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|Oracle® Enterprise Manager Concepts
10g Release 1 (10.1)
Part Number B12016-01
|View PDF
This chapter introduces the concept of application performance management and contains the following sections.
Today's e-businesses depend heavily upon their Web applications to allow critical business processes to be performed online. As more emphasis is placed on accessing information quickly, remotely, and accurately, how can you ensure your online customers can successfully complete a transaction? Are you certain that your sales force is able to access the information they need to be effective in the field?
Enterprise Manager Application Performance Management tools are a major shift in system diagnostics and monitoring. With Application Performance Management tools, you can proactively monitor your e-business systems from the top down and trace the experience of your end users as they enter and navigate the Web site. Additionally, with the knowledge of real end-user response times, you are able to effectively manage your e-business systems and understand the impact of application performance problems. Application Performance Management tools also provide detailed diagnostics that allow you to quickly and easily identify the root cause of the application performance problems.
Application Performance Management functionality complements the traditional systems monitoring capabilities of Enterprise Manager. Full integration with the Enterprise Manager systems monitoring capabilities allow you to monitor the performance and availability of system components that make up the applications' technology environment, including the back-end database and the middle-tier application servers.
The key Application Performance Management monitoring capabilities are described in the following sections:
This section contains the following topics:
The availability of your Web applications is critical to the success of your business. However, the rules for what constitutes availability can vary widely from one application to another.
For example, for one Web application, you might measure availability in terms of how well the login page performs for your users. For another application, such as an online store, you might measure availability in terms of a successful sales transaction.
In fact, a Web application can sometimes be available to some users and not to others. A customer in Tokyo might have problems accessing your Web site while a user in New York might have no trouble at all. Using Enterprise Manager, you have the flexibility to define application availability for your unique environment.
Enterprise Manager continuously monitors the availability criteria you specify and generates alert notifications when predefined performance thresholds are exceeded. When Enterprise Manager generates an alert, you can drill down to locate the availability problem quickly.
In addition to automatic notification of performance issues, Enterprise Manager also provides real-time information for each Web application. At any time, you can review the status of your Web applications with real-time charts and availability icons that show you the status of the application and individual pages or sets of pages on your Web site.
Setting up your Web application so it can be monitored by Enterprise Manager is as easy as creating a Web application target. To create a Web application target, use the Grid Control and perform the following steps:
Click Targets.
Click Web Applications.
On the Web Applications page, click Add.
Provide the needed information in the Create Web Application wizard.
See Also:"Creating Web Application Targets" in the Enterprise Manager online help
To review existing Web Application targets:
Click Targets in the Enterprise Manager Grid Control
Click Web Applications.
Click the Web Application of your choice.
See Figure 3-1 for an example of a Web Application home page.
Figure 3-1 Enterprise Manager Web Application Home Page
In fact, Enterprise Manager itself is a Web application. As a result, the installation procedure automatically creates a Web application target called EM Website (Figure 3-1) that you can use as an example of Application Performance Management in action. From this Web Application Home page, you can monitor the availability and performance of the Enterprise Manager Web application.
Note:At any time while reviewing the Enterprise Manager Web application, click Help for more information.
From the Web Application Home page, you can quickly become familiar with the Web application. In particular, notice the Homepage URL field in the General section of the page.
The Availability Transaction Response chart provides information about the availability and response time of the Homepage URL. When you create a Web application target, Enterprise Manager sets default warning and critical thresholds for how quickly the page is displayed. When the response time exceeds the response time warning or critical threshold, Enterprise Manager generates an alert. If the Homepage URL is unavailable, this Web Application will be identified as down and unavailable when you scan the list of Web Application targets in the Grid Control.
You can modify the warning and critical thresholds for the Homepage URL anytime by modifying the collection settings for the Homepage URL on the Manage Transaction settings page. To access this page:
Choose the Web application.
Click Administration on the Web Application page.
Click Manage Transactions.
On the Availability Transaction Response page, click Manage Transactions.
On the Manage Transactions page, choose the transaction to investigate and click Collection Settings.
See Also:"Setting Transaction Intervals and Thresholds" in the Enterprise Manager online help
By default, the Homepage URL is checked for availability by the local host where the Management Service has been installed. To obtain more information about the performance and availability of the Homepage URL from multiple locations on the Intranet or across the Internet, you can assign special targets called Oracle Beacons to access the Homepage URL.
See Also:"About Beacons" in the Enterprise Manager online help
This section contains the following topics:
Besides monitoring the availability of an entire Web application, you can also monitor the performance of specific pages or features of your application.
With Application Performance Management, you can create a recording of your Web browser actions as you access these pages. You can then save this recording—which Application Performance Management refers to as a business transaction—so you can play the transaction automatically from strategic locations throughout your infrastructure. After a period of time, you can view and compare data about the performance of the transaction from a variety of locations on the network. A breakdown of the transaction path from start to finish provides detailed information about each URL in the transaction, including response metrics for server and network components.
Enterprise Manager pinpoints the location of any performance problem, whether internal or external to the data center, and lets you know if slow response times are due to problems in your system or externally on the Internet. Issues within the data center are further broken down to reveal if they are at the network, server, content, or application level.
To become familiar with the concept of business transactions, consider the Homepage URL, which is defined when you create a Web Application target.
The Homepage URL used to monitor the availability of the Web Application is a simple business transaction that displays the Homepage URL of the Web Application. The performance of this simple transaction determines the availability of the Web Application.
Figure 3-2 shows the Homepage URL transaction as it appears in the All Transactions table on the Transaction Performance page of the Web Application target home page.
Figure 3-2 Homepage URL Transaction as Shown in the All Transactions Table
You can use the Administration page of the Web Application home page to add additional and more complex transactions. You create each transaction by recording a series of actions you take in the Web browser. Enterprise Manager provides a recording control panel and a browser window so you can record a series of actions in the browser (Figure 3-3). You then save these actions as a single business transaction that you can monitor from the Web Application Transaction Performance page.
Figure 3-3 Recording an Application Performance Monitoring Business Transaction
A Web application transaction can be monitored from different geographical user communities using Beacons. Beacons are client robots which have the functionality of playing transactions from various representative user communities and collecting response time data.
Figure 3-4 shows the All Transactions table after additional transactions were created for this Web Application. The table provides details about the average response time of the pages within each transaction that was played from various representative user communities.
Figure 3-4 Multiple Transactions as Shown in the All Transactions Table
If you drill down and click the transaction name in the All Transactions table, Enterprise Manager provides details about the transaction performance, as well as a graphical breakdown of each phase of the transaction (Figure 3-5).
Figure 3-5 Drilling Down to Transaction Details
From the Manage Transactions link, you can play a transaction using the interactive trace facility. By selecting a recorded transaction and clicking Play, this trace feature allows you to execute a transaction and obtain response times for each URL within the transaction. If the transaction is a J2EE transaction that invokes components of the J2EE stack, click Play with Trace to a see a breakdown of the server times. The server time breakdown includes the servlet/JSP, EJB, and JDBC/SQL times and allows you to determine where transaction bottlenecks exist so that you can further diagnose performance problems (Figure 3-6).
See Also:"Extended Network and Critical URL Monitoring in Action" to learn more about Oracle Beacons
Figure 3-6 Interactive Cross-Tier Tracing for Business Transactions
For more information about creating Web Application transactions, see the Enterprise Manager online help.
See Also:"Creating Transactions" in the Enterprise Manager online help
This section includes the following topics:
Page Performance Monitoring can help you develop a clear understanding of how your Web applications are performing from the end-user perspective. This new Enterprise Manager feature collects the actual response time experienced by end users and stores this comprehensive performance data in the Management Repository. As this data is gathered over time, you can generate detailed reports that reveal exactly how well your pages are responding to user requests.
You can select individual pages (URLs) to monitor, or you can display reports that reveal Web application performance information sorted in multiple ways. For example, you can view reports that show the slowest pages on your site over the past 24 hours, the average response time experienced by particular Web site visitors, or the average response time experienced by users from specific network domains.
Knowledge of the actual performance of your application as experienced by your end users enables you to understand the impact of performance problems. This enables you to prioritize your resolution efforts on the issues that impact your business the most.
To view the page performance data for a Web application, click the Page Performance tab on the Enterprise Manager Web Application home page. By default, this page shows the slowest pages in this Web Application over the past 24 hours (Figure 3-7).
Note:To view end-user performance data for your own Web applications, you must not only create a Web Application target, but you must also configure the Web Caches for your Web application.
Figure 3-7 End-User Response Time for the a Typical Web Application
For more specific information, use the Administration tab of the Web Application home page to add the URLs that most interest you to the URL Watchlist. The watchlist provides you with a summary of the number of times the page has been accessed and the average response time of the page (Figure 3-8).
Figure 3-8 Selected Pages Shown in the Web Application URL Watchlist
In addition to End-User Response Time, the Page Performance page displays Middle Tier Performance (Figure 3-9) data.
Figure 3-9 Middle Tier Performance for a Web Application
Enterprise Manager collects detailed J2EE activity data each time a user accesses a page (or URL) of your Web Application. The processing times reflect the time needed to prepare Web application content in the middle tier, as well as the time spent in the application server and back-end data sources. You can use this data to identify the slowest URL and plan your corrective action.
In addition, for each URL you can drill down and examine the processing time and additional performance details for each servlet, JSP, JDBC, and EJB component, down to the root cause of the problem at the SQL statement level. You can also correlate the processing time and load with other factors such as the CPU, Memory, I/O, and response times and load. This correlation also includes other metrics of the components that make up your Web application. Details of the full call processing stack of every URL accessed is also provided for rapid root cause diagnosis.
For example, Figure 3-10 shows a report that reveals which users are experiencing the slowest performance on your site.
Figure 3-10 End-User Response Time Data Sorted by Visitor
You can learn more about the end-user response time drill-down reports in the Enterprise Manager online help.
See Also:"About Monitoring Page Performance" in the Enterprise Manager online help
This section includes the following topics:
The responsiveness of your network components is as critical to your Web application as the performance of your URLs. Enterprise Manager provides you with tools to monitor both continuously and on-demand.
You can define watch lists of network components and URLs that you wish to continuously monitor for availability and responsiveness. Since it is not always practical to have the management infrastructure permeate the entire application infrastructure, on-demand monitoring also allows network components that might otherwise go unmonitored to be checked periodically for responsiveness and availability.
To manage targets on each of your network hosts, you install an Oracle Management Agent. The Management Agent discovers the targets on each host and gathers management data about the hardware and software on each host.
The Management Agent also serves as an Oracle Beacon. Each Oracle Beacon can be configured to monitor the availability and performance of any:
Device on your network, such as a host computer or an IP traffic controller
Web page or Web application that is accessible from the selected Beacon
If the network device, Web page, or Web application is inaccessible, or if it does not respond within a predefined time interval, you can configure the Beacon so it generates an alert.
You can add one Beacon target for each host where the Management Agent has been installed. You add the Beacon target like any other managed target by selecting the Beacon target type and clicking Add on the Management Agent home page.
Like other managed targets, each Beacon has an Enterprise Manager home page. From the Beacon home page, you can check the HTTP response time of a remote URL or the network response or route used to contact any device that can be located with a TCP/IP network address.
For example, to check the performance of a remote URL:
From the Beacon home page, click Performance.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter the complete HTTP address (URL) of a Web page you want to test.
You can test Web pages on your Intranet, or configure the Beacon to use your proxy server so you can test pages outside your company firewall.
Select HTTP Response from the menu and click Go.
Enterprise Manager displays the URL Test page, which provides details about the response time of the URL, including a a graphical breakdown of the entire transaction, as shown in Figure 3-11.
Figure 3-11 Testing the Performance of a Remote URL
You can get more information about the test result data by clicking Help on the URL Test page.
To make sure the performance of a network component or URL is acceptable from multiple locations on your network, you can configure multiple Beacons to monitor the component or URL. You do this by installing Management Agents on strategically-located hosts. For each Beacon on each host, you can then add key network components and Web pages to the Network Watchlist and the URL Watchlist on the Beacon Performance page. After an item is added to the Network or URL Watchlist, you can scan the entries in the list to see:
Which components are currently available from this Beacon
If any warning or critical alerts have been triggered
A key set of metrics that can help you determine the relative performance of the connection to the component
More information about using Beacons to measure network component and critical URL availability is available in the Enterprise Manager online help.
See Also:"About Beacons" in the Enterprise Manager online help


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They Genuinely Tried to Help
Fund: El Dorado Ventures
Posted by Entrepreneer on 2008-03-17
Shanda led our A round in late 2005. I was a cofounder, and I had reservations about raising so much capital given how little time we'd spent exploring the space. My cofounder said that ours was a play that all VCs would soon make a bet in, and it was better to choose our dance partners early. As a dance partner, El Dorado offered real help. Introductions to important players in the space, an emphasis on measurement, and peer sessions, where the CTOs or CEOs from their portfolio companies would come together to discuss topical issues. All of this was clearly valuable, and offered something far better than I'd received from prior boards, where you were lucky to get the investor to come to a board meeting once a quarter.
In the end, we failed. The market we were anticipating has not yet developed, and we used the capital too quickly. Shanda remained engaged the entire time. She never became desperate. She's level-headed, and a bit of a hard ass; which is just what we needed sometimes.
When something fails, there's lots of places to spread the blame, and someone more bitter than I could probably smear El Dorado, but I think the real failure rests with the CEO and me. Nonetheless, there is some intangible that I cannot place that makes me reserved about seeking El Dorado as a partner again. Perhaps it is just that having failed with them, I'd rather go with someone with a good reputation with whom I have no failures.PRIVATE: Members Only (1059 Characters)

subset: commoncrawl


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Right behind the famous Taksim Square, in the district of Beyoğlu, lies the neighbourhood of Cihangir. This attractive neighbourhood is known for its characteristic narrow streets, parks and squares. Cihangir is a favourite gathering place for local artists, writers and intellectuals. They flock to the many cafés and outdoor patios to discuss their latest projects or talk about life.
Cihangir, which means 'conqueror', is named after the son of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, ruler of the 16th-century Ottoman Empire. Today, Cihangir has become a meeting place for bohemians. The mix of 19th-century homes with colourful stucco façades lends the area a special atmosphere. The eclectic combination of galleries, chic boutiques and vibrant nightlife makes Cihangir a hotspot, reminiscent of New York's SoHo or Montmartre in Paris.
Susam Café reminds you of the Central Perk coffee shop from the TV series 'Friends'. This is a popular local bar with lots of regular customers, ranging from hip youths to seasoned foreign newspaper correspondents. The selection of mismatched chairs, sofas and tables make Susam Café feel like a cosy living room where patrons drink coffee, beer, wine and cocktails. Susam's Egili Mojito ('Aegean Mojito') is famous. Another great draw is the charming terrace.
Susam Sokak 11, Istanbul
Laid-back, artistic and casual, you won't find a more bohemian bar in Cihangir than Smyrna. The furniture in this former antique shop consists of an old-fashioned, classic hodge-podge of wooden tables, floor lamps and delightfully comfortable chairs. However, most writers, actors, journalists and expats prefer to relax over a drink at the bar. You can also spend a pleasant evening at one of the outside tables on the terrace, under the awning or under the canopies of the sycamore trees.
"Sip a drink while going back in time"
Akarsu Caddesi 29, Istanbul
Another local favourite is White Mill. The door of the modest entrance hides a trendy, modern café with 2 floors and a great courtyard. Although White Mill draws a crowd all day, it really comes alive at night. During happy hour guests sip experimental cocktails, such as a pear martini or grapefruit margarita. Sunday afternoons are also great fun when groups of friends meet here.
Susam Sokak 13, Istanbul


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Real-World Review
2014 Lincoln MKZ AWD 3.7: Real World Review
Few cars have generated as much controversy in recent years as the 2014 Lincoln MKZ. One reason is that the MKZ is supposed to signal the start of the Lincoln brand's revival -- and some industry experts question whether it's the right car to bear that burden. The sedan's styling has also been a point of contention, given its futuristic look compared to premium sedan class rivals. But what is the MKZ actually like to live with on a daily basis? To find out, we spent a week with a well-equipped, V6-powered, all-wheel-drive model.
Striking Styling
Call us crazy, but everyone on the AutoTrader staff seems to love the MKZ's styling. Part of the reason, we suspect, is that it's just so different: Few other sedans share its unusual profile, waterfall grille and taillights that span the entire rear end -- though the lights remind us a little of recent Chrysler products. We think many staffers appreciate the sedan's looks simply because the MKZ's styling is so unusual compared to anything else on the road.
Of course, we recognize that not everyone appreciates the MKZ's appearance -- so we'll say that it is, more than anything else, striking. Love it or hate it, the MKZ turns more heads than any other car in its class.
Striking Features
You might not expect the phrase "striking features" to be used in conjunction with the Lincoln brand, but a few hours with the MKZ will likely change your mind. And we're not just talking about MyLincoln Touch, the sedan's center-mounted infotainment system that seems to be getting better with every passing model year.
Instead, we're referring to items like massaging seats, which seem to be unique at this price point. They might be something of a gimmick, but everyone who drove our MKZ tester certainly enjoyed the novelty of the feature. We're also referring to the sedan's huge panoramic sunroof, which essentially transforms the MKZ into an open-air convertible with the push of a button. And most of us like the push-button gear selector, which moves the cumbersome transmission lever away from the center console for a cleaner look and feel inside the cabin.
Striking Comfort
Another big plus in the MKZ's favor: interior comfort. Beyond the features that help us stay comfortable, the sedan's ride quality is excellent and its seats are plush. We also appreciate easy-to-reach buttons, easy-to-understand controls and ample head room and hip room. The only issue comes in the sedan's back seat: Presumably a casualty of the MKZ's styling, rear head room is a little tight.
Not-So-Striking Engine
So we loved the MKZ's look, its lavish equipment and its comfortable ride and driving feel. Our only problem is the engine.
It may surprise you to hear car enthusiasts disapprove of a muscular powerplant like the MKZ's 300-horsepower 3.7-liter V6, but that's exactly what we're doing. The main reason is that it simply isn't fast enough.
Interestingly, it's not that we want more power, but rather that we happen to think the MKZ's base-level engine -- a 240-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder -- is more than adequate for this car. As a result, we see no benefit in upgrading to the V6, which seems only slightly faster. We think there's no real reason to choose the V6 over the 4-cylinder unless Lincoln adds even more power to the V6.
This is especially true when you consider gas mileage. While 4-cylinder models are rated for up to 22 miles per gallon city and 33 mpg highway (22 mpg city/31 mpg highway with all-wheel drive), we couldn't beat 16 mpg with the V6 in mostly city driving. That's not far off the Environmental Protection Agency estimate of 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for the all-wheel-drive MKZ V6.
Highly Recommended
As equipped, the sticker price of our 2014 Lincoln MKZ test car was nearing $45,000 -- and that seems a little high. We'd suggest skipping all-wheel drive unless you absolutely need it -- and we'd suggest skipping the V6 unless you simply can't wrap your head around the idea of a luxury car with a 4-cylinder engine. Choose a front-wheel-drive MKZ with the standard 4-cylinder, and you're likely to walk out of the dealer paying less than $40,000 before taxes. To us, that's an excellent deal for the most striking premium sedan on the road.


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Falcons running back Jacquizz Rodgers will once again have his brother as a teammate this season. At least at practice.
The Falcons have named their eight-member practice squad, and one of the members is James Rodgers, the big brother of Jacquizz Rodgers. James Rodgers was also on the Falcons' practice squad last year, and the brothers were teammates at Oregon State as well.
Also on the practice squad is quarterback Seth Doege. Like several other teams, the Falcons decided to keep only two quarterbacks (Matt Ryan and Dominique Davis) on the 53-man roster, and to keep a third on the practice squad.
Atlanta also signed fullback Patrick DiMarco, receiver Darius Johnson, cornerback Jordan Mabin, guard Phillipkeith Manley, defensive tackle Adam Replogle and tight end Mickey Shuler to the practice squad.


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Schechter Interviews Albert on New Organization
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Schechter: Why iops... What is it? Who is in it? Is it a new type of think tank? What are its goals and values? Why are people taking part?
Albert: IOPS, International Organization for a Participatory Society, is an effort to gather sufficient membership to establish a new organization, built on local chapters and national branches, that would move to being formal and actual rather than interim, at a convention some time in the future.
IOPS emerged from a poll the web system ZNet conducted that revealed surprisingly high support for commitments embodied in the interim statement of vision and organizational features that is now guiding IOPS creation and the period up to founding at a convention.
At the moment, only a month old, IOPS has about 1450 members in 76 countries. It has a guiding Consultative Committee for addressing issues that may have to be decided in its early period, before it has well developed internal membership and collective self managing means of making decisions. This committee has 48 members from countries around the world, including many notable folks such as Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, and others.
Some of IOPS defining attributes are giving priority attention to all sides of social life and their interrelations, including, for example, economy, polity, kinship, culture, ecology, and international relations.
Also, seeking new broadly conceived institutions for these areas that deliver an end to all hierarchies of wealth, power, and status - whether based on class/economy, gender/age/sex, race/ethnicity/culture, politics/power - and attaining societal solidarity, diversity, equity, self management, stewardship, and peace.
Also, there are priorities regarding the features of the organization itself, in particular, having it reflect the values and aims of the future in the present - including facilitating and giving respect to dissent, and facilitating and highlighting the importance of participation and self management.
IOPS is definitely not a think tank, though of course part of what will occur in IOPS is members enlarging their own awareness of options, developing their insights, and communicating to others. But, mainly, the aim of IOPS is to grow and empower its membership and to develop programs of struggle that are national and international, thereby uniting and helping provide aid to and even overarching aims for diverse kinds of activism, including enlarging the numbers of people who are seriously and capably involved in conceiving and seeking a new world - not just verbally, or in thought, but by their participation in struggles for change as well as in construction of programs and relations among people that embody the seeds of the future in the present.
Schechter: Can/will "outsiders" be taken seriously by elite decision makers? How do we translate ideas into political demands and practical models?
Albert: If you mean would existing elites in societies around the world see IOPS as some kind of worthy ally in enacting policies, no - not at all. IOPS will be seen as an enemy by existing elites in societies around the world because IOPS is about eliminating the conditions that make them elites. IOPS is about redefining economic, political, and social relations so that all people have control over their own lives, as well as equitable means to live them well and fully, rather than some elites dominating decisions and having vast wealth.
IOPS will, we can reasonably predict, once it is large enough to have self managing ways of arriving at shared aims, favor policies and also entirely new social relations that elites will find literally incomprehensible, insane, and, in any case, very much the opposite of their own inclinations.
However, if you mean, will people who are used to making decisions and having others follow their lead without having input, but who join IOPS because they support its formulations, take other members in IOPS seriously including realizing that in IOPS all will have self managing say rather than those with initially high confidence and more experience monopolizing power - yes, I think they will, not least because they will have to, because IOPS is structured to ensure those outcomes.
More generally, moving back to considering relations to elites in society, the way an organization like IOPS will pursue and make advances and finally be part of winning a new world will have nothing to do with society's elites respecting its insights and desires and enacting them for that reason, but will have to do, instead, with society's elites having no choice but to comply with demands for changes or to suffer even more grave defeats than they suffer by giving in.
This means IOPS, and this goes for movements more generally, will have to generate sufficient support - both numbers of activists and depth and clarity of commitment they have - so that in struggles over future directions, IOPS desires for the vast populations it serves will steadily more often trump the desires of elites for the narrow and small sectors of population they serve.
Creating program, at least in very general terms, is not all that complex. The substantial difficulties arise in particular contexts. What does one want in the long term? What does one want that can sustain sufficient desire and support now, to be attainable in the shorter run? How do we demand and seek the short run gains in ways that add to the long run prospects?
For example, in the struggle for peace now, for a shorter work week, for immediate economic redistribution, for different investment policies, for affirmative action, against foreclosures, for daycare and medical care more generally, for immigrant rights, for an end to drones, for new energy policies, for peace, and so on - how do we act so as to yield enlarged and enriched consciousness in society writ large and in activists as well, so that people want still more gains and understand the parameters of seeking it? And how do we act in ways that yield new organization, new commitments, and new mechanisms, so we do not just celebrate immediate victories we win and go home, but, instead, upon winning some gains we immediately set out to win more gains in a trajectory of changes leading toward massive support for a new society and, eventually, in ways that create the infrastructure and then melt into that new society?
Those questions can inform clear thinking about program. Of course, assessing the conditions we confront all around us to decide which demands and which programs can successfully attain sufficient support to be won, now, and to decide which ways of arguing for those gains and organizing support will have the desired impact on future aims, is specific, contextual, and difficult - and good answers will differ, as well, in many respects, from country to country.
Schechter: Is IOPS modelled on other existing initiatives?
Albert: Yes and no. IOPS arises, I think it is fair to say, from a long line of activism stretching back to the new left movements of the sixties, and then further still. It tries to embody positive lessons of past successes but also to learn and alter in light of critical insights about past failures.
However, the actual defining features of IOPS, for example its multi issue approach that doesn't elevate any one key dimension of life above the rest and its specific institutional visionary commitments, as well as its very high focus on respecting internal dissent, haven't often been combined similarly, I think, but, in any case, need new expression and organization now.
Schechter: How important is the emphasis on "Participatory" Is it inspired by the call for participatory democracy 50 years ago.
Albert: The word has two purposes in the name, at least the way I think of it - and of course others may have their own read on this. First, it bears very much on the vision for what IOPS favors in place of capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and authoritarianism. Thus the aim IOPS supports is called, in its very name, during this interim period - and even this could change - "participatory society." The sought values and institutions are very much consonant with and even dependent on the idea of generalized participation, equal and fair participation, and especially self managing participation, in the circumstances and conditions of our lives.
Additionally, however, in IOPS the word participatory has another connotation as well. To join IOPS one only needs to feel allegiance with its defining statements. However, over time, the organizational aim is that whatever little time and energy members may have for organizational activities and actions at the outset of their becoming members, as time passes and IOPS grows their involvements will also grow. IOPS will have to deserve and win that kind of participation even from its own members, but its members, once IOPS does begin to prove its worth, will hopefully deliver.
A significant part of the logic of IOPS is that social change, much less winning new societies and a new world, depends not only on a huge tally of people wanting such change, but also on very large numbers of people becoming steadily more confident and committed to helping conceive and enact such change, as their circumstances permit. IOPS sees itself, in that regard - and the IOPS defining statements make this particularly evident - as providing its own members a better life, better relations, and mutual aid consistent with their becoming able to give more time to winning real change, even as IOPS also seeks similar gains for people in the larger societies all around us, as well.
So, yes, I think IOPS is consistent with the calls made, decades back, for participatory democracy, but where that call was largely understood as a pretty vague desire bearing on people's relations to political life, in IOPS the desire for participatory self management, is made more substantive by giving it visionary and immediate institutional form and by having it bear not only on political life, but also on economics, culture, kinship, and really all sides of life.
Schechter: Is IOPS just using digital technology or will it morph into a transnational movement?
Albert: There is now a web site - which is, as you say, digital technology - which makes it easy to learn about IOPS, and, if interested, to join it. The site is at http://www.iopsociety.org/
There one can read about the early history of IOPS, its origins and early steps, and also assess the vision, mission, structure, and program commitments of the interim project, see the list of members of the Consultative Committee, and see the various blog posts and comments, forum exchanges, and members projects that are already emerging in large numbers.
So the IOPS effort certainly has a digital display - but the aim is that IOPS will have chapters in cities all around the world, and when it gets big enough, even multiple chapters in large cities, which will in turn federate into city and then into national chapters, and then in turn federate into the international organization.
I think we can predict that the local neighborhood or city chapters will meet face to face on some regular schedule that makes sense given where they are, and given who they are, and given the conditions they are dealing with, and given that people will not only have "non digital" relations that way, but also ties to all kinds of shared local programs, activism, and also life enriching social connections and undertakings, as well.
Then, moreover, the same would occur in whole cities, regions, and countries - though with less frequent meetings, and presumably at larger scales. Indeed, an international convention to found IOPS as a no longer interim but as finally an actual organization, with its own internal decision and other mechanisms and activist programs, etc., all extending beyond the current defining documents however IOPS membership determines, would be a first instance of perhaps a yearly major international face to face gathering.
What is hopeful is that already, in under a month, there are people involved in 76 countries, some countries with many more members than others, of course. From having started in English only, as of May 1, translations of the site into ten languages are in place which will hopefully propel things dramatically. The online system, the digital aspect, makes it easy for people to find others in their areas and to contact them to set up meetings, and this is already happening in many places. It gives local chapters their own online sites to administer, with the content feeding as well into national and international sites they are part of.
Of course no one can know how IOPS will play out. But I think if everyone who on first visiting the site and reading the defining documents says to themselves, well I really like that, I would be really happy if this organization were to become huge and highly active, and while I am worried that it might not, or that it might grow stale, or that it might degenerate, or whatever - still, I am going to join, and I will lend however little or much time I can to getting others to join too and to my becoming conversant with and able to present the defining features, and able to act in light of them - then IOPS will become both very large and very capable fairly quickly.
For that matter, will those who write blogs and articles and give talks, and report events as dissidents and leftists, in media of the left, and in organizations and projects of the left, take a serious look at IOPS, report what they find, and relate with vigor, whether critically or supportively? In fact, will even IOPS members do that in their encounters? In short, what becomes of IOPS is going to depend on people's reactions to it, around the world, both members, and people at great distance. Will rampant skepticism about anything and everything aimed at real institutional change dull people's approach to IOPS, causing rejection without even seriously looking? Will the incredible time pressures on people interfere with paying attention, or lending a hand? Or will hope and desire fuel serious assessments that lead, in turn, to a whole lot of advocacy and resulting success? We will see.
Schechter: Are academics part of IOPS as well as activists?
Albert: Anyone who reads the defining materials and feels they support the intents can join, and all kinds of people, again, from 76 countries, have already done so. Among those I am sure that are plenty who are employed in universities, colleges, and the like. But I like to think that mostly the people from those venues who are joining will already see themselves and their efforts, intellectual and otherwise, as activist, and all the more so as they join and then become involved as their time permits.
But the reality of IOPS is that it is very much not an "academic" project. In fact, IOPS is virtually the opposite of an "academic" project. IOPS seeks the clearest possible communication, working hard to eliminate obscure and obtuse rhetoric, and most certainly it does not see itself serving the "academic" interests of elites who currently monopolize knowledge and information and empowering positions. Instead, IOPS sees itself, I think, creating conditions for all people to participate in thoughts and actions bearing on their lives - both in schools and universities and also throughout all of society.
IOPS is very much about thinking carefully, sharing ideas, and especially developing and sharing vision and strategy. But these are things everyone should be doing, not just folks with some kind of degree, or with a job that says to them - you are required to think, write, teach. We can and should all think, write, and teach - as well as learn.
And so while "academics" are very welcome, it is essential that in their IOPS activities they leave behind any "academic" habits they may have (hopefully they don't) of arcane and obscure communications, endless references to demonstrate their high learning, and other such paraphernalia of exclusion. Academics are certainly welcome in IOPS, because everyone who sincerely supports the defining documents is welcome.
In my view, however, at least nine out of ten times, real life experience plus some optimism of the will and clear communications -whether coming from folks inside or outside academia - is a much likelier source of socially useful and worthy insights than specifically academic training, credentials, and especially academic habits, not least, in how to be obscure.
Schechter: How will you relate to other political movements, do you label yourselves as anarchists or socialists or what?
Albert: IOPS is an organization and no doubt its members will not only develop IOPS policy and work to enact it, but also be involved in all kinds of other movements and campaigns they support - and that IOPS will likely support as well. Indeed, there are people in IOPS, after only a few weeks, from, I am sure, dozens of different campaigns and movements around the world - and of course, particularly from Occupy efforts all over the world.
And as to views, I am sure there are anarchists in large numbers, and also socialists in large numbers. Indeed, for the latter, many of them, probably think of participatory society as participatory socialism. And the former probably think of it as anarchist society. And I think both of them, doing that, are right, because participatory society needs to embody what is best and most relevant in the anarchist and socialist heritages. But participatory society and IOPS also need to leave behind much that isn't relevant now, or desirable, from those heritages.
So, for example, the IOPS defining documents make clear that IOPS is not against institutions per se, or against production per se, in that regard diverging from at least some anarchists. And they also make clear that IOPS rejects what has been called twentieth century socialism and many of the intellectual and organizational commitments of past socialists who were Leninist, Trotskyist, etc., in that regard diverging from some socialists.
For the most part, though, IOPS might be usefully seen, I suspect, as an attempt to bypass the morass of arguments and mutual recriminations that typically hitchhike on discussions of left history. IOPS seeks, instead, to put forth positive aims and methods and to confine the issue of membership to the issue of advocacy of those aims and methods. Yes, I believe IOPS positive aims and methods conflict with various features of past activism, organization, and vision - but that's the point. To move forward and to win a new world, rather than to debate past histories that people will disagree about the facts of, ad infinitum, IOPS thinks it is better to assess the proposed visions, aims, and methods in light of conditions that are right in front of our eyes, and, hopefully, to move forward as a result.
That said, while IOPS is organizationally as well as emotively very seriously aimed at avoiding sectarian conflict and patterns, that of course doesn't mean that in IOPS anything goes. IOPS has an emerging political perspective and it welcomes participation of those truly sharing that perspective, and also wishes those who don't share it the best of luck in their different pursuits. The idea, after all, is to win worthy change, wherever its guiding insights finally come from.
Discussion 4 Comments
Thanks for the details. We should try and print some IOPS organization cards and put them in businesses that will accept them.
I only had time to read the article, but not to become involved in an extended engagement. However, I do want to offer my thanks for the clarity expressed here.
And, Michael, I love the way you have foregrounded respect for internal dissent, and understanding of the massive variety of members' specific life circumstances in their relations with IOPS. Thank you also for articulating the open, welcoming, and truly participatory communication ethos that IOPS has evolved even within this interim period, while reminding us of the core mission.
The longer I spend interacting within IOPS, the more I develop trust and confidence, and the more committed I feel.
Thank you again!
No - thank you. And I have a suggestion - don't I always. At some point, why not try writing a blog or article about your journey into growing involvement and advocacy, trust and confidence, using it to also describe IOPS and its features, to post maybe here in IOPS - but even more so, somewhere else? I think that kind of personal account can be very helpful to people.
Apologies! I only saw your post now, as this thread doesn't seem to have the option of choosing to be notified of responses. Can the tech people enable this feature? I would have responded immediately if I had known.
I have been considering doing exactly what you suggested. I have been reflecting on our initial interactions in the comments threads of other blogs, on your responses, and my over-reactions.
I have tried to acknowledge and accept my own misunderstandings, and also achieve a Hegelian movement of synthesis towards articulating some of the lessons I have learnt. Specifically, as a mode of commenting on blogs, to try to find a balance between what can be seen as the total opening out, veering off, and potential loss of focus of some trajectories of comments, and what others experience as the authoritarian attempt to control the discourse.
A mea culpa: early on, I overreacted by experiencing your suggestion to retain focus so as to avoid dissipation as an attempt to control my speech. But because of the trust that I had developed over the many years of reading your, and others', work on Znet, I soon began to doubt my initial impulsive rush to judgement.
So, in answer to your suggestion- "don't I always?", based on this knowledge of your writings and ideas, I have to honestly say: yes, yes, you do always. And you always have, through your entire body of work putting forward participatory ideas.
So I have to admit to feeling more than a little sheepish when I realised this. And I humbly offer my apologies. But, further, I would like to express my gratitude for the learning I have been able to gain through this process.
I now see all this very differently, and do actually have some thoughts I would like to share. Here, it will have to take the form of a blog posting, as you suggest.
This will need much reflection to formulate, and since I work full time, it won't be soon, but I do feel it is important. Thank you so much for the suggestion and the encouragement.
I suspect I will need to contact others, possibly including yourself, for help in articulating these inchoate ideas, but I have learned to trust that this help and support will be available. Which is, I believe, exactly what we seek to create through the community of IOPS.
Again, many thanks to you, Michael.


text:
Alternative News
This Restaurant Hasn't Produced Trash In Over 2 Years
First a statistic, the average restaurant produces about 100,000 lbs of garbage per year. That is 273 lbs a day on average! This garbage can range from paper, plastics, metals, packaging and so on. Most restaurants are using ridiculous amounts of products and or packaging that could easily be cut down with a little bit of thought and effort. One of our main issues is that we don't think of these things because we usually are just repeating someone else's model, hence why we are about to destroy our entire world. It seems all we care about is success and money. So much so that we'd rather have money than a planet, yet without the planet we can't have money… go figure.
The good news is, people are changing and the consciousness on this planet is shifting! More and more people are starting to look at things in a new light and are dropping the old destructive habits. Of course big businesses do get in on it from time to time as they attempt to market all their "green" strategies and products, but most of this is just so they can sell more of whatever they produce. The real passion lies in people like Justin Vrany who runs a restaurant called Sandwich Me In which to date has produced ZERO waste.
That's right, his Chicago restaurant is profitable all while producing no waste and having a blast while doing it. As he explains in the video below, most restaurants are producing about 8 gallons of garbage an hour, where as it took his restaurant 2 year to produce the same amount. Then he had an artist come pick it up to make a sculpture bringing his waste back down to zero.
How expensive is the food to be able to do this? All of his sandwiches are under $10 and they come with a side dish. On top of that, the meat and produce is all raised and grown locally. So while slightly more than what you'd pay at McDonald's for their toxic and environment destroying food, you can go to Sandwich Me In and get something that's both healthy and eco-friendly! Check out his story below.
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Alternative News
Why Fantasy-Based Claims Always Crash & Burn: The Big Picture About UFOs & Extraterrestrials
In Brief
- The Facts:
One of the world's leading researchers on the topic of UFOs shares why it's important to stick to evidence, as well as evidence that is credible when examining the topic of UFOs and extraterrestrials.
- Reflect On:
It's OK to believe something, or have a specific viewpoint, but to share that viewpoint as truth when there is no evidence or corroborating information within this field is irresponsible. Has this field been infiltrated by misinformation campaigns?
There are many great quotes about UFOs and extraterrestrials. One of the most revealing quotes comes from the very first director of the CIA, Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, who informed people that although UFOs are very real and the Air Force is very concerned with them, there has been an "official campaign of secrecy and ridicule." (source)
In my opinion, this campaign has permeated the field of UFO research to this day, and it thrives by disseminating information that can't really be verified or corroborated in any way, and really does nothing but harm when it comes to the credibility and understanding of the topic. There are some ridiculous claims out there, including those made by "whistleblowers" who have no proof to verify who they claim to be.
Meanwhile, in regards to legitimate evidence and credibility, there is a plethora of information one can use in order to see that the topic of UFOs and the potential for extraterrestrial intelligence is a very real and serious issue.
"There is a serious possibility that we are being visited and have been visited for many years by people from outer space, by other civilizations. Who they are, where they are from, and what they want should be the subject of rigorous scientific investigation and not be the subject of 'rubishing' by tabloid newspapers." –Lord Admiral Hill-Norton, Former Chief of Defence Staff, 5 Star Admiral of the Royal Navy, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
Apart from statements given by hundreds of people with very credible and interesting backgrounds, we also have pictures, video footage, radar trackings, declassified documents, and much more in support of the UFO/extraterrestrial phenomenon. This type of evidence has existed for decades. For example, here's a CIA document from decades ago that also cites another incident.
The document states as follows:
"ANTARCTIC FLYING SAUCERS" – A group of red, green, and yellow flying saucers has been seen flying over Deception Island for two hours by Argentine, Chilean and British bases (military) in Antarctica. The flying saucers were also seen flying in formation over the South Orkney islands in quick circles."
It's one of thousands of examples. When it comes to military encounters with UFOs, a good example comes from Iran in 1976 (need correct year!). Two F-4 interceptor pilots reported seeing the object visually, and it was tracked on their airborne radar. Both planes experienced critical instrumentation and electronics went offline at a distance of twenty-five miles from the object. Here is an excerpt from the declassified report:
"As the F-4 approached a range of 25 nautical miles it lost all instrumentation and communications. When the F-4 turned away from the object and apparently was no longer a threat to it, the aircraft regained all instrumentation and communications. Another brightly lighted object came out of the original object. The second object headed straight toward the F4." (source)
These are just a few examples showing us that something strange is going on. When it comes to the extraterrestrial hypothesis, it's vital that we take information from only verified credible sources.
"It is my thesis that flying saucers are real and that they are space ships from another solar system. I think that they possibly are manned by intelligent observers who are members of a race that may have been investigating our Earth for centuries." – Herman Oberth, one of the founding fathers of rocketry and aeronautics (source)
Take, for example, Dr. Norman Bergrun, a mechanical engineer who has worked for Ames Research Laboratory, NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), and Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (now known as Lockheed Martin). He then went on to found Bergrun Engineering and Research. When he talked about extraterrestrials, I listened. However, when someone with no proof of who they are makes claims that don't corroborate with any other information, it's very hard to listen and take them seriously. That's not the case with Dr. Norman Bergrun.
Below is a video by Richard Dolan, an academic and scholar who happens to be one of the world's leading researchers on the topic of UFOs. He has many great and informative videos on his youtube channel, which contain some very interesting discussions. One of his latest is titled "Why Fantasy-Based Claims Always Crash & Burn. The Big Picture."
"The UFO subject is inherently difficult. Assessing the evidence is often a challenge, but one that is necessary. An all-too-common pitfall of the subject is its vulnerability to claims based on fantasy. We can do better. Claims like ascension, or of alleged secret space wars on Mars or time travel and the like, all of these claims without evidence eventually inevitably come crashing down. We watch them rise, we watch them fall. We see them enter our community like a virus, spreading a kind of mental sickness, but then eventually dying out. They have to, because without genuine evidence, any claim is eventually going to be discarded. How can it not be, but in the meantime they enter our lives, confuse our thought processes and cause disruption, they leave us worse off and not better off. And the reason for that is simple, lies and deceptions never make us better. They don't make us better people, even if some believers in them are well meaning. They don't make us better because they're illusions. And also, to continually believe in things without asking for evidence ultimately weakens your mind. Engaging in that kind of mental process over and over corrodes your ability to understand and evaluate actual evidence. It corrodes your analytical and reasoning abilities, you simply give up control of your mind." (Quote taken from video below)
The Takeaway
I don't want anybody to be insulted by what Dolan said. When it comes to this topic, it has huge implications and leaves no area of humanity untouched. It's okay to entertain claims and dive deep into researching people who have claimed to have contact experiences, for example. Dolan does plenty of that in the multiple books he's written on the topic. Exploration and examination are important, but it's best to only claim something is a 'fact' if it can be verified using evidence, especially when exploring a topic as vast as this one.
When it comes to the implications of this topic, of course there are spiritual implications, technological implications, and broader implications that could change our collective perception of reality. When it comes to 'good' and 'bad,' of course there could be 'good' and 'bad' entities, but all we can do for now is explore the evidence. This is not to say that we can't explore other topics and discuss certain theories and possibilities, but we must make it clear when we are doing so so that others know we are simply speculating. We must ultimately never spread speculation as truth or put a stamp on our claims saying that "this is correct."
I do believe that all of the answers we seek lie within us, although that may be "spiritual mumbo jumbo" to some. The point is, I will never share my thoughts, feelings and intuitive beliefs as 'facts' about the UFO/extraterrestrial phenomenon, and if I do share my beliefs, I will always make it clear that I am sharing something I cannot provide evidence for. However, I don't like to do that with regards to UFOs because I prefer to share factual, evidence-based information. I am on a mission to reach as many people on the planet as I can to let them know that this is something that demands our attention. The only way to do that is to provide evidence, and there is more than enough of that. I also believe very few people have access to the "answers within," simply because we've never been taught how to listen to that voice and we are overloaded with sensory experiences from the day we are born. But that's another topic!
Thanks for reading.
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The demand for Collective Evolution's content is bigger than ever, except ad agencies and social media keep cutting our revenues. This is making it hard for us to continue.
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Alternative News
US Hits Julian Assange With 17 More Charges Under Espionage Act
In Brief
- The Facts:
The US Department of Justice just announced 17 more charges against Julian Assange for publishing leaks exposing government wrongdoing.
- Reflect On:
Should we be punishing journalists who help the world see who is running the countries they live in? Should we be seeing the amount of censorship we are seeing today?
Julian Assange was hit with another 17 criminal charges under the espionage act today as a federal grand jury in Virginia returned a brand new indictment that adds 17 more charges to the original charge Assange was handed in March 2018. These are in connection with the alleged leaks publicly released in conspiracy with Chelsea Manning.
These new charges could land him in prison for the 170 years, all for doing what many are arguing are responsible and important acts of journalism. Need I remind that WikiLeaks has never had to make a retraction on their journalistic work.
The new charges against Assange include allegations that he published what John Demers, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, describes a "narrow subset" of documents that identified the names of individuals who were working with the US government, including sources in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Of course, Assange's arrest has been controversial since it happened. Garnering opinions from many directions including that he is a hero and that he is a villain that must be prosecuted for revealing government secrets. Demers responded to supporters of Assange who feel the WikiLeaks founder was being targeted for work as a journalist. Demers stated this information put the sources at risk, and that no "responsible" journalist would publish it.
"The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy and we thank you for it. It has not and never has been the department's policy to target them for reporting. But Julian Assange is no journalist," John Demers
The US Department of Justice has just announced SEVENTEEN more charges against Julian Assange for publishing the most substantial piece of journalism in my lifetime.
— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) May 23, 2019
Assange is currently still serving a 50-week sentence in London after a judge found that he has violated his bail conditions.
This story is breaking and will be updated as we learn more.
In the meantime, for those still thinking 'this is all part of the Q plan,' check out a bit of a discussion on that below. I did a segment on The Collective Evolution Show on CETV. You can become a member of CETV and support Collective Evolution here.
Help Support Collective Evolution
The demand for Collective Evolution's content is bigger than ever, except ad agencies and social media keep cutting our revenues. This is making it hard for us to continue.
In order to stay truly independent, we need your help. We are not going to put up paywalls on this website, as we want to get our info out far and wide. For as little as $3 a month, you can help keep CE alive!
Alternative News
New York Times Denies Health Consequences of 5G & Then Blames Russia
In Brief
- The Facts:
A number of scientists, doctors and published peer reviewed research have clearly shown the health effects of EMF radiation. So why is it being ridicule by the mainstream? Why does it continued to go ignored?
- Reflect On:
How are these technologies able to be approved without any safety . testing, what's going on here?
Is this another story that will be heavily censored, and possibly even branded as fake news? It's not unlikely, and it's quite reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984, a classic book depicting a populace ruled by a political regime that persecutes individualism and independent critical thinking as "thoughtcrimes" that must be enforced by the "thought police." Today, the thought police are the global elite, who are using social media platforms like Facebook to censor information, no matter how well presented, sourced and truthful the information is. This is because information, in several different areas, is threatening multiple corporate, political and elitist interests.
So, who are these fact checkers? Well, NewsGuard is one of them, which is funded by Clinton donors as well as big pharma and the Council on Foreign Relations. These organizations are also heavily tied to mainstream media outlets like The New York Times. Mainstream media outlets are owned by a small group of powerful people. These groups also have very close ties to multiple corporations and intelligence agencies like the CIA. Although these days it doesn't seem very hard to recognize this, mainstream media is still used to sway the minds of the masses on certain topics by ridiculing them and failing to address and counter the points made by others. The latest example of this is with regards to 5G.
The 5G wireless technology rollout has been happening for a long time. We've seen a lot of marketing and information detailing how this type of technology will make our lives better and speed up the process of anything wireless. President Donald Trump recently described the 5G rollout as a "race" that "America must win." The Canadian Prime Minister has also been quite outspoken about 5G, but has completely ignored anything regarding the health consequences, like most politicians have done so far.
A recent article in The New York Times, a major mouthpiece for the establishment, is a fiction piece on the topic of 5G masquerading as news. The piece was written by William Broad titled, "Your 5G Phone Won't Hurt You But Russia Wants You To Think Otherwise." The paper claims that the health risks associated with 5G technology are a crazy "conspiracy theory" without even acknowledging all of the concerns being brought up by hundreds of scientists and doctors, not to mention all the peer-reviewed research and the considerable number of papers that have been published on the subject over the years. If 5G technology is so safe, why don't we simply put it through appropriate safety testing to ease everyone's minds? The answer is simple: It's an obvious threat to human health, and if the corporations who control this technology, which unfortunately seem to control our government health regulatory agencies, actually did put it through transparent safety testing, there is no way these technologies would be allowed to come out. It's truly a crime against humanity.
Furthermore, it's quite comical how the essay blames Russia. Too long has Russia been used as a tool to simply cast blame on, the latest example would be hacking the 2016 US presidential election. There was no evidence for that, and it seems to be a narrative that was made up out of thin air by the elite, using mainstream media as their tool.
"As a patriotic loyalist of Russo-paranoia, Broad has dreamed up a hallucination that Russia is preparing to outpace the US's strategy to dominate the global "internet of everything" in the race to launch 5G technology globally. Aside from Broad's otherwise corporate friendly stances supporting hydrofracking, genetically modified foods, and the myth that vaccines do not contribute to neurological disorders, he has produced some excellent work about Yoga culture and North Korea. Yet these are hardly topics that would enable a person to speak intelligently about electromagnetic frequency's (EMFs) biomolecular effects on living organisms." – Richard Gate, Executive Producer of the Progressive Radio Network and a former Senior Research Analyst in the biotechnology and genomic industries, & Dr. Gary Null, the host of the nation's longest running public radio program on alternative and nutritional health and a multi-award-winning documentary film director including Poverty Inc and Deadly Deception (source)
A Belgian government minister recently announced that Brussels is halting its 5G plans due to health concerns.
The statement was made by Céline Fremault, the Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Housing, Quality of Life, Environment and Energy. From an interview last Friday, with L'Echo:
"I cannot welcome such technology if the radiation standards, which must protect the citizen, are not respected, 5G or not. The people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt."
– Céline Fremault, Minister of the Government (Brussels-Captial Region)
There are more than 10,000 peer-reviewed studies that confirm 5G's measurable adverse effects on human biology. Again, the Times completely ignored this and simply implied that these health concerns are a conspiracy theory. Meanwhile, as far back as 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified EMFs as possibly carcinogenic to humans. This was based on research showing a direct correlation between glioma tumors — a malignant brain cancer — and wireless mobile phone use. The Agency falls under the umbrella of the WHO, a cesspool compromised of corporate conflicts of interests and biased influence. It's important to mention that the former chair of the IARC group, Anders Ahlbom, who's also the co-founder of Gunnar Ahlbom AB, a Belgian lobbying firm providing public relations services to the telecom industry, was responsible for evaluating the epidemiology and carcinogenicity of mobile phone radiation. The IARC is completely biased, yet it still admits that 5G is "possibly" carcinogenic, even though the science shows that it clearly is carcinogenic.
Between August 2016 and September 2018, over 400 new studies on electromagnetic radiation risks were compiled by public health professor Joel Moskowitz at the University of California at Berkeley. These studies cover earlier generation technologies, whereas 5G will be everywhere and far less safe. Compared to 4G technology, which is commonly used today, every 5G base station will contain hundreds of thousands of antennas, each aiming lasers like microwave beams to all devices. In an urban area, base stations could be installed as little as 100 meters (328 feet) apart.
Those studies show a myriad of risks, including damage to DNA, damage to sperm, neuropsychiatric damage, and much more. For example, a study titled "Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression" published in the Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy outlines this quite clearly, and it's only one of thousands of peer-reviewed studies raising multiple concerns in regards to this type of technology.
Dr. Martin L. Pall, PhD and Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University, is another academic who has gathered a number of studies and compiled them together. Taken from his report titled "5G: Great risk for EU, U.S. and International Health! Compelling Evidence for Eight Distinct Types of Great Harm Caused by Electromagnetic Field(EMF) Exposures and the Mechanism that Causes Them," he states that:
"Putting in tens of millions of 5G antennae without a single biological test of safety has got to be about the stupidest idea anyone has had in the history of the world."
According to Dr. Marin Blank from Columbia University's Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, with regards to wireless radiation in general:
"We have created something that is harming us, and it is getting out of control. Before Edison's light bulb there was very little electromagnetic radiation in our environment. The levels today are very many times higher than natural background levels, and are growing rapidly because of all the new devices that emit this radiation. Putting it bluntly they are damaging the living cells in our bodies and killing many of us prematurely."
If you want to dive deeper into the science of this stuff and see just how obvious it is, you can find a lot of research that's been published over the years linked at the Environmental Health Trust. It's a great resource.
Furthermore, we've covered this topic in depth, and you can read some of our other related articles if you're interested. They're listed below:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Completely Ignores Serious 5G Health Hazards
5G: "The Most Censored Story of 2018" – Journalist Masterfully Educates Houston City Council
Veteran MD Drops Bombshell At Michigan's 5G Small Cell Tower Legislation Hearing
UN Staff Member & Whistleblower: "5G Is A Global Health Catastrophe"
Multiple Countries Ban Wifi & Cell Phones Around Schools, Young Children & Fetuses
Watch: Firefighters Report Neurological Damage After Cell Tower Installation Near Their Station
The Takeaway
Do we really need to use these technologies? Why do politicians and mainstream media continue to talk about 5G without ever addressing the health concerns, and why do mainstream media outlets simply ridicule all of the health concerns that are being brought up by the public? What is going on here? Can mainstream media really convince people that 5G technology is completely safe, and that those who claim it's not have no idea what they are talking about?
At the end of the day, all we can do is lower our exposure to EMF radiation. We can choose a faster wired connection. There are products available on the market, like paint for your home as well as clothing, that can block this radiation. Most importantly, you can utilize a healthy lifestyle as well as the mind-body connection to mitigate the effects. Awareness without fear/worry is our best tool, but at the end of the day we must continue to raise our voice in an age of massive censorship.
Help Support Collective Evolution
The demand for Collective Evolution's content is bigger than ever, except ad agencies and social media keep cutting our revenues. This is making it hard for us to continue.
In order to stay truly independent, we need your help. We are not going to put up paywalls on this website, as we want to get our info out far and wide. For as little as $3 a month, you can help keep CE alive!
These Plants Are Oxygen Bombs & They Clean The Air In Your Home
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US Government Accidentally Releases Electromagnetic Mind Control Documents In FOIA Request
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text:
You want AirPlay, but you don't want to buy a new receiver. We don't blame you. Receivers can be expensive and hard to hook up. Onkyo is making it easy to add AirPlay into its products, with the DS-A5 iPod/iPhone/iPad docking station.
This newly announced product adds AirPlay goodness into all Onkyo receivers and a few other audio products as well. You don't need an open USB port or an Ethernet connection. However, the DS-A5 does have an Ethernet jack, as well as WiFi support.
Adding in Apple AirPlay means that you can stream audio to that device, via any networked iPod, iPhone, iPad, PC or Mac. According to Onkyo, having the device docked can deliver digital signals directly to the receiver's DAC.
Analog stereo audio outputs and a composite video output are also available.
Onkyo will start selling the DS-A5 iPod/iPhone/iPad Dock in October, with an MSRP of $199.


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Back1 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 62 diseños de 22 diseñadores freelance.
We're passionate about helping people work in different countries & helping organisations attract the best talent from the global pool. Our information and advice is free, but we make money off successful referrals to suppliers. We have a LOT of suppliers and can cover almost every country in the world.
Trying to take the risk and headache out of contracting in a foreign country.
Expatriates, Recruiters, IT consultants, bankers, telecommunications professionals, those working in energy, engineering and consulting. It's people who are
We are looking for a logo to use on our website, business cards, stationary, invoices, etc. We would like an icon and a typeface logo. Quite happy to have a pig in there...
It should be simple and clear. It should not involve money but it would be good to have a theme that mirrors globalisation or international travel.
Seomthing like http://www.felixauer.at/works/plane…tarium.htm or http://www.felixauer.at/works/plane…tarium.htm
or redspin here http://undesign.it/
We would like to avoid clip art or stock images - and would like it in the following formats
printing format - .psd
transparent .jpg
Icon & typeface logo together
printing format - .psd
transparent .jpg
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Shop Rank: #1570
Each pocket-sized children's activity book contains up to 200 themed colour photographs, which you have to 'I-Spy'. The aim is to tick them off as you go and collect points. When you collect 1000 points, then you can apply for a downloadable certificate of recognition.
I-Spy books take you on a voyage of discovery and are a fun and exciting way for families to take a closer look at the world around them. What better way to keep the kids entertained on long journeys.
Our delivery charges are based on the overall weight of your complete order. The packaged weight of this product is approx. 0.0850kg. Different delivery options are available depending on your location.
We offer a FREE DELIVERY service (5-day despatch time) if this product is ordered as part of an order totalling £75, or more (UK Mainland Only).UK Mainland
Alternatively, avoid delivery charges by collecting from our shop in North Norfolk!
Copyright © Chris Ashwell 2014-17


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The SIGGRAPH conference is a vital, energetic melting pot of people who work in a vast spectrum of fields and specialties, with a wide range of expertise and experience. Every person who attends SIGGRAPH 2009 contributes to our rich gumbo (a New Orleans stew with endless variations and possibilities). SIGGRAPH 2009 actively provides support services, tools, and resources that help attendees optimize their experiences. This year we're also creating ways to help attendees give back to the City of New Orleans.
- siggraph by focus
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Listen to some of the city's finest music, then download the entire album for $9.99. Proceeds from album sales go to support the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp.
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text: 10Jun. '13 Know New News: ALLEGIANT. Last book on the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth, to be RELEASE on 10/22/2013 Are u on our RESERVE list? Awaken. Also, the last book of the ABANDON TRILOGY, by Meg Cabot. This title to be release on 7/2/2013 THE FALL OF FIVE, Book number four of the I AM NUMBER FOUR SERIES by Pittacus Lore. Schedule release date 8/27/2013 Posted by mcipollari. Categories: Books, General. Tags: Activities. Event, Books, Fiction, Teen, Teen Books, Teens New Reads, YA Books, YA New Releases, Young Adult Books. Comments Off on Know New News:


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Spilt Milk: What to Do When Furniture Gets Ruined
Last weekend, gravity did some redecorating at my apartment, bringing a large antique mirror crashing to the floor. Both the mirror and frame were totally unsalvageable, reduced to splinters of glass and gilded wood, and once I got over my shock and my gratitude that no one was hurt (because someone could have really been hurt!), I confess it made me want to cry — I loved that mirror! I'm sure many of us have had beloved objects or decor that has been irreversibly ruined. So what are some of the lessons we can learn from their untimely demises?
1. Don't cry over anything that can't cry over you. This is my sister's mother-in-law's advice, and it's become something of a mantra in my family. Inanimate objects don't care about you, so you shouldn't care too much about them. Even really pretty mirrors that totally made the room, and the fun little gilded plaster bust that it took down with it.
2. Don't buy anything you can't afford to lose. Now that it's dust in the wind, I kind of resent those extra dollars beyond my Big Mirror budget that I spent to buy that mirror. Stuff happens — earthquakes, floods, fires, gravity, toddlers — don't spend more than you can on things.
3. Turn lemons into lemonade. A few years ago, my then-3-year-old daughter made permanent marks with blue crayon on my friend's beautiful — like, beautiful — beige upholstered hallway walls. My friend couldn't have been more gracious about this incident (though I'm basically hyperventilating just remembering it) and eventually turned it into an opportunity to switch out the beige for gorgeous black-and-white wallpaper. I'm sure she was still devastated, but she turned that devastation into a positive! Maybe I can follow her lead and find something new and great for my mantle. Meantime, I'm hanging up a painting that I've had for a while and haven't yet found a good spot for. Maybe this is the spot?
4. Hang and install things properly! Um, yeah. I had a professional art hanger put my mirror up, since its heft was daunting to me, but I see now that he didn't properly distribute the weight across the wall. Also, it was an antique (though not THAT old!), and the wood of the frame and the metal plates and screws holding the picture wire onto the frame were getting soft. It seems that one of the metal plates got twisted right off, either because the screws gave out or because the metal wasn't strong enough. I should have made sure the frame and its hangers were reinforced before even getting to the hang-it-up stage. Plus, my 'professional' was maybe on the cheaper end of the spectrum? Sometimes you get what you paid for (an antithetical corollary to Lesson #2 above).
So what do you think? Have you lost a piece of furniture that you loved? What lessons did you learn from it?
Images: Anna Hoffman


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Signal Amplifiers
Cell Phone Signal Amplifier Buyer's Guide
What can a cell phone signal booster antenna do for you? We're glad you asked. Basically, it takes what little signal may be in the area and amplifies it or makes it greater. Therefore, you are able to make calls in the valley where it used to cut out or near the top of the mountain where you couldn't find any bars at all. Watch this introduction video to learn more.
Amplifiers are the core of boosting the signal in your home, and come in various strengths. The higher the strength (displayed in dB) the more powerful a signal you will receive. Requires additional products in order to work properly!Shop Amplifiers/Cradles
Amplifier Kits/Cradles
These convenient premade kits contain all the parts you need in order to amplify signal from your car to a large warehouse! Most kits will include an amplifier, 2 coaxial cables (with adapters) and two antennas (indoor and outdoor). Start here if you're looking for an easy and complete solution to your signal needs!Shop Amplifier Kits/Cradles
Adapters are placed on the ends of coaxial cables so they can be connected properly to various amplifier parts. Most amplifier kits and cables come with these already attached, but certain special applications will require different adapters. Splitters allow you to split your signal between multiple antennas for better distribution, which is usually only necessary for very large or special applications.Shop Adapters/Splitters
These coaxial cables are used to connect your amplifier to the indoor/outdoor antenna so that signal can be transmitted properly. Most cables come with the appropriate connections for amplifier use with some exceptions. Cables come in varying lengths from 2-1000 feet.Shop Cables
Antennas are connected to the amplifier via cables and come in two varieties: indoor and outdoor. Most applications will need a minimum one of each antenna to work properly, but you can use multiple indoor antennas if you have a large area to amplify. Requires additional products in order to work properly!Shop Antennas
What can a cell phone signal booster antenna do for you? We're glad you asked. Basically, it takes what little signal may be in the area and amplifies it or makes it greater. Therefore, you are able to make calls in the valley where it used to cut out or near the top of the mountain where you couldn't find any bars at all. Learn more about how cell phone boosters can help ease frustration from AccessoryGeeks Geek Guide Cell phone signal booster antennablog post.
There are many settings that a cell phone signal booster will work in. The Geeks have had many calls for people who have large properties on the country side. A couple customers have installed a cell phone antenna in there barn, so that they can receive calls while they are out tending the horses and other animals. We have had numerous calls from warehouse managers who need better reception in their warehouses. And even loyal customers who are constantly on the road and need strong signal wherever they may be.
In all of these situations, a cell phone booster has been able to solve their problem. It is absolutely frustrating when you're on the phone and you go through a tunnel and you lose the call half way through the tunnel. Meanwhile, you were still talking and pouring out your heart, only to emerge from the tunnel to find you were talking to yourself. Trust us, The Geeks know all about that.
The Geeks know that the process of figuring out which cell phone signal booster antenna is right for your situation and the area that you want to cover. We have put together some literature to better educate you and we make ourselves available 24/7 through email at: firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone Monday through Friday 8am-4pm PST at: 1-866-433-5793. Let the Geeks customer support team help you find the perfect cell phone booster for you and remember! You got it from A Geek.