cognition and behavior
apreyto
(excerpt)
Contractors do have their advantages. They can make the often
lumbering intelligence or military bureaucracies more nimble in the
face of quickly changing circumstances. Without spending years
training personnel, for instance, the government can simply purchase
the specialties that it needs from an outside firm. And there are no
legacy costs for healthcare or pensions.
Then again, outside contractors are generally far more expensive in
upfront costs than the aver age federal employee. Congressional
investigators estimate that the average federal employee costs the
government just over $120,000 per year, while a contractor can cost
more than $250,000. And contractors' accountability—particularly for
dangerous and politically explosive international projects—is
sometimes unclear. The legal accountability of contractors in general
is currently being tested by several lawsuits against military
contractors for their actions overseas.
Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed John Durham, a veteran
prosecutor, ...
_____________________________________________________
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_cia_interrogations
(excerpt)
Fri Sep 18, 7:45 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Seven former CIA directors asked President Barack Obama
on Friday to quash a criminal probe of harsh interrogations of terror
suspects during the Bush administration.
The CIA directors, who served both Democratic and Republican
presidents and include three who worked under President George W.
Bush, made their request in a letter Friday to the White House.
______________________________________________________
In press, J. Forgas (ed.), Hearts and minds: Affective influences on
social cognition and behavior. (Frontiers of Social Psychology
Series). New York: Psychology Press.
INTRODUCTION
Get a grip… control your emotions… don’t let your feelings get in the
way! Listen to your heart…get in touch with your emotions… express
yourself! These messages from the academic community, as well as
popular treatments of emotion, are contradictory. The rationalist
history of Western thought portrays emotions as fundamentally flawed,
and something we must therefore control (Haidt, 2001). Yet, there has
been another voice in history—and one echoed in recent evolutionary
treatments of emotion—that suggests that emotions are wise and not to
be ignored (Buss, 2001; Clore, in press; Keltner & Haidt, 1999;
Ketelaar, 2004, 2005; Ketelaar & Clore, 1997).
Emotions do indeed pose a paradox. There is little doubt that emotions
are a ubiquitous and a universal feature of our human nature (e.g.,
Ekman, 1992; Ekman & Friesen, 1971; Fessler, 1999), and thus it is
hard to believe that emotions emerged through evolution only to
disrupt judgment and decision-making. On the other hand, the
phenomenology of emotion certainly suggests otherwise: The effects of
emotion often seem objectively irrational and we feel the need to get
them under control (Baumeister, Vohs, & Tice, this volume; Varey &
Kahneman, 1992; Kahneman, 1999; Forgas & Ciarrochi, 2002).
In this paper we argue that an evolutionary perspective on emotions
and behavior may help to resolve this paradox. To do so, we review two
promising evolutionary approaches to emotion, discuss research linking
particular emotions to specific adaptive problems, and argue that
these theoretical arguments and empirical findings are consistent with
the claim that the emotions often display evidence of being designed
to aid, rather than hinder, social decision-making. Finally, we
conclude by suggesting that mismatches between our evolved emotional
responses and the novel modern environments in which they currently
operate often lead to outcomes we can legitimately view as suboptimal.
...there be one less set of footsteps...
apreyto
just where he said he would be, below the Philadelphia train station's
World War II memorial -- a soaring statue of a winged angel embracing
a fallen combatant, as if lifting him to heaven. Girard is wearing
pressed khaki pants, expensive-looking leather loafers and a crisp
blue button-down. He looks like a local businessman dressed for a
casual Friday -- a local businessman with a wickedly dark sense of
humor, which had become apparent when he said to look for him beneath
"the angel sodomizing a dead soldier." At 70, he appears robust and
healthy -- not the slightest bit disheveled or unusual-looking. He is
also carrying a bag.
Girard's description of himself is matter-of-fact, until he explains
what's in the bag: documents he believes prove that the government is
attempting to control his mind. He carries that black, weathered bag
everywhere he goes.
"Every time I go out, I'm prepared to come home and find everything is
stolen," he says.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001399_pf.html
apreyto
(excerpt)
[Illustrations]
LASERS! Light beams affect mind and body Lasers emit a high-intensity
light, which can force an individual to turn away or cause blinding.
Those that result in permanent blinding have been banned by
international treaty. But dazzling lasers might be used in hostage
situations, prison riots, and special operations. Status: Prototypes
exist Dazzling effects Lasers can force the pupil to close, or they
can burn the light-sensitive retina or cornea depending on the
intensity of the beam. Laser guns Lasers have been developed to be
mounted on existing weapons, such as the M-16 rifle. [labels] Grenade-
shell laser Clip-on targeting transmitter Cornea Pupil Lens Retina
ACOUSTIC WEAPONS! Arms for crowd control and invisible fencing
Acoustic frequencies could be used to guard sensitive facilities,
rescue hostages, clear paths for military convoys, disperse crowds, or
target individuals. Status: Prototypes exist. [labels] Acoustic
frequencies can penetrate buildings Acoustic "gun" mounted on humvee
Sonic "speakers" Acoustic fencing An array of acoustic devices can
keep people away. The closer they get, the worse they feel. Acoustic
effects on the body Sonic frequencies can cause tiny hair cells in the
inner ear to vibrate, creating sensations like motion sickness,
vertigo, and nausea. They can also resonate internal organs resulting
in pain, spasms, or even death.
VORTEX WEAPONS! These arms can knock down people or even aircraft The
vortex gun expels a doughnut-shaped shock wave that could knock people
down. The gun could also be filled with gases or chemical agents. A
vortex ring of pepper spray, for instance, would stun its victims with
both a physical blow and a chemical irritant. Status: Prototypes
exist. They may be hand held or vehicle mounted Explosive charge
creates vortex in shock tube The vortex ring would travel at hundreds
of miles per hour The vortex ring must spin at Mach 1 or faster to
create shock wave Shock wave hits body SMACK!(r)MDSU¯(r)MDNM¯ They may
also contain chemical agents such as pepper spray
Vortex technology The vortex gun fires a doughnut-shaped wave with a
powerful center. Lab tests show vortexes can break wooden boards
across a room. When they strike a person, the effect is like being hit
with a heavy blanket.
MICROWAVE WEAPONS! A "tunable" weapon that can discomfort or cook the
enemy As antipersonnel weapons, microwaves could be used as
"barriers," causing pain or burns to those who enter their path.
Phaserlike microwave "stun guns" have also been contemplated, but
major technical hurdles still need to be overcome before their
successful development. Status: Research is classified. Prototypes
reportedly exist and are ready for testing. [labels] Vehicle-mounted
microwave gun Microwave "barrier" BZZZZZZT!!! Disturbs brainwaves
Affects heart rate Causes heat, burns, fevers Seizures or stun effects
Impairs motor function Microwave effects on the body Microwaves have a
wide range of biological consequences. A heating effect is produced by
excitation of water molecules. Army experiments with animals in non-
weapons programs show that microwave exposure can lead to memory
impairment, cardiac arrest, a "stun" effect, and evoked body movements
(r)MDSU¯(r)MDNM¯.
This story appears in the July 7, 1997 print edition of U.S. News &
World Report.
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...they never let poor rudolf, play in any reindeer games...