The scene of the crime was a bloody one, where Rebecca Arnold Dawson, 34, of Stockyard Road in Lillington, tried to cut off the genitals of Kevin Russ with her hands.

Ok, what is going on here? Some woman has enough hand strength to rip the genitalia from this guy's body?

Something here is wrong, scary, and/or simply freakish...

Guys, guard your boys... 'specially in NC.

The Daily Record, Dunn, North Carolina | Castration Scene Disturbing

In what appears to be one of the largest computer security breaches ever at an American university, one or more hackers have gained access to a UCLA database containing personal information on about 800,000 of the university's current and former students, faculty and staff members, among others.

Ok... is it me? or is this 2006 going on "When are people going to GET IT?"

There needs to be some repercussions for these types of losses. I'm sure UCLA will simply raise their tuition fees to cover any losses, but how about losing their accreditation for 2 years? If they are fraudulent in Sports, they can't play, but if they are weak in INFOSec, there's no penalty? This can't be right... what message is this spreading?

I'm not trying to pick on Universities, but we need to have stronger drivers than the press, for organizations to "Do the right thing" with Information Security.

If we were to put this into the physical realm, someone would be fired, and or go to jail, as this would mean that there were no guards around the data, and it wasn't locked up, nor audited... for OVER A YEAR!!!, That's just irresponsible... and in legal terms, GROSSLY NEGLIGENT.

I hope that some of the people who's information was not protected by UCLA sue the school for millions in mental distress and damages... we need to raise the level of awareness...

If UCLA isn't doing their INFOSec job right, what is the local community college doing with it? How about the mom & pop bank? Or anywhere else that your personal information may be stored?

Gawd it's too early to be awake...

Major breach of UCLA's computer files - Los Angeles Times

I'm in love with the fact that this is in plain language, and simply lays out the use and care taken to protect our privacy.

Cudo's to the staff of Industrial Memetics.

It's never easy to write these things... I know how much they sux.

MemeStreams Privacy Policy Changes (Draft for public review)

AL GORE: What is unique about the climate crisis is that it could end all human civilisation.

It seems that Al Gore has forgotten about the Cold War, Mutually Assured Destruction, SLBM's, ICBM's, and the Duck and Cover movies...

I know I haven't forgotten...

Is it me, or is it that every time Al Gore opens his mouth, he switches feet?

AM - Gore warns on climate change

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and the United States have launched talks to establish common guidelines over data privacy rules, EU and US officials said on Tuesday.

A committee of EU national data privacy supervisors is due to rule on Wednesday over the access to private transactions which the international banking network SWIFT gave the United States.

And,

Frattini said he proposed to the United States to create a permanent working group to bring data protection rules closer.

"We need to exchange data with the US because if that helps to stop a terrorist attack, we're all happy. But we also need to protect innocent people data," he said.

EU lawmakers called on the EU and the United States last month to negotiate a wide-ranging agreement on security and data privacy.

SWIFT has been at the centre of controversy since US media revealed it had allowed the Treasury Department to tap into its records to search for evidence of terrorism-related activities without informing European authorities.

A spokeswoman for SWIFT welcomed the announcement of the EU-US talks on data privacy, saying it was "the way forward."

A US official repeated on Tuesday the US view that European data protection law is not applicable to cover measures taken by the United States for its national security.

I PRAY that we move towards the EU method of protecting privacy for individuals in this country. We've moved more into a "Soviet Union" method of personal privacy...

I'm personally happy to see the US get their hands slapped and now begin working on the problem.

EU, US in talks over common data privacy rules - Government/Law - www.itnews.com.au

In a draft statement, which will be completed and officially issued today, the European Union panel, charged with monitoring legal and privacy issues with SWIFT, said financial institutions across the bloc shared responsibility with SWIFT for the breach of European civil liberties.

The United States has defended the secret information transfer program, which began after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. But critics in Europe argue that it placed the United States' security interests ahead of European norms of human rights.

A separate investigation by a Belgian privacy commission concluded in September that SWIFT had flouted European privacy rules, calling the disclosure of secret financial transfers "a gross miscalculation."

It would be nice if we played well with our "Neighbors"...

Banking group gave data to U.S. illegally, EU panel decides

Abaddon wrote:
i hate my life...i hate my job, i hate my city, i hate everyone in that city, i hate my work, i hate my reputation, i hate the choices ive made in life, i hate that i have almost no friends here, i hate not fitting in, i hate not being trusted, i hate not being worthy of trust, i hate being crazy, i hate sane people, i hate being in debt, i hate having no control, i hate having control and fucking things up with it, i hate chaising after some bullshit dream, i hate having accomplished those dreams only to find that im empty, i hate being empty all the time, i hate my future, i hate it when people assume things are going great for me, i hate that im just like my mother, i hate that nothing matters to me anymore, i hate everything...and right now, i hate me...

maybe tomorrow will be better...

Abbaddon,

Simply put, come back to Atlanta, or Dallas, and fuck the job, fuck the city, fuck the work, fuck the reputation... We trust you, and care... so, if you need anything, just call on your friends... we're still here.

RE: I hate

Here are just some of my thoughts for today...

How can companies be "secure" when they allow their "bell" entrance facilities wide open? jonnyx and I were driving around this afternoon, and we passed through an office park, where several companies share the same physical buildings, and share a central "bell" entrance facility. Of those we observed, several of them without locks, those with locks were trivial to open, and one was actually ajar.

What is the big deal? Well, in the building that the entrance facility was ajar, there was several computer stores, a travel agent, a lawyers office, and a theraputic spa and tanning salon. Name the companies here that take credit cards, or other transmit sensitive information about their customers? (uhh, that'd be all of them.)

How easy would it be to install a tap that copyied the data from their T-1 and/or phone lines? Since this office space is shared, it would be very difficult to trace, and there were no cameras at the facility, most of the goings-on would be un-observed.

Frightening. Simply Frightening...

Ok... I've had it...

A good friend of mine (we'll call him B.) was T-Boned at a blind intersection about 3 months ago. He had the green light, and was listening to some smooth Jazz, and doing 45 miles an hour as he approached the intersection in his Honda Accord.

As he passed through the intersection, he was struck in the drivers door by a very heavy, 6 wheeled utility vehicle. The last thing he remembers is hearing the crunching sound of the impact.

His car was driven 45 feet and flipped over several times. B suffered a broken left collarbone, broken hand, and four broken ribs. Had he not been driving a car with side impact protection (he had a new Honda), I feel he would have died.

Now for the greatest injustice. The Vehicle that hit him, is claiming that it is B's fault. The Vehicle that hit him, was an ambulance, driving at 45mph+, ran through the intersection without it's siren on. It did have it's lights on, however, the intersection was blind, due to overgrowth of bushes and shrubs, causing the traffic in both perpendicular directions to the Ambulance's travel to be a completely blind to the Ambulance's approach.

Now the best part... In the State of Georgia, there are NO REQUIREMENTS for any special training to drive an Emergency Vehicle. Not even a massive fire truck, filled with TONS of water. In Fact:

------- Quoting CDL Rules from the Georgia Department of Drivers Services, (http://www.dds.ga.gov/Commercial/cdlrules.pdf)
Section 1-1-.02 of the COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE RULES OF THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY -------

1-1-.02 Commercial Driver's License Exemptions.

...
(2) Firefighters and operators of emergency equipment are exempt from having a commercial driver's license provided their vehicles are equipped with audible and visual signals and are operated by a person in the employ of a volunteer or paid firefighting organization. Emergency equipment such as a fire truck, hook and ladder truck, foam or water transporter, or other vehicles used only in response to emergencies are included

------- End Quote -------

So. there you have it... So if you get hit by an Ambulance, Fire Truck, or anything else... just remember to thank the GA Dept of Drivers Services... for making it easier to injure, maim, and kill innocent people, all in the name of "safety".

$10 hacksaw - Government Procured: $3,200.27
50¢ blade - Government Procured: $12.98
10¢ of duct tape - Government Procured: $1.76
Trip to Space - $1.5 Billion

A hacksaw suitable for EVA, so you won't hurt yourself, or punture your EVA suit... Priceless???

Duct Tape Rules!!!

Duct Tape Rules!