Despite winning the world championship, Ferrari CEO Jean Todt admitted the 2007 season has been a painful one for the Italians, with the spy scandal hovering over the unexpected achievement. ...
Former Ferrari engineer Nigel Stepney is under criminal investigation in Italy for passing on confidential technical data from the Maranello-based outfit to McLaren's chief designer Mike Coughlan.
Todt said. "I wouldn't have expected this betrayal from one of ours, who for personal reasons wanted to help another team, and I didn't expect them (McLaren) to accept his help." (more)
Monday, October 29, 2007
Eavesdropping Joke (a rare item)
A guy is driving around the back woods of Tennessee and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog for Sale".
He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
"You talk?" he asks.
"Yep," the lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says "So, what's your story?"
The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA and they had me sworn into the toughest branch of the armed services ..the United States Marines you know one of their nicknames is "The Devil Dogs".
In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders; because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running, but the jetting around really tired me out and I knew I wasn't getting any younger. So, I decided to settle down.
I retired from the Corps (8 dog years is 56 Corps years) and signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in." "I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
"Ten dollars," the guy says.
"Ten dollars?!?!
This dog is amazing!
Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"
"Because he's a liar.
He never did any of that stuff.
He was in the Navy!"
He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.
"You talk?" he asks.
"Yep," the lab replies.
After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says "So, what's your story?"
The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA and they had me sworn into the toughest branch of the armed services ..the United States Marines you know one of their nicknames is "The Devil Dogs".
In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders; because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running, but the jetting around really tired me out and I knew I wasn't getting any younger. So, I decided to settle down.
I retired from the Corps (8 dog years is 56 Corps years) and signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in." "I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.
"Ten dollars," the guy says.
"Ten dollars?!?!
This dog is amazing!
Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"
"Because he's a liar.
He never did any of that stuff.
He was in the Navy!"
Sunday, October 28, 2007
"I Led Three Lives" 2007
The Strange Case of Alexander Litvinenko...
The former Russian spy (a lieutenant-colonel, no less) poisoned in a London hotel was an MI6 agent, the Daily Mail can reveal. Alexander Litvinenko was receiving a retainer of around £2,000 a month from the British security services at the time he was murdered.
The disclosure, by diplomatic and intelligence sources, is the latest twist in the Litvinenko affair, which has plunged relations between London and Moscow to their lowest point since the Cold War. (more)
The wife is the last to know...
“My husband was never an agent for MI6. He was a critic of the Russian government but he spoke out openly. He was well-known. And his special area was organized crime, not intelligence. He was not the kind of person who would be useful to the British security services,” ~Marina Litvinenko (more)
Meanwhile, back in Hollywood...
Michael Mann, director of dramatic thrillers like "Heat" and "Collateral," is set to bring the story of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko to the big screen.
According to the Litvinenko Justice Foundation, Mann will direct a film based on the book "Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB".
It was co-written by the former Russian spy's widow Marina and his friend Alex Goldfarb. (more)
The former Russian spy (a lieutenant-colonel, no less) poisoned in a London hotel was an MI6 agent, the Daily Mail can reveal. Alexander Litvinenko was receiving a retainer of around £2,000 a month from the British security services at the time he was murdered.
The disclosure, by diplomatic and intelligence sources, is the latest twist in the Litvinenko affair, which has plunged relations between London and Moscow to their lowest point since the Cold War. (more)
The wife is the last to know...
“My husband was never an agent for MI6. He was a critic of the Russian government but he spoke out openly. He was well-known. And his special area was organized crime, not intelligence. He was not the kind of person who would be useful to the British security services,” ~Marina Litvinenko (more)
Meanwhile, back in Hollywood...
Michael Mann, director of dramatic thrillers like "Heat" and "Collateral," is set to bring the story of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko to the big screen.
According to the Litvinenko Justice Foundation, Mann will direct a film based on the book "Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB".
It was co-written by the former Russian spy's widow Marina and his friend Alex Goldfarb. (more)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Bond Goes Postal
James Bond has kept Britain safe from the world's villains for years. But now the spy has a new role — helping deliver the nation's letters. Each of the stamps show different editions of six Bond books Royal Mail unveiled a set of stamps yesterday that feature the covers of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. They will go on sale from Jan 8 to mark the 100th anniversary of the author's birth in 1908.
Fleming wrote 14 Bond novels, which have sold more 100 million across the world.
The six that will be depicted on the stamps, which will feature different editions of the same book, are Casino Royale, Dr No, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love. (more)
The Entertainment of Spying
Wes Britton's SpyWise.net website
Find answers to questions like...
- How much reality Is in spy movies and novels?
- What are the behind-the-scenes stories of films of the past and what's coming in the future?
- What are insiders saying about spy projects in and beyond the world of 007?
Discover...
- Unique perspectives into every aspect of the real and fantastic.
- Exclusive interviews with authors and creators of docu-dramas and spy comedies.
- Rare artifacts from the 1950s along with memories of former intelligence agents.
- Resources you can't find anywhere else.
- Articles on everything from Old-Time Radio to weekly updates on the hottest news on collectibles and what's coming on DVD.
Secret Agent Television Shows, 1951-2007
Find answers to questions like...
- How much reality Is in spy movies and novels?
- What are the behind-the-scenes stories of films of the past and what's coming in the future?
- What are insiders saying about spy projects in and beyond the world of 007?
Discover...
- Unique perspectives into every aspect of the real and fantastic.
- Exclusive interviews with authors and creators of docu-dramas and spy comedies.
- Rare artifacts from the 1950s along with memories of former intelligence agents.
- Resources you can't find anywhere else.
- Articles on everything from Old-Time Radio to weekly updates on the hottest news on collectibles and what's coming on DVD.
Secret Agent Television Shows, 1951-2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
NYT editor to discuss eavesdropping
OR - The freedom of the media to publish government secrets is the subject of a free talk Wednesday at Willamette University.
Philip Taubman, associate editor and special correspondent for The New York Times, will discuss "Why We Publish Secrets" at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium at Willamette, 900 State St.
He will talk about the decision to publish the National Security Agency eavesdropping story, White House pressure on the paper not to publish, and the ongoing constitutional and legal issues concerning that decision.
Taubman became associate editor for The Times in March, covering national security. He had been the paper's Washington bureau chief since August 2003. (more)
If you go...
What: Philip Taubman lecture
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Smith Auditorium, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR
Free Call: (503) 370-6058
Philip Taubman, associate editor and special correspondent for The New York Times, will discuss "Why We Publish Secrets" at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium at Willamette, 900 State St.
He will talk about the decision to publish the National Security Agency eavesdropping story, White House pressure on the paper not to publish, and the ongoing constitutional and legal issues concerning that decision.
Taubman became associate editor for The Times in March, covering national security. He had been the paper's Washington bureau chief since August 2003. (more)
If you go...
What: Philip Taubman lecture
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Smith Auditorium, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR
Free Call: (503) 370-6058
...or, your could play that old Joe Jones song through the ceiling speakers.
South Africa - The Msunduzi Municipality is considering tapping the telephone lines of its employees to restrict runaway bills which cost more than R500 000 ($76,745.00) a month. ...
SA Human Rights Commission Chairperson Jody Kollapen said that while he opposed the abuse of public money, the move to tap telephone lines would be objectionable as it construed an invasion of privacy. (more) (Joe Jones song)
SA Human Rights Commission Chairperson Jody Kollapen said that while he opposed the abuse of public money, the move to tap telephone lines would be objectionable as it construed an invasion of privacy. (more) (Joe Jones song)
...whereupon the guy with the headphones blew his coffee and shorted out the patchbay.
Canada - The Law Society of Upper Canada is taking the RCMP to court in a bid to get its hands on wiretaps...
Mr. Peter Shoniker, a Toronto investment banker and one-time Crown prosecutor, was caught on police wiretaps in late 2003 boasting that there wasn't a "f---ing judge'' who would authorize a wiretap on his conversations.
"I'm untouchable, untouchable, untouchable by police," he said during one phone call. "Not a cop in this country would dare burn me, question my integrity." (more... much more)
"Laugha while you can, monkeyboy!" ~ Dr. Emilio Lizardo
Mr. Peter Shoniker, a Toronto investment banker and one-time Crown prosecutor, was caught on police wiretaps in late 2003 boasting that there wasn't a "f---ing judge'' who would authorize a wiretap on his conversations.
"I'm untouchable, untouchable, untouchable by police," he said during one phone call. "Not a cop in this country would dare burn me, question my integrity." (more... much more)
"Laugha while you can, monkeyboy!" ~ Dr. Emilio Lizardo
SpyCam Story #399 - Counseling Counselor?
NY - A former Legal Aid Society lawyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally using a hidden videocamera to spy on female co-workers as they changed clothes in their offices.
Peter Barta, 32, of Queens, used a camera hidden in a clock to videotape five co-workers in the public defense agency's Manhattan offices, recording at least one woman with her breasts and buttocks bared.
The women told police they regularly changed clothes in their offices before and after work. (more)
Peter Barta, 32, of Queens, used a camera hidden in a clock to videotape five co-workers in the public defense agency's Manhattan offices, recording at least one woman with her breasts and buttocks bared.
The women told police they regularly changed clothes in their offices before and after work. (more)
Woman 'sacked for spying'
Scotland - A Council employee who was sacked after using her work computer to spy on her landlord husband's tenants has claimed she was unfairly dismissed. (more)
VoIP Security Alert - Eavesdropping, Spoofing, DoS
Sipera Systems, a VoIP security solutions company, said users of VoIP services and equipment from Vonage, Globe7 and Grandstream were vulnerable to eavesdropping, spam, spoofing, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
...the Globe7 VoIP Client does not use a secure connection, making it possible for an attacker to eavesdrop on calls, according to Sipera. (more) (threat advisory list)
...the Globe7 VoIP Client does not use a secure connection, making it possible for an attacker to eavesdrop on calls, according to Sipera. (more) (threat advisory list)
Privacy Paradigm Shifts Shiftily. Worldwide Implications.
Australia - Police and other investigative bodies will be able to bug or track people for up to five days without needing a warrant, under legislation the State Government describes as "the biggest ever shake-up of surveillance laws in NSW law enforcement history".
Under the Surveillance Devices Bill police will also be given warrants to use the listening and tracking devices and hidden cameras for 90 days, instead of 21, to "cut red tape", the Premier, Morris Iemma, said in Parliament yesterday. (more)
Under the Surveillance Devices Bill police will also be given warrants to use the listening and tracking devices and hidden cameras for 90 days, instead of 21, to "cut red tape", the Premier, Morris Iemma, said in Parliament yesterday. (more)
CIA Venture Fund Focuses on Spy Gadgets
CA - Since In-Q-Tel was founded in 1999, the firm has reviewed more than 6,300 business plans for everything from identity recognition software to nano-sized electronic circuits. Many proposals come in via its Web site.
In-Q-Tel has put about $200 million into more than 100 companies, beating traditional VC investors to technologies such as the mapping software that's become Google Earth.
...In-Q-Tel is the Arlington, Virginia-based VC business of the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. spying organization. (more)
In-Q-Tel has put about $200 million into more than 100 companies, beating traditional VC investors to technologies such as the mapping software that's become Google Earth.
...In-Q-Tel is the Arlington, Virginia-based VC business of the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. spying organization. (more)
...and its only a little larger than New Jersey!
Taiwan - The investigation authorities have resorted to wiretapping in 24,700 cases in the first nine months of this year, Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin said Wednesday. (more)
Forget Valerie Plame...
Forget OS X 10.5...The Spy Museum 2007 Holiday Catalog gets 'outted' today!
That's right, folks. Their cover is blown and everyone is after this document! Over 200 of the world's most wanted spy gadgets, clothing, toys, games, books and music ("there's a man who leads a life of danger...") (more)
This just in... "I'm not going away."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)