Free Republic

Such a case came about in 2012. The scenario was as follows. We received a request from a US-based company asking for our help in understanding some anomalous activity that they were witnessing in their VPN logs. This organization had been slowly moving toward a more telecommuting oriented workforce, and they had therefore started to allow their developers to work from home on certain days. In order to accomplish this, they’d set up a fairly standard VPN concentrator approximately two years prior to our receiving their call. In early May 2012, after reading the 2012 DBIR, their IT security department...

Just like a scene out of "Antiques Roadshow," a woman in Hartford, Conn., turned in an old rifle to her local police station's gun buy-back, only to discover the gun was worth anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, inherited the gun from her father who had brought it home with him from Europe as a memento from World War II. The two officers conducting the gun buy-back, who are resident gun experts for the Hartford Police Department, informed the owner she was in possession of a Nazi Assault Rifle, the first of its kind,...

... The tradition is to announce the No. 2 around the time of the convention to inspire grassroots activists and seek maximum publicity for the final two-month push to the November 6 election. But in this case, the Romney team has discussed whether to announce the pick a few weeks earlier to generate buzz for his campaign during August and help raise campaign funds. ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is declining to renew the endorsement he gave Barack Obama four years ago, when he called Mr. Obama “a transformational figure.” ... Mr. Powell called presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney a viable candidate and said he’s “still listening” to Republican proposals. Mr. Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, also said, “I don’t want to throw my weight behind someone” at this point in the campaign.

NEW YORK—Facebook is warning employers not to demand the passwords of job applicants, saying that it's an invasion of privacy that opens companies to legal liabilities. The social networking company is also threatening legal action.

In one of the most bizarre and troubling incidents in recent youth sports history, an assistant coach of a Massachusetts middle school basketball team channeled his inner Mike Tyson after a 6th grade basketball championship, attacking the coach of a team which defeated his side and biting his opponent's ear. According to Springfield, Mass. news network WWLP, 34-year-old Timothy Forbes was charged with mayhem, assault and batter and disorderly conduct on Monday in Springfield District Court after turning himself in to police. The charges follow Forbes' attack on an unnamed fellow middle school basketball coach at Springfield (Mass.) Holy Name...

The Bay State’s controversial 2006 universal health-care plan — also known as “Romneycare” — has cost Massachusetts more than 18,000 jobs, according to an exclusive blockbuster study that could provide ammo to GOP rivals of former Gov. Mitt Romney as he touts his job-creating chops on the campaign trail. “Mandating health insurance coverage and expanding the demand for health services without increasing supply drove up costs. Economics 101 tells us that,” said Paul Bachman, research director at Suffolk University’s Beacon Hill Institute, the conservative think tank that conducted the study. The Herald obtained an exclusive copy of the findings. “The...

To qualify for $9.95 a month Internet service and a low-cost computer, your household must meet all these criteria: Be located where Comcast offers Internet service Have at least one child receiving free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days Not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment

So this Schwarzenegger spalpeen was born more than 10 years ago, and Maria never had a clue? Arnold apparently took good care of his offspring, at least monetarily, but Maria didn’t catch on. That’s showing her (female) Kennedy roots all right. Paging Rose Kennedy. Just look the other way, like Michael Kennedy with the babysitter. Or Jack with Fiddle and Faddle and Judith Campbell Exner. Or Bobby with Marilyn Monroe . . . Obviously, Schwarzenegger had to overcome any number of handicaps to become a soldier in the Kennedy Crime Family. He’s an Austrian and, much more damning, he’s a...

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is going to Afghanistan as part of his duties for the National Guard, he said today in an exclusive statement sent to the Herald. Brown, who is a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, will be doing his required annual training in the war-torn country.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney offered a tepid defense of the Massachusetts health care law, suggesting to an audience last night at the Granite State’s first forum of the 2012 presidential campaign that he would sign it again if given the chance. “I went to work to try and solve a problem,’’ Romney said. “It may not be perfect — by the way, it is not perfect.’’ The statement was in response to a question asked of the former Massachusetts governor after he delivered a short address that was equal parts patriotic fervor and attacks on President Obama’s economic policies....

<p>HONOLULU — The family of a Honolulu doctor whose signature appears on President Barack Obama’s birth certificate woke up to the news that the late obstetrician had delivered Obama.</p> <p>Relatives of Dr. David Sinclair told The Associated Press on Wednesday they were "blown away" and "honored" to hear the news that he delivered the nation’s 44th president.</p>

A Northboro resident and two gun rights groups are suing the Northboro police chief and the head of the state Firearms Records Bureau, claiming Massachusetts state law unconstitutionally bars legal immigrants from owning handguns. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court Friday, alleges Eoin M. Pryal of Northboro submitted an application for a license to carry a handgun, but Northboro police refused to accept the application because Mr. Pryal is not a U.S. citizen. A British immigrant, he is a “permanent resident alien” in the United States, according to the lawsuit. The suit is also filed on behalf of Christopher...

...Trump says he didn’t introduce the issue, but was asked about it during an interview a month ago. Since then, he says he’s looked into it and believes "there is a big possibility" Obama may have violated the Constitution...

LAS VEGAS — In his first presidential run in 2008, Mitt Romney sought back-to-back victories in Iowa and New Hampshire to propel him to GOP nomination. He won neither, his the two-state sprint failed and so did his candidacy. ...This time his strategy is more of a multi-state marathon, with economically suffering Nevada an important round in what advisers predict could be a protracted fight to be the party’s 2012 nominee. ...The strategy calls for big showings in New Hampshire and Nevada to boost momentum. After that come strong fights in enough other states so Romney enters the party convention...

Whites are abandoning Massachusetts cities at a rapid clip, continuing well-worn paths to the suburbs or out of state, according to new demographic data from the US census. ...The migration of whites out of communities has also left many public school districts in cities made up overwhelmingly of minority students. In Lawrence, just 6 percent of this year’s public school students are white. In Chelsea just 8 percent are, according to state Department of Education figures. ...The trend was strongest in lower-income communities plagued by violent crime and struggling schools. Yet wealthier communities like Beverly, Gloucester, Melrose, and Salem also...

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is the godfather of what Republican critics call Obamacare. Newt Gingrich is an adulterer on his third marriage. Tim Pawlenty is too green — environmentally, that is. Jon Huntsman worked for President Barack Obama. And Haley Barbour has come off as dismissive of racial segregation. Is any potential Republican presidential nominee without vulnerabilities that could alienate voters, especially those in the GOP primaries, and provide ready-made attacks for opponents? Not in this crop. The 2012 Republican field is deeply flawed, lacking a serious GOP contender without a personal misstep or policy move that angers the party...

... Italy is the latest Western European country turning the screws on an expanding immigrant population by demanding language skills in exchange for work permits, or in some cases, citizenship. While enacted last year in the name of integration, these requirements also reflect anxiety that foreigners might dilute fiercely-prized national identity or even, especially in Britain's case, pose terror risks. ...

AP story, link only.

Former Providence mayor-turned-ex-con Vincent “Buddy” Cianci yesterday left open the door to another run for public office on the heels of a new poll showing he remains one of the most popular politicians in Rhode Island. “There’s always a possibility of running for office,” he said. “But I have no intention right now of running for anything.” Cianci is barred from running for office in Rhode Island until 2012 but could seek federal office, a prospect that gained steam yesterday when a Providence TV station released a poll showing him within striking distance of freshman Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Despite...