Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A Scottish woman who set out before Christmas to purchase a turkey finally made it home on Monday, after being cut off by snow for a month. Kay Ure left the Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage on Cape Wrath, at the very northwest tip of Great Britain, in December. She was heading to Inverness on a shopping trip.

However on her return journey heavy snow and ice prevented her husband, John, from travelling the last 11 miles to pick her up. She was forced to wait a month in a friend’s caravan, before the weather improved and the couple could finally be reunited.

They were separated not just for Christmas and New Year, but also for Mr Ure’s 58th birthday. With no fresh supplies, he was reduced to celebrating with a tin of baked beans. He also ran out of coal, and had to feed the couple’s six springer spaniels on emergency army rations.

“It’s the first time we’ve been separated”, said Mr Ure in December. “We’ve been snowed in here for three weeks before, so we are well used to it and it’s quite nice to get a bit of peace and quiet.”

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The US Secret Service has released the first photos Wednesday of the new presidential limousine that will transport Barack Obama down Pennsylvania Avenue next Tuesday as part of the 56th Presidential inaugural parade after he is sworn in at the Capitol. The First Limo – the 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine – will replace President Bush’s Cadillac DTS Presidential Limousine that rolled out in 2004.

Nicknamed “The Beast”, the hulking machine is a new model year 2009, modified limousine. According to General Motors, the new “2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine” is the first not to carry a specific model name. The Obama Mobile was introduced on January 14 with noticeably different styling borrowed from the Cadillac Escalade and STS, while the suspension is most likely related to the Chevrolet Kodiak medium-duty truck.

Mr. David Caldwell of General Motors has revealed that the sleek black car would include a hand-crafted interior and “state of the art electronics.” The car’s high-tech security features include five-inch-thick (12.7-centimeter-thick) bombproof glass, tough-as-nails tires, and a sealed interior that’s invulnerable to chemical attack. The armoured limousine has been heavily modified to withstand potential attacks by weapons or bombs. The San Francisco Chronicle puts it in a proper perspective noting, “a half-inch of transparent armor is enough to stop a .44 Magnum round at point-blank range; at a thickness of 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches, the same material can withstand higher-velocity bullets fired from military assault rifles.”

According to spy photographer, Brenda Priddy, and General Motors, the limousine, which has the intricate, dual-textured grille, is also equipped with standard Goodyear Regional RHS truck tires in a 285/70R19.5 size, on 19.5-inch wheels. The rims have a run-flat device (manufactured by Hutchinson Industries). Xenon headlights from the Escalade are installed in the front, while the rear has some STS part. The doors are at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) thick. It carries the US flag on the front fenders and an embroidered Seal of the President of the United States is affixed to several panels in the back.

According to the US Secret Service, the vehicle would be a “valuable asset” in providing the President with the highest level of protection. “Although many of the vehicle’s security enhancements cannot be discussed, it is safe to say that this car’s security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world,” Nicholas Trotta, Assistant Director for the Office of Protective Operations said in a statement. The new limousine is the responsibility of White House Transportation Agency.

The Presidential State Car is the official state car used by the President of the United States. It is informally known as “Cadillac One”. The current Presidential State Car is a 2005 hand-crafted, armored, and stretched DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan) built on a GM four-wheel drive platform. It was first used on the second inauguration parade of George W. Bush in 2005. But the version to be used by President Obama uses a GMC Topkick chassis, while maintaining the Cadillac exterior.

The President of the United States travels in one of two armoured Cadillac limousines based upon the normal sedan, the Cadillac DTS, with heavy customisation. Lincoln cars have also been used in the past, most notably by President John F Kennedy. The current limousines were custom-built by O’Gara, Hess and Eisenhart, founded in Fairfield, Ohio in 1942. It specializes in armouring limousines for presidents and heads of state.

President William McKinley was the first US president to ride in an automobile. However, it was President Theodore Roosevelt who rode on the first government-owned car, a white Stanley Steamer. Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft, was the first president to use a presidential state car that was permanently stored in the White House garage.

Meanwhile, Obama’s 2005 Chrysler 300C Hemi was auctioned on eBay with a starting bid of $100,000 and a buy-it-now price of $1,000,000. It has less than 21,000 miles on it and is in like-new condition. He leased the car in 2004 and traded it for a Ford Escape Hybrid in 2007. The car was sold to Tim O’Boyle.

Monday, July 5, 2021

On Friday, a ransomware attack which initially targeted software company Kaseya spread to over 200 companies in the US through Kaseya’s network management software. Huntress Labs, a cybersecurity company, alleged the attack was carried out by REvil, a Russia-based ransomware group. Kaseya told its customers to stop using its services when it learned of the attack.

According to NBC News, the ransomware first spread to about 40 of Kaseya’s customers, which are mainly companies that manage Internet services for their customers, some of which manage them for thousands of companies. John Hammond, a security researcher at Huntress Labs, said that “It’s reasonable to think this could potentially be impacting thousands of small businesses”. Kaseya notified its customers of the attack on Friday afternoon and warned them to stop using its services immediately.

Business Insider reported REvil is a Russian-based organization which provides ransomware-as-a-service. BleepingComputer reported receiving a sample of the ransomware used in REvil’s attacks and says that they demand USD five million for the ransomed files to be decrypted, though it is unknown if every victim received a demand for that same amount. Fabian Wosar, Chief Technical Offier (CTO) at the Emsisoft security firm, said affected customers had received demands for USD 44,999.

Swedish grocery chain Coop was also affected by the attack, and had to close all 800 of its stores because its checkout tills could not process payments due to the ransomware. Speaking to Swedish Television, Therese Knapp, a Coop spokesperson, said “We have been troubleshooting and restoring all night, but have communicated that we will need to keep the stores closed today”. Swedish company Visma Esscom, which manages servers for businesses, was using Kaseya software, according to Reuters. Railway services in Sweden were also disrupted.

On Saturday, US President Joe Biden directed intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind the attack. He said that “we’re not certain” who is behind the attack, adding “[t]he initial thinking was it was not the Russian government but we’re not sure yet”. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated that it is “taking action to understand and address the recent supply-chain ransomware attack”.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

A former accountant for Oral Roberts University (ORU) has filed a lawsuit against ORU and its Board of Regents claiming he was told by Richard Roberts and his wife Lindsay to “cook the books”, hiding financial wrongdoing from authorities and the public. Trent Huddleston, the accountant, has filed suit against the school and the Robertses claiming he “was improperly and unlawfully directed to perform functions and duties in violation of state and federal law in an effort by the defendants to ‘cook the books’ and hide from the appropriate authorities and the public the continued wrongdoing, improper and illegal conduct of the defendants, and in particular, of Richard and Lindsay Roberts.”

Huddleston said that nearly $123,000 in remodeling fees for their home was paid by Oral Roberts University and Oral Roberts Ministries. In addition the lawsuit alleges $4,000 was spent on a pool table for the Robertses. Previously the Roberts were accused of illegal political and financial wrongdoing, which forced the president to step down from his positison.

Last week at a meeting called by Oral Roberts, founder of the University and former faith healer, a majority of the faculty voted against allowing Richard to serve as president.

An ORU spokesman declined to comment on latest lawsuit and the faculty meeting.

In other news, Tulsa World released emails between Richard and his political adviser and sister-in-law, Stephanie Cantees. The emails given by an anonymous source, show the two plan to gain political influence using ORU students.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

In the opening round of the 2012 ANZ Championship this past weekend, the Southern Steel beat the Bay of Plenty Magic in Invercargill, New Zealand by a score of 49–47, while over in Brisbane, Australia, the defending champion Queensland Firebirds lost to the Melbourne Vixens by a score of 47–42. The wins by the Steel and the Vixens are considered by those who follow the netball league to be major upsets.

The Firebirds’ loss this past Sunday was their first in fifteen games extending back to last season. Last season’s championship is not a harbinger of success this season, as every season since the league was founded in 2008, the defending champions have failed to finish in the top four and attempt to repeat their title claim. Going into the game, the teams had played eight games against each other, splitting the record at 4 wins each. The Vixens’ win can be credited to several players including English national team player Geva Mentor, and returning Vixen stars Bianca Chatfield and Julie Corletto. The Firebirds’ loss involved poor shooting and bad passing. Firebird captain Laura Geitz’s quality play could not overcome other difficulties on the court for her team.

In the Magic versus Steel game, the teams were tied at 44–44 with five minutes left in the game. The local crowd were behind the Steel, and they finished the game ahead by two baskets. The Magic’s coach blames the loss partly on not preparing adequately to play against the Steel’s Donna Wilkins, who gave birth to her third child in January of this year. She also partly blames the loss on several errors. Jess Waitapu made her debut for the Magic because teammate Julianna Naoupu had health problems that impacted her ability to play.

On Sunday in Auckland, the favored LG Northern Mystics held on to defeat the Haier Central Pulse 51–47. Silver Ferns member Maria Tutaia was replaced by coach Debbie Fuller in favor of Grace Rasmussen, with Rasmussen making six out of seven shots to help put the game away for her team. The Mystics had six fewer shots than the visiting Pulse, but had a better shooting percentage which proved to be a decisive factor in the game.

In Perth on Monday, the West Coast Fever beat the Easiyo Canterbury Tactix by a score of 55–35. The Tactix were back home in Christchurch on Tuesday. The team’s captain Maree Bowden and coach Leigh Gibbs were disappointed in the team’s performance but believed there were some positives and room for improvement.

The West Coast Fever are the only Australian side in the competition to never have won the league’s championship, with their best ever finish being seventh in the ten-team competition. In September of last year, following the Australian victory at the Netball World Championships held in Singapore in July, the Fever signed Australian national team coach Norma Plummer as the club’s new coach. stuff.co.nz’s Chris Barclay believes this means the Fever have a chance of winning, especially following a pre-season that included two wins, a tie to the Firebirds and a single loss. She has sought to instill a greater sense of discipline in her players, not taking excuses for missing practices with the exception of Australian Diamond Susan Fuhrmann who is recovering from a chronic knee injury. She also sought to improve the Fever’s roster with the inclusion of England national netball team player Eboni Beckford-Chamber and former Swifts player Catherine Cox.

The Tactix are to play the Swifts at home this coming Monday in the second round. They have not beaten an Australian team since 2009. In the third round, the Tactix will play the Steel, in a game stuff.co.nz’s writer Matt Richens believes they can win.

In Adelaide this past Saturday, the Adelaide Thunderbirds beat the NSW Swifts by a score of 57–40.

Australian Diamond goal attack Sharelle McMahon has taken the season off from the Vixens as a result of pregnancy.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

What you are about to read is an American life as lived by renowned author Edmund White. His life has been a crossroads, the fulcrum of high-brow Classicism and low-brow Brett Easton Ellisism. It is not for the faint. He has been the toast of the literary elite in New York, London and Paris, befriending artistic luminaries such as Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian McKellen while writing about a family where he was jealous his sister was having sex with his father as he fought off his mother’s amorous pursuit.

The fact is, Edmund White exists. His life exists. To the casual reader, they may find it disquieting that someone like his father existed in 1950’s America and that White’s work is the progeny of his intimate effort to understand his own experience.

Wikinews reporter David Shankbone understood that an interview with Edmund White, who is professor of creative writing at Princeton University, who wrote the seminal biography of Jean Genet, and who no longer can keep track of how many sex partners he has encountered, meant nothing would be off limits. Nothing was. Late in the interview they were joined by his partner Michael Caroll, who discussed White’s enduring feud with influential writer and activist Larry Kramer.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

George W. Bush, the president of the United States, yesterday marked the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.

In the East room of the White House, Mr. Bush made a speech to mark the occasion. Mr. Bush started the speech by discussing Mr. Jefferson. “We’re here tonight to commemorate the 265th birthday of Thomas Jefferson, here in a room where he once walked and in a home where he once lived,” he said.

“In this house, President Jefferson spread the word that liberty was the right of every individual,” continued Mr. Bush. “In this house, Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark off on the mission that helped make America a continental nation.”

Mr. Bush continued his speech by claiming that “with a single sentence, Thomas Jefferson changed the history of the world.” Bush continued, “After countless centuries when the powerful and the privileged governed as they pleased, Jefferson proclaimed as a self-evident truth that liberty was a right given to all people by an Almighty.”

Mr. Bush then said that the ideas of Jefferson were not quickly fulfilled. “Here in America, that truth was not fully realized in Jefferson’s own lifetime. As he observed the condition of slaves in America, Jefferson said, ‘I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just’ and ‘that his justice cannot sleep forever.’ Less than 40 years after his death, justice was awakened in America and a new era of freedom dawned.”

Mrs. Bush also made a speech. “Thomas Jefferson believed that education is the cornerstone of a free society, so it’s therefore little surprise that he viewed the founding of the University of Virginia as one of his top achievements,” she said.