Happy Day And Good News

Obama defends secret memo release to CIA employees

routing @ BusyThumbs — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:52:25 +0000

Days after releasing top-secret memos that detailed the CIA's use of simulated drowning while interrogating terror suspects, US President Barack Obama went to the spy agency's Virginia headquarters on Monday to defend his decision and bolster the morale of its employees.

"I acted primarily because of the exceptional circumstances that surrounded these memos, particularly the fact that so much of the information was public," Obama said.

Last week, Obama's Justice Department published previously classified memos that described the Bush administration's legal justification for CIA interrogation techniques that included methods criticized as torture. Republican lawmakers and former CIA chiefs have criticized the release of the memos, contending that revealing the limits of interrogation techniques will hamper the effectiveness of interrogators.

The memos detailed the use of waterboarding � a form of simulated drowning that Attorney General Eric Holder has denounced as torture � as well as sleep deprivation, isolation and physical violence.

According to the declassified memos, waterboarding was used on alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Muhammed 183 times in March 2003. Suspected al-Qaida logistics chief Abu Zubaydah was subjected to the treatment 83 times in August 2002.

Obama said Monday that a court case was going to force the memos to be released and that much of what they contained had already been compromised through leaks to news media.
The president urged the hundreds of CIA employees who gathered in a secure auditorium to ignore the recent controversy. "Don't be discouraged by what's happened the last few weeks," he said.

A round of cheers erupted when CIA Director Leon Panetta introduced Obama, who quickly reassured them that they had his backing.

"I know the last few days have been difficult," he said. "You need to know you've got my full support."

But Obama also heard a reminder of the intense criticism his decision sparked from many in the intelligence community. Four former CIA directors and several senior agency officials opposed the release of the memos.

"You don't get credit when things go good, but you sure get some blame when things don't," Obama said. Pausing when he heard an "amen" from someone in the crowd, Obama added, "I got an amen corner out there."

He said that he understands that intelligence officials sometimes feel as if they are operating with one hand tied behind their backs.

But Obama said that upholding American values and ideals in the face of those enemies is "what makes the United States special and what makes you special."

Obama met privately with Panetta and about 50 CIA employees, fielding questions about his decision to release the memos and on other topics. Panetta had agreed to releasing the memos, but he also pressed for heavier censorship. The memos were only lightly redacted when they were released last Thursday.

Obama has vowed not to seek prosecution of CIA agents and interrogators who took part in waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics. His chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said this weekend that the Obama adminstration also won't seek prosecution for the Bush administration lawyers who wrote the memos approving the tactics.

Separately, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Monday sent Obama a letter asking him to withhold judgment on potential prosecutions until the committee completes its investigation of the CIA's detention and interrogation program. The committee is looking into the treatment of each of the CIA's 14 "high-value detainees," a list that includes Zubaydah and Khalid Sheik Muhammed.

US flood forecasted higher than sandbags

routing @ BusyThumbs — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:23:56 +0000

Bad news turned dire Thursday for residents scrambling in subfreezing temperatures to pile sandbags along the Red River: After they spent the day preparing for a record crest of 41 feet, forecasters added up to 2 feet to their estimate.

Kelly Peppel, a member of Valley Water Rescue, patrols the Oxbow housing development in a rubber boat looking for residents from houses flooded by the Red River, south of Fargo, North Dakota, March 25, 2009. [Agencies]

The first estimate sparked urgency among thousands of volunteers in Fargo, but the second sparked doubts about whether a 43-foot-high wall of water could be stopped. Across the river in Moorhead, Minn., City Manager Michael Redlinger said portions of his city's -bleep- could not be easily raised to withstand a 42-foot crest.

"Now everything's up in the air," he said.

The old estimate was 41 feet by Saturday afternoon, and thousands of volunteers had labored throughout the day to raise the dikes around North Dakota's largest city to 43 feet. City and emergency officials had said they were confident the city would make it, but will now have to build higher.

The National Weather Service said in guidance issued late Thursday afternoon that the Red was expected to crest between 41 and 42 feet, but could reach 43 feet. It said water levels could remain high for up to a week, a lengthy test of on-the-fly flood control.

"Record flows upstream of Fargo have produced unprecedented conditions" on the river, which "is expected to behave in ways never previously observed," the weather service said.

Tim Corwin, 55, whose south Fargo home was sheltered by sandbags to 43 feet, said he wasn't giving up but was pessimistic after hearing the new potential crest.

"I've lived here 40 years and over a 30-minute span I've reached a point where I'm preparing to evacuate and expect never to sleep in my house again," he said.

Even before Thursday's revised estimate, official briefings in Fargo had lost the jokes and quips that had broken the tension earlier in the week. Instead, Thursday's meeting opened with a prayer.

"We need all the help we can get," Mayor Dennis Walaker said.

The city of 92,000 unveiled a contingency evacuation plan Thursday afternoon, but at least four nursing homes already had begun moving residents by then.

"A few of them said they didn't want to go. I said I'm going where the crowd goes," said 98-year-old Margaret "Dolly" Beaucage, who clasped rosary beads as she waited to leave Elim Care Center.

"I'm a swimmer," she said, smiling, "but not that good a swimmer."

Officials in Moorhead earlier had called for voluntary evacuations for several hundred homes on the city's south side.

The sandbag-making operation at the Fargodome churned as furiously as ever, sending fresh bags out to an estimated 6,000 volunteers who endured temperatures below 20 degrees in the race to sandbag.

"I was skeptical as far as volunteers coming out today, but they're like mailmen," said Leon Schlafmann, Fargo's emergency management director. "They come out rain, sleet or shine."

EU presidency: US stimulus is 'the road to hell'

routing @ BusyThumbs — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:05:56 +0000

The head of the European Union slammed President Barack Obama's plan to spend nearly $2 trillion to push the US economy out of recession as "the road to hell" that EU governments must avoid.

The blunt comments by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek to the European Parliament on Wednesday highlighted simmering European differences with Washington ahead of a key summit next week on fixing the world economy.

It was the strongest pushback yet from a European leader as the 27-nation bloc bristles from US criticism that it is not spending enough to stimulate demand.

Shocked by the outburst, other European politicians went into damage control mode, with some reproaching the Czech leader for his language and others reaffirming their good diplomatic ties with the United States. The leaders of EU's major nations � France, Britain and Germany, among others � largely ignored Topolanek and his remarks.

Obama pays his first official visit to Europe next week, aiming to thrash out reforms to the global financial system with the Group of 20 nations and call on NATO allies to commit more troops to the US war in Afghanistan.

Europeans leaders hope the new US administration will agree with them on tightening oversight over the global financial system � which they see as crucial to fixing the global economy.

Instead, the United States is focusing its efforts on economic stimulus and plans to spend heavily to try and lift itself out of recession with a $787 billion plan of tax rebates, health and welfare benefits, as well as extra energy and infrastructure spending.

To encourage banks to lend again, the US government will also pump $1 trillion into the financial system by buying up treasury bonds and mortgage securities in an effort to clear some of the "toxic assets" � devalued and untradeable assets � from banks' balance sheets.

Obama insisted Tuesday that his massive budget proposal will put the ailing US economy back on its feet. "This budget is inseparable from this recovery," he said, "because it is what lays the foundation for a secure and lasting prosperity."

But Topolanek took aim at Washington's deficit spending.

"All of these steps, these combinations and permanency is the road to hell," Topolanek said. "We need to read the history books and the lessons of history and the biggest success of the (EU) is the refusal to go this way."

"Americans will need liquidity to finance all their measures and they will balance this with the sale of their bonds but this will undermine the liquidity of the global financial market," Topolanek said.

Interpreter wins wild card for 'world's best job'

routing @ BusyThumbs — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:53:59 +0000

A skydiving, mountain-climbing interpreter from Taiwan has scored herself a shot at what's been dubbed the "Best Job in the World" - getting paid to serve as the caretaker of a tropical Australian paradise island.

Officials with the tourism department of Australia's Queensland state Wednesday announced that Clare Wang won a spot among 11 finalists vying for the job - a 150,000 Australian dollar ($105,000) contract to relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the area.
Wang was selected by the public as the "wild card" winner from a pool of 50 short-listed entries the department had chosen earlier. She received 151,676 votes - almost three times as many as her nearest competitor - on the job ad's website, which featured the video applications of all 50 hopefuls. Nearly 35,000 people from across the world applied for the gig.

Tourism Queensland will choose the other 10 finalists and announce the names on April 3. All 11 hopefuls will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for interviews, and one will be declared the winner on May 6. The job begins July 1.

"Clare has done a remarkable job of promoting her quest for the Best Job in the World in Taiwan and has become an overnight media celebrity," Tourism Queensland CEO Anthony Hayes said in a statement. "Not only has she gained the support of the people, she has done an amazing job of promoting Queensland and the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, which is exactly what the Best Job in the World campaign is all about."

The job is part of a campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland, and tourism officials say it has already generated more than AU$100 million worth of publi city for the region.

Shoe-throwing Iraqi jailed for 3 years

routing @ BusyThumbs — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:14:33 +0000

The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-President George W. Bush responded defiantly Thursday when a court convicted him of assaulting a foreign leader and sentenced him to three years in prison, shouting "long live Iraq" when the verdict was read.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's bold act in December electrified many across the Middle East who consider him a hero for defiantly expressing his anger at a president who is widely disliked for his decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The 30-year-old journalist pleaded not guilty to the assault charge Wednesday, telling the three-judge panel that "what I did was a natural response to the occupation."

Reporters and family members were then ordered out of the courtroom for the verdict, which was relayed to them by defense attorneys and a court official.

Some of al-Zeidi's relatives collapsed after the ruling was issued and had to be helped out of the courthouse. Others were forcibly removed by guards after shouting "down with Bush" and "long live Iraq."

"This judiciary is not just," al-Zeidi's brother, Dargham, said tearfully after Wednesday's verdict was announced.

Court spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said al-Zeidi received the minimum sentence for the assault charge but could appeal the conviction. He could have received up to 15 years in prison for hurling his shoes at Bush during a December 14 press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Defense lawyers said the judge showed leniency because of al-Zeidi's age and clean record. But they had hoped for an even lighter sentence, arguing the journalist's actions constituted an insult rather than an assault.

"The sentence was unexpectedly harsh," said Yehya al-Eitabi, one of some two dozen defense lawyers who attended Thursday's hearing and said they would appeal the verdict.

His assessment was shared by some in Baghdad.

"Al-Zeidi should have been honored and not sent to prison," said Salam Omar who owns a cell phone shop in eastern Baghdad.

The journalist has been in Iraqi custody since the shoe incident. Bush quickly ducked to avoid being hit and was not injured. Al-Zeidi was quickly wrestled to the ground by guards and dragged away.

During Thursday's proceedings, al-Zeidi, wearing a beige suit over a brown shirt and brown leather shoes, walked swiftly to the wooden pen where defendants are kept and greeted the panel of three judges with a nod and a wave.

Presiding Judge Abdul-Amir al-Rubaie asked al-Zeidi to enter a plea.

"I am innocent," he replied.

The proceedings took place under heavy guard with scores of armed policemen inside the courtroom and the Iraqi soldiers who escorted al-Zeidi waiting outside.

The trial began on February 19 but was adjourned until Thursday as the judges weighed a defense argument that the current charge is not applicable because Bush was not in Baghdad on an official visit, having arrived unannounced and without an invitation.

Al-Rubaie read a response from the prime minister's office insisting it was an official visit.

Chief defense attorney Dhia al-Saadi then demanded that the charge be dismissed, saying his client's action "was an expression of freedom and does not constitute a crime."

He echoed al-Zeidi's testimony at the previous hearing, saying his client had been provoked by anger over Bush's claims of success in a war that has devastated his country.

"It was an act of throwing a shoe and not a rocket. It was meant as an insult to the occupation," the lawyer said.

The judge then turned to the defendant and asked whether he had anything to add.

"I have great faith in the Iraqi judiciary. It is a judiciary that is both just and has integrity," al-Zeidi responded.

Many people in the region - angry over the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq - have embraced al-Zeidi. They have staged large street rallies calling for his release, and one Iraqi man erected a sofa-sized sculpture of a shoe in his honor that the Iraqi government later ordered removed.

When al-Zeidi threw his shoes at Bush, he shouted in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

But al-Maliki was deeply embarrassed by the action against an American president who had stood by him when some Arab leaders were quietly urging the US to oust him.

Website SEO Services

routing @ BusyThumbs — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:13:27 +0000

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In order to be triumphant in online business, you need to have websites which can be easily located by search engines. Since net surfers usually conduct searches through search engines, achieving top rankings in search result pages is important.

Through website SEO you can reduce the expenses involved in advertising your products and services through other mediums. With the website attaining higher rankings, considerable increase can be observed in the customer visits and sales leads. Besides, with the popularity of the website, further improvement can be achieved in search engine rankings. Website optimization procedure ensures long term positive results, through maintaining the same ranking positions. You don't have to make any additional investment either.

Innovative Techniques to Achieve Better Website Rankings

Significant website optimization services include:

� Research of keywords
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Cost-effective Services to Accomplish Your Business Goals

Without using proper search engine placement services, it would be difficult for you to achieve your unique business goals and targets. Therefore it is ideal to obtain the assistance of an SEO firm for the best natural SEO services. For providing reliable and cost-effective website optimization services, there are several professional firms active in the field. Select the firm which can ensure solutions that will help you achieve enhanced visibility in search engines, by sincerely considering your business goals and budget limitations.

A Language Most Recommended As Second Language Keeping In View The Integration Of World ...

routing @ BusyThumbs — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:27:35 +0000

Computer available with you will be themost excellenttool for you if you have any intentions of learning the Chinese language. These days, you can find innumerable instructions through Internet in different methods for learning Chinese language. Not all are useful sites, some have their own selfish motives but some are good as they have some seriousness in schooling the language but others are just useless. Were you meaningful that Chinese language is the most used language after English in the world?. It is the language which has morepleadthan Spanish for the purpose of learning. bearing in mind the future ahead of us subsequent to globalization of world trade, Chinese language is suggestedas a second language. For people who have not much time in their hands but have desire to know one more language or compelled to learn in short duration due anfollowingjourney to the Asian world, a solution is only this. It can be achieved by what you have in your hands i.e., internet. Depending on what method you use, there are valuable resources unfilledfor download. Some lessons include almost everything--audio which has pronunciations, vocabulary, reading, plus added bonuses forritual. There is unlimited software available for MP3 players now-a-days even for learning Chinese language. Are you interested in justhumanizingthe skills because you already know Chinese?

A dictionary which talks and having 81,000 entries is available. These talking dictionaries have phrases and usually used words in China in overloadof 2000. The downloads are designed to have playbacks at two different speeds. Have you any desire to learn the art of characters of Chinese language . With the demand for this art form increasing, more sites exist to meet that call for. By searching through the internet, you can find numerous valid sites to enable you to learn characters in the right manner . There are also free and inexpensive downloads available to learn and practice. Remember, the demand for the Chinese language is stronger than ever, and the future looks extremely necessary for the skill.

While learn Chinese online this question often come in mind that why should any one learn Chinese online?, So many reasons can be elucidated as to why should Chinese language be learnt online. At the outset, it is Chinese language which is spoken by 25% of world population. People who speak Chinese language live in South Asia, North America and Europe also wherein a large communities of Chinese live together in addition to their way of life in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia .

Search Engine Optimization Explained

routing @ BusyThumbs — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:26:32 +0000

In the world of website marketing, search engines are an essential key to success. They are the most important way to bring traffic to your website. Understanding how search engines work and what they require is an important first step to harnessing their marketing power.

The two types of search engines can be characterized as active and passive. An active engine utilizes crawl technology that constantly searches out websites, adds them to its database and creates listings automatically with what it finds. Passive engines require registration of your website directly with them and rely on editors to add your site to their directory. As search engines have evolved, many have adopted a combination of passive and active strategies.

Search engine optimization is the utilization of techniques that will assure that search engines find and include your website in their databases. There are proven methods to search engine marketing involving website design and content adaptation, and keyword strategy. The primary goal of these methods is to bring traffic to your site. The secondary goal is for that traffic to be targeted to your product. In the internet marketing game, exposure is essential. But marketing efficiency requires effective exposure to the right prospects.

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Valiss's knowledge of search engines and how to position your website for optimal exposure can help your website top its market. Search engine optimization must be a central part of your internet marketing plan. By refining your website, Valiss will enable search engines to deliver more of your prospective customers to your site.

Iran dismisses US nuclear bomb statement

routing @ BusyThumbs — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:25:21 +0000

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi on Monday dismissed the statement by a top US military officer that Tehran was believed to have enough nuclear material to make a bomb, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Any statement regarding the production of a nuclear bomb is \"baseless\" and \"untechnical,\" Qashqavi told reporters at a press conference.

\"We have repeatedly said that manufacturing atomic bombs has no place in our defensive doctrine,\" he said, adding that Tehran's nuclear activities were carried out under direct supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and within the reach of its surveillance cameras.

\"How is it possible that the enrichment level of 3-4 percent suddenly mounts to 90 percent (the level which is needed to produce an atomic bomb)?\" he said.

Qashqavi's comments came just a day after US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said Washington believed Iran has enough material to make a nuclear bomb. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates later rejected Mullen's claim, saying that Iran was not close to building atomic weapon.

\"Iran favors a world free from weapons of mass destruction,\" Qashqavi added, reiterating that Tehran's nuclear program was only for civil purposes and generating electricity.

In a report submitted last month to the UN Security Council, IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran still refused to fulfill UN's requirement of stopping its uranium enrichment activity.

Iran's uranium enrichment program is questioned by many parties. Western countries like the United States claim that Iran intends to secretly develop nuclear weapons, while the UN Security Council also requires Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment activity.

However, Iran insists that its nuclear plan is only for peaceful purposes, and continues its uranium enrichment activity despite pressure from the western countries and relevant resolutions and sanctions of the United Nations.

Iran last Wednesday launched a test run of its first nuclear power plant which is being built by a Russian contractor near the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr and vowed to continue to install more centrifuges.

About search engine conferences

routing @ BusyThumbs — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:27:43 +0000

Nobody asked, but I've got a few things to say about search engine conferences.

Many times in web forums and blogs, the question is asked from members if they should spend the money to attend one of the many search conferences that are available. Sometimes I was even asked if they are worthwhile.

Short answer. YES.

There is something alluring that takes place at a conference of your peers. With this industry being crafted on a daily basis, there are still many topics of search that have no thought leader in place.

That aside, many of the search engine optimization elites are very approachable. At the conference. Outside that scope (at the clubs or Google Dance) the regular rules of society apply.

So, while you are at a speaking session of one of your favorite bloggers or seo personas, take the time to approach them. Introduce your self, tell them what you do, and comment about their presentation. Better yet if you have a question that challenges them.

Also, don't forget about the audience members. Many times you'll find your self sitting next to a CEO or Marketing director for other seo services firms or corporations that may some day need your services whether as an employee or consultant.

Be sure to talk to all the vendors. Yes, they are trying to pitch their wares, but they do have an expertise that you can tap into. Who knows, you may even develop a relationship that you can use when needed.

Make sure you have plenty of business cards to hand out. If possible write a personal note on it about whatever you spoke to that person about - it makes for a great way for them to remember you.

Enjoy the venue. I've been fortunate to see parts of the country that I wouldn't have a decent excuse to visit otherwise.

Take it all in and enjoy being in a place that is brimming with seo expertise. Because once you get back home, your inbox will be stuffed full, and you'll have to get back to the grind...