Ex-PM takes Walden Pond to the Congo

 Paul Martin has a new constituency. This one is twice the size of France and home to 50 million people - as well as 10,000 species of plants, 655 species of birds and 400 species of mammals.

After 18 years in Canada's Parliament - the final two as prime minister - he was named co-chair yesterday of a major European initiative to conserve Africa's Congo River Basin rain forest, the world's second-largest.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the creation of the Congo Basin Forest Fund, with roughly equal contributions from Britain and Norway totalling $215-million.

The basin represents about a quarter of the planet's remaining rain forest cover, and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization has estimated that deforestation is reducing its size annually by 940,000 hectares or roughly 1 per cent of its total. The loss is largely attributed to legal and illegal logging using unsustainable harvesting methods. The cutting of wood for fuel is also a factor.

Mr. Brown decided a year ago to create the fund after being approached by Kenyan environmental and political activist Wangari Muta Maathai, who in 2004 became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

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'Thirteen years after the Srebrenica massacre, history is repeating itself for the UN's peacekeepers in Sudan'

It's déjà vu all over again. On the eve of the 13th anniversary of the massacres of some 8,000 Bosnians in Srebrenica, with the tacit connivance of the under-supported and demoralized Dutch peacekeepers, the Janjaweed, Khartoum's surrogate militia in Darfur killed seven African UN peacekeepers and wounded 19 more. The militia outgunned the peacekeepers – and escaped with impunity.

No one, except the several hundred thousand victims in Darfur has paid any price. We can take it for granted that any group that thinks it has the impunity to attack peacekeepers, assumes that it has a license to kill civilians too. While the seven dead UN soldiers hit the news, the continuing attrition of civilians has become so habitual that it would take another Srebrenica, and probably one recorded with cameras, to get any news recognition.

After Srebrenica, the phrase "Never Again" was again on everyone's lips. In international Diplo-Speak, maybe that phrase misses punctuation. Maybe it should be written "Never! Again?", meaning something like "Whoops."

Certainly, the UN's own reports on Srebrenica and Rwanda have a lot of
relevance to what is happening now in Sudan.

Touted as 26,000 strong with robust capacity, the UNAMID peacekeeping force is still at 10,000, under-equipped, underpaid, demoralized and deep into an action replay of the ineffectuality of Unprofor in Bosnia.

I doubt whether the Janjaweed militiamen who attacked the convoy had studied the Balkan wars, but certainly their masters in the Sudanese government have. They have emulated every trick that Slobodan Milosevic tried so successfully with the peacekeepers, including getting their international allies to invoke sovereignty to cover crimes against humanity.

Until the end when the international worm finally turned, the peacekeepers in Bosnia served the same function as those now in Sudan. They were there to send a message to the concerned electorates back home that governments were deeply concerned and doing their best. In Bosnia, confident of their governments' backing, the Scandinavian contingents took robust action when confronted with murderous militias, as later on did the French and British, but most of the force was there to protect itself and "monitor" crimes, not to prevent them.

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The Top Ten things the Illuminati do that makes them better than the rest of us

by JK Ellis

 

The idea that there exists a secret cabal of power elite whose sole purpose is world domination has inspired untold numbers to cower in paranoia. If they even exist, this group, often referred to as The Illuminati, are so secretive that they can only be speculated upon. They are rumored to be the most powerful people in the world.

Based on these rumors lets see what things these people can teach us about becoming "enlightened".

Here is my list of the top ten things that the Illuminati do that make them better than the rest of us.

10. They start off rich and powerful.
This is number ten because it's the least important.
Having a good foundation to start from does make things easier but if you're smart, have a plan and be flexible, it's very likely that you can achieve anything. Poet Rob McCuen once said "I was born a poor bastard. All I had to go was up."

9. They build networks and trust the right people.
You may find that with all the people in the world there are a lot of them who are fun to hang around but few of them you can truly trust. That's because when asked to do something important most people avoid the responsibility or fail. The more important the responsibility the more trusted these people need to be and the only way to do that is to test them. Trust is earned slowly through progressive demonstrations.

Trusting the right people doesn't mean they trust family, or friends... they only trust the people who have proven themselves to be trustworthy.

You can be nice to almost anyone but you can trust only a few.

8. They build themselves up.
There is no lack of self esteem within the Illuminati. They consider themselves to be "The Enlightened Ones" and they act accordingly. Most people walk through life beaten down into submission groveling for the slightest bit of respect. They never consider the possibility that if they start to think of themselves as respected, honorable, loved and admired that they might feel better and get more done.

7. They do what works.
If something works they use it. If something needs to be done they put it into action. They don't resort to dreaming, wishing or hoping. This is unlike most people who rely on what they've always known and not looked for something better. Worse, when something doesn't work they resort to doing it more and harder.

They also don't resort to relying merely upon "divine intervention". Instead they take complete responsibility for where they are, and get to work going after what they want.

6. They keep secrets.
If you've ever revealed a magic secret you know how disappointing it can be. From that point on your secret is out and people will come to you not to be amazed at your magic but to steal your knowledge. Knowledge is power and the Illuminati know how to keep it. So should you.

Keeping your goals, plans and ambitions secret builds you up on the inside and help strengthen your resolve. It also prevents the petty and envious from sabotaging your efforts. No one can battle what they do not know.

You'll learn to reveal your secrets only to those you know can help you and to  reveal only as much as they need to know.

5. They use mind control.
Yet another reason to learn mind control. They don't rely on luck or hope. They use everything they know that works to get what they want. That means mind control in all its forms; hypnosis, NLP, persuasion and more. They use mind control on others to influence, seduce and persuade (Just another reason to learn NLP and hypnosis).They also use mind control on themselves to keep themselves focused. This means keeping abreast of any self improvement program that will train their minds as if they were world class athletes.

4. They keep calm.
One reason they can stay so calm is that they have a plan that details exactly what to do next. There is no guesswork. They also have been trained in how to respond to chaos and confusion. They know that a rash and emotional reaction to anything will do nothing for them and work against their greater goals. How many people do you know can do that?

It's easy to assume that the Illuminati are without emotion but in fact, they simply know what emotions help them and what emotions don't. They are overjoyed when they know that even the smallest step is made toward their goal. They reserve anger and fear as a tool of control for the rest of us because they know the vast majority have never given any thought as to how they will respond when under stress.

The old kung fu masters are always calm and unemotional when challenged by the young and ambitious students. They know how to apply the least amount of effort to kick anyone's ass.

3. They save.
The Illuminati know that to grow in money and power you can't spend it all at once. You must save a portion of all your profits and resources and let them grow.

What percentage of your annual income do you have in savings?

2. They invest.
The Illuminati know that money and power have to be cultivated and grown. This it done by investment in both time and money. Smart investing requires two things that most people lack: 1) a deep understanding of the investment process and   2) patience.

The Illuminati invest in what will make a profit: human nature. No one ever went broke when they built a business around the seven deadly sins.

1. They plan.
The Illuminati are working a plan that some will say is hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years old. While the plan may change slightly based on circumstances the end result always remains the same; world domination. They know that this plan will not come about in one fell swoop but only with the patient progress of time and always keeping their goal in mind.

This is completely different from those of us who start college with one dream or ambition only to change our major six times and graduate waiting tables.... hardly the plan we started with.

Final Note: The point of this tongue-in-cheek article was not to build up the self esteem of the power elite ... they are doing quite well in that area ... but to point out that anything they can do to prosper you can do too.

PS: If you are in the Illuminati, I'd like to submit my membership application. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.

 

 

http://mindcontrol101.blogspot.com

Because of the nature of what I propose you can guess why I'm anonymous. Some people don't like the idea of real power and think of it as a kin to offering hand grenades to teenagers. That said, have a read. A lot of people find my thoughts insightful, provoking, amusing and completely off the wall.
= = =
JK Ellis is a researcher and author on the field of mind control. He proposes that in itself mind control is neither good nor evil but a tool that can and should be used for self improvement.

~ OpEd News ~

 

Without Comment

Postdoc in Theoretical Condensed Matter and Quantum Information @ Salerno

 Postdoc: Postdoctoral Position in Theoretical Condensed Matter and Quantum Information At University of Salerno - Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Quantum Theory Group Field(s): condensed matter, optics and optoelectronics, quantum mechanics, theoretical physics Application deadline: Sep 30 (Tue), 2008 Submitted: Jun 14, 2008 Contact: Prof. Fabrizio Illuminati E-mail: illuminati@sa.infn.it Phone: +39 089 965 287 Fax: +39 089 963 303 Address: Prof. Fabrizio Illuminati, Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy. Job description: UNIVERSITY OF SALERNO

DEPT. OF MATHEMATICS AND INFORMATICS - QUANTUM THEORY GROUP

RESEARCH in: Theoretical condensed matter, quantum information, quantum optics, and fundamental quantum mechanics

POSITION: Postdoctoral research assistent

ANNUAL SALARY: € 20,000 - € 24,000. Subject to negotiations.

DURATION: Two years. Renewable for a third year.

STARTING DATE: Flexible between November 1st, 2008 and January 1st, 2009.

Aspirants are invited to submit applications for a postdoctoral research assistant to work with Professor Fabrizio Illuminati in the Quantum Theory Group at the Department of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Salerno, Italy. The position is financed within the European Project HIP (Hybrid Information Processing), coordinated by Prof. Illuminati, under the VII Framework Program of the European Union.
The successful applicant will have a strong track record in theoretical condensed matter and/or quantum information. Current topics of research in the group include:

1) Entanglement, factorization, and criticality in quantum spin models and quantum many-body systems.

2) Complexity, symmetries, and nonlocal quantum correlations: Effects of chirality, frustration, and topology.

3) Nonequilibrium evolutions and dynamics of quantum phase transitions in optical lattices, arrays of coupled optical cavities, and complex networks.

4) Theory of multipartite entanglement and other fundamental aspects of quantum information.

5) Quantum information with atomic and optical systems.

6) Quantum state estimation, quantum measurements, and quantum metrology.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a brief report on research to date, and the names and e-mail addresses of two or more potential referees that coul be contacted for assessment and recommendation.

Applications should be emailed to:
illuminati@sa.infn.it

or mailed to:
Prof. Fabrizio Illuminati, Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy.

 

~ QuBit News ~

 

American summer camps turn to espionage to entice today's teenagers

Like hundreds of thousands of American teenagers, Jennifer Babb went to summer camp last year. She learnt all about how to prime dynamite, stood close enough to a controlled explosion to feel its percussive blast and finally blew up a frozen chicken.

Forget about swimming and barbecues: American children's summer camps are increasingly turning to adult pursuits to entice a new generation of tech-savvy teenagers.

In place of traditional summer fare such as canoeing and volley-ball, the camps are offering ever more sophisticated pursuits, from computer programming courses to espionage - otherwise known as "spy camp".

At the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST), a summer course in handling explosives has proved so popular that the 2008 sessions sold out months ago. "A bunch of my friends were really jealous when they found out I was going to explosives camp," said Babb.

Sceptics might think this the ideal training ground for a budding terrorist, but the organisers emphasise that the $500 (£250) week-long course is limited to teenagers who express an interest in studying engineering.

"You will have a behind-the-scenes look at how explosives are used in industry and entertainment," says the MST brochure. "But the number one thing you will do at the explosives summer camp is have fun!"

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