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The NSA Black Hole: 5 Basic Things We Still Don't Know About the Agency's Snooping
The recent leaks have shed light on one of the darkest corners of the U.S. government—but when it comes to mass surveillance practices, clarity remains elusive.
Last week saw revelations that the FBI and the National Security Agency have been collecting Americans' phone records en masse and that the agencies have access to data from nine tech companies.
But secrecy around the programs has meant even basic questions are still unanswered. Here's what we still don't know:
Has the NSA been collecting all Americans' phone records, and for how long?
It's not entirely clear.
The Guardian published a court order that directed a Verizon subsidiary to turn over phone metadata -- the time and duration of calls, as well as phone numbers and location data -- to the NSA "on an ongoing daily basis" for a three-month period. Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reported the program also covers AT&T and Sprint and that it covers the majority of Americans. And Director of National Intelligence James Clapper himself acknowledged that the "collection" is "broad in scope."
How long has the dragnet has existed? At least seven years, and maybe going back to 2001.
Senate Intelligence Committee chair Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and vice chair Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said last week that the NSA has been collecting the records going back to 2006. That's the same year that USA Today revealed a similar-sounding mass collection of metadata, which the paper said had been taking place since 2001. The relationship between the program we got a glimpse of in the Verizon order and the one revealed by USA Today in 2006 is still not clear: USA Today described a program not authorized by warrants. The program detailed last week does have court approval.
What surveillance powers does the government believe it has under the Patriot Act?
That's classified.
The Verizon court order relies on Section 215 of the Patriot Act. That provision allows the FBI to ask the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a secret order requiring companies, like Verizon, to produce records – "any tangible things" – as part of a "foreign intelligence" or terrorism investigation. As with any law, exactly what the wording means is a matter for courts to decide. But the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court's interpretation of Section 215 is secret.
As Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman recently wrote, the details of that interpretation matter a lot: "Read narrowly, this language might require that information requested be shown to be important or necessary to the investigation. Read widely, it would include essentially anything even slightly relevant — which is to say, everything."
In the case of the Verizon order -- signed by a judge who sits on the secret court and requiring the company to hand over "all call detail records" -- it appears that the court is allowing a broad interpretation of the Patriot Act. But we still don't know the specifics.
Has the NSA's massive collection of metadata thwarted any terrorist attacks?
It depends which senator you ask. And evidence that would help settle the matter is, yes, classified.
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., told CNN on Sunday, "It's unclear to me that we've developed any intelligence through the metadata program that's led to the disruption of plots that we could [not] have developed through other data and other intelligence."
He said he could not elaborate on his case "without further declassification."
Sen. Feinstein told ABC that the collection of phone records described in the Verizon order had been "used" in the case of would-be New York subway bomber Najibullah Zazi. Later in the interview, Feinstein said she couldn't disclose more because the information is classified. (It's worth noting that there's also evidence that old-fashioned police work helped solve the Zazi case — and that other reports suggest the Prism program, not the phone records, helped solve the case.)
How much information, and from whom, is the government sweeping up through Prism?
It's not clear.
Intelligence director Clapper said in his declassified description that the government can't get information using Prism unless there is an "appropriate, and documented, foreign intelligence purpose for the acquisition (such as for the prevention of terrorism, hostile cyber activities, or nuclear proliferation) and the foreign target is reasonably believed to be outside the United States."
One thing we don't know is how the government determines who is a "foreign target." The Washington Post reported that NSA analysts use "search terms" to try to achieve "51 percent confidence" in a target's "foreignness." How do they do that? Unclear.
We've also never seen a court order related to Prism -- they are secret -- so we don't know how broad they are. The Post reported that the court orders can be sweeping, and apply for up to a year. Though Google has maintained it has not "received blanket orders of the kind being discussed in the media."
So, how does Prism work?
In his statement Saturday, Clapper described Prism as a computer system that allows the government to collect "foreign intelligence information from electronic communication service providers under court supervision."
That much seems clear. But the exact role of the tech companies is still murky.
Relying on a leaked PowerPoint presentation, the Washington Post originally described Prism as an FBI and NSA program to tap "directly into the central servers" of nine tech companies including Google and Facebook. Some of the companies denied giving the government "direct access" to their servers. In a later story, published Saturday, the newspaper cited unnamed intelligence sources saying that the description from the PowerPoint was technically inaccurate.
The Post quotes a classified NSA report saying that Prism allows "collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions directly to equipment installed at company-controlled locations," not the company servers themselves. So what does any of that mean? We don't know.
For more on mass surveillance in America, read our timeline of loosening laws and practices.
53 comments
All of us including ProPublica should not let Obama off the hook using the excuse that Bush did it.
It is clear beyond any doubt that Obama has taken the spooking to a grand scale. If we all left, middle of the road and right to not come together and hold them responsible it will continue at even a greater scale. Each day they [the NSA, IRS, DHS,FBI, local police and the like] will get better and better. All of us are just beginning to wake up to the fact that a police state is emerging.
We must not take this lightly.
The irony is that Obama was a Constitutional Law Professor in his past life. I wonder what Professor Obama would have to say about President Obama's use of these programs and the national security excuse not to inform the public? What would Candidate Obama have to say about President Obama's making the government more opaque over his 2 terms, and not more transparent? What would Senator Obama have to say about President Obama's DOJ going after whistle blowers who are doing the public a service by shedding some light on these Orwellian activities?
Difficult to blame this all on Bush/Cheney with the current administration being in its 2nd term. The discussion by PP and the mainstream media of this important balance between freedom and security will be much more civil given the fact of a Democrat "Progressive" president in his 2nd term.This is a good thing however it is a reminder of the contrasting media treatment of the Bush administration's difficult counter-terrorism/counter-espionage decisions that were often characterized as illegal, immoral, criminal, lies etc.
We're not left with much, but to hope the people overseeing this program, and others similar to it, know what they're doing.
Comparing presidents, and the current president with his former self only continues to beg the question: Would we, having the knowledge officials at that level are privy to, approve of these programs? Viewpoints change upon receiving previously unavailable information, and the fact that both Bush and Obama pursue(d) this course suggests there are reasons, beyond what we know, for its necessity.
For reasons detailed below it is obvious the NSA is keeping recordings of the phone calls as well. The storage capacity of that facility in Utah is 1000,000,000 times larger than needed for the meta-data for every phone call by every American since the program started 7 years ago, and already the NSA is building an additional facility in Maryland.
Something else we need to be aware of. During his career as head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover was notorious for keeping is "personal" secret files and was legendary for using those files to blackmail politicians, even Presidents like John F. Kennedy. It was why no President dared replace him as head of the FBI. But those were just paper files, scant traces of personal lives. Now realize the NSA has every phone call you have made for the last 7 years, every email, every text message, every photo, every video, on every single American, including members of Congress and the President. Do you think the NSA is any more moral than the FBI?
Obviously, what they should catch they do not,e.g. Boston Bomber. They claim they thwarted many attacks, but that is a lie because we always read in the paper that they made arrests but then it was a false flag! So what are they looking for? Expensive and useless programs. When it comes to 9/11,and they ignored it, Benghazi, well, whatever their explanation but they always seem to miss the boat?
Let us not forget that now the government under the DOJ can disapear all that may be arrested without due prossess. Heck they can arrest without seeking a warrant in advance.
One prominent figure continuing from Bush to Obama is Sen. Feinstein. She has played a prominent role in targeting dissent within the USA. Her Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act defines environmental and animal activists as terrorists. Presumably the NSA is monitoring opponents of the transnational Keystone XL pipeline as international terrorists as defined by AETA and the Patriot Act, with bipartisan congressional approval.
What it all comes down to is, do we trust our government to keep this data for its intended purpose?
Will the data cross the line and be used to blackmail or bully us in, say a negative encounter with local law enforcement, or the IRS?
Or will it sit quietly, mulled over by a computor algorithm until triggering an alert? (And even then, we must realize that probably 99% of all calls to investigate are false leads.)
I think the intent is good, and I would trust our government far more than almost any other.
Unfortunately, spying on your citizens is something every country does and we must learn to accept that in the future we will have less privacy, not more. Let's just make sure that doesn't mean trading liberty for safety (without measuring the costs first).
Let's be realistic and not pretend to live in a perfect black and white world where we can have both absolute safety and complete freedom.
We live in the equivalent of fascist E. Germany.
The Stasi watches everything we do.
Anyone who gets out of line will be indefinitely detained or droned. Anyone who reveals crimes of the state will be thoroughly investigated, tortured and then mercilessly prosecuted well beyond the full extent of the law.
.....I find it fascinating that some people/ groups are calling for more transparency of our surveillance techniques. Pro Publica writes "...
that NSA analysts use "search terms" to try to achieve "51 percent confidence" in a target's "foreignness." How do they do that? Unclear." Would it make sense to provide the world with the algorithms used to try and find possible problems? While our government classifies too many things as secret or top secret, procedures or algorithms used to find potential problems need to be kept secret.
.....What is clear is that news organizations such as the Washington Post should take more care in disseminating information that they do not understand. The Post was not "technically wrong" - they were absolutely wrong with respect to Prism.
.....We should call to question how a low level analyst had access to so much information that could be extremely harmful if made public and how easy it was to make this information public. There could be an operative working for a private firm contracted by our spy agencies who gathered up information and instead of leaking it, gave it to our enemies.
.....This whole situation points out that we need to carefully evaluate procedures used to collect data. But in order to look for patterns in data, one must first have data. The govt. must continue collecting data but under careful oversight. The process for collection needs to be made clear but the analyses needs to be kept secret.
Ever lost an email, and spent time looking for it to no avail?
Relax, the NSA has a copy.
In fact, the NSA could really provide a true public service in finding lost emails.
Everyone on the planet looking for a lost email should sit right down and email nsa.gov for help in finding that lost email.
If they aren't helpful, well, ask them again. And again. And…well, you get the idea.
Let's find out if the NSA is really working in our best interests like POTUS says. In short, does the NSA walk the talk.
So, let me get this straight. Our government is spending billions upon billions to catch who? To protect who? They cannot give us a straight answer to ANY questions that congress is trying to bring to light.
No straight answers as to how many plots have been foiled.
So, that tells me A. No terrorist plots have emerged at all. Non existant.
B. The method is totally inept and useless.
C. Both A & B
Many laws have been passed to "protect" us from terrorist, seems like these laws only encroach on our freedoms by small bites. On occasion, giant leaps. Then when a real event occurs, (Boston) so many indicators raise a red flag to me and tell me something is just not right here. Don't piss down my neck and tell me it's rain.
If these reports do not wake people up and cause us to stand up, we are finished as a free people!
For those of you that believe the government is truly trying to protect us, be of good cheer! The new mulitbillion dollar NSA center just went online out there in Utah, you should be very safe.
For those of you that believe you can put 2 plus 2 together and it still equals 4, be watchfull. Be aware. Be careful. Be smart. Be vigilant. Be prepared.
I find it hard to know of those men that fought against governments doing the same things to their populations of peoples, are lying in their graves for some very high ideal, a very high calling of freedom. Not only that, but those men that fought against it that are still here, witnessing it firsthand and some even being victims of abuse of power. Many other countries fought these wars with us, they also had losses for the cause of freedom.
The 4th Ammendment is supposed to protect us from these intrusions. We can certainly scratch that pesky little right off of our Bill of Rights. We were not using it anyway, unless the common citizen wants to go broke trying to defend himself against the government.
All in the name of freedom.
The Alphabet agencies have been gathering and storing data on all of us at an alarming rate. What are the intentions behind this? How long before we truly find out? Since everything is held so secret, no one is claiming accountablity or responsibilty, why is that? "In the interest of national security" is an easy out for anything, seems like. WHY IS THAT?
Remember this. Everything Hitler did was legal in his own country and occupied countries. Do you really think that the same events could not take place again? Do you actually think, given the right circumstances were arranged that our government would not execute people here in the good ole USA? Just label you as a terrorist. In the first instance of this happening outside a court of law with due process we must stand up and resist this no matter who it is the recipent of the punishment! How long do you think it would be before the powers that be would come for you?
If we claim to be citizens of a free country, we now have an opprotunity, with recent current events to demand of our representatives any way we can to represent us by following the oath of office they took.
Mr. Elliott, Mr. Meyer, Great article!
Has anyone reread 1984 recently? It has been a long time since I have read it but it seems to me all of the horrible things imposed on that populace are present in our society now.
I read it durning the turbulent 60's and, at the time, thought how horrible it would be if it came true. That is the one thing about fiction. One can rest comfortably in the knowledge that it isn't true, we live in a better society that guarantees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it could never happen here. What I didn't notice (and the rest of us haven't either) is that by making the changes in small increments for reasonable sounding reasons (public safety, terrorism, health, etc) we all accepted them until we are now in the mess that we now have.
What to do about it? I have no idea. If you think for one minute that if we were to have the NSA stop Prism they wouldn't have another program already in place, you are very wrong. Do I know that for a fact? No, but I am sure they would.
Placing blame does not help at all. It is not one individual. It is all those who seek/are in power. I am kind of glad that I am old and will probably not see the ultimate result of the eroding of our rights.
Rest assured that the information gathered on you will lie forever undisturbed unless you happen to one of those troublemakers who criticize the government for engaging in criminal activities. Also rest assured that if you fall into the category of troublemaker you will be investigated and harassed by government agents who will twist every word and phrase you ever posted or uttered as a way of shutting you up.
If ever there was a kick in the ass to get with using encrypted email this looks to be it!
Mr. Price, I agree with your thoughts on this.
Allan, I have children. I cringe at the thoughts of the world we have to leave to our future generations. I have told my son that my generation has left the world in a mess for them to clean up, either by activism or apathy. It doesn't matter how we did it, we did allow it is the point.
Wes, I am at the point to where I am disgusted with the whole issue. I no long really care if they want to keep a closer eye on me. As Mr. Price says, they will fabricate whatever they want out of whatever you say or write.
I will remain silent no more.
I am a free man! For now…
Allan, yes, I suffered through most of it about ten years ago. It got so depressing, I put the book down.
Are you people really that naive?
Years ago I gave up the farie tale that electronic communications were
private. For years people have been telling you that you should never write anything in an email that you would not want published in the next day's newspapers. For years ISPs and web sites have been tracking what you search for, what ads you respond to, and what videos you watch. Your are watched by survellience video, your movements (by cell phone) are tracked.
You've known this, or been advised, of this for years.
So what is so shocking?
Bob, we are not shocked. We just see it as illegal.
My father was employed by Ma Bell, the Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company for 32 years. He knew of many ways they could listen in on anything they wanted to back in the '60s. It was not their intent to listen, it was just part of the job to keep the phone system working. He didn't work for the government.
6. You don't really know what is at stake? Are incidents to date trivial in comparison to what might happen?
This is serious; as we are approaching 1984.
If Staling had seen this, he would been laughing.
This is serious, as we are approaching 1984.
If Stalin had seen this, he would have been laughing.
After reading this, the US government classifies everybody on earth as the enemy of the USA.
It is a fact that the US targets even its own citizens with drones. They execute these citizens without trial. The rule of law, habeas corpus and due are not applicable anymore to US citizens.
Many people are held on Guantanamo Bay without trial and even after US courts found some of these people not guilty of any crime. The rule of law, habeas corpus and due are not applicable to any non US citizen by definition.
The trial of Manning, the source of the Wikileaks, does not have fair trial. According to the old apartheid South African constitution and the current one, his trial would be considered unfair and would not withstand any appeal, never mind the fact that no court would in the old apartheid South Africa would have ignored his rights to defend himself, exploring any and all legal defense. President Mandela was convicted of high treason in an old apartheid court of law, but the world acknowledged it as a fair trial. This cannot be said about Manning.
As a non-US citizen you will just be executed, your government, nobody can protect you against the power abuses by the US government.
I have never thought that we lived in days like these where you are not safe from the power abuses of a super power.
The US government is acting like the old government of the USSR, the old Chinese governments under Mao and like dictatorships and even Nazi Germany.
How can the US stand up against any country to protest human rights abuses?
I hereby declare that I don'n support President Obama anymore. I have never been let down by a politician on this scale before.
I sing with Leonard Cohen:
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
I am shocked!
Why would anyone trust the administration when they say the PRISM slides are not accurate?
Blind trust is well blind.
Pieter, thank you for the enlightening comment. Just know this, that all of the citizens of the US do not agree with what our government is doing to us, or those of other nations.
Drone warfare is as being used today, a tool of terror.
No wonder other nations cringe at the thought of the USA coming to "help" them!
Some would trust the Government no matter what.
The shrill voice of unreasonableness has spoken!
We live in a Fascist state! Worse than Staling (do you mean Stalin, who killed over 6 million of his own people?).
We can't trust ANYTHING the government does! We should all just move to China, or maybe the EU, where there is complete freedom.
No other country in the world would do this "spying" thing! Of course.
Oh, did I mention that Obama is the spawn of Satan and that the black helicopters keep flying over my house?
Put your tinfoil hats on, gentlemen. They are reading your very thoughts right now!
You'd think that "Foreign Intelligence" could include persons living in the U.S. who are not citizens.
Presumably, the NSA would review phone records of those making calls to foreign countries or whose phone had access to make long distance calls to foreign countries. It could also include calls to non-citizens living in the U.S. calling other non-citizens living in the U.S.
Perhaps some sections of the Patriot Act need to be revisited and altered or removed all together.
A bit issue I find missing in the discussion is the "51% Rules" that seem scattered throughout the discussion.
The United States has banned the use of the military within borders, except under strict civilian control and under limited, pre-defined circumstances. How the heck is 49% uncertainty good enough to trump Posse Comitatus?
The argument is that we're a nation at war. With who, exactly? Was I sleeping when we declared war on someone? "Terror" doesn't count any more than "Drugs" or "Poverty" are actual wars.
Who has access to this military database? How many people have an opportunity to, say, use it to see who their exes have been talking to or whether their children are running with the right crowds? How many hot stock tips on mergers and bankruptcies "accidentally" fell out of the magic box? How many journalists' informants got picked up, figuring they were probably guilty of something? How many captains of industry foiled hostile takeover attempts or shareholder revolts?
What protects this database? I think we're all agreed that this is a treasure trove for America's enemies and for ordinary criminals. This government also has a habit of selling used laptops with unencrypted, unerased hard drives on eBay. Even if I trust the administration and all future administrations (I don't), what prevents a North Korean hacker or even a rabid lobbyist, say, from threatening or blackmailing a politician or industry leader?
What laws protect us from abuse? To date, the courts have ruled that one needs to show direct evidence of being spied on in order to have standing to challenge the warrantless wiretapping, and evidence can presumably be rejected because it's classified. If we're not allowed to defend ourselves against surveillance, then laws protecting us from the unethical use of that data is mandatory. If those laws don't exist, then the government has chosen to endanger the population it claims to serve.
Why do both sides agree to this when they cannot agree on anything else? Well, maybe it is because they are worried about the material people have sent to them will be exposed because both parties are hiding the data that could and should hold most of them accountable. Data that they should have acted upon and didn't and that could, would, should expose them for not doing their job or maybe yet some things that they had done already that should have not been done! Wars, money theft, the negatives that affect us all and we still wonder why!
So, to the persons that commented that Bush and Obama must have had their reasons for engaging in and expanding the wiretapping programs: have you ever heard of lobbyists? There have been several stories done on the explosion of the security apparatus, the number of contractors that are hired to do work (one of which apparently had the conscience and guts to tell the rest of us what their up to), and these third parties are raking in billions. Do you think they might make some campaign contributions to keep their cash cow going?
As to the "why did they pick on Bush so bad" crowd, Bush's program, unlike Obama's, was actually illegal - WARRANTLESS wiretapping, as in no FISA Court approvals, as in a violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillence Act, as in per se criminal conduct. This is what they got Nixon to resign for. Obama only barely makes the legal qualification, at least in statutes and legislation passed by a piss poor Congress, except that the PATRIOT Act and its ilk are unconstitutional. So, us "liberals" actually think Obama's program is also illegal, but he at least has the smarts to operate under the color of law.
As to those who say, "well, privacy is a thing of the past", the data being collected isn't merely available to the public at large, a great effort has been made to collect it. Further, it is not the collection of the data, but its use that should give everyone pause. As @John stated, how do we know that there aren't some officials picking through this treasure trove to gain the political upper hand? How do we know that some government agent isn't selling that data to foreign entities? Because, that never happens, does it (see Robert Hannssen and Aldrich Ames)?
To those who support the government's data collection programs, you should also be mindful that this is actually making the government WORSE at its job. The data programs are fishing expeditions at best, casting a wide net in search of something. Rather than spending that money on creating actual intelligence sources, fostering cooperative relationships with other governments, and developing and using actual investigative techniques, now our intelligence apparatus is in reactionary mode. NONE of the plots that have come to light were detected ahead of time by these programs; they were detected by alert and observant citizens. So, the fatal cycle now is, plot happens, NSA failed to detect, widen net, redo algorithm, plot happens, NSA failed to detect, widen net, redo algorithm, rinse and repeat.
Finally, the standard for any of these actions since September 11, 2001 should have been, and still should be, would any of these programs, including that monolith called Homeland Security, have prevented the World Trade Center Attacks if they had been in place before September 11, 2001. Considering the facts that these were crimes (yes, I used that word, "crime") committed by foreign nationals, KNOWN to be on American soil with terrorist ties, I don't see how spying generally on Americans' conversations would have done anything to prevent it. Thus, these programs are not only useless, they are wrong.
We always want to jump the gun and debate the morality of such issues. A worthy task… But it's not necessary to have that conversation quite yet. We can agree to disagree and still move on to the other big question: has this "metadata" even done what it's supposed to do? I.e. protect our so-called "safety"... (Not to disregard the fact that Americans have always opted to take risks to protect our liberties anyway, rather than have perfect safety.)
The other point that needs a greater spotlight right now is this: any time we create a monolith such as the NSA, it will continue to grow and feed, and voraciously defend its right to exist. (This also happens with private corporations, folks.) It will struggle and claw and find any way it can to justify its existence. Makes it very hard to downsize or even control. It's the nature of any beast, and we should think well before authorizing these things to begin with.
The dragon is out of the lair and breathing fire. I just hope that Edward Snowden is wearing his asbestos suit right now.
I would like to know what the NSA is doing by way of oversight. From comments made by Edward S., it appears that it is fairly easy to 'snoop' on calls and emails. In my view, that should be prevented and of violated an investigation is called for. Moreover, it sounds like the level of restrictions on individuals are not properly set.
Sam in Texas suggests there's an irony, but there's no irony about Unviversity of Chicago law faculty types, whether it is Antonin Scalia on the US Supreme Court, or Barack Obama in the White House, one always expects the same of the school funded by the Rockefeller family.
SAincolumbusis, You said this: any time we create a monolith such as the NSA, it will continue to grow and feed, and voraciously defend its right to exist. (This also happens with private corporations, folks.) It will struggle and claw and find any way it can to justify its existence. Makes it very hard to downsize or even control. It's the nature of any beast, and we should think well before authorizing these things to begin with."
This is exactly the point we should fear. No party once in power will relinquish the power. NSA is growing bigger as I type. The new mantra of the Obama administration is "partnering with business" . I personally wouldn't call this partnering since they are harassing these businesses to get what they want. Big government getting bigger and overreach will get more broad.
Good post you made.
This NSA headquarters comes as close as any building can to the Qa'aba in Saudi Arabia. A religious obsession with knowledge not accessible to the publc, i.e. non-insiders, non-priests.
Ironically all this spying and collecting data and presumably connecting the dots - what dots really and for what figure? - didn't prevent the Boston bombing. An outbreak of martial law clothing down an entire city to hound an injured, unarmed 19 year old which the police ultimately couldn't find, a private citizen found him, without tanks and guns, shows exactly what an atrocity "national security" has become. A behemoth to protect the power of a few at the exposure and complete disregard of the majority. This entire spying program is a national shame and should be dismantled in its entirety. Snowdon did humanity an immense favor. It is to hope that his disappearance doesn't mean the CIA already killed him to prevent him from talking more about what he knows.
Dina, the cynic in me is starting to suspect, increasingly, that the "polarization" is a fraud, because you're right. They can't pass a budget that keeps the country running, but there's always money to compile dossiers on law-abiding Americans "just in case."
The thought occurred to me when I started hearing about "solutions" to break the "gridlock," like making the President part of Congress like a Prime Minister would be (thus destroying the separation of powers), banning filibusters (thus making it trivial to marginalize minority viewpoints), and outsourcing (thus allowing profiteers control over our lives). If you needed to sell those sorts of neo-feudal institutions to Americans, wouldn't you drag your feet on important bills and emphasize government dysfunction?
Sam, I agree. Even if these programs weren't unethical and unconstitutional, they're clearly broken. When you have a dragnet of data and you can't even find a likely terrorist the Russians tell you about? You're wasting resources that could be kept out of the deficit everybody in Washington has been mewling about or spend it on the people who can't find jobs because we still give tax breaks for offshoring jobs.
I completely agree with you, the "gridlock" is a farce. In fact, poll after poll shows that the vast majority of the America electorate is in agreement on several issues: higher taxes on the wealthy, not cutting social security and welfare programs, putting Wall Street bankers in jail, stopping the outsourcing of our military and intelligence.
I fear that corporate power now rules the day, and the real problem with this discussion of the NSA and US Intelligence is that it is not just the NSA we are talking about; it includes all of their private contractors. I bet it would alarm the American populace how much of our intelligence services are now being outsourced to private companies. And, therein lies the rub: our data is not merely in the hands of "the government", it is accessible by all sorts of these private players. And, Mr. Snowden, was a contractor himself!! Not only did he show us what the NSA is up to, but he kind of showed us how they are conducting their business.
I already heard the former federal prosecutors who are making the talk show circuits this morning disparage Snowden by saying that "he's just a high school drop out, washed out of the military, and is disaffected", as if to say that the knowledge he has brought to light is of no significance. I also love the way every politician seems to find it necessary to repeat the refrain: "there was nothing illegal done here." I think they doth protest too much, don't you?
AN article in the Sacramento BEE, was printed by Walter Pincus of the Washington Post, stating that according to a Professor Harry Rudin that "the Germans and Americans are the most willing to trade civil liberties for personal security". I surely do not and never will accept trading my civil liberties for personal activity and should even be a choice!!!!!because spying is wrong and doesn't deserve to be a big business like phony wars. Just as is injuring workers that has turned into a trillion dollar business with the injured receiving next to nothing and being forced to go on SS & Medicare, another tax payer travesty set forth by our legislators in D.C. in favor of and all for the corporate and insurance companies including self insured employers like kaiser, Safeway, Lowe's and even the Catholic Church!
In a SLAPP suit by a former GSA employee, Stuart Lichter who owned the toxic land with his movie studio built on it plus a kaiser medical complex, I had to call the FBI to put a stop to my PC being hacked and my phone calls being tapped in a harassing way. These actions were especially heavy just a day prior to when a court hearing was scheduled. The owner of the kaiserpapers.org had to daily reassemble many of the kaiserpapers.org PC data (thousands upon thousands of pages even though Stuart in his SLAPP SUIT stated in big bold letter's that Kaiser Permanente was not involved. The FBI asked who my server was and it appeared that the illegal activity had stopped but seems to have reappeared again. AND IT does depends on my activities!
The first time I was aware of my phone being tapped was back in 1992. Not too long after I left my job at kaiser and my many whistle blowing activities against this "health care complex". I had to call my phone company because some of my phone words were brought up in someone else's case. No one but the person and myself had known about the specifics. My reason for writing this IS because there are more than the just the CIA,NSA & FBI spying on folks. When any lawsuit is filed or an injury occurs and the insurance industry (self-insured corporations/employers included, at least 3000 in CA alone) is involved, be guaranteed that they have the power to spy on you anyway possible just like the CIA FBI, NSA does and it is called sub rosa. Police of all types, county, city, state patrol, interpol, help in this greatly and even help out AFTER THE POLICE retire on a WC or other stress claims. The NICB-National Institute Crime Bureau, a non profit created by the insurance industry claims to spend 5 BILLION dollars a year to fight fraud. Then there are fraud commissions that are paid for by the self-insured employers who pay many many millions to do more of the same. Well, when it comes to the insurance or employers doing fraud, IT IS NOT DONE! Just persecution and prosecution on a few individuals that does not justify 5 BILLION. Just as tax dollars pay for the NSA, CIA & FBI and other agencies to spy on us, the extra 5 Billion comes out of our health care premium money! So, we're now getting spied on by our own money at least two ways. The spying behemoth is out of control and we can thank people like Joe McCarthy from over 60 years ago and J. Edgar Hoover to allow this. What is the most disturbing is that corporations have been involved for many decades are now in complete control with private contractors such as the one Snowden worked for and who is to say that his employer isn't part of the spying in other cases like the SLAPP suit or the insurance claims. I personally am glad the FBI was able to help me and I know that they have the capabilities to stop the harassment of U.S.citizens but what was really scary is all the info these private corporations have on us and who is to say the NSA is owned by corporations?!?. Now most people in the polls, said that if they aren't doing anything wrong, then they don't care, well, until one of them get harassed on their PC's or phones, they have no idea just how bad it can be or get. I don't like my phone conversations tapped and emails read (faxes too) and I know that is still being done because I am an advocate for injured workers and patients and certainly the corporate spying machine doesn't want me to move ahead to help either the injured worker or the patient! The corporations do have more to hide than anyone and they are making sure of their illegal activity by violating with and and on our privacy, that theirs illegal activity doesn't get discovered!
AND anyone who dares to whistle blow an illegal activity will be ALWAYS be discredited (their backgrounds perceived to be in an ugly light) so those that commit any illegal activity will be able to continue illegal violations of our 1st, 4th and 14th Amendments and yes this shows why the violators DO protest too much!
On Thursday evenings there is a program called "Person of Interest". The program is right on with the fact that we are being spied for anything BUT Terrorism, It seems now the biggest terrorism we have to worry about is from within… our govt and corporations!
According to the US Supreme Court in Smith v Maryland, (1979) telephone metadata (Numbers called, calls recieved, time and duration of calls) is NOT protected under the 4th Amendment.
The phone companies are free to give up that data without a warrant.
ARE they free to spy on you while talking, without a warrant?
And also, are private companies allowed to spy on you and hack your PC allowed without a warrant?
I too read about the U.S.Supreme Court v. Maryland, 1979 case in the above mentioned article in today's Bee!
@Bob Elston:
Our current phone system, I think you will agree, is vastly more complex and has much more data involved than the phone system in 1979. Today, unlike in 1979, depending on the extent of the government's definition of "meta data" (which I guarantee you will not be the conventional notion of it) you will get location data, program data, phone OS data, texting data, data on social networks that were used, etc. Since our phones now mirror our computers in many ways, there is a lot more data and activity being transmitted. To rely on a 1979 case today is a bit like relying on rules for a horse and buggy when it comes to automobile safety.
Did you read the SCOTUS ruling? They weren't concerned about what the nature of the data was, rather their opinion was couched in "the expectation of privacy".
Please read the ruling and I believe that you will discover that the nature of data was immaterial.
You asked "ARE they free to spy on you while talking, without a warrant?"
If you are asking are they free to wiretap, without a warrant the Maryland case did not address that, and I would suggest that that action would be illegal.
However, I have yet to see any evidence that the NSA was conducting wiretaps without the benefit of a specific warrant.
The metadata is like the address on the outside of a envelope, as contrasted with the message inside that would be considered private.
Dina & Sam,
Here is the link to the Smith v Maryland ruling:
Commenting on this story is closed.
Dragnets: Tracking Censorship and Surveillance
ProPublica investigates the threats to privacy in an era of cellphones, data mining and cyberwar.


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Reunion 2013
May 20th, 2013 | SMWC
View Reunion 2013 Photos
Each year, the college opens its doors to welcome back Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) alumnae to campus for Reunion. Nearly 300 alumnae from France and 26 states returned for Reunion weekend to celebrate, network and reunite with life-long friends and classmates. Reunion 2013 marked milestone celebrations for the classes ending in "3" or "8": 1963, '68, '73, '78, '83, '88, '93, '98, '03 and '08.
Spring at The Woods takes on a special quality of beauty and peace that served as the backdrop for this welcome home, which was a dramatic contrast to the excitement and energy inside the beloved Le Fer Hall. The May 17-19 weekend opened with fellowship and conversation. Among many activities, alums enjoyed the traditional Walk-in-the-Woods campus tours, Josette Rathbun '85 conducted a financial seminar, class agents and secretaries discovered new ways to support the College, Marti Rumely Kuehn '69 displayed original artwork and President Dottie King, Ph.D. spoke on SMWC's vision for the future.
The celebration collimated at the Reunion Banquet with the National Alumnae Board presenting its prestigious, annual awards. Tracy Johnson Schier '62 received the Saint Mother Theodore Guerin Award and Yvonne Shepard '68 received the Frances Rumely award.
During the weekend, 100 of the reunion year classes have made a gift to SMWC in honor of their reunion. Overall these generous classes contributed over $133,000 to the College.
Heard in the halls of Le Fer:
"My class comes back each Reunion The Woods is my second home."
Cecilia Maurath Guillen-Svetic '68
"As soon as came through those gates, all of my great memories came rushing back."
Besty McDonald Moore '78
"I love being here to see all of my classmates and being part of The Woods again."
Christi Garcia '88
Comment on this article
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subset: commoncrawl


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Insurance Options for Retail Business Owners
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Business Property insurance covers your store location and the contents inside, including equipment, fixtures, and inventory. We can help you protect your store location and valuable equipment.
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Business Income Coverage (also known as Business Interruption Insurance) allows you to continue to receive income while your store and its contents are being rebuilt and replaced. It not only helps you to cover expenses needed to keep a business operating after a loss, but it also helps you to replace lost revenue.
Business Liability
Liability insurance provides coverage in case of accidents, mistakes or injuries that may happen at your store. This may include a slip and fall accident on your premises or a customer claim that they were injured or became ill from a product or service you provided for them.
Business Crime
Business Crime insurance provides coverage for your Retail Store if one of your employees steals monies, securities or other property from you.
Connect with a Farmers agent who can help you create a comprehensive solution specifically designed for your Retail Store.


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It can be a challenge to keep the various synchronization protocols straight in your mind, let alone successfully implement them on your dairy.
To help you and your management team more effectively manage your farm's reproductive performance, a group of dairy reproductive experts have created a dairy synchronization protocol fact sheet. The two-page document outlines established synchronization protocols, making it an excellent resource tool for your reproductive toolbox.
New technologies have become available in recent years to improve reproductive success. These technologies include improvements to traditional reproductive management (heat detection and A.I.), as well as synchronization, so that all eligible cows are inseminated at a fixed time (timed-A.I. programs). Both approaches demonstrate that a focused effort on reproductive management can increase pregnancy rates, translating to greater reproductive efficiency on the dairy farm.
"Synchronization protocols evolve rapidly as newer procedures are tested and improvements are made, explains Matt Lucy, professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri and president of the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC). This new tool from DCRC is designed to help farmers and industry professionals deal with rapid change and make informed decisions.
As such, the protocol sheet is intended to provide a foundation for discussion as veterinarians, consultants and dairy producers work together to make reproductive management decisions; the DCRC does not endorse one protocol over another, nor does DCRC endorse synchronization protocols over any of the other approaches to dairy cattle reproduction. The protocol sheet will be reviewed annually by representatives from the DCRC.
New protocols will be included when they are validated in controlled studies.
Contact DCRC at (262) 563-5100 or email: email@example.com for more information or if you have additional questions.


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Log in
Someone, somewhere has compiled a list of books by most any imaginable subject or arrangement. This one caught my eye, especially for those of us who like books with "place" as a central theme.
50 States, 50 Novels: A Literary Tour of the United States
More books for my reading list….
Posted by Ann Rohrbaugh at 08/01/2013 09:40:20 AM
Books for: Kids, Teens & Tweens


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Helen Mirren Reveals the Inspiration Behind Her New Pink 'Do
Wondering where Dame Helen Mirren got the idea to dye her hair pink? The actress dished on her inspiration on the BAFTA red carpet. Get the scoop here!
-Lucia Peters
Love or it or hate it, there's no denying that Dame Helen Mirren's brand new, bubblegum pink locks are a statement. However, it is, shall we say, not terribly common for a lady of her years to color her hair such a bold and edgy shade ("little old ladies with blue hair" jokes not withstanding). So where did she get the idea to do it? The answer might surprise you—in fact, it might surprise you almost as much as the fact that she's an America's Next Top Model fan!
That's right: According to People, Dame Helen revealed on the BAFTA red carpet, "I saw it on America's Next Top Model, so I decided to have a go." She elaborated on her thoughts for the Huffington Post, noting, "I just thought it would be fun to dye my hair pink. I mean, honestly, I was watching America's Next Top Model and the season where there were the British girls. Well, the British girl who won, she had pink hair, and I thought: 'That looks really pretty.' So I'm copying her, basically."
Read Lights and Brights1 Jessica Chastain + More BAFTA Best Dressed Celebs
The British girl in question, by the way, is Sophie Sumner; a runner-up on Britain's Top Model in 2009 (cycle five, for those of you who keep track), the now-23-year-old model won America's Next Top Model: British Invasion (cycle eighteen) in 2012. According to HuffPo, Sophie "had no idea" that she inspired Helen's new look, calling it "extremely flattering." She went on to say, "She is an extremely beautiful woman and I think pink looks absolutely gorgeous on her."
Although she missed out on the Best Leading Actress BAFTA to Emanuelle Riva, Dame Helen wasn't too cut up about it. Even before the winners were announced, she said to People, "I know I won't win tonight, but I'm going to have lots of fun and celebrate anyway." And what better way to do that than with candy-colored hair?
Tell us: How do you feel about Dame Helen's pink hair? Love it or hate it?
Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential's senior editor.


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WINTER PARK, Fla. – Five members of the Saint Leo volleyball team were selected to the All-Sunshine State Conference teams, it was announced Tuesday afternoon from the conference office in Winter Park, Fla.
Tampa's Berkley Whaley was selected Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while her coach, Chris Catanach, was named Coach of the Year. Florida Southern's Brindl Langley was named Freshman of the Year.
Senior setter Jaclyn Mailoto was the only member of the Lions' squad selected to the All-SSC First team. At this time, she ranks seventh in the nation in Division II with 11.92 assists per set, which ranks first in the Sunshine State Conference. Throughout the 2013 regular season she has tallied 1323 assists, while notching 111 kills and 225 digs.
Along with Mailoto, OH Berkley Whaley (Tampa), OH Lindsay Biggs (Eckerd), L Catherine Brusie (Florida Southern), MB Meagan Burke (Tampa), MB Camille Indest (Rollins), and OH Holly Reschke (Tampa) all captured First Team SSC honors.
Junior outside hitter Lauren Campbell and senior middle blocker Jordan Sisson earned All-SSC Second Team honors. During the 2013 year, Campbell ranked fourth in the conference with 368 kills, while Sisson's .340 hitting percentage ranked fourth among all other conference individuals. Capturing All-SSC Second team honors alongside Campbell and Sisson were OH Sydney Cook (Nova Southeastern), RS Marissa Lisenbee (Tampa), S Kendall Marotti (Florida Southern), OH Ali McAlvany (Eckerd), and L Collyn Welsch (Rollins).
Junior right-side hitter Alexa Griffith-Hardy and libero Yaidimar Santiago were the final two Lions to earn SSC accolades, with their selections to the All-Newcomer Team. Griffith-Hardy's third-ranked .347 hitting percentage in the SSC and Santiago's fourth-ranked 4.71 digs per set made them prime candidates for the selections. In addition, OH Ruth Harrington (Rollins) and RS Tjasa Kotnik (Eckerd) both were selected to the All-Newcomer Team.
Eckerd's MB Katarina Milojevic was named honorable mention.
For more on the Saint Leo volleyball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. For the complete All-Sunshine State Conference teams list, see below.
2013 All-Sunshine State Conference Volleyball Team
Lindsay Biggs, Eckerd (Sr., OH)
Catherine Brusie, Florida Southern (Jr., L)
Meagan Burke, Tampa (Jr., MB)
Camille Indest, Rollins (Sr., MB)
Jaclyn Mailoto, Saint Leo (Sr., S)
Holly Reschke, Tampa (Sr., OH)
Berkley Whaley, Tampa (So., OH)
Player of the Year: Berkley Whaley, Tampa
Freshman of the Year: Brindl Langley, Florida Southern
Newcomer of the Year: Berkley Whaley, Tampa
Coach of the Year: Chris Catanach, Tampa
Lauren Campbell, Saint Leo (Jr., OH)
Sydney Cook, Nova Southeastern (So., OH)
Marissa Lisenbee, Tampa (So., RS)
Kendall Marotti, Florida Southern (So., S)
Ali McAlvany, Eckerd (Jr., OH)
Jordan Sisson, Saint Leo (Sr., MB)
Collyn Welsch, Rollins (Jr., L)
Katarina Milojevic, Eckerd (Jr., MB)
Alexa Griffith-Hardy, Saint Leo (Jr., RS)
Ruth Harrington, Rollins (Fr., OH)
Tjasa Kotnik, Eckerd (So., RS)
Brindl Langley, Florida Southern (Fr., OH)
Yaidimar Santiago, Saint Leo (Jr., L)
Berkley Whaley, Tampa (So., OH)


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Top O the Mornin' to You! Don't drive if you drink. Don't. Do Not.
We're going to put this Twitter widget on the side of the page, where you'll be able to read tweets from all our favorites.
The question I have for you — in addition to what the byfuglien a widget is — is this: Are there any hockey-related twitterers you'd like to have included in the widget? Anybody who has can't-miss hockey news and updates and thoughts and opinions? Please let me know in the comments. If you can include the address, that would be helpful. I can't promise I'll include all of them, but I am looking for input.
Speaking of input, here's another question. Do any of you guys actually read the pre-game notes we run here on game days? Just wondering if it's worth the effort, or if we should just post the basics, game info, TV/radio info, maybe the teams' recent histories, whatever. Again, looking for input.
And, another favor. I don't know how many of youse have been over to our Facebook page, bit I gather the important thing, or one of the important thing, is how many people "like" it. So, if you would, please go over there and say you like it.
Another question: I am going to be very busy this weekend. I think I'll be able to watch the Friday game against Montreal, and probably be able to do the game review for Saturday. I don't know yet about Sunday. Would anybody be interested in doing either review on short notice if I can't do it? If so, e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com.
And, finally, a hockey question. All this talk about Lundqvist yesterday, especially his value in the skills competition, got me thinking. What if Mike Richter had been around during the "shootout" era? How good might he have been in the skills competitions, considering he may have been the best of all-time against penalty shots (I think he was 11 for 12, or 12 for 13 in his career, including a somewhat memorable save in a playoff game once upon a time)? Thoughts?
Games that matter tonight:
Flys at Kansas City-bound Thrashers
Lightnings at Habs (suddenly in play, if Rangers can beat them tomorrow)
Devils at Senators
Air Canada Leaves at Panthers


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Best Gifts for Tweens for Christmas
Buying gifts for tweens is fun because at this stage their interests are deepening, growing, and changing. We've created a list of the best gifts for tween girls and boys to help you get the ideas flowing.
I bought this case for my two year olds leap pad explorer and it has been through the mill and still holding strong. It is also very light weight and super cute!! Looks just like an iPad case!! Love it!!!!...
ITEM#: 15020626This is a hot pink/ black leather case compatible with LeapFrog® LeapPad® 2. Protect your device against bumps and scratches with this case.
|Model Number
|Country of Origin
I bought this case for my two year olds leap pad explorer and it has been through the mill and still holding strong. It is also very light weight and super cute!! Looks just like an iPad case!! Love it!!!!Read More
My daughter just turned 3 years old and got a leap pad 2. The case is perfect. Holds it in place and my daughter has already dropped the leap pad a couple of times. The case has held it securely and protects it.Read More
This case is very soft and fits LeapPad 2 perfectly. It's designed to use LeapPad to it's full capacity. Great price, would buy it again.Read More
Buying gifts for tweens is fun because at this stage their interests are deepening, growing, and changing. We've created a list of the best gifts for tween girls and boys to help you get the ideas flowing.
Pretend play helps kids express their feelings and develop language skills, and it provides opportunities for social development. Children should direct themselves to get the most out of imaginative play, but you can help jumpstart their creativity with the perfect gift. Read below to find the best pretend play toys for your child this Christmas.
We've come up with a list of the top toddler Christmas toys for both boys and girls that will bring learning and laughter for years to come. These toys will help your child explore their world and expand their imaginations.
Whether you're shopping for the perfect gift for your son, grandson, or nephew, you'll want to give him something that will spark his creativity and provide hours of fun. When you're Christmas shopping this year, be sure to put a few of these top toys on your list.
From rocking horses to small-scale motorized cars, ride-on toys not only satisfy a young one's need for speed, but they also encourage outdoor activity and build confidence. If you're looking for ideas for the little ones on your Christmas list, consider these suggestions to find a perfect gift.
In the hurry and flurry of Christmas Day, don't overlook the gifts found in Christmas stockings. Stocking stuffers are usually smaller and less expensive than what you put under the tree, but they're a thoughtful and ideal way to celebrate the personality or interests of those on your list. Peruse our options and you'll be ready to grant the holiday wishes of the special people in your life.
Are you looking for the best toys for girls this Christmas? Be sure to put a few of these top gift ideas on your shopping list. Shop our huge assortment of toys at Overstock.com.
Create a space for learning and fun. Check out these playroom ideas for your home. Shop our huge selection of baby & kids' furniture at Overstock.com.
Best Toys for Kids Ages 10-12 from Overstock.com. No matter what the hot toys are this year, the best toys for tweens always have these great qualities.
Tips on Finding the Best Toys for Your Child from Overstock.com. A few simple observations can help you find the perfect toy for your son or daughter.
Our standard shipping method is ground shipping. We also offer expedited shipping for most items. Your final
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** Most Oversize orders are delivered within 1-4 weeks. Some orders may take 6 weeks to be delivered.
INSTEN Pink/ Black Leather Phone Case Cover for LeapFrog LeapPad 2
Today $9.09


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Today we launched the new Business Catalyst Developer Center. Business Catalyst is an online business platform that integrates a set of essential web features into one hosted application. Website hosting, content management, e-commerce, e-mail marketing campaigns, and built-in user case management are all rolled into one, so you can build immersive sites and online stores quickly, at a fraction of the normal cost.
To learn more about this new hosted application, check out the following ADC and Adobe TV resources:
- Introducing the Business Catalyst Platform: Learn about the hosted solution to build data-driven online businesses in the Dreamweaver authoring environment.
- Getting started with Business Catalyst: Understand the Business Catalyst workflow, the Admin Console, roles within a Business Catalyst project, and how Business Catalyst helps your clients manage their online business.
- Introducing the Business Catalyst tool: Learn how to register for a free trial of Business Catalyst, update site files with the Admin Console, and discover the features of the online editor.
- Building your first site in Business Catalyst: Follow this tutorial to develop your first online business.
- Introducing Business Catalyst: Watch how web professionals can build powerful online businesses without programming, using Adobe's powerful Online Business platform for web professionals.
Give it a try and let us know what you think about Business Catalyst.


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Fun for the Family – Crafty Sunday - DIY Snow Globe
Every third Sunday of the month the MOPA Store hosts a fun event called Crafty Sunday. Crafty Sunday is held from 12:00 – 3:00 pm in the MOPA Store where creative, photography inspired crafts are created each month! The crafts are perfect for your kids or the whole family. View our current exhibits while your children have a great time crafting something fantastic!
Please join us this Sunday, December 18th, for our newest craft, DIY Snow Globes, right in time for the holidays. First step is take a photo in our photo booth (costumes supplied!), then for $8 you receive two mini snow globes with your picture inside. Choose glitter, beads and other floaters for your snow globe and you have a great gift for grandma and grandpa!
Time to shake up the snow globe and have some fun!
Hope to see you this Sunday!


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The Miracle of Human Creation
Embryology Rejects The Lie of Evolution
The event of birth is a proof of a supreme creation, yet evolutionists try to make reference to it in defence of their theory. The fact that, in the creation of a new human being, every stage develops according to a very delicate design, is today an undisputed fact in the field of embryology. In this case, how do evolutionists try to interpret this fact of creation in reference to their theory?
At the end of the 19th century, the evolutionist biologist Ernst Haeckel proposed his thesis, "Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny". In this thesis, Haeckel claimed that living embryos in the process of their development repeat the evolutionary process that their supposed ancestors went through. For example, he proposed that a human embryo in its mother's womb first displayed the characteristics of a fish, then of a reptile before finally turning into a human being.
Before long it was realized that this thesis did not reflect the facts. The gills that supposedly appeared in the first periods of a human embryo were actually the human inner ear canal and the parathyroid and thymus glands; the part of the embryo resembling an egg yoke was actually the sack responsible for the production of the baby's blood; the part that was thought to be the tail was identified as the human spine.
These are now facts well attested in the world of science. Shortly after Haeckel proposed his theory, evolutionists themselves acknowledged that his claims were false. Two leading neo-Darwinists, George Gaylord Simpson and W. Beck acknowledged the invalidity of this theory:
Fabricated Drawings
It can be understood from this confession that Haeckel's attempts to use embryology as a proof for evolution are completely without foundation and amount to nothing more than sophistry. The details we have given in the course of this book, as general as they were, of the miracle of human creation are an undeniable proof of the truth of creation.
53 G.G.Simpson, W.Beck, An Introduction to Biology, New York, Harcourt Brace and World, 1965, s. 241
54 Keith S.Thomson, Ontogeny & Phylogeny Recapitulated, American Scientist, cilt:76 Mayıs/Haziran 1988, s. 273
55 Francis Hitching,The Neck of the Giraffe:Where Darwin Went Wrong, New York,Ticknor and Fields 1982, sf.204


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For the first time this season, Paul Brown Stadium will be filled. That says it all about the unbeaten Bengals' next game.
Even though they've been very impressive while going 4-0, they've yet to catch everyone's imagination and stamp themselves as an elite team. After four straight first-round playoff losses, their legacy is defined not by October but by January.
Still, a win on Sunday over the two-time NFC champion Seahawks (2-2) would go a long way in redefining them.
"We're getting tired of not getting over that hump," cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. "It gets frustrating, the criticism that people have brought to us."
Here's their chance to end some of it. They've got a lot in their favor as they host a Seattle team hasn't looked like a back-to-back Super Bowl participant so far.
The Seahawks needed a late turnover and a non-call to beat the Lions 13-10 on Monday night and avoid a 1-3 start. Kam Chancellor stripped the ball from Calvin Johnson as he neared the goal line, and K.J. Wright knocked the ball out of the end zone _ an illegal move that wasn't flagged.
Seattle's defense has been championship caliber, allowing no touchdowns and only one field goal in opponents' past 20 possessions. Perhaps its best test yet is against Andy Dalton, who is second in the NFL with a 123 passer rating, trailing only Aaron Rodgers at 125.9.
Dalton has been the NFL's most productive passer in the fourth quarter and on third down, a main reason why the Bengals are still unbeaten.
Now, it's the NFL's second-ranked offense against the second-ranked defense.


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AS QUEENSLAND counts the cost of its second major flood in recent years, figures have come to light revealing the state has the greatest percentage of residents without flood insurance.
A survey used in the Industry Advisory Group's June 2012 submission to the Productivity Commission's review of each state's response to natural disasters showed almost 40 per cent of Queenslanders' homes were not insured against floods, despite the state's disastrous experience in 2010-11.
Of the 1200 Queenslanders surveyed for the report, 38 per cent said they did not have any flood insurance.
Western Australia was next in line for the most people without flood insurance (37 per cent) followed by South Australia (32 per cent), Tasmania (31 per cent), Victoria (30 per cent), New South Wales (29 per cent), ACT (16 per cent) and the Northern Territory (10 per cent).
Dr Alex Lo, a Griffith University environmental economics lecturer, said the figures were surprising given the widespread flooding Queensland suffered in the summer of 2010-11. He said many residents would have been of the view that the state would not be hit again so soon.
''They think it is a one-in-100-year flood, so they think it is not going to happen at least in the next 100 years,'' Dr Lo said. He said they failed to understand that a one-in-100-year risk referred to the likelihood of a flood occurring in any one particular year, not every 100 years.
Dr Lo said people looked at the experience of their friends and families when deciding whether to buy flood insurance.
''If they think those people would encourage them to have flood insurance, [they] are more likely to have flood insurance.''
The Insurance Council of Australia said its research in September 2012 showed the proportion of policies offering flood cover rose from 3 per cent in 2006 to almost 80 per cent in 2012.


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I recently moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma from Omaha, Nebraska.
Still looking for a good BBQ place.
Everyone down here is crazy for a place called Rib Crib.
Not impressed.
Smokey Bones is better, but so far I've really liked a place Called Big Daddy's BBQ. They have a crazy potato they laden down with a bunch of meat and is a meal unto itself.
Maybey this is a Tulsa thing, but I'm continually shaking my head regarding a local favorite...BBQ Bologna. It's bologna. "But it's SMOKED" they say. It's still bologna, just don't get it.
In Omaha, the best place by far is a mom and pop place called Big Horn BBQ.
It's out of a place that used to be a 7-11.
Ok, that's it for my first post.
Now I'm off to puruse the Threads to find out how to smoke a Turkey.
Just bought a smoker and am excited to delve into this wonderful world.


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/5/2013 (1562 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
More fantasy. More scandalous misbehaviour. More superheroics. More sitcom laughs. And a lot less dancing.
ABC's schedule for the 2013-14 TV season, which was unveiled Tuesday in New York, includes eight new titles -- four dramas, four comedies -- half of which will be used to construct an all-rookie lineup on Tuesday nights.
In order to make way for the aggressive reshaping of Tuesday, the long-running reality-competition series Dancing With the Stars will be revamped and reduced, eliminating its weekly results shows and incorporating contestant eliminations into the show's Monday-night episodes.
The new Tuesday lineup will include Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., comic-book adaptation produced by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel's The Avengers); The Goldbergs, an '80s-era sitcom about an 11-year-old boy determined to create a video record of his family's wacky antics; Trophy Wife, a comedy about a reformed party girl who hopes the third time's a charm when she marries a twice-divorced older man (played by Bradley Whitford); and Lucky 7, a drama about a group of gas-station employees who win a huge lottery pool.
ABC will add two new comedies to its Wednesday-night schedule: Back in the Game, which focuses on a single mom (Maggie Lawson) forced by economic need to move in with her washed-up ex-athlete father (James Caan); and Super Fun Night, a sitcom about three young women trying to adapt their never-miss weekly girls' night out to fit the changing demands of their lives and careers.
ABC's new Thursday entry is Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a fantasy drama from the producers of Once Upon a Time, this time focusing on Alice's misadventures on the other side of the looking glass.
ABC's other new drama this fall is Betrayal, a Sunday-night thriller that explores what happens when a couple involved in an extramarital affair learns that the demands of their at-home lives have suddenly placed them on opposite sides of a high-profile murder case.
The network also has several new shows slated for midseason launch -- Killer Women, which focuses on the crime-fighting exploits of the first female Texas Ranger (Tricia Helfer); Mind Games, a drama about two brothers (Christian Slater and Steve Zahn) who run a company specializing in solving their clients' problems using psychological manipulation; Resurrection, a spooky drama about a small Missouri town whose deceased residents suddenly start returning from the dead; and Mixology, a comedy about 10 single people hanging out at a trendy Manhattan bar.
Also being readied for midseason is The Quest, a reality-competition series that mixes elements of The Amazing Race with epic-fantasy challenges inspired by Lord of the Rings.
ABC's roster of returning shows includes Castle, Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal, Last Man Standing, The Middle, Modern Family, The Neighbors, Suburgatory, The Bachelor, Dancing With the Stars, Shark Tank, The Taste and America's Funniest Home Videos.
Not returning for 2013-14 are Body of Proof, Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23, Happy Endings, Family Tools, 666 Park Avenue, Malibu Country, How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Last Resort, Private Practice, Red Widow and Zero Hour.
CBS will announce its prime-time schedule on Wednesday in New York, and its corporate-cousin network, the CW, will wrap up this week's upfront ad-sales presentations by unveiling its lineup on Thursday.
Canada's commercial broadcasters will announce their plans for 2013-14 early next month.
email@example.com Twitter: @BradOswald


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What famous people have a degree in Economics?
George H. W. Bush, Former US President (Yale)
Ronald Reagan, Former US President (Eureka College)
Gerald Ford, Former US President (University of Michigan)
Phil Gramm, US Senator (University of Georgia, Ph.D.)
Ted Turner, CNN, Atlanta Braves/Hawks (Brown)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Body Builder/Actor/Governor (University of Wisconsin)
John Elway, NFL quarterback (Stanford)
Sandra Day-O'Connor, US Supreme Court Justice (Stanford)
William F. Buckley, Journalist (Yale)
Dick Armey, US Congressman (University of Oklahoma, Ph.D.)
Bernie Kosar, NFL quarterback (University of Miami)
Mario Van Peebles, Actor/Director (Columbia)
Richard Trumka, President of United Mine Workers (Penn State)
Jim Bunning, US Congressman/Hall of Fame Baseballer (Xavier)
Mike Mussina, MLB Pitcher (Stanford)
Merlin Olson, Actor/Former NFL player (Utah State University)
Roy Romer, Governor of Colorado (Colorado State; Ag Econ)
Young M.C., Singer (University of Southern California)
William Isaac, Former Chairman of FDIC (Miami University)
Lenny Wilkens, NBA Coach/Hall of Famer (Providence College)
Lionel Richie, Singer/Songwriter (Tuskegee University)
George Schultz, Former US Secretary of State (Princeton; MIT Ph.D)
Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft (Harvard)
Alex Keaton, TV sitcom character (the mythical Leland College)
Scott Adams, Cartoonist, creator of Dilbert (Hartwick College)
Ray Manzarek, Musician; The Doors (DePaul University)
Barbara Boxer, US Senator (Brooklyn College)
Col. Eileen Collins, NASA Shuttle Commander (Syracuse University)
Esther Dyson, Silicon Valley software pioneer (Harvard)
Diane von Furstenberg, Fashion Designer (University of Geneva)
Josiah "Jed" Bartlett, Fictional US President on NBC's West Wing (Notre Dame, Ph.D.)
Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems (Harvard)
Meg Whitman, CEO, Ebay Technologies (Princeton)
William Harrison, Jr., CEO, JP Morgan Chase (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Peter Vidmar, Olympic Gold Medalist Gymnast (UCLA)
Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations (Macalester College)
Benjamin McKenzie, Actor (University of Virginia)
Steve Fossett, Aviation pioneer (Stanford)
Yuliya Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine (Dnipropetrovs'k State University, Ph.D.)
Viktor Yuschenko, President of Ukraine (Ternopil Financial and Economic Institute, Ph.D.)
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, First black woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in the United States, and it was in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (University of Calgary)
Donald Trump, Real Estate/TV Mogul (University of Pennsylvania—Wharton)
Danny Glover,Actor (University of San Francisco)
Robert Prosky, Actor (Temple)
Peter Gallagher, Actor (Tufts)
George Wendt, Actor (Rockhurst College)
Gene Kelly, Actor/Dancer (University of Pittsburgh)
Greg Ginn, Musician—Black Flag /SST Records founder (UCLA)
John Sweeny, President, AFL-CIO (Iona College)
Jennifer Azzi, WNBA guard Utah Starzz (Stanford)
John Snow, US Secretary of Treasury (University of Virginia, Ph.D.)
Kenneth Lay, Former CEO of Enron (University of Houston, Ph.D.)
Paul Newman, Actor (Kenyon College)
Famke Janssen, Actress (University of Amsterdam)
Cate Blanchett, Actress (Melbourne University)
Ben Stein, Actor/political speechwriter (Columbia University)
Austin Carr, Former NBA player (Notre Dame)
Bill Belichick, NFL Head Coach—Patriots (Wesleyan University)
General Anthony Zinni, U.S. Marine Corps General (Ret.) (Villanova)
Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India (Oxford University, Ph.D.)
Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico (Yale University, Ph.D.)
Carlos Salinas de Gortari, Former President of Mexico (Harvard University, Ph.D.)
Janez Drnovsek, Prime Minister of Slovenia (University of Maribor, Ph.D.)
Ruud Lubbers, Former Prime Minister of The Netherlands (Netherlands School of Economics
Anatoly Chubais, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (St. Petersburg Institute, Ph.D.)
Leszek Balcerowicz, President of the National Bank of Poland (Warsaw School of Economics, Ph.D.)
Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (Istanbul University, Ph.D.)
Duck-Woo Nam, Former Prime Minister of South Korea (Oklahoma State University, Ph.D.)
Billy Kidd, Professional Skier (University of Colorado)
Billy Packer, Sports Broadcaster (Wake Forest)
Philip Austin, President of University of Connecticut (Michigan State, Ph.D.)
Geir H. Haarde, Prime Minister of Iceland (Brandeis University)
Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner (Washington and Jefferson)
Todd Dunivant, MLS player (Stanford)
Roger Levesque, MLS player (Stanford)
Brendan Morrison, NHL player (University of Michigan)
Martin Torrijos, President of Panama (Texas A&M)
Bob Barker, TV Game Show host (Drury College)
Marvin Miller, former MLB Players Association Executive Director (NYU)
Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000 and actress (Bombay University)
Warren Buffett, Financier (Columbia School of Business, Master's in Economics)
Robert McNamara, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense (University of California—Berkeley)
Tom Lantos, U.S. Congressman (University of Washington-Seattle; Cal-Berkeley, Ph.D.)
Source:Gregory Delemeester, Economist at Marietta College


text:
Sorry. I was giving out my own "RedsZone Postee Award," which I think that particular poster deserves.Originally Posted by remdog
Sorry. I was giving out my own "RedsZone Postee Award," which I think that particular poster deserves.Originally Posted by remdog
Last edited by Johnny Footstool; 12-21-2005 at 01:41 PM.
"I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful
Merry Christmas.Originally Posted by BadFundamentals
Originally Posted by remdog
Rem, if you want to defend BF go ahead, just don't expect many others to back you up. His post was mean spirited and nasty. Frankly, if he doesn't like RZ then he should go somewhere else.
I could care less if he has a differing opinion, but he doesn't have to come into a thread like this and throw barbs at other posters and make yet another obligitory Adam Dunn crack.
Frankly, if it was up to me I'd ban him, I'm tired of it.
Get your nunchucks and the keys to your dad's car. I know where we can get a gun
I have a feeling that he will be gone soon.Originally Posted by pedro
"My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger." -Josh Hamilton
Amen.Originally Posted by pedro
Hopefully.Originally Posted by Jpup
"Strickland Propane... Taste the meat, not the heat." - Hank Hill
We get political threads taken away, but this guy's allowed to cyber-defecate on the holiday season!Originally Posted by Danny Serafini
Best tag line
"0 Value over Replacement Poster" and others, but this is my favorite.
Most Valuable Poster
Steel. He's the one responsible for me coming back to RedsZone and I'm a better baseball fan for it.
Most Valuable Poster (Reprise)
Whose information do you read first, agree the most with, or disagree but read first anyway?
In alphabetical order: M2, OldRightHander, SteelSD, TeamClark, WoY
Most Valuable Poster (Reprise II)
Most Clever/FunniestOriginally Posted by westofyou
Too many to list. It seems someone is always making a comment that makes me spew barley, hops, yeast, and water all over my keyboard.
Most Clever/Funniest (Reprise)
I stumbled onto this thread tonight. It's from 12-14-2004, but Roy Tucker gets my vote for the absolute funniest thing I've ever read on RedsZone. If this isn't archived, it should be.
smith288 comes in a very close second with the "more cowbells" clip.
Best Trademeister
I have to go with gonelong on this one.
Most Positive/Nicest
The Teamsters, SandyD, SuperBarry, KittyDuran, and others that I've Shirley forgotten.
Best Newcomer
Best Outsider
MattyMoRocks, Stewie, and most likely others I've missed.
The Old Red Guard Award
I think it was ORH who posted about getting arrested for walking home drunk after a Reds game. I wish I had a link for that post. Another thread that should be archived, if it isn't already.
Best Historian
Not to take anything away from WoY, but I want to give a shout out to SandyD. She has posted some great stuff as well.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Boss took the time to defend/explain the rant against RedsZone at Reds.Com once, after one of BF's tirades on that site. It left a favorable impression with me.
Oh yea', almost forgot one.
Most Whipped Poster/Most Valuable Poster (Reprise III)/Best use of statistics
Gotta' be Raisor! He won a Nobel Prize for his invention of Pythag and the drinking bird thingy for crying out loud.
Just sayin'...
Last edited by Reds Nd2; 12-23-2005 at 10:19 PM.
"...You just have a wider lens than one game."
--Former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky, on why he didn't fly Josh Hamilton to Colorado for one game.
"...its money well-spent. Don't screw around with your freedom."
--Roy Tucker, on why you need to lawyer up when you find yourself swimming with sharks.
Don't call me Shirley.
Championships for MY teams in my lifetime:
Cincinnati Reds - 75, 76, 90
Chicago Blackhawks - 10, 13, 15
University of Kentucky - 78, 96, 98, 12
Chicago Bulls - 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98
Everything that happens before Death is what counts.
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
I think it must be this story you're thinking about.Originally Posted by Reds Nd2
Originally Posted by Reds Nd2
I just got a phone call that I'm up for Nobel Prize number seven. Has to do with a 12 page paper I wrote on Sherman's march to the Sea back in college.
It killed.
"But I do know Joey's sister indirectly (or foster sister) and I have heard stories of Joey being into shopping, designer wear, fancy coffees, and pedicures."
Today is my first anniversary at this site. I am thankful that it did not take me long to get to the Org board. I want to thank everyone for the welcome. Woy would be my nominee for board Historian. Teamcasey is my nominee for nicest poster. My best thread nominees are game threads and the draft thread. Krono is my nominee for most helpful poster. I want to thank everyone again for the warm welcome you gave me this year.
Only award I wish to hand out is to Bad Fundamentals.
The refusual to use data, creative thinking and new ideas is precisely why teams like the Reds fail. The "old school" is damning them.
Badfundamentals reminds me of this with each of his arguments.
I hope he does not get banned, The person is entitled to an opinion no matter what others think of it. Then again, it aint my board.
Nothing to see here. Please disperse.
I don't think anyone ever has or ever will get kicked out for having an opinion, but being belligerent to another member is quite another thing.Originally Posted by deltachi8
I was fine with his contrarianism until it reached the point of attacking folks in this thread. I do believe that dissenting opinions make for good discussion, but IMO he pushed his agenda to the point of making his presence a detriment to RZ b/c he insisted on making things personal. I do realize that he did get picked on somewhat himself, but honestly i don't really think the posters he chose to attack are the ones that picked on him in a personal manner. Frankly, I was probably meaner to him than either Raisor or SteelSD, and that reflects poorly on me, I know.Originally Posted by deltachi8
Either way, it's really up to Boss & GIK to decide what they want to do. They've shown good judgement in the past and this site is theirs to do with as they please, and I'd just like to thank them both for doing this for all of us because it is a great site.
Get your nunchucks and the keys to your dad's car. I know where we can get a gun
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
Classes & Tutoring
Online Tech Classes:
At the Library:
Group Computer Classes
Computer classes are offered on a regular basis. Class subjects include devices, genealogy, and more. Scheduled classes are described in the quarterly Program Guide, found in the left column of the Library Home page. Check the Event Calendar and reserve a seat as these popular programs always fill fast!
Our Tech librarian Mr. G often gives classes on various popular computer topics and has regular drop in times. Check the calendar for dates.
Computer Tutorials on LearningExpress
Learn the basics of a computer, from searching the Internet to using popular programs for word processing, creating spreadsheets and databases, implementing design, understanding operating systems and more. Windows 8 Video Courses are available.
Computer Skills Center on LearningExpressLibrary
Register with your library card number on the LearningExpress website to get a free LearningExpress Library account. Onondaga County Public Library system should be selected as your "Institution" when signing up for a LearningExpress Library account.
If you are not in the library, you will have to login with your library card number and PIN.
Webucator: Online Technology Classes, Free for LPL!
The Liverpool Public Library is pleased to be participating in Webucator's Library Partner Program.
Webucator provides many online self-paced courses on Web Development, Microsoft, Adobe, Java
and more, completely free for our library cardholders.
All you need to get started is the Liverpool Public Library voucher code.
You can take any Webucator self-paced course for free!
Topics include:
|* Microsoft Technologies and Software
|* Mobile Web Development
|* Adobe Software
|* Mobile App Development
|* Web Development Technologies
|* SQL and XML
|And much more!
Get the Liverpool Public Library Webucator Voucher Code and start learning now!
ed2go at LPL
In partnership with Education To Go, we offer a wide range of highly interactive courses that you can take entirely over the Internet for an affordable fee. All of the courses include expert instructors, many of whom are nationally known authors. These online courses are affordable, fun, fast, convenient, and geared just for you. Ready to explore our catalog? Classes are available in the following topics:
- Accounting and Finance
- Business
- College Readiness
- Computer Applications
- Design and Composition
- Health Care and Medical
- Language and Arts
- Law and Legal
- Personal Development
- Teaching and Education
- Technology
- Writing and Publishing
Tutors for Computer & Technology Help
The Liverpool Public Library offers the following, all free, by appointment only:
Tutors for one-on-one basic computer skill help:
- For appointment, call (315) 457-0310 and ask for a Basic Computer Skill tutor.
- Training is available in Basic Computer Skills, Basic Internet, and Basic Email.
- The tutors are volunteer teachers who deliver instruction using our library computers.
Laptop, Apple or Android Mobile Device help sessions, including iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, and smart phones
- For appointment, call (315) 457-0310 x140. If no answer, leave a message!
- You must bring your own Mobile Device or laptop.
- Help is available at the Basic "getting started" level; advanced topics are not covered
- The librarians at the Information Desk can help you with quick pointers, direct you to the eBook catalog websites, and provide you with helpful flyers with instructions for digital downloads on a drop-in basis without appointment. If you are not familiar with using your mobile device or tablet, please call and schedule an appointment.
No appointment necessary: Drop-in Tech Help with Mr. G and Drop-in Chromebook Hours with Jake
- Check web site for schedule.
Our LPL Tech Help sessions are designed to:
- Familiarize patrons with common computer and internet functions
- Help patrons utilize technology effectively
- Help patrons develop the skills to accomplish common internet communication tasks
Our LPL staff and volunteers are not able to:
- Spend more than 30 - 60 minutes per person, per week.
- Fix broken equipment
- Troubleshoot and perform diagnostics, unless it is related to library-provided online features
- Install software unrelated to library services
- Tutor in advanced programs like web development technologies, photo editing, and OCR scanning, for example
- Tutor in Windows 8 (at this time)