‘Twas the year of our lord 1605, the King - James the 1st (God save the King!) will be opening parliament tomorrow. But lo! What is this? Conspiracy? Grab that fellow! Following on from last year’s post about Guy Fawkes here is some more edutainment about religion, terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction from nearly 400 years ago. Things just never change do they? (More BritFilter for your delectation – and before you ask "Why not November the 5th?" Fawkes was arrested on the night of the 4th and with recent global events I thought some might be interested in the parallels). [from MetaFilter.com]
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Democracy 2004
Earlier this year, photographer Richard Avedon decided that he would try to capture a sense of the country in the midst of a crucial Presidential election campaign. These are the (unfinished, but wonderful) results.
A reader’s guide to expatriating on November 3
The most serious barrier to renouncing your citizenship is that the State Department, which oversees expatriation, is reluctant to allow citizens to go “stateless.” Before allowing expatriation, the department will want you to have obtained citizenship or legal asylum in another country—usually a complicated and expensive process, if it can be done at all. Would-be renunciants must also prove that they do not intend to live in the United States afterward. Furthermore, you cannot renounce inside U.S. borders; the declaration must be made at a consul’s office abroad.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Elsewhere in Vote Land
Senators-elect:
Jim DeMint:
Thinks that unwed pregnant women and gays are unfit to be schoolteachers.
Tom Coburn:
Wants the death penalty for abortion doctors.
John Thune:
Mr. School Prayer Amendment.
Voters in 11 states voted to ban same-sex marriage.
The lowest margin was 57%-43%. The highest (Mississippi) was 86%-14%. Kentucky's also bans civil unions. That one was 75%-25%.The Senate will likely be split 55-45 in favor of Republicans, creeping closer to a filibuster-proof supermajority.
Meanwhile, 89% of these guys are older than 65.
Enjoy your tax cut, America. You're going to need it.
[from MetaFilter.com]
Jim DeMint:
Thinks that unwed pregnant women and gays are unfit to be schoolteachers.
Tom Coburn:
Wants the death penalty for abortion doctors.
John Thune:
Mr. School Prayer Amendment.
Voters in 11 states voted to ban same-sex marriage.
The lowest margin was 57%-43%. The highest (Mississippi) was 86%-14%. Kentucky's also bans civil unions. That one was 75%-25%.The Senate will likely be split 55-45 in favor of Republicans, creeping closer to a filibuster-proof supermajority.
Meanwhile, 89% of these guys are older than 65.
Enjoy your tax cut, America. You're going to need it.
[from MetaFilter.com]
"Nonlethal Weapons: Terms and References"
This 1997 report from the Institute for National Security Studies - part of the US Air Force Academy - lists dozens of "nonlethal weapons," many of which are very obscure. Categories include acoustics, biotechnicals, electromagnetics, entanglers, holograms, and reactants.
It was retrieved from the extensive Defense Technical Information Center website here.
The glossary of nonlethal weapons is reproduced below for easy reading, but the full report also contains a section on "concepts" (including ethical, operational, physiological, and theoretical) and an invaluable bibliography with 644 entries. [from TheMemoryHole.org]
It was retrieved from the extensive Defense Technical Information Center website here.
The glossary of nonlethal weapons is reproduced below for easy reading, but the full report also contains a section on "concepts" (including ethical, operational, physiological, and theoretical) and an invaluable bibliography with 644 entries. [from TheMemoryHole.org]
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Kyoto Is Too Little to Fix Warming, Says U.N. Climate Chief
"My feeling is that we will probably need to do more than most people are talking about" to combat climate change, said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He welcomed ratification of the Kyoto pact by Russia's lower house of parliament, paving the way for the long-delayed 1997 accord to enter into force in the 126 nations that approved it, even though the world's greatest polluter, the United States, pulled out in 2001. "This mustn't lull us into thinking that the problem is solved," Pachauri said. "Kyoto is not enough. We now have to look at the problem afresh." Kyoto is a first step towards curbing emissions of gases like carbon dioxide, mainly from burning fossil fuels, that scientists blame for trapping heat in the atmosphere like the panes of glass in a greenhouse.
BBC exec blasts U.S. war coverage
BBC World Service and Global News director Richard Sambrook on Tuesday took the U.S. news nets to task on their own turf for "wrapping themselves in the flag" and not asking the tough questions about the Bush administration's reasons for going to war in Iraq (news - web sites).
Sambrook, speaking at Columbia U.'s Graduate School of Journalism, warned that such perceived partisanship of the news media may be playing a part in exposing journalists covering Iraq and other trouble spots around the globe to danger.
"Journalists are now at a greater risk than they have ever been before. Where once their neutrality was widely recognized and respected, today they are targeted and sought out, seen as high-profile representatives of their countries or cultures," Sambrook said.
Sambrook, speaking at Columbia U.'s Graduate School of Journalism, warned that such perceived partisanship of the news media may be playing a part in exposing journalists covering Iraq and other trouble spots around the globe to danger.
"Journalists are now at a greater risk than they have ever been before. Where once their neutrality was widely recognized and respected, today they are targeted and sought out, seen as high-profile representatives of their countries or cultures," Sambrook said.
Police Shoot Cayenne Paintballs at Protesters
Police in riot gear fired paintballs filled with cayenne pepper Thursday night to disperse a crowd of protesters assembled in this historic gold mining town where President Bush was spending the night after a campaign appearance.
...Richard Swaney, 65, of Central Point, said had joined in a peaceful protest outside the Jackson County fairgrounds where Bush spoke, and then went to Jacksonville to join the protest there.
He said he was walking with the crowd away from the inn when he was hit in the back with three separate bursts, one of which knocked him down. He felt a stinging sensation he thought was rubber bullets and smelled pepper.
...Richard Swaney, 65, of Central Point, said had joined in a peaceful protest outside the Jackson County fairgrounds where Bush spoke, and then went to Jacksonville to join the protest there.
He said he was walking with the crowd away from the inn when he was hit in the back with three separate bursts, one of which knocked him down. He felt a stinging sensation he thought was rubber bullets and smelled pepper.
Cronkite on bin Laden tape
Cronkite: ...In fact, I'm a little inclined to think that Karl Rove, the political manager at the White House, who is a very clever man, he probably set up bin Laden to this thing. The advantage to the Republican side is to get rid of, as a principal subject of the campaigns right now, get rid of the whole problem of the al Qaqaa explosive dump. Right now, that, the last couple of days, has, I think, upset the Republican campaign.
Iran lawmakers approve uranium enrichment
"Death to America!" chanted Iranian lawmakers after a unanimous vote Sunday to allow their government to resume uranium enrichment activities.
The legislation doers not specifically force the government to resume uranium enrichment or end snap U.N. inspections of atomic facilities as some of the Iranian lawmakers had wanted, reported al-Jazeera television.
"The message of this bill is that we will not give in to pressure," said Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel. "The Iranian nation is determined to use peaceful nuclear technology."
The legislation doers not specifically force the government to resume uranium enrichment or end snap U.N. inspections of atomic facilities as some of the Iranian lawmakers had wanted, reported al-Jazeera television.
"The message of this bill is that we will not give in to pressure," said Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel. "The Iranian nation is determined to use peaceful nuclear technology."
New missile defense director vows more secrecy
Obering said officials have an obligation to inform U.S. taxpayers about their investment in the multibillion-dollar system, but said the agency seeks to avoid tipping off potential enemies about weaknesses in the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system.
"Aspects that anyone can glean a vulnerability or a definite determination of capability of the system [are] something that we want to protect," he said.
Compare this summary of Missile Defense by the Union of Concerned Scientists from March 04.
"The system the Bush administration plans to deploy by 2004 will have essentially no defense capability. The technology needed for an effective missile defense system still doesn't exist. All the systems being developed are in early stages of research and development, and will have undergone only rudimentary testing by the time they will be fielded in 2004-2006. Operational testing will not have begun and test conditions will remain far from realistic. None of the X-band radars that are central to the system will be built by 2004."
"Aspects that anyone can glean a vulnerability or a definite determination of capability of the system [are] something that we want to protect," he said.
Compare this summary of Missile Defense by the Union of Concerned Scientists from March 04.
"The system the Bush administration plans to deploy by 2004 will have essentially no defense capability. The technology needed for an effective missile defense system still doesn't exist. All the systems being developed are in early stages of research and development, and will have undergone only rudimentary testing by the time they will be fielded in 2004-2006. Operational testing will not have begun and test conditions will remain far from realistic. None of the X-band radars that are central to the system will be built by 2004."
Frontline: "The Persuaders" airs Nov. 9
FRONTLINE takes an in-depth look at the multibillion-dollar "persuasion industries" of advertising and public relations and how marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages deeper into the fabric of our lives. Through sophisticated market research methods to better understand consumers and by turning to the little-understood techniques of public relations to make sure their messages come from sources we trust, marketers are crafting messages that resonate with an increasingly cynical public. In this documentary essay, correspondent Douglas Rushkoff (correspondent for FRONTLINE's "The Merchants of Cool") also explores how the culture of marketing has come to shape the way Americans understand the world and themselves and how the techniques of the persuasion industries have migrated to politics, shaping the way our leaders formulate policy, influence public opinion, make decisions, and stay in power.
[Douglas Rushkoff, author of "Media Virus," "Playing with the Future" and "Coercion" is doing the Persuaders and he is always worth a listen. -ed.]
[Douglas Rushkoff, author of "Media Virus," "Playing with the Future" and "Coercion" is doing the Persuaders and he is always worth a listen. -ed.]
Monday, November 01, 2004
Swing Set
This American Life looks at undecided voters.
Act 2 is an excellent and comprehensive look at voter suppression attempts across the country.
Act 2 is an excellent and comprehensive look at voter suppression attempts across the country.
9/11 "black box" cover-up at Ground Zero?
This is the more comprehensive version of our story appearing in today's Philadelphia Daily News. [mirrored here ]
Two men who worked extensively in the wreckage of the World Trade Center claim they helped federal agents find three of the four “black boxes” from the jetliners that struck the towers on 9/11 - contradicting the official account.
Both the independent 9/11 Commission and federal authorities continue to insist that none of the four devices - a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the two planes - were ever found in the wreckage.
But New York City firefighter Nicholas DeMasi has written in a recent book -- self-published by several Ground Zero workers -- that he escorted federal agents on an all-terrain vehicle in October 2001 and helped them locate three of the four.
His account is supported by a volunteer, Mike Bellone, whose efforts at Ground Zero have been chronicled in the New York Times and elsewhere. Bellone said assisted DeMasi and the agents and that saw a device that resembling a “black box” in the back of the firefighter’s ATV.
Their story raises the question of whether there was a some type of cover-up at Ground Zero. Federal aviation officials - blaming the massive devastation - have said the World Trade Center attacks seem to be the only major jetliner crashes in which the critical devices were never located.
Two men who worked extensively in the wreckage of the World Trade Center claim they helped federal agents find three of the four “black boxes” from the jetliners that struck the towers on 9/11 - contradicting the official account.
Both the independent 9/11 Commission and federal authorities continue to insist that none of the four devices - a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) from the two planes - were ever found in the wreckage.
But New York City firefighter Nicholas DeMasi has written in a recent book -- self-published by several Ground Zero workers -- that he escorted federal agents on an all-terrain vehicle in October 2001 and helped them locate three of the four.
His account is supported by a volunteer, Mike Bellone, whose efforts at Ground Zero have been chronicled in the New York Times and elsewhere. Bellone said assisted DeMasi and the agents and that saw a device that resembling a “black box” in the back of the firefighter’s ATV.
Their story raises the question of whether there was a some type of cover-up at Ground Zero. Federal aviation officials - blaming the massive devastation - have said the World Trade Center attacks seem to be the only major jetliner crashes in which the critical devices were never located.
Readers of Politics on Internet More Aware of Competing Views
Overall, they report, Internet users have greater exposure to a variety of political views, and particularly those that challenge their own. This was true even among those with similar age and educational levels. Broadband Internet users have a wider exposure than dial-up customers.
“We were actually a bit surprised,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. “Especially with broadband users, who tend to be more sophisticated -- people can increasingly become selective about what they get online. Before we started, we were prepared to say that there’s the start of a bad trend going on here, but we were surprised to find out the opposite, that what’s going on is good for democracy.”
“We were actually a bit surprised,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. “Especially with broadband users, who tend to be more sophisticated -- people can increasingly become selective about what they get online. Before we started, we were prepared to say that there’s the start of a bad trend going on here, but we were surprised to find out the opposite, that what’s going on is good for democracy.”
Lawyer to Post List of Accused Priests
A lawyer has compiled a list of 2,600 Roman Catholic priests nationwide who have been accused of sexual misconduct against children and plans to post it online by early next year.
...Demarest said the database of alleged "priest perpetrators" and other Catholic officials who have been accused of sexually abusing children was assembled from public sources, such as court filings and media reports. The entries will list names of those accused and the time, place and nature of the alleged misconduct as well as whether a lawsuit or criminal charges resulted.
It is believed to be the only database of national scope that identifies individual priests. Demarest said she started working on it in 1993 while representing clients molested by a Dallas priest.
...Demarest said the database of alleged "priest perpetrators" and other Catholic officials who have been accused of sexually abusing children was assembled from public sources, such as court filings and media reports. The entries will list names of those accused and the time, place and nature of the alleged misconduct as well as whether a lawsuit or criminal charges resulted.
It is believed to be the only database of national scope that identifies individual priests. Demarest said she started working on it in 1993 while representing clients molested by a Dallas priest.
Hacker find Security Hole in Gmail
Google's high profile webmail service, Gmail, is vulnerable to a security exploit that might allow hackers full access to a user's email account simply by knowing the user name, according to reports.
The security flaw allows full access to users' accounts, with no need of a password, Israeli news site Nana says . Using a hex-encoded XSS link, the victim's cookie file can be stolen by a hacker, who can later use it to identify himself to Gmail as the original owner of an email account, regardless of whether or not the password is subsequently changed. Following up a tip from an Israeli hacker, journos from the site confirmed the attack and verified the exploit with local security firm Aladdin Knowledge Systems.
The security flaw allows full access to users' accounts, with no need of a password, Israeli news site Nana says . Using a hex-encoded XSS link, the victim's cookie file can be stolen by a hacker, who can later use it to identify himself to Gmail as the original owner of an email account, regardless of whether or not the password is subsequently changed. Following up a tip from an Israeli hacker, journos from the site confirmed the attack and verified the exploit with local security firm Aladdin Knowledge Systems.
Bush Seeks Limit to Suits Over Voting Rights
Bush administration lawyers argued in three closely contested states last week that only the Justice Department, and not voters themselves, may sue to enforce the voting rights set out in the Help America Vote Act, which was passed in the aftermath of the disputed 2000 election.
Veteran voting-rights lawyers expressed surprise at the government's action, saying that closing the courthouse door to aspiring voters would reverse decades of precedent.
Since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of groups such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters or the state parties. And until now, the Justice Department and the Supreme Court had taken the view that individual voters could sue to enforce federal election law.
But in legal briefs filed in connection with cases in Ohio, Michigan and Florida, the administration's lawyers argue that the new law gives Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft the exclusive power to bring lawsuits to enforce its provisions. These include a requirement that states provide "uniform and nondiscriminatory" voting systems, and give provisional ballots to those who say they have registered but whose names do not appear on the rolls.
Veteran voting-rights lawyers expressed surprise at the government's action, saying that closing the courthouse door to aspiring voters would reverse decades of precedent.
Since the civil rights era of the 1960s, individuals have gone to federal court to enforce their right to vote, often with the support of groups such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the League of Women Voters or the state parties. And until now, the Justice Department and the Supreme Court had taken the view that individual voters could sue to enforce federal election law.
But in legal briefs filed in connection with cases in Ohio, Michigan and Florida, the administration's lawyers argue that the new law gives Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft the exclusive power to bring lawsuits to enforce its provisions. These include a requirement that states provide "uniform and nondiscriminatory" voting systems, and give provisional ballots to those who say they have registered but whose names do not appear on the rolls.
EPA Plan to Study Pesticides' Effect on Kids Spurs Backlash within Agency
The EPA announced this month that it was beginning a two-year investigation, partially funded by the American Chemical Council, of how 60 children in Duval County, Fla., absorb pesticides and other household chemicals. The chemical industry funding initially prompted some environmentalists to question whether the study would be biased, and some rank- and-file agency scientists are now questioning whether the plan will exploit financially strapped families.
In exchange for participating for two years in the Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study, which involves infants and children up to age 3, the EPA will give each family using pesticides in their home $970, some children's clothing and a camcorder that parents can keep.
In exchange for participating for two years in the Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study, which involves infants and children up to age 3, the EPA will give each family using pesticides in their home $970, some children's clothing and a camcorder that parents can keep.
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