The upshot, at times, is the Department of Defense using the same tools on U.S. citizens as on a hostile, foreign, population.

A U.S. Army whistleblower, Lieutenant Col. Daniel Davis, noted recently in his scathing 84-page unclassified report on Afghanistan that there remains a strong desire within the defense establishment "to enable Public Affairs officers to influence American public opinion when they deem it necessary to "protect a key friendly center of gravity, to wit US national will," he wrote, quoting a well-regarded general.

The defense bill passed the House Friday afternoon.

When you search, you're not just looking for a webpage. You're-looking to get answers, understand concepts and explore.

The next frontier in search is to understand real-world things and-the relationships among them. So we're building a Knowledge-Graph: a huge collection of the people, places and things in the world and how they're connected to one another.

This is how we'll be able to-tell if your search for "mercury" refers to-the-planet or the chemical element--and also how we can get you smarter answers to jump start your discovery.

Europe could strengthen its monetary union by giving European politicians the power to declare a sovereign state bankrupt and take over its fiscal policy, the former head of the European Central Bank said on Thursday in unveiling a bold proposal to salvage the euro.

Trichet said the building blocks already are in place for moving ahead with his fiscal plan.

Countries have agreed to surveillance of each other's budgets and they have agreed to levy fines on countries that run excessive budget deficits, giving them fiscal oversight authority.

The next step would be to take a country into receivership when its political leaders or its parliament cannot implement sound budgetary policies approved by the EU. The action would have democratic accountability if it were approved by the European Council of EU heads of states and the elected European Parliament, he said.

The idea earned a warm reception from leading economists and prominent Europeans attending the session.

"It is a very radical proposal, couched as a modest step," said Richard Cooper, international economist at Harvard.

Caio Koch Weser, former German economics minister, said he found it "very attractive" because it addresses the problem of a strong European Central Bank, a weak European Commission which acts as the EU's executive branch, and a confused European Council, which provides political leadership.

"Antisemitic Neo Nazis" Sworn Into Greek Transitional Government - [VIDEO]

Global lenders face 'killer losses' on Greek debt - Telegraph

A massive spike in the price of opium, the result of a shortage due to a disease that attacked poppy crops in 2010, hasn't helped.

Opium, which had sold for up to $165 per kilogram, now fetches as much as $400 per kilogram, explained Dinarkhel, who waved a sheaf of papers that he said were broken pledges not to grow poppy signed by farmers across the province.

The massive profits have generated massive corruption, according to the elders. They charged that local and provincial officials conspire with farmers to eradicate only small portions of their crops in return for bribes and shares in the proceeds.

A new system called the Wireless Emergency Alerts service will be implemented around the end of May 2012 that will automatically send out text alerts about weather warnings, AMBER alerts, or Presidential alerts for emergency situations. The system will be implemented automatically on all major wireless carriers. You will have the option to opt out of receiving weather and AMBER alerts, but not Presidential emergency alerts. It is important not to rely on one source for weather updates or emergency situations. People should also own and utilize a weather radio and television/Internet for emergency updates.

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has banned all government and private agencies from using the Gregorian calendar in official dealings.

The use of the English language to answer calls or communicate, mainly in companies and hotels, has also been banned, a local daily said.

Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, known as the Supremacy Clause, establishes the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Treaties, and laws made pursuant to the U.S. Constitution, shall be "the supreme law of the land." The text decrees these to be the highest form of law in the U.S. legal system, and mandates that all state judges must follow federal law when a conflict arises between federal law and either the state constitution or state law of any state. (Note that the word "shall" is used, which makes it a necessity, a compulsion.) However, the Supremacy Clause only applies if the federal government is acting in pursuit of its constitutionally authorized powers, as noted by the phrase "in pursuance thereof" in the actual text of the Supremacy Clause itself.

The "supremacy clause" is the most important guarantor of national union. It assures that the Constitution and federal laws and treaties take precedence over state law and binds all judges to adhere to that principle in their courts. - United States Senate[1]

There is a group calling themselves the "American Sovereignty Campaign" that is pushing to have the United States ratify the United Nation's "Law of the Sea Treaty." -This push is being led primarily by Senators John Kerry and Dick Lugar (who just lost the Republican primary race in his state).

an outfit called the Atlantic Council held a forum to promote the discredited Law of the Sea Treaty. As former Republican U.S. Sens. Chuck Hagel and John Warner beamed their approval, Obama's Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta declared that "the time has come" for the Senate to ratify the treaty.

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warns us that the Law of the Sea Treaty is even more dangerous now than when President Ronald Reagan rejected it: "With China emerging as a major power, ratifying the treaty now would encourage Sino-American strife, constrain U.S. naval activities, and do nothing to resolve China's expansive maritime territorial claims." Bolton warns that LOST will give China the excuse to deny U.S. access to what China claims is its "Exclusive Economic Zone" extending 200 miles out into international waters.

The Atlantic Council- promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in me­eting the international challenges of the 21st century. The Council embodies a non-partisan network of leaders who aim to bring ideas to power and to give power to ideas by:

stimulating dialogue and discussion about critical international issues with a view to enriching public debate and promoting consensus on appropriate responses in the Administration, the Congress, the corporate and nonprofit sectors, and the media in the United States and among leaders in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas;

conducting educational and exchange programs for successor generations of U.S. leaders so that they will come to value U.S. international engagement and have the knowledge and understanding necessary to develop effective policies.

Through its diverse networks, the Council builds broad constituencies to support constructive U.S. leadership and policies. Its program offices publish informational analyses, convene conferences among current and/or future leaders, and contribute to the public debate in order to integrate the views of knowledgeable individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, interests and experiences.

Twenty years ago, during the Clinton Administration, the Senate refused to ratify the treaty. But now it is being pushed by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

The Treaty, literally, tells us how to raise our children. And it would be legally enforceable in American courts under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Only a constitutional amendment could supersede the "rights" it confers on children:

* It bans spanking or any form of corporal punishment of children.

* Article 12 of the Treaty says "when adults are making decisions which affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinion taken into account." Could this proviso establish a due process right of children to challenge their parents' divorce or their decision to move?

* Worried that your children are hanging out with a bad bunch? Article 15 guarantees children "freedom of association." It says "Children have the right to meet together and to join groups and organizations, as long as it does not stop other people from enjoying their rights."

* The Treaty would stop states from trying children as adults and incarcerating them with adult inmates. It would require that even murderers in their teens be sent to children's facilities rather than prison. Article 37 says "children should not be put in prison with adults."

The Treaty requires all signatory nations to provide children with adequate levels of food, clothing, housing, education and medical care. In Britain, Prime Minister Cameroon is facing a lawsuit for violating the Rights of the Child Treaty by proposing a cut in welfare benefits.

It also obliges rich nations to "help poorer countries achieve the best health care possible, safe drinking water, nutritious food, and a clean and safe environment for children." Enforceable in US courts, this provision might create a basis for judicial decisions ordering increases in foreign aid, just as courts now order steps to address overcrowding of prisons.

The past 12 months were the hottest on record, and forecasters are predicting high temperatures across the U.S. this summer. Science and environment contributor M. Sanjayan explains the risk of climate change.

M. Sanjayan

Watson's data analysis capabilities could identify weather patterns more accurately, the first-place team proposed. By gathering weather and census data, the technology could help organizations respond faster and allocate resources more efficiently when rough weather comes their way.

The second-place team suggested that Watson's cognitive reasoning abilities could help energy companies spend their resources more effectively when exploring where to mine. They could also evaluate the environmental impact of that mining.

Watson also could be applied to airport travel, according to the third place-team. By analyzing large data sets, Watson technology could increase security and cut back on wait time.

These proposals could help policymakers better handle information during natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the tsunami in Japan or fires.-

So-called "big data" allows marketers to figure out how to price and position products more effectively. And it gives managers the scientific data they need to make decisions.

In this contest, these students practiced what the school preaches:-Frame the problem, analyze the potential solutions and communicate the best possible ones.

A version of this story originally appeared on our sister publication Converge.

Montreal protest declared illegal after Molotov cocktail - Montreal - CBC News

Bill 78

Canadian GLA Stephen Fink's analysis:

More Violence In The Streets Of Montreal - [VIDEO]

"This court is acutely aware that preliminarily enjoining an act of Congress must be done with great caution," she wrote. "However, it is the responsibility of our judicial system to protect the public from acts of Congress which infringe upon constitutional rights. As set forth above, this court has found that plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits regarding their constitutional claim and it therefore has a responsibility to insure that the public's constitutional rights are protected."

In a phone conference, the plaintiffs' attorneys Bruce Afran and Carl Mayer hailed what they called a "complete victory." "America is more free today than it was yesterday due to the courageous and righteous and very sound ruling by Judge Forrest," Mayer said. "I think this is a hugely significant development... I think it's also a testament to the courage of the plaintiffs here."

In 2002, Hedges was part of the team of reporters at The New York Times awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the paper's coverage of global terrorism. He also received in 2002 the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University[1] and The University of Toronto. He writes a weekly column on Mondays for Truthdig and authored what The New York Times described as "a call to arms" for the first issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal, the newspaper giving voice to The Occupy Wall Street protests in Zuccotti Park, New York City.

Harvard to be tried for research fraud

Companies tussle over market share for anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor¨ and its generic equal

The past 12 months were the hottest on record, and forecasters are predicting high temperatures across the U.S. this summer. Science and environment contributor M. Sanjayan explains the risk of climate change.

When you search, you're not just looking for a webpage. You're-looking to get answers, understand concepts and explore.

The next frontier in search is to understand real-world things and-the relationships among them. So we're building a Knowledge-Graph: a huge collection of the people, places and things in the world and how they're connected to one another.

This is how we'll be able to-tell if your search for "mercury" refers to-the-planet or the chemical element--and also how we can get you smarter answers to jump start your discovery.