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Where Traditional DNA Testing Fails, Algorithms Take Over
by Cecilia Tanaka 05 Nov '16

05 Nov '16

"Where Traditional DNA Testing Fails, Algorithms Take Over Powerful software is solving more crimes and raising new questions about due process." https://www.propublica.org/article/where-traditional-dna-testing-fails-algo… It's fascinating, but pretty scary. Too many possibilities butterflying around, uh! :-/

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PapersPlease.org - "What's Wrong With Showing ID?"
by Zenaan Harkness 04 Nov '16

04 Nov '16

https://papersplease.org/id.html The Issue What's Wrong With Showing ID? "There are good people with bad papers; and bad people with good papers." - Bertolt Brecht What does an ID, any ID, do for security? The honest answer is 'not much'. If anything, relying on ID for security purposes actually makes things worse: a false sense of security fosters complacency. Showing ID only affects honest people. If you're dishonest, you can obtain false documents or steal the identity of an honest person. If a 19 year-old college student can get a fake ID to drink, why couldn't a bad person get one, too? And no matter how sophisticated the security embedded into the ID, wouldn't a well-financed terrorist be able to falsify that, too? The answer to both questions is obviously 'yes'. Honest people, on the other hand, go to Pro-Life rallies. Honest people go to Pro-Choice rallies, too. Honest people attend gun shows. Honest people protest the actions of the President of the United States. Honest people fly to political conventions. What if those with the power to put people on a 'no fly' list decided that they didn't like the reason for which you wanted to travel? The honest people wouldn't be going anywhere. Bad people, besides using fake IDs and stolen identities, can also make the system of checking IDs work in their favor. The Carnival Booth algorithm, as described by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, demonstrates that terrorists can probe an ID security system by sending a number of people on innocent trips through the system and noting who is flagged for extra searches and who isn't. They then send only those who the system doesn't flag on terrorist missions. Still, some Americans think that 'if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear'. Were the Founding Fathers criminals trying to protect themselves when they inserted the 4th and 5th amendments into the Bill of Rights? After all, nobody who hasn't done anything wrong needs to worry about being searched or being forced to testify against himself. Over the years, Americans have become accustomed to showing ID in any number of circumstances. Few have asked the question, 'Why?'. Showing ID during a private business transaction, like writing a check or using a credit card, is different than having to show ID to the government in order to travel. The custom of showing ID at airports came about in July of 1996, in the wake of the TWA flight 800 disaster. Faulty fuel tank insulation caused TWA 800 to explode over Long Island Sound. Before we knew that, there was concern that terrorists had blown up the plane. According to former terrorism czar Richard Clarke's book, the ID requirement was instituted as a temporary measure so that then-President Clinton had something to announce to the families of the victims when he met with them. After the 2001 World Trade Center bombings, the ID requirement became mandatory, as anyone who has flown since can testify. The Department of Homeland Security has attempted to institute programs predicated on the use of ID to improve air security. One such program, the Computer Assisted Passenger Profiling System II (CAPPS II) would have required every citizen to undergo a background check as a precondition to travel by commercial airline. CAPPS II depended on the presentation of government-issued photo ID in order to function. The information contained on the ID would have been cross-checked against a variety of public and private databases, and an individual threat assessment would be generated based on this information. The CAPPS II program was pronounced 'dead' in July of 2004, but the Department of Homeland Security is quietly continuing to work to produce a replacement system, now called "Secure Flight", that works similarly. Another program which depends on showing ID is the Watch List and No-Fly List. Airlines are issued these secret lists by the federal government and are required to request ID from their passengers in order to check them against the secret lists. This has resulted in countless citizens ( http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=15430&c=gilmorevsashcroft ) with names similar to bad people being harassed, arrested, or prevented from traveling by aircraft including every person named 'David Nelson'. Much has been done to make travel by air safer. Cockpit doors have been secured, pilots are armed, and Air Marshals patrol airplane cabins. Increased physical security at airports has dramatically increased the safety of our nation's skies. Above all, the mindset of the flying public has also changed: no longer will passengers remain passive in the event of a skyjacking. The demand for ID does nothing for security while making honest Americans less free. Every government that has imposed totalitarian rules told its populace that it was doing so to "uphold freedom" or "improve the security of the homeland" or "root out terrorists and subversives." These ends do not justify unconstitutional means. We uphold freedom by exercising it – not by restricting it. Using this country's transportation system to conduct a dragnet, using government secret lists of wanted people, degrades our freedom and makes people less inclined to voice their opinion for fear of ending up on these secret lists. While the present administration may have benevolent intentions to justify their actions, our future is imperiled by this wholly un-American activity.

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Re: [Cryptography] Happy birthday, NSA!
by grarpamp 04 Nov '16

04 Nov '16

On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 5:03 PM, J.M. Porup <jm(a)porup.com> wrote: > When will we celebrate their funeral, I wonder? When you end the secrets, secrecy, usurious motivations and permissions you granted to governors, politics and business.

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Iceland: Pirate Party Projected to Win Election
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Let's see what the day brings. "Any change is a good change" at this point, some might say :) Iceland’s Radical Pirate Party Projected to Win Election https://sputniknews.com/politics/201610291046863667-pirate-prty-iceland/

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[WAR] Terrorist State: Ukraine threatens to shoot down Belarusian civilian plane
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Just amazing (assuming it's true). Terrorist State: Ukraine threatens to shoot down Belarusian civilian plane http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/11/terrorist-state-ukraine-threatens-to.html November 1, 2016 - By Eduard Popov for Fort Russ - translated by J. Arnoldski " On November 1st, Sputnik Belarus published the scandalous transcript of talks between the crew of a Belavia Belarusian Airlines plane and Ukrainian dispatchers. On October 22nd, a civilian aircraft of Belavia Belarusian Airlines flew from the Zhulyany Airport near Kiev to Minsk. When the plane was 50 km away from the Belarusian border, the plane’s crew received a message from the Zhulyany airport’s dispatch service demanding that they immediately return to the point of departure. The dispatcher stated that, if the plane failed to comply with the demands, fighter jets would be sent. The Ukrainian dispatcher said: “For failure to comply, military aircraft will be sent up to intercept you.” "

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[USA] Hillary Clinton - on rigging elections - doing "the wrong thing at every turn"
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

** Audio from 2006 emerges where Hillary Clinton wants to rig Palestinian elections ------------------------------------------------------------ hillary-palestinian-audio Hillary Clinton: 'We should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win' ** Hillary Clinton “has done the wrong thing at every goddamn turn” – Jimmy Dore goes nuclear on Hillary ------------------------------------------------------------ Hillary Clinton “has done the wrong thing at every goddamn turn” – Jimmy Dore goes nuclear on Hillary Filmmaker Michael Moore gave a speech describing why Donald Trump's promises appeal to working poor voters.

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Appelbaum, CDC, CCC
by Georgi Guninski 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

Appelbaum, CDC, CCC http://www.itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/73441-appelbaum-banned-f… Appelbaum banned from Debian events after sexual misconduct charges === Appelbaum has also been asked to leave other hacker groups like the Cult of the Dead Cow, Noisebridge, and will not be allowed to attend events organised by the hacker group Chaos Computer Club. === Are journos exaggerating at least for CCC?

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[PC] How to be inclusive by exluding use of the word "man"
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

** Princeton University HR Department bans the word “man” from its vocabulary (http://theduran.com/princeton-university-hr-department-bans-the-word-man-fr…) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Alex Christoforou on Aug 20, 2016 04:38 pm princeton Perhaps by not using the word “man” the progressive left believe that men will simply vanish, and leave them to enjoy their neo-liberal wonderland. It will be interesting to see how exactly, after “men” have been vanquished, progressives will survive in a world where men no longer are a factor. It is good to see the academic elite at Princeton HR department enforcing rules that ignore the most basic principles of biology, evolution, and simple logic…in a building, classroom and univeristy built by men. Need we wonder why the United States is on the decline. John Cramer, Princeton’s director of media relations, said the guidelines are all about the need to… “reflect the university’s initiative of fostering an inclusive environment.” Inclusive environment by excluding the word “man”. Should we exclude the word “woman” as well? Of will that word be changed to “wo-person”. princeton-370x228 The College Fix reports… The relatively new policy (https://www.princeton.edu/hr/progserv/communications/inclusivelanguage.pdf) in effect at the Ivy League institution spells out the directive in a four-page memo that aims to make the department more gender inclusive. Instead of using “man,” employees are told to use words such as human beings, individuals or people. Other guidelines? Instead of “man and wife” use spouses or partners. Switch out “man made” with artificial, handmade or manufactured. Don’t use the verb “to man,” as in to work something, instead use to operate or to staff. Throw out workmanlike and replace it with skillful. The memo goes on to list a variety of occupations that typically include the word “man” in them and offers replacements: business person instead of businessman, firefighter instead of fireman, ancestors instead of forefathers, and so on. “Consistent with style guidelines issued by Princeton’s Office of Human Resources and Office of Communications, and as endorsed by the Institutional Equity Planning Group as a preferred University practice, HR has developed these gender inclusive style guidelines, to be utilized by all HR staff members in HR communications, policies, job descriptions, and job postings,” the memo states. In a statement to The College Fix, John Cramer, Princeton’s director of media relations, said the guidelines “reflect the university’s initiative of fostering an inclusive environment.” While Princeton’s language policy for its Offices of Communications and Human Resources, Princeton’s LGBT Center also offers a guide (http://static1.squarespace.com/static/56bbb7e4f8baf3d9ee6c5ed6/t/5740d623ab…) on various gender pronouns for those who identify as “transgender, genderqueer, and other gender-variant,” suggesting “ze, zie and hir,” “they and theirs,” and “Ey, em, eir and emself.” Many universities have also encouraged the campus community as a whole to use of gender neutral or gender inclusive language. Last year, the University of Tennessee’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion suggested (http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/23990/) students use the pronouns ze, xe, hir, hirs and zirs, along with others, for those who don’t identify with a particular biological sex. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center developed (http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/24261/) an exhaustive list of words that contain potentially biased or offensive implications, such as businessman, policeman, and even freshman, so that students might avoid using them in their writing. Such policies regarding gender language have concerned free speech advocates. Marquette University’s Writing Center wrote a policy (http://www.marquette.edu/wac/neutral/NeutralInclusiveLanguage.shtml) similar to UNC Chapel Hill’s, and it implies that those who do not abide by it may face consequences. “When you are writing about people in general, many of your professors will expect you to use ‘inclusive’ or ‘nonsexist’ language, that is, gender neutral language,” Marquette’s website states, adding that many people find non-neutered language “not only inaccurate but offensive.” Concerns about whether or not students would see their grades suffer for not following its guide in classwork and common speech caused Tennessee’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion to issue the following statement: “We recognize that most people prefer to use the pronouns he and she; we do not dictate speech. We do strive to be a diverse and inclusive campus and to ensure that everyone feels welcome, accepted, and respected.” Cramer clarified Princeton’s policy in a similar way, saying “these are guidelines issued by HR, developed in cooperation with Institutional Equity Planning Group for communication and job postings. Students are not mandated to follow this policy. Via: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/28540/

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[WAR] The Banality / Evil of American Exceptionalism
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

What's depressing is how a former deputy CIA director can call for the clandestine killing of Russians and Iranians - on national TV - and this is not decried/ shouted down/ understood by North American TV commentators as fundamentally wrong and unethical. The USA regime reality show is a sad and pathetic indictment indeed... ** Peter Lavelle: The Banality of American Exceptionalism – Morell and Trump (http://theduran.com/peter-lavelle-the-banality-of-american-exceptionalism-m…) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Peter Lavelle on Aug 15, 2016 07:37 pm WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: Former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell is sworn in prior to testimony before the House Select Intelligence Committee April 2, 2014 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on the topic of "The Benghazi Talking Points and Michael J. Morell's Role in Shaping the Administration's Narrative." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) “American Exceptionalism” is a bane on the U.S. and the world. Not only is it dangerously absurd and arrogant, but also it is overwhelmingly accepted among Americans without much thought. This way of thinking automatically disregards international law and any semblance of common sense. The U.S. tells the world that it is not accountable to anyone and all are accountable to Washington. The claim to be the “exceptional” country means all other countries are expendable. This is not a foreign policy, it is threat to use force at any time and any place of Washington’s choosing. A perfect example of this was an interview with former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell on the Charlie Rose TV program. Morell declared that America must make the Russians and Iranians “pay a price in Syria.” Rose: “We make them pay the price by killing Russians?” Morell: “Yeah.” Rose: “And killing Iranians?” Morell: “Yes … You don’t tell the world about it. … But you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran.” During the interview, Morell also says that the U.S. ought to kill Iranians and Russians “covertly.” (Rose and the American public don’t appear to have a problem with this, neither did the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, Post, CNN, MSNBC, etc.) Rose and Morell made no mention Russia and Iran are actually the countries serious about eliminating (western-backed) terrorist groups in Syria – and both do legally under international law. Rose and Morell also spoke to each other and their audience as if existing in a sealed media vacuum. Their “exceptional” conversation was for consumption by the “exceptional” audience – the American public. Morell is one of the architects of America’s illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. He has never been held to account for that disaster. Who has? In fact he has had a remarkable career for person of unexceptional intellectual skills and unexceptional opinions. A frequent guest on the Rose program, he is widely seen as currying favor with the Hillary Clinton campaign. Fine, he is politicking and promoting himself. But the world is watching. The Russians and Iranians are certainly paying attention. What conclusions should they draw from the Rose-Morell gabfest and the American media in general? It is obvious: Washington’s diplomatic and public policy rhetoric is hollow and simply lies. Washington will and does resort to murder – and war – if it suits its purposes. If Washington acts outside of international law, why should other countries feel bound by it? Calling for the killing of Russians and Iranians is an act of war. Countries have the right to defend themselves. When Donald Trump made reference to the second amendment of the Constitution (relating to personal gun ownership), the media went frantic. The criticism levelled against Trump was he was calling for violence. Well, that’s odd. There is room for interpretation regarding what Trump actually said, but there is no doubt a former CIA deputy director openly called for the killing of foreign nationals. No one really took notice, as if it was perfectly natural. This is what “American Exceptionalism” has done to the American mind, media, and the powers-that-be. Meanwhile, the world watches on. Peter Lavelle is host of RT’s political debate program CrossTalk. His views may not necessarily reflect those of his employer.

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[WAR] DCleaks.com - Soros manipulates EU elections, involved in every coup since 25 years
by Zenaan Harkness 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

** George Soros’ NGOs exposed manipulating EU elections in 2,500 document hack from DC Leaks (http://theduran.com/george-soros-criminal-ngos-fully-exposed-dc-leaks-2500-…) ------------------------------------------------------------ By Alex Christoforou on Aug 15, 2016 01:15 pm Exclusive Interview With Billionaire Investor George Soros Going through the George Soros leaked email cache is some scary stuff. The Hungarian Billionaire and his NGOs wield immense power, and the documents that are being shared by DC Leaks (http://soros.dcleaks.com/) show how Soros topples governments and incites civil wars so he can make huge financial profits. This is an immense trove of Soros NGO minutes, white papers, excel budgets, and media plans that details how Soros and his NGOs run governments and financial institutions from behind the curtain. You can find the complete, searchable, files at the DCLeaks website (http://soros.dcleaks.com/) ., which describe Soros and his network of NGOs as having “slaves spill blood of millions and millions people just to make him even more rich.” George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, political activist and author who is of Hungarian-Jewish ancestry and holds dual citizenship. He drives more than 50 global and regional programs and foundations. Soros is named as the architect and sponsor of almost every revolution and coup around the world for the last 25 years. Thanks to him and his puppets USA is thought to be a vampire, not a lighthouse of freedom and democracy. His slaves spill blood of millions and millions people just to make him even more rich. Soros is an oligarch sponsoring Democratic party, Hillary Clinton, hundreds of politicians all over the world. This website is designed to let everyone take a look at restricted documents of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and related organisations. It represents workplans, strategies, priorities and other activities of Soros. These documents shed light on one of the most influential network operating worldwide. Here is a full list of Soros NGOs (https://sli.mg/a/Rjhdx8) manipulating elections in all EU member states, complete with goals of the project, contact persons and grant amounts. . @sn0wba111 (https://twitter.com/sn0wba111) @CapuPatriote (https://twitter.com/CapuPatriote) Full list of Soros NGOs manipulating elections in all EU member states. #SorosLeak (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SorosLeak?src=hash) #Soros (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Soros?src=hash) https://t.co/h5qWX6eZCi — ⚓ Cain Raiser (@ActaNonVerba_) August 14, 2016 (https://twitter.com/ActaNonVerba_/status/764864330038771712) 3QndhG More of the Soros EU election documents in the slider below… 2 2 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2-1400x990.jpg) 2 3 3 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/3-1400x990.jpg) 3 4 4 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/4-1400x990.jpg) 4 5 5 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/5-1400x990.jpg) 5 6 6 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/6-1400x990.jpg) 6 7 7 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/7-1400x990.jpg) 7 8 8 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/8-1400x990.jpg) 8 9 9 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/9-1400x990.jpg) 9 10 10 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/10-1400x990.jpg) 10 11 11 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/11-1400x990.jpg) 11 12 12 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/12-1400x990.jpg) 12 13 13 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/13-1400x990.jpg) 13 14 14 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/14-1400x990.jpg) 14 15 15 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/15-1400x990.jpg) 15 16 16 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/16-1400x990.jpg) 16 17 17 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/17-1400x990.jpg) 17 18 18 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/18-1400x990.jpg) 18 19 19 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/19-1400x990.jpg) 19 20 20 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20-1400x990.jpg) 20 21 21 (http://theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/21-1400x990.jpg) 21 Zerohedge (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-14/george-soros-hacked-over-2500-inte…) reports… The 2,576 files were released by DCLeaks, a website which claims to be “launched by the American hacktivists who respect and appreciate freedom of speech, human rights and government of the people.” The documents are from multiple departments of Soros’ organizations. Soros’ the Open Society Foundations seems to be the group with the most documents in the leak. Files come from sections representing almost all geographical regions in the world, from the USA, to Europe, Eurasia, Asia, Latin, America, Africa, the World Bank “the President’s Office”, as well as an unknown entity named SOUK. As the Daily Caller notes (http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/13/soros-groups-get-hacked-hundreds-of-docum…) , there are documents dating from at least 2008 to 2016. Documents in the leak range from research papers such as “EUROPEAN CRISIS: Key Developments of the Past 48 Hours (http://soros.dcleaks.com/download/?f=/Europe/Migration%20and%20Asylum%20in%…) ” focusing on the impact of the refugee crisis, to a document titled “The Ukraine debate in Germany (http://soros.dcleaks.com/download/?f=/Ukraine%20and%20Europe/germany/osf%20…) “, to an update specific financials of grants. An email leaked by WikiLeaks earlier this week showed Soros had advised Hillary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State on how to handle unrest in Albania – advice she acted on. Via: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-14/george-soros-hacked-over-2500-inte… The post George Soros’ NGOs exposed manipulating EU elections in 2,500 document hack from DC Leaks (http://theduran.com/george-soros-criminal-ngos-fully-exposed-dc-leaks-2500-…) appeared first on The Duran (http://theduran.com) .

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