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Qatar DNS hacked by Syrian Electronic Army -Facebook, Google Defaced Briefly - ArabCrunch
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 14:08
  Pro Bashar Al Assad Regime Syrian hacker propagandist group '' Syrian electronic army '' has used ''DNS hijack attack'' and compromise the Qatar Domain registrar ''registry.qa.'' The hackers successfully managed to change the DNS records of high profile websites and defaced them for about a day. The list of affected websites includes Government and Military websites, Google Qatar, Facebook Qatar, Vodafone Qatar and more websites.
  All defaced sites were restored today. In a talk to E Hacking News, SEA said that they have gained access to the registry administration by hacking 'domains.qa' and decrypting the passwords and then they logged to their emails. -
  ''All the world know that Qatar is supporting the terrorists in Syria and today was the zero-day for them'' SEA told EHN.
  Wondering who the terrorist! Bashar Al Assad regime has killed over 120,000 civilians in Syria many of them are women and children. The regime is currently leading a siege against the country side of the capital Damascus in an area called ''Al Ghota'' where people are starving which led to a Fatwa to be declared to allow Syrian under siege to eat cats, dogs and donkeys to stay alive!
  Share and EnjoyCategories: Arab World, Asia, Internet, Security, Tech & PoliticsTags: DNS Hijack, facebook, Google, Hacking, Qatar, SEA, Syria
Dutch may send major military mission to join UN efforts in Mali.
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  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 14:06
  Dutch may send major military mission to join UN efforts in MaliSaturday 19 October 2013
  The Netherlands is considering making a 'serious military contribution' to the UN's peace-keeping mission in Mali, the Volkskrant reported on Saturday.
  The Volkskrant, which bases its claims on military and political sources, says cabinet is considering sending commandos, intelligence officers and Apache helicopters. The plan will be discussed in the cabinet and two weeks and would involve deploying 400 Dutch soldiers in total.
  The paper says 'easy jobs' such as training local Malian troops, has already been allocated to other countries. This has prompted the cabinet to look at the 'more dangerous' option.
  Two other Dutch attempts to participate in official missions to Mali failed and have damaged the country's reputation, the paper says.
  UN peacekeeping efforts in Mali are being lead by former Dutch government minister Bert Koenders.
  (C) DutchNews.nl
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"Some Communities Are Taking Fluoride Out Of Drinking Which To Dentist Is Crazy!"
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:39
VIDEO: Inside Greece's two state TV stations
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  Source: BBC News - Europe
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:37
  Greece's old state TV station, which was closed down four months ago by the government, is continuing to broadcast online.
  Meanwhile an interim station for the new state broadcaster, which will be smaller and cheaper to run when it starts operations, has been set up - meaning there are two state broadcasters operating simultaneously.
  Mark Lowen reports.
VIDEO: JP Morgan 'faces record $13bn fine'
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:36
  US banking giant JP Morgan is set for a record $13bn (£8bn) fine to settle investigations into its mortgage-backed securities, according to US media reports.
  A tentative deal is believed to have been reached in talks with senior US Justice Department officials.
  Lisa Hampele reports.
VIDEO: Vets warn of UK rabies threat
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:36
  Vets are warning that the rabies threat to the UK has increased following changes to quarantine rules.
  Under the changes, animals from the EU and approved non-EU countries like the US and Australia no longer need a blood test, before they can enter the UK.
  The government says the risk of rabies coming to the UK is very low.
  Emma Forde reports.
VIDEO: Alps murder police 'covering up'
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:35
  The brother of a British man killed along with his wife and mother-in-law while on holiday in the Alps in September 2012 has denied arranging their murder and described the accusations as 'ridiculous.'
  Zaid-al-Hilli has accused the French police of "covering up" the real target of the killings and offered to take a lie-detector test.
  He has never been charged and remains on bail after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
  The French prosecutor said there was a very serious feud between the brothers, but this is denied by Zaid.
  Jane Corbin reports.
  Panorama: Murder in the Alps, BBC One, Monday 21 October at 21:00 BST and then available in the UK on theBBC iPlayer.
Man arrested over racist Tube rant
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  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:34
  20 October 2013Last updated at08:29 ETA 52-year-old man from Watford has been arrested after a video was released of a Tube passenger using "racist language" on board a train in London.
  British Transport Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
  "An investigation was launched after we were made aware of a YouTube clip of a man using racist language on board a Bakerloo line train," police said.
  The man was bailed pending further inquiries.
  The incident is believed to have happened on Tuesday at about 21:00 BST.
  He was bailed to return to a police station on 30 October.
  British Transport Police are appealing for witnesses.
At least 400 civilians killed by drone strikes, Pakistan tells UN
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  Source: The News International - Top stories
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 11:59
  Says some 330 drone strikes recorded since 2004
  Sunday, October 20, 2013From Print Edition
  UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has confirmed that of some 2,200 people killed by drone strikes in the past decade, at least 400 were civilians and an additional 200 victims were deemed ''probable non-combatants,'' a UN human rights investigator said on Friday.
  Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, also urged the United States to release its own data on the number of civilian casualties caused by its drone strikes.
  Emmerson said Pakistan's Foreign Ministry told him it had recorded at least 330 drone strikes in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan's largely lawless region bordering Afghanistan, since 2004.
  Clearing out militant border sanctuaries is seen by Washington as crucial to bringing stability to Afghanistan, particularly as the US-led combat mission ends in 2014. Most, but not all, attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles have been by the United States. Britain and Israel have also used them.
  In an interim report to UN General Assembly released on Friday, Emmerson said Pakistani government records showed that drone strikes had killed at least 2,200 people and seriously wounded at least 600 since 2004.
  He said Pakistan had confirmed that ''at least 400 civilians had been killed as a result of remotely piloted aircraft strikes and a further 200 individuals were regarded as probable non-combatants.''
  ''Officials indicated that, owing to underreporting and obstacles to effective investigation, those figures were likely to be an underestimate'' of civilian deaths, Emmerson said.
  Emmerson, who visited Pakistan in March, noted that principal media monitoring organizations had recorded a ''marked drop'' in reported civilians casualties from drone strikes in the tribal areas during 2012 and the first half of 2013.
  ''The involvement of CIA in lethal counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan and Yemen has created an almost insurmountable obstacle to transparency,'' Emmerson said.
  ''One consequence is that the United States has to date failed to reveal its own data on the level of civilian casualties inflicted through the use of remotely piloted aircraft in classified operations conducted in Pakistan and elsewhere.''
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Easy Questions Are Boring: Bitcoin as a law enforcement/natsec honeypot: what is the evidence?
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 13:03
  Paranoia appears to be the order of the day, given what we know about the NSA and GCHQ thanks to Edward Snowden. Absent from the stories so far is any mention of Bitcoin. I find this odd - Bitcoin is the most cypherpunky of all crypto technologies, after all.I want to make the case, without necessarily endorsing it, that we should be much more suspicious of Bitcoin than we are at present.
  1) Bitcoin was almost certainly a team effort. The design has been peer-reviewed and is found to be remarkably secure, complete and well-rounded[1]. I argue that this suggests that a peer-review or quality control process has already been applied. If one individual cryptographer had written Bitcoin, it would contain far more idiosyncracies than it does, not just in the cryptosystem design but also in the C++ code itself. The core protocol itself, which uses a Turing-incomplete programming language, has had only one major vulnerability found in its design and execution.
  For comparison, the Amazon AWS API is also a huge team effort that was also (I assume) designed with the help of competent Internet protocol and cryptography experts, and also has suffered from only one major vulnerability, which was found by a certified genius, Colin Percival. Likewise Colin's own one-person-product, the highly secure backup facility Tarsnap has also had only one serious vulnerability to date.
  Bitcoin is at least one order of magnitude more complex than Tarsnap, or the crypto used in v1 of the Amazon AWS API. We should have seen far more bugs of varying severities if it was a one man band.2) The author(s) created, maintained and then apparently retired a pseudonym (Satoshi Nakamoto) while staying completely anonymous on the Internet.
  As an achievement this is almost as impressive as Bitcoin itself, albeit of a different nature.
  Using the Internet anonymously is much harder than one would think. Things like Tor are vital of course, but beyond that there is the practice of operational security to a very high standard. One slip-up is enough to junk the whole identity, e.g. logging on to a pseudononymous account from an insecure location, or even sending a cookie obtained via Tor 'in the clear', is enough.
  As a real-world example, the assassination of Rafic Hariri in Lebanon was pinned on Hezbollah because one of their agents made a single phone call to his girlfriend with his dedicated operational phone instead of his personal mobile.
  3) Bitcoin is, by design, highly vulnerable to network analysis. Network analysis can be used to comb through large graphs looking for patterns or suspicious behaviour. Because the entire transaction graph of Bitcoin is public, anyone can perform network analysis on the whole Bitcoin network. This is not so significant by itself, but becomes vitally important when combined with the next point.
  4) In the absence of good network analysis, the Bitcoin network is not legally attackable at the point where hard currency is converted. Network analysis backed up with law enforcement or hacking, however, could be extremely effective, and this fits the MO for some large three letter agencies: as we have seen with the recent disclosures of NSA attacks against SSL and Tor, the most successful attacks are multi-pronged: they combine, for example, legal strong-arming with technical know-how and hacking.
  Obtaining the transaction logs of a currency exchange would give a starting points from which the rest of the transaction graph can be de-anonymised.
  5) One single party controls more than 25% of all BTCs in circulation.[2] Someone, somewhere has the ability to destabilise the BTC currency exchange market at will. If you think of BTCs as a commodity instead of a currency, it is obvious that anyone holding large reserves can wreak havoc by dumping their holdings on the market. They could also bankrupt or bleed the exchanges dry of working capital by converting large sums of BTC over a period of time.
  6) Whoever wrote Bitcoin must have known that it would attract criminals and wingnuts like flies to a honeypot. After all, look at the history of cyptocash and you can't help but notice Jim Bell's 'assassination politics', or realise the potential for mischief within the combination of hidden servers and cryptocash. Once Bitcoin was established and hidden servers were possible via Tor, Silk Road was inevitable. Even with the demise of Silk Road, Bitcoin is still used for money laundering, paying for skimmed credit card numbers and for 0-day exploits - in this last case, maybe even by the NSA itself.
  7) 'Satoshi Nakamoto' is an anagram of 'Ma, I took NSA oath!' :-) But seriously:
  To summarise, Bitcoin was apparently designed by good cryptographers and peer-reviewed before it was released. It was almost certainly written by a team of good coders.[1] The entity that did this practiced impeccable operational security. Bitcoin was designed to be difficult to attack by non-state actors, but was also designed to be inherently vulnerable to network analysis, especially so when combined with legal and covert access techniques. A single entity retains the ability to severely disrupt the BTC market through its control of large reserves, and only the most unaware or blinkered recluse could have failed to realise its potential target market mainly consisted of rogues and blackguards.
  Whether or not this points to a law enforcement or national security agency as I've suggested, I think it's evident that we cannot assume that the creation of Bitcoin was motivated by altruism, or even by the strain of libertarian cypherpunk ideology that gave Bitcoin such fertile soil in which to grow.
  Dan Kaminsky was quoted by Matthew Green as saying "authorship is a better predictor of quality than openness", and likewise, motive is a better predictor of the true purpose of a tool than its quality. The motive of the creators of Bitcoin remains completely unknown.
  ***
  Corrections and footnotes
  [1] As per the HN discussion, apparently the first BitCoin client was quite buggy in the beginning. Only one exploit was used on the network, but see the Bitcoin CVE list here for a more realistic list of the software bugs encountered in Bitcoin. Worth noting is that this is a separate issue to bugs in the design of the cryptosystem. Thanks to nwh on HN for the pointer.
  [2] I previously stated that "...and has tried to hide that fact" but this is based on a misreading of the paper. Thanks to mcphilip on HN for pointing that out.
  There's an interesting discussion over at Hacker News where some good counterpoints are made.
Woman Thwarts Mugger By Claiming NSA Will Track Him
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 12:30
  We're not NSA-ing this will always work, but...
  A Washington, D.C. woman managed to thwart a mugger Monday night by claiming she was an NSA intern, according to the Washington Examiner.
  The victim, whose name was not published, told the Examiner she was walking to her Capitol Hill home when a man grabbed her arm and told her to give him her wallet and phone.
  She claimed she was an intern with the National Security Agency and, as an intern, had no cash on her. In reality, the woman does not work for the NSA, but is employed by a nonprofit and did have cash on her.
  She took her claims a step further. "I told him that the NSA could track the phone within minutes, and it could cause possible problems for him," she told the Examiner.
  According to the victim, the mugger then fled without the phone.
  The mugger may not have taken the woman's phone, but that same day, the world learned that the NSA has been "harvesting" millions of contact lists from online accounts around the world, many of which belong to American citizens.
  Today, the Associated Press reported that documents released by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden also indicate that the NSA has been "extensively involved in the U.S. government's targeted killing program."
  Also on HuffPost:
APRS without APRS
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:36
  [ Up ] [ APRS without APRS ] [ TinyTrak3 ] [ APRS BOX ]
  I was thinking about how APRS technology could be used to assist in the management of an event even without the trackers having APRS equipment.
  First, generate a list of key "waypoints" along the path that the event will follow. For the (bicycle) events that I have worked, we have produced a list of directions for our vehicles to follow; points on this list could easily be highlighted to indicate the "key" points.
  As each HAM passes the key waypoints, they relay this information to Net Control (generally, by voice).
  At Net Control, there is a computer with Xastir running and the perl script below.
  In the window where the perl script is running, someone at Net Control enters the HAM's callsign (or tatical call), followed by the waypoint ID (and optionally speed, course and comments).
  The perl script will communicate with Xastir and create (or move) an APRS object representing the HAM.
  As it stands, the script needs two configuration files to function; locations.dat and stations.dat. Locations.dat is the file where the waypoints are configured. The format is simple:
  ID,LATITUDE,LONGITUDE
  Example: W2,3622.17N,08326.28W
  Where ID is the Waypoint ID (just needs to be unique for the event), Latitude and Longitude are the latitude/longitude of the waypoints position (in typical APRS format, DDMM.MMN).
  The Stations.dat file follows a similar simple pattern:
  ID,ICON,ALIASES
  Where ID is the name of the station (can be callsign or tatical callsign), ICON is the two character APRS code for the icon to use with this object and ALIASES is a list of aliases for this ID seperated by spaces.
  Example: WJMJEEP,/j,S1 SAG1 WMJEEP WJMJEP
  The aliases allow for easier entry into the application while it is running. To indicate that WJMJEEP is at the Waypoint W2, Here's all I have to enter:
  S1,W2
  While you are in the program, you have some options; type help for a list of commands that are available. It will also take some command line arguments; type perl tracker.pl -help for a list of those.
  Since I expect this will be used only on RF with a local TNC, I thought it would be a good idea to also display the packets that Xastir is sending out on the server port. For an easy way to display the packets, I used a modified version of the aprsdecu.pl file from G3NRW (available at http://www.tapr.org/~g3nrw). This option can be turned off by a variable at the top of the tracker.pl script.
  Here is the current version of the perl script along with a sample locations.dat, stations.dat file and test.dat has a list of "commands" that can be entered to exercise the sample locations and stations dat files.
  aprstracker.zip
Oarfish omen spells earthquake disaster for Japan - Telegraph
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:57
  The giant oarfish can grow up to five metres in length and is usually to be found at depths of 1,000 metres and very rarely above 200 metres from the surface. Long and slender with a dorsal fin the length of its body, the oarfish resembles a snake.
  In recent weeks, 10 specimens have been found either washed ashore or in fishing nets off Ishikawa Prefecture, half-a-dozen have been caught in nets off Toyama Prefecture and others have been reported in Kyoto, Shimane and Nagasaki prefectures, all on the northern coast.
  According to traditional Japanese lore, the fish rise to the surface and beach themselves to warn of an impending earthquake - and there are scientific theories that bottom-dwelling fish may very well be susceptible to movements in seismic fault lines and act in uncharacteristic ways in advance of an earthquake - but experts here are placing more faith in their constant high-tech monitoring of the tectonic plates beneath the surface.
  "In ancient times Japanese people believed that fish warned of coming earthquakes, particularly catfish," Hiroshi Tajihi, deputy director of the Kobe Earthquake Centre, told the Daily Telegraph.
  "But these are just old superstitions and there is no scientific relationship between these sightings and an earthquake," he said.
VIDEO-'–¶ Unusual Sea Creatures Turning Up On California Coast - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:55
Oarfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:53
  Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagiclampriform fish and belong to the small familyRegalecidae.[1] Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains four species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (Regalecus glesne), is the longest bony fish alive, at up to 17 metres (56 ft) in length.[2]
  The common nameoarfish is presumably in reference to either their highly compressed and elongated bodies, or to the former (but now discredited) belief that the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic fins.[3] The family name Regalecidae is derived from the Latinregalis, meaning "royal". The occasional beachings of oarfish after storms, and their habit of lingering at the surface when sick or dying, make oarfish a probable source of many sea serpent tales.
  Although the larger species are considered game fish and are (to a minor extent) fished commercially, oarfish are rarely caught alive; their flesh is not well regarded due to its gelatinous consistency.
  Anatomy and morphology[edit]The dorsal fin originates from above the (relatively small) eyes and runs the entire length of the fish. Of the approximately 400 dorsal fin rays, the first 10 to 12 are elongated to varying degrees, forming a trailing crest embellished with reddish spots and flaps of skin at the ray tips. The pelvic fins are similarly elongated and adorned, reduced to 1 to 5 rays each. The pectoral fins are greatly reduced and situated low on the body. The anal fin is completely absent and the caudal fin may be reduced or absent as well, with the body tapering to a fine point. All fins lack true spines. At least one account, from researchers in New Zealand, describes the oarfish as giving off "electric shocks" when touched.[3]
  Like other members of its order, the oarfish has a small yet highly protrusible oblique mouth with no visible teeth. The body is scaleless and the skin is covered with easily abraded, silvery guanine. In the streamer fish (Agrostichthys parkeri), the skin is clad with hard tubercles. All species lack gas bladders and the number of gill rakers is variable.
  Oarfish coloration is also variable; the flanks are commonly covered with irregular bluish to blackish streaks, black dots, and squiggles. These markings quickly fade following death. The giant oarfish is by far the largest member of the family at a published total length of 11 metres (36 ft) (with unconfirmed reports of 15 metres (49 ft) or more) and 272 kilograms in weight. The streamer fish is known to reach 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length whilst the largest recorded specimen of Regalecus russelii measured just 540 centimetres standard length.
  Distribution[edit]The members of the family are known to have a worldwide range. However, specific encounters with live individuals in situ are rare and distribution information is collated from records of oarfishes caught or washed ashore.[3]
  Ecology and life history[edit]Rare encounters with divers and accidental catches have supplied what little is known of oarfish behaviour and ecology. Apparently solitary animals, oarfish may frequent significant depths up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). An oarfish measuring 3.3 metres (11 ft 4 in) and 63.5 kg (140 lb) was reported to have been caught on 17 February 2003 by Ms Val Fletcher using a fishing rodbaited with squid, at Skinningrove, United Kingdom.[4]
  A photograph on display in bars, restaurants, guesthouses and markets around Laos and Thailand that is captioned, "Queen of NÄgas seized by American Army at Mekhong River, Laos Military Base on June 27, 1973 with the length of 7.80 metres," is a hoax. The photograph was taken by Dr. Leo Smith of The Field Museum, of an oarfish found in September 1996 by United States Navy SEAL trainees on the coast of Coronado, California, USA.[5][6]
  Behavior[edit]In 2001 an oarfish was filmed alive and in situ: the 1.5 metre (4.9 feet) fish was spotted by a group of U.S. Navy personnel during the inspection of a buoy in the Bahamas.[7] The oarfish was observed to propel itself via an amiiform mode of swimming; that is, rhythmically undulating the dorsal fin whilst keeping the body itself straight. Perhaps indicating a feeding posture, oarfish have been observed swimming in a vertical orientation, with their long axis perpendicular to the ocean surface. In this posture the downstreaming light would silhouette the oarfishes' prey, making them easier to spot.
  In July 2008, scientists captured footage of the rare fish swimming in its natural habitat in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the first ever confirmed sighting of an oarfish at depth, as most specimens are discovered dying at the sea surface or washed ashore. The fish was estimated to be between 5 m (16.4 ft) and 10 m (32.8 ft) in length.[8]
  As part of the SERPENT Project, five observations of apparently healthy oarfish Regalecus glesne by remotely operated vehicles were reported from the northern Gulf of Mexico between 2008 and 2011 at depths from within the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones.[9] These observations include the deepest verified record of R. glesne (463''492 m (1,519''1,614 ft)) and the first record of an arthropodectoparasite (isopod).[10]
  From December 2009 to March 2010, unusual numbers of the slender oarfish Regalecus russelii[11] (ç'å®®ã®ä½ã ''RyÅgÅ-No-Tsukai'',) known in Japanesefolklore as the Messenger from the Sea God's Palace, appeared in the waters and on the beaches of Japan; the appearance of which is said to portend earthquakes.[12]
  Feeding ecology[edit]Oarfish feed primarily on zooplankton, selectively straining tiny euphausiids, shrimp and other crustaceans from the water. Small fish, jellyfish and squid are also taken. Large open-ocean carnivores are all likely predators of oarfish.
  Life history[edit]The oceanodromousRegalecus glesne is recorded as spawning off Mexico from July to December; all species are presumed to be non-guarders and release brightly coloured, buoyant eggs, up to 6 millimetres (0.24 inches) across, which are incorporated into the zooplankton. The eggs hatch after about three weeks into highly active larvae, that feed on other zooplankton. The larvae have little resemblance to the adults, with long dorsal and pelvic fins and extensible mouths.[3] Larvae and juveniles have been observed drifting just below the surface. In contrast, adult oarfish are rarely seen at the surface when not sick or injured.
  See also[edit]Bibliography[edit]Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Regalecidae" in FishBase. February 2005 version.Pete Thomas, Blue Demons, The Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2006.Fishes: An Introduction to ichthyology. Peter B. Moyle and Joseph J. Cech, Jr; p. 338. Printed in 2004. Prentice-Hall, Inc; Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. ISBN 0-13-100847-1References[edit]^Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2007). "Regalecidae" in FishBase. March 2007 version.^Bourton, Jody. Giant bizarre deep sea fish filmed in Gulf of Mexico. BBC Earth News^ abcdOlney, John E. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 157''159. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. ^Jenkins, Russell (21 February 2003). "Woman angler lands legendary sea monster". The Times, London. Retrieved 25 February 2010. "The novice angler fishing off the rocks for mackerel thought that she must have hooked a big one. '' Unfortunately the oarfish has been cut up into steaks for the pot." ^Ranges, Trevor (2002 '' 2006). "A Big Fish Tale". thailandroad.com. p. 2. "We were on our morning physical fitness run when we came across this huge fish lying on the sand." ^JOSN Jojm; photos by LT DeeDee Van Wormer (April 1997). "SEALs and a serpent of the sea" (PDF). ALL HANDS. Naval Media Center. pp. 20''21. "The silvery serpent of the sea '' an oarfish '' was discovered last year by Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Instructor Signalman 2nd Class (SEAL) Kevin Blake." ^"Sustainability species Identification; Oarfish (Regalecus glesne Ascanius)". NOAA Fisheries service. Retrieved 28 September 2012. ^Bourton, Jody (2010-02-08). "http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8501000/8501251.stm". BBC. Retrieved 2010-02-09. ^http://www.serpentproject.com/^Benfield, M.C. (5 June 2013). "Five in situ observations of live oarfish Regalecus glesne (Regalecidae) by remotely operated vehicles in the oceanic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico". Journal of Fish Biology. Retrieved 10 June 2013. ^"Regalecus russelii (Cuvier, 1816) species summary". FishBase Consortium. Retrieved 23 Mar 2010. ^Daiki Yamamoto (04 Mar 2010). "Sea serpents' arrival puzzling, or portentous?". Kyodo News. Retrieved 6 Mar 2010. "TOYAMA '-- A rarely seen deep-sea fish regarded as something of a mystery has been giving marine experts food for thought recently after showing up in large numbers along the Sea of Japan coast." External links[edit]
VIDEO-'–¶ "A GIANT ASTEROID HEADING TOWARDS EARTH!" - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:32
Laser pointers: Most red, green lasers are more powerful than allowed by law.
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:26
  You didn't need eyesight to play soccer anyway, right?Photo by Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images
  For all the whining everyone's always doing about jetpacks and other tech of the future, you'd think we'd be more impressed with the teeming abundance and affordability of lasers. In fact, we're so over Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, we've relegated the technology to kitschy beach-shop key chains and board games for nerds. And yet a new study shows a majority of the dinky laser pointers on the market exceed the power level limits set by the Code of Federal Regulations, which means a whole lot of twerps out there wield far more retina-burning power than they should.
  That laser pointers are potentially dangerous shouldn't come as any big surprise. However, ubiquity has a way of breeding a lack of respect. And lack of respect leads people to point electromagnetic radiation at the eye holes of rival soccer clubs or helicopter and airplane pilots.
  ''The human eye is a fantastic optical instrument capable of concentrating light a 100,000 times onto the retina,'' explains Joshua Hadler, physicist and laser safety officer for the National Institute of Standards and Technology Laser Radiometry Project. ''More than a few milliwatts at the cornea can be focused to a spot so small that the power density on the retina can become greater than that generated when staring into the sun.''
  Power limits put in place by the CFR cap laser pointers at 5 milliwatts. Anything more powerful than that is technically not a ''laser pointer'''--that is, a handheld laser intended to trick an audience into thinking your PowerPoint slides are even vaguely interesting. Which is why it's concerning that Hadler and his co-authors Marla Dowell and Edna Tobares found some of the laser pointers they tested to be well above the 5 milliwatt output advertised on the labels. One showoff laser pointer clocked in at an absurd 66.5 milliwatts.
  Lasers of this magnitude can potentially cause irreparable damage to the human eye. When focused on the retina, they yield more power density than looking at a welding arc.
  What's more, green laser pointers in particular fire off a considerable amount of infrared signal in addition to visible light. The human eye is far less sensitive to infrared, which means it can't protect itself by automatically closing like it does with bright, visible lights. Even though you can't ''see'' it, infrared can still mess you up.
  ''The damage mechanism that occurs is thermal,'' Hadler says. ''The tissue can't dissipate the heat fast enough, and it burns.'' In order to prevent accidental eye scorching, Hadler developed a relatively cheap, easily replicable test bed. He hopes other institutions from universities to corporations will build their own test beds to make sure their lasers are within the appropriate safety thresholds.
  The NIST study shows only 26 percent of the laser pointers tested met industry standards. That means you'd do well to avoid drawing the ire of that weird little cousin'--you know the one'--especially if his cat-torturing device is green. A whopping 90 percent of green laser pointers in the study were not in compliance with the CFR regulations, compared to 44 percent of the reds.
  ''Twenty years ago, the technology required to generate this particular wavelength of laser light was a $30,000 piece of equipment that lived in a laboratory,'' Hadler told me. ''And now for $10 you can put one in your pocket.''
  Of course, over-the-counter laser pointers are just the tip of the photonic spear. For $400 and an Internet connection, you could be the proud owner of a 1,250 milliwatt, Class 4 Arctic Laser ''strong enough to burn holes, pop balloons, and start fires from across the room.'' (FYI: Such lasers should not be operated without safety goggles and a healthy respect for retinal burns. Also, beware of the Moscow rave scene.)
  So don't be an idiot. Just because you can buy a handheld light cannon and shine it into the heavens doesn't mean you should. In fact, when President Obama signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, he made it a federal crime to shine a laser beam at or in the flight path of aircraft'--punishable by up to $250,000 in fines and five years imprisonment. But that's probably not as embarrassing as what Yeezy will do to you.
VIDEO-'–¶ FBI Issues Warning There's Been Dramatic Increase In "Laser Attacks" On Commercial Airlines - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:25
VIDEO-'–¶ "The Joke Is He Is Retiring To Spend More Time With His Family & Less Time With Your Family" HA HA - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:21
Why House Stenographer Dianne Reidy Snapped - The Daily Beast
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:14
  The husband of the 48-year-old woman who is now the most famous stenographer in America knew his wife had been getting up in the middle of the night for the past four weeks.
  In this image from House Television, with partial voting totals on the screen, a woman, at the rostrum just below the House presiding officer, seen between the "yea" and "nay" wording, is removed from the House chamber after she began shouting during the vote for the bill to end the partial 16-day government shutdown and to fund the government. (House TV/AP)
  But he did not know why until after the Capitol Police had hustled her from the podium at the House of Representatives to a hospital for psychiatric observation.
  Only then did Dianne Foster Reidy tell 54-year-old Dan Reidy that she had been repeatedly awakened by the Holy Spirit and urged to deliver a message on the House floor, where she has worked for the past eight years.
  She did not have to tell him how torn she must have felt at the prospect of violating congressional decorum.
  ''That's so out of character,'' he says. ''She so respects the Capitol and the traditions of the House of Representatives.''
  She particularly loved the job after working in the court system, amid what her husband terms ''the darkness of murder.'' She had demonstrated her dedication to the House back when she was pregnant with twins and wracked by morning sickness. She had still reported for duty, equipped for any sudden nausea.
  ''Bringing a bag with her,'' he says.
  But she's also a person of deep faith, and she would later tell him there was no question in her mind that it was indeed the Holy Spirit rousing her night after night, even before the shutdown and the looming default.
  ''Waking several times a night feeling that God's just been pressing on her to open a Bible and get into his word,'' Dan Reidy says. ''Reading a Bible is not foreign to us, but getting up in the middle of the night definitely is. It's just not a part of our life.''
  The circumstances were so unusual as to make a command from on high seem all the more real to her.
  ''If that's not's God's spirit'...'' Dan says.
  He goes on, ''What she was finding out was that God was impressing on her heart that He had a message He wanted her to share with the House of Representatives.''
  She kept resisting the command only to be woken up by it yet again.
  Dianne Foster Reidy and her family (via Facebook )
  ''If she had told me, 'I think God wants me to get up and say something,' I'd be the first one to say, 'No you don't!'''
  ''The reason it took four weeks was because of her reluctance and her doubt,'' the husband says. ''She didn't want to do it.''
  She continued to resist even as the shutdown made Congress look all the more woefully in need of divine guidance.
  ''This whole mess has just kind of sickened her to the whole process,'' her husband says. ''The alliances between people who aren't really allies. The finger-pointing on the dais, [then] the arms around each other'... Where are the people being served in this whole deal?''
  He recalls, ''She was just like, 'Gosh, this is not what it's about.'''
  Another day of serving as a stenographer in an unholy mess would end with another night of being awakened by what she took to be the Holy Spirit. She kept resisting out of a sense of congressional sanctity that the representatives themselves were besmirching.
  ''That's what my wife was battling, with this late-night wrestling with God,'' the husband says.
  But he learned this only later, even though he is a nondenominational Christian pastor and she would not have doubted his faith.
  ''I knew she was up and I knew God was dealing with her, but she didn't feel she should share everything with me,'' the husband says. ''I didn't know what the outcome would be.''
  She would have been right to worry that he would seek to dissuade her.
  ''If she had told me, 'I think God wants me to get up and say something,' I'd be the first one to say, 'No you don't!''' he reports.
  He had no inkling of what was about to happen as she set off for work on Monday, though he was aware that the crisis in Congress was taking more of a toll on her than any murder case in her courthouse days.
  ''Personally and emotionally,'' he says.
  He knew she would be working late as the saner minds in Congress sought to end the crisis.
  He tucked in their 7-year-old twin girls and he himself had gone to bed when he became the one to be woken up'--not by the Holy Spirit, but by ringing phone. A caller informed him that his wife had stepped to the podium at the House of Representatives and delivered a message of some kind to the members just as they voted to end the shutdown. She had been taken to George Washington Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
  A friend watched the twins while Dan drove from their Fort Washington, Maryland, home to the hospital. He found his wife in an examination room, where she told him what had been getting her up in the night. She said that the moment she had long resisted had finally just presented itself.
  ''The big vote, the whole crew was there, and she just felt the Holy Spirit knows the time she was to go up,'' he reports.
  She told him that the words she had spoken were not her own, that she had just been the messenger.
  ''She said she didn't know what she was going to say,'' he reports.
  What she had said was playing again and again on television. Many were calling it raving.
  ''He will not be mocked!'' she had begun. ''The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God'....''
  Now that is was done, she told her husband that she felt greatly relieved.
  ''She felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders,'' he says.
  He recalls, ''I said, 'You know what, honey, this is like when you were pregnant and agonized'...' She was obedient to God and gave birth to His message.''
  She had suffered postpartum depression after the birth of the twins. The comparison ended there. The husband did not even consider that she was now suffering from some kind of mental disorder.
  A psychiatric resident came in to speak with Dianne and the husband saw he was wearing a yarmulke. The Reidys are devout Christians, but the husband did not feel that a difference in faiths in any way precluded a discussion of faith.
  ''But he was there to see Dianne on a psychiatric basis,'' the husband says. ''That's why he would say things like religious experience can be very nebulous. I would say, 'No, this is a living God.'''
  The resident did not seek to reconcile theology and psychiatry.
  ''I'm sure he has an opinion, but he didn't share it with me,'' the husband says.
  After 45 minutes, the psychiatrist said that Dianne could go.
  ''He was a wonderful man,'' the husband says of the resident. ''I really enjoyed our time with him. He was very nice.''
  Dan drove his wife home, arriving around 5 a.m. She went to bed with no expectation of being roused by the Holy Spirit.
  ''She feels fine,'' Dan says.
  The twins were still asleep and awoke with no sense that anything was amiss beyond the absence of their mother's car, which was still at the Capitol. They began another day in the second grade. There remains the question of whether the mother will be allowed to go back to work.
  ''Obviously, it is not in the job description to get up and make statements,'' the husband says, adding, ''She wasn't trying to disrupt or disrespect the House in any way. She was just being obedient to what God had placed in her heart.''
  The husband figures the message also reflects what most Americans are feeling.
  ''I think she speaks for a majority who are really fed up with the whole process,'' he says.
  In her favor, her co-workers and supervisors at the Capitol have only good things to say about her.
  ''She's wonderful lady, and I don't just say that because she's my wife,'' he says. ''I'm a very blessed man.''
  Dianne Foster Reidy declined to speak to reporters on Thursday.
  ''She said, 'I don't have anything to say. I said what I said,''' the husband reports.
  He says the psychiatric resident did ask her to see her primary-care physician.
  ''In case of another episode,'' Dan Reidy says. ''Believe me, Dianne is not interested in another episode.''
VIDEO-'–¶ Senators Question Obama's Pick To Head Department Of Homeland Security - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:06
Consumer Reports: Stay away from Healthcare.gov (for another month)
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  Source: Twitchy » US Politics
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:44
  @kausmickey @NolteNC Well. That really inspires confidence.
  '--Gina Dalfonzo (@ginadalfonzo) October 19, 2013The Obama administration is anxious to post big Obamacare enrollment numbers as quickly as possible, so it's not going to like Consumer Reports' sage advice to ''stay away from Healthcare.gov for at least another month if you can'' while the programmers work out the ''glitches'' that have perhaps kept millions from creating accounts.
  Protip from Consumer Reports: "Stay away from Healthcare.gov for at least another month if you can." consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/'...'--Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) October 19, 2013
  Among other advice, Consumer Reports cautions readers to ''immediately try a different name, password, and/or security questions'' if trouble arises while creating a username and password. Some are still reporting that they are unable to log into their own accounts because of a ''name and email address aren't unique'' error.
  @HealthCareGov ERROR: "The combination of the first name, last name, and email address arent unique" #ObamaCareSUXhttp://t.co/xeRVNOuoww'--TPBGirl ' (@TPBGirl) October 17, 2013
  @HealthCareGov please tell me this is a joke about my real name and email . Day 19 and this is the response #tcothttp://t.co/JTYEqGmwzf'--Kevin (@kevinpost) October 19, 2013
  @TheFiveFNC Wow, Been told my situation unique, but now my name & email are too similar? #healthcare.gov #Obamacarehttp://t.co/QPWPC3djdl'--Lisa Yourman (@lyourman) October 19, 2013
  Will these problems finally be ironed out in another month? Can you wait that long?
  I promise I will. Just doin my part. @kausmickey @NolteNC'--Downtown Indy (@SSJIndy) October 19, 2013
  @kausmickey @jtLOL Until the month of never?'--Sam Valley (@SamValley) October 19, 2013
  @kausmickey @jtLOL or forever if possible'--Bill Lingenfelser (@BLingenfelser) October 19, 2013
  @kausmickey @instapundit Consumer Reports has been one of the leading supporters of Obamacare. I hope they're impressed with its rollout.'--Dillon (@000Dillon000) October 19, 2013
  Related:
  It 'says I'm dead': Obamacare shoppers thwarted by identity verification process
  'So gloriously inept it circles back to amazing': Obamacare website so bad the 'error page has an error'
  'Hire a hacker, noobs': 'Improved' Obamacare website 'worse than last week' [screenshots]
  Obamacare website functionality held hostage, day 5; The frustration and mockery continues
  Follow @twitchyteam
BREAKING: RIOTS OCCURING IN ROME, ITALY | InvestmentWatch
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:44
  http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/10/19/album/'...
  Protesters are clashing with police, throwing stones, fire-bombs in Rome, Italy. They are protesting against austerity measures.
  http://video.repubblica.it/
  More images about the last riots'...
  http://foto.ilmessaggero.it/ROMA/foto1/0-55706.shtml?idArticolo=341764
  Riots in front of Ministry of Finance Headquarters in Rome.
  http://video.ilmessaggero.it/index.jsp?videoId=15378&sectionId=87&t=manifestazione-no-tav-violenza-di-fronte-al-ministero-delle-finanze
  Now you can see thousands of protesters facing the cops, not 50.
  http://video.ilmessaggero.it/index.jsp?videoId=15379&sectionId=87&t=corteo-guerriglia-urbana-nelle-strade-dei-ministeri
  Anonymous
  Did you already share this? No? Share it now:
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J.P. Morgan Reaches $13 Billion Deal with Justice Department; Is This a Fair Deal?
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  Source: Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:30
  The Wall Street Journal reported today J.P. Morgan Reaches $13 Billion Tentative Deal with Justice Department. However a criminal investigation is not yet closed.
  J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has reached a tentative deal to pay a record $13 billion to the Justice Department to settle a number of outstanding probes of its residential mortgage-backed securities business, according to a person familiar with the decision.
  The deal, which was struck Friday night, doesn't resolve a continuing criminal probe of the bank's conduct, which could result in charges against individuals or the bank itself and possibly increase the penalty tab. The two sides continued to disagree over an admission of wrongdoing that would end the criminal probe and decided instead to resolve the civil allegations related to the mortgage securities.
  The deal includes $4 billion to settle claims by the Federal Housing Finance Agency that J.P. Morgan misled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about the quality of loans it sold them in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, another $4 billion in consumer relief, and $5 billion in penalties paid by the bank, according to a second person close to the talks. How the consumer relief and penalties get dispersed and distributed is largely up to the government, and those details are still unclear, this person said.
  The tentative settlement comes as J.P. Morgan tries to put as many legal woes behind it as possible. Earlier this week, J.P. Morgan agreed to pay $100 million and acknowledge wrongdoing to settle allegations by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission related to its botched ''London whale'' trades. Last month, the bank agreed to pay $920 million to settle similar charges with U.S. and U.K. regulators related to that 2012 trade.
  The task force issued a series of subpoenas to various financial companies, seeking internal documents. Those documents held a number of promising leads, one of which was assigned to federal prosecutors in Sacramento.
  Investigators in that case discovered an email by a bank employee, warning her higher-ups that the bank was vastly overstating the value of the mortgages being securitized, according to people familiar with the probe. That employee, who has since left the company, has been cooperating with federal prosecutors, who expect to call her as a witness if the case ever goes to trial, according to people familiar with the case.
  While the Justice Department considers the evidence in that case to be strong, officials at the bank strongly disagree, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
  In late September, as the Justice Department neared its own deadline to file a civil lawsuit in the case, the bank offered $3 billion to settle the case. Attorney General Eric Holder rejected that offer, and government lawyers prepared to file the suit. The bank then offered billions more, if the government was willing to throw into the settlement separate cases, raising the total price and resolving more of the bank's legal headaches.
  As the negotiations intensified in September, Mr. Dimon sought a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Holder to try to resolve the remaining sticking points. The two met Sept. 26 at the Justice Department, but the meeting failed to settle the outstanding issues. As talks continued over the remaining weeks, the size of the deal swelled, but the two sides continued to disagree over an admission of wrongdoing that would end the criminal probe.
  On Friday night, Mr. Dimon and Mr. Holder decided they were just not going to come to terms on the criminal issue''and take the deal on the terms where they did agree.
  Is This a Fair Deal?For starters, I am astonished at the massive settlement. $13 billion sounds huge (and it is compared to the typical whitewashing affairs we see).
  However, things could have been much worse.
  CNN Money notes JPM held "$23 billion in reserves for potential litigation expenses. In a footnote to its SEC filing, the bank said legal costs could be nearly $6 billion above that figure in a worst case scenario."
  Perhaps $23 billion, $40 billion, or any amount that wipes out JP Morgan litigation reserves is "fair".
  Clearly "fair" is in the eyes of the beholder. I will consider it "fair" if executives of the largest banks are tried and convicted in criminal court. Don't count on it. As astonished as I was about the amount of the settlement, I will be even more astonished if any bank executives are criminally convicted.
  Mike "Mish" Shedlockhttp://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Bitcoin Climbs To Highest Since April, Led By Chinese Actions
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  Archived Version
  Source: Zero Hedge
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:29
  Submitted by Jonathan Stacke via The Genesis Block,
  The last week has seen dramatic upwards price action in the bitcoin markets, driven by a series of macro and micro events across the globe. The fallout from Silk Road's closure turned out to be but a blip in bitcoin's price history, with significant gains since then. Turmoil in global financial markets and recent news of leading global websites accepting bitcoin may have bolstered enthusiasm for digital currency, but most interesting may be CNY's definitive recent price leadership.
  Compared with prices before the brief Silk Road drop, bitcoin exchange rates have climbed 14% in the last two weeks. At $145/BTC on Bitstamp, bitcoin has reached a level not seen since late April, and the only time that level has been reached on more than three consecutive days was from April 3-11 during the bubble.
  Notably, the market has been significantly less volatile leading up to this level recently, compared with April. The 3DMA volatility leading into this level previously was between 13% and 22%, compared with just 4% currently.
  US EventsA number of factors may be driving the latest climb. For one, bitcoin price increases are known to often coincide with media coverage. Accordingly, even the Silk Road closure which highlighted bitcoin's use for illicit purposes may have helped drive new participants into the market as a result of the exposure gained. The recent Money 2020 conference in Las Vegas may have similarly driven interest from a number of established financial players.
  The global macroeconomic environment may be playing a role as well. As we've noted previously, bitcoin shares a generally inverse relationship with USD, an asset that has been negatively impacted in recent weeks as a result of the US debt ceiling impasse.
  Chinese EventsPerhaps most important was the activity out of China. The Chinese government has recently been more vocal in its ongoing campaign to see the dollar removed from global reserve status. While such calls for an international reserve note are generally assumed to refer to Special Drawing Rights issued by the IMF, it may have bolstered enthusiasm for bitcoin's apolitical nature. Also out of China was news that Baidu, the world's fifth largest website, is now accepting bitcoin for certain services.
  Perhaps not incidentally, CNY price movement has been a notable leader in the latest rally. Overlaying CNY/BTC and USD/BTC trading history, it becomes clear that USD/BTC trading has been largely responsive to the Chinese markets. The graph below shows bitcoin trading in CNY markets, as well as USD/BTC levels converted to CNY for comparison. Overlaid on top of them is the differential between their prices at any given time. The differential tends to normalize around 2-3% and spikes/sinks periodically with price movement. In reviewing this chart, a consistent pattern becomes clear: CNY price movement occurs first, increasing the differential, with USD catching up much later and eventually sending the differential back down towards 3%.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.2(6 votes)
Edward Snowden: public indifference is the real enemy in the NSA affair | World news | The Observer
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:18
  Edward Snowden's revelations exposed a terrifying level of 'passive acceptance' of surveillance. Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP
  One of the most disturbing aspects of the public response to Edward Snowden's revelations about the scale of governmental surveillance is how little public disquiet there appears to be about it. A recent YouGov poll, for example, asked respondents whether the British security services have too many or too few powers to carry out surveillance on ordinary people. Forty-two per cent said that they thought the balance was "about right" and a further 22% thought that the security services did not have enough powers. In another question, respondents were asked whether they thought Snowden's revelations were a good or a bad thing; 43% thought they were bad and only 35% thought they were good.
  Writing in these pages a few weeks ago, Henry Porter expressed his own frustration at this public complacency. "Today, apparently," he wrote, "we are at ease with a system of near total intrusion that would have horrified every adult Briton 25 years ago. Back then, western spies acknowledged the importance of freedom by honouring the survivors of those networks; now, they spy on their own people. We have changed, that is obvious, and, to be honest, I wonder whether I, and others who care about privacy and freedom, have been left behind by societies that accept surveillance as a part of the sophisticated world we live in."
  I share Henry's bafflement. At one point I thought that the level of public complacency about the revelations was a reflection simply of ignorance. After all, most people who use the internet and mobile phones have no idea about how any of this stuff works and so may be naive about the implications of state agencies being able to scoop up everybody's email metadata, call logs, click streams, friendship networks and so on.
  But what is, in a way, more alarming is how relaxed many of my professional peers seem to be about it. Many of them are people who do understand how the stuff works. To them, Snowden's revelations probably just confirm what they had kind of suspected all along. And yet the discovery that in less than three decades our societies have achieved Orwellian levels of surveillance provokes, at most, a wry smile or a resigned shrug. And it is this level of passive acceptance that I find really scary.
  What's even more alarming is that the one group of professionals who really ought to be alert to the danger are journalists. After all, these are the people who define news as "something that someone powerful does not want published", who pride themselves on "holding government to account" or sometimes, when they've had a few drinks, on "speaking truth to power". And yet, in their reactions to the rolling scoops published by the Guardian, the Washington Post, the New York Times and Der Spiegel, many of them seem to have succumbed either to a weird kind of spiteful envy, or to a desire to act as the unpaid stenographers to the security services and their political masters.
  We've seen this before, of course, notably in the visceral hatred directed towards WikiLeaks by the mainstream media in both this country and the US. As I read the vitriol being heaped on Julian Assange, I wondered how the press would have reacted if Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning had handed his CD downloads to the editor of the Des Moines Register who had then published them. Would that editor have been lauded as a champion of freedom, or vilified as a traitor warranting summary assassination?
  Last week in the US, we saw a welcome sign that some people in journalism have woken up to the existential threat posed by the NSA to their profession '' and, by implication, to political freedom. A group of scholars, journalists and researchers from Columbia Journalism School and the MIT Centre for Civic Media submitted a thoughtful paper on "the effects of mass surveillance on the practice of journalism" to the Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies convened by President Obama.
  It's a longish (15-page) submission that is worth reading in full. It argues that what the NSA is doing is "incompatible with the existing law and policy protecting the confidentiality of journalist-source communications", that this is not merely an incompatibility in spirit, "but a series of specific and serious discrepancies between the activities of the intelligence community and existing law, policy, and practice in the rest of the government" and '' most importantly '' that the climate of secrecy around mass surveillance is actively harmful to journalism, because "sources cannot know when they might be monitored, or how intercepted information might be used against them". In which case, what happens to the freedom that the NSA is supposedly defending?
Crimes of The Times: Nairobi, Kenya Westgate Mall Attack: Here's What The New York Times Does Not Want You To Know
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:10
  Make no mistake: in the shocking video below, every single one of those looting Kenyan soldiers is wearing (probably Chinese-made) uniforms and carrying (likely Chinese-made) automatic rifles, that were paid for by white people from Europe and the United States.The verminous reality contortionists at the New York Times attempt to use every incident of bestial criminality like the Westgate mall Massacre to further relativize the immutability of the Natural Order, and conceal the Indian caste-like hierarchy of mankind that exists in reality but not in the wishful-thinking minds of the One Worlder competitive compassion athlete pussies at Amerika's Newspaper of Record.
  The siege of the Westgate by four skinny 20 year-old Shababs with machine guns only lasted for three full days, because Kenya's rank and file military went on a looting spree of phenomenal proportion.
  Here's proof :
  Note : the one Kenyan looter soldier that steps in that wide pool of blood right behind the elephant, as he sidles up to an item on display on the counter (which he decided wasn't worth stealing), is walking in the blood of a man whose execution can be seen in the video below.
  Presumably, the executed man's body had been dragged away by the time the video footage above recorded the Kenyan army looting spree.
Nominee for secretary of homeland security donated more than $33,000 to Obama's 2008 campaign
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  Source: 33 World News
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:03
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New Study: '2013 ranks as one of the least extreme U.S. weather years ever''' Many bad weather events at 'historically low levels' | Climate Depot
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:02
  'Whether you're talking about tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat or hurricanes, the good news is that weather-related disasters in the US are all way down this year compared to recent years and, in some cases, down to historically low levels.'
  Tornadoes: 'lowest total in several decades'
  Number of wildfires: 'On pace to be the lowest it has been in the past ten years'
  Extreme Heat: The number of 100 degree days may 'turn out to be the lowest in about 100 years of records'
  Hurricanes: 'We are currently in the longest period (8 years) since the Civil War Era without a major hurricane strike in the US (i.e., category 3, 4 or 5)' ( last major hurricane to strike the US was Hurricane Wilma in 2005)
  By: Marc Morano - Climate DepotOctober 18, 2013 12:25 PM with 547 comments
  [Also see: Gore still warning of 'extreme' weather, 'increasing storms' and 'other extreme events']
  #
  Prof. Roger Pielke Jr.: 'Interesting from @TheSIWeather 2013 ranks as one of the least extreme US weather years ever'
  According to the latest analysis of data by the The SI Organization, Inc.
  18 OCT/13 FRI
  There have been many forecasts in the news in recent years predicting more and more extreme weather-related events in the US, but for 2013 that prediction has been way off the mark. Whether you're talking about tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat or hurricanes, the good news is that weather-related disasters in the US are all way down this year compared to recent years and, in some cases, down to historically low levels.To begin with, the number of tornadoes in the US this year is on pace to be the lowest total since 2000 and it may turn out to be the lowest total in several decades. The table below lists the number of tornadoes in the US for this year (through 10/17) and also for each year going back to 2000.(Source: NOAA, http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/newm.html)
  Year # of Tornadoes2013 7712012 11192011 18942010 15432009 13052008 16852007 11022006 11172005 12622004 18202003 13742002 9382001 12192000 1072
  Second, the number of wildfires across the US so far this year is on pace to be the lowest it has been in the past ten years and the acreage involved is at the second lowest level in that same time period (table below).(Source: National Interagency Fire Center; http://www.nifc.gov/)
  2013 Fires: 40,306 Acres: 4,152,3902012 Fires: 67,774 Acres: 9,326,2382011 Fires: 74,126 Acres: 8,711,3672010 Fires: 62,471 Acres: 3,233,4612009 Fires: 78,792 Acres: 5,921,7862008 Fires: 80,094 Acres: 5,254,1092007 Fires: 85,822 Acres: 9,321,3262006 Fires: 96,358 Acres: 9,871,9392005 Fires: 66,552 Acres: 8,686,7532004 Fires: 63,608 Acres: 8,097,880*2013 data through 10/16
  In addition to wildfires, extreme heat is also way down across the US this year. In fact, the number of 100 degree days across the country during 2013 is not only down for this year, but it is perhaps going to turn out to be the lowest in about 100 years of records.
  (Source: NOAA, USHCN reporting stations; through August)
  The five summers with the highest number of 100 degree days across the US are as follows: 1936, 1934, 1954, 1980 and 1930. In addition to the vast reduction in 100 degree days across the US this year, the number of high temperature records (ie hi max and hi min records) is way down compared to a year ago with 22,965 records this year as compared with 56,885 at this same time last year.(Source: NOAA, http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/records/; through 10/17).
  Finally, as far as hurricanes are concerned, there have been only two hurricanes so far this season in the Atlantic Basin (Humberto and Ingrid) and they were both short-lived and weak category 1 storms. Also, the first forming hurricane this year occurred at the second latest date going back to the mid 1940's when hurricane hunters began to fly. Overall, the tropical season in the Atlantic Basin has been generally characterized by short-lived and weak systems.
  In addition, this suppressed tropical activity has not been confined to just the Atlantic Ocean. The eastern Pacific Ocean has had no major hurricanes this season meaning there has been no major hurricane in either the Atlantic or eastern Pacific which only occurred one other year in recorded history '' 1968. This is actually quite extraordinary since the two basins are generally out of phase with each other i.e. when one is inactive the other is active.
  One of the best ways to measure ''total seasonal activity'' in the tropics is through an index called the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) which is a metric that accounts for both intensity and duration of named tropical storms. Indeed, the ACE for this tropical season so far in the Atlantic Basin is only 29% percent of normal (through 10/17) when compared to the climatological average from 1981-2010 and it is the 7th lowest since 1950. Elsewhere, the ACE across the northern hemisphere is only 58% of normal and global ACE is 62% of normal.(Source: Dr. Ryan Maue at Weather Bell Analytics; http://models.weatherbell.com/tropical.php)
  Finally, another interesting stat with respect to hurricanes has to do with the fact that we are currently in the longest period since the Civil War Era without a major hurricane strike in the US (i.e., category 3, 4 or 5). The last major hurricane to strike the US was Hurricane Wilma during late October of that record-breaking year of 2005 '' let's hope this historic stretch continues. By the way, just as a point of comparison, in 1954 the US was hit by 3 major hurricanes in less than 10 weeks.
  Related Links:
The White House Is Open To Public Tours Again Huh? I Got One Little Bitty Question About That'... - The Ulsterman Report
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 04:01
  Celebration! The oh so dark days of the government shut down are finally over and the White House is open for public tours once again! So says a most recent update from the Obama administration. Not to be a downer on such an incredible event, but there's just one glaring question that needs to be asked about this though'...
  GET ALL OF D.W. ULSTERMAN'S BOOKS HERE
  ______________________________________________
  Ok, I'll keep it real simple.
  The Obama administration closed public tours of the White House MONTHS AGO.
  This was done, according to them, because of the sequester (cutting govt. spending) agreement with Republicans.
  This sequester agreement took place in approximately NINE MONTHS ago. The Obama administration then announced the White House was closed to the public in March of 2013.
  So tell me reader, how does ending the government shut down in October of 2013 have ANYTHING to do with the sequester agreement from March?
  The answer is that it doesn't.
  The White House '' the PEOPLE'S HOUSE, was closed to the American people because the Obama administration was pouting about having to cut a tiny fraction of the rate of growth in the federal budget. Re-opening it now after the government shutdown is proof the White House never had to be closed to the public. The sequester has not gone away '' the sequester has NOTHING to do with the government shutdown. And yet, now the Obama administration indicates some more magic money has been found under the White House mattresses and they will once again allow the public to visit.
  Let me put it another way here, and for those who might cringe at the thought of less than adoring descriptions of the current occupants of the People's House, you best stop reading here and move along.
  This Obama White House is the most corrupt, calculating, messianic, destructive, demeaning, dishonest, mud wallowing, petulant, ignorant, immature, backstabbing, unqualified, deceptive, secretive, abusive, and dangerous administration this nation has had to endure in its long and sometimes, tumultuous history.
  Every word from them is a lie.
  Every action is intended to harm those who oppose them.
  And their work is far from done'...
  _____________________________________________
  IN A WORLD GONE HORRIBLY WRONG, AMERICA NEEDS A NEW HERO.
  MAC WALKER.
  GET ALL OF D.W. ULSTERMAN'S BOOKS HERE
  GET ALL OF D.W. ULSTERMAN'S BOOKS HERE
VIDEO-'–¶ Weekly Address: Working Together on Behalf of the American People - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:52
Supreme Court agrees to hear six cases on greenhouse gas regulations | The Raw Story
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:24
  By Agence France-PresseTuesday, October 15, 2013 11:38 EDT
  The US Supreme Court Tuesday took on six cases related to federal regulation of greenhouse gasses, raising expectations for a much-awaited ruling in the debate over climate change legislation.
  The court announced it was combining the six suits from plaintiffs in the chemical industry, the Chamber of Commerce, and the state of Texas, each protesting carbon emissions regulations put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  All six cases address just one question: Whether the agency ''permissibly determined that its regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles triggered permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act,'' the court said in announcing it would take the appeal.
  The court refused to consider three other appeals on the same issue.
  The nation's highest court also agreed to weigh in on whether a gun owner can legally re-sell his firearm to someone else.
  However, as it has in the past, the court refused to hear an appeal on a case regarding the right to own a gun, citing protections under the second amendment.
  At issue was a Maryland law that aimed to restrict gun purchases to only those individuals seeking a firearm for ''a good and substantial reason.''
Marianne Williamson :: Contact
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:08
  To contact Marianne:
  Mailing Address:
  8424 Santa Monica Blvd. #A787West Hollywood, CA 90069 USA
  We appreciate your interest. Please know that our office receives hundreds of emails each day, and we are not able to respond to each one. Know that Marianne appreciates your interest, and one of us will be in touch with you if we are able.
  Marianne wishes all new authors well. Due to the sheer volume of mail she receives, however, she will not be able to endorse unsolicited manuscripts.
  For Speaking Engagements Only:
  Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Six of her ten published books have been New York Times Bestsellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Bestsellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. A paragraph from that book, beginning "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure..." is considered an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.
  Marianne's other books include The Age of Miracles, Everyday Grace, A Woman's Worth, Illuminata, Healing the Soul of America, A Course in Weight Loss, The Gift of Change and her newest book, The Law of Divine Compensation.
  She has been a popular guest on television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Charlie Rose. Marianne is a native of Houston, Texas. In 1989, she founded Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. Today, Project Angel Food serves over 1,000 people daily. Marianne also founded the Department of Peace Campaign, a grass roots campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace.
  In December 2006, a NEWSWEEK magazine poll named Marianne Williamson one of the fifty most influential baby boomers. According to Time magazine, "Yoga, the Cabala and Marianne Williamson have been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to Christianity."
Marianne Williamson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Marianne Williamson (b. July 8, 1952) [1] is a spiritual teacher, author and lecturer. She has published ten books, including four New York Times #1 bestsellers. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area, and co-founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation to establish a United States Department of Peace. She serves on the Board of Directors of the RESULTS organization, which works to end poverty in the United States and around the world. Williamson is the force behind "Sister Giant" a series of seminars and teaching sessions that seeks to provide women with the information and tools needed to run for office. Through the series of Sister Giant seminars[2] she supports women running for political office and aligning their politics with their spiritual values.
  She has been a guest on television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Charlie Rose. In December 2006, a Newsweek magazine poll named her one of the fifty most influential baby boomers. According to Time magazine, "Yoga, the Cabala and Marianne Williamson have been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered to Christianity." Williamson bases her teaching and writing on a set of books called A Course In Miracles, a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy, based on universal spiritual themes.
  Biography[edit]Williamson was born in Houston, Texas. She attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where her roommate was film producer Lynda Obst.
  Popular culture references[edit]References from Williamson's book A Return To Love have been used in the film, Coach Carter (2005), the film Akeelah and the Bee (2006), and in the novel, Badulina: Return of the Queen by Israeli author Gabi Nitzan.
  A passage from Marianne Williamson's book, A Return to Love, has become popular as an inspirational quote:
  Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
  The passage has been used, amongst other places, in the 2005 film: Coach Carter. It is often incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela. Williamson herself is quoted as saying: "As honored as I would be had President Mandela quoted my words, indeed he did not. I have no idea where that story came from, but I am gratified that the paragraph has come to mean so much to so many people."
  Published Works[edit]References[edit]External links[edit]PersondataNameWilliamson, MarianneAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican writerDate of birthJuly 8, 1952Place of birthHouston, TexasDate of deathPlace of death
VIDEO-'–¶ Sharon Stone on 'Femme' - YouTube
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 03:02
Home - Femme The Movie
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  Help us Share the message of empowerment in FEMME.
  Here are 4 ways you can help!
  1) LIKE the Official FEMME Facebook page by clicking the LIKE button below."
  2) Share The Video Trailer!Copy the Video Link below, Post to your Facebook Page, Share on Twitter, and Email to your Friends!
  http://youtu.be/0u3HOxsbUMU
  3) Show your support for FEMME!
  RIGHT CLICK the image below, SAVE TO YOUR COMPUTER,
  and UPLOAD to Facebook as your NEW COVER PHOTO:
  4) Talk About FEMME on Social Media, in Email, and Tell Your Friends!
  Here is some SAMPLE TEXT you can cut and paste:
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  I just saw FEMME, WOMEN HEALING THE WORLD and I think you will Enjoy it, too! Produced by Sharon Stone, http://r6m.me/SeeFemme
  RT if you love movies about women shaping the future of the world! FEMME '' The Movie, http://r6m.me/SeeFemme
  I am in the movie FEMME: WOMEN HEALING THE WORLD, learn more here: http://r6m.me/SeeFemme
  Sample FB Post:
  I highly recommend my Friends see FEMME: WOMEN HEALING THE WORLD. It's a NEW film about women around the world transforming and healing global society on a daily basis. You can watch it instantly by clicking this link. Be sure to tell your Friends! http://facebook.com/FemmeTheMovie
  Movie Description:
  FEMME is an inspirational voyage about women around the world who are actively transforming and healing global society on a daily basis. Starring Sharon Stone (Casino, Total Recall, Basic Instinct), Jean Houston, Marianne Williamson, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Riane Eisler, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Mairead Maguire, Rickie Lee Jones, Gloria Steinem, and more! Influential women discuss religion, science, history, politics and entertainment '' and the solutions to the multiple crisis' we face throughout the world. FEMME focuses on utilizing a feminine approach with nurturing energy to inspire a new hope for the future. Directed By: Emmanuel Itier, Produced By: Amanda Estremera, Andrea Barron, Barbara Lazaroff, Celeste Yarnall, Dawn Zuill, and Sharon Stone.
  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Danish-Iranian artist convicted of racism | The Copenhagen Post | The Danish News in English
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 02:20
  Firoozeh Bazrafkan was found guilty of racism after writing in her blog that Muslim men use Islam to justify violence against women
  Firoozeh Bazrafkan says she would rather spend the five days in prison than pay the fine (Photo: Firoozeh Bazrafkan)
  A Danish-Iranian artist was found guilty of racism by the Western High Court on Monday for statements she made about Muslim men.
  Firoozeh Bazrafkan was charged with racism after writing in a blog entry, published in Jyllands-Posten newspaper in December 2011, that she was "very convinced that Muslim men around the world rape, abuse and kill their daughters".
  She added: "This is, according to my understanding as a Danish-Iranian, the result of a defective and inhumane culture '' if you can even call it a culture at all. But you can say, I think, that it is a defective and inhumane religion whose textbook, the Koran, is more immoral, deplorable and crazy than manuals of the two other global religions combined."
  READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH FIROOZEH BAZRAFKAN HERE
  Appeal to the Supreme CourtAarhus City Court decided not to convict Bazrafkan under anti-racism legislation, section 266b of the penal code, last December.
  The prosecution appealed the decision to the Western High Court, which on Monday found her guilty, handing her a 5,000 kroner fine, or five days in prison.
  "The court argued that what I wrote about Muslim men was condescending and a generalisation," Bazrafkan told The Copenhagen Post. "But that's unfair, because there are many Islamic codes that are being used by Islamic men to justify their actions against women and children."
  A chain of racist statementsBazrafkan's racism sentence is the fourth in a chain of statements that have resulted in charges under the anti-racism law.
  The first was Lars Hedegaard, the leader of the free press society Trykkefrihedsselskabet, who was convicted of racism in 2011 for statements he made in private about Muslim men.
  He was cleared in 2012 when the Supreme Court decided that the statements were not made with the intention that they would be publicised.
  READ MORE: Hedegaard lashes out following failed assassination attempt
  Jesper Langballe, a former MP for Dansk Folkeparti, was subsequently charged and convicted of racism because of statements he made when defending Hedegaard in an opinion piece in Berlingske newspaper.
  Lars Kragh Andersen, a notorious free speech activist, was the third to be charged with racism after writing in an article on 180grader.dk that he was, ''convinced that Muslim men around the world both abuse and killed their daughters''.
  It was this passage that Bazrafkan repeated and which resulted in her being charged with racism.
  A controversial artistBazrafkan '' a controversial artist known for integrating her Muslim background into her work '' says that her adaptation and use of Andersen's text was a ''political happening'' that was designed to expose the problem with the racism law.
  She argues that she was not accusing all Muslim men of using Islamic codes to justify horrific acts against women, only that violence against women and children was often excused by citing Islam.
  "It's not the same thing. For example, Muslims around the world protested at the Mohammed cartoons, and doctors around the world misdiagnose patients, but not all Muslims protested, and not all doctors misdiagnose."
  She added: "It's idiotic to suggest that I think that all Muslim men are rapists."
  High Court unconvincedThe verdict was decided by a panel of three judges and three jurors. Five of the six decided that section 266b of the penal code applied, as her message in the blog was that Muslim men in general commit severe crime.
  ''By publishing the statement in the blog, the defendant presented statements in which a group of people are mocked and degraded because of their belief," the Western High Court stated in its verdict. "We therefore find the defendant guilty."
  Bazrafkan said she would rather spend the time in prison than pay the fine, and that she was prepared to take the case to the Supreme Court.
As Worries Over the Power Grid Rise, a Drill Will Simulate a Knockout Blow - NYTimes.com
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 02:10
  WASHINGTON '-- The electric grid, as government and private experts describe it, is the glass jaw of American industry. If an adversary lands a knockout blow, they fear, it could black out vast areas of the continent for weeks; interrupt supplies of water, gasoline, diesel fuel and fresh food; shut down communications; and create disruptions of a scale that was only hinted at by Hurricane Sandy and the attacks of Sept. 11.
  This is why thousands of utility workers, business executives, National Guard officers, F.B.I. antiterrorism experts and officials from government agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico are preparing for an emergency drill in November that will simulate physical attacks and cyberattacks that could take down large sections of the power grid.
  They will practice for a crisis unlike anything the real grid has ever seen, and more than 150 companies and organizations have signed up to participate.
  ''This is different from a hurricane that hits X, Y and Z counties in the Southeast and they have a loss of power for three or four days,'' said the official in charge of the drill, Brian M. Harrell of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, known as NERC. ''We really want to go beyond that.''
  One goal of the drill, called GridEx II, is to explore how governments would react as the loss of the grid crippled the supply chain for everyday necessities.
  ''If we fail at electricity, we're going to fail miserably,'' Curt H(C)bert, a former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said at a recent conference held by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
  Mr. Harrell said that previous exercises were based on the expectation that electricity ''would be up and running relatively quick'' after an attack.
  Now, he said, the goal is to ''educate the federal government on what their expectations should or shouldn't be.'' The industry held a smaller exercise two years ago in which 75 utilities, companies and agencies participated, but this one will be vastly expanded and will be carried out in a more anxious mood.
  Most of the participants will join the exercise from their workplaces, with NERC, in Washington, announcing successive failures. One example, organizers say, is a substation break-in that officials initially think is an attempt to steal copper. But instead, the intruder uses a USB drive to upload a virus into a computer network.
  The drill is part of a give-and-take in the past few years between the government and utilities that has exposed the difficulties of securing the electric system.
  The grid is essential for almost everything, but it is mostly controlled by investor-owned companies or municipal or regional agencies. Ninety-nine percent of military facilities rely on commercial power, according to the White House.
  The utilities play down their abilities, in comparison with the government's. ''They have the intelligence operation, the standing army, the three-letter agencies,'' said Scott Aaronson, senior director of national security policy at the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association of investor-owned utilities. ''We have the grid operations expertise.''
  That expertise involves running 5,800 major power plants and 450,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, monitored and controlled by a staggering mix of devices installed over decades. Some utilities use their own antique computer protocols and are probably safe from hacking '-- what the industry calls ''security through obscurity.''
  But others rely on Windows-based control systems that are common to many industries. Some of them run on in-house networks, but computer security experts say they are not confident that all the connections to the public Internet have been discovered and secured. Many may be vulnerable to software '-- known as malware '-- that can disable the systems or destroy their ability to communicate, leaving their human operators blind about the positions of switches, the flows of current and other critical parameters. Experts say a sophisticated hacker could also damage hard-to-replace equipment.
  In an effort to draw utilities and the government closer, the industry recently established the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, made up of high-level executives, to meet with federal officials. The first session is next month.
  Preparation for the November drill comes as Congress is debating laws that could impose new standards to protect the grid from cyberattacks, but many in the industry, some of whom would like such rules, doubt that they can pass.
  The drill is also being planned as conferences, studies and even works of fiction are raising near-apocalyptic visions of catastrophes involving the grid.
  A National Academy of Sciences report last year said that terrorists could cause broad hardship for months with physical attacks on hard-to-replace components. An emerging effort led in part by R. James Woolsey, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is gearing up to pressure state legislatures to force utilities to protect equipment against an electromagnetic pulse, which could come from solar activity or be caused by small nuclear weapons exploded at low altitude, frying crucial components.
  An attack using an electromagnetic pulse is laid out in extensive detail in the novel ''One Second After,'' published in 2009 and endorsed by Newt Gingrich. In another novel, ''Gridlock,'' published this summer and co-written by Byron L. Dorgan, the former senator from North Dakota, a rogue Russian agent working for Venezuela and Iran helps hackers threaten the grid. In the preface, Mr. Dorgan says such an attack could cause 10,000 times as much devastation as the terrorists' strikes on Sept. 11, 2001.
  Despite the growing anxiety, the government and the private sector have had trouble coordinating their grid protection efforts. The utility industry argues that the government has extensive information on threats but keeps it classified. Government officials concede the problem, and they have suggested that some utility executives get security clearances. But with hundreds of utilities and thousands of executives, it cannot issue such clearances fast enough. And the industry would like to be instantly warned when the government identifies Internet servers that are known to be sources of malware.
  Another problem is that the electric system is so tightly integrated that a collapse in one spot, whether by error or intent, can set off a cascade, as happened in August 2003, when a power failure took a few moments to spread from Detroit to New York.
  Sometimes utility engineers and law enforcement officials also seem to speak different languages. In his book ''Protecting Industrial Control Systems From Electronic Threats,'' Joseph Weiss, an engineer and cybersecurity expert, recounted a meeting between electrical engineers and the F.B.I. in 2008. When an F.B.I. official spoke at length about I.E.D.'s, he was referring to improvised explosive devices, but to the engineers the abbreviation meant intelligent electronic devices.
  And experts fear government-sponsored hacking. Michael V. Hayden, another former C.I.A. director, speaking at the Bipartisan Policy Center conference, said that the Stuxnet virus, which disabled some of Iran's centrifuges for enriching uranium, might invite retaliation.
  ''In a time of peace, someone just used a cyberweapon to destroy another nation's critical infrastructure,'' he said. ''Ouch.''
When the Lights Go Out On November 13, 2013 | Dave Hodges '' The Common Sense Show
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 02:10
  Dave Hodges
  September 7, 2013
  There are very dark storm clouds gathering around the country and North America as a whole. Things are about to get dark, very dark in just a few short weeks. In just over two months, on November 13-14, 2013, the lights are about to go out. Will the lights come back on? It depends on who you ask. Given the past behavior of those in power, it would behoove all of us to prepare for the fact that we could be living for an extended time with no electricity.
  November's North American Power Grid Take Down DrillWithin most false flag events lies a terror drill which substantively ties together the drill with the terrorist event. The 9/11 attacks and the 7/7 bombings serve as prime examples of hiding a false flag event within a terror drill. This strategy has worked very well before and on so many occasions that it would be naive to not expect this scenario to be played out again when the time is right and the anticipated maximum benefit can be realized from the event.
  Along these lines of a coming false flag terror event, theNew York Times is currently reporting that '...''thousands of utility workers, business executives, National Guard officers, F.B.I. anti-terrorism experts and officials from government agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico are preparing for an emergency drill in November that will simulate physical attack and cyber attacks that could take down large sections of the power grid.'' To date, 150 businesses have volunteered to participate in the drill. This is a scheduled two day drill commencing on November 13th.
  The Past Is the Best Predictor of the FutureWith the possibility that the upcoming terror drill will turn into a false flag event, it would be in everyone's best interest to examine this event more closely and to prepare accordingly.
  This government has recently left a trail of catastrophic doomsday scenarios a mile wide, the most severe of which speaks to an EMP attack. Many of whom are aware of the coming drill, fear an EMP attack which will permanently disable the grid as TV viewers have seen in the popular TV show, Revolution. Personally, I do not expect to see an all-encompassing EMP attack because so many of the police state surveillance grid assets would be impacted (e.g. surveillance cameras, NSA spy grid capabilities, etc.) and so many resources have been used in its development. Yet, given the unlikely event of an EMP attack, it seems that nearly everyone from former DHS director, Janet Napolitano to former CIA director, James Woolsey have discussed the possibility of a grid take down through an EMP attack. Further, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission in their,NERC PowerPoint presentation, stated that one of the possible outcomes of an attack will be a ''prolonged blackout'...''
  Although I do not believe that an EMP attack is in our immediate future, it is likely that a false flag terror attack on our power grid, set to coincide with the November North American blackout drill, will take place.
  The working scenario that has emerged is that World War III is on the horizon. Syria was to be the flash point. However, with American and international sentiment running so high against American involvement in the Syrian conflict, Obama needs a Plan B in order to get America into war, because it does not appear that Congress is going to give him the authorization that he needs to force our way in Syria culminating in a military stand off between the Russians and the Chinese and the United States. Subsequently, if Obama fails to obtain Congressional support to attack Syria, he could very well turn his attention to the take down of the power grid and he could still achieve his goals in under two months.
  If and when the power grid is compromised, this would plunge North America into an abyss of darkness. Some people will undoubtedly anticipate ''three days of darkness'' which will lead to a roll out of draconian martial law. Certainly, some of the recent government preparations speaks to this possibility with FEMA stockpiling massive amounts of food and the acquisition of 2.6 billion rounds of ammunition by DHS. And with the roll out of martial law, the will of the people and of Congress would no longer matter and Obama would be free to prosecute any conflict he would deem necessary. Personally, this would be an attractive option for Obama because he might very well be setting himself up to be King for life.
  The Constitutional Kill SwitchI would then expect that the take down of the grid, no matter how temporary, could lead to the imposition of total Federal tyranny and the implementation of the Constitutional kill switch, otherwise known as, Executive Order 13603, in which the government would control every resource in the country including the involuntary conscription of any person for any purpose which would be overseen by the Secretary of Labor. All food and water would be subject to Federal control, whether this would be your family garden, your food stockpiles'...anything'... anybody is subject to confiscation by FEMA and DHS under Executive Order 13603 which is martial law on steroids.This would give those in charge total control over the vast resources of this country.
  First, there are some very serious implications which could result from a grid shutdown, but the cost-benefit analysis favors the elite going through with this plot.
  Just as the CIA backed al-Qaeda needed a game changing event to bring in the US military to break the Syrian stalemate by staging a false flag chemical weapons attack, the globalists need a game changing event in America. Taking down the grid is a move in that direction, and what better way to accomplish this goal as an embedded event within a terrorist drill.
  Bankster Benefits to a Grid ShutdownThere are some tangible benefits to the banksters perpetrating a grid shutdown. In the aftermath of a grid shut down, a shut down that might only last a few days, the internet would go down and the banksters could restore the internet at some point with Chinese types of censorship controls which would effectively silence the truth movement. McCain at one time wanted offensive bloggers fined $300,000. Senator Jay Rockefeller stated that he wished the internet had never been invented. Both men may soon get their way.
  A power grid shut down would also allow for the full implementation of a North Korea type of police state apparatus under the guise of keeping order. The NSA would provide the intelligence and DHS would provide enforcement. And I think the beleaguered citizens of the United States would soon discover why FEMA signed the bilateral agreement which allows Russian troops on our soil. Certainly, if the Russians are used to supplement martial law, we could conclude that all the drama over Syria may be very well-orchestrated theater and that Russia and the United States are on the same side and are serving the same ''Gnomes of Zurich'' banksters. Yes, war could still happen between the two super powers, but it would be a contrived war, not a spontaneous event.
  An additional benefit to conducting this drill is that it will allow the banksters to test their ability to shut down power to selected communities and/or regions. This would be a useful tool in combating the insurrection that surely will follow the tyranny of what is coming.
  In a grid shutdown, the above developments are likely, given the cast of players who are making the grand decisions impacting this country. However, a perpetual state of martial law, extreme internet control and insurrection suppression through denial of power do not represent the final goals in this latest plot against our citizens.
  ConclusionIt is completely understandable as to why some people are viewing this terror drill with extreme suspicion. Sometimes, when journalists cover events, they get a feeling for what lies ahead without fully knowing all the facts. I, too, like so many of my colleagues have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach which is screaming at me that this terror drill will produce some very ominous spin off complications. And as bad as the November 13th terror drill may be, I strongly fear that this event will have a second possibility which contains some very dire consequences in which the resulting effects will be much more devastating than just suffering through a prolonged blackout.
  There is a strong possibility that there could be a false flag attack embedded within the false flag attack coming upon our grid and I will address that possibility in the next article in this series.
Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed | Arise India Forum
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:54
  Author: Bronnie Ware
  For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.
  I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.
  When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:
  1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
  It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.
  2. I wish I didn't work so hard.This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
  By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.
  3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
  We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
  4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
  It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.
  5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.
  Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
  Source: This article originated from blog of author Bronnie Ware at http://inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html.
  Based on this article, Bronnie has released a full-length book. It is a memoir of her own life and how it was transformed based on the regrets of the dying people she cared for. The book is available from her website http://www.bronnieware.com and major online bookstores and is called 'The Top Five Regrets of the Dying '' A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing'.
  105,604 total views, 146 views today
Fuel Fix >> Fire rages after another train derails in Canada
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:42
  GAINFORD, Alberta (AP) '-- Emergency crews battled a massive fire Saturday after a Canadian National tanker train carrying oil and gas derailed west of Edmonton, Alberta, overnight. No injuries have been reported so far.
  Canadian National spokesman Louis-Antoine Paquin said 13 cars '-- four carrying petroleum crude oil and nine loaded with liquified petroleum gas '-- came off the tracks around 1 a.m. local time in the hamlet of Gainford, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Edmonton. The entire community of roughly 100 people was evacuated.
  Paquin says three cars containing gas were leaking and on fire. Local officials feared there could be an explosion and declared a state of emergency.
  ''It's still a risky situation so we need to contain as much as possible and keep people far away,'' said Carson Mills, spokesman for Parkland County, which includes Gainford.
  A resident described hearing a series of crashes moments before a huge fireball shot into the sky.
  ''The fireball was so big, it shot across both lanes of the Yellowhead (Highway) and now both lanes of the Yellowhead are closed and there's fire on both sides,'' said a witness identified only as Duane.
  Regulation: New crude transport rules to boost rail costs
  The train was travelling from Edmonton to Vancouver, British Columbia, Paquin said.
  The Transportation Safety Board said it is sending investigators to the scene.
  Questions about the increasing transport of oil by rail in the U.S. and Canada were raised in July after an unattended train with 72 tankers of oil rolled into the small Quebec town of Lac-Megantic near the Maine border, derailing and triggering explosions that killed 47 people. The town's center was destroyed. The rail company's chairman blamed the train's operator for failing to set enough hand brakes.
  Much of that increase is from oil produced in the Bakken region, a rock formation underlying portions of Montana and North Dakota in the U.S., and Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada.
  The train that crashed in the small Quebec town was carrying oil from North Dakota to a refinery in New Brunswick, Canada.
  The train, using DOT-111 railcars, was operated by a U.S. company, the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway.
  In the first half of this year, U.S. railroads moved 178,000 carloads of crude oil. That's double the number during the same period last year and 33 times more than during the same period in 2009. The Railway Association of Canada estimates that as many as 140,000 carloads of crude oil will be shipped on Canada's tracks this year, up from 500 carloads in 2009.
  Report: Pipelines are safer than trains and trucks
  Following the fatal Quebec derailment, Cynthia Quarterman, head of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, has said the U.S. agency expects to publish draft regulations requiring that DOT-111 railcars be retrofitted to address safety concerns. The agency's proposal is intended to fix a dangerous design flaw in the rail cars, which are used to haul oil and other hazardous liquids throughout North America.
  Canadian officials had said the oil carried by that freight train had been misclassified as a less dangerous type of crude and they urged U.S. and Canadian regulators to ensure dangerous goods are accurately labeled.
  Another key issue is whether railroads should be required to employ a minimum of two workers per train. The train that exploded in Quebec had only one engineer, who wasn't with the train at the time of the accident.
RCMP supported by armed U.S. infiltrators attack First Nations Canadians to cover up Enviroment Canada raid of Irving Oil Canaport | PRESS Core
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:36
  Posted by Paul W KincaidWorld newsThursday, October 17th, 2013U.S. soldiers, identified by arm patch, engaging in a military operation on Canadian soil '' 10.17.2013
  Updated October 18, 2013 '' Progressive Conservative Premier of New Brunswick David Alward (a Crown agent) illegally authorized the RCMP and armed U.S. forces to use force and attack a group of First Nations and New Brunswick Canadian citizens peacefully protesting Irving Oil shale gas fracking operations on Irving Oil owned land just outside of Rexton New Brunswick Canada on Thursday. The RCMP, were supported by armed U.S. military infiltrators when they launched the unprovoked attack against First Nations Canadians. Irving Oil contracted the shale gas operations to U.S. Southwestern Energy (Houston, TX).
  Irving Oil solicited the aid (influence peddling and bribery) of NB Premier David Alward to authorize the RCMP to use force against federally (treaty) protected First Nations people, to kill a nationally televised story concerning a raid by Environment Canada investigators of an Irving Oil facility.
  Environment Canada officer raided Irving Oil Canaport Thursday morning to search for and collect evidence relating to an investigation of a major toxic gas leak that killed 7,500 migrating songbirds at the Irving Oil's Canaport gas plant in Saint John, New Brunswick. Environment Canada officers arrived at Canaport LNG just before 9 a.m. on Thursday. This Environment Canada (a federal department ) raid of Irving Oil Canaport was reported on CBC and the National News just prior to the RCMP and U.S. military forces assault against the unarmed peaceful protesters protesting the Irving Oil shale gas operations on Irving Oil land.
  Until the national news broke about Irving Oil venting toxic and deadly gas into the atmosphere, killing thousands of migrating birds, the RCMP supported the ''lawful'' protests (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms '' freedoms of peaceful assembly and association.) and did not enforce a court injunction that Irving Oil lawyers illegally acquired for the U.S. oil and gas drilling company '' Southwestern Energy (Houston, TX).
  The RCMP could not enforce the Irving Oil petitioned court injunction because a court injunction is not a law. Theprovinces do not have the constitutional authority to ''enact'' law. Laws can only be passed or changed with the approval of both houses of Parliament. A court injunction is nothing more than an prejudicial ''administrative ordinance'' based solely on a procedural error (is error within the procedure or steps in the experiment that cause the value received to not be the true one). A court Injunction can never be enforced because it is bias '' prejudice. A court injunction is solicited by a ''corporation''(Irving Oil) to influence the opinion of a Crown (City of London Corporation) judge in favor of the petitioning ''corporation''. Irving Oil violated statute law '' influence peddling and bribery of Judges or members of Parliament or Provincial Legislative.
  U.S. snipers were photographed (above image) by various news agencies targeting First Nations and Canadian citizens, with RCMP officers watching. Progressive Conservative David Alward and federal RCMP police officers allowed assault rifle armed foreign soldiers (snipers) to infiltrate Canada and target First Nations and Canadian citizens '' an act of war.
  David Alward and the RCMP coordinated with heavily armed members of the United States military forces and engaged in an armed attack against First Nations Canadians. David Alward (representing the Crown a.k.a City of London Corporation) and the RCMP are guilty of high treason and treason '' aiding and abetting another state - when they provided aid and comfort to U.S. infiltration forces in an armed attack against First Nations Canadians peacefully protesting a Irving Oil shale gas confidence scheme that is being perpetrated on Canadian soil.
  The RCMP stated at least one shot was fired by someone other than police and that police are also investigating suspected explosive devices at the scene. The single shot fired was from the above sniper '' a U.S. soldier.
  Section 46 of the Criminal Code of Canada
  High treason
  (1) Every one commits high treason who, in Canada,(b) levies war against Canada or does any act preparatory thereto; or(c) assists an enemy at war with Canada, or any armed forces against whom Canadian Forces are engaged in hostilities, whether or not a state of war exists between Canada and the country whose forces they are.
  Treason(2) Every one commits treason who, in Canada,(a) uses force or violence for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Canada or a province;(c) conspires with any person to commit high treason or to do anything mentioned in paragraph (a);(d) forms an intention to do anything that is high treason or that is mentioned in paragraph (a) and manifests that intention by an overt act; or(e) conspires with any person to do anything mentioned in paragraph (b) or forms an intention to do anything mentioned in paragraph (b) and manifests that intention by an overt act.''
  In Canada the government of Canada derives it authority from the people. All executive authority is understood to derive from the people. The most fundamental concept of democracy is that government only exists to secure the rights of the people and is based on the consent of the governed. For government to be legitimate the authority of a government depends on the consent of the people. Elections gives unequivocal evidence to this fact. The Prime Minister of Canada and all premiers, senators and majors only have legitimacy based on the consent (by vote) of the governed '' the Canadian people. The use of force or violence by the RCMP, with the aid of and in cooperation with armed members of a foreign state '' the United States '' for the purpose of overthrowing the authority and rights of the Canadian people is an overt act of high treason and treason. The RCMP levied war against Canadian for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Canada and a province which both derives it authority from the people. David Alward is also guilty of high treason and treason. He was elected by the people of New Brunswick to govern them not conspire with the military of a foreign state (United States) and levy war against them.
  More photographic evidence will be posted in the coming days showing the RCMP conspiring with and providing aid and comfort to armed members of the U.S. military forces. Photos showing U.S. forces dressed in full combat gear, armed with and aiming Canadian law banned assault rifles at protected (Fourth Geneva Convention) Canadian citizens. Any person (including the Prime Minister, Premier, Mayor, RCMP Commissioner) who conspires with and aids and abets a foreign armed militia to infiltrate Canada to levy war against Canada or does any act preparatory thereto is guilty of high treason. Any military force (including the RCMP '' a paramilitary force) who engages in armed attacks against unarmed civilians is also guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  Major fraud perpetrated by our elected officials, the Crown, the RCMP and snake oil and gas companies
  Shale gas is a confidence game '' a fraudulent scheme, devised by the New Brunswick government (Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward), CanaportLNG (75 per cent owned by Repsol and 25 per cent by Irving Oil Ltd.), shale gas fabricating companies like Southwestern Energy (Houston, TX), Corridor Resources Inc and PetroWorth (headed by former MLA Allan Graham '' father of former Premier of New Brunswick Shawn Graham), and Enbridge Gas (the monopolized natural gas pipeline distributor for New Brunswick) for making a quick profit.
  Shale gas companies and their corrupt government accomplices have and are engaging in fraud in marketing a product that doesn't exist in the first place. Shale gas is now being fraudulently marketed by the New Brunswick government because of a law suit and declining revenue for Repsol, Irving Oil Ltd., Corridor Resources Inc PetroWorth and Enbridge Gas. Because of natural gas companies dwindling profits New Brunswickers will be robbed of their life essential and finite supply of potable water and title to their land and poisoned to death from the toxic chemical fracking that forever contaminates their water and air supply.
  On April 30, 2012 Enbridge Gas sued the New Brunswick government of David Alward for at least $650 million for what it claims are breaches of agreements and a failure to act in good faith (a.k.a. allow Enbridge Gas to make a profit). 9 months later David Alward formed the Royal District Planning Commission as agents of his government to steal land title and land rights of ''private'' land owners all across New Brunswick. The Royal District Planning Commission was formed by David Alward to seize ''private'' land as eminent domain (expropriation). Private land is being stolen by David Alward and delegated to third parties '' shale gas exploration companies and the Vatican's United Nations Organization (UNO '' Latin word for one '' a.k.a One World Government, a.k.a New World Order). The Royal District Planning Commission is now mapping land for eminent domain for shale gas exploration and at the same time administering an alien (foreign) political agenda '' the United Nations Organizations (UNO) Agenda 21 '' ''Abolition of private property'' '' another ''private'' land ownership theft '' .
  The people of New Brunswick are opposed to shale gas as they have seen the devastating effects water fracking has on the water table of the Sussex NB area. Their potable water supply is consumed and rendered not fit for human or animal consumption. Fracking permanently poisons and contaminates the finite supply of fresh water. David Alward is now the Enbridge Gas's paid spokesperson for fake shale gas exploration. Enbridge Gas used a threat of law suit to bribe NB Premier Davaid Alward and his government.
  You can't drill a shale gas well and strike a large pocket of shale gas. Shale gas doesn't exist. Shale is dirt '' to be precise a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, none of which is gas or oil. Shale contains zero gas and zero oil. They drill and pour a mixture of water and very toxic chemicals into the drilled wells and fabricate a fake gas called shale gas. The very toxic and life threatening chemical reaction underground causes the bond between the water molecules to break and liquid water is converted into its gaseous state '' hydrogen and oxygen.
  You can achieve the same effect '' cause water to convert to its gaseous state '' above ground using no chemicals whatsoever. Electrolysis of water does this using no toxic chemicals whatsoever and very little energy. Unlike shale (dirt) fracking, electrolysis of water creates no pollution '' doesn't contaminate the water, the land or the air. Unlike dirt fracking, electrolysis of water doesn't trigger earthquakes nor poison our finite supply of drinking water. Anyone can make their own natural gas using electrolysis. This is the reason why the U.S and Canadian state, federal and provincial government are illegally promoting and selling a fuel that does not exist. Because anyone can produce their own natural gas for free governments are wilfully and deliberately committing fraud. Without oil and gas governments cannot enslave their people. That is why governments are conspiring with oil companies and are coactively committing fraud '' falsely and fraudulently promoting and marketing a product that does not exist '' shale gas.
  How can you prove shale gas is a fraud? Cut off the water supply. Turn off the water to shale gas wells and they no longer can ''fabricate'' this very toxic forged gas. Shale gas can only be fabricated (to concoct in order to deceive) by fracturing water (H2O). The end product is mostly H2S (Hydrogen sulfide) a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas '' a.k.a. shale gas. H2S and oxygen burn with a blue flame but forms and emits sulfur dioxide (SO2) '' a major air pollutant which has significant impacts upon human health.
  What shale gas really looks like. What investors are wasting their money on '' dirt.
  Apart from the environmental impact posed by the emissions from burning this toxic cocktail of hazardous chemicals there is the intentional, deliberate and illegal dumping of the very toxic and hazardous fracking slurry. In New Brunswick Canada this toxic slurry in dumped directly into the Bay of Fundy. From there it is carried, with the incoming and outgoing tides, to the coastal shores and tide feed rivers all along New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and U.S. East Coast States. Every day toxic shale gas waste is being pushed ashore by the tides where it contaminates and poisons the water supply for coastal cities and towns like Saint John, Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview, Amherst, Digby, Truro, Yarmouth, Windsor, Saint Andrews, Portland Maine and Boston Massachusetts. This spillage is as toxic as if not more toxic than the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This is intentional whereas the BP oil spill was an accident. BP was heavily fined and billed for contaminating the water and shores all along the Gulf of Mexico. BP was forced to clean up their mess. No one is being charged, fined, billed or forced to clean up the Shale Gas toxic waste dumping.
  The Canadian Criminal Code is extensive in its coverage of corruption of officials of the governments of Canada and the provinces. The following are the primary offences dealing with the bribery of domestic public officials in Canada.
  (1) FRAUDS ON THE GOVERNMENTA bribe made to a public official in Canada to exercise influence or an act of omission in connection with government business is subject to a penalty of up to five years in prison. Section 121 is broad in scope and covers influence peddling. It prohibits bribes to or for the benefit of government officials by or on behalf of those who have dealings with the government. This section does not mention foreign public officials.
  (2) BRIBERY OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS, ETC.Everyone who, ''being the holder of a judicial office,'' corruptly accepts or gives or offers any money or other avaluable consideration in respect of anything to be done in his official capacity commits bribery. This offence is punishable by imprisonment for up to fourteen years. Section 119 covers the acceptance by or giving of bribes to holders of judicial offices or members of Parliament or of a provincial legislature.
  (3) BRIBERY OF OFFICERSUnder Section 120, anyone who offers or accepts a bribe to a justice, police commissioner, peace officer, public officer, officer of a juvenile court, or employee in the administration of criminal law to facilitate the commission of an offence is guilty of an indictable offence. The punishment is imprisonment for up to fourteen years.
  Is it just a coincidence that Enbridge Gas dropped its suit against David Alward's Progressive Conservative New Brunswick government who is now marketing shale gas in New Brunswick for Enbridge Gas or did Enbridge Gas bribe the New Brunswick government and David Alward? If a bribe was offered and Davaid Alward accepted it shouldn't Davaid Alward be arrested for accepting a bribe?
  Short URL: http://presscore.ca/2012/?p=9403
  Posted by Paul W Kincaid on Oct 17 2013. Filed under World news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
US quietly releasing $1.6B in Pakistan assistance
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:31
  WASHINGTON (AP) '-- The U.S. has quietly decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended when relations between the two countries disintegrated over the covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden and deadly U.S. airstrikes against Pakistani soldiers.
  Officials and congressional aides said ties have improved enough to allow the money to flow again.
  American and NATO supply routes to Afghanistan are open. Controversial U.S. drone strikes are down. The U.S. and Pakistan recently announced the restart of their "strategic dialogue" after a long pause. Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is traveling to Washington for talks this coming week with President Barack Obama.
  But in a summer dominated by foreign policy debates over the coup in Egypt and chemical weapons attacks in Syria, the U.S. hasn't promoted its revamped aid relationship with Pakistan. Neither has Pakistan.
  The silence reflects the lingering mutual suspicions between the two.
  The Pakistanis do not like being seen as dependent on their heavy-handed partners. The Americans are uncomfortable highlighting the billions provided to a government that is plagued by corruption and perceived as often duplicitous in fighting terrorism.
  Congress has cleared most of the money, and it should start moving early next year, officials and congressional aides said.
  Over three weeks in July and August, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development informed Congress that it planned to restart a wide range of assistance, mostly dedicated to helping Pakistan fight terrorism. The U.S. sees that effort as essential as it withdraws troops from neighboring Afghanistan next year and tries to leave a stable government behind.
  Other funds focus on a range of items, including help for Pakistani law enforcement and a multibillion-dollar dam in disputed territory.
  U.S.-Pakistani relations have weathered numerous crises in recent years. There was a months-long legal battle over a CIA contractor who killed two Pakistanis, in addition to the fallout from bin Laden's killing in the Pakistani military town of Abbottabad in May 2011. The Pakistani government was outraged that it received no advance warning of the Navy SEAL raid on bin Laden's compound.
  Adding to the mistrust, the U.S. mistakenly killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers in November 2011. Islamabad responded by shutting land supply routes for troops in Afghanistan until it received a U.S. apology seven months later.
  The State Department told Congress that the U.S. hadn't conducted any significant military financing for Pakistan since the "challenging and rapidly changing period of U.S.-Pakistan relations" in 2011 and 2012. The department stressed the importance now of enhancing Pakistan's anti-terrorism capabilities through better communications, night vision capabilities, maritime security and precision striking with F16 fighter jets.
  The department told Congress on July 25 that it would spend $295 million to help Pakistan's military. Twelve days later it announced $386 million more. A pair of notifications arriving on Aug. 13 and worth $705 million centered on helping Pakistani troops and air forces operating in the militant hotbeds of western Pakistan, and other counterinsurgency efforts.
  The administration had until the end of September to provide Congress with "reprogramming" plans at the risk of forfeiting some of the money, which spans federal budgets from 2009-2013.
  State Department officials said the renewal of aid wasn't determined by any single event. But they noted a confluence of signs of greater cooperation, from Pakistan's improved commitment to stamping out explosives manufacturing to its recent counterterror offensive in areas bordering Afghanistan that have served as a primary sanctuary for the Taliban.
  The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the aid relationship ahead of Sharif's visit. They said the money would start reaching Pakistan in 2014 but take several years to disburse fully.
  "Pakistan's long-term stability is of critical national security interest to the U.S., so we remain committed to helping achieve a more secure, democratic and prosperous state, including through continued civilian and military assistance," said Dan Feldman, the State Department's deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said the assistance plan will deliver results for both countries and enhance Pakistan's ability to fight terrorism.
  In its notifications to Congress, the department described fighting terrorism as a mutual concern but said little about the will of Pakistan's government, army and intelligence services to crack down on militant groups that often have operated with impunity in Pakistan while wreaking havoc on U.S. and international forces across the border in Afghanistan.
  Top American officials have regularly questioned Pakistan's commitment to counterterrorism.
  In 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the militant Haqqani network as a "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence. Lawmakers and administration officials have cited Pakistani support for the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant groups.
  In September, the administration sent officials from multiple agencies for closed-doors briefings with the House and Senate foreign relations committees, officials and congressional aides said.
  The House Foreign Affairs Committee has cleared all of the notifications. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is reviewing a $280 million chunk of military financing, Senate aides said. Aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly on the matter.
  "The committee held up the projects to get more information and express concerns," said the office of Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House panel's chairman. "Though they went forward, the committee continues its close oversight."
  While Washington has publicly challenged Islamabad to step up its fight against militant groups, Pakistan's biggest complaint has been the huge surge in drone strikes on terrorist targets, which Pakistanis see as violations of their sovereignty. The number of attacks has dropped dramatically this year.
  The countries say they're now moving past the flaps and mishaps that soured their partnership in recent years. During an August trip to Pakistan, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the restart of a high-level "strategic dialogue" with Pakistan on fighting terrorism, controlling borders and fostering investment.
  Among the economic aid programs included in the U.S. package, support for the Diamer-Basha dam near Pakistan's unresolved border with India has the potential for controversy and tremendous benefit.
  Pakistan's government has been unable to secure money for the project from the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank is waiting to hear from the United States and India before providing financing to help construction. The dam faces massive funding shortfalls.
  In its July 24 notification to Congress, USAID said the project could cost up to $15 billion and take a decade to complete. The agency promised only to provide "financial and technical assistance" for studies, including on environmental and social aspects, while expressing hope the dam could be transformative for a country with chronic power shortages. State Department officials put the bill for the studies at $20 million.
  If the dam were ultimately built, USAID wrote, it could provide electricity for 60 million people and 1 million acres of crop land, and provide a ready supply of water for millions more. It noted that Pakistani officials have sought American support at the "highest levels."
  Despite amounting to just a small portion of the overall U.S. aid package, congressional aides said Pakistan's government has lobbied particularly hard for the dam money to be unlocked.
  Pakistan's embassy in Washington refused to comment on the aid or say if Sharif would bring up any specific programs in talks at the White House.
FAT SHAMING-Maria Kang, 'fit Facebook mom' accused of fat-shaming with Facebook picture
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:28
  Originally published: October 19, 2013 11:11 AMUpdated: October 19, 2013 2:56 PMBy SACRAMENTO BEE
  Photo credit: Facebook | An undated profile photo posted on Facebook by Maria Kang has led to criticism of the fit mom for what many see as fat-shaming.
  Elk Grove, Calif. - Elk Grove, Calif., mother and fitness buff Maria Kang has ignited a firestorm in cyberspace with her "what's your excuse?" Facebook photo, which shows her in a sports bra and short shorts, posing with her three young sons.
  Some call it flattering and inspiring, others call it insulting and overly revealing, but Kang's photo has gone viral -- and global -- as media outlets from California to London have covered the controversy.
  Posters and bloggers have accused Kang, 32, of "fat shaming," claiming her photo suggests that all women can look like her if they just work hard enough.
  BLOG:The Daily Apple | PHOTOS:Dropping LBsDATA:Explore hospital rankings | Narcotics by communityWEIGH IN:Ask your fitness questions
  On her blog about motherhood, Theinklingsoflife.com, Morgan Moss declared: "You, as a woman, should be ashamed that you are furthering the downward spiral of how society views women, and how we women view ourselves. ... Most REAL moms don't look like you, sweetheart."
  Kang has been called a hurtful, hateful bully. One online commenter said, "People like you who post pictures like this make me cry because without surgery I will never look like you."
  By Saturday afternoon, Kang's Facebook photo had generated 241,972 "likes," 21,836 "shares" and 33,760 comments, and Kang said the international exposure, ranging from CNN to Good Morning America, The New York Daily News and The Daily Mail in Great Britain, has pushed her page views to 1 million.
  Kang recently told her critics: "I'm sorry you took an image and resonated with it in such a negative way. I ... had an eating disorder, work full time owning two businesses, have no nanny, am not naturally skinny and do not work as a personal trainer."
  Kang said her Facebook photo, posted to promote her free fitness classes, meant to send the message that women should "make no excuses not to follow through on your fitness action plan."
  Kang, who runs two board-and-care homes for the elderly, says she doesn't profit from fitness and just wants to help people get healthy. She runs an unpaid nonprofit, Fitness Without Borders, a free Mom-Me Fit Club that meets in public parks three times a week and free 12-week family fitness boot camps.
  ''I discovered fitness was my passion because my mom was very sick, had diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure and a stroke at a young age because of her eating habits and lack of exercises," she said.
  Kang said she has battled her weight and, from ages 23 to 27, struggled with bulimia. "I was binging and purging three times a day, five times a week for four years straight," she said. Kang, a Catholic, said she turned to prayer and moved from San Francisco back home to Elk Grove to help her mother, who needed dialysis three times a week.
  Kang has been a cheerleader, kickboxer, personal trainer and beauty pageant winner, but gained 35 to 40 pounds with each pregnancy. Her sons Christian, Nicholas and Gabriel are now 4, 3 and 1.
  She said she started the Mom-Me Fit Club in 2009, using a grant from the First Five Sacramento commission. She said 15 to 20 moms bring their kids to each outdoor session to work out. "We do ab exercises, circuit training, lunges -- it's really inspirational," said Kang, who first posted the "What's your excuse?" photo in September 2012 and reposted it a few weeks ago.
  Asked to describe her fitness regimen: Kang said she wakes up at 6 a.m., tries to run 3 miles on her treadmill, and serves her kids raisin bran, sweet potato pancakes, fruit or eggs for breakfast -- "no pop tarts, no sugar cereals." She squeezes in an hour of strength-training at California Family Fitness by taking her children to the gym's child-care center.
  Getting in shape "only takes 30 minutes a day" and doesn't require a gym, Kang said. "Wake up an hour earlier, do it at lunch time or after dinner instead of watching TV. Eating is 80percent of your results."
  Kang said she thinks walking is the best exercise, and she encourages moms who work out with her in the park to do 20 pushups, squats, crunches and jumping jacks five times in a row without stopping.
  At least one Northern California blogger offers Kang grudging respect on her Facebook page. Janelle Hanchett of Renegademothering.com declares: "Maria Kang, I hate you. But you're right. And now I hate you more. ... I am currently 40 pounds overweight. Why? Because I use food for emotional comfort. Because I'm lazy. Because I put things before my health, Hanchett wrote. "I'm tired of my own excuses."
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The Tier 2 Wiki - Main - javAPRSFilter Users Guide Version 3.1
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  Archived Version
  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:20
  By Roger Bille, SM5NRK, the developper of the filter software.
  New in 3.1 Release 1) All call signs are now case sensitive 2) New Port of entry filter E 3) new Unproto filter U 4) D-filter now allow wildcard 5) New filter command "filter default" 6) T-filter now support distance from a station or objectIntroduction: The APRS-IS full feed today have a lot of traffic and require a highbandwidth, in particular for the APRS-IS server sites, but also for some of you that connect that are only interested in the particular traffic. To accommodate this a number of servers have special regional feeds which filter the traffic. There are also some weather specific feeds available. But all these are setup according to what the server operator "thinks" will be good for the users. Now we can take this one step further.
  Now will each of you be able to select what traffic you are interested inand the server will create a unique feed for you. There is great flexibility to construct your personal feed.
  How does it work? Pete Loveall AE5PL have written the APRS-IS server software javAPRSSrvr injava which is used by a number of servers. Pete has been kind to create some hooks into his server software so I have been able to write a filter add-on, javAPRSFilter (also in java). These 2 applications work together to provide this filtering. Status on the APRS-IS servers can be found here: http://ahubswe.net/aprs_stat.asp
  You define the filter by doing the following: 1. Connect and logon to a filter enabled port on a server 2. Send an APRS message to the server requesting the filter you wantFilter commands There are 12 different kinds of filters that can be used in any combination.Each filter is working independent and is additive to the feed. This mean if the filter finds a match it will be passed to you. The filter commands in the APRS message to the servers call is starting with the word 'filter' (without quotes) and each filter command is delimited by a single space. A message with just 'filter?' (without quotes) will return the current filter definition.
  If you send "filter default" it will revert back to the server default filterdefinition.
  #1 Range filter The range filter will pass all stations and objects within a distance froma set location. It will also pass messages to stations within the filter and positions of the message sender even if they are outside the range. Up to 9 range filters can be used at the same time to extend the areas when you have problem to find a good circle match.
  Syntax: r/lat/lon/dist [r/lat1/lon2/dist2 Where: r = range command lat = latitude in degrees. Negative for south lon = longitude in degrees. Negative for west dist = distance in kilometers from lat/lon. I'm sorry we don't use miles here in Sweden ;-) Samples: r/55/-4/600 This will pass all traffic for UK r/37/-81/1500 This will pass all east cost US traffic From V3.0 lat and lon can be in decimals. E.g. 58.5#2 Prefix filter Note: This filter is kept for backwords compatibility. The Budlist filter nowsupport this functionality. (from V 1.4)
  The prefix filter will pass traffic based on if the sender½s call startswith a specific pattern.
  Syntax: p/p1/p2/p3... Where: p = prefix command p# = The prefix (starting) pattern Samples: p/K This will pass all traffic from stations starting with K p/SK/F This will pass stations starting with either SK or F p/SM5NRK This will pass all traffic from SM5NRK and any SSID at the end#3 Budlist filter The budlist filter will pass traffic based on exact match of the sender½scall or call starts with a specific pattern (from V 1.4). Also the SSID is part of the exact match.
  Syntax: b/call1/p1*/call3/p2*... Where: b = budlist command call# = The prefix (starting) pattern p# = The prefix (starting) pattern Samples: b/SM5NRK This will pass all traffic from SM5NRK without any SSID b/SM5NRK-5/SK5UM This will pass all traffic from SM5NRK-5 b/K* This will pass all traffic from stations starting with K b/SM5NRK/F* This will pass all traffic from SM5NRK and stations starting with F#4 Type filter The type filter will pass traffic depending on the packet type. More thanone type can be defined in one single command. You can also limit this to a distance around a station or object.
  Syntax: t/type t/type/call/dist Where: t = type command type = is one or more of the following letters p = Position packets o = Objects i = Items m = Message n = NWS Weather and NWS Area Objects w = Weather t = Telemetry q = Query s = Status u = User-defined call = call of a station or object dist = distance in km from call to pass this type Samples: t/p This will pass all traffic with a position t/w This will pass all weather traffic. For positionless weather objects the corresponding position packet will also be sent when it is next heard t/mos This will pass all messages, objects and status traffic t/p/SM5NRK/500 Pass all position packets within 500 km from last known position of SM5NRK Remeber that the APRS message must start with the word filter and the thecommands.
  The above filters can be combined as explain above. Each filter willhowever working independent of the others, for example:
  filter r/63/16/1000 r/55/-4/600 p/F b/AE5PL t/s The above filter will pass all traffic within Nordic (range#1) AND UK(range#2) AND stations starting with F (prefix) AND from AE5PL (budlist) AND all status traffic (type).
  #5 Symbol filter The symbol filter will pass traffic based on the symbol in the packet. Syntax: s/pri/alt/over Where: s = symbol command pri = symbols in primary table alt = symbols in alternate table over = overlay character (case sensitive) Samples: s/-> This will pass all House and Car symbols (primary table) s//# This will pass all Digi with or without overlay s//#/T This will pass all Digi with overlay of capital T#6 Digipeater filter The digipeater filter will pass all packets that have been digipeated by aparticular station(s). Remember that a packet can many time go different routes to get to APRS-IS and might be digipeated by other stations that is shown. These packets are filtered out by various filters/application as duplicates. More that one digipeater can be entered and each are OR together. This filter also support wildcard
  Syntax: d/digi1/digi2... Where: s = digipeater command digi# = digipeater call Samples: d/SM5NRK-2 Pass all packets digipeated by SM5NRK-2 d/SM5NRK-2/SK5UM Pass all packets digipeated by SM5NRK-2 or SK5UM d/SM*/SK*/SL* Pass all packets that has been digipeated by a digi in Sweden#7 Area filter The area filter works the same as range filter but the filter is defined as abox of coordinates. The coordinates can also been seen as upper left coordinate and lower right. South and west are negative. Up to 9 area filters can be defined at the same time.
  Syntax: a/latN/lonW/latS/lonE Where: a = area command latN = North latitude border (-90 to 90) lonW = West longitude border (-180 to 180) latS = South latitide border (-90 to 90) lonE = East longitude border (-180 to 180) Sample: a/50/-130/20/-70 This will pass all traffic in US From V3.0 lat and lon can be in decimals. E.g. 58.5#8 q Contruct filter The q Construct filter will base all filtering on the q Construct used on theAPRS-IS. For more information about q Contract look here: http://www.aprs-is.net/q.htm
  Syntax: q/con/ana Where: q = q Construct command con = list of q Construct to pass (case sensitive) ana = analysis based on q Construct. i = Pass positions from IGATES identified by qAr or qAR. Sample: q/C Pass all traffic with qAC q/rR Pass all traffic with qAr ot qAR q//I Pass all position packets from IGATES indentified in other packets by qAr or qAR ( corrected 26-Feb-2007), i > I )#9 Object filter (from V1.4) Same as BudList but acts on the object names instead of sender's call. Syntax: o/name1/n2*/name3/n3*... See Budlist for more information#10 My Range filter The my range filter will pass all stations and objects within a distance fromyour own station. It will use the location sent for the same call as you used when you logged onto the server. This is useful if you have an mobile station with internet connection. It will then always pass the local stations no matter of where you are.
  Note: This will not work until a valud position has been sent from the same call-ssid you used when you logon to the server. Syntax: m/dist Where: m = my range command dist = distance in kilometers from lat/lon. Samples: m/500 This will pass all traffic within 500 km from my location#11 Friend Range filter The friend filter works the same as My range filter, except you define whichcall-ssid should be used (see more above). Up to 9 friend filters can be defined. This is a moving filter so it is following the call-ssid last known position.
  Note: This will not work until a valud position has been sent from the call-ssid defined. Syntax: f/call/dist Where: f = friend range command call = call to be used as center of the range dist = distance in kilometers from lat/lon. Samples: f/SM5NRK/500 This will pass all traffic within 500 km from SM5NRK's last position.#12 Port of entry filter This filter will pass packets which match the CallSSID that follow immidiate afterthe q-construct. This filter support wildcard.
  Syntax: e/call/call/call*...#13 Unproto filter This filter will pass packets which match the Unproto (or destination field) inthe packet. This filter support wildcard.
  Syntax: u/text/text/te*...#14 Exclusion filter All the above filters also support exclusion. Be prefixing the above filters with adash the result will be the opposite. Any packet that match the exclusion filter will NOT pass. The exclusion filters will be processed first so if there is a match for an exclusion then the packet is not passed no matter any other filter definitions.
  Samples: -a/50/-130/20/-70 -b/CW* The area filter says to pass all traffic in US. The -b filter says to exclude any stations that starts with CW. -a/50/-130/20/-70 -s/>j The area filter says to pass all traffic in US. The -s filter says to exclude any stations with Car or Jeep symbols. 73 de sm5nrk/RogerAdditional comments:Connect only to port 14580 of a server to use a custom filterCheck the server's status page to see your connection status and filter ( e.g.: http://france.aprs2.net:14501/ )If you use a filter like "m/distance" you have to send a position beacon in order to receive data from the server.If you download "filter.txt", you can replace the outdated version in your UI-View32/Docs directory.
Connecting to APRS-IS
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  Sun, 20 Oct 2013 01:19
  To establish a connection to APRS-IS, establish a TCP connection to a port on an APRS-IS server that provides the type of feed you desire. If your client software is bidirectional (sends and receives), turn off the Nagel algorithm when connecting to APRS-IS as it can introduce significant delays (TCP_NODELAY).
  All core servers support port 10152 as a full feed port. Use this feed judiciously as the packets per second and the overall bandwidth requirements will quickly overrun most APRS clients and may overrun your ISP's capabilities. Most servers support the HTML status port of 14501 which can be used to inform you of other ports available on that server. Simply connect to that port with a browser (http://aprsserver:14501) to view the page.
  All core servers and most javAPRSSrvr servers (see the APRS Server page elsewhere on this site) support port 14580 as a user-defined filter port. This port begins by only sending message packets addressed to the client or addressed to stations gated to APRS-IS by the client. As with ALL bidirectional ports, ALL packets passed from the client are passed to APRS-IS on a verified connection (more on that later). Most javAPRSSrvr servers use javAPRSFilter to provide the server-side filtering capability. javAPRSFilter is an additive filter. In other words, you start by receiving almost nothing. When you add a filter, you now receive the original few packets plus the packets that meet your filter definition. See the Filter Definition page for more information.
  Once you have connected to a server TCP port, you must log in after the server's identification line is displayed (see Server Design ). The login is formatted ([] is optional, underlined words are keywords):
  usermycall[-ss]passpasscode[verssoftwarename softwarevers[UDPudpport][ servercommand]]
  mycall-ss=your unique callsign-SSID (-SSID is optional but equates to zero if omitted, see below). This must be unique throughout APRS and AX.25. See below for formatting restrictions.passcode=computed passcode for your callsign. -1 is used for receive-only. It is the responsibility of each software author to provide the proper passcode to their individual users on a request basis. This is to aid in keeping APRS-IS restricted to amateur radio use only.While the algorithm to generate the passcode is available from some open-source locations, I will not publish it here. If you are an Amateur Radio operator writing software for APRS-IS, contact me directly for the algorithm; otherwise, contact the software author for your passcode.softwarename=one word name of the client software. Do not use spaces.softwarevers=version number of the client software. Do not use spaces.udpport=UDP port number that the client is listening toservercommand=any command string (spaces OK) understood by the server. This will normally be something likefilter r/33/-96/25to cause all packets from stations with 25 km of 33N 96W to be passed to the client.A sample receive only log in sent to a server TCP port 14580 might be:user AE5PL-TS pass -1 vers testsoftware 1.0_05 filter r/33.25/-96.5/50
  javAPRSSrvr responds to a connection with a line starting with a # and acknowledges the login with another line starting with a # (see Server Design ). Lines starting with # are considered comments and ignored. Most servers will also periodically send lines beginning with a # to check the connection if there has been no activity on the TCP port.
  All "packets" sent to APRS-IS must be in the TNC2 format terminated by a carriage return, line feed sequence. No line may exceed 512 bytes including the CR/LF sequence. Only verified (valid passcode) clients may send data to APRS-IS. See the IGate document regarding gating packets to APRS-IS. Packets originating from the client should only have TCPIP* in the path, nothing more or less (AE5PL-TS>APRS,TCPIP*:my packet). For compatibility, the following rules are for any station generating packets:
  q constructs should never appear on RF. Only the qAR construct may be generated by a client (IGate) on APRS-IS.The I construct should never appear on RF. This is an out-dated IGate construct which should no longer be used.Except for within gated packets, TCPIP and TCPXX should not be used on RF.Login Format RulesStation logins/callsigns generally follow the TNC2/AEA standards for textual representations.Logins/callsigns must be alphanumeric ASCII characters only (may be upper/lower/mixed case).Logins/callsigns may contain a single hyphen followed by one or two alphanumeric ASCII characters.A SSID of zero is assumed if the callsign does not have a SSID; therefore never explicitly define -0 as a SSID.SSIDs may be 1 or 2 ASCII alphanumeric characters only.Total length of logins/callsigns may not exceed 9 characters including the SSID if present.The minimum length of the callsign only (preceeding the hyphen if present) is 3 characters.RF and APRS-IS clients may convert lower or mixed case callsigns and SSIDs to upper case.APRS-IS servers consider all callsigns-SSID combinations as unique regardless of case.Callsigns (preceeding hyphen if present) are converted to upper case for passcode calculation.Future APRS-IS servers may restrict logins to international callsign format rules forcing uppercase for the callsign. The regex for international callsigns is:^(?:(?:[1-9][A-Z][A-Z]?)|(?:[A-Z][2-9A-Z]?))[0-9][A-Z]{1,4}$
useful telnet scripts - Google Search
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  WebImagesMapsShoppingMoreSearch OptionsAny timePast hourPast 24 hoursPast weekPast monthPast yearAll resultsVerbatimscripting - Creating a script for a Telnet session? - Stack Overflowstackoverflow.com/questions/.../creating-a-script-for-a-telnet-session- Cached - Similar... page suggests that the Wikipedia Expect entry is a useful resource :-) ... I'veused various methods for scripting telnet sessions under unix, ...Telnet Scripting with Bash '' Linux | Amila's InfoBahnamilasurendra.info/telnet-scripting-with-bash-linux/- Cached - Similar9 Feb 2011 ... Writing simple telnet scripts is a common and and much more useful for a personwith a telnet enabled router. With the help from tools like ...How To Automate Telnet Commands Using VB Script - MakeUseOfwww.makeuseof.com/.../automate-telnet-commands-vb-script/- Cached - Similar13 Oct 2011 ... The truth is that if you are accustomed to using VB script to create your Windowsscripts (or even if you aren't), VB scripts provides a very useful ...Telnet Scripting Language (TSL) | Free Communications software ...sourceforge.net/projects/tsl/- Cached - Similar
  Rating: 1 - 1 vote - Free - BSD, Linux17 Apr 2013 ... Daemon allows TSL to operate completely in the background, useful for admintasks. Telnet Scripting Language (TSL) Web Site ...Simple telnet session scripting Python recipes ActiveState Codecode.activestate.com/recipes/152043-simple-telnet-session-scripting/- Cached - Similar25 Sep 2002 ... This is an EXTREMELY simple module for scripting a telnet session. ... w %(cvslogin)s w %(cvsup)s # Should do something useful here w exit c ...command to telnet console using shell-script | DaniWebwww.daniweb.com/...scripting/.../command-to-telnet-console-using-shell- script- Cached - Similarhi all, i have written a shell-script which logs onto a mail-server using telnet andthen tries to send the HELO command. The code for the same looks something ...PHP Telnet: freeware script to make Telnet connections from PHP ...www.geckotribe.com/php-telnet/- Cached - SimilarA free script that enables PHP scripts to make telnet connections.Shell script to telnet and run commands [Solved] - Kioskeaen.kioskea.net/.../affich-37067-shell-script-to-telnet-and-run-commands- Cached - Similari have made a shell script which can telnet automatically and run ... the help andhope that will here very somme with some useful tips like that.AutoPuTTY (scripted telnet) - need help - Scripts - AutoHotkey ...www.autohotkey.com/.../25166-autoputty-scripted-telnet-need-help/- Cached - Similar14 Jan 2008 ... AutoPuTTY (scripted telnet) - need help - posted in Scripts: I know this is a hottopic on the board, and I have come up with a solution to log into ...Telnet Scripting Tool a.k.a TST10.exe | Jerry Manneljerrymannel.com/blog/2008/11/.../telnet-scripting-tool-aka-tst10exe/- Cached - Similar11 Nov 2008 ... Its quite interesting that this tool is really helpful in automating many of ... Is theresomething like this for Linux? icon sad Telnet Scripting Tool ...AdsTelnet VT TN Automationwww.networkautomation.com/
  Automate Telnet apps with VT & TN emulations. Free trial.Telnet Scriptswww.ask.com/Telnet+Scripts
  Search for Telnet Scripts. Look Up Quick Results now!12345678910NextAdvanced searchSearch HelpSend feedback
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Mom: Newtown victim shouted for classmates to run
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  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) '-- A 6-year-old boy killed in the massacre in Sandy Hook Elementary School shouted for his classmates to run while the gunman paused to reload and was shot moments later, the boy's mother said Friday.
  The boy, Jesse Lewis, had just seen his teacher shot and urged the others to flee while the gunman, Adam Lanza, put a new clip into his semi-automatic rifle.
  "He yelled, 'Run!' Adam reloaded and shot him in the head," said Scarlett Lewis, who learned details of the events inside the classroom from investigators who gathered accounts from children who survived.
  "When I heard he used his last few seconds on earth to try to save his friends, I was not surprised," she said. "I am so incredibly proud of him."
  The boy's actions were first reported by The Hartford Courant.
  Lanza shot his way into the school on Dec. 14 and killed 20 first-grade children and six women in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. He also killed his mother earlier in the day and committed suicide as police arrived at the school building.
  A report on the Newtown shooting by investigators is due to be released soon. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the massacre.
  In Jesse's classroom, which was led by teacher Victoria Soto, 11 students survived, including some who ran past Lanza when he stopped to reload. In the classroom led by Lauren Rousseau, only one child survived. Both teachers were killed.
  Scarlett Lewis said several people emerged as heroes that day, but her understanding is that some of the survivors ran because of what her son did to help them.
  Lewis has dedicated herself recently to the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, which promotes ways for communities to "choose love over anger, gratitude over entitlement, and forgiveness and compassion over bitterness." The foundation was inspired by a message that Jesse had left on their kitchen chalkboard with the words "nurturing," ''healing" and love."
U.S. Army Hones Antiterror Strategy for Africa, in Kansas - NYTimes.com
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  FORT RILEY, Kan. '-- Here on the Kansas plains, thousands of soldiers once bound for Iraq or Afghanistan are now gearing up for missions in Africa as part of a new Pentagon strategy to train and advise indigenous forces to tackle emerging terrorist threats and other security risks so that American forces do not have to.
  The first-of-its-kind program is drawing on troops from a 3,500-member brigade in the Army's storied First Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One, to conduct more than 100 missions in Africa over the next year. The missions range from a two-man sniper team in Burundi to 350 soldiers conducting airborne and humanitarian exercises in South Africa.
  The brigade has also sent a 150-member rapid-response force to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa to protect embassies in emergencies, a direct reply to the attack on the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, which killed four Americans.
  ''Our goal is to help Africans solve African problems, without having a big American presence,'' said Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee Magee, a West Point graduate and third-generation Army officer whose battalion has sent troops to Burundi, Niger and South Africa in the past several months, and whose unit will deploy to Djibouti in December.
  In Fort Riley, Kan., last month, soldiers with the United States Army prepared for live-fire training, part of a program to bolster African forces over the next year.
  Steve Hebert for The New York Times
  The American commando raids this month against terrorist operatives in Libya and Somalia underscore the spreading extremist threat in Africa, and a renewed urgency to choke off insurgent cells before they can grow, according to counterterrorism specialists. Teams from the brigade here have already helped train forces in Kenya and Tanzania, which are battling fighters from the Shabab militant group in Somalia.
  President Obama, at a news conference three days after the commando raids, said Africa was one of the places ''that you're seeing some of these groups gather.''
  ''And we're going to have to continue to go after them,'' he added.
  For that reason, it is no surprise that the military's Africa Command is the test case for this new Army program of regionally aligned brigades that will eventually extend to all of the Pentagon's commands worldwide, including in Europe and Latin America next year. These forces will be told in advance that their deployments will focus on parts of the world that do not have Army troops assigned to them now '-- creating a system in which officers and enlisted personnel would develop regional expertise.
  Soldiers rearmed their tanks last month after the live-fire exercise at Fort Riley. The Army plans to conduct more than 100 missions in Africa, training indigenous forces to combat terrorism.
  Steve Hebert for The New York Times
  Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said in an interview that the goal was to field an Army that could be ''engaged regionally in all the combatant commands to help them shape their theaters, set their theaters, in order to sustain and execute our national security strategy.''
  Even as soldiers prepare for tasks as far-ranging as combat casualty care in Chad or radio training in Mauritania, in a recent visit here they were also conducting target practice in their M1A2 battle tanks on a sprawling firing range, to keep their skills sharp for a future land war against an unforeseen foe. Chad and Mauritania are both combating Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an offshoot of the main terrorist group.
  But with the United States military out of Iraq and pulling out of Afghanistan, the Army is looking for new missions around the world. ''As we reduce the rotational requirement to combat areas, we can use these forces to great effect in Africa,'' Gen. David M. Rodriguez, the head of the Africa Command, told Congress this year.
  Missions that were once performed largely by Special Operations forces, including the Army's Green Berets, are now falling to regular infantry troops like members of the Second Armored Brigade Combat Team, nicknamed the Dagger Brigade, here at Fort Riley.
  This summer, nearly two dozen of the brigade's soldiers deployed to Niger, in West Africa, to help train troops for United Nations peacekeeping duty in neighboring Mali. The Americans set up tents on a government-owned farm two hours north of the capital, Niamey, shooing away the goats, cows and chickens.
  For 10 weeks, they weathered sandstorms and temperatures that soared beyond 110 degrees to teach the Nigerien troops marksmanship, patrolling skills and medical care. The troops drilled in the morning, rested from the midday heat and then resumed classes in the evening. Among the worries in Niger is the threat posed by Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group with ties to Al Qaeda.
  ''We're never going to teach them anything about Boko Haram they don't already know, but we can help them develop their capacity as a military,'' said Maj. Bret Hamilton, 38, an Iraq and Afghan war veteran who led the team in Niger.
  The Americans' credibility with their counterparts in Niger was cemented just as the training began. Terrorists using suicide car bombs attacked a Nigerien military compound and a French-operated uranium company in the country's north, not far from the training site. Some diplomats and training forces from other countries retreated to the safety of the capital, but the Americans stayed put and helped the Nigeriens bolster their defenses.
  ''We're trying to build a rapport and a lasting relationship with them,'' said Sgt. First Class Christopher Bunnell, 31, a platoon leader from Lake Station, Ind.
  Before deploying, the troops in Kansas receive six days of cultural training and instruction from Africa-born graduate students at nearby Kansas State University. ''The soldiers trained are able to ask about things not in their books,'' said Daryl Youngman, an associate professor at the university who oversees the instruction.
  Some Africa specialists say that if the goal is to build a cadre of regional specialists, this training seems lacking. ''There needs to be a concentrated effort for these forces to have sustained regional language training and expertise,'' said Lesley Anne Warner, an Africa analyst with CNA's Center for Strategic Studies in Alexandria, Va., who has studied the regional brigade concept. ''Not having such training defeats part of the rationale for having regionally aligned forces.''
  In a separate three weeks of training in South Africa last summer, 350 brigade soldiers trained with troops there using mock exercises. The soldiers worked together to analyze an enemy and how it would react, and in the end seized a rebel base.
  For the South Africans, it was a chance to learn tactics and techniques that American troops refined in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the Americans, it offered an opportunity to gain new insights on African counterinsurgency.
  ''When the tire meets the tar, that's when you actually learn the most lessons,'' Brig. Gen. Lawrence Reginald Smith, the South Africa force commander there, said in a telephone interview. ''What we bring to the table is knowledge of the indigenous people and the rebels who come from those people, including how they act.''
  Thom Shanker contributed reporting from Washington.
HILLARY BLASTS ANGIE: SHE's SUCH A PHONY! - The National Enquirer
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  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 15:11
  HILLARY CLINTON has blasted Angelina Jolie as a ''fake'' and a ''home-wrecker,'' according to an insider who predicts that the simmering tension between the two powerhouse women will soon explode!
  The former first lady is said to have bared her claws at the Holly­wood femme fatale after learning that Angelina wanted to seduce her husband, former president Bill Clinton. And the friction has grown worse in recent years as the two became prominent in international politics '' Angelina as a United Nations goodwill ambassador and Hillary as President Obama's secre­tary of state.
  ''Not even a world's stage is big enough for these two women,'' de­clared a source. ''Hillary has gotten more and more riled up as she saw Angelina continually trying to steal her thunder.
  ''The last strawcamewhenHillary heard that Angelina was going to get involved with the 2016 (presidential) election. While she hasn't officially announced her run for the White House, it's pretty clear Hillary sees herself as the leading Democratic candidate, and she doesn't want Angie run­ning off her mouth.''
  Last April, when both of them were at the Women in the World summit in New York, an insider says Angelina got word to Hillary that she wanted to meet her privately ''to discuss important mat­ters'' in an empty room at the Lincoln Center.
  Added the source: ''Hillary was fit to be tied. 'Why on earth would I want to see HER!' she raged. Hillary made it clear Angelina was not her favorite person and that if they met she would probably end up telling her, 'You're a fake!'''
  ''Angie was mystified by Hill­ary's cold snub.''
  Hillary's animosity stretches back years. Sources say she believes her skirt-chasing husband became infatu­ated with the now 38-year-old ''Salt'' actress in 2007 after Angelina attended an annual meeting for his foundation. And journalist Ian Halperin wrote in his book, ''Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,'' that the sexpot had stated she wanted to seduce Bill Clinton.
  ''Hillary believes Angelina encouraged Bill's attention and that's something she will never forget. When it comes to bear­ing a grudge, Hillary has a long memory. She's also described Angie to some of her closest aides as a 'homewrecker' for the way she stole Brad from Jennifer Aniston.
  ''To Hillary, working in politics is a lot more complex than being a part-time U.N. ambassador in between acting gigs and she firmly believes that Angie should stick to making movies.''
  The situation almost came to a head in 2009, when Angelina and Hillary were scheduled to meet at the White House for World Refugee Day. But Hillary suffered a mysterious fall and broke her elbow, forcing her to cancel the meeting. That fall was ''highly suspicious,'' a source told author Halperin at the time.
  ''So far, Hillary and Angelina's bitter feelings have stayed below the public radar,'' the source noted. ''But it's only a matter of time before the gloves come off.''
APRS2Twitter v7.00.3b Documentation
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  APRS2Twitter Version 7.00.3b Documentation:
  1) Features & Project Goals
  2) Setup & requirements
  3) Useage
  4) Errors & error handles
  5) Who is KD8BXP - LeRoy Miller
  APRS2Twitter Project can be found at http://code.google.com/p/aprs2twitter
  Code license:GNU General Public License v3
  APRS copyright (c) Bob Burninga, WB4APR,
  APRS2Twitter Script makes use of the following APIs with much Thanks. Yahoo Business & Local Search API, APRS.FI API, Tumblr API, Status.net API, Instamapper.com API, Google Latitude, Weather Bug API, Amateur-Radio.net, Supertweet.net API, Twitter, Teleku.com API With respect to all copyright holders
  1) FEATURES & Project Goals:
  The orignal idea behind this project was to post your aprs location to twitter, this was before twitter was location aware, and at the time used an RSS feed to do this. Over time, the script developed into much more. The first script would give City Name, maybe distance and bearing, your Latitude and Longitude. As it progressed, APRS messages were added into the script, at first it would just tell you that you had them, later it posted your messages to your DM on twitter. At that point the script was becoming more interactive. Much later support for sending DMs to yourself was added into the script so you can send messages from TWITTER to APRS.
  The script took on many more changes over time, the final version of the script (current) now uses API calls (much more friendly and easy to work with), Will give a business name you are near (hopefully), or a street address you are near, failing either of those two it will post the latitude and longitude. IT also supports the Twitter location based system. APRS Messages to & from twitter,
  Sending Repeater information while you are traveling via SMS (text).
  It also has the ability to post tohttp://hamohio.status.net now, and tumblr (seehttp://kd8bxp.tumblr.com for the type of information posted to a blog)
  The script will also read your google latitude, or instamapper location if you are using either one of those services.
  PLANS include usage of gowalla & four square when someone can figure out what ''WE'' should do with that type of information.
  The script will also post to your twitter account any Weather Alerts in your area.
  The script has really evolved from it's very early days.
  With version 7.xx.x I went back to trying to make the script as simple & easy to use as possible.
  With that in mind the main function of the script to post APRS data was brought back to the forefront, and other location based services were put into the background but still can be used.
  The Goal: Post APRS location to twitter - for the most part the goal has been meet and expanded upon.
  2) SETUP & Requirements
  THE MAIN REQUIREMENT is CLI version of PHP (version 5.3.2 or above is recommend, it should work using version 5.2.3 and above) & CURL PHP extentions.
  The script does NOT appear to work on Windows XP, or any version of Windows before XP
  Vista, and Windows 7 both seem to work.
  I (KD8BXP) run the script on Ubuntu 10.04 with PHP version 5.3.2
  KI6BJV Has gotten the script to run without too many issues under Mac OSX (Please ask him for information about that - AS I did help a little but my Mac experience is limited)
  ** For More information about PHP please seehttp://php.net it is a great site, with many answers to PHP questions that I may or may not know ***
  I have tried very hard to keep the setup to a minimum. BUT there are a few things that need to be setup before you use this for the first time.
  STEP 1: Unzip the archive, On a Windows box it seems to work best if you unzip to the C:\aprs drive (This is not truely a requirment, but it does seem to fair a bit better). This will put the aprs directory in the ROOT of C:
  on a linux box (and probably a OSx box) you'll want to unzip the files to a directory that the script will have read/write access too, APRS.php also needs to be set to allow execute. (at least it does on my box)
  STEP 2: Open usersetup.php in your favorite text editor (NOTEPAD in Windows, Gedit or nano in linux both work great for this) All of the PHP files are text files, with a PHP extention. The usersetup.php is the only one that needs to be edited by a end user - however if you want to make changes, see how it works, know a better way to do something in PHP feel free to look at the other files.
  STEP 3: gotohttp://supertweet.net this is a proxy service between using the basic twitter API & using oAuth (twitter has now gone to all oAuth, the script doesn't support this) so this is were the proxy comes into play. Follow the instruction onsupertweet.net activate your username for use with the supertweet api, you will need to put a password in (don't use your twitter password).
  This is a very quick and easy process, took less then 5 mins to setup, and is very easy to use.
  STEP 4: After you open usersetup.php - you will see some variables that need to be filled out.
  Just after ''introduction and credits'' you will see $call, $unam, $pwd
  Pretty self explanatory here: You can put upto 10 callsigns you want looked up and twitted.
  IE: $call = 'kd8bxp, kd8bxp-13'; it doesn't matter if they are upper case or lower case
  $uname is your twitter username IE: $uname = 'kd8bxp';
  $pwd is your going to be yoursupertweet.net password which you should have just setup.
  STEP 5: Next you need to tell the script where it is located at on your hard drive - THE SCRIPT NEEDS READ AND WRITE ACCESS TO it's directory. (Very important for linux users, Windows users I don't think this is an issue for you) I high light that because it is really important, your script needs READ AND WRITE ACCESS!
  You will see $homedir = '/home/lfmiller/aprs/'; This is where my script is located on my system.
  YOUR will be different - Windows users (not sure why) but for the script I think you will need to put the / insteed of the \ (which would be normal) so WINDOWS guys - it would look like this
  $homedir = 'c:/aprs/'; IF that is where you put the script at. Linux users shouldn't have too much problem with this I don't think. Please NOTE: the trailing ''/'' must be included.
  STEP 6: Log into your APRS.FI account, you should see your API key (Copy & Paste is the best why to get it) This is a long string of alpha numerical stuff, normally it has a period in it someplace. The next vaule that needs to be setup is the $fiapikey - The best way to get this and be sure it is right is copy and paste it into the usersetup.php script. IF you don't have an APRS.FI account you can sign up for one on his site, it is free to do so.
  STEP 7: This is were you can ''personalize'' what the script can do, and what gets sent to twitter
  All three of these are set to ''ON'' by default, however you can select what you want, and change this at any time.
  $dispmsgcount What this does will tell you from day to day (or in some cases update to update) if you have messages waiting via APRS, it also controls if you want APRS posted to twitter.
  $disptemp - This will display the current tempature.
  $dispurl - This will display a link back to your APRS on APRS.FI
  In All cases '1' means the feature is turned on, and '0' (zero) means that feature is turned off.
  STEP 8: This is also some personalization for what is posted (if anything at all) to your profile location - this is different then the location that is on all of the posts, this is if someone clicks on your user name (and now if they mouse over your picture) where they can see your bio, and other miscellaneous stuff. So the first vaule determines if you want to update your profile location or not (Again in all cases '1' is on or yes, '0' (zero) is off or no)
  $profilelocation = DO you want to update your profile location? (Default is yes)
  The next 3 values will tell the script what you wish posted:
  $profilelatlon (Default ON) What it sounds like, it will post the Latitude and Longitude of your APRS location
  $profilecity (Default OFF) this will display the city/state based on LAT/LON from APRS
  $profiledeclatlon (Default OFF) Display the decimal vaules for Latitude and Longitude
  OF the 3 you can only have one of these turned ON, I can predict what will happen if you wanted to try more then one - ONLY one will get posted, and probably not really the one you want posted.
  STEP 9: A little more personalization
  $dispmessage = this will post to your Twitter Direct Messages any APRS message you get (default is ON)
  $usunits = This will determine, if you want meters or miles, Celius or Farinheit, ect. a (zero) 0 value will leave these units as metric, a 1 will convert them.
  STEP 10: Setting up HamOhio.Status.net - NOTE: This is not a requirement, not required for the script to work, however it does provide a backup to twitter in case the script should fail, it may provide a valuable tool in troubleshooting problems.
  If you want ahamohio.status.net account, please setup one up, on the site, then fill in the information in the usersetup.php script.
  To have the script post tohamohio.status.net - be sure to set $hamohioupdate = '1';
  The other two variables are pretty self explanatory
  STEP 11: Setting up Instamapper.com & google Latitude
  Unfortunately I have lost my notes on setting upinstamapper.com that is too say, I didn't comment the script well, and I lost my ''paper'' notes on what I did. You need an account with them, then you need to setup the map for sharing, there are three ''keys'' they give you - the device key, a share key and a api key. IF I remember correctly the share key was the one that was hard to find, but is probably the most important one.
  My notes were also lost for setting up latitude.
  And if I remember correctly, it took me a very long time to find the google map key, it was ''hidden'' in a url I think, and I think it started with a minus sign, it is also a long number
  SORRY When I have more information about this step I will update the docs, if I find my notes that would really help!
  STEP 12: Setting up the SMS gateway, I use this gateway to send repeater updates, WX updates, and APRS messages. This is not a requirement, but I have found at least when traveling having upto date repeater information to be very very helpful.
  Gotohttp://teleku.com and setup an account if you don't already have one. There is a link on the site to get your API key. Copy and paste that into $telkuapi.
  $phonenumber = pretty easy this is the cell number you want to recieve the SMS messages
  (We are almost done!)
  STEP 13: Setuptumblr.com - Again this is not a requirement but could be used as a daily report, or again for troubleshooting, the blog contains more information then what is posted to twitter. SO it is up to you. (see my tumblr to see what gets postedhttp://kd8bxp.tumblr.com )
  So first your will setup your account if you don't already have one.
  next $posttumblr = '1'; (ON/OFF 1/0 YES/NO) This tells the script you want to post to tumblr or not.
  The next two values are pretty self explanatory
  STEP 14: IF you plan on doing Twitter2APRS messaging (more about this later) You will need to set you ''From Call'' only one call sign, but you can use an SSID if you like.
  IE: $fromcall = 'kd8bxp'; (upper or lower case doesn't make a difference here)
  STEP 15: **** THIS IS THE HEART YOU NEED TO DO THIS ****
  You need to goto this URL to get your Yahoo API key -THIS is required by the script!
  http://developer.yahoo.com/search/local/V3/localSearch.html
  Click on the Get ID button - and MAKE SURE you select "Generic, No User authentication required" Otherwise the script will fail.
  The name of the Product - aprs2twitter The yahoo key is very long, I would copy and paste it into the script
  STEP 16: Setting Up Local Information - This is used by the WX features, repeaters updates, ect
  IF you are unsure of your latitude/longitude for this stepzipinfo.com has a way to look them up for you, and returns the information in the format needed for the script.
  This LAT/LON just needs to be close (center of the city, at the post office, ect) - It is used by the arn2.php to determine if you have moved so many miles from your ''home qth'' It is fuzzy math, and 10 miles may be 9 miles or it maybe 11 miles in the scripts view. SO it doesn't need to be perfect.
  The idea of circles needs to be explained here before we go too much more.
  Your 1st circle will be how far away to you want to get from your home qth before the script starts sending you repeaters for the area you are in. My thoughts on this is if commute to and from work, you don't need to get the reapeaters everytime you goto work, but if you travel beyond your normal area, you might want to know what is out there. FOR me, I have both Dayton & Cincinnati repeaters programmed in to my radios, both Citys are about 30 miles from me, I set my 1st circle to 50 miles.
  The 2nd circle - is more or less the same idea, but it is based on the latitude and longitude your are currently in...It also sets the radius for how many repeaters get sent to you.
  BUT lets say I have my 1st circle set to 10 miles, I goto Cincinnati (30 miles from home), I get my repeater updates, now I stay in the area I am for many hours (2 or 3 or more), I haven't gone far, I am still out of my 1st radius, so my 2nd circle kicks in to see if I have moved more then 10 miles from where I was in Cincinnati, if so I get more repeaters, if not I get nothing. IF I have moved back into the radius of my 1st circle I get nothing, even if I have moved more then 10 miles)
  The 1st and 2nd circles are just something you will need to play with to get the correct and desired effects. The 2nd circle can not be set less the 10 miles (anything under 10 is converted back to 10 in the script) Please remember this is a fuzzy circle (both circles), so it may or may not be 100% what you'd expect, Also NOTE: There is going to be some overlapping sometimes of what repeaters get sent to you, as how the script works, this is unavoidable, and has only been an issue a couple of time in my travels.
  $arnsms = is what it sounds like, this will send the repeaters to SMS, or not (again 1 or 0 (zero))
  $arnband2 & $arnband4 = both set by default to 1. 2 = 2 meter repeaters, 4 = 440 repeaters
  $dzipcode = this is the default zip code should be your home qth zipcode, it is used by WX if another zipcode can not be determined, or should fail it should fall back to the default zip code.
  STEP 17: YOU have just setup your script! Congratulations, that wasn't that bad or that hard now was it! But you probably will want to test the script at this point.
  in console mode (linux terminal, windows dos) Change your directory to the directory the script is in.
  type:
  /home/lfmiller/aprs/php aprs.php
  The first time the script is ran, it will check for some files in the directory, should create them if they are not there. **** YOU MAY SEE some ERROR messages, it is probably normal ****
  Normal output should look something like this:
  Script End: Thu Sep 23, 2010 @ 12:00 am
  Script Start: Thu Sep 23, 2010 @ 12:30 am
  Setting up Variables....
  APRS2Twitter Copyright (C) 2010 LeRoy F. Miller, KD8BXP. Under GNU General Public License (GPLv3) Version 7.00.2b
  Openning check file..... script check file is Ok
  Done.
  You have 2 call signs listed
  Working....Grabbed APRS Locations Data....Grabbed external sources data....Combined APRS & Source Data....
  You have 4 sources total.
  Working....Grabbing APRS Messages.....
  Working on messages.....
  Grabbed APRS Messages. You have 0 messages waiting.
  Working.....Already Updated via APRS sources
  Attempting, Alternative Sources....
  Location Not Changed...
  Checking for messages from Twitter.....
  No Messages to send to APRS
  Version of script is update
  No WX alerts for selected area
  Script End: Thu Sep 23, 2010 @ 12:30 am
  3) USAGE
  The APRS.php script was and is meant to be ran from the command line, I do know of a few people who have had it work just fine on a web-site, and at one point I wrote a web interface for an older version of the script. That interface may work with version 7.00.xb but has features that are no longer supported in version 7.00.xb and I have not attempted to re-write it for the current version. That being said.
  Usage of the script is very very simple once it is setup, change into your script directory, and type.
  php aprs.php
  But this is how I have my script setup, I run it automaticly via a CRONTAB job, which is very much like the Windows Task Scheduler, I can't speak as how to setup the script on a windows box, but on Ubuntu Linux it is very easy to setup a cron-job.
  On the Command line (terminal) type crontab -e
  If you have never setup a crontab job it will ask you a couple of questions (If I remember right) just answer them to the best of your ability. if it doesn't ask you anything it will open an empty nano editor screen
  This will be setup for you as a user, if for some reason (but for the life of me I don't know why you would want to) set the script to run as the root user, you'd type ''sudo crontab -e''
  I have mine setup to run every half hour, cron is a little different (google crontab manual, you'll find a lot of examples) so if every half hour is not good for you, you can set it up for just about anything, and to only run at certain times of the day, month or even certain years.
  But:
  It's
  Mins Hour DayOfMonth Mon DOfWeek command a * would mean any/all
  so mine looks like this:
  0,30 * * * * php /home/lfmiller/aprs/aprs.php
  0 tells it to run on minutes that are zero, 30 tells it to run on minutes that are 30 in otherwords every half hour.
  Notice the full path to the aprs.php script.
  Something that I recently learned, and you may find usefull as well, You can pipe the output of the script to a file, this will give you a log of the output, so if there is some question as to what the script did you can go back and look.
  that would look like this:
  0,30 * * * * php /home/lfmiller/aprs/aprs.php >> /home/lfmiller/aprs/cronlog.log
  Notice the addition of the >> pipe and full path to where I want the log file (it needs to have read write access to where the log is going to go, so probably best to put it in the aprs script directory)
  N4TRQ has setup the script a few times on his Windows Box, and I'll put a note on my forehead to ask him about setting up the Task Scheduler
  What this will do for you, you willn't need to remember to run the script, while you are traveling you will start to get repeater updates, and WX updates automatically *Noting of course you will need to be out of your 1st circle and have the script setup to SMS you. Also WX alerts if there is a WX alert, and in the case above this only happens every half hour.
  4) Errors & Error Handles
  I have never taken this script out of the beta phase, from very early I said it was a beta, and it has never left that stage.
  That means, you WILL see errors, sometimes you will see a lot of errors.
  I have made every attempt if the script does fail, it will output to the screen why it failed, or an error message of some type...sometimes this works well, other times not so much.
  For the most part, (But not always), I find that many of the errors that I do see are caused by a slow or no internet connection and even steps have been put in place in the script to try to correct for that.
  I recommend that if you can either via Windows Task scheduler or via crontab that you pipe the output to a file. That may or may not give a clue as to what is going on.
  I also recommend setting up a tumblr account, the output there sometimes contains clues as to what failed or didn't work quite right.
  As of version 7.00.3b I added a ''Debug Mode'' - to turn debug mode on - open the
  variablesetup.php and change the line
  $debug = '0'; to $debug = '1';
  run the script again, and you should see much different output, more then a screen full if things go right... so I would recommend piping the output to a file so it can be emailed or looked at later.
  IF you are running the script automatically, and having problems you defintally want to pipe the output to a file, and turn the debug mode on, and let the script run normally. (for a day or two or three) You can then upload the file on the project site, and ''WE'' can troubleshoot what is going on.
  As always, check the issues tab on the project site, I try to keep that updated as best as possible.
  Sometimes I am not able to duplicate a problem you may have, that is why ''Debug Mode'' is so handy, and so usefull, ''WE'' can see exactly what your script is doing, and try to figure out why.
  7.00.3b is the same script as 7.00.2b with the exception of ''debug mode'' So, any errors found in 7.00.3b would/should also apply to 7.00.2b - Thou, I would recommend keeping up with the current version of the script.
aprs2twitter - PHP Script that will send your APRS location to twitter and other mircoblogging sites - Google Project Hosting
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 07:28
  Project Information
  Project feedsCode licenseGNU GPL v3Labelsaprs, ham, amateur, twitter, status.net, radio, latitude, Instamapper, teleku.com, sms, foursquareFeatured
  Users of version 10.0b script can download the updates to version 10.5b please read the readme file, it does contain some important info! This update is a fix for the api calls that have changed on twitter/supertweet New users will have to download version 10.0b, and the update 10.5b - run the setup.php file and apply the updates, again please read the readme file it really does contain some important info.
  Script updates twitter, as to your aprs location found from APRS.fi, also updates WX information.
  The script has the ability to send APRS messages to twitter, and SMS.
  As of version 6.4.0b - The script has the ability to send you SMS messages of repeaters you are near!
  Requirements: PHP (at least 5.2.3) with CURL extensions. (We have found that you need to have the PHP CLI compiled version of PHP, the CGI compiled version does not work at this time)
  KI6BJV Has been trying to get the script to work under Mac OSX - so far it looks like v6.3.9b should work, having a bit of issues with 6.4.0b right now. He has gotten version 7.00.0b to also work.
  THESE DOCUMENTS ARE VERY VERY VERY OUTDATED, but the link is still active, to show were the project was and where it is going. (The setup has been simplified - just run "setup.php" now) NEW: Documents for version 7.xx.x can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1NkWCi7LVSqFhbnXc2kUiefep3e-JtU4xqjx1fovsLqs&hl=en (incomplete, but all of the basics are there)
  Thanks, Enjoy - LeRoy, KD8BXP (I can be found on twitter KD8BXP, or you can try to catch me on APRS also KD8BXP)
  much thanks to all of the Hams that have helped with this project, just a few other honorable mentions: N4TRQ for doing a lot of testing in the early days of the script, KC8QCH for hosting a oAuth file for foursquare, much thanks! and Everyone who has reported a bug or pointed out something not working, keeping me on my toes! LOL
  APRS copyright (c) Bob Burninga, WB4APR, APRS2Twitter Script makes use of the following APIs with much Thanks. tinygeocoder.com, Yahoo Business Local Search API, APRS.FI API, Tumblr API, Status.net API, Instamapper.com API, Google Latitude, Nearby.org.UK API, Qaiku.com API, Weather Bug API, Amateur-Radio.net, Supertweet.net API, and Twitter, Teleku.com API With respect to all copyright holders
PerlAPRS
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 07:13
  PerlAPRSPerlAPRS - Automated Control in APRS NetworksIntroductionThe Automatic Position Reporting System is one of the most popular facets of amateur radio today. It is a marriage of several cutting edge technologies including the Global Positioning System (GPS), amateur packet radio, and the global Internet. It incorporates satellite technology, wireless networks, and both analog and digital communication. The applications to support the APRS protocol are also sophisticated. They provide the user with an easy to use interface into the APRS world. Software such as MacAPRS for the Apple Macintosh, WinAPRS for Windows 95/NT, and APRSdos for DOS machines provide powerful and elegant solutions. With this software and support system, it is possible to display any APRS network. Other support software for APRS includes the work of Steve Dimse, K4HG, who extended the concept for the promulgation of APRS packets to the Internet with javAPRS. In addition, Steve Boyle, KD6WXD; and Dale Heatherington, WA4DSY, developed APRS servers for the Internet which allow users to remotely connect to the server and examine remote APRS networks.
  These programs provide flexibility, functionality, and a highly visual means for tracking APRS activity. However, they are passive in that they provide predominately monitoring functionality. They do not provide the ability to control. For example, if you wish to know when an APRS tracker escorting marathon runners reaches a specific location, you need more than monitoring capability, you need control functionality. It is this ability that PerlAPRS provides.
  PerlAPRS is a program written in the Perl computer language. Perl runs on all popular computer platforms today including MacOS, Windows3.1/95/NT, AMIGA, Unix, Linux, and many more. In addition, since Perl is compiled at run time, there is no need for a version precompiled or packaged for a specific platform. Also, since all source code is included for PerlAPRS, the user may easily alter the program to meet specific needs and is encouraged to do so. However, most users will find modifying the shell scripts rather than the program should meet most requirements.
  PerlAPRS examines incoming packets from an APRS network and executes commands when a callsign and location match the criteria specified by the user. Location criteria is specified using grid squares. For example, when KC5PVL enters grid square DM12LW, a computer command specified by the user can be automatically executed.Figure 1 shows grid squares overlaid on the city of San Diego, California, it will serve as the basis for the examples in this paper. The map shows several grid squares that are targeted for an action when the criteria specified in the callsign.dat file is met.
  The Callsign FileWhen PerlAPRS starts, it reads the user's callsign database file with the default filename of callsign.dat. This file provides the list of callsigns that PerlAPRS is to search for. The file consists of one or more lines of text as shown in Figure 2. A separate line (record) is required for each callsign. Each line of the file is further broken into five fields, a separate field for each parameter.
  KI6MP-10 cmd2.sh DM12JV 2 1440KC6VVT-9 cmd1.sh DM12IT 3 1440KD6AZU cmd3.sh DM12KR 3 180KE6PHB cmd4.sh DM12LT 5 60* cmd5.sh DM12LN 2 60Figure 2 Example Callsign File
  The first field indicates the callsign that PerlAPRS is to listen for. In the example, PerlAPRS will listen for KI6MP-10, along with KC6VVT-9, KD6AZU, and KE6PHB. The asterisk character, shown on the last line of the example, is a wildcard that means "any" callsign.
  The second field indicates the command that will be executed when the callsign is heard. It can be any computer command, however, as we will discuss later, shell scripts are powerful and easily implement commands. In the example, cmd2.sh will be executed when KI6MP-10 is heard.
  The third field represents the grid square in which the callsign must be heard. Returning to the example, PerlAPRS is listening for KI6MP-10 in grid square DM12JV. The fourth field is provided to limit the number of times the command is executed during an active period. This parameter is necessitated by the repetitive nature of APRS packets. For example, if a station continues to broadcast packets while located within the grid square, the command would be executed each time a packet is heard. Since some APRS packets (e.g., mobile) are transmitted every few minutes, in many cases it would be undesirable to have the command executed repetitively in a short period. For this reason, the value is typically a small number (e.g., 1-5). However, indicating a large value will cause the command to be executed virtually without limit. Conversely, if one wishes to disable execution, setting the value to zero essentially disables the command without removing it from the database. In the example, the command, cmd2.sh, will be executed no more than 2 times during an active period.
  The last field is provided to allow the user to specify the active period. The active period is the time expressed in minutes in which PerlAPRS is actively listening for the specified callsign. This is important, since without a means of resetting the execution counter, it would be inconvenient to leave the program running for an extended period (e.g., many weeks).
  The following scenario may help to illustrate the need for specifying the active period. Assume we wish to leave PerlAPRS running indefinitely. Also assume we don't want to execute a command every time a packet is heard since this could be hundreds of time during a 24 hour period. If we set the execution counter to a small value, we will limit the number of times the command is executed. However, once that count is reached, commands will no longer be executed. The active period parameter is therefore provided to allow the user to specify when the execution counter specified in field 4 is to be reset. Returning to our example, we see that a command will be executed no more than 2 times in a 24 hour (1440 minutes) period for KI6MP-10. At the end of the 24 hour period, the counter is reset and the command can again be executed up to 2 times during the next active period.
  When PerlAPRS begins it reads in the callsign file and shows the original information provided by the user along with the conversion of the grid square to latitude and longitude. To completely describe the grid square, requires the latitude and longitude of the lower left and upper right points of the square. These corner points are used by PerlAPRS to determine if the station is within the grid square.
  [rparry@blue aprs]$ perlAPRS -s *** USER DATA *** Callsign Command Grid Exe Reset LwrLat LwrLon UprLat UprLon 1 KI6MP-10 cmd2.sh DM12JV 2 1440 3252.0 -11715.0 3255.0 -11710.0 2 KC6VVT-9 cmd1.sh DM12IT 3 1440 3247.5 -11720.0 3250.0 -11715.0 3 KD6AZU cmd3.sh DM12KR 3 180 3242.5 -11710.0 3245.0 -11705.0 4 KE6PHB cmd4.sh DM12LT 5 60 3247.5 -11705.0 3250.0 -11700.0 5 * cmd5.sh DM12LN 2 60 3232.5 -11705.0 3235.0 -11700.0Figure 3 Output from PerlAPRS based on user's callsign file
  Shell ScriptsWhen an APRS packet is heard, the command specified by the user is executed. It is important to emphasize that virtually any command can be executed, one is not limited to shell scripts. However, they are simple to write, flexible, and powerful. Scripts should meet the needs of most users. Alternatively, one can use Perl scripts which are even more powerful, yet still easy to write.How to write shell scripts is a subject all by itself, and for this reason only a few examples are provided here. You don't have to be a software engineer to write scripts, but a knowledge of UNIX commands is important. The examples below were developed on a Linux system. These commands are not expected to work on other systems without customization. They are provided here as examples for illustrative purposes.The following shell script will make a sound by sending the audio file chirp.wav to the audio output port of the system. #!/bin/bash cat /sounds/chirp.wav > /dev/audio Shown below is a simple shell script to send email. #!/bin/bash echo "Match for KK5SU" | mail someuser@someplace.com -s "perlAPRS notification"
  Starting PerlAPRSPerlAPRS is invoked from the command line like most UNIX style commands. Note that in the examples below, several command line arguments may be passed to the program which allow the user to alter PerlAPRS defaults.perlAPRS -hperlAPRS -helpDisplay a help screen. perlAPRS -vperlAPRS -versionDisplay the current version of the software. perlAPRS -sperlAPRS -showNormally PerlAPRS will not provide any output. The "show" option allows the user to see the progress of PerlAPRS. The show option will display only valid APRS packets that contain a position (latitude and longitude). perlAPRS -dperlAPRS -debugThe debug option forces PerlAPRS to display packets that do not contain a valid position. This option is primarily for program debugging purposes. perlAPRS -d -sThis example shows how PerlAPRS can be made to display both packets with and without latitude and longitude information. perlAPRS -p /dev/cua2 perlAPRS -port /dev/cua2The default port that PerlAPRS will open is "/dev/cua1". However, you can specify an alternate serial port using this option. For this example, a Linux serial port name is indicated. For other platforms, consult the system's documentation. perlAPRS -p www.wa4dsy.radio.org:14579perlAPRS -p sboyle.slip.netcom.com:14579perlAPRS -p www.ne1h.radio.org:14579If an Internet address is specified, PerlAPRS will open a socket to the address and obtain TNC data from the Internet. The examples listed are three presently know APRS servers. The text preceding the colon is the host name. The number following the colon is the port number which is fixed at 14579 for APRS applications perlAPRS -p trip.tncA third specification for the port option is not actually a port, but a data file. If you have saved raw TNC packets to a text file, PerlAPRS will open the file rather than opening a serial port or an Internet communication's socket. This last variation of the port command is included for completeness, its main purpose is to allow PerlAPRS testing using known packets. perlAPRS -f callsign2.datIf a command file is not specified on the command line, PerlAPRS will use the default filename callsign.dat. However, as shown in the example, the user can force an alternate command file to be called using the -f option.perlAPRS &This example shows how most users will run PerlAPRS. In this example, PerlAPRS will not show any output. It is also run as a background process by adding the ampersand character (&).
  How It WorksFigure 4 shows a sample output from PerlAPRS with the "-s" (show) option on. When a packet arrives, the callsign of the originating station is extracted along with the station's latitude and longitude. This information is then compared with each callsign in the database created by the user. If a match is found, the command is executed. The first line in the example below shows a packet from originating station KD6AZU. PerlAPRS extracts the callsign, latitude, and longitude, and displays them on the line following the packet. Since this is a valid APRS posit packet, PerlAPRS will search the callsign database looking for a match for KD6AZU. As shown in the example, the first two attempts at a match fail. The third comparison is a match shown in bold print for illustrative purposes. The command, cmd3.sh, is then executed and the execution counter is incremented. Note that the first line of the match included the time that the packet was heard along with the maximum execution count specified by the user (e.g., 3). The second line of the match shows the time that the execution counter will be reset, the present value of the counter (e.g., 1) and the name of the execution command. When a second and third APRS packet arrives from KD6AZU, a match occurs and the command is executed again. When the fourth packet arrives, the command is not execution since the maximum execution count has been reached. No additional matches for KD6AZU will cause command execution. However, by the time the fifth packet arrives, the execution counter has been reset by the timeout and command is executed again.Packet= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:13 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 1 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:23 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 2 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:34 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 3 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:44 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 3 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:57:14 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:58:14 1997 1 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNFigure 4 Output from PerlAPRS
  Maidenhead gridsPerlAPRS relies on the use of grid squares to specify location. It accepts grid square parameters in 2, 4, or 6 letter formats. A 2 letter grid square covers such a large geographic area that the entire United States can be described in only 8 grid squares. A four letter grid square is smaller, but still represents a very large area (approximately the size of Connecticut). The 6 letter grid square is much smaller and is well suited for many applications in metropolitan areas.It is not possible to describe the area of a grid square for a given format (e.g., 2, 4, or 6 letters) since they vary with their location on the earth. To illustrate the point, Figure 5 shows the size of a 2 and 4 letter grid square for the northern and southern portions of the United States. Even larger variations in grid square size occur between the poles and the equator.Figure 5 Grid Square Comparisons
  Note that only the longitudinal distance varies between the southern and northern portion of the United States. The reason for this apparent anomaly stems from the fact that lines of latitude are parallel to each other and therefore separated by a constant distance. Lines of longitude are not parallel, they meet at the poles and are farthest apart at the equator.
  ConclusionPerlAPRS was developed to expand the usefulness of APRS to automated unmanned operations. It is an application that should prove useful in circumstances that require a specific action to a predefined packet specification. Using shell scripts or other languages developed by the user in conjunction with PerlAPRS should provide the framework for developing and extending APRS to many unique applications.
  AcknowledgmentThanks to Bob Bruninga, WA4APR; for permission to use the APRS trademark. Special thanks also to Keith Sproul, WU2Z; Mark Sproul, KB2ICI; and Steve Dimse, K4HG; for their pioneering work in this area.
  System RequirementsLinux was the development platform for PerlAPRS, however, it will work on any platform that supports perl version 5.002 or later. In addition, since Perl is available on virtually every popular computer platform, PerlAPRS should be able to be implemented easily. Any limitations are more likely to be with the platform's ability to support shell scripts. However, as emphasized in this paper, any computer language can be used to developing commands.
  Software DistributionPerlAPRS is a freeware program available under the GNU General Public License, Version 2, June 1991, Free Software Foundation, Inc. 625 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. It may be downloaded from the author's home pages at: http://w9if.net. Further information regarding the necessary files to download and system requirements are included there.
  Download perlAPRS version 1.1.2 --- This is the perl application. If your browser displays this file rather than giving you a save dialog box, use the "Save As" command to save the text file. (Text File [22K])Download callsign.dat --- This is example callsign file. The user will want to create his/her own (Text File [1K])Download cmd1.sh --- Example of simple shell script which makes a sound (Text File [1K])Download cmd2.sh --- Example of simple shell script which sends email (Text File [1K])Download Paper --- Original paper published in the 16th ARRL and TAPR Digital Communication Conference Proceedings, October 1997. Available in Adobe pdf format [112K]Unix EnviornmentThe documentation above should give you all you need to get started. There are a few points to remember however.
  In a UNIX enviornment, an executable file such as "perlAPRS" must have the file permissions set to executable. Use chmod 755 perlAPRS to set the permissions correctly.Devices, like files and directories, must also have their permissions set. For example, perlAPRS will attempt to open the default serial device "dev/cua1". On some systems, I/O default permissions are limited to root only. If you get the error message, "Can't open PORT /dev/cua1" the permissions may need to be altered. This is done with, "chmod 666 /dev/cua1". If you are not sure, use "ls -l /dev/cua1" to check.If your system was setup properly, you should be able to forget about the following. But just in case, PerlAPRS requires a perl module called Socket.pm which should be included with every Perl distribution. This module is required only to support perlAPRS's ability to get APRS packets from the Internet. If you get an error message that perlAPRS can't find the module, you can check where perl is looking by type at the command prompt: perl -e 'print "@INC\n";'. The variable @INC is the "include" array which tells perl where to look for the modules and other things that it needs. If your Socket.pm is not located where perl is looking, then you need to add your directory path to the @INC array with either of the following, the first is preferred.use lib '/mypath/toSocket.pm'BEGIN {unshift (@INC, '/mypath/toSocket.pm/'}The code needs to be added prior to the command: use Socket, for example:use lib '/mypath/toSocket.pm'require 5.002;use Socket;use strict;PerlAPRSPerlAPRS - Automated Control in APRS NetworksIntroductionThe Automatic Position Reporting System is one of the most popular facets of amateur radio today. It is a marriage of several cutting edge technologies including the Global Positioning System (GPS), amateur packet radio, and the global Internet. It incorporates satellite technology, wireless networks, and both analog and digital communication. The applications to support the APRS protocol are also sophisticated. They provide the user with an easy to use interface into the APRS world. Software such as MacAPRS for the Apple Macintosh, WinAPRS for Windows 95/NT, and APRSdos for DOS machines provide powerful and elegant solutions. With this software and support system, it is possible to display any APRS network. Other support software for APRS includes the work of Steve Dimse, K4HG, who extended the concept for the promulgation of APRS packets to the Internet with javAPRS. In addition, Steve Boyle, KD6WXD; and Dale Heatherington, WA4DSY, developed APRS servers for the Internet which allow users to remotely connect to the server and examine remote APRS networks.
  These programs provide flexibility, functionality, and a highly visual means for tracking APRS activity. However, they are passive in that they provide predominately monitoring functionality. They do not provide the ability to control. For example, if you wish to know when an APRS tracker escorting marathon runners reaches a specific location, you need more than monitoring capability, you need control functionality. It is this ability that PerlAPRS provides.
  PerlAPRS is a program written in the Perl computer language. Perl runs on all popular computer platforms today including MacOS, Windows3.1/95/NT, AMIGA, Unix, Linux, and many more. In addition, since Perl is compiled at run time, there is no need for a version precompiled or packaged for a specific platform. Also, since all source code is included for PerlAPRS, the user may easily alter the program to meet specific needs and is encouraged to do so. However, most users will find modifying the shell scripts rather than the program should meet most requirements.
  PerlAPRS examines incoming packets from an APRS network and executes commands when a callsign and location match the criteria specified by the user. Location criteria is specified using grid squares. For example, when KC5PVL enters grid square DM12LW, a computer command specified by the user can be automatically executed.Figure 1 shows grid squares overlaid on the city of San Diego, California, it will serve as the basis for the examples in this paper. The map shows several grid squares that are targeted for an action when the criteria specified in the callsign.dat file is met.
  The Callsign FileWhen PerlAPRS starts, it reads the user's callsign database file with the default filename of callsign.dat. This file provides the list of callsigns that PerlAPRS is to search for. The file consists of one or more lines of text as shown in Figure 2. A separate line (record) is required for each callsign. Each line of the file is further broken into five fields, a separate field for each parameter.
  KI6MP-10 cmd2.sh DM12JV 2 1440KC6VVT-9 cmd1.sh DM12IT 3 1440KD6AZU cmd3.sh DM12KR 3 180KE6PHB cmd4.sh DM12LT 5 60* cmd5.sh DM12LN 2 60Figure 2 Example Callsign File
  The first field indicates the callsign that PerlAPRS is to listen for. In the example, PerlAPRS will listen for KI6MP-10, along with KC6VVT-9, KD6AZU, and KE6PHB. The asterisk character, shown on the last line of the example, is a wildcard that means "any" callsign.
  The second field indicates the command that will be executed when the callsign is heard. It can be any computer command, however, as we will discuss later, shell scripts are powerful and easily implement commands. In the example, cmd2.sh will be executed when KI6MP-10 is heard.
  The third field represents the grid square in which the callsign must be heard. Returning to the example, PerlAPRS is listening for KI6MP-10 in grid square DM12JV. The fourth field is provided to limit the number of times the command is executed during an active period. This parameter is necessitated by the repetitive nature of APRS packets. For example, if a station continues to broadcast packets while located within the grid square, the command would be executed each time a packet is heard. Since some APRS packets (e.g., mobile) are transmitted every few minutes, in many cases it would be undesirable to have the command executed repetitively in a short period. For this reason, the value is typically a small number (e.g., 1-5). However, indicating a large value will cause the command to be executed virtually without limit. Conversely, if one wishes to disable execution, setting the value to zero essentially disables the command without removing it from the database. In the example, the command, cmd2.sh, will be executed no more than 2 times during an active period.
  The last field is provided to allow the user to specify the active period. The active period is the time expressed in minutes in which PerlAPRS is actively listening for the specified callsign. This is important, since without a means of resetting the execution counter, it would be inconvenient to leave the program running for an extended period (e.g., many weeks).
  The following scenario may help to illustrate the need for specifying the active period. Assume we wish to leave PerlAPRS running indefinitely. Also assume we don't want to execute a command every time a packet is heard since this could be hundreds of time during a 24 hour period. If we set the execution counter to a small value, we will limit the number of times the command is executed. However, once that count is reached, commands will no longer be executed. The active period parameter is therefore provided to allow the user to specify when the execution counter specified in field 4 is to be reset. Returning to our example, we see that a command will be executed no more than 2 times in a 24 hour (1440 minutes) period for KI6MP-10. At the end of the 24 hour period, the counter is reset and the command can again be executed up to 2 times during the next active period.
  When PerlAPRS begins it reads in the callsign file and shows the original information provided by the user along with the conversion of the grid square to latitude and longitude. To completely describe the grid square, requires the latitude and longitude of the lower left and upper right points of the square. These corner points are used by PerlAPRS to determine if the station is within the grid square.
  [rparry@blue aprs]$ perlAPRS -s *** USER DATA *** Callsign Command Grid Exe Reset LwrLat LwrLon UprLat UprLon 1 KI6MP-10 cmd2.sh DM12JV 2 1440 3252.0 -11715.0 3255.0 -11710.0 2 KC6VVT-9 cmd1.sh DM12IT 3 1440 3247.5 -11720.0 3250.0 -11715.0 3 KD6AZU cmd3.sh DM12KR 3 180 3242.5 -11710.0 3245.0 -11705.0 4 KE6PHB cmd4.sh DM12LT 5 60 3247.5 -11705.0 3250.0 -11700.0 5 * cmd5.sh DM12LN 2 60 3232.5 -11705.0 3235.0 -11700.0Figure 3 Output from PerlAPRS based on user's callsign file
  Shell ScriptsWhen an APRS packet is heard, the command specified by the user is executed. It is important to emphasize that virtually any command can be executed, one is not limited to shell scripts. However, they are simple to write, flexible, and powerful. Scripts should meet the needs of most users. Alternatively, one can use Perl scripts which are even more powerful, yet still easy to write.How to write shell scripts is a subject all by itself, and for this reason only a few examples are provided here. You don't have to be a software engineer to write scripts, but a knowledge of UNIX commands is important. The examples below were developed on a Linux system. These commands are not expected to work on other systems without customization. They are provided here as examples for illustrative purposes.The following shell script will make a sound by sending the audio file chirp.wav to the audio output port of the system. #!/bin/bash cat /sounds/chirp.wav > /dev/audio Shown below is a simple shell script to send email. #!/bin/bash echo "Match for KK5SU" | mail someuser@someplace.com -s "perlAPRS notification"
  Starting PerlAPRSPerlAPRS is invoked from the command line like most UNIX style commands. Note that in the examples below, several command line arguments may be passed to the program which allow the user to alter PerlAPRS defaults.perlAPRS -hperlAPRS -helpDisplay a help screen. perlAPRS -vperlAPRS -versionDisplay the current version of the software. perlAPRS -sperlAPRS -showNormally PerlAPRS will not provide any output. The "show" option allows the user to see the progress of PerlAPRS. The show option will display only valid APRS packets that contain a position (latitude and longitude). perlAPRS -dperlAPRS -debugThe debug option forces PerlAPRS to display packets that do not contain a valid position. This option is primarily for program debugging purposes. perlAPRS -d -sThis example shows how PerlAPRS can be made to display both packets with and without latitude and longitude information. perlAPRS -p /dev/cua2 perlAPRS -port /dev/cua2The default port that PerlAPRS will open is "/dev/cua1". However, you can specify an alternate serial port using this option. For this example, a Linux serial port name is indicated. For other platforms, consult the system's documentation. perlAPRS -p www.wa4dsy.radio.org:14579perlAPRS -p sboyle.slip.netcom.com:14579perlAPRS -p www.ne1h.radio.org:14579If an Internet address is specified, PerlAPRS will open a socket to the address and obtain TNC data from the Internet. The examples listed are three presently know APRS servers. The text preceding the colon is the host name. The number following the colon is the port number which is fixed at 14579 for APRS applications perlAPRS -p trip.tncA third specification for the port option is not actually a port, but a data file. If you have saved raw TNC packets to a text file, PerlAPRS will open the file rather than opening a serial port or an Internet communication's socket. This last variation of the port command is included for completeness, its main purpose is to allow PerlAPRS testing using known packets. perlAPRS -f callsign2.datIf a command file is not specified on the command line, PerlAPRS will use the default filename callsign.dat. However, as shown in the example, the user can force an alternate command file to be called using the -f option.perlAPRS &This example shows how most users will run PerlAPRS. In this example, PerlAPRS will not show any output. It is also run as a background process by adding the ampersand character (&).
  How It WorksFigure 4 shows a sample output from PerlAPRS with the "-s" (show) option on. When a packet arrives, the callsign of the originating station is extracted along with the station's latitude and longitude. This information is then compared with each callsign in the database created by the user. If a match is found, the command is executed. The first line in the example below shows a packet from originating station KD6AZU. PerlAPRS extracts the callsign, latitude, and longitude, and displays them on the line following the packet. Since this is a valid APRS posit packet, PerlAPRS will search the callsign database looking for a match for KD6AZU. As shown in the example, the first two attempts at a match fail. The third comparison is a match shown in bold print for illustrative purposes. The command, cmd3.sh, is then executed and the execution counter is incremented. Note that the first line of the match included the time that the packet was heard along with the maximum execution count specified by the user (e.g., 3). The second line of the match shows the time that the execution counter will be reset, the present value of the counter (e.g., 1) and the name of the execution command. When a second and third APRS packet arrives from KD6AZU, a match occurs and the command is executed again. When the fourth packet arrives, the command is not execution since the maximum execution count has been reached. No additional matches for KD6AZU will cause command execution. However, by the time the fifth packet arrives, the execution counter has been reset by the timeout and command is executed again.Packet= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:13 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 1 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:23 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 2 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:34 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 3 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:56:44 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:57:13 1997 3 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNPacket= KD6AZU>APRS,KD4DLT-7,N4NEQ-2,WIDE*:@042327/3243.70N/11707.70W/0 KD6AZU 3243.700 11707.700 - KI6MP-10 DM12JV - KC6VVT-9 DM12IT * KD6AZU DM12KR Sun Aug 10 15:57:14 1997 3 Sun Aug 10 15:58:14 1997 1 cmd3.sh - KE6PHB DM12LT - * DM12LNFigure 4 Output from PerlAPRS
  Maidenhead gridsPerlAPRS relies on the use of grid squares to specify location. It accepts grid square parameters in 2, 4, or 6 letter formats. A 2 letter grid square covers such a large geographic area that the entire United States can be described in only 8 grid squares. A four letter grid square is smaller, but still represents a very large area (approximately the size of Connecticut). The 6 letter grid square is much smaller and is well suited for many applications in metropolitan areas.It is not possible to describe the area of a grid square for a given format (e.g., 2, 4, or 6 letters) since they vary with their location on the earth. To illustrate the point, Figure 5 shows the size of a 2 and 4 letter grid square for the northern and southern portions of the United States. Even larger variations in grid square size occur between the poles and the equator.Figure 5 Grid Square Comparisons
  Note that only the longitudinal distance varies between the southern and northern portion of the United States. The reason for this apparent anomaly stems from the fact that lines of latitude are parallel to each other and therefore separated by a constant distance. Lines of longitude are not parallel, they meet at the poles and are farthest apart at the equator.
  ConclusionPerlAPRS was developed to expand the usefulness of APRS to automated unmanned operations. It is an application that should prove useful in circumstances that require a specific action to a predefined packet specification. Using shell scripts or other languages developed by the user in conjunction with PerlAPRS should provide the framework for developing and extending APRS to many unique applications.
  AcknowledgmentThanks to Bob Bruninga, WA4APR; for permission to use the APRS trademark. Special thanks also to Keith Sproul, WU2Z; Mark Sproul, KB2ICI; and Steve Dimse, K4HG; for their pioneering work in this area.
  System RequirementsLinux was the development platform for PerlAPRS, however, it will work on any platform that supports perl version 5.002 or later. In addition, since Perl is available on virtually every popular computer platform, PerlAPRS should be able to be implemented easily. Any limitations are more likely to be with the platform's ability to support shell scripts. However, as emphasized in this paper, any computer language can be used to developing commands.
  Software DistributionPerlAPRS is a freeware program available under the GNU General Public License, Version 2, June 1991, Free Software Foundation, Inc. 625 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. It may be downloaded from the author's home pages at: http://w9if.net. Further information regarding the necessary files to download and system requirements are included there.
  Download perlAPRS version 1.1.2 --- This is the perl application. If your browser displays this file rather than giving you a save dialog box, use the "Save As" command to save the text file. (Text File [22K])Download callsign.dat --- This is example callsign file. The user will want to create his/her own (Text File [1K])Download cmd1.sh --- Example of simple shell script which makes a sound (Text File [1K])Download cmd2.sh --- Example of simple shell script which sends email (Text File [1K])Download Paper --- Original paper published in the 16th ARRL and TAPR Digital Communication Conference Proceedings, October 1997. Available in Adobe pdf format [112K]Unix EnviornmentThe documentation above should give you all you need to get started. There are a few points to remember however.
  In a UNIX enviornment, an executable file such as "perlAPRS" must have the file permissions set to executable. Use chmod 755 perlAPRS to set the permissions correctly.Devices, like files and directories, must also have their permissions set. For example, perlAPRS will attempt to open the default serial device "dev/cua1". On some systems, I/O default permissions are limited to root only. If you get the error message, "Can't open PORT /dev/cua1" the permissions may need to be altered. This is done with, "chmod 666 /dev/cua1". If you are not sure, use "ls -l /dev/cua1" to check.If your system was setup properly, you should be able to forget about the following. But just in case, PerlAPRS requires a perl module called Socket.pm which should be included with every Perl distribution. This module is required only to support perlAPRS's ability to get APRS packets from the Internet. If you get an error message that perlAPRS can't find the module, you can check where perl is looking by type at the command prompt: perl -e 'print "@INC\n";'. The variable @INC is the "include" array which tells perl where to look for the modules and other things that it needs. If your Socket.pm is not located where perl is looking, then you need to add your directory path to the @INC array with either of the following, the first is preferred.use lib '/mypath/toSocket.pm'BEGIN {unshift (@INC, '/mypath/toSocket.pm/'}The code needs to be added prior to the command: use Socket, for example:use lib '/mypath/toSocket.pm'require 5.002;use Socket;use strict;
My APRS stuff at dreamport | nonoo.hu
  Link to Article
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  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 07:07
  IGATE at my QTHI have an APRSIGATE at home, currently in receiving-only mode. So it just listens on the APRS freq (144.800 in Europe), and posts everything heard to the APRS-IS (for simplicity: the internet version of APRS) network.
  The equipment: 3 el. Yagi above my window on the rooftop facing east-southeast towards Tatabnya, Wouxun KG-689 VHF handheld hanging on the wall, a homebrew 7808 power supply for it and my home Linux server called puttony with an SB Live soundcard (so I'm using a soundcard modem instead of a TNC).
  I set up this APRS gateway for two reasons, the first is that I like to try out everything ham-related, the second is that the APRS digipeater on the Gerecse mountain can't be reached from and around Tatabnya, where I go quite often with my car. So now everybody can see APRS stations on aprs.fi (or other tracking sites/apps) moving around Tatabnya and the nearby M1 highway.
  APRS in my carI'm using an old and inaccurate Rockwell GPS receiver module with an active antenna both bought on eBay, a TinyTrak v3 and a homemade relay circuit for switching on/off the whole thing according to car ignition and a Grundig FK105 as the transmitter (14W output power) with a small antenna bought on eBay.
  Here's my TinyTrak config (secondary tab is nearly the same):
  HG2EBH Zsolt noticed that my TX delay is not enough, it should be at least 350ms and my path is obsolete, now everyone should use WIDE1-1,WIDE2-1 for a mobile station so now I'm using these settings.
  So how to make an APRS IGATE?First you need the software called soundmodem. I compiled it from source (extract somewhere, then run configure, then run make, make install), you can download it here. It has a graphical configuration tool called soundmodemconfig. As I don't have X on my server, I installed xming on my desktop Windows machine, which acts as an X server, opened putty and before connecting to my Linux server via SSH, I enabled X11 forwarding in Connection -> SSH -> X11:
  After opening the SSH connection, I was able to run soundmodemconfig (make sure you run it as root, otherwise it won't be able to save the config). I made a few screenshots about my settings:
  I'm using /dev/dsp1 because I have two soundcards in the machine and I plugged the Wouxun into this one.
  Poor Wouxun needs pretty much tx-delay to be able to transmit valid APRS packets'...
  Demodulator and modulator settings are the same as you can see.
  After you are finished with the config, you can use the various tools in the diagnostics menu, like the scope, spectrum analyzer and modem to if your setup is working. Don't forget to adjust you radio's volume so it won't be distorted on the soundcard (check the levels with the scope). For adjusting soundcard record inputs and volumes, I'm using the program called aumix, which is in the Debian distribution. It can save and load custom volume configs, I saved mine to /home/nonoo/.aumixrc and then I edited /etc/init.d/aumix, put these to the beginning of the file:
  1234
  #! /bin/shaumix -d /dev/mixer -L -f /home/nonoo/.aumixrc &2>/dev/nullaumix -d /dev/mixer1 -L -f /home/nonoo/.aumixrc1 &2>/dev/nullexit
  This loads the custom volume/record settings for my two soundcards (to make everything clear, you need only one soundcard an APRS IGATE, I have two because other reasons). The /etc/init.d/aumix file should load your default /etc/aumixrc config, but it never worked for me (I didn't spent much time on the subject, it's not an elegant solution, but works).
  I'm using PTT on the parallel port (see the first soundconfig screenshot). This needs parport and ppdev kernel modules (or compiled into the kernel). Parallel port DATA0 pin (pin#2) is driven high (+5V) when PTT is on. Of course if you want a receive-only IGATE, you don't have to mess with PTT.
  After setting the recording input and volumes, checking it with the scope, trying out PTT and if your soundmodem can decode packets (use diagnostics -> modem), you can close soundmodemconfig. You can download my init.d script to start soundmodem here. After putting it into /etc/init.d, exec this:
  1
  update-rc.d soundmodem start 15 2 3 4 5 . stop 20 0 1 6 .
  This will put symlinks to the soundmodem init script to /etc/rcX dirs, so it will start automatically at system boot, and shuts down at shutdown.
  The next thing is to set up the AX25 interface, edit /etc/ax25/axports. I only have one line there (besides the commented out lines of course):
  1
  HA2NON-1 HA2NON-1 1200 255 2 144.800 MHz (1200 bps)
  After editing this, start soundmodem (/etc/init.d/soundmodem start). If you run ifconfig, you should see your AX25 interface up. If you don't see it, make sure you have mkiss and ax25 kernel modules loaded (or compiled into the kernel).
  I listened to my Wouxun transmitting on my Windows machine with MixW (it can decode APRS packets) and found out that sometimes '' quite often '' some broadcast UDP data (maybe some DHCP stuff? I didn't check what it was, just disabled it) gets transmitted. To eliminate them I'm using this script:
  12345
  #!/bin/sh# ax25 broadcast ignoreiptables -A INPUT -i HA2NON-1 -p udp -j DROPiptables -A OUTPUT -o HA2NON-1 -p udp -j DROPiptables -A FORWARD -i HA2NON-1 -p udp -j DROP
  Make sure this script runs at every boot.
  I'm using the software called aprx for gatewaying. It can act as an rx-only IGATE, rxtx IGATE and also as a digipeater combined. Download it here. After unpacking, run configure, make, make install. I think it needs the libax25-dev package, install it and other missing libs.
  You can find it's configuration in /etc/aprx.conf, mine can be downloaded here. Server is euro.aprs2.net, which is a round-robin hostname for the tier2 APRS servers around Europe. The raw beacon starts with a ! character, then comes the position (4738.48N/01818.15E). Between the lat/long positions there's a / character, which selects the symbol table used for marking the gateway on APRS maps like aprs.fi. The 'y' character after the position part selects the symbol to use. Symbol table is here. After the symbol char there's PHG2277, which is the Power/Height/Gain ratio, you can read about it here (search for power-height-gain). After this comes the comment.
  The init.d script I'm using to start/stop aprx is here. After putting it into /etc/init.d, exec this:
  1
  update-rc.d aprx start 20 2 3 4 5 . stop 15 0 1 6 .
  This makes aprx to start after soundmodem at system boot, and shut down before soundmodem at system shutdown. Don't forget to make the dir /var/log/aprx/, otherwise aprx won't be able to write the log files.
  After running aprx, you should see your APRS raw packets on aprs.fi (filter to your callsign). Please write a comment if I missed something. :)
  Simple TCP/IP APRS beaconI made a simple PERL script for reporting the position of anything to the APRS-IS network. Script is here. I no longer use it (aprx can send a beacon of course).
Managing the Deluge of 'Big Data' From Space - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 05:13
  The center of the Milky Way galaxy imaged by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech'º Full image and captionOctober 17, 2013
  For NASA and its dozens of missions, data pour in every day like rushing rivers. Spacecraft monitor everything from our home planet to faraway galaxies, beaming back images and information to Earth. All those digital records need to be stored, indexed and processed so that spacecraft engineers, scientists and people across the globe can use the data to understand Earth and the universe beyond.
  At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., mission planners and software engineers are coming up with new strategies for managing the ever-increasing flow of such large and complex data streams, referred to in the information technology community as "big data."
  How big is big data? For NASA missions, hundreds of terabytes are gathered every hour. Just one terabyte is equivalent to the information printed on 50,000 trees worth of paper.
  "Scientists use big data for everything from predicting weather on Earth to monitoring ice caps on Mars to searching for distant galaxies," said Eric De Jong of JPL, principal investigator for NASA's Solar System Visualization project, which converts NASA mission science into visualization products that researchers can use. "We are the keepers of the data, and the users are the astronomers and scientists who need images, mosaics, maps and movies to find patterns and verify theories."
  Building Castles of Data
  De Jong explains that there are three aspects to wrangling data from space missions: storage, processing and access. The first task, to store or archive the data, is naturally more challenging for larger volumes of data. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a planned array of thousands of telescopes in South Africa and Australia, illustrates this problem. Led by the SKA Organization based in England and scheduled to begin construction in 2016, the array will scan the skies for radio waves coming from the earliest galaxies known.
  JPL is involved with archiving the array's torrents of images: 700 terabytes of data are expected to rush in every day. That's equivalent to all the data flowing on the Internet every two days. Rather than build more hardware, engineers are busy developing creative software tools to better store the information, such as "cloud computing" techniques and automated programs for extracting data.
  "We don't need to reinvent the wheel," said Chris Mattmann, a principal investigator for JPL's big-data initiative. "We can modify open-source computer codes to create faster, cheaper solutions." Software that is shared and free for all to build upon is called open source or open code. JPL has been increasingly bringing open-source software into its fold, creating improved data processing tools for space missions. The JPL tools then go back out into the world for others to use for different applications.
  "It's a win-win solution for everybody," said Mattmann.
  In Living Color
  Archiving isn't the only challenge in working with big data. De Jong and his team develop new ways to visualize the information. Each image from one of the cameras on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, for example, contains 120 megapixels. His team creates movies from data sets like these, in addition to computer graphics and animations that enable scientists and the public to get up close with the Red Planet.
  "Data are not just getting bigger but more complex," said De Jong. "We are constantly working on ways to automate the process of creating visualization products, so that scientists and engineers can easily use the data."
  Data Served Up to Go
  Another big job in the field of big data is making it easy for users to grab what they need from the data archives.
  "If you have a giant bookcase of books, you still have to know how to find the book you're looking for," said Steve Groom, manager of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. The center archives data for public use from a number of NASA astronomy missions, including the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the U.S. portion of the European Space Agency's Planck mission.
  Sometimes users want to access all the data at once to look for global patterns, a benefit of big data archives. "Astronomers can also browse all the 'books' in our library simultaneously, something that can't be done on their own computers," said Groom.
  "No human can sort through that much data," said Andrea Donnellan of JPL, who is charged with a similarly mountainous task for the NASA-funded QuakeSim project, which brings together massive data sets -- space- and Earth-based -- to study earthquake processes.
  QuakeSim's images and plots allow researchers to understand how earthquakes occur and develop long-term preventative strategies. The data sets include GPS data for hundreds of locations in California, where thousands of measurements are taken, resulting in millions of data points. Donnellan and her team develop software tools to help users sift through the flood of data.
  Ultimately, the tide of big data will continue to swell, and NASA will develop new strategies to manage the flow. As new tools evolve, so will our ability to make sense of our universe and the world.
  Whitney Clavin 818-354-4673Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.whitney.clavin@jpl.nasa.gov
  2013-299
New Trier's Rogers talks about U.S. Fleet Cyber Command - Chicago Sun-Times
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  By Kimberly Fornek kfornek@pioneerlocal.com March 27, 2012 2:20PM
  New Trier High School alum and U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers talks with students at the school March 15 in Winnetka. Rogers has received an alumni achievement award. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
  storyidforme: 27497513tmspicid: 9931444fileheaderid: 4560150
  Updated: April 2, 2012 5:07PM
  When successful New Trier High School graduates return to their alma mater, they often are invited to talk to students about their experiences. Many who achieve national recognition in their careers were not the leaders of the pack in high school. Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers, a 1977 graduate and a recipient of New Trier's Alumni Achievement Award this year, who spoke to students in a math class which covers analytic geometry, algorithms and precalculus, is no exception.
  In his 30-year career in the U.S. Navy, Rogers moved through the ranks from anti-submarine warfare officer to head of the Computer Network Attack/Defense Branch, to director for intelligence of the U.S. Pacific Command. Vice Adm. Rogers currently serves as commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and commander, U.S. 10th Fleet.
  ''I was terrible at math,'' Rogers admitted. ''I loved trigonometry and after that I was a total wipeout.''
  Rogers was invited to talk to math teacher Peggy Stetsko's class because it includes cryptology, and Rogers' long list of military positions includes fleet cryptologist.
  Historically, cryptology has meant code breaking, Rogers said. The job description now calls for specially trained people to decipher and analyze foreign information in every possible form of communication.
  ''I work with incredibly smart people who love mathematics,'' Rogers said. Their backgrounds commonly include physics, electrical engineering or calculus.
  ''Calculus is really big for us, differential-based calculus.''
  Linguists, specifically those who speak, Mandarin, Persian, Farsi or Arabic are in demand, too.
  As a young boy growing up in Wilmette, ''all I ever wanted to do was be a naval officer,'' Rogers said. But reaching that goal involved compromise and some good luck.
  Rogers had hoped to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. after high school. His congressman sponsored him, but applicants also had to pass a physical exam and compete to meet the school's academic requirements.
  He got through the first two steps, but the third tripped him up.
  Academically, he was ''in the middle of the pack at New Trier,'' he said, with no athletic achievements or student leadership activities to shore up his application. At that point, he was not the well-rounded applicant the academy wanted, but he was highly motivated.
  ''I applied for an ROTC scholarship.'' That did not come through either. ''So I decided okay, I'll go to a school that has an ROTC program.'' and enrolled in Auburn University. He received his commission via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, although he dropped one of the required calculus courses rather than get a failing grade.
  ''I told them I'm a can-do guy, but I can't do this.''
  Rogers explained how a less than brilliant student was able to become an expert cryptologist and intelligence officer.
  ''Early in my career I was responsible for placing cryptologists, assigning them around the world,'' Rogers said. He didn't expect them to be experts at the outset, but he wanted people who were ''comfortable with technology.''
  ''I'm not a computer engineer. I'm not a computer scientist. I'm not a mathematician. But I'm comfortable with it.''
  Second, Rogers said, ''As an officer in the military, the thing we prize first and foremost is leadership. I can lead. I can bring groups together. I can motivate people.''
  The third factor that contributed to his rise through the ranks, was he was assigned to jobs in different places with a variety of responsibilities. ''I just lucked out and got a broad range of exposure,'' such as when he became assistant to Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  ''He told me he hired me to be his thinker,'' Rogers said. ''He told me, 'I want you to think about the things I don't have time to think about. I want you to think about the things I'm not thinking about, but I should be.'''
  Rogers traveled all over the world with Pace. After meetings with other officials, Pace liked to talk things out with Rogers.
  ''He loved to have a dialogue.''
  When Rogers was named director of intelligence for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he asked why he was chosen for the position and not an intelligence officer. His superior told him, ''I've heard you like to think strategically and I've heard you like to build teams.''
  In the New Trier math class earlier this month, Rogers invited questions from the students. Emma Davis, a junior, asked if Rogers thinks cyber wars will ever replace actual wars. Rogers said no, but cyber warfare ''will continue to grow in importance.'' Already, cyber criminals are stealing information and intellectual property from systems around the world, he said.
  Sophomore Kyle Berglund asked if part of the cryptologist's job is breaking into other people's communications systems.
  ''I really can't get into that,'' Rogers said. But then he added, ''We try to insure we have a wide range of capabilities: operating networks, defending networks and using networks to get insight into other people's networks and systems.''
  When a student asked him what percentage of codes they crack, Rogers said, ''We have some measure of success.''
  ''That's code by the way,'' said Tim Dohrer, the Winnetka campus principal who was listening to Rogers' talk.
Agenda 21 - Chapter 24: Global Action for Women Towards Sustainable and Equitable Development, Earth Summit, 1992
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  previous | table of contents | nextChapter 24:Global Action For Women Towards Sustainable And Equitable Development
  Programme AreaBasis for action1. The international community has endorsed several plans of action and conventions for the full, equal and beneficial integration of women in all development activities, in particular the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1 which emphasize women's participation in national and international ecosystem management and control of environment degradation. Several conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex) and conventions of ILO and UNESCO have also been adopted to end gender-based discrimination and ensure women access to land and other resources, education and safe and equal employment. Also relevant are the 1990 World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Plan of Action for implementing the Declaration (A/45/625, annex). Effective implementation of these programmes will depend on the active involvement of women in economic and political decision-making and will be critical to the successful implementation of Agenda 21.Objectives2. The following objectives are proposed for national Governments:a.To implement the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, particularly with regard to women's participation in national ecosystem management and control of environment degradation;b.To increase the proportion of women decision makers, planners, technical advisers, managers and extension workers in environment and development fields;c.To consider developing and issuing by the year 2000 a strategy of changes necessary to eliminate constitutional, legal, administrative, cultural, behavioural, social and economic obstacles to women's full participation in sustainable development and in public life;d.To establish by the year 1995 mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels to assess the implementation and impact of development and environment policies and programmes on women and to ensure their contributions and benefits;e.To assess, review, revise and implement, where appropriate, curricula and other educational material, with a view to promoting the dissemination to both men and women of gender-relevant knowledge and valuation of women's roles through formal and non-formal education, as well as through training institutions, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations;f.To formulate and implement clear governmental policies and national guidelines, strategies and plans for the achievement of equality in all aspects of society, including the promotion of women's literacy, education, training, nutrition and health and their participation in key decision-making positions and in management of the environment, particularly as it pertains to their access to resources, by facilitating better access to all forms of credit, particularly in the informal sector, taking measures towards ensuring women's access to property rights as well as agricultural inputs and implements;g.To implement, as a matter of urgency, in accordance with country-specific conditions, measures to ensure that women and men have the same right to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and have access to information, education and means, as appropriate, to enable them to exercise this right in keeping with their freedom, dignity and personally held values;h.To consider adopting, strengthening and enforcing legislation prohibiting violence against women and to take all necessary administrative, social and educational measures to eliminate violence against women in all its forms.Activities3. Governments should take active steps to implement the following:a.Measures to review policies and establish plans to increase the proportion of women involved as decision makers, planners, managers, scientists and technical advisers in the design, development and implementation of policies and programmes for sustainable development;b.Measures to strengthen and empower women's bureaux, women's non-governmental organizations and women's groups in enhancing capacity-building for sustainable development;c.Measures to eliminate illiteracy among females and to expand the enrolment of women and girls in educational institutions, to promote the goal of universal access to primary and secondary education for girl children and for women, and to increase educational and training opportunities for women and girls in sciences and technology, particularly at the post-secondary level;d.Programmes to promote the reduction of the heavy workload of women and girl children at home and outside through the establishment of more and affordable nurseries and kindergartens by Governments, local authorities, employers and other relevant organizations and the sharing of household tasks by men and women on an equal basis, and to promote the provision of environmentally sound technologies which have been designed, developed and improved in consultation with women, accessible and clean water, an efficient fuel supply and adequate sanitation facilities;e.Programmes to establish and strengthen preventive and curative health facilities, which include women-centred, women-managed, safe and effective reproductive health care and affordable, accessible, responsible planning of family size and services, as appropriate, in keeping with freedom, dignity and personally held values. Programmes should focus on providing comprehensive health care, including pre-natal care, education and information on health and responsible parenthood, and should provide the opportunity for all women to fully breastfeed at least during the first four months post-partum. Programmes should fully support women's productive and reproductive roles and well-being and should pay special attention to the need to provide equal and improved health care for all children and to reduce the risk of maternal and child mortality and sickness;f.Programmes to support and strengthen equal employment opportunities and equitable remuneration for women in the formal and informal sectors with adequate economic, political and social support systems and services, including child care, particularly day-care facilities and parental leave, and equal access to credit, land and other natural resources;g.Programmes to establish rural banking systems with a view to facilitating and increasing rural women's access to credit and to agricultural inputs and implements;h.Programmes to develop consumer awareness and the active participation of women, emphasizing their crucial role in achieving changes necessary to reduce or eliminate unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries, in order to encourage investment in environmentally sound productive activities and induce environmentally and socially friendly industrial development;i.Programmes to eliminate persistent negative images, stereotypes, attitudes and prejudices against women through changes in socialization patterns, the media, advertising, and formal and non-formal education;j.Measures to review progress made in these areas, including the preparation of a review and appraisal report which includes recommendations to be submitted to the 1995 world conference on women.4. Governments are urged to ratify all relevant conventions pertaining to women if they have not already done so. Those that have ratified conventions should enforce and establish legal, constitutional and administrative procedures to transform agreed rights into domestic legislation and should adopt measures to implement them in order to strengthen the legal capacity of women for full and equal participation in issues and decisions on sustainable development.5. States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women should review and suggest amendments to it by the year 2000, with a view to strengthening those elements of the Convention related to environment and development, giving special attention to the issue of access and entitlements to natural resources, technology, creative banking facilities and low-cost housing, and the control of pollution and toxicity in the home and workplace. States parties should also clarify the extent of the Convention's scope with respect to the issues of environment and development and request the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to develop guidelines regarding the nature of reporting such issues, required under particular articles of the Convention.(a) Areas requiring urgent action6. Countries should take urgent measures to avert the ongoing rapid environmental and economic degradation in developing countries that generally affects the lives of women and children in rural areas suffering drought, desertification and deforestation, armed hostilities, natural disasters, toxic waste and the aftermath of the use of unsuitable agro-chemical products.7. In order to reach these goals, women should be fully involved in decision-making and in the implementation of sustainable development activities.(b) Research, data collection and dissemination of information8. Countries should develop gender-sensitive databases, information systems and participatory action-oriented research and policy analyses with the collaboration of academic institutions and local women researchers on the following:a.Knowledge and experience on the part of women of the management and conservation of natural resources for incorporation in the databases and information systems for sustainable development;b.The impact of structural adjustment programmes on women. In research done on structural adjustment programmes, special attention should be given to the differential impact of those programmes on women, especially in terms of cut-backs in social services, education and health and in the removal of subsidies on food and fuel;c.The impact on women of environmental degradation, particularly drought, desertification, toxic chemicals and armed hostilities;d.Analysis of the structural linkages between gender relations, environment and development;e.The integration of the value of unpaid work, including work that is currently designated "domestic", in resource accounting mechanisms in order better to represent the true value of the contribution of women to the economy, using revised guidelines for the United Nations System of National Accounts, to be issued in 1993;f.Measures to develop and include environmental, social and gender impact analyses as an essential step in the development and monitoring of programmes and policies;g.Programmes to create rural and urban training, research and resource centres in developing and developed countries that will serve to disseminate environmentally sound technologies to women.(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination9. The Secretary-General of the United Nations should review the adequacy of all United Nations institutions, including those with a special focus on the role of women, in meeting development and environment objectives, and make recommendations for strengthening their capacities. Institutions that require special attention in this area include the Division for the Advancement of Women (Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Office at Vienna), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and the women's programmes of regional commissions. The review should consider how the environment and development programmes of each body of the United Nations system could be strengthened to implement Agenda 21 and how to incorporate the role of women in programmes and decisions related to sustainable development.10. Each body of the United Nations system should review the number of women in senior policy-level and decision-making posts and, where appropriate, adopt programmes to increase that number, in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1991/17 on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.11. UNIFEM should establish regular consultations with donors in collaboration with UNICEF, with a view to promoting operational programmes and projects on sustainable development that will strengthen the participation of women, especially low-income women, in sustainable development and in decision-making. UNDP should establish a women's focal point on development and environment in each of its resident representative offices to provide information and promote exchange of experience and information in these fields. Bodies of the United Nations system, governments and non-governmental organizations involved in the follow-up to the Conference and the implementation of Agenda 21 should ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated into all the policies, programmes and activities.Means of implementationFinancing and cost evaluation12. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this chapter to be about $40 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.Notes1Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No./E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A. [return]previous | table of contents | next
Emily Dreyfuss - CNET
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VIDEO-29 mins-The 404 1,366: Where we got these Oreos, man (podcast) | The 404 Podcast - CNET Blogs
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  Emily Dreyfuss joins us in the studio to debunk that silly Oreo study, celebrate our re-opened government and the return of the Pandacam, and detail a site that maps your genetic history through an at-home DNA test.
  Leaked from today's 404 episode:
  - "South Park" misses deadline for the first time in its history.
  - Bad Lip Reading kills it with "Game of Thrones" mashup.
  - There's no way that Oreos are as addictive as cocaine.
  - 23andme: Testing your genetics at home.
  - The best part of the government reopening: Pandacam is back.
  Ep. 1366: Where we got these Oreos, manSubscribe:
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  Topics:Show notes,The 404 podcastTags:Idaho,pandacam,cocaine,Oreo,23andme,stenographer,San Francisco,Connecticut College,genetic,DNA,addiction,rent,tattoo,debt ceiling,government shutdownJustin YuJustin Yu covers headphones and peripherals for CNET. When he's not wading through Web gulch or challenging colleagues to typing tests, you can find him making fun of technology with Jeff Bakalar every afternoon on The 404 show..
  Everything we think we know about the specs, release date, and price of the next iPad
VIDEO-BBC News - Kenya attack: Westgate mall bodies 'probably gunmen'
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  18 October 2013Last updated at11:09 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse reports that one of the suspects is a Norwegian national
  Two charred bodies pulled from Kenya's Westgate shopping centre on Thursday are "highly likely" to be two of the attackers, an MP has told the BBC.
  Ndung'u Gethenji, chairman of the committee investigating the attack, said AK47 rifles used by the militants were found next to the bodies.
  The authorities will now conduct forensic tests on the bodies.
  At least 67 people died when suspected al-Shabab militants stormed the Nairobi shopping centre on 21 September.
  The attack sparked a four-day siege in which large parts of the shopping centre were destroyed.
  The Kenyan authorities have released the names, or nicknames, of four suspects in the attack, but have given few other details.
  Continue reading the main storyAnalysisWill RossBBC News, Nairobi
  The questions are being answered at a glacial pace. We have learnt a few more clues about the Westgate puzzle. Three weeks after the heavy lifting machinery arrived at the scene, bodies are still being brought out, with the MP in charge of the parliamentary investigation saying it is highly likely that two of the bodies recovered from the site are those of gunmen. Why has it taken so long?
  News that Norwegian investigators believe 23-year-old Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow was one of the gunmen is a rare nugget of information. Given the reach of al-Shabab, it is not a total surprise that the man seen on CCTV footage dressed in black with the bloodied leg was a Norwegian citizen whose family fled Somalia's long war.
  The fact that potential jihadis were not prevented from reaching Somalia is one tragedy. But to help prevent another, the security sector needs to move up a gear or four.
  The Kenya Red Cross lists 23 people as still missing.
  Mr Gethenji said the bodies recovered on Thursday were likely to be militants because the army does not use AK47s.
  He said another body recovered from the rubble was likely to be a soldier.
  It is still not clear whether some of the attackers might have escaped, or even how many attackers there were.
  Officials initially said 10 to 15 gunmen were involved, but CCTV footage appears to show only four militants.
  Norwegian connectionThe BBC's Newsnight programme has revealed that one of the suspected attackers is a 23-year-old Somalia-born Norwegian national, Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow.
  His family fled to Norway in the 1990s, but he returned to Somalia in 2009 and allegedly joined the Somali militant group.
  Sources in al-Shabab have told the BBC Somali Service that Dhuhulow attended a training camp in El Bur in central Somalia, one of the militants' main bases.
  Continue reading the main storyHassan Abdi DhuhulowAged 23, born in SomaliaFamily fled Mogadishu to Norway in 1999, when he was 9Returned to Somalia in 2009Attended training camp in El-Bur, according to al-Shabab sourcesPreviously involved in operations in Mogadishu and Kismayo, al-Shabab sayThe sources said Dhuhulow took part in many al-Shabab operations in Mogadishu and Kismayo and was well-known in jihadist circles.
  Journalist Zubayr Roble in Oslo told the BBC that Dhuhulow frequented the Towfiq Mosque in the Norwegian capital.
  Mr Roble said Somalis at the mosque for Friday prayers were in shock about the revelations and anxious over the possible implications the case could have for the Somali community in Norway.
  Martin Bernsen, an officer in Norway's Security Service, told the BBC's World At One programme that Norwegian authorities had opened an investigation into the involvement of a Norwegian citizen in the attack "about one week ago".
  "We are trying to find out his role and what his connections are. We don't know if he alive or if he is dead."
  When asked if the authorities had previously been aware of any previous similar activity among Somalis in Norway, Mr Bernsen said; "It's not the Somalis we're worried about, it's the criminal element.
  "We are aware that there are some activities. We have challenges in Norway regarding both al-Shabab and al-Qaeda. Al-Shabab was first known in Norway in 2007 when we investigated money transfer to al-Shabab".
  Mr Bernsen said Norwegian authorities were also concerned about people travelling to "conflict areas", including Syria and Somalia, particularly in the past year.
  Continue reading the main storySuspected attackersOn 22 September Somali militant group al-Shabab says it carried out the attackOfficials initially said 10 to 15 attackers were involved, but CCTV shows only four menAuthorities release the names or nicknames of four suspects they say were killed in the siege: Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr.Uganda alertThe BBC's Will Ross in Nairobi says Kenyans still feel there are a lot of unanswered questions, and will be shocked if it turns out that just four gunmen caused such havoc.
  The Somali militant group al-Shabab said its members staged the attack in response to Kenya's army carrying out operations on Somali territory.
  There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia, where they have been fighting the militants since 2011.
  Uganda also has troops in Somalia, and the authorities have issued an alert and stepped up security after the US embassy warned of reports of a possible "Westgate-style attack" in Kampala.
  The Ugandan police said in a tweet: "Stay alert and watch each other's steps and activities, as we are still threatened by terror."
  Al-Shabab has carried out attacks in Kampala before, most notoriously a double suicide-attack that killed more than 70 people in 2010.
  Meanwhile, several British Muslims have been put under police protection because of a "credible threat" against them.
  Al-Shabab militants apparently singled out Mohammed Ansar and other Muslim commentators in a video that condemned those who spoke out against extremism.
  The Islamist group, which is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters, controls large parts of Somalia.
  Al-Shabab is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia and is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK,
  Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
  CCTV shows the gunmen around the shopping mall
VIDEO-Libya can be the next oil and gas paradise, says Eni CEO
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:53
  Wanna be rich? Move to Libya
  Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian energy giant Eni, says that Libya is likely to have a future where "everyone is going to be wealthy."
  Scaroni said he receives daily reports about production and that fluctuations are large on a daily basis. He said he believes it will be many months, if not years, before there is stability in production levels.
  "The major goal of [deposed Libyan dictator Moammar] Gadhafi was to destroy every Libyan institution," he said, "so at the end of the revolution, they found themselves with no institutions whatsoever."
  That situation is contrary to other countries in the region, Scaroni said. "Tunisia has very strong unions; Egypt a very strong army; Algeria, both army and unions. Libya, nothing," he said. "How to move from nothing to a solid institution? It will take a long time."
  (Read more:Shale surge leads US to out-Saudi Mideast: Study)
  CNBC spoke with Scaroni the day after news broke about the U.S. capture of suspected bombing mastermind and al-Qaeda leader Abu Anas Al-Libi in Tripoli. He was unfamiliar with the event, yet seemed nonplused.
  "I go all the time. '... In my view, Libyans are among the most pacific (people) in the world. Because in a country where every family has at least one weapon, there is no police, no army. '... In total, the situation is pretty calm," he said. "Imagine any other country in a similar situation."
  (Watch:How to invest in Egypt)
  Still, Scaroni noted a sharp contrast between the Libyan and Egyptian revolutions. "You know we're the largest oil company in Egypt as well. Egypt has troubles. You've seen yesterday 40 casualties, but what is important is a huge difference between Egypt and Libya is that even during the whole revolution, we never lost one barrel of oil production."
  "That is, Egyptians have been wise enough to understand that whatever political situation we will end up with, they will need the resources coming from oil and gas," he continued. "So at the end, they've been wise. We'll continue to produce in Egypt. Egypt is probably close to an end of its turmoil. We will see which end, but it's close to the end. But for the time being, everything's fine with our production there."
  '--By CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. Follow her on Twitter @MCaruso_Cabrera.
BellDoing Deep Packet advertising
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:32
  Your privacy is an important priority at Bell, and so is providing an experience that best meets your needs. Our Privacy Policy (available at bell.ca/privacy) informs you about information we collect and how we use it. Today, we want to tell you about some important updates relating to new uses of information.Starting on November 16, 2013, Bell will begin using certain information about your account and network usage for select purposes, such as continuing to improve network performance and product offers through new business and marketing reports, making some of the ads and marketing partner offers you see more relevant to you, and providing increased levels of fraud detection and prevention. We will not share any information that identifies you personally outside of Bell Canada and its affiliates. If you do not want us to use this information for these purposes, you can let us know by visiting bell.ca/relevantads. This supplements our Privacy Policy.
  What information are we talking about?Bell will use the following categories of information:Network usage information, such as:'Web pages visited from your mobile device or your Internet access at home. This may include search terms that have been used.'Location'App and device feature usage'TV viewing'Calling patternsAccount information:'Information about your use of Bell products and services (such as device type, postal code, payment patterns and language preference)'Demographic information, such as gender or age rangeIs my information shared?No, under these new programs, we will not share any information that identifies you personally outside of Bell Canada and its affiliates.How information will be used.To create business and marketing reports.DescriptionWe will combine network usage information and account information in a way that does not personally identify you. We will use this information to prepare business and marketing reports that we may use ourselves or share with others.ExampleWe may generate a report that shows 5,000 mobile users downloaded a gaming application in a month, and 80% of them were 18-25 years old.For other companies to create business and marketing reports.DescriptionWe may also share information with other companies in a way that does not personally identify you. We will allow these companies to produce limited business and marketing reports.ExampleUsing information from Bell and other mobile carriers, a company may generate a report that shows how many mobile users were active along a certain parade route.To make ads you see more relevant.DescriptionWhen you use the Internet on your mobile device, laptop, computer or TV, you often see unfiltered, random ads on websites and within apps. We would like to use certain network usage information and account information to make the ads you see more relevant to you. These ads may be from Bell or from third parties, however Bell will not share any of your personal information with a third party as part of placing a third party ad.ExampleA hotel chain may want to only advertise their Montr(C)al location to out-of-town mobile users. Bell may exclude Montr(C)al users on the hotel's behalf when delivering the ad (without sharing personal information).Your choices.DescriptionYou will receive unfiltered and random ads whether you participate or not, but under this program, ads may be more relevant to you.If you do not want us to use your information for any of the purposes described above, please let us know at any time by visiting bell.ca/relevantadsPrivacy | Visit bell.ca | Find a store
  This email was sent to sterlingpostprint@gmail.com.
  Corporate Secretary's Office of Bell Canada and BCE Inc.1 carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell, Building A-7, Verdun, Qu(C)bec, H3E 3B3
  Copyright (C) 2013. Bell Canada. All Rights Reserved.
Chief State Medical Examiner Carver Retires - Hartford Courant
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:28
  (Brad Horrigan, Hartford'...)
  Long-time chief state medical examiner H. Wayne Carver announced Thursday that he is retiring and will be replaced by the deputy medical examiner in New York City.
  Carver, who always joked he was aptly named for the job, has been the chief state medical examiner since March 1989 and has worked at the office since July 1, 1982. He took over as chief following the controversial exit of Catherine Galvin, who left after it was revealed she took her pet dog into rooms where autopsies were being conducted.
Dick Cheney Was Scared of Getting Assassinated By a Heart Hack
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:14
  Though this sounds like a joke, former Vice President Don Cheney and his doctors were legitimately scared about him getting assassinated via terrorists hacking into his defibrillator and causing a heart attack. So they turned off the wireless feature so nobody would kill him via heart hack.
  The extra security measure (or is it paranoia?) was revealed in a 60 Minutes interview set to air on Sunday. In a transcript, Dr. Jonathan Reiner said:
  ''And it seemed to me to be a bad idea for the vice president to have a device that maybe somebody on a rope line or in the next hotel room or downstairs might be able to get into'-- hack into''
  Cheney's issues have been poked fun of all over late night television, cracked in the back halls of the government and is a running joke meant to dig at a cold man. If you watch the TV show Homeland, you'd recognize that murdering a public official by hacking the heart was a plot on the show. Apparently it was art mimicking real life because Cheney realized the risk he was running if terrorists could tap into his heart. [Politico]
Spy satellites are watching '-- app helps you find out when and where - NBC News.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:09
  appsLeonard DavidSpace.com
  11 hours ago
  Orbit Logic
  Screenshot of the new iPhone app SpyMeSat, which lets users track overhead imaging satellites.
  In case you're hungry for personal space situational awareness, or are just plain paranoid, a new iPhone app can tell you when and what imaging spacecraft might have you in sight.
  Orbit Logic of Greenbelt, Md., has created SpyMeSat, an app that provides notifications when spy satellites and unclassified imaging satellites are zooming above your head and may be taking your picture. A dynamic map shows orbit tracks and the location of remote sensing satellites with upcoming passes over a user's specified location.
  Alex Herz, president of Orbit Logic, said that SpyMeSat is the firm's first app designed for everyday folks, and a product that extends the company's customer base beyond the aerospace, defense and government intelligence communities. [The Top 10 Space Apps]
  "I actually got the idea for the app from talking to friends outside the aerospace industry who were always very interested in space and satellites and imaging from space. This app answers those questions in a fun and interactive way," Herz told SPACE.com.
  Multiple sourcesThe SpyMeSat app makes use of multiple sources, including orbit data from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The NORAD spacecraft data come viaCelesTrak, a website designed to provide current orbital software, educational materials and links to software to support tracking satellites and understanding orbital mechanics.
  That information is melded with available public information about commercial and international imaging satellites.
  The iPhone app user can see a satellite's trajectory around his or her location, as well as get an alert when a camera-snapping or radar-scanning satellite might be in range.
  Moreover, the app user can learn more details about each imaging opportunity, and also peruse a page describing the satellite that's zooming by overhead. According to Orbit Logic, SpyMeSat users can organize the app in several ways, such as modifying the location of interest.
  CSA-MDA
  An artist's interpretation of Canada's Radarsat-2 Earth observation satellite in orbit.
  Making a passAll of the imaging satellites in SpyMeSat are in low-Earth orbit at an altitude of about 500 miles (805 kilometers). Enabled SpyMeSat satellites include such zoom-lens notables as GeoEye, the French space agency's SPOT-5, India's CartoSat-2A, DigitalGlobe's WorldView satellites and Canada's RADARSAT-2.
  Of course, a SpyMeSat imaging-pass notification doesn't necessarily mean that a satellite is taking your picture. An identified satellite could have its camera in off mode or pointed elsewhere along its ground track.
  SpyMeSat does not include all imaging spacecraft. No classified imaging satellites, from any nation, have their orbit information published, so these satellites do not show up in the app.
  The app does include imaging satellites with resolution capabilities of some 16 feet (5 meters) or better for which orbit information is published by NORAD. For the most part, these are commercial satellites or openly acknowledged government satellites from other countries.
  Compatibility needsWhen pondering the potential uses of this app, might it not help hide nefarious actions from orbiting eyes '-- say by a terrorist group, somebody whipping up a batch of plutonium or perhaps those involved in human rights wrongdoing?
  Herz said that people have already mentioned possible use of the app by terrorists.
  "We were careful to only include satellites that are unclassified and whose orbits are published by NORAD. Even the sensor data '-- resolution, etc. '-- was taken only from the websites published by the satellite operators. So everything SpyMeSat is using is open and public. Even the computations are basic orbit math taught in colleges everywhere," Herz said.
  "We can also track app downloads by country through the Apple App Store," he added. "So far, no terrorist countries '-- unless you consider Brazil, Switzerland, Canada, Germany or Australia, terrorist havens."
  Responding to a SPACE.com query, John Pike, a leading expert on defense, space and intelligence policy and director of GlobalSecurity.org, said: "Anyone who was trying to hide from such satellites was already doing so."
  SpyMeSat requires iOS 6.0 or later. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is optimized for iPhone 5.
  Cost of this app is $1.99 in the iTunes App Store.
  Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrin's new book "Mission to Mars '' My Vision for Space Exploration" published by National Geographic. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookor Google+. Originally published on SPACE.com.
  Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
VIDEO-Elsipogtog First Nation Sees Violence As RCMP Moves To End Protest (PHOTOS)
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 03:05
  REXTON, N.B. -- The RCMP say dozens of people were arrested after Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers and police vehicles torched Thursday when they began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick.
  RCMP Const. Jullie Rogers-Marsh said at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  "The RCMP has worked diligently with all parties involved in hopes for a peaceful resolution. Those efforts have not been successful," Rogers-Marsh said.
  "Tensions were rising and serious criminal acts were and are being committed."
  The Mounties said at least 40 people were arrested for firearms offences, threats, intimidation, mischief and violating the court-ordered injunction.
  Story continues below photos
  The RCMP began enforcing the injunction at around 7:30 a.m. to end a the blockade of a compound where energy company SWN Resources stores exploration equipment. Route 134 at Rexton and Route 11 between Richibucto and Sainte-Anne-de-Kent were closed to traffic and schools in the area were closed early for the day.
  The RCMP blocked Route 134 on Sept. 29 after a protest began spilling onto the road. Protesters subsequently cut down trees that were placed across another part of the road, blocking the entrance to the compound.
  The protesters, who include members of the Elsipogtog First Nation, want SWN Resources to stop seismic testing and leave the province.
  Robert Levi, a councillor with the Elsipogtog First Nation, said he went to the protest site in Rexton early Thursday after hearing the RCMP had moved in to begin enforcing the injunction against the protesters.
  Levi said police pepper-sprayed dozens of people after 9:30 a.m. when he arrived with the chief and council.
  "They sprayed the crowd that was there,'' he said in an interview. "The chief was manhandled a little bit and all hell broke loose.''
  Premier David Alward did not return messages seeking comment, but last week he and Chief Arren Sock agreed to set up a working group to find a resolution. Meetings were held in Fredericton and Moncton.
  At the time, Alward said: "I can say that we have a consensus that we're working towards finding a peaceful resolution and we will continue that work.'' He said the working group, which would include members from his government, Elsipogtog and the energy industry, would begin its work immediately.
  But Sock said there were still many details to be worked out.
  Alward has said he doesn't have control over decisions of the RCMP and SWN Resources.
  Assistant commissioner Roger Brown, the commanding officer for the RCMP in New Brunswick, said last week he was disappointed that discussions between the provincial government and the First Nation had failed to resolve the issue. He said the Mounties would take a measured approach to resolving the situation.
  Opponents of the shale gas sector say the process used to extract the resource _ hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking -- could pollute drinking water. But proponents of the industry say such concerns are overblown and don't take into account the possibility of replacing coal and oil with cleaner burning natural gas.
  Check out more photos from the protest:
  A protester displays a welt after an alleged confrontation wth police in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration againsration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  A police vehicle is seen in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  Negotiations between protesters and police in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  Protesters face a line of police officers in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  Protesters face a line of police officers in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  Burned out police vehicles are viewed in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  A protester is seen in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
  Protesters take photos of a burned out police vehicle in Rexton, N.B. as police began enforcing an injunction to end an ongoing demonstration against shale gas exploration in eastern New Brunswick on Oct.17. Police say at least five RCMP vehicles were destroyed after they were set ablaze and at least one shot was fired by someone other than a police officer at the site of the protest in Rexton.
Don't Snoop Me Bro Tunnel | Indiegogo
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 02:46
  The recent public discussions about online privacy have many Internet users concerned about who has access to their online activities -- and with good reason. Most of us are at the mercy of service providers and network equipment vendors who have little incentive to protect our privacy. The US government routinely collects information about Internet users' online behavior, and content owners can compel ISPs to collect and share information about users' online activities without any proof of harm. So how can we as individual consumers and small business owners protect ourselves and the people we care about?
  As security expert Bruce Schneier described recently in this article in The Guardian, the best thing you can do to protect your privacy is ''hide in the network'' by anonymizing your online activities and encrypting your communications with open-source software. Don't Snoop Me Bro provides these capabilities in the DSMB Tunnel, an inexpensive, easy to use appliance that requires no configuration and is activated by the turn of a key.
  Virtual Private Networks are a network security technology that has been in use for over fifteen years. When you use a VPN, an encrypted link is established between a local endpoint in (or near) your computer and a remote server. Your traffic is encrypted and routed through this link, protecting the content as well as information about its origin. VPNs are widely used, especially by businesses, to allow employees to securely access their company network when traveling or working from home. More recently, consumer VPN services have become available. These are used to provide encrypted connections to a server in the Internet rather than a company network.
  But VPN services -- even ones targeted at consumers -- can be challenging to configure, putting privacy out of reach for non-technical users. That's how the idea for the DSMB Tunnel was born: we wanted to make a device that would establish an on-demand VPN tunnel with no user setup.
  The DSMB Tunnel is a small device that sits between your computer and Internet router using an Ethernet cable. By placing the device between your Internet router and ISP modem you can protect all the traffic associated with your ISP account. When you turn it on, it automatically establishes a prepaid VPN connection with a destination server in the country of your choosing. Our goal was simplicity, and we made a network appliance with the most straightforward interface we could come up with: to protect your network, simply turn the key on the front of the device. There's no software to install, no firewall to configure.
  When the key is turned to 'on', the light on the front turns green and all of your traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server in the country of your choice. When your traffic reaches the VPN server, it is decrypted and forwarded to its destination carrying the address assigned by the VPN service as the sender's network address. The unecrypted traffic no longer has the network address assigned by your ISP, removing traceable links to you or your ISP account.
  Traveling through the VPN adds a small delay when the Tunnel is 'on'. However, we've verified that we can watch streaming videos and surf the web just fine. Nevertheless, for latency-sensitive applications like gaming, we recommend that you turn your Tunnel to 'off'. When it's 'off', the Tunnel is invisible on your network and there is no added delay. And, to protect users further, if the VPN service fails while the switch is in the secure 'on' position, traffic is blocked so that you will never unintentionally send out sensitive traffic without protection.
  CAD rendering of production DSMB Tunnel
  Our goal is to bring low-cost, easy-to-use privacy to anyone who wants it, not just skilled IT professionals. To do this, we set our fundraising goal to cover the startup costs for high-volume production. This will allow us to sell our product at the lowest possible price.Here's where you come in: at less than 1,000 units, the cost for components to build each DSMB Tunnel adds up to a pretty hefty price tag. The more interest we have, the better deals we can negotiate with our vendors -- which means that we can offer Tunnels at lower prices. We want to be able to sell them at $150 (with a full year of VPN service included), and that price is possible at a quantity greater than 1000.
  Our design is built around the OpenVPN application and other open-source software based on the popular OpenWRT Linux distribution. The first prototypes (shown above) have cases made from laser-cut acrylic and an alpha version of our software running on a custom development board. We've identified all the components and materials for our beta testing phase, and we've begun testing in-house. If this campaign is successful, this fall we will continue to refine the software, electronics, and housing to maximize stability while keeping production costs low. Further, we will continue to explore VPN service provider alliances. Some manufacturing, such as the housing and circuit board fabrication, will be performed by trusted vendors to keep prices as low as possible. Nevertheless, we will ensure quality control by always performing the final integration and testing ourselves.
  Each DSMB Tunnel comes with one year of prepaid VPN service. In the interest of preserving Tunnel owners' privacy, we will keep no records associating a particular unit with your identifying information. The service provider will have no knowledge of the identity of the Tunnel owner because the services are bulk purchased by DSMB. We've had a great experience with the VPN service provider that we have been using for the prototypes, but we have not decided on a final VPN provider for ongoing large-scale production.
  At the end of the year of VPN service, users can, of course, purchase an entirely new device. Or, if you want to keep your Tunnel and simply buy another year of service, you can purchase a Secure Data (SD) card from us that is preloaded with the information for a new VPN account. Again, we will never provide the service provider the identity of the end user.
  While consumer VPN service is not a new innovation, the Don't Snoop Me Bro approach to consumer VPN service is. The most similar device available today is a VPN router. Typically, VPN routers do not include VPN service which, if included, would drive the price to over $300. Further, these systems require configuration by someone with networking expertise. In contrast, the DSMB Tunnel is an affordable easy-to-use VPN appliance with prepaid service requiring no end-user setup. We believe that we can make online privacy available to as many people as possible.
  We are really excited about the possibilities of the DSMB Tunnel and technology like it, especially products that could help protect medical, legal, and proprietary information for individual consumers and small businesses. We want to make protecting your privacy is as easy as turning a key. Thank you for taking the time to explore our product, and we hope that this is the start of something awesome!
  Version 1 of the Don't Snoop Me Bro Tunnel will be simple but secure, easy to use, and with good performance:
  Key switch interface. Easy-to-use, intuitive operation.
  Automatic OpenVPN tunnel establishment. Turn the key and an encrypted tunnel comes up automatically between the DSMB unit and the VPN server in the location of your choice.
  One year prepaid VPN service. Your DSMB unit is preconfigured to access a VPN account that has been prepaid for one year and allows you to establish tunnels to a range of US and offshore locations.
  Bridge mode when tunnel is disabled. When latency is important or privacy is not needed, the DSMB tunnel can be put into bridge mode, invisible to the network.
  Two color LED to indicate tunnel state. A green LED indicates the tunnel is active and your privacy is enhanced. A red LED indicates you the tunnel is not providing any protection.
  Web-based configuration. The DSMB tunnel will work out of the box with no configuration. But if you want to make changes, a password protected web page can be accessed on the unit.
  Selectable tunnel endpoint location. VPN end-points are located all over the world. Users may select which location suits them and change as often as desired.
  Configuration reset to factory defaults. A button is provided to return the unit to the factory configuration.
  Connection test mode. A diagnostic mode is provided on the configuration web page that allows a user to establish a tunnel and verify the IP address and associated geo-location of traffic emerging from the endpoint.
  Below are the specifications of the functional prototype shown in the video.
  Housing dimensions: length 5.073'' x width 4.0775'' x height 1.477''
  Housing material: Laser-cut acrylic
  Power usage: 0.5 Watts @ 3.3 Volts
  Processor: 400mhz MIPS
  One Gigabit Ethernet Port (1000Mbps)
  One Fast Ethernet Port (100Mbps)
  Power Jack
  We are currently testing endpoints in the following countries: UK, Germany, Canada, The Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, US (several regions), Russia, Ukraine, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.
  Don't Snoop Me Bro is a small company working out of Somerville, Massachusetts. On this project we are collaborating with our friends at DGF Technologies, who bring a great deal of expertise in electronics, software, and fabrication. Together, we have a variety of backgrounds, but a shared passion for privacy and security. Conversations within the group led us to the idea for the Tunnel, and we spent this summer turning our idea into a consumer product. Our range of unique perspectives has allowed us to create a product that will be usable for the widest possible audience. We're on a mission to help you to protect your privacy, and we're so excited to bring this product idea to you!
  Video by Erik Heumiller / www.heumiller.com
  Logo Design by Benj Gleeksman / www.mistergleeksman.com
Hundreds of U.S. troops will deploy to Romania next year | Army Times | armytimes.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Sat, 19 Oct 2013 02:41
  The U.S. military will move hundreds of troops to Romania next year and set up a key logistical hub that will effectively replace the air base at Manas in Kyrgyzstan, a Pentagon official said Friday.
  The Romanians have agreed to allow a small footprint of U.S. troops to use an existing airfield along the Black Sea coast. The Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in eastern Romania will serve as a major transit hub for the airlift effort to redeploy U.S. troops and cargo out of Afghanistan.
  U.S. military officials say removing the roughly 51,000 troops currently deployed in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 will be a major logistical challenge.
  The move comes after Kyrgyzstan ordered U.S. troops to leave Manas in 2009 after the U.S. balked at the Kyrgyz government's demand to double the rent. The U.S. lease on the base expires in July 2014.
  The deal with Romania was finalized at the Pentagon Friday during a meeting between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa. As a part of the agreement, the U.S. has agreed to give Romania permission to purchase 12 F-16 Fighting Falcons from Portugal. The U.S. will also provide F-16 training for Romanian pilots.
  Romania has previously agreed to host an American-made anti-missile interceptor as part of the European missile defense system. That is expected to be operational by 2015.
Presidential Proclamation -- National Forest Products Week, 2013
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  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:38
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 18, 2013
  NATIONAL FOREST PRODUCTS WEEK, 2013
  - - - - - - -
  BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  A PROCLAMATION
  Our Nation's forests are essential to our lasting prosperity and to who we are as a people. These natural wonders provide clean air and water for our communities and abundant habitats for wildlife, as well as building materials for our homes, and jobs and recreation for workers and families across our country. During National Forest Products Week, we celebrate the sustainable uses of America's forests and the important contributions they make to our economy and our national life.
  In addition to providing renewable supplies of wood and energy and showing visitors of all ages the value of preserving our natural spaces, forests play a critical role in combatting climate change and protecting the air we breathe through absorption of carbon dioxide emissions. My Administration is committed to cutting carbon pollution in the United States, and safeguarding and restoring our forests will help us fulfill that mission. We also continue to advance community-driven conservation, preservation, and outdoor recreation initiatives that are strengthening local economies and contributing to the well-being of lands, waters, and wildlife. Through the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we have put the communities that will thrive when lands are healthy and abundant, and when they draw visitors from around the world, at the forefront of shaping conservation agendas across our country.
  The strength, diversity, and productivity of our Nation's forests will be vital to our progress in the years ahead. This week, we recommit to collaborating across land ownership and landscapes, and we look to a future where America's forests will enrich our country for generations to come.
  To recognize the importance of products from our forests, the Congress, by Public Law 86-753 (36 U.S.C. 123), as amended, has designated the week beginning on the third Sunday in October of each year as "National Forest Products Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.
  NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 20 through October 26, 2013, as National Forest Products Week. I call on the people of the United States to join me in recognizing the dedicated individuals who are responsible for the stewardship of our forests and for the preservation, management, and use of these precious natural resources for the benefit of the American people.
  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
  BARACK OBAMA
Presidential Proclamation -- National Character Counts Week, 2013
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:37
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 18, 2013
  NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK, 2013
  - - - - - - -
  BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  A PROCLAMATION
  As Americans, we are bound together by a set of ideals put forth by our Founders -- that we are all created equal, that we possess certain unalienable rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that, above all, we are one people. During National Character Counts Week, we reflect on the ways we support one another, the ways we come together and seek common ground, and the lessons we teach our children about what citizenship means in the United States of America.
  Nowhere is our Nation's strength more evident than in the men and women in uniform who embody the American spirit of selflessness, courage, and sacrifice. Across the globe and here at home, they and their families face challenges most of us will never fully understand so all of us can live in freedom. Our public servants too, and our teachers, nurses, and workers, toil without fanfare so the people of this country can count on a secure homeland and a growing economy, a healthy future, and a chance at success for their children.
  The children we raise today are surrounded by proud examples of integrity, and moral courage, but it is our task as parents, community members, and leaders to teach them not only the skills they need to succeed, but also the values that keep our country strong. This week, we reaffirm our commitment to helping our children turn away from bullying, harassment, and discrimination, and to giving them the confidence and integrity to stand up for each other, imagine a brighter future, and realize their dreams.
  NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 20 through October 26, 2013, as National Character Counts Week. I call upon public officials, educators, parents, students, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
  BARACK OBAMA
Jeh Johnson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:36
  Jeh Charles Johnson (born September 11, 1957)[1] is an American civil, criminal trial lawyer, and General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012 during the first Obama Administration. Johnson is a graduate of Morehouse College (B.A.) and Columbia Law School (J.D.), and is grandson of noted sociologist and Fisk University president Dr. Charles S. Johnson. Barack Obama will nominate him to the post of Secretary of Homeland Security in October 2013.
  Johnson's first name (pronounced ''Jay'') is taken from a Liberian chief, who reportedly saved his grandfather's life while Dr. Johnson was on a League of Nations mission to Liberia in 1930.[2]
  Johnson served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1989-1991. From 1998-2001, he was General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force under President Bill Clinton.[3] Prior to his appointment as General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Johnson was a partner at the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP of which he was the first African American to be elected to that firm's partnership and to which he returned after his four years at the Defense Department.[4] He was elected a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2004.[3]
  On January 8, 2009, he was named by President Barack Obama to be General Counsel for the Defense Department.[5] In December 2012, he resigned this position effective at the end of the year to return to private practice.[6]
  Federal prosecutor[edit]Johnson began his legal career at Paul, Weiss in the mid-1980s. In 1989 he left to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney]] in the Southern District of New York, a position he held until 1991. In that position, Johnson prosecuted public corruption cases.
  Air Force General Counsel[edit]Johnson returned to Paul, Weiss in 1992 and was elected partner at the firm in 1994. In 1998, Johnson was appointed General Counsel of the Air Force by President Bill Clinton after confirmation by the U.S. Senate. As General Counsel, Johnson was the senior legal official in the Air Force and Governor of Wake Island, in the Pacific Ocean.[7] His tenure coincided with Operation Allied Force in 1999. He was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for his efforts.[3]
  Private practice[edit]After his service in the Clinton administration, Johnson returned to Paul, Weiss in 2001, where he was an active trial lawyer of large commercial cases.[3]
  Johnson was a member of the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar Association. From 2001 to 2004, he served as chairman of the City Bar's Judiciary Committee, which rates and approves all federal, state and local judges in New York City. In 2007, Johnson was nominated by the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination to be Chief Judge of New York[8] though the incumbent, Judith Kaye, was ultimately reappointed by former Governor Eliot Spitzer.
  Democratic Party involvement[edit]Johnson is active in Democratic Party politics, as a fundraiser and adviser to presidential campaigns. Johnson served as special counsel to John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign,[9] and was an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, active as a foreign policy adviser and as a member of his national finance committee.[10][11]
  General Counsel of the Department of Defense[edit]On January 8, 2009, President-elect Barack Obama announced Johnson's nomination as Department of Defense General Counsel.[12] On February 9, 2009, he was confirmed by the Senate. [2]
  As General Counsel of the Defense Department, Johnson was a major player in certain key priorities of the Obama Administration, and he is considered one of the legal architects of the U.S. military's current counterterrorism policies. In 2009, Johnson was heavily involved in the reform of military commissions, and testified before Congress numerous times in support of the Military Commissions Act of 2009.[13] In February 2010, the Secretary of Defense appointed Johnson to co-chair a working group, along with Army General Carter Ham, to study the potential impact of a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In November 2010, following an extensive study, Johnson and General Ham reported that the risk to overall military effectiveness of a repeal would be low. The report was hailed as a thorough and objective analysis.[14] The Washington Post editorial page wrote:
  ''The report is remarkable not just for its conclusions but for its honest, thorough and respectful handling of a delicate subject. It offers a clear-eyed, careful, conservative approach to implementing policy change. It doesn't play down the hurdles or denigrate the opposition. It is, in short, a document to be taken seriously, especially by those who may have lingering doubts about allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.''[15]In August 2010, Johnson was part of the public dialogue over the Wikileaks release of classified Pentagon documents known as the Afghan War Diary or The War Logs. ''The Department of Defense will not negotiate some 'minimized' or 'sanitized' version of a release by WikiLeaks of additional U.S. government classified documents,'' he wrote in a letter to Timothy J. Matusheski, a lawyer representing the online whistle-blowing organization pro bono. In August 2012, Johnson also wrote to the former Navy seal who authored the book ''No Easy Day'' and warned him of his material breach of his non-disclosure agreements with the Department of Defense.[16]
  In January 2011, Johnson provoked controversy when, according to a Department of Defense news story, he asserted in a speech at the Pentagon that deceased civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. would have supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, despite King's outspoken opposition to American interventionism during his lifetime.[17] Johnson argued that American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq were playing the role of the Good Samaritan, consistent with Martin Luther King Jr.'s beliefs, and that they were fighting to establish the peace for which Dr. King hoped.[18][19]Jeremy Scahill called Johnson's remarks "one of the most despicable attempts at revisionist use of Martin Luther King Jr. I've ever seen," while Justin Elliott of Salon.com argued that based on Dr. King's opposition to the Vietnam War, he would likely have opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the covert wars in Pakistan and Yemen.[20] Cynthia Kouril has defended Johnson's remarks, arguing in her blog that his speech has been misinterpreted.[21]
  In a February 2011, speech to the New York City Bar Association, Johnson "acknowledged the concerns raised" about the detention of alleged WikiLeaks source Private Bradley Manning and "stated that he had personally traveled to Quantico to conduct an investigation." Human rights attorney and journalist Scott Horton wrote that "Johnson was remarkably unforthcoming about what he discovered and what conclusions he drew from his visit."[22]
  Johnson's tenure as General Counsel was also notable for several high-profile speeches he gave on national security. In a speech he delivered at the Heritage Foundation in October 2011, Johnson warned against ''over-militarizing'' the U.S. government's approach to counterterrorism: ''There is risk in permitting and expecting the U.S. military to extend its powerful reach into areas traditionally reserved for civilian law enforcement in this country.'' [23] At a speech at Yale Law School in February 2012, Johnson defended ''targeted killings,''[24] but also stated:
  ''[A]s a student of history I believe that those who govern today must ask ourselves how we will be judged 10, 20 or 50 years from now. Our applications of law must stand the test of time, because, over the passage of time, what we find tolerable today may be condemned in the permanent pages of history tomorrow.''Finally, at the Oxford Union in England in November 2012, shortly before his resignation, Johnson delivered a widely noted address entitled ''The conflict against al Qaeda and its affiliates: how will it end?''in which he predicted a ''tipping point'' at which the U.S. government's efforts against al Qaeda should no longer be considered an armed conflict, but a more traditional law enforcement effort against individual terrorists. Johnson stated:
  '''War' must be regarded as a finite, extraordinary and unnatural state of affairs. War permits one man '' if he is a ''privileged belligerent,'' consistent with the laws of war -- to kill another. War violates the natural order of things, in which children bury their parents; in war parents bury their children. In its 12th year, we must not accept the current conflict, and all that it entails, as the 'new normal.' Peace must be regarded as the norm toward which the human race continually strives.''Johnson's speech at the Oxford Union received wide press attention,[25] and much editorial acclaim as the first such statement coming from an Obama Administration official.[26]
  Department of Homeland Security[edit]On October 17, 2013, President Obama nominated Johnson to be U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. The Washington Post reported "Johnson, an African-American, would bring further racial diversity to Obama's Cabinet. The first black U.S. president has been criticized for having a high number of white men in top Cabinet roles."[27]
  References[edit]^[1]^Johnson, Charles S., Bitter Canaan: The Story of the Negro Republic Transaction Books (1987), page 1xxiii fn 171^ abcdJeh Johnson Biography Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP. Retrieved on March 13, 2008^Lentz, Philip (1996). "Jeh Johnson '' 1996 40 Under 40 '' Crain's New York Business Rising Stars". Crain's New York Business, Retrieved on March 13, 2008^"Obama names four to top Pentagon posts". Agence France-Presse. January 8, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2009. [dead link]^Baldor, Lolita C. "Jeh Johnson, Pentagon's Top Lawyer, Resigns"The Huffington Post, December 6, 2012^Cahoon, Ben M. (2000). "Wake Island - Governors (from 1972, U.S. Air Force General Counsels in Washington, D.C.)". World Statesmen. Retrieved May 11, 2009. "1998 - 2001 Jeh Charles Johnson" ^John Caher, "Kaye Heads List of Candidates For Court of Appeals' Top Slot", The New York Law Journal, January 18, 2007^Konigsberg, Eric, "In Clinton's Backyard, It's Open Season as an Obama Fund-Raiser Lines Up Donors", The New York Times, February 24, 2007. Retrieved on March 13, 2008.^Horowitz, Jason, "Clinton Campaign Gets In Gloat Mode With $27 Million", The New York Observer, October 10, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.^Horowitz,Jason, "The Best Place for the Rule of Law", The Boston Globe, April 12, 2008. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.^Tyson, Ann Scott, "Obama Selects 4 More Senior Defense Officials", The Washington Post, January 9, 2009.^Editorial, ''Undoing the Damage,'' The New York Times, July 12, 2009^Ed O'Keefe and Craig Whitlock, '''Don't Ask' opponents get a boost, The Washington Post, December 1, 2010.^Editorial, ''Ready for Change,'' The Washington Post, December 1, 2010.^Craig Whitlock, ''Author of bin Laden book is warned,'' The Washington Post, August 31, 2012.^http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62448^"Pentagon Official: King Would Support Iraq, Afghan Wars", by Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post, January 14, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2012.^"Dr. Jeh Johnson's MLK Day Speech at the Pentagon". Retrieved December 1, 2012.^"Obama official: MLK would love our wars!", by Justin Elliott, Salon.com, January 13, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2012.^''The Problem is, He Never Said That: The Saga of the DoD MLK Day Speech,'' http://my.firedoglake.com/cindykouril/^Horton, Scott (March 7, 2011) Inhumanity at Quantico, Harper's Magazine^Peter Finn, ''Pentagon lawyer warns against over-militarizing anti-terror fight,'' The Washington Post, October 19, 2011.^"Top Pentagon Lawyer Defends Targeted Killings,'' The Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2012.^Julian Barnes, ''Pentagon Lawyer Looks Post Terror, The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 1, 2012; Charlie Savage, Pentagon Counsel Speaks of Post-Qaeda Challenges,'' The New York Times, December 1, 2012; Barney Henderson, ''Al-Qaeda war nearing tipping point, says US,'' The Daily Telegraph, Dec 1, 2012; Nick Hopkins, ''War on al-Qaida drawing to a close, says Obama lawyer,'' the Guardian, Dec 1, 2012; Daniel Klaidman, ''Will Obama End the War on Terror,'' Newsweek Magazine, Dec 24, 2012.^See, e.g., Fareed Zakaria, ''Time to terminate the war on terror,'' Washington Post op-ed, December 6, 2012.^"Obama picks attorney Jeh Johnson for Homeland Security chief" by Jeff Mason, Washington Post, October 17, 2013|, Retreived 2013-10-18External links[edit]
Remarks by the President at Nomination of Jeh Johnson to be Secretary of Homeland Security
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:36
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  October 18, 2013
  REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
  AT NOMINATION OF JEH JOHNSON
  TO BE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
  Rose Garden
  2:06 P.M. EDT
  THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. As President, my most solemn responsibility is the safety and security of the American people. And we've got an outstanding team here of folks who work every single day to make sure that we're doing everything we can to fulfill that responsibility. And that means that our entire government -- our law enforcement and homeland security professionals, our troops, our diplomats, our intelligence personnel -- are all working together. It means working with state and local partners to disrupt terrorist attacks, to make our borders more secure, respond to natural disasters, and make our immigration system more effective and fair.
  Addressing any one of these challenges is a tall order. Addressing all of them at once is a monumental task. But that's what the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security do every day. And today I'm proud to announce my choice to lead them -- an outstanding public servant who I've known and trusted for years -- Mr. Jeh Johnson.
  We are, of course, enormously grateful to Secretary Janet Napolitano. Janet couldn't be here today -- she's already made her move to her new position in sunny California, overseeing the higher education system in that great state. And I know that she's going to do an outstanding job there with the incredible young people that are in our largest state. But we all deeply appreciate the terrific job that she did over the last four-and-a-half years. I want to thank Rand Beers for his service and for stepping in as Acting Secretary after Janet left.
  Thanks in no small part to Janet's leadership, her team, we've done more to protect our homeland against those who wish to do us harm. We've strengthened our borders. We've taken steps to make sure our immigration system better reflects our values. We've helped thousands of Americans recover from hurricanes and tornados, floods and wildfires. And we've worked to clean up a massive oil spill in the Gulf as well as address a flu pandemic.
  In Jeh Johnson, we have the right person to continue this important work. From the moment I took office, Jeh was an absolutely critical member of my national security team, and he demonstrated again and again the qualities that will make him a strong Secretary of Homeland Security.
  Jeh has a deep understanding of the threats and challenges facing the United States. As the Pentagon's top lawyer, he helped design and implement many of the policies that have kept our country safe, including our success in dismantling the core of al Qaeda and in the FATA.
  When I directed my national security team to be more open and transparent about how our policies work and how we make decisions, especially when it comes to preventing terrorist attacks, Jeh was one of the leaders who spoke eloquently about how we meet today's threats in a way that are consistent with our values, including the rule of law.
  Jeh also knows that meeting these threats demands cooperation and coordination across our government. He's been there in the Situation Room at the table in moments of decision, working with leaders from a host of agencies to make sure everyone is rowing in the same direction. And he's respected across our government as a team player, somebody who knows how to get folks who don't always agree to work towards a common goal.
  Jeh has experience leading large complex organizations. As a member of the Pentagon's senior management team, first under Bob Gates and then under Leon Panetta, he helped oversee the work of more than 3 million military and civilian personnel across the country and around the world. And I think it's fair to say that both former secretaries Gates and Panetta will attest to the incredible professionalism that Jeh brings to the job, and the bipartisan approach that, appropriately, he takes when it comes to national security.
  He's also earned a reputation as a cool and calm leader. Jeh appreciates that any organization's greatest asset is its people, and at the Pentagon he guided the report explaining why allowing our men and women in uniform to serve their country openly would not weaken our military. Congress ended up using that report that Jeh helped to craft to justify repealing "don't ask, don't tell." And America and our military are stronger because we did, in part because of Jeh's determined leadership. I know he will bring that same commitment to our hardworking folks at DHS.
  And finally, Jeh believes, in a deep and personal way, that keeping America safe requires us also upholding the values and civil liberties that make America great. Jeh tells the story of his uncle who was a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. And he and his fellow airmen served with honor, even when their country didn't treat them with the dignity and the respect that they deserved. And it was a lesson that Jeh never forgot. ''We must adopt legal positions that comport with common sense,'' Jeh says, ''consistent with who we are as Americans.'' Jeh is a pretty good lawyer, so he knows what that means.
  And Jeh understands that this country is worth protecting ''- not because of what we build or what we own, but because of who we are. And that's what sets us apart. That's why, as a nation, we have to keep adapting to changing threats, whether natural or man-made. We have to stay ready when disaster strikes and help Americans recover in the aftermath. We've got to fix our broken immigration system in a way that strengthens our borders, and modernizes legal immigration, and makes sure everybody is playing by the same rules.
  And I'm confident that I could not make a better choice in Jeh, somebody who I'm confident is going to be moving not just the agency forward, but helping to move the country forward.
  So, Jeh, thank you so much for agreeing to take on this very difficult and extraordinary mission. You've got a great team over at DHS, and I know that they're looking forward to having you over there. I urge the Senate to confirm Jeh as soon as possible. And I thank you, as well as your family, to agreeing to serve. Your wife, Susan, and your daughter, Natalie, couldn't be here because they're visiting Jeh Jr. out at Occidental College, which, by the way, I went to for two years when I was young. It's a fine college. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to say hi to him. But your son chose well.
  So, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to invite Jeh Johnson to say a few words, hopefully our next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. (Applause.)
  MR. JOHNSON: Thank you very much, Mr. President.
  As you noted, my wife and two kids are not here because it's parents' weekend at Occidental, and thanks to the cost of a non-refundable airline ticket -- (laughter) -- they could not be in two places at once. They wish they could be here.
  Thank you for the tremendous honor of this nomination and the trust you have placed in me to carry out this large and important responsibility as Secretary of Homeland Security. I was not looking for this opportunity -- I had left government at the end of last year and was settling back into private life and private law practice. But when I received the call, I could not refuse it.
  I am a New Yorker, and I was present in Manhattan on 9/11, which happens to be my birthday, when that bright and beautiful day was -- a day something like this -- was shattered by the largest terrorist attack on our homeland in history. I wandered the streets of New York that day and wondered and asked, what can I do? Since then, I have tried to devote myself to answering that question. I love this country. I care about the safety of our people. I believe in public service. And I remain loyal to you, Mr. President.
  If confirmed by the Senate, I promise all of my energy, focus, and ability toward the task of safeguarding our nation's national and homeland security.
  Thank you again, sir. (Applause.)
  END
  2:14 P.M. EDT
Release of Previously Classified October 11, 2013 Foreign...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: IC ON THE RECORD
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:34
  Release of Previously Classified October 11, 2013 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court MemorandumandPrimaryOrder
  October 18, 2013
  On October 11, 2013, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and publicly announced that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court had approved the government's application seeking renewal of the authority to collect certain telephony metadata in bulk under the ''business records'' provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 50 U.S.C. Section 1861, and that the administration was undertaking a declassification review of this most recent court authorization.
  Following a declassification review by the Executive Branch,today the Court released the previously classified Memorandum and Primary Order reauthorizing the collection of bulk telephony metadata under this authority. The Memorandumre-affirms that the bulk telephony metadata collection is both lawful and constitutional.
  Shawn S. TurnerODNI Director of Public Affairs
  Via USCourts.gov:BR 13-158
Sending a Message from APRS to a Cell Phone
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  Archived Version
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:03
  I have 3 grown children. Texting seems to be their main form of communication. I was looking for a way to communicate with them while I am on the trail and out of cell phone range. They don't monitor any repeaters on a regular basis, so I figured out how to send them a text message from APRS.
  Cell phone carriers have a domain name to use for sending messages to their phones. To send a text to a cell phone, you need to know the 10 digit phone number and the domain used by the recipient's wireless carrier. The domain name for T-Mobile is tmomail.net. So to send a text to one of my children from my radio the procedure is similar to sending a message to another APRS station. In place of the callsign-SSID, use EMAIL-2. The first word of the message is the phone number with area code and the domain name for the carrier. Example: 6025551234@tmomail.net. Leave one space after this, then begin your message. There is some overhead with the message, so you don't get the full 160 characters, I think the limit is about 67. From the screen of my FTM-350, the message would look something like:
  EMAIL -2
  6025551234@tmomail.net Having fun on the trail, will be home by 6:00
  (The FTM-350 does not do word-wrap)
  The recipient will receive your message, including your callsign-SSID, along with the text of your message. They will also receive some URL links for information about APRS. This is why you don't get the full 160 characters.
  You can find the domain names for several carriers at this link.
  The recipient will not be able to reply to your message via cell phone, the link only works one way to ensure that only licensed operators send messages over RF.
  You can also send a message to any e-mail address this way. Example:
  EMAIL -2
  N7IYT@4X4Ham.com Havingfun on the trail, will be homeby 6:00
  Again, the recipient will not be able to reply.
MediaPost Publications Take It Inside: Mobile Fight Moves Indoors 10/17/2013
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  Archived Version
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:20
  How interesting that our earliest ways of conceiving mobile involved getting connected with customers anytime and anywhere. The most intimate medium was envisioned by many of us as the final smash against the crumbling wall of mass media. This was a device that demanded a more fragmented, personalized, situationally aware approach to marketing than any mass medium and even interactive medium of the last century allowed.
  Ironically, one of the key battlegrounds among mobile platforms is not over accessing everyone everywhere, but over very specific places and the people moving within them. The indoor location market is suddenly about to boom. ABI Research says that the combined interest of some of the biggest names in mobile and the Internet will help make indoor location mapping and other technologies worth $4 billion by 2018. They foresee that within the next year there will be at least 25,000 local mapping and indoor location technology installations worldwide, and handsets supporting the communications technologies involved will be in the hundreds of millions.
  Well, technically, WiFi could be considered an indoor location tech, since access points can triangulate based on signal strength. But Bluetooth LTE seems to be the hot trend for the next year. With Apple rolling out iBeacons and others like Mobiquity and PayPal leveraging the technology, BT is set for a big 2014, ABI says. The iPhone 5s is only starting to penetrate the market. But ABI Practice Director states: ''Apple hasn't made a big marketing deal on indoor with the new iPhone 5s, largely because the ecosystem isn't in place yet. But under the shiny, spotted hood is a hardware platform that is now well placed to support 'always-on' indoor location, sensor fusion, and ambient intelligence.''
  Apple, Google and eBay are poised to be major players in this space if they want to be. Google's indoor mapping project is ongoing. eBay's PayPal and Apple already have in-store beacon models planned. And all the major players in the network space like Cicso and Aruba have invested in WiFi to penetrate live places.
  In other words, we are laying the infrastructure for those Minority Report moments. Not only will marketers be reaching out to us because we are in a location, but the location itself will personalize as it senses us via our devices. The shopping mall and your grocery store could become very cluttered and annoyingly interactive places.
Air marshal accused of taking photos under skirts
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  Archived Version
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 11:04
  NASHVILLE, Tennessee: A federal air marshal has been arrested and accused of taking cell phone photographs underneath women's skirts as they boarded a plane at Nashville International Airport.
  Nashville police say Adam Bartsch was on duty on Southwest Airline Flight 3132 on Thursday when a witness noticed he was taking the photos and grabbed his cell phone. Police say the witness notified a flight attendant and Bartsch was taken off the flight and charged with disorderly conduct.
  Nashville station WKRN-TV reports the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday afternoon that Bartsch was removed from duty and the TSA is assisting with the investigation. The agency said it's in the process of suspending or terminating Bartsch's employment.
x86 emulator written in JavaScript, running in the browser. Mind blown.
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: Hacker News
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 10:42
  CD image: Floppy disk image:
  Hard drive disk image:
  - OR -
  - Graphical OS, takes about 60 seconds to boot - With busybox and lua interpreter, takes about 20 seconds to boot - With nasm, vim, debug.com, some games and demos, takes 1 second to boot - Random boot floppy, takes very long to boot
And Why Not?
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: JustOneMinute
  Fri, 18 Oct 2013 10:25
  So what was the govt shut down for? I've forgotten? The Republicans had a REALLY REALLY GROOVY strategy. I keep hearing our resident genius tell us about Cruz being the problem. Really?
  Posted by: Gus | October 17, 2013 at 11:52 AM
  Gus, Moi? OK I'll answer your question. The gov't shutdown was what Obummer wanted, and the Cruz filibuster gave Obummer the excuse he needed to shutdown, with no opportunity to pressure Red/Purple State Senate Dems with any tough votes on the CR or the Debt. So giving Obummer the shutdown, without getting any worthwhile benefit out of it was foolish. Fortunately, the shutdown didn't give Obummer any great benefit, the worst effect of the shutdown was it distracted from the Debt and ObummerCare fights, which the Senate Dems want no part of before 2014 elections. You're welcome.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 12:02 PM
  I see. Well, of course, this is just the sort of blinkeredphilistine pig-ignorance I've come to expect from you non-creativegarbage. You sit there on your loathsome spotty behinds squeezingblackheads, not caring a tinker's cuss for the struggling artist.You excrement, you whining hypocritical toadies with your colour TVsets and your Tony Jacklin golf clubs and your bleeding masonicsecret handshakes. You wouldn't let me join, would you, youblackballing bastards. Well I wouldn't become a Freemason now ifyou went down on your lousy stinking knees and begged me.
  Posted by: Dave (in MA) | October 17, 2013 at 12:02 PM
  Well she didn't mutter about a Headless Horseman, Minitrue is on elevefty, from the Post to the Journal, which trumptes the Business roundtables promise to press further the serf's collars more firmly.
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 12:09 PM
  A lot of voters who default to the GOP--particularly those with a libertarian bent, like myself--do so because we view the Republican candidate as the lessor of two evils. That is the Republican brand today: The Lessor of Two Evils. Oh, maybe they'll trim the size of government and the spending on the edges to buy our vote for the next go around. Most times, though, they just end up increasing both the bureaucracy and the spending, only to a lesser degree than a Democrat would have done.
  Ted Cruz and the Tea Party are a very real threat to the GOP, because they appear to offer (for the moment at least--for power does corrupt) an alternative. What happens when the choice is among evil, a lessor evil, and real reform? Well, evil wins out, I suppose, because the lessor evil and real reform end up splitting the anti-pure evil vote. So the argument is then made: forget about fighting for reform because you'll not only lose yourself, you'll cause the lessor of two evils to lose as well.
  And that is a valid argument. But I think we've reached a point where we're going off a 500 foot cliff, and whether we go off that cliff at 100 miles an hour or 50 miles an hour becomes immaterial, when the crash at the end is guaranteed to be just as fatal.
  So when you're at that point, and some guy comes along and offers to fight like hell to put on the brakes, do you join him and pray like hell that somehow, someway he prevails? Or do you stay in the lessor-of-two-evils car and console yourself with the knowledge that even though you're still going to die, at least you didn't damage the "brand" by fighting for a lost cause?
  Posted by: derwill | October 17, 2013 at 12:15 PM
  "...Cruz filibuster..."
  This may come as a shock but what Cruz did was not a filibuster. He did not disturb regular order to the Senate or any Senate procedure. He yielded the floor at the beginning of the new business day of the Senate.
  If Obama needs an excuse, and we are looking for accuracy, blame falls on the 228 House Republicans that sent the first "defund obamacare" bill over to the Senate at the end of Sept. and Boehner for shelving the amended bill that passed the Senate shortly after Cruz finished speaking.
  Posted by: Threadkiller | October 17, 2013 at 12:15 PM
  The problem is that, pace Weisenthal, you can't just kill someone's revolutionary nihilism.
  The Ted Cruz ''filibuster'' is a great example: it served no actual legislative purpose, and at the end of his idiotically long speech, Cruz ended up voting yes on the very bill he was trying to kill. That's zombie politics, and the problem with zombies is that '-- being dead already '-- they're incredibly hard to kill.
  F. Salmon (Reuters)
  Posted by: Jesse | October 17, 2013 at 12:22 PM
  Unteresting detail from James Rosen's interview review of Treey Lenzer's bio, his firm IGI did the origninaldata dump on Bain in 1994, there is also a diisingenousy bit, where he says Ken Starr shoul have focused on campign finance,
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 12:31 PM
  Yesterday, I predicted that the margin in the New Jersey Senate race would be 11.0 percent.
  It was actually 10.68 percent.
  Well, you can't be right every time. (I may not have allowed enough for the work of Jan in New Jersey, and others like her.)
  Danube - There's a good write-up of the "no true Scotsman" fallacy at Wikipedia. It's worth looking at, because it's a common error.
  Posted by: Jim Miller | October 17, 2013 at 12:43 PM
  TK-- tsk tsk, no altering history please. 30+ House members and cruz jointly held out against signing a CR without defund.... Speaker Boehner would not have had 218 Repub votes without those 30+ repubs, so he convinced virtually all of the Repub caucus to go with defund as a 'first step' to accomodate the conservative wing of the Caucus. That CR went to the Senate and gave Cruz his opportunity to speak out and use his oratory to 'pressure' the Red/Purple state Dem senators to vote for defund and send Obummer a defund CR to veto. 100% failure, not a single Dem senator voted for defund, as the Senate Repubs advised would happen. That defund failure gave Obummer his excuse to 'shutdown.' Rest is history-- Senate dems never had to make a tough vote on the CR or debt. Easy punt until early February.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 12:43 PM
  "Senate dems never had to make a tough vote on the CR or debt."
  And that will remain true so long as the Democrats have the majority in the Senate. Reid will not bring any such bill to the floor. How is this the fault of Cruz or the House?
  Posted by: MarkO | October 17, 2013 at 12:54 PM
  he convinced virtually all of the Repub caucus to go with defund as a 'first step'
  After which time, he listened to DublinDave and confused everyone about what Republicans wanted. Even we couldn't answer.
  If he'd have gone with Clarice's strategy at that point, with a bill that simply eliminated corrupt exemptions, everyone could have rallied around that end game, and the Dems would be squealing right now. Instead, we got individual mandate delay, device tax repeal and I can't even remember what else.
  It wasn't Cruz. He had no responsibility for any part of this, and was just a junior senator making a speech. It was Boehner.
  Posted by: Extraneus | October 17, 2013 at 12:55 PM
  "Cruz ended up voting yes on the very bill he was trying to kill"
  Cruz voted yes on the bill he was trying to pass.
  You have it wrong.
  Posted by: Threadkiller | October 17, 2013 at 12:56 PM
  So, NK, you are saying Boehner had to convince everybody to vote to defund against their will at the bidding of the 30 scoundrels?
  Then why didn't he put the amended Senate "clean" CR up for a vote when he knew the lack of 30 republican votes would be far outweighed by the unity of democrat votes in favor?
  One last question: How much does Cruz's vote count in The House?
  Posted by: Threadkiller | October 17, 2013 at 01:03 PM
  Ok NK, who do you irrationally hate more: Ted Cruz or George Zimmerman?
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 01:04 PM
  Because sensible peole kept 'apper Don' Malloy and the Phony Marine, wait that didn't happen at all
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 01:14 PM
  MarkO-- the better way was INSTEAD of defund, for the House to pass a pre-Oct 1st CR with things that Senate Dems did not want to vote against, ObummerCare exemptions, med device tax repeal, and those would have passed with about 20 Dems (like the re-open CRs which were passed later)-- if Reid didn't have a vote on those conditions, Reid would have caused the shutdown, that would hurt Senate Dems, If Reid voted on those, the RedState Dems would have had a real hard time voting no. This was the Cantotr/Ryan plan-- the House conservatives/cruz attacked that plan as too weak-- defund or nothing.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 01:15 PM
  I'll wager if we replayed all the Democrat speakers at the podium yesterday along with the nutzo stenographer, what she said would be well down the list of the most nutty, appalling gibberish anyone offered up.
  Posted by: Ignatz | October 17, 2013 at 01:21 PM
  Memorandum headline;
  Ted Cruz left with few friends after Obamacare fight fails, government shutdown ends, debt limit rises
  Not making friends in the present halls of congress should be viewed about the same as being looked on with official disfavor in Berlin circa 1938 or Moscow in 1924.Posted by: Ignatz | October 17, 2013 at 01:27 PM
  Whos' crazirer, the stegonagrpaher of Ezra kelin working his way down the eight stages of grief
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 01:27 PM
  Most of the Republicans elected from 2010 on ran pledging to oppose 404Care. That includes McCain who also lied about being tough on border security. All Cruz and Mike Lee did, unlike Kelly Ayotte, was keep their campaign promise. They and the House Repubs were undercut by the Senate Repubs who did the donk's heavy lifting without being bent over for it.
  People talk about politics being the art of the possible; if you don't try anything you make it impossible.
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 01:27 PM
  --Cruz . . . was just a junior senator making a speech--
  Cruz had two things: a single vote as a member of the minority party in the Senate chamber, and a forum upon which to stand up and call out Obamacare for the disaster that it is, and warn us all of the impending doom it will bring to our health care industry and the economy if it is allowed to proceed. He stood up. He gave a speech, of which maybe 10% at most of the population even heard a small portion of, and yet the very act of his giving that speech seems to have terrified our lord and masters back in DC. And not just the GOP establishment either. The very savagery of the media's attack on him proves that the Left fear him--or rather his message--greatly as well.
  You could say that what Cruz did was just speak his Truth to Power. That Power seems to be quailing in the face of his Truth ought to tell us something.
  Posted by: derwill | October 17, 2013 at 01:29 PM
  Ext:Instead, we got individual mandate delay, device tax repeal and I can't even remember what else.
  I'm pretty sure they renamed the Redskins.
  Posted by: hit and run | October 17, 2013 at 01:29 PM
  The gov't shutdown was what Obummer wanted, and the Cruz filibuster gave Obummer the excuse he needed to shutdown
  I'll call BS.
  The shutdown was going to happen regardless. Cruz had nothing to do with creating or causing the shutdown.
  The SOLE reason for the shutdown was the president's outrageous demand for a blank check without negotiation. Period. End of story. He wanted a shutdown, he set up the situation to require a shutdown. It is completely false, and quite harmful, to state otherwise.
  Cruz's only influence was on what might be demanded in a negotiation.
  Posted by: Some Guy | October 17, 2013 at 01:29 PM
  I love answering questions--1. Boehner has more control over the Cantor-Ryan part of the caucus so he got their vote to defund, Boehner wanted no part of using Dem votes to pass a CR without defund -- so the Ryan-Cantor votes got him the defund CR-- even though he thought it was a mistake, remember when he mentioned freezing out the 30 defund repubs as a possibility in September, the conservative media (like us) jumped all over him as a surrenderist. Sounds like everybody now agrees that the defund CR was a follish mistake and we should have followed Clarice/Canor's advice (and who else at the time said a defund CR was a mistake-- why TomM for instance an other commenters but aome commeners said 'defund or I'll never vote Repub again!-- or stuff along those lines);
  2. Cruz's involvement-- he was the Senate defund connection, he and the 30+ conservative House caucus publicly claimed his objection to unamimous consent and his Senate speech would force vulnerable Dem senators to vote for defund. Capt H-- Hate Cruz? have you ever met cruz? shook his hand, given money to his causes-- Cruz is a fantastic resource for conservatives on many levels and he's smarter than the rest of us put together, he knew what he was doing here;
  3. vote Dem? why? because conservatives have the temerity to point out the tactical mistakes of politicians? Cantor was the way to go, Cantor couldn't get 218 Repubs because of TP opposition-- so we got defund CR and the shutdown. Simple truthes.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 01:30 PM
  A tax increase is always possibile, so are defense cuts, anything that actually reduces the scope of ai intrusive Federal Apparat, no sorry,
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 01:35 PM
  I'm glad to hear you think highly of Cruz, NK, because that wasn't evident in what you previously wrote. Regarding him giving Gaylord Focker cover, the MFM would go into their protect mode around the petulant Indonesian Dunce no matter what had happened.
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 01:42 PM
  Obummer wanted the shutdown? FACT, absolutely true. Everybody who follows this stuff knew it. So what to do? people like Clarice and Cantor/Ryan logically said lets pick poison pills for the CR that are popular with our and persuadable voters (even DELAY), pass and send that to the Senate, and when Reid refuses to vote on that-- we can show our voters and persuadables that the Dems caused the shutdown, and we'll wait for the Dems to send a counterproposal, meantime we'll pass popular partial CR to fund vets and national parks and soc sec, and debate the Debt. That would have been unhappy times for Senate Dems. Instead, we gave them the defund CR which persuadables didn't like (per polling) and it gave Obummer a convenient excuse to shutdown based on Repub blackmail and no hard votes of any kind for the Senate Dems.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 01:43 PM
  Instead, we gave them the defund CR which persuadables didn't like (per polling) and it gave Obummer a convenient excuse to shutdown based on Repub blackmail and no hard votes of any kind for the Senate Dems.
  Again complete and total BS.
  ANYTHING other than a blank check was 'Repub blackmail' and would have resulted in a shutdown.
  Posted by: Some Guy | October 17, 2013 at 01:47 PM
  " Boehner wanted no part of using Dem votes to pass a CR without defund "
  Boehner was the culprit.
  " he and the 30+ conservative House caucus publicly claimed his objection to unamimous consent and his Senate speech would force vulnerable Dem senators to vote for defund"
  Citation of said claim?
  Posted by: Threadkiller | October 17, 2013 at 01:47 PM
  Those were subsequently done and either Reid held them up or the JEF said NFW. He suffered no negative consequences for that.
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 01:47 PM
  he knew what he was doing here;
  Yes, but the question is: do you know what he was doing?
  Posted by: Threadkiller | October 17, 2013 at 01:51 PM
  GOP are damaged goods. Let's all vote Democrat in 2014. We can't afford more tactical mistakes just because we support the principles at issue.
  Posted by: AliceH | October 17, 2013 at 01:51 PM
  CaptH-- seriously for a moment. Cruz absolutely wowed me at a 2012 NYC election fundraiser, and I gave thru a local group. I said to myself this is the 'hispanic' national conservative are looking for, not that show pony Rubio. So, I'm bitterly disappointed that -- for all the world it looks like to me-- he's ego got out of control this month. Just my disappointed opinion. He's too smart not to learn from this-- I'm optimistic about that.
  Hey narc-- if you want to pitch in for the cause in Ct. I'm sure I'll see you in Nov 2014 ready to challenge Drunken Dan Malloy votes in Bridgeport, like I did in '10 (until Foley pulled the plug even though the margin was only 16,000 votes, to this day I don't know why he did that) and I will do again in '14. We 'band of brothers, we happy few' in Blue Hells appreciate the help.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 01:54 PM
  What iid the Searchlight Strangler say about the Cancer funding fill 'why would I want to save a single child ,when I have 1100 civilians at Nellis,'
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 01:55 PM
  For those of you who want to help out in the Blue Hell of Ct-- here's the Wiki description about the 2010 Bridgeport vote/Judge fraud, that repubs/conservatives in Ct were ready to fight like hell over-- Foley quickly pulled the plug-- to this day I was never told why (maybe TomM knows).
  Bridgeport ballot shortage[edit]A dozen polling locations in the city of Bridgeport ran out of ballots on Election Day, leading to a ruling by Superior Court Judge Marshall K. Berger, Jr., for the polls to remain open at the affected polling sites until 10 p.m., two hours later than the normal statewide 8 p.m. closing time, in order for disenfranchised voters to return to vote on newly printed ballots.[53] Bridgeport officials had initially ordered only 21,000 ballots, despite there being over 69,000[53] registered voters in the city.
  With all votes counted, with the exception of Bridgeport, Republican Tom Foley held a slight lead in the popular vote (556,787 to 548,378). Once the ballots from Bridgeport were counted, Democrat Dan Malloy was declared the winner by Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who, according to the Stamford Advocate, based her announcement on preliminary, "informal totals. ... That does not include uncounted absentee ballots."[54] Byseiwicz's announcement conflicted with the latest statewide tallies compiled by Foley's team and the non-partisan Associated Press, both of which indicated Foley to be in the lead by a thin margin.[54]
  Judge Berger did state in his ruling that all votes submitted after 8 p.m. would be counted as provisional ballots and kept separate from the others. The state Republican Party threatened a legal challenge.[53]
  On November 8, Foley, though still concerned over the election's handling and precise vote totals, conceded the election, stating, "The election on Tuesday was a conclusive victory for Dan Malloy, and this result should not be questioned."[55]
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 02:02 PM
  Yes, Alice; and it's all Sharron Angle's fault for time traveling back to 1986 and losing every six years to the alleged pederast.
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 02:03 PM
  Don't we want to win Congressional votes, convince persuadable, and win elections so we can implement those conservative principles and they have the force of law?
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 02:09 PM
  Questions for discussion:
  What parts of the "GOP Brand" have been damaged by this exercise?
  Are any of them worth keeping?
  I think most of us here on JOM will agree that the GOP brand has not been very appealing to people like us since Reagan left office.
  Posted by: Jim Rhoads f/k/a vnjagvet | October 17, 2013 at 02:13 PM
  "the better way was INSTEAD of defund, for the House to pass a pre-Oct 1st CR with things that Senate Dems did not want to vote against"
  Do you really think Reid would have put such a bill to a vote? Why?
  Posted by: MarkO | October 17, 2013 at 02:17 PM
  This was the Cantotr/Ryan plan-- the House conservatives/cruz attacked that plan as too weak-- defund or nothing.
  NK, I can't see any reason why the Senate/WH wouldn't have treated the Cantor/Ryan plan exactly the same way.
  Posted by: Porchlight | October 17, 2013 at 02:19 PM
  "Ted Cruz and the Tea Party are a very real threat to the GOP"
  Derwill,
  I see Cruz/DeMint as change agents rather than threats. DeMint is operating with the Tea Party label in a strong effort to squash the squishes and force the GOP to shift away from the bathhouse boys and business as usual. DeMint is running a definite "horses for courses" operation and he didn't waste any money on Lonegan's effort to win the Torricelli seat. He understands that while a spaghetti spined loud mouth such as Christie might have a chance in New Jersey, an actual Tea Party candidate was bound to come up short.
  I believe Demint to be targeting Michigan (with Land) for one GOP pick up plus Cotton in Arkansas for another while pithing Miz Lindsey and Pat Roberts in primaries. He may have other seats in mind but I'm pretty sure of those four.
  Posted by: Rick Ballard | October 17, 2013 at 02:20 PM
  "ANYTHING other than a blank check was 'Repub blackmail' and would have resulted in a shutdown."
  Precisely. All the woulda coulda shouldas overlook the fact that the real necessity was to stare down Barry and win the game of chicken, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he would be impeached if he chose to default. The options NK suggests were tried and dismissed without any registerable impact on those "persuadables" he is so sure that he knows.
  Posted by: jimmyk on iPad | October 17, 2013 at 02:26 PM
  When was the last time the GOP won an election?
  Oh yeah, it was 2010 when the Tea Party movement spoke out against TARP, the Porkulus, and Obamacare and got out the vote for certain candidates, enough of which won to give the House to the Republicans.
  Posted by: derwill | October 17, 2013 at 02:27 PM
  NK, pretty sure someone told Foley it was hopeless. The necessary ballots for Malloy would be "found" and there wasn't a damn thing anyone was going to be able to do about it and Foley would be hammered for wasting money on a recount. Maybe Foley didn't want to put his family through any more, I don't know.
  Posted by: Porchlight | October 17, 2013 at 02:27 PM
  How I see it:
  Ted Cruz in the Senate speaking about aca.
  "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."-- stuff Calvin Coolidge said.
  Posted by: Sandy Daze | October 17, 2013 at 02:27 PM
  Porch@219-- I think that's right, BUT (this is a huge BUT) then Reid would have caused the shutdown, and to end the shutdown Reid/Obummer would have had to put to a Senate vote a 'clean' CR for 1 YEAR at HIGHER than sequester spending, and the vulnerable Senate Dems would have hated that vote, because persuadables would have hated a 1 year CR with HIGHER spending. THAT was the kind of vote to make Senate Dems swallow. Que sera, sera.
  RickB@2:20-- I think tou're right and I hope you're right. IMO the TP/Repub 'schism' is mostly a personality/power fight between Mccain-Rove and young TPs like Cruz. My hope is that the repubs/TP realize they need each other and act accordingly. Here's hoping.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 02:31 PM
  The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
  This was the favorite slogan of my first and favorite law firm mentor. He used it to good effect particularly after he had given me sound advice about thorny matters. I have used it as well over the years. I hadn't realized it came from CC.
  Posted by: Jim Rhoads f/k/a vnjagvet | October 17, 2013 at 02:37 PM
  And well it may be. But the party I want must, above all, be able to win elections. If it is connfined to the TP faction, it cannot do that
  And if that party wins, so what? That party, with its current makeup or a makeup of "most conservative electables" - who certainly don't include those unreasonable Tea Party-types - will get you ObamaEverything as surely as the full-bore statists will, just at a slower pace.
  House and Senate Republicans are no more different than opposing football teams at this point; they're playing the same game, with the same goals, but with slightly differing strategies. The Republicans just happen to have a few people who cheese of both sides' coaches and managers because they just aren't team players. Switch uniforms between teams and, save for the Republican troublemakers, you'd be hard-pressed to spot any significant differences between them.
  As I think the American electorate dosen't want to be told that Uncle Sugar's candy will rot their teeth, and he's running out of sugar to boot, suspect that the majority of House and Senate members will probably best be characterized as Full-bore Statist and Statist Lite rather than Democrat and Republican, with not enough Conservatives to effectively disarm the Debt Bomb and the Debt Bomb State.
  This leaves you with the ashes of ObamaEverything to work with in trying to restore the US to being a rational and sustainable limited-government constitutional republic. I'm not saying I like the odds of this happening; I'm saying that ObamaEverything is the most likely outcome of all of the scenarios being discussed here, and that thinking about how to get the most positive outcome from it is more profitable than arguing the relative merits of Republican or Democrat pathways to the Debt Bomb State.
  Posted by: Trevor Saccucci | October 17, 2013 at 02:38 PM
  An observation about Squaredance and the reactions he invokes around here. IIRC, he is a survivor of one of the dull grey Eastern bloc thugocracies. In that context, I envision him as a grizzled, war weary sergeant staring at a bunch of recruits just off the boat with their six-week basic training under their belt. In that context 'you' = a bunch of soft, green complainers without the taste of blood in your mouths. In that context, he has seen it all before and can't believe we are so clueless as to what is coming. I think there is a grain of truth in that.
  Now, given all the debate about the near-inevitable demise of this Republic, I can sympathize with his perspective, minus the, perhaps, unintended insults directed at us as a group. Here is my question to all of you: given that we face one of three possible futures a) a continual decline that probably accelerates as OPM disappears, b) a miraculous reversal as the country collectively slaps its forehead and votes away this disaster, or c) begin irrigating the Tree of Liberty, where do YOU draw the line? It hits me that we are behaving a bit like JEF and are successively drawing red lines and backing away each time as the last line gets crossed.
  We have our St. Janes as an escape, but really? Are we all going over some border like the Royalists going to Canada? At what point do we turn around and dig in our heals? I'm not arguing that the time is now, I'm just worried that we are putting off that decision until it may be too late.
  Last thought: Jonah says that fascism comes this time with a smiley face. Does the (so far) lack of citizens being shot by the storm troopers prevent an armed rebellion from ever being the viable alternative?
  Posted by: Manuel Transmission | October 17, 2013 at 02:39 PM
  Porch-- Foley-- I'm telling you, IMO,we had them cold in court, we could prove ...ahem... election violations, and far more than 6,000 Bridgeport votes would have to have been invalidated as a matter of law-- IMO NON-election lawyer opinion. And my sense was that the Dem officials were in no hurry to back up those 'votes'. Foley didn't want the fight, maybe he didn't even want the job.
  SandyD-- I agree with the sentiment. I also agree with the British Army and USMC doctrine which holds that they never 'retreat'-- but sometimes the British Army 'withdraws' and somwetimes the USMC 'advances in a different direction'.
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 02:40 PM
  A lot of this "TP and Establishment need to compromise and work together" stuff sounds a whole like "TP shut up and let the Establishment do their jobs - their professionals. Oh, and don't forget to vote and donate to RNC, NRSC, NRCC and your local friendly GOP approved candidates!"
  Meh. The democrats don't try to make me pay to compromise my principles -- they just take the money out my pocket like the honest thieves they are.
  Posted by: AliceH | October 17, 2013 at 02:41 PM
  The Business roundtable, per Engler was bought off with the delay of the employer mandate, as were the phamarmaceuticals and insurance last time, how much did Karl Rove get 150 million last time, and delivered Carolonica , i'm being charitable,
  Posted by: narciso | October 17, 2013 at 02:44 PM
  Ext:Instead, we got individual mandate delay, device tax repeal and I can't even remember what else.
  I think Obamacare was amended so that parents with kids under the age of 26 who manage to sign up on the exchanges can be included at no charge on their kids' insurance . . . for free.
  Posted by: hit and run | October 17, 2013 at 02:44 PM
  Since Trevor brought this over from the last thread, I'll repeat my comment that got orphaned there:
  "If it is connfined to the TP faction, it cannot do that, just as it can't win if it is all McCains."
  Well now you've lost me. Consensus behind either faction will lose but disunity is also damaging in your view. Is their some fourth option I'm not seeing?
  [Incidentally, by "TP faction" I really mean the conservative wing of the party, not literally the TP whatever that is.]
  Posted by: jimmyk | October 17, 2013 at 02:45 PM
  Foley didn't want the fight, maybe he didn't even want the job.
  I agree he didn't want the fight. But just because we ought to have won it doesn't mean we would have. Look at Coleman/Franken - and Bpt is more corrupt than Minny. I've lived in both Fairfield and Mpls, I know.
  Posted by: Porchlight | October 17, 2013 at 02:45 PM
  Porch@219-- I think that's right, BUT (this is a huge BUT) then Reid would have caused the shutdown, and to end the shutdown Reid/Obummer would have had to put to a Senate vote a 'clean' CR for 1 YEAR at HIGHER than sequester spending, and the vulnerable Senate Dems would have hated that vote, because persuadables would have hated a 1 year CR with HIGHER spending. THAT was the kind of vote to make Senate Dems swallow. Que sera, sera.
  Reid DID cause the shutdown, and no such vote was put to the Senate. This is alternate history fantasy.
  Posted by: Porchlight | October 17, 2013 at 02:48 PM
  Amen, Sandy, Amen!
  I'm a Catholic but my paternal grandfather (Episcopalian) was the highest ranking Master in New York State and founded not one but two lodges - Sag Harbor and Southampton's "Old Town Lodge". I donated all his memorabilia, Masonic rings, awards, photographs, artwork and books to the Lodge. I did save one item - his framed certification of his election to Master, 3rd Degree.
  He would be smiling and shaking his head right now if he heard the nut job Steno.
  At the same time he loved and accepted my Mother and her Irish-Catholic roots. He had no objection to us kids being raised catholic and in fact, supported the local catholic school we attended. Marvelous man of great integrity and discipline.
  Posted by: Jack is Back | October 17, 2013 at 02:50 PM
  TC on the other thread: "I do think the GOP still has a chance to stick it to the Dems but good. In the next debt limit dance, the House should send over two bills, one containing the repeal of 404Care and the other containing requirements alleviating the most annoying parts of the 404Care website."
  Except that the next debt limit dance in Jan/Feb is pre-approved by last night's law unless the Congress can pass a veto proof law denying Obama the right to sell those bonds. Since the Senate of course will not even act on such a law if proposed by the House, Reps so tired of this last fight that they ceded the next one or more.
  See how much easier it is to govern when we ...don't?
  Posted by: Old Lurker | October 17, 2013 at 02:51 PM
  Now that the Vichy Republicans folded their hand, the Admin. shows the card up it's sleeve according to a story buried, appropriately enough, on page C4 of today's WSJ.
  Yesteday Jack Lew sold 189 day cash-management bills, the longest-dated bills that the U.S. has issued since October 2009. The money raised through the cash-management bills, along with other short-term bills, would bring in a total of $133 billion in cash this week for the Tresury-- more than enough to cover $120 billion in bills due on Thursday.
  The GOP threw in their straignt flush to a pair of duces.
  Posted by: Publius of Idaho | October 17, 2013 at 02:54 PM
  When did Reid put Obummer's 1 year CR with higher spending (sequester rescinded) to a Senate vote? When did he do that? The first Senate vote was the House defund CR, then there were POST shutdown Senate votes adopting the House individual funding bills, then there was McConnell's final bill. When did Reid put Obummer's CR to a vote?
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 02:55 PM
  That party, with its current makeup or a makeup of "most conservative electables" - who certainly don't include those unreasonable Tea Party-types - will get you ObamaEverything as surely as the full-bore statists will, just at a slower pace.
  I strongly disagree with this.
  Well, only in that it will get you there at a *faster* pace. By acting as ineffective foils who have no viable alternative or any vision for that matter, they enhance the pace rather than retard it.
  They provide either the cover of "bipartisanship" or the easily slain dragon of no teeth or fire. Which only accelerates statist gains, but never puts any brakes on it.
  Posted by: Some Guy | October 17, 2013 at 02:56 PM
  The BR is heavily involved in pushing the Common Core. For Corporatist reasons I lay out as being the vision for going after the West's wealth and high levels of technology.
  MT-I know Jonah wrote that but the barrycades and National Park antics and by any means necessary intentions and parents all over the country being told that nothing can prevent the participation and collection of data about their kids in these statewide longitudinal databases are all building up to a confrontation somewhere.
  Remember the motto "irreversible change?" That's what we are living through now and the idea is to achieve that with a sufficient voting majority to make opposition moot. But as I wrote yesterday the Left erroneously assumes the economy IS a fixed pie. They really are unaware they are consuming seed corn that cannot be replaced. Those they are encouraging dependence in certainly do not realize that.
  Truly uncharted territory but we will push through this and none of us have blinders on about what is happening or the implications. And we do in fact know how to push through.
  Posted by: rse | October 17, 2013 at 02:57 PM
  Has anyone here read the actual law yet on the next increase? (I have not so it is a serious question) Reason I ask is I just heard that the "deemed approved" check we gave Obama for Jan-Feb actually does not have a dollar limit in it. So why wouldn't he just borrow a gazillion dollars and park them for use by his team when they need to dip into them?
  Posted by: Old Lurker | October 17, 2013 at 02:58 PM
  Publius, as Tom McClintock stated eloquently there was never any danger of default unless the Indonesian took steps to make it happen.
  Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | October 17, 2013 at 03:00 PM
  Dan Malloy doesn't care what he does... because he's an idiot (he claims to have reading disabilty, personally I think he's a drunk/junky like his son). You know what.... I don't think Malloy wants the job either. His sellout to the Public Unions with the tax increase pissed off rich libs, and left the Unions pissed off with the tiny concessions they had to make.. oh, and then there's the bankruptcy for the State, because the State is in an irrevesible spiral of collapsing job base and pension obligations. Who wants to be governor of Ct? Paging Tom Maguire, Governor Tom Maguire!
  Posted by: NK(tryin'2.0) | October 17, 2013 at 03:03 PM
Review: Amateur Radio Handhelds (HTs), APRS, and Battery Tuning Tips | The Changelog
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 17 Oct 2013 23:29
  April 30th, 2012
  There are a lot of opinions about handhelds for amateur radio users (these handhelds are often known as HTs). I've used three of them, two with APRS capability, and thought it's about time I write about them. First, I'll talk about the units in particular, then I'll get to some broader Yaesu vs. Kenwood generalizations and conclusions.
  Yaesu VX-7R '' a rugged first HT without APRS
  Cost: $350 as of 4/30/2012
  This was the first HT I got as a ham, at the suggestion of Mike AE0MW. It truly does make a great first handheld for a ham. Radio-wise, one unique feature is a receive that's wideband enough to cover both broadcast FM and broadcast AM, the various ham bands, and plenty of others besides. The battery life quoted in the manual is 6 hours on 2m and 5.5 hours on 440 (using standard 6s TX / 6s RX / 48s squelched metric), and in my experience it seems it must be even better in some cases.
  The real piece of news about this unit, though, is just how rugged it is. It says ''submersible'' across the front and I absolutely believe it. I have personal experience with its ruggedness. I once was at an event and put the radio on my car roof while helping one of my children into the car. I then started driving home and forgot it there. When we got home, I realized what had happened, and also realized what that mysterious CLUNK along the busy county road was. So I drove 45 minutes back to where I heard the clunk, and found the VX-7R still lying in the roadway, where it had been for 1.5 hours on the 55 MPH road. The thing was really beat up. It had obviously been hit by numerous vehicles. The antenna was ripped off, taking the SMA mount with it. But wouldn't you know it, the darn thing still powered up. I took it to a local amateur radio shop, and about $80 later it was repaired. Incredible. The only real problem was the antenna connector.
  I took this radio with me on my bicycle many days, mounted on my handlebars. It got bounced around, but still worked great. Some days I listened to FM radio from it while riding my bike, monitoring a local repeater while I rode. Other days, I spent most of my ride (about an hour each way) chatting with people on the repeaters '' I have a mobile antenna mounted on the bike, fed to the VX-7R, and a headset. It all worked fine '' never a problem at all.
  The ruggedness has its downside. All of the connectors on the radio, except for DC in, are screw-down '-- even the speaker/mic connector. This obviously helps keep water out, but means that it can take a lot longer than normal to do a simple thing like plug in a speaker/mic. It doesn't need any tools, but can get a little annoying.
  The radio physically is small (unless you install the belt clip, which has an odd peg-based mechanism that protrudes unnecessarily far and is surprisingly non-rugged). It can easily fit into a pocket.
  The other downsides of the VX-7R mostly surround its interface. I'm not one of the Yaesu haters that seem to be so common. I find the interface usable if you read the manual; it seems a lot of people that complain about it don't. But it is quirky.
  The SET mode is one long menu in sort of a ring. You scroll with the knob, and when you get to the end, it repeats to the beginning. There are one or two shortcut keys to a specific setting, but overall either you use the thing so much you know exactly where you're going, or you're twisting the knob for awhile until the option you want rolls around. (I know of nobody that uses it so much they know exactly where they're going.) They do have options grouped into categories, but it doesn't help much because there's no quick way to skip between categories.
  The dual transceivers work less elegantly than on the TH-D72A or VX-8GR. Instead of being two equal transceivers A and B, they are ''main'' and ''sub''. The sub transceiver is not broadband receive like the main receiver is. But there are also other limitations that have no apparent logic. For instance, you can program memory groups into the device '' putting, say, all the local repeaters into a certain group, or all the public safety frequencies (to use as a scanner). You can go to the ''special'' set menu, select group, then activate SCAN, and it will scan only the memories in that group. But you can't select the special group mode on the sub transceiver '' for no apparent reason.
  One other complaint is that the AC charger introduces so much noise to a transmission that you cannot really use the VX-7R to transmit while the charger is connected.
  Yaesu sells a programming cable that plugs into the speaker/mic port on one end, and a DB-9 serial port on the other, and includes programming software. For an incredibly high price. For far less, I found a similar cable on eBay that has a USB port on the other end (with a built-in USB/serial converter), and used VX-7R Commander '-- though now that Chirp is available for Linux, I'll probably switch to it.
  I would probably continue to recommend this transceiver for a new ham. The ruggedness, plus the broadband RX, are features that should make it appealing. It is an excellent emergency preparedness/response radio due to those properties; having TX and RX on ham bands, plus RX on broadcast and public safety could be quite the asset.
  However, for someone that has any interest in APRS, one of the other two radios I mention is probably a better choice. At only $10 more, the VX-8GR sacrifices ruggedness and broadband receive for APRS functionality and could make a compelling alternative to the VX-7R at the same price point. The very low-power transmit at 50MHz and 220MHz on the VX-7R strikes me as a gimmick feature at best that has very little actual use.
  Shipped battery: FNB-80LI, 7.4V, 1400 mAh, lithium-ion
  Kenwood TH-D72A / D72E '' The Cadillac HT, with APRS and GPS
  Cost: $464 as of April 30, 2012
  It's hard to use any word but ''incredible'' to describe this HT, though it does have its own rough edges.
  Starting with the basics, it has dual transceivers with full duplex (meaning you can be transmitting on one band while receiving on another). Its stored memory system and memory bank scanning system are both a lot easier and faster to use than Yaesu's, and work the same on both transceivers A and B, though perhaps offer slightly less flexibility than Yaesu's (on the VX-7R, a single memory can be a member of more than one group). The quoted operating time is 6 hours, which is probably accurate with APRS and GPS off, matching (or nearly matching) the VX-7R.
  The TH-D72A has the usual mic and speaker ports. Unlike Yaesu, Kenwood has used the same jack for years, so it is not necessary to purchase new accessories with each upgrade. The unit also has both serial (Kenwood connector) and standard mini USB ports, and even ships with a USB cable. The USB port is designed to interface to a PC, and the radio presents itself as a serial-over-USB device. Kenwood also includes MCP-4A, the programming software for the unit, free. This is one example of several things that Kenwood includes for free but are costly add-ons with Yaesu.
  Kenwood's configuration menu system is hierarchical. You can scroll through the four top-level menus (RADIO, GPS, APRS, and SKY), then navigate through sub menus. The result is that it's both faster and easier to find what you want than on the Yaesu menus. Plus, as you navigate, the radio shows you the shortcut key to get to a particular option (each level of menu is numbered starting) '-- so, for instance, Menu-1-1-0 takes me directly to the configuration for RX battery saver interval far faster than I could get there on the VX-7R or VX-8GR. Only the APRS menu gets a bit crowded with this setup.
  The D72A supports Kenwood's Sky Command II '' an intriguing way of making it essentially a remote for a Kenwood HF rig such as the TS-2000. It works by engaging a crossband repeater for the audio, and setting up a AX.25 packet link for the control. It works, but as the response time to frequency adjustments is measured in seconds, is klunky for tuning around a HF band. A nifty, though perhaps not supremely useful, feature with some hackable potential that I haven't explored yet.
  The TH-D72A is one of only two shipping general-purpose amateur radios that have a built-in GPS '-- the other is the Yaesu VX-8GR, which I'll review below. The GPS works well, and can get a fix indoors if desired. It has a system of saving waypoints, which you can then navigate back to later (using distance/bearing indicators). It also has a track log. While the track log can't be viewed on the unit, it can be downloaded with the included MCP-4A software and saved in a variety of formats including Google's KML for later importing into Google Maps or Google Earth. I enjoy this feature on trips to see where I went later on. There is also a GPS-only mode, which disables all of the other radio circuitry on the radio for very low power consumption. The GPS navigation screens all support heading-up or north-up indicators.
  But where this radio really shines is APRS. The D72 has all the basics you'd expect '' sending and receiving beacons, sending and receiving messages and bulletins, etc. It has built-in support for being a digipeater in many different ways, including new-N UI-Trace. Coupled with an MFJ VHF amplifier, this could make a nice temporary (or even permanent) digi. The message interface permits sending, receiving, and shortcuts for replying to messages.
  Beacon transmission can be completely manual, at set intervals, or using SmartBeaconing. Outbound beacons also support proportional pathing (meaning adjusting via-path to not have wide coverage with every transmission). Also, if not using SmartBeaconing, a decay algorithm can be used to send beacons less frequently when the station's location isn't changing. An alternative tells the system to transmit a beacon every time PTT is released, subject to rate limiting by interval. So lots of choices there.
  For incoming beacons, there are various filters by callsign pattern, packet type, etc. that control whether they will be processed at all, and what kind of alert (visual or audible) to present. Beacons are also placed in a received beacon list, sorted with the most recent at the top (duplicates from the same station are always removed, so only the most recent is presented.) A long press of the LIST button shows time received and type of device next to the callsign. Selecting a specific beacon shows status text, comment, device type, bearing/distance (with graphical north-up or heading-up display), telemetry (weather information and the like), and a little bit of info about the via-path. Pretty nice to see weather reports from local weather stations on there. You can sort the list by received time, station call, or distance from your position '-- but it doesn't stay sorted by anything other than received time, and takes several seconds to re-sort. Seems like a bit of an oversight there.
  The D72A supports QSY information in beacons. This can automatically insert the frequency of the other band on the transceiver into your transmitted beacons for you, or give you a quick way to tune to the frequency mentioned on others' beacons. Either way, a nice touch.
  The D72 also supports query packets, such as packets asking your station to transmit its position right now.
  The TH-D72A can directly interface with several types of weather stations via serial link to read weather sensor information and transmit it into APRS packets directly, with no need for a PC to be in the picture at all. But if you do hook up a PC to it, there are quite a few more possibilities.
  You can hook it up to PC APRS software (or a hardware device such as the AVMAP) to see locations of other APRS stations on a map. It can emit APRS packets, plus even GPS sentences, down the USB port to the PC. Moreover, in PACKET mode, it acts as a full TNC, with a fairly robust TNC command set. In short, it can do more than APRS; it can also do regular AX.25 such as DX clusters, BBS, nodes, etc. As far as I know, this is the only HT that can interface with a PC in this manner, and only Kenwood's mobile D710 has the same kind of feature set at that.
  Kenwood includes a lot of documentation with the TH-D72A. The 51-page printed manual is a summary or introductory guide. The included CD-ROM supplies another 75 pages of detailed reference material, and the 92-page ''in-depth APRS manual'' has a level of detail that true geeks like me appreciate. I've referred to Kenwood's documentation more than once while figuring out things about the VX-8GR (which woefully under-documents things like SmartBeaconing). That said, it appears that at least some of the documentation has been copied from the earlier TH-D7A. Page 4 of the printed book is a good example. It talks about the memory effect of the battery, and warns against unplugging and replugging the charger because the charge cycle will be reset and the battery will be over-charged (I find it hard to believe that a Li-Ion charge controller would be that stupid, and furthermore direct observation suggests that it isn't.) Parts of the in-depth APRS guide appear to have been written for the D710, but that's a really minor nit.
  Unlike Yaesu, Kenwood issues periodic firmware updates to the D72A, which you can apply over USB. They have fixed bugs and added features to the unit over time.
  Now onto the things that aren't so good about the D72A. I'll start with the battery system, since we were already discussing it. Despite shipping with a much larger battery than the VX-8GR (1800 mAh vs. 1100 mAh), it only manages roughly equal battery life with APRS and GPS engaged. (It will probably do better as a simple voice unit, however.) This has been confirmed by numerous reports on the Internet. I will discuss this topic more below.
  There is very little else to fault the D72A on, feature-wise. I have a minor nit in that it is impossible to cause the keylock feature to also lock PTT. It would be nice to be able to see raw APRS packets on beacons and messages. Other than that, I can't think of a feature it really lacks.
  Compared to the VX-7R and VX-8GR, the TH-D72A is significantly larger physically, in every dimension. It is not uncomfortably large, and still fits in my hand fine. But its size is enough different that it feels like the design is dated and could have been more compact if Kenwood would have bothered. It's a nit, sure, but a nontrivial one.
  With the single exception of the sturdy metal belt clip, the D72 doesn't feel nearly as rugged as the VX-7R, and not even as rugged as the VX-8GR. The keys have a squishy feel to them, the PTT button works fine but has a cheap plastic design (as opposed to the rubberized versions on Yaesu's HTs). The manual doesn't mention it, but one Kenwood brochure mentions and IP54 weatherproofing. That means it is protected against limited ingress of dust and against water sprayed from all directions '' limited ingress permitted. Contrast that to the VX-7R, which is rated for 30 minutes of submersion at 3ft and has a magnesium case. It seems to be specced similarly to the VX-8GR, though the VX-8GR certainly feels a lot more solid. I have no proof, as I'm not about to sacrifice my HTs for science, but I doubt that the TH-D72A would have survived over an hour on a busy road as well as the VX-7R did, and probably not even as well as the VX-8GR would. The case is plastic '-- a stout plastic, but still plastic.
  Like the VX-8GR, and unlike the VX-7R, the D72A does not have broadband receive. It can receive some bands adjacent to the ham bands it supports, which includes a lot of bands of interest to people with scanners, but still can't receive broadcast FM signals like the VX-7R.
  Shipped battery: PB-45L, 1800 mAh, lithium-ion
  Yaesu VX-8GR: Cheaper APRS & GPS
  Cost: $360 as of 4/30/2012
  One could probably call this Yaesu's closest competitor to the D72A. At about $100 cheaper, it doesn't have a featureset that matches Kenwood's, but it does have a few innovations that the D72A lacks.
  Starting with the basics, it lacks the VX-7R's broadband receive, with the receive roughly matching the TH-D72A's. The 8GR is a dual-transceiver HT, and it works this effectively (moreso than the VX-7R). Yaesu has a bad habit of changing connectors on radios with regularity, and charging an arm and a leg for accessories to boot. Even within the VX-8 line, the 8GR uses different accessories than the 8DR, and of course has different plugs than the 7R (though it appears that the DC power plug is the same, and with some luck you might be able to use a VX-7R speaker/mic on the 8GR, though not the reverse).
  The menu system on the 8GR is still similar to the 7R, though Yaesu has done several things to improve it. For one, scrolling through the menu now shows several lines of context on the screen at once, making it faster to scan. Also, there are more ways to jump into the menu at a certain location than before '' and even a small bit of clumsily-implemented hierarchy (there are several settings on the SmartBeaconing page, for instance).
  The menu key now toggles between various displays: the default frequency/status display, a GPS display, an APRS staion list, and an APRS message list. Just about everything operationally takes more keypresses than the D72A. On the D72A, it's one or two keys (a physical button or F+button) to do almost everything: toggle GPS state, change TNC/APRS state (turn on or off), etc. All of that is in the scrolling menus on the 8GR. The quickest way there, which is documented in the manual, is to press MENU until a certain screen comes up, then press and hold MENU to bring up the settings (defaulting to a certain APRS-related category), then scroll and change settings. It's a pain to turn APRS on and off, because you have to do this process for both the GPS and the APRS modem. Inexplicably, there is a hotkey to change the APRS beacon method (manual, auto, or SmartBeaconing) but not to turn APRS itself on or off. (The D72A has a hotkey to toggle the beaconing, though not to change its method; though in truth, if you do it frequently, the menu shortcuts will get you there rapidly.)
  Physically, the VX-8GR is closer to the size of the 7R than the size of the D72A, and notably is significantly smaller than the D72A (at least with the standard battery). As noted in the D72A review, the VX-8GR feels more rugged than the D72A, though whether that is actually true or not is hard to pin down. It is definitely less rugged than the VX-7R. The keys require more pressure than the D72A, and in this they are similar to the 7R, but feel satisfyingly solid.
  Unlike the other radios here, the 8GR does not have a dedicated volume knob, having only one dial on the top. To adjust volume, you hold the volume button on the left while twisting the knob. In practice, this is probably not usually very annoying, but if the radio is on your belt or otherwise not in your hand, this would be a frustration. (I think it would be particularly annoying if using it with a speaker/mic). Setting 99 will let you change the key so you don't have to hold it in, which could probably go a long way to making the situation more tolerable.
  One unique feature of the VX-8GR, as far as I know completely unique to it, is a vibrating alert. This would most frequently be used with APRS to provide a nearly-silent alert of incoming messages and the like.
  The screen of the 8G, while similar in size to both the D72A and the 7R, appears to be higher-resolution (or if not, they make better use of it). More information is packed onto the screen at once, and although the D72A does have a small font, it uses it so rarely that lots of scrolling is needed. The 8GR uses a smaller font than the D72A to show content of messages and the like, which makes a much faster experience since there is a lot less scrolling. Neither radio has a setting to change this behavior, so if your eyesight isn't good, you may prefer the D72A anyhow.
  The VX-8GR supports a heading-up or a north-up view of the received GPS data, but strangely it does not support this when navigating to a received beacon (north-up is the only option). Unlike the TH-D72A, you can engage keylock on the 8GR while someone's beacon is on the display. Also unlike the TH-D72A, you can lock out the PTT key on the 8GR. However, the keylock feature is just a quick press of the power button, which makes me a bit nervous. And worse, if you tell it to lock the PTT key, then it also won't transmit any automatic APRS beacons!
  There are a lot of things the D72A supports in the APRS area that the 8GR doesn't. Here's a summary of features missing in the 8GR compared to the D72A: voice alert (can't even do it manually since tone/CTCSS are locked out in APRS mode), quick replying to messages, TNC mode (meaning you can't use it with PC-based APRS programs), full AX.25 packet mode, full PC linking, weather station inputs, built-in digipeater mode, heading-up display, GPS track logs, QSY in beacons, quick tuning to others' QSY info, responding to position queries, proportional pathing, automatic decay, beaconing on PTT release, sorting of beacon list, hotkey access to many features, and I'm sure the list goes on. On the flipside, the only thing feature-wise that you get on the 8GR's APRS implementation that the D72A lacks is ability to inspect raw APRS packets.
  The VX-8GR has the lowest-capacity battery of the three radios covered in this post, and this is an oft-cited problem for users of the unit. Yeasu does seem to do a much better job of power management than Kenwood, though, so in full APRS and GPS mode, the battery life is roughly the same, amazingly enough. It is unlikely that the talk time on the 8GR would match either the 7R or the D72A, however.
  Kenwood and Yaesu both have a battery saver feature which cuts power to the RX circuit except for brief checks for signals. Yaesu completely disables this while the APRS modem is on (and STILL matches Kenwood's battery life, despite the smaller battery!) Kenwood doesn't, though recommends changing the signal-check interval from 0.2s to 0.03s in order to avoid truncating APRS packets. Yaesu offers an 1800 mAh extended-life battery which should significantly exceed Kenwood's battery life. Aftermarket vendors have 2000 mAh batteries as well.
  Either way, expect APRS to be a drain on batteries. More on that below.
  Although Yaesu includes 168 pages of documentation with the 8GR, don't expect it to match the quality and detail of Kenwood's 218 pages. There are a lot of gimmicky/useless features on the 8GR (WIRES, for one) that get extensive treatment, and there is a fair bit of repetition. I particularly single out the SmartBeaconing documentation on the 8GR as being, at best, woefully incomplete '-- and probably also inaccurate to boot. Read the D72A manuals to figure out how that feature works on your 8GR.
  I bought the VX-8GR intending it to be something akin to a more versatile TinyTrak. On that score, it mostly succeeds. It may be my go-to rig for use at bicycle rides, marathons, emergencies, etc., while the D72A will probably be the one that goes with me on trips.
  Shipped battery: FNB-101LI, 7.4V, 1100 mAh, lithium-ion
  Not covered: VX-8DR '' poor value for the dollar
  Cost: $434 ($550 with GPS and GPS connector)
  Yaesu's top-of-the-line HT is sometimes considered to be the VX-8DR. It maintains the broadband capability of the 7R, is probably almost as rugged as the 7R, and has APRS built in, like the 8GR. It even has an option to add a Bluetooth board.
  What is doesn't have built-in is a GPS. You can add one on for $77 for the FGPS-2 plus $39 for the CT-136 connector which connects the GPS to the unit. But then you have a unit a lot less rugged than even the D72A (that's a small connector for the GPS), a lot less small, with the same APRS featureset as the 8GR (meaning a lot less than the D72A), which costs about $100 more than the D72A. Frankly I think this makes for a poor APRS package, and would probably only be reasonable for someone that wants other 8DR features and has a desire for some very occasionaly APRS work.
  Battery Life and APRS
  One of my first surprises with APRS HTs was the poor battery life I saw. Doing my research seemed to suggest that, contrary to popular opinion, the transmitted beacons were not the culiprit, but the receive circuits were to blame. Because it is not acceptable to cut off the first 200ms of an AX.25 packet like it is with a repeater, the RX circuit is either engaged much more frequently (Kenwood) or continuously (Yaesu), putting a lot more drain on the battery. (This has also been confirmed by multiple others that have done testing) The GPS receiver also adds drain, and on the D72A, so does the TNC, which is always active when APRS is.
  If you don't care about received beacons, you can dramatically raise the battery life on the D72A by setting the power saver to 1 second or greater '-- as high as 14 hours by one report. On either unit, raising the squelch should have some effect (though not as much; but in any case, weak packets won't decode anyhow, so there's no sense in letting them in.)
  On the 8GR, getting the extended life 1800 mAh (or aftermarket version) could produce battery life in nearly that same region, without compromising on the RX side of things.
  Conclusions
  If you want a HT capable of APRS, seriously think of the TH-D72A before anything else. It is $100 more expensive than the 8GR, but has more than $100 worth of extra features (and included things, like PC link cable and software, that are extra on the 8GR), so it has a better value.
  If you're particularly budget-conscious or want the most ruggedness you can find, the 7R and 8GR are solid contenders if you can sacrifice the extra APRS features.
  Update May 1: Clarified what the lack of TNC mode on the VX-8GR means, and also how the VX-8GR PTT keylock also locks out APRS transmissions.
  Categories:Reviews
  Tags:amateur radio
'–¶ M1GEO TCP/IP over AX25 - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 17 Oct 2013 23:16
Washington Beef up the Gulf States with 10,000 Strike Weapons Worth US$10 Billion - Defense Update - Military Technology & Defense News
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:48
  SLAM-ER long-range anti-ship / air-to-surface missiles carried on the F-15E variant slated for the Korean F-15K
  In another mega weapons sales Washington is equipping Saudi Arabia and the UAE with nearly 10,000 strike weapons '' the JSOW-C standoff-weapon, air-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Standoff Land Attack Missiles-Expanded Response' (SLAM-ER) - a land-attack variant of the Harpoon and and Small Diameter Bombs.
  Saudi Arabia is seeking to acquire new strike weapons from the USA, to equip the fleet of new and modernized F-16SA strike fighters. According to notification to congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the total cost of missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support could sum up to US$6.8 billion. In December 2011 Saudi Arabia signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) to purchase 84 new and 70 refurbished F-15SA multi-role fighter aircraft and associated weapons. The weapons included in this request are additional to that order. An additional request at a cost of four billion US$ was announced in parallel to the Saudi. This second request came from the United Arab Emirate, pertaining to armament acquisition for its F-16 Block 60 fighters.
  According to the agency, the Government of Saudi Arabia has requested 650 AGM-84H electro-optically guided Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), 973 AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW) and and 1000 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) GPS guided weapons and 400 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles . The Saudi Air Force will also get 60 AWW-13 Data Link pods to support the SLAM-ER with 'man in the loop' assisting the electro-optical guidance. To support weapon qualification and the acquisition will also include 40 CATM-84H Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM), 20 ATM-84H SLAM-ER Telemetry Missiles, 4 Dummy Air Training Missiles, 10 JSOW CATMs, 40 Harpoon CATMs, 20 ATM-84L Harpoon Exercise Missiles, 36 SDB Captive Flight and Load Build trainers.
  To enhance their F-16 Block 60 Desert Falcons, the Government of the United Arab Emirates has requested up to 5,000 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) (with BRU-61 carriage systems), 1,200 AGM-154C Joint StandOff Weapon (JSOW) and 300 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missiles-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), expanding the fighters' air-to-surface and maritime strike capability. The request also includes 30 AWW-13 Data Link pods. To facilitate the integration of SDB on the Block 60 the UAE will add eight SDB Guided Test Vehicles and 16 SDB Captive Flight vehicles for flight testing verification. SImilar to the Saudi program, the UAE will also receive the necessary hardware to train and support those systems.
  The prime contractors associated with those programs are Boeing (GBU-39(B), AGM-84H and AGM-84L) and Raytheon (AGM-154, AWW-13). The two companies also shared the majority of multi-billion orders for the F-15SA and their integral (air/air and air/ground) weapons.
  The array of weapons payload carried by the F-15SE '' the Saudi F-15SA variant is based on the SE configuration. Photo: Boeing
VIDEO-Redford: Women, young people must save U.S. from men behaving stupidly - CNN.com
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Thu, 17 Oct 2013 21:03
  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  President Obama "can't function" now in Washington, Robert Redford saysThe actor says some in Congress are "crippling our whole country"Redford sat down with CNN's Nischelle Turner to talk about his new film, "All Is Lost"He plays a lone sailor struggling to stay alive after his sailboat is crippled by a collision(CNN) -- Robert Redford says bigotry, fear of change and a determination to personally destroy President Barack Obama have paralyzed the U.S. government.
  Women and young people are the answer to fixing the gridlock that has partially shut down Washington, the actor told CNN on Tuesday.
  "Give them the reins," Redford said. "I think they can do better than we have."
  Redford, 77, sat down with CNN's Nischelle Turner to talk about his new film, "All Is Lost," which he agreed could serve as an analogy to the shutdown crisis.
  In the movie, Redford plays a lone sailor struggling to stay alive after his sailboat is crippled by a collision with a container ship.
  "At a certain point, I think, when things really get awful, when things get really bad and all seems to be lost -- there's no hope, there's no possibility -- then a lot of people quit," Redford said about his character. "They say, 'What's the point?' and they quit. And others keep going for no other reason than that."
  Opinion: Men dither while women lead
  Redford: 'Why are these people behaving so stupidly?'
  The conversation then turned to the drama playing out in Washington, where a standoff between Obama and Republicans in Congress has forced the federal government into a partial shutdown and threatened a default on the U.S. debt.
  "It's so divided now with the people that are so narrow and so limited that they would take us back into the past," Redford said. "And I was trying to figure out, why are these people behaving so stupidly? Why are they behaving so horribly that it's crippling our whole country?
  "And I think it has to do with fear. I think it's a group of people that are so afraid of change, and they're so narrow-minded that some people -- when they see change coming -- get so threatened by change, they get angry and they get terrorized, and then they get vicious. I think that's who these people are. They're so afraid of change that they're behaving miserably."
  Obama is "a compassionate man who can't function" in this political environment, Redford said. It "is so decrepit, it is so paralyzed, and the worst of it is it is paralyzed by intention," he said. "There is a body of congressional people that wants to paralyze the system. I think what sits underneath it, unfortunately, is there's probably some racism involved, which is really awful."
  Obama's opponents reject whatever he might propose "because their determination was to destroy this person," Redford said. "They wanted, if it meant destroying the government, anything to keep him from succeeding.
  "I think just the idea of giving credit to this President, giving him credit for anything, is abhorrent to them, so they'll go against it. Never mind that it's the better good of the people, never mind that they're supposed to be in office representing the interest of the public. They're representing their own self-interests, which is very narrow and in some cases bigoted."
  America's problem: We're too dumb
  Redford: All is not lost
  But, unlike his latest film title, all is not lost, Redford said. He said "something new" is starting to happen that offers hope.
  "Susan Collins, who is a Republican, is saying: 'Enough of this. This is not the job I signed up for. I've got to do something,' " said Redford, referring to the U.S. senator from Maine. "So she's bringing a bipartisan group together of women. I think the future should belong more to women and young people."
  Women must save the country "because a lot of men that were in control were behaving stupidly," Redford said. "I mean, sometimes you say: 'Can we actually be this dumbed down, or am I actually hearing what I'm hearing from some of these people? Are they really, is that really happening?' It's sad."
  Does this mean Redford is already throwing his support behind Hillary Clinton in a 2016 White House bid?
  "No, I wouldn't single out one woman over another," he said. "I think it's time to give more women a chance."
  "All Is Lost," which is almost a silent movie, with its sparse dialogue, hits U.S. theaters next week.
  Sundance 2013: Redford answers conservative critics
  CNN's Doug Ganley contributed to this report.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Approves...
  Link to Article
  Archived Version
  Source: IC ON THE RECORD
  Thu, 17 Oct 2013 14:46
  Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Approves Government's Application to Renew Telephony Metadata Program
  October 11, 2013
  As indicated by a declassified court order and amended memorandum opinion published by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Sept. 17, 2013, the court authorization requiring the production of certain telephony metadata under the ''business records'' provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 50 U.S.C. Section 1861, expires Oct. 11, 2013.
  Previously on several occasions, the Director of National Intelligence declassified certain information about this telephony metadata collection program in order to provide the public with a more thorough and balanced understanding of the program. Consistent with his prior declassification decision and in light of the significant and continuing public interest in the telephony metadata collection program, DNI Clapper has decided to declassify and disclose publicly that the government filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that the court renewed that authority.
  The administration is undertaking a declassification review of this most recent court order.
  Shawn TurnerDirector of Public AffairsOffice of the Director of National Intelligence