The Retropolitan: Not yet! Two weeks.

Colsy: Ooooh. I'm gonna work on a post soon. With pictures.

Mr Jonathan Opinion: Batman's coming out?  I always suspected.

“Internet user captures the moment: Someone jumps from building in flames.” Source: UOL. Problem: This is the cheapest Paraguayan Photoshop job possible, recognizable as such with the naked eye. UOL ran it as gospel truth on the front page of its portal for hours before recognizing and regretting the error.

"If we continue down the current path, more and more of the news will consist of regurgitated press releases and wire copy,” Torves concludes.

Not to mention uncorroborated leaks from anonymous sources, which is just a variation on the same one-note samba.

This week, for example, Veja magazine creates a horrendous scandal over an alleged bribery scheme at the Rio de Janeiro state independent audit tribunal, the TCE-RJ.

Its source: the proverbial Brazilian "leaky police," whose cavalier handling of information developed by Swiss authorities in the Alstom case has reportedly led the latter to stop sharing information with Brazilian officials. See

• Leak Journalism Plagues Alstom Investigation in Brazil

The Veja story is in my translation queue -- I try to keep track of the "failed prognostication ratio" of various local news organizations as an aid to spending my content budget wisely -- but what is immediately notable is that it is based entirely on leaked documents from a police investigation, and lacks any account of how the leaked material came into the magazine's hands, or from whom.

Compare a similar story by CartaCapital this week, using information from a federal police investigation in Rondônia.

The accusations presented cite the full name, profession and residence of the witness in the case and the full name of the federal police officer she gave the statement to. See

• Character Assassination Veja-Style in the Diamond Fields of Rondônia?

The sourcing of the Veja story is handled in precisely the opposite way.

The absence of anonymous sourcing tends to correlate significantly with credibility, I tend to find. Over-reliance on it tends to correlate with the opposite of credibility. It is not a hard and fast rule, but a notable statistical trend, I think.

I can only find two sourcing statements in the entire Veja exposé, both on the order of "police say" or "police suspect."

That is to say, some member or other of the leaky police force says so, not the police as an institution or an authorized spokesperson.

The Brazilian federal police have taken a very firm position on the semantics of that sort of sourcing recently, insisting that leakers not authorized to speak to the press will be hunted down and ruthlessly scalped of their pensions. No news that this has occurred yet, however.

See also

• Nassif on Veja and the Leaky Police

The charges against the Rio audit board could be true or not, of course -- there are well documented cases of such things taking place here, but there are also cases of honest public servants being lynched in the pages of the yellow press -- or possibly dishonest onesbeing auto-da-fe'd for acts of dishonesty the did not actually commit. See, for example,

• Veja Só: Editorial Integrity at Brazil’s Grupo Abril

In any event, we should also recall that nothing has ever come of a similar, more recent Veja scandal story -- bribery of the elections tribunal of the federal district! -- and that the magazine seems to have never followed up on the story. See

• Brazil: Were Elections Judges Bribed?

I never read about any outcome in that case from any source, but then again, the Dickensian dead march to the beat of which Brazilian legal proceedings slouch toward Bethlehem to be stillborn may also be a factor.

In general, however, these sorts of stories are never followed up on. The purpose of this sort of story is to create an immediate sensation, generally targeted at a specific person or institution as as service to a third-party agenda, in exchange for some quid pro quo.

The comments collected by this reporter from Brazil's Comunique-se -- by telephone, presumably -- are echoed in a report issued by a committee of the House of Lords this week. Note the Lords:

The market pressures faced by news organisations have led many to scale back on investment in journalism and news gathering. Much of the news available on the internet, on the new television channels and elsewhere is repackaged from other sources.

I sometimes wonder whether these "market pressures" are not really just a phantom menace used as a thin rationale for hardcore union-busting.

At any rate, that is the theme of today's exercise in ham-fisted translation at the speed of two-fingered typing:

Desk-Bound Journalism

Reporting produced while sitting at a desk in the newsroom: clipping service or real journalism?

Marianna Senderowicz
Comunique-se (Brazil)
July 2008

Translation: C. Brayton
Boi Zebu Editorial Services

Called “deskbound journalism,” this type of reporting has gained ground mainly due to the ease of access to information provided by the Internet, which is constantly updated by news agencies and is a tempting source for those who have too little time or money for on-the-scene reporting.

Jornalismo de gabinete literary means "office journalism," "journalism done from the office". Compare the English expression, "phoning it in" (doing a half-assed job.) I have engaged in some creative translation here in rendering the phrase as "desk-bound journalism." Compare the English expressions "armchair general," "Monday morning quarterback," and the celebrated "pyjamas media." --Trans.

Though no hard data exist to demonstrate that this type of reporting is on the rise, the practice, while sparking controversy among journalism professionals, has found support in a corporate culture and a readership that demand more and more agility in the processing of news, driving a perceived demand for real-time coverage.

“To a certain degree this technique is influenced by the new technologies, but there is also an attempt by news organizations to cut costs”, says Fenaj director José Torves.

Sandra de Deus of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, a Ph.D. in Information and Communications and administrative director of the National Forum of Professors of Journalism (FNPJ), believes that basing news coverage on the information and impressions of third parties represents a serious threat to the quality of journalism. “You start to lose touch with events and sources. Your picture of reality is no longer faithful when it is constructed from biased accounts of events that you, the journalist, did not witness personally, but which you simply heard from someone else”, she says. In the case of radio news, the professor's specialty, the situation is even worse. “Nowadays the radio reporter will often simply read a news item straight off a Web site into the microphone, forgetting that radio depends more on immediacy and on-the-scene ambiance than any other medium.”

But obtaining facts from the Internet or by telephone does not necessarily lead to bad reporting. “Writing the story without leaving the newsroom has good points and bad points. Obviously, interviews are always better when conducted in person, but there is always a cost-benefit ratio to consider. And not all stories need to be reported on the scene”, points out Ana Estela de Sousa Pinto, a board member of the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (Abraji). In her view, however, when the reporting has direct observation as its principal focus, or when it involves conflicts, that is a different matter. “If an airliner crashes in the middle of the city, it makes no sense to report the story by telephone, you have to go and see for yourself. In the specific case of investigative reporting, such as, say, a case of embezzlement from the budget of a hospital, it is vital to go to the scene and see for yourself that the equipment that ought to have been purchased has not, in fact, been received”, she adds.

Reporters v. Editors

According to Fenaj, the number of Brazilian news outlets in 2008 should grow by 16% in 2008. In the case of online news portals, this growth increases the risk of error, to the extent that the same piece of information is capable of racing around the world in the blink of an eye, while the absence of deadlines tends to produce a certain euphoria about posting news as soon as it is received. Drawing on content from various sources, in various languages, Web journalism is is now practiced mainly by editors who simply copy edit and reproduce the material they receive. Guidelines exist, however, to reduce the risk of error in this type of news operation. “There are two factors to take into account in any news report: velocity and veracity”, says Cuca Fromer, director of Editorial Projects for the Terra portal. According to Fromer, there is constant pressure to respond quickly to breaking stories, but even so, all the facts must be checked first. “We get information from news wires, police band radio, and other sources, but we make it a matter of principle to corroborate all statements before publishing them.”

Fromer notes a recent episode in which one of Brazil's major news sites reported a supposed aviation disaster in São Paulo that was in fact nothing more than a fire in a mattress warehouse: “In that case, there was no fact-checking, just the automatic reposting of a news item from another news portal that had published the story. The result was that misinformation was published. But this is not how we instruct our copy desk to conduct itself.” Cuca says the race to be first to air with a story is a global phenomenon. “Everyone is connected and looking for a constant flow of information, which increases the chances that misinformation will circle the globe in just a handful of minutes. This scenario requires news organizations to publicly regret their errors and learn how to issue corrections as soon as the error is discovered.”

On that incident, see

• “GloboNews Shoots Down Airliner”

Progress?

Despite these concerns about the quality of Brazilian journalism, in some newsrooms, changes are already underway in the methods used to report stories. According to Marta Gleich, director of online news at the Grupo RBS, this trend, which has been reinforced by its general acceptance at a majority of Brazilian news organizations, is now being resisted. “At RBS, for example, we instituted an integrated newsroom for print and Internet, increasing the exchange of information and the production of content”, she relates.

According to Gleich, who has experience as reporter, editor, and editor in chief, the challenge of multimedia reporting has led more journalists to start covering events on the scene in order to provide the public with complete, reliable information. “You need videos, photos, audio interviews and other media in order to augment the story, and that sort of material you can only gather personally.”

On the moral hazards of "phone it in" participatory "citizen journalism," see

• Brazil: UOL Citizen Journalism Is Fake News

The RBS executive relates that her organization relies on news agencies for stories that take place outside of Rio Grande and Brazil. “We prioritize local news, and do not field any permanent correspondents, except in the federal capital, Brasília. When circumstances -- such an Olympic games, a natural catastrophe, elections or the like -- demand direct coverage, we dispatch journalists on special assignment for a fixed period.”

In the view of Torves, however, most news organizations in Brazil have not tumbled to the problem yet, and awareness needs to be raised at media companies in order to avoid the consolidation of this "copy editor" role at the expense of the "reporter" role. “The credibility of publications who offer more detailed reporting, corroborated on the scene or from primary sources, will be a determining factor in the decision to invest more in reporting”, he says. Sandra believes that social pressure could be decisive in bringing about the return of the beat reporter. “I hope and expect that daily journalism still has a future, and that citizens will demand that journalists be able to verify facts directly."

"If we continue down the current path, more and more of the news will consist of regurgitated press releases and wire copy,” Torves concludes.

Tja, for det første kommer 2. og 3. g'erne i store flokke af MÆND, som ikke har kvinder med, men som skal ind og duske små, lyshårede "dansker-ludere". Man ser jo ALDRIG en islamisk pige på diskotek, med mindre de er så vestligt indstillede, at de sandsynligvis på et tidspunkt "kommer til" at falde ud over en altan eller sådan noget. Iøvrigt kan de meget få unge islamiske kvinder, som forvilder sig ind på et diskotek, forvente at blive overfaldet af deres egne, fordi de går på diskotek, og endda uden heejab eller burqa.

Og da de aldrig selv har piger med, vil det naturligvis også skabe gnidninger, men det er jo det sædvanlige - muhamedanere bidrager aldrig til noget, men tager med den ene hånd og tager med den anden.

I øvrigt drikker de islamtroende sodavand (alkohol er jo strengt haram), og er derved mere en omkostning for værtshusholderne, som tjener deres levebrød ved at udskænke alkohol. Og selv om de drikker sodavand, opfører de sig alt for tit værre end selv de mest stang-stive danskere. (Hint: Speed og steroider er ikke nævnt i Koranen)

Nå, tilbage til billedet: De to nydelige unge mennesker ser grangiveligt latinamerikanske - og under alle omstændigheder vestligt sekulære ud. De ligner oven i købet nogle af mine gode venner. Der er så vidt jeg er orienteret ikke specielle problemer med katolikker på diskotekerne. Ren manipulation i bedste Tøger Engelbreth-stil.

Der skal »indføres en ordning, hvor det skal have konsekvenser for bevillingshavere, hvis de diskriminerer i nattelivet«, fremgår det af en rapport fra regeringen, der blev offentliggjort i dag.

Middel mod ekstremisme
Forlaget er led i at bekæmpe, at unge indvandrere radikaliseres og udvikler ekstremistiske holdninger, som regeringen har lovet i sit regeringsgrundlag. Rapporten indeholder i alt 41 nye og gamle initiativer.

Forslaget er altså lavet specielt med henblik på islam-troende. For ikke at "marginalisere" og "radikalisere" disse "stakler", skal restauratørerne nu trues på pengepungen til at lukke dem ind.

Det ville jo være dejligt, hvis et sådant tiltag virkede - så kunne vi bygge en masse diskoteker i Iraq og Afghanistan og trække vores tropper hjem med god samvittighed. Lande som Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Gypten, Libanon, De palæstinensiske Selstyreområder etc, kunne også godt - ud fra denne geniale betragtning - have brug for en massiv diskoteks-indsats. Der bare lige det problem, at diskoteks-musik (og visse steder musik i det hele taget - for ikke at tale om dans - fydaføjda) er lige så haram som alkohol i de islamiske lande.

Jeg er i langt de fleste tilfælde ganske overbevist om, at dørmændene ikke er racistiske (hvad så end det ord betyder for tiden - Dansk Sprognævn?), men derimod af erfaring kender deres lus på gangen. Hvis unge, sexfrustrerede hormonbomber fra Mellemøsten kunne finde ud af at styre sig, ville der jo ingen problemer være med at lukke dem ind. Hvor mange japanere, englændere, italienere, grækere, spanioler, amerikanere og latinoer har problemer med at komme ind på diskoteker? Det er der ikke lavet statistikker over, så vidt jeg er informeret. Ret mig endelig hvis jeg tager fejl. Men kæledæggerne fra Fredens Religion® skal selvfølgelig endnu en gang have særbehandling.

Men den vinkel er Tøger Seidenfaden og hans ideologiske mentor, satanisten Rune Engelbreth, selvfølgelig ikke interesseret i at få frem.

For at blive klogere på de problemer, der udspiller sig i nattelivet mellem dørmænd og diskoteksgæster fik Århus og Københavns Kommune i september 2007 udarbejdet en rapport, og den foreslog bl.a. videoovervågning.

Men den foreslog også mere kontroversielle tiltag, som er kendt fra udlandet. I Frankrig sender myndighederne f.eks. indvandrergæster på uanmeldt adgangskontrol på diskoteker og udsteder store bøder til indehaveren, hvis der forskelsbehandles.

Det er det, som kaldes "agent provocateur" - Dan Lynge i mindre målestok. Velbekomme.

Og i Sverige kræves der omvendt bevisbyrde, hvis en dørmand bliver anmeldt for diskrimination, så er det op til diskoteksindehaveren og dørmanden at bevise sin uskyld.

Wikipedia:

Normalt anses det for uetisk og i strid med menneskerettighederne at anvende omvendt bevisbyrde, idet det bør være op til anklagemyndigheden at bevise og sandsynliggøre at den anklagede er skyldig.

Maher Arar, a Canadian who accused U.S. authorities of illegally deporting him to Syria where he was tortured, lost a U.S. court appeal Monday, according to a report.

Arar, a Canadian citizen born in Syria, was stopped at a New York airport on his way home from vacation in September 2002. U.S. officials accused him of links to al-Qaeda and deported him to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for months.

He claims those who sent him to Syria recklessly and knowingly intended to subject him to torture. Even before he was secretly whisked away to Syria, he was confined for 12 days in New York and alleges he had to endure cruel, inhumane and degrading conditions.

Arar had argued his constitutional rights were violated when he was confined without access to an attorney or the court system and then forcibly returned to Syria, where U.S. authorities had reason to believe he would be tortured.

But the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals, affirming a lower court decision, ruled Monday that Arar failed to establish that the federal court had jurisdiction to hear his complaint, Reuters reported.

"Arar has not adequately established federal subject matter jurisdiction over his request for a judgment declaring that defendants acted illegally by removing him to Syria so that Syrian authorities could interrogate him under torture," the news agency reports the ruling as saying.

Arar remains on a U.S. watch list and barred from entering the United States, despite being cleared of any terrorist ties by a Canadian inquiry.

Justice Dennis O'Connor led the public inquiry, and said misleading information provided by the RCMP "very likely" paved the way for U.S. officials to send Arar to Syria.

Last year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology to Arar while announcing he will receive $12.5 million in compensation.

U.S. lawmakers made a public apology last October during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing convened to discuss his deportation.

Hvor svært kan det være? Lad SÅ befolkningerne stemme om, om vi vil have EU's sminkede lig af en "forfatning" påtvunget os, eller om danskerne er villige til at vedtage den censur-, forsvars-, monetær- og retspolitik som forsøges presset ned over hovedet på os.

Men det tør I ikke - og ville under ingen omstændigheder rette jer efter resultatet, som vi har set igen og igen. Via JP - læs hele artiklen.

De danske forbehold begrænser den danske indflydelse i EU. Ikke kun inden for euro-, forsvars- og retssamarbejdet, men også ved traktatforhandlinger, konkluderer længe ventet DIIS-rapport.

Dansk Institut for Internationale Studier, DIIS, præsenterede mandag en længe ventet rapport omkring de danske EU-forbehold. Rapporten konkluderer, at de danske forbehold omkring euro-, forsvars og retssamarbejdet går hårdt ud over samarbejdet i unionen.

"Prisen for at redde forbeholdene har ofte været, at man måtte opgive at kæmpe for andre danske prioriteter for traktaterne. Derudover betyder forbeholdene, at Danmark i dag vil have vanskeligere ved at varetage rådsformandskabet, idet Danmark ikke vil kunne føre forsædet i centrale råd," skriver DIIS i rapporten.

Mens EU-formandskabet i 2002 var en stor succes for Danmark, peger udenlandske kilder i rapporten på, at Danmarks kommende formandskab i 2012 vil blive en meget svær øvelse med forbeholdene intakt.

Morten Messerschmidt fra DF har følgende betragtninger i denne sag (Pressemeddelelse d. 30/6-2008):

- I kapitlet om euro’en er det interessant, at man på den økonomiske side kun forholder sig til situationer, hvor kronen kan komme under pres (p.83), mens man ikke diskuterer fordelene ved at kunne justere renten fleksibelt og uafhængigt. Og rapporten ignorerer totalt, at den slovenske finansminister for få måneder siden slog fast, at der slet ikke er nogen politisk indflydelse som medlem af euro’en, siger Morten Messerschmidt.

- På det retslige områder skinner det politiske virkeligt igennem. Det anerkendes, at Danmark har bevaret autonomi på udlændingepolitikken – men dernæst følger konklusionen, at Danmark grundlæggende er sat uden for indflydelse (p.222), fordi vi kopierer flere af EU´s love. Men ved at kopiere retsakter får Danmark jo en national selvstændighed, som ingen andre EU-lande har. Vi kan nemlig til enhver tid ændre reglerne igen – det kan de lande, der er bundet af EU, ikke. Men det ser rapporten helt bort fra, kritiserer Morten Messerschmidt.

- Også når det kommer til konklusionerne om forsvarsforbeholdet, synes rapporten at være rent bestillingsarbejde. Tankerne om en EU-hær skydes hen som en ren hypotese, og man overser, at eksempel Tysklands kansler Merkel med jævne mellemrum slår til lyd for tanken. Rapporten gør meget ud af forholdet til NATO og FN, men levner ikke plads til, at Danmark uvægerligt vil miste indflydelse, hvis særligt Frankrigs planer om, at EU skal optræde som en fælles enhed i NATO, går i opfyldelse, siger Morten Messerschmidt.

Lyrics and music for "The Lobbyist" is now available at The Middle Class Forum.

Concerning language James says:

An old and dear friend said of language and she mainly meant vocabulary is like play dough, it's meant to be played with.

How does Taoism approach human language?

Taoism and language:

Up until now, I've tip-toed around the fact that Taoist thought is so throughly intertwined with the nature and role of human language, simply because I can't envision a way of introducing it without explaining most of Taoism at once.

Previously, in discussing the Taoist approach to understanding reality, I've said: a Taoist favors experience over formal education, tries to decode hidden truths within human institutions, and eventually tries to stop learning and lose unessential knowledge.

Now that I have some Taoist posts under my belt, let me start the conversation on language by discussing the importance of learning the value of words, or perhaps more accurately, learning the limitations inherent in language. These limitations are most exquisitely summarized in this passage from the Zhuangzi:

There are some things that you can talk about, and some things that you appreciate with your heart. The more you talk, the further away you get from the meaning.

In another passage, the value of words is discussed:

When people think of learning the truth, they think of books. Books are only words and words, of course, have a value. But the value of words lies in the meaning behind them. This so-called meaning is but an effort to grasp at something and that something cannot really be expressed by words.

This is something that nearly every person on the planet understands deep down as true, though few belief systems say it. In fact, most religions prescribe more than just beliefs, but a set of rituals and human institutions, the value of which, like words, lies in the meaning behind them, not the actual institutions themselves.

Love and Tao:

Take "love" as an example. No matter how you try to define and describe it, no words can encompass it completely. A person understands love not through words, but by experiencing it. If you've never experienced love before, then no matter how detailed I am, no matter how wide my vocabulary, I'll never be able to pass on my understanding of love to you.

Love is more than any combination of words can describe. In fact, "love" is an arbitrary label given to an indescribable thing, so that people who've both experienced that indescribable thing can discuss it.

Within Taoism, the Tao itself is another such label for something that can't really be described with words. In fact, the very first lines of the Tao Te Ching state:

The Tao that can be told of
Is not the Absolute Tao;
The Names that can be given
Are not the Absolute Names.

I can say to you that the Tao is the underlying process of the universe, but even as I do I feel that I'm cheapening it, and I want to say more, even though I know that no matter how much I write, I won't be able to transmit to anyone my understanding of the Tao. Zhuangzi recognized the difficulty:

It is easy to know Tao, and difficult not to talk about it. To know and not to talk about it is to follow nature; to know and to talk about it is to follow man.

"Spiritual" vs. "Religious":

The running theme of Taoism is the recognition of a thing's primary and secondary parts, and valuing the primary over the secondary. With language, the words are secondary, the meaning primary. Human institutions and societal rules are secondary to the primary truths that they represent.

The focus of Jame's post is the debate between the meanings of the words "spiritual" and "religious" in a modern context:

In general use spiritual stands for something good, while religious stands for something bad. Usually the good spiritual is personal and the bad religious is institutional.

Through a Taoist lens, these definitions lead us to see "religious" as secondary, and "spiritual" as primary. This mapping is reinforced by the idea that actual understanding of a thing is personal, and therefore primary.

Though we may "religious" to secondary status, that doesn't mean it's useless. Despite their limitations, words can be used to point us in the right direction, as another passage from the Zhuangzi states:

A bait is used to catch fish. When you have gotten the fish, you can forget about the bait. A rabbit trap is used to catch rabbits. When a rabbit is caught, you can forget about the trap. Words are used to express meaning, when you understand the meaning, you can forget about the words.

The same goes for human institutions. Though many things cannot be explained completely with words, they can be at least partially encoded into our institutions. The problem is that since that knowledge can be only partially represented using words, relying on human institutions for passing on understanding carries risk.

That is why a Taoist favors experience over formal education, because our human institutions, despite their best efforts to pass on essential knowledge of this universe, are limited by the limitations of words, and so people risk mistaking the institution itself for its deeper meaning.

• Virtual Israel, as represented by Google Earth, is littered with orange dots, many of which claim to represent "Palestinian localities evacuated and destroyed after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war." Thus, Israel is depicted as a state born out of colonial conquest rather than the return of a people from exile. Each dot links to the "Palestine Remembered" site, where further information advancing this narrative can be obtained.

• Many of the claims staked out in Google Earth present misinformation, and sites known to be ruins in 1946 are claimed to be villages destroyed in 1948. Arab villages which still exist today are listed as sites of destruction. The Google Earth initiative is not only creating a virtual Palestine, it is creating a falsification of history.

• The concept of "replacement geography" replaces the historical connection of one people to the land with a connection between another people and the land. The inclusion of virtual Palestine, superimposed on Israel in the core layer of Google Earth, is an example of replacement geography advanced by technology.

• Those wishing to explore Israel in Google Earth are immediately taken to a politically motivated narrative unrelated to their quest. Google should remove the narrative and treat Israel as it treats every other country on the globe. The core layer of Google Earth should be ideology free and not serve as a platform for indoctrination or a campaign to wipe Israel off the virtual map.

Læs mere på Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs 

From the Jewish point of view, if people cannot see what they are doing, then how can they know until it's too late? They assert that it is so much better not to go the "bloody revolution" route, when one can achieve the same results by a gradual fait accompli. With politicians such as Speaker of the House, Madame Pelosi, publicly pledging to tie America's future to the eternal benefit of the State of Israel (sic), Jewish leaders, here and abroad, have every reason to think that their "Agenda" is going along smoothly and beautifully. Now, to stop the few Americans speaking out boldly in small media outlets and on the internet is all that's needed to eliminate the threat of "sunshine and visual clarity."

To that end self-censorship is expected by academia and the media. Neither Harvard University "eggheads" nor The Washington Post  would consider violating this principle by speaking the FULL truth forthrightly. Hence, only small annoyances such as the Hoaxer Project Report must be attended to by "corrective" legislation. A Senator Joe Biden is usually available to sponsor such a work, although there are bold Jewish senators always ready to "step up" for their people. Let us, then, consider the first of the many documented examples of Jewish fraud.

"LAURIE A. RECHT, a legal secretary who had vigorously supported court-ordered desegregation in Yonkers, NY, reported receiving death threats over several months following a meeting where she had been booed by angry white families opposed to the plan. RECHT, who is Jewish, had become a media heroine for her courage and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by the College of New Rochelle. To catch the perpetrators, the F.B.I. had installed a TV camera outside her apartment and attached security equipment to her telephone line. The equipment showed that no threatening calls had been received, and the hidden camera recorded Ms. RECHT writing a threat on the wall next to her apartment. Ms. RECHT has been indicted on several federal charges as a result of her hoax."    [THE HOAXER PROJECT REPORT, Laird Wilcox, p.13]

I believe that it is worth noting how precipitously and unscholarly the College of New Rochelle rushed to present Ms. Recht with an award for her labors. Since educators today generally reflect freemasonry's influence, a "rush to judgment" typically characterizes their approach. If something is "politically correct," then they don't want to be sober and reserved in their approach. Let's "award" and party, NOW!

Let's have another of the seemingly innumerable instances of Jewish self-serving fraud, shall we?

"In San Francisco, talk-show host MORTON DOWNEY, JR., is 'assaulted' in an airport restroom. A swastika is marked on his face and patches of hair are torn from his scalp, supposedly by neo-nazi 'skinheads.' Later that day he appears on TV with a much larger swastika painted on his face than was there when he first reported the incident, and related his shocking account of bigotry and racism. Airport security officers by the door reported no unusual traffic in or out of the restroom, and individuals in the restroom denied that any such incident took place. Although DOWNEY refused to back down, the incident is reported as a fabrication and a hoax by police. Later, Downey said he was 'drunk' and didn't even remember the incident."   [supra]

You can easily imagine that Mr. Downey might figure that such an event would hype his ratings for a while. That would tend to keep him employed. Further, all Jews are aware that there are orgainizations within Jewry that are always scanning for such events to promote as "anti-semitism." Hence, Mr. Downey could well expect to gain worldwide exposure, as Jewish influenced media would certainly feature the story for days on end, The F.B.I. would be called on to confirm a rising tide of anti-semitism. That, too, would be bruited about the media for days. It's a "win-win" situation for Jews. They have become masters of this game.

Let's hear of another incident, shall we?

"A series of fires in Hartford, CT, frightened the Jewish community and evoked media comparisons with the 'Night Of Broken Glass' when Nazis terrorized Jews in pre-World War II Germany. The fires occurred at Young Israel Synagogue, Emmanuel Synagogue, the home of RABBI SOLOMAN KRUPKA, and at the home of State Representative JOAN KEMLER, who is Jewish.

"Police involvement in the matter was intense, as nationwide media attention focused on the incident which had become the impetus for various legislative proposals to curb 'bigotry and violence.' Police staked out entire square blocks of Hartford, hoping for a copy-cat incident to occur in order to charge someone with arson. An early suspect in the case, BARRY DOV SCGUSS, a 17-year 0pold Jewish student, finally confessed to all four arsons. Although the total penalties for four counts of arson could have amounted to virtually life in prison had a real anti-Semite been apprehended, SCHUSS was given a suspended sentence, ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment, and placed on five years probation. SCHUSS had been an avid reader of holocaust literature and admitted that he had set the fires to enhance public awareness of anti-Semitism."   [supra, p.14]

One cannot correctly assert that because the "holocaust" itself is a monstrous deceit, anyone who "avidly" studies it must suffer from "Inductive Deceit Syndrome." The record of Jewish deceit far pre-dates the institutionalization of "holocaust studies" in America. Nor can the assertion of "mental illness" be presented as a sound defense, because, firstly, Jews are handicapped by "mental illness" at higher rates than any other people, and no one knows what, if anything, can be asserted successfully as a normal range for Jews. Can Jews be judged by European standards? Carl Jung had asserted that Jews think differently from Europeans. It would seem that these two people should not even be trying to live under one national roof. The Most High of Israel said through His prophet Amos: "If we do not think alike, can we long walk together?" Jews perceive normalcy as "insanity." Secondly, mental illness does not negate the factualness, or lack thereof, of an event. A mentally ill individual can speak truthfully about an incident, while at all times being "mentally ill." At the same time a perfectly sane individual may be lying about an event. Therefore, one must observe the event described, not the person describing the event.

Let's have a final episode of Jewish fraud presented on this particular post and call it a "wrap."

"Two unnamed Jewish teenagers spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic remarks on the home and car of a Jewish family in Marlboro Township, NJ. The two had been arrested for throwing firecrackers at passing cars and a subsequent investigation linked them with the anti-Semitic writing and a series of burglaries. Charges included seven counts of criminal mischief, four counts of burglary and two counts of theft. The two teens were not prosecuted for 'hate crimes,' however. Marlboro Township Detective Sgt. ROBERT HOLMES said, 'It's tough to prove their actions are anti-Semitic if they're both Jewish.' "   [supra, p.15]

Naturally, no one would suppose that "framing" nonJews in a fraud crime is worth the charge its written on. Jews are accustomed to luxuriate in their alleged history of mistreatment by Europeans, expecting to receive the "top bunk" in a dual legal system wherein the "book" is thrown at white folks alleged to have committed a "hate crime," such as condemning an Executive Branch shot-through with Israel Uber Alles "Advisers." Never has such an unworthy people, such as Jews, had so many fools fighting one another to be first to turn over power and wealth to them to administer. Since Jews always look to advance the Jewish World Agenda, they are becoming candidates for the first true World Tyrant. Is insanity catching?

Downnlaced, 2008.

This is an issue that has been worsening since the late eighties and grown since then. Statistics on income growth are measured using the traditional divisions of our economic community including the top, middle and bottom income earners. When looking at the top group during the period from 1980 to 2005, we see an increase in their income of 16.4%. This seems reasonable given the reports of economic growth reported from Canada in recent years. But unfortunately, the growth seen by income earners seems to hit a wall beyond this group of higher wage earners.

Low income Canadians have been hit hard during the period in question, seeing their average income drop by 20.6%. Even the middle group of wage earners were left out of any benefit from the economy's growth seeing their income stagnate at 0.1% growth. What makes this even more disturbing is the fact that our economy has seen significant growth if you believe the reports of the last decade. It seems apparent which group is benefiting from the current health of the Canadian economy

One of the most disturbing facts that has been revealed by this survey is that the two groups most drastically effected by this dipping of economic fortunes are the younger generations and recent immigrants. The group of workers from 25-29 has seen a drastic decrease in their annual income during the period of this report, a drop which will likely flow into the future of Canada's workforce driving the average wages of future generations on a similar course. Armine Yalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said the following in an interview with CBC News, "The next generation is really going to suffer... This might be the first generation that clearly is not going to do better than their parents' generation."

So this is the state of our "flourishing" economy. For years we have heard reports regarding the strength of the Canadian economy while the fortunes of most Canadians were shrinking or stagnating. To the untrained eye, it would appear that the well being of the average citizen is not taken into consideration when determining the health of the nation. Their is a profound disconnect between the wealthy and the growing ranks of the poor which I will deal with in more detail in coming posts. For now, here are some more places with information on this issue including the Statistics Canada report and the CBC news story that I sourced here.

CBC News: Income gaps grow, as Canada's have-nots get left behind

Statistics Canada: Earnings and Incomes of Canadians Over the Past Quarter Century, 2006 Census

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

In the opening weeks of the general-election campaign, Sen. Barack Obama has moved aggressively to shape his campaign and offered a clear road map for the kind of candidate he is likely to become in the months ahead: an ambitious gamer of the electoral map, a ruthless fundraiser and a scrupulous manager of his own biography in the face of persistent concerns about how he is perceived.
 

Obama's early maneuvers suggest a clear understanding within the campaign of his strengths and weaknesses. He bought air time in 18 states, a sure sign that he hopes to expand Democrats' traditional electoral map. He opted out of the public campaign-financing system -- revealing his determination to press his financial advantage, even at the cost of handing his Republican opponent the opportunity to raise questions about the sincerity of his rhetoric on reform.

And with a first ad that delves into his biography, Obama acknowledged ongoing concerns among his advisers that voters do not know whether he shares the values and beliefs of ordinary Americans, a potentially critical vulnerability. The ad speaks to the reality that enough questions were raised about Obama through the long nomination battle that he needs to address them. The campaign's concerns include both taking on misinformation -- such as the persistent claim that he is Muslim when he is in fact a Christian -- and framing a biography unlike that of any nominee in the modern era.

Read the rest:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/w
p-dyn/content/article/2008/06/22
/AR2008062201964.html?hpid=topnews

Dean Baird takes some very good photos, by the way.

One of the Sunday paper presenters at TAM6 has a brand-new website up - 'Tools For Skeptics',

"The purpose of the site is to assist the skeptic movement with better software tools". For free? As an experienced site-creating consultant? Or based on assumptions about the internet and how people behave regarding health issues when using it?

And it just got me thinking, which might have you groaning... just on the heels of my last inquiry, after all! At any rate, I'm interested to find out just how much knowledge skeptics have about the impact of the internet. Because it's just one part of the research into what makes people believe in weird things - a part that requires some more work, from what limited information published so far.

There's been a lot of vague opinions (from 'women's magazines are to blame' to 'John Edward on the television'), but I'm more interested in finding out what contributes to the bigger picture, not just 'blame the small screen'. A shame that doesn't seem to be said more often?

The site 'Skeptools' says that "the world wide web is chock-full of misinformation" - just how much research backs up that people are seeking particular sorts of misinformation on the web? What are the most popular sites for help-seeking? I know that one proactive Australian has been seeking out challenging information provided on Yahoo Answers, but is it bigger than that?

Most importantly - who is to say that 'skeptics are the answer', if there really is a problem? What research on consumer behavior on the internet and breakdown of age, gender and seeking habits reflects this statement?

My interest stems from the site's claim that the internet is primarily 'bad' in terms of providing information. But how much of a judgement is that? It is something that one of the Science Bloggers (Thus Spake Zuska) is reflecting upon recently, in terms of the impact of science blogs and what influence they have. This includes what it brings to the bloggers themselves.

Secondly, how much experience do the creators of such sites have on applying the popular catchphrase 'Web 2.0"? What studies on internet behavior, social networking, the effectiveness of such strategies?

I say this after my most recent blog-post on unpredictable internet behavior and the studies of a co-worker, who noted that research into internet behavior is still developing. There's a few relevant papers that could be of use in such a project, but I'm wondering just how many of the Sunday Paper Presenters have drawn upon such resources? 

To say the internet is 'chock-full of misinformation' is one thing. To actually know how much 'chock' and whether it is having a particular impact is another... A letter to Chest Journal recently addressed similar claims about the issue of people using the internet for diagnosis for health conditions:

...However, the claim that “patients seem to have a misplaced faith in the quality of health-related information available on the Internet” is specious, at best. Certainly, there is the potential for Web sites to impart unsubstantiated health information, which might yield deleterious consequences for the unwary Internet user. But evidence suggests that there are many Web sites that provide patients with sound, evidence-based medical information that may be of undoubted benefit in the health-care decision-making process. A recent study in an internal medicine practice revealed that, utilizing the most conservative estimating methods, 27% of patients use the Internet to obtain health or medical information. This number is in concordance with previously published studies, although Peterson and Fretz obtained a result of 16%. With the proportion of patients using the Internet for health information increasing, health professionals should command a greater awareness of online health and medical resources that are available to patients.

This does not mean that health professionals should exert more control over online resources. There are several organizations, including the Health on the Net Foundation, the Internet Healthcare Coalition, and Health Internet Ethics, that monitor the quality of online health information. Rather, it is imperative that objective evidence about the efficacy of Internet-based patient education materials be gathered by health-care researchers.

How can skeptic sites really know that they're not going to just end up preaching to the choir? How many people are likely to be redirected to an independent project in comparison to other commercial sites (like the cited Health on the Net Foundation, the Internet Healthcare Coalition, and Health Internet Ethics) which have more money, time, government support and vested interest in providing services? Is this a 'niche' that is too broad to try to tackle on one's own?

I know that within Australia, if you want to have a fine example of a site, company and magazine that provides support and information on consumer rights, frauds and scams - you can't go past Choice Magazine. "No advertising, no bias… just reliable, expert advice." They feature a magazine, a website, have articles and investigations that lead the way in how to question what's to buy and what's to avoid.

Finally, how do we define 'effectively'? What research on the consumer behavior patterns regarding seeking information and whether the internet is truly the prime source of 'misinformation'?

What research has been developed on media viewing behavior or sources of 'misinformation', in particular those that influence belief in paranormal or pseudoscientific concepts and any damaging consequences that come from it? 

In short, there's a serious amount of work that needs to be acknowledged before it comes across as a simple answer - pfft, but you knew that already, didn't you? ;)

It is interesting that a presenter is assuming from the start that the primary influence on 'misinformation gathering' is the internet (what stats? Any independent studies done by such a site or being drawn upon?) - or that using the internet in response is going to reach that particular target audience. I guess it also depends on what position you might take:

That belief in misinformation, created by paranormal or pseudoscientific practices (and practitioners) stems from generally positive and uncritical media coverage of claims (including the internet), that then influences a primarily uncritical audience. The sheer volume creates an atmosphere of acceptance that such 'cures' or 'solutions' must and do exist (French and Wilson, 2007; Sparks and Miller, 2001).

What if it's an AND/OR, as demonstrated by a more significant body of research that points out:

There is a correlation between paranormal belief and deficit in syllogistic reasoning (Evans & StB, 1989; Evans, StB, Newstead & Byrne, 1993; Merla-Ramos, 2000). Such as affirmation of the consequent in 'UFO cover-ups'. Include distorted concepts of randomness (e.g Type I (false alarms - more likely by believers) and Type II errors (missing meaning and patterns - more likely by skeptics...) (Brugger, Landis & Regard, 1990; Brugger, 2001; Brugger & Taylor, 2003).

Include a tendency towards perceptual biases (Brugger, Regard, Landis, Cook, Krebs & Nederberger, 1993; Pizzagalli, Lehmann, Gianotti, Koenig, Tanaka, Wackermann & Brugger, 2000); susceptibility to experiencing anomalous sensations / some cases more suggestible (Wiseman, Watt, Greening, Stevens & O'Keeffe, 2002; 2003); tendency towards memory bias (French, 2003; Clancy, McNally, Schacter, Lenzenweger & Pitman, 2002); proneness to false memories (Wilson & French, 2006)? Include non-conscious processing (Wilson, 2002; Rensink, 2004) and dual processing (Lindeman & Aarnio, 2005; 2007, Stanovich & West, 2003).

I must say, it is rather unfortunate that in Australia, the phrase 'Tools For Skeptics' can have an entirely different meaning. It is also rather unfortunate that we seem to strike out as independent solutions, rather than drawing on the strengths of groups that already exist, who share some of the same goals as us.

Have you noticed that your paddle has more than one hole in the center of it? That is where you join the two pieces of the paddle. One hole puts both blades parallel to each other. The other hole offsets the paddle blades. That offset configuration lays one blade flat to the water; where as, the other paddle stands more vertical to the water. Kayakers call a paddle that has offset blades feathered. The blades are sometimes angled 30° to 90° along the shaft of the paddle. Many experts, books, web sites, instructors, and sales people contest that their opinions on the advantages and disadvantages on using a feathered paddle are the correct ones. Unfortunately, the aforementioned beliefs are sometimes contradictory or ambiguous.

Staying in the kayak is why we as kayakers use a feathered paddle. The offset blades main objective is to aid the kayaker in quick recovery bracing techniques. A person can still brace and remain upright when using a non-feathered paddle; however, it is not as efficient. Certified instruction is the best way to learn safe bracing techniques.

Reading about and watching videos on the high and low brace without proper classroom instruction is dangerous. Instructors will aid you in getting into the proper anatomical position.

Wind is not a major factor in a feathered paddle. The ability to slice through wind is not a main benefit to an offset paddle blades. The decreased wind resistance on a forward stroke is only a minor advantage of feathering a paddle.

Some even think that the notion of wind traveling sideways towards the kayak is a reason not to feather the blades. A crosswind rarely can catch the flattened blade and nock the kayaker off balance.

Kayakers feather their paddle to decrease the worry of unplanned rolling through bracing. It is bracing with a feathered paddle that quickly keeps the kayaker in a dry and upright position. A trained instructor will assist you better in refining these bracing movements with a feathered paddle.

It is frustrating to come across conflicting advantages and disadvantages of a feathered paddle. The misinformation exists due to the large number of experts, books, web sites, instructors, and sales people. All of these experts have different levels of knowledge, training, and personal kayaking experiences. The best thing that a kayaker should do is get out there, get some personal instruction, and have fun.

Another example of this governments environmental hypocrisy was revealed in an investigative report by the CBC this week (Terry Milewski, CBC News, Lakes across Canada face being turned into mine dump sites, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/16/condemned-lakes.html). In it, Terry Milewski reveals that the Federal Government, most likely on the lobby of mining companies, have slated 16 lakes across Canada for use as dump sites for the toxic by-products of the mining process. All of these lakes had their designations changed to the status of toxic dump, four of which are already being used for this purpose, and all of the lakes slated for this toxic dumping were previously prime territory for fish and game.

How did they pull this one off? Well typically, under the Fisheries Act, all bodies of water that are able to sustain waterborne life are protected from toxic dumping under the law, but as usual, the feds dug themselves a new loophole when the rest us of had our eyes diverted elsewhere. In 2002, a subsection innocuously named Schedule 2 was added to allow for mine effluent dumping in otherwise protected waters... according to Milewski, "...under a little-known subsection known as Schedule Two of the mining effluent regulations, federal bureaucrats can redefine lakes as "tailings impoundments areas." Ain't that a kicker!

The Mining Association is labeling this type of dumping the "safest option" for the disposal of mining toxins and the government is in complete agreement and is adding some nonsense about creating jobs (apparently the jobs created by the fisheries, tourism and their residual overflow are not considered worthwhile forms of income... perhaps they are not multinational enough).

Meanwhile, environmentalists are pointing out some of the more obvious facts such as the inevitable die-off and extinction of wildlife and the possible negative and lethal health effects to neighboring humans, never mind the dangers usually associated with introducing chemicals into a watershed. Catherine Coumans, speaking on behalf of the environmental group Mining Watch says that "...eight lakes are going to be subject to being put on Schedule Two, which is just about every mine that is going ahead this year is looking around, looking for the nearest lake to dump its waste into.” (CBC)

Basically, Canadian fresh water, some of the last in the world, is being viewed as dispensable and is being valued as nothing more than a boon for the mining industry. "Coumans said the procedure amounts to a subsidy to the industry and enables mines to get around the Fisheries Act." (CBC) While the rest of the world is clamoring to find sources of fresh water, Canada is throwing it away as an industrial waste utility. If anybody was ever curious about how powerful the "big business" lobby was in our parliament, now you know. A hell of a lot more potent than the environmental one!

So the next time you hear any environmental talk from the mouths our politicians, you can now be sure that it is no more than "double talk." When your children or grandchildren are living without any sources of fresh water, consider this moment in time and the people who bargained away the future to make a few extra bucks! But hell, its all about the money right?

When Is a Lake Not a Lake?

Canadian lakes set to be reclassified as mining-waste dumps
Posted at 10:07 AM on 17 Jun 2008

Sixteen lakes across Canada are set to be quietly reclassified as allowable areas for mines to dump toxic waste. While Canadian law technically disallows chucking harmful substances into fish habitat, lakes can be reclassified as "tailings impoundment areas" under a little-known subsection of mining effluent regulations. With a lake at their disposal (literally), mining companies avoid the cost and trouble of building containment ponds for their muck. Besides, lakes are peachy for waste disposal, says Elizabeth Gardiner of Canada's Mining Association: "[W]ith this kind of topography and this number of natural lakes and depressions and ponds ... in the end it's really the safest option for human health and for the environment."

sources: CBC News, The Globe and Mail

While the mainstream media continue to ignore the Roland Carnaby case, there is still a steady stream of information being desiminated by those with anonymous sources. Here is a good example I came across today:

"Wayne Madsen is reporting that ex-CIA agenet Roland Carnaby, who was shot, some say assassinated, by Houston police in late April, was homing in on something really big, possibly another vicious 9/11 level attack on American soil, perhaps with Houston as ground zero. Time to start seriously watching again. July 4th is one proffered date for something very ugly to go down. That's not too far away. I don't prophecize [sic] these False Flag Ops, but when they reach a certain level of feasibility, up goes the Jolly Roger!" [1]

This story, as with the anonymous posting that Carnaby was chasing a suitcase nuke at the time he was persued and killed by HPD, does nothing to get to heart of this matter.

As I have stated in previous posts, it is foolish to give credence to anything posted by ex-intelligence officers who are given information from anonymous intelligence sources. This continuing shell game leads us further and further away from the reality that a man was shot and killed reaching for a cell phone, handcuffed on the cement and left to die.

We don't know if he was a CIA agent, but from work done by Alex Constantine and others, it is pretty apparent that he was. If they can kill a man well known in the local intelligence community and amongst the elite in HPD, what could they do to you or me?

It only makes sense that if he was CIA, they would use disinformation as a tool in invalidate the credible information. The more these stories are floated around, the harder it is to have intelligent discourse on the matter. If you start to dialogue about the registration of the vehiclehe was driving at the time he was killed, you will be drown out by the chorus of foolish notions about suitcase nukes, Zionists, and "false flags."

I know from the amount of traffic I have received about this case, that it is a hot button issue with a lot of people. The interest only seems to grow. Not much information is forthcoming. Yet I am skeptical of anyone who has a paid site, digging up sensational claims that he got from "intelligence sources." I would suggest everyone interesting read Alex Constantine's post on Wayne Madsen.

http://aconstantineblacklist.blogspot.com/2008/05/re-shooting-of-cia-operative-by-houston.html

I would also point the reader to Gene Dios' article about former FBI agent Don Clark.

http://genedios.livejournal.com/2690.html

There is a pattern here: ex-intelligence officers disseminating false information to lead those interested in the case down the wrong path. The best thing anyone can do when looking into this matter is stick with the facts.

There seems something else interesting to going on here.  A mythology seems to have been created around Carnaby.  In all of these stories, Carnaby has taken on the role of a Jack Bauer who is working against evil forces in the government.  He was chasing a suitcase nuke that was going to be detonated in the US.  He is hot on the trail of a false flag incident being planned in the Port of Houston.  Assuming that he was a high-ranking CIA agent, why are we to think he was working against the government, trying to root out some evil?

In the process of investigating this matter, some have chosen to feed into a believe that Roland Carnaby was the good guy, who was onto something and was rubbed out.  Is there any fact to substantiate this assertion, besides anonymous postings and "intelligence contacts."  We don't know who Roland Carnaby was.  It remains a mystery.  The truth may never become clear.  But, the idea that he was a superhero fighting against the dark forces in our government seems a little ridiculous.  The truth of the matter is that if he was a CIA agent, retired or just contracting, he was more than likely one of the bad guys.  That fact does not justify the way he was killed, and that is the fact that should be investigated, the procedure followed by HPD in engaging in deadly force and rendering aid to Carnaby once shot.   Lets not lose sight of who this guy was.

1. http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=7749

http://startnow72.wordpress.com/misdirection-in-the-death-of-roland-carnaby/

Sagen opstod jo, fordi multi-kulti-segmentet (faste læsere ved hvem jeg mener) kørte sagen op sammen med nogle muhamedanske tolke, som - jeg må næsten sige som sædvanlig - løj stærkere end en hest kunne rende. Hvilket typer som de Radikale og Enhedslisten selvfølgelig kastede sig over som en flok aber over en bunke bananer og gjorde meget større, end det i virkeligheden var. Og det gav selvfølgelig mainstream medierne blod på tanden, så sagen fik en ekstra gang gas.

For at rekapitulere: Annemette Hommel havde forhørt irakiske krigsfanger, og hun havde så sandeligen bedt dem om at sætte sig på jorden, i stedet for i de ergonomisk korrekte, arkitekttegnede designermøbler, som forefindes i ethvert militær-telt.

Desuden havde hun nægtet en fange vand i et helt kvarter, da vedkommende allerede flere gange havde fået vand. Det arme menneske blev jo nær styrtet i graven af denne barbariske tortur. Hun havde angiveligt også sagt "sgu" og "fanden" til de sagesløse terrorister.

At irakerne så har det med at bruge RIGTIG tortur (afrivning af negle, tæsken til døde og mange andre sjove ting) er jo ganske uvæsentligt i denne sammenhæng, for det er jo lige så alvorligt at nægte en flabet fange vand i et kvarter, som at rive neglene af ham og stikke hans øjne ud med rødglødende jernstænger. Nå, så skulle pointen vist være slået fast...

Den tidligere efterretningsofficer Annemette Hommel får nu en undskyldning fra forsvarschef, general Jesper Helsø. Fire år efter at forsvaret stemplede hende med mistanken om, at hun havde behandlet irakiske fanger umenneskeligt, har hun ikke alene fået rettens ord for, at hun er uskyldig. Nu får hun også, hvad der er så tæt på en undskyldning på forsvarets vegne, som man kan komme.

I et farvel-interview i dag forklarer forsvarschefen, at omstændighederne, da Annemette Hommel blev hjemsendt som mistænkt for at have overtrådt Genèvekonventionerne om behandling af krigsfanger, var sådan, at man næppe kunne have handlet anderledes. Men det var til stor lettelse både for Annemette Hommel og for forsvaret, da hun blev frikendt i Østre Landsret, siger Jesper Helsø.
...

Formanden for forsvarets officerer, kommandør Bent Fabricius, er helt enig med forsvarschefen i, at man gav Hommel en dårlig behandling, da man »i nattens mulm og mørke sendte hende hjem uden en fair chance for at udtale sig«. Bent Fabricius mener ikke, at Hommel-sagen generelt fik officerer til at vige tilbage for at handle selvstændigt og træffe måske ubehagelige beslutninger.

»Men selvfølgelig betyder det noget, at man kan sige undskyld og at man tog fejl. Det tager jeg hatten af for,« siger officerernes formand.

Annemette Hommel er selv glad for forsvarschefens melding. »Det glæder mig naturligvis meget, at man indser og officielt anerkender, at det var nok en fejl, at man handlede, som man gjorde,« siger hun. Annemette Hommel fik fra 1. januar i år også den anerkendelse, der ligger i, at hun avancerede fra kaptajn til major af reserven.

En kommentar til sagen (læs det hele her):

En skueproces er normalt ikke noget, vi tror foregår i Danmark. Det er betegnelsen for en retssag, som gennemføres på skrømt, hvor det allerede fra starten af er sikkert, at den anklagede vil blive dømt, men hvor man gør, som om retssagen er retfærdig. Sagen mod Annemette Hommel var ikke en skueproces på helt den måde. I den sag var det nemlig hele tiden meningen, at hun skulle frikendes.

Skueprocessen mod Annemette Hommel kørte i retten og medierne over en lang periode og endte som planlagt med hendes frikendelse, for hendes reelle modpart, det militære system, havde ikke nogen interesse i, at hun blev dømt. Tiden gik, og der blev ikke rejst tiltale mod andre end Hommel og militærpolitifolkene, som var tiltalt sammen med hende. Henrik Flach, hendes chef i Irak blev ikke tiltalt. Han blev tværtimod den 02.02.2004 tildelt en af kongehusets hædersbevisninger (Ridder af Dannebrogsordenen). Kaptajn Henrik Simonsen fra Forsvarsakademiet, som ifølge medierne havde tilskyndet hende til at skrue bissen på, blev ikke tiltalt. Major Jan Brink fra Hærens Operative Kommando, som slettede en vigtig e-mail i sagen, blev ikke irettesat, og ingen andre i den militære ledelse blev tiltalt eller frataget deres poster.

I would not know how to estimate how many readers I have here in Brazil, but it’s a lot of people. The reader here, like readers everywhere, is curious about himself: What are they saying about me abroad? What do they say about my country? This is natural. The New York Times, of all the big American papers, might be the one most read on the Internet. -- Larry Rohter Leaves Brazil: “I Feel Like a Prostitute Lynched by Hypocrites”

Beltrame determina afastamento de policiais suspeitos de atentado: Rio state security secretary Beltrame suspends two state judicial policemen suspected of participating in a terrorist attack on a Rio police precinct by "militias," reports TV Globo Rio (RJTV), which adds that "the New York Times even reported on the story."

The (well reported) New York Times story on militias in Rio that I read, by Mr. Barrionuevo, the Grey Lady's new post-Rohter man in Copacabana, does not mention the bombing of the precinct.

O ataque atribuído às milícias foi destaque no jornal americano The New York Times, com a manchete “Milícias armadas controlam favelas do Rio”. O jornal também lembrou a tortura sofrida por uma equipe do jornal O Dia.

The attack, attributed to militias, was showcased in the New York Times, with the headline "Armed Militias Control Rio Shantytowns." The paper also mentioned the torture suffered by a reporting team from the O DIA daily.

This is not true. The headline of the story referred to, and displayed on-screen (above) was

In Rio Slum, Armed Militia Replaces Drug Gang’s Criminality With Its Own

The lede:

When several Brazilian journalists decided to go undercover here in May to report on life in one of the hundreds of slums that have sprouted up around Rio, they thought they had chosen carefully.

Under the inverted pyramid principle, if it is mentioned in the lede, then it is not just an "also mentioned." It is the focus (destaque) of the story.

Globo seems to be engaged in some creative translation here.

Globo does tend to gabble and just sort of make things up -- such as that the Times mentioned the precinct bombing in the report referred to. It did not.

On the news organization's notorious carelessness (at best) with facts, see also, to cite only recent cases,

• “Globo Gabbles on Gaucho Gran Guignol”
• “GloboNews Shoots Down Airliner”
• TV Bahia x The Quilombo: Globo Journalism’s Finest Hour?

Nesta tarde foram cortados os galhos que encobriam uma parte do viaduto de onde a bomba foi lançada. O delegado da 35ª DP, Marcus Neves teve uma reunião na chefia de polícia. Entre os assuntos discutidos, estava a investigação de outros atentados que estariam sendo planejados contra dois delegados a mando das milícias da Zona Oeste. Os dois estão circulando com escoltas.

This afternoon, brush covering part of the viaduct from which the bomb was launched was being removed. The commander of the 35th Precinct, Mr. Neves, had a meeting with senior police leadership. Among the matters discussed: Investigations of other attacks planned against two judicial police commanders, ordered by Western Zone militia commanders. The two commanders are going about their duties under guard.

São cerca de 200 policiais de várias delegacias, principalmente especializadas, que estão se revezando no apoio às investigações. Eles ficam concentrados em frente à delegacia, de onde saem para as incursões. Segundo o delegado titular, os dois policiais civis suspeitos de participação no atentado já foram afastados das funções. Mas os nomes dos policiais não foram divulgados.

Nearly 200 police from specialized units are working on the investigations. They gathered outside the 35th Precinct, from which they were departing on raids. According to the precinct commander, the two state judicial policemen suspected of taking part in the bombing have been suspended from duty. Their names were not revealed.

"9mm São Paulo: The Truth About the Police. Fox's first miniseries produced in Brazil." They didn't spend a lot of money doing it, though, as far as we could see -- just enough to meet new rules requiring a certain proportion of domestically-produced programming on cable TV. Critical verdict: I turn to my wife and say, Do you have any idea what the hell's going on? No, she says. Me neither, I say. We turn it off after about 17 minutes. Featured corpse: A Black Dahlia-like former Big Brother Brasil (Globo) contestant.

By Jane Corbin, BBC News

A BBC investigation estimates that around $23bn (£11.75bn) may have been lost, stolen or just not properly accounted for in Iraq.

The BBC's Panorama programme has used US and Iraqi government sources to research how much some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding.

A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations.

The order applies to 70 court cases against some of the top US companies.

War profiteering

Waxman: "It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history."

While Presdient George W Bush remains in the White House, it is unlikely the gagging orders will be lifted.

To date, no major US contractor faces trial for fraud or mismanagement in Iraq.

The president's Democratic opponents are keeping up the pressure over war profiteering in Iraq.

Henry Waxman, who chairs the House committee on oversight and government reform, said: "The money that's gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it's egregious.

"It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history."

In the run-up to the invasion, one of the most senior officials in charge of procurement in the Pentagon objected to a contract potentially worth $7bn that was given to Halliburton, a Texan company which used to be run by Dick Cheney before he became vice-president.

Unusually only Halliburton got to bid - and won.

Missing billions

The search for the missing billions also led the programme to a house in Acton in west London where Hazem Shalaan lived until he was appointed to the new Iraqi government as minister of defence in 2004.

He and his associates siphoned an estimated $1.2bn out of the ministry. They bought old military equipment from Poland but claimed for top-class weapons.

Meanwhile they diverted money into their own accounts.

Judge Radhi al-Radhi of Iraq's Commission for Public Integrity investigated.

Judge Radhi al Radhi: "I believe these people are criminals."

He said: "I believe these people are criminals.

"They failed to rebuild the Ministry of Defence, and as a result the violence and the bloodshed went on and on - the murder of Iraqis and foreigners continues and they bear responsibility."

Mr Shalaan was sentenced to two jail terms but he fled the country.

He said he was innocent and that it was all a plot against him by pro-Iranian MPs in the government.

There is an Interpol arrest warrant out for him but he is on the run - using a private jet to move around the globe.

He stills owns commercial properties in the Marble Arch area of London.

Panorama: Daylight Robbery will be on BBC One at 9pm on Tuesday 10 June 2008.
Published: 2008/06/10 17:25:48 GMT

Some folks also seem to generalize from their own experience of habituation to benzos to assume that everyone who uses benzos becomes habituated and needs larger and larger doses to experience any effect.  This is not backed by evidence either.  People who do not have addictive traits and do not develop cravings for substances are unlikely to become habituated to benzos nor to crave a higher dose over time.  There are plenty of folks who stay on the same exact dose of benzos, a low dose often, for the duration of their time on dialysis with no ill effects at all and no raising of dosage. 

Benzos while not without side effects for some, as no drug is including very necessary drugs such as phosphate binders, have the great advantage of having been in use for decades so doctors are well educated on what to look for in case trouble arises and benzos unlike the newer drugs are quite cheap and do not add a heavy financial burden to kidney patients who have many other expenses to worry about. 

As with all drugs, everyone's mileage will vary, but it is a bit disconcerting to see folks put out fear mongering information about a class of drugs that helps many people at a low cost based purely on their own experience and the experience of those who have had trouble with this class of drugs.  To me, telling folks with kidney failure to worry about their use of benzos is a bit like telling someone with a knife sticking out of their back to worry about which pain medication the ER team gives them to enable removal of the knife.   Priorities folks, priorities. 

The threat of global AIDS epidemic is over according to the World Health Organization. It will be confined to high risk groups, "These groups include men who have sex with other men, drug users who inject with needles, and sex workers and their clients, " The Independent reported.

In the 1980's and 1990's the news media, AIDS groups and Gay Organizations were quick to warn everyone that this preventable abomination was a risk to everyone. They never used actual numbers to qualify their case, only percentages. I read one headline years ago that said something to the effect " AIDS infections rose 45% among women in North America." Well you don't need a lot of people to raise the bar 45%, but among Gay men, the damage was devastating.

Who doesn't know someone who hasn't died from the disease or is infected by it. I have known a few, and friends have children who are and were infected.

This tragedy is made worse by the lies and misinformation. In the early nineties, I had known of about eight people, some friends, others were family members of people I knew who died from AIDS.

I never knew of a woman who had AIDS. I put two and two together and was vilified for speaking the truth.

It is now OK to warn your children of the risks associated with alternative lifestyles.

How much more misinformation are these groups spreading today?

Yet another display of kindergarten squabble, this time from the Senate Republican Minority - with a few exceptions - How else would you call the ridiculous request of subjecting colleagues to a whole day of reading of a 500 page document?

Per Reuters, 'Environmental groups were jubilant, even as the bill was defeated . "Today's vote sets the stage for a new president and Congress to enact strong legislation that will more effectively build a clean energy economy and prevent the worst consequences of global warming," a coalition of green groups, including Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation and Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement.

I am not sure I can share such enthusiasm. That is placing a lot of hope in our new president, and in the Congress. It will require new anti-lobbying legislation, to minimize the power of the special fossil fuel interests, over our senators and congressmen. Also, climate change does not respond well to our human attempts at bargaining for more time. Every day counts, at this point.

Again, I ask myself the question of why? Why, would otherwise, well meaning, intelligent people engage in such destructive acts as denying their constituents the chance of a healthy place to live? All I can think of, is that these climate denying senators are the victim of terrible misinformation, on the part of lobbyists, and the Bush administration. They obviously do not understand the realities of climate science and economics. They may also be seduced into cheap populism, the same way Hillary Clinton tried to rally popular support with her gas tax holiday proposal. All in all, not a pretty picture, and one that raises issues of political ethics.

The solution, besides pushing for more Democratic representation in both houses? Maybe introducing climate change on the agendas of both Senate and House Ethics Committees? And asking that the next rounds of climate debates be preceded by introductory sessions on climate ethics.