Incidents of rape in military much higher than previously reported

The estimated number of sexual assaults in the U.S. military dropped in 2014 but the number of rapes and violent sexual assaults is significantly higher than previously thought, according to new data released by the Defense Department and the Rand Corp.

Preliminary findings of an extensive survey of 170,000 troops released Thursday revealed that 20,000 service members said they had experienced at least one incident of unwanted sexual contact in the past year, representing nearly 5 percent of all active-duty women and 1 percent of active-duty men.

The figures are down from the estimated 26,000 in fiscal 2012, the last year a complete survey was conducted, a drop of more than 23 percent.

But new survey methodology used by the Rand Corp. found that many of the 20,000 assaults in 2014 were not "unwanted sexual contact" — a phrase the Pentagon uses to describe any incident of unsolicited and unwanted sexual behavior — they were violent, probing acts.

Nearly half the assaults reported by women and 35 percent reported by men were "penetrative sexual assaults" — crimes that include rape and penetration with an object.

Using the methodology DoD previously used for surveys, just 29 percent of assaults against women and 11 percent against men in 2014 would have been classified as penetrative sexual assaults.

The Rand survey generated some controversy earlier this year when some service members complained to the Associated Press about its explicit language and graphic questions on sexual activity.

But the Pentagon said the survey, which previously had been conducted by DoD but was contracted to Rand this year to improve reporting and ensure objectivity, was more detailed in order to get more accurate results.

Rand analysts said the higher number of penetrative assaults found in their data may be attributable to troops reporting incidents of assault that the DoD's methods would have omitted or not counted as sexual, such as hazing.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday released results of a report on sexual assault prepared for President Obama that showed sexual assault reports from active-duty service members rose to 5,983, up 8 percent from 2013. But the number still represents fewer than a third of the total estimated assaults.

The number of unrestricted reports — on incidents that allow prosecution and courts-martial to proceed — increased as well but by a smaller margin, 6.5 percent.

Pentagon officials said the increased reports and decrease in number of assaults estimated by the Rand survey show progress is being made in efforts to combat the problem in the ranks.

"The [reporting] rate has continued to go up. That's actually good news. Two years ago, we reported that one in eight sexual assaults was reported, today that's one in four," Hagel said during a press conference on the report on Thursday.

At the same time, he said there is "much work to do," and he outlined steps the department will take to further reduce incidents.

The Pentagon continues to face pressure from Congress on the issue, with new measures included in the forthcoming fiscal 2015 defense bill that protect victims of sexual assault, allowing them to provide input on how their case should be tried and challenge any discharge or separation from service that may follow an incident of sexual assault, among other protections.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and a bipartisan group of senators on Monday renewed their call to overhaul the military justice system by removing the authority given to a small number of commanding officers to decide whether cases should proceed to courts-martial.

Gillibrand pressed for her legislation to be included in the defense bill as an amendment but said she would propose it for a stand-alone vote and continue pushing Obama for an executive action on the matter.

A breakdown of the newly released data for 2014:

• DoD received 5,983 reports of sexual assault, with 4,501 being unrestricted. Less than a third, or 1,482, were "restricted" reports, meaning the victim sought only medical attention and did not want to participate in any investigation and prosecution (although a review of the military services' reports found 5,982 total reports).
• Of the 2,419 cases in which military commanders had a suspect, legal jurisdiction and a victim willing to assist in an investigation, commanders found sufficient evidence to take disciplinary action in about 1,764 cases, including 1,380 for sexual assault and 384 for misconduct other than sexual assault.
• Of the 1,380 cases that resulted in disciplinary action for sexual assault-related misconduct, 910 went to court-martial, 283 received nonjudicial punishment and 187 were discharged for other reasons.

The Pentagon altered its method of accounting for the assaults this year, a move some lawmakers have criticized for obscuring whether real change is occurring.

But the Rand report noted estimates using the standard DoD methods as well as the new format and found that under the traditional method, the fiscal 2014 estimates for assault would have been 19,000.

The new method indicated 20,000 troops experienced sexual assault, although the numbers still are not concrete because sexual assault is an under-reported crime.

According to Hagel's memo to service chiefs, changes will be made in training, education and at installations to improve sexual assault reporting and protect victims including:

• A long-term effort at each installation to customize sexual assault programs to their circumstances and implement them.
• New programs to increase unit leaders' knowledge and understanding of sexual assault programs to improve their ability to communicate the importance of prevention and response and mitigate retaliation against victims.
• Further enforcement procedures to ensure that victims, witnesses or those who respond to an incident do no feel any consequences, reprisals or retaliation for reporting a sexual assault.

The new initiatives on curbing retaliation are aimed at addressing a long-standing problem in the Defense Department — that victims often are blamed for reporting crimes, shunned by colleagues, challenged professionally or depicted as having a mental health disorder and discharged.

The Rand survey found that 62 percent of women who experienced a sexual assault and reported it endured some type of retribution or retaliation — roughly the same number as was reported in 2013.

Social retaliation accounted for the largest form of perceived retribution, but 32 percent said they faced professional retaliation and 35 percent experienced an adverse administrative event after reporting an incident.

"We must tackle this difficult problem head on, because, like sexual assault itself, reprisal directly contradicts one of the highest values our military that we protect our brothers and our sisters in uniform," Hagel said.

Anu Bhagwati, a Marine Corps veteran and executive director of the Service Women's Action Network, said the retaliation issue must be addressed to improve reporting and ensure that victims feel supported and secure.

"We've seen number of assaults increase and decrease over time — a little bump here, a little drop there — but the retaliation is a clear indication that the climate still isn't safe for victims," Bhagwati said. "Retaliation is a crime under the UCMJ. What's being done with these people? Are they being punished?"

According to the Rand survey, the Air Force and Coast Guard had the lowest percentages of reported sexual assaults in 2014 and the Navy and Marine Corps had the highest.

The Marine Corps reported the highest percentage of sexual assaults against women, with 7.9 percent reporting having endured an assault, while the Navy had the highest for men, 1.5 percent.

The percent of troops reporting a sexual assault in the other services among women were 4.7 percent of Army soldiers, 6.5 percent of Navy sailors, 2.9 percent of Air Force airmen and 3.0 percent of Coast Guardsmen.

The percentage of male troops reporting a sexual assault were 1 percent of soldiers, 0.3 percent of airmen, 1.1 percent of Marines and 0.3 percent of Coast Guardsmen.

The Rand survey further estimated that 26 percent of active-duty women and 7 percent of active-duty men experienced sexual harassment or gender discrimination.

A complete report on the Rand survey, including information on sexual assault in the National Guard, is expected next year.

About 800 fewer airmen experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact in 2014 as compared to 2012, said Maj. Gen. Gina Grosso, who heads the Air Force's sexual assault prevention and response office at the Pentagon. For women, the prevalence of the crime dropped about 25 percent over that time period; for men, it dropped 14 percent.

Meanwhile, there was an overall 61 percent increase in reporting by airmen, Grosso said. About one out of every four men in the Air Force who experienced a sexual offense came forward; about three out of every five women reported the crime, according to the 2014 data.

"As encouraged as we are by these facts — that we are reaching a greater percentage of victims — we know each sexual assault is a critical event in the life of our airmen. We still have much work to do," Grosso said.

REPORTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT INCREASE
All services showed a rise in sexual assault reports among active duty personnel, which officials say reflects victims growing confidence in the military system and increased emphasis on fixing the issue in the Defense and Homeland Security departments.
Service	2013	2014
Army	2,335	2,525
Navy	1,057	1,274
Air Force	1,149	1,328
Marine Corps	808	855
Coast Guard	190	254
Totals	5,539	6,236
Source: Defense Department

I'll never ask God for anything

Here's why:

If I ask Him for strength, He says, "I gave you that".

If I ask Him for someone to get well, He says, "I may consider that".

If I ask Him for prosperity, He says, "I gave you talent, produce it".

If I ask Him to spare a life, He says, "Nature shall steer it's course".

If I ask Him for a woman, He says, "You will get what you need if it's within my plan".

If I ask Him for forgiveness, He says, "Have you forgiven yourself".

If I ask Him for blessings, He says, "You are blessed".

If I ask Him about heaven, He says, "Aren't you in it".

If I ask Him for stronger relationships, He says, "Make them".

If I ask Him do I need a fellowship, He says, "I didn't create you among fellows".

If I ask Him about my path, He says, "It's yours to cut".

If I ask Him was I appropriate, He says, "You are your cause and you'll live your effect".

 No matter what I can imagine to ask Him for, He says, "I have instilled all that you will ever need in this earthly life. Anything that you think you may need, I gave you the talents, experience and the diligence to get it". 

 "I created all my children perfect and I find no fault in any of you. You find faults and shortcomings within each other".

 "Call me when you have a legitimate concern" and he disconnects.

 So....

Questioning human sanity

*My God, my Allah, my Yahweh, my Lord, my Christ, how could you possibly be within my perception? How could I possibly think that you lay within the parameters of my belief? How could you be limited by the words in a book?

 Wouldn't that be synonymous with the egg dictating the terms of it's parent?

Radial vs The World - Fastest Drag Radial Cars Video Coverage

Difference Between Grey and White Matter

Grey Matter vs White Matter

The nervous system is divided into two parts; the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain, which has multi-level organized neurons, and connections of indefinite neurons, is divided wholly into grey and white matter. Grey matter, also known as substantia grisea, is the part of the brain that is controlled by the nerve cell bodies and the majority of the true dendrites (numerous, short, branching filaments that carry impulses towards the cell body). The cell body is the area of the neuron that is highlighted by the existence of a nucleus. Grey matter has no myelin blanket.

The real processing is concluded in the grey matter. It was given the name gray because of its appearance. It has a grey color because of the grey nuclei that comprises the cells. It fills about 40 percent of the whole brain in humans, and consumes 94 percent of oxygen. The neurons of the grey matter do not have extending axons, or long, thin projections of neurons, that send electrical signals away from the soma (another name for the cell body of neurons). Neurons create networks, in which nerve signals travel. From the dendrites to the end of its axons, the signals reproduce in the neural membrane by way of electrical modes. Neurons do not make body contact with each other when conveying messages. The neurotransmitters serve as the medium to connect one neuron to another neuron. The senses of the body (speech, hearing, feelings, seeing and memory) and control of the muscles, are part of the grey matter’s function.

The white matter, also known as substantia alba, is a neuron that is made up of extending, myelinated nerve fibers, or axons. It composes the structures at the center of the brain, like the thalamus and the hypothalamus. It is found between the brainstem and the cerebellum. It is the white matter that allows communication to and from grey matter areas, and between grey matter and the other parts of the body. It functions by transmitting the information from the different parts of the body towards the cerebral cortex. It also controls the functions that the body is unaware of, like temperature, blood pressure and the heart rate. Dispensing of hormones and the control of food, as well as the intake of water and the exposition of emotions, are additional functions of the white matter.

Axons are protected by the myelin sheath, which provides insulation from the electrical processes, allowing them to perform nerve signals more quickly. It is also the myelin that is responsible for the white appearance of the white matter. 60 percent of the brain is comprised of white matter.

Summary:

1. Grey matter is made up of nerve cell bodies, and white matter is made up of fibers.

2. Unlike the white matter, the neurons of grey matter do not have extended axons.

3. Grey matter occupies 40 percent of the brain, while white matter fills 60 percent of the brain.

4. Grey matter has a grey color because of the grey nuclei that comprises the cells. Myelin is responsible for the white appearance of the white matter.

5. Processing is concluded in the grey matter, while white matter allows communication to and from grey matter areas, and between the grey matter and the other parts of the body.

6. Grey matter has no myelin sheath, while white matter is myelinated.

Read more: Difference Between Grey and White Matter | Difference Between | Grey vs White Matter http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-grey-and-white-matter/#ixzz48R07ITxa

The truth is out: money is just an IOU, and the banks are rolling in it

The Bank of England's dose of honesty throws the theoretical basis for austerity out the window

ack in the 1930s, Henry Ford is supposed to have remarked that it was a good thing that most Americans didn't know how banking really works, because if they did, "there'd be a revolution before tomorrow morning".

Last week, something remarkable happened. The Bank of England let the cat out of the bag. In a paper called "Money Creation in the Modern Economy", co-authored by three economists from the Bank's Monetary Analysis Directorate, they stated outright that most common assumptions of how banking works are simply wrong, and that the kind of populist, heterodox positions more ordinarily associated with groups such as Occupy Wall Street are correct. In doing so, they have effectively thrown the entire theoretical basis for austerity out of the window.

To get a sense of how radical the Bank's new position is, consider the conventional view, which continues to be the basis of all respectable debate on public policy. People put their money in banks. Banks then lend that money out at interest – either to consumers, or to entrepreneurs willing to invest it in some profitable enterprise. True, the fractional reserve system does allow banks to lend out considerably more than they hold in reserve, and true, if savings don't suffice, private banks can seek to borrow more from the central bank.

The central bank can print as much money as it wishes. But it is also careful not to print too much. In fact, we are often told this is why independent central banks exist in the first place. If governments could print money themselves, they would surely put out too much of it, and the resulting inflation would throw the economy into chaos. Institutions such as the Bank of England or US Federal Reserve were created to carefully regulate the money supply to prevent inflation. This is why they are forbidden to directly fund the government, say, by buying treasury bonds, but instead fund private economic activity that the government merely taxes.

It's this understanding that allows us to continue to talk about money as if it were a limited resource like bauxite or petroleum, to say "there's just not enough money" to fund social programmes, to speak of the immorality of government debt or of public spending "crowding out" the private sector. What the Bank of England admitted this week is that none of this is really true. To quote from its own initial summary: "Rather than banks receiving deposits when households save and then lending them out, bank lending creates deposits" … "In normal times, the central bank does not fix the amount of money in circulation, nor is central bank money 'multiplied up' into more loans and deposits."

In other words, everything we know is not just wrong – it's backwards. When banks make loans, they create money. This is because money is really just an IOU. The role of the central bank is to preside over a legal order that effectively grants banks the exclusive right to create IOUs of a certain kind, ones that the government will recognise as legal tender by its willingness to accept them in payment of taxes. There's really no limit on how much banks could create, provided they can find someone willing to borrow it. They will never get caught short, for the simple reason that borrowers do not, generally speaking, take the cash and put it under their mattresses; ultimately, any money a bank loans out will just end up back in some bank again. So for the banking system as a whole, every loan just becomes another deposit. What's more, insofar as banks do need to acquire funds from the central bank, they can borrow as much as they like; all the latter really does is set the rate of interest, the cost of money, not its quantity. Since the beginning of the recession, the US and British central banks have reduced that cost to almost nothing. In fact, with "quantitative easing" they've been effectively pumping as much money as they can into the banks, without producing any inflationary effects.

What this means is that the real limit on the amount of money in circulation is not how much the central bank is willing to lend, but how much government, firms, and ordinary citizens, are willing to borrow. Government spending is the main driver in all this (and the paper does admit, if you read it carefully, that the central bank does fund the government after all). So there's no question of public spending "crowding out" private investment. It's exactly the opposite.

Why did the Bank of England suddenly admit all this? Well, one reason is because it's obviously true. The Bank's job is to actually run the system, and of late, the system has not been running especially well. It's possible that it decided that maintaining the fantasy-land version of economics that has proved so convenient to the rich is simply a luxury it can no longer afford.

But politically, this is taking an enormous risk. Just consider what might happen if mortgage holders realised the money the bank lent them is not, really, the life savings of some thrifty pensioner, but something the bank just whisked into existence through its possession of a magic wand which we, the public, handed over to it.

Historically, the Bank of England has tended to be a bellwether, staking out seeming radical positions that ultimately become new orthodoxies. If that's what's happening here, we might soon be in a position to learn if Henry Ford was right.

---

More comment

Topics

• Bank of England
 
• Banking
 
• Economic policy
 
• Global economy
 
• Economics
 
• Austerity
• 
  

What's the Deal With Black Chickens?

Have you ever seen a black chicken? We don't mean a black-feathered chicken; we mean a Silkie chicken, which is black-pigmented right down to its bones. They aren't commonly found in the grocery store, but you might see them in Asian groceries. What's the deal with these black chickens, and do they taste different than the paler breed?

Silkie chickens are a highly-prized breed of chicken that has beautiful silky white plumage, and startlingly black skin. They are frequently found in China, India, and Southeast Asia. They have a mild-mannered nature and make excellent pets, and you'll often see them at poultry shows.

The chicken flesh itself is a dark bluish-grey or even black, and the bones are black as well. But the meat really doesn't taste different by nature; it's just chicken. The one difference, however, comes from the way the birds are raised. These obviously aren't factory-farmed birds, raised on the enormous scale of US poultry farms, so they're almost invariably free-range and slightly gamier in flavor. In fact, if you're looking for free-range and well-raised birds, choosing a black chicken is a good way to go.

Do you ever eat black chicken? How do you cook it? It seems that a roasted black bird would be slightly startling to guests; perhaps you're better off with soup? Here's an article from The New York Times on black chicken and soup:

→ Slow cooked silkie chicken

Related: Ingredient Spotlight: Silkie Chickens

Semi Autonomous Defense Systems, "Sys Nica"

*Sys Nica hired a graduate software engineer today, welcome aboard.

Model "SADS" Home

*Attempting to trespass or enter a home, business or structure equipped with a "SAD" system and that's exactly what you'll be, "Sad".

*All gadgets not displayed. 

How to open or forward a port on a router, ever just had one of those days?

With some games and applications, it may be necessary to open one or more ports or setup port forwarding on your home router. Below are the steps required with most routers and additional help and suggestions with troubleshooting issues that may be encountered.

Warning: Ports are often closed on a router to help prevent unauthorized access to your home network. Opening any additional ports on your router may decrease the overall security of your network.

Note: If you want to open ports to give access to a game or other application likeBitTorrent, make sure it is absolutely necessary. In some situations, it may be a firewall on your computer or router that is blocking access. Try temporarily disabling your firewall to make sure this is not the cause of your problems.

1. To use port forwarding, first determine the local IP address of the computer.
2. Open your router configuration.
3. Once in the router configuration, locate the port forwarding settings, often in a section such as Applications & Gaming or Port forwarding. If you are having trouble finding these settings, we suggest trying the Port forward site for exact steps on your router or refer to your router's documentation.
4. Once at the port forwarding screen you will see a screen similar to one of the example picture below.

Single port forwarding

Referring to the following picture as an example, with single port forwarding, you have different fields that need to be completed.

First, the Application Name is the name given to describe what the ports are that you are opening. In our example below, you can see this router has drop down menus and empty boxes. If you are opening a common port such as FTP, selecting that option enables that port. However, in most situations, you need to type the name of the application. For example, you would type in the name of the game.

Next is the Externet Port and Internet Port. Enter the port you want to open in both of these fields. For example, if you were opening port 88, you would enter 88 in both boxes.

Next is the Protocol, which is often able to be either Both, TCP, or UDP. If you are uncertain of the exact protocol needed, use Both. If you do not have a Both option, create two open ports for both TCP and UDP.

Next is the To IP address, which is the IP address of the computer or networking device this port is being forwarded to on the network.

Finally, once all these values have been configured, check the Enabled box and click theSave Changes button.

Port Range Forwarding

If your application or game requires a range of ports, such as 6112-6119, your router should have a Port Range forwarding section like the one shown below. In this section, you would follow the same steps as those mentioned above, however, instead of entering an individual port, you would enter the starting and ending port number. For example, if you were given instructions to open port 6112-6119, you would enter 6112 as your starting port and 6119 as your ending port.

DMZ

Finally, if after enabling port forwarding you are still encountering issues with another computer or application seeing your computer, it may be necessary to enable DMZ. Often this setting is in the same area of the router configuration as discussed above and can be changed from disabled to enabled.

Testing if an outside network can see the new port

There are several services that can test if your new opened port can be seen. We suggest trying Canyouseeme and the port checker tool from Portforward.

Additional information

• Opening port for program or game in Windows Firewall.
• See the port and router definitions for further information and related links.

Ever dump a cup of coffee on your craptop?

*Act quickly and it may not be a big deal.

 Immediately shut it down, unplug the unit and tip it on it's side.

 Grab your precision screwdrivers (A bit of rubberized tape can add some grip).

 Remove the screws from the bottom and remember where each went (Some may have a screw or two on the sides).

*Note the blue rubberized sealant at the end of certain screws, you just void your warranty but it's a "craptop".

 Remove the keyboard paying attention to unclip the wiring harness.

 Remove or disconnect the battery.

 You're going to dab the surfaces lightly with a soft cloth or paper towels

They have tons of computer cleaning solvents for pennies, I suggest you purchase a can.

*Personally I'll use a combination of any of these: Acetate or ethyl acetate, brake cleaner, rubbing alcohol, paint thiner, yada yada.

 Got her all cleaned up?

 You can use a hair blower on gentle to dry the unit or sit it in a sunny window.

Ok, slap it back together "remembering"  where each screw came from.

And there you have it, "Fresh Craptop".

*If you feel as though I skipped a step, I most likely did. I build systems, not craptops.

Enjoy your day.

25 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True

Conspiracy theories are a dime a dozen and most are either ridiculous or just plain impossible. But, every once in a while we come to find out that the ridiculously impossible is actually true. Wrestling is fake, the NSA is spying on us, and your ATM can recognize you. These are 25 conspiracy theories that turned out to be true.

The military is conspiring to instill fear in the populace

A classic theory, this one proved to be true when John F. Kennedy went haywire on the Joint Chiefs of Staff for planning to cause insane mayhem throughout America. Some say this was why he was eventually assassinated.

Heart attack guns exist

It’s real and it was disclosed by the CIA in 1975. It fires a bullet made of ice, dipped in shellfish toxin which immediately induces a heart attack.

FBI is conspiring against civil activists

Known as COINTELPRO, this was the FBI’s anti activist program. It targeted numerous groups such as the black panthers and the NAACP.

Mockingbird is a branch of the CIA

Basically the CIA’s secret paramilitary branch, reporter David Bruce uncovered it’s footprints and stated that 50% of international politics in the last century was influenced by it.

Fascists plan to overthrow the US government

Ok, it doesn’t sound too farfetched…and it wasn’t. General Smedley Butler testified before congress about how he had been approached with just such a plan.

See them all > 12345