"... as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know." - Donald H. Rumsfeld ( US Secretary of Defense) February 12, 2002

How are you affected by something you can't see or can barely perceive? After a period of brainstorming and a dramaturgy workshop, Susanne Bentley now reformulates the direction of the Bent Object's "Below 20" research. Distilled research elements include:
- Relationship between the performance (including performer) and spectator
- Presence of performer/environment
- Infrasound - biological effects, subliminal influence
- Suggestion rather than statement
- Domination of the individual by an environment, placed within a period in history in which Western man believes in an increase in control.
New elements to be added include storytelling, visiting hours and possibly some known knowns.

David Davis resigned from parliament saying that people of the country lose their freedom and privacy through laws, CCTV, IDcards, ...It was caused by a new law that can keep people under arrest without evidence for 42 days.

His statement is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7450899.stm

It's causing a big debate in the UK, on privacy, freedom, civil rights... but he also seems to get a lot of critique in terms of "mistrusting the state".

Conflicting new reports on the state of terrorism. Who do you believe?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7412036.stm

The reports:

http://www.humansecuritybrief.org/

http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/index.htm

Yet another reason to turn off your phone?

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3945496.ece

Would you feel secure in this house?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/infosharing/sectionI.html

"The National Strategy for Information Sharing does not exist in a vacuum. It is a critical component of our Nation’s comprehensive approach for combating terrorism."

See also:National Security Strategy, National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, National Strategy for Homeland Security, National Implementation Plan National Counterterrorism Center, National Response Plan, National Command and Coordination Capability, National Intelligence Strategy...

"The priority mission of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States. This important mission calls for improved security at America's borders and ports of entry as well as for extending our zone of security beyond our physical borders - so that American borders are the last line of defense, not the first.

CBP also is responsible for apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally, stemming the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband; protecting our agricultural and economic interests from harmful pests and diseases; protecting American businesses from theft of their intellectual property; and regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. trade laws. To find out more about this important mission, select here. For employment opportunities select here."

NB. the bold type and text spacing are mine.

http://www.usajobs.gov/homeland.asp

An Actor Prepares
by Jordan Crandall

He starts from the simulation of a terrorist attack in San Diego: a discourse on "readiness" linked to the culture of fear.
http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=590

The Coils of a Serpent: haptic space and control societies
by William Bogard
Haptic: of or relating to or proceeding from the sense of touch
http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=581

The original Deleuze text: Postscript on the societies of control (1992)

"The coils of a serpent are even more complex that the burrows of a molehill."
http://www.n5m.org/n5m2/media/texts/deleuze.htm