CIA boss John Brennan defends post-9/11 strategy

CIA Director John Brennan has defended the agency's post-9/11 interrogation methods but admitted some techniques were "harsh" and "abhorrent".

Speaking at CIA headquarters, he said some officers acted beyond their authority but most did their duty.

A scathing Senate report two days earlier said "brutal" methods like waterboarding were ineffective.

But Mr Brennan asserted the CIA "did a lot of things right" at a time when there were "no easy answers".

"Our reviews indicate that the detention and interrogation programme produced useful intelligence that helped the United States thwart attack plans, capture terrorists and save lives," Brennan told a rare CIA news conference in Virginia.

But we have not concluded that it was the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (EITs) within that programme that allowed us to obtain useful information from detainees who were subjected to them, he added.

"The cause-and-effect relationship between the use of EITs and useful information subsequently provided by the detainee is, in my view, unknowable."

The CIA is now in the uncomfortable position of defending itself publicly

While he was speaking, Senator Dianne Feinstein, who heads the committee that produced the report, was rejecting his arguments on Twitter.

One tweet said: "Brennan: 'unknowable' if we could have gotten the intel other ways. Study shows it IS knowable: CIA had info before torture. #ReadTheReport".

Mr Brennan was a senior CIA official in 2002 when the detention and interrogation programme was put in place.

At the scene - Tara McKelvey, BBC News, Langley, Virginia

John Brennan spoke in measured tones and with a deep booming voice in a place that clearly made him uncomfortable - standing at a podium in front of journalists and cameras.

In his speech he tried to show the human side of the CIA. He said that after 9/11 the staff, like others in the US, grieved and prayed.

He said this week was a tough time for people at the agency because of the release of the Senate report. But as he described their situation, he kept his head down and read carefully from the text in front of him. He wanted to make sure he got the words right.

Occasionally he looked up but when he did he gazed at the ceiling as if no-one was in the room. As a result the speech came across as anodyne and bloodless despite the emotionally charged words that were on the page.

An outgoing Democratic Senator, Mark Udall, has called on Mr Brennan to quit, citing interference from the CIA in preparing the report.

A summary of the larger classified report says that the CIA carried out "brutal" and "ineffective" interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 9/11 attacks on the US and misled other officials about what it was doing.

The information the CIA collected using "enhanced interrogation techniques" failed to secure information that foiled any threats, the report said.

Mr Brennan described the actions of some CIA agents as "harsh" and "abhorrent" but would not say if it constituted torture.

He added an overwhelming number of CIA agents followed legal advice from the justice department that authorised some of the brutal methods.

"They did what they were asked to do in the service of their nation."

Fomer US Vice President Dick Cheney said the Senate report was "deeply flawed"

The UN and human rights groups have called for the prosecution of US officials involved in the 2001-2007 programme.

But the chances of prosecuting members of the Bush administration are unlikely - the US justice department has pursued two investigations into mistreatment of detainees and found insufficient evidence.

On Wednesday, an unnamed justice department official told the Los Angeles Times prosecutors had read the report and "did not find any new information" to reopen the investigation.

Key findings:

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, left, and Abd al-Rashim al-Nashiri, were among those held by the CIA

• none of 20 cases of counterterrorism "successes" led to unique or otherwise unavailable intelligence
• CIA misled politicians and public
• at least 26 of 119 known detainees in custody during the programme wrongfully held
• methods included sleep deprivation for up to 180 hours, often standing or in painful positions
• Saudi al-Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah was kept confined in a coffin-sized box for hours on end
• waterboarding and "rectal hydration" were physically harmful to prisoners

What is 'enhanced interrogation'?

Who knew what when?

Who were the detainees?

US President Barack Obama, who stopped the programme in 2009, said some methods amounted to torture.

When asked whether there was a situation where the CIA would use similar interrogations again, Mr Brennan said the CIA was "not contemplating" it, but said he left such decisions up to "future policymakers".

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30437804

Gary Andersen leaves Wisconsin for Oregon State head coaching job

Gary Andersen is leaving Wisconsin to take the head coaching job at Oregon State.

Andersen informed the Badgers at a team meeting at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez has immediately started a national search for a new head football coach.

“First and foremost I want to thank coach Alvarez for the opportunity to coach at the University of Wisconsin,” Andersen said. “I also want to thank my staff and the people at UW. We worked very hard together and accomplished some great things. I had the opportunity to meet and coach some great young men and I look forward to watching them as they continue their careers and move through life.”

Andersen led Wisconsin to a 10-3 overall record in his one season as head coach. The Badgers will play the Auburn Tigers in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day.
“Gary is a winner," Oregon State Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis said. "He is a man of integrity and substance. He has extensive West Coast ties and knows the landscape of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously coached at Utah, a current conference member. He is part of the Urban Meyer coaching tree."
"We have hired the right coach," De Carolis added.
Alvarez said he's already begun the search for Andersen's replacement,
“My first concern is taking care of the players on the current team, especially the senior class, and ensuring that their bowl experience is a memorable one," Alvarez said. "I will find a head coach to uphold the great tradition at Wisconsin, someone who is committed to excellence both on and off the field.
“I want to thank Gary for his two years here and commend him on the way his team performed on the field, in the classroom and in the community. I wish him the best at Oregon State.”
During his stints at Wisconsin and Utah State, Andersen was 49-38 as a head coach. His teams also played in bowls each of the past four seasons.

Al Pacino Says He’s Discussed Guardians of the Galaxy with Marvel

he Oscar-winning actor suggested Marvel had a role for him

Al Pacino has confirmed that he’s met with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige.
The 74-year-old Oscar-winning actor was a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast on Monday where he teased a possible role in an upcoming film from the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers studio.

Al Pacino at Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7, 2014. Aaron Harris—WireImage/Getty Images

“I’ve met with the Marvel guy,” said Pacino, referring to the studio’s president Feige. “It’s a marvel how things happen.” He continued,“I would imagine that either there’s something he feels is right for me —” before he was interrupted by a ringing phone. He then joked that the call was from the studio telling him to quit talking.

He said that he watched Guardians of the Galaxy with his children. “It was just inventive, funny, strong, the production of it, the ingenuity of it,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I like a movie like that, appreciate a movie like that? I’m not necessarily going to be in it, but there’s value to it.”

Though Pacino didn’t reveal further details about the meeting, Marvel certainly has a lot of upcoming projects in need of casting. The studio has a total of nine new comic book movies in the works, with releases scheduled as far in the future as October, 2019.

Ref by http://time.com/3627483/al-pacino-marvel-studios/

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‘King of Instagram’ Dan Bilzerian Arrested at LAX, Then Released From Custody

an Bilzerian, an extremely wealthy social media celebrity who has been called the “King of Instagram,” was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport late Tuesday, police said.

Bilzerian, 34, was booked at LAPD’s Pacific Division shortly after 10 p.m., jail records showed

Poker player Dan Bilzerian is shown with Playboy Playmate Jessa Hinton at the Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards on Nov. 30, 2011, in Las Vegas. (Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

He was being held without bail, but was released at 1:16 p.m. Wednesday after charges were dropped, according to an official at the Los Angeles County jail’s inmate reception area.
According to LAPD Officer Jack Richter, Bilzerian had been arrested on a fugitive warrant out of Nevada.
He had faced felony charges in the state, including possessing or manufacturing explosive or incendiary devices, according to a criminal complaint filed in Las Vegas on Nov. 13.
Charges in that case were not dropped, Clark County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Audrie Locke said in an email to KTLA after Bilzerian’s released from custody in L.A. Locke said she had no information on why Bilzerian was released.
On Nov. 4, Bilzerian illegally possessed “ammonium and/or cooler and/or aluminum powder” and “ammonium nitrate mix,” according to the criminal complaint.
Bilzerian was charged along with Jeremy David Guymon in the case. Both were expected to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Jan. 9 for their arraignment, Locke said.
An attorney for Bilzerian, David Chesnoff, was able to get the arrest warrant recalled through the Nevada state courts system, according to the Los Angeles Times. Police could no longer keep Belzerian behind bars because he does not face charges in California, Chesnoff told the Times.
Shortly after his release Wednesday afternoon, Bilzerian was seen walking into his Hollywood Hills home by a KTLA reporter. Bilzerian said he had no comment.
He later posted the following on Twitter.
Ref by
http://ktla.com/2014/12/10/instagram-celebrity-dan-bilzerian-arrested-in-la-police-say/ 

San Francisco Weather: Bay Area Storm ‘Pineapple Express’ Predicted To Be Worst In 25 Years

Weather in San Francisco is about to turn treacherous. California is bracing for the “Pineapple Express,” its worst storm in 25 years. The schools in the San Francisco area are closing for the first time since the 9/11 terror attacks. The mega storm heading into the region is expected to bring a “wall of rain,” heavy snow, and wicked wind gusts.

A storm system powered by the Pineapple Express has prompted a steady stream of moisture into the San Francisco area from Hawaii. Meteorologists have described the Pineapple Express as a “long, narrow plume that pipes moisture from the tropics into the western United States.”
The San Francisco storm is being called the Pineapple Express, the “Storm of the Century,” and the “Storm of the Decade,” and is being described as a horizontal hurricane. The National Weather Service said the California West Coast is about to be impacted by “one of the strongest storms in terms of wind and rain.”
Moderate wind gusts and rain hit the Northern California Coast late Wednesday evening. Schools San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin County were ordered closed on Thursday due to the impending heavy rain and high winds. The Great Highway in the San Francisco area was also closed. The freeway runs along the Pacific Ocean and the far western side of the city.
In Southern California residents in the Pineapple Express affected areas are witnessing massive dark clouds hovering above their hoes. Los Angeles County officials closed several main roads around the Castaic Lake area in preparation for potential mud slides. Castaic Lake is a state recreation area situated in the Santa Clarita Mountains.
The weather in San Francisco will possibly bring flooding to parts of Northern California. The region is expected to receive three to six inches of rain, according to AccuWeather. The rain forecast for the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area could include up to nine inches of rain. If the anticipated rapid rainfall arrives, waterways and road drainage systems could be overly taxed and lead to flash flooding.
“Burned areas are especially at risk for debris slides. Even regions that don’t experience regular seasonal flooding could see flash flooding during this intense storm system,” California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services representative, Mark Ghilarducci, said.
Winds gusts of up to 60 MPH are also expected during the Storm of the Century, according to San Francisco weather reports. Residents have been asked to remove their Christmas decorations, especially inflatable items. Approximately four feet of snow is expected to fall in the Sierra Nevada region, with wind gusts up to 80 MPH also predicted.
The San Francisco weather forecast is not expected to put an end to the California drought, but will be a “step in the right direction” according to emergency management officials. The Storm of the Century or the Storm of the Decade has also prompted a viral hashtag – #bayareastorm so locals can share their images, comments, and weather warnings with others.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1671317/weather-san-francisco-bay-area-storm-predicted-to-be-worst-storm-in-25-years/#QRXcA63uYEwVvfEe.99

'The Voice' wildcard finalist: Damien Lawson grabs final spot in Top 4

Tuesday (Dec. 9) night's episode of "The Voice" started out with a serious bang. Unlike previous elimination episodes where Carson Daly painstakingly reveals the top singers moving onto the next round, he surprisingly revealed the Top 3 within the first five minutes of the show: Matt McAndrew, Craig Wayne Boyd and Chris Jamison. Yeah, how's that for a show opener?


So what happened in the rest of the episode? Well, for the first time in the history of the show, all nine eliminated artists -- yes even the extremely, extremely recently eliminated Damien Lawson and Taylor John Williams -- took to the "Voice" stage to sing for the wildcard spot and to turn the Top 3 into the Top 4. 

Honestly, the entire show was kind of a whirlwind of craziness since so many people returned to stage. And although many people sang well, standout performances of the night included Anita Antoinette's reggae spin on "Waiting on the World to Change," Reagan James' performance of "Put Your Records On" -- which Pharrell Williams called "magical" -- and Sugar Jones' rendition of "Back to Black," which made Blake Shelton admit that she might have a good chance of getting back in the competition. 

However, when all is said and done, the returning 7 singers who were previously eliminated didn't stand a chance against Taylor John and Damien, and that was proven on Wednesday (Dec. 10) when Carson revealed on the "Today" show that Damien had been voted into the Top 4 by America.  
read more
https://www.zap2it.com/blogs/the_voice_season_7_top_5_elimination_wildcard_results-2014-12

Annie Jump Cannon: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

The Google Doodle on December 11 celebrates one of America’s most revolutionary astronomers. Annie Jump Cannon would have turned 151 today. She’s known for creating the Harvard Classification Scheme, which classifies stars based on their temperatures.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Cannon Was Completely Deaf

 

She was completely deaf after suffering from Scarlet Fever when she was in her 30s. Due to this, she never married as she found it difficult to socialize. Cannon contracted the fever while she was in Europe to photograph the 1893 solar eclipse in Spain. Her work there was honored at the 1936 World’s Fair, her work was given the title “In the Footsteps of Columbus.” Despite her achievements, an issue of The Woman Citizen in June 1924 illustrated her low-profile, when the magazine reported:

The traffic policeman on Harvard Square does not recognize her name. The brass and parades are missing. She steps into no polished limousine at the end of the day’s session to be driven by a liveried chauffeur to a marble mansion.

2. Her Mother Gave Her a Love of the Stars

Annie Jump Cannon pictured with fellow revolutionary astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt in 1913. (Wikipedia)

Cannon got her love of the stars from her mother while she was growing up in Dover, Delaware, in the 19th century. Her mother, Mary Jump, taught Cannon about the constellations and encouraged her daughter to follow her love of science at Wellesley College in Massachusetts where Cannon majored in Math and Chemistry . Her father, Wilson, was a ship builder and state senator. Cannon’s mother was Wilson Cannon’s second marriage.

3. She Was at a Loss After Her Mother Died

(Wikipedia)

After her mother died in 1894, Cannon became more interested in education, as the loss made her want to get away from home. Since graduating from Wellesley in 1884, Cannon had lived back at her family home in Delaware. Prior to her mother’s death, during her time at home, Cannon wrote in her journal:

I am sometimes very dissatisfied with my life here. I do want to accomplish something, so badly. There are so many things that I could do if I only had the money. And when I think that I might be teaching and making money, and still all the time improving myself it makes me feel unhappy and as if I were not doing all that I can.

She worked for a while at her alma-mater, Wellesley College, while she also studied for a masters in astronomy. Eventually her work there took her to Radcliffe College where she enrolled in classes so she could use their state-of-the-art telescopes. In addition to her academic pursuits, Cannon was also a passionate suffragette and member of the National Women’s party. 

 4. She Cataloged 500,000 Stars During Her Time Working at Harvard

 When she finished her studies at Radcliffe, she got a job at the Harvard Observatory, working for the renownedEdward C. Pickering. It was there that she developed her system for classifying stars. During her time at Harvard, she cataloged 500,000 stars. You can listen to a documentary about her time at Harvard above. Under Pickering, Cannon and a group of other revolutionary women became known was the “Harvard Observatory computers.” At the time of their hiring in the late 19th century, a Smithsonian article points out “Contemporary science actually warned against women and education, in the belief that women were too frail to handle the stress.” This came from Harvard professor Edward Clarke’s theory in his 1873 book, “Sex in Education,” where he wrote:

A woman’s body could only handle a limited number of developmental tasks at one time—that girls who spent to much energy developing their minds during puberty would end up with undeveloped or diseased reproductive systems.

5. The American Astronomical Society Hands Out the Annie Cannon Award Every Year

Annie Jump Cannon at her desk at the Harvard College Observatory. (Wikipedia)

She died in April 1941 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 77. In her honor the American Astronomical Society presents the Annie Jump Cannon Award to the best female astronomers. The winner of the award in 2014 was Emily Levesque. The website of the AAS describes the award as:

The Annie Jump Cannon Award is for outstanding research and promise for future research by a postdoctoral woman researcher. It is given to a North American female astronomer within five years of receiving her PhD in the year designated for the award. For example, the recipient of a PhD in 2011 would be eligible for the 2016 award (which must be applied for in calendar year 2015), but not for the 2017 award (which would be applied for in calendar year 2016). The Cannon Award includes an honorarium of $1,500 and an invitation to give an invited talk at a meeting of the AAS, for which travel expenses will be paid. Self nominations are allowed. 

Read more

http://heavy.com/news/2014/12/annie-jump-cannon-astronomer-google-doodle/