Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Eight

CNN ^ | 5-17-04 | Various

[JustPiper]

Picture credit: TheCabal

Picture Credit:Calpernia

I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"

LINK TO THREAD SEVEN

BREAKING NEWS

Iraqi governing council leader among those killed by Baghdad car bomb, Iraqi officials say. Details soon.

Breaking News Alert BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) U.S. military colonel says four Iraqis killed, two U.S. soldiers injured, in car bomb at entrance to coalition headquarters in Baghdad.

[WestCoastGal]

Night all..will watch 11pm news and report back if any more reports of interest.

[Cindy]

Good night WCG.
Sleep well.

[B4Ranch]

Thank you

[bored at work]

News from the banks of the Fox River in Waukesha. . . FLOODS SUCK!!!

[all4one]

I have been checking, but so far I have found no mention of any celebrations over the Memorial Day week-end that include military ships. The last time I saw military ships in that area it was in the weeks after 9/11.

[bored at work]

Foot and Mouth disease is quit common. I freaked when my daughter was diagnosed. Apparently she put something in her mouth when she was playing outside. . .contagious, so of course my other kid got it. Childhood disease, ? dont think so. . .

[all4one]

Living in the land of DuPont, this issue is being debated every week. DuPont must be getting some type of government incentive to dispose of the VX. Personally with the public outcry, I hope that it doesn't happen. Taking the VX from Indiana to New Jersey via rail or trucks would be insane under any circumstances, but with the current state of affairs it would be unthinkable. Maybe Homeland Security needs to get involved to make sure that it absolutely does not happen any time soon!

[all4one]

The following story from Bangladesh Airlines reads like a "how to guide" for terrorists sabotaging an airline.

Five Biman Crew one Official Suspended: Was There Sabotage Plan?

By M. Jahangir Alam May 23, 2004, 13:49

Mystery shrouds the motive of the five Indian citizens who were hauled out of the roof of Biman aircraft toilet during cleaning of the aircraft on Saturday when one of these arrestees confessed that two of them—a woman and a man—had left the aircraft along with other passengers after landing.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines yesterday suspended six staff members including four cabin crew, the chief purser and another official.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Nasir Uddin told newsmen that the six officials were suspended on charge of negligence of their duty. The five arrested people were from a group of 76 Indian transit passengers who were scheduled to fly to Kolkata from Dhaka. The State Minister said that the chief purser had responsibility of ensuring disembarkation of all the transit passengers. How the arrested people hide themselves at the roof of the toilet despite the presence of the cabin crew ?.

The State Minister also said that other information about the episode are expected to be uncovered through interrogation of the arrested people by the joint interrogation cell. Police is now looking for Sikh woman and man with hope of solving the mystery. But some surmise that they must have crossed the border. However, Customs should be knowing about them as they checked through them. Police however, refused to dilate on the issue.

Accidental discovery of five Indian citizens at the roof of toilet of a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines is seen as a tip of iceberg of mysteries which, if unraveled properly, may lead to clues to recent spate of violence in the country.

Intelligence agencies are stated to be looking into all sides of the group’s unusual entry, movement and especially their concealment. They noted that as they moved into Bangladesh, series of killing and violence erupted. They boarded the aircraft just couple of hours before the Sylhet bomb blast.

Sources said that the intelligence agencies are also working on the lead that there might be foreign elements who stealthily entered the country to initiate violence with support from political or other forces.

The five Indian nationals identified as—Pargas Singh, Manjeet Singh, Mangas Singh and Sandip Singh aged between 25 and 30 were discovered and arrested on Saturday noon inside an aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines ( Flight No-BG-078) when it was taken to the engineering hanger at about 12.45 pm on Saturday for routine cleaning and maintenance at Zia International Airport (ZIA).

Sources said that the Indians were discovered from the aircraft, which was scheduled to fly for China today with the Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Reasons behind their mysterious stay within the aircraft raised a number of questions.

According to the sources, the five Indians came to Dhaka from Kolkata by road last week. They had valid tickets for Hong Kong and passports. They availed the Biman flight for Hong Kong (the flight No-BG-078) at 11.30 am on Friday. That flight returned to Dhaka at 8:30 pm in the evening. It was to leave for London later in the night. But since the Prime Minister was to use it for her China flight, the aircraft was changed and this aircraft was taken to the hanger for cleaning and other checks which were done in the morning Then they were discovered by the cleaners at the hanger on the noon. Question is why they were detected that they did not disembark and how they returned to Dhaka from Hong Kong? Did they stay in the roof for all the time? Or did they have any link with any crew for all these trips? How did they know that the same aircraft would be used as VIP flight?

Their claim that that they wanted to hitch-hike to London appear hollow because visit to London is easier from India than Bangladesh. It is, therefore, surmised that they had inside information about the use of the aircraft and that was why they hid themselves in that aircraft. From this point of view, intelligence agencies feel very nervous that a big clique must be operating within the airlines and the civil aviation with classified news about use of air craft for the VIP.

Official sources remain tightlipped about the whole issue, especially if they were carrying any explosive or other device to blow up the aircraft or hijack it. During interrogation, the arrestees are learnt to have said that they were attempting to fly to London as they were informed that the same aircraft was scheduled to take off for London at 1.45 am on Friday. They also said that a gang had assured them to send them to London in exchange of a huge amount of money. But the investigators found big holes in their story?

The five Indians were handed over to Airport police station. A case was filed with the police station under Special Powers Act in this connection. They were produced before a magistrate, who allowed ten days remand for interrogation yesterday. Link to Article

[StillProud2BeFree]

Foot and mouth disease of children goes through day cares every so often. Its been around for a long time and is not connected to the disease of cows and other farm animals that caused so much grief in Europe a couple of years ago.

Here's what the CDC says about it:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/hfmd.htm

Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease

What is hand, foot, and mouth disease?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common illness of infants and children. It is characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters. HFMD begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise ("feeling sick"), and frequently a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. They are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days with flat or raised red spots, some with blisters. The rash does not itch, and it is usually located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It may also appear on the buttocks. A person with HFMD may have only the rash or the mouth ulcers.

Is HFMD the same as foot-and-mouth disease?

No. HFMD is a different disease than foot-and-mouth disease of cattle, sheep, and swine. Although the names are similar, the two diseases are not related at all and are caused by different viruses.

What causes HFMD?

Several different viruses cause HFMD. The most common cause is coxsackievirus A16; sometimes, enterovirus 71 or other strains of
enteroviruses cause HFMD. The enterovirus group includes polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, and echoviruses.

Is HFMD serious?

Usually not. HFMD caused by coxsackievirus A16 infection is a mild disease and nearly all patients recover without medical treatment in 7 to 10 days. There are no common complications. Rarely, this illness may be associated with "aseptic" or viral meningitis, in which the person has fever, headache, stiff neck, or back pain, and may need to be hospitalized for a few days. Another cause of HFMD, EV71 may also cause viral meningitis and, rarely, more serious diseases, such as encephalitis, or a poliomyelitis-like paralysis. EV71 encephalitis may be fatal. Cases of fatal encephalitis occurred during outbreaks of HFMD in Malaysia in 1997 and in Taiwan, 1998.

Is it contagious?

Yes, HFMD is moderately contagious. Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness. HFMD is not
transmitted to or from pets or other animals.

How soon will someone become ill after getting infected?

The usual period from infection to onset of symptoms is 3 to 7 days. Fever is often the first symptom of HFMD.

Who is at risk for HFMD?

HFMD occurs mainly in children under 10 years old, but adults may also be at risk. Everyone is susceptible to infection. Infection results in immunity to the specific virus, but a second episode may occur following infection with a different member of the enterovirus group.

When and where does HFMD occur?

Individual cases and outbreaks of HFMD occur worldwide, more frequently in summer and early autumn. In the recent past, major outbreaks of HFMD attributable to enterovirus 71 have been reported in some South East Asian countries (Malaysia in 1997, Taiwan, 1998).

How is HFMD diagnosed?

HFMD is one of many infections that result in mouth sores. Another common cause is oral herpesvirus infection, which produces an inflammation of the mouth and gums (sometimes called stomatitis). Usually, the physician can distinguish between HFMD and other causes of mouth sores based on the age of the patient, the pattern of symptoms reported by the patient or parent, and the appearance of the rash and sores on examination. A throat swab or stool specimen may be sent to a laboratory to determine which enterovirus caused the illness. Since the testing often takes 2 to 4 weeks to obtain a final answer, the physician usually does not order these tests.

How is HFMD treated? Can it be prevented?

No specific treatment is available for this or other enterovirus infections. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers. Preventive measures include frequent handwashing, especially after diaper changes; disinfection of contaminated surfaces by household cleaners (such as diluted bleach solution made by mixing 1 capful of household bleach containing chlorine with 1 gallon water), and washing soiled articles of clothing. Children are often excluded from child care programs, schools, or other group settings during the first few days of the illness. These measures may reduce the spread of infection, but they will not completely interrupt it.


For further information, please contact the Respiratory and Enteric Viruses Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, at 404-639-3607 (telephone) or 404-639-4960 (facsimile).

[Calpernia]

Yes we did Willie Lump Lump.

Lots of incidents in the past are really looking more ominous now.

[Calpernia]

New Jersey just received an additional grant to prepare for bioterror too.

[Quix]

IT'S ~~~~HERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!!!!!!!!!!

THE SLAG IS ADVANCING! . . . VIP INDEED! VERY IDOLATROUS PROCEDURE--INDEED!

---

Clubbers choose chip implants to jump queues

NewScientist.com news service

Clubbers in Spain are choosing to receive a microchip implant instead of carrying a membership card. It is the latest and perhaps the most unlikely of uses for implantable radio frequency ID chips.

The Baja Beach Club in Barcelona offers people signing up for VIP membership a choice between an RFID chip and a normal card. VIP members can jump the entrance queues, reserve a table and use the nightclub's VIP lounge.

"The RFID chip is not compulsory," says Conrad Chase, managing director of the club. But he says there are advantages to having it. The obvious one is that you do not have to carry a membership card around with you, but also it means you can leave your wallet at home. This is because the RFID can be used as an in-house debit card, says Chase.

When drinks are ordered the RFID is scanned with a handheld device and the cost is added to your bill. The chips, called VeriChips, are produced by US company Applied Digital Solutions. Grain of rice

The chips are 1.2 millimetres wide and 12 millimetres long and look like a long grain of rice. A medically trained person injects the chip under the skin in the upper left arm, by the triceps.

A scanner reads the chip by emitting a radio signal. This energises the chip and causes it to send out a small radio frequency signal. This can be picked up from about 10 centimetres away.

Chase would not discuss the cost of each chip but said that both card-holding and implanted VIP members would be charged the same fee of 25 Euros for joining.

So far only nine people have been implanted since the scheme started in March. Chase says this is because you cannot implant people who agree to it in the early hours when they might be drunk. They need to discuss the procedure in a sober environment first, he says.

Privacy issues

But they should also be informed of the privacy implications of having an implant, says Ian Brown, director of the Foundation for Information Policy Research, a UK-based think tank.

"It's not like you can take it off when you leave the club or get home," says Brown. "At the very least it's going to be awkward to remove."

As far as Chase is concerned there are no privacy issues. The bearer has control over what services they sign up for, he says. The only information that can be gleaned without their consent is the chip's unique ID number - it is completely anonymous, he says.

But people may object even to this, says Brown, in much the same way that some are opposed to the use of internet cookies recording their browsing activity.

It would be like becoming a walking internet cookie, he says. For example, retailers equipped with RFID scanners would be capable of monitoring chipped shoppers visits and purchases.

Duncan Graham-Rowe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke 21:28 "And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh."

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[Calpernia]

I can honestly say that I hate this woman.


Senator Hillary Clinton: President Bush Is Tyrant

http://1010wins.com/topstories/winstopstories_story_146074116.html

May 25, 2004 7:55 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (Albany) -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is telling potential Democratic donors that re-electing President Bush will mean a loss of freedoms and "create an America we won't recognize."

In an e-mail appeal distributed by the Democratic National Committee to help Senator John Kerry's presidential campaign, the former first lady said "the stakes in this election are incredibly high."

Heather Layman of the Republican National Committee said Clinton's criticism appeared to be directed at the Patriot Act -- which gave law enforcement officials new powers in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The G-O-P spokeswoman says that after voting in favor of the Patriot Act, both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are now attacking the law.

Senator Clinton said things are looking good for Kerry and the Democrats. She said the Bush-Cheney campaign has blown 70 (M) million dollars on negative ads, but it's still tied in the polls with Kerry.

[Velveeta]

Well now, what have we here? Thanks for the article.

[Velveeta]

Did you flood?

[Quix]

Talk about a hideous pot bellied pot head

calling the kettle black!

Sheesh!

Lord, this creature needs removed from public pontificating the rest of her life.

Perhaps she could clean cesspools in Siberia.

[Calpernia]

Why do all roads seem to lead back to Clinton?

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,14831,00.html

04:00 AM Sep. 04, 1998 PT

DUBLIN, Ireland -- In a historic ceremony on Friday in Dublin, Ireland, US President Clinton and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will put their digital signatures to a joint communiqué on ecommerce agreed between the two countries.

Digital signatures -- a secure technique for verifying the identity of a person -- have never before been used to seal an agreement between national leaders.

"It's a significant event, and it comes at an extremely good time," said encryption and ecommerce legal expert Robert Bond of Hobson Audley Hopkins and Wood in London. "It will help to get an acceptance of a process."

For Ireland, the signing is intended to showcase its readiness to become the world's ecommerce hub. But the signing may raise hackles in the US "crypto community," which sees encryption as a civil rights issue.

"It's a nice publicity stunt," said David Banisar, policy director for the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington.

In its attempt to deflect focus from encryption in signing the communiqué, the US government is instead highlighting it, Banisar said. He noted that most individuals and companies simply don't want to send an unencoded plain-text document accompanied by an electronic signature.

"You can't separate the two," added Banisar. "Encryption is just as important as signatures in most cases."

Encryption is one of the most bitter areas of contention among the US government, technology companies, and individuals. The government sees it as a national security threat, while nearly everyone else says it's necessary for ecommerce and other applications.

Ironically, the company supplying the smartcard technology to be used for the signing is Dublin-based Baltimore Technologies. The Irish company has established a thriving business by selling "strong" encryption products -- those with the most secure digital "keys" for encoding information -- in the global market. That market is off limits to US companies, which must comply with the US government's export restrictions on strong encryption.

Not surprisingly, Baltimore prefers to present the event as a boost for signatures alone, carefully avoiding the "e" word.

Ireland, which is more frequently in the news for its fraught peace process, may seem an unlikely place for such an event.

Ireland is also looking to partner with private companies to build the high-bandwidth telecommunications infrastructure it needs.

"For Ireland, [the signing] shows we really mean business," said Ireland's Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke.

"This is exciting news to us," said Warwick Ford, director of advanced technologies for digital certificate company VeriSign. His company, like Baltimore, has been a strong critic of encryption restriction in the past.

"From our perspective, we'd like to see the wide availability of the technology," he said. "We definitely would prefer not to see any barriers."

A European Commission directive on electronic signatures is loosely worded and allows individual European Union member states to choose relaxed policies (as in Ireland) or more restrictive approaches, as in the United Kingdom, which is about to introduce a secure electronic commerce bill into Parliament.

The ceremony Friday will involve the use of smartcards embedded with a microchip that contains a numeric key for each leader to encode his signature, and a digital certificate verifying the identity of each country's leader.

After inserting the cards into a reader attached to a PC, the two leaders will type in a PIN to unlock the card. Software then processes the communiqué to guarantee that it hasn't been altered and generates a signature. The signature will be attached to the document as the seals of the Prime Minister of Ireland and the President of the United States.

The ceremony will be held at Gateway Computer's Dublin manufacturing site and will be attended by an audience of several hundred people, including Irish ministers and members of parliament, Commerce Secretary William Daley, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

[Quix]

I agree about the two types of terrorists.

Which do you believe is using the other as a tool?

[Quix]

Makes sense, to me.

[Quix]

That could be a very worthy and dramatic task!

Could even turn into a TM JR.