Thursday, November 19, 2015

Million Mask march put officers' lives at risk – police chief

Million Mask march put officers' lives at risk – police chief

Protester next to burning police car 
Cdr Harrington said a significant number of the 700-1,000 protesters came ‘intent on violence or disorder’. Photograph: Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images

The violence at an anti-austerity protest in central London on Thursday night was so serious that it threatened the lives of officers, a police chief has said. Detectives are hunting for those who brought violence to London’s streets during the Million Mask March. Four officers were injured and several police horses were attacked in the unrest.

Scotland Yard’s most senior public order officer, Commander Ben-Julian Harrington, told the Guardian that officers had placed themselves in the way of protesters who wanted to attack symbols of Britain’s democracy and establishment.

Fifty people were arrested during the mayhem and at least 10 others are being sought by police in connection with the violence. Detectives are scouring video footage on social media for the identities of suspects. The protest, which was billed as an anti-austerity march, led to some of the most violent scenes on the capital’s streets in recent months, including the burning of a police car.
 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

(How to) Crash the 2016 Elections

By Christopher R Rice

 
More money than ever before is flowing into our political system while America’s biggest problems go unsolved.

The 2016 presidential race will be the most expensive election in U.S. history — projected to cost more than $10 billion! 

Politicians from both political parties are completely dependent on the handful of elites who bankroll their political careers. Big donors are buying politicians, and their lobbyists are writing our laws. Corruption is legal in America.

Things have gotten so bad, a 20-year study by top political scientists found that “the opinions of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact on public policy.”

One thing that does have an impact? Money. Economic elites, business interests, and people who can afford lobbyists get what they want, while the rest of us pay the price.

Big-money special interests and lobbyists have corrupted our government.

It's time to stop doing business as usual, change the national conversation, and start demanding new laws to protect our communities from corruption. Americans pay the price for our corrupt political system every day. From the economy to the environment, taxes to government waste, it's the root cause of nearly every major problem we face. Yet the press continues to treat the problem as a “wonky,” fringe issue.

For the 2016 presidential cycle, help me get Americans everywhere involved in fixing corruption. A nationwide campaign of conservatives, progressives and everyone in between working together to pass anti-corruption legislation in cities and states across the country. Laws to protect our local communities from corruption and force politicians to represent people instead of special interests.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Hackers vs. Terrorist

While it sounds like a mobile game you’d play to kill time, hackers vs. terrorists is sadly a real war. The hacker collective that goes by the name “Anonymous” recently posted a video on YouTube declaring war on ISIS in response to the attacks on Paris that left 129 dead and hundreds injured on Friday night. Anonymous wants to “launch the biggest operation ever” against the terrorist group, and ISIS is apparently taking notice – though the organization apparently believes Anonymous are “idiots” for even considering digital warfare.
 
 
“Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down. We will launch the biggest operation ever against you,” a masked person said in the hackers’ video. “Expect massive cyberattacks. War is declared. Get prepared.” In response, a Telegram channel that is believed to be affiliated with ISIS hackers sent out a warning message in Arabic and English, telling others how to thwart Anonymous hacks.
 
“The #Anonymous hackers threatened in new video release that they will carry out a major hack operation on the Islamic state (idiots),” the statement said, according to Business Insider.
 
“What they gonna hack?” ISIS asked, noting that so far, hackers have only managed to hit ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts and email addresses.
 
The message on the Telegram channel, an encrypted chat service that may have been used to help plot the Paris attacks, also says that followers should not open any links unless they’re sure of the source, change IP addresses “constantly,” and “not talk to people [you] don’t know on Telegram” or through Twitter direct messages.
 
This isn’t the first time Anonymous has set its sights on ISIS. Following the January Charlie Hebdo attacks, hackers tried to identify ISIS social media accounts and take down extremist websites.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

(How to) Be a Man



EDITORS NOTE: All men should have these qualities and if they don’t then don't associate with or respect them.

by Alex Matlock

1.) Is A Gentleman: A great guy needs to be polite, respectful, considerate and attentive to a woman’s needs. This also includes the classic gentleman behavior such as pulling a woman’s chair, walking on the car side of the street, taking her coat etc. I personally believe that if all men were gentlemen we would live in a better world. Today, things are not like that making the guys that have this quality stand out. Also, great guys never cross the line of being inappropriate.

2. ) Is Direct: Many men believe that if they constantly have this “whatever” attitude women will suddenly fall in love with them. This is complete bogus, would you like to spend time with a guy that dodges direct questions and moves his shoulders instead of giving an answer? A great guy should look straight into your eyes when he is talking to you, he needs to look and seem genuinely interested in what you have to say. He must have good diction whist engaging in a conversation with an active attitude. Any guy that isn’t direct, is weak. You shouldn’t settle for weak.

3.) Is Faithful: Faithfulness may be one of the most important characteristics when it comes to great men. Although you can never know for sure if this is the case or not, if you know he’s been a cheater, it’s best to stay away from him. On a different note…a recent study revealed that around 60% of men cheat at least once in their lives so the only thing you can do to make sure he won’t do it in the future is to try and keep him sexually satisfied. Men don’t cheat because they don’t feel loved anymore, they cheat because they need sex. Some men need to sleep with other women (and if you get one of these guys, you can’t do much) while others cheat because the sex is gone in the relationship. Keeping a healthy sexual relationship is the best thing you can do to keep your man faithful.

4.) Has integrity: Having integrity is another very important characteristic that makes a great man. This means he will stay true to his word and true to himself. If he tells you that he is going to do something, he will do it. I believe that integrity and ambition are enough to convince you that this man will eventually be financially sound, even if he isn’t. This is also the kind of guy you can rely on, knowing that he will always be there for you. Men with integrity are highly respected and in return they give respect to others. They may require you to be worthy of their respect before they offer it to you because of their high moral compass, they want others to share their values. Also, these men often show courage because at times they are required to stand up for their beliefs at all times.

5.) Is Honest: Honesty is a great quality every single person should have but it’s often not that easy to find. A real honest man will tell you the truth and not just what you want to hear. An honest man will not use sleazy stories to get away from things or to look good, but he will tell you what he will do and how he feels about something. It’s true that brutal honesty can be offensive sometimes but it’s better to have a guy that tells you the truth than one that fills you with lies. It’s easy to tell if a guy is honest. If he lies to you, say 2-3 times it’s very evident that he isn’t. It doesn’t matter what the actual lies are (it can be very small things) as it tells you everything you need to know about his character. A honest man will be genuine and you won’t need to guess about what he is thinking or feelings. Honesty is a great quality for anyone to have.

6.) Is Mature: Being mature means a man is able to care of himself and approaches problems with a calm and collected manner. He understands the importance of being a man, being independent and values what he has. A mature guy doesn’t have to be rich, but needs to know how to handle his money. It’s true that men mature later in life but I’m sure you had at least one “childish” guy that even though he’s past his 30 still thinks he’s in high school. A mature man knows the time has come to grow up and be an adult. It’s easy to tell if a guy is mature by the way he lives his life. Ideally he should live by himself but some might still stay with a roommate. He should under no circumstances live with his parents. I’ve been living by myself since the age of 19 and laugh when I realize just how many of my friends (over 25) still live with their parents. Also, a mature man will be able to carry himself in a public setting in a respectable manner and understands his adult role. A good man must be mature enough to care for himself and take care of all of his needs on his own.

7.) Is Self-Confident: A good man will be confident in himself and who he is. This is an important characteristic in a good man because when they are self-confident, they are less likely to change who they are and to stay true to themselves. A man with self-confidence will not be deterred from what he believes to be true and will not be easily pressured into doing things that he does not believe in. Self-confidence makes a man happy and fun to be around because he will not be constantly questioning himself or others around him. You will know if a man has self-confidence by how he sees himself because he will have a distinctive set of goals that he has set for himself. He will believe that he is worthy of good things and he will set out to find them. This self-confidence will show through because he will not second guess himself and when he makes decisions he will more likely to stick to the decision that he made. Self-confident men are good to be around because they are strong and protective and are able to take of not just themselves but those around them.

8.) Has a Positive Attitude: A good man should have a positive attitude which may be difficult to find since we live in such a negative society. With a positive attitude, people will want to be around him and to have fun around him. A good man will be happy with his life and the world around him and he will want to look out for others and to help them. Positive people are usually quite different from negative people and they tend to smile and laugh more.

You will know if a man has a positive attitude by how he carries himself. He will be upbeat and look for the good in things and people. A negative person will always be complaining and seeing the bad side to everything and after a while they can be very hard to be around and they tend to turn you into a negative person also. With a positive man, he will be smiling and always brightening up people’s days. He will be a joy to be around and his happiness should spread to you and you should feel happy when you are around him.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

25 Methods of Disinformation

Source: Washington’s Blog


Preface: This handy set of rules covers most of the games which disinformation artists play on the Internet (and offline). When you know the tricks, you’ll be able to spot the games. Even if you’ve read this list before, you might be surprised at how useful it is to brush up on these tricks.

1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don’t discuss it — especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it’s not reported, it didn’t happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.

2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the “How dare you!” gambit.

3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such “arguable rumors”. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a “wild rumor” which can have no basis in fact.

4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent’s argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.

5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also known as the primary attack the messenger ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as “kooks”, “right-wing”, “liberal”, “left-wing”, “terrorists”, “conspiracy buffs”, “radicals”, “militia”, “racists”, “religious fanatics”, “sexual deviates”, and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.

6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism reasoning — simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent’s viewpoint.

7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could so taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.

8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough “jargon” and “minutiae” to illustrate you are “one who knows”, and simply say it isn’t so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.

9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues with denial they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.

10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with. Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually them be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues — so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.

11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the “high road” and “confess” with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made — but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, “just isn’t so.” Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later. Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for “coming clean” and “owning up” to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.

12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to loose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.

13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards with an apparent deductive logic in a way that forbears any actual material fact.

14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best for items qualifying for rule 10.

15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.

16. Vanishing evidence and witnesses. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won’t have to address the issue.

17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can “argue” with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.

18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can’t do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how “sensitive they are to criticism”.

19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the “play dumb” rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon). In order to completely avoid discussing issues may require you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.

20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.

21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed an unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict (usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim) is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed.

22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.

23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
 
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail information, or merely by proper intimidation with blackmail or other threats.
 
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen.

(How to) Tell if Someone’s Lying (for Dummies)

By

Trust takes a long time to establish but it takes very little to lose.

Did you know the average person engages in some type of deception up to 30 times per week? Steve Van Aperen has worked on more than 50 serial-killer investigations as a behavioral interviewer, and trains people across the globe in detecting deception.

The first thing to look for is, “Are they answering the question, or are they deliberately being evasive or dismissive?” Steve says, “A truthful person will give a clear-cut direct answer,” while a deceptive person will object, saying something like “Why would I do that?”

The second red flag: Deceptive people will talk in different tenses. “Deceptive people jump between past tense and present tense,” Steve explains, using the case of Susan Smith, who was convicted of murder. “She said ‘I loved my children,’” Steve points out. “Loved is past tense. It’s very uncharacteristic for a mother to give up hope so soon after a disappearance.”

Finally, “Look for conflict or contradiction between what a person says and their body language, in fact, shows.” Some people might involuntarily shake their heads or put a hand near their mouth, which some scientists believe is a subconscious attempt to block false words.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

(How to) Be a Revolutionary (for Dummies) Part I

Above all, Adams was a publicist: the first American since Roger Williams to appreciate the power of public opinion and to wield it -and organize it. He used all the instruments at hand to promote his crusade. He was an indefatigable letter writer, article writer, and speaker. "Every dig of his pen stings like a horned snake," complained Governor Francis Bernard. He mingled with merchants, statesmen, fishermen, mechanics and farmers.


One of his chief bases of operation was the Cactus Club, an early discussion group set up by his father, which admitted not merely the elite, but also merchants and mechanics. The younger Adams utilized it as a training school for leaders and to lay out such programs of attack on British rule as the Non-importation Agreements, which wrought havoc with British trade, disturbing England and the colonies profoundly.  It was at the Cactus Club that he planned his committees of Correspondence, which set up a continent-wide grass-roots network of action and information.

These gave him a leverage in every community. Adams was not only propagating ideas, he was building up popular instruments for the Revolution.

He took discussions to town meetings in Boston's Faneuil Hall, where he swayed men like trees in the wind.  Every "transient person", he declared, had a right to "animadvert" publicly on anything under the sun.  He intended to exercise that right whenever he chose "without asking any man's leave."

"In these times of light and liberty, every man chooses to see and judge for himself."

New England Governor Thomas Hutchinson called him a " Master of Puppets."  Adams laughed scornfully. He did not conceive of his followers as puppets, but as free men.

Adams maintained that he was not a "Leveler", referring to the faction in Parliament of about 1647 that wished to abolish all rank.  He instead insisted that extensive equality was the design of government at its best. He scoffed at fears that the people might abuse liberty, and adamantly questioned if this should be a valid argument for denying liberty to them. He was of the opinion that denial was a worse abuse of liberty, and that nothing was less desirable for mankind then slavery.

From the start, he realized the necessity of breaking down subservience to English officialdom and the ruling class in England, which had extended to the colonies.  He laid bare the selfishness and corruption of the existing autocracy.
 
He aroused fury in privileged quarters, and was highly pleased when Hutchinson accused him of "robbing men of their characters." He intended, he flung back , to show them up for what they really were underneath their robes of authority.  In the end, Hutchinson had to take refuge in England to escape the wrath of the New Englanders.

Adams most persistent and telling attacks were against servile judges and the system of justice. He brought judicial decisions under public scrutiny, showed how the jurists prostituted their profession.

He sought to demoralize New England law and denounced Blackstone for reinforcing unjust English law. The only proper test of law should be whether it was "consonant to natural reason." Law had to meet the needs of the people.  
 
He well knew that to shake faith in law and the courts and to promote defiance of the law were basic prerequisites of revolution.

Every harsh sentence or twisted decision, which tended to mount up in hours of stress, reinforced his arguments. He clipped the claws of judges and courts , exposed their graft, and kicked them out of dual jobs in the courts and the legislature. Little by little, popular respect for the judiciary turned to derision.

Judges and leaders were forced to choose between accepting royal money or answering to the people- and sometimes the angry mob. These judicial leaders were forced to serve revolutionary purpose, or get out.

The sovereign people had a right to not withstand the abusive exercise of legal and institutionalized crown prerogatives, and Adams told both the governor and the judiciary that the people had a right to change the fundamental law and not merely the administration and interpretation of it. Anything injurious to the people could not be considered binding. And the people were not the wealthy cultured minority, but all the workers, yeomen and merchants: "All the homespun people hitherto treated as pawns".

Adams prepared the way for the Sons of Liberty to strike out against royal authority, against the recalcitrant legislatures, and to close down the courts. Overt civil disobedience, willingness to defy police power, to utilize violence, was the beginning of the end, though it would require ten years of such violence to awaken the people to a realization that the only solution was independence.

Other leaders were equally courageous: Isaac Sears in New York, Charles Thompson of Philadelphia, Patrick Henry of Virginia.

By the time Thomas Paine published his "Common Sense" in January 1776, the Revolution was well underway: Lexington, Bunker Hill, George Washington in command.

Paine's pamphlet, read by everybody in the colonies, swept away the last doubts about the need for full independence, which in turn meant republicanism and government by the people. The words were clear, simple, hard-hitting for every person.  Paine's epigrammatic arguments appealed particularly to the free people of the frontier, to artisans and yeomanry, and particularly merchants and shippers.

"The best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.  When we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.... the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise."
 
Source-T. Paine

Guinness Stout Goes Vegan After 256 Years

By Whitney Filloon
 happy fish
The Irish stout currently uses fish bladders as part of the brewing process.

Iconic Irish beer Guinness is going vegan. The company has announced it will stop utilizing fish bladders during the brewing process, reports The Independent, making it fully animal product-free.

Guinness currently uses isinglass, "a by-product of the fishing industry," to clarify the beer by helping the yeast settle faster, but plans to switch to a a new, vegan-friendly filtering system in 2016. The Independent writes that " while large quantities of the agent are filtered out during the brewing process, there are still traces of fish bladders in the finished product" — something that didn't sit too well with vegan beer lovers, who petitioned the brand to discontinue its use of isinglass.

The brewer’s use of fish bladders may seem gross, but it’s not at all uncommon: According to Stephen Beaumont, author of The Beer & Food Companion , "Isinglass has been used to clarify beer and wine for decades and perhaps centuries, but its use has declined precipitously in recent years with the advent of new filtration and centrifugal techniques."

Adam Callaghan, beer writer and editor of Eater Maine, says consumers shouldn't notice any difference on their end. "Plenty of breweries already use a vegan-friendly alternative [for clarifying] like BioFine," he says, noting that more natural ingredients like Irish moss can also be used. " It's the kind of move where you go, it's probably cynical — but if it's a good result, does the intention matter?"
   
Beer industry expert and author of the upcoming book The Year of Drinking Adventurously Jeff Cioletti agrees that the brewer's move toward veganism won't have much of an effect on consumers, saying, "It might be good PR for Guinness for a few days, but that's about it."

Plenty of big brands are making moves to cater to the vegan demographic lately: Hippie-leaning ice cream purveyor Ben & Jerry's is planning to launch a vegan ice cream in 2016, and even Swedish furniture emporium Ikea has begun selling a vegan version of its famed Swedish meatballs (they're made with kale). Last year Chipotle started serving sofritas, a vegan protein option made from braised, shredded tofu, and it's now available in all of the burrito chain's American stores.