I would have put this post in the ‘Aware Or Conspiracy Nut?’ category as well, but it is pretty obvious what Dubbya’s motivation was for the memory loss…
Anyway, head on over to the BBC’s article on President Bush’s revelation that he has ‘no memory of the CIA videos of their torturing interrogating suspected terrorists’. I really hope that the American public will have had their fill of ‘no clear recollection of those events’ type answers/excuses after the Iran/Contra scandal in the 80s. I doubt it will raise much attention though. Funny how an act of consensual oral sex can end up with a Democrat being impeached, and how blatant lies, bloodshed, bullshit and abuse of power and influence end up in no action being taken. Bunch of frigging wuck fits…

Wikipedia Scanner - doing the leg work most of us can’t be bothered to go through…

As you will know if you are at all interested in Wikipedia, for most pages, anyone can edit them. This of course leads to issues when two sets of people have different views on what is reality. This leads to some pages requiring a login before you can make changes. Wikipedia Scanner is a tool that matches already existing information (the IP address of who made specific edits on any page) with the name of the company that own the IP, from a table of reverse look ups, I assume…
Anyway, Wikipedia Scanner shows that the CIA, or more accurately someone using a computer connected to the CIA’s network, edited a page relating to Iran’s president. The Vatican has also been shown to have made changes to a page on Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader.
No word from the Vatican as of yet, though a CIA spokesperson appeared to whimper a little, then trot out the flag waving, are you a patriot or the enemy style …. “I’d like in any case to underscore a far larger and more significant point that no one should doubt or forget: The CIA has a vital mission in protecting the United States, and the focus of this agency is there, on that decisive work.”
Ahhh, so thats all right then :rolleyes:

So, if you have heard of USA Network’s Burn Notice TV series already, you probably know that CIA agent Michael Weston basically gets fired. If you are new to the series, you should defintiely check out the site to see what all the fuss is about…

Anyway, we have been asked to create a back story, explaining why Michael was fired, so here is one possibility…

Michael was out of his comfort zone. Yet again his superiors had thrown him in at the deep end, without the knowledge he needed to accomplish his mission. Why was the Swiss banker late, and who was that woman that kept glancing around? He needed answers, and he needed them soon, else the whole deal was liable to fall apart.
If only he had kept a copy of the report that proved his last assignment was official, and not a personal vendetta. He was going to make sure his accusers regretted the day they selected him as the scapegoat… Now where was that damn banker? Wait, the woman is heading towards him, she starts running. He checks her out, to make sure she is not about to attack him, but she appears unarmed.
Thhuttck.Thhuttck. The woman fell to the ground in front of him, unfortunately parts of her head spun past him. He might feel tired and out of sorts, but this was damn serious. Just one minute later, he was still scoping the area, looking for the marksman, when a SWAT team arrived. He had no choice but to follow their orders, and soon found himself in a cell. What was going on, just who was framing him this time? Would any of his contacts be able to pull him out of this crap, and if so, what would their price be. He had a bad feeling he would find out soon. Too soon.

If you would like to find out what actually caused Michael’s employment termination, then check out the official back story over at USA Network’s section on Burn Notice.

OK, first things first, to the friendly Kazakh security guys reading this post, this is to do with the USA Network’s Burn Notice TV series, that starts 28th June over in America. That is to say I am demonstrating the following for media purposes, not suggesting that anyone should break any laws in Kazakhstan.

OK, now that my ass is hopefully covered, here is a short little clip explaining a couple of spying gadgets you can make, simply using ordinary household items. When Michael Western finds himself cut off from the CIA’s resources, he will have to start adapting what he has around him.

Burn Notice is apparently what spies have handed out when their services are no longer required, it is a bit like putting a ‘do not trust this man’ sign around someone’s neck. You can read more about it over at USA Network’s page their new series Burn Notice.

OK, as promised, here is some more info, from Mum & John’s perspective.

This is basically a cut’n'paste job from an e-mail they sent to family and friends (with permission I hasten to add ;>)

“”For those of you ancient enough to Radio 4 be familiar with Alistair Cooke’s “Letter from America” this is likely to seem a pale comparison. Certainly less erudite and not as well crafted - but hopefully it will inform and maybe even amuse, though the political comment will be markedly absent!

This is Carol’s second visit to this amazing country and my first. As we flew in at night the lack of any settlements for hundreds of miles prior to landing in Astana was perplexing. It was hard to comprehend such vast tracts of land without population. Then Astana appears on the Kazakh Steppes resembling a modern Emirate city. Disney could not have bettered it! When Carol was here last she arrived through the back door, via the old capital of Almaty, then a twenty three hour train journey across a hot and dusty terrain. She made the trip for her son (Chris) & daughter in law’s (Irina) marriage. Jokingly she had said as she left to Irina’s father that he was to have a new airport built on her return. He did - and a pretty impressive airport to boot! It is so refreshing to see architecture which is not afraid to be adventurous, particularly in the teeth of such extreme weather conditions. Thankfully on this trip it has been kind to Carol & me, between 21°C & 30°C. The temperature can famously vary between -30°C in the winter to +40°C during the short summer months.
Continue Reading »

OK, first things first, if you are reading this blog, you have either decided to visit Kazakhstan, or are at least considering the possibility.
You SHOULD go to Google, or your favourite search engine, and do a little research beforehand, especially if this will be your first trip. This blog are pretty much just random thoughts, as they occur to me, rather than an attempt at a comprehensive guide to this interesting country.
There will be some things posted here, that you may disagree with, once you have visited Kzk. Fair enough, I’m not touting this text as anything other than my own personal view of life over here.
There may be some factual errors, or facts simply presented a little too simplistically, or without any polite ‘fluff’ around.
All info typed here has been collated from personal experience, if you want solid facts, I suggest something like the CIA’s page on Kazakhstan.
Anyway, enough of the preliminary blurb, onto the meat of the matter:

Things that may grab your attention whilst you’re over here:

Men nearly always shake hands upon meeting one another, even more so if it is the first time you’ve met. Women don’t. If they are family, there may be a peck on the cheek, or a quick embrace. This area is still a little fuzzy to me, so I just stand back and accept whatever comes my way :>

That is all I’m posting for today, will try and post some more tomorrow - better to learn to walk before I try sprinting. OK, well jogging maybe…