Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer

By Joseph Menn

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned.

Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the NSA created and promulgated a flawed formula for generating random numbers to create a "back door" in encryption products, the New York Times reported in September. Reuters later reported that RSA became the most important distributor of that formula by rolling it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used to enhance security in personal computers and many other products.

Undisclosed until now was that RSA received $10 million in a deal that set the NSA formula as the preferred, or default, method for number generation in the BSafe software, according to two sources familiar with the contract. Although that sum might seem paltry, it represented more than a third of the revenue that the relevant division at RSA had taken in during the entire previous year, securities filings show.

The earlier disclosures of RSA's entanglement with the NSA already had shocked some in the close-knit world of computer security experts. The company had a long history of championing privacy and security, and it played a leading role in blocking a 1990s effort by the NSA to require a special chip to enable spying on a wide range of computer and communications products.

RSA, now a subsidiary of computer storage giant EMC Corp, urged customers to stop using the NSA formula after the Snowden disclosures revealed its weakness.

RSA and EMC declined to answer questions for this story, but RSA said in a statement: "RSA always acts in the best interest of its customers and under no circumstances does RSA design or enable any back doors in our products. Decisions about the features and functionality of RSA products are our own."

The NSA declined to comment.

Its the season .

I don't think I am complaining, but watching the news, they give SO MUCH coverage, all channels, even the national stuff ............ of ............... giving .................... TOYS to the needy. Michelle Obama was giving toys to the needy, not sure where, a lot of Marines in dress uniforms surrounded her, and they all stopped giving gifts and "posed" for a picture. The ONLY news coverage is that, and, feeding the needy, clothing the needy, getting Winter coats for the needy, getting back to school stuff, for the needy ...... where to you sign up, I am needy. I want a toy, maybe one of those heliocopters, radio controlled, I can fly it all around the apartment here, maybe even outside. And, I want a Motor Scooter, with lights, I could ride it to Michigan or even over to Indiana, and like that guy here in town, get a big thing on the back and collect cans and sell them to get money to buy gas for my Motor Scooter, I could do so many things, if I just has a Motor Scooter. Does anyone have a drive to give Motor Scooters to the needy?

Is Barack Obama Using a Fake Soc. Sec. Number? Gov't May Be Forced to Answer

Get ready birthers, Orly Taitz has won a small victory for those of you who think Obama is not a U.S. citizen. It seems that the US government may have to answer to why it seems that the Social Security number the President is using doesn’t quite seem legitimate.

Birther queen Orly Taitz has been filing one lawsuit after another to try to “learn the truth,” she says, of Obama’s true background. Is he a U.S. citizen? Taitz says no and has been trying for years to find the smoking gun that proves it.

But this time she has a small opening toward that end. Taitz contends that Barack Obama is using the Social Security number of a man named Harry Bounel. Taitz has filed with the Social Security Administration to get these records but the SSA has stonewalled Taitz when she has filed for Freedom of Information Act requests saying there is “no information” in their records to send to her.

Unrelated but listen to this ..............

Hey, it's Friday ...

Friday

Friday morning, around 7:30. the world is very "quiet" outside, rather dreary, but warmer this morning.. I is "quiet" ... no TV or radio yet, I put my laptop on my lap, duh, where else, glanced down at the date ..... 12/20 ..... I was allowed to experience an old, old, momentary glimpse of myself, many years ago, "OH, five days till Christmas." I thank YOU for letting that happen, it was a beautiful experience.

Remember that "anticipation" when you were a child, you couldn't wait, it was agony. Oh, the wonders of youth. My Mom was responsible for many of those memories, it was she who made them special, her decorations around the house, the visits to friends, to church, it was she who wanted to make sure that we had good memories. I was fortunate to have a Mom and Dad like I did.

We had "carolers" last night, I didn't know who they were till they left, they handed me a little sack which I opened later on. Turned out they were the people who manage our apartment complex, it was a surprise when they knocked, they were singing "We wish you a merry Christmas," and it was a while till I got over the shock. It was an unexpected surprise. Unfortunately, their next surprise will occur when we sign a new lease, and learn of our annual rent increase, then I may sing to them, a different song, though. If I can't figure out some way to generate some income from the web, we may not be able to afford that increase. Ho, Ho, Ho.

I see the Mandela "signer" is hospitalized,  we have 35 Bowl Games to watch, $$$$$ and 25 more, probably all in warm climates. Ryan O'Neal gets the Warhol painting, it was his, and that's all he got.

Have a nice day ................. 

"I vanted to sprinkle it wit "nuts" but the president said no .... I thought it was appropriate"

Why doesn't just say it ... OH, he did!

Jack Wheeler is a brilliant man who was the author of Reagan's strategy to break the back of the Soviet Union with the star wars race and expose their inner weakness. For years he wrote a weekly intelligence update that was extremely interesting and well structured and informative. He consults(ed) with several mega corporations on global trends and the future, etc. He is in semi-retirement now. He is a true patriot with a no-nonsense approach to everything. He is also a somewhat well-known mountain climber and adventurer. 

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler

The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No resume, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works,  nothing but abstract, empty rhetoric devoid of real substance. 

He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya . Only a small part of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively. 

What he isn't, not a genetic drop of, is 'African-American,' the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He hasn't a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British ended it. 

Let that sink in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves, he is the descendant of slave owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal Messiah. 

It's something Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete neophyte came out of the blue and stole the Dem nomination from her.Obamamania is beyond politics and reason. It is a true religious cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in Original Sin, transferring it from the evil of being human to the evil of being white. 

Thus Obama has become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it, no faults or flaws of his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh being their Savior is all the more cause for liberals to worship him: Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd. 

Thank heavens that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no desperate need of a phony savior. 

He is ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by any thinking American. But, make no mistake he still has enough power to destroy the American people and our democracy.

Matt Birk stands by his convictions.

By Sam Farmer
June 7, 2013, 8:09 a.m.

The retired, six-time Pro Bowl center opted not to visit the White House this week with his Baltimore Ravens teammates because he disagrees with President Obama’s stance on abortion.

The Ravens visited the White House on Wednesday, in keeping with the tradition of Super Bowl champions.

Birk, a Harvard graduate and winner of the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2012, is a devout Catholic and father of six.

He was particularly angered by what Obama said at the end of a speech at a Planned Parenthood conference in April: “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you.”

In an interview with KFAN-FM, Birk explained his decision to take a pass on the White House invitation.

 “I wasn't there,” Birk said. “I would say that I have great respect for the office of the presidency, but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, 'God bless Planned Parenthood.’

“Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year. I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement and I just felt like I couldn't deal with that. I couldn't endorse that in any way. I’m very confused by [Obama’s] statement. For God to bless a place where they're ending 330,000 lives a year? I chose not to attend.”

Birk wasn't the lone Super Bowl winner to skip the visit.

OOOOPPPPPSSSSSSSS

In February 2009 Obama said, "I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited by half by the end of my first term in office." After Obama uttered those words, the deficit actually shot up to $1.4 trillion dollars in 2009.

It then came down to $1.3 trillion in 2010, then stayed flat for 2011.

The Congressional Budget office estimates 2012's deficit will be $1.1 trillion dollars -- a far cry from cutting the deficit in half.

Three years ago, in an interview the newly-inaugurated president Obama gave to NBC's Today Show.

"If I don't have this done in three years, then there is going to be a one-term proposition," Obama said.

Economic and Business Development in our county

A little more on our county commissioners, township trustees, chamber of commerce and others who feel they can do this job. Will all those of you who are qualified, please raise your hands. This is a Job Description for a position to accomplish what they hope to ..... and they think that they can do it?


JOB DESCRIPTION 
Job Title:  Economic and Business Development Director 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under direction of the Board of County Commissioners, directs and performs complex work in planning, development, and implementation of community development and economic development plans and programs.  Prepare grants and other financial incentives that promote economic development, revitalization, and infrastructure development projects for the county.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Must have a Bachelor’s degree; preferably with advanced degree; minimum of four years experience with economic development, urban planning, finance, public administration, or closely related field.  Should have experience in a government setting, thorough knowledge of the federal and state grant process, knowledge of laws and regulations pertaining to economic development programs, ability to analyze complex information, ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with local, state and federal agencies and the general public, excellent writing skills, strong mathematical and computer skills a must.

My Two-Cents Worth about the GLCCIC in Licking County

I have been involved in some similar situations when I was involved with the old NDA. We wanted to start such a group and were given a big NO by local realtors, they said it was their job, and up to them, they already had the wheels in motion to perform such duties. I think all involved, including myself, at that time came to the conclusion that ...... "build it, and they will come."

It takes expertise, a great deal of time and knowledge,  to attract business to come to the area. What does the Chamber of Commerce do. I know they used to refer clients to Heath, instead of Newark. I think other counties have even established and filled the position of Development Director, a full-time position that was allotted to an expert in the field. I can't imagine that those who will be on this board have many of these attributes, but some will probably volunteer to go on various "junkets," all expenses paid, probably to San Diego, Florida, Las Vegas or other prospective spots.

Look at the money that was squandered downtown to develop it. Jerry McClain is trying, assist him in his endeavors, and I am sure there are others.

ALL that money would be better used within the county to make it more appealing. You have to have a good product to sell, otherwise, it is a waste of time,

"Build it ................ and they will come."

Let those who already have the wheels in motion do the job, assist them. How many "Developers" do we have in Licking County, many come to mind, let them do their job.

Again, "Build it, and they will come." First things first.

Romney Backed by Goldman Sachs, Bailout Banks

The top donor to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, investment banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs, received over $10 billion in emergency lending and bailouts from the Federal Reserve after the 2008 financial meltdown, according to public sources and published reports.


Goldman backed Obama for election in 2008, and the firm, like many Wall Street institutions, is now backing Mitt Romney for president.


Romney has long had a close relationship with Goldman Sachs.


In 1999 Romney purchased initial IPO shares in Goldman that netted him $1.1 million in profits when he sold them in 2010. 

The SUN is out, my WATCH is running, but??????

The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a winter storm watch for Licking, Fairfield, Pickaway and Fayette counties from this evening through Tuesday afternoon.


Periods of wintry precipitation are expected this evening through Tuesday morning. This precipitation is expected to initially take the form of sleet and freezing rain before transitioning mainly to freezing rain late Monday night and early Tuesday. Precipitation is expected to transition to rain by Tuesday afternoon as warmer air moves into the region.

Some areas may see up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation. Total sleet accumulations are expected to be less than an inch.

A winter storm watch means conditions are favorable for a hazardous winter weather event in or close to the watch area.

That means the power might go out .... Kerosene Heater is ready, water in the bathtub (to flush the toilet),  five gallons of drinking water on the ready, my battery jumper thing is fully charged, can make coffee in the AM if no power, candles ready, LED lamp is ready, clothes layed out and ready, TO LAYER if necessary, battery radio is handy ..... I AM READY

Priority One - Bike Paths

Our local newspaper had an article about how scarce jobs are in our county. Unemployment is high, people are out of work and then the next article was about this. Newark, Heath, a city next to ours, and the County has a nice bike path system much of which was payed for by the Evans Foundation whose purpose, I think, is erecting monuments of one sort or another to local citizens so that they will be remembered after they are gone. Heath also owns the Davis-Shai House, a party rental facility which not only competes with area businesses, but I imagine costs the city a lot of money each year. Responsible Government.


Righter Co., of Columbus, was the low bidder on the city's bike path construction from the Heath City Waterpark to the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority.

Heath Zoning Director John Groff told City Council on Monday the bid was $570,000, well below the Ohio Department of Transportation estimate of $703,000.

The city should get about $140,000 back from ODOT because the bid came in lower, and the Evans Foundation agreed to fund $80,000, so the city's cost will be $91,000, Groff said.

Construction should begin in February or March, Groff said.

OBSCENE Politics in a small community

This angelic looking county commissioner, in my opinion, instead of being concerned about Licking County, spent his time contemplating Estate Planning and his retirement. He is fleecing and milking his friends, taxpayers and voters out of their hard earned dollars. And the old DOUBLE DIPPER is going to get away with it. I honestly don't think the voters would have re-elected him if they had known. HE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE PEOPLE WHO  VOTED HIM IN OFFICE. He has raised the bar on POLITICAL DISTRUST. The Republican party should be very proud of him. There should be an outcry by HIS co-workers, the voters and ALL taxpayers in Licking County. LEGAL and IMMORAL ... another example of WHY politicians cannot be trusted ..................

Licking County Commissioner Doug Smith set to serve, draw retirement
Nov 25, 2010
AMY HOLLON Advocate Reporter ...
 
NEWARK -- Licking County Commissioner Doug Smith will start receiving retirement benefits this year despite his recent re-election to office, a decision that has at least two of his fellow elected Republicans disgruntled.

Smith said he intends to serve the full four-year term as county commissioner.

However, for Ohio Public Employee Retirement System purposes, Smith will retire at the end of this year, just before his new term begins. The move allows him to continue to receive his paycheck as county commissioner and start receiving retirement benefits from PERS.

"I am not retiring from Licking County government but for a millisecond," he said. "I contacted PERS earlier in the year when I was debating whether or not to run ... I asked them if there was any advantage to continue to (wait) or should I just take the retirement. They said there wasn't an advantage."

Often referred to as "double-dipping," the choice to start receiving retirement benefits before actually retiring is not uncommon among government employees and is permitted through PERS rules with certain stipulations.

But Licking County Auditor Terry Evans and Treasurer Michael Smith said the decision is dishonest to voters who just reelected the commissioner.

"Personally, myself, if I had known this up front, I don't know if I would have supported him (in the election)," Evans said. "I had the opportunity to do this ... (and) I know there are some people that say it is allowable, but I couldn't do it."

The treasurer, who also is the auditor-elect, agreed.

"The economic situation, with unemployment where it is, and the economy where it is, it just doesn't bode well with our voters out there," Michael Smith said. "I think we are all held to a higher standard as elected officials and promise to do the right thing. This doesn't appear to have been the right thing to do."

Michael Smith said if the commissioner wanted to retire and knew it ahead of time, he should have notified the board of elections, which can be done in several ways.

One is to notify the board 90 days before the election, at which point it becomes public record. Another is to notify the appropriating authority. A third choice, Michael Smith said, is to retire 90 days before the general election.

It also is common to notify the political party, he said.

Michael Smith said because the commissioner did not follow any of those options, the retirement money he receives during his term will go into an annuity that he receive in a lump sum at the end of his term.

The auditor and treasurer have delivered a letter to Doug Smith asking him to either withdraw his retirement application or vacate his office.

But the commissioner said he made a personal financial decision. He has worked for local governments since the 1970s and has paid into the retirement system since that time. Counting his additional military time and time he has "purchased" through the years, Doug Smith has maxed out the benefits he will receive.

"There is nothing illegal or unethical about it; it is just a personal decision I've made to start drawing my retirement," Doug Smith said.

Doug Smith said it also is an estate planning decision. If he were to die today, his heirs could recoup only the money he has paid into the system. After he retires, however, they also can recoup the money received during the retirement period.

"By delaying it, it would not have been any benefit to me," Doug Smith said. "I make no apologies for paying into this and accumulating 45 years of service."

Jim Snedden

I did a BLOG on Jim Snedden, and have gotten quite a few inquiries.

Here is his website: http://www.jamessneddenjr.com/

He is running for Licking County Commissioner.

The Trash Men of Licking County

I am going to write the script for a new TV show. I have gone over many of  the shows presently on, like getting logs out of the swamps, losing weight, bosses taking entry level positions in their own companies, dirty jobs, and so many more creative ideas.

My show is going to be "Trash men of Licking County."

It is going to center on a driver, Edward, the guy who drives the big truck around all day, the truck with the big hump in the rear, hooking onto dumpsters, emptying the dumpster in his truck, putting the empty dumpster back where it was, and driving to the next pickup.

I think we have all been amazed at how he is able to set that big dumpster down, right in the same spot each time. I have closely followed him on his rounds, researching, and his accuracy is nothing short of miraculous. The tension as he is lowering the dumpster grows, how accurate will he be, can he find just the right spot, and he always does.

His driving skills are incredible. He is able to maneuver that truck around, in very cramped areas, and back that truck up, perfectly aligned, with the dumpster he is going to empty.

I have seen him pick up a dumpster that had a small couch in it, full of plastic bags of trash and garbage, and still empty it all into his truck. I have seen him load tables, old carpeting, a broken book case, and on a number of occasions he has emptied dumpsters that were completely filled, and not drop one trash bag.

He even has mastered the art of compacting the garbage in the truck, while the truck is moving, and he is nonchalant about it, head erect and looking straight ahead for oncoming traffic, as if nothing is going on, mapping out in his mind, the best route to his next stop, all the time being in compacting mode.

While interviewing him, in an honest and open interview, he revealed that on some occasions he has had to go to work when he didn't feel well, on one occasions he drove the truck with a temperature of 100 degrees. He told me, "There aren’t many backup drivers that can do the job, so I have to head out and do the job, regardless of how I feel. It just has to be done. Heck, one time while I was on vacation, they called me at the camp ground where we were staying, and instead of camping that day, I drove in, got in the truck, and did my route, while on vacation, yea, it's that important a job."

Eventually you will meet the Dispatchers, the Scheduler, and more importantly, the maintenance people who keep those big trucks rolling. Without them there would be no trucks and no show. We will delve into the close relationship of the driver and the mechanic. In this case, Edward’s mechanic is a pretty lady, Vivian. She does her job in tight white slacks, black medium heel shoes, while wearing a low cut white tank top. She is so good at her job, highly skilled in the mechanics of the truck, and more importantly, the mechanism that works the loading and unloading, she rarely to never gets dirty.

She and Edward have known each other for many years, they went to high school together, but didn’t notice each other till a few years ago. They meet every morning for breakfast at a local coffee shop. These brief encounters were harmless, for a while, then, something happened, and then one morning as Edward was picking up his truck, playing on the Musak System in the background in the garage was “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” and their eyes met for just an instant, and they both knew that they were more than friends.

The show will delve into the relationship of these four people, Edward and his wife, Eunice, who works as a cashier at the local Speedway Gas Station, Vivian and her husband, Kevin, who teaches mechanics at the local vocational school, and the interaction of the four people as they slowly suspect that something is wrong, feelings have changed, and Vivian comes home with greasy handprints on the back of her white low-cut tank top.

Kevin gets his coffee at the local Speedway, every morning, and has noticed the cashier is spending more time putting cream in his coffee, and the two sugars are placed in the cup with a suggestive body movement. As Kevin leaves the Speedway each morning, he glances back, over his shoulder, gives a wink and a nod, he gets a sly smile in return, and heads out to school, with a knowing spring in his step.

Each week a new character will be introduced, management will become involved, routes may change, new trucks are introduced, new paint colors on the dumpsters, all designed to keep the viewer in suspense.

The Trash men of Licking County, the much anticipated new hit show of the upcoming season.

Coyotes in Newark, Ohio

I have lived in remote areas in California, Nevada and Oregon. Spent a lot of time in Northern Michigan, never had any problem.

I now live in a densely populated area in Newark, Ohio. We have a small dog, Caleb. We live in the Coventry Apartments, I know the man quite well who lost his dog, just got done talking with him outside, as a matter of fact. In Today's News .........

NEWARK, Ohio—Residents in Newark are being advised by police to keep small pets indoors when possible and in sight and under control when they are out of doors.

The alert was issued in the wake of a fatal attack by a coyote Thursday night on a small dog.

The attack occurred Thursday night between 8 and 8:30 p.m. near the Coventry Apartments on Newark’s North Side.

The pet’s owner saw a coyote and saw the wild animal seize the dog, but the dog was not on a leash, and the owner could not rescue the pet Pekingese. The remains were not recovered.

Police say there have been several sightings of coyotes, either alone or in a group, but no other reports of any other attacks on animals.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is working with police to try to capture the coyotes.

If anyone sees the coyotes, they should contact Newark Police immediately at 740-670-7201.

Police advise against approaching any coyote and suggest that children should be removed from the area where a coyote is spotted.

With all the things we to worry about in this day and age, now coyotes.

I was just talking with some neighbors outside ........... now we know what has happened to a few cats that are missing, some rabbits that used to bother Caleb on his walks, gone ... one neighbor saw four coyotes in her front yard one morning, I think that explains some of Caleb's unexplained barking in the middle of the night.

Oddly enough, we don't walk Caleb at night anymore, just during the day.

A Coyote problem in Newark, Ohio ...... what's next?