WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- The U.S. military is looking for a
contractor to patrol cyberspace, watching for warning signs of
forthcoming terrorist attacks or other hostile activity on the Web.
"If someone wants to blow us up, we want to know about it," Robert
Hembrook, the deputy intelligence chief of the U.S. Army's Fifth Signal
Command in Mannheim, Germany, told United Press International.
In a solicitation posted on the Web last week, the command said it
was looking for a contractor to provide "Internet awareness services"
to support "force protection" -- the term of art for the security of
U.S. military installations and personnel...........
Google will have to turn over every record of
every video watched by YouTube users, including users' names and IP
addresses, to Viacom, which is suing Google for allowing clips of its
copyright videos to appear on YouTube, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Viacom wants the data to prove that infringing material is more popular
than user-created videos, which could be used to increase Google's
liability if it is found guilty of contributory infringement.........
A British Royal Navy warship on which Prince William
is serving has seized cocaine worth at least 40 million pounds in a
major drugs bust, the Ministry of Defence said.........
A Palestinian has driven a bulldozer into a bus and several cars in
Jerusalem, killing two people before being shot dead, Israeli police
say.
Dozens of people were hurt, at least seven critically, in the incident on Jaffa Road, in the city centre.
The BBC's Tim Franks, who witnessed the incident, said a police officer
shot the driver dead after a struggle in the vehicle's cab.
There was panic in the streets with hundreds running to flee the scene.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the driver was a
terrorist, adding: "We can clearly say this is a terrorist incident."
"Our police special patrol units arrived at the scene. One of our
motorbikes came in close contact with the terrorist, shot and killed
him," he told reporters...........
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, whose nation is the world's number one
oil exporter, called on consumer countries to get used to high prices
in comments published on Tuesday.
"Consumer countries have to adapt to the prices and the mechanisms of
the market," the king said in an interview published by the Kuwaiti
daily Al-Siyassah.........
**WARNING**: HIGHLY GRAPHIC FOOTAGE of IRAQI CIVILIANS "Massacred" Near BAIJI
DISCLAIMER:
PIMPIN TURTLE has no way to confirm that this is in fact the true
account of the events and does not endorse this story as fact. The
reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or
implications of information posted here........
McCain: It doesn't matter that I don't know cost of gas
img alt="The image “http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/06/john-mccain-arnold1.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/06/john-mccain-arnold1.jpg"> RAW STORY
Senator John McCain said he can't remember the last time he pumped
gasoline or the cost of a gallon of a gas in an interview with the
Orange County Register earlier this week.
The OC Register's Martin Wisckol asked McCain when he had last pumped his own gas, to which McCain replied:
"Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But
I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t
see how it matters," McCain said.........
Even so, Ambani’s correct net worth is estimated in the $50 Billion
range, ranking him comfortably in the world’s top 5 richest men.
What does someone with $50 Billion do when they need new digs?
Build a billion dollar home of course! Below, thanks to Mumbai Mirror are some of the specs:
According to the plan, the house will rise to a height
of 173.12 meters, equivalent to that of a regular 60-storeyed
residential building. However, Antilia will have only 27 storeys in
all, which means each floor will have a ceiling considerably higher
than the current average of nearly three meters.........
It's remarkably common for a grandson to take up his grandfather's
major project. This occurred to me when I read recently of Thor
Heyerdahl's grandson taking up his mission to cross the Pacific on a
raft. But what really struck me was the BBC story
aired on July 23rd, 2007, documenting President George W. Bush's
grandfather's involvement in a 1933 plot to overthrow the U.S.
government and install a fascist dictatorship. I knew the story, but
had not considered the possibility that the grandson was trying to
accomplish what his grandfather had failed to achieve...........
Rebuilding at the World Trade Center
site will take longer and cost more than previously projected,
a report from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is
set to say on Monday, a source familiar with the contents said..........
Bill Clinton is so bitter about Barack
Obama's victory over his wife Hillary that he has told friends the
Democratic nominee will have to beg for his wholehearted support.
Mr Obama is expected to
speak to Mr Clinton for the first time since he won the nomination in
the next few days, but campaign insiders say that the former
president's future campaign role is a "sticking point" in peace talks
with Mrs Clinton's aides.........
The most powerful atom-smasher ever built could make some bizarre
discoveries, such as invisible matter or extra dimensions in space,
after it is switched on in August.
But some critics fear the Large Hadron Collider could exceed
physicists' wildest conjectures: Will it spawn a black hole that could
swallow Earth? Or spit out particles that could turn the planet into a
hot dead clump?.........
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- The Orlando Police
Department found dozens of city owned vehicles vandalized Saturday.
The vandal or vandals appear to have political intentions; most
of the vehicles were spray painted with anti Obama sayings, with
‘Obama’ misspelled several times. Some of their vehicles had their gas
caps removed.
Officials said that gas caps were removed from
several of the vehicles and they aren’t sure if gas was stolen or if
something could have been added to the tanks that will damage the
engines.........
Future referendums will be ignored
whether they are held in Ireland or elsewhere, Valéry Giscard
d'Estaing, the architect of the European Union Constitution said.
The former President of
France drafted the old Constitution that was rejected by French and
Dutch voters three years ago before being resurrected as the Lisbon EU
Treaty, itself shunned by the Irish two weeks ago...........
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Civic
leader Scott Nelson says he is as worried as anyone about global
warming, but that does not make him happy to be one of the first North
Americans to pay a carbon tax to curb climate change...........
Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to increase
government control over state TV yesterday sparked an outcry from his
political opponents who accused him of tightening a Berlusconi-style
grip on the airwaves and dragging France back into its dark age of
postwar censorship and propaganda........
When skin cancer is spotted early, it's almost always curable. For
melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, the 5-year survival rate
is 99 percent--if the tumor is spotted when it's nothing more than a
spot on the skin, according to the American Cancer Society. But that
survival rate plunges to 15 percent once the fast growing cancer has
spread. I spoke with the president of the American Academy of
Dermatology, William Hanke, about how to spot skin cancer before it
spreads. Some of his advice:
-- Look for new spots. While some melanomas emerge from moles, about 70 percent do not...........
The US Congress has approved a 170 million dollar increase in security assistance to Israel as part of its new 10-year, 30 billion dollar defense aid commitment to the Jewish state.
The money for Israel was part of a larger supplemental spending bill that included 162 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation gained final approval in a 92-6 Senate vote late Thursday.
America's pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, welcomed the congressional action, saying it would increase US aid to Israel to 2.55 billion dollars in fiscal year 2009, up from 2.38 billion dollars this year..........
The Pentagon is preparing to order roughly 30,000 troops to Iraq early next year in a move that would allow the U.S. to maintain 15 combat brigades in the country through 2009, The Associated Press has learned.
The deployments would replace troops currently there. But the decisions could change depending on whether Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, decides in the fall to further reduce troop levels in Iraq.
Several officials familiar with the deployments spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders have not yet been made public.......
Mark Klein, the retired AT&T engineer who stepped forward with the technical documents at the heart of the anti-wiretapping case against AT&T, is furious at the Senate's vote on Wednesday night to hold a vote on a bill intended to put an end to that lawsuit and more than 30 others.
[Wednesday]'s vote by Congress effectively gives retroactive immunity to the telecom companies and endorses an all-powerful president. It’s a Congressional coup against the Constitution.
The Democratic leadership is touting the deal as a "compromise," but in fact they have endorsed the infamous Nuremberg defense: "Just following orders." The judge can only check their paperwork. This cynical deal is a Democratic exercise in deceit and cowardice.........
WASHINGTON — The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement allowing law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information — like credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits — about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The potential agreement, as outlined in an internal report obtained by The New York Times, would represent a diplomatic breakthrough for American counterterrorism officials, who have clashed with the European Union over demands for personal data. Europe generally has more stringent laws restricting how governments and businesses can collect and transfer such information........
June 28 (Bloomberg) -- OPEC President Chakib Khelil predicted that the price of oil will climb to $170 a barrel before the end of the year, citing the dollar's decline and political conflicts.
``Oil prices are expected to reach $170 as demand for fuel is growing in the U.S. during the summer period and the dollar continues to weaken against the euro,'' Khelil said today in a telephone interview. The leader of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries also serves as Algeria's oil minister.........
A barrage of bad news including a new
record high for oil sent Wall Street plunging Thursday, hurtling the
Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in
nearly two years.
Oil's surge past $140 a barrel was just
one of the day's worrisome developments. Warnings about the key
financial, automotive and high-tech industries added up to an
increasingly troubled economy.........
The US military has constructed four
advanced bases 20 miles from Iraq's border with Iran, a senior Iraqi
police officer has announced.
al-Noor newspaper quoted the official as saying.
He added that one of the bases has been located 30 km (20 miles)
from the first border town with Iran and houses remote-controlled
launching pads as well as radar systems similar to ones used in Kuwait
during the first Persian Gulf war.........
A ring-wing Israeli group hacked into websites of
organizations and activist groups Thursday, including those of the
armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam, and left-wing Israeli
organizations. The group of hackers, calling themselves the 'Extremist
Zealots,' boasted that they had broken into numerous sites.
A screen shot from one of the hacked sites, featuring flags, and words to the 'Hatikva.'
Izzadin Kassam's site displayed a blank white screen and Hebrew text notifying of a technical error.
The websites of Arab Israeli political party Balad, and
left-wing activist groups 'Hagada Hasmolanit' and 'Occupation' featured
a black background with an Israeli flag, and the emblem of the
'Extremist Zealots' group, similar to that of Meir Kahane's Kach
movement...........
Federal agents have raided an armory owned by security contractor Blackwater Worldwide.
The North Carolina-based company said the raid was part of an
investigation into a deal that allowed a local sheriff's office to
store high-powered assault rifles at the company's armory at its
headquarters in Moyock.
Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell says that investigators with the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched
Blackwater's armory Tuesday........
North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons
program Friday, blasting apart the cooling tower at its main atomic
reactor in a sign of its commitment to stop making plutonium for atomic
bombs.
An explosion at the base of the cylindrical structure sent the tower
collapsing into a cloud of white and gray smoke that billowed into blue
skies as international journalists and diplomats looked on, according
to video footage filmed by international video news agency Associated
Press Television News.
The demolition of the 60-foot-tall cooling tower at the North's main
reactor complex is a response to U.S. concessions after the North
delivered a declaration Thursday of its nuclear programs to be
dismantled.......
Oil prices jumped to record high levels nearing 142 dollars a barrel on
Friday, as the US currency weakened further and stock markets tumbled
at the end of a volatile trading week for investors.
Brent North Sea crude reached a historic 141.98 dollars and New
York light sweet crude struck 141.71 dollars a barrel in electronic
deals.
"Crude oil futures made fresh record highs, with higher oil prices
fuelling inflationary fears and thus hurting stock markets, which in
turn triggered a further rally in commodities as investors seek better
returns," Sucden analyst Michael Davies said in London.
Prices "continued to be buoyed by the dollar, as the greenback continues its free fall decent this week," he added.
OPEC's president on Thursday predicted that oil prices could reach
170 dollars this year owing to a weak dollar and geopolitical unrest.
Crude futures crossed 140 dollars for the first time on Thursday
following the price forecast made by OPEC's chief, Algerian Energy
Minister Chakib Khelil, in an interview with television news channel
France 24........
Senator Ted Kennedy is putting forward a brave face following his
recent surgery but the sad reality remains. Even with successful
surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatment, gliomas — a highly
aggressive form of brain cancer that strikes approximately 10,000
Americans annually — tragically claim the lives of 75 percent of its
victims within two years and virtually all within five years.
But what if there was an alternative treatment for gliomas that could
selectively target the cancer while leaving healthy cells intact? And
what if federal bureaucrats were aware of this treatment, but
deliberately withheld this information from the public?
Sadly, the questions posed above are not entirely hypothetical. Let me explain.........
Overall, the U.S. has paid more than $5 billion to reimburse the country for counter-terrorism expenses, a GAO report says.
WASHINGTON
-- The United States has paid more than $5 billion to reimburse
Pakistan for counter-terrorism expenses that have often been
exaggerated, if not fabricated, according to a government audit
released Tuesday that blasts the Pentagon for poor management of the
program.
The report concluded that the Pentagon could not
properly account for as much as $2 billion in payments to Pakistan over
a three-year period from 2004 to 2007.
The audit acknowledges that the
Pentagon has recently taken steps to improve its scrutiny of the
expense reports submitted by Pakistan........
A
schoolboy aged 12 has been identified as an al-Qaeda inspired extremist
after sending beheading videos to his classmates, police have
disclosed.
Anti-terrorism chiefs have said the example revealed how violent extremism is spreading “like a virus infecting young minds”.
The blonde, white schoolboy from West
Yorkshire is among 120 people being dealt with by police in a new
anti-terrorism scheme targeting al-Qa’eda inspired youths..........
It's been at least
five years since I've flown commercial, and for good reason: I don't
wish to be arrested for questioning actions by often arrogant, rude
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers. Two years ago, my
decision was reinforced by my daughter's experience when going through
airport security with her two lovebirds. Having shown her ticket and ID
to security personnel, and walking toward the metal detector, they
started shouting to her, “Miss, you're going to have to take them birds
out of the cage.' I watched with incredulity as she approached the
metal detectors.......
THE
US military chief is to meet his Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv this
week in a move that gives new impetus to speculation about a
pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Tensions were further heightened by a
suggestion from former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton that the US
and Israel could attack Iraq's fledgling program between the time a new
president was nominated in November and the date the incumbent, George
W. Bush, left office in January.........
A dad claimed yesterday he
was battered and given a kung fu-style kicking by police who thought he
was a joyrider fleeing a stolen car.
Farmer David Markham, 35, claims he was attacked by two officers when he stepped outside his bungalow after hearing a car crash.
The
married dad-of-three spent seven hours in hospital after the attack and
has only 40 per cent vision in his left eye and bruising to his head,
ribs and back.........
Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week.
The bill is the chief legislative priority of AIPAC. On its Web site, AIPAC endorses the resolutions as a way to ”Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program” and tells readers to lobby Congress to pass the bill. In the Senate, a sister resolution, Resolution 580,
has gained co-sponsors with similar speed. The Senate measure was
introduced by Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh on June 2. It has since gained
19 co-sponsors.
The bill’s key section “demands that
the president initiate an international effort to immediately and
dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure
on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by,
inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum
products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons,
vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran;
and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not
involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.”........
SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft, Google and PayPal, a unit of eBay, are among the founders of an industry organization that hopes to solve the problem of password overload among computer users.
The Information Card Foundation is an
effort to create a single industrywide approach to managing identity
online that promises to reduce drastically the use of passwords and
create a system that is less vulnerable to fraud.........
In
some cases, the U.S. military has been denying wounded soldiers the
full amount of their enlistment bonuses, under the rationale that the
soldiers are unable to fulfill the full term of their service contract.
The policy came to light after Jordan Fox, who was injured by a
roadside bomb in Iraq and sent home three months early, received a
letter asking him to repay $2,800 of his signing bonus. Fox had been
hospitalized for several months, and still has an injured back and a
blind right eye.......
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama supports
the spy bill compromise passed by the House Friday, despite
having opposed retroactive amnesty to telecoms that helped with the
President's secret, warrantless wiretapping.
The bill is widely perceived as a victory for the White House, and
was agreed to by Democrats out of a fear of being labeled soft on
terrorism in the upcoming elections........
The Supreme Court begins what almost
certainly is its final week of work before its summer break with 10
cases left to decide. Among the big issues are gun rights and the death
penalty for rape of a child.......
