Communities of Practice – Page 1121 – Public Intelligence Blog

2011/08/132011/08/13

Marcus Aurelius: Al Qaeda Ricin, USG, Israel, Nuts

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Terrorism, 10 Security, 11 Society, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Intelligence (government), IO Deeds of War, Law Enforcement, Military

Marcus-Aurelius-150x150 — Marcus Aurelius

From the underpants bomber to exploding print cartridges to ricin bombs…

Qaeda Trying to Harness Toxin for Bombs, U.S. Officials Fear

By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER

The New York Times, August 12, 2011

WASHINGTON — American counterterrorism officials are increasingly concerned that the most dangerous regional arm of Al Qaeda is trying to produce the lethal poison ricin, to be packed around small explosives for attacks against the United States.

. . . . . .

But senior American officials say they are tracking the possibility of a threat very closely, given the Yemeni affiliate’s proven ability to devise plots, including some thwarted only at the last minute: a bomb sewn into the underwear of a Nigerian man aboard a commercial jetliner to Detroit in December 2009, and printer cartridges packed with powerful explosives in cargo bound for Chicago 10 months later.

Read full article….

Phi Beta Iota: The insular insanity of the US Government continues. We note with interest that the NYT does not qualify either of the two preceeding plots, both of which are very likely to have been Israeli false flag operations to keep the “terror” myth alive, neither of which was properly investigated. We are right back in the 1970's, and repeat below what Daniel Elsberg said then to Henry Kissinger:

The danger is, you’ll become like a moron. You’ll become incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they have in their particular areas that may be much greater than yours” [because of your blind faith in the value of your narrow and often incorrect secret information].

2011/08/12

John Robb: Can Middle Class Be Saved? Too Late.

03 Economy, 06 Family, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence

Great article. Starts with Citigroup's Plutonomy report (the report has been ruthlessly removed from the Web by Citi's lawyers) — wherein they show that, in the US, the middle class doesn't really exist. In reality, there are only two groups, a small percentage of rich households (that drive all consumption and investment) and the rest (that live hand to mouth). The last time this happened (in the 1920s) a global depression was the inevitable result

Can the Middle Class Be Saved?

The Great Recession has accelerated the hollowing-out of the American middle class. And it has illuminated the widening divide between most of America and the super-rich. Both developments herald grave consequences. Here is how we can bridge the gap between us.

By Don Peck

The Atlantic, September 2011

Read article….

2011/08/12

Michael Ostrolenk: The Transparitan Policy Imperative

11 Society, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Movies, YouTube

YouTube 1 Hour 14 Minutes

Michael Ostrolenk: The Transpartisan Imperative in Public Policy. Recorded July 29, 2011 as part of The Rutherford Institute's Summer Speaker Series.

Michael was Co-Director for Reuniting America 2006-2007, then President of Reuniting America in 2007-2008. He is now the Executive Director of the Transpartisan Center in Washington DC.

2011/08/12

Mario Profaca: Pentagon Insanity, DARPA Corruption

Corruption, Military, Peace Intelligence

Pentagon sinks fastest aircraft ever

EXTRACT

The US military began work on the Falcon back in 2003 in hopes of creating an aircraft that could be anywhere internationally within an hour. Of course, why the military would need to be anywhere, in the sky, that quickly, could be considered catastrophic for all of mankind, but a completed Falcon free of glitches and bugs won’t be ready any time soon. Meanwhile, the US military has dubbed that ability to be anywhere, anytime a “Conventional Prompt Global Strike,” or CPGS.

So far over $300 million has gone into the aircraft, which is expected to be ready for production in 2025.

Pentagon future-tech chief pocketing funds

Documents obtained by the Danger Room blog on Wired.com revealed important conflicts of interest regarding DARPA contractors and DARPA Chief Regina Dugan, who it turns out, is part owner and is owed money by a contractor.

Phi Beta Iota: This is a sadly classic example of funded idiocy. This program should be cut immediately, and the DARPA chief investigated and then if appropriate fired while also losing her clearances. The US Government generally, but the Pentagon and DHS most specifically, are out of control and pulling the USA down with them.

2011/08/112011/08/11

Koko: The Science of Spying 1965

10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Director of National Intelligence et al (IC), Government, IO Impotency, Movies

YouTube: The Science of Spying 1965

The Science of Spying. NBC show narrated by John Chancellor donated to the US government. Purchased from the US National Archives via Amazon. Also can be downloaded free.

Koko: See the comments for insights on how the attentive public is reacting to this film.

Phi Beta Iota: The reason we emphasize integrity on this website is because it has been so visibly lacking in the US Government, and especially so in relations between the secret intelligence world and the White House. It is now clear that a series of Presidents have abused their power when directors of central or national intelligence have been willing to prostitute themselves; while at the same time, and mostly during the Allen Dulles era, but also under others, the secret world has lied–has committed treason–to the President and his senior advisors. We continue to be skeptical of the alleged assassination and disposal of Bin Laden. More generally, the secret world today is largely worthless to the public or the public interest, and exists primarily to channel taxpayer resources to beltway bandits who fund corrupt members of Congress (in fairness to the beltway bandits, it is the corrupt Representatives doing the shaking down). “Intelligence” today is grotesquely immature and ill-suited to the complexities and nuances of the age.

2011/08/11

Event: 15-16 Oct NYC Singularity Summit

Academia, Advanced Cyber/IO, Augmented Reality, Commerce, Cultural Intelligence, Politics of Science & Science of Politics, Technologies

SINGULARITY SUMMIT 2011 IN NEW YORK CITY 15-16 OCTOBER 2011

The Singularity Summit 2011 will be a TED-style two-day event at the historic 92nd Street Y in New York City. The confirmed speakers include futurist Ray Kurzweil, neuroscientist Christof Koch, PayPal founder Peter Thiel, MIT cosmologist Max Tegmark, AI researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky, MIT polymath Alexander Wissner-Gross, DARPA challenge winner Riley Crane, Skype founder Jaan Tallinn, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, economist Tyler Cowen, television personalities Jason Silva and Casey Pieretti, and robotics professors James McLurnkin and Robin Murphy.

To stay informed about the coming Summit, you can subscribe to the Singularity newsletter on their website.

SINGULARITY AT PHI BETA IOTA:

Review: Radical Evolution–The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies — and What It Means to Be Human (Hardcover)

Review: The Singularity Is Near–When Humans Transcend Biology (Hardcover)

Worth a Look: Singularity Summit & Building a Brain

Worth a Look: Singularity University

Worth a Look: Book Reviews on the War on Science

2011/08/112011/08/11

Dolphin: Seasteading Away from Governments?

Advanced Cyber/IO, Civil Society, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Methods & Process, Policies, Threats

We dolphins are not too thrilled about this idea. Humans have not evolved very far from their Neanderthal roots, and the idea of human hoards invading and polluting the seas is scary to those of us for whom sustainability and resilience comes naturally. Requires further study.

Silicon Valley billionaire reveals plan to launch floating ‘start up country' off San Francisco

Daily Mail, 11 August 2011

PayPal-founder Peter Thiel was so inspired by Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand's novel about free-market capitalism – that he's trying to make its title a reality.

The Silicon Valley billionaire has funnelled $1.25 million to the Seasteading Institute, an organization that aspires to launch a floating colony into international waters, freeing them and like-minded thinkers to live by Libertarian ideals.

seasteading 2 — Click on Image to Enlarge

Mr Thiel recently told Details magazine that: ‘The United States Constitution had things you could do at the beginning that you couldn't do later. So the question is, can you go back to the beginning of things? How do you start over?'

The floating sovereign nations that Thiel imagines would be built on oil-rig-like platforms anchored in areas free of regulation, laws, and moral conventions.

The Seasteading Institute says it will ‘give people the freedom to choose the government they want instead of being stuck with the government they get.'

Phi Beta Iota: The idea of seasteading in some form of idealic libertarian island of paradise is fairly distant from reality. Accepting that the libertarians will be armed and alert, this concept fails to account for a) the outlaw sea; and b) the dead sea. There is no solution for any group of humanity that is sustainable absent its embracing all humanity.