Wednesday 3 August 2011

Bulletin

Why Defense Cuts Are Nothing to Fear

Michael Brooks: Alleged hacker is my biggest fan

Jake Davis, the teenager accused of hacking into News International and the Serious Organised Crime Squad networks, carried my new book, Free Radicals: The secret anarchy of science into court. Today, I woke up to find myself hot property, with news articles examining why Davis would be so interested in a science book. The thing everyone wants to know is, how does it make me feel? Well, it's nice to see a reader. And it's nice to appeal to teenagers in particular.
So many of his generation think science is dull, beyond them and something that has no need of their input. That's because every generation before them has colluded in creating the myth that science is boring, that scientists are dull, passionless, cold and logical.
Science is far too important to our futures to let that situation just roll on through another generation. After all, these are the people who will have to make decisions about climate change, genetic engineering, medical technologies and energy production.
The book is about what scientists really do - the lengths they go to to make discoveries. They fight and brawl, they sometimes cheat and take drugs. They perform reckless experiments on themselves. They lie when they have to. There are no rules - or at least they act as if there are no rules. So, yes I'm very happy that more people - especially teenagers - are now going to see scientists as they really are: adventurers and risk-takers.
We're all living twice as long as people 200 years ago because of pioneering scientists who have created extraordinary medical advances - sometimes through life-threatening experiments on themselves. We have mobile phones and the internet because of risk-taking, adventurous scientists (we have iPods because of Steve Jobs of Apple, who says that taking LSD was one of the most important things he ever did in his life). Even just being a scientist often involves defending your work from the rabid attacks of colleagues. It's not for wimps.
I can imagine Davis sees himself as someone who lives outside the law, who isn't afraid of authority, who is smart and driven to do bigger, more audacious things than anyone around him. In that sense, he's very like some of the characters in Free Radicals. I'm not endorsing drug use, hacking or reckless self-experimentation, but If there's one thing I'd like to see come out of this strange moment in my life, it is having more of the risk-taking, adventurous teens view science as something they would like to get involved with.
Michael Brooks @'New Scientist'
Read Michael Brooks's exclusive New Scientist feature based on his book, Free Radicals.

Court freezes proceeds of Hicks book

The Legislation That Could Kill Internet Privacy for Good

A Little Light Debt Reading

Dennis Hopper






HA!

Australian internet use ‘rampant’: ASIO boss

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Archie Shepp & Gnawa Fire Music - Festival Jazz à Porquerolles 07/22/11


Archie Shepp (saxophones)
Hamid Drake (drums)
Tom Mc Clung (piano)
Jean-Jacques Avenel (bass)
Mahmoud Gania (guembri, vocals)
Malika Gania (vocals)
Abdellah El Gourd (guembri, vocals)
Youssef Jandouk (crotales)

Google’s Official List of Bad Words

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Monday 1 August 2011

Benga - Faithless / Acid Lie

Info

Jake Davis @ City of Westminster Magistrates Court

Carrying a copy of 'Free Radicals: the Secret Anarchy of Science by Michael Brooks'
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Global hacking suspect released on bail by London court

Gunman opens fire at George Clinton gig

A shooting at a George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic gig this weekend left one person dead and three injured.
Clinton and his group were performing at a Family Unity in the Park event in Cleveland, Ohio, when a gunman opened fire in the crowd. Police confirmed that four people suffered bullet wounds: a 16-year-old was shot in the head, a 20-year-old in the neck, and a 14 and 23-year-old in the leg. They were all transported to a local hospital for injuries. Police have not confirmed which of the four died.
At the time of report, there have not yet been any arrests over the incident.
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Getting Bin Laden

Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Inside the aircraft were twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team Six, which is officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. A Pakistani-American translator, whom I will call Ahmed, and a dog named Cairo—a Belgian Malinois—were also aboard. It was a moonless evening, and the helicopters’ pilots, wearing night-vision goggles, flew without lights over mountains that straddle the border with Pakistan. Radio communications were kept to a minimum, and an eerie calm settled inside the aircraft. Fifteen minutes later, the helicopters ducked into an alpine valley and slipped, undetected, into Pakistani airspace. For more than sixty years, Pakistan’s military has maintained a state of high alert against its eastern neighbor, India. Because of this obsession, Pakistan’s “principal air defenses are all pointing east,” Shuja Nawaz, an expert on the Pakistani Army and the author of “Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the Wars Within,” told me. Senior defense and Administration officials concur with this assessment, but a Pakistani senior military official, whom I reached at his office, in Rawalpindi, disagreed. “No one leaves their borders unattended,” he said. Though he declined to elaborate on the location or orientation of Pakistan’s radars—“It’s not where the radars are or aren’t”—he said that the American infiltration was the result of “technological gaps we have vis-à-vis the U.S.” The Black Hawks, each of which had two pilots and a crewman from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or the Night Stalkers, had been modified to mask heat, noise, and movement; the copters’ exteriors had sharp, flat angles and were covered with radar-dampening “skin.”
The SEALs’ destination was a house in the small city of Abbottabad, which is about a hundred and twenty miles across the Pakistan border. Situated north of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, Abbottabad is in the foothills of the Pir Panjal Range, and is popular in the summertime with families seeking relief from the blistering heat farther south. Founded in 1853 by a British major named James Abbott, the city became the home of a prestigious military academy after the creation of Pakistan, in 1947. According to information gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency, bin Laden was holed up on the third floor of a house in a one-acre compound just off Kakul Road in Bilal Town, a middle-class neighborhood less than a mile from the entrance to the academy. If all went according to plan, the SEALs would drop from the helicopters into the compound, overpower bin Laden’s guards, shoot and kill him at close range, and then take the corpse back to Afghanistan.
 
Continue reading 
Nicholas Schmidle @'The New Yorker'

UK Digital Economy Act: A Foregone Conclusion?

Glenn Greenwald: Democratic politics in a nutshell

Björk trusts pirates will crack Biophilia

Björk has responded to criticism of her decision to only release her new Biophilia app on Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPad touch devices by admitting she trusts software pirates will expand its availability.
“I’m not supposed to say this, probably,” she told Drowned in Sound, “but I’m trusting that the pirates out there won’t tie their hands behind their back.”
She added that compatibility was an issue her app designers had been made aware of:
“That’s why we really made sure when we wrote all the programs that they will transfer to other systems. I mean, I don’t totally understand technologically what it is that makes that possible.”
Asked if she thought there was a discord between the project’s proclaimed ‘punk values’ and Apple’s proprietary devices, she said:
“Yeah, for sure, there’s definitely another polarity there, a conflict. The only solution for me was to somehow be some sort of a ‘Kofi Annan’ and try and make these two worlds speak to each other.”
She said that she fully expects the new software to become more widely available and end up on less expensive operating systems and devices:
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been in Africa in the last few years, and Indonesia. There are people there who have cardboard houses but they have mobile phones. Everybody’s texting. It’s just a question of time before touch screens are cheap.”
Biophilia is a multi-media project comprising a studio album and an app featuring a game for each of the 10 new tracks, as well as a new website, custom-made musical instruments, live performances, and educational workshops. Björk collaborated on the project with app developers, scientists, writers, inventors, musicians, and instrument makers and believes that alongside her new music she has created a unique way of learning about science, nature and musicology.
Kevin E.G. Perry @'Drowned In Sound'

American Blogger Praises Oslo Shooter

The Oslo Syndrome

EDL leader demanded debate on killing David Cameron and archbishop

Alan Lake A rare photograph of Alan Lake, who said it would be ‘great to see liberals executed or tortured’
A senior member of the English Defence League, who founded a far-right website carrying articles by bloggers closely monitored by the Norwegian gunman Anders Behring Breivik, published an online essay discussing the execution and torture of the UK's political and religious leaders.
On 23 May 2010, Alan Lake posted on his 4 Freedoms website an article outlining his belief that "in 20 or 30 years the UK will start to fragment into Islamic enclaves". He went on: "It's time we decide... who we will force in the Islamic enclaves (and who we will execute if they sneak out.) By forcing these liberal twits into those enclaves, we will be sending them to their death at worst, and at best they and their families will be subjected to all the depredations, persecution and abuse that non-Muslims worldwide currently 'enjoy' in countries like Pakistan... It will be great to see them executed or tortured to death."
Lake urged visitors to the site to contribute the names of people who should be sent to the Islamic enclaves and made three of his own suggestions. He suggested that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, should be a candidate on the grounds that he "approves of the creation and use of sharia courts". David Cameron, he explained, should be included in the discussion "to help refine our criteria about who deserves to die at the hands of the Muslim overlords". He also included Nick Clegg on the grounds that he is "such an angelic and pure person that he upholds various 'human rights' issues more important than plebeian matters of public safety".
Soon after his posting, Lake removed the references to execution and torture. "I took it back after one day," he said. "I said, 'This doesn't help.' I'm not perfect, I will make mistakes. But the fundamental point of that piece is correct. I am holding people responsible for the consequences of their actions."
In interviews outlining the EDL's philosophy, Lake describes himself as its"events director". He has admitted to loaning the EDL equipment, but denied claims he bankrolls the organisation.
Users of the 4 Freedoms site have posted articles by a far-right blogger known as Fjordman who was extensively cited by Breivik in the 1,500-page manifesto he issued shortly after the mass killings. On a separate far right website, Gates of Vienna, Breivik is believed to have posted a tribute to Fjordman , under the internet pseudonym "year2183".
"Keep up the good work mate," Breivik writes in response to a Fjordman posting. "You are a true hero of Europe, although most ppl [people] won't realise this for a very long time."
Last week Lake issued a statement saying he did not know Breivik and had never met him: "I categorically condemn his actions, which have also killed friends of a friend of mine – one in Oslo and two on Utøya island." But Lake said he would continue his support for the EDL. "England is the only country that has anything like the EDL, a large grassroots movement that is raising issues that you are not supposed to raise," he said. "They reopen the debate."
Lake has spoken at far-right rallies in Sweden and on Norwegian television, where he has warned that Europe is in danger of becoming an Islamic state. Responding to a march by Muslims in Britain calling for the imposition of sharia law, Lake told the Norwegian channel 2 Nyhetene: "They are seeking the overthrow of the state. As far as I am concerned, I'll be happy to execute people like that."
Some of his comments have alarmed even those close to the EDL. Paul Ray, a right-wing Christian blogger, who founded the EDL in 2006 and who has denied being Breivik's mentor, said: "As things have gone on, it's become apparent how extreme [Lake's] views are. This is a guy directing an extreme far-right movement in the UK."
Ray said Lake played an important role in linking the EDL to influential far-right communities online. "The anti-jihad movement isn't your mainstream press, it's all online [far-right] blogs and websites and Lake has been able to keep them on board. They [Tommy Robinson, the EDL's leader] know that without this online presence they won't have any support."
Fjordman has condemned the killings in Norway and in an online posting said he would not be responding to calls for interviews. The EDL has also condemned Breivik's actions.
Jamie Doward, Vicus Burger and James Burton @'The Guardian'

'Chelse Hotel' closes to guests







A Last Night Among the Spirits at the Chelsea Hotel

The man who couldn't stop drawing

Drawing began to take over Jon Sarkin's life. Pictures poured from his fingers, spilling out of some deep place. Photograph: Webb Chappell
Jon Sarkin and Hank Turgeon had battled all afternoon on the Cape Ann golf course, Massachusetts. The time was about 3pm, Thursday 20 October 1988, and the two friends had cut out of work early, Sarkin from his chiropractic office, Turgeon from his carpentry. A slight breeze rippled as Sarkin bent down, reached inside his golf bag and fished around for a tee. As he pulled out his hand, he experienced a hideous dizzying sensation, as if his brain had suddenly twisted.
A part of his head seemed to unhinge, to split apart and rush away. I'm 35 years old and I'm going to die, he said to himself.
"Is anything wrong?" Turgeon asked.
Sarkin hesitated, trying to get his bearings.
What could he say? That he felt as if his brain had just broken in half? Sarkin took a few deep breaths, teed up his ball and swung from his heels.
He felt queasy, and as he walked towards the fairway he tried not to move his head. What he did not know was that somewhere deep in his brain a single blood vessel had shifted ever so slightly and the movement, as minuscule as it was, had caused a cataclysmic response in one of his cranial nerves.
"Do you mind if we quit?" he said.
"Sure," Turgeon answered.
When Sarkin walked in the door, his wife, Kim, knew immediately something wasn't right. "What's wrong, Jon?" she asked, balancing their nine-month-old baby boy on her hip.
"I don't know what happened," he said. "I just know everything is different and it's not ever going to be the same..."
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Amy Ellis Nutt @'The Guardian'

Norwegian attacks stem from a new ideological hate

Lockerbie: The Pan Am bomber

When the Libyan intelligence operative Abdel Baset al-Megrahi eventually dies of the prostate cancer that so controversially won him his freedom from a Scottish prison, his death will trigger headlines around the world. But few tears will be shed for the only man ever found guilty of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 -- until 9/11, the most lethal terrorist attack ever on American civilians. Certainly not by the American families, who felt shock and revulsion at al-Megrahi's release. Nor by American politicians, infuriated at the long list of British and Scottish officials who have refused to testify before a Senate committee investigating possible backroom deals involving Scottish and British officials, British commercial interests and the Libyan government. Yet by the accounts of those who knew him best, the convicted man himself will go to his grave insisting he was innocent of the murder of the 270 passengers, crew and residents, who perished at Lockerbie in Scotland, that December night. Drawing exclusively on a previously confidential, legal report, The Pan Am Bomber reveals the evidence that would have been presented in al-Megrahi's stillborn appeal against his conviction. Our investigation is backed up by 97 gigabytes of official documents, whistleblower testimony and photographic evidence - all of which will explain why and how al-Megrahi's conviction was fatally flawed. It reveals how the chain of evidence used to convict al-Megrahi was broken and, in at least one crucial instance, tampered with. It also shows why it was in the interest of all of the parties (except the convicted man himself) to make sure that the appeal was never heard.

2011 APRA Music Awards - Paul Kelly

10 million illegal drug users have hepatitis C

Tax Cut Memories

Examining the British far right 


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Krautrock - The Rebirth Of Germany

Music therapy may help depression

Music therapy can be used to improve treatment of depression, at least in the short term, say researchers in Finland.
The technique used non-verbal communication to help patients express their emotions.
A study on 79 people, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed a greater improvement than in patients receiving standard therapy.
British experts said music may engage people in ways that words cannot.
Music therapists are used, including by the NHS, to help children who struggle to communicate. Playing instruments and singing with a trained music therapist is supposed to help children express themselves.
Initial improvement In this study, all patients with depression recieved the standard practice of counselling and appropriate medication. Thirty three of them were also given 20 sessions with a trained music therapist, which involved things such as drumming.
After three months, patients recieving music therapy showed a greater improvement in scores of anxiety and depression than the other set of patients.
However, there was no statistical improvement after six months.
Professor Christian Gold, from the University of Jyväskylä, said: "Our trial has shown that music therapy, when added to standard care helps people to improve their levels of depression and anxiety."
"Music therapy has specific qualities that allow people to express themselves and interact in a non-verbal way - even in situations when they cannot find the words to describe their inner experiences.
Dr Mike Crawford, who specialises in mental health services at Imperial College London, said in a journal editorial: "The results suggest that it can improve the mood and general functioning of people with depression.
"Music-making is social, pleasurable and meaningful. It has been argued that music making engages people in ways that words may simply not be able to."
@'BBC'

To Escape Chaos, a Terrible Deal

Murdoch's American Triumph

Ryan McGinley: Entrance Romance


Info

A Billion Dollars Isn’t Cool. You Know What’s Cool? Basic Human Decency

Life on the Line

RePost: George Carlin tells it like it is

(Thanx Walter!)

Official London anti-terrorist publication says anarchists should be reported to local police

Grievous Angel - Darkness (The Welcome Sailor Retold) (Dubplate)

Let's think outside the box here: maybe blue-sky thinking is nonsense

Scotland Yard Identifies (Alleged) LulzSec Hacker

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The teenage hacker arrested last week in the U.K. for his alleged involvement with Anonymous and LulzSec is reportedly an 18-year-old named Jake Davis.
Scotland Yard on Sunday revealed that the hacker known as "Topiary" is actually Davis, from the U.K.'s Shetland Islands, according to security firm Sophos and Daily Mail crime reporter Chris Greenwood.
Davis will appear in a London court on Monday morning, Greenwood tweeted.
Scotland Yard has not yet posted any new information about the case since the Wednesday arrest. In a Sunday blog post, however, Sophos' Graham Cluley said Davis has five charges against him:

  • Unauthorized access to a computer system, contrary to Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
  • Encouraging / assisting offences, contrary to S46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007.
  • Conspiracy with others to carry out a Distributed Denial of Service Attack on the Web site of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency contrary to S1 Criminal Law Act 1977.
  • Conspiracy to commit offences of section 3 Computer Misuse Act 1990, contrary to S1 Criminal Law Act 1977.
  • Conspiracy between the defendant and others to commit offences of section 3 Computer Misuse Act 1990 contrary to S1 Criminal Law Act 1977.
Cluley also said a source told him Davis is an "avid online chess player" and was arrested on the northern island of Yell. "Frankly, it's hard to imagine a more remote place in the British Isles to be," he wrote.
Last week, Scotland Yard said it had arrested a man who "is believed to be linked to an ongoing international investigation in to the criminal activity of the so-called 'hacktivist' groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and uses the online nickname 'Topiary' which is presented as the spokesperson for the groups."
The day after that announcement, the LulzSec Exposed blog said Scotland Yard had arrested the wrong person because its evidence suggested that Topiary was actually a 22-year-old Swedish man named Daniel Sandberg. That, however, has not been confirmed.
As PCMag pointed out in a recent overview of the key LulzSec players,  Topiary is reportedly second-in-command within LulzSec, though he is thought to be the least tech-savvy in the group. As a result, he acted as a PR liaison for Anonymous before moving over to LulzSec.
He recently deleted posts from the @atopiary Twitter account; it now only has one tweet from July 21: its new "You cannot arrest an idea" tagline. The bio on that Twitter page says Topiary is a "simple prankster turned swank garden hedge [who] worked with Anonymous, LulzSec, and other such paragons of intense cyber victory. You are free."
The @LulzSec Twitter feed has not been updated since July 27, the day of Davis' arrest. A recent tweet from the @AnonymousIRC feed encouraged officials, in all caps, to free Topiary and other hackers who have been arrested in recent weeks, including "tflow."
Members of Anonymous and LulzSec have been arrested throughout the world in recent months, including Spain, Turkey, the U.K., the Netherlands, and the United States. In retaliation, Anonymous recently organized a boycott of PayPal, though the company said that effort had little effect.
Chloe Albanesius @'PC Mag'