May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
UK: Spies Hack al-Qaida's Inspire Magazine
An AP newswire article by Paisley Dodds, via Salon.com, reports:
More here.
Britain's spy agencies have a new message for terrorists: make cupcakes, not war.
Intelligence agents managed to hack into the extremist Inspire magazine, replacing its bombmaking instructions with a recipe for cupcakes.
It's the first time the agents sabotaged the English-language magazine linked to U.S.-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an extremist accused in several recent terror plots.
The quarterly online magazine, which is sent to websites and email addresses as a pdf file, had offered an original page titled "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom" in one of its editions last year. The magazine's pages were corrupted, however, and the instructions replaced with the cupcake recipe.
"We're increasingly using cybertools as part of our work," a British government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters said Friday, confirming that the Inspire magazine had been successfully attacked.
The hackers were reportedly working for Britain's eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, which has boosted its resources in the past several years.
More here.
Rock And Roll Cinema: June 1962 "Don't Knock The Twist" @ New Prague Theatre, New Prague, MN
(Image via: NYCDreamin Archives)
From Wikipedia:
Don't Knock the Twist is a 1962 dance film starring Lang Jeffries. It is the sequel to the 1961 film Twist Around the Clock. Many twist dancers' meet in preparation for the TV variety show called "The Twist." While the special is still in the production stages, jealousies lead to problems - and a whole lot of dancing.
Here's a few clips from the movie...note the nice opening shot of the lower Manhattan skyline in the first one.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Identity Theft to Steal Tax Refunds Goes Through the Roof, Official Reports
Via FCW.com.
More here.
The Internal Revenue Service has seen a nearly fivefold increase in taxpayer identity theft in the past few years — from 51,702 incidents in 2008 to 248,357 in 2010, Larry Margasak reports for the Associated Press. However, a government official recently told a congressional panel that the IRS hasn’t been chasing many of the perpetrators.
Tax identity thieves typically file returns for refunds earlier than legitimate taxpayers, who then receive notification from the IRS that two returns were filed using the same Social Security number, Margasak wrote.
According to the AP article, James White, director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, said in testimony prepared for a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that "IRS officials told us that IRS pursues criminal investigations of suspected identity thieves in only a small number of cases."
White said that in fiscal 2010, the IRS' criminal investigations division launched slightly more than 4,700 investigations of all types — far less than the number of identity theft cases.
More here.
The Wild Wild West
Yeah, it's been long - but guess what - I have been busy, but this time, busy holidaying :). Holidaying in the far far west - the desert state of Arizona.
And here I come only to share with you the striking aspects of my vacation so far!
The summer months - May onwards - are dry and hot and when I say hot, I don't mean the pleasant English summer but the dry, dehydrating heat - If you are from Delhi or around and have experienced the months from April to August, you know exactly what I am talking about. Add to that the direct sun that is in your face for almost 15 hours a day - 7 days a week!
The skies are usually bright and clear with the occasional clouds over the distant southwestern mountain ranged that make for a breathtaking sight especially at sunsets.
What is also awe-inspiring are the huge cacti - tall and stately - they almost form the state emblem of AZ!
I have been in and around the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Tempe and Chandler, and the best touristy thing that we did was a visit to Rawhide - an old time western town complete with cowboys, bounty hunters, and guns!
A promising fun package, Rawhide is the closest you can get to the authentic rustic and adventurous life in the 1880's. And here's their theme song for you to get the precise feel I wish to convey :)...
For more details on the attractions, see rawhide.com. And if you are anywhere around, you sure don't want to give this one a miss!
"...
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Keep movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them doggies movin' Rawhide!
..."
And here I come only to share with you the striking aspects of my vacation so far!
The summer months - May onwards - are dry and hot and when I say hot, I don't mean the pleasant English summer but the dry, dehydrating heat - If you are from Delhi or around and have experienced the months from April to August, you know exactly what I am talking about. Add to that the direct sun that is in your face for almost 15 hours a day - 7 days a week!
The skies are usually bright and clear with the occasional clouds over the distant southwestern mountain ranged that make for a breathtaking sight especially at sunsets.
What is also awe-inspiring are the huge cacti - tall and stately - they almost form the state emblem of AZ!
I have been in and around the cities of Phoenix, Tucson, Tempe and Chandler, and the best touristy thing that we did was a visit to Rawhide - an old time western town complete with cowboys, bounty hunters, and guns!
A promising fun package, Rawhide is the closest you can get to the authentic rustic and adventurous life in the 1880's. And here's their theme song for you to get the precise feel I wish to convey :)...
For more details on the attractions, see rawhide.com. And if you are anywhere around, you sure don't want to give this one a miss!
"...
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
Keep movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them doggies movin' Rawhide!
..."
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