The Aymac Group Blog - Alternative News Source

The Department of Defense Must Plan for the National Security Implications of Climate Change

2015-01-26T18:54:00.001-05:00

The responsibility of the Department of Defense is the security of our country. That requires thinking ahead and planning for a wide range of contingencies.

Among the future trends that will impact our national security is climate change. Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels, and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict. They will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.

In our defense strategy, we refer to climate change as a “threat multiplier” because it has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges we are dealing with today – from infectious disease to terrorism. We are already beginning to see some of these impacts.

A changing climate will have real impacts on our military and the way it executes its missions. The military could be called upon more often to support civil authorities, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the face of more frequent and more intense natural disasters. Our coastal installations are vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased flooding, while droughts, wildfires, and more extreme temperatures could threaten many of our training activities. Our supply chains could be impacted, and we will need to ensure our critical equipment works under more extreme weather conditions. Weather has always affected military operations, and as the climate changes, the way we execute operations may be altered or constrained.

While scientists are converging toward consensus on future climate projections, uncertainty remains. But this cannot be an excuse for delaying action. Every day, our military deals with global uncertainty. Our planners know that, as military strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote, “all action must, to a certain extent, be planned in a mere twilight.”

It is in this context that today I am releasing DoD’s Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap. Climate change is a long-term trend, but with wise planning and risk mitigation now, we can reduce adverse impacts downrange.

Our first step in planning for these challenges is to identify the effects of climate change on the Department with tangible and specific metrics, using the best available science. We are almost done with a baseline survey to assess the vulnerability of our military’s more than 7,000 bases, installations, and other facilities. In places like the Hampton Roads region in Virginia, which houses the largest concentration of U.S. military sites in the world, we see recurrent flooding today, and we are beginning work to address a projected sea-level rise of 1.5 feet over the next 20 to 50 years.

Drawing on these assessments, we are integrating climate change considerations into our plans, operations, and training across the Department so that we can manage associated risks. We are considering the impacts of climate change in our war games and defense planning scenarios, and are working with our Combatant Commands to address impacts in their areas of responsibility.

At home, we are studying the implications of increased demand for our National Guard in the aftermath of extreme weather events. We are also assessing impacts on our global operations – for instance, how climate change may factor into our rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. Last year, I released the Department of Defense’s Arctic Strategy, which addresses the potential security implications of increased human activity in the Arctic – a consequence of rapidly melting sea ice.

We are also collaborating with relevant partners on climate change challenges. Domestically, this means working across our federal and local agencies and institutions to develop a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to a challenge that reaches across traditional portfolios and jurisdictions. Within the U.S. government, DoD stands ready to support other agencies that will take the lead in preparing for these challenges – such as the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

We must also work with other nations to share tools for assessing and managing climate change impacts, and help build their capacity to respond. Climate change is a global problem. Its impacts do not respect national borders. No nation can deal with it alone. Today, I am meeting in Peru with Western Hemisphere defense ministers to discuss how we can work together to build joint capabilities to deal with these emerging threats.
Politics or ideology must not get in the way of sound planning. Our armed forces must prepare for a future with a wide spectrum of possible threats, weighing risks and probabilities to ensure that we will continue to keep our country secure. By taking a proactive, flexible approach to assessment, analysis, and adaptation, the Defense Department will keep pace with a changing climate, minimize its impacts on our missions, and continue to protect our national security.

Chuck Hagel is the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

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Blizzard warnings, travel bans, closures storm the East Coast

2015-01-26T18:34:00.001-05:00

Travel bans, flight cancellations, power outages and school closures are being issued throughout the northeast coast. Here's a look at what's going on in each state:

NEW YORK

• Blizzard warning and coastal flood watch issued by the National Weather Service.
• No cars on the streets, outside of emergency vehicles, after 11 p.m. Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Violation of this will count as a misdemeanor calling for a $300 fine, he said.
• Public transportation and commuter transportation out of Port Authority Bus Terminal shuts down at 11 p.m., Cuomo said.
• Free cab rides: Greater New York Taxi Association offered free cab service in NYC for emergency responders trying to get to work, and disabled and elderly residents who become stranded.
• Cuomo urged commuters to stay home Monday and warned that mass transit and roadways could be closed before the evening rush hour, even major highways such as the New York Thruway, Interstate 84 and the Long Island Expressway.
• All flights in and out of LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday are cancelled, Cuomo said. Flights in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport will be minimal, the governor said.
• Knicks vs. Kings: Monday night's New York Knicks game against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden is rescheduled for March 3.
• Nets vs. Trail Blazers: Brooklyn Nets' game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Barclays Center is rescheduled for April 6.

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iOS 8 upgrades grind to a halt

2014-11-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

It appears that the excitement over iOS upgrades has waned as huge swathes of iOS 7 users appear to be reluctant – or unable – to upgrade to iOS 8.

Data released by Apple shows that 56 percent of users accessing the Apple App Store are currently running iOS 8 or above, with 40 percent still clinging onto iOS 7. The needle has barely shifted since the end of October when iOS 8 adoption hit 52 percent.
Since the end of October iOS 8 usage has only increased by four percentage points.
At its peak, iOS 7 hit 78 percent adoption.
There are a number of obstacles in the way of people upgrading their iOS device. The first is that the OTA – Over The Air – download is many gigabytes, making it problematic for people with a slow internet connection.
Then there's the fact that the update requires a huge amount of free space to install, forcing users to delete apps and data. Depending on your hardware, you'll need between 4.7GB and 6.9GB of free storage space, and that's massive, especially for devices that started out with only 16GB of space in the beginning (minus what iOS takes when installed).
This problem can be overcome by doing the update through iTunes on a PC or Mac, but many users no longer connect their iDevice to a computer.
Then there was the iOS 8.0.1 update that wreaked havoc for new iPhone 6 Plus owners. This incident, albeit rather limited in scope, dented confidence in Apple being able to deliver problem-free updates.
While 56 percent adoption in 40 days is slow for Apple, put in the context of Android it is excellent penetration. Android 4.4 KitKat, debuted at the end of October 2013, is still hovering at around 30 percent a year later.

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Obama Urges F.C.C. to Adopt Strict Rules on Net Neutrality

2014-11-10T15:02:00.001-05:00

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday put the full weight of his administration behind an open and free Internet, calling for a strict policy of so-called net neutrality and formally opposing deals in which content providers like Netflix would pay huge sums to broadband companies for faster access to their customers.

The president’s proposal is consistent with his longstanding support for rules that seek to prevent cable and telephone companies from providing special access to some content providers. But the statement posted online Monday, as Mr. Obama traveled to Asia, is the most direct effort by the president to influence the debate about the Internet’s future.

In the statement, and a video on the White House website, Mr. Obama urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the strictest set of neutrality rules possible and to treat consumer broadband service as a public utility, similar to telephone or power companies.

“We cannot allow Internet service providers to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas,” Mr. Obama wrote in the statement.

The F.C.C. is an independent agency not subject to Mr. Obama’s direct authority. But the president is adding his voice to the 3.7 million people who submitted comments to the agency, most on behalf of a free and open Internet in which broadband companies could not pick which content would arrive quickly and which would be slowed down.

Mr. Obama said that new rules under consideration by the F.C.C. should adhere to several key principles: No website or service should be blocked by an Internet service provider; no content should be purposefully slowed down or sped up; there should be more transparency about where traffic is routed; and no paid deals should be made to provide a speed advantage to some providers over others in delivering content.

That last principle would directly affect some of the megadeals already being made by companies like Netflix, whose video streaming service has been gobbling up bandwidth and slowing down the Internet as millions of people attempt to watch movies and television shows on their computers and tablets.

Earlier this year, Netflix struck a deal with Comcast under which it pays Comcast for a direct connection into its broadband network so subscribers experience less delay in viewing Netflix’s streaming video.

Mr. Obama said he opposed such deals and urged the commission to adopt rules that would prevent them.

“Simply put: No service should be stuck in a ‘slow lane' because it does not pay a fee,” Mr. Obama wrote. “That kind of gatekeeping would undermine the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth. So, as I have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.”

Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on Monday said he welcomed the president’s input and said he agreed that the Internet should remain free and open. But he did not say whether he would fully support reclassifying broadband as a utility. He did say, however, that the F.C.C. would need more time to formulate its rules, meaning that a proposal was unlikely to come by the end of the year.

Mr. Wheeler had most recently been leaning toward a hybrid approach to net neutrality, one that would keep a light touch on the consumer end of Internet service but that would apply the more strict Title II oversight to the relationship between an Internet service provider and content companies.

“Whether in the context of a hybrid or reclassification approach,” he said, “Title II brings with it policy issues that run the gamut from privacy to universal service to the ability of federal agencies to protect consumers, as well as legal issues ranging from the ability of Title II to cover mobile services to the concept of applying forbearance on services under Title II.”

“We found we would need more time to examine these to ensure that whatever approach is taken, it can withstand any legal challenges it may face,” he said.

Reaction from some of the biggest broadband companies was swift and negative. Shares of some of the big broadband providers, including Comcast and Time Warner Cable, were down about 3 percent on Monday morning.

Verizon, which brought the court challenge that struck down the F.C.C.'s 2010 rules on net neutrality, called Mr. Obama’s proposal “a radical reversal of course that would in and of itself threaten great harm to the Internet.”

Both Verizon, which provides both wired and wireless broadband services, and CTIA-The Wireless Association, the leading mobile phone association, also decried Mr. Obama’s call to apply net neutrality rules to wireless broadband.

“Imposing antiquated common carrier regulation, or Title II, on the vibrant mobile wireless ecosystem would be a gross overreaction,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, president and chief executive of the trade association and a former Republican commissioner for the F.C.C.

Such action “would impose inappropriate regulation on a dynamic industry and would threaten mobile providers’ ability to invest and innovate, all to the detriment of consumers,” she said.

Consumers groups hailed the president’s statement. Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge, said: “Today the Obama administration expanded its leadership to promote an open Internet by supporting the strongest tools to prevent blocking or throttling of Internet traffic, and by also supporting the strongest tools to deter fast lanes and prioritized traffic on the public’s most essential communications platform of the 21st century.”

Play Video|2:53

How Net Neutrality Works

The future of protecting an open Internet has been the subject of fierce debate, and potential changes to the rules by the Federal Communications Commission could impact your online experience.

Video by Natalia V. Osipova and Carrie Halperin on May 15, 2014. Read More >>

We petition the obama administration to: President Obama, Lets Preserve Net Neutrality. Lets start treating broadband like a communications service!

2014-11-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

We petition the obama administration to:

President Obama, Lets Preserve Net Neutrality. Lets start treating broadband like a communications service!

The FCC is spitting in the eyes of the millions of Americans who demanded real Net Neutrality by reclassifying ISP's as Title II services.
We need the FCC to implement a strong Title II rule that bans fees and discrimination.
If they don’t, Obama will go down in history as the president who broke the Internet.
But there’s hope:
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler can correct the agency’s past mistakes and truly protect our nation’s communications infrastructure. The agency must take the necessary steps to make broadband networks open, accessible, reliable and affordable for everyone.
Tell the FCC to do its job and preserve the openness of the Internet.

Created: Nov 07, 2014

Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications

SIGN PETITION HERE

Yet another major ISP is using your cable modem to offer free WiFi hotspots

2014-11-01T21:20:00.003-04:00

Several Internet Service Providers in the United States use subscribers’ cable modems to broadcast free WiFi hotspots to other customers in the area. While notes about this practice are always buried somewhere in terms and conditions or other notices, subscribers are often unaware of this practice. And as might be expected, they’re often taken aback when they learn for the first time that their Internet connections are being used to provide strangers with free WiFi.

Earlier this year, Comcast subscribers in Minnesota were surprised to learn that their modems were broadcasting free WiFi to anyone and everyone nearby who might be a Comcast customer. While ISPs claim these free WiFi networks are secure and completely separate from consumers’ home Internet service, the continued threat from hackers who find new ways to steal our data is a concern that might still weighs heavy.

Now, customers are being reminded once again that Cablevision will also use its customers’ home Internet modems to broadcast free WiFi hotspots.

As reported by LightReading, Cablevision confirmed during its recent earnings call that it is upgrading its Optimum Online modems in order to add free WiFi hotspot functionality. Once the upgrades are complete,

Cablevision says it will offer more than 1 million WiFi hotspots across the country.
It should be noted that Optimum Online subscribers will have the ability to disable the free public hotspot feature on their modems.

How To Install Windows 10 Technical Preview In A Sandbox

2014-10-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

If you love Windows and just can’t wait for the final public release of Windows 10 then don’t worry Windows 10 Technical Preview is here and available to download and install at your leisure. Microsoft made the OS available for download recently and it’s available free of charge.

If you want to get up close and personal with the latest version of Windows then you have a couple options. First up, if you have an old PC that isn’t doing very much then you could install Windows 10 from a flash drive. That may not be the best solution. We think it would be better to run the new OS inside a “sandbox,” a virtual machine. This way it won’t affect your system in any way and it’ll be more convenient than rummaging around for that old PC.

To install Windows 10 Technical preview doesn’t take too long, the whole process takes approximately 30 (depending on the speed of your PC).

This is a quick guide on how to install what you need in a few steps:

1: Start off by navigating Microsoft’s website and download the Windows 10 Technical Preview ISO file. Just simply click through the “Get Started” and “Join Now” screens, then scroll down and choose the appropriate language and version (32- or 64-bit).

2: Download and install Oracle VM VirtualBox, the free virtualization tool which is going to make it possible for you to run Windows 10 inside Windows.

3: Run VirtualBox, then click the New icon. In the Create Virtual Machine dialog box, type ‘Windows 10,’ then click the version selector and choose Windows 8.1 You must ensure that you match the ISO to what you downloaded, either 32 or 64 bit, to what version is listed for 8.1.

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How to leak sensitive data from an isolated computer (air-gap) to a near by mobile phone - AirHopper

2014-10-29T09:55:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow at MALCON 2014, security researcher Mordechai Guri with guidance of Prof. Yuval Elovici from the cyber security labs at Ben Gurion University in Israel will present a breakthrough method (“AirHopper) for leaking data from an isolated computer to a mobile phone without the presence of a network. In highly secure facilities the assumption today is that data can not leak outside of an isolated internal network. It is called air-gap security. The common policy in such secure organizations is to leave your mobile phone in some locker when you enter the facility and then pick it up when you go out. We at the cyber security labs challenged this assumption and found a way to leak data from a computer inside the organization to a remote a mobile phone without using Wifi or Bluetooth. “Such technique can be used potentially by people and organizations with malicious intentions and we want to start a discussion on how to mitigate this newly presented risk.” said Dudu Mimran CTO of the cyber security labs. - See more at: http://cyber.bgu.ac.il/content/how-leak-sensitive-data-isolated-computer-air-gap-near-mobile-phone-airhopper#sthash.kYL7nazK.dpuf

The following video demonstrates AirHopper:

The main idea behind the research is to use radio frequencies in order to transmit the secret data from the computer to the mobile phone. Mobile phones usually come equipped with FM radio receivers and it is already known that software can intentionally create radio emissions from a video display unit. Yes, from the computer screen. Still, this is the first time that a mobile phone is considered in an attack model as the intended receiver of maliciously crafted radio signals emitted from the screen of the isolated computer. AirHopper demonstrates how textual and binary data can be exfiltrated from physically a isolated computer to mobile phones at a distance of 1-7 meters, with effective bandwidth of 13-60 Bps (Bytes per second). Enough to steal a secret password.
The full paper will be published here tomorrow following the conference presentation so stay tuned. Journalists and media can contact cyber-labs@bgu.ac.il for an early peek to the research results and more info. Follow the story on twitter @cyberlabsbgu #airhopper.
The team of cyber security labs @ Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israe
- See more at: http://cyber.bgu.ac.il/content/how-leak-sensitive-data-isolated-computer-air-gap-near-mobile-phone-airhopper#sthash.kYL7nazK.dpuf

The following video demonstrates AirHopper:

http://youtu.be/2OzTWiGl1rM

The main idea behind the research is to use radio frequencies in order to transmit the secret data from the computer to the mobile phone. Mobile phones usually come equipped with FM radio receivers and it is already known that software can intentionally create radio emissions from a video display unit. Yes, from the computer screen. Still, this is the first time that a mobile phone is considered in an attack model as the intended receiver of maliciously crafted radio signals emitted from the screen of the isolated computer. AirHopper demonstrates how textual and binary data can be exfiltrated from physically a isolated computer to mobile phones at a distance of 1-7 meters, with effective bandwidth of 13-60 Bps (Bytes per second). Enough to steal a secret password.

The full paper will be published here tomorrow following the conference presentation so stay tuned. Journalists and media can contact cyber-labs@bgu.ac.il for an early peek to the research results and more info. Follow the story on twitter @cyberlabsbgu #airhopper.

The team of cyber security labs @ Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel

Read More >>

Obama’s Effort to Train Syrian Rebels to Fight ISIS Won’t Work: CIA

2014-10-16T18:28:00.003-04:00

President Obama on Tuesday told coalition military officials from around the world that they’ve had some “important successes” against ISIS, though they face a long-term campaign with many ups and downs.

There are 60 countries in all taking part in in the U.S.-led efforts to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the ISIS terrorists who have overrun large sections of northern Iraq and Syria since last summer. So far, the campaign has been very much a mixed bag, “with the Islamic State losing control of territory in some places while making gains in other,” reported The Washington Post.

Related: The Merger of ISIS and al-Qaeda Could Cripple the Civilized World

The campaign will have “periods of progress and setbacks,” Obama said during Tuesday’s meeting of top military officials from the U.S. and 21 other countries during a strategy session at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Yet a couple of new reports from The New York Times suggests that Obama’s overall strategy for ultimately toppling the Islamic jihadist organization may be highly flawed – and that the U.S. may face even more formidable challenges from ISIS than it thought:

First, an internal CIA study strongly suggests the president’s plan to train moderate Syrian rebels to fight ISIS likely will not work and is just the latest of many failed efforts by the U.S. to arm and train foreign forces to combat American enemies. The report, which is still classified, was commissioned in 2012 and 2013, when the Obama administration was deliberating about whether to intervene in the Syrian civil war against President Bashar al-Assad.

The CIA study, presented in the White House Situation Room, documented a sorry rate of success in these tactics throughout the CIA’s “67-year history – from Angola to Nicaragua to Cuba,” said The Times. Arguably the biggest fiasco was the 1961 Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba ordered by President John F. Kennedy, in which CIA-trained Cuban guerrillas mounted a doomed invasion to fight Fidel Castro’s forces. And President Ronald Reagan suffered a major humiliation in the 1980s when the CIA tried and failed to topple Nicaragua’s Sandinista government by secretly supporting the contra rebels.

After nixing airstrikes on the Assad regime, Obama in April 2013 authorized the CIA to begin a program to arm and train moderate rebels at a base in Jordan. Obama recently decided to expand that mission with a much larger base in Saudi Arabia to train “vetted” rebels to fight ISIS in Syria.

Obama has been adamant about not deploying U.S. ground troops to Syria and Iraq to fight ISIS – so-called “boots on the ground” -- and insists it’s up to the Iraqi Army and moderate Syrian rebels to take on that onerous assignment. But the study found that the CIA was “even less effective when the militias fought without any direct American support on the ground,” said The Times. The only exception was “when the CIA helped arm and train mujahedeen rebels fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan during the 1980s.”
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Dallas Ebola patient traveled on Frontier flight from Cleveland; Airline contacting passengers on flight

2014-10-15T13:08:00.001-04:00

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- The second Texas nurse confirmed with Ebola in Dallas traveled by air from Cleveland to that city on a Frontier Airlines flight two days ago and may have been contagious at the time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the airline. The CDC is now working to notify the 132 passengers on the flight-- Flight 1143.

The healthcare worker was visiting family in Akron from October 8th to October 13th, according to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

"As of right now we do not have a case of Ebola in Ohio, but we are going to be working to identify any close contacts that the individual was in contact with in the state," said Dr. Mary DiOrio, ODH's state epidemiologist. ODH is working with the Summit County health department right now to identify contacts in the Akron area, but may contact other area health departments as well, she said.

DiOrio did not have information about whether the healthcare worker was showing symptoms while in the state. The airline said the passenger was not showing "symptoms or signs of illness" while on the flight. The nurse, who provided care for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, was identified by family as Amber Vinson.

"We would recommend that anyone who has had contact with an individual with Ebola and they have symptoms, that they be in contact with their doctor at that time," DiOrio said.

According to health officials and the airline, the nurse traveled to Cleveland from Dallas on October 8th, and returned to Dallas on Frontier Flight 1143, which had 132 passengers and landed in Dallas at 8:16 p.m. central time on October 13th.

The next morning, the nurse went to the hospital with a low-grade fever and was isolated within 90 minutes, according to the CDC.
Here is the CDC's statement:

"On the morning of Oct. 14, the second healthcare worker reported to the hospital with a low-grade fever and was isolated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that the second healthcare worker who tested positive last night for Ebola traveled by air Oct. 13, the day before she reported symptoms.

Because of the proximity in time between the evening flight and first report of illness the following morning, CDC is reaching out to passengers who flew on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth Oct. 13.

CDC is asking all 132 passengers on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on October 13 (the flight route was Cleveland to Dallas Fort Worth and landed at 8:16 p.m. CT) to call 1 800-CDC INFO (1 800 232-4636). After 1 p.m. ET, public health professionals will begin interviewing passengers about the flight, answering their questions, and arranging follow up. Individuals who are determined to be at any potential risk will be actively monitored.

The healthcare worker exhibited no signs or symptoms of illness while on flight 1143, according to the crew. Frontier is working closely with CDC to identify and notify passengers who may have traveled on flight 1143 on Oct. 13. Passengers who may have traveled on flight 1143 should contact CDC at 1 800-CDC INFO (1 800 232-4636)."

Frontier Airlines added this statement:

"At approximately 1:00 a.m. MT on October 15, Frontier was notified by the CDC that a customer traveling on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on Oct. 13 has since tested positive for the Ebola virus. The flight landed in Dallas/Fort Worth at 8:16 p.m. local and remained overnight at the airport having completed its flying for the day at which point the aircraft received a thorough cleaning per our normal procedures which is consistent with CDC guidelines prior to returning to service the next day. It was also cleaned again in Cleveland last night. Previously the customer had traveled from Dallas Fort Worth to Cleveland on Frontier flight 1142 on October 10.

Customer exhibited no symptoms or sign of illness while on flight 1143, according to the crew. Frontier responded immediately upon notification from the CDC by removing the aircraft from service and is working closely with CDC to identify and contact customers who may traveled on flight 1143.

Customers who may have traveled on either flight should contact CDC at 1 800 CDC-INFO.

The safety and security of our customers and employees is our primary concern. Frontier will continue to work closely with CDC and other governmental agencies to ensure proper protocols and procedures are being followed."

Monster storm that stretches from the coast of Spain to Canada threatens to wreak havoc on both sides of the Atlantic.

2014-10-15T09:05:00.001-04:00

A giant storm with hurricane force winds was seen swirling eastward across the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA indicated
It is expected to lessen in strength, but parts of the United Kingdom may experience 'stormy conditions'
Two other storms are also barreling across the Atlantic Ocean - Hurricane Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo
Gonzalo has already battered the West Indies - downing trees, flooding streets and destroying buildings - and could become a category four storm as it heads towards Bermuda
A monster comma-shaped storm stretching across nearly the whole North Atlantic is threatening to wreak havoc on both sides of the ocean.
Video of the massive storm was released by the National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Center (NWSOPC) to YouTube as hurricane force winds developed at its center creating waves as high as 50-feet.
But it is only one of three huge depressions currently filling the ocean, with Hurricane Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo also barreling towards land.
Gonzalo has already battered islands across the West Indies, with images revealing destroyed boats, down trees and debris strewn across beaches in Guadeloupe, Saint Barthelemy and Saint-Martin on Tuesday.
Now the storm, which could reach a category four today, is poised to hit Bermuda later this week with sustained winds of more than 110 miles per hour.
Scroll down for video

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On the move: The giant storm is seen across the Atlantic Ocean, with two other storms, Hurricane Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo, below

+9
Joining forces: Another satellite image taken on Wednesday shows Hurricane Gonzalo, lower right, as it heads towards Bermuda

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Danger: Red near the center of the storm indicates hurricane force, according to NOAA
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that 'the storm rapidly intensified between Sunday and Monday. Its central pressure dropped 46 mb in 24 hours (from 1002 mb to 956 mb) – a textbook meteorological bomb. Late Monday, the storm’s pressure likely bottomed out around 948 mb which is comparable to levels in many category 3 hurricanes'.
Pressure went up again slightly, the newspaper reported, but said that '[g]raduated weakening is forecast over the next few days before it likely brings stormy conditions to the northern British Isles Friday into the weekend'.

There were 50-foot waves because of the storm, Mashable reported.

Much further south, Hurricane Gonzalo gathered strength moving over open water away from the eastern end of the Caribbean, and forecasters said it could become a powerful category 4 storm Wednesday as it headed toward Bermuda.

Authorities on some of the smaller islands buffeted by Gonzalo said at least one person was dead and two were missing. Dozens of boats were damaged and power was knocked out in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten.

Satellite shows hurricane MONSTER storm expected to hit UK

Destruction: Destroyed buildings can be seen along the beach of Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe on Tuesday after Gonzalo swept through

Wreckage: The storm picked up even more strength as it left Guadeloupe (pictured) and could become a Category 4 storm

Shaken: A woman walks past damaged trees in Orient Bay on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin on Tuesday. Three people are missing at sea after the hurricane Gonzalo swept through the French Caribbean islands of Saint Barthelemy and Saint-Martin

The storm had top sustained winds of nearly 125 mph (205 kph) and was centered about 705 miles (1,135 kilometers) south of Bermuda late on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).

The center said Gonzalo could become a category 4 hurricane during the day while it takes a path that would take it near Bermuda on Friday. Category 4 storms have sustained winds of at least 130 mph (209 kph) with the potential to cause catastrophic damage.

'Folks in Bermuda are going to need to start paying attention to this thing,' Dennis Feltgen, a National Hurricane Center meteorologist, said by phone.

Bermuda's government posted a hurricane watch for the British territory, urging islanders to keep an eye on the storm's progress.

Officials said flights departing Bermuda on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were fully booked.

Gonzalo was blamed for the death of an unidentified elderly man who was aboard a boat in St. Maarten's Simpson Bay Lagoon, which looked like a ship graveyard Tuesday with several masts protruding from the water.

Acting Coast Guard Director Wendell Thode said 22 of the 37 boats destroyed by the storm were in the lagoon.

Havoc: A picture shows damaged utility poles in the aftermath of the hurricane Gonzola on October 14, 204 on Saint Martin

Floods: Streets are flooded following hurricane Gonzola in Marigot on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin on Tuesday

Aftermath: Residents survey the damage in Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe after the hurricane swept through on Tuesday

'Most of the boats that are destroyed are completely under water,' he said.

Authorities were searching for a man last seen on a dinghy near the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin and another man last seen standing close to a harbor in St. Barts, said Matthieu Doligez, general secretary of the prefecture in St. Martin.

Amy Arrindell, vice president of the St. Maarten Zoological and Botanical Foundation, said the St. Maarten Zoo was heavily damaged but no animals escaped or died. She said trees were uprooted, the petting zoo was destroyed and the animals' enclosures were flooded.

'There is major damage to the structure,' she said. 'It is total devastation.

Pentagon Warns of Immediate National Security Threats From Climate Change

2014-10-15T08:49:00.003-04:00

Rising sea levels, hotter global temperatures, wildly fluctuating precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme weather systems will likely intensify global instability, hunger, and poverty. These events could very well lead to acute food and water shortages, an explosion of pandemic diseases, waves of destitute refugees, and violent conflagrations over dwindling natural resources — a likelihood that should be viewed as an immediate threat to America's national security.

Those are the sobering themes of a new report on climate change, authored not by scientists or environmentalists, but by uniformed personnel at the US Department of Defense.

"The loss of glaciers will strain water supplies in several areas of our hemisphere," US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday during a visit to Arequipa, Peru for the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas. "Destruction and devastation from hurricanes can sow the seeds for instability. Droughts and crop failures can leave millions of people without any lifeline and trigger waves of mass migration."

'It's not a political issue for the military and hopefully that will be reflected in how policy-makers approach the problem.'

The report — the 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, which was released during Secretary Hagel's visit to Peru — proposes steps America's armed forces should take to identify and plan for the impacts of global climate change. It comes as NASA announced on Monday that September 2014 was the hottest September on record, making it increasingly likely that 2014 will become the warmest year ever documented.

"For the first time the Department of Defense is significantly engaging with the implications of climate change, specifically what to do now in terms of adapting to a new global threat," Andrew Holland, senior fellow for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project, told VICE News.

Holland says the report is not revolutionary. The Pentagon has been assessing the potential impacts of climate change for many years. What is novel about the roadmap, he says, is its emphasis on climate change as an immediate national security concern, one that should be discussed in the present rather than the future tense. And, he said, the document presents climate change as a risk not only to military personnel and equipment but to the well-being of the nation as a whole.

Study says East Coast might see tripling of flood events by 2030. Read more here.

It remains to be seen what — if any — influence the report will have on America's political class, much of which defers to the Pentagon on many issues but has resisted policies for cutting greenhouse gas emissions or preparing for rising oceans and warmer temperatures.
Francesco Femia, co-director at the Center for Climate and Security, told VICE News: "It's not a political issue for the military and hopefully that will be reflected in how policy-makers approach the problem."

'The politics of climate change are so weird right now.'

This sentiment is shared by Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who co-chairs the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change and has been an outspoken advocate for federal action aimed at addressing global warming.

"Our military leaders have for years warned of the serious threat climate change poses to our national security," Sen. Whitehouse told VICE News. "The military's new climate adaptation roadmap presents another opportunity for Republicans in Congress who deny or ignore climate change to reassess their priorities. They face a simple question: Do they trust the big polluters, or do they trust our nation's military sworn to defend us from harm?"

Colorado's key Senate race is a battle for America's environment. Read more here.
Holland said the Pentagon report is unlikely to be a trans formative political moment in the near-term. He added, however, that retired and active duty military personnel have begun to speak out over the past several years about climate change, which is having an impact on otherwise skeptical audiences, albeit not yet within the Beltway.

"The politics of climate change are so weird right now," Holland told VICE News. "I'd like to think that having real, credentialed national security voices talk about the threat of climate change would make a difference. But I just don't know if it's trickling up yet to politicians and policy-makers."
"For them," Holland added, "climate change is still an energy problem rather than a national security problem."
Follow Robert S. Eshelman on Twitter: @RobertSEshelman
Image via Flickr

Read More >>

Purdue professor says Ebola 'primed' to go airborne

2014-10-15T08:20:00.002-04:00

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The first case of Ebola transmitted between patients in America has experts across the country reviewing safety protocols.

At Purdue University, Dr. David Sanders has been studying the virus since 2003 – specifically how this particular Zaire strain of Ebola enters human cells.

While the virus has thus far only been shown to be transferred via bodily fluids, Sanders argues that it could become airborne."It can enter the lung from the airway side," Sanders said. "So this argues that Ebola is primed to have respiratory transmission.

"We need to be taking this into consideration," he continued. "What if? This is not a crazy, 'What if?' This is not a wild, 'What if?'"

Sanders said the longer the virus spread and mutates, the more likely airborne transmission will become. He also said that's why it's critical to suppress the outbreak in Africa to prevent a worldwide spread.

Sanders said it's impossible to know how many Americans could contract Ebola, or how much longer this outbreak could last. But, he said, the danger is still very low for the average American.

Texas dept.: 2nd person tests positive for Ebola

2014-10-15T08:16:00.001-04:00

BREAKING NEWS: Second healthcare worker tests positive for Ebola in Texas

    Worker cared for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas
    Reported a fever yesterday and was immediately isolated at the hospital.
    Health officials interviewed patient to quickly identify potential exposures.
    Nurse Nina Pham is currently being treated for Ebola at the same hospital
    CDC has blamed 'breach in protocol' that lead Miss Pham to catch the virus.

A second healthcare worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola.

The worker was one of 76 medical staff who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas, the first person to die from the deadly virus on U.S. soil.

The unnamed member of staff reported to Texas Presbyterian with a fever on Tuesday and was immediately isolated at the hospital.

Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to identify any contacts or potential exposures and have said that those people will be monitored.

Some 125 people are being monitored - 11 with definite exposure, 114 with possible exposure.

The CDC said in a statement today: 'An additional health care worker testing positive for Ebola is a serious concern, and the CDC has already taken active steps to minimize the risk to health care workers and the patient.'

Nurse Nina Pham, 26, was currently being treated for Ebola after becoming infected with the disease while caring for Mr Duncan at Texas Presbyterian.

Miss Pham, a Texas Christian University nursing school graduate, is in isolation at the same hospital. She was reported in good condition on Tuesday after receiving a blood transfusion from Ebola-survivor Dr Kent Brantly.

The nurse was reportedly in good spirits and had spoken to her mother via Skype.

The 26-year-old was one of a team of 76 medical staff who cared for Mr Duncan, 42, after he was diagnosed with the virus following his arrival in the U.S. from Liberia.

Despite wearing protective gear that included gowns, gloves, masks and face shields while caring for Mr Duncan, the nurse became the first person to contract the disease in the U.S.

Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) Dr Thomas Frieden has blamed a 'breach in protocol' of infection control lead Miss Pham to catch Ebola.

The newly-infected healthcare worker was part of the team treating Thomas Eric Duncan

Mr Duncan arrived in Texas from Liberia on September 20. He began showing symptoms of Ebola three days after his arrival and was admitted to Texas Presbyterian Hospital on September 28. He died on October 8. Presbyterian's chief clinical officer, Dr Dan Varga, said all staff had followed CDC recommended precautions – 'gown, glove, mask and shield' – while treating Mr Duncan.

On Monday, the CDC said that a critical moment may have come when Miss Pham took off her equipment.

An immediate review has been launched into the procedures and equipment used by healthcare workers.

Dr Frieden added that the case 'substantially' changes how medical staff approach the control of the virus, adding that: 'We have to rethink how we address Ebola control, because even a single infection is unacceptable.'

Ms Pham was diagnosed after admitting herself to hospital on Friday when her temperature spiked - one of the first symptoms of the deadly virus. Her treatment has included a blood transfusion from recovered Ebola patient, Dr Kent Brantly, 33, and she is receiving experimental drug brincidofovir, or CMX001.

It was the third time Dr Brantly has donated blood to an Ebola victim after medics discovered he had the same blood type as previous patient Dr Nick Sacra and NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, who is still being treated.

Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever which has no proven cure, has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa since an outbreak that began in March.

The World Health Organization has called the outbreak 'most severe acute health emergency in modern times'.

Boston University patent suit over Apple's iPhone 5 could net $75M

2013-07-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

By Kevin Bostic

Apple's iPhone is at the center of another patent dispute, as the Trustees of Boston University have filed suit against the Cupertino company, alleging that not only the iPhone 5 but also the iPad and MacBook Air infringe on a BU professor's patent.

At issue in the suit is U.S. Patent No. 5,686,738, covering a method of "highly insulating monocrystalline gallium nitride thin films." Theodor D. Moustakas, Ph.D., a BU professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is listed as the inventor of the '738 patent, and the University as the assignee owns the right, title, and interest to the patent.

The process in the patent is related to the production of semiconductor devices using silicon, sapphire, gallium aresenide, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, and silicon carbide. Gallium nitride thin films, a product of the process, are desirable in electronics due to their being a source of inexpensive and compact solid-state blue lasers.

The plaintiffs claim that Apple's iPhone 5, iPad, and MacBook Air "include a gallium nitride thin film semiconductor device" of the type described in the '738 patent. The suit alleges that Apple "has infringed, and continues to infringe, one or more claims of the '738 patent."

BU's case would seem to be bolstered by the fact that at least one other company pays a licensing fee to use the component in question, the Boston Herald reported on Wednesday. The University will likely raise that issue in court.

Boston University has also filed identical claims against eight other smaller manufacturers, as well as claims against both Samsung and Amazon in the past year. Observers note that the payout from the Apple suit could top out around $75 million if the University can demonstrate that Moustakas intended to make a business out of his invention.

The University's suit calls for Apple to detail all "gains, profits, and advantages" stemming from its use of the '738 patent, as well as awarded damages to compensate for the infringement. The suit also calls for the court to permanently enjoin Apple from making and selling any of the infringing products.

In its filing, Boston University asks the court for a trial by jury on all matters suitable for trial by jury. The case, Civil Action No. 1:13-cv-11575, was filed on July 2 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. F. Dennis Saylor is the presiding judge.

Trustees of Boston University v. Apple

Questions for Google about Android security, Glass privacy

2013-07-06T11:26:00.003-04:00

As European officials continue to voice concerns about privacy, surveillance, and Google’s products, researchers released a report this week on the security of the search engine company’s operating system:

Security researchers believe they have found a major security flaw in Google’s Android mobile operating system, which could affect up to 99 percent of Android phones now in consumers’ hands . . .

The problem lies in the security verification process that has been used on the Google Play applications store since the release of Android 1.6. It could leave up to 900 million devices open to hackers. The flaw, the research firm said, is a weakness in the way that Android applications verify changes to their code. The weakness would allow hackers to “turn any legitimate application into a malicious Trojan” without flagging the attention of Google’s app store, a mobile phone or the person using an application.

The result, researchers said, would be that anyone who breaks into an app this way would have access to the data that app collects and — if an app made by the device manufacturer gets exploited — could even “take over normal functioning of a phone.”. . .

Security is a common concern on Android phones, in part because the open nature of the system also means that it’s easy for anyone to find out how it works. Android is the OS of choice for 75 percent of the world’s smartphones, IDC reported in May. But a report released in March from the F-Secure security firm found that 79 percent of all mobile malware found in 2012 was running on Android phones.

This problem is exacerbated by the fact that so many smartphone manufacturers use their own versions of the Android operating system, making it more difficult to get system updates that may include security fixes out to customers. Hayley Tsukayama

On the same day that the report was released, a German official advised users to avoid certain companies, including Google, that share information with the U.S. government if they are concerned about eavesdropping:

NSA leaker Edward Snowden claimed Google, Facebook and Microsoft were among several Internet companies to give the U.S. National Security Agency access to their users’ data under a program known as PRISM. The companies have contested this, but the claims prompted outrage in Europe and calls for tighter international rules on data protection.

“Whoever fears their communication is being intercepted in any way should use services that don’t go through American servers,” German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said.

He also said German officials are in touch with their U.S. counterparts “on all levels” and a delegation is scheduled to fly to Washington next week to discuss the claims that ordinary citizens — and even European diplomats — were being spied upon by the NSA. Associated Press

British regulators announced Thursday that they have asked Google to revise its privacy policy:

Google is facing more pressure in Europe as British regulators ordered the tech giant to make changes to its privacy policy in Europe by Sept. 20, following actions earlier this month from France and Spain. . .

The agency said that it was particularly concerned that Google’s policy, which went into effect in March and covers over 60 Google services, does not give users enough information about the data the firm collects and how it is used. It also has concerns that the policy does not share enough information about how long Google keeps user data.

If Google does not amend its policy, the British agency said, it will “leave the company open to the possibility of formal enforcement action.” The Guardian reported that the company could also face fines of up to $750,000, but only if there is proof that individuals may have been harmed by the policy.

Also on Thursday, the data protection office in Hamburg, Germany — where Google’s German office is based — said in a statement that it will be calling Google in for a hearing over concerns that the policy’s provisions on data collection are unclear.

Data protection officials from across the European Union have been scrutinizing Google’s privacy protections. The French data protection authority CNIL, which led a year-long investigation into Google’s privacy policy, and said in its order to the company in June that regulators in the Netherlands and Italy were assessing whether the policy violated data protection rules in those countries. Hayley Tsukayama

While European regulators have been more skeptical of Google’s policies than their counterparts in the United States, lawmakers in Congress have questioned Google about its new Glass headware:

On Monday, Google attempted to assure U.S. lawmakers that the headset, which mimics many of the functions of a smartphone, does not push the barriers of its privacy standards. But that was not enough to satisfy some lawmakers’ lingering concerns. . .

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), co-chairman of the caucus, said that Google has failed to answer the key question: How can it ensure the privacy of passersby who have not agreed to be photographed or videotaped?

He said that there ought to be a way to alert individuals that they may be on camera and that there should be limits on the types of data that Google and other companies can collect from it, as well as limits on how long that data can be stored.

“There do not appear to me to be strong privacy protections for the population at large, or even ownership protection for the user of the Google Glass product,” Barton said. Hayley Tsukayama

Google has argued that it will be clear to people in the vicinity when the device is active or recording.

Hidden Google Glass code hints at 'Boutique' app store

2013-07-06T11:22:00.003-04:00

As Google continues to shape its pre-release version of Google Glass, the latest firmware update has brought new features such a web browser - but it turns out that there are also a few other hints below the surface.
The most interesting new discovery lying dormant in the XE7 APK update code is a "Boutique" which hints at being a centralised app store.
Google Glass is currently lacking a go-to destination for applications, and the new discovery reveals that something is coming to fill that gap, well ahead of its consumer release.

Lock 'n' load

Another welcome new feature hinted at is a locking mechanism, which would function by the wearer swiping in a specific pattern.
This is something Google has mentioned in the past in response to questions over what happens when someone steals your Glass and suddenly has access to all your information.
Also buried in the code are some new media player functions, featuring playback controls, track information and some talk of a video player as well. Volume control has been officially added already, so everything seems to be coming together nicely.
There's no way of knowing when these new features will arrive, but the fact they're showing up in the coding now should mean that Google is busily working to get them out the door soon.
Check out a demo of the Google Glass XE7 web browser below.

Sources: Feds probe possible $90 million fraud tied to Bohemia firm

2013-05-06T09:07:00.001-04:00

Federal law enforcement officials are investigating whether nearly $90 million in bank loans to a Bohemia finance company were the object of a "massive fraud," according to court records and sources familiar with the case.
The investigation involves Oak Rock Financial Llc, at 3900 Veterans Memorial Hwy., a commercial lending company that often provides capital that other lenders would then loan for transactions such as automobile and business-related purchases.

Last week, Israel Discount Bank of New York, the lead institution of the five banks that have loaned as much as $90 million to Oak Rock, asked a federal bankruptcy court judge in Central Islip to appoint a trustee to oversee the operation of the company on an emergency basis to preserve any of its remaining assets. The banks stated in court papers that Oak Rock falsified its financial position in order to borrow money.

Attorneys for Israel Discount Bank said in court papers that they had learned that the founder and head of Oak Rock, John P. Murphy, had resigned and can't be located -- and the manager who took over at Oak Rock estimated that the fraud went as high as $70 million.
"Oak Rock had perpetrated a massive fraud upon its senior secured lenders," the attorneys allege in the court papers.

As an example of the fraud allegation, the banks said in court filings that Oak Rock claimed recently to have $2.5 million in credit available when it actually was over-advanced by $47 million. The other banks that loaned the money to Oak Rock were identified as Bank Leumi USA, Capital One, Bank Hapoalim, and First National Bank of New York.

Lawyers for Oak Rock did not return telephone calls or emails seeking comment. Attorneys for the banks also declined to comment.

Murphy, who legal sources said had more than 20 years' experience in commercial lending, didn't return phone calls to his Nesconset home.

New chief discovers fraud
A longtime associate of Murphy's, Tom Stephens, took charge of Oak Rock, court papers said. Stephens later told the attorneys for the banks that on April 17 he discovered "that Murphy had been perpetrating a long-running, extensive fraud with Oak Rock by creating fictitious records," court papers said.
Murphy then resigned, the court papers said. According to state records, Oak Rock was incorporated in July 2001 as a Delaware corporation. The incorporation papers listed Murphy as president and said the company had four employees.

Further, Stephens said he informed the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in the Eastern District of the situation at Oak Rock and they are investigating, the court papers said.
Sources confirmed the FBI's and U.S. attorney's inquiries into Oak Rock. Spokesmen for both the FBI and federal prosecutors declined to comment.

Stephens also said in light of the company's situation, "Oak Rock cannot possibly continue as a going concern and must be orderly liquidated," the papers said.
Two Oak Rock workers told Newsday that Stephens resigned Friday. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

According to the court papers, Stephens began this past January to visit Oak Rock's offices to get a firsthand look at the company's operations and its books and records.
During the week of April 15 Stephens noticed unusual collection activity with respect to one of Oak Rock's customers and confronted Murphy, the court papers said. It was at that point, according to Stephens, that Murphy admitted to Stephens "that he had been creating fictitious records in order to increase Oak Rock's borrowing base," court papers alleged.

Though Stephens had told the banks about the problems at Oak Rock, the banks' attorneys now say they do not believe Stephens has the financial skills to operate Oak Rock and they want an experienced trustee appointed to oversee the firm, the court papers say.
A hearing on the banks' request for the trustee is scheduled for Monday in federal bankruptcy court in Central Islip.

The banks said in court papers that Stephens "has essentially hijacked" Oak Rock and accused him of denying the banks access to critical information about the company's financial health as well as failing to take steps to safeguard its assets.

Oak Rock specializes in a variety of businesses that involve credit -- in effect, borrowing money from banks and then loaning the money to other lenders or businesses or financing its own credit transactions.
The lending of money to other lenders or businesses is known as asset-based lending. Such loans can allow businesses to engage in installment financing for the purchase of consumer products or other business transactions, the court papers stated.

Oak Rock also had other companies participate in its loans to spread the risk, according to court papers and legal sources.

Marketplace impact
Jerome Reisman, a Garden City attorney who is representing AmeriMerchant LLC, a firm that borrowed from Oak Rock to advance to merchants, said the matter has the potential to dry up credit for some consumers and merchants.

"Right now it is catastrophic to the borrowers who can't draw down [from Oak Rock] on funding needs to fund their operations," Reisman said.

He explained that firms such as auto finance companies and merchants who let consumers make credit card purchases aren't able to fund their consumer accounts and commercial accounts.
"The end result is that [some] commercial and consumer funding has been cut off, pending a court hearing," Reisman said.

He declined to give specifics about AmeriMerchant's borrowing from Oak Rock, but stressed that the company had obtained alternate financing so it could pay off what it owed Oak Rock.
By noon Friday, an "administrative hold" on Oak Rock's operating bank account was lifted, court records stated.

With Chau Lam

Read More >>

Genpets, Real living Pre-packaged, Mass produced, Bioengineered pets!

2013-04-30T14:47:00.001-04:00

Does anyone find this as disturbing as we do?

Are Genpets Real animals? How?
Genpets are living, breathing mammals. Bio-Genica is a Bioengineering Company that has combined, and modified existing DNA to create the Genpets lineup. Genpets have blood, bones, and muscle; they will bleed if you cut them, and die if mistreated just like any other animal. The electronic components are only in the packages and are for basic life support, outside of the packages the Genpets are wholly organic.

Genpets are packaged like toys though.
Genpets are designed to be sold on retail store shelves, not traditional pet stores. This is why they are packaged in plastic.

How are Genpets made?
The original prototype and breeding Genpets were created using a process called "Zygote Micro Injection" Thereafter the Genpets are grown in assisted breeding lab farms. Zygote Micro Injection is quickly becoming a favourable method to combine DNA, or to insert certain proteins from different species. Most notably it was used in 1997 to splice mice with bioluminescent jellyfish (link) and has since been used to create glowing rabbits, pigs, fish, and monkeys (link). Since then, human DNA has been injected into chimpanzees, spider into sheep, and now, Genpets have arrived.

Is bioengineering this far advanced?
In 2003 Human DNA was successfully combined with rabbit (and other animals), to create successful Chimera Hybrids. Read National Geographic for more information (link). While Bio-Gencia is still awaiting approval for worldwide distributionof the Genpets, Allerca already sells genetically altered cats.

How do Genpets stay alive in the packages?
While the Genpets™ hang on retail shelves they are in a chemically induced type of hibernation controlled by a protein in the packages’ nutrient supply tubes. This was a natural trait found in many seasonal animals that would normally hibernate in colder northern climates that has been added to the Genpet line. This also ensures comfort for the Genpets™ while they are on store shelves.

How do the Genpets breath in the packages?
There are vent holes on the side of the package that allow filtered air to pass.

Do Genpets feel pain?
Yes. However the Genpets have limited vocal chords so they will not create a large amount of noise when disturbed.

What if I go on vacation?
The same protein that keeps the Genpet dormant on store shelves can be supplied at anytime during the life span of the Genpet making care for the pet incredibly simple.

Do Genpets show emotions?
Yes. This is part of why we have colour coded the Genpets. They come in seven different personality types. Each personality type shows slightly different emotions.

Do Genpets Talk?
Genpets have limited vocal chords for the convenience of parents. However, they do make some sound.

Do Genpets grow?
Genpets come fully-grown in their packaging.

Where can I buy a Genpet?
We are currently getting the Genpets approved for resale, as well as securing retail opportunities. No public release date has yet been set.

20 YEAR OLD ARAB TERRORIST ARRESTED, 12 DEAD, 50 INJURED

2013-04-15T18:54:00.004-04:00

The New York Post is reporting that a Saudi national has been placed under guard at a New York hospital under suspicion that he planted the bomb that, at last count, killed 12 and injured 50 people running in and observing the Boston Marathon:

Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital.

The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:45 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the Boston race. Assuming the Saudi man did indeed place the bombs as part of a terrorist operation, here are the latest FACTS:

20-year-old Arab terror suspect in custody
8-year-old dead
12 people projected dead, nearly 100 maimed with lost limbs
Toll reaches largest casualty count on American soil for a since 9/11
Boston in chaos, airport shutdown and cities nationwide mobilizing against possible terror attacks.

It seems reasonable to believe right now that the Saudi national was not acting alone. Police have confirmed that another explosion went off at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. Multiple simultaneous attacks are an al Qaeda hallmark. It would also be ironic — if this was an Islamic terrorist attack — that the Islamists targeted a City that has been nothing but sympathetic to the Islamist cause, and invariably hostile to efforts to deviate from the proscribed statement that “Islam is a religion of peace.”

DETAILS: Homegrown terror is being blamed for two explosions that killed 2 people and severely injured over 28 others at today’s Boston Marathon. Runners covered in blood are being carted away as the details of this tragedy unfold. Both explosions occurred around 2:35 p.m., around 4 hours after the start of the men’s race. This is also the same time that most people tend to complete marathons—indicating that whoever set these explosives off was intent on inflicting maximum human injury.
The explosions occurred 15 seconds apart on the north side of Boylston Street and Boston Police are confirming at least three more explosive devices in the area. The City of Boston is requiring all police report to work immediately and bomb squads are scouring the area.

It is heartbreaking and angering to think about how the nearly 27,000 participants in this race probably spent an entire year preparing for this big day. For many of them, completing the Boston Marathon was a life-long dream. Their friends, family and co-workers were cheering them on and the worst they expected at the finish line was soreness and exhaustion, but never this.

How ironic that this human tragedy should occur on Tax Day—the same day that our government gouges American citizens of the money they have spent an entire year earning—only to see President Obama take their hard-earned cash and toss it into his golf fund.

Just like in the 9-11 tragedy in New York, the local police and firemen in Boston have stepped up to the plate and are showing bravery and compassion, putting themselves on the line to help victims get immediate medical attention. Please keep the victims of this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.

Two tip-lines have been established by the City of Boston:
1.) For families of victims searching for their loved ones: 617.635.4500
2.) If you have any information that may be of help to police: 1.800.494.TIPS
AUTHOR Katie Kieffer
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Boston Marathon Bombing - ACTUAL EXPLOSION - GRAPHIC VIVID RAW FOOTAGE

2013-04-15T18:47:00.002-04:00

Live Radio Scanner Fee Boston Police, Fire and EMS

2013-04-15T18:33:00.001-04:00

Listen Live

Tune In A Live Radio Feed
Includes Mass State Police, Boston Media Massport Fire/F Troop, Fenway Park and Boston Garden Security.

UTMB: Virus missing from secured facility

2013-03-25T11:42:00.001-04:00

GALVESTON, Texas -
A virus disappeared from a secure facility at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, officials said.

Officials said they discovered the that the virus was missing during a routine internal inspection on March 20.

The missing vial contained less than a quarter teaspoon of a virus called Guanarito, which is native only to Venezuela and can cause hemorrhagic fever, officials said.

The vial was stored in a locked freezer within a secure laboratory. Officials said they've confirmed there was no breach in the facility's security, so they don't suspect foul play. UTMB officials said the vial was likely destroyed during the normal laboratory decontamination and cleaning process.
Kristen Hensley with UTMB said the virus can be transmitted by rodents only native to Venezuela where the virus is found. Hensley said they don't believe the virus to be capable of surviving naturally in rodents in the U.S.

Officials said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified immediately, and UTMB has began a rigorous process to assure the safety of its researchers, employees and the community.
Read More >>

U.S. dairy industry petitions FDA to approve aspartame as hidden, unlabeled additive in milk, yogurt, eggnog and cream

2013-03-24T11:37:00.001-04:00

(NaturalNews) You probably already know that the FDA has declared war on raw milk and even helped fund and coordinate armed government raids against raw milk farmers and distributors. Yes, it's insane. This brand of tyranny is unique to the USA and isn't even conducted in China, North Kora or Cuba. Only in the USA are raw milk farmers treated like terrorists.

But now the situation is getting even more insane than you could have imagined: the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) have filed a petition with the FDA asking the FDA to alter the definition of "milk" to secretly include chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose.

Importantly, none of these additives need to be listed on the label. They will simply be swept under the definition of "milk," so that when a company lists "milk" on the label, it automatically includes aspartame or sucralose. And if you're trying to avoid aspartame, you'll have no way of doing so because it won't be listed on the label.

This isn't only for milk, either: It's also for yogurt, cream, sour cream, eggnog, whipping cream and a total of 17 products, all of which are listed in the petition at FDA.gov.

As the petition states:

IDFA and NMPF request their proposed amendments to the milk standard of identity to allow optional characterizing flavoring ingredients used in milk (e.g., chocolate flavoring added to milk) to be sweetened with any safe and suitable sweetener -- including non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame.

This is all being done to "save the children," we're told, because the use of aspartame in milk products would reduce calories.

Milk industry specifically asks to HIDE aspartame from consumers

Astonishingly, the dairy industry is engaged in extreme doublespeak logic and actually arguing that aspartame should be hidden from consumers by not listing it on the label. Here's what the petition says:

IDFA and NMPF argue that nutrient content claims such as "reduced calorie" are not attractive to children, and maintain that consumers can more easily identify the overall nutritional value of milk products that are flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners if the labels do not include such claims. Further, the petitioners assert that consumers do not recognize milk -- including flavored milk -- as necessarily containing sugar. Accordingly, the petitioners state that milk flavored with non-nutritive sweeteners should be labeled as milk without further claims so that consumers can "more easily identify its overall nutritional value."

In other words, hiding aspartame from consumers by not including it on the label actually helps consumers, according to the IDFA and NMPF!

Yep, consumers are best served by keeping them ignorant. If this logic smacks of the same kind of twisted deception practiced by Monsanto, that's because it's identical: the less consumers know, the more they are helped, according to industry. And it's for the children, too, because children are also best served by keeping them poisoned with aspartame.

Consumers have always been kept in the dark about pink slime, meat glue, rBGH and GMOs in their food. And now, if the IDFA gets its way, you'll be able to drink hormone-contaminated milk from an antibiotics-inundated cow fed genetically modified crops and producing milk containing hidden aspartame. And you won't have the right to know about any of this!

The FDA confirms this "secret" status of aspartame, stating, "If the standard of identity for milk is amended as requested by petitioners, milk manufacturers could use non-nutritive sweeteners in flavored milk without a nutrient content claim in its labeling."

FDA requests comments

The FDA is requesting comments on this petition. You have until May 21st, 2013 to submit your comments. Click here for instructions.

This is a clue to stop drinking processed milk and milk products altogether

There's a bigger story here than just the industry hoping to get FDA approval to secretly put aspartame in milk products while not listing aspartame on the label.

The bigger question is this: If an industry is pushing to hide aspartame in its products, what else is it already hiding?

How about the pus content of its dairy products? How about its inhumane treatment of animals who are subjected to torture conditions and pumped full of genetically engineered hormones? How about the fact that homogenization and pasteurization turn a whole food into a dietary nightmare that promotes obesity, autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease?

There are lots of dirty little secrets in the dairy industry of course, and that doesn't even get into the secret closed-door conversations to encourage the FDA to destroy the competition of raw milk.

The only rational answer to all this is to stop buying and consuming processed dairy products, period!

I gave up ALL milk products many years ago and have never looked back. I drink almond milk, not pus-filled pasteurized cow's milk. (Click here for a recipe to make your own almond milk at home.) I don't eat yogurt. If I want probiotics, I get them from tasty chewable probiotics supplements such as Sunbiotics. I parted ways with processed dairy products many years ago, and as a result, my cardiovascular health, skin health, digestive health and stamina have all remained in outstanding shape.

There's also a philosophical issue here: Don't buy products from an industry that habitually LIES about everything. The dairy industry is like a mafia. They actively seek to destroy the competition, keep consumers ignorant and monopolize the market. They run highly deceptive ads with ridiculous claims like, "drinking milk helps you lose weight" and other nonsense.

The U.S. dairy industry is steeped in deception at every level, and now they want you and your children to unknowingly drink aspartame that's secretly blended into the product.

The dairy industry is to food as Lance Armstrong is to sports. It's all a big lie, laced with secret chemicals and false claims.

Stop drinking milk. Stop financially supporting the food mafia.

Recommended videos:
Raw Milk Rover (hilarious animation)
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=273C2497DFDE9F61CB9E8867113CA5CA

Got a PUStache? (satire)
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=C463AA940B9AEBA5D294F87FF0716579

Jonathan Emord raw milk freedom speech:
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=F8DF9A42CC5479D8829A2445C56AFEF3

Farmageddon interview with Kristin Canty
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=3340FCCC93B2C17EEFA43C7E6296728D

Sources for this article:
This petition was originally brought to our attention by a reader who says it was covered on Activist Post. I haven't yet read that article but may update this article with a link to that article once I identify the URL.

FDA petition page:
http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/02/20/2013-03835/flavore...

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039244_milk_aspartame_FDA_petition.html#ixzz2OTJqFq3s

Outrage over Joe Biden's London, Paris $1M hotel bills.

2013-03-24T11:33:00.001-04:00

Republican opponents are berating Vice President Joe Biden on Twitter for running up more than $1 million in hotel bills for two nights in London and Paris in the midst of sequester spending cuts.

According to ABC News, the VP incurred hotel bills totaling more than $1 million for himself, his staff and security details for two nights in London and Paris. The official contract filing documents were first obtained online by the Weekly Standard. They show that the US State Department obtained contracts with two five-star hotels in London and Paris where Biden stayed during a five-day tour of Europe in February. According to the documents, his bill for a night at the Hyatt Regency London was $459,338.65 and his bill for a night at the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, $585,000.50. The Weekly Standard explains that "due to obvious security concerns, such contracts are not open to the competitive bidding normally required on government contracts." The accompanying document for the London contract says that the vice president and his entourage required "approximately 136 hotel rooms for 893 room nights." This amounts to about $500 per night at the hotel. According to the Daily Mail, Biden probably stayed in a two-room, 1,851-square-foot Presidential Suite with an interconnecting entertainment area, marble bathrooms and "upscale" linens. He traveled with his wife Dr Jill Biden. A State Department official, responding to critics, said that the bills may look hefty but they are "nothing out of the ordinary," ABC News reports.

US govt

VP Joe Biden's Hyatt Regency hotel bill

The official said: "They are in line with high-level travel across multiple administrations. The contract costs cover the entire range of support, including accommodations for military, communications, secret service staff, and other support professionals. Security experts are also required to travel in advance of the president or vice president. Safety and security are not negotiable." According to the Daily Mail, Brad Dayspring, strategist for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, making a reference to the Obama administration's decision to stop tours at the White House because of budget cuts, said: "Bet that's a lot of White House tours."

US Govt.

Biden's Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand bill

The controversial conservative commentator Ann Coulter, joked on Twitter, saying: "We need to keep him out of the mini-bar," even though Biden is known to be a teetotaler who abstains from alcohol, as the Daily Mail notes. Conservative Congressman Randy Neugebauer from Texas also used the opportunity to attack the Democrat's plan for spending cuts. Newsmax reported he said: "Still no WH tours, but VP Biden’s recent trip to Europe racked up $1mil in hotel room bills." ABC News notes that in comparison, a 1999 GAO report showed that President Bill Clinton's trips to Africa, Chile and China in 1998 cost $42.8 million, $10.5 million and $18.8 million, respectively, a total of over $72 million. The White House does not normally disclose the amount paid for the trips of the president and the vice president. Responding to a question about how much the president's trip to Illinois cost earlier in the month, the White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "I don’t have a figure on the cost of presidential travel. It is obviously something, as every president deals with because of security and staff, a significant undertaking. But the president has to travel around the country. He has to travel around the world. That is part of his job." President Obama also defended the cost of his trips and allegations that he his out of touch with Americans with his family "jetting around." He told KMOV: "The fact of the matter is, I think if you look at my track record, I’m raising a family here. When we travel, we got to travel through Secret Service, and Air Force One, that’s not my choice. I think most folks understand how hard I work and how hard this administration is working on behalf of the American people."

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This is a clue to stop drinking processed milk and milk products altogether

Outrage over Joe Biden's London, Paris $1M hotel bills.

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