December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

News of the Wired
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Subject: News of the Weird [486] - 30May97 by Chuck Shepherd LEAD STORIES * Ms. Courtney Mann, the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, who is a tax preparer and single mother, was rebuffed in an attempt to join a Ku Klux Klan-sponsored march in Pittsburgh in April, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Though she has been in the NAAWP for at least four years, the Pennsylvania KKK Grand Dragon turned her down because Mann is black. "She wanted me to send transportation [for the rally]," said the Grand Dragon. "She wanted to stay at my house [during rally weekend]. She's all confused, man. I don't think she knows she's a black." And we have Kent Crispin. When's the trading deadline? * April's annual religious fertility celebration in Nagoya, Japan, designed to improve the rice harvest, featured as usual a 12-foot- long, bright pink, plastic penis, carried through the street, followed by displays of smaller organs and a giant banner of a blood- vesseled penis, testicles, and pubic hair. Souvenir candy of the same shape was sold during the event, and at the end of a parade, the giant organ was placed on the fertility shrine. Don't they do the same thing in North Dakota? * In mid-April, five weeks before the national elections, the governing party in Indonesia announced, via "scientific calculation," according to one leader, that President Suharto had won re-election with 70.02 percent of the vote. There's a standard joke in Mexico about thieves breaking into a government office and stealing the results of next year's election. COURT DOCKET * In February, Maryland circuit court judge Thomas Bollinger Sr. agreed to wipe the record clean of Charles Weiner's spousal battery charge after he completes probation--for the sole purpose of helping Weiner join the Chestnut Ridge Country Club, which had until then rejected him because of his criminal record. (In 1993, Bollinger gave a rapist probation for an attack against a drunken woman, remarking that finding an unconscious woman on a bed was "the dream of a lot of males, quite honestly.") Four days later, Bollinger reversed his decision and removed himself from all domestic violence and sexual offense cases. Hey! Everyone _knows_ that "snoring" implies consent! * In Santa Cruz, Calif., in February, Mr. Danis Rivera, 25, rejected a plea bargain that would have sent him to prison for one year for having sex with underage girls. However, at his trial he was in such a foul mood that he constantly spit at court personnel and finally had to be outfitted with a Hannibal Lecter-type bonnet over his face. He was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. And in a Providence, R. I., courtroom in April, Latin King gangster George "Animal" Perry, on trial for murder and racketeering and frustrated at the length of the prosecutor's closing argument, which denied him a much-needed restroom break, rose from his chair, unzipped his fly, and took one, anyway. It seems reasonable that if one petitions the court for relief, and is denied, then the only recourse is to relieve oneself. SCHEMES * St. Charles Catholic Church (Picayune, Miss.) and nearby St. Margaret Mary Church (Slidell, La.) posted security ushers at the doors in February to make sure that parishioners were not pocketing communion wafers. Devil-worshiping ceremonies often use wafers for symbolic desecration, and when six people were seen leaving St. Charles in December with their wafers, the churches' leaders began to fear a local Satanic conspiracy. Nonsense. They were probably just trading them for drugs and child pornography. * In April in Houston, Tex., Robert Perry Russell, Jr., 44, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual assault and diapering of a 14-year-old boy, but police say the number of victims may have been as many as 10. According to police, Russell liked to take boys out in a boat, tell them a tale about a headless killer seeking to rescue a toddler from the dangerous lake and who kills all other people, and suggest that putting on the diapers he happens to have with him would be a good way, should the killer appear, of convincing him of his toddler status. And, as compensation for their pain and suffering, the victims accepted the deed to Russel's prime real estate in Florida and a bridge in the New York area. DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES * Dishwashing: In March, a busboy at a Key West, Fla., Marriott resort allegedly shot and killed a supervisor who had apparently made some constructive criticism of the busboy's loading of the dishwasher. And in May, police in Helena, Ark., detained a 15- year-old boy they suspect shot his older sister to death after a dispute over which one would wash the dishes. I'll wash, you die. ============================== ADMINISTRATIVE NOTICES [Except for the last paragraph, giving a new, alternative address for Chuck Shepherd's CompuServe mailbox, these notices unchanged since December 27, 1996] NEWS OF THE WEIRD, founded in 1988, is a nationally syndicated newspaper column distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. Individuals may have the columns mailed to them electronically, free of charge, approximately three weeks after the cover date, which is the date when most subscribing newspapers will publish the column. Send a message to notw-request(a)nine.org with the Subject line of Subscribe. To read these News of the Weird newspaper columns from the past six months, go to http://www.nine.org/notw/notw.html (That site contains no graphics, no photos, no video clips, no audio. Just text. Deal with it.) COPYRIGHT: Neither the name News of the Weird nor any issue of News of the Weird nor any portion of any issue of News of the Weird may be used for any commercial purpose whatsoever. One example of such prohibited use is to use part or all of an issue of News of the Weird as material on a commercial Web page or on a commercial message. ("Commercial" includes Web sites or messages that contain any paid or bartered advertising.) If a Web site or message contains utterly no commercial content, and it is freely accessible by the public with no fee charged, portions of News of the Weird may be used without prior permission provided that the portion(s) is(are) accurately quoted and identified on the Web site or message as from News of the Weird and this copyright notice is affixed at some point: Copyright 1997 by Universal Press Syndicate. BOOKS BY CHUCK SHEPHERD: The Concrete Enema and Other News of the Weird Classics by Chuck Shepherd (Andrews and McMeel, 1996, $6.95) is now in bookstores everywhere. Or you can order by mail from Atomic Books, 1018 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD 21201 (add $2 postage for the first book, $3 for two to the same address, $4 for 3, and $5 for more than 3) (credit card orders 1-800-778-6246, http://www.atomicbooks.com) Or by credit card from Andrews and McMeel, 1-800-642-6480 (they bill $2 postage per book). Also by Chuck Shepherd and available at only the larger bookstores in America: News of the Weird (Plume Books, 1989, $9), More News of the Weird (Plume, 1990, $9), Beyond News of the Weird (Plume, 1991, $9), and America's Least Competent Criminals (HarperPerennial, 1993, $9). (The 1989, 1990, and 1991 books were co-authored with John J. Kohut and Roland Sweet.) HARDCOPIES: The weekly newspaper columns, as well as Chuck Shepherd's weird-news 'zine View from the Ledge (now in its 16th year) are available in hardcopy, but unlike with cyberspace, they're not free. Send a buck for sample copies to P. O. Box 8306, St. Petersburg FL 33738. AUTHENTICITY: All news stories mentioned in News of the Weird are from news stories appearing in daily newspapers in the U. S. and Canada (or occasionally, reputable daily newspapers in other countries or other reputable magazines and journals). No so-called supermarket tabloid, and no story that was not intended to be "news," is ever the source of a News of the Weird story. ADDRESSES: To send mail and messages to Chuck Shepherd, write Weird(a)CompuServe.com or P. O. Box 8306, St. Petersburg FL 33738.

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No Subject
by Peterson, Doug 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

This is my first post to the list. I though this might be interesting. Taken from: http://wire.ap.org/APwire/pages/center/?STORYOID=206f.599a&FRONTID=TECHN OLOGY&SLOC=AP&SKEY=LATECLAMMOSSFUMEELANFUM&SLOG=sidebar 07/09/1997 17:34 EST FBI Wants Computer Decoding Ability By CASSANDRA BURRELL Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- American law enforcers want to be allowed to decode scrambled computer messages during investigations in much the same way as they now use wiretaps, FBI director Louis Freeh said Wednesday. Freeh's plea in Senate testimony came as the computer industry bitterly fights bills aiming to restrict the export of sophisticated data-scrambling devices to foreign computer users. Offenders inside the United States are turning increasingly to computers to commit such crimes as child molestation, child pornography and drug trafficking, Freeh told the Senate Judiciary Committee. Some investigations are hindered by the criminal use of complex equipment that scrambles messages into codes that are all but impossible to crack without code keys. ``Major drug dealers are now using encrypted communications, and they are using it to our distinct disadvantage,'' Freeh said. The best solution would include setting up a key recovery system where developers of encryption devices deposit ``keys'' with a third party that can unscramble their codes, he said. As with wiretaps, authorities would have to obtain court orders to make the keys available for law enforcement. The same data-scrambling technology that is making the Internet a safer, more secure place to do business is causing headaches on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are struggling with its regulation. On one side are computer software and hardware developers trying to compete with companies operating abroad without restrictions. On the other side are enforcement authorities who say they don't want to tie the hands of U.S. businesses but need a way to eavesdrop on computer criminals. ``At stake are some of our most valuable and reliable investigative techniques and the public safety of our citizens,'' Freeh said. Without a key system, ``the ability of law enforcement to investigate and sometimes prevent the most serious crimes and terrorism will be severely impaired. Our national security will also be jeopardized.'' Currently, encryption technology is sold without restriction inside the United States. In an attempt to keep pace with technology advancing at lightning speed, the Clinton administration relaxed export controls last year. The computer industry complained the loosening didn't go far enough. ``The current law is unacceptable. The status quo is unacceptable,'' said Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., co-sponsor of one of several encryption bills moving through Congress. Sponsored by Kerrey and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that bill would set up a key recovery system to give computer companies strong incentives to make keys available to investigators who obtain a court's permission. It would link companies' cooperation to quicker, easier export rules. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the bill last month and recommended the full Senate pass it. A more liberal bill sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., fell by the wayside. The Business Software Alliance, a coalition of computer businesses, promptly denounced the Kerrey-McCain bill as ``a step backward'' that would hurt American competitiveness. ``Strong cryptography is exactly like a good safe,'' said Raymond Ozzie, chairman of Iris Associates, a subsidiary of Lotus Development and IBM Corp. ``The best safe in the world cannot protect you if the combination is written on a scrap of paper and left lying around or is otherwise known to the safe cracker,'' he said in testimony submitted to the Senate committee. A House bill introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., would bar the government from requiring businesses to set aside keys. The Clinton administration has criticized that bill. Its provisions, the administration said, would ``severely compromise law enforcements' ability to protect the American people from the threats posed by terrorists, organized crime, child pornographers, drug cartels, financial predators, hostile foreign intelligence agents and other criminals.'' Doug Peterson

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Re: A really meaningfull upgrade
by Casey Iverson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 12:49 PM 7/9/97 EDT, THE RUSSIAN SCUM BAG, DISSEASED RIDDEN ASS HOLE VULIS gives us an an example of his KGB inspired humor: >Have you tried complaining to the European Envelope manufacturers >association in Switzerland??? C.I.

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FWD: SCIENTISTS PROPOSE NEW ENCRYPTION SCHEME
by edgarswank＠juno.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

SCIENTISTS PROPOSE NEW ENCRYPTION SCHEME Two scientists at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif. have developed a new approach to public key cryptography based on mathematical constructs called lattices. The system would be based on a particular set of hidden hyperplanes that constitute the private key and a method of generating points near one of those hyperplanes for the public key. The security of the system rests on the computational difficulty of finding the "unique" shortest line segment (or vector) that connects any two points in a given lattice -- a task that's fairly easy in two or three dimensions, but much more difficult in a 100-dimensional lattice. The researchers are working to turn their theory into a marketable product, and see applications in creating digital signatures and other security and authentication schemes. (Science News 5 Jul 97) Edgar W. Swank <EdgarSwank(a)Juno.com> (preferred) Edgar W. Swank <cryoprez(a)jps.net> (for files/msgs >50K) Home Page: http://members.tripod.com/~EdgarS/index.html

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Potential terrorists
by Phillip M. Hallam-Baker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Potential terrorists is I believe a term of art. It is basically someone who has acquired the means to conduct terrorism, is believed to have the intent but is not known to have committed an act. Its basically someone in an advanced stage of a conspiracy. If the FBI had got wind of McVeigh a week before the bombing and knew he had the truckload of explosives he would fit this description. Thing I missed on the Bonn report was any indication about the UK government's policy. I suspect that this means it is either in accord with the rest of Europe or more likely as yet undetermined. Statements to the effect that they are following the Tory/US line seem to fit baddly. If the UK was acting as appostles for the US they would have stated their position. I believe the UK government is an important key. The UK inevitably has more influence in the US than the rest of Europe since the language and legal systems are compatible. The reverse is also true and in the past more so because the Tories were desperate to have US nuclear arms. If the US can't bend the UK to its side it has lost the argument in Europe. The Blair administration has a massive legislative program ahead of it undoing 18 years of Tory mismanagement and corruption. They are very carefull to avoid any issue which they think may take a lot of parliamentary time. A small number of Labour backbenchers who support our cause could therefore prevail. Phill

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Hacker cracks ESPN
by Lynne L. Harrison 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- CNET NEWS.COM Dispatch * 385,000 Readers Wednesday, July 9, 1997 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOP NEWS.COM STORIES FOR TODAY ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HACKER TAKES CREDIT CARD NUMBERS, OTHER INFORMATION FROM ESPN http://www.news.com/News/Item/0%2C4%2C12275%2C00.html?nd Starwave is warning customers about an "intruder" who took credit card numbers from the ESPN and NBA Web sites and then sent messages to the card owners about the alleged security flaws. Will the security breach on the popular sports sites affect emerging e-commerce efforts? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************* Lynne L. Harrison, Esq. | "The key to life: Poughkeepsie, New York | - Get up; lharrison(a)mhv.net | - Survive; http://www.dueprocess.com | - Go to bed." ************************************************************ DISCLAIMER: I am not your attorney; you are not my client. Accordingly, the above is *NOT* legal advice.

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circ-1.0.4: RSA and 3DES for IRC
by FreeLSD 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Announcing: Circ 1.0.4 -- RSA and 3DES for Internet Relay Chat! Circ is an IRC script and C program which allows for secure conversations over Internet Relay Chat (IRC). It has been designed for ircII, but may work (with help) on other clients as well. 'al' wrote circ 1.0, but this is more advanced. Much is fixed, but multiuser channel-chat is temporarily broken. If you still use circ, you should switch, and your old keys will still work, but Circ 1.0.4 and circ do not talk together very easily. It uses AT&T truerand library, Martin Nicolay's RSA-Verfahren, and D3DES. It is licensed under the GNU GPL. ftp://ftp.usr.msk.ru/pub/circ/circ-1.0.4.tar.gz If you run a cryptography information site, feel free to link this URL. Chris chris(a)ftp.usr.msk.ru

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index.html
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

CNN logo navigation Infoseek/Big Yellow Pathfinder/Warner Bros World banner Price Waterhouse rule OPEN MICROPHONE CATCHES CHRETIEN'S CRITICISM OF CLINTON Chretien Dehaene July 9, 1997 Web posted at: 9:10 p.m. EDT (0110 GMT) From Senior White House Correspondent Wolf Blitzer MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, apparently unaware that he was talking into an open microphone, was videotaped Wednesday making some rather undiplomatic comments about Bill Clinton, joking that the U.S. president formed his position about NATO expansion because he thought it would win votes at home. Chretien's remarks were caught on videotape as he talked with Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker before a NATO meeting in Madrid. Apparently unaware the microphone in front of him was on, Chretien bragged that his country does not let the United States dictate its policy, and suggested American politicians make decisions solely for reasons of expediency. "In your country, in my country, all the politicians would be in prison because they sell their votes," Chretien said. He also said Clinton was in favor of inviting Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to join NATO because it would woo voters. Speaking in French, the Canadian prime minister said: "It's not reasons of state. It's all done for short-term political reasons, to win elections. Take the quarrel over whether to admit the Baltic states. That has noting to do with world security. It's because in Chicago, Mayor (Richard M.) Daley controls lots of votes for the nomination." The three leaders laughed as they waited for the Clinton and his advisers to arrive for the meeting. Juncker asked, "And if we started without them?" "To prove that we know what to do without them," Dehaene added. "To prove we're independent. He (Chretien), he's used to not doing what they want," Juncker said. "I make it my policy," Chretien said. "But it's popular. The Cuba affair. I was the first to stand up" against it U.S. policy tightening the economic embargo on Cuba. The three leaders chuckled among themselves. rule CNN Plus * Jean Chretien * Message Board: NATO expansion * Newsmaker Profiles Related stories: * AllPolitics - President Lauds NATO Expansion, Downplays Cost - July 9, 1997 * U.S. prevails in historic NATO expansion - July 8, 1997 * NATO invites Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic to join - July 8, 1997 * NATO agrees to add 3 countries, official says - July 8, 1997 * Clinton faces fight at home and abroad over NATO expansion - July 7, 1997 * On summit eve, NATO divided on new members - July 7, 1997 * Hold the obit: NATO re-emerging with new members - July 6, 1997 * Report: Yeltsin to skip NATO expansion summit - June 18, 1997 Related sites: Note: Pages will open in a new browser window * NATO + Summit - Madrid, Spain, 8-9 July 1997 External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. Search for related CNN stories: ________________________________________ ______ [Help] Tip: You can restrict your search to the title of a document. Infoseek grfk Example: title:New Year's Resolutions rule Message Boards Sound off on our message boards Tell us what you think! You said it... [INLINE] Price Waterhouse rule To the top © 1997 Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.

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Cast of Characters for Crypto Politics (Judiciary Hearing)
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The Senate Judiciary committee today heard testimony on key escrow, particularly the "Secure Public Networks Act" (S. 909) introduced last month. The Senate Commerce committee on June 19 approved the bill, backed by Sen. Bob Kerrey and Sen. John McCain, which would create a national key escrow infrastructure. Pro-encryption legislation is dead in the Senate; McCain-Kerrey has taken its place. Here's a cast of characters from today's hearing... SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R): Asked what PGP stood for. Hatch, who chaired the hearing, said "one would expect the executive branch to lead" on such an important issue but "the Clinton administration has been all over the map." Said it's time for Congress to seize the debate, that it's already "acting as a broker for these competing interests" and the Senate Judiciary committee in particular "must serve as a forum for open debate in this area." SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D): The Senate's supposed defender of crypto-freedom was at best a milquetoast one today. During his opening remarks, he refrained from criticizing bills to encourage key recovery; in fact, he argued that *he's* been pushing key recovery bills far longer than anyone else. ("There has been _one_ key recovery bill pending in the Senate in the last Congress and for most of this one. That is the ECPA, which I introduced...") Spoke against the McCain-Kerrey bill not on broad, philosophical grounds but on narrower grounds such as awarding too much discretionary power to the Commerce Secretary. SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R): Tried to paint himself as someone who understands the dangers of government power by noting he joined many Republicans in opposing roving wiretaps last summer, but then spoke darkly of pedophiles armed with crypto. "Encryption is hindering the investigation of chid sex offenders," Grassley warned. He told how Colorado police couldn't break into a teen's password-protected electronic organizer where incriminating information might be stored. His continuing fixation on child molesters shone through today, as it did two years ago at a hearing for his Net-censorship bill. He concluded: "How many child molesters should go free because of encryption?" SEN. BOB KERREY (D): Perhaps gaining confidence in his political backing, Sen. Bob Kerrey spoke at length about the dangers of uncontrolled *domestic* use of crypto. "The current law is unacceptable. The status quo is unacceptable," he said. At one point he talked about scrapping any legislative changes to export rules -- and focusing instead just on domestic crypto and domestic key escrow. SEN. JOHN KYL (R): Criticized Kerrey for being too moderate. "My own view is that the legislation does not go far enough," Sen. Kyl said of the McCain-Kerrey bill. He said he was concerned about *any* changes to export controls and wanted to keep the status quo. "I don't want to be sitting up here and to have law enforcement officials say to us you had the opportunity to protect American lives and you didn't do it," Kyl said. Tossed easy lobs to FBI Director Freeh, who batted them out of the park. SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D): Said "I would echo Sen. Kyl's concerns." Noted she represented a high-tech state but still was concerned about the uncontrolled spread of encryption. Said to Freeh: "You've made a clear and compelling case for key recovery. If it was understood by the American people, they'd be supportive." Followed up on Grassley's point about the passworded organizer by asking Kerrey, "Without revealing the classified briefing you participated in and we have recently, what's puzzling me is that the Colorado law enforcement doesn't have any recourse to be able to break into a system." She said she thought that the FBI could tunnel into such a device, but FBI director Louis Freeh shook his head no. SEN. JOHN ASHCROFT (R): Emerged as a staunch crypto-defender. Asked Freeh why, if 56-bit crypto was good enough for the general public, did the administration allow banks to export 128-bit crypto? Told Freeh, "Your presumption is that law breakers will use key recovery systmes that are voluntary." Argued that "there's no need for us to pass legislation [on key recovery]... this is something to which the market is responding." Wondered why the Cali Cartel would use crypto with backdoors for the Feds. Dismissed arguments about other countries' crypto restrictions by saying: "So we have a whole bunch of other comuntries without the commitment to civil liberties we have." Controlling crypto is tricky because "we're in a universe that's dynamic," he said. "It seems to me that with our marketplace using 128-bit, we ought to be very careful about saying we can consume it, we can use it, but we can't export it." Landed a solid blow when he questioned how the "crypto-in-a-crime" provision would work if someone encrypts their tax data and is found guilty of a crime later. "Is he guilty of a second crime because he sought to protect the integrity of his tax returns with encryption?" More info: http://pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1022,00.html http://www.jya.com/declan3.txt http://www.jya.com/declan2.txt http://pathfinder.com/netly/editorial/0,1012,931,00.html http://www.well.com/~declan/fc/ -Declan ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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Question...
by zx325s7xv＠uunet.uu.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Question: What would it be worth to you: If you are in a RELATIONSHIP... to gain the understanding and knowledge to make love last forever? If you are a PARENT... to learn proven, effective techniques to give your children the gift of self esteem, and teach them confidence- building values to help them achieve their full potential? If you are in BUSINESS... to increase your negotiating power to save on your bottom line, or to acquire ideas, concepts and strategies to increase your profits? If you are in SALES... to double your sales in the next six months? If You Have a CAREER... to earn promotions faster, gain the latest techniques to manage and motivate your team, and learn how to become more effective at managing your time? If you care about your FINANCES... to build a secure "financial wall" around your family and gain leading-edge information and strategies for retirement and long term wealth? If you care about your HEALTH... to get the latest information on nutrition and workout techniques to help you live longer and get the most out of life? <><><><> Seminars in Your Living Room <><><><> What would it be worth to magically beam the greatest counselors in the country right into your living room? Just a few of the top names include: - Og Mandino - Mark Victor Hansen - Brian Tracy - Les Brown - Paul J. Meyer - and many more! Major corporations routinely spend nearly $1 million to hire these success coaches for just one day! Interested in learning more? Please visit: http://www.windansea1.com/tpnref.htm

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