by The Major
The Russians wanted to get rid of an Army major who spoke Russian so fluently that locals could not tell he was not a native speaker. An attractive hotel maid who worked for the KGB got him into the sack in a room that was being monitored. The Russians immediately tried to blackmail him. He turned himself in and was removed from the old Soviet Union. The major was married, but I never heard how the event affected his marriage.
British Diplomat James Hudson, 37, resigned from his posting to the Urals over a sex video, which is thought to have been secretly shot by Russian spies. Footage posted on Russia Today showed Mr Hudson kissing the two semi-naked girls in a brothel.
The film, which could have left him open to blackmail, is believed to have been shot in a brothel in the city of Ekaterinberg, where Mr Hudson was Deputy Consul General. Today the KGB is called the FSB.
The four-minute, 18-second video was posted on Russia Today. Rightardia reported on this story and posted the video.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009
CNN Data Doctor on using free v. commercial antivirus software
The data doctor makes some good points, but there are other issues. Most viruses and malware are developed to attack the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS). If you are using Linux or a Macintosh OS, you are less likely to get a virus, malware or a Trojan.
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Cash for Clunkers is huge success
However, 59 Republicans of all stripes abandoned their party's leadership to vote with the Democrats-- from right-wing extremists like Steve King (IA), David Dreier (CA), Phil Gingrey (GA) and Gary Miller (CA) to mainstream conservatives like Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Mike Castle (DE) and Chris Smith (NJ). Good for them
Cash for Clunkers will be suspended tonight as funds run out. The federal cash for clunkers program is close to running out of the $1 billion allocated by Congress. The U.S. Department of Transportation has told Senators that the program will be temporarily suspended at midnight tonight.
The program, officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System or CARS, went live less than a week ago, on July 24.
Some dealers said they will stop accepting cars for trade-in under the program until they are sure funds are available. The autodealers are hoping the government will provide more federal funds for the program.
In a statement, the National Automobile Dealers Association, said, "We do not have confirmation yet of DOT suspending the clunkers program, but if the program is indeed suspended, NADA will continue to work with the Department of Transportation to emphasize the importance that every dealer is reimbursed for a valid deal.
We will also work with the Obama Administration and members of Congress to meet the demonstrated consumer interest in the cash-for-clunkers program."
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Subversive Chinese radio controlled (RC) aircraft
(Mumbai) The Customs has seized thousands of radio-controlled (RC) aircraft imported from China, Taiwan, and Korea, which they say pose a serious threat to the city.
These model planes, especially the ones imported from China, are violating regional wireless norms set by the ministry of communication and IT, thereby threatening to intercept and jam frequency bands used by Indian security agencies, said Custom officials.
The radio communication frequency used by the city's various security and intelligence agencies ranges from 400 to 500 Mhz.
After denying NoCs to several consignments at the Mumbai Port Trust — as many as three in last couple of months — the Customs have decided to destroy around 3,000 RC planes. "These aircraft may come in handy for subversive activities. We have issued orders to destroy them," said an official.
The government rules allow flying of RC models on an Amplitude Modulation (AM) radio band, which comprises of many kilohertz or thousands of cycles per second of electromagnetic energy.
But many aircraft, especially those imported from China and assembled here, not only violate the AM bandwidth, but are also being flown on frequency modulation (FM), which is in direct violation of the state's laws, said officials.
According to the national frequency allocation table , the frequency spots 27004 kilohertz (KHz), 27116KHz, 27148KHz, 27156KHz, 27228KHz, are earmarked for aeromodelling.
A recent test by wireless experts revealed most aircraft violated state-appointed frequencies. "The Chinese ones show a frequency bandwidth of 27000KHz, but are actually capable of not only violating Indian bandwidth, they can be flown on FM," said an expert from the regional wireless office.
To restrict the flight range, the battery strength of these planes is fixed at 5W.
Another reason for officials to get worried is the high range of RC helicopters and their ability to carry five to 10kg of load (11-22 lbs).
"We have received intelligence inputs that explosive-laden toy planes can be used for subversive activities, said Custom officials. The engines are powered either by a battery or fuel, and the aircraft need just a small runway to take off.
RC helicopters can take off from the palm of a hand. Parts of the planes — remote control, body and engine — are imported from different countries and can be assembled by experts in Mumbai. Cheaper, ready-to-fly Chinese versions are available for enthusiasts in the local market. "These are the ones we are most worried about as they don't follow any fixed frequency," said officials.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/3000-Chinese-radio-planes-to-be-destroyed/articleshow/4839884.cms
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Obama the peacemaker at Beer Summit
Who else would invite a famous scholar, Henry Louis Gates, and the a policeman, Sgt. James Crowley, to the White House to defuse a potential racial incident? Can you imagine Chimpoleon doing this? Think about it.
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source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-beer-summit30-2009jul30,0,640587.story
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Right to Lifer Freak Out
The official China Daily newspaper reported Thursday that about 13 million surgical abortions are performed in Chinese hospitals and 10 million abortion pills are sold every year.The pills can induce an abortion very early in pregnancy, and are commonly referred to as the morning-after pill.
The report said the real number of abortions is believed to be even higher since many abortions are perfomed in local clinics that the government has no statistics for.
The China Daily News site is down when this bulletin was picked up.
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn/
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Wish The President a happy birthday!
Barack Obama will turn 48 on August 4th, and while some folks don't like creeping toward 50, we're pretty sure being in the top five youngest presidents bracket makes it ok.
The Huffington Post has teamed up with the folks at someecards.com to collect your messages to the birthday boy in chief, whether they be come-ons, put-downs, or heartfelt pleas to meet Michelle's stylist.
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The Huffington Post has teamed up with the folks at someecards.com to collect your messages to the birthday boy in chief, whether they be come-ons, put-downs, or heartfelt pleas to meet Michelle's stylist.
Here's what you do: Send any of the pre-existing ecards here with your OWN PERSONAL MESSAGE ATTACHED to obamasbday@someecards.com and we'll handle the rest. Once the folks their choose the best cards, we'll post them here and you can vote on your favorite! A sample card follows:
Obama birthday card link: http://www.someecards.com/obamas-birthday-cards/newest
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Are you a secular humanist, athtiest, agnostic or just don't care about religion?
by Secular Human
Rightardia found a great source of secular humanist posters called the 'Unapologetics.'
We will be featuring these posters regulary to counter the absurd notion that the US is a Christian nation. We have pointed out that the Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli that was written shortly after this nation was founded states "the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Unapologetics are sarcastic, critical posters that take popular theological beliefs and counter them to point out just how absurd and ridiculous they really are. Maybe it feels more intellectual to use sophisticated arguments, but sometimes an image and short phrase are sufficient to unmask the pretensions behind religious pablum.
It's may be more productive to laugh at silly arguments than to take them seriously. There is a time for philosophical, atheological arguments and there is a time for laughter, humor, and sarcasm.
Of interest, Jeb Bush's dragon lady, Katherine Harris, has a new crusade. She wants to tell Americans about the 'great lie' that the US is not a Christian nation. This is the same old conservative story similar to another that the US was founded by white people.
http://atheism.about.com/od/liberationatheology/ig/Unapologetics-Posters/
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We will be featuring these posters regulary to counter the absurd notion that the US is a Christian nation. We have pointed out that the Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli that was written shortly after this nation was founded states "the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
Unapologetics are sarcastic, critical posters that take popular theological beliefs and counter them to point out just how absurd and ridiculous they really are. Maybe it feels more intellectual to use sophisticated arguments, but sometimes an image and short phrase are sufficient to unmask the pretensions behind religious pablum.
It's may be more productive to laugh at silly arguments than to take them seriously. There is a time for philosophical, atheological arguments and there is a time for laughter, humor, and sarcasm.
Of interest, Jeb Bush's dragon lady, Katherine Harris, has a new crusade. She wants to tell Americans about the 'great lie' that the US is not a Christian nation. This is the same old conservative story similar to another that the US was founded by white people.
http://atheism.about.com/od/liberationatheology/ig/Unapologetics-Posters/
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US trying to extradite UK hacker with Asperger's
Asperger's is a form of autism. Apparently the young man was looking for information on UFOs, but claims he did no malicious 'cracking.'
Gary McKinnon lost his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday, and is expected to be on a plane to Virginia within three weeks. But — surprise! — he’s now been diagnosed at 42 with Asperger’s syndrome, and his lawyers are asking Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to keep him in London for medical reasons.
The US claims that he breached more than 90 unclassified Pentagon and NASA systems in 2001 and 2002, and crashed some of them, causing $900,000 in damage.
Read the complete story at http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/08/uk-hacker-gary/
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Gary McKinnon lost his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday, and is expected to be on a plane to Virginia within three weeks. But — surprise! — he’s now been diagnosed at 42 with Asperger’s syndrome, and his lawyers are asking Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to keep him in London for medical reasons.
The US claims that he breached more than 90 unclassified Pentagon and NASA systems in 2001 and 2002, and crashed some of them, causing $900,000 in damage.
Read the complete story at http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/08/uk-hacker-gary/
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Dumb Republican health care arguments
What we really need is a "bipartisan" health-reform bill. This is unrealistic because the GOP wants the status quo and it ideologically opposed to any changes to the private health care model that is only used in one other industrial nation , South Africa. There was no interest in bi-partisanship when Republican Tom DeLay was the Speaker of the House either
Whatever we do, we shouldn't ruin "the best health-care system in the world." This is just an outright lie and the GOP knows this statement is false. We are last in the 23 industrial nations of the world in health care and 37th overall according to the World Health Organisation. Who is first, none other than the 'cheese eating surrender monkeys, France!
This health reform is moving too fast. We already know the GOP strategy is to slow down legislation to destroy a public health care option.
If we can find an anecdote about a Canadian or Brit who had an unhappy medical experience, that means we shouldn't reform our own system. Let's look at the tree through the forest. This is a favorite of Rush Limbaugh. Find one dissatisfied Canadian and denounce the entire Canadian health care system based on that person's opinion. According to the WHO, Canadian health care is ranked 30th and the US--37th, a fact the right never discuses.
If this health reform passes, some bureaucrat might be able to dictate what care you can get, standing between you and your doctor. Who do you want a health care bureaucrat or a government worker? One is driven by profit and the other by service. Military retirees will tell you that their health care needs are better met by a government worker.
Reform is all well and good, but we need to make sure it doesn't increase the deficit or the national debt. Since when did the GOP care about running the government in the black? Bush doubled the national debt while he was in office by virtue of supply side economics that cut taxes for the most affluent Americans and also started an $800 billion dollar war. Public health care should cut costs by 30 to 40 per cent less. American health care costs twice as much as the other industrial nations of the world.
If you can make a flow chart with lots of boxes and arrows on it, that means health reform will be terrible. As a group, Republican representatives are not well known for their intelligence or dignity. They made themselves a confusing chart purporting to show how complex the Democrats' health plan will be. The Democrats countered with a GOP chart that contained a lot of question marks. The GOP chart looked like it was put together by a group of fifth-graders.
If we could only make it illegal for people to sue when their surgeon when he amputates the wrong leg, we could get costs under control. You can sympathize with doctors who are afraid of being sued by patients who didn't like the outcome of their cases.
In Atul Gawande's justly celebrated New Yorker article, he relates how he asked a group of doctors in the now-notorious city of McAllen, Texas, why medical costs there are higher than anywhere else in the country. They began to complain about lawsuits, until Gawande pointed out, "Several years ago, Texas passed a tough malpractice law that capped pain-and-suffering awards at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars which eliminated law suits. Medical costs also rose after the law was passed.
Reform might make me lose my current health coverage. This already happens. if you lose your job or leave your job for a different one, you may lose your health insurance. Your employer may decide to cut or eliminate benefits. If you try to start your own small business, you won't be able to afford health insurance. If a family member gets a recurring serious illness, you health insurance may not cover it because of the 'pre-existing condition ' clause.
There are people who have absolutely no need to worry about losing their coverage? Talk to a senior on Medicare, a veteran who gets his care from the V.A or a retiree from the Armed Forces. Those 'socialist' government programs don't kick people off.
Health-care reform will literally kill you. The examples are amazing. Here is one to give you the gist.
Louie Gohmert of Texas delivered a bizarre rant on the House floor in which he claimed, "One in five people have to die because they went to socialized medicine! Now I've got three daughters and a wife. I would hate to think that among five women, one of them is going to die because we go to socialized care."
This is just part of the idiocy the administration must struggle through if it is to pass health-care reform.
There are some very good reasons to remain optimistic about the odds of reform succeeding. On the other hand, if in our national debate you always bet that the side offering the most dim-witted, disingenuous arguments may triumph. We have 13,500 million people who believe the Rush Limbaugh rants and even more who watch Fox News.
Source: http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_ten_dumbest_arguments_against_health_care_reform
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This health reform is moving too fast. We already know the GOP strategy is to slow down legislation to destroy a public health care option.
If we can find an anecdote about a Canadian or Brit who had an unhappy medical experience, that means we shouldn't reform our own system. Let's look at the tree through the forest. This is a favorite of Rush Limbaugh. Find one dissatisfied Canadian and denounce the entire Canadian health care system based on that person's opinion. According to the WHO, Canadian health care is ranked 30th and the US--37th, a fact the right never discuses.
If this health reform passes, some bureaucrat might be able to dictate what care you can get, standing between you and your doctor. Who do you want a health care bureaucrat or a government worker? One is driven by profit and the other by service. Military retirees will tell you that their health care needs are better met by a government worker.
Reform is all well and good, but we need to make sure it doesn't increase the deficit or the national debt. Since when did the GOP care about running the government in the black? Bush doubled the national debt while he was in office by virtue of supply side economics that cut taxes for the most affluent Americans and also started an $800 billion dollar war. Public health care should cut costs by 30 to 40 per cent less. American health care costs twice as much as the other industrial nations of the world.
If you can make a flow chart with lots of boxes and arrows on it, that means health reform will be terrible. As a group, Republican representatives are not well known for their intelligence or dignity. They made themselves a confusing chart purporting to show how complex the Democrats' health plan will be. The Democrats countered with a GOP chart that contained a lot of question marks. The GOP chart looked like it was put together by a group of fifth-graders.
If we could only make it illegal for people to sue when their surgeon when he amputates the wrong leg, we could get costs under control. You can sympathize with doctors who are afraid of being sued by patients who didn't like the outcome of their cases.
In Atul Gawande's justly celebrated New Yorker article, he relates how he asked a group of doctors in the now-notorious city of McAllen, Texas, why medical costs there are higher than anywhere else in the country. They began to complain about lawsuits, until Gawande pointed out, "Several years ago, Texas passed a tough malpractice law that capped pain-and-suffering awards at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars which eliminated law suits. Medical costs also rose after the law was passed.
Reform might make me lose my current health coverage. This already happens. if you lose your job or leave your job for a different one, you may lose your health insurance. Your employer may decide to cut or eliminate benefits. If you try to start your own small business, you won't be able to afford health insurance. If a family member gets a recurring serious illness, you health insurance may not cover it because of the 'pre-existing condition ' clause. There are people who have absolutely no need to worry about losing their coverage? Talk to a senior on Medicare, a veteran who gets his care from the V.A or a retiree from the Armed Forces. Those 'socialist' government programs don't kick people off.
Health-care reform will literally kill you. The examples are amazing. Here is one to give you the gist.
Louie Gohmert of Texas delivered a bizarre rant on the House floor in which he claimed, "One in five people have to die because they went to socialized medicine! Now I've got three daughters and a wife. I would hate to think that among five women, one of them is going to die because we go to socialized care."
This is just part of the idiocy the administration must struggle through if it is to pass health-care reform.
There are some very good reasons to remain optimistic about the odds of reform succeeding. On the other hand, if in our national debate you always bet that the side offering the most dim-witted, disingenuous arguments may triumph. We have 13,500 million people who believe the Rush Limbaugh rants and even more who watch Fox News.
Source: http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_ten_dumbest_arguments_against_health_care_reform
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