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4 comments October 3rd, 2006at 04:20pm Posted by Eli
Freaky Brain Stuff has always fascinated me, especially when it reveals just how tenuous our hold on sanity really is. Just a little bit of damage or imbalance in just the right spot, and all of a sudden you're inhabiting a completely different reality, like the guy whose right brain hated his wife (actually, that's a pretty mild example – I just thought it was fascinating, and the stuff horror movies are made of).
Today's NYT has thoughtfully provided more strangeness for my prurient delectation:
They are eerie sensations, more common than one might think: A man describes feeling a shadowy figure standing behind him, then turning around to find no one there. A woman feels herself leaving her body and floating in space, looking down on her corporeal self.
Such experiences are often attributed by those who have them to paranormal forces.
But according to recent work by neuroscientists, they can be induced by delivering mild electric current to specific spots in the brain. In one woman, for example, a zap to a brain region called the angular gyrus resulted in a sensation that she was hanging from the ceiling, looking down at her body. In another woman, electrical current delivered to the angular gyrus produced an uncanny feeling that someone was behind her, intent on interfering with her actions.
"The research shows that the self can be detached from the body and can live a phantom existence on its own, as in an out-of-body experience, or it can be felt outside of personal space, as in a sense of a presence," Dr. Brugger said.
Scientists have gained new understanding of these odd bodily sensations as they have learned more about how the brain works, Dr. Blanke said. For example, researchers have discovered that some areas of the brain combine information from several senses. Vision, hearing and touch are initially processed in the primary sensory regions. But then they flow together, like tributaries into a river, to create the wholeness of a person's perceptions. A dog is visually recognized far more quickly if it is simultaneously accompanied by the sound of its bark.
These multisensory processing regions also build up perceptions of the body as it moves through the world, Dr. Blanke said. Sensors in the skin provide information about pressure, pain, heat, cold and similar sensations. Sensors in the joints, tendons and bones tell the brain where the body is positioned in space. Sensors in the ears track the sense of balance. And sensors in the internal organs, including the heart, liver and intestines, provide a readout of a person's emotional state.
Real-time information from the body, the space around the body and the subjective feelings from the body are also represented in multisensory regions, Dr. Blanke said. And if these regions are directly simulated by an electric current, as in the cases of the two women he studied, the integrity of the sense of body can be altered.
As an example, Dr. Blanke described the case of a 22-year-old student who had electrodes implanted into the left side of her brain in 2004.
"We were checking language areas," Dr. Blanke said, when the woman turned her head to the right. That made no sense, he said, because the electrode was nowhere near areas involved in the control of movement. Instead, the current was stimulating a multisensory area called the angular gyrus.
Dr. Blanke applied the current again. Again, the woman turned her head to the right. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.
The woman replied that she had a weird sensation that another person was lying beneath her on the bed. The figure, she said, felt like a "shadow" that did not speak or move; it was young, more like a man than a woman, and it wanted to interfere with her.
When Dr. Blanke turned off the current, the woman stopped looking to the right, and said the strange presence had gone away. Each time he reapplied the current, she once again turned her head to try to see the shadow figure.
When the woman sat up, leaned forward and hugged her knees, she said that she felt as if the shadow man was also sitting and that he was clasping her in his arms. She said it felt unpleasant. When she held a card in her right hand, she reported that the shadow figure tried to take it from her. "He doesn't want me to read," she said.
Because the presence closely mimicked the patient's body posture and position, Dr. Blanke concluded that the patient was experiencing an unusual perception of her own body, as a double. But for reasons that scientists have not been able to explain, he said, she did not recognize that it was her own body she was sensing.
Six years ago, another of Dr. Blanke's patients underwent brain stimulation to a different multisensory area, the angular gyrus, which blends vision with the body sense. The patient experienced a complete out-of-body experience.
When the current flowed, she said: "I am at the ceiling. I am looking down at my legs."
When the current ceased, she said: "I'm back on the table now. What happened?"
Because the woman's felt position in space and her actual position in space did not match, her mind cast about for the best way to turn her confusion into a coherent experience, Dr. Blanke said. She concluded that she must be floating up and away while looking downward.
[T]he sense of body integrity is rather easily duped, Dr. Blanke said.
Um, I don't really have anything to add, I just wanted to share this as yet another example of the precariousness of normalcy.
Entry Filed under: Favorites,Science,Weirdness
1. charley | October 3rd, 2006 at 7:24 pm
this kind of shit happens to me all the time.
when i was young i thought i was a mystic. i also became a born again, a vessel into which to pour the weirdness.
i think i just did too many hallucinogens. live and learn.
on the other hand, i don't think science will ever grasp the mystery of the universe.
2. Eli | October 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 pm
Oh dear. Maybe it's time for you to take the electrodes out.
You're probably right about the mysteries, but there's some seriously weird stuff that *does* fit within the boundaries of science.
3. charley | October 4th, 2006 at 9:58 pm
well sure, but after that there is just more weird shit to be discovered.
which is a mystery. no one is going to discover the prime mover.
4. Multi Medium » In M&hellip | March 26th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
[…] This actually sounds pretty plausible to me – I can imagine my own internal monologue being rather alarming if I thought it was coming from someone else. It also reminds me of a mental version of this phenomenon, where people can actually lose track of their own body's location, and perceive themselves as a ghost. I'm really talking out of my ass now, but I also wonder if in some cases it might be a milder variant of multiple personality disorder, where the extra personalities don't have the strength to assume control, and can only howl at the primary personality through the bars of their cages. […]


I'd wanted a swingy striped dress for the longest time, and I found this little number at Asos (oh, and it's currently on sale). I've vented about this before, but I have the hardest time finding skirts and dresses of a reasonable length that don't look frumpy on me. I'm 23 and want to look fun and young, but I also don't want to have to be paranoid all day long! So, I was so excited that this one was a great length, and that it's seriously so comfy - score! I wore it dressed down Monday evening with sandals and a fun necklace for dinner and shopping with my bestie (shoutout to Haley for snapping pics for me!), but have also dressed it up with wedges and dressier jewelry for work.
I love the movement this dress has–it looks like it's the perfect breezy summer staple!
That little swing dress is so cute, I want one so badly.
Hey girl, hey!!! This is such an easy breezy look....spring and summer perfection!!!
I agree with Shanna, this is totally spring perfection!
Great, casual look! I love the sandals. I have a pair just like them.
I love this casual dress. Especially with those two-toned shoes you paired it with! Very cute!
Such a cute swing dress Jacy!


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Frank N. Darras, America's top long term care lawyer, voiced his support today for Governor Jerry Brown's recent decision to sign AB 999. The bill will protect consumers from excessive premium rate hikes in long-term care insurance by modifying the rate development process. It will also allow consumers to make more informed decisions when buying a long-term care insurance policy by giving them the chance to review policy language before purchase.
"Rate hikes have been a growing problem in long-term care insurance and have forced many Americans to avoid purchasing this much-needed form of insurance. As an insurance lawyer who specializes in long-term care and disability, I fight wrongful claim denials and abuses every day. The drastic rate increases in recent years has forced many seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, to live unprotected. The passing of this bill by Governor Brown is a welcome victory for all consumers," says Darras.
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The measure becomes effective on January 1, 2013. Policyholders are encouraged to follow up with their insurance company or consult a top insurance lawyer with any questions.
"I thank Assembly Member Mariko Yamada for her dedication and leadership, commend Governor Brown for signing it, and thank all those who worked hard towards passing this very important piece of legislation," says Darras.


text:
Kommunalebene
 allgemein die politische Ebene der Gemeinden, siehe Kommunalverwaltung
 in Staaten mit nur einer untersten räumlich-administrativen Staatsgliederung die Gemeindeebene
 in Staaten mit komplizierterem Aufbau die Staatsgliederung unterhalb der staatsbildenden Glieder, siehe politische Ebene

Siehe auch:
 Gemeinde

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here's some (Or many) bad news for cola lovers out there.
Apparently, cola is not only bad in terms of its sugar content that might cause diabetes and tooth decay. The health issues go way further than that, causing weak bones and even paralysis!
And it doesn't stop there. The large content of fructose, glucose and caffeine causes the "softening of the bones" and patients have been seen suffering from hypokalaemia - where potassium levels in the blood drop too low. This can increase the risk of muscle problems and heart rhythm abnormalities which could prove fatal in some cases.
Dr. Moses Elisa, from the University of Ioanina in Greece published his story in the International Journal of Clinical Practice and highlighted cases where patients drank two or more litres of cola a day.
In one case, a 21-year-old pregnant woman who consumed more than three litres of cola per day for the last six years was admitted to the hospital suffering from tiredness, loss o apetite and repeated vomitting. Once she stopped taking cola and was given potassium replacement substances only did she make full recovery.
Dr. Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centre in Ohio said that the consumption of soft drinks reached 552 billion litres or 82.5 litres per person in 2007, This number is predicted to increase to 95 litres per person in 2012.
He also said that apart from obesity, Type 2 diabetes, dental decay and metabolic syndrome, the drinks also appeared to increase the risk of osteoporosis, gout, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and chronic kidney disease.
Well, isn't that enough reason to make you want to stop drinking soft drinks?


Hey--you're from Chicago! Great! I'm a southsider! Love your website.
Hey Chrisd -- good to hear from you. I am located in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago.
It is really good. The marinade did a good job in infusing flavor to the chicken.
Please try this recipe and let me know how it went.
Thanks a lot for your delicious, easy to make recipes.
I enjoy watching your videos. Are you located in the Phil ?
I live for more than 35 yrs in Europe.
That's why I terribly miss pnoy foods.
Thanks for the message. It feels good to know that you enjoying the videos.
I live in Chicago, but was born and raised in the Philippines.
You are welcome , Gelene. Happy cooking!
how many degrees will I set if its oven?
This recipe is intended for spit-roasting. The outcome will not be the same. If you really want to roast this in the oven using the marinade recipe above, please follow the temperature and roasting/baking time of this oven baked chicken recipe. This is for a 2lb. (1 kilo) whole chicken. Please increase the time if you will be using a bigger chicken.
I live in Racine Wisconsin, an hour away from Chicago. If you have a restaurant, I will go there with all my family and other relatives in Northern Chicago.
I am cooking the lechon manok as we speak (or as we write). What should the grill be set at -- high, medium or low?
Not being sure, I set mine at medium. Hope I am doing it right.
I have a 5 lb chicken. Will the cooking time be longer?
And just curious, what does the 7-up do for the chicken?
I was going to recommend setting the grill to medium. However, the size of the chicken is bigger than the usual and you do not want to quickly cook the outside while leaving the inside kinda raw. If there is still time, set the grill between low and medium. 4 to 4 1/2 hours should be enough.
I am ofw i want to try ur recipe but i only have turbo. Can i use turbo. For turbo how many hours to cook and what will be the tempreatur thankyou. Iam charlene from bahrain.
I always watch tutorials from your vlogs 🙂 really nice help for us newbies in the kitchen. Thank you and more power.


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Serge TREFEU: Hello Kamel, how's that goes after your fight in front of redoubtable Thai Bowy which took place 5 days ago?
The fight it is ended by a draw?
Bowy it is all the same a sacred fighter, to make a draw against him it is already a big performance, no?
It is the big mutual respect which it is created between you during this fight?
We are going to return a little to your debuts in the boxing, you grew in which region of France?
You began the boxing towards which age?
It is your first gym in the city of Rosny-Sous-Bois?
What was the first important title that you gained?
I am crossed by all the stages, I 'm not cut corners, championship of French Island, French championship, European championship and until World title. But for me the most important whether it is the first championship of French Island in that of the world champion or this fight against Bowy, they have each an importance. It is as a big puzzle, without the first piece you cannot finish him. The story began well, I arrive to 35 years and I think that last Saturday I demonstrated that I was still present!
Have you a good healthy life because it is true that in 35 years it is harder than in 20 years to stay in the Top in the boxing?
Exactly which importing advice would give you to a young person who begins boxer's career?
It is what we call a "Humble" boxer, it is a little what you are?
In Thai boxing, this respect between the opponents is important for you?
There is not hostility between the boxers?
How many fight until today?
It is your first draw against Bowy?
Yes it is the first one!
You won a lot of fight by Knock Out?
Yes 97 fights before the limit!
It is enormous 97 KO, you have also make hard fights?
What is your best memory of fight until to day?
My first fight simply. After all the others it is different but this is remains my best memory, the most intense it is my first fights because that's right which was the release mechanism of all the continuation. But I would say that the fights against Thai are all good memories, the true fights it is against Thai. I have big memories in front of them, I met about sixty and it is a privilege to meet them!
In what year you left for Thailand?
You perfected your bases of Muay Thai, over there?
Yes I had good trainers. It is sure that there are lots of small technique, of small blow of vice which you cannot learn in France. Gestural techniques which you can learn only at them, because it stays their sports, they are the instigators of this sport. It is as Brazilians for the football, Thai it is the Thai boxing!
Do you fought in a big stadium of Bangkok?
I fought in different stadium, little in all so as Lumpinee Stadium. I fought five times in the King's Birthday!
You also fought a lot abroad?
What that still motivate Kamel Jemel today?
You would like to make still fights as that in front of Bowy?
Yes I am leaving for that. At the bottom of the boxing ring I am opened, kind with everybody but as soon as I rise on the boxing ring, I am transformed, I am as "a hyena ", I need that. I am ready to fight anybody, I have never moved back in front of any opponent, in equal weight in the truths rules of Muay Thai, I am ready to take any opponent!
Have you fights for soon?
Kamel Jemel makes left these big French champions who met the best boxers of the planet, it is a very great champion, humble and generous. He won in front of tenors of the category as Ramba, Pinlimit, Ali Oubaali, Ponsak, Jamel Yacouben, Ziani, Johnny Catherine, Wannai Pongpilla, Ploedean. And he fought champions redoubtable such as Khaled Hébieb, Attached, Somrack, Issornassak, Ait Bassou, Samir Mohamed, Kongpipop, Anuwat, Bowy. His big strength is its determination and especially its incredible punch, it is for nothing that we nickname him "Mister Dynamite"!
Number of fight: 131. 121 wins. 9 Losses. 1 Draw. 97 KO !


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Andy McNab: 'Reading absolutely changed my life - so now I'm writing for children'
Published on: 27 Awst 2019 Author: Andy McNab
Former SAS soldier Andy McNab has joined forces with Phil Earle to write a new children's book about a school trip like no other.
Here, he explains how reading changed his life - and why he's so keen for every young person to have access to books.
I guess I didn't have the most conventional start in life. I was abandoned as a newborn baby and found on the steps of a London hospital in a Harrods carrier bag. I was fostered and ended up being adopted by my foster family.
Growing up on a South London council estate, there wasn't much forward-thinking done by me or any of the other kids I grew up with. Along with education, what we were going to do with our lives didn't feature high on our agenda.
Most parents worked part time locally, wherever they could find the work, if they could find work. My mother had a job as a cleaner, and then worked in a Laundromat until her boat came in and she got a full-time job at the local chocolate factory. Most of the men worked on the docks, but the 'job for life' deal they had been promised was coming to an end. If your parents were really lucky, they had a job with London transport, or even better, at one of the printers in Fleet Street.
So the highest hopes I ever had as a kid were wanting to become a bus driver or a printer, although the latter was never going to happen because I had no relatives working in print, and to get a job there you needed to know someone in the 'Chapter'. You didn't need much education for any of those jobs, so that was it - why bother going to school?
I didn't realise reading was something you could enjoy. All I needed was to get a council flat, with or without a job. I had that cracked because my parents were already on the list. All I needed beyond that was a Mark Two Ford Escort and that was me made.
Feeling at the bottom of the pile
Like lots of kids on the estate, as a teenager I felt angry with people who had shiny new cars or spotless motorbikes, simply because they had stuff and I didn't. So I would vandalise people's shops, and mess up their goods, simply because they had it and I didn't.
I went to nine different schools between the ages of 5 and 15, so I had a lot of teachers to be angry with too. I was annoyed that they kept putting me in remedial classes, but I didn't exactly do anything productive to get out of them.
In fact, in the end, I used to like being at the bottom of the pile. It gave me yet another reason to feel angry. I liked feeling I was in the minority and that everyone was against me. I was part of a select club. I now felt my anger was justified, so I was entitled to do things that others couldn't or shouldn't do. After all, when you have nothing to lose, you can do whatever you like.
The only problem was that not everyone else saw things the same way, because by the age of 16, I ended up in juvenile detention. I was sent there for destroying a flat full of nice shiny things that someone else had worked hard for. I just didn't get that people had to work to get the things that I smashed up or stole, and to get work, you needed to be educated. I just wanted everything without understanding how to get it.
How joining the army gave me an education
The army used to recruit soldiers from detention centres. I fell for the recruiting team's patter that I was going to become a helicopter pilot, but I soon found myself in an Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion and committed to six years of service.
After three months of being shouted at and chased over assault courses - all the stuff that infantry soldiers do - we were marched off to the Army Education Centre. I didn't even know the army had educators. After all, I was in the army now, that was me done: why did I need to learn?
But that was when my world changed for the better.
I found myself in a classroom, alongside about 20 other boy soldiers, with an old sweat of a captain standing up front. He pointed out of the window towards the barbed wire fence and the real world beyond.
'Out there, they think you're all thick. But you're not. The only reason you can't read or write is because you do not read or write. But from today that all changes.'
And it did. I soon learnt that the reason I wasn't able to be a helicopter pilot was because I had the literacy and numeracy levels of an 11-year-old. I couldn't even read the tabloids properly.
As a 16-year-old, I read my very first book: Janet and John Book 10. It might have been written for children, but that didn't matter to me. I felt a true sense of pride. I was on my way to getting an education, and even more importantly, understanding why I needed one.
Spreading the love of reading
The idea of becoming a bestselling author is something that the teenage me would have laughed at. I didn't even know that it was a job back then. Not having read books as a child, I certainly hadn't ever thought about who wrote them!
When I finished writing my first book Bravo Two Zero, the feelings of pride and achievement that I'd felt as a teenager having read that first Janet and John story came flooding back. It had taken a while, and I'd had to learn a huge amount about the craft before coming up with something that was half decent, but I'd done it, and I knew that I would be able to do it again.
And it really has changed my life - I have no idea where I'd be now if I hadn't taken up writing.
I'd probably still be working for a private military company in a jungle somewhere. Sitting at a desk writing what I want to write or talking to people about books and writing is a lot more fun, believe me!
I spend a lot of my time explaining to people the importance of education and specifically reading. It absolutely changed my life and I've seen and heard time and time again how it has the same impact on other people.
There's a statistic that if boys stop reading as young teenagers, then they never really pick it up again. That's why I wanted to write young adult books and now books for younger children. The more we can give them to read, the more we can keep them reading.
I didn't read as a child, so when I started, I had a lot to catch up on! My all-time best books include:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
As with so many classics, I am reading this for the first time, when I should have found it so much earlier. I haven't read Go Set A Watchman yet, although I'd like to. But this book really lifts the lid on 1930s American hypocrisy and racism. It is sadly as relevant today as it ever has been. I was in America at the time of the Louisiana racial shooting. Racism is rife in certain states, to the extent that there is a generation of young black men incarcerated for crimes the authorities know they didn't commit.
2. Animal Farm
I have just read this and can now see what all the fuss is about. The story may be a warning against communism but it is more about how people can change once they get a little power. The book is still just as relevant today as it has always been.
The thing I love about Dickens is that if you replaced the horse and carts with cars and the coal fires with central heating, his books could have been written yesterday. That's because they are about people, and not so much about the time in which they were written. This book, I think, is his best.
Topics: Classics, School, Reading for pleasure, Features
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Sam Wu has been a brilliant series for me to work on
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Five tricksy things about starting secondary school, according to Karen McCombie
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If a child is not into books, how can we help books find their way to the child?
What to Read After... Mr Gum
Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike, on how her main character Daisy is coming out as gay
Dragons and rabbit pie: Should we be scared of danger in picture books?
There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom: How YOU can help save orangutans
'Why I write for children', by author Rashmi Sirdeshpande
'Telling the story of my homeland': How Akissi shows a different view of Africa
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Catherine Doyle on new book The Lost Tide Warriors, a children's adventure full of Irish myth and magic
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The civil war in Sri Lanka may have ended in 2009 but journalists in the northern city of Jaffna still face danger in making sure difficult stories are told.
That was the message from Mr T Premananth editor of the newspaper, Uthayan when he discussed investigative reporting with journalists attending the Thomson Foundation convergence journalism workshop in Jaffna.
Mr T. Premananth needed hospital treatment after he was attacked by security forces in 2012 while covering a memorial ceremony to those who died in the war.
Other staff at one of the country's largest independent Tamil daily newspapers have been attacked, its offices targeted.
The newspaper has been at the heart of reporting on alleged corruption and war atrocities in the region.
But, as Mr Premananth explained to journalists, there are still many stories the newspaper has been unable to print because of cultural concerns, civil pressures and fear with people too frightened to verify information uncovered by journalists.
Off limits to many journalists because of the brutal civil war which ravaged Sri Lanka for more than 30 years, the city of Jaffna is now home to a growing number of media organisations.
Print media remains highly influential in the Tamil community of the north but the opening up of the area after years of war and separation from the rest of the country and the international community is leading to a growth in other forms of media.
Among them the recently launched Tamil broadcasting service DDTV and is sister radio station DDFM. The television service is currently operating from four rooms in the shopping district but is building new studios on the edge of town with ambitions to broadcast to the entire island.
The Thomson Foundation has been able to hold training workshops for the first time in Jaffna.
Because of the growth in different media organisations, convergence journalism was the focus of the first of the investigative workshops.
Sixteen journalists took part as part of the ongoing Sri Lanka Inquirer Project.
The journalists have stories they want to tell and need telling.
They were drawn from media organisations in Jaffna, other parts of northern region and the east of the country from media organisations centred in and around the port city of Batticaloa.
The four journalists from the eastern region were a determined and dedicated group, taking a gruelling 10-hour bus trip from their home city to reach Jaffna.
During the three-day course, the journalists were able to reflect on the challenges of investigative reporting but also the opportunities.
During the civil war Tamil Tigers unsuccessfully fought for a separate state.
The Jaffna visit was part of the ongoing 2015-16 Sri Lanka Inquirer Project, backed by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The project is hosting investigative journalism workshops in Kandi, Jaffna, Galle and Colombo for print, radio, TV and online reporters and will be followed by an all-island award for the best investigative stories.
The Inquirer Awards are part of a programme to support South Asian journalists in exposing corruption.


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Notorious Shm00p hacker Claims he helped the FBI find ISIS Hacker Junaid Hussain
November 24, 2015 By Pierluigi Paganini
The hacker Shm00p claims he served as an FBI informant and helped the US law enforcement track down the hacker turned ISIS fighter Junaid Hussain.
When dealing with ISIS and cyber capabilities, the first name that experts cite is Junaid Hussain, the hacker that was killed in a targeted US drone strike in August this year.Now new details on Junaid Hussain and his death are circulating online.
The hacker Shm00p (@5hm00p), the same that hacked the Anonymous pseudo-official Twitter accounts @Anon_Central and @YourAnonNews, is claiming to have provided useful information to the FBI allowing to track Hussain.
In 2012, Hussain was sentenced to six months in prison in Britain for this crime. The jihadist was also cited by two gunmen responsible of the terrorist attack in Garland, Texas. The two men invited via Twitter to follow Hussain. In 2013, Hussain left the United Kingdom and joined ISIS.
On September 11 214, Fox News reported that leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Al Qaeda were stepping up efforts to seek a digital caliphate, speculating that one of the jihadist leaders, Hussain Al Britani, also known as Junaid Hussein, had allegedly hacked the Gmail account of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Jihadists in the Middle East are ramping up efforts to mount a massive cyber attack on the U.S., with leaders from both Islamic State and Al Qaeda – including a hacker who once broke into former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Gmail account – recruiting web savvy radicals, FoxNews.com has learned."
According to Shm00p, he has served as an FBI informant to help the US intelligence under threat, and he is quite sure ("99.9% sure") that the information he provided led to the extrajudicial killing of Hussain.
Shm00p, who lives in Las Vegas, is one of the members of the hacking group named Rustle League. On Sunday, he posted the following message:
"What the fuck have I done," Shm00p tweeted.
A few hours later he sent a number of tweets at the FBI Twitter account.
"I lost a lot of good friendship and my fucking honor," I am so embarrassed to show my face in public now because of this,"
Shm00p and Hussain were affiliated with another notorious hacktivist group called Team Poison.
Jaime Cochran, a former member of Rustle League, told Motherboard that 5hm00p reached out to her after his Twitter confession to apologize, and confirmed his collaboration with the FBI.
5hm00p said told her that law enforcement forced him to provide information on two hackers who knew Hussain since their affiliation with the Team Poison.
"It seems believable to me. I dunno why someone would make this up," Cochran told Motherboard in an encrypted chat.
It seems that in 2014, Hussain contacted Shm00p via the encrypted chat service Jabber, but Shm00p located the jihadist location and then passed it the FBI agents.
"I fucking helped you MURDER him [Junaid]. Do you know how I feel now when I sleep at night?"Shm00p tweeted. "Regardless that he was a terrorist and an animal I sure as fuck felt betrayed."
Why did Shm00p pass information to the FBI?
The hacker explained that the FBI has forced him to disclose the Hussain's location. Based on the tweets sent by Shm00p, the authorities forced him to provide support threatening his family.
The agents had him attempt to catch two of his friends while they were partying at the DefCon 2015 conference.
The FBI hasn't commented the Shm00p's declarations.
A source informed of the events told Motherboard that Shm00p did indeed help the US federal.
(Security Affairs – Junaid Hussain, Hacking)
HackingISISJihadJunaid HussainRustle LeagueShm00p
ModPos, the most complex POS malware ever seen
GlassRAT, the threat that remained stealth for years
ModPOS is new POS malware discovered in systems of US retailers after the rush of Thanksgiving and experts speculate it is the most...


I read this first in 2009, but I picked it up again a few days ago to form part of the Books To Movie Challenge hosted by Two Bibliomaniacs. I've had the film on my shelf since reading it the first time but I figured the challenge was a sign from The Great Reader In The Sky to finally get round to watching it.
Okay, so first of all – THIS BOOK HAS MY NAME IN IT. This is A Huge Deal when your name is as rare as mine and you've spent your entire life being asked why you spell your name wrong. Hardly a glowing recommendation if your name's not Hanna, but mine is and so I'm going to continue to irritate those around me by reading out passages that might even vaguely be read to mean me.
Just in case my excitement over the use of my name hasn't caught on… this is one of the most moving and emotional books I've ever read. Michael's feelings for Hanna are brutally exposed and Hanna's refusal to save herself during the trial for her crimes made me want to hug her and shake her all at the same time. Hanna and Michael are the only regularly occurring characters but I'd easily agree that they have the best described personalities of any book I've ever read. They seem so real – there is no attempt to hide their flaws and the reasons behind their motivations and desires are so obvious that they don't even need to be explained.
Part of the moving nature of the book comes from the different 'voices' of Michael. Part One details his affair with Hanna – his obsession with her body, youthful desires and complete acceptance of his awkward situation sets it apart completely from Part Two. Here Michael is much older and analyses meticulously the psychology behind his relation with Hanna in the past and the present. The vocabulary is more advanced and he examines her trial from legal and moral aspects, thoroughly and honestly attributing blame where it is due. This in particular is why The Reader is so clever – the 'Michael' in each part is different, yet still recognisably developed from the other.
The summary from Amazon asks how the generation born after the War are meant to deal with the Holocaust, but this wasn't the underlining issue for me in this book.
Hanna could not possibly have committed the crimes for which she is on trial due to a secret shame she holds. Revealing this secret would drastically reduce her sentence in prison, but she holds firm and continues to guard herself. Michael must choose whether to enlighten the court or protect Hanna's secret and save her from a life-time in prison. I'm amazed this didn't feature in the summary, as for me this moral issue is the fundamental point of the book.
In addition to the moral issues, the legal principles also interested me – possibly because the glow from my recently acquired Law degree hasn't yet worn off. There's one thing I don't understand though – retroactive justice has always (since the 1700s) been seen as unjust and renders any action unindictable. When Hanna and the other women were guards at that camp, their actions were perfectly legal and were only defined as 'crimes' after the fact. This is 'Victor's Law' and so the whole trial would have been invalid.
Thanks for the insightful review. I found you through the Small Blogs Big Giveaway blog hop and am now a new follower.


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As remakes started to hit the public, classic horror titles were instantly recognized as definite possibilities for modern updates. Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Wizard of Gore and even The Omen were chosen as material to be rewritten for the crowd of the new millennium. 1979's When a Stranger Calls was an obvious choice in the height of all the remake attention. It had the familiar presence of a babysitter mixed in with an urban legend and fear of the unknown. Unlike the original, however, which only partly focused on a babysitter receiving disturbing phone calls, the remake would stretch out the eerie beginning into a full length story. But would this be a good idea? Or should small packages be left condensed?
An unseen girl is called on the phone at home. On the other line is a stranger; someone who wants to harm her. And they do, resulting in a grisly discovery for the local cops. Miles away in Fernhill, Colorado, Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) is sulking over her boyfriend Bobby (Brian Geraghty) who betrayed her by making out with her best friend Tiffany Madison (Katie Cassidy, star of the Black Christmas remake). On top of this tragic scenario, Jill has to repay her parents for going over her cell phone minutes by 800, even though it was Bobby who wouldn't stop calling. Grounded during the night of a party, Jill babysits Will and Allison for the Mandrakis'. Everything is going wonderful at first. The house is huge and expensive, with an indoor pond, automatic lights, window walls and a security system, all overlooking a lake. But when the phone rings, nobody answers once Jill picks up. She passes it by as a friend playing a joke on her, until she receives an answer, perfectly describing what she is doing. There is a stranger looking into the house...or perhaps, he's already inside!
...I thought wrong. Unless they're crooks, the Mandrakis family would be paying Jill a hefty amount for her night of child watching. As said in the synopsis, the house is huge, and Mr. Mandrakis is a doctor for crying out loud. Atmospheric with wooden furnishing, it's a dream villa. Big is nice, but it can also lead to trouble. A large dark house at night is enough to scare a cookie monster into hiding. In the background, when Jill is talking on the phone, you can sometimes see what looks like an outline of a man; a subtle but effective fright. Everything else, as much as you like to watch on, is completely by the book. We have jumping cats, security alarms falsely going off, and for most of the picture, a lot of nothing. It's very uneventful for the first hour, which without the funky house, would be quite a bore to sit through. It starts off tense, introduces characters, and moves slowly into what one hopes will be a worthy payoff ending.
Jill is the best character of the feature, not just because she's our main final girl, but because she's practically the only one on-screen. Bobby is rarely seen and Jill's friend Scarlet (Tessa Thompson) who is likable when we first see her, is really nothing but an extra number for Jill's address book. There's only two other people who matter: the stranger, and Tiffany. Tiffany visits Jill at the house she's babysitting to talk with her about Bobby, because she's her best friend. Oh Jill, what an idiot. First she snoops around Mrs. Mandrakis' wardrobe and jewelery, then she gives out the Mandrakis' number to Scarlet to pass around to others. If anyone should ever happen to come across this young lady, never hire her as a babysitter, or worse, a nanny. It's one thing to be snoopy and stupid, but respect is required with the job. Somehow, Jill remains a good character, and you feel for her turmoil.
"The call is coming from inside the house." I bet you saw that quote coming as well. Unfortunately, it comes a little late in the movie. Jill has been called a million times, and a few of those calls proved that somebody was stalking her. Smart Johnson calls the cops, and they say that they will be at the house soon. But intelligence can only be maintained for so long when Jill gets the bright idea to check out a light that has been turned on in the guest house. Brilliant move, jackass! She thinks that it may be the maid, Rosa (Rosine Hatem, also a stunt performer for the film). Really? Are you serious Jill, or are we just playing mind games? Well, Jill leaves the children at the house to investigate. A light is later seen in an upstairs bathroom of the house from Jill's outdoor point of view. Now she thinks that this may be Rosa as well. By this point, the audience is starting to lose interest in mind of our hero. It is now when the police phone Jill back, notifying her that the calls are indeed coming from inside the mega house. If you saw the trailer, you knew this. If you didn't, you could probably still tell.
The When a Stranger Calls remake is mostly a routine of suspense that leads to nowhere. We have a body count, but the method of death is unknown without the blood. Once our heroine figures out that she must get the kids and leave, the killer finally confronts her. He smacks Johnson around for a good portion of the final act, all while the annoying kids cry their eyes out. It's actually kind of funny, in a dark humor kind of way. In a movie where suspense is everything, it wasn't very thrilling, or even horrifying. In fact, my favorite part was watching Jill scramble to fix up her mistakes when she first enters the house. The Mandrakis' have an array of different remotes, some that will turn on blaring music and fireplaces. Will she wake the children? That was my most suspenseful moment. A shame. It's an alright remake that at least had a purpose. It took the original and tried to improve by expanding the only major effective area of it. Underrated, but nothing spectacular. Sony released this on DVD with deleted scenes, an audio commentary and a Making Of featurette. Don't judge too harshly. It tries, and it's never boring. At least, not the first time you watch it. For a fine finale and a weak but passable dream ending, go Rent it!


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Richard Pieris' Yaddehige charged with insider trading by SEC
March 31, 2019 by Charindra No Comments
Richard Pieris and Company PLC Chairman Dr. Sena Yaddehige has been charged with insider dealing by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with the matter currently at the Fort Magistrate's Court.
Based on the findings of investigation bearing reference number SEC/INV/16, the SEC has found Yaddehige liable for insider trading involving shares of listed company Kegalle Plantations PLC and for knowingly providing false, misleading information and concealing material facts during the course of the subsequent investigation.
An application of writ requesting the Supreme Court to compel the SEC to Compound Yaddehige in terms of Section 51 of the SEC Act No. 36 of 1987 has been filed with the hearing set for Tuesday (2 April).
The matter concerns share trades which took place between 30 June 2015 and 10 July 2015. As our Court Correspondent gathered from the filings before the courts, Yaddehige had announced at the Kegalle Plantations AGM that there would be no dividend, but within a week an unusually high dividend of Rs. 45 per share had been declared.
Within that week, a shareholder had sold shares which were bought by Dhanasiri Recreations Ltd., which had by then bought a trust of which Yaddehige was a beneficiary in the Channel Islands.
The shareholder who sold the shares then complained to the SEC that he lost close to Rs. 20 million as he relied on Yaddehige's announcement, after which SEC commenced the investigation. The investigations had taken place from early 2016 to October 2017.
The SEC on 7 March 2019 filed action before the Fort Magistrate's Court against Yaddehige, for dealing in the shares of Kegalle Plantations PLC (KGAL) listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, being the Chairman of the Company, just before the Rs 45/- dividend was declared by the company on 10th July 2015, which is in breach of Section 32 of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Act No. 36 of 1987 (as amended). The SEC also cited Subramanium Thinamany as a Defendant in this case for aiding and abetting Yaddehige to commit the offence of insider dealing.
The Learned Magistrate having taken cognizance of the submissions of Sudarshana De Silva, Deputy Solicitor General of the Attorney General's Department who appeared for the SEC, issued summons on Yaddehige and Thinamany to appear before the Magistrate on 28 March 2019.
On that day Thinamany appeared before the Learned Magistrate while the Attorney-at-Law who represented Dr. Yaddehige took notice of the next date Dr. Yaddehige was required to appear before the Learned Magistrate.
Meanwhile, on 21st March 2019, an order was sought from the Court of Appeal by Dr. Yaddehige in the Writ application filed by him against the SEC, to stay the proceedings of the Magistrate's Court.
Shaheeda Barrie, Senior State Counsel of the Attorney General's Department making submissions on behalf of the SEC objected to Dr. Yaddehige's request. Upon hearing the submissions of both parties the Court of Appeal bench comprising Justice Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Justice Mahinda Samayawardane refused to grant the interim relief sought by Dr. Yaddehige. The next hearing at the Fort Magistrate's Court is set for 24 April 2019.
Thereafter, Romesh De Silva PC on Friday (29 March) filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal's decision not to grant interim relief, with the hearing set for Tuesday.
Section 32 of the SEC Act No. 36 of 1987 sets out the prohibition on insider dealing and the stock market regulator has previously compounded prominent corporate leaders.
The Richard Pieris Group contains approximately 49 companies and provides employment to approximately 32,000. Kegalle Plantations PLC is the largest rubber producer of Sri Lanka.
Softlogic Finance clarifies FIU penalty
January 13, 2021 byRusiru Keppetipola No Comments
Issuing a statement yesterday (12), Softlogic Finance (Pvt.) Ltd. clarified that the fine imposed by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank was due to a shortcoming in the core..
Food producers slam 'copied' Indian law on brand names
February 9, 2020 bythemorninglk No Comments
Sri Lanka's food producers have criticised local authorities for trying to ban superlatives in brand names after copying an Indian regulation that is ill-suited to Sri Lanka.
UK COVID vaccine expected to be used in first week of Feb: GL


Three Colorado Springs hospitals have growth plans coming in the near future.
St. Francis Medical Center has admitted patients to its recently opened neonatal intensive care unit this past week. St. Francis Medical Center's $102 million expansion project is expected to be completed in early 2019, including several new operating rooms in October and a new emergency room in February.
UCHealth Memorial Hospital North has a $128 million expansion, several new operating rooms and emergency treatment "bays." expected to be completed early next year.
In early 2019, the newest Children's Hospital facility in Colorado Springs is expected to open adjacent to Memorial Hospital North. The five-story, $165 million hospital is expected to include a 50-bed neonatal intensive care unit, 48 beds for pediatric surgery and pediatric intensive care and 13 other inpatient beds.


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Code of Governance Report
Investor's Data & News
Board of directors report
dividends disclosures
Environment & CSR
CSR 2017
aboutsohar power
Sohar Power Company SAOG owns and operates the largest power generation and water desalination plant in the Sultanate of Oman.
SPC was incorporated in 2004 after award of the Sohar IWPP project in a competitive tender. The Company has built and owns the 585MW electricity generation and 33MIGD seawater desalination plant in Sohar. The plant is located in the Sohar Industrial Port Area in the Al Batinah region of the Sultanate. The site is strategically located in an industrial hub, near the main gas transmission system and electricity grid network.
Operational Highlights
The capacity of a plant is defined as the total electrical power (in MW) and water (in m3/day), which can be delivered by the plant under specific environmental conditions (Reference Site Conditions). The contractual capacity of Sohar plant is 585 MW and 6,250 m3/hr, constant over the 15 years period of the PWPA.
Board ofDirectors
Name : Saif Abdullah Al Harthy
Year of Joining : 2011
Education : Masters in Chemical Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK.
Experience : Mr. Al Harthy started his carrier as a field Engineer in Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) , where he was involved in the design and upgrade of the major gas exporting facilities in central Oman. He later worked as a senior Business Planner for the PDO gas directorate before joining Qalhat LNG in 2006 as a Technical Coordinator. Mr. Al Harthy is currently working for Oman LNG as Chief Information Officer.
Disclosure related to technical issues at Sohar power and desalination plant
Sohar Power Company would like to disclose the following information related to two technical incidents that occurred during the first semester of 2015 and will have an impact on the company financials for this year.
Disclosure - Board of Directors' Resolutions
P.O. Box 147, Jawharat A'Shatti,
Postal Code 134,
Sultanate of Oman.
Tel : (968) 24400600, 24400626, 24698498
Email : info@soharpower.com
about sohar power
Investor's Data & Media
The Authority for Electricity Regulation
Oman Power and Water Procurement Company
P.O.Box 147, Jawharat A' Shatti
P.C. 134
Office timings: Sunday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5.30pm