Posts by thedailyjournalist:
The challenge of internet privacy
January 12th, 2014
By ESET.
Click to read full report: The challenge of internet privacy
Introduction
As usual for the end of the year, ESET Latin America’s Research Laboratory has written ESET‘s annual threat trends report, which addresses several subjects in Information Security the aim of this report is to make the community aware of the present computer threat landscape and, accordingly, attempt to predict its possible evolution in the coming years On this basis, in 2011, a growing trend for botnets and malware for profit was noticeable.
In 2012, the main trend was directly related to threats designed for mobile platforms. One year later, our main topic was vertiginous growth of malicious codes for mobile devices and at present, although these threats keep growing and evolving, the main topic focuses on the growing concern expressed by users regarding Internet privacy.
In this sense, cases such as the revelations by Edward Snowden concerning the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States
had influence on the growing concern about Internet security. Nevertheless, this trend has not meant a decrease in cases of people
affected by any malicious code or other kind of computer threat It can be asserted that concern about privacy is a good starting point on the user side; however, it is essential for people to be aware of all aspects of Information Security. Otherwise, it is not possible to mitigate the impact of computer threats/
This situation is equivalent to a person being worried about the safety of his home, but not actually installing an alarm system, so that he is still just as likely to become the victim of some incident.
Public opinion on conspiracy theories
January 10th, 2014
By The American Enterprise Policy Institute for Public Research.
To read report: Public opinion on conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories have become an unavoidable topic in today’s world. Many set doubts on federal government behavior that deal with controversial subjects. Specially in the U.S. and some western countries the emergence of conspiracy theorist is evident on social media sites, where skeptics express their opinions about stories they believe to be manipulated by the media. The pubic does not trust the word of the government, and cast doubts on the internal endeavors that they believe ‘drives’ their propaganda. Its growing at a alarming speed and its not getting any better.
JPMorgan Chase bank settles payment with Madoff
January 8th, 2014
By The U.S. Department of Justice.
To read full report: JPMorgan Chase bank settles payment with Madoff
Pursuant to our discussions and written exchanges, the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (the “Office”) and defendant JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (“JPMorgan” or the “Bank”), under authority granted by its Board of Directors in the
form of a Board Resolution (a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A), hereby enter into this Deferred Prosecution’ Agreement (the “Agreement”).
Scientist claim to possibly have found Pyramid like structures in Antarctica
January 8th, 2014By The Daily Journalist.
Reposted from: The Voice of Russia.
Three ancient pyramids have been discovered in the Antarctic by a team of American and European scientists. Two of the pyramids were discovered about 16 kilometers inland, while the third one was very close to the coastline. An expedition to the bizarre structures should answer the intriguing question whether they are artificial or natural. The first reports about the pyramids appeared in western mass media last year.
A few pictures were posted on some web-sites with a commentary that the strange structures could serve evidence that the ice-covered continent used to be warm enough to have had an ancient civilization living there.
At the current moment little is still known about the pyramids and the team continues to keep silent about the discovery. The only reliable information provided by the scientists was that they were planning an expedition to the pyramids to research them more thoroughly and determine for sure whether the structures were artificial or natural. No details about the time frame of the expedition were offered.
In case the researchers prove the pyramids are man-made structures, the discovery may bring about the biggest revision of human history ever made.
Meanwhile, a number of strange but interesting discoveries have been made lately in the Antarctic. In 2009 climate scientists found particles of pollen there, which could possibly testify that palm trees once grew in Antarctica and summer temperatures reached 21C. Three years later, in 2012, scientists from Nevada’s Desert Research Institute identified 32 species of bacteria in samples of waters of Lake Vida in East Antarctica.
RELATED POST: Pyramids Found In Antarctica
Reposted from: AllVoices.com
Pyramids have been discovered in the Antarctic, according to a news article on Scienceray.com. A team of 8 explorers from America and Europe claim to have found evidence of three man made pyramids ‘peaking’ through the melting ice, states the author:
“Can it be possible that Antarctica was once warm enough in the recent past to actually have had an ancient civilization living there? And even more perplexing is the question of if an advanced culture did develop there, are there any structures still remaining that are buried underneath the ice?
Amazingly a team of researchers is making the claim that they have found evidence of several ancient pyramids on the ice covered continent of Antarctica.
So far, the team has not released much information on their discovery although a few pictures have been leaked on the internet recently.
I will let you be the judge on if these pictures truly display artificial pyramids or just the rocky tops of mountains but the images are intriguing and definitely warrant further research in my opinion. Three of the images are shown below.
Read more: http://scienceray.com/biology/man-made-ancient-pyramids-found-on-antarctica/#ixzz25Ni6Yhqb
The shocking discovery of ancient man-made pyramids under the thick ice and snow of Antarctica would change our perception of human history forever.
Scholars and Egyptologists have long suspected that the Sphynx is far older than first estimated, possibly over 10,000 years old.Scientists discovered that evidence of water erosion on the ancient statue, still the world’s largest, tells a story of climate change from rainy hot jungle to desert in afew thousand short years.
If the climate in Egypt changed this quickly, is it not equally possible that the Antarctic climate could have also changed drastically in the same time?Legends speak of pyramids in the Antarctica, of the lost city of Atlantis being covered not just under water, but encased in ice.
The NSA and the legal regime for foreign intelligence surveillance
January 5th, 2014
By Peter M. Shane.
To read full report: The NSA and the legal regime for foreign intelligence surveillance
“Mr. President, no one is saying you broke any laws, we’re just saying it’s a little bit weird you
didn’t have to.” – John Oliver.
As the papers in this symposium demonstrate, serious commentators reviewing the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance programs that have been revealed through recent leaks are far from unanimous that the programs are lawful.
The point of John Oliver’s joke, however, still rings true: Somehow, our laws have evolved to a stage where lawyers could plausibly defend the government’s entitlement to capture and store an immense volume of our telephone and online communications, as well as metadata about both. For many Americans, this is a breathtaking reality.
The point of this Article is to explain our legal evolution as a way of providing context for the I/S symposium on “NSA Surveillance: Security, Privacy, and Civil Liberty.” It will introduce the papers that follow, and offer some concluding thoughts on the issues of executive power that lurk behind the controversy.
The Economic Consequences of Drug Trafficking Violence in Mexico
January 1st, 2014
By Gustavo Robles, Gabriela Calderón
and Beatriz Magaloni from Stanford University.
To read report: The economic consequence of drug trafficking violence in Mexico
Summary:
The levels of violence in Mexico have dramatically increased in the last few years due to structural changes in the drug trafficking business. The increase in the number of drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) fighting over the control of territory and trafficking routes has resulted in a substantial increase in the rates of homicides and other crimes.
This study evaluates the economic costs of drug-‐related violence. We propose electricity consumption as an indicator of the level of municipal economic activity and use two different empirical strategies to test this. We utilize an instrumental variable regression using as exogenous variation the instrument proposed by Castillo, Mejía, and Restrepo (2013) based on historical seizures of cocaine in Colombia interacted with the distance of the Mexican border towns to the United States. We find that marginal increases of violence have negative effects on labor participation and the proportion of unemployed in an area. The marginal effect of the increase in homicides is substantive for earned income and the proportion of business owners, but not for energy consumption.
We also employ the methodology of synthetic controls to evaluate the effect that inter-‐narco wars have on local economies. These wars in general begin with a wave of executions between rival criminal organizations and are accompanied by the deterioration of order and a significant increase in extortion, kidnappings, robberies, murders, and threats affecting the general population. To evaluate the effect that these wars between different drug trafficking organizations have on economic performance, we define the beginning of a conflict as the moment when we observe an increase from historical violence rates at the municipal level beyond a certain threshold, and construct counterfactual scenarios as an optimal weighted average from potential control units. The analysis indicates that the drug wars in those municipalities that saw dramatic increases in violence between 2006 and 2010 significantly reduced their energy consumption in the years after the change occurred.
Confrontation or Collaboration? Congress and the Intelligence Community
December 31st, 2013
By Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz.
To read full report: Confrontation or Collaboration? Congress and the Intelligence Community
Intelligence is a critical tool lawmakers often use to assess issues essential to U.S. national policy. Understanding the complexities, mechanics, benefits and limitations of intelligence and the Intelligence Community (IC) will greatly enhance the ability of lawmakers to arrive at well-grounded decisions vital to our nation’s foreign and domestic security.
This memo provides an overview of U.S. intelligence and its primary functions, including intelligence collection and analysis, covert action, and counterintelligence activities.
Eurasia economic integration
December 31st, 2013
By The Eurasia Commision.
To read full report: Euroasia economic integration
The Eurasian Union is said to be the brainchild of Vladimir Putin in the wake of his third term as the President of Russia. If realised, it would comprise a number of states which were part of the former Soviet Union: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
At a November 2011 round table in Moscow organised by the ruling United Russia party, Russian political scientist Dmitry Orlov stated that apart from post-Soviet states, membership to the Eurasian Union could be expanded to include other countries that have been historically or culturally close, such as Finland,Hungary, the Czec Republic, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cuba and Venezuela, incorporating them into a common state body where Russian would be the common language of communication and economic cooperation.
Vladimir Putin stated in November 2011 that the Eurasian Union would build upon the “best values of the Soviet Union”; however, critics claimed that the drive towards integration aims to restore the “Soviet Empire”.
Al-Qaeda Papers: The multinational
December 29th, 2013
By the AP.
To read Report: Al-Qaeda Papers: The multinational
Over 100 receipts retrieved from a building believed to have been used
by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghrebʼs local accountant shows an
organization intent on documenting even the most minor expense.
Fighters kept track of purchases as small as a single lightbulb, a
kilogram of tomatoes, the cake they ate, and the soda they drank.
Advances to individual fighters are recorded, and signed by each
receiver. They type up expense reports for trips. The receipts reveal the
corporate-like structure that Osama bin Laden, who was himself a
businessman in Saudi Arabia, before he embarked on jihad.
The future of investigative journalism
December 25th, 2013By The House of Lords, UK.
To read full report: The future of investigative journalism
Summary.
The role and practices of investigative journalism have received unprecedented
scrutiny over recent months. Its long history of exposing issues that are not in the
public domain and speaking truth to power has come under the microscope as the
phone-hacking scandal, perhaps the greatest political media scandal of a
generation, has gradually unfolded, raising a plethora of questions surrounding the
public interest, privacy and media ethics.
This report does not set out to propose solutions to these issues which are
currently being considered in other forums, most notably Lord Justice Leveson’s
ongoing Inquiry into the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the press. Instead, this
report explores the media landscape in which investigative journalism operates and
argues that any changes should not be rooted in the past but should seek to enable
responsible investigative journalism to flourish in the future.
Responsible, high quality, investigative journalism matters; it is a vital constituent
of the UK’s system of democratic governance and accountability. At its best, it
informs and educates us, enhances our democracy, and is a force for good.
However, it has become clear during our inquiry that rapid economic,
technological and behavioural change is creating profound economic, legal and
regulatory challenges for investigative journalism and how it might be conducted
in the future.
Investigative journalism is suffering as a result of inconsistencies and lack of clarity
in the law. We therefore make recommendations in this report which would
provide clarity on the complex and sensitive issues surrounding the public interest.
We do not recommend that all relevant criminal law be re-drafted in order to iron
out inconsistency between different pieces of legislation when it comes to a formal,
statutory defence relating to the public interest. We do, however, urge the
prosecuting authorities to publish their broad approach to determining which cases
should be prosecuted or otherwise in cases where illegal activity undertaken by
journalists in the course of an investigation might be considered to be in the public
interest.
Furthermore, we recommend that media organisations implement a two-stage
internal management process whereby they track and formally record their
decisions first to investigate and secondly to publish a story if such decisions rely
on the public interest. We also recommend that regulators should, in turn, take
such an audit trail into account when evaluating the responsibility or otherwise
with which investigative journalism has been undertaken. The regulators should
also take into account the actions taken ex post facto in considering what penalty is
appropriate for any particular breach.
Investigative journalism is also suffering from a lack of proper investment and
organisational support. To offer some respite from the funding crisis, we
recommend an investigative journalism fund. Any fines which are levied for
transgression of journalistic codes of conduct—including fines that might be
introduced under a new system of press self-regulation and a proportion of fines
issued for breaches of the Ofcom code—should be allocated to this fund which
might be used for investigative journalism or for training investigative journalists.
Spanish Journalist still missing in action
December 25th, 2013
By The Daily Journalist.
Javier-Espinosa-left-and-Ricardo-García-Vilanova.
Correspondents for the Spanish newspaper EL Mundo, Javier Espinosa and freelance Ricardo Garcia Vilanova have remained captive by Al-Qaeda for over one hundred days. During these holydays their absence weighs especially in their families , friends and fellow journalist for El Mundo. The two reporters were arrested on September 16 in Tal Abyad , in the province of Raqqa , read to leave Syria after two weeks of intense work. That same day Javier Espinosa published a report in El Mundo titled ‘ Back to school in the eve of trouble’ the article included emotional testimonies from families in Deir Ezzor .
Javier had reported in his work on Sunday 15 to announce that the next day he would return to his home base in Beirut. Near the end of his stance in Syria a few reporters in the area were captured by members of ISIS ( Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ) with four other fighters like Ahmad Moustapha , one of the brigades of Free Syrian Army . They released the Syrians 12 days after , but Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova were still held, along with an increasingly long list of Syrians and foreign reporters, including other Spanish journalist like Marc Marginedas of ‘El Periódico de Catalunya ‘.
After nearly two months of media silence , at the express wish of the families of Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia Vilanova , the kidnapping of the two reporters was made public on December 10. The day dedicated to Human Rights. In Beirut other journalist like Monica G. Prieto, showed support for Javier Espinosa, to launch an appeal on behalf of the families of the kidnappers : ” Javier and Ricardo are not your enemies Please , honor the revolution that they protected and liberate them . ”
In Madrid , the director of El Mundo, Pedro J. Ramirez spoke of how this kidnapping ” lays a hand of darkness over Syria.” The day after the sad news , 14 international media networks, including The New York Times, The Economist , BBC and ‘El Mundo’ , made a public statement released by the Committee to Protect Journalists ( CPJ) , which condemned the kidnapping and called on the leaders of the armed opposition that would help ” to identify groups that have retained journalists and aided in their release .”
The National Opposition Coalition and its armed wing, the Free Syrian Army , condemned the kidnapping of Javier and Ricardo and pledged to protect displaced journalists in Syria. The heads of the Islamist forum Red Hanein clamored for his release. On a balance of what has led to publicize the news, the family spokesman , Gervasio Sanchez, appreciates the great collaboration of Spanish and foreign media , as the ” most powerful media blast and possible durable in order to reach the kidnappers and their environment, and we’re getting it . “
The Air of Unreality in NSA Reform
December 24th, 2013
By Michael B. Mukasey.
The president’s panel found no official malfeasance but recommends overhauling surveillance programs anyway.
Grope through the Styrofoam pellets of rhetoric that surround the 46 recommendations in the report issued last week by the president’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, and you will discover that the authors “have not uncovered any official efforts to suppress dissent or any intent to intrude into people’s private lives without legal justification.” The panel’s investigation of the National Security Agencyfound-as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court found before them-that the occasional unintentional violations of guidelines were stopped once they were detected.
Yet in a Dec. 20 White House news conference, President Obama vowed that next month he will make a “pretty definitive statement” about surveillance reform based on the panel’s recommendations. The five-member group, including University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone and Harvard Law School professor Cass Sunstein, was appointed by the president in August amid the continuing fallout from the theft of national-security secrets by former government contractorEdward Snowden.
If the presidential Review Group found no official malfeasance, what has generated the 46 recommendations for reform? The answer seems to lie more in the mind-set of those commissioned to examine the intelligence programs than in the programs themselves.
The panel scrutinized principally an NSA program that gathers telephone metadata (which show the calling and called numbers, the date and the length of the call), and one that monitors the communications non-U.S. persons abroad.
Telephone metadata collection allows investigators to run the known number of a foreign terrorist, say, or of a safe house, against a database of U.S. calls to determine whether that number has called or been called by any domestic number. If so, investigators could then focus on that telephone and, if further evidence were sufficient, obtain a warrant to tap the content of conversations.
The constitutionality of the procedure has been upheld repeatedly. And as the panel noted, the “NSA believes that on at least a few occasions, information derived from the . . . metadata program has contributed to its efforts to prevent possible terrorist attacks either in the United States or somewhere else in the world.”
The Review Group’s report couldn’t point to an actual invasion of privacy from NSA’s collection of telephone metadata. Yet, astoundingly, the panel recommends that the program be terminated with a transition “as soon as reasonably possible to a system in which such meta-data is held instead either by private providers or by a private third party.”
In other words, if investigators want to check a telephone number they should be required to scurry around to each individual provider- AT&T, T +1.14%Verizon, etc.-to run the check, possibly against data bases that are inconsistently arranged, with consequent loss of time and efficiency. What if this arrangement “seriously undermines the effectiveness of the program,” as well as national security? The panel suggests that “the government might authorize a specially designated private organization to collect and store the bulk telephony metadata” (emphasis added).
The panel, in short, is recommending an experiment: If there is serious damage to the program-measured, say, by a successful terrorist attack-well, then we can have the data placed in the hands of a private party, and we know nothing can go wrong with that.
The president’s Review Group offers two reasons why the NSA must not gather this telephone metadata. One is that the government might use the business-records rationale for gathering metadata to cull other sensitive personal information in medical records and the like. Of course, no evidence suggests that any such thing has been tried or even contemplated by anyone in authority.
The second reason offered for terminating the NSA program is that telephone metadata can be mined to construct a profile of a particular person-who that person has called and who has called that person-and the possibility of that occurring would unsettle many people if they thought it was being done to them. No evidence suggests that any such thing has been proposed or done, and indeed the 22 people at NSA who have access to the data are forbidden to use metadata in any fashion other than to run it against suspect telephone numbers.
Nonetheless, the panel finds that mere public awareness of potential abuse “can significantly undermine public trust, which is exceedingly important to the well-being of a free and open society.” To be sure, the panel recommends that the government “commission a study of the legal and policy options for assessing the distinction between metadata and other types of information.” But in the meantime, the NSA would cease to collect telephone metadata.
What about gathering electronic intelligence abroad? The panel reasons that although the law authorizing that activity “has clearly served an important function in helping the United States to uncover and prevent terrorist attacks both in the United States and around the world (and thus helps protect our allies), the question remains whether it achieves that goal in a way that unnecessarily sacrifices individual privacy and damages foreign relations.”
Here too the panel finds the NSA wanting-for failure to uphold Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which “proclaim that ‘No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy.’ Although that declaration provides little guidance about what is meant by ‘arbitrary or unlawful interference,’ the aspiration is clear. The United States should be a leader in championing . . . the right of privacy, which is central to human dignity.” Based on that “clear” aspiration, the Review Group recommends that protections of the Privacy Act of 1974 be extended even by intelligence-gathering agencies to non-U.S. persons so as to permit them, for example, to discover the personally identifiable information in their intelligence file, “unless the agencies provide specific and persuasive reasons not to do so.”
Oh, sure-it’s hard to imagine what “specific and persuasive” reason there might be not to allow a foreign terrorist to check on whether the U.S. government has a file on him and what may be in it.
Another recommendation: The U.S. should declare that surveillance abroad “must not target any non-United States person located outside of the United States based solely on that person’s political views or religious convictions.” So, for example, if a previously unknown group declares it a religious obligation to kill Americans, we must promise not to target that group or its leaders for surveillance to determine whether they have the operational capability to put their “political views or religious convictions” into practice. Makes sense.
And what about the National Security Agency itself? The president wisely has already rejected the panel’s idea that the director of NSA no longer head the U.S. Cyber Command. But the panel also advocates separating the NSA from Cyber Command, and detaching the NSA’s information-assurance (code-making) function from its foreign-intelligence (code breaking) function. Why? Because after the 9/11 terror attacks, many in government advocated new national-security measures, and “if a similar or worse incident . . . were to occur in the future, many Americans, in the fear and heat of the moment, might support new restrictions on civil liberties and privacy. The powerful existing and potential capabilities of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies might be unleashed without adequate controls.” Better to break up a successful team than risk that.
No doubt such airy reasoning, not to mention arrogant mistrust of this country’s citizens and its institutions, is the small change of daily discourse in faculty lounges. But to find this infiltrating the Situation Room of the White House-President Obama met with the Review Group there before leaving on his Hawaiian vacation-is truly alarming.
*Mr. Mukasey served as U.S. attorney general (2007-09) and as a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York (1988-2006). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Center for Democracy.
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal on Dec. 23, 2013
Global Financial Stability Report 2013
December 22nd, 2013
By The International Monetary Fund.
Continue to read: Global Financial Stability Report 2013
Drug testing a bad investment
December 17th, 2013
By ACLU.
To read report: Drug testing a bad investment
Military versus wealth, what shapes a true superpower?
December 14th, 2013
Contributor opinion.
In the past, I heard the idea that the most important asset for any leading world power for it to be a successful country relied exclusively on their “wealth” (that comes from a financial point of view). Having always great flows of commerce and liquidity, past and present societies living in fertile lands where crops grew in abundance or living next to a sea port where goods, imports and exports foment constant growth. Many past and present superpowers depend(ed) on their wealth to be successful and had the economic prosperity to keep productive and strong for years to come. Wealth seems the primordial factor to endure as a superpower.
However, that’s not always the case. Wealth might not be the most important asset that countries require for them to become leading superpowers. Let’s say for instance, the ‘Mongolian Empire’ a nation that was not as wealthy as neighboring China, but had an unrivaled military force. China’s wealth was never sufficient to stop the Mongol military raids.The Mongols relying on their military force already spreading far West from their home, conquered the Caliphates in the ME, who had also greater wealth and a formidable military.
Military power, just as seen with Alexander Magnus military campaigns can overtake the idea that ‘wealth’ itself, is not the most essential asset a country relies for it to become a superpower. In other words, a country might be less wealthy than others that show far better economic developments, but instead have a great military that will make them a superpower regardless of the wealth they posses. So wealth and military bring about the success of any nation, but are independent in nature, for the founding roots of any leading superpower.
The critics will point out that without wealth you can’t build an army (rightly so). But history has shown time and time again that without an expanding force no society can grow in wealth or remain wealthy, independently from having already wealth or not.
It’s like the chicken and the egg paradox. What was first for any successful empire to become a world power, their’ wealth’ or ‘military’? Is wealth more important to preserve a country than having an actual military? Or is military the best way to preserve wealth and obtain wealth? What do present superpowers rely mostly on, their military or wealth to remain unchallenged?
Frank Palatnick.
“In order to answer that proposition we must first define two of the terms. The first is ‘ superpower ‘ . According to Wikipedia, a superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests.
There are four standards ( axes ) that measure a country’s superpower potential according to Lyman Miller, a research fellow at Hoover Institute. These are military, economic, political and cultural. Wealth, according to Wikipedia, is defined as the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The United Nations added that a nation’s wealth must include ‘ human potential ‘. A nation’s impact is due to the capability of its population.
India, according to the U.N. And other global sources, is an up and coming superpower. The question put to us suggests that only military or wealth frameworks should be weighed. India is a country without a strong military. But, according to the new definition of wealth, both the culture and economy have assisted in their rising to possible superpower status. An example of their global impact is due to the philosophy of one man.
Correction……… The whole existence of India was due to one man. Mahatma Gandhi founded the philosophy of non violence. According to the original definition of a superpower, Gandhi has influenced not only his country, but others as well. His philosophy of non-violence has been inculcated in many countries including Poland, China and the U.S. Lech Walessa used non violence to bring about change in his own country not only making him President, but wining him the Nobel Peace Prize. In America, non violence has created the sixties term of ‘ sit ins ‘ which has been used to gain certain human freedoms.
In the sixties, in Beijing, the famous Tienneman Square incident was initiated by a student sitting and standing in front of a military tank. India’s wealth also comes from its music. Ravi Shankar used a sitar to perform his ragas. He has created many schools to learn the sitar. The Beatles used the sitar in their songs. The queen of England requested a command performance. People from all over the world attend Shankar’s Institute. India’s art can be found in museums all over the world. In terms of the economy, India’s symbol of the ‘ all seeing eye ‘ can be seen on the dollar bills of the U.S.
Their medical know how has influenced the world’s understanding of herbs and flowers. Items such as saffron and rose hips can be found in various health food applications. Their practice of yoga and other tantric frameworks have influenced the global health market. Their technology has influenced the world’ s economy. The process of quality production for the masses has had a significant effect on the world’s negative economy since the 2008 downfall. In short, the definition of a superpower has morphed into a country that has a huge positive influence on the world through, by and for their populations individuals.
Claude Nougat.
“It is a chicken and egg paradox, but according to genetics we now know this is a non-paradox…The egg started it! I would argue the same in the wealth and military paradox.
The starting point is wealth (the egg). The military is the outcome (the chicken). But to have another egg, the chicken has to grow into a hen…Likewise, the military preserves the wealth, so that wealth can spawn off more military. Hence the arms race!”
Jose Luis Chalhoub Naffah.
“In my perspective, regarding this current but highly interesting topic important nowadays, decades ago military was the very determinant element for a country to show and promote its muscles everywhere in the world. Based of course on its wealth each country, depended on their military and the economic development of a country, i. e Great Britain, United States, Germany, which in each case and without any doubt, surpassed many countries in both categories, proving an inextricable relationship between military and economic power.
Now, as far as we can see and analyze in international relations and geopolitics, wealth is almost the main and probably the smartest way for global powers to project themselves on the world arena as decision makers. Examples abound, but two of the most prominent, China and Russia, being the Chinese model the best example for the wealth based power projection in the world. So far at the very beginning of the XXI century, without waging a single war, only through its wealth.
Russia is another example, but of the duplex military-wealth power framework over which it depends. The US is the best of all of them, used to privilege military and hard power over financial and economic resources, but realized that in the world of today, only through the power of wealth creation and ideas (soft power) it can re-adapt itself on the global scene. The whole point is that both key points wealth-military are very current, but wealth based countries are better positioned to succeed in today’s world.”
Mr. Jaime Lopez.
“There are four questions being asked concerning the correlation between a nation’s wealth and military strengths. There is no clear answer, a yes or no, as the definition of wealth is one that is muddied in the perception of the reader. These questions apply to both the macro and micro society as they can be easily tied to the evolutionist theory of survival of the fittest. What is the purpose of wealth, which then drives the answer to the question of the purpose of the military?
The core element of human society is summed up in “go forth and prosper”. This applies to the man and lady, family unit with children, a nomadic community, villages, towns, cities, city-states, up to the nations, and confederations. Prosperity is often defined in terms of wealth, which are further defined in what that particular society deems as wealth; cattle, land, children, homes, gold, silver, etc. In our discussion we will use the classical monetary definition as it represents the ability to acquire those ‘things’ which constitutes a society’s definition of wealth. Let us not forget the theories of the innate requirement to continue on DNA as the foundation of “prosper”, but this is another discussion.
In the past in order to gain wealth a person, family, etc would either earn it, or take it. Then as society matured the same situation existed with towns, villages, city-states, on and on; earn it, take it, or a combination. In correlation with that was the defense of keeping those who would come take it from taking it.
Moving on to modern society we find that the USA is a superpower both from wealth and military (conventional, not just nuclear). Other nations such as China, Japan, Germany, India, Russia etc have some level of wealth and/or military strength. Of those nations, China is the only one that is rising to the status of superpower in both categories.
The USA built its foundation for wealth before it gained its stature as a military superpower. It can be debated that its relative isolation from stronger nations apt to come and take, allowed it to develop its economic might without the burden of having to raise a large military. Once it became an economic superpower, with the requirements of the corporations to expand their economic net over the world came with it the requirement to maintain a large military force to protect its interest. The protection required now not of the homeland, but of the US corporate interests in other lands, which had to be defended. The defense of “our way of life” is not a defense of the USA territory, but that of its international economy.
This is the similar situation as Great Britain when it expanded its military influence over the world in correlation with its economic growth. As a island it has its own natural defenses, so the military was simply an extension of its international economic expansion.
Applying this ‘model’ we can see the same correlation with China. China is a country that has been isolated,so able to grow economically unencumbered by the necessity to establish itself as a military superpower. Now as it extends itself economically outside of its borders its military is being built up to ‘defend’ its interests in places such as mineral rich Africa.But it is using its wealth as a key element in its economic growth in the nations of Africa, Asia, South/Central America.
Japan has been able to climb to the status of a wealthy superpower without the corresponding requirement to be a military superpower. This has been accomplished by allowing the USA to take on that role, so in essence the US taxpayer has propped up the Japanese economy.
Yet in the developing modern global society we are seeing a shift away from the ‘who is carrying the bigger stick’ towards a co-mingling of economies that forces the participants to work together towards common ground. The USA/China relationship of buyer-seller-debtor-creditor makes military actions between the two far less likely than if the relationship were strictly as competitor. Both nations’ economic structures are based upon this symbiotic relationship of company manager and cheap labor. If the USA were to ever extract itself from this relationship we would see a less stable relationship, as the two would come to a point of collision to determine who makes the decisions.
Question 1: What was first for any successful empire to become a world power, their’ wealth’ or ‘military’?
Answer: Depending on the society, and the time period. Currently, an ‘empire’ will co-develop its wealth and military.
Question 2: Is wealth more important to preserve a country than having an actual military? Wealth can buy protection, seen throughout history. As is shown currently by the Kuwait and USA relationship.
Question 3: Or is military the best way to preserve wealth and obtain wealth?
It is a balance between a sword and the pen. The ability for others to know that the country will defend itself, no matter how minor a defense, is all that is needed as long as there are countries willing to come to that country aid.
It is not a requirement for obtaining wealth.
Question 4: What do present superpowers rely mostly on, their military or wealth to remain unchallenged? Both. The USA has strong economic influence in many areas around the world which country leaders enjoy the benefits (monetary influence). The military provides a check towards others (Somalian pirates-national government?).”
C. Bonjukian Patten.
“This question reminds me of that cartoon I saw as a kid. First there were cavemen throwing rocks at each other, then bows and arrows, then swords, then muskets, then cannons, then guns and rifles, then atomic bombs…last frame two cavemen throwing rocks at each other.
The answer would be not wealth but military. Human beings are argumentative in nature and they argue either intellectually with their minds if they are upwardly mobile in class but if not they argue with their hands and are physical. I always thought that military had a lot to do with class structure in life. The lower classes who cannot afford to go to college, went into the military instead to receive their college education. That is true for people who emerged from those ranks like COL COLIN POWELL and others who came from less fortunate backgrounds and could not afford to go to college on their parents dime or even by themselves. History keeps repeating itself with the younger generation as well. The parents of rich kids who do not get into trouble before college are sending them off to faraway colleges to get an education where they are expected to return and work for daddy or start out on their own.
Not every one is wealthy but some rich people have their own personal armies called BODYGUARDS. Look at the POPE who is protected by the SWISS GUARD; these guys may look like tulips but they are a vicious lot when confronted and can be aggressive if need be. But you don’t have to be rich to have a military – look at gangs in ghettos – THE BLOODS, THE CRIPS, other types of gangs, MAFIA all different types of nationalities belong to this group. They may have some wealth but they hire others to do the footwork. People are generally community oriented and they tend to hang with others who share their likes and dreams.”
Melissa A. Ortega.
“Intelligence reports explain that our best defense is a good offense. This planning is best understood in the areas of science, medicine, and business. I think that as human beings we are meant to work, create industry and expand on opportunity in an effort promote fair trade and commerce. It is important to remember that as people our planning impacts the lives of others. The structure and shape of our ideas should help everyone, share, build, and grow.
The integrity of our nation’s wealth here in America lies the wise decision to defend the basic human rights of everyone. The laws enacted by the SEC protect the wealth and integration of even the smallest stakeholder in a company. We build the military to protect our rights and property as because we have worked to build lives and homes that are respectable and life sharing.
Our integrity is based on an honest work week, here in America, so that we can take of ourselves and feed our families. Human beings have the right to build and prosper, nobody has the right to tear it down. Super leaders who care about war are often people who are driven by power, fear, and greed. They lack commitment to the human condition either because they are ignorant and often misguided. Here in America we defend life, we even go so far as to inspect the rights of the unborn, and of course the elderly or handicapped. I think it is important to use wisdom when planning the citizenship of any nation. Important treaties have established by the United States that help business people lead responsibly; as well as manage and assess important risks are the 1949 Geneva Convention and the Global Working Conditions Guidance Statement.
Both have been established by the Department of the Army (2010) to prevent war. The Geneva Conventions expects “unconditional obeying of international, foreign nation, federal, state, and local environmental rules, regulations, and guidelines that affect current operations for military as well as business people” (Department of the U.S Army, 2010).
The Global Working Conditions Guidance Statement requires “responsible working conditions and the treatment of all individuals with dignity and respect under treaty for preventing war” (Department of the Army, 2010). I think that good leadership should always be positive, promote peace, and expect peace.
The problems and attack on the United States September 11th has sadly created a situation where every any power in the world should be prepared for war. It is sad that we have to use war tactics to make hostile countries even listen to us. Money is mostly a means to an end and war is a long road back.”
Nicole Horelt.
“The birth and survival of a nation requires a people to share the collective will and action to succeed; having the same objectives and motives at the core of their strategy. The governed and those in government, both have to be in sync in order to have long-lasting success.
Since wealth and military superiority (as in skill and weaponry and/or the power to control military forces) are essential to national survival and superpower status on the global stage, it would make sense that the overall national ‘character’ plays a vital role (inate willingness of the people to succeed as powerful nation), fitting well with the mode and direction of government, or that the persuaviness and control of a government over its people, be effective enough to disway rebellion and to command loyalty to the ‘national character’-and rule of law . Cohesiveness of people and government to abide by its national constitution, or the rule of law within an empire or organization, is a determining factor for success. ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’
The European Union is a rising economic and political superpower whose success is based on the cohesiveness of its 28 member states (nations) to its rule of law based upon democratically voted treaties, such as the Lisbon Treaty, signed in 2009. It began initially after world war ll as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) which served to unify the European countries. The EU’s member states integrate economically and politically within the Union. ec.europa.eu states the EU’s ‘ultimate objective is to foster economic prosperity and stability in the EU and, while serving the Union’s interests, also in the rest of the world.’ EU economic strength and governance through integration/globalization is aimed for.
The political concept, (and abstractly – military control..) of this strategy maintains that nations which are linked together economically and who trade with one another are more likely to avoid conflict. With the politicalization of an economic zone, a nation member could place themselves at risk of economic isolation and financial, trade, and other losses due to sanctions, for non-compliance with the EU’s rule of law, in a number of ways that bring their national defenses down. Wealth ‘management’ and control can be powerful persuasive tools in the hands of a superpower, possibly moreso than military power. This seems to be the where the EU is leading.
Simultaneously, the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) is another emerging superpower with a differing strategy than that of the EU, primarily in the area of military might and range of force, focusing primarily on regional security and stability. An article in Xinhua describes it as, ‘a young mechanism with a promising prospect in pooling regional resources to boost common security and development.’ The SCO had its start originally in 1996 with the signing of the ‘Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai,’ by The Shangai Five (Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan), and declared its official status as an organisation on the 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China).
The strategy is not one of political and economical integration which risks national sovereignty, but of regionalization, where members retain their national identity and share strengths regionally with focus on security. The SCO has been compared to being a counter force to NATO. It is also an economic and political power. There are 6 Members: China, Russia,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and 5 Observers: Afghanistan,India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, 3 Dialogue Partners: Turkey, Sri Lanka, Belarus, and 3 Guests: ASEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan.
The organization represents nearly half of the global population and spans a land mass covering 60 percent of Eurasia! This building superpower acknowledges what it defines as its ‘Spirit’; in an article by China daily, it was written, “The SCO embodies a spirit, that is the “Shanghai Spirit” whose essence is mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and seeking common development. It reflects the member states’ fresh perspectives on security, development, cooperation and civilization.” This writer noted earlier nations as having a ‘national character’; the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ could be compared to that.
The EU and the SCO are main competing world superpowers on the world stage today. The question posed by the editor relayed the importance of the power of wealth and military for the preservation of a country. Increased ease and speed of global intelligence, communication and travel in today’s world has necessitated change in the economic and military sectors of national governments and superpowers. There is a move towards global governance as the world of trade, and cooperation in solving global problems and exploration bring the nations closer than ever before.”
David J. Merkel.
“Neither wealth nor military is the correct answer – the answer is culture.
Rome rotted from within, as did the Greek city-states. The USSR was not defeated in battle – it crumbled.
We need to understand that nations that follow the Ten Commandments tend to prosper and grow. Righteousness exalts nations, and makes them more powerful than their resources would ordinarily be.
Militaries get lazy. Wealth corrupts via laziness as well. If a nation does not have citizens that are independently motivated to protect the nation, there is little hope over the intermediate-term.
As it is, most of the developed nations are going to run through pensions crises as their populations grey, and few are prepared for it. How well will their societies fare when generations scrap over how high tax rates should be?
But a culture that is not greedy will fare better than others.”
Jaime Ortega. (Editor)
“Unbalanced force is a destructive force, while wealth is a constructive force that keeps necessity on balance. But destructive forces undoubtedly rule the natural spectrum of the universe rather than constructive wealth humans store.
Force is a natural power that is unstoppable and wealth cannot withstand destructive forces greater than its own assets. Because its ten times easier to destroy a city, than to build one.
Also military forces tamper with the commodity of fear, which can easily overtake wealthy nations, primarily because the conquered nations have more to lose than to gain if they’re successful. And historically, many nations have submitted their wealth and cultural laws, to more powerful armies which sole purpose was to destroy rather than to build.
If you look at the fall of Rome, against the barbarian raids, it’s clear that despite their wealth, they were conquered by a bunch of unshaven dirty warmongers. However, when Rome was powerful, it was their military that made them rule for over half a millennium. As a matter fact, it is said by many historians that Carthage, was wealthier than Rome, but Romans were just better warriors. What I take from that, is that wealth does not translate always to having better military!
What most wealthy cultures do to remain in power, is trap the natural chaotic forces of destruction and accommodate , laws and regulations to keep the population on ease, to control the society they rule.
Revolutions are loopholes in all well established societies that spark change, wealthy or not. And with revolutions all it takes is to oppose a system and fight against it with ideology rather than with wealth. You grow in numbers with ideology and if popularity and numbers arise in your favor, then you have power to strike a war.
Every successful military is fueled by central core belief and ideologies rather than driven by wealth alone. Wealth is not the main utensil to shape a solid military, whereas belief is.
I think Military (power in numbers) played and plays a bigger role in the overall historical ascension to power, specially when comparing ancient civilizations. Ancient history and modern history proves it.
The only boundary I see, between wealth and military is the present accommodation of technology. I believe technology helps strengthen the power of the military, alongside the power of economic freedom. But without technology, military forces would run free like wild horses, that would consequently counterweight any financial equilibrium, which of course sets any culture to be wealthy.
Technology traps wealth and military power, and they become more solid structures. Case and point, the U.S., China,..
Belief is the main core of fighting a war, not wealth. If you’re willing to sacrifice your life in numbers to achieve a goal, wealth itself is not influenced in how you response, but gives you a better edge thanks to technology. That’s it. The truth is. Military (power in numbers) can live without wealth, and simply survive without structuring anything.
Wealth can possibly live without military, but not in this universe. Wealth is exclusively dependent on military power, whereas strength in numbers is not dependent on wealth but ideology. That gives military power in my opinion, the key factor for any leading world power to succeed and even to start working.
Financial powers depend exclusively on their military to remain powerful. And China’s military and Russia’s military are no different than the lesser barbarian tribes that ended up conquering the great Rome. The U.S. is not Rome, it has a shorter expiration date. Belief is what will make the military successful, wealth will only help that success to prevail more relevant.”
Modernizing the nuclear security enterprise
December 12th, 2013
By GAO.
To read report: Modernizing the nuclear security enterprise
Mass Media and Its influence on society
December 11th, 2013By M. A Mughal.
In the last five decades or so, the media and its influence on the societies, has grown exponentially with the advance of technology. Software to build websites has become a crucial point in today’s world.
First there was the telegraph and the post offices, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet and the new media including palmtops, cell phones etc. There are positive and negative influences of mass media, which we must understand as a responsible person of a society.
Before discussing the influence of mass media on society it is imperative to explain the three basic functions of mass media; they are providing news/information, entertainment and education. The first and foremost function of the media in a society is to provide news and information to the masses, that is why the present era is some time termed as the information age as well.
People need news/information for various reasons, on one hand it can be used to socialize and on the other to make decisions and formulate opinions. Entertainment would be the other function of the mass media where it is mostly used by the masses to amuse them in present day hectic environment. Educating the masses about their rights, moral, social and religious obligations is another important function of mass media, which needs no emphasis.
In present era of globalization, majority of people in the society depends on information and communication to remain connected with the world and do our daily activities like work, entertainment, health care, education, socialization, travelling and anything else that we have to do.
A common urban person usually wakes up in the morning checks the tv news or newspaper, goes to work, makes a few phone calls, eats with their family or peers when possible and makes his decisions based on the information that he has either from their co workers, Tv news, friends, family, financial reports, etc. we need to be conscious of the reality that most of our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. In our work we usually know what we have to do, based on our experience and studies, however on our routine life and house hold chores we mostly rely on the mass media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of.
We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and education. However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that we should know how it really works. The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to, every single moment. We buy what we are told to buy by the media. After seeing thousands of advertising’s we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on tv, newspapers or magazines. These are the effects of mass media especially in teenagers, they buy what they see on tv, what their favorite celebrity advertise and what is acceptable by society based on the fashion that the media has imposed on them.
There are some positive and negative influences in young people of our society due to these ad campaigns in the media. Here is a positive influence example, if there is a quiz show on education that is getting a lot of attention by the media and gains popularity among your friends and society, you will more likely want to actively participate and watch these quiz shows. These activities are good for the society and will promote literary activities in the youth. However a negative influence in teenagers is the use of guns and ammunition by celebrity movie stars, the constant exposure of which would seduce the teen to replicate the same behavior in the real life.
When we watch tv or a action movie we usually see many images of violence and people hurting others. The problem with this is that it can become traumatic especially in our children as they see it more and more. Our kids that are starting to grow and are shaping their personality values and beliefs can become aggressive or they can lose a sense of distinction between reality and fiction. Another problem is that real war is used as a form of entertainment by the media, we should make our kids and teen aware that war is not a form of entertainment and that there is no win or lose like in video games, in real war everyone lose.
Teens, youngsters are in a stage of life where they want to be accepted by their peers, they want to be loved and be successful. The media creates the ideal image of beautiful men and women with all the ingredients of a successful person, you can see it in movies and tv. It’s a subliminal way to persuade the masses that if you want to be successful and look like them then you have to buy that particular brand or product. Another negative influence in teenagers, especially in the USA, that has grown over the last years is obesity. There are millions of adolescents fighting obesity, but at the same time they are exposed to thousands of advertisements of junk food, while the ideal image of a successful person is told to be thin and wealthy.
The media has a huge impact on society in shaping the public opinion of the masses. They can form or modify the public opinion in different ways depending of what is the objective. For example, Pakistani media influenced the public opinion against the Taliban in Swat by repeated telecast of a video clip showing whipping of a woman by a Taliban.
Before that the public opinion over the military action against the Taliban in Swat was divided, but repeated telecast of this short video clip changed the public opinion over night in the favor of the government to take action. Other ways to influence are with polls and trends, especially in political campaigns. The candidates that can pay for more tv and media exposure have more influence on public opinion and thus can receive more votes.
Russia’s Interests in the Syrian Conflict: Power, Prestige, and Profit
December 9th, 2013
By the European Journal of Economic and Political Studies.
To read report: Russia’s Interests in the Syrian Conflict: Power, Prestige, and Profit
The Internet Dark Age
December 6th, 2013
By the Adversaries.
Report click here: The Internet Dark Age
Another government shutdown likely in coming months believe majority of Americans
December 5th, 2013
Posted by The Daily Journalist.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans say it’s likely there will be another government shutdown in the months ahead as Congress continues to debate deficit and budget issues, according to a new national public opinion poll commissioned by Research!America and the American Society of Hematology. This sentiment is shared across party affiliations: Democrats (66%), Republicans (65%) and Independents (65%). There is also consensus across party lines that government dysfunction has consequences. A majority of Americans (57%) say the shutdown in October caused significant harm to many government-funded programs including medical research, defense and education. Democrats (68%) and about half of Republicans (49%) and Independents (51%) agree.
On the topic of sequestration, a plurality (44%) says Congress must tackle tax and entitlement reform to reduce the deficit instead of continuing the 10 years of across-the-board cuts; another 16% say sequestration is not the right way to reduce the deficit. Less than a quarter (23%) believe the across-the-board cuts are a way of ensuring that many government programs share the pain, and 17% say they’re not sure. In general, 62% of Americans say they’re concerned about the long-term effects of sequestration on advances in health care such as the development of new drugs and other treatments.
“Our poll demonstrates uneasiness among many Americans about the ramifications of deep spending cuts to programs that are critical to our health and well-being,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America. “Americans want Congress to reach a budget deal that protects medical and healthresearch, at least in part because of concern that our nation is at risk of losing our global leadership position in science and innovation.”
The poll shows nearly three-quarters (73%) of Americans doubt the U.S. will be the number one world leader in science and technology in 2020, a significant increase from the percentage that doubted U.S. leadership last year (59%). In addition, one-third of respondents believe China will surpass the U.S. in six years. Another 30% are not sure which country will lead in science in 2020. Many believe the federal government must increase investments in medical and health research now to ensure that the U.S. can compete globally (61%), and a vast majority (84%) think it’s important for the U.S. to lead in medical, health and scientific research.
The current level of federal spending for research to combat disease leaves many Americans on edge. Upon hearing the U.S. spends about 5 cents of each health dollar on research and development to prevent, cure and treat disease and disability, nearly half (49%) say it’s not enough. Where the additional funds would come from is another question. A plurality (43%) of Americans states its willingness to pay $1 per week more in taxes if the respondents were certain that all of the money would be spent on additional medical research, with 34% not willing and another 23% uncertain about additional taxes for research.
“By cutting federal funding for research supported by the National Institutes of Health and other agencies, we are literally putting lifesaving research on hold,” said Janis Abkowitz, MD, president of the American Society of Hematology, the world’s largest association of blood specialists. “As someone who has seen firsthand how scientific breakthroughs have led to better treatments for patients with blood diseases, it is encouraging to see that voters view medical research funding as a key issue when deciding who will get their vote.”
Looking ahead to the midterm elections, about two-thirds of respondents (66%) say it’s important for candidates running for office to assign a high priority to funding medical research. More than half (53%) do not believe elected officials in Washington are paying enough attention to combating the many deadly diseases that afflict Americans.
Among other findings:
70% say basic scientific research that advances the frontiers of knowledge is necessary and should be supported by the federal government, even if it brings no immediate benefits.
Upon hearing the federal government spends approximately $100 per American per year on medical research on all diseases and disabilities, about half (46%) say that’s not enough.
79% say it’s important that our nation supports research that focuses on improving how our health caresystem is functioning.
75% of Americans say it’s important to invest in research for job creation and economic recovery.
54% say the cost of health care is the single most important health issue facing the nation.
51% say research to improve health is part of the solution to rising health care costs.
75% say it’s important to conduct medical or health research to understand and eliminate health disparities.
The nationwide survey was conducted by Zogby Analytics for Research!America and the American Society of Hematology. The margin of error is +/-3.2 percentage points.
To view the poll, visit:http://www.researchamerica.org/uploads/Nov13nationalpollwithASH.pdf