Daily Archives: October 13, 2014

Ron Paul vs. Rand Paul on Ebola

Posted: October 13, 2014 at 9:47 pm

By Ashley Killough, CNN

updated 3:21 PM EDT, Mon October 13, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- Ron Paul and Rand Paul are singing slightly different tunes on the threat of Ebola.

Sen. Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and likely presidential contender, has been generating headlines for his stark warnings about the virus, urging a temporary flight suspension from certain West African countries and suggesting Ebola is much more contagious than the government says.

His father, former Rep. Ron Paul, who's also a physician, appears to feel differently. In a column out Sunday, he sounds less distressed about the potential of the virus spreading in the United States and doesn't seem to think airline restrictions will do much good.

White House not naming Ebola 'czar'

The former presidential candidate -- an obstetrician with a strong libertarian following -- doesn't mention banning flights as a possible solution. Instead, he writes that safety concerns can best be handled by the airlines themselves, which he says would have a greater incentive to protect passengers than governments would.

"They can do so while providing a safe means of travel for those seeking medical treatment in the United States," he writes. "This would remove the incentive to lie about exposure to the virus among those seeking to come here for treatment."

Questions remain about how Dallas nurse got Ebola

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Episode 3

Posted: at 9:47 pm

A deep suspicionaboutthe use of American power, along with professional interest in medicine, runs deep in the Ron and Rand Paul family. So the respective responses by father and son to Ebola are a fascinating lesson in the evolution of the family's libertarian views under the pressure of a crisis.

In his weekly column on the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity's website, the elder Paul traced the outbreak to the exercise of American power.

The people of Liberia and other countries would be better off if the U.S. government left them alone. Leave it to private citizens to invest in African business and trade with the African people. Private investment and trade would help these countries develop thriving free-market economies capable of sustaining a modern healthcare infrastructure.

Can you imagine if a whole ship full of our soldiers catch Ebola?

Rand Paul

The free market's invisible hand, he argues, is the best protection against the virus.

"Legitimate concerns about protecting airline passengers from those with Ebola or other infectious diseases can best be addressed by returning responsibility for passenger safety to the airlines," he writes. "Private airlines have a greater incentive than does government to protect their passengers from contagious diseases."

Rand Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, had a related assessment of the crisis, but he shaded it very differently. Where his father seemed relatively unconcerned about its dangers, Rand Paul sounded almost alarmist, suggesting that government officials have downplayed the threat.

I think because of political correctness were not really making sound, rational, scientific decisions on this, the Kentucky senator said on "The Laura Ingraham Show" earlier this month. Its a big mistake to underestimate the potential for problems worldwide.

Paul also expressed concern about President Barack Obamas plan to send up to 3,000 troops to fight Ebola in West Africa.

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Episode 3

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Former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom quits party because it is too 'politically correct'

Posted: at 9:47 pm

Bear in mind we started in 2009 in Europe with 13 MEPs and we ended up with five, so there are dead UKIP bodies all over the place with knives quivering in their back so make sure its not yours.

The former MEP, who was first elected to Brussels in 2004, said: I was a founding member of Ukip and Ive been a significant donor.

But now I find that instead of being the libertarian party, the party of common sense, Ive been banned from speaking.

So, yes, its a very sad day for me. But the party seems to have gone astray."

He added: "Quite whats going on I couldnt say, but Ive had enough.

What kind of party are we supposed to be? The while point and the reason we are doing so well is because we were supposed to something different.

We seem to be drifting towards the politically correct mainstream like everybody else.

Ive had enough of party politics. I dont think party politics is for people who tell it like it is.

Mr Bloom caused an outcry in 2012 after saying that foreign aid is sent to "Bongo Bongo Land".

It came after he sparked accusations of sexism after saying: I just dont think they clean behind the fridge enough, a remark which ultimately led to his downfall.

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Godfrey Bloom quits UKIP because it is now too 'politically correct'

Posted: at 9:47 pm

Bloom said he was leaving with a 'heavy heart' but had 'had enough' He said he had been banned from speaking to Ukip activists Former MEP caused fury in past over remarks about 'Bongo Bongo land' Bloom also warned Ukip's new MP Douglas Carswell: 'Watch your back'

By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline

Published: 13:52 EST, 13 October 2014 | Updated: 16:49 EST, 13 October 2014

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Outspoken former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom has quit the party claiming it is now too politically correct.

Mr Bloom, a former flat mate of Nigel Farage, said he was leaving with a heavy heart but had had enough after being banned from speaking because of his controversial views.

He left with a warning for Ukips first elected MP Douglas Carswell that he could be knifed in the back by his new party if he was not careful.

Mr Bloom, who represented Yorkshire and the Humber for Ukip in the European Parliament for 10 years, added: Douglas, watch your back.

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Your Online Content Should Deliver 'Cognitive Ecstasy'

Posted: at 9:46 pm

Humans love to have their minds blown. We are changed by that feeling of seeing or learning something perfectly new -- that feeling we call awe. And, according to Jason Silva, thats the secret to really spectacular online content.

Great content trades in the currency of inspiration, said Silva, host of the popular National Geographic TV show Brain Games and futurist with YouTube series Shots of Awe, at Advertising Week in New York City earlier this month. If we are going to tell a story, if we are working with advertisers -- why not make that story inspirational? Why not make that story mindblowing? Why not give people that experience of cognitive ecstasy? Because I promise you they are going to be more compelled to share if they are moved by what you have created.

At a time when the volume of material for people to read and watch is exponentially growing, being able to grab consumers attention online is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you can invoke wonder and amazement in the content you create and share, you stand a better chance at making those consumers your customers.

Related:Market to Empowered Women: It's Ethical -- And It's Good for Business

Silva spends his life seeking that feeling -- that exhilarating neurostorm of intense intellectual pleasure. He specifically curates what he reads, sees and does to maximize his potential for experiencing awe.

I think it was Aristotle who used to say that human beings dont care about spectacle, what they care about is ecstatic understanding, he says. We want to feel like we learned something new. We want to upgrade our maps. We want that cognitive ecstasy.

How does he define awe? Its that sensation you experience when youre presented with something you have no existing framework to process. Consider the first time you went to the Grand Canyon or the first time you saw an IMAX 3-D film about space. Literally you have no reference points for what you are seeing, no anchoring for what you are seeing, so your mental maps of the world are being upgraded in real time and that is an experience of awe.

Its next to impossible to listen to Silva and not believe what he preaches. Hes animated, energetic and eager. Its as though he wants to give his audience a taste of the cognitive ecstasy he preaches about. But alongside his charismatic presentation is some pretty impressive science. A 2012 study published in Psychological Science determined that experiencing awe slows down peoples perception of time, and that the more a person experiences awe, the more satisfied they are with life.

Related:Dig Inn Founder: 'I Wouldn't Let People Tell You That You Can't Do Things'

Advances in technology open up more opportunity for awe -- and thats a good thing. The changes we are experiencing now, such as the constantly shrinking size of a computer chip or the miniaturization of the video camera, will provide new experiences we cannot even imagine. Silva says thats not something to be feared, but something to look forward to.

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Search on for human rights panel chairperson

Posted: at 9:46 pm

SHILLONG: The formation of Meghalaya State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has hit hurdles with the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya, Meena Kumari, expressing her inability to hold the post of Chairperson of the Commission offered by the State Government, an official source said.

14 months after the State Cabinet approved the formation of the State Human Rights Commission, the Government is still searching for a suitable candidate to hold the post of Chairperson.

After the Cabinet, on August 13 last year, approved the formation of the State Human Rights Commission the Government had only fixed the salary and allowances of the Chairperson and other members.

In the Assembly session held in March this year, the State Government had tabled the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (Salaries and Allowances and other Terms and Conditions of Service of the Members) Rules, 2014.

In the absence of the State Human Rights Commission, the cases of violations of human rights are on the rise as there is no whistleblower to monitor instances of human rights violations.

The cases of human rights violations are now being probed by the magistrates and several such probe reports which lack in depth, are gathering dust in government departments pending action.

A Chairperson and two members constitute the State Human Rights Commission.

A government official said that while Additional Deputy Commissioner M.B. Challam has agreed to be one of the members of the Commission, the Government will shortly finalize one more member for the Commission.

Moreover, search is also on for the Chairperson of the Commission since (retd) Chief Justice Meena Kumari did not want to hold the post due to her preoccupation with her family.

Several meetings were held in the past to shortlist the names of suitable candidates to head the State Human Rights Commission, but no consensus could be reached on the matter.

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Karapatan says Army chiefs third star is medal of impunity

Posted: at 9:46 pm

DAVAO CITYHuman rights group Karapatan on Monday branded as a medal of impunity the third star awarded to an Army general here who was implicated in the Morong 43 case.

The Aquino government tolerates the notorious deeds of violators of human rights and international humanitarian laws, said Hanimay Suazo, spokesperson of Karapatan in Southern Mindanao Region.

Major General Aurelio Baladad, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, received his third star rank as Lieutenant General from AFP chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang together with eight other military officers last October 8, at Camp Aguinaldo.

Karapatan said the awarding of medal to Balabad was a grave insult to the health workers who suffered military brutality, an allegation denied by Balabad who was then the commander of the 202nd Infantry Battalion which arrested the 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal in 2010.

Its an insult to the victims of Morong 43 more so to all the victims of militarys human rights abuses. And this only confirms that the Aquino government is not serious in ending impunity, Suazo said.

She added that the Aquino government is no different from the Arroyos administration because military officials with notorious record of human rights violations were promoted. (davaotoday.com)

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Raymond Loewy's NASA Designs Are The Space Future That Never Was

Posted: at 9:46 pm

From 1967 until 1973 NASA employed the services of Raymond Loewy, a legendary figure in the design world. Loewy's firm produced over 3,000 designs for NASA during this time. And everything they produced for the space agency would fit perfectly in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey like the Loewy space taxi pictured above.

Loewy is best known for his work designing earthbound objects, from trains to the iconic Coke bottle to the livery that still decorates Air Force One. But during those six years, the employees at Loewy's design firm served as "habitability consultants" to NASA with the hope of making projects like America's first space station Skylab (in orbit from 1973-1979) more human-friendly. Not all of their ideas were terribly practical, but they helped define the space design agenda for decades to come.

Below, we see one of Loewy's full-scale mock-ups for an "artificial-G, shuttle-compatible space station interior" courtesy of NASA.

"Prior to Skylab, NASA designed its vehicles like aircraft cockpits, where providing basic life support was the guiding principle," the new book Milestones of Space edited by Michael J. Neufeld explains. "Engineers at the NASA Marshall Center in Hunstville, Alabama, saw no need for amenities; instead, they stressed functionality and reliability."

But people like NASA's George Mueller and the contractor Martin Marietta (who were actually responsible for bringing Loewy into the fold) understood that if regular humans who weren't fighter pilots and astronauts were to ever go into space, things would have to be designed a bit more posh.

The stated goal of bringing on Loewy was to "help insure the psycho-physiology, safety and comfort of the astronauts." And even though some of the designs were too wild for the time (many of them having to do with space constraints and practicalities) they helped NASA consider new ways to make humans more comfortable in the cold, alienating confines of space vehicles.

If you're a fan, you can read Loewy's 1973 report [pdf] to NASA on designs for space shuttles and stations. The images and ideas evoke the space age futurism of the late 1960s and 70s perhaps better than any other official report produced for NASA. Loewy's work helped bridge the gap between science fiction and science fact, bringing a mod-sensibility to the agency.

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ABB Product Launch in Hollywood to be Addressed by Futurist Jack Uldrich

Posted: at 9:46 pm

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 13, 2014

Robotics are changing the world at a dizzying pace and ABB/Thomas & Betts is on the cutting edge of the movement. Innovation is at the forefront of what ABB/Thomas & Betts do and many of the technologies that drive modern society were pioneered by ABB. On October 13th, ABB/Thomas & Betts is presenting a revolutionary new product launch in West Hollywood, CA., and they have selected global Futurist Jack Uldrich to deliver the keynote for the event.

In 2012 ABB merged with Thomas Betts and together they are a global leader in power and automation technologies. Their solutions improve the efficiency, productivity and quality of customers operations while minimizing environmental impact. They are a leading supplier of industrial robots, modular manufacturing systems and service. Their strong solutions focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. To date, ABB has installed more than 250,000 robots worldwide.

Uldrich, a best selling author, trend expert and futurist is well versed in the coming trends and he will be addressing the ABB Group in West Hollywood, CA., with his talk, "Breakthrough: Ten Technological Trends Transforming Tomorrow."

In his talk Uldrich will provide an in-depth examination of a number of trends, including wearables technologies, 3D manufacturing, mobility, advances in nanotechnology, data anlytics, the Internet of Things and robotics, and discuss how these trends are transforming the competitive landscape. In addition to discussing the technologies that will be introduced in the near future, he also poses some serious questions for his audiences: "Think about how much we already rely on machines. What would happen if those machines were no longer available, or even temporarily offline? What risk does handing a growing number of our decisions off to automation pose?"

In his book "Foresight 20/20" Uldrich puts together a plethora of future based scenarios and robotics, energy, utilities and 3D printing are just a few of his highlighted chapters. In additon to speaking to companies like Emerson (most recently at their 2014 Global Users Exchange in Orlando last week,) Eaton, PMMI, The National Association of Manufacturers, Uldrich also speaks on topics in retail, education, finance and healthcare, among others. He will be following up his talk in California at ABB/Thomas & Betts events in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and New York City throughout the month of October.

Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, best-selling author; editor of the monthly newsletter, The Exponential Executive. Parties interested in learning more about him, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about either the event or interviewing Jack can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

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