Man held in NYC plot to blow up Federal Reserve

NEW YORK (AP) ? A Bangladeshi man who came to the United States to wage jihad was arrested in an elaborate FBI sting on Wednesday after attempting to blow up a fake car bomb outside the Federal Reserve building in Manhattan, authorities said.

Before trying to carry out the alleged terrorism plot, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis went to a warehouse to help assemble a 1,000-pound bomb using inert material, according to a criminal complaint. He also asked an undercover agent to videotape him saying, "We will not stop until we attain victory or martyrdom," the complaint said.

Agents grabbed the 21-year-old Nafis ? armed with a cellphone he believed was rigged as a detonator ? after he made several attempts to blow up the bomb inside a vehicle parked next to the Federal Reserve, the complaint said.

Authorities emphasized that the plot never posed an actual risk. However, they claimed the case demonstrated the value of using sting operations to neutralize young extremists eager to harm Americans.

"Attempting to destroy a landmark building and kill or maim untold numbers of innocent bystanders is about as serious as the imagination can conjure," said Mary Galligan, acting head of the FBI's New York office. "The defendant faces appropriately severe consequences."

Nafis appeared in federal court in Brooklyn to face charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to al-Qaida. Wearing a brown T-shirt and black jeans, he was ordered held without bail and did not enter a plea. His defense attorney had no comment outside court.

The defendant had sought assurances from an undercover agent posing as an al-Qaida contact that the terrorist group would support the operation.

"The thing that I want to do, ask you about, is that, the thing I'm doing, it's under al-Qaida?" he was recorded saying during a meeting in bugged hotel room in Queens, according to the complaint.

In a September meeting in the same hotel room, Nafis "confirmed he was ready to kill himself during the course of the attack, but indicated he wanted to return to Bangladesh to see his family one last time to set his affairs in order," the complaint said.

But there was no allegation that Nafis actually received training or direction from the terrorist group.

Prosecutors say Nafis traveled to the U.S. on a student visa in January to carry out an attack. In July, he contacted a confidential informant, telling him he wanted to form a terror cell, the criminal complaint said.

In further conversations, authorities said Nafis proposed several spots for his attack, including the New York Stock Exchange ? and that in a written letter taking responsibility for the Federal Reserve job he was about to carry out, he said he wanted to "destroy America." Other communications took place through Facebook, the complaint said.

A Twitter account with the suspect's name and photo had six followers and two messages and was linked to a Facebook page that had been taken down.

Federal officials were at the home where Nafis was staying, a red brick building in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens. Owner Rafiqul Islam said Nafis was staying with his second-floor tenants, and he was told he was related to the family. The tenants didn't answer their door and their apartment was dark.

Islam said the federal officials had come to the home when he was at work in Manhattan. He said Nafis had only lived there about a month or so.

"I didn't notice anything, he spoke to me very quietly," Islam said. "He said he was going to be studying here."

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the case is one more reminder that New York remains a target:

"New York continues to be very much in the mind frame of terrorism. This individual came here with the express purpose of committing a terrorist attack; he was motivated by al-Qaida. We see this threat as being with us for a long time to come."

Kelly said security is always a precaution and there are about a thousand officers in the counterterrorism division. He didn't specify if any additional measures were being taken.

The bank, located at 33 Liberty St., is one of 12 branches around the country that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, make up the Federal Reserve System that serves as the central bank of the United States. It sets interest rates.

The Federal Reserve is one of the most fortified buildings in the city, smack in the middle of a massive security effort headed by the New York Police Department where a network of thousands of private and police cameras watch for suspicious activity.

The department uses sophisticated programs that can search for suspicious activity, like an object in one place for a long time, at the building modeled after London's "ring of steel." The analytic software also is designed to take video and catalog it according to movements, shapes and colors, so officers can set parameters to search the system for, say, a suspicious van.

The Fed is also home to the world's largest accumulation of gold, according to the bank's website. Dozens of governments and central banks store a portion of their gold reserves in high-security vaults deep beneath the building. In recent years, it held 216 million troy ounces of gold, or more than a fifth of all global monetary gold reserves, making it a bigger bullion depository than Fort Knox.

The federal case was the latest where a terrorism plot against the city turned out to be a sting operation.

Four men were convicted in 2009 in a plot to bomb synagogues and shoot down military planes with missiles - a case that began after an FBI informant was assigned to infiltrate a mosque in Newburgh, about 70 miles north of New York City. The federal judge hearing the case said she was not proud of the government's role in nurturing the plot.

In 2004, a Pakistani immigrant was arrested and convicted for a scheme to blow up the subway station at Herald Square in Midtown. His lawyers argued that their client had been set up by a police informant who showed him pictures of Iraq abuse to get him involved in an attack against civilians.

___

Associated Press Writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/man-held-nyc-plot-blow-federal-233051140--finance.html

magic johnson jetblue pilot solicitor general neighborhood watch dennis rodman dodgers sale tami roman

How to find Plagiarism in Dissertations - Copy ... - plagiarism@arXiv.

Germany is awash in another wave of discussions about plagiarism. This time it is the Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan. The story about plagiarism in her dissertation broke in May, and the University of D?sseldorf has been examining the case since. Today, October 17, the committee is meeting to decide on the results, but the documentation that they prepared was leaked to the press this past weekend, and the press has been in a frenzy.

And I have laryngitis and can't talk. I have journalists pleading with me to explain how the "magic" VroniPlag Wiki software works. The problem is, there is no magic software. The method used to find plagiarism in dissertations (or any other written work) is called "research". Just normal research.

But since so many people need to know how this is done, here's a crib sheet with 10 easy steps:


  1. Obtain the thesis. If you are just trying to find the dissertation of a particular person who did their doctoral work in Germany, give the German National Library a try. Type in the name and see what it comes up with. Then use the catalog of your local library (often called an OPAC, online public access catalog) or a union catalog to try and locate a copy. Most German states have a union catalog, in Berlin it is the KOBV.? If there is none in your locality, you can obtain a library card and then have the thesis sent to you using inter-library loan.
  2. Read the thesis. There is no royal road. The so-called plagiarism detection software can turn up the odd reference, but only if the sources are online. The best bet is to start reading it, and look for shifts in writing style, or places where the writing turns Spiegel-esque, or for sudden useless details, or misspellings, or just wrong content.
  3. Google. I've given up on other search machines. Just belly up to the search bar and type in three to five words from a sentence or paragraph and see what turns up. If you get a lead through Google Books, use step 1 to obtain a copy of the book. If you get lucky and the first paragraph is taken from the FAZ or the NZZ -- paydirt! Don't just try one paragraph, take a few from different parts of the book.?
  4. Follow the footnotes. University teachers do this when teaching their students how to footnote, and it scares the daylights out of students when they see that the professor found out that they were just making up the footnotes. Does the reference exist? Is the thing being said found on that page? Is the whole paragraph taken from the reference with the quotation marks "forgotten"? Does the chapter in the dissertation continue on after the footnote without a further reference? Is this paragraph perhaps just a translation of the reference??
  5. Browse the bibliography. What is the most recent source used? Is it five years older than the dissertation? In some fields, this would sound an alarm. Is there some strange or obscure literature listed? Obtain it! Do you need journal articles? Germany had a wonderful listing of the holdings of all libraries nationwide, the Zeitschriftendatenbank. It will tell you where they can be found, and many can even be delivered to your email account as a pdf for a few Euros. Many libraries also subscribe to digital libraries that can be used when sitting at the library. A walk would do you good, anyway, so get over there and have a look.
  6. Digitize. If you have already found a source plagiarized in a dissertation, the chance is that there is more. Have a good look at each, and now digitize the relevant portions. Use a book scanner in the library to get a high-quality scan of the pages as a PDF. You lay the book flat under the camera, press a button, turn the page, press a button, until you are done. Experienced scanners can do over 100 pages per hour. Now use an optical character recognition (OCR) software on the PDF. There are free ones like Google's Tesseract or professional versions such as the one built into Adobe's Acrobat or OmniPage or Abbyy Fine Reader.
  7. Compare. This is one if the few software systems the VroniPlag Wiki people use. It is a text comparison tool that is based on the free algorithm of Dick Grune. The tool marks identical passages in two documents that it is comparing. Put the dissertation in one side, the source in the other, and press "Texte vergleichen!". Don't forget to make a screen shot if the results turn out colorful.
  8. Document. If you find anything, document it exactly. Page and line numbers from the dissertation, URL or page and line numbers from the source, and a copy of each. A two-column side-by-side has proved easy to understand when showing the results to others.
  9. Need help? If you have already found some nasty text parallels, drop in at the VroniPlag Wiki chat or use the drop if you want to be discreet. You might be able to interest someone in working on the case. But remember, they are all volunteers. Or you can continue on yourself, and then inform the ombud for good scientific practice at the university in question.
  10. Publish. If you feel that it is necessary to publish your results, you can either choose a wiki, such as the GuttenPlag Wiki or the VroniPlag Wiki, which makes it easier for others to help you with the documentation, or you can publish on a blog, like the SchavanPlag blog, which gives you complete control of what is published. Or you can print up a book, like Marion Soreth did in 1990 when she documented the dissertation of her colleague Elisabeth Str?ker.?

All clear? If I've missed anything, please add in the comments!

Source: http://plagiarism-main.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-find-plagiarism-in-dissertations.html

demi moore roy oswalt kevin martin 2012 senior bowl chuck series finale welcome back kotter 2001 a space odyssey

Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012)

DNP  Xbox 360 Dashboard update handson fall 2012

Is it Fall again already? Must be time for another Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Every year Microsoft Drops the console a little bit of code to match the descending leaves, delivering new features, interface tweaks and additional content to hide behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. Redmond's latest update isn't quite the overhaul it gave the gaming rig last year, but minor changes can have big effects. Join us after the break to see the machine's latest update, and what it means for you.

Continue reading Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012)

Filed under: , ,

Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/tmCyXuNiuzI/

immaculate conception rule 5 draft lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech harry morgan

Downhill from here: Here it comes | Concord Monitor

John Durkin, victor in close NH Senate race, dies

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Former U.S. Sen. John Durkin,?

01:34 PM

NH man arrested in robbery, 2nd man sought

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Police have arrested one man?

10:43 AM

Red Cross asks for more funds for nuke plan

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) -- The Vermont and New Hampshire?

07:48 AM

Brain trauma cases rise in NH

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- A report from New Hampshire's?

07:05 AM

Police in NH arrest 6, accused of drag-racing

SALEM, N.H. (AP) -- Police in Salem, N.H., have accused?

06:40 AM

2 unions spending $1.3 million to air anti-Lamontagne TV ad

Two labor unions are spending $1.3 million to air a new? 0

06:00 AM

Olympic figure skater campaigns for Romney in NH

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) -- Figure skating champion Scott Hamilton?

05:31 AM More Live Online ?

Source: http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/361509/here-it-comes

roseanne barr president green party day 26 gronkowski new hunger games trailer sasquatch david choe

Springsteen presents charity honor to Van Zandt

NEW YORK (AP) ? The night busted open in New York City as Bruce Springsteen and other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers helped Steven Van Zandt celebrate his Big Man of the Year award.

Darlene Love, Elvis Costello and Dion were among the stellar performers Tuesday night at a rollicking benefit for Little Kids Rock, an initiative that rescues music education amid public school budget cuts.

Springsteen had some fun while presenting the award ? gleefully detailing their roommate days and Van Zandt's lack of housekeeping skills.

"What a liar," Van Zandt retorted with a grin.

Amid the musical blowout, Van Zandt and the other stars discussed the arts' role in fueling young minds and shaping character ? tasks accomplished through the thousands of musical instruments and the lessons made possible by Little Kids Rock.

Costello, before going onstage, waxed eloquently on the "mundane and magical" aspects of music, and its transformative effects.

Van Zandt said in an AP interview before the show that children might see a musical career as glamorous and fun ? "and it is."

But it also "requires a lot of work, just like any other craft. ... You need discipline and you need willpower and focus. And ...a lot of hours put into it," he said.

So people might be surprised to know that Van Zandt, while concentrating on a multitude of parallel careers, can go three years without playing a guitar, and then pick it up again in a week or two.

"When you've been playing so long, you don't really forget how to play," he said.

"Well, that's not a good example for the kids, though," he conceded, laughing. "That's just me. ... 'You kids: Don't do what I do ? do what I say.'"

The charity named the award for E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons in 2009, two years before he died.

Clemons' nephew, Jake, who now tours with the E Street Band playing saxophone, lent heartfelt accompaniment to Little Kids Rock musicians from Franklin L. Williams Middle School in Jersey City, N.J.

Singer-guitarist Tom Morello, serving a blistering homage to Van Zandt's old anti-apartheid song, "Sun City," told the crowd how it helped stoke his own activism as a student at Harvard University.

Some bad-boy appeal came when rocker Jesse Malin climbed onto a table of people dining near the stage, singing as he traipsed in sneakers amid stemware on the tablecloth.

Besides working with Bruce Springsteen and E Street, and camping it up in mobster roles ? his most recent on the Netflix show "Lilyhammer" ? Van Zandt works as a record and television producer, radio host, songwriter and arranger, and oversees two satellite channels.

The self-educated music historian is also chairman of the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, which is developing curriculum for schools. Not bad for a guy who endured his own school days as a self-described "freak," ''misfit" and "outcast."

"That was particular to my generation," he said. Now, being a musician is "acceptable. ... But it wasn't so respectable in the 60s."

In the long run, though, Van Zandt said music saved his life ? and he wants to return the favor. "It's why I support Little Kids Rock."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/springsteen-presents-charity-honor-van-zandt-044459132.html

Paul Ryan Speech Pretty Little Liars chris cooley chris cooley condoleezza rice bill cosby Perry Hall High School

Samsung Mobile: Jelly Bean Updates Will Hit U.S. Galaxy S IIIs In ?The Coming Months?

gs323Samsung has already begun to roll out Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates for international Galaxy S III owners (Spain, France, Austria, and Romania have recently joined the Jelly Bean party), but what about all the GSIII owners locked into contracts with Verizon, AT&T, and the like? Well, the Korean electronics giant has announced that it plans to begin releasing the update in the U.S. in "the coming months," and asked users to keep their collective eyes peeled for firmer dates from their carriers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YLjIrA4In9A/

billy joel bent new york jets etch a sketch romney sean payton saints bounty program toulouse france

Burnaby Allotment Gardens is home to almost 1,000 pairs of green ...


Photo by Mario Bartel.

Community garden started by BC Provincial Government in the early 1970?s

Story and Photos by Mario Bartel
Burnaby Newsleader
June 14th, 2008

Excerpt:

Mike Calderone, 85, is one of BARAGA?s originals. After a lifetime of toil, including seven years crouched in a Belgium coal mine 1,600 feet underground, he needed an escape.

?What am I going to do at home, watch TV all day?? says Calderone, his thick fingers wrapped around a tumbler of his own homemade apple wine as he takes a break from. raising his garden beds with a foundation of grass clippings. ?Nobody bothers me here. It?s nice and cool.?

Calderone visits his garden a couple of days a week, leaving home at five in the morning, puttering around his potatoes, peppers and parsnips until one in the afternoon. The parsnips aren?t doing so well this year, he frets. But that?s OK, he?ll try a third planting.


Photo by Mario Bartel.

?Once you come down here, the rest of the day goes so good,? says Calderone.

Like most gardeners, he grows more. than he could possibly eat, so he shares his bounty with friends, family and even his dentist, with whom he trades tomatoes for free dental work. He?s especially proud of his garlic crop, which he uses to spice his homemade sausages.

The gardens are as much about growing community as sprouting spinach, says Thompson. Senior gardeners like Calderone are always willing to share their years of experience and knowledge. When members fall ill, go on an extended vacation or are otherwise unable to care for their plot, others pitch in to keep it going. A portion of the harvest is donated regularly to the Food Bank. And Thompson says he can?t even begin to calculate how many friends, family and co-workers benefit from the gardeners? toil.

Read the complete article here.

Source: http://www.cityfarmer.info/2012/10/16/burnaby-allotment-gardens-is-home-to-almost-1000-pairs-of-green-thumbs/

daytona jeff gordon artie lange nascar daytona 2012 kasey kahne angelina jolie right leg saving face

Integrating Text Messaging with Customer Service [INFOGRAPHIC ...

October 16th, 2012 by Tessa Leave a reply ?

We present to you a great infographic, titled ?Taking it to the Text Level? ? We agree with literally everything on this infographic and the wonderful stats in it, created by Demandforce and Column Five. Most consumers these days are texting with friends, family and work. More companies and organizations are realizing that it?s not a passing fad, but a great way to communicate quickly, both ways, with their customers, members and employees. There are various ways to integrate text messaging with your customer service channels. We advise you to discuss your options with companies who specialize in text messaging software and solutions to provide you with the best options for your budget and use cases.

Businesses taking advantage of text messaging benefit from cost savings in operations, more access to customers on the go and can take advantage of many mobile users quick access to the mobile web for promotions, coupons and additional information to help customers become fans.

Some of the key takeaways from the infographic:

  • 73% of American mobile phone owners are regular texters.
  • 66% suffer from ?nomophobia?, being without your cell phone.
  • 33% of mobile phone users prefer a text message over a voice call.

There are more, below and if you?re looking for ways of integrating text messaging with your customer service or feedback channels, let us know.

Taking it to the Text Level: Should You Integrate Texting With Customer Service?

?

Source: http://www.mosio.com/mobileanswers/integrating-text-messaging-with-customer-service-infographic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=integrating-text-messaging-with-customer-service-infographic

paul williams paul babeu kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house invincible jesse jackson