Monthly Archives: April 2017

New Research Reveals What We Must Do to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Changes – Futurism

Posted: April 19, 2017 at 9:29 am

Man-Made Climate Change

There is a substantial body of research that details anthropogenic, or man-made, climate change.Climate mitigation policies have largely been based on theevidence that has resulted in thisscientific consensus. In particular, the Paris Climate Agreement,which was finalized in 2015 and opened for signatures in 2016, is perhaps the most comprehensive of these policies.

The historic agreement, which has been signed by 143 of the 197 total participating nations, aims to reduce the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Concretely, it sets a goal of limiting global average temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and of pursuing efforts to limit temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

However, how these goals are to be achieved have largely been left on the discretion of the individual countries. This is where a new study published by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in the journal Nature Communications comes in.

The IIASA researchers, led by World Bank consultant Brian Walsh, used a global model of the carbon system which monitors both natural and anthropogenic activities that account for carbon uptake and release. This study gives a broad accounting of the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, where it comes from, and where it goes Walsh explained in an interview for a IIASA press release. We take into account not just emissions from fossil fuels, but also agriculture, land use, food production, bioenergy, and carbon uptake by natural ecosystems.

The findings showed that, for the Paris Climate Agreements goals to be realized, global energy supply must only be 25 percent dependent on fossil fuels by 2100. However, simply limiting greenhouse gas emissions is not enough. In addition,carbon sinks, like forests,must be preserved so they can continue to absorb carbon.The researchers found that landuse must changein order toreduce cumulative emissions to 45 percent by end of the century.

If nations can work together to attack climate change by both reducing fossil fuel consumption and by enforcing environmentally friendlyland use,we could reachzero net anthropogenic emissions well before 2040. This could allow us to achieve the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100,according to coauthor Michael Obersteiner, Ecosystems Services and Management Program Director at the IIASA.

The model of a high renewable future for energyshowed an ambitious but possible alternative. In this scenario, a yearly 5 percent increase in renewable energy dependence could lead to a peak in net carbon emissions by 2022. Its an entirely plausible scenario, especially since renewable energy consumption has been on the rise. However, renewables have to be combined with negative emissions technologies, for without these global average temperature could still rise to 2.5C missing the Paris Climate Agreements goals.

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The Trump Administration is Interested in Extracting Resources From The Moon – Futurism

Posted: at 9:29 am

In BriefWhile reviewing the budgets of federal agencies, the TrumpAdministration asked NASA officials about the potentialcommercialization of NASA technologies and how NASA tech could beused for profitable enterprises like lunar and asteroid mining. Supporting NASA

President Donald Trumps proposed 2018 federal budgetleaves most ofNASAs funding intact, with the total budget coming in at $19.1 billion (slightly less than the $19.3 billion approved for 2017). Thanks to Motherboards acquisition of communication between the Trump Administration and NASA, we may have a little more insight as to why the administration views NASA as a good investment.

According to documents, the Trump team asked fordata and examples of NASAs technology development with the commercial industry and information on whether government-funded developments are disseminated through contracts/partnerships.

In short, they wanted to know how NASA helped fund and fuel private industries and how they contribute to money-making enterprisescase in point, the administration asked about NASAs plan to survey the Moon in order to locate potential raw materials and determine how they can best be extracted for mining purposes.

In response, NASA assured the administration that it continuously searches for appropriate public-private partnerships, expecting the technology that it develops to grow private commercial pursuits such as work in low-Earth orbit. Specifically, they say they are working with industry to develop innovative cislunar [a region that is equidistantbetween Earth and the Moon] habitation concepts that leverage existing commercialization plans.

The commercialization of low-Earth orbit could mean a treasure trove of resources totaling up to potentially trillions of dollars. Rare and valuable resources, such as platinum-group metals, can be mined from nearby asteroids or the Moon over a sustainable period of time. That is, only if NASA has the chance to survey the Moons Polar volatiles, or regions that include minable water, hydrogen, and methane substances that can supply long-term human missions in the future.

This apparent focus from the administration is notable, as Lunar and asteroid mining has received increased interest from the private sector over recent years, with companies such asPlanetary Resources andNexGen Space (the president of which, Charles Miller, is part of Trumps team) advocating for the feasibility and profitability of such endeavors. While NASA isnt new to bolstering commercialized efforts in space, the space agency has subtly pointed out in Motherboards100 paged FOIA request that its mission isnt primarily commercial, but scientific.

NASA envisions a future in which low Earth orbit is largely the domain of commercial activity while NASA leads its international and commercial partners in the human exploration of deep space, they wrote.

To this end, the benefits of more private operations in space include greater transparency of costs, low-cost execution of launches and exploration, greater access to different vantage points in low-Earth orbit, quick production, international collaboration, and an overall facilitation of NASAs over-arching goal of achieving human deep-space exploration.

While NASA is in it for the science, the administration might have other ideas. But will a stronger emphasis on profitability stifle innovation or help it grow? We may get a clearer answer once the national budget is finalized and implemented.

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When It Comes to Tech, Lucid Motors Seems to Have Tesla Beat – Futurism

Posted: at 9:29 am

In Brief A new competitor is entering the auto and tech industry to compete with Tesla's dominance over electric vehicles. Lucid Motors is creating a true luxury vehicle in the Air. The Age of Electric Vehicles

While Tesla is the most recognized name in electric vehicles (EV), it isnt the only one. Teslas pursuit of a cheaper, cleaner, and more sustainable form of transportation hasa proven popularity. With this comes natural competition among electric automakers that leaves consumers and the Earth with a net positive.

Enter Lucid Motors, a California-based electric vehicle company that has developed a new electric car known as the Air. While the most affordable version of the Air is still more expensive than upcoming Model 3 at $52,500,Mashables Ray Wongsays that the vehicle has been billed by many as a Tesla killer thats more high tech and luxurious than the Model S, adding, it felt more like being in a private jet or in a first-class plane cabin than in a road vehicle. Even the former Chief Engineer on the Model S, Peter Rawlinson, agrees. Click to View Full Infographic Rawlinson, the current Chief Technology Officer at Lucid Motors, says that the sculpted battery on the Air provides passengers with far more space than what any Tesla vehicle is able to provide.Some features of the $100,000 fully-loaded Air include: a 1,000 horsepowerall-wheel drive twin-motor, a battery that lasts 400 miles, reclining backseats, and front seats that provide a massage. The basic Air will have a 400-horsepower rear-wheel drive single motor and a battery that lasts 240 miles. All models will allow drivers to activate level 4 or 5 autonomous driving, have touchscreens instead of an instrument panel, voice assistant/AI, and facial recognition.

While luxury cars have led the EV charge (pun intended), more options are gradually becoming available frommany other automakers so that everyone can be a part of the electric vehicle solution.

As more choices become available, consumershave the opportunity to find an EV that falls in their price range while meeting their own personal standards. All EVs today do come with certain benefits, such as home recharging, low-cost operation, reduced emissions, and a very quiet, smooth ride. The vehicles could also save the United States billions of dollars in healthcare costs. As more consumers jump on the EV bandwagon, we will see costs go down while a greener thumbprint across the globe emerges.

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FEDOR Is a Gunslinging Robot That’s Just a Skin Suit Away From Westworld – Futurism

Posted: at 9:29 am

In BriefRussia's FEDOR humanoid robot can now shoot guns, leadingcritics of artificial intelligence to express concerns over thepotential danger it poses. The Russian government, however, wasquick to point out that the exercise isn't meant to create a"Terminator." No Terminator, No SkyNet

A number of experts have already warnedthat artificial intelligence (AI)could lead to the end of humanity. While these warnings havent entirely fallen on deaf ears, the development of systems that would no doubt be considered questionable by AI-naysayers has persisted. Russias highly capable robot FEDOR is one such system.

FEDOR short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research is a humanoid robot developed by Android Technics and the Advanced Research Fund. The multi-talented bot can drive a car, use various tools (including keys), screw in lightbulbs, and even do pushups. It has also proven capable of working in extreme conditions.

Now, Russias deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin showed via Twitter that FEDOR has added shooting handguns to its skill set. Robot platform F.E.D.O.R. showed shooting skills with two hands, one tweet read. Rogozin also posted a video of FEDOR actually firing guns along with the tweet.

Naturally, such a display of gunslinging skills by a robot bothered some people. Rogozin, however, was quick to assure them that theres nothing to fear. We are not creating a Terminator, but artificial intelligence that will be of great practical significance in various fields, he explained in another tweet.

When FEDOR was first introduced, its purpose was quite clear the robot was designed to be used for rescue work. However, as its abilities have expanded, its purpose has been augmented to include space exploration.

By 2021, FEDOR is expected to be space-bound as the sole passenger on the Russian Federatsiya spacecraft, or it could be used as part of Russias planned 2031 Moon missions. This thing can work without a space suit, live not only in a crew vehicle, but even outside it, Rogozin previously said about FEDOR.

As for shooting guns, Rogozin explained that the exercise was meant to improve FEDORs decision-making algorithms and fine motor skills. Of course, potential military uses for the android have been suggested in the past, according to a report by The Independent, andFEDOR wouldnt be the first robot designed for combat.

Concerns over AIspotentially damaging effects arent limited to just physical harm. Several experts believe that a more concrete and imminent effect would be job displacement,which may already be happening. Of course,some see automation in a morepositive light, suggesting that it could actuallyimprove humanitys place in the workforce.

In any case, intelligent robots and machines will clearly change society,and they neednt be carrying guns to do so.

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By 2030 Over 50% Of Colleges Will Collapse | Future Of …

Posted: at 9:29 am

In 1791 when Mozart died, his 29-year-old wife, Constanze Weber, was forced to earn a living, so she began selling her late husbands manuscripts and turned the former messy paper scraps lying around the house into a tidy income stream.

Lucky for her, she lived after Gutenbergs printing revolution had begun in Europe allowing her to leverage the power of rapid reproducibility.

Over time, the music industry has figured out many different formats for reproducing music, moving from sheet music, to Edisons cylinder phonograph, to vinyl records, to 8-track tapes, and eventually to downloadable digital recordings.

During those same 200+ years, colleges have done little to reproduce and distribute college courses, choosing instead to redo each college class, much like ancient monks reproducing the scrolls of history.

When demand for education increased, they simply built more colleges, thousands of them, in fact, all over the world. This is analogous to forcing people to go to concerts and other live venues to listen to music.

Over the coming decades, the amount of education we consume to stay competitive will increase exponentially.

However, the education we buy will increasingly be on our terms not on theirs. We will want education that is relative, timely, available on-demand, and fits within a specific need. And it will need to be far more affordable.

For these reasons and more, which Ill explain below, we will begin to see the mass failure of traditional colleges. But out of this will come an entire new education era unlike anything we have ever seen.

Embracing the Digital Era

Over the past decade, the number of people reading printed newspapers, visiting retail stores, and using direct mail have fallen sharply.

At the same time, the amount of news consumed on a daily basis has risen sharply, the overall level of retail sales has continued to increase, and person-to-person communications through email, social media, texting, and other forms of digital communications has exploded around us.

Each industry has forged its own unique path into the digital age.

In the past few months the level of experimentation surrounding college education has shot up considerably, and many are getting considerable traction. A high level of experimentation is always a leading indicator of change even if we dont have a clear view of what it will look like on the other side.

Key Metrics to Consider

Several driving forces are causing the world of higher ed to feel the ground shift beneath its feet. Consider the following metrics:

Rising Costs

Demand for Online Courses

The Seeds of Discontent

Shifting Trends

According to Andrew Ng, founder of Coursera,When one professor can teach 50,000 people, it alters the economics of education.

Student Loan Backlash

Theres a big difference between affordability and financeability. Until now, colleges have had a relatively easy time selling a student on getting an education today in exchange for some unknown monthly payment to be determined later.

Hundreds if not thousands of studies have been commissioned over the years to support the value of higher education, and students on the fence are quickly overwhelmed with evidence that theyre making the right decision.

In fact, the anti-education crowd is very small, and those questioning the cost of education have only become vocal during the past few years.

The education industrial complex is perhaps the most influential in the world, with everyone from Presidents and world leaders, to Nobel Laureates, to CEOs and business executives all unwavering in their support of colleges and their accomplishments.

Yet for the lowly student sitting at home with $100,000 in debt and the only job available to them is one that doesnt require a college degree, the entire system begins to feel like a house of lies, with festering levels of anger working their way to the top.

Over the coming months this seething cauldron of discontent will begin to erupt in unusual ways.

Eight Reasons Why Over 50% of Colleges will Fail by 2030

So what happens when the legacy power of an institution meets a rapidly changing business environment driven by emerging technology? Some will survive but many will not.

For this reason Ive decided to focus in on eight core issues for colleges that will drive a wedge between business-as-usual and the unstoppable forces of change.

Ironically, we are entering into a period where the demand for education will rise substantially. Yet traditional colleges are such a mismatch for what future consumers will want that dropping enrollments will cause many to fail.

At the same time many new opportunities will begin to surface, and future-learning centers will make use of former college facilities. Some may even resurrect the former institution under an entirely new business model.

Declining Enrollment Scenario

With several new alternative education options arising, many colleges will begin to experience a decline in their enrollment. When revenues run short, the first instinct will be to arrange short term financing. This coupled with long term bonds and other obligation will create a growing mountain of debt.

As less expensive schools with extensive online capabilities begin to steal students, several colleges will engage in a pricing war to keep their numbers up. Many will spend heavily on marketing to change their image and boost enrollment. Others will spend heavily on lobbyists in hopes of gaining more support from government.

Some will experience declining revenues, others declining enrollment. Most, however, will experience both.

How many colleges that experience a 10% decline in enrollment/revenue per year, will still be around after 5 years?

In the business world, declining metrics like this are referred to as a death spiral. How long will it take before dramatic changes are made? At what point will layoffs begin, assets be sold, or mergers be considered?

For state-supported institutions, at what point will an emergency session of the state legislature be called? If 3-5 state-supported colleges are all experiencing enrollment/revenue declines at the same time, at what point will the state decide to walk away from what they perceive to be a never-ending money pit?

How many colleges or universities will have the ability to reinvent themselves as this isoccurring?

Final Thoughts

Imagine coming across a job opening that requires a specific certification you currently dont have. You match up well will all of the other job requirements but youre only missing this one certification.

A few clicks later you find out the certification can happen online with 20 hours of training. So you spend your weekend getting certified.

Yes, theres a big difference between having a cursory understanding of a topic and working level proficiency. But for many of us our future careers will hinge on situations like the scenario I just described.

As a society weve grown complacent, thinking smart people in colleges are doing a good job preparing our kids for the future. Yet higher ed has become a lumbering giant, slow to adapt and increasingly out of sync with the needs of business and society.

The same top-down institutional systems that have preserved colleges for centuries are now becoming their greatest enemy.

Much as failed golf courses, big box retailers, and shopping centers end up in the laps of local communities, failed colleges will also become local problems for city governments to deal with.

Pedestrian campuses that worked well during peak enrollment have a way of becoming white elephants for whatever comes next.

Over the coming weeks Ill be focusing on whats next for colleges and universities. With the right transitioning effort, the downside may not be as dismal as what Im predicting.

At the same time Id love to hear your thoughts.

ByFuturist Thomas Frey

Author ofCommunicating with the Future the book that changes everything

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Economist Jeff Thredgold Dies, Is Remembered as Entertaining Speaker, Futurist – Utah Business

Posted: at 9:29 am

Salt Lake CityEconomist, speaker and author Jeff Thredgold, 66, died April 15 at his home in Farmington. Since 2012 he had suffered from Fronto Temporal Degeneration, a neurological condition similar to ALS. He was president of Thredgold Economic Associates and served as an economic consultant to Zions Bancorporation for 17 years, providing Zions Bank and other affiliate banks with a monthly Small Business Index, quarterly economic reports and entertaining speaking engagements.

Thredgolds career as an economist spanned more than 40 years, including 23 years as senior vice president and chief economist for KeyCorp. He wrote a weekly economic and financial newsletter, called the Tea Leaf, for 37 years. He was the monthly economic columnist for an Asia-based business publication, Business Issues.

He authored several books, including econAmerica, A Parents Letter to My Children in School, and On the One HandThe Economists Joke Book. He also served as an adjunct professor of finance at the University of Utah for 16 years and served as President of the National Association for Business Economics Utah Chapter. He is a former member of the Economic Advisory Committee of the American Bankers Association and the Economic Policy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

In 2002, Thredgold received the designation of Certified Speaking Professional from the International Federation for Professional Speakers and the National Speakers Association. Active as a professional speaker since 1989, he logged more than 1,500 speaking engagements at conferences, conventions and other meetings throughout the country and internationally.

Jeff Thredgold successfully brought the dismal science of economics to life, said Scott Anderson, Zions Banks president and CEO. Over the years, hundreds of Zions Banks business clients had the opportunity to hear his lively speeches that provided context and relevance to the financial markets and demographic trends. We are grateful to have known and worked with Jeff and reflect upon the impact he made on Utahs business community.

According to his wishes, Thredgolds brain will be donated the University of Utah Hospital to support research of Fronto Temporal Degeneration. A celebration of his life will be Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. at his home, 1311 N. Hidden Quail Cove in Farmington.

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Economist Jeff Thredgold Dies, Is Remembered as Entertaining … – Utah Business

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WWII: Doolittle Raid Doomed Japanese Empire – Scout

Posted: April 17, 2017 at 1:22 pm

At noon on April 18, 1942, the citizens of Tokyo looked up into the sky and saw the impossible.

Zooming low over the imperial capital was a flight of twin-engined bombers. Nothing surprising about that in wartime Japan. Except that these aircraft were painted olive-drab, with red-white-and-blue stars on their wings and fuselage.

This story was originally published by The National Interest

They were American planes dropping bombs on the sacred soil of Japan. As the crump of explosions and the drone of aircraft motors faded, and the air raid sirens belatedly wailed, Tokyoites asked themselves a fateful question:

What just happened?

The Doolittle Raid seventy-five years ago was more than one of historys most momentous air attacks. It was also one of the most economical. The Allies dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Germany, and the United States dropped seven million tons on Vietnam. And still the Nazis and the Communists continued to fight. Yet sixteen B-25 bombers carrying perhaps sixteen tons of bombs managed to change the course of history.

It was a stunning reversal. In war, momentum is everything, and Japan was the one that had it in the early spring of 1942. Within four months, they had decimated the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, conquered Southeast Asia, the oil-rich Dutch East Indies and the islands of the Central Pacific, and were about to compel the last battered U.S. defenders in the Philippines to surrender.

America needed to reverse the momentum with a victoryanykind of victoryto bolster morale and take back the initiative. President Roosevelt had the right idea: days after Pearl Harbor, he called for the Japanese homeland to be bombed in retaliation. But how? Not with heavy bombers like the B-17, because with the air bases in the Philippines gone, land-based planes were out of range. Carrier-based aircraft? U.S. Navy carrier planes had a combat range of perhaps 250 miles, and the Navy didnt dare sail its handful of precious carriers that close to Japan.

Then a Navy officer had a bright idea: was it possible for U.S. Army Air Force land-based bombers, with much longer range than carrier planes, to be launched off an aircraft carrier sailing near Japan? It turned out that the new twin-engined B-25B Mitchell medium bomber could perform the mission.

The problem was that while the B-25s could take off from a carrier, they couldnt land. Which meant that they had return to an airfield on the ground. In effect, these bombers would be a sort of manned cruise missile launched on a one-way mission.

By stripping them down and overloading them with fuel, America could fly the B-25s from a carrier several hundred miles off Japan, bomb their targets, and then continue on to land on airfields in China. Again consider the audacity of the concept. Its as if a U.S. aircraft carrier sailed into the Baltic, and launched F-15E strike jets for a strike on Moscow, after which the Eagles would have to fly across Russia to land in Turkey.

Onto the carrierUSSHornetwere loaded sixteen B-25s under the command of Lt. Col. James Doolittle. TheHornetwas accompanied by the carrierEnterprise, four cruisers and eight destroyers under the command of the legendary Admiral Bull Halsey. The small force sailed from Hawaii and then west across the Central Pacific toward Japan. With theHornets flight deck packed with B-25s, that left only theEnterprises fighters and bombers to provide air cover. Had the task force run into Japans Combined Fleetespecially the six carriers that attacked Pearl Harborthe battle would have been short rather than merciful.

Luck was with the Americansat firstas they sailed from Hawaii. The intrepid force remained undiscovered until April 18, when it was about 650 miles from Japan. Then it ran into theNitto Maru, one of the little fishing boats that Japan had stationed as cheap picket ships. The boat was quickly sunk by gunfire (its captain committed suicide, though five of the eleven crew were rescued), but not before getting off a signal. Japanese naval forces immediately sortied from Japan, while the carriers from the Pearl Harbor raidalready en route from the Indian Ocean to Japanese watersheaded toward the area.

But knowing the short range of American carrier aircraft, the Japanese assumed that the U.S. task force would not be within range of Japan until the following day, April 19, which would allow ample time for interception. Aware from radio monitoring that their presence had been discovered, the Americans decided to launch the raid from nearly two hundred miles further out than planned. Between eight and nine a.m. on April 18, sixteen Mitchells lurched off theHornets deck.

They arrived at about noon over Tokyo, Kobe, Nagoya, Osaka, Yokohama and Yokosuka. Had they run into real fighter opposition, the bombers would have been wiped out. But Japanese air defenses that day were astoundingly lethargic; antiaircraft fire was negligible, and the few lightly armed Ki-27 Nate fighters that did manage to take off either failed to intercept or did little damage (the bombers actually shot down three fighters). Tokyos air-raid sirens didnt even blare until after the attack was over.

Bombs fell on ten targets. By the standards of the thousand-bomber raids over Germany, the later fire raids on Tokyo, and the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Doolittle Raid barely qualified as a nuisance. A few industrial sites were lightly damaged, as were a few schools and a hospital, killing or injuring about 450 people. Militarily, the most damage was inflicted by a B-25 damaged the carrierRyuhounder construction at Yokosuka, delaying its launch.

One bomber landed in the Soviet Unionwhich was at war with Germany but had a nonaggression pact with Japanand was interned. The remaining fifteen turned southeast toward eastern China, where the Chinese were supposed to activate homing beacons to guide them to the airfields. But the U.S. Navy failed to signal the Chinese to turn on the beacons. Low on fuel, with darkness approaching and the weather worsening, the crews either crash-landed their aircraft or bailed out.

Most were saved by Chinese soldiers or civilians. But three crewmen died bailing out, and eight were captured by the Japanese, of whom three were executed by firing squad (for a fictionalized version of the executions, see the 1944 movieThe Purple Heart[3]).

There were two major consequences of the Doolittle Raid, one gruesome and one strategic. President Roosevelt declared three days after the raid that the bombers had been launched from a secretand fictionalbase in Shangri-La rather than aircraft carriers. But when the Japanese discovered that the Chinese had helped the Doolittle fliers, the Japanese wreaked a savage vengeance. The Japanese Army launched an offensive to capture Chinese airfields along the coast: in the process, they unleashed germ warfare and other atrocities, massacring as many as 250,000 civilians, according to Chinese estimates at the time.

It was a horrific price that the Chinese paid, but their sacrifice was not in vain. The humiliation felt by the Japanese was immense: why, the emperor himself could have been killed by those bombs!

What really shamed the Japanese military was the failure to prevent an American carrier task force from sailing close to the homeland. Such an error could not be tolerated. Japans original plan for winning the Pacific War had been to seize a huge swath of territory, which would be fortified into a defensive perimeter against which America would futilely butt its head before suing for peace. Yet the threat of bomber attack convinced the Japanese high command to expand the empires perimeter by launching an amphibious invasion of the Central Pacific island of Midway. Fearing the loss of Midway and the subsequent threat to Hawaii, the U.S. Navy would then feel compelled to send its aircraft carriers to defend Midway, where they would be destroyed by Japans Combined Fleet.

In the event, five aircraft carriers were destroyed at the Battle of Midway. All but one of them belonged to Japan. Loss of their elite and irreplaceable carriers marked the end of Japans offensive capability, as well as the turning point of the Pacific War.

In 2016, the U.S. Air Force announced that the B-21the new long-range bomber under developmentwould be named the Raider in honor of the Doolittle Raid. Ironically, the B-21 might be used someday to strike China, many of whose people were killed for helping the Doolittle crews.

The real recompense for the Doolittle flyers and the murdered Chinese civilians came on September 2, 1945, when Japan formally surrendered.

This story was originally published by The National Interest

Michael Peck is a contributing writer for theNational Interest. He can be found onTwitter[4]andFacebook[5].

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WWII: Doolittle Raid Doomed Japanese Empire - Scout

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Trump like all the rest – Washington Times

Posted: at 1:22 pm

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Donald Trump promised us prosperity and security, but now has us on the brink of war with Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claims that the United States is ready to use its military to punish any massacre of civilians anywhere in the world. The U.S. military recently killed more than 200 civilians in a bombing raid on Iraq March 17, which is approximately twice the number of people killed by the April 4 Syrian airstrike. President Trump suspects the attack in Syria was chemical, but it may have been a toxic gas cloud created by the destruction of a chemical-weapons manufacturing facility controlled by rebel forces. There is no hard proof that Syrian leader Bashar Assad is responsible for using chemical weapons.

The United States bombed civilians en masse during World War II using both conventional and nuclear weapons. We napalmed villages in Vietnam, and North Korea has claimed that we used germ warfare agents against them during the Korean War. That charge is not proven, but the United States certainly did use chemical weapons during World War I.

The United States is historically a war-loving country, and the Democratic Party is just as hypocritical and insane as the Republican Party in this regard. Many Americans voted for President Trump because they thought he would bring us better relations with Russia and an America-first foreign policy. By his own actions, Mr. Trump now declares we are still the policeman of the world, and our economy, our childrens future and our very lives are insignificant. The only thing that seems to matter is for politicians and generals to prove their bravery by getting us into one counterproductive war after another.

CHRISTOPHER CALDER

Eugene, Ore.

Presidents change and lawmakers come and go, but The Washington Times is always here, and FREE online. Please support our efforts.

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I’m But a Tool of Totalitarian Capitalism in ‘Beholder’ – PopMatters

Posted: at 1:22 pm

(Alawar Entertainment) US: 9 Nov 2016

Beholder casts you as a tool of an oppressive government. However, after playing Beholder for several hours, I still dont really feel like the tool of an oppressive government.

Part of me thinks this is bad design, the game being unable to properly express its themes. Another part of me thinks its brilliant design, the game making me truly feel the banality of evil; how hard it is to care about other peoples shit when youve got so much of your own to deal with?

In Beholder youre the manager of an apartment building in a totalitarian state. Youre supposed to spy on your tenants and report any illegal activity to your higher ups. Im a tool of oppression, Im suppressing speech, Im enforcing ridiculous laws like Dont wear blue jeans, Dont read, and Dont keep red apples. At least, in theory I am.

Beholder is the kind of game that sucks hours from your life because theres always something to do, and time is always of the essence. I have 72 in-game hours to find a way to get a life-saving surgery for my daughter, 48 hours to find enough money to keep my son in school, and 12 hours to buy candy for my dying daughter.

Meanwhile, I also have to watch my tenants movements, rushing into their homes while theyre out, rummaging through all their stuff for dirt. Damn, they came home before I could search the bed, file that blank spot in the back of my mind and rush back there next time they leave. And install some cameras, too, so I can watch their actions in secret. Multiply all that by six for my six tenants, then somehow cut out time for blackmail and writing profiles.

Its a good god damn lot to keep of track of at once, but it is possible. However, all that rushing around means I spend so much time working towards a level of peak efficiency that I dont have time to stop and consider what that efficiency actually means. I dont realize that Im becoming an efficient tool. I should feel ashamed or guilty, but all I can think about is the next timer ticking down. The busyness distracts from the themesunless thats the central theme.

No matter what your political or ethical ideals are, you will toe the totalitarian line in Beholder. Youll spy, lie, snitch, and steal because the truth is that your shit is more important than their shit. Your family is more important than their family, and your financial safety more important than theirs. The oppressive state creates an every-man-for-himself mentality that forces you to compromise your morals for survival. This is a how a totalitarian state stays in power.

Its also, ironically, how a capitalistic economy stays in power. The truth is that I spend so much time running around because thats how I make money, and money is survival. Money will save my daughters life, money will keep my son in school, money will keep my wife happy, and money will bail me out of trouble if Im caught doing something untoward. All my problems can be solved with money, so earning money becomes my primary goal.

The more information I gather on a tenant, the more detailed a profile I can write, and the more the government pays me for the report. So I embrace my totalitarian duties to spy and steal and snitchbut only so long as they earn me cash. When I do find someone doing something illegal, I never turn them in. I blackmail them, because thats a more consistent source of income. Then, once Ive done this a few times and I can see them in their home all unhappy and miserable, on the verge of moving out, only then do I report them to the authorities for the reward money. Im a tool of oppression for both the government and myself; economic needs supersede totalitarian duties.

In fact, money quickly becomes a bigger motivator than fear of the state, because rebel factions will pay you handsomely for your help and youd be a fool to turn them down: A rebel leader calls and says he wants to house a sign-maker in my building. I say no, its dangerous to get caught up with these people and I could get in trouble with oh wait youll pay me how much? Yea, let him come on over. Naturally, I spy on the sign-maker, gathering a good amount of dirt on him. I get him on camera making signs and then blackmail him, earning enough dough to buy groceries and keep my family happy.

When the government finds out about this (because the sign-maker is really a spy, spying on state-sponsored spies) my boss chews me out for letting a rebel operate out of my building. He calls me incompetent, but as long as he doesnt deduct anything from my bank Im fine with his threats. The rebel leader chews me out for letting his sign guy sabotage the operation, but again as long as he doesnt drain my bank account I dont care what he says. My economic concerns blind me to the context of my actions. I dont care about oppression or freedom, only finances.

Ironically, in this simulation of an oppressive communist-like state, Im actually more of a slave to capitalism.

I dont know if thats purposeful or accidental. I cant tell if Beholder is thematically confused or thematically consistent. Regardless, its certainly interesting: It presents a world in which Im a slave to the state and a slave to the economy, but I have just enough freedom of choice to distract me from my slavery.

Nick Dinicola made it through college with a degree in English, and now applies all his critical thinking skills to video games instead of literature. He reviews games and writes a weekly post for the Moving Pixels blog at PopMatters, and can be heard on the weekly Moving Pixels podcast. More of his reviews, previews, and general thoughts on gaming can be found at http://www.gamehounds.net.

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I'm But a Tool of Totalitarian Capitalism in 'Beholder' - PopMatters

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