Wooran's Warriors

Semper Fi Fund

2011-05-01T09:53:00.001-04:00

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do.

Team Semper Fi is for those injured service members who refuse to let their injuries keep them down. TSF provides encouragement, motivation, and individual goals through sports. Find out more about this exciting program of recovery through sport: http://ow.ly/4H3Wo

Semper Fi Fund »

ow.ly

Made up of more than 200 service members who qualify for our assistance, Team Semper Fi (TSF) is the heart and inspiration of the Semper Fi Fund’s...

Too stubborn to die

2011-03-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

My Reason to Relay

I am participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life because I survived cancer, twice.

My husband says I'll live forever because I'm too stubborn (sometimes ornery) to die. I know that's not true (the living forever part) but I do attribute some part of my survival to my refusal to submit to such a small, malicious thing as the cancer that was growing in my cervix.

At the age of 19 I received my first (Class V) pap smear. Fast forward and I am blessed with the the birth of my son. Thirty days later, I received my second (Class V) pap smear. At 23 years of age I underwent a complete hysterectomy. I have been cancer free for over 22 years now. My miricle baby, as I like to call him, is now on the chancellors list and will be graduating from college this year.

MARSOC SILENT WARRIORS

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=32890&team_id=845790

https://secure3.convio.net/tacs/site/Donation2?df_id=1008607&PROXY_ID=18996958&PROXY_TYPE=20&FR_ID=32890&s_subsrc=bfphotoshare&s_src=boundlessfundraising&s_TeamRaiserID=32890

Tax dodgers scramble to come clean amid crackdown

2009-08-15T12:31:00.003-04:00

WASHINGTON — A deal with Switzerland settling U.S. demands for the names of suspected tax dodgers from a Swiss bank has a lot of wealthy Americans with offshore accounts nervously running to their tax advisers — and the Internal Revenue Service.

"They are very frightened," said Richard Boggs, chief executive of Nationwide Tax Relief, a Los-Angeles-based tax firm that specializes in clients with tax debts exceeding $100,000. "You have the super rich who are not used to being pushed around and they are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory."

The U.S. and Swiss governments announced a court settlement last week in efforts by the IRS to force Zurich-based UBS AG to turn over the names of some 52,000 Americans believed to be hiding nearly $15 billion in assets in secret accounts.

Justice Department and UBS lawyers told a federal judge in Miami in a brief conference call Wednesday they had initialed a final deal. But they did not disclose any details, such as how many of the 52,000 names sought by the IRS will be revealed.

Even before the settlement, the high-profile case — coupled with other U।S। efforts to go after Americans hiding undeclared assets — has scared hundreds of tax dodgers to turn themselves in। Boggs said his firm has been taking on 100 new cases a month, a big increase over previous years। read more

Marines Recruiting Office Protest and Counter-Protest

2009-08-12T20:34:00.004-04:00

Yes, they're at it again. Supporters and detractors of the United States military battled it out in Berkeley for at least the sixth time this year: the latest in a relentless series of protests and counter-protests trying to seize the upper hand in the controversy over the "Marine Corps Officer Selection Office" on Shattuck Square.

Today's Summer Solstice showdown featured Move America Forward, the Marines Motorcycle Club, the Patriot Guard Riders and other veterans' and pro-America groups facing off against their traditional adversaries: World Can't Wait, Code Pink, the Revolutionary Communist Party, assorted 9/11 Truthers, far-left activists and their fellow travelers.

Let the battle commence!

World Can't Wait + sympathizers at Berkeley protest 6-21-08

2009-08-12T11:56:00.001-04:00

Wounded Warrior Diaries

2009-06-26T23:18:00.001-04:00

Brett Dennen - Ain't No Reason (Official Single Video)

2009-06-15T11:03:00.001-04:00

Gottschalk Electronic Board

2009-01-27T14:51:00.002-05:00

I think Gottschalk needs and electronic board with name, email, phone, slip number, etc.You can start with mine:

Bill and Linda Griswold
Slip 46
Southern Comfort
Clayton, NC
919-395-3623
bill@billgriswold.com

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Owners/residents of Gottschalk need to know fire procedures and how fire if fought on boats at the marina, where alarms are positioned, etc.; 9:10 AM
Anonymous said...: Water lines at Marina need to be repaired and insulated fully.; 9:11 AM
Anonymous said...: 1. Water pipes have been broken for weeks at a time with water pouring out. The pipes don't appear to be insulated. I don't know how to contact base maintenance or how to report these type problems. Sometimes in cold weather all dock faucets are opened to prevent freezing, I think. This causes numerous slick icy spots on the docks—a hazzard.

2. I don't see a fire fighting unit on the dock area-just a pull alarm unit. I was told by a fire department alarm guy that we have alarms and a fire boat can respond. If a boat is on fire it could spread fast to other boats. Are there written procedures concerning fire or other emergencies at the marina??

3. Ordering parts through Paxton only arrive on Thursdays. Is it possible to request next day delivery from Paxton?

4. Electricity seems problematic at times of high use. My breaker pops under heavy use. To whom or where can I report it?; 5। There is a non-working pump out unit but apparently belongs to the Yacht Club?? Could it be transferred to someone or to the Marina so it can be maintained for use? I was told pump out could be dumped in the sewage outlet behind the washer/dryer building—is that correct?; 6. The artificial turf material on the main dock area is torned and a tripping hazzard. Can it be removed or repaired?; 7. Is there a procedures book for the marina? I could include who is responsible for what and what are the contacts numbers/emails? Or,maybe an information bulletin board for residents of the marina would work better??

society

2009-01-23T00:41:00.001-05:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Society (disambiguation).

Society portal
A society is a population of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions. More broadly, a society is an economic, social and industrial infrastructure, in which a varied multitude of people are a part of. Members of a society may be from different ethnic groups. A society may be a particular ethnic group, such as the Saxons, a nation state, such as Bhutan, or a broader cultural group, such as a Western society.
The word society may also refer to an organized voluntary association of people for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purpose. Sociology is the scientific, or academic, study of society and human behavior.

Public service announcement

2009-01-22T22:57:00.001-05:00

A public service announcement (PSA) or community service announcement (CSA) is a non-commercial advertisement broadcast on radio or television, ostensibly for the public good. PSAs are intended to modify public attitudes by raising awareness about specific issues.
The most common topics of PSAs are health and safety. A typical PSA is part of a public awareness campaign to inform or educate the public about an issue such as smoking or compulsive gambling.
Often, a charitable organization releasing a PSA enlists the support of a celebrity; examples include Michael J. Fox's PSAs in the U.S. supporting research into Parkinson's Disease and Crips street gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams speaking from prison to urge youth not to join gangs.
Some religious groups produce PSAs on non-religious themes such as family values. Examples include the long-running "Homefront" campaign from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and more recently the United Methodist Church.
The military produces PSAs to recruit enlistees, in addition to paid advertising and sponsorship efforts.
In the U.S, the role of PSAs was affected by deregulation of the broadcasting industry in the 1980s. Previously, a broadcast license was assigned to a television or radio station that was expected to serve as a "public trustee" by airing PSAs (in addition to meeting other requirements).
Untited States producers distribute traditional PSAs distributed to station directors.

ANSI/NISO/ISO 12083 Electronic Manuscript Preparation and Markup

2009-01-22T22:25:00.004-05:00

Provides document architectures for the creation and interchange of books, articles, serial publications, and application-embedded mathematics. It provides a toolkit for publication developers to use as a basis for creating custom applications for authors, publishers, libraries, their users, and/or their database vendors. The standard specifies the SGML declaration defining the syntax used by the document type definitions (DTD) and document instances, and a definition for mathematics which may be embedded in other SGML applications. The DTDs included have been designed to be flexible enough to expand or limit markup depending on the use of the application. The DTDs presented conform to ISO 8879.

http://www।techstreet।com/cgi-bin/detail?product_id=52643

Students designing housing for wounded warriors

2008-12-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

By Josh Humphries
The Daily Reflector

Friday, November 07, 2008

Military barracks for injured soldiers tend to be institutional and drab, but an East Carolina University class wants to change that.

Instead of sterile white walls, students in Hunt McKinnon's interior design classes would use color to bring life to barracks and make soldiers feel more at home. Instead of dull training rooms, they would use vibrant designs to motivate injured soldiers toward better health.

McKinnon's design students are working in teams to create barracks for Wounded Warriors at Camp Lejeune as a class project that may ultimately be used by the U.S. Marines.

The project is to design barracks that would provide assisted living for Marines going through treatment and rehabilitation. McKinnon's students want to get away from the institutional feel of the current barracks used to house injured soldiers. Learn More

Navy ship San Antonio undergoing repairs

2008-11-10T19:54:00.000-05:00

Associated Press - November 7, 2008 6:15 PM ET

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - The Navy amphibious ship San Antonio is undergoing repairs after it sprung oil leaks in its lubrication system during its first deployment.

Officials say the transport dock ship is in a Bahrain shipyard and will be sidelined for at least two weeks while engineers and workers assess and fix the problems.

A team of about 30 civilian and military personnel from Norfolk Naval Shipyard have flown to Bahrain to conduct tests and repair.

The San Antonio left Norfolk for the Middle East on its first deployment in August with the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group.

The ship is the first in the Navy's new class of Landing Platform Dock.

Information from: The Virginian-Pilot,

San Antonio class amphibious transport dock

2008-11-10T19:38:00.000-05:00

The San Antonio class is the United States Navy's new primary class of amphibious transport dock (LPD) in the beginning of 21st century^[1]. It will be replacing the older Austin-, Cleveland-, and Trenton- class LPDs as well as the Anchorage-class dock landing ships, Newport-class tank landing ships, and one class that has already been retired, the Charleston-class amphibious cargo ships^[1].

Thus, the twelve planned San Antonios will replace a total of 41 ships; however the San Antonio class's funding may be reduced in 2006 as a result of suspected budget cuts, and only nine ships will likely be funded. There are currently six San Antonio-class LPDs under construction and three in commission as of April 2008; LPDs 26 through 28 are planned, but have not been awarded to a shipyard or all named^[2]। read more

Multi-agency law enforcement effort nets 164 arrests

2008-11-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

Law enforcement officials from agencies in Onslow, Carteret and Craven counties came together during a Tuesday afternoon press conference to show how cooperation is helping take illegal drugs off the streets of area communities.
Operation Stars and Shields, a reference to the star-shaped badges worn by sheriff deputies and the shields worn by police and federal law enforcement, is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction undercover drug enforcement effort that has involved nine agencies from three counties.

Wife's Text Messages Lead To Underage Sex Sting

2008-11-08T22:04:00.000-05:00

SOUTH HERO, Vt. -- An arrangement for a man to meet who he thought were two teenagers for sex started with an accidental cell phone text message and ended with his estranged wife setting him up for a police sting, according to Vermont State Police.
Police: Wife's Text Messages Lead to underage Sex Sting
Police said Jesse Arnold Read, 40, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., was charged with using electronic equipment to lure a child after he was set up by his 23-year-old estranged wife and her friend.

US strike' on Pakistan militants

2008-11-07T18:46:00.000-05:00

A suspected US missile strike in north-west Pakistan has killed at least 11 people, Pakistani officials say.

The attack by a US drone targeted Taleban militants in the tribal region of North Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, they said.

Local people say the house of fighters loyal to a Taleban commander, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, was hit.

The US has not confirmed the attack। It has carried out many attacks along Pakistan's border areas recently Read More

White House Mum Following U.S. Raid Into Syria

2008-11-04T16:25:00.002-05:00

Watch this video on youtube.com

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Mass Demonstration at Yarmuk Camp Protesting US Attack on Abu Kamal

2008-11-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

Damascus, Nov. 4 (SANA) – The Palestinian masses at Yarmuk Camp in Damascus organized a public demonstration expressing anger and protesting against the US attack on Abu Kamal area, affirming their support to Syria in the face of this criminal act.

Protestors raised Syrian and Palestinian flags and banners denouncing the US attack and policies.

Several speeches denouncing the act of aggression were delivered, affirming that the attack which targeted innocent civilians targets Syria's firm stances and its resistance of foreign dictations. They also expressed support to Syria and its national stances, affirming that it represents the Arab nation's conscience, dignity and pride.

The Palestinian resistance factions made a statement during the demonstration condemning the US attack and expressing support of Syria, stressing that Syria's stances support the Arab nation in the face of dangers.

The statement was concluded by calling for continuing the struggle to end occupation and thwart plots against the nation.

Participators in the demonstration expressed their refusal of the US policies of aggression and their support to Syria, calling on the international community to take action for preventing the recurrence of the US attack.

H. Sabbagh / Ahmad Fathi ZAHRA

http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2008/11/04/199888.htm

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

FBI Wants Its Own Stasi

2008-11-03T02:29:00.000-05:00

In a move startlingly similar to that of the East German government during the Cold war, the FBI wants to recruit thousands of covert informants in the US and work with the CIA to train them in an effort to expand and adopt more aggressive intelligence capabilities.
ABC's The Blotter reports that according to a recent unclassified report to Congress, the FBI, driven by a 2004 directive from President Bush, wants to recruit more than 15,000 informants in the US, entailing a complete overhaul of its database systems at a cost of around $22 million. READ MORE

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

'Surveillance-Industrial Complex' Turbo-Charging Government Monitoring

2008-11-03T02:17:00.000-05:00

The government is rapidly increasing its ability to monitor average Americans by tapping into the growing amount of consumer data being collected by the private sector, according to a major report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"The U.S. security establishment is reaching deeper and deeper into our private lives by forcing the corporate sector to inform on the activities of individuals," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. "The government has always recruited informers to help convict criminals, but today that recruitment is being computerized, automated, and used against innocent individuals on a massive scale that is unprecedented in the history of our nation." READ MORE

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Online NewsHour: Government Surveillance --

2008-11-03T02:02:00.000-05:00

GWEN IFILL: The Pentagon has launched plans to create a computer surveillance system to sift through personal information as a way of tracking down terrorists. Called Total Information Awareness, the government would use a technique known as data mining, to access everything from personal e-mail and credit card purchases to banking transactions.
The man in charge is retired vice admiral John Poindexter, he was the national security advisor under President Reagan, and the highest ranking official convicted of lying to Congress during the Iran Contra scandal. That conviction was later overturned.
For two views on the Poindexter plan, we turn to retired Colonel Edward Badolato, who served former Presidents Reagan and Bush as deputy secretary of energy focusing on counter terrorism. And Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. The center is challenging the project.
Colonel Badolato, we're talking about instant access to personal records of an unprecedented nature, or at least scope and breadth without a search warrant. Why is that needed? Read More

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

The Emerging Surveillance State

2008-11-03T01:56:00.001-05:00

Last month, the House amended the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to expand the government’s ability to monitor our private communications. This measure, if it becomes law, will result in more warrantless government surveillance of innocent American citizens.
Though some opponents claimed that the only controversial part of this legislation was its grant of immunity to telecommunications companies, there is much more to be wary of in the bill. In the House version, Title II, Section 801, extends immunity from prosecution of civil legal action to people and companies including any provider of an electronic communication service, any provider of a remote computing service, “any other communication service provider who has access to wire or electronic communications,” any “parent, subsidiary, affiliate, successor, or assignee” of such company, any “officer, employee, or agent” of any such company, and any “landlord, custodian, or other person who may be authorized or required to furnish assistance.” The Senate version goes even further by granting retroactive immunity to such entities that may have broken the law in the past.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Government Surveillance

2008-11-03T00:39:00.002-05:00

Comprehensive examinations of the activities of US intelligence and law enforcement agencies by congressional committees in the 1970s led to significant reforms designed to ensure that investigations conducted by those agencies were respectful of the Constitutional rights of Americans. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the intelligence and security bureaucracy, in concert with the Bush Administration, has capitalized on the current climate and has pressed for the elimination of many of those safeguards. Sweeping anti-terrorism legislation, the USA Patriot Act, enacted in October, 2001, contained many new powers, some completely unconnected to terrorism. Most notably, the Congress enacted amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which pervert the original intent of the legislation. In addition to this congressional action, the Department of Justice has instituted policies that authorize the monitoring of communications between attorneys and their clients and severely weaken the regulations governing investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Click on the links below to learn more about the government's expanded surveillance powers.
FBI guidelines for investigations
Monitoring of attorney-client conversations
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
Total Information Awareness (TIA)

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Emergency Preparedness & Response

2008-11-03T00:33:00.000-05:00

Surveillance
NOTE: the surveillance resources on this website are too numerous to list on one page. For more resources on specific topics, see the list of specific types of emergencies below.
On this page:
Specific Agents & Health Topics
Case Definitions
Illness Recognition & Detection
Surveillance Planning
Surveillance Systems

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Can Private Companies Helping the NSA Be Watchdogs, Too?

2008-11-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

Companies that secretly helped the government's secret anti-terrorism surveillance operations without requiring valid legal orders have found their reputations sullied, their billboards re-decorated and their lawyers busy fending off suits seeking billions in damages. Just ask AT&T.
But given that the government's spooks will continue to rely on private companies -- especially telecoms -- to help with their secret intelligence efforts, could these companies actually serve as a watchdog protecting the country from intrusive, lawbreaking spying?
Jon Michaels, an acting professor at UCLA Law School, thinks they could.
The key, according to Michaels' article in the California Law Review, is making such companies tell the appropriate Congressional committees and inspectors general in regular reports when they transfer information about Americans to the government's spy agencies. Congress also much find a clear way to punish companies which cooperate informally and immunize those who follow legal orders.
That should make telecoms resist the kind of handshake agreements like the ones that led the nation's largest telecoms to give the government billions of phone call records and to let the nation's spooks wiretap the internet inside the United States, Michaels argues.
And the spies' reliance on private companies and organizations (Western Union, the phone companies, JetBlue and FedEx, among others) won't be ending any time soon.
Continue reading "Can Private Companies Helping the NSA Be Watchdogs, Too?" »

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Factsheet - IMF Surveillance

2008-11-03T00:11:00.000-05:00

IMF Surveillance
The IMF is mandated to oversee the international monetary system and monitor the economic and financial policies of its 185 member countries. This activity is known as surveillance. During this process, which takes place both at the global level and in individual countries, the IMF highlights possible risks to stability and growth and advises on needed policy adjustments. In this way, it helps the international monetary system serve its essential purpose of facilitating the exchange of goods, services, and capital among countries, thereby sustaining sound economic growth.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Gottschalk Electronic Board

2008-09-02T16:25:00.001-04:00

Boathouse Lifts and Kits

2008-09-01T04:42:00.000-04:00

Complete aluminum lifts with overhead beams and galvanized kits for do-it-yourselfers.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

The volunteers spent the morning planting vegitation, cutting down trees and clearing debris to create more garden areas.

2008-04-01T03:41:00.000-04:00

Sergeant Santiago Kaites, platoon sergeant, Storage, Supply Company, Combat Service Support Group-3 points out to Lance Cpl. Andrea Vela, warehouseman, Storage, Supply Company, CSSG-3, the correct way to plant Polynesian Taro. Kaites and Vela spent the morning digging holes deep enough to plant the taro plants. Marines from Combat Service Support Group-3, Marine Forces Pacific, Veterans of Foriegn Wars post 1572, wives and girlfriends gather together to beautify the Waipahu Cultural Center Aug. 6. The volunteers spent the morning planting vegitation, cutting down trees and clearing debris to create more garden areas.

Photo Date Taken: 8/6/2005
Unit: Marine Forces Pacific
Photo ByLine: Cpl. Megan L. Stiner
Photo VRIN: Taro.jpg

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Containers were used to build a military training facility

2008-04-01T03:25:00.000-04:00

Military Training Facility

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

DATA AT REST ENCRYPTION FOR MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA

2008-04-01T03:20:00.000-04:00

Date Signed: 12/14/2007
MARADMIN Number: 732/07

UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 732/07
142229Z DEC 07
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC/C4 IA//
SUBJ/DATA AT REST ENCRYPTION FOR MOBILE COMPUTING /DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA//
REF/A/-/FIPS PUB 140-2 SEC CRYPTO MODS/-//
REF/B/MSGID:GENADMIN/DON CIO WASHINGTON DC/091256C//
NARR/REF A PROVIDES A FEDERAL STANDARD THAT SPECIFIES SECURITY REQUIREMENTS THAT WILL BE SATISFIED BY A CRYPTOGRAPHIC MODULE. REF B IS THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY GUIDANCE ON ENCRYPTION OF SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED DATA AT REST.//
POC/JOSEPH S UCHYTIL/MAJ/HQMC C4 IA/TEL: 703-693-3490/
EMAIL:JOSEPH.UCHYTIL@USMC.MIL//
POC/JOSEPH PETTO/GS14/UNIT:MCNOSC/NAME:
703-784-4156 /EMAIL:JOESEPH.PETTO@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THE TREND TOWARDS HIGHLY MOBILE COMPUTING AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) HAS MADE THE PROTECTION OF DATA AT REST (DAR) A TOPIC OF GREAT CONCERN.
THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY PROTECT SENSITIVE DATA ON MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA HAS SEEN INCREASED ATTENTION DUE TO COMPROMISES OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION (PII) THROUGH THE LOSS OF LAPTOPS, FLASH DRIVES AND
PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PED). DUE TO INCREASED COMPROMISE OF
PII, THE DOD ASSEMBLED ALL THE SERVICES AND AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY A SOLUTION SET OF ENCRYPTION PRODUCTS THAT COULD BE USED THROUGHOUT THE DOD TO PROTECT SENSITIVE AGENCY INFORMATION. THE GROUP WAS NAMED THE DATA AT REST TIGER TEAM (DARTT). THROUGH TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS AND POLICY REVIEW, THE DARTT WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE AN APPROVED PRODUCTS LIST (APL) THROUGH THE ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE INITIATIVE (ESI) BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT (BPA) FOR USE THROUGHOUT THE DOD. IAW REF B, ANY PROCURMENTS OF DAR ENCRYPTION PRODUCTS MUST BE MADE THROUGH THE DOD ESI BPA. DUE TO INTEROPERABILITY, MAINTENANCE AND PROCURMENT CONCERNS, THE MARINE CORPS WILL LOOK TO IMPLEMENT AN ENTERPRISE WIDE SOLUTION FOR DAR ENCRYPTION IAW REF B. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS MARADMIN, SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED DAR IS DEFINED AS ANY INFORMATION THAT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE. ADDITIONALLY, DAR IS ONLY THAT INFORMATION WHICH IS RESIDENT IN MEMORY OR STORAGE AND NOT IN TRANSIT (I.E. EMAIL). DATA IN TRANSIT WILL CONTINUE TO BE PROTECTED THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS PUBLIC KEY INFRASTRUCTURE (PKI) ENCRYPTION AND SECURE SOCKET LAYER (SSL) PROTOCOL, ETC., AND IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS POLICY. MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA ARE DEFINED IAW REF B.
2. POLICY. IAW REF B THE BELOW REQUIREMENTS ARE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
A. ALL SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED DAR ON MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA MUST BE ENCRYPTED THROUGH CURRENTLY APPROVED METHODS. WHEN AVAILABLE, USE OF THE MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE NETWORK
(MCEN) DAR ENCRYPTION SOLUTION WILL BE MANDATORY.
B. HOLD ALL PURCHASES OF DAR ENCRYPTION TECHNOLOGIES IN ABEYANCE UNTIL A MCEN SOLUTION IS DETERMINED. SHOULD A COMMAND OR UNIT, THROUGH OPERATIONAL NECESSITY, REQUIRE A DAR ENCRYPTION SOLUTION PRIOR TO THE MCEN SOLUTION DETERMINATION, SUBMIT REQUESTS TO HQMC, C4. REQUESTS WILL BE EVALUATED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. UNTIL A MCEN SOLUTION IS DETERMINED, WINZIP 9.0, MICROSOFT ENCRYPTING FILE SYSTEM (EFS) OR ANY PREVIOUSLY APPROVED PRODUCT THAT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ENCRYPTION TECHNOLOGIES IAW REF A IS AUTHORIZED FOR DAR ENCRYPTION. ONCE A MCEN SOLUTION IS DETERMINED, ALL OTHER MEANS OF DAR ENCRYPTION WILL NO LONGER BE AUTHORIZED.
C. ALL NEWLY PROCURED COMPUTER ASSETS (DESKTOPS, LAPTOPS, PEDS, SERVERS
ETC.) MUST INCLUDE A TRUSTED PLATFORM MODULE (TPM) VERSION
1.2 OR HIGHER, WHERE SUCH TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE.
D. COMMANDS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLISHING LOCAL PROCEDURES FOR COMPLYING WITH THIS MARADMIN. ENCRYPTION OF DAR SHOULD NOT PRECLUDE LOCAL COMMANDS FROM ESTABLISHING SECURITY POLICIES AND PROPER HANDLING PROCEDURES FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES.
3. WHILE THE FOCUS OF THIS MARADMIN IS MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICES AND
REMOVABLE STORAGE MEDIA, THE ULTIMATE GOAL WILL BE TO PROTECT ALL SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED DAR THROUGHOUT THE MCEN, TO INCLUDE DAR ON DESKTOPS, SERVERS AND BACKUP MEDIA ETC.
4. ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE WILL BE PUBLISHED VIA SEPCOR UPON DETERMINATION OF A MCEN DAR ENCRYPTION SOLUTION.
5. REQUEST WIDEST DISSEMINATION OF THIS MESSAGE
6. RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY BGEN G.J. ALLEN, DIRECTOR, COMMAND, CONTROL,
COMMUNICATIONS, AND COMPUTERS//

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Station gets new, larger vehicle storage lot

2008-04-01T03:17:00.000-04:00

9/17/2007 By Cpl. Brandon L. Roach, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. —

In an effort to better accommodate the needs of service members on the air station, construction has begun on a new, larger vehicle storage lot.

The project first came to the station command’s attention in 2001 when a need for more vehicle storage space was identified.

“We wanted to create an RV and camping lot for service members and their families,” said Frank Guasti, project manager. “In 2006 we dropped the plan for the campground due to funding.”

When completed, the 17.5 acre lot will hold approximately 800 vehicles and was paid for by non-appropriated funds. The project was contracted out to Hal Hays Construction out of Riverside, Calif.

“We are honored and proud to work for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom, said Hal Hays, CEO of Hal Hays Construction. “We are privileged to support the work at Miramar and the other military facilities we have worked at.”

The $3.8 million parking lot will include an electronic keypad gate, solar-powered lighting, an eight foot security fence, 24-hour access, a 10,000 gallon sanitary dump for recreational vehicles, security cameras, two fire water storage tanks and a direct phone line to the provost marshal’s office.

“The project will be completed in January and our 200 existing customers will be the first to move to the new lot,” said Nancy Dussault, property manager.

Personnel on the waiting list, currently comprised of 40 active-duty service members and 200 retirees, will rate first pick of the new storage spots, according to Dussault. Then it is strictly a first -come first-served basis.

Special rates apply for Marines and sailors staying at the bachelors’ enlisted quarters here.
Active-duty monthly rates begin at $20 a month with special rates available for deploying personnel.

“There will not be any maintenance or washing allowed in the lot due to environmental concerns and regulations,” said Dussault.

For more information on the services offered or to reserve a spot on the lot contact the Miramar Stables at 858-577-4139.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Going, going,gone, but not forgotten;Deployed Marines get storage help

2008-04-01T03:13:00.000-04:00

4/28/2003 By Cpl. John F. Silwanus, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan — Unaccompanied servicemembers preparing to deploy for more than 90 days can now leave, rest assured their possessions are in good hands. With help from their units, Marines can arrange to have their personal belongings stored at one of the Traffic Management Office warehouses on Okinawa."When units pay an outside contractor to professionally pack the belongings of their Marines, it cuts down on a lot of hassles the Marines may face later," said Chief Warrant Officer E.E. Pido Jr., officer-in-charge, Personnel, Property and Transportation Office, G-4, Marine Corps Base. "There are also several benefits besides the lack of hassles."TMO does not pack the belongings themselves, because it is not an official Permanent Change of Station move, Pido said. The servicemember should contact his command to find out if they will fund a contractor to pack his belongings. The contractors can then arrange to deliver it to the TMO warehouse. This will help eliminate confusion at the warehouse."Marines often drive to the warehouse with their gear in a five-ton and hand it to us. That creates confusion down at the warehouse," said Staff Sgt. Arnaldo Tinoco, operations chief, TMO, G-4, Marine Corps Base. "We coordinate with the movers when they bring the gear down to the warehouse and from there, we store it."The professional movers can pack the belongings with the proper materials and ensure that an inventory of items is taken. This helps the Marines with compensation in case of any broken items.Storing materials at the TMO warehouse also helps Marines because there are no storage fees for the gear, according to Tinoco. The warehouse will store the gear as long as the request is more than 90 days. "There is no cost for storage for as long as the Marine is TAD," Tinoco said. "We can store the gear for as long as needed."Tinoco also said that TMO will support individuals in any way, but in his opinion, aligning the movers makes it easier on everyone. His opinion was recently proved true when members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit worked through their unit to set up TMO for many of their unaccompanied Marines."The 31st (Marine Expeditionary Unit) had a representative contact a local mover to pack the Marines' gear and from there the movers worked it out with us," Tinoco said. "It turned out to be easier for everyone."

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Golden Boat Lifts

2008-04-01T01:34:00.000-04:00

Golden Boat Lifts, Inc., Providing a full range of lift systems customized for powerboats, pontoon boats, sailboats, and motor yacht vehicles of all types.
www.goldenboatlifts.com/

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Human, All Too Human (BBC) - Friedrich Nietzsche: Part 1

2008-03-31T00:04:00.000-04:00

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Do Not Want!

2008-03-30T23:05:00.001-04:00

Oh Hai, I Upgraded UR Wardrobe

Face it -- there are so many opportunities in your life for this shirt. We made it just for you, because we feel your pain, your need to cry out, "DO NOT WANT!" to so many things. Do Not Want is part of our tribute to LOLCats. (And Backstroke of the West... you didn't think we'd forget the origin, did you? Especially if it had to do with Star Wars. Clearly you underestimate us, young Padawan.) Maybe you should get a small for your cat. Cause you know that'd be your cat's sentiment if you tried to make the cat wear it....

We predict that wearing your Do Not Want shirt will come in handy in everyday situations. Salmonella? Do Not Want. Jury summons? Do Not Want. Screaming baby in the seat next to you on the airplane? Do Not Want. Soda on your keyboard? Do Not Want!

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

When Nietzsche Wept Final Scene

2008-03-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

i read your e-mail.

2008-03-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

Privacy schmivacy

When you cannot get the attention of your peers by being the fastest at installing a new motherboard, we'll let you use this shirt as a 'scare tactic' for achieving your goals. Garnish instant respect in board meetings, or use it to get a raise and another vacation (yes, it's good to leave the office sometimes...)

In fact, we would hope that this shirt will become the official shirt for all the government folks involved with the lovely and well-adored echelon and carnivore projects - but we aren't holding our breath (on or off camera).

Don't forget to also grab the 'i read your e-mail' bumper sticker - especially if you drive through the D.C. area regularly...

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

No, I will not fix your computer

2008-03-30T22:21:00.002-04:00

Tell Them How You Really Feel

There is nothing more frustrating on this earth than constantly being asked to help other people with their petty computer problems. Of course if your job description dictates that you have to fix other peoples computers, then there is nothing so frustrating as being forced to do so ;)

* "Hey Mark, I don't have a modem and can't connect to the Internet, can you fix this?"

* "I removed some of the pins from my monitor cable because it didn't seem to fit right, now it's not working at all...can you fix my computer?"

* Hey Sally, Can you fix my Internet, everytime I visit a website it says my host is unknown"

"NO! NO! Now Go Away Before I Replace You With A Very Small Shell Script!" You say...

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

RTFM

2008-03-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

RTFM is not having to say you are sorry. RTFM is a big chromatic dragon with bloodshot beady eyes and fangs the size of oars. RTFM is me screaming at you as fireballs come out of my mouth to get off your precious no-good tush, march down to the local bookstore or MAN page repository, and get the eff off my back because I'm trying very hard to get some freakin' work done. Jeez.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Rationally Speaking

2008-03-30T21:55:00.000-04:00

Rationally Speaking is a web site devoted to rational discourse on science, philosophy, social and political issues. This blog is a companion to the web site and is maintained by Massimo Pigliucci with the editorial help of Phil Pollack. Announcements concerning Rationally Speaking can be obtained by subscribing to the RS Google Group. While you are at it, you may want to check out Massimo's science site, his philosophy site, or his books. The full collection of the original Rationally Speaking columns that preceded this blog is available for download.

The central idea of this blog is that a public intellectual, in the words of Enlightenment philosopher Marquis de Condorcet, should devote him or herself to “the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them.”

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Cracking the Code

2008-02-08T03:26:00.000-05:00

How do you keep a secret? One way is esczfrs ncjaezrclasj.* If you understood that, you already may know a little about cryptography.

For more than 3,000 years, people have encrypted messages to keep their communications secret. And encryption is still used today, though it’s much more sophisticated from the simple encryption from our past.

To make a successful cipher, you need a few things: an algorithm and a key to encrypt the information and an identical key and algorithm to decrypt the information. The key is known only by the message’s originator and recipient, and must be kept secret. read more

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Tech heavyweights join OpenID Foundation board

2008-02-07T23:52:00.001-05:00

IBM, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and VeriSign have joined the board of the OpenID Foundation, which puts consumers a little closer to being able to use a single sign-on when they surf the Web. read more

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

C.I.A. Chief Doubts Tactic to Interrogate Is Still Legal

2008-02-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

By SCOTT SHANE
Published: February 8, 2008

WASHINGTON — Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told a Congressional committee on Thursday that waterboarding may be illegal under current law, despite assertions this week from the director of national intelligence and the White House that the harsh interrogation method may be used in the future. read more

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

'An Intolerable Fraud'

2008-02-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Money-grubbing veterans charities need better oversight.

Sunday, December 16, 2007; Page B06

ORGANIZATIONS that cynically exploit America's best impulses to help its wounded veterans give a perverse new meaning to the notion that charity begins at home.

Troubling activities by some of the nation's largest veterans charities were revealed by a watchdog group and were spotlighted Thursday in a congressional hearing. The American Institute of Philanthropy studied 29 groups and found 20 guilty of such shoddy practices as high overhead costs, high-priced solicitations and big salaries to leaders. Even well-established groups such as the Disabled Veterans Association, AMVETS National Service Foundation and the Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation got F's on the institute's report card. Help Hospitalized Veterans, The Post's Philip Rucker reported, paid its founder and wife a combined $540,000 in compensation and benefits. That some groups spend as much as 91 cents of every dollar raised on fundraising is, as Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) said, "an intolerable fraud." read more

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Wounded warrior gets a bionic hand

2008-02-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

Juan Arredondo is one of the first recipients of the i-Limb, a bionic hand with independently moving joints that flex and bend like natural fingers.

According to the caption, each finger has an individual motor that allows the recipient to engage in activities such as shaking hands and gripping rounded objects like door knobs.

"To have this movement, it's -- it's amazing," Arredondo tells reporters. "It just gets me more excited about now, about the future."

Arredondo, now a retired U.S. Army sergeant, lost his hand and lower arm two years ago when his patrol hit an IED in Iraq.

"As the soldiers raced to get out of the vehicle for fear of additional explosions, Sgt. Arredondo grabbed his severed hand, which was still grasping the steering wheel, and put it in his pocket while he fought to stay conscious," the company that manufactured his bionic hand says on its website. "Soon after arriving at a MASH station in Ramadi, it became clear his life would be saved and his legs healed, but that his hand was too damaged to be reattached."

The 27-year-old now works with the Wounded Warrior Project.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Stephen Hawking experiences weightlessness

2007-04-26T20:44:00.000-04:00

Apr 26, 2007, 23:44 GMT

Washington - Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking left behind his wheelchair for a zero-gravity experience Thursday.

Hawking, 65, who has been confined to his wheelchair for about four decades with a motor neurone disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), did better than expected on the commercial flight, representatives from Zero Gravity Corporation said. The tourism company organizes flights in a specially adapted passenger jet put into a steep dive to simulate zero gravity. Read More

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

25 Days in Iraq - Blog:

2007-04-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

I am proud of Bob Woodruff for what he has done. I am happy for his recovery, and his new found awareness for the suffering that war brings, whether it be physical or mental. In my show 25 Days in Iraq, I say “you cannot shake what sticks to you in war.These soldiers are coming home and they are bringing it home with them”. I am just saddened that it took a celebrity journalist to get his pineapple blasted to begin to think of our soldiers. Was the four and a half years of these wars not enough suffering to warrant a hour long special to this topic? Was Britney’s rehab finally pushed to the back burner for a story of REAL human interest? Did Anna Nichole’s DNA test not interest you today?

read more

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

The Hoax that Hurts - Blue Mountain Arts Virus Hoax

2007-04-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

A small, family-owned publishing company called Blue Mountain Arts is still reeling this week after finding itself the victim of a malicious Net hoax.

Publisher of a variety of note cards and poetry books, Blue Mountain has operated a popular Website offering free electronic cards for all occasions since 1996. Though it's now a highly-trafficked commercial site, it was originally launched as a public service in accordance with the ideals of its hippie-era founders, Susan and Stephen Schutz.

The company achieved a sudden and unwanted notoriety during the week of February 22 when the following message began being passed around on America Online:

Subject: Fwd: BLUE MOUNTAIN CARDS VIRUS ALERT!!!!!
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 01:02:07
Just received a call from family. A friend of theirs opened a card from Blue Mountain Cards and system crashed.

Do not open Blue Mountain Cards until further notice.

Virus has infiltrated their system..pass it on

As virus warnings generally do, this one caught on quickly, spreading beyond the confines of AOL to the Internet at large. What began as a trickle of inquiries to Blue Mountain's Webmaster address on February 25 had escalated to a flood by the following week. People all over the world were not only forwarding the alert to everyone they knew, they were posting it to newsgroups and listservs and spreading it in personal messages. Not one word of it was true.
Read More

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Two Charlotte police officers shot, killed; one man charged

2007-04-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

By Kytja Weir, Greg Lacour and Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged a man Sunday night in the slayings of two police officers who were gunned down while responding to a call at an east Charlotte apartment complex.

Officers Sean Clark, 34, and Jeff Shelton, 35, died at Carolinas Medical Center early Sunday. They were the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers slain in the line of duty in more than a decade.

Police charged Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, with two counts of first-degree murder. They did not discuss a motive but are still investigating.

He has been found guilty of assaulting a government official or resisting a public officer five times since 1998, N.C. court records show.

The news of the officers' slayings circulated quickly among police Sunday, with even many of those out of town for spring break having already learned the news by midday.

Officers who were working Sunday wore black elastic bands around their badges. Many said they felt too numb to talk about their fallen comrades, nerves raw from what they know could happen to any of them.

"They're not only in a state of shock," said Chief Darrel Stephens. "They're in a state of wanting to know what you want to know, what we all want to know: What happened."

News of the slayings also reached beyond Charlotte, with people from as far as Kentucky, Michigan and Massachusetts filling more than 18 pages of an online memorial.

The two North Tryon division officers were handling a reported disturbance at 10:26 p.m. at the Timber Ridge Apartments on Barrington Drive near Milton Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard, police said. The complex used to be called Barrington Oaks.

They were shot around 11:15 p.m., police said, while struggling with the suspect outside an apartment building. No one else was injured. Neither officer fired his weapon, police said.

Police have not yet said whether Clark and Shelton were wearing bulletproof vests, but they said it wouldn't have made a difference even if they were. Witnesses said they were each shot in the head.

Police interviewed scores of people in the neighborhood, Stephens said. Although they initially said they were looking for two men, they said they had interviewed only Montgomery as a suspect and were not looking for anyone else Sunday.

The mayor, City Council members and police officials discussed the news of his arrest in a police conference room Sunday night next to a hallway lined with the framed portraits of 23 other fallen officers.

"In addition to two families, Charlotte is in mourning," Mayor Pat McCrory said. "It was a brutal and senseless act and I don't think it was just against these two heroes and our police department. It's an act that impacts the heart and soul of our city. It's unacceptable."

Clark and Shelton had worked together in the same division for just over two months, working as a team when two officers were needed on one call.

On Saturday night, they were both called to answer the disturbance report, as is standard for such calls. They drove in separate squad cars to the complex off Milton Road near East W.T. Harris Boulevard.

It was the police work they both loved.

Clark had always wanted to be a police officer. The 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High joined the Air Force and worked a few other jobs. But he kept trying and trying to get into the police academy. He finally was hired just over a year ago.

He lived in Lincoln County's Iron Station community with his wife. He has a 2-year-old son, and his wife is expecting another child in June.

Shelton was also married and lived in the small Stanly County town of Locust.

He had been with the force for more than six years. The former Marine had worked in various divisions of the Police Department, most recently moving from the midnight shift along the South Boulevard corridor to the same shift in the neighborhoods of east Charlotte's North Tryon division.

Capt. Mike Adams called Shelton a hard-working officer. He was dedicated, said Capt. Chuck Adkins, focusing on his family and his job.

It's not clear what went wrong Saturday night. Police spokeswoman Julie Hill said Montgomery did not appear to be involved in the initial disturbance call that the officers were answering at the complex.

Two women saw the officers' cars in the parking lot as the women smoked and talked just outside their building.

Then, one said, she saw a man about 5 feet 6 inches tall, wearing a white shirt, walk across the lot. Neither recognized him.

After a few minutes, the other woman said, one of the officers stepped outside, followed by his partner. The two officers talked with the man in the white shirt for 10 to 15 minutes, one of the women said.

"It seemed like they were just having a conversation. They were just standing there talking," said E. Tejada, who asked the Observer not to use her full name because she is scared. "It was so weird, how it happened."

She said she turned her head to speak to a friend. Seconds later, she heard shots.

"Bam, bam, bam. Five times," another neighbor said.

Tejada rushed inside her apartment, put her five children in the bathroom and told them to stay close to the floor.

Then, she said, she grabbed her house keys, her cell phone and ran outside, calling 911 as she went. Her cell phone shows the call lasted 27 seconds.

The officers lay in the grass just to the right of a building's entrance. Police said their weapons remained holstered to their bodies.

Tejada told the dispatcher that two officers were shot. One officer was on his back, not breathing, with his eyes closed. The other was on his side, lying partially on top of his partner, still breathing and trying to speak.

"It was like mumbling," she said.

Tejada said she couldn't understand what he was saying. But she said she noticed both men appeared to have been shot in the backs of their heads_one in the middle, the other behind his right ear.

Other residents were beginning to crowd around the officers, she said, and police showed up within two or three minutes.

"It was chaos all night after that," she said, with police evacuating the five buildings around the lot.

The officers were rushed to Carolinas Medical Center's main hospital, a line of police cars escorting them. Clark died just after midnight. Shelton was pronounced dead at 4:06 a.m., police said.

The last time an officer from the department was fatally shot in the line of duty was in 1993, when the city was smaller but had a record year of violence with 129 homicides.

The past two years the district has had about 80 homicides, highs for the past decade but nothing matching the violence of the early 90s.

Yet Saturday's shooting came a day after police arrested 15 members of the Hidden Valley Kings, a gang based in a nearby neighborhood in northeast Charlotte. Stephens said investigators do not believe the officers' slaying was connected to the gang crackdown.

By afternoon the complex of two-story apartments with red bricks, beige siding and iron railings looked quiet. Signs of the deadly violence weren't apparent except for a handful of azalea blossoms left on the grassy lawn where the officer's bodies fell.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Man Charged in Slaying of 2 Charlotte Police Officers

2007-04-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

Charlotte — A suspect was charged with murder Sunday, less than 24 hours after two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call at an apartment complex.

Demetrius Antonio Montgomery, 25, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, said police spokesman Officer Bob Fey.

"This is an ongoing investigation," the spokesman said when asked if there were other suspects.

The two officer were shot late Saturday during a struggle outside an apartment complex and died early Sunday.

Sean Clark, 34, and Jeffrey Shelton, 35, were the first officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg department fatally shot in the line of duty in more than a decade.

"It's a real tragedy for us, the officers, for the families, for the communities, that we've lost two in one incident," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Darrel Stephens.

Stephens said the two officers were responding to a disturbance call around 10:30 p.m. Saturday night at the apartment complex in east Charlotte. They were shot around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot during a struggle. Neither fired their weapon, Stephens said.

Clark and Shelton were taken to Carolinas Medical Center, where they later died. Clark had been with the police department for a year, and Shelton had worked there since 2001.

Police blocked a road near the apartment complex for several hours overnight. Police used patrols, a helicopter, K-9 units and a SWAT team during the search.

"We have an enormous number of questions in our minds about what happened, and how it happened, that we don't have the answers to right now," said Stephens, adding later, "We don't have suspects at this point."

Both officers were married. Clark, a 1991 graduate of West Mecklenburg High School who had worked for the department for a little more than a year, and his wife were expecting a child. Shelton was a six year veteran of the force.

A Charlotte officer was last shot and killed on duty in 1993, when officers John Burnette and Andy Nobles died while chasing Alden Harden through a wooded section of southwest Charlotte, The Charlotte Observer reported on its Web site. Harden was convicted a year later and is one of 166 inmates on North Carolina's death row.

Last year, Officer Kayvan Hazrati survived when he was shot in the head while trying to serve a rape warrant in north Charlotte. He has yet to return to work.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Wounded Warriors and the America Way

2007-04-10T08:08:00.000-04:00

"The new organization will allow us to give a personal touch to former Marines," says Col. Gregory A.D. Boyle, the regimental commander. "I want these Marines to feel . . . that they're the center of the universe and that we care about them and we're concerned about them."

When Boyle and other Marine Corps leaders describe the advantages of the new Regiment, one also gets a glimpse of what has been deficient in previous programs. Troops will be helped through loneliness, frustration and depression; troops and their families won't get substandard or unsanitary treatment, won't get lost in the system or fall through the "seams" or the "cracks" of inattention and perfunctory care, troops will get "personal" care and a built-in and focused support network, transportation to appointments and therapy, an advocate, an ombudsman, legal counsel, religious and spiritual support; troops will have assistance in cutting through Marine Corps, Navy, Defense Department, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security and federal government red tape and in navigating the voluminous paperwork and bureaucratic tangle, and in dealing with military and government boards and commissions, Congressional offices, disability claims, military contracts, insurance policies, discharge papers, as well as external charities and veterans groups; troops will have help in the transition back to units for duty, to the Veterans Administration, or in making their way to civilian life and follow-up family, charitable or government outpatient care, services, and benefits.

Read More

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Sailing

2007-03-26T14:28:00.000-04:00

# Learn to Sail Manual

# The Physics of Sailing

# How Sails Really Work Arvel Gentry was largely responsible for delineating the modern theory of Sails. Quoted extensively by Marchaj and others this is his website. Includes articles on how sails really work and the implications for design and trim.

# Sailing and the Tech Dinghy -- MIT's dinghy sailing instruction booklet

# Sailing Simulator from National Geographic

# International Sailing Federation

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Veterans

2007-03-21T03:24:00.002-04:00

Before I begin I want to state that the following comments are not directed at any one organization or agency, but rather to the American people as a whole.

Sadly to say the scandal at Walter Reed Hospital did not surprise me in the least. Be honest, it did not really take anybody by surprise.

I for one have been screaming at the top of my lungs to anybody that will listen for a few years now. I have begged for assistance in caring for our warriors. Wounded or not every veteran in this country needs to be cared for better.

Not to pick apart one of my associates, but when he agreed with me that every citizen in the united states is responsible for the neglect our veterans have suffered after all wars, whether they be "Domestic or Foreign" "Past or Present" they deserve much more. When he added "if one facility gets more than another, people will complain they get more help than we do." I had to cut him off. I replied that would be just plain childish. This whole scandal is absurd.

We are the people, all of us must bear the burden of what our warriors have had to endure since the creation of this Country. To stand back and point fingers at our Government just does not
compute to me.

We are all to blame. Some more than others. If a person cannot spare one hour out of their busy week to help a Veteran, then they do not get to complain about how our veterans are treated.
Enough said.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

6 indicted in Arizona foreclosure scam that targeted home owners in financial trouble

2007-03-17T05:50:00.000-04:00

Posted on Friday, March 9, 2007 at 12:53PM by Registered CommenterThe Editor - Ian Shuter in Indictments, Loan Officers, Flipping, Arizona | CommentsPost a Comment | PrintPrint
In the following press release from Phoenix, AZ United States Attorney Daniel G. Knauss and HUD Inspector General Kenneth M. Donohue announced that six individuals have been indicted for conspiracy and separate counts of mail and wire fraud violations in connection with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program.

The charged defendants are:
Trudy M. Peters, 43, of Peoria, Az, formerly an Escrow Officer for Ticor Title Agency, Phoenix, Az.
John M. Soto, 35, of Moreno Valley, Ca., formerly a Service Representative for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Larry M. Smith, 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, Ca, formerly a Service Representative, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Maria A. Felix, 47, of Glendale, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Acorn Housing, Phoenix.
Tony S. Vasquez, 54, of Tolleson, Az, formerly a Housing Counselor for Chicanos Por La Causa, Phoenix, Az.

Also listed in the indictment as an un-indicted co-conspirator is Edward Carrillo, Jr., currently serving a five year prison sentence arising from a state conviction for Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices. He ran a company called Sahara Investments.
According to the charging documents filed in the District of Arizona, the defendants conspired with Carrillo, doing business as Sahara Investments, Scottsdale, Az, to purchase and sell 65 properties in the Phoenix area using the HUD . Pre-Foreclosure. sale program. The program was designed to reduce foreclosures cost to the government by allowing homeowners to sell their homes for less than what they owed on the mortgage, often referred to as a "short sale." The "Pre-Foreclosure" sale program had strict guidelines among which required that property owners receive homeowner counseling, and that an independent appraisal had to establish the market value of the home.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Two Plead Guilty In Florida $10 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme - Operation Whose House

2007-03-17T04:03:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 16, 2007

Megan McGuire, Miramar, Florida, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and/or wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House. On Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Christine A. Brown also pled guilty to one court of aggravated identity theft for her involvement in Operation Whose House.

McGuire and Brown are both scheduled to be sentenced in May, 2007 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At sentencing, McGuire faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment and Brown faces mandatory sentence of two years’ imprisonment. They are the …

Read More...

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

In-ear Headsets In-ear Headsets

2007-02-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

Motorola Miniblue H9
Meet Miniblue, the revolutionary new Motorola Bluetooth headset specially designed around the way your body works. Measuring in at only 30 x 23 millimeters this barely-there headset fits perfectly inside your ear. Its advanced design creates a seal to reduce ambient noise, so the person you’re talking with will hear you (not the surrounding sounds) and their voice will sound clear.

Coming Soon

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

The Official Bluetooth® Wireless Info Site:

2007-02-16T14:27:00.000-05:00

What is Bluetooth wireless technology?

Bluetooth technology is how mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), not to mention a broad selection of other devices, can be easily interconnected using a short-range wireless connection. Using this technology, users can have all mobile and fixed computer devices be totally coordinated.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

ThinkGeek :: LED Binary Clock:

2007-01-27T04:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, It's A Clock. No, Your Mom Can't Read It*

New Feature - Now Displays Time In True Binary As Well As Powers Of Two Binary Mode! Woohoo!

It's easy for any self-respecting geek to figure out how to read this clock in a few minutes. Check out the image below for the details. Still don't get it? Then you probably shouldn't buy one, should you? Sure you could wing it and 'approximate' the time based on the position of the sun and act like you can read this clock, but you should probably go get one of these instead

Computers use on/off switches to tell the time, now you can too! Get one of these puppies and you are on your way to truly becoming one with the binary...

Each LED binary clock has these features/specs:

* Default mode displays time in 'Powers of Two' binary system
* Dim button on rear allows user to step down LED light output
* Startup option allows user to display time in 'True' binary mode (using the binary coding of 32/16/8/4/2/1)
* Autosensing of AC line frequency for worldwide ease of use.
* Size: 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2"
* Packaged Weight: 10 oz

Your Choice of RED LED (120V) with a semi-translucent red face or BLUE LED (120V) with a silver face. Also available is an international version (230V) with BLUE LEDs and a silver face.

*OK, some moms can read it. The kind with degrees in computer science. Our bad.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

FBI Director Robert Mueller traveled to Los Angeles Thursday

2007-01-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

FBI Director Robert Mueller traveled to Los Angeles Thursday to talk about what we're doing to help big cities and small communities battle the growing wave of gang violence. "Gang crime may be part of our reality today," he said. "But law enforcement can change that reality tomorrow." Read More

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America - IAVA Blog:

2007-01-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

Our War Tapes campaign is off to a great start. We sent out the first email last week, and we had an excellent response. Supporters are hosting parties across the country, and it's not too late to sign up.

You can search for a party in your area - just enter your zip code at the bottom of this page. If there are no parties planned nearby, you can also sign up to host your own. Hosting is easy - just be sure to get your hands on a copy of The War Tapes in time for the 27th.

At the House Parties, IAVA supporters are going to:

Watch The War Tapes, the first documentary filmed by the soldiers on the ground in Iraq. You can watch the trailer here.
Take part in a free conference call with IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff and Iraq Veteran Steve Pink, star of The War Tapes.
Put their signatures on a petition to Jim Nicholson, Secretary of the VA, calling for increased mental health staffing at VA hospitals.

From the New York Times:

On an October night in 2003, mortar shells fell on a base camp near Baquba, Iraq, where Specialist Abbie Pickett, then 21, was serving as a combat lifesaver, caring for the wounded.

At first, she did not notice that one of the medics who was working with her was bleeding heavily and near death; then, frantically, she treated his wounds and moved him to a medical station, not knowing if he would survive.

He did survive, Specialist Pickett later learned. But the horror of that night is still vivid, and the memory stalks her even now, more than a year after she returned home.

"I would say that on a weekly basis I wish I would have died during that attack," said Specialist Pickett, who served with the Wisconsin Army National Guard. "You never want family to hear that."

This is Abbie's story, but she isn't alone. A new study suggests that US soldiers who have been deployed to Iraq are suffering from major depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Vet Centers, which were established after the Vietnam War, are the primary source of care for veterans facing these issues. Join us in calling for better funding for these vital centers.

I hope you can join us on the 27th. To those of you who have already signed up to host or attend - thank you. Your efforts to bring the people who care about these issues together make a huge difference for veterans like me.

Sincerely,

Rob Timmins
IAVA Field Director
Iraq Veteran

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Defence Events

2007-01-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

Network Centric Warfare 2007

January 22 - 25, 2007 :: Washington, DC

Image Fusion 2007
January 23 - 24, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA

Tactical Power Source 2007
January 29 - 31, 2007 :: Washington, DC

Total Asset Visibility For Defense
January 30 - 31, 2007 :: Arlington, VA

5th Annual Software Radio Summit
February 21 - 22, 2007 :: Vienna, VA

CBRNE Defense
February 26 - 28, 2007 :: Arlington, VA

UAV Summit 2007
February 27 - 28, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA

Maritime Homeland Security
March 19 - 21, 2007 :: Baltimore, MD

5th Annual Battlefield Healthcare
March 21 - 23, 2007 :: Alexandria, VA

Next Generation Materials for Defense
March 28 - 29, 2007 :: Arlington, VA

View all Defence events worldwide

NCW is no longer theory - Discover how you can increase operational effectiveness at Network Centric Warfare 2007. More...

Don't forget IQPC's events are available on CD-Rom.

If you would like to place an order please visit:
IQPC Knowledge Bank.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Bush gives ground on domestic eavesdropping program

2007-01-18T05:02:00.000-05:00

KOMO

By Dan Eggen and Peter Baker. WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Wednesday it has agreed to disband a controversial warrantless surveillance program run by the National Security Agency, replacing it with a new effort to be overseen by a secret ...
Bush Changes Warrantless Surveillance Policy Donklephant
Court to monitor Bush eavesdropping program San Jose Mercury News
New York Times - ABC News - DetNews.com - Boston Globe
all 474 news articles »"

Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Flash Player 9 for Linux arrives, looks great

2007-01-18T04:58:00.000-05:00

Flash Player 9 for Linux arrives, looks great
Desktop Linux - Adobe Systems Inc. on Jan. 17 finally released the long-awaited Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux. Although a binary-only ...READ MORE

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Learn from other Google Docs & Spreadsheets users

2007-01-15T18:45:00.000-05:00

Find answers, ask questions, and share your expertise with others in the Google Docs & Spreadsheets Help Group.

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

The New BAH rates are available at Military.com

2007-01-15T17:34:00.000-05:00

Here's the website for the new BAH rates. It's not time sensitive, so forward when you can.

Thanks!

The New BAH rates are available at Military.com

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning. Forwarded for your information.. Happy New Year!

Very Respectfully,
Capt Mellon

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Blackwater Tactical Weekly: The Next Jihadists: Iraq's Lost Children

2007-01-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

Ammar will tell you he's proud to be carrying a gun. His father was a brigadier in Saddam Hussein's Army, a man who saw combat in his country's several wars, and from an early age Ammar had accompanied him to the shooting range. "I got used to the sound of guns then," Ammar says. So he was ready, last fall, when the imam in his Baghdad neighborhood urged residents to take up arms against the invader-who in this case happened to be members of a Shiite militia trying to push into the predominantly Sunni area. Ammar joined the neighborhood watch, a ragtag bunch of men who stand guard nightly at improvised roadblocks and rooftop observation posts. In mid-October Ammar fought his first big battle against soldiers from the Mahdi Army-"the garbage collectors and robbers," as he contemptuously refers to the Shiite militia. He says he put his Kalashnikov assault rifle to good use: "I think I injured or even killed two of them. Our group killed more than six of them that night."

Full Story

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Tactical Power Sources Summit

2007-01-15T17:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Colleague,

This is your last chance to register for IDGA's Tactical Power Sources Summit. This must-attend event for government/military agencies and leading contractors at the fore-front of evolving programs, emerging policies and technologies for portable power sources is coming up in a few weeks.

If you are considering attending this event visit our website and register yourself and a team today.

This event will allow you to:

Access a comprehensive update on the roles that different types of batteries play in theatre

Analyze strategies to make batteries more reliable and more effective

Evaluate the promise of fuel cell technology to optimize soldier performance

Comprehensively assess new and alternative power sources

Hear case studies of "Power in Action" in the military

Develop an action plan to implement what you have learned into your own program

If you have any questions, please phone Customer Service at 1-800-882-8684. I look forward to meeting you at the event.

Cordially,

Page Robinson
Program Director, Tactical Power Sources 2007
IDGA

P.S. Also, don't forget to join us on the day before for the outstanding pre-conference Mobile Power Sources Development Day featuring 3 interactive seminars: Designing Low-cost, Durable Fuel Cells for Military Applications , Designing and Manufacturing High Power Density Motor Systems and Future Technologies of Man Portable Battery Systems.

This email was sent to: wooran@ec.rr.com

This email was sent by: IDGA
535 Fifth Av, 8th Fl New York, NY, 10017, USA

"Yigaquu osaniyu adanvto adadoligi nigohilvi nasquv utloyasdi nihi" Cherokee - "May the Great Spirit's blessings always be with you."

Help us take care of our veterans who worked so hard to protect and serve their country!

2007-01-13T01:59:00.000-05:00

We are beginning to work with a military-affiliated association that is assisting our wounded warriors when they return from the battlefield. Many of these men and women are permanently disabled and want to purchase a home together by combining their income. What programs would you be able to offer these veterans? Any information that you can offer me would be greatly appreciated. We will be presenting this proposal to the general on the local base here.

Some of these veterans are discharged and waiting placement for permanent residence and some are still active-duty military status. Insofar as credit scores are concerned, I'm sure that we will have a mixed box of scores.

Help us take care of our veterans who worked so hard to protect and serve their country!

Jamie Sharpe/Loan Officer

910-478-8810 cell

Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386

2007-01-13T01:55:00.000-05:00

Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386 in Kingman, sat in on the discussion Wednesday with Coker. Coker said the only other person to whom he has put forth his idea is the commander of VFW Post 2555 in Golden Valley.

Update on the Coker Project:

2007-01-13T01:48:00.000-05:00

He needs help to get it operational. I think foundation involvement/support with this project is a definite possibility.

N.C. State Commander, Jim Goins has a friend who needs our help also. The materials and land have already been donated for a homeless veterans house. Now we need to get the house built. I was thinking about the Barn raisings that occurred years ago with the granges.

Those were a shining example of Americans looking out for each other and a good format to use now.

Argent Mortgage, Account Executive

2007-01-13T01:44:00.000-05:00

From: ALHarmon@argentmortgage.com

Subject: Help Our Military Veterans!

Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:06:38 -0800

Hi,

With these borrowers, we would consider disability as fixed income. Their

income can be grossed up 123%. All of these fixed income borrowers would

have to go full doc and the LTV would vary from credit score to credit
score.

Hopefully this will help you out, but let me know if you
have further questions!!

Thanks!!

Angie Harmon

Argent Mortgage, Account Executive

phone: 910-431-0129

email: alharmon@argentmortgage.com

National Legislative Service

2007-01-12T23:14:00.000-05:00

The mission of the VFW National Legislative Service is to represent the VFW position on various issues before the United States Congress.

This is accomplished through testifying at congressional committee hearings as well as interacting directly with members of Congress and their staffs, and the staffs of Committees having jurisdiction over veterans legislation.

The NLS not only works for the advancement of legislation beneficial to veterans but, also, has the responsibility to bring about defeat of legislation detrimental to our Nation's veterans.

National Legislative Service

Dennis Cullinan,

Director

200 Maryland Ave, NE

Washington, DC 20002

Phone: (202) 543-2239

Fax: 202-543-0961 vfwac@vfwdc.org

Thanx Robo

2007-01-12T13:40:00.000-05:00

I was referring to several projects.

1st N.C. State Commander, Jim Goins's friend needs our help now. The materials and land have already been donated for a homeless veterans house to be located here in N.C. We need to get that house built. He will be in Jacksonville next week. I will post more details as I receive them.

2nd The Commandant has promised to create two Wounded Warriors Regiments. Maxwell said they will be breaking ground next month. They both will need help, just not as much.

3rd Evan Coker has no computer in his home. He has contacted several organizations for assistance. I will be faxing him some info later today. Until I can get out to Arizona I need a contact there to get info to him. Faxes are fine, but they can get costly. The cost of paper and ink is the problem. Every penny we save, is that much more for our wounded warriors, PAST AND PRESENT.

4th Evan and I both have the same dream, we hope to get all states working together to assist our wounded. How they do this is totally up to them. My job is to get the right people connected. Ray Thomas, commander of VFW Post 10386 in Kingman has expressed an interest in this project.

Wooran's Wounded Warriors was created to serve all Veterans.

Where does the VFW comes into play?

2007-01-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

I am reading but still don't understand what and where things will be done. I understand Jamie is working as loan officer, that Coker has a 5 year requested use of land donated to a tribe and a theme park in mind. To me this is confusing and in rivalry with what the Wounded Warrior program is with the Maxwell and Conway group. It appears that Wooran Wounded Warrior program is something apart from the original program. Where the VFW comes in is still another confusing avenue. Then comes the issue of who and how many warriors will be in said homes or complexes. You did say Maxwell was setting up east and west coast locations. As an opener think along the following:

1. DETAILED MISSION of intent.

1.1 LEGAL ASPECTS

2. INFRASTRUCTURE: Who

2.1 NEEDED POSITIONS OF MANAGEMENT

3. FINANCIAL

3.1 FUNDS AVAILABLE and DISTRIBUTIONS

3.2 GUIDANCE TO PLAN

4. LOCATION

5. METHODS OF OPERATIONS

Give the above some serious thought. R

BODY RITUAL AMONG THE NACIREMA

2007-01-11T01:16:00.000-05:00

Most cultures exhibit a particular configuration or style. A single value or pat-
tern of perceiving the world often leaves its stamp on several institutions in the
society. Examples are "machismo" in Spanish-influenced cultures, "face" in
Japanese culture, and "pollution by females" in some highland New Guinea
cultures. Here Horace Miner demonstrates that "attitudes about the body"
have a pervasive influence on many institutions in Nacireman society. Read More

NO SUCH THING as objective reporting

2006-12-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

Back in my heyday (sp?), otherwise known as when I was 20, I was a part-time copy editor for a city newspaper with about 25,000 daily subscribers. Every once in a while, I got to pick stories from the Associated Press to be put in the paper. Other times, I had to cut 1,000-word stories by more than half to fit the space allotted.

What I learned:

1. There is NO SUCH THING as objective reporting.

2. Decisions on what to report is largely based on what the business believes the viewers/readers/listeners are interested in.

3. As such, newspapers with a largely caucasian/Republican base are less likely to report on a Mexican family's struggle for citizenship or a black man proven innocent after years behind bars.

4. The subjectivity doesn't end there. Even when stories are run, reporters decide what angle to take . Notice how many newspapers have a "Business" section versus how many have a "Labor" section. The little guy isn't focused on for two reasons. One, he doesn't pay the newspaper's bills, and two, she is still dreaming of when she's no longer poor and thus wants to know about stock markets and insider trading.

5. Then there's what information to share about the story that's been decided on. Say, for instance, a newspaper is going to write about a high school track coach who's been convicted of pedophilia. The story could include the following information: how to talk to your children about pedeophilia; how many cases the coach was convicted of; two students' accounts of what a good teacher the coach was; one team member's account of walking in on the coach with a fellow teammate; how many people are convicted of pedophilia each year; what the school's going to do for the high school students; what background checks and other measures the school uses when hiring. Now, the newspaper only has room for half of the information I just listed. Someone has to choose.

6. And how does that information get chosen? By people. Who are ALWAYS subjective. Say we have three reporters who can report the story. One is the mom of a child on the junior high football team. One is a sports fanatic. The third downloads porn during spare time. Think you're likely to get three different stories? Oh, yeah, baby. Now, the stories will almost always be accurate, truthful, and unbiased in the telling. But the telling of the story is only what we see. So much more goes on behind the wizard's curtain.

:)Kim Edwards

http://wooran.com

An argumentum ad populum

2006-12-26T21:54:00.000-05:00

The mainstream media likes to keep us confused. I need no help in that department. It scares me when people blindly follow the herd. Many times the facts are never revealed to the public. More people need to challenge the information that is presented to them.

An argumentum ad populum (Latin: "appeal to the people"), in logic, is a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or all people believe it; it alleges that "If many believe so, it is so." In ethics this argument is stated, "if many find it acceptable, it is acceptable."

Some things never change. I may be married to a marine, but I can't for the life of me see the logic in blowing things and people up. This just does not compute.

http://wooran.com

9/11/2006 RELIGIOUS TERRORIST ATTACK

2006-12-26T20:21:00.000-05:00

The mainstream media may not have alerted you to the fact that there was another bomb attack on American soil on 9/11/2006, on the fifth anniversary of the first 9/11 attack.

If it seems strange that such an event wasn't picked up by the right wing conservative media echo chamber to fan the flames of fear in the U.S. and rally more Americans to the cause of fighting a global war on terror, the reason for this lapse is simple:

The religious terrorist, in this case, was a Christian extremist who bombed an abortion clinic.

Martín Rizzi said:

I think that most religiously motivated terrorists would agree with this goal, in fact, many of them are actively working toward the goal of having only a single religion-- theirs.

Personally, I think valuing diversity would be a better goal. I think people should not argue about things that can't be proven to exist. Carl Sagan spoke for me (you might go to my "Pale Blue Dot" thread if interested).

I dont really know about this "religiously motivated terrorists" stuff;

supposedly in Iraq these religiously motivated terrorists blow up mosques;

i dont buy it; i think that religiously motivated terrorists is just a meme.

Marcus B.

http://wooran.com

What the public believes to be true

2006-12-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

I really don't know what to believe about Iraq having Weapons of Mass Destruction. At times I feel we will never know the truth.

What the public believes to be true

U.S. adults believe that the following are true about the war in Iraq:

* Seventy-two percent believe that the Iraqis are better off now than they were under Saddam Hussein (slightly down from February 2005 when 76 percent said this was true).

* Just over half (55%) think history will give the U.S. credit for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq (down substantially from 64% in February 2005).

* Sixty-four percent say it is true that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda (the same as 64% in February 2005).

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=684

chaos and violence

2006-12-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

We all get ripped off everyday when people cause chaos and violence. What makes them use these methods of expressing themselves?

http://wooran.com

Thanks Harry

2006-12-26T20:13:00.000-05:00

I always say things the wrong way. I do not think terrorism or any crime can be attributed to poverty.

"The poor person is the victim of, NOT the perpetrator of, terrorism."

I disagree.

http://wooran.com

Chemical may stop alcohol craving

2006-12-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Scientists say they have found a way to stop an alcoholic's craving for drink.

A team from Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute discovered blocking the action of the brain's orexin system can also prevent someone relapsing.

Team members say their work could lead to the development of drugs which could act as orexin blockers.

Orexin-producing cells are also thought to play a part in regulating feeding, so the researchers believe they could also help treat eating disorders. Read More

Saddam Hussein

2006-12-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

I really don't know what to believe about Iraq having Weapons of Mass Destruction. At times I feel we will never know the truth.

What the public believes to be true

U.S. adults believe that the following are true about the war in Iraq:

Casualties have now exceeded 25,000

2006-12-24T17:46:00.000-05:00

Three years and nine
months after the U.S.-led Coalition
began its war against Saddam Hussein, researchers have quietly recorded
another grim milestone in the cost of the conflict. American military
casualties have now exceeded 25,000.

Native Americans

2006-12-24T06:04:00.000-05:00

Stephanie O'Keefe said:

Could what was done to the Native Americans be considered terrorism?

Marc Roth said: YES

Professional Soldier

2006-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I see from your profile Stephanie you are the wife of a marine

As a professional soldier your man is exposed to great danger.

thus it is with some sensitivity i address you in this thread.

It is apparent you are a good person with a mind and a heart.

Your natural empathy for the man you love makes you want to

channel your human warmth and passion into a rehabilitation facility

for injured war veterans so these persons get have their life again;

maybe not all of their life, but at least a part of the life they had.

When someone is a soldier he has no right to anything but obey.

The issue of wounded Eurasia War veterans is a very serious one.

Both the physically wounded and also the emotionally wounded ones.

Martín Rizzi

TERRORISM - Can it be eliminated? If so, how? What is your plan?

2006-12-24T05:55:00.000-05:00

In order to answer the question, I first need to define what terrorism is according to me. It is an act of violence intended to both inflict fear in a group of people and get a specific message heard. That being the case, the Boston Tea Party was just as much an act of terrorism as 9/11 was--the most important difference being the loss of innocent lives on 9/11.

What do we then do to stop terrorism from happening?

We stop the need for it. Terrorists don't use terrorism as a first response. At no point in time did someone read the newspaper, get mad about an issue he/she just learned about for the first time, and decide to nuke a city in response. Terrorism is a last resort, something people do when they can find no other way to be heard. Terrorism comes out of anguish, turmoil, and devestation.

To stop terrorism, then, ...

--We need to teach parents like those of the students who did the Columbine shootings to look for the signs of disturbed teens and to get them help.

--We need to acknowledge that the Israel/Palestine situation is horrible and that talking isn't enough. Reparations need to be made, counselling needs to be inacted, healing needs to be nurtured, and education about cultural differences and acceptance needs to happen.

--We need to wean our children away from the selfish, immediate-gratification, anti-social worlds of television and video games. We now have several generations of people who barely know how to communicate because communication has become unnecessary when all we need to do is push buttons to exist. Every person who is living such a life is a person who is not helping in terrorism, war, injustice, and strife.

--We need to stop pretending the American way is the only way and acknowledge that we're just as big of f-ups as the rest of the world. We're full of gluttony and greed, egocentricism and Nihilism, yet Americans are affronted when people in other countries act the same way.

--We need to learn to listen to people. Truly listen. We need to know why the IRA continues to fight and why the Una Bomber, well, bombed. We need to listen not to prove them wrong, but to find solutions for the problem and for their pain. We need to listen in order to know how to listen to the next person before he/she becomes a terrorist.

--We need to start within ourselves. How many people's ideas have you felt like annihilating today? None? Really? Don't you want cannibalism to end? Racism? Genocide? Remember, the people who commit acts of terrorism have an injustice that they want to end, too. I'm not saying terrorism is ever right, but I am saying that we need to understand it before we can, well, annihilate it.

Kim Edwards

Thank You

2006-12-24T05:52:00.000-05:00

Stephanie, thank you; your words are helpful to understanding your POV, demonstrating you are a good person with a good mind.

Martín Rizzi

I don't even get the whole using Marines to blame Bush comment.

2006-12-24T05:45:00.001-05:00

Who is using marines to blame Bush and for what?

Most of the people talking on here have a better grip on the chronology of this whole war than I do.

Can someone refresh my memory, how many days were we from a U.N. decision on how to approach Iraq's bluff on WMD?

Does anyone want to fess up if they believed that Iraq really had WMDs in the first place? I knew they didn't if you want to know why.

Marc Roth

Wounded Warriors

2006-12-24T05:45:00.000-05:00

I agree. I am just very protective of our marines. I understand everything you say and my head tells me you are 100% right. My heart on the other hand breaks for my boys. The fact of the matter is, these wounded men and women are the kids that grew up next door to you and me. They need help and I am here to try and accomplish that by any means possible.

Welcome to O-net

2006-12-24T05:41:00.000-05:00

Hi Stephanie. Welcome to O-net. I like what you're trying to do to create a home for our wounded warriors.

However, with all respect for your service, Saddam had no nuclear program. He had no weapons of mass destruction. He was fully cooperating with Inspectors at the time the U.S. decided to make war. The inspectors were forced to leave to avoid being bombed by the U.S. These are all indisputable, historical facts.

Bush lied to start the war for reasons we'll probably never know unless, of course, the motive was simply more profit for Haliburton and the oil companies. But I suspect it's more complex than that.

I'm not saying Saddam wasn't a brutal dictator. I would, however, say that the Iraqis were better off under Saddam than they are now. In fact, 600,000 Iraqis would be alive now, instead of dead, had the U.S. not gone to war with Iraq.

In my opinion, our wounded warriors are all victims of the neocons' lies and deceit, and the more fully it's understood how terribly and unconscionably these soldier's loyalty to our country was abused in the Iraq mission, the sooner they can help bring the criminal neocons to justice and, I would hope, further their healing process through that endeavor.

Marcus B.

"traditional American pride"

2006-12-24T05:39:00.000-05:00

Traditional American Pride is dying of a sick cancer.

Unions that once brought cleanliness and safety to jobs out grew themselves and became greedy petri dishes for inflated pay rates, and laziness.

Banks are spoiling us using a backwards IQ test called a credit score, which is creating a jealous rage in our consumers such that we have to work to pay off our debt, because it’s growing so rapidly.

As a means to an end good ole American logic says take a few shortcuts here, cheat there, stab that guy in the back and get ahead.

Traditional American Pride - started with a good hard day’s work that is very hard to find today.

Marc Roth

"Support" needs to be real and tangible, not just declared

2006-12-24T04:57:00.000-05:00

I think it's the lack of tangible support that is the problem. If the veterans had a nickel for every person who has a "Support Our Troops" magnetic ribbon on the back of their car, they'd be able to afford better treatment and healthier places to live and heal. (Okay, maybe more than a nickel, but you get the idea-- the "Support" needs to be real and tangible, not just declared).

The government is not currently funding care for veterans adequately, so I don't think it's enough for people to just be taxpayers to say they support the troops (just my opinion).

Marc Roth said:

In fact I think the sentiment carried across all party lines is that we support our troops even if we don't support the war. This may be a valuable lesson that has carried forward from Vietnam, but at any rate I don't see anyone hardening against our men and women in uniform.

Marcus B.

WOUNDED WARRIORS SUPPORT OMIDYAR GROUP PROPOSED

2006-12-24T04:53:00.000-05:00

I'd like to follow up Stephanie's project with a new group here on Omidyar specifically for exploring creative way to help wounded warriors.

Please visit the New Groups section (Groups Tab, sub-tab: New Groups) and co-sponsor this new group to help get it started. It'll take five additional new group sponsors to get this going.

The issue of terrorism is too big to solve with one kind of activity-- I think we have to break it down into specifics and deal with those specifics in order to be more effective.

I think I get now where Stephanie was coming from about people using Marines to Bush-bash (paraphrased). If we harden our hearts against veterans because of the perception that they voluntary supported the illegal war in Iraq, then we are, in effect, punishing them for Bush's crimes, and that's cruel and unfair.

So, what can Omidyar.net do for/with veterans to make good things (or at least better things) happen?

Marcus B.

Al-Qaeda already here

2006-12-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Until about a year ago, IDF Intelligence estimated that "Israel was not being targeted by al-Qaeda". Since these estimates were made public, reality has hit Israeli intelligence in the face. The global arena vis-à-vis Israel turned out to be rife with activity and al-Qaeda recently announced that Israel is one of their primary targets.

http://www.ict.org.il/apage/3491.php

Bin Laden's Declaration of War

2006-12-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

"By God's grace," bin Laden says on the tape, "we have formed with many other Islamic groups and organizations in the Islamic world a front called the International Islamic Front to do jihad against the crusaders and Jews."

"And by God's grace," he says at another point in the tape, "the men ... are going to have a successful result in killing Americans and getting rid of them."

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen, who interviewed bin Laden a year earlier, believes the tape depicts a key moment for al Qaeda.

"They're going public," Bergen said. "They're saying, 'We're having this war against the United States.'"

CNN.com - Previously unseen tape shows bin Laden's declaration of war

Consequence of Poverty

2006-12-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

I agree that terrorism is in no way a consequence of poverty. The individuals I was referring to are far from poor.

They feel they are justified in causing terror and destroying their neighborhoods. They blame this type of behavior on poverty.

Killing of Americans, both civilian and military

2006-12-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

The following link has a statement from Osama bin Laden and his associates purports to be a religious ruling (fatwa) requiring the killing of Americans, both civilian and military. This document is part of the evidence that links the bin Laden network to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm