Pentagon: Cyber Attacks Can Qualify as Acts of War

May 31, 2011 Comments off
mashableThe Pentagon has finished drafting its first official “computer sabotage strategy,” determining that online cyber attacks from another country can constitute an act of war, enabling the U.S. to retaliate with military force.

“If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks,” a military official told The Wall Street Journal by way of example.

The formal strategy underlines a rising need to systematically respond to attacks on the computer systems of the U.S. and other countries. In 2009, a strain of the Microsoft Windows computer virus Stuxnex, which some believe originated from Israel with U.S. help, damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities. More recently, Google was the victim of cyber attacks that allegedly originated in China, an affair the the White House became involved in.

The 30-page document, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, is also likely to spark debates about a number of unaddressed issues, including whether the U.S. can truly determine the origin of an attack and when a cyber attack is serious enough to constitute an act of war, the WSJ notes.

Categories: United States, wars and rumors of wars Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Afghanistan’s Karzai Demands End to Airstrikes on Houses

May 31, 2011 Comments off

voanews

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference at the Presidential palace in Kabul, May 31, 2011Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference at the Presidential palace in Kabul, May 31, 2011

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is warning NATO forces in his country that he will no longer allow them to target houses with airstrikes.  The warning follows an airstrike Afghan officials say killed 14 people Saturday, including women and children, in Helmand Province.

Karzai said his demand for NATO to stop airstrikes that kill Afghan civilians is his “last warning.” But he would not clarify what actions the Kabul government would take if the bombings continue.

He said he would be bringing up the issue when he next meets with NATO commanders.

In the past, the Read more…

Categories: Afghanistan, NATO Tags: , , ,

Drought worsens fears of inflation

May 31, 2011 Comments off

peopledaily.com

A rare drought that has wreaked havoc in central and southern China is expected to send grain prices soaring as experts predict the worst disaster of its kind in 50 years could offset the government’s efforts to curb inflation and threaten its annual CPI target of 4 percent.

Five provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River – Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu, a major grain-producing region – have suffered the most serious drought in decades.

The drought had affected 34.8 million people, over one million livestock, and 3.7 million hectares of farmland as of Friday, causing direct economic losses of 14.9 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

As farmers struggled to find new water sources for their crops, many fishing boats found themselves grounded as the river and lakes shrank, and residents in the region found the prices of vegetables, rice and aquatic products rising.

“Prices of some fruit and vegetables have increased to 6 yuan per kilogram on Tuesday from 3.6 yuan last week,” Jin Zhengsheng, 50, a resident of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, told the Global Times.

Huang Xianyin, 41, a villager from Xinjian county, Jiangxi Province, also noticed the hikes.

“It’s not only vegetables. Read more…

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‘Spy cameras’ are used to target student protesters

May 31, 2011 Comments off

independent.co.uk

Some fear the police are trying to ‘criminalise’ protesting by using CCTV

Police are using CCTV images taken on university and college campuses, sometimes with the collusion of university authorities, to “spy” on student demonstrators as young as 16, it was claimed yesterday.

University lecturers are demanding an independent investigation into the “over zealous” use of surveillance techniques against students during the policing of demonstrations against fees rises and public spending cuts.

A motion tabled for the University and College Union’s (UCU) conference this weekend condemns what it terms attempts to “criminalise protest” through “state surveillance of higher education and further education institutions for elicting intelligence regarding protest activities”.

Cases include the arrest of Read more…

Categories: Big Brother, Protests, United Kingdom Tags: , , , , ,

Kilauea crater lava lake grows

May 31, 2011 Comments off

staradvertiser

A raised lava lake, described by volcano scientists as looking “somewhat like an above-ground swimming pool,” has been building since lava returned to Pu‘u ‘O‘o crater in March, scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.

The rim of the raised lava lake was about Read more…

Categories: Hawaii, volcano Tags: , , ,

WikiLeaks: Saudis Often Warned U.S. About Oil Speculators

May 31, 2011 Comments off

networkedblogs

Further evidence of the vacuity of the ‘war for oil’ argument. Much of the price for oil is today determined in the derivatives market by Wall Street speculators rather than by producers or suppliers. The underlying commodity usually has a minimum impact on the actual price. But the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will not investigate this for the same reason why it was prevented from investigating the banks. Because Wall Street owns the executive branch. (Don’t miss the excellent Inside Job and this post by Pat Lang).

Read more…

Categories: Oil Tags: , , , , , ,

New concerns over Lyme disease

May 30, 2011 Comments off

greenwichtime

Ted Simons can’t remember the content of a recent phone conversation. When he reads, an activity he has always enjoyed, he has trouble understanding and retaining what he’s read.

Yet Simons, a performer and composer of music, can still play the piano and remember thousands of songs. The 78-year-old Westport resident and his wife Jean don’t know exactly what’s wrong with him.

Tests have shown it’s unlikely he has Alzheimer’s disease, though he shows signs of dementia. The couple have tried various therapies, but nothing has worked for long. In talking to doctors, the Simons have developed a possible, unexpected cause for Ted’s confusion and memory problems: Lyme disease.

The illness, spread by tick bites, can affect different organ systems, including Read more…

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

CDC admits flu vaccines don’t work (which is why you need a new one every year)

May 30, 2011 Comments off

naturalnews

I’m always amused by the purchasing process of electronics or appliances at big box stores. On one hand, as their sales associate calmly explains to you, whatever product you’re buying is such high quality that you’ll be extremely satisfied with your purchase. But on the other hand, it’s also such a complete piece of junk that you’d be smart to add on a two-year extended warranty so that when the gizmo breaks five seconds after you open the box, you can get a replacement for free.

The CDC and the vaccine industry are fronting a similar bit of contradictory logic. “Our vaccines work so well that they offer almost total immunity from the flu,” they claim. And yet somehow they also work so poorly that they “wear off” after a year and require you to be re-vaccinated annually.

This is The Great Big Lie of the vaccine industry: The lie that says you have be re-vaccinated each and every year, often with the exact same strains you were vaccinated with the previous year. The coming winter flu vaccines for 2011, for example, are being manufactured with the same Read more…

Categories: United States, Vaccine Tags: , , , , , ,

Ground holes prompt evacuations in QC

May 30, 2011 Comments off

cbc

Experts are examining several ground holes that have appeared in Quebec City's Charlesbourg's district.Experts are examining several ground holes that have appeared in Quebec City’s Charlesbourg’s district. (Radio-Canada)

Engineers and geologists are examining dozens of deep holes that appeared in the ground in Quebec City’s north end this week, as residents are being urged to leave their homes for safer locations.

City officials served evacuation papers Wednesday to about 15 homes and one business in Quebec City’s Charlesbourg district, where nearly 40 holes have been reported.

The holes, ranging between five and eight metres wide, have appeared this week in various fields, and on one residential driveway.

Engineers are running three kinds of tests: Read more…

Categories: Canada, Strange Events Tags: , , , ,

What Would Fractional Silver Mean?

May 30, 2011 1 comment

infowars

In Mid-may of this year, something curious happened, which I’d not seen before.

I’ve been following the course of where the dollar was heading and how it related to the pricing of gold and silver.  Typically, I follow a number of sources for information, then try to wrap all those opinions into something concise, allowing me to share it with others.  Most everyone following precious metals knows how GATA has been beating the drum about gold manipulation for quite some time now.  History (past and current) is a very good place to start down the rabbit trail.

Informed people (like Paul Craig Roberts, Bob Chapman, Gerald Celente, Robby Noel, Lindsey Williams) have also helped shape a number of my opinions and speculations regarding where this economy is heading.  Again, these are all very credible individuals who’ve been reporting on “real” financial issues for a number of years, if not decades now.  And, even though it can be a bad habit, tune into the mainstream media to hear what they are trying to make the public believe for that moment.  Every so often, they slip and Read more…

Categories: Precious Metals, Silver Tags: , , , , , , ,