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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 07:46

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Last Updated (Saturday, 01 June 2013 18:32)

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released an audio speech from its military commander Abu Hureira al-Sana'ani (AKA Qasm al-Rimi) telling the American people that their security is dependent on the US government's actions in Muslim countries and elsewhere.

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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) officially released the 11th issue of its English e-magazine, ''Inspire,'' two days after Yemeni journalist Abdul Razzaq al-Jamal posted the Arabic and English copies he received from the group.

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Last Updated (Friday, 31 May 2013 16:53)

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) announced that the six-man suicide raid against a government compound in Afghanistan's Panjshir province on May 29, 2013, was a joint attack with the Afghan Taliban.

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 07:43

WASHINGTON -- A top Al Qaeda plotter may have been zapped in an airstrike Friday, hours after a new U.S. air security alert was issued, prompted by fresh intelligence the group is plotting homeland attacks.

Yemen's government said Qassim Al-Raymi, military commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was the main target of the air raid.

RELATED: WE'RE NOT WHAT'S ON TV - N.Y. YEMENIS

As operations emir and one of the two top AQAP leaders, Al-Raymi is believed by U.S. counterterror officials to have orchestrated the Christmas Day botched bombing of a Northwest Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Daily News has learned.

Al-Raymi rebuilt the remnants of the Al Qaeda franchise after escaping a Yemeni prison in early 2006.

RELATED: TWO SUSPECTED AL QAEDA MILITANTS KILLED IN YEMEN

Five other thugs were killed in the raid, including three of AQAP's most dangerous operatives, top Yemeni diplomat Mohammed Albasha said in a statement issued by the embassy in Washington.

"Yemeni Air forces carried out an air raid...targeting and destroying two vehicles," Albasha said.

RELATED: U.S. EMBASSY IN YEMEN REOPENS AFTER QAEDA THREATS PROMPT TWO-DAY CLOSURE

"They're upper mid-level, important guys in Al Qaeda in Yemen," a U.S. counterterror official said of the targets, adding that the killing of Al-Raymi and the others was not yet confirmed.

One AQAP figure who hasn't been scratched off the hit list is U.S. citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki.

RELATED: YEMEN CLAIMS TO HAVE KILLED MILITANTS BEHIND TERROR THREAT TO U.S. EMBASSY

He has been targeted by Yemen for his online jihadi preaching and communications with Fort Hood alleged shooter Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and with the alleged Christmas bomber, Abdulmutallab of Nigeria.

There is an increased belief that Abdulmutallab, like Hasan, was in contact by e-mail and maybe in person with Al-Awlaki, the counterterror official told The News today.

RELATED: YEMENI FORCES CAPTURE THREE AL QAEDA MILITANTS AS U.S.-BACKED CRACKDOWN CONTINUES

Out of fear that there are more suicide bombers like Abdulmutallab heading to airports to catch U.S. flights, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano ordered even tighter air security Thursday.

New intelligence on other suspected operatives has led U.S. officials to fear that AQAP has compressed the time it used to take to recruit, train and dispatch its killers to America's shores.

"It's scary - they're relentless," said a source familiar with the new threats.

While sources continue to say the U.S. has launched its own covert military actions inside Yemen, Albasha said the oil-rich nation is aggressively trying to eliminate the threat on its own. "Today's operation marks the fifth major strike on Al Qaeda positions in less than a month," he said. "The government of Yemen is committed and determined to clear its territories of Al Qaeda operatives."

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 07:41

CAIRO: The military leader of Al-Qaida's Yemeni branch said late Saturday Americans will not be safe unless their leaders respect the security of other nations and do not attack or oppress them.

In a message posted on a militant website, addressed "to the American nation," Qassim al-Rimi, commander of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, said: "your security is not achieved by despoiling other nations' security or by attacking and oppressing them."

The six-minute English-subtitled audio implored Americans to "leave us with our religion, land and nations and mind your own internal affairs."

Al-Rimi said the bombing of the Boston marathon in April, and the recent sending of ricin-tainted letters "indicate that the control of your security has broken away." The video was produced by Al-Qaida's media arm, al-Malahem Foundation.

Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.

For Fiscal Year 2010, CSIS had an operating budget of US$ 29.8 million. The sources were: 29% corporate, 24% foundation, 16% government, 14% individuals, 5% endowment,

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Fri, 31 May 2013 18:01

In an odd turn of events, firefighters were the ones starting the fires at the latest austerity protest in Spain.

Spanish firefighters clashed with riot police in Barcelona Wednesday as they protested against spending cuts in Catalonia, the economically powerful northeastern region of the country.

Hundreds of public employees, sporting yellow helmets and red jackets, gathered in front of Catalonia's parliament building. Some ignited flares, threw smoke bombs and burned makeshift coffins labeled "public services."

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Riot police charge at firefighters during a protest against austerity measures in front of the Catalonia Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Paco Serinelli)

Labor unions that represent the firefighters warned in a statement that the proposed reductions in staff and spending put the "safety of workers and the people of Catalonia" at risk, according to Agence France-Presse.

The fiery protest is one of many to hit the streets of Spain in recent months as the European country has struggled to overcome its severe budget deficit. In February, dozens were arrested after scuffles between protesters and police broke out during a mass demonstration in Madrid, Reuters reported at the time.

According to the Associated Press, the European Union eased its tough stance on austerity Wednesday when it granted several member states, including Spain, more time to get their budget defects under control. However, the countries must now turn their focus to their labor markets and implement reforms to bolster national economies, the European Commission said.

See more photos of the fracas between firefighters and police in the gallery below.

Riot police charge at firefighters during a protest against austerity measures in front of the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. The European Union moved away from its focus on tough austerity Wednesday when it gave France, Spain and four other member states more time to bring their budget deficits under control to support their economies. (AP Photo/Paco Serinelli)

Firefighters (L) stand around a bonfire during a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighters burn a mock coffin bearing the words "RIP Public Services," during a protest against austerity measures in front of the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. The European Union moved away from its focus on tough austerity Wednesday when it gave France, Spain and four other member states more time to bring their budget deficits under control to support their economies. (AP Photo/Paco Serinelli)

A firefighter (R) attempts to stop a policeman (L) from extinguishing a bonfire lit by firefighters during a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament, on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

A firefighter (R) attempts to stop a policeman (L) from extinguishing a bonfire lit by firefighters during a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament, on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighters hold flares during a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament, on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

A policeman (L) stands in front of firefighters attending a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighters attend a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services in front of the headquarters of the Catalan Parliament on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

The reflection of the Catalan Parliament's headquarters is pictured on a firefighter's helmet attending a demonstration against the government's spending cuts in social services on May 29, 2013 in Barcelona. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:24

State capitalism is usually described as an economic system in which commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity is undertaken by the state, with management and organization of the means of production in a capitalist manner - maintaining the conditions of wage labor arising from centralized ownership,[1] even if the state is nominally socialist.[2] State capitalism is characterized by the dominance of state-owned business enterprises in the economy. Examples of state capitalism include corporatized government agencies (agencies organized along corporate and business management practices) and states that own controlling shares of publicly listed corporations, effectively acting as a large shareholder or a capitalist.

State capitalism has also come to refer to an economic system where the means of production are owned privately but the state has considerable control over the allocation of credit and investment, as in the case of France during the period of dirigisme. Alternatively, state capitalism may be used (sometimes interchangeably with state monopoly capitalism) to describe a system where the state intervenes in the economy to protect and advance the interests of large-scale businesses. This practice is often claimed to be in contrast with the ideals of both socialism and laissez-fairecapitalism.[3]

There are various theories and critiques of state capitalism, some of which have existed before the 1917 October Revolution. The common themes among them are to identify that the workers do not meaningfully control the means of production and that commodity relations and production for profit still occur within state capitalism. Other socialists use the term "state capitalism" to refer to an economic system that is nominally capitalist, such that private owners gain the profits from an economy where decisive research and development is done or subsidized in the public sector at public cost.[4]

Marxist literature typically defines state capitalism as a social system combining capitalism'--the wage system of producing and appropriating surplus value'--with ownership or control by a state. By that definition, a state capitalist country is one where the government controls the economy and essentially acts like a single huge corporation, extracting the surplus value from the workforce in order to invest it in further production.[4]Friedrich Engels, in Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, argued that state capitalism would be the final stage of capitalism, consisting of ownership and management of large-scale production and communication by the bourgeois state.[5]Libertarian socialists and some left communists use the terms "state socialism" and "state capitalism" interchangeably, with the latter intended to be pejorative.

Some even use the term to refer to capitalist economies such that the state provides substantial public services and regulation of business activity, this could refer to several ideologies ranging from social liberalism and social democracy to fascism. The term is also used by some in reference to a private capitalist economy controlled by a state, often meaning a privately owned economy that is subject to statist economic planning. In the 1930s, Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini said that were Fascism to conform itself to modern capitalism, it would end up as being "state socialism turned on its head".[6] This term was often used to describe the controlled economies of the great powers in the First World War.[7]

Origins and early uses of the term[edit]The term itself was in use within the socialist movement from the late 19th century onwards. Wilhelm Liebknecht in 1896 said: "Nobody has combatted State Socialism more than we German Socialists; nobody has shown more distinctively than I, that State Socialism is really State capitalism!" [8]

It has been suggested that the concept of state capitalism can be traced back to Mikhail Bakunin's critique during the First International of the potential for state exploitation under Marxist-inspired socialism, or to Jan Waclav Machajski's argument in The Intellectual Worker (1905) that socialism was a movement of the intelligentsia as a class, resulting in a new type of society he termed state capitalism.[9][10][11] For anarchists, state socialism is equivalent to state capitalism, hence oppressive and merely a shift from private capitalists to the state being the sole employer and capitalist.[12]

During World War I, using Vladimir Lenin's idea that Czarism was taking a "Prussian path" to capitalism, the Bolshevik Nikolai Bukharin identified a new stage in the development of capitalism, in which all sectors of national production and all important social institutions had become managed by the state; he termed this new stage 'state capitalism.' [13]

After the October Revolution, Lenin used the term positively. In spring 1918, during a brief period of economic liberalism prior to the introduction of war communism, and again during the New Economic Policy (NEP) of 1921, Lenin justified the introduction of state capitalism controlled politically by the dictatorship of the proletariat to further central control and develop the productive forces:

Reality tells us that state capitalism would be a step forward. If in a small space of time we could achieve state capitalism, that would be a victory. (Lenin 1918)[14][15]

Current forms in 21st century[edit]State capitalism is distinguished from capitalist mixed economies where the state intervenes in markets in order to correct market failures or establish social regulations in the following way: in a state capitalist system, the state operates businesses for the purpose of accumulating capital and directing investment in the framework of either a free-market economy or a mixed-market economy. State and governmental functions are organized as corporations, companies or business enterprises.

People's Republic of China[edit]Many analysts assert that China is one of the main examples of state capitalism in the 21st century.[16][17] In his book, The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations, political scientist Ian Bremmer describes China as the primary driver for the rise of state capitalism as a challenge to the free market economies of the developed world, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.[18] Bremmer describes state capitalism thus:[19]

In this system, governments use various kinds of state-owned companies to manage the exploitation of resources that they consider the state's crown jewels and to create and maintain large numbers of jobs. They use select privately owned companies to dominate certain economic sectors. They use so-called sovereign wealth funds to invest their extra cash in ways that maximize the state's profits. In all three cases, the state is using markets to create wealth that can be directed as political officials see fit. And in all three cases, the ultimate motive is not economic (maximizing growth) but political (maximizing the state's power and the leadership's chances of survival). This is a form of capitalism but one in which the state acts as the dominant economic player and uses markets primarily for political gain.

Economy of Singapore[edit]It has been argued[20] that Singapore's economic model is a form of state capitalism, where the state owns controlling shares in government-linked companies and directs investment through sovereign wealth funds.[20][dead link]

Use by Socialists[edit]State capitalism has been used by various socialists, including Anarchists, Marxists and Leninists.

Use by Anarchists[edit]Perhaps the earliest critique of the USSR as state-capitalist was formulated by the Russian anarchists, as documented in Paul Avrich's work on Russian anarchism [21]

This claim would become standard in anarchist works. For example, the prominent anarchist Emma Goldman in an article from 1935 titled "There Is No Communism in Russia" said of the USSR: "Such a condition of affairs may be called state capitalism, but it would be fantastic to consider it in any sense Communistic...Soviet Russia, it must now be obvious, is an absolute despotism politically and the crassest form of state capitalism economically".[22]

Murray Bookchin, when speaking about Marxism said that "Marxism, in fact, becomes ideology. It is assimilated by the most advanced forms of state capitalist movement '-- notably Russia. By an incredible irony of history, Marxian ''socialism'' turns out to be in large part the very state capitalism that Marx failed to anticipate in the dialectic of capitalism. The proletariat, instead of developing into a revolutionary class within the womb of capitalism, turns out to be an organ within the body of bourgeois society...Lenin sensed this and described ''socialism'' as ''nothing but state capitalist monopoly made to benefit the whole people.'' This is an extraordinary statement if one thinks out its implications, and a mouthful of contradictions."[23]

The authors of An Anarchist FAQ, while speaking about leninism say that "Rather than present an effective and efficient means of achieving revolution, the Leninist model is elitist, hierarchical and highly inefficient in achieving a socialist society. At best, these parties play a harmful role in the class struggle by alienating activists and militants with their organisational principles and manipulative tactics within popular structures and groups. At worse, these parties can seize power and create a new form of class society (a state capitalist one) in which the working class is oppressed by new bosses (namely, the party hierarchy and its appointees)."[24]

Use by the Russian Communist Left[edit]Another early analysis the USSR as state capitalist came from various groups advocating left communism. One major tendency of the 1918 Russian communist left criticised the re-employment of authoritarian capitalist relations and methods of production. As Ossinsky in particular argued, "one-man management" (rather than the democratic factory committees workers had established and Lenin abolished) and the other impositions of capitalist discipline would stifle the active participation of workers in the organisation of production; Taylorism converted workers into the appendages of machines, and piece work imposed individualist rather than collective rewards in production so instilling petty bourgeois values into workers. In sum these measures were seen as the re-transformation of proletarians within production from collective subject back into the atomised objects of capital. The working class, it was argued, had to participate consciously in economic as well as political administration. This tendency within the 1918 left communists emphasized that the problem with capitalist production was that it treated workers as objects. Its transcendence lay in the workers' conscious creativity and participation, which is reminiscent of Marx's critique of alienation.[25]

These criticisms were revived on the left of the Russian Communist Party after the 10th Congress in 1921, which introduced the New Economic Policy. Many members of the Workers' Opposition and the Decists (both later banned) and two new underground Left Communist groups, Gavril Myasnikov's Workers' Group and the Workers' Truth group, developed the idea that Russia was becoming a state capitalist society governed by a new bureaucratic class.[26][27] The most developed version of this idea was in a 1931 booklet by Myasnikov.[28]

Use by Mensheviks & 'Orthodox' Marxists[edit]Immediately after the Russian Revolution many western Marxists questioned whether socialism was possible in Russia. Specifically, Karl Kautsky:

It is only the old feudal large landed property which exists no longer. Conditions in Russia were ripe for its abolition but they were not ripe for the abolition of capitalism. Capitalism is now once again celebrating a resurrection, but in forms that are more oppressive and harrowing for the proletariat than of old. Instead of assuming higher industrialised forms, private capitalism has assumed the most wretched and shabby forms of black marketeering and money speculation. Industrial capitalism has developed to become state capitalism. Formerly state officials and officials from private capital were critical, often very hostile towards each other. Consequently the working man found that his advantage lay with one or the other in turn. Today the state bureaucracy and capitalist bureaucracy are merged into one'--that is the upshot of the great socialist revolution brought about by the Bolsheviks. It constitutes the most oppressive of all despotisms that Russia has ever had to suffer.[29]After 1929, exiled Mensheviks such as Fyodor Dan began to argue that Stalin's Russia constituted a state capitalist society.[30] In the United Kingdom, the orthodox Marxist group the Socialist Party of Great Britain independently developed a similar doctrine. Although initially beginning with the idea that Soviet capitalism differed little from western capitalism, they later began to argue that the bureaucracy held its productive property in common, much like the Catholic Church's.[31] As John O'Neill notes:

Whatever other merits or problems their theories had, in arguing that the Russian revolution was from the outset a capitalist revolution they avoided the ad hoc and post hoc nature of more recent Maoist- and Trotskyist-inspired accounts of state capitalism, which start from the assumption that the Bolshevik revolution inaugurated a socialist economy that at some later stage degenerated into capitalism.[32]Use by Trotskyists[edit]Leon Trotsky said the term state capitalism "originally arose to designate the phenomena which arise when a bourgeois state takes direct charge of the means of transport or of industrial enterprises" and is therefore a "partial negation" of capitalism.[33] However, Trotsky rejected that description of the USSR claiming instead that it was a degenerated workers' state. After World War II, most Trotskyists accepted an analysis of the Soviet bloc countries as being deformed workers' states. However, alternative opinions of the Trotskyist tradition have developed the theory of state capitalism as a New Class theory to explain what they regard as the essentially non-socialist nature of the USSR, Cuba, China, and other self-proclaimed socialist states.

The discussion goes back to internal debates in the Left Opposition during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Ante Ciliga, a member of the Left Opposition imprisoned at Verkhne-Uralsk in the 1930s, described the evolution of many Left Oppositionists to a theory of state capitalism influenced by Gavril Myasnikov's Workers Group and other Left Communist factions.[34] On release, and returning to activity in the International Left Opposition, Ciliga "was one of the first, after 1936, to raise the theory [of state capitalism] in Trotskyist circles".[35]George Orwell, who was an anti-Stalinist leftist like Ciliga, used the term in his Homage to Catalonia (1938).

After 1940, dissident Trotskyists developed more theoretically sophisticated accounts of state capitalism. One influential formulation has been that of the Johnson-Forest Tendency of CLR James and Raya Dunayevskaya who formulated her theory in the early 1940s on the basis of a study of the first three Five Year Plans alongside readings of Marx's early humanist writings. Their political evolution would lead them away from Trotskyism. Another is that of Tony Cliff, associated with the International Socialist Tendency and the British Socialist Workers Party (SWP), dating back to the late 1940s. Unlike Johnson-Forest, Cliff formulated a theory of state capitalism that would enable his group to remain Trotskyists, albeit heterodox ones.[36] A relatively recent text by Stephen Resnick and Richard D. Wolff, Class Theory and History, explores what they term state capitalism in the former Soviet Union, continuing a theme that has been debated within Trotskyist theory for most of the past century.

Compare with other left-wing theories regarding Soviet-style societies: deformed workers' states, degenerated workers' states, new class, state socialism and bureaucratic collectivism.

Use by later left communists and council communists[edit]The left communist/council communist traditions outside Russia consider the Soviet system as state capitalist. Otto R¼hle, a major German left communist, developed this idea from the 1920s, and it was later articulated by Dutch council communist Anton Pannekoek, for instance in "State Capitalism and Dictatorship" (1936).

Use by Maoists and "Anti-Revisionists"[edit]From 1956 to the early 1980s, the Communist Party of China and their Maoist or "anti-revisionist" adherents around the world often described the Soviet Union as state-capitalist, essentially using the accepted Marxist definition, albeit on a different basis and in reference to a different span of time from either the Trotskyists or the left-communists. Specifically, the Maoists and their descendants use the term state capitalism as part of their description of the style and politics of Nikita Khrushchev and his successors, as well as to similar leaders and policies in other self-styled "socialist" states.[37] This was involved in the ideological Sino-Soviet Split.

After Mao's death, amidst the supporters of the Cultural Revolution and the exploits of the "Gang of Four", most extended the state capitalist formulation to China itself, and ceased to support the Communist Party of China, which likewise distanced itself from these former fraternal groups. The related theory of Hoxhaism was developed in 1978, largely by Albanian president Enver Hoxha, who insisted that Mao himself had pursued state capitalist and revisionist economic policies.[38]

Most current Communist groups descended from the Maoist ideological tradition still adopt the description of both China and the Soviet Union as being "state-capitalist" from a certain point in their history onwards'--most commonly, the Soviet Union from 1956 to its collapse in 1991, and China from 1976 to the present. Maoists and "anti-revisionists" also sometimes use the term "Social-imperialism" to describe socialist states that they consider to be actually capitalist in essence'--their phrase, "socialist in words, imperialist in deeds" denotes this.

Use by classical liberals and laissez-faire liberals[edit]Murray Rothbard, a laissez-faire capitalist philosopher, uses the term interchangeably with the term state monopoly capitalism, and uses it to describe a partnership of government and big business in which the state intervenes on behalf of large capitalists against the interests of consumers.[39][40] He distinguishes this from laissez-faire capitalism where big business is not protected from market forces. This usage dates from the 1960s, when Harry Elmer Barnes described the post-New Deal economy of the United States as "state capitalism." More recently, Andrei Illarionov, former economic advisor to RussianPresidentVladimir Putin, resigned in December 2005, protesting Russia's "embracement of state capitalism."[41]

The term is not used by the classical liberals to describe the public ownership of the means of production. The Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises explains the reason: "The socialist movement takes great pains to circulate frequently new labels for its ideally constructed state. Each worn-out label is replaced by another which raises hopes of an ultimate solution of the insoluble basic problem of Socialism'--until it becomes obvious that nothing has been changed but the name. The most recent slogan is "State Capitalism." It is not commonly realized that this covers nothing more than what used to be called Planned Economy and State Socialism, and that State Capitalism, Planned Economy, and State Socialism diverge only in non-essentials from the "classic" ideal of egalitarian Socialism."[42]

Use by Italian Fascists[edit]On economic issues, Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini claimed in 1933 that, were Fascism to follow the modern phase of capitalism, its path would "lead inexorably into state capitalism, which is nothing more nor less than state socialism turned on its head. In either event, [whether the outcome be state capitalism or state socialism] the result is the bureaucratization of the economic activities of the nation."[43] Mussolini claimed that capitalism had degenerated in three stages, starting with dynamic or heroic capitalism (1830''1870) followed by static capitalism (1870''1914) and then reaching its final form of decadent capitalism, also known as supercapitalism beginning in 1914.[44]

Mussolini denounced supercapitalism for causing the "standardization of humankind" and for causing excessive consumption.[45] Mussolini claimed that at this stage of supercapitalism "[it] is then that a capitalist enterprise, when difficulties arise, throws itself like a dead weight into the state's arms. It is then that state intervention begins and becomes more necessary. It is then that those who once ignored the state now seek it out anxiously."[46] Due to the inability of businesses to operate properly when facing economic difficulties, Mussolini claimed that this proved that state intervention into the economy was necessary to stabilize the economy.[46]

Mussolini claimed that dynamic or heroic capitalism and the bourgeoisie could be prevented from degenerating into static capitalism and then supercapitalism only if the concept of economic individualism were abandoned and if state supervision of the economy was introduced.[47]Private enterprise would control production but it would be supervised by the state.[47] Italian Fascism presented the economic system of corporatism as the solution that would preserve private enterprise and property while allowing the state to intervene in the economy when private enterprise failed.[47]

In Western countries[edit]An alternate definition is that state capitalism is a close relationship between the government and private capitalism, such as one in which the private capitalists produce for a guaranteed market. An example of this would be the military-industrial complex in which autonomous entrepreneurial firms produce for lucrative government contracts and are not subject to the discipline of competitive markets. Many consider this as part of a continuum characterizing the modern world economy with "normal" capitalism at one extreme and complete state capitalism like that of the former USSR at the other.[citation needed]

Both the Trotskyist definition and this one derive from discussion among Marxists at the beginning of the 20th century, most notably Nikolai Bukharin who, in his book Imperialism and the world economy thought that advanced, 'imperialist' countries exhibited the latter definition and considered (and rejected) the possibility that they could arrive at the former.

State capitalism is practised by a variety of Western countries with respect to certain strategic resources important for national security. These may involve private investment as well. For example, a government may own or even monopolize oil production or transport infrastructure to ensure availability in the case of war. Examples include Neste, Statoil and OMV.

There are some limits, according to arguments that state capitalism exists to ensure that wealth creation does not threaten the ruling elite's political power, which remains unthreatened by tight connections between the government and the industries while state capitalist fears of capitalism's ''creative destruction,'' of the threat of revolution, and of any significant changes in the system result in the persistence of industries that have outlived their economic usefulness and an inefficient economic environment that is ill equipped to inspire innovation.

In European studies[edit]Several European scholars and political economists have been using the term increasingly to describe one of the three major varieties of capitalism that prevail in the modern context of the European Union. This approach is mainly influenced by Schmidt's (2002) article on The Futures of European Capitalism, in which he divides modern European capitalism in three groups: Market, Managed and State. Here, state capitalism refers to a system where high coordination between the state, large companies and labour unions ensures economic growth and development in a quasi-corporatist model. The author cites France and, to a lesser extent, Italy as the prime examples of modern European State capitalism.[48] A general theory of Capitalist forms, whereby state capitalism is a particular case, was developed by Ernesto Screpanti, who argues that soviet type economies of the 20th century used state capitalism to sustain processes of primitive accumulation.[49]

See also[edit]^Williams, Raymond (1983). "Capitalism". Keywords: A vocabulary of culture and society, revised edition. Oxford University Press. p. 52. ISBN 0195204697. ^Binns, Peter (1986). "State Capitalism". Retrieved 2007-05-31. ^Allan G. Johnson. The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology. (2000). Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-21681-2 p.306. In 2008, the term was used by U.S. National Intelligence Council in Global Trends 2025: A World Transformed to describe the development of Russia, India, and China.^ abhttp://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/5860^http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch03.htm^Mussolini, Benito; "Address to the National Corporative Council (14 November 1933)". Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions,. Fertig, 1978. "Were we'--it is a mere supposition'--to give way to this latest phase of capitalism we should slide into State capitalism which is merely State socialism reversed. In either event, [whether the outcome be state capitalism or state socialism] the result is the bureaucratization of the national economy." - Benito Mussolini on modern capitalism in 1933."^David Miller, Janet Coleman, William Conolly and Alan Ryan, ed. (1991). Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought. Blackwell. ^Liebknecht, Wilhelm (1896). "Our Recent Congress". Justice. Retrieved 2007-05-31. ^Michael S Fox "Ante Ciliga, Trotskii and State Capitalism: Theory, Tactics and Reevaluation during the Purge Era, 1935-1939", Slavic Review, 50, no. 1 (Spring 1991): 127-143. Published in Croatian translation in ?asopis za suvremenu povijest [Journal of Contemporary History], Zagreb, no. 3, 1994, 427-450.^For Bakunin: Gouldner, A.W. 1982. 'Marx's last battle: Bakunin and the First International', Theory and Society 11(6), November, pp. 853-84. Gouldner argues that Bakunin formulated an original critique of Marxism as 'the ideology, not of the working class, but of a new class of scientific intelligentsia'--who would corrupt socialism, make themselves a new elite, and impose their rule on the majority' (pp. 860-1)^For Machajski: Marshall S. ShatzJan Waclaw Machajski: A Radical Critic Of The Russian Intelligentsia And Socialism; TB Bottomore Elites and Society p.54^http://www.infoshop.org/faq/secH3.html#sech313^Bukharin, N. 1915 [1972]. Imperialism and World Economy. London: Merlin. p. 158)^Lenin's Collected Works Vol. 27, p. 293, quoted by Aufheben^See also David S. Pena "Tasks of Working-Class Governments under the Socialist-oriented Market Economy", PoliticalAffairs.net^Communism Is Dead, But State Capitalism Thrives, by Vahan Janjigian, forbes.com, Mar. 22 2010.^The Winners And Losers In Chinese Capitalism, by Gady Epstein, forbes.com, Aug. 31 2010.^Dyer, Geoff (13 September 2010). "State capitalism: China's 'market-Leninism' has yet to face biggest test". Financial Times. ^Ferguson, Niall (10 February 2012). "We're All State Capitalists Now". Foreign Policy. ^ ab"The True Meaning of the 'Singapore Model': State Capitalism and Urban Planning", by Shatkin, Gavin. Retrieved October 18, 2012, from Association of American Geographers: http://meridian.aag.org/callforpapers/program/AbstractDetail.cfm?AbstractID=38973^Paul Avrich, 1967, The Russian Anarchists, Princeton University Press, chapter 7^"There Is No Communism in Russia" byEmma Goldman^"Listen, Marxist!" byMurray Bookchin^"H5. What is vanguardism and why do anarchists reject it?" atAn Anarchist FAQ^Jerome, W. and Buick, A. 1967. 'Soviet state capitalism? The history of an idea', Survey 62, January, pp. 58-71.^Fox "Ante Ciliga"^EH Carr, The Interregnum 1923-1924, London, 1954, p80^Marshall Shatz "Makhaevism After Machajski"^Kautsky, K. 1919 [1983]. Terrorism and Communism. Cited from P. Goode (ed.), Karl Kautsky: Selected Political Writings. London: Macmillan, 1983, cited in 'State Capitalism' in the Soviet Union M.C. Howard and J.E. King^Liebich, A. 1987. 'Marxism and totalitarianism: Rudolf Hilferding and the Mensheviks', Dissent 34, Spring, pp. 223-40^State capitalism : the wages system under new management / Adam Buick and John Crump. Basingstoke : Macmillan, 1986. ISBN 0-333-36775-8^STATE CAPITALISM - THE WAGES SYSTEM UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT - BUICK,A, CRUMP,J; ONEILL, J; POLITICAL QUARTERLY 59 (3): 398-399 JUL-SEP 1988^Trotsky, Leon (2004). The revolution betrayed. Max Eastman. Mineola, N.Y. : Dover: Newton Abbot : David & Charles. ISBN 0-486-43398-6. Retrieved 2007-05-31. ^Au pays du grand mensonge, see Michael Fox "Ante Ciliga" and Philippe Bourrinet "An Ambiguous Journey"^Fox^Aufheben Cliff and the neo-Trotskyist theory of the USSR as state capitalist in What Was The USSR?^The Economics of Revisionism by the Irish Communist Organisation, 1967.^Imperialism and the Revolution by Enver Hoxha, 1978.^Rothbard, Murray (1973). "A Future of Peace and Capitalism". In James H. Weaver. Modern Political Economy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved 2007-05-31 ^Rothbard, Murray (2000). "Left and right: the prospects for liberty". Egalitarianism as a revolt against nature and other essays. Auburn, Ala.: Ludwig von Mises Institute ^Andrei, Illarionov (2006-01-25). "When the state means business". International Herald and Tribune. Retrieved 2007-05-31. ^Von Mises, Ludwig (1979). Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis. Indianapolis: LibertyClassics. ISBN 0-913966-63-0. Retrieved 2007-05-31. ^Mussolini, Benito; "Address to the National Corporative Council (14 November 1933)". Fascism: Doctrine and Institutions. Fertig, 1978.^Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta. Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy. University of California Press, 2000. Pp. 136.^Falasca-Zamponi, Simonetta. Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy. University of California Press, 2000. Pp. 137.^ abMussolini, Benito; Schnapp, Jeffery Thompson (ed.); Sears, Olivia E. (ed.); Stampino, Maria G. (ed.). "Address to the National Corporative Council (14 November 1933) and Senate Speech on the Bill Establishing the Corporations (abridged; 13 January 1934)". A Primer of Italian Fascism. University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Pp. 158.^ abcSalvemini, Gaetano. Under the Axe of Fascism. READ BOOKS, 2006. Pp. 134.^Schmidt, Vivien (November 2003). French Capitalism Transformed, yet still a Third Variety of Capitalism. Economy and Society Vol. 32 N. 4. ^Ernesto Screpanti, Capitalist Forms and the Essence of Capitalism, ''Review of International Political Economy'', vol. 6, n. 1, 1999; Ernesto Screpanti, The Fundamental Institutions of Capitalism, Routledge, London 2001.External links[edit]

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Thu, 30 May 2013 22:48

President Obama gave an influential speech on counter terrorism and national security policy last week, and while much of the media coverage discussed the President remarks on Guantanamo prison and drone strikes, buried in the speech was a line just as critical to civil liberties online.

Half way through the speech, Obama said he wanted to ''review[] the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication, and build in privacy protections to prevent abuse.''

We certainly agree with the president we need new privacy protections for our digital communications, and it's encouraging to hear him suggest support for such proposals. After all, we know the vast surveillance authorities given to law enforcement over the last decade''--like the Patriot Act, FISA Amendments Act, and National Security Letters'--have been serially abused. Unfortunately, President Obama has actively defended these laws and policies in Congress and the courts, despite promising to reform them as a candidate.

There are still many measures his administration could support in the coming months to protect Americans communications. The White House could formally support reform of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which still says law enforcement agencies do not need warrants to obtain emails over 180 days old. The White House could come out in favor of warrant protection for cell-phone location information since it's requested by authorities literally millions of times a year without a warrant. In the wake of the Associated Press scandal, Obama could also support a bill to require a court order for call records of all Americans.

But the first half of Obama's statement'--about ''review[] the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication'''--is quite troubling. The line is likely an allusion to CALEA II, a dangerous proposal the New York Times has reported the administration ''is on the verge of backing.'' The measure would force companies like Google and Facebook to install backdoors in all of their products to facilitate law-enforcement access, putting both our privacy and security at risk.

Law enforcement certainly doesn't need more legal authorities to conduct digital surveillance. As mentioned above, Congress has already been provided a huge amount of new surveillance authority that has been abused. As former White House Chief Counselor for Privacy Peter Swire said in 2011, "today [is] a golden age for surveillance."

Indeed, it seems that the law enforcement is working at cross-purposes with the folks concerned about actual cybersecurity. Just a few months ago in his State of the Union address, Obama himself talked about hackers who steal people's identities and infiltrate private e-mail'' and ''foreign countries and companies [that] swipe our corporate secrets.'' Requiring real-time back doors into all of our communications would make those kinds of attacks easier. Recently, a group of more than a dozen of the nation's best cybersecurity experts published a paper explaining why such a proposal would be a disaster for Internet security, giving hackers all over the world a central point of vulnerability to target.

And of course the FBI has still failed to put forth any evidence showing a bill to ''intercept new kinds of communications'' is needed at all. According to government statistics, from 2006-2010, the FBI has been ultimately thwarted by encryption zero times in their criminal investigations.

Citing privacy concerns, the White House commendably has threatened to veto CISPA, the cybersecurity bill. It should also jettison this ill-conceived CALEA II proposal in favor of privacy and security.

Email and call the White House today to tell them you oppose any plan to make Internet companies build government backdoors into your communications.

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:01

Push for US Internet 'wiretap' law faces tough roadJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.1 hour ago by Rob LeverThe FBI is stepping up its effort to get broader authority to put "wiretaps" on the Internet to catch criminals and terrorists. But the move is drawing fire from civil liberties groups, technology firms and others who claim the effort could be counterproductive, by harming online security and imposing hefty costs on makers of hardware and software.

US law enforcement has for years complained about the problem of "going dark," or being unable to monitor Internet communications in the same manner as wiretaps, for which officials get a court order to tap into a local phone company.

President Barack Obama said in a May 23 speech his administration is "reviewing the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication."

FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann told a recent Washington forum it would be "a top priority this year" to get expanded authority to tap communications such as "Gmail, Google voice (and) Dropbox."

"The way we communicate today is not limited to telephone companies," Weissmann said. "What we don't have is the ability to go to court and require the recipient to effectuate the intercept. Most countries have that."

The FBI can get a court order to monitor Internet-based communications under current law, and major companies like Google and Microsoft may be able to comply.

But many other firms lack the technical capacity to allow this kind of surveillance. The proposal under consideration, according to published reports, would require firms to enable government access or face hefty fines.

The US administration has made no public proposal on wiretap authority, but even the hint of a change has sparked a heated response.

Critics say such a move would be tantamount to giving the government a "backdoor" to every piece of hardware and software being used, which could be exploited by hackers, foreign governments or others.

"It's an intentional security vulnerability that they hope will only be used by the good guys, but we have evidence that the bad guys use it too," said Joseph Hall, senior technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organization.

Hall said that to make the program work, law enforcement would need to get "all the encryption keys" for hardware and require software to be designed with so-called backdoor access, imposing new costs on technology firms.

A CDT report endorsed by 20 security and technology experts underscored the problems with any new Internet surveillance authority.

Mandating a virtual wiretap "is harmful," said Edward Felten, a Princeton University computer scientist who was among those endorsing the report.

"The port makes it easier for attackers to capture the very same data that law enforcement wants," he said in a blog posting.

"Better yet (for the intruder), the capability will be stealthy by design, making it difficult for the user to tell that anything is amiss," he added.

"Beyond this, the mandate would make it harder for users to understand, monitor, and fix their own systems'--which is bad for security."

Bruce Schneier, a computer security and cryptography expert, said the proposal would be "horribly ineffective."

"Mandating wiretap capability in vast swaths of software will render normal law-abiding people less secure, while allowing criminals and terrorists to disable the wiretap capability or use more secure products from other countries," he said.

Technology companies also fiercely oppose any measure leading to government access, saying it would stifle innovation, impose costs on US firms and make their products less competitive in global markets.

"The Department of Justice has not made the case for granting law enforcement broad new powers over Internet companies for purposes of new wiretap authority," said Michael Beckerman of the Internet Association, a lobby for tech companies.

"There are a number of serious unintended consequences with this flawed proposal. A wiretap mandate for the Internet is dead on arrival."

CDT's Hall said recent investigations suggest the FBI and other law enforcement agencies already collect vast amounts of information that could help prevent crimes but fail to make use of it.

"Maybe it's time to use the mountains of information the FBI collects in a smarter way rather than trying to get more information," he said.

Explore further:Google says FBI watching the Web (Update)

(C) 2013 AFP

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(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013

Push for US Internet 'wiretap' law faces tough roadJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.1 hour ago by Rob LeverThe FBI is stepping up its effort to get broader authority to put "wiretaps" on the Internet to catch criminals and terrorists. But the move is drawing fire from civil liberties groups, technology firms and others who claim the effort could be counterproductive, by harming online security and imposing hefty costs on makers of hardware and software.

US law enforcement has for years complained about the problem of "going dark," or being unable to monitor Internet communications in the same manner as wiretaps, for which officials get a court order to tap into a local phone company.

President Barack Obama said in a May 23 speech his administration is "reviewing the authorities of law enforcement, so we can intercept new types of communication."

FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann told a recent Washington forum it would be "a top priority this year" to get expanded authority to tap communications such as "Gmail, Google voice (and) Dropbox."

"The way we communicate today is not limited to telephone companies," Weissmann said. "What we don't have is the ability to go to court and require the recipient to effectuate the intercept. Most countries have that."

The FBI can get a court order to monitor Internet-based communications under current law, and major companies like Google and Microsoft may be able to comply.

But many other firms lack the technical capacity to allow this kind of surveillance. The proposal under consideration, according to published reports, would require firms to enable government access or face hefty fines.

The US administration has made no public proposal on wiretap authority, but even the hint of a change has sparked a heated response.

Critics say such a move would be tantamount to giving the government a "backdoor" to every piece of hardware and software being used, which could be exploited by hackers, foreign governments or others.

"It's an intentional security vulnerability that they hope will only be used by the good guys, but we have evidence that the bad guys use it too," said Joseph Hall, senior technologist at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital rights organization.

Hall said that to make the program work, law enforcement would need to get "all the encryption keys" for hardware and require software to be designed with so-called backdoor access, imposing new costs on technology firms.

A CDT report endorsed by 20 security and technology experts underscored the problems with any new Internet surveillance authority.

Mandating a virtual wiretap "is harmful," said Edward Felten, a Princeton University computer scientist who was among those endorsing the report.

"The port makes it easier for attackers to capture the very same data that law enforcement wants," he said in a blog posting.

"Better yet (for the intruder), the capability will be stealthy by design, making it difficult for the user to tell that anything is amiss," he added.

"Beyond this, the mandate would make it harder for users to understand, monitor, and fix their own systems'--which is bad for security."

Bruce Schneier, a computer security and cryptography expert, said the proposal would be "horribly ineffective."

"Mandating wiretap capability in vast swaths of software will render normal law-abiding people less secure, while allowing criminals and terrorists to disable the wiretap capability or use more secure products from other countries," he said.

Technology companies also fiercely oppose any measure leading to government access, saying it would stifle innovation, impose costs on US firms and make their products less competitive in global markets.

"The Department of Justice has not made the case for granting law enforcement broad new powers over Internet companies for purposes of new wiretap authority," said Michael Beckerman of the Internet Association, a lobby for tech companies.

"There are a number of serious unintended consequences with this flawed proposal. A wiretap mandate for the Internet is dead on arrival."

CDT's Hall said recent investigations suggest the FBI and other law enforcement agencies already collect vast amounts of information that could help prevent crimes but fail to make use of it.

"Maybe it's time to use the mountains of information the FBI collects in a smarter way rather than trying to get more information," he said.

Explore further:Google says FBI watching the Web (Update)

(C) 2013 AFP

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Broad new regulations being drafted by the Obama administration would make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to eavesdrop on Internet and e-mail communications like social networking ...

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Google says the FBI is monitoring the Web for potential terrorist activity. But it can't confirm the extent of the surveillance.

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Reality catches up with sci-fi in storm dronesAt the time it premiered, the film "Twister" put forth a fantastical science fiction idea: Release probes into a storm in order to figure out which tornadoes could develop into killers. It's no longer fiction. ...

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(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013

Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: LewRockwell.com

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:27

U.S. Treasury Is Down to One Day of Cash

by Bill Sardi

Recently by Bill Sardi: Revelation: Statin Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Work Via Their Ability To Reduce Iron Stores, Not Cholesterol. New Paradigm Suggested.

Economist John Williams says the Federal bank account at the US Treasury Department is down to just one-day's estimated outlay, a dire situation that can only be papered over for a short time. Williams cites the May 28 Daily Treasury Statement showing the US Treasury has an operating cash balance of ~$16 billion which is roughly one day's average cash outlay of about $17 billion.

Williams paints reality over the fantasies created by the federal government in his latest commentary (#527). At his website Williams shadows government-issued economic statistics, erasing the false illusions created to make it sound like the economy is in recovery mode.

Williams shows the annual rate of inflation (buying power of the dollar) is ~9.3% rather than 2.4%, unemployment is more like 22% rather than 8% and the Gross Domestic Product, the measure of the production of goods and services, is actually in decline.

By papering over the real numbers, government has bought some time, but it won't last long according to Williams.

The US government can't control foreign holders of US IOUs (US Treasury Bonds) who have a growing perception they will never be paid back on the trillions of dollars of debt owed them. Foreign holders of US Treasury bills can sell them off at a loss to others.

The amount those T-bonds are discounted is the amount the US dollar will be valued at in the world marketplace. At that point, the US faces a default on its obligations to pay back lenders.

Williams says he had expected the US dollar to come "heavy selling pressure in April and May, but manipulated market perceptions of a pending reversal of the Federal Reserve Bank's "quantitative easing" program temporarily averted a looming US fiscal disaster.

Williams calls federal government efforts "false dollar props that are illusions." When these perceptions shift sharply, which he says is soon, is when panic is possible and "full dollar debasement is inevitable" (means 100% devaluation of the US dollar)!

Williams says the scandals unfolding in the White House only create an environment where further lack of trust will hasten the collapse of the US government as we know it.

Brace yourselves. Williams says "The timing of this remains sooner, rather than later, still likely within calendar 2013" and that the dollar sell-off probably "will be the proximal trigger for the onset of hyperinflation before the end of 2014." It may be time to buy a ticket on a spaceship to another planet.

What are the chances all this will be averted? No better than 5-10% by his estimation.

Williams says "the government cannot raise taxes enough to cover the actual deficit in any given year. That shortfall also is so large that every penny of government spending (including defense) could be cut to zero, except for the social programs, and the fiscal circumstance still would be in deficit."

Williams points to looming downgrades in the federal government's credit rating as another bullet it will take.

Williams says: "When the dollar selling starts, safe-havens likely will be sought by investors among all the major Western currencies. A likely place investors will run to is Japan which "still has basic system stability."

"The games being played here are vicious," says Williams, "but the underlying fundamental value of gold as a store of wealth, and as an asset that preserves the purchasing power of the dollars invested in it, cannot be altered by the machinations of the people who created the crises threatening the collapse of the U.S. dollar." He emphasizes gold remains the primary hedge against the US dollar debasement which lies ahead.

May 31, 2013

Bill Sardi[send him mail] is a frequent writer on health and political topics. His health writings can be found at www.naturalhealthlibrarian.com.His latest book isDownsizing Your Body.

Copyright (C) 2013 Bill Sardi Word of Knowledge Agency, San Dimas, California. This article has been written exclusively for www.LewRockwell.com and other parties who wish to refer to it should link rather than post at other URLs.

The Best of Bill Sardi

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 09:26

EyeLock's iris authentication system secures high-traffic environmentsTuesday, May 07, 2013EyeLock Inc., developer of advanced iris-based identity authentication solutions, displayed its new access control system, HBOX, at the ISC West security event held in Las Vegas earlier this month. Available through Stanley Security Solutions, HBOX is a multimodal biometric reader that scans the iris to deliver a high level of security. Designed as an over-the-door device, it can be used indoors as well as outdoors, with multiple mounting options ranging from mobile stands and fixed frames to wall mounts. Read more ...

Better Authentication is Key to DDoS, Mobile Banking Protection: Jeff CarterThursday, April 18, 2013"When you don't have trusted identities for accessing your online banking infrastructure, anyone in the wild can make a request, and you have to respond to it," says Jeff Carter, who ran innovation for Bank of America and the Center for Future Banking, a joint venture between Bank of America, MIT and Harvard University, for six years and is currently chief strategy officer at EyeLock. He has a vested interest: his company's technology scans the human iris to create a "trusted identity" that can be used to authenticate users of anything, including a mobile banking app or online banking site. Read more ...

Why Your Next Phone Will Include Fingerprint, Facial, And Voice RecognitionThursday, April 18, 2013You would think the benefits would be obvious enough: by entering a few numbers, you can achieve a basic level of protection from prying eyes. But according to a recent study, 44% of users said that even this was too much of a hassle '' worse, 30% weren't even worried about mobile security at all. From 0000 to 9999 there are 10,000 possible combinations of digits, yet in a sample of 3.4 million passwords, over 10% were cases in which somebody decided that ''1234'" was their best choice. Read more ...

Capco and EyeLock to bring Iris biometric security to banksWednesday, April 17, 2013Capco, financial services technology consultants, and EyeLock, provider of iris-based identity authentication products, have teamed up to bring Iris biometric security to banks.

EyeLock's technology is aimed at increasing security for keyless bank entry, customer-facing applications, online and mobile systems, account opening, check clearing and wire transfers.

Read more ...

Capco Partners with EyeLock to Bring Iris Biometric Security to BanksTuesday, April 16, 2013NEW YORK, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, EyeLock Inc., a leading provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions, announced a partnering relationship with Capco, a global business and technology consultancy dedicated solely to the financial services industry, to implement EyeLock's identity authentication security solutions across the financial services sector. Read more ...

Capco partners EyeLock to hawk iris scanning tech to banksTuesday, April 16, 2013Fintech consultancy Capco has teamed up with EyeLock in a bid to sell the latter's iris-based identity authentication technology to the financial services industry.

With security breaches costing the banking industry billions of dollars every year, the pair hope to convince firms to ditch PINs and passwords in favour of biometrics. Read more ...

EyeLock launches HBOX access control systemThursday, April 11, 2013EyeLock has announced the introduction of the new HBOX access control system.

This iris-based identity authentication system has been engineered to meet the needs of rapid-throughput environments, as it identifies 50 people per minute at a distance of four feet, making the HBOX ideal for environments such as airports, stadiums and enterprise environments.

Read more ...

EyeLock launches new iris biometric access control systemThursday, April 11, 2013EyeLock Inc. has just launched its new HBOX iris biometric access control system at ISC West in Las Vegas.

Capable of authenticating up to 50 people per minute at a distance of four feet, the company says this system has been engineered to meet the needs of rapid-throughput environments such as airports, stadiums and enterprise environments.

Read more ...

EyeLock Debuts Its New HBOX Iris Authentication System at ISC WestWednesday, April 10, 2013Las Vegas, NV '' Venetian Ballroom E '' April 10, 2013 '' EyeLock Inc., a market leader of iris-based identity authentication solutions, announced today the introduction of the new HBOX®, its highly praised access control system, to be showcased April 10-12 at the Stanley Security Solutions' Venetian Ballroom E during ISC West in Las Vegas. Capable of authenticating 50 people per minute, this high-throughput iris recognition device provides unmatched speed, ease of use, accuracy and security.

Read more ...

Statement By EyeLock's Jeff Carter On Current Security Risks For Banks And Financial InstitutionsMonday, April 08, 2013NEW YORK, April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Jeff Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at EyeLock and a thought leader in banking innovation with more than 15 years of banking and technology experience, today issued the following statement in reaction to recent breaches and security violations at banks and financial institutions in the United States: Read more ...

Stanley, EyeLock Partner to Commercialize IRIS BiometricsTuesday, April 02, 2013Under a new strategic partnership, EyeLock Inc. and Stanley Security Solutions (SSS) will work to further commercialize EyeLock's iris-biometric offerings. Read more ...

Eyelock and Stanley Security Solutions Partner to Commercialize Iris BiometricsFriday, March 29, 2013EyeLock Inc., a leading provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions today announced its strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker, the second largest commercial security services company in the United States and a leading provider of advanced integrated security solutions globally, to further commercialize EyeLock's iris-biometric offerings. Read more ...

Stanley Security Solutions and Eyelock collaborate to commercialize iris scansThursday, March 28, 2013EyeLock, announced its strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions, part of Stanley Black & Decker, the second largest commercial security services company in the U.S. and a leading provider of advanced integrated security solutions globally, to further commercialize EyeLock's iris offerings. Under the terms of this strategic partnership, Stanley has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute EyeLock's proprietary technology, products and solutions for access control applications in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Read more ...

The password you can't forgetWednesday, March 27, 2013That's one eye-catching phone!

Manhattan-based tech firm EyeLock Corp. expects to see a smartphone equipped with iris-recognition technology next year.

The feature would allow the owner to unlock the device just by looking at it, eliminating the need for a password.

Read more ...

Stanley keeps an eye on access controlWednesday, March 27, 2013Stanley Security Solutions believes iris recognition technology is going to be the next big thing in access control.

On Tuesday, it announced a new partnership with iris biometric provider Eyelock (previously Hoyos). Two years ago Stanely CSS announced a partnership with Hoyos. Here's that story.

Read more ...

Stanley Expands Partnership With Iris Biometrics ProviderWednesday, March 27, 2013FISHERS, Ind. '-- Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker, has extended its partnership with EyeLock, a provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions.

Under the terms of the agreement, Stanley has acquired the exclusive rights to distribute EyeLock's proprietary technology, products and solutions for access control applications in the United States., Canada and Europe. The technology will be made available to the broader commercial market-at-large through a newly formed EyeLock Certified Dealer Program, which will expand SSS' global reach and contribute to the company's organic growth strategy.

Read more ...

Stanley partners with EyeLock to roll out iris solutionsTuesday, March 26, 2013EyeLock, a provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions has announced a strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker, to further commercialize EyeLock's iris-biometric offerings. Read more ...

Eyelock partners with Stanley SecurityTuesday, March 26, 2013Stanley Security Solutions announced its partnership with EyeLock Inc., a provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions. EyeLock provides a suite of iris-based identity authentication solutions as an added differentiator to Stanley's existing security solutions. Read more ...

EyeLock and Stanley Security Solutions form strategic partnershipTuesday, March 26, 2013Eyelock has announced a strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions (SSS) to further commercialize EyeLock's iris biometric products.

Through the partnership, EyeLock's iris-based identity authentication solutions will be added as an additional differentiator to SSS's existing security solutions. In addition, the EyeLock partnership will allow SSS to bolster its global distribution and organic growth strategy across key vertical markets.

Read more ...

inShare1 Eyelock and Stanley Security Solutions Partner to Commercialize Iris BiometricsTuesday, March 26, 2013EyeLock Inc., a provider of iris-based, identity authentication solutions today announced its strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker, a provider of advanced, integrated, security solutions globally, to further commercialize EyeLock's iris-biometric offerings. Read more ...

Stanley Security, EyeLock to Market Iris-Scanning SecurityTuesday, March 26, 2013Stanley Security Solutions is betting on biometrics.

The security services unit of Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) said Monday it has formed a partnership with EyeLock, a developer of identity management software that authenticates people by scanning their irises.

Read more ...

EyeLock and Stanley Security Solutions Partner to commercialize iris biometricsTuesday, March 26, 2013Exclusive Partnership to Bring Secure Identity Authentication Solutions to the Enterprise Market in the U.S., Canada and Europe

New York, NY '' March 26, 2013 '' EyeLock Inc., a leading provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions today announced its strategic partnership with Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK), the second largest commercial security services company in the United States and a leading provider of advanced integrated security solutions globally, to further commercialize EyeLock's iris-biometric offerings.

Read more ...

Stanley Security Solutions announces partnership with EyeLockMonday, March 25, 2013FISHERS, IN '' March 25, 2013 '' Stanley Security Solutions (SSS), part of Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK), the second largest commercial security services company in the United States and a leading provider of advanced integrated security solutions globally, today announced its strategic partnership with EyeLock Inc., a leading provider of iris-based identity authentication solutions. EyeLock provides a suite of the most user-friendly, scalable and cost-effective iris-based identity authentication solutions as an added differentiator to SSS's existing security solutions. The EyeLock suite enables SSS to bolster its global distribution and organic growth strategy across key vertical markets, with a key focus on the financial services, banking, healthcare, industrial, education and government sectors. Read more ...

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Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:21

Log in with your social account:Or, you can log in or sign up using Forbes.New Posts+2 posts this hourMost PopularMeg Whitman Jolts HPListsMost Powerful WomenVideo$190 Million EstateGet two issues of Forbes for FREE!Help|Connect

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Source: Dprogram.net

Fri, 31 May 2013 21:19

May 31st, 2013

(IntelliHub) '' Google Chairman ''Eric Schmidt'' said that they will help the police trace ''extremist websites'' and that legal information on Google's search engine will be indexed to help track ''terrorism- promoting websites.''

According to The Guardian reports ,Schmidt was asked to remove the extremist websites from Google's search engines during the Hay festival. Answering a question posed from an impassioned audience member, he said: ''I am rather perplexed by this issue. The international tax regime has been around a long time. No rational computer scientist would have erected such a system.'' He said that decisions about these matters should be taken by elected governments and not companies. ''Under US law we have a fiduciary responsibility to do what we're doing. We understand the complaint but we can't fix it. The British government can fix it,'' he said.

Schmidt further said that the police can detect extremists through their internet activity as they leave a digital trail and their online presence can sometimes help in tracking them and their pre-planned terrorist activities.

Asked if Google is now more powerful than many countries and whether it in effect operates just like one, Schmidt said it was not an aim of the company. ''We're not becoming a state. We don't want to be because states have a lot of complicated problems.

''On the whole, it is a fight between the internet community and government who do what they want to do. We can't force governments to do what we want,'' he said.

Sources:^http://www.hackersnewsbulletin.com/2013/05/google-will-help-police-to-track.html

^http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/25/google-defends-listing-extremist-websites

^http://zeenews.india.com/news/net-news/google-to-index-information-to-aid-police-to-tra_851075.html

^http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/25/google-defends-listing-extremist-sites-legal-information-will-be-indexed/

Source: Intelli Hub

Tags: extremist websites, google, police, search results, trackThis entry was posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Dictatorship, Education/Mind Control, Fascism, Martial Law/Police State, NWO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:26

"You are a wonderful fighter for liberty" -- Bat Ye'or

"Well, I read Atlas Shrugs, Power Line, National Review blogs" ........ "Atlas Shrugs breaks more news than dozens of liberal blogs combined." ...... ... Ambassador John Bolton

"I'm a fan!" - Mark Steyn

"Fearless, intelligent, beautiful --- Pamela Geller wears her Supergirl costume well." "Pamela Geller is a dynamo of energy and a paragon of courage and fearlessness. --Robert Spencer, JihadWatch in his book Stealth Jihad

"You do great work. You are a hero". -- Geert Wilders, Dutch MP

"You are my hero!" -- Wafa Sultan, Former Muslim, Author human rights activist

"Hot female host with a good sense of humor based in NYC? I nominate Pamela."-- Michelle Malkin

"An American and Jewish national treasure." -- Steven Goldberg, National Vice Chair, ZOA

"A nationally recognized authority on the threat of radical Islam" -- Rep. Steven King (R-IA)

Pamela is one of the nation's most vigorous opponents of bigoted violence.- John Hinderaker, Powerline

" "A beautiful and articulate speaker and writer who has risen to prominence in the US for her steadfast commitment to exposing the deadly pathologies of Jew hatred, misogyny and other prejudices inherent to jihadist ideology." -- Caroline Glick" -- Caroline Glick "I honestly think that one day historians will write about the defense of Western values and virtues in the 21st Century and speak of heroes. And one will be Pamela Geller." Michael Coren, TV host, Sun TV

"I'm cheering you on!" -- Amanda Carpenter

"Great site," Dick Morris

"A brash New Yorker and an irrepressible firebrand" -- Robert Tracinski, The Freedom Fighter's Journal and The Intellectual Activist

"Indeed, some of Israel's best friends and most articulate defenders can be found in the blogosphere .... Atlas Shrugs, [et al] all provide a refreshing alternative to the moral relativism and politically correct anti-Israel blather of the media. Michael Freund, Jerusalem Post

"She does more in one week than most of us do in a frickin' lifetime -- Pamela Geller!" -- Jaz McKay, Talk Radio KNZR

"Influential online fanatic" --- Max Blumenthal, Writer, Al Jazeera and The Nation

"I never go to MSM for news. Atlas is where I go. I am amazed at all that is happening, that only Atlas readers know about"". --- JCL, Atlas reader

"The heroine of the right wing blogosphere. 'We're all Pamela Geller now!''' -- Charles Johnson, mental patient

''Geller had joined Stop the Madrassa and blogged often about the matter on her website, Atlas Shrugs. Blessed with sultry Hollywood sex appeal and a sassy, scythe-like wit '-- a personable Ann Coulter and articulate Sarah Palin rolled into one '-- Geller would ride the Park51 project protest to superstardom.'' - Southern Poverty Law Center

"Pamela Geller is one of the most polarizing women in the country." Village Voice

"Pamela Geller's writings, rallies and television appearances have both offended and inspired, transforming Ms. Geller from an Internet obscurity, who once videotaped herself in a bikini as she denounced ''Islamofascism,'' into a media commodity who has been profiled on ''60 Minutes'' and whose phraseology has been adopted by Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin." The New York Times

"Geller and Spencer are probably the most important propagandizing Islamophobes in the world, these people's voices speak very loudly '-- not just here in the United States but overseas." Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project

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Source: aangirfan

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:41

Currently, the Turks are fed up with their prime minister's support for Israel's attack on Syria."Turkey has been slated to be weakened and divided - just as the US, NATO, and Israel have envisaged in their project to create a new 'Middle East.'"www.voltairenet.org/a175402

IstanbulThe following is from Voltaire:www.voltairenet.org/a175402 - 'The Push to ignite a Turkish civil war through a Syrian quagmire'Turkey itself is a major target for destabilization, upheaval, and finally balkanization through its participation in the US-led siege against Syria...

Istanbul Turkey by Nevit DilmenIf the Syrian state collapses, neighbouring Turkey will be the biggest loser...

Erdogan has managed to single-handedly alienate Russia and three of Turkey's most important neighbours...On Turkey's eastern flank tensions are building between it and both Iraq and Iran...

There is also growing resentment amongst the citizens of Turkey about Erdogan's cooperation with the US, NATO, Israel, and the Arab dictatorships - like Qatar and Saudi Arabia - against the Syrians and others.

The majority of Turkish citizens oppose Turkish ties to Israel, the hosting of NATO facilities in Turkey, the missile shield project, and cooperation with the US in the Middle East...

Segments of the Turkish military are at odds with the Turkish government and the military itself is divided over Turkish foreign policy.

Erdogan does not even trust half of Turkey's own military leaders and has arrested forty of them for planning to overthrow him...

Turkey's minorities constitute at the very minimum one-third of the country.

A significant proportion of Turkey's minority communities have ties to Syria, Iraq, or Iran.

The Kurds and other similar Iranic peoples alone form about 25% of Turkey's population, which means one out of four Turkish citizens are of Kurdish and Iranic stock.Other ethnic minorities include Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Bulgarians, and Greeks...Anywhere from 20% to 30% or more of the Turkish population may be categorized as Shiite Muslims, which includes Alevis, Alawites, and Twelvers.

Civil war in Turkey is a real possibility...

The US-led siege on Syria intends to create chaos across the entire Middle East and ignite multiple regional conflicts. Violence and conflict from Syria is intended to consume Lebanon and Iraq too...

Today - Big trouble in Turkey.

Currently, the UK Foreign Office website reads:

"Demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul and in other cities across Turkey, including Ankara."

Turkey's prime minister Erdogan (right) supports Israel's attack on Syria.

For many years, all the generals in Turkey seemed to be friends with Israel and the Pentagon.Reportedly, the Turkish generals of the 'fascist' group known as Ergenekon were happy to carry out acts of 'false flag' terrorism on behalf of the CIA.(Nationalist Prof. Ozdag: The US is Behind the Ergenekon Operation)

And reportedly the Turkish generals were happy to topple Turkish governments that Israel and the Pentagon did not like.

The Turkish Generals were linked to the CIA's Gladio.

Turkish model Aysun Kayacı. Author Haluk –z¶zl¼(http://www.sihirlitur.com/)

In January 2009, a report in Turkish Weekly suggested that some Ergenekon generals had turned against Israel and the USA.

(Ergenekon's Foreign Policy Guide)

According to a writer in Turkish Weekly:

"Most of the Ergenekon members are anti-Semitic.

"They claim that the MOSSAD has played a very dirty role in Turkish politics and aimed to divide the country into poles."

US/NATO terrorists.

The Ergenekon plot was exposed when the CIA switched its allegiance to the Islamists.

(Ergenekon probe is heating up, with the interrogation of a general and an admiral)

The Pentagon and CIA are now using Gladio BGladio B makes use of Islamists more than Turkish generals.

Currently, the CIA is said to control Turkey using its asset Fethullah Gulen, and his Islamist Gulen Movement.

Les Costumes Populaires De La Turquie, taken by French photographer Pascal Sebah at the universal exposition in Vienna, 1873. The military are said to be split into two factions.

There are those who see the value of having links with neighbours Russia and Iran and those who oppose this.

The latter faction want to keep close to Israel, the USA and Europe.

Israel fears a nuclear armed Turkey.(Israel warns Greece: Turkey will soon become nuke power /Russia says ready to help Turkey build nuclear power plant)

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:40

Turkey is acting as a rear base for the insurgency and a forward command post for US/NATO forces.Turkey itself is a major target for destabilization, upheaval, and finally balkanization through its participation in the US-led siege against Syria. Ankara has burned its bridges in Syria for the sake of its failing neo-Ottoman regional policy. The Turkish government has actively pursued regime change, spied on Syria for NATO and Israel, violated Syrian sovereignty, supported acts of terrorism and lawlessness, and provided logistical support for the insurgency inside Syria.

Any chances of seeing some form of Turkish regional leadership under neo-Ottomanism have faded. Turkey's southern borders have been transformed into intelligence and logistical hubs for the CIA and the Mossad in the process, complete with an intelligence ''nerve centre'' in the Turkish city of Adana. [1] Despite Turkey's denials, reports about Adana are undeniable and Turkish officers have also been apprehended in covert military operations against the Syrian Arab Republic. The Turkish Labour Party has even demanded that the US General Consul in Adana be deported for ''masterminding and leading the activities of Syrian terrorists.'' [2] Mehmet Ali Ediboglu and Mevlut Dudu, two Turkish MPs, have also testified that foreign fighters have been renting homes [3] on Turkey's border with Syria and that Turkish ambulances have been helping smuggle weapons for the insurgents inside Syria. [4]

Turkish Regional IsolationIf the Syrian state collapses, neighbouring Turkey will be the biggest loser. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government are foolishly aligning Turkey for disaster. Aside from Ankara's historically bad relations with Armenia, Erdogan has managed to singlehandedly alienate Russia and three of Turkey's most important neighbours. This has damaged the Turkish economy and disrupted the flow of Turkish goods. There have been clamp downs on activists too in connection with Turkey's policy against Damascus. The freedom of the Turkish media has been affected as well; Erdogan has moved forward with legislation to restrict media freedoms. Prime Minister Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu have even both attacked ''reporters who quoted President Assad's statements in Cumhuriyet, accusing them of treason, because they had questioned the official Turkish account of the Turkish jet shot down by in [sic.] Syria [for spying].'' [5]

On Turkey's eastern flank tensions are building between it and both Iraq and Iran. Baghdad is reviewing its diplomatic ties with the Turkish government, because Ankara is encouraging the Kurdistan Regional Government in Northern Iraq to act independently of Iraq's federal government. Erdogan's government has done this partially as a result of Baghdad's steadfast opposition to regime change in Syria and in part because of Iraq's strengthening alliance with Iran. Tehran on the other hand has halted the visa-free entry of Turkish citizens into Iran and warned the Turkish government that it is stoking the flames of a regional fire in Syria that will eventually burn Turkey too.

Growing Internal Divisions in TurkeyDespite all the patriotic speeches being made by the Turkish government to rally the Turkish people against Syria, Turkey is a much divided nation over Erdogan's hostilities with Damascus. A significant portion of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkish Meclis and Turkey's opposition parties have all condemned Erdogan for misleading the Turkish people and stirring their country towards disaster. There is also growing resentment amongst the citizens of Turkey about Erdogan's cooperation with the US, NATO, Israel, and the Arab dictatorships '' like Qatar and Saudi Arabia '' against the Syrians and others. The majority of Turkish citizens oppose Turkish ties to Israel, the hosting of NATO facilities in Turkey, the missile shield project, and cooperation with the US in the Middle East.

The Republican People's Party, Turkey's second largest political party and its main opposition party, has condemned the government in Ankara over Syria. Their leader, Kemal Kılı§daroÄŸlu, has openly accused Prime Minister Erdogan of interfering in the internal affairs of Syria. [6] Kılı§daroÄŸlu has been joined by Turkey's other political parties in the condemnations of Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party. Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, has warned the Turkish government not to drag their country into a war with Syria through intervention. ''Some Western countries have put pressure on Turkey for an intervention in Syria. Turkey should not fall into this trap,'' Bahceli, who leads the third largest Turkish political party, has warned Erdogan according to the Turkish press. [7] The Peace and Democracy Party, which is the fourth largest Turkish political party, has also clarified that it is against war with Syria. [8] The politician Selahattin Demirtas, who is one of the leaders of the Peace and Democracy Party, has warned that any military intervention by Ankara in Syria would drag Turkey into a broader regional war. [9] Hasan Basri Ozbey, the deputy leader of the Turkish Labour Party, has announced that his political party will file a complaint against Turkish President Abdullah Gul with the Turkish Meclis and the Turkish Higher Court to prosecute Gul, because the Labour Party ''has clear evidence that [Gul] incited terrorism and war on Syria and signed a secret agreement with the United States, which alone is grounds for trial.'' [10] Mustafa Kamalak, the leader of the Felicity Party, has even led a Turkish delegation to visit Bashar Al-Assad to show their support for Syria and opposition to Erdogan's policies. [11]

The mobilization of the Turkish military on the Syrian border as a show of force is a psychological tactic to scare the Syrian regime. [12] Any large-scale military operations against the Syrians would be very dangerous for Turkey and could fragment the Turkish Armed Forces. Segments of the Turkish military are at odds with the Turkish government and the military itself is divided over Turkish foreign policy. Erdogan does not even trust half of Turkey's own military leaders and has arrested forty of them for planning to overthrow him. [13] How can he send such a force to even attack neighbouring Syria or think that he can control it during a broader war?

The Dangers of ''Blowback'' from SyriaWhile Turkey is trumpeting that it will not allow Kurdish militias to establish bases in northern Syria, the Turkish government is actually facilitating this itself. There is a real risk of ''blowback'' from Syria for Turkey. Like Syria, Turkey is a kaleidoscope of various peoples and faiths. The people of Turkey are held together by the primacy of the Turkish language and a shared citizenship. Turkey's minorities constitute at the very minimum one-third of the country. A significant proportion of Turkey's minority communities have ties to Syria, Iraq, or Iran.

The Kurds and other similar Iranic peoples alone form about 25% of Turkey's population, which means one out of four Turkish citizens are of Kurdish and Iranic stock. Other ethnic minorities include Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Bulgarians, and Greeks. No exact figures have ever been available about Turkey's Shiite Muslims, because of the historical persecution and restrictions on Shia Muslims in Turkey from Ottoman times. Anywhere from 20% to 30% or more of the Turkish population may be categorized as Shiite Muslims, which includes Alevis, Alawites, and Twelvers. Turkey also has a small Christian minority, some of which have historic or organizational ties to Syria like Turkey's Alawites and ethnic Arabs. Turkey will be consumed too, one way or another, should a broader sectarian conflict spread from Syria and should the Syrians be violently divided along sectarian fault lines.

The Self-Destructive Nature of Turkish Involvement in SyriaAll the factors discussed above are a recipe for disaster. Civil war in Turkey is a real possibility in an increasingly polarized Turkish state. Should Syria burn, Turkey will ultimately burn too. This is why a whole spectrum of Turkish leaders have been warning their country and people that the consequences for the fire that Erdogan, Davutoglu, and Gul are stoking in Syria will have disastrous consequences for Turkey and all the countries bordering Syria.

Erdogan's government has managed to alienate Turkey from its most important neighbours, hurt the Turkish economy, and destabilize their country's own borders. This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the damages they could unleash on Turkey. The Turks have been walking into a trap, where they are slated for a self-destructive kamikaze operation against Syria. The US-led siege on Syria intends to create chaos across the entire Middle East and ignite multiple regional conflicts. Violence and conflict from Syria is intended to consume Lebanon and Iraq too. Within this mªl(C)e, Turkey has been slated to be weakened and divided '' just as the US, NATO, and Israel have envisaged in their project to create a ''new Middle East.'' [14]

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Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:32

Iraq's defence ministry has said that it has intercepted an al-Qaeda cell working to produce poisonous gas for attacks within the country as well as in Europe and North America.

The group of five men built two facilities in Baghdad to produce sarin and mustard gas, using instructions from another al-Qaeda group, spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said on Saturday.

The members of the cell were preparing to launch attacks domestically, and also had a network to smuggle the toxins to neighbouring countries, and also to Europe, Canada and the US, Askari said.

He said that the men were planning to spray chemical weapons during the Shia commemoration of the death of Imam Kadhum at a shrine later this week, by using remote controlled toy airplanes.

He added that the arrest of the cell members was possible because of cooperation between Iraqi and foreign intelligence services.

In neighbouring Syria, rebel fighters and government forces have accused each other of using nerve gas during the two-year long civil war.

Iraq and Syria share a 600km border, and officials have warned that al-Qaeda-linked Sunni fighters opposed to President Bashar al-Assad and the Shia-led government in Baghdad have set up camp in Iraq's western desert region.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda's backed group, is still active in the country, launching regular attacks on government and civilian targets.

So far, the group has largely refrained from waging violence outside Iraq, but earlier this year it publicly said it was linked to Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group fighting the Assad regime.

297

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Fri, 31 May 2013 11:52

The shipment of Russian-made missile systems to Syria would give the regime of Bashar al-Assad a more potent weapon against a Western-led military intervention, including enforcement of a no-fly zone, analysts say.

The S-300 is one of Russia's most sophisticated air-defense systems. Like the U.S.-made Patriot battery, it uses ground-based missiles and radar to strike such targets as aircraft and guided missiles more than 100 miles away.

Syria, which is engulfed in a bloody, two-year-old civil war, has begun payments on a 2010 contract with Russia to buy four of the batteries, with a total of 144 missiles, for $900 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. Russia may not ship the systems until the second quarter of 2014 despite Assad's comments this week suggesting the first delivery was made, according to Russian press accounts.

''He has a lot of incentive to make it sound like it happened,'' Steven Pifer, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, D.C., said in a telephone interview. ''Bluster is not an unknown diplomatic tactic.''

President Barack Obama has resisted calls from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others to lead a military intervention in Syria. At least 80,000 people have died in the uprising against Assad, Vuk Jeremic, president of the United Nations General Assembly, said in a speech earlier this month.

McCain, who made a surprise visit to Syria on May 27 to meet with rebels, has pressed the Obama administration to create a no-fly zone. Secretary of State John Kerry has expanded non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition. The administration is also reportedly considering supplying equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles.

Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said diplomacy is preferred to military action.

''We have to be very, very careful with some of the, 'Well, let's just in and start bombing, let's just go in and put in a no-fly zone,''' he said during a May 26 interview with Bloomberg Television. ''I wouldn't like a no-fly zone. If you want to take out the Syrian air force, take it out. Don't just fly around in circles waiting for it to come up. That won't be hard to do. But you have to understand, if that doesn't work, are you then committed to take the next steps?

''I have no use for President Assad. I've negotiated with him. He's a pathological liar. You can't trust anything he says,'' Powell added. ''But at the same time, I'm not sure what replaces him. And the conflict will not be over just because he suddenly walks away. I think a new conflict will emerge and we'll have to determine what role we'll play in resolving that one.''

Enforcing a no-fly zone would be more complicated if Russia arms the Syrians with the S-300 surface-to-air missiles in part because they would extend the range of its air defenses to include a swath of northern Israel, according to Brookings' Pifer.

''It would put Israeli aircraft operating in Israeli airspace at risk,'' he said.

Indeed, Yaakov Amidror, the Israeli national security adviser, this week warned European diplomats that Syria's S-300s will never become operational.

May 31st, 2013 | Missiles, The Defense Biz | 204792 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F2013%2F05%2F31%2Frussian-missiles-to-syria-threaten-no-fly-zone%2FRussian+Missiles+to+Syria+Threaten+No-Fly+Zone2013-05-31+13%3A56%3A44Brendan+McGarryhttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F%3Fp%3D20479

Tagged as: Russia, S-300, surface-to-air missiles, Syria

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 10:06

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:47

On May 30, 2013, a federal judge sentenced a Lebanese immigrant to 23 years in prison for an attempted 2010 bombing of Chicago's famous Wrigley Field. The bomb he planted was a fake, supplied to him by undercover FBI agents, who promised to pay the would-be bomber. Sami Samir Hassoun placed a backpack that he thought contained a powerful bomb into a trash container. Patting themselves on the back, authorities say that if it had been real, the bombing would have made the Boston Marathon bombings look like a ''minor incident.''

Of course Hassoun never posed a danger to the public, thanks to an investigation led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Chicago. His only accomplice was an undercover FBI agent.

This modus operandi should sound familiar to anyone who is not preoccupied with watching the Kardashians. There's been a multitude of cases, created and solved by the FBI.

In one such case, Amine Mohamed El-Khalifi was told to strap on a bomb-laden vest and blow himself up at an entrance to the U.S. Capitol, in the name of jihad. Of course, the explosives were fake and provided by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. His only accomplice was an undercover FBI agent, posing as a member of Al Qaeda.

In a case of two ''lone wolves'' from Alabama, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair, and Rasheed Wilson, the duo allegedly planned to perpetrate unspecified acts of violent jihad in Mauritania. Where did they get that idea? Not surprisingly, it came from a confidential source working for the FBI.

In a Boston case you may not have heard of, Rezwan Ferdaus was convicted for attempting to provide detonation devices to terrorists '' except those were undercover FBI agents, posing as members of Al Qaeda. Again, they've also helped him to obtain a remote controlled aircraft, C-4 explosives, grenades and a number of fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles. In spite of the FBI's extensive participation, Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston FBI, claimed that ''Mr. Ferdaus' sentence reflects that he alone conceived the plot, was responsible for his illegal acts, and acted purposefully'... The FBI's top priority and clarion mission is to detect, deter, and disrupt all potential terrorist threats to the United States. Our community should be proud of the efforts of the Worcester Police Department, U.S. Attorney's Office, and all members of the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force.'' Surely, the community would be very proud if the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force prevented a real bombing.

In a Brooklyn case, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was accused of attempting to bomb the New York Federal Reserve Bank. By now, you won't be surprised to find out that a 1,000-pound bomb he was planning to detonate was a fake, provided to him by the FBI. An agent with the FBI New York Field Office's Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) posed as an Al Qaeda facilitator.

In Virginia, Amine Mohamed El-Khalifi was convicted for his efforts to carry out a suicide bomb attack on Capitol Hill. El-Khalifi responded to the FBI-controlled Facebook post, seeking mujahideen wannabes to fight in Afghanistan. His accomplices were undercover FBI agents. They've also eagerly supplied El-Khalifi with a fake bomb.

Meanwhile, in Louisville, Kentucky, Iraqi citizen Mohanad Shareef Hammadi pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges for attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Undercover FBI agents and sources, pretending to be members of Al Qaeda, asked Hammadi to shuffle around fake Stinger missiles and money.

Unfortunately, all of this time, efforts and manpower could have been better spent to prevent actual terror attacks, such as the Boston bombing of April 15, 2013, where the authorities ignored warning signs and intelligence alerts. The feds have also failed to share the warnings about the Tsarnaev brothers with local law enforcement. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), sharply criticized the lack of communication between federal and state agencies. ''The idea the feds have this information and it's not shared with state and locals defies why we created the Homeland Security Department in the first place,'' said McCaul. Former Senator Joe Lieberman called it a ''serious and aggravating omission.'' Lieberman said that the Boston attack could have been stopped. ''In a literal sense, the homeland security system, we must acknowledge that we built after 9/11 to protect the American people from terrorist attacks failed to stop the Tsarnaev brothers,'' asserted Lieberman.

In fact, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are so used to dealing with their self-created scenarios that whenever things don't go according to the script, they just let them fall by the wayside.

The FBI and the DHS place special emphasis on the so-called ''lone offender'' homegrown terror threat, since it unties their hands in dealing with any average citizen. What qualifies someone to be designated a ''domestic terrorist''? Possessing numerous firearms and ammunition, stockpiling food items and engaging in wilderness, survival, or other paramilitary training.

The way the FBI describes it, ''Many militia extremists view themselves as protecting the U.S. Constitution, other U.S. laws, or their own individual liberties'... They oppose gun control efforts and fear the widespread disarming of Americans by the federal government'... Militia extremists often subscribe to various conspiracy theories regarding government.'' Based on this criteria, how many law-abiding American citizens are considered to be extremists?

Playing a part in security theater is much easier than solving real crimes. Until the government starts to ferret out terror threats (instead of creating them), we might as well seek protection from Justin Bieber and his monkey.

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:48

The latest story in our series on domestic terror threats looks at militia extremists.

09/22/11

Last March, nine members of an extremist militia group were charged in Michigan with seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction in connection with an alleged plot to attack law enforcement and spark an uprising against the government.

According to the federal indictment, the nine individuals planned to kill a law enforcement officer and then use bombs to attack the caravan of cars taking part in the subsequent funeral procession, hoping that this violence would incite a larger armed conflict with authorities. Fortunately, the FBI and the Michigan State Police intervened and took the subjects into custody before they could carry out their alleged plot.

It's just one example of the dangers posed by so-called militia extremists'--the latest topic in our series to educate the nation on domestic terror threats that the FBI investigates today. Previous stories have focused on anarchist extremists, eco-terrorists/animal rights extremists, lone offenders, and sovereign citizen extremists.

Who they are. Like many domestic terrorism groups, militia extremists are anti-government. What sets them apart is that they're often organized into paramilitary groups that follow a military-style rank hierarchy. They tend to stockpile illegal weapons and ammunition, trying illegally to get their hands on fully automatic firearms or attempting to convert weapons to fully automatic. They also try to buy or manufacture improvised explosive devices and typically engage in wilderness, survival, or other paramilitary training.

Who and what they target. They usually go after the government itself'--including law enforcement personnel, representatives of the courts, and other public officials, along with government buildings. When caught, most militia extremists are charged with weapons, explosives, and/or conspiracy violations.

What they believe in. Many militia extremists view themselves as protecting the U.S. Constitution, other U.S. laws, or their own individual liberties. They believe that the Constitution grants citizens the power to take back the federal government by force or violence if they feel it's necessary. They oppose gun control efforts and fear the widespread disarming of Americans by the federal government.

Militia extremists often subscribe to various conspiracy theories regarding government. One of their primary theories is that the United Nations'--which they refer to as the New World Order, or NWO'--has the right to use its military forces anywhere in the world (it doesn't, of course). The extremists often train and prepare for what they foresee as an inevitable invasion of the U.S. by United Nations forces. Many militia extremists also wrongly believe that the federal government will relocate citizens to camps controlled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or force them to undergo vaccinations.

One important note: simply espousing anti-government rhetoric is not against the law. However, seeking to advance that ideology through force or violence is illegal, and that's when the FBI and law enforcement become involved.

What is the FBI doing to combat the militia extremism threat? In addition to our lawful use of sophisticated investigative techniques, we've expanded our work with other federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and with our state and local partners. And we use intelligence and analysis to help identify gaps in our knowledge, emerging tactics and trends, and effective investigative strategies.

As always, the combination of intelligence, coordinated law enforcement efforts, and an informed public is the most effective way to counter the threats posed by domestic extremists.

Resources:- Anarchist extremism- Eco-terrorists/animal rights extremists - Lone offenders - Sovereign citizen extremists

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Fri, 31 May 2013 09:02

The FBI seized and ran a child pornography service late last year as investigators worked to identify its customers, one Western Washington man allegedly among them.

Following a lengthy investigation, Nebraska-based agents raided the large child pornography service in November hoping to catch users who shared thousands of images showing children being raped, displayed and abused.

The Bureau ran the service for two weeks while attempting to identify more than 5,000 customers, according to a Seattle FBI agent's statements to the court. Court records indicate the site continued to distribute child pornography online while under FBI control; the Seattle-based special agent, a specialist in online crimes against children, detailed the investigation earlier this month in a statement to the court.

The investigation appears to mark a departure for the Bureau and other federal law enforcement agencies aiming to root out child porn purveyors.

Historically, child pornography investigations stem from tips made to law enforcement, interactions with undercover officers posing as customers or reviews of documentation seized during searches of child porn clearinghouses like the one recently raided in Nebraska. While investigators are known to have posed as child porn dealers '' a 2011 effort involved targeted emails to suspected pedophiles '' it is not apparent that the FBI previously dealt child porn as part of a sting.

The Nebraska investigation is still in its early stages, and, while charges appear to be forthcoming, no one being prosecuted has been publicly tied to the site thus far. Information obtained during the investigation resulted in a search of one Western Washington home, and investigators are presently reviewing computers seized during that April search.

The FBI declined requests to discuss the investigation or investigators' motivations to continue operating the site. Court records indicate investigators hoped to trace customers and were unable to do so through traditional means.

''This remains an ongoing investigation, and local court rules and Department of Justice policy prohibit me from providing more information at this time,'' said Sandy Breault, spokeswoman for the FBI Omaha Division. ''As in any given matter, if charges are filed, they will eventually become a matter of public record.''

1,000s of images shared during investigation

Named only as ''Website A'' in an April 10 search warrant affidavit filed by the Seattle-based agent, the child pornography service was described as an online bulletin board with the primary business of advertising and sharing child pornography.

The affidavit was obtained by seattlepi.com earlier in May through a publicly accessible court records system. It has since been sealed.

Agents in the Omaha area seized ''Website A'' on Nov. 16 and continued to operate it until Dec. 2, monitoring messages from users of the website, the Seattle special agent told the court. The site was shut down Dec. 2.

At the time the service was shuttered it had more than 5,600 users and 24,000 posts, nearly all of which related to child pornography. At least 10,000 photos of children being posed nude, raped or otherwise abused were broadcast through the site.

Writing the court, the special agent recounted the site users' discussions on how to avoid detection by police. One went so far as to publish a lengthy guide on encryption, and protections placed on the service impeded investigators' work.

Most often, though, ''Website A'' users chatted about their shared interests '' the rape and molestation of children. Message threads on the site included ''How to lure a child in my car,'' ''Meeting other pedos in real life,'' and ''Do kids LIKE anal sex?''

On Nov. 9, a U.S. District Court judge in Nebraska approved a request by law enforcement agents to track down the website's users.

According to the agent's statement, investigators were unable to identify ''Website A'' users through the service's records. Allowing the site to continue to operate '' allowing pedophiles to continue swapping photos and accessing images stored on the site '' was necessary to identify the customers.

Court records do not note how many images of raped and abused children were shared or accessed while the FBI was operating ''Website A.'' Investigators also do not indicate whether known victims of child pornography '' abused children pictured in widely distributed pornographic series '' have been notified photos of their abuse were again shared as part of the investigation.

Images endure despite prosecutions

In what has become a disturbing legal clich(C), federal prosecutors often assert that each time an image of rape or molestation is shared, the child is abused again.

That was among the arguments offered by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marci Ellsworth last year when she sent a Seattle child molester to federal prison for child pornography crimes unrelated to the Nebraska investigation.

Ellsworth opined that Pinson's crimes were not, as the child pornography consumers sometimes argue, ''victimless.''

''Distributing of child pornography '' images and videos of real children experiencing the worst moments of their young lives '' is not a 'victimless' crime, and the heinous nature of this offense should never be diminished by referring to it as 'just pictures,''' Ellsworth told the court. ''The children portrayed '... suffer real and permanent damage, for the rest of their lives, each and every time their exploitation is shared over the Internet.''

One of those children '' a girl whose father shared images of her being abused that has since become widely shared online '' put it more bluntly in a statement to the court filed last year.

''I wish I could feel completely safe, but as long as these images are out there, I never will,'' she said in a victim impact statement.

''Every time they are downloaded, I am exploited again, my privacy is breached, and my life feels less and less safe,'' she continued. ''I will never be able to have control over who sees me raped as a child. It's all out there for the world to see and it can never be removed from the internet.''

Efforts to interview a Seattle attorney representing her were unsuccessful prior to the holiday weekend. Staff at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was also unavailable to discuss the issues surrounding the investigation.

Search on for 'Website A' users

The Seattle-area man targeted in the investigation is alleged to have accessed a ''jailbait'' girls section of ''Website A'' 10 days after investigators took control of it. Specifically, he's alleged to have accessed photos showing two men raping a 10 to 12 year old girl.

Seattlepi.com does not generally identify suspects prior to charges being filed. Charges have not yet been filed in the case.

According to the Seattle agent's statement, the site's users expounded on their interest in watching children be sexually assaulted by several men at the same time, and bragged about a collection of photos on the topic.

''There have been over 7,850 views of this thread in less than a week, which is a great compliment to the girls!'' one user said in a post, according to a search warrant affidavit. ''However, I find it hard to believe than(sic) in the last century and a half since photography was invented, it hasn't occurred to more people that to photograph a cute little girl being hard (expletive) by two men is a fine and arousing thing to do.''

Users went on to discuss in graphic detail the practicalities of a small girl being gang raped, according to the agent's statement.

In a separate thread, users discussed their desire to rape children pictured in a series of pornographic photos. One man remarked that he would gag and chain one girl and leave another ''swollen from all the abuse,'' and then days later expressed similar sentiments toward yet another nude pre-teen girl.

''Jesus I would enjoy hurting that child,'' a user said in the chat thread, according to the search warrant affidavit.

Agents began watching the Seattle-area home thought to be associated with one user in late-March and seized computers from it on April 10. Charges had not yet been filed in the case, and court records do not indicate whether child pornography was recovered in the search.

Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.

Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 orlevipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter attwitter.com/levipulk.

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 01:16

Joaqu­n Castro (born September 16, 1974)[2] is an American politician from San Antonio, Texas who has served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 20th congressional district, since 2013. From 2003 to 2013, he was a representative in the Texas Legislature representing District 125.[3] While in the Texas legislature Castro served as Vice-Chair of the Higher Education Committee and was a member of the Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee. He has previously served on the County Affairs Committee, Border & International Affairs Committee and the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee.[3] Castro's identical twin brother, Julin Castro, serves as mayor of San Antonio.[4]

Early life, education, and early career[edit]Castro was raised in San Antonio and attended Thomas Jefferson High School. Castro has stated that his interest in public service developed at a young age from watching his parents' involvement in political campaigns and civic causes. His father was a retired teacher from the Edgewood Independent School District, and his mother, a community activist. He graduated with honors from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts in political science and communications and went on to earn a juris doctor at Harvard Law School.[5]

He worked in public education, health care, and the juvenile justice system.[5] Castro is a member of the National College Advising Corps, St. Mary's University Mission and Identity Taskforce, St. Philip's College President's Advisory Board, and Texas Family Impact Seminar.

Texas House of Representatives[edit]Elections[edit]Castro ran for Texas' 125th House district in 2002. He defeated incumbent State Representative Arthur Reyna in the Democratic primary 64%-36%.[6] In the general election, he defeated Republican Nelson Balido 60%-40% and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2002 at the age of 28.[7] In 2004, he won re-election to a second term unopposed.[8] In 2006, he won re-election to a third term, defeating Republican Nelson Balido, 58%-38%.[8] In 2008, he won re-election to a fourth term unopposed.[8] In 2010, he won re-election to a fifth term, defeating Libertarian Jeffrey Blunt, 78%-22%.[8]

Tenure[edit]He authored and worked on legislation involving workforce development, highway safety, and education programs intended to reduce teenage pregnancy rates.[3]

Committee assignments[edit]County AffairsHigher Education (Vice Chair)[9]Judiciary & Civil JurisprudenceOversight of Higher Ed Governance, Excellence & Transparency[10]U.S. House of Representatives[edit]Elections[edit]In June 2011, Castro announced that he was running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in the newly-drawn Texas's 35th congressional district.[11] However, after the November 28, 2011, retirement announcement by U.S. Representative Charlie Gonzalez of Texas's 20th congressional district, Castro announced his intent to run instead for the 20th District seat. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary. At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, he introduced his brother Julin as keynote speaker.[9] In November 2012, Castro defeated Republican David Rosa 64%-34%,[12] becoming only the fifth person to represent the 20th CD since its creation in 1935.[13]

Tenure[edit]Castro was elected to represent Texas' 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2012 election. He was officially sworn into office on January 3, 2013 becoming a member of the 113th United States Congress. He was chosen as the president of the freshman class of Democrats in the 113th Congress.[14]

Sequestration[edit]Castro stated that he sees Sequestration as a direct result of hostage politics.[15] He affirms that he is disappointed in the reckless actions that will cost may federal employees a 20% loss in income.[16]

Committee assignments[edit]Personal life[edit]Castro is the son of Jesse Guzman and Rosie Castro and the identical twin brother of Julin Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, Texas.[4] In addition to his work in the Texas Legislature, Castro practices law in San Antonio. He has also taught as a visiting professor of law at St. Mary's University and as an adjunct professor at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Castro sits on several boards of nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education, including: Achieving the Dream, the National College Advising Corps, St. Phillip's College President's Advisory Board, St. Mary's University Mission and Identity Taskforce, and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' (NALEO) Taskforce on Education.[5]

Honors and awards[edit]National and international honors[edit]Delegate, American Swiss Foundation's Young Leaders Conference, Basel, Switzerland, 2010Delegate, San Antonio, Texas, Delegation to World Expo, Shanghai, China, 2010Delegate, American-German Young Leaders Conference, hosted in Berlin by the American Council on Germany, 2009Delegate, International Seminar on Migration and Integration, hosted in Jerusalem by the Consulate General of Israel, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Center for International Cooperation (MASHAV), the Aharon Ofri International Training Center, and the Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI), 2008Delegate, International Cultural Exchange, hosted in Argentina by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, 2008Arthur S. Flemming Fellow, Center for Policy Alternatives, Washington D.C., 2004Awards and recognitions[edit]Hispanic Organization for Public Employees Amazing Energy Award, in recognition of distinguished public service, 2009Family Service Association Recognition, in recognition of support and commitment to key initiatives that strengthen and keep families together, 2009The Wind Coalition Outstanding Supporter, in recognition for outstanding support of Texas Wind Energy, 2008Certificate of Participation, in recognition of participation in the Get To Know Your Community Fair, 2008Edgewood Independent School District (Bexar County, Texas) Business Partnership Award, 2007West SA Chamber of Commerce Doctoral Achievement Awards, in recognition of outstanding community leadership, 2007Rhodes Technology Academy National Junior Honor Society, for recognizing and promoting the important qualities of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character, and Citizenship, 2007Recognized by VIA Metropolitan Transit, in recognition of legislative support in the 80th Legislative Session, 2007Appreciation Award by Women's Equality Day Banquet, in recognition of being the Keynote Speaker for the Kelly Field Club, 2006Northside ISD Campus Partner of the Year, in recognition of service to students at Sul Ross Middle School by Northside Independent School District, 2006University Health System Appreciation Award, in recognition of contributions to the University Health System's 2005 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, 2005Recognized by TEX-21 Legislative Caucus, in honor of being an active leader and commitment to improve multimodal transportation for the citizens of Texas, 2005National Kidney Foundation Chair's Partnership Award, in recognition of generosity and commitment to making lives better, 2005Appreciation Award by Women's Equality Day Banquet, in recognition of being the Keynote Speaker for the Kelly Field Club, 2004Appreciation Award by Ogden Elementary School, in recognition of promoting literacy in the community, 2004Recognized by Via Metropolitan Transit, in recognition of contributions made during the 78th Legislative Session, 2003Appreciation Award by Center for Health Care Services, in recognition of leadership during the 78th Legislative Session, 2003Recognized by the Latino Youth Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, in recognition of steadfast commitment to Latino youth and the empowerment of the Latino community, 2003Hispanic Affairs Agency Bravo Award, in appreciation for speaking at the Latino Leadership Symposium, University of Texas at Austin, 2003Public speaking engagements[edit]Notable speaking engagements[edit]Public Lecture on Youth Participation and Political Activism in Riga, Latvia, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, July 2010 [18]Texas Association of Business Annual Conference, Panel on Higher Education, February 2010St. Mary's University Law Review on Minority Issues, Keynote Speaker, March 2009San Antonio Chapter of Community Associations Institute, June 2009Texas Public Policy Foundation Panel on Transparency and Accountability in Higher Education, November 2009League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 3rd Annual Education Awards Gala, Keynote Speaker, December 2009Making College Affordable, St. Mary's University, October 2009Sul Ross State University, Commencement Speaker, December 2004Northwest Vista College, Commencement Speaker, May 2002Conferences[edit]5th Annual National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) National Summit on the State of Latino Education, September 200926th Annual National Association of Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Conference, President Barack Obama's Education Plan: How the New Administration Plans to Improve Educational Opportunities for Latinos, June 2009New American Alliance (NAA) Pension Fund Forum, sponsored by the National Association of Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), August 2007The American Council of Young Political Leaders'--United States delegate to South America, Argentina, and Uruguay, June 2007Urban Libraries Council Conference, Local Strategies for Inclusion & Integration in a Flat World, May 2007People for the American Way, The Young Elected Officials Network, March 2007Take Back America Conference, Center for Policy Alternatives, June 2006National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)'--Chair of Higher Education Panel: "Working Together to Ensure Student Access and Success," June 2006National Latino Congreso, "NAFTA: The Border, Our Environment, and Latinos," September 2006References[edit]^Bland, Scott (November 7, 2012). "Texas, 20th House District". National Journal. ^Project Vote Smart - Representative Joaquin Castro - Biography^ abcTexas House of Representatives membership summary^ abMayor's biography, City of San Antonio^ abcMember biography, Texas state legislature^http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=290782^http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=5909^ abcdhttp://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe^ abGarrett, Robert T. (September 4, 2012). "With his twin brother in the spotlight, Joaquin Castro prepares for prominent role of his own". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=82&Chamber=H&Code=A2495^Ramshaw, Emily (June 24, 2011). "Castro To Take On Doggett for New Congressional Seat '-- 2012 Congressional Election". Texas Tribune. Retrieved 5 September 2012. ^http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=750688^Camia, Catalina (September 6, 2012). "Seeing double: Mayor Castro's twin bound for Congress". USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2012. ^http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/01/07/joaquin-castro-selected-by-peers-as-president-democrat-freshman-113th-congress/#ixzz2I0YDJM00^http://castro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/castro-statement-on-sequestration^http://castro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/castro-statement-on-sequestration.^[1]^United States Embassy to Latvia, RigaExternal links[edit]PersondataNameCastro, Joaqu­nAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican politicianDate of birthSeptember 16, 1974Place of birthSan Antonio, Texas, United StatesDate of deathPlace of death

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Source: BadChad's ThoughtPile

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:52

The discovery of a Monsanto-created, genetically modified strain of wheat in the US that was never approved by the United States Department of Agriculture has imperiled US exports of a staple world food commodity.

Japanese authorities have already opted to cancel part of a tender offer to buy US western white wheat and have suspended imports of both that variety and feed wheat, Reuters reported on Thursday.

"We will refrain from buying western white and feed wheat effective today," Toru Hisadome, a Japanese farm ministry official in charge of wheat trading, told the agency.

Japan, the biggest buyer of US wheat behind Mexico, will continue buying hard red winter and spring wheat from the US as well as grains from Canada, which are used for the production of bread and noodles.

However, Hisadome said the government has asked US authorities to provide more details of their ongoing investigation and Japan will stop buying the suspended species of wheat until a test kit is developed to identify genetically modified produce.

There is currently no US approved test kit to identify genetically engineered wheat. The USDA has said it is developing a "rapid test" kit.

Other major Asian importers like Korea, China and the Philippines said they were closely monitoring the situation, while the European Union is set to test any incoming shipments, saying it will block any containing GM wheat.

Following the announcement, wheat for July delivery fell 8.25 cents to $6.945 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade.

The wheat, created by Monsanto Co., appeared on an 80-acre farm in Oregon in April. On Wednesday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it had conducted a genetic test on the wheat and found that it was an experimental type created by the US agribusiness giant which had never been approved for sale.

Following the discovery of the GMO wheat, USDA Acting Deputy Secretary Michael Scuse said that state agriculture directors in Oregon, Washington and Idaho are now coordinating a multi-state investigation, and foreign trade representatives in Canada, Mexico and Asia have been contacted.

The USDA has never approved any GMO strain of wheat to be grown in the US, but Monsanto field tested a genetically engineered variety from 1998 through 2005. It was never put into use however, due to global opposition to genetically engineered cereal grains. Wheat remains an exception however, as more than 60 genetically modified crops have been approved for US food and feed supplies.

The top three GMO crops grown in the US are soy, corn and cotton, according to the USDA. Some Eighty-eight perc ent of corn and 93 pe rcent of soybeans grown in the US are genetically modified.

Although the United States produces only 10 percent of world wheat it is consistently the world's biggest wheat exporter. With world trade in wheat greater than for all other crops combined, Wednesday's findings could dent US export prospects at a time when the USDA is expecting record global production, boosted by a 48 percent hike in Russian output and a 40 percent gain from Ukraine.

However, the USDA says US exports will likely fall 9.8 percent to 25.2 million tons in the year that starts on June 1, Bloomberg reports.

''This is not something we need to see when exports are suffering anyway,'' Darrell Holaday, the president of Advanced Market Concepts in Wamego, Kansas, told the New York based agency in a telephone interview. ''It's a negative story during a negative export time, and if the Black Sea keeps getting rain it's going to be a tough, competitive wheat market.''

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:42

Shirley Halperin 05/29/13 The Hollywood ReporterWith 80 percent of music fans still discovering new songs through terrestrial radio, Jimmy Iovine's new Daisy streaming service will try to counter by blending ''math with emotion.''

Jimmy Iovine isn't known for subtlety. The Interscope Geffen A&M Records chairman and co-founder of Beats Electronics declared at a February conference [10]: ''There's an ocean of music out there, and there's absolutely no curation for it.'' His forthcoming music streaming service, code-named Daisy, is an attempt to prove that he and his team of experts can program your iPod more effectively than Pandora [11]'s or Spotify's algorithms. It's the latest entrant in the escalating battle to control how music fans discover and consume their favorite artists in the digital age.

Daisy is the result of Beats' $10 million July acquisition of MOG [12] a music subscription and streaming application that boasts superior audio quality and licenses with all the major labels. When it relaunches later this year, the service will combine the algorithmic curation of Pandora with the tastes of a radio program director, DJ, promoter and music fan to handpick songs and group them in labeled categories.

''Music gets treated as a big pile of bits, and we really see the artists, the context, the story,'' says Daisy CEO Ian Rogers, a digital veteran going back to the earliest days of Yahoo Music. He was selected by Iovine to launch Daisy, along with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who serves as chief creative officer. ''What fans want is actually not every song in the world in their pocket; what they want is something awesome to listen to,'' adds Rogers.

That mantra evokes the old-school job of a radio programmer or disc jockey who chose what songs to spin '-- as opposed to today's method of programming preset playlists nationally, as Clear Channel does across its 850 stations. And that's no coincidence. Despite the advances of digital downloads, streaming and Internet radio, 80 percent of music fans still discover new songs through terrestrial radio, according to a study by Latitude Research and OpenMind Strategy, and some 94 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds say they tune in weekly.

With that in mind, Daisy is poaching a high-ranking Clear Channel executive, who'll be tasked with overseeing a sort of editorial board of tastemakers that will choose what music to play. In essence: Now that consumers are more familiar with subscription services (Daisy's pay model has yet to be determined), Iovine's team wants to combine the breadth of a Spotify-sized catalog with a professional, human-curated element. An announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

By the time Daisy is introduced in late 2013, the marketplace of music services will be more crowded than ever. Apple is expected to soon introduce iRadio, its own Internet radio service, as Google already has with the May 15 launch of Google Play Music All Access. For $9.99 a month, Google Play users can stream songs a la carte as well as listen to a channeled playlist, a la Songza [14], which has made significant inroads by offering curated playlists with categories like Indie Apartment Party, After Work Chill-Outs and Stoned in the Park.

Human vs. algorithm is essentially what's at issue. A service like Pandora, which counts 200 million registered users and 2.5 million paid subscribers and recently saw quarterly revenues rise [7] 55 percent to $125 million, relies more on the latter. A user types in an artist's name or a genre and Pandora pulls from its own database of licensed songs, matching instrumentation, tempo and melody among some 400 musical attributes to determine what the listener might like. On the flipside is Spotify, which puts millions of tracks at a user's fingertips and lets them do the choosing.

''Initially consumers were enchanted by all the choices they had '... now they've realized there's so much out there and it's hard to sift through the chaos,'' says Robb McDaniels, CEO of INgrooves, the biggest digital music distributor in the U.S. The solution, he offers, is ''professional curation'' '-- an antidote to technical curation (algorithms and recommendations like those of Pandora) and social curation, where what your friends are listening to comes into play.

According to Rogers, who cautions that he doesn't ''want to give away too much of what the product is,'' Daisy will feature ''some really unique approaches that pull together algorithmic intuitions along with the human touch.'' Reznor calls it ''intelligent curation,'' while Iovine has described it as ''math with emotion.''

Despite the buzzwords, some worry that ''professional curation'' is just another way of saying that major labels and corporate minions are trying to influence trends and tastes online, as they have with traditional radio. ''I like that everyone [online] has the same chances, that you don't have to be the chosen one by a record company or a radio station, you can still make it,'' says electronic dance music star David Guetta. At the same time, he understands the value of curation: ''It would be good to have a better system that could help you understand and discover music in that same genre.''

An upside to all these competing services is that streaming has proven a deterrent to piracy. In Sweden, for example, where subscription services have been most successful, illegal downloads fell from 47 percent to 23 percent in 2012, according to a study by the Media Vision Group cited by digitalmusic.org [15].

As these companies sew up licenses and build customer lists, many industry players agree: If anyone can move the needle on popular music, it's Iovine, Reznor and Rogers.

''There's no clearly defined path anymore,'' says McDaniels. ''So any tool that can help bring order to that chaos is something that will probably be successful.''

Top Digital Music Services

As streaming grows in popularity, so have the user bases for these providers:

Pandora: 200 million users, 1 million songs

Spotify: 20 million users, 20 million songs

iHeartRadio: 30 million users, 15 million songs

Rdio: N/A, 18 million songs

Rhapsody: 1 million users, 11 million songs

*Worldwide; THR sources

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Tags: Beats, Digital Music Services

This entry was posted on June 1, 2013 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Source: Jacky Jasper's Diary of a Hollywood Street King

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:29

by Jacky Jasper

Did Bill Clinton father a secret lovechild with a hooker? Sources say yes! The now 27-year-old bi-racial Little Rock, Arkansas man is now hoping to finally meet his biological dad.

Reports reveal Danny Lee Williams Jr. was conceived back when his mother was working as a prostitute and Clinton was Arkansas' Governor. That's when the then-future ''I never had sexual relations with that woman'' President reportedly paid Bobbie Ann Williams for her sexual services, leading to their secret lovechild.

So, why has Danny Lee Williams waited so long to surface? He says he simply wants to meet his 66-year-old Presidential father '-- who's battling heart disease and suffers from Parkinson's '-- before he passes.

Here's what Danny Lee Williams told Globe Magazine:

''I read he doesn't have long to live and I want to meet him face to face before he dies. I just want to shake his hand and say, 'Hi Dad,' before he dies. I'd like to have a relationship with Chelsea, too. She's my half-sister. I would also want my dad to acknowledge and meet his five grandchildren children.''

Does Bill Clinton see a prostitute for sex whenever he visits the west coast? Of course. Don't believe me.. Ask Cristina Warthen.

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HAINES CITY, Fla. - A new program designed to track students using iris scanners backfired for the Polk County School District.

The uproar from parents started when their kids came home and told them someone was scanning their eyes.

"I thought it was kind of creepy, it's kind of like big brother looking after your kids," said Emily Palmer, who has a son that attends Bethune Academy, one of the three schools in the Haines City area that is part of the pilot program.

It's called the Eyelock Iris Identity Management made by Stanley Security Solutions. A video on the company's website shows how the biometric screening system works.

The district decided to try it out on a trial basis on about 17 buses at Bethune Academy, Daniel Jenkins Academy, and Davenport School of the Arts.

Parents would get text alerts when their child gets on and off a bus.

The problem is no one explained it to parents.

"She came home from school and said they were doing eye scans on the bus and I thought that was a little unusual since nobody notified us," said Dennis Delaney, who has a daughter in the fifth grade. "There was no note, no letter, nothing."

The district planned to send out a letter that explains how it works and gives the option for parents to opt-out if they don't feel comfortable.

But the staff mistakenly forgot to send it.

"I would have had the same questions, so I apologize to those families because that was not our intent. The intent was not to cause chaos or confusion with the parents," said Rob Davis, Senior Director of Support Services for Polk Schools.

He said the district is working to ensure the company destroys all the initial iris scans of students.

The program is now on hold so the district can make sure the mix-up is straightened out.

Davis said they still hope to get the go ahead with the pilot program by the start of next school year, but this time every parent will receive a letter and will have ample time to opt out.

"There's not a day that goes by that we don't have a parent that is frantic about, 'hey my child was supposed to be home by three o'clock, and I just got off work. It's five o'clock and they're nowhere to be found'," he said.

"This was never supposed to be forced on anyone. It was an option for parents."

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Source: MRCTV - News & Politics

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:12

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An unhinged Chris Matthews on Thursday launched into a bewildering rant, lamenting the scandals swirling around the President and suggesting that Germany may have actually won World War II because the country has high speed rail. The Hardball anchor fumed, "You look at Germany, where I just was, and see state-of-the-art bridges and super modern rail system." Mentioning Germany's subway system, Matthews insisted, "You wonder, who won that anyway? Looks like they did."

Video cross-posted at NewsBusters.

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Source: MRCTV - News & Politics

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:12

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On Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie asked special correspondent Tom Brokaw about his recent comment that the press "has to be careful about having a glass jaw" when it comes to the Obama Justice Department investigating reporters: "...you made a remark that journalists...shouldn't have what you called a 'glass jaw' when it comes to some of these investigations, citing the First Amendment and threats to the First Amendment."

Brokaw stood by his statement: "Well, the First Amendment is a critically important part of the Constitution. It is not unconditional, obviously. Any number of us over the years have been in dialogues and in conversations with senior government officials about when something can be disclosed and under what circumstances. And it's kind of case by case. It's not unconditional."

More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.

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Source: MRCTV - News & Politics

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:11

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