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Scientist learn from plants how to split water into hydrogen and oxygen
The breakthrough could revolutionise the renewable energy industry by making hydrogen – touted as the clean, green fuel of the future – cheaper and easier to produce on a commercial scale.
Professor Leone Spiccia, Mr Robin Brimblecombe and Dr Annette Koo from Monash University teamed with Dr Gerhard Swiegers at the CSIRO and Professor Charles Dismukes at Princeton University to develop a system comprising a coating that can be impregnated with a form of manganese, a chemical essential to sustaining photosynthesis in plant life.
"We have copied nature, taking the elements and mechanisms found in plant life that have evolved over 3 billion years and recreated one of those processes in the laboratory," Professor Spiccia said.
"A manganese cluster is central to a plant's ability to use water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to make carbohydrates and oxygen. Man-made mimics of this cluster were developed by Professor Charles Dismukes some time ago, and we've taken it a step further, harnessing the ability of these molecules to convert water into its component elements, oxygen and hydrogen," Professor Spiccia said.
"The breakthrough came when we coated a proton conductor, called Nafion, onto an anode to form a polymer membrane just a few micrometres thick, which acts as a host for the manganese clusters."
"Normally insoluble in water, when we bound the catalyst within the pores of the Nafion membrane, it was stabilised against decomposition and, importantly, water could reach the catalyst where it was oxidised on exposure to light."
This process of "oxidizing" water generates protons and electrons, which can be converted into hydrogen gas instead of carbohydrates as in plants.
"Whilst man has been able to split water into hydrogen and oxygen for years, we have been able to do the same thing for the first time using just sunlight, an electrical potential of 1.2 volts and the very chemical that nature has selected for this purpose," Professor Spiccia said.
Testing revealed the catalyst assembly was still active after three days of continuous use, producing oxygen and hydrogen gas in the presence of water, an electrical potential and visible light.
Professor Spiccia said the efficiency of the system needed to be improved, but this breakthrough had huge potential. "We need to continue to learn from nature so that we can better master this process."
"Hydrogen has long been considered the ideal clean green fuel, energy-rich and carbon-neutral. The production of hydrogen using nothing but water and sunlight offers the possibility of an abundant, renewable, green source of energy for the future for communities across the world." The breakthrough could revolutionise the renewable energy industry by making hydrogen – touted as the clean, green fuel of the future ... more -
Wondering why Big Oil wants the rest of our public lands!
The Drill of It All
This is from the Sierra Club's latest newsletter!
Did you know that oil companies are already sitting on 68 million acres of leases that they aren't even drilling? Which kind of makes you wonder: Why are Big Oil and its allies suddenly desperate to get their hands on the last few places that are still protected -- our natural treasures, wildlife refuges, and pristine coastlines? They wouldn't use the concerns caused by high gas prices as an excuse to grab it ALL, would they? The Drill of It All This is from the Sierra Club's latest newsletter! ... more -
Sergio's White Hot Top 5: Imeem
This week Plies gets creepy with his hands, T.I. buys you things, Ashanti promises daily loving, Lil Wayne walks down the street and Rihanna lights your clothes on fire.
Sergio's White Top 5 is a recurring segment on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. This week Plies gets creepy with his hands, T.I. buys you things, Ashanti promises daily loving, Lil Wayne walks down the street and R... more -
Coming soon: 'wallet phones' from Japan
Japan will start an aggressive push to market abroad its mobile technology, especially the nation's popular "wallet phone," a government official said Tuesday.
Although Japan boasts some of the most sophisticated cell phones in the world, delivering high-speed Internet connections, digital TV broadcasts and video downloads, the nation has failed to make its handsets, wireless technology and mobile services hits outside of Japan.
he latest initiative spearheaded by the government with an industry group of Japanese carriers and manufacturers is an effort to help Japan catch up in wooing global users, said Masayuki Ito, official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Among the wireless innovations Japan hopes to peddle is the wallet phone. The technology relies on a tiny computer chip called FeliCa, embedded in each cell phone, which communicates with a reader-device at stores, train stations and vending machines for cashless payments.
FeliCa was developed by Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp. Such technology is more common in smart cards, popular in Singapore and parts of Europe. But Japan hopes to market the technology abroad for cell phones. Japan will start an aggressive push to market abroad its mobile technology, especially the nation's popular "wallet phone,&#... more -
AIDS patients arrested for traveling to Beijing
In Central China’s Henan Province, 19 AIDS patients were arrested for planning to appeal in Beijing recently.
Police from Shangqiu City apprehended them on their way to Beijing. They are currently in the Shangqui Pingtai Prison. According to a report from the overseas Chinese website Buxun.com, these patients planned to appeal to the Ministry of Public Health in Beijing during the Olympics.
Tainted Blood Supplies
They are petitioning the government to improve the care of AIDS patients and HIV infected persons. They are also demanding compensation for those who were infected because of the local Department of Health’s poor procedures for transfusions and contaminated needles.
A local resident confirmed to the Radio Free Asia that these 19 HIV patients were abducted on August 15. “In the evening of August 14, he was abducted. He asked me to apply for help. We planned to meet with his wife at 8 a.m. on August 14 to learn further details, but were not able to find her. We kept on calling her on the phone until after 10 p.m., but were unable to reach her."
The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, indicated that according to unofficial statistics, Henan Province has several million HIV infections. The current treatment relies on first line drugs.
Poor Care and Drug Resistance
“We have used this drug since 2003 and drug resistance will appear after taking it for more than five years. Currently, 10 to 20 percent of the patients have signs of drug resistance; the drug is losing its effectiveness. What we urgently need is the second line of medicine.”
According to the Boxun article, the Chinese government’s funding for an AIDS hospital in Henan was mostly appropriated by the local government for business purposes. The AIDS patients are placed in typical hospital wards, where many patients attempt suicide because of the acute pain.
A Great Tide of Appellants Expected
Because of the Olympics, every level of government puts pressure on its subordinate governments requiring the local authorities to closely monitor these patients.
According to one patient, “Some officials followed me when I walked out of our county. All government levels are very sensitive about appellants because any county or city has appellants, and the upper level will take measures against the lower level officials. That is why all government levels are tightly guarding against it.”
The local resident also revealed that many municipalities have diverted the central government’s AIDs funds away from the patients, and do not provide the second line AIDS drugs. Patients and their families are extremely discontented. He said that there are very tight controls to prevent people from appealing right now. Once the Olympics is over, there will be a great tide of appeals in Henan. In Central China’s Henan Province, 19 AIDS patients were arrested for planning to appeal in Beijing recently. ... more -
IOC asks Sweden to block File Sharing Site Pirate Bay
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has requested the Swedish government to stop notorious file sharing site The Pirate Bay ( http://thepiratebay.org ) from distributing recordings of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
"The rights to the opening ceremony cost big money and all forms of pirate copies are forbidden", according to Gunilla Lindberg, one of the IOC's four vice-presidents. The IOC had written a letter to the Swedish government, "requesting the government to ensure that The Pirate Bay remove the recordings."
Justice Minister Beatrice Ask (m) told TT news agency that she understood the IOC's position. "They want to know what the government can do to help them in this issue. They want to find out about their legal rights in Sweden and how we work to prevent internet piracy," she said. However, Ask pointed out that the government could not intervene in an individual case and said it was normal procedure to refer the matter to the police.
But the IOC is not just targeting Sweden. According to Gunilla Lindberg, the IOC has sent out a number of letters to other countries where similar file sharing sites have distributed recordings from the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has requested the Swedish government to stop notorious file sharing site The Pirate Bay ( ht... more -
AP: Joe Lieberman is a Prick
A little bit of rare, accidental truth from the Associated Press.
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Bad Typo: Joe Lieberman a Real #%&*!
By E&P Staff
Published: August 19, 2008 7:55 AM ET
NEW YORK One of the most amusing typos of the season turned up for awhile overnight in a major Associated Press dispatch. Some in the liberal blogosphere, who have often criticized Sen. Joe Lieberman -- the Democrat turned Independent who has endorsed John McCain -- found it all too apt.
The typo, in an article on the upcoming vice presidential picks due from McCain and Barack Obama and written by one of the top AP political scribes, Nedra Pickler, was soon corrected but can still be found viewed via Google at numerous news sites early this morning.
After focusing on Obama, the article discusses several possible McCain picks, and relates, "His top contenders are said to include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Less traditional choices mentioned include former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an abortion-rights supporter, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential prick in 2000 who now is an independent."
It's still up at such sites as the Houston Chronicle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cleveland's Plain Dealer and many more. A little bit of rare, accidental truth from the Associated Press. ... more -
Sending waste to China saves carbon emissions
Sending old newspapers and plastic bottles 10,000 miles for recycling in China produces more carbon savings than landfilling it in Britain and making new goods, reveals a study from the government body charged with reducing UK waste.
> The Govt. says it so it must be true. Sending old newspapers and plastic bottles 10,000 miles for recycling in China produces more carbon savings than landfilling it in Bri... more -
First red blood cells grown in the lab
Human embryonic stem cells have been made to grow into functional red blood cells for the first time by scientists in Massachusetts.
This breakthrough could one day eliminate the need for blood donations, which millions of people currently rely on. Human embryonic stem cells have been made to grow into functional red blood cells for the first time by scientists in Massachusetts. ... more -
Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies
LOS ANGELES – Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore, one of the group's founding members and a key part of its eclectic jazz-infused sound, died Tuesday from sudden complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an all-terrain vehicle accident in June. He was 46.
Moore died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, according to a statement released on the band's Web site. The statement did not specify what led to his death.
Moore was initially hospitalized in late June after the accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Va. He was later discharged and had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin a physical rehabilitation program when complications forced him back to the hospital on July 17, the band said.
Galina Shinder, a nursing supervisor at Hollywood Presbyterian, said the hospital could not release any details.
Ambrosia Healy, the band's publicist, said the band's show Tuesday night in Los Angeles was not canceled. Saxophonist Jeff Coffin, who played with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, had been sitting in for Moore during the band's summer tour.
Moore, who liked to wear his trademark dark sunglasses at the bands' live concerts, had classical training but said jazz was his main musical influence, according to a biography on the band's Web site.
"But at this stage I don't really consider myself a jazz musician," Moore said in the biography. Playing with the Dave Matthews Band was "almost better than a jazz gig," he said. "I have plenty of space to improvise, to try new ideas."
Lead singer Dave Matthews credited Moore with arranging many of his songs, which combine Cajun fiddle-playing, African-influenced rhythms and Matthews' playful but haunting voice.
The band formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, Va., when Matthews was working as a bartender. He gave a demo tape of his songs to Moore, who liked what he heard and recruited his friend and fellow jazzman Carter Beauford to play drums, and other musicians.
The group broke out of the local music scene with the album "Under the Table and Dreaming." The band won a Grammy Award in 1997 for its hit song "So Much to Say" off its second album "Crash." Other hits include "What Would You Say," "Crash Into Me" and "Satellite." LOS ANGELES – Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore, one of the group's founding members and a key part of its eclectic... more -
Obama may unveil VP choice Saturday in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his clearest signal yet that he has settled on a running mate when he announced Tuesday he would appear Saturday in this city where he launched his campaign.
Presumably, the running mate will appear with Obama when he shows up in front of the former state Capitol where Abraham Lincoln once served. The last time Obama appeared there, he announced he was running for president.
The Obama campaign's announcement said only that the Illinois senator would begin his trip to the party's national convention at the Saturday event. The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Denver.
But the candidate and his aides said nothing explicit about his decision on a running mate.
Those believed to be on Obama's short list also were keeping mum. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, rumored as a possible choice, professed no inside knowledge of when word would come.
During an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday morning, Obama praised Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman thought to be among the contenders, for proposing an additional $1 billion of reconstruction projects in the Republic of Georgia after the Russian invasion.
Then Obama headed off for a bus tour of North Carolina and Virginia to discuss economic issues. He planned to campaign Wednesday with former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and on Thursday with the state's current governor, Tim Kaine, who is also mentioned as a possible running mate.
The list of potential running mates is widely believed to have come down to Sebelius, Biden, Kaine and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh. Obama's major rival for the nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, was seen by some Democrats as a longshot pick. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his clearest signal yet that he has settled on a running... more -
NRDC sues EPA over withheld information regarding colony collapse disorder
The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit today to uncover critical information that the US government is withholding about the risks posed by pesticides to honey bees. NRDC legal experts and a leading bee researcher are convinced that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evidence of connections between pesticides and the mysterious honey bee die-offs reported across the country. The phenomenon has come to be called colony collapse disorder, or CCD, and it is already proving to have disastrous consequences for American agriculture and the $15 billion worth of crops pollinated by bees every year.
EPA has failed to respond to NRDC Freedom of Information Act request for agency records concerning the toxicity of pesticides to bees, forcing the legal action.
Recently approved pesticides have been implicated in massive bee die-offs and are the focus of increasing scientific scrutiny, said NRDC Senior Attorney Aaron Colangelo. EPA should be evaluating the risks to bees before approving new pesticides, but now refuses to tell the public what it knows. Pesticide restrictions might be at the heart of the solution to this growing crisis, so why hide the information they should be using to make those decisions?
In 2003, EPA granted a registration to a new pesticide manufactured by Bayer CropScience under the condition that Bayer submit studies about its product's impact on bees. EPA has refused to disclose the results of these studies, or if the studies have even been submitted. The pesticide in question, clothianidin, recently was banned in Germany due to concerns about its impact on bees. A similar insecticide was banned in France for the same reason a couple of years before. In the United States, these chemicals still are in use despite a growing consensus among bee specialists that pesticides, including clothianidin and its chemical cousins, may contribute to CCD.
In the past two years, some American beekeepers have reported unexplained losses of 30-90% of the bees in their hives. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), bees pollinate $15 billion worth of crops grown in America. USDA also claims that one out of every three mouthfuls of food in the typical American diet has a connection to bee pollination. As the die-offs worsen, Americans will see their food costs increase.
Despite bees critical role for farmers, consumers, and the environment, the federal government has been slow to address the die-off since the alarm bells started in 2006. In recent Congressional hearings, USDA was unable to account for the $20 million that Congress has allocated to the department for fighting CCD in the last two years.
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Is the EPA hiding colony collapse disorder information? Hopefully this suit will give us the answers. Personally, I have always thought pesticides, particularly Round Up by Monsanto was contributing to the decline of bees... here you have bees naturally pollinating or trying to naturally pollinate a biofake plant. What are the chances something would go wrong, or that the bees would suffer some sort of repercussions from that? Did Monsanto, Bayer, or any company really do any tests regarding that or their pesticides? Who knows... we are never told anything. All we know is that the food is on our shelves because all of these agencies tell us everything is safe without showing us anything to back it up. The Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit today to uncover critical information that the US government is withholding abou... more -
Mutant fish found close to Alberta Oil Sands says CBC
Imagine your children go to the dock to go fishing and catch a fish with two mouths. This is precisely what the CBC reported yesterday. The news giant said the fish came from Lake Athabasca in Wood Buffalo National Park. Imagine your children go to the dock to go fishing and catch a fish with two mouths. This is precisely what the CBC reported yesterday... more
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Explosions near Olympic venues go unreported
An explosion, within 50km of the Bird's Nest in Beijing, resulted in 20 people being sent to hospital on 17 Aug., the Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy confirms.
The explosion involved a goods truck that was being inspected at a police checkpoint near the White Temple in Beijing at the time, the Centre said.
The Hong Kong Information Centre have since confirmed with White Temple staff and police that the incident occured, although all have refused to comment. The White Cloud Temple is a security checkpoint for vehicles entering Beijing.
Since the explosion, reports from eye witnesses who were on the bus have been removed from blog sites on China's official search engine Baidu.
This is the latest in series of possible attacks that Chinese officials have failed to make public.
The first fatal incident happened on August 13, reported the Hong Kong Information Centre.
According to available information, a bomb was detonated in a building at the Qinhuangdao economic and technological development zone, killing two people. While Chinese authorities refused to comment on the event, mortuary staff confirmed that the victims worked for the Changpu company.
Beijing Olympic organizers said that the explosion was caused by production activities and was not related to a terrorist act.
Other suspected terrorist incidents in Qinhuangdao have also gone unreported says the Information Centre. On July 9, Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao dismissed students for vacation ahead of schedule because of a bomb scare.
On August 4, authorities then discovered an explosive device in Qinhuangdao Stadium, the site of 12 Olympic football matches. The Information Center said that authorities very worried because the stadium had already been checked by security and the bomb was discovered underneath a seat after that check.
Qinhuangdao is located approximately 150 km from Beijing and is considered a sensitive zone because it is a popular resort area for retired Communist Party leaders. An explosion, within 50km of the Bird's Nest in Beijing, resulted in 20 people being sent to hospital on 17 Aug., the Hong Kong I... more -
Plastics suspect in lobster illness
The search for what causes a debilitating shell disease affecting lobsters from Long Island Sound to Maine has led one Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) visiting scientist to suspect environmental alkyphenols, formed primarily by the breakdown of hard transparent plastics.
Preliminary evidence from the lab of Hans Laufer suggests that certain concentrations of alkyphenols may be interfering with the ability of lobsters to develop tough shells. Instead, the shells are weakened, leaving affected lobsters susceptible to the microbial invasions characteristic of the illness.
"Lobsters 'know' when their shell is damaged, and that's probably the reason when they have shell disease, why they molt more quickly," says Laufer, a visiting investigator at the MBL for over 20 years and professor emeritus of molecular and cell biology at the University of Connecticut. "But ultimately, they still come down with the disease. And we think the presence of alkyphenols contributes to that."
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Yet, how many plastic bottles and other plastic items will wind up in our waterways today alone? Our convenience and apathy are poisoning the Earth and those species who live on it, including ourselves. Not very bright. The search for what causes a debilitating shell disease affecting lobsters from Long Island Sound to Maine has led one Marine Biologic... more -
Does music have a more powerful effect on memory than images, words, or smells?
"Remember that great Stones' ballad you heard on your first date with that first great love? Well, despite music's importance to our lives, very little is known about the memories and emotions that are often evoked when hearing a piece of music from our past. Does music have a more powerful effect on memory than other influences, like images, words, or smells? ... " "Remember that great Stones' ballad you heard on your first date with that first great love? Well, despite music's impo... more
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Massive discovery at edge of solar system
"The Oort Cloud is a spherical cloud of comets believed to lie roughly 50,000 AU, or nearly a light-year from the Sun, which places the cloud at nearly a quarter of the distance to Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun. The Kuiper belt and scattered disc, the other two known reservoirs of trans-Neptunian objects, are less than one thousandth the Oort cloud's distance. The outer extent of the Oort cloud defines the boundary of our Solar System..." "The Oort Cloud is a spherical cloud of comets believed to lie roughly 50,000 AU, or nearly a light-year from the Sun, which plac... more
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Gang kills member because he is gay
Two teenagers were ordered held without bail yesterday in the death of a Randallstown High School student who was stabbed and stomped to death after his fellow Bloods gang members found messages on his phone that suggested he was gay.
Steven T. Hollis III, 18, of Randallstown and Juan L. Flythe, 17, of West Baltimore - both of whom are members of the Bloods gang, according to police - were arrested and charged Thursday evening with first-degree murder. They are accused of killing a fellow gang member days before his high school graduation in May.
The body of Steven Parrish, 18, was found May 29 in a wooded area near his parents' home and Woodlawn Cemetery.
"It's awful," Baltimore County prosecutor William B. Bickel said in an interview after yesterday's bail-review hearing in Towson. "You're talking about a gangland-style execution because he was gay. They took him out back in a field and stabbed him to death."
On the day before Parrish's death, several members of the gang met at his home, according to charging documents. There, Hollis and Flythe discussed finding what they believed to be "gay" text messages on Parrish's cell phone.
Angered by the messages and a photograph they found, they worried that their Bloods group would appear weak to others if word got out that they had a gay member, according to court records.
"As a result, they decided that Steven Parrish 'had to go,'" police wrote in charging documents. "There was no date or time discussed for the killing, but it was made very clear to all those present that Parrish was going to be killed."
Flythe later told his fellow gang members that he and Hollis confronted Parrish, who did not deny that the messages were "gay" in nature, according to court records. Flythe also told his associates that they stabbed and hit the victim before stomping on his neck, according to charging documents. A red bandanna was placed over Parrish's face and he was left in the woods. Two teenagers were ordered held without bail yesterday in the death of a Randallstown High School student who was stabbed and stomped ... more -
Bush pushes for easier spying at home
US President George W. Bush is proposing a new law which allows local and state police to spy on American citizens with no evidence.
The law proposed by the Department of Justice would permit local and state cops to gather intelligence on police suspicion, not evidence, keep it secret for up to 10 years, and share it with the federal government.
The draft has mounted fears among American activists as it gives the US police the go-ahead to stake out antiwar groups or people who the cops might deem as threats.
The police will be free to use public records, the Internet, undercover surveillance and other techniques to spy on threat groups and listen in on Americans' communications, even when no crime has been committed and the likelihood of a crime is low.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the proposal by the Department of Justice, saying the US state police have already launched spying programs against those opposing the Iraq war.
The Bush-proposed law gives local police the authority to violate the constitutional rights of thousands of Americans.
“The federal government has increasingly encouraged state non-enforcement agencies to become basically intelligence gatherers and we have seen problems as a result,” Mike German, an ACLU lawyer, told Press TV.
Referring to the use of undercover agents against peace activists in California and protest groups in New York, Colorado and most recently in Maryland, German said, “It's indicative of what happens when we start playing not by the rules."
The new Justice Department/FBI guidelines for police operations supposedly contain procedures to protect people's constitutional rights.
But critics say the history of rights enforcement by the Justice Department over local law enforcement has been less than stringent and abuses are likely to happen.
Some members of the Congress have called the new rules troubling, but the White House which gives only $2 billion to local law enforcement is eager now to lift restrictions on local police to spy on whomever they 'think' is acting suspiciously. US President George W. Bush is proposing a new law which allows local and state police to spy on American citizens with no evidence. ... more -
Dark Knight Death Star
Have you seen the Death Star over San Francisco. Check it out and more on today's Current Virals.
To watch the full versions of all five videos just click on the links in the comments section below. Have you seen the Death Star over San Francisco. Check it out and more on today's Current Virals. ... more -
Are You Ready For Nuclear War?
Pervez Musharraf, the puppet installed by the US to rule Pakistan in the interest of US hegemony, resigned August 18 to avoid impeachment. Karl Rove and the Diebold electronic voting machines were unable to control the result of the last election in Pakistan, the result of which gave Pakistanis a bigger voice in their government than America's.
It was obvious to anyone with any sense—which excludes the entire Bush Regime and almost all of the "foreign policy community"—that the illegal and gratuitous US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Israel's 2006 bombing of Lebanon civilians with US blessing, would result in the overthrow of America's Pakistani puppet.
The imbecilic Bush Regime ensured Musharraf's overthrow by pressuring their puppet to conduct military operations against tribesmen in Pakistani border areas, whose loyalties were to fellow Muslims and not to American hegemony. When Musharraf's military operations didn't produce the desired result, the idiotic Americans began conducting their own military operations within Pakistan with bombs and missiles. This finished off Musharraf.
When the Bush Regime began its wars in the Middle East, I predicted, correctly, that Musharraf would be one victim. The American puppets in Egypt and Jordan may be the next to go.
Back during the Nixon years, my Ph.D. dissertation chairman, Warren Nutter, was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. One day in his Pentagon office I asked him how the US government got foreign governments to do what the US wanted. "Money," he replied.
"You mean foreign aid?" I asked.
"No," he replied, "we just buy the leaders with money."
It wasn't a policy he had implemented. He inherited it and, although the policy rankled with him, he could do nothing about it. Nutter believed in persuasion and that if you could not persuade people, you did not have a policy.
Nutter did not mean merely third world potentates were bought. He meant the leaders of England, France, Germany, Italy, all the allies everywhere were bought and paid for.
They were allies because they were paid. Consider Tony Blair. Blair's own head of British intelligence told him that the Americans were fabricating the evidence to justify their already planned attack on Iraq. This was fine with Blair, and you can see why with his multi- million dollar payoff once he was out of office.
The American-educated thug, Saakashkvili the War Criminal, who is president of Georgia, was installed by the US taxpayer funded National Endowment for Democracy, a neocon operation whose purpose is to ring Russia with US military bases, so that America can exert hegemony over Russia.
Every agreement that President Reagan made with Mikhail Gorbachev has been broken by Reagan's successors. Reagan's was the last American government whose foreign policy was not made by the Israeli-allied neoconservatives. During the Reagan years, the neocons made several runs at it, but each ended in disaster for Reagan, and he eventually drove the modern day French Jacobins from his government.
Even the anti-Soviet Committee on the Present Danger regarded the neocons as dangerous lunatics. I remember the meeting when a member tried to bring the neocons into the committee, and old line American establishment representatives, such as former Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon, hit the roof.
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More at link. Pervez Musharraf, the puppet installed by the US to rule Pakistan in the interest of US hegemony, resigned August 18 to avoid impeach... more -
The future of the desktop
Everything is moving to the cloud. As we enter the third decade of the Web we are seeing an increasing shift from native desktop applications towards Web-hosted clones that run in browsers. For example, a range of products such as Microsoft Office Live, Google Docs, Zoho, ThinkFree, DabbleDB, Basecamp, and many others now provide Web-based alternatives to the full range of familiar desktop office productivity apps. The same is true for an increasing range of enterprise applications, led by companies such as Salesforce.com, and this process seems to be accelerating. In addition, hosted remote storage for individuals and enterprises of all sizes is now widely available and inexpensive. As these trends continue, what will happen to the desktop and where will it live?
This is a post by Nova Spivack, founder and CEO of Twine. This is the final version of an article Spivack has been working on in his public Twine. (click link for entire article)
Topic outline:
Is the desktop of the future going to just be a web-hosted version of the same old-fashioned desktop metaphors we have today?
The desktop of the future is going to be a hosted web service
The browser is going to swallow up the desktop
The focus of the desktop will shift from information to attention
Users are going to shift from acting as librarians to acting as daytraders
The Webtop will be more social and will leverage and integrate collective intelligence
The desktop of the future is going to have powerful semantic search and social search capabilities built-in
Interactive shared spaces will replace folders
The Portable Desktop
The Smart Desktop
Federated, open policies and permissions
The personal cloud
The WebOS
Who is most likely to own the future desktop Everything is moving to the cloud. As we enter the third decade of the Web we are seeing an increasing shift from native desktop appli... more
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