Monday, November 20, 2006

Microsoft‘s subscription-based MSN Explorer Internet browser left many of its users frozen out beginning on Friday of last week. Launching the application brought the user to a window stating that the software encountered a problem and had to be closed.

The Internet Explorer browser software bundled with the Windows operating system remains operable, along with other non-MSN software. Subscribers to MSN are still able to retrieve e-mail by accessing their Hotmail account. Telephone support wait times to resolve the connectivity problem with the browser exceeded 45 minutes on Sunday evening. Beginning on Saturday, callers were prompted that wait times were “unusually long due to high call volume”.

A query to on-line chat with technical support to resolve the issue was met with, “I sincerely apologize for the length of time that it took you to get to us. We have been swamped with sessions and I am just glad that you finally got me to help you out.”

The silent and automatic upgrade to the 9.5 version of MSN Explorer, from verson 9.0, is experiencing difficulties on some machines. Users can log on to support using their account at membercenter.msn.com, click the Support button on the left column of the page, and then select under Subscribed Services / Sign In the link “MSN Internet Access”. On-line chat, e-mail, and phone support is available there. Hint: on-line chat is probably the fastest support option.

The existing MSN Explorer software will need to be removed, some Windows registry folders may need to be removed, and the software completely re-downloaded and re-installed.

Dial-up accounts can expect the download to be 93 minutes, for broadband, 9 minutes.

Friday, March 10, 2023

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted 321-103 against a resolution that would require the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Congressman Matt Gaetz introduced the concurrent resolution on March 1, directing the US President to remove all 900 US Armed Forces members from Syria.

The resolution had four co-sponsors—all Republicans. The resolution was drafted in response to the announcement of four US service members wounded in Syria during an operation that killed a senior Islamic State (ISIS) leader. Gaetz stated: “I do not believe what stands between a caliphate and not a caliphate are the 900 Americans who have been sent to this hellscape with no definition of victory.” On his official Congressional home page, Gaetz argued: “Congress has never authorized kinetic participation of US Armed Forces in Syria.” US military operations in Syria and their authorization by Congress is an ongoing debate within Congress.

Congressman Michael McCaul argued that withdrawing forces could lead to a resurgence of ISIS. “If we withdraw our troops from Syria now, we could see a resurgence of ISIS or another legal successor in a short time.” He also clarified what victory meant, “Withdraw of this legal authorized US troop deployment must be based on the total defeat of ISIS.” McCaul is the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the 118th Congress.

Congressman Gregory Meeks said “This measure forces a premature end to our mission at a critical time for our efforts.” Meeks opposes an indefinite presence of US military forces in Syria, but sees Gaetz’s proposal as ending it too soon. On June 17, 2021 Meeks voted in favor of H.R.256, a bill meant to repeal part of the authorization being used for anti-ISIS operations in Syria. H.R.256 passed in Congress but was never passed by the Senate.

US military operations have been conducted in Syria since August 2014 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Though Gaetz asserts there has been no authorization, the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 (AUMF) has been used by multiple US Presidents to justify the continued use of military force in Syria. The 2001 AUMF is the longest, continuously-used authorization of military force in US history. The 2001 AUMF was originally passed to authorize military action in response to the September 11 attacks. The 2002 AUMF was originally passed to authorize Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began the Iraq War. The Obama Administration maintained that Presidential authority to use force against the Islamic State was justified by both the 2001 AUMF and 2002 AUMF.

The President’s authority to militarily engage in anti-ISIS operations under the authority of both the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs is an ongoing debate in Congress. Efforts to address these concerns and enact new authorization for anti-ISIS operations began in the 113th Congress (2013 – 2015), according to a report prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Both the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force are still being used to justify Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria, despite ongoing debate and attempts to repeal the authorization.

The House of Representatives voted to repeal the 2002 AUMF in June 2021, as part of H.R.256. Representative Meeks said at the time, “Repeal is crucial because the executive branch has a history of stretching the 2002 AUMF’s legal authority.” That bill passed the House of Representatives but was not passed by the Senate. On March 8, 2023 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 to approve a Senate bill (S.316) to repeal the 2002 AUMF as well as a 1991 AUMF. That bill has now been recommended by the committee for a vote by the full House or Senate. It must pass both before it can be sent to the President to sign into law or veto.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006

Angry fans of the AEK Athens football team damaged the ferry “Ierapetra” during the route from Heraklio, Crete, to the port of Rafina in Attica. About 700 AEK supporters boarded the ferry after the end of the Greek football cup final between Olympiacos and AEK which took place in Crete. The victory of Olympiacos over AEK, 3-0, angered the supporters of AEK, which is believed to be the catalyst for damage in both the stadium and the ship.

The Prosecutor ordered a preliminary inquiry into the incidents that took place onboard the Ierapetra. During the trip, a group of youths started breaking everything for no apparent reason. They caused extensive damage to the passenger lounges and the bars, while they responded to the crew’s pleas with cursing. A Greek police officer was injured in the leg by a flare, and a crewmember was also injured.

The owner of the ship, Dane Sea Line of Piraeus, estimates the cost of damage to the ship at €150,000.

The Greek media has accused the administration of Greek police and the Ministers of Public Order and Shipping of negligence in not doing more to prevent the events.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

An autopsy performed on Tuesday revealed that the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately “had died of natural causes”.

Officials from the Spanish island of Majorca that Stephen had suffered from an accumulation of fluid on the lungs, or as it is known in scientific terms, a pulmonary edema. The 33-year-old singer was found dead on a sofa in the lounge of his apartment. He had been out of the accommodation for the night while he was partying with Andrew Cowles, who was his partner.

There was a court hearing held earlier today in Majorca. The hearing only lasted for a short time. The judge had decided that the family of Stephen Gately would be allowed to take his body back to the Republic of Ireland, the country in which Gately grew up and had lived in, by plane. After discovering Stephen’s death, the other members of Boyzone took a plane flight to Majorca, so as to comfort Andrew Cowles. They have now flown back to their homes.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

The following is how the medal table looks after the final day of competition for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne, Australia.

In the final event of the Games, New Zealand defeated the reigning Netball Commonwealth champion Australia, 60-55, for the first time in 12 years.

Australia received its largest medal haul in Commonwealth Games history, receiving more than a third of the gold medals available; a total of 221 medals.

South Africa was the best of the African nation, winning 38 medals.

There were 247 events and 24 disciplines in the games. Events included:

• Aquatics: diving, swimming, synchronised swimming
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cycling: track, road, mountain bike
• Gymnastics: artistic, rhythmic
• Hockey
• Lawn Bowls
• Netball
• Rugby Sevens
• Shooting: clay target, pistol, small bore and air rifle, full bore rifle
• Squash
• Table Tennis
• Triathlon
• Weightlifting

The games will be officially closed tonight, (0900 UTC) with the handing over of the Games to Delhi for 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Gerasimos Macridis, 39-years-old, left the court room discharged without conviction after hacking into the New Zealand Reserve Bank’s phone system and then asking for money for his services after pointing out these security flaws to both the Reserve Bank and Telecom New Zealand in May, 2006, and offering to fix them. He had identified himself as a security consultant.

The New Zealand Police then raided his home and took his computer on 21 September. Macridis told police that he did not think it was illegal, but knew he was not authorised to access the phone systems. Telecom then took him to court.

Colin McGilicray, police prosecutor, said: “Macridis has a significant number of previous fraud convictions and it appeared he was trying to obtain money through virtue of his technical knowledge.”

Macridis, who represented himself, told the court that for 11-years he had worked as a casual security consultant and he had worked for Telecom, police and Department of Internal Affairs.

Macridis thought himself as an honest, law abiding citizen as his 1994 conviction had ‘turned his life around’.

Judge Ian Mill said this case was very unusual and also noted that Macridis ended his offending over 10-years ago.

Mill said: “Macridis used his talents to identify security risks and he had identified a grave risk to the Reserve Bank and its customers. Macridis provided a report of his findings, requested payment albeit without a contract and for his troubles was prosecuted. He did not pass the information on to others and did not use it for personal gain.”

“In my view his intentions were honourable,” Mill added.

Mill discharged him without conviction on the basis that a conviction would be out of proportion with his actions.

Monday, March 15, 2010

An undercover investigation by Naperville, Illinois law enforcement has led to the arrest last Thursday of four people allegedly involved in prostitution. The stings came after police received tips that people were using websites like Craigslist and Backpage.com to sell sexual performances in Naperville hotels. 

Patricia H. Scoleri of Naperville was arrested after an unidentified neighbor observed consistently suspicious activity at Scoleri’s home. Traffic was unusually heavy and consisted mostly of luxury cars in an otherwise quiet, middle-class neighborhood. Also, the visitors were mainly middle-aged men, and an odd string of lavender-colored lights were hung on the front window.

Police say Scoleri worked alone. She was arrested at 2 p.m. local time (2000 UTC) and is charged with violation of anti-prostitution laws, anti-cannabis laws, and the Massage Licensing Act. She apparently has four children, but the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has neither contacted her nor received a police report on her.

The second sting occurred at 5:30 p.m the same day (2330 UTC) and resulted in the arrest of Chicago resident Tonya M. Adams. She is charged with prostitution and driving without a license. Another sting about an hour later resulted in the arrests of Jessica M. Walley, a Skokie resident, and Mark A. Williams, a self-admitted Schaumburg gang member. “Walley was charged with prostitution and unlawful possession of cannabis. Williams was charged with pimping, obstructing a peace officer, driving with a suspended license and driving without insurance,” reports WBBM News Radio 780.

All four suspects are free, having paid the required ten percent of their $1,000 bail. They may face additional charges related to crack cocaine discovered during the police investigation. Arraignment is scheduled for next month at the DuPage County Circuit Courthouse in Wheaton.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Tony Benn, British Labour Party politician and left-wing campaigner, died this morning at his home in west London at age 88. Benn’s health had been declining since a stroke left him hospitalized in 2012.

Benn’s father and both grandfathers were MPs (Members of Parliament) in the Liberal party; his father defected to Labour and became a Cabinet Minister. Benn grew up in London and was a pupil at Westminster School before studying politics, philosophy and economics at New College, Oxford. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force for two years, then went back to Oxford to finish his studies. He worked as a BBC radio producer.

Tony Benn became an MP in November of 1950 and was a member of the cabinets of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. In 1981, Benn ran for deputy leadership of the Labour Party but lost. He also had a role in shaping the 1983 Labour manifesto. He went on to become a diarist and speaker, as well as joining in the anti-war movement and speaking out strongly against the Iraq war. The Sun newspaper once referred to him as “the most dangerous man in Britain” because of his strong left-wing political views.

Benn’s son Hilary also joined Labour and is an MP for Leeds Central. He distanced himself from his father’s views by saying he was “a Benn, not a Bennite”.

Benn’s children released a statement following his passing: “We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the NHS [National Health Service] staff and carers who have looked after him with such kindness in hospital and at home. We will miss above all his love which has sustained us throughout our lives. But we are comforted by the memory of his long, full and inspiring life and so proud of his devotion to helping others as he sought to change the world for the better.”

Labour leader Ed Miliband said Benn was an “iconic figure of our age”, “a champion of the powerless, a great parliamentarian and a conviction politician”. David Cameron said on Twitter: “Tony Benn was a magnificent writer, speaker and campaigner. There was never a dull moment listening to him, even if you disagreed with him.”

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Buffalo, New York —Buffalo, New York developers have been stymied by old real estate deeds.

The prospective Elmwood Village Hotel may be scuttled and businesses now located there may be forced to move.

Frustrations over property located in an area once known as “Granger Estates” circulate around a clause in the original deeds over land divided by then-owner Erastus Granger in the early 1800’s.

According to the documents, “no business establishment of any kind whatsoever” shall ever be constructed on the property, and they shall forever be exclusively for residential use only. Also prohibited are barns, farms and stables.

Sam Savarino, CEO of Savarino Companies, the prospective hotel developer, announced that his legal research team found the restrictions on properties located between 1109 and 1121 Elmwood Avenue which also stated in part that “no businesses, hospitality establishment of anykind whatsoever” shall ever be permitted to be built on the property.

Savarino, whom is expected to contest the restrictions, said that his company could have ignored the findings, but that, “we can’t risk the future of a multimillion-dollar project on the hope they wouldn’t be discovered. Our opponents would have had a field day if they’d surfaced after the fact.”

Savarino said his attorneys and researchers are anticipated to determine “exactly what weight the restrictions carry and if there’s a way for the courts to negate them.”

Existing businesses are also jeopardized.

Hans Mobius, owner of some of the restricted properties upon which a carriage house is built, said, he wasn’t aware of any restrictions, and “never had a reason to research the deed and title documents.” He confidently added that, “the lawyers can get this taken care of.”

Other threatened businesses include Don Apparel, H.O.D. Tattoo, Forest Plaza Art Gallery and Allentown Music.