Are the US and UK Empowering Al-Qaeda in Yemen?
A recent investigation by the Associated Press found that militias in Yemen backed by the Saudi-led coalition, of which the US and UK are a de facto part, have been recruiting hundreds of al-Qaeda militants to fight Houthi forces to reinstate the ousted government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
The coalition has been cutting secret deals with these al-Qaeda fighters, paying some to leave key towns with weapons and looted cash worth up to $100m. This, and similar stories that have emerged in the three years of Yemen’s war, begs a key question: Given their arming of Saudi Arabia, are Washington and London also arming and empowering al-Qaeda militants in Yemen?
The coalition and al-Qaeda militants have been described by the International Crisis Group as having a “tacit alliance” in Yemen. Ansar al-Sharia, a militant group created by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as its local insurgent arm – has regularly fought alongside coalition forces against Houthis in Aden and other parts of the south, including the cultural capital of Taiz, indirectly obtaining weapons from the coalition.
On the ground in Yemen, coalition forces comprise a mix of anti-Houthi militias, factions and tribal warlords, in which AQAP militants are often intertwined and present in all the frontlines. AQAP is benefiting from the tremendous amount of light and heavy weaponry that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are sending to Yemen to arm the militias – everything from assault rifles to anti-tank guided missiles.
AQAP “has acquired a wide range of new weaponry, including heavy weapons from Yemeni military camps or acquired indirectly from the Saudi-led coalition”.
Middle East Eye revealed last year that the largest Salafi militant force in Taiz received arms and money from the coalition: It was commanded by Abu al-Abbas, who was subsequently designated an al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) supporter by the Saudis and the US. One fighter with the battalion said that Abu al-Abbas held monthly meetings with the coalition leadership in Aden.
“Saudi Arabia has been delivering arms to al-Qaeda, (which) is expanding its sphere of influence”.
Washington and London try to demonise Iran for supplying arms to the Houthis and posit the Yemen conflict as a Saudi-Iranian one, rather than a war for Riyadh’s control of the whole of Arabia.
“AQAP – far more than the Houthis – has benefited from the influx of weapons to Yemen” while “currently, Iran has little influence with the Houthis, who are distinctly Yemeni and deeply rooted in a very Yemeni socio-cultural context”.
If arms from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are reaching al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, could these be the same kinds of weapons that Washington and London are supplying to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi?
The UK, for example, has licensed more than £4.6 billion ($5.9bn) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the bombing began in March 2015. These weapons include not only items for the Saudi air force, such as warplanes and missiles, but also arms that are ideal for insurgent groups, such as grenades, bombs and guns.
Neither do there appear to be any restrictions on how the Saudis might use the British arms they receive.
Thus, the UK government cannot categorically state that its weapons are not ending up in the hands of al-Qaeda, a risk that will continue as long as London keeps the arms flowing to Riyadh.
The UK government is not only complicit in Saudi war crimes, evidenced in its direct role in the war (supplying arms, storing and issuing weapons used in bombing and maintaining the Saudi warplanes), but it is also contributing to the rise of AQAP.
Indeed, Jane’s Intelligence Weekly has reported that AQAP is in the process of asserting itself as the dominant actor across much of southern Yemen.
The US claims to be fighting terrorism in Yemen, and its drone strikes against AQAP targets have increased since Trump took office. But its larger mission is to win the civil war against the Houthis, and in that conflict, al-Qaeda militants are effectively on the same side as the coalition.
By positioning itself as a disciplined Sunni force capable of countering the Houthi insurgents, AQAP has established itself as a de facto coalition partner.
This is further illustrated in the current battle for the strategic port of Hodeidah, through which much of Yemen’s food and humanitarian supplies pass. Two of the four main coalition-backed commanders along the Red Sea coast are allies of al-Qaeda, as reported by the Associated Press. Another Yemeni commander put on the US terrorism list for al-Qaeda ties last year continues to receive money from the UAE to run his militia.
Once again, Washington and London find themselves – as in Syria, Libya and many other conflicts – regarding terrorist militias as proxy forces to achieve broad foreign policy aims. AQAP, formed in 2009 through a union of the Saudi and Yemeni branches of al-Qaeda, has attacked US and British targets in the region, attempted to bomb a US-bound airliner and claimed responsibility for the January 2015 attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that killed 12 people.
To reverse the growth of AQAP and IS – and end a calamitous war – will require a political settlement in Yemen that is inclusive and addresses demands for local autonomy and security, while operating under the umbrella of a transformed state.
We should fear for Yemen, since AQAP, far from melting away, is likely to grow still stronger the more the war continues. We should also fear for the West, since our governments’ foreign policy priorities remain far removed from promoting the public interest in their choice of wars and allies.
Mark Curtis is a historian and analyst of UK foreign policy and international development and the author of six books, the latest being an updated edition of Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam.


Is Australia's budget out of control?
Many Australians have a gut feeling that Tony Abbott and his government are bad news for this country. His reply is that he has an unpopular job to do. He must "fix" the budget so Australia can live within its means. Even in defeat the LNP keeps talking about the debt problem which they say way created by Labor. The government and our subservient media have endlessly ranted about the need to cut, cut and cut even more from the budget.
This gut feeling about the Abbott government is basically correct. There is no need for Australia to make the budget cuts enacted or proposed by the government. Australia does not need austerity to "save" the economy. The government would have us believe Australia is a poor country which does not have money for these "extras". In fact, Australia is a wealthy country which spends very little on welfare, age care, scientific research, etc. The best way to see this is to compare Australia's income and expenditure with that of other countries around the world.
So why does the government want to make these cuts?
The "Australia needs Austerity" mantra is "spin". It is merely a pretext for the Abbott government to lower the living standards of ordinary Australians, cut basic services like health and education, and remove vital support for people who need it most, such as the unemployed, the elderly, aborigines, and those with disabilities. The cuts Abbott has made will certainly make the lives of many people much worse.
The government says they want to bring the budget into surplus. But they want to bring the budget into surplus without increasing taxes on the mining companies and without removing the methods the wealthy use to avoid taxes like putting money in superannuation or using negative gearing. They are happy to increase taxes on ordinary people, as in the increasing petrol tax, medibank surcharge, proposed increase in the GST and extending the GST to food. They hope to keep the tax burden on the wealthy as low as possible while cutting money which benefits ordinary people and increasing their taxes.
How does Australia compare with other countries?
In what follows I will show that Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world according to the standard measured of wealth, its GDP. Australia has the 12th largest GDP in the world. The countries just above us are Canada(11th), India(10th), Russia(9th), Italy(8th) and Brazil(7th). All countries with a GDP greater than Australia, with the exeption of Canada, have far larger populations. Australia's government debt is also one of the lowest in the industrailzed world. It is actually lower than any "western" country that has a higher GDP. Also, when compared to other countries, Australia spends far less on welfare and aged care than other wealthy European country.
The claim that Australia is nearly broke is laughable in the light of information that is quite easy to find. It shows how little investigation our media carries out. They only repeat what the government and the big end of town wants us to hear.
Australia has a disastrous level of debt?
The GDP is used to measure the economic performance of a country. It measures the value added in production in that country. Of the 190 countries ranked in terms of their GDP, Australia is 12th.(1) Australia's per captia GDP, that is the GDP diveded by the population, is between 4th and 9th in the world, depending on which calculation is chosen.(2) Measured by GDP Australia has one of the best economies in the world. This is why we have been called the lucky country.
The graph below shows the national debt as a percentage of the GDP for the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD is an international economic organization which has 34 members. Most OECD members are high-income economies and are regarded as developed countries.Australia has the third lowest debt to GDP ratios in the OECD. So, not only does Australia have a good economy, it has a very low level of debt compared to the strength of the economy. Notice that Japan, Greece, Italy, Israel, the UK and the USA all have debt to GDP ratios higher than the OECD average.
So who really has a debt problem? Not Australia! We have one of the healthiest economies in the world. There is no need for the "heavy lifting" demanded by Joe Hockey.
Australian debt compared to OECD average.
The following graph shows a comparison between the average OECD debt to GDP ratio and the ratio for Australia from 1983 to 2009. The two ratios can be seen to move up and down together, however the Australian ratio is usually about 30% lower than the OECD average. It has been consistently low and isn’t spiralling out of control.
The graph only goes up to 2009. Australia’s debt has increased since 2010 from about 11% to 11.7%. But during the same period, the OECD average has increased to around 70%! While Joe Hockey and the usual economic pundits must know this, they still say our level of debt demands immediate and drastic surgery. They keep to the "offical story" even though the facts tell a very different story.
Can the US afford to pay its debts?
If you want a reality check on debt to GDP ratios, consider this graph of the debt to GDP ratio of the United States from 2006 to 2014.(3) The debt to GDP ratio is 100%! This means that their ratio is about 50 times higher than Australia's. I repeat: Who really has a debt problem? Not Australia!
Two other measures of the Australian economy.
Australia's Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is also well above the OECD average. The GNI measures the total income from production and services, by Australians, here at home or abroad, and discounts income from foreign-owned companies operating in Australia (e.g. 83% of our mining industry). It shows that Australia's GNI has been greater than the OECD average since 2008 and is rising faster that the OECD average GNI.
In fact, Independent Australia ranks our economy as the best in the world.
Another important part of the Abbott/Hockey austerity scam are the subtile hints that Australia is overly generous with its "social contract" benefits, described as the safety net or the social wage paid out in health and pensions.
We spend about 8.5% of our GDP on welfare, which is less than all but 4 countries in the OECD. The following graph shows the welfare benefits paid out by the different countries as a percentage of their GDP. Such economic powerhouses as Ireland, Poland, Denmark and Luxembourg pay more than 14%. Far from being overly generous, Australia is rather penny-pinching when it comes to welfare. Still this does not stop the media and the Liberal/Nationals from ranting about it day and night.
The same point can be seen in the following chart. It shows Australia's public spending on welfare since 1990, compared to the OECD average as well as France, Japan and the US. We are at the bottom along with Japan and the US. And the Abbott/Hockey austerity drive will only push us lower!
Is Australia's age pension too generous?
The following chart shows the public money spent on old age pensions for the OECD countries. Only 7 OECD countries spend less than us on pensioners. This is for 2010 and covers the total social expenditure, not just cash benefits paid to pensioners. We are spending more than Mexico, Korea, Iceland or Chile. Wow!
Is it a surprise that we have more people over 65 living in poverty than almost all OECD countries. The 2011 OECD Report PENSIONS AT A GLANCE 2011: RETIREMENT-INCOME SYSTEMS IN OECD AND G20 COUNTRIES gives the old age and poverty rates of 30 countries.(4) They show the poverty rates for people over 65, where poverty is measured in terms of an income less than 50% of median household disposable income. Australia's poverty rate for people over 65 is 26.9%. Out the the thirty countries, only three have higher rates of aged poverty than Australia: Mexico wit 28%, Ireland with 30.6% and Korea 45.1%. The OECD average is 13.5%.
Do we spend too much on healthcare?
Although we spend slightly more per capita on healthcare than OECD average, we spend less than the OECD average as a share of GDP.
Is the cost of health care exploding?
A look at the important facts about the Australian economy shows that if anything, our economy would benefit from increases in spending in the areas cut by the Abbott government. Besides welfare, Australia can afford to spend more on healthcare, education, industry support, scientific research, as well as foster new techology and support the arts. Why is this a problem?
My conclusion is that the Abbott government, like many before it, assumes that their job is to "manage" the Australian economy for the big multinatinal companies and prospective overseas investors. It is clear that their interests are catered for. Their wishes are put regularly to both sides of politics. The rest of us just don't come into the picture. Nothing will change in Australia until people realize that their interests are almost completely ignored by the Austraian political elite.
(5) This any many other charts used in the article come from the excellent article by Glenn Murray: http://www.glennmurray.com.au/abbotts-war-on-the-rest-of-us-and-why-theres-no-need/.


The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, will be trying to shake their own playoff demons. "You've got the chance to be the overtime hero, tight checking and they're fun". (I recommend this technique for the inevitable overtime in Game 4.) Things were apparently a little less tense in the Capitals' locker room. Josh Morrissey might be looking at a suspension for his cross-check to the neck of Eric Staal, while Wild coach Bruce Boudreau argued that the non-call on that play cost the Wild the game.
A classic "dirty" overtime goal, and this could be just the break the Caps needed to turn things around in the series after two frustrating losses at home.
For a change, it took more than one extra session to decide Tuesday's game.
The Blue Jackets now hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday night in Ohio. He fits in well with the Blue Jackets system, especially with Boone Jenner, and will likely have a much smaller contract. And while the Blue Jackets' blueline has undoubtedly gotten better in front of Bobrovsky, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to rattle the netminder enough last post-season that he only managed a SP better than.900 in one of five games. Was he the best player on the ice? No. The Blue Jackets netminder hasn't necessarily stolen the show and he's been far from infallible, allowing 10 goals on 133 shots through the first three games of the series.
Kovalchuk's contract will likely be the deal-breaker as he'll probably want a two or three year deal around $3-4M, which would be a steal for a player of his skill level if he had already proven he can still produce at the National Hockey League level. Grubauer, who outplayed Holtby down the stretch in the regular season, allowed four goals in each game.
"Obviously our decision to go with [Brugauer] was just the numbers he's put up over the last while", Trotz said. "Coming in here to Columbus, he's had a lot of games here and he feels pretty comfortable".
Braden Holtby got his first start of the series in goal for the Capitals after Philipp Grubauer's strong late-season play earned him the start for Games 1 and 2.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who made a combined 81 saves on 88 shots in the first two games, will start for Columbus.
Marcelino's team have had a fine campaign and even challenged for the title earlier this season, before suffering a drop in form. The day kicked off with second half goals from Victor Laguardia and Munir El Hadaddi, giving Alaves a 2-0 win over Getafe.


A man who killed his best friend in a car crash while under attack from a gang has been jailed for nine years.
Gary Brown, 22, had been goading a rival gang after they attacked his car in south London in September 2015.
Passenger Nassem Galleze, 17, died when Brown crashed into a lamppost after the window of the Vauxhall Corsa was smashed by a lump of concrete.
Brown, of Lewisham, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving at the Old Bailey.
He pleaded guilty to possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property in June.
Sentencing, Judge Wendy Joseph QC referred to the impact on Nassem's family, saying: "It is not just his life, his whole future, is gone."
Following the conviction, Nassem's mother Hakima McHue told of her "living nightmare".
The court heard Brown had no licence, no driving ability and no insurance but did not think it was a "big deal" at the time.
Brown had been speeding at up to 60mph in a 20mph zone towards "hostile youths" in the street.
He was also seen "driving on the wrong side of the road, narrowly missing colliding with two buses at one point," the police said.
While he was on bail over the fatal crash, Brown was found with heroin with a street value of £9,700 during a raid on a house in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
In mitigation, Yogain Chandarana told how Brown had got into heroin as he struggled to cope the death of his best friend.
Three men were jailed at Woolwich Crown Court in April 2016 for offences in connection with Nassem's death, including violent disorder and possession of a machete.


I've been contributing to Kiva for a number of months now, and am sufficiently appreciative of them to want to tell others about them. The short version is that Kiva is a distributed, peer-to-peer microlending non-profit with the goal of alleviating global poverty.
Microfinance is the practice of providing financial services to people in low-income parts of the world who are not generally considered profitable-enough customers to warrant service from traditional banking institutions.
Microlending (or microcredit) is a subset of microfinance that provides loans to low-income people, typically entrepreneurs in low-income area of the world, who do not have access to loans from traditional banking sources. Sometimes there simply are no banks in the area, but more typically the entrepreneurs don't make enough money to qualify for loans, don't have sufficient collateral, or don't have a sufficient credit history. Modern microlending started in the 1970s with the Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank.
The advantages of microlending over traditional aid programs are in its benefits to developing economies: it encourages growth of local businesses, puts more money into local economies, encourages local employment opportunities, and gives entrepreneurs a foothold to establish their businesses and a credit record. In some areas, it provides an alternative to tribal moneylenders, who charge high interest rates and respond to repayment failures with physical violence. In short, traditional aid addresses people's basic needs: food, shelter, clothing, education, sustainable agriculture; while microlending works on the next step of growing local economies.
The actual process is a little more involved. Kiva doesn't make loans directly. Instead, they partner with microfinance institutions (MFIs) in other countries. The MFIs accept loan applications, evaluate the applicants, disburse loans, and collect payments. During this process, the MFIs tell Kiva about the loans in batches, Kiva lists the loans, collects the contributions from Kiva users, and sends the money to the MFIs. When the MFIs collect money, they send the payments (again, in batches) to Kiva, which distributes the payments to the loan contributors. The MFIs often fund the loans before telling Kiva about them (to avoid the delays in the funding process and get the money to the applicant quickly), and then backfill the accounting once the loan is actually funded. In some cases, a loan will expire on Kiva without being fully funded; when that happens, any contributors will have their contributions refunded, and if the MFI already disbursed the loan, they will have to find another source of funding for it.
When payments are received on a loan, the money is made available to contributors as "Kiva Credits". If you have Kiva credits, you can apply them to a different loan, donate them to Kiva itself, or transfer them into a PayPal account.
This does mean that any loan made through Kiva carries the risk of losing the money contributed.
Kiva does not collect any interest on its loans. Consequently, Kiva users will only get back exactly what they put into the loan in the first place, unless the loan defaults. This means that anyone contributing to Kiva loans over a long term can expect to lose some money to defaults. Because Kiva is operated as a non-profit organization with the goal of alleviating poverty, they don't feel it is appropriate to add interest payments to the loans they fund.
The MFIs that Kiva partners with do charge interest, however. The interest that they charge pays for their staff and administration costs. Typically, they charge a small percentage of the loan in interest, plus a flat fee to cover the effort necessary for any loan, regardless of its size. This includes things like interviewing applicants and researching their financial history and dependability. Because the loan amounts are small, that fee often adds a noticeable percentage to the loan, leading to interest rates that seem surprisingly high. The average interest rate on Kiva is about 35%, but I've seen rates as high as 50%.
The MFI interest rates are another reason that Kiva doesn't charge interest themselves; they don't want to add any more to the borrower's repayment load.
For each of its partners, Kiva shows both the average interest rate for that MFI and the median interest rate for other MFIs in the same region. People worried about the high rates are encouraged to check up on the MFI before committing to a loan.
Since Kiva doesn't collect interest and they apply all of a contributor's money to the loans themselves, they rely on donations to keep running. After you contribute to a loan, they ask for a donation and suggest an amount equal to 15% of your loan contribution. You have the option of choosing a different percentage (including 0%) or specifying a particular dollar amount. You can also give the repayments on your loans to Kiva as a donation, either manually (by donating your Kiva credits) or automatically (by specifying that all repayments should be automatically donated).
I feel it would be unfair to talk about Kiva without acknowledging that some people have criticisms of the microlending process.
Conversely, some people argue that Kiva should themselves be charging interest. I can't find the article now, but I read a piece a while back that argued that when microfinance funding organizations like Kiva pay interest, contributors change from a "charity" mindset to an "investment" mindset and end up putting more money into system. Personally, I think that the charity mindset is a better fit here. If the goal is to alleviate poverty, then helping people establish businesses with as few impediments (including additional interest) as possible is a better approach than one that is beholden to the best return on investments.
There are also claims that microlending doesn't help all that much. There was an article in the Boston Globe a few months ago titled "Small change: Billions of dollars and a Nobel Prize later, it looks like ‘microlending’ doesn’t actually do much to fight poverty". Despite the inflammatory subtitle, the article is reasonably balanced. It refers to two unpublished papers about studies that concluded that microlending is not as effective as many people think. For one thing, I'd want to wait until the papers are published; peer review is likely to shake out any methodological problems in the studies. But the article points out that the studies found that microlending did make a difference for a lot of businesses and helped them either establish themselves or grow. It's not a panacea--if for no other reason than that the eligibility requirements for "who can take out a loan and be counted on to repay it if there's little government enforcement to rely on" mean that only a small part of the population will be considered in the first place--but it is a step in the direction of helping establish functioning local economies in poor regions. The article provides a number of pro-microfinance perspectives, most of which boil down to, "The studies show that microlending isn't magic, but it's a useful tool--as long as you understand that it isn't magic."
I think that Kiva provides an important service to developing areas of the world, and I put a portion of my charitable giving into the site each month. Personally, I don't plan to take money out of it; what I put in goes either towards funding more loans or donations to keep Kiva running. Other people have different financial approaches, of course.
Kiva also isn't the only place I donate. In addition to local giving, I also contribute to more traditional aid organizations, because microlending is only effective if people are already healthy, educated, and empowered. For giving along more traditional lines, I recommend Heifer International, which mostly focuses on sustainable agriculture in developing regions.
Kiva was the first peer-to-peer microlending website, but many others have followed in its footsteps, and some of its competitors take different approaches to microlending. If you don't like Kiva, there might be another organization that's a better fit for you.
The Microfinance Gateway is a large database of microfinance organizations, including aggregators like Kiva. It contains links to many more organizations than I'm going to link to here.
United Prosperity doesn't directly give contributed money to borrowers; it uses that money as collateral for traditional bank loans. They feel that this approach is better at integrating people into the traditional banking system.
The Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit works to assist Rotary groups with setting up their own microlending operations.
MicroPlace collects interest on its microloans, so contributors earn a return on their contributions.
Prosper is a more general peer-to-peer lending broker. Contributors can use it either as a general investment fund or a broker for choosing individual loans to fund. Anyone with a decent credit score can request a loan, which is bid on by lenders.
Ibrahim (last name withheld for privacy) in Lebanon: Owns a sewing factory. Currently 58% repaid on a $3,000 loan.
Neang Soknoeun in Cambodia: Weaves and sells groceries. Currently 33% repaid on a $700 loan.
Khosiyat Kuldasheva in Tajikistan: Sells foodstuffs at a local market. Currently 37% repaid on a $3,000 loan.
Harriet Namugabo's group in Uganda: A 5-person group who are collectively responsible for the loan. The leader sells medicines. Currently 66% repaid on a $875 loan.
Lilane (last name withheld for privacy) in Lebanon: Owns a clothing store. Currently 24% repaid on a $1,000 loan.
Felix Alberto Tórrez Machado in Nicaragua: Runs a cybercafe. Currently 13% repaid on a $975 loan.
Nuevo Amanecer Group in Bolivia: a 13-person group who would be collectively responsible for the loan, with various jobs. Loan expired before being fully funded and my contribution was refunded.
Gaibullodjon Sobitov in Tajikistan: Processes and sells dried apricots. Currently 70% raised on a $1,500 loan, with 2 days before the loan expires.
Betsy McCaughy has written an opinion piece for bloomberg.com titled Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan. In it, she characterizes the stimulus package (as passed by the House) as containing sinister language that will allow the government to control and reduce the quality of health care available to the American public. I took a look at the sections of the bill that she has issues with, and I found that her conclusions are gross distortions at best. More or less everything she points to in the bill is focused on providing a healthcare information technology infrastructure to allow doctors and hospitals easy access to patients' complete medical information--nothing more.
She also makes a lot of comparisons to Tom Daschle's book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis, drawing sinister inferences from the comparisons. I haven't read the book, so I can't judge how right or wrong she is about its contents, but the contents of the actual bill are not what she says they are.
The whole thing is talking about making patients' medical information available by electronic means to hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies while maintaing the patients' privacy. Clause (4), in particular, refers to doctors being able to have all of the information they need when making decisions. It does not imply anything about the government dictating doctors' decisions to them.
Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties. “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. ... What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment?
12           professional during such year.
6           such as promoting care coordination.
"Meaningful EHR users" will be given financial incentives to use the electronic system. If a doctor or hospital is not a "meaningful EHR user", that means only that they're not making use of the electronic medical information infrastructure. It has nothing to do with what treatments they offer. Furthermore, non-"meaningful users" don't face penalties; they just don't have the government helping them pay for the upfront cost of implementing the electronic system.
In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the “tough” decisions elected politicians won’t make. The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs.
10             plementary use of resources.
The supposedly sinister Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research seems to be more like the Department of Homeland Security for existing federal health care systems. Programs like Medicaid, veteran's benefits, and federal employee health insurance already make estimations on the effectiveness of various treatments, just like every private health insurance company. The new council would share information across the federal programs that already exist.
Page 464 contains references to implementing things specified under section 3004, which describes the process for adopting and implementing the previously-mentioned technology infrastructure. I can find no mention of Medicare. It seems very much like this claim is completely fabricated.
Every complaint that the author raises, everything that she claims will affect what care doctors are willing to give, seems to only concern the healthcare information technology infrastructure that Obama has been talking about implementing for months. I see no places where the government will be dictating anything to doctors, aside from providing financial incentives (not punishments) to work with the new infrastructure. None of the author's claims about the government cutting off healthcare seem at all founded in fact. At best, she's consistently misreading the text of the bill. I think it more likely that she has other reasons not to want the bill to pass and is distorting the reality of the situation to steer people in the direction she wants them to go.
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I previously considered different backup schemes. Writing that entry crystallized my basic ideas about what I was going to do about the backups. I then proceeded to implement them. This entry is a detailed description of what I did.
I ended up buying two 80 GB hard drives and a ThermalTake BlacX external enclosure. The overall plan is to do backups to one of the drives on a daily, automated basis, and the other on a periodic, maybe monthly basis. Most of the time, the periodic backup drive will live at my office and will serve as my offsite backup.
I want to have a backup history in the same way that a tape rotation scheme would give me. That way, if I don't notice there's something wrong with a file for a time, there's still a good chance I can retrieve it. I also want things stored space-efficiently, so backing up unchanged files doesn't take up additional space. This is accomplished pretty easily with rsync; I do one full backup, and then subsequent backups use rsync's --link-dest option pointing to the most recent complete backup; any files that haven't changed are simply hardlinked together, so the two directory entries point to the same physical location on the disk.
For the backup history, I decided to go with a variant of the Towers of Hanoi backup rotation. Instead of using a preset number of pegs, as I would have to do if I were using physical tapes, I can just calculate the numbers on the fly, effectively behaving as if I had an infinite number of tapes. This rotation gives me roughly exponential backoff for my history; I can look at backups from yesterday, two days ago, four days ago, eight days ago, and so on.
Finally, I decided to encrypt the drives. This lets me cart them around with confidence that if they get lost or stolen, anyone who ends up with them won't have my personal files. I used LUKS to encrypt the disks, and used both a file on my computer and a password as keys. The file makes it easier to mount the drives without manual intervention (important if my desktop reboots), while the password lets me get at the data if the key file isn't available (important if the main disk dies and I need my backups).
I'm using rsync to do the backups, but in some cases I don't want everything in the source directories to be backed up. Thus, I tell rsync to look at a filter file for each directory so it knows what to skip and what to keep. rsync will go through the filters for each file or directory it considers, and will take the first action that matches. If nothing matched, the file is copied. If a directory is ignored, none of the files in that directory are considered at all, so I had to include a few explicit directory chains.
In /var, I only want to back up a few things, so the final pattern ignores anything that isn't explicitly included.
I wrote a script to initialize the disks for me: init-backup-disk. It takes two parameters: the name of the device for the backup disk, and the file to use as a key for the partition. If the key file doesn't exist, it will be created.
After a few sanity checks, the script starts doing things. It starts by checking that the disk is good with badblocks. If it encounters any errors, it stops there and the drive needs to be sent in for warranty replacement. Following that, it goes into the most time-consuming part of the initialization: writing random data to the disk. (badblocks already wrote random data, but its PRNG is somewhat simplistic; /dev/urandom is a much better source of pseudo-random numbers.) Without this step, it would be obvious which bits of the disk had encrypted data on them. I use pv to give a progress meter and time estimate. On my computer, badblocks took a little over two hours and /dev/urandom took about eight hours for each 80GB disk.
# Check and randomize disk.
The next step is to format the encrypted partition. I use sfdisk to create a single partition that spans the entire drive, followed by cryptsetup to do the format. I explicitly specify the cipher in order to use ESSIV, which makes certain attacks more difficult. The --batch-mode option keeps it from asking for confirmation before writing. The second call to sfdisk just tells the kernel to reread the disk's partitions so it will pick up the UUID that cryptsetup created.
# Add and format the LUKS partition.
# Open LUKS partition, format and mount the encrypted volume.
Now I run the initial backup. Each backup version is just a separate numbered directory in the partition, so the first one is '1'. I'm backing up /etc, some of /var, my and my wife's home directories, and any databases I have. My wife's stuff isn't directly backed up here because she's on a different computer; I have to initiate her backup from there. The script, in its first requirement for user interaction, will wait until I tell it that's done.
# Do the initial backup.
echo -n "Hit enter when rivana is backed up.  "
Now that the backup is done, the script unmounts and deactivates the partition.
# Deactivate the encrypted volume.
And I get prompted for the password that will unlock the partition if the key file isn't available.
Finally, the script displays the UUID for the partition, which is needed for later use.
# Display the partition's UUID.
Debian, at least, has an /etc/crypttab file that lists encrypted partitions to be enabled at boot time. I put the onsite backup disk in there so it'll be automatically mounted if the computer reboots. This plus a backup cronjob make the backup process completely automated.
I have a simple script to do the daily backups: perform-backup. It's basically the same as the initial backup, but with the --link-dest option as I mentioned previously.
My wife has her own computer but, fortunately, simpler backup requirements. I have ssh public key authentication set up so she can ssh to my computer without a password, which makes the backups work properly in an automated fashion.
The initial backup is a simple rsync one-liner.
The Towers of Hanoi rotation is effected by a script that goes through and deletes any directories that don't need to be there: purge-backups. I won't quote it here because I don't think it's all that interesting. It just finds the largest power of two less than or equal to the current number and then works its way down from that to enumerate all of the directories, deleting everything else.
Every so often I'll bring the offsite disk home and back up to it. The script for that is insert-offsite-backup. It unmounts the onsite disk, waits for me to insert the offsite disk, runs a backup, unmounts the offsite disk, waits for me to reinsert the onsite disk, then remounts that disk. It needs to be told what my offsite UUID is, but it picks up all the other settings from /etc/crypttab.
The backup takes about half an hour, so I have ample time to manually run the backup script on Becca's computer.


Ivan: "Hiroshima" was initially a rock-ballad solo record with Russian lyrics from 2012. It is the last song I wrote in Russian so it's all about closure and farewell. I tried to put some David Sylvian influence into the arrangement. One close friend told me that the chord progression in the refrain sounds impossible, but I just hear this way. I recorded this song and kind of forgot about it for a while. But after we started Gainsay, one day Vova sent me his translation of the "Hiroshima" lyrics. That was really a huge surprise, so I reworked the whole arrangement to fit Vova's voice. Now it sounds minimalistic, and more focused. You know… I've fallen in love with this song all over again.
Vova: I had listened to Ivan's version of "Hiroshima" for a while, and I found that it's a perfectly soothing song; almost the lullaby type. I used to listen to a lot of music before I fall asleep, and it often gets to the point when you want to listen to something that doesn't give you a headache but still captivates your thoughts. "Hiroshima" worked that way.
I wanted to keep the speed, the dynamics and emphasize the newly found determination by the character in the choruses, and also give it a little bit more desire to persevere. To summarize I guess there's not a whole lot of observational narrative in this song. Nothing really happens outside of the character himself, but it's important that he finds peace within.


Daniel Craig is 'done' playing James Bond - but will Tom Hiddleston be the next 007?
Daniel Craig, the actor who has played James Bond for four films, has reportedly told studio bosses he is "done" with the role as speculation mounts about his replacement.
The 48-year-old is said to have turned turn a £68million offer from MGM studio to return as the British Secret Service agent for two more films.
Craig, who last year said he would rather "slash my wrists" than agree to another Bond film, told bosses it "just wasn't what he wanted" despite bosses throwing "huge amounts of money at him", a source said.
It comes after a bookmaker suspended betting on who will be named the next 007 after a large bet was placed on British actor Tom Hiddleston taking on the role.
Craig, who has played Bond since 2005, has helped secure more than £2billion in box office revenues.
He is reported to have been paid a total of £38million for the films in the franchise he has starred in - Spectre, Skyfall, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale.
Craig has now turned down an offer to return for two more films in a £68million deal that would have included endorsements, profit shares, and a co-producing role, an LA film source told the Daily Mail.
"Daniel is done - pure and simple - he told top brass at MGM after Spectre," the source said. "They threw huge amounts of money at him, but it just wasn't what he wanted.
After his comment that he would rather "slash my wrists" than agree to another Bond role, Craig later said he would agree to it "for the money".
But the source said that a knee injury he suffered during filming for a scene in Spectre had helped him decide that "it was a journey with an ending".
Meanwhile, a flurry of bets have tipped Hiddleston - the star of The Night Manager - to replace Craig, making him the 2-1 favourite. After a particularly big gamble, his odds plummeted to 1-2 and Coral suspended betting.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes is among those still accepting bets and it says Hiddleston is the frontrunner to become 007, with punters offered odds of 2/5.
Luther star Idris Elba and Homeland actor Damian Lewis had been frontrunners for the job in previous months.
Elba was priced at 9-1 and Lewis at 14-1 before betting was suspended. Poldark star Aidan Turner had 3-1 odds and Mad Max: Fury Road actor Tom Hardy was at 4-1.
Earlier this week, Hiddleston was reportedly spotted meeting with Bond movie director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli.
Nicola McGeady, a spokeswoman for Coral, said: "There is no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we've had no choice but to pull the plug on the market.
"Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston."
Jessica Bridge, of Ladbrokes, said: "Nearly 5,000 bets have been placed on the next James Bond market and Hiddleston is the fifth different favourite that's proving a popular bet with punters.
"Previous gambles have seen Hardy and Lewis backed into odds-on so as far as we're concerned it's not over until the fat lady sings."


Return - What Does It Mean?
What does the term "return" mean? What is meant by a "return"?
A "return" is the amount of profit that you make on an investment.
For instance - let's say that you invest $10,000 in shares of Microsoft. You end up buying 300 shares.
Two years later, you decide to sell your shares after an impressive run by the company. You end up selling your shares at double what you paid for them, meaning that your $10,000 turned into $20,000.
In this scenario, you would have booked a return of $10,000 ($20,000 - $10,000 original investment = $10,000 return).
Let's look at one more scenario.
You purchase an investment property for $175,000. You spend $25,000 renovating the house, bringing your total investment up to $200,000.
After finishing the renovations, you list the property for $250,000. You quickly find a buyer who is willing to pay full price, and the deal goes through without a hitch. After paying out expenses (real estate agent, other assorted fees), you end up receiving $240,000.
In this scenario, the total return on your investment was $40,000.
It's important to consider inflation when considering a return on an investment.
For instance - let's say that you purchase $200,000 in shares of a publicly traded company. You end up holding for 10 years and eventually sell, realizing a total profit of $10,000.
Now, inflation eroded the value of your $200,000 over the years, which made your $10,000 "return" a loss. If you had just stuck that $200,000 in the bank, you would have seen a much bigger return on your investment.


Police saw "al-Qaeda-inspired" gang with men who carried out London attacks.
Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Anthony Garcia, Jawad Akbar and Salahuddin Amin were convicted of conspiring with Mohammed Momin Khawaja, a Canadian, to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.
Garcia and Khyam were found guilty of possessing an article for terrorism - the fertiliser - and Khyam was also convicted of having aluminium powder, an ingredient in explosives.
The men had denied all charges.
Khyam's brother, Shujah Mahmood, and another man, Nabeel Hussain, were found not guilty of being involved in the plot.
During the trial, prosecutors said the men had only to decide on a target when they were arrested in 2004.
Court papers, which could be detailed only after the trial, showed that police observing the gang had established links between them and two of the four men who later carried out the London suicide bombings in July 2005, killing 52 people.
Spies had seen Mohammed Sidique Khan, the suspected ringleader of the July 7 bombings, and his accomplice, Shehzad Tanweer, with the men in the days leading up to their arrest.
Police swooped on the suspects about 16 months before four British Muslims carried out the attacks on London's transport system.
The main prosecution witness in the case was Mohammed Babar, a Pakistan-born American who has admitted to terrorism-related offences in New York.
He said he was the men's accomplice and had helped get materials to make the bombs.
The prosecution said the men had discussed targets - including London's biggest nightclub, the Ministry of Sound - gas, water and electricity supplies, synagogues, trains, aircraft, and a large shopping centre, Bluewater, to the east of the capital.
Babar said some of the suspects had also suggested poisoning fast-food takeaways and beer at soccer matches.
"The only sensible conclusion is that al-Qaeda does sit behind it [the plot]," a senior British counter terrorism detective said.
The suspects were arrested on March 30, 2004, after the fertiliser was discovered in a storage facility in west London.


Given the title of Les Murray's latest book, you'd perhaps expect that 'The Shining Slopes and Planes' – the poem in which the term “biplane houses” appears – would provide a key to unlocking this collection. In a sense it does: the poem evokes a runway full of simple Australian houses, entities that appear the least likely to sprout wings, organic or mechanistic, and fly. The poem implies that it is the people within these houses that possess the possibility for a non-literal take off, a spiritual or at least psychological flight. But for this reviewer the poem 'The Tune on Your Mind' offers a more satisfying access point to Murray's first collection with Black Inc.
of people skills. The need for Rules.
Never towing a line from the Ship of Fools.
The avoided eyes. Great memory.
Hyssop can be a bitter herb.
Here Murray appears to acknowledge the fact that he suffers from a condition that is likely to have made a strong contribution to the Les Murray that many in Australian literary circles (and beyond) have viewed as a caustic and relationally difficult man. The poem, while not an apology, appears to offer at least an explanation for his personality traits. It documents a moment of self-awareness and in so doing becomes an act of sharing. Some, however, may see the poem as merely offering excuses.
Regardless, it's interesting to reflect on what the poem can tell us about Murray the poet, as well as Murray the person (not that Murray or anyone else can be divided up in this way). His last three collections, while containing some outstanding poems, have tended to lecture, the “lectures instead of chat” that 'The Tune on Your Mind' emphasises. To paraphrase the storytelling dictum, there has been a predisposition in Murray's recent poetry (some might say in all his poetry) to tell readers about the universe, rather than show it to us.
Murray can be playful; he employs an alien's view of earth that can produce some astonishing imagery. His description of foals and other flora and fauna in 'Pastoral Sketches' in this collection is an example. But there hasn't been lately, for this reviewer, enough of a personal sense of mystery flowing from Murray and into his work. There has been more the sense that life, God, the natural world, people, religion and politics are mysterious; but, unfortunately, the reader has been compelled to merely 'listen' to the poetic phenomenon known as 'Les Murray' to have these mysteries explained to them. Perhaps Murray has, more so than ever, taken on the mantle of prophet for Australians in our “biplane houses”.
I've mentioned the need to access and unlock Murray's poetry. It may be that those with huge intellects, steeped in learning – whether in Australian and/or world history, etymology, poetics, religion and politics – have little trouble accessing Murray's poetry. But the truth of the matter is that Murray, for mere mortals, is a difficult poet. But because he is labelled Australia's premier poet, he remains the poet to whom many non-poetry readers turn to get a handle on 'what's happening in Australian poetry'. And that's a bit like deciding to get in touch with postmodernism by making Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology your first port of call; or, having never polished off a supermarket wine, deciding you'll wrap your lips around a bottle of Grange to get a taste for Australian wine.
Is the 'Inland' passing over lungless flies? Or are the lungless flies doing their quizzing below the Inland's pass? Or both? Personally, I don't mind; it all works to bend, twist and turn the image into itself and out again. But when this meandering happens regularly in Murray's work (and to even more entangling degrees), you can find yourself pulling up when perhaps the poet would prefer you rolled on. At its best this kind of line ending sleight-of-hand creates fascinating juxtapositions. At its worst, combined with difficult syntax and obscure subject matter and punning, you feel like you're reading end-on-end cryptic crossword clues.
having once more scattered itself from its urn.
The sense the poem offers is of Australia as a kind of floating continent in Asia/the world; unclear of its place, unable to assert or understand its identity. Murray in the space of six stanzas presents a meditation on our culture stronger and deeper than many sociologists could produce in numerous books; or lectures.
When he doesn't lecture and instead dialogues with the reader (and the universe, God, nature, etc) Murray is outstanding. At his best, he deserves the plaudits that are heaped upon him. The fun and games punning and language poetry of 'Black Belt' and 'A Dialect History of Australia'; the incomparable imagery, sensitivity (in all senses of the word) and intelligence in 'The Nostril Songs' and 'Lattice Door'; the imagistic engagements with history and present Australian culture in 'On the Central Coast Line', 'On the North Coast Line' and 'The Newcastle Rounds' – these works confirm for us Murray's reputation for grandeur, tautness, passion and political sensibility; a sensibility far more complex than that suggested by many of his critics.
Despite this, however, Murray still sets up a 'good vs. evil' battle between city and country. I don't have space here to elucidate this ongoing theme in Murray's work except to say that, despite the obvious quality of poems such as 'Lifestyle', it's hard to reconcile the fact that Australia's premier poet doesn't think much of the reality that 80 percent of the population gathers together in concrete and steel, rather than woodland and pasture. On the other hand Murray is clearly a poet passionate about people. Works such as 'For an 80th Birthday', an unsentimental in-memoriam piece, and 'Barker Unchained', offering a celebration of a friend's life as a teacher, are works full of love and grace. Religious concerns, another regular (but often overlooked) theme in Murray's work are also present in this collection and come to the fore in the collection's opening poem 'Averted', the resurrection poem 'Post Mortem', 'Church' and several others.
While it has its weaknesses, The Biplane Houses reminds us of Murray's strengths and the reasons for so much Australian poetry being measured against his output. The emotional and personal concerns aired in 'The Tune on Your Mind' and the strengths of this collection tell me that, despite the fact that Murray is rounding on 70, his best works may be yet to come.
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Why Older Workers Find It Difficult to Get a Job?
Older workers are finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs in the USA. Some of them are unemployed for years and surviving on 401-K savings and part-time jobs. The chances of older people finding jobs have been on the decline steadily since the begging of this century.
Every time they attend an interview they feel depressed or frustrated because of the questions they have to answer and the matter of fact manner in which they are treated by the recruiters. They even feel depressed that neither their experience nor their qualifications are considered good enough to get them a second interview.
According to a recent estimate, the average duration of unemployment for older people is about 53 weeks, whereas it is 19 weeks for teenagers. The number of unemployed people between ages 50 and 65 is also said to be rising gradually.
If you are over 50 and planning to go to college to update your academic qualifications and pay the fee that runs into thousands of dollars besides the time and other expenses, think again. Chances are you may not be able to recover the expenses you may incur to earn that extra degree, since it does not greatly improve your resume or job opportunities.
Jobless old workers who are not officially eligible for Medicare, have to spend money on their own for their healthcare insurance, which is expensive nowadays. If their insurance has higher deductibles, it makes matters worse.
Some of the major consequences of unemployment among older workers are economic hardship, health problems, homelessness, and increasing divorces and suicide rates.
Not enough research has been done on the subject of joblessness and related problems faced by older workers in the country. The following facts are mostly responsible for the increasing long-term unemployment rate among older workers.
1. Transference: Recruiters, who are mostly young or middle-aged may subconsciously transfer the feelings of negativity and resentment they feel towards the older generation to the older workers they interview.
2. Fear: Young employers may fear that they may not be able to discipline or control the older workders or they may not readily fit into their team culture.
3. Prejudice: Recruiters may believe that older workers either lack skills or difficult to train and motivate. They may be influenced by the belief that older people are rigid or inflexible in their thinking and attitude.
5. Young people cost less: Companies may prefer recruiting young college graduates and pay them less starting salaries than to recruit older workers with better experience and qualifications and pay them more.
4. Skills gap: Most older workers may not have the right skills or job knowledge to perform many specialized jobs that required technical expertise. They may not also feel comfortable to perform certain labor intensive jobs such as carrying weights, driving for long hours, or farm work.
5. Inadequate preparation: Older workers may not prepare as thoroughly and seriously as younger workers for the job interviews or show the same energy and enthusiasm during the interviews.
6. Supply and demand: Due to recession and high unemployment rates in the country, companies now have a lot of options to choose candidates. This coupled with immigration and outsourcing, makes the older workers least desirable in the selection process.
7. Networking. Most jobs in the country are filled through networking. If you know someone in a company or a department, your chances of getting an interview opportunity are much higher. Older people may not be as effectively networking as younger ones and thereby do not get enough interview calls.
8. Mobility. Older workers may not like to relocate to new places since they may have settled at the same place for long and prefer staying there.
9. Politics. Politicians of the major parties do not care much about the problems of older workers. They spend more time talking about legalizing the illegal immigrants and providing them with work permit since they constitute a major vote bank.


An Objectivist Individualist: Is the Earth Still Warming?
Is the Earth still warming? The answer depends upon whether one examines the surface temperature or whether one determines the heat content of the subsurface. Because the oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface and water has a very high specific heat, the oceans hold a very large amount of heat. But, if the sea surface is warmed, it takes a good time for that heat at the surface of the ocean to percolate downward to substantial depths.
Over the last 17 years the surface temperatures have been nearly constant, though the recent trend actually appears to be a slight cooling. This cooling makes good sense given the solar activity cycle. That solar cycle is imposed on a long term near linear warming which has been ongoing since the end of the Little Ice Age. The long warming since the end of the Little Ice Age is because the oceans have been slowly warming to greater depth since the surface temperatures increased after the Little Ice Age. Contrary to some claims, the Little Ice Age was a worldwide event, though there are some interesting differences between the northern and southern hemispheres in the timing of the coldest periods, perhaps due in large part to the greater ocean coverage in the southern hemisphere.
Figure 1. The surface temperature since the end of the Little Ice Age showing a near linear long term increase in the temperature with the variations in the solar cycle superimposed upon that linear increase. The red dot with the green arrow pointing at it was the temperature recently. That temperature is consistent with the expected effect of the solar cycle heading toward its normal cooling phase. Superimposing a sinusoidal wave on a positively sloped line will produce a nearly flat sum when the sinusoidal curve is early in its decreasing mode.
The Australian Climate Commission just released a claim that the Earth continues to warm. Clearly the surface temperature is not continuing to warm, so what is the basis of its claim? It is that the heat content of the subsurface ocean is continuing to increase. Well, of course it is. Since the surface temperatures are almost constant for the last 17 years and it takes a long time for the heat in the shallow depths of the ocean to work its way deeper, this is just what one expects. Indeed this gradual long term warming of the ocean to deeper depths is the basis of the linear long term temperature increase since the end of the Little Ice Age.
Ocean temperature data to greater depths is being added to the heat content studies of the oceans. Let us examine one such study's results.
The heat content of the oceans to a depth of 2000 meters is shown with the red line. It has been rising generally since about 1969, though that rise paused from about 1979 to 1990. If you examine the black line measuring the heat content between 700 m and 2000 m, it shows no significant rise until about 1993. Basically, this tells us that the increasing heat content in the 0 to 700 m depth from 1969 on did not substantially cause warming in the oceans at the deeper depths from 700 m to 2000 m until after 1990. The time lag is a couple of decades. So, if the surface warming stopped 17 years ago, that does not mean that the ocean will not continue to increase its heat content for more than 20 years afterward.
Suppose the surface temperature had been at a certain constant temperature for a long time and then increased to a higher temperature for a substantial period of say 30 years. For about 20 years the first 700 m depth of ocean water would warm, but greater depths would not. Then the water deeper than 700 m would start to warm. Throughout this entire time the heat content of the oceans would be increasing.
This would be useful in moderating the cooling coming on as the solar cycle goes into its next cooling cycle. It would be even more beneficial if the solar cooling cycle were entering a 206 year more dramatic cooling cycle such as we saw during the last 1500 years or so. Since we had terribly cold weather from about 1810 to 1820, we are about due for the start of another very cold cycle. Many solar scientists have become very concerned that this present solar cooling cycle will be anomalously cold.
The continued warming of the oceans to greater depths is no evidence of any unnatural effect and it most certainly is not evidence of man-made global warming due to the use of fossil fuels as is being claimed by the Australian Climate Commission. Such claims are scientifically so bogus that they can only be interpreted as attempts to mislead the People with fallacious arguments. This is a matter of scientists and the politicians, who provide scientists with almost all of their research money, conning the People. There is a great deal of power, wealth, and prestige in being able to con the People.


Picture the following situation. Two men are told to measure a board. The first man uses a yardstick which is three inches too short while the second man uses a yardstick which is two inches too long. The men would measure the board and would get two different lengths for the same board. The obvious reason for the men getting the different measurements would be that both had used a different standard of measurement. Each man might think that he is right and confusion would probably result.
Today, in the religious world, there is much confusion. There are various reasons for this, but perhaps one important reason is that there are too many sources of authority being used. Most of the religious people in today's society believe, at least to some extent, that the Bible is to be our source of authority. However, these people may not accept the Bible as the only source of authority. Further, even when they say they do, they will sometimes turn to other sources of authority when unable to justify something that they are practicing religiously. Let us consider some inappropriate standards of authority that are commonly used today to justify religious practices.
Some people use the concept of the majority as a standard of right and wrong in religious matters. They feel that if a majority of the people are practicing a particular thing, then it cannot be wrong. They might say, "Why, there are millions in the religious group that I am a part of," or "there are many who believe as I believe." Does the fact that a majority believes a certain thing make it right? Is it correct to use the majority as our source of authority or to believe a certain way simply because so many others do?
It should be obvious that the majority is not to be our standard of authority, because, if it is, truth would change as we change locations. The beliefs of the majority about a certain matter may be different in the South than they are in the North. Also, the views of the majority may vary from country to country. Some countries, for example, consist of populations of people who do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If a person uses the majority as his standard, it would seem that he would need to change his belief every time that he changed locations when the majority of the people in the new location believed differently than the majority in his old location.
Consider a few Bible principles. Exodus 23:2 warns, "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil...." Also, Matthew 7:13-14 shows the great mistake of this standard as it says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." In some situations, there is safety in numbers. However, this concept is not correct in spiritual matters. We must not use the majority as our source of authority.
Others use their conscience as their standard of authority. This, however, cannot be a correct standard as it is possible for a person to have a good conscience and yet be in sin. Consider the case of Paul. Paul, previous to his conversion, was a persecutor of Christians. We are told that during this time he had a good conscience. Acts 23:1 says, "...I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day." Also, in Acts 26:9, he said, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." A conscience may be programmed incorrectly, and, thus, a person could have a good conscience and still be in sin. Surely, the conscience, by itself, is not a correct standard of authority. A conscience must be properly programmed according to God's Word.
There are others whose parents are their source of authority in religious matters. These will not accept the truth on certain subjects because their parents did not believe that way. Surely this is a wrong source of authority. We must always honor our parents. However, it is possible that they may have been wrong in their beliefs and practices. We must not reject truth simply because it is contrary to what our parents believed. Matthew 10:37 says, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me...."
There are still others who follow their feelings as their authority. Surely we recognize this as an unsafe guide. How many times have we felt that something would happen, and yet it did not happen? It is obvious that we cannot always trust our feelings. Nevertheless, some people will say, "I know that I am saved because I feel that I am saved." They will say this and just ignore what the Bible teaches about salvation. These individuals might further say something such as, "I would not give up this feeling that I have in my heart for a whole stack of Bibles. Sadly, these individuals have their feelings as their authority. This is a most regrettable attitude.Proverbs 16:25 states a very important truth. It says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." As we have previously noted, Paul felt that he was right when he persecuted Christians.
What is to be our Authority?
So far, we have noticed standards that are not to be our authority. Our authority is not to be the majority, the conscience, our parents, or our feelings. What then is to be our authority? Our authority is to be God's Word. The Bible is to be our guide; it is to be our source of authority.Consider a few passages. II Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." II John 9 says that we must abide in the "doctrine of Christ."
We must accept the Bible, and the Bible only, as our source of authority. These human standards will lead us astray.


For the comparitively few overseas publishers who visited its book fair, there were projects to pursue - Most fairgoers-indeed, most people in the local book trade were certainly not aware that they were practically rubbing shoulders with one of America's most unconventional, least classifiable writers. No surprise that they did not, for he is also one of America's least accessible, having elected quarters in what must be the ultimate retreat: a balcony flat in the compound of Jerusalem's Ethiopian Church, in a lemon grove behind that curious 19th century church-in-the-round., his neighbors are the black-robed monks of a Christian sect which sees itself linked to Judaism via the son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba. The monks' uncommon tenant is Edward Whittemore. Yale-educated, just turned 50, whose first novel. Quin's Shanghai Circus (1974) was a Book-of-the-Month alternate in the original Holt,. Rinehart and Winston edition, a Popular Library paperback recently reissued by Avon's Bard imprint, Whittemore has at various times been compared to Vladimir Nabokov, Carlos Fuentes, Thomas Pynchon. as well as to Lawrence Durrell of the Alexandria Quartet, for he is a decade into his own Jerusalem Quartet; actually the only thing that the two writers have in common is the sun.
Three novels of the quartet have been published so far by Holt: Sinai Tapestry (1977). Jerusalem Poker (1978) and the new Nile Shadows. of which PW's reviewer said, "one of the most complex and ambitious espionage stories ever written" Critics have called his books "cosmic'" and "fabulous" (New York Times) and have seen him as "one of the last. best arguments against television" (Harper's). The Jerusalem books can be read independently, although the main characters reappear and the mood and intensity are maintained.
The fourth and last novel of the series. which is now being written in the Ethiopian compound will be called Bernini's Bag. Some of it takes place in New York City. where Whittemore has lived, some right in the Ethiopian compound where PW's correspondent found the author.
Whittemore has lived a good part of his life outside the United States - in the Orient, in Greece and in ltaly; he came to Jerusalem to be closer to his subject matter. But he makes a point of keeping aloof from the local cultural scene, and his closest contacts are in New York. With Tom Wallace until he left Holt, now with his editor Judy Karasik there, and with agent Lois Wallace. His writing days follow Israeli office hours-8 AM-4 PM., sometimes six days a week; he finds it convenient to respect the Shabbath week-end, which begins Friday after lunch. Sunday morning, like almost everybody else in Israel, he is back at his desk-like almost everybody else in Israel except the Ethiopian monks praying as they walk around their church and the French nuns who sing like angels in their convent yard just across the road.


A CASE STUDY: An opportunity to identify ethical issues related to beneficience.
Read the following case study and answer the question that follows. This is not a test of your knowledge of research ethics – it is simply to give you the opportunity to say what you think are the ethical issues that relate to beneficence and to receive feedback on what you have said.
Cholesterol, childhood and cardiovascular health.
There is overwhelming evidence, from autopsies performed on children who died accidental deaths and from studies on young soldiers who died in their early 20s that atherosclerosis, a build up of plaque in the arteries, starts in childhood.
It is also known that there is a correlation between cholesterol and other blood fat levels in children and the degree of atherosclerosis in their arteries. Children and adolescents with high cholesterol levels are more likely than the general population to have high levels as adults. Recent reports have further predicted that the life expectancy of this generation of obese children is likely to be reduced by at least 5 years due to complications of cardiovascular disease.
It is not yet known if lowering a child's cholesterol levels changes their risk later in life for developing coronary disease. Studies have not been conclusive and a substantial number of children with high cholesterol levels become adults with acceptable cholesterol levels without intervention. Some studies support the use of cholesterol lowering drugs by children whose cholesterol remains high despite diet and exercise changes. One class of drugs especially, known as Z-class has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol levels in children with inherited forms of high cholesterol and not to affect their growth or progression to puberty. However, some concern remains about the effects of a life-long regime of such drugs for children.
Dr. Cook, who is employed as a paediatrician by the Rural Health Service located in a small town in a rural area in Australia, has been disappointed that her patients, who attend an obesity clinic, have been unable to lose weight despite changes in diet and exercise habits. She is approached by Ozpharma, an Australian pharmaceutical manufacturer to be a co-investigator in a trial of Z100, a novel agent designed to reduce cholesterol in children and young people and, as a result, decrease their risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Ozpharma has proposed a clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of Z100 in obese children and adolescents (ages 8-16 years) with high cholesterol.
In collaboration with Ozpharma, Dr Cook devises and presents for ethical approval the following multi-pronged study.
She will recruit participants from the children who visit her clinic and members of their families and also approach the local primary and high schools to ask their principals to distribute invitations to all enrolled children between the ages of 8 and 18. Dr. Cook is aware that some of her regular patients are from Aboriginal families and that the school population includes a significant number of Aboriginal children.
Children will be randomly allocated to one of three arms: the first will receive Z100, the Ozpharma agent, and enrol and be monitored on a diet and exercise program, the second will receive a placebo that looks exactly like the active agent and also be enrolled in the diet and exercise program and the third will receive only Z100 and, although not on a diet and exercise program, will also report on what they eat and the extent of their normal exercise.. All children, whether already regulars or not, will need to attend the clinic weekly to have their cholesterol levels tested and the diaries of their diet and exercise programs checked. Neither the children nor their families nor Dr Cook and her researcher colleagues will know to which arm individual children have been allocated.
At the time of the enrolment in the study, children who have raised cholesterol will also be asked to talk with their parents and blood relatives about all giving blood samples. It will be emphasised that it is important to include as many family members as possible and that those who agree will be asked about members of their families known to have, or if they have died, to have had high cholesterol, or who are or were obese. The blood samples will be analysed to determine which of the children have inherited forms of raised cholesterol. (Some earlier studies suggest that drug intervention is only effective in reducing cholesterol that is inherited and both Ozpharma and Dr Cook want to further test this hypothesis.) The blood samples will be sent to a laboratory in the nearest State capital for testing and return. After the test results are collated to test the inherited cholesterol hypothesis, they will be destroyed.
Dr Cook believes that the study is worth doing because it may open ways to more effectively treat high cholesterol in children and, by the engagement of families, may generate better understanding of the importance of addressing these conditions in childhood.
If you were asked to be a co-researcher in this study or a member of an ethics review body reviewing this study, and needed to be satisfied that the project met the value and principle of beneficence, what would you want to know before you agreed to be part of the team or approved the study?
The material that you have reviewed in Part A of this Module will assist you to identify the ethical matters that relate to the value of beneficence.
You may well identify other matters of research ethics that relate to one or more of the other key values of the National Statement, but the focus of this Module is on beneficence.
Will the clinic patients have unrealistic expectations of benefit?
To whom will those benefits accrue: participants or others?
Will there be risks of identifiability, in a small community, as participants and therefore as having raised cholesterol and being “sick”?
Will there be risks of distress in identifying relatives who are obese or, if they have died, were obese?
What are the risks of taking the Ozpharma agent?
What are the are risks of giving blood samples?
What are the risks of being identified through the blood samples?
In relation to all of the identified risks, how will they be managed?


Fingers crossed they can also break the girlband curse in the charts.
"It's still a little hard to say what's going on," Jade Thirwall sang with bewilderment during Little Mix's winning performance on the X Factor final. Under normal circumstances we'd fully expect the winning act to sport the obligatory surprise face, but given they were put together just three months ago and managed to break the show's eight-year girlband curse, their shock seemed all the more heart-warming.
Truth be told, we feared the worst for them when it was announced this year's winner's single would be a cover of Damien Rice's 'Cannonball'. Naturally the production has been given the deluxe valet, swapping the raw acoustics of the original for a Casio keyboard piano riff, fist-clenching strings and the inevitable key change. But credit where it's due, they've played around (or as Gary put it, "Little Mixed") with it enough to distance themselves from the original. The next step? To break the girlband curse in the charts.


Were the Paris terror attacks planned in Belgium?
Brussels: The Paris terror attacks that killed 129 people and injured 349 others were "planned in Belgium", local media reported on Sunday quoting France's interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
The confirmed connection with Belgium came as more police raids were carried out in the Brussels district of Molenbeek on Sunday, according to a report on the website of Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.
Two French nationals living in Brussels' Molenbeek have been identified as among the eight attackers who died during the massacre, the French public prosecutor said.
French police are urgently trying to locate Abdeslam Salah, a 26-year-old man born in Brussels, who was wanted in connection with the terror attacks. Police described him as "dangerous" and should not be approached in person.
Seven people have been arrested in Belgium since Friday's attacks, one of whom is reported to be Salah's brother.


Select two items that are appropriate for shopping, e.g. bags, money.
Follow instructions for going shopping on two occasions.


" Christmas Time (Is Here Again)". is a Christmas song recorded by the Beatles for their 1967 fan club Christmas record. The song opens with a light-hearted tune from all four of the Beatles and occasionally cuts Beatles 1967 christmas record a tale of the Beatles arriving at the fictional BBC house.
The Beatles' Christmas Records were last officially released together in one package (a single LP issued to fan club members only) way back in 1970: Prior to that, starting in 1963, the Official Beatles Fan Club in Britain and in the US sent members a one-sided flexi disc each December containing Christmas greetings and lots of.
Christmas time is here again! So sang the Beatles on their 1967 Christmas record, one of several now-collectable flexi-discs issued annually to members of the band's official fan clubs in the UK and the US.
Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for The Christmas Records - The Beatles on AllMusic. The Beatles' Fifth Christmas Record  Originally released exclusively through The Beatles’ fan club, the Beatles Christmas records are being reissued in a coloured vinyl box set on 15 December. Dec 22, 2014. The Beatles spent most of the 1966 edition of their Christmas record. (1967). The Beatles. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band er, the.
The Christmas Records [Box Set] (7" ) The Beatles Currently Unavailable. The Beatles’ Fifth Christmas Record 1967. The Beatles 06: 06: Side F Titles.
Now that the band had mastered their studio domain, the Beatles' 1967 seasonal message – wrapped in a Sgt. Pepper–like collage of vintage photos created by Lennon and Starr – would be the.
Recorded: 28 November 1967; Location: Studio Three EMI Studios, London; Writer: The Beatles. Find a The Beatles - Christmas Album first pressing or reissue. sleeves (" Theatre Royal" should be clear in the 1967 group photograph, for example) and a 1. Rather, at Christmas time 1964, US fans received an edited version of The Beatles' Christmas Record, which had Beatles 1967 christmas record sent to British fan-club members in 1963.
Also, as opposed to using flexi-discs, the US fan-club sent the message in a tri-fold cardboard mailer, with the" record" embedded in one of the flaps of cardboard.
EMI Studios, Abbey Road, 28 November 1967 The Beatles' fifth fan club Christmas record was recorded and mixed on the 28th of November 1967. The song, credite. The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record This song is by The Beatles and appears on the compilation album The Beatles' Christmas Album (1970). The first Beatles Christmas fan club disc to be recorded separately, the 1968 offering is a collage of odd noises, musical snippets, and individual messages. Find great deals on eBay for beatles christmas record.
Shop with confidence. Every Christmas from 1963 through 1969, The Official Beatles Fan Club sent free 7 inch Christmas records to their fan club members, which contained skits, messages and brief songs which were otherwise unavailable. “happy christmas, beatle people! ” the beatles ring in the holidays with ‘the christmas records’ limited edition seven-inch vinyl box set to be released december 15 The Beatles / The Christmas Records / new coloured vinyl box set November 2, 2017 by Paul Sinclair tags: 1960s, coloured vinyl, The Beatles Annual Christmas ‘fab four’ fan club tomfoolery commemorated The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations 1967 Version 2 compiled by Joseph Brennan.
A DAY IN THE LIFE. were made for the 1967 Christmas record, but the. Christmas Album The Beatles Format: Vinyl.
3. 9 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews. See all 2 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. The Christmas. The Beatles are releasing a 7″ vinyl box set of their Christmas fan club singles. The Beatles’ holiday recordings were originally pressed on flexi discs and mailed to fan club members each.
Dec 8, 2007. 1967. Christmas Time (Is Here Again). Released December 15, 1967. Recorded November 28, 1967. EMI Abbey Road Studio 2. Produced by.


You have questions about ladybugs and we strive to bring you quality answers!
Ladybugs are invading my home. How do I get rid of ladybugs?
Actual reader question: "We have small bugs which look like ladybugs in our kitchen up under the floor counters behind the kick board. I have used bombs and spray to get rid of them and they are still with us. Do I need to remove the counters from the wall? Like I said, they are smaller than a ladybug but look alike."
Answer: I cannot be certain of what your insect species is without looking at a picture, however; based on the time of year this question was asked (late June) I would have to throw a guess and say this is probably Multi-colored Asian lady beetles. These little Asian ladybugs are notorious for invading homes starting in late summer and through October but this can vary by area depending on climate. They also take on a variety of colors and patterns, though I have not heard of their size varying greatly.
As far as getting rid of Asian ladybugs, vacuuming them up seems to be the cleanest and safest weapon of choice. You should probably empty your vacuum promptly after sucking the little critters up because if they survive the process they will inevitably find a way to crawl out.
Prevent future invasions by sealing up every nook and cranny with caulk on your windows, doors and siding. This may not seem practical but we successfully did this with an ant problem.
Also spraying areas of entry with non-toxic mint oil or menthol have been successful in deterring ladybugs.
I don't know if you have children or pets so I don't advise this technique unless you know they will be out of harms way (and you have a serious infestation) but borax (boric acid) is a natural ladybird pesticide. And could be placed in areas where ladybirds are entering.
Have you ever seen mutant ladybugs?
Actual reader question: "Hello! I enjoyed reading through all the information that you have gathered on this site. I've also observed ladybugs in my own yard for many years. This spring, I have noticed for the first time, several mature beetles that are missing most of the right side of their shells. Have you come across this before?"
Answer: I have come across ladybugs similar to this once in a while and seen photographs of fully developed ladybugs that had mishappen or malformed elytra (outer wings). Everything I have researched seems to indicate that this is either a ladybug with a birth defect or an unfortunate mutation.
From an agricultural stand point I know that scientists have actually worked on genetically engineering ladybugs that couldn't fly so they couldn't leave crops. Kind of sad I think. However I think this deals with modifying the ladybug's inner wing.
I would be very interested to see pictures of your curious ladybugs. You are welcome to contribute some in our photography section.
Are there harmful insects that *look* like ladybugs (and the larvae also)?
Actual reader question: "Are there harmful insects that *look* like ladybugs (and the larvae also)? I have what I had always assumed were not ladybugs in my backyard, and this time of year, the ugly black and yellow larvae are all over the place. or, might i have the real deal, and didn't realize it? Thanks in advance (central California)."
Answer: I don't know of any harmful insects off hand that look like a conventional ladybug. I know of some imposters that are not local to California, for example: Clytra atraphaxidis (found in Europe - see picture below). But with so many species of ladybug their larvae can vary in color and appearance signifigantly.
We are in central northern California and all the ladybug species we have found tend to have larvae that are black and grey or black and orange/yellow in color (see some pictures below of different ladybug larvae). This time of year ladybugs are mating and larvae are hatching and spreading in gardens and weed patches in California. If you are seeing tons of these little larvae and ladybugs as well, it is most likely the real deal going through the ladybug lifecycle.
Why are ladybugs attracted to light?
Actual Reader Question: "One question about ladybugs -- I get them in my room which I love, but they go into my lamp and I find their little dead bodies. Do they go to the light to die? Or is it because they cant get out and the light provides them heat? Is there anyway I can keep them from dying?."
Answer: Well you are right about ladybugs needing heat. Ladybug's are ectothermic or cold-blooded in a sense. They rely on heat from their enviroment to keep them warm. However, currently the most sound theory suggests that they are mistaking the light for the sun, as do many other insects such as moths, who use the sun as a source of navigation. They key here being that a ladybug can't actually fly into the sun. The best way to prevent this from happening is to prevent them from getting in your house which is addressed in a question above. In the image to the left researchers are using a light trap to catch ladybugs. Read more techniques on how to catch ladybugs on this page.
Ladybugs are in a great abundance right now (Autumn) outside. What does this mean?
Being october, ladybug species congregate together to hibernate. A lot of time in our area the convergent ladybug, hippodamia convergens can be seen huddled together on trees in winter time. In the picture to the left is an example of the hippodamia convergens hibernating in Soberanes Canyon, Garrapata State Park.
In addition to trees they can be can be found on rocks, plant debris, weeds and grasses and will also huddle in mass on light colored houses. Why do they do this? Light colored houses reflect heat.
Actual Reader Question: I was told there were no male ladybugs, that they were unique in producing on there own.
Answer: Creatures that produce on their own (no mate) are asexual reproducers. However ladybugs like humans reproduce through sexual reproduction. So yes, there are male ladybugs and in most ladybug species there is no way to tell the difference between the male and female ladybugs without expert knowledge of their anatomy.
Are there yellow and black ladybugs?
Actual Reader Question: This past summer during a family barbeque, I noticed that a large flowering tree/bush in our front yard was covered in aphids and what looked like eggs on the under side of the leaves. I was immediately grossed out (that fear again) and was vowing to call the exterminator or buy some aphid killer. Upon closer inspection of the bush and it's brances I noticed a rather odd looking "worm" type creature that was black and yellow with spiky things on it. Again, plagued with fear, as soon as I spotted one on my front porch (near the bush), I squished it (which was before I found them on the bush). Several of us marveled at the few we found hanging on branches and leaves and wondered just what they were. I thought they were adult aphids (yeah...I don't normally read up on insects), but wanted to know more about the interesting caterpillar I found.
Then this past weekend we were pulling up the last of the weeds before the winter and I found the most beautiful yellow and black ladybug ever! This got me wondering if this was just a juvenile ladybug that had grown from the yellow/black larvae and just had not changed to red yet. Am I right or is a yellow/black ladybug another type of ....ahem....beetle? Either way...he/she was still cute and on my nice list.
Answer: There are a number of full grown species that are black and yellow so it would be really hard for me to give you a definitive answer on what species it is without seeing pictures. The picture to the left is a ladybug species called psyllobora vigintiduopunctata. But your average orange and red ladybugs who have just finished there pupa stage will come out a solid yellow. Not only that but it is a beautiful glossy yellow and within an hour the spots will begin to appear. If you check out our ladybug life cycle page, you can see a time lapse of the the 7-spotted ladybug, where it is yellow with faded spots at 45 minutes. Then at 16 hours it is still a lighter orange but with dark spots. You may have seen a ladybug like this in transition. If not perhaps it was another species, there are plenty of ladybug species around. There are six ladybug species that I have found just in my garden.
Can you Identify what ladybug species I have?
Answer: With all the different ladybug species all over the country, we will really need a picture to start with. Then we can properly help you. If you can capture a picture of one of these ladybugs an email it to us, we would be more than happy to help out. Providing the location where the ladybug was found is helpful as additonal information but we can't use this to ID a ladybug alone.
Answer: Creatures that produce on their own (no mate) are asexual reproducers. However Ladybugs like us reproduce through sexual reproduction. So yes there are positively male Ladybugs and in most ladybug species there is no way to tell the difference between sexes with out expert knowledge of their anatomy.
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