Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today

Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Subject: Massive Phone Outage Being Investigated By Police
[California]

Massive Phone Outage Being Investigated By Police
A massive phone outage is being treated as a criminal investigation by police
after it was found that a lid from a manhole was taken off and a fiber optic
line was severed, a police spokesman says.

MORE DETAILS:
http://www.ksbw.com/tu/5FUB5dASb.html

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To:
californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com

CALIFORNIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FLASH INCIDENT REPORT

EVENT NAME: Telephone Service Outage, Santa Clara , San Benito , Santa Cruz Counties (This report may contain unconfirmed information)

DATE/TIME OF REPORT: 04/09/09 at 1030 hours

DATE/TIME OF EVENT: 04/09/09 at 0303 hours

LOCATION: Gilroy , Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County , and areas in San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties

IMPACT OF EVENT: Minor

UPDATE SITUATION: Per the California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA), a major fiber line was damaged affecting local and long distance hard line phone capability. This can have a rollover affect on some ATT internet traffic. The hard-line phone outage has caused customers to switch to cell phone use which is creating congestion in the cellular signals. The cellular towers are still functioning, however due to increased traffic and congestion some connection issues are occurring. Some Verizon and T-Mobile cellular services in this area are hosted on the ATT cellular towers and are also being affected by the congestion. ATT does have a failover system for the long distance areas and currently engineers are checking to verify this backup system is functioning. This would route the longer distance calls through another network. The Department of General Services, 911 Office advises that Santa Cruz County PSAP is receiving 911 calls at this time; however the ALI is down preventing the location information to display. Morgan Hill Police Department and Gilroy Police Department have failover systems (alternate answer arrangements) to Santa Clara County Communications Center . However, due to the location of the damage to the line; the signals are not reaching the backup facility.

The Emergency Medical Authority (EMSA) advises hospitals within the outage area are functional with radio communications. Additional ambulances have been moved to the area until the line repairs are completed. The EMSA EOC is at limited activation to continue monitoring the situation at this time.

Per the California Department of Technology Services (DTS), the Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, Department of Secretary & State, Department Health Care Services, California Coastal Commission, Department of Social Services, Department of Motor Vehicle, Department of Employment Development, Department of Rehabilitation, Department of Fish & Game and Franchise Tax Board in the affected areas have lost network connectivity to DTS preventing connectivity to other state facilities at this time.

ATT has 12 crews working on repairs and identifying the extent of the outage.

The Santa Clara County Emergency Operation Center partially activated at 0800 hrs to monitor the situation and handle media inquiries. The Cal EMA Coastal Regional Operation Center and State Operation Center are activated at Duty Officer status in support of the County EOC .
CUEA, DTS-911, the Cal EMA Law Enforcement, Fire, Public Information and Coastal Duty Officers continue to monitor the situation.

SITUATION: On 04/09/09 at 0303 hours, the California State Warning Center (CSWC) was advised by the California Department of General Services (DGS) that a telephone outage had occurred in south Santa Clara County affecting telephone and cell phone service, and impacting the 911 system for the cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill . Outages have also been reported in the Counties of San Benito and Santa Cruz . The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office advised that law enforcement radio communication has not been affected and remains in operation, and that local media will be used to advise citizens with emergencies to go to the closest Fire Department or Police Department Station for direct assistance until telephone and cell phone service is restored. Per the California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA), a damaged fiber optic line has been identified as the possible cause of the outage and crews are enroute to effect repairs. No estimated time for the completion of repairs is available at this time.

This report will be updated as information becomes available.

Carol J. Risley, Chief

Office of Human Rights and Advocacy Services

Department of Developmental Services

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Foodbanks seeing unprecedented increase in need
Homeless numbers increasing dramatically locally<<<

This is just plain scary.

It is so very easy to be homeless today, and not all of them are guilty of being careless or wasteful.

The electric tampering is a real threat, we have phone lines cut in California and Arizona this week, and that is info that was sent and heard on local radio news, I have not had time to google for other lines cut.

Makes you wonder how the human race survived for so long, doesn’t it?

Just imagine, they didn’t have a government watching out for them, monitoring everything they ate and all. They may have even eaten meat that was *gasp* medium rare!!!!<<<

LOL, yes, even vegetables grown on manure piles.

I am more afraid of the sources of all the disease in our foods and the “why” it is there.

[His known as a reputable writer]

http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/04/pirates-or-naval-al-qaeda-or-both.html

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
PIRATES OR NAVAL AL QAEDA OR BOTH?
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR—PAPER NO.517

B.RAMAN

I have been in receipt of the following message on April 8,2009, from ECOTERRA International, which disseminates a periodic “Somali Marine& Coastal Monitor”: “Danish owned and US-American operated MV MAERSK ALABAMA, a container ship of 14,120 gross tonnage underUS-American flag with a 21 men crew of at least 20 U.S.-American nationals, who are said to be all unharmed according to the company thatowns the vessel, had been sea-jacked this morning at 07h30 on the Indian Ocean off the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu and about 280 miles(450 kilometers) south-east of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia. The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when itwas attacked about 500 kilometers (310 miles) off Somalia’s coast, the statement issued by Maersk Line Ltd. said. The 20 unarmed crewmembers fought back against the four hijackers and hours later regained control of their vessel, according to second mate Ken Quinn.Quinn, sounding harried in a terse mobile phone call to CNN, said the crew had released one of the pirates they had tied up for 12 hours. Butthe hijackers were refusing to return Captain Richard Phillips. “Right now, they want to hold our captain for ransom and we’re trying to gethim back,” Quinn told the US network. “He’s in the ship’s lifeboat,” he said, explaining the four pirates had taken the lifeboat off the MaerskAlabama and that Phillips was in touch with his crew via ship’s radio. “So now we’re just trying to offer them whatever we can. Food. But it’snot working too good.” Quinn added: “We have a coalition (vessel) that will be here in three hours. So we’re just trying to hold them off forthree more hours and then we’ll have a warship here to help us.”

2. The message continues: “Quinn said that all four pirates were on the lifeboat, after sinking their own boat after they seized the containervessel. Earlier, the crew took one pirate hostage, trying to swap him for their captain, but the deal went wrong, he told the American CNNnews channel. Though the ship is the sixth seized within a week in the dangerous region around Africa, Cmdr. Jane Campbell, aspokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said it was the first pirate attack “involving U.S. nationals and a U.S.-flaggedvessel in recent memory.” No American merchant vessel has been attacked by pirates since 1804 during the North African Barbary Wars. USPresident Barack Obama’s chief spokesman said the White House was assessing a course of action. Press secretary Robert Gibbs toldreporters that officials there monitoring the incident closely. Said Gibbs: “Our top priority is the personal safety of the crew members onboard.” The White House offered no other immediate details about what actions it was considering. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitmansaid there has not yet been any communications from the pirates for ransom. But he would not go into military plans. “I’m not going tospeculate on any future military actions,” Whitman said, when asked what the U.S. military may do.Whitman said there are still no U.S. Navyships within view of the vessel, and instead they are still “hundreds of miles away. “The nearest U.S. Navy warship was about 300 nauticalmiles away at the time of the hijacking,” other U.S.-American government sources said. No action has been taken so far, a spokesman forthe U.S. military’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain said first, according to CNN. “There is a task force present in the region to deter any type of piracy,but the challenge remains that the area is so big and it is hard to monitor all the time,” 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said. USArmy Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Hibner, a Pentagon spokesperson, said later on Wednesday that the US Navy destroyer Bainbridge wasen route to the scene. The cargo ship is directly owned and operated by a Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, Maersk spokesman MichaelStorgaard said. “We have very strict policies on the vessel ... crews are trained to handle these types of situations,” Storgaard said fromMaersk’s headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.”

3. The message further adds: ‘5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said U.S.-flagged ships are not normally escorted by the military,unless they request it from the U.S. Navy. The 155-metre (511-foot) vessel had been due to dock in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on April 16.The hijacked boxship is run out of the huge merchant and naval base of Norfolk by Maersk Line Ltd., a division of Denmark’s A.P.Moller-Maersk Group and was carrying emergency relief to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was hijacked, said Peter Beck-Bang, spokesman forthe Copenhagen-based container shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk, but analysts wondered, since relief food is usually shipped as bulk andnot by a rather expensive container-ship. Though the shipping company has had some Defense Department contracts it was said this timenot to be on a Pentagon job when attacked, a governmental statement read. The high seas standoff drew an expression of concern fromHillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, who called on the world to unite to “end the scourge of piracy”. “

4.The message clarifies that the information contained in it came from “own sources, AFP, AP, Al-Jazeera, Pentagon, White House et al”. Anearlier message of April 6,2009, from ECOTERRA INTERNATIONAL had said: “With the latest captures and releases now, still at least 17 (18with an unnamed sole Barge which drifted ashore) foreign vessels with a total of not less than 297 crew members accounted for (of which110 are confirmed to be Filipinos) are held in Somali waters and are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships,which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are stillbeing followed. Over 134 incidents (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) have been recorded for 2008with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by anaval force. For 2009 the account stands at 52 averted or abandoned attacks and 14 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as wellas one wrongful attack by friendly fire on the side of the naval forces. Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as wellas not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels withunclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list,though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail. In the last four years, 22 missing ships havebeen traced back with different names, flags and superstructures. “

5. Despite the deployment of anti-piracy patrols from a number of countries including India, China and Japan, the Somali pirates continue tooperate with virtual impunity and have been collecting millions of dollars in ransom money. The vast area involved, the inabilitry of theinternational community——due to legal and operational reasons-—to undertake land-based operations against the pirates in Somalianterritory and the suspected (by me) lack of co-ordination among anti-piracy patrols from different countries have come in the way ofeffective and deterrent action against the pirates, who are becoming more and more audacious and innovative.

6. A number of questions remain unanswered: Are different pirate groups operating autonomously of each other or is there a commoncommand and control? Who are the leaders of the different pirate groups and where are they based? Apart from the pirates themselves andtheir leaders, are there any other beneficiaries of the ransom money? Since Al Qaeda has been very active in Somalia for over a decade,does it have any links with the pirates and is it financially benefiting from the ransom payments?

7. The possibility of links between Al Qaeda and at least some of the pirate groups needs to be taken seriously. Ever since 9/11, Al Qaedahas been wanting to organise a major act of maritime terrorism to disrupt word trade and movement of energy supplies. Many of thesepirates——if well-trained and well-motivated by Al Qaeda—— could provide a new source of oxygen to it. The time has come to treat thecampaign against the Somali pirates as seriously as the campaign against Al Qaeda. (9-4-2009)

(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies,Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
Posted by B.RAMAN at 9:08 PM
1 comments:

John Maszka said...

Hello,

I’m doing research on how American foreign policy affects popular support for terrorism. My theory is that America’s hegemonic activity fuels popular support for terrorism, but I need data to support that hypothesis. I plan to conduct a large international survey in order to collect that data. Before I conduct the survey, however, I need to devise a survey instrument that is non-biased (non-western, non-white). I strongly believe that the biggest reason that America is losing the war on terror is that we aren’t listening to the people that matter the most—everyone else. The same principal applies to my survey: it won’t do any good if I’m not asking the right questions.

So I’m asking for your help.

I’ve put together a pre-survey questionnaire to help fashion a survey that hopefully will ask the right questions, one that takes race, religion, and gender issues into consideration rather than just making the same old geopolitical assumptions that political scientists in my field tend to make. I’m particularly interested in incorporating the views of women, non-whites, and people living outside of America and Western Europe. The final survey will go out once the pre-survey data has been collected and analyzed.

The survey can be accessed at

http://www.johnmaszka.com/SURVEY.html

Please take a moment and fill out the survey.

Thank you!
Take care,

John Maszka
April 9, 2009 4:55 AM

http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009_04_05_archive.html

Sunday, April 5, 2009
OBAMA & AF-PAK REGION: POLICY NIGHTMARES,BUT NO POLICY OPTIONS
WHAT I WROTE ON NOVEMBER 10,2001
B.RAMAN

Richard Holbrooke, President Barrack Obama’s special envoy for Pakistan and Affghanistan, starts his second visit to the region with a halt in Pakistan from April 6,2009. He will be accompanied by Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, who reportedly made before a Congressional committee recently the astonishing remark that he felt “comfortable” with the security arrangements made by the Pakistan Government for its nuclear arsenal. He is not the only one to feel so comfortable with the security outside Pakistan’s nuclear establishments. So do Osama bin Laden and Baitullah Mehsud, the Amir of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. They feel comfortable too because they know that penetrating them with the help of their accomplices would be as easy for them as the recent penetration of the police training school in Manawan in the Lahore area and of the barracks of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Islamabad on April 4 was. It is no longer a question of whether they will organise a commando-style raid into Pakistan’s nuclear establishments, but when and how .

2. I am reproducing below an article on Pakistan & the Taliban written by me on November 10,2001. It is available at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers4/paper358.html (6-4-09)

( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )

10-11-2001

PAKISTAN & THE TALIBAN
by B. Raman

continued..........

Russian Military factory to pay workers with foodstuffs

http://www.mosnews.com/society/2009/04/09/920/

The Russian military factory Molot, producing Kalashnikov guns, antitank
weapons and ammunition, will pay its debts to workers in flour, sugar,
pasta and canned meat. Molot located in Kirovsk, southeast of Moscow,
owes workers around 120 million rubles ($3.5 million) in unpaid wages.

Executive vice-president of the factory Diana Nasyrova said that 500 of
the 5,000 workers have filed applications to receive their back-pay in
foodstuffs. The food baskets will include sunflower oil, flour, pasta,
buckwheat, sugar and canned meat. The value of one food basket is
reported to be 630 rubles ($17). This sum is equal to a quarter of an
average salary at the factory.

“We are waiting for 450 million rubles in subsidies approved by the
Russian parliament in January. The subsidy was supposed to come in
March, but we have not yet received it,” Nasyrova said.

The Russian court opened a criminal case against the president of the
factory Sergey Bahmurnov for nonpayment of salaries to his workers in
March. Bahmurnov said that he was unable to pay workers as all profits
from the factory had to go towards paying debts to suppliers.

“It is better than paying our workers in guns,” director of Molot’s
Strategy analyses center Konstantin Makienko said. “This practice will
be met more often amid the financial crisis.” he added.

[Since our leaders took their training from the communist, I would bet that we can expect a wait of 4 to 6 months for emergency foods.........that should give us an idea of how much we need to have stored...........
granny]

Sabotage suspected in phone outage in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz counties

By Mark Gomez and Ken McLaughlin - Mercury News
Posted: 04/09/2009 06:53:25 AM

Police are investigating whether sabotage to an underground fiber optic cable in south San Jose caused a widespread phone service outage in southern Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties this morning that included disruption to 911 emergency phone service, according to law enforcement officials.

John Britton, a spokesman for AT&T, said it appears somebody opened a manhole in South San Jose, climbed down 8 to 10 feet and cut four or five fiber-optic cables.

Britton also said there was a report of underground cables being cut in San Carlos.

The outage is affecting cell phones, land lines and Internet access for Verizon customers in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San Martin and Santa Cruz County, according to Zachary DeVine, a Santa Clara County spokesman. A county fire dispatcher reported areas of San Benito may also be affected but DeVine had not confirmed that report.

ATM machines may also be affected.

“It’s kind of like an earthquake” said Jack Ahlin, a driver with T. Marx Towing who was standing outside the Gilroy police department.

Service is also affected in South San Jose around Monterey Road and Bailey Avenue.

Crews are repairing cut wires located underground on Monterey Road just north of the Blossom Hill Road exit in South San Jose. Service is expected to be restored at around 6 p.m. today.

San Jose police spokesman Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said the manhole covers are heavy and would take quite an effort to lift, perhaps even requiring a tool.

AT&T’s contract with the Communication Workers of America expired at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, but Britton said “we have a really good relationship with the union” and that negotiations continue between the two sides.

The Santa Clara County Emergency Operations Center has been activated; the Santa Clara County Fire Department has moved more firefighters to south county fire stations; the county sheriff has increasing staffing and patrols; and additional ambulances have been positioned in the area.

Meanwhile the disruption continues for thousands of residents.

Cell phones may or may not be working, according to a county fire dispatcher. Anyone facing an emergency situation is being told to try calling 911 on their cell phone. In Gilroy, police are encouraging people who can get cell service to call (408) 842-0191.

The department called in eight officers to help patrol the city, more the doubling the force of seven officers on the streets on a typical day, according to Sgt Jim Gillio. He said residents should flag down an officer if they need help.

Elsewhere, officials are urging people to go to their nearest fire or police department or local hospital or flag down an emergency vehicle.

“Verizon is completely down; other carriers are intermittent at best,” DeVine said mid-morning.

As of 9:30 a.m., repair crews were in the process of repairing a damaged fiber optic line that caused the widespread outage, DeVine said. The fiber optic line owned is by AT&T and leased out to Verizon, DeVine said. There is no timetable for the service to return.

The problem was first reported around 2 a.m. when police in Morgan Hill and Gilroy contacted Santa Clara county dispatchers to report their phones were down. That began a chain of reactions as Santa Clara County officials responded immediately, DeVine said. The county has held over fire crews and has sent additional sheriff’s deputies to Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

Police and fire radios remain operational, meaning field officers are able to get calls from dispatchers and communicate with one another to coordinate aid for anyone reporting to a local fire or police station, DeVine said.

Please check back for more information on this breaking story.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12106300

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Officers to receive heroism awards for work in Freeway Complex fire

4 officers, who were first responders to the November fire, will get the Medal of Heroism on Saturday.

By ERIN WELCH
The Orange County Register
Thursday, April 9, 2009

YORBA LINDA - Four officers from the Brea Police Department will receive a Medal of Heroism from the American Legion on Saturday afternoon in Newport Beach for their work during the Freeway Complex fire.

Sgt. Mike Wilson, Sgt. Roger Hall, Officer Shayne Stiefel and Officer Jason Wambaugh were first responders to the November fire in Yorba Linda. The city is served by the Brea Police Department.

Wambaugh, a relative of police author Joseph Wambaugh, and Stiefel were ordered to evacuate residents from their homes in east Yorba Linda when fires broke out near the borders of Corona and Yorba Linda on Nov. 15. At that time, the fire was moving quickly with wind speeds of more than 75 mph. Several homes surrounding the officers were burning.

The officers placed white towels over their faces for protection and traveled up and down residential streets, entering burning structures to evacuate residents, according to a statement issued by the Brea Police Department. They saw three people near the back of a home that was in direct path of the oncoming firestorm. Nearing flames were more than two stories tall, when the officers ran into the rear yard and pulled the individuals to safety.

Wambaugh’s uniform and hair caught fire. He singed his hair and suffered blisters on his forehead.

During the fires Wilson was assigned to make large-scale evacuations of homes in the Hidden Hills area where 18 homes burned. According to the Brea Police Department, during evacuations of the neighborhood the fire was so intense and close that Wilson’s uniform caught on fire.

Wilson then responded to Stirlingbridge Circle and Via Del Agua, where he and Stiefel evacuated residents and put out fires in the neighborhood. No homes on Stirlingbridge Circle were damaged.

Also on Nov, 15, Hall made evacuations in the Hidden Hills area when he saw an elderly man standing in the doorway of his home. His back yard was completely on fire, with heavy smoke blowing through the area, and a house two doors away was on fire.

Hall ran over to the man who was a stroke victim and could not walk. Hall lifted the man over his shoulder put him in a police car, and took him to the hospital. The elderly man did not think anyone would rescue him and later told Hall he had soaked himself with water hoping this would save him from the fire, according to the Brea police statement.

The American Legion will invite 25 law enforcement agencies to the ceremonies.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fire-police-brea-2358958-hall-homes

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5133535/Al-Qaeda-terror-plot-to-bomb-Easter-shoppers.html
Al-Qaeda terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers
An al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an “Easter spectacular” of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, police believe.

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent
Last Updated: 10:08PM BST 09 Apr 2009

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.
Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann’s Square.

continued....

[Keep in mind that when a jehadi curses one of us, he always includes America, Israel and England..........plus anyone who supports the U.S.....and you understand that they now are affecting the Easter shopping at the malls.......granny]

US-CERT Current Activity

Conficker Worm Targets Microsoft Windows Systems

Original release date: March 29, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Last revised: April 9, 2009 at 6:44 pm

UPDATE: Researchers have discovered a new variant of the Conficker
Worm on April 9, 2009. This variant updates earlier infections via its
peer to peer (P2P) network as well as resuming scan-and-infect
activity against unpatched systems. Public reporting indicates that
this variant attempts to download additional malicious code onto
victim systems, possibly including copies of the Waledac Trojan, a
spam-oriented malicious application which has previously propagated
only via bogus email messages containing malicious links.

US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating a widespread infection
of the Conficker/Downadup worm, which can infect a Microsoft Windows
system from a thumb drive, a network share, or directly across a
corporate network, if the network servers are not patched with the
MS08-067 patch from Microsoft.

Home users can apply a simple test for the presence of a
Conficker/Downadup infection on their home computers. The presence of
a Conficker/Downadup infection may be detected if a user is unable to
surf to their security solution website or if they are unable to
connect to the websites, by downloading detection/removal tools
available free from those sites:

http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm&inid=u
s_ghp_link_conficker_worm
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx
http://www.mcafee.com

If a user is unable to reach any of these websites, it may indicate a
Conficker/Downadup infection. The most recent variant of
Conficker/Downadup interferes with queries for these sites, preventing
a user from visiting them. If a Conficker/Downadup infection is
suspected, the system or computer should be removed from the network
or unplugged from the Internet - in the case for home users.

Instructions, support and more information on how to manually remove a
Conficker/Downadup infection from a system have been published by
major security vendors. Please see below for a few of those sites.
Each of these vendors offers free tools that can verify the presence
of a Conficker/Downadup infection and remove the worm:

Symantec:

http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2
009-011316-0247-99

Microsoft:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx

Microsoft PC Safety hotline at 1-866-PCSAFETY, for assistance.

UPDATED: US-CERT encourages users to take the following preventative
measures to help prevent a Conficker/Downadup infection:
* Ensure all systems have the MS08-067 patch.
* Disable AutoRun functionality. See US-CERT Technical Cyber
Security Alert TA09-020A.
* Maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
* Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open unsolicited email
messages.
* Use caution when visiting untrusted websites.
* Use caution when downloading and installing applications.
* Obtain software applications and updates directly from the
vendor’s website.
* Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document
for more information on avoiding email scams.
* Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
document for more information on social engineering attacks.

Relevant Url(s):
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-020A.html

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx

http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-011316-0247-99

http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf

http://www.symantec.com/norton/theme.jsp?themeid=conficker_worm&inid=us_ghp_link_conficker_worm

http://www.mcafee.com/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007

This entry is available at
http://www.us-cert.gov/current/index.html#conficker_worm_information

Does this look familiar?

Then check the date at the bottom right!!!

Electric Grid Breaches Symptomatic of Cybersecurity Gaps

April 8, 2009

by Jill R. Aitoro

A Wall Street Journal report about the discovery of malicious software on computers that control the nation’s power grid highlights a far more widespread problem, former intelligence officials and other security specialists said on Wednesday.

‘Attacks are happening against more than just the power grid — it’s the food system, the transportation system,’ said Dale Meyerrose, vice president for cyber and information assurance at Melbourne, Fla.-based Harris Corp., and chief information officer for the director of national intelligence during the Bush administration. ‘Anybody that is looking to have an adverse impact on the U.S. and our economy is looking at all of these things simultaneously.’

Sources cited in the Wall Street Journal article claimed computers were penetrated by spies from China , Russia and other countries. This comes more than a year after a CIA official warned the government and utility companies that hackers had targeted power company computers worldwide, causing at least one widespread electricity outage.

Like many other organizations, companies that control the nation’s critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, run day-to-day operations in a networked environment that is especially susceptible to cyberattack.

‘We’re still running legacy Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems that were not made to be used in a networking environment,’ said Howard Schmidt, former White House cybersecurity adviser and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Information Security Forum. ‘What security is in place on the systems that run the systems? We talk about building interfaces, but that is done with software, which can be vulnerable.’

Different federal agencies regulate the industries that control critical infrastructure. In the case of the electric grid, security standards are established by the North American Electric Reliability Corp., an independent organization overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But private sector companies’ compliance with regulations is not enforced strongly.

‘When I was at [the Homeland Security Department], we were working hard to motivate the owners and operators to invest the resources in technology and training to fix vulnerabilities, but they’re still not taking this seriously enough,’ said Gregory Garcia, who served as assistant secretary of cybersecurity and telecommunications at DHS during the Bush administration and now runs his own information security consulting firm, Garcia Strategies. ‘There needs to be an aggressive push — a last push — to force the private sector to self-regulate. Failing that, there may need to be more required standards.’

Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, said self-regulation doesn’t work.

‘That was the policy of the last administration,’ he said. ‘This [incident] illustrates again that faith-based security is a failed strategy.’

Instead, Paller said, government must give NERC more authority to enforce regulations, and force utility companies to implement strict security controls and procure technology to replace legacy systems.

Others said the federal government should provide information and support — not regulations. Michael Jacobs, who served as information assurance director at the National Security Agency until his retirement in 2002, said while NSA is well-equipped to deal with cybersecurity threats, bureaucratic processes often prevent sharing information with organizations under attack.

‘NSA should provide NERC and the companies that run the electric grid with the wherewithal to go in and find and correct this issue, and then work with them to put up perimeter controls to prevent this from happening in the future,’ Jacobs said. ‘But [they’re] constrained in who they can serve; constrained essentially to the classified world of government.’

Meyerrose agreed, saying he often felt his hands were tied from securing cyberspace beyond the intelligence community.

‘About 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in our country is in private hands,’ he said. ‘Our government needs to figure out how to interface with the companies and individuals that own, control and operate these systems. I’m hoping the Obama administration takes this on.’

Source: http://www.nextgov.com/site_services/print_article.php?StoryID=n g_20090408_1423

Islamic Divorce Not Legal in Michigan

April 8, 2009

Detroit anti-dhimmitude: Appeals court says Islamic divorce not legal in Michigan

What’s sauce for the Islamic goose is not sauce for the Michigander. ‘ Mich. court overturns ruling in Muslim divorce,’ by Ed White for the Associated Press, April 8:

DETROIT - Declaring ‘I divorce thee’ three times is not a legal way to end a marriage in Michigan .

The state appeals court on Wednesday overturned a ruling in Oakland County that recognized a divorce ritual that is common among Muslims in India .

The appeals court says the woman, Saida Tarikonda, was deprived of her rights. She wasn’t present in India in April 2008 when her husband returned there to declare what’s known as the ‘triple talaq’ (TA’-lock)....

Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025584.php

Does this look familiar?

Then check the date at the bottom right!!!<<<

One can almost name the people, must be related.

And the kl klux klan is rising its ugly head, as is the white supremacist, so yes we are back to 1934.

April 9, 2009 News - UnitedStatesAction.com

(Afghanistan) Wanted Taliban leader doesn’t fear U.S.
— “Afghan intelligence agents are sharing information with militants about
U.S. and NATO troop movements, a top Taliban commander told NBC News.”
— “’The people of Afghanistan are with us,’ said Sirajuddin Haqqani, in an exclusive
interview. ‘The Afghan intelligence officials are sympathetic to the Taliban and they
communicate the movements of the occupying forces [U.S. and NATO] to us.’”
— Taliban’s Haqqani: “The more money they give, the more pressure they will
put on Pakistan. That money will only turn more people against America and give us more space.”
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/09/1886824.aspx

(Afghanistan) Suicide blast kills child, four Afghan policemen
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jNItkHmborat3qN6qeWNlv2OmZ2g
— Five Afghan police killed in suicide blast
— “in Lashkargah, capital of Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand”
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1989400&Language=en
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/09/Five-killed-in-Afghan-suicide-bombing/UPI-21061239287944/

(Pakistan) NWFP: Geo TV - TNSM’s Sufi Mohammad announces end of Swat peace camp
-— “Maulana Sufi Mohammad said he is not withdrawing from peace deal, however, ending camp in protest.”
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39403.htm
— Dawn: TNSM’sSufi Mohammed calls off Swat peace deal
— “The chief of outlawed Tehreek e Nifaz e Shariat Mohammedi has withdrawn
from the peace deal with the government and has said all peace camps in the region will be abolished, DawnNews has reported.”
— “Mohammed, who brokered the peace deal between the Taliban and the government
of Pakistan has claimed that the authorities have used delaying tactics in imposing the Nizam-i-Adal (Islamic courts) in the Swat region.”
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/sufi+mohammed+calls+off+swat+peace+deal
-— Pakistan cleric slams Zardari over sharia delay
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090409/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwestpeace_20090409115955
-— Pro-Taliban cleric’s exit threatens peace deal in Pakistan’s Swat
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pakistan-Taliban-peace-deal-in-Swat-in-jeopardy-/articleshow/4381991.cms
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7991769.stm
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45477000/gif/_45477689_pak_226x289.gif
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/04/swat_peace_agreement.php

(Pakistan) NWFP: Swat Taliban move in to gain foothold in Buner
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/nwfp/militants-seize-more-territory-in-buner—szh

Pak Taliban fighters uniting to take over Islamabad: Reports
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pak-Taliban-fighters-uniting-to-take-over-Islamabad-Reports/articleshow/4380921.cms
— Pakistani Taliban move closer to Islamabad
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0409/p99s01-duts.html

Pakistan’s religious parties demand extension of Islamic law
— “Pakistan’s decision to turn the Swat Valley’s courts over to Baitullah Mehsud’s
Taliban insurgency has emboldened mainstream religious parties to push for Islamic law
throughout the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and eventually the entire country”
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/religious-parties-demand-extension-of-islamic-law/

(Pakistan) FATA: Drone strike kills three Taliban near Wana
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg1_3
— Traces of extremists in FATA ‘critical,’ says US
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39385.htm

(Pakistan) FATA: Washington Times - “Rifts in Taliban alliance threaten leader”
— “A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud”
— “A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the
alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/09/early-rifts-in-taliban-alliance-signal-threat-to-t/

(Pakistan) Extremists relocating to big cities to avoid drone attacks
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg1_2

(Pakistan) Balochistan: US has promised no drone strikes in Balochistan: Zardari
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg1_1

(Pakistan) Balochistan: Three injured in a blast near Mosque in Hub
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39433.htm
— Pakistan: One policeman killed as riots break out in Baluchistan
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.3196700463

(Pakistan) Punjab: Manawan Police Training School recruits won’t rejoin school for fear of terrorist attacks
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg7_31

(Pakistan) Punjab: Uncle kills eloping niece over ‘honour’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg13_4

(Pakistan/U.S.) Pakistan bites the hand that feeds it
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pak-bites-the-hand-that-feeds-it/articleshow/4377779.cms

(Pakistan/U.S.) US wants “serious response” from Pak on ISI terror links
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/US-wants-serious-response-from-Pak-on-ISI-terror-links/articleshow/4381728.cms

(Pakistan/U.S.) Holbrooke seen as rude: BBC
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg7_10

(Pakistan/U.S.) US Congressmen worry about more money for Pakistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg7_5

(India J&K) Taliban in J&K: Home ministry asks for report
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Taliban-in-JK-Home-ministry-asks-for-report/articleshow/4376705.cms

(U.S.) Extremist Web Sites Are Using U.S. Hosts
— “Ease and Anonymity Draw Taliban, al-Qaeda”
— “Texas company, a Web-hosting outfit called ThePlanet”
— another uses “Free Web Town, a user-friendly template service run by Atlanta-based Tulix Systems”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040804378.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39413.htm
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/09/Anti-US-groups-use-US-Internet-firms/UPI-77571239286870/

(U.S.) Portable ‘E-Bombs’ Could Take Down Jetliners - electromagnetic pulse (EMP) devices
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513295,00.html

(U.S.) Minnesota: “Unindicted co-conspirator in jihad terror funding case wants
educational institutions to stop FBI from interrogating Muslim students”
— Regarding CAIR Minnesota
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025598.php
— Group wants schools to provide Somalis legal support
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S871651.shtml?cat=206

(UK) Police feared ‘Al-Qaida terror attack’ on UK was planned for Easter
— “Sources say attack would have taken place by end of Easter weekend”
— “Gordon Brown describes suspected plot as ‘very big’”
— “Police guard addresses raided by counterterrorism officers”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/09/al-qaida-terror-uk
-— Brown says terror plot is ‘very big’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/brown-says-terror-plot-is-very-big-1666369.html
-— PM Brown: “We know that there are links between terrorists in Britain and terrorists in Pakistan”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5131249/Gordon-Brown-defends-anti-terrorism-operation-after-resignation-of-Bob-Quick.html

(UK) ‘Terror gang’ may have been ‘plotting to blow up shopping centre and nightclub’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1168650/Terror-gang-plotting-blow-shopping-centre-nightclub.html

UK police arrest 11 Pakistanis in anti-terror raids [out of 12 arrested]
— UK’s Peter Fahy: “11 of them are Pakistani nationals. That is a matter of fact.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/UK-police-arrest-11-Pakistanis-in-anti-terror-raids/articleshow/4381530.cms
— UPI: most “on student visas”
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/08/Dozen-anti-terror-arrests-made-in-Britain/UPI-10461239232631/

(UK) Anti-terror swoops follow months of surveillance
-— “Speculation that night clubs were among targets”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/09/anti-terror-operation-england
-— Security Leak Cost Terror Raid Cops 24 Hours
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Terror-Arrests-North-West-Police-Raids-But-Old-Trafford-Trafford-Shopping-Centre-Not-Targets/Article/200904215258652?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15258652_Terror_Arrests%3A_North_West_Police_Raids_But_Old_Trafford%2C_Trafford_Shopping_Centre_Not_Targets
-— Major MI5 operation against al-Qaeda endangered by security breach
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6061914.ece

(UK) “suspects spoke with Afghan accents”
— spoke with Pashtun dialect used on both sides of Afghan/Pakistan border
— 6 or 7 suspects reportedly “worshiped at the nearby Al-Falah mosque”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127951/Terror-blunder-suspects-spoke-with-Afghan-accents.html

(UK) where the suspects were arrested
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127998/Terror-blunder-where-the-suspects-were-arrested.html

(UK) Liverpool students tell of fears as anti-terror police closed in
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/09/uksecurity-terrorism

(UK) Police chief quits over blunder
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7991307.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6064547.ece
-— Britain’s new top counterterrorism officer John Yates
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/09/john-yates-metropolitan-police

(UK) British universities are ‘real and serious’ terrorism threat
— “at least 48 campuses including Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of
Economics and Imperial College London had been infiltrated”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127178/Terror-blunder-British-universities-are-real-and-serious-terrorism-threat.html

(UK) Jihadi Preaching in Tower Hamlets - Anwar Al Awlaki — Islamic supremacists are heroes of “ummah”
— Awlaki: “jihad must be part of our programme of revival and change in the Muslim world”
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/04/09/jihadi-preaching-in-tower-hamlets/
http://www.anwar-alawlaki.com/?p=83
http://www.alwasatiyyah.com/courses.php?courseID=5
http://www.mcb.org.uk/events/viewevent.php?id=1171&y=2009&m=4
http://www.towerhamletsarts.org.uk/index.lasso?v=15

(UK) Anti and Pro Islamists on the Centre Left
http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/04/09/anti-and-pro-islamists-on-the-centre-left/

Iran says running 7,000 enrichment centrifuges
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/-Iran-says-running-7000-enrichment-centrifuges-/articleshow/4381608.cms
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562946291&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
— Ahmadinejad inaugurates Iran’s first nuclear fuel plant
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39427.htm

(Iran) Moscow Open to ‘More Severe’ Punishment for Iran Over Nuclear Program
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/09/moscow-open-severe-punishment-iran-nuclear-program/

(Egypt) Alleged Hizbullah cell in Egypt accused of Gaza arms smuggling — additional report
— “Judicial source says suspects allegedly rented Rafah homes; Egyptian A-G:
Men assigned to collect intel from border villages, tourist sites, Suez”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562948224&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

(Algeria) Bomb explodes as Algeria votes, 2 police hurt, AF
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-0/123929459092350.xml&storylist=international

Sudan - Support for President Leads to Attacks on Churches
— building used by Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Sudanese Church of Christ set on fire
http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=short&idelement=5874&backpage=summaries
— No end to suffering in Sudan, warns bishop
—— “national government’s treatment of non-Muslims remains unchanged”
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/no.end.to.suffering.in.sudan.warns.bishop/23006.htm

Somalia: ‘Talks Open’ Between Govt, Hizbul Islam Faction
http://allafrica.com/stories/200904080720.html

(Somalia) FBI to negotiate with pirates to free US captain: Official
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/FBI-to-negotiate-with-Somali-pirates/articleshow/4381547.cms
— Cargo ship heads for Kenya; pirates still hold captain
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/09/ship.hijacked/index.html
— US warship arrives at site of pirate kidnap
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/5130003/US-warship-arrives-at-site-of-pirate-kidnap.html

(Somalia) Report: “Hawiye kidnap Canadian journalist is pregnant”
http://terrorfreesomalia.blogspot.com/2009/04/hawiye-terrorist-kidnap-canadian.html

(Kenya) Seven Somali ‘pirates’ to be tried in Kenya
http://www.expatica.com/de/news/european_news/Seven-Somali-_pirates_-to-be-tried-in-Kenya-_51453.html

Turkish police arrest 28 suspects in al-Qaeda operation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/5131871/Turkish-police-arrest-28-suspects-in-al-Qaeda-operation.html

Austrian Al-Qaeda cell watched for 3 years
http://austriantimes.at/index.php?id=12395

(Thailand) Suspected insurgent killed in Pattani
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/30100040/Suspected-insurgent-killed-in-Pattani

Communist China executes two Muslims for pre-Olympics attack
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5130676/China-executes-two-Muslims-for-pre-Olympics-attack.html

Islamic Supremacist War on Women:

(Pakistan) Punjab: Uncle kills eloping niece over ‘honour’
— “A man allegedly killed his teenaged niece on Wednesday morning over ‘honour’
in the Shahdara Police precincts”
— “According to the locals of the area, victim Noreen of Haji Kot area was eloping with
her paramour Kamran when Karamat Ali, girl’s uncle, intercepted the couple. They said
Kamran fled in his rented car after seeing Karamat, who took the girl to his house and
gunned her down. They said the girl’s family tried to hide the fact to avoid legal complications
and save the accused, but some neighbour called the police.”
— “The accused is still at large.”
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\09\story_9-4-2009_pg13_4

(Saudi Arabia) Shariah court approves SMS divorce
— “A Shariah court here has approved the divorce of a young Saudi woman in her 20s whose
husband sent her an SMS text from Iraq saying he had divorced her.”
— “The husband, who is in Iraq to participate in what he described as ‘jihad,’ also
telephoned two of his friends who witnessed his marriage and told them that he had divorced his wife.”
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=24&section=0&article=121367&d=9&m=4&y=2009

(Saudi Arabia) Beaten woman to pay abusive husband for Sharia court divorce
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=121359&d=9&m=4&y=2009

(Denmark) Minority Youths Fear Honor Crime
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,618216,00.html

Other News:

(U.S.) PBS Defends Partnership With Al Jazeera
— Marc Rosenwasser: “Though many people who have not seen Al Jazeera English
think of it as a propaganda machine for Islamic extremist causes, much of what it produces
is not ideological and much is not even from that part of the world... Ignoring bad news does not make it go away.”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/09/raw-data-pbs-defends-partnership-al-jazeera/
-— January 2009 - Al-Jazeera TV Broadcasts Sunni sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi Calling
Holocaust “Divine Punishment” For Jews,” Warning “Allah Willing, The Next Time Will Be At The Hand of the Believers”
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP227709
-— August 2008 - Al-Jazeera and the Released Terrorist’s Birthday Party
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP201308
-— See hundreds more examples at:
http://memri.org/bin/search/search.cgi?p%3Ats_udav=0&p%3Ats=0&Realm=All&Match=1&Terms=Al-Jazeera&nocpp=1&sort-method=1&maxhits=10&Rank=1

“How many more ‘apostates’ are silently suffering in ghastly Islamic states?”
http://www.secularism.org.uk/how-many-more-apostates-are-sile.html

(Indonesia) In Indonesia’s Aceh, some discontent over Islamic law
— woman in govt office: “They only focused on arresting unmarried couples”
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/features/article_1469637.php/In_Indonesias_Aceh_some_discontent_over_Islamic_law__Feature__#ixzz0CCDpJhHr

(Netherlands) Dutch army recruits first imams
— Moroccan imam Souad Aydin “alleged to have said that Christians are still at war with the Muslim religion”
http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/local_news/Dutch-army-recruits-first-imams_51477.html

(Canada) Mounties alarmed by military arms cache
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/09/Mounties-alarmed-by-military-arms-cache/UPI-48631239279838/

(UK) Sharia law – Government remains indifferent
http://www.secularism.org.uk/sharia-law-government-remains-in.html

(UK) Hazma sons stole 1 million pounds worth of luxury cars to fund party lifestyle
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1168656/Hamza-sons-stole-1million-worth-luxury-cars-fund-party-lifestyle.html

(U.S.) WSJ Columnist Daniel Henninger states: “Mr. Obama should make formalized
tolerance of Christian sects in the Middle East the basis for arriving at what he called ‘common ground’ with Islam”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123923457420703137.html

(U.S.) Conficker wakes up, updates via P2P, drops payload
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/09/conficker.activated/index.html

(U.S.) Japanese man throws coffee on US Counsel General
http://www.geo.tv/4-9-2009/39393.htm

Against Nazi News:

(U.S.) Suspected Nazi can stay in US for now: officials — John Demjanjuk
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iYh8feBWV6784Q7LzbT9TQTSBy6w

(U.S.) Florida: Pasco cops say admitted Nazi arrested in fake murder plot
— Richard Vidal, American Nazi Party member
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Pasco-cops-say-admitted-Nazi-arrested-in-fake/iiUgnrZ7PUqP9_yrD9v0SQ.cspx

Against Racial Supremacism News:

(U.S.) Building Materials Supplier to Pay $495K to Settle Race-Bias Suit
http://hr.blr.com/news.aspx?id=79816

Against Totalitarianism News:

China cracks down ahead of sensitive anniversaries — Tiananmen’s 20th anniversary looms
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0408/p06s14-woap.html

North Korea Freedom Week 2009 - April 26-May 2, Washington, D.C.
http://www.nkfreedom.org/index.php?id=29
http://www.nkfreedom.org/
http://www.nkfreedom.org/index.php?id=30

__._,_.___

If reposting elsewhere, please credit source of this research as UnitedStatesAction.com

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090409a.html

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 9, 2009

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
Biden Announces $2.3 Billion in Recovery Act Funds to Help Care for Children, Prevent Disease

Child Care and Vaccination Programs to Benefit from Recovery Act

Vice President Joe Biden announced today that the Obama Administration will make $2.3 billion available for crucial health and human services programs that help to provide care for children and prevent disease. States will receive $2 billion in Recovery Act funding to support child care for working families. The administration also plans to make $300 million in vaccines and grants available to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need.

The $2 billion in Recovery Act funds for the Child Care and Development Fund will allow states across the country to support child care services for more families whose children require care while they are working, seeking employment or receiving job training or education. The funds will be used by states to provide vouchers to families for child care or to provide access to care through contracts with child care centers or invest in quality improvements. Recovery Act dollars will support a wide range of child care providers, including child care centers and home-based programs.

“Parents are worried about finding a job or keeping the job they have and they shouldn’t have to worry about affording quality child care,” said Vice President Biden. “Safe, affordable, high-quality child care gives working parents the peace of mind they need to be stable, dependable employees.”

In addition to funding for child care programs, an additional $300 million in Recovery Act funding and grants will help to ensure more underserved Americans receive the vaccines they need. The Vice President’s announcement came as Americans mark National Public Health Week.

Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the majority of these new resources will be used to purchase vaccines, which will be distributed through the HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Section 317 immunization program to all 50 states, several large cities, and U.S. territories. Funding will also be used to support national public information campaigns regarding vaccines and support grants to states that demonstrate innovative new ways to ensure more Americans receive the vaccines they need.

“Vaccines help keep children healthy, prevent costly stays in hospitals, and fight diseases that can lead to serious illness or death” added Biden. “The Recovery Act will help to vaccinate more Americans, cut health care costs, improve public health and save lives.”

More information regarding the child care and vaccine programs is included below. To see a list of state by state funding for child care programs, visit http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/RecoveryGrants/grant.cfm?grant=childcare. To see a list of state by state funding for vaccine programs, visit http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/RecoveryGrants/grant.cfm?grant=vaccines.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal program specifically devoted to child care services and quality. It enables low-income parents and parents receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to work or to participate in the educational or training programs they need in order to work. Funds may also be used to serve children in protective services. In addition, a portion of CCDF funds must be used to enhance child care quality and availability.

The $2 billion in Recovery Act funds for the Child Care and Development Fund will allow states across the country to support child care services for more families whose children require care while they are working, seeking employment or receiving job training or education. The funds will be used by states to provide vouchers to families for child care or to provide access to care through contracts with child care centers. Recovery Act dollars will support a wide range of child care providers, including child care centers and home-based programs.

A portion of the funds will be used to improve overall quality and enhance infant and toddler care. For example, states may train child care providers, assist providers in meeting health and safety requirements, hire specialists specifically trained to work with infant and toddler providers, provide grants to providers to achieve higher quality and invest in other initiatives.

The new funds supplement the existing $5 billion child care subsidy program, the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). The Recovery Act funds will be awarded on a formula basis to states, the District of Columbia, five territories and 260 tribal grantees representing approximately 500 Indian tribes.

For more information on the Child Care and Development Fund, visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/ccdf/factsheet.htm

Immunization Grant Program

The Section 317 program provides funding for immunization operations and infrastructure necessary to implement a comprehensive immunization program at the federal, state, and local levels.

Of the $300 million in Recovery Act funds allocated to the Section 317 program, $250 million will help existing Section 317 grantees acquire and make recommended vaccines available by using $200 million of these funds for CDC-purchased vaccines that will be made available to states and territories. The remaining $50 million will be used to provide program operation grants and scientific and technical support to states and territories to deliver the vaccines and strengthen vaccination programs. Vaccines and Recovery Act resources will also be made available to the urban Section 317 programs in Chicago, Houston, New York City, Philadelphia and San Antonio.

An additional approximately $18 million in grants will be used to provide support to Section 317 grantees that demonstrate innovative approaches to increase the number of Americans who receive the childhood vaccine series, zoster vaccine, and influenza vaccine, and for improving reimbursement practices. A portion of vaccine purchase may be used to support innovative initiatives for expanding access to vaccines in schools and communities. Applications to apply for these grants will be made available on grants.gov.

Nearly $32 million in Recovery Act funds will be used to increase information, communication and education and strengthen the evidence base for immunization. This will include activities to increase national public awareness and knowledge about the benefits and risks of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. Funds will also help provide tools and education for health care providers and to monitor and assess the impact and safety of licensed vaccines routinely recommended for use in the United States to ensure that national vaccine policy is appropriate and effective.

For more information on Section 317 as well as information on vaccine-preventable diseases, go to http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: April 09, 2009

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http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/castillo04_09.html

Castillo Issues Urgent Nationwide Voluntary Recall Of Monell’s Teething Cordial / 4,100 Units / Named In Spanish “Cordial De Monell Para La Denticion” Bar Code 7460840410019

Contact:
Fernado Saint Hilaire
201-641-7799

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE —Little Ferry, NJ, April 08, 2009, Castillo Distributor Inc has announced the voluntary recall all the products Monell’s Teething Cordial (in Spanish named as Cordial de Monell para la Denticion ) . The Company began recalling the mentioned product as a precautionary measure due to an increase in the number of reports of adverse patient reactions that may be associated with the product.

Adverse patient reactions have included infants becoming lethargic.

Customer has been instructed to discontinue use and segregate the recalled product from the rest of their inventory. Customers should then contact CASTILLO to arrange for returning and replacement product.

Also, Customers with recalled product purchased indirectly should contact their wholesaler or distributor for return and replacement product.

Any questions may contact Castillo at 201-641-7799. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5.30 PM Eastern Standard Time
Email : castillodist2@hotmail.com

Photo: Product Labels

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/api04_09.html

Amalgamated Produce, Inc. Recalls Sprouts in the North Eastern United States Because of Possible Health Risk

Contact:
Amalgamated Produce, Inc.
(800)358-3808

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 9, 2009 — Amalgamated Produce, Inc. (API), Bridgeport, CT, announced a voluntary recall today of its Specialty Farms, Vermont Sprout House, Nature’s Promise and BroccoSprouts (noted as distributed by API, Bridgeport, CT) sprout items with sell by date codes of March 31 through April 27, 2009.

These sprouts are being recalled because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). Lm is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

There have been no cases of Listeriosis reported to date in connection with these products and API is issuing this recall as a precaution.

Amalgamated Produce, Inc. voluntarily recalled these sprouts after laboratory analysis in a finished product sample collected by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets tested positive.

The following describes the products that are being recalled. All these products have a sell by date code from March 31 through April 27, 2009. All these items are net weight 4 ounces, with the noted exception of Nature’s Promise Organic Alfalfa 8 ounce.

BRAND

ITEM DESCRIPTION

UPC

Specialty Farms

Organic Alfalfa Sprouts

8192400052

Specialty Farms

Organic Sprout Salad

8192400024

Specialty Farms

Organic Spicy Sprouts

8192400058

Specialty Farms

Organic Clover Sprouts

8192400042

Specialty Farms

Lucky Clover Sprouts

8192400091

Specialty Farms

Broccoli Rabe Sprouts

8192400076

Vermont Sprout House

Organic Alfalfa Sprouts

2213601290

Vermont Sprout House

Organic Clover

2213601293

Vermont Sprout House

Organic Bean Mix

2213601180

Nature’s Promise

Organic Zesty Sprouts

8826703903

Nature’s Promise

Organic Alfalfa Spouts

8826704741

Nature’s Promise

Organic Alfalfa Sprouts (8 oz)

8826704102

Nature’s Promise

Organic Sprouts to Munch

8826704100

BroccoSprouts

Broccoli Sprouts

1509800025

BroccoSprouts Salad Blend

Broccoli, clover & radish

1509800026

BroccoSprouts Deli Blend

Broccoli, clover & mustard

1509800027

BroccoSprouts Organic

Broccoli Sprouts — 100% organic

1509800118

BroccoSprouts Organic Deli Blend

100% organic broccoli, clover & mustard

1509800120

BroccoSprouts Organic Salad Blend

100% organic broccoli, clover & radish

1509800119

5 pound bulk alfalfa

Plastic bagged sprouts in a box with sticker identifying 5 pound bulk alfalfa, Julian dates 069 through 097

The above items are all in plastic containers, except for the Nature’s Promise 8 ounce organic alfalfa which is in a plastic bag.
Products have been distributed in the following states:

* NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME, MD, PA & Delaware

API is currently in the process of determining exactly where this potential Lm contamination could be occurring in its facility and is immediately remedying the potential sources as they are identified. API hopes to return to full sprout production soon.
Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return them to the point of purchase for refund and may contact API with questions at (800)358-3808 between the hours of 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST.

#

Additional Information

Photos: Product Labels

FDA Consumer Update: Sprout Recall Due to Potential Contamination with Listeria

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Press Release (April 9, 2009)

Rhode Island Department of Health Press Release (April 9, 2009)

1. NEWS from CPSC and HC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission www.cpsc.gov
Health Canada www.hc-sc.gc.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2009
Release # 09-190

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888) 869-1044
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
HC Media Contact: (613) 957-2983

“CARS” Children’s Shoes Sold Exclusively at Wal-Mart Recalled by Pagoda International Footwear Ltd. Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: CARS Fleece Clog Children’s Shoes

Units: About 73,000 distributed in the United States and 18,000 distributed in Canada

Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.

Distributor: Pagoda International Footwear Ltd., of Hong Kong

Hazard: The shoe has four decorative wheels that can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of a decorative wheel detaching from the shoe. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves the Buster Brown & Co. “CARS” fleece clog children’s shoes. The shoe is a red plastic molded clog with fleece lining and is designed to resemble a car. They were sold in infant sizes 4 to 6 and toddler sizes 7 to 11. The infant-size shoes have a strap in the back. Each side of the shoe has two red and black decorative wheels and the number “95”. “Buster Brown & Co.” and “Disney” are printed on a tag sewn inside the shoe.

Sold exclusively at: Wal-Mart stores in the United States and Canada from September 2008 through March 2009 for between $6 and $10 (U.S.) and for about $13 (CAN).

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Customers should immediately take this product away from children and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Buster Brown & Co. toll-free at (888) 869-1044 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday and between 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, visit the website at www.busterbrownshoes.com, or send an email to Busterandtige@brownshoe.com

Note: Health Canada’s press release can be seen at http://209.217.71.106/PR/recall-retrait-e.jsp?re_id=722

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09190.html

***********************************************

2. NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2009
Release #09-191

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 925-6278
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Women’s Shoes Recalled by Wal-Mart Due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Women’s Shoes

Units: About 200,000 pairs

Importer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark.

Manufacturer: Joyfair Footwear, of Taipei, Taiwan

Hazard: Heels on the shoes can easily detach, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves women’s sling-back, pointed-toe shoes sold under the George brand. The shoes were sold in three colors, black, grey and purple, and in sizes 5 ½ to 11.

Sold exclusively at: Wal-Mart stores nationwide from June 2008 through December 2008 for about $13.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop wearing the shoes and return them to the nearest Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart Stores at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.walmartstores.com for more information.

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09191.html

***********************************************

3. NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2009
Release #09-192

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (877) 455-7677
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Ross Stores Recalls Folding Patio Chairs Due to Fall Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Folding Patio Chairs

Units: About 730

Importer: Ross Stores Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif.

Hazard: The side supports on these chairs can splinter when weight is placed on them, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Ross Stores has received one report of a consumer who suffered shoulder pain after her chair collapsed.

Description: The folding wooden patio chairs are made of eucalyptus. SKU 400037791757 and manufacturer style number KTOC-1638-ROS are printed on a hangtag attached to the chair.

Sold at: Ross Stores nationwide in February 2009 for about $50.

Manufactured in: Vietnam

Remedy: Consumers should stop using these chairs immediately and return them to any Ross Store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Ross Stores at (877) 455-7677 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.rossstores.com

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09192.html