Thursday, June 28, 2018
Anonymous Promises Action Over Immigration & Child Separation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G70pj4OeoBo
Ajit Pai Insists “Public Opinion is Not Against Us” on Net Neutrality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz15iHO-KQ
Is Europe's New Military 'Intervention Force' a Message to Trump?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oBTgSseeIY
Computational model analysis reveals serotonin speeds learning
Study
provides insight into the role of serotonin in neural plasticity
June
26, 2018
Sainsbury
Wellcome Centre
A
new computational-model reveals that serotonin, one of the most widespread
chemicals in the brain, can speed up learning.
A
new computational-model designed by researchers at UCL based on data from the
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown reveals that serotonin, one of the most
widespread chemicals in the brain, can speed up learning.
Serotonin
is thought to mediate communications between neural cells and play an essential
role in functional, and dysfunctional, cognition. For a long time, serotonin
has been recognized as a major target of antidepressants
(selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor (SSRIs) that are used to treat various
psychiatric conditions, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive-disorder and
forms of anxiety. However, serotonin in humans, and other animals, is
associated with a bewildering variety of aspects of cognition and
decision-making, including punishment, reward and patience.
The
new results, published in Nature Communications today, provide
additional illumination. In the article, Kiyohito Iigaya and Peter Dayan at
Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit and the Max Planck UCL Centre for
Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research at UCL, analysed data collected by
their collaborators, Madalena Fonseca and Masayoshi Murakami, led by Zachary
Mainen at the Champalimaud Centre for Unknown in Portugal.
In
the experiments, mice were trained to choose one of the two targets to receive
water rewards. Mice continually had to learn which of the targets was more
rewarding, as the reward rates changed without warning. Crucially, sometimes
serotonin release in the brain was temporarily boosted in mice with genetically
modified serotonin neurons by a technique called optogenetics, allowing the
effects of serotonin on learning to be assessed.
Iigaya
built a computational account of mice behaviour based on reinforcement learning
principles, which are widely used in machine-learning and AI. Iigaya found that
the learning rate, i.e. how fast the modelled mice learn, was modulated by
serotonin stimulation. He compared trials with and without stimulation of
serotonin neurons, and observed that the learning rate was significantly faster
when stimulation was delivered, meaning that boosting serotonin sped up
learning in mice.
The
authors also found that when mice made decisions in very quick succession, they
followed a simple strategy called 'win-stay lose-switch', in which they
repeated a choice if it had just been rewarded, and switched to the other
choice if it had not been rewarded. Serotonin stimulation did not affect these
fast choices. However, on subset of trials, when animals acted slowly and took
a long time in-between trials, their decisions did not follow the simple
win-stay lose-switch rule. Instead, the mice made decisions based on a longer
history of rewards, which was well-characterized by a reinforcement learning
account. Serotonin stimulation only affected this slow learning system.
Importantly,
the authors found that this slow system tracked reward outcomes every trial,
even when the choices were made by the fast, win-stay lose-switch, system.
Thus, the effects of the serotonin stimulation to boost the slow system became
apparent only occasionally, when the animals spent a long time before making
decisions. The authors believe that the way that multiple decision-systems mask
each other might explain why scientists have had difficulty in constructing a
comprehensive theory as to how serotonin affects learning and decision-making.
The
authors conclude: "Our results suggest that serotonin boosts [brain]
plasticity by influencing the rate of learning. This resonates, for instance,
with the fact that treatment with an SSRI can be more effective when combined
with so-called cognitive behavioral therapy, which encourages the breaking of
habits in patients."
Substantial
clinical research shows that SSRI treatment is often most effective if combined
with cognitive-behavioural-therapy (CBT). The goal of CBT is to change
maladaptive thinking and behaviour actively, through sessions that are designed
for patients to (re)learn their way to think and behave. However, scientists
have had limited understanding of how and why SSRI and CBT work together for
treatments. The new findings point to a possible functional link between the
two, with serotonin boosting the learning inherent to CBT, providing clues as
to one of the roles that this neuromodulator plays in the treatment of
psychiatric disorders.
Story
Source:
Materials
provided by Sainsbury
Wellcome Centre. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
Kiyohito
Iigaya, Madalena S. Fonseca, Masayoshi Murakami, Zachary F. Mainen, Peter
Dayan. An effect of serotonergic stimulation on learning rates for rewards
apparent after long intertrial intervals. Nature Communications, 2018; 9
(1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04840-2
Is Ocasio-Cortez Win a Black Swan Event?
By Rob Kall
Black swan is the name of
Nassim Nicholas Taleb's best-selling book (millions sold) and it could be used
to describe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's upset defeat of incumbent Democrat Joe
Crowley.
Taleb characterizes a black
swan event as having three characteristics:
The event is a surprise (to
the observer).
The event has a major effect.
After the first recorded
instance of the event, it is rationalized by hindsight, as if it could have
been expected; that is, the relevant data were available but unaccounted for in
risk mitigation programs. The same is true for the personal perception by
individuals.
For at least 1400 years black
swans were believed not to exist. The term "black swan" was used to
describe something non-existent. Then, a whole lot of them were discovered in
Australia.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb's hugely
successful book argues that black swan events often play major roles in
history, citing 9/11 and the invention of the internet as examples.
I believe it is reasonable to
characterize Ocasio-Cortez's win as a black swan event. That means that it
could play a major role in history. It could open the sluice gates to
Berniecrat victories and defeats of old-school Clinton DLC corporatist
Democrats.
Over the coming days, the
Pelosi-led powers that be will surely do as Taleb describes, and rationalize
this beautiful black swan event, just as early critics of the computer said it
could only be of interest to a handful of businesses.
Ocasio-Cortez, through her
victory has opened a door that could see throngs of victorious progressive
candidates swell through. Let's hope it happens soon enough, before the current
Democratic leaders destroy the opportunity for victory that Donald Trump and
his GOP sycophants have served up on a plate.
Free Assange
JUNE 27, 2018
Last week, rallies in support
of Julian Assange were held around the world. We participated in two
#AssangeUnity events seeking to #FreeAssange in Washington, DC.
This is the beginning of a new
phase of the campaign to stop the persecution of Julian Assange and allow him
to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London without the threat of being arrested
in the UK or facing prosecution by the United States.
The Assange Case is a Linchpin
For Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Information in the 21st Century
The threat of prosecution
against Julian Assange for his work as editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks will be a
key to defining what Freedom of the Press means in the 21st Century. Should
people be allowed to know the truth if their government is corrupt, violating the
law or committing war crimes? Democracy cannot exist when people are misled by
a concentrated corporate media that puts forth a narrative on behalf of the
government and big business.
This is not the first time
that prosecution of a journalist will define Freedom of the Press. Indeed, the
roots of Freedom of the Press in the United States go back to the prosecution of John Peter Zenger, a
publisher who was accused of libel in 1734 for publishing articles
critical of the British royal governor, William Cosby. Zenger was held in
prison for eight months awaiting trial. In the trial, his defense took its case
directly to the jury.
For five hundred years, Britan had made it illegal
to publish “any slanderous News” that may cause “discord” between the
king and his people. Zenger’s defense argued that he had published the
truth about Cosby and therefore did not commit a crime. His lawyer “argued that
telling the truth did not cause governments to fall. Rather, he argued, ‘abuse
of power’ caused governments to fall.” The jury heard the argument,
recessed and in ten minutes returned with a not guilty verdict.
The same issue is presented by
Julian Assange — publishing the truth is not a crime. Wikileaks, with
Assange as its editor and publisher, redefined reporting in the 21st Century
by giving people the ability to be
whistleblowers to reveal the abuses of government and big business. People
anonymously send documents to Wikileaks via the Internet and then after
reviewing and authenticating them, Wikileaks publishes them. The
documents sometimes reveal serious crimes, which has resulted in Assange being
threatened with a secret indictment for espionage that could keep him
incarcerated for the rest of his life.
This puts the Assange case
at the
forefront of 21st Century journalism as he is democratizing the media
by giving people the power to know the truth not reported, or falsely reported,
by the corporate media. Breaking elite control over the media narrative is a
serious threat to their power because information is power. And, with the
internet and the ability of every person to act as a media outlet through
social and independent media, control of the narrative is moving toward the
people.
WikiLeaks is filling a void
with trust
in the corporate media at record lows. A recent Gallup Poll found only
32% trust the media. There has been a significant drop
in newspaper circulation and revenue, an ongoing decline since 1980.
Also, fewer
people rely on television for news.
In this environment, the
internet-based news is becoming more dominant and WikiLeaks is a particular
threat to media monopolization by the elites. Research is showing that independent
and social media are having an impact on people’s opinions.
The threats to Julian Assange
are occurring when dissent
is under attack, particularly media
dissent; the FBI
has a task force to monitor social media. The attack on net neutrality, Google using algorithms to prevent
searches for alternative
media and Facebook controlling the
what people see are all part of the attack on the democratized media.
The Astounding Impact of
WikiLeaks’ Reporting
The list of WikiLeaks’
revelations has become astounding. The release of emails from Hillary Clinton, her presidential campaign, and
the Democratic National
Committee had a major impact on the election.
People saw the truth of Clinton’s
connections to Wall Street, her two-faced politics of
having a public view and a private view as well as the DNC’s
efforts to undermine the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. People saw the
truth and the truth hurt Hillary Clinton and the Democrats.
Among the most famous
documents published were those provided by Chelsea Manning on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Guantanamo Prison and the US State
Department. The Collateral
Murder video among the Manning Iraq war documents shows US soldiers in
an Apache helicopter gunning down a group of innocent men, including two
Reuters employees, a photojournalist, and his driver, killing 16 and wounding
two children. Millions have viewed the video showing that when a van pulled up
to evacuate the wounded, the soldiers again opened fire.
A soldier says, “Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards.”
Another massive leak came from
Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower who exposed massive NSA spying in
the United States and around the world. This was followed by Vault 7, a series of leaks on the Central
Intelligence Agency’s activities, and Vault 8, which included
source code on CIA malware activities.
WikiLeaks has also published
documents on other countries, e.g. WikiLeaks published a series of documents on Russian spying. WikiLeaks
has been credited by many with helping to spark the Tunisian Revolution which
led to the Arab Spring, e.g., showing the widespread corruption of the
23-year rule of the Ben Ali. Foreign Policy reported that “the candor of the
cables released by WikiLeaks did more for Arab democracy than decades of
backstage U.S. diplomacy.” WikiLeaks’ publications provided democracy activists
in Egypt with information needed to spark protests and provided background that explained the Egyptian
uprising. Traditional media publications like the New York Times relied on WikiLeaks to
analyze the causes of the uprising.
WikiLeaks informed the Bahrain
public about their government’s cozy relationship with the US,
describing a $5
billion joint-venture with Occidental Petroleum and $300 million in
U.S. military sales and how the U.S.
Navy is the foundation of Bahrain’s national security.
John
Pilger describes WikiLeaks’ documents, writing, “No investigative
journalism in my lifetime can equal the importance of what WikiLeaks has done
in calling rapacious power to account.”
Assange Character
Assassination And Embassy Imprisonment
Julian Assange made powerful
enemies in governments around the world, corporate media, and big business
because he burst false narratives with the truth. As a result, governments
fought back, including the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden,
which has led to Assange being trapped in the embassy of Ecuador in London for
six years.
The root of the incarceration
were allegations in Sweden. Sweden’s charges against Assange were initially dropped by the
chief prosecutor, two
weeks later they found a prosecutor to pursue a rape investigation.
One of the women had CIA
connections and bragged about her relationship with Assange in tweets she tried to erase.
She even published a
7-step program for legal revenge against lovers. The actions
of the women do not seem to show rape or any kind of abuse. One woman
held a party with him after the encounter and another went out to eat with
him. In November 2016, Assange
was interviewed by Swedish prosecutors for four hours at the
Ecuadorian embassy. In December 2016, Assange published tweets
showing his innocence and the sex was consensual. Without making a
statement on Assange’s guilt, the Swedish
investigators dropped the charges in May 2017. The statute of
limitations for Swedish charges will be up in 2020.
As John
Pilger pointed out, “Katrin Axelsson and Lisa Longstaff of Women
Against Rape summed it up when they wrote, ‘The allegations against [Assange]
are a smokescreen behind which a number of governments are trying to clamp down
on WikiLeaks for having audaciously revealed to the public their secret
planning of wars and occupations with their attendant rape, murder, and
destruction… The authorities care so little about violence against women that
they manipulate rape allegations at will.’”
Assange is still trapped in
the embassy as he would
be arrested for violating his bail six years ago. But, the real threat to
Assange is the possibility of a secret indictment against him in the United
States for espionage. US and British officials have refused to tell Assange’s
lawyers whether there was a sealed indictment or a sealed extradition order
against him. Former CIA Director, now Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo
has described WikiLeaks as a non-state hostile intelligence service and described
his actions as not protected by the First Amendment. In April
2017, CNN
reported, “US authorities have prepared charges to seek the arrest of
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.” The Obama Justice Department determined it
would be difficult to bring charges against Assange because WikiLeaks wasn’t
alone in publishing documents stolen by Manning but the Trump DOJ believes he
could be charged as an accomplice with Edward Snowden.
When the
president campaigned, Trump
said he loved WikiLeaks and regularly touted their disclosures.
But, in April 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions
said that Assange’s arrest is a “priority.”
Time To Stop The Persecution
Of Julian Assange
The smearing of Assange sought
to discredit him and undermine the important journalism of WikiLeaks. Caitlin
Johnstone writes that they smear him because “they can kill all
sympathy for him and his outlet, it’s as good for their agendas as actually
killing him.”
Even with this character
assassination many people still support Assange. This was seen during the #Unity4J
online vigil, which saw the participation of activists, journalists,
whistleblowers andn filmmakers calling for the end of Assange’s solitary
confinement and his release. This was followed a week later by 20
protests around the world calling for Assange’s release.
Julian Assange has opened
journalism’s democracy door; the power to report is being redistributed,
government employees and corporate whistleblowers have been empowered and
greater transparency is becoming a reality. The people of the United States
should demand that Assange not face prosecution and embrace a 21st Century
democratized media that provides greater transparency and accurate information
about what government and business interests are doing. Prosecuting a news
organization for publishing the truth, should be rejected and Assange should be
freed.
You can support Julian Assange
by spreading the word in your communities about what is happening to him and
why. You can also show support for him on social media. We will continue to let
you know when there are actions planned. And you can support the WikiLeaks
Legal Defense Fund, run by the Courage Foundation*, at IAmWikiLeaks.org.
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