brad dogott

Washington gets explicit: its 'war on terror' is permanent

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:09:06 -0400

Washington gets explicit: its 'war on terror' is permanent:

Last October, senior Obama officials anonymously unveiled to the Washington Post their newly minted “disposition matrix”, a complex computer system that will be used to determine how a terrorist suspect will be “disposed of”: indefinite detention, prosecution in a real court, assassination-by-CIA-drones, etc. Their rationale for why this was needed now, a full 12 years after the 9/11 attack:

Among senior Obama administration officials, there is a broad consensus that such operations are likely to be extended at least another decade. Given the way al-Qaida continues to metastasize, some officials said no clear end is in sight. … That timeline suggests that the United States has reached only the midpoint of what was once known as the global war on terrorism.”

On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on whether the statutory basis for this “war” - the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) - should be revised (meaning: expanded). This is how Wired’s Spencer Ackerman (soon to be the Guardian US’s national security editor) described the most significant exchange:

“Asked at a Senate hearing today how long the war on terrorism will last, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, answered, ‘At least 10 to 20 years.’ … A spokeswoman, Army Col. Anne Edgecomb, clarified that Sheehan meant the conflict is likely to last 10 to 20 more years from today - atop the 12 years that the conflict has already lasted. Welcome to America’s Thirty Years War.”

Related: Pentagon Spec Ops Chief Sees ’10 to 20′ More Years of War Against al-Qaida

acousticrivers: Where have all the women gone in...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:08:31 -0400

acousticrivers:

Where have all the women gone in movies?

Despite the success of ‘Bridesmaids’ and other female-driven movies, female representation in films is at its lowest level in five years, a USC report says.

There’s one mountain in Hollywood that even “The Hunger Games’” scrappy heroine Katniss Everdeen hasn’t been able to move: the number of roles for women.

Despite the success of recent female-driven movies such as “Bridesmaids” and the “Hunger Games” and “Twilight” series, female representation in popular movies is at its lowest level in five years, according to a study being released Monday by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Among the 100 highest-grossing movies at the U.S. box office in 2012, the study reported, 28.4% of speaking characters were female. That’s a drop from 32.8% three years ago, and a number that has stayed relatively stagnant despite increased research attention to the topic and several high-profile box-office successes starring women.

“There is notable consistency in the number of females on-screen from year to year,” said USC researcher Marc Choueiti. “The slate of films developed and produced each year is almost formulaic — in the aggregate, female representation hardly changed at all.”

When they are on-screen, 31.6% of women are shown wearing sexually revealing clothing, the highest percentage in the five years the USC researchers have been studying the issue.

For teen girls, the number who are provocatively dressed is even higher: 56.6% of teen girl characters in 2012 movies wore sexy clothes, an increase of 20% since 2009.

The USC researchers said these trends persist because those working in Hollywood believe attracting a male audience is the key ingredient to box office success.

“Industry perceptions of the audience drive much of what we see on-screen,” said study author Stacy L. Smith. “There is a perception that movies that pull male sell. Given that females go to the movies as much as males, the lack of change is likely due to entrenched ways of thinking and doing business that perpetuate the status quo.”

Female characters are more prevalent — and less likely to be sexualized — in movies written and directed by women, according to Smith.

A study USC released in January in conjunction with the Sundance Institute and Women in Film Los Angeles found that women have made more inroads in those kinds of behind-the-camera jobs in independent film and documentaries than they have in big-budget studio movies.

But it’s typically the studio movies that drive the box office — and shape audiences.

“Some depictions of females on-screen can have unintended and negative consequences for viewers,” Smith said. “Every voice deserves a chance to be heard and every story a chance to be told. At the moment … that does not seem to be the case in popular film.”

— Rebecca Keegan, Los Angeles Times

California Approves $92M Ammo Tax to Combat Gun Violence

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:37:49 -0400

California Approves $92M Ammo Tax to Combat Gun Violence:

politicalcrazyness:

carolinamonstr:

minarchist:

thinksquad:

The tax will only serve to hurt the poor honest people. Game as usual for the other players in the game.

Well technically, from an economical point of view, If you want to lower the demand for bullets you raise the price.

But this will further push it towards the black market.

The anti gun people have been wanting to do this for a long time. Make it so yes you can own a gun but you will never be able to shoot it because the ammo is ether illegal to so expensive you wont be able to buy any.

Its their way of trying to side step the 2nd amendment.

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder: First pharmaceutical treatment for PTSD within reach

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:33:32 -0400

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder: First pharmaceutical treatment for PTSD within reach:

“There’s not a single pharmacological treatment out there that has been developed specifically for PTSD,” says Dr. Neumeister. “That’s a problem. There’s a consensus among clinicians that existing pharmaceutical treatments such as antidepressant simple do not work. In fact, we know very well that people with PTSD who use marijuana — a potent cannabinoid — often experience more relief from their symptoms than they do from antidepressants and other psychiatric medications. Clearly, there’s a very urgent need to develop novel evidence-based treatments for PTSD.”

BBC News - LulzSec hacker: 'Internet is a world devoid of empathy'

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:25:29 -0400

BBC News - LulzSec hacker: 'Internet is a world devoid of empathy'

Why We Hate HR | Fast Company | Business Innovation

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:18:43 -0400

Why We Hate HR | Fast Company | Business Innovation:

In a knowledge economy, companies with the best talent win. And finding, nurturing, and developing that talent should be one of the most important tasks in a corporation. So why does human resources do such a bad job — and how can we fix it?

Study: Men's Biceps Predict Their Political Ideologies - Lindsay Abrams - The Atlantic

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:14:08 -0400

Study: Men's Biceps Predict Their Political Ideologies - Lindsay Abrams - The Atlantic

U.N. to world: “Eat your insects.” | Grist

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:56:31 -0400

U.N. to world: “Eat your insects.” | Grist

Americans’ main complaint about water is that it tastes too much like water | Grist

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:55:52 -0400

Americans’ main complaint about water is that it tastes too much like water | Grist

Ag-gag bill chokes in Tennessee | Grist

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:54:57 -0400

Ag-gag bill chokes in Tennessee | Grist:

First, the Attorney General says the law is constitutionally suspect. Second, it appears to repeal parts of Tennessee’s Shield Law [which protects journalism] without saying so. If that is the case, it should say so. Third, there are concerns from some district attorneys that the act actually makes it more difficult to prosecute animal cruelty cases, which would be an unintended consequence.

Anatomy of the ag-gag | Grist

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:53:23 -0400

Anatomy of the ag-gag | Grist:

The industrial farming lobby calls them farm protection laws. Animal activists call them ag-gag laws. Whatever you call them, laws aimed at criminalizing undercover investigations of conditions at factory farms, slaughterhouses, and meat processing facilities are multiplying across the U.S., and getting more stringent with each new round of proposed legislation. This series outlines the history, the issues, and the future prospects for these laws.

Aussie government tries to block two sites, takes down 1,200 | Ars Technica

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:44:37 -0400

Aussie government tries to block two sites, takes down 1,200 | Ars Technica

Mozilla delays turning on third-party cookie killer in Firefox | Ars Technica

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:38:52 -0400

Mozilla delays turning on third-party cookie killer in Firefox | Ars Technica

Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Court Order to Seize Phone Records | Threat Level | Wired.com

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:36:51 -0400

Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Court Order to Seize Phone Records | Threat Level | Wired.com

The 10 Worst States for the Unemployed: Not All States are Equal - Bloomberg

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:31:16 -0400

The 10 Worst States for the Unemployed: Not All States are Equal - Bloomberg

School officials in Northville, Mich., refuse to ban unedited version of Anne Frank's diary | New York Daily News

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:24:03 -0400

School officials in Northville, Mich., refuse to ban unedited version of Anne Frank's diary | New York Daily News

Cambodia Presses U.S. Museums to Return Antiquities - NYTimes.com

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:23:20 -0400

Cambodia Presses U.S. Museums to Return Antiquities - NYTimes.com

Pentagon: Russian arms shipment may prolong Syria war - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:20:27 -0400

Pentagon: Russian arms shipment may prolong Syria war - Alarabiya.net English | Front Page:

But it’s ok for the USA and EU to support the rebels?

Cuba seeks greater economic cooperation with Russia - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:12:04 -0400

Cuba seeks greater economic cooperation with Russia - Xinhua | English.news.cn:

HAVANA, May 17 (Xinhua) — Cuban parliament speaker Esteban Lazo said here Friday that his country is interested in expanding economic cooperation with Russia.

Lazo, president of Cuba’s unicameral parliament, the People’s Power National Assembly, made the remarks after signing an inter-parliamentary cooperation agreement with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council.

“The relations between Cuba and Russia are at an expansion moment,” Lazo said, adding that Matviyenko’s visit would further promote the “excellent” historical and friendly ties between the two governments and peoples.

On Friday, Matviyenko also held talks with Cuban President Raul Castro.

Russia backs Iran for Syria talks - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:09:50 -0400

Russia backs Iran for Syria talks - Xinhua | English.news.cn:

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhuanet) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Iran must take part in a proposed international conference to end Syria’s civil war. He added that that Western states wanted to limit the participants and possibly predetermine the outcome of the talks.

Iran has welcomed the proposal and expressed hopes that it would be a part of the process. Lavrov also said Saudi Arabia should be present.