A 2ª Câmara de Direito Civil do Tribunal de Justiça negou indenização por danos morais e materiais solicitada por um casal que foi assaltado a mão armada em motel.

O fato aconteceu na cidade de Blumenau, em dezembro de 2005, quando eles se encontrava em quarto privativo no Motel Três Peixinhos.

De repente, receberam um chamado do lugar destinado aos funcionários, mas foram surpreendidos por dois indivíduos armados que, mediante violência e ameaça, obrigaram-lhes abrir a porta do quarto.

Os dois se cobriram com toalhas de banho e foram trancados junto com duas funcionárias do motel no interior de um banheiro.

De lá, só conseguiram sair após arrombarem a porta, quando perceberam que seu veículo e pertences foram furtados.

O casal solicitou o pagamento dos prejuízos sofridos, num montante de R$ 21 mil, e alegaram que a proteção do motel não foi suficiente para conter assaltantes.

A administração do estabelecimento, ao contrário, sustentou que se tratou de caso fortuito e força maior, pois possui amplo sistema de segurança – vigilância por câmeras de vídeo, acesso ao pátio por um portão controlado e muro de aproximadamente três metros de altura.

Para o relator da matéria, desembargador Mazoni Ferreira, o estabelecimento não pode ser responsabilizado pelo roubo, pois comprovou que se cercou de todos os meios para garantir a sua segurança e de seus clientes.

“Não houve facilitação à entrada dos assaltantes. Todas as cautelas passíveis dos funcionários do motel foram tomadas. Não seria razoável esperar dos recepcionistas que, com um revólver apontado em sua direção, impedissem a entrada dos assaltantes”, anotou o magistrado, ao lembrar que a própria empresa foi atingida em seu patrimônio.

Posteriormente, o casal recuperou o automóvel, localizado após identificação dos bandidos pelas câmeras de vídeo do motel. A decisão reformou sentença Comarca de Blumenau, que havia estipulado uma indenização por danos morais e materiais de aproximadamente R$ 70 mil.

A decisão foi unânime.

Apelação Cível nº 2008.011861-7

Link da Notícia

O que é multimídia? De acordo com a UNCG, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, multimídia corresponde a integração de diferentes modalidades de mídia: gráficos, imagens, textos, audio, animação ( que possibilita melhor visualização de imagens em 3-D, eriquece representações gráficas, permite mapear fenômenos que mudam com o tempo, etc) e video ( utilizado para mostrar coisas que se movem) na representação de dados.

Para  informações detalhadas sobre  Multimídia, o site Netpoint disponibilza um glossário onde  são apresentados os meios de comunicação utilizados no mundo digital e seus componentes.

Acesse: http://www.netpoint.com.br/ajuda/index.php?title=Gloss%C3%A1rio_Multim%C3%ADdia

Postado por Vinny

Do UOL Notícias
Em São Paulo

Médicos e psicólogos acompanharam sessões de interrogatórios da CIA com práticas de torturas para permitir que o uso da violência fosse o mais alto possível dentro dos parâmetros de “segurança”, o que representa uma violação também à ética desses profissionais, que juram proteger a vida humana.

A denúncia está em um relatório escrito pelo grupo Médicos pelos Direitos Humanos (PHR, na sigla em inglês), a partir de documentos da inteligência norte-americana que relatam práticas de interrogatório utilizadas contra suspeitos de atos terroristas. Segundo o PHR, há indícios de que tenham sido realizados até mesmo experimentos humanos ilegais para avaliar a reação dos detidos à tortura.

“Profissionais de saúde desempenharam um papel central no desenvolvimento, na implementação e na elaboração de justificativas para a prática de tortura”, afirma o relatório “Aiding Torture”.

“Médicos e psicólogos se envolveram em desenhar e monitorar dolorosas técnicas de interrogatório. Tal participação médica em tortura é uma clara violação da ética médica”, prossegue o documento. “O monitoramento de técnicas de interrogatório por profissionais médicos para determinar sua efetividade usa presos como objetos humanos sem consentimento e, portanto, se aproxima de experimentação ilegal”.

O relatório acrescenta que, “seguindo os requerimentos, todos os interrogatórios eram monitorados em tempo real por profissionais da saúde”, que mediam, por exemplo, o nível de oxigênio no sangue do interrogado durante uma simulação de afogamento. “Dessa forma, médicos eram usados para calibrar a dor e o sofrimento físico e mental”.

Advogados da CIA também estariam envolvidos na burocracia da tortura. O documento revela que esses profissionais deveriam reportar à agência se as práticas dos agentes poderiam ser classificadas como “tortura”. Para isso, os advogados recorriam aos médicos, responsáveis por analisar os “níveis de dor”. Casos como a simulação de afogamento, por exemplo, foram descritos como “não doloroso fisicamente”, o que facilitava a legitimação dessa prática do ponto de vista legal.

As denúncias feitas pelo grupo de médicos chega depois da divulgação de um relatório secreto da CIA, escrito em 2004, no qual são relatadas duras práticas contra os presos. Para conseguir informações, agentes ameaçaram os detidos com armas e furadeiras; prometiam estuprar e matar parentes dos interrogados; simulavam execuções em ambientes contíguos à sala do interrogatório; confinavam os suspeitos em caixas. 

Além da violência direta, a análise feita pelos Médicos pelos Direitos Humanos acrescenta que outras práticas aparentemente mais leves também tinham forte impacto psicológico entre os detidos, tais como raspagem forçada de barba e cabelo, manipulação da dieta, aplicação de vendas e uso obrigado de fraldas. A longo prazo, esse tipo de tratamento levavam a uma situação de debilidade mental e estresse traumático, denuncia o PHR.

Investigações
Depois que o relatório secreto da CIA veio a público, na última semana, o procurador-geral dos Estados Unidos, Eric Holder, nomeou o promotor John Durham para investigar se os interrogatórios com suspeitos de terrorismo foram ilegais.

“Concluí que a informação disponível justifica a abertura de uma investigação preliminar sobre de violaram as leis relacionadas com os interrogatórios de determinados presos em localidades no exterior”, afirmou o procurador-geral em um comunicado.

Durham, que recebeu a tarefa de conduzir as investigações, já está familiarizado com o tema. Desde 2008, o promotor analisa a destruição pela CIA de 92 vídeos contendo interrogatórios de prisioneiros.

O tema também mobiliza o presidente dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, que aprovou a criação de uma unidade especial de interrogatório no combate ao terrorismo.

A nova unidade, que deve ser supervisionado de perto pela Casa Branca, terá como objetivo garantir que os futuros interrogatórios estejam de acordo com o manual do exército dos EUA.

A profecia auto-realizável diz que, quanto mais as pessoas acreditam em uma coisa, mais elas podem influenciar o seu acontecimento”. Vivemos um período de crise e com o reajustamento dos mercados vem o arrefecimento do investimento já que os gestores optam regra geral por cortar mais do que arriscar. No sector publicitário esta realidade é especialmente dura, uma vez que a decisão de reduzir custos através de cortes nos orçamentos de publicidade é muito mais fácil do que reduzir despesas operacionais, vender activos ou despedir pessoas, o que acaba por levar a um ciclo vicioso de desinvestimento e retracção da economia.
Precisamos no entanto de manter a cabeça fria sobre estas decisões e ponderar todos os factores envolvidos. Anunciantes, Meios e Agencias têm um papel fundamental no atravessar da crise de modo a que a profecia não se realize.
Os Anunciantes não podem parar de investir, esperando para ver o que vai acontecer. O único prognóstico que arrisco é que aqueles que o fizerem não vão ter boas surpresas. A publicidade foi e continuará a ser catalisador do consumo e aqueles que souberem aproveitar as oportunidades que se apresentam sairão vencedores. Aliás, acredito que o efeito multiplicador pode ser significativo uma vez que as pessoas com emprego estável vão ter, em 2009, mais poder de compra do que em 2008: juros mais baixos, gasolina barata, descida da inflação e o aumento salarial de 2,9 por cento na função pública.
Os Meios têm o desafio de conseguir manter as suas estratégias editoriais e comerciais de forma consistente, adaptando-se às dificuldades mas não comprometendo o futuro. Para além disso, aqueles que apostaram na qualidade e consistência dos seus produtos e na qualificação e quantificação das suas audiências estarão certamente melhores preparados para justificar a continuação dos investimentos nos seus suportes.
As Agências vêem, mais do que nunca, o seu papel de aconselhamento estratégico ganhar importância, neste período de grandes desafios, budgets apertados e audiências fragmentadas. Criar valor, ao contrário de destruir, e pensar médio prazo com estratégias que façam sentido para além deste período difícil é o grande desafio e o que definirá quem sairá reforçado deste período.
Tal como para os consumidores onde muito terá a ver com confiança, também para os anunciantes esse factor será determinante. Previsões catastróficas servem apenas os interesses de alguns que tentam com isso colocar uma incontornável pressão comercial sobre os meios, forçando a que a lei da oferta e da procura funcione em antecipação e desproporcionadamente.
Cabe a todos os “players” do mercado contribuir para que a profecia seja de que a crise vai ser menor do que parece e que o impacto nas empresas deste sector seja limitada e de curta duração.
30 de Janeiro de 2009
por, André Freire de Andrade – Director-geral da Carat Portugal, Meios & Publicidade

O assunto deste post é baseado em uma cópia de email que recebi de um jovem, cursando o 1º semestre de um Curso Técnico, logo ao término de uma palestra que ministrei sobre empregabilidade, onde abordei diversas questões que o profissional deve observar ao buscar uma colocação profissional ou, ainda, um estágio.

Em verdade costumamos culpar a sociedade, o governo e demais autoridades investidas, porém sou partidário de que cada um de nós PODE e DEVE ser mais efetivo no sentido de propiciar ferramentas e meios necessários ao desenvolvimento e profissionalismo destes JOVENS.

Claro que a intenção não é, em nenhum momento, tomar o assunto como alguma crítica ou expor a questão ou pessoa, mas sim, tratar do assunto como uma realidade que comumente encontramos em nossos processos de recrutamento e seleção.

A verdade é que os “bate-papos” abreviados nos diversos meios de comunicação, digo principalmente na internet, tem contribuído para este desastre de expressão da lingua portuguesa a ponto de até mesmo já interferir e influenciar em redações de correspondencias de cunho oficial.

Em nossas palestras, buscamos informar aos JOVENS a importancia do saber e expressão, o despertar pela boa leitura, marketing pessoal, intercambio entre grupos e segmentos profissionais, para que sintam o PRAZER e NECESSIDADE de  melhoria continua nos diversos aspectos da vida pessoal e profissional.

Portanto, anexo o email descrito, para reflexão e nosso próprio questionamento com uma pergunta: “O que temos feito para mudar esse quadro?”

Abraço a todos e Sucesso!

Olá, Godoi?? entaum é o teu amigo de escola lembra-se???

Voce falo que tem algumas coisas emportantes para mostrar e sobre a  palestra que vc fez sobre Marketing Pessoal e Como se apresentar para uma Entrevista de Emprego. Mais ai contime as novidades!

A 2ª Câmara Cível negou pedido da Companhia Energética do RN (COSERN) que buscava manter o corte de energia elétrica de uma empresa consumidora, como forma de coação para pagamento de débitos. Para os desembargadores, existem outros mecanismos para cobrar a dívida, sem suspender o fornecimento.

A COSERN alegou que o lacre do medidor foi violado, sendo constatado através de perícia do INMETRO, o que teria causando prejuízos. De acordo com a companhia, a Resolução 456/00 da ANEEL, permite a suspensão do fornecimento de energia quando a concessionária verificar qualquer procedimento irregular por parte do consumidor.

O desembargador Aderson Silvino, relator do recurso, disse que existem meios legais para cobrança da dívida, momento em que serão discutidos os valores de consumo e eventuais multas por infrações, não devendo a concessionária suspender um serviço essencial como forma de coação: “Embora exista débito, a cobrança dele não pode ser um mecanismo usual de coagir a empresa a pagá-lo sob a ameaça de corte no fornecimento”.

O Superior Tribunal de Justiça mantém o mesmo entendimento: “Esta Corte firmou o entendimento de que é indevido o corte de energia elétrica em razão da existência de débitos antigos, que devem ser cobrados pelas vias ordinárias de cobrança“. (REsp 954.483/RS, Rel. Ministra  ELIANA CALMON, SEGUNDA TURMA, julgado em 09/12/2008, DJe 27/02/2009). Apelação Cível n° 2009.003109-5.

Colaboração: www.tjrn.jus.br

Para uma retomada histórica da mídia performance, são necessários textos, fotografias, filmes ou depoimentos verbais de pessoas que delas participaram ou a elas assistiram. Só assim pode-se recostituir o que existiu uma vez para ser visto e ouvido (vivido apenas uma vez).

Na tentativa de recosntrução dessa trajetória, surgem dois pontos fundamentais. Primeiro, que os artistas sempre se utilizam da performance como um entre muitos meios de expressar suas idéias (…). Em segundo lugar, é importante lembrar que estes exemplos foram deixados de lado do processo de avaliação da história oficial da arte mais pela dificuldade encontrada em enquadrá-los dentro desse processo do que por simples omissão.

Lygia Arcuri Eluf, pg 2 DT3604

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Libertarian socialism

This equality and freedom would be achieved through the abolition of authoritarian institutions that own and control productive means as private property,^[6] so that direct control of thesemeans of production and resources will be shared by society as a whole. Libertarian socialism also constitutes a tendency of thought that informs the identification, criticism and practical dismantling of illegitimate authority in all aspects of social life. Accordingly libertarian socialists believe that “the exercise of power in any institutionalized form – whether economic, political, religious, or sexual – brutalizes both the wielder of power and the one over whom it is exercised.”^[7]

Libertarian socialists place their hopes in trade unions, workers’ councils, municipalities, citizens’ assemblies, and other non-bureaucratic, decentralized means of direct democracy.^[8] Many libertarian socialists advocate doing away with the state altogether, seeing it as a bulwark of capitalist class rule, while others propose that a minimal, non-hierarchical version is unobjectionable.^[9]

Political philosophies commonly described as libertarian socialist include most varieties of anarchism (especially anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarcho-syndicalism,^[10]mutualism,^[11] social ecology,^[12] autonomism and council communism).^[13] Some writers use libertarian socialism synonymously with anarchism^[14] and in particular socialist anarchism.^[15][16]

[edit]Overview

Noam Chomsky, a noted libertarian socialist.

Libertarian socialism is an ideology with diverse interpretations, though some general commonalities can be found in its many incarnations. Its proponents advocate a worker-oriented system of distribution that radically departs from capitalist economics (socialism).^[17] They proposed that this economic system be executed in a manner that attempts to maximize the liberty of individuals and minimize concentration of power or authority (libertarianism). Libertarian socialists are strongly critical of coercive institutions, which often leads them to reject the legitimacy of the state in favor of anarchism.^[18] Adherents attempt to achieve this through the decentralization of political and economic power, usually involving the socialization of most large-scale property and enterprise. Libertarian socialism denies the legitimacy of most forms of economically significant private property, because they view capitalist property relations as forms of domination that are antagonistic to individual freedom.^[19]

The first person to describe himself as a libertarian was Joseph Déjacque, an early French anarchist communist. The word stems from the French wordlibertaire, and was used to evade the French ban on anarchist publications.^[20] In the context of the European socialist movement, libertarian has conventionally been used to describe those who opposed state socialism, such as Mikhail Bakunin. In the United States, the movement most commonly called libertarianism follows a capitalist philosophy; the term libertarian socialism therefore strikes many Americans as a contradiction in terms. However, the association of socialism to libertarianism predates that of capitalism, and many anti-authoritarians still decry what they see as a mistaken association of capitalism to libertarianism in the United States.^[21] As Noam Chomsky put it, a consistent libertarian “must oppose private ownership of the means of production and the wage slavery which is a component of this system, as incompatible with the principle that labor must be freely undertaken and under the control of the producer.”^[22]

In a chapter recounting the history of libertarian socialism, radical economist Robin Hahnel relates that thus far the period where libertarian socialism has had its greatest impact was at the end of the 19th century through the first four decades of the twentieth century.

“Early in the twentieth century, libertarian socialism was as powerful a force as social democracy and communism. The Libertarian International – founded at the Congress of Saint Imier a few days after the split between Marxist and libertarians at the congress of the Socialist International held in The Hague in 1872 – competed successfully against social democrats and communists alike for the loyalty of anticapitalist activists, revolutionaries, workers, unions and political parties for over fifty years. Libertarian socialists played a major role in the Russian revolutions of 1905and 1917. Libertarian socialists played a dominant role in the Mexican Revolution of 1911. Twenty years after World War I was over, libertarian socialists were still strong enough to spearhead the social revolution that swept across Republican Spain in 1936 and 1937.”^[23]

[edit]Anti-capitalism

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Libertarian socialists assert that when power is exercised, as exemplified by the economic, social, or physical dominance of one individual over another, the burden of proof is always on the authoritarian to justify their action as legitimate when taken against its effect of narrowing the scope of human freedom.^[24] Typical examples of legitimate exercise of power would include the use of physical force to rescue someone from being injured by an oncoming vehicle, or self-defense. Libertarian socialists typically oppose rigid and stratified structures of authority, be they political, economic, or social.^[25]

Libertarian socialists believe that all social bonds should be developed by individuals who have an equal amount of bargaining power, that an accumulation of economic power in the hands of a few and the centralization of political power both reduce the bargaining power—and thus the liberty of the other individuals in society.^[26] To put it another way, capitalist (and right-libertarian) principles concentrate economic power in the hands of those who own the most capital. Libertarian socialism aims to distribute power, and thus freedom, more equally amongst members of society. A key difference between libertarian socialism and free-market libertarianism is that advocates of the former generally believe that one’s degree of freedom is affected by one’s economic and social status, whereas advocates of the latter focus on freedom of choice. This is sometimes characterized as a desire to maximize “free creativity” in a society in preference to “free enterprise.”^[27]

Libertarian socialists believe if freedom is valued, then society must work towards a system in which individuals have the power to decide economic issues along with political issues. Libertarian socialists seek to replace unjustified authority with direct democracy, voluntary federation, and popular autonomy in all aspects of life,^[28] including physical communities and economic enterprises.

Many libertarian socialists argue that large-scale voluntary associations should manage industrial manufacture, while workers retain rights to the individual products of their labor.^[29] As such, they see a distinction between the concepts of “private property” and “personal possession”. Whereas “private property” grants an individual exclusive control over a thing whether it is in use or not, and regardless of its productive capacity, “possession” grants no rights to things that are not in use.^[30]

[edit]Opposition to the state

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Libertarian socialists regard concentrations of power as sources of oppression, leading many to oppose the state.

In lieu of states, libertarian socialists seek to organize themselves into voluntary associations (usually collectives, communes, cooperatives, commons, or syndicates) which use direct democracy or consensus for their decision-making process. Some libertarian socialists advocate combining these institutions using rotating, recallable delegates to higher-level federations.^[31] Spanish anarchism is a major example of such federations in practice. Contemporary examples of libertarian socialist organizational and decision-making models in practice include a number of anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation movements^[32] including: Zapatista Councils of Good Government and the Global Indymedia network (which covers 45 countries on 6 continents). There are also many examples of indigenous societies around the world whose political and economic systems can be accurately described as anarchist or libertarian socialist, each of which is unique and uniquely suited to the culture that birthed it.^[33] For libertarians, that diversity of practice within a framework of common principles is proof of the vitality of those principles and of their flexibility and strength.

Contrary to popular opinion, libertarian socialism has not traditionally been a utopian movement, tending to avoid dense theoretical analysis or prediction of what a future society would or should look like. The tradition instead has been that such decisions cannot be made now, and must be made through struggle and experimentation, so that the best solution can be arrived at democratically and organically, and to base the direction for struggle on established historical example. Supporters often suggest that this focus on exploration over predetermination is one of their great strengths. They point out that the success of the scientific method comes from its adherence to open rational exploration, not its conclusions, rather than dogma and predetermined predictions.

Although critics claim that they are avoiding questions they cannot answer, libertarian socialists believe that a methodological approach to exploration is the best way to achieve their social goals. To them, dogmatic approaches to social organization are doomed to failure; and thus reject Marxist notions oflinear and inevitable historical progression. Noted anarchist Rudolf Rocker once stated, “I am an anarchist not because I believe anarchism is the final goal, but because there is no such thing as a final goal” (The London Years, 1956).

Because libertarian socialism encourages exploration and embraces a diversity of ideas rather than forming a compact movement, there have arisen inevitable controversies over individuals who describe themselves as libertarian socialists but disagree with some of the core principles of libertarian socialism. For example, Peter Hain interprets libertarian socialism as favoring radical decentralization of power without going as far as the complete abolition of the state^[34] and libertarian socialist Noam Chomsky supports dismantling all forms of unjustified social or economic power, while also emphasizing that state intervention should be supported as a temporary protection while oppressive structures remain in existence.

Proponents are known for opposing the existence of states or government and refusing to participate in coercive state institutions. Indeed, in the past many refused to swear oaths in court or to participate in trials, even when they faced imprisonment^[35] or deportation.^[36]

[edit]Violent and non-violent means

Errico Malatesta, 1891

Some libertarian socialists see violent revolution as necessary in the abolition of capitalist society. Along with many others, Errico Malatesta argued that the use of violence was necessary; as he put it in Umanità Nova (no. 125, September 6, 1921):

It is our aspiration and our aim that everyone should become socially conscious and effective; but to achieve this end, it is necessary to provide all with the means of life and for development, and it is therefore necessary to destroy with violence, since one cannot do otherwise, the violence which denies these means to the workers.^[37]

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon argued in favor of a non-violent revolution. The progression towards violence in anarchism stemmed, in part, from the massacres of some of the communes inspired by the ideas of Proudhon and others. Many anarcho-communists began to see a need for revolutionary violence to counteract the violence inherent in both capitalism and government.^[38]

[edit]Political roots

As Albert Meltzer and Stuart Christie stated in their book The Floodgates of Anarchy, anarchism has:

…its particular inheritance, part of which it shares with socialism, giving it a family resemblance to certain of its enemies. Another part of its inheritance it shares with liberalism, making it, at birth, kissing-cousins with American-type radical individualism, a large part of which has married out of the family into the Right Wing and is no longer on speaking terms. (The Floodgates of Anarchy, 1970, page 39.)

That is, anarchism arose as a cross between socialism and liberalism, incorporating the anti-capitalist attitude of socialists and the anti-statist, what would today be called libertarian, attitude of classical liberalism. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who is often considered the father of modern anarchism, coined the phrase “Property is theft” to describe part of his view on the complex nature of ownership in relation to freedom. When he said property is theft, he was referring to the capitalist who he believed stole profit from laborers. For Proudhon, the capitalist’s employee was “subordinated, exploited: his permanent condition is one of obedience.”^[39]

Seventeen years (1857) after Proudhon first called himself an anarchist (1840), anarchist communist Joseph Déjacque was the first person to describe himself as a libertarian.^[40] Outside the United States, “libertarian” generally refers to anti-authoritarian anti-capitalist ideologies.^[41] For these reasons the term “libertarian socialism” is today almost synonymous with anarchism, outside of the US the term “libertarian socialism” would be considered redundant.

Back in the United States, Henry George spearheaded the Single Tax Movement, which sought socialism via progressive taxation, with tax only on natural resources. This might be seen as a predecessor to libertarian socialism trends there.

Libertarian socialism has its roots in both classical liberalism and socialism, though it is often in conflict with liberalism (especially neoliberalism and right-libertarianism) and authoritarianState socialism simultaneously. While libertarian socialism has roots in both socialism and liberalism, different forms have different levels of influence from the two traditions. For instancemutualist anarchism is more influenced by liberalism while communist and syndicalist anarchism are more influenced by socialism. It is interesting to note, however, that mutualist anarchism has its origins in 18th and 19th century European socialism (such as Fourierian socialism)^[42][43] while communist and syndicalist anarchism has its earliest origins in early 18th century liberalism (such as the French Revolution).^[44]

[edit]Conflict with Marxism

Mikhail Bakunin, 1814-1876.

In rejecting both capitalism and the state, some libertarian socialists align themselves with anarchists in opposition to both capitalist representative democracy and to authoritarian forms of Marxism. Although anarchists and Marxists share an ultimate goal of a stateless society, anarchists criticise most Marxists for advocating a transitional phase under which the state is used to achieve this aim. Nonetheless, libertarian Marxist tendencies such asautonomist Marxism and council communism have historically been intertwined with the anarchist movement. Anarchist movements have come into conflict with both capitalist and Marxist forces, sometimes at the same time, as in the Spanish Civil War, though as in that war Marxists themselves are often divided in support or opposition to anarchism. Other political persecutions under bureaucratic parties have resulted in a strong historical antagonism between anarchists and libertarian Marxists on the one hand and Leninist Marxists and their derivatives such as Maoists on the other. In recent history, however, libertarian socialists have repeatedly formed temporary alliances with Marxist-Leninist groups for the purposes of protest against institutions they both reject.

Part of this antagonism can be traced to the International Workingmen’s Association, the First International, a congress of radical workers, where Mikhail Bakunin, who was fairly representative of anarchist views, and Karl Marx, whom anarchists accused of being an “authoritarian”, came into conflict on various issues. Bakunin’s viewpoint on the illegitimacy of the state as an institution and the role of electoral politics was starkly counterposed to Marx’s views in the First International. Marx and Bakunin’s disputes eventually led to Marx taking control of the First International and expelling Bakunin and his followers from the organization. This was the beginning of a long-running feud and schism between libertarian socialists and what they call “authoritarian communists”, or alternatively just “authoritarians”.

Some Marxists have formulated views that closely resemble syndicalism, and thus express more affinity with anarchist ideas. Several libertarian socialists, notably Noam Chomsky, believe that anarchism shares much in common with certain variants of Marxism such as the council communism of Marxist Anton Pannekoek. In Chomsky’s Notes on Anarchism,^[45] he suggests the possibility “that some form of council communism is the natural form of revolutionary socialism in an industrial society. It reflects the belief that democracy is severely limited when the industrial system is controlled by any form of autocratic elite, whether of owners, managers, and technocrats, a ‘vanguard’ party, or a State bureaucracy.”

Autonomist Marxism, Neo-Marxism and Situationist theory are also regarded as being anti-authoritarian variants of Marxism that are firmly within the libertarian socialist tradition. Similarly,William Morris is regarded as both a libertarian socialist and a Marxist.^{[citation needed]}

[edit]Notable libertarian socialist tendencies

[edit]Mutualism

Proudhon and his children, by Gustave Courbet (1865).

Mutualism is a political and economic theory largely associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. Proudhon was in favor of private ownership of the means of production for small enterprises, but in large scale enterprises supported replacing wage labour by workers’ co-operatives, arguing “it is necessary to form an ASSOCIATION among workers . . . because without that, they would remain related as subordinates and superiors, and there would ensue two . . . castes of masters and wage-workers, which is repugnant to a free and democratic society.”^[46] Mutualists believe that a free labor market would allow for conditions of equal income in proportion to exerted labor.^[47] As Jonathan Beecher puts it, Proudhon’s aim was to, “emancipate labor from the constraints imposed by capital”.^[48]

Proudhon supported individual possession of land rather than community ownership. However, Proudhon believed that an individual only had a right to land while he was using or occupying it. If the individual ceases doing so, it reverts to unowned land.^[49]Mutualists hold a labor theory of value, arguing that in exchange labor should always be worth “the amount of labor necessary to produce an article of exactly similar and equal utility,”^[47] and considering anything less to be exploitation, theft of labor, or usury.

Mutualists oppose the institutions by which individuals gain income through loans, investments, and rent, as they believe the income received through these activities is not in direct accord with labor spent.^[47] In place of these capitalist institutions they advocatelabor-owned cooperative firms and associations.^[50] Mutualists advocate mutual banks, owned by the workers, that do not charge interest on secured loans. Most mutualists believe that anarchy should be achieved gradually rather than through revolution.^[51]

Worker cooperatives such as the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation follow an economic model similar to that of mutualism. The model followed by the corporation WL Gore and Associates, inventor of Gore-Tex fabrics, is also similar to mutualism as there is no chain of command and salaries are determined collectively by the workers.

G.D.H. Cole’s guild socialism was similar to mutualism.^[52] Today, mutualism’s stress on worker association is similar to the more developed modern theory of Participatory Economics, although Participatory Economists do not believe in markets.

Mutualist anarchist ideas continue to have influence today, even if indirectly. Many modern day cooperatives are influenced directly or indirectly by economic mutualism that became popular in the late 19th century.^[53]

Some individualist anarchists, such as Benjamin Tucker, were influenced by Proudhon’s Mutualism, but unlike Proudhon, they did not call for “association” in large enterprises.^[54]

[edit]Anarchist communism

Anarchist communism was first formulated in the Italian section of the First International, by Carlo Cafiero, Errico Malatesta, Andrea Costa, and other ex-Mazzinian republicans. Out of respect for Mikhail Bakunin, they did not make their differences from standard anarchism explicit until after the latter’s death.^[55] In 1876, at the Florence Conference of the Italian Federation of the International (which was actually held in a forest outside Florence, due to police activity), they declared the principles of anarcho-communism, beginning with:

“The Italian Federation considers the collective property of the products of labour as the necessary complement to the collectivist programme, the aid of all for the satisfaction of the needs of each being the only rule of production and consumption which corresponds to the principle of solidarity. The federal congress at Florence has eloquently demonstrated the opinion of the Italian International on this point…”

This report was made in an article by Malatesta and Cafiero in the (Swiss) Jura federation’s bulletin later that year. Cafiero notes, in Anarchie et Communisme, that private property in the product of labor will lead to unequal accumulation of capital, and therefore undesirable class distinctions.

Anarcho-communists hold that the liberation of the individual, as well as the abolition of wage slavery and the State, requires the introduction of a free distribution economy, and therefore the abolition of the market.^[56] In this belief they are contrasted with some anarchists and libertarian socialists who advocate collective ownership with market elements and sometimes barter. Anarcho-communists assert that a gift economy can be operated by collectives through direct democracy.

As Peter Kropotkin put it, “We must recognize, and loudly proclaim, that every one, whatever his grade in the old society, whether strong or weak, capable or incapable, has, before everything, THE RIGHT TO LIVE, and that society is bound to share amongst all, without exception, the means of existence at its disposal.” (Conquest of Bread ch. 3)

[edit]Anarcho-syndicalism

Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labor movement.^[57] Anarcho-syndicalists view labor unions as a potential force for revolutionary social change, replacing capitalism and the State with a new society democratically self-managed by workers.

The basic principles of anarcho-syndicalism are:

1. Workers’ solidarity
2. Direct action
3. Workers’ self-management

Flag used by Anarcho-syndicalists and Anarcho-Communists.

Workers’ solidarity means that anarcho-syndicalists believe all workers—no matter their race, gender, or ethnic group—are in a similar situation in regard to their boss (class consciousness). Furthermore, it means that, within capitalism, any gains or losses made by some workers from or to bosses will eventually affect all workers. Therefore, to liberate themselves, all workers must support one another in their class conflict.

Anarcho-syndicalists believe that only direct action—that is, action concentrated on directly attaining a goal, as opposed to indirect action, such as electing a representative to a government position—will allow workers to liberate themselves.^[58]

Moreover, anarcho-syndicalists believe that workers’ organizations (the organizations that struggle against the wage system, which, in anarcho-syndicalist theory, will eventually form the basis of a new society) should be self-managing. They should not have bosses or “business agents”; rather, the workers should be able to make all the decisions that affect them themselves.

Rudolf Rocker was one of the most popular voices in the anarcho-syndicalist movement. He outlined a view of the origins of the movement, what it sought, and why it was important to the future of labor in his 1938 pamphlet Anarcho-Syndicalism.

The International Workers Association is an international anarcho-syndicalist federation of various labor unions from different countries. The Spanish Confederación Nacional del Trabajoplayed and still plays a major role in the Spanish labor movement. It was also an important force in the Spanish Civil War.

[edit]Council communism

Council communism was a radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. Its primary organization was the Communist Workers Party of Germany (KAPD). Council communism continues today as a theoretical and activist position within Marxism, and also within libertarian socialism. The central argument of council communism, in contrast to those of Social democracy and Leninist communism, is that workers’ councils arising in the factories and municipalities are the natural and legitimate form of working class organisation and government power. This view is opposed to the reformist and Bolshevik stress on vanguard parties, parliaments, or the State.

The core principle of council communism is that the state and the economy should be managed by workers’ councils, composed of delegates elected at workplaces and recallable at any moment. As such, council communists oppose state-run “bureaucratic socialism”. They also oppose the idea of a “revolutionary party”, since council communists believe that a revolution led by a party will necessarily produce a party dictatorship. Council communists support a workers’ democracy, which they want to produce through a federation of workers’ councils.

The Russian word for council is “soviet,” and during the early years of the revolution worker’s councils were politically significant in Russia. It was to take advantage of the aura of workplace power that the word became used by Lenin for various political organs. Indeed, the name “Supreme Soviet,” by which the parliament was called; and that of the Soviet Union itself make use of this terminology, but they do not imply any decentralization.

Furthermore, council communists held a critique of the Soviet Union as a capitalist state, believing that the Bolshevik revolution in Russia became a “bourgeois revolution” when a party bureaucracy replaced the old feudal aristocracy. Although most felt the Russian Revolution was working class in character, they believed that, since capitalist relations still existed (because the workers had no say in running the economy), the Soviet Union ended up as a state capitalist country, with the state replacing the individual capitalist. Thus, council communists support workers’ revolutions, but oppose one-party dictatorships.

Council communists also believed in diminishing the role of the party to one of agitation and propaganda, rejected all participation in elections or parliament, and argued that workers should leave the reactionary trade unions and form one big revolutionary union.

[edit]Within the political mainstream

There was a strong libertarian current in the British labour movement and the term “libertarian socialist” has been applied to a number of democratic socialists, including some prominent members of the British Labour Party. The Socialist League was formed in 1885 by William Morris and others critical of the authoritarian socialism of the Social Democratic Federation. It was involved in the New Unionism, the rank and file union militancy of the 1880s-90s which anticipated syndicalism in some key ways (Tom Mann, a New Unionist leader, was one of the first British syndicalists). The Socialist League was dominated by anarchists by the 1890s.^[59]

The Independent Labour Party, formed at that time, drew more on the Non-Conformist religious traditions in the British working class than on Marxist theory, and had a libertarian strain. Others in the tradition of the ILP, and described as libertarian socialists, have been Nye Bevan, Michael Foot, Robin Cook, and most importantly, G. D. H. Cole. Labour minister Peter Hainhas written in support of libertarian socialism, identifying an axis involving a “bottom-up vision of socialism, with anarchists at the revolutionary end and democratic socialists [such as himself] at its reformist end”, as opposed to the axis of state socialism with Marxist-Leninists at the revolutionary end and social democrats at the reformist end.^[60] Defined in this way, libertarian socialism in the contemporary political mainstream is distinguished from modern social democracy principally by its political decentralism rather than by its economics. Katja Kipping of Dresden, Germany is an example of a contemporary libertarian socialist politician operating within a mainstream government.

[edit]Within the New Left

The emergence of the New Left in the 1950s and 1960s led to a revival of interest in libertarian socialism.^[61] The New Left’s critique of the Old Left’s authoritarianism was associated with a strong interest in personal liberty, autonomy (see the thinking of Cornelius Castoriadis) and led to a rediscovery of older socialist traditions, such as left communism, council communism, and the Industrial Workers of the World. The New Left also led to a revival of anarchism. Journals like Radical America and Black Mask in America, Solidarity, Big Flame and Democracy & Nature, succeeded by The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy,^[62] in the UK, introduced a range of left libertarian ideas to a new generation. Social ecology, autonomism and, more recently, participatory economics (parecon), and Inclusive Democracy emerged from this.

[edit]Social ecology

Social ecology is closely related to the work and ideas of Murray Bookchin and influenced by anarchist Peter Kropotkin. Social ecologists assert that the present ecological crisis has its roots in human social problems, and that the domination of human-over-nature stems from the domination of human-over-human.^[63]

Politically, social ecologists advocate a network of directly democratic citizens’ assemblies organized in a confederal fashion. This approach is called Libertarian Municipalism. Economically, social ecologists favour libertarian communism and the principle “from each according to ability, to each according to need.”^{[citation needed]}

[edit]Libertarian socialism in modern times

Libertarian socialists in the early 21st century have been involved in the squatter movement; social centers; infoshops; anti-poverty groups such as OCAP and Food Not Bombs; tenants’unions; housing cooperatives; intentional communities generally and egalitarian communities; anti-sexist organizing; grassroots media initiatives; digital media and computer activism; experiments in participatory economics; anti-racist and anti-fascist groups like Anti-Racist Action and Anti-Fascist Action; activist groups protecting the rights of immigrants and promoting the free movement of people, such as the No Border network and No One is Illegal; worker co-operatives, countercultural and artist groups; and the peace movement etc.

Libertarian Socialists have, also, an MP in Turkish Parliament; Ufuk Uras, selected in 2007 General Elections in Turkey.^[64]

[edit]Criticism of libertarian socialism

Some capitalist libertarians argue that freedom and equality are often in conflict with one another, and that promoting equality (as valued by socialism) will inherently require restrictions on liberty (as valued by libertarianism), forcing the society to choose one or the other as their primary value. The Kurt Vonnegut story “Harrison Bergeron“, in which equality is enforced by imposing physical and mental handicaps on overachievers, can be seen as illustrating this point through hyperbole (though Vonnegut’s own belief in socialism is a point of interest).^[65]

Libertarian socialists typically dismiss the perceived contradiction between freedom and equality as a red herring. Noam Chomsky states that, “human talents vary considerably, within a fixed framework that is characteristic of the species and that permits ample scope for creative work, including the appreciation of the creative achievements of others. This should be a matter of delight rather than a condition to be abhorred.”^[66]

Other libertarian philosophers (often referred to as liberals, in the classical sense) such as Frederic Bastiat, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and Hans-Hermann Hoppe, stress that liberty is a state of affairs in which one is free from the unjustified aggression of others, and that any understanding of liberty must be grounded in natural rights – and especially property rights. Thus, they argue that absolute freedom for all is not a contradiction, and that the abolition of natural rights (including property rights) would, by definition, also be the abolition of liberty.^[67][68][69] As Ludwig von Mises, an Austrian economist, put it, “The continued existence of society depends upon private property.”^[70]

Libertarian socialists believe that this criticism stems from a misconception that conflates simple possession with private property as a legal and social institution. For libertarian socialists, the latter produces exploitation and oppression (Proudhon’s “theft” and “despotism”) and so reduces individual freedom for the working class to the ability to change masters.^[71] As such, they argue, liberalism fails to understand how private property undermines liberty.^[72] For libertarian socialists, “[t]o demonise state authoritarianism while ignoring identical albeit contract-consecrated subservient arrangements in the large-scale corporations which control the world economy is fetishism at its worst.”^[73]

[edit]Libertarian socialist periodicals

• Against the Grain: a libertarian socialist newspaper (USA 1976-1978)^[74]
• Anarcho-Syndicalist Review (US)
• Big Flame (UK, 1960s-70s)
• Comment: New Perspectives in Libertarian Thought (US, 1960s, edited by Murray Bookchin)^[75]
• Democracy & Nature (US/UK) – succeeded by The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy (belongs to the direct democratic, libertarian socialist and autonomy traditions)^[76]
• Contemporary Issues-Dinge der Zeit (English and German language “magazine for a democracy of content”, 1947-1997 published by Joseph Weber, Murray Bookchin’s mentor)^[77]
• Flash Point: a libertarian socialist newsjournal (Saskatoon, Canada, 1970s)^[74]
• Freedom newspaper (United Kingdom)
• Heatwave (UK, 1960s)^[78]
• Leeds Other Paper (UK, 1974-1991)^[79]
• Libertarian Communism
• Organized Thoughts (US, 1990s)^[80]
• Rebelles (Quebec, 1990s)^[81]
• Red and Black Notes (Detroit, 1990s-, features Cajo Brendel, Cornelius Castoriadis, Martin Glaberman, CLR James, Larry Gambone and others)^[82]
• Red & Black Revolution (Publication of The Workers Solidarity Movement, Ireland)
• Root and Branch (Cambridge, Mass., USA, 1970-, featured work of Paul Mattick and others)^[83]
• Socialisme ou Barbarie (France)
• Solidarity (UK, 1960s-70s)^[84]
• Der Sozialist, (Germany, 1900s, co-edited by Gustav Landauer and Margarethe Hardegger)^[85]
• Tegen de Stroom (1990s, Netherlands)^[86]
• The Commune (UK, 2008-) ^[87]
• Workers Solidarity (Publication of the Workers Solidarity Movement, Ireland)
• Zenit Sweden, 1958-1970 (Magazine by Syndikalistiska Grupprörelsen)
• Turnusol (Turkey, 2008~)^[88]

[edit]See also

(sometimes called socialist anarchism,^[1][2] and sometimes left libertarianism^[3][4]) is a group of political philosophies that aspire to create a society without political, economic, or social hierarchies, i.e. a society in which all violent or coercive institutions would be dissolved (or at least drastically reduced in scope), and in their place every person would have free, equal access to the tools of information and production.^[5]

Após alguns anos de trabalho, percebemos não ser possível chegarmos a lugar nenhum sem a permissão do nosso grupo de alcance. O ato da permissão está presente em todos os ambientes corporativos, de uma forma explícita ou velada. A permissão não é dada verbalmente, nem se mostra de forma clara, mas pode bloquear ou liberar a passagem de qualquer caminho que pretendamos percorrer.

São as pessoas ao nosso redor que nos permitem galgar posições nesta vida. Tive uma nítida sensação disso quando comecei a dar palestras. No início, sentia uma enorme barreira: as pessoas me observavam demonstrando certa aflição, esperando o conteúdo da minha mensagem, pois ele iria sinalizar se me dariam ou não permissão para continuar.

Conquistar um grupo, ou mesmo um único ser, significa muito investimento pessoal. Existem pessoas que, com certa facilidade, permitem evolução nas situações mais adversas. Outras — aparentemente aquelas que teriam mais condições de permitir a evolução do  próximo —, contudo, acabam criando verdadeiras barreiras no nosso caminhar, impedem de tal forma nosso avanço, que precisamos ter muita habilidade, muito jogo de cintura e extrema paciência para atingir nossos objetivos.

Obter permissão dessas pessoas exige de nós confiança, perseverança e autocontrole. Convém não baixar a guarda, para que não impeçam nossa evolução.

Mas todo jogo tem seu fascínio. Recorrer às nossas qualidades para enfrentar as provocações silenciosas, romper barreiras e conseguir a permissão necessária para falar, agir, mostrar e provar do que somos capazes traz para nossa vida o sabor da vitória. O único cuidado nesse jogo é vigiar: precisamos perceber se nós também não estamos bloqueando as possibilidades do outro, se nós também não lhe estamos negando permissão para que possa vencer, para que possa evoluir.

Marcelo Ponzoni

Fonte: IDG Now

O Twitter é a febre do momento. Isso todos nós já sabemos. O desejo em adquirir essa ferramenta por parte de seus concorrentes já tornou o assunto da “compra” repetitivo, mas… Os choramingos continuam.

Dessa vez Larry Page, co-fundador, disse que seu buscador fez um “trabalho pobre” e que o Twitter bate a gigante em conteúdos de tempo real.

Sabem a história dos buscadores inteligentes? Então, que tal a união da velocidade de informações (Twitter) com a precisão necessária dos dados (Google)? É… Pode ser que eles cheguem a um ponto comum.

Fonte: Folha Online

Depois do executivo-chefe do Google, Eric Schmidt, sugerir que os jovens desliguem seus Pc’s e experimentem a vida real, para que possam descobrir a importância da vida, foi a vez do ministro Hélio Costa (comunicações) declarar de forma oportunista: “essa juventude tem que parar de ficar só pendurada na internet. Tem que voltar a assistir Tv e ouvir rádio”.

Sim, oportunista porque o pedido foi feito nesta última terça-feira (19) durante a abertura do 25º Congresso Brasileiro de Radiodifusão promovido pela ABERT (Associação Brasileira de Emissoras de Rádio e Televisão) em Brasília.

Mas a dúvida é a seguinte: até onde o jovem internauta participativo tem interesse em tornar-se passivo diante dos outros meios?

São Tomás de Aquino não tinha o Google. Nossas bisavós não tinham telefone. Einstein não tinha periódicos acessíveis por um índice eletrônico. O que faríamos sem forno, sem microondas, sem internet, sem computador, sem máquina de lavar, canalização de água, de esgoto, sem revólveres, sem telefone, telégrafos, aviões?

Muita coisa.

É da folga moderna ficar limitado pelos meios. Podemos render mais que São Tomás de Aquino em suas pesquisas. Rendemos? Podemos derrotar, com uma arma de fogo, mais inimigos que Joanna D’Arc. Derrotamos?

Estava a ler “A Vida Intelectual”, do famoso Pe. Sertillanges, e ele comentava sobre a vida em família. A edição que tenho é da década de 40. Falava que se juntava a família em calma à noite, para ter um breve colóquio, às vezes o esposo tomava uma obra filosófica para ler e meditar, enquanto a família lhe fazia companhia silenciosa e tranquila. Na hora me veio à mente: “ele fala isso porque à época não existia televisão, que maravilha!”.

***

Escuso-me da falha na semana passada, e não sei se manterei postando sempre às segundas-feiras. Mas apareçam, meus dois leitores, na próxima segunda-feira.

***

Algumas pérolas lapidadas e alguns diamantes polidos:

“Será sensato, será normal deixar o investigador no gabinete de trabalho, ter assim duas almas: a do trabalhador e a do homem folgado que circula?” — Sertillanges

“Viver na presença de Deus é viver na presença da Verdade. Não só saber que Deus o vê mas também ver a Deus nas verdades manifestadas no mundo”

“Não haveria um só pagão, se nós fôssemos verdadeiramente cristãos” — São João Crisóstomo

]]> http://multiuniversus.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/weather-control/ Wed, 29 Apr 2009 01:04:34 +0000 Yogi http://multiuniversus.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/weather-control/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A tornado in central Oklahoma. Weather control researchers aspire to eliminate or control dangerous types of weather such as this.

Weather control is the act of manipulating or altering certain aspects of the environment to produce desirable changes in weather.

History of weather control

Witches concoct a brew to summon a hailstorm.

Some American Indians had rituals which they believed could induce rain. The Finnish people, on the other hand, were believed by others to be able to control weather. As a result, Vikings refused to take Finns on their oceangoing raids. Remnants of this superstition lasted into the twentieth century, with some ship crews being reluctant to accept Finnish sailors. The early modern era saw people observe that during battles the firing of cannons and other firearms often initiated precipitation. Magical and religiouspractices to control the weather are attested in a variety of cultures. In Greek mythology, Iphigenia was sacrificed as a human sacrifice to appease the wrath of the goddessArtemis, who had caused the Achaean fleet to be becalmed at Aulis at the beginning of the Trojan War. In Homer’s Odyssey, Aeolus, keeper of the winds, bestowedOdysseus and his crew with a gift of the four winds in a bag. However, the sailors open the bag while Odysseus slept, looking for booty, and as a result are blown off course by the resulting gale.^[1] In ancient Rome, the lapis manalis was a sacred stone kept outside the walls of Rome in a temple of Mars. When Rome suffered from drought, the stone was dragged into the city.^[2] The Berwick witches of Scotland were found guilty of using black magic to summon storms to murder King James VI of Scotland by seeking to sink the ship upon which he travelled.^[3] Scandinavian witches allegedly claimed to sell the wind in bags or magically confined into wooden staves; they sold the bags to seamen who could release them when becalmed.^[4] In various towns of Navarre, prayers petitioned Saint Peter to grant rain in time of drought. If the rain was not forthcoming, the statue of St Peter was removed from the church and tossed into a river.^[5] In the Middle Ages, Abbas Ibn Firnas invented an artificial weather simulation room in which spectators saw and were astonished by stars, clouds, artificial thunder, and lightning which were produced by mechanisms hidden in his basement laboratory.^[6]

Perhaps the first example of practical weather control is the lightning rod. In the 1950s, computer scientist John von Neumann, an early theorizer on weather control, surmised that if Earth were to enter another Ice Age, a preventative solution would be to dump dirt (or spray soot from cropdusting planes) on the surface of the planet’s glaciers. He noted that this would significantly change their reflectivity (albedo), and thus increase the solar energy retained by the planet. Such a strategy would require repeated applications, as storms would cover some portion of the soot with new snow until their frequency and range abated. The theoretical efficacy of von Neumann’s proposal remains to be examined. Wilhelm Reichperformed cloudbusting experiments in the 1950s to 1960s, the results of which are controversial and not widely accepted by mainstream science. Dr Walter Russell wrote of weather control in Atomic Suicide 1956. Jack Toyer in the 1970s built a rainmaker on Palmers Island near Grafton using a solar mirror, electromagnetic static charge, and infra red frequencies of light to induce weather in regional areas within Australia. His work was continued by his successor, Peter Stevens.

Cloud seeding for rain

Cloud seeding is a common technique intended to trigger rain, but evidence on its effectiveness is mixed. The most daunting problem in the study of weather modification is the lack of scientific knowledge on the natural atmospheric processes. Because these natural processes are beyond man’s current comprehension, there is simply no controllable medium to conduct relative studies known as of yet. And because of the public’s ever growing need for more water, there has also been a rapid development of corporations that perform unregulated operational cloud seeding. Critics generally contend that claimed successes occur in conditions which were going to rain anyway. It is used in several different countries, including the United States, the People’s Republic of China, and Russia. In the People’s Republic of China there is a perceived dependency upon it in dry regions, which believe they are increasing annual rainfall by firing silver iodide rockets into the sky where rain is desired. In the United States, dry ice or silver iodide may be injected into a cloud by aircraft, or from the ground, in an attempt to increase rainfall; some companies are dedicated to this form of weather modification.

Storm prevention

Project Stormfury was an attempt to weaken tropical cyclones by flying aircraft into storms and seeding the eyewall with silver iodide. The project was run by the United States Government from 1962 to 1983. A similar project using soot was run in 1958, with inconclusive results.^[7] Various methods have been proposed to reduce the harmful effects of hurricanes. Moshe Alamaro of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology^[8] proposed using barges with upward-pointing jet engines to trigger smaller storms to disrupt the progress of an incoming hurricane; critics doubt the jets would be powerful enough to make any noticeable difference.^[7]

Alexandre Chorin of the University of California at Berkeley proposed dropping large amounts of environmentally friendly oils on the sea surface to prevent droplet formation.^[9] Experiments by Kerry Emanuel^[10] of MIT in 2002 suggested that hurricane-force winds would disrupt the oil slick, making it ineffective.^[11] Other scientists disputed the factual basis of the theoretical mechanism assumed by this approach.^[12] The Florida company Dyn-O-Mat proposes the use of a product it has developed, called Dyn-O-Gel, to reduce the strength of hurricanes. The substance is a polymer in powder form which reportedly has the ability to absorb 1,500 times its own weight in water. The theory is that the polymer is dropped into clouds to remove their moisture and force the storm to use more energy to move the heavier water drops, thus helping to dissipate the storm. When the gel reaches the ocean surface, it is reportedly dissolved. The company has tested the substance on a thunderstorm, but there has not been any scientific consensus established as to its effectiveness.^[13] Hail cannons are used by some farmers in an attempt to ward off hail, but there is no reliable scientific evidence to confirm or deny their effectiveness. Another new anti-hurricane technology [1] is a method for the reduction of tropical cyclones’ destructive force – pumping sea water into and diffusing it in the wind at the bottom of such tropical cyclone in its eyewall.

2008 Olympic games

In the largest rain dispersal operation on record in China, and the first time that such technology was used in conjunction with the Olympics, the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau fired a total of 1,104rain dispersal rockets within an eight-hour period prior to and during the opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad on August 8, 2008. The rockets were launched from twenty-one sites and may have prevented the ceremonies from receiving rainfall in the range of 25 to 100 millimeters of rain.

With a rainy weather forecast for the Olympic night, and 90% humidity, the attempt “successfully intercepted a stretch of rain belt from moving towards the stadium…” said Guo Hu, head of the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau. “…”Under such a weather condition, a small bubble in the rain cloud would have triggered rainfall, let alone a lightning…” said Guo, according to Xinhua News’ 2008 Olympics website.In the subsequent days that followed torrential rain nearly washed the games out.

Ionospheric experiments

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a congressionally initiated program jointly managed by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. The HAARP complex is situated within a 23-acre lot in a relatively isolated region near the town of Gakona. When the final phase of the project is completed in 1997, the military will have erected 180 towers, 72 feet in height, forming a “high-power, high frequency phased array radio transmitter” capable of beaming in the 2.5-10 megahertz frequency range, at more than 3 gigawatts of power (3 billion watts). http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/prpeis.html

HIPAS has several diverse experimental facilities: a 1-megawatt rf transmitter to produce ELF/VLF (Extremely Low Frequency and Very Low Frequency) electromagnetic (EM) generation by the absorption ofradio frequency (rf) power in the arctic ionosphere including ion cyclotron excitation; a 100 kW rf plasma torch used in research on the destruction of hazardous waste; a 2.7 m liquid mirror telescope used with one of several lasers for ionospheric stimulation and measurement; an Incoherent Scatter Radar (a new project using 88 ft. diameter antenna at NOAA Gilmore Creek site 34 km SW of HIPAS as the receiving antenna with the transmitter at HIPAS). HIPAS is in the process of adding a very high power (terawatt) laser (recently obtained from LLNL) to perform laser breakdown experiments in the ionosphere. Two Diesel electric generators (1500 HP 4160 V, 3-phase, 1.2 MVA each) are used to power the experiments. There are a number of computers (PC’s ) on site, and a high-speed data line to UAF is available. While these experiments are useful in measuring the properties of the ionosphere, they produce insufficient amounts of energy to modify it in any significant way. however hotspots can be created within the ionospehere where this radiation is focused, temperatures can be elevated by up to 1600`k causing expansion of the ionosphere and subsequent changes in pressure and temperature, which in turn lead to changes in the global meteorology.

Weather control and law

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Pleaseimprove this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

1977 Environmental Modification Convention

Weather control, as well as “weather tampering”, for hostile or military purposes is expressly forbidden dating from at least December 10, 1976, when the “United Nations General Assembly Resolution 31/72, TIAS 9614 Convention^[14] on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques” was adopted. The Convention was: Signed in Geneva May 18, 1977; Entered into force October 5, 1978; Ratification by U.S. President December 13, 1979; U.S. ratification deposited at New York January 17, 1980.^[15]

Space Preservation Act Title: To preserve the cooperative, peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all humankind by permanently prohibiting the basing of weapons in space by the United States, and to require the President to take action to adopt and implement a world treaty banning space-based weapons. Sponsor: Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c107:H.R.2977.IH: The bill originally mentioned chemtrails and H.A.A.R.P.,but was modified and resubmitted as H.R.3616 and H.R.2440. H.R. 2977 Space Preservation Act of 2001 introduced October 2, 2001, 107th Congress, 1st Session. The bill was referred to committee and no further action ensued. H.R. 3616 Space Preservation Act of 2002 introduced January 23, 2002, 107th Congress, 2d Session. The bill was referred to committee and no further action ensued. H.R. 2420 Space Preservation Act of 2005 introduced May 18, 2005, 109th Congress, 1st Session, with 34 co-sponsors (see accompanying list). The bill was referred to committee and no further action ensued. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Space_Preservation_Act

2005 U.S. Senate Bill 517 and U.S. House Bill 2995

U.S. Senate Bill 517^[16] and U.S. House Bill 2995^[17] were two laws proposed in 2005 that would have allowed experimental weather modification by artificial methods, attempted to establish a Weather Modification Operations and Research Board, and implemented a national weather modification policy. Neither ever became law.

U.S. Senate Bill 1807 & U.S. House Bill 3445 Senate Bill 1807 and House Bill 3445, identical bills introduced July 17, 2007, propose to establish a Weather Mitigation Advisory and Research Board to federally fund weather modification research http://tlp.law.pitt.edu/SP_DiLorenzo_Weather%20Modification.htm sponsored by Kay Bailey Hutcheson and Mark Udall. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1807

Future aspirations

Climatologist Ross Hoffman has simulated hurricane control based on selective heating and cooling (or prevention of evaporation).^[18] Futurist John Smart has discussed the potential for weather control via space-based solar power networks. One proposal involves the gentle heating via microwave of portions of large hurricanes. Such chaotic systems may be susceptible to “side steering” with a few degrees of increased temperature/pressure at critical points. A sufficient network might keep the largest and most potentially damaging hurricanes from landfall, at the request of host nations. Blizzards, monsoons, and other extreme weather are also potential candidates for space-based amelioration.^{[citations needed]} If large-scale weather control were to become feasible, potential implications may include:

• Unintended side effects, especially given the chaotic nature of weather development
• Damage to existing ecosystems
• Health risks to humans
• Equipment malfunction or accidents
• Non-democratic control or use as a weapon

For the 2008 Olympics, China had 30 airplanes, 4,000 rocket launchers, and 7,000 anti-aircraft guns to stop rain. Each system would shoot various chemicals into any threatening clouds to shrink rain drops before they reach the stadium.^[19]

Weather control in popular culture

In popular culture, weather control technology can be encountered in the realms of public speculation, science fiction, and fantasy. The concept of weather control is often portrayed as a part of terraforming.

Film and television

Star Trek

• In the Star Trek universe, most advanced planets and colonies utilize weather control, often referred to as weather modification grids or weather modification nets. A small, but long-established TNG-era (ca2369) colony was a weather control facility for approximately a hundred years. Most advanced civilizations apparently employ weather control standard equipment.
• Weather control technology in 2270s required special facilities, modern TNG- and DS9-era technology consists of multiple mid-size devices positioned strategically, networked and controlled from more-or-less arbitrary places.
• For example, the planet Risa has its climate controlled to be a tropical paradise. Perhaps one of the few modern exceptions of planets apparently without weather control technology is Ferenginar with continuous rain.

Other films or shows

• In the Sci Fi Channel original series, Stargate SG1, Episode 214, “Touchstone“, aired on October 30, 1998, the Stargate SG1 team discovers a weather control device on an alien planet, which is subsequently stolen and brought to earth, where experimenting with it wreaked havoc with the local weather. The device was later recaptured and returned to its original planet which had suffered phenomenal storms since it had been stolen.
• In the Disney Channel Original Movie, The Ultimate Christmas Present, two girls find a weather machine and make it snow in Los Angeles.
• In the live action Justice League of America film, the villain is a terrorist who has a weather control device.
• In Aliens, a colony sent to LV-426 by the Company utilized a fusion-powered terraforming atmosphere processor. In the first film, the planet’s climate was not yet suitable for human life.
• In The Arrival, a race of aliens is found to be terraforming the Earth using hidden factories producing huge volumes of highly potent, engineered “super-greenhouse gases”.
• In the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, the episode “Hot Rodding Teenagers from Dimension X” includes Stone Warriors using a “weather satellite“, with one difference: while other weather satellite gives weather prognosis, this one “makes weather”. The “weather satellite” creates a storm to level New York City, but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles destroy it. The episode “Take Me to Your Leader” of the same series include Krang and the Shredder using a machine to reduce the Sun, creating cold weather on the Earth.
• Storm (played by Halle Berry in the 2000 film and subsequent sequels), a member of the X-Men, can control the weather with her mind.
• In Superman III, Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) changes the weather by hacking into a weather satellite.
• In a Family Guy episode, Stewie builds a machine that can control the weather using only a satellite dish and a See ‘n Say.
• In the film The Avengers Sir August de Wynter (Sean Connery) creates a satellite capable of controlling the weather.
• Our Man Flint is a 1966 sci-fi action film which stars James Coburn as Derek Flint where a trio of mad scientists attempt to blackmail the world with a weather-control machine.
• Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko is a 1967 film from Japan. Scientists, on a tropical island, conduct weather control experiments then encounter gigantic praying mantises and a giant spider that attack the son of Godzilla. Godzilla arrives and saves his offspring.
• The cartoon miniseries G.I. Joe: The Revenge of Cobra, showed the terrorist group Cobra in possession of a device called the Weather Dominator.
• American Daytime soap opera General Hospital featured a storyline where mad genius Mikkos Cassadine used a substance called Carbonic Snow to create a blizzard in the show’s locale Port Charles in the middle of what had been a long hot summer in order to blackmail world leaders into accepting his new world order. Luke Spencer managed to thwart the plan.
• In WALL-E, the Megacorporation known as Buy N Large, had established a Global Weather Control System, the system was made of satellites that would change and control the weather in the areas that they were in. The system worked so well that soon Buy N Large even launched a program in which citizens can book certain weather in the areas where they live. Such as, scheduling a Thunderstorm during a parade so that it will literally “rain on their parade.”
• In the sci-fi drama series Heroes, Angela Petrelli’s long-lost sister, Alice Shaw, was revealed to be able to control weather.

Computer games

• In Master Of Orion, it is possible to build a weather control building to change the planet’s environment.
• In Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge Expansion Pack, the Allies can build the weather control device superweapon, and direct thunderstorms to strike a selected location of the map every 10 minutes.
• In Tribunal, an expansion pack to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the player finds a machine under the city of Almalexia that can change the weather of the city at the will of its user.
• In Phantasy Star II, a weather, irrigation and dam control system known as Climatrol has been constructed by Mother Brain to make the barren planet Motavia habitable for Palman occupation.
• In the game Spore by Will Wright, players are able to use a spacecraft to modify planetary atmospheres – creating volcanoes to generate carbon dioxide, seeding plant life to create breathable air, or even using a “Genesis device” to make a planet habitable in one go. There is no actual controlling of weather, however.^[20]
• In “Earth 2150“, the Lunar Corporation are capable of building a weather control station for tactical weather control. The structure can be charged to cause storms, fog, and/or wind at targeted areas on the map.
• In Fable 2 Knothole island Expansion, the player can control weather by obtaining weather crystals and using them in a weather chamber, 3 crystals represent sun,rain and snow.
• in The Sims 2 seasons Expansion, players can use a season changing device to make a certain season permanent or prolong a desired season for a number of in-game days.

Prose

• Ben Bova’s The Weathermakers is the story of a government agency that controls the weather.
• Sidney Sheldon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark is the story of a think tank that builds technology powerful enough to create hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis.
• In Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, ecoterrorists plan to create a tsunami, calve an iceberg, and induce flash flooding and hurricanes.
• In Normand Lester’s science thriller Verglas, the 1998 icestorm that struck the Montréal area is an experiment by the Pentagon in the development of a climatic weapon that went wrong. The book speculate that ULF waves generated by a transmitter at Siple Station, a US base in Antarctica, caused the icestorm by affecting the ionosphere over Québec.
• In Lois Lowry’s The Giver, the government controls the weather and keeps it from snowing, and confine rain to the farmland.
• In the book series Weather Warden by Rachel Caine, the Wardens are an association of people who have the ability to control the elements – earth, fire and weather. They manipulate these elements to stop natural disasters from devastating mankind. The main character herself is a Weather Warden, so weather manipulation plays a large role throughout the series.
• In Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber an openly known quality of the Jewel of Judgment is the ability to control the local weather.
• In Frank Herbert’s Dune series, weather control is widespread, and is achieved with specialized satellites in orbit around a planet.

Music

• cloudbusting by Kate Bush

Other fictional weather controllers

• DC Comics villain Weather Wizard could control the weather with a special kind of technology in the shape of a wand.
• Marvel Comics heroes Thor and Storm could control weather; the former because he is the Norse god of thunder, the latter because she is a mutant whose powers specifically center around weather control.
• Digimon character Wizardmon could manipulate thunderstorms.
• When the Muppet Count von Count of Sesame Street laughs, it often invokes thunder.
• In some of the Asterix comics, when the village bard Cacofonix sings, it starts to rain.
• In the 2000 AD world of Judge Dredd the weather in Mega City One is controlled by a weather control station positioned above the populous and is used to spread a chemical which causes Block War by the city of East Meg One
• In the Nintendo Gameboy Advance Video Game Pokemon Sapphire, The Pokemon “Kyogre” controlled the rain and the tides in Hoenn.
• In the BIONICLE Saga, weather control is one of the many powers the Makuta species have.

Conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theorists have suggested that certain governments use or seek to use weather control as a weapon (eg via HAARP and/or chemtrails), but such allegations have not been proven. At a counterterrorism conference in 1997, United States Secretary of Defense William Cohen referred to the writings of futurist Alvin Toffler, specifically regarding concerns about “eco-terrorism” and intentionally caused natural disasters.^[21]

See also

• High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)
• Weather Modification Operations and Research Board
• Global warming
• Weather forecasting
• Hail cannon
• Operation Popeye
• Beijing Weather Modification Office
• Space Preservation Act
• Bernard Eastlund
• Project Cumulus
• Alberta Hail Project