Beatles Update

The tracks blogged about before are also supposed to include Maurice Williams' "Do You Believe," though Billboard was unable to verify their existence, "Twist and Shout," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Hippy Hippy Shake," "A Taste of Honey," "Money," and "Ask Me Why," which can be heard in other recorded Beatles performances at the Star Club. Steve Marinucci, who runs Abbeyrd's Beatles Page, only "A Taste of Honey" is unheard, and the "Lovesick Blues" cover isn't even by the Beatles at all. As for the sound quality, Marinucci says they are no better than earlier "Star Club" releases, which are decidedly lo-fi. The saga continues.

Profiling Killers

Graphic source: AP Photo

In this undated combination handout photo issued, Thursday, April 3, 2008 by the Metropolitan Police, the eight men on trial accused of planning to bomb airliners bound for the United States and Canada are seen, from the left, top row, Tanvir Hussain, Assad Sarwar, Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, Waheed Zaman and from the left, bottom row, Mohammed Gulzar, Arafat Waheed Khan, Ibrahim Savant and Abdul Ali, aka Ahmed Ali Khan. Eight men are accused of conspiracy to murder and a charge of planning to smuggle components for improvised explosive devices on board airplanes. Both charges carry maximum sentences of life imprisonment. The trial was due to begin on Thursday, with prosecutors outlining their case, a judge said. (AP Photo/Metropolitan Police, HO)

Profiling to recognize those who planned to harm others is not a bad idea; here are the miscreants who planned to blow up planes to kill an estimated 1,5000 people.

A Starr Is Born: Beatles Release Held Up

Graphic source: Live At The Star Club, back cover, Lingasong, Catalogue No. LNL 1, Release date 2nd May 1977.

Bootleg recordings, supposedly the first time Ringo Starr performed with the Beatles at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, will not be released until the case of ownership is resolved. A federal judge approved the agreement between Apple Corps Ltd., the London-based group formed by the Beatles, and Miami Lakes-based Fuego Entertainment, Inc. Allegedly, these are recordings the band made in 1962. Eight unreleased tracks are said to be among the recordings, including Paul McCartney singing Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" and McCartney and John Lennon singing "Ask Me Why."

I'm not sure where "Lovesick Blues" is from as it is not listed as a track on any live performance at the Star Club, c. 21-31 December 1962 in Richie Unterberger's The Unreleased Beatles Music and Film. However, "Ask Me Why" is included at that time although the tune is available on the German and the U.S. 1977 LP versions of The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, 1962 recording. "Ask" is included which became only their second B-side original and released in 1963.

World Bank States Obvious

World Bank president Robert Zoellick noted that the rising economies of China and India, along with other nations will act as alternative growth poles for the global economy. Well, duh. Zoellick’s comments coincide as U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben S Bernanke acknowledged for the first time that the US economy may be in a recession. The timing couldn't be worse. Where the fortunes of nations decline significantly are when developing nations are on the rise. Its therefore not so much that the U.S. economy has slowed, it has, but the slowdown coincides with dramatic emerging markets. Globalisation characterizes the economy of China, India, and Brazil in particular. In 1993, there were skepticism in regards to both China’s and India’s prospects however by 1998, the world looked to China to maintain currency stability amidst the turmoil of East Asia. Zoellick stated that 33 countries face potential social unrest because of the steep hike in food and energy prices.

Tactical Victory for Iraqi Security

I believe its a mistake to `tag and release' which is happening to some Mahdi fighters; however, three days after Muqtada al Sadr ordered the Mahdi Army to withdraw from the fighting in Baghdad and the Shia South, the Maliki government continued the fight. The "criminal elements" are being targeted just as the U.S. military has done. Simultaneously, the Iraqi security forces are continuing operations in Basrah. At least some military analysts are saying the Iraqis were defeated by the Sadr thugs but the good news is that they were able to logistically carry out the most sophisticated military offensive since the Saddam era, and hold their own against combat troops for the first time.

Qatar Christian?

In a non-nondescript building in Doha, Qatar's first church Our Lady of the Rosary, just opened only two weeks ago which is the first physical appearance of Christianity in that Middle Eastern country. So as not to offend Muslim sensibilities, no cross or visible sign exists to earmark the building as a Catholic church. The church does feature a metal detector though and police maintain a presence in the building.

The Catholic Church is now in negotiations to open a church in Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world where churches are not allowed.

An estimated 150,000 Christians live amongst the Muslim population of 750,000 in Qatar. The Christians are almost all foreigners from around 70 countries but the majority are from the Philippines, India, and Nigeria.

In addition to the Vatican, there was pressure from Washington to convince the Qatar emir that opening a church would promote the international image of the country.

Iraq Begins to Stand on its Own Two Feet

A summary of the past week in Iraq implies that the Iraqi government, and the performance of Iraqi security forces is improved. Notably, Salah Hassan, a senior member in Ansar al-Sunna, Iraq's Islamic state, surrendered in Kirkuk. Importantly, Coalition forces, mostly Iraqi, cleared previously held Mahdi areas--Al-Najibiyah, Al-Makkal, Al-Ashhar, Al-Zubair and Qarmat Ali. In sum, 571 Mahdis were killed, 881 were wounded, 490 were captured, and 30 surrendered in 7 days. To reach this point, representatives from Maliki's Dawa party and the Badr Organization traveled to Qom, Iran to lobby the Qods Force to get Sadr to cease fighting. In Iran, the representatives met Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, commander of Qods, and the foreign special operations branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

I could still see the situation quickly turn into a Lebanon type of situation but for the first time Iraqi security forces really stood toe-to-toe with Mahdi and held their own.

Historians Weigh in On Iraq

Historians may disagree on the politics--right, left, or center--but something like

a consensus amongst these academics would imply that most historians feel that the U.S. will be in Iraq for quite some time.

Is Iraq the New Lebanon?

A brief summary of anti-Mahdi efforts is impressive enough for Iraq since it has, at least temporarily, stunned Sadr. The synopsis includes: since Tuesday 358 Mahdi killed, 531 wounded, 343 captured, and 30 surrendered. Coalition forces killed 125 Mahdi in Baghdad, Iraqi forces killed 140 Mahdi in Basrah. From March 25-29 Mahdi had an average of 71 fighters killed per day. 69 fighters were captured per day, and another 160 wounded per day. The Coalition inflicted higher casualties than major combat against AQ in 2007. The US killed 14 Mahdi in Baghdad during separate engagements. Iraqi forces killed 4 Mahdi and captured another 30 in Babil.

Iraq with Sadr loose could be another Lebanon and if Maliki calls off the dogs now that Sadr has asked for relief, this would be a mistake. The government should keep the pressure up and press the attack until weapons are turned in, although Sadr has stated that he does not to give up his weapons.

Rogue Scanner

I've reviewed network tools with some suggestions but Rogue Scanner may be a better way to find out whether your network has any intruders on it. Before running this program you can assemble a list of every PC and device on your network. Thereafter by deploying RogueScanner you will have a list of every device on your network, including routers, printers, PCs and items. The IP and MAC addresses are listed but even more it investiages even further to find additional information such as whether the device is a workstation, printer, server, router or PC, as well as the manufacturer and model number.

You can then compare notes between your list and what the program finds with the list of devices that you know are safe and secure. If there is something that does not look famaliar then your system has been compromised.

Basra: At the Worst, Same as It Ever Was

Today's violence is more of the same and there is no clear-cut result to the day's activity at the very least. On the other hand, despite the typical mainstream Western press which misses the boat nearly all the time, the Mahdi militia is experiencing heavy losses. The Western press appears to report stories based on what it would like presented, rather than reporting what actually is occurring. Thus, Mahdi is really being tested severely, rather than Basra being a test of the admittedly fragile Iraqi government. To wit, since fighting started Tuesday 347 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were captured, and 30 surrendered. Coalition forces killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi fighters in Basra. While estimates of the Mahdi Army is debatable, most analysts postulate the Mahdi between 40,000 to 60,000. Since an estimated 1,000 Mahdi fighters were killed, captured, wounded and surrendered, the Mahdi has an attrition rate of 1.5 to 2.5 percent over the past five days. That attrition is a significant attrition.

Apple Easiest to Cherry Pick

For only two minutes work Charlie Miller, an analyst at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), a Baltimore-based security consultancy, walked away with $10,000 by hacking into a MacBook Air. The easiest exploit of the three options was the Mac OS X. The MacBook Air was running the current version of Mac OS X, 10.5.2, with all the latest security patches applied. The other two computers included a Sony Vaio VGN-TZ37CN running Ubuntu 7.10 and a Fujitsu U810 notebook running Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, were also up to date and fully patched.

Basra Analysis

The current move on Basra was inevitable. The Iraqi government, if it is to govern at all, must at some point demonstrate that it is viable, or it should be replaced. The Mahdi militia is either stronger than the Iraqi military and police elements, or it is not. The Basra fight should show us either way. Secondly, if the situation does not go well militarily, the Coalition is available to bail out the Iraqi government military. The Mahdi militia has been moot during the period of the voluntary cease fire. Thirdly, if military analysts have been savvy up to this point, it could be up to the U.S. military to wipe out the more adept members of the Mahdi militia. If they have been really clever, then Basra is a ploy to draw out, and eliminate, the rogue Mahdi elements.

With these three elements in mind, and in any case, the Basra case will be revealing.

AbiWord: Free and Lite and Easy

One of the most frustrating aspects of computing really should be one of the simplest. Where can a guy find simple, free word processing software? Either word processors are too expensive or software is incompatible with other versions. Enter AbiWord which may change all that.

I use NoteTabLite for most of my wordsmithing but word processors are more difficult since they don't always play nicely with each other. AbiWord seems to do the trick for most common uses.

For the most straightforward word processing tasks such as manipulating images AbiWord is the freebie to use. The GUI is simple and uncomplicated. It does have enough features to do more complicated tasks, without making word processing terribly complicated. I generally need a few things such as adding page numbers, date and time, and this tool includes these additional features.

The free program requires a Windows 2000 or Windows XP OS.

Sarkozy Does Not Make a Crowd

Nicolas Sarkozy has moved France closer to the U.S. and the question today as he visits Britain is whether he can perform the same feat across the English Channel.

Among the issues that Sarkozy wished to address are energy, immigration, as well as security and defense.

Sarkozy hopes that the EU can be strengthened with the participation of the British.

I already noted here that Sarkozy has made an Afghanistan pledge. He plans to add additional French troops to the effort.

Sarkozy stated: "We cannot afford to lose Afghanistan. We cannot afford to see the Taleban and Al Qaeda returning to Kabul. Whatever the cost, however difficult the victory, we cannot afford it. We must win."

Until Sarkozy, France and the U.S. have often been at odds, and Sarkozy added in her comments: "I perfectly understand that Britain should wish to keep its special relationship with the US, but that doesn't stop Britain from taking its rightful place in Europe."

I don't think three is a crowd. At this point, I see no reason why Britain and France can not contribute more to the Coalition.

Obama's Taxes

How much did Obama make last year?

On their 2006 tax return, Obama and his wife, Michelle, earned over $991,000 in 2006 and paid $277,431 on the income.

More than half of the couple's income is a direct royalty from Obama's books--nearly $507,000: The Audacity of Hope and Dreams From My Father. In 2005, Obama earned over $1,210,000 from royalties.

The Obamas earned nearly $431,000 in wages in 2006. The Senator's salary was $165,000.

The couple also earned more than $51,000 from Treehouse Foods, an Illinois-based food manufacturer where Michelle Obama served on the Treehouse board.

Before 2005, the couple had more modest incomes. Between 2000 and 2004, they earned between $207,647 and $275,123 a year.

Non-U.S. Citizens Serve in the Military

Who would fight for the U.S. if they didn't have to?

The answer to that question is the estimated 20,500 "non-U.S. citizens"--serving in all branches of the U.S. military.

Indeed, the first U.S. service member killed in the Iraq war, on March 21, 2003, was Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, a native of Guatemala.

Active-duty non-citizens who have served honorably in war on or after September 11, 2001, may "file for immediate citizenship," according to the Defense Department.

Nearly 37,000 non-citizens of the U.S. armed forces have been granted citizenship since the war on terror began in October 2001; 109 have been granted posthumously, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Another 7,300 still have their requests for citizenship pending.

Historically, we have had immigrants in the military dating back to the Revolutionary War.

Tepid Network Solutions Bows to Islamic Pressure

American hosting services can accommodate military service personnel being shot but goodness gracious they can not show a Dutch politician who was planning to release a film critical of Islam.

The tepid hosting service, Network Solutions, said it was investigating complaints on hate language. The Terms of Service excludes "material that is obscene, defamatory, libellous, unlawful, harassing, abusive... hate propaganda" and "profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable material of any kind or nature."

Dutch politician Geert Wilders says the 15-minute film describes Islam as "the enemy of freedom." If this is hate language, then we are all in trouble.

The film has effectively been silenced by protests in many Muslim countries and condemned by Iran and Pakistan.

Wilders' film is entitled Fitna, Arabic for strife or discord, usually religious.

Wilders stated that "Islamic ideology has as its utmost goal the destruction of what is most dear to us, our freedom," and in this he is correct as he stated in a commentary for the Dutch publication De Volkskrant.

Not only is Wilders on what in America should be sound 1st Amendment ground but he is proving prophetic as well.

Saudi Government Trains for Prayer

Saudi Arabia is offering to retrain its 40,000 imams, or prayer leaders in an effort to counter militant Islam. My thought here is how scary it is to contemplate that many prayer leaders trained by a state government. It almost does not matter how or what they train them in.

Bombing Distinction for Germany

Graphic source: Times Online, Roger Boyes

As most of Europe has been slow to support the Coalition the war on terror increasingly comes home to roost. To wit: a clerical worker was named as Germany's first suicide bomber in Afghanistan.

Cueneyt Ciftci, 28, who was born in Freising, Bavaria to a family of Turkish immigrants, is believed to have driven a pick-up truck filled with explosives into a U.S. guard post.

German police trace him to a network that appears linked to radical Bavarian mosques and to a group arrested last September for preparing explosives to bomb Frankfurt airport.

The bomber married and had two children but more recently resigned his clerical position. His resignation seems to have been organized by Adem Yilmaz who is under arrest after police raids broke up his cell preparing for an attack on Frankfurt airport, Ramstein airbase, and other U.S. targets in Germany. The other cell members, Fritz Gelowicz and Daniel Schneider, were native Germans.

There appears to be connections between radical clergy, a mosque in Ulm in particular seems to have inspired many and the movement of preachers between Pakistan and Europe and the access to training camps close to the Afghan border have made some German Muslims regular pilgrims.

As Sarkosy has committed more troops to Afghistan, perhaps Merkel can plot a similar course. Europe should be committing more effort to security in the Middle East.