Posts - Americans

Art Institute Closures Highlight Massive Problems With For Profit Education

Finance

Joining Corinthian Colleges, the Art Institute announced that it is closing 15 locations around the country. The art schools are under the management of Education Management Corporation (EDMC), based in Pittsburgh, Penn.

The move highlights a trend in for profit schools: High tuition, poor quality instruction and low job placements have finally caught up with the former darlings of Wall Street.

Regulators have also played a role.

In 2011 EDMC was investigated by the Department of Justice for targeting low-income families and enrolling too many students at once so that when those students graduated there weren’t enough jobs to go around. The practices created chaos and financial ruin for all involved.

“Are we going to have a school? Am I going to come here one day and the doors are going to be closed?” asked graphic design student Patrick Howard. “We don’t have a guaranteed thing in writing that no matter what happens we’re going to finish out our graduate diploma.”

Similar problems face students of Corinthian, who were simply shut out of their schools after the company filed for bankruptcy. Because of system that does not standardize curriculums or accreditations, student were left with credits that could not be transferred – effectively losing all the time and effort they had put into the programs.

For now a Wednesday email is just telling students enrollment will be ending. But don’t be surprised if Art Institute closes up shop for good, leaving hundreds of students stranded.

The next step for the students is just getting back into the classroom until they can figure something out, if that’s possible.

The Jacksonville branch of the school told its students they’ll help in any way they can, even holding an open forum to answer questions last week, but there are still a lot answers needed from those at the very top level – corporate.

Thus far, management has issues vaguely worded statements that have not inspired much confidence in light of other college failures around the country.

New Technology Lets You Charge Your Phone From Any Plant

Culture

Green energy is coming in all different shapes and sizes – solar, wind, road energy and now plants!

Chilean company E-Kaia’s charging solution captures energy from plants via a “biocircuit board,” though further details on the precise inner workings are scant. The company won’t discuss specifics while its patents are still under review.

But they have shown a demo unit, which can charge small devices, like mobile phones or LED lights, using a single healthy plant. Pant-e’s invention can output as much as 5 volts at 0.6 amps.

As a point of reference, Apple’s ultra-compact USB power adapter, the one included with your iPhone, pushes 5 volts at 1 amp.

Creators Evelyn Aravena, Carolina Guerrero, and Camila Rupcich are looking to commercialize E-Kaia this year. They’ve already received funding from the economic development arm of the Chilean government to pursue their invention.

E-Kaia isn’t the first with this sort of technology but it is by far the most efficient. Plant-e, based in the Netherlands, has a competing solution that requires 100 square meters of plants to harvest a similar amount of energy. E-Kaia, which requires just a single plant, seems poised to revolutionize the market, especially in less developed countries where grid power is scarce.

Wyoming Just Criminalized Taking Photos Of Yellowstone National Park

News

Wyoming just enacted a shocking new law that criminalizes citizens’ collecting any sort of data – photos, temperature, soil samples or water samples for example – if they are planning to share this data with the federal government.

Why such a bizarre law? It isn’t about the pictures, actually.

The law is about anything that could be used to report the condition of the environment across most of the state. Why do this?

The state government wants to conceal the fact that most of its streams are contaminated by E. coli bacteria, which can cause serious health problems, even death.

A small organization called Western Watersheds Project has found E.coli concentrations that violate water quality standards stipulated by the federal Clean Water Act. The rivers run through federal land, which would allow the going public to monitor the levels without state interference.

But instead of engaging in an honest public debate about the cause or extent of the problem, Wyoming would rather pretend the problem didn’t exist. So under the new law, the state threatens anyone who would challenge this denial by producing information that documents the issue, with a term in jail.

So why does the government want to suppress this issue rather than address it?

The reason is pure politics.

Where the E. coli comes from is clear. It comes from cows spending too much time in and around streams.

But acknowledging this fact would result in rules requiring ranchers, who graze their cows on public land, to better manage their herds.

And the ranching community in Wyoming wields immense political power. It has no interest in undertaking such obligations. Given they donate heavily to politicians in the state the government is trying to stop the flow of information rather than addressing the public health problem.

The new law effectively mandates that if you discover an environmental disaster, you’re obliged to keep it to yourself.

The new law is of breathtaking scope.

Specifically, it makes “collecting resource data” from any “open land,” meaning any land outside of a city or town, whether it’s federal, state, or privately owned, a crime.

The law defines the word ‘collect’ as any method to “preserve information in any form,” including a “photograph”, so long as the person gathering it intends to submit it to a federal or state agency.

So in short, the law criminalizes whistle blowing that could prevent a public heath disaster and save lives.

Saudi Arabia Poised To Enter Yemen, Moves Strike Force To Border

Entertainment News

Saudi Arabia moved a “strike force” to its border with Yemen, according to local media reports on Tuesday. Despite agreeing to a five day truce, the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels are continuing to exchange heavy fire.

Local broadcaster Al Arabiya TV showed videos of a column of tanks being moved atop military trucks, calling the scene “the arrival of reinforcements from the strike force to the border.”

The move followed intense artillery and rocket battles across the border on Monday.

The Saudis reportedly fired more than 150 rockets aimed at Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces.

Saudi warplanes were reported to have struck Houthi encampments in the central city of Taiz as well as in Marib, the oil-producing province located east of the capital, Sanaa.

News outlet AFP reported the attacks prompted retaliatory fire from the Houthis, who fired Katyusha rockets and mortars on the Saudi cities of Jizan and Najran.

The violence comes just a day before a ceasefire, scheduled to start Tuesday, which could be jeopardized by continuing fighting between the two sides. The short humanitarian truce would Saudi airstrikes.

Iyad Nasr, regional spokesperson for the United Nations, said that five days might not be enough to “cover the whole of Yemen.”

“But at least we are looking at the accessing the situation on the ground, providing basic and life-saving operations to the Yemenis and priority areas,” Nasr said. “Additionally, we are seriously considering bringing aid supplies and fuel into Yemen from outside the country. This is a part of the humanitarian pause that we are looking forward to have in Yemen.”

The truce, in an effort to protect Yemeni civilians, came after UN officials called the bombing a breach of international law.

“The indiscriminate bombing of populated areas, with or without prior warning, is in contravention of international humanitarian law (IHL),” said Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. “Issuing warnings of impending attacks does not absolve the parties of their IHL obligations to protect civilians from harm.”

“Many civilians are effectively trapped in Sanaa as they are unable to access transport because of the fuel shortage. The targeting of an entire governorate will put countless civilians at risk,” Van der Klaauw said.

The city, as well as other parts of the country, are experiencing severe shortages of food and other resources.

Diesel and other fuel supplies are running dangerously low, with people having to resort to firewood. The fuel crisis “has paralyzed public life, but we have to provide for our families and work with whatever we have, as long as we are alive” said Abdullah Harazi, a bakery owner in Sanaa.

Iran Supporting Use Of Child Soldiers In Yemen

Entertainment News

Shocking reports emerged Tuesday that Iranian-backed Houthi armed groups in Yemen has been intensely recruiting, training, and deploying child soldiers in violation of international law.

Since the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, took control of Yemen’s capital in September 2014, they have increasingly used children as scouts, guards, runners, and fighters. Many of the children have been wounded and killed.

Human Rights Watch said that the Houthis and other armed groups using child soldiers in Yemen should “immediately stop recruiting children, including “volunteers,” and release all children in their ranks.”

“As fighting rages in Yemen, the Houthis have ramped up their recruitment of children,” said Fred Abrahams, special adviser. “Commanders from the Houthis and other armed groups should stop using children or risk prosecution for war crimes.”

Human Rights Watch went on to detail that in addition to the Houthi rebels, Islamist and tribal militias as well as armed groups such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are also using child soldiers.

UNICEF found that children with the Houthis comprise up to a third of all fighters in Yemen.

The proxy war, between Iran and Saudi Arabia, is essentially being fought by children.

Over 140 child soldiers were recruited by armed groups between March 26 and April 24, 2015, alone, the UN agency said.

These reports fit with eyewitness accounts from journalists in Yemen, who have reported seeing boys between 14 and 16 with rifles and handguns fighting for Houthi forces and other armed groups. One described seeing a 7-year-old boy at a Houthi checkpoint in Sanaa with a military assault rifle.

The picture is similar to Africa in the late 90s when children filled the ranks of numerous warring factions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mozambique. The result was a generation of lost children who returned from battle scarred, angry or violent.

Africa continues to deal with this legacy today. It’s likely the middle east will face a similar problem in the decades to come given the pervasiveness of the issue.

As World’s Population Grows Food Supply Is Becoming Increasingly Unstable

Entertainment News

Italian and Swiss researchers published a paper this week showing that as the world’s population increases and food demand grows, globalization of trade has made the food supply more sensitive to environmental and market fluctuations

The research was published online in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers found that the increasingly sensitivity leads to greater chances of food crises, particularly in nations where land and water are scarce and food security strongly relies on imports.

The study assesses the food supply of more than 140 nations (with populations greater than 1 million) and demonstrates that food security is becoming increasingly susceptible to spikes in demographic growth, with humanity placing increased pressure on the use of limited land and water resources.

“In the past few decades there has been an intensification of international food trade and an increase in the number of countries that depend on food imports,” said Paolo D’Odorico, professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia and one of the authors. “On average, about one-fourth of the food we eat is available to us through international trade. This globalization of food may contribute to the spread of the effects of local shocks in food production throughout the world.”

Food security, D’Odorico added, is typically defined as the availability of and access to a sufficient amount of food to meet the requirements of human societies at all places and all times.

“In order to have food security, food availability and accessibility need to be sustainable and resilient to perturbations associated with shocks in production and price spikes,” he said. “We’re finding that as the globalization of food increases, the coupled population/food system becomes more fragile and susceptible to conditions of crisis.”

Survey Shows Americans Becoming Less Christian, More Secular

News

According to a Pew Research Center study released Tuesday, Americans who don’t affiliate with a particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years, making the ‘none’ faith group the second-largest in total numbers behind evangelicals.

Yes Christianity is still the biggest faith by far in the U.S., with 7 in 10 Americans identifying with the tradition. Yet the ranks of Christians have declined as people leave the religion and ascribe to nothing instead.

Pew conducted two major surveys of U.S. religious life, between 2007 and 2014. Americans who described themselves as atheist, agnostic or of no particular faith grew from 16 percent to nearly 23 percent.

While this was happening, Christians dropped from about 78 percent to just under 71 percent of the population.

The Pew researchers have long debated whether people with no religion should be defined as secular since the classification includes those who believe in God or consider themselves “spiritual.”

The new Pew study found increasing signs of secularism.

Last year, 31 percent of “nones” said they were atheist or agnostic, compared to 25 percent in 2007. Along with this change, the percentage who said religion was important to them also dropped.

Pew’s associate research director, Greg Smith, said the findings “point to substantive changes” among those who claim no religion, not mearly a shift in how people describe themselves.

The rise of “nones” has political significance. People with no religion are likely to vote Democratic, while white evangelicals are likely to vote Republican.

The Pew study found a drop of about 1 percent in the evangelical share of the population, which now comprises a quarter of Americans. Yet the overall number of evangelicals rose to about 62 million people, meaning they are still growing yet losing market share.

The “America’s Changing Religious Landscape” survey was conducted on 35,000 people in English and Spanish from June 4th through Sept. 30th of 2014. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.6 percent.

Hawaii Votes To Use 100% Renewable Energy… By 2045

Culture

In a symbolic first for a U.S. state, lawmakers in Hawaii passed legislation last week, by a 74-2 vote, requiring the state to generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy.

Yet it won’t hit the target until 2045, meaning that despite rapid advances in solar technology and wind power, the island will essentially fit the trend. It’s good PR to sign such a bill yet actually is just where things are headed.

By 2045 solar will be absolutely everywhere, with the cost of panels many orders cheaper than they are today. So while its nice Hawaii is making headlines in the right direction, the timing shows no real commitment to the environment.

HB 623, if signed into law by Governor David Ige, would make Hawaii the first U.S. state to attempt complete decarbonization. Hawaii’s energy mix is currently more than 80 percent fossil fuel, with oil providing the majority of electricity generation on the islands.

“As the first state to move toward 100 percent renewable energy, Hawaii is raising the bar for the rest of the country,” said Chris Lee, the Chairman of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee “Local renewable projects are already cheaper than liquid natural gas and oil, and our progress toward meeting our renewable energy standards has already saved local residents hundreds of millions on their electric bills.”

Rand Paul Threatens To Filibuster PATRIOT Act Renewal

News

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has said he will filibuster to prevent any renewal of the controversial Patriot Act, which mostly expires on June 1st.

The move can only be described as ‘privacy theater’.

While the move will get attention from the presidential hopeful and paint him as a candidate who care about your privacy and rights, the reality is nothing will change because of Mr Paul’s tactics and Mr Paul has done little up until this point to genuinely advocate for the privacy of hard-working Americans.

“We will be filibustering [and] we will be trying to stop it,” said Paul. “We are not going to let them run over us [and] we are going to demand amendments … we are going to make sure the American people know that some of us at least are opposed to unlawful searches.”

‘Some of us’ is the operative word as most Senators ave always been in favor of massive spying on American citizens.

As it stands now, the NSA is the world’s largest collector and processor of data, maintaining a detailed spy file on every single American citizen. Most troubling is that they have deep files on all our government officials – Senators, Congressman, Supreme Court Judges and military leaders, whom they have been shown to lie to repeatedly.

Because of this fear many Republican and Democratic senators are set to support the bill’s renewal, with many attempting to establish further basis for increased powers.

Mr Paul is currently seeking the Republican nomination for the US Presidential elections in 2016.

Former NSA Director Clapper Lied Under Oath, Faces No Consequences

News

If a regular American lies to a court they go to jail. If they lie under oath to the Senate or Congress they face an even longer jail term.

But when the director of the NSA repeatedly lies to the Senate about the illegal activities of his agency, nothing happens. Zero.

Instead, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper claims to have forgot the program even existed during a key hearing two years ago.

The stance highlights the NSA’s deep contempt for the rule of law and the concept of being accountable to the American people, their employer.

Robert Litt, the DNI’s general counsel, spoke of the alleged memory lapse during a panel hearing Friday hosted by the Advisory Committee on Transparency.

He attempted to explain why, in a now-infamous exchange several months before the Snowden disclosures, Clapper told a Senate committee that his agency does not “wittingly” sweep up information on millions of Americans.

He wasn’t lying, proclaimed Litt to an incredulous audience “It was perfectly clear that he had absolutely forgotten the existence of the 215 program.”

Clapper’s early 2013 testimony only created a congressional controversy after the Snowden revelations showed the NSA was gathering mass amounts of data on Americans.

At the hearing, which received little media coverage, Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden asked Clapper whether the NSA “collects any type of data at all” on millions of Americans.

Clapper told Wyden: “No sir, it does not.” Asked for clarification, he said “not wittingly.”

Clapper later apologized, sending a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee saying his answer was “clearly erroneous” and that he “simply didn’t think” of the massive data slurping program.

The NSA’s massive data collection program has prompted lawsuits, internal reviews and a fierce congressional debate over whether to scrap it.

Yet these appear to be boilerplate for talking about the program, as congress appears set renew its authorization and has done little to halt it or make it more publicly accountable.

Perhaps that’s what happens when our secret police have a dossier on every single congressman, senator, supreme court judge and senior military commanders.

Verizon Buys AOL In Sign It May Accept Net Neutrality Regulations

Finance

The internet and telecom landscape became a very interesting place on Tuesday as Verizon announced it is buying AOL for $4.4 billion, or about $50 a share.

Verizon said the deal is part of a “new focus on digital and video platforms, as well as the “Internet of Things””.

“This acquisition supports our strategy to provide a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers to deliver that premium customer experience,” said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam.

While Verizon provides access to internet content,AOL, one a pioneering Internet brand, now provides that content via several media businesses, including The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, MAKERS and AOL.com.

These assets appear to dwarf the roughly two million people still using the company’s dialup connection, suggesting that Verizon sees the writing on the wall – its internet business will be a utility, which it will not be able to price gouge and extort content owners for premium delivery speeds.

Instead, it seems, the company must move into content businesses and away from its internet access business.

AOL will become a subsidy of Verizon while CEO Tim Armstrong will remain in his post after the deal is done, at least for the moment. The deal is worth tens of millions to Mr. Armstrong, who owns significant portions of AOL stock, in addition to a lucrative golden parachute package.

Armstrong said on CNBC on Tuesday that AOL is “as big as it can possibly be in today’s landscape” and that the merger would propel the company into “a space where there are going to be massive, global-scale networks.”

The merger is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close this summer.

Nepal Rocked By Another 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake

Entertainment News

At least 30 more people are dead in Nepal after a new earthquake struck the already-devastated nation early Tuesday morning.

The center of the quake was a remote area of eastern Nepal, near the border with China, which leveled buildings already weakened by the 7.8 magnitude quake that killed thousands of people just two and a half weeks ago.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a magnitude of 7.3 and a depth of about 9 miles, revising its earlier estimates. Accompanying the strong quake were a series of almost equally sized aftershocks, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.3.

The country was still picking up the pieces from April 25th’s magnitude 7.8 quake that hit central Nepal, killing over 8,000 people. That quake struck 75 kilometers east of capital Kathmandu, causing many building in the city to be destroyed.

Residents rushed into the streets of the capital, running with crowds of other people vainly seeking open space in the congested city.

Police advised people to stay in open areas and keep roads clear for emergency services.

The death toll is likely to climb as the damage is fully surveyed.

Ebay Refuses To Stop Selling Puppy Mill Dogs Online

Culture

Ebay has a dirty little secret. While its flagship Ebay marketplace runs a tight ship, it also runs a Canadian-based classified website, Kijiji, that allows the trafficking of animals.

The site takes no step to verify ethical breeding practices, resulting in many of the animals coming from ‘puppy mills’. Animal rights activists have been trying to stop the practice for years, but refuses to do so.

Canadian librarian Barbara Lapointe has gathered more than 104,000 signatories to a petition asking Kijiji to stop allowing pet sales on the site.

Ethics professionals say the sale of pets, especially from unlicensed breeders, results in cruelty and irresponsible breeding.

Adoptions from registered shelters and rescue organizations is the preferred method of coming to own a pet.

Ebay’s current policy allows vendors to make huge profits by selling pets produced in dog or cat mills and other unsanitary, mass-production facilities.

So far the practice of condoning such sales has cost Ebay six advertisers, including Toyota Canada and two of the country’s major banks.

While Ebay profits from the cruel practice, Craigslist and other classified sites refuse to allow breeders to post ads in order to protect animals.

Ebay spokesman Shawn McIntyre said the company feel unscrupulous breeders would simply find a new home for their ads, in an argument reminiscent of one used commonly by drug dealers. If I didn’t do it, they argue, someone else would.

And yet the Ebay-owned company does not allow ads for escorts, despite other marketplaces online offering these services.

Clearly the company feels that as long as it isn’t illegal, its fair game for profit. And yet this stance is inconsistent with Ebay’s main marketplace, which bans numerous legal items on ethical grounds.

“The problem is it’s really easy for unethical breeders to disguise themselves online,” the petition reads. “There is no way Kijiji would be able to catch all the bad posts. If thousands of us send messages to them, I’m sure they’ll do the right thing.”

“I think it contributes to the purchase of dogs coming from horrible, cruel and inhumane conditions,” Lapointe said of Kijiji’s policy.

Shell Receives Permission To Drill In Pristine Arctic

Culture

In a highly controversial decision global oil giant Royal Dutch Shell won approval from the U.S. Department of Interior to drill for oil in the Arctic in Monday.

The approval is not a final permit to begin operations as the firm must still receive approval from other regulators, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The decision is controversial because shell had previous issues that resulted in it stopping Arctic exploration more than two years ago because of problems including an oil rig fire and safety failures.

Environmental campaigners strongly oppose the move to drill in the arctic, a region estimated to have about 20% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas. One permit and successful exploration could lead to many more. That in turn would likely lead to severe ecological damage, according to environmental group.

“We have taken a thoughtful approach to carefully considering potential exploration in the Chukchi Sea,” said Abigail Ross Harper, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

This conditional approval requires permits from the federal government and the state of Alaska to begin drilling.

“Our government has rushed to approve risky and ill-conceived exploration in one of the most remote and important places on Earth” said Susan Murray, an official at Oceana, a group who opposes Arctic drilling.

The last time it tried to drill in the area it failed to have a spill-response barge on site, as it had promised, and the outbreak of fire on the Noble Discoverer rig.

In addition, The Kulluk, a drilling barge, broke away from its towing vessel and ran aground.

Nebraska Prison On Lockdown After 2 Inmates Die In Riot

News

Two inmates are dead at a maximum security prison in southeastern Nebraska. A large group of inmates took control of part of the facility, according to the state Department of Correctional Services.

As of Monday morning, corrections staff have secured the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. Staff are currently assessing conditions as of Monday evening.

Upon investigation after the facility was secured two inmates were found dead in a housing unit. The identities of the killed prisoners are not being disclosed until their next of kin are notified.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating both the disturbance and the deaths.

The riot began at 2:30pm Sunday at the facility when correctional officers tried to break up a large group of inmates in front of a housing unit said James Foster, a department spokesman.

In all, two staff members were assaulted, one inmate was shot and “multiple housing units” had small fires and property damage, according to a statement released by the department.

Those inside the housing unit described the scene, saying: “The ceilings are fallen. There’s drywall on fire. There’s cameras torn down,” according to local newspaper the Journal Star.

The 960-bed Tecumseh State Correctional Institution opened in 2001 and is located in Johnson County, about 60 miles southwest of Lincoln.

Bermuda Latest To Ban Monsanto’s Cancer Causing Roundup

Health & Wellness

After a damning UN report linking the popular herbicide Roundup to cancer, Bermuda is the latest country to ban the weed spray. The country banned the importation of the chemical on Monday.

Research conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organisation, found that the herbicide was “probably carcinogenic to humans” — a description used when there sufficient evidence of it causing cancer in animals. This makes it all but certain that the same would happen to humans.

Three other substances reviewed by the WHO body are already banned in Bermuda.

Orders placed for the herbicide before today will be honored and there will be a grace period until May 25th during which importers can apply for an exemption to import small quantities of Roundup in low concentration.

Speaking at a press conference, Environment Minister Jeanne Atherden said: “I am also pleased to advise the public today that I have invited my Cabinet colleagues to support the long-overdue development of regulations needed to properly regulate pesticides in Bermuda. The Pesticides Safety Act 2009 was passed by the Legislature, but to date the required regulations have not been addressed. This important feature of safety and proper enforcement will be introduced to complete the work contemplated by the substantive act.”

Al-Jazeera In $100M Lawsuit Over Being “Propaganda”, Negligent

Entertainment News

The veil continues to be lifted on middle east ‘journalism’ outfit Al-Jazeera, as television journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy has initiated Supreme Court proceedings in Canada, seeking compensation of $100 million from the Doha-based media company.

Fahmy spent more than 400 days in an Egyptian jail on charges of terrorism and spreading false news, is accusing Al-Jazeera of negligence that resulted in Fahmy’s initial conviction and imprisonment.

Fahmy accused Al-Jazeera Arabic’s coverage of supporting and promoting the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the network’s coverage “is not journalism, it’s propaganda.”

Fahmy went on to hold a moment of silence for journalists killed.

He conducted the conference using direct language, accusing Al-Jazeera Arabic of intending to harm Egyptian society and wage a campaign of violence against Egypt. He said this stemmed from the network’s overt support of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The former journalism is expected to conduct a range of media interviews to discuss details of his claim against Al-Jazeera, in a move to ensure he story reaches the world and is not confined to an Egyptian court.

“It is an infringement on freedom of speech to silence three innocent, recognised journalists,” Fahmy told the Associated Press. “Yet a very important aspect of this case is Qatar abusing its Al-Jazeera Arabic platform in waging a media war against Egypt.”

Russia, China Offer Greece Membership In BRICS Infrastructure Bank

Entertainment News

In a largely symbolic and propaganda driven move, the new BRICS bank has extended an invitation to Greece, according to unofficial government sources.

Just what the insolvent country would bring to the bank remains unclear.

The development bank of the BRICS economies includes Russia and China, which is seeking to become a counterweight to the IMF.

The invitation allegedly came during a telephone call between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Russia’s deputy finance minister Sergei Storchak.

The timing is interesting and could be an attempt by the Greeks to gain leverage with the EU. Greece was meeting with the EU in Brussels on the day of the call, in efforts to reach a deal with its EU-IMF creditors to release the $8 billion remaining in its bailout program. The availability of those funds ends in late June.

The Greek Prime Minister referred to the invitation as “a happy surprise” saying he would “study the proposal in detail,” her announced in a statement.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, collectively the BRICS, announced last July that they were starting the new bank, based in Shanghai, to finance major infrastructure projects in emerging countries.

Yet the move to extend an invitation to Greece, and its debt-wracked economy, could also be an effort to gain a first client and the IMF-like influence the organization really wants. Greece is running out of cash and in desperate need of funds, which could allow the new bank to make a loan while exerting influence in Europe.

Negotiations between the IMF and Greece have stalled as Tsipras, who represents the leftist Syriza party, attempts to stick to his anti-austerity campaign promises.

Tsipras will discuss the invitation with top representatives in Saint Petersburg on June 18-20, the source added.

Worker Fired For Disabling GPS App That Tracked Her 24 Hours Per Day

News

A case in California will set a legal landmark about just how much your employer can track and trace your every move. A California woman claims she was fired for uninstalling an app that her employer required her to run constantly on her company issued iPhone.

Yet this app tracked her every move 24 hours a day, seven days a week, raising huge privacy concerns and employment law issues.

Blackberry, once the leader in work phones, has long had specific settings to shut off all work-related communication after the workday, to avoid employees claiming overtime for answering emails and text messages. The feature came at the request of large corporations who did not want claims, such as this one, lodged at them.

Myrna Arias, the plaintiff in the case, is a former Bakersfield sales executive for Intermex, a money transfer service.

She claims in state court that her boss fired her shortly after she uninstalled the app ‘Xora’, which her employer required her to use. Alleged in her suit, lodged in Kern County Superior Court:

After researching the app and speaking with a trainer from Xora, Plaintiff and her co-workers asked whether Intermex would be monitoring their movements while off duty. Stubits admitted that employees would be monitored while off duty and bragged that he knew how fast she was driving at specific moments ever since she installed the app on her phone. Plaintiff expressed that she had no problem with the app’s GPS function during work hours, but she objected to the monitoring of her location during non-work hours and complained to Stubits that this was an invasion of her privacy. She likened the app to a prisoner’s ankle bracelet and informed Stubits that his actions were illegal. Stubits replied that she should tolerate the illegal intrusion…..

The suit claims invasion of privacy, retaliation, unfair business practices, and seeks damages in excess of $500,000.

Most importantly it asserts she was monitored on the weekends and after-hours when she was not working.

The ruling on the importance of that issue could have wide-ranging implications for companies increasingly looking to track, trace and analyze employee data for a variety of purposes.

The filing calls the intrusion “highly offensive to a reasonable person.”

Her attorney, Gail Glick, alleges that the app allowed her client’s “bosses to see every move the employees made throughout the day.”

ISIS ‘Message To America’ Cyber Attacks Fizzle

Entertainment News

A group of ISIS-affiliated hackers threatened to carry out a cyber attack dubbed “Message to America”— against unspecified targets in the United States at 2pm EST on Monday.

2pm came and went, with the group only posting a vague video claiming they had hacked into the websites of Washington leaders as well as Australian airports.

But none were identified and with no visible signs of attacks it appears ‘Message to America’ was just a run of the mill propaganda effort which has become typical for the struggling terrorist organization.

ISIS thus far has been shown to be more cyber vandal than elite hacker.

Their only notable ‘attack’ came in January, when a group calling themselves the Cyber Caliphate hacked into the Twitter account of the United States Central Command.

The 2pm video showed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt huddled over a laptop, speaking in Arabic. It was posted on ISIS internet forums and stated “We are the hackers of the Islamic State. The electronic war has not yet begun,” the voice said. “We observe all the movements you are making from your devices. Soon you will see how we control your electronic world.”

Google’s Self Driving Cars Twice As Likely To Get Into Accidents As Humans

Finance

Google’s self driving cars are getting into accidents. Lots of them, actually, according to reports.

The company only released the number of accidents after The Associated Press reported that Google had notified California of three collisions involving its self-driving cars since September.

Since September it became a legal requirement to report all accidents for permit holders testing self driving vehicles on California roads.

The internet ad company revealed Monday that its self-driving cars have actually been in 11 minor traffic accidents over the last six years, attempting to statistically downplay the accident rate by spreading it out over six years.

And yet the rate, even with Google’s generous math, is troubling.

The reported rate of “property-damage-only crashes” is about 0.3 per 100,000 miles driven, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Google’s 11 accidents per 1.7 million miles is about 0.6 per 100,000, about double the national rate.

Yet Google is predictably defensive. “Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident,” wrote Google’s Chris Urmson.

We’ll likely never know the true causes or rates due to the massive hype, investment and reputation that is on the line.

This fanatical secrecy deeply troubles critics who want the public to be able to monitor the rollout of a technology that remains far from perfect.

Five other companies with testing permits told the AP they had no accidents. In all, 48 cars are licensed to test on state roads.

Nevada, Michigan and Florida have passed laws welcoming tests of self-driving cars onto their roads. Their regulators claimed they weren’t aware of any reports, but deep vested interests make this claim unlikely.

It remains likely the public will not know for some time the true rate of accidents for self driving vehicles given the stakes. In the meantime, Google & Co. have work to do.

Russia And China, Fearing Arab Spring, Sign Massive Censorship Agreement

Entertainment News

Russia and China have signed a pact promising on paper to play nicely and not hack each other.

The move is a clear attempt to polarize the world against the two communist dictatorships yet in reality means little in terms of hacking, given the track record of both countries in adhering to diplomatic promises.

China in particular uses a strange brand of diplomacy, where it says one thing and does the polar opposite. It has long promised not to develop space based weapons, yet is actively pursuing them. It has promised not to develop on disputed territory in the South China Sea, yet building progresses at a rapid pace. It has promised not to hack U.S. corporation, yet does so with abandon.

So Russia, with its laughable denials of invading Ukraine, makes the perfect bedfellow for such an ‘agreement’.

But while the pact will do little to stop them hacking each other, as they already do, it will serve to establish a powerful censorship network.

The two countries agreed to jointly combat technology that may “destabilise the internal political and socio-economic atmosphere”, “disturb public order” or “interfere with the internal affairs of the state”, according to the Wall Street Journal.

So the agreement is less about hacking, which they’ll continue to do, and much more about silencing their populations.

After all, the two have a communist state to uphold and wouldn’t want pesky citizens getting in the way of stealing from the state’s coffers.

If citizens rose up against this graft and oppression, an Arab Spring-style set of popular protests would ensue, which is what keeps communist party members up at night.

FCC Sides With Users, Pushes Net Neutrality Ahead

News

In a rare move for a U.S. regulatory body, who usually get co-opted by well financed corporations, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it will implement its net neutrality provisions despite objections from big telecom companies.

The objections of the telecom companies have made the regulations into a battle between making money and preserving a free and open internet for users.

On Friday the FCC issued a ruling denying a motion from trade groups USTelecom and CTIA to stay the FCC’s Open Internet proceedings pending their legal challenges to the FCC order. The ‘trade groups’ are big lobby arms of major telecom companies including AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Cox, Time Warner and others.

When all these arch-rivals agree on something, you know its bad for customers. The FCC seems to have felt this way too.

The decision allows the FCC to implement its Open Internet rules, including the Title II reclassification to make internet service a “common carrier” platform subject to tighter regulations.

The FCC was tasked by the White House, in what may likely be President Obama’s most lasting legacy, to ensure users were protected and that rules forcing the carriers to maintain equal access have teeth.

The plan is composed three core “bright line” rules against throttling, blocking, and paid prioritization activities.

The telecom lobby did not oppose any of these measures directly, but rather was arguing on procedural grounds.

The powerful telecom industry has been, through its lobby groups, fiercely fighting the Open Internet rules.

Which means every indication is that the FCC got it right.

“Petitioners have failed to demonstrate that they are likely to succeed on the merits,” the FCC said. “The Commission’s classification of fixed and mobile [broadband internet access service] as telecommunications services falls well within the Commission’s statutory authority, is consistent with Supreme Court precedent, and fully complies with the Administrative Procedure Act” it said in its ruling.

The ruling, while positive for internet users, does not mean the issue is resolved. The powerful cable lobby has filed at least eight different lawsuits in eight jurisdictions, in the hopes of overturning the legislation.

ISIS: A Terrorist Empire Founded On Rape

Entertainment News

Warning: Graphic but important content.

While some trumpet ISIS’ social media savvy reports leak out of the regime daily showing it is running a territory that can only be described as hell on earth. It’s favorite victim: young girls.

In fact rape and sex slaves have become a major currency for the terrorist empire. Girls are currency, rewards for loyal service. Rape is both as a favorite past-time and tool of repression.

A United Nations official revealed shocking details about ISIS militants use of sexual violence.

Zainab Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict conducted interviews with dozens of sex slaves on her visits to various refugee camps in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. All of the women had escaped ISIS detention, surviving horrific sexual assaults at the hands of so-called religious warriors.

Bangura said that ISIS routinely abducts young girls who are stripped naked, paraded and traded at slave markets in ISIS controlled cities in Iraq and Syria.

“The girls and children were treated like cattle.They are categorized and shipped naked off to Dohuk or Mosul or other locations to be distributed among ISIS leadership and fighters.”

The captive women are also prostituted out, or ‘married’ in ISIS parlance, to up to 20 fighters in a month. Soldiers loyal to the fanatical regime receive ‘brides’, who are often children, whom they repeatedly rape and then turn over to lesser soldiers.

In an area where medical help is scarce valuable resources are being used to facilitate this sexual violence. ISIS doctors are performing abortions on the young girls, some as young as 9, who were raped, in order to suppress evidence of their crimes.

One young woman was forced to marry 20 fighters and then undergo hymen restoration surgery each time to restore her virginity.

Special Representative Bangura fears that the thousands of children of raped women could become “a generation of stateless children, giving rise to future extremism.

Most of the victims are members of the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq. Around 40,000 of them were reportedly kidnapped by ISIS militants in August 2014 alone.

The vast magnitude of the crisis has prompted Baba Sheikh, a prominent Yazidi cleric in Iraq, to issue an unprecedented declaration that the women are victims who had suffered through no fault of their own and should be supported, not punished by the community.

The middle east has a victim-blaming culture, where women who are raped are often punished or ostracized even though the crimes have come through no fault of their own. The cleric’s statement show that the size of the problem is now too large to be ignored or swept under the rug in the traditional way.

High Tech Algae Canopy Produces As Much Oxygen As A Forest

Culture

EcoLogics Studio demonstrated a revolutionary blend of architecture, biology and digital technology in Milan, Italy, last week.

The strange contraption, dubbed an ‘Algae Canopy’, generates as much oxygen per day as 400,000 square feet of natural woodland.

EcoLogics says its “world’s first bio-digital canopy integrates micro-algal cultures and real time digital cultivation protocols on a unique architectural system.”

Flows of water and energy to the living structure are regulated by weather patterns and visitor usage, while sunlight increases photosynthesis, causing the structure to generate organic shade in response. The canopy can produce over 300 pounds of algae daily.

The structure represents a trend in architecture, where architectural and ecosystem design are fused together. In the structure the canopy adapts its features based on manual as well as environmental inputs.

“This process is driven by the biology of mico-algae is inherently responsive and adaptive; visitors will benefit from this natural shading property while being able to influence it in real-time.”

The company sees organic systems tied to high-tech ones in current and future buildings and infrastructure. It also sees the convergence of urban and rural designs towards more uniform organic models. Basically their vision take sustainability to a whole new level, where high tech systems that control living plants are fused directly into architecture.

“In ecoLogicStudio we believe that it is now time to overcome the segregation between technology and nature typical of the mechanical age, to embrace a systemic understanding of architecture. In this prototype the boundaries between the material, spatial and technological dimensions have been carefully articulated to achieve efficiency, resilience and beauty.”

Brazil To Nationalize Rainforest In Sweeping Protection Measure

Culture

Brazil is taking firm measures to protect its magnificent rainforests and would effectively nationalize them under a draft bill being considered by the country’s MPs.

The proposed legislation would recognize Brazil’s sovereignty over the Amazon’s natural resources and set up a national Amazonian policy council responsible for enshrining environmental protection into the use of the forests. The new council would regulate all economic activities in the rainforest.

Companies wanting to operate in the area would require approval from the new state entity in return for royalties on the proceeds of their activities.

The draft of the legislation was created by Sergio Zveiter, a Social Democratic MP in Rio de Janeiro. The bill will go before a special commission at the end of March, upon which it could be voted on by the legislature.

Mr Zveiter called the on-going destruction of the Brazilian rainforest “unacceptable” and called for strengthen the Brazilian government’s authority over the pristine habitat.

The move also counters suggestions by the international community that the Amazon belongs to the world, a stance which implies Brazil is incapable of effectively managing such a rich resource.

“International leaders have repeatedly insisted that the Amazon is not a national territory, it’s a transnational territory. [This] puts in doubt Brazilian sovereignty over the territory,” Zveiter argued.

The bill succinctly states: “The Federal Government owns all of the natural resources of the Amazon, therein including mines, the forest and watersheds.”

The move highlights how progressive the country has become. In recent months it has passed an Internet Bill of Rights in an effort to prevent the use of the internet to oppress and spy on its citizens. The rainforest protection bill parallels this progressive stance, which the country taking a very future-centric approach to governance.

Canada Makes The Protesting Of War Crimes Illegal

Entertainment News

In a sign the country is becoming increasingly repressive, conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is signalling the country will use hate crime laws against Canadian advocacy groups that encourage boycotts of Israel.

This comes despite clear and unequivocal evidence, as we covered here, that the country has been massacring civilians.

It also comes after announcements the hardliner government will resume construction of illegal settlements, covered here, despite international condemnation.

The move will target such civil society organizations as the United Church of Canada,the Canadian Quakers, campus protest groups and labor unions.

The remarkably aggressive tactic is another measure of the Conservative government’s lockstep support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The regressive prosecutions would almost certainly be challenged under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, civil liberties groups say.

The government’s intention was made clear in a response to inquiries about the federal ministers’ ostance on groups participating in a loose coalition called Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS), which was begun in 2006.

A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney replied that the government would take a “zero tolerance” approach to the boycott and stated that Canada has one of the most comprehensive sets of such laws “anywhere in the world.”

The minister did not comment on how comprehensive Canada’s free speech laws are, which seem to be not very comprehensive at all.

Arab Rulers Skip U.S. Gulf Cooperation Summit Over White House Stance On Iran

Entertainment News

In a sign of American influence waning in the middle east, newly appointed Saudi King Salman decided on Saturday not to attend a U.S. summit this week at Camp David.

But its not just the Saudi King who can’t make it – most Gulf heads of state won’t be there either.

The absences are a major blow to White House authority in the region and almost certainly reflect dissatisfaction among six-member Gulf Cooperation Council with Washington’s handling of Iran.

By not attending the leaders seem to be indicating they expected little to come from what was supposed to be a high level summit.

The ostensible reason for reason for King Salman’s absence was because the Thursday summit coincides with a humanitarian cease-fire in the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is intensely bombing Shiite rebels known as Houthis, according to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

Instead, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, will lead the Saudi delegation and the king’s son, Deputy Crown Prince and defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman, will also attend.

President Barack Obama had planned to meet King Salman one-on-one a day before the gathering so his absence is likely a sign of a substantial disagreement with the United States, despite the White House insisting otherwise.

The king, who took power in January, hasn’t traveled abroad since his ascension to the throne.

Bahrain, whose leadership has close ties to the Saudis and is an important military ally of the U.S., also announced their leader would not attend. He was replaced by crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Bahrain is Washington’s main naval counterbalance to Iran, and is the longstanding host to the Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The Gulf states are deeply concerned the nuclear pact taking shape with the U.S., Iran and other nations may lead Tehran to intrude more aggressively in the region. Iran is already backing Houthi rebels, essentially making Yemen a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, a professor of political science at Emirates University, said Gulf leaders were obviously showing their displeasure with the U.S. initiative, which may be driven more by Obama’s urge to define his legacy than what’s best for the region.

“I don’t think they have a deep respect, a deep trust for Obama and his promises. There is a fundamental difference between his vision of post-nuclear-deal Iran and their vision,” he said. “They think Iran is a destabilizing force and will remain so, probably even more, if the sanctions are lifted. … They’re just not seeing things eye to eye.”

Also not in attendance is the sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, and the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both have been battling health issues.

Europe’s Last Virgin Forest Under Siege By Loggers

Culture

A new report by a major environmental advocacy group said Monday that Romania, home to Europe’s last unlogged timber forest, is also the country experiencing the most illegal logging.

“In terms of biodiversity, in terms of size, in terms of forest intact landscapes,” the country has the most important forests in Europe said Alexander von Bismarck, director of the US branch of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Yet the country “has the most acute problem of illegal logging today in Europe”, he warned.

The virgin woodlands of Romania are home to more large mammals than all the other European states combined, except from Russia. Rare animals which live in its pristine forests include brown bear, lynx and wolves.

Romanian authorities reported that some 2.8 billion cubic feet of wood was illegally logged in the past 20 years.

The EIA found that the Austrian wood products company Holzindustrie Schweighofer was “willingly and knowingly accepting illegally harvested timber”.

The environmental group presented hidden camera footage which showed Romanian Schweighofer officials conducting purchases of illegally harvested timber and even promising bonuses to the seller.

“It might seem unspectacular but it is the root of illegal logging… And the deals are made and the laws are broken and communities have their forests stolen,” Von Bismarck said.

Holzindustrie Schweighofer, which has annual revenue of $511 million in 2013, has denied the charges.

The company claims, despite the direct evidence to the contrary, that it “respects the laws” and will “launch an internal investigation” following the broadcasting of the video.

Sophisticated Poachers Step Up War On The Rhino

Culture

The latest rhino-poaching statistics released by South African Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa yesterday paint a grim picture for the iconic rhinoceros. The rhinos barely have a decade left due to how sophisticated these syndicates have become.

The worrying part is that once these creatures are gone, the crime gangs will move on to other vulnerable species.

As of May 1st 393 rhinos had been killed in the South Africa – 290 of these in the Kruger National Park.

General Johan Jooste, who commands SANParks’ special projects unit, said syndicates comprised not only poachers but also intricate support structures that included drivers and middlemen based in communities around the park.

SANPark, who runs and protects the parks, said that between January and April this year there were 900 incursions into the park by poachers.

China is the main purchaser of Rhino horns, falsely believing they cure a host of ailments – which they do not.

The Chinese country has refused to take a stand on elephant and rhino poaching which has led to massive demand for the illicit horns and tusks.

Syndicate poachers were now making more incursions into the park from within South Africa, rather than from Mozambique.

During the same period last year the number of rhino lost to poachers for the whole of the country was 331, with just 212 killed in the Kruger National Park.

Arrests of poachers increased from 96 between January and April last year to 132 for the same period this year.