Human beings are getting dumber

IF a person from Athens 1000 BC came back to earth today, chances are they'd be smarter than all of us.

 

So says Dr Gerald Crabtree, a leading geneticist from Stanford University in the United States, whose new research suggests we humans are just getting stupider.

In the  paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics, Dr Crabtree says unavoidable changes in our genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology have caused us to become a mutation of our former human selves and a lot less bright than our ancestors.

Dr Crabtree told the online journal Natural Society that humans were at their peak when exposed to nature's "fight or flight mechanism".

Under those conditions humans were forced to rely on memory, clear thinking and emotional stability that allowed us to trust our instincts and adapt to situations quickly.


Modern life places other demands on our bodies and our minds, but technology has replaced our need to rely on our natural abilities and instincts.

Our over-processed diet is not doing us any favours, either. British researchers recently discovered that a steady intake of foods high in fructose can quickly reduce IQ. Pesticides and fluoride found in water supply are also said to have a negative impact on brain development.

But all is not lost. Dr Crabtree argues that our superior education and progress means we'll have figured out how to overcome these weaknesses in another 300 years or so.

heraldsun.com.au 19 Feb 2013

Technically, it's all part of the plan, to dumb down the masses.

Education is held by a handful of people and not released into the general populous.

It is of no consequence to governments that their citizens are not bright,  as they are easier to control.

Keeping them occupied with menial trivial events, and falsified TV reality shows is the 'normality' now, as it's all part of the 'programming'.

Australian internet speeds fall to 40th place globally

Australian internet speeds have fallen again compared to the rest of the world, says a new survey.
Average Australian connection speeds fell 2.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2012 as the country sank to 40th in the world, according to Akamai Technologies' third quarter "State of the internet" report.

Australia dropped from 39th position globally in the second quarter of 2012, being beaten by five countries in the region. Australia came out on top of New Zealand, however, which ended up in 46th place.
It reflects a trend of global internet connection speeds slowing down around the world in late 2012, suggesting a temporary stall in broadband gains.

Despite the slowdown, year-on-year changes saw average connection speeds increase by 19 per cent in Australia compared to the same period in 2011.

The report also showed China remained the biggest source of computer attacks, and that Brazil and China appear to have the biggest surge in web use.

The global average connection speed decreased by seven per cent between the second and third quarters of 2012 to 2.8 megabytes per second (Mbps).
But that appeared to be a temporary decline, since average connection speeds were up 11 per cent year over year.

South Korea continued to have the highest average connection speed at 14.7 Mbps, followed by Japan with 10.7 Mbps) and Hong Kong (8.9 Mbps).

Globally, adoption of "high" broadband (speeds above 10 Mbps) grew 8.8 per cent in the third quarter and overall global broadband adoption grew 4.8 per cent, the report said.

High broadband connections in Australia saw a quarter-by-quarter decline of 13 per cent, but year-on-year changes saw connectivity increase by 14 per cent overall in Australia.

For the second quarter in a row, Brazil experienced the greatest year-over-year growth of 39 per cent within the group of top 10 countries. China showed the largest quarter-over-quarter increase of 5.7 per cent.

In analysing web attacks from 180 countries or regions, Akamai said China remained the single largest source, with 33 per cent of all attacks originating within its borders. The US accounted for 13 per cent, followed by Russia at 4.7 per cent.

For the mobile internet, Akamai said Apple's Mobile Safari accounted for 60.1 per cent of data requests on all networks, with Google's Android browsers responsible for 23.1 per cent.

smh.com.au 25 Jan 2013

The 'authorities' cannot even provide a decent speed for the masses, in an apparently 'first' world country such as Australia.

The telco monopoly is held in the clutches of Telstra, which profits are up every year, currently over the $3 billion mark, at the same time degrading user services.

Monopolies not only hurt the economy, but also stifle advances, which is of a huge benefit to the Australian corporatocracy.

Crime gangs hold your fingerprints

It can be fair to say, that the average lay (or below average intelligence) person is aware that the handing over of one’s fingerprints occurs after a crime, and is collected by the police, in order to prosecute the individual. This practice is vigorously portrayed by the corporate media in films and documentaries.

The night club scene has many shady operators together with their employees that are either involved directly in the drug trade or hide behind a ‘frontman’ who has no criminal convictions.

The authorities are fully aware of the criminals who operate behind the scenes. Corrupt police also take ‘drug money’ to look the other way.

Currently there is no mandatory law that states that a fingerprint must be kept by an organisation for a patron to enter their premises, yet this is happening in Melbourne.

A Melbourne night club, Silk Road, is one such venue that scans a finger print, together with the driver’s license, whilst taking a current photograph of the patron.

 

• Collection of driver license details is one of the first steps to criminal activity, fraud or theft against that person.

• Collection of credit card details from purchases within the premises matched to the driver’s license name, is another step closer to the 100 point of identification needed, to commit fraud.

The excuse given is that many a brawl has (allegedly) occurred in the past and the perpetrators have not been caught.

The stupid uneducated masses are not only having their privacy breached, but are also exposing themselves to criminal activity against themselves whilst away from their premises, supporting the actions of the venue with their uneducated opinion.

The laws concerning privacy breaches are enforced on the masses and not on the corporations, governments or business that expose the individuals to risk.

The corporate media is once again curiously quite on this topic.

Australia is truly a nanny state which sees its citizens as guilty to be proven innocent.

Biker organised protection racket

Many businesses or venues across Australia are held to ransom by biker gangs, drug syndicates or various mafia organisations, for ‘protection’ where a cut of the daily/weekly takings is ‘stolen’ by the gangs.

Information has been obtained by corpau, how recently in Melbourne a (liquor) licensed venue was approached by a biker gang offering ‘protection’.

The method that is employed by the gang is that, a few biker members enter the premises, as seemingly innocent customers who ‘just want to have a beer’. 

A while later another group of people enter the premises, where not long after a disagreement occurs between the newly entered group and other patrons.

 

After a scuffle, the bikers (seemingly) intervene in the brawl, and oust the alleged offenders.

The bikers then approach the management or owners, that they would like to frequent the premises with other members and would offer ‘protection’ (read extort money), as the venue seems to be troubled.

Owners or management who disagree are followed, later harassed and if still defiant, beaten into submission.

Reporting matters to police is a futile exercise as corrupt police dealings with criminal biker gangs is high, no arrests would be made against any members.

These are not isolated incidents, but rather a form of business carried out by the criminal organisations that are actually supported by government.

Vic hospitals wear scars of federal cuts

Some casualties of funding cuts in Victoria's hospital system won't be brought back to life by the federal government's $107 million backflip.

Premier Ted Baillieu has urged the commonwealth to restore the remaining $368 million it cut from the state's health budget based on revised population figures.

Casey Hospital emergency department staff were delighted on Thursday by news that their unit could now continue to operate at night.

But the 50 jobs lost at the Royal Children's Hospital will not be saved, despite the reinstatement of $3.6 million in federal funding at the hospital.

Half the job losses came from not filling existing vacancies, and 12 people were told their positions no longer existed. Chief executive Christine Kilpatrick said on Thursday the positions wouldn't be renewed.

The federal government argues Victorian hospitals are under stress largely because the state government has ripped $616 million out of health.

But several Victorian hospital bosses have blamed the federal government for the elective surgery cuts and bed closures.

The federal government will now bypass the state and hand $107 million directly to the state's hospital administrators.

A beaming federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek told Casey Hospital doctors and nurses she understood the cutbacks had been stressful.

"I know that it has been a terrible time for you and that you have been concerned about your patients and concerned about your own jobs," she said.

Southern Health professor of emergency medicine George Braitberg said the reinstatement of $13.5 million at that health service meant elective surgery could resume.

"We want to get on with our job of just treating patients," he said.

Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association chief executive Prue Power said it would be time-consuming to reorganise cancelled elective surgeries and reopen beds.

"It's a major operation," she said.

Ms Plibersek said commonwealth funding for Victorian hospitals would increase by $900 million over the next four years.

She said she may again be forced to bypass the state government and let hospital administrators manage the money instead.

"It is to my mind an extraordinary circumstance here in Victoria, but if state governments are going to play politics with the health and safety of patients, then there will be times when I need to step in."

Victorian Health Minister David Davis said the commonwealth was stuck in the "twilight zone".

He said bypassing the states with hospital funding undermined the national health agreement.

"The federal government is now seeking to avoid paying money through the (national funding) pool," Mr Davis said.

"The idea that you would govern everything from Canberra ... that some bureaucrats in Canberra would be making decisions about our hospitals is something that I don't think Victorians would welcome."

heraldsun.com.au 21 Feb 2013

The government have the masses believe that the lives of the canon fodder are important, and the policies to 'ensure' road deaths (as an example) are reduced, heavy fines directed at speeding motorists are enforced.

 The real truth is that 'speeding' motorists are the easiest revenue raisers for the government coffers.

There is no policy to save the precious lives of the canon fodder, as this would be reciprocated in the government funded health system. 

Once you have outlived your useful slave labour job, paying exorbitant taxes to the government, you are  considered a liability, and there can rot to death.

Twitter barrage: Soundwave promoter attacks Joel Madden

A LEADING festival promoter has unleashed a furious Twitter tirade on The Voice judge Joel Madden. 

 
Soundwave boss AJ Maddah went full tilt at Madden, who fronts US pop punk band Good Charlotte, in an angry online rant.

Maddah claimed Madden had upset local fans.

Maddah tweeted: "Do you remember looking at your fans clutching your shirt and albums at Perth Airport and saying 'what the f--- do these people want from us' + 'wish they'd just f--- off?'

"Do you remember making fun of a 12/13-year-old girl that was crying because she met you and (sic) telling fat jokes about her.

"I don't hate you. That'd be a waste of my energy. I despair that you have so much disdain for fans to who you owe your career.

"Your lifestyle is financed by gullible fans who love you.''

Maddah also attacked Madden's role spruiking chicken for KFC.

He tweeted: "Your total lack of integrity is staggering. Seriously, WTF is wrong with you? Anyway, goodbye and good luck. I hope you find your humanity 1 day and genuinely appreciate your fans' love; not just their money.''

A shell-shocked Madden tweeted later: "I called AJ and we spoke. He's been upset for 10 years and I'm glad we talked about it and squashed it b/c I respect him and Soundwave.''
Maddah also confirmed on Twitter: "Just spoke to Joel Madden for the first time in 10 years. We've cleared the air.''

Soundwave, with headliners Metallica, Blink 182, Linkin Park and The Offspring, will tour Australia in March. It has sold out nationally.

theaustralian.com.au 12 Feb 2013

It's not the first time a foul mouth, foul attitude entertainer gets caught denigrating their fans, their meal ticket.

Straight from the Entertainment Trash file.

Naturally the person making the allegations, not only has to detract them, but also is portrayed by the corporate media as 'disturbed', as the corporate media support the trash entertainment of the herd population.

At the end of the day it's (partly) about the dollars.

Privacy fears as drones move into mainstream

MEDIA organisations have begun ramping up their use of drones, but privacy advocates warn of gross invasions in an age where virtually anyone can now operate an eye in the sky.

Retail chains such as Harvey Norman sell remote-controlled aerial devices equipped with cameras for as little as $350, as they move increasingly from a covert surveillance tool to the mainstream.

More advanced models, costing more than $10,000 and capable of carrying heavy-duty cameras, can easily be bought online.

But while Australia's major TV networks are already putting the new technology to the test for the screen, there are fears the devices could also be used to replace the paparazzi's prying long lenses.

 

Moving to mainstream ... remote-controlled aerial devices equipped with a camera can cost as little as $350.

''Kate Middleton and many other people besides can rest assured that their bare breasts are fair game, anywhere, any time,'' the Australian Privacy Foundation's Roger Clarke warned, in a week when snaps of the pregnant Duchess in a bikini made international headlines.
Fox Sports began using drones for aerial coverage of Twenty20 Big Bash cricket last year, while the Nine Network has conducted similar experiments at Perth's WACA ground.
Seven's Sunday Night program spent two weeks in the lead-up to Australia Day filming
with a drone around the country. On Sunday night the program aired a story about rusting supertankers in Bangladesh that was partly shot using a drone. 

Sunday Night executive producer Mark Llewellyn said most TV networks were looking at drones as replacements for expensive and bulky helicopters.
He said increasingly networks would look to obtain drone certification in-house as opposed to hiring third-party firms as they could more easily control the quality of the pictures.
''There are so many things that you can do [with drones] if you plan them properly,'' he said. ''If you want to chase a car or go at speed towards somebody on a ski slope or climb into what was previously a very difficult, inhospitable location you could do all of that.''

Asked whether he would sanction sending a drone to cover a high-profile celebrity wedding, Llewellyn said that ''if it was a celebrity who was high profile in the public eye and was behaving like a complete prat and there was some way of drawing a legitimate reason for doing it maybe you'd consider it''.

The paparazzi have used drones as far back as 2010 to stalk Paris Hilton around the French Riviera and Australian snappers are reportedly not far behind.

Last year a New South Wales resident filed a complaint after spotting a drone hovering outside their bedroom window, Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said.

Australian media organisations conducting journalism with drones and individuals flying them around the street are not covered by the Privacy Act. Pilgrim believes this and the "potentially intrusive nature of the technology" mean a public debate about the use of drones is needed.

Denied access to the Christmas Island immigration detention centre in 2011, Nine's 60 Minutes controversially flew a drone over the facility; it crashed into the sea after obtaining only mediocre footage.
ABC head of policy Alan Sunderland said drones had ''enormous potential as a tool for modern reporting'' but there were a number of regulatory and ethical issues to work through.

Veteran ABC journalist Mark Corcoran is on study leave at UTS researching media applications of drones on behalf of the broadcaster. He said the technology was evolving and proliferating too fast for CASA to keep up.

"The day is fast approaching where the small personal drone will be an obligatory part of the tool box for journalists, photographers and bloggers," he said.

Media organisations can currently commission work from 30 certified Australian drone operators but Fairfax understands a number of TV and print media organisations have recently contacted the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) about obtaining certification to fly drones in-house.

Hobbyist use of drones is unregulated but commercial operators must obtain certification from CASA, which imposes strict rules on where and when drones can fly including maintaining strict distances away from people and not flying above 400 feet.

David Vaile of the UNSW Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre warns of "[Rupert] Murdoch's News of the World culture" fuelling invasive drone reporting; indeed, Murdoch's now defunct iPad publication, The Daily, was one of the first media organisations to make regular use of drones in 2011 when it shot videos of flood damage in North Dakota and Mississipi.

Hai Tran, founder and chief pilot at Coptercam, a CASA-certified aerial drone photography business, has shot cricket footage for Fox Sports and will this week cover the NRL using a $15,000 drone capable of capturing full HD footage with a 10x optical zoom.

Tran has also been booked to cover the A-League, Rugby Union, and Rip Curl Pro events. He says he has also done work for the Seven and Ten networks while a year ago he shot footage of tornado damage for News Limited's PerthNow.
 
A commercial TV source said his network had tested drones but the regulations that ban flying close to people limited their effectiveness.

"The camera and transmission gear has to be very light, so the quality is not as strong as 'regular' television cameras," he said.

"Again, because of weight, the lenses aren't very stabilised so the pictures are very shaky and they don't like wind or rain and you can't fly them over water."

But Fox Sports head of innovation Todd Procter said the relatively noiseless drones "offer unique views of play that only flying craft can obtain".

CASA admits it has struggled to keep up as technology has advanced to the point where highly capable autonomous drones can be bought online for relatively low cost. This has led to a rise in uncertified commercial drone operators who are prepared to risk fines because of lax enforcement.

CASA has begun overhauling the rules around drones and has proposed for instance that the craft be regulated by weight so that those flying small drones are exempt from regulations. CASA director John McCormick told the ABC last October that "there's no point us writing a regulation that we can't enforce, that's just bad law". 

theage.com.au  18 Feb 2013

Australia IS truly a Nanny State, a fact that the 'average Joe' may have difficulty accepting.

A person who takes a photo of a woman will be hunted by police, but a photo taken by a drone, as depicted, will be supported by law

Another way of controlling the masses.