Climategate ruling: FOIA requests cover backup servers too

Data seekers win a victory

Last June, Keiler won a FOIA victory by obliging CRU to disclose the data set Jones had sent to Georgia Tech to anyone who asked for it. But CRU still refused to disclosed some information – specifically, any instructions accompanying the release of data to Georgia Tech. The University of East Anglia argued that the emails were probably not ‘held’, and so could not be disclosed.

Keiller appealed, and the University enlisted an expensive battalion of lawyers to defend the case. Keiller’s account (with Andrew Montford) of the Tribunal can be found here.

In summary, Judge Hamilton presiding over the Tribunal comprehensively rejected CRU’s defence, and ordered the University to provide a copy or mirror of the backup server, and an independent contractor to examine it.

The University had delegated the job of finding the missing email to the man who had deleted it – Professor Jones. He also agreed it was inconsistent of UEA to argue that it did not believe the missing email contained any instructions or stipulations. Jones had made the claim that these instructions were only imparted verbally.

Nor was the Judge impressed by UEA’s technical defence:

The Tribunal were rather disconcerted by the evidence adduced by the UEA on this issue. Jonathan Colam-French had almost no knowledge of the CRU’s back-up system and was simply unable to answer several pertinent questions.

There was one noticeable absentee from the Tribunal: Professor Jones himself. Keiller and Montford note he has never made a statement under oath.

It should be noted that public bodies can still refuse to disclose information – under Section 12of the 2000 Freedom of Information Act – if the cost of compliance exceeds “the appropriate limit”.

A cynic may expect the cost of performing backup server searches to rocket, overnight.

SF Sheriff Mirkarimi caught in gun control net he helped cast

“Although San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was a strong advocate of gun control while on the Board of Supervisors, he surrendered 3 handguns when police recently booked him on misdemeanor domestic violence charges,” KCBS reports.

Mirkarimi apparently owned them while sponsoring legislation last summer to bolster San Francisco gun control laws against a lawsuit by the National Rifle Association.

“Mirkarimi was elected sheriff in November after serving seven years as one of the city’s more liberal supervisors,” Fox News tells us.

Where They Stand

Where the GOP hopefuls stand on the issues

A look at where the 2012 Republican presidential candidates stand on a selection of key issues in Florida and nationwide.

Abortion

Gingrich Platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not a constitutional abortion ban.

Paul Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion.

Romney Says Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court and states should decide their own abortion laws.

Santorum Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion even in cases of rape.

Cuba

Gingrich On a recent trip to Miami, he signed a letter vowing to pursue a strong policy against Cuba by not lifting sanction until all political prisoners are free and re-establishing the 2004 stricter Bush travel rules.

Paul Only Republican to call for end to embargo against Cuba. “If we wouldn’t have had this embargo for 40 years, (Fidel) Castro would have been gone a long time ago,” he told reporters in Tallahassee last April.

Romney Supports embargo. Labeled Cuba “a rogue nation” along with Iran, North Korea and Venezuela in foreign policy statement by campaign.

Santorum Supports the pro-democracy movement on the communist island.

Debt

Gingrich As House speaker in 1990s, engineered passage of a seven-year balanced-budget plan. It was vetoed but helped form a bipartisan balanced budget later.

Paul Would eviscerate federal government, slashing nearly half its spending, shut five Cabinet-level agencies, end spending on existing conflicts and on foreign aid.

Romney Defended financial sector bailout, criticized GM and Chrysler bailout. Cap federal spending at 20 percent of GDP.

Santorum Freeze social and military spending for five years to cut $5 trillion from federal budgets.

Economy

Gingrich Repeal the financial industry regulations that followed the Wall Street meltdown. Restrict the Fed’s power to set interest rates artificially low.

Paul Return to the gold standard, eliminate the Federal Reserve, eliminate most federal regulations.

Romney Lower taxes, less regulation, balanced budget, more trade deals to spur growth. Replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts. Repeal new financial-industry regulations.

Santorum Eliminate corporate taxes for manufacturers, drill for more oil and gas, and slash regulations.

Education

Gingrich Shrink Education Department. But supported Obama administration’s $4 billion Race to the Top grant competition for states.

Paul Abolish the Education Department and end the federal role in education.

Romney Supported No Child Left Behind law. Once favored shutting Education Department, later saw its value in “holding down the interests of the teachers’ unions.”

Santorum Voted for No Child Left Behind law, now regrets vote. Wants “significantly” smaller Education Department but not its elimination.

Energy

Gingrich Let oil and natural gas industries drill offshore reserves now blocked from development, end restrictions on Western oil shale development.

Paul Remove restrictions on drilling, coal and nuclear power, eliminate gasoline tax, provide tax credits for alternative fuel technology.

Romney Supports drilling in the Gulf, the outer continental shelves, Western lands, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore Alaska; and exploitation of shale oil deposits.

Santorum Favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, scaling back “oppressive regulation” hindering drilling elsewhere, and eliminating energy subsidies in four years.

Environment

Gingrich Convert EPA into “environmental solutions agency” devoted to research and “more energy, more jobs and a better environment simultaneously.” Once backed tougher environmental regulation.

Paul Previously said human activity “probably does” contribute to global warming; now calls such science a “hoax.” Says emission standards should be set by states or regions.

Romney Acknowledged that humans contribute to global warming, but later said “we don’t know what’s causing climate change.” Cap and trade would “rocket energy prices.”

Santorum The science establishing human activity as a likely contributor to global warming is “patently absurd” and “junk science.”

Gay marriage

Gingrich If the Defense of Marriage Act fails, “you have no choice except a constitutional amendment” to ban gay marriage.

Paul Decisions on legalizing or prohibiting gay marriage should be left to states.

Romney Favors constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, says policy should be set federally, not by states.

Santorum Supports constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, not leaving decision to states. “We can’t have 50 marriage laws.”

Health care

All would seek repeal of Obama’s health care law.

Gingrich Prohibit insurers from cancelling or charging hefty increases to insurance holders who get sick. Offer “generous” tax credit to help buy insurance. Previously supported mandatory coverage.

Paul Opposes compulsory insurance and all federal subsidies for coverage.

Romney Opposes federal mandate to obtain coverage; introduced mandate in Massachusetts. Proposes “generous” subsidies to help future retirees buy private insurance instead of going on Medicare.

Santorum Would seek to starve Obama’s health care law of money needed to implement it. Supported Bush administration’s prescription drug program for the elderly, now regrets doing so.

Immigration

Gingrich In contrast to most rivals, supports option of giving legal status to illegal immigrants who have sunk roots in the U.S. and lived otherwise lawfully. Supports path to citizenship for illegal immigrants’ children who perform U.S. military service. Make English the official language. Divert more Homeland Security assets to at Mexican border.

Paul Do “whatever it takes” to secure the border, end right to citizenship of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, no social services for illegal immigrants, aggressive deportation.

Romney Would veto legislation that seeks to award legal status to some young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the armed forces. Favors complete U.S.-Mexico border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants.

Santorum Supports complete border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants.

Israel

Gingrich Supports Israel. Would move U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Called Palestinians “invented” people.

Paul To reporters in Tallahassee last April, Paul said: “Israel has over 300 nuclear weapons. If we just leave them alone they’d just take care of themselves.” Republican Jewish Coalition did not invite him to recent candidates’ forum.

Romney Said President Obama had “chastened” Israel in its pursuit of an appeasement strategy in the Middle East. Would make Israel first country he would visit as president.

Santorum Pro-Israel. He vows to “stand with Israel as an ally and in any efforts Israel may take to defend themselves from Iranian aggression.”

Social security

Gingrich Give younger workers the option of diverting Social Security taxes to private retirement accounts.

Paul Says younger workers should be able to opt out of Social Security taxes and retirement benefits; benefits for today’s retirees should be protected.

Romney Starting with workers now under 55, raise age to qualify for full benefits, and limit inflation increases for wealthier beneficiaries. Protect status quo for people 55 and older.

Santorum Proposes immediate steps to lower benefits for wealthier retirees, raise the age to qualify for full benefits and restrict inflation increases in benefits, both for current and future retirees. Supports option of private retirement accounts.

Taxes

All support eliminating the estate tax and keeping Bush-era tax cuts.

Gingrich Choice of filing under current system or paying a 15 percent tax, preserving mortgage interest and charitable deductions. Cut corporate tax to 12.5 percent.

Paul Eliminate the federal income tax and the IRS, and defund close to half the government.

Romney No one with adjusted gross income under $200,000 should be taxed on interest, dividends or capital gains. Cut corporate tax rate to 25 percent.

Santorum Triple the personal exemption for dependent children, reduce the number of tax brackets to two — 10 percent and 28 percent — exempt domestic manufacturers from the corporate tax and halve the top rate for other business.

War

Gingrich Supported Iraq war and opposed early withdrawal. Said U.S. forces should not have been used in Libya campaign, after he had called for such intervention. Opposes “precipitous” pullout from Afghanistan.

Paul Bring most or all troops home from foreign posts “as quick as the ships could get there.” Opposed U.S. intervention in Libya. Cut Pentagon budget.

Romney Has not specified the troop numbers behind pledge to ensure the “force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully” in Afghanistan.

Santorum Says he would order bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities unless they were opened for international arms inspectors. Proposes freezing defense spending for five years.

Solar Flare

UPDATE: They now say the proton pulse should hit Earth tomorrow morning … We’ll see.

The solar storm, according to SpaceWeather.com, ranks S3 – “Strong” – on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Scale. NOAA identifies the storm as being the strongest since May 2005.

The solar flare spat out late Sunday, Jan. 22, at 10:59 p.m. EST was rated an M9-class eruption — nearly an X-class flare, the most powerful type of solar storm.

NASA spokeswoman Kelly Humphries told Space.com the six spaceflyers currently living and working on the orbiting outpost are not in any danger.

“The flight surgeons have reviewed the space weather forecasts for the flare and determined that there are no expected adverse effects or actions required to protect the on-orbit crew,” Humphries told SPACE.com in an email.

The flare led to the largest radiation storm of its kind since 2005 — one still only described as a three on the scale of one to five.

Solar Flare Jan 23, 2012

Ann Romney tries damage control pre-tax release

There’s no doubt Mitt Romney is shaking in his Clarks at the thought of how he’ll be perceived when he publicly discloses his tax returns Tuesday. It might turn out that he’s richer than everyone thought. Or, maybe it‘ll appear as if he’s not paying his “fair share” in taxes (he saidhe’s “closer to the 15 percent” federal income tax rate).

Regardless of how many Benjamins the Romneys are sitting on, Mitt’s wife Ann wants voters to know what really matters.

“Our riches, you can value them in the children we have and in the grandchildren we have,” she said Sunday at a campaign event in Florida. “That’s where our values are, that’s where our heart is and that’s where we measure our wealth.”

Gag!

Florida’s Personal Injury Protection Law: How a Government Mandate is Bankrupting the Sunshine State

No-fault/Personal Injury Protection (PIP) laws are a prime example of the danger posed by the substitution of free market mechanisms for government mandates. In states with PIP laws on the books, the costs of insurance premiums are skyrocketing and rampant fraud and abuse of the system is to blame. PIP laws were put in place to protect the consumer but in states like Florida, consumers are faced with ever increased premiums to account for the impact of fraud on the system. Trial lawyers, doctors, and individuals are exploiting Florida’s no-fault laws and Florida’s citizens are paying a greater price every year.
Good Intentions, Disastrous Results
Florida’s PIP laws date back to 1972, when the state enacted a law requiring all drivers to purchase minimum coverage of $5,000, which has since been elevated to $10,000. One of the stipulations of non-fault/PIP coverage is that in the event of an accident, a policy holder may recover financial losses from the insurance company which the driver holds a policy. In the event that policy holder wins the suit, the insurance company is required by law to also reimburse the policy holder for any incurred attorney’s fees. Attorneys may also claim what is called a Contingency Risk Multiplier. With roots in the civil rights movement, this multiplier was put in place to help incentive lawyers to take up the cases of disenfranchised individuals, especially minorities. The multiplier is a formula that allows for attorneys to multiply their fees up to two and a half times the normal rate based on the strength of the case and the ability of the policy holder to obtain sufficient counsel. In all manners, the PIP law was well intended. Allowing individuals to sue their insurance company to collect damages in no-fault situations and incentivize attorneys to represent these individuals was seen as a way to protect those caught in truly unfortunate situations. The problem is that no-fault accidents and fee multipliers allow for fraud and abuse that is actually working against the common Florida driver, escalating premiums substantially.

Complete story:

Polaroid introduces Android camera

This isn’t your grandma’s digital camera.

The camera modules in smartphones continually improve, and these days there are phones like theiPhone 4S and the Nokia N9 who can take snapshots as good — and sometimes better — than point-and-shoots. Polaroid’s known for making cameras, but its newest device, a rebrand of the Aigo A8 we saw at CES last year, flips the script by taking a 16 megapixel point-and-shoot and shoving an Android phone inside.

The Polaroid version’s called the SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera, and it’s packed with 850/1900/2100MHz WCDMA and 850/900/1800/1900 GSM radios, along with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and an FM antenna thrown in for good measure. The SC1630 sports an 800 x 400 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, while underneath there’s 512MB of built-in storage and 512MB of RAM, along with proximity and G-sensors, micro SIM slot, Micro USB and a 2.5mm headphone jack. As we said above, the camera is a 16 megapixel unit, with aperture of F3.1 – F5.6, 3X optical zoom and 5X digital zoom, a max shutter speed of 1/1400 and ISO tops out at 3200. It’s got geotagging and anti-shake support as well, and can shoot videos in 720p. Scheduled to arrive in April for $299, the device still has a few kinks to be worked out and there may be some changes to that hardware before it makes it to market. Here at CES 2012, we got a chance to lay hands on the phone and speak with Emanuel Verona, Polaroid’s Executive VP and COO about the company’s first Android offering, so read on past the break for our impressions and his thoughts.In fact, it even blurs the line of what you might be used to calling a “digital camera.”

Perhaps it’s more of a small tablet or the Android equivalent of an iPod Touch.

It’s the Polaroid SC1630, and although it looks like your run-of-the-mill digital camera at first, it is anything but.

Instead of the traditional LCD display on the back of the device that allows you to toggle through pictures and change lighting, etc, the SC1630 has a fully operable version of Android.

Sure it can do all those things I just mentioned, but it can also run apps, games, and connect to the Internet. Users can instantly share pictures on Facebook, e-mail, or whatever method they want.

Obviously it’s primary function is as a camera. It has a 16-megapixel resolution and 3x zoom, and it aims to answer the growing question of why consumers should still buy a dedicated digital camera when their phone’s camera is probably good enough.

“Polaroid has helped the world bring stories to life through photographs for the past 75 years. The newest member of the Polaroid family, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera unites the beauty of high-end digital images with powerful Android connectivity features. The result is an instant experience of click, capture and share that enables social networks to see and experience the moment as if they were there,” said Polaroid president Scott W. Hardy.

Finnish analyst hits fermented reindeer milk

A Finnish analyst has got together some facts and figures which he thinks proves that Android will kill off PCs.

Horace Dediu said that iOS and Android devices are considered to be substitutes for personal computers and the PC market is going to collapse. Dediu runs Asymco which sells software development and consulting services for companies interested in deploying mobile applications. However he has come up with a lot of numbers and graphs to prove his point. His rise and fall of personal computing compares PCs to Macs, iOS and Android devices in shipped units and market share.

He claims that smartphones are being integrated into the personal computing space and we are writing on them rather than our PCs. Dediu admits that his views are a bit extreme. It assumes that there is no competition, but it does show how things work as a historic pattern.

His figures show that starting around 2007, when Apple (AAPL) introduced the iPhone, sales of devices running mobile platforms have eaten into a large portion of traditional desktop and laptop sales. Dediu lumped Apple products together in this graph and Android devices are all mobile devices by looking at these figures it is possible to see how many are out there. There were 352.8 million PCs were sold worldwide in 2011 but Samsung alone thinks it will sell 150 million smartphones next year.

Some of this is due to poor economic factors, but if Dediu is right then The bad economy is actually helping create a perfect storm in favour of mobile devices. They’re a cheaper starting investment for consumers, they have connectivity to the growing number of cloud services, and they meet many needs that used to be fulfilled only by PCs.

Cree Introduces The Next Generation Of Lighting-Class LEDs

Driving the next generation of mainstream LED lighting adoption, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE – News) introduces the breakthrough XLamp^® XB-D LED. The first LED based on an innovative new Cree technology platform, the XLamp XB-D LED ushers in a new era of price-performance for lighting-class LEDs. This LED can further simplify designs, ultimately removing a key barrier to widespread LED implementation—up-front system cost.

The XB-D LED delivers twice the lumens-per-dollar of other LEDs, in the industry’s smallest lighting-class footprint of 2.45 mm x 2.45 mm. The XB-D LED is 48 percent smaller than the XLamp XP package and ideal for lighting applications where high lumen density and compact light sources are required. The innovations behind this next generation of lighting-class LEDs can enable significantly lower prices for LED lighting products by using up to three times fewer LEDs, three times fewer optics and substantially smaller circuit boards than current designs.

“Being a leader means delivering revolutionary, not evolutionary, innovation to drive the LED lighting revolution,” said Mike Watson, Cree senior director of marketing, LED components. “With this new platform Cree has fundamentally redefined the price-performance paradigm for our components customers. It’s not enough to just make LEDs brighter—it’s also about improving product payback and market acceptance of LED lighting.”

Leveraging Cree’s proven silicon carbide technology and expertise, the XB-D LED delivers up to 139 lumens and 136 lumens per watt in cool white (6000K) or up to 107 lumens and 105 lumens per watt in warm white (3000K), both at 350 mA and 85°C.

XB-D LEDs are also compatible with most existing XP family secondary optics, which can speed the optical design process and create direct cost savings for existing XP family-based designs.

For more information, and to request a free sample visit http://www.cree.com/products/xlamp_xbd.asp. Samples are available immediately and production volumes are available with standard lead times. To locate a distributor, please visit www.cree.com/buyxlamp.

What Causes — The Several Causes of Neuropathy!

Today, most people with neuropathy (nerve damage) are only treating the symptoms and not getting to the root of the problem.

For diabetics, neuropathy is caused by one or both of the following: a diet that is too high in carbohydrates, and incorrect nutrition. Furthermore, many medications given to people with neuropathy or diabetes actually makes the problem worse instead of correcting the cause of the problem.

The only way to correctly manage your diabetic neuropathy is to address the real causes, not the symptoms. This involves improving the control of your blood sugar levels, implementing a lower carbohydrate diet and taking the nutrients your body needs.

What Causes Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?

(Click here for a larger view or click on the picture)

Higher than normal sugar levels in the body cause the outer protective covering of nerve cells (called the myelin sheathing) to degenerate. This is similar to an electrical wire that is covered with insulation, and the insulation is beginning to crumble. Without insulation the unprotected wire will start short-circuiting.

In the same way, when the sheathing of nerve cells degenerate, the signals being transmitted are scrambled, resulting in your body receiving signals that are interpreted as numbness, tingling, or pain in the toes, feet, legs, hands, arms, and fingers.

The areas of the body most commonly affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy are the feet and legs.