Creationism being taught in private schools thanks to $1 billion in taxpayer funds

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Creationism being taught in private schools thanks to $1 billion in taxpayer funds

U.S. weapons makers, military bet on innovation as funds shrivel

By Andrea Shalal

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:56pm EST

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (Reuters) – Building missiles used to be back-breaking, strenuous work, and dangerous too, given the high level of explosives involved.

But U.S. weapons maker Raytheon Co has revolutionized that process at a sprawling, classified facility in Huntsville, Alabama, where automated transporters ferry missile parts to gleaming assembly stations, and even tuck themselves away for charging when their batteries run low.

The $ 75 million facility at the U.S. military’s Redstone Arsenal reflects a new spirit of innovation pulsing through the U.S. defense industry, which is scrambling to maintain revenues despite declining military budgets after the end of the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan.

“This is what we call the ‘factory of the future’,” said Randy Stevenson, director of Raytheon’s Weapon Integration Center. “We’re using a lot of automation and intelligence and other innovative aspects of doing business that we gathered from other industries,” including the automotive business.

Stevenson said the factory is already delivering better production time, quality and safety, but those metrics will improve as the factory matures. “This horse is at a trot, but we’re going to come to a gallop in another year or so,” he told Reuters during a rare media tour of the plant.

Leanne Caret, who heads Boeing Co’s vertical lift programs, said changing times called for different approaches.

“We’re really taking a step back and thinking about how do we make innovation part of every employee’s day-to-day decision-making,” Caret told Reuters during a conference hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army conference. She said Boeing was setting up innovation centers across the country to encourage greater collaboration and “out-of-the-box” thinking.

Caret said she was confident that a teaming agreement between Boeing and United Technologies Corp’s Sikorsky Aircraft for early work on a next-generation helicopter would help the companies disprove the conventional wisdom that the cost of military aircraft will continue to grow exponentially.

“We are going to be able to break the price curve,” she said. “We’re very conscious of the realities. It’s more than acquisition costs. It’s as much about developing a weapons system that you build, deploy and sustain for the long term.”

Thinking differently, for instance, has allowed Boeing to leverage the expertise of its commercial airplane testers to keep testing of its military aircraft on schedule and cost.

Top U.S. Army officials this week underscored the need for continued spending by industry and government on science and technology, highlighting work on new materials, alternative energy sources, robotics and even better meals for soldiers.

“We’re still investing in new capabilities,” top Army arms buyer Heidi Shyu told executives, reminding them that many of today’s weapons systems got their start during a downturn in defense spending after the Vietnam War.

Dan Bailey, who heads the Pentagon’s effort to develop a new rotary aircraft, said top U.S. defense officials continued to support the program despite declining budgets, mindful of the need to maintain or rebuild the defense industry’s base of engineering and design talent.

He said one critical element was ensuring that the aircraft had computer systems that were able to integrate new technology developments as they emerged, much like a smart phone can accommodate a continuous stream of new applications or “apps.”

“These trucks will be out there for another century. We need to put in place an architecture that’s robust, that’s enduring and flexible,” Bailey said.

Unmanned ground, sea and air systems also provide fertile ground for innovation.

Lockheed Martin Corp this week said it had been selected by the U.S. Army Robotics Technology Consortium to use one of its unmanned K-MAX cargo helicopters to transport an unmanned ground vehicle into an “area of interest” deemed too risky for humans and then use on-board sensors to stream data and carry out operations.

Joe Zinecker, head of combat maneuver systems at Lockheed’s missile division, said the deal was an industry first.

“We believe this demonstration could lead to expanded missions such as remote sensing and monitoring of suspected chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats or events,” he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by James Dalgleish)

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Reuters: Politics

U.S. weapons makers, military bet on innovation as funds shrivel

[225] Nestlé Pillages Canada, US Funds Egypt Chaos, Peace Prize for Bradley Manning

[225] Nestlé Pillages Canada, US Funds Egypt Chaos, Peace Prize for Bradley Manning

Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project

FILE – In this Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 file photograph, Hoboken Mayor, Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media as she stands near the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J. Zimmer, mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained severe flooding from Hurricane Sandy claims the Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in recovery grants because she refused to sign off on a politically connected development. MSNBC first reported her comments Saturday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans,file)

FILE – In this Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 file photograph, Hoboken Mayor, Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media as she stands near the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J. Zimmer, mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained severe flooding from Hurricane Sandy claims the Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in recovery grants because she refused to sign off on a politically connected development. MSNBC first reported her comments Saturday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans,file)

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained severe flooding from Hurricane Sandy claims the Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in recovery grants because she refused to sign off on a politically connected development.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer tells The Associated Press that Gov. Chris Christie’s lieutenant governor and a top community development official said recovery funds would flow to her city if the commercial development went forward. MSNBC first reported her comments Saturday.

Zimmer says Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (gwah-DON-yo) pulled her aside at a May event and told her unless the project is approved “we are not going to be able to help you.”

Christie is embroiled in another scandal involving traffic jams apparently manufactured to settle a political score.

Christie’s office did not return messages from the AP. Spokesman Michael Drewniak called Zimmer’s claims “outlandishly false” in a statement to MSNBC.

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Politics Headlines

Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project

TYT Network Reports - Who Funds Climate Change Deniers?

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TYT Network Reports - Who Funds Climate Change Deniers?

Moody"s, S&P and Fitch sued over failed Bear Stearns funds

Moody"s, S&P and Fitch sued over failed Bear Stearns funds
http://currenteconomictrendsandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/99fe1__?m=02&d=20131111&t=2&i=810919755&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE9AA1AUZ00.jpg

By Karen Freifeld

NEW YORK Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:52am EST

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The logo of credit rating agency Moody’s Investor Services is seen outside the office in Paris October 24, 2011.


Credit: Reuters/Philippe Wojazer







NEW YORK (Reuters) – The liquidators of two Bear Stearns hedge funds filed a lawsuit on Monday against the three major U.S. rating agencies, accusing them of fraudulently assigning inflated ratings to securities in the run-up to the financial crisis.




The lawsuit seeks to recover damages from Moody’s Investors Service, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings in connection with more than $ 1 billion in losses sustained by the hedge funds.




The complaint, which was filed in New York state court in Manhattan, cites messages and emails by employees of the ratings agencies to help build a case that the agencies misrepresented their independence and objectivity.




“It could be structured by cows and we would rate it,” the 141-page lawsuit quotes an S&P employee as messaging a colleague.




Some of the same emails were cited in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by the Justice Department against S&P earlier this year. Fitch and Moody’s were not named in that lawsuit.




The latest case was brought by the liquidators of Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies (Overseas) Ltd and Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage (Overseas) Ltd.




All three rating agencies said in statements that the allegations were “without merit.”




The liquidators filed a summons in the case in July, after a federal judge in California signaled that he would allow the U.S. Justice Department to pursue its $ 5 billion lawsuit against S&P.




The losses cited in Monday’s lawsuit were tied to funds managed by former Bear Stearns managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, who were acquitted in 2009 of federal criminal charges that they misled investors. Last year, the men agreed to pay about $ 1 million to settle a related U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil case.




S&P is owned by McGraw Hill Financial Inc (MHFI.N), Moody’s Investors is owned by Moody’s Corp (MCO.N), and Fitch is owned by Fimalac (LBCP.PA).




The case is Varga et al v. McGraw Hill Financial Inc et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 652410/2013.




(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Andrea Ricci)





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Reuters: Business News

Read more about Moody"s, S&P and Fitch sued over failed Bear Stearns funds and other interesting subjects concerning Business at TheDailyNewsReport.com

Cities Use Anti-Terrorism Funds to Ramp up Citizen Surveillance for other Purposes

Source: All Gov.

With federal funding intended to thwart terrorism, many American cities have expanded surveillance and intelligence gathering that amounts to an assault on people’s privacy, according to critics.

A prime example is Oakland, California, whose crime-plagued streets prompted local officials and police to develop theDomain Awareness Center. Seven million dollars in federal grants meant to prevent terror attacks at the Oakland port will be used by police to collect and analyze volumes of surveillance data from throughout the city. The data can be gathered from a variety of sources, from gunshot-detection sensors to license plate readers mounted on patrol cars.

The Center is planned as a high-tech operation, fully staffed 24 hours a day, which will display its streams of data on banks of giant wall monitors.

Initially data collection will focus on the port, traffic camera coverage, license plate reading and 911 calls. Eventually, the system will add surveillance of schools, state highways and commuter rail.

Oakland’s efforts, which will begin next summer, demonstrate “how cities are compiling and processing large amounts of information, known as big data, for routine law enforcement,” Somini Sengupta wrote for The New York Times. “And the system underscores how technology has enabled the tracking of people in many aspects of life.”

In New York City, the police department—with the help of federal counterterrorism funding—utilizes a computer network linking information from 3,000 surveillance cameras with license plate readers, radiation sensors, criminal databases and terror suspect lists.

Massachusetts’ law enforcement also has used federal money to buy automated license plate scanners, while police in Arlington, Texas, and the sheriffs office in Montgomery County, Texas, bought drones with homeland security money.

Oakland tried to get its own drone too, but gave up on the idea after citizens spoke out in opposition.

The public has demonstrated increasing displeasure with surveillance of their daily activities. The Seattle City Councildemanded that the city’s police department return a federally financed drone. Iowa City brought about a moratorium on surveillance equipment, including license plate readers. And Virginia state police were forced by the attorney general to destroy its data base filled with millions of citizens’ license plates, including those photographed at political rallies.

Local leaders say these initiatives are all about stopping crime in their communities. But civil libertarians argue that cities go too far when law-abiding citizens are having their every move monitored by police.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California labeled Oakland’s program “warrantless surveillance” and said “the city would be able to collect and stockpile comprehensive information about Oakland residents who have engaged in no wrongdoing,” according to the Times.

No indication has been given as to what, if any, parameters the Oakland surveillance center will have, or for what period of time citizens’ personal data will be held in its computers.

Speaking to the Times, Oakland City Council member Libby Schaaf, who supports the program, conceded that the operation would be able to “paint a pretty detailed picture of someone’s personal life, someone who may be innocent.”

Steve Spiker, who researches police technology for the city’s non-profit Urban Strategies Council, expressed to theTimes a concern that others may share: “What happens when someone doesn’t like me and has access to all that information?”

-Noel Brinkerhoff, Danny Biederman

To Learn More:

Privacy Fears Grow as Cities Increase Surveillance (by Somini Sengupta, New York Times)

How the Surveillance State Threatens the ‘Law-Abiding’ Citizen (by Daniel Amico, FreedomWorks)

Oakland’s Port Surveillance System May Expand to the Entire City (by Ken Broder, AllGov California)

Drones over the Homeland (by Tom Barry, Center for International Policy)

L.A. Police Crank up Surveillance Cameras to Spy on 450,000 Residents (by Ken Broder, AllGov California)    

Homeland Security Quietly Runs “Loan-a-Drone” Program for Local Law Enforcement (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)          

Public Buses in Many U.S. Cities Will Soon Be Monitoring Private Conversations for the Government (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

BlackListedNews.com

Cities Use Anti-Terrorism Funds to Ramp up Citizen Surveillance for other Purposes

U.S. Allies Let Funds Flow to Al Qaeda in Syria

Guy Taylor
Washington Times
Oct. 14, 2013

The United States has had limited success cutting off funding to the al Qaeda-linked fighters and foreign jihadists flowing into Syria — in part because of a lack of cooperation on the part of Middle Eastern allies, Intelligence and national security community sources say.

Officials say they are tracking the movements of funds from various wealthy individuals in the Persian Gulf, but the governments of key Gulf countries are reluctant to crack down.

“Unless the money is actually in the U.S. financial system, you have to point out to these governments where the money is going and try to work with them to make sure it goes to legitimate groups,” said one U.S. official who spoke with The Washington Times on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of intelligence related to tracking such money.

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This article was posted: Monday, October 14, 2013 at 10:40 am

Tags: government corruption, terrorism

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Infowars

U.S. Allies Let Funds Flow to Al Qaeda in Syria

Looting the Pension Funds

Source: Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi

In the final months of 2011, almost two years before the city of Detroit would shock America by declaring bankruptcy in the face of what it claimed were insurmountable pension costs, the state of Rhode Island took bold action to avert what it called its own looming pension crisis. Led by its newly elected treasurer, Gina Raimondo – an ostentatiously ambitious 42-year-old Rhodes scholar and former venture capitalist – the state declared war on public pensions, ramming through an ingenious new law slashing benefits of state employees with a speed and ferocity seldom before seen by any local government.

Called the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act of 2011, her plan would later be hailed as the most comprehensive pension reform ever implemented. The rap was so convincing at first that the overwhelmed local burghers of her little petri-dish state didn’t even know how to react. “She’s Yale, Harvard, Oxford – she worked on Wall Street,” says Paul Doughty, the current president of the Providence firefighters union. “Nobody wanted to be the first to raise his hand and admit he didn’t know what the fuck she was talking about.”

Soon she was being talked about as a probable candidate for Rhode Island’s 2014 gubernatorial race. By 2013, Raimondo had raised more than $ 2 million, a staggering sum for a still-undeclared candidate in a thimble-size state. Donors from Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, Bain Capital and JPMorgan Chase showered her with money, with more than $ 247,000 coming from New York contributors alone. A shadowy organization called EngageRI, a public-advocacy group of the 501(c)4 type whose donors were shielded from public scrutiny by the infamous Citizens United decision, spent $ 740,000 promoting Raimondo’s ideas. Within Rhode Island, there began to be whispers that Raimondo had her sights on the presidency. Even former Obama right hand and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel pointed to Rhode Island as an example to be followed in curing pension woes.

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BlackListedNews.com

Looting the Pension Funds

Greece beats January-July budget target, helped by EU funds

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece easily beat its fiscal targets in the first seven months of the year, propped up by aid from euro zone central banks and European Union funds, finance ministry figures showed on Monday.

Reuters: Top News

Greece beats January-July budget target, helped by EU funds