Funny, I thought 9/11 was indirectly caused by decades of US government support of brutal regimes throughout the Middle East.
More directly, it was caused by Dubya ignoing Richard Clarke for 8 months, by initially cutting the FBI's funding for anti-terrorism activities and by ignoring an NSA briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in America" in August 2001 while he was on vacation.
Clinton shares some blame for 9/11, but remember, the same people who are now blaming him for NOT going after him back in 96-99 are the ones who said that, when he TRIED going after Bin Laden in Afghanistan in 96, he was shooting cruise missles as a diversion away from the Monica Lewinsky affair!
Can't have it both ways: either he tried to go for it and the Republicans slammed his efforts as a diversion or he didn't go after him enough, according to Republicans. Well?
Bin Laden escaped and 9\11 happened because of internal US partisan politics rather than ANY "focus on fighting the cold war". The warning and urging were there, but politicians, especially GWB, didn't listen.
THAT is the problem, not any military navel gazing. The military is one of those few organizations that is actually designed to change quickly when ordered to do so...no politician had the guts to give the order.
I'll use my spare cpu cycles as I damn well see fit thank you. If YOU want to do folding for cancer, go for it. I for one will continue to run seti@home because I for one see it as valueable. You clearly do not. So be it.
But don't try pushing your idea of right and wrong on me or many of the others that choose to look for ETI rather than folding for cancer.
Aliens may not be there? Well "folding" may not find a cure for cancer ("cancer" of course, being a popular turn of phrase for literally dozens of diseases - curing breast cancer may not help anyone with leukemia, but I digress). I'll "waste" my time any way I feel like.
Now, if I were to say something like "why doesn't the US spend 1 months worth of the cost of the Iraq war on cancer research and find a cure " but I would instantly be labeled a troll, so I won't.
I'll just say I urge ALL of you out there to run SOMETHING, anything, of your choice and share your spare CPU cycles for the betterment of society, be it seti@home or folding@home or something else.
Just check the holier-than-thou judgements at the door.
As an Ontario Employee of MTS Allstream, I have to say, this will change soon. With the recent merger of MTS and Allstream, MTS has access to Allstreams national IP network.
Well I suppose I'm being trolled but just in case you are actually serious here is my response:
1) I present my "religous" orientation to make a point that the 'Christain' in the CSM does not perclude it being an important source of information to non-Christians. BTW, Buddhism is more of a philisophical and ethical practice rather than a religion, in the strict Abrahamic sense of religion. So technically I have no religious orientation anyway.
2) Evolution has been proven, over and over again. Evolution has mountains of evidence from varying fields. In scientific terms, this makes it a "Theory", with the same wieght of fact as the "Theory" of Gravity or the "Theory" of Relativilty. Creationism is a hypothosis, with no supporting evidence. Pehaps someday it will gain enough evidence to become a Theory but it is not looking that way - to prove Creationism, one must prove the existance of "God", a pretty daunting task. As for evolution, think aboutit next time you are in a hospital - a bacteria called defacile is currently the scourge of many ER and hospitals in Montreal. Defacile (literally meaning "difficult" in French) is an anti-biotic resistant "Superbug". It was brought into being by the over-use of anti-biotics;that is, it evolved in the face of evolutionary pressure that killed other bacterium allowing the mutation that was resistant to the particular anti-biotic to thrive and reproduce. This is but one example of evolution by natural selection that has been observed within a single human life span. There are orchids in the Hawiian islands that are being observed diverging into 3 different species - human observed speciation.
These are but a few examples of the evidence that is continually proving evolution. Now, if you would care to present evidence that proves Creationism, I'd be glad to hear it.
While I would be the first be suspicious of any religious based "newspaper", I must tell you that in the would of Journalism, the CSM is actually quite well respected. Despite it's obvious tie to a Christian denomination, it is know as a very fair and balanced newspaper and I believe has won the Pulitzer Prize in the past.
Perhaps because it displays its origin in the masthead, you know what you might be getting when you pick it up - unlike newspaper like those owned by Canwest in Canada or by Lord Conrad Black, which are right-wing shill rags trying to pretend to be fair and balanced.
Don't let the "Christian" part put you off. They will report science such as Evolution as fact and not try to give equal wieght to unproven ideas such as "Creationism". This is very different than most other "newspapers" with the word "Christian" in the title.
It's really a good, balanced source of news. I like it and I'm a Buddhist!:-)
"I assert that no essential behavior on a web-page requires Javascript -- it's ALL needless."
There you go. You've just shown your ignorance. For simple web pages I would agree, but this vulnerablility is for, and demonstrated in, a web application.
As other posters have pointed out, you cannot get some features of an application without using Javascript.
So, until the world starts using something like Webstart and downloadable, secure thick clients via the web, the browser is all that we have. Perhaps this vulnerability will be fixed at the browser level so that the needed use of Javascript can be made safer.
Can you provide an alternative that will allow these rich client features in a UI available over the web?
So why does it have to be "Linux VS everything else" (like Windows, Solaris, xBSD, etc)? Why can't it be "Linux AND everything else"? I think there's room for everything...right tool for the job and all that.
"Voting equipment today is just about as good as it has ever been in the country's history."
Sorry by MS windows based touch screens storing data in MS Access is just not as good as a pen and a piece of paper and 10 scrutineers counting by hand. A kid in highschool could hack that.
Electronic voting of this nature is quite new and if there is even a possibility that there could have been this kind of fraud, it is prudent to investigate whether it will eventually change the outcome of this particular election or not.
You wouldn't trust your personal data or credit card information to a company that stored it on an ordinary Windows computer using Access, why would you trust your votes to the same?
If the the process is so open, what has happened with Blackboxvoting.orgs FOIA request? As a matter of fact, what happened the blackboxvoting.org today?
I suspect any investigation will likely show that Bush really did win. That's beside the point. Do you really want there to be a possibility in the future of someone using the techniques mentioned in the articles to alter election results?
Think of this as an ethical hacker informing a big company of an enormous hole in their firewall (or other devastating security violation). Don't attack the hacker, fix the fucking hole.
Or it really happened just like the article says it did.
Just because you don't like the messagner don't attack the message. If this is all just whining and tinfiol headwear, let the FBI or an independant council investigate the allegations and either prove or disprove them. Either way, it is good for your country because:
1) The conspiracy nuts will be exposed for the idiots they are and no one will pay attention to them anymore or
2) The votes will be accurately counted and person who should rightfully be the president will be president (hey, it might even be Bush). The excercise will confirm democracy and the (in)accruacy of the voting machines. Only good can come of that.
3) A vast right-wing consipracy of Orwellian proportions will be uncovered and thwarted. Again, good for the country (and the world).
Considering that the possible method of vote fraud was shown on live TV well before the election has me questioning the security of the electronic ballot box. that the machines run Windows and store the data in Access makes me worry even more.
Think of an investigation into this as a way for GWB to re-establish the voters trust in the electoral process that was destroyed in 2000. After all, if you don't have trust in the security of the ballot box, you aren't likely to vote. And if you aren't likely to vote because you don't trust the system, then American democracy has already failed.
So only good can come from looking into this.
Unless the Republicans really do have something to hide....
Your President is an unpatriotic and disrespectful caricature of every other President you've had.
I guess its only fair....
BTW, the whole idea of making upatriotic, disrespectful caricatures is called statire and it's still considered free speech, even in the US (at least until Ashcroft can get Patriot Act III through in about 6 months).
Hey why not win on hate. GWB managed to win on hatred of all those who are NOT middle American white working class. And the senate reaces house races and governor races prove that. Hatred of foreigners and 'liberals' - the old 'you are with us or against us' attitude.
You have a president that can barely speak English and has never left the country before becoming President - he mostly tooled arouned Texas snorting coke and dodging the draft. And yet he is expected to make important descisions on foreign policy about countries and cultures he can't even pronounce.
Your country IS ruled by "Stupid inbred Wal Mart shopping hicks", the second term just proves it.
You know what's worse?
A great deal of what was previously labelled 'anti-American' sentiment was almost always preceeded with the disclaimer 'we are against the administration not the American people', since it is the general consensus of the rest of the world that GWB stole the election in 2000. Well not anymore. It is clear that the majority of the people of the United States (no matter how slim) approve of GWB and his policies. Now the anti-American sentiment WILL be aimed at the people, not just the administration.
And dare I say that has made American citizens a lot less safe, not more.
You have the government you deserve. Have a fun 4 years. Try not to kill too much of the rest of the world between now and then.
Don't take this as anger because it really is not. It is genuine pity and concern. You had the chance to right things and chose not to. And now the rest of the world will likely have to pay fopr the violent death throws of a once great country. It's really sad. The US had so much pontential for good, but has become another Imperial power destined for the dust-bin of history.
Agreed. And it's the same up here. It doesn't matter if you PAID your taxes, it matters that Revenue Canada has your address and sent you you tax form (this info is shared with Elections Canada to create the voter's list, which is shared for all elections - federal, provincial or municipal).
That's it.
And if that isn't right or you don't pay taxes (like University students), you simply show up to the polling station in your riding with some documentation as to your identity and proof that you live in the riding - like a lease agreement, a phone, cable, sewer bill etc (even a Visa statment is acceptable, as long as it has you name and adress on it and you have another form of picture ID that proves you are the person on the bill).
Very simple and verey effective.
We also mark an X on a paper ballot, which is then scanned so we get both electronic counting and paper ballots in the event of a recount. And we usually know the winner of the Election the night of the election (In 2000, our government called an election, had a 36 day campaign, voted and declared the winner and started back to business between the time of your election and the date the Supreme Court appointed GWB).
Just an FYI that Canada is not some draconian place. We have a pretty effective democracy up here.
Why do you need to register as a party supporter? Up here in Canada, the voting list is automatic via the tax rolls and you can register at the polling station right before you vote, if they messed something up. It takes about 10 extra minutes (as long as you have your driver's licence and\or a recent phone or hydro bill with you name and address on it to prove residency in the riding).
Not dissing you, but I don't have to say whether I'm and NDP, Liberal, Green, Bloc or Conservative supporter at all - that's what the ballot is for. Why is it that you have to do that down there? Really, I've always been curious of that and it's never been explained.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry...read one too many anti-seti postings that day....
Funny, I thought 9/11 was indirectly caused by decades of US government support of brutal regimes throughout the Middle East.
More directly, it was caused by Dubya ignoing Richard Clarke for 8 months, by initially cutting the FBI's funding for anti-terrorism activities and by ignoring an NSA briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in America" in August 2001 while he was on vacation.
Clinton shares some blame for 9/11, but remember, the same people who are now blaming him for NOT going after him back in 96-99 are the ones who said that, when he TRIED going after Bin Laden in Afghanistan in 96, he was shooting cruise missles as a diversion away from the Monica Lewinsky affair!
Can't have it both ways: either he tried to go for it and the Republicans slammed his efforts as a diversion or he didn't go after him enough, according to Republicans. Well?
Bin Laden escaped and 9\11 happened because of internal US partisan politics rather than ANY "focus on fighting the cold war". The warning and urging were there, but politicians, especially GWB, didn't listen.
THAT is the problem, not any military navel gazing. The military is one of those few organizations that is actually designed to change quickly when ordered to do so...no politician had the guts to give the order.
Even better...
Thanks
Well, for one, it might put a few smug Xtian fundementalists in their place...
That alone makes it worth it....
I'll use my spare cpu cycles as I damn well see fit thank you. If YOU want to do folding for cancer, go for it. I for one will continue to run seti@home because I for one see it as valueable. You clearly do not. So be it.
But don't try pushing your idea of right and wrong on me or many of the others that choose to look for ETI rather than folding for cancer.
Aliens may not be there? Well "folding" may not find a cure for cancer ("cancer" of course, being a popular turn of phrase for literally dozens of diseases - curing breast cancer may not help anyone with leukemia, but I digress). I'll "waste" my time any way I feel like.
Now, if I were to say something like "why doesn't the US spend 1 months worth of the cost of the Iraq war on cancer research and find a cure " but I would instantly be labeled a troll, so I won't.
I'll just say I urge ALL of you out there to run SOMETHING, anything, of your choice and share your spare CPU cycles for the betterment of society, be it seti@home or folding@home or something else.
Just check the holier-than-thou judgements at the door.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
As an Ontario Employee of MTS Allstream, I have to say, this will change soon. With the recent merger of MTS and Allstream, MTS has access to Allstreams national IP network.
Well I suppose I'm being trolled but just in case you are actually serious here is my response:
1) I present my "religous" orientation to make a point that the 'Christain' in the CSM does not perclude it being an important source of information to non-Christians. BTW, Buddhism is more of a philisophical and ethical practice rather than a religion, in the strict Abrahamic sense of religion. So technically I have no religious orientation anyway.
2) Evolution has been proven, over and over again. Evolution has mountains of evidence from varying fields. In scientific terms, this makes it a "Theory", with the same wieght of fact as the "Theory" of Gravity or the "Theory" of Relativilty. Creationism is a hypothosis, with no supporting evidence. Pehaps someday it will gain enough evidence to become a Theory but it is not looking that way - to prove Creationism, one must prove the existance of "God", a pretty daunting task. As for evolution, think aboutit next time you are in a hospital - a bacteria called defacile is currently the scourge of many ER and hospitals in Montreal. Defacile (literally meaning "difficult" in French) is an anti-biotic resistant "Superbug". It was brought into being by the over-use of anti-biotics;that is, it evolved in the face of evolutionary pressure that killed other bacterium allowing the mutation that was resistant to the particular anti-biotic to thrive and reproduce. This is but one example of evolution by natural selection that has been observed within a single human life span. There are orchids in the Hawiian islands that are being observed diverging into 3 different species - human observed speciation.
These are but a few examples of the evidence that is continually proving evolution. Now, if you would care to present evidence that proves Creationism, I'd be glad to hear it.
While I would be the first be suspicious of any religious based "newspaper", I must tell you that in the would of Journalism, the CSM is actually quite well respected. Despite it's obvious tie to a Christian denomination, it is know as a very fair and balanced newspaper and I believe has won the Pulitzer Prize in the past.
:-)
Perhaps because it displays its origin in the masthead, you know what you might be getting when you pick it up - unlike newspaper like those owned by Canwest in Canada or by Lord Conrad Black, which are right-wing shill rags trying to pretend to be fair and balanced.
Don't let the "Christian" part put you off. They will report science such as Evolution as fact and not try to give equal wieght to unproven ideas such as "Creationism". This is very different than most other "newspapers" with the word "Christian" in the title.
It's really a good, balanced source of news. I like it and I'm a Buddhist!
Hope that helps...
"I assert that no essential behavior on a web-page requires Javascript -- it's ALL needless."
There you go. You've just shown your ignorance. For simple web pages I would agree, but this vulnerablility is for, and demonstrated in, a web application.
As other posters have pointed out, you cannot get some features of an application without using Javascript.
So, until the world starts using something like Webstart and downloadable, secure thick clients via the web, the browser is all that we have. Perhaps this vulnerability will be fixed at the browser level so that the needed use of Javascript can be made safer.
Can you provide an alternative that will allow these rich client features in a UI available over the web?
Come on, we're waiting...
'Insightful' my ass....
Yes, I believe it is a Cyberflex JavaCard smart card and does have the Java Card Forum standard Biometric API installed.
So all they need now is the Biometric infrastructure to use this aspect of the card. Which I beleive is what the story is pointing to.
Check out this entertaining response to HP (thanks James Gosling).
So why does it have to be "Linux VS everything else" (like Windows, Solaris, xBSD, etc)? Why can't it be "Linux AND everything else"? I think there's room for everything...right tool for the job and all that.
Just a thought.
At 12:00 noon it was down, and was for most of the day...just a little joke about the coincidence...
Oh, you mean a crazy thing called a 'reciept'?
If you wrote on that sticky note in pen and it is in a locked box, it IS safer than on a Windows computer with Access.
Still doesn't mean the allegations shouldn't be investigated.
"Voting equipment today is just about as good as it has ever been in the country's history."
Sorry by MS windows based touch screens storing data in MS Access is just not as good as a pen and a piece of paper and 10 scrutineers counting by hand. A kid in highschool could hack that.
Electronic voting of this nature is quite new and if there is even a possibility that there could have been this kind of fraud, it is prudent to investigate whether it will eventually change the outcome of this particular election or not.
You wouldn't trust your personal data or credit card information to a company that stored it on an ordinary Windows computer using Access, why would you trust your votes to the same?
If the the process is so open, what has happened with Blackboxvoting.orgs FOIA request? As a matter of fact, what happened the blackboxvoting.org today?
I suspect any investigation will likely show that Bush really did win. That's beside the point. Do you really want there to be a possibility in the future of someone using the techniques mentioned in the articles to alter election results?
Think of this as an ethical hacker informing a big company of an enormous hole in their firewall (or other devastating security violation). Don't attack the hacker, fix the fucking hole.
So, you're a Canadian too, eh?
Mark your ballot.
Election worker takes said ballot and scans it electronically, in front of you while you watch.
Election worker folds said ballot in 1/2 and hands you back said ballot.
You deposit said ballot in ballot box.
Done.
Paper ballots ALWAYS have precidence over electronic tabulation.
Not too hard at all.
Or it really happened just like the article says it did.
Just because you don't like the messagner don't attack the message. If this is all just whining and tinfiol headwear, let the FBI or an independant council investigate the allegations and either prove or disprove them. Either way, it is good for your country because:
1) The conspiracy nuts will be exposed for the idiots they are and no one will pay attention to them anymore or
2) The votes will be accurately counted and person who should rightfully be the president will be president (hey, it might even be Bush). The excercise will confirm democracy and the (in)accruacy of the voting machines. Only good can come of that.
3) A vast right-wing consipracy of Orwellian proportions will be uncovered and thwarted. Again, good for the country (and the world).
Considering that the possible method of vote fraud was shown on live TV well before the election has me questioning the security of the electronic ballot box. that the machines run Windows and store the data in Access makes me worry even more.
Think of an investigation into this as a way for GWB to re-establish the voters trust in the electoral process that was destroyed in 2000. After all, if you don't have trust in the security of the ballot box, you aren't likely to vote. And if you aren't likely to vote because you don't trust the system, then American democracy has already failed.
So only good can come from looking into this.
Unless the Republicans really do have something to hide....
Your President is an unpatriotic and disrespectful caricature of every other President you've had.
I guess its only fair....
BTW, the whole idea of making upatriotic, disrespectful caricatures is called statire and it's still considered free speech, even in the US (at least until Ashcroft can get Patriot Act III through in about 6 months).
Hey why not win on hate. GWB managed to win on hatred of all those who are NOT middle American white working class. And the senate reaces house races and governor races prove that. Hatred of foreigners and 'liberals' - the old 'you are with us or against us' attitude.
You have a president that can barely speak English and has never left the country before becoming President - he mostly tooled arouned Texas snorting coke and dodging the draft. And yet he is expected to make important descisions on foreign policy about countries and cultures he can't even pronounce.
Your country IS ruled by "Stupid inbred Wal Mart shopping hicks", the second term just proves it.
You know what's worse?
A great deal of what was previously labelled 'anti-American' sentiment was almost always preceeded with the disclaimer 'we are against the administration not the American people', since it is the general consensus of the rest of the world that GWB stole the election in 2000. Well not anymore. It is clear that the majority of the people of the United States (no matter how slim) approve of GWB and his policies. Now the anti-American sentiment WILL be aimed at the people, not just the administration.
And dare I say that has made American citizens a lot less safe, not more.
You have the government you deserve. Have a fun 4 years. Try not to kill too much of the rest of the world between now and then.
Don't take this as anger because it really is not. It is genuine pity and concern. You had the chance to right things and chose not to. And now the rest of the world will likely have to pay fopr the violent death throws of a once great country. It's really sad. The US had so much pontential for good, but has become another Imperial power destined for the dust-bin of history.
Sad, really sad.
No problem, that's what I figured.
Agreed. And it's the same up here. It doesn't matter if you PAID your taxes, it matters that Revenue Canada has your address and sent you you tax form (this info is shared with Elections Canada to create the voter's list, which is shared for all elections - federal, provincial or municipal).
That's it.
And if that isn't right or you don't pay taxes (like University students), you simply show up to the polling station in your riding with some documentation as to your identity and proof that you live in the riding - like a lease agreement, a phone, cable, sewer bill etc (even a Visa statment is acceptable, as long as it has you name and adress on it and you have another form of picture ID that proves you are the person on the bill).
Very simple and verey effective.
We also mark an X on a paper ballot, which is then scanned so we get both electronic counting and paper ballots in the event of a recount. And we usually know the winner of the Election the night of the election (In 2000, our government called an election, had a 36 day campaign, voted and declared the winner and started back to business between the time of your election and the date the Supreme Court appointed GWB).
Just an FYI that Canada is not some draconian place. We have a pretty effective democracy up here.
Why do you need to register as a party supporter? Up here in Canada, the voting list is automatic via the tax rolls and you can register at the polling station right before you vote, if they messed something up. It takes about 10 extra minutes (as long as you have your driver's licence and\or a recent phone or hydro bill with you name and address on it to prove residency in the riding).
Not dissing you, but I don't have to say whether I'm and NDP, Liberal, Green, Bloc or Conservative supporter at all - that's what the ballot is for. Why is it that you have to do that down there? Really, I've always been curious of that and it's never been explained.
BTW, the above post is mine. Damn post anaonymously button too close to the preview button...not enough coffee...
Anyway, flame me here...
Yeah, cuz that's never happened in a Presidential election before...
Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out traitor.