Pinboard (amrpt)

Iran cuts down to six weeks timeline for weapons-grade uranium

amrpt — 2012-02-23T03:26:52+00:00

Tehran this week hardened its nuclear and military policies in defiance of tougher sanctions and ahead of international nuclear talks. The threat by Iran’s armed forces deputy chief Gen. Mohammad Hejazi of a preemptive strike against its “enemies,” was accompanied by its refusal to allow UN nuclear watchdog inspectors to visit the Parchin facility, following which the IAEA chief cut their mission short. Western and Israeli intelligence experts have concluded that the transfer of 20 percent uranium enrichment to the underground Fordo site near Qom has shortened Iran’s race for the 90 percent (weapons) grade product to six weeks.

Chart: Nearly Half of All Americans Don't Pay Income Taxes

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:56:10+00:00

Another eye-popping number was the percentage of Americans who don’t pay income taxes, which now accounts for nearly half of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, most of that population receives generous federal benefits. “One of the most worrying trends in the Index is the coinciding growth in the non-taxpaying public,” wrote Heritage authors Bill Beach and Patrick Tyrrell. “The percentage of people who do not pay federal income taxes, and who are not claimed as dependents by someone who does pay them, jumped from 14.8 percent in 1984 to 49.5 percent in 2009.” That means 151.7 million Americans paid nothing in 2009. By comparison, 34.8 million tax filers paid no taxes in 1984.

Iran Holds Air Defense Drills As IAEA Says Iran Blocks Access To Key Nuclear Site

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:50:31+00:00

As if the market needed another bizarro catalyst to ramp even higher courtesy of an even more pronounced drop in corporate earnings courtesy of soaring energy costs, that is just what it is about to get following news of further deterioration in the Nash equilibrium in Iran, where on one hand we learn that IAEA just pronounced Iran nuclear talks a failure (this is bad), and on the other Press TV reports that the Iran army just started a 4 day air defense exercise in a 190,000 square kilometer area in southern Iran (this is just as bad). The escalation "ball" is now in the Western court. And if Iraq is any indication, after IAEA talks "failure" (no matter how grossly manipulated by the media), the aftermath is usually always one and the same.

Negative Salary: Some Greeks Might Have to Pay for Their Jobs

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:47:12+00:00

It's being called the "negative salary": Due to austerity measures in Greece, it's being reported that up to 64,000 Greeks will go without pay this month, and some will have to pay for having a job. Numbers in austerity reports have usually reflected figures in the millions, since they reflect industry-wide cuts (i.e. a 537-million euro cut to health and pension funds). And plans of cutting minimum wage by up to 32% is all but a given in the country. Today's "negative salary" deal—which could have government employees returning funds— reveals the real human impact of the austerity measures.

Obama's Dividend Assault: 64.1% Tax

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:41:28+00:00

President Obama's 2013 budget is the gift that keeps on giving—to government. One buried surprise is his proposal to triple the tax rate on corporate dividends, which believe it or not is higher than in his previous budgets. Mr. Obama is proposing to raise the dividend tax rate to the higher personal income tax rate of 39.6% that will kick in next year. Add in the planned phase-out of deductions and exemptions, and the rate hits 41%. Then add the 3.8% investment tax surcharge in ObamaCare, and the new dividend tax rate in 2013 would be 44.8%—nearly three times today's 15% rate. Keep in mind that dividends are paid to shareholders only after the corporation pays taxes on its profits. So assuming a maximum 35% corporate tax rate and a 44.8% dividend tax, the total tax on corporate earnings passed through as dividends would be 64.1%.

US troops now in 4 African countries to fight LRA

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:35:25+00:00

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- U.S. troops helping in the fight against a brutal rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army are now deployed in four Central African countries, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa said Wednesday. The U.S. announced in October it was sending about 100 U.S. troops - mostly special operations forces - to Central Africa to advise in the fight against the LRA and its leader Joseph Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa, said the U.S. troops are now stationed in bases in Uganda, Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic.

VIDEO: Karzai urges calm as six die in Afghan Koran protests

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:22:43+00:00

Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed for calm Wednesday after officials said six people were shot dead and dozens wounded in protests over the burning of copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, at NATO's main base in the country. The U.S. embassy said its staff were in "lockdown" and travel had been suspended as thousands of people expressed fury over the burning, in protests that flared for a second day in several cities. It was a public relations disaster for U.S.-led NATO forces fighting Taliban militants ahead of the withdrawal of foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

VIDEO: “He was screaming, ‘Allah is great, Allah is great,’” on Continental flight headed to Houston

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:05:54+00:00

Passengers said the unruly man was a problem from the beginning. After boarding Flight 1113, the man became upset because he was not seated next to his friend. Then after the flight took off, he ignored the “No Smoking” sign and tried to light an electronic cigarette. A flight attendant asked the passenger to turn off the cigarette, but he refused. The Middle Eastern man started screaming at the smaller woman. “He was screaming, ‘Allah is great, Allah is great,’” said Nancy Haywood, passenger. “And it kind of worries you when that happens, but believe me, there were enough men to hold him down.”

Hill aides warned after mail with powder

amrpt — 2012-02-22T21:02:04+00:00

Senate officials are warning congressional staffers to stay on alert after multiple state and district offices received a “threatening” piece of mail with suspicious powder that was later deemed harmless. On Tuesday, a House district office and a Senate state office got the mail with the suspicious substance, and a Senate state office received a similar letter on Wednesday, officials said. "The author of these letters has indicated that additional letters containing a powdery substance will be arriving at more Senate offices and that some of these letters may contain an actual harmful material," wrote Terrance Gainer, the Senate sergeant-at-arms. "Although all letters received thus far have proved harmless, it is essential that we treat every piece of suspicious mail as if it may, in fact, be harmful."

Girl Scouts: Indiana lawmaker says group promotes homosexuality, abortion

amrpt — 2012-02-22T20:59:08+00:00

Girl Scouts are dangerous -- and not just to your diet. At least that's what Indiana lawmaker Bob Morris says. He has labeled the Girls Scouts of America a radical organization that promotes homosexuality and abortion and is out to destroy American values. The Republican state representative is being roundly ridiculed for his position, even within his own party. But Morris isn't backing down. "My family and I took a view and we're sticking by it," Morris told the Associated Press this week, adding that his daughters are now members of a group for conservative Christian girls. "My girls are no longer Girl Scouts. They're now going to join American Heritage Girls." Morris said he made his discoveries after talking to some knowledgeable constituents and conducting "a small amount of Web-based research." He said the discussion and research led to his conclusions that the Girl Scouts encourage sexual activity, are a front for Planned Parenthood, and that scouts are encouraged to look up to role models who endorse feminist, lesbian and Communist agendas.

The True Unemployment Rate: 36%

amrpt — 2012-02-22T06:18:03+00:00

How would you define “unemployment?” Statistics on unemployment are bandied around in the media all the time. Changes in these statistics are hailed as good or bad news for the President, with varying degrees of emphasis from the news networks, depending on which party the President belongs to. But what do these statistics truly measure? Would you define “unemployment” as measuring “people who want a job, but can’t get one?” This is, broadly speaking, the definition embraced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The trick to making those numbers dance lies in measuring “people who want a job.” The widely reported U-3 unemployment metric, currently standing at 8.3 percent, is very aggressive in shaving off people who have not made recent efforts to find work. It is further distorted by massive “seasonal adjustments,” which made over a million people vanish into thin air last month. This is why the official unemployment rate gets lower when the American workforce contracts. Workforce contraction is a very bad thing. People who simply cannot find work, and languish on unemployment insurance for years, are the last thing a prosperous country needs… but those people don’t count in the official unemployment rate. For example, if everyone under the age of 25 abruptly stopped looking for work, it would be an economic disaster, but the official unemployment rate would go down, because the pool of people looking for work would get smaller.

Chemical weapons used against Syrians, says defected soldier

amrpt — 2012-02-22T05:35:19+00:00

Turkmen-origin Syrian Air Force Gen Fayez Amro has defected to Turkey while another Syrian defector, Lt Abdulselam Abdulrezzak, claims chemical weapons were used in the Bab Amr neighborhood of Homs Members of the Free Syrian Army patrol an area in Idlib in northwestern Syria on Feb 18. Two Syrian lieutenants, who recently defected from the Syrian army, say Syrian soldiers were given gas masks recently in order to protect themselves from the chemical weapons used against the protestors in Syria. AFP photo Syrian army used chemical weapons against its own citizens, a defected Syrian soldier claimed. Defections from the Syrian army continue to increase as a Turkmen-origin general, Fayez Amro, and three other army officials defected to Turkey last week, Hürriyet Daily News has learned.

Obama is illegally imposing national school curriculum

amrpt — 2012-02-22T00:56:57+00:00

A new report compiled by several former Education Department insiders for the Pioneer Institute warns that the Obama administration is imposing a national school curriculum, even though the law doesn’t allow it, by making trades with districts seeking waivers from other program requirements. “In three short years, the present administration has placed the nation on the road to a national curriculum,” said the authors of the reported called “The Road to a National Curriculum: The Legal Aspects of the Common Core Standards, Race to the Top, and Conditional Waivers.” “By leveraging funds through its Race to the Top fund and the Race to the Top Assessment Programs, the [Education] Department has accelerated the implementation of common standards in English language arts and mathematics and the development of common assessments based on those standards,” the authors said. “These standards and assessments will create content for state K-12 curriculum and instructional materials. “The department has simply paid others to do that which it is forbidden to do,” the report continued. “This tactic should not inoculate the department against the curriculum prohibitions imposed by Congress.”

Inflation Everywhere but MSM Says NOT

amrpt — 2012-02-22T00:50:08+00:00

It seems every chance the mainstream media (MSM) gets, it tells us things really aren’t that bad. For example, the headline from the Associated Press (AP) said, “Consumer prices on the rise, but inflation outlook is benign.” Who approves the headlines at the AP? Prices are rising, but there is no inflation? Aren’t rising prices the main ingredient of inflation? The story goes on to say, “Consumer prices rose modestly in January on higher costs for food, gas, rent and clothing. But economists downplayed the increase, saying inflation will likely ease in the coming months as prices for raw materials level off.” (Click here for the complete AP story.) I wonder where the people who write for the MSM shop for groceries and buy their gasoline. Maybe they have a time machine and magically go back where prices are a lot lower for everything. But for those for us eating and heating our homes today, things are not getting cheaper and inflation is a problem!

Iran: New Toned-Down Military Exercises - Defensive in Nature and Away from the Strait of Hormuz

amrpt — 2012-02-22T00:45:03+00:00

Unlike the previously scheduled navy exercises in the Strait of Hormuz -- which Stratfor sources say have either been canceled or at the very least delayed -- these exercises appear to be largely defensive in nature and are taking place far from the Persian Gulf's critical oil artery, a much more provocative site for military drills. Though the additional drills demonstrate Iran's concerns about military readiness, it appears the Iranians are deliberately restraining themselves in these maneuvers, which would be consistent with Tehran's efforts to reduce tensions and re-energize negotiations with the United States.

VIDEO: News About Syria: Information or Propaganda?

amrpt — 2012-02-21T23:40:28+00:00

Sharmine Narwani: Many opposition leaders want end to militarization on both sides as GCC and US neo-cons call for arming opposition

INFILTRATED NATION: Obama Steals Inhabited, Oil-Rich Alaskan Territory for Russia

amrpt — 2012-02-21T21:28:52+00:00

It appears Congress had nothing to do with this 7-island giveaway with tens of thousands of square miles of oil-rich seabeds. The Department of the Interior says these islands are a source of billions of barrels of oil. Our president and the State Department can just give away American sovereign land – Alaskan land. A story like this leaves me speechless. I’ll let Joe Miller, a former US Senate candidate from Alaska, do the talking: (see an important update below) World Net Daily (read the entire story here including the American historical connection to these islands): Part of Obama’s apparent war against U.S. energy independence includes a foreign-aid program that directly threatens my state’s sovereign territory. Obama’s State Department is giving away seven strategic, resource-laden Alaskan islands to the Russians. Yes, to the Putin regime in the Kremlin. The seven endangered islands in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea include one the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The Russians are also to get the tens of thousands of square miles of oil-rich seabeds surrounding the islands. The Department of Interior estimates billions of barrels of oil are at stake. The State Department has undertaken the giveaway in the guise of a maritime boundary agreement between Alaska and Siberia. Astoundingly, our federal government itself drew the line to put these seven Alaskan islands on the Russian side. But as an executive agreement, it could be reversed with the stroke of a pen by President Obama or Secretary Clinton.

Iran threatens pre-emptive action against 'enemies'

amrpt — 2012-02-21T21:25:37+00:00

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran would take pre-emptive action against its enemies if it felt its national interests were endangered, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic's armed forces was quoted by a semi-official news agency as saying Tuesday. "Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran's national interests, and want to decide to do that, we will act without waiting for their actions,'' Mohammad Hejazi told the Fars news agency, NBC News reported.

Is Germany Secretly Maneuvering To Kick Greece Out Of The Euro?

amrpt — 2012-02-21T21:24:39+00:00

Germany does not want to look like the bad guy, so they are going along with this bailout but they are also imposing conditions on Greece this time that will be almost impossible to meet. And when Greece fails to meet its “obligations”, that will give the northern Europeans the excuse that they need to kick Greece out of the euro. At this point, many politicians in northern Europe are convinced that Greece is a “lost cause” and that it is not fair to ask northern European nations to pay the price for the financial mistakes of Greece. Greece is basically completely and totally bankrupt, and the nations of northern Europe don’t want to have a “financial dependent” on their books forever. They are looking for a “way out”, and this new agreement lays the foundation for that.

EURUSD Soars On Reuters Report That Greek Deal Is Reached... Which Is Same Deal As July 2011

amrpt — 2012-02-21T21:22:38+00:00

Apparently, despite the fact that absolutely nothing has been resolved, Reuters just ran a headline that "Euro zone reaches deal on second Greek bailout package." And that is all it took for the EURUSD headline scanning algos to surge by 60 100 pips. That there nothing substantial in it, or that this is merely a rephrasing of the actual Bailout 2 announcement from before, is irrelevant.

Log In - The New York Times

amrpt — 2012-02-21T05:11:19+00:00

Iran Warns U.S. as Syria Intensifies Crackdown

'Israel under pressure from all sides'

amrpt — 2012-02-21T04:43:01+00:00

Israel is facing enormous pressure to refrain from staging a surprise strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, a senior Israeli official said Monday. "Israel is under pressure from all sides. The Americans don't want to be surprised and faced with a fait accompli of an Israeli attack," the senior official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They are telling us to be patient and see if the international sanctions against Tehran will eventually work," he said. At this time, Israel is coming under increased pressure from Washington and Europe to hold off from attacking Iran over its disputed nuclear drive and allow time for a regime of tight international sanctions to kick in. Pressure is being exerted from all directions, officials acknowledge, with Washington's concern over a pre-emptive Israeli strike reflected in the steady stream of senior officials arriving in Jerusalem for top-level talks.

Iran Warns U.S. as Syria Intensifies Crackdown

amrpt — 2012-02-21T04:41:38+00:00

CAIRO — Two Iranian warships docked in a Syrian port on Monday as a senior Iranian lawmaker denounced American calls for arming the Syrian opposition (http://j.mp/w4JPIN), adding to the international tensions over the nearly yearlong crackdown by the government of President Bashar al-Assad. As government forces continued to pound opposition strongholds, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was trying to negotiate a brief pause in the violence to deliver aid to the most devastated areas. AMRPT NOTE: We added the link to a supporting article which was originally linked in the article text.

White House: Netanyahu, Obama to meet in Washington on March 5

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:22:46+00:00

U.S. President Barack Obama will host a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on March 5, the White House said on Monday, a session that will likely center on the West's efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. A White House statement rounding up the recent Israel visit by Obama's National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, which announced the date for the upcoming meeting, indicated that the top advisor discussed the "full range of security issues of mutual concern" during his meetings with Israeli leadership.

Founding Fathers intended to keep government honest

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:21:37+00:00

We feel the enormity of an important election on the horizon. As we wait, who out there understands the immense importance of knowing how government in America was meant to work? Why wouldn’t any thinking citizen want to know why our Founding Fathers created our government the way they did, deciding what government was supposed to accomplish, how our leaders were expected to lead?

With $4 Gas Approaching, Team Obama Defends Energy Policy

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:19:31+00:00

Team Obama is doubling down in defense of President Obama's energy policy. Gas prices are at their highest level ever for this time of year, yet the administration seems proud of its decision to stop the Keystone pipeline. Nationally, gas prices are $3.53 a gallon, up 25 cents since Jan. 1, and likely headed to $4.25 a gallon by late April. Republicans have demanded more oil production at home, as well as building the Keystone XL pipeline across the middle of the U.S. to allow oil from Canada to reach Texas refineries. Obama rejected the plan, but one of his spokesmen, Robert Gibbs, said the president is looking to increase domestic energy production. "Just on Friday, the Department of Interior issued permits that will expand our exploration in the Arctic. The president has increased our fuel efficiency and energy efficiency standards so we do use less energy, which will help drive down the price," Gibbs said. "Our domestic oil production is at an eight-year high, and our use of foreign oil is at a 16-year low. So we're making progress." Okay so they issued some permits...for exploration. It takes years of "exploration" before energy resources can even be tapped and for production to begin in order to develop domestic energy sources. Obama was given domestic energy production and job growth on a silver platter with Keystone and he rejected it with full force. And just for the record, "fuel efficiency and energy efficiency standards," like the Obama administration's push of the Chevy Volt, aren't doing anything to drive down energy costs, in fact, the Volt push alone is costing taxpayers $250,000 per vehicle sold.

Solardammerung: The twilight of Germany’s green-energy subsidies

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:17:07+00:00

When the global-warming hysteria hit its peak, no Western nation responded with as much commitment to it than Germany. Over a period of several years, the German government spent $130 billion on solar energy in an attempt to transform its energy production and use by becoming the “photovoltaic world champion.” How has that worked out? As Bjorn Lomborg writes for Slate, solar energy now accounts for a whopping 0.3% of Germany’s total power consumption [see update below] after that $130 billion infusion, and forces Germans to pay far more than their Continental counterparts for their energy. Now the Germans may lead the way to abandoning the global-warming hysteria and subsidy approach to alternative-energy economics

Syria Conflict: Military Sends Tanks To Homs, Activists Say

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:11:57+00:00

BEIRUT (AP) -- Syria's military sent tanks and other reinforcements toward the restive central city of Homs on Monday in what appears to be preparations by President Bashar Assad's regime for an offensive aimed at retaking rebel-held neighborhoods, activists said. Syria-based activist Mustafa Osso told The Associated Press he does not think the regime will be able to retake Homs through military force as residents plan to fight until "the last person." He added that Homs is facing "savage shelling that does not differentiate between military or civilians targets."

Syria Conflict Tension Rises As Iran Ships Dock And China Warns Of Civil War

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:08:39+00:00

AMMAN/BEIRUT, Feb 20 (Reuters) - China accused Western countries of stirring civil war in Syria and two Iranian warships docked at a Syrian naval base, underscoring rising international tensions over the near year-long crisis. Despite pursuing a sustained military crackdown on the opposition in cities across the country, President Bashar al-Assad forged ahead with plans to hold a referendum at the end of the week. Activists in the western city of Hama said troops, police and militias had set up dozens of roadblocks, isolating neighbourhoods from each other. "Hama is cut off from the outside world. There are no landlines, no mobile phone network and no internet. House to house arrests take place daily and sometimes repeatedly in the same neighbourhoods," an opposition statement said. Government troops extended their control on Hama after an offensive last week that concentrated on northern neighbourhoods on the edge of farmland that have provided shelter for Free Syrian Army rebels.

Iran launches military exercises aimed to boost nuclear site defense

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:06:27+00:00

The official IRNA news agency said four days of manoeuvres would deploy missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, radars and fighter jets. "These exercises aim to reinforce the co-ordination between the military and the Revolutionary Guards for a total coverage of the country's sensitive facilities, especially nuclear sites," the agency said. Covering 73,400 square miles of southern Iran, the manoeuvres were code-named "Sarollah", a word borrowed from Arabic meaning "God's vengeance".

Silencing The Critics

amrpt — 2012-02-21T02:05:27+00:00

... the point before us is that the voice of the mainstream media is now uniform. Americans hear one voice, one message, and the message is propaganda. Dissent is tolerated only on such issues as to whether employer-paid health benefits should pay for contraceptive devices. Constitutional rights have been replaced with rights to free condoms.

UK "Anti-Terror" Plan: All phone and email records to be stored for full year

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:27:22+00:00

Details of every phone call and text message, email traffic and websites visited online are to be stored in a series of vast databases under new Government anti-terror plans. Landline and mobile phone companies and broadband providers will be ordered to store the data for a year and make it available to the security services under the scheme. The databases would not record the contents of calls, texts or emails but the numbers or email addresses of who they are sent and received by.

Oil Rises to Nine-Month High on Iran Export Halt, Europe Talks - Businessweek

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:25:42+00:00

Oil Rises to Nine-Month High on Iran Export Halt, Europe Aid

Saudi Arabia Cuts Oil Output, Export

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:12:50+00:00

The world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, appears to have cut both its oil production and export in December, according to the latest update by the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI), an official source of oil production, consumption and export data. The OPEC heavyweight saw production decline by 237,000 barrels per day (bpd) from three-decade highs of 10.047 million bpd in November, the JODI data showed on Sunday. The draw-down was sharper for the actual amount exported, declining by 440,000 bpd, or 5.6 percent, to come in at 7.364 million bpd, the data also showed. The level would still be similar to exports after a steep ramp-up last June. In its monthly report on February 10, the IEA put Saudi Arabia’s production number for December slightly lower at 9.55 million bpd, a disparity of 260,000 bpd versus the JODI data. Iran appeared not to have filed data in time for the latest release, providing no additional clues about how many export barrels were already lost in December, as some reports have suggested.

Crude Oil chart - live oil prices

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:11:21+00:00

Click "Read More" to see the live crude oil chart.

Oil Rises to Nine-Month High on Iran Export Halt, Europe Aid

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:10:14+00:00

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Oil rose to the highest price in nine months in New York on speculation supplies may be disrupted after Iran’s oil ministry said it halted crude exports to French and British companies.

Tel Aviv to get missile interceptor system: army

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:09:15+00:00

The Israeli military will on Monday deploy a battery of rocket interceptors from its "Iron Dome" system in the Tel Aviv region, a military spokesman said on Sunday. "Iron Dome is being incorporated into the heart of the Israeli military. As part of this process, the system is deployed in different sites and will be in the Gush Dan region (of Tel Aviv) in the coming days," he said in a statement that clarified the deployment would begin on Monday. This deployment "is part of the annual training plan for this system", he added. The decision to site an Iron Dome battery at Tel Aviv comes amid heightened regional tensions and speculation about a possible Israeli attack targeting Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

Syria Rebels Kill Prosecutor, Judge In Idlib

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:07:47+00:00

BEIRUT (AP) — Gunmen in Syria staged a guerrilla-style ambush that killed a senior state prosecutor and a judge Sunday in an attack that suggested armed factions are growing bolder and more coordinated in their uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime. The roadway slayings — reported in an opposition-dominated northern region by the Syrian state news agency — came a day after a deadly hit-and-run attack on a political figure in the heart of the pro-Assad city of Aleppo.

Data collection arms race feeds privacy fears

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:05:36+00:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - This week's revelations that Google Inc, Twitter and other popular Internet companies have been taking liberties with customer data have prompted criticism from privacy advocates and lawmakers, along with apologies from the companies. They are the latest in a long line of missteps by large Internet companies that have faced little punishment for pushing privacy boundaries, which are already more expansive than most consumers understand. Despite all the chatter about online privacy and the regular introductions of proposed data protection laws in Congress, Silicon Valley is in the midst of a veritable arms race of personal data collection that is intensifying.

Transistor Made Using a Single Atom May Help Beat Moore’s Law

amrpt — 2012-02-20T02:04:38+00:00

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Scientists have taken a first early step toward escaping the limits of a technological principle called Moore’s Law by creating a working transistor using a single phosphorus atom. The atom was etched into a silicon bed with “gates” to control electrical flow and metallic contacts to apply voltage, researchers reported in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. It is the first such device to be precisely positioned using a repeatable technology, they said, and may one day help ease the way toward creation of a so-called quantum computer that would be significantly smaller and faster than existing technology. Moore’s law states that the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every 18 months to two years, and it’s predicted to reach its limit with existing technology in 2020. Cutting the size of a transistor to a single atom may defeat that concept.

Iran stops oil sales to British, French companies

amrpt — 2012-02-19T19:57:20+00:00

(Reuters) - Iran has stopped selling crude to British and French companies, the oil ministry said on Sunday, in a retaliatory measure against fresh EU sanctions on the Islamic state's lifeblood, oil. "Exporting crude to British and French companies has been stopped ... we will sell our oil to new customers," spokesman Alireza Nikzad was quoted as saying by the ministry of petroleum website.

Al Qaeda presence complicates US plans for Syria

amrpt — 2012-02-19T07:41:34+00:00

These allegiances were all detailed this past week by the nation's top intelligence official. And, as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta observed, the dynamic has made any decision about U.S. involvement in the region that much more difficult. If Al Qaeda is running around planting explosives in Syria, possibly without the opposition's knowledge, how can the U.S. know who to trust? "It does raise concerns for us that Al Qaeda is trying to assert a presence there, and that means that ... the situation there has become that much more serious as a result of that," Panetta said at a press conference. Asked whether the U.S. could support an opposition that includes Al Qaeda, Panetta said the U.S. would have to know more about the terror network's role before reaching a conclusion. "Just the fact that they're present concerns us. As to what their role is and how extensive their role is, I think that still remains to be seen," he said. Few regard it as a positive development.

Missile strikes rebel stronghold near Somalia port

amrpt — 2012-02-19T07:33:32+00:00

MOGADISHU, Feb. 18, 2012 (Reuters) — A missile hit a beach on Saturday used as a base by al Qaeda linked insurgents who want to topple Somalia's Western-backed leaders, the government and residents said. A government spokesman in the southern region of Juba, where the missile landed, confirmed the strike near the port of Kismayo, but said he did not know which of the countries fighting al Shabaab had launched the attack, or whether there had been casualties.

CA says mobile food vending trucks a 'threat' to kids

amrpt — 2012-02-19T04:39:38+00:00

The California legislature continues to act as the hard left's petri dish for testing totalitarian policies. AB 1678, introduced last Tuesday, would ban mobile food and beverage trucks within 1,500 feet of elementary and secondary schools. Take a second to click on the map link. The "no vend" zones would look effectively prohibit mobile food trucks from almost all of California's urban and suburban cities. The bill is designed to force school age kids to purchase state and federally subsidized on campus food, that is prepared by unionized food handlers. So, what's really going on here? Well, the unions get more dues for purchasing more politicians, the politicians control of another slice of you and your children's lives and liberties while adding another level of bureaucracy, the working taxpayers get shafted again, and a raft of entrepreneurial, non-unionized small businessman gets legislated out of business. And all of this is justified in the name of protecting the children. Call it another hard left win-win-win, if and when the bill is passed.

Iran poised for big nuke jump, ready to install next-gen centrifuges

amrpt — 2012-02-19T04:34:09+00:00

VIENNA (AP) -- Iran is poised to greatly expand uranium enrichment at a fortified underground bunker to a point that would boost how quickly it could make nuclear warheads, diplomats tell The Associated Press. They said Tehran has put finishing touches for the installation of thousands of new-generation centrifuges at the cavernous facility - machines that can produce enriched uranium much more quickly and efficiently than its present machines. While saying that the electrical circuitry, piping and supporting equipment for the new centrifuges was now in place, the diplomats emphasized that Tehran had not started installing the new machines at its Fordo facility and could not say whether it was planning to.

Iranian warships dock at Syrian port after crossing Suez Canal

amrpt — 2012-02-19T04:32:05+00:00

Two Iranian warships docked Saturday at a Syrian port, the Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported. The vessels - a destroyer and a supply ship - are to provide maritime training to Syria's navy under an agreement between the two countries, according to the report. The warships reached the Syrian city of Tartous, northwest of the capital Damascus, after crossing the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. The crossing was the second in a year by Iranian warships, Iran's navy chief said.

Syria could launch attack against Israel, using its 'extensive chemical weapons arsenal'

amrpt — 2012-02-19T01:25:58+00:00

The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday that there is growing concern in the Israeli army that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad could attack the Jewish state as pressure mounts for him to step down. Assad is currently facing a revolution in his own country that he has sought to quell with brutal military force. Those bloody tactics have resulted in a good portion of the Syrian army joining the opposition, and Syria is nearing the point of full-scale civil war. The situation has prompted the Arab League and Western powers to consider injecting their own military forces into Syria with the aim of ending Assad's rule. But before that happens, Israeli military officials believe Assad would lash out at Israel, both to divert Arab attention on Syria's internal struggle and to establish a lasting legacy for himself. Syria reportedly has the most extensive chemical weapons arsenal in the world.

Greek cabinet approves supplementary austerity package

amrpt — 2012-02-19T01:19:47+00:00

ATHENS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Greek cabinet approved on Saturday evening a final supplementary austerity package to secure further international financing next week to avoid bankruptcy in March. During the euro group meeting on Monday the discussion regarding the Greek new economic program would be concluded, said Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos chairing the extraordinary cabinet meeting, expressing confidence for a positive outcome. The additional 325 million euros worth (427 million U.S. dollars) spending cuts sealed on Saturday were one of the last preconditions set by European Union and International Monetary Fund creditors in order to give the "green light" to a 130-billion-euro (170 billion U.S. dollars) bailout package to Greece, the second in two years.

Forces fire on funeral procession while Chinese envoy visits Syria

amrpt — 2012-02-18T22:04:39+00:00

Syrian security forces fired live rounds and tear gas Saturday at thousands of people marching in a funeral procession that turned into one of the largest protests in Damascus since the 11-month uprising against President Bashar Assad began. The new violence broke out during a visit by a Chinese envoy, who said his country will back a solution to the crisis based on proposals already put forward by the Arab League — even though Beijing is unlikely to support the regional bloc's call for Assad to step aside. China, along with Russia, recently supported Damascus by vetoing a UN Security Council resolution that would have condemned Assad's regime. During his visit Saturday to Syria, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun urged dialogue and called on all parties to stop violence that has killed more than 5,400 people since March of last year, according to the UN. "China supports all the mediation efforts by the Arab League to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis and calls upon relevant parties to increase communication and negotiations to find a peaceful and appropriate solution," a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry's website quoted him as saying. The statement did not say whether China supported the Arab League call for Assad to transfer powers to his deputy, a plan it opposed and vetoed at the Security Council, and this week at the General Assembly.

Crisis in US-Israel relations over nuclear talks with Iran

amrpt — 2012-02-18T22:01:55+00:00

In the last 24 hours, the approach of international talks with Iran on its nuclear program has escalated already high tensions over the issue between the Obama administration and the Israeli government and triggered the following developments: US President Barack Obama decided to send his US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon to an urgent visit to Israel Saturday, Feb. 18, for three days of talks “on regional issues including Syria and Iran.” This unusually long trip by a top White House official over the weekend is a measure of the crisis in relations. The visit is part of the US “unshakeable commitment to Israel's security,” according to a White House statement. It was called “the latest in a series of regular, high-level consultations between the United States and Israel, consistent with our strong bilateral partnership.” Such pledges no longer wash in Jerusalem, DEBKAfile’s political sources report, in light of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s strong sense of betrayal from what he sees as surreptitious US diplomacy with Iran for promoting talks that will end the promised sanctions for halting Iran’s momentum for building a nuclear weapon now in its final stages.