Sunday, January 2, 2011

Statement by President Barack Obama on Removal of HEU from Ukraine

Release Time: 
For Immediate Release

“I congratulate President Yanukovych on the recent shipment of highly enriched uranium from Ukraine for secure disposal in Russia, which advances a top priority for my administration and for global security.  This action brings us all one step closer to securing all vulnerable nuclear materials, as President Yanukovych and I and 45 other world leaders pledged to do this April at the Nuclear Security Summit.  The low enriched uranium and nuclear safety equipment provided to Ukraine in connection with this shipment will support Ukraine’s development of safe and secure nuclear energy.  These actions represent continued Ukrainian leadership in making sure that nuclear weapons never fall into the hands of a terrorist, and working toward a world without nuclear weapons.”

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/31/statement-president-barack-obama-removal-heu-ukraine

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President Obama Announces Recess Appointments to Key Administration Posts

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WASHINGTON – President Obama announced today his intent to recess appoint six nominees to fill key administration posts that have been left vacant for an extended period of time.

The President announced his intent to recess appoint the following nominees:

William J. Boarman, Nominee for Public Printer of the United States
William J. Boarman is President of the Printing, Publishing & Media Workers Sector of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and the Senior Vice President of CWA. Mr. Boarman has been associated with the printing industry, its labor relations and personnel management for over 40 years starting with his four-year apprenticeship at McArdle Printing in Washington, D.C., succeeding to Journeyman Printer (Practical Printer by Trade) in 1971. In 1974 Mr. Boarman accepted an appointment as Printer to GPO. In 1977, Mr. Boarman took a leave of absence from GPO to serve in various elected posts within the International Typographical Union, which merged with CWA in 1987. He is chairman of the CWA/ITU Negotiated Pension Plan, a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan with assets of $1 billion; President of the International Allied Printing Trades Association; and President of the Union Printers Home, a 122-bed skilled nursing facility in Colorado Springs, CO. Mr. Boarman served three terms as co-chair of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) and as the first-ever public member of the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities.

Matthew J. Bryza, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Department of State
Matthew J. Bryza is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs. He previously served as the Director for Europe and Eurasia at the National Security Council in the White House. He was also Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy. Mr. Bryza has also served in Russia and Poland. Mr. Bryza received a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

James M. Cole, Nominee for Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice
James Cole has been a partner with Bryan Cave LLP since 1995.  His practice includes counseling corporations on compliance, securities, regulatory, and criminal law issues, as well as representation of corporations and individuals before grand juries, in congressional hearings, in court proceedings, and before federal agencies.  Mr. Cole was an official with the United States Department of Justice for 13 years before entering private practice in 1992, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section during his last three years.  In 1992 he was also appointed to be a member of President Clinton's Transition Team reviewing aspects of the Department of Justice.  Mr. Cole has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching courses on public corruption law and legal ethics, and has lectured at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.  He was the former Chair of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee and First Vice-Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section.  He received his B.A. from the University of Colorado and his J.D. from the University of California-Hastings.

Norman L. Eisen, Nominee for Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Department of State
Norman L. Eisen has served since January 20, 2009 as Special Assistant to the President and as Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform. In that capacity, he has helped lead the Administration’s historic initiatives on government ethics, lobbying regulation and open government. His portfolio has also included financial regulatory reform, campaign finance law, whistleblower protection and other reform issues.  Mr. Eisen before that was the Deputy General Counsel to the Presidential Transition.  Prior to the Administration, Mr. Eisen was a litigation partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm Zuckerman Spaeder. He launched and co-chaired the firm’s Public Client Practice, representing government entities on an array of matters, as well as handling white-collar investigations and complex commercial matters. He is the co-founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog group. Between college and law school, Mr. Eisen served for three years as an Assistant Director of the Los Angeles office of the Anti-Defamation League, a national civil rights organization. Mr. Eisen received his J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School and his B.A. from Brown University in 1985, both with honors.

Robert Stephen Ford, Nominee for Ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic, Department of State
Robert Stephen Ford is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He presently works for the State Department’s Inspector General’s Office.  Immediately prior to that assignment, Ambassador Ford served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador to Algeria on May 27, 2006, and sworn in on August 11, 2006. Mr. Ford served from 2004 until 2006 and again from 2008 until 2009 as the Political Counselor to the U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq and was Deputy Chief of Mission in Bahrain from 2001 until 2004. Mr. Ford has also served in a number of other posts since entering the Foreign Service in 1985, including Izmir, Cairo, Algiers, and Yaoundé. He is a recipient of a number of Department of State awards, including the 2005 James Clement Dunn Award for outstanding work at the mid-level in the Foreign Service as well as three Superior Honor Awards and two Meritorious Honor awards. Mr. Ford earned a Master of Arts in 1983 from Johns Hopkins University.

Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Department of State
Francis J. Ricciardone, Jr., is a Career Minister in the Foreign Service. He most recently served as Deputy Ambassador and Charge’ d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He also served as Ambassador to Egypt until 2008, and Ambassador to the Philippines and concurrently to Palau. Ambassador Ricciardone began his career in Ankara and Adana, Turkey. He served twice again in Turkey, as political advisor to the US and Turkish commanders of Operation Provide Comfort at Incirlik Air Force Base, and as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge’ d’Affaires. He led the transition to an organization of the US Embassy in Baghdad in 2004, and the Department of State’s Task Force in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. He served as former Secretary Albright’s Special Representative for the Transition of Iraq from 1999-2001. Ambassador Ricciardone graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1973.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/29/president-obama-announces-recess-appointments-key-administration-posts

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McAfee: Smartphones, Apple devices to be top malware targets in 2011

Traditionally, Windows' massive user base has made it a juicy target for malware authors, but a new report from McAfee suggests there could be a major shift in 2011. The security company is predicting that attacks on the exploding smartphone segment and Apple devices will increase significantly.

Mac trojans have already become increasingly common in 2010, and McAfee finds that "lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure." This lack of understanding, coupled with the increased presence of iOS devices in business environments, will make Apple users a prime target for malware.

The report also finds smartphone users will face increased danger in 2011. With hundreds of millions of new users purchasing more powerful phones and spending more time browsing on them, increased attention from malware authors is a natural (albeit unwelcome) side effect. If the app store for your phone offers security applications, there's no time like the present to read some reviews and get one installed.

Apart from smartphones and Apple devices, social engineering attacks (e.g. scams via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and social networks) will continue to be big in 2011. McAfee asserts that personal information made available via geolocation apps and privacy lapses will allow attackers to better craft their attacks on individuals. There's also no sign of viral attacks on social sites like Facebook and Twitter slowing down, and short URL services will continue to be used to hide malicious links. Here's hoping more URL shorteners will look into pre-scanning their links to ensure our safety.

McAfee: Smartphones, Apple devices to be top malware targets in 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Readout of John Brennan's call with President Saleh of Yemen

Release Time: 
For Immediate Release

Assistant to the President for Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan called Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh on December 23 to emphasize the importance of taking forceful action against al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in order to thwart its plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Yemen as well as in other countries, including in the U.S. Homeland.  Mr. Brennan emphasized the need to strengthen the already close cooperation between Yemeni and U.S. counterterrorism and security services, as well as with other partner nations, including the timely acquisition of all relevant information from individuals arrested by Yemeni security forces.  Mr. Brennan conveyed President Obama’s appreciation for the sacrifices of the Yemeni people in confronting al-Qa’ida and expressed regret for the recent actions by wikileaks.  Mr. Brennan thanked President Saleh for his explicit commitment to ensure the full cooperation of the Yemeni Government and his pledge never to retreat in the face of al-Qa’ida’s murderous agenda.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/24/readout-john-brennans-call-with-president-saleh-yemen

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Medicinal Mushrooms

by Chris Bodenner A reader writes: I take small (no more than a pinch or two) quantities of psilocybin every day. Not to get high, not to unwind, but to try to heal my body. For 5+ years I've had...


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Rapper Trick Daddy is Broke!

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Rapper Trick Daddy is Broke!!!


Thug rap recording artist Trick Daddy has just joined the ranks of celebs who just can't seem to pay their taxes.

The Miami, Florida rapper whose real name is Maurice Young reportedly owes Uncle Sam over $157,000 in back taxes for 2002 earnings. The platinum-selling artist is not only delinquent in taxes but a bank foreclosed on his $320,000 Miami-Dade county home last May and sold it this past October.


What's owed? According to the lien, the "Thug Holiday" hitmaker and his wife have an IRS lien against them for $85,366 which was filed on Sept. 3 for tax years 2007, 2008 and 2009. The feds also filed a $16,709 lien against the couple on July 29 in Miami-Dade County for income taxes from 2006. Finally, there is also a $54,979 lien against Trick also filed on July 29 in Miami-Dade County for income taxes from 2002.

When it rains it certainly pours for Trick Daddy, who is battling the potentially fatal autoimmune disease lupus which makes the immune system attack the body's cells and tissue. Lupus affects all major organs in the human body, including the heart, kidneys and nervous system.



The 37-year-old revealed his condition last year during a radio interview. Trick admitted he was diagnosed twelve years ago and has been battling it ever since. "My mama had 11 children from 10 different men. If she can live with that, I know I can live with this," the self proclaimed "Mayor of Miami" said during the interview.

Trick Daddy, who was raised in poverty and considered to be a thoughtful thug by many, is currently promoting his autobiography Magic City: Trials of a Native Son.The book is an unsparing portrayal of life in a Southern ghetto.

 

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Source: http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/12/28/rapper-trick-daddy-is-broke/

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Statement by the President on the One Year Anniversary of the Attack on CIA Personnel

Release Time: 
For Immediate Release

One year ago today, at a remote outpost at Khost, Afghanistan, seven American patriots showed us the true meaning of honor, integrity, and selfless sacrifice.  For their colleagues and friends at the CIA, it was a heartbreaking loss of experienced veterans and young officers who served on the front lines in the fight to keep our nation safe.  For Americans to whom the work of our intelligence community is largely unknown, it was a rare glimpse into the risks that our intelligence professionals accept in defense of the security and freedoms that we cherish.  And for those of us who gathered at Langley last February to pay tribute to these seven heroes and to comfort their families, it was an occasion to rededicate ourselves to their work and to the ideals for which they died.
 
In the year since, that is what we have done.  As President, I rely on our intelligence, military, and civilian personnel every day, and I know that our country is more secure, and the American people are safer, because of their extraordinary service.  Today, al Qaeda’s senior leadership is under more pressure than ever before and is hunkered down in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  We are relentlessly pursuing our mission to disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately defeat that terrorist organization.  In the United States and around the world, plots have been thwarted, attacks have been disrupted, and the lives of Americans have been saved.  
 
This is the legacy of the courageous Americans who gave their lives one year ago and whose stars now grace the Memorial Wall at Langley, just as it is the legacy of our troops who have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.  As we mark the first anniversary of their sacrifice at Khost, this is the work to which we recommit ourselves today.  We will ensure that our dedicated intelligence professionals have the training and tools they need to meet the missions we ask of them.  We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety and security of the American people.  And like our seven patriots at Khost, we will never waver in defense of the security and liberties that keep America strong and free.

Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/30/statement-president-one-year-anniversary-attack-cia-personnel

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