I'm sorry about this." I said, "Oh, we're all going to be sorry if we don't put an end to this nonsense." And somehow, the girl was able to buzz my head with a #2 razor without my information being added to the company's database.
posted by Kevin at 1:18 PM
'Paper or Plastic' is Now 'Computer or Cashier' :.These criminal corporations have convinced the troglodytes to work for free as they shop for their poisonous, polluted, crappy "food." Rather than a backward shopper, Ms. Michelangelo considers herself a progressive one. She uses new technology - a mobile computer and bar-code scanner - that she plucks from a rack and attaches to her shopping cart. It allows her to find, ring up, and bag her groceries as she navigates the aisles. For Michelangelo, the lines, clerks, and "Have a nice day," once intrinsic to grocery shopping, have gone the way of the family tab at the five-and-dime.
"We come here just for the Shopping Buddy," her teenage daughter Melanie says, referring to the portable computer, which greets the Michelangelos by name after it reads their loyalty card. "We've kind of personified him. We call him Buddy."
To remain competitive, supermarkets are revving their technological engines. Eventually, say industry experts, shoppers won't need wallets or scanners.
With Pay by Touch systems and microchips embedded in each product, shopping will be as simple as grab, bag, and get out. Sensors will ring up goods within seconds, and a fingerprint-reading device will enable shoppers to access their accounts without using plastic.
"It's a little unnerving, it's like Big Brother," Melanie says. "But you don't have to pay attention to it."
posted by Kevin at 12:45 PM
WalMartification of Europe :.The discount chain already is having a Wal-Mart-type effect on the German economy. The main association of German retailers issued a report on Mar. 8 blaming Aldi and other "hard discounters" for running 35,000 small shops out of business last year. On the same day, Bavarian dairy farmers picketed Aldi stores, which they blame for a ruinous 15% plunge in milk prices since 2001. Aldi must take care not to let such criticism tarnish its reputation among German consumers.
posted by Kevin at 12:34 PM
Dirty Bomb Plot on Sears Tower :.A plot by terrorists to use dirty bombs laced with the deadly chemical osmium tetroxide to attack U.S. targets including the Sears Tower in Chicago was uncovered by British intelligence and law enforcement authorities, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
British police and military bomb experts passed on information to their U.S. counterparts.
posted by Kevin at 12:13 PM
April 19, 2004Today is the day. I monitor lunatic fringe sources of information on a daily basis. You guys don't hear about most of what's happening in these circles from me because I think it's mostly garbage and not worth repeating. However, the lunatic fringe has been abuzz with all of the weird coincidences surrounding 9/11-related sequences and apparent connections with events. While I'm more entertained by this than concerned, there is a part of me that asks, "What if there is something to this?" Granted, this area of inquiry is similar to those depicted in the films, A Beautiful Mind and Pi. I want to mention this information just in case something does happen. If there is an "event," you will know that it is a false flag operation, a PSYOP and part of some macro scale occult ritual involving the most powerful people on this planet. A quick summary: The number of days between the 9/11/01 attacks in the U.S. and the 3/11/2004 attacks in Spain = 911. The number of hours between 3/11/2004 and 4/19/04 = 911. The number of years between the 4/19/1995 Oklahoma City Bombing and 4/19/2004 = 9. The number of years between the 4/19/1993 Waco disaster and 4/19/2004 = 11. The Sears Tower Connection Several sources believe that the Sears Tower in Chicago might be the target. Here's why: Lloyd Goldman, Joseph Cayre and Jeffrey Feil bought the World Trade Center assets weeks before 9/11/01. Lloyd Goldman, Joseph Cayre and Jeffrey Feil bought the Sears Tower assets weeks before 4/19/2004. Number of floors in the WTC buildings = 110 (11 numerologically). Number of floors in the Sears Tower = 110 (11 numerologically). Sears Tower value before 9/11/01: $911 million. You get the idea. This line of analysis, if one can call it that (I'm sure shrinks have a different term for this), goes forever. It's like the practice of lunatics finding the occurrance of 666 in everything. Here are some of my sources if you want to know more about this: http://www.stevequayle.com/http://www.breakfornews.com/sears.htmhttp://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread40528/pg1 More: SITREP Early Morning April 19, 2004Not much is particularly strange right now. I'm straining to see any signal in the noise. Here's what's catching my attention right now: Japanese Banks Sell Off, Gold Gaps UpTokyo shares fell on Monday on a bad loan report that spooked investors and profit-taking in recent high-fliers, while the dollar eased as tepid U.S. data soothed fears that a rate rise could come sooner than expected.
Gold rose sharply on the weak dollar and [safe-haven buying on worries that Israel's killing of a Hamas leader on Saturday could trigger a wave of violence in the Middle East]. Maybe it's not just related to Israel's murder of Rantisi... ABC News Reporting Possible Imminent Terrorist ThreatU.S. intelligence officials have uncovered evidence of a potential terrorist attack, ABCNEWS has learned.
Like many such tips, it is vague, but the government is disturbed enough that it held a rare conference call with local police to warn them.
The intelligence, received a week ago but secret until now, is from known Muslim extremists who suggested an attack � possibly in the U.S. � was imminent, and that operatives were already "in place," sources tell ABCNEWS.Rice: U.S. Bracing for Terror Before ElectionThe United States is bracing for possible terrorist attacks before the November presidential election, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Sunday.
The opportunity for terrorists to try to influence the election, as was the case last month in Spain, appears to be an opportunity that would "be too good to pass up for them," Rice said.
"I think that we do have to take very seriously the thought that the terrorists might have learned, we hope, the wrong lesson from Spain," Rice told "Fox News Sunday."Attacks 'Being Planned Against London'Various groups sympathetic to al-Qaeda are preparing large-scale attacks against London, the leader of an Islamic group suspected of having ties to the extremist network said in remarks published in Portugal.
Sheik Omar Bakri Mohammed, the head of the London-based group al-Muhajiroun, added in an interview with the Portuguese daily Publico on Sunday that last month's deadly Madrid train bombings were carried out by a group of independent actors who back Osama bin Laden's organisation.
"There are many youths who dream of joining al-Qaeda, but worse than that, there are many 'freelancers' who are willing to launch operations similar to those by al-Qaeda," he said. "The attack in Madrid was carried out by one of those groups."
"Here in London there is a very well-organised group, which calls itself al-Qaeda-Europe," he added. "I know they are on the verge of launching a big operation."Expect a Hot One for Today's Boston MarathonNote: 108th Boston Marathon (108 = 9 numerologically) David Rosenberger rolled his eyes and shook his head in resignation while discussing the weather forecast for today's 108th Boston Marathon.
Temperatures for the race are expected to reach the mid-80s, according to the National Weather Service. The average high for April 19 is 57.That's all for now. I'd appreciate a wake-up call from one of you who know my number if something weird happens.
posted by Kevin at 3:20 AM
Shell's Chief Financial Officer Resigns :.The Royal Dutch-Shell Group confirmed on Monday its chief financial officer, Judith Boynton, has resigned, the second executive who stepped down due to a controversy over the energy giant's oil and gas reserves estimates.
The company said it has reviewed 90 percent of its reserves anda total of 4.85 billion barrels were hitherto downgraded.
posted by Kevin at 2:26 AM
NORAD had Drills of Jets as Weapons :.In the two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercises simulating what the White House says was unimaginable at the time: hijacked airliners used as weapons to crash into targets and cause mass casualties.
In a third scenario, the target was the Pentagon � but that drill was not run after Defense officials said it was unrealistic, NORAD and Defense officials say.
NORAD, in a written statement, confirmed that such hijacking exercises occurred. It said the scenarios outlined were regional drills, not regularly scheduled continent-wide exercises.
"Numerous types of civilian and military aircraft were used as mock hijacked aircraft," the statement said. "These exercises tested track detection and identification; scramble and interception; hijack procedures; internal and external agency coordination and operational security and communications security procedures."
A White House spokesman said Sunday that the Bush administration was not aware of the NORAD exercises. But the exercises using real aircraft show that at least one part of the government thought the possibility of such attacks, though unlikely, merited scrutiny.
posted by Kevin at 12:09 AM
4/18/2004
Bruce Schneier on National ID Cards :.In case you've never heard of Bruce Schneier, he's a VERY big deal in computer security and encryption circles: The potential privacy encroachments of an ID card system are far from minor. And the interruptions and delays caused by incessant ID checks could easily proliferate into a persistent traffic jam in office lobbies and airports and hospital waiting rooms and shopping malls.
But my primary objection isn't the totalitarian potential of national IDs, nor the likelihood that they'll create a whole immense new class of social and economic dislocations. Nor is it the opportunities they will create for colossal boondoggles by government contractors. My objection to the national ID card, at least for the purposes of this essay, is much simpler.
It won't work. It won't make us more secure.
In fact, everything I've learned about security over the last 20 years tells me that once it is put in place, a national ID card program will actually make us less secure.
posted by Kevin at 11:52 PM
U.S. Using Mercenaries for Air Mobile Combat Operations in Iraq
posted by Kevin at 5:57 PM
Terminator Industrial Complex: Rise of the Machines :.This "rise of the machines" is at the heart of the Bush administration�s recent military budget. Sandwiched into outlays for aircraft, artillery, and conventional weapons, are monies for unmanned combat aircraft, robot tanks, submarines, and a supersonic bomber capable of delivering six tons of bombs and missiles to anyplace on the globe in two hours.
posted by Kevin at 12:22 PM
United Airlines Flight 175's Long Range Approach to World Trade Center: Speed Estimate 575 MPH! :.Just look at the way that thing bears down on the target. Look at the speed. It seems more like a cruise missile (under computer control) than an aircraft. I honestly have to wonder if humans were flying those planes. On this video, you can clearly see Flight 175 bank to the left just before impact. Try to imagine performing that maneuver, at that speed, having not flown the aircraft before?! Come on.
posted by Kevin at 3:07 AM
Why did Ashcroft Stop Flying Commercial Only Weeks Before 9-11? :.The U.S. military's stray aircraft intercept procedures were changed in June, 2001, a month before Ashcroft stopped flying on commercial aircraft: Like most of the Bush cabinet, Attorney General John Ashcroft took commercial jets when he traveled. But on July 24, 2001, he changed that practice and began flying in chartered government jets. Asked by CBS News at the time about the change, the Justice Department cited a "threat assessment" by the FBI and said Ashcroft had been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.
posted by Kevin at 2:48 AM
U.K. Government Wants Cameras in Every Residential Neighborhood :.Drivers are facing an explosion of speed cameras in London, a leaked Labour document reveals today.
Secret plans would see hundreds of cameras fitted in quiet streets around the capital.
They would replace speed humps, which are seen as an inconvenience for law-abiding motorists, and would be used to enforce a new lower speed limit of 20mph for all London residential zones. Extra cameras could also be installed along main roads.
posted by Kevin at 2:22 AM
National Radio Host Michael Savage Calls for Newspaper Editors to be Arrested for Sedition :.Oily beatnik Neo-Con radio host Michael Savage, who has previously and repeatedly called for anyone who criticizes the government to be put in concentration camps, has now advocated the arrest of US newspaper editors.
In a poll on his website, Savage (real name 'Wiener') displays a photo of an Iraqi holding up a US soldiers' boots which was published in the New York Times. Savage asks the question, 'Do you think the publisher of the NY Times should be arrested for sedition for showing enemy propaganda?'
It is the job of a publisher/journalist/photographer to print and disseminate the truth, however horrible it may be. Savage implies that the publisher should only print what is favorable to the government. This is propaganda.
posted by Kevin at 2:20 AM
Chipped in Spain :.I have been hearing about the "chip" for over 15 years. Even so, I still find it hard to believe that this nightmarish system of surveillance and control is going become a reality in my lifetime. But it's happening! Of course, getting chipped is the cool thing to do now. It won't be long before imbecile celebrities are talking about how great and convenient it is: Being recognized has never been easier for VIP patrons of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain.
Like a scene out of a science-fiction movie, all it takes is a syringe-injected microchip implant for the beautiful men and women of the nightclub scene to breeze past a "reader" that recognizes their identity, credit balance and even automatically opens doors to exclusive areas of the club for them.
They can buy drinks and food with a wave of their hand and don't need to worry about losing a credit card or wallet.
"By simply passing by our reader, the Baja Beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is," Conrad K. Chase explains. Chase is director of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona.
"From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area," he said.
posted by Kevin at 2:12 AM
Expert Kept From Speaking at Antidepressant Hearing :.Fascist Drug Administration at it again. Oh yeah, eat your pills! They're good and good for you: Top Food and Drug Administration officials admitted yesterday that they barred the agency's top expert from testifying at a public hearing about his conclusion that antidepressants cause children to become suicidal because they viewed his findings as alarmist and premature.
posted by Kevin at 1:59 AM
'Behavior Pattern Recognition' Program Under Way at Logan :.Face crimes: When someone at an airport is sweating, is it because he's running late or trying to hide something? Could hand signals between people in a terminal be part of an inside joke or a terror plot?
A pilot program using "behavior pattern recognition" is under way at Boston's Logan International Airport, from where two of the planes used by the September 11 hijackers took off. Air marshals, passenger screeners and state police stationed there have undergone special training in things to look for that could indicate a terrorist plot.
Israeli officials have employed a version of the technique for years to protect air travelers against terrorists.
At Logan, uniformed and undercover security officials watch people as they move through terminals. They look for odd or suspicious behavior: heavy clothes on a hot day, loiterers without luggage, anyone observing security methods.
At the security checkpoints, screening supervisors have a score sheet with a list of behaviors on it. If a passenger hits a certain number, a law enforcement officer will be notified to question the person.
posted by Kevin at 1:56 AM
Growing Worry in D.C. -- What if U.S. Fails in Iraq? :.Uh, it's more like, what now!? Not what if? Irrational optimism works for these maniacs much of the time, but not this time. Not in Iraq: President Bush warned the nation Tuesday night of the "unthinkable" consequences of failure in Iraq. But amid escalating violence and a crackdown by U.S. forces, Washington analysts expressed rising concern about the chances of success.
"I think we run a serious risk of disaster in Iraq if what we find on June 30 is a turnover of sovereignty to some kind of governing body that lacks legitimacy," said Bathsheba Crocker, co-director of the post-conflict reconstruction project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I don't yet know what the plan is for avoiding that kind of disaster. ... We need a Plan B, and I'm not sure we yet have a Plan B."
posted by Kevin at 1:51 AM
Department of Homeland Security Wants System to Help Identify Suspicious Activity :.This thing better be able to catch all of the potential terrorists who like to go down on their girlfriends! A camera above every bed! That's what we need. And no fair doing nasty things under the sheets, out of view of the Homeland Security cams. Well, let's just start with face crimes: The Homeland Security Department has invited proposals for new software that would take a Candid Camera-like approach to identifying criminal or terrorist activity.
The department's Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to spend $5 million on two projects for automated scene understanding.
Scene understanding technology detects telltale signs of crime or terrorism, thereby reducing the burden on personnel assigned to monitor closed-circuit television cameras and other sensors in such places as airports, seaports, transportation hubs and border crossing points.
posted by Kevin at 1:40 AM
Woman Faces Five Years in Jail for Receiving Oral Sex from Her Boyfriend :.A Newport News woman charged with a felony for receiving oral sex in a car is challenging a state law that prohibits certain types of sex between consenting adults.
A police officer says he found the 21-year-old woman in a parked car receiving oral sex from a man about 3 a.m. Jan. 29. Both were charged with a felony under the statute for crimes against nature.
posted by Kevin at 1:22 AM
Proposed Surveillance System Runs Automated Background Checks as Vehicles Enter Town :.Cameras would record drivers' faces and license plates, and software could use the tag numbers to automatically check -- in just a few seconds -- whether a motorist is wanted by authorities or driving a stolen car, Police Chief Clay Walker said.
posted by Kevin at 1:15 AM
4/17/2004
Authorities Search Warehouse for Weapons, Close Airspace :.WTF? Dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement agents searched a warehouse near Oakland International Airport Saturday for weapons including rocket launchers, officials said.
Federal officials would not reveal the exact nature of the investigation, but they said the search was not related to terrorism.
"We seized a few documents. Other than that, it's an ongoing investigation," said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "We will continue to look until all investigative leads are exhausted."
Five men who were detained for questioning Friday have all been released, McKee said.
About 200 agents from a dozen different agencies took part in the raid, which began around 6 a.m. Friday and continued Saturday. On Friday, authorities barred aircraft from flying over the site for three and a half hours while they took over the 12-acre, five-building warehouse complex in San Leandro.
posted by Kevin at 8:30 PM
Israeli State Terror: Hamas Leader Killed in Airstrike :.Israeli terrorists targeted Abdel Aziz Rantisi while he rode in a car with his wife and son! An Israeli missile strike killed Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi as he rode in his car Saturday night, hospital officials said. Rantisi's son Mohammed and a bodyguard also were killed in the attack.
The militant Hamas leader was one of Israel's top targets after it had assassinated Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin in an airstrike last month.
Rantisi's car was hit with missiles Saturday evening on the road outside his home, leaving only the burned, destroyed vehicle. After the explosion, Israeli helicopters were heard in the area.
Rantisi was taken to the hospital in critical condition, his body pocked with bloody wounds and blood streaming from his head and neck, and rushed into emergency surgery. He died five minutes after arriving at the hospital, officials said.
Palestinian officials lashed out after the Israeli strike.
"We condemn in strongest possible terms this Israeli crime of assassinating Dr. Rantisi. This is state terror, and the Israeli government is fully responsible for the consequences of this action," Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said.
Five pedestrians were wounded in the strike, hospital officials said.
The bodyguard was identified as Akram Nassar, 35. Rantisi's son was 27-year-old Mohammed, hospital officials said. Rantisi's wife was in the car, but her condition and location was not known, hospital sources and Hamas said.
posted by Kevin at 3:22 PM
Amazon.com Turns to Spyware :.It's not enough that Amazon stores every click you make on their site. So, why not use their handy browser toolbar to provide them with information on everything you do on the web?! You would have to be brain damaged to willingly install this: "The history server stores -- on our servers -- your history of interaction with us for the purpose of bringing that back to you in a very convenient way ... If you install the toolbar, then all your Web browsing, as well as all your searching, is stored as well."I was messing around with Amazon's " search engine" and that thing just creeps me out. It's 100% integrated with their retail operation!
posted by Kevin at 11:58 AM
Mercenaries in Iraq Demand Heavier Firepower :.Mercs in Iraq are upset that the real soldiers can't/won't come bail them out when the shit hits the fan. Ahhh, poor babies. Well, nobody said that working as a whore of war was going to be easy: Private military companies guarding foreign contractors in Iraq are demanding the right to carry more powerful weapons after the deaths of a number of bodyguards during a series of major battles with Iraqi insurgents.
posted by Kevin at 11:41 AM
'Getting Aid Past U.S. Snipers Is Impossible' :.Everybody in Falluja has lost someone. There is not a person here who doesn't have a close friend or relative who has been killed, and a lot of them have lost several. We are hearing that the death toll is around 880 civilians, and that within the first few days 86 children were killed.
People have been under bombardment for the last eight days. A lot of people are trapped in their houses still - despite the ceasefire - without food, without water and terrified to leave. Food and medical aid is now arriving but the problem is getting the aid around the city. A lot of it is delivered to the mosque, but then getting it to the hospitals, past the American snipers, is proving to be impossible.
posted by Kevin at 11:30 AM
4/16/2004
Minato Engine: Same Horsepower and Torque as Conventional Engines, 80% Less Electricy Required :.This technology has been around for years and I think it's great that professionally engineered systems---based on Minato's concept---will be readily available. I'll bet you a dollar that someone will modify one of these engines so that recovery of the back EMF is possible. But that's another story: Minato's motors consume just 20 percent or less of the power of conventional motors with the same torque and horse power. They run cool to the touch and produce almost no acoustic or electrical noise. They are significantly safer and cheaper (in terms of power consumed), and they are sounder environmentally. Related: United States Patent 5,594,289 Minato January 14, 1997 Magnetic Rotating ApparatusRelated: Adam's Motor
posted by Kevin at 8:41 PM
American Company Paid Terrorist Group to Protect Overseas Interests :.This is probably cheaper than using "legit" mercenaries: Laird said he also soon discovered the company for whom he formerly worked, Echo Bay, was regularly paying Abu Sayyaf and other terror groups in the Philippines in exchange for protection of its gold-mining operations. Laird calls the practice "corporate support of terrorism."
posted by Kevin at 8:06 PM
Liberation: Iraqi 'Beaten to Death' by U.S. Troops :.AN Iraqi has died of his wounds after US troops beat him with truncheons because he refused to remove a picture of wanted Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr from his car, police said today.
posted by Kevin at 8:02 PM
Genetic Engineering Disaster in Argentina: Thanks Monsanto! :.Another pHarming success story: Seven years after GM soya was introduced to Argentina as an economic miracle for poor farmers, researchers claim it is causing an environmental crisis, damaging soil bacteria and allowing herbicide-resistant weeds to grow out of control.
Soya has become the cash crop for half of Argentina's arable land, more than 11m hectares (27m acres), most situated on fragile pampas lands on the vast plains. After Argentina's economic collapse, soya became a vital cash export providing cattle feed for Europe and elsewhere.
Now researchers fear that the heavy reliance on one crop may bring economic ruin.
The GM soya, grown and sold by Monsanto, is the company's great success story. Programmed to be resistant to Roundup, Monsanto's patented glyphosate herbicide, soya's production increased by 75% over five years to 2002 and yields increased by 173%, raising �3bn profits for farmers hard-hit financially.
However, a report in New Scientist magazine says that because of problems with the crops, farmers are now using twice as much herbicide as in conventional systems.
posted by Kevin at 7:59 PM
Deaths of Scores of Mercenaries not Reported :.At least 80 foreign mercenaries - security guards recruited from the United States, Europe and South Africa and working for American companies - have been killed in the past eight days in Iraq.
Lieutenant-General Mark Kimmitt admitted on Tuesday that "about 70" American and other Western troops had died during the Iraqi insurgency since April 1 but he made no mention of the mercenaries, apparently fearful that the full total of Western dead would have serious political fallout.
He did not give a figure for Iraqi dead, which, across the country may be as high as 900.
posted by Kevin at 7:38 PM
Woodward Book: Bush Secretly Made Iraq War Plan :.President Bush secretly ordered a war plan drawn up against Iraq less than two months after U.S. forces attacked Afghanistan and was so worried the decision would cause a furor he did not tell everyone on his national security team, says a new book on his Iraq policy.
Bush feared that if news got out about the Iraq plan as U.S. forces were fighting another conflict, people would think he was too eager for war, journalist Bob Woodward writes in "Plan of Attack," a behind-the-scenes account of the 16 months leading to the Iraq invasion.
posted by Kevin at 7:18 PM
4/14/2004
Chip Implanted in Cop's Hand Would Allow Only Officer to Fire the Gun :.I can't make this stuff up: A new computer chip promises to keep police guns from firing if they fall into the wrong hands.
The tiny chip would be implanted in a police officer's hand and would match up with a scanning device inside a handgun. If the officer and gun match, a digital signal unlocks the trigger so it can be fired. But if a child or criminal would get hold of the gun, it would be useless.
The technology is the latest attempt to create a so-called "smart gun" and could be marketed to law enforcement agencies within a year, according to Verichip Corp., which has created the microchip.
Verichip president Keith Bolton said that the technology could also improve safety for the military and individual gun owners.
If you let your mind wander to other potential uses, you can imagine the lives that could be saved," he said.
posted by Kevin at 2:31 AM
First Visit to Cryptogon from the U.S. National Security AgencyGreetings, gentlemen: moss-hypno.alpha.ncsc.mil ip# 144.51.14.72 National Computer Security Center NCSC-3 9800 Savage Road Fort George G. Meade, MD The user at NSA seems to have found Cryptogon via the following Microsoft Network Search: Federal Government DRM Pilots. At this time, result number 13 references this Cryptogon entry on Microsoft and DRM. Raw Apache dump: 144.51.14.72 - - [13/Apr/2004:09:47:12 -0600] "GET /2002_06_23_blogarchive.html HTTP/1.1" 200 48085 "http://search.msn.com/pass/results.aspx?q=Federal+Government+DRM+Pilots&FORM=SMCRT" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 4.0)"
144.51.14.72 - - [13/Apr/2004:09:47:13 -0600] "GET /images/ibc_cube_backg.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 1078 "http://www.cryptogon.com/2002_06_23_blogarchive.html" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 4.0)"
144.51.14.72 - - [13/Apr/2004:09:47:13 -0600] "GET /images/ibc_cube_col.jpg HTTP/1.1" 200 7130 "http://www.cryptogon.com/2002_06_23_blogarchive.html" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 4.0)"
144.51.14.72 - - [13/Apr/2004:09:47:13 -0600] "GET /images/amazon.bmp HTTP/1.1" 200 8998 "http://www.cryptogon.com/2002_06_23_blogarchive.html" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 4.0)"Related: First Visit to Cryptogon from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
posted by Kevin at 12:08 AM
4/13/2004
U.S. Troops Massing Outside Najaf, Preparing for Assault :.A 2,500-strong U.S. force, backed by tanks and artillery, massed Tuesday on the outskirts of Najaf for a showdown with a radical cleric whose militia led a bloody uprising across the south, raising fears of an American assault on the holiest Shiite city.
Meanwhile, a State Department official said four bodies have been found in Iraq. The bodies may have been those of private contractors missing since an assault on their convoy outside Baghdad amid a wave of kidnappings of at least 22 foreigners in Iraq.
Iraqi politicians and ayatollahs tried to negotiate a solution to avert a U.S. attack on Najaf, which would outrage the nation's relatively pro-U.S. Shiite majority and could turn what has been a limited revolt by a single militia into an outright Shiite rebellion. A military advance could also inflame Shiites in neighboring Iran.
posted by Kevin at 7:13 PM
"SOME OF THE ROBOTS THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED MAY ALSO BE USED TO SHOOT AT HUMAN TARGETS" :.Well, well, well... It's all fun and games until my warnings become reality. The ultimate goal is to replace front line soldiers (the shooters) with robots. Humans will be used as middleware to overcome the temporary limitations of artificial intelligence and machine vision in these early systems. For example, a human operator can interpret standard video information and provide guidance for the robot via remote control. The goal, however, is fully autonomous robot soldiers. Hear me: STOP THIS MADNESS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE: Some of the robots that are being developed may also be used to shoot at human targets, iRobot suggested. But the company said SUGVs will provide advanced reconnaissance first. The company does not want to be seen as putting human soldiers out of business.
Robot vision systems have serious limitations, and the risk that a robot might kill an innocent civilian is too great, said iRobot CEO Colin Angle.
But Angle did not rule out the eventual use of weapons on robots, and noted that Raytheon is developing a targeting system for the SUGV.
"We're not using these robots to hand out flowers," Angle said.
posted by Kevin at 4:41 PM
Calm Down: Godsend Institute is Fake :.It's a publicity stunt for a movie. Stop sending me emails.
posted by Kevin at 4:15 PM
4/12/2004
Abizaid: Syria, Iran Involved in Iraq :.Are we witnessing the opening shots of World War III? Syria and Iran are involved in Iraq, and their involvement is not meant to assist the US-led Coalition there, Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command said Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Washington via video-link from Baghdad, Abizaid said there were signs that Iran's involvement is not designed to assist US efforts in Iraq.
Abizaid made the same claim against Syrian involvement in Iraq.
"We know the Iranians have been meddling, and it's unhelpful to have neighboring countries meddling in the affairs of Iraq," US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said last Wednesday.
posted by Kevin at 5:31 PM
Escalation: Abizaid Calls for 15K to 20K More Troops in Iraq :.The growing concerns over securing supply lines in Iraq came as Gen. John P. Abizaid, the American commander in the Middle East, told reporters that he had formally requested from the Pentagon the equivalent of two more combat brigades � as many as 15,000 to 20,000 troops � to keep American forces in Iraq at about 130,000 for the foreseeable future. Troop levels had been scheduled to decline to about 115,000 during the present troop rotation.
posted by Kevin at 5:27 PM
First Visit to Cryptogon from the U.S. Central Intelligence AgencyThe National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and now the Central Intelligence Agency, among several others, have dropped by over the last few days. I must finally be doing something right on this site. As far as I know, this is the first overt---i.e. not proxied through a commercial ISP---visit from CIA HQ in Langley, Virginia. (Here's a probable diagram of their server network, if you're interested.) I'm quite sure that they have been checking out this site through various proxy servers in the Virginia area for a while. Today's visit to Cryptogon was from the following machine: relay1.ucia.gov ip# 198.81.129.193 The user at CIA performed the following Google search: wall street journal khawaja terrorist 2004, which, as of now, shows a hit (second Google search result from the top) to this Cryptogon entry related to the ECHELON intercepts that lead to the arrests of several alleged terrorists. Thinking out loud: Was the CIA user trying to find the article from the Wall Street Journal? I seriously doubt it. I think it's safe to assume that the CIA has a subscription to the Wall Street Journal (duh!) and any user inside CIA probably has access to all open news sources on their intranet. So, if the user already had the article, why go looking for it on the outside? Unless they weren't after the article. Maybe this CIA user was tasked with making note of those of us out here in Internet-land who made reference to the story. Just a guess. After looking around, there are a couple of Khawajas that may have been of interest to CIA. I mentioned Mohammed Momin, but maybe the spook was after info on Khalid. Don't ask me. I just work here. For free. I can't imagine that anything related to some analyst's official 9-5 duties gets done through a machine that announces itself as coming from the CIA. Please tell me they're not that boneheaded. I mean, if I know how to effortlessly mask the origin of my Internet sessions, wouldn't you think the CIA would do the same thing on a routine basis? * shrugging shoulders, shaking head * Come on guys!? Here is the raw dump from Apache, in case any gearheads want to see what it looks like. The only thing remarkable about it is that it came from ucia.gov: 198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_9.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 24764 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:58 -0600] "GET / HTTP/1.0" 200 69049 "http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=wall+street+journal+khawaja+terrorist+2004&btnG=Google+Search" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/soccerdeath.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 35187 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_1.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 26772 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_2.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 41418 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_4.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 35001 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:47:59 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_6.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 45333 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:00 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_8.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 31715 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:00 -0600] "GET /images/skullbonespressmall.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 19192 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:00 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_7.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 27842 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:00 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_5.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 33678 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:00 -0600] "GET /images/iraq_aprilpic_3.jpg HTTP/1.0" 200 45888 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:02 -0600] "GET /images/atomenabled.gif HTTP/1.0" 200 1320 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
198.81.129.193 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:48:02 -0600] "GET /images/amazon.bmp HTTP/1.0" 200 8998 "http://www.cryptogon.com/" "Mozilla/4.75 [en]C-CCK-MCD (WinNT; U)"
162.116.29.38 - - [12/Apr/2004:07:49:36 -0600] "GET /index.html HTTP/1.1" 200 69049 "-" "Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)"
posted by Kevin at 6:46 AM
The 861 Evidencewww.861.info - SERVER 1 - SERVER 2 - SERVER 3The IRS is using its ability to carry out enforcement actions as the justification for the collection of personal income taxes from average Americans. That is, they collect income taxes from people because they can, because they have guns and because judges and lawyers are all in on the scam together. Might makes right, according to the IRS. Never mind what the law states. (Watch the presentation to find out.) This is some of the most terrifying information I have ever seen. And it is proof (if you need any more) that we are NOW living in an arbitrary, fascist system. What is painfully clear from the 861 Evidence is that these thugs and criminals are making it all up as they go, and the lethal force they threaten us with is the only glue holding this doomed society together.
posted by Kevin at 4:59 AM
Apocalypse Now: Praise the Lord :. You people who call yourselves Christians and support Bush and this catastrophe in Iraq make Satan look like a boyscout. If there is such a thing as eternal damnation, you assholes are going to get it: Happy Easter, 2004, everybody! Praise the Lord! And as you sit in your proper pew this Sunday morning, blubbering out your favorite version of "He is risen," contemplate this.
Americans, just like the Israelis, are now known for killing innocent people as they worship their God in church. Raise your eyes to the heavens you prize so highly. And imagine an American B-52 dropping a 500-pound bomb right on your head, splattering you and your beloved family all over your sacred altar. Your finely dressed friends, your fire-breathing pastor, all those beautiful children in their frilly Easter finery, reduced to bloody bits of still-twitching protoplasm dripping from the flaming pages of the Book of Revelation.
See your murmurs of worship becomes screams of pain. Praise the Lord. Praise Yahweh. He said that's how it should be done. Right in the pages of the Old Testament. And that's how America is doing it today, this very day, Easter Sunday, in Iraq.
Imagine that you're not killed instantly, but your arms have been blown off. Imagine that your daughter's head has been blown off and her body reduced to spasming jelly. You can see her head, eyes wide but sightless, a few feet away. That's how it is today ... in Fallujah, where flies feast on bodies littering the streets.
Do you think this is too graphic? It's nothing compared to what is happening today ... in Fallujah, where American troops prevent medics from tending to the wounded and media from reporting the carnage.
And the reason? There is no reason. You know the reasons for our war against the Iraqi people have been exposed as shallow lies. No weapons of mass destruction. No connection to the terrorists. The dictator is deposed. Yet the killing is rampant, as Iraqis fight for their freedom against the American and Israeli terror-mongers.
In the pitch dark that is the satanic American future, we continue to kill. In the name of democracy. In the name of Jesus. Our president talks to Jesus. He is risen today. Our president says he talks to God every day. God told him to bomb Afghanistan, he told us.
Jesus told him to blast innocent women and children in Fallujah today, and to pile the dead and dying in the football stadium because he won't let medical personnel get to them. Jesus told him to throw away the lives of American adolescents in uniform. Happy Easter.
Praise the Lord! He is risen. Hallelujah! In Fallujah!Related: Who Would Jesus Bomb? (MP3)
posted by Kevin at 2:29 AM
Excellent Analysis of America's "Suicidal" Miscalculations Over the Past Several Days :.This is a long article, but it provides interesting details into how the pot came to boil over: Several U.S. and Iraqi officials now regard Bremer's move to close the newspaper as a profound miscalculation. Foremost among the errors, the officials said, was the lack of a military strategy to deal with al-Sadr if he chose to fight back, as he did.
"We punched a big black bear in the eye and got him angry as hell but had no immediate plan to disable him, so of course he struck back in a very vicious way," said Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University who has been serving as a senior adviser to the U.S.-led occupation authority in Baghdad.
posted by Kevin at 1:59 AM
Updating the Newspeak Dictionary: Security and Stability Operations :.What is commonly referred to as mayhem and chaos is now being called security and stability by the U.S. military. The bodies, however, keep dropping: Three U.S. Marines have been killed in fighting west of Baghdad, bringing the total number of U.S. troops killed since Friday to 19 23, the Coalition Public Information Center said Monday.
The Marines, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, died Sunday during "security and stability operations" in Al Anbar province. Two of the Marines were killed in action, while the third died of his wounds later in the day.
posted by Kevin at 1:11 AM
Terminator Industrial Complex: Orgiastic Military Spending on Robotics Research :.Hear me: stop this while the enemy still bleeds. It may not be our generation, but if we don't put a stop to this madness, our kids will be facing this thing. It may seems nuts, but it's not, if you understand the mindset, the mental illness that strickens these people. Read Lewis Mumford's Myth of the Machine. There is an uncontrollable urge to involve the machine with all aspects of human existence in the name of efficiency and "progress." How about a brain implant to control weapon systems? Oh sure. I can't fire up a yurt, but these maniacs are getting funding to do Dr. Mengle-style research?! Pure madness: Researchers in robotics have traditionally faced two debilitating obstacles: terribly expensive parts and difficulty attracting funding from anyone outside of a small corps of true believers. But robotics experts see a "perfect storm" heading their way, thanks in no small part to the human ravages of war.
Just as the constant march of technology is driving down the cost of key components, top universities in robotics are reporting major increases in federal funding, with the Defense Department the biggest spender.
The military desperately wants to reduce the number of soldiers killed by roadside bombs or surface-to-air missiles -- cheap implements of war that have felled scores in Iraq. Many in the Pentagon believe the answer lies in autonomous air, sea and land vehicles.
CalTech's Joel Burdick, an engineering professor who has been involved in robotics since the early 1980s, is using DARPA funds to develop neuroprosthetics with which the brain could control machinery, "giving pilots a third hand, so to speak," he said.
"Funding is largely military now," Burdick said. "The projects are more focused on applications. It's not seed money."
posted by Kevin at 12:48 AM
4/11/2004
The Siege of Fallujahgrad :.Remember the Nazi siege of Leningrad? Well, now the besieger of cities in Iraq uses PSYOPS/propaganda foils, like calling for a cease fire, to allow for combat re-supply of fuel and ammunition after all of it was expended in the killing of hundreds of women, children and elderly. Oh woops, the mercenaries tasked with delivering fuel and ammo to the real soldiers have a nasty tendency of being blown up before they can deliver their goods: More than 600 Iraqis, mostly women, children and the elderly, have been killed in a week of fighting in Fallujah, Rafie al-Issawi, the director of the city hospital, told The Associated Press. But a marine commander claimed most of the dead were probably insurgents.Click here or here or here or here to see what "probably insurgents" means. More food for thought from this article: A $35 million attack helicopter was shot down by a group of men armed with assault rifles (probably AK-47 type that cost anywhere from $25 to $300 in most parts of the world).
posted by Kevin at 4:51 PM
"There Are no More U.S. Troops to Send to Iraq." :.There are no more U.S. troops to send to Iraq. That's why we need 80,000 or more troops added to the U.S. Army. Congress is allowing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to dig in his heels and try to maintain a foreign policy based on a grossly undermanned U.S. military. The key question isn't whether the 1st Cavalry Division is going to get run out of Baghdad�it's not. The key question is, if you've got 70% of your combat battalions in the U.S. Army deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, South Korea and elsewhere, can you maintain this kind of muscular presence in that many places? The answer is no.Related: Do You Feel a Draft?
posted by Kevin at 4:07 PM
4/10/2004
Iraqi Battalion Refuses to 'Fight Iraqis' :.This is not a mutiny, mind you, but rather "a command failure." A battalion of the new Iraqi army refused to go to Fallujah earlier this week to support U.S. Marines battling for control of the city, senior U.S. Army officers here said, disclosing an incident that is casting new doubt on U.S. plans to transfer security matters to Iraqi forces.
It was the first time U.S. commanders had sought to involve the postwar Iraqi army in major combat operations, and the battalion's refusal came as large parts of Iraqi security forces have stopped carrying out their duties.
The 620-man 2nd Battalion of the Iraqi Armed Forces refused to fight Monday after members of the unit were shot at in a Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Baghdad while en route to Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim stronghold, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, the official overseeing the development of Iraqi security forces. The convoy then turned around and returned to the battalion's home on a former Republican Guard base in Taji, a town north of the capital.
Eaton said members of the battalion insisted during the ensuing discussions: "We did not sign up to fight Iraqis."
He declined to characterize the incident as a mutiny, but rather called it "a command failure."
posted by Kevin at 7:47 PM
Job Outsourced? The National Security Agency is Hiring :.The highly secretive National Security Agency is looking to hire 7,500 workers over the next five years in the spy agency's largest recruiting campaign since the 1980s.
posted by Kevin at 6:27 PM
All of Militant Islam Holds Meeting.... In Central London :.The "war on terror" is a complete scam: A secret meeting of senior Islamic activists held in London last month took the decision to ?stir the the Iraqi Shiite resistance? against the US-British led occupation of Iraq which led to the major escalation of hostilities over the last week to coincide with the first anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
Delegates with affiliations to militant Islamic groups from across the Middle East, including many that are banned as terrorist organisations, travelled from all over Europe for the confidential closed-door sessions at various Islamic centres in central London.
Representative from both Sunni and Shiite groups and from countries such as Syria, the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia attended the conference.
According to an Arab source in Paris, among them were representatives of active terrorist organisations, like Lebanese Hezbollah, and some figures close to firebrand young Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr who is behind the current uprising in Iraq and now hunted by the US authorities in Iraq as an "outlaw and fugitive from justice".
posted by Kevin at 5:17 PM
Interesting Recent HitsU.S. Militarywcs2-belvoir.nipr.mil NIPR Proxy - Fort Belvoir, Virginia bu-wcs2-kelly.nipr.mil Defense Logistics Agency Automation Center godzilla.hood.army.mil U.S. Army (nice machine name) arifjan-netcache.kuwait.army.mil U.S. Army px6o.wpafb.af.mil U.S. Air Force ws000206.ramstein.af.mil U.S. Air Force sch068068.pac.army.mil U.S. Army gateway-alameda.uscg.mil U.S. Coast Guard gate5-hawaii.nmci.navy.mil U.S. Navy gate17-quantico.nmci.usmc.mil U.S. Marine Corps sigcache1.sicily.navy.mil U.S. Navy wcs2-pent.nipr.mil NIPR Proxy - Pentagon phoenix.nro.mil U.S. National Reconnaissance Office gateway.uscg.mil U.S. Coast Guard usma-cce.usma.army.mil U.S. Army 1031c.cecer.army.mil U.S. Army gate12-quantico.nmci.usmc.mil U.S. Marine Corps belvoir-sun2.iern.disa.mil U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency cacheflow.randolph.af.mil U.S. Air Force wcs1-cbus.nipr.mil NIPR Proxy - Unknown origin, last knowable hop is Tampa, Florida gate2-hawaii.nmci.navy.mil U.S. Navy failover.orha.centcom.mil U.S. Military Central Command wcs1-pent.nipr.mil NIPR Proxy - Pentagon Governmentwdcsun16.usdoj.gov U.S. Department of Justice e450.mst.gov.pl Polish Ministry of the Treasury beluha.ssu.gov.ua The Security Service of Ukraine (Sluzhba Bespeky Ukrayiny - SBU) agmrrfsc.agric.gov.ab.ca Agriculture Ddepartment, Alberta Canada sahp4060.sandia.gov Sandia National Laboratory, (primarily a nuclear weapons lab) ns1.ftb.ca.gov California Franchise Tax Board bcccache6-3.tco.census.gov U.S. Census Department esd-jardine2000.ornl.gov Oak Ridge National Laboratory internet.eletrobras.gov.br Brazilian Electrical Power Production Agency clayton.state.gov U.S. State Department s00dab8.ssa.gov Social Security Administration sherman.state.gov another State Department machine cerf.grc.nasa.gov U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration microdeck1.loc.gov U.S. Library of Congress host118-161.government.bg Bulgarian Council of Ministers rch4.gtwy.uscourts.gov U.S. Federal Judiciary igate.tc.faa.gov U.S. Federal Aviation Administration host33-161.moew.government.bg Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water n021.dhs.gov U.S. Department of Homeland Security
posted by Kevin at 4:26 PM
4/9/2004
Do You Feel a Draft? :.There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin as early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately. Details and links follow.
posted by Kevin at 7:22 PM
Fascist Pig Scalia At It Again :.Several journalism groups are expressing outrage over the actions of a deputy marshal who forced the erasure of two journalists' audio recordings of a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at a Mississippi high school.
The U.S. Marshals Service stopped short of fully defending the deputy's actions.
"The deputy's actions were based on the justice's standing policy prohibiting such recordings of his remarks," said Marshals Service spokesman David Turner.
posted by Kevin at 7:19 PM
On a Lighter Note: G.I. Joe Public Service Announcements :.Did you watch G.I. Joe cartoons when you were a kid? Get ready to laugh your ass off. Research Credit: JF
posted by Kevin at 7:16 PM
Enron Ex-CEO Skilling 5150ed :.It's not easy being a PHB. One day, you're carving up the universe, and then the next thing you know, cops are dragging you away to the nut house: Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling was taken to a hospital early Friday after several people called police saying he was pulling on their clothes and accusing them of being FBI agents, a police source told The Associated Press.
posted by Kevin at 7:13 PM
At Least 9 U.S. Dead in Single Convoy Attack :.Pictures of the attack. I don't know why this isn't on CNNABCFOXMSNBCetc. yet: Insurgents attacked a U.S. convoy carrying fuel west of Baghdad Friday, killing at least nine people, witnesses said.
A Reuters photographer on the scene said he saw bodies burning inside the vehicles, which were still on fire near Abu Ghraib. He said the convoy included U.S. military vehicles and fuel tankers.
Huge clouds of black smoke hung over the area, visible from several kilometers away. There was heavy fighting between U.S. troops and guerrillas in Abu Ghraib Thursday.
Truckloads of people from the area have also tried to head further west to help other insurgents battling U.S. forces in Falluja and Ramadi.
posted by Kevin at 5:23 AM
Got Root? Vulnerability in Internet Explorer ITS Protocol Handler :.Click the wrong link and set yourself up the bomb! Incredible. It's a good thing Firefox is so nice: A cross-domain scripting vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running IE. The attacker could also read and manipulate data on web sites in other domains or zones.
posted by Kevin at 4:40 AM
4/8/2004
While You Were Sleeping: Active Suppression of Images Out of Iraq by U.S. MediaWARNING: YOU GET NO WARNING. OPEN YOUR EYES! The disconnect between what is happening in Iraq and what is being reported in the U.S. media is almost unbelievable. I watch media sources continuously and I don't see these images. I had to sift through hundreds of images on the photowire to find these. While the yammering of filthy liar Condoleezza Rice seems to be making news at the moment, I suggest that you pay attention to a few of the images from just the last two days in Iraq: Related: Photos from Falluja, Aljazeera News Crew Inside the Town
posted by Kevin at 6:19 PM
Bloody Chaos Engulfs Iraq: Fierce Fighting Rages, Foreigners Kidnapped :.It is increasingly difficult to get any details of what is happening in Iraq. Most of the reporting is being done from hotels in Baghdad. Meanwhile, the rest of the country is in open rebellion and chaos is the order of the day. Victory! Liberation! Democracy! The boneheads (such as U.S. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez) are quite right when they say this is nothing like Vietnam. Actually, the implications of this U.S. caused catastrophe are much more strategic and dire in nature than Vietnam could have ever been. The war in Iraq threatens to draw the entire region into a conflict that could easily touch off a world war: U.S.-led troops fought fierce battles with Sunni and Shi'ite rebels Thursday and a spate of kidnappings snared foreigners as Iraq descended into bloody chaos not seen since Saddam Hussein's fall a year ago.
A previously unknown Iraqi group said it was holding three Japanese hostages and threatened to "burn them alive" unless Tokyo withdrew its troops from Iraq within three days.
Rebels seized two Arabs with Israeli identity cards, shown on a video tape aired by an Iranian television station, and accused them of spying. A Briton was missing after being kidnapped in the southern town of Nassiriya.
posted by Kevin at 5:48 PM
Comprehensive Nutrient Review :.Gary Null and his team of researchers provide irrefutable evidence of the benefits of nutritional supplementation. I listened to an audio presentation of some of this information and it is incredible. Try to keep this information in mind as the AMA and FDA try to ban commonly available supplements. This is priceless, top notch work and it's available to everyone for free. Highly recommended: We performed a comprehensive review of scientific studies on the efficacy of 50 selected nutrients in preventing, retarding, and treating disease. These studies were culled from a much larger online database of 484,000 studies contained in peer reviewed health, nutritional, and scientific journals. Based on this research, we conclude that there is a significant body of evidence demonstrating that the 50 selected nutrients are effective at preventing, retarding and even improving disease. The studies, as a whole, show that the nutrients are effective at both preventative and higher therapeutic dosage levels. Further, these studies demonstrate that the effective therapeutic dosages are significantly higher than had been generally argued by even alternative health groups.
We believe that this is the first time there has been a scholarly effort to assemble and summarize such a massive number of peer reviewed studies on such a wide assortment of nutritional supplements. Previously arguments made by both traditionalist and alternative health groups have relied on specific studies, or at most, a group of studies on a single nutrient. Many of these studies were sponsored by parties with a vested interest in the conclusion. Such data, we suggest, was insufficient to make broad pronouncements on the efficacy of supplements as a whole. Here, however, we have utilized a significantly larger number of studies covering a much broader range of nutrients. Accordingly, we can have much greater assurance that we have reached correct conclusions about the efficacy of nutrients as a whole, particularly at therapeutic dosages.
posted by Kevin at 4:56 PM
Another Refinery Explodes! 4 Injured As Blasts Rock N.M. Refinery :.WTF? Two explosions followed by fire rocked a gasoline refinery Thursday, seriously injuring four people, officials said.
Smoke billowed from one side of the Giant Industries refinery about 15 miles east of Gallup in western New Mexico as rescue crews converged on the scene.
State police Lt. Jimmy Glascock said a piece of equipment used to make high-octane fuel exploded, and that blast caused the second one.
posted by Kevin at 4:02 PM
Photos from Falluja, Aljazeera News Crew Inside the Town :.Liberation: The Aljazeera crew, including cameramen Layf Muftaq and Hasan Walid, sound engineer Sayf al-Din and correspondent Hamid Hadid, are the only media personnel inside the town.
Hospital sources said at least 52 Iraqis were killed and 90 injured in attacks on the besieged town of Falluja on Wednesday, said Aljazeera correspondent in Falluja, Ahmad Mansur.
"Iraqi medic Rafi al-Isawai said the number of casualities is expected to double," he added.
Another 53 Iraqis died in attacks overnight in the besieged town which American forces sealed off on Sunday. "More than 200 Iraqis, including women children, were injured in the past 24 hours," said Mansur.WARNING: PICTURES OF DEAD CHILDREN.
posted by Kevin at 1:50 PM
Hospital Patients Forced to Watch TV They Can't Turn Off :.When thousands of NHS hospital patients were offered television sets beside their beds as part of a deal with a private company, it was billed as a triumph for the government's drive towards "patient power".
The only problem, as the Department of Health acknowledged yesterday, was that the patients lacked the power to turn the sets off. The TVs were not equipped with an off switch, and cast their flickering light for a fixed 15 hours a day.
posted by Kevin at 1:55 AM
4/7/2004
ECHELON Intercepts Lead to Arrests :.They say this is a first. Well, I'd take that with several grains of salt. Technically, these are the first publicly announced arrests, but you can be sure that the ECHELON system provides actionable intelligence on a routine basis. Personally, I recommend the handy ECHELON Bullshit Generator for all of your ECHELON spoofing needs. Let's all get those stupid Gmail accounts and send output from the EBG back and forth. Maybe some unwell programmer can create a perl script that does this 24 hours per day, 7 days per week... with about a thousand Gmail accounts. Maybe n number of script kitties would find this activity kEwL and run the script on their Linux-on-Xbox systems. We might as well laugh at the absurdity of this system before is comes crashing down: Citing anonymous sources in the British intelligence community, The Sunday Times reported that an e-mail message intercepted by NSA spies precipitated a massive investigation by intelligence officials in several countries that culminated in the arrest of nine men in Britain and one in suburban Orleans, Ont. -- 24-year-old software developer Mohammed Momin Khawaja, who has since been charged with facilitating a terrorist act and being part of a terrorist group.
The Orleans arrest is considered an operational milestone for this vast electronic eavesdropping network and its operators. But Dave Farber, an Internet pioneer and computer-science professor at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, said the circumstances are also notable because it will be the first time that routine U.S. monitoring of e-mail traffic has led to an arrest.
"That's the first admission I've actually seen that they actually monitor Internet traffic. I assumed they did, but no one ever admitted it," Mr. Farber said.
posted by Kevin at 1:49 PM
Fallujah: U.S. Military Blows Up Mosque :.At least 40 people were killed on Wednesday when three missiles slammed into a mosque in a besieged city in central Iraq.
The missiles were fired by a U.S. helicopter as marines battled insurgents in Fallujah.
Worshippers were gathering at the Abdul-Aziz al-Samarrai for afternoon prayers at the time of the attack.
posted by Kevin at 8:00 AM
Hamburg Court Frees 9/11 Suspect :.Wow: A Hamburg court has ordered the release of the only suspect convicted in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
In a statement, the court said El Motassadeq "is no longer an urgent suspect in the charge of accomplice to murder, but only as a member of a terrorist organization."This guy was probably a paid informant for German or U.S. Intelligence, or both. Perhaps the Germans want him out so he can "escape" and become an intelligence asset again.
posted by Kevin at 5:17 AM
Insurgency 'Has Grown Deeper Roots' :.While al Qaeda is primarily a myth that is maintained for political purposes by the United States, the risk that real anti-American insurgencies and hostility would be created, by using the myth as a justification to kill people and steal resources, has now become real. As usual, several of us have been saying this for years now. It's just time to roll out the professors on CNN to make it official: BLITZER: What exactly did you suspect would happen based on your knowledge of the region?
GERGES: Well, I think the official version in Washington is that most of the attacks were launched by foreign fighters, al Qaeda terrorists and a few small remaining pockets of the former Baathists.
I think what appears to have happened is that the insurgency, the armed insurgency in Iraq, has grown deeper roots in particular within the Sunni Arab community. And now unfortunately it appears to be spreading into many Shiite areas.
And I think what has happened in the last few months is that the insurgency is being led by religious and nationalist sentiment. That is, it's a real insurgency, deeply rooted in nationalist and religious sentiment.Get it? It's not fake, it's not al Qaeda. Now, the U.S. has pissed off enough people to the point that it's real. So it goes...
posted by Kevin at 5:07 AM
Ginger and ProbioticsI listen to Gary Null every week on KPFK (90.7fm out of Los Angeles). Gary interviewed Paul Schulick on the benefits of ginger in the diet, and its relationship to healthy bacteria. There are several "no brainers" in terms of daily nutritional supplementation. Examples of some of these include, Vitamins C and E (mixed tocopherols), flax seed oil, cayenne, garlic, etc. After listening to Paul Schulick's presentation, I'm adding ginger to my "no brainer" list. (And I don't even like the taste of ginger.) This is an absolutely incredible food, in terms of its prophylactic and theraputic qualities. Please take some time to investigate the benefits of ginger and marvel at the fraud of establishment medicine in the West. References: Radio show: Gary Null show # 3443 12/29/2003 Paul Schulick - Ginger: Common Spice & Wonder Drug. + Pro Biotics (Show will be available for download at some point. It makes more sense to buy the book, see below. Or, just read about ginger online.) Book: Ginger: Common Spice and Wonder Drug: Common Spice & Wonder Drug by Paul Schulick
posted by Kevin at 2:38 AM
Carlyle Group Subsidiary Pushing a Swastika-Shaped Tracker Chip :.The Carlyle Group, run by Frank Carlucci, was strategically placed before Sept 11th to maximize profits by controlling almost every sector of the police state's architecture in America.
Upon looking at Matric's structure , Alex found the following Carlyle Group members on the Board of Directors at Matrics:
Brooke Coburn: Managing Director of The Carlyle Group
posted by Kevin at 1:30 AM
California Voters Say 'No' to Wal-Mart :.I was shocked that this didn't pass: Voters in this Los Angeles suburb rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have allowed Wal-Mart to build a warehouse-sized store while skirting zoning, traffic and environmental reviews.
With 25 of 29 precincts reporting, Inglewood voters opposed the initiative, with 65.7 percent voting "no" and 34.2 percent voting "yes," said Gabby Contreras of the city clerk's office.
That amounts to 4,419 votes against the initiative and 2,305 in favor.
"This is very, very positive for those folks who want to stand up and ... hold this corporate giant responsible," said Daniel Tabor, a former City Council member who had campaigned against the initiative.
posted by Kevin at 1:24 AM
American Fascism: Military Jets Over Capitol :.We are now in the "ugly" phase of the collapse: The sight of military jets flying low over the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall rattled some nerves Tuesday.
Local radio and television stations reported getting worried calls from residents asking about the jets, which were part of a military publicity and recruitment campaign.
Capt. Sheldon Smith, a spokesman for the D.C. Air National Guard, apologized and promised such flights would be publicized better in the future.
The flights involved two F-16 warplanes and military versions of the 737 jetliner and Gulfstream corporate-style jet, all based at Andrews Air Force Base.
"We are the protectors of the U.S. Capitol, and we want to tell the community we are here," a spokesman for the 113th Air Wing of the D.C. Air National Guard, which staged the flyovers, said before the event.
posted by Kevin at 1:20 AM
4/6/2004
Watchdogs Slam Google's New E-Mail Service :.Privacy activists worry that Gmail will comb through e-mail more intensively than the filters widely used to weed out potential viruses and spam.
Gmail opponents also want Google to revise a policy that entitles the company to retain copies of people's incoming and outgoing e-mail even after they close their accounts.
The e-mail scanning, which Google says will be handled exclusively by computers, has raised the most alarms, partly because it seeks to capitalize on messages sent by people without Gmail accounts.
Google intends to deliver ads by analyzing what's being discussed. For instance, an e-mail from one friend to another talking about an upcoming trip might include links to hotels or airlines.
Gmail has a "definite creepiness factor," said Ari Schwartz, associate director of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
posted by Kevin at 6:46 PM
Fringe/Freak/Weird: April 19, 2004, What Do You Think? :.I just found that message on the Rumor Mill News list. I read it, scratched my chin a bit, laughed and said, "This has to be bullshit. There can't be anything to this." I closed the window down and moved on. After a few minutes, it started nagging at me a bit. What if? It's so far out, it's funny. Or, it's not funny. By posting this, I'm not indicating that I buy this completely. In fact, I think the movie tie-in is silly. But what do you guys think about the numbers? Is this enough to get you to, say, maybe not be in a large city on April 19, 2004? I'm sure someone with a background in statistics can explain this away as total folly. Right? Oh, But Wait, It Gets So Much BetterGuess who's directing The Day After Tomorrow? Yes, friends, that's right: Our man, Roland Emmerich. This might seem like just another big budget film... until you read this. I think it's safe to say that there's a fair amount of weirdness here. More weirdness than usual. P.S. I was going to make one of my usual wise cracks about Cheney and his transdimensional portal, and Rumsfeld summoning things... but then I found out Emmerich also directed Stargate. Thanks. I'm finished now.
posted by Kevin at 7:15 AM
60% of U.S. Corporations Paid No Federal Taxes :.No commentary necessary. You'll know what to do when the time comes: More than 60% of U.S. corporations didn't pay any federal taxes for 1996 through 2000, years when the economy boomed and corporate profits soared, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported, citing the investigative arm of Congress.
The disclosures from the General Accounting Office are certain to fuel the debate over corporate tax payments in the presidential campaign. Corporate tax receipts have shrunk markedly as a share of overall federal revenue in recent years, and were particularly depressed when the economy soured. By 2003, they had fallen to just 7.4% of overall federal receipts, the lowest rate since 1983, and the second-lowest rate since 1934, federal budget officials say.
posted by Kevin at 6:16 AM
Blackwater Recruits Pinochet Death Squad Members for Iraq Merc Duty :.Man, this just gets better by the minute. You know what this sounds like?! It's VERY similar to the way the CIA used to run its covert training operations. Private planes, shooting ranges in remote areas, hiring unsavory maniacs from all corners of the globe, operations that nobody hears about unless someone fucks up. Sound familiar? But now it's like they don't need to cover it up. They have a website! They sell t-shirts and bumper stickers. The spook contractors have come out of the closet, they're proud, they're kickin' ass and they're busier than ever. Shit, it might be time to form a mercenary labor union! Where's Hasenfus!? If Fletcher Prouty was still alive, he'd probably die laughing! The Secret Team isn't so secret anymore. Very good article: In February, Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based Pentagon contractor, began recruiting "former commandos, other soldiers and seamen" from Chile, offering them up to $4,000 a month "to guard oil wells against attack by insurgents," the Guardian reported. The company "flew a first group of about 60 former commandos, many of who had trained under the military government of Augusto Pinochet, from Santiago to a... [large] training camp in North Carolina," wrote Jonathan Franklin, reporting from Santiago, Chile.
These recruits will eventually wind up in Iraq, where they will spend six months to a year: "We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals -- the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system," Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater USA, told the Guardian.Research Credit: BW
posted by Kevin at 5:23 AM
Najaf: Blackwater Mercs in Fierce Gunbattle :.This mercenary company is operating helicopters in Iraq! This is the first time I've heard of them using an aircraft for a combat re-supply operation. One has to wonder, how big is Blackwater's corporate airforce? An attack by hundreds of Iraqi militia members on the U.S. government's headquarters in Najaf on Sunday was repulsed not by the U.S. military, but by eight commandos from a private security firm, according to sources familiar with the incident.
Before U.S. reinforcements could arrive, the firm, Blackwater Security Consulting, sent in its own helicopters amid an intense firefight to resupply its commandos with ammunition and to ferry out a wounded Marine, the sources said.
In Sunday's fighting, Shiite militia forces barraged the Blackwater commandos, four MPs and a Marine gunner with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 fire for hours before U.S. Special Forces troops arrived. A sniper on a nearby roof apparently wounded three men. U.S. troops faced heavy fighting in several Iraqi cities that day.
With their ammunition nearly gone, a wounded and badly bleeding Marine on the rooftop, and no reinforcement by the U.S. military in the immediate offing, the company sent in helicopters to drop ammunition and pick up the Marine.
During the defense of the authority headquarters, thousands of rounds were fired and hundreds of 40mm grenades shot.
posted by Kevin at 5:03 AM
4/5/2004
Google's Gmail: Possibly Illegal Under European Law :.Privacy campaigners have objected to plans to send users adverts linked to the content of messages, and to the permanent storage of email.
Campaign group Privacy International has filed a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner, Reuters news agency reported.
The Information Commissioner's job is to make sure organisations comply with a web of laws safeguarding privacy and freedom of information.Research Credit: PW
posted by Kevin at 11:41 PM
Iraq on the Brink of Anarchy :.Going off the rails: The Bush administration was last night facing a nightmare scenario in Iraq, fighting on two fronts against Sunni and Shia militants less than three months before it is due to hand over power to an Iraqi government.
Facing a critical moment in the effort to pacify the country, President George Bush vowed he would not budge from his June 30 deadline for the transition to self-rule, while US forces in Iraq opted for a high-risk strategy of attempting to crush both insurgent groups simultaneously.
American officials in Baghdad announced an arrest warrant for a radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, whose black-uniformed Mahdi militia revolted against coalition forces at the weekend, killing seven American soldiers in the Baghdad district known as Sadr City. Up to 30 Iraqis were also killed in the clashes, the worst the capital has seen since its fall to US troops a year ago.
posted by Kevin at 10:48 PM
UK Firm Experiments on Orphans :.Orphans and babies as young as three months old have been used as guinea pigs in potentially dangerous medical experiments sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, an Observer investigation has revealed.
British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is embroiled in the scandal. The firm sponsored experiments on the children from Incarnation Children's Centre, a New York care home that specialises in treating HIV sufferers and is run by Catholic charities.
The children had either been infected with HIV or born to HIV-positive mothers. Their parents were dead, untraceable or deemed unfit to look after them.
According to documents obtained by The Observer, Glaxo has sponsored at least four medical trials since 1995 using Hispanic and black children at Incarnation. The documents give details of all clinical trials in the US and reveal the experiments sponsored by Glaxo were designed to test the 'safety and tolerance' of Aids medications, some of which have potentially dangerous side effects. Glaxo manufactures a number of drugs designed to treat HIV, including AZT.
Normally trials on children would require parental consent but, as the infants are in care, New York's authorities hold that role.
posted by Kevin at 9:51 PM
It's Off to Jail for Chicken Rescuer :.Bock, The End: Williams man thought he was rescuing a neglected chicken, but the Josephine County Sheriff?s Department saw it as stealing and arrested him early Wednesday.
Nick Gombos was arrested at 1:08 a.m. and charged with third degree theft and interfering with an officer at Gombos? home on Powell Creek Road. He was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car wearing nothing but his underwear. He was released from jail Wednesday morning five days after he took home a lone chicken from outside Ray?s Food Place, 7200 Williams Highway, in Murphy a few miles south of Grants Pass.
posted by Kevin at 7:02 PM
Screenshots of Gmail Parsing Messages to Deliver Ads :.Microsoft Longhorn will make Gmail look like a boyscout exercise. How about using Gmail to send and receive nothing but PGP encrypted messages? I wonder if you'll get recruitment ads for the NSA...
posted by Kevin at 5:35 PM
Children Who Watch TV Receive Nonsurgical Lobotomies :.Make sure you plant your kids in front of the television and give them lots of dangerous psychiatric drugs, sugar and Wonder bread! It's all for the children. We love the children. The way we raise our kids is probably the most serious crime against humanity: Very young children who watch television face an increased risk of attention deficit problems by school age, a study has found, suggesting that TV might overstimulate and permanently "rewire" the developing brain.
For every hour of television watched daily, two groups of children -- aged 1 and 3 -- faced a 10 percent increased risk of having attention problems at age 7.
The findings bolster previous research showing that television can shorten attention spans and support American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that youngsters under age 2 not watch television.
"The truth is there are lots of reasons for children not to watch television. Other studies have shown it to be associated with obesity and aggressiveness" too, said lead author Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a researcher at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
posted by Kevin at 5:08 PM
New Tool Cracks Apple's FairPlay DRM :.These coders are not maintaining appearances! Enemy combatant status for sure: PlayFair is an integrated utility that removes the DRM from AAC music files protected by Apple's FairPlay encryption. Information is limited, but the source code is on SourceForge.net and it appears to actually remove the encryption itself and not simply hijack the QuickTime audio stream as earlier methods did.
posted by Kevin at 4:51 PM
Job Growth Strongest in Four Years: Bank of America to Cut 12,500 Jobs :.Lies, damn lies, and government employment statistics. Stories like this are the reality check: Bank of America Corp., newly merged with FleetBoston Financial Corp., said Monday it will cut 12,500 jobs - or nearly 7 percent of its work force - over the next two years.
posted by Kevin at 3:11 PM
Battlefield Chechnya: Chechen Rebel Videos Depict Asymmetric Warfare :.This site contains several videos of Chechen rebels engaged in various types of combat against elements of the Russian military. The tactics are similar to what the U.S. is facing on a daily basis in Iraq. Particularly prominent in both conflicts are the "roadside bombs." These videos contain dozens of examples of how roadside bombs are utilized by the less powerful combatants in an asymmetric warfare situation. WARNING: GRAPHIC COMBAT VIDEO. EXTENSIVE, UP-CLOSE DEPICTIONS OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
posted by Kevin at 6:20 AM
Jordanian Prince in WWIII Warning :.Prince Hassan of Jordan has said he fears a third world war is erupting in the Middle East.
Speaking to BBC's Radio Four, he said it was an "extremely depressing" time.
Extremist voices in the region were rising, and not only individuals but states were taking the law into their own hands, the prince said.
He was speaking after a week in which Israel assassinated the spritual leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
posted by Kevin at 4:11 AM
Speculating About Gmail :.For a few hours last week, I thought the Gmail announcement from Google was an April Fool's joke. I just couldn't get my brain around any company provisioning 1 gigabyte of free storage for every user. In the back of my head, I thought that the only way it could be real is if the motivation involved pure evil. Nevermind the possible intelligence tie-ins to this, how does not being able to delete your email grab ya? Slashdot has pulled some of the speculation together in one place: " The Register is running an article about Google's new email service that was mentioned earlier, here. The story details the new privacy concerns about Gmail's privacy policy and Google's tracking habits. The policy states that Google will not guarantee the deletion of emails that are archived even if you cancel your account. 'The contents of your Gmail account also are stored and maintained on Google servers in order to provide the service. Indeed, residual copies of email may remain on our systems, even after you have deleted them from your mailbox or after the termination of your account.'" Reader cpfeifer writes "Rich Skrenta (founder of ODP, and Topix) speculates in his blog that the real product Google is creating isn't web search or email, but a massively scalable, distributed computing platform. 'It's a distributed computing platform that can manage web-scale datasets on 100,000 node server clusters. It includes a petabyte, distributed, fault tolerant filesystem, distributed RPC code, probably network shared memory and process migration. And a datacenter management system which lets a handful of ops engineers effectively run 100,000 servers.' If he's right, the question isn't what product will Google announce next, but what product wil they not be able to announce?"
posted by Kevin at 3:38 AM
4/4/2004
John Dean, Ex-Convict: Bush Is the 'Most Corrupt President' :.John Dean, Richard Nixon's legal counsel who was jailed for his part in the Watergate scandal, has accused the Bush administration of trumping even the Nixon regime in secrecy, deception and political cynicism.
In the latest book to attack the conduct of the current United States administration, Mr Dean says that it has created potentially the most corrupt, unethical and undemocratic White House in history.
His Worse than Watergate, the Secret Presidency of George W. Bush is published this week by Little Brown.
"Bush and [Vice-President Richard] Cheney are a throwback to the Nixon time," Mr Dean, 65, told The Telegraph last night. "All government business is filtered through a political process at this White House, which is the most secretive ever to run the United States.
"This is not in the public's interest. It's in the White House's interest, and the interest of Bush's re-election. The White House is being run like a private business, with the difference that it is not accountable to the shareholders - in this case the voters."
posted by Kevin at 4:44 AM
Powell Admits Iraq Evidence Mistake :.* Shaking Head * US Secretary of State Colin Powell has admitted that evidence he submitted to the United Nations to justify war on Iraq may have been wrong.
In February last year he told the UN Security Council that Iraq had developed mobile laboratories for making biological weapons.
On Friday he conceded that information "appears not to be... that solid".
posted by Kevin at 3:42 AM
MI5 'Knew of Plot to Kill Finucane' :.MI5, army intelligence and Special Branch all knew of loyalist plots to kill Pat Finucane, the Belfast lawyer, but failed either to warn him or prevent his murder, an independent report concluded yesterday.
posted by Kevin at 3:33 AM
4/2/2004
U.S. Fingerprints 'Allied' Visitors :.Incredible, considering the physical borders of the U.S. are wide open. Nevermind that: A US requirement for visitors to be fingerprinted and photographed is being expanded to include citizens from America's closest allies.
The move will affect visitors from 27 countries - including the UK, Japan and Australia - whose nationals are able to visit the US without a visa.
posted by Kevin at 7:44 PM
Man Goes to Jail for Puting a Sign in his Yard :.Up to his ears in legal documents, Phillip Dean is fed up with the judicial system.
"That's the kind of court system we've got in Jackson County , Alabama and I want everybody to know," Dean says.
So he put a sign in his front lawn saying "Our Court System Is a Joke."
A message landing him behind bars.
"I was in a cell about four foot wide and six foot long and nothing in it but a toilet," he explains.
Arrest orders signed by Judge Haralson claim Dean to be in direct contempt of court, even though the sign is on County Road 107, not in the county courthouse.
posted by Kevin at 4:28 PM
Bush's Sick Humor :.Not only did Bush make a completely sick and inapproprate jokes about the weapons of mass destruction, but his speech and slideshow included a "funny" about Skull and Bones.
posted by Kevin at 4:16 PM
Hello GentlemenI just got a visit from phoenix.nro.mil. Now we're talkin'!
posted by Kevin at 2:05 PM
4/1/2004
Mercenaries in Iraq Paid $350 to $1,500 per Day :.When the idiots on TV talk about the improving economy, they must be referring to the military-for-hire sector. Yeah, you probobably don't want former special forces guys in jobs that require them to ask, "Paper or plastic?" all day long: "These are typically former special operations community personnel who are highly trained in the use of deadly force, also in surveillance detection and also in risk avoidance," Robinson said.
Blackwater, headed by former U.S. Navy SEALs, was founded in part to take advantage of business opportunities created by the downsizing of the U.S. military.
The company is based at a 6,000 acre site in rural North Carolina, a campus the company calls "the most comprehensive private tactical training facility in the United States."
Private security firms are now the third largest international contributor of forces to the war effort in Iraq -- after the U.S. and British troops.
posted by Kevin at 7:19 PM
FLASH: 'I SAW PAPERS THAT SHOW U.S. KNEW AL-QA'IDA WOULD ATTACK CITIES WITH AEROPLANES' :.Sibel Edmonds is taking her life in her hands. She is incredibly brave. Let's hope others come forward to shed light on the egregious crimes of this regime: A former translator for the FBI with top-secret security clearance says she has provided information to the panel investigating the 11 September attacks which proves senior officials knew of al-Qa'ida's plans to attack the US with aircraft months before the strikes happened.
She said the claim by the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that there was no such information was "an outrageous lie".
Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".
She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave [the commission] details of specific investigation files, the specific dates, specific target information, specific managers in charge of the investigation. I gave them everything so that they could go back and follow up. This is not hearsay. These are things that are documented. These things can be established very easily."
posted by Kevin at 6:39 PM
Gateway to Close Its 188 Retail Stores :.Month after month, as I'd walk by the local Gateway store, I'd wonder, "How is this thing still open?" I never saw any customers inside the place. Once, I thought I saw one, but it was an employee. Another time, the would-be customer was a delivery guy of some sort. But don't worry, the economy is looking great! Gateway Inc. on Thursday said it would close its remaining 188 stores and eliminate about 2,500 retail jobs, or 38 percent of its workforce, ending a controversial chapter for the struggling computer and consumer electronics maker.
posted by Kevin at 5:45 PM
Stasi London: Fearmongering Reaches New Heights in England :.It has now simply been accepted that a major attack will take place, and that there is little hope of avoiding it. Yet Livingstone and Stevens take pain to assure everyone that London is "the safest city in the world" and that we should simply accept that it is soon to be attacked and just get on with things.
There is very sophisticated doublespeak going on here. Whilst being told we cannot and should not worry over such an attack occurring, we are also told that IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. The result is an even greater yet supressed fear among the entire population of the city.
Add to this the hideous nature of the "Life Savers" anti-terrorist campaign, nothing short of a Stasi-type operation more akin with Soviet Russia, and the result is a climate of fear, suspicion and mis-trust amongst all. Everyone, and anyone is a suspect and we must all be alert and prepared because we are all about to be attacked.
posted by Kevin at 6:09 AM
More Killer Drones on the Way :.Drones have quickly become a central part of U.S. military efforts because they can hover over a combat zone for hours on end. A flesh-and-blood pilot poops out after about 10 hours; some robotic planes can stay aloft for more than three times that long.
In Pentagon-ese, this is known as "persistence." The Defense Department would like to shift from persistent surveillance -- which the drones are now starting to provide -- to an always-on ability to kill, should an adversary pop up in a pilotless plane's sights.
posted by Kevin at 5:43 AM
War Launched to Protect Israel - Bush Adviser :.Iraq under Saddam Hussein did not pose a threat to the United States but it did to Israel, which is one reason why Washington invaded the Arab country, according to a speech made by a member of a top-level White House intelligence group.
IPS uncovered the remarks by Philip Zelikow, who is now the executive director of the body set up to investigate the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 -- the 9/11 commission -- in which he suggests a prime motive for the invasion just over one year ago was to eliminate a threat to Israel, a staunch U.S. ally in the Middle East.
posted by Kevin at 3:20 AM
Order that Prevented 9/11 Intercepts? :.Jim Hoffman has discovered a document which I believe may be very important to the 911 skeptic movement. This document superseded earlier DOD procedures for dealing with hijacked aircraft, and it requires that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld is personally responsible for issuing intercept orders. Commanders in the field are stripped of all authority to act. This amazing order came from S.A. Fry (Vice Admiral, US Navy and Director, Joint Staff) so it appears to me that responsibility for the US armed forces "Failure to Respond" rests directly with Fry for issuing this instruction, as well as with Donald Rumsfeld for failing to execute his responsibility to issue orders in a timely fashion.
posted by Kevin at 3:06 AM
Four U.S. Mercenaries Killed, Dragged Through the Streets of Falluja, Hung From a Bridge :.It's not easy being a whore of war, but then again, nobody said it was going to be easy to steal an entire country: Fearful that the incident in Falluja would draw comparisons with notorious images from Somalia in 1993, when the bodies of American soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, the White House vowed that there would be no u-turn in policy.
But there is bound to be alarm within an administration that is anxious to maintain public support for its Iraq strategy as George Bush seeks re-election in November.
Across Iraq it was one of the bloodiest days this year for the occupation. Five US soldiers also died in Habbaniya, 15 miles west of Falluja, when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Near the southern city of Basra, three British soldiers were injured when they were caught in an explosion.
In Falluja, pictures of the two burning vehicles in which the four US civilians were travelling when they were attacked, and of the crowds which gathered around them were shown on US television. But the networks shied away from broadcasting gruesome images of the attack, in which the bodies were burned, decapitated and then hanged from bridges.
posted by Kevin at 3:00 AM
Science on Verge of New 'Creation' :.Oh yeah, such great breakthroughs! Why not worry about finding a way to provide clean food and water to people? "Science" has become a gruesome, carnival-style freak show: More than 3.5 billion years after nature transformed non-living matter into living things, populating Earth with a cornucopia of animals and plants, scientists say they are finally ready to try their hand at creating life.
If they succeed, humanity will enter a new age of "living technology," where harnessing the power of life to spontaneously adapt to complex situations could solve problems that now defy modern engineering.
posted by Kevin at 2:58 AM
Chicago Sears Tower and April 19th Numerology :.This is weird: Is Sears Tower, Chicago, Next? On April 19th?
It's highly possible the next major terror attack could be April 19th, striked at Sears Tower, Chicago.
Because of multiple numerological and symbolical reasons, exactly as with "9/11", such as:
Double Anniversary Numerology
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April 19th, 2004 is 9 Years after the Oklahoma City Bombing (April 19th, 1995) and 11 Years after Waco (April 19th, 1993):
April 19th, 1995 --> April 19th, 2004 = 9 Years = 9
April 19th, 1993 --> April 19th, 2004 = 11 Years = 11
9 Years/11 Years = 9/11
Building Numerology
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Murrah Federal Building = 9 Stories = 9
Waco Church = 2 Stories = 2 = 1+1 --> 11
9(OKC)/11(Waco) = 9/11
Time Numerology
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911 days between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2004
911 hours (roughly) between 3/11/2004 and 4/19/2004
Sears Tower Numerology
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Valued at $911 million (before 9/11) = 911
Sears Tower is 9 buildings in 1 = 1 and 9 = 19 (April 19th)
WTC-Towers looked together like the figure 11 = 11 (September)
Consists of 9 buildings = 9
110 Stories (like WTC) = 1+1+0 = 11
= 9/11This goes on and on. I don't know about the numerology stuff (it's weird, no doubt), but if it's a fact that the same investment group purchased the World Trade Center interests also just purchased the Sears Tower... Who knows!?
posted by Kevin at 2:50 AM
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:. Reading
 Fatal
Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture by Andrew Kimbrell
Readers will come to see
that industrial food production is indeed a "fatal harvest"
- fatal to consumers, as pesticide residues and new disease vectors
such as E. coli and "mad cow disease" find their way
into our food supply; fatal to our landscapes, as chemical runoff
from factory farms poison our rivers and groundwater; fatal to
genetic diversity, as farmers rely increasingly on high-yield
monocultures and genetically engineered crops; and fatal to our
farm communities, which are wiped out by huge corporate
farms.
 Friendly
Fascism: The New Face of Power in America by Bertram Myron Gross
This is a relatively
short but extremely cogent and well-argued treatise on the rise
of a form of fascistic thought and social politics in late 20th
century America. Author Bertram Gross' thesis is quite straightforward;
the power elite that comprises the corporate, governmental and
military superstructure of the country is increasingly inclined
to employ every element in their formidable arsenal of 'friendly
persuasion' to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Americans
through what Gross refers to as friendly fascism.
 The
Good Life
by Scott and Helen Nearing Helen
and Scott Nearing are the great-grandparents of the back-to-the-land
movement, having abandoned the city in 1932 for a rural life based
on self-reliance, good health, and a minimum of cash...Fascinating,
timely, and wholly useful, a mix of the Nearings' challenging
philosophy and expert counsel on practical skills.
 Silent
Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth by David Bollierd
In Silent Theft, David Bollier
argues that a great untold story of our time is the staggering
privatization and abuse of our common wealth. Corporations are
engaged in a relentless plunder of dozens of resources that we
collectively own—publicly funded medical breakthroughs,
software innovation, the airwaves, the public domain of creative
works, and even the DNA of plants, animals and humans. Too often,
however, our government turns a blind eye—or sometimes helps
give away our assets. Amazingly,
the silent theft of our shared wealth has gone largely unnoticed
because we have lost our ability to see the commons.
 The
Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-To-Basics
Guide by John Seymour The
Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that
teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony
with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops
and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and
wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.
 When
Corporations Rule the World by David C. Korten
When Corporations
Rule the World explains how economic globalization has concentrated
the power to govern in global corporations and financial markets
and detached them from accountability to the human interest. It
documents the devastating human and environmental consequences
of the successful efforts of these corporations to reconstruct
values and institutions everywhere on the planet to serve their
own narrow ends.
 The
New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques
for the Home and Market Gardener
This expansion
of a now-classic guide originally published in 1989 is intended
for the serious gardener or small-scale market farmer. It describes
practical and sustainable ways of growing superb organic vegetables,
with detailed coverage of scale and capital, marketing, livestock,
the winter garden, soil fertility, weeds, and many other
topics.
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