Mindwatch

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Save American Brains

The Battle for Net Neutrality is severe. Most of the USA is already a captive audience sewn-up by cable / communications companies charging monopoly prices. Much of America, regrettably, is already a dumbed-down market of deeply frustrated sheeple.

But until now, public access to internet was open.

Imagine if web surfing were only possible with Verizon's permission, or through AOL's homepage, Comcast's interface, or within Yahoo. Manipulative & Terrible!

Don't allow corporate power to control access: to charge extra for those sites they do not recommend. Dear slaves: your masters plan to disallow access to content which doesn't pay them.

Americans are already lame from decades of poor leadership and substandard general education.

Save Net Neutrality!

(descriptive video on this link)

BattlefortheNet.com

Monday, July 10, 2017

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The draft Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has been agreed at the United Nations, and 122 nations voted positively in support (more detail here). The Treaty will open for signatures 20 Sept 2017 and will enter into force 90 days after the fiftieth nation deposits ratification or acceptance - so possibly operational by end 2017.

What's promised?

The Treaty prohibits nations to "Develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."

Nations must "declare whether there are any nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices in its territory or in any place under its jurisdiction or control that are owned, possessed or controlled by another State."

The nuclear weapons states have criticized the Treaty, joined by satellite governments (such as Japan) that tacitly allow nuclear weapons of military allies to be based on their territory.

Remember that Nuclear Non-Proliferation has been based on a fundamental agreement -- that the nuclear states would cut-down and eventually eliminate their nuclear arsenals. In exchange, other states agreed not to seek nuclear weaponry. But little has been done to cut nuclear stockpiles. Nuclear-armed states have refused to disarm. Perhaps the new treaty will help draw attention to nuclear bullying and make our world safer.

https://www.un.org/disarmament/ptnw/index.html

http://www.undocs.org/en/a/conf.229/2017/L.3/Rev.1

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Seven US sailors missing off Japan

Seven US naval personnel are missing & many injured in a major shipping collision that happened in clear & calm weather conditions off Japan at about 2AM local time this morning.

[ Update: the seven Americans were found dead in a flooded segment of the warship. Tragedy; Rest In Peace ]

Collision was 10 nautical miles SE of Shimoda, Japan (vicinity 34 32N, 139 05E) involving United States Navy guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (154m / 505ft) vs. ACX Crystal (222m / 730ft) - an NYK / Nippon Yusen-operated Filipino-flagged container ship traveling between Nagoya & Tokyo. Tonnage reports estimate the USS Fitzgerald at approx. 9000 tons, less than one-quarter the dwt 39,565 ton ACX Crystal.

The USS Fitzgerald, with its highly-advanced navigation, warfare & defense systems valued upward of US$1.5 billion, has a normal complement of 281 naval personnel. The ACX Crystal crew of 20 reportedly escaped injury, and their ship was comparatively lightly damaged.

Top-level liaison is said to be complicated (as the Trump administration hits its half-year mark) by continuing lack of a US Ambassador to Japan, nor is the Secretary of the Navy job finalized. Reports now claim the container ship was 'doing doughnuts' in the hour before the crash. But such a ship turns very slowly due to huge mass and length (730 feet), with limited visibility. Bullshit story? Is it even relevant?

The USS Fitzgerald was hit in the quadrant termed "the danger zone" where oncoming shipping typically has the right-of-way. (Specifics of this accident, however, remain to be determined).