Pandemic Planning Runs Afowl in the U.S.

Update: "Power companies include IT in disaster planning: Experts confer at this week's World Conference on Disaster Management

July 11, 2007 (Computerworld Canada) -- Given the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002, the idea that companies should prepare their IT systems for what health officials have warned will be an influenza pandemic isn't so far-reaching.

And, the original post is:

A Gartner Inc. analyst, Ken McGee, stated that despite a bird-flu threat most IT companies "simply would not be ready" for disruptions according to a ComputerWorld report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported statistics on confirmed human cases of the Avian flu (H5N1) virus since 2003. The WHO recorded in 2006 that 79 people died from avian flu. This year, there have been 33 deaths.

If an avian influenza virus combines with a human influenza virus the new subtype created could be both highly contagious and highly lethal in humans. A likely scenario is a global influenza pandemic, similar to the Spanish Flu, or the lower mortality pandemics such as the Asian Flu and the Hong Kong Flu.

In May 2005, scientists urgently call nations to prepare for a global influenza pandemic that could strike as much as 20% of the world's population but this warning has largely been ignored.

To be clear, the avian flu cannot yet be categorized as a "pandemic" because the virus cannot yet cause sustained and efficient human-to-human transmission; the reported cases are recognized to have been transmitted from bird to human, but as of December 2006 there have been very few (if any) cases of proven human-to-human transmission.

On the other hand, if the avian flu imitates the "Spanish flu" of 1918–1919, it could spread to become a world-wide pandemic on all continents, unusually deadly and virulent as the 1918-19 event. Within 18 months the pandemic petered out but before doing so, in six months, 25 million people died: some estimates put the total of those killed worldwide at over twice that number. An estimated 500,000 died in the United States alone.

We are not ready for another 1918-19 event.

The French Want to "Berry" the Canadians

You have to hand it to the French. They are right on top of every international threat to their way of life. The Washington Post and Le Monde reported--I wouldn't make this up--carried a story dated 21 June 2007 that the French General Secretariat for National Defense has banned the use of BlackBerrys inside the presidential palace and government ministries.

Why?

BlackBerry data passes through servers in the United States and Britain.

Uhh, France, although the data may pass through those troublesome countries such as the U.S. and Britain, keep in mind that Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (TSX: RIM, NASDAQ: RIMM) is a Canadian wireless device company: RIM is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario.

Once the lovely Canadians are suspected as international threats it is time to pack it in.

Rock on RIM!

The French seem to epitomize untruths as a part of their national character and they suspect anyone who is straightforward.

"Truths!" Charles de Gaulle is supposed to have shouted. "Did you think I could have created a (Free French) government against the English and the Americans with truths? You make History with ambition, not with truths," quoted in Thierry Pfister, "Lettre Ouverte aux Gardiens du Mensonge" (Open Letter to the Keepers of the Lie), Albin Michel, 1999.

Lugar Senate Floor Speech Calls for Course Change in Iraq

Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) is basically correct on one point: Iraqis Don’t Want to Be Iraqis.

To make the point more directly I would argue that there is no Iraq. There never was. The world is still paying the price of the October 3rd 1932 decision to create Iraq under King Faisal.

The historical fiction that is Iraq is common to newer nations:

Common Themes in New Nations

Borders drawn by European colonial powers left nations with diverse religions and ethnic groups.

Ethnic and religious conflicts brought instability.

Military coups, one-party systems, and dictatorships kept some countries from achieving democracy.

Citizens and foreign lenders have forced former dictatorships to hold elections and transition to democracy.

Natural resources such as oil have been a source of wealth for some nations but have fueled conflicts.

Is the Internet Replacing TV?

In a significant development the Internet is on the cusp of surpassing TV as an "essential medium" for Americans according to a poll announced on 28 June 2007 by the Edison Media Research Inc. 33% of Americans selected the Internet as crucial for news and entertainment while TV elicited 36%. Radio could garner only a 17% loyalty and newspapers a distant 10%, according to the Internet and Multimedia 2007 report by the Somerville, N.J.-based market research firm. In 2002, only 20% of U.S. consumers said they preferred the Internet, compared to 39% for TV. The Internet has made significant gains in the intervening time. The survey polled 1,853 telephone interviews conducted in January and February with respondents age 12 and older who were chosen at random. Those polled were representative of the American population.

The point to take away from this survey is to conclude that the Internet has become just as important as television as a source of information and entertainment. While TV has limitations, the Internet may be even more of a handicap. The Net has an advantage in speed and is even more immediate of a medium than TV but the notion of balance, fairness, and depth of thought is even less.

In einer bedeutenden Entwicklung ist das Internet auf der Spitze des Übertreffens von von Fernsehapparat als "wesentliches Mittel" für Amerikaner entsprechend einer Abstimmung, die am Juni 28 2007 durch die Edison Mittel-Forschung Inc. verkündet wird. 33% von Amerikanern wählte das Internet vor, das für Nachrichten und Unterhaltung, während Fernsehapparat, entscheidend ist 36% herausbekam. Radio konnte nur 17% und Zeitungen 10%, entsprechend dem Internet- und Multimedia2007 Report durch das Somerville ansammeln, N.J.-based Marktforschungsunternehmen. 2002 sagte nur 20% von VEREINIGTE STAATEN Verbrauchern, daß sie das Internet bevorzugten, verglichen bis 39% für Fernsehapparat. Das Internet hat bedeutende Gewinne in der intervenierenden Zeit gebildet. Die Übersicht stimmten 1.853 Telefoninterviews ab, die im Januar geleitet wurden und Februar mit Antwortendalter 12 und älteres, wer zufällig gewählt wurden. Abgestimmte die waren Repräsentant der amerikanischen Bevölkerung. Der Punkt, zum von dieser Übersicht wegzunehmen soll feststellen, daß das Internet gerade so wichtig wie Fernsehen als Quelle der Informationen und der Unterhaltung geworden ist. Während Fernsehapparat Beschränkungen hat, kann das Internet sogar mehr eines Handikaps sein. Das Netz hat einen Vorteil in der Geschwindigkeit und ist von einem Mittel als Fernsehapparat sogar sofortiger, aber der Begriff der Balance, der Gerechtigkeit und der Tiefe des Gedankens ist sogar kleiner.

Blogs

Blogs are a new way to communicate although many are not read or are dying at the same time. The format is easy to use and not at all like the old days where everything was hard coded. I enjoy participating.

Review of: Establishing and Maintaining Long-Term Human-Computer Relationships

Date: Tue 26-07-2005 02:05 PM

Review Number: 38526

Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships

Establishing and maintaining long-term human-computer relationships Bickmore T., Picard R. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction 12(2): 293-327, 2005. Type: Article

The authors investigate the meaning of “human-computer relationship” and present techniques for “constructing, maintaining, and evaluating such relationships.” Their primary conclusion is that they “have motivated the development of relational agents as a new field of research.”

Two particular relational benefits motivate their research: trust and task outcomes (like improved learning) known to be associated with relationship quality. The authors are concerned with evaluating whether agents “establish and maintain long-term social-emotional relationships with their users.” Their experiment with 101 users interacted daily with an exercise adoption system for a month. Compared to an equivalent task-oriented agent the computer based relational agent was trusted
more.

Placing agents on mobile devices could provide a potent combination of relationship building (an ever-present “buddy”) and for behavior change (providing timely and appropriate interventions).

Work should be done regarding the nature of the buddy. Examples of conversational systems such as R2D2 in StarWars and Microsoft Office Assistant (“Clippit”) engendered mixed results: the former was cute and helpful, the latter intrusive and grating. And, there are political and ethical considerations in designing a buddy. Should the buddy be a thing or a neutered object as the two examples above, or perhaps a male, or as in the authors study a female? And, finally as the authors note, in these proactive buddy scenarios, which are monitoring us, raise issues
of privacy and security: with whom do you let it share which pieces of relational or personal information, and how does it earn your trust to do so?

When did the U.S. first commit ground troops to the Middle East?

When did the United States commit to placing ground troops in the Middle East? Did George Bush, Sr., or Jr., invent the doctrine? No.

The Eisenhower Doctrine, a message to Congress on 5 January 1957, was the foreign policy of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The doctrine stated that the United States would use armed forces upon request in response to imminent or actual aggression to the United States. The doctrine made it clear that the U.S. would intervene in the Middle East against aggression. George Bush did not invent the doctrine; the Eisenhower Doctrine was U.S. policy for years before Bush.

The military action provisions of the Doctrine were applied in the Lebanon Crisis the following year,
in 1958, when America intervened in response to a request by that country's president.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

American Hijab: non-American Hijab

Men don't cover themselves in Islam. Men do enforce women covering themselves. Guess who has the problem? Male Muslims. A Bahraini cleric even provides the guidelines on how to properly beat your wife. Or, a girl's actions may result in an "honor" killing.

Women pursued higher education and the professions for well over a hundred years in the West. Isn't it about time for Islam as well? Is there to be a Reformation in Islam? A French Revolution? I suppose if you never had the equivalent of a French Revolution you would tend to be backward: e.g., Olympe de Gouges.

Muslim women are oppressed. I hope there is no need to mention clitorectomies is there? This is exclusively a Muslim phenomenon: Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus do not practice this in any appreciable numbers. If human beings scar themselves or harm themselves is it any less oppressive because free will and choice is involved? Western law will still intervene in cases of attempted suicide or the harming of one's own person. The discussion of human rights is Western, not Islamist.

In Brasil street children are shot in the struggle for food and basic existence. An unpleasant, although based on a real story is the Brazilian film, City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus), in which this brutal struggle for subsistence occurs. As it happens, City of God is a four-time Academy Award-nominated 2002 Brazilian film. Most of the actors had never acted before, and were, in fact, residents of favelas such as Vidigal and the Cidade de Deus itself. If I had any opportunity at all I would impose my own values, my own culture, and my own Western way of life on behalf of Third World children. Western culture is superior; the Third World values here are inferior.

The U.S. has imposed American values in the Afghan and Iraqi constitutions to require that a specific number of representatives be women. Progress comes slow to Islamism and is in response to Western American pressure. American feminists have not done tangibly as much to liberate women elsewhere.

As diplomats come to the U.S. they should respect American values so as not to offend any of us and wear American flag pins, and Africans and Arabs should remove their own traditional style of dress, in favor of Western attire. American male Muslims adopt Western dress easily, but contradictorily, the removal of the Hijab may be considered an invitation to rape according to Zakir Naik, a male Muslim apologist who often speaks in the U.S. But who would require, and agree, with a ridiculous proposition such as non-Westeners should be required to adopt American dress as an example of `when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' But this is precisely the thinking of a Pelosi who as American politician adopts non-Western dress: gutless.

There is no Arabic equivalent for citizen or democracy. Japan and Germany learned about how democracy really worked following their destruction in a World War. Likewise, some cultures may have to learn how to prosper economically and politically, like Japan and Germany following their defeat, at the hands of Western conquerors.

Please note:
Palestinian Female Suicide Bombers who are heavily covered (not to mention heavily armed).

And, if this is not enough to turn your stomach you can always watch how the children are raised. Small Palestinian children perform while dressed as suicide bombers and terrorists, heavily armed waving guns and knives. The crowd of approving parents waves and applauds the kids. I guess they never heard of baseball. I liked the kid with a doll: and, an assault rifle. All the girls are well-covered though and I suppose that is the important thing. An Islamist generation is coming.

When you are tired, when you are hungry, when you are feeling sorry for yourself, think about someone fighting for freedom.

al-Qaeda Slithers to Algeria

Police officers inspect the government palace in Algiers, Algeria, following a car bomb attack on April 11. Mohamed Messara/EPA FILE

The recent suicide bombers in Algeria have all the earmarks of an al-Qaeda operation accoring to counter-terrorism experts. Authorities seem to have uncovered an Iraqi connection once they cracked down on 60 local belligerants in the Saharan city of El Oued. Hamida Ayachi, editor of the Algiers-based daily Djazair News, has noted that contacts between Iraq and Algeria have intensified within the past year.

Who is prepared?

A recent IT study by AT&T ranked U.S. cities for disaster preparedness. In this survey New York and Houston received high marks while the Twin Cities and Cleveland did not.

The results arose from about 1,000 corporate IT managers collectively from 10 cities surveyed.

According to the survey, the rankings were based primarily on three criteria: "the state of a city's business continuity plan; whether the city has adequately educated employees about the plan and installed systems to implement it; and on cybersecurity policies and the use of managed security."

China Virus First Strike in Cyberwar

No, this is not today's headline, but, it could be. China's military is investigating their information warfare capabilities.

The Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that China's military has developed cyberwarfare first-strike capabilities that include units charged with developing viruses to attack enemy computer networks.

In 2005, the People's Liberation Army began to incorporate offensive operations into its exercises, "primarily in first strikes against enemy networks," a DoD report stated.

This is the best level of unclassified American thought on China's capabilities.

MRAP to the rescue?

Like many Americans dismayed with the apparent lack of results in Iraq and the deaths of many fine young people, I've wondered if there is any hope. A reason for optimism is the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle). The new vehicles provide much improved protection, specifically against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which cause 70% of all U.S. casualties in Iraq. The IEDs are armor piercing and the MRAP offers some hope that our troops will be better protected. This is a step in the right direction. 58 of the 62 members of the House Armed Services Committee voted on 9 May for a $508.3 billion military authorization bill for fiscal 2008; the MRAP is a part of the new appropriations.

The day after the appropriations, the Pentagon announced plans to phase out its armored Humvees in Iraq and Afghanistan and send in vehicles that better withstand roadside bomb blasts, according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The shift in appropriations means that modernization plans would be put on hold but given the seriousness of our troops vulnerability, this seems like sound planning.

Check in October 2007 for a review: Ringwald, A Day Apart

Review: The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse

Revno: 000000547224 The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse, http://www.tertullian.org/

Date: Sun 29-05-2005 02:46 PM

The Tertullian Project, by Roger Pearse, http://www.tertullian.org/

In the Wikipedia age we live in Choice editors have wisely chosen
resources that seem likely to be of particular use to undergraduate
students. These are sites mostly likely consulted by the search mavens seeking a quick fix for instant info, i.e., our students. If a site is too flighty this is not reliably for our students but by the same token a too specialized site will be of little value at the undergraduate level.

Keeping these guidelines in mind, I evaluated the Tertullian Project. Pearse openly declares his amateur status, however, Pearse has helpfully assembled an impressive amount of work about this second and third century Christian apologist.

The assembler has artfully collected Tertullian references including more difficult to access textual material. In this type of endeavor, we need more enlightened amateurs such as Pearse because of its utility.

There are a variety of subsections dealing with various aspects of Tertullian’s life, writings and modern scholarship. The author has also conveniently ranked the more academic pages from the more light hearted areas. In addition to a brief historical outline on Tertullian the real strength of this compilation is the wealth of resources and information on Tertullian’s writings. The series of online shots of Tertullian’s pages provides a next best experience to dusting off an original text of Tertullian. The pages load quickly and easily which should be adequate even for slow modems and I found the navigation logically arranged.

Although this site is geared towards the seeking to be enlightened reader, there are a number of features that are useful to more advanced readers and specialists. The age of Wikipedia indeed is constructive in that specialists have not done what the Wikipedias have done so quickly and pleasantly.

Im Wikipedia Alter leben wir in den auserlesenen Herausgebern haben gewählt klug Betriebsmittel, die wahrscheinlich scheinen, vom bestimmten Gebrauch zu den Nichtgraduierten Kursteilnehmern zu sein. Diese sind der Aufstellungsorte meistens beraten durch die Suchemavens wahrscheinliches, die eine schnelle Verlegenheit für sofortiges Info d.h. unsere Kursteilnehmer suchen. Wenn ein Aufstellungsort zu flighty ist, ist dieser nicht zuverlässig für unsere Kursteilnehmer, aber aus dem gleichen Grunde ist ein auch fachkundiger Aufstellungsort von wenig Wert auf dem Nichtgraduiertniveau.

Diese Richtlinien im Verstand halten, wertete ich das Tertullian Projekt aus. Pearse erklärt öffentlich seinen laienhaften Status, jedoch hat Pearse hilfreich eine indrucksvolle Menge Arbeit über diesen zweiten und dritten Jahrhundert Christapologet zusammengebaut.

Der Versammlungsteilnehmer hat artfully Tertullian Hinweise einschließlich schwierigeres, Textmaterial zugänglich zu machen gesammelt.

In dieser Art der Bemühung, benötigen wir mehr erleuchtete Bewunderer wie Pearse wegen seines Dienstprogrammes. Es gibt eine Vielzahl der Unterabschnitte, die verschiedene Aspekte des Tertullian's Lebens beschäftigen, Schreiben und moderne Gelehrsamkeit. Der Autor hat auch bequem die akademischeren Seiten vom mehr Licht hearted Bereiche geordnet. Zusätzlich zu einer kurzen historischen umreiß auf Tertullian ist die reale Stärke dieser Kompilation die Fülle der Betriebsmittel und der Informationen über Tertullian?s Schreiben. Die Reihe der on-line-Schüsse der Tertullian's Seiten stellt eine folgende beste Erfahrung zum Abwischen weg von einem ursprünglichen Text von Tertullian zur Verfügung. Die Seiten laden schnell und leicht, die sogar für langsame Modem ausreichend sein sollten und ich fand die Navigation logisch geordnet.

Obgleich dieser Aufstellungsort in Richtung zum Suchen, erleuchteter Leser zu sein übersetzt wird, gibt es eine Anzahl von Eigenschaften, die vorgerücktere Leser und Fachleute nützlich sind. Das Alter von Wikipedia ist in der Tat dadurch konstruktiv, daß Fachleute nicht getan haben, was das Wikipedias so schnell und angenehm getan haben.

While we slept . . .

One of the most frustrating aspects of understanding our tepid response to Islamism is how America was so slow to react. The distrust between the CIA and the FBI made both agencies less effective and in fact we've made little progress on the IT issues in the meantime. Years after the fact data collection and sharing is still problematic between law enforcement. The handling by law enforcement and political administrations in viewing the original 1993 attack on the World Trade Center as individual criminal issues, and not part of a concerted effort against Western infidels, was wrong-headed. While the American public was dazzled by the O.J. Simpson trial and the Jon Benet Ramsay murder investigation the West was under attack. The blind Sheik Rahman and his fellow terrorists were already conspiring to blow up N.Y. city landmarks and bridges. This nation slept during the Reagan years when we withdrew from Lebanon after the Marine barracks truck bombing right through the Clinton years when we pulled out of Somalia after the downing of a Blackhawk.

It is little wonder that America was viewed as a tepid power. Weakness emboldens the desperate to increase their efforts. The victims on 9/11 paid the price.

The Caliphate

The Times of London notes the increasing importance the al Qaeda-affiliated groups on Iraq are placing on establishing a militant Islamist state in the Sunni regions of Iraq.

In particular, al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq emphasizes an important theme, the conquest of specific territory in order to establish the beginnings of God's kingdom on earth.

The jihadists place a physical caliphate on earth. It is to be achieved in conjunction with the divinely-blessed spread of jihad across the globe.

The U.S. military faces insurgents with this conviction and the use of classic Al-Qaeda tactics.

DHS and Privacy vs. Real ID

I have to agree with a privacy committee of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) assessment: oppose the Real ID bill, which proposes to create a national standard for state driver's licenses and other forms of state-issued identification.

This bill raises too many privacy, security, and logistical concerns.

The Real ID Act of 2005, in the wake of terrorism, sets minimum national standards that states must use when issuing driver's licenses and other identification. For example, this includes a photo ID, documentation of birth date and address, proof of citizenship or immigration status, and verification of Social Security numbers. As proposed, this law would go into effect in about a year.

Individuals would need Read ID-compliant cards for air travel, accessing federal buildings, or for receiving federal benefits. Moreover, all state driver's license databases would be linked.

The act is objectionable on the grounds that this is a de facto national ID system. Eventually, the U.S. government could spy on ordinary, law-abiding citizen.

Also troubling is that there is no plan for securing the stored identity data. The states are not accountable for the data.

"Failure to provide openness and transparency undermines accountability and trust," the DHS committee noted in its comments.

Concerns along these lines have been expressed by the National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Several members of Congress have also expressed their objection: Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and John Sununu (R-N.H.), who proposed the Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007. The bills co-sponsors include Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Lester (D-Mont.).

If the government had thinkers, they would enact a Real ID for criminals and skofflaws. The identification targets the wrong people, the compliant. Of course, people could voluntarily join the program, in fact, this would advantageous for frequent travelers and those who need consistent, easy transit.

As it stands, this is a bad law.

In an update on 6 July 2007, the Governor of New Hampshire signed a bill that rejects federal Real ID law

On 11 May 2007 a Guilty Verdict was handed down in a U.S. - China Spy Case

This is a troublesome case in that it may be indicative of how difficult it may be to nab spies. After a six-week trial a federal jury convicted a Chinese-born engineer of conspiring to export U.S. defense technology to China, including information on an electronic propulsion system that would make submarines virtually undetectable.

Chi Mak exploited his low-key lifestyle and his good reputation to hide his real intent: conspiring to pass U.S. secrets to China for over two decades. Mak is a naturalized U.S. citizen who confessed to the crime and revealed that he lied to investigators.

This individual apparently had no warning signs that he was suspect until he finally was found out and revealed his real intent on his own.

How you combat a clever individual like this without infringing upon individual liberties is an open question.

The U.N. next door

America is filled with communities where it appears as though the U.N. lives next door. However, in the case of the recently charged six terrorists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, were there any signs that perhaps something was amiss? The terrorists might stand out but it was not considered a major point to note their Muslim religious garb. It is common enough in many communities in the U.S., especially in urban areas, that characteristic Muslim garb is not out of the ordinary.

To wit, the six did have minor, but consistent run-ins with the law. The three arrested brothers regularly attended South Jersey Islamic Center in Palmyra, N.J., where, according to U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, they recruited another alleged conspirator. In short, the accused were no strangers to the police. They were habitual offenders, stopped dozens of times a year for speeding, illegal passing, and driving without a license. One of the accused, Dritan Duka was issued four citations during one five-week period. The three had driving privileges suspended, meaning that they could not even apply for a license, 54 times in less than a decade. Moreover, in 2000, Dritan Duka pled guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia and Shain Duka to possession of marijuana.

One characteristic to look for where the U.N. will break down is the flagrant, habitual, and lawless approach of potential troublemakers. The six, despite their protests that their Muslim background attracted attention, is not true. The accused brought about attention upon themselves by their anti-social behavior. America is a great country, too great to allow those who violate community standards unfettered freedom.