http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leonard-nimoy-dead-at-83/

Leonard Nimoy dead at 83
By LAUREN MORASKI CBS NEWS
February 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy, probably best known as Mr. Spock on "Star Trek," has died, according to family members who confirmed his death to multiple media outlets. He was 83.

Nimoy's son, Adam, told The Associated Press the actor died Friday morning in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The actor's granddaughter Dani posted the following message on Twitter Friday afternoon: "Hi all, as you all know, my Grandpa passed away this morning at 8:40 from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was an extraordinary man, husband, grandfather, brother, actor, author-the list goes on- and friend. Thank you for the warm condolences. May you all LLAP. - DaniP.s. I will be putting special shirts up on our site, SHOPLLAP.com, where all of the proceeds will go to the COPD Foundation. I hope to hear from you all."

Last year, Nimoy revealed that he has lung disease -- although he had stopped smoking 30 years ago.

"I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP," the actor tweeted.

"LLAP" was Spock's best-known catch phrase: Live long and prosper. In Vulcan speak that's ""dif tor heh smusma."

Nimoy played half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on the original "Star Trek" series, which ran from 1966-69, and had stepped back into the role several times over the years -- from movies to cartoons and spin-offs.

But his interests went far beyond the cult series.

A true Renaissance man, Nimoy dabbled in photography, writing, music and more.

After "Star Trek" ended, he starred in the series "Mission Impossible" as Paris. From 1976 to 1982 he hosted the syndicated "In Search of ... " a show that looked into mysteries such as Loch Ness Monster and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

He also worked behind the camera, too, sitting in the director's chair for "3 Men and a Baby" (1987), which starred Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg.

He appeared in such plays as "A Streetcar Named Desire," ''Cat on a Hot Tim Roof," ''The King and I," ''My Fair Lady" and "Equus."

He also published books of poems and children's stories. He spent time shooting his own photographs as well, showcasing them at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

His published two autobiographies throughout his career, titled "I Am Not Spock" (1975) and "I Am Spock" (1995).

Nimoy also took on music -- releasing five albums throughout his career.

In 1967, he released the single "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins," telling the tale of the character and his adventures in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit."

He combined his music and directing skills in 1985 when he helmed the music video for The Bangles' "Going Down to Liverpool."

Born in Boston on March 26, 1931, Nimoy caught the acting bug at a young age, appearing in his first play when he was 8 years old. He acted throughout his teenage years at Boston's English High School and continued to pursue the craft while attending Boston College. He left college before graduating and moved to California where he studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Nimoy spent two years in the U.S. Army Reserve beginning in 1953 -- only to return to Hollywood, picking up odd jobs as as taxi driver and vacuum cleaner salesman.

Soon, his acting career started taking off: Nimoy landed parts in "Dragnet," "The Rough Riders," "Bonanza" and "The Twilight Zone."

More recently, Nimoy starred in the FX series "Fringe," which ran from 2009-2012. He lent his voice to "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," in a couple of episodes -- playing himself.

In 2009, he returned as Mr. Spock in a big-screen adaptation of "Star Trek," with Zachary Quinto playing a younger version of Spock.

Nimoy wed Sandra Zober, a fellow student at the Pasadena Playhouse, in 1954. They had two children, Julie and Adam before divorcing in 1987. Nimoy then married Susan Bay, a film production executive, the following year.

Nimoy's Twitter account had remained active in recent weeks. His final two posts came this past week:

I will be sharing my poetry. Today's is, "You and I have Learned," which is in my book, These Words Are for You. LLAPpic.twitter.com/CsHAtmtDnz
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 22, 2015
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

Tributes poured in Friday from friends and Hollywood stars. Fellow "Star Trek" cast member William Shatner said, "I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love."



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leonard-nimoy-sent-touching-final-tweet/

See Leonard Nimoy's touching final tweet
By JESSICA DERSCHOWITZ CBS NEWS
February 27, 2015

Days before his death, Leonard Nimoy reflected on life and memory in a message posted on his Twitter page.

The tweet, sent Feb. 23, seems even more poignant now in the wake of his death Friday at the age of 83.

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

A day earlier, he sent another tweet featuring a work of poetry:

I will be sharing my poetry. Today's is, "You and I have Learned," which is in my book, These Words Are for You. LLAPpic.twitter.com/CsHAtmtDnz
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 22, 2015

Nimoy, best known for playing Mr. Spock on "Star Trek," died from end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His tweets were often signed "LLAP" for his character's famous phrase, "live long and prosper."



"I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP," the actor tweeted. …. "LLAP" was Spock's best-known catch phrase: Live long and prosper. In Vulcan speak that's ""dif tor heh smusma." ….
Nimoy played half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on the original "Star Trek" series, which ran from 1966-69, and had stepped back into the role several times over the years -- from movies to cartoons and spin-offs. But his interests went far beyond the cult series. A true Renaissance man, Nimoy dabbled in photography, writing, music and more.”

He was a gentle, thoughtful man of considerable talent. He even had a very pleasant, if not spectacular, singing voice and wrote poems. He was also singularly beautiful to look at, while not effeminate, whether he smiled or not. His greatest achievement though was the television show Star Trek, which was in many ways the offspring of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Good sci-fi that is produced with care is as valuable artistically as any other art form. Along with mysteries, they may be the “red-headed step children” among the highbrow members of the public, but are ever popular among those who like to explore new ideas and thoughts freely. I'm still watching Star Trek and The Twilight Zone on the “oldie-goldie” channel. They beat modern favorites like “Reality” shows and the unending “soap operas,” hand over fist. Live long and prosper!





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amazing-photo-of-comet-lovejoy-will-light-up-your-week/

Amazing photo of comet Lovejoy will light up your week
By MICHAEL CASEY CBS NEWS
February 27, 2015

Using the world's most powerful digital camera, scientists have snapped this amazing shot of the comet Lovejoy.

Bursting with rays of green light and surrounded by a sea of stars, the image was taken as the comet was passing about 51 million miles from Earth. The comet's center is a ball of ice roughly three miles across, and the visible head of the comet is a cloud of gas and dust about 400,000 miles in diameter.

The image was taken with the Dark Energy Camera, which is sensitive to light up to 8 billion light years away.

The camera was scanning the southern sky on Dec. 27 as part of the Dark Energy Survey. Launched in 2013, the five-year mission is using the Dark Energy Camera to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the universe.

Among its goals is probing the origin of the accelerating universe. It is also tasked with helping to uncover the nature of dark energy by measuring the 14-billion-year history of cosmic expansion with high precision. More than 120 scientists from 23 institutions in the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Germany are working on the project.




“A digital camera that can take pictures from 8 billion light years away is an incredible new tool. Among its goals is probing the origin of the accelerating universe. It is also tasked with helping to uncover the nature of dark energy by measuring the 14-billion-year history of cosmic expansion with high precision.”

I don't try to keep up with advances in astronomy very much, as it all seems too far away for me to appreciate it. It is trying to solve the mystery of the beginning of the universe (or universes) and as such I respect it, but I understand nothing about physics and won't be reading up on it any time soon. I was never mathematically inclined, and I much prefer our own little Earth, with it's fascinating geology, prehistory, life forms, and history. I must say, though, the photographs published in this news article shows an exciting and very beautiful object which looks as though it has a life of its own. I suggest you go to website given above.






FIGHTING TERRORISTS – THREE ARTICLES


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/using-social-media-to-track-extremists-who-advocate-jihad-online/

Using social media to track extremists online
By JEFF PEGUES CBS NEWS
February 26, 2015

Photograph – Ahmad Musa Jibril
 CBS NEWS

U.S. authorities are tracking a man whom they say is influencing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) followers from his home in Michigan -- using social media to inspire jihad.

Ahmad Musa Jibril is a Palestinian-American cleric whose extremist views caught the attention of U.S. law enforcement.

His alleged call for jihad in 2005 led federal prosecutors to describe him as a man who "encouraged his students to spread Islam by the sword, to wage a holy war" and "to hate and kill non-Muslims."

In 2012, Jibril was released from federal prison after serving six years for insurance fraud. He is currently living in Dearborn, Michigan, where he's on probation.

Even under law enforcement supervision, he's become one of the most influential figures for western foreign fighters, according to British researcher Peter Neumann.

"We counted all their likes, their mentions and their follows and what turned out to be true is that Ahmad Jibril was liked by an astonishing percentage of foreign fighters," Neumann says.

According to Neumann's research, 60 percent were following him on Facebook, favoriting his tweets and retweeting his messages.

Last year, a federal judge heavily restricted Jibril's ability to use social media. As a result, his accounts have gone dormant. And yet his Facebook page has grown from 211,000 likes last year to 245,000 today.

Jibril declined CBS News' requests for an interview. His probation ends in one month. Without new charges, he is free to go back online without restrictions.

He's toned down his rhetoric, suggesting maybe he's a changed man. Some aren't convinced.

"There is nothing to suggest he has changed his views," Neumann says. "He has toned them down because he realizes that if he doesn't tone them down they will come after him."

That is the dilemma law enforcement deals with everyday: How best to identify potential threats who may mask their true intent.

But social media can also help law enforcement with important clues about who and where extremists might be. That could escalate to monitoring emails, texts and phone conversations, all of that under court orders.

The FBI looks at hundreds of people who may have terrorist leanings and opens investigations into some of those cases. FBI Director James Comey confirmed Wednesday the bureau has now opened investigations in all 50 states.

Law enforcement has been very public about the damage they believe Edward Snowden caused to intelligence gathering in the U.S. by disclosing information about the NSA's surveillance program.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said that Snowden caused a significant blow to national security by exposing and compromising intelligence gathering tactics.




"Ahmad Musa Jibril is a Palestinian-American cleric whose extremist views caught the attention of U.S. law enforcement. His alleged call for jihad in 2005 led federal prosecutors to describe him as a man who "encouraged his students to spread Islam by the sword, to wage a holy war" and "to hate and kill non-Muslims." In 2012, Jibril was released from federal prison after serving six years for insurance fraud. He is currently living in Dearborn, Michigan, where he's on probation.... "We counted all their likes, their mentions and their follows and what turned out to be true is that Ahmad Jibril was liked by an astonishing percentage of foreign fighters," Neumann says. According to Neumann's research, 60 percent were following him on Facebook, favoriting his tweets and retweeting his messages. Last year, a federal judge heavily restricted Jibril's ability to use social media. As a result, his accounts have gone dormant. And yet his Facebook page has grown from 211,000 likes last year to 245,000 today. Jibril declined CBS News' requests for an interview. His probation ends in one month. Without new charges, he is free to go back online without restrictions.... "There is nothing to suggest he has changed his views," Neumann says. "He has toned them down because he realizes that if he doesn't tone them down they will come after him." That is the dilemma law enforcement deals with everyday: How best to identify potential threats who may mask their true intent.... That could escalate to monitoring emails, texts and phone conversations, all of that under court orders. The FBI looks at hundreds of people who may have terrorist leanings and opens investigations into some of those cases. FBI Director James Comey confirmed Wednesday the bureau has now opened investigations in all 50 states.”

Do we need some more targeted and strengthened laws covering Internet use for any kind of criminal purposes? I think what has happened in this case, however, is that among jihadists he has become a messiah of sorts; even though he hasn't added new material to his Facebook page it has gone from 211,000 to 245,000 “Likes.” Is it possible to close such sites? Of course there are also the White Supremacist sites, the child porn and other very “dark” sites such as “Slender Man.” While I want freedom of the Internet, I don't want criminal and other dangerous material to be allowed.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/outgoing-attorney-general-eric-holder-on-homegrown-violent-extremism-isis/

Eric Holder: Homegrown terror threat "keeps me up at night"
CBS NEWS
February 27, 2015

Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder expressed his "great concern" over the threat of homegrown violent extremism in the U.S. It comes as the FBI director James Comey said this week that the bureau was investigating potential ISIS suspects in all 50 states. On Wednesday, three Brooklyn residents were charged with conspiring to support the militant network.

"It's something that keeps me up at night, worried about what these homegrown violent extremists are potentially capable of doing," Holder told CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.

However, he believes the U.S. is winning the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"I think if you look at the recent battlefield successes that we've had, plans that are underway with regard to Mosul for instance, the degradation of ISIL leadership, I think we are winning," Holder told CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues. "This is not a battle that's going to be won overnight. It will take time, but I think ultimately ISIL will be destroyed."

Holder also said the country is safer now than before the Obama administration came into office.

"Al Qaeda's core, I think, has been decimated, but its offshoots are now things that we have to be concerned about, that we were not concerned about when I think this administration started. And then the homegrown ... component to this struggle is something that is that is new," he said.

In the interview, he also said he stands by his comments about police and race. He said "hard truths" need to be faced.



HOLDER ON RACIST POLICING


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/attorney-general-eric-holder-to-announce-new-guidelines-targeted-at-racial-profiling/

Holder: New policy will "help end racial profiling"
CBS/AP
December 1, 2014

Photograph – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder gestures as he speaks to members of the community during an interfaith service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Monday, Dec. 1, 2014, in Atlanta.  AP / DAVID GOLDMAN

ATLANTA -- In the wake of clashes at protests in Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says new Justice Department guidance will aim to end racial profiling and ensure fair and effective policing.

Holder said in a speech Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta -- where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor -- that he will unveil details of the plan in the coming days.

Civil Rights organizations have urged the Justice Department to clarify federal profiling guidelines to eliminate loopholes created by post-9/11 national security provisions. The Justice Department is working to finalize scheduling details, but the announcement will likely happen on Wednesday or Friday, officials said.

"In the coming days, I will announce updated Justice Department guidance regarding profiling by federal law enforcement, which will institute rigorous new standards and robust safeguards to help end racial profiling, once and for all," said Holder during his speech. "This new guidance will codify our commitment to the very highest standards of fair and effective policing."

President Obama instructed Holder to hold regional meetings on building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve after the conflicts in Ferguson. Monday's meeting in Atlanta was the first.

Earlier Monday, Obama asked federal agencies on Monday for concrete recommendations to ensure the U.S. isn't building a "militarized culture" within police departments, as he promoted the use of body cameras by police in the wake of the shooting of an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Missouri.

The White House also announced it wants more police to wear cameras that capture their interactions with civilians. The cameras are part of a $263 million spending package to help police departments improve their community relations.

The president held a meeting with elected officials, community and faith leaders, law enforcement officials and several other members of his administration. He announced he would be signing an executive order to standardize the way the federal government distributes military-style equipment to police forces.

The selection of King's church as the site for the meeting was significant. The most successful and enduring movements for change adhere to the principles of non-aggression and nonviolence that King preached, Holder said.

"As this congregation knows better than most, peaceful protest has long been a hallmark, and a legacy, of past struggles for progress," he said. "This is what Dr. King taught us, half a century ago, in his eloquent words from the Ebenezer pulpit and in the vision he shared from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial."

Tensions between police and the community in Ferguson boiled over after a white police officer shot an unarmed black teenager in August. Protests turned violent again last week, after a grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown's death.

While the grand jury has made its decision, the Justice Department continues its investigation into the death of Brown and into allegations of unconstitutional policing patterns or practices by the Ferguson Police Department, Holder said to loud applause.

Holder also told the crowd that the meetings he's convening around the country are just the beginning and that he wants to start a frank dialogue and then translate that into concrete action and results. Holder's comments were well-received by the audience.

When a group of people interrupted his speech with chants and was escorted out, Holder applauded their "genuine expression of concern and involvement" and got a standing ovation from the crowd. Several dozen protesters chanted and waved signs referencing Ferguson outside the doors of church.

Holder, who plans to leave the position once a successor is confirmed, has identified civil rights as a cornerstone priority for the Justice Department and speaks frequently about what he calls inequities in the treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system. He has targeted sentences for nonviolent drug crimes that he says are overly harsh and disproportionately affect black defendants and has promoted alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders.

Last year, as part of the Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative, he instructed federal prosecutors to stop charging many nonviolent drug defendants with offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences - punishments that he said were contributing to overcrowded prisons.

The Justice Department has also broadened the criteria for inmates seeking clemency in hopes of encouraging potentially thousands more inmates to apply, and Holder backed changes in federal sentencing guideline ranges that could result in tens of thousands of drug prisoners becoming eligible for early release. Holder also has publicly discussed the need to ease tensions between police departments and minority communities.

The Justice Department has also targeted flawed police departments, initiating roughly 20 investigations of local police agencies - including Ferguson - in the past five years. A new pilot program announced weeks after the Ferguson shooting will study racial bias in American cities and recommend ways to reduce the problem.

He has spoken about race in sometimes personal terms, recalling after the Ferguson shooting instances in which as a younger man he was stopped or confronted by police without cause. He has also said he understands mistrust of law enforcement in minority communities.




“Civil Rights organizations have urged the Justice Department to clarify federal profiling guidelines to eliminate loopholes created by post-9/11 national security provisions. The Justice Department is working to finalize scheduling details, but the announcement will likely happen on Wednesday or Friday, officials said. "In the coming days, I will announce updated Justice Department guidance regarding profiling by federal law enforcement, which will institute rigorous new standards and robust safeguards to help end racial profiling, once and for all," said Holder during his speech. ... President Obama instructed Holder to hold regional meetings on building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve …. Earlier Monday, Obama asked federal agencies on Monday for concrete recommendations to ensure the U.S. isn't building a "militarized culture" within police departments.... The White House also announced it wants more police to wear cameras that capture their interactions with civilians. The cameras are part of a $263 million spending package to help police departments improve their community relations. The president held a meeting with elected officials, community and faith leaders, law enforcement officials and several other members of his administration. He announced he would be signing an executive order to standardize the way the federal government distributes military-style equipment to police forces.... Holder's comments were well-received by the audience. When a group of people interrupted his speech with chants and was escorted out, Holder applauded their "genuine expression of concern and involvement" and got a standing ovation from the crowd. Several dozen protesters chanted and waved signs referencing Ferguson outside the doors of church.... He has targeted sentences for nonviolent drug crimes that he says are overly harsh and disproportionately affect black defendants and has promoted alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders. Last year, as part of the Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative, he instructed federal prosecutors to stop charging many nonviolent drug defendants with offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences - punishments that he said were contributing to overcrowded prisons.... Holder also has publicly discussed the need to ease tensions between police departments and minority communities. The Justice Department has also targeted flawed police departments, initiating roughly 20 investigations of local police agencies - including Ferguson - in the past five years. A new pilot program announced weeks after the Ferguson shooting will study racial bias in American cities and recommend ways to reduce the problem.”

These meetings between law enforcement, faith community, city governments and minority or poor communities are the most crucial thing I see here besides cameras and more fairness in sentencing. Mandatory minimums was one of those “law and order” issues that have been used instead on cases of minor drug possession and use rather than the sale of drugs, murder, rape, child abuse, and other heinous crimes. Even the failure to pay a debt has become a criminal offense. I thought that was unconstitutional.

The use of RICO Act and USA Patriot Act provisions has become common for offenses that are minor and not linked with the type of crime that the acts were set up to handle. I thought RICO was intended for organized crime including the sale of drugs, and Patriot is for anti-government crimes. Both are now used in neighborhood policing issues of ordinary sorts. The Patriot Act is the basis for the arming of city police departments with high powered guns and tanks. There just isn't any good use for a tank in the city police force. Holder says these things are causing the prisons to be overly full, but they are also simply unfair and against our individual rights. His efforts to put a lid on the power of local police forces has caused rightwingers to protest his speeches I notice. There is a very large divide between Democrat and Republican these day, largely due to President Obama's being elected to office in 2008 and the Civil Rights law of 1964.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/net-neutrality-ruling-what-it-means-for-you/

Net neutrality ruling: What it means for you
By AMANDA SCHUPAK CBS NEWS
February 26, 2015

The Federal Communications Committee voted Thursday to regulate the Internet under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act, which currently applies to telephone service.

The ruling will enable the FCC to enact new rules that would prevent Internet service providers (ISPs) from manipulating how quickly or slowly sites are transmitted along their networks, a huge win for proponents of net neutrality.

President Obama issued a statement praising the decision, which he said "will protect innovation and create a level playing field for the next generation of entrepreneurs."

"I think the FCC is doing the right thing," Barbara Cherry, a professor of telecommunications at Indiana University, a former FCC official and a former AT&T government affairs attorney. "It's long overdue and it needs to be done."

The ruling classifies the Internet as a common carrier along with phone service, railroads and the postal service, and enforces legal obligations to operate "without unreasonable discrimination, at reasonable rates and with adequate care, often referred to as reliability," Cherry explained.

Major ISPs have been vocally against restrictions on how they manage and monetize their services and some have strongly intimated that they will appeal the ruling in the courts.

"We have never argued there should be no regulation in this area, simply that there should be smart regulation. What doesn't make sense, and has never made sense, is to take a regulatory framework developed for Ma Bell in the 1930s and make her great grandchildren, with technologies and options undreamed of eighty years ago, live under it," said AT&T's senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs, Jim Cicconi.

Thursday's decision reverses earlier rulings that called the Internet an information service, which is not regulated like common carriers are.

"Why are some companies so against it?" Cherry asked. "I can tell you why, because I used to work for them. It was a real coup in 2002 and 2005 when they got classification as information services. The deregulation gave them the freedom to essentially choose to whom, when, where and what service they're going to bother to provide."

"This led to and can lead to incentives for unreasonable forms of discrimination. They want to make money every which way they can. That's why they've resisted so heavily getting this Title II classification back."

She offered a personal example of this from her own life: She used to have DSL Internet from AT&T and cable from Comcast. She moved less than a mile away and wanted the same services in her new home. "By this time, DSL was no longer a common service. They refused to sell it to me. AT&T said, 'You have to buy cable service bundle.' They refused to sell it to me standalone. With common carrier service you can't do that."

Speaking with CBS News Wednesday, NewYorker.com editor Nicholas Thompson addressed how the ruling can affect the relationship between service providers and online companies whose data they carry over their networks. He described the Internet as pipes through which all data flow:

"So if I'm Comcast and I control those pipes I can't say, 'You know what? I want CBS to go slowly this month because they did a bad segment on me, or I want them to go fast because they did a good segment,'" he explained. "Or I want Netflix to go quickly because they paid me a lot of money but I want this startup to go slowly."

"Comcast would love that power because then it can make a lot more money," he added.

It could also affect consumers' wallets. If, say,Netflix has to pony up money to make sure its video streaming looks seamless on your computer or smart TV, there's a good chance those surcharges could end up increasing your monthly bill.

But Internet companies -- especially smaller ones that can't afford to pay more to get access to a provider's "fast lane" -- would rather the federal government ensure that "the pipes" give every site equal opportunity to get through.

Many people believe that not only is this the fairest way to keep the Internet free and open, it's also the only way to maintain an environment that promotes innovation.

"If you let [Internet providers] control this you're going to destroy the Internet," Thompson told CBS News. "You're going to destroy startups. It's going to be much harder to create an Internet company. This is what American innovation thrives on. This is the part of our economy that is doing really well and if you give the [telecommunications companies] this control it will cut that off."

The flip side of the argument is that cutting off a potential revenue stream for Comcast, Time Warner and other ISPs will strangle their budgets and hamper innovation.

"The FCC today chose to change the way the commercial Internet has operated since its creation. Changing a platform that has been so successful should be done, if at all, only after careful policy analysis, full transparency, and by the legislature, which is constitutionally charged with determining policy," Verizon senior vice president Michael Glover said.

"The decision is not radical in the sense that to do this legally is radical," Cherry opined. "It's undoing a prior radical decision. It's momentous in terms of politically what it took to get here and the fact that a decision is coming out that is truly in the public interest as opposed to being in the interest of a relatively small number of companies that have a lot of resources to bring to bear."




“President Obama issued a statement praising the decision, which he said "will protect innovation and create a level playing field for the next generation of entrepreneurs." "I think the FCC is doing the right thing," Barbara Cherry, a professor of telecommunications at Indiana University, a former FCC official and a former AT&T government affairs attorney. "It's long overdue and it needs to be done." The ruling classifies the Internet as a common carrier along with phone service, railroads and the postal service, and enforces legal obligations to operate "without unreasonable discrimination, at reasonable rates and with adequate care, often referred to as reliability," Cherry explained.... Thursday's decision reverses earlier rulings that called the Internet an information service, which is not regulated like common carriers are. "Why are some companies so against it?" Cherry asked. "I can tell you why, because I used to work for them. It was a real coup in 2002 and 2005 when they got classification as information services. The deregulation gave them the freedom to essentially choose to whom, when, where and what service they're going to bother to provide." "This led to and can lead to incentives for unreasonable forms of discrimination. They want to make money every which way they can. That's why they've resisted so heavily getting this Title II classification back."... Speaking with CBS News Wednesday, NewYorker.com editor Nicholas Thompson addressed how the ruling can affect the relationship between service providers and online companies whose data they carry over their networks. He described the Internet as pipes through which all data flow: "So if I'm Comcast and I control those pipes I can't say, 'You know what? I want CBS to go slowly this month because they did a bad segment on me, or I want them to go fast because they did a good segment,'" he explained. "Or I want Netflix to go quickly because they paid me a lot of money but I want this startup to go slowly." "Comcast would love that power because then it can make a lot more money," he added.... But Internet companies -- especially smaller ones that can't afford to pay more to get access to a provider's "fast lane" -- would rather the federal government ensure that "the pipes" give every site equal opportunity to get through. Many people believe that not only is this the fairest way to keep the Internet free and open, it's also the only way to maintain an environment that promotes innovation.”

The Big Boys such as AT&T fought this decision fiercely, saying that the “outdated” 1930s regulations don't allow innovation; but they themselves are the ones who want to raise the prices artificially on new business startups to a rate that will, indeed, prevent “innovation” by keeping it from being fiscally feasible. Operating as a startup is always harder because they don't yet have a large fund to finance new activities. AT&T by no means lacks money for their innovations. They just don't want to be prohibited from making gazillions more every day, so they have cried foul. Of course, they will surely sue the FCC to force a change in this decision, so there will be more battles aplenty in the future. Still, I'm very happy to hear this courageous decision.






http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-hawking-thinks-these-3-things-could-destroy-humanity/

Stephen Hawking thinks these 3 things could destroy humanity
By TANYA LEWIS LIVESCIENCE.COM
February 27, 2015

Photograph – stephen hawking has a long list of warnings about threats to humanity.  FLICKR/NASA HQ PHOTO.

Stephen Hawking may be most famous for his work on black holes and gravitational singularities, but the world-renowned physicist has also become known for his outspoken ideas about things that could destroy human civilization.

Hawking suffers from a motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak without a voice synthesizer. But that hasn't stopped the University of Cambridge professor from making proclamations about the wide range of dangers humanity faces -- including ourselves.

Here are a few things Hawking has said could bring about the demise of human civilization. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears]

Artificial intelligence

Hawking is part of a small but growing group of scientists who have expressed concerns about "strong" artificial intelligence (AI) -- intelligence that could equal or exceed that of a human.

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," Hawking told the BBC in December 2014. The statement was in response to a question about a new AI voice-synthesizing system that Hawking has been using.

Hawking's warnings echo those of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, who has called AI humanity's "biggest existential threat." Last month, Hawking, Musk and dozens of other scientific bigwigs signed an open letterdescribing the risks, as well as the benefits, of AI.

"Because of the great potential of AI, it is important to research how to reap its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls," the scientists wrote in the letter, which was published online Jan. 11 by the Future of Life Institute, a volunteer organization that aims to mitigate existential threats to humanity.

But many AI researchers say humanity is nowhere near being able to develop strong AI.
"We are decades away from any technology we need to worry about," Demis Hassabis, an artificial intelligence researcher at Google DeepMind, told reporters this week at a news conference about a new AI program he developed that can teach itself to play computer games. Still, "It's good to start the conversation now," he added.

Human aggression

If our machines don't kill us, we might kill ourselves. Hawking now believes that human aggression might destroy civilization.

The physicist was giving a tour of the London Science Museum to Adaeze Uyanwah, a 24-year-old teacher from California who won a contest from VisitLondon.com. When Uyanwah asked, "What human shortcomings would you most like to alter?" Hawking responded:

"The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression. It may have had survival advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory or partner with whom to reproduce, but now it threatens to destroy us all," The Independent reported.

For example, a major nuclear war would likely end civilization, and could wipe out the human race, Hawking added. When asked which human quality he would most like to magnify, Hawking chose empathy, because "it brings us together in a peaceful, loving state."

Hawking thinks space exploration will be important to ensuring the survival of humanity. "I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be space, and that it represents an important life insurance for our future survival, as it could prevent the disappearance of humanity by colonizing other planets,"Cambridge News reported.

Alien life

But Hawking had made ominous warnings even before these recent ones. Back in 2010, Hawking said that, if intelligent alien life exists, it may not be that friendlytoward humans.

"If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans," Hawking said during an episode of "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking," a show hosted by the Discovery Channel, reported The Times, a U.K.-based newspaper.

Advanced alien civilizations might become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they could reach, Hawking said. "If so, it makes sense for them to exploit each new planet for material to build more spaceships so they could move on. Who knows what the limits would be?"

From the threat of nefarious AI, to advanced aliens, to hostile humans, Hawking's outlook for humanity is looking pretty grim.




“Hawking suffers from a motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak without a voice synthesizer. But that hasn't stopped the University of Cambridge professor from making proclamations about the wide range of dangers humanity faces -- including ourselves. Here are a few things Hawking has said could bring about the demise of human civilization. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears] …. Hawking's warnings echo those of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, who has called AI humanity's "biggest existential threat." Last month, Hawking, Musk and dozens of other scientific bigwigs signed an open letterdescribing the risks, as well as the benefits, of AI. "Because of the great potential of AI, it is important to research how to reap its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls," the scientists wrote in the letter, which was published online Jan. 11 by the Future of Life Institute, a volunteer organization that aims to mitigate existential threats to humanity.... "The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression. It may have had survival advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory or partner with whom to reproduce, but now it threatens to destroy us all," The Independent reported. For example, a major nuclear war would likely end civilization, and could wipe out the human race, Hawking added. When asked which human quality he would most like to magnify, Hawking chose empathy, because "it brings us together in a peaceful, loving state.".... "I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be space, and that it represents an important life insurance for our future survival, as it could prevent the disappearance of humanity by colonizing other planets,"Cambridge News reported.... "If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans," Hawking said during an episode of "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking," a show hosted by the Discovery Channel, reported The Times, a U.K.-based newspaper. Advanced alien civilizations might become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they could reach, Hawking said. "If so, it makes sense for them to exploit each new planet for material to build more spaceships so they could move on.”

I personally fear most – human aggression, because it daily threatens to wipe out societies, often by what ISIS is doing right now – mass murder over a philosophical disagreement.

The second thing I fear is one that he didn't mention. We are already experiencing environmental changes that scientists have predicted, and in my view there is no doubt that it is due to CO2, methane and other chemicals that are constantly going into our atmosphere and oceans. Yet we still keep cutting down the forests that used to blanket the earth and failing to put requirements on businesses and agriculture which are the sources of the pollution.

I can definitely see the fear of AI, if our modern cultures and their technology survives more than another fifty years. I will never forget “HAL.” I wouldn't like to be under the power of a machine, even an intelligent one. Intelligence may be our primary survival characteristic of the past, but I agree with Hawking. Empathy is the ultimate quality we should cultivate now throughout all of human society. “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and remember the lesson of the Good Samaritan. Jesus used that image because the Jews hated the Samaritans.