Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.
Cecil Beaton
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ― Mark Twain
20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Vaccine 'clears HIV-like virus' in monkeys
Vaccine 'clears HIV-like virus' in monkeys
A vaccine for the monkey equivalent of HIV appears to eradicate the virus, a study suggests.
Research published in the journal Nature has shown that vaccinated monkeys can clear Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) infection from their bodies.
It was effective in nine of the 16 monkeys that were inoculated.
The US scientists say they now want to use a similar approach to test a vaccine for HIV in humans.
Prof Louis Picker, from the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, said: "It's always tough to claim eradication - there could always be a cell which we didn't analyse that has the virus in it. But for the most part, with very stringent criteria... there was no virus left in the body of these monkeys."
Search and destroy
The research team looked at an aggressive form of virus called SIVmac239, which is up to 100 times more deadly than HIV.
Infected monkeys usually die within two years, but in some inoculated primates the virus did not take hold.
The vaccine is based on another virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV), which belongs to the herpes family.
It used the infectious power of CMV to sweep throughout the body. But instead of causing disease, it has been modified to spur the immune system into action to fight off the SIV molecules.
"It maintains an armed force, that patrols all the tissues of the body, all the time, indefinitely," explained Prof Picker.
The researchers gave rhesus macaque monkeys the vaccine, and then exposed them to SIV.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack
FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack
It wasn’t ever seriously in doubt, but the FBI yesterday acknowledged that it secretly took control of Freedom Hosting last July, days before the servers of the largest provider of ultra-anonymous hosting were found to be serving custom malware designed to identify visitors.
It wasn’t ever seriously in doubt, but the FBI yesterday acknowledged that it secretly took control of Freedom Hosting last July, days before the servers of the largest provider of ultra-anonymous hosting were found to be serving custom malware designed to identify visitors.
Freedom Hosting’s operator, Eric Eoin Marques, had rented the servers from an unnamed commercial hosting provider in France, and paid for them from a bank account in Las Vegas. It’s not clear how the FBI took over the servers in late July, but the bureau was temporarily thwarted when Marques somehow regained access and changed the passwords, briefly locking out the FBI until it gained back control.
The new details emerged in local press reports from a Thursday bail hearing in Dublin, Ireland, where Marques, 28, is fighting extradition to America on charges that Freedom Hosting facilitated child pornography on a massive scale. He was denied bail today for the second time since his arrest in July.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Obama has been repeating a mistake made by almost every U.S. president: assuming they can charm their Russian counterparts into cooperating with the U.S. and respecting democratic practices. That mistakenly assumes Russian leaders share the traits of American politicians.
Obama has been repeating a mistake made by almost every U.S. president: assuming they can charm their Russian counterparts into cooperating with the U.S. and respecting democratic practices. That mistakenly assumes Russian leaders share the traits of American politicians.
Although Obama sought to distinguish himself from his predecessor, Bush behaved in much the same way. During one meeting with Putin, Bush remarked that after looking into the Russian leader’s eyes, he was “able to get a sense of his soul.”
Perhaps the classic example of American naivete regarding Russia is Jimmy Carter, who threw his arms around Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev at the 1979 Vienna summit after Brezhnev whispered to him, “God will not forgive us if we fail.” When Soviet troops invadedAfghanistan six months later, Brezhnev told Carter over the hot line that they had entered Afghanistan to defend the country against a foreign invasion. Carter later said that he learned more about the nature of the Soviets’ ultimate intentions during that conversation than he had in his entire life.
U.S.-Russian relations don’t depend on the charm of a U.S. president, but rather on his ability to deal with his Russian counterpart realistically. Power and property in present-day Russia are concentrated in the hands of oligarchs with personal ties to Putin. This group, according to some estimates, controls 15 percent of the nation’s wealth. They ensure loyalty through corruption and enjoy the spoils of their illegitimate gains in the West, which is also theirdestination of choice should the situation in Russia become untenable.
Putin and his associates were reminded of the fragility of this system in December 2011, when mass protests broke out in Moscow over the falsification of the parliamentary elections. Since then, Putin has intensified anti-Western propaganda as controls over civil society have tightened. This isn’t because of any action by the U.S., but because the image of an external threat is the best way to distract ordinary Russians from the abuses of their own government.
When Putin announced that he was ready to grant asylum to Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, he said Snowden would have to stop releasing information and “hurting our American partners.” Yet in the weeks since Snowden was granted asylum in Russia, the leaks have continued.
People’s Champion
We can expect further attempts by Russia to frustrate U.S. policy over Syria. By defending Syria, Russia seeks to position itself as the champion of disadvantaged people against worldwide U.S. aggression, in this way becoming an equal of the U.S. This image resonates with the Russian people and is the perfect way to distract them from the pillaging of the Putin regime.
A real reset in U.S.-Russian relations would take into account Russian interference and indifference to U.S. security. Some bilateral agreements might be off the table -- at least temporarily. But all experience with Russia shows that the U.S. gains most in the long run when it treats Russia as it is rather than the country it would like it to be.
Jaguar Plans Small SUV to Broaden Lineup in BMW Challenge
Jaguar Plans Small SUV to Broaden Lineup in BMW Challenge
Jaguar, Tata Motors Ltd. (TTMT)’s high-end British car brand, unveiled the C-X17 small sport-utility vehicle prototype in a bid to challenge Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) for mainstream luxury-auto buyers.
The crossover, being introduced at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt this month, is based on a new aluminum architecture that will provide the underpinnings for a series of vehicles, the Whitley, England-based manufacturer said.
“With this technical foundation, we will dramatically expand Jaguar’s product offering, market potential and customer appeal,” Adrian Hallmark, head of the Jaguar brand for Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover unit, said yesterday at a presentation in downtown Frankfurt. “This new philosophy will bring technology from our luxury products into an accessible price segment.”
Jaguar, which sells just one car for every 20 vehicles delivered globally by Munich-based BMW, offers just four models in the U.S., none of them an SUV. BMW has four crossovers as part of its range of 11 vehicle lines. The British nameplate is now mounting a challenge to its German rivals after helping its image in recent years with cars like the $69,000 F-Type roadster.
“They need an anchor vehicle, like a Mercedes C-Class or BMW 3-Series, something a bit more attainable for luxury buyers,” said Jessica Caldwell, a senior industry analyst for Edmunds.com, which tracks U.S. auto sales. “Now is really good time” for Jaguar to enter the segment.
Syrian chemical weapons attack a war crime, says EU
Syrian chemical weapons attack a war crime, says EU
Catherine Ashton, the EU's representative for foreign affairs issued a statement on Saturday calling the chemical attack a "blatant violation of international law, a war crime and a crime against humanity".
She said information from a wide variety of sources had confirmed the chemical attack and "seems to indicate strong evidence that the Syrian regime is responsible" as it is the only party "that possesses chemical weapons agents and the means of their delivery in a sufficient quantity".
The statement said a "clear and strong response is crucial to make clear that such crimes are unacceptable and that there can be no impunity".
Ashton's comments came after President Barack Obama returned to the US from the G20 summit in Russia and said that an attack on Syria would not become "another Iraq or Afghanistan".
Monday, September 9, 2013
Iowa grants gun permits to the blind
Iowa grants gun permits to the blind
According to the Des Moines Register, the Polk County Sheriff's Office says it has issued permits to at least three people who "can’t legally drive and were unable to read the application forms or had difficulty doing so because of visual impairments." And officials in at least three other counties say they have granted permits to visually impaired residents because state law forbids sheriffs from denying the right to carry a weapon based on a physical disability.
“It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads, we can’t deny them (a permit),” Sgt. Jana Abens, a spokeswoman for the Polk County sheriff’s office, told the newspaper.
Just exactly how many blind Iowans have permits to carry guns is unclear. State officials say they do not collect that information when the permits are issued.
But the visually-impaired people who are given permits say they are perfectly capable of handling their weapons.
According to the Des Moines Register, the Polk County Sheriff's Office says it has issued permits to at least three people who "can’t legally drive and were unable to read the application forms or had difficulty doing so because of visual impairments." And officials in at least three other counties say they have granted permits to visually impaired residents because state law forbids sheriffs from denying the right to carry a weapon based on a physical disability.
“It seems a little strange, but the way the law reads, we can’t deny them (a permit),” Sgt. Jana Abens, a spokeswoman for the Polk County sheriff’s office, told the newspaper.
Just exactly how many blind Iowans have permits to carry guns is unclear. State officials say they do not collect that information when the permits are issued.
But the visually-impaired people who are given permits say they are perfectly capable of handling their weapons.
EU agrees Assad used chemical weapons
EU agrees Assad used chemical weapons
After meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, the EU ministers ended days of division on the issue with a statement saying the available intelligence "seems to indicate strong evidence that the Syrian regime is responsible for these attacks."
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, who hosted the meeting, put it more bluntly in targetingSyrian President Bashar Assad, speaking of "more and more evidence that the Assad regime is behind all these crimes. We can't just ignore this."
The EU nations, most of which have been skeptical of a quick retaliatory strike against the regime, underscored "the need to move forward with addressing the Syrian crisis through the U.N. process." The ministers said they hope a "preliminary report of this first (U.N.) investigation can be released as soon as possible."
Kerry welcomed the stand of the 28 EU nations, calling it "a strong statement" backing all "the efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable for what it has done."
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported Saturday that the U.N. chemical weapons inspectors could submit initial findings from their tests of samples collected in Syria by the end of next week. The respected weekly said the interim report to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon will likely contain details on the gas, ammunition and delivery systems used in the attack that killed hundreds of people in a suburb of Damascus.
Instrumental in bringing the EU together around a common viewpoint was the decision on Friday by French President Francois Hollande to wait for the U.N. report before deciding to intervene militarily, even though France had said the report would only show a chemical attack had taken place, not apportion blame.
The EU ministers welcomed "President Hollande's statement to wait for this report before any further action." They also stressed that perpetrators for such chemical attacks should face possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Germany joined in blaming the attack on the Syrian government. It had been the only European member of the Group of 20 not to co-sign a joint statement issued Friday at the end of the group's meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, blaming the regime.
That G-20 statement calls for a strong international response against Assad's regime but stops short of explicitly calling for military action against the Syrian government. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Saturday in Vilnius that his country wanted to wait for EU foreign ministers to agree on a common position before backing the statement.
Geneva Protocols #Syria
Geneva Protocols #Syria
The Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, usually called the Geneva Protocol, is a treaty prohibiting the first use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. It was signed at Geneva on 17 June 1925 and entered into force on 8 February 1928. It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on 7 September 1929.[4] The Geneva Protocol is a protocol to the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.
It prohibits the use of "asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of all analogous liquids, materials or devices" and "bacteriological methods of warfare". This is now understood to be a general prohibition on chemical weapons and biological weapons, but has nothing to say about production, storage or transfer. Later treaties did cover these aspects — the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
A number of countries submitted reservations when becoming parties to the Geneva Protocol, declaring that they only regarded the non-use obligations as applying to other parties and that these obligations would cease to apply if the prohibited weapons were used against them.
The main elements of the protocol are now considered by many to be part of customary international law.
Boy, 16, Charged In 2 Sex Attacks In Valley Stream
Boy, 16, Charged In 2 Sex Attacks In Valley Stream
16-year-old boy stood charged Sunday evening in connection with the rape of a 60-year-old woman in a Valley Stream Park, as well as a violent attack on a pregnant woman.
Nashane Peterkin, of Springfield Gardens, Queens, was arrested Sunday morning in Howard Beach and charged as an adult with attempted sexual abuse, police said. He was also expected to be charged by state authorities with rape, assault, and strangulation.
German spy agency sees Assad behind gas attack, cites phone call
German spy agency sees Assad behind gas attack, cites phone call
A Hezbollah official has said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered a poison gas attack last month and that it considered the move a mistake which showed he was losing his grip, according to German intelligence.
Participants at a confidential meeting of German lawmakers on Monday said the head of the BND foreign intelligence agency told them it had intercepted a phone call believed to be between a high-ranking member of the Lebanese Shi'ite militant group and the Iranian Embassy in Damascus.
"The BND referred to a phone call they had heard between a Hezbollah official and the Iranian embassy in which he spoke about Assad having ordered the attack," one of the participants told Reuters.
In the phone call, the Hezbollah official says Assad's order for the attack was a mistake and that he was losing his nerve, the participants reported the BND briefing as saying. Both Iran and Hezbollah support Assad.
A BND spokesman declined to comment on Monday's briefing, saying German intelligence speaks only to the government and to parliamentary committees on highly sensitive matters.
A Hizbollah spokesman was not available for comment.
The U.S. government says about 1,400 people, hundreds of them children, died near Damascus on August 21 in what it says was a sarin gas attack by the Syrian government.
U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking Congressional backing for taking military action against Assad and Frace has also called for strikes. But British Prime Minister David Cameron failed last week to win parliamentary backing for any action against Syria.
France's military and foreign intelligence services submitted to French lawmakers on Monday a report suggesting that forces loyal to Assad in the country's two-year-old civil war, had carried out the attack.
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