Monday, July 21, 2014

GOOD NEWS: Every iPad and iPhone on the planet has a secret back-door allowing unknown parties to take control

Gee, I wonder who could be behind this?

QUESTIONS FOR APPLE: Forensic scientist identifies suspicious 'back doors' running on every iOS device


Forensic scientist and author Jonathan Zdziarski has posted the slides (PDF) from his talk at the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE/X) conference in New York called Identifying Backdoors, Attack Points, and Surveillance Mechanisms in iOS Devices... In his talk Zdziarski demonstrates "a number of undocumented high-value forensic services running on every iOS device" and "suspicious design omissions in iOS that make collection easier." He also provides examples of forensic artifacts acquired that "should never come off the device" without user consent.

... Zdziarski's questions for Apple include:

• Why is there a packet sniffer running on 600 million personal iOS devices instead of moved to the developer mount?
• Why are there undocumented services that bypass user backup encryption that dump mass amounts of personal data from the phone?
• Why is most of my user data still not encrypted with the PIN or passphrase, enabling the invasion of my personal privacy by YOU?
• Why is there still no mechanism to review the devices my iPhone is paired with, so I can delete ones that don’t belong?

And his summary slide (page 57 of the PDF) sums it up nicely:

• Apple is dishing out a lot of data behind our backs
• It’s a violation of the customer’s trust and privacy to bypass backup encryption
• There is no valid excuse to leak personal data or allow packet sniffing without the user’s knowledge and permission.
• Much of this data simply should never come off the phone, even during a backup.
• Apple has added many conveniences for enterprises that make tasty attack points for .gov and criminals

Overall, the otherwise great security of iOS has been compromised… by Apple… by design.

Yet another reason to stick with open source. At least you can see what you're getting.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

SMART POWER: In 2010, Russian Military Hackers Penetrated NASDAQ Stock Exchange With Intent to Wipe it Out

"Reset", indeed!

When the FBI notified Nasdaq of the intrusion, it turned out the company had detected anomalies on its own but had yet to report the attack. After negotiations over privacy concerns, Nasdaq agreed to let U.S. officials into its networks. Investigation teams arrived at the company’s headquarters at One Liberty Plaza in New York City and its data center in Carteret, N.J., where they found multiple indications of an intelligence agency or military.

The hackers had used two zero-day vulnerabilities in combination. A zero day is a previously unknown flaw in computer code—developers have had “zero days” to address it—that allows hackers to easily take remote command of a computer. It’s a valuable commodity, sometimes selling for tens of thousands of dollars in underground markets. The use of one zero day indicates a sophisticated hacker; more than one suggests government. Stuxnet deployed four—a sign that the code’s authors had done advanced reconnaissance and knew precisely how various systems worked together.

Whoever hit Nasdaq had done similar prep work and had similar resources. The clincher was the hackers’ malware pulled from Nasdaq’s computer banks. The NSA had seen a version before, designed and built by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), that country’s main spy agency. And it was more than spyware: Although the tool could be used to steal data, it also had a function designed to create widespread disruption within a computer network. The NSA believed it might be capable of wiping out the entire exchange.

In early January, the NSA presented its conclusions to top national security officials: Elite Russian hackers had breached the stock exchange and inserted a digital bomb. The best case was that the hackers had packed their malware with a destruction module in case they were detected and needed to create havoc in Nasdaq computer banks to throw off their pursuers. The worst case was that creating havoc was their intention. President Obama was briefed on the findings.

And what did Obama do? I was going to construct a multiple choice answer involving golf, fundraising, and golf, but I think you already know the answer.

I've got an explanation for Obama's ambivalence about the Russians nuking an American stock exchange.

Hey, anything that can accelerate the Democrats' Cloward-Piven Strategy is probably just fine by Dear Leader!


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

Larwyn's Linx: Former Border Patrol Agent Warns What’s Coming

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Former Border Patrol Agent Warns What’s Coming: James Simpson
The True Size of the Adult Immigration Wave, Revealed: John Hayward
Ted Cruz Fox News Sunday interview on stopping Obama’s amnesty: Scoop

No Longer Just: Jack Butler
Has Obama checked out?: Cove
Reports from the “Immigration Surge” Protests: LI

To Understand The Present, Remember The Past (with tweets): Brian Cates
What do Rand Paul and Barack Obama have in common? Foreign policy.: Scoop
Gov. Rick Perry to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops to RGV: The Monitor

Has Citizenship Jumped The Shark?: Derek Hunter
Racial Politics May Determine Who Controls Senate in 2014: Star Parker
Fore! Obama Hits Links For 11th Weekend In A Row, Round #182: WZ

Economy

The cost of liberalism: Detroit’s water war: DTG
As Births Slow, P&G Turns to Adult Diapers: WSJ
New York gun range in business for 73 years forced to close: Fox

Scandal Central

Luis Gutierrez to La Raza: Obama Assured Steps to 'Stop the Deportation of Our People': Breitbart
Operation Choke Point Hearing Reveals DOJ Threats And Strong-Arming: DC
‘Test it on Brits:’ Snowden says GCHQ even worse than NSA: RT

Media

FOX News Buries Competition In Coverage of Ukraine: LI
Cowardly ANSWER Communists Violently Harass Me at Anaheim Police Brutality Protest: AmPower
Spectator: London Rally 'Disgusting Anti-Semitic Spectacle': TR

Angelina Jolie ‘Hates’ Obama; Believes He is Really a ‘Socialist in Disguise’: TPNN
Prominent Cleric Denounces Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Anal Jihad’ Practices: Mediaite
71 Percent of Obama Voters Regret Voting for Obama: TPNN (2/14)

Stealing Our Country: MB
The New York Times: All The News Hamas Sees Fit to Print: WS
Chicago Tribune reporter John Chase on the record: Why he warned Blago about the wiretap: IP2P

World

For the Sake of the People of Gaza, Support the IDF: DiploMad
Obama Admin Sending Al-Qaeda Reinforcements, To Announce Release of 6 Gitmo Detainees: WZ
Thousands of Christians flee Mosul after ISIS jihadis give them deadline to convert, pay or die: DailyMail

What Really Happened at the Don Yitzchak Abarbanel Synagogue in Paris?: Gates of Vienna
UNRWA Gives Rockets to Hamas; Why is U.S. Still Funding It?: Evelyn Gordon
Canada: Muslim mob chanting “kill the Jews” assaults supporters of Israel: JihadWatch

Kerry Mocks Israel Over “Hot Mic”: “It’s A Hell Of A Pinpoint Operation”: WZ
‘My Bad’ Says State Department Official Tweeting Support for Hamas: Sara Noble
Must Watch Video – Rep. Massie Calls for Release of Secret 9/11 Documents Upon Reading Them: Michael Krieger

Obama Administration Suppresses Talk of Muslim Persecutions: Gatestone
Despite Bomb Threats, Ten Thousand Attend Huge Pro-Israel Rally in NYC: Treehouse
Thousands march in downtown Chicago in support of Palestinians: Trib

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Bye-bye billion-dollar industry: Mink brings 3D-printed makeup home: Alltop
Tired of being spied on? These startups try to keep your secrets safe: VB
One of My Most Frequent Pieces of Advice: Be Politely Persistent: Mark Suster

Cornucopia

Progressive’s Law of “Millionaire Denialism” as explained by Kemosabe: MOTUS
I like the cut of this fellow's jib - Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Edition: Instapundit
British Royal Guard Plays Game of Thrones Theme Outside Buckingham Palace: Mediaite

Image: Progressive’s Law of “Millionaire Denialism” as explained by Kemosabe
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: MILTON WOLF FOR U.S. SENATE

QOTD: "Zach Taylor is a 27 year veteran Border Patrol agent with supervisory experience. He has testified before Congress as an expert witness on criminal activity in wilderness areas. His message is credible. He accuses the federal government in a coverup that is deliberately shielding critical information from the public.

Taylor says that whoever is perpetrating the border crisis is engaged in a perfect asymmetrical military tactic. While the American people focus on “the children,” he points out that they are actually only a tiny proportion of the people crossing the border. That we are apprehending about 10 percent of the illegal border crossers, and that the other 90 percent are not children. Since only 10 – 15 percent of those apprehended are children, that means we are focused on about 1 percent of the problem. The adults that we are missing are bringing in weapons, personnel and supplies while our attention is diverted by the needs of the children.

He says a very credible informer told him that that the most dangerous crime element in Mexico City is Russian Mafia. That means KGB. Few people know this, but the Soviets entered a secret pact with Mexico very early in the last century, almost certainly with the eventual aim of utilizing Mexico’s strategic position in offenses against the U.S. There is little doubt in my mind that the border crisis is an endgame strategy designed to bring in the people and weapons that will kill us." --James Simpson

Sunday, July 20, 2014

WHERE'S PETA WHEN YOU NEED THEM? Hamas Uses Suicide-Belt Wearing Donkey to Attack Israeli Forces

They use innocent children as human shields, so why wouldn't Hamas use innocent animals to attack the forces of good?

The Israel Defense Forces says that it neutralized an explosive-laden donkey that was said to be heading toward Israeli troops in Gaza on Friday. And by neutralized, we mean, the explosives were set off with gunfire.

From the IDF blog:

Up-to-date ISA intelligence alerted the IDF that terror organizations in the Gaza Strip intend to strap explosives to animals and send them in the direction of ground forces. On the night of July 18, there was at least one such attempt, in which a donkey suspiciously began to approach forces. The forces approached the donkey and it exploded at a safe distance, whereas no injuries were sustained by the IDF as a result."

According to the IDF, using explosive-rigged animals to attack Israeli troops has an not-so-illustrious past including donkeys and dogs. According to the Telegraph:

Several attempted donkey-assisted attacks were reported in the West Bank and Gaza during the second Palestinian intifada [uprising] of 2000-2005. Other incidents have been recorded in recent years, including one in 2009 when militants approached the Karni crossing between Gaza and Israel with horses carrying mines and explosives.


This tactic comes straight out of the Jihadists' playbook: it appears that the Taliban used suicide donkeys in Afghanistan against American and British troops.

Send a tweet to PETA protesting the Islamofascists' use of animals as war machines.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

BORDER PATROL: "We need help!"; Cartels lay down .50-cal suppressing fire to help illegals invade U.S.

By Mac Slavo

The border is completely safe. So say President Barack Obama, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid and others who support the wave of illegal immigrants entering the United States.

A new report from the southern border, however, suggests otherwise.

Shots rang out Friday night in Rincon Peninsula, Texas, forcing U.S. border patrol agents to take cover. The shots originated from south of the Rio Grande River and according to Border Patrol sources they came from a high-powered .50 caliber rifle.

Based on what agents witnessed next, according to Texas State Representative Louie Gohmert, this wasn’t just random fire.

“When the shooting stopped, about 40 to 50 people came out on the U.S. side and turned themselves in. So clearly the rounds were being fired to suppress every effort to stop anybody intervening with anyone or anything coming across,” Gohmert added. “We have no idea what or how many or whom came across with the other illegal immigrants.”

Sources said they believe the gunfire came from members of Mexican drug cartels, which include former military members trained in shooting that type of weaponry.

Border Patrol sources said the rounds were clearly identifiable because .50- caliber weapons make a distinctive noise when fired. Sources said they also believe this is the first time that Border Patrol agents have taken direct fire from the Mexican side of the river in this area.

“I don’t know why we’re out here like sitting ducks,” one Border Patrol source said. “We need help.”

The shooting has prompted fears that Mexican drug cartels, known to be extremely dangerous and responsible for over 75,000 deaths in the drug war that has plagued the country for the last seven years, are now bringing their brand of violence into the United States via the unsecured 3000-mile southern border.

CHANGE: Since Obama became President, 1.5 MILLION people have been added to secret "suspected terrorist" list

It would seem that the era of hope and change ended about the time that Barack Obama took his oath of office.

The scale of the [federal government's] secret [terror] blacklist was revealed in a civil suit over the Terrorist Screening Database, and it shocked the judge.

99 percent of the names submitted to the list are accepted; the court called this "wildly loose." The database has grown from 227,932 names in 2009 to its current stratospheric heights. There is no official, public procedure for having your name removed from the list. The US government is seeking to end the trial by invoking state secrecy.

The Associated Press has the raw stats:

In fiscal 2009, which ended Sept. 30, 2009, 227,932 names were nominated to the database. In fiscal 2010, which includes the months after the attempted Christmas bombing, nominations rose to 250,847. In fiscal 2012, they increased to 336,712, and in fiscal 2013 — the most recent year provided — nominations jumped to 468,749.

...[The judge] said a secret filing he received from the government partially explaining its rationale for invoking state secrets was inadequate... Earlier this year, Trenga rejected a previous government effort to get the case dismissed.

The Alexandria case follows a ruling last month by a federal judge in Oregon that found people placed on the list have no adequate means to challenge their status. She ordered the government to develop a better means for seeking redress from placement on the list. The government has not yet decided whether to appeal that ruling.

I wonder how many Constitutional conservatives and other proponents of smaller government are on that list?

So let's summarize: we have an utterly lawless Department of Justice, a TSA that allows illegal aliens to board planes without identification, a president freeing hard-core terrorist leaders, and a border that is unguarded and completely open.

Meanwhile, the administration is adding millions of names to a secret terrorist watch list.

What could possibly go wrong?


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

DHS INSIDER: The TSA is Letting Illegal Aliens Bypass Airport Security to Board Planes

By Judicial Watch

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is allowing illegal immigrants go around airport security to catch planes without a photo identification required of all other passengers, a high-level DHS source tells Judicial Watch.

It appears to be part of an Obama administration plan to expedite the transfer of tens of thousands of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)—mostly from Central America—that have entered the country through Mexico in the last few months. They are mostly coming in through the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and authorities there are incredibly overwhelmed by the sudden influx.

To ease the load, the Obama administration is transferring the UACs—more than 53,000 by the government’s count—to other parts of the country, including Florida, Nebraska and Massachusetts. Apparently a large number of UACs are being transported to their new destination on airplanes. Most don’t have a valid identification and are being allowed to board aircrafts with a slip of paper, JW’s Homeland Security source says.

Specifically, JW’s government source reveals that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is letting the illegal aliens surpass security at the El Paso airport in Texas. “They are catching airplanes at EP Airport, TSA is letting them go around security,” the DHS official confirms. “No picture ID, just a slip of paper.” This indicates that the passengers’ true identity has not been clearly established. It’s not unreasonable to conclude this could present a national security threat.

In the meantime, American citizens and legal residents must present a valid photo ID, provided by a certified government agency, before setting foot on a plane at any airport in the United States. The TSA, the famously inept agency created to protect the nation’s transportation system (mainly airports), after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, also makes law-abiding passengers take off their shoes, jackets and empty their pockets. We have come to accept this as a necessary national security measure.

Larwyn's Linx: End game for America: the left, illegal immigration, and the ongoing coup

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

End game: the left, illegal immigration, and the ongoing coup: ProWis
Hillary’s Greed is Destroying Her Presidential Campaign: Daniel Greenfield
GOP Must Avoid Shiny Objects in Immigration Debate: Daniel Horowitz

Six astounding examples of Left-Wing hypocrisy: Daniel J. Mitchell
Americans protest against alien invasion in 319 cities; media blacks it out: FOTM
Progressives Cheer: Sterilizing Poor People Is Totally Awesome!: R.S. McCain

American Fascism: ProWis
Why Elizabeth Warren Is Winning Even Though She Isn’t Running: Rick Moran
Elizabeth Warren Outlines Her New 11-Point Communist Manifesto: WZ

NOW viciously attacks the Little Sisters of the Poor: Thomas Purcell
Democratic Scandal Brings Obama to Delaware: Rick Jensen
USDA Food Nazis Coming To A Grocery Near You: BlurBrain

Economy

Invasion Victim: the Construction Worker: NoisyRm
UBS Warns Everything Is Overpriced, Prepares For Sell-Off: Wolf Richter
Pivot! Obama Back To Babbling About His Awesome Economy: JWF

Scandal Central

Forget About Sending Them Back: 65% of Illegal Kids Already Have Asylum: Rick Moran
Federal Rule Forces States Who Accept HUD Funding To Accept and House Illegal Alien Transfers: Treehouse
Rob Portman Didn’t Know His PAC Paid for Race-Baiting Anti-McDaniel Ads: Tatler

Another Federal Judge Rules Against IRS: Gretawire
IRS: Lerner's hard drive was wiped clean in 2011: Bernie Becker, The Hill
Police militarization roundup: WaPo

Climate & Energy

Hyper-Progressive Elizabeth Warren Releases Her 11 Commandments Of Nice Fascism: Cove
Another carbon tax domino falls – South Korea goes cold on ETS: WUWT
Hotcoldwetdry Is Bad For Chicago Tourism: Cove

Media

Obama's Inappropriate Laughter: a Sign of Serious Problems?: Bookworm
Oh Screw You Chris Christie – Too Late, We Are On To You: IM41
The Federal Government Needs Your Gently Used Surplus Housing: Earl of Taint

Loyalist Time Magazine is Calling Obama a Coward: Diogenes
Sarah Palin rips Holder: ‘I don’t need a lecture’ from cabinet member held in contempt of Congress: Scoop
Boortz: ‘Land of the Free’ is now a country where nearly half of the people celebrate being owned: Rare

There’s No Place Like Utopia: NC Renegade
Washington Post publishes cartoon of Netanyahu punching infant: Matzav
Why Our Nation Is Disintegrating: Karl Denninger

World

U.S. Government cutting deals with Cartels for US visas?: Borderland Beat
Our Weak and Timid President: Clark S. Judge
State Department's Jen Psaki Reads Fashion Article During MH17 Crisis, Tweets About It: Pat Dollard

The Lion That Roared: CFP
Gotham Gazette: Airport Gift Shop Edition: American Digest
Philadelphia: Mosque leaders applying sharia law, try to cut off suspected thief’s hand: Creeping

Hamas terrorists seen moving around in ambulances filled with children: Matzav
Heavy fighting on the ground in Gaza, 5 IDF soldiers killed: Hayom
Accidentally? Hamas rocket hits Egypt: Matzav

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

US "suspected terrorist" database had 1.5M names added to it in past 5 years: BoingBoing
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper (pictures): CNet
Ars editor learns feds have his old IP addresses, full credit card numbers: Cyrus Farivar

Cornucopia

Michael Moore, Wife Tangle Over Divorce Dollars: TSG
This Batmobile bedspread is licensed-product gold: Alex Nunez
Research – Where Are The Illegal Aliens and “Unaccompanied Alien Minors” Being Placed?: Treehouse

Image: State Department's Jen Psaki Reads Fashion Article During MH17 Crisis, Tweets About It
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: SUPPORT MILTON WOLF FOR U.S. SENATE

QOTD: "What we’re witnessing now — with collaboration from the Supreme Court and many within the GOP longing for kickbacks from the US Chamber of commerce, whose push for amnesty is a repudiation of our laws, laws written and passed by the very politicians who now call us “nativists” and “racists” for wishing to see them enforced — is part of the logistical endgame. The left has sent out the message that our borders are open. And they are secreting anchor children into various parts of the country, knowing full well that by the time we’re able to stop them the electoral map will be forever changed, and the soft-socialist, bureaucratic, command-and-control regime they desire, run by elites who manage we subjects, will have the veneer of legitimacy once the ballot box is overwhelmed by those who are able to vote for other people’s money.

The move to crush the middle class, which is what Alinsky, via Marx, advocated (that is, the bourgeois capitalism that comes with free market, self-interested enterprise and the mobility of wealth), is being systematically completed through executive fiat, bureaucratic legislation, currency manipulation, and the importation of government dependents with a low history of assimilation and a long history of straining resources and Balkanizing communities.

The center cannot hold, as the Cloward-Piven strategy postulates. Which, in the mind of the Utopian statists, will lead to a great revolt in which the people rise up and socialism is begged for — even as the monied are at once demonized and protected, later to become part of the liberal fascist ruling cabal that has long been the end game of socialist political schemes." --Jeff Goldstein

Saturday, July 19, 2014

THE SHAMEFUL SEVEN: American Turncoats

By Senate Conservatives Fund

Seven Republican senators have now been linked to the racial attacks against conservative Chris McDaniel in Mississippi.

The financial report for Thad Cochran's super PAC was released earlier this week and contains two alarming details.

First, it shows that the following seven GOP senators gave a total of $160,000 to Thad Cochran's super PAC:

1. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — $50,000 — (202) 224-2541 — FacebookTwitter

2. Bob Corker (R-TN) — $30,000 — (202) 224-3344 — FacebookTwitter

3. Rob Portman (R-OH) — $25,000 — (202) 224-3353 — FacebookTwitter

4. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) — $25,000 — (202) 224-5251 — FacebookTwitter

5. Richard Burr (R-NC) — $20,000 — (202) 224-3154 — FacebookTwitter

6. Roy Blunt (R-MO) — $5,000 — (202) 224-5721 — FacebookTwitter

7. Mike Crapo (R-ID) — $5,000 — (202) 224-6142 — FacebookTwitter

Second, it shows that the PAC then gave a similar amount to a liberal group to run racial attacks against Chris McDaniel.


These senators fully funded ads that urged Democrats to “cross over and vote in the republican primary” and claimed that a McDaniel win would be a loss "for race relationships between blacks and whites."

They also helped pay for fliers that said, "The Tea Party Intends to Prevent You From Voting" and suggested McDaniel would roll back civil rights.

And perhaps worst of all, they helped pay thousand of dollars to Democratic activists to do so called "canvasing" to turn out votes for Cochran.

OBAMA'S IRAN "STRATEGY": A farce of historic proportions

By Rep. Doug Lamborn

Winston Churchill once said “an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

The U.S. has been negotiating a deal that will leave Iran—which the State Department calls the leading sponsor of international terrorism—on the threshold of becoming a nuclear state.

This is not just bad policy. This is deeply dangerous policy. And this with a country whose leaders are masters of diplomatic sleight-of-hand, where procrastination and deception are time-honored tools of diplomacy.

The Iranian foreign minister’s reported “bridging” proposal does not address the most critical American concern because it would leave Iran’s nearly 20,000 centrifuges spinning in place. Incredibly, under the proposal the US and Iran are talking about now, Iran would simply freeze what it has now.

There’s not an iota of dismantling. Zero. Nada. Zilch.

And in return for doing nothing, the Iranians demand total relief from sanctions. “Our nuclear technology is not up for negotiations,” Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani recently declared.

SLIME: Washington Post Produces Animated Cartoon Showing PM Netanyahu Punching Palestinian Infant

The leftist media are infested with pure, unvarnished crackpots, Exhibit 44,181.


Why do children die in Gaza? Simple. Because the Palestinians' political cult demands it.

And this sort of thing is just another instance of a sad, sick pattern on the part of the Washington Post.


CONCEALED CARRY IN ILLINOIS: Under tidal wave of lawsuits, State Police agree to start obeying the law

By Dean Weingarten

The Illinois State Police have come under a lot of pressure as the magnitude of the lawsuits they are facing under the Concealed Carry License procedures has become known.   Even the old media in Illinois has been complaining that the procedures are secret, people are not told why they were denied, and this is not following due process.   There are hundreds of lawsuits pending.

They have decided to modify the process.   They issued a press release about  emergency rules on July 14th.   According to wuis.org:

In a memo, the State Police Director Hiram Grau cites these lawsuits as a reason for the emergency rules. "It is anticipated," he writes "that the volume of litigation will continue until the statutory framework is bolstered by a regulatory process."

Under the new rules, persons denied a concealed carry license will learn the reason, and be told what law enforcement agency made that determination. They then have to hurry to find evidence that proves they're not a danger to themselves or others or a threat to public safety -- they get ten days to make their case to the board.

This does not mean that the lawsuits will be set aside.   No one knows how the courts may rule, but it shows that the process will change, and probably more than what these initial reforms indicate. 

Larwyn's Linx: 2014: Obama’s America

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

2014: Obama’s America : Victor Davis Hanson
Hillary: This plane thing is really Europe’s problem: Hot Air
I Wonder if The Obamas Will See Any Illegal Aliens on Martha’s Vineyard?: Glob

My Nobel Peace Prize Gaza Plan: R.S. McCain
How Obama is Turning Liberalism Into an Instrument of Coercion: Barone
About That Purity For Profit Thing: Jen Kuznicki

Lois Lerner’s Illegal Instant Message Trick: Phil Kerpen
The Obama Admin Just Exempted US Territories From Obamacare: DC
Notice Anything Missing from Obama’s Twitter Feed?: TPNN

The Barbour Machine’s Mississippi Race War : Eliana Johnson
Clintons Demand $1 Million to Allow Donor’s Kids at Benefit Dinner: WFB
What sets Rand Paul apart from other GOP presidential hopefuls?: Lisa Graas

Economy

Sessions Slams Gates' Guest Worker Push as MSFT Lays Off Thousands: NoisyRm
John Cornyn gets pwnt with Amnesty bill: Twitchy
Chamber of Crony Capitalism Backs Justin Amash Primary Opponent: Roll Call

Scandal Central

Another Article Of Impeachment: Article IV, Section 4 and Border Invasion: Camp o' the Saints
DHS Source: TSA Lets Illegal Aliens Surpass Airport Security to Board Planes: JW
Obama rejects subpoena that would force top aide to testify in corruption probe: Wintery Knight

Rep. Stockman: Still Waiting for NSA Metadata on Lois Lerner's Emails: CNS
Paying Off Obama’s Buddies: Another Way Illegal Aliens Are Wasting Your Tax Dollars: Publius
Mexican Consulate Employee Busted Hauling 100 Pounds Of Cocaine Into United States: BuzzFeed

Media

Today's anti-Israel depravity from Vox: Moe Lane
CNN removes reporter from Israel-Gaza after ‘Scum’ tweet, reassigns her to Russia: Scoop
‘There it is’! TPM’s Josh Marshall compares Russian separatists to Tea Partyers: Twitchy

72 and counting: Rep. Trent Franks catalogs exhaustive list of #ObamaFailures: Twitchy
Lamar Smith on House Floor – Liberal Media Helped Cause the Border Crisis – Cites AIM: AIM
Mark Levin: Obama Is Sick; "There's Something Out Of Kilter, There's A Screw Loose": RCP

World

The War in Gaza: R.S. McCain
Pics: Islamic State Marking Christian Homes In Mosul: WZ
The conflict in Crimea will be the downfall of Putin: Owen Matthews

Obama Makes Statement About Malaysian Airliner Tragedy… Minutes Later He’s Telling Jokes: WZ
White House Extends Iran Nuclear Deadline by Four Months: Tatler
Groan: Obama Lectures Netanyahu About Civilian Casualties: WZ

The Greatest Possible Problem for Europe: Gatestone
Video: Russian Surface-to-Air Missile Carrier Hightails It Back to Russia--Missing One Missile: Ace
How to End the Violence in “Chiraq”: Gianno Caldwell

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Conservative Consumer Group Blasts Google for Netroots Sponsorship: WFB
Fraud, Deception And Lies: How Discovery’s Shark Week Became The Greatest Show On Earth: Discover
Report: Lexus confirms production LF-LC for 2017: EGM Car Tech

Cornucopia

UK police captured The A-Team: David Pescovitz
45 Years Ago, Ted Kennedy Left Mary Jo Kopechne to Die in Shallow Water: Ace
Move Over, Jimmy!: MOTUS

Image: The Barbour Machine’s Mississippi Race War
Sponsored by: Protest Times and Locations for July 18-19 National Protests Against Amnesty

QOTD: "This airliner shot out of the sky intentionally with a ground to air missile. A BUK, a Russian made highly sophisticated missile. Not one of those missiles you carry around on your back. Is this not a wake up call yet again? Does it not remind us yet again of 9/11 and acts that can occur in this country? I'm just saying these tragedies are not tragedies. They're attacks. They're intentional. And it's gonna happen here. It's gonna happen here. Because among other things, Obama is into his fundraisers like tonight in the middle of all of this he cannot cancel. It reminds me of Benghazi. Refused to cancel his fundraising event in Las Vegas.

You know what ladies and gentlemen? Let me be the first to say it and I'll take whatever slings and arrows I get. This is a very sick man this Obama. There's something out of kilter, there's a screw loose. Something's not right if you're president of the United States and something like this happens. Our ally Israel is at war. Where an airliner shot out of the sky. And let me say one other thing as I get to one after another here. I am sick and tired of the propagandists for Putin, who is a fascist. I am sick and tired for the apologists who [say], 'Oh well, has a right to Crimea. Oh, Georgia. Oh, Ukraine. Whatever.' Bullcrap.

The Cold War is on again. Not because of our making, but because of his. And because of Obama's utter and complete impenitence and incompetence. And you liberal Democrats out there, this is what happens when you take a man who a few years earlier was nothing but a community organizer and a state Senate backbencher and put him in the office of the presidency. You nominated him, you elected him -- you elected him twice. And the world paying the price. So are we. And so will your children and your children's children. And so will every damn generation after this one." --Mark Levin

Friday, July 18, 2014

How Twitter Can REALLY Monetize Its Reach

There was an interesting article in yesterday's WSJ concerning investors' concerns about Twitter as a growth stock.

After a troubling start as a public company, Twitter ... plans to try out some new numbers on Wall Street... When it reports second-quarter earnings on July 29, the San Francisco company is expected to unveil as many as four new metrics that it hopes will illustrate its reach beyond the 255 million users that log in at least once a month, according to people familiar with the matter. The aim: to show Twitter isn't just a diminutive Facebook Inc.


Despite doubling revenue for each of the past five quarters, Twitter's moneymaking successes have been overshadowed by faltering user growth, forcing investors to recalibrate their long-term expectations.

Twitter sizes up its digital town square by the number of users who log into the service at least once a month. That standard industry metric, called monthly active users, and a self-invented measurement called timeline views designed for advertisers to track usage, were the primary nonfinancial metrics offered to potential investors when Twitter went public in November.

But those metrics backfired after the company reported abruptly slowing user growth and signs of a less-engaged audience, sending the stock to new lows and raising unflattering comparisons to Facebook...

I personally don't think stats like monthly active users or timeline views are at all relevant for Twitter.

Think about it: the Twitter platform receives significantly more exposure than Facebook on new media sites like Twitchy and BuzzFeed. These sites embed tweets -- served up by Twitter -- as a key part of unfolding news stories, quite unlike any other social site:


Twitter doesn't appear to be making a cent from serving up content to news sites. The hope with embedded tweets, I suppose, is to convince people that they're missing out if they're not on Twitter. Which they are, of course.

But that said, these embedded tweets are a huge missed opportunity. Consider this hypothetical monetization approach:


Did someone say bacon?

Or perhaps a tweet with "media" (an image):


You may hate ads, but if they're targeted and relatively unobtrusive, the fact is that someone has to pay for your troubling addiction to real-time news. Natch.

Oh, and Twitter: my royalty for this idea is a paltry one percent of gross revenues, in perpetuity.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

My Simple, 4-Step Plan to Stop the Invasion of Illegals

It's really quite straightforward.

Say you're the Mayor of Murrieta, California. Or the City Manager of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Some place that's just gotten a surprise shipment of hundreds of illegal aliens suffering from unknown medical conditions, have uncertain criminal backgrounds, and perhaps even some ties to terror organizations. You know, the Democrats' new favorite constituency: wards of the state who can't speak English, are utterly dependent on government largess, and know nothing of American history, traditions and culture.

What do you do? It's really quite simple:

1. Buy a few MREs for each illegal alien along with several bottles of water apiece.

2. Immediately purchase one-way tickets for each illegal on Greyhound to the nearest, wealthy liberal community. My personal favorites:

• Bethesda, Maryland
• Cambridge, Massachusetts
• La Jolla, California
• San Francisco, California
• Washington, DC

3. Assist each illegal on to the bus, hand them their supplies for the trip, and bid them a fond adieu.

4. Open a can of beer and enjoy.


You're welcome, America.


RASMUSSEN: Just 27% of Likely Voters Want Illegals to Stay in U.S.

Rasmussen has the details:

Most voters don’t want any of the young illegal immigrants who’ve recently arrived here housed in their state and say any legislation passed by Congress to deal with the problem should focus on sending them home as soon as possible.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the primary focus of any new immigration legislation passed by Congress should be to send the young illegal immigrants back home as quickly as possible. Just 27% say it should focus instead on making it easier for these illegal immigrants to remain in the United States.

...Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who last week criticized efforts to deport these illegal immigrants, is now reportedly the latest governor to tell the White House not to house any of them in his state. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters disapprove of housing these illegal immigrants in their state. Only half as many (29%) approve, while 14% are undecided.

Got that, John Boehner? Got that, Mitch McConnell? Got that, Karl Rove and Haley Barbour?

Pity the Republicans listed above are so beholden to the Chamber of Crony Capitalism, are so unprincipled, and are so inarticulate that they can't even take a stand for the vast freaking majority of American citizens.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Larwyn's Linx: 11 Steps to Stop the Invasion

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

11 Steps to Stop the Invasion: Laura Ingraham
Evidence Mounts of a Manufactured Border Crisis: Roger Aronoff
Mrs. Obama’s Operation VA Scandal Distraction: Michelle Malkin

Congress: Use the Power of the Purse to Save the Border: Diana West
Border Flood is Causing a `Medical Breakdown': Bryan Preston
Illegal Aliens Accused of Threatening to Decapitate, Sell Honduran: Breitbart

23 Americans aboard jet shot down from 33,000 feet over Ukraine: Post
Obama Proves Again that Fundraising Trumps National Security: TPNN
Obamacare ‘Lie’ Touted By Landrieu Is Now A Reality In Louisiana: HayRide

Ted Cruz is Leading: RS
Rand Paul Scrubs Anti-Israel Student Reading List from Website: WFB
Obama Executive Order Halts Import Of Izmash/Saiga Firearms: Bob Owens

Economy

I encourage Senate Democrats to go to the wall to kill IRS bonuses: Moe Lane
American Federation of Teachers Communists: WFB
Patent Trolls Account for Two-Thirds of All New Patent Lawsuits: TAI

Scandal Central

DOJ: We Learned About Lois Lerner's "Lost" Emails Through The News: Katie Pavlich
Shocker: DOJ Says No Need For Special Prosecutor In IRS Scandal: WZ
Burn down a school? Retire and collect your full pension!: WyBlog

Climate & Energy

Study: People Who Worry About Global Warming Use the Most Electricity: RWN
Greenpeace Executive Commutes 250 Miles By Airplane To Work: SAB
Bummer: “Connecitcut” Will Be 10 Degrees Warmer By 2100: Cove

Media

Charles Krauthammer: Obama 'Clearly Attempting to Conceal Information' on Illegal Invasion: AmPower
The Shrill is Gone! Who’s Got Next in the Demokratik Party?: Clash
Bolton PAC Releases First Ad on Benghazi: WFB

Passenger jet shot down, Israel wages ground war against Hamas and Obama keeps fundraising: Scoop
President Obama Found Out About Malaysian Jet From Putin: Caleb Howe
Andrew Klavan – Who Still Supports Barack Obama?: OlBroad

Chris Matthews, Yes Matthews, Admiringly Recalls Reagan’s Response to KAL-007 Shootdown: NB
Hamas Interior Ministry To Social Media Activists: Always Call The Dead 'Innocent Civilians': MEMRI
Snapshots: Hamas Got Rich As Gaza Was Impoverished: CAMERA

World

23 Americans Slaughtered in Shootdown of Jet, Obama Reacts Harshly By Ordering the Pit Burger: JWF
Smart Power State Department ends tumultuous day with stirring, relevant tweet: Hot Air
'That was a blast - look at the smoke': Sick boast of the laughing rebels as they 'saw MH17 hit': DailyMail

America’s Enemies Ally to Sink the Dollar: Trevor Loudon
Raw video: Jews fight back against Muslim mob in Paris: Matzav
Misunderstanderer of Islam and Boko Haram leader: “Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill Christians!”: JihadWatch

Israeli Leftist: “We Thought They Wanted a State-But it Turns Out They Want to Destroy Israel”: Daniel Greenfield
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Muslim Brotherhood) visits Somalia: Robert Spencer
Gaza crisis: Obama administration accuses Israel of not protecting civilians: Fox

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Search for Lois Lerner's lost emails leads to NSA: CBS
Snowden: NSA employees routinely pass around intercepted nude photos: Ars Technica
Memo From Microsoft CEO Announcing Record Job Cuts: ABC

Cornucopia

LibertyNews Joins Murrieta Residents to Sponsor ‘Border Convoy’ From Murrieta, CA to Laredo, TX: LibertyNews
I Ain't Laughing: Vulgar Curmudgeon
R&R Lazy Posting: Woodsterman

Image: U.S. Says Missile Downed Malaysia Airlines Plane Over Ukraine
Sponsored by: Protest Times and Locations for July 18-19 National Protests Against Amnesty

QOTD:


--Chris Muir

Thursday, July 17, 2014

15 Pics From Barack Obama's Illegal Alien Border Invasion You'll Never See In Legacy Media

Click any of the images for the backstory.




MEET C.I.S.A. – Dianne Feinstein’s Latest Attack on Privacy, Civil Liberties and the Internet

By Michael Krieger

There’s not much good you can count on Congress to accomplish, but when it comes to introducing and passing oligarch-protecting, civil liberties-destroying legislation, our “representatives” are absolutely relentless in their determination. Unsurprisingly, the only “distinctly native American criminal class,” as Mark Twain described Congress, is at it again when it comes to institutionalizing spying and attempting a legal run around the Bill of Rights.

One thing that has become crystal clear since the Edward Snowden revelations, is that much of Congress has no problem at all with unconstitutional spying. Rather, they are primarily upset it was exposed and are dead set on making sure no other whistleblower can ever do the same. Enter CISA, or The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act.

I’ve spent much of today reading about the bill, and have compiled what I think are the most astute observations. First, from the ACLU:

A new cybersecurity bill poses serious threats to our privacy, gives the government extraordinary powers to silence potential whistleblowers, and exempts these dangerous new powers from transparency laws.

“The bill would create a massive loophole in our existing privacy laws by allowing the government to ask companies for ‘voluntary’ cooperation in sharing information, including the content of our communications, for cybersecurity purposes. But the definition they are using for the so-called ‘cybersecurity information’ is so broad it could sweep up huge amounts of innocent Americans’ personal data.

“The Fourth Amendment protects Americans’ personal data and communications from undue government access and monitoring without suspicion of criminal activity. The point of a warrant is to guard that protection. CISA would circumvent the warrant requirement by allowing the government to approach companies directly to collect personal information, including telephonic or internet communications, based on the new broadly drawn definition of ‘cybersecurity information.’”

In addition to the threats to every American’s privacy, the bill clearly targets potential government whistleblowers. Instead of limiting the use of data collection to protect against actual cybersecurity threats, the bill allows the government to use the data in the investigation and prosecution of people for economic espionage and trade secret violations, and under various provisions of the Espionage Act.

The always excellent Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has also chimed in:

OPTICS: Leadership Edition

23 Americans Murdered In Ukraine As Passenger Plane Shot Down... Obama Goes To The “Charcoal Pit” For Lunch.


We're in the very best of hands.