US plans massive data sweep

Little-known data-collection system could troll news, blogs, even e-mails. Will it go too far?
By Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
The US government is developing a massive computer system that can collect huge amounts of data and, by linking far-flung information from blogs and e-mail to government records and intelligence reports, search for patterns of terrorist activity.
The system - parts of which are operational, parts of which are still under development - is already credited with helping to foil some plots. It is the federal government's latest attempt to use broad data-collection and powerful analysis in the fight against terrorism. But by delving deeply into the digital minutiae of American life, the program is also raising concerns that the government is intruding too deeply into citizens' privacy.
"We don't realize that, as we live our lives and make little choices, like buying groceries, buying on Amazon, Googling, we're leaving traces everywhere," says Lee Tien, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "We have an attitude that no one will connect all those dots. But these programs are about connecting those dots - analyzing and aggregating them - in a way that we haven't thought about. It's one of the underlying fundamental issues we have yet to come to grips with."
The core of this effort is a little-known system called Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight, and Semantic Enhancement (ADVISE). Only a few public documents mention it. ADVISE is a research and development program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), part of its three-year-old "Threat and Vulnerability, Testing and Assessment" portfolio. The TVTA received nearly $50 million in federal funding this year.
DHS officials are circumspect when talking about ADVISE. "I've heard of it," says Peter Sand, director of privacy technology. "I don't know the actual status right now. But if it's a system that's been discussed, then it's something we're involved in at some level."Data-mining is a key technology
A major part of ADVISE involves data-mining - or "dataveillance," as some call it. It means sifting through data to look for patterns. If a supermarket finds that customers who buy cider also tend to buy fresh-baked bread, it might group the two together. To prevent fraud, credit-card issuers use data-mining to look for patterns of suspicious activity.
What sets ADVISE apart is its scope. It would collect a vast array of corporate and public online information - from financial records to CNN news stories - and cross-reference it against US intelligence and law-enforcement records. The system would then store it as "entities" - linked data about people, places, things, organizations, and events, according to a report summarizing a 2004 DHS conference in Alexandria, Va. The storage requirements alone are huge - enough to retain information about 1 quadrillion entities, the report estimated. If each entity were a penny, they would collectively form a cube a half-mile high - roughly double the height of the Empire State Building.
But ADVISE and related DHS technologies aim to do much more, according to Joseph Kielman, manager of the TVTA portfolio. The key is not merely to identify terrorists, or sift for key words, but to identify critical patterns in data that illumine their motives and intentions, he wrote in a presentation at a November conference in Richland, Wash.
For example: Is a burst of Internet traffic between a few people the plotting of terrorists, or just bloggers arguing? ADVISE algorithms would try to determine that before flagging the data pattern for a human analyst's review.
At least a few pieces of ADVISE are already operational. Consider Starlight, which along with other "visualization" software tools can give human analysts a graphical view of data. Viewing data in this way could reveal patterns not obvious in text or number form. Understanding the relationships among people, organizations, places, and things - using social-behavior analysis and other techniques - is essential to going beyond mere data-mining to comprehensive "knowledge discovery in databases," Dr. Kielman wrote in his November report. He declined to be interviewed for this article.One data program has foiled terrorists
Starlight has already helped foil some terror plots, says Jim Thomas, one of its developers and director of the government's new National Visualization Analytics Center in Richland, Wash. He can't elaborate because the cases are classified, he adds. But "there's no question that the technology we've invented here at the lab has been used to protect our freedoms - and that's pretty cool."
As envisioned, ADVISE and its analytical tools would be used by other agencies to look for terrorists. "All federal, state, local and private-sector security entities will be able to share and collaborate in real time with distributed data warehouses that will provide full support for analysis and action" for the ADVISE system, says the 2004 workshop report.A program in the shadows
Yet the scope of ADVISE - its stage of development, cost, and most other details - is so obscure that critics say it poses a major privacy challenge.
"We just don't know enough about this technology, how it works, or what it is used for," says Marcia Hofmann of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "It matters to a lot of people that these programs and software exist. We don't really know to what extent the government is mining personal data."
Even congressmen with direct oversight of DHS, who favor data mining, say they don't know enough about the program.
"I am not fully briefed on ADVISE," wrote Rep. Curt Weldon (R) of Pennsylvania, vice chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, in an e-mail. "I'll get briefed this week."
Privacy concerns have torpedoed federal data-mining efforts in the past. In 2002, news reports revealed that the Defense Department was working on Total Information Awareness, a project aimed at collecting and sifting vast amounts of personal and government data for clues to terrorism. An uproar caused Congress to cancel the TIA program a year later.

The Pentagon’s War on the Internet

By Mike Whitney 02/13/06 "ICH' -- -- The Pentagon has developed a comprehensive strategy for taking over the internet and controlling the free flow of information. The plan appears in a recently declassified document, “The Information Operations Roadmap”, which was provided under the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and revealed in an article by the BBC. The Pentagon sees the internet in terms of a military adversary that poses a vital threat to its stated mission of global domination. This explains the confrontational language in the document which speaks of “fighting the net”; implying that the internet is the equivalent of “an enemy weapons system." The Defense Dept. places a high-value on controlling information. The new program illustrates their determination to establish the parameters of free speech. The Pentagon sees information as essential in manipulating public perceptions and, thus, a crucial tool in eliciting support for unpopular policies. The recent revelations of the military placing propaganda in the foreign press demonstrate the importance that is given to co-opting public opinion. Information-warfare is used to create an impenetrable cloud around the activities of government so that decisions can be made without dissent. The smokescreen of deception that encompasses the Bush administration has less to do with prevaricating politicians than it does with a clearly articulated policy of obfuscation. “The Information Operations Roadmap” is solely intended to undermine the principle of an informed citizenry. The Pentagon’s focus on the internet tells us a great deal about the mainstream media and its connection to the political establishment. Why, for example, would the Pentagon see the internet as a greater threat than the mainstream media, where an estimated 75% of Americans get their news? The reason is clear; because the MSM is already a fully-integrated part of the corporate-system providing a 24 hour per day streaming of business-friendly news. Today’s MSM operates as a de-facto franchise of the Pentagon, a reliable and sophisticated propagandist for Washington’s wars of aggression and political subterfuge. The internet, on the other hand, is the last bastion of American democracy; a virtual world where reliable information moves instantly from person to person without passing through the corporate filter. Online visitors can get a clear picture of their governments’ depredations with a click of the mouse. This is the liberalization of the news, an open source of mind-expanding information that elevates citizen awareness of complex issues and threatens the status quo. The Pentagon program is just one facet of a broader culture of deception; a pervasive ethos of dishonesty that envelopes all aspects of the Bush White House. The “Strategic Intelligence” Dept is a division of the Defense establishment that is entirely devoted to concealing, distorting, omitting and manipulating the truth. In what way is “strategic intelligence” different from plain intelligence? It is information that is shaped in a way that meets the needs of a particular group. In other words, it is not the truth at all, but a fabrication, a fiction, a lie. Strategic intelligence is an oxymoron; a tidy bit of Orwellian doublespeak that reflects the deeply rooted cynicism of its authors. The internet is a logical target for the Pentagon’s electronic warfare. Already the Downing Street memos, Bush’s bombing-threats against Al Jazeera, the fraudulent 2004 elections, and the leveling of Falluja, have disrupted the smooth execution of Bush’s wars. It is understandable that Rumsfeld and Co. would seek to transform this potential enemy into an ally, much as it has done with the MSM. The Pentagon’s plans for engaging in “virtual warfare” are impressive. As BBC notes: “The operations described in the document include a surprising range of military activities: public affairs officers who brief journalists, psychological operations troops who try to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of an enemy, computer network attack specialists who seek to destroy enemy networks.” (BBC) The enemy, of course, is you, dear reader, or anyone who refuses to accept their role as a witless-cog in new world order. Seizing the internet is a prudent way of controlling every piece of information that one experiences from cradle to grave; all necessary for an orderly police-state. The Information Operations Roadmap (IOR) recommends that psychological operations (Psyops) “should consider a range of technologies to disseminate propaganda in enemy territory: unmanned aerial vehicles, "miniaturized, scatterable public address systems", wireless devices, cellular phones and the internet.” No idea is too costly or too far-fetched that it escapes the serious consideration of the Pentagon chieftains. The War Dept. is planning to insert itself into every area of the internet from blogs to chat rooms, from leftist web sites to editorial commentary. The objective is to challenge any tidbit of information that appears on the web that may counter the official narrative; the fairytale of benign American intervention to promote democracy and human rights across the planet. The IOR aspires to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum" and develop the capability to "disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum". (BBC) Full spectrum dominance. The ultimate goal of the Pentagon is to create an internet-paradigm that corresponds to the corporate mainstream model, devoid of imagination or divergent points of view. They envision an internet that is increasingly restricted by the gluttonous influence of industry and its vast “tapestry of lies”. The internet is the modern-day marketplace of ideas, an invaluable resource for human curiosity and organized resistance. It provides a direct link between the explosive power of ideas and engaged citizen involvement. (aka; participatory democracy) The Pentagon is laying the groundwork for privatizing the internet so the information-revolution can be transformed into an information-tyranny, extending to all areas of communications and serving the exclusive interests of a few well-heeled American plutocrats.

Five Factor Personality

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

A sheep-like nation is allowing Bush to erode our liberties and well-being

“If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I’m the dictator.”
— President George W. Bush, Dec. 18, 2000
“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”
— Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

Does anyone else see the Irony????

Ok, so some guy makes cartoons depicting Muslims as terrorists,,,and so they turn to terrorists acts to get revenge for the comics,,,maybe it's just me, but aren't you just proving that the comics were right??

cell phone etiquette guide

read the cell phone etiquette guide

...Lights off, phone off! No citizen should take a call at a theater or in the movies

Off means off!Please respect the rules and when asked by an establishment or airline to refrain from using a cell phone, do so

Don't cross the personal space boundary!All citizens should be mindful of how close they are to others when using a cell phone in a public place

Stop noise pollution! All citizens should remember to keep conversations private and not shout into the phone

Heads up! All citizens should act responsibly when walking or driving while on a cell phone

Of those polled, this is what we found:

3% admitted to being addicted to their cell phone
69% feel cell phones are a great convenience and time-saver
57% turn their cell phones off at the movies or in a theater, while 30% turn off the ringer and let voice mail answer the call
43% turn their cell phones off in a restaurant, while 24% turn off the ringer and let voice mail answer the call
76% use their cell phone in their car
60% take calls while in the supermarket
52% take calls on public transportation
46% use their cell phones for 10% of all their phone calls

Olympics and Cell phone's

OK, well lets start by saying the opening ceremonies of the Olympics were great. I was amazed by how well they went. The teams marching out, the hope, the artistry of the performers. It was amazing. Then,,, out walks team USA,, please don't fuck up, please don't fuck up, oh god,,,,WHY???????????? Team USA comes out, at first, everything is going well, then the camera man, finds these two dumb ass blonde snatches, walking and talking on there fucking cell phones!!!!! Maybe I am just over reacting, because I so hate cell phones, I hate going into the grocery store and the fuck in front of me in babbling away on there phone, not realizing how rude there being, that the rest of the world doesn't want to here there conversation. Specially when it is not something important. Maybe it's the fact that people are more concerned with there cell phone then what there kids are doing, "hey lady your kids being abducted, oh sorry didn't see you were on the phone, my bad." But for fucks sake, your at the god damn Olympics, opening ceremonies, and you can't shut the fucking phone off!!!???? Have some fucking respect, and then when you realize the camera is pointing at you, you smile and do the little, I'm on the phone, hand thing. You stupid fucking dikes, what is wrong with you??? What is wrong with America, and allowing people to walk around on there cell phones 24-7 and no one says anything!!!! Hang up!!!!! Speak to people face to face, stop driving while talking, stop walking through the store talking, stop talking to someone on the phone, while your asking the waitress to bring you something. It's never that important, just hang up, call them when your not busy!!!!

Standing at the brink

Charles Sullivan01/28/06 "ICH"
-- -- Let us understand that we are witnessing history in the process of repeating itself, as it so often does. Our ignorance of unwritten history is what dooms us to repeat it. So much of written history has been fictionalized to make martyrs of the worst kind of human beings. What is happening in America today has parallels to events that unfolded in other nations in modern history; and always with catastrophic results for humankind. Most notable, perhaps, was the rise to power of Nazism embodied by Adolph Hitler last century. Norman Livergood has summed up the American predicament most accurately and succinctly. "American citizens must realize that the Democratic Party leaders have now caved in to the Republican Party.The so called “compromise” was nothing more than an abject capitulation by the Democrats to Republican threats. The Neanderthal, right-wing, reactionary judges Bush demanded will now be confirmed.We are in Germany, 1933. The so-called moderate German leaders have deluded themselves into believing they can “control” Hitler by capitulation to him—with the connivance of Goering, his henchman has seized all power through the “Enabling Act,” destroying the Reichstag (House and Senate). Hitler has suspended elections and appointed himself Dictator. The reign of terror has begun!"Norman Livergood’s words should sound hauntingly familiar. They should alarm any wakeful citizen and make their skin crawl with repulsion. The people, made ignorant by the aide of a condescending commercial media that is a servant to power, reassuringly whisper to themselves that this cannot be happening to us, not here. That was then, this is now. A different climate existed in Nazi Germany than exists here in America. Our president and his coterie are our protectors, as well as defenders of freedom and democracy. They are people of faith, church-goers. We must place our faith in them as servants to humanity.How, then, do we find ourselves in the condition of a rat inescapably suffocating within the coils of a Boa Constrictor, gasping its final breath? The end is coming and it is coming soon, if we do not awaken from our collective stupor. The life is being strangled out of us and we do not even struggle to free ourselves. We think we are a free people with inalienable rights, as the reptile prepares to swallow its prey. Naiveté, as well as ignorance, can get us killed. Hitler was aided in his ascent to the role of Dictatorship by Germany’s Enabling Act. Bush and his cabal are being aided by the National Security Agency, Patriot Act Two; self inflicted terrorism, the corporate media and Diebold Corporation. Each of these components are cogs in a wheel of fascism that is running rough shod over the planet, killing hope everywhere. The NSA is engaged in an extensive campaign to spy upon ordinary law abiding citizens, in clear violation of our right to privacy. Our every move, our every word, is being monitored and evaluated by hidden eyes that operate in front of sinister minds. Those who utter truth are the enemies of fascism. They must be monitored and if they become too effective as organizers, they must be rounded up and imprisoned, as dissidents always are. The probability that another self inflicted terrorist attack will occur on American soil has already been planted in the public conscience; even as the Bush cabal, with the aide of its chief ally in empire—Israel, is preparing to instigate war with Iran. As was the case with Iraq, Iran’s threat will be grossly exaggerated and its leadership demonized in the Western media. This war, connived amid the same gross lies and distortions that resulted in the invasion and occupation of Iraq—the modern Viet Nam—may well be waged with nuclear munitions far worse than the depleted uranium used against Iraq. Iran’s defense infrastructure lies beneath many feet of concrete and only nuclear weapons are capable of penetrating them. A US-Israel attack on Iran is eminent, probably no later than March or April; or it might come as late as June. When this occurs the Middle East will become a vortex of fire and brimstone that is beyond control. It will assume a life, a momentum of its own, with global consequences. The Boa Constrictor is tightening its grip on power, as it acts to defend the imperialist dollar against the more equitable Iranian Bourse. If and when another self inflicted terrorist attack is launched on American soil, the constitution will likely be suspended, martial law declared, and a full blown dictatorship will be unleashed upon us. A significant segment of the citizenry, bred on ignorance and nourished by fear, will welcome the event with open arms, just as did the citizens of Germany in 1933.The fervor of Nationalism will once again drown out all reasonable discussion, as well as the objective examination of the evidence. Flags and yellow ribbons will become ubiquitous, while those who struggle to uphold the Constitution will be denounced as unpatriotic traitors. Rational thought will be suspended and labeled as dangerous and subversive.The fascists, regardless of their party affiliation, have no intention of relinquishing power in our lifetimes. Their objective is to control the world economy, to maintain the concentration of wealth among the few, and to use the world’s poor and disenfranchised as their servants. When this catalyzing event occurs, as it certainly will, rigged elections will no longer be necessary. Diebold, with its clear ties to corporate wealth, will no longer be required to supply the machinery of despotism—the monsters of oppression will be fully upon us. Then there will be little need to practice deception, except to inspire the hatred of our perceived enemies. The long nightmare will have begun. The spiral into the abyss of hell will finally be under way. Truth will be kept safely hidden from public view, and distorted into unrecognizable forms. In truth, however, it is not turban-wearing terrorists of Middle Eastern decent that threaten our lives and our freedoms; it is the domestic terrorists that hold public offices who will destroy us. The real enemy stealthily moves unencumbered in our midst, posing as our protectors, as guardians of democracy. The dangers now facing us as a people are truly beyond exaggeration. We stand on the brink of the collapse of both the domestic and global economies, engineered by the plutocrats and corporatists who represent the world’s wealthiest one percent of the global population. This makes them a small but powerful minority. It also means that we out number them ninety-nine to one. Those are pretty good odds in any conflict; and they are good odds in a revolution. But only if we act to save ourselves and the world as we know it. The first step is to awaken the masses. If we fail to unite with the vast majority of our fellow law abiding, peace loving citizens around this planet of majesty; if we fail to work across all of the boundaries that have kept us separate and disempowered for so many years, we will deserve the unimaginably horrible fate that awaits us on the other side of the Rubicon. I pray that we possess the requisite wisdom and strength of character not go there.Charles Sullivan is a furniture maker, photographer, and free lance writing residing in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. He can be reached at earthdog@highstream.net

My Sincere Tribute to Bush

May he and his supporters rot in the deepest pits of Hell!!!!

Do You Take It??

This is very funny, but a little disturbing. Don't say I didn't warn you!!!!!!

Very Funny Video!!!!!!!!!

The Camel Toe!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out this Blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."- George Washington

Schools get creative

Do to School budget cuts, a new breed of cow has been developed. Every child will be issued one new cow, which will be used as a geography text book, transportation to school, and a beverage dispenser, saving schools millions, on buses, and those annoying cartons of milk that are such a pain in the ass to open.

Is it bad, that I find this really hot??!!

Target Practice

Why the Jock Strap was Invented

A musical everyone can love

Check this site out, it is so funny!!!!!

I'm moving to Europe!!!!!!

Little does anyone know, this is actually a before and after photo, of a foreign exchange student

The Ultimate Soccer Team

Rules to Live by