Chinese Lawyers Outraged as Colleague Is Dragged From Court
These Were the Runners-Up to the Physics World Breakthroughs of 2014
News stories today
Sunday, 14 December 2014
Biohacking
A HUGE, DETAILED GUIDE TO NOOTROPICS (SMART DRUGS): HOW THEY WORK AND HOW TO USE THEM
http://www.thebioneer.com/guide-to-nootropics/
Bionotics for Fitness Training:
business and biohaking finally meet
Homo Technologicus – The Impacts of Redesigning Your Body from World Business Dialogue on Vimeo.
Biohacking
Channel 4 report leads to arrest of twitter user @ShamiWitness
Pro-ISIS tweeter Mehdi Masroor Biswas aka @ShamiWitness is a 24-year-old man believed to be the person operating under the handle and followed by many jihadist fighters according to officials who arrested Biswas in Bengaluru city, India on Saturday.
Biswas’ Twitter account had a record 17,700 followers before it was shut down following a report by Britain’s Channel 4 News. A quick search reveals another account @ShamiWitness, who describes himself as having “Studied and became a qualified cyber-sheikh, Unemployed, Twitter 24/7, Dawla fanclub and it’s apostasy if you hate Dawla!” The handler is followed by 199 users, tweeted 18 times, the last time on Nov. 18 and contains extremist propaganda.
The offensive tweets on the previously deleted account linked to ElSaltador@gmail.com, included messages praising fallen jihadists as martyrs of the faith, information for would-be recruits and footage of executions.
L R Pachuau, the police director general for the Bengaluru police in a press conference credited “credible intelligence inputs” that led to the arrest of the junior executive who works for a food conglomerate. In the early hours of Dec. 13, a team raided Biswas’ one-room apartment and seized his laptop, phone and other documents for evidence.
Of Biswas at the conference, Pauchau revealed that the millenial worked at an office in the day and spread his social media propaganda via Twitter, at night. He “ferociously” tweeted late at night after gathering information from various TV and web 2.0 news sites discussing anything related to ISIS or activity by the terrorist outfit in the Iraq and Syria region.
Particularly close to English-speaking terrorists, Biswas became the source of “incitement and information” for the youth interested in joining ISIS. Pauchau says, “ Through his social media propaganda, he abetted [Isis] in its agenda to wage war against the Asiatic powers.”
For now, the Indian police have arrested Biswas on charges of assisting war against the state. Following his arrest Biswas, who denies any wrongdoing, was quoted saying, “I’ve not harmed anybody, I haven’t broken any laws of the country, haven’t waged any war against the Republic of India … I’ve not waged any war against any allies of India.”
Channel 4 also quoted Biswas saying that he would leave everything and join the ISIS if it were not for his family who financially depended on him.
Dr. Mekail Biswas, a retired assistant engineer of the West Bengal State Electricity Board and a homeopathy practitioner believes that this is a case of mistaken identity and labeling Muslims as terrorists. He says, “You know being Muslim, we are easily identified as terrorists,” said Dr Mekail Biswas. “The days are so hard now. But I can tell you that my son … has done nothing wrong. If he has landed in trouble it is because some enemy is after him.”
By Rathan Paul Harshavardan
Channel 4 report leads to arrest of twitter user @ShamiWitness
2015 budget exposes Americans savings to potential derivatives bailout
The 113th Congress has passed legislation allowing losses incurred by derivatives trading to be covered by the FDIC. President Obama is expected to sign the new budget into force, which includes provisions that permit financial institutions to trade certain financial derivatives from subsidiaries backed by the FDIC that were previously restricted by Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act.
There was some resistance to the measure. As it moved through the House of Representatives, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stated, “The House is about to vote on a budget deal, a deal negotiated behind closed doors that slips in a provision that would let derivatives traders on Wall Street gamble with taxpayer money and get bailed out by the government when their risky bets threaten to blow up our financial system.”
When first introducing the amendment in 2013, the main sponsor of the bill and former Goldman Sachs vice president , Jim Himes (D-Conn.), 
was quoted as saying, “The discussion of derivatives in the political world has become a zero sum game but there’s a lot more common ground here than the people who are yelling about this would have you believe.”
The law changes provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed by President Obama on July 21, 2010. Following the financial crisis of 2008, the Dodd-Frank Act was passed to restructure the financial regulatory system to restore public confidence and prevent another crisis from occurring.
The primary goals of Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act that have been changed as part of the 2015 budget, were meant to minimize systemic risk of 
derivatives trading, create transparency in derivatives markets, and prohibit entities holding customer deposits from engaging in speculative derivatives activity. Before 2010, Wall Street banks had typically traded derivatives from institutions backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, however, Dodd-Frank required them to move many of these derivative transactions that were deemed high risk to units that were not insured by consumer deposits.
The FDIC is an independent agency of the federal government created in 1933 in response to the thousands of bank failures that occurred in the 1920s and early 1930s. Its mission is to preserve and promote public confidence in the US financial system by insuring the deposits of banks and thrift institutions. The standard insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor from the approximately $9 trillion in deposits in U.S. banks that the FDIC insures.
According to The Bank for International Settlements, the notional value of derivatives contracts totals more than $710 trillion. Five US banks have more than $40 trillion dollars in exposure to derivatives, and the US debt recently crossed the $18 trillion mark.
Financial derivatives are contracts between two or more parties that derive their value from an underlying asset. The fluctuations in the value of the underlying asset determine the value of the assigned derivative.
Speculators who enter into a derivative contract are betting that the future price of a given asset will be different from the expected price held by the other member of the contract. Financial derivatives can also be used as insurance by investors to hedge against certain risks, and though they are not inherently bad, the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett referred to them as, “financial weapons of mass destruction,” six years before taxpayers were asked to bailout the “too big to fail” banking sector put at risk, in part, by derivatives connected to the Lehman collapse.
By Jay Verkamp,
Sources:
http://paperboat.studiopod.com
2015 budget exposes Americans savings to potential derivatives bailout
Saturday, 13 December 2014
The Israeli Druze: soldiers and citizens
In this in-depth analysis of Israel’s Druze population, Israeli soldier Josh Green, who has lived and worked side by side with the Druze, paints a picture of familiarity and understanding of a group that accounts for a significant portion of the IDF.
The Druze have a total population of around 1-2 million. The largest community lives in Syria. Approximately 130,000 Druze live in Israel, and have served among the front lines of the Israeli army since 1956. It is estimated that over 83 percent of eligible Israeli Druze enlist in the army–above even the Jewish enlistment rate of 75 percent. Druze, who according to research by Tel Aviv University, predominently and increasingly self-identify as “Druze-Isrelis,” also increasingly are joining elite units of the IDP rather than the official Druze batallion, Herev.
The Druze population of Israel (and the world at large) is a confusing and mysterious one. This is partially intentional on their part and partly due to lack of media attention and widespread familiarity. To understand who the Israeli Druze are, first we must explore what it is to be Druze. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds. The Druze culture and religion is heavily steeped in esotericism, therefore there are few hard facts that we can confirm relating to their religion. What we do know (and what I know personally from Druze friends that I proudly serve with) is 
that their religion is monotheistic, loosely based on the tenets of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and comprised of levels. They have basically the same moral values as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, with minor changes. The Druze have a strong aversion to iconography and images of god and idols are forbidden; however, they do have certain symbols, such as the five colored star representing the limits of humanity and the difference between a human soul and an animal. The five-colored star also incorporates phi, the golden ratio, as a way to express the Druze ideal of a life of moderation and temperance. The Druze believe that some wisdom from their sages and holy books is too powerful for the uninitiated and those who are not learned enough, and so the elders hide it and reveal it only to those they deem worthy. Many young Druze have no idea why they perform certain rituals, and refuse to explain why they perform others. There is no conversion in the Druze religion whatsoever, meaning that someone born Druze stays that way regardless of whether they convert to another religion, as conversion is not recognized. There is also no way to become Druze for someone not born into it.
The Druze are very proud of their culture and heritage and take offense easily when criticized or questioned too much. Insults are taken very seriously in their culture, especially those relating to female members of the family. Probably the worst thing you can call a Druze person is Arab. 
They are often mistaken for Arabs due to their appearance and language, but this is incredibly insulting to them. Insulting a Druze person is very dangerous and can be hazardous to your health and should therefore be avoided at all costs. Despite how protective many Druze are of the women in their families, the women have almost the same religious rights and and responsibilities, though they are less represented in the military than the men. The Druze are similar to the Sikhs in that they take pride in being warriors and defending their country, but it is more based on nationalism as opposed to glorification of battle. A very important part of Druze doctrine and culture relates to loyalty. They believe that loyalty to the nation comes before loyalty to other Druze (outside of the immediate family, as far as I understand it), and the Israeli Druze originally volunteered for the IDF shortly after the birth of the nation. Now they are drafted for compulsory military service just like Jews and other ethnic groups. Druze citizens of Israel are Israelis first and Druze second.
This was especially visible in the wars Israel fought with Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, as they all have significant Druze minorities. In many of these wars there were prominent Druze on both sides, and both sides fought viciously to the end. The conflict is most pronounced in the somewhat disputed Golan Heights, where some 20,000 Druze live. Some of them are not sure whether they should be fighting as Syrians under occupation, or as Israelis. From what I am told, the dedication to country first is somehow religiously motivated, but the people I asked refused to elaborate. Regardless, those who live in the Golan and in Judea and Samaria, whose fate is uncertain, could go from being Israelis to being enemies of Israel because they live somewhere that got traded as part of some treaty or agreement. The Druze are unreservedly loyal, and many see the army as a path to advancement, which, of course, it is. In Israel, the first question any prospective employer will ask is about your army service. It serves as an indicator of a person’s talents, determination, physical ability, and leadership skills. For example, former officers are very desirable employees, as the IDF officers’ course is very competitive and many are rejected, and many of those accepted are dropped partway through. Being an officer shows leadership skills, intelligence, determination and talent. Other army positions like general combat soldiers, translators, medics, etc show prospective employers that the ex soldier can handle stressful situations, or has good command of multiple languages, or has medical knowledge and experience.
In the army, Druze are very valuable because of their language skills. Their first language is Arabic and they learn Hebrew in school, therefore they are theoretically bilingual. In practice of course, there are those who speak fluent Arabic, Hebrew and English, and those who speak mostly Arabic and can only get by in Hebrew. Despite the disparity, Druze are often elevated to high positions where their language skills will be of use 
and are also often found in special forces units. This is partially due to their appearance (very close to Arabs) and language skills, allowing them to pass as Arab if needed, and partially due to their determination to succeed and to serve their country. I had a Druze officer in basic training and in my operational service, and he was an incredible officer, a perfect example of a good soldier and he took care of his men, as an officer should. Not only that, he is also around six and a half feet tall and 250 pounds, very little of it fat. Despite his height and bulk, he is unbelievably fast and silent, moving like moonlight on a waterfall, disarming a knife-wielding opponent with a quick burst of violence. He was intimidating in Krav Maga (IDF hand to hand combat) classes to say the least. One second we would square off, and then next I would be in pain, on my back, with no idea how I had arrived there. Even so, he was (and I assume he remains) a patient and effective teacher, and he was a tough commander, but was always there for his men when they needed him. When we were at checkpoints or dealing with terrorists we had arrested, he was always very rough with the Arabs, and it was almost as though he hated them. I asked him about it, and he said that not only are they hurting his country and his friends, but also have similar religious tenets and beliefs, and to see terrorists pervert Islam like that makes him angry. He said “there can be no good reason for hurting innocent people if it can be avoided at all, and targeting them on purpose is unforgiveable”. Many Druze share his point of view, and it is common knowledge in the army that Druze often hate the terrorists more than the other Israelis serving in the army do. Their unquestionable loyalty and dedication to Israel only amplifies their value and increases mainstream Israelis’ appreciation for them.
Despite all of these great qualities and the impact Druze soldiers have in the army, they are not so well known. Most Israelis know very little about the Druze outside of the basic common knowledge. Druze can often be seen in shuks (outdoor markets where haggling is the norm) and malls with stands selling their distinctive Druze laffa bread baked on an enormous inverted bowl, which is then liberally smeared with Labaneh (a type of cheese spread) and za’atar (a popular spice made with sesame seeds and other ingredients), or whatever the customer requests. The Druze at the kiosks are usually wearing traditional clothing and head coverings, as Druze custom and religion dictates modesty among men and women alike; however many younger Druze have more modern attitudes toward dress and dating. Druze can also often be seen guarding checkpoints as civilian contractors after the army, as well as guarding gates of Jewish villages and towns in the West Bank. The civilian contractors who facilitate high risk security jobs only take the best, and Druze are among the most desirable for these jobs due to their unflinching loyalty and natural suspicion (Druze have been persecuted by mainstream and radical Islam for centuries). The Druze are a perfect example of the diversity of Israel. Even though they are very different in language, appearance, religion, culture, and live in their own villages (by their own choice) somewhat separated from the rest of Israel, they are accepted and loved and considered an integral part of Israeli society. They serve as soldiers, guards, doctors, lawyers, interpreters, and scientists. It is a shame that they are not as well known or well represented, but maybe that is because there are only 130,000 or so in Israel. I am proud to serve next to the Druze soldiers of the IDF, and we as a whole are proud to have such dedicated and loyal citizens.
Blog by Josh Green.
Josh Green is currently serving as a combat soldier in the IDF, and was active during the most recent war in Gaza.
The Israeli Druze: soldiers and citizens
Friday, 12 December 2014
Even a single mine can damage fish habitats miles downstream - study
A unique study of landscape factors–in particular, mines–as regional sources of stress has been conducted by Michigan State University researchers. The study involved waterways in 33 U.S. states and 22,000 fish community samples. The researchers were themselves surprised by the results: even a single mine can damage fish habitats in larger rivers downstream, and the effects can reach streams not even directly connected to a mine.
“Mines have a much stronger influence on fishes than has been assumed,” Dr. Wesley Daniel, a research associate at MSU and lead author of the study, said. “It’s important, when considering the location of a new mine, to not just look local–but look way downstream.”
Here Dr Daniel explains the research, which has relevance in every part of the world where mining occurs.
Our study was funded by the US Fish and Wildlife and US Geological Survey as part of efforts to characterize associations between landscape factors, including coal and mineral mines, on stream fish communities in a range of stream sizes in the eastern US.
We wanted to test whether mines operate as a regional source of stress to fish communities over large spatial extents, as has been shown in many previous works examining urban and agricultural land use.One of the striking results was the clear and consistent negative associations between fish and mines across all three regions, and that these relationships held true for many different groupings of fishes. Examples of groupings include game species (fish species targeted by anglers like trout, bass, catfish), intolerant species that cannot endure much disturbance, fishes that use various habitats for spawning or their life cycle, and tolerant species that are often found to increase in disturbed areas. 
We found that tolerant species decreased in abundance with increased mine density in the watershed.We found that a single mine in a small river’s watershed (1000 km2 watershed) has the potential to alter the fish community by decreasing the number or diversity of fishes. When considering the effect of mines (current or new), managers need to consider not only the local stream watershed but the downstream impact.
There is an opportunity for management and agencies to use the our results along with the advancements in GIS mapping data we have created to consider mine’s influence as a regional source of stress and improve fisheries through management actions. Mining will continue to be needed until an adequate substitution can be found. As a society, we should be thoughtful on where mines at placed, keeping them out of ecologically or culturally significant watersheds. Since, based on our results, a very low density of mines has the potential to alter the fish community in large areas.
We found strong associations between greater numbers of mines in watersheds and lower numbers and diversity of fishes. We tested both 
mineral and coal mines together and separately and saw associations with altered fish communities. We did not test specifically for mechanisms by which mines could affect stream fishes, but many other studies that have been conducted at smaller spatial scales have demonstrated specifically how mines can affect stream fishes (mines can be a source of sediments and chemicals into rivers, alter the flow of streams, and alter natural land covers all of which can change stream habitats). What makes our study unique is that it was conducted over a large spatial extent, and we repeated our analyses in each of three regions that cover all or portions of 33 states in the central and eastern US. Also, our associations were based on trends detected using 22,000 fish community samples.
Our results suggest that a single mine has potential to alter fish communities. We cannot provide a unique value for the distance the mines can influence fish communities. The distance downstream that mining can influence fish communities will vary based on stream 
size, number of mines, and regional variation in natural conditions. There is an opportunity for future studies to build upon our results and try to quantify and characterize distance downstream in various regions that mines influence aquatic communities.
Our results suggest that a single mine has potential to alter fish communities. We cannot provide a unique value for the distance the mines can influence fish communities. The distance downstream that mining can influence fish communities will vary based on stream size, number of mines, and regional variation in natural conditions. There is an opportunity for future studies to build upon our results and try to quantify and characterize distance downstream in various regions that mines influence aquatic communities.
The report, “Characterizing coal and mineral mines as a regional source of stress to stream fish assemblages,” was completed by Drs. Wesley Daniel, MSU associate professor of fisheries and wildlife Dana Infante, Robert Hughes at Amnis Opes Institute, Yin-Phan Tsang, Daniel Wieferich, Kyle Herreman, Arthur Cooper and William Taylor at MSU, Peter Esselman at the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Lizhu Wang of the International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Office in Detroit,” was published in the journal Ecological Indicators, and was funded the US Fish and Wildlife and US Geological Survey.
Editorial by Day Blakely Donaldson
Even a single mine can damage fish habitats miles downstream - study
Russia criticizes US for aiding fight in Eastern Ukraine - "Ukraine Freedom Support Act"
The United States has almost completed the passing of the law that will provide Ukraine with $350 million in support in addition to US military equipment to continue its fight against Russia and pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Russian foreign ministry official representative Alexander Lukashevich commented on the “openly confrontational character” of the US’s assistance to Ukrainian fighters. The US actions were, he said, a source of “deep regret.”
The US Congress passed the legislation unanimously Thursday, and if US President Barack Obama signs the bill into law, America will assist Ukraine in its fight against Russian and pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine with $350 million in military aid. Additionally, 20 million dollars will be made available for the support of democratic institutions in Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
The US will supply anti-tank weapons, surveillance drones, ammunition, counter-artillery radar and communication equipment.
The Ukraine Freedom Support Act also authorizes new sanctions on Russia. Giants Rosobornexport and Gazprom–the state’s arms exporter and natural gas producer–will bear the brunt of the new sanctions.
Further, Moldova and Georgia will receive special status as partners outside NATO.
“Approved by both houses of the US Congress without discussion and appropriate voting, the law ‘Ukraine Freedom Support Act’ is a cause of deep regret due to its openly confrontational character,” said Lukashevich.
“Again, the US capital has leveled against Russia unfounded accusations and threatens us with new punishments. This mix of Ukrainian and Syrian conflicts, to foment which the United States had a hand–and even the INF Treaty–the observance of which in Washington, to put it mildly, raises questions.”
The ministry spokesperson criticized America for one the one hand promising Kiev authorities weapons to continue military operations in the Donbass, and on the other hand simultaneously openly denouncing their intent to use non-governmental organizations to influence the political process in our country.”
By Day Blakely Donaldson
Image: CSPAN
Russia criticizes US for aiding fight in Eastern Ukraine - "Ukraine Freedom Support Act"
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