Archive for December, 2009
Predator Drones Use Less Encryption Than Your TV and DVDs
Nate Anderson writes on ars technica:
What three-letter Internet acronym best fits the bizarre news out of Iraq and Afghanistan that militants there have been intercepting US Predator drone video feeds using laptops and a $30 piece of Russian software: LOL, WTF, or OMG?
Actually, all three are appropriate for something this farcical, horrible, and brain-numbing. The reason that the transmissions could be picked up easily by a cheap satellite recording program? They were broadcast in the clear between the drone and ground control. That’s right — no encryption was used.
Perhaps, you might be thinking to yourself in a mental bid to make the military seem competent here, no one could have suspected this would happen. But they did suspect it, because it had been happening for a decade already. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story, included this tidbit in its report: “The potential drone vulnerability lies in an unencrypted…
MoveOn Releases Sock-Puppet Video Mocking Joe Lieberman
The Hill reports:
“I would rather see all healthcare reform die than cave to the demands of my constituents,” says the sock version of Lieberman.
He then demands to be named “senator for life” and that his name be inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance in exchange for his healthcare vote.
After the Democrats give into his demands, they ask if Lieberman will vote for the bill.
“Definitely unless I decide not to, in which case you’re kind of screwed all over again, right? That’s what’s going to happen,” he replies.
A New Myth of Money (Video)
Can we heal the wounds at the heart of our economic system? At the new, expanded Reality Sandwich writer Charles Eisenstein and currency specialist Chris Lindstrom talk with Daniel Pinchbeck about introducing a new story of money:
The Sisterhood of the Rose Will Save The World
So we are giving away copies of Jim Marrs’ latest book, The Sisterhood of the Rose, (while supplies last!) to folks who tweet the following on Friday, December 18th:
The Sisterhood of the Rose Will Save The World @disinfo #books #FreeFriday #Sisterhood http://bit.ly/70s4p0
And yes, the more you tweet this, the greater your chance is of receiving a free book.
For more information about The Sisterhood, please check out the companion website, www.SisterhoodoftheRose.org, and read this special message from the author.
Here’s a trailer we made the book:
Military Knew Drones Could Be Hacked In 2004
The Wall Street Journal continues its coverage of the hacked drones scandal:
Senior U.S. military officers working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed the danger of Russia and China intercepting and doctoring video from drone aircraft in 2004, but the Pentagon didn’t begin securing the signals until this year, according to people familiar with the matter.
The disclosure came after The Wall Street Journal reported insurgents in Iraq had intercepted video feeds from drones, downloading unencrypted communications from the unmanned planes. Shiite fighters in Iraq used software programs such as SkyGrabber — available for as little as $25.95 on the Internet — to regularly capture drone video feeds…
Deep-Sea Volcano Erupts 4,000ft Under The Pacific (Video)
Sophie Tedmanson reports for the Times:
Scientists have filmed a volcanic eruption 4,000ft (1,220m) under the sea causing molten lava to flow across the deep ocean floor.
The incredible footage, recorded by a submersible robot, shows the exact moment that a deep-sea volcano erupts from the ocean floor, sending an explosion of bright red lava bubbles and plumes of smoke-like sulphur through the water.
The eruption of the West Mata volcano was filmed by US scientists in May during an underwater expedition south of Samoa. It is the deepest erupting volcano to be discovered.
“It was an underwater Fourth of July,” …
James Cameron’s Non-Avatar Idea: A 26th-Century Cyborg Terrorist
James Cameron was asked by a fan at Comic-Con why he’d abandoned plans to adapt the manga comic book Battle Angel Alita to focus on “Avatar”. The director replied “It’s not a great time to ask a woman if she wants to have other kids when she’s crowning.”
But as “Avatar” finally premiers, this article also traces the 21-volume story of the cyborg manga comic which is considered “the Cameron epic that might have been,” and which might still be, about a 26th-century cyborg terrorist reassembling her human memory!
An Anarchist Defense of Karl Marx
From Chris M. at Black Sun Gazette:
Karl Marx has received a bum rap. Some see him as the godfather of the modern revolutionary movement while others see him as the architect of Stalin’s gulags. I’m in the former camp rather than the latter. This is not to say his he is infallible, his texts are sacred, or his supporters haven’t committed any errors. In fact I think that last point is the cause of most of the controversy.
Few people have bothered to read his works and instead point to the horrors committed by his followers mainly Lenin and the Bolsheviks. After Karl died three main voices appeared in the socialist movement of the 20th century all claiming the mantle of Marx — Bernstein, Lenin, and Luxemburg.
Bernstein who lead the democratic socialists, said revolution was unnecessary and pursed reforms within a democracy (this is the model of a number of European…
Twitter Hacked By the “Iranian Cyber Army”
Michael Arrington writes on TechCrunch:
We’ve received multiple tips right around 10 pm that Twitter was hacked and defaced with the message below. The site is currently offline. We’re looking into this and waiting on a response from Twitter.
The message reads:
Iranian Cyber Army
THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMY
iRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COMU.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But THey Don’t, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To….
NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN? USA?
WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LISTTake Care.
Read More on TechCrunch
Did Google Steal From Philip K. Dick’s Brain?
Great observation from Charlie Jane Anders of io9.com:
Philip K. Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick-Hackett, is considering suing Google because their phone handset may be called the Nexus One.
The Replicants in Dick’s Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? were Nexus-6 models.
Would you want a Roy Batty phone?
Read More on io9.com
Everyone’s a Skeptic — About Other Religions… Merry Swik, Discordians!
The following article “Everyone’s a Skeptic — About Other Religions” is written by James A. Haught, one of over 40 articles in the Disinformation anthology, Everything You Know About God Is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to Religion, edited by Russ Kick.
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Religion is an extremely touchy topic. Church members often become angry if anyone questions their supernatural dogmas. (Bertrand Russell said this is because they subconsciously sense that their beliefs are irrational.) So I try to avoid confrontations that can hurt feelings. Nearly everyone wants to be courteous.
But sometimes disputes can’t be avoided. If you think the spirit realm is imaginary, and if honesty makes you say so, you may find yourself under attack. It has happened to many doubters: Thomas Jefferson was called a “howling atheist.” Leo Tolstoy was labeled an “impious infidel.”
Well, if you wind up in a debate, my advice is: Try to be polite. Don’t let tempers…
As The U.S. Congress Travels More and More, The Public Pays
BRODY MULLINS and T. W. FARNAM write in the Wall Street Journal:
EDINBURGH — The expenses racked up by U.S. lawmakers traveling here for a conference last month included one for the “control room.”
Besides rooms for sleeping, the 12 members of the House of Representatives rented their hotel’s fireplace-equipped presidential suite and two adjacent rooms. The hotel cleared out the beds and in their place set up a bar, a snack room and office space. The three extra rooms — stocked with liquor, Coors beer, chips and salsa, sandwiches, Mrs. Fields cookies and York Peppermint Patties — cost a total of about $1,500 a night. They were rented for five nights.
While in Scotland, the House members toured historic buildings. Some shopped for Scotch whisky and visited the hotel spa. They capped the trip with a dinner at one of the region’s finest restaurants, paid for by the legislators, who got $118 daily…
Howard Dean: This Health Care Bill Will Not Bring Real Reform
I think Howard Dean is quite relevant in this debate, not only as a former presidential candidate and leader of a new way to engage in the political system, but as a doctor as well. Glad to see he is still speaking his mind.
Howard Dean writes in the Washington Post:
If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers’ monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform. Real reform would insert competition into insurance markets, force insurers to cut unnecessary administrative expenses and spend health-care dollars caring for people. Real reform would significantly lower costs, improve the delivery of health care and give all Americans a meaningful choice of coverage. The current Senate bill accomplishes none of these.
Real health-care reform is supposed to eliminate discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But…
Japan Embroiled in Whaling Wars at New Level of Hostility
From The Times:
Japanese sailors in the Antarctic Southern Ocean fired water cannons at self-styled environmental “pirates”, in the annual high-risk struggle over Tokyo’s controversial whale hunt.
Sea Shepherd, the radical environment group which in the past has engaged in violent clashes with the whaling fleet, reported that it was fired upon with water cannons mounted on the Shonan Maru No 2, a ship which is part of the Japanese whaling fleet. The group’s founder, Paul Watson, said that his ship was then pursued for two hours on Monday by the Shonan Maru, apparently in effort to keep the environmentalists away from the main whaling vessels.
“As long as they’re following us, they can relay our position to the whaling fleet so they can move if we’re approaching them,” Captain Watson said, from the Sea Shepherd vessel, the Steve Irwin, named after the late Australian environmentalist. “We’re going to try and lose them…
Bush Intentionally Let Osama bin Laden Escape, Asserts Congressman Hinchey
From The Huff Post:
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) is a progressive Democrat serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee and a member on the Subcommittee on Defense.
In 1999 Hinchey wrote an amendment to intelligence reauthorization legislation that forced the declassification of documents that revealed the active role the Nixon Administration –especially Henry Kissinger– played in the illegal overthrow of Salvador Allende, the democratically elected president of Chile, in 1973.
He has consistently been one of the most outspoken opponents of the 2003 war in Iraq. And has consistently maintained since 2002, that the Bush Administration intentionally let Osama bin Laden escape capture.
Kathleen Wells: You stated recently that the Bush Administration intentionally let Osama Bin Laden escape capture. Can you elaborate on this?
Congressman Maurice Hinchey: Well, I think, if you look back at the situation there, you see that there was…
Welcome to Gitmo North
From Salon:
The Obama administration announced today that it will create a new “supermax” facility in Thomson, Illinois, and will transfer to it many of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo. Critically, none of those moved to Thomson will receive a trial in a real American court, and some will not be charged with any crime at all. The detainees who will be given trials won’t go to Thomson; they’ll be moved directly to the jurisdiction where they’ll be tried. The ones moved to Thomson will either (a) be put before a military commission or (b) held indefinitely without charges of any kind. In other words, they’ll have exactly the same rights — or lack thereof — as they have now at Guantanamo.
William Lynn, Obama’s Deputy Defense Secretary, sent a letter today (.pdf) to GOP Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois, answering multiple questions Kirk had posed, and made clear that all Thomson detainees will either have military commissions…
GOP’s Global Warming Rumble: Sarah Palin vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger
From Yahoo News:
San Francisco – The Sarah Palin-Arnold Schwarzenegger clash over climate change pits two Republican stalwarts in a tiff that brings to the fore the divisions within the GOP on environmental policy and global warming.
It all began when the California governor questioned Ms. Palin’s motivation for penning an op-ed article in The Washington Post that questions climate change science based on leaked e-mails from a leading research group. (Read more about the controversy over climate researchers’ hacked e-mails here.)
In her Dec. 9 article, Ms. Palin criticized the Democrats cap-and-trade plan to limit greenhouse-gas emissions as a jobs killer and called on President Obama to boycott the Copenhagen climate talks, reflecting a skeptical view of global warming often seen in conservatives’ Tea Party protests.
Mr. Schwarzenegger, a leading proponent of environmental policies to head off climate change, told the Financial Times: “You have to ask: what was she trying to accomplish? Is she really interested in this subject or…
The Dreaded Patriarchy Claims Another Victim
From Mutterhals at Black Sun Gazette:
I read an article in Jezebel that irked me, which is why I don’t usually read Jezebel. I’m not a huge fan of anyone who feels the need to loudly assert that they are a card-carrying feminist. These are the same people who balk when you fail to assert the same and immediately assume that you must be some docile Nazi house wife.
The article mournfully retells the story of a female business blogger, who claims assuming a man’s identity online improved her standing in the fast paced, super-elite world of business blogging (nevermind the fact that her real sex was listed on her blog and available to everyone with two eyes and one functioning finger). In her words:
Business opportunities fell into my lap. People asked for my advice, and they thanked me for it, too.
No hassles. Higher acceptance. And gratifying respect for my talents and round-the-clock work ethic.
My Entry into The Sisterhood of the Rose
Editor’s note: The following article is written by Jim Marrs, author of the recent Disinformation published book, The Sisterhood of the Rose. For more information about Jim Marrs’ latest book, please check out the companion website, www.SisterhoodoftheRose.org.
When I announced to my publishers that my next book would be a novel, titled The Sisterhood of the Rose, I knew for sure that they were taken aback. As a well-known “conspiracy” writer, I’ve spent nearly fifty years chronicling the “unreality” of reality, whether it involved the still unanswered questions surrounding the JFK assassination, elite powers that influence world events right under our noses, or even the vast underreported evidence for extraterrestrial contact since we detonated the atomic bomb.
So why would I make it easier for the skeptics out there by venturing into a fictional realm, considering that my journalistic work has been a hard pill for these folks to swallow?
The Sisterhood of the Rose began when I met Celeste Levesque, whose remembrance of a past life was the result of her near-death experience in the 1980s. I was very fortunate that Celeste unwaveringly supported my efforts to translate her story of a previous life as Giselle Tchaikovsky, a wealthy American ballerina who created an international Sisterhood during World War II, into a coherent book. Together, we traveled to the Languedoc region of southern France, visiting the mysterious village of Rennes-le-Château and the Cathar stronghold at Montségur, searching for evidence of this Sisterhood. I have to say that I was surprised to meet several people over there that did say that they shared memories of the Sisterhood’s existence…
