Tag: disaster
This Is How Elon Musk Can Fix The Damage His Starlink Satellites Are Causing To Astronomy
This Is How Elon Musk Can Fix The Damage His Starlink Satellites Are Causing To Astronomy (Forbes)
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
On November 18, 2019, approximately 19 Starlink satellites passed over Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, disrupting astronomical observations and hindering the science being undertaken in a real, measurable way.
In any field of business or industry, the prevailing rule has always been that if there isn't a law against it, you are free to do it. If there are no rules protecting a resource, you are free to use or take as much of it as you want to further your own ends. Until regulatory measures are put into place, disruptors and innovators are free to regulate themselves, often to the extraordinary detriment of those who depended on those now-scarce resources.
In astronomy, the greatest resource of all is a dark, clear night sky: humanity's window to the Universe. Traditionally, its enemies have been turbulent air, cloud cover, and artificial light pollution. But very recently, a new type of pollutant has begun to pose an existential threat to astronomy itself: mega-constellations of satellites. If Elon Musk's Starlink project continues as it has begun, it will likely end ground-based astronomy as we know it.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying 60 Starlink satellites on November 11, 2019 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Starlink constellation will eventually consist of thousands of satellites designed to provide world wide high-speed internet service, but the cost to the science of astronomy is already substantial, and is poised to rise significantly over the coming years.
Launching satellites to provide services to those of us living on the ground is an essential part of modern-day living. GPS and telecommunications satellites enable our cellular signals and support our mobile internet today. With the coming upgrade to 5G services, a new set of infrastructure will be required, and that necessarily means an upgraded set of satellites equipped to provide that service must be launched.
One of the first companies to attempt to serve this market is SpaceX, under the guidance of Elon Musk, which plans to initially deploy 12,000 satellites in a mega-constellation known as Starlink. Ultimately, the constellation hopes to extend to a total of 42,000 satellites. As of November 20, 2019, only 122 of these satellites have been deployed, and they've already had a detrimental impact on astronomy on a global scale.
If we hope to mitigate this, either regulators or SpaceX executives themselves will need to mandate a change…
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/11/20/this-is-how-elon-musk-can-fix-the-damage-his-starlink-satellites-are-causing-to-astronomy/
Author cyberplaygroundPosted on 11/25/2019 Categories ECP Educational CyberPlayGround, NetHappeningsTags 5G services suck, 60 Starlink satellites, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, disaster, elon musk detrimental impact on astronomy on a global scale, Elon Musk plans to initially deploy 12000 satellites, Homeland Security, internet, K12 Science, Law, public interest groups, science, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Starlink sucks, technology, world wide high-speed internet serviceLeave a comment on This Is How Elon Musk Can Fix The Damage His Starlink Satellites Are Causing To Astronomy
9/11 CRIMINALS by Jonathan Weiss Esq.
9/11 CRIMINALS
by Jonathan Weiss Esq.
The tragic collapse of the twin towers on 9/11/01 was, is, and continues to be an American trauma.
The televised disaster has left enduring images, terrible consequences which continue, including people still getting sick and dying.
The Federal funding for "first responders", ably promoted by John Stewart, has begun to run out and needs increases. Those "first responders" continue to die from diseases induced, sometimes more than one during a week. Ads, even almost 18 years later, still run on television for people to consult lawyers about participating in settlements and law suits for damages. But should have all the liability been civil?
When the buildings were being erected, it was possible to observe the shoddiness in their construction. Asbestos, long known for its carcogenic and breathing deaths and disorders, was sprayed on the outside of walls. There was nothing erected inside for support – a hundred floors only supported by flimsy outside walls.
In the beginning, because of trouble renting space, the State government helped the owners and investors by leasing floors for public benefits hearings. At first, there were no elevators to take up to the first floor elevator banks. I had to carry one client on my back up an escalator. During one hearing, the building swung back and forth so violently above the 60th floor that my client's terror at the movement made her weep and lie down on the floor. It seemed clear that the building, with no inside support, was very fragile.
At the same time, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani installed a "disaster" center very close to help out a friend who had trouble leasing his building, instead of in a safe zone in Brooklyn. It too, of course, was destroyed on 9/11 hindering the City's response considerably.
The exact nature of all the perpetrators has never been completely clear, leading to basically unsupported conspiracy theories, which had been left room to grow. Messages of danger sent in various government agencies were ignored. Nobody seemed to find it odd that individuals took lessons how to take off with a plane but not land it. Right after the event, the skies were completely closed to all but a group of Saudis who left immediately. Bin Laden was immediately described as responsible but was not captured and interrogated but killed years later.
When the planes hit, almost an hour apart, it was first reported on the radio as a small plane. The ticker on Times Square described it in that fashion just as the second plane hit.
Bin Laden is reported to have said he never expected to see how extensive the damage became. Floor after floor, with no internal support, crashed down on each other, descending to what would be called "Ground Zero". The towers fell over and apart, segments separating in flames with black smoke spreading up and outwards until all that was essentially left was rubble.
After the destruction, various friends came by my office near Times Square to use the phones as the far enough North that they worked. Some came in, covered by foul smelling ash – clearly toxic and dangerous.
Later President Bush and Mayor Giuliani appeared on the news with the cliches that are offered after such an attack: We will all unite. We are not afraid. We will catch the perpetrators. Etc. The mass media hailed these platitudes as "leadership."
The President then suggested that solidarity would be demonstrated by "shopping." Assurances were offered that the area was being cleaned up and would be safe for those who could still return to work. Some intelligent individuals, noting how the air looked and smelled, refused to return but relocated. When I went down to the Court houses just under a mile way I could smell the stench. Workers went in with no warning and no special protections, relying on the public assurance that site was not dangerously polluted. The lawyers' ads now describe the whole area north to Canal Street and river to river as the zone where exposure, resulting in cancers, etc. would predicate law suits, particularly for special forms of cancer related to the toxicity.
Those who built such a toxic unstable buildings contributed to the death of people beyond the attacking terrorists' fondest hopes. The towers' height (causing shadows and difficulties on many television sets so people were forced to buy cable to watch what they desired to see) stood out in the skyline offering an easy target.
Those who owned and maintained the buildings should have known of its defects after a previous attack in 1992 and observing how fragile they were as they swayed from side to side in the wind.
But worst of all was telling the public, firemen, police, and those cleaning up in that foul air, that it was safe. (Mayor Guiliani, of course, ran in Republican primaries for the Presidency based primarily on his boast he was "America's Mayor" because of how well he handled the horror that occurred …and presumably its aftermath.)
There is no statute of limitations for murder so that someone may be accused and prosecuted for as long as he lives.
What are the applicable statues and their limitations for lying to the public and dedicated civil servants so that they courted death from the towers' toxicity (no special equipment or clothing was offered, just the claim that there was no danger) or constructing, owning, and maintaining buildings whose destruction would cause such harm?
Criminal charges should have been brought against those who owned, built, and maintained such a death trap.
Criminal charge should have been brought against all officials who lured people into the area with false descriptions of safety. People continue to suffer unto death from their inactions and actions. Those guilty deserve to be behind bars.
It must be noted, finally, that corporate and government criminals are coddled in our current Courts. One recent example is displayed by the Mueller investigation with light penalties for those who committed major crimes but "co-operated" (to what end? Certainly no recommendation that all the evidence that they may have helped secure would be used to prosecute anyone else).
Many others can be presented.
But not even one prosecution for the conditions and invitations the caused great losses have ever been even suggested.
At the Memorial Services, names are read and bells tolled. The list of the dead from the attacks grows. Some individuals have received some recompense, not enough.
But no one has ever been held to account for the crimes of 9/11.
REFERENCE: Site this Source
Title: 9/11 CRIMINALS
Author: Jonathan Weiss Esq.
URL: https://cyberplayground.org/2019/04/11/9-11-criminals-by-jonathan-weiss-esq
Publisher: CyberPlayGround Blog
https://edu-cyberpg.com/
AP Stylebook Finally Changes "Web site" to "website" and e email to email !!!!
What the hell ever took them so long to do this and why should they be in charge of anything?
Author cyberplaygroundPosted on 04/11/2019 04/13/2019 Categories @K12Newsletters, ECP Educational CyberPlayGround, K12Newsletters, NetHappeningsTags #upworthy, 9/11 CRIMINALS by Jonathan Weiss Esq., Bin Laden, disaster, government, Homeland Security, Law, no one has ever been held to account for the crimes of 9/11, politics, President Bush and Mayor Giuliani, public interest groups, security, The tragic collapse of the twin towers on 9/11/01, "Ground Zero"Leave a comment on 9/11 CRIMINALS by Jonathan Weiss Esq.
[ECP] NetHappenings 3/18/19
YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION PRIVACY RIGHTS
Office for Civil Rights Headquarters
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Toll Free Call Center: 1-800-368-1019
TTD Number: 1-800-537-7697
HHS Releases Voluntary Cybersecurity Practices for Health Industry
GDPR, California's Consumer Privacy Act, and next-generation ransomware and denial of service attacks, a firm's ability to provide security is also becoming a matter of survival. Put it all together, and many CISOs today exist in environments where they are not understood by business executives and thus are not being included in business initiatives until it is too late and security vulnerabilities expose the enterprise to cyberattacks and compliance violations.
WHO OWNS YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS?
In 2016, more than 100 million Americans have had their electronic medical records hacked from health systems. For example, this June, Banner Health in Phoenix had a breach of 3.7 million electronic medical records.
Many hospitals throughout the country have been held hostage for their health information system by hackers and have had to pay ransom to regain control of their patients' medical data.
2016 more than 100 million Americans have had their electronic medical records hacked. Each one can be sold for $50.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was written 20 years ago, when medical records were kept on paper, and is not applicable to the contemporary digital era.
Moreover, the pervasive selling of our medical data is unchecked, with no legal protection. The massive hacking of health system data has not resulted in any new legislation to date or enforcement via established laws.
Informed Patient Institute
We rate the websites that help you find the right doctor, hospital, and nursing homes and we provide tips about quality concerns. also see
https://www.philly.com/philly/health/what-is-philly-health-costs-and-how-can-it-help-me-20180220.html
ProPublica analyzed nearly 17,000 surgeons and found wide variations in complication rates for some of the most routine elective procedures. Explore our database to know more about a surgeon before your operation.
https://www.propublica.org/article/surgeon-level-risk-quotes
2016 Consumer Reports Medical Board Ratings
Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Physician and Other Supplier
Digital business has become a key driver to business strategy across industries.
CIOs have digital transformation at the center of their corporate
strategy. #Cybersecurity, amazingly, is often not a top-tier priority in enterprise risk management. The #CISO, is only noticed when things go wrong. This is why CISOs are almost always fired or "resign" after major data breaches. The CISO is usually the most qualified person to manage post breach forensics, cleanup, and compliance audits.
https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/16/cisos-you-need-to-manage-by-walking-around/
Think a strong information security posture means you're complying with HIPAA? Without proper documentation for government regulators, infosec protocols might safeguard data without meeting federal criteria.
Staff lapses and IT system vulnerabilities are key reasons behind SingHealth cyberattack, according to COI Report
ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals who are committed to exposing corporate wrongdoing and giving consumers the tools they need to fight back. We've been reporting on the legal space for nearly a decade and have built relationships with class action and mass tort attorneys across the country.
Prescription Hope
Prescription Hope offers over 1,500 brand-name medications all for the
set price of $50 per month for each medication. This covers 100% of the medication cost, no matter the retail price.
Market Share Matters: Evidence Of Insurer And Provider Bargaining Over Prices
Health-care providers and insurers have to agree on how much doctors will be reimbursed before doctors begin treating insurers' clients. Those fees, which depend on the two parties' relative clout. Abstract
A survey of the numbers, published this week in Health Affairs, shows that small-time doctor's offices and insurance companies are getting squeezed by their larger competitors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/09/its-hard-to-be-a-small-time-family-doctor-these-days-new-data-show/
Finally, U.S. hospitals will have to post their prices online.
Hospitals must post 'chargemaster' prices online.
Patient Estimate team call 484.337.1970
FAQ Requirements for Hospitals To Make Public a List of Their Standard Charges via the Internet
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/AcuteInpatientPPS/Downloads/FAQs-Req-Hospital-Public-List-Standard-Charges.pdf
The chargemaster is not a useful tool for consumers who are comparison shopping between hospitals or health systems.
The chargemaster amounts are billed to an insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid, and those insurers then apply their contracted rates to the services that are billed. In situations where a patient does not have insurance, our hospital has financial assistance policies that apply discounts to the amounts charged.
https://www.mainlinehealth.org/patient-services/patient-billing/standard-charges
A huge trove of medical records and prescriptions found exposed Thousands of health records and doctor's notes were exposed daily
By Zack Whittaker TechCrunch.com March 17, 2019 A health tech company was leaking thousands of doctor's notes, medical records, and prescriptions daily after a security lapse left a server without a password. The little-known software company, California-based Meditab, bills itself as one of the leading electronic medical records software makers for hospitals, doctor's offices, and pharmacies. The company, among other things, processes electronic faxes for healthcare providers, still a primary method for sharing patient files to other providers and pharmacies. But that fax server wasn't properly secured, according to the security company that discovered the data. SpiderSilk, a Dubai-based cybersecurity firm, told TechCrunch of the exposed server. The exposed fax server was running a Elasticsearch database with over six million records since its creation in March 2018. The faxes also included personal data and health information on children. None of the data was encrypted. […] Board of Directors responsible
800 West El Camino Real, Suite 350
General +1 650 458 2620
Sales +1 650 458 2625
info@elastic.co
sales@elastic.co
The server was hosted on an subdomain of MedPharm Services, a Puerto Rico-based affiliate of Meditab, both founded by Kalpesh Patel.
NY Governor Cuomo Calls For Investigation on Facebook Health Data Collection
American Travelers Seek Cheaper Prescription Drugs In Mexico And Beyond
In Utah last year, the Public Employee Health Plan took this idea to a new level with its voluntary Pharmacy Tourism Program. For certain PEHP members who use any of 13 costly prescription medications — including the popular arthritis drug Humira — the insurer will foot the bill to fly the patient and a companion to San Diego, then drive them to a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, to pick up a 90-day supply of medicine.
TechCrunch: Screen time inhibits toddler development, study finds. "In news that will surprise few but still alarm many, a study has found that kids 2-5 years old who engage in more screen time received worse scores in developmental screening tests. The apparent explanation is simple: when a kid is in front of a screen, they're not talking, walking or playing, the activities during which basic skills are cultivated
Researchers Create Algorithm to Protect Kids from Disturbing YouTube Videos
Computer program that could bypass patents to produce synthetic drugs Software that can bypass current intellectual property and design medication with the same function as top drugs could help pharma companies…
"Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey alleges eight Sackler family members and nine Purdue board members or executives played key roles in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.
Author cyberplaygroundPosted on 03/18/2019 Categories ECP Educational CyberPlayGround, NetHappeningsTags #CISO #CyberSecurity #Compliance, breach, Data, disaster, electronic faxes for healthcare providers, electronic medical records, EMR, Health, Health Data Breach, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPPA, internet, Law, medical board ratings, medical data is unchecked, Privacy, security, Who owns your medical recordsLeave a comment on [ECP] NetHappenings 3/18/19
COMPUTERS VS TEACHERS The Golden Fleece: replacing teachers with computers
Laura Chapman: The Online Bamboozlers
By dianeravitch
November 23, 2014 //
You don't have to look far into the future to see the technology sector circling the schools, giving generously to elected officials, hyping the wonders of computers instead of teachers (so much cheaper, and computers never need a pension), and gently persuading legislatures to add online courses as graduation requirements. Consider the federally-funded tests for Common Core: all online, all requiring a massive investment in equipment, bandwidth and support services. The Golden Fleece: replacing teachers with computers.
Laura Chapman writes:
Latest Bamboozlers are the "on-line only" promoters of "learning," no need for teachers.
In a press release dated February, 3, 2014 KnowledgeWorks and The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) announced their shared agenda for federal policies that would change "our entire K-12 education system" to fit a student-centered learning environment with demonstrations of competency, free of traditional notions of schools, teachers, and student learning.
The policy report addressed to federal officials calls for the status quo on requiring students to meet college-and career-ready standards, but these standards would be aligned with specific competencies mapped into the idea of optimum trajectories for learning that will lead to graduation. Individual students would be tracked on the "pace" of their mastery through the use of on-line and "real-time" data. The data for each student is supposed to inform the instruction, supports, and interventions needed by each student in order to graduate.
This vision requires competency-based interpretations of the college-and career-ready standards and measures of those competencies. It requires a recommendation system (data-driven guide) for prioritizing required learning and ensuring continuous improvement in learning until graduation.
The vision calls for federal funding to states and districts for developing "personalized learning pathways" (PLPs) for students along with the infrastructure needed to produce real-time data for just-in-time recommendations for the interventions and supports needed to move students to college and career readiness.
The system in intended to build reports on the progress of individual students relative to mastery, or a high level of competency, for the college and career readiness standards.
In addition to keeping individuals "on-pace" in demonstrating standards-aligned competencies, this entire system is envisioned as offering "useful information for accountability, better teaching and learning, and measures of quality in education."
In effect, programmed instruction is the solution for securing student compliance with the Common Core State Standards, assuring their entry into college and a career, with "instructional designers and programmers" the surrogates for teachers. Teachers are not needed because the out-of-sight designers and programmers build the recommendation systems for needed "interventions," also known as "playlists."
This is a souped-up version of vintage 1950s programmed instruction amplified in scope and detail by technology–on-line playlists and monitors of PLPs–personal learning plans–available anytime.
In fact, students get one-size-fits education, at the rate they can manage. The rate learning is optimized by computers programmed to lead students to and from the needed playlists of activities (e.g., subroutines that function as reviews, simple re-teaching, new warm-ups for the main learning event or subsets of methods for presenting the same concept). The student does what the computer says and the computer decides if and when mastery or some other criterion for competence has been achieved.
The selling framework is for "personalized, competency-based student-centered learning in a de-institutionalized environment.
Out of view are scenarios where all education is offered by "learning agents" who broker educational services offered by a mix of for-profit and non-profit providers. Token public schools remain in the mix, but are radically reduced in number and the loss becomes a self-fulling prophesy justifying radical cuts in state support. Profit seekers, together with volunteers and "20-year commitments from foundations" provide for "students in need. This is one of several scenarios from KnowledgWorks
The quest for federal funds is found here athttp://knowledgeworks.org/building-capacity-systems-change-federal-policy-framework-competency-education#sthash.Nr0OpfWq.dpuf
See more at the CompetencyWorks website http://bit.ly/cwk12fedpolicy
Author cyberplaygroundPosted on 11/23/2014 Categories NetHappeningsTags disaster, education, Educational CyberPlayGround, Financial Literacy, government, internet, K12 Education, K12 Newsletters, politics, Privacy, public interest groups, research, science, security, women