PubSub results for Homeland Security

News on Barack Obama

AP News — 2010-03-09 13:30:54 GMT

US has no plans to end requirement travelers remove shoes at airport security You'll still have to take off your shoes when you go through airport security. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that technology currently available doesn't allow screeners to adequately examine what is in someone's shoes while the person is wearing them. While that ...

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-10 02:59:29 GMT

Family Security Matters

At airports, keep taking those shoes off _ for now
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — You'll still have to take off your shoes when you go through airport security. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that ...
Napolitano rules out terrorism in IRS plane crashWashington Post (blog)
WEBCHAT WITH SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY JANET NAPOLITANOFederal News Service (subscription)
Homeland Security Must Pursue Cargo Screening Mandate, Senator SaysGlobal Security Newswire
WAMU -Talk Radio News Service -Article Ant (press release)
all 126 news articles »

Monster Job Search Results

2010-03-09 16:01:48 GMT

DC-Washington DC, Description: Serves in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), Under Secretary for Operations (DU/S-O), Mission Support Division (MSD), as a Budget and Finance Officer responsible for supporting planning and budgeting activities to ensure consistencies between MSD's programmed activities and execution of MSD's spend plan. He/she shall assist with probl

msnbc.com: Travel

2010-03-09 22:39:40 GMT

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that technology currently available doesn't allow screeners to adequately examine what is in someone's shoes while the person is wearing them.

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-10 05:23:37 GMT

Calif. test-taking case shows gap in visa security
The Associated Press
Bilirakis, a ranking member the House homeland security oversight and investigations subcommittee, is sponsoring a bill that would require in-person ...

and more »

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-10 05:59:32 GMT

Tampa Tribune

Napolitano to speak at ASU
Arizona State University
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be at Arizona State University March 25 to deliver this year's John P. Frank Memorial Lecture. ...
Summary Box: Shoe removal still the ruleThe Associated Press
Napolitano rules out terrorism in IRS plane crashWashington Post (blog)
WEBCHAT WITH SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY JANET NAPOLITANOFederal News Service (subscription)
Global Security Newswire -WAMU -Talk Radio News Service
all 173 news articles »

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-10 01:50:34 GMT

Family Security Matters

At airports, keep taking those shoes off _ for now
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — You'll still have to take off your shoes when you go through airport security for the foreseeable future. Homeland Security Secretary Janet ...
Napolitano rules out terrorism in IRS plane crashWashington Post (blog)
Homeland Security Must Pursue Cargo Screening Mandate, Senator SaysGlobal Security Newswire
10:00Homeland Security Secretary Janet NapolitanoWAMU
Talk Radio News Service -Article Ant (press release)
all 42 news articles »

44

2010-03-09 18:25:16 GMT

By Spencer S. Hsu A suicide plane crash that killed the pilot and an Internal Revenue Services worker at an office building in Austin, Tex., Feb. 18 was not a case of domestic terrorism, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday in a radio interview. The pilot, A. Joseph Stack, 53, "had his own personal issues and personal motives," and was carrying out a personal agenda, said Napolitano, interviewed on The Diane Rehm Show. "To our belief, he was a lone wolf. He used a terrorist tactic, but an individual who uses a terrorist tactic doesn't necessarily mean they are part of an organized group attempting an attack on the United States," Napolitano said.

Front Row Washington

Jeremy Pelofsky — 2010-03-09 18:20:58 GMT

U.S. authorities are racing to deploy full-body scanners in airports and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is working in overdrive to allay fliers' concerns about their privacy.

World news: United States | guardian.co.uk

Erwin James — 2010-03-10 00:05:07 GMT

In 1972, three men in a Louisiana prison were placed in solitary confinement after a prison guard was murdered. Two of them are still there – even though many believe they are innocent

Angola prison, the state penitentiary of Louisiana, is the biggest prison in America. Built on the site of a former slave plantation, the 1,800-acre penal complex is home to more than 5,000 prisoners, the majority of whom will never walk the streets again as free men. Also known as the Farm, Angola took its name from the homeland of the slaves who used to work its fields, and in many ways still resembles a slave plantation today. Eighty per cent of the prisoners are African-Americans and, under the watchful eye of armed guards on horseback, they still work fields of sugar cane, cotton and corn, for up to 16 hours a day. "You've got to keep the inmates working all day so they're tired at night," says Warden Burl Cain, a committed evangelist who believes that the rehabilitation of convicts is only possible through Christian redemption.

Undoubtedly there is less violence and abuse among the prisoners under his wardenship than there was under his predecessors. But Angola is still a long way from being a "positive environment that promotes responsibility, goodness, and humanity", as he proclaims in the prison's mission statement. In fact at the heart of Cain's prison regime is an inhumanity that would make Jesus weep.

For more than 37 years, two prisoners, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, have been locked down in Angola's maximum security Closed Cell Restricted (CCR) block – the longest period of solitary confinement in American prison history.

Having experienced the isolation of "23-hour bang-up" during my own 20 years of imprisonment, for offences of which I was guilty, I can attest to the mental impact that such conditions inflict. My first year was spent on a high-security landing where the cell doors were opened only briefly for meals and emptying of toilet buckets. If decent-minded prison officers were on duty we were allowed to walk the yard for 30 minutes a day. The rest of the time we were alone. The cells were 10ft x 5ft, with a chair, a table and a bed. You could walk up and down, run on the spot, stand still, or do push-ups and sit-ups – but sooner or later you had to just stop, and think.

As the days, weeks and months blur into one, without realising it you start to live completely inside your head. You dream about the past, in vivid detail – and fantasise about the future, for fantasies are all you have. You panic but it's no good "getting on the bell" – unless you're dying – and, even then, don't hope for a speedy response. I had a lot to think about. When the man in the cell above mine hanged himself I thought about that, a lot. I still do. You look at the bars on the high window and think how easy it would be to be free of all the thinking.

Such thoughts must have crossed the minds of Wallace and Woodfox more than once during their isolation. They are fed through the barred gates of their 9ft x 6ft cells and allowed only one hour of exercise every other day alone in a small caged yard. Their capacity for psychological endurance alone is noteworthy.

Wallace and Woodfox were confined to solitary after being convicted of murdering Angola prison guard Brent Miller in 1972. But the circumstances of their trial was so suspect that there are no doubts among their supporters that these men are innocent. Even Brent Miller's widow, Teenie Verret, has her reservations. "If they did not do this," she says, "and I believe that they didn't, they have been living a nightmare."

One man who understands the nightmare that Wallace and Woodfox are living more than anyone else is Robert King. King was also convicted of a murder in Angola in 1973, and was held in solitary alongside Wallace and Woodfox for 29 years, until his conviction was overturned in 2001 and he was freed. Together, King, Wallace and Woodfox have become known as the "Angola three".

The case of the Angola three first came to international attention following the campaigning efforts of the Body Shop founder and humanitarian Anita Roddick. Roddick heard about their plight from a young lawyer named Scott Fleming. Fleming was working as a prisoner advocate in the 1990s when he received a letter from Wallace asking for help. The human tragedy Fleming uncovered had the most profound effect on him. When he qualified as a lawyer, their case became his first. "I was born in 1973," he says. "I often think that for my entire life they have been in solitary."

Through Fleming, Roddick met King and then Woodfox in Angola. Their story, she said later, "made my blood run cold in my veins". Until her death in 2007 Roddick was a committed and passionate supporter of their cause. At her memorial service King played two taped messages from Wallace and Woodfox. In the congregation was film-maker Vadim Jean who had become good friends with Roddick and her husband Gordon during an earlier film project. "Anita's big thing was, 'Just do something,'" says Jean. "No matter how small an act of kindness. Listening to Herman and Albert's voices at her memorial was like having Anita's finger pointing at me and saying, 'Just do something'." And so he decided to make In the Land of the Free, a searing documentary, released later this month.

The story Jean's film tells is one that has resonance on many levels. All three men were from poor black neighbourhoods In New Orleans. They grew up fearing the police, who would regularly "clear the books" of crimes in the area, according to King, by pinning then on disaffected young black men. "If I saw the police, I used to run," King says. He admits to being involved in petty crime in his early years, but "nothing vicious". Eventually King was arrested for an armed robbery he says he did not commit and was sentenced to 35 years, which he began in New Orleans parish prison – and there he met Albert Woodfox.

Woodfox had also been sentenced for armed robbery – and given 50 years. On the day he was sentenced he escaped from the courthouse. He made his way to Harlem in New York, where he encountered the Black Panthers, the revolutionary African-American political movement. He witnessed the Panthers engaging with the community in a positive, constructive way, educating and informing people of their rights. He says it was the first time in his life that he had seen African-Americans exhibiting real pride, pride that emanated from the young activists, he says, "like a shimmering heatwave".

Two days later Woodfox was caught and taken to New York's Tombs prison where he saw first-hand the militant tactics of imprisoned Panthers who resisted their guards with organised protests. In Tombs, Woodfox was labelled "militant" and sent back to New Orleans where he joined King on the parish prison block, known – due to the high concentration of Panther activists – as "the Panther tier". There Woodfox became a member of the Black Panther party.

Outside, confrontations between the Panthers – described by FBI director J Edgar Hoover as "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country" – and the police were escalating. In an attempt to undermine the influence of the Panthers in New Orleans parish prison, officials tried to shoehorn men they termed "Black Gangsters" on to the tier – men like Wallace, also serving decades for armed robbery. One day Wallace was suffering from the pain of ill-fitting shoes. One of the Panthers, on his way to a court appearance, took his shoes off and handed them to Wallace. "Right then I knew that that was what I needed to be a part of," he says. In the summer of 1971 Wallace and Woodfox were shipped to Angola.

The civil rights bill had been signed in 1964, but seven years later Angola was still operating a segregated regime. Prisoner guards carried guns and were also responsible, according to well-documented sources, for organising systematic sexual abuse of vulnerable prisoners, which flourished in the prison's mostly dormitory accommodation. And violence between prisoners had reached such levels that Angola was known as "the bloodiest prison in America".

Woodfox and Wallace quickly extended the New Orleans chapter of the Black Panthers into Angola, establishing classes in political ideology and exposing injustices. They organised work stoppages, demonstrating to fellow prisoners the liberating power of acting with a "unity of purpose" and worked to eradicate the prevalent sexual abuses. But their political activities made them targets for the administrators. By the spring of 1972, tensions in the prison were dangerously high.

These were the conditions in which Brent Miller met his untimely death. That April, a prisoner work strike drew the attention of the guards who were called from normal duties to deal with the disturbance. Miller, a strong, athletic young man of 23, stayed behind alone. He entered a dormitory holding 90 prisoners and sat on an elderly prisoner's bed, drinking coffee and chatting. Moments later he was attacked and stabbed 32 times.

Two days later, four men identified as "black militants", including Wallace and Woodfox, were accused of the murder. It was quickly ascertained that one of the four had been inserted into the case by the prison administration. Charges against him were dropped. Another, Chester Jackson, admitted to holding Miller while the guard was stabbed to death. Jackson turned state's evidence in return for a plea to manslaughter. The case was tried in a town called St Francisville, the closest courthouse to Angola. The jury had been picked from the local populace, many of whom earned their living from the prison or had families and friends that worked there; all were white. Wallace and Woodfox were found guilty of Miller's murder, sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and taken from the court straight to Angola's CCR block to begin their life in isolation.

Robert King was brought to Angola from the parish prison two weeks after Miller's killing, as part of a roundup of black radicals. King had never met Miller and was in a prison 150 miles away when the murder took place. Yet he was investigated for the crime and identified as a "conspirator" before being transferred to lockdown on CCR alongside Wallace and Woodcock.

The following year a prisoner named August Kelly was murdered on King's CCR tier. A man named Grady Brewer admitted that he alone was responsible for the killing, which he said he carried out in self-defence. But King was also charged. The two men faced trial together in the same St Francisville courthouse where Wallace and Woodfox had been convicted the year before. The sole evidence against King came from flawed prisoner testimony. He and Brewer had not been allowed to speak to their attorneys for any length of time before their trial. When they protested, the judge ordered their hands to be shackled behind their backs and their mouths gagged with duct tape for the duration of their trial. The men were convicted and sentenced to life without parole. King later won an appeal; the federal court ruled that he had not been sufficiently unruly in the dock to warrant the shackling and gagging. He went back to trial in 1975, was re-convicted and immediately sent back to CCR.

When, after Scott Fleming's intervention in the case of Wallace and Woodfox in the 1990s, new lawyers reviewed the original trial of both men, discovering "obfuscation after obfuscation". The state had used a number of jailhouse informants against them, many of whom gave contradictory accounts of what they saw. One was registered blind. The key witness in the case was a man called Hezikiah Brown who testified he witnessed the murder. In his initial statement to investigators however, Brown said he had not seen anything. Three days later, when he was taken from his bunk at midnight by prison officials and promised his freedom if he testified, he agreed to say that he saw Wallace and Woodfox kill Miller. At the time Brown was serving life without parole for multiple rapes. Immediately after he agreed to testify he was given his own minimum security private house in the prison grounds and a weekly cigarette ration.

Wallace and Woodfox did not give up. They fought their convictions from their cells and in 1993 Woodfox was granted an appeal, forcing a new trial. The case was sent back to the same courthouse to be tried in front of a new grand jury. A local author, Anne Butler, who had published a book in which she detailed the case and was convinced that the right people had been convicted, acted as jury chairperson. No witnesses were called. Instead Butler was called upon to explain the case. Once again, the jury was composed of people who worked in Angola or were related to people who worked there. Butler's husband and co-author was Murray Henderson, who had been the warden of Angola when Brent Miller was murdered. It is worth noting that Henderson was a key member of the original investigation team and that, during that investigation, a bloody fingerprint was found close to Brent Miller's body. It was determined that it did not belong to Woodfox nor to Wallace, but despite the prison holding all the fingerprints of all the prisoners, no attempt was made to find out whose it was. The bloody print was also ignored at Woodfox's retrial. He was reconvicted and sent back to isolation in Angola's CCR.

It was 26 years before King won the right to another appeal. In 2001 the Federal court found that the jury in King's original trial had systematically excluded African-Americans and women and agreed that the case should be reheard. This time around the prisoner witnesses recanted and the federal court sent the case back to the district court for review. The state negotiated a deal with King. Reluctantly, and with his left hand raised instead of his right, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy; an hour and a half later he was freed.

In September 2008, Woodfox's conviction was overturned; the federal court ruled that his core constitutional rights had been violated at his original trial. Louisiana attorney general Buddy Caldwell could have set Woodfox free immediately. Instead he decided to contest the federal decision and Woodfox, now 64, was returned to Angola's CCR, where he remains. Herman Wallace, now 68, was moved to another Louisiana prison last year, where he too continues to be held in solitary confinement.

Today King, now 67, is still campaigning for justice for his friends. Albert Woodfox: "Our primary objective is that front gate. That is what we are struggling for and we are actually fighting for our freedom. We are fighting for people to understand that we were framed for a murder that we are totally, completely and actually innocent of." Robert King says he is free of Angola, but until his friends are free, "Angola will never be free of me."

Jean hopes his film will make a difference. "These men need help," he says. "Louisiana needs to be shamed into doing the right thing."

Further information: angola3.org. If you wish to help highlight the plight of the Angola 3, you can write to the Governor of Louisiana at the Office of the Governor, PO Box 94004, Baton Rouge, LA 70804, US.

In the Land of the Free is released on 26 March

Erwin James

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 23:03:53 GMT

Jihad Jane – A Pennsylvania woman known to authorities online as “JihadJane” has been charged in federal court with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft according to a Fox News report. The indictment, unsealed Monday, charges that [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Jihad Jane – Philly Woman Charged With Supporting Terrorists

About.com Immigration Issues

2010-03-09 18:19:42 GMT

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today the designation of Greece as a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). From the DHS press release:

"Our efforts to guard against terrorism while enhancing legal travel and trade depend upon close collaboration with our international partners," said Secretary Napolitano. "I commend our partners in Greece for committing to strong screening and security standards and enhanced information sharing for travel by Greek citizens to the United States as we work together to protect our citizens and strengthen our economies."

Greece's VWP designation represents a major step forward in the continued and long-standing economic and security partnership between the United States and Greece--reflecting more than two years of coordination between the two countries on Greece's entry into VWP.

In accordance with the VWP designation process, DHS determined that Greece complies with key security and information-sharing requirements--such as enhanced law enforcement and security-related data sharing with the United States; timely reporting of lost and stolen passports; and the maintenance of high counterterrorism, law enforcement, border control, aviation and document security standards. In turn, Greek citizens will be permitted to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.

Greek citizens will be able to visit the United States without visas in approximately 30 days.

For more information about the VWP, visit travel.state.gov or the Electronic System for Travel Authorization website.

Greece Added to Visa Waiver Program originally appeared on About.com Immigration Issues on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 18:19:42.

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craigslist | all jobs in los angeles

2010-03-09 18:38:45 GMT

Federal Air Marshal Job Duties:
The employee serves as an entry level Federal Air Marshal for the Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Office of Law Enforcement/Federal Air Marshal Service. The primary duties and responsibilities of a Federal Air Marshal involve deployments worldwide protecting U.S. air carriers on passenger flights to deter or counter the risk of terrorist activity, aircraft piracy, and other crimes in order to meet national security concerns. Other duties may include protection of the nation's transportation infrastructure. Federal Air Marshals travel frequently, carry out their missions independently and with minimal supervision, and are trained and prepared to operate in a highly stressful environment with little or no back-up available.

Learn more about the requirements to become a Federal Air Marshal and how to apply at http://www.policefbijobs.com/job/view/federal-air-marshal-46099.html

EAA - The Experimental Aircraft Association

2010-03-09 20:46:29 GMT

The White House announced Monday that President Obama will nominate Major General Robert A. Harding, U.S. Army Ret. as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security to head the Transportation Security Administration.

HR Morning

Christian Schappel — 2010-03-09 21:09:20 GMT

One research group has told the feds it believes their E-Verify program is failing to catch more than half of unauthorized hires. Westat recently performed an evaluation of E-Verify for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and estimated that the program’s “inaccuracy rate for unauthorized workers” is about 54%. That means one out of every two [...]

Chris Pirillo

Chris — 2010-03-09 19:47:14 GMT

Get Rid of the Trojan From the Energizer DUO is a post from Chris Pirillo

The Department of Homeland Security has discovered that Energizer’s Duo USB charger left Windows computers open to remote control, thanks to a back door in the product’s battery monitoring software. The DUO is a USB and AC charger for NiMH batteries. The software that comes with the product allows one to see how much oomph is left in their batteries. Apparently, though, the Windows software for this device had a lovely little bug in it.

The software installs a backdoor that allows remote access to your computer. That includes “the ability to list directories, send and receive files, and execute programs,” according to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. If you downloaded the Mac counterpart, you have nothing to worry about. If you have downloaded this software for Windows, you’re going to need to execute a couple of steps in order to secure your computer.

Uninstall the software! his will remove the Windows registry value that executes the Trojan when starting Windows.
Reboot your computer after the uninstall has finished.
Navigate your way to C/Windows/system32/arucer.dll. This is the file that is the backdoor component itself. Delete this file, empty your Recycle Bin, and reboot once more.
To add one additional layer of protection, you can have your firewall block access to 7777/tcp. Energizer doesn’t list this step as necessary. It’s just an extra step for safe computing.

The DUO itself is a good product. The hardware is still available through Amazon. However, the software download has been discontinued. The product’s main function of charging by USB or AC still works. However, if you own one of these devices and would like to complain, I suggest you get in touch with them through the Energizer Contact Page.

craigslist | all jobs in portland, OR

2010-03-09 17:14:29 GMT

Summary
Floor Solutions is a privately owned commercial flooring company serving the Pacific Northwest in the sales, installation, and maintenance of commercial flooring. The Project Manager is a member of the Sales Support Group and is responsible for overseeing project organization, scheduling and implementation.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
• Work closely with sales and estimation to prepare proper bids, including evaluating projects, pricing labor, determining adhesive requirements, listing exclusions for proposals
• Organize and schedule labor; balance political sensitivities to maintain good relationships with subcontractors
• Manage subcontractors; work with superintendents and foremen to plan, organize and direct flooring installation activities
• Monitor project progress to ensure scheduled completion
• Ensure quality levels and standards are met
• Effectively control costs and maintain projected profit levels
• Ensure change orders and requisitions are estimated, approved, written and entered in system in a timely manner
• Keep Project Coordinator informed of billing status
• Manage punch lists and repair calls; determine responsibility for repairs; prepare cost estimates if necessary

Other Duties
• Assist with warehouse activities; provide forklift support
• Perform other tasks as assigned

Values
Floor Solutions is a values-based and values-driven company, and it is the expectation that all employees meet and uphold the values of:

• Integrity – We demand ethical business practices and hold integrity in the highest regard.
• Safety – We are committed to the safety of our customers, employees and partners.
• Service – Our customers are our focus. All employees should command their daily activities to find better ways to serve our customers and/or serve those who serve our customers.
• Teamwork – We coach and develop the advancement of others with our talents. We provide frequent feedback and inspire confidence in each other. We work hard to strengthen those around us, approaching others with respect and an open mind.
• Quality – We are proud of the work that we do and approach each project as an advertisement for the next.
• Efficiency – We each own our business and make decisions as though we are spending our own money. We encourage creative thinking and high-value initiatives. Reducing our costs reduces the costs to our customer and increases the ability of our company.
• Knowledge – We inspire confidence in our customers by knowing our product and using this knowledge to create unique solutions for their needs. We hunt for ideas and methods to better support our vision and mission and live our values.

Required Qualifications/Skills
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum two years experience in flooring installation
• Valid Oregon or Washington Driver’s License
• Knowledge of safety measures associated with such work
• Strong leadership and organizational abilities and project management expertise
• Ability to coordinate own and others’ actions, manage own time and resources
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong in written communication and documentation
• Solid mathematical skills
• Strong accountability and follow-through
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to detect and manage lapses in work quality
• Must be a team player and committed to working in a quality environment
• Basic computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Outlook

Preferred Qualifications/Skill
• Associates Degree or Certificate in Project Management, Business, Management, or Technical Management preferred but not required
• Six Sigma Greenbelt certification

Physical Demands
Frequency: Never = 0%; Occasional = 1-33%; Frequent = 34-66%; Continuous = 67-100%

Sitting: Occasional
Standing: Occasional
Walking: Occasional
Lifting/Carrying < 25 lbs: Occasional
Lifting/Carrying > 25 lbs: Never
Lifting/Carrying > 50 lbs: Never
Lifting/Carrying > 75 lbs: Never
Squatting: Occasional
Bending: Occasional
Stooping: Never
Kneeling: Never
Crawling: Never
Climbing (Ladders, Stairs): Occasional
Balancing: Never
Reaching: Never
- Overhead: Never
- Forward: Never
Push/Pull < 25 lbs: Occasional
Push/Pull > 25 lbs: Occasional
Push/Pull > 50 lbs: Occasional
Push/Pull > 75 lbs: Never
Twisting: Never
Gripping: Never
Typing: Occasional

Supervisory Responsibilities
None

Equipment Used
• Position may require the use of a company vehicle
• Standard office equipment: computer, facsimile, telephone, copier/scanner
• Forklift

Work Environment
Working conditions vary by project, but are primarily indoors, with doors opening to the outside. Variable temperatures occur. Environment may contain odors of flooring products and chemicals, with moderate equipment noise. Personal protective equipment may be required and is supplied. This position may require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Pre-Employment Contingencies
Employment is contingent on a pre-employment drug and background and motor vehicle report screening

Additional Conditions
• It is expected that employee will maintain an acceptable criminal record and motor vehicle report
• Floor Solutions is a drug-free employer. Any violation of the drug/substance abuse policy may result in termination.
• Floor Solutions participates in E-Verify and confirms work authorization through the Social Security Administration, or, if necessary, The Department of Homeland Security. Verification is completed post offer prior to the third day of employment.
• Floor Solutions maintains an at-will policy of employment, which means that employment and compensation may be terminated with or without cause and with or without notice at any time at the option of either Floor Solutions or the employee.
• This job description does not restrict management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Floor Solutions, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to talent@floorsol.com

Chicago Breaking News

2010-03-09 20:44:28 GMT

Officials today released surveillance photographs of two people who have been duping elderly residents in Evanston and Chicago into handing over thousands of dollars to them using several scams.

Authorities are seeking the group of con artists believed to be linked to similar but separate incidents in which one elderly man was swindled out of $10,000 and another out of $6,000.

As part of the schemes, the con artists convince people to give up money as a way to secure a larger amount, Evanston police said. The scams, dubbed the "Pigeon Drop" or "South African Switch," can also induce a victim into giving up money in exchange for valuable objects.

Police said the scam used in the Evanston incident involved a con artist acting as a visitor from another country and telling a victim that they can't bring a large amount of money that they recently won back to their homeland. The victim is asked if they can distribute the money to a charity and in return can keep a portion of it for their troubles. Before doing so, the victim is asked to withdraw some personal money from the bank as an act of good faith or to show trust.

On Feb. 12, Evanston police said that scam was used on an elderly man who was told by a con man that he was in possession of $100,000 and needed to donate it before returning to Sudan. The victim drove him and an accomplice, another man, to an Evanston bank where the victim withdrew $6,000. When the three returned to the victim's car, the suspect, who was captured on a bank security camera, fled after taking the money.

Police said one of the suspects in that incident was identified as one of the people involved in the scamming of an elderly man for $10,000 Dec. 9 at a Chicago bank. That suspect was an accomplice of a con-woman, also captured on a security camera, who took the lead in perpetrating the scam. The woman told the victim he could have half of her $100,000 if he first gave her some money. The victim, who thought he was getting $50,000, went along and got nothing but rolled-up newspaper.

That scheme, the Pigeon Drop, refers to a victim as a marked bird and consists of a con artist joining the victim in giving up some personal money to get a larger amount, police said. The victim is then asked to hold onto the monies, which are put into an envelope, sack, briefcase or other container. But there's no money inside the container, just worthless paper. And the victim is left holding the bag.

-- Carolyn Rusin

Instapundit

Glenn Reynolds — 2010-03-09 14:21:11 GMT

DO-IT-YOURSELF HOMELAND SECURITY: Flight attendants press for hand-to-hand combat training as anti-terror measure.

Lawyers.com Blog

nospam@example.com (Barry L. Frager) — 2010-03-09 17:33:47 GMT

Unless you have used a Nashville immigration attorney, you may not realize the vital role they play in handling an immigration case. When you file an application for permanent residency or citizenship with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), you enter the immigration legal system under the federal government’s Administrative Procedure Act. The USCIS assigns your application a case number and enters it into a database that is open for crosschecking by various U.S. agencies. You may face legal issues you never anticipated with the following requirements:

Representing yourself before an agency
Entering pleadings or motions
Serving deposition notices
Managing sworn affidavits from witnesses
Using court-reporting services
Appealing citizenship denial

While a USCIS official may be friendly or seem helpful, such officials have no legal responsibility to you. They are not liable if their advice is not accurate or they do not inform you of all your options.

Advantages of Using a Citizenship Attorney in Tennessee
A Tennessee citizenship attorney actually consults with you and advocates on your behalf. In addition to managing the above mentioned legal issues, an experienced immigration attorney in Tennessee offers these advantages:

Advice about U.S. immigration law changes
Warnings about personal matters that could affect case outcome
Confidential attorney/client privileges
Assurance that filing fees are paid and documents are filed with the appropriate agency or office
Representation in USCIS or other governmental hearings or deportation proceedings
Management of issues brought before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security (DOHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), or Department of State (DOS)
Preparation of appeal arguments and filing within required deadlines

Having a Nashville or Memphis immigration attorney at your side creates altitude when dealing with administrative personnel, government agencies, and judges. They know that an attorney can take action against denied benefits and seek to reverse or appeal decisions. As in any other specialized profession, when you lack training, relying on a professional’s knowledge, hard-won skills, and years of experience proves invaluable.

The Frager Law firm has immigration naturalization lawyers in Memphis and Nashville Tennessee with nearly two decades of experience helping clients obtain U.S. citizenship. For Memphis immigration naturalization attorneys, call 901-763-3188. For Nashville immigration naturalization attorneys, call 615-366-1000. Call our Tennessee immigration and naturalization law firm toll free 888-889-VISA (8472) or contact us online.

Continue reading "Should I Hire an Immigration Attorney? "

Monster Job Search Results

2010-03-09 07:13:01 GMT

GA-Warner Robins, Raytheon Company, with 2009 ales of $25 illion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning more than 88 ears, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and inte

SYMANTEC NEWS - Google News

2010-03-09 20:01:42 GMT

CBC.ca

Investigating the cyber attack on Google
CBC.ca
Besides the search engine itself, the US Department of Homeland Security, various other American federal agencies and companies such as Symantec Corp., ...
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Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 13:46:23 GMT

A gunman shot three university employees early Tuesday morning on the Columbus campus of Ohio State University, killing one, Ohio State University Police told NBC News. University police said a suspect was taken into custody after heavily armed campus officers searched the area, just east of Ohio Stadium. via Source. This story comes to us via Homeland Security [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Gunman Kills One, Injures Two at Ohio State

Stone Soup Station

findstevefast@gmail.com (Steven) — 2010-03-09 12:39:00 GMT

Over the past several weeks, more and more people who thought they'd never find themselves homeless or very near it have come to see if there is anything I can do at all to help stave off their fall to the street.

It's been a grueling time, both for them and for me. I'm not complaining nor whining here, just providing anecdotal views on the current state of our economy and let me tell you folks, it sucks, and it ain't getting much better as we oh so slowly head toward "recovery," whatever that means.

Do I tell you about the couple who live in the country and are facing foreclosure next week after the husband lost his job after 22 years? Wife is dying of cancer and the medical bills are hurrying her death quicker than the cancer itself.

Or do I tell you about the couple with five kids living in their van after being chased from New Orleans - again - by forces of nature; the first time it was Katrina, the second time it was black mold caused by the first disaster.

Or how bout I talk a moment about the man who works every night as a security guard and comes home to his Jeep Cherokee? He's been living in his car since he lost his job last summer and can't get enough ahead to get out of the vehicle and into an apartment.

Even though I spent the majority of my life dirt poor, I didn't realize there were thousands, hundreds of thousands, of people living hand to mouth just like me. I never knew just how bad it is for such a huge number of people.

And these aren't your "typical" homeless, if there is such a thing; I think a more fitting label would be the "working poor." But in years past, the working poor were usually able to afford a place to live, even if it wasn't the Ritz.

Today however, it appears that those who fall within the classification "working poor" and who have a place to live are both extremely fortunate and dwindling in number. For an ever-larger number, being a member of this group means being homeless.

And increasingly, folks who come to see me are grumbling. They are angry. They are frustrated.

They can't understand how it is that the "leaders" of our country are able to throw billions of dollars around outside the walls of the homeland with barely a comment, yet obstruct, yell, curse and stamp their feet when we ask them to share some of the wealth here at home.

They're confused as to how it is that those they choose to lead us out of the mess previous "leaders" got us into - on both sides of the aisles, folks - continually seem to forget us as soon as they hang the drapes in their new office.

They're mad that the welfare system they've been told for years has been extravagant turns out to be a bold-faced lie.

They're shell-shocked when they discover that, unless they're considered "chronically homeless"....hold it, let me give you the official definition, since this is what they're held to: (1) an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, OR (2) an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years." they've really got nothing coming in the way of resources or assistance.

And they are beyond frustrated that they cannot find a job with pay adequate enough to allow them to survive. And I'm not talking here about luxury living, or even middle class stability. Just enough to pay all the bills each month, have food every day and be able to fill the gas tank or purchase a 31-day bus pass to get back and forth to work.

When some people find themselves in these predicaments, they begin acting in ways many of us find offensive and/or disturbing. Scapegoating, suicides, domestic violence, alcoholism and/or drug abuse, mental illness, crimes of desperation, all end up on the table of human response possibilities.

And it's a vicious cycle; money from the state and federal coffers that could be used to increase wages, improve training, and/or provide housing subsidies to assist end up being funneled to law enforcement, mental health and emergency services, since the demand for these services all seems to increase as a result.

I'm not really going anywhere with this post, I guess I'm just venting my own frustration that I'm unable to grab someone who can help change things by the arm, look em in the eye, and use the psychology technique perfected by Bob Newhart......

Monster Job Search Results

2010-03-09 02:18:14 GMT

VA-Reston, (MTSI) is a fast-paced and dynamic "engineer-owned and operated" technology firm that provides leading edge technical services in ballistic missile and air defense, air vehicle survivability, unmanned aircraft, flight test operations, intelligence support, and homeland defense. In 1993, Tom McMahan and Phil Soucy launched MTSI. By focusing on the needs of its employees, providing technical solutio

Bleacher Report - Front Page

jordan krumrey — 2010-03-09 07:54:15 GMT

We've all heard the fairy tales as children regarding the shining knight in armor that saved the damsel in distress.

The story was always the same. The knight is hired by a king who then ask the knight to save his daughter, the princess, and return her home.

Of course, the knight would never retrieve the princess without some difficulty. He always had to go on a treacherous journey through dangerous lands with enemies by the numbers out to get him to make sure he fails.

Who could also forget the mighty dragon that this heroic knight had to slay before saving his dear princess and living happily ever after?

Well, in reality these silly little fairy tells are no different than the high school drama taking place at the University of Michigan. Think about it...

Rich Rodriguez was hired as Michigan's shining knight by Bill Martin and Mary Sue Coleman (The King and Queen in this case).

They hired Sir Rodriguez to save their princess (The University of Michigan football program) and return her to her rightful place (national prominence).

However, just like with the old fairy tales of years past, this tale would also be full of evil beings (The Detroit media, ESPN, and workers within the University of Michigan Athletic and Compliance Departments) that set out to make Sir Rodriguez's journey all the more difficult by doing everything they can to divert his attention from building his strength (coaching up his players, recruiting, etc.) so he can save the princess.

These enemies essentially threw mud all over Sir Rodriguez's armor, covering him from head to toe preventing the people from seeing his true shining self. They (the general public) even began to think that he (Sir Rodriguez) was not a shining knight but was, in fact, a dark knight (no, not Batman kind of dark knight but an evil knight).

However, the old King (AD Bill Martin) died (well was forced out/ "retired"/ fired) so a new King (David Brandon) came forth and gave Sir Rodriguez a new found strength.

When Rodriguez began his face off with the mighty dragon (the NCAA allegations), the new king gave full support to the shining knight, giving hope that he can beat the dragon and still be around afterward to get the princess back to her rightful place as he was hired to do.

The new king even went out of his way to say that the dragon's creation was not at the hands of the shining knight's actions.

No, the dragon's creation ultimately lie in the hands of the kingdom's Department of Homeland Security (University of Michigan's Compliance Department and Athletic Department). They dropped the ball and let the dragon come to be.

But alas, even though Sir Rodriguez knew he was not at fault, he still took the public fall in a brave effort to save the public perception of the Department of Homeland Security and the Michigan Kingdom as a whole. This was even more detrimental to the Knight's public relations that were already low enough as is.

Now, this is where the story gets interesting. Don't you love fairy tales?

As it stands now, this is as far as the story has progressed with the rest still yet to be played out.

But in case you don't see where this story was going, I will spell it out for you.

Rich Rodriguez has little to no part in any of these NCAA allegations.

Yeah, that is right, folks, he is almost squeaky clean in this whole mess, and I will explain why since the large portion of fans out there still don't seem to get the situation in any way or fail to even do any research on it.

Everyone knows why Rich was hired by Michigan by now. Carr was getting old, as was his system of predictable, boring offense.

So to spice things up and get Michigan into the 21st century, Rodriguez was hired to bring in his explosive zone-read option attack from West Virginia.

However, there were many at UM withing the Athletic Department that did not want Rodriguez to get the job, more specifically those who wanted Les Miles.

In case many of you readers haven't heard, there are actually factions within the Michigan Athletic Department. It sounds like a load of bull, but I assure you it is not.

There are those who actually took it upon themselves to put what's best for Michigan behind their own bias agendas in hopes of making sure Rodriguez fails (hence the leaking of info to the Free Press).

There are supposedly two factions that are outspoken against Rodriguez with one being the old regime (pro-Carr) and the other being the pro-Les Miles group.

Again, this all sound ridiculous, but it really isn't as absurd as it sounds...it really is happening.

As for these NCAA allegations, it was all started after the FREEP reported that Rodriguez /Michigan had "far " exceeded the mandatory time limit on practice time.

However, it was later discovered by the NCAA that apparently "far " exceeding meant going an average of 15 minutes over a day for stretching.

Wow, that's is just brutal, isn't it? Bunch of cheaters. UM is going a whole 15 minutes over to work on stretching.

If you couldn't wrap your mind around that previous sentence, those 15 minutes were in fact devoted towards stretching because it turns out the Compliance Department failed to inform Rodriguez, or they themselves had no clue, that stretching counts towards practice time.

The next bit that followed the practice time allegations was about the CARA forms, which are used by the University of Michigan to track practice times.

Let it be known that the CARA forms are used as a part of Michigan's compliance plan with the NCAA. All schools have different plans set up with compliance to the NCAA.

West Virginia University DID NOT use CARA forms in their compliance plan like Michigan does.

Therefore, upon arriving at Michigan, Rodriguez had no clue what a CARA form was. He would have had he been informed about them; however, he was not (hmmm, smell agenda?).

The man responsible for informing coaches of compliance rules at the time was Assistant Athletic Director Matt Stolberg (read the second sentence of his profile).

Don't you find it funny that in January, after Michigan concluded its own internal investigation, Mr. Stolberg left to take a similar gig at Penn St?

(coincidence? I think not, can you say "fired"?)

His position has since been filled by Elizabeth Heinrich , who was previously employed by the University of Texas as their compliance coordinator.

Cleaning house is not finished at UM, and David Brandon won't rest until all responsible are gone (Notice Rodriguez is safe? Well, unless he doesn't produce on the field that is).

Now on to the next bit of allegations regarding Quality Control Staff being at offseason practices and engaging in coaching duties, which is against NCAA bylaws.

Understand this: The Quality Control staff (I will refer to them as QC) is not under the control of Rodriguez or his coaching staff.

When he (Rodriguez) arrived at UM, he inherited the QC staff. The QC runs through the Athletic Department, NOT Rodriguez.

The duties of the QC were also inherited from the Athletic Department and were NOT put in place by Rodriguez.

(Read: These things were done pre-Rodriguez by the Carr regime... gasp!)

Everything regarding the QC staff was in place before Rich even got to UM, so don't fool yourselves into thinking that these allegations were his doing. When he arrived here, Rodriguez was led to believe that these rules were all legal, as he had no reason not to trust the Michigan Compliance and Athletic Departments and their ways of "doing things."

As for the grad assistant/ QC staff member that lied, well, there is no denying that is bad, but again not something Rich can control.

Also, with regards to Rodriguez "punishing" players for missing summer classes, who cares? Is this really something to punish a program for?

Yeah, what a bad man Rodriguez is for "punishing" his athletes for missing classes.

For this to be an NCAA violation just further proves what a mess the NCAA is. Don't they promote the idea that colleges athletes are students first? Well....? Looks like Rodriguez is trying to promote the STUDENT- athlete theme to me. Again, bad man, right?

If anything, Rodriguez and the University of Michigan should be extremely proud of this allegation cause it truly is one to hang your hat on.

These are the main allegations that were made, and it is pretty clear that Rodriguez is clean in all aspects.

(Only fault on Sir Rodriguez is he needs to improve upon his interpretations of NCAA rules so this doesn't happen again).

Furthermore, if you even read the allegations made, they are extremely broad and open to interpretation in some areas, especially with regards to the QC staff (Lots of grey area there, especially with the NCAA's heavy use of the word "sometimes" in the letter of notice to Rodriguez).

Hate him or love him, Rodriguez is the University of Michigan's head coach or its knight in shining armor if you will.

Now if only the public could really see him for what he truly is (a shining knight) and the media would leave him be, we could finally, hopefully, see the true strength of Rodriguez and let him build his army so he can save our beloved damsel (aka the football program).

That is if he doesn't just say, "Screw you, I'm going to save another princess elsewhere," beforehand.

If he does, who could really blame him?

Point being, people, is there are a lot of people trying to ensure Rodriguez fails, and we, the fans of Michigan, should not help aid those against Rodriguez.

Stop, think, and make your own judgment. Stop listening and hanging on every word the media says.

Let this man focus solely on his job and give him the chance to succeed.

He is without a doubt the man Michigan needs. He is Michigan's shining knight, and if, and only if, all the public and media get out of his way will he be able to fully capitalize on his new strengths and take the program to new heights not seen since the days of Bo.

This man cares about winning, he cares about his players, and he is a strict follower of rules (if you are a close follower of Michigan recruiting, you will pick up on that).

Let's give him the fair chance he deserves. Is that seriously too much to ask?

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-09 15:01:27 GMT

KCBS

Travelers file complaints over TSA body scanners
BusinessWeek
Security analysts and even the Government Accountability Office (GAO) meanwhile have called for a thorough review of the effectiveness of the technology in ...
10:00Homeland Security Secretary Janet NapolitanoWAMU
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IT security news - Google News

2010-03-09 09:10:31 GMT

Washington Post

Pentagon shooting puts federal building security back in spotlight
Washington Post
By Ed O'Keefe House members will resume discussions next week about federal building security in the wake of last week's shooting at the Pentagon -- the ...
Was Homeland Security right about violence?Kansas City Star (blog)

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Monster Job Search Results

2010-03-09 02:05:11 GMT

NJ-South Plainfield, 4D Security Solutions is a System Integrator providing end-to-end, turnkey solutions for the Defense and Homeland Security markets. 4D's complete security installations include Sensors, Command & Control, Communications, Access Control and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). 4D leverages decades of experience in defense and security through strategic partnerships with leading defense contractors and se

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-09 10:19:51 GMT

KCBS

10:00Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
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The New Republic - All Feed

Francisco Toro — 2010-03-09 05:00:00 GMT

What were two members of a violent Basque separatist group doing with 11 members of Colombia's narco-Marxist insurgency in a remote corner of southwestern Venezuela in August 2007? According to a blockbuster indictment handed down by a Spanish judge last week, they were participating in a kind of intercontinental terrorist training camp held under the aegis of the Venezuelan military.

More specifically, the two members of ETA, or "Basque Homeland and Freedom," were teaching the rebels from FARC, or "Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia," how to use plastic explosives and urban guerrilla tactics, such as rigging cell phones to work as bomb fuses. This unlikely alliance between FARC, a peasant-based Marxist movement financed by a massive drug-trafficking operation, and ETA, a nationalist group that specializes in shooting Spanish policemen, civil servants, and local politicians in the back of the head, dates back as far as 1993. According to the indictment, beginning in 2000, ETA plotted with FARC to murder a range of leading Colombian political figures when they traveled to Spain, including sitting president Alvaro Uribe.

But it's Venezuela's alleged involvement with two of the Spanish-speaking world's most notorious terror groups that has set off a political firestorm in Spain, where the center-left government enjoys a close relationship with the Venezuelan caudillo, Hugo Chávez. The indictment, which is the culmination of several years of investigation by Spanish and Colombian police, claims that Chavez's soldiers and a military intelligence officer escorted the FARC members to their August 2007 training site. What's more, among the seven FARC and six ETA members charged with conspiracy to murder and holding explosives in collaboration with a terrorist group is Arturo Cubillas Fontán, a longtime ETA leader who emigrated to Venezuela in 1989. According to El Pais, he works as head of security for Venezuela's ministry of Agriculture. (Venezuelan government sources have refused to clarify his position.) And his wife has worked in a variety of public roles throughout the Chavez administration including, currently, as head of public relations for the Agriculture ministry.

By exposing a possible link between the Chávez government and an international terror conspiracy, the indictment is a particularly hot potato in the lap of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, whose warm relations with Venezuela's strong man have yielded invaluable commercial advantages for Spanish multinationals. As U.S.-Venezuelan ties have worsened over the past ten years, Spanish firms have swarmed to do business in Venezuela. Today, 55 percent of Venezuela's third-largest bank is owned by Spain's sprawling BBVA bank; the country's leading mobile phone network is owned by Telefónica, Spain's privatized telecoms giant; the largest of its new electric power plants are being built by Spanish energy companies Iberdrola and Elecnor; and some of its biggest new oil contracts are going to Spanish oil giant Repsol.

Additionally, in a quirk of timing, the Venezuelan Navy received the first of four military patrol ships from Spanish shipbuilder Navantia just one day after the ETA-FARC indictment was handed down. In effect, Spain is now selling military hardware to a country whose government allegedly sponsors a terrorist group plotting aggression against the Spanish state.

No issue is as politically sensitive in Spain as Basque terrorism, so it's hardly surprising that opposition conservatives have wasted no time slamming the Zapatero government. Jorge Moragas, foreign affairs spokesman for the conservative People’s Party, decried the “excessive closeness between” Venezuela and Spain, and the party’s secretary general has called on Zapatero to consider breaking diplomatic relations with Venezuela.

But such a move would likely spur Venezuela to expropriate Spanish investments, which would freeze the profits of Madrid's multinationals (we're talking billions of euros) in Caracas. It wouldn’t be the first time Chávez has muscled his international business partners: Two years ago, his government shut down most commerce with Colombia over Uribe’s allegation that Venezuela was funding Marxist guerillas, and launched a wave of expropriations against its neighbor that continues to this day. In other words, Chávez has leverage with Spain, he knows it, and he's not afraid to use it.

This might explain why Madrid has treaded so carefully on the indictment crisis. Zapatero has mildly said he would seek “explanations” from the Venezuelan government and proceed accordingly. But even that formulation drew an angry response from the bombastic Chávez. He blustered in a recent speech, "I don’t have to explain anything, not to Zapatero or anyone!”

In response, Spain’s foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, hurried to note that Spanish authorities were merely seeking “information” in the case, not “explanations.” But this deference left Zapatero's government exposed to fire on the domestic front. Conservative leader Mariano Rajoy called his country's virtual apology to Chávez “absolutely grotesque.”

This paints a vivid picture of the political corner Zapatero’s government has backed itself into: Protect Spanish investment in Venezuela, and you’re soft on ETA, but make a principled stand, and you put hundreds of Spanish jobs at risk. Signs so far indicate the government will swallow hard and continue to placate Venezuela. But what happens if, next week (or next month, or next year), a high-profile Colombian public figure takes a trip to Spain and gets shot in the back of the head?

Francisco Toro blogs about Venezuela in the Chávez era at Caracas Chronicles.

For more TNR, become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 02:00:23 GMT

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain. Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Worker ID Card at Center of Immigration Plan

Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 02:10:13 GMT

Fox News reports Daniel Higgins doesn’t look like a Middle Eastern student, but officials say he routinely portrayed himself as one for almost a decade, getting paid up to $1,500 per student to attend their classes and take exams so they could keep their visas current and remain in the U.S. Officials say that records seized [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

California Man Took College Exams for Middle Eastern Students

Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 02:20:05 GMT

From the India Times NEW DELHI: With arrested Indian Mujahideen cadres unveiling fresh terror plans of the ISI-LeT combine to target metropolitan cities here, the home ministry has issued alerts to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata seeking a security beef-up at all vulnerable spots. The alerts, issued in the wake of disclosures made by Indian Mujahideen terrorist Salman [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Terror Alert Sounded in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata

Homeland Security News

national — 2010-03-09 02:23:46 GMT

Western leaders are often at odds over how to take on the threat of Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda, on the other hand, appears totally focused on its mission. The terrorist group is obsessed with destroying the United States. And according to one former colleague of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, they don&’t care how many [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Ex-Terrorist Takes CBN News Inside Al Qaeda

IT security news - Google News

2010-03-09 00:49:01 GMT

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Napolitano: Body Scanners Key To Aviation Security
Talk Radio News Service
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that more full body scanners and increased law enforcement are to be ...
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The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

The Huffington Post News Editors — 2010-03-08 23:22:04 GMT

The first couple welcomed guests to the White House on Monday, marking International Women's Day. Mrs. Obama looked ravishing in a grey draped dress by Lanvin.

They kicked off the event with this adorable exchange. Pictures and full transcript below.

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much. So I get to speak first while he stands and watches. I love this. (Laughter.) Look at me adoringly. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I can do that.

MRS. OBAMA: With sincerity. (Laughter.) Anyway.

PHOTOS:

FULL REMARKS:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release March 8, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AND THE FIRST LADY

AT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY RECEPTION

East Room

4:52 P.M. EST

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you so much. So I get to speak first while he stands and watches. I love this. (Laughter.) Look at me adoringly. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I can do that.

MRS. OBAMA: With sincerity. (Laughter.) Anyway.

I'm thrilled to see everybody here. Welcome, welcome. This is a wonderful event as we celebrate Women's History Month at the White House. It's so exciting. (Applause.)

And let me start by recognizing all of the amazing leaders who have taken time out of their very busy days and schedules to be here with us today. We have our Cabinet Secretaries, congresswomen and other leaders who are serving as such powerful role models for the next generation.

But we have some of the members of the next generation here, as well, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge some of them, as well. We've got young people here from the Girl Scouts, from Mount Vernon. (Applause.) From Mount Vernon and Hayfield Secondary in Virginia. (Applause.) From High Point High School in Maryland. (Applause.) From Eastern High School. (Applause.) And Georgetown Visitation here in D.C. (Applause.) All of you stand. Everybody stand. (Applause.)

I had a chance to meet with each and every one of them, to get a hug and a picture, and we talked. They are beautiful, they are inquisitive -- yes, it was a hug, it was a good hug. (Laughter.) And what I told them is that they should make sure they take advantage of this evening by making sure that they take time out to meet all of you extraordinary women, right; that they come up and introduce themselves with confidence; and that you make sure you have a little fun, right? So you're going to make that promise.

Make sure you get to meet everyone here today, because today all of you are joining the long line of incredible women who have graced these halls both as visitors and as residents, from admirals and actresses to civil rights pioneers -- my good friend, Dorothy Height, is here. (Applause.) Nobel Prize Winners -- you name it, this house has hosted some of the most accomplished women and some of the most accomplished Americans in the history of this country.

But we're here today not just to pay tribute to leaders and icons and household names. During Women's History Month we're also here to honor the quiet heroes who've shaped this country from the very beginning. We honor the women who traveled those lonely roads to be the first ones in those courtrooms, to be the first ones in those boardrooms, to be the first ones on those playing fields, and to be the first ones on those battlefields.

We honor women who refused to listen to those who would say that you couldn't or shouldn't pursue your dreams. And we honor women who may not have had many opportunities in their own lives, and we all know women like that: Women who poured everything they had into making sure that their daughters and their granddaughters could pursue their dreams; women who, as the poet Alice Walker once wrote, "knew what we must know without knowing it themselves."

All of us are here today because of women like these who came before us. And during this Women's History Month, may we recommit ourselves to carrying on their work for our own daughters and granddaughters, and also for our sons and our grandsons too.

Now, speaking of sons, it is my pleasure to introduce one of the few men in the room -- (laughter and applause) -- my husband, and the President of the United States, Barack Obama. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: That would be me. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Please, have a seat. Let me begin by just thanking some of the people who are participating here today. Michelle mentioned my outstanding Cabinet members, the extraordinary members of Congress and people who are in our senior White House team. I also want to thank Ms. Kerry Washington for emceeing today. Give Kerry a big round of applause. Where is she? There she is. (Applause.)

Ms. Katharine McPhee, who's going to be performing a song in the program. Where's Katharine? She's around -- she's practicing. (Applause.) She's here, I just saw her.

Secretary Madeline Albright is here today. (Applause.) and Ms. Mozhdah Jamalzadah is also going to be here performing a song in the program, so we want to thank her, give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)

And then there's this lady here. (Laughter.) FLOTUS, that's what we call her -- FLOTUS. (Laughter.) She is -- I'm biased, I acknowledge; but I think she's a pretty good First Lady. (Applause.) Don't you think? She's pretty good. (Applause.) And I'm very sincere when I look at you adoringly. (Laughter.)

The story of America over the past 200 years -- past 233 years is one of laws becoming more just, of a people becoming more equal, of a union being perfected. It's a story of captives being set free and a movement to fulfill the promise of that freedom. It's a story of waves of weary travelers reconsecrating America as a nation of immigrants. It's a story of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters making the most of that most American of demands -- to be treated the same as everybody else. And it's a story of women, from those on the Mayflower to the one I'm blessed to call my wife, who looked across the dinner table, and thought, I'm smarter than that guy. (Laughter.)

The story of America's women, like the story of America itself, has had its peaks and valleys. But as one of our great American educators once said, if you drew a line through all the valleys and all the peaks, that line would be drawn with an upward curve. That upward curve -- what we call progress -- didn't happen by accident.

It came about because of daring, indomitable women. Women like Abigail Adams, who brought on the ridicule of her husband John by advising him to "remember the ladies" in our founding documents. Women like the pioneers and settlers who, in the words of one, said, "I thought where he could go, I could go." Women like Dorothy Height and Sylvia Mendez and Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem and Sandra Day O'Connor and Madeline Albright, upending assumptions and changing laws and tearing down barriers. Women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, who, throughout her career, has put millions of cracks in America's glass ceiling. (Applause.) It's because of them -- and so many others, many who aren't recorded in the history books -- that the story of America is, ultimately, one of hope and one of progress, of an upward journey.

But even as we reflect on the hope of our history, we must also face squarely the reality of the present -- a reality marked by unfairness, marked by hardship for too many women in America. The statistics of inequality are all too familiar to us -- how women just earn 77 cents for every dollar men make; how one in four women is the victim of domestic violence at some point in her life; how women are more than half the population, but make up only 17 percent of the seats in Congress, and less than 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs.

These, and any number of other facts and figures, reflect the fundamental truth that in 2010, full gender equality has not yet been achieved; that the task of perfecting America goes on; and that all of us, men and women, have a part to play in bending the arc in America's story upward in the 21st century.

I'm proud of the extraordinary women -- and the extraordinary Americans -- I've appointed to help take up this task. In addition to our outstanding Secretary of State, we've got Hilda Solis serving where the first female Cabinet Secretary, Frances Perkins, once served, at the Labor Department. (Applause.) We've got Kathleen Sebelius leading our Health and Human Services Department; Janet Napolitano running the Department of Homeland Security. Susan Rice is our ambassador to the United Nations. The chair of my Council of Economic Advisors is Christy Romer. We got Lisa Jackson, who's doing great work at the EPA.

We have just extraordinary talent all across this administration. And from health insurance reform, to climate and energy, to matters of domestic policy, I'm seeking the counsel of brilliant women. And that list doesn't include, by the way, the Justice I appointed to the Supreme Court -- Ms. Sonia Sotomayor. (Applause.)

So, yes, I'm very proud to have appointed so many brilliant women to so many essential posts in our government. But I'm even prouder of what each of them is doing -- and what all of us are doing -- to make life better in America and around the world, because lifting up the prospects of our daughters will require all of us doing our part. And that's why we've established a new White House Council on Women and Girls, chaired by my friend and senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, that will help make sure that every part of our government is working to address the challenges faced by women and girls.

At a time when women are on the verge of making up the majority of America's workforce, the very first bill I signed into law -- a bill named after Lilly Ledbetter -- was designed to help keep America's promise: If you do the same work as a man, you ought to be paid the same wage as a man. (Applause.) To help parents balance work and family, we're offering states more support for quality, affordable child care and paid family leave.

At a time when we are waging two wars and fighting a global network of hatred and violence, we need the service of all those patriotic Americans who are willing to do their part. And that's why Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen and top Navy officers decided to end an old barrier against women, so our skilled and brave Navy women, as well as men, can serve on submarines.

At a time when it's still legal for health insurance companies to discriminate against the victims of domestic violence in eight states plus the District of Columbia, we're seeking health insurance reforms that would finally rein in the worst practices of the insurance industry. And I'm also proud to note that I've appointed the first White House Advisor on Violence against Women, Lynn Rosenthal. (Applause.)

At a time when the jobs of tomorrow will go to workers with the knowledge and skills to do them, we're ramping up efforts to educate our young people in science and technology, engineering and math, and we're making a special effort to recruit women to those fields -- because I want to see more teenage astronomers like Caroline Moore. In fact, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has launched a new partnership with Spelman College to train women engineers and help put them to work rebuilding our highways and our infrastructure.

And since today happens to be International Women's Day, it's also worth mentioning what Secretary Clinton, and Ambassador Rice, and this administration are doing on behalf of women around the globe. We lifted what's called the global gag rule that restricted women's access to family planning services abroad. (Applause.)

We're pursuing a global health strategy that makes important investments in child and maternal health. We sponsored a U.N. resolution to increase protection for women and girls in conflict-torn countries -- to help make it possible for more women like Mozhdah, who traveled from Afghanistan to join us here today -- to reach for their dreams. We created the first Office of Global Women's Issues at the State Department, and appointed Ambassador Melanne Verveer to run it. (Applause.) We're investing $18 million -- we're investing $18 million to combat the unconscionable cruelties being committed against girls and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And next month, I'll host an entrepreneurship summit to help fulfill a commitment I made in Cairo; a summit that will focus, in part, on the challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Muslim communities around the world.

We're doing all of this not only because promoting women's empowerment is one of the best ways to promote economic development and economic success. We are doing it because it's the right thing to do. I say that not only as a President, but also as the father of two daughters, as a son and a grandson, and as a husband.

Growing up, I saw my mother dedicate most of her life to promoting the rights and well-being of women overseas; to empowering them to take more control over their economic lives and be able to empower their families as well. I saw my grandmother work her way up to become vice president at a bank in Hawaii, starting as a secretary, never had more than a high school education. But I also saw how she hit a glass ceiling, and had to watch as men, no more qualified than she was, rise up the corporate ladder.

Before we got to the White House, where we are grateful for the extraordinary support that we receive from the White House staff, I'd see the challenges Michelle faced as a working mom. And as usual, she handled it with grace and skill, but she'd be the first one to tell you it wasn't always easy balancing the responsibilities of being a hospital executive with those of being a mother, and sometimes worrying about the girls when she was at work, and sometimes worrying about work when she was with the girls.

And today, as I see Sasha and Malia getting older, I think about the world that they -- and all of America's daughters -- will inherit. And I think about all of the opportunities that are still beyond reach for too many young women and too many of our brothers and sisters -- too many of our sisters and mothers and aunts -- all of the glass ceilings that have yet to be shattered.

We have so much more work to do, and that's why we're here today. I think about this because it reminds me of why I'm here. I didn't run for President so that the dreams of our daughters could be deferred or denied. I didn't run for President to see inequality and injustice persist in our time. I ran for President to put the same rights, the same opportunities, the same dreams within the reach for our daughters and our sons alike. I ran for President to put the American Dream within the reach of all of our people, no matter what their gender, or race, or faith, or station.

If we can stay true to that cause, if we can stay true to our founding ideals, then I'm absolutely confident that the line that runs through America's story will, in the future, as it has in the past, be drawn with an upward curve. And I'm especially pleased that these young ladies are here today because they're the ones who are going to help bend that curve towards justice and equality.

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 5:11 P.M. EST

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2010-03-08 22:03:58 GMT

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The nation’s flight attendants say the government needs to ratchet up security measures inside airplanes and we couldn’t agree more. This four point plan outlined by the Assn. of Flight Attendants is simple and effective. The new rules seek to strengthen in-cabin security through hand-to-hand combat instruction, personal radios and standardized size limits for carry-on luggage. From [...]

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national — 2010-03-08 21:56:08 GMT

NATO and America’s European allies are sounding the alarm over what they say are increased cyber attacks originating from China that are targeting key government and intelligence computers. The warning comes on the heels of an FBI report last week detailing the “real … and expanding threat” of cyber terrorism, especially from Al Qaeda. FBI Director Robert [...]

This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Cyberwar May Have Same Impact as Well-Placed Bomb

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VA-Reston, MTCSC provides flexible engineering and systems integration services that help customers solve their toughest, most intractable problems. National defense and homeland security clients depend on our rapid, cost-effective development of advanced technology - adaptable, interoperable, integrated solutions that provide high performance in quick-response scenarios. MTCSC is looking for an Systems Inte

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