September 30, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/palestinian-authority-president-mahmoud-abbas-al-aqsa-jerusalem-israel/

Mahmoud Abbas declares intent to break Israel agreements
CBS/AP
September 30, 2015

Photograph -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a Palestinian flag before raising it during the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York, on September 30, 2015. REUTERS/ANDREW KELLY


NEW YORK - Saying Israel has repeatedly broken its promises, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said his people will no longer keep theirs.

In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, Abbas called the state of affairs in Israel "unacceptable," and he repeatedly slammed Israeli leaders for breaking promises "as an occupier." As a result, Abbas said, the Palestinian people will no longer recognize any agreements they have signed thus far with them.

"They are not listening to the truth," Abbas said.

Abbas' defiant speech came on a historic day for the Palestinian people: the U.N. officially raised the Palestinian flag outside its New York headquarters, with the blessing and full support of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Abbas' speech Wednesday morning was most serious warning yet to that he might walk away from engagement with Israel and dissolve the Palestinian Authority, although he stopped short of accompanying his threat with a deadline.

Abbas cited the continued settlement expansion, the alleged violation of border rights, the accused toleration of Jewish extremists, Israel's refusal to release certain prisoners, and the ongoing drama at the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as some of the reasons why he no longer feels bound to his promises to Israel.

The Palestinian leader said there was still a chance for peace, and that he hopes Israel joins most of the rest of the world in recognizing an independent Palestine.

"One hundred thirty-seven states have recognized our state," Abbas said. "That is four times the number of states that recognized Israel at its foundation."

On Wednesday, he said that Israel's refusal to commit to agreements signed "render us an authority without real powers."

Abbas' tough talk could be an attempt to mask his political weakness. Hopes of setting up a Palestinian state have been derailed, and there are calls for the leader to resign and dissolve the Palestinian Authority. Without a specific deadline for taking those steps, Abbas left himself room for diplomatic maneuver to refocus the attention of the international community on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In response to his speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement calling Abbas' words "deceitful," adding they prove "the fact he does not intend to reach a peace agreement."


After lashing at Israel inside the U.N., Abbas raised the flag of the state of Palestine at the United Nations for the first time on Wednesday with a promise that it will be raised soon in Jerusalem, "the capital of our Palestinian state."

More than 300 ministers, diplomats and well-wishers who crowded into the rose garden at U.N. headquarters where a temporary flagpole had been erected for the ceremony applauded his words.

Abbas told the crowd it was a "historical moment" on the Palestinian road to independence.

As the black, white, green and red flag went up the flagpole, cheers and shouts of "Peace! Peace! Palestine!" erupted.

The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on Sept. 10 allowing U.N. observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 U.N. member states. The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two U.N. observer states.

In contrast to the Palestinians, the Holy See flag was raised outside U.N. headquarters alongside flags of the 193 U.N. member states without fanfare or ceremony just before Pope Francis arrived last Friday to address the General Assembly. The permanent flagpole for the Palestinian flag is already in place beside it.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Wednesday a day of "pride" and "hope" for Palestinians around the world.

He urged the Palestinians to pursue their long-held dream for their own state by first uniting Gaza and the West Bank, and he urged Israel and the Palestinians to revive negotiations that collapsed last year and conclude "a successful peace process."

That will lead to the unfurling of the Palestinian flag "in its proper place - among the family of nations as a sovereign member state of the United Nations," Ban said.




“In his speech at the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, Abbas called the state of affairs in Israel "unacceptable," and he repeatedly slammed Israeli leaders for breaking promises "as an occupier." As a result, Abbas said, the Palestinian people will no longer recognize any agreements they have signed thus far with them. "They are not listening to the truth," Abbas said. Abbas' defiant speech came on a historic day for the Palestinian people: the U.N. officially raised the Palestinian flag outside its New York headquarters, with the blessing and full support of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Abbas' speech Wednesday morning was most serious warning yet to that he might walk away from engagement with Israel and dissolve the Palestinian Authority, although he stopped short of accompanying his threat with a deadline. …. The Palestinian leader said there was still a chance for peace, and that he hopes Israel joins most of the rest of the world in recognizing an independent Palestine. "One hundred thirty-seven states have recognized our state," Abbas said. "That is four times the number of states that recognized Israel at its foundation." …. Abbas' tough talk could be an attempt to mask his political weakness. Hopes of setting up a Palestinian state have been derailed, and there are calls for the leader to resign and dissolve the Palestinian Authority. Without a specific deadline for taking those steps, Abbas left himself room for diplomatic maneuver to refocus the attention of the international community on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response to his speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement calling Abbas' words "deceitful," adding they prove "the fact he does not intend to reach a peace agreement." …. The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on Sept. 10 allowing U.N. observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 U.N. member states. The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two U.N. observer states. …. He urged the Palestinians to pursue their long-held dream for their own state by first uniting Gaza and the West Bank, and he urged Israel and the Palestinians to revive negotiations that collapsed last year and conclude "a successful peace process."

This Wikipedia article just gets more and more complicated with the various changes in the agreed territories every few years and border wars as well. I give up on them all. Today they have both announced the renewal of hostilities just days after the Palestinian flag has been allowed at the UN. It’s so very sad.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_territories
Palestinian territories

"Palestinian territories" and "occupied Palestinian territories" (OPT or oPt) are descriptions often used to describe the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip.[7][8][9] Israeli governments have maintained that the area involved is within territorial dispute.[10][11] The extent of the territories, while subject to future negotiations, have frequently been defined by the Green Line. The term "Palestinian Territory, Occupied" had been utilized by the UN and other international organizations between 1998 to 2013 in order to refer to the Palestinian National Authority; it was replaced by the UN in 2013 by the term State of Palestine.[12]

Israel occupied the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War of 1967, which had been earlier occupied by Jordan and Egypt respectively, and has maintained control of them since.

In 1980, Israel officially absorbed East Jerusalem and considers the whole of Jerusalem to be its capital. The inclusion, though never formally amounting to legal annexation, was condemned internationally[13] and declared "null and void" by the United Nations Security Council.[14][15] The Palestinian National Authority, the United Nations,[16] the international legal and humanitarian bodies[17][18] and the international community [19][20] regard East Jerusalem as part of the West Bank, and consequently a part of the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian National Authority never exercised sovereignty over the area, although it housed its offices in Orient House and several other buildings as an assertion of its sovereign interests,[21][22] until Israel shut them down in response to the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing.[23] Israeli sovereignty, however, has not been recognized by any country, since the unilateral annexation of territory occupied during war contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention.[24][25]





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zombie-super-pacs-what-happens-to-all-that-cash/

Zombie super PACs: What happens to all that cash?
By CHRISTINA RUFFINI CBS NEWS
September 30, 2015

Photograph -- Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (L); Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) AP IMAGES / REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- Campaign Finance 101: A breakdown of 2016's "game for billionaires"
Play VIDEO -- The rise of the personalized super PAC?


Rick Perry and Scott Walker are out of the race - but that doesn't mean the fundraising organizations that supported them died along with their 2016 dreams.

They've joined the ranks of the zombie super PACS: fundraising organizations with money to spend but no living candidate left to support.

So with their candidates six feet under, what happens to all that cash?

Due to still-evolving campaign finance laws, there are few rules for how super PACS must operate after the person they backed stops running.

A super PAC with a failed candidate is under no legal obligation to refund its donors. There is also no deadline for an organization to shut down after its candidate drops out.

The group can, of course, choose to cease operations and give back what's left of the money - which is what both the Perry and Walker organizations have promised to do.

But the super PAC can also keep the cash and continue to spend on issues, advertisements, salaries, operating costs, whatever.

"There are no constraints beyond the ban on giving to candidates and political parties," said Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center. "A single individual could set up a super PAC and use every penny she raises to pay herself a salary."

That means the leaders of the organization could legally cash out, buy a yacht, name it The SS Thank You FEC and sail off into the political sunset. Really. The only federal entity that might possibly come after them, Ryan says, is the IRS.

So why aren't multiple FEC-themed yachts aren't sailing around the Caribbean? It has very little do to do with regulation and a lot to do with reputation.

"You have serious political professionals who are closely associated with serious candidate's campaigns, and they have a real profession incentive to not abuse the good will of their donors," Ryan said.

Perry and Walker relied heavily on a handful of those big-money donors to bolster their super PAC reserves. When Walker dropped out last week, his "Unintimidated" PAC was quick to issue a statement promising to refund supporters on a "pro-rated" basis. The group raised more than 20 million dollars in the last reporting cycle, and told CBS News it is working on "winding down efforts" and giving the money back.

The "Opportunity and Freedom" PACs that supported Perry raised somewhere in the neighborhood of 17 million dollars- five million of that from a single contributor, billionaire Darwin Deason. In the days following the former Texas governor's withdrawal from the race, Deason's son made it very clear that his father expected his money back. Austin Barbour, who led fundraising efforts for the group, told CBS News that the remaining 13 million dollars had all been returned, but declined to say specifically when the group would stop operations.

"The lawyer will shut it down at the appropriate time," he wrote in an email.

However, the PAC is under no legal obligation to do so. In fact, several super PACs from the 2012 election were still filing with the FEC years after their candidates dropped out.


Jon Huntsman's super PAC "Our Destiny," only received its official termination from the FEC in January of 2015. The group raised about three million dollars, which it promised to return it to donors. At the end of 2012, it had about 20 thousand dollars on hand, most of which went toward "operating expenses."

Newt Gingrich's super PAC "Winning our Future," continued to run for more than two years after he withdrew his candidacy. The organization raised 23.9 million dollars, thanks in large part to mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. The PAC refunded five million dollars to Adelson's wife, but still had almost half a million dollars left over. Much of that money was paid as consulting fees to the organization's president, managing director and other individuals. The PAC also paid a $25,000 "Annual Membership Fee" to the Republican Governors Association before eventually shutting down for good in July of last year.

Part of the problem, Ryan said, is that the circuit court case that lead to the creation of these groups never contemplated that they would be tied only to individual candidates:

"The folks who invented super PACS through court litigation were never asked the question what happens when a candidate drops out because they weren't supposed to be supporting a specific candidate. They were nominally to be supporting multiple candidates."

It's an issue, he said, that isn't likely to be resolved any time soon --even as the the field continues to winnow. And with no set path to guide these groups through the post-candidacy graveyard, the ranks of the zombie super PAC are only likely to grow.




"A single individual could set up a super PAC and use every penny she raises to pay herself a salary." …. "The folks who invented super PACS through court litigation were never asked the question what happens when a candidate drops out because they weren't supposed to be supporting a specific candidate. They were nominally to be supporting multiple candidates."

This is truly “an embarrassment of riches!” The rules on these funds are so complex and convoluted that they should be disallowed completely. They only serve to make the election of candidates more and more corrupt. When large donations were allowed the situation worsened. See the article below for some more information on the subject.


http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/super-pacs.html


Super PACs Explained

The evolution of the new political action committees that have altered the course of political campaigns

Each presidential election season seems to bring a new fund-raising controversy. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first candidate in a general election to spurn the public financing of campaigns to avoid having to comply with spending limits. In 2000, George Bush and Howard Dean became the first Republican and Democrat, respectively, to refuse public financing of a primary campaign. And of course, there was Watergate, which introduced the Federal Election Commission and a round of campaign-financing laws.

Super PACs emerged as a major influence in the 2012 campaign, and will continue to be a major factor in future elections. Super PACs are independent political committees that support a candidate with unlimited, often anonymous, donations from companies, unions, or individuals. The groups can't contribute directly to a candidate, but they can run favorable ads about a candidate—or negative ones about their favored candidate's opponent. Most of the ads sponsored by super PACs are negative and take considerable liberties. The people running the PACs are typically closely connected to the candidate the PAC supports.

The PACs are required to release the names of donors, however, a technicality in the disclosure rules allows donors to remain anonymous for months. Disclosure can be completely circumvented by PACs that create affiliated nonprofit 501(c)(4) organizations, which are not required to release the names of donors.

Supreme Court Decision Led to Popularity of Super PACs

A relatively new phenomenon, super PACS proliferated following the January 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision that said the government cannot restrict the spending of corporations, unions, and other groups for political campaigns, maintaining that it's their First Amendment right to support candidates as they choose. The Citizens United decision opened the floodgates for unlimited amounts of money to be poured into political campaigns. It also dismantled the McCain–Feingold campaign-finance law that banned issue ads and soft money (funds contributed to the Republican and Democratic National Committees, and to the party committees in each state) in political campaigns.

In the majority decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "We now conclude that independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption."

Super PACs Influential in Midterm Elections

The 2010 midterm elections were the first test of the effects of the Citizens United ruling—and the influence of super PACs. Some $80 million was spent by super PACs during the midterm election cycle. Republican candidates largely reaped the benefits of the PACs' largesse, and Republicans won control of the House. Democrats cried foul, saying the elections were being bought by deep-pocketed individuals and companies and questioned what the donors expected in return for their contribution. But it was not long before Democrats established their own super PACs. In the 2014 midterm campaign, 1,360 Super PACs raisded nearly $700 million, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The already lax rules governing Super PACs are riddled with loopholes. For example, candidates cannot communicate or coordinate with PAC organizers, but they can speak to a group of donors at a fund-raising event and leave the gathering before any planning or coordinating about fundraising occurs.

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert helped to educate the public about PACs, famously mocking them on his show, The Colbert Report. In fact, he created his own super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, which collected more than $1 million. The PAC ran ads in South Carolina that took aim at Mitt Romney.

Democrats Jump on the PAC Bandwagon

President Obama was an early critic of the Citizens United ruling, calling it a "threat to democracy" and a "victory" for Wall Street and Big Business. He further criticized the ruling in his 2010 State of the Union address, saying the decision would allow "special interests—including foreign companies—to spend without limit in our elections." He went on, "I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests."

With Republican-backed super PACs eclipsing them in fund-raising—Karl Rove's two PACs, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, raised more than $325 million in the 2012 election season, Democrats felt they were left with no other option than to join the fray. Despite his condemnation of the 2010 ruling, Obama announced in February 2012 that he work with—but not coordinate with—Priorities USA Action, the Democratic super PAC organized to help Obama win reelection. He also said that members of his administration would speak at the PAC's fundraisers. The Ready for Hillary PAC, created to encourage Hillary Clinton to run for president, raised about $15 million from 135,000 donors.

In May 2015, Clinton announced that she'll support Priorities USA Action, a Democratic Super PAC, during her presidential campaign. She's the first Democratic presidential hopeful to endorse the powerful fund-raising groups.

Despite the rule that candidates cannot closely associate with super PACs, the 2012 presidential campaign clearly illustrated that candidates on both sides of the aisle plan to push the limits of campaign finance regulations in future races.

—by Beth Rowen





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-relying-on-smuggling-antiquities-to-fund-terror/

ISIS cashing in on selling plundered antiquities to fund terror
By MARGARET BRENNAN CBS NEWS
September 29, 2015

See Gallery -- 17 photographs of mosaics and other beautiful Syrian artworks


ISIS funds itself, in part, by looting Syria's ancient treasures. On Tuesday, CBS News got the first look at ISIS' own records which were scooped up in a raid by U.S. special operations forces.

When ISIS financial kingpin Abu Sayyaf was killed by U.S. Special Forces last May, American soldiers made a startling discovery: hundreds of precious antiquities stored in his compound.

On Tuesday, newly discovered declassified documents show for the first time just how deeply ISIS relies on smuggling antiquities to fund its terror.

Abu Sayyaf was the group's top antiquities dealer. Receipts also show him to be a careful record keeper. Treasury officials told us transactions totaled hundreds of millions of dollars.

"It was systemic, so not only do we see receipts, we saw an elaborate org chart, how the antiquities department of ISIL work, and it was a global operation -- it uses everything from Facebook to the dark web, so it was very organized, very comprehensive," the State Department's Richard Stengel told CBS News.

When asked whether it's a crime ring, Stengel acknowledged it is.

CBS News found evidence of this black market ourselves when we filmed undercover in Turkey this month. Two young Syrian smugglers offered CBS News ancient Roman mosaics they claimed they had dug out of the ground in Apamea.

It's of Syria's most important archaeological sites -- now riddled with robber holes.

"Looting is hard to stop. We want to shame the buyers, we want to take that, make that even more underground, and then find out who's doing it and then bring them to justice," Stengel says.

On Tuesday, the State Department unveiled a new tactic: the offer of a $5 million reward for any information that it can use to cut off this illicit trade. But policing the underground market is incredibly difficult.




“ISIS funds itself, in part, by looting Syria's ancient treasures. On Tuesday, CBS News got the first look at ISIS' own records which were scooped up in a raid by U.S. special operations forces. When ISIS financial kingpin Abu Sayyaf was killed by U.S. Special Forces last May, American soldiers made a startling discovery: hundreds of precious antiquities stored in his compound. On Tuesday, newly discovered declassified documents show for the first time just how deeply ISIS relies on smuggling antiquities to fund its terror. …. Treasury officials told us transactions totaled hundreds of millions of dollars. "It was systemic, so not only do we see receipts, we saw an elaborate org chart, how the antiquities department of ISIL work, and it was a global operation -- it uses everything from Facebook to the dark web, so it was very organized, very comprehensive," the State Department's Richard Stengel told CBS News. When asked whether it's a crime ring, Stengel acknowledged it is. CBS News found evidence of this black market ourselves when we filmed undercover in Turkey this month. Two young Syrian smugglers offered CBS News ancient Roman mosaics they claimed they had dug out of the ground in Apamea. …. On Tuesday, the State Department unveiled a new tactic: the offer of a $5 million reward for any information that it can use to cut off this illicit trade. But policing the underground market is incredibly difficult.”

Wherever there are wealthy individuals who would like to have a personal collection of ancient artifacts, there will be a black market. It’s similar in Africa where certain animals are being killed almost to the point of extinction over “medicinal” items like rhino horn. What I hate to see in this situation is that the archaeological treasures are irreplaceable, and they belong rightfully to the world, not to selfish collectors. They should be studied by archaeologists and then housed in a good museum for the public to view. These people doing the looting are only interested in their money value, and the private collectors in the personal prestige of owning something like that. Mankind should respect our heritage and save it for our children and their children.





http://www.catchnews.com/international-news/al-nimr-sought-democracy-will-saudi-arabia-give-him-death-today-1443415503.html

Al-Nimr sought democracy; will Saudi Arabia give him death today?
ALEESHA MATHARU @almatharu |28 September 2015

Just a few days ago Saudi Arabia was admitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council. And today the oil-fuelled kingdom is set to behead a young man.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr has been sentenced to death for encouraging pro-democracy demonstrations during the 2012 Arab Spring. He was just 17 then.

Outrage and solidarity

The young man's case has raised an international outcry. A group of UN human rights experts described it as a possible breach of the country's commitments to uphold international law.

Anonymous, a collective of hacker activists, reportedly shut down several Saudi government websites on 26 September. They then took to Twitter, using the hashtag #OpNimr, to oppose the execution.

In a statement, addressed to "King Salman and the Saudi Arabian government", activists warned: "An innocent young teenage boy has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia and we will not stand by and watch.

"13 Judges have already approved the death sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, meaning only King Salman has to approve it. We cannot and will not allow this to happen."

#AliMohammedAlNimr was only 17 when he was arrested for pro-democracy protests

Some heads of state and celebrities have also voiced concerns. Last week, American comedian Bill Maher tweeted in al-Nimr's support.

The French president and prime minister have called on Saudi Arabia to abandon the execution. Jeremy Corbyn, the United Kingdom's new Opposition leader, wrote a scathing letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, demanding he call on Saudi Arabia to "commute the unjust and horrific sentence".

It was revealed two weeks ago that al-Nimr's appeal against the death penalty was denied. The Saudi authorities is now set to behead him, then strap his body to a cross and leave it to rot in public view.

Friends forever

Anonymous has demanded that the United Sates speak against this execution. But no prominent American official has spoken out so far.

The US, in fact, reiterated that the two countries were "close allies". State department spokesman Mark Toner said he was "not aware of the trial" when reporters pressed for his reaction. When asked about Saudi Arabia's controversial appointment to head a key UN human rights panel, he said: "We would welcome it. We're close allies."

The US and Saudi Arabia have been close for decades. Since 2010, the US has approved $90 billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia - $2.2 billion of it in 2014 alone.

Rights record

Many of these weapons are now being used by Saudi Arabia in its invasion of Yemen. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the monarchy of committing war crimes in the campaign, which has killed 2,100 civilians and displaced over 1.4 million.

Al-Nimr's execution would not be Saudi Arabia's first: Amnesty places Saudi Arabia third among the world's top five executioners last year, the US being No. 5.

Since 1985, Saudi Arabia has executed over 2,200 people for "crimes" including sorcery, witchcraft, adultery, and drug possession. Most executions were carried out in the form of a public beheading, and some by firing squads.




“Ali Mohammed al-Nimr has been sentenced to death for encouraging pro-democracy demonstrations during the 2012 Arab Spring. He was just 17 then. …. A group of UN human rights experts described it as a possible breach of the country's commitments to uphold international law. Anonymous, a collective of hacker activists, reportedly shut down several Saudi government websites on 26 September. They then took to Twitter, using the hashtag #OpNimr, to oppose the execution. In a statement, addressed to "King Salman and the Saudi Arabian government", activists warned: "An innocent young teenage boy has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia and we will not stand by and watch. …. Some heads of state and celebrities have also voiced concerns. Last week, American comedian Bill Maher tweeted in al-Nimr's support. The French president and prime minister have called on Saudi Arabia to abandon the execution. Jeremy Corbyn, the United Kingdom's new Opposition leader, wrote a scathing letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, demanding he call on Saudi Arabia to "commute the unjust and horrific sentence". It was revealed two weeks ago that al-Nimr's appeal against the death penalty was denied. The Saudi authorities is now set to behead him, then strap his body to a cross and leave it to rot in public view. …. Anonymous has demanded that the United Sates speak against this execution. But no prominent American official has spoken out so far. The US, in fact, reiterated that the two countries were "close allies". State department spokesman Mark Toner said he was "not aware of the trial" when reporters pressed for his reaction. When asked about Saudi Arabia's controversial appointment to head a key UN human rights panel, he said: "We would welcome it. We're close allies." …. Al-Nimr's execution would not be Saudi Arabia's first: Amnesty places Saudi Arabia third among the world's top five executioners last year, the US being No. 5. Since 1985, Saudi Arabia has executed over 2,200 people for "crimes" including sorcery, witchcraft, adultery, and drug possession. Most executions were carried out in the form of a public beheading, and some by firing squads.”

The human animal is given to barbarity, even though we are very clever in certain ways. Killing people for the crime of witchcraft simply shouldn’t be happening in this period of history. It is embarrassing that Saudi Arabia is near the top of a list of nations that execute prisoners, and that the US is only two notches down the line from them. This truly is depressing.




I’m sorry I didn’t get to more of the articles today. I had a pressing chore that took several hours. Now that I have medical appointments I will simply do as many stories each day as I’m able. Best to you all.

September 29, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vladimir-putin-un-speech-syria-ukraine-obama/

Putin: "We can no longer tolerate the current state of affairs in the world"
CBS NEWS
September 28, 2015

Photograph -- Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
Play VIDEO -- President Putin, part one
Play VIDEO -- President Putin, part two


NEW YORK - Russian President Vladimir Putin took a defiant tone in his highly-anticipated United Nations address on Monday, ahead of a planned meeting with President Barack Obama.

Putin spent much of the speech delivering the Russian perspective on world affairs, which he said is nothing more than "honest and frank." Putin dismissed many Western officials' expressed fears about Russian expansionism, saying the Kremlin has been accused too often of "growing ambitions."

"It's not about Russia's ambitions but recognition of the fact that we can no longer tolerate the current state of affairs in the world," Putin said.

The Russian president also mocked Western ideals and how they were applied to the Arab Spring, singling out Libya as an example of how things can go wrong. Instead of the promise of democratic reform, "we got violence, poverty and social disaster," Putin said.

Putin said the "export of revolutions" continue to fail. He slammed unnamed countries' "policies of self-conceit and a belief in exceptionality that has never been abandoned."

The Russian president also continued to defend his support for embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, just as he did in a "60 Minutes" interview with Charlie Rose before his U.N. speech.

"We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian government and its armed forces who are valiantly fighting terrorism face to face," Putin said. "We should finally acknowledge that no one but President Assad's armed forces and (Kurdish) militia are truly fighting (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and other terrorist organizations in Syria."

Those sentiments echo the argument Putin made on "60 Minutes," but in the earlier interview he also conceded that "there is no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism, but, at the same time, urging them to engage in positive dialogue with the rational opposition and conduct reform."

At his U.N. speech, Putin also urged the creation of a broad anti-terror coalition, similar to the "anti-Hitler" coalition that formed during World War II.

NATO was also specifically called out by Putin as having sown disorder in the world.

"NATO continues expanding," he said, adding that it offers "poor former Soviet countries a false choice, either be with the West or the East."

He blamed that expansionism and false choice on the chaos in Ukraine, where Putin said the the "discontent of the population was manipulated" and ended in "a military coup orchestrated from outside."

While Putin didn't name America directly in his speech, he appeared to accuse recent presidential administrations in Washington of trying to force their will on others, and implied only the U.N. stands in the way of the U.S.' global domination.

"After the end of the Cold War, the single center of domination has emerged in the world," Putin said. "Those who have found themselves on top of that pyramid were tempted to think that since they are so strong and singular, they know what to do better than others and it's unnecessary to pay any attention to the U.N."




“Putin said the "export of revolutions" continue to fail. He slammed unnamed countries' "policies of self-conceit and a belief in exceptionality that has never been abandoned." …. "We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian government and its armed forces who are valiantly fighting terrorism face to face," Putin said. "We should finally acknowledge that no one but President Assad's armed forces and (Kurdish) militia are truly fighting (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and other terrorist organizations in Syria." .... "there is no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism, but, at the same time, urging them to engage in positive dialogue with the rational opposition and conduct reform." At his U.N. speech, Putin also urged the creation of a broad anti-terror coalition, similar to the "anti-Hitler" coalition that formed during World War II. …. "NATO continues expanding," he said, adding that it offers "poor former Soviet countries a false choice, either be with the West or the East." …. While Putin didn't name America directly in his speech, he appeared to accuse recent presidential administrations in Washington of trying to force their will on others, and implied only the U.N. stands in the way of the U.S.' global domination.”

I agree with most of the things Putin said here – the US has tended to send in “advisors” where a conflict is raging on the part of one party over the other, (which is exactly what Russia also does) which could be described as “the export of revolutions;” only the Assad and Kurdish forces are really fighting ISIS (though I have hopes for the reported tenacity of Iranian forces); Syria’s government needs to be bolstered, though I question a leader who has used mustard gas on minorities in his regions; a “broad anti-terror coalition” whose membership he doesn’t specify would be most helpful for defeating ISIS. As for

Putin’s being “unable to tolerate” the present state of affairs, if he means that he would like to invade Western Ukraine, that would not be met peacefully by the Republicans in Congress, or by most of the nations of Europe. If he means he plans to put in lots of Russian ground troops into Syria to fight ISIS, I would be glad of that because their defeat is what I want to see. I would like to see both the US and Russia work together with Iran, the Kurds and the others who have formed this recent alliance, because so many of the local tribal people are totally terrified of ISIS. Even when they have weapons, they don’t fight, so somebody else needs to do it.

I don’t believe that the US engineered the toppling of Yanukovich except by passive resistance means and financing. The Ukrainian people have been fighting against Russia, Poland and some others for their freedom since 2004. If the US interfered there with financing, etc., which it did (see Wikipedia article below) it was justifiable since Russia has never promoted “freedom” or democracy anywhere, and the situation in Crimea was nothing short of an invasion. A Ukrainian woman was speaking on NPR today and she described Putin as “a criminal.” It has been awhile since I saw an article on Ukraine, so I have clipped the information below. See this Wikipedia excerpt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
Ukraine
Wikipedia

Orange Revolution[edit]

Main article: Orange Revolution

“Protesters at Independence Square on the first day of the Orange Revolution
In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych, then Prime Minister, was declared the winner of the presidential elections, which had been largely rigged, as the Supreme Court of Ukraine later ruled.[122] The results caused a public outcry in support of the opposition candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, who challenged the outcome. This resulted in the peaceful Orange Revolution, bringing Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko to power, while casting Viktor Yanukovych in opposition.[123]

Activists of the Orange Revolution were funded and trained in tactics of political organisation and nonviolent resistance by Western pollsters[clarification needed] and professional consultants[who?] who were partly funded by Western government and non-government agencies but received most of their funding from domestic sources.[nb 1][124] According to The Guardian, the foreign donors included the U.S. State Department and USAID along with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, the NGO Freedom House and George Soros's Open Society Institute.[125] The National Endowment for Democracy has supported democracy-building efforts in Ukraine since 1988.[126] Writings on nonviolent struggle by Gene Sharp contributed in forming the strategic basis of the student campaigns.[127]

Russian authorities provided support through advisers such as Gleb Pavlovsky, consulting on blackening the image of Yushchenko through the state media, pressuring state-dependent voters to vote for Yanukovich and on vote-rigging techniques such as multiple 'carousel voting' and 'dead souls'.[124]

Yanukovych returned to power in 2006 as Prime Minister in the Alliance of National Unity,[128] until snap elections in September 2007 made Tymoshenko Prime Minister again.[129] Amid the 2008–09 Ukrainian financial crisis the Ukrainian economy plunged by 15%.[130] Disputes with Russia briefly stopped all gas supplies to Ukraine in 2006 and again in 2009, leading to gas shortages in other countries.[131][132] Viktor Yanukovych was elected President in 2010 with 48% of votes.[133]

Euromaidan and 2014 revolution[edit]
For more details on the ongoing protests, see Timeline of the Euromaidan.

Euromaidan. State flag of Ukraine carried by a protester to the heart of developing clashes in Kiev. Events of 18 February 2014 – photograph.

The Euromaidan (Ukrainian: Євромайдан, literally "Eurosquare") protests started in November 2013 after the president, Viktor Yanukovych, began shying away from an association agreement that had been in the works with the European Union and instead chose to establish closer ties with the Russian Federation.[134][135] Some Ukrainians took to the streets to show their support for closer ties with Europe.[136] Meanwhile, in the predominantly Russian-speaking east, a large portion of the population opposed the Euromaidan protests, instead supporting the Yanukovych government.[137] Over time, Euromaidan came to describe a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine,[138] the scope of which evolved to include calls for the resignation of President Yanukovych and his government.[139]

Violence escalated after 16 January 2014 when the government accepted new Anti-Protest Laws. Anti-government demonstrators occupied buildings in the centre of Kiev, including the Justice Ministry building, and riots left 98 dead with approximately fifteen thousand injured and 100 considered missing[140][141][142][143] from 18 to 20 February.[144][145] Owing to violent protests on 22 February 2014, Members of Parliament found the president unable to fulfill his duties[citation needed] and exercised "constitutional powers"[citation needed] to set an election for 25 May to select his replacement.[146] Petro Poroshenko, running on a pro-European Union platform, won with over fifty percent of the vote, therefore not requiring a run-off election.[147][148][149] Upon his election, Poroshenko announced that his immediate priorities would be to take action in the civil unrest in Eastern Ukraine and mend ties with Russian Federation.[147][148][149] Poroshenko was inaugurated as president on 7 June 2014, as previously announced by his spokeswoman Irina Friz in a low-key ceremony without a celebration on Kiev's Maidan Nezalezhnosti square (the center of the Euromaidan protests[150]) for the ceremony.[151][152] In October 2014, Ukrainians voted to keep Poroshenko in power.[153]





http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/09/when-america-was-great-taxes-were-high-unions-were-strong-and-government-was-big/407284/

When America Was 'Great,' Taxes Were High, Unions Were Strong, and Government Was Big
ESTER BLOOM
September, 2015


The bygone nation Donald Trump’s supporters yearn for looks awfully liberal, at least in terms of economic policy.

There is plenty about GOP hopeful Donald Trump to which potential primary voters respond. He’s successful. He’s plainspoken. At a time when politicians are historically unpopular, he’s not a politician. And he has a great slogan.

That slogan resonates with his supporters, according to Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who ran a recent focus group, the results of which were written about in Time. “I used to sleep on my front porch with the door wide open, and now everyone has deadbolts,” one man told Luntz. “I believe the best days of the country are behind us.” Luntz concluded that people see Trump as a “real-deal fixer-upper,” able to make repairs that others have bungled. “We know his goal is to make America great again,” one woman astutely observed. “It’s on his hat.”z

It could be on your hat too—Trump has begun selling “Make America Great Again” merchandise—if you can find one, that is. They have a tendency to sell out.

As Russell Berman pointed out in The Atlantic earlier this month, many white Americans these days are pessimistic to the point of despair:

White Americans—and in particular those under 30 or nearing retirement age—have all but given up on the American Dream. More than four out of five younger whites, and more than four out of five respondents between the ages of 51 and 64 said The Dream is suffering.

No wonder Trump’s message is so powerful—it’s a sugar pill coated with nostalgia. He is not promising to make America great, he’s promising to make it great again. But to what era does he intend to take the nation back? And what would that look like, practically speaking?

The boundaries of America’s “golden age” are clear on one end and fuzzy on the other. Everyone agrees that the midcentury boom times began after Allied soldiers returned in triumph from World War II. But when did they wane? The economist Joe Stiglitz, in an article in Politico Magazine titled “The Myth Of The American Golden Age,” sets the endpoint at 1980, a year until which “the fortunes of the wealthy and the middle class rose together.” Others put the cut-off earlier, at the economic collapse of 1971 and the ensuring [sic] malaise. Regardless of when it ended, it would not be unfair to use the ’50s as shorthand for this now glamorized period of plenty, peace, and the kind of optimism only plenty and peace can produce.

In 1950, America led the world in GDP per capita. Even by 1973, it had only sunk to number two. Jobs were so plentiful that male employment peaked at over 84 percent. Unemployment, when it did strike, didn’t last long. Housing was cheap. Gas was cheap. Movies were cheap. If America was ever “great,” it was great in 1950, and one can sympathize with a desire to recreate those economic conditions, if not the social ones.

Most of Trump’s supporters (but not all) deserve some benefit of the doubt that when they look wistfully at the past, they aren’t yearning for Jim Crow laws, Communist witch hunts, or an age before women could own credit cards.

Still, Trump’s supporters might not appreciate what an economic return to the ’50s—even a ’50s lacking overt discrimination against women and political, racial, and sexual minorities—would entail. The ’50 were, as Stiglitz puts it, “a time of war-induced solidarity when the government kept the playing field level.” In other words, they were a time of Big Government. And Big Labor: As Alternet reports, “By 1953, more than one out of three American workers were members of private sector unions. That means there was a union member in nearly every family.”

Then there’s the matter of taxes. Though a conservative writer at Bloomberg View scoffs at the oft-cited statistic that the top marginal tax rate in the ‘50s was an astounding 91 percent, even she admits that “the Internal Revenue Service reckoned that the effective rate of tax in 1954 for top earners was actually 70 percent”—vastly higher than it is today. Indeed, for most of the past 100 years, tax rates have been much higher than they are now, including during some boom times.

If bigger government, stronger unions, and higher taxes on the rich are what it takes to make America great again, Republican primary voters might be surprised to learn that the candidate who truly shares their values is not Donald Trump, but Bernie Sanders.




“In 1950, America led the world in GDP per capita. Even by 1973, it had only sunk to number two. Jobs were so plentiful that male employment peaked at over 84 percent. Unemployment, when it did strike, didn’t last long. Housing was cheap. Gas was cheap. Movies were cheap. If America was ever “great,” it was great in 1950, and one can sympathize with a desire to recreate those economic conditions, if not the social ones. …. Though a conservative writer at Bloomberg View scoffs at the oft-cited statistic that the top marginal tax rate in the ‘50s was an astounding 91 percent, even she admits that “the Internal Revenue Service reckoned that the effective rate of tax in 1954 for top earners was actually 70 percent”—vastly higher than it is today. Indeed, for most of the past 100 years, tax rates have been much higher than they are now, including during some boom times.”

I’ll say one thing for Bernie Sanders. Even if very few Republicans would admit to wanting those characteristics – high taxes, high union membership, low unemployment, and big government – to return, the need for peace and prosperity for all including the Middle Class is very keenly felt right now, at least by those I associate with. I also want to see the poor much more comfortable as well, however, which Sanders would probably encourage. His interesting proposal of free tuition at state operated colleges is new to me, though he said it used to be the case in an article a day or two ago. I don’t remember that. Maybe he means “for the very poor.” What I do remember was that when I went to the NC state run university at Chapel Hill, my tuition as an in-state student was lower than that for outsiders, and I was given student aid. I do believe some education above the high school level is essential in a young person’s path to a higher economic level. They need some kind of education that gives them specialized training for today’s modern job market – medical fields, computer skills, law and paralegal, etc. are all good areas to study, as they produce a technically trained worker who is more desirable to employers. When we talk about education we should forget about the difficulties of the world of work. A four year degree needs to be followed up with a two year specialization of some kind. Even teachers need a Masters Degree in Education.





http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/29/444466169/edward-snowden-joins-twitter-follows-the-nsa

Edward Snowden Joins Twitter, Follows The NSA
Eyder Peralta
September 29, 2015

Photograph -- Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden appears live via video during a student organized world affairs conference at the Upper Canada College private high school in Toronto in February.
Mark Blinch/Reuters/Landov


Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has joined Twitter.

His first tweet:

But perhaps the most telling detail of the nascent account is that the only account he is currently following is that of the National Security Agency.

Remember, Snowden sought asylum in Russia after he leaked a trove of classified information to reporters. The U.S. government has charged him with espionage and theft and has called for him to come back home to face the consequences of his actions.

Shortly after his first Tweet, Snowden responded to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who welcomed him to Twitter.

This conversation ensued:

Edward Snowden ✔ @Snowden
.@neiltyson Thanks for the welcome. And now we've got water on Mars! Do you think they check passports at the border? Asking for a friend.
12:38 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson
Ed @Snowden, If you visit Mars, I'd bet any life forms there will greet you with a sip of that water -- and a tourist visa.
12:46 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Edward Snowden ✔ @Snowden
.@neiltyson Surveillance never sleeps, and secret projects @FreedomofPress are keeping me busy, but I still find time for cat pictures.
1:01 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson
Ed @Snowden, many call you Hero, others Traitor. Whatever else you are, you’re a Geek to me. What do you say to those labels?
1:03 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Edward Snowden ✔ @Snowden
.@neiltyson Hero, traitor -- I'm just a citizen with a voice. [1/2]
1:17 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Edward Snowden ✔ @Snowden
.@neiltyson, @DanielEllsberg told me #labels never stopped progress. Neither in 1776 nor today. [2/2]
1:23 PM - 29 Sep 2015

Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson
Ed @Snowden, after discussing everything from Chemistry to the Constitution on #StarTalk, you're a patriot to me. Stay safe.
1:30 PM - 29 Sep 2015


It's worth noting that Snowden's account also includes photographs of newspapers with the front-page news that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had found the bulk collection of Americans' phone data was illegal, going beyond what Congress intended when it wrote Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

Snowden's leaks helped shed light on the secretive surveillance programs undertaken by the NSA. It also sparked a congressional debate about the practices that ultimately led to the USA Freedom Act, which will end the bulk collection of Americans' phone data as it currently operates.




“But perhaps the most telling detail of the nascent account is that the only account he is currently following is that of the National Security Agency. …. Edward Snowden ✔ @Snowden -- .@neiltyson Hero, traitor -- I'm just a citizen with a voice. [1/2]. …. It's worth noting that Snowden's account also includes photographs of newspapers with the front-page news that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had found the bulk collection of Americans' phone data was illegal, going beyond what Congress intended when it wrote Section 215 of the Patriot Act. …. sparked a congressional debate about the practices that ultimately led to the USA Freedom Act, which will end the bulk collection of Americans' phone data as it currently operates.”

I think Snowden will be forced to stay in Russia, and I hope he does. To me he is a “hero” in that I believe in the right of Americans to engage in “whistle-blowing” for the purpose of exposing corrupt activities wherever they exist. Some of the most foul messes I can think of were exposed that way, and those who courageously made that move are sometimes punished very severely. What comes to mind off hand is Watergate. All power structures tend to become corrupt, by their very nature. When people tussle for power, they tend to become less and less merciful as individuals and usually to cheat freely if winning becomes the ONLY goal. The US government is no exception. The Right Wing crowd believes that an unquestioning loyalty to the government is necessary for a “patriotic” society. I believe that my loyalty should always be to what is right rather than what or who is in power.

As Lord Acton who was a Victorian British historian said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity. Learn as much by writing as by reading. The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks. Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral laws are written on the table of eternity. The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right to do what we ought. History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul. Be not content with the best book; seek sidelights from the others; have no favourites. ” See the following for more on this often quoted Catholic scholar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, KCVO, DL (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902)—known as Sir John Dalberg-Acton, 8th Baronet from 1837 to 1869 and usually referred to simply as Lord Acton—was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He was the only son of Sir Ferdinand Dalberg-Acton, 7th Baronet[1] and a grandson of the Neapolitan admiral Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet.[2][3] He is perhaps best known for the remark, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."[4] His key idea has been tested in laboratory settings under strongly incentivized conditions and with real manipulations of power and confirms what he has suggested: that power corrupts.[5]”

From an old Roman Catholic family, young Acton was educated at Oscott College under Dr (afterwards Cardinal) Wiseman until 1848 and then at Edinburgh where he studied privately. At Munich, Acton resided in the house of Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger, theologian and forerunner of the Old Catholic Church, with whom he became lifelong friends. His attempt to be admitted to study at the University of Cambridge failed because he was a Catholic.[3] Nonetheless, Döllinger had inspired in him a deep love of historical research and a profound conception of its functions as a critical instrument, particularly in the history of liberty.[6] He was a master of the principal foreign languages and began at an early age to collect a magnificent historical library, with the object—which, however, he never realised—of writing a great "History of Liberty." In politics, he was always an ardent Liberal.[3]

Career[edit]

Portrait of John Acton by Franz Seraph von Lenbach, circa 1879.
Through extensive travels, Acton spent much time in the chief intellectual centres reading the actual correspondence of historical personalities.[6] Among his friends were Montalembert, Tocqueville, Fustel de Coulanges, Bluntschli, von Sybel and Ranke. In 1855, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Shropshire.[1] A year later, he was attached to Lord Granville's mission to Moscow as British representative at the coronation of Alexander II of Russia.[7]





http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/09/introverts-at-school-overlook/407467/

When Schools Overlook Introverts
MICHAEL GODSEY 8:00 AM ET
September 2015

As the focus on group work and collaboration increases, classrooms are neglecting the needs of students who work better in quiet settings.


When Susan Cain published Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking nearly four years ago, it was immediately met with acclaim. The book criticizes schools and other key institutions for primarily accommodating extroverts and such individuals’ “need for lots of stimulation.” Much to introverts’ relief, it also seeks to raise awareness about the personality type, particularly among those who’ve struggled to understand it.

It seems that such efforts have, for the most part, struggled to effect much change in the educational world. The way in which certain instructional trends—education buzzwords like “collaborative learning” and “project-based learning” and “flipped classrooms”—are applied often neglect the needs of introverts. In fact, these trends could mean that classroom environments that embrace extroverted behavior—through dynamic and social learning activities—are being promoted now more than ever. These can be appealing qualities in the classroom, of course, but overemphasizing them can undermine the learning of students who are inward-thinking and easily drained by constant interactions with others.

Just last week the University of Chicago library announced that in response to “increased demand,” librarians are working with architects to transform a presumably quiet reading room into a “vibrant laboratory of interactive learning.” One writer on Top Hat, a popular online resource for educators, argued in a post last month that “cooperative learning strategies harness the greatest part of human evolutionary behavior: sociality.” And earlier this month, Cal State University, Dominguez Hills, promoted their installation of “active learning classrooms” with “multiple desk formations” in which “professors must change their mindsets” because “the lectures should be designed to learn by doing.” Hamoud Salhi, a professor and acting associate dean, explains, “This project is not just about changing the classroom environment; it is also about changing how instructors approach teaching.”

Meanwhile, some advocates for “active learning classrooms” write about “breaking students and faculty out of their comfort zones” like it’s a good thing, and other teachers continue to conflate introversion and an inability to self-advocate. Dartmouth’s Institute for Writing and Rhetoric advertises a pedagogy that “seeks to overhaul the model of education” and challenges students to “forego passivity in favor of contribution and participation...students must overcome isolation in order to learn to write.” And Liz Sproat, head of Google for Education—an organization that doesn’t see a profit when students simply read quietly and think introspectively—situates “the increase in collaborative working” as an agreed-upon premise in an article on ComputerWeek.com, one that Google can make more “cost-effective.”

Introverts “feel at their most alive and their most switched-on when they’re in quieter, low-key environments.”

This growing emphasis in classrooms on group projects and other interactive arrangements can be challenging for introverted students who tend to perform better when they’re working independently and in more subdued environments. Comprising anywhere from one third to about half of the population, introverts sometimes appear shy, depressed, or antisocial, when that’s not always the case. As Susan Cain put it in her famous TED Talk, introverts simply “feel at their most alive and their most switched-on and their most capable when they’re in quieter, more low-key environments.”

I started reflecting on this recently after observing classes at a public high school in California. (I teach English at a different public high school and visited the school as a professional-development activity.) All but four of the 26 teachers I witnessed had their students arranged in groups or with partners. Such formations aren’t necessarily irreconcilable with the needs of introverts, but these arrangements can inherently enable noisy, distracting conditions that make learning particularly difficult for certain students.

Many of my own high-school students regularly request extended sessions of silent reading. Some prefer learning with the fluorescent classroom lights off, instead relying on the softer sunlight coming in through the window. Some admit to enjoying the opportunity to work in a quiet room and are eager to write about certain prompts for as long as I let them. I used to think their ubiquitous earbuds were feeding their need for stimulation; now I wonder if they’re sometimes blocking out the noise.

These are, of course, generalized observations, but I recently met with two high-school students who spoke directly and frankly about their need for quiet, solitary learning environments. Both of proudly spoke of their success at Grizzly Youth Academy, a 22-week charter-school program in San Luis Obispo, California, targeted at teens who’ve had a “history of school failure” at a previous school. Asked what she thought facilitated her success, one student responded: “The structure—I can concentrate here.” Acknowledging her tendency to get distracted, the student noted that there was “absolutely no quiet time” at her former public school, and she now appreciates the disciplined classes and quiet study hall sessions. “I’m like a completely different person now.”

The other student, whom I interviewed separately, offered similar reflections: “It’s more focused here [at the charter school], and noisier there [at the public school]. I have ADD so I’m usually distracted.” Beaming, he added, “but now I’m getting the best grades ever. I’m able to concentrate here more.”

It’s striking to me that a premise on Grizzly’s website is that there are “students who struggle in school [because they] often lack social and emotional skills to succeed in the classroom,” and the students themselves are quick to diagnose themselves with an inability to concentrate at their former school. The improvement they’re describing at Grizzly, however, isn’t based on a cure for a dysfunction or a breakthrough in social skills—it’s just a significant change in environment. And in the five Grizzly classrooms I observed, the students sat in rows that Cain nostalgically praised in her talk—the traditional classroom setup in which, Cain said, “we did most of our work autonomously.”

Certainly, group activities can serve a purpose in the teaching of introverts. In part because of the Common Core standards and the Internet increasingly serving as a proxy for classroom teachers, “cooperative learning” has grown in popularity among teachers in recent decades. As the English teacher Abigail Walthausen noted in The Atlantic two years ago, “Common Core standards place far greater value on small-group discussion and student-led work than on any teacher-led instruction.” And overall, this trend is a good thing. Several recent studies offer the latest evidence that students who engage in cooperative learning tend to outperform those immersed in traditional learning approaches—namely lectures. But cooperative learning doesn’t have to entail excessively social or overstimulating mandates; it can easily involve quiet components that facilitate internal contemplation.

Near the end of my observations last week, I told two teachers on separate occasions that I’d feel incredibly exhausted at the end of every day if I were a student at that school. To my surprise, both of them responded by immediately laughing and then agreeing. One recalled learning best when arranged in rows, while the other concurred, “I know, right? How exhausting it must be to have another student in your business all day long.”

The ideal, of course, would be to establish arrangements that facilitate differentiated instruction for varying personality types, but this might be difficult in large classes with students of diverse levels of proficiency and motivation. I’ve noticed that, like Grizzly, the private schools I’ve visited also seem to create space for the introverted students, ultimately resembling the university classes to which they hope to send their students. And at the aforementioned public school I observed, three of the four classes where students were in fact seated individually in rows were AP or honors courses.

But I’m reminded of Sartre’s famous line, “Hell is other people,” when I see that Georgia College’s webpage dedicated to collaborative learning, which includes the topic sentence: “Together is how we do everything here at Georgia College. Learn. Work. Play. Live. Together.” Everything, that is, except quiet introspection, free of cost and distraction.




“The book criticizes schools and other key institutions for primarily accommodating extroverts and such individuals’ “need for lots of stimulation.” Much to introverts’ relief, it also seeks to raise awareness about the personality type, particularly among those who’ve struggled to understand it. …. The way in which certain instructional trends—education buzzwords like “collaborative learning” and “project-based learning” and “flipped classrooms”—are applied often neglect the needs of introverts. …. Just last week the University of Chicago library announced that in response to “increased demand,” librarians are working with architects to transform a presumably quiet reading room into a “vibrant laboratory of interactive learning.” …. promoted their installation of “active learning classrooms” with “multiple desk formations” in which “professors must change their mindsets” because “the lectures should be designed to learn by doing.” …. Meanwhile, some advocates for “active learning classrooms” write about “breaking students and faculty out of their comfort zones” like it’s a good thing, and other teachers continue to conflate introversion and an inability to self-advocate. …. Introverts “feel at their most alive and their most switched-on when they’re in quieter, low-key environments.” This growing emphasis in classrooms on group projects and other interactive arrangements can be challenging for introverted students who tend to perform better when they’re working independently and in more subdued environments. Comprising anywhere from one third to about half of the population, introverts sometimes appear shy, depressed, or antisocial, when that’s not always the case. …. All but four of the 26 teachers I witnessed had their students arranged in groups or with partners. Such formations aren’t necessarily irreconcilable with the needs of introverts, but these arrangements can inherently enable noisy, distracting conditions that make learning particularly difficult for certain students. …. Both of proudly spoke of their success at Grizzly Youth Academy, a 22-week charter-school program in San Luis Obispo, California, targeted at teens who’ve had a “history of school failure” at a previous school. Asked what she thought facilitated her success, one student responded: “The structure—I can concentrate here.” Acknowledging her tendency to get distracted, the student noted that there was “absolutely no quiet time” at her former public school, and she now appreciates the disciplined classes and quiet study hall sessions. “

“The improvement they’re describing at Grizzly, however, isn’t based on a cure for a dysfunction or a breakthrough in social skills—it’s just a significant change in environment. And in the five Grizzly classrooms I observed, the students sat in rows that Cain nostalgically praised in her talk—the traditional classroom setup in which, Cain said, “we did most of our work autonomously.”

As one of those partially introverted people, I found this article very informative and comforting. It took me a while to realize that the constant interaction of others, especially if it is not a very high quality of input, is not only distracting, it is exhausting and adds no new information. Those of us who are introverts, or myself at any rate, can “collect data from the environment,” i.e. observe laboratory work and listen to the comments of other students in a well-disciplined classroom to great advantage, but I still want to sit quietly and read more detailed and logical written material on the same or a related subject, plus analyze what I have heard in class, in order to “connect the dots” so that a fully developed picture comes to be within my mind. I’m a “thinker,” not a memorizer or imitator. I also decide whether or not I AGREE with the material. Likewise I make very few big decisions on the spur of the moment, and when I have in fact done that, I often dislike the results. I may have to redo a piece of work due to errors, restate my conclusions, or perhaps make an apology. My off the cuff statements can be emotional.

As for the interesting statement that the student Cain made, “we did most of our work autonomously,” I think most detailed learning is necessarily done autonomously, as it requires the complex linking of new information into place within one specific human brain (mine or yours) with our older structure of knowledge which was formed from another day's reading. That type of learning is necessary for most scientific information or legal or historical. Some subjects are just more appropriately approached by a contemplative and analytical mindset, and “see say learning” experiences can’t encompass complex material. We don’t want high school kids to know a little very noisily, but a lot in a more quiet way, I believe, so that they can become a lawyer or write a non-fiction book. What I want to see in high school is a more competent group of students and not necessarily a more “competitive” highly socialized group, which is what I think the interactive learning and teaching tends to produce. I want to see kids who do better on the College Board test from their accumulated knowledge, rather than our "cheating" for them or worse, weakening and watering down the test so the “see say” kids grades will look better. Does anybody agree with that?

September 28, 2015


News Clips For The Day


1 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-warns-world-about-repression-in-un-speech/

Obama warns world about repression in U.N. speech
By REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS
September 28, 2015

Photograph -- President Obama addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
Play VIDEO -- Obama and Putin to discuss Syria, ISIS in meeting at U.N.


President Obama condemned leaders who abandon democratic principles in an effort to control their populations Monday, paying special attention to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling," Mr. Obama said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. But he rejected this theory, saying, "In accordance with this logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar al-Assad who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children because the alternative is surely worse."

The president also raised the conflict in Ukraine, condemning Russia's intervention in the eastern part of the country and the failure to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means.

The speech served in part as a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Mr. Obama will meet face-to-face later Monday for the first time in more than a year. In addition to Ukraine, the two leaders are at odds about Syria, where Russia is helping to prop up Assad.

"I believe in my core that repression cannot form the social cohesion for nations to succeed," the president said. "Dictatorships are unstable, the strongmen of today become the spark of revolution of tomorrow. You can jail your opponents but you can't imprison ideas."

The president also urged countries to resist the temptation to "return to the old ways of conflict and coercion."

"We live in an integrated world, one in which we all have a stake in each others' success. We cannot turn back those forces of integration. No nation in this assembly can insulate itself from the threat of terrorism or the risk of financial contagion; the flow of migrants or the danger of a warming planet," he said. "The disorder we see is not driven solely by competition, nations or any single ideology, and if we cannot work together more effectively we will all suffer the consequences."

This is true for the United States as well, he said, holding up the war in Iraq as an example that showed that largely unilateral U.S. action and money could not bring about stability.




"We're told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it's the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling," Mr. Obama said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. …. The president also raised the conflict in Ukraine, condemning Russia's intervention in the eastern part of the country and the failure to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means. The speech served in part as a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Mr. Obama will meet face-to-face later Monday for the first time in more than a year. …. "We live in an integrated world, one in which we all have a stake in each others' success. We cannot turn back those forces of integration. No nation in this assembly can insulate itself from the threat of terrorism or the risk of financial contagion; the flow of migrants or the danger of a warming planet," he said. "The disorder we see is not driven solely by competition, nations or any single ideology, and if we cannot work together more effectively we will all suffer the consequences."

I have seen the human inability to work together successfully all my life. I think we will just have to “muddle along” as we always have. We will have some prosperous and peaceful times and others which are marked by hunger and war. We are in one of those increasingly terrible times now. We may have to group together with Russia and other untrustworthy nations such as Iran to put a stop to the machinations of radical Islam without that “warm fuzzy” feeling that we have with most European nations.

There may possibly be an increasingly aggressive Russia to contend with. We dealt successfully with them on the NASA space program, however, and we can do it again. Putin in particular is not irrational, as Kim of North Korea seems to be. We need to work with them because the Russian military is strong and is committed to fighting ISIS, but they will remain a natural enemy to what we hold dear – a free and democratic way of life because that is out of keeping with their basic political philosophy. Then there’s the uprising of neo-Nazism in several European countries plus, we should admit, in the USA as well. That is even more difficult to deal with because it is marked by cruelty to its minorities. We simply mustn’t have another situation like that which occurred under the rule of Hitler.

When economic forces cause human tragedy and are exacerbating the current trend of worrying environmental changes as well, which are largely due to the commonplace burning of coal for power plants. Still the Koch brothers compete against the development of good renewable energy such as solar so that they won’t lose any of their precious profits. There’s also the huge amount of gasoline and diesel that is currently necessary for transportation. It’s an endless cycle that will not stop until we either run out of our supply, or a new generation of battery powered transportation methods are developed. We do have electrically powered cars and trains now. That’s progress.

Luckily science does succeed in producing a constant run of new discoveries and technological developments, so I have some hope about that. As for the human race turning over a new leaf and becoming good neighbors to each other, I have much less hope. So much of the things I see in the daily news are due to hardwired emotional imbalance and a certain amount of what I call sin. Man being abusive to his fellow man is half insanity/stupidity and half evil. I don’t believe there will be any worldwide peace in my lifetime. Perhaps the Pope’s way can be of help, though. I hope so.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-bishops-who-covered-up-for-abuse-guilty-of-wrongdoing/

Pope makes unprecedented statement on sex abuse scandal
CBS/AP
September 28, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Pope Francis meets U.S. clergy sex abuse victims
Photograph -- Pope Francis talks aboard the papal plane while en route to Italy September 28, 2015. REUTERS


ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE -- Pope Francis has defended his words of consolation to U.S. bishops over the priest sex abuse scandal but says - for the first time - that those who covered up for abusers are guilty of wrongdoing.

In a wide-ranging press conference en route to Rome from his first-ever visit to the United States, Francis also declared conscience objection a "human right," explained his love affair with American nuns and discussed his own star-power, which was fully on display during his six-day, three-city tour.

He also invented a new Italian word to describe the exuberant reception he received in New York City: "stralimitata" - roughly, "beyond all limits."

In the 47-minute exchange with reporters on his plane shortly after take-off from Philadelphia, Francis called sexual abuse by priests "a sacrilege," CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey reports.

As for victims and relatives who cannot forgive abusive priests, Francis said he fully understood.

"I pray for them," Francis said. "I do not judge someone who is not able to forgive."

On his last day in the U.S., Francis on Sunday met with five abuse survivors of sexual abuse and issued a warning to bishops that they would be held accountable if they failed to protect their flocks.

"Those who covered this up are guilty," he said. "There are even some bishops who covered this up. It's something horrible."

While the Vatican has cracked down on priests who rape and molest children in recent years, it has long been accused of turning a blind eye to the bishops who moved abusers around rather than report them to police. Francis has agreed to create a tribunal in the Vatican to prosecute these bishops for abuse of office and has accepted the resignations of three U.S. bishops who mishandled abuse cases.

Francis defended his words of consolation to U.S. bishops in Washington earlier in the week, saying he wanted to acknowledge that they had suffered too. Advocates for victims had denounced his praise as tone-deaf.

"The words of comfort weren't to say 'Don't worry, it's nothing.' No, no, no. It was that 'It was so awful, and I imagine that you have wept so much,'" he said.

On Sunday, Francis directed his attention to the victims of abuse themselves, meeting with five survivors, including people who had been molested not only by priests but also abused by family members or educators. He apologized to them that often their accusations weren't taken seriously and promised to hold bishops accountable.

He recalled that in his previous meeting with survivors of sex abuse, in July 2014, one told him that her mother had lost her faith and died an atheist after learning that a priest had violated her child.

"I understand this woman. I understand, and God who is better than me understands," Francis said. "And I am sure that God received this woman. Because what was groped and destroyed was her flesh, the flesh of her daughter. I understand. I cannot judge someone who cannot forgive."

Philadelphia has been at the center of American Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal. Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia was the first U.S. church official ever convicted in the handling of abuse complaints. But a state appeals court ruled Dec. 26 that the state's child-endangerment law in the late 1990s did not apply to supervisors like Lynn.

In another issue pressing on the American church, Francis was asked about the case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk jailed for several days after she refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples despite the Supreme Court's ruling making same-sex marriage legal nationwide. Davis said such marriages violate her Apostolic Christian faith.

Francis said he didn't know the case in detail, but he upheld conscience objection as a human right.

"It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right," Francis said.

Francis said he was surprised by the warmth of the welcome he received in the U.S. despite criticism from conservatives over his environmental and economic messages.

"In Washington, it was a warm welcome, but a bit more formal," Francis said. "In New York, a bit 'beyond all limits.'"

"In Philadelphia, very expressive. Different ways, but the same welcome."

He said he was also impressed by the piety of Americans and gave thanks there were no incidents during the trip.

"No provocations, no challenges," he said. "They were all well-behaved, normal. No insults, nothing bad."

Conservative American commentators had been deeply critical of Francis' priorities prior to the trip, blasting his eco-focus as flawed and even criticizing his decision to streamline the church's annulment process by saying it amounted to a "Catholic divorce."

Francis denied the change would facilitate divorce, saying it merely simplified the church's process for determining if a marriage was valid.

Francis once again pronounced his love for American nuns, saying they had worked "marvels" in education and health care in the United States and were simply "great."

"The people of the United States love their sisters," Francis said. "I don't know how much they love their priests, but they love their nuns. And they are great. They are great, great women."

His praise was noteworthy, given the Vatican under his predecessor had launched a crackdown on the largest umbrella group of U.S. sisters, accusing them of straying from orthodoxy and not emphasizing doctrine enough. Under Francis, the takeover ended two years early without any major changes. A separate Vatican investigation into the quality of life of America's sisters similarly ended up thanking them for their selfless service.

Francis on two occasions during the trip gave the sisters public recognition and thanks. He also visited with one group of nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have challenged the Obama administration's health care insurance mandate.

After speeches in Congress and at the United Nations, and deeply moving gestures visiting with the homeless, immigrants, prison inmates and schoolchildren, it was suggested to Francis that he had become something of a "star" in America.

Francis dismissed the idea, saying power is a passing thing, and that true power is to serve others.

"I must still go forward on this path of service because I feel like I haven't done all I can," he said.

And besides, he said, stars eventually fade away.

"Being a servant to the servant of God is beautiful. And it doesn't fade away."




“Pope Francis has defended his words of consolation to U.S. bishops over the priest sex abuse scandal but says - for the first time - that those who covered up for abusers are guilty of wrongdoing. …. As for victims and relatives who cannot forgive abusive priests, Francis said he fully understood. "I pray for them," Francis said. "I do not judge someone who is not able to forgive." On his last day in the U.S., Francis on Sunday met with five abuse survivors of sexual abuse and issued a warning to bishops that they would be held accountable if they failed to protect their flocks. …. Francis has agreed to create a tribunal in the Vatican to prosecute these bishops for abuse of office and has accepted the resignations of three U.S. bishops who mishandled abuse cases. Francis defended his words of consolation to U.S. bishops in Washington earlier in the week, saying he wanted to acknowledge that they had suffered too. Advocates for victims had denounced his praise as tone-deaf. "The words of comfort weren't to say 'Don't worry, it's nothing.' No, no, no. It was that 'It was so awful, and I imagine that you have wept so much,'" he said. …. He apologized to them that often their accusations weren't taken seriously and promised to hold bishops accountable. …. Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia was the first U.S. church official ever convicted in the handling of abuse complaints. But a state appeals court ruled Dec. 26 that the state's child-endangerment law in the late 1990s did not apply to supervisors like Lynn. …. "No provocations, no challenges," he said. "They were all well-behaved, normal. No insults, nothing bad." Conservative American commentators had been deeply critical of Francis' priorities prior to the trip, blasting his eco-focus as flawed and even criticizing his decision to streamline the church's annulment process by saying it amounted to a "Catholic divorce." .… After speeches in Congress and at the United Nations, and deeply moving gestures visiting with the homeless, immigrants, prison inmates and schoolchildren, it was suggested to Francis that he had become something of a "star" in America. Francis dismissed the idea, saying power is a passing thing, and that true power is to serve others.”

I would only say that a Vatican tribunal against sexually abusive priests and the bishops who protect them from prosecution is not the same thing as a secular trial under the law of their nations around the world. Prison should be the penalty, I believe. Yes, do repent of your sin, but rape is a crime of serious proportions. I do think, though, that the Pope’s visit was healing on the human level and will help the non-Catholic public to come closer to their position. Maybe the US legislature will cooperate more fully to make just laws for all citizens. That would be very nice.





LITTLE GREEN MEN, HERE WE COME!! – THREE ARTICLES


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-pluto-pictures-astonish-scientists-again/

New Pluto pictures astonish scientists -- again
By WILLIAM HARWOOD CBS NEWS
September 24, 2015

Photograph -- This near-full image of Pluto provides the best global view yet obtained, a mosaic of images beamed back from the New Horizon's probe during its July flyby of the dwarf planet. NASA
Photograph -- 092415pluto1.jpg
In a scene measuring 330 miles across, strange linear ridges can be seen on Pluto's surface, along with a deep canyon and isolated plains. NASA
Photograph -- 092415pluto2.jpg
A high-resolution closeup showing the smooth plain of Sputnik Planum butting up against more mountainous terrain. The dune-like ripples are not yet explained. NASA
Photograph -- 092415plutozoom.jpg
A zoomed-in portion of a new global mosaic showing the full range of Pluto's intriguing terrain, from dark mountainous, heavily cratered zones to the smooth, frozen plains of Sputnik Planum to strangely ridged features that defy easy explanation. NASA



Of the spectacular new images sent back of Pluto from NASA's New Horizons July 14 flyby of the icy dwarf planet, perhaps most stunning is a color mosaic made up of the high-resolution images transmitted back to date.

It shows a nearly full globe, allowing viewers to zoom in on features across the surface, from dark, cratered terrains and ice mountains to the smooth, frozen plains marking the now-familiar "heart" of Pluto, dubbed Sputnik Planum, to the strangely ridged terrain that so far defies explanation.

"It's a unique and perplexing landscape stretching over hundreds of miles," William McKinnon, New Horizons Geology, Geophysics and Imaging (GGI) team deputy lead, said in a NASA release describing the ridged terrain.

"It looks more like tree bark or dragon scales than geology," he said. "This'll really take time to figure out. Maybe it's some combination of internal tectonic forces and ice sublimation driven by Pluto's faint sunlight."

A new high-resolution view reveals unusual linear ridges stretching across hundreds of miles, along with deep canyons and smooth plains blanketed by sharp shadows from the strange-looking ridges:

Another picture, the highest-resolution image yet returned by New Horizons, shows dune-like structures in what a NASA description said appears to be a "shrinking glacial ice lake" along with nearby "fractured, angular water ice mountains with sheer cliffs."

The near-global map, in cylindrical projection, is not yet complete, but it adds another powerful tool for scientists to begin understanding the structure and evolution of Pluto's intriguing surface. An equally stunning, zoomable nearly-full globe view shows the planet as it might appear to an astronaut on final approach.

"Pluto's surface colors were enhanced in this (cylindrical projection) view to reveal subtle details in a rainbow of pale blues, yellows, oranges and deep reds," said John Spencer, a GGI deputy lead. "Many landforms have their own distinct colors, telling a wonderfully complex geological and climatological story that we have only just begun to decode."

Along with the new pictures, the New Horizons team provided a map showing the distribution of methane ice across the part of Pluto's surface that has been seen to date. Sputnik Planum, a bright, smooth plain, shows relatively high concentrations as do brighter crater rims and ridges. No methane shows up inside deep craters or across the dwarf planet's darker regions.

Scientists do not yet know whether the methane somehow favors the brighter areas or if the ice makes the regions bright to begin with.

"It's like the classic chicken-or-egg problem," Will Grundy, New Horizons surface composition team lead, said in the NASA release. "We're unsure why this is so, but the cool thing is that New Horizons has the ability to make exquisite compositional maps across the surface of Pluto, and that'll be crucial to resolving how enigmatic Pluto works."

Said Alan Stern, the New Horizons principal investigator: "I wish Pluto's discoverer Clyde Tombaugh had lived to see this day."

New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14 and as of Thursday was 72 days and more than 53 million miles beyond the dwarf planet.

Because of the vast distances involved -- more than 3 billion miles -- the size of the spacecraft's antenna and the power of its transmitters, it will take more than a year and a half for New Horizons to beam back all of its stored imagery and data. The science team is releasing selected photos every week or so as new images come in.




My, oh my! NASA has really been busy. I don’t think humans can colonize this dwarf planet, but maybe some useful mineral deposits will be found there, and may robotic mining machines can be used on the uninhabitable surface of Pluto. Or the humans of the year 2180 can enter the bodies of their Avatars, then select some likely areas to melt the ice and mine the surface there. Those stone-like ridges sound like a good choice. They remind me of similar ridges that form on the bottom of the oceans here on earth, as a flow of lava emerges at the edges of the continental plates, to then harden into stone capable of pushing the continent farther and farther apart. They probably contain lots of minerals and ores for use by Star Fleet Command.





http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-reveals-mars-frozen-liquid-water/story?id=34100372

Mars: NASA Reveals Red Planet Contains Both Frozen, Liquid Water
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
Sep 28, 2015
11:30 AM

Photograph -- Excitement Builds for NASA's Big Announcement

NASA revealed today liquid water has been found on the surface of Mars, upending the perception of Mars as a completely arid, desert-like planet. The finding also fuels speculation that life may have at one time thrived on Mars or could possibly even exist today.

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience identified waterlogged molecules taken from readings from orbit.

“We now know Mars was once a planet very much like Earth with warm salty seas and fresh water lakes,” Jim Green, planetary science director at NASA, said at a news conference. “But something has happened to Mars, it lost its water.”

Dark, 100-meter-long streaks flowing downhill on Mars are believed to have been formed by contemporary flowing water, according to NASA. The findings come from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

While today’s discovery is huge, it is small compared to the rivers, lakes and vast oceans that are believed to have flowed on Mars billions of years ago.

The discovery of water could also be a boon for a future manned mission to Mars since it would help astronauts lighten their load traveling to the Red Planet. NASA is hosting a question and answer session today at 11:30 a.m. ET to provide more details about the findings and what they mean. ABC News will be live streaming the news conference here.

Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.


ABC US News | World News Other Stories --

NASA Reveals What Actually Happens in a Martian Dust Storm
NASA Probes How Mars Became the Red Planet
Mars Curiosity Rover Finds Mysterious 'Floating Spoon' on the Red Planet





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mars-secret-revealed-first-unambiguous-signs-of-water/

Mars secret revealed: First "unambiguous" signs of water
By WILLIAM HARWOOD CBS NEWS
September 28, 2015

Photograph -- nasa-mars-15-195perspective2.jpg
These dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks called recurring slope lineae flowing downhill on Mars are inferred to have been formed by contemporary flowing water. The blue color seen upslope of the dark streaks are thought not to be related to their formation, but instead are from the presence of the mineral pyroxene. NASA/JPL/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA


Researchers using data from a NASA satellite orbiting Mars said Monday they have found clear evidence of intermittent flows of salty water on the red planet, the first "unambiguous" signs of liquid water on the frigid world and a possible indicator of microbe-friendly environments below the surface.

"Mars is not the dry, arid planet we thought of in the past," Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science, told reporters. "Under certain circumstances, liquid water has been found on Mars."

The apparent flows were first noticed in 2010 by Lujendra Ojha, then an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, studying photographs taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Dark streaks were apparent in the sun-facing walls of steep craters near the equator during the warmer summer months.

The streaks appeared to brighten and darken over the martian year, fading away during the winter and showing back up in warmer weather when the temperature climbed back above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Multiple sites later were identified, in craters, cliff faces and mountainsides.

Scientists came up with a variety of explanations for the branching channel-like streaks, arguing they could have been caused by some sort of surface phenomenon involving water, dust slides or other non-liquid phenomena. The water hypothesis appeared to be a stretch given the low pressure of the martian atmosphere and constant, below-freezing temperatures.

But spectroscopic data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed telltale signatures of hydrated salts, known as perchlorates, around numerous streaks known as "recurring slope lineae," or RSLs.

The hydrated minerals are consistent with magnesium perchlorate, magnesium chlorate and sodium perchlorate. Found on Earth in desert environments, perchlorates have been shown in the laboratory to keep liquids from freezing at temperatures as low as minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.

On Mars, the hydrated salts "would lower the freezing point of a liquid brine, just as salt on roads here on Earth causes ice and snow to melt more rapidly," NASA said in a statement.

Researchers said a sub-surface flow of briny water could allow enough liquid to "wick" its way to the surface to explain the recurring slope lineae. Another mechanism could be the absorption of water vapor from the thin martian atmosphere by the perchlorates, which then would dissolve away leaving a water solution behind.

"Regardless, the presence of hydrated salts in these flows means that these features are formed contemporary with liquid water," said Ojha, now studying for his doctorate at the Georgia Institute of Technology and lead author of a paper published Monday by Nature Geoscience.

How much water? Alfred McEwen, the principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment -- HiRISE -- aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, said calculations based on the observed streaks indicate the global presence of more than 25 million gallons of liquid water.

That "sounds like a lot if it's all in one place, but that's dispersed over very wide areas," he said. "So what we're dealing with is thin layers of wet soil, not standing water."

Data from a variety of spacecraft have shown that Mars once hosted a warmer, wetter environment with a thicker atmosphere, flowing rivers and large bodies of water on the surface.

While Mars was once habitable for life as it's known on Earth -- water, organic compounds and energy from sunlight were present -- it's not clear how long those conditions persisted or whether life ever had a chance to evolve. Mars today appears to be a cold, desert world.

But the discovery that liquid water still flows on the red planet, even intermittently, bolsters the odds that microbial life of some sort could, in theory, still exist on Mars.

"Water is an essential ingredient for life," said Mary Beth Wilhelm, a researcher at NASA's Ames Research Center and the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Our results may point to more habitable conditions on the near surface of Mars than previously thought."

092815rsl2.jpg
Another view of "recurring slope lineae," or RSLs, flowing out of a mountainside on Mars. NASA
But she added that it's far from clear whether Earth-like microbes could exist in the martian environment.

"To assess habitablity, we would first need to determine how cold and how concentrated the brine is," she said.

But senior NASA managers were less circumspect.

"Everywhere we go where there's liquid water, whether its deep in the Earth or in the arid regins, we find life," Green said. "We haven't been able to answer the question 'does life exist beyond Earth?' But following the water is a critical element of that. We now have great opportunities to be in the right locations on Mars to thoroughly investigate that."

McEwen said the discovery only strengthened his view that the probability of life on Mars is high.

"There's certainly water somewhere in the crust of Mars, and Mars has received meteorites from Earth, it's been contaminated by Earth," he said. "We know that microbes can survive that trip. So it's very likely, I think, there is life somewhere in the crust of Mars, microbes. But where is it? How accessible is it? Now, maybe, there's something we can find close to the surface. That's what's exciting."




“How much water? Alfred McEwen, the principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment -- HiRISE -- aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, said calculations based on the observed streaks indicate the global presence of more than 25 million gallons of liquid water. …. But spectroscopic data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed telltale signatures of hydrated salts, known as perchlorates, around numerous streaks known as "recurring slope lineae," or RSLs. The hydrated minerals are consistent with magnesium perchlorate, magnesium chlorate and sodium perchlorate. Found on Earth in desert environments, perchlorates have been shown in the laboratory to keep liquids from freezing at temperatures as low as minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.”

I wonder how well advanced our desalination abilities will be in 2025. We will need them. Salt water can certainly support life forms of many kinds, however, and since I believe that life evolved on earth from natural conditions, I think it very likely has done so on Mars as well. I always thought that Mars might be the one other planet in our solar system to support life, largely because of the size, rocky makeup of the surface and similar distances from the sun.

Remember the discredited story of astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli about “canals” on Mars which change color seasonally? It was speculated that the changes were due to the plants growing around or in the canals. See the Wikipedia article below. I wonder if an update to this article on the Martian canali will come out now?


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_canal

Martian canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was erroneously believed that there were canals on Mars. These were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions from 60° N. to 60° S. Lat. on the planet Mars. They were first described by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli during the opposition of 1877, and confirmed by later observers. Schiaparelli called these canali, which was translated into English as "canals". The Irish astronomer Charles E. Burton made some of the earliest drawings of straight-line features on Mars, although his drawings did not match Schiaparelli's. By the early 20th century, improved astronomical observations revealed the "canals" to be an optical illusion, and modern high resolution mapping of the Martian surface by spacecraft shows no such features.

Controversy[edit]

Mars as seen through 6 inch (15 cm) aperture reflecting telescope, as Schiaparelli may have seen it.
Some people went so far as to propose the idea that the canals were irrigation canals built by a supposed intelligent civilization on Mars. Percival Lowell was a strong proponent of this view, pushing the idea much further than Schiaparelli, who for his part considered much of the detail on Lowell's drawings to be imaginary. Some observers drew maps in which dozens if not hundreds of canals were shown with an elaborate nomenclature for all of them. Some observers saw a phenomenon they called "gemination", or doubling - two parallel canals.

Other observers disputed the notion of canals. The observer E. E. Barnard did not see them. In 1903, Joseph Edward Evans and Edward Maunder conducted visual experiments using schoolboy volunteers that demonstrated how the canals could arise as an optical illusion.[1] This is because when a poor-quality telescope views many point-like features (e.g. sunspots or craters) they appear to join up to form lines.[2] In 1907 the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace published the book Is Mars Habitable? that severely criticized Lowell's claims. Wallace's analysis showed that the surface of Mars was almost certainly much colder than Lowell had estimated, and that the atmospheric pressure was too low for liquid water to exist on the surface; and he pointed out that several recent efforts to find evidence of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere with spectroscopic analysis had failed. He concluded that complex life was impossible, let alone the planet-girding irrigation system claimed by Lowell.[3] The influential observer Eugène Antoniadi used the 83-cm (32.6 inch) aperture telescope at Meudon Observatory at the 1909 opposition of Mars and saw no canals, the outstanding photos of Mars taken at the new Baillaud dome at the Pic du Midi observatory also brought formal discredit to the Martian Canals theory in 1909,[4] and the notion of canals began to fall out of favor. Around this time spectroscopic analysis also began to show that no water was present in the Martian atmosphere.[2]

Mars surface by Mariner 4 in 1965

The arrival of the United States' Mariner 4 by NASA in 1965, which took pictures revealing impact craters and a generally barren landscape, was the final nail in the coffin of the idea that Mars could be inhabited by higher forms of life. A surface atmospheric pressure of 4.1 to 7.0 millibars (410 to 700 pascals) and daytime temperatures of −100 degrees Celsius were estimated. No magnetic field[5][6] or Martian radiation belts[7] were detected.

William Kenneth Hartmann, a Mars imaging scientist from the 1960s to the 2000s, explains the "canals" as streaks of dust caused by wind on the leeward side of mountains and craters.[8]

The Italian word canale (plural canali) can mean "canals" (including artificial canals or ducts) or "channels" or "gullies".[9] The first person to use the word canale in connection with Mars was Angelo Secchi in 1858, although he did not see any straight lines and applied the term to large features —for example, he used the name "Atlantic Canale" for what later came to be called Syrtis Major Planum.

It is not necessarily odd that the idea of Martian canals was so readily accepted by many. At this time in the late 19th century, astronomical observations were made without photography. Astronomers had to stare for hours through their telescopes, waiting for a moment of still air when the image was clear, and then draw a picture of what they had seen. They saw some lighter or darker albedo features (for instance Syrtis Major) and believed that they were seeing oceans and continents. They also believed that Mars had a relatively substantial atmosphere. They knew that the rotation period of Mars (the length of its day) was almost the same as Earth's, and they knew that Mars' axial tilt was also almost the same as Earth's, which meant it had seasons in the astronomical and meteorological sense. They could also see Mars' polar ice caps shrinking and growing with these changing seasons. It was only when they interpreted changes in surface features as being due to the seasonal growth of plants that life was hypothesized by them (in fact, Martian dust storms are responsible for some of this). By the late 1920s, however, it was known that Mars was very dry and had a very low atmospheric pressure.