SOFREP, Cybersecurity Analyst Claim that 'Support The SEALs ...

A website purporting to help Navy SEALs was downed Thursday and again Friday after The Special Operations Forces Report website ? SOFREP.com ? made some bombshell charges that the site ? SupportTheSEALs.org ? is not a legitimate non-profit organization nor a legally registered business.

SOFREP alleged the organization capitalized on the growth of charities established to support former Navy SEALs and their families? needs. The founder of the organization, Graham Ware, told TheBlaze that his?volunteer-based organization does not handle donated funds and therefore is not required to register as a non-profit organization.

Jeffrey Carr, a cybersecurity analyst and founder/CEO of Taia Global, calls up in his post on SOFREP?instances where it appears SupportTheSeals.org misrepresented itself.

TheBlaze spoke with Ware though Facebook messages and over the phone to respond to these allegations and to clarify the legal status of Support the Seals and the organization?s function.

(Image: @NavySEALsOrg/Twitter)

The short of his answer is that he and his colleagues work as volunteers and that SOFREP has ?zero proof? that the organization makes any money whatsoever. Ware wrote that he believes the ?truth will come out.?

Here?s the whole of what Ware wrote to TheBlaze in a Facebook message:

[...] the fact is there is no damages ? we dont make money and they have ZERO PROOF OF THAT! The domains were registered legally but only for a period of 13 weeks and look at the traffic hits? less that [sic] 6 unique visitors. There was no malice to this in fact we worked with the gentleman who brought forth this outrageous claim. We gave them over $26K and have two SEALs Chris Withrow and Matt McCabe who are now co-owners ? we are volunteer based but check out the documents under Our Responds [sic] on our homepage. The truth will come out. These are downright untrue claims backed with sensationalism.

The Allegations

So what is the evidence against Ware?s group? SOFREP?s post begins in a fact-check format, starting with things Ware has said, which then Carr debunks. Carr writes:

1.?Ware claims that Support The Seals is a registered LLC in Arizona. (Source: the SupportTheSeals.org Twitter profile -@NavySEALsOrg)

FALSE.?The State of Arizona shows a ?pending? LLC application which basically just reserves the name until 1/20/13 (Source:?Arizona Corporation Commission). The company itself doesn?t legally exist yet nor did it exist since Ware began his fundraising in 2009, which raises serious tax questions.

2.?Ware claimed to be a non-profit organization in June, 2012 on his Facebook page ?Navy SEAL Fund.org?.

FALSE.?There?s no official business entity registered in Arizona called Navy SEAL Fund let alone one that?s a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.

Screenshot of the Support the SEALs Facebook page.

Carr goes on to point out a small difference pertaining to this latter point that seems to be distinguishing the website from a legitimate Navy SEALs support organization ??NavySEALsFund.org?? which is a non-profit assisting military members and their families. Drop the ?s,? though, and enter it into the search bar, and it would redirect you to SupportTheSeals.org. This doesn?t work now, but Carr includes a YouTube video showing the difference. Check it out:

After SOFREP?s allegations, the servers of SupportTheSeals.org were overloaded with traffic downing the site until Thursday night. After the post was published, Ware wrote the following on Twitter account:

(Image: @NavySEALs.org Twitter screenshot)

In addition, SOFREP?s editor-in-chief provided us with another tweet that he says Ware sent but has since deleted that could have been part of an earlier defense:

(Image: @BrandonTWebb Twitter screenshot)

Who is Ware and what is SupportTheSeals.org?

According to his LinkedIn profile, Ware is an Arizona State University graduate who began SupportTheSeals.org three years ago. On LinkedIn he describes it as an ?established reputable organization leading fundraising, advocacy & support for our former, fallen & active duty US Navy SEALs & their families.? The Twitter account for @NavySEALs.org, which has SupportTheSeals.org as its website, states the operation is owned and operated by SEALs and civilians.

Ware told TheBlaze he volunteers for Support the SEALs ? as do all those who help the organization ? and works fulltime elsewhere. SEALs in the organization include?Chris Withrow and Matt McCabe.

Graham Ware (Image via SOFREP)

According to SupportTheSeals.org and the Arizona Corporation Commission, the organization is still a pending LLC, with its application submitted Sept. 21.

In 2009, Human Events reported Ware?s success?on social media rallying Facebook users to support SEALs who were being criminally prosecuted. Human Events stated Ware?s Facebook page was growing by the 10s of thousands each day in support of the SEALs.

Here you can watch Ware talk on a local news channel about the 2009 prosecution of three SEALs, which Carr points out was eventually dropped, and hear him talk about why he started getting involved in a SEALs support effort:

Ware said the money raised for the legal expenses of these SEALs was given to the Navy SEALs Fund, which it was working closely with at the time. The success at helping rally a community around this cause inspired Ware, he said, to continue raising awareness and helping support events through social media and marketing that would aid SEALs and their families. Ware said when SupportTheSeals.org is involved in an event, they do not handle the money but work with a coordinating organization if donations are being accepted.

Ware?s Defense

Ware said the money raised in 2009 went through Human Events, who helped organize the fundraiser.

?[It] never passed through us,? Ware said. ?We have everything legally disclosed on our website ? we are volunteer based so yes when all of these allegations came out ? SEALs came to our defense and now we have had to form an LLC.?

With regard to the domain names that were similar to the Navy SEALs Fund, Ware said his organization purchased domain names, but did not do anything with them. They redirected to SupportTheSeals.org because it was the site associated with them, he said. Once the Navy SEALs Fund called them out with a cease and desist order for the name and logos being similar, Ware gave up the domain name.

Ware sent TheBlaze letters from his lawyer Laura Brooks from Titus Brueckner & Levine showing correspondence to NavySEALsFund.org asking that they retract their cease and?desist?order as well as defamatory statements against SupportTheSEALs.org.

On SupportTheSeals.org, for which the website is currently functioning, there is a ?contribute? page and button. On the page, it is explained that SupportTheSeals.org is not a non-profit and that they are seeking approved LLC status. The actual button will take you to an inactive PayPal page. Ware said after LLC status is granted, the organization may choose to allow for contributions through PayPal that would help put on events that would raise money or awareness for SEALs and their families.

For now, though as the SupportTheSeals.org continues the legal process of becoming a legitimate corporation, Ware said he is taking some of the accusations to court and notes that he is ?confident? they will win the case. He said he is ?disheartened? such claims have been made against Support the SEALs in the first place but that they?re not going to give up because ?we didn?t do anything wrong.?

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/accusations-of-fraud-appear-to-crash-website-of-group-claiming-to-support-navy-seals-founder-denies-wrongdoing/

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Fujitsu Lifebook UH75 running Windows 8 at CEATEC (hands-on video)

CEATEC isn't exactly the first place you'd expect a new notebook to turn up, but Fujitsu's booth had a bit of a surprise on the laptop front. The Japanese company had its Lifebook UH75 Ultrabook on display running Windows 8. That OS is the real news here: no other real specs beside the 14-inch screen we already knew about. Fujitsu said this machine will launch alongside its new Arrows Tab sometime in late October or November. Check out our video hands-on below the break.

Gallery: Fujitsu LifeBook UH75 with Windows 8 hands-on

Continue reading Fujitsu Lifebook UH75 running Windows 8 at CEATEC (hands-on video)

Filed under: Laptops

Fujitsu Lifebook UH75 running Windows 8 at CEATEC (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/01/fujitsu-lifebook-uh75-windows-8-hands-on/

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Freedom and Democracy | Creative Writing | Oppression

They tell you what to eat,
it?s good for you, bad for you, will help you breed.
They tell you how to speak,
you can?t say that, must say this, protect the meek.

They tell you what to do,
behave yourself, stay in line, will keep life smooth.
They tell you what to think,
mock free thought, keep you dumb, more time to drink.

They call this democracy,
but the system is nothing more than extreme hypocrisy.
They call this freedom,
but you?re only as free as the gag that keeps you from squealin?.

They watch you when you?re out,
they see you here, see you there, stops all the louts.
They scan your file systems,
nothing to hide, keep you safe, stop terrorism.

They cover up their crimes,
they meant no harm, not like you, it slipped their mind.
They go to war for you,
security, keep you free, worship the troops.

They call this democracy,
but the system is nothing more than extreme hypocrisy.
They call this freedom,
but you?re only as free as the gag that keeps you from squealin?.

They tell you what to eat.
They tell you how to speak.
They even tell you what to read.

They tell you what to do.
They tell you what to think.
They even tell you what is true.

They watch you when you?re out.
They scan your file systems.
They even tell you to fear crowds.

They cover up their crimes.
They go to war for you.
They even tell you to fear the times.

They call this democracy,
but the system is nothing more than extreme hypocrisy.
They call this freedom,
but you?re only as free as the gag that keeps you from squealin?.

Other posts you might enjoy...

Source: http://hadynthomas.com/freedom-democracy/

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Jason Calacanis? Next Act, And Another Pivot For Inside.com, As A ?Knowledge Community?

Serial entrepreneur and investor Jason Calacanis appears to be gearing up for the launch of his next venture, which may also signify one more pivot for his information site Mahalo. And that next step also looks like a new chapter for an internet domain that itself has seen a couple of pivots. On a tip from a reader, we visited inside.com and found this:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CqVNVfznUSo/

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How immune cells defend themselves against HIV

ScienceDaily (Sep. 26, 2012) ? A team of scientists led by virologists Prof. Oliver T. Fackler and Prof. Oliver T. Keppler from Heidelberg University Hospital have decoded a mechanism used by the human immune system to protect itself from HIV viruses. A protein stops the replication of the virus in resting immune cells, referred to as T helper cells, by preventing the transcription of the viral genome into one that can be read by the cell. The ground-breaking results provide new insights into the molecular background of the immunodeficiency syndrome AIDS and could open up starting points for new treatments.

The study has now been published -- ahead of print online -- in the international journal Nature Medicine.

Human immunodeficiency viruses attack different cells of the human immune system, most frequently, "T helper cells." These lymphocytes play a key role in immune defense, since they activate other immune cells upon contact with pathogens and set off subsequent immune responses. In the course of the HIV infection, they are continuously depleted until the immune system ultimately fails, culminating in AIDS with various infections.

In healthy people, the vast majority of T helper cells in the blood are in a resting state. They are not activated until they contact the pathogens against which they are specialized in defending. In the activated state, the cells are susceptible to HIV infection. "In contrast, resting T helper cells are immune to HIV: While the virus docks, and delivers its genetic information to the cell, the infection does not progress further. We have investigated why this is the case," explained Prof. Fackler, head of the working group at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology. Even if the T helper cells are activated later on, the virus does not replicate, because the genetic information of the virus is degraded during this period.

HIV genome cannot be transcribed into cell-compatible version

The team is headed by Prof. Fackler and Prof. Keppler, who moved from Heidelberg to the University Hospital in Frankfurt in April 2012 and now heads the Institute of Medical Virology there. The researchers discovered that the cellular protein SAMHD1 significantly contributes to protecting the resting immune cells. The protein is present in both resting and activated T helper cells and depletes nucleotides, the building blocks of genetic information. In the active phase the cells double their genetic information and divide, a process that depends on the continoues production of nucleotides. In the resting state, the cell does not require any nucleotides and stops their production, and SAMHD1 degrades the remaining nucleotides. "As a result, the HIV viruses most likely also lack the material they need to transcribe their genetic information into a version that can be used for the cell and to allow it to replicate," Fackler explained.

In the experiment, if SAMHD1 expression was silenced, resting T helper cells became susceptible to HIV infection. The same was true for immune cells of a patient who is unable to produce SAMHD1 due to a hereditary condition. "This shows that HIV can only replicate in lymphocytes if the effect of the protective protein SAMHD1 is eliminated," Keppler said. In addition, the researchers discovered that this early protective measure must be followed by other barriers to HIV replication. Even without SAMHD1, no new viruses were released from resting T helper cells. Now that they have described the protective function of SAMHD1 and are able block it, the scientists can for the first time also investigate the downstream mechanisms. "We hope that we will be able to use these findings to develop new strategies in the fight against HIV," the virologist said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Heidelberg University Hospital.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Hanna-Mari Baldauf, Xiaoyu Pan, Elina Erikson, Sarah Schmidt, Waaqo Daddacha, Manja Burggraf, Kristina Schenkova, Ina Ambiel, Guido Wabnitz, Thomas Gramberg, Sylvia Panitz, Egbert Flory, Nathaniel R Landau, Serkan Sertel, Frank Rutsch, Felix Lasitschka, Baek Kim, Renate K?nig, Oliver T Fackler, Oliver T Keppler. SAMHD1 restricts HIV-1 infection in resting CD4 T cells. Nature Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nm.2964

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/-9yz-ZgvbM4/121001095905.htm

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US Postal Service defaults. Fate lies with Congress.

US Postal Service defaults on $5.6 million payment to US Treasury. Having squeezed costs, postmaster general says future of US Postal Service depends on Congress.

By Hope Yen,?Associated Press / September 30, 2012

In this 2011 file photo Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. In an interview prior to the US Postal Service's second default Sunday, Mr. Donahoe said cash flow will reach a low point in October but can avert immediate bankruptcy.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP/File

Enlarge

The U.S.?Postal?Service, on the brink of default on a second multibillion-dollar payment it can't afford to pay, is sounding a new cautionary note that having squeezed out all the cost savings within its power, the mail agency's viability now lies almost entirely with Congress.

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In an interview, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the mail agency will be forced to miss the $5.6 billion payment due to the Treasury on Sunday, its second default in as many months. Congress has left Washington until after the November elections, without approving a?postal?fix.

For more than a year, the?Postal?Service?has been seeking legislation that would allow it to eliminate Saturday mail delivery and reduce its $5 billion annual payment for future retiree health benefits. Since the House failed to act, the post office says it's been seeking to reassure anxious customers that?service?will not be disrupted, even with cash levels running perilously low.

"Absolutely, we would be profitable right now," Donahoe told The Associated Press, when asked whether congressional delays were to blame for much of the?postal?losses, expected to reach a record $15 billion this year.

He said the two missed payments totaling $11.1 billion for future retiree health benefits ? payments ordered by Congress in 2006 that no other government agency or business is required to make ? along with similar expenses make up the bulk of the annual loss. The remainder is nearly $3 billion in losses, he said, which would have been offset by savings if the?service?had been allowed to move to five-day mail delivery.

Donahoe said the post office will hit a low point in cash next month but avert immediate bankruptcy due to a series of retirement incentives, employee reductions and boosts in productivity among remaining staff that saved nearly $2 billion over the past year.

But the post office has few tools left to build its revenue, he said, without either having to pay upfront money it lacks or get approval from?postal?unions or Congress.

"We've done a lot to reduce cost out of our system," Donahoe said. "The problem now is this: There's nowhere to go."

Postal?unions also say Congress is mostly to blame for losses, but disagree that a reduction to five-day delivery is an answer.

"What is needed is for Congress to undo the harm it has done with the prefunding mandate and for the Postal?Service?to develop a balanced plan moving forward," said Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. He said cutting Saturday delivery would in particular hurt rural residents and the elderly who depend more heavily on the mail for prescription drugs and other goods.

The?Postal?Service?last month failed to pay $5.5 billion, its first default ever on a payment. While it will miss a second payment Sunday, it expects to make a $1.4 billion payment due to the Labor Department on Oct. 15 for workers' compensation. Cash levels are expected to hit a low after that labor payment before rising again due to increased volume from holiday and election mail, including ballots for early voting.

The mail agency said the two payment defaults will not affect day-to-day operations. Post offices will stay open, and suppliers and employees will get paid. Longer term, however, Donahoe has cautioned that a "crisis of confidence" over?postal?solvency could damage growth.

The post office also remains vulnerable to shifts in the economy that could suppress mail volume. Both FedEx Corp. and UPS recently have cut their earnings forecasts, citing in part slow global economic growth.

"The key thing is Congress must act during the lame-duck session and get this whole thing behind us," said Donahoe, referring to the few weeks lawmakers will be in session after the election before a new Congress takes office in January. "We can't have a?Postal?Service?where customers are constantly worried about our ability to make payments."

"That's no way to run a business," he said.

Congress will have a full agenda of pressing fiscal issues when it returns in November, and some lawmakers have raised the possibility that?postal?legislation will get pushed over to the next Congress. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and is a sponsor of the House bill, has said he believes some kind of legislation can be passed in the lame-duck session, although it may not be as comprehensive as initially sought.

The Senate passed a?postal?bill in April that would have provided financial relief in part by reducing the annual health payments and providing an $11 billion cash infusion, basically a refund of overpayments thePostal?Service?made to a federal pension fund. The House, however, remains stalled over a separate bill that would allow for aggressive cuts, including an immediate end to Saturday delivery. Rural lawmakers in particular worry about the impact of post office closures in their communities.

The?Postal?Service?originally planned to close low-revenue post offices in rural areas to save money, but after public opposition it now is moving forward with a new plan to keep 13,000 of them open with shorter operating hours. The?Postal?Service?also will begin closing more than 200 mail processing centers next year, but the estimated annual savings of $2.1 billion won't be realized until the full cuts are completed in late 2014.

"Once again, we are watching the days slip away before the U.S.?Postal?Service?faces the second default of its history. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have now had 11 months to do the right thing and fix the serious, but solvable, financial challenges," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., a co-sponsor of the Senate bill. "Every day Congress delays fixing this problem, the financial challenge grows more difficult and the potential solutions become more expensive."

The?Postal?Service, an independent agency of government, does not receive tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control.

Art Sackler, co-coordinator of the Coalition for a 21st Century?Postal?Service, a group representing the private-sector mailing industry, said many businesses are preparing their budgets for next year and have no idea whether to expect disrupted?service?or higher postage costs.

"Congress needs to act quickly on comprehensive?postal?reform," he said. "These defaults, mounting debts and declining revenues aren't just going to hurt the?Postal?Service; they're going to hurt the 8 million Americans whose jobs depend on the mail."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/uPEoGALLuI0/US-Postal-Service-defaults.-Fate-lies-with-Congress.

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Pregame: Washington State-Oregon

SEATTLE -- Though technically a home game for the Washington State Cougars, tonight?s matchup against the Oregon Ducks will probably be -- at the very least -- a neutral-field experience.

Even the mileage favors the No. 2 Ducks, who are squaring off the Cougars at CenturyLink Field in the Seattle game.

Eugene to Seattle = 283 miles.

Pullman to Seattle = 287 miles.

Obviously, the Ducks have a few more advantages than just the mileage. Like one of the nation?s most exciting offensive players in De'Anthony Thomas, a youthful but efficient quarterback in Marcus Mariota and a defense that is playing as well as any in the Pac-12.

Thomas is tied for the FBS lead with eight all-purpose plays of 30 yards or more. Which is a technical way of saying he?s super-duper explosive.

Washington State, meanwhile, is trying to bounce back from a loss last week to Colorado. This is the first time in Mike Leach?s career he?s faced Oregon.

Connor Halliday is again expected to start at quarterback for the Cougars. He?s appeared in seven games in his career for Washington State and has 17 touchdowns. That?s the most by any quarterback in school history during his first seven games.

It?s been a weird week of football at CenturyLink Field. Thursday night, Washington upset No. 8 Stanford; Monday night we saw the simultaneous-possession call at the end of the Seahawks-Packers game. Worth noting that the last time Washington State beat a ranked team, it was in 2006, when it beat No. 16 Oregon in Pullman.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/67038/pregame-washington-state-oregon

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