If the survey results represent a more general trend, there may be as few as 10,000 bonobos, also called pygmy chimpanzees, left in the wild, the researchers estimate. Experts had previously thought that there might be around 50,000 remaining.
Poaching is to blame, says Peter Stephenson of the WWF, the conservation organization that supported the survey. Although it is illegal to kill bonobos, park officers have struggled to enforce the law during the long-running Congolese civil war, and armed militia groups still hide out in the wilderness of the Salonga park.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Stars come out for Sudan's Darfur
"The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate," renowned soprano and long-standing U.N. goodwill ambassador Barbara Hendricks said on Wednesday. "This is a man-made disaster."
Singers ranging from Simply Red's Mick Hucknall to Pretender Chrissie Hynde, baritone Willard White, jazz legend Alison Moyet and disco diva Jocelyn Brown interpreted songs of Cole Porter.
The artists donated their services to help the people of Darfur, a region the size of France.
Singers ranging from Simply Red's Mick Hucknall to Pretender Chrissie Hynde, baritone Willard White, jazz legend Alison Moyet and disco diva Jocelyn Brown interpreted songs of Cole Porter.
The artists donated their services to help the people of Darfur, a region the size of France.
Some professors take payments to express views
If a professor takes money from a company and then argues in the media for a position the company favors, is he an independent expert -- or a paid shill?
It's not an academic question. Some companies have been paying professors to promote their points of view on TV shows, in newspaper and magazine articles and in letters to the editor. In many cases the arrangement between the professor and the company isn't disclosed.
In one such case, the U.S. steel company Nucor Corp. hired Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland, to argue in favor of steel tariffs put in place by the Bush administration. As a debate raged in 2003 about whether the steel tariffs should be kept in place, Mr. Morici, a former chief economist at the International Trade Commission, was quoted in scores of newspaper articles and wrote about two dozen letters to editors. He was most active in promoting his research showing that tariffs benefited the domestic steel industry and economy. In the vast majority of cases his role as a paid consultant to Nucor wasn't disclosed.
It's not an academic question. Some companies have been paying professors to promote their points of view on TV shows, in newspaper and magazine articles and in letters to the editor. In many cases the arrangement between the professor and the company isn't disclosed.
In one such case, the U.S. steel company Nucor Corp. hired Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland, to argue in favor of steel tariffs put in place by the Bush administration. As a debate raged in 2003 about whether the steel tariffs should be kept in place, Mr. Morici, a former chief economist at the International Trade Commission, was quoted in scores of newspaper articles and wrote about two dozen letters to editors. He was most active in promoting his research showing that tariffs benefited the domestic steel industry and economy. In the vast majority of cases his role as a paid consultant to Nucor wasn't disclosed.
One Step Closer to Sharks with Frikkin' Lasers Attached
A robotic fish designed for underwater archaeology, mapping, water cultivation and even fishing has been co-developed by the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Automation Research Institute (of the Chinese Academy of Sciences).
The black-bodied robot fish is about four feet long, and resembles a real fish in both shape and movement. The robot is controlled remotely with a palm-sized control pad. It also has automatic navigation controls and swims at about four kilometers per hour for up to three hours.
The black-bodied robot fish is about four feet long, and resembles a real fish in both shape and movement. The robot is controlled remotely with a palm-sized control pad. It also has automatic navigation controls and swims at about four kilometers per hour for up to three hours.
File Sharing Goes to the Supreme Court
File sharing is "inflicting catastrophic, multibillion-dollar harm on petitioners that cannot be redressed through lawsuits against the millions of direct infringers using those services," the appeal by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and other entertainment companies says.
Grokster and StreamCast, in their filings, disagree: "Once the software has been downloaded by users, (we) have no involvement in, nor ability to control, what it is used for."
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in August that file-sharing services were not responsible because they don't have central servers pointing users to copyright material.
Grokster and StreamCast, in their filings, disagree: "Once the software has been downloaded by users, (we) have no involvement in, nor ability to control, what it is used for."
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in August that file-sharing services were not responsible because they don't have central servers pointing users to copyright material.
Lawsuit Says CIA Urged False Reporting on Iraqi Arms
The lawsuit [PDF] marks the first public instance in which a CIA employee has charged directly that agency officials pressured him to produce intelligence to support the administration's prewar position that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were a grave and gathering threat, and to suppress information that ran counter to that view.
[See also: Karen Kwiatkowski, a former Pentagon employee who has been on this topic for a couple years now.]
[See also: Karen Kwiatkowski, a former Pentagon employee who has been on this topic for a couple years now.]
The Deadly Necklace
The current issue of the New Yorker has a fascinating story about Richard Lancelyn Green, a preeminent Arthur Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes scholar who died under mysterious circumstances in March. At the time of his death, Green had been looking into the provinence of an archive of Conan Doyle’s papers [reprint of a NYTimes article], which he believed (perhaps wrongly) had been stolen, and he'd hinted that there had been threats to his life. Soon afterward, he was found garroted by a shoelace in his room. The magazine does not provide the article online, but does offer this Q&A with the author. I cannot recommend it highly enough, but to get you started while you're still at work, here's some more about Green's death from a Holmes message board; a discussion of the curse of Conan Doyle, which holds that Holmes scholars can meet an untimely end; and info on Doyle's belief in the supernatural. [from MetaFilter.com]
The world's first multinational
In The Wealth of Nations (1776), Adam Smith used the East India Company as a case study to show how monopoly capitalism undermines both liberty and justice, and how the management of shareholder-controlled corporations invariably ends in "negligence, profusion and malversation". Yet nothing of Smith's scepticism of corporations, his criticism of their pursuit of monopoly and of their faulty system of governance, enters the speeches of today's free-market advocates.
Russia Claims Right, Capability To Preemptively Strike Anywhere
Russia reserves the right to carry out preventive strikes with conventional weaponry on terror bases anywhere they are found in the world, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted as saying Friday.
"We do not rule out the possibility of carrying out preventive strikes on terrorist bases at any location in the world," Ivanov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying in an address to Russian military-diplomatic officials here.
"The only limit is exclusion of strikes with nuclear weapons," he said.
Ivanov referred to UN Security Council resolution 1566 stipulating that any country had the right to protect itself against the threat of terrorism and said that "a legal basis for carrying out such strikes exists today."
"Russia," he said, "is far from being the only country to announce its readiness to carry out preventive strikes on terrorist bases."
"We do not rule out the possibility of carrying out preventive strikes on terrorist bases at any location in the world," Ivanov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying in an address to Russian military-diplomatic officials here.
"The only limit is exclusion of strikes with nuclear weapons," he said.
Ivanov referred to UN Security Council resolution 1566 stipulating that any country had the right to protect itself against the threat of terrorism and said that "a legal basis for carrying out such strikes exists today."
"Russia," he said, "is far from being the only country to announce its readiness to carry out preventive strikes on terrorist bases."
Intelligence Bill Expands Police Powers
The intelligence package that Congress approved this week includes a series of little-noticed measures that would broaden the government's power to conduct terrorism investigations, including provisions to loosen standards for FBI surveillance warrants and allow the Justice Department to more easily detain suspects without bail.
Other law-enforcement-related measures in the bill -- expected to be signed by President Bush next week -- include an expansion of the criteria that constitute "material support" to terrorist groups and the ability to share U.S. grand jury information with foreign governments in urgent terrorism cases.
Other law-enforcement-related measures in the bill -- expected to be signed by President Bush next week -- include an expansion of the criteria that constitute "material support" to terrorist groups and the ability to share U.S. grand jury information with foreign governments in urgent terrorism cases.
Touchscreen voting supplier experiencing organizational turmoil
The company that manufactures the touchscreen voting devices, as well as other elections equipment, used in Napa County is experiencing some organizational turmoil.Sequoia Voting Systems' parent firm, British-based De La Rue, has indicated it may sell or close Sequoia's operations. Sequoia's headquarters is in Oakland.
Election fraud or just suspicions?
If the United States were a Third World country, our Nov. 2 election would not pass certification by international monitors. As former President Carter has explained on National Public Radio, we lack a central, nonpartisan election commission to guarantee fair and equal treatment of all voters nationwide, our candidates do not receive free and equal access to the media to deliver their message, voting procedures are not uniform throughout the county, and there is not a "paper trail" available in all cases to guarantee an honest recount where called for.
FBI's translation scandal heats up; more whistle-blowers emerge
mong the unanswered questions of 9-11 is the part played by the FBI in handling the various tips and information pouring through its translation section at the Washington, D.C., field office. It is in this division that certified language specialists with top secret security clearances handle the most sensitive information, from wiretaps to face-to-face interview translations between an investigating agent and a suspect. The translators often have inordinate power. Because of their expertise (or rather, the limited number of languages spoken by their bosses), translators often make the decisions on which cases to fully translate and which not to bother with. Errors can creep in: Translators may misunderstand a dialect and thus lose the meaning or context of information. On occasion, some translators' grasp of English is so poor that they cannot convey nuances of the speakers.
This division is already under fire from the Justice Department's inspector general and whistle-blowers, most notably Sibel Edmonds, who was fired from her job as a Farsi translator when she protested the way the work was being handled. Since Edmonds began speaking out, others have come forward.
This division is already under fire from the Justice Department's inspector general and whistle-blowers, most notably Sibel Edmonds, who was fired from her job as a Farsi translator when she protested the way the work was being handled. Since Edmonds began speaking out, others have come forward.
Fact Checking over Covering Spin
“You go to spin alley, the place called spin alley. Now, don't you think that, for people watching at home, that's kind of a drag, that you're literally walking to a place called deception lane?”
-- Comedian Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire with hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala, Oct. 15, 2004.
When Jon Stewart "busted" Spin Alley in his famous confrontation with the Crossfire people (the most downloaded video clip ever, at the time) he was hitting on a practice that had grown more and more disreputable. As a designated spot for the practice of spin, the Alley only fell from legitimacy when an alternative practice rose up and called out to conscience of the press. It was one lesson of Campaign 2004: Forget about spinning the outcome, just fact check the debates.
-- Comedian Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire with hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala, Oct. 15, 2004.
When Jon Stewart "busted" Spin Alley in his famous confrontation with the Crossfire people (the most downloaded video clip ever, at the time) he was hitting on a practice that had grown more and more disreputable. As a designated spot for the practice of spin, the Alley only fell from legitimacy when an alternative practice rose up and called out to conscience of the press. It was one lesson of Campaign 2004: Forget about spinning the outcome, just fact check the debates.
Budgeting for Privacy Officers Meets Resistance
White said Davis favors repealing the language, but would be satisfied with modifying the provision to say that the chief privacy officer “shall assist the CIO” on privacy issues. D
uring the debate over the Omnibus bill earlier this week, Davis said the privacy provision is redundant in light of existing laws and policy.
“I strenuously oppose section 522 of the Transportation, Treasury Appropriations Act of 2005, requiring that each federal agency have a privacy officer to carry out duties relating to the privacy and protection of personally identifiable information,” Davis said. “These federal information security functions are an intrinsic part of existing federal information policy. They are the responsibility of the agency CIO. Therefore, privacy officers are unnecessary.”
uring the debate over the Omnibus bill earlier this week, Davis said the privacy provision is redundant in light of existing laws and policy.
“I strenuously oppose section 522 of the Transportation, Treasury Appropriations Act of 2005, requiring that each federal agency have a privacy officer to carry out duties relating to the privacy and protection of personally identifiable information,” Davis said. “These federal information security functions are an intrinsic part of existing federal information policy. They are the responsibility of the agency CIO. Therefore, privacy officers are unnecessary.”
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Discovery Channel to Launch Military
Discovery Communications International (DCI) is about to launch a cable TV network called "the Military Channel," which will focus on all aspects of the armed forces, military strategies and personnel throughout the ages. (rom PRWatch.org/spin)
[I thought that's what the History channel did - McLir]
[I thought that's what the History channel did - McLir]
Critics Say Mysterious New U.S. Spy Program Endangers National Security
In an unusual rebuke, Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, complained Wednesday the spy project is "totally unjustified and very, very wasteful and dangerous to the national security." He called the program "stunningly expensive."
Rockefeller and three other Democratic senators - Richard Durbin of Illinois, Carl Levin of Michigan and Ron Wyden of Oregon - refused to sign the congressional compromise negotiated by others in the House of Representatives and Senate that provides for future U.S. intelligence activities.
The compromise noted the four senators believe the mystery program is unnecessary and its cost unjustified and "they believe that the funds for this item should be expended on other intelligence programs that will make a surer and greater contribution to national security."
Each senator - and more than two-dozen current and former U.S. officials - declined to further describe or identify the disputed program, citing its classified nature. Thirteen other senators on the intelligence committee and all their counterparts in the House approved the compromise.
The measure, which authorizes spending for intelligence activities for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, is separate from the intelligence-overhaul legislation that received final congressional approval Wednesday.
Rockefeller and three other Democratic senators - Richard Durbin of Illinois, Carl Levin of Michigan and Ron Wyden of Oregon - refused to sign the congressional compromise negotiated by others in the House of Representatives and Senate that provides for future U.S. intelligence activities.
The compromise noted the four senators believe the mystery program is unnecessary and its cost unjustified and "they believe that the funds for this item should be expended on other intelligence programs that will make a surer and greater contribution to national security."
Each senator - and more than two-dozen current and former U.S. officials - declined to further describe or identify the disputed program, citing its classified nature. Thirteen other senators on the intelligence committee and all their counterparts in the House approved the compromise.
The measure, which authorizes spending for intelligence activities for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, is separate from the intelligence-overhaul legislation that received final congressional approval Wednesday.
Strip Searches in Airport Stairwells Videotaped
TSA Employee: "That really incensed me that someone felt that they could just put on some gloves and they could just violate someone to that degree."
TSA Employee: "They actually had the passenger remove the clothing that covered the sensitive area and perform a duck walk to see if something would fall out."
TSA Employee: "They actually had the passenger remove the clothing that covered the sensitive area and perform a duck walk to see if something would fall out."
What's Scarier than Santa? Dozens of Santas Brawling in the Street.
Officers used CS spray and batons to break up trouble amongst up to 30 people, following Newtown's annual charity Santa run.
There were five arrests hours after around 4,000 Santas finished racing.
...Organisers are still waiting to hear if they have broken the world record for having the most number of Santas in the same place.
There were five arrests hours after around 4,000 Santas finished racing.
...Organisers are still waiting to hear if they have broken the world record for having the most number of Santas in the same place.
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