Ten Years Later: Insights on al-Qaeda’s Past & Future through Captured Records: A Conference Report
January 27, 2012
By Joseph J. Simons, Adjunct, CRRC
Ten Years Later: Insights on al-Qaeda’s Past & Future through Captured Records: A Conference Report
January 27, 2012
By Joseph J. Simons, Adjunct, CRRC
Does anyone have knowledge of technical developments on this being made publically available? It seems that there is little information on technical progress on this, indicating that the whole field may have been “put under lock and key” – perhaps it is too disruptive to a certain energy monopoly that is still controlling how we make energy…
Magnetohydrodynamics
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) (magneto fluid dynamics or hydromagnetics) is an academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water or electrolytes. The word magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is derived from magneto- meaning magnetic field, and hydro- meaning liquid, and -dynamics meaning movement. The field of MHD was initiated by Hannes Alfvén,[1] for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1970.
The fundamental concept behind MHD is that magnetic fields can induce currents in a moving conductive fluid, which in turn creates forces on the fluid and also changes the magnetic field itself.
Phi Beta Iota: A government with integrity would apply intelligence and counterintelligence to eliminate the possibility of knowledge being “locked up.” It is clear that this is precisely what has happened over the past century. In addition to externalizing true costs and optimizing very poisonous / toxic legacy systems, the industrial and financial powers have actively worked against the public interest (suicidal seeds from Monsanto, obesity additions, vaccines that kill, etcetera. We know the answer to the question, “who governs?” We also know the answer to the question “For whom do they govern?” What we do not know is the answer to the most important question: “How shall we establish governance that is absolutely in the interest of the public and committed to the common good?”
The budget deficit (the difference between outlays and revenues) each year from 2009 to 2011 has been the highest ever in dollar terms and significantly higher as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) than in any other year since World War II. The budget is not projected to be on a sustainable path under current policy, in the sense that it would cause the federal debt to continuously grow more quickly than GDP. While there has been no difficulty financing the deficit to date, at some point, investors could refuse to continue to finance deficits that they believed were unsustainable. As one example of the policy changes that would return the budget to a sustainable path, CRS estimates that to stabilize debt as a share of GDP at its 2011 level would require budget deficits averaging no more than 2.5% to 3% of GDP over the next 10 years. In dollar terms, this would amount to a deficit of about $400 billion in 2012, rising to about $550 billion in 2015. Under a current policy baseline, the deficit would decline from more than 9% of GDP in 2011 to 5% of GDP in 2014, and rise to 6% of …
Phi Beta Iota: What many do not know is that CRS — as good as its people are — is constrained by corrupt Congressional mandates on what its operating assumptions will be. The sucking chest wound in this report is the assumption that US GDP will continue to grow. Our crude lay estimate is that it will collapse in 2013-2014 and there will be a decade-long slump during which localized resilience endeavors and alternative forms of monetary exchange will go completely off the financial charts.
Bound for Failure
In the brief introduction to a review of the book, Very Special Intelligence, Dolphin noted that the successful tactical doctrine of using combined intelligence and combat troops in tightly organized teams was being seriously diluted by the U.S. IC (read CIA, DIA, NGA and NSA) who were moving to fold the intelligence elements involved into the bureaucratic mainstream and to automate the intelligence processes involved.
As I noted in an earlier article (The Triumph of Tactical Intelligence) U.S. Forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations (COIN) in both Iraq and Afghanistan have developed an innovative tactical concept, which Dolphin noted was based on research and development work done at the U. S. Naval Post Graduate School by a team under General Dell Daily. The essence of this concept is the High-value Target Teams (HTT) which integrates special operations forces fighters with military and civilian intelligence analysts into tightly organized teams in which immediate tactical intelligence is essential to identifying so called high value targets (usually individuals) and guiding war-fighters to their locations. This apparently was not a case of intelligence support being provided by folks sitting far from the action phoning in information, but of intelligence support being very much part of the operation itself with the war fighters. At a recent hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Special Operations Forces, Michael D. Lumpkin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense said, “USSOCOM [U.S. Special Operations Command] and the CIA currently coordinate, share, exchange liaison officers and operate side by side in the conduct of DOD overt and clandestine operations and CIA’s covert operations.”
Huh?
Iceland shows eurozone how to fight crisis
Russia Today TV, 20 February 2012
Before Greece and Portugal, it was Iceland that chilled investors. Now the country’s finances are recovering and its bonds are turning into a lucrative investment.
Fitch has upgraded Iceland’s sovereign credit rating from BB+ to BBB- with a stable outlook. The rating agency lifted “the junk bond status” saying the country’s “unorthodox crisis policy response has succeeded.”
In 2008 Iceland faced the worst financial crisis in its history as three leading banks defaulted under the weight of huge foreign debt. As it became clear the default were inevitable Iceland’s government nationalized the banks, while foreign creditors were left holding the bag.
“A Major part of Iceland’s debt has been written off. That means the country has more chances to pay its debts. So Iceland’s bonds are more attractive to investors than those of Greece or Portugal”, commented Tamerlan Khassimikov, the head of BST Capital Management.
The country also received a $2.2 billion bailout from the IMF and carried out structural reforms which enabled Iceland to reduce its fiscal deficit. The devaluation of the Icelandic krona contributed to the country’s exports.
“The Icelandic krona unlike the euro is supported by the country’s production. Now the fishing industry creates 46% of Iceland’s GDP and exports are growing”, said Mr. Khassimikov.
But it wasn’t only effective crisis management that helped Iceland stay afloat, according to the expert. “Iceland is a disciplined country, it used not to spend much more than it has”, Mr Khassimikov said. “The fiscal deficit was formed during the crisis, because Iceland’s banks are a part of global banking. As for Greece, it became a victim of its own careless approach to finance”.
Analysts agree Iceland’s crisis approach is hardly applicable to the euro-zone countries as they can’t devalue the currency by themselves. But Iceland definitely shows a textbook example of a thrifty financial policy.
Phi Beta Iota: Western media — with the exception now of Russia Today Television — is self-censoring on Iceland at a time when Spain and others in difficulty need to be as focused on intelligence with integrity in the public service as possible. From where we sit, the German government is corrupt, in the pockets of the German banksters who have much more to do with the over-all global financial collapse than most people realize.
The 10 Most Excellent Reasons to Attack Iran
1. Iran has threatened to fight back if attacked, and that's a war crime. War crimes must be punished.
2. My television says Iran has nukes. I'm sure it's true this time. Just like with North Korea. I'm sure they're next. We only bomb places that really truly have nukes and are in the Axis of Evil. Except Iraq, which was different.
3. Iraq didn't go so badly. Considering how lousy its government is, the place is better off with so many people having left or died. Really, that one couldn't have worked out better if we'd planned it.
4. When we threaten to cut off Iran's oil, Iran threatens to cut off Iran's oil, which is absolutely intolerable. What would we do without that oil? And what good is buying it if they want to sell it?
5. Iran was secretly behind 9-11. I read it online. And if it wasn't, that's worse. Iran hasn't attacked another nation in centuries, which means its next attack is guaranteed to be coming very soon.
6. Iranians are religious nuts, unlike Israelis and Americans. Most Israelis don't want to attack Iran, but the Holy Israeli government does. To oppose that decision would be to sin against God.
7. Iranians are so stupid that when we murder their scientists they try to hire a car dealer in Texas to hire a drug gang in Mexico to murder a Saudi ambassador in Washington, and then they don't do it — just to make us look bad for catching them.
7. b. Oh, and stupid people should be bombed. They're not civilized.
8. War is good for the U.S. economy, and the Iranian economy too. Troops stationed in Iran would buy stuff. And women who survived the war would have more rights. Like in Virginia. We owe Iranians this after that little mishap in 1953.
9. This is the only way to unite the region. Either we bomb Iran and it swears its eternal love to us. Or, if necessary, we occupy Iran to liberate it like its neighbors. Which shouldn't take long. Look how well Afghanistan is going already.
10. They won't give our drone back. Enough said.