September 15, 2017


News and Views


ANOTHER TERRORIST KILLING IN LONDON HAS OCCURRED, THIS TIME AT A COMMUTER TRAIN STATION. UNFORTUNATELY, TRAINS AREN’T, I DON’T BELIEVE, GETTING THE SAME SCRUTINY THAT AIRLINES DO. I WAS JUST SITTING HERE THINKING THAT IF OUR BORDER SECURITY PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO PICK OUT THE DANGEROUS PEOPLE BY SOME OTHER MEANS THAN THEIR ETHNIC BACKGROUND, WHICH IS HIGHLY SUBJECT TO PERSONAL BIAS; WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ALLOWING THE PEACEFUL AND HONEST INDIVIDUALS TO ENTER THE COUNTRY, I WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE RELAXED. I DON’T WANT TO GET TOO PARANOID, BUT WE DO HAVE MORE TERRIBLE DISTURBANCES LIKE THIS ONE NOW THAN AT ANY EARLIER TIME IN MY LIFE.

FOR INSTANCE, I WISH AN ELECTRONIC MACHINE THAT COULD SUCCESSFULLY READ BRAIN WAVES TO DETECT FEAR, HATRED, AND RAGE COULD BE PLACED AT THE SCREENING LINE AND ANYONE WHO EXUDES SUCH FEAR COULD BE TAKEN ASIDE AND PROCESSED MORE FULLY AND PRIVATELY. EXPERIMENTATION WITH BRAIN ACTIVITY HAS BEEN DONE, WITH MACHINES TRACKING IT, BUT NOT FOR ANY PUBLIC USE – MORE FOR SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION. GO TO THESE WEBSITES TO SEE THE FOLLOWING SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN AND PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ARTICLES ON THAT SUBJECT, THOUGH BOTH GIVE NO MAGIC SOLUTIONS IN USING BRAIN SCANS TO DIAGNOSE PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS WHICH DO NOT HAPPEN TO CHANGE THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN. IT’S A GOOD IDEA, BUT NOT ONE WHOSE TIME HAS COME. ANOTHER TEN YEARS, MAYBE.

HTTPS://WWW.SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM/ARTICLE/CAN-BRAIN-SCANS-DIAGNOSE-MENTAL-ILLNESS/
HTTPS://WWW.PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM/BLOG/THINK-ACT-BE/201605/USING-BRAIN-SCANS-DIAGNOSE-MENTAL-DISORDERS.

*THE MOST HOPEFUL ARTICLE FOR SUCCESS THAT I HAVE FOUND TODAY ON THE SUBJECT OF ISOLATING THE DECEPTIVE PEOPLE AT AIRPORTS IS: “HTTP://WWW.APA.ORG/NEWS/PRESS/RELEASES/2014/11/AIRPORT-SECURITY.ASPX, NOVEMBER 6, 2014, NEW AIRPORT SECURITY SCREENING METHOD MORE THAN 20 TIMES AS SUCCESSFUL AT DETECTING DECEPTION, RESEARCH FINDS, CONVERSATIONS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OBSERVING PHYSICAL BEHAVIOR, STUDY FINDS.” THE FOLLOWING SNIPPETS ARE FROM THAT ARTICLE, AND ONE METHOD TURNS OUT TO BE ACCURATE BETWEEN 60 AND 72 % OF THE TIME BY TRAINED SCREENERS.

“IN EXPERIMENTS SPANNING EIGHT MONTHS, SECURITY AGENTS AT EIGHT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS IN EUROPE DETECTED DISHONESTY IN 66 PERCENT OF THE DECEPTIVE MOCK PASSENGERS USING THE NEW SCREENING METHOD, COMPARED TO JUST 3 PERCENT FOR AGENTS WHO OBSERVED SIGNS THOUGHT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECEPTION, INCLUDING LACK OF EYE CONTACT, FIDGETING AND NERVOUSNESS. . . . . THE NEW CONTROLLED COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT METHOD (CCE), WHICH IS BASED ON PREVIOUS LABORATORY STUDIES, HAD THE HIGHEST RATE OF DECEPTION DETECTION IN THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE STUDY OF SCREENING METHODS CONDUCTED IN A REAL-LIFE AIRPORT SETTING. THIS COULD HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR THWARTING TERRORIST ATTACKS AND CATCHING OTHER CRIMINALS, ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH. . . . . IN ONE EXAMPLE, AN AGENT MIGHT ASK A PASSENGER THE NAME OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND THE TRAVEL TIME TO HIS DESTINATION. IT DIDN’T MATTER IF THE AGENTS KNEW THE TRUTHFUL ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE EXAMINING VERBAL CUES FROM THE PASSENGER, SUCH AS SHORTER AND MORE EVASIVE RESPONSES TO STRAIGHTFORWARD QUESTIONS, ORMEROD SAID. . . . . THE RISK OF RACIAL PROFILING ALSO IS REDUCED WITH THE CCE METHOD BECAUSE IT IS APPLIED IN THE SAME WAY TO ALL PASSENGERS, UNLIKE THE SUSPICIOUS-SIGNS METHOD, WHICH IS BASED ON OBSERVATION OF PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, ORMEROD SAID. . . . . SCREENING AGENTS TRAINED IN THE CCE METHOD IMPROVED IN THEIR ABILITY TO CATCH DECEPTIVE MOCK PASSENGERS DURING THE STUDY, INCREASING FROM 60 PERCENT DURING THE FIRST MONTH TO 72 PERCENT IN THE SIXTH MONTH.”

OUR VISA EXAMINERS AND POLICE HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME RECOGNIZING THE MENTAL INSTABILITY THAT I BELIEVE IS BUILT INTO ALL KILLERS, EVEN IF IT IS A RELIGIOUS KILLING. I BELIEVE MURDER IS DUE TO INSTABILITY, NO MATTER THE SOCIAL EXCUSE. IT’S TOO BAD THAT IN THIS CASE NO BOMBER WAS FOUND. HOPEFULLY HE OR SHE WILL BE CAUGHT SOON. ISIS HAS ALREADY CLAIMED CREDIT FOR THE ATTACK.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uk-raises-threat-level-critical-isis-responsibility-london-attack/
CBS NEWS September 15, 2017, 4:07 PM
U.K. raises threat level to critical as ISIS claims responsibility for London attack

British Prime Minister Theresa May has raised the country's threat level from severe to critical following an attack at a London train station on Friday. The elevated alert level means "an attack is expected imminently."

The explosion at the Parsons Green London Underground train station was caused by an improvised explosive device similar to those used in attacks in the past. The blast injured at least 29 people, many of whom had "flash burn" injuries.

May's decision to raise the threat level means the British army will be deployed on the streets to take over certain duties normally carried out by the police. The last time the threat level was raised to critical was in May following an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Meanwhile, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement on its official channel on the messaging app Telegram, the group said the attack was "carried out by a detachment of the Islamic State."

A subsequent statement said attackers "managed to plant a number of explosive devices, and detonated one of them." Police have not announced the discovery of other explosives at the Parsons Green station.

A U.S. law enforcement source told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton the device used in the attack was a white plastic bucket with a black cloth on top, with wires believed to be Christmas lights coming out of the bucket. The device included a timer and was carried in an insulated shopping bag, the source said.



WOMEN MAKE UP ABOUT 20% OF GOOGLE’S TECH POSITIONS – THOUGH GOOGLE SAYS IN THIS ARTICLE THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS MEASURES IN PLACE TO PREVENT SUCH A DISCREPANCY FROM ARISING. THAT, TO ME, INDICATES THAT SOME OTHER ASPECT, PERHAPS, OF THEIR EMPLOYEE SELECTION AND HIRING PROCEDURE LEADS TO A SEX-BASED PAY DIFFERENTIAL. WHEN I WAS WORKING, BUSINESSES FREQUENTLY BASED STARTING SALARY ON WORKER’S PAY AT THEIR PREVIOUS JOB. THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. PAY PEOPLE WHAT YOUR PARTICULAR WAGE SCALE IS FOR THAT SPECIFIC JOB AND WITH THOSE PARTICULAR DUTIES, HOURS, ETC. ETC. ETC. DON’T VARY IT FROM EMPLOYEE TO EMPLOYEE.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE HOW THEY WERE PAID AT THEIR PRIOR JOB, ANYWAY, EXCEPT, OF COURSE, THAT IT SHOWS HOW LITTLE THEY MAY BE WILLING TO WORK FOR WITHOUT QUITTING. THAT ALONE DISCRIMINATES AGAINST WOMEN, BECAUSE IF THEY ARE WOMEN THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL HAVE BEEN PAID AT A LESSER PAY THAN THE MEN, SO THEY’LL GO IN AT SMALLER PAY AGAIN AT THEIR NEXT JOB, AND THAT’S A PAY DIFFERENTIAL THAT IS BASED ON SOMETHING THAT IS ALMOST INVISIBLE, THEREFORE HARDER TO PROVE. GOOGLE, OTHER INTEL OUTFITS, AND IN FACT ALMOST ALL BUSINESSES AND WORK SITUATIONS EXCEPT PERHAPS THE GOVERNMENT, CONSISTENTLY CHEAT WOMEN AND SPOIL MEN ON PAY AND PRESTIGE UNLESS IT IS A FEMALE RUN BUSINESS. THEY SAY THINGS LIKE, THEY’LL GET PREGNANT AND WANT MATERNITY LEAVE, THEY’LL QUIT MUCH SOONER THAN A MAN, THEY CAN’T MAINTAIN A DISCIPLINED WORK SITUATION AS SUPERVISORS, AND THEY’RE MORE “TEMPERAMENTAL” (ESPECIALLY AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THE MONTH).

WELL, MEN NOWADAYS GET “FAMILY LEAVE” PAY AS WELL AS WOMEN IN MANY CASES, AND WHY CALL THAT BENEFIT “MATERNITY LEAVE” RATHER THAN FAMILY LEAVE – THAT ALONE IS DISCRIMINATORY. THEY WILL SAY THAT MEN HAVE ALL THAT EXTRA “RESPONSIBILITY” TO SHOULDER THE COST OF THE HOUSE, AND THE CHILDREN, BUT THAT ISN’T TRUE EITHER. A SINGLE WOMAN WITH ONE OR MORE CHILDREN HAS TO PAY THE BILLS FOR THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD, TOO. IT’S ONLY WELL-TO-DO WOMEN WHO HAVE AN EASIER LIFE, ACTUALLY. POOR WOMEN HAVE TO WORK EXTRA HOURS TO FEED THEIR FAMILY. IF BUSINESSES WANT TO COMPENSATE PEOPLE FOR THEIR PERSONAL NEEDS, THEN DO THAT FOR THEM ALL EQUALLY.

MOVING ON, BUSINESSES SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A PHOTOGRAPH, AND DO NOT SUBMIT THE NAME WITH THE APPLICATION FOR WORK OR FOR ADVANCEMENT. GIVE THE APPLICANT A NUMBER. IT’S USUALLY EASY TO GUESS THE GENDER BY NAME, SO IT INTRODUCES ANOTHER WAY OF DISCRIMINATING. IN ONE WAY THOSE PIECES OF INFORMATION ARE BASIC, BUT IN ANOTHER, IT REALLY ISN’T NECESSARY IN THE EXAMINING OF THEIR SCHOOLING AND OTHER CREDENTIALS, TO GIVE THAT INFORMATION. BETTER STILL, LET A COMPUTER PICK THE APPLICANTS RATHER THAN A PERSON. PEOPLE ARE INNATELY BIASED IN A HUNDRED WAYS. THE SAME THING GOES FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC
VARIABLES.

TO KEEP FROM STACKING THE EMPLOYMENT DECK AGAINST WOMEN, DO NOT STRUCTURE YOUR JOB DUTIES IN A BIASED WAY, SUCH AS MORE RESPONSIBILITY AND PAY BEING RELATED TO PHYSICAL STRENGTH OR TO A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL AND THEREFORE AN ESSENTIALLY UNLIMITED PAY SCALE – A HIGH SET “SALARY” NOT RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED, FOR INSTANCE, IS USUALLY SUPERVISORY -- AND WILL GO TO A WHITE, HETEROSEXUAL, CHRISTIAN OR JEWISH MALE. A SUPERVISOR HAS TO STAY UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE, AND THE LOWER LEVEL WORKERS WILL BE JUDGED ON A PRODUCTION BASIS OR BY HOURS. HOW FAST AND HARD THEY WORK, IS THE KEY FOR THEM, BUT THEY MUST DO THEIR TASK IN A RESTRICTED TIME FRAME OR THEY MAY BE FIRED, AND THEY WON’T GET A WONDERFULLY HIGH LEVEL OF PAY FOR IT, EITHER. MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE WILL BE WOMEN, FOREIGNERS OR BLACKS.

THE US GOVERNMENT IS PROBABLY THE BEST EMPLOYER IN RELATION TO FAIRNESS. IT HAS A HIGHLY STRUCTURED POSITION DESCRIPTION WITH A STRUCTURED PAY SCALE. THE POSITION ON THE PAY SCALE WILL DEPEND ON CREDENTIALS, EDUCATION, PRIOR EXPERIENCE; AND IT IS RARELY IF EVER BASED ON GENDER. OF COURSE, PEOPLE PAD THEIR EXPERIENCE TO MAKE IT SEEM MORE RESPONSIBLE ALL THE TIME, SO IT ISN’T A FOOLPROOF WAY TO GET HIGHER PAY INTO THE HANDS OF THE MOST DESERVING; THEN THEY STAY WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT TO ADVANCE UP THE STEPS AND ARE USUALLY PAID MORE FOR STAYING WITHIN THE SYSTEM.

JOB COMPETITION IS BETTER ALSO. THOSE POSITIONS ARE ADVERTISED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY FIRST, BEFORE ANY OUTSIDE APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED, WITH THE AIM OF HIRING FROM WITHIN. THAT ADDS FAIRNESS, TOO. TOP LEVEL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES DO MAKE A VERY GOOD SALARY, BUT NOT THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR EVEN THE MILLION DOLLAR RANGE THAT THE CEO IN PRIVATE BUSINESS OFTEN PULLS IN. ONCE A NEW EMPLOYEE BECOMES KNOWN BY GENDER, FACE, SPEECH, SKIN COLOR, EDUCATION, THOUGH, I DON’T SEE HOW BIAS ENTERING THE PICTURE FROM THAT POINT ON CAN BE AVOIDED.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I’VE SEEN ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT A YEAR OR SO AGO ON THE IT INDUSTRY IN GENERAL BEING VERY UNFAIR TO WOMEN IN ALL WAYS – HIRING, PAY, PERSONAL TREATMENT. MALES IN IT ARE OFTEN COMPETITIVE, SEXUALLY ABUSIVE, AND VERBALLY AS WELL, FOR THAT LOWER PAY. PERSONALLY, I WOULD RATHER DO MY OFFICE OR LIBRARY WORK THAN DEAL WITH AN ATMOSPHERE THAT IS THAT “TOXIC.” LIFE IS SHORT.

AS FOR THESE PARTICULAR WOMEN WHO ARE SUING ONE OF THE BIG BOYS OF THE BUSINESS WORLD, I SALUTE THEM FOR BEING IN IT AT ALL, AND FOR CHALLENGING THE RASCALS. I WANT TO SEE WOMEN’S PAY RAISED IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE. NOBODY PUTS IN THOSE HOURS AT HOME, ALMOST ALWAYS DOING MORE THAN THEIR HUSBANDS OF THE CLEANING, COOKING AND CHILD CARE, AND THEN HAS TO WORK THEIR BUNS OFF IN AN OFFICE TO GET LESS PAY THAN THEIR MALE CO-WORKERS. I CAN’T SAY IN WORDS HOW GLAD I AM TO BE RETIRED!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-lawsuit-gender-pay-gap-nicholas-thompson/
CBS NEWS September 15, 2017, 3:20 PM
Why the gender pay bias lawsuit against Google is a "big deal"

A new class-action lawsuit filed by three former Google employees Thursday accuses the company of pay discrimination against women. In response, Google said, "We disagree with the central allegations, and we have extensive systems in place to ensure that we pay fairly."

CBS News contributor and editor-in-chief of Wired magazine Nicholas Thompson joined "CBS This Morning" from San Francisco to discuss the significance of the lawsuit and how this could change how Google operates.

"I think it is something that a lot of people in Silicon Valley both feel about Google and a lot of the other tech companies," Thompson said. "There are general accusations that it is very hard to be a woman in Silicon Valley."

Google says it avoids gender bias through rigorous hiring and promotion committees.

Labor Dept. investigators accuse Google of underpaying women
Play VIDEO
Labor Dept. investigators accuse Google of underpaying women

"This particular lawsuit itself is also a big deal. It covers all women who worked at Google over the last four years so if Google loses that's a big payout. Even if they don't lose and it settles it's going to be a continuing public perception problem for Google and may make it harder for them to attract and retain qualified women who they certainly need," Thompson said.

The company's employee demographics show that women make up only about 20 percent of tech positions.

Asked how this suit could spur changes at Google, Thompson said, "They can change their hiring practices. They can say 'OK, so why is it that we end up -- even if it's unconscious -- why do we put women on career tracks that don't go as far?'" Thompson said.

Thompson said while Google has taken some steps to address these issues, it's not enough.

"They don't tell the people determining someone's salary the gender of the person. So they've actually made conscious steps to try to alleviate this problem but clearly based on the data that we've seen and based on the allegations in this lawsuit, they have not done enough."


THIS ARTICLE IS A FOLLOWUP TO YESTERDAY’S ABOUT THE TERRIBLE NURSING HOME SITUATION THAT ENDED IN DEATH FOR SO MANY ELDERLY PEOPLE. THE MAYOR OF HOLLYWOOD CALLS FOR BETTER REGULATION, THOUGH THIS NURSING HOME WAS OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING REGULATIONS. SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE SHOWN TO BE EQUIVOCATING ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND HOW THINGS WERE CARRIED OUT. THE NURSE JUDY FROM USED HER HUMAN ABILITIES TO TAKE IT UPON HERSELF TO CHECK ON THE SITUATION IN PERSON. WE NEED PEOPLE POWER, AS MUCH AS PREPLANNED ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT STRUCTURE FAILS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-nursing-home-says-they-called-gov-rick-scott-36-hours-before-irma/
CBS NEWS September 15, 2017, 6:58 PM
Florida nursing home says it called Gov. Rick Scott 36 hours before deaths

The Florida nursing home where eight patients died days after Hurricane Irma knocked out its air conditioning says it contacted a special number cell phone number Gov. Rick Scott had given them 36 hours before the first death asking for assistance, CBS Miami reports.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office issued a statement to CBS Miami's Jim DeFede saying all calls to the hotline were returned in a timely fashion.

"Every call made to the Governor from facility management was referred to the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Health and quickly returned." said Scott's communications director John Tupps.

Hollywood mayor calls for regulations after Fla. nursing home deaths
Play VIDEO
Hollywood mayor calls for regulations after Fla. nursing home deaths

CBS News' Jonathan Vigliotti reported Thursday that records show several 911 calls came from the center starting at 3:30 a.m. But it was nurse Judy From, at a hospital just across the street, who walked over with colleagues to find out for herself what was happening.

"It was a situation where we knew we had to get those patients evacuated," From told Vigliotti.

The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills says it lost power during Irma, but utility company Florida Power & Light issued a statement to CBS Miami on Friday saying part of the facility had electricity.

"What we know now is that a portion of the facility did, in fact, have power, that there was a hospital with power across the parking lot from this facility and that the nursing home was required to have a permanently installed, operational generator," said FPL's Peter Robbins in a statement.

The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills is seen in Hollywood
The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills is seen in Hollywood, north of Miami, on September 13, 2017 ANDREW INNERARITY / REUTERS

The eight people are believed to have died from heat-related injuries. Workers at the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills said Irma caused the air conditioning to fail Sunday and they struggled to keep residents cool with fans, cold towels and ice, CBS Miami reports.

In a separate statement, the Florida Department of Health's Mara Gambineri wrote "this facility is located across the street from one of Florida's largest hospitals, which never lost power and had fully operating facilities. It is 100 percent the responsibility of health care professionals to preserve life by acting in the best interest of the health and well-being of their patients."

Police have launched a criminal investigation.

Scott announced Thursday the Center will no longer receive state Medicaid funds. Scott said the state has had multiple points of contact with the facility before the Wednesday's deaths. He said at no time did the facility communicate any imminent threats to its patients.

Several other nursing homes were evacuated because of a lack of power or air conditioning.

Photograph -- Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma



THIS COMMENT BELOW WHICH CAME TO ME ON MY BLOG SITE, IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW THAT I HAVE HAD FROM ANYONE, BUT THOUGH THE WRITER IS DEFINITELY ANTI-AMERICAN OR PERHAPS RIGHT WING, IT IS INTERESTING. IT SPEAKS OF SOMETHING THAT OUR MILITARY DOES NEED TO ADDRESS IF THE STORY ISN’T FAKE. IT HAS THAT HYSTERICAL FEEL ABOUT IT, THOUGH, SO I JUST PRESENT IT AS IS, ALONG WITH INFORMATION THAT I HAVE GATHERED ABOUT IT. I HAD APPARENTLY PUT IN THAT LAST ARTICLE ON THE RUSSIANS BEDEVILING ONE OF OUR DESTROYERS. ANYWAY, THIS COMMENTER, WHO – OF COURSE -- CHOOSES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS, HAD A DISPARAGING COMMENT ON OUR WEAPONRY AND THE USA AS A WORLD POWER.

I HOPE HE’S NOT CORRECT, BUT EVEN IF HE IS, I CARE LESS ABOUT OUR MILITARY POWER THAN OUR SOCIAL SYSTEM. ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVING SOME HANDY-LOOKING MILITARY EQUIPMENT CAN FORESTALL AN OPEN ATTACK. TO QUOTE SOME GREAT PERSON, TEDDY ROOSEVELT, I THINK – “SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK.” IF WE HAD A CHOICE, HOWEVER, I WOULD SIMPLY PUT ALL THINGS MILITARY AT A LOWER LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE THAN OUR SOCIETAL DECENCY. THAT’S HOW WE LIBS TEND TO BE!

THIS USE OF THE TERM “DONALD DUCK” – RATHER THAN DONALD COOK -- IS MENTIONED IN ONE ARTICLE AS HAVING ORIGINATED WITH ONE OF SEVERAL RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA/NEWS SITES THAT OPERATE ON THE NET, SUCH AS “RT,” OR RUSSIA TIMES AND SPUTNIK. SO, THIS IS PROBABLY JUST A PURPOSELY PLACED SLUR FROM AN ENEMY AND NOT A GENUINE COMMENT BY A US CITIZEN. IT SEEMS THAT OUR AEGIS SYSTEM, WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY TOP NOTCH AND UNDOUBTEDLY VERY EXPENSIVE, FAILED MISERABLY IN A CONFLICT WITH SOME RUSSIAN PLANES CARRYING THEIR KHIBINY TECHNOLOGY AND OUR TEAM WAS MORE OR LESS SKUNKED.

TO VERIFY THE STORY, I DID GOOGLE SU-24 WIKIPEDIA AND FOUND AN ARTICLE DESCRIBING IT IN DETAIL, WITH MENTION OF A MEANS OF DISABLING OTHER SHIPS/AIRCRAFT (AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT I THINK THIS IS REFERRING TO) WHICH IS CALLED “INITIAL SU-24S” HAS BASIC ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES (ECM) EQUIPMENT, WITH MANY SU-24S LIMITED TO THE OLD SIRENA RADAR-WARNING RECEIVER WITH NO INTEGRAL JAMMING SYSTEM. LATER-PRODUCTION [OF] SU-24S HAD MORE COMPREHENSIVE RADAR WARNING, MISSILE-LAUNCH WARNING, AND ACTIVE ECM EQUIPMENT ....” SO, IF OUR TECHNOLOGY IS OUT OF DATE, WE SHOULD BE KEEPING UP WITH THE DESIGN AND UPDATED TECHNOLOGY OF OURS TO A SUFFICIENT DEGREE THAT WE WILL NOT BE, AS THIS PESKY, ANONYMOUS TROLL SAYS, “USELESS.” HIS COMMENT READS:

“... when, in 2014, the USS Donald Duck was buzzed in the Black Sea, the Pentagon denied that its radar and missile command systems had been deactivated bya [sic] Russian secret weapon on the SU-24. August 2017 - USS John S. McCain - proof that the Russians and Chinese have the capability to jam US defensive systems. US navy ships are useless against Russian and Chinese technology. The US is no longer a military superpower on ...”

Anonymous
on 8/31/17”


THIS SOURCE VOLTAIRENET DESCRIBES THE INCIDENT. THAT IS A SITE WHICH, ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA, WAS ONCE RESPECTABLE, BUT IS NOW DEGENERATING UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT TO A SOURCE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT’S ON THE NET. CHECK IT ALL OUT.

https://www.voltairenet.org/article185860.html
US-Russian incident
What spooked the USS Donald Cook so much in the Black Sea?
Voltaire Network | 8 November 2014

This article was first published by Voltairenet in other languages in September 2014.

The State Department acknowledged that the crew of the destroyer USS Donald Cook has been gravely demoralized ever since their vessel was flown over in the Black Sea by a Russian Sukhoi-24 (Su-24) fighter jet which carried neither bombs nor missiles but only an electronic warfare device.

This video shows the USS Donald Cook sailing into the Black Sea to position itself near Russia’s territorial waters.

On 10 April 2014, the USS Donald Cook entered the waters of the Black Sea and on 12 April a Russian Su-24 tactical bomber flew over the vessel triggering an incident that, according to several media reports, completely demoralized its crew, so much so that the Pentagon issued a protest [1].

The USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) is a 4th generation guided missile destroyer whose key weapons are Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and capable of carrying nuclear explosives. This ship carries 56 Tomahawk missiles in standard mode, and 96 missiles in attack mode.

The US destroyer is equipped with the most recent Aegis Combat System. It is an integrated naval weapons systems which can link together the missile defense systems of all vessels embedded within the same network, so as to ensure the detection, tracking and destruction of hundreds of targets at the same time. In addition, the USS Donald Cook is equipped with 4 large radars, whose power is comparable to that of several stations. For protection, it carries more than fifty anti-aircraft missiles of various types.

Meanwhile, the Russian Su-24 that buzzed the USS Donald Cook carried neither bombs nor missiles but only a basket mounted under the fuselage, which, according to the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta [2], contained a Russian electronic warfare device called Khibiny.

As the Russian jet approached the US vessel, the electronic device disabled all radars, control circuits, systems, information transmission, etc. on board the US destroyer. In other words, the all-powerful Aegis system, now hooked up - or about to be - with the defense systems installed on NATO’s most modern ships was shut down, as turning off the TV set with the remote control.

The Russian Su-24 then simulated a missile attack against the USS Donald Cook, which was left literally deaf and blind. As if carrying out a training exercise, the Russian aircraft - unarmed - repeated the same maneuver 12 times before flying away.

After that, the 4th generation destroyer immediately set sail towards a port in Romania.

Since that incident, which the Atlanticist media have carefully covered up despite the widespread reactions sparked among defense industry experts, no US ship has ever approached Russian territorial waters again.

According to some specialized media, 27 sailors from the USS Donald Cook requested to be relieved from active service.

Vladimir Balybine - director of the research center on electronic warfare and the evaluation of so-called "visibility reduction" techniques attached to the Russian Air Force Academy - made the following comment:

"The more a radio-electronic system is complex, the easier it is to disable it through the use of electronic warfare."

A video presentation of the US Aegis system. Currently installed on the most sophisticated US Navy warships and in the process of being set up throughout the entire range of NATO naval forces, this missile defense system was completely knocked out in the Black Sea by a Russian electronic warfare device.

Visual display of the incident


THIS ARTICLE IS ON THE RUSSIAN DEVICE IS TOO TECHNICAL FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL WITHOUT RESEARCH, AND TOO UNINTERESTING TO ME, TO MAKE ME TRY HARDER ON IT, PLUS IT CONTAINS A GREAT DEAL OF RUSSIAN SCRIPT. THE MOST I CAN DO WITH RUSSIAN IS TO NOTICE THAT THE SCRIPT LOOKS TO BE CLOSELY RELATED TO WRITTEN GREEK. IF, HOWEVER YOU JUST LOVE AIRCRAFT AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES, HAVE A GO AT IT. FOR THOSE OF US WHO JUST WANT TO HAVE A LOOK AT IT, SEE THE PHOTO BELOW. I DID FIND THE HISTORY SECTION INFORMATIVE AND INTERESTING.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khibiny_%28electronic_countermeasures_system%29
Khibiny (electronic countermeasures system)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PHOTOGRAPH -- Photograph -- Su-34 with ECM modules "Khibiny" on the wing tips


Khibiny (L-175V) (Хибины) (Л-175В) is Soviet / Russian aircraft electronic countermeasures (ECM) system.

The system is designed for radio direction-finding and probing signal source irradiation allowing it to distort reflected signal parameters. This helps to Delay aircraft detection; Mask the true subject against false reflections; Cause range finding difficulties, namely in speed and angular positions; Degrading Maintenance Mode "on the aisle" when scanning antenna beam radar; Increase the time and difficulty of capturing an object during real-time active scanning.

History[edit]

The first work related to the creation ECM "Khibiny" began in the Kaluga Research Institute of Radio Engineering (KRIRE; ...) in 1977. The plan was to create a unified set of electronic countermeasures for all the armed forces, where the tasks for KRIRE was to develop SIGINT blocks of equipment "Proran" and radio jammer (RJ) "Regatta", which was successfully completed with protected of scientific research in 1980.[1]

In 1982 KRIRE was entrusted with research and development activities, first with "Proran" and "Regatta", and after an ECM as a whole, which includes many developments on related topics (including the use of accumulated experience in the development of RJ " Sorption ", which was planned to be installed on the Su-27 ). When started research and development with new ECM, later named "Khibiny", it was intended to unite all the units, ensuring that they work closely with the Jets avionics.[1]

ECM "Khibiny" wing tip module on Su-34
File:Lipetsk Air Base (436-17).jpg
ECM "Khibiny" wing tip module on Su-34

. . . .
In this case, the equipment "Khibiny" was immediately inserted into the design of the aircraft under development. As a result of close co-operation by the end of the 1980s the first stage of R&D was completed.[1] March 18, 2014 was adopted the fighter-bomber Su-34, equipped with electronic countermeasures complex L-175V "Khibiny".[2]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire_Network
Voltaire Network
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Voltaire Network (French: Réseau Voltaire) is a Lebanon-based alternative media outlet with connections in South America and the Middle East that and expounds conspiracy theories, notably relating to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.[1] The organisation was founded in 1994 as a left-wing think tank in support of free speech and secularism in France. It split in 2003 and was disbanded in 2007. It was re-founded as the International Voltaire Network (Réseau Voltaire International) in Lebanon and aimed at propagating conspiracy theories, support of Syrian and Iranian governments. Its current leader is Thierry Meyssan.

The Voltaire Network publishes a free website available in 17 languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and others) and two online databases.



THIS NEXT ARTICLE BACKS UP MY VIEW THAT THE “SELF-MADE MAN” SOMETIMES DOES IT BY A LIFETIME OF “GOOD, HONEST HARD WORK,” AS THE HORATIO ALGER BOOKS CLAIMED, AND AS COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF REPUBLICANS CROW TO THE WORLD. I BELIEVE THAT IS A MYTH. THE WEALTHIER A MAN/WOMAN HAS BECOME, THE LESS LIKELY IT IS THAT HE HAS AMASSED HIS FORTUNE WITHOUT FLAGRANT CHEATING. DONALD TRUMP SEEMS TO BE OF THE OPINION THAT HE IS A BRILLIANT MAN, BUT I PLACE HIM IN ANOTHER CATEGORY, THAT OF PREDATOR.

THE CONCEITED AND WEALTHY KIDS WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL WERE ALSO AGGRESSIVE AND LIKELY TO BE CAUGHT DOING THE NAUGHTY. THERE WAS A HOUSE PARTY, APPARENTLY NOT SUPERVISED BY ADULTS, WHICH I WAS TOLD THE VERY NEXT MORNING, INVOLVED ENDING UP IN THE BEDROOMS IN THE EARLY 1960S. IN THOSE DAYS IN A SMALL CITY IN THE SOUTH, THAT WASN’T THE THING TO DO. I’M SURE THEY PROBABLY HAD DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AS WELL. THOSE WERE THE KIDS WHO WERE THE STARS, AND NOT THE DISADVANTAGED “HOODS.”

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED? MAYBE I JUST DON’T CALL THAT “SUCCESS.” MONEY MAY PRODUCE AN EXTREMELY WORLDLY KIND OF SUCCESS, BUT THE SPIRITUAL LIFE PROBABLY ISN’T INVOLVED IN IT. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN IDEALISTIC, SO I DON’T WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS, NOR BE INVOLVED WITH THOSE WHO DO. “GETTING AHEAD” ISN’T WORTH IT TO ME. SEE THIS QUOTATION FROM MR. PAUL ARNOLD OF SWITCH VENTURES, PERFORMED A STATISTICAL EXPERIMENT TO DISCOVER WHAT DEGREE OF RUTHLESSNESS (RULE BREAKING) WAS NECESSARY TO PRODUCE A FINANCIAL SUCCESS. THIS WHOLE ARTICLE IS REALLY INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE. I WILL SIMPLY CLOSE WITH ARNOLD’S PERSONAL OBSERVATION:

“THE UBER STORY IS THAT THE INITIAL RULE-BREAKING WAS INNOVATION,” MR. ARNOLD SAID. “BUT IT WAS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. THEY BROKE THE NEXT ONE AND THE NEXT ONE, AND WERE DOING LESS AND LESS ETHICAL THINGS.” “I DON’T KNOW,” HE CONFESSED. “IT’S A TRICKY TOPIC.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/business/entrepreneur-young-trouble.html?emc=edit_nn_20170915&nl=morning-briefing&nlid=79565769&te=1
The Shkreli Syndrome: Youthful Trouble, Tech Success, Then a Fall
By NOAM SCHEIBER SEPT. 14, 2017

Artistic rendering of a man behind prison bars: Credit Taylor Callery

Rare is the gifted teenager who is not bored in high school. Yet few have signaled their boredom as extravagantly as Martin Shkreli, the pharmaceutical company founder who was sent to jail on Wednesday to await sentencing for a fraud conviction.

Mr. Shkreli was a chronic class-skipper who, friends have said, preferred to spend his time on chess and playing guitar in a band. His highly selective Manhattan school asked him to stop attending.

Entrepreneurs, it turns out, do not just move fast and break things, as Facebook’s longtime credo put it. They are also more likely than others to cross the line.

According to research by the economists Ross Levine and Yona Rubinstein, people who become entrepreneurs are not only apt to have had high self-esteem while growing up (and to have been white, male and financially secure). They are also more likely than others to have been intelligent people who engaged in illicit activities in their teenage years and early 20s.

And those indiscretions have not been limited to using drugs or skipping school, but have included antisocial acts like taking property by force or stealing goods worth less than $50.

In light of the recent troubles of Mr. Shkreli and other scandal-ridden entrepreneurs like Travis Kalanick, the former Uber chief executive, and Parker Conrad, a founder and ousted chief executive of the multibillion-dollar human resources software firm Zenefits, the question is whether youthful rule-breaking might have foreshadowed not only their rise, but also their fall.

Photo -- Martin Shkreli leaving federal court in Brooklyn last month as a jury deliberated in his fraud case. Credit Louis Lanzano for The New York Times

It is perhaps not surprising that longtime rebels like Mr. Kalanick — who has boasted of being among the first peer-to-peer file-sharing “pirates” when he was in his early 20s — would be inclined toward entrepreneurship. It is a calling that, in the often repeated narrative of the economist Joseph Schumpeter, rewards those who upend the established order.

“As the brain matures, I think the energy in terms of breaking rules is focused toward ‘I can do that better’ as opposed to ‘I’m going to take a pair of sneakers,’ ” said Professor Levine, who published a peer-reviewed paper on the topic with Professor Rubinstein in a top journal this year. Both men are experts on entrepreneurship, and Professor Rubinstein also studies human capital.

The problem is that the psychological forces that drive teenagers to break rules may not be so easily channeled later on.

Laurence Steinberg, a Temple University professor and an expert on the psychological development of adolescents, cited a phenomenon known as “moral disengagement,” in which people rationalize behavior at odds with their own principles. A teenager who steals a pair of sneakers, for example, may tell himself that the manufacturer was overcharging consumers.

Studies have shown that such moral disengagement frequently enables wrongdoing, and that it can survive into adulthood. According to Professor Steinberg, entrepreneurs who are prone to moral disengagement may continue to break actual rules, not just metaphorical ones.

“You think the regulations are uncalled-for,” he said. “Even though you might be breaking them, you’re really not doing a bad thing, because they were bad regulations.”

Such behavior is often encouraged in Silicon Valley. For years, many technology investors applauded Uber’s practice of operating without the approval of local regulators, and then exploiting the company’s popularity among riders to bring about changes to the rules.

Photo -- Travis Kalanick, the former chief executive of Uber, at an event marking the company’s fifth anniversary in 2015. Credit Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Or consider the early days of the financial technology and payments company Square, which used a credit card account one of its founders set up for one business to handle payments for other businesses that lacked such accounts.

The practice sometimes ran afoul of credit card company rules, but Square pressed ahead, demonstrating that small businesses would pay for a service that made it cheap and easy to accept credit card payments. “If you don’t do it, you can’t test whether people even like the concept,” said Greg Kidd, who was an adviser to the company. Mr. Kidd noted that Square soon raised $10 million from enthusiastic investors.

While such rule-breaking may be legitimate in certain circumstances — the major credit card companies eventually altered the restrictions on the use of business credit card accounts, allowing Square to get off the ground — the financial rewards for operating this way can reinforce a tendency toward shiftiness.

There are two factors that make it even more tempting to fudge ethical questions: the relative lack of oversight at start-ups, and the enormous risk of failure.

“Entrepreneurial businesses are often in crises, due to high levels of environmental uncertainty, the large number of actual or potential competitors, and the significant amounts of financial capital needed to compete,” said a 2015 article in The Journal of Business Ethics. “Moral disengagement can cognitively pave the way and increase the likelihood that these dilemmas will be resolved unethically.”

In effect, entrepreneurship takes people who, as a group, are prone to breaking actual rules and putting them in a setting that constantly encourages them to do so.

Mr. Shkreli, who is to be sentenced in January for defrauding investors in two hedge funds he managed — and had his bail revoked on Wednesday after offering a bounty for a strand of Hillary Clinton’s hair — has played down his wrongdoing.

Photo -- Parker Conrad, founder and ousted chief executive of the multibillion-dollar human resources software firm Zenefits. Credit Jim Wilson/The New York Times

“He did it, and it worked, and they got paid,” one of his lawyers said in court, arguing that Mr. Shkreli made his hedge fund investors whole partly by using stock from his pharmaceutical company. Professor Steinberg called it a clear example of moral disengagement. (The lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said that Mr. Shkreli never intended to defraud anyone.)

Mr. Conrad, who was ousted as chief executive of Zenefits last year after it was disclosed that he had created a tool to help insurance brokers evade state training requirements, was not averse to rule-breaking as a younger man. He was asked to leave Harvard for a year after rarely showing up to class and earning terrible grades. He eventually returned and graduated.

(An investigation commissioned by the Zenefits board concluded that the requirements the tool helped brokers evade were not substantive.)

Mr. Conrad’s flaws as a manager may have been evident at Zenefits, whose motto was “Ready, Fire, Aim,” long before his downfall. Not least by Mr. Conrad himself, who confessed in a 2014 interview that his sluggish approach to hiring senior executives meant “balls are getting dropped.” Investors lined up to give the company money anyway.

Of course, youthful wrongdoing is hardly destiny when it comes to adult rule-breaking, as Professor Levine, the economist, pointed out. While he was at Harvard, the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was summoned before an administrative board over allegations that he had hacked into university websites. But he appears to have matured over time, even retiring the “move fast and break things” motto in 2014.

These days, many venture capitalists spend as much time assessing what kind of troublemaker an entrepreneur may be as they do assessing a business’s revolutionary potential.

“We do want them to be rule-breakers,” said David Golden, who helps run the venture capital arm of Revolution, the investment firm of the AOL co-founder Steve Case. “We don’t want them to be felons.”

Photo -- Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, meeting with software developers and entrepreneurs in Nigeria last year. He once defined the company’s ethos as “move fast and break things,” but later retired the slogan. Credit Andrew Esiebo for The New York Times

Mr. Golden admitted, however, that such judgments can be flawed. He cited a software company that Revolution agreed to finance in 2014, only to discover that the founder had misrepresented certain companies as customers. (The firm did not go through with the investment, he said.)

To eliminate subjectivity, some people have tried to quantify an optimal willingness to break rules. Before he started his venture capital fund, Switch Ventures, Paul Arnold collected data on roughly 12,000 start-ups with the goal of identifying the profiles of entrepreneurs that were most strongly associated with success.

Mr. Arnold’s most striking finding involved start-ups where at least one founder had worked at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

He studied nearly 1,000 such companies and discovered that start-up founders who left McKinsey after about three to four years tended to be extremely successful, but that those who stayed a lot longer were close to average. He concluded that the first group had the platonically ideal capacity for rule-breaking: They were sufficiently fluent in rule-following to hold a job at McKinsey but “didn’t like the strictures and kind of resisted it.”

But even Mr. Arnold, whose intuition on these questions was honed not just by statistics but by life experience — he was a two-time high-school dropout who was often in trouble for things like smoking marijuana before eventually finding his way to law school — admitted that he might have missed the warning signs with Mr. Kalanick.

While he was chief executive of Uber, the company developed a tool to evade regulators, had dozens of employees allege sexual harassment or discrimination, and was accused by a rival of stealing intellectual property.

“The Uber story is that the initial rule-breaking was innovation,” Mr. Arnold said. “But it was a slippery slope. They broke the next one and the next one, and were doing less and less ethical things.”

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “It’s a tricky topic.”

Lauren Herstik contributed reporting, and Doris Burke contributed research.

Follow Noam Scheiber on Twitter: @noamscheiber



MADDOW VIDEOS 9/15/17

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/14/17
Clinton: Trump and some staff a clear and present danger to US
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's behavior in office and the hope that more mature members of the White House staff can contain and restrain him from doing any serious harm to the United States. Duration: 7:55


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/12/17
Russia used Facebook to foment unrest over immigrants in US
Noah Shachtman, executive editor of The Daily Beast, talks with Rachel Maddow about a new report that Russia used Facebook events to organize anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rallies within the United States. Duration: 6:12


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/14/17
Clinton: Putin wants to destabilize democracy worldwide
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Rachel Maddow about her personal history with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's weak response to revelations of Russian interference in the American democratic process. Duration: 12:00


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/14/17
Clinton: Comey a reliable witness on Trump Russia case
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with Rachel Maddow about former Director of the FBI, James Comey, how he handled Clinton's e-mail case and whether he is a reliable witness in the Trump Russia investigation. Duration: 2:41


HELP THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/13/17
New revelations deepen Flynn legal jeopardy
Rachel Maddow rounds up a collection of new reporting in the Trump Russia investigation, including new revelations about former Trump NSA Mike Flynn and Special Counsel Robert Mueller looking into Flynn's son. Duration: 19:43


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/13/17
Are congressional Trump Russia probes getting in Mueller's way?
Senator Mark Warner, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller is having trouble getting cooperation from the myriad congressional investigations into Trump camp collusion with ... more Duration: 5:29


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/12/17
Russia used Facebook to foment unrest over immigrants in US
Noah Shachtman, executive editor of The Daily Beast, talks with Rachel Maddow about a new report that Russia used Facebook events to organize anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rallies within the United States. Duration: 6:12


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/13/17
Are congressional Trump Russia probes getting in Mueller's way?
Senator Mark Warner, ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller is having trouble getting cooperation from the myriad congressional investigations into Trump camp collusion with ... more Duration: 5:29



SOME LIGHT FARE TO CLOSE WITH

I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT THE ARABS INVENTED THE CONCEPT OF ZERO. THE PROBLEM WITH TRYING TO TRACE A HISTORY OF IDEAS AND INVENTIONS FROM THEIR SOURCES IS THAT THE FARTHER BACK IN TIME WE GO, THE MORE LIKELY THAT VERY LITTLE INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE, ESPECIALLY BEFORE THE INVENTION AND WIDESPREAD USE OF WRITING. OF COURSE, ALL OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA HAVE RELATED CULTURES AND LANGUAGES. MY FIRST HUSBAND SAID THAT MATHEMATICIANS HAVE WONDER HOW THE MATH FOR CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMIDS WAS CALCULATED “WITHOUT THE ZERO.” THIS MAKES ME THINK THAT IN FACT, THEY PROBABLY DID KNOW AND USE ZERO. THE ANCIENT WORLD WAS ADVANCED IN MANY WAYS.

MODERN PEOPLE HAVE A TENDENCY TO THINK THAT WE, THE WHITE WESTERN PEOPLES, INVENTED EVERYTHING AND THAT THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US WERE NOT INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO HAVE DONE IT. THAT’S ONE OF THE FALLACIES WITH HITLER’S VERSION OF NAZISM, ASIDE FROM BEING A HATEFUL AND NEGATIVE PHILOSOPHY – IT WASN’T EVEN ACCURATE. THE EARLIEST THINKERS AND INVENTORS – BRACE YOURSELF GUYS – WERE NOT WHITE. SO, WHEN I COME ACROSS A STORY LIKE THIS ONE, I AM FASCINATED AND DIG INTO IT DEEPLY.

PEOPLE SHOULD READ AVIDLY AND WIDELY. THE MINUTE YOU SEE A WORD YOU DON’T KNOW, LOOK IT UP. THAT’S WHAT A GOOD COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY, AND NOWADAYS GOOGLE, ARE FOR. THERE IS MUCH TO DISCOVER. LOOK FOR THE CULTURAL, LINGUISTIC AND LOGICAL LINKS BETWEEN THINGS THAT YOU COME ACROSS. CHECK THE WORD ORIGIN. SOON DATES, NAMES AND FACTS WILL MAKE SENSE RATHER THAN NEEDING TO BE MEMORIZED VERBATIM – A TASK WHICH IS LABORIOUS AND BORING. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT IS THE WAY MANY TO MOST AMERICANS WERE TAUGHT THEIR LESSONS. NO WONDER KIDS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL AS SOON AS THEY CAN.

WE ARE ALSO TAUGHT SPEED READING, WHICH SIMPLY CANNOT INCLUDE MUCH SPECIFIC INFORMATION IN A SENSIBLE CONTEXT. I CAN’T READ VERY FAST, BUT I DO READ WITH ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND TO RELATIONSHIPS. DOING IT THAT WAY, ONE SUCH DETAIL WILL BECOME LINKED UP IN THE MIND WITH RELATED THINGS, THEREBY CREATING A LEGITIMATE AND ACCESSIBLE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE. IF YOUR CHILD HAS TROUBLE READING, TELL HIM OR HER TO SLOW DOWN A BIT AND THINK ABOUT IT AS THEY GO. IT REALLY WORKS BETTER.

I’M GOING TO SAY ONE MORE THING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. SEE THE PHRASEOLOGY BELOW, THAT THE USE AND CONCEPT OF “0” HAD BEEN “BANNED AS HERESY.” KNOWLEDGE AND “TRUTH” AS RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE HAVE A LONG HISTORY, WHICH HAS OFTEN PRESERVED ITS’ EXISTENCE OVER TIME, BUT THE WAY THE “CONSERVATIVE” THINKING PATTERNS OF ANY TIME PERIOD DEAL WITH THEIR “TRUTH” IS TO DEIFY IT RATHER THAN DEVELOPING AND USING IT IN A HELPFUL WAY. NO THOUGHT SHOULD BE BANNED – DEBATED OR COUNSELED, YES.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2147450-history-of-zero-pushed-back-500-years-by-ancient-indian-text/?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=ILC&utm_campaign=webpush&cmpid=ILC%257CNSNS%257C2016-GLOBAL-webpush-zero
SHORT SHARP SCIENCE 14 September 2017
History of zero pushed back 500 years by ancient Indian text
By Timothy Revell

Photograph -- The earliest recorded use of zero
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford

The symbol “0” is a familiar sight, but its origins are far from certain. A recent batch of carbon dating is causing the history of mathematics to be rewritten, as it has discovered zeros dating back to a period 500 years before previously seen.

The numbers appear in an ancient Indian text called the Bakhshali manuscript, which consists of 70 leaves of birch bark, filled with mathematics and text in the form of Sanskrit. “It seems to be a training manual for Buddhist monks,” says Marcus du Sautoy at the University of Oxford.

The manuscript was first discovered by a local farmer in 1881, and was named after the village it was found in, in what is now Pakistan. It’s been housed by the University of Oxford’s Bodleian library since 1902.

Now, for the first time, the manuscript has been carbon dated – and this has immediately upturned some commonly held beliefs. It was originally thought that manuscript was from the 9th century, but the dating methods revealed that the oldest pages are from somewhere between 224 AD and 383 AD.

This means that the manuscript predates a 9th century inscription of zero on the wall of a temple in Gwalior, India, which was previously considered to be the oldest recorded example of a zero.

Across the text there are hundreds of zeros denoted using a dot. It’s this dot that will later evolve to be the symbol with a hole in the middle that we know today. The dot was originally used as a placeholder, like how “0” is used in the number 505 to denote that there are no tens, but was not yet a number in its own right.

The use of zero as a placeholder appeared in several different ancient cultures, such as the ancient Mayans and Babylonians. But only the Indian dot that would eventually go on to gain true number status, first described in 628 AD by the Indian astronomer and mathematician Brahmagupta.

What does maths sound like? Find out with composer Emily Howard and mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, at New Scientist Live in London

“Some of these ideas that we take for granted had to be dreamt up. Numbers were there to count things, so if there is nothing there why would you need a number?” says du Sautoy. The concept of zero, initially banned as heresy, was eventually allowed for the development of calculus, and underpins the digital age. “The whole of modern technology is built on the idea of something and nothing,” he says.

Dating it had always been tricky because not all of the pages come from the same date, with as many as 500 years between the oldest and youngest pages. “There’s still some mystery about how all of these leaves got collected together,” says du Sautoy.

More on these topics: mathematics