I’ll Tell You What…

…in Argentina or you might lose something more valuable than food!

According to CNN,

Argentine tax officials hit a tax cheat where it hurts most on Wednesday, confiscating the man’s plasma TV two days before Argentina plays Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.

The man must have cried.

A chinese company has claimed that they have cracked the Skype protocol enabling them to create compatible applications and, more importantly, enable the Chinese government to tighten its grip on free speech in China by blocking voice-over-IP connections from certain parts of the world.

From CIO Tech Informer:

By cracking the Skype protocol, the company claims it can also block Skype voice traffic, Paglee said. “They could literally turn the lights off on Skype in China very, very quickly,” said Paglee, who is also a lawyer and engineer, speaking from California on Friday.

The company could transfer the technology to the Chinese government, which has continually sought ways to tighten its filtering and control over the Internet. So far, the company doesn’t have any plans to market its blocking capabilities, Paglee said.

The company claims it can block calls by exploiting Skype software functions, he said. Skype’s software taps users’ computers to route calls. Paglee said the Chinese company can detect, map and block the computers that are passing on calls, and in doing so shut down Skype calls.

The company, however, has not been able to decrypt the phone calls passing through those computers and listen in because of the complicated encryption keys used during calls, Paglee said.

“Skype’s conversations are still secure, but what’s not secure is their present business model of using everybody else’s computer to propagate the Skype network,” Paglee said.

Well, at least they can’t listen to the conversations. I’m sure there would be mass arrests made by the Chinese government if they could.

I encourage all those who read my ramblings and who have a desire to donate to the hurricane Katrina relief effort to give their donations to their local church. Yeah, the Red Cross does lots of good and all but the body of Christ should act as one to address the hurt in the world. We are to care for the hurting, we are to house the homeless, we are to feed the hungry.

If your church does not have an organized effort to provide funds to the relief effort, I strongly recommend that you give to Samaritan’s Purse. It is a fine Christian organization led by Franklin Graham that truly cares.

Samaritan’s Purse’s Mission Statement:

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You can read more about Samaritan’s Purse here.

This is cool. Radio Free Asia has instructions on how to put together an anti-jamming antenna so that a person can listen to RFA in countries where the authorities try to jam the radio signal. The article tells what you need and how to put it together.

From Radio Free Asia.

A former overseer of labor camps from the northeastern city of Shenyang, Han Guangsheng, has said he defected while on a trip to Canada because he was sickened by the level of brutality, human rights abuses and corruption in the Chinese Communist Party.

Read on for more details.

Now that’s a fish!

I just finished watching Wave that Shook the World on PBS. What an amazing event that was. If you have the opportunity to watch this episode, I would strongly encourage it.

According to one of the scientists on the show, this earthquake was so big that it shifted the earth’s mass so that it now wobbles approximately 1 cm off axis. This event caused mass to be shifted closer to the earth’s core causing the length of a day to be shortened by 3 millionth of a second much the same way a figure skater speeds up when their arms are pulled in close to the body during a spin.

From News on Christian Persecution at persecution.org.

Taliban insurgents have threatened to kill Afghans if they vote in September elections, an intelligence official said yesterday. The threats were carried in pamphlets distributed in Logar province close to the capital Kabul, the official said on condition of anonymity. “We advise all Afghans not to risk their lives for attending the elections,” the pamphlets warned, according to the official. “Women especially will face the death penalty if they try to take part in the elections. Husbands are responsible for the blood of their wives if they fail to stop them voting in elections.”

I just want to say thank you for all the people who visit my site.


A very special thank you to the people who read my postings via MagpieRSS, Bloglines, Syndic8 and IntraVnews.


If that’s you, contact me at webmaster at this domain and introduce yourself. I would love to here from you.


Also, if you’re accessing my news feed via texas.net, contact me. Your IP is getting a bad wrap from some blog sites.

From World Vision:

Tens of thousands of children and their families are home-
less and suffering after Iran’s massive earthquake.?Please
help rush Family Survival Kits and supplies now!

Dear Friend,

As we celebrated Christmas here in the United States, a massive earthquake struck the city of Bam in Southeastern Iran.

It is feared that as many as 25,000 are dead, with up to 40,000 people injured.

Over 70% of homes in this area were destroyed or damaged. Two of the city’s hospitals have collapsed.?Electricity and water supplies have been cut.?

The freezing temperatures in this part of Iran threaten the lives of many children and families who have lost their homes and have no food, water or shelter.

World Vision is responding to help save lives and alleviate suffering. We are rushing Family Survival Kits and supplies by air from our warehouse in Brindisi, Italy. The shipment will contain things like emergency food, water purification systems, blankets, plastic sheeting, cooking utensils and tents.

Please …

click here to donate right now.


Your gift of $100 will help provide a Family Survival Kit for a suffering family in Iran. A gift of any amount will help to provide immediate aid to those devastated by this tragedy.

Please, open your heart today to the victims of this terrible tragedy. Let the children and families of Iran know that you care.


Click here to donate Family Survival Kits right now.


God bless you for your ongoing support, and for helping to save lives this Holiday Season.

Thank you,

Richard Stearns

President, World Vision United States

P.S.? Many people don’t get time to closely follow the news during the Christmas season and may not know the magnitude of this tragedy. After making your donation, please help us rush aid to the children and families of Iran by passing this email along to 3 friends or relatives that you know would
want to help. Their gift of any amount will go to work immediately to help Iran’s earthquake victims and save lives.

?

More information available online …

*****************************

Founded in 1950, World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization, serving the world’s poorest children and families in nearly 100 countries.

Questions? Donations by phone?
phone: 1.888.511.6514
email: info@worldvision.org

It is a good day! Saddam Hussein was finally captured ending an era of suppression and repression of the Iraqi people. Let’s pray that this event will be pivotal in the reconstruction and self-governmental transition of Iraq. May God bring a peace and a calmness to that region that no one can fully understand.