Today News

Google Is Faulted for Impeding U.S. Inquiry on Data Collection(Photo)

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:09:00 -0700

When Google first revealed in 2010 that cars it was using to map streets were also sweeping up sensitive personal information from wireless home networks, it called the data collection a mistake. On Saturday, federal regulators charged that Google had “deliberately impeded and delayed” an investigation into the data collection and ordered a $25,000 fine on the search giant.The finding, by the Federal
Communications Commission, and the exasperated tone of the report were in marked contrast to the resolution of a separate inquiry two years ago. That investigation, by the Federal Trade Commission, accepted Google’s explanation that it was “mortified

by what happened” while collecting information for its Street View project, and its promise to impose internal controls.

But since then, the F.C.C. said, Google repeatedly failed to respond to requests for e-mails and other information and refused to identify the employees involved.

“Although a world leader in digital search capability, Google took the position that searching its employees’ e-mail ‘would be a time-consuming and burdensome task,’ ” the report said. The commission also noted that Google stymied its efforts to learn more about the data collection because its main architect, an engineer who was not identified, had invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

When the commission asked Google to identify those responsible for the program, Google “unilaterally determined that to do so would ‘serve no useful purpose,’ ” according to the F.C.C. report.

The data collection, which took place over three years, was legal because the information was not encrypted, the F.C.C. ultimately determined.

A Google spokeswoman said Saturday that “we worked in good faith to answer the F.C.C.’s questions throughout the inquiry, and we’re pleased that they have concluded that we complied with the law.”

Google still has the data, which it said it has never looked at and has never used in its products or services. It said it intended to delete the information once regulators gave it permission. A spokeswoman did not immediately return an e-mail inquiry about whether the engineer on the project still worked for the company.

While Google’s original intentions and actions with the project are still unclear, the commission’s report and fine are likely to energize an ongoing debate about Internet privacy.

The more companies like Google and Facebook know about their users, the more attractive they are to advertisers, which drive the vast majority of their income. Google’s introduction last month of a new privacy policy — one that allows more comprehensive tracking of its users’ actions — provoked a firestorm of criticism.

That was only the latest privacy imbroglio the company found itself in the middle of. Some politicians are becoming skeptical. Senator Al Franken, a Democrat of Minnesota who is in charge of a subcommittee on privacy, said in a recent speech that companies like Google and Facebook accumulated data on users because “it’s their whole business model.”

“And you are not their client; you are their product,” he added.

Earlier controversies generally focused on information that users willingly provided. With its Street View project, Google was taking data from people who did not even know that the company was literally outside the door, peering in.

European and Canadian regulators who have examined the data Google collected in the project in their own countries found that it included complete e-mail messages, instant messages, chat sessions, conversations between lovers, and Web addresses revealing sexual orientation, information that could be linked to specific street addresses.

When Google was repeatedly asked if it had searched for all responsive documents and provided complete and accurate answers to all the F.C.C.’s questions, it declined to respond, Michele Ellison, chief of the F.C.C.’s Enforcement Bureau, said in an interview.

Google ultimately provided the information requested under threat of subpoena.

The F.C.C. orders fines on companies for impeding investigations about once a year. The commission found that Google had violated provisions of the Communications Act of 1934. Of the $25,000 penalty, Ms. Ellison said, “It’s an appropriate fine based on evidence that the investigation was deliberately impeded and our precedent.” Google, which for the last year has been run by Larry Page, one of its founders, reported net income of $2.89 billion in the first quarter of 2012.

Scrutiny of Google’s privacy policies is more intense in Europe, where the Street View issue first emerged, than it is in the United States. Last year, for example, France fined the company 100,000 euros, or about $140,000 at the time, for Street View privacy violations.

What Google was gathering as its cars drove up and down many thousands of streets is technically called payload data, which simply means the content of Internet communications, including e-mail. On April 27, 2010, responding to rumors about its Street View project, Google said it “does not collect or store payload data.”

Two weeks later it acknowledged that was “incorrect,” saying, “It’s now clear we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data.” In October 2010, it acknowledged that the data was more than fragments.

Google’s response to the inquiry puzzled some experts.

“If it really was a mistake, you would expect the company to do everything possible to cooperate with the investigation,” said Danny Sullivan of the blog Search Engine Land. “On the upside, it’s reassuring that the F.C.C. itself believes Google had no plans to use the information.”

The F.C.C. did not examine the actual data that Google collected, but its report quotes the investigation by the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertes, the French data privacy regulator, as finding, for example, e-mails between married individuals seeking to have an affair. First names, e-mail addresses and physical addresses could all be discerned.

After reviewing all the information it could get from Google, the F.C.C. said it could not find a clear precedent to take enforcement action on the data collection. But then, it said, it still had “significant factual questions” about what really happened with the data and why it was collected in the first place.

Jennifer Aniston Is Delighted At Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Engagement(Photo-Video)

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:59:00 -0700

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have announced their engagement and there are obviously no hard feelings between Jennifer Aniston and her former husband, as HollywoodLife.com report that she is happy for the pair. A spokesperson for the Horrible Bosses actress has told how Jen is "happy for Brad and Angelina." She goes on to explain that Jennifer is in such a good place at the moment with new beau Justin Theroux that she even thanks Jolie for her part in the Jen-Bra-Ange love triangle as she may never have been romantically linked with the screenwriter had it not been for Jolie. The statement also tell of it would be no surprise if "she even went to their wedding."

Brad, 48, separated from Jen, 43, in 2005 due to 'irreconcilable differences' after 7 years of marriage, however rumours of infidelity had been rife since Pitt stared alongside Jolie, 36, in the film Mr & Mrs Smith. The pair were often spotted together following the divorce but remained tight-lipped about their relationship until Jolie
announced she was carrying Pitt's child in January 2006.

Aniston had a string of rocky relationships following the divorce, with Vince Vaughn, John Mayer and model Paul Sculfor among her flings. However since hooking up with Theroux early last year Aniston looks to have finally found happiness once again.

CUP: Late-Race Troubles Deny Johnson Shot At Win(Photo)

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:53:00 -0700

Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson succinctly summed up his Saturday night following the Samsung Mobile 500. "Second sucks," Johnson said . Johnson, who led more laps than any driver in the 334-lap race at Texas Motor Speedway, used some more colorful language on
his radio in the final 30 laps of a race in which Johnson appeared to have the field covered and was on the verge of delivering
Rick Hendrick his elusive 200th victory as team owner.Instead Johnson, who hasn't won since last October's Chase race at Kansas, was forced to lament what went wrong down the stretch in a race won by Greg Biffle."We had a great race car," said Johnson, who has had four second-place finishes since his last victory. "Our pit stops were amazing. We had a very fast race car. A little bit more respect from some lapped traffic and things could have been different. We just got tangled up in some lapped traffic and the 16 (Biffle) made a great move and got by me."

Johnson and Biffle were the class of the field and Johnson had a lead of more than a second over Biffle before traffic slowed him down. Johnson couldn't figure out why Ryan Newman was racing Johnson so hard. Newman was two laps down at the time and holding Johnson up cost him momentum and allowed Biffle to get a run on him and take the lead for good on Lap 304.

"My issue was with the 39 when I got inside him," Johnson said. "He was already a lap down and proceeded to race me and cost me the lead."

Once Johnson lost the lead, he was able to keep Biffle in his sights until he got high in Turn 3 and slapped the wall. That ended his chance at a victory and he was just trying to hold onto second place at that point.

Biffle said he was surprised how quickly he was able to catch up with Johnson once he caught him in traffic. Biffle said he gained some ground on Johnson during his final pit stop, which was the only place he was able to trim the gap until the final stretch. At one point in the race, Johnson led 103-consecutive laps in a race that had just two debris cautions and average a track record 160.575 mph.

Johnson started the race 10th but quickly moved to the front and took the lead for the first time on Lap 113.

It was a solid night in points for Johnson, who led three times for 156 laps, but the finish is what he'll remember.

"It's nice to be running well," said Johnson, who moved from 10th to eighth in points with his third top-five finish of the year. "It's nice to be in this position. But I want to get back to our winning ways real soon."

Unfortunately for Johnson, Saturday's race continued a recent tough trend for him and the Hendrick Motorsports stable. Two weeks ago Johnson or teammate Jeff Gordon seemed destined for a victory at Martinsville only to have a late caution set the stage for a wreck that ended both of their chances at winning.

Being close to winning isn't good enough for Johnson, who was relegated to a 12th-place finish at Martinsville after that accident.

"They're both frustrating," Johnson said. "The racer in me wants to win. We've been really close over the last five or six months. You look through last year even through different points, leading a lot of races and didn't execute for whatever reason."

Johnson said missing out on No. 200 for Hendrick isn't something he was thinking about.

"To be honest it hasn't played much on my mind because I just want to win and I know winning is what my job is about, winning is what Hendrick Motorsports is about, and if we win we'll take care of the 200th," said Johnson. "I seem to think about the 200th after the fact and think, man, Martinsville could have been an amazing one, two, three, this weekend, previous weekends. I think about it more after the fact, not leading up to or during the event."

Taliban attack Afghan capital, 3 other cities(Photo)

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:50:00 -0700

The Taliban launched a series of coordinated attacks on at least seven sites across the Afghan capital on Sunday, targeting NATO headquarters, the parliament and diplomatic residences. Militants also launched near-simultaneous assaults in three other eastern cities.

The Taliban launched a series of coordinated attacks on at least seven sites across the Afghan capital on
Sunday, targeting NATO headquarters, the parliament and diplomatic residences. Militants also launched

near-simultaneous assaults in three other eastern cities.

At least two attackers were killed and five people wounded in the Kabul attacks, which were still under
way hours after they began.Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility, saying in a statement that scores of suicide bombers were assaulting Kabul and three other provinces.

The attacks in the capital began with bombings in the central neighborhood of Wazir Akbar Khan, where a NATO base as well as a number of embassies, including that of the U.S., are located. Gunfire erupted soon after the blasts, forcing people caught out in the street to scramble for cover.

More than 10 explosions in all rocked the capital, and heavy gunfire shook the city for two hours after the initial blast. Smoke rose over the skyline from a few spots as sirens wailed.

In an e-mailed statement, Mujahid said the attacks were targeting NATO headquarters, the British and German Embassies, the Afghan parliament building, the Serena and Kabul Star hotels, and sites along Darulaman road, where the Russian Embassy is located.

At the same time, Taliban fighters launched assaults on Afghan and NATO installations in the capital cities of Nangarhar, Logar and Paktia provinces, he said.

"In all these attacks, tens of mujahedeen fighters equipped with light and heavy weapons, suicide vests, RPGs, rockets, heavy machine guns and hand grenades are attacking their targets," Mujahid said in an email. "Our initial reports indicate that a large number of foreign forces, Afghan police and army are killed and wounded." The Taliban regularly exaggerate casualty figures.

The American Embassy said in a statement saying that there were attacks "in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy." The German Foreign Ministry said there was some damage in the grounds of the German Embassy, but it did not appear that anyone had been hurt.

Militants holed up in a tall building were firing rockets in different directions, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. It was not immediately clear what they were targeting, but shots appeared to be focusing on the nearby British Embassy.

Britain's Foreign Office could not provide details of the attack.

"We can confirm that there is an ongoing incident in the diplomatic area of Kabul," a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. "We are in close contact with embassy staff."

Across town, residents reported a blast near the parliament building.

An official at the parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said an attacker entered a nearby building and opened fire on parliament and the Afghan Commerce Ministry. The official reported hearing a large blast coming from the building. After that, the gunfire subsided.

Militants also fired mortars at the area around a NATO base on Jalalabad road on Kabul's outskirts, according to an AP reporter at the scene. A Greek-Turkish base came under heavy fire and forces were responding with heavy-caliber machine gun fire.

A police officer said a suicide bomber had occupied a building near the bases and was shooting toward the Kabul Military Training Center there. The officer spoke anonymously because he was not an authorized spokesman.

At least five people were wounded in the violence across the city, said Kabir Amir, head of Kabul hospitals.

Sediq Sediqi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said two suicide attackers have been killed — one who was firing from a building under construction behind the Kabul Star Hotel and one in a building under construction near the parliament.

The coordinated assaults showed a sophistication that is reminiscent of the last sustained attack in the heavily guarded capital in September 2011.

In that strike, six fighters with heavy weapons took over an unfinished high-rise and fired on the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters about 300 meters (yards) away. They then held out against a 20-hour barrage by hundreds of Afghan and foreign forces.

By the time the fighting ended, insurgents had killed 16 Afghans — five police officers and 11 civilians, more than half of them children. Six or seven rockets hit inside the embassy compound, but no embassy or NATO staff members were hurt.

Fighting was also continuing Sunday in the provincial assaults in Jalalabad city, Logar province and Paktia.

"In Jalalabad city, four attackers were killed," the Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediqi said. "In Logar province, the attack is still going on and the area is surrounded by police. In Paktia, the area has been surrounded by police, but a gun battle continues."

In the city of Pul-e-Alam in Logar province, police chief Ghulam Shakhi said militants had entered a building that belongs to the education department, which is near a building used by the Afghan intelligence service, and a gunbattle was under way.

In Paktia province, militants were shooting sporadically from a building across from a university in the city of Gardez, said the deputy provincial police chief Mohammad Zaman. He said Afghan security forces have surrounded the building. The deputy governor, Abdul Rahman Mangal, said they believe two or three suicide bombers are involved in the attack.

In Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, would-be suicide bombers launched separate attacks on the military airfield used by NATO and Afghan forces and a smaller NATO base nearby. Four attackers wearing suicide vests tried to storm the entrance to the airfield in a vehicle, but were fought off by NATO forces there. Three were killed and one escaped, said Amir Khan Lewal, deputy provincial police chief.

At the nearby base, two attackers were shot dead before they could breach the bases defenses, but there was also an explosion inside the base, Lewal said. It was not immediately possible to reconcile his figures with those of the Interior Ministry.

NATO said it was aware of reports of an explosion in the proximity of a coalition installation near Jalalabad but could provide no details about the blast.

More tornadoes possible Sunday in battered Midwest(Photo-Video)

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:45:00 -0700

A violent storm system unleashed dozens of tornadoes across the Midwest and Plains, leaving five people dead and at least 29 injured in Oklahoma Sunday morning. As the weather gripped the region, twisters or high winds damaged a hospital, homes and cut power to hundreds of thousands, and forecasters warned more storms were possible before the day was over.

Oklahoma emergency officials said five people died after a tornado touched down at 12:18 a.m. Sunday in and around the
northwest Oklahoma town of Woodward,about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The brunt of the damage was reported on the west side of the town of about 12,000 and its outskirts. Search teams were scouring rubble for trapped and injured as the sun came up.

"They're still going door to door and in some cases there are piles of rubble and they are having to sift through the rubble," said Michelann Ooten, an Oklahoma emergency management official.

The storms were part of an exceptionally strong system that the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., which specializes in tornado forecasting, had warned about for days. The center took the unusual step of warning people more than 24 hours in advance of a possible "high-end, life-threatening event." Forecasters had worried the storms would hit overnight, when people are less likely to hear warning sirens and pay attention to weather reports.

At the storm's height, tornadoes popped up faster than they could be tallied. The center's spokesman, Chris Vaccaro, said the weather service had received at least 97 reports of tornadoes by dawn Sunday.

He warned the threat wasn't over for those across several states in the nation's interior. Forecasters predicted the possibility for storms Sunday in a swath that stretched from southern Texas to northern Michigan.

The outbreak began when tornado sirens went off before dawn in Oklahoma City on Saturday. As the wide-ranging storm system lumbered across the nation, storms also were reported in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Lightning, large hail and heavy downpours accompanied the system.

Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill said warning sirens sounded loudly on Saturday afternoon when storms rumbled through but he didn't hear the sirens go off for Sunday's tornado. He said the tornado struck a mixed area of residences and businesses and possibly damaged a mobile home park.

"We had a little tornado earlier ... and they blew all the sirens. When this one came in, our sirens weren't working," Hill said. But he later said in televised reports that some reported hearing sirens closer to the tornado's track though he didn't from his home about 10 blocks away.

The American Red Cross summoned volunteers to drive relief trucks from Oklahoma City to aid the rescue crews in and around Woodward he said were pressed to the limit by the immediate disaster response.

"They're in chaos mode," said Rusty Surette, a regional communications director for the American Red Cross in Oklahoma City, speaking of authorities in Woodward.

He said trucks with cots, food, water and medical and hygiene supplies would head to the area, where a shelter was established in a church for those rendered homeless. More than 8,000 people were without power.

Dave Wallace, chief executive officer of Woodward Regional Hospital, said 29 people, five of them in critical condition, were brought to the hospital for treatment of injuries ranging fractures and serious injuries to cuts and bruises. Three patients have been transferred to other hospitals and four were admitted, he added.

"We transferred them to a hospital with a higher level of care," Wallace said. "We're not a trauma center."

At least 10 tornadoes were reported in Kansas, mostly in rural parts of the western and central sections of the state. A reported tornado in Wichita that struck late Saturday night caused damage at McConnell Air Force Base and the Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing plants. A mobile home park was heavily damaged in the city, although no injuries or deaths were reported.

The county where Wichita is located was declared a state of disaster and said preliminary estimates suggest damages could be as high as $283 million.

Yvonne Tucker rushed to a shelter with about 60 of her neighbors at Pinaire Mobile Home Park. She said people were crying and screaming, and the shelter's lights went out when the twister hit. When they came back outside, they found several homes destroyed, including Tucker's.

"I didn't think it was that bad until I walked down my street and everything is gone," said Tucker, 49. "I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. I've seen it on TV, but when it happens to you it is unreal.

"I just feel lost."

Iowa emergency officials said a large part of the town of Thurman in the western part of the state was destroyed Saturday night, possibly by a tornado, but no one was injured or killed. Fremont County Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius said about 75 percent of the 250-person town was destroyed. Some residents took refuge at the City Hall.

A hospital in Creston, about 75 miles southwest of Des Moines, suffered roof damage and had some of its windows blown out by the storm, but patients and staff were not hurt. Medical center officials were calling other area hospitals to determine how many beds they had available in case they needed to move patients.

In Nebraska, baseball-sized hail shattered windows and tore siding from houses in and around Petersburg, about 140 miles northwest of Omaha. In southeast Nebraska, an apparent tornado took down barns, large trees and some small rural structures.

Kristin Dean, who was among the Wichita mobile home taking shelter from the storm, said she was shaking as she was being pushed from home in her wheelchair. She was able to grab a bag of her possessions before going into the shelter and that was all she had left. Her home was gone.

"It got still," the 37-year-old woman, who's in a wheelchair after hurting her leg a month ago, recalled of the scene inside the shelter. "Then we heard a wham, things flying. Everybody screamed, huddling together.

"It is devastating, but you know, we are alive."

WikiLeaks publishes millions of emails stolen from US think tank

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:22:00 -0800

Notorious whistleblowing website WikiLeaks has published five million emails from a geopolitical analysis company that Reuters likened to a “shadow CIA.”
The emails, stolen in late December from the U.S.-based company, could reveal private information on Stratfor readers and subscribers, the details of sensitive sources, and even throw light on the intelligence-gathering community, Reuters reported.
According to a WikiLeaks statement accompanying the posting of the documents, they reveal the inner workings of the intelligence publisher, which works with companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop

Grumman, Raytheon, and various government agencies.
“The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods,” the website reads. It cites a Dec. 6, 2011, email from CEO George Friedman to Stratfor analyst Reva Bhalla, on how to exploit an Israeli intelligence informant providing information on the medical condition of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
"[Y]ou have to take control of him. Control means financial, sexual or psychological control ... This is intended to start our conversation on your next phase," the email reportedly reads.
The company released a statement early Monday morning on its Facebook page describing the release of the emails as “deplorable.”
“This is a deplorable, unfortunate — and illegal — breach of privacy,” the company said. “Some of the emails may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic. We will not validate either. Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimized twice by submitting to questioning about them.”
WikiLeaks did not say how it had acquired access to the vast haul of internal and external correspondence of the Austin, Texas company, Reuters said. However, hackers linked to the activist collective that calls itself Anonymous said in January that they had stolen the emails and planned to publish the data -- so the public would know the "truth" about Stratfor operations.
Members of Anonymous with intimate knowledge of the hack said that WikiLeaks was a natural partner.
“WikiLeaks has great means to publish and disclose,” one member told Wired. “Also, they work together with media in a way we don’t.”
Anonymous claimed at the time that the data it had stolen was not encrypted, a fact security analysts said would be a major embarrassment for a company related to the security industries.
The company stressed that this release did not represent a fresh hack of its servers.
“Stratfor's data systems, which we have worked hard to rebuild since the December hack, remain secure and protected,” the company said.

Suspect in custody in Ohio high school shooting -Video

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:19:00 -0800

A gunman opened fire inside a high school's cafeteria at the start of the school day Monday, wounding five students, officials said. A suspect was in custody.
FBI agent Scott Wilson said there was one suspected shooter. He wouldn't discuss the extent of the students' injuries. The Geauga County Sheriff's Office told CBS News that the suspect turned himself in after being chased out of the school by a teacher.
The sheriff's office also identified the victims as four male students and one female student.
Earlier, Civil Deputy Erin Knife of the sheriff's office said the shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the

1,100-student Chardon High School about 30 miles east of Cleveland.

Television news footage showed anxious parents escorting children away from a school building, and ambulances could be seen outside.
"We don't have any status updates on the students," Chardon schools spokeswoman Ellen Ondrey told The Associated Press. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. We are very concerned."
A spokeswoman for Cleveland's MetroHealth System said a medical helicopter was dispatched to the high school. Angela Kiska, of the Cleveland Clinic, told WJW-TV in Cleveland that two of the victims were transported to Hillcrest Hospital.
Bob Herp, a Chardon trauma nurse, was at a command scene at a local Wal-Mart store where he told WEWS-TV helicopters were on the ground.
Ondrey said all classes in the district were cancelled.
Students at the high school and middle school had already started their day when the shooting happened, but bus runs for elementary school children were stopped, Ondrey said.
Parents of high school students were told to go to Maple Elementary School to pick up their children.
"We want to make clear that the students are safe," she said, advising parents not to rush to pick up students because the area is "extremely congested. The lines are very long."
Chardon is a city of about 5,100 residents.

The ship company Costa, drifting off the Seychelles

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:13:00 -0800

A company of Costa Crociere ship is adrift in the Seychelles lag after a fire, an official said Monday.
Cruise ship, which has over 1,000 people on board, passengers and crew members, left in Madagascar and the Seychelles headed.
Another ship of this company, Costa Concordia, the shipwrecked on January 13 near the Italian island of Giglio, killing 32 people.
The commander of this ship of 187 meters in length, sailing in the Indian Ocean, "a fire broke out in the morning the generator room was off"."All passengers in good health and regularly informed about the events, was regrouped as a precaution the points

in an emergency meeting on the ship," continued the Italian Coast Guard in a statement.
"Costa Allegra currently has no propulsion capacity" because of fire "but its means of communication operate normally," the communiqué added.
Italian coastguard alerted the Seychelles authorities that "the local jurisdiction for relief operations" and ensure that commercial ships have already identified which could move the wayward cruise ship.

Osama bin Laden's villa was demolished in Abbottabad - PHOTO

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:08:00 -0800

Villa in Abbottabad (Pakistan) where bin Laden lived at least five years when he was killed by an American commando unit in May 2011, was demolished.Demolition started Saturday's three-story building took less than two days without interruption. "Demolition is complete, three-story building was demolished," said an official of the Pakistani security forces.Monday morning, only protective fence with four feet high was demolished."We were ordered to remain on site until further directives. Wall will remain intact for now. Next step is to remove debris," according to the official.Villa located near Abbottabad (North West)

and a few hundred meters from the most important military academy in Pakistan, was demolished before the first anniversary of U.S. raid of May 2, 2011.This operation has humiliated the army and secret American Pakistani government, the country supporting and territorial sovereignty. Location villa was another topic that has demonstrated incompetence or complicity with Islamists Pakistani army, although the most important institution in this country officially allied with the U.S. in 2001."Nothing was found inside. Everything was taken by investigators," the officer said security forces sent to the site.About 500 policemen were present to form a security cordon around the house.Bin Laden lived in this house with his three wives and nine children among them for his grandchildren.His body was thrown into the sea, to prevent supporters are not drawn from any of the organizer grave attack of September 11, 2001, the United States.

The last home of bin Laden attracted hundreds of visitors, officials fearing that it could become a tourist attraction.Pakistani authorities have made no statement about why the building was demolished.

Fifteen people died in China after the fall of a bus off a cliff

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Fifteen people died and another 20 were injured after a bus fell into a ravine in northern China, local authorities said.
The incident occurred Saturday on a road in Shanxi Province. At least 15 people have died on impact and another 19 were hospitalized.
China's roads are considered dangerous. According to official statistics, about 200 people die daily in road accidents in China.

But according to a study published in 2011, road accidents is two times higher than that presented by the police.

An unmanned U.S. plane crashed in northwest Pakistan

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:59:00 -0800

An unmanned U.S. plane crashed Saturday in tribal region of northwest Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan, an official source announced.
Unmanned aircraft crashed in mountainous Mishihel, about 30 kilometers west of Miranshah, the main town in the Waziristan region (north), often the target of strikes against the Taliban, said military officials.
"An unmanned U.S. plane crashed, apparently because of technical problems," said a military official in Peshawar. The incident was confirmed by authorities in the region.

The rebels have surrounded the site, the official added, declining to comment on statements

by the Taliban , that the device would have been shot down by insurgents.
U.S. President Barack Obama admitted for the first time last month that his country made unmanned aircraft strikes against Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters in Pakistan.
These shots are very criticized by the American people that they believe a violation of the sovereignty of the country and accused the United States and its allies responsible for the violence that affects Pakistan.
According to a report, 45 reported U.S. bombing the tribal areas of Pakistan in 2009, the year Obama took office, 101 in 2010 and 64 in 2011.

The Pentagon argues that killing two military advisers in Afghanistan is unacceptable

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:55:00 -0800

Killing two U.S. military advisers in Afghanistan is unacceptable, said on Saturday a spokesman for the Pentagon, urging the authorities in Kabul to better protect international coalition forces in the field.
At least two U.S. military advisers of the NATO Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) were shot dead Saturday in an attack at the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, causing NATO to withdraw its personnel working in Afghan ministries.
"This act is unacceptable and I condemn with the greatest power," he said, quoted in a press spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense George Little.

He announced that the Pentagon chief Leon Panetta decision support General John Allen, commander of ISAF, to withdraw all personnel and added that Afghan Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak has apologized on the phone, U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Panetta "appreciated the call (by phone), urged the Afghan government to take decisive measures to protect coalition forces and to end violence in Afghanistan," said Little in press.
Wardak Panetta assured the "fullest cooperation to investigate this tragedy," the statement said. Afghan Minister also promised the creation of "strong measures to protect the ISAF personnel."
Five days after the burning of copies of the Koran in the U.S. military base in Bagram north of Kabul, violence continued in this country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for killings committed by the Ministry of the Interior by a "hero", Abdul Rahman, saying it acted "against the invaders disrespect to the sacred objects of Islam".

Explosion at a Brazilian naval base in Antarctica. Two people were missing and another was injured

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:50:00 -0800

Two people were missing, and another person was injured Saturday after an explosion caused a fire at a Brazilian naval base in Antarctica, military sources announced.
The accident led to the evacuation of about 40 researchers.
The Brazilian Navy, the fire in the building's electrical generators Comandante Ferraz base, located on King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula near the top.
Wounded soldier, whose condition is stable, has received initial care to the polish, being later transferred to the Chilean Eduardo Frei, Brazilian Navy announced in a statement.

Brazilian Navy personnel working to control the fire.
About 30 researchers, a alipinist a Brazilian Environment Ministry representative present in the plant when the accident were evacuated Chilean territory, according to the Brazilian Navy.
Air Force of Chile have said, in turn, that 48 Brazilian and two Spaniards were evacuated by helicopter to the Chilean city of Punta Arenas, located about 3090 kilometers south of Santiago.
"The information we have, the would be completely destroyed," said Chilean Defense Minister Andrés Allamanda CNN Chile. He added that in total 45 people were evacuated from the Brazilian.
Allamanda said that the two missing people were "probably dead" and that the Chilean provided care to a wounded, while other aprozimativ ten people received medical care at the Frei.
In addition, polar research ship Almirante Maximiano Brazilian left Punta Arenas heading towards the scene.
Base Comandante Ferraz performs scientific research on marine ecosystems, especially in the coastal zone.

Air Force One travel costs - How much is one hour by plane presidential

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 08:32:00 -0800

Costs of travel by U.S. presidential aircraft Air Force One amounts to 179,750 dollars for an hour flight, in fiscal year 2012, said Maj. Michelle Lai, for ABC News.
This includes fuel, flight supplies, repairs and maintenance of aircraft and engine. Salaries of pilots and attendants are not included because they are paid whether or not air is used, Lai explained to ABC News.
Therefore, the movement made Thursday by President Barack Obama in Florida would cost at least 674,000 dollars just to fly Air Force One. In this state, the president gave a speech about the draft budget, then participated in three meetings fundraising.

Moving from three days last week, in three states, which included two occasions and eight fundraising in presidential campaign collected more than eight million dollars, the cost of flight generated 2.1 million dollars.
As the proportion of those costs covered by Obama's campaign, experts say the law is very unclear, and repayment takes practice to a certain degree of "honor". Obama's campaign reimbursed far more than 1.5 million travelers in this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said last week that the administration complies with all rules and previous examples for presidential trips with two goals.
Under the rules, official travel costs are borne by taxpayers President, while political movements are paid by the candidate's campaign committee. When you have dual-purpose trips, official and political costs must be divided.

Dramatic picture of a Brazilian helicopter to dismantle immediately after landing - VIDEO

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:03:00 -0800

A helicopter was shot intervention while broke just a few seconds after he landed in Brazil, a video capturing the dramatic moment, the doors have just fallen on the ground, while the rotor continues to operate , reports Sky News Online.
Crew members were in the cabin during the incident, which was recorded with a video camera by a member of intervention team.
One crew member suffered a slight injury to the leg, but no one else was injured in the incident which took place in Para State (North).
Brazilian investigators of the incident said that the helicopter suffered a phenomenon known as

"ground resonance". Central gear box became unstable, and vibrations have destroyed the aircraft.
The helicopter belonged to Para state intervention team.

Romanian-born agent of the Washington state police, shot dead by a criminal

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:58:00 -0800

A Romanian-born agent of the police state of Washington was shot dead Thursday morning by an offender was driving a vehicle that is stopped for a road checkpoint and then killed himself.
Tony Radulescu, aged 44, was born in Bucharest and moved to the United States when he was 14 years. He worked in Washington state police (State Patrol) for 16 years and was seconded to the Agency office in Bremerton.
Radulescu 4:01 p.m. off highway vehicle driven by Joshua J. Blake, aged 28, and broadcast machine data to be checked. Radulescu has not called back to the station so that a deputy sheriff of Kitsap County went to

the place indicated by the highway and found him wounded. The agent was taken to Medical Center St. Joseph in Tacoma, where he was pronounced his death, reports the Seattle Times Electronic Edition.
The man suspected that the shot is a criminal who threatened to harm police if arrested again, according to the Department of Corrections (DOC) state. Blake sat in prison for manufacturing methamphetamine, assault and breaching a restraining order, said a DOC spokesman Chad Lewis. The offender was supervised by the authorities because of his violent tendencies and non-compliance, even after release from prison.
Joshua Blake was shot while Kitsap County sheriff's deputies came to arrest him in connection with the murder of Tony Radulescu. Blake was hospitalized at Tacoma General Hospital, where he was pronounced his death Thursday afternoon.

Closing Wikipedia was a worldwide success

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:52:00 -0800

Yesterday's protest of the Wikipedia platform brought greater popularity than in previous days, more people wanted to see the message that online encyclopedia protest against the law "Stop Online Piracy Act" (whisper), which is said to limit the independence and freedom of sites powered by the users. Thus, according to analysis firm Experian Hitwise, Wikipedia was ranked in the top eight most visited websites in the UK, much better than the day before, even if the only available page was a black screen with a message about Internet freedom. The only solution to the blockage was the user to press "Escape" before the message appears,

says Pocket-lint.com site. 5.8 million visitors have been on Wikipedia today only in the UK, and visits from mobile devices increased 14%. Compared to the conventional, online encyclopedia mobile platform was not blocked by anti-whisper message. Success of the campaign was revealed by site founder, Jimmy Wales, who wrote in a message on Twitter "updates! 8 million Americans have sought congressional phone numbers and 162 million users saw the black page ". Wikipedia not only protested yesterday. A Google spokesman said that 4.5 million people signed petition against online giant whisper.

Eight-year-old student, shot at a school in Washington State

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:47:00 -0800

An eight-year-old student was shot at Armin Jahr Elementary School, was transported to hospital by a helicopter-rescue, according to police officials frameworks of Bremerton, Pete Fisher, tells CNN the website.
There are details about the health of the face.
The school was closed after the incident which took place at around 13.30 (23.30 GMT), and the weapon was recovered.
No information on the attacker was not disclosed. "It is too early to disclose details," added Fisher.

Exercise to simulate an attack on the London Underground, for Olympics

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:02:00 -0800

About 2,500 police, ambulance and fire brigade attended Wednesday in an exercise simulating an attack on the London Underground in the 2012 Olympic Games, taking place in the British capital, the government announced.
The exercise, held in the disused Aldwych Underground Station and will continue on Thursday, will allow testing of emergency response services in case of attack.
These exercises are "vital," said Chris Allison, Scotland Yard responsible for Olympic security. "We need to know that we have the right people in the right places," he added

"We leave nothing to chance and we will thoroughly test the entire system, the Government, the Games organizers and emergency services to be prepared for any eventuality," said Interior Minister Theresa May, who attended the exercise company mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
"We will show the world that London is prepared to host the Games," said the turn of pompierillor representative in London, David Whiting.
The security for OJ provides mobilization of aircraft, two warships and 23,700 people, part of the army (13,500 soldiers) and in the private security companies and at least 3,000 volunteers.
In July 2005, British capital was the target of several attacks that resulted in 52 deaths, in addition to the four suicide, all British.

An employee of a U.S. hospital and shot two senior after a disciplinary incident

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:58:00 -0800

An employee of the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Connecticut, and two senior shot Wednesday night after a disciplinary incident, U.S. authorities announced.
Before the shots, the suspect had a "disciplinary dispute," said Lynn Ricci, a spokeswoman for the hospital. The victims, identified as Lynn and Robert Trask Barlucci, are in serious but stable condition following the incident reinforced, Ricci said, quoted by CNN.
Authorities arrested the suspect, Victor Valcárcel, shortly after, at his home, the spokeswoman added.

The hospital was closed for some time after the incident reinforced.

Balance rail accident in Buenos Aires reached 50 dead and 675 wounded

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:44:00 -0800

Balance accident at a railway station on Wednesday in downtown Argentina reached 50 dead and 675 wounded, many of the victims were taken by wagon roof turned into piles of iron in the crash."The death toll rises to 50", said the evening of the Government Secretary for Human Rights in Buenos Aires, Claudio Avruj, while the city Department of Health announced that the number of wounded increased from 600 to 675.Earlier, a police spokesman, Nestor Rodriguez, said that the impact, which occurred at 8.36 local time (13.36 GMT), rush hour, killed 49 people.Train, connecting the western outskirts of Buenos Aires and the city center,

carrying about 2,000 passengers. Operated by private company TBA, Once the convoy entered the station without brake, then hit the buffers at the end of the line, according to images recorded by surveillance cameras, broadcast on television.Firefighters and members of civil protection services had to cut the roof of the first cars to extract passengers.Train "came with a speed of 20 km / h and hit the buffers", for reasons that will be established by the investigation, said Transport Minister Juan Pablo Schiavi.TBA company said in a statement that he knows the causes of the accident and added that he would send "all information and images of justice".Conductor, though wounded, managed to leave the cab with preventive services, dozens of people who cared for the station, where many passengers are in shock, and spent part of the day sitting down.According to Schiavi, the conductor was "a young man of 28 years with great history and who was rested as shift started with a few stops before"."I felt the blast impact. It was a terrible noise. Train has not slowed. I saw people wounded in the neck, the arms and legs," he told the television Pedro Fuentes, a passenger.Sarmiento line through 70 kilometers and carry about 500,000 people per day. In September, an accident on the same line of nine people killed when two trains hit a bus at a railway crossing.Dozens of ambulances were mobilized, and the worst injured were evacuated by helicopters that landed in the market Once in the station."The train was full. Impact was terrible. People were trying desperately to get out," another passenger told press, Ezequiel."This is due to lack of maintenance trains, irregularities, deficiencies" and a service that functions poorly, the trade union denounced the radio one of the Railway Union, Roberto Nunez.Rolling stock on this line dates back to 1960. Argentine railways were privatized in the 90s. Country regularly experiences accidents in 2011 taking place three collisions, two of which resulted in casualties.This accident is the third worst in Argentina, after the Benavidez (northern outskirts of the capital), resulted in 236 victims in 1970, and produced in 1978 in the province of Santa Fe, resulting in 55 deaths.

iOS 5 Untethered JailBreak Delayed, Apple Killed Chronic DevTeam Exploits

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:58:00 -0800

We heard earlier from Chronic DevTeam at JailBreakCon that they have discovered five different userland based exploits which would help them to release an iOS 5 untethered JailBreak. As per the latest update on Chronic DevTeam blog , despite their countless efforts, Apple has found and killed them continuously in iOS 5 Betas and even after the release of iOS 5 final. Chronic DevTeam wants to inform us that they worked

really hard to make iOS 5 untethered JailBreak successful, but all of their efforts went in vain.

How Did It Happen?

Well, all the vulnerabilities which Chronic DevTeam discovered were sent back to Apple in the form of ‘Diagnostic information’ through iTunes. This is something no one can prevent right now. One of the reason why the development of iOS 5 untethered JailBreak never appeared in Beta. If they would have sent it to beta testers, probability that Apple could have found all those vulnerabilities and patched them right in the upcoming software update. So, it is very difficult to get rid of this problem. There are chances even if they attach their iPhone on someone else iTunes, all the crash reports or diagnostic information would be sent automatically.

How Can You Help?

First of all, you shouldn’t not send any crash report information to Apple. If iTunes asks you to send anything which would help Apple to improve its software, it’s a cobweb. Apple is ultimately fixing all those vulnerabilities which would appear in the form of bug fix in the next software update. You are their biggest weapon and if you help Chronic DevTeam in finding those crash reports instead of Apple, it would help them to release an iOS 5 untethered JailBreak.

Install The Software (Mac Only)

Considering all the above situation, Chronic DevTeam is releasing a tool which would send all those diagnostic information to them. Everyone who want to help Chronic DevTeam in finding the crashes in your iDevice should install this tool now. Currently, the tool is in beta and works only on Mac. In next 24 hours, the final version for Mac and Windows would be released. So, do you want Chronic DevTeam to release an iOS 5 untethered JailBreak for you? Install the tool now!

Download the tool from here . Let’s know in the comment section what do you think about it?

Welcome - How to Unlock iPhone 4S

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:47:00 -0800

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Grammy nominations concert on CBS tries to find its rhythm

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:44:00 -0800

It's not a true trophy show (no awards are handed out) nor is it a pure prime-time concert special (the music stops every few minutes as envelopes are unsealed), so viewers aren't to blame if they can't quite get a bead on the breathlessly named "Grammy Nominations Concert Live: Countdown to Music's Biggest Night" which airs Wednesday on CBS.

This is the fourth edition of the spinoff show and executive producer Ken Ehrlich concedes that the show is still searching a bit for its identity, although the network is plenty happy to have an all-star music event to break up the post-Thanksgiving leftover diet of weeknight repeats.

"It's still establishing itself, it's a little different of an animal," Ehrlich said. "Essentially, with the Grammys show that airs every February, people know they want to watch to see what people do. We're trying to head this show in that direction and I don't think we really did it in the first three years. I think we were trying to find ourselves. I really believe with this year's show we're headed on that road."

Last year's program drew just 5 million total viewers, down 20% compared with the previous year's telecast, according to Nielsen. The show clung to barely half the viewership from its lead-in, a repeat of the drama "Criminal Minds." The Grammy noms telecast has dropped significantly in each of its three airings since it started in 2008.

This year's show will again be hosted by LL Cool J and it features performances by Lady Gaga, Usher, Ludacris, Rihanna and Sugarland. The vibe will be quite different in the room — the show will be staged at the 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre and open up to the public (tickets are $35 to $75) after two years at adjacent Club Nokia, which had only 2,200 seats that left limited room for anyone outside the music industry.

The show's great challenge is the obvious anti-climactic nature of reading out nominees and then reminding the audience that they can find out who wins by tuning in … next year. The "real" Grammys are Feb. 12, and while that is a long way off, the show this Wednesday will offer a glimpse into the story lines to expect.

One of the big names on Wednesday night will be a star who won't be in the room — expect to hear the name Adele over and over after the cross-genre and cross-generational success of the 23-year-old British singer-songwriter. Many observers believe she could be poised for an avalanche of awards not unlike the historic romps by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones, each of whom left the Grammy stage with bouquets of gramophone trophies for their breakthrough solo albums.

Adele underwent throat surgery on Nov. 7 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to stop bleeding on a benign polyp on her vocal cords, and Grammy producers hope that the Feb. 12 broadcast will be her big return to the public spotlight — but they are also privately anxious that some medical setback might give them a star who can't sing on her spotlight night. Ehrlich (who is celebrating his 30th anniversary with the Grammys) and his team are already in contact with Adele's managers and keeping tabs on her recovery.

For the nomination show this Wednesday, the big draw is Gaga, whom Ehrlich compares to a Madonna or David Bowie as far as being a shape-changing creature of fashion and music trend.

The nomination concert is now an established part of the award-show circuit and falls less than two weeks after the American Music Awards. While the AMAs are veering further toward the MTV model of anything-goes in the name of product and project promotion (during her AMAs performance this year Jennifer Lopez brought a Fiat on stage with her), the producers of the Grammy nomination concert are aiming for more gravitas.

In an effort to expand the nomination show's mission — and perhaps signaling that it will become a mini-Grammys at some point — the Wednesday night broadcast will feature a tribute to songwriters who died this year. With two facing pianos, Usher will perform with Valerie Simpson of the duo Ashford and Simpson, and Mike Stoller of the songwriting team Leiber and Stoller, as a tribute to their recently lost partners. The number will feature "You're All I Need to Get By" and "Stand by Me."

Also, in another nod to the past, LL Cool J, Common, Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross will perform the rap classic "The Message" with Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel and Scorpio, a hip-hop moment that ties into the 1982 track being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

CONRAD MURRAY'S MOM She Doesn't Know Jack (Daniels) About Her Son

coblisovidiu@gmail.com (Luminita1977) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 01:41:00 -0800

Note to Conrad Murray's mom. You were wrong when you told Judge Michael Pastor your son never had a drink in his life, and we have the proof -- 80 proof.

Murray's mom wrote a letter to Judge Michael Pastor before his sentencing, pleading for mercy for her son and claiming Conrad is a good person who "never drank alcohol, took drugs or smoked cigarettes in his life."

But here's the deal.

We got this pic of the Doc, who was at a holiday bash in Vegas in the late '90's. You see
Murray triple fisting. People at the party tell us Murray was drinking champagne and cocktails all night long.

At least he won't get extra jail time for this lie.