During The Olympics

1. Unlike any other media in the world - or the International Olympic Committee for that matter - the US lists its medal tallies by total medals won. This keeps them in front of China. For once The New York Times, Fox News and the US Olympic broadcaster NBC all agree on something. Even the US Olympic Committee site defaults to the wisdom of NBC.



Although both Australia and France score better with the US system, neither The Sydney Morning Herald nor France2 use it.

In an on-line article We're No. 1: U.S., China Chase Top Spot NBC admits to the difference, adding the feel-good diplomacy of:

"I think China will win the golds and the US will win the overall medal count and it will be a nice compromise, leaving everyone feeling good about the Olympics and both nations able to say they won," says Terry Rhoads, of Zou Marketing, a Shanghai-based sports consultancy.

2. An editorial in Asahi (63 Years After The War) is relieved that as the Olympics are held over the anniversary of the end of World War TWO that there has not been anti-Japanese feelings from the Chinese spectators. This was especially noticed when the Japanese anthem was played.

3. As August 13 is the anniversary of the the building of the Berlin Wall, Deutsche-Welle (no visible medal tally) has photos of Der Mauer today including the delightful irony that parts of it are fenced off to protect it.



4. Serbian B92 has no apparent Olympics news but does have a poll asking how the situation in South Ossetia will effect feelings about Kosovo.



B92 are often ahead of the game.

As of today, 68 of 190 had said it would be favorable (sic) for Belgrade.
('sic' refers to US spelling of 'favourable' - not the poll result.)

4. Back to feel-good diplomacy: The Asia Times writes of the significance (symbolism) of China and the US opening mutual embassies at this time:

Despite his insistence that his presence in Beijing is purely linked to sport, the American president's schedule included several non-Olympics related events. Among these was the inauguration of the new American Embassy in the Chinese capital.

The $434 million building is a sprawling glass and chrome structure spread over 500,000 square feet. It is the second-largest US embassy in the world, after Iraq, and according to Clark T Randt Jr, the US ambassador to China, is a symbol of "the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century".

Significantly, the inauguration of the building came only a week after Chinese officials opened their own giant embassy in Washington DC, which, at 250,000 square feet, is the biggest embassy in the US capital.

5. And of course, NBC's "expert on all things China" (Ni hao from the Bird's Nest) - Joshua Ramo.



Ken Silverstein reports in Harpers (NBC’s Olympics, Brought to You By Henry Kissinger) that NBC have neglected to point out he works in the Beijing office of Henry Kissinger's consulting firm.


Zhou Enlai listens on as Chairman Mao gives advice to Henry Kissinger, predicting that Kissinger, Alexander Haig and Brent Scowcroft wil all have consulting firms in China in the future. Imagine that. Mao and Kissinger later agreed to disagree on the Olympic medal tally.

Thatcher's legacy

Reporting on the discussion about whether Margaret Thatcher should receive a state funeral is focused on the "venom" of letters to The Guardian.

Most quoted seems to be:

Thatcher should only be allowed a state funeral if the contract is put out to compulsory competitive tender and awarded to the lowest bidder. Any offers?
Rob Watling
Nottingham

Mail Online (The Daily Mail) asked Why is the Left so full of hate for Lady Thatcher?

Nil nisi bonum de mortuis dicere...
...but she is not yet dead.

The Guardian also reported that:

...plans for a formal procession could be jeopardised by a lack of troops to line the route as the armed forces were overstretched in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sykpe and Reporters Without Borders’ advice to foreign journalists facing Internet censorship

Back in April 2006, Niklas Zennström, Skype’s chief executive, told The Financial Times (Skype says texts are censored by China) in an interview about Skype's joint venture partner in China, Tom Online:

“Tom had implemented a text filter, which is what everyone else in that market is doing,” said Mr Zennström. “Those are the regulations.”

He claimed that compliance with Chinese censorship was no different from obeying rules governing business in western countries. China, along with the US and Germany, is one of Skype’s three biggest markets in terms of active users of its free telephony service, which routes encrypted calls between computers via the internet.

The advice to foreign reporters posted by Reporters Without Borders can be found at Reporters sans frontières - Beijing Games 2008. The advice itself, which includes a recommendation not to use the Chinese version of Skype and how to access blocked websites via proxies, gives some indication of what reporters are up against getting information within, into and out of the PRC. Here are the first three:

Reporters Without Borders therefore offers the following practical advice to foreign journalists to help them cover the human rights situation in China.

1. Install programmes on your computer that will help you to circumvent firewalls and protect your communications. Before going to China, you should install Tor (www.torproject.org/index.html.en), Psiphon (http://psiphon.civisec.org/) or Proxify (https://proxify.com/). The international version of Skype is recommended, rather than the one available in China, which is not secure. It is also advisable to encrypt emails with PGP (http://www.pgpi.org). More information is available in the Reporters Without Borders Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents: http://www.rsf.org./article.php3?id_article=26187

2. Protect your computer against Trojan viruses and ensure that it is password-protected. Do not leave your equipment and contact lists in an accessible condition in a hotel room.

3. When making phone calls or sending emails, bear in mind that there is no guarantee of confidentiality. Use several SIM cards, especially when contacting “sensitive” people.

There were a number of news reports late 2007 about the German police trying to hack / eavesdrop on Skype. Also reports that the Austrian Police have alluded to a backdoor into Skype. The German solution seems to be to install Trojans on computers remotely. According to Reuters ( Skype encryption stumps German police) back in November 2007:

"The encryption with Skype telephone software ... creates grave difficulties for us," Joerg Ziercke, president of Germany's Federal Police Office (BKA) told reporters at an annual gathering of security and law enforcement officials. "We can't decipher it. That's why we're talking about source telecommunication surveillance -- that is, getting to the source before encryption or after it's been decrypted."... Ziercke said there was a vital need for German law enforcement agencies to have the ability to conduct on-line searches of computer hard drives of suspected terrorists using "Trojan horse" spyware.

The computer security industry must not be happy about the development of what is variously called "white-hat malware", "remote forensic software" or "a law enforcement Trojan". How do you design anti-virus software that customers will trust if it has to - in agreement with various Governments - allow the "white-hats" in? And who chooses or manipulates which "good guys" to let in: US, German, Chinese, Nigerian?

Stories about Skype in China began with "filtering" (censoring) certain words and terms. But to describe the Chinese Skype as "not secure" implies a little more. It is suspected that the Chinese Skype comes with a Trojan pre-fitted.

Rules in Cyberspace

Cyberethics For Kids

The US Department of Justice has a site for kids on 'Cyberethics". It includes, after warnings about the consequences of hacking, this common-sense admonition:

"The best way to stay out of trouble with computers is to imagine before you do something how you'd feel if someone did it to you. You wouldn't like it if someone opened your mail or looked into your bedroom windows, and if you wouldn't do this either, don't hack into computers."

(I like the way the section is called You Can Get in Real Trouble for Hacking! on the main page and "reckless" in the URL address.)

So, here are links to this year's main stories about what is being called "Main Core" and it's probable history in the Department of Justice's use (and massive copyright infringement) of the Inslaw's PROMIS software:

Wall Street Journal: NSA's Domestic Spying Grows 
As Agency Sweeps Up Data

Salon.com: Exposing Bush's historic abuse of power

Radar: The Last Roundup


The DOJ 'Cyberethics - Hacking' page concludes with:

"If you like computers, don't use your brains to hack systems, invade other people's privacy, and take away their networks. Hacking can get you in a whole lot more trouble than you think and is a completely creepy thing to do. If you're so smart, use that computer to do great things!"

Maybe that was behind the 2004 hospital room showdown between Ashcroft and Gonzales.

But talking about "creepy", remember this DARPA/DOD half-way house between PROMIS and MAIN CORE:



Someone designed this logo. Someone thought it was a good idea. Someone approved it. Imagine that.

The Fake Wife

With this fake wife, I divorce thee (Reuters)

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - An Indian man who took an impersonator to court to get a divorce faces legal action after his real wife found out, lawyers said Friday.

Sanjib Saha presented a woman as his wife in a lower court in the eastern city of Kolkata this month. Both said they sought a mutual divorce, something the court granted immediately.

Saha's real wife was then asked to leave the marital home. She has since appealed the ruling at a higher court, charged her husband with cheating and the original divorce was suspended.

"The case exposed the legal loopholes in our system," Kaushik Chanda, lawyer of Saha's real wife, said.

(Reporting by Sujoy Dhar, Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Miral Fahmy)

Dr. Dragan David Dabić

Dr. Dragan Dabic - Neuropsihijatar i Bioenergeticar - Neuropsychiatry, Alternative Medicine and Energy, Eastern Meditation, Yoga, Spiritual Cleansing, Chinese Medicine, Medicinal Herbs and Macrobiotic Diet



Toward the end of Dr. Dragan David Dabić's web page (aka Radovan Karadžić) is a list of his favourite ancient chinese sayings. The last one is, perhaps, a threat about not revealing his identity:

- Onaj koji proda roda svoga, neka dve rake iskopa.

- The one who gives up his own, shall dig two graves.

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