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A recent report from iSIGHT Partners, a Dallas-based computer-security firm, has exposed a three-year long cyber espionage campaign coming out of Iran. The attacks affected approximately 2,000 U.S. personal computers since 2011, and they specifically targeted U.S. military members, Senators, diplomats, lobbyists, and Washington-based journalists.

The Iranian hackers used social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to spread malware to their targets. Those who fell victim to the cyber attacks were directed to links that unleashed malware and phishing attempts with fake log-in screens used to steal usernames and passwords.

The hackers even impersonated journalists and defense contractors and set up a fake news website, NewsOnAir.org (not to be confused with India’s NewsOnAir.com). The news site used content copied from other websites, with real writer names swapped out for fake ones.

iSIGHT Partners, which dubbed the threat “NEWSCASTER,” was able to pinpoint Iran as the source of the attacks based on data collected from the attack website. The website used for the attacks was registered in Tehran, with other sites the hackers used hosted in Iran, as well. The malware contained several Persian words, and the time stamps for the hackers’ activity matched the professional working hours in Tehran, with time off on Iranian weekends and holidays.

Military and government computers typically use plenty of software protections, in addition to military-grade transit cases commonly used by the Aerospace industry and Boeing, as well, to physically protect equipment. However, when it comes to hackers, the protections are becoming more and more difficult to utilize as time goes on and Iran begins to catch up with the more complex hacking methods used in China and Russia.

The findings, according to iSIGHT Partners, reveal three “critical insights”: that social media is a powerful and covert way to lure in government leaders and others in related industries; that the hackers may have used this technology to gain knowledge to develop weapons systems; and that these attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated by using multiple social media platforms.

It’s unclear what sort of information was taken by the hackers, but iSIGHT Partners concludes that this effort “is unprecedented in complexity, scale, and longevity,” and that any organizations that may have information of strategic or tactical interest to U.S. enemies should be concerned about threats like NEWSCASTER.

Ever since 1960, automatic entry doors and systems have provided universal access to millions of people. Today, we find them in supermarkets, hospitals, schools, shopping malls, and variety of other public buildings, and although they are not mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S., they are still essential in making lives easier for many individuals. 

A recent video on YouTube shows that they are also making buildings accessible for… birds?

At the University of Victoria in British Columbia, a group of swallows had begun nesting in an underground parking garage. When the building was converted into a campus bike center, the birds soon learned to use the structure’s new automated doors by hovering long enough to trigger the mechanism that opens them. 

The birds, as seen in the photographer Grant Hughes’s video from May 17, are shown flying up to the door’s sensors and then flying back out of the building. The birds are also seen reentering the building in the same manner.

Hughes wrote in the description, “The swallows quickly learned how to trigger the motion detectors to open the doors and go in and out whenever they want. Smart birds!” The video currently has over 660,000 hits.

Animals frequently have a habit of entering human spaces, sometimes as pests and other times for amusement. In 2012, a monkey named Darwin, wearing a small coat, was found and filmed walking around outside an IKEA store in Toronto, Ontario.

By now, the news of Elliot Rodger’s shooting spree on the University of Santa Barbara’s campus that left six dead and 13 wounded is old news. Rodger’s belief that he was unfairly scorned by women in a time of his life he thought should be all about expressing his sexuality has been buried beneath layers of nonsense ranging from “if only people were nicer to him” to “what a poor, misunderstood guy.” Regardless of the mass media’s disturbing take on what should be a clear cut case of misguided value’s and mental illness, Rodger’s assault that ended in taking his own life is prompting lawmakers across the country to reconsider gun control laws, mental health reform, and the role of the media, just as has been the case with every other mass killing for the last decade.


Rodger’s Rampage Kicks up Talk of Gun, Mental Health Reform
Mr. Rodger bought the semiautomatic weapons used in the Santa Barbara slayings legally. He had no criminal history nor any background of mental health issues that a background check would have flagged. This ability for someone that has demonstrated publicly a desire to do others harm is prompting some legislative changes in California. Many lawmakers are now supporting so-called “gun violence restraining orders.” These orders can be issued by judges. As when seeking out a lawyer, those seeking out a judge’s assistance would have to demonstrate the credibility of their claims and the target individuals actions for the event or events they are seeking assistance. It’s a mild measure when compared to calls for complete prohibition on Capitol Hill, but it could be an effective one.


Of course, as those paying attention to national politics will know, there are many who believe that any sort of gun control legislation will have no effect on deranged individuals’ ability to do harm. Instead, many argue the focus should be placed on mental healthcare reform. Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) is currently supporting a bill that would give families the ability to make decisions for their loved ones who demonstrate that they might have a problem. Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ) is similarly supporting a mental health measure that would expand federal programs that aim to treat people with mental illness. As is so often the case after a shooting, however, there was a lot of immediate support for reform, but it quickly died out as the issue began to fade from collective memory.


Others Push for Greater Responsibility for Media Outlets
For many, both mental health reform and stricter gun control laws can and should work together to form a tighter net that will catch the criminally deranged before they take any legal action. However, many also argue that the media needs to be made responsible for their part. Consider Youtube’s role in all of this: Google has confirmed that some of Mr. Rodger’s videos that demonstrated his declining mental health as he prepared for his attack on Santa Barbara were removed from Youtube for violating its terms of service. However, with no legal responsibility to report Elliot Rodger as a threat to public security, the company did nothing more than that. 


For that reason, many are calling for laws that would place a legal burden on Google and other online outlets to report people they believe to be a threat to authorities as part of a digital Good Samaritan law. Perhaps then, in concert with gun law and mental health reform, we can finally see an end to these mass killings that have become so common.

Was Family Cheated Out of WCAR Stake?
Rago and Jadranka Mihajlovski a couple of Detroit said that they had invested almost $1 million in sports station WCAR-FM. The couple said to media reporters that initially they had invested $0.5 million under the pretext of 10 percent stake. Later on, they invested another $0.5 million under the deal of 15 percent interest. They opined that the deal had been done with Sima Birach Jr., on behalf of Birach Holdings.

A legal document claims that the father of Birach has not delegated him any right to sell WCAR. It is mentioned in the document that “the father of Birach has leased WCAR-FM to his son under $1 a year and he has only right to sell the commercial time”.

DJB’s 10 Best Web Radio Stations
Radio and electronic music can never be separated from each other. Today, the modern DJs pay credit to radio DJs by playing some selected collection through their online radio stations.  The following are the DJB’s 10 Best Web Radio Stations:

1. BBC 6
Gilles Peterson who is famous for his musical tastes is now running BBC 6.  His selection of music is really awesome. Unlike others, he broadcasts different genres to provoke his audience.  You can tune it at http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com.

2. East Village Radio
This is a New York based radio station.  This radio station does not only cover local broadcasting but also covers different shows like charming Veronica Vasika.  This is supposed to be anti-commercialism radio station.  You can listen live via http://www.eastvillageradio.com.

3. Intergalactic FM
This is a huge radio station which is being operated by Ferenc E. van der Sluijs. This guy has a big exposure of music industry. You can listen live via https://intergalacticfm.com.

4. NPR radio
This radio station is of American institution. NPR has been in existence since the 1970.  This is one of the biggest American radio stations that manage more than 900 channels.  You would find all genres from this station. Look and choose here http://www.npr.org/music.

5. PBB Radio Laurent Garnier
PBB radio station is run by Laurent Garnier.  This radio station does not broadcast advertisements between the tracks.  The transmission of this station is supposed to be suitable for those people who love to listen to French techno. Visit this http://www.pedrobroadcast.com/ for listening to live music.

6. Red Bull Music Academy Radio
This station is really awesome. It broadcasts different kinds of music to entertain its audience. This is one of those radio stations where big celebrities used to visit. You can listen to this radio live at http://www.rbmaradio.com/.

7. Red Light Radio
Though this station has been broadcasting since the last three years yet it is supposed to be speedily growing radio station. The shows of this radio station can be downloaded from its website.

8. Rinse FM
Rinse FM is a London based radio station that focuses primarily on young working class of the city. This station mostly broadcasts UK oriented music.  This radio station can be accessible live at http://rinse.fm/

9.  WTBS Radio
WTBS Radio is supposed to be on the best radio stations of New York. This station is run by William Burnett who is the head anchor of WT Records.  William is famous for running his all shows by himself and all his radio shows can be downloaded from his website.

10. Beats in Space 
We know that beats in space is not a radio station yet the broadcasting of Tim Sweeney on WNYU 89.1FM in New York is undeniable. He used to host legendary guests like DJ Harvey, Seth Troxler and Steffi to his show however we have made exception for him.