Hitchbot, THe Hitchhiking Robot

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Need a Lift? Hitchhiking Robot Makes His Way Across Canada

By Jillian Rose Lim, Staff Writer   |   August 05, 2014 03:27pm ET
robots hitch hiking technology
  HitchBOT is making his way across Canada on the kindness of strangers.
Credit: hitchBOT | http://www.hitchbot.me

If you’re driving along Canada’s highways, you may encounter a hitchhiking robot with his right thumb out, Wellington boots on and a charming personality — not to mention the ability to tweet, Instagram and update his Facebook profile. Meet hitchBOT.

The little robot, the brainchild of Canadian researchers, is making his way across Canada, relying on strangers to give him a ride. The journey is part of an experiment in both the culture of human kindness and the current state of artificial intelligence technology.

The collaborative art and robotics project aims to explore two diverse issues: the growing utility for social or companion robots, and a growing aversion toward risk and adventure (in Canada at least), said David Harris Smith, a professor of communications at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and one of hitchBOT’s founding fathers. [See photos of the hitchhiking robot on his journey]

Though statistically safer, Canadians have become much more cautious and worried, evident in the shrinking amount of unsupervised playtime they allow their children,” Smith told Live Science in an email. “HitchBOT combines these issues by sending a robot to explore cultural life in Canada, taking the someway risky, but adventurous, approach of hitchhiking across the country.”

HitchBOT left Nova Scotia, on the East Coast of Canada, on July 27, and the researchers hope he’ll reach British Columbia, on the West Coast, by the end of the summer. Some of the robot’s features include one hitchhiking arm that can raise itself, the ability to converse with traveling companions and comfy rain boots for those long hours camped on the side of the road. The bot also boasts an LED screen for a face, a 3G and Wi-Fi network, an audio and visual camera, speech-recognition processing and the ability to share bits of trivia from a Wikipedia database.

HitchBOT has been described as “hardware-store chic,” with pool noodle arms, a garbage can hat and a torso made out of a beer pail. HitchBOT also has a “personality” designed by Smith and Frauke Zeller, a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto. The robot’s persona includes a “family” of researchers and artists, hobbies (horseback riding, trivia and baking) and a favorite movie, “Wall-E.”

HitchBOT has limited speech abilities, but can engage in small talk, apologize that he might be kind of weird and even tell you if he doesn’t understand something you said.

“HitchBOT chatters, asking about your favorite music, or what book you are reading — these are strategies to get people talking, so hitchBOT can listen for some key words that it might recognize,” Smith said.

As he travels, hitchBOT asks drivers to charge his battery in the cigarette lighters of their cars, and takes 60-second images or videos that are then uploaded to his social media accounts. This way, the robot’s “family” in Toronto can track what he encounters on his cross-country journey.

“From a cultural and sociological perspective, hitchBOT might be used to fathom differences in cultural attitudes toward social robotics,” Smith said. “We have seen some of this in the social media feeds, which [have] an international audience of over 20,000 followers.”

But the project is doing more than simply documenting the kindness of Canadians. Smith said the researchers are also aiming to design low-cost robots that are intuitive in their interactions with humans, have flexible power-supply options, can be integrated with social media and are able to geo-locate, among other features. HitchBOT may also be useful in calibrating the number of wireless services it encounters over the course of the cross-country expedition, since the robot posts its GPS location every 15 minutes.

So far, the response to hitchBOT has been positive, the researchers said.

“Although we planned to create a robot that would be ‘approachable’ and appealing, we have been deeply impressed by how hitchBOT has been embraced by people of all ages,” Smith said. “HitchBOT is receiving artworks and affectionate notes from children.”

So, what’s next for hitchBOT? The robo traveler is currently outside of Toronto, according to a map on the project’s website. Likely, hitchBOT is standing on the side of a road, arm out, awaiting his next ride.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/47206-robot-hitchhikes-across-canada.html

Yellowstone Evacuating

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As Always, do your research — many conflicting reports:

Yellowstone Evacuated: Experts Claim ‘Super Volcano’ Could Erupt Within Weeks

By – Published: 08/03/2014 – Section: World
yellowstone-caldera-super-volcanoYellowstone National Park has been hastily evacuated as fear of the Yellowstone Caldera’s eruption is deemed to be approaching sooner than previously expected. Researchers on-site claim that the 640,000 year-old super volcano has exhibited a sudden spike of activity which indicates that it could erupt in as little as two weeks. The explosion caused by the volcano would very well throw all of United States into a 200 year long volcanic winter, with ash blotting out the sun, and pyroclastic flow irreparably damaging the surrounding ecosystem.

Two weeks ago several roads through yellow stone were closed down after the pavement began to crack and bubble due to the extreme temperatures rising beneath the earth’s surface. No one has yet been able to pinpoint what has spurned this sudden surge of action. Officials monitoring the volcano are primarily concerned with keeping the curious out of the park, as well as safely vacating surrounding areas to prevent any potential casualties.

The scientific community is split on when exactly the volcano will erupt. Some say weeks, while other camps suggest that it could be several months. One thing they all agree on, however, is that it will happen very, very soon. Senior Volcanologist Richard Dunn gave the following report in regards to the volcano’s alarming activity. “This is something which could have never been accurately determined ahead of time. This unpredictable flux of activity is quite concerning, and flies in the face of all our previous studies in regards to this particular volcano. Our chief concern at this point is getting people to safety.”

from:    http://civictribune.com/yellowstone-evacuated-experts-claim-super-volcano-erupt-within-weeks/

The Threats of ‘Big Organic”

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Walmarting Organics: Will the Growth of “Big Organic” Lower Food Quality, Weaken Standards, and Destroy Farmers’ Livelihoods?

July 22nd, 2014

Commentary by Mark Kastel

walmart low prices b&wAs Yogi Berra said, “It seems like déjà vu all over again.” In 2006 The Cornucopia Institute released a report accusing Walmart of cheapening the value of the organic label by sourcing products from industrial-scale factory farms and developing countries, including China.

At the time, Walmart announced that they would greatly increase the number of organic products they offered and price them at a target of 10% above the cost for conventional food. They failed miserably at that first attempt, eventually removing many of the organic items from their stores.

This past May, Walmart announced they will once again enter the organic arena, in earnest, with the goal of eliminating the premium price for organic food.

Since the announcement, Cornucopia has received numerous press inquiries asking if Walmart’s organic expansion is “good news or bad news” for the industry. My stock answer has been, as it was in 2006: If Walmart lends their logistical prowess to organic food, both farmers and consumers will be big winners by virtue of a more competitive marketplace. However, if the company applies their standard business model, and in essence Walmarts organics, then everyone will lose.

Organic family farmers in this country could see their livelihoods disintegrate the same way so many industrial workers saw their family-supporting wages evaporate as Walmart, Target and other big-box retailers put the screws to manufacturers—forcing a production shift to China and other low-wage countries.

Walmart became the nation’s largest organic milk retailer by partnering with the dairy giant Dean Foods/WhiteWave (Horizon Organic). They then introduced their own private-label organic milk packaged by Aurora Organic Dairy. Aurora, based in Boulder, Colorado, has faced a maelstrom of organic industry criticism and negative press for operating a number of industrial-scale dairies with thousands of cows confined in feedlot-like conditions. They were the subject of a USDA investigation that found the giant dairy had “willfully” violated 14 tenets of the federal organic standards.

This time around Walmart is keeping the sourcing of their organic products a secret by using a private-label supplier and marketing products under the Wild Oats brand, a former natural foods grocery chain briefly owned by Whole Foods before, in 2009, an antitrust rule forced it to divest its holdings (resulting in the eventual shutdown of the Wild Oats chain).

Walmart claims that each item in the line, to consist of about 100 packaged products including pasta, peanut butter, dried spices, and olive oil, will cost at least 25 percent less than other organic goods sold at their store, according to Consumer Reports.

I’ve always said that “private-label, store-brand organics” is an oxymoron. By its very nature the practice is secretive. Grocery chains want to pit supplier against supplier. They want the companies manufacturing their products to feel insecure knowing they could lose the business for a few pennies to a rival competitor. For that reason retailers don’t want their customers to become loyal to a specific brand-name supplier.

In contrast, most organic consumers are label readers. We want to know where our food is coming from, how it is produced and, if livestock are involved, how respectfully they are treated. None of that is possible with private-label products.

Target has taken a different approach. Although they have plenty of private-label brands (Archer Farms, Market Pantry, and Simply Balanced in their grocery aisles), they are also presenting a “curated” product line including many name brands owned by large agribusinesses that have invested in organics.

It should be noted that the product lines at Walmart and Target include both organic and conventional (“natural”) products under the same private-label brands.

Cornucopia’s 2006 report documenting the Walmart/factory-farm connection also highlighted the company’s decision to lower the per unit cost basis on organic products by collaborating with its long-time trading partner China.

Even if the organic certification process in China were not cause for serious concern—coupled with the fact that the USDA has provided little if any regulatory oversight there—food shipped around the world, burning fossil fuels and undercutting our domestic farmers, does not meet the consumer’s traditional definition of what is truly organic.

Meanwhile, Whole Foods Market announced that they are cutting many prices to meet increasing competition from mainstream retailers like Kroger, Safeway and now Walmart, and their stock plunged nearly 19% this past May.

“I don’t think consumers have any idea just how industrialized [mainstream organics] is becoming,” said best-selling food movement author Michael Pollan in an interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “There are some real downsides to organic farming scaling up to this extent,” he added.

Both Pollan and I worry that the expansion of “Big Organic” will lower food quality, weaken standards and hurt small family farms.

There’s a reason that organic food costs more. It costs more to produce, and paying farmers a fair price has always been part of the deal. The claim that Walmart will be able to provide organic food that truly adheres to federal organic standards, without a premium price, seems questionable at best.

The last time Walmart rolled out organic foods on a large scale, The Cornucopia Institute caught them labeling “natural” food as organic. After an investigation by the USDA and making the commitment to take down fraudulent signage, the company was not prosecuted. Walmart obviously did not have the expertise, at the store level, to manage organics.

The gold standard in organic retailing remains the hundreds of member-owned food co-ops and independent natural foods grocery stores across the country. Many of them are like a farmers market seven days a week where you can also find reputable national brands. They also act as a portal for accessing the local food movement. Your community’s farmers market, or joining a CSA, can also provide your family with the highest quality organic food.

When Walmart and Target complete their product roll-out, you can be sure The Cornucopia Institute will publish a new report for our members, the public and the media. We will provide discussion and analysis as to whether these massive corporations have learned from their past failures relating to organics and are now offering a true competitive alternative in the marketplace.

This story originally appeared in The Cultivator, The Cornucopia Institute’s quarterly print publication available to members and online.

 

Walmarting Organics: Will the Growth of “Big Organic” Lower Food Quality, Weaken Standards, and Destroy Farmers’ Livelihoods?

The Genealogy of Native Americans

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DNA Analysis Shows That Native American Genealogy Is One of the Most Unique in the World

http://themindunleashed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/nativeee.jpg

The suppression of the Native Americans and the decimation of their culture is a black page in the history of the United States. The discrimination and injustices towards this ancient race, which had lived on the American continent long before the European conquerors came to this land, are still present to this day despite the efforts of different groups and organizations trying to restore the justice.

The destruction of their culture is one of the most shameful aspects of our history, the extent of the damage that was done is still being down-played and denied entry into textbooks and history-lessons to this day.

The origin and history of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas have been studied for years by researchers from different countries, and a recent DNA study showed that the genealogy of the western aboriginals is one of the most unique in the world.

The question of whether Native Americans derived from a single Asian population or from a number of different populations has been a subject of research for decades. Now, having compared the DNA samples from people of modern Native American and Eurasian groups, an international team of researchers concluded on the validity of the single ancestral population theory.

The study follows up on earlier research that found a unique variant of a genetic marker in the DNA of modern descendants of Native Americans. “While earlier studies have already supported this conclusion, what’s different about our work is that it provides the first solid data that simply cannot be reconciled with multiple ancestral populations,” said Kari Britt Schroeder of the University of California, one of the authors of the study.

As a result of the previous research, the so-called “9-repeat allele” (or variant) was found in all of the 41 Native American and Asian (from the western side of the Bering Strait) populations that were sampled. At the same time, the allele was absent in all 54 of the Eurasian, African and Oceanian groups that were also sampled in the study.

The researchers supposed that the distribution of the allele was due to the fact that all these ethnic groups (modern Native Americans, Greenlanders and western Beringians) derived from a common founder population, which had been isolated from the rest of the Asian continent thousands of years prior to their migration to the Americas.

This explanation was persuasive enough; however, there was no strong evidence to support it. There were two other plausible versions to explain the distribution of the 9-repeat allele among the modern descendants of Native Americans.

If the 9-repeat allele had originated as a multiple mutation, its presence in the Americas would not suggest common ancestry. Thus, if there had been more than one ancestral founder population and the 9-repeat allele had been present only in one of them, it could possibly have passed to the other ethnic groups and spread among them. If there also had been a second, beneficial allele located very close to the 9-repeat allele, it would certainly have been carried into new populations. At the same time, long stretches of DNA surrounding the 9-repeat allele would be carried along with the beneficial allele due to the mechanisms of natural selection.

In order to check the validity of this hypothesis, researchers led by Noah Rosenberg of the University of Michigan analyzed DNA samples from people from Asian, Native American, Greenlandic and two western Beringian populations, and found that all the samples with the 9-repeat allele had a distinct pattern of base pairs in short stretches of DNA.

As Schroeder noted, “If natural selection had promoted the spread of a neighboring advantageous allele, we would expect to see longer stretches of DNA than this with a similarly distinct pattern. And we would also have expected to see the pattern in a high frequency even among people who do not carry the 9-repeat allele. So we can now consider the positive selection possibility unlikely.”

These findings also excluded the multiple mutations theory, because in this case there would have been myriad DNA patterns surrounding the 9-repeat allele.

“Our work provides strong evidence that, in general, Native Americans are more closely related to each other than to any other existing Asian populations, except those that live at the very edge of the Bering Strait,” concluded Schroeder.

The results of the study were published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna LeMind is the owner and lead editor of the website Learning-mind.com, and a staff writer for The Mind Unleashed.

Featured image credits: BBCNews

from:     http://themindunleashed.org/2014/08/dna-analysis-shows-native-american-genealogy-one-unique-world.html

GMO’s & World Hunger

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Can GMOs Help Feed the World?

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The claims about genetically engineered foods have been quite lofty. Monsanto and other proponents of biotechnology are fond of saying that genetic engineering is necessary if the world’s food supply is to keep up with seven billion people and counting. They claim GE crops produce higher yields, solve pest and weed problems, are safe for humans and the environment, and are the cure for world hunger.

As John Robbins writes, if Monsanto’s true goal is addressing hunger, then their seeds would be designed to fix the core problems that underlie the hunger issue, such as:[1]

-Able to grow on substandard or marginal soils
-Able to produce more high-quality protein with increased per-acre yield, without the need for expensive machinery, chemicals, fertilizers or water
-Engineered to favor small farms over larger farms
-Cheap and freely available without restrictive licensing
-Designed for crops that feed people, not livestock

If GE foods were really a viable way to eliminate world hunger, then meeting these challenges would be a powerful argument in their favor, would it not? So, what does the science say?

Monsanto gets a failing grade across the board.

With nearly 100 million acres of GE food now planted worldwide, Monsanto’s crops have yet to do one thing to alleviate hunger, particularly for the world’s less fortunate. In fact, most of that acreage is devoted to growing corn and transgenic soybeans for livestock feed.

GE Crops Produce a Higher Yield … Right?

No—their yield is actually lower. Overall, research has shown a 5 to 10 percent reduction in yield for GE soybeans versus the conventional variety. Other GE crops are performing equally poorly.[2] These plants are weak, malnourished and fail with the slightest environmental stress or drought. Agronomists and plant scientists have made far greater advances in yields with conventional breeding methods than with GE crops.

The yields of GE cotton have been particularly abysmal. Scientists have determined that growing GE cotton in the US can result in a 40 percent drop in income. In India, the situation is much worse with up to 100 percent failure rates for Bt cotton, leaving farmers in total financial ruin. According to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, more than 182,900 Indian farmers took their own lives between 1997 and 2007 as a result of GE crop failures—a staggering 46 farmer suicides each and every day.[3]

GE Crops Require Fewer Chemicals … Don’t They?

It turns out that GE crops fail miserably in this respect too. GE crops actually need more toxic chemicals, not less. Eighty-five percent of all GE seeds are engineered for herbicide tolerance—specifically, Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” cotton, corn, soy, and canola seeds. As a result, pesticide use has increased dramatically. Since the introduction of GE crops, more than 120 million pounds of additional pesticides have been used in the US.[4]

Sixty percent of GE crops are resistant to weed killers, fueling a dramatic rise in herbicide use—especially Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains the extremely toxic chemical glyphosate. Roundup is now used in more than 80 percent of all GE crops worldwide, and the only one who benefits from THIS is Monsanto. They produce the seeds that require a massive application of an herbicide that they just happen to produce. How convenient for them!

Not only are these toxic chemicals being used far too heavily, but they are killing our bees and butterflies, polluting our waterways, destroying our soil, and creating resistant super-weeds and mutant pesticide-resistant insects that we have no way to control.[5]

Mother Nature Hates Monocultures

Studies comparing large mechanized farms to small farms have shown that small farms doing multiple and succession plantings are significantly more productive than the monoculture plantings used in large mechanized farms. A report compiled by about 400 of the world’s top scientists concluded our current agricultural system is unsustainable. We need farming methods that rebuild our ecological systems rather than demolish them. Organic farms consistently produce 80 to 90 percent higher yields than monoculture operations.[6] Genetic “bio-invasion” is the biggest risk organic farmers face today.[7]

Biodiversity is key to a healthy ecosystem—and therefore a healthy food supply. In a diverse population, some plants will have natural resistance and will fare better than others, saving the group as a whole from catastrophe. Poor soil quality is a serious problem for farmers across the globe. Our soil is depleting at more than 13 percent the rate it can be replaced due to our chemical-based agriculture system. Massive monoculture has also resulted in the extinction of 75 percent of the world’s crop varieties over the last century.[8]

It can be safely said, then, that GE crops were not developed for the purpose of solving world hunger, but to ensure that everything we eat is owned by them. Their goal is maximum profit.

History has proven that artificially inserted genes can have unintended and disastrous consequences. The reality is that GE farming practices are not the solution to world hunger, but rather the very heart of the problem, virtually guaranteeing future crop collapses and subsequent famine. Sustainable, biodynamic agriculture is the real solution!

http://themindunleashed.org/2014/08/can-gmos-help-feed-world.html

Poisons & Packaging

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Study Finds 175 Dangerous Chemicals in Food Packaging

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A total of 175 chemicals known to be harmful for health are used in food packaging on both sides of the Atlantic, in the European Union countries and the United States, according to a study published by a Swiss non-governmental organization.

As the study authors point out, the use of many of these substances, which are linked to cancer, hormonal disorders or infertility in other products has already been limited or is to be prohibited. However, these regulations do not concern food packaging due to gaps in legislation.

Researchers of the Food Packaging Forum, a non-governmental organization in Switzerland, compared two lists of hazardous chemicals – the so-called ‘Substitute it now!‘ list, also known as Sin, and the TEDX list of endocrine disruptors – with three official lists of substances allowed to be used in the manufacture of food packaging, in particular, the ESCO Working Group list of non-plastic food contact substances by European Food Safety Authority, Annex I of EC 10/2011 which includes the allowed plastic food contact substances and the so-called Pew list of food additives authorized in the United States.

As noted, about 175 chemicals contained in the Sin and the TEDX lists (such as phthalates, organotins and benzophenones) were identified in at least one, or even in all of the official lists of substances allowed to be used for food packaging.

The majority of these chemicals meet, as stated, the criteria set by the European regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH) to be qualified as “Substances of Very High Concern” (SVHC). 21 of them have even been officially recognized as substances of very high concern by the European Chemicals Agency, while six are to be gradually restricted by EU under REACH.

In their study, published in the journal ‘Food Additives and Contaminants: Part A’, the researchers point out that the process of the gradual restriction of the substances of very high concern under REACH will not be directly connected with the chemicals used in food packaging, as they are regulated by separate legislation. “As a consequence, chemicals with highly toxic properties may legally be used in the production of food contact materials, but not in other consumer products such as computers, textiles and paints even though exposure through food contact materials may be far more relevant,” note the researchers.

Lead researcher of the study and managing director of the Food Packaging Forum Dr Jane Muncke said that the role of this study is not to analyze the ways in which the loopholes in legislation can be avoided, but to highlight the issue. “That is one thing we are highlighting, that currently these regulations don’t cover food packaging,” she said.

Since it is difficult to restrict the substances that are already authorized, the researchers recommend food manufacturers to refrain from using hazardous substances in their products and replace them with safer alternatives. “From a consumer perspective, it is certainly unexpected and undesirable to find chemicals of concern being intentionally used in FCMs, and thus it seems appropriate to replace substances case-by-case with inherently safer alternatives,” said Dr Muncke. 

The best way to ensure that you avoid these chemicals ending up in your body would be to steer clear of packaged food all together. The alternative? Trusting the government and the food producers to protect you.

from:    http://themindunleashed.org/2014/08/study-finds-175-dangerous-chemicals-food-packaging-usa-europe.html

Ebola Virus – Panic & Vaccine

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CAVEAT:  As always, Do your Research, check things out, pay attention, and do not panic:

 

Doctor: ‘There’s Not Enough PANIC and Customers to Make an Ebola Vaccine’ — Oh Really?

Melissa Melton
Activist Post

A short two-minute video Bloomberg News uploaded to YouTube attempts to explain why the world doesn’t already have a widely available Ebola vaccine.

(Trusting the ingredients of such a thing and whether or not you would personally take it is another matter entirely, but hold on a second.)

What’s fascinating about this clip is what Dr. Ben Neuman, University of Reading, says towards the end.

Neuman explains that because viruses easily mutate, “It’s not just one drug we need for Ebola. We need a cocktail of drugs and perhaps a nice vaccine that could be used.”

Hm. Sounds like a Big Pharma hay day pay day, does it not?

But Dr. Ben also goes on to explain why the major pharmaceutical companies haven’t been all that eager to produce this cocktail of drugs and vaccines — which would surely translate to big bucks — just yet.

These all take a lot of money and right now in the history of what we know at least, there have been fewer than 5,000 people who have been infected with Ebola. It sounds scary, but I don’t know that there’s enough…uh…panic or enough people who are potential customers for these drugs to warrant a company — a private company anyway — putting the money it would take to develop this. [emphasis added]

Did you catch that? (Yeah, I know you did, that’s why I added the emphasis.)

Watch the video. The good doctor even struggles to find his words before he says he isn’t sure there is enough panic and customers to warrant developing a vaccine.

This is despite the fact that articles were coming out in scientific circles back in 2008 that Ebola vaccines had been successfully used in animal trials and even on one human patient, a lab worker who accidentally pricked her finger with an Ebola-laced syringe.

There’s not enough panic to go any further with it, though? Well, gee Ben, where can we get some panic from?

This video reveals two fundamental truths.

One: pharmaceuticals and vaccines really aren’t about saving lives…oh no, first and foremost, they’re about making money.

Two: there has to be enough panic to stir up potential customers to necessitate the creation of said pharmaceuticals and vaccines and there just simply was not enough Ebola panic to go around to make it worth it.

Well…there certainly is enough pricey panic now, isn’t there?

It’s a concerted effort. As I wrote earlier in an article questioning this sudden media zoo surrounding Ebola and why, in an unprecedented move, we’re suddenly shipping people infected with Ebola here for the first time ever, a lot of people in the military-medical-media industrial complex stand to make a lot of money off of this virus.

And, right on time, Reuters is reporting that they’re going to fast track a new Ebola vaccine and start testing on human patients as early as next month. Was that quick or what?

The Hegelian Dialectic is such a timeless strategy. Why? Because it works. So they just keep using it over and over and over.

Problem: not enough panic to make the big bucks off Ebola.

Reaction: create a panic to make the big bucks off Ebola.

Solution: problem solved.

It’s basically the same strategy they used to pawn off fast tracked, experimental H1N1 vaccines on people just a few years ago, only this time they’re playing with a much scarier virus to induce even more fear. In fact, next time you see a headline like, ‘Ebola fear going viral’ feel free to keep this in mind.

Melissa Melton is a writer, researcher, and analyst for The Daily Sheeple, where this first appeared, and a co-creator of Truthstream Media with Aaron Dykes, a site that offers teleprompter-free, unscripted analysis of The Matrix we find ourselves living in. Melissa also co-founded Nutritional Anarchy with Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper, a site focused on resistance through food self-sufficiency. Wake the flock up!

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2014/08/doctor-theres-not-enough-panic-and.html#!bxnJoD

Growth of Bitcoin

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Whistleblower: Federal Reserve “Highly Alarmed” After Modeling Shows Bitcoin Conquering Dollar by 2021

The Federal Reserve is apparently very worried about bitcoin disrupting the monetary system.

According to an alleged whistleblower’s post on Reddit, Fed governors were “highly alarmed” by internal economic modeling that showed Bitcoin has the potential to completely displace the dollar by as early as 2021 (which they called “worst case”).

The whistleblower, who currently remains anonymous, claims to work for the Federal Reserve as a researcher who was tasked with doing “econometrics and related modeling” for Bitcoin.

He writes:

The Dirty: We were directed to upgrade our modeling of bitcoin from developing currency to a major currency. In addition to all of the common modeling and forecasting that task entails, we were instructed to do full simulations of money flows, interest rates, multi currency derivative baskets, risk metrics, and their effects on global macro monetary policy and trade agreements. What we found was shocking. Even with a mediocre adoption rate and variable growth rate, bitcoin severely disrupts how we model, forecast, and ultimately understand currency interactions to make monetary policy decisions. This is a huge technological, monetary, and policy disruption which leaves the Fed, the US govt, and other entities with much less control.

Our best case scenarios are modeled upon current bitcoin adoption rates which have simulated a tipping point for the year 2026 (worst case 2021); this time frame projects the Fed (via the dollar) to lose its dominant global monetary policy maker status – instead everything will superseded by bitcoin.

I presented this updated report along with all of our modeling work and simulation outputs which were statistically and independently verified to the Board of Governors. The Board was highly alarmed and interrogated me and my fellow researchers in a 3 day session trying to understand every point of our research. It must be remembered that unlike politicians, the Board of Governors is a very well educated and empirical group with an ability to conceptually grasp complicated research.

The ramifications of this internal analysis could be huge. Pressed by the Reddit community to verify his claims, he is said to be working with journalists to release proof or his employment and of the report itself

from:    http://www.activistpost.com/2014/08/federal-reserve-highly-alarmed-after.html#!bxnvYn

South Africa Earthquake

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Deadly earthquake in South Africa in Orkney and Klerksdorp – 1 fatality and 38 injured

Last update: August 6, 2014 at 4:22 pm by By –

Update August 6, 16:12 UTC : Thirty-four workers at AngloGold Ashanti’s Vaal river operations have been treated for minor injuries and released from hospital. To be added 3 people in a training center at the gold mine and 1 man in Orkney, brings our total to 38 injured people.

Update 18:25 UTC : An aftershock has frightened the population of Orkney again late this afternoon. No specific Magnitude has been given.

Update 17:08 UTC : The earthquake shaking damaged 400 houses!

Update 17:02 UTC : The shaking map as published by the USGS.  The max. theoretical shaking calculated by the USGS was MMI 6 or “strong shaking”. We however have the impression, based on the experience reports we have received, that the shaking as experienced in Orkney and Kerksdorp was MMI VII or very strong shaking.

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Update 16:05 UTC : AngloGold Ashanti, a mining company, said 17 employees at two mines in the Orkney region sustained minor injuries. Earlier in the day 3 people were slightly injured in a training venue from the gold mine and 1 man was rescued from below a collapsed house. A total of 21 injured people

Image courtesy and copyright @ANN7tv

Update 15:47 UTC : Seismicity in South Africa, an excerpt of a ReInsurance report :
The south-western Cape has one of the highest levels of seismicity in South Africa, which is characterized by its dual source of seismicity comprising mine related events and tectonic origin earthquakes.
According to new research from Professor Kijko, director of the Aon Benfield Natural Hazard Centre Africa, the Western Cape Province, with Cape Town as the capital city, can expect a maximum earthquake close to magnitude 7.0. By comparison, the largest mine related event in the Johannesburg gold mine area is estimated at magnitude 5.6.
Historically, the most severe earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred on 29 September 1969 in Ceres, 100 km northeast of Cape Town. The event resulted in 12 lost lives and numerous damaged buildings in the town of Tulbagh.
On 4 September 1809, a seismic event estimated at magnitude 6.3, occurred at the Milnerton Fault, a mere 10km from Cape Town CBD and the location of the Cape Town Stadium.
The largest mine related event in the history of South Africa occurred on 5 March 2005 in the Klerksdorp (Stilfontein) gold mining district, 200km west of Johannesburg, which reached a magnitude of 5.3. Below ground, substantial damage was observed within the mines, while above ground, the structural damage to property was relatively low.
South Africa Spotlight on Earthquake  Mining related events add a low magnitude, high frequency facet to earthquake risk in Johannesburg. It is also believed that accumulation of water within old mine shafts of several kilometres deep can trigger small, and occasionally moderate sized, seismic events.
The tectonic origin and mining related events are considered to be largely uncorrelated. As mining activity around Johannesburg diminishes with the depletion of gold reserves, so has the risk of mining induced seismic events originating below the city.
Based on this study, there is a very big chance that also this earthquake was Mining Induced and NOT tectonic. In other words a human triggered earthquake .
(Thank you Stéphane BAIZE for this related information.)

Update 15:28 UTC : The damage at the asphalt at the Waterbeesdam. Image via Twitter courtesy and copyright @MvanRyneveld. This kind of opening in the ground normally indicates a divergent or normal faulting earthquake (2 plates are pulling way from each other). Far too soon, as said earlier what the origin from the quake would be. Our map below shows however another quake who occurred right on the same spot on June 15 ! It was nearly as strong as this one but without being felt all  over South Africa. The June 15 one was shallower which explains in part the radius that is was felt. Click here for our report on June 15!

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Update 15:19 UTC : We are HAPPY tot report that NO MINERS are being trapped in the Orkney mines any longer.
Johannesburg:Paramedics on Tuesday confirmed no miners were trapped in mines around Orkney in the North West following an earthquake that shook the region.
ER24 officials who had been sent to one mine following reports that some miners were trapped in 11 shafts were standing down, said spokeswoman Luyanda Majija. “There are no entrapments. Most miners working in various mines have been brought out,” Majija said.” Most shafts have been evacuated.”Around 2.30pm, only one person had been confirmed dead. “A 31-year-old man was found deceased in an old mining village,” Majija said. “He was found lying under some debris. “The incident occurred close to the epicentre of the earthquake, recorded at a magnitude of 5.5 by the Council for Geosciences in SA. (Source : Africa News Network)

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Update 14:03 UTC : This was a violent earthquake for South African standards, but was “only” M5.3. We have to remark however that the shaking lasted extremely long for an earthquake from this Magnitude. Below an image from the damage in Orkney (courtesy and copyright News24).

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Update 13:29 UTC : The South Africa earthquake is the 4th deadly earthquake in only 8 days time!

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Update 13:12 UTC : The situation in the gold mine(s) shafts is far from sure. In 1 mine, everybody was safely brought at the surface, which is really great news.

Image courtesy and copyright @ER24potch - damage in Orkney

Update 12:57 UTC : We are of course far from sure but the source of the earthquake may not be mining induced but tectonic based on the experience reports we receive from the direct epicenter area and the fact that this earthquake was felt in a 500 km radius.

Update 12:54 UTC : Every I HAVE FELT IT REPORT we receive from Klerksdorp and Orkney describes damage. This will be by far the most damaging earthquake in South-Africa since a long time.

Update 12:54 UTC : An impressive Experience Report from  an ER reader living in Orkney, the direct epicenter

I could hear it coming.. at first I thought it was just the normal mining operations but then when it hit us, the whole house was shaking and stuff started falling out of the cupboards and off shelfs. I stormed outside to see if my 75 year old father was okay and I found him in the garden. The quake knocked him off his feet and his head hit a rock in the garden. He was in total shock but he is okay. My house is full of cracks. Scary !!

Update 12:28 UTC : 3 people were hurt at a training center in the Orkney Gold mine

Update 12:08 UTC : Some mineworkers at Orkney in the North West were trapped following an earth tremor on Tuesday, said emergency workers. ER24 spokesperson Luyanda Majija said they had received reports that the tremor has had a significant impact on one mine (source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/)
Old buildings, old mining houses have collapsed, lots of debris, says ER24′s Werner Vermaak

Image courtesy and copyright @Noxy_Duma

Update 1200 UTC : We have now confirmation that  a man in his 30′s was killed in the Orkney/Klerksdorp

Update 11:44 UTC : We have unconfirmed reports of 1 fatality. A man was caught by a collapsing wall in Orkney, the direct epicenter area

Image courtesy and copyright @power987news

Update 11:44 UTC : Some people are trapped below a collapsed building in Orkney

Update 11:43 UTC : We have still server problems due to too many concurrent users. We apologize for that.

Update 11:36 UTC : There are now unconfirmed reports that a building has collapsed in Klerksdorp

Small glass breaking damage at the Clock Tower of Klerksdorp

Update 11:34 UTC : Klerksdorp :    Massive shaking was working under vehicle when it started moving in the air ! A bunch of businessess roofs fell in and evaquated

Update 11:33 UTC : At least 2 minors have been injured in the Orkney mine + damage reported on buildings (mainly cracks, no collapses)

Update 11:31 UTC : Klerksdorp : Our entire school building shook and we were thrown off balance. Our school has 3 storeys and I was in the middle when it shook, we dove for the door along with our geography teacher and we were told to evacuate the building. We are on the football field, damage done to multiple classrooms.

Update 11:06 UTC : The earthquake has been felt as far as Durban and Cape Town. Offices were evacuated in Durban and Johannesburg. Our biggest concern is now the many mines and their underground workers in the area.

Important message : Due to the too high demand our servers have a hard time to cope.

Update 10:49 UTC : This report came in a couple of moments ago from Kerksdorp, the direct epicenter area, mentioning severe shaking

No structural damage so far. No electricity. Photo frames falling off walls and breaking. Hope the mines in vicinity is ok but doubt it.

Update 10:39 : This earthquake is severely dangerous because the epicenter is located right below Orkney and Klerksdorp.  The breaking point is extremely shallow, which increases the risk on damage a lot.

BREAKING NEWS: We have detected a strong readers increase in Johannesburg, which normally indicates that an earthquake was felt. Are you one of the people who felt the shaking of this earthquake ? If yes, may we kindly request you to let us know what you have felt and if you have damage or not. Please use the form below.
Update 10:30 UTC  : The earthquake was also felt in Botswana, no other details yet
Update 10:35 UTC : Preliminary data is showing a Magnitude 6.0 (Geofon), which is for sure a damaging earthquake if true. Epicenter is located (preliminary) in Klerksdorp

6km (4mi) E of Orkney, South Africa
15km (9mi) S of Stilfontein, South Africa
16km (10mi) SSE of Klerksdorp, South Africa
32km (20mi) NW of Viljoenskroon, South Africa
199km (124mi) SW of Pretoria, South Africa

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144 km SW of Soweto, South Africa / pop: 1,695,047 / local time: 12:22:36.4 2014-08-05
18 km SE of Orkney, South Africa / pop: 145,801 / local time: 12:22:36.4 2014-08-05

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 5.4

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2014-08-05 12:22:36

GMT/UTC Time : 2014-08-05 10

 

http://earthquake-report.com/2014/08/05/strong-earthquake-south-africa-on-august-5-2014/

Nick Menza (Megadeth) Catches UFO on Camera

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Megadeth Drummer Nick Menza Records UFO In His Yard, July 14, 2014, UFO Sighting News.

Date of sighting: July 14, 2014
Location of sighting: Studio City, California, USA
Source: http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-megadeth-drummer-mick-menza-films-ufo-from-his-front-yard-video/

This is a sighting by the famous Megadeth drummer Nick Menza. An amazing drummer and it looks like he is turning into a UFO research very soon. Awesome catch of some amazing UFO orbs. SCW

Nick Menza states:
“Return to Hangar” i was standing in my front yard with my two boys and this what we saw. not sure what it is but it’s totally awesome!

Here’s the video:

from:    http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2014/07/megadeth-drummer-nick-menza-records-ufo.html