Scottish childhoods: drugs, alcohol and beatings?

Or a simplistic view of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

[Alan Sinclair: Third Force News]

"Across Scotland today one child in four is assessed as vulnerable when they arrive at primary school. Vulnerable means they lack confidence, social skills, emotional maturity, language capability and good physical health. They have poor wellbeing. Many have experienced serious trauma in the form of abuse (sexual, drugs, alcohol), violence and neglect. There are 15,400 Scots children currently in the care of social services."

"Across Scotland in 2017, £310 million was spent on 1,600 young people in residential care. In Glasgow, 93 children were placed in specialist residential care at an average cost of £228,000 a year. Most of these young people have complex needs and have lead traumatised lives. What does that say about us as a society and as adults?"

"The latest medical and scientific research into the lifelong consequences of poor parenting on the development of babies’ brains points to the fact that damage begins in the womb, where the foetus suffers trauma through experiencing external influences ranging from the mother’s drugs and alcohol use to beatings from violent men. This damage is exacerbated once born if the baby suffers a lack of the loving care that mothers across most species devote to their young..."

"The result is generations of young Scots who are incapable of recognising love when they find it, and cannot give it when it is required. They are damaged beyond repair in their first 1,000 days of life, from conception to two years old, and society bears the huge cost of coping with their lifelong struggles."

Read more at https://thirdforcenews.org.uk/blogs/scotland-where-we-tolerate-babies-not-love-them#7K7dlwJDbcMkgOgK.99

A more academic approach to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

"The notion of ACEs has become internationally mobile from its creation in the USA two decades ago...The concept of ACEs is gaining increasing traction in the UK and more widely as a means for policymakers and professionals in a range of services, especially health, social work and policing, to develop and use ‘tickbox’ protocols that generate individual ACE ‘scores’, and to make algorithmic-based decisions: about how to target resources and at whom, and when and how to intervene..." 

"In the UK, ACEs have found a foothold in relation to the Troubled Families Programme, with its focus on targeted, intense and time-limited intervention to ‘turn around’ families displaying dysfunction according to a set of social indicators, to address and prevent the ‘root causes’ of mental and physical disease and intergenerational social disadvantage in early childhood experience (Crossley, 2018)."

"Macvarish and Lee provide an analysis of the various perspectives on the advantages and limitations of an ACEs approach..., arguing that there are links into the wider ‘first three years movement’ which homes in on parents as both the cause and solution to childhood adversities and determining of future outcomes..."

"Mcvarish and Lee identify the way that ACEs discourse is heavily gendered, with mothers positioned as deterministic mediators for their children with little consideration of their own adversities. Davidson and Carlin consider class-based inequalities and values in resilience-informed youth policy and practice in the ‘ACE-aware’ nation of Scotland, to unpack the way that injustice is reframed as individual deficiency and young people in deprived areas are assessed and held to account against middle class social values. They call for policies that change circumstances rather than individuals."  
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/social-policy-and-society/article/introduction-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces-implications-and-challenges/A1E57E800C74406E84F93AB9F8CB125D/core-reader

The myth of the first three years

"John Bruer offers a voice of sanity, common sense, and genuine expertise to counter the latest fad from the witch doctors of child development. Nothing is more important than understanding the growth of children's minds, and Bruer insightfully reviews the state of the art with admirable clarity, balance, intelligence, and humour. This is an indispensable book for parents, professionals, and anyone else who is interested in the fate of our children."


[Steven Pinker Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, MIT, author of `The Language Instinct` and `How the Mind Works`]

No safety studies for 5G

Former Microsoft Canada President, Frank Clegg, speaks about the risks of 5G wireless technology.

Anti-terrorism legislation to be used against anti-vaxxers

[Telegraph]

 

"Britain must tackle killer health threats from abroad in the same way it handles terrorism, because deadly infections know no borders, the government’s chief medical officer has said."

"In her final report before stepping down to become the first female Master of Trinity College Cambridge, Dame Sally Davies said the UK must adopt a similar approach to global health as [it] does with its counter-terrorism (CONTEST) strategy."

"The strategy brings together intelligence organisations from across the world to ‘prevent, pursue, protect and prepare’ for a terrorist attack and ensures countries act swiftly together in the event of an atrocity."

"Dame Sally said Britain must adopt a similar approach to stop pandemics..."

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/21/killer-global-health-threats-should-treated-like-terrorism-says/

[UK Column News 24 July 2019]

"More good news because Dame Sally Davies has released her final ever annual report of the Chief Medical Officer because, of course, she`s leaving that role in the not-too-distant future. And in her final report she has outlined, apparently, the UK`s leading role in global health and highlights the need to share international knowledge and experience. So this is good stuff."

"It`s clear, apparently, by `focusing purely on domestic health we risk failing to control the shifting tide of global threats, diseases and their determinants`..."

"Computer software used to prevent people joining ISIS and the KKK could be aimed at anti-vaxxers to stop them spreading dangerous myths online."

"Fantastic article. Well worth reading. It`s the subtlety of the whole thing. So it says here: `Anti-terror computer software could be used to target people spreading lies about vaccines. The program, which finds at-risk people through their online searches and facebook posts, is being adapted to help to stop the spread of anti-vaccination myths. It works by finding those who are reading or watching dangerous content and instead shows them adverts to get help or sending them direct messages. People reading anti-vaxx conspiracy theories could instead see pop-ups with reliable information about immunisation or offered counselling`."

"It finds at-risk people. So we`ve got an algorithm that`s going to troll through what you`re doing and looking at, and decide if you`re at-risk. That`s a huge threat to civil liberties in my opinion. And then it`s going to decide - Is it AI deciding this or a person? I suspect it might be AI - whether we`re watching dangerous content and if it decides that we`re watching dangerous content about vaccinations then it`s going to - what was that expression? - Offer counselling."

Mike Robinson. "Yes. So just so that everybody understands what that means: it is that every communication between your web browser and the web server that you`re going to look at is going to be assessed, analysed; it`s going to be, in fact, changed in transit. So what we`re effectively seeing here is the government operating a man-in-the-middle attack ... between you and the third party that you`re looking at, with a view to changing your mind. About what? - about the stuff you`re reading? This is worse than China."

Brian Gerrish. "Worse than China because, of course, it`s all done by deceit whereas at least we know there`s a communist government in China."

"But thanks to the Daily Mail for putting up this graphic because it says `A report by... the Wellcome Trust estimated the percentage of people worldwide who believe vaccines are safe. `People living in Europe have the lowest level of faith in immunisations whilst those in the east of Africa and South Asia are most likely to believe they work`."

"Now that`s quite an interesting spread of opinion there; but they go on to say that common anti-vaxx theories include that `the jabs don`t work, or give people the disease they`re supposed to protect against, that the drugs contain dangerous heavy metals or even that one of them is linked to autism. All are regularly debunked and vaccines have been proven to be safe over decades and saved millions of lives`."

"Nothing to back this claim up, of course. `Tackling the spread of these myths which is sped up by social media is becoming an increasing priority of the government in the UK`."

"So there you are. If you start to question and research the dangers of vaccines you`re going to be picked up by ... anti-terrorism legislation. But they`re going to offer you counselling at some stage. So presumably you`re going to end up in the psychiatric gulag, trying some of these injections, if you dare question it."

Mike Robinson nods

"Brilliant system isn`t it?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWJ_NgHy7E0

Data analytics threatens local democracy

Here is what Xantura has to say about its Fusion platform:

"The Fusion platform is being configured to better target early help services and reduce financial pressures in several business domains, including;

Children`s Services
Adult Social Care & Health
Housing / Homelessness
Community Safety In all these deployments, very careful consideration is given by data owners as to what data will be supplied and under what circumstances it can be shared."

However the reality might involve breaches in a family`s right to privacy given that consent for data sharing is not always sought. For example:

"Hackney Council is refusing to release details about a profiling system which flags at-risk families in the borough to social workers." 
"The Town Hall has also confirmed that people whose data is captured through its services are not told it is being used for this purpose."



"The council has paid a total of £361,400 to private data analytics company Xantura since 2015, and says it is trialling the firm’s Early Help Profiling System (EHPS)..."

"A spokesperson said the decision to keep secret what predictive indicators are used to profile families is at the request of Xantura, which argues the information is commercially sensitive."


But Alexandra Runswick, director of campaign group Unlock Democracy, said: `Commercial sensitivity should not override democratic accountability`. " 
"`Private companies like Xantura – that knowingly get into the business of local democracy – should expect to be open about how software is being used for targeting`." 
"`We know that human biases can be baked into profiling software design. This is a challenge that some of the largest companies in the world haven’t been able to iron out`."
 
https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2018/10/18/council-360k-xantura-software-profiles-troubled-families/

AI technology for shocking online child abuse

[UK Column 4 September 2018]

Mike Robinson: "Now yesterday we mentioned Sajid Javid making it his personal mission to deal with child sexual exploitation online; and I suggested that, perhaps, there was a bit more to this than meets the eye; because let`s face it, the British government for many many years of many political hues hasn`t exactly felt that this was a subject that they particularly needed to deal with."

 

"So they`re going to keep children safe online and as we made the point yesterday Sajid Javid said that he was absolutely shocked...at the scale of the potential for abuse of children online; and so he had said that all technology companies had to step up their efforts to tackle online sexual exploitation; and that was the result of this figure of 80,000 people in the UK presenting some kind of sexual threat to children online; and a 700% increase in child images being referred to the National Crime Agency."

"But he said that while he was pleased at the efforts of online platforms to tackle online extremism following the government`s calls for them to do that a couple of years ago.... really they needed to do something about this issue as well. Well, as I say, you know, this seemed very fishy to me because government has done absolutely nothing in this area in the past. But we don`t need to worry because ... at the same time Sajid Javid is making this statement and saying that the social media companies and the big online companies needed to do something about this, well, Google just had a press release ready to go - just a pure coincidence Brian. It wasn`t staged in any shape or form; they just had it ready to go, this announcement, which took place about the same time Savid Javid was making his."

"And they`re saying that they are going to use AI to help organisations detect and report child sexual abuse material online. So this is a new free tool that they`re offering to service providers, NGOs and other technology companies which is going to be able to review content at scale and use deep neural networks for image processing. They can now assist reviewers sorting through many images by prioritising those that are the most likely to contain child sexual abuse material... So that`s good."

"So Javid had said that he wanted technology companies to stop child grooming taking place on their platforms. He said he wanted them to work with government and law enforcement to shut down live-streaming child abuse. He wanted companies to be much more forward leaning to help law enforcement agencies to deal with these types of crimes; and he said that he wanted them to show a greater level of openness and transparency and a willingness to share best practice and technology between companies. So if you were taking this problem seriously those suggestions are probably quite useful; but I maintain a healthy scepticism."

"Now the other item that he mentioned on his list was this: that he expected ... technology companies to block child sexual abuse material as soon as companies detect it being uploaded. And this one stuck out for me because ... this is identical  to the EU`s copy directive."

"Article 11 of that failed to pass in July which was all about the ability for technology companies to scan content as it`s being uploaded to their platforms and automatically censor content that they didn`t feel was appropriate. Now, of course, I am by no means suggesting that child sexual abuse material is appropriate to upload but of course this is ... about implementing, or finding an excuse to implement, certain types of technologies. I just reiterate the point that at no point in the last 30 years has the British government done anything to deal with this issue and suddenly now we`re dealing with it by implementing policies and implementing technologies which aren`t going to make a huge amount of difference to the people who are perpetrating these crimes but are going to make a huge amount of difference to us; because what this means is that all material being uploaded to these platforms is being scanned... under the cover of being scanned for the purposes of identifying this material."

"What else is going on today?"

"Well Cressida Dick the police commissioner for the Metropolitan Police said: `Vital evidence in criminal investigations held by tech and social media firms should be made available in minutes.`"

 

"So, in other words, what we`re building here - under the - this is a pretty cynical effort I think by Sajid Javid - to build a police state using child abuse ..."

Brian Gerrish: "As a way of levering in the censorship."

Mike Robinson: "Absolutely. And I`ll just say once again the British government has done nothing on this issue, and you know, I have to say I`m staggered that the various police authorities are able to offer any statistics on this:  Suddenly we`ve got this big statistic of 80,000 people and a 700% increase; because one thing we`ve been flagging up over the last number of years is how statistics with respect to child abuse and children in care and so on, these statistics are impossible to find because they`re not held...So how they magicked these up for this purpose is another question I`d like an answer to."

Brian Gerrish. "Very interesting. Well if we might pop the lovely Cressida Dick back on the screen there Mike I read this. It makes me wince: ...`Vital evidence in criminal investigations held by tech and social media firms should be made available in minutes`. "

"For what? Because, Ms Dick, when one of your own policemen, John Wedger, came forward with his evidence ... that the abuse of children...children dying, was being covered up by the Met police, by MPs, by local authorities and charities, your force did absolutely nothing with that evidence. In fact, they attacked John Wedger: bullied him, threatened him, put him on half pay, stopped his pay. So this was all on the watch of Cressida Dick and yet she`s now standing up to threaten internet companies that you better produce this information. Presumably she wants the information to help close it down, as was done with John Wedger. "
　
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siUBHz7d2ps

Privacy breaches

And SEEMiS.

The NO2NP campaigning group has learned that "the SEEMiS app, operating in Named Person pilots despite the Supreme Court judgment, tells users to `override consent` as a matter of course."

"A video tutorial for the app told practitioners"

"To extract information you will have to qualify why you’re taking it out of the system. The system asks a user to confirm whether or not consent has been given to share information. By default, most of the time, you’ll be able to tick ‘I wish to override consent’. Otherwise, you’ll have to show that you asked for parental and child consent."
"Yes, you read that right," the group continues: "`Override consent` `By default` `Avoid having to show that consent has been given`. An eagle-eyed NO2NP supporter captured a screenshot of the tick box in question...and posted it on Twitter."

"Several hours later, the video tutorial and associated guidance were deleted. This tells us that somebody, somewhere, knew the advice was in conflict with legal requirements."

"But all of this raises a much bigger question: if the SEEMiS app is still telling non-statutory named persons across the country that they can override consent, is unlawful data sharing still going on?"

"And if so, what are the Government going to do about it?"

Read more https://no2np.org/named-person-database-encouraging-users-override-consent-default/

Teenager targeted by extremists

"The authors of a report investigating extremism in Greater Manchester after the bombing at Manchester Arena falsely suggested that anti-fracking activists `groomed` a 14-year-old boy featured in a case study, the Guardian understands."

"The 124-page report by the Greater Manchester preventing hateful extremism and promoting social cohesion commission included the story of a teenager referred to Channel, part of the government’s anti-extremist Prevent programme."

"Calling him Aaron, the report described him as an A* pupil who `was referred to the Channel programme by his school due to concerns about his extreme beliefs in relation to the environment, specifically issues around fracking`..."

"But according to Greater Manchester police, the boy in question was never involved in the anti-fracking movement. He had been targeted by an entirely different group of activists, the force said. The detail was then changed without their knowledge, ostensibly to protect his real identity..."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/30/anti-fracking-activists-falsely-accused-grooming-boy-14?CMP=share_btn_tw

Emotional Intelligence for educators and intelligence officers

Mike Robinson is talking to David Scott on UK Column News about the MI6 television advertisement . "So this is the first time MI6 has put an advertisement on British TV and it`s quite interesting."



MI6 AD HERE

"So MI6 is now openly advertising for candidates, David, and what I found interesting about this is that they have relaxed the selection criteria.... So you must still be a British citizen but you`re not required to have one parent who has been a UK citizen, or at least has substantial ties to the UK; so they seem to be relaxing that quite a bit. And many of the mainstream media articles on this have been highlighting the fact that they seem to be particularly targeting people with immigrant status.... I`m not quite sure what MI6 is playing at here. First of all they`re supposed to be a foreign intelligence agency, not operating within the UK; so it looks like they are, perhaps, looking for people that they can send back to their home countries."

David Scott: "Well that would be rational.  I don`t know that rational is the thing to mind when you see the advert. What was that saying? It`s all about some sort of emotional intelligence and if you care enough you`re really empathetic; you`re in fact an intelligence officer...."

"Right, right. That`s right, David. And emotional intelligence is of course pure Common Purpose speak. This is part of Common Purpose agenda that you have intelligence IQ; you have cultural intelligence; that`s CQ, which is an awareness of other cultures, and you have emotional intelligence which, of course, most people of a psychopathic or sociopathic bent don`t really understand which is why they need training on the issue."

David Scott:  "Yes, and in terms of the foreign recruitment again, what are we trying to do ? What are the strategic goals? What`s the oversight? Are we actually seeing an organisation that`s following, albeit in a secret way, well understood national objectives, security and safety? Or are we seeing something with an entirely different agenda? ... The level to which it is now beyond the ken of the public as to what is being done in their name, and beyond the control of politicians, is just astounding."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcnd3usdNxo

Another look at `Emotional Intelligence`

Emotional intelligence is being used in schools to dumb children down, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds:

"Gardner (1985) explains that multiple intelligences are needed to define the complex human abilities and refers to how intelligence is measured scientifically. He states that a child who is capable of completing mathematic sums is not overall more intelligent that the next child who can express his feelings or empathise with others in his peer group. It is this reason that emotional intelligence is highlighted in education as Gardner states that there are different kinds of intelligence and none more important than the other..."

http://workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com/new/docs/research/Emotional_Intelligence_Final.pdf

Emotional intelligence is also being used in schools as a sly means to monitor families:

 "In its linguistic and behavioural manifestations, emotional intelligence is synonymous with ‘emotional literacy’ (Goleman, 1996). This concept is now given increasing prominence in education, where curriculum advice for three to seven year olds (Foundation and Key Stage 1) specifies personal and social development as one of the six key curriculum areas (DfEE/QCA, 2000). The expectation is that, in routine teaching practice as well as special group times (‘Circle Time’) children in primary schools will be encouraged to talk to teachers and to one another and about personal and interpersonal difficulties and positive behavioural changes are to be conspicuously rewarded (Mortimer, 2003)."

http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1445055/1/U592368.pdf

See also Emotional Intelligence and Curriculum for Excellence 
http://workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com/new/docs/research/Emotional_Intelligence_Final.pdf

British establishment involved in behavioural manipulation

"Much of the media spotlight is now on Cambridge Analytica and their shadowy antics in elections worldwide, including that of Donald Trump."

"However, Cambridge Analytica is a mere offshoot of Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL Group) – an organisation with its roots deeply embedded within the British political, military and royal establishment."

"Indeed, as the Observer article which broke the scandal said `For all intents and purposes, SCL/Cambridge Analytica are one and the same`."

"Like Cambridge Analytica, SCL group is a behavioural research and strategic communication company."

"In 2005, SCL went public with a glitzy exhibit at the DSEI conference, the UK’s largest showcase for military technology."

"Its ‘hard sell’ was a demonstration of how the UK government could use a sophisticated media campaign of mass deception to fool the British people into thinking an accident at a chemical plant had occurred and threatened central London. Genuinely."

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2018/03/20/scl-a-very-british-coup/

Chemical threat, deception, manipulation of the the British people: that`s interesting.

Data retention of internet activity is against the law

30 January 2018

"The Government is breaking the law by collecting the nation's internet activity and phone records and letting public bodies grant themselves access to these personal details with no suspicion of serious crime and no independent sign-off – meaning significant parts of its latest Snoopers’ Charter are effectively unlawful."

"Judges at the Court of Appeal have today backed a challenge by MP Tom Watson, represented by Liberty, to the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) – a previous law covering state surveillance."

"DRIPA expired at the end of 2016 – but the Government replicated and vastly expanded the same powers in the Investigatory Powers Act, which started to come into force in 2017. Liberty is challenging this latest law in a major separate case, to be heard in the High Court later this year."

"In anticipation of this ruling, the Government has already conceded that the Investigatory Powers Act will need to change. But its half-baked plans do not even fully comply with past court rulings requiring mandatory safeguards – and they continue to allow public bodies to indiscriminately retain and access personal data, including records of internet use, location tracking using mobile phones and records of who we communicate with and when."

https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news/press-releases-and-statements/court-appeal-rules-government-surveillance-regime-unlawful

Schoolchildren to be given psychological tests

PISA will test non-cognitive skills


[Ben Williamson `Code Acts in Education`]

"In recent years, the OECD’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) tests have been the subject of extensive debate and research. New tests, such as the PISA-based Test for Schools to help schools compare themselves to international standards, as well as the expansion of its tests to include factors like problem-solving and well-being, have become available as the OECD has gradually extended its logic of measurement and comparison into policymaking systems globally..."

"Organisations including the global education business Pearson and the Nudge Unit have produced research summaries and guidance on developing SELS. The core idea behind many social-emotional learning and skills approaches is that the ‘non-cognitive’ aspects of learning are fundamentally linked to academic progress and to a range of social and economic outcomes, such as productivity, labour market behaviours and overall well-being."

"Moreover, many advocates maintain, SELS are malleable and can be improved through direct teaching intervention..."

"Terms used for SELS including ‘character,’ ‘growth mindset,’ ‘grit,’ ‘resilience,’ and other ‘non-cognitive’ or ‘non-academic’ ‘personal qualities’ are often used interchangeably and gain traction with different academic, practitioner and policymaking communities..."

"The data production expectations on schools, students and their families are, as the list demonstrates, extensive and extend well beyond the normal jurisdiction of the education sector into the extraction of information about homes, family relationships and parenting practices."

"The direct assessment will be delivered online using a centralized software platform for assessment of children’s SE skills. Notably, the OECD claims it will use log file data obtained during the test as additional indicators of SE skills."

"Log file information collected during computer-based international assessments has been described by Bryan Maddox as ‘process data’ collected about such things as response times and key strokes, which can be studied with ‘micro-analytic precision’ in the analysis of larger-scale assessment data..."

"This project exemplifies a form of stealth assessment whereby students are being assessed on criteria they know nothing about, and which rely on micro-analytics of their gestures across interfaces and keyboards..."

SELS: an investment opportunity

"Beyond the presumed scientific objectivity of personality testing, interest in SELS among government departments and policymakers is also due at least in part to the economic arguments made by its advocates."

"In the US, SELS are a lucrative investment opportunity under the banner of ‘impact investing.’ These ‘pay for success’ schemes allow investment banks and wealthy philanthropies to invest in educational services and programs and then collect public money with additional interest as profits if they meet agreed outcomes..."

https://codeactsineducation.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/pisa-for-personality-testing/

For a discussion on `grit` and `growth mindsets`:

David Denby (June 21, 2016). The limits of "grit". The New Yorker culture desk blog

David Didau (July 10, 2014). Grit and growth: who’s to blame for low achievement? blog

David Didau (October 24, 2015). Is growth mindset pseudoscience? blog

=============================

Here is an extract from Jane Robbins` testimony to the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce which covers a similar topic.

January 30, 2018

"The Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking was created to pursue a laudable goal: To improve analysis of the effectiveness of federal programs. We all certainly agree that public policy should be based on evidence, on facts, not on opinion or dogma. So unbiased scientific research, for example, is vital for policymaking."

"But the problem arises when the subjects of the research and analysis are human beings. Each American citizen is endowed with personal dignity and autonomy and therefore is entitled to respect and deference when it comes to his or her own personal data. The idea that the government should be able to vacuum up mountains of personal data and employ it for whatever purposes it deems useful – without the citizen’s consent, or in many cases even his knowledge – conflicts deeply with this truth about the dignity of persons."

"Bear in mind that the analyses contemplated by the Commission go even further than merely sharing discrete data points among agencies. They involve creating new information about individuals, via matching data, drawing conclusions, and making predictions about those individuals. So in essence the government would have information about a citizen that even he or she doesn’t have."


"Our founding principles, which enshrine the consent of the governed, dictate that a citizen’s data belongs to him, not to the government..."

https://truthinamericaneducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CEP-hearing-testimony-2018.pdf

ID to contain `biometric features`

"Earlier this month, Rep. Bob Goodlatte [R-VA-6] introduced H.R.4760 – Securing America’s Future Act of 2018, a sweeping bill that entails everything from Education and the Workforce to Homeland Security to the military. Also, tucked away in this 400-page behemoth of a bill are the details of a new biometric National ID card that could soon be required for everyone."

"Not surprisingly, there is almost no media coverage on this legislation."

"H.R. 4760 establishes a mandatory National Identification system that requires all Americans to carry a government-approved ID containing "biometric features." Without this card, according to the legislation, you will not be able to work in this country."

"The legislation was drafted under the auspices of providing a legislative solution for the current beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program."

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/national-id-hr4760-biometrics/?utm_campaign=crowdfire&utm_content=crowdfire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#898736670-tw1517114123822

Dangers of snap map

"MINISTERS have teamed up with Police Scotland to warn children of popular social media app Snapchat which reveals users’ locations."

"Holyrood officials have also contacted the service provider who have given their backing for updated guidance to youngsters and their parents."

"Privacy concerns were raised last month after it emerged the app’s new feature revealed users’ exact location and what they were doing."

"Child safety groups warned Snap Map could put youngsters at risk of stalking and bullying but Snapchat insisted location-sharing was `completely optional` and off by default..."

"The SNP administration is working closely with digital media providers and industry to support young users and provide information to them and their parents and carers to keep them out of harm’s way."

"Earlier this year the Government also produced an action plan on the issue and works closely with Education Scotland to promote the message in schools..."

"A current support page explains: `Your friends will be shown on the Map with their Bitmoji. Sometimes, their Bitmojis might even show them driving, walking, or more! If they don’t have their Bitmoji account linked, then you’ll see them as a blank Bitmoji outline`."

"The NSPCC immediately raised concerns about the app and said: `It's worrying that Snapchat is encouraging under 18s to broadcast their location on the app where it can potentially be accessed by everyone in their contacts list`."

"`With public accounts, this will include those who are not known to the user`..."

"Statistics show the charity's Glasgow Childline base handled almost 50 calls from around the UK linked to Snapchat based bullying between June and July 2017 while over 2015/16 the service carried out close to 900 counselling sessions with children contacting them from Scotland on the issue."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/831867/Ministers-Police-Scotland-warn-kids-children-Snapchat-revealing-location-Snap-Map

Suspect was known to anti-terror police

"One of the three jihadists who [allegedly] murdered revellers in central London on Saturday had been reported to the anti-terror police on at least two occasions, it has been claimed."

"A former friend of the terrorist, who was shot dead by police along with two accomplices, claimed he had been radicalised while watching YouTube videos and said he contacted the authorities after becoming concerned over his friend`s extremist views. A neighbour also claimed she had contacted police in Barking, east London after the suspect tried to convert her children to Islam and radicalise them."

"The man is not being named at the request of the police. The former friend claimed he contacted police after comments the man made about other previous attacks. But he said the authorities had failed to act and take action despite evidence of increasingly extremist views."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/04/london-terrorist-had-twice-referred-police-extremist-views/

The Prevent strategy does not seem to be working !

The BBC asks: What do the manifestos say?

"The Conservative manifesto does not specifically mention Prevent. It does, however, say: `We will continue to invest in our world-leading security services and maintain and develop our counter-terrorism strategy to protect us from terrorism at home and abroad`."

"Labour's manifesto pledges to review the Prevent programme with a view to assessing both its effectiveness and its potential to alienate minority communities. It says: `In doing so, we will address the government's failure to take any effective new measures against a growing problem of extreme or violent radicalisation`."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40151991

One theory for the outbreak of radicalism that is definitely not welcome to Tory ministers is any connection between extremism and foreign arms deals.

In the clip below Amber Rudd can be clearly seen passing a note to the chairman at the hustings encouraging him to stop the speech of the independent candidate who is linking the Manchester bombing to Tory support for arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
　

May calls for tighter regulation of internet

"New international agreements should be introduced to regulate the internet in the light of the London Bridge terror attack, Theresa May has said."

"The Prime Minister said introducing new rules for cyberspace would `deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online` and that technology firms were not currently doing enough."

"The Prime Minister made the comments outside Downing Street on Sunday morning in the aftermath of the van and knife attack that saw seven people killed and dozens injured..."

"The call was one plank in Ms May's speech following the attack. The Prime Minister also said Britain was too tolerant of extremism and that `pluralistic` British values had to be established as superior..."

"The intervention comes after the introduction of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 – the so-called 'Snooper's Charter' – which expands the powers of spying agencies and the Government over the internet."

"The Act, championed by Ms May, requires internet service providers to maintain a list of visited websites for all internet users for a year and gives intelligence agencies more powers to intercept online communications. Police can access the stored browsing history without any warrant or court order."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-internet-regulated-london-bridge-terror-attack-google-facebook-whatsapp-borough-security-a7771896.html

Paris agreement on climate change

Theresa`s strong and stable commitment to the Paris climate change agreement is a bit of a waffle.

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There are links between climate change, city mayors, Bilderberg and one world governance as the discussion on UK Column, 2 June 2017, was able to draw out. Because children are made frightened about climate change all through their education in schools and beyond, the evidence suggests they are being prepared by deception to accept one world governance

Bilderberg 2017

Mike Robinson spoke to Mark Anderson of American Free Press who is covering the Bilderberg meeting in Chantilly, Virginia.

When he was asked for an update Mark said of the Bilderberg attendees: "They started rolling in yesterday... Christine Lagarde just before 7 pm local time. She`s the long time head of the International Monetary Fund. What is notable this year is that there is no less than fifteen members of the press here... mostly from Italy, Spain, Norway. It`s not just Micklethwait of Bloomberg and it`s not just the Economist and it`s not just Peggy Noonan ...Out of a 131 attendees, we`ve got about 11 or 12 percent media...So the media representation here who are not reporting to their public but are participating has tripled for this year. That`s one very notable thing. Another notable thing is the head of Cern super collider is here, the man that runs that out of Switzerland. That`s rather unusual... But Trump`s apparent decision to pull out of the Paris accord is overshadowing everything and the internationalists, neoliberals, monopoly capitalists and Bilderberg press is going crazy over Trump`s apparent decision. So that`s all they`re talking about is the Paris climate accord over so-called climate change."

"Do you think the change in personnel is in anyway indicating a change of role for Bilderberg," Mike Robinson asked.

"Well certainly we have to look at the wake of the very recent death, May 26th, of Brzezinski, a Bilderberger, also connected to one of the spokes of Bilderberg`s hub and that is the Trilateral Commission that he helped found with David Rockefeller who also passed away in March. So you have the old guard beginning to pass away... and now Henry Kissinger has got to be hanging by the proverbial thread."

"Some of the new people coming on board are the head of Cern, also George Osborne, former chancellor of the Exchequer, listed as the London Evening Standard editor. Now he`s listed as some of the fifteen or so news editors. There`s some new twists and turns like that and the exact answer to that question is one we`ll be exploring more over the weekend talking to people on the inside of the Bilderberg, if at all possible, and talking to others who are coming here... but I would say tentatively the answer is very likely yes."

Patrick Henningsen. "What about the... high tech component of Bilderberg this year, Mark?   They seem to be taking a more prominent role in the steering committees and so forth. What are you hearing about that?"

"What I`ve heard last year and ... going back to 2015 in Austria when that was prevalent then is that this represents the focus on sequestering more information... and more of the connivance between people like Erick Schmidt and these high tech attendees with intelligence people that come to Bilderberg, former and current intelligence people. We have Mr Cohen a former assistant director of the CIA who is here this year. You have this collaboration between former and current Intel people and your Facebook people, your Google people...and the concern is that through artificial intelligence surveillance technology there`ll be more insider trading between Intel people and people who work in the information technology realm that you`re talking about, Patrick. And the suspicion is - and I think it`s a valid one -  is that there`s a lot of insider collaboration going on to get these high tech companies to share more data with the government for surveillance purposes... Just like Michael Meacher said back in 2013, Bilderberg is part of a deal making conference. It`s not just a world planning committee that`s off the grid to chart the basic economic and political and cultural destiny of the world. It`s also a deal making conference. So that`s the general fear. It`s reaching more of a fever pitch this year."

Climate change

Mike Robinson: "Donald Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement and the media is going absolutely nuts. Here is the Independent. Donald Trump might be the dimmest President the US has ever had. Patrick, they`ve got a short memory. Surely George W Bush is the dimmest...?"
 
"They do have a short memory. It is amazing... Yes, they are up in arms that the US seems to be withdrawing its agreement..."

"So EU leaders warn Trump the Paris climate deal can`t be renegotiated. So Trump seems to be taking a leaf out of the British book attempting to renegotiate things after it happened, or whatever. "

"So the media is full of this stuff. So we now have animations appearing of a hundred years of global warming. So we`ve got to make sure that despite Trump`s decision, don`t wonder why he`s made that decision, keep following the rhetoric. "

"Here`s what you were talking about. Sean Spicer pushed this out. It`s a quote from Trump saying I was elected by voters of Pittsburgh, not Paris. I promised I would exit or renegotiate any deal which fails to serve US interests."

"Well, the responses: Fact: Hillary Clinton received 80% of the vote in Pittsbugh, Pittsburgh stands with the world & will follow Paris Agreement. And we get a clue here as to the kind of response we are going to see. This is the same guy, Bill Pedulo, saying, As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy and future and he said: The United States joins Syria, Nicaragua & Russia in deciding not to participate with world`s Paris Agreement. It`s now up to cities to lead and here we get the clue of what`s coming next."

 

"And this is Anne Hildago, Mayor of Paris. Regardless of Donald Trump`s decision, the great cities of the world... remain resolutely committed to doing what needs to be done to implement the Paris agreement."

"So what we`re seeing is this being used as an excuse to push through a form of alternative governance. We`re not going to have national governments any more. It`s going to be city based."

Patrick Henningsen concurs: "The city state agenda, smart cities, strong cities, resilient cities, we`re back to this theme again, but what it does Mike ... it accentuates the difference politically between urban and rural and definitely if you look at the demographics of the Hilary Clinton campaign .... `I live in the city, so therefore I`m more relevant and people who live outside the city are not as relevant`... "

 

"Anne Hildago was writing in News Week this morning saying Donald Trump has made a dramatic and unpopular mistake in leaving Paris agreement. Of course the image for the video is of the polar bear . That`s got to be the case. She said: `We deem the momentum generated in Paris, December 2015, irreversible . We firmly believe that the Paris agreement cannot be renegotiated since this is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies. And of course this is all linked in with Agenda 2030 development goals."

"And just to reinforce that then, of course, she also heads up C40 Cities which is the think tank which promotes city based governance and of course she also heads up Women4Climate."

Let`s just remember who else is involved in this momentum towards city based governance, Ken Livingstone who said: Devolve power to your cities if you want to save the planet. Join the Global Parliament of Mayors. And here`s the Mayor of Hague saying: The Global Parliament of Mayors will deploy collective urban political power manifesting the right of cities to govern themselves, as well as the responsibility to enact viable, cross-border solutions to global challenges. In this era of interdependence, where nation states are increasingly dysfunctional and cities are everywhere rising, the moment has come for cities to take the leap from effective local governance to true global governance."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkR-MrzQLAU

See Martin Edward`s article The Global Parliament of Mayors and the Abolition of the Electorate

For a list of attendees at Bilderberg see http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants.html

Facial recognition to be used to monitor students

Theresa May plans regulations for internet

[Andre Griffin]

"Theresa May is planning to introduce huge regulations on the way the internet works, allowing the government to decide what is said online."

"Particular focus has been drawn to the end of the manifesto, which makes clear that the Tories want to introduce huge changes to the way the internet works."

"`Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet,` it states. `We disagree`."

"Senior Tories confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the phrasing indicates that the government intends to introduce huge restrictions on what people can post, share and publish online."

"The plans will allow Britain to become `the global leader in the regulation of the use of personal data and the internet`, the manifesto claims."

"It comes just soon after the Investigatory Powers Act came into law. That legislation allowed the govrnment to force internet companies to keep records on their cusomters` browsing histories, as well as giving ministers the power to break apps like WhatsApp so that messages can be read."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/theresa-may-internet-conservatives-government-a7744176.html

Ways of making you think

Data sharing provisions criticised in Digital Economy Bill

"A House of Lords Committee has heavily criticised the data sharing provisions in Part V of the Digital Economy Bill; it has reported that the provisions should not be supported in their current form."

The Report confirms Amberhawk`s blog comments that the data sharing provisions (e.g. for efficient public sector service delivery, for research and statistics, for debt recovery and for fraud) are untrammelled. Namely the provisions:
"combined with the flexibility for Ministers to add to the list of data sharing objectives, provides a gateway that could allow future Governments to share personal data across the public sector by Ministerial edict without reference to Parliament; "
"could replace many existing data sharing legislative provisions and negate the need for data sharing provisions in future legislation."
"The following quotes (in italics) from the Report [should be] enough to convince you that that these provisions are seriously deficient:"

"We infer that at least some of the clauses in Part 5 are intended to supersede existing and more specific information-sharing gateways"

"We observe that those provisions are drafted in very general terms, and would appear to permit any purpose connected with the provision of a public service to be prescribed as a `specified objective`."

"The provisions of the Government’s draft regulations would allow for large scale disclosures of confidential personal information from one `specified person` to another."

"For example, the DWP would have power to disclose social security information on a bulk basis to all local authorities, and/or the police, and/or schools, with a view to allowing the recipients to match this against data that they already hold to facilitate the identification of individuals facing multiple disadvantages..."

"We are also deeply concerned about the power to prescribe as a `specified person` a person `providing services to a public authority` (see clause 30(3)(b)). ….This means that any person with whom one of those authorities chooses to contract for the provision of services connected with the `specified objective` would then become entitled to disclose and receive information under this gateway for the purpose of that objective. This applies whether the service provider concerned is in the public sector or is a charity or a commercial organisation." (Report’s emphasis)

Read more http://amberhawk.typepad.com/amberhawk/2017/01/index.html