Journal ISSN 1078-1935 – Page 1125 – Public Intelligence Blog

Kudos to Jane Mayer of the New Yorker for teasing out this provocative story.

Donald Trump’s Ghostwriter Tells All

“The Art of the Deal” made America see Trump as a charmer with an unfailing knack for business. Tony Schwartz helped create that myth—and regrets it.

“I put lipstick on a pig,” [Tony Schwartz] said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.” He went on, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.” Continue reading “Mongoose: Is Donald Trump a Naked Lying Fraud? The Ghost Author of “The Art of the Deal” Tells All”

2016/07/262016/07/25

CounterPunch: Military Coup in USA?

Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Military

Could a Military Coup Happen Here?

According to a September 2015 poll by YouGov, nearly one-third of respondents (29 percent) “could imagine a situation in which they would support the military seizing control of the federal government.” That number went up to 43 percent in a hypothetical situation in which the government was beginning to violate the U.S. constitution.

2016/07/262016/07/26

Stephen E. Arnold: Pirate Libraries Challenge Elsevier and Thomson Reuters to Liberate Knowledge for Destitute Scholars

Commerce, Corruption, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Impotency

Avast: Pirate Libraries

They are called “pirate libraries,” but one would be better-served envisioning Robin Hood than Blackbeard. Atlas Obscura takes a look at these floaters of scientific-journal copyrights in, “The Rise of Pirate Libraries.” These are not physical libraries, but virtual ones, where researchers and other curious folks can study articles otherwise accessible only through expensive scientific journal paywalls. Reporter Sarah Laskow writes:

“The creators of these repositories are a small group who try to keep a low profile, since distributing copyrighted material in this way is illegal. Many of them are academics. The largest pirate libraries have come from Russia’s cultural orbit, but the documents they collect are used by people around the world, in countries both wealthy and poor. Pirate libraries have become so popular that in 2015, Elsevier, one of the largest academic publishers in America, went to court to try to shut down two of the most popular, Sci-Hub and Library Genesis.

Continue reading “Stephen E. Arnold: Pirate Libraries Challenge Elsevier and Thomson Reuters to Liberate Knowledge for Destitute Scholars”

2016/07/262016/07/23

Stephen E. Arnold: Palantir Thiel & Trump – Displacing Old Tech & Old Complex?

IO Impotency

Palantir Thiel: An If Then Chess Move?

I read “The Peter Principle: Why Thiel’s GOP Convention Speech Will Be about Him and Not about Silicon Valley.” Interesting write up but I think the “about” part is possibly incorrect. I think the speech just might have been about Palantir, procurement, and displacing the traditional US government defense contractors. The stakes are not ego; the stakes are hundreds of millions in technology business. Silicon Valley and money. It is possible that some Palantir-think informs the political enthusiasms of Mr. Thiel.

Continue reading “Stephen E. Arnold: Palantir Thiel & Trump – Displacing Old Tech & Old Complex?”

2016/07/252016/07/25

Mongoose: Northrup Grumman Screws Up a $13 Billion Dollar New Carrier — Indictable Crimes?

Commerce, Corruption, Government, Ineptitude

Being stupid on government time used to be a court-martial offense, at least in the “old (Marine) Corps.” Northrup Grumman will probably not be indicted — and they probably should be…

US Navy's newest $12.9bn supercarrier doesn't work: Most expensive warship ever built ‘struggles with jets taking off and landing' according to internal memo as delivery is delayed again

‘Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78’s ability to conduct combat operations,' the Defense Department's Michael Gilmore wrote.

Counter-Point:

Review: Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Boats That Won World War II

2016/07/252016/07/22

Berto Jongman: In-Ear Device Translates on the Fly…

IO Tools

Life Changing In-Ear Device Automatically Translates Foreign Languages So You Can Talk To Anyone

The tiny translator created by Waverly Labs, a US-based company, is called The Pilot System. Let's just say it has the potential to change the world in a really big way. Sorry professional translators, but it looks like technology is trying to snag your career. The simple earpiece does all of the translating for you. It even translates what you say into the other person's language.

2016/07/252016/07/22

Nafeez Ahmed: Turkey Loves ISIS

08 Wild Cards, Corruption, Government, Military

Turkey’s secret pact with Islamic State exposed by operative behind wave of ISIS attacks

The elephant in NATO’s room: state-sponsorship of Daesh

New evidence has emerged that the Turkish government under President Erdogan is covertly providing direct military, financial and logistical support to ISIS, even while claiming to fight the terror network. The evidence comes in the form of testimony from an ISIS terrorist captured by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, widely recognised as the most effective force confronting ISIS on the ground.

Continue reading “Nafeez Ahmed: Turkey Loves ISIS”