[Rooters} A Zimbabwean court on Friday ordered the deportation of former U.S. congressman Mel Reynolds after he pleaded guilty to staying in the southern African country on an expired visa. We've got enuf nut cases here already. Now scram ! My my but that was quick...
Reynolds, 62, was arrested at a local hotel on Monday but has denied additional charges of possessing pornographic images and videos. That case was due to continue later on Friday.
Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe fined Reynolds $100 or five days in prison for the visa misdemeanor. His lawyer Arthur Gurira told the court the former Illinois congressman had suffered a mild stroke earlier this year whilst wanking. Jesse Jackson Jr. Post Traumatic Stress disability claim to follow.
NYT:
SAN FRANCISCO -- In the last year, Eastern European cybercriminals have stolen Brian Krebs's identity a half dozen times, brought down his website, included his name and some unpleasant epithets in their malware code, sent fecal matter and heroin to his doorstep, and called a SWAT team to his home just as his mother was arriving for dinner.
"I can't imagine what my neighbors think of me," he said dryly.
Mr. Krebs, 41, tries to write pieces that cannot be found elsewhere. His widely read cybersecurity blog, Krebs on Security, covers a particularly dark corner of the Internet: profit-seeking cybercriminals, many based in Eastern Europe, who make billions off pharmaceutical sales, malware, spam, frauds and heists like the recent ones that Mr. Krebs was first to uncover at Adobe, Target and Neiman Marcus.
"I would put him up against the best threat intelligence analyst," said Rodney Joffe, senior vice president at Neustar, an Internet infrastructure firm. "Many of us in the industry go to him to help us understand what the Eastern European criminals are doing, how they work with each other and who is doing what to whom."
"There's a lot going on in this industry that impedes the flow of information," Mr. Krebs said. "And there's a lot of money to be made in having intelligence and information about what's going on in the underworld. It's big business but most people don't want to pay for it, which explains why they come to someone like me."
Mr. Krebs is "doing the security industry an enormous favor by disseminating real-time threat information," said Barmak Meftah, chief executive of AlienVault, a threat-detection service. "We are only as strong as our information. Unless we are very specific and effective about exchanging threat data when one of us gets breached, we will always be a step behind the attackers."
"A lot of what Brian does would scare the hell out of traditional newsroom editors," said Russ Walker, Mr. Krebs's former editor at The Post. "I don't think he crossed the lines journalistically, but he was living a different type of experience."
"The work that he's done exposing Eastern European hackers has been seminal," said Tom Kellermann, a cybersecurity expert who is a managing director at Alvarez and Marsal, a turnaround firm. "But Brian needs a bodyguard."
In the meantime, hackers have been competing in a dangerous game of one-upmanship to see who can pull the worst prank on Mr. Krebs. They often steal his identity. One opened a $20,000 credit line in his name. Admirers have made more than $1,000 in bogus PayPal donations to his blog using hacked accounts. Others have paid his cable bill for three years with stolen credit cards.
The antics can be dangerous. In March, as Mr. Krebs was preparing to have his mother over for dinner, he opened his front door to find a police SWAT team pointing semiautomatic guns in his direction. Only after his wife returned home from the grocery store to find him handcuffed did the police realize Mr. Krebs had been the victim of "swatting." Someone had called the police and falsely reported a murder at their home. It's hard for me to believe he still answers his door in person. One would think someone so technically adept would have a method to screen all visitors to his property without exposing himself to being shot in his doorway.
Christopher Roupe, 17, was shot by a Euharlee police officer 14 Feb 2014 when he answered the door. Police say he was pointing a handgun, not the video game device.
Family lawyer Cole Law said Roupe was about to watch a movie.
We don't know where that statement came from. The eyewitnesses on the scene clearly state that he had a Wii controller in his hand. He heard a knock at the door. He asked who it was, there was no response so he opened the door and upon opening the door he was immediately shot in the chest, Law said.
Reynolds, who had won some prominence in Zimbabwe for helping draw investment to hotel and office projects... Reynolds reportedly complained that he was not expecting such treatment when he had brought investors to the country. He said he had been to Zimbabwe 17 times and had called for U.S. sanctions to be dropped against President Robert Mugabe and his associates
You seriously think Mel would pay his own way to Zim-Bob?
Daniel R. Tishman Member, AECOM Board of Directors
Chairman and CEO, Tishman Construction
Mr. Tishman is Vice Chairman and a member of the Board of Tishman Hotel & Realty LP, which develops, owns and manages a private portfolio of hospitality properties. In 2006, he was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to New York Citys Sustainability Advisory Board, which provided expertise and input for the creation of PlaNYC 2030, the blueprint for greening New York City.
[Tampa Tribune] Paula Broadwell, in Tampa on Wednesday for the first time since news that her affair with former CIA Director David Petraeus had local connections, says she wants to move on from the ensuing scandal that brought down two national security leaders and turned a Bayshore Boulevard woman into an international icon.
Broadwell, a major in the Army Reserves, moderated a panel at the University of South Floridas Citizenship Initiative conference on Modern Warfare.
Its only her second visit to Tampa, which became a focus of an unfurling story two years ago when Jill Kelley, a friend of Petraeus, reported to the FBI receiving threatening emails from Broadwell.
Broadwell, who co-authored a book about Petraeus and served with the U.S. intelligence community, U.S. Special Operations Command and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to her biography, says her reintegration into the public spotlight is going well. Doing well? Too bad. She should washing pots and pans in the Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.
I have had a wonderful sort of support community in Charlotte, says Broadwell, who lives in the North Carolina city. I have a great group of professionals like (conference organizers) Derek Harvey and David Jacobson. A lot of colleagues and friends know my background and accomplishments and have been willing to lend a hand. ....know my "background and accomplishments" and have been willing to set them aside.
I get by with a little help from my friends. Got to get a little to give a little I always say.
Broadwell would not comment about the ongoing Army investigation into her, the loss of her security clearance or the lawsuit claims made by Jill Kelley and her husband that the FBI and Defense Department leaked Kelleys name during the investigation into the emails. Clearance revoked and still a commissioned officer ?
The investigation, which was later dropped, also revealed emails between Kelley and Marine Gen. John Allen, at the time head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, that ultimately led to the end of his career. The lawsuit alleges that Broadwell stalked a senior military official and sent the Kelleys, Director Petraeus, and Gen. Allen the threatening and defamatory emails about Mrs. Kelley. Investigation dropped, suspended clearance reinstated? How very thoughtful of the Army.
Kelley declined comment. Smart girl, nothing to gain on this one. The fix is in.
Broadwell says that she remains very passionate about national security, international security and contributing to this debate. Moving forward has gone well, but not easy. It is important to focus forward and leave the past behind. Not easy? GOOD !
For now, Broadwell says her focus will be on her family, children and husband and making sure my family unit is good to go. Hat tip to her spousal unit, he certainly has gone the extra mile.
She says she has her own consulting firm, working with veterans support organizations and womens empowerment organizations. She's certainly checked the "women's empowerment" box, no doubt about that.
I have been writing about some of the same issues, she says, and empowerment supporting our transitioning veterans as they come back. I have been involved in a lot of those efforts in North Carolina, which has the fourth largest military population in the union.
At USF, she moderated a wide-ranging discussion on a panel titled The Prospects for Counterinsurgency, Stability Operations and Peacekeeping after Iraq and Afghanistan. Oh my. She must have read a mountain of books on those intriguing topics. This university and Central Command and Special Operations command, located in Tampa, need to be thinking about the future of war, how we prepare our operators for the next conflict that we will face and inevitably, invariably, we are going to have to focus on the human dimension, says Broadwell. So the discussions yesterday and today have focused on what is the importance of understanding culture and language and social networks in foreign countries. She's a proven culture and networking expert I'd say.
Heading up the panel, at a conference attended by a large cadre of some of the leading Afghanistan and Iraq experts both in and out of uniform, was Broadwells first trip to Tampa since November 2012, when news broke that Petraeus, former commander of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, was stepping down from his CIA post over their affair. Afghan experts.... please spare me.
This is only my second time here in my life, actually, Broadwell says. Again, I am here to contribute to this conference. If it were in D.C. or Seattle, it doesnt matter. These are former colleagues I have worked with in Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., and other theaters. I have worked with the conference organizers. They are good friends, so it is not unusual for me to be back here. I am grateful for it. Hoz about "contributing" by resigning your commission for the good of the service.
Another apocalypse to survive. As always, don't forget to pillage before you burn. Good habits breed good character...
Norse mythology states the world will end this Saturday, February 22.
Ragnarok is last battle between Viking gods, causing Earth to split open After, the Earth will be restored and inhabited by the surviving gods.
The Viking apocalypse is allegedly set to destroy Earth, with Norse mythology claiming the planet will split open and unleash the inhabitants of Hel on February 22.
According to the Vikings (wiki), Ragnarok is a series of events including the final predicted battle that results in the death of a number of major gods, the occurrence of various natural disasters and the subsequent submersion of the world in water.
The wolf Fenrir is also predicted to break out of his prison, the snake Jormungand will rise out of the sea and the dragon of the underworld will resurface on Earth to face the dead heroes of Valhalla -- who, of course, have descended from heaven to fight them. Snakes. I hate snakes...
Legend has it the sound of the horn will call the sons of the god Odin and the heroes to the battlefield, before Odin and other 'creator gods' will be killed by Fenrir. Thor had better remember to get his hammer out of the coat-check...
The Vikings believe the Ragnarok is preceded by the 'winter of winters', where three freezing winters would follow each other with no summers in between.
All morality would disappear and fights would break out all over the world, signalling the beginning of the end. Oh, so it's much like San Francisco or Detroit...
The wolf Skoll would then devour the sun, and his brother Hati would eat the moon, causing stars to fall out of the sky and the Earth subjected to tremendous earthquakes.
Should Saturday be the day, the world will then be restored and will be inhabited by the surviving gods and just two human survivors - with the Earth sinking into the sea and paving the way for a new utopian land with endless supplies.
Another part of the legend claims that the Midgard Serpent, named Jormungand, shall free itself from its tail and rise up from the ocean, with believers claiming this had already occurred when two giant fish washed up on the coast of California last year.
Ragnarok, which is literally translated to mean 'Fate or Twilight of the Gods' or 'Final Destiny of the Gods' is based on a 13th century poem written by Snorri Sturluson.
Modern day Vikings warriors have already begun preparing for the apocalypse by converging on the UK town of York to celebrate the Jorvik festival -- an excuse for grown men to dress up and swing wooden swords at each other. And drink. Especially, drink...
The festival's finale on Saturday will see about 300 warriors march through the city, before rival tribes participate in an 'ultimate battle'.
The Jorvik Viking Centre predicted that Ragnarok would occur on 22 February because this is the end of the feast of Jolablot. Traditionally, the Viking festival of Jolablot marked the end of the winter.
While not a scientific conclusion, they claim that Vikings loved to feast and wouldn't want to miss this event.
And if nothing happens on Saturday, Ragnarok will join a list of hundreds of other failed predictions for the end of the world, including the Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012 -- which convinced many the Earth would be destroyed by an asteroid -- and Y2K on January 1, 2000.
#5
My son and DiL are coming for dinner on Suday to celebrate his birthday. I was going to go shopping today for the Rib-eyes and some Idahos for twice-baked and some asparagus.
#12
'Cause everybody knows that the norse were sooo good at predicting things.
(Scene from Douglas Adams 'Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul' : An unemployed Thor, wearing his 'god-gear' and an overcoat, dejectedly walking down a street in London in the rain. As he walks past lamp posts, one by one, they go out then come back on. Muttering to himself about a hammer...)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/21/2014 11:47 Comments ||
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#13
You mean, linen sheets will be our downfall? Oh for Freija's sake. (slams bearded axe onto desk)
A couple of very sad and disturbing pics at the link.
A young beauty queen yesterday became the fifth person to die in violent anti-government protests that have rocked Venezuela. Genesis Carmona, 22, was shot in the head when gunmen on motorbikes fired on protesters during a demonstration in Valencia, in the north of the South American country.
The model, who was Miss Turismo 2013 for the state of Carabobo, was taken by motorcycle to hospital where surgeons battled in vain to save her life.
A relative of Genesis, who asked not to be named, said: "How long are we going to live like this? How long do we have to tolerate this pressure, with them killing us?"
Until you throw off the yoke and send them packing to hell.
Genesis had been studying tourism at university and her relative added: "She only needed one more semester to graduate."
Her death came on the day anti-socialist protests claimed a sixth victim in a week of violence that has swept the oil-rich country. Venezuelan TV said a woman who had suffered a heart attack died after an ambulance taking her to hospital was blocked by opposition protesters in the capital Caracas yesterday.
The country has spent a week in the grip of violent protests against the socialist government established by ex-President Hugo Chavez 15 years ago.
Three people have been shot dead in the capital Caracas and another person was run over by a car during clashes in the coastal town of Carupano.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
An 'in memorial' for the usual pin up of the day for the Rant?
Russia is prepared to fight a war over the Ukrainian territory of Crimea to protect the ethnic Russian population and its military base there, a senior government official has told the FT.
"If Ukraine breaks apart, it will trigger a war," the official said. "They will lose Crimea first [because] we will go in and protect [it], just as we did in Georgia." In August 2008, Russian troops invaded Georgia after the Georgian military launched a surprise attack on the separatist region of South Ossetia in an effort to establish its dominance over the republic.
Crimea was part of Russia until 1954; the Soviet Presidium then attached it to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Russians weren't too happy with Ukraine keeping the Crimea when the USSR fell apart in 1991. Today twice as many ethnic Russians as ethnic Ukrainians live there. I agree with the Financial Times: if Ukraine falls apart the Russians will be into the Crimea in a New York minute.
WaPo provides a linguistic / political map that explains the problem in a nutshell, and talks about why the problem is darned near intractable. There's going to be a lot more bloodshed in the weeks ahead.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
What odds are the bookies in Ireland and elsewhere placing on Russia stepping in after the olympics?
#2
The other factor is that a large part of Southeastern Ukraine was added to the country relatively recently (by Nikita Khrushchev). Before that, the areas had been part of Russia for hundreds of years.
Al
Posted by: Florida Al ||
02/21/2014 12:31 Comments ||
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#3
And might be part of Russia again soon enough. It would be one way to solve the problem.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/21/2014 12:48 Comments ||
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#4
And they'll probably take more than they gave, it's the way of dealing with czars and empires.
[Jerusalem Post] Police raid apartments of elderly suspects in German states of Baden-Wurttemberg, Hesse and North Rhein-Westphalia. Someone decided to free his conscience before he died.
Obligatory maps: GLAB-W NRW
The Mars One project plans to send a crew of colonists to the Red Planet in about 10 years, but Muslims may have to defy a religious edict to make the trip.
If you were excited about the possibility of taking a one-way trip to Mars in the next decade and you just happen to be an observant Muslim, you may suddenly be out of luck.
The Khaleej Times of Dubai reports that a fatwa committee has forbidden Muslims from taking a one-way trip to the Red Planet. You may recall that the Mars One project aims to send a group of colonists to Mars as soon as 2024, followed by a second group a few years later.
At the moment, there is no technology available that would allow for a return trip from Mars, so it is truly a one-way ticket for the colonists, who may also become reality TV stars in the process.
The committee of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the United Arab Emirates that issued the fatwa against such a journey doesn't have anything against space exploration,Elon Musk's Mars visions, or anything like that. Rather, the religious leaders argue that making the trip would be tantamount to committing suicide, which all religions tend to frown upon.
"There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death," the committee said.
Professor Farooq Hamada, who presided over the committee, explained, "Protecting life against all possible dangers and keeping it safe is an issue agreed upon by all religions and is clearly stipulated in verse 4/29 of the Holy Quran: Do not kill yourselves or one another. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful."
Hundreds of Saudis and other Arabs have applied to Mars One, and the committee suspects some may be interested in the trip "for escaping punishment or standing before Almighty Allah for judgment," according to the Khaleej Times.
The committee stood firm in its belief that this approach would be a waste of time and one very long trip: "This is an absolutely baseless and unacceptable belief because not even an atom falls outside the purview of Allah, the Creator of everything."
In the end, the whole discussion may all be moot, because even though Mars One is moving forward, it's only raised about 80 percent of its initial $400,000 crowdfunding campaign. That's not a huge vote of confidence in an international project that will ultimately need billions to succeed.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/21/2014 18:28 Comments ||
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#6
No no, you infidel monkey pig-dogs do not know that djinnpulse power was developed in the 17th century. Its just that, you know, they just don't want to, that's all. With all the moons, what if a fast ends in the middle of another fast, what if meccha is at your zenith how do you bow, these are very serious and mission ending considerations.
#7
I've said before that iff the soon-to-be-Nukulaar Global Jihad succeeds in conquering the world, it may be the end of any effort to explore + colonize deep space.
#1
Frankly, this whole thing is scandalous, Gen. Scales said. We send soldiers into close combat with lousy weapons and weve done it since World War II and nobody complains. Its a national outrage.
Overreach there Gen. The M1 rifle was superior to the standard old bolt action rifles issued to the axis soldiers.
#2
Ditto P2k. The M4's growing popularity among civilian shooters is indisputable. Try hitting a 300m head and shoulders pop-up target in 3-4 seconds with an AK.
No guarantee, but a helpful key to the retirement program is as always, a well maintained and lubed weapon.
#3
I have been under the impression that the purpose of the light rifle - M1 or M4 - was that people who had not built up their strength would be able to be effective riflemen quicker (without as much initial workout) and that physically strong people could go further faster?
(rounding, wiki, corrections accepted)
weight AR15: 6 to 9 lbs
weight AR10: 7 to 9 lbs
weight 5.56x54: 4g x 120 = 480g = 1lb 1oz
weight 7.62x51: 10g x 120 = 1200g = 2lb 10oz
Then there is almighty recoil, that strength must be built up as well. Also I don't know what a combat load would be as far as ammo; I do know I could go through 300 paintballs in less than 30 minutes with a pump action.
#4
If they mean the M1 carbine, then yes, it is too light for much. Based on an old .32 caliber pistol cartridge ( .32 autoloader if memory serves) it was issued to people not expected to actually see combat ('nuf said).
M1 Garand is another thing entirely. The 30-06 cartridge fired out of that heavy rifle had very manageable recoil and that round is an absolutely deadly at 300 yds and beyond, and highly accurate. It's auto loading capability made it a much better combat rifle than Axis bolt guns, as P2K points out, except in sniper situations where the greater inherent accuracy of bolt guns is necessary.
The ability to carry lots of ammo must always be balanced against other attributes of a firearm. The move from the ought-six to the .308, followed by the move to .223, was motivated by things like recoil and number of rounds carried, and yet seasoned soldiers still had a preference for the Garand for decades.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
02/21/2014 14:32 Comments ||
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#5
I'm not an expert but have read a whole lot on this subject. My old man was a SeaBee and as such carried an M-1 Carbine that he was never expected to fire.
The 30-06 is a he man of a cartridge as in the M-1 Garand that fired it. Played with those and they will kill at great distance. The M-16 came about as an answer to the AK-47 given the fact that jungle fighting doesn't really provide the environment that requires the big heavy gun and cartridge.
#6
Left out of the debate has been the M-14, a superb rifle firing the 7.62 cartridge. Recoil was stiff, but manageable, especially in a shooting sling in the USMC prone position. With the basic load 20 round magazine and prone I pit 20/20 in a "D" target (upper torso) at 500 yds slow fire. Superb weapon, and the proof is that special ops brought it back as a sniper weapon that mixed range, firepower and engagement speed. 11 3/4 pds fully loaded. Had a selector switch (1968) for full auto, and the muzzle climb was a bear. I'm 6'6 and then was 220 in best shape of my life and after 4-5 rounds could not hold on target on auto. Great rifle but judged too long and heavy for the SE Asian games.
#7
IIRC the M-14 was the upgrade to the fundamental M1 design with the 'lessons' of Korea incorporated. Remember by the armistice they were facing off basically ridge line to ridge line, an environment that has a lot more in common with Afghanistan than close in terrain (urban or otherwise).
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Alright then, hats back on. 
The Mars One project plans to send a crew of colonists to the Red Planet in about 10 years, but Muslims may have to defy a religious edict to make the trip.
