FBI watching you - on FB????

From Homeland Security News Wire:

FBI seeks system to monitor social networking sites

10 February, 2012

The FBI, seeking to monitor conversations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, recently placed a request for information from technology companies to develop a system capable of automatically sifting through the torrents of “publicly available” data for keywords relating to terrorism, crime, and other matters of national security

FBI developing social media monitoring system // Source: indiafry.com

The FBI is the latest in a long line of federal agencies seeking to monitor conversations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

The bureau recently placed a request for information from technology companies to develop a system capable of automatically sifting through the torrents of “publicly available” data for keywords relating to terrorism, crime, and other matters of national security....


Much more here.

Female Soldiers help bridge Afghanistan culture gap

February 7, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Jason Epperson, 4-25th ABCT

BiBi Mohammed, a linguist and interpreter from Pakistan, discusses with the Task Force Spartan Female Engagement Team the cultural differences regarding females from the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Jan. 24, 2012, at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan.


KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Feb. 7, 2012) -- "To boldly go where no man has gone before" could be a mission statement for a group of paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Spartan.

Twenty-five female Soldiers from the Alaska-based brigade are assigned to Female Engagement Teams, or FETs, whose mission is to interact with women and children in Khowst and Paktya provinces in Afghanistan.

The country's cultural norms restrict most direct communication between men and women, making the FETs an important part of building connections with the local population.

"We can interact with 50 percent of the population that the males cannot even look at, so we have that access," said 1st Lt. Jennifer Simmons, Task Force Spartan Female Engagement Team officer-in-charge. "We can also get that information a woman is willing to share with another woman. On [one team's] first mission, their battle space owner said in a situation report that the most significant information came from the FET."

Because the FETs often patrol with infantry units, physical fitness is a priority, according to Simmons.

"The terrain can be a factor," Simmons said. "They may or may not go up hills or just long distances in general. You never know what type of situation you're going to get in, so you need to be able to climb a wall with your full kit. [Since] we are attached to line units we do not want to place ourselves or our comrades in a position where we are the weaker link because of physical fitness."

Simmons said it's challenging having two-woman teams per platoon spread out between both provinces.

"It's harder to get everyone here for training and keeping an eye on everyone to make sure they're being used properly or if there are issues that need to be addressed," Simmons said.

Staff Sgt. Chanice Morgan, a special electronic devices repairer assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment, Task Force Blue Geronimo, Task Force Spartan is attached to the FET.

"I went through a month of training at JRTC (Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.) and [Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska]" Morgan said. "That kind of prepared us. It gave us the basic idea of what we'd be doing."

Though she said the training taught her the basics of the culture, seeing day-to-day life in Afghanistan was an eye-opening experience for the Cincinnati native.

"The culture is so different than ours. [I've seen] big animals in the house like cows and chickens running around," Morgan said. "It's just different."

Spc. Shawnte Rollins, a field artillery surveyor assigned to B Company, Task Force Blue Geronimo is also a FET member.

She said some of the Afghan women genuinely appreciate the opportunity to speak to the FET Soldiers.

"Sometimes we have to ask politely to leave," Rollins said. "They just don't want us to leave. A lot of times we will talk about their health and their family."

"I love my job," Rollins said. "When I first went through the training I wasn't sure how it was going to work with me, [because] I never worked with women like this before. I love the FET team. I believe it's a good idea for the Army to keep it going."

(c) US Army

Rest In Peace Florence Green

Last known Service person from WWI dies

A History and Honour news article

8 Feb 12

The world's last known surviving Service person from the First World War has died aged 110.

Florence Green during her service with the Women's Royal Air Force in 1918 [Picture: via MOD]

Florence Green, who served as a mess steward at RAF bases in Marham and Narborough, died in her sleep on Saturday 4 February 2012.

Mrs Green, who was a member of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF), was thought to be the last surviving Service person from the time of the First World War. The world's last known combat veteran of the war, Briton Claude Choules, died in Australia aged 110 on 5 May 2011.

The last three First World War veterans living in the UK - Bill Stone, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch - all died in 2009.

Mrs Green's husband Walter, an army veteran who served in both world wars, died aged 82 in 1975.

Born in London before moving to Norfolk, Mrs Green was 17 years old when she joined the WRAF on 13 September 1918 - two months before the armistice.

Mrs Green worked as a waitress at RAF bases in Norfolk and left the Service on 18 July 1919.

Florence Green is presented with a 109th birthday cake by Leading Aircraftwoman Hannah Shaw from RAF Marham [Picture: Senior Aircraftman Chris Hill, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

She then moved to work in a hotel in King's Lynn and in her spare time she was heavily involved with the Royal British Legion.

Mrs Green's youngest daughter, June Evetts, said:

"I never heard anyone say a bad word about her. She would never blow her own trumpet and certainly wouldn't shout about the fact she was the last veteran. She was very proud of what she did and we are all very proud of her. Her death does close the book on the First World War as there are no veterans left now."

Speaking in 2010, Mrs Green said she had served breakfast, lunch and tea in the WRAF and had got to know many different people during her service.

Women in the WRAF had to undertake a variety of jobs and were used as drivers, mechanics, cooks and office clerks. At first they were based in Britain, but later about 500 women served in France and Germany.

The WRAF was disbanded on 1 April 1920.

Group Captain David Cooper, Station Commander at RAF Marham, said in a statement he was very sad to hear that Mrs Green had died and added that members of the Royal Air Force would be at her funeral.

Florence Green (circled, top right) served as a mess steward in the Women's Royal Air Force at RAF bases in Marham and Narborough [Picture: via MOD]

On Mrs Green's 109th birthday, Wing Commander Adrian Burns and mess steward Hannah Shaw, from RAF Marham, visited her to present her with a birthday cake.

Andrew Robathan, Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, said:

"I am very sorry to learn of the death of Florence Green, the last known surviving veteran of World War One.

"As we approach the centenary of the start of World War One, Florence's passing helps to highlight the many Service personnel, including some 80,000 women, who served in support roles during that conflict.

"When we think of the First World War, public focus naturally falls on those in the trenches, afloat in warships or in aerial sorties over the front lines. But none of those activities would have been possible without the work of the supply, logistic and support personnel often located far away from the battlefields. They contributed greatly to the Allied victory.

"I am sure that neither Florence nor her colleagues ever imagined that she would be the last survivor of that terrible war.

"Her sad passing is a major milestone in the history of this nation and of the world. Indeed, it is the end of an era. I send my condolences to her family and friends."

(c) MoD

NASA: Full Moon Over Washington

Full Moon Over Washington

A United States Marine Corps helicopter is seen flying through this scene of the full moon and the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, from Arlington National Cemetery.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The Third Jihad Big in the News

From StopRadicalIslam. org:

CAIR attack: Cultural Jihad in Action

1/31/12

The Third Jihad

By Wayne Kopping

In May 2010, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg posited that the individual who packed a Nissan Pathfinder full of explosives and parked it in Times Square, was likely a homegrown American “with a political agenda who doesn't like the health care bill or something.”

Fortunately, the car bomb did not detonate.

The terrorist turned out to be Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen. And, not surprisingly, Shahzad wasn't upset about the health care bill. After pleading guilty in court he said, “I consider myself a Mujahid, a Muslim-soldier.” He was upset, as he put it, over “American occupation of Muslim Lands.”

Shortly after the attack, Bloomberg prematurely asserted that there was no evidence suggesting the bomber was part of any recognized terror network. Shahzad later told the court he trained with the Pakistani Taliban to learn bomb-making and other related skills.

Could it be that Bloomberg has underestimated the threat of Islamist terror, or is there another agenda?

The issue has again become relevant in recent days. The New York Times ran a series of articles and editorials blaming the NYPD for using the film The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America as part of their counter-terrorism training.

The articles calling the film, "a Dark Film on U.S. Muslims" and a “Hateful Film,” are riddled with inaccuracies and omissions.

Following publication of the articles, Mayor Bloomberg stated that NYPD used “terrible judgment” in showing the film, despite admitting that he had never seen it.

We were not aware that the NYPD was using the film, but when we learned of it some months ago, we were pleased that the officers would have an opportunity to learn about the indoctrination taking place in certain segments of Muslim society in America. The film reveals what viewers are unlikely to see on the evening news: What terrorists, radical preachers and Islamists are saying in their own words, in their own mosques and media, to their followers.

The film exposes how radicals employ the dual strategies of “violent Jihad,” along with a “cultural Jihad,” through which Islamist groups use coercion and non-violent means to gradually expand their influence over Western society.

Now, Mayor Bloomberg, The New York Times and others want to bar law enforcement officers from seeing the film. The question is, why?

We reject, outright, the charge that our film is anti-Muslim or that it casts a shadow over the entire Muslim community. In fact, we go to great lengths throughout the film to differentiate the radical Islamists from peaceful Muslims. The film is narrated by, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim-American, who has dedicated his life to exposing the threat of radical Islam.

Our critics have failed to mention these points and have chosen not to challenge the film on the merits of its thesis or content.

Perhaps the reason Mayor Bloomberg wants The Third Jihad banned is the same reason he insinuated the Times Square bomber was a health care terrorist — namely, CAIR.

CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) is one of many Muslim interest groups that purport to represent the Islamic community in America, but in reality have well established ties to Hamas and other terror groups.

CAIR was designated by the U.S. Justice Department for its role in terror financing during the nation’s largest-ever trial on the subject. As a result, the FBI has officially severed all ties with the “advocacy organization.”

Outside of its support for terror organizations, CAIR works to quickly and effectively to silence any discussions about radical Islam by playing the racism card and accusing critics of Islamophobia. CAIR’s devices are effective.

As soon as the current story broke, CAIR immediately branded the film "anti-Muslim propaganda" in a press release. This was followed by a CAIR-led protest on the steps of City Hall calling for the resignation of the NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The entire episode could have been a chapter in The Third Jihad. We are now seeing “cultural Jihad” in action. In order to avoid agitating Muslim constituents, Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly are backing away from the film, regardless of its merits.

The net result is that CAIR, a designated Muslim interest group with ties to terror financing, is now telling the NYPD how it should go about fighting terror. If that's not the ultimate act of subversion, I don't know what is.

Wayne Kopping is the director and editor of The Third Jihad

Watch the film here.

Giuliani: Obama Has 'No Clue' What Is Going On in Middle East

Ya think? From Israel National News comes this:

by Rachel Hirshfeld

Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, spoke to Sean Hannity of Fox News about the dangers of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons as well as other pressing issues plaguing the region.

Giuliani said that President Obama has “no clue” what is going on in the Middle East and that he is living in a “fairly naïve world.”

Giuliani stated that Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism and for the American administration not to treat it as such is simply “mindboggling.” He said America, whose military capabilities far surpass those of Iran, should be willing and prepared to use military actions against the regime. Part of the problem, Giuliani noted, lies in the fact that Iran views Obama as a “weak president” and does not feel threatened by the possibility of America taking military actions.

In response to Hannity’s questions regarding the increasing unrest in Egypt, the radical Muslim Brotherhood coming to power and the current American hostage situation, Giuliani replied that this was “the risk everyone was worried about… pushing over Mubarak too quickly” and not having “any real sense of who is taking over.” He said that while Mubarak was a “bad dictator” he maintained ‘good’ relations with Israel, did not pose a threat to the United States and did not take hostages.

Giuliani stated, “I don’t know why we haven’t reacted more strongly” with regard to the 19 Americans being taken hostage in Egypt for, allegedly, inciting “unrest.” He said that this is an “insane Islamic extremist act” and that the Obama administration continues to act “nonchalantly.”

With regards to the presidential race and leading Republican candidates, Giuliani said that the key objective remains defeating Obama. He said that while the economy is a pressing issue, the next American president must be willing to forcefully take on vital national security concerns.

Quote: the Obama administration continues to act “nonchalantly.” Of course he does, because he IS 'clueless.'


Pay attention, folks!

By the numbers: ex-Soviet mathematicians changed mathematics in U.S.

From Homeland Security News Wire, an interesting column:

Mathematics

Influx of ex-Soviet mathematicians changed mathematics in U.S.

Published 8 February, 2012

One of the little-noticed effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 was the way in which math is studied and taught in the United States; Soviet mathematicians who came to the United States reduced the role of American mathematicians in certain specialties, and in some specialties the likelihood of a competing American mathematician producing a top research paper has declined

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 brought an influx of Soviet mathematicians to U.S. institutions, and these scholars’ differing areas of specialization have changed the way math is studied and taught in this country, according to new research by University of Notre Dame economist Kirk Doran and George Borjas from Harvard University...

Much more here.