This is the second Facebook scam reported on by Sophos in recent days. On Monday, the security firm alerted Facebook users to an enticing scam that allowed you to add a “Dislike” button to your profile.

Here’s how the “Share” button scam works:    more …

Muslims “have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country,” Obama said at an Iftar meal at the White House for Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast late Friday.

That includes “the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

Obama had remained silent over plans to build an Islamic cultural center, which includes a mosque, two blocks away from the gaping Ground Zero hole where the Twin Towers were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001.

But after a New York city commission on Aug. 3 unanimously approved the plans, the president came out to support the right to build the mosque.

“This is America,” Obama said, “and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”    more …

But Washington is focused on the wrong issues in regard to U.S. trade with China, and for that matter, the rest of Asia. American policymakers should be much more worried about getting left out of the Asian trade story, and the potentially dangerous consequences that would have for the future of the U.S. economy.

What do I mean? Asia is becoming much more economically integrated and intra-Asia trade is growing rapidly. Part of this is just a natural process – as the region gets wealthier, its firms are finding more and more customers at home. But the integration is also part of an active policy on the part of Asia’s leadership. The continent is being bound together by a strong spirit of free trade.

You can see that by the explosion of FTAs inked by Asian countries. According to Ganeshan Wignaraja, an economist at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, who studiously follows issues regarding economic integration in the region, the number of free-trade agreements (FTAs) signed by Asian countries has grown from just three in 2000 to 60 as of July. Nineteen of those FTAs are among just 16 Asian economies. That means Asian countries are increasingly opening markets and dropping tariffs for goods made within the region, and for those countries outside of Asia smart enough to get in on the action.    more …

The Tribal Law and Order Act, which was passed by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, aims to address public safety issues in Indian territories.

The act would enhance the criminal justice system by improving coordination and communication between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, Amnesty International said.

“This historic, bi-partisan legislation addresses long-overlooked human rights abuses in Indian Country. It is an important effort to tackle major challenges that allow crimes against Native American and Alaska Native peoples to flourish,” said Larry Cox, executive director for Amnesty International USA.

“If properly implemented, it will open the door for the US government to address the erosion of tribal authority. In time it will decrease the high levels of rape and finally provide Native women with effective recourse if they are sexually assaulted. In short, this legislation stands to curtail the impunity that allows rapists to prey on Native women like vultures.”

Amnesty International USA addressed the issue in its 2007 report, Maze of Injustice: the Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA.

The report exposed the disproportionately high levels of rape and sexual violence that Native American and Alaska Native women suffer – 2.5 times higher than for non-native women in the United States.

The complex maze of tribal, state and federal jurisdictions often allows perpetrators, 86 percent of them non-Native men, to rape with impunity.

To navigate this maze, authorities need to establish whether the crime took place on tribal lands and whether the perpetrator was Native or non-Native to determine which law enforcement agency has jurisdiction, during which critical time is lost. This leads to inadequate investigations or a failure to respond.

“It is encouraging to see Congress begin to address some of the complicated jurisdictional issues that arise in Indian country,” said Sarah Deer, Assistant Professor at William Mitchell College of Law and a consultant for Amnesty International USA’s Maze of Injustice report.

“The erosion of tribal authority means that Native perpetrators tried in tribal court can receive only one year per offense, while non-Native perpetrators cannot be prosecuted at all. The legislation provides beginning steps to empower tribal governments to take more direct action in cases of violent crime.

“When victims know that their perpetrators will be held accountable for their behaviour, they will be more likely to report crimes. Empowering tribal law enforcement personnel to protect their communities is the key.”

The lack of trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) at Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities to provide forensic exams and gather essential evidence is also a factor that leads to a failure to prosecute. The report raised concerns about the lack of prosecutions and the need for accurate information about prosecution rates.

“Currently there are no standardized sexual assault protocols within the Indian Health Service, meaning that victims of sexually violent crimes may not be given rape kits that obtain critical evidence to prosecute perpetrators,” said Charon Asetoyer, chair of Amnesty International USA’s Native Advisory Council.

The announcement follows an exposé on ABC News which detailed Goldline’s business model. Additionally, the Santa Monica City Attorney’s office launched a joint investigation with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office into the possible criminal practices of Goldline International.

To Watch the ABC News Exposé CLICK HERE

In May, Rep. Weiner’s office released a report outlining problems with Goldline

Among the Key Findings of Rep. Weiner’s Report: (Full Report CLICK HERE)

• Goldline Grossly Overcharges For Their Coins

The average Goldline markup was 90% above the melt value of the coin. The largest markup on any coin was 208% above the melt value. Furthermore, the average Goldline markup is 47% higher than better-priced competitors, with some of the company’s markups going as high as 102% compared to its competitors on one of the coins they offered.

• Goldline Falsely Claims To Offer “Good” Investments

By selling gold at twice the melt value, the price of gold would need to double for consumers to break even on their “investment.”

• Goldline Salespeople Misrepresent Their Ability To Give “Investment Advice”

Sales people imply that they are “investment advisors” or “financial advisers” by offering investment advice, which insinuates that they have some sort of fiduciary responsibility to get you the most return on your investment.

However, since they are not licensed investment advisors, they have no such responsibility. In 2006, the Missouri Secretary of States’ Office, Securities Division filed formal consent order against Goldline for exactly this reason and recovered over $200k for an elderly consumer that was ripped off.

• Goldline Plays off Public Fears of Government Takeover and Has Formed an Unholy Alliance with Conservative Pundits to Drive a False Narrative

Goldline employs several conservative pundits to act as shills for its’ precious metal business, including Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee, Laura Ingraham, and Fred Thompson. By drumming up public fears during financially uncertain times, conservative pundits are able to drive a false narrative. Glenn Beck for example has dedicated entire segments of his program to explaining why the U.S. money supply is destined for hyperinflation with Barack Obama as president. He will often promote the purchase of gold as the only safe investment alternative for consumers who want to safeguard their livelihoods. When the show cuts to commercial break, viewers are treated to an advertisement from Goldline.

“Goldline rips off consumers, uses misleading and possibly illegal sales tactics, and deliberately manipulates public fears of an impending government takeover – this is a trifecta of terrible business practices,” Weiner said. “It’s disgraceful that this company would capitalize on financially unstable times to prey upon people’s nest eggs.”

Rep. Weiner, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, wrote letters to the SEC and FTC requesting that they investigate Goldline and is proposing legislation that would force Goldline and companies like it to fully disclose their dishonest business practices. Under Rep. Weiner’s plan, Goldline would be required to show consumers its full business model including its astronomical markups and deceitful promises of profitability. No date has been announced but it is expected that the hearings will be held later this summer.

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]]> http://www.arnie.net/2010/07/16/complete-list-of-links-to-bp-undersea-cameras/feed/ 0 http://www.arnie.net/2010/07/16/all-americhina-cards-on-table/ http://www.arnie.net/2010/07/16/all-americhina-cards-on-table/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:52:53 +0000 admin http://www.arnie.net/?p=648 Asia Times
Jul 15, 2010
By Francesco Sisci
SINOGRAPH

BEIJING – There is no international political engagement more important than Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States at the end of November.

The trip should give new impetus to relations between today’s two major powers: China and America, or if you prefer a moniker for this exclusive group – AmeriChina, or even the Group of 2.

Between now and November, diplomats from both sides hope the two countries can overcome a series of complex problems to

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make the meeting a success. Bilateral relations nowadays are held hostage to several twisted military and strategic issues that are central – much more so than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – to global politics and future economics.

The bilateral military dialogue so far has stalled because Washington wants to talk without changing much of the present situation, while Beijing wants America to first resolve the issues of arms sales to Taiwan and US surveillance/spying missions around China.

America providing weapons to Taiwan has long been a thorn in Beijing’s side. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have improved markedly in recent years. The two parties established direct channels of communications
and transport (rather than going through Hong Kong) and signed a free-trade agreement in early July that effectively integrates the island’s economy with that of the continent. Reunification is a now only a political question, and a path that neither party is eager to hasten along.

The only potential stumbling block comes from Taiwan’s theoretical military strength (the island is independent de facto but not de jure), which can repel a theoretical attack from the mainland.

While the possibility of an attack is all very theoretical, it has very practical consequences: if Taipei has an army capable of defending the island, not only can Taiwan always resist the mainland’s siren song, it can also decide to suddenly declare formal independence.

This is the ideal platform for the Democratic Progressive Party, the opposition party in Taiwan, and it also provides significant political leverage against Beijing.

If Taiwan – like China, with a majority of ethnic Han – became formally independent, why should Xinjiang or Tibet remain part of China, since these regions have local populations that aren’t even Han? If Xinjiang and Tibet became independent, Beijing would lose about half its national territory.

In other words, the sale of American weapons to Taiwan supports the forces that want to dismantle parts of China.

On the other hand, America is obliged to sell those arms because of a law passed by the US Congress. And anyway, if America were to stop selling weapons to Taiwan, the American public might see this as if a timid US were handing over the Taiwan lamb to the China wolf.

In the past, the issue was on the backburner, but now it has become more urgent because Beijing is making a lot of progress with Taiwan and wants to close the arms issue to ensure the momentum is not put into reverse.

Furthermore, there is America’s surveillance on China. US ships and aircraft conduct about a thousand missions a year around China, including surveying the seabed (ie, preparing for possible attacks by submarines) and detecting the capacity of Chinese military technology
.

There have been incidents, such as last year and in 2001, and these could have turned into more significant clashes.     more …

The ruling struck down the Chicago handgun ban, thus opening the door to legal self-defense by Windy City residents. Alan M. Gottlieb joined attorney Alan Gura and Chicago resident Otis McDonald on the steps of the United States Supreme Court TODAY and heard the court’s ruling in the historic McDonald v. City of Chicago gun rights case filed by SAF, the Illinois State Rifle Association and four Chicago residents.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case to decide whether the right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment protects Americans from overreaching state and local governments.

The Supreme Court case is of paramount importance to American citizens, to see that their constitutional rights are respected not only by the Congress, but by state and local governments.

Death Toll Mounts in Chicago

Fifty-two people shot, eight of them fatally in a single Chicago weekend, yet Mayor Richard Daley appears poised to go down screaming in his opposition to the Second Amendment Foundation’s lawsuit to overturn his city’s handgun ban.

Chicago has become a slaughterhouse where defenseless victims are terrorized by armed thugs who have taken full advantage of an unarmed populace. Daley and his predecessors who perpetuated this ban are wading knee-deep in the blood of hundreds of crime victims who should have had the means to defend themselves.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s handgun ban, so the city will likely do what Washington, D.C., did when its own ban was overturned two years ago: Put in place all sorts of restrictions to make it tougher to buy guns and easier for police to know who has them.

Prospective gun owners in D.C. now are required to take expensive training courses that include spending one hour on a firing range (there isn’t one in D.C.) and several hours in a classroom learning about so called gun safety. They also must pass a 20 question test based on D.C.’s highly restrictive firearm laws.

They also have to be fingerprinted, pay huge fees and jump many other hurdles.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he’s encouraged by what he sees in D.C. and vows not go down without a fight.

Year after year the statistics have piled up yet Mayor Daley has stubbornly defended the city’s ban. While he has luxuriated at his vacation home with the safety of armed bodyguards, the bodies of Chicago crime victims have stacked up like cordwood.

Monday we should have a ruling from the Supreme Court that puts an end to this insanity, and gives the citizens of Chicago back their right to defend themselves. Daley thinks his constituents should be content to call 911 and wait for help to arrive while they’re being shot, stabbed, raped, robbed or beaten. Those crimes happen fast, and when seconds count, Chicago police are minutes away.

We took Daley to court because we trust his citizens more than he does with their self-defense rights. Chicago residents have endured the terror of public disarmament for almost three decades, and all they have to show for it is a body count. Mayor Daley should be ashamed.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) was delighted to bring this case in cooperation with the Illinois State Rifle Association and the four local plaintiffs. We are in this fight because a gun ban is no less onerous to civil rights in Chicago than it was in the District of Columbia. Such a law cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.

(CNN) — Get ready to open your wallet a little wider to satisfy your travel bug: It is soon going to cost more to apply for a new U.S. passport or renew an old one — a move criticized by the public and some lawmakers.

Starting next Tuesday, adults applying for their first passport book will have to pay $135 — a 35 percent increase from the current $100 fee.

(The cost of the wallet-size passport card, which Americans can use on certain trips closer to home, is rising from $45 to $55 for first-time applicants.)

Want to add more visa pages to your passport book? It’s free now, but you will have to shell out $82 under the new fee schedule.

The renewal fee for passport books will rise to $110 — up from the current $75.

There’s even a new fee if you’d like formally to renounce your U.S. citizenship — it costs nothing now, but the price tag will be $450 starting Tuesday.

Fees for passport book and cards for children also are set to rise.     more …