Fog of War Demystified by Financial 'Power Law'

War is hell, but scientists are learning more about the devil that governs major conflicts.

Attacks and casualties as a result of modern warfare can now be predicted using a mathematical model developed by scientists in the United States, the United Kingdom and Colombia. The research could save the lives of soldiers in the field or prevent future attacks.

"When you hear about these attacks on the news at night, they just sound haphazard," said Neil Johnson, a scientist at the University of Miami in Florida and a co-author on a recent paper in the journal Nature. "But when we looked at them, we found that there were universal relationships across conflicts."

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Occupation, territories occupied, civilian casualties caused by occupying forces, world policing, treaty violations, geography, demographics, prominent religion, broken promises, and motive. Boom. I got all the information I need for an accurate model, and I just saved you millions in funding and man-hours.

The U.S. Is In Deep Doodoo

The following article was first written in 1998. I am relinking it here not so much as to say "I told you so", but to point out that the long term economic future of the United States was obvious, or should have been obvious, to the people who are awarded lofty degrees and paid huge salaries to comprehend such things. Instead, the economists persisted in explaining away the visible signs of gathering troubles and earned their salaries by justifying why the policies that robbed the poor to give to the rich should continue unabated.

Always losing your phone? Put a leash on it.

Laurie Penix, co-founder and president of Zomm, came up with the idea for the gadget earlier this year after a friend's husband lost his third iPhone. She started the company with her husband, Henry Penix, who is also its CEO.

Humans in Flight

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Travis' New Year's Eve Jump

CG rendering of Pastrana's New Year's Eve jump from Nitro Circus on Vimeo.

Travis takes his first visit to the site of his upcoming world record jump attempt for a healthy dose of holy-sh*t-this-is-going-to-be-huge. Also in the clip is a first-look at a CGI animation of how the jump will look when it's televised live on ESPN.

This New Year's Eve, action sports icon Travis Pastrana will star in Red Bull: New Year. No Limits., live on ESPN. Travis will attempt to shatter the world record for distance jumping in a car at the Pine Street Pier in Long Beach's Rainbow Harbor.

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UPDATE:

In Defense of Titties

Now, I know what you’re saying: “Ryan, why do you have to defend titties? Who could hate titties? I love them!” I’m not talking about those wonderful delights that have caused men to spend crazy amounts of money on dinners at the Olive Garden. I’m talking about those wonderful MMA fighters who may not be in the best possible shape. The ones who look as if they just got done with a workout of 12-ounce curls. They may have a little junk in the trunk, if you will. They’re husky. Big boned. Yep, use pretty much every line a mother uses to make her son feel better for loving to eat Cheetos for every meal. (They’re so tasty, though!)

Let’s face it: You have moobs. Man boobs. If you’ve been watching this season’s The Ultimate Fighter (and if you haven’t, what’s wrong with you? Rampage, Rashad, Kimbo!?!?), then you’ve seen Rampage continue to make fun of Darrill Schoonover by calling him “titties,” since Big D may not be the best physical specimen on Earth. But having an amazing physique doesn’t make you a good fighter. As Kenny Powers says in Eastbound and Down on HBO, “I play real sports … not trying to be the best at exercising.” So even though these guys may not have beautifully etched abs, cannonball delts, cobra-like lats, muscular thighs, and a firm bottom, it doesn’t mean they can’t scrap. (Did I really just write that sentence? Holy hell! I need to go look at pictures of hot chicks ASAP.)

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Superfoods

Superfoods for an MMA fighter prolong endurance and work capacity, help with muscle recovery and growth, and help prevent injury, which ultimately helps in and out of the cage. Here are 10 essential foods you need to add to your diet to help with your fight preparation.

(These are great for anyone, not just fighters!)

10 Most Wanted

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

The True Origin of Christmas

Why do people think that Christmas is wonderful? It certainly felt wonderful to me. I trusted what my parents told me. I had no reason to doubt them. They were merely teaching me what their parents had taught them. I never questioned the true origin of Christmas!

Most never reflect on why they believe what they believe or do what they do. We live in a world filled with customs, but few ever seek to understand their origin. We generally accept them without question. Most people basically do what everyone else does—because it is easy and natural!

It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”

December 25th was not selected because it was the birth of Christ or because it was even near it. It was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia—and this celebration must be carefully examined. In any event, we do not know the exact date of Christ’s birth.

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It is also asserted that the very same astrological events (particularly Winter Solstice) that gave rise to the "pagan" practices described in the article were also the basis for the world's major religions.

The Ponzi Decade

It is fitting that we end the current decade just like we started it, with the bursting of bubbles. In the early part of the decade we were dealing with the fallout of the technology bust. That was quickly replaced by the even bigger housing bubble and that has now popped as well. The trillions lost by average Americans is incredible but in reality nothing was technically lost because the entire decade was one enormous Ponzi scheme and like all Ponzi schemes the wealth created is false. Bernard Madoff was simply the mascot of a decade built on phony money spewed out by the corporatocracy of Wall Street. What is even more troubling is how the actions taken by Wall Street are not being prosecuted in the same fashion as our justice system took on Bernard Madoff. The reason for that is the corporatocracy has legalized national bank robbery.




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Chief counterfeiter is "Man of the Year"

Aspartame alert: Diet soda destroys kidney function

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have revealed results from a study outlining some of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body. Conducted on a group of 3,000 women, the results indicated that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day doubled their risk of more-rapid-than-normal kidney function decline.

When aspartame was first approved in the 1970s under the name "NutraSweet", studies were submitted as supposed proof that the artificial chemical was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical in 1974 for use in a limited number of foods based upon the studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co., the company that invented aspartame.

Following a discovery made shortly thereafter by a research psychiatrist who found that aspartic acid, a primary ingredient in aspartame, caused holes to form in the brains of mice, the FDA decided to form its own internal task force to investigate the initial claims made by the Searle Co.

What the agency discovered was a series of falsified claims, compromised study results, and missing information. The claims made in favor of aspartame were so dubious and the evidence so faulty that the FDA decreed that a grand jury should investigate Searle Co.'s claims. Unfortunately, the case failed to move forward when U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Conlon failed to initiate any legal action. Conlon was later hired by the law firm that represented Searle Co.

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No kidding

10 Health Benefits of Vinegar

Many of us are aware of the many ways that vinegar can clean just about anything, from your windows to the outflow pipes of your air conditioner. However, how many of us realize the health benefits of vinegar?

Surveillance Shocker: Sprint Received 8 MILLION Law Enforcement Requests for GPS Location Data in the Past Year

This October, Chris Soghoian — computer security researcher, oft-times journalist, and current technical consultant for the FTC's privacy protection office — attended a closed-door conference called "ISS World". ISS World — the "ISS" is for "Intelligence Support Systems for Lawful Interception, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Gathering" — is where law enforcement and intelligence agencies consult with telco representatives and surveillance equipment manufacturers about the state of electronic surveillance technology and practice. Armed with a tape recorder, Soghoian went to the conference looking for information about the scope of the government's surveillance practices in the US. What Soghoian uncovered, as he reported on his blog this morning, is more shocking and frightening than anyone could have ever expected.

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Jose Aldo: The King Is Dead, Long Live the King

The WEC Featherweight title fight between reigning champion Mike Thomas Brown and number one contender, Jose Aldo, was billed as a classic battle of speed vs. power. Brown, an incredibly strong wrestler with a lethal right hand, is the strongest 145-pounder in the game and looked like a dominant champion in the division with two convincing wins over formerly invincible champ, Urijah Faber, and annihilating top contender Leonard Garcia. The common wisdom coming into the fight was that he should have no problem taking Aldo down once he got his hands on him.

Aldo, on the other hand, displayed lightning fast, dynamic striking of every variety…punches, kicks, knees, elbows…en route to five straight knockout or TKO stoppages inside the WEC cage since becoming a Zuffa athlete and an overall MMA record of 15-1. Naturally, when you heard that Aldo defeated Brown by second round TKO on Wednesday night at the Palms to capture the belt, the first thought had to be that speed triumphed over strength and power.

Not so fast…pun intended.

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**watch the full fight here

Cop tasers girl for resisting bedtime (no, seriously)

The local police chief in Ozark, Arkansas is standing behind one of his officers who tasered a 10-year-old girl who was refusing to go to bed.

To hear Bradshaw tell it, he was now in the midst of a full-on brawl on the living-room floor with Kiara, a Grade 5 student. The 65-pounder was "verbally combative ... struck me with her legs and feet in the groin," Bradshaw wrote.

That's when he reached for his holster and delivered a "very very (sic) brief drive stun to her back with my taser."

Unsurprisingly, Kiara's struggling stopped immediately. Bradshaw then cuffed her and carried her to his squad car, since she could no longer walk.

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Global government: won't happen? EU pres says otherwise

"2009 is also the first year of global governance, with the establishment of the G20 in the middle of the financial crisis. The climate conference in Copenhagen is another step towards the global management of our planet."

The money that is sold abroad is you

Why boys are turning into girls

Here's something rather rotten from the State of Denmark. Its government yesterday unveiled official research showing that two-year-old children are at risk from a bewildering array of gender-bending chemicals in such everyday items as waterproof clothes, rubber boots, bed linen, food, nappies, sunscreen lotion and moisturising cream.

The 326-page report, published by the environment protection agency, is the latest piece in an increasingly alarming jigsaw. A picture is emerging of ubiquitous chemical contamination driving down sperm counts and feminising male children all over the developed world. And anti-pollution measures and regulations are falling far short of getting to grips with it.

Sperm counts are falling so fast that young men are less fertile than their fathers and produce only a third as much, proportionately, as hamsters. And gender-bending chemicals are increasingly being blamed for the mystery of the "lost boys": babies who should normally be male who have been born as girls instead.


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Our Produce-or-Die Culture Is Killing Us -- And We're Idiotically Grinning and Bearing It

We've been reduced to "human assets" in a relentless economic machine. And we can't even complain: appearing cheerful is vital when all of life is monitored by an employer.

Proof abounds of the unending joy and importance of work and production in our wealth-based economy. Just read the job recruitment ads. Or ask any of the people clinging fearfully by their fingernails to those four remaining jobs in America. But is a job -- hopefully a good one -- and workplace strivance really everything? Most of us would say, "Well of course not." But in a nation that now sends police to break up the tent camps and car camps of homeless unemployed citizens who once belonged to the middle class, it might well be everything.

U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets

America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon.

In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community, is putting cash into Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in monitoring social media. It’s part of a larger movement within the spy services to get better at using ”open source intelligence” — information that’s publicly available, but often hidden in the flood of TV shows, newspaper articles, blog posts, online videos and radio reports generated every day.

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Dear Spooks,



Thanks for visiting!

Hydrogen-fueled cars become a thing of the present

"When the US government cut funding for hydrogen-fueled cars last May, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said such vehicles will not be practical for another decade or two.

Lim Tae-won thinks he can prove Secretary Chu wrong.

Dr. Lim runs the team at Hyundai (HYMLF.PK)-Kia Motors that is developing hydrogen fuel cell technology. And they are on course, he says, to mass produce hydrogen cars in six years…"

Like every business venture, there is no certainty and therefore this is a gamble. The undertaking to develop this into a commercially viable energy source relies upon funding from the Korean government. Unlike the U.S., Korea probably has the money to fund such a program and as they are keen to carve out leadership niches in the global economy and new world order, look for their commitment to manifest itself in earnest.

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Surprise...swine flu pandemic a sick joke

Read article and hear more...

Panic, little ones, it's the Carbon Monster

IF you don't reduce your carbon footprint, then puppies will drown and bunny rabbits will die. And a terrifying, jagged-toothed monster with crazy hooked hands will descend from the clouds to eat you up.