MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity none greater than 5.0 ! More info here.

• Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.

• Massachusetts Man Plotted to Blow Up Pentagon, U.S. Capitol Using Model Plane, Feds Say.(Fox).A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using large remote-controlled aircraft laden with explosives, as well as attempting to assist Al Qaeda in attacking U.S. troops overseas.Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., was arrested Wednesday in Framingham after undercover FBI agents delivered weapons Ferdaus allegedly sought for the alleged plan. The stash included what he thought was 25 pounds of C-4 explosives, as well as three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault, a press release from the Department of Justice reads.Ferdaus was arrested after he took the the materials and locked them in his storage unit, according to an affadavit that says the storage unit was rented under a false name in June.The public was never in danger from the explosives, as undercover agents monitored the alleged plot and kept up frequent contact with Ferdaus, the press release read. More than 30 federal, state and local agencies in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force worked together in the operation, including police departments in Worcester, Ashland and Framingham and the ATF.In recorded conversations, Ferdaus said he planned to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” that were guided by GPS equipment, the affidavit said. The plan called for three remote-controlled aircraft to carry out the attacks, along with six other gunmen divided into two teams, with Ferdaus coordinating the operation.In May, Ferdaus traveled from Boston to Washington, D.C., to take photos of the Pentagon and Capitol for surveillance. He planned to launch the C4-filled aircraft from sites at the East Potomac Park, authorities allege, and an F-86 Sabre remote-controlled aircraft was delivered to Ferdaus’ storage facility in August.Authorities say they gave Ferdaus multiple opportunities to back out of the plot, as they told him it would likely kill women and children. But Ferdaus never wavered in his plan, the affidavit said."I just can't stop; there is no other choice for me," he allegedly said.Ferdaus, who is a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, is accusing of beginning in early 2010 a plot to bring violent “jihad” against the U.S, who he described as "enemies of Allah."He also supplied eight mobile phones to undercover FBI agents who he thought were recruiters for Al Qaeda, authorities said. The phones were modified to be used as electrical switches for IEDs, and Ferdaus thought they could be used to kill American soldiers, the affidavit said. Ferdaus also allegedly made a training video to demonstrate how to make more the weapons.Ferdaus said “that was exactly what I wanted,” when he was told one of the devices killed three U.S. soldiers and injured four to five others in Iraq in June, authorities said.Ferdaus faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, up to 20 years for a charge of attempting to destroy national defense premises. He also faces a five-year minimum mandatory prison sentence and up to 20 years if convicted of attempting to damage and destroy U.S.-owned buildings with explosives.He was expected to appear Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Worcester, Mass."I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion," said Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. "In addition to protecting our citizens from the threats and violence alleged today, we also have an obligation to protect members of every community, race and religion against violence and other unlawful conduct."Hmmmm......"I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion".Yup:"a plot to bring violent “jihad” against the U.S, who he described as "enemies of Allah.".Read and see (Video) the full story here.

• Diebold voting machines can be hacked by remote control.(Salon).Exclusive: A laboratory shows how an e-voting machine used by a third of all voters can be easily manipulated. It could be one of the most disturbing e-voting machine hacks to date.Voting machines used by as many as a quarter of American voters heading to the polls in 2012 can be hacked with just $10.50 in parts and an 8th grade science education, according to computer science and security experts at the Vulnerability Assessment Team at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. The experts say the newly developed hack could change voting results while leaving absolutely no trace of the manipulation behind."We believe these man-in-the-middle attacks are potentially possible on a wide variety of electronic voting machines," said Roger Johnston, leader of the assessment team "We think we can do similar things on pretty much every electronic voting machine."The Argonne Lab, run by the Department of Energy, has the mission of conducting scientific research to meet national needs. The Diebold Accuvote voting system used in the study was loaned to the lab's scientists by VelvetRevolution.us, of which the Brad Blog is a co-founder. Velvet Revolution received the machine from a former Diebold contractorPrevious lab demonstrations of e-voting system hacks, such as Princeton's demonstration of a viral cyber attack on a Diebold touch-screen system -- as I wrote for Salon back in 2006 -- relied on cyber attacks to change the results of elections. Such attacks, according to the team at Argonne, require more coding skills and knowledge of the voting system software than is needed for the attack on the Diebold system.Indeed, the Argonne team's attack required no modification, reprogramming, or even knowledge, of the voting machine's proprietary source code. It was carried out by inserting a piece of inexpensive "alien electronics" into the machine.The Argonne team's demonstration of the attack on a Diebold Accuvote machine is seen in a short new video shared exclusively with the Brad Blog . The team successfully demonstrated a similar attack on a touch-screen system made by Sequoia Voting Systems in 2009.The new findings of the Vulnerability Assessment Team echo long-ignored concerns about e-voting vulnerabilities issued by other computer scientists and security experts, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (an arm of the Department of Homeland Security), and even a long-ignored presentation by a CIA official given to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission."This is a national security issue," says Johnston. "It should really be handled by the Department of Homeland Security."Hmmm.......And we know we can 'trust' them.Read and see the full story here.

• Stalking the Secret Patriot Act.(Cato).By Julian Sanchez. Since this spring’s blink-and-you-missed-it debate over reauthorization of several controversial provisions of the Patriot Act, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) have been complaining to anyone who’d listen about a “Secret Patriot Act“—an interpretation of one of the law’s provisions by the classified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court granting surveillance powers exceeding those an ordinary person would understand to be conferred from the text of the statute itself. As I argued at the time, there is an enormous amount of strong circumstantial evidence suggesting that this referred to a “sensitive collection program” involving cell phone location tracking—potentially on a mass scale—using Patriot’s “Section 215″ or “business records” authority.Lest anyone think they’d let the issue drop, Wyden and Udall last week released a sharply-worded letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, blasting the Justice Department for misleading the public about the scope of the government’s surveillance authority. The real audience for an open letter of this sort, of course, is not the nominal recipient, but rather the press and the public. Beyond simply reminding us that the issue exists, the letter confirms for the first time that the “secret law” of which the senators had complained does indeed involve Section 215. But there are some additional intriguing morsels for the attentive surveillance wonk.The letter focuses particularly on “highly misleading” statements by Justice Department officials analogizing Section 215 powers to grand jury subpoenas. “As you know,” Wyden and Udall write, “Section 215 authorities are not interpreted in the same way that grand jury subpoena authorities are, and we are concerned that when Justice Department officials suggest that the two authorities are ‘analogous’ they provide the public with a false understanding of how surveillance law is interpreted in practice.”The bottom line, though, is that this makes it all but certain the intelligence agencies are secretly tracking people—and potentially large numbers of people—who it does not have probable cause to believe, and may not even suspect, are involved in terrorism or espionage. No wonder Wyden and Udall are concerned.Hmmmm......"Police State"anyone?Read the full story here.

• Video - Pro -Israel American arab attacked by Muslims, Star of David carved into his back.(Breitbart).Alaa Alsaegh says that two cars followed him as he drove in St. Louis, MO. The drivers cut him off and Alsaegh says he pulled over. That's when two men got out of a car, armed with a handgun. They got into Alsaegh's car and attacked him with a knife.Read and see the full story here.

• Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Apostate from islam to be slowly strangled to death for his Christian beliefs by Iranian regime.(CNSNews).By Patrick Goodenough.An Iranian pastor who refuses to renounce his Christian faith could be hanged as soon as Wednesday, after a trial court ruling this week upheld his death sentence for “apostasy.”Religious freedom advocates are calling urgently for governments to take up the case of Youcef Nadarkhani, a 32-year-old evangelical first sentenced to death late last year. If the sentence is carried out he will be the first Iranian Christian known to have been executed for his faith in 21 years.Nadarkhani embraced Christianity at the age of 19, and since his Supreme Court appeal last June, proceedings focused on the question of whether he was a practicing Muslim at the time.The last time a Christian is known to have been executed in Iran for his faith was 21 years ago, when Assemblies of God pastor Hussein Sodmand was hanged after refusing to recant.Islamic scholars who argue for the death penalty for apostasy cite texts like sura 4:89 of the Qur’an, which urges Muslims to seize and kill those who turn away. A hadith (the traditional writings and sayings of Mohammed) quotes the prophet as saying, “Any [Muslim] person who has changed his religion, kill him.”Read the full story here.

• Issue VII of 'Inspire,' the English-Language Magazine of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – A General Review.(Memri).By: Steven Stalinsky.On September 27, 2011, the media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the seventh issue of the English-language jihadist magazine Inspire.The cover of the 20-page issue, which is dated Fall 1432 (2011), shows an image of the World Trade Center made out of dollar signs. The cover story, written by editor-in-chief Yahya Ibrahim and titled "The Greatest Special Operation of All Time," is dedicated to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

A Threat Against New York?

The last pages of the magazine include a quote by Faisal Shahzad, perpetrator of the failed May 1, 2010, Times Square car bombing: "Brace yourself for war with Muslims. I am just the first drop in what will be a flood." The quote is superimposed on a photo of Times Square.

The last page is an image of Grand Central Station in New York City, with text noting that "coming soon" is an article by Anwar Al-Awlaki, titled "Targeting the Populations of Countries That Are At War with the Muslims." Also promised as "coming soon" is an exclusive interview with Adam Gadahn, titled "The Arab Intifada, Hopes, Concerns and Dangers." It should be noted that Issues V and VI of Inspire promised an upcoming QandA with Anwar Al-Awlaki that has not yet materialized. The announcement read: "Send your questions to Shaykh Anwar Al-Awlaki. We will hold an exclusive video interview with the Shaykh where he will answer your questions. See the contact page for details on sending an e-mail to al-Malahem."Hmmmm.........Read the full story here.

• Facebook tracks you, even after leaving site.(SMH).An Australian technology expert has discovered Facebook tracks the websites its users visit after they leave the social networking site. Nik Cubrilovic said his tests showed Facebook did not delete its tracking cookies when you logged out but modified them, maintaining account information and other unique tokens that could identify you.So whenever you visited a web page containing a Facebook button or widget, your browser was still sending the details back to Facebook, said Mr Cubrilovic.''Even if you are logged out, Facebook still knows and can track every page you visit,'' he wrote in a blog post. ''The only solution is to delete every Facebook cookie in your browser, or to use a separate browser for Facebook interactions.''Mr Cubrilovic, from Wollongong, has previously been involved with the large technology blog TechCrunch and online storage company Omnidrive.He backed up his claims with detailed technical information. His post was picked up by technology news sites around the world. Facebook has yet to provide a response to the Herald.The executive director of UNSW's Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre, David Vaile, said Facebook's changes were a ''breathtaking and audacious grab for whole life data''. He accused the networking giant of attempting to ''normalise gross and unsafe overexposure''.''While initially 'opt in', the default then seems to be 'expose everything', and Facebook have form in the past for lowering protection after people get used to a certain level of initial protection - bait and switch,'' he said.Stephen Collins, a spokesman for the online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, said he hoped users became more engaged with the issue.'Facebook, once again, are doing things that are beyond most users' capacity to understand while reducing their privacy. That's just not cool. I'd go so far as to say it's specifically unethical,'' he said.Read the full story here.

• Somali Foreign Minister Calls GOP Rep. Peter King To Thank Him For Hearings On Radical Islam.(The Hill) — Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that Somalia’s foreign minister called to voice his support for the hearings the lawmaker is holding this year on radicalization within the Muslim-American community.As chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, King has held three hearings on the topic. The latest, in July, explored al-Shabaab’s recruitment tactics with Americans in the U.S.Al-Shabaab is an al Qaeda affiliate that has attracted and recruited dozens of Muslim-Americans in its efforts to promote violence, according to King.Somali Foreign Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said that his country, which has been in a state of upheaval for several decades as factions battle for control of its government, fully supports King’s hearings.“Foreign Minister Ibrahim emphasized that Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali joins in supporting the hearings, two of which focused on al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization based in Somalia that has radicalized dozens of Muslim-American young men in Minneapolis and other cities, recruiting them to travel to Somalia to fight,” said King in a statement.“U.S. intelligence officials say al-Shabaab poses a threat to the U.S. homeland, which must be thwarted. Foreign Minister Ibrahim and First Secretary Omar Jamal assured me of their government’s full support and cooperation in my hearings.”Hmmmm.....The same al-Shabaab Turkey's IHH was delivering aid to?Read the full story here.

• Report: Obama Admin Reaching Out To Muslim Brotherhood In Syria, Pro-West Opposition Groups Protest.(WorldTribune).WASHINGTON — The administration of President Barack Obama has been quietly consulting with the Islamic opposition in Syria.Senior U.S. officials have been meeting with the Muslim Brotherhood as well as its lobbyists in the United States. They said the two sides have convened several times over the last three months to discuss the Brotherhood’s role after the ouster of President Bashar Assad.“We ask the U.S. and international community to put an end to bloodshed and send Bashar Assad to the International Criminal Court,” Susan Misto, a board member of the Syrian American Council, said.The Reform Party in Syria has protested the administration’s meetings with the Brotherhood. RPS, regarded as one of the most pro-Western elements in the Syrian opposition, said Washington was signaling its endorsement of the Brotherhood’s goal to make Syria into an Islamic state rather than a democracy that would foster its large minority community of Alawites, Christians and Kurds.“This ill-advised policy of the U.S. State Department will have dire consequences, not only for the future of Syria, but also through an immediate increase in violence and the strengthening of the Assad base,” RPS said on Sept. 23.On Sept. 24, the council, regarded as a lobbyist for the Brotherhood, held a meeting in Anaheim, Calif. to discuss a post-Assad Syria. The session was addressed by U.S. special envoy Frederic Hof, responsible for U.S. policy on Damascus.“As Syrian-Americans we stand in solidarity with the peaceful protestors in Syria who are giving their lives daily in the pursuit of freedom and liberty,” Ms. Misto said.This marked at least the second session between the State Department and the Brotherhood in as many months. The first meeting was headed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and excluded members of the secular Syrian opposition.Hmmmm.......Lets rename them the "Obama Brotherhood"?Read the full story here.

• The Russian 'Bear" showing his Claws?Russian Supreme Court Scraps Muslim Holidays.(Rainovosti).The Russian Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed a decision to declare the two main Muslim holidays - Eid al-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr - regular working days in the mainly Muslim republic of Bashkiria.On September 22, the Supreme Court ruled that the two religious holidays, which have traditionally been public holidays in Bashkiria, should be normal working days.The initial decision was taken by the Supreme Court after a resident of Ufa, the capital of Bashkiria, complained that public holidays during these two events "violate his constitutional right to work."The decision was reversed after the republic's government sent an appeal to the Supreme Court."The next Eid al-Adha will be held on November 6 in Bashkiria, and it will be a public holiday, as always," a spokesman for the parliament of Bashkiria said.A law establishing Eid al-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr as public holidays was adopted in 1992 in Bashkiria.Hmmmm........Putin steering a new course?Read the full story here.

• USA: Hizb ut-Tahrir Leader Calls for Muslim Armies to Unite, Speaks of “Sheikh Obama”.(LogansWarning).Tonight we get to take another look at the insidious Islamic movement that it taking place in America. This is the second video that is posted here from the Hizb ut-Tahrir America’s, June 26Th Khilafah Conference 2011. In the first one Muhammed Abu called for Sharia Law to the chants of “Allah Akbar”. In this video we see Abu Attallah call for the Muslim armies to unite. Also calling for an Islamic dress code and no free mixing between men and women. At one point he mentions “Sheikh Obama”. He probably meant Sheikh Osama, but that is some slip up. Why would he have Obama on his mind during an Islamic conference? This part can be viewed at the 5:50 mark. But please take the time to watch this very important video. These people are out to destroy America as we know it, and our government is allowing them to plot in our backyard. If it were up to me they would be charged with treason, locked up, and deported if possible.Read and see the full story here.

• Turkish cartoonist to be put on trial for renouncing God.(HurriyetDaily).A Turkish cartoonist will be put on trial for a caricature he drew in which he renounced god, daily Habertürk reported on its website Wednesday.The Istanbul chief public prosecutor's office charged cartoonist Bahadır Baruter with "insulting the religious values adopted by a part of the population" and requested his imprisonment for up to one year.Baruter's caricature depicted an imam and believers praying in a mosque. One of the characters is talking to God on his cellphone and asking to be pardoned from the last part of the prayer because he has errands to run.Within the wall decorations of the mosque, Baruter hid the words, "There is no Allah, religion is a lie." The cartoon was published in the weekly "Penguen" humor magazine.Turkish Religous Affairs and Foundation Members' Union and some citizens filed complaints against Baruter.The public prosecutor's office accepted the complaints and filed a lawsuit against the cartoonist.Hmmmm.....Welcome to 'secular Turkey'.Read the full story here.

• FT Report That Greek Bailout Package On The Verge Of Collapse After Surge In Greek Funding Needs Sends Stocks, Euro Plunging From Highs.(ZeroHedge).Wondering what just caused the market to slump? Take a wild guess. That's right - Greece. Minutes after Greece passed a vote in which it promised to promise to promise to consider collecting 1998-1999 taxes (even as all of its tax collectors are about to go on permanent strike), the FT was breaking news that while the Troika was "bailing out" Greece in the past years, the country was spending itself into an even greater oblivion. As a result, the terms of the July 21 Second Greek Bailout will most certainly need to be renegotiated, with banks having to take even greater write downs on the bond exchange, and with far more capital having to be injected into the country. The result is the France and the ECB are panicking because as we all know, any additional write downs will expose just how undercapitalized French banks already are (no need to even mention the world's most toxic hedge fund: Trichet et Cie). Should this story pick up traction, look for Europe to open limit down again tomorrow. From the FT:

A split has opened in the eurozone over the terms of Greece’s second €109bn bail-out with as many as seven of the bloc’s 17 members arguing for private creditors to swallow a bigger writedown on their Greek bond holdings, according to senior European officials.The divisions have emerged amid mounting concerns that Athens’ funding needs are much bigger than estimated just two months ago. They threaten to unpick a painfully negotiated deal reached with private sector bond holders in July.While hardliners in Germany and the Netherlands are leading the calls for more losses to be imposed on the private sector, France and the European Central Bank are fiercely resisting any such move. They fear re-opening the bond deal could spark renewed selling of shares in European banks, which have significant holdings of Greek and other peripheral eurozone debt.Because of the recent economic downturn and Greece’s slow implementation of austerity measures, officials estimate Athens’ funding needs over the next three years have grown beyond the €172bn forecast this summer. The scale of the shortfall will be determined by international lenders over the next few weeks.So let's get this straight: the funding hole was €109 billion two months ago, and it is €172 billion, an incremental diferential of €63 billion in two months, or €360 billion annualized.

...Pardon us, while we...HA HA HA HA HA HA.We apologize but...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.Read the full story here.

• Germany's Anti-Muslim Scene.Authorities Debate Surveillance of Islamophobes.(Spiegel).Islamophobes in Germany could come under increased surveillance by the country's domestic intelligence agency. There are concerns that the anti-Muslim scene is becoming increasingly dangerous, and some intelligence officials want it to be subject to greater scrutiny, despite stringent German privacy laws.The subject will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday between the president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Heinz Fromm, and the agency's leaders in the 16 German states. Officials in Bavaria are considering putting right-wing populists under observation as a new form of extremism, while Hamburg has declared it is watching an internet discussion forum similar to anti-Islamic website "Politically Incorrect" (PI).A spokesman from the North Rhine-Westphalia interior ministry told the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper that PI was not currently under observation by intelligence agents, but that the blog was being read closely and that the opinions and comments published on it were "undemocratic." The xenophobic comments were calculated to "incite young people", the spokesman added.Most states are reluctant, however, and the federal interior ministry has also not yet committed itself on the matter. In essence, the question is whether the hatred of Muslims is enough to endanger freedom of religion and international understanding -- or whether it is a radical but legitimate expression of opinion by individual authors within the limits of the constitution.Read the full story here.

• Iran equips navy with 'cruise' missile, plans deployment near US waters.(HurriyetDaily).Iran has equipped its naval forces with a short range "cruise missile," able to hit targets in coastal areas and warships within "200 kilometers," the country's defense minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday."Today we are witnessing the equipping of the Guards navy and army navy with ample numbers of the Qader cruise missile," General Ahmad Vahidi said, quoted by his ministry's website referring to the elite Revolutionary Guards who are tasked with defending Iranian waters in the Gulf."It has 200 km range and has ability to be launched quickly against warships and costal targets. It flies in low altitude, has high destructive power, [and is] lightweight with high precision," he added.He added that it could be fired from the coast or from vessels of different classes, increasing considerable the operational ability of the forces.Iran's navy commander, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, said on Tuesday that Iran was planning to deploy ships close to US territorial waters, without saying when.The Qader missile was unveiled last month by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with Iranian officials dubbing it a "cruise missile" built entirely by local experts. The president said Iran's military arsenal was defensive, aimed at ensuring the country's "enemies do not dare attack."Iran in the past two years has increased development, testing and unveiling of new "indigenous" military equipment, including missiles.The Iranian navy recently boosted its presence in international waters, sending vessels into the Indian Ocean to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates.It also sent two ships into the Mediterranean for the first time in February, via the Suez Canal, to the annoyance of Israel and the United States.Iranian naval forces are mainly composed of small units equipped with missiles in the Gulf and operating under the control of the Revolutionary Guards.Read the full story here.

• Inspire Editor Yahya Ibrahim On 9/11: "The Greatest Special Operation Of All Time"(Memri).Note to media and government: For a full copy of this report, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.In a lead article in the seventh issue of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine, titled "The Greatest Special Operation Of all time: The Expeditions Of Washington D.C. And New York," magazine editor-in-chief Yahya Ibrahim sets out the reasons behind the 9/11 attacks and the consequences of the attacks for the U.S.Read the full story here.