~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://pubrecord.org/commentary/6084/critical-unraveling-society/

The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society

By David DeGraw
The Public Record
Nov 19th, 2009

Report Contents:
———————I: U.S. Societal Breakdown
———————II: Environmental Crisis
———————III: The Obama Myth
———————IV: Economic Coup – Theft of Trillions
———————V: National Emergency

Download Full Report in PDF format

The economic elite have launched an attack on the U.S.
public and society is unraveling at an increased rate.

I: U.S. Societal Breakdown

The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society: We are in a NATIONAL EMERGENCYYou may
have missed it in the mainstream news media, but statistical societal indicators
are reading red across the board. Before exposing the root causes of this
breakdown, let's look at some vital statistics and facts:

* The inequality of wealth in the United States is soaring to an unprecedented
level. The US already had the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized
world prior to the financial crisis. Since the crisis, which has hit the middle
class and poor much harder than the top one percent, the gap between the top one
percent and the remaining 99% of the US population has grown to a record high.

* As the stock market went over the 10,000 mark and just surged to a 13-month
high, the three big banks that took taxpayer money and benefit the most from the
government bailout have just set a new global economic record by issuing $30
billion in annual bonuses this year, "up 60 percent from last year." Bloomberg
reported: "Goldman Sachs, the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street
history, had a record profit in the first nine months of this year and set aside
$16.7 billion for compensation expenses." Goldman Sachs is on pace for the best
year in the firm's history, they are also benefiting by only paying 1% in taxes.

* The profits of the economic elite are "now underwritten by taxpayers with
$23.7 trillion worth of national wealth."

As the looting is occurring at the top, the US middle class is just beginning to
collapse.

* Workers between the age of 55 – 60, who have worked for 20 – 29 years, have
lost an average of 25 percent off their 401k. During the same time period, the
wealth of the 400 richest Americans went up by $30 billion, bringing their total
combined wealth to $1.57 trillion.

* Home foreclosure filings "hit a record high in the third quarter [of 2009]…
They were the worst three months of all time… 937,840 homes received a
foreclosure letter" in this three month period. "3.4 million homes are expected
to enter foreclosure by year's end, with some experts estimating that next year
will be even worse."

President Obama has enacted a $75 billion taxpayer funded program that has been
a spectacular failure in stemming the foreclosure crisis and has proven to be
another massive waste of billions of taxpayer dollars.

* 25 Million people are unemployed or underemployed.

This means we have 25 million people who urgently need to increase their income,
and they're quickly running out of options. The unemployment rate is expected to
rise further and remain high for several years. "The president's chief economic
adviser warned that the nation's unemployment rate could stay `unacceptably
high' for years to come."

The NY Times reports: "Americans now confront a job market that is bleaker than
ever in the current recession, and employment prospects are still getting worse.
Job seekers now outnumber openings six to one, the worst ratio since the
government began tracking…" As this ratio continues to grow, it will lead to a
further reduction in wages – average worker wages have seen a sharp decline over
the past year.

Economist Nouriel Roubini, a man who accurately predicted our current crisis,
just reported on unemployment stating: "Think the worst is over? Wrong.
Conditions in the U.S. labor markets are awful and worsening…. So we can expect
that job losses will continue until the end of 2010 at the earliest. In other
words, if you are unemployed and looking for work and just waiting for the
economy to turn the corner, you had better hunker down. All the economic numbers
suggest this will take a while. The jobs just are not coming back."

* As the few elite banks thrive, there have been 123 US bank failures thus far
this year. Recently, three banks that the government declared "healthy" and gave
taxpayer money to have folded. The Wall Street Journal reports: "U.S. regulators
have seized or threatened at least 27 banks that got capital infusions from the
Troubled Asset Relief Program, including some lenders government officials knew
were troubled when they awarded the money. The troubles put taxpayers at risk of
losing as much as $5.1 billion invested in the banks since TARP was launched in
October 2008."

* As bankruptcies surge across the board, 10 US states are on the verge of
bankruptcy, with several ready to declare a financial state of emergency.
California, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon,
Rhode Island and Wisconsin are all "barreling toward economic disaster, raising
the likelihood of higher taxes, more government layoffs and deep cuts in
services."

This is occurring at a time when the "federal budget deficit for the fiscal year
that just ended was $1.4 trillion, nearly a trillion dollars greater than the
year before." In total, "US public debt topped 12 trillion dollars for the first
time in history… The public debt topped 10 trillion dollars in September 2008.
The debt is quickly approaching the statutory limit of 12.104 trillion dollars,
meaning Congress would have to raise the ceiling to prevent a shutdown of
government operations."

Economist Dean Baker explains the risk of running such a large deficit: "The
debt limit must be increased at regular intervals in order to allow the
government to function normally because the government is currently operating at
a deficit. If the debt limit is not passed, then at some point the government
will not be able to pay workers and contractors. It won't be able to send out
Social Security checks or make payments for Medicaid and unemployment insurance
to state governments. And, it will not be able to make interest payments on
government bonds, effectively defaulting on the national debt."

Needless to say, all of this will make life drastically more difficult for
citizens of the US. As the middle class continues on the path of economic
decline, the number of citizens living in poverty has already hit an all time
high.

* Although the government's official figure tries to low-ball the number, 47.4
Million US citizens live in poverty, and the US poverty rate is the highest in
the industrialized world.

Predictably, homelessness is rising at an increased rate as well. "The US
government does not tally the numbers but interested organisations say that more
than 3 million people were homeless at some point over the past year…. The
fastest growing segment of the homeless population is families with children."

Children have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis:

* 50% of US children, one out of every two children, will need to use food
stamps to eat.

One out of every two children in the United States of America will need to use a
food stamp… to EAT!

If you didn't think starvation was a serious threat in the US, just read this
new Washington Post report: "The nation's economic crisis has catapulted the
number of Americans who lack enough food to the highest level since the
government has been keeping track, according to a new federal report, which
shows that nearly 50 million people — including almost one child in four —
struggled last year to get enough to eat… Several independent advocates and
policy experts on hunger said that they had been bracing for the latest report
to show deepening shortages, but that they were nevertheless astonished by how
much the problem has worsened. `This is unthinkable. It's like we are living in
a Third World country,' said Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America."

The United States Department of Agriculture released these findings in a study
that was completed in December 2008, which means these numbers don't take into
account the millions more unemployed throughout 2009. The numbers of people
living in poverty and struggling to eat has seen a significant increase since
then.

This a national tragedy. But it gets much worse.

* In 2008, according to the Census Bureau, the number of US citizens without
healthcare grew to a record 46.3 million. "The new figures, however, understate
the severity of the economic downturn because a large portion of nation's job
losses and unemployment rate increases occurred after the Census survey data was
collected in March as part of the annual Current Population Survey."

* Lack of health Insurance has caused 45,000 preventable U.S. citizen deaths in
the past year. The American Journal of Medicine recently released a study that
stated "Nearly two out of three bankruptcies stem from medical bills, and even
people with health insurance face financial disaster if they experience a
serious illness."

A Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reported that 17,000 children have died
due to lack of healthcare. You can also add in a recent report that revealed
that 2,266 US Veterans have died in 2008 due to lack of insurance.

The 50 million now uninsured and the 45,000 preventable deaths per year
statistics are expected to drastically rise over the next few years. As the
Senate continues to strip meaningful amendments from a healthcare bill that
wouldn't even take effect until 2013, it has become clear that, despite the
media hype, the healthcare bill is going to fall far short of meaningful reform
and continue to rig the game in favor of large insurance company profits at the
expense of the US population. With the highest cost healthcare in the world,
current trends will continue and much needed change is not on the horizon.

Never before has the United States had so many citizens with so little means,
little to no income and heavy debt. Debt and costs of living have now shackled
US citizens just as it has shackled people throughout the world. The economic
hit men have now hit the US as well and millions of US citizens are now
effectively sentenced to a slow death.

Economic Imperial blowback has hit the mainland.

And the clock is ticking louder by the day…

Here's another fact for you:

* The gun and ammunition manufacturing industry in the United States has over
200 companies producing billions of dollars in annual revenues. This huge
manufacturing base cannot fulfill demand quickly enough. The demand for guns and
ammunition has hit a record high and the gun industry cannot produce enough
bullets to keep up with orders.

American's are arming themselves to the teeth!

* In the past year, 100 new armed militia groups have been formed, as militia
members have doubled in numbers. Federal authorities are gravely concerned about
the "uptick in militia activities." One federal authority recently said, "All
it's lacking is a spark. I think it's only a matter of time before you see
threats and violence."

So let's breakdown these numbers.

You have a population of 50 million people who are in desperate need of money,
they most likely have no health insurance and can't afford to get healthcare or
help of any kind. Part of this population probably also has loved ones who can't
get life sustaining medical treatments, or loved ones that have already died due
to lack of costly medical treatment. The clock is ticking loud for these people
and they are running out of options fast, and time delayed is time closer to
death.

While the richest one percent have never had it so good, a significant
percentage of the US population now has firsthand experience in this. Millions
upon millions of Americans are poor, broke, struggling, starving, desperate… and
armed.

We are sitting on a powder keg!

We are now witnessing the critical unraveling of US society.

- – - – - – - – - – - -

II: Environmental Crisis

Add to this picture an environmental crisis the likes of which humanity has
never faced.

Considering our current economy, what will happen when another extreme weather
event like Hurricane Katrina hits a major US city? What will happen when storms,
droughts and fires continue to spread with increasing intensity? How many have
to die before even modest actions are taken to prevent environmental
catastrophe?

Extreme weather events are pounding the globe, it is as if the environment has
declared war on us as a species. Humanity has become a polluting cancer in the
environmental system, and if we don't urgently act to stop the bleeding, things
are going to get drastically worse in a pace faster than anticipated. And this
is not an opinion; it is happening now, there is plenty of empirical evidence
that anyone can see before their own eyes, if they care to look.

US public opinion on the climate crisis has been distorted by the mainstream US
media in stunning fashion. A recent Pew Research study revealed that only 36
percent of the US population thinks the climate crisis is a result of human
activity.

Regardless of your beliefs, due to climate change, we are on the verge of
experiencing major water shortages spreading "across the country. Sooner rather
than later…" California has already been hit by extreme drought and water is in
very short supply. As the Arctic continues to melt, California will continue to
experience extreme drought. A new study revealed: "when Arctic sea ice
disappears, the jet stream—high-altitude winds with a profound influence on
climate—shifts north, moving precipitation away from California." A recent
"sweeping water-reform bill" in California temporarily eased public outcry, but
the problem remains. The U.S. is confronted by a serious water crisis.

For a global example, there is currently an extreme drought in East Africa as
well, which has 23 million people on the verge of dying from starvation. Due to
the drought, crops have been killed in unprecedented fashion. Events of this
nature are happening all over the globe.

Of the worldwide record one billion people going hungry, the leading cause is
destroyed agriculture due to extreme weather.

As a significant percentage of humanity faces death due to climate change, we
are in the midst of our planet's sixth great extinction. Over 17,000 species are
threatened with extinction, "more than one in five of all known mammals, over a
quarter of reptiles and 70 percent of plants are under threat."

The Critical Unraveling of U.S. Society: We are in a NATIONAL EMERGENCYFor those
of you unaware, the earth's ecosystem is a very delicate balance. Being in the
midst of the earth's sixth great extinction is not a matter to be ignored.

The upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen was considered by leaders throughout
the world to be the most critical environmental summit in the history of
civilization. International headlines read: "We only have months, not years, to
save civilization from climate change."

However, the United States and the head of the United Nations just announced
that no legally binding treaties are expected to come out of the summit. This is
devastating news!

The reason why no deal will be reached at the summit: the United States is
refusing to take necessary action.

In a PR move to calm criticism in advance of the summit, the US and Japan
announced a vague agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions… in 2012. However,
the "agreement on this ambitious reduction target could not be reached during
the APEC summit, and so was dropped from the draft statement."

It would be smart of the public relations department to at least get one photo
op with Obama actually at the climate summit. Instead of being at the most
important summit, perhaps in the history of civilization, it appears Obama will
be blowing it off to give his speech on how it feels to win the Nobel Peace
Prize… H E L L O.

We are living in an insane asylum.

The Goldman Sachs PR guy is out giving speeches on how cool it is to cast the
illusion of peace and hope, while the earth burns.

- – - – - – - – - – - -

III: The Obama Myth

I don't mean to dismiss the Obama myth, his words, the change we need is real,
its just his actions don't even come close to measuring up. Just read the legal
documents he has signed his name to. Read them. His actions are most often the
opposite of what he says. I venture to say a 10 year old can recognize that
after doing a school day's worth of research.

Obama is a national tragedy. He is a symbol of the times. He is not a leader,
just a symbol. He projects the change we need. He was our shortcut to correcting
our diseased political system, a way to rid it of corruption. He symbolized the
change millions so desperately need. People came out in the millions for the
first time "hoping" if they could work and organize to put him in office, we
would have some representation to defend against the economic elite that have
put the overwhelming majority of US politicians on the payroll and brought
humanity to a breaking point.

People just need to research how the Obama myth was hatched. Goldman Sachs saw
Obama early on and said, "He's our guy!" When Obama became THE MAN in Iowa, he
was on the Goldman Sachs pay roll. Goldman financed the psychological operation
that is the Obama myth, the Illusion of HOPE – something to keep a suffering
nation pacified just a little bit longer. Obama is truly a national tragedy. His
failure and inaction has disillusioned millions upon millions of desperate
citizens who turned to him as their best chance for justice.

As further evidence of Obama's duplicity — beyond repeatedly signing his name to
documents covering up the Bush Adminstration's highest crimes and increasing an
already bloated military budget — in one of his very first moves as President he
put Goldman Sachs' criminal mastermind Tim Geitner in charge of the treasury.

A new report from the TARP Inspector General further exposes Tim Geithner's role
"in overpayments that put billions of extra tax dollars in the coffers of major
Wall Street firms, most notably Goldman Sachs."

Which brings us to the ultimate theft of wealth in history, and to the root
cause of our current crisis.

- – - – - – - – - – - -

IV: Economic Coup – Theft of Trillions

URGENT NATIONAL EMERGENCY: TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PUBLIC WEALTH HAS BEEN STOLEN

This crime makes Bernie Madoff's look like an elementary school lunch money
stickup. No, I'm not talking about the hundreds of billions in the housing
crisis scam cooked up by JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs that left millions homeless
and investors suckered the world over, or even the $2.75 trillion oil futures
market scam that has siphoned 50% of all our spending on gas and fuel.

These huge scams are just diversions from the ultimate crime.

Trillions of dollars, trillions of our money, of our tax money — the money that
comes out of your paycheck every week of your working life, all the thousands
upon thousands that have been taken away from you and your family and are
supposed to fund our government and keep our society functioning — have been
handed over to the economic elite, to the Llyod Blankfeins and Jamie Dimons of
the world.

Hank Paulson and his confidant Tim Geitner, the Goldman Sachs wonder twins, have
looted the US treasury. There has been an economic coup in the United States!

Trillions of our dollars have vanished! You need to understand this!

We have just witnessed the greatest theft of wealth in history, the greatest
transfer of wealth from the working class to the economic elite ever. An
organized banking cartel has seized the US treasury and they are making up the
"laws" and the rules to this rigged game. The covert economy has grown at a
staggering rate due to taxpayer-funded injections. As a result of this, economic
shackles are just beginning to fall upon the American public like never before.
99% of our nation is now sentenced to a slow death.

Just as economic hit men have done to governments throughout the globe, they
have gained complete control of the US government and have now shackled US
citizens as well. The economic elite do not want to deal with "spoiled
Americans" anymore, that's how they see it. To them the middle class was always
an annoying nuisance to be tolerated so the economy could keep functioning well
enough to allow their scams to perpetuate. But once their scam known as the US
stock market came crashing down, and they were threatened with losing their
ultimate power, they turned to the US middle class and opened fire. "Enough with
you, we are taking over your government and stealing your tax money!"

This is exactly what happened!

The economic elite are operating under the belief that the world is theirs, they
own it, and to hell with everyone else. They also take the view that as the
environment grows more destructive, they don't want us around to compete for
resources.

This is self-evident after some research into policy actions that have been
carried out. Research it for yourself!

Recent investigations into the illegal practices of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan
have revealed the US economy and stock market to be a fraud. As more of the
world becomes aware of this, the dollar will continue to plummet and the U.S.
public will pay a devastating price – things are just beginning to unravel.

The US economy has been hit by a deathblow, it lay in ruins naked and exposed to
"Too Big Too Fail" thieves who have raped and pillaged, who are looting public
wealth in unprecedented fashion.

The economic elite are vultures feeding off the carcass that is the US economy.
The whole political structure has been gutted by corruption. Democracy was the
façade that this house of cards was built on – a pyramid scheme that was built
on the illusion of law and freedom.

Historians will look back at this time as a period in which corrupt despots
ruled the masses with utter short-sighted greed and casted an illusion over the
base population to keep the scam rolling along, until the end of the American
empire, until the public driven economy came crashing down in a thunderous
economic cloud of greed and corruption.

The smoke is still in our eyes, but the masses are beginning to see, to realize.

- – - – - – - – - – - -

V: National Emergency

Many middle class US citizens don't realize all of this yet, I understand their
lack of action and confusion because I have also been bred as a middle class
American in the propaganda system known as the US mainstream media, but I'm
writing this to let you know…

Our survival instinct has to quickly override our conditioned naiveté and
passivity that has been bred into us. We are threatened as a country and a
species at the same time.

We, as a nation, must overcome heavy doses of propaganda administered by the
mainstream media for hours a day, every day of our existence. Shake off your
conditioned naiveté and passivity. This is a brutal world we live in, and we are
now at war…

The American dream state is over. It's time to get real, time to sound the
alarm.

I am of the sincere hope that we will be able to rise up as a counterweight to
the economic elite. In the overall scheme of things, history has placed us in a
pivotal position. We are a vital countervailing force to the economic elite and
must immediately start exercising our rights of redress.

People throughout the world understand that the US middle class has to serve as
a counterweight to an economic cartel that has brought humanity to a breaking
point.

The economic elite also understand this, this is why they have launched a war on
us.

Now that our existence is directly threatened as well, people are awaking from a
propagandized existence and realizing the gravity of our crisis.

We must sound the alarm and discard our illusions.

It is time to evolve from a state of "Hope" to a state of "Action."

We desperately need intelligent leadership, free from the shackles of the
banking cartel.

We, as a nation, cannot continue to settle for the politics of corruption. We
must begin by addressing the root cause of our troubles and hold accountable
those directly responsible for the greatest theft of wealth in history.

We must flood the halls of Congress; we must engage our House of Representatives
and begin to rein in the economic elite.

This Is A… NATIONAL EMERGENCY…

Economic justice is possible, it may be hard to believe here in the US, but a
nation of law is still possible. It is possible only if YOU begin to act.

We are 99% of the population, they are only 1%.

The outcome is not assured; we must start organizing on a mass scale.

Take your plight to your representative. SOUND THE ALARM!

We must understand "the fierce urgency of now!"

David DeGraw is the founder and editor of AmpedStatus.com and director of
MediaChannel.org. You can reach him at David@....



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The truth is that far from being the poor victim it likes to portray itself as,
Israel is in fact the most aggressive and belligerent nation in the region,
having invaded pretty much everyone it shares a border with.

The following maps show what Israel has actually done:

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/mapstellstory.html





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source:

Support for legalizing marijuana grows rapidly around U.S.

By Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 23, 2009

Later in the month, the American Medical Association reversed a longtime
position and urged the federal government to remove marijuana from Schedule One
of the Controlled Substances Act, which equates it with heroin.

A few days later, advocates for easing marijuana laws left their biannual
strategy conference with plans to press ahead on all fronts -- state law, ballot
measures, and court -- in a movement that for the first time in decades appeared
to be gaining ground.

"This issue is breaking out in a remarkably rapid way now," said Ethan
Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "Public opinion is
changing very, very rapidly."

The shift is widely described as generational. A Gallup poll in October found 44
percent of Americans favor full legalization of marijuana -- a rise of 13 points
since 2000. Gallup said that if public support continues growing at a rate of 1
to 2 percent per year, "the majority of Americans could favor legalization of
the drug in as little as four years."

A 53 percent majority already does so in the West, according to the survey. The
finding heartens advocates collecting signatures to put the question of
legalization before California voters in a 2010 initiative.
ad_icon

At last week's International Drug Reform Conference, activists gamed specific
proposals for taxing and regulating pot along the lines of cigarettes and
alcohol, as a bill pending in the California Legislature would do. The measure
is not expected to pass, but in urging its serious debate, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger (R) gave credence to a potential revenue source that the state's
tax chief said could raise $1.3 billion in the recession, which advocates
describe as a boon.

There were also tips on lobbying state legislatures, where measures
decriminalizing possession of small amounts have passed in 14 states. Activists
predict half of states will have laws allowing possession for medical purposes
in the near future.

Interest in medical marijuana and easing other marijuana laws picked up markedly
about 18 months ago, but advocates say the biggest surge came with the election
of Barack Obama, the third straight president to acknowledge having smoked
marijuana, and the first to regard it with anything like nonchalance.

"As a kid, I inhaled," Barack Obama famously said on the campaign. "That was the
whole point."

In office, Obama made good on a promise to halt federal prosecutions of medical
marijuana use where permitted by state law. That has recalibrated the federal
attitude, which had been consistently hostile to marijuana since the early
1970s, when President Richard Nixon cast aside the recommendations of a
presidential commission arguing against lumping pot with hard drugs.

Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he was astonished recently to be invited to
contribute thoughts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Obama's drug
czar, Gil Kerlikowske, was police chief in Seattle, where voters officially made
enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority.

"I've been thrown out of the ONDCP many times," St. Pierre said. "Never invited
to actually participate."
This Story

     *
       Support for legalizing marijuana grows rapidly around U.S.
     *
       Poll: Would you support medical marijuana?

Anti-drug advocates counter with surveys showing high school students nationwide
already are more likely to smoke marijuana than tobacco -- and that the five
states with the highest rate of adolescent pot use permit medical marijuana.

"We are in the prevention business," said Arthur Dean, chairman of the Community
Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. "Kids are getting the message tobacco's
harmful, and they're not getting the message marijuana is."

In Los Angeles, city officials are dealing with elements of public backlash
after more than 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries opened, some employing
in-house physicians to dispense legal permission to virtually all comers. The
boom town atmosphere brought complaints from some neighbors, but little of the
crime associated with underground drug-dealing.

Advocates cite the latter as evidence that, as with alcohol, violence associated
with the marijuana trade flows from its prohibition.

"Seriously," said Bruce Merkin, communications director for the Marijuana Policy
Project, an advocacy group based in the District, "there is a reason you don't
have Mexican beer cartels planting fields of hops in the California forests."

But the controversy over the dispensaries also has put pressure on advocates who
specifically champion access for ailing patients, not just those who champion
easing marijuana laws.
ad_icon

"I don't want to say we keep arm's length from the other groups. You end up with
all of us in the same room," said Joe Elford, counsel for Americans for Safe
Access, which has led the court battle for medical marijuana and is squaring off
with the Los Angeles City Council. "It's a very broad-based movement."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.rense.com/general88/carlin.htm

George Carlin's Views on Aging
11-23-9

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when
we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that
you think in fractions.

'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half.
You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next
number, or even a few ahead.

'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be
16! And then the greatest day of your life .. . You become 21. Even the words
sound like a ceremony YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad
milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a
sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes,
it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are
gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day
thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you
TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start
going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid
again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the
doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.
Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the
devil'sname is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with
us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes,
music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve
it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to
a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is..

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that
take our breath away.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source:
http://www.examiner.com/x-18425-LA-County-Nonpartisan-Examiner~y2009m11d22-What-\
if-China-did-to-the-US-what-the-US-has-done-to-Iran-An-analogy-to-help-embrace-f\
acts?cid=examiner-email

What if China did to the US what the US has done to Iran? An analogy to help
embrace facts
November 22, 5:02 PMLA County Nonpartisan ExaminerCarl Herman

President Obama is using the same aggressive rhetoric we saw prior to invasions
of Afghanistan and Iraq, with media repeating the quickly-verifiable lie that
Iran's President threatened to "wipe Israel off the map." Previously, Senator
Lieberman, Secretary of State Clinton, and former UN Ambassador John Bolton
resumed rhetoric of a United States attack upon Iran. There are two general
justifications they speak of to justify war: Iran's "nuclear program" and their
threat to Israel.
Both claims are false (again, verify here and here), which follows a history of
US lies regarding wars and a history of violent US intervention to control
Iran's government.

Would it help to understand the facts to imagine if the US was in Iran's
position? Let's find out with the following scenario of the current US role
being played by China, and Iran being played by the US. It's all based on the
conservative history (non-contested as far as I know) of what the US has done to
Iran and documented here. This is written from an American perspective.

In 1953, the CIA (China Intelligence Agency) overthrew the Eisenhower
administration, installing a vicious dictator, Mr. Monarchy, who would lord over
us until we deposed him in 1979. Ike had been elected in our democracy, and had
the brass to demand renegotiation of oil contracts to increase the American
share of the profit above 15%. The Chinese had helped develop our Texas oil
fields from their occupation during the last world war. Ike's threat of
nationalizing our oil fields drove China over the edge. Their CIA staged
Operation Ajax, put Ike in prison until 1956, and then kept him under house
arrest until his death.

The puppet-Chinese Monarch was welcome in Beijing, with the Chinese people not
perceiving the irony and hypocrisy of their Cold War fighting for "freedom and
democracy" while supporting a dictator who destroyed democracy in our country.
CIA helped train Monarchy's own secret service, who imprisoned and executed
hundreds of thousands of Americans who defied Monarchy in any way. When Monarchy
developed cancer and fled the US in 1979, he received medical treatment in
China. The new US government demanded extradition to the US for mass murder
against his own citizens. China refused.

In protest, Americans stormed the Chinese embassy in Washington DC, taking 53
hostages. China demanded their immediate release; but with refusal to extradite
Monarchy to stand trial, the US refused. The US de facto leader, minister Billy
Bible (who Monarchy exiled in 1964) said China had no right to complain, as they
held our entire nation hostage since 1953. Americans rallied behind Bible, and
the motto he developed while in exile: "We'll be back. This regime will be
terminated."

China imposed economic sanctions on the US and then supported their
puppet-dictator in Mexico, Senor Saddam, to invade the US in 1980.
Behind-the-scenes negotiations led to the hostages' release in January, 1981,
but China escalated their support of Mexico in their invasion. They didn't lift
a finger for international law to stop Mexico's War of Aggression against us.
Over a million Americans were killed in the war until 1988.

Along with Chinese attacks destroying US oil platforms and installations in the
Gulf of Mexico in 1988, China also shot down and American commercial airliner
655, flying in American airspace, killing all 293 on board. China's
vice-president said he would never apologize for China, no matter what the facts
were. The invasion and war ended at the end of 1988.

In 1990, China invaded Mexico but kept their dictator in power. China imposed
harsh sanctions on Mexico, resulting in about a million civilian deaths, mostly
children. Their secretary of state said the deaths of children were "regrettable
but worth the cost." They invaded again in 2003 for "regime change" after Mexico
began accepting other currencies than China's for oil export. This followed
China's 2002 invasion of Canada and occupation.

Americans realized we were surrounded by China and feared the worst, as history
had demonstrated. We were right.

Beginning in 2003, China escalated rhetoric that the US, a non-nuclear power,
was developing nuclear weapons in secret locations and that we were a government
run by religious zealots (perhaps true, yes). The US began selling Texas oil
exports for currency other than China's in fear of devaluation of the Yuan from
their government's extensive borrowing and increased debt. In 2005 the US
president delivers a speech in defense of Palestinian rights. He used the exact
same phrase as our revolutionary hero, Billy Bible: "Palestine will be back. The
Israeli regime will be terminated."

China snapped. Their political leaders and press claimed that the US is
threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Israel demanded the US be
tried for crimes against humanity, said we were threatening another Holocaust
(despite our large Jewish population), and requested our expulsion from the UN.
China and Israel began to participate in war games. They openly discuss war with
the US, including the use of nuclear weapons. This is all in blatant violation
of the UN Charter to keep peaceful relations.

A second line of China-Israeli propaganda is over US pursuit of nuclear energy.
China was in contract with the US and fully supported US nuclear energy when
their puppet Monarchy was in charge, but after the 1979 revolution they reneged
on all contracts, never refunding billions we paid for equipment. Both China and
Israel state a military strike against the US is "on the table."

The US tries to distinguish our legal nuclear energy development that allows
full inspections from IAEA from illegal nuclear weapons.

It does no good.

China and their controlled media relentlessly use the ambiguous phrasing of the
US "nuclear program," and broadcast fear of what might happen if we develop a
nuclear weapon. China ignores and won't discuss the terms of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty where the US is allowed to develop nuclear energy,
choosing to conflate nuclear energy and nuclear weapons in the minds of their
citizens. Chinese news programs show the world a new 30,000 pound bomb to
penetrate US underground targets.

While "officially" China says Christianity is a respectable religion, their
media stoke fears that Christian extremists are in charge of the US. Many
Chinese view Christians with fear, thinking we want to convert the world because
we think any other religion leads to hell. They point to the Crusades, hundreds
of year of religious wars, and the Spanish Inquisition as evidence that
Christianity is a religion that has been and can again be extremely violent.
They say Americans are brutal and dishonest as a culture; citing genocide
against American Natives and constant treaty violation to steal their land,
Americans lying their way into a war to steal half of Mexico, and then being so
unstable we had a civil war.

Many of their media pundits explain that Chinese troops cannot leave Mexico and
Canada because Christian extremists will take over and it'll be a safe-haven for
Christian terrorists committed to get to China and kill their civilians in
terrorist attacks.

One of China's top reporters with a history of documenting Chinese war crimes
and broke the torture scandal against Mexican detainees reports China is
actively engaged with their CIA to overthrow our government again.

China also insists their "Surge" in Mexico has decreased Mexican terrorism, but
they accuse Americans and the US government of covertly aiding Mexican and
Palesinian "terrorists." They spin their invasion that Mexico and the world is
better off, and China will increase troop presence in Canada during 2009 to
defeat the "Maple Leaf" terrorist cells, who are a threat to Chinese national
security. They increasingly use drone attacks against Canada and across the
sea-border into northern Scotland, an apparently ungovernable part of the UK, a
nuclear power.

The Chinese public is increasing aware of the facts, using the Internet and
alternative media for communication. The Chinese government threatens to close
the Internet for "national security" needs, should they arise.

As of November, 2009, the US has not yet been attacked by China and/or Israel,
but the drums of war continue to beat against us, accompanied by China's slick
"mainstream media." We hope and pray that the Chinese public and the world will
understand that Americans don't want war with anyone. We want cooperation,
dignity, justice under law, and freedom.

Because all of China's political leaders repeat the lie that Billy Bible's
phrase means a threat to Israel, that we want to somehow commit suicide by
attacking a nation without cause that has over 400 nuclear weapons and the
world's most sophisticated hardware to deliver them, and this lie is SO EASILY
refuted, we know that China's president and henchmen do not want peace under the
law with us. This is so evil, and should be apparent after the reasons China
gave to invade Mexico and Canada were exposed by their own government
documentation as known lies as they were being told.

And China wonders why so many of us turn to religion for solace.

After a million civilian deaths from China's invasion of Mexico we know our fate
will be similar if they attack us. May God help us all.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www.rense.com/general88/isthink.htm

New Poll - Israelis Think Ethnic
Cleansing Is The Solution
By Yaniv Reich
11-22-9

Israelis talk often and loudly about their desires for peace. But its never been
clear precisely what peace concept it is they desire. In particular, Israeli
notions of peace have never gone so far as to grant the Palestinians the same
national rights that Israelis claim for themselves. Well, according to a new
poll by Israeli National News (disclaimer: its a right-wing rag, sample size
"more than 6,400), a majority of Israelis are clear about what kind of "peace"
they desire.

53.2% of surveyed Israelis say the "solution" to the conflict was the ethnic
cleansing ("transfer") of Palestinians out of occupied Palestine and into other
neighboring Arab countries. This was the most popular option among all
alternatives, including the two state solution, Jordanian citizenship in the
West Bank, status quo, etc. For comparative purposes, only 30.8% of Israelis
support the "two-states for two peoples" framework for peace.

Keep this information in mind next to you hear Israeli hasbara about "partners
for peace" or when someone tries to claim that the two-state solution is the
only "realistic" solution to the conflict. If only those Palestinians would
"recognize Israel's right to exist", then everything would be SO much better.

www.hybridstates.com/2009/11/new-poll-53-of-israelis-
think-ethnic-cleansing-is-the-solution-to-the-conflict/



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its full
capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not mean that I
agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL" means that I believe
it is important for the people of this planet to know about what people think or
do, even when what they think or do is completely stupid and against our
philosophy. When I selected articles in the past about stupid Christian
fundamentalists in America praying for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader
was stupid enough to believe that I was supporting praying to change the
weather. So, when I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group or
religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I support them. It
just means that it is important for all human beings to know about them. Common
sense, which is usually very good among our readers, is good enough to
understand that. When, like in the recent articles on drug decriminalization, it
is necessary to make it clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very
clear: I support decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed
and sad people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is any change
to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any drug except for
medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of expression which must be
absolute. That does not mean again of course that I agree with anti-Jews,
antisemites, racists of any kind or anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies
or the enemies of your values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love
and respect of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141180/Intel_Chips_in_brains_will_contro\
l_computers_by_2020

Intel: Chips in brains will control computers by 2020
Brain waves will replace keyboard and mouse, dial phones and change TV channels

Computerworld - By the year 2020, you won't need a keyboard and mouse to control
your computer, say Intel Corp. researchers. Instead, users will open documents
and surf the Web using nothing more than their brain waves.

Scientists at Intel's research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to
read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers,
television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with
Intel-developed sensors implanted in people's brains.

The scientists say the plan is not a scene from a sci-fi movie -- Big Brother
won't be planting chips in your brain against your will. Researchers expect that
consumers will want the freedom they will gain by using the implant.

"I think human beings are remarkable adaptive," said Andrew Chien, vice
president of research and director of future technologies research at Intel
Labs. "If you told people 20 years ago that they would be carrying computers all
the time, they would have said, 'I don't want that. I don't need that.' Now you
can't get them to stop [carrying devices]. There are a lot of things that have
to be done first but I think [implanting chips into human brains] is well within
the scope of possibility."

Intel research scientist Dean Pomerleau told Computerworld that users will soon
tire of depending on a computer interface, and having to fish a device out of
their pocket or bag to access it. He also predicted that users will tire of
having to manipulate an interface with their fingers.

Instead, they'll simply manipulate their various devices with their brains.

"We're trying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves," said
Pomerleau. "Eventually people may be willing to be more committed ... to brain
implants. Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts."

To get to that point Pomerleau and his research teammates from Intel, Carnegie
Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, are currently working on
decoding human brain activity.

Pomerleau said the team has used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI)
machines to determine that blood flow changes in specific areas of the brain
based on what word or image someone is thinking of. People tend to show the same
brain patterns for similar thoughts, he added.

For instance, if two people think of the image of a bear or hear the word bear
or even hear a bear growl, a neuroimage would show similar brain activity.
Basically, there are standard patterns that show up in the brain for different
words or images.

Pomerleau said researchers are close to gaining the ability to build brain
sensing technology into a head set that culd be used to manipulate a computer.
The next step is development of a tiny, far less cumbersome sensor that could be
implanted inside the brain.

Such brain research isn't limited to Intel and its university partners.

Almost two years ago, scientists in the U.S. and Japan announced that a monkey's
brain was used to to control a humanoid robot. Miguel Nicolelis, a professor of
neurobiology at Duke University and lead researcher on the project, said that
researchers were hoping its work would help paralyzed people walk again.

And a month before that, a scientist at the University of Arizona reported that
he had successfully built a robot that is guided by the brain and eyes of a
moth. Charles Higgins, an associate professor at the university, predicted that
in 10 to 15 years people will be using "hybrid" computers running a combination
of technology and living organic tissue.

Today, Intel's Pomerleau said various research facilities are developing
technologies to sense activity from inside the skull.

"If we can get to the point where we can accurately detect specific words, you
could mentally type," he added. "You could compose characters or words by
thinking about letters flashing on the screen or typing whole words rather than
their individual characters."

Pomerleau also noted that the more scientists figure out about the brain, it
will help them design better microprocessors. He said, "If we can see how the
brain does it, then we could build smarter computers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Medibots: The world's smallest surgeons

New Scientist Health, Nov. 20, 2009

Advances in robotics could revolutionize healthcare, pushing the limits of what
surgeons can achieve, from worm-inspired capsules to crawl through your gut, and
systems swallowed in pieces that assemble themselves inside the body, to
surgical robots that will soon be ready to embark on a fantastic voyage through
our bodies, homing in on the part that's ailing and fixing it from the inside.

Full story:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427351.100-medibots-the-worlds-smallest-\
surgeons.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2009/11/20/the-terror-which-begot\
-a-8220-israela-8221#more8268

The Terror Which Begot "Israel"
November 20th, 2009 12:47 PM   Print

PoliticalTheatrics
Terrorist & mass murderer Menachem Begin + The Zionist terrorbombing
of the King David Hotel

"We committed Nazi acts." -Aharon Zisling, Israel's first Agriculture Minister

"There is no doubt that many sexual atrocities were committed by the attacking
Jews. Many young (Arab) girls were raped and later slaughtered. Old women were
also molested." -General Richard Catling, British Army Assistant Inspector after
interrogating several female survivors. (The Palestinian Catastrophe, Michael
Palumbo, 1987)

"Terrorism" is here taken to mean the practice of the deliberate inflicting
(either directly or indirectly) of harm, injury, death and/or destruction upon a
civilian target sufficient to cause horror, revulsion or despair among civilian
populations and/or their political leaders, with the goal of causing those
populations or political leaders to act in a way desired by the terrorists. A
terrorist state is a state which practices terrorism, even if it pretends (or
rather, lies) to the world that it does not. It hardly needs to be pointed out
that Israel is a terrorist state. Brutal repression of, and bloody attacks on,
Palestinian civilians with the official Israeli aim of causing a change in the
policies or actions of the Palestinian leadership is a clear case of terrorism.

As the evil state of Israel is celebrating over sixty years of ethnic cleansing
and atrocities against the native Palestinians, many people around the world,
especially young generations, will not be fully aware of the manner in which
Israel came into existence. Similarly, the younger Zionist generations who don't
stop calling their Palestinian victims "terrorists" should have a clearer idea
about Israel's manifestly criminal past which Zionist school textbooks
shamelessly glamorize and glorify

Prior to "Jewish" statehood, three main Jewish terror organizations operated in
Palestine, primarily against Palestinian civilians and British mandate targets.
The three were: The Haganah, the Zvei Leumi or Irgun and the Stern Gang. The
Haganah (Defence) had a field army of up to 160,000 well-trained and well-armed
men and a unit called the Palmach, with more than 6,000 terrorists. The Irgun
included as many as 5,000 terrorists, while the Stern Gang included 200-300
dangerous terrorists.

The following are merely some examples of Zionist terrorism prior to the
creation of the Zionist state in 1948: The list doesn't include the bigger
massacres such as Dir Yasin, Dawaymeh, Tantura and others.

1937-1939

During this period, Zionist terrorists carried out a series of terror attacks
against Palestinian buses resulting in the death of 24 persons and the wounding
of 25 others.

1939

Haganah blew up the Iraqi oil pipeline near Haifa/Palestine. Moshe Dayan was one
of the participants in this act. The technique was used in 1947 at least four
times.

1940

On 6 November, 1940 , Zionist terrorists of the Stern Gang assassinated the
British Minister resident in the Middle East , Lord Moyne, in Cairo .

On 25 November, S.S. Patria was blown up by Jewish terrorists in Haifa harbour,
killing 268 illegal Jewish immigrants. The explosion, carried out by the Haganah
terrorist group, was only meant to prevent the ship from sailing. However, it
seemed that the terrorists had miscalculated the amount of explosives needed to
disable the vessel. Other sources reported that this was no miscalculation and
was a deliberate mass murder of Jews by Jews aimed at drawing sympathy and
influencing British immigration policy to Palestine .

1946

Zionist terrorists blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which housed the
civilian administration of the government of Palestine, killing and injuring
more than 200 persons. The Irgun gang claimed responsibility for this criminal
act, but subsequent evidence indicated that both the Haganah and the Jewish
Agency were involved.

1946

On 1 October, the British Embassy in Rome was badly damaged by a bomb explosion
for which Irgun claimed responsibility.

1947

In June 1947, a postal bomb addressed to the British war office exploded in the
post office sorting room in London, injuring 2 persons. It was attributed to
Irgun or Stern Gangs (The Sunday Times, Sept. 24, 1972), p. 8.

In December 1947, six Palestinians were killed and 30 wounded when bombs were
thrown from Jewish trucks at Arab houses in Haifa; 12 Palestinians were killed
and another injured in an attack by armed Zionists at an Arab coastal village
near Haifa.

On 13 December 1947 , Zionist terrorists believed to be members of Irgun Zevi
Leumi murdered 18 Palestinian civilians and wounded 60 others in Jerusalem ,
Jaffa and Lud areas. In Jerusalem , bombs were thrown in an Arab market-place
near the Damascus Gate; in Jaffa bombs were thrown into an Arab café; and in the
Arab village near Lud, 12 Arabs were killed in an attack with mortars and
automatic weapons.

On 9 December, Haganah terrorists attacked an Arab village near Safad, blowing
up two houses, in the ruins of which were found the bodies of 10 Arabs,
including 5 children. Haganah admitted responsibility for the attack.

On 29 December, two British constables and 11 Palestinians were killed and 32
others were injured at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem when Irgun terrorists
threw a bomb from a taxi.

1948

On 1 January, Haganah terrorists attacked a village on the slope of Mount Carmel
, killing 17 Palestinian civilians and wounding 33 others.

On 4 January, Haganah terrorists wearing British Army uniforms penetrated into
the centre of Jaffa and blew up the Sarai, which was used as headquarters of the
Arab National Committee, killing more than 40 persons and wounding 98 others.

On 5 January, the Arab-owned Semiramis Hotel in Jerusalem was blown up, killing
20 civilians, among them Viscount De Tapia, the Spanish Consul. Haganah admitted
responsibility for this outrage.

On 7 January , seventeen Arab civilians were killed by a bomb at the Jaffa Gate
in Jerusalem , 3 of them while trying to escape. Further casualties, including
the murder of a British officer near Hebron, were reported from different parts
of the country.

On 16 January, Jewish terrorists blew up three Arab buildings, killing 8
children between the age of 18 months and 12 years.

December 13, 1947- February 10, 1948

Seven bombing attacks by Jewish terrorists took place and the targets were
innocent Arab civilians in cafés and markets, killing 138 and wounding 271
others. During this period, there were 9 attacks on Arab buses. Moreover, Jewish
terrorists attacked passenger trains on at least four occasions, killing 93
persons and wounding 161 others.

On 15 February , Haganah terrorists attacked an Arab village near Safad and blew
up several houses, killing 11 civilians, including four children.

On 3 March, heavy damage was done to the Arab-owned Salam building in Haifa (a
seven-story block of flats and shops) by Jewish terrorists who drove an army
truck to the building and escaped before detonation of 400 pounds of explosives,
killing 11 Arab civilians and 3 Americans. The Stern Gang claimed
responsibility.

On 22 March, Jewish terrorists from the Stern Gang blew up a housing block in
Iraq Street in Haifa , killing 17 and injuring 100 others. Four members of the
Stern Gang drove two truckloads of explosives into the street and abandoned the
vehicles before the explosives went off.

On 31 March, Jewish terrorists mined the Cairo-Haifa Express, killing 40 people
and wounding 60 others.

On 16 April, Jewish terrorists attacked the former British army camp at Tel
Litvvinsky, killing 90 Palestinians.

On 19 April, fourteen Palestinian civilians were killed in a house in Tiberias,
which was blown up by Zionist terrorists.

On 11 May, a letter bomb addressed to Evelyn Baker, former commanding officer in
Palestine , was detected in the nick of time by his wife.

April 25, 1948- May 13, 1948

Wholesale looting of Jaffa was carried out following armed attacks by Irgun and
Haganah terrorists. They plundered and carried away everything they could,
destroying what they could not take with them.

On 17 September, Count Folke Berndadotte, UN Mediator in Palestine was
assassinated by members of the Stern Gang in the Zionist-controlled sector of
Jerusalem . Bernadotte's aide Col. Serot was also killed and murdered by Jewish
terrorists.

In November, the Christian Arab villages of Igrit and Birim were attacked and
destroyed, killing and injuring many unarmed civilians, including women and
children. All the Christian Arab inhabitants were forcibly expelled from their
homes. The State of Israel still refuses to allow them to return to their
villages despite several court orders.

1948-1949

The greatest acts of Jewish terror took place when Jewish terrorists, now called
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), uprooted 700,000-800,000 Palestinians from their
ancestral homeland in Palestine . Since then the refugees have consistently been
denied the right to return home. After the expulsion, the Zionist terrorist army
razed to the ground hundreds of Arab towns, villages and hamlets and obliterated
their remains. Eventually, Israeli villages, Kibbutzim and towns were built on
the remaining rubble.

Notes/Sources:
1.As written and collected by Khalid Amayreh


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/miroku.shtml


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Psychological Therapy 32 Times More Cost Effective at Increasing
Happiness Than Money
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120084613.htm

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2009) — Research by the University of Warwick
and the University of Manchester finds that psychological therapy
could be 32 times more cost effective at making you happy than simply
obtaining more money. The research has obvious implications for large
compensation awards in law courts but also has wider implications for
general public health.

Chris Boyce of the University of Warwick and Alex Wood of the
University of Manchester compared large data sets where 1000s of
people had reported on their well-being. They then looked at how
well-being changed due to therapy compared to getting sudden increases
in income, such as through lottery wins or pay rises. They found that
a 4 month course of psychological therapy had a large effect on
well-being. They then showed that the increase in well-being from an
£800 course of therapy was so large that it would take a pay rise of
over £25,000 to achieve an equivalent increase in well-being. The
research therefore demonstrates that psychological therapy could be 32
times more cost effective at making you happy than simply obtaining
more money.

Governments pursue economic growth in the belief that it will raise
the well-being of its citizens. However, the research suggests that
more money only leads to tiny increases in happiness and is an
inefficient way to increase the happiness of a population. This
research suggests that if policy makers were concerned about improving
well-being they would be better off increasing the access and
availability of mental health care as opposed to increasing economic
growth.

This research helps to highlight how relatively ineffective extra
income is at raising well-being. The researchers further draw on two
striking pieces of independent evidence to illustrate their point --
over the last 50 years developed countries have not seen any increases
to national happiness in spite of huge economic gains. Mental health
on the other hand appears to be deteriorating worldwide. The
researchers argue that resources should be directed towards the things
that have the best chance of improving the health and happiness of our
nations -- investment in mental health care by increasing the access
and availability of psychological therapy could be a more effective
way of improving national well-being than the pursuit of income
growth.

The research also has important implications for the way in which
"pain and suffering" is compensated in courts of law. Currently the
default way in which individuals are compensated is with financial
compensation. The research suggests that this is an inefficient way at
repairing psychological harm following traumatic life events and that
a more effective remedy would be to offer psychological therapy.

University of Warwick researcher Chris Boyce said: "We have shown that
psychological therapy could be much more cost effective than financial
compensation at alleviating psychological distress. This is not only
important in courts of law, where huge financial awards are the
default way in which pain and suffering are compensated, but has wider
implications for public health and well-being."

"Often the importance of money for improving our well-being and
bringing greater happiness is vastly over-valued in our societies. The
benefits of having good mental health, on the other hand, are often
not fully appreciated and people do not realise the powerful effect
that psychological therapy, such as non-directive counselling, can
have on improving our well-being."

     Adapted from materials provided by University of Warwick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The court will now call its expert witness: the brain
http://www.physorg.com/news177927125.html
November 20, 2009 by Ingfei Chen

Illustration by Jeffrey Decoster

(PhysOrg.com) -- Will advances in neuroscience make the justice system
more accurate and unbiased? Or could brain-based testing wrongly
condemn some and trample the civil liberties of others? The new field
of neurolaw is cross-examining for answers.

In August 2008, Hank Greely received an e-mail from an International
Herald Tribune correspondent in Mumbai seeking a bioethicist's
perspective on an unusual murder case in India: A woman had been
convicted of killing her ex-fiancé with arsenic, and the
circumstantial evidence against her included a brain-scan test that
purportedly showed she had a memory—or "experiential knowledge"—of
committing the crime. "I was amazed and somewhat appalled," recalls
Greely (BA '74), the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of
Law, who has studied the legal, ethical, and social implications of
biomedical advances for nearly 20 years. As a type of lie detector,
the supposed memory-parsing powers of the Brain Electrical
Oscillations Signature profiling test—which monitors brain waves
through electrodes placed on the scalp—looked implausible, he says.

No studies of BEOS, as it's called, have been published in
peer-reviewed scientific journals to prove it works.

Maybe society will someday find a technological solution to lie
detection, Greely told the Tribune, "but we need to demand the highest
standards of proof before we ruin people's lives based on its
application."

While it remains unclear whether the guilty verdict in the Indian case
will be upheld, the idea that a murder conviction rested in part on
the premature adoption of an unproven novel technology by a judicial
system makes Greely uneasy. The case is the sort of potentially
disastrous scenario that he and colleagues in the budding field of
"neurolaw" seek to head off in the U.S. legal system.

In the United States, concerns about a similar brain-scanning lie
detection technology, based on functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI), have been swirling around since two companies, No Lie MRI and
Cephos Corp., began offering commercial testing using the technique in
2006 and 2008, respectively. While reservations abound about the
reliability of these brain scans, the decision of whether courts
accept them as evidence will initially rest upon the discretion of
individual judges, on a case-by-case basis.

In the past two decades, neuroscience research has made rapid gains in
deciphering how the human brain works, building toward a fuller
comprehension of behavior that could vastly change how society goes
about educating children, conducting business, and treating diseases.
Powerful neuroimaging techniques are for the first time able to reveal
which parts of the living human brain are in action while the mind
experiences fear, pain, empathy, and even feelings of religious
belief.

"Anything that leads to a better, deeper understanding of people's
minds plays right to the heart of human society and culture—and as a
result, right to the heart of the law," says Greely. "The law cares
about the mind."

Science fiction-like prospects

The brain science revolution raises the tantalizing sci-fi-like
prospect that secrets hidden inside people's heads—like prejudice,
intention to commit a crime, or deception—are within reach of being
knowable. And such "mind reading" could have wide-ranging legal
ramifications.

Although the scientific know-how is not here yet, someday brain scans
might provide stronger proof of an eyewitness's identification of a
suspect, confirm a lack of bias in a potential juror, or demonstrate
that a worker compensation claimant does, in fact, suffer from
debilitating pain. Neuroimaging evaluations of drug offenders might
help predict the odds of relapse and guide sentencing. And new
treatment options based on a better grasp of the neural processes
underlying addictive or violent behavior could improve rehabilitation
programs for repeat lawbreakers.

As director of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences (CLB)
and the Stanford Interdisciplinary Group on Neuroscience and Society,
Greely has provided critical analysis of the societal consequences of
genetic testing and embryonic stem cell techniques. In recent years,
as he has turned his gaze to brain science, Stanford has emerged as a
leader in the neurolaw field, with the CLB holding one-day conferences
on "Reading Minds: Lie Detection, Neuroscience, Law, and Society" and
"Neuroimaging, Pain, and the Law" in 2006 and 2008.

Greely along with two Stanford neuroscience professors and two
research fellows has also been engaged in the Law and Neuroscience
Project, a three-year, $10 million collaboration funded by the John D.
and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation since 2007. Presided over by
honorary chair retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor '52
(BA '50) and headquartered at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, the project brings together legal scholars, judges,
philosophers, and scientists from two dozen universities.

One network is gauging neuroscience's promises and potential perils in
the areas of criminal responsibility and prediction and treatment of
criminal behavior. A second network, co-directed by Greely, is
exploring the impacts of neuroscience on legal decision making.

"A lot of the judges who are participating are just frankly baffled by
this flood of neuroscience evidence they are seeing coming into the
courts. They want to use it if it's good and solid, but they don't
want to if it's flimflam," says Law and Neuroscience Project member
William T. Newsome, professor of neurobiology at the Stanford School
of Medicine. He and the other scientists are helping to educate their
legal counterparts about what brain imaging "can tell you reliably and
what it can't." The project will produce a neuroscience primer for
legal practitioners.

Existing case examples

Neuroscientific evidence has already influenced court outcomes in a
number of instances. Brain scan data is showing some purchase in death
penalty cases, after a defendant has been found guilty, says Robert
Weisberg '79, the Edwin E. Huddleson, Jr. Professor of Law and faculty
co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. That's because,
during the penalty phase, the defendant has "a constitutional right to
offer just about anything that could be characterized as mitigating
evidence," he says.

"What happens here is that a lot of defense evidence that wouldn't be
admissible during the guilt phase, then comes back in a secondary
way." For instance, Weisberg says, to try to reduce punishment to a
life sentence, some defense lawyers are presenting neuroimaging
pictures to argue that organic brain damage from an abusive childhood
makes their client less culpable.

But the bar for admissibility of such evidence is different in
different legal contexts, Weisberg adds, and it is generally set much
higher in the guilt phase during which criminal responsibility is
determined. In that setting, there's a greater reluctance to consider
brain-based information. "Right now the courts are very, very worried
about allowing big inferences to be drawn about how neuroscientific
evidence explains criminal responsibility," he says.

Still, in two cases in California and New York, defendants accused of
first-degree murder successfully argued for a lesser charge of
manslaughter after presenting brain scans to establish diminished
brain function from neurological disorders. And the first in the next
generation of evidence from brain-based technology—fMRI lie
detection—is already knocking at courtroom doors, posing "the most
imminent risk issue" in neurolaw, says Greely.

On the Stanford campus, Greely has been working with neuroscientist
Anthony D. Wagner (PhD '97), a Law and Neuroscience Project member,
and Emily R. Murphy '12 and Teneille R. Brown—who have been Law and
Neuroscience Project fellows—to further investigate the Indian BEOS
profiling technology. The convicted woman and her current husband
(also found guilty in the case) were granted bail by an appellate
court while it considers the couple's appeal of the ruling.

BEOS's inventor claims that by analyzing brain wave patterns that
indicate a remembrance of information about a murder, the test can
distinguish the source of that knowledge—from actually experiencing
the crime, versus hearing of it in the news. But there's no scientific
evidence supporting that such a feat is possible, says Wagner, a
Stanford associate professor of psychology. Neuroimaging studies have
shown that merely imagining events in your mind triggers patterns of
brain activity similar to those that arise from experiencing the
events for real.

Motivated by the case, Wagner, along with psychology postdoctoral
fellow Jesse Rissman and Greely, is exploring whether basic memory
recognition testing is possible with fMRI. Functional MRI looks for
metabolic activity in the brain to see how different parts "light up"
when an individual performs certain mental tasks while lying inside an
MRI machine.

Intriguing possibilities

The idea of fMRI memory detection raises intriguing possibilities:
Could it be used to verify whether a suspect's brain recognizes the
objects in a crime scene shown in a photo, or to confirm an
eyewitness's identification of a perpetrator—without the test subject
even uttering a word? And, if so, how accurately? The answers aren't
known.

In experiments funded by the Law and Neuroscience Project, the
Stanford researchers are studying new computer algorithms for
analyzing a person's neural activation patterns to see if they can be
used to predict whether a face the person has seen before will be
recognized. Preliminary accuracy rates look good. But, Wagner
cautions, it is uncertain whether the lab findings would translate
over to real-world applicability.

And that is the seemingly insurmountable sticking point with fMRI lie
detection. Unlike polygraph testing, which monitors for
anxiety-induced changes in blood pressure, pulse and breathing rates,
and sweating that accompany prevarication, fMRI scans aim to directly
capture the brain in the act of deception. About 20 published
peer-reviewed studies found that certain brain areas become more
active when a person lies versus when telling the truth. These
experiments usually analyzed healthy volunteers who are instructed to
tell simple fibs (such as about which playing card they're viewing on
a screen).

Based on such research, Cephos claims an accuracy rate of 78 percent
to 97 percent in detecting all kinds of lies; No Lie MRI claims 93
percent or greater. Both companies say their tests are better than the
polygraph, which has a poor record of reliability that has made it
inadmissible in most courts. But they haven't convinced the broader
neuroscience community that the fMRI method is good enough yet to use
in the real world, with all its variegated deceptions of complicated
half-truths and rehearsed false alibis. Experimental test conditions
are a far cry from the highly emotional, stressful scenario of being
accused of a crime for which you could be sent to prison. So thus far,
Wagner says, it is premature to use fMRI lie detection technology for
any legal proceeding.

Nonetheless, one of the first known attempts to admit such evidence
into court was in a juvenile sex abuse case in San Diego County
earlier this year. To try to prove he was innocent, the defendant
submitted a scan from No Lie MRI, but later withdrew it. (For details
about the CLB's involvement, see its blog at
lawandbiosciences.wordpress.com). No Lie's CEO, Joel Huizenga, says
that he is confident the brain scan tests can pass court admissibility
rules "with flying colors" if the decision isn't politicized by
opponents.

But George Fisher, the Judge John Crown Professor of Law and a former
criminal prosecutor, thinks the justice system won't recognize such
evidence anytime soon. Trial court criteria for admitting data from a
new scientific technique set stiff requirements for demonstrating its
reliability, he says. In federal courts and roughly half of state
courts, individual judges must apply the Daubert standard on a
case-by-case basis, hearing testimony from experts on key questions:
Is the evidence sound? Has the scientific technique been tested and
published in the peer-reviewed literature? What is its error rate?
Other state courts use the Frye test of admissibility, which requires
proof that scientific evidence is generally accepted in the relevant
scientific community.

Fisher's guess is that fMRI lie detection evidence "will not get past
the reliability stage in most places." Attempts to reproduce
real-world lying in the lab, he says, "are probably unlikely to
satisfy a court when it really gets down and looks hard at these
studies."

Plus, the justice system has an ideological aversion to lie detection
technology: In United States v. Scheffer four Supreme Court justices
said that a lie detection test, regardless of its accuracy, shouldn't
be admitted into federal courts because it would infringe on the
jury's role as the human "lie detector" in the courtroom. "The
mythology around the system is that the jurors are able to tell a lie
when they see one," says Fisher.

Greely is less sanguine that courts will keep unproven fMRI testing
out. "Anybody can try to admit neuroscience evidence in any case, in
any court in the country," he says, adding that busy judges are
typically not well prepared to make good decisions about it.

If there were any inclination, however, for courts to accept new lie
detection evidence that isn't very firmly rooted in science, it would
most likely happen on the defense side rather than the prosecution's,
speculates former U.S. Attorney Carol C. Lam '85, who is deputy
general counsel at Qualcomm. That's because the criminal justice
system is structured to give the benefit of any doubt to the
defendant.

Such instances of admission, were they ever to happen, would most
likely also first take place in proceedings where the judge is the
only trier of fact, Lam adds; individual judges might be curious about
the fMRI test and confident that they can determine the appropriate
weight to give it. But Lam also notes that the defense community
actually might not wish to present fMRI lie detection results in
court—for fear that if this kind of evidence became widely accepted by
the judicial system, prosecutors would begin to use it against
criminal defendants.

Thorny issues arise

The potential ethical and legal issues surrounding brain scans for
deception or memory detection get thorny quickly. On one hand,
everyone agrees that a highly accurate fMRI lie detection test could
be a powerful weapon in exonerating the innocent, similar to forensic
DNA evidence. But could prosecutors compel someone to undergo testing,
or would that violate the Fifth Amendment's protection against
self-incrimination? Would it violate the Fourth Amendment's bar
against unreasonable searches? A broader question may be whether a
right to privacy is violated if someone scans your brain to read your
mind, neurolaw experts say—whether for court, the workplace, or
school.

Even if fMRI lie detection's reliability remains in doubt, law
enforcement and national security agents could still use it to guide
criminal investigations, as they do with the polygraph. However Steven
Laken, president and CEO of Cephos, points out that no one can be
unwillingly interrogated by brain scan, because it currently requires
significant cooperation from the subject in preparing for and
undergoing the procedure.

Greely has proposed that fMRI lie detection companies be required to
get pre-marketing approval from an agency like the Food and Drug
Administration. Not surprisingly, Laken and Huizenga are opposed to
the idea. Huizenga says that, given the enormous time and expense this
would take, the idea is really a politically motivated move to stop
the technology cold. Laken, however, says he is open to a discussion
with Law and Neuroscience Project researchers, other scientists, and
government agencies about what it would take to validate the accuracy
of the technology.

As scientists unlock the mysteries of the human brain, we may learn
that some people are neurally wired in ways that compel them to
certain types of unlawful behavior: Their brains made them do it. How
much this should lessen their culpability or punishment are weighty
questions that courts would have to grapple with.

Some philosophers and neurobiologists believe neuroscience will prove
that human beings don't have free will; instead, we are creatures
whose actions are determined by mechanical workings of the brain that
occur even before we make a conscious decision. If that's true, these
thinkers argue, it could finally explode the very concept of criminal
responsibility and shatter the judicial system.

But most legal scholars don't buy into that. "I think the free will
conversation is the most dead-ended in all of neuroscience," says Mark
G. Kelman, the James C. Gaither Professor of Law and vice dean. The
debate has been going on for 2,000 years, he says, with critics of the
idea that free will exists concluding long ago that human behavior is
governed by the mind—not by some imagined moral entity within it—and
the mind is located in the brain. It's doubtful, Kelman says, that
neuroscience will add anything new to the free will criminal
responsibility arguments by detailing the precise locations or
processes that explain particular actions or traits, like a lack of
empathy or impulse control.

Furthermore, others point out that the criminal justice system does
not rely on a premise of free will. "It depends on the hypothesis that
people's behavior is shapeable by outside forces," says Fisher. "And
there's a big difference between saying there is no free will and
saying the risk of punishment has no impact on a person's calculations
about what to do next."

What is far more probable in the future, many experts say, is that one
of neuroscience's biggest influences would be in revamping processes
like sentencing or parole, or in forcing us to rethink such ideas as
the rehabilitation of criminals, sexual predators, mentally insane
convicts, or drug offenders. Although minimum sentences are mandated
in many situations, judges still have some discretion in how they
handle defendants in certain cases. If research led to better
predictions of future behavior that could help distinguish the more
dangerous lawbreakers from the safer bets, courts could make better
decisions about how long a sentence to give a defendant, and whether
he should be given probation or sent to prison. And, once he's in
jail, when he should come out.

"If we can better evaluate what the problem is and what the chances
are of controlling the defendant's behavior in the future, we're going
to be better off," says O'Connor. Answers from neuroscience would be
extremely welcome in decision making when defendants are committed to
a mental institution. "When should a person be confined or when is it
appropriate to have a person released on medication?" she asks.
"There's just a need for that kind of information."

Implications for drug cases

Drug addiction is another area where the law is hungry for better
solutions and more effective treatments. "Our jails are overloaded,
and they are overloaded with people who have committed drug crimes,"
says O'Connor. "So it just becomes enormously important to figure out
how people get addicted to drugs and what we can do to sever that
connection if we can."

Predictions of recidivism might be improved through the invention of
brain imaging tools that assess whether an addict has truly broken the
habit, says Newsome. For example, one possible test could be to scan
the person's brain while she views video clips of people injecting
heroin. If research established that such tempting scenes reliably
triggered greater activity in the emotional centers of drug abusers'
brains, scans taken before and after treatment could provide "an
objective basis for saying, ‘This person's getting on top of their
problem,' " Newsome says.

Parole boards have been moving toward taking greater account of
evidence-based predictions of behavior, adds Weisberg. "It is possible
that neuroscientific evidence could be used to weigh into influencing
the conditions of parole or the kind of treatment program the prisoner
is sent into," he says.

When it comes to rehabilitation, new treatments that seek to change
criminal behavior raise their own potentially Orwellian ethical
dilemmas, though. A vaccine against cocaine is in clinical trials,
Greely says. If it ever reaches the market, would the legal system
force coke addicts to get vaccinated—or otherwise imprison them?
"Every plus here has an associated minus," he says. "You could imagine
changing behaviors in good ways, or in bad ways." The thought of
giving the government strong tools for altering people's behavior
through direct action on the brain is, he says, "scary."

Prognosticators of neurolaw must walk a careful line in making
conjectures about the future. A few years ago, a British bioethics
scholar complained to Greely that the law professor's dissections of
the legal implications of fMRI lie detection paid short shrift to
whether the technology actually works—possibly leaving people with the
impression that it will, or already does.

"That was a really good wake-up call," recalls Greely. Still, while no
one knows exactly where the science will take us, he says, the goal of
neurolaw is to clarify how coming discoveries might affect the legal
world and to point out tensions, gaps, and areas where the law may
need rethinking. Society must worry about both long-term implications
of the hypothetical future and short-term realities of the present, he
says. "You've got to look in both directions."

Provided by Stanford University

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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Shifting blame is socially contagious
http://www.physorg.com/news177874820.html
November 19, 2009

Merely observing someone publicly blame an individual in an
organization for a problem - even when the target is innocent -
greatly increases the odds that the practice of blaming others will
spread with the tenacity of the H1N1 flu, according to new research
from the USC Marshall School of Business and Stanford University.

Nathanael J. Fast, an assistant professor of management and
organization at the USC Marshall School of Business and Larissa
Tiedens, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford, conducted
four different experiments and found that publicly blaming others
dramatically increases the likelihood that the practice will become
viral. The reason: blame spreads quickly because it triggers the
perception that one's self-image is under assault and must be
protected.

The study called "Blame Contagion: The Automatic Transmission of
Self-Serving Attributions" is believed to be the first to examine
whether shifting blame to others is socially contagious. The results
will be published in the November issue of Journal of Experimental
Social Psychology.

"When we see others protecting their egos, we become defensive too,"
says Fast, the study's lead author. "We then try to protect our own
self-image by blaming others for our mistakes, which may feel good in
the moment." He adds that in the long run, such behavior could hurt
one's reputation and be destructive to an organization and further to
our society as a whole.

Tiedens said the study didn't specifically look at the impact of hard
economic times, but it undoubtedly makes the problem worse. "Blaming
becomes common when people are worried about their safety in an
organization," she said. "There is likely to be more blaming going on
when people feel their jobs are threatened."

Fast says that when public blaming becomes common practice -
especially by leaders -- its effects on an organization can be
insidious and withering: Individuals who are fearful of being blamed
for something become less willing to take risks, are less innovative
or creative, and are less likely to learn from their mistakes.

"Blame creates a culture of fear," Fast said, "and this leads to a
host of negative consequences for individuals and for groups."

A manager can keep a lid on the behavior by rewarding employees who
learn from their mistakes and by making a point to acknowledge
publicly his or her own mistakes, Fast says. Managers may also want to
assign blame, when necessary, in private and offer praise in public to
create a positive attitude in the workplace.

Or, managers could follow the lead of companies such as Intuit, which
implemented a "When Learning Hurts" session where they celebrated and
learned from mistakes, rather than pointing fingers and assigning
blame. The blame contagion research provides empirical evidence that
such a practice can avoid negative effects in the culture of the
organization.

Anyone can become a blamer, Fast says, but there are some common
traits. Typically, they are more ego defensive, have a higher
likelihood of being narcissistic, and tend to feel chronically
insecure.

President Richard Nixon is one example the authors point to in the
study. Nixon harbored an intense need to enhance and protect his
self-image and, as a result, made a practice of blaming others for his
shortcomings. His former aides reported that that this
ego-defensiveness pervaded his administration. It was the culture of
fear and blame that ultimately led to Nixon's political downfall.

The experiments showed that individuals who watched someone blame
another for mistakes went on to do the same with others. In one
experiment, half of the participants were asked to read a newspaper
article about a failure by Governor Schwarzenegger who blamed special
interest groups for the controversial special election that failed in
2005, costing the state $250 million. A second group read an article
in which the governor took full responsibility for the failure.

Those who read about the governor blaming special interest groups were
more likely to blame others for their own, unrelated shortcomings,
compared with those who read about Schwarzenegger shouldering the
responsibility.

Another experiment found that self-affirmation inoculated participants
from blame. The tendency for blame to spread was completely eliminated
in a group of participants who had the opportunity to affirm their
self-worth.

"By giving participants the chance to bolster their self-worth we
removed their need to self protect though subsequent blaming," says
Fast.

The results have particularly important implications for CEOs.
Executives and leaders would be wise to learn from such examples, Fast
suggests, and instead display behaviors that help to foster a culture
of psychological safety, learning, and innovation.

Source: University of Southern California

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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Scientists identify DNA that regulates antibody production
http://www.physorg.com/news177931573.html
November 20, 2009

(PhysOrg.com) -- When foreign invaders trip the immune system’s alarm,
antibodies need to be specially sculpted to attack them head on. New
research now shows that gene segments called enhancers control the
reshuffling of antibody genes that makes such a precise and
coordinated attack possible.

Performance enhancers are the currency of a competitive society. But
there’s one that we have always had: For millions of years, segments
of our DNA have improved the performance of our genome, revving up
protein production at those times we need it most. New research from
Rockefeller University and the University of Michigan Medical School
now show that these genome enhancers regulate how our bodies make
germ-fighting antibodies, molecules that keep savvy viruses and
bacteria at bay.

The research, which appears this month in the Journal of Experimental
Medicine, represents a major technological advance that will allow
scientists to understand the role of enhancers in the immune system —
work that has stymied researchers for decades. “Many people left the
field because working with antibody enhancers was so difficult,” says
F. Nina Papavasiliou, head of the Laboratory of Lymphocyte Biology at
Rockefeller. “It seemed like there was no way around the problem.”

Enhancers are short swaths of DNA that regulate genes from a distance,
often megabases away. Generally, this distance from the genes they
regulate makes enhancers hard to study. But immunoglobulin enhancers
have been particularly problematic because of an additional twist:
they are close to chromosome ends, which makes altering their local
sequence especially difficult.

Instead of tampering with enhancers in place, Wesley Dunnick, a
professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, devised a way
to move the entire locus — the enhancers along with adjacent antibody
genes that contain information about foreign invaders — onto an
artificial bacterial chromosome. Placement on the artificial
chromosome allows for the modification of the excised locus with
relative ease: using tools pioneered at Rockefeller by Peter Model and
Nathaniel Heintz, Dunnick could delete or mutate enhancer sequences at
will. He then re-inserted these modified chromosomes into the mouse.
Like a bubble floating in the genome, these artificial chromosomes
would land randomly onto the mouse genome and get incorporated into
it, now allowing him to study the effect of these modified enhancers
on the generation of antibodies.

In response to the unlimited number of foreign antigens (bits of
microbes, chemicals and other substances) that can invade our bodies,
the immune system must be able to tailor-make an unlimited number of
antibodies. However, the amount of DNA in a cell is limited, so
antibody-producing B cells must mutate and re-arrange their antibody
genes to step up to the challenge (using processes called somatic
hypermutation and class switch recombination, respectively).

In collaboration with the Papavasiliou lab, Dunnick discovered that
mice carrying the artificial chromosomes with the antibody genes
behave in ways that are indistinguishable from unmanipulated mice:
they recombine and mutate their antibody genes to generate highly
specific attacks on foreign invader. But for that, they absolutely
need their enhancers: without them, the cell’s machinery can
transcribe and translate the antibody genes, but can’t rearrange or
mutate them, suggesting that the enhancers function as a loading dock
for a common initiator molecule, which is then hauled to the antibody
genes.

The experiments show that the enhancers of antibody genes are vital in
springing the immune system to action, and suggest that mutations in
the enhancers may make an individual more susceptible to infections,
even infections for which he should have been vaccinated. “The main
goal of vaccination is to produce, in a short amount of time,
antibodies that are diversified to be most effective against a
particular virus or bacterium,” says Dunnick. “We were fortunate to
identify the control elements that are critical for this antibody
diversification.”

More information: The Journal of Experimental Medicine online:
November 11, 2009. Switch recombination and somatic hypermutation are
controlled by the heavy chain 3' enhancer region, Wesley A. Dunnick,
John T. Collins, Jian Shi, Gerwin Westfield, Clinton Fontaine, Paul
Hakimpour and F. Nina Papavasiliou

Provided by Rockefeller University

Andrea Kuszewski

Lynne Stewart...Heroic Human
Rights Lawyer Jailed

By Stephen Lendman
11-20-9

 

On November 20, New York Times writer Colin Moynihan broke the news headlining:   "Radical Lawyer Convicted of Aiding Terrorist Is Jailed," then saying:   "Defiant to the end as she embraced supporters outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, Lynne F. Stewart, the radical lawyer known for defending unpopular clients, surrendered on Thursday to begin serving her 28-month sentence for assisting terrorism."   Fact check:   Stewart did what all attorneys should, but few, in fact, do - observe the American Bar Association's Model Rules saying all lawyers are obligated to:   "devote professional time and resources and use civic influence to ensure equal access to our system of justice for all those who because of economic or social barriers cannot afford or secure adequate legal counsel."   Also to practice law ethically, morally and responsibly to assure everyone is afforded due process and judicial fairness in American courts. Sadly and disturbingly, Stewart was denied what she did for others heroically, unselfishly, and proudly. More on that below.   Stewart (prison number 53504-054) is now jailed at:   MCC-NY 150 Park Row New York, NY 10007   Betrayed by American Justice   For 30 years, Stewart worked heroically to defend America's poor, underprivileged, and unwanted, never afforded due process and judicial fairness without an advocate like her. Where others wouldn't go, she defended controversial figures like David Gilbert of the Weather Underground, Richard Williams of the United Freedom Front, Sekou Odinga and Nasser Ahmed of the Black Liberation Army, and many more like them. She knew the risk, but did it fearlessly and courageously until bogusly indicted on April 9, 2002 for:   -- "conspiring to defraud the United States;   -- conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorist activity;   -- providing and concealing material support to terrorist activity; and   -- two counts of making false statements."   She was also accused of violating US Bureau of Prisons Special Administrative Measures (SAMs) that included a gag order on her client, Sheik Abdel Rahman. When imposed, they prohibit discussion on topics the Justice Department (DOJ) rules outside of "legal representation," so lawyers can't discuss them with clients, thus inhibiting their defense.   At former US Attorney General Ramzy Clark's request, she joined him as part of Rahman's court-appointed defense team. In his 1995 show trial, he was convicted and is now serving a life sentence for seditious conspiracy, solicitation of murder, solicitation of an attack on American military installations, conspiracy to murder, and conspiracy to bomb in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center attack despite evidence proving his innocence on all charges.   The DOJ's case wasn't about alleged crimes. It reflected his affiliations and anti-western views. Rahman was connected to the Egyptian-based Al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya - a 1997 US State Department-designated "foreign terrorist organization." In the 1980s, however, he helped the CIA recruit Mujahadeen fighters against the Soviets in Afghanistan. For his work, he got a US visa, green card, and State Department-CIA protection as long as he was valued. When no longer, he was targeted along with Stewart.   Her case was precedent-setting, chilling, and according to the Center of Constitutional Rights Michael Ratner:   sent "a message to lawyers who represent alleged terrorists that it's dangerous to do so."   Her attorney, Michael Tigar, called it:   "an attack on a gallant, charismatic and effective fighter for justice (with) at least three fundamental faults:   -- (it) attack(ed) the First Amendment right of free speech, free press and petition;   -- the right to effective assistance of counsel (by) chill(ing) the defense; (and)   -- the 'evidence' in this case was gathered by wholesale invasion of private conversations, private-attorney-client meetings, faxes, letters and e-mails; I have never seen such an abuse of government power."   Her 2004 - 2005 show trial was a mockery of justice with echoes of the worst McCarthy-like tactics. Inflammatory terrorist images were displayed in court to prejudice the jury, and prosecutors vilified Stewart as a traitor with "radical" political views. In addition, days before the verdict, the militant pro-Israeli Jewish Defense Organization put up flyers near the courthouse displaying her address. It threatened to "drive her out of her home and out of the state," and said she "needs to be put out of business legally and effectively."   It was part of the orchestrated scheme inside and outside the courtroom to heighten fear, convict Stewart, and intimidate other lawyers to expect the same treatment if they dare represent unpopular clients effectively.   On February 10, 2005 (after a seven month trial and 13 days of deliberation) she was convicted on all five counts. Under New York state law, she was automatically disbarred, and the state Supreme Court's Appellate Division denied her petition to resign voluntarily. On October 17, 2006, she was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment, but remained free on bond pending appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.   Stewart Ordered to Prison   The Justice for Lynne Stewart web site (lynnestewart.org) announced the news. On November 17, the Appeals Court revoked her bond, upheld the verdict, ordered her surrender forthwith, but stayed it until November 19 at 5PM to let her attorney file a motion for reconsideration. It was denied, so she must report to federal marshals as directed. A November 19 conversation with Lynne and her husband Ralph confirmed it.   The situation remains fluid, dire, and complicated by Stewart's battle with breast cancer. She has surgery scheduled for December 7, unlikely now, but if done in prison or where authorities direct, it won't be the quality she deserves.   In its ruling, the three judge panel (John Walker, Guido Calebresi and Robert Sack) was firm, hostile and belligerent in upholding the lower court's conviction. Judge Sack accused Stewart of lying and called for a longer sentence. "We think that whether (she) lied under oath at her trial is directly relevant to whether her sentence was appropriate," he wrote, and directed District Court Judge John Koeltl to re-sentence her "so as to reflect that finding." Judge Walker was even harsher, calling the original sentence "breathtakingly low." Judge Calabrese said: "I am at a loss for any rationale upon this record that could reasonably justify a sentence of 28 months' imprisonment for this defendant."   They all said Stewart was "convicted principally with respect to (her violating) measures by which (she) had agreed to abide," namely SAMs. They rejected her "argument that, as a lawyer, she was not bound by (them), and her belated argument collaterally attacking their constitutionality." They also:   "affirm(ed her conviction) of providing and concealing material support to the conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country (and) of conspiring to provide and conceal such support....We conclude that the charges were valid (and) the evidence was sufficient to sustain the convictions. We also reject Stewart's claims that her purported attempt to serve as a 'zealous advocate' for her client provides her with immunity from the convictions....."   "Finally, we affirm Stewart's convictions for knowingly and willfully making false statements....when she affirmed that she intended to, and would, abide by the SAMs. In light of her repeated and flagrant violation of (them), a reasonable factfinder could conclude that (her) representations that she intended to and would abide by the SAMs were knowingly false when made. We reject the remaining challenges to the convictions. (We) affirm the district court's rejection of Stewart's claim that she was selectively prosecuted on account of her gender or political beliefs....We therefore affirm the convictions in their entirety."   They redirected her case to District Court Judge Koeltl for re-sentencing. The DOJ wants 30 years. Koeltl originally imposed 28 months, let Stewart remain free on bond pending appeal, implied his decision might be overturned because of a gross miscarriage of justice, effectively rebuked the Bush administration at the time, and handed it a major defeat. Her fate is now in his hands, but justice has already been denied at a time we're all as vulnerable as she if we dare resist state policies, unchanged under an administration no different from its predecessor.   In a November 17 news conference, Stewart said:   "I'm too old to cry, but it hurts too much not to." In criticizing the Court's decision, she said its timing "on the eve of the arrival of the tortured men from offshore prison in Guantanamo" suggests that lawyers appointed to represent them may face the same fate as she. "If you're going to lawyer for these people, you'd better toe very close to the line that the government has set out (because they'll) be watching you every inch of the way, (so those who don't) will end up like Lynne Stewart. This is a case that is bigger than just me personally (but she added that she'll) go on fighting."   So will her lawyer, Joshua Dratel, who said he'll pursue it "as far and as long as we can," including a possible Supreme Court review. The Obama US attorney's office was silent, effectively affirming a gross injustice at a time the due process and judicial fairness thresholds are so low that all Americans risk the same fate as Lynne.   Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at <mailto:lendmanstephen@...>lendmanstephen@....   Also visit his blog site sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Monday - Friday at 10AM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national issues. All programs are archived for easy listening.

US Army toyed with telepathic ray gun

• 12:00 21 March 2008 by David Hambling

The report titled "Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons" was released under the US Freedom of Information Act and is available on this website (pdf). The DoD has confirmed to New Scientist that it released the documents, which detail five different "maturing non-lethal technologies" using microwaves, lasers and sound.

Released by US Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, US, the 1998 report gives an overview of what was then the state of the art in directed energy weapons for crowd control and other applications.

A word in your ear

Some of the technologies are conceptual, such as an electromagnetic pulse that causes a seizure like those experienced by people with epilepsy. Other ideas, like a microwave gun to "beam" words directly into people's ears, have been tested. It is claimed that the so-called "Frey Effect" - using close-range microwaves to produce audible sounds in a person's ears - has been used to project the spoken numbers 1 to 10 across a lab to volunteers'.

In 2004 the US Navy funded research into using the Frey effect to project sound that caused "discomfort" into the ears of crowds.

The report also discusses a microwave weapon able to produce a disabling "artificial fever" by heating a person's body. While tests of the idea are not mentioned, the report notes that the necessary equipment "is available today". It adds that while it would take at least fifteen minutes to achieve the desired "fever" effect, it could be used to incapacitate people for almost "any desired period consistent with safety."

Less exotic technologies discussed include laser dazzlers and a sound source loud enough to disturb the sense of balance. Both have been realised in the years since the report was written. The US army uses laser dazzlers in Iraq, while the Long Range Acoustic Device has military and civilian users, and has been used on one occasion to repel pirates off Somalia.

However, the report does not mention any trials of weapons for producing artificial fever or seizures, or beaming voices into people's heads.

Potentially torturous

Steve Wright, a security expert at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK, warns that the technologies described could be used for torture. In 1998 the European Parliament passed a motion banning potentially dangerous incapacitating technologies that interfere with the human brain.

"The epileptic seizure inducing device is grossly irresponsible and should never be fielded," says Steve Wright "We know from similar [chemically] artificially-induced fits that the victim subsequently remains "potentiated" and may spontaneously suffer epileptic fits again after the initial attack."

The acoustic energy device that affects the ear canals, disrupting the motion sense, may require dangerously loud sound levels to be effective, points out Juergen Altmann, a physicist at Dortmund University, Germany, who is interested in new military technologies.

"[There is] inconsistency between the part that says "interesting" effects occur at 130-155 dB and the Recovery/Safety section that says that 115 dB is to be avoided - without commenting on the difference."

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The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Emerging Field of Biophotonic Communication
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24425/?a=f
The growing evidence that cells communicate with photons is generating
an exciting new field of research.

Last year, researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in
Chicago showed that human cells in culture could synchronize their
internal chemical processes even though they were mechanically,
chemically, and electrically isolated from one another. The cells, it
seemed, were communicating through the exchange of photons.

Various other groups have shown similar effects. Many cells seems to
produce optical and UV photons at about 10 photons per square cm/s, a
rate that cannot be explained by ordinary thermodynamic emissions.
Other evidence indicates that this form of optical communication can
increase the rate of mitosis in cells by up to 50 percent.

So how do they do it? Today Sergei Mayburov at the Lebedev Institute
of Physics in Moscow puts forward the idea that optical communication
is a natural process in many cells that can be explained by the way we
already know many cells to function.

He points out that biologists have long known that photons play a
central role in the biochemistry of many plant and bacterial cells.
The basic idea, laid out in the 1960s, is that optical or UV photons
enter a cell and stimulate the creation of excitons, electron-hole
pairs, on certain long chain molecules. The exciton travels along the
molecule, influencing the way it reacts with other species within the
cell. This is the basic theory behind photosynthesis.

Mayburov's idea is that this process is, first, reversible, second,
not limited to photosynthetic cells and third, possible to modulate
for communication.

Let's unpack those ideas. Take the first: if photons can create
excitons in cells, it seems reasonable to assume that the process can
occur in reverse (exactly this happens in semiconductors to create
light).

The second idea is also plausible. If excitons form in photosynthetic
molecules, why not in other types of biological molecules, too. The
problem with Mayburov's hypothesis is that it's not immediately
obvious which other biological molecules may be capable of this and
neither does he make any suggestions.

Finally, is it possible for cells to modulate the way they generate
photons to transmit information and for others to receive it? It's
certainly conceivable that photon production could be switched on and
off by a change in some internal state of a cell. Certainly, if we're
to explain the experimental evidence, something like that must be
going on. But Mayburov leaves us wondering how this might happen on
the molecular scale.

This is a rapidly emerging field which overturns some well entrenched
thinking in biology so it's hardly surprising that it generates more
questions than answers. For example, how do cells discriminate between
biophotons and background light? And what to make of other evidence
that the photons can sometimes be coherent?

These are exciting problems. But Mayburov's broad claim that the
phenomena is closely related to photosynthesis is an important step
that should bring this emerging field to the attention of a much wider
audience.



Ref: arxiv.org/abs/0909.2676: Coherent and Noncoherent Photonic
Communications in Biological Systems

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A Central Nervous System for Earth: HP's Ambitious Sensor Network
http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2009/11/18/18readwriteweb-a-central\
-nervous-system-for-earth-hps-ambi-15544.html
By RICHARD MACMANUS
Published: November 18, 2009

HP Labs has joined the race to build an infrastructure for the
emerging Internet of Things. The giant computing and IT services
company has announced a project that aims to be a "Central Nervous
System for the Earth" (CeNSE). It's a research and development program
to build a planetwide sensing network, using billions of "tiny, cheap,
tough and exquisitely sensitive detectors."

The technology behind this is based on nano-sensing research done by
HP Labs. The sensors are similar to RFID chips, but in this case they
are tiny accelerometers which detect motion and vibrations.

The first CeNSE sensor to be put into the field by HP Labs is,
according to the company, "about 1,000 times more sensitive than
accelerometers used in a Wii, an iPhone or an automobile's airbag
system." Other sensors planned in future include ones for light,
temperature, barometric pressure, airflow and humidity.

Use Cases

Peter Hartwell, senior researcher and project team lead, listed some
example use cases for these sensing nodes. The nodes could be "stuck
to bridges and buildings to warn of structural strains or weather
conditions [and] they might be scattered along roadsides to monitor
traffic, weather and road conditions." A bridge like the San Francisco
Golden Gate might take 10,000 nodes, said Hartwell.

Other uses include embedding the CeNSE nodes in everyday electronics,
tracking hospital equipment, sniffing out pesticides and pathogens in
food. Ultimately they may even "recognize" the person using them and
adapt.

According to HP Labs, CeNSE sensors will enable real-time data
collection, analysis and better decision making.

Potential Issues

This is an ambitious project by HP Labs and there are other large IT
companies, such as IBM, building out similar platforms for sensor data
and services.

HP senior fellow Stan Williams noted that for CeNSE to work, "we have
to make sensors that are vastly more sensitive than anything else that
have ever existed before, while being absolutely dirt cheap so that we
can deploy them in very large numbers."

RFID technology has had numerous cost and technology issues over the
past decade, so HP Labs will surely run into similar real-world
obstacles in this project. HP Labs admits that existing sensitive
detectors are expensive; but it hopes to make them much cheaper.

The Race to Build a Worldwide Sensor Network

HP Labs' ultimate aim is to have a worldwide network of these CeNSE
sensors. A trillion of them "should do the trick," says HP. The
company is hoping that at that scale, sensor nodes will cost "next to
nothing, yet measure everything." HP is also positioning this, boldly,
as a technology that could "save the planet" by enabling it to be
monitored.

These are big claims and the proof will be in the pudding. One thing
is for certain: sensor technology will become as pervasive as HP Labs
says it will, in due course. The questions that remain unanswered
though are: how long will it take, and which company (or companies)
will gain the biggest footholds in this network?

Copyright 2009 ReadWriteWeb. All Rights Reserved.

Transcendental Meditation helped heart disease patients lower cardiac disease risks by 50 percent

Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla., on Nov.16, 2009. The trial was sponsored by a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and was conducted at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in collaboration with the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa.

The nine-year, randomized control trial followed 201African American men and women, average age 59 years, with narrowing of arteries in their hearts who were randomly assigned to either practice the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique or to participate in a control group which received health education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.

All participants continued standard medications and other usual medical care.

The study found:

• A 47 percent reduction in the combination of death, heart attacks, and strokes in the participants
• Clinically significant (5 mm Hg average) reduction in blood pressure associated with decrease in clinical events
• Significant reductions in psychological stress in the high-stress subgroup

IBM's Cat-Brain Breakthrough

The supercomputers being lauded this week at the SC09 high-performance computing conference in Portland, Ore., can perform tasks in hours that would take a powerful desktop computer thousands of years. But when it comes to pattern recognition, perception and other seemingly simple tasks, their computing powers pale in comparison to a three-pound computer that fills less space than a two-liter bottle and uses less power than a light bulb: your brain.

Scientists can't understand, let alone replicate, many of the brain's abilities. But if a supercomputer still can't mimic an organic central nervous system, IBM ( IBM - news - people ) hopes it can at least model one.

On Wednesday, the tech giant plans to announce at the SC09 conference a joint project with researchers from five universities and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that it calls "Blue Matter," a software platform for neuroscience modeling. Pulling together archived magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan data and assembling it on a Blue Gene P Supercomputer, IBM has simulated a brain with 1 billion neurons and 10 trillion synapses--about the equivalent of a cat's cortex, or 4.5% of a human brain.

"This is a tool of unprecedented scale," says Dharmendra Modha, IBM's research lead on the project. "It allows us to probe deeper into how the brain works and how we could build something like it, and it could lead to new dynamics for computing that we've been pursuing for more than 60 years."

The project, partly funded by $20 million from the Department of Defense's research arm, aims to mine the brain for tricks that could be used to mimic its cognitive abilities and its ultra-low energy use in future chips and software. The brain's network of neurons and their connections known as synapses, Modha points out, manages many tasks that computers still struggle with, including dealing with ambiguous data, recognizing patterns and sifting through an overwhelming load of real-world sensory information to find and focus on relevant aspects. Hence, humans' ability to perform tasks like driving in low-visibility conditions or reading unfamiliar fonts are tricks that still elude even the world's most advanced computers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Page last updated at 01:06 GMT, Friday, 20 November 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8368976.stm
Stem cells could create new skin to help burns victims

Human embryonic stem cells are able to change into any of the 200 cell
types in the human body

French researchers say they have found a way of using human embryonic
stem cells to create new skin which could help serious burns victims.

They say the stem cells grew into fully formed human skin 12 weeks
after being grafted on to mice.

The researchers, writing in the Lancet journal, say the skin could
solve the problems of rejection that burns patients currently face.

One stem cell expert said they had made an important advance.

full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8368976.stm

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WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Page last updated at 09:35 GMT, Tuesday, 17 November 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8363743.stm
'Female Viagra' discovery claim

The drug works directly on the brain's pleasure zones

A drug that failed tests as an antidepressant is being hailed as
"Viagra for women" after surprising but not unpleasant side effects.

In three separate trials, the drug flibanserin did wonders for women's
flagging sex drive despite doing nothing to lift mood.

The accidental discovery is akin to Viagra's - it was originally
designed as a heart medicine but failed.

The US work was presented at a sexual medicine meeting in Lyon, France.

Lead researcher Professor John Thorp, of the University of North
Carolina, told the European Society for Sexual Medicine: "Flibanserin
was a poor antidepressant.

It's essentially a Viagra-like drug for women in that diminished
desire or libido is the most common feminine sexual problem, like
erectile dysfunction is in men
Professor John Thorp who led the research

"However, astute observers noted that it increased libido in
laboratory animals and human subjects.

"So, we conducted multiple clinical trials."

The women in the studies who took 100mg of the drug once a day for
their low libido reported significant improvements in their sexual
desire and satisfactory sexual experiences, he said.

"It's essentially a Viagra-like drug for women in that diminished
desire or libido is the most common feminine sexual problem, like
erectile dysfunction is in men."

full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8363743.stm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING FROM RAEL: For those who don't use their intelligence at its
full capacity, the label "selected by RAEL" on some articles does not
mean that I agree with their content or support it. "Selected by RAEL"
means that I believe it is important for the people of this planet to
know about what people think or do, even when what they think or do is
completely stupid and against our philosophy. When I selected articles
in the past about stupid Christian fundamentalists in America praying
for rain, I am sure no Rael-Science reader was stupid enough to
believe that I was supporting praying to change the weather. So, when
I select articles which are in favor of drugs, anti-semitic,
anti-Jewish, racist, revisionist, or inciting hatred against any group
or religion, or any other stupid article, it does not mean that I
support them. It just means that it is important for all human beings
to know about them. Common sense, which is usually very good among our
readers, is good enough to understand that. When, like in the recent
articles on drug decriminalization, it is necessary to make it
clearer, I add a comment, which in this case was very clear: I support
decriminalizing all drugs, as it is stupid to throw depressed and sad
people (as only depressed and sad people use drugs) in prison and ruin
their life with a criminal record. That does not mean that there is
any change to the Message which says clearly that we must not use any
drug except for medical purposes. The same applies to the freedom of
expression which must be absolute. That does not mean again of course
that I agree with anti-Jews, antisemites, racists of any kind or
anti-Raelians. But by knowing your enemies or the enemies of your
values, you are better equipped to fight them. With love and respect
of course, and with the wonderful sentence of the French philosopher
Voltaire in mind: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to
the death your right to say it".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/28842.wss

IBM Moves Closer To Creating Computer Based on Insights From The Brain

Portland, OR - 18 Nov 2009: Today at SC 09, the supercomputing conference, IBM
(NYSE:  IBM) announced significant progress toward creating a computer system
that simulates and emulates the brain's abilities for sensation, perception,
action, interaction and cognition, while rivaling the brain's low power and
energy consumption and compact size.

The cognitive computing team, led by IBM Research, has achieved significant
advances in large-scale cortical simulation and a new algorithm that synthesizes
neurological data -- two major milestones that indicate the feasibility of
building a cognitive computing chip.

BlueMatter

BlueMatter, a new algorithm created in collaboration with Stanford University,
exploits the Blue Gene supercomputing architecture in order to noninvasively
measure and map the connections between all cortical and sub-cortical locations
within the human brain using magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging.
Mapping the wiring diagram of the brain is crucial to untangling its vast
communication network and understanding how it represents and processes
information.

Scientists, at IBM Research - Almaden, in collaboration with colleagues from
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, have performed the first near real-time cortical
simulation of the brain that exceeds the scale of a cat cortex and contains 1
billion spiking neurons and 10 trillion individual learning synapses.

Additionally, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford University, IBM
scientists have developed an algorithm that exploits the Blue Gene®
supercomputing architecture in order to noninvasively measure and map the
connections between all cortical and sub-cortical locations within the human
brain using magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging. Mapping the wiring
diagram of the brain is crucial to untangling its vast communication network and
understanding how it represents and processes information.

These advancements will provide a unique workbench for exploring the
computational dynamics of the brain, and stand to move the team closer to its
goal of building a compact, low-power synaptronic chip using nanotechnology and
advances in phase change memory and magnetic tunnel junctions. The team's work
stands to break the mold of conventional von Neumann computing, in order to meet
the system requirements of the instrumented and interconnected world of
tomorrow.

As the amount of digital data that we create continues to grow massively and the
world becomes more instrumented and interconnected, there is a need for new
kinds of computing systems – imbued with a new intelligence that can spot
hard-to-find patterns in vastly varied kinds of data, both digital and sensory;
analyze and integrate information real-time in a context-dependent way; and deal
with the ambiguity found in complex, real-world environments.

Businesses will simultaneously need to monitor, prioritize, adapt and make rapid
decisions based on ever-growing streams of critical data and information.  A
cognitive computer could quickly and accurately put together the disparate
pieces of this complex puzzle, while taking into account context and previous
experience, to help business decision makers come to a logical response.

"Learning from the brain is an attractive way to overcome power and density
challenges faced in computing today," said Josephine Cheng, IBM Fellow and lab
director of  IBM Research - Almaden. "As the digital and physical worlds
continue to merge and computing becomes more embedded in the fabric of our daily
lives, it's imperative that we create a more intelligent computing system that
can help us make sense the vast amount of information that's increasingly
available to us, much the way our brains can quickly interpret and act on
complex tasks."

To perform the first near real-time cortical simulation of the brain that exceed
the scale of the cat cortex, the team built a cortical simulator that
incorporates a number of innovations in computation, memory, and communication
as well as sophisticated biological details from neurophysiology and
neuroanatomy.  This scientific tool, akin to a linear accelerator or an electron
microscope, is a critical instrument used to test hypotheses of brain structure,
dynamics and function.  The simulation was performed using the cortical
simulator on Lawrence Livermore National Lab's Dawn Blue Gene/P supercomputer
with 147,456 CPUs and 144 terabytes of main memory.

The algorithm, when combined with the cortical simulator, allows scientists to
experiment with various mathematical hypotheses of brain function and structure
of how structure affects function as they work toward discovering the brain's
core computational micro and macro circuits.

After the successful completion of Phase 0, IBM and its university partners were
recently awarded $16.1M in additional funding from the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase 1 of DARPA's Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive
Plastic Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) initiative.  This phase of research will
focus on the components, brain-like architecture and simulations to build a
prototype chip. The long-term mission of IBM's cognitive computing initiative is
to discover and demonstrate the algorithms of the brain and deliver low-power,
compact cognitive computers that approach mammalian-scale intelligence and use
significantly less energy than today's computing systems. The world-class team
includes researchers from several of IBM's worldwide research labs and
scientists from Stanford University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cornell
University, Columbia University Medical Center and University of California-
Merced.

"The goal of the SyNAPSE program is to create new electronics hardware and
architecture that can understand, adapt and respond to an informative
environment in ways that extend traditional computation to include fundamentally
different capabilities found in biological brains," said DARPA program manager
Todd Hylton, Ph.D.

Modern computing is based on a stored program model, which has traditionally
been implemented in digital, synchronous, serial, centralized, fast, hardwired,
general-purpose circuits with explicit memory addressing that indiscriminately
over-write data and impose a dichotomy between computation and data. In stark
contrast, cognitive computing – like the brain – will use replicated
computational units, neurons and synapses that are implemented in mixed-mode
analog-digital, asynchronous, parallel, distributed, slow, reconfigurable,
specialized and fault-tolerant biological substrates with implicit memory
addressing that only update state when information changes, blurring the
boundary between computation and data.

For more information about IBM Research, please visit www.ibm.com/research.

Technical insight and more details on the SyNAPSE project and recent milestones
can also be found on the Cognitive Computing blog at http://modha.org/.

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors
and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either
expressly or implied, of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the
U.S. Government.