Saturday - October 16, 2010
sounds familiar
Posted by Drew458
on 10/16/2010 at 08:33 AM
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Permalink • Friday - October 15, 2010
My Day From Hell
In which Drew finally learns to read the instructions and the fine print, and to actually accept what they say.
Today was the day to install that threshold for Mrs. G. What should have been an easy one hour job, a quick $50, turned into a day-long nightmare. And I lost money on the deal. Sadder but wiser.
The previous owners of her condo installed a floating laminate “wood” floor in the kitchen. Over concrete slab. She has carpet in the room next to it. Over concrete slab as well. The floor guys installed one of those thresholds that look like a comma in cross section. They used a cheap piece of crap that was wood-tone vinyl over pressboard. Masonite. Pressed cardboard, not even wood. First they tried gluing it on. That didn’t work. Wrong glue, or wrong approach. Then they tried using their air stapler to shoot a dozen wire staples to hold it down. That didnt’ work. Every single one of them bent up like spaghetti when they hit the concrete. So finally they just got 2 concrete screws and screwed the damn thing down. But they didn’t do a good job. They didn’t cover the screws, or countersink them, or anything. Ugly-ass screw heads sticking up. And she lived with that for 20 years, until the yucky pressboard started falling apart. I knew I could do better.
So, 2 trips to the hardware store later, and I had her a lovely bit of real oak that was nearly the color of her floor. And I had my countersink bits, a depth stop I made from a ply ripped from a bit of plywood, some concrete screws and the screw company’s own concrete drill bit.
And today, away I went. I measure twice, and cut the threshold to length. Perfect fit. Well, I had to trim one end in a little since the sides of the doorway weren’t parallel. But then it was perfect. I found the thickest part of the wood, and taped a perfectly straight line down the piece. Found the exact center, and found both spots exactly 1 3/4” in from each end. Drilled them all and countersunk them. Took my time so I didn’t even smoke the sawdust. Perfect. Laid the part in place ... and found out that the floor has a hump in it. Crap. Still, no biggy. 3 sturdy screws will hold it down, right? So now it was time to drill the hole in the concrete.
I hate concrete. I hate the builders who built these condos and were too cheap to put in actual subfloors over foundations or crawlspaces. No, these units were built over slabs poured right into the ground. Wonderful. And folks wonder why their floors are so cold in the winter.
So I put the long and skinny concrete bit in my drill, and away I went. And nothing much happened. Huh? So I pressed harder. And still nothing happened. Harder. And the only thing that happened was that the bit got really hot. Blued steel! I had smoked the damn thing.
So off to the hardware store. Again. 15 miles away.
“Oh, these don’t work as straight drill bits. See how it says “hammer drill bit” on the label? You have to set your hammer drill to hammer to use these bits.”
Um, I don’t own a hammer drill.
“Well, you could try a regular masonry bit, but even those work better with a hammer drill.”
Fine. And that’s when tool lust made it’s entrance. I could have bought a cheapo hammer drill for $59. It probably would have done the job. Mostly. Or maybe a demolition drill? Nah, they’re way too expensive. So I looked, and I learned, and I realized that at some point a hammer drill becomes a rotary hammer which eventually becomes a demolition drill, and the price goes up the whole time. And rotary hammers only take socketed bits; they don’t even have a drill chuck. So I “settled” on the 2nd priciest hammer drill, a Rigid. 1/2” chuck, pulls 9 amps. Holy cow. An 1100 watt drill. It was only $20 less than the Milwaukee, and it had a stronger motor and a lifetime warranty. So I bought it. $160 tool to drill the holes for 3 75¢ screws. Shit. But what can you do?
So then I picked up a 5/32” x 6” Bosch bit for $1 less than the “official” bit the screw company makes, figuring my heat-blued bit was a goner. Same size right? Wrong. The Bosch bit drilled the holes pretty well, but the screws didn’t quite fit. Seems like the “official” drill bit is merely nominally 5/32”. It’s actually a hair over. Secretly metric. And guess what happens when you try to drive concrete screws into holes that are just a smidgen too small? They don’t go. So you lean on them harder of course. And they still don’t go, but the heads tear up. Crap.
So I had to remove several screws that were halfway down their holes. Couldn’t do it with my regular screw driving drill. Couldn’t do it with pliers. Had to go home, get the full size pair of vise grips, come back, and clamp that mother down with both hands. That got the screws out, screaming all the way. The screws, not me. Although it was tempting.
Fine. Back to using the official drill bit. That opened up the holes just a tiny bit, and away I went. First screw went right in. Second screw went right in. Third screw went almost all the way in ... and then it sheared. Son of a dessicated camel! Crap. Hey, there’s a little bit of screw still in the wood. Maybe it will hold. It seems to be holding. Cool! Glue up the other 2 holes, get out the little bits of wooden dowel that fill the holes, pound them into place. Still holding. Glue and pound the last one into place. Sweet. Hey look, I’m all done! And it’s holding beautif ... poing! And that end pops up. Shutze no saco. Now I have to take the whole thing apart. After I just glued in the covers on. And the “one hour setting time” really means “dries in one minute or less”. Gotta drill them out. Sucks.
Ok, got them all out. This is becoming a real pain in the ass project. Grab the grips and turn that sheared screw out, since it sheared 1/4” above the concrete. Quarter turn at a time, then reclamp. Sheez. Ok, done. Finally. Fine. Redrill the hole, in case there was something down there. Threshold back in place. Screw another screw in ... and this one sheared too. Right at the concrete. No way in hell I can get it out. I am now totally effed. Damnation!! Sure, I can just put a cap on that hole and drill another one near by. That will work, but it will look like junk. And I don’t do ____-rig work. Shit. Double damnation. Half a day wasted already!!
So I went home, 2 blocks away. And made some coffee. And tried to get my head together. I’d done such lovely work, and everything had gone pretty well. Right to the end, when I was done in by a crappy screw. Two cups of coffee and a small Why ME tantrum later, it was time to go back to the hardware store. Get a new piece of threshold wood. And a tube of universal fast-set extra tacky ultra-glue construction adhesive. If I can’t screw it, I’ll glue it. Screw it!
15 miles, 5 traffic lights, and 8 speed bumps later I was back at the hardware store. Again. New piece of wood in hand.
“What, you’re doing another one?”
“No, the screw sheared off right at the concrete. I’m screwed, so I have to start all over and drill the holes somewhere else.”
“Those screws sheared? That never happens. Builders love these things, they never go wrong.”
“Well, good for them. They went wrong for me.”
“Here, try some medium length ones this time, and make sure you follow the directions. They should work. They always work.”
Fine. Drive half an hour back to her condo. At this point I’ve been at it for 6 hours. For a 1 hour job. I swear I’ve spent half the day just driving. Ok, I stopped for lunch. But it was a speed lunch. And I’ve spent nearly $40 more than anticipated, plus the cost of the new drill. But I’ll eat that one, since “I always wanted one”. I did? Ok, maybe. I guess so. It’s a helluva power tool, so fine.
Measure, cut, drill, countersink. That part of the job takes all of 10 minutes. I took the easy way out this time and decided on 2 screws, each 1/3 of the way in from the edges. Plus I knew it would be tempting fate trying to hit that old center hole exactly right with a new piece of wood. And those holes have bad ju-ju. And I had that tube of wonderglop, so that ought to do it. Please God, let that do it.
Put the threshold it place. Perfect fit. Put the official drill bit back in the mighty hammer drill. Brrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaapp! It’s a little spooky leaning my entire upper body onto a big drill with such a long skinny bit in it. I’m waiting for it to snap and send me face first into the floor, but it doesn’t. And it drills the holes real well, leaving a perfect anthill of concrete dust. Sweep that up, clean up the holes just to be safe. And then I remembered what the guys at the store said, so I read the fine print on the back of the little box of concrete screws:
1. Drill hole with your hammer drill, drilling 1/4” deeper than the screw will penetrate.
2. Drive screw into hole using your hammer drill.
Say what? Son of a gun. I have to screw them in, in hammer mode? That’s when it hit me: concrete screws really aren’t screws. They are dual groove spiral ring shank nails. They only look like screws. They have heads like screws. They only mostly behave like screws. But they’re really a special kind of nail. You have to sort of hammer them in while turning them. And that’s what a hammer drill is for. If you try to put them in using a hand screwdriver you’ll blow a blood vessel before they will turn. Put them in with a screwdriver bit in your regular power drill and they will probably shear. I found that out the hard way, twice. I should have listened at “once”, but I didn’t. But put them in with the hammer drill ... and fother mucker, the damn things go right in. Brrrrrapp! Tight. And they hold like little blue demons. Awesome. And no glue comes squirting out from underneath. Sweet.
So after a full day of very careful work, some messing about, one fatal screw-up and a bit of a panic attack, probably 100 miles of commuting to the hardware store, I read, accepted, and followed the instructions. Come on, who knew that screws came with instructions? Like, duh! So my second attempt at building and putting in a solid oak threshold took just over an hour. Like it should have the first time. And yeah, I used a big ass glob of construction adhesive underneath too. Probably not necessary, but that thing ain’t never ever gonna come loose. Evah! And it came out perfect. And everyone lived happily ever after. The end.
She gave me a $25 tip. Felt sorry for me, but appreciated my tenacity. So I have to write today off as a learning experience, and my net is out $120 for a potent power tool I now have to find uses for. Hey, I bet that puppy can stir up batches of thin-set concrete like damn! And I need a shower. And another beer.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/15/2010 at 06:16 PM
Filed Under: • work and the workplace •
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Permalink • Another Galactic Deficit
The Obama administration is set to report Friday that the federal budget deficit exceeded $1 trillion for the second straight year, providing critics of government spending with fresh ammunition ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that the deficit for the 2010 budget year that ended Sept. 30 will total $1.29 trillion. That’s down by $125 billion from the $1.4 trillion in 2009—the highest deficit on record.
Soaring deficits have become a problem for Democrats in an election year focused on the weak economy.
Republicans have tapped into voter angst over the deficits, using the $814 billion economic stimulus and $700 billion Wall Street bailout to paint President Barack Obama and his party as big spenders.
Democrats say the recession would have been worse if the government didn’t step in with those programs to prop up the economy. They also note that most of the bailout, which began during the Bush administration and was supported by many Republicans in Congress, has been repaid.
Both parties have acknowledged that rising deficits will present headaches for policymakers regardless of which party controls Congress after November.
The Obama administration is projecting that the deficit for the 2011 budget year, which began on Oct. 1, will climb to $1.4 trillion. Over the next decade, it will total $8.47 trillion. Deficits of that size will constrain the administration’s agenda over the next two years and will certainly be an issue in the 2012 presidential race.
Let’s see. $1.4 trillion last year, $1.3 trillion this year - and you know that government estimates are ALWAYS on the low side - and more than a trillion next year and forever after that. 300 million people in the country, of which 40 percent have jobs. So that’s 120 million working folks. ( and a full third of them or more work for the government, so they can’t realistically pay down any part of the debt with salaries that themselves are derived from government spending ) And a 2 year debt load of $2.7 trillion at least.
$2,700,000,000,000 / 120,000,000 = $270,000 / 12 = $22,500 NEW debt per every working person. In just the past 2 years alone.
This is on top of the $5.8 trillion cumulative debt that existed in 2008. Which is $48,334 per worker bee.
Your slice of the pie is thus nearly $71,000?
Hey, how stimulated do you feel now??
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
Posted by Drew458
on 10/15/2010 at 08:06 AM
Filed Under: • Economics • Government •
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Permalink • the good news, Royal Navy sinks pirate boat. The bad news, they didn’t deep six any pirates
This is the moment the Royal Navy foiled a gang of suspected Somali sub-species pirates .... Sadly, they only blew up their boat but didn’t put an end to their unnecessary breathing.
The pirate boat was loaded with ladders and fuel. Cheers to the RN but next times guys, can’t there be an unfortunate accident?
This photo is from the Ministry of Defence as is the article. The story and photos only appeared in this morning’s paper. But I couldn’t find the article or the pix on line. So ... I tried the MoD and bingo. Well, sort of bingo. The photo of the boat burning was a scan of the one in the paper. So here. Read about it. Notice the date.
HMS Montrose disrupts pirates
A Military Operations news article14 Oct 10
The Royal Navy warship HMS Montrose prevented a gang of suspected pirates from entering the Indian Ocean to attack merchant ships yesterday, Wednesday 14 October 2010.
This is the ship’s second counter-piracy success in two weeks. She is currently deployed as part of NATO’s counter-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa.
The ship was alerted yesterday to a gang of ten men acting suspiciously in a small boat off the coast of Somalia near to a known pirate camp. Their boat, loaded with ladders and fuel drums, was towing two other smaller vessels that have been traditionally used for pirate attacks against ships.
HMS Montrose, which left HM Naval Base Devonport this summer, launched her Lynx helicopter and a boat of Royal Marines and sailors to investigate.
Once the suspected pirates spotted the helicopter and boarding team, four of the suspected pirates took one of the smaller boats and tried to flee to shore. The remaining men stopped in the water and when the Lynx helicopter hovered overhead they tried to get rid of their ladders overboard.
After the Royal Navy boarding team confiscated all the pirate gear, thus ensuring that the gang could no longer pose a threat to merchantmen, they were transferred to the remaining skiff.
Speaking about the incident, the Commanding Officer of HMS Montrose, Commander Jonathan Lett, said yesterday:
“Today’s disruption of a pirate gang in the Somali Basin by a NATO warship was very rewarding. Our actions prevented suspected pirates from heading out to sea to prey on innocent merchantmen. HMS Montrose continues to help keep the seas safe.”
Other ships currently involved in Operation OCEAN SHIELD are HDMS Esbern Snare (Denmark), ITS Bersagliere (Italy), and USS Kauffman and USS Laboon (USA).
Posted by peiper
on 10/15/2010 at 05:33 AM
Filed Under: • Pirates, aarrgh! •
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Permalink • Thursday - October 14, 2010
arty eye candy
I’m outta here for the night. Will leave you with this ....
Posted by peiper
on 10/14/2010 at 12:55 PM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • 17 YEARS TO BUILD A MODEL SHIP AND WORTH EVERY YEAR ….
Found this tonight and got caught up in it. Take a look at what this fellow did.
Took 17 years and he worked with very old wood indeed.
Around 1980 the wife and I had a private tour of this great ship. That was the thrill of a lifetime. One of a few I’ve had.
Sculptor completes a model of HMS Victory after 17 YEARS… using a piece of wood from Nelson’s flag ship
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:27 PM on 14th October 2010Dedicated sculptor Ian Brennan has spent 17 years carving a perfect replica of HMS Victory - out of a block of wood from the famous ship.
The artist has put in over 5,000 man-hours into creating an exact copy of Lord Nelson’s flagship that helped defeat the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805.
It contains 200 feet of tiny wooden rope, 104 guns, 37 wind-filled sails, and flags spelling out Nelson’s famous battle cry ‘England expects every man to do his duty.’
Detail: The 1:66 scale ship is accurate right down to the 37 billowing sails and 200ft of rigging, giving a marvellous impression of the ship racing to TrafalgarMr Brennan, the official sculptor for the British Royal Household, had hoped to finish the model by 2005 - the bi-centenary of the battle.
But the oak wood from Victory’s lower gun deck was so hard it was like carving concrete and the labour of love took far longer than expected.
Having worked on Victory some years ago Mr Brennan was given a beam from above a cannon - it even had the hook in it from where the mess table hung.
Within the 400-year-old oak the 60-year-old found enough good timber to create the 47 inch ship - a 1:66 scale model.
It weighs 44lbs and during its creation Mr Brennan has worn out four sets of overalls and cut himself numerous times.
READ MORE AND SEE LOTS MORE PHOTOS HERE
Posted by peiper
on 10/14/2010 at 11:54 AM
Filed Under: • Art-Photography • History • Talented Ppl. • UK •
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Permalink • There’s a radio program here in the UK called Any Answers. It follows Any Questions. I have one.
A very off the wall post as I’d be VERY interested in views and opinions and especially advice.
We’re talkin hypothetical okay?
You live next door to an inconsiderate neighbor who happens to be a dog owner. Ah, you’re already beginning to see things.
You aren’t going to get anywhere with said neighbor because as anyone who has ever been in the position you know from experience that .....
Dog owners take any critical comment with regard to an annoying non stop barking little flea farm, as a personal attack on them.
What? They may ask. My dog? Barking? My dog doesn’t bark.
Naturally enough you know better because you’re right next door.
Keeping thing purely hypothetical now .... assuming that all reasonable solutions have gotten you nowhere ... and you have no access to a gun, not that you would use it of course (cough).
I’d be interested in knowing what various methods you might use to bring about a hypothetically permanent solution to a barking dog problem.
There aren’t any cats around here in any number or I’d collect gallons of cat piss and dump it on the bark machine, thus causing it to attack itself. So we can scratch that lone idea.
Serious replies only please .... keeping it hypothetical naturally.
Posted by peiper
on 10/14/2010 at 10:29 AM
Filed Under: • Personal •
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Permalink • law and total dis-order, the criminal system hard at work while victim numbers grow.
This is something even beyond depravity, but I can’t think of the word.
No surprise. Just look at the creep. Hunting for words and can’t find the right ones. The same for the second article. This sort of thing just drives me up the wall. It’s so easy to correct and yet the hand wringing fools won’t see it, thus creating future victims. Even if this country didn’t have strict (for law abiding) gun control, these women would not have stood a chance. Possibly the younger of the two might but it’s doubtful. Not many 90 yr old ladies in need of care would have one. So it’s up to the state I think, to remove forever the sort of walking filth like this nigger and the vile white trash in the 2nd article.
Only a week ago, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke went to great pains to reassure critics who feared his apparently soft policy of jailing fewer criminals would mean allowing even violent thugs to remain at liberty.
In unequivocal language, he spelt out to the Tory conference: ‘For serious criminals, prison is the best and only sentence. It is the punishment for serious crime that society expects and accepts.’
And to remove any shred of doubt, he added: ‘Career criminals and violent, dangerous criminals should be in prison – not roaming our streets.’
What a difference a week makes.
Today, the Sentencing Council turns those fine words on their head, issuing draft rules which will mean – you’ve guessed it – thousands more violent thugs will be free to roam our streets.
Incredibly, attackers may avoid jail even after a conviction for causing permanent disability or disfigurement.
For under the guidelines, expected to come into force next year, judges and magistrates will be instructed to look leniently on a wide range of mitigating factors, including the assailant’s youth or immaturity.
What difference does a thug’s age make to the victims of a vicious attack – or didn’t anyone think of asking them?
Why oh why do judges inform the criminals what they’ve done and make a speech about it. The rats don’t wanna know and care less.
There are crimes where there is no doubt about guilt. Yet this sub human scum had a lawyer, making excuses for him. Someone who does this kind of thing really needs to be dead, and his defender along with him.
He warned his victims that killing held no fear for him. Of course not. They don’t have a death penalty here. Read is all at the link.
‘Depraved’ gang leader who forced 91-year-old woman to perform sex act on her carer jailed by horrified judgeBy Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:39 PM on 14th October 2010
A depraved gang leader who forced a 91-year-old woman to perform sex acts on her elderly carer at knife-point was today jailed indefinitely by a judge who branded the case one of the most ‘sickening and harrowing’ he had ever heard.
Michael Lewis, 21, recorded the violent and humiliating ordeal on his mobile phone as a ‘trophy’ to show members of south London’s Brixton Hill Blood gang.
Passing sentence, Judge Roger Chapple said the attack showed there were ‘no limits to the depths of depravity that some will descend to.’
Known as ‘Joker 187 General’ - the number referring to the American code for murder -, Lewis cut the phone line and threatened to kill his terrified victims.
The carer was making her way into the pensioner’s home when Lewis, who had pulled his hoodie down over his scarred face, approached and forced his way in.He then subjected the pair to the humiliating attack, forcing them to perform a series of sex acts until he fled warning he would return if they called the police.
‘The reasons for your behaviour are to me entirely unfathomable,’ the judge said.
‘The ordeal suffered at your hands by these two women has properly been described as horrific.
‘The emotional scars you have inflicted upon them are deep and permanent. I am faced with a defendant who, for no reason I can begin to understand, has committed behaviour of the utmost gravity.
‘You were not affected by drink or drugs and have no disability. What you did fills me with utter revulsion.
Send fewer thugs to jail and save £20m a year, judges and JPs told
By Steve Doughty
Last updated at 2:44 PM on 14th October 2010Judges and magistrates were yesterday ordered to send fewer violent thugs to jail.
New guidelines mean those guilty of grievous bodily harm or beating up a police officer will remain on the streets rather than going to prison.
And courts will be told to count the youth or remorse of an attacker as a mark in their favour.
Freedom Pass
The guidelines could mean:
- Between 1,000 and 2,800 fewer offenders jailed each year for common assault.
- Between 300 and 900 fewer jailed each year for assault causing actual bodily harm.
- Between 200 and 700 fewer jailed each year for assault on a police officer.
- Between 15 and 50 fewer jailed each year for assault with intent to resist arrest.
- Between ten and 30 fewer jailed each year for causing grievous bodily harm.
There’s at least one judge who doesn’t agree ... Justice Leveson said guidelines were being ignored and longer sentences handed out
HOWEVER ...... Take a look at this story and see if you really believe that.
Evil teenagers who ‘tortured’ autistic boy, 17, for three days free to roam streets after judge fails to lock them up
By Jaya NarainA family has reacted with horror and disbelief after a gang of teenage thugs who subjected an autistic boy to a terrifying three-day ‘torture’ ordeal walked free from court.
The gang used a mobile phone to film themselves carrying out depraved assaults on their 17-year-old victim.
During a sickening spree of violence the three thugs kicked and stamped on his head, repeatedly punched him in the chest, beat him with a tennis racket and then threw him down a steep embankment.
Mobile phone footage showed the yobs laughing and joking as they made him endure other abuse and, in a final humiliating assault, they applied adhesive tape to his genital area before ripping the tape off.
But Jack Bolton, Andrew Griffin, and Nathan Marshall, all 18, walked free from court.
Last night the teenager’s family, senior police officers and an MP branded the sentence ‘a joke’ and called for it to be reviewed.
His aunt, with whom he lived, said: ‘The things that these boys did to him were awful and disgusting. In my book they could have killed him and need to be jailed. The sentence is a joke. I can’t believe they have got off so lightly.’
there’s more on this story HERE
Posted by peiper
on 10/14/2010 at 08:59 AM
Filed Under: • Crime • CULTURE IN DECLINE • Judges-Courts-Lawyers • Justice - LACK OF • UK •
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Permalink • hacker eye candy? UPDATE -UPDATE !
Early morning and again, thought it more fun to start my day with things less maddening and either funny, which most ignore I know, or maybe sexy.
Not excusing what she did. But 40 years? People kill and rape here and don’t get 40 years. Or if they do they don’t generally serve it all. But she is cute nevertheless.
Folks always get more jail time for things involving great sums of money, then they do for more violent crimes. Why is that? I know there are some exceptions.
World’s ‘sexiest computer hacker’ appears in court charged with $3m computer scam
By Tom Leonard
Staring alluringly into the camera with dazzling blue eyes and a rather daring outfit is the Russian student accused of a plot to defraud British and U.S. banks of millions.
Kristina Svechinskaya, 21, has been dubbed the ‘world’s sexiest computer hacker’ after being charged with being part of a gang aiming to steal $220million (£139million).
In leather boots and skin-tight jeans, she wept during her court appearance. Today, she is due in court again, charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and false use of passports.
World’s sexiest computer hacker: Kristina Svechinskaya is accused of using the Zeus Trojan software to attack thousands of people’s accounts
If convicted, she could be jailed for up to 40 years.
In total, 37 people have been accused in New York over an East European-based plan to use an Internet virus to siphon money from the online accounts of small businesses and individuals.
Svechinskaya was one of four students at New York University said to have acted as ‘money mules’ by opening hundreds of accounts.
Prosecutors claim she opened at least five bank accounts, which received $35,000 (£22,000) of the stolen money.
British police are also investigating the fraud and arrested 11 Eastern Europeans in Essex last month.
They have been charged with fraud and money-laundering offences over bank thefts amounting to £6million.
The FBI said some of the hundreds of bank accounts drained by the alleged fraudsters were held with London-based HSBC.
More suspects have been arrested in the Ukraine, leading federal
officers to describe the case as ‘one of the largest cyber criminal cases’ they have dealt with.
The Eastern European gang made £2million a month from online accounts by stealing victims’ log-in details using ‘Trojan horse’ software which can be bought for just £300 over the internet. According to the FBI, the ring managed to rake in around $70million (£40million) of the huge amount it targeted.
not related but my favorite bad girl is still the Russky spy UPDATE 
I just discovered this little blurb re. this fox.
For the woman who the FBI says used her internet knowledge for her undercover work in New York has found an even more profitable use for her skills — at a Moscow bank.
The flame-haired 28-year-old was arrested in America and unmasked as a Russian agent by the U.S. authorities before being exchanged in a Cold War spy swap in July.
Subsequently, her British passport — for which she had qualified after a marriage to a former public schoolboy — was withdrawn by the Home Office.
Yesterday, it was announced she was joining FundServiceBank as an adviser to the institution’s president ‘on issues of investment and innovation’.
It said Chapman would be working on developing the bank’s ‘information technologies’ and described her as a ‘creative and multi-faceted employee who truly cares about Russia’s destiny’.
Posted by peiper
on 10/14/2010 at 02:54 AM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • Wednesday - October 13, 2010
New Member Alert
And another sucka has jumped through the impossible Flaming Hoops of Death that are the ultimate test of blog-fu that I put prospective members through before granting them the rare and exclusive BMEWS membership.
Please welcome aboard CenTexTim.
No, not Semtex Timmy. That could have been awesome, a new western comic book superhero to beat out the muzzie Silver Scorpion. That’s too much responsibility for a new member.
It’s just CenTexTim.
For now. Because every superhero needs a secret identity.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/13/2010 at 09:19 PM
Filed Under: • Blog Stuff •
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Permalink • Why We Win, Part 1
I don’t know why I’ve never done one of these WWW posts before. Probably because I get hung up on what to title them ...
How’s this for a morale raiser? Jessica Simpson entertained the sailors aboard the USS Harry Truman out in the Arabian Sea the other day, signing autographs, posing for snapshots, performing in the ships hanger bay, and eating with the crew. The crew had earlier run a singing contest, with the winners getting a chance to share a duet with her.
Morale was further raised when Ms. Simpson was given a chance to blast away on a pair of deck mounted .50 BMGs. Awesome. Best slow motion gun porn video never filmed. Even though the temperature was in the upper 90s, Jessica wore a helmet, ear muffs, an extra shirt, a heavy flack jacket, and big leather boots for protection. But I’m certain that under all that and her trademark Daisy Dukes was a very small bikini.
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class John Britt, USS Harry S. Truman Air department, V-2 division, emerged as the contest winner. Britt’s wife and child will be accompanying him to New York to watch his performance and share the experience.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m honored to be part of it,” said Britt. “I’m excited to be able to represent Truman, as well as the entire Navy. My family and shipmates are proud of me, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Britt’s duet with Jessica will also be featured in her upcoming Christmas album.
“She knows the sacrifices the military men and women are making on behalf of their country, and she wants to do what she can in return,” said Joe Simpson, Jessica’s father and manager. “She’s proud to be able to sing with someone fighting for our freedom.”
Capt. Craig Clapperton, USS Harry S. Truman executive officer, said he was honored to have Jessica on board as a guest, and felt she boosted the crew’s morale with her heartfelt appreciation of their professionalism and service.
“I got to get my picture taken with her,” said Operations Specialist Seaman Jeroy Williams. “It was really amazing to meet a celebrity. She’s a lot prettier in real life, but she’s shorter than I thought she’d be. She was really nice to everybody, and I’m really glad I was able to meet her.”
During a performance in the ship’s hangar bay, Jessica thanked the hundreds of Sailors and Marines for their service and shared love of country and sang “God Bless America.”
“I’ve never meet anybody famous before,” said Operation Specialist Seaman Alison Wagner. “It’s really great that she took the time to come out here to visit us while we were deployed. It definitely lifted my spirits and made me feel a lot better being on deployment.”
During a tour of the ship, Jessica also participated in a 50 cal. gun shoot, served as a helmsman on the bridge, and spoke to the crew on the 1-MC. Although she enjoyed everything during her visit, her favorite part, she said, was meeting the crew members.
“I’ve been on many USO trips,” she said, “and I always enjoy sitting and talking with service members. To be on board Truman has been a blessing. I’ve met so many amazing people, and everybody has been so welcoming and made me feel like I’m at home. I can’t express enough how much I appreciate the sacrifices you make for our country.”
The full article is here, given an awful title in true Navy style: Simpson Embarks Truman. Oy vey.
But I would like to thank the US Navy and photographer Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Tyler Caswell for the photograph of her and Chief Gunner’s Mate Keith McGinley playing with guns, and their appreciation of true hi-res photography.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/13/2010 at 07:11 PM
Filed Under: • Military • Patriotism •
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Permalink • Eye Candy for the Glaucoma Set
“Sherman?”
“Yes Mr. Peabody?”
“Set the WABAC machine for 1943.”
“Exactly 1943?”
“Well, plus or minus a few. Thereabouts.”
“Right away Mr. Peabody!”
Posted by Drew458
on 10/13/2010 at 04:48 PM
Filed Under: • Eye-Candy •
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Permalink • A Bad Precedent
State-owned Chinese energy giant CNOOC is buying a multibillion-dollar stake in 600,000 acres of South Texas oil and gas fields, potentially testing the political waters for further expansion into U.S. energy reserves.
With the announcement Monday that it would pay up to $2.2 billion for a one-third stake in Chesapeake Energy assets, CNOOC lays claim to a share of properties that eventually could produce up to half a million barrels a day of oil equivalent.
It also might pick up some American know-how about tapping the hard-to-get deposits trapped in dense shale rock formations, analysts said.
As part of the deal, the largest purchase of an interest in U.S. energy assets by a Chinese company, CNOOC has agreed to pay about $1.1 billion for a chunk of Chesapeake’s assets in the Eagle Ford, a broad oil and gas formation that runs largely from southwest of San Antonio to the Mexican border.
CNOOC also will provide up to $1.1 billion more to cover drilling costs.
The deal represents China’s second try at making a big move into the U.S. oil and gas market, following a failed bid five years ago to buy California-based Unocal Corp.
Am I the only one who sees this as a bad idea? It is suicidal for a nation to sell control of it’s strategic assets. Any of them. Gold, oil, timber, rare earths, heavy metals. These must NOT be owned by foreigners. Sure, if you want to sell some of the products to foreigners, that’s one thing. And maybe it’s Ok for foreign investment to own up to 35% of the stock in companies like these. But not majority shareholders or outright ownership.
China has poured some $20 billion in loans and direct investments into Brazil’s offshore oil exploration and production, for example. And last spring, the Chinese government loaned $20 billion to Venezuela to develop oil fields in its Orinoco River basin, with much of the work awarded to Chinese companies.
Posted by Drew458
on 10/13/2010 at 02:37 PM
Filed Under: • Oil, Alternative Energy, and Gas Prices •
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Permalink • off work 8 years, demands long service and good conduct medal …
This might come under a heading we don’t have yet.
Well, if that don’t beat all.
Had I been here yesterday I would have posted this bit of lunacy. Least, I think it is. So I held on to it and am happy to share now.
Here’s a case of, HUH? She is out sick, she claims, has been for eight years. But she wants, among many other things,
An award for Long Service and a Good Conduct Medal
Couldn’t make that up. But here. Read the part of the story here and then the rest at the link.
Injured policewoman on sick leave for 8 years sues force ‘for not giving her holiday pay or long service medal’
By Daily Mail Reporter
A tribunal into a former police officer seeking damages from the force she worked for heard that some officers on sick leave hate the police so much they can never return.
Alison Doyle, who spent eight years on sick leave from Northumbria Police, claims she was never able to return to work after an attack on the beat.
She already had a painful back problem from a previous car crash when she made an arrest in October 2001 which turned violent. She claims the scuffle caused her existing injury to become unbearable and never returned to work, although she remained with the force.: ‘She could not even perform administration tasks because of her enmity towards the police force.’
Her long-running dispute that she deserved a medical pension reached the High Court in November 2005. Lawyers for the Northumbria Police Authority challenged the doctor’s assessment and argued that Miss Doyle’s problems did not amount to a permanent disability.
Mr Wirz said employees off work sick could foster hatred of the force which meant they were unable to return to work.
He added: ‘She could not even perform administration tasks because of her enmity towards the police force.’
I know we aren’t supposed to be judging books by their covers but. Sometimes ya just can’t help it. Looking at this dork I couldn’t help but wonder about the standards of the cops and thought perhaps if they’d not been forced to lower those standards to meet certain quotas .... yadda,yadda.
Posted by peiper
on 10/13/2010 at 11:09 AM
Filed Under: • CULTURE IN DECLINE • UK • work and the workplace •
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.
- Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
- Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
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- Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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