December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:38 AM 9/23/98 -0500, Jim Choate wrote: > >It becomes possible to scan for sureptitous clock devices (their tick, tick, >tick in the EM), mod'ed hardware, and software. > >Follow this with a gas spectrograph and a x-ray and you'd have the vast >majority of bases covered. "Ummmm...I left my laptop in a room full of Canadian snowboarders...dude"

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salman rushdie
by bill payne 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

dave --- ABQ J 9/24/98 Iran May Withdraw Writer's Death Threat LONDON - Author Salman Rushdie met with British Foreign Office officials Wednesday amid reports Iran is preparing to withdraw the threat on his life. The late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini pronounced a "fatwa," death sentence, against Rushdie in 1989 after the publication of his book "Satanic Verses," which many Muslims deemed blasphemous. Islamic militants then put a $2 million bounty on Rushdie's head, forcing the author to live largely in under British police protection. --- I THINK that I heard tonight and saw Rushie's picture on TV that the above was called off. Progress. I am reading again your stuff at http://www.jya.com/filth-spot.htm Let's all hope for release of the requested documents and SETTLEMENT. bill Title: Black and White Test of Cryptographic Algorithms Jump to Forum Click Image to Jump to Next Article Go to Text Only Print Version Black and White Test of Cryptographic Algorithms by William H. Payne This article requires special formatting. Please Click Here to Read Send This Article to a Friend: Your Name: Email Address of your Friend: Your Email address: Back to Home Page Quick Menu Visit the Button Shop Interactive Forum Black and White Test of Cryptographic Algorithms E-mail the Editor

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No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

GOD'S TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE God would like to thank you for your belief and patronage. In order to better serve your needs, God asks that you take a few moments to answer the following questions. Please keep in mind that your responses will be kept completely confidential, and that you need not disclose your name or address unless you prefer a direct response to comments or suggestions. 1. How did you find out about your deity? __ Newspaper __ Bible __ Torah __ Television __ Book of Mormon __ Divine Inspiration __ Dead Sea Scrolls __ My Mama Done Tol' Me __ Near Death Experience __ Near Life Experience __ National Public Radio __ Tabloid __ Burning Shrubbery __ Other (specify): _____________ 2. Which model deity did you acquire? __ Yahweh __ Father, Son & Holy Ghost [Trinity Pak] __ Jehovah __ Jesus __ Krishna __ Zeus and entourage [Olympus Pak] __ Odin and entourage [Valhalla Pak] __ Allah __ Satan __ Gaia/Mother Earth/Mother Nature __ None of the above, I was taken in by a false god 3. Did your God come to you undamaged, with all parts in good working order and with no obvious breakage or missing attributes? __ Yes __ No If no, please describe the problems you initially encountered here. Please indicate all that apply: __ Not eternal __ Finite in space/Does not occupy or inhabit the entire cosmos __ Not omniscient __ Not omnipotent __ Not infinitely plastic (incapable of being all things to all creations) __ Permits sex outside of marriage __ Prohibits sex outside of marriage __ Makes mistakes (Geraldo Rivera; Michael Jackson) __ Makes or permits bad things to happen to good people __ When beseeched, does not stay beseeched __ Requires burnt offerings __ Requires virgin sacrifices 4. What factors were relevant in your decision to acquire a deity? Please check all that apply. __ Indoctrinated by parents __ Needed a reason to live __ Indoctrinated by society __ Needed focus in whom to despise __ Imaginary friend grew up __ Wanted to know Jesus in the Biblical sense __ Hate to think for myself __ Wanted to meet girls/boys __ Fear of death __ Wanted to piss off parents __ Needed a day away from work __ Desperate need for certainty __ Like Organ Music __ Need to feel Morally Superior __ Thought Jerry Falwell was cool __ Shit was falling out of the sky __ My shrubbery caught fire and a loud voice commanded me to do it 5. Have you ever worshipped a deity before? Is so, which false god were you fooled by? Please check all that apply. __ Mick Jagger __ Cthulhu __ Baal __ The Almighty Dollar __ Bill Gates __ Left Wing Liberalism __ The Radical Right __ Ra __ Beelzebub __ Barney T.B.P.D. __ The Great Spirit __ The Great Pumpkin __ The Sun __ Elvis __ Cindy Crawford __ The Moon __ A burning shrubbery __ Other: ________________ 6. Are you currently using any other source of inspiration in addition to God? Please check all that apply. __ Tarot __ Lottery __ Astrology __ Television __ Fortune cookies __ Ann Landers __ Psychic Friends Network __ Dianetics __ Palmistry __ Playboy and/or Playgirl __ Self-help books __ Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll __ Biorhythms __ Alcohol __ Bill Clinton __ Tea Leaves __ EST __ The Internet __ Mantras __ Jimmy Swaggert __ Crystals (not including Crystal Gayle) __ Human Sacrifice __ Pyramids __ Wandering around a desert __ Insurance policies __ Burning Shrubbery __ Barney T.B.P.D. __ Teletubbies __ Other:_____________________ __ None 7. God employs a limited degree of Divine Intervention to preserve the balanced level of felt presence and blind faith. Which would you prefer (circle one)? a. More Divine Intervention b. Less Divine Intervention c. Current level of Divine Intervention is just right d. Don't know...what's Divine Intervention? 8. God also attempts to maintain a balanced level of disasters and miracles. Please rate on a scale of 1 - 5 his handling of the following: (1=unsatisfactory, 5=excellent): A. Disasters: flood 1 2 3 4 5 famine 1 2 3 4 5 earthquake 1 2 3 4 5 war 1 2 3 4 5 pestilence 1 2 3 4 5 plague 1 2 3 4 5 SPAM 1 2 3 4 5 AOL 1 2 3 4 5 b. Miracles: rescues 1 2 3 4 5 spontaneous remissions 1 2 3 4 5 stars hovering over jerkwater towns 1 2 3 4 5 crying statues 1 2 3 4 5 water changing to wine 1 2 3 4 5 walking on water 1 2 3 4 5 VCRs that set their own clocks 1 2 3 4 5 Saddam Hussein still alive 1 2 3 4 5 getting any sex whatsoever 1 2 3 4 5 9. Do you have any additional comments or suggestions for improving the quality of God's services? (Attach an additional sheet if necessary): If you are able to complete the questionnaire and return it to one of Our conveniently located drop-off boxes by July 30 you will be entered in The One Free Miracle of Your Choice drawing (chances of winning are approximately one in 6.023 x 10 to the 23rd power, depending on number of beings entered). Thank You, Daryl Clerk of the Supreme Being of the Apocalypse

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Re: Jury duty considered harmful, or at least rare
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Tue, 22 Sep 1998, Rabid Wombat wrote: > On 24 Sep 1998, Anonymous wrote: > > > On Wed, 23 Sep 1998, Tim May wrote: > > > > > > > > At 11:11 PM -0700 9/22/98, Bill Stewart wrote: > > > > > > > > If they do have a list, I'd kind of like to be on it. I'm a college > > student, and I _can't_ serve on a jury for more than a day or so. The same > > goes for doctors, corporate executives, and others. > > > > Yeah, right. I *never* blew off class to go to the beach. I never go to > "meetings" on the golf course, either. Glad to hear the only people with > important places to be are doctors, executives, and college students. Maybe you skipped class all the time. Maybe you didn't have to compete to get into a competitive graduate school or graduate from that school. Maybe you hold your "meetings" on the golf course and cheat your company. I don't. That isn't the point. Glad to hear that you make a habit of blowing off class and playing golf on company time. Snip. > Oh, and I need > > to still get my full salary to pay my bills. Thanks, buddy." Um, no. > > > > The company I work for pays our salary while we are on jury duty. We have > to turn over the $3 a day stipend. That's nice for people who work at your company. It won't work for a small business where the juror own and operates it. It also won't work for a small business owner to hire more help and still pay the juror, because then it's cheating the owner. The court system summons the people under penalty of law. The court system puts them on a jury. The government isn't repealing all the bullshit legislation. The government can pay the bills. Can't afford it? Maybe we should redirect some of that welfare money. > Most defendants are guilty. That doesn't mean the one in front of you is. > Take traffic court as an example. How many defandants are there because > they are innocent, and the cop was mistaken, didn't calibrate his radar, > needed to fill his quota, etc.? A few. How many are there because they > want a couple points knocked off the penalty, even theough they were > speeding? Most of them. A guilty defendant is entitled to a fair trial. So > is an innocent one. You don't help the process by ducking jury duty (or > are you one of the stupid people?). That's primarily because of all the bullshit laws and legal events we have: drug laws, computer crime laws, frivolous lawsuits, set-ups by the cops, ITAR/EAR, and other things along that line of thought. The last time I was called for jury duty was back in college, where they got me in the week of finals. Of course, they hit me on that day, so I have to jump through all sorts of hoops and seriously piss a couple of professors off. Nothing keeps those professors from giving somebody like that a harder final either, under the pretense that they might have talked to others in the class about what the questions and answers were, which means that their grades relative to others in the class are then skewed, but the curve is still applied to them. Repeat with similar situations for any profession which isn't like canning at a tomato sauce plant. How many people do you think are found guilty because 11 people in the jury think he should be, and 1 person in the jury thinks the law shouldn't even be there but lets it go because the other 11 people on the jury don't understand the concept of jury nullification, they all just want to go home and not keep losing their livelihood, it *is* the law no matter how unconstitutional it may be, and the offense is relatively minor anyway?

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Test [No Reply]
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Test [No Reply]

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Waste of money.
by Jean-Francois Avon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

====== forwarded from Canadian Firearms Digest, V2 # 605 ========== Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 10:22:34 -0600 From: "David BREWERTON" <brewerd(a)shaw.wave.ca> Subject: FedUp II rally To the Editor, Halifax Herald: Regarding your "Sticking to their guns" article. I would like to correct a few inaccuracies in your piece. 1> "..to join about 8,000 others at the Fed Up II Rally.." - the RCMP estimate was 30,000 people, one of the largest if not THE largest rally ever on Parliament Hill. 2>"The new law, Bill C-68, will come into effect on Dec. 1, two months after it was first scheduled to be implemented." NO, this is the FIFTH extension of it's implementation date, now totalling three years. 3>"Ms. McLellan said the delay was at the request of Ontario law enforcement officials and not due to problems with the federal government's new system." FALSE, only 8 days before the law was scheduled to go into effect, gun dealers and Police departments still do not have the information on how to comply with the law. Confirm this with the Provincial Firearms Officers - they don't have the information yet. The fault is Federal. I asked gun dealers here and confirmed this with them, they still have nothing from the Federal government. 4>"Ms. McLellan said the program is still expected to cost about $185 million over the first five years" NO, they've already spent $135 million (that they'll acknowledge) THIS YEAR ALONE, and $250+ million so far in 3 years before registering a single firearm and they claim $60 million annually to run it. That's impossible since the current handgun registration system costs just under $100 per gun to register and with estimates (RCMP) of up to 25 million guns in Canada, that's $2.5 BILLION to do the job. Add to that the $200 million the Canadian Police Association must have to upgrade it's computer system to use the data from this system, the price is now somewhere around $3 Billion. That would help a lot of Hep-C victims and cancer patients. 5>"The minister also denied the government has a secret agenda to confiscate everyone's guns and use the registry to let the police know where to find firearms." False, since the goverment has already announced that they're turning 58% of the legitimately owned handguns in Canada into prohibited firearms and confiscating them without compensation. (Also illegal under the Charter of Rights) As for the Police access to the information - that was the main selling point by the Liberals to get the Canadian Police Chiefs to agree to support it. They were to have this information before going into a house to be prepared for any eventuality. They've now been informed that the system won't give them that information. The support of main line Police officers doesn't exist either. 85-91% of officers surveyed in several provinces (where their leaders would allow the survey to be done) say that they don't support the law. Please, lets keep the facts straight on this. There are 7 million people in this country who own firearms (RCMP estimates) and they're all voters and taxpayers. The utter waste of some $3 Billion on something with early estimates of a minimum 50% error rate (from the Ministers Select group of firearms experts) that will do nothing to combat crime since criminals won't register their guns and 90% of firearms crime (RCMP figures) is done with unregistered handguns which have had mandatory registration since 1934, cannot be tolerated. The NFA put together a system of firearm owner licensing some 30 years ago that would take care of most of what the government theoretically wants to accomplish with a very low cost. They refuse to consider it. The existing handgun registry has an estimated 30-45% error rate and even the courts refuse to accept data from it in court since it's so inaccurate. The Federal government can't even get their figures straight, since their numbers don't match either the RCMP or StatsCan figures for crime rates. They were caught inflating RCMP crime figures by 900% to strengthen their case in the Alberta Court of Appeal. They used the argument that even if a firearm was present at a location (locked in a gun safe and not involved in the crime) then it was a firearm crime. That's like saying that if there's a domestic dispute in a home and there's a car in the driveway then it's an automobile accident. That doesn't wash with me, I don't know about you. Please, lets keep the facts straight so that your readers can make an accurate assessment of the news, not a distorted one.

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IP: National ID
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Larry Becraft <becraft(a)hiwaay.net> Subject: IP: National ID Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 17:17:56 -0500 To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com To Whom It May Concern, Lots of people are interested in fighting the national ID and lots of info and even suggested letters to object to the proposed regulation are posted to Scott McDonald's webpage which is accessed thru: http://www.networkusa.org/index.shtml Also attached to this note is my letter of objection which you may personalize and send to the DoT. This letter was the 4th objection submitted to the DoT. The reason I write now is because we have only about another week (Oct. 2) to get in more objections to this regulation. I have just visited the DoT webpage and found that there are about 2100 objections. We need many more. The DoT webpage lists all the people who have submitted objections and I have read the names of every objector. Remarkably, many of the people that I thought would submit an objection have not. If you have not, please do so immediately. If you don't object to this regulation, then I suggest keeping your mouth shut if this reg is adopted. Please, it should not take very long for you to personalize the attached letter and send it in. Thanks very much. Larry Becraft Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\FedRegObjection.rtf" ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: Y2K Horror Stories a Foretaste of Breakdowns to Come
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Y2K Horror Stories a Foretaste of Breakdowns to Come Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 23:08:03 -0500 To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Source: http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/2665 Category: Noncompliant_Chips Date: 1998-09-23 11:10:48 Subject: Horror Stories That Are a Foretaste of Breakdowns to Come Link: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000AUk Comment: This document speaks for itself. Mutiply this through every institution that uses embedded systems. There is a lesson here. Any time anyone tells you, "This will work. No problem," ask him to demonstrate how it will work with no problem. Companies are just like governments. They stonewall. They pretend. They lie. Mainly, when caught, they lie. "I did not have noncompliance with that product!" This was especially interesting: "Nearly a month after I sent email to two different year 2000 addresses at the company, I received a phone call from the company. The caller described herself as a liaison with technical support and admitted to having no technical knowledge of the instrument. She said that their legal department would only allow verbal communication in this matter. She was prohibited from replying by email or written communication. "She said the embedded systems 'could be a problem' if new firmware wasn't installed. When questioned, she admitted that new firmware was not available and she did not know when it would be." Substitute the term "Western civilization" for "new firmware." * * * * * * * * * * * I am an analytical chemist specializing in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). ICP-AES is a method used to determine trace amounts of metals in solutions in the part per million and part per billion range. I am responsible for two spectrometers each of which cost approximately $130,000. Both instruments contain embedded microprocessor systems that are in turn controlled by external computers. The first uses a PDP-11/53 for the external computer. It is running the instrument control software under RT-11 and TSX-Plus. No hardware real time clock exists in the system. This version of RT-11 only accepts 1979 to 1999 as valid years for the system clock. There is no 2000 or 00. If left powered up, the system clock rolls over from 99 to 100. The file system is not designed to handle dates outside of the 79 to 99 range. A compliant version of RT-11 has just become available, but the manufacturer of the instrument says this won't help with problems in the instrument control software. We have been told that the software will "crash and burn" when hit with year 2000. The instrument was manufactured in 1988 and the software is no longer supported by the company. In fact, the company no longer employs anyone who worked on the Fortran source. The company's solution is to replace the PDP-11 with a PC and purchase a $6000 software package that runs under Windows. If we did this, we would no longer be able to use the quality control and data transfer programs we have written for the current system. We would also have several weeks of down time while entering our current analytical methods into the new system. My experience with a beta version of the PC software leads me to believe productivity would suffer in the end. The second instrument was controlled with a DEC 466 (486-66) running instrument control software under SCO-UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2. This system became very confused after the real time clock (RTC) was set to 12/31/99. Allowing the clock to roll over with the power off gave a RTC date of 1900. On boot up, Unix said the system year was 2000. However, the instrument software reported the current date as 01/01/10 and the RTC was reset to 1970. With the RTC set to 2000, the instrument software still reported the date as 01/01/10, but now the RTC was reset to 2070. On the next boot up, Unix would report the system date as 1970. At any time, typing in 000101 in the yymmdd field on boot up resulted in the RTC being reset to 1970. SCO has a patch for the operating system, but again this would not solve problems in the instrument control software. In this case, we have replaced the 486 with a Y2k compliant Pentium 300 and installed instrument control software that runs under Windows 95. The manufacturer no longer supports the software that ran under Unix. The instrument is two years old. Inside the instrument are two embedded 68000 microprocessor systems with real time clocks. Access to the clocks requires a program normally supplied only to service technicians. Execution of that program requires a password. The real time clocks can run without external power for up to ten years on internal lithium batteries. One function of the clocks is to insure the proper start-up sequence is followed after shutdowns of different lengths (hot or cold start). Extensive damage could be caused by an error in the control of heating, cooling, or gas flow systems. The clocks are also used in the monitoring of safety interlocks and sensors. Both clocks rollover from 1999 to 1900 and can not be set to 2000. The clocks also count off the days of the week. I am reluctant to extensively test the system myself because of the possibility of damage. When I first talked to technical support about my concerns, the technician pulled out a copy of the year 2000 compliance certificate for the new software and read it over. He then stated: "This certification only covers the software - not the *instrument*." This instrument and software is being sold as the company's year 2000 solution to replace almost all earlier systems. My next contact was with a different technician who was in the lab to repair an electronic problem in the instrument. He told me: "Don't worry, we use four digit dates." I asked him to demonstrate setting the clocks ahead. He ran the program on the main computer and it allowed him to type the year 2000 on the entry screen. He then executed the command to send the date to the embedded system. There were no error messages. He gave me a look that implied "I told you so". I then asked him to read back the current time from the clock he just set. He was visibly startled when he saw 1900 appear on the screen. He said he would have one of their experts call me. A few days later I heard from the "expert" who tried to reassure me with phrases like "they're just timers" and "the instrument doesn't _need_ to know what day it is". However, since he didn't seem to have a mastery of what the clocks actually do, I wasn't reassured. For example: I can put the instrument into standby (sleep mode) over the weekend with instructions to be ready to operate at 8:00 AM Monday. This will conserve gases (nitrogen and argon) and reduce power needs. 73 minutes before the assigned ready time, the embedded systems will query the main computer for start-up instructions. If the main system is running, it takes control of the sequence. If the main system is off, the embedded systems will look for it for 10 minutes and then independently begin the start-up sequence in the instrument EPROM. The "expert" didn't seem to have even this depth of knowledge of the system. Nearly a month after I sent email to two different year 2000 addresses at the company, I received a phone call from the company. The caller described herself as a liaison with technical support and admitted to having no technical knowledge of the instrument. She said that their legal department would only allow verbal communication in this matter. She was prohibited from replying by email or written communication. She said the embedded systems "could be a problem" if new firmware wasn't installed. When questioned, she admitted that new firmware was not available and she did not know when it would be. She also said that the clocks were used for the "wake up" procedure and not used for anything else. Since she had no knowledge of the instrument, there was no point in asking about system error (SYSERROR) message 75 described in the appendix of the manual: 75 Real-Time Clock. Call Service. The real-time clock, used to monitor the status of interlocks (and sensors), is not functioning. This will not shut down the system; however, a XXXXXXXX service engineer should be contacted. "This will not shut down the system" means I can start up a sustained 10,000 degree plasma in a confined space with uncertainty as to whether the interlocks and sensors will detect a malfunction. It's my belief that in thinking about embedded systems, this company has been in "sleep mode". I may have been the first to sound a "wake up" alarm about this instrument. Now they have to muster the people and resources to re-write the programs stored in the EPROM's, produce new chips, and install them in hundreds of instruments around the world. I should also mention that this is only one instrument in a large product line that has other Y2k problems. Will they get them all done? On time? I don't think they know. Link: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000AUk ---------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: NSA listening practices called European`threat'
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: NSA listening practices called European`threat' Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 14:54:05 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Baltimore Sun http://www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/editorial/story.cgi?storyid=900000194001 NSA listening practices called European`threat' European Parliament report accuses agency of widespread spying By Neal Thompson Sun Staff The National Security Agency has incurred the wrath of some U.S. allies and triggered debate about increased global eavesdropping, thanks to a new report that accuses the agency of spying on European citizens and companies. With the help of a listening post in the moors of northern England, NSA for nearly a decade has been snatching Europe's electronic communications signals, according to a report for the European Parliament. "Within Europe, all e-mail, telephone and fax communications are routinely intercepted by the United States National Security Agency, transferring all target information to Fort Meade," said the report. `Powerful threat' It warned that the NSA's tactics represent a "powerful threat to civil liberties in Europe" at a time when more communication -- and commerce -- is conducted electronically. A preliminary version of the report circulated overseas in recent months, touching off heated debate, with front-page stories in Italy, France, Scotland, England, Belgium and even Russia. The NSA won't discuss the report or even admit that the listening post exists. But this week, two days of debate in the European Parliament continued the extraordinary public disclosure of comprehensive post-Cold War spying by the agency. On Wednesday, the Parliament passed a resolution seeking more accountability from such eavesdropping arrangements and more assurances that they won't be misused. "We want to make sure that somebody's watching them," said Glyn Ford, a British member of the European Parliament, the legislative body for the 15-member European Union. Observers say this was the first time a governmental body has described in detail -- and then criticized -- the NSA's tactics. "The cat's well and true out of the bag," said Simon Davies, director of the London-based watchdog group Privacy International. "I would argue that we have made the grandest step in 50 years toward accountability of such national security transparencies." The report describes a sophisticated program called Echelon, which the NSA established in conjunction with British intelligence agencies. The program includes a listening post in Menwith Hill, in Yorkshire, whose satellite dishes soak up the satellite and microwave transmissions carrying Europe's telephone conversations, faxes and e-mail. Unlike Cold War spying aimed at the military, Echelon is a global electronic surveillance system that targets individuals, businesses, governments and organizations, the report says. The U.S. shares the information with Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as part of an intelligence-sharing agreement called UKUSA. Each nation has its own set of key words, so it can seek information on specific issues, the report states. Europe is but a fraction of Echelon's target area -- and the Menwith Hill post is one of at least 10 around the world, the report adds. "One reason its a bigger deal over there than it is over here [in the U.S.] is because the SIGINT [signals intelligence] systems are over their heads and not our heads," said Jeffrey Richelson, an analyst with the National Security Archives, a U.S. group seeking to declassify intelligence related documents. Echelon repercussions But the disclosure of Echelon could soon resonate across the Atlantic after the European Parliament action. Furthermore, it could complicate current negotiations between the U.S. and the European Union over encryption programs that scramble or encode computer information, said Parliament member Ford. The U.S. has been lobbying for back-door access to such codes for security reasons. Originally published on Sep 19 1998 ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: Funny Money: New $20 FRNs are here
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Funny Money: New $20 FRNs are here Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 17:05:38 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: US Newswire http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0924-109.txt U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve Issue New $20 Note U.S. Newswire 24 Sep 10:45 U.S. Treasury, Federal Reserve Issue New $20 Note To: National and Financial Desks Contact: Hamilton Dix of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, 202-622-2960, or Bob Moore of the Federal Reserve, 202-452-3215 WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan today announced the issuance of the redesigned $20 note, which includes new and modified security features to deter counterfeiting of U.S. currency. Rubin and U.S. Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow marked the issuance of the new notes in a ceremony at Treasury's Cash Room in Washington, D.C. More than two dozen regional events hosted by Federal Reserve banks and branches and major retailers were also conducted around the country. "We have introduced a series of features that greatly raise the hurdle for counterfeiters," Rubin said. "Together these features amount to a formidable tool, and make spotting a counterfeit note easier than ever. For them to be effective, it is important that people stop for a moment to look for the new features." The new $20 will replace older notes gradually, and older series $20 notes still in good condition will be recirculated. About $83 billion worth of $20 notes is currently in circulation, 80 percent of those in the U.S. More than $450 billion worth of U.S. currency circulates around the globe. The Series 1996 $20 note is the third U.S. currency note to be redesigned to include new and modified security features. New $10 and $5 notes are expected to be issued simultaneously in 2000, and a new $1 note with a more modest redesign will follow. "We are confident that the introduction of this third redesigned note will be as smooth as that of the $100 and $50 notes," Chairman Greenspan said. "Older notes will not be recalled or devalued. All existing notes will continue to be legal tender." Like the Series 1996 $100 and $50 notes introduced since 1996, the new $20 note has a familiar appearance. The size, color and historical subjects have not changed. It also incorporates several security features that have proved effective against would-be counterfeiters: a watermark; enhanced security thread; fine-line printing patterns; color-shifting ink; and a larger, off-center portrait that is the most noticeable change in the overall architecture of the note. There are also two features for the blind and visually impaired. The new $20 note includes a capability that will allow the development of technology to help the blind ascertain the denomination of their currency. In addition, the $20 and $50 notes have a large numeral on the back that make the notes easier for millions of Americans with low vision to read. The continuing introduction of redesigned notes is a critical component of the Federal government's anti-counterfeiting effort. The new series aims to maintain the security of the nation's currency as computerized reprographic technologies such as color copiers, scanners and printers become more sophisticated and more readily available. The $20 note is the most frequently counterfeited note in the United States. Since the $20 note is so widely used in daily commerce and most frequently dispensed by ATMs, broad nationwide recognition of the new note when it is introduced will minimize apprehension on the part of the public. A public education campaign now underway encourages the public and people who handle cash every day to become familiar with the design and security features of the new notes. Retailers and financial institutions are educating their employees and customers by sending posters to their outlets, training cashiers, offering pamphlets to the public, and including information about the new note in advertising circulars and on shopping bags. More than 100 constituency organizations have helped reach small business owners, loss prevention managers, visually impaired and older Americans, and others with a stake in the new note's introduction. U.S. embassies and consulates are using materials translated into 15 languages to conduct localized education outreach to ensure that local users of U.S. currency as well as financial institutions are prepared for the issuance of the new note. Fact sheets on the new note, the history of U.S. currency and related agencies are available at http://www.moneyfactory.com. -0- /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ 09/24 10:45 Copyright 1998, U.S. Newswire ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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