The Rise of the New Global Elite
January 14th, 2011Via: The Atlantic:
In the sort of coincidence that delights historians, conspiracy theorists, and book publishers, June 21 also happened to be the day Peterson threw a party—at Manhattan’s Four Seasons restaurant, of course—to launch The Manny, the debut novel of his daughter, Holly, who lightly satirizes the lives and loves of financiers and their wives on the Upper East Side. The best seller fits neatly into the genre of modern “mommy lit”—USA Today advised readers to take it to the beach—but the author told me that she was inspired to write it in part by her belief that “people have no clue about how much money there is in this town.”
Holly Peterson and I spoke several times about how the super-affluence of recent years has changed the meaning of wealth. “There’s so much money on the Upper East Side right now,” she said. “If you look at the original movie Wall Street, it was a phenomenon where there were men in their 30s and 40s making $2 and $3 million a year, and that was disgusting. But then you had the Internet age, and then globalization, and you had people in their 30s, through hedge funds and Goldman Sachs partner jobs, who were making $20, $30, $40 million a year. And there were a lot of them doing it. I think people making $5 million to $10 million definitely don’t think they are making enough money.”
As an example, she described a conversation with a couple at a Manhattan dinner party: “They started saying, ‘If you’re going to buy all this stuff, life starts getting really expensive. If you’re going to do the NetJet thing’”—this is a service offering “fractional aircraft ownership” for those who do not wish to buy outright—“‘and if you’re going to have four houses, and you’re going to run the four houses, it’s like you start spending some money.’”
The clincher, Peterson says, came from the wife: “She turns to me and she goes, ‘You know, the thing about 20’”—by this, she meant $20 million a year—“‘is 20 is only 10 after taxes.’ And everyone at the table is nodding.”
Global Food Supplies Stretched to Limit
January 14th, 2011Via: MSNBC:
Strained by rising demand and battered by bad weather, the global food supply chain is stretched to the limit, sending prices soaring and sparking concerns about a repeat of food riots last seen three years ago.
Signs of the strain can be found from Australia to Argentina, Canada to Russia.
On Thursday, Tunisia’s president ordered prices on food staples slashed and indicated he won’t run for re-election after deadly riots hit the North African country.
“We are entering a danger territory,” Abdolreza Abbassian, chief economist at the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said last week.
The U.N.’s fear is that the latest run-up in food prices could spark a repeat of the deadly food riots that broke out in 2008 in Haiti, Kenya and Somalia. That price spike was relatively short-lived. But Abbassian said the latest surge in food stuffs may be more sustained.
“Situations have changed. The supply/demand structures have changed,” Abbassian told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. last week. “Certainly the kind of weather developments we have seen makes us worry a little bit more that it may last much, much longer. Are we prepared for it? Really this is the question.”
Price for grains and other farm products began rising last fall after poor harvests in Canada, Russia and Ukraine tightened global supplies. More recently, hot, dry weather in South America has cut production in Argentina, a major soybean exporter. This month’s flooding in Australia wiped out much of that countries wheat crop.
As supplies tighten, prices surge. Earlier this month, the FAO said its food price index jumped 32 percent in the second half of 2010, soaring past the previous record set in 2008.
Research Credit: V
Missouri: Concrete “Home” of Overwatch Systems CTO Is One of the Largest in the U.S.
January 14th, 2011Overwatch is wholly owned by defense giant Textron. This is from the Overwatch homepage:
Overwatch delivers multi-source intelligence (multi-INT), geospatial analysis and custom intelligence solutions to the Department of Defense, national agencies and civilian organizations. Our solutions enable analysts to integrate and leverage multiple intelligence sources to improve situational understanding and deliver actionable intelligence in support of counter-terrorism, irregular warfare and civil applications such as climate control, ecosystem management and environmental planning.
Overwatch is at the forefront of technology innovation, providing advancements in the multi-source and geospatial intelligence fields. Among the many innovations our software solutions have been noted for include leading capabilities such as:
* On-demand image processing
* Multi-terabyte image support
* Advanced 3D analysis and visualization
* Customized, web-enabled workflow management
* Full motion video exploitation
* Collection and collaboration integration software
* Human terrain socio-cultural information software
* Multi-source intelligence fusion and predictive analysis
* Think-to-contact intelligence software
* Satellite communications
From protecting the Earth to protecting its inhabitants, Overwatch solutions are delivering mission-critical understanding to intelligence analysts everywhere. Whether pre-packaged or tailored to customer requirements, Overwatch solutions incorporate multi-functional, industry-leading technologies flexible enough to meet military, civil and commercial customer needs today and into the future.
Moving on to the house; it’s zoned as a single family residence. With a family of four, that’s 18,000 square feet per person.
So, *chortle* yeah right this is a private residence.
Now, what do you get when you combine:
The ambitious project, nearly three years in and barely at the first floor…
with…
Now, “hundreds” of construction trucks are the norm. “One right after another,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that for over a year now.
There’s almost certainly a large underground component to this, and, I’d guess that there’s approximately zero chance that this is a private residence. With regard to what’s really happening there, I have no idea.
Via: Christian County Headliner News:
A house currently under construction near Highlandville spans almost a full acre from wall to wall, on a 500-acre site. The ambitious project, nearly three years in and barely at the first floor, totals 72,000 square feet.
Putting that figure in perspective might require a few comparisons. According to the Census Bureau, the average new home size over the last five years was between 2,100 and 2,500 square feet. Springfield’s Pythian Castle is between 34,000 and 39,000 square feet, said owner Tamara Finocchiaro. Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ house is 66,000 square feet.
The White House, with three wings on six levels, totals 55,000 square feet.
As for comparisons to local private homes, there may not be any.
…
Perhaps the only unsurprising parts of the massive project are the rumors.
“It’s all concrete, and I’ve heard it’ll have bulletproof glass and a concrete roof,” said Steve Johnson, neighbor to the Woods Fork Road property. “My wife was told it’s supposed to be a corporate retreat.”
At least one part of that is known to be true.
“The walls are all concrete,” said Sheriff Joey Kyle. “It’s large enough to fit two or three homes inside it.”
After hearing about the project, Kyle drove to the site to introduce himself and see it first hand.
The building permit application lists the cost of materials at nearly $6.9 million.
Johnson, who lives just yards from the gated and locked entrance, used to expect little traffic along the secluded road. Now, “hundreds” of construction trucks are the norm.
“One right after another,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that for over a year now. From what I’ve seen and heard, this place is unbelievable.”
…
The property’s deed says the Steven T. Huff Family, LCC is located in Leesburg, Va. Available online records of political campaign contributions show a Steven T. Huff of Leesburg to be an engineer and chief technology officer of Overwatch Systems, Ltd.
Research Credit: KH
Haiti: Another Success Story… for U.S. Corporations
January 14th, 2011Via: NPR:
In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, those who were desperate to find something positive in the tragedy that claimed an estimated 230,000 lives talked about the “opportunity” the destruction could present for the impoverished nation to “build back better.” On the tragedy’s one-year anniversary, it’s become clear that perhaps the only positive aspect of the past twelve months has been the exposure of the failures of the NGO aid system, and the international community’s long-standing use of the country as a laboratory for cashing in on disaster — both of which have been wrecking havoc on this country since long before the earthquake.
Despite being home to the world’s highest density of NGOs per capita, Haiti is presently being ravaged by a cholera epidemic with an official death toll of some 3,500, with experts estimating the number of dead at twice as high.
…
A recent AP investigation revealed that of every $100 of Haiti reconstruction contracts awarded by the American government, $98.40 returned to American companies, suggesting that non-Haitian companies and organizations have much to gain from the relief effort. Haiti’s reconstruction, like almost everything else in that country, has been privatized, outsourced, or taken over by foreign NGOs.
Growing Fish in Greenhouses
January 14th, 2011Via: YouTube:
Related: growingpower.org
Mitre/JASONs Advise Pentagon to Collect DNA and Complete Human Genome Sequences for All Military Personnel
January 14th, 201123andme.mil?
Don’t laugh. Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe, was one of the briefers on this. As you may or may not know, Wojcicki is married to Google’s Sergey Brin.
I don’t know what’s more terrifying to consider: What the military is going to do with this, or what Google is going to do with this.
Via: Federation of American Scientists:
The technology for sequencing human DNA is advancing so rapidly and the cost is dropping so quickly that the number of individuals whose DNA has been mapped is expected to grow “from hundreds of people (current) to millions of people (probably within three years),” according to a new report to the Pentagon (pdf) from the JASON defense science advisory panel. The Defense Department should begin to take advantage of the advances in “personal genomics technology” by collecting genetic information on all military personnel, the panel advised.
…
For military purposes, it will be up to the Department of Defense “to determine which phenotypes… have special relevance to military performance and medical cost containment” and then presumably to select for those. “These phenotypes might pertain to short- and long-term medical readiness, physical and medical performance, and response to drugs, vaccines, and various environmental exposures…. More specifically, one might wish to know about phenotypic responses to battlefield stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the ability to tolerate conditions of sleep deprivation, dehydration, or prolonged exposure to heat, cold, or high altitude, or the susceptibility to traumatic bone fracture, prolonged bleeding, or slow wound healing.”
“Both offensive and defensive military operations may be impacted by the applications of personal genomics technologies through enhancement of the health, readiness, and performance of military personnel. It may be beneficial to know the genetic identities of an adversary and, conversely, to prevent an adversary from accessing the genetic identities of U.S. military personnel.”
S&P, Moody’s Warn On U.S. Credit Rating
January 14th, 2011Via: Wall Street Journal:
With attention focused on sovereign-debt worries in Europe, two major credit-rating firms reminded investors again that the U.S. has debt problems of its own.
Investors bought Treasury debt nonetheless, ignoring the comments, which echoed prior statements by the companies and may still be months or years away from having any practical meaning.
“The warning on the U.S. rating is well-founded,” said Brian Yelvington, chief fixed-income strategist at Knight Capital. “However, it will probably fall on deaf ears until the peripheral Europe story plays out.”
Moody’s Investors Service said in a report on Thursday that the U.S. will need to reverse the expansion of its debt if it hopes to keep its “Aaa” rating.
Freedom in Decline Worldwide
January 14th, 2011Via: AFP:
Global freedom declined for a fifth straight year in 2010 as authoritarian regimes dug in worldwide and crime and unrest plagued democracies like Mexico, a US watchdog said Thursday.
In “Freedom in the World 2011” the Washington-based Freedom House said it had documented the longest continuous period of decline since it began compiling the annual index nearly 40 years ago.
“A total of 25 countries showed significant declines in 2010, more than double the 11 countries exhibiting noteworthy gains,” the group said.
“Authoritarian regimes like those in China, Egypt, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela continued to step up repressive measures with little significant resistance from the democratic world,” it said.
The recent decline “threatens gains dating to the post-Cold War era in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the former Soviet bloc.”
The report classifies countries as free, partly free or not free based on individuals’ ability to exercise political and civil rights, taking into account political systems and other factors like war and crime.
IBM’s Watson: How About, “We’re Fucked” for $100, Alex
January 14th, 2011Update: Watson Won
Via: PC World:
Wrapping up a three-day run on the Jeopardy game show, IBM’s Watson computer has beaten two former champions in a historic match of man versus machine.
—End Update—
Ah, don’t worry. Surely, the regime will use this for good. *sigh*
Via: Boston Globe:
IBM recently created a supercomputer named Watson that will compete against humans in the “Jeopardy!: IBM Challenge.”
The other two contestants? Previous “Jeopardy!” champions Ken Jennings, who won 74 consecutive matches, and Brad Rutter, who won a record-breaking $3.3 million as a contestant. The televised match will air in February, but today IBM offered a teaser in a three-round test battle.
Watson has been in the works for approximately four years. It is powered by 10 racks of IBM servers and has 15 terabytes of RAM. However, Google or KGB are no help to the machine, as it’s not connected to the Internet. Instead, it gets its information from myriad encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, and other sources of information it has digested. According to IBM, Watson has access to the equivalent of 200 million pages of content.
Watson also works just like a human contestant would: he has a buzzer and answers in the form of a question. Although as a bonus for the audience, the top three answers that Watson believes are correct are projected on a screen, giving insight into its decision-making process.
The results of the today’s match shouldn’t be too surprising. Tech blog Engadget.com reports that no question went answered incorrectly by any of the contestants, but the computer beat the human champs, as Watson led with $4,400, Jennings was second with $3,400, and Rutter rounded out the scoring with $1,200. Watch video of the competition on Engadget’s website.
Derren Brown Controls Shopping Mall Visitors
January 13th, 2011I wanted to believe that this wasn’t real; that it was just a stunt for television, with paid actors, etc. I know a bit about hypnosis, but I had pretty serious doubts about this one.
So, is this real, or not? Surely, it’s not, right?
I emailed Tony Rodriguez, a friend of mine who happens to be formally qualified to answer the question. What does formally qualified mean? Tony doesn’t mention his qualifications on his site, technofascismblog.com, so I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say any more about it. Obviously, feel free to take my word that he’s formally qualified, or not.
Anyway, here’s how the emails went. I wrote:
Do you think it’s possible that this actually happened in the way it was presented?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOEKdaXIEHc
Or, did they hire a bunch of extras and just have them raise their arms on queue???
Tony wrote back:
Mass hypnosis. I think it works like this: he creates an air of excitement, people are told to anticipate something. This creates a highly emotional situation about nothing in particular. All people know at this time is that something important is going to happen so they better partially pay attention to what he’s saying. Unfortunately, since they are walking around, they can’t give their full attention to his voice. This is the key. So, people are processing his words in the background as they focus their conscious attention on walking around and shopping. As they do this, he proceeds to drop suggestive command phrases into his speech that are not part of the main narrative. The instinctual, subconscious mind is extremely stupid and only works in simple associations. So he proceeds to build the subconscious association: arm raise = good, arm raise = good, arm raise = good. After enough of this, he builds the excitement again and issues a strong verbal command: now! This shocks people into immediate action. The conscious mind doesn’t have time to think and react, it must let instincts take over. There is just no time. So the instinctual subconscious takes over and reacts based on the last association it learned with some strong emotional content: BAM, ARM GOES UP. Of course, to the people on the ground, once their conscious mind takes over, and they begin to think about what happened, they are surprised that they lifted their arm.
Do I believe this is possible? Not only do I believe this is legit, but I believe the people getting a PhD in marketing learn this from day one. It’s why the people are in the mall in the first place. It’s what impulse buying is based on.
Here’s yet another way of thinking about it, She Who Measures:
