12 Photos of Lunar Eclipses

Beer - Calories, Carbs and Alcohol

BEER & YOUR HEALTH

Calories, carbs and alcohol

This information about calories, carbohydrates and the alcohol content of the beers listed here comes from many sources.

For purposes of consistency, calories and carbs are based on 12-ounce servings. Alcohol content is listed by volume (a beer that is 4.0% by volume is about 3.2% by weight).

Brewery/Brand

Beer

Alcohol %

Calories

Carbs

Amstel Light	Amstel Light	3.5	95	5
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan Amber	5.0
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan Pale Ale	4.6
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan Stout	5.7
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan ESB	5.0
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan Smoked Porter	6.1
Alaskan Brewing	Alaskan Winter Ale	6.2
Anchor	Anchor Steam	4.9	152
Anchor	Liberty Ale	6.0	188
Anchor	Anchor Porter	5.6	205
Anchor	Old Foghorn	8-10
Anchor	Anchor Small	3.3
Anderson Valley	Boont Amber	5.8
Anderson Valley	Hop Ottin'	7.0
Anderson Valley	Poleeko Gold	5.5
Anderson Valley	Belk's ESB	6.8
Anderson Valley	Barney Flats Oatmeal	5.7
Anderson Valley	Winter Solstice	6.9
Anderson Valley	High Rollers Wheat	5.3
Anderson Valley	Deep Enders Porter	5.5
Beamish	Beamish Stout	3.8	131
Beck's	Beck's	5.0	143
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Two Hearted Ale	7.0
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Amber Ale	5.5
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Pale Ale	5.0
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo Stout	6.5
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Oberon	6.0
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Double Cream Stout	7.5
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Third Coast Old Ale	10.2
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Expedition Stout	10.0
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Best Brown Ale	5.8
Bell's/Kalamazoo	Cherry Stout	8.0
Blue Moon	Blue Moon White	5.4	171	12.9
Breckenridge	Avalanche Amber	5.4
Breckenridge	Autumn Ale	6.7
Breckenridge	Pale Ale	5.7
Breckenridge	Christmas Ale	7.4
Breckenridge	Oatmeal Stout	5.0
Breckenridge	Pandora's Bock	5.8
BridgePort	IPA	5.5
BridgePort	Porter	5.5
BridgePort	ESB	6.1
BridgePort	Black Strap Stout	6.0
BridgePort	Blue Heron	4.9
BridgePort	Pintail Ale	5.2
BridgePort	Ebenezer Ale	6.4
BridgePort	Old Knucklehead	8.9
Budweiser (U.S)	Budweiser	5.0	143	10.6
Budweiser	Bud Light	4.2	95	6.6
Budweiser	Bud Ice	5.5	148	8.9
Budweiser	Bud Ice Light	4.1	110	6.5
Budweiser Budvar	Budvar	5.0
Busch	Busch	4.6	133	10.2
Busch Light	Busch Light	4.2	110	6.7
Busch Ice	Busch Ice	5.9	173	13
Clausthaler	Clausthaler	0.4	96	5.8
Colt 45	Colt 45 Malt Liquor	6.0	172
Coors	Coors Original	5.0	148	11.3
Coors	Coors Light	4.2	102	5.0
Coors	Coors Extra Gold	5.0	147	10.7
Coors	Coors NA	<0.5	73	14.2
Corona	Corona Light	4.5	109	5
Corona	Corona Extra	4.6	148
Czechvar	Czechvar	5.0
Deschutes	Cascade Ale	4.5	140
Deschutes	Mirror Pond Pale	5.3	175
Deschutes	Bachelor ESB	5.0	180
Deschutes	Black Butte Porter	5.2	185
Deschutes	Quail Springs IPA	5.8	200
Deschutes	Obsidian Stout	6.7	220
Deschutes	Jubelale	6.7
Deschutes	Broken Top Bock	7.0	233
Deschutes	Pine Mountain Pils	5.1	154
Deschutes	Cinder Cone Red	5.8	180
Dos Equis	Dos Equis XX	4.8	145
Dragon Stout	Dragon Stout	6.8	220
Edison Light	Edison Light	4.0	109	6.5
Foster's	Foster's Lager	5.1	156
Fuller's	Fuller's ESB	5.9
Fuller's	Fuller's London Pride	4.7	156
Genesee/High Falls	Genesee 12 Horse	4.8	152	14
Genesee/High Falls	Genny Light	3.6	96	5.5
Genesee/High Falls	Kipling Light Lager	3.4	99	8.0
Grolsch	Grolsch	5.0	156
Gordon Biersch	Märzen	5.7
Gordon Biersch	Blonde Bock	7.0
Gordon Biersch	Pilsner	5.3
Guinness	Guinness Draught	4.0	125	10
Guinness	Foreign Extra Stout	7.5	176	14
Hamm's	Hamm's	4.7	144	12.1
Hamm's	Hamm's Light	4.1	110	7.3
Heineken	Heineken	5.4	166	9.8
Heineken	Heineken Light	3.5	99	6.8
Henry Weinhard's	Weinhard's Amber Ale	5.3	169	14
Henry Weinhard's	Weinhard's Dark	4.8	150	13.1
Henry Weinhard's	Weinhard's Hefeweizen	4.9	128	9.2
Henry Weinhard's	Private Reserve	4.5	128	9.2
Hoegaarden	Hoegaarden	5.0
I.C. Light	I.C. Light	4.2	95	2.8
Icehouse	Icehouse 5.0	5.0	132	8.7
Icehouse	Icehouse 5.5	5.5	149	9.8
J.W. Dundee	Honey Brown	4.5	150	13.5
Keystone	Keystone Light	4.2	100	5.0
Kilarney's	Kilarney's Red Lager	5.0	197	22.8
Killian's	Killian's	4.9	163	13.8
Labatt	Labatt Blue	5.0	153
Lowenbräu	Lowenbräu	5.2	160

Marin Brewing	Mt. Tam Pale Ale	5.0
Marin Brewing	Bluebeery Ale	5.0
Marin Brewing	Albion Amber	5.0
Marin Brewing	Marin Weiss	5.0
Marin Brewing	Point Reyes Porter	6.0
Marin Brewing	Breakout Stout	6.0
Marin Brewing	Old Dipsea Barleywine	9.0
Marin Brewing	India Pale Ale	6.0
McMenamins	Hammerhead	5.8
McMenamins	Terminator	6.4
McMenamins	Ruby	4.1
McMenamins	Black Rabbit Porter	5.5
McMenamins	Dry Irish Stout	4.6
Michelob	Michelob	5.0	155	13.3
Michelob	Michelob Light	4.3	113	6.7
Michelob	Michelob Amber Bock	5.2	166	15.0
Michelob	Michelob Hefeweizen	5.0	152	11.8
Michelob	Michelob Honey Lager	4.9	175	17.4
Michelob	Michelob Black & Tan	5.0	168	15.8
Michelob	Michelob Ultra	4.2	95	2.6
Mickey's	Mickey's	5.6	157	11.2
Mickey's	Mickey's Ice	5.9	165	11.8
Miller	Miller Genuine Draft	5	143	13.1
Miller	Miller Genuine Draft Lite	4.2	110	7
Miller	Miller High Life	5.5	156	11
Miller	Miller Lite	4.2	96	3.2
Moosehead	Moosehead	5.0	153
Murphy's	Murphy's Irish Red	5.0	171
Murphy's	Murphy's Stout	4.0	150
O'Douls	O'Douls	0.4	70	13.3
O'Douls	O'Douls Amber	0.4	90	18
Odell's	90 Shilling	5.3
Odell's	Easy Street Wheat	4.7
Odell's	Cutthroat Porter	4.5
Odell's	Cutthroat Pale Ale	5.1
Odell's	Levity	5.0
Odell's	Isolation	6.0
Odell's	Bobby	4.6
Olde English 800	Olde English 800	5.9	160	10.5
Olde English 800	Olde English 800 Ice	7.9	216	14.3
Old Milwaukee	Old Milwaukee	5.0	156
Pabst	Pabst	5.0	152
Paulaner	Paulaner Original Munich	5.5
Paulaner	Salvator	7.5	251
Paulaner	Paulaner Hefe-Weizen	5.5
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Wicked Ale	5.3	174	17.7
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Oktoberfest	5.8	189	16.9
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Summer Brew	4.7	163	15.6
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Winter Brew	5.2	170	15.2
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Helles Lager	5.0	163	14.6
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Red Rush	5.3	170	14.8
Pete's Brewing	Pete's Strawberry Blonde	5.0	160	13.6
Pilsner Urquell	Pilsner Uruqell	4.3	160
Pittsburgh Brewing	I.C. Light	4.1	95	2.8
Pittsburgh Brewing	Iron City Lager	4.5	140	10
Pyramid	Hefeweizen	5.2
Pyramid	Coastline Pilsner	5.0
Pyramid	Apricot Ale	5.1
Pyramid	India Pale Ale	6.7
Pyramid	Pale Ale	5.1
Pyramid	Curve Ball Kölsch	4.8
Pyramid	Broken Rake	6.4
Pyramid	Tilted Kilt	6.3
Pyramid	Snow Cap Ale	7.0
Red Dog	Red Dog	5.0	147	14.1
Redhook	Redhook ESB	5.8	179	14.2
Redhook	Redhook IPA	6.5	188	12.7
Redhook	Redhook Blonde Ale	5.4	166	13.1
Redhook	Redhook Hefe-weizen	5.2	155	10.9
Redhook	Redhook Nut Brown	5.6	181	16
Rhinebecker	Rhinebecker	5	106	2.5
St. Pauli Girl	St. Pauli Girl	4.9	148
St. Pauli Girl	St. Pauli Girl Dark	4.8	150
St. Pauli Girl	St. Pauli Girl N.A.	<0.5	96	23
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Light	4.05	124	9.7
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Boston Lager	4.8	160
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Golden Pilsner	4.6	145
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Cream Stout	4.7	195
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Boston Ale	4.9	160
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Cherry Wheat	5.2	166
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Spring Ale	5.2	170
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Summer Ale	5.4	175
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Pale Ale	5.3	145
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Octoberfest	5.7	165
Sam Adams	Sam Adams IPA	5.9	175
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Winter Lager	5.8	190
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Double Bock	8.5	240
Sam Adams	Sam Adams Triple Bock	17.5	340
Sapporo	Sapporo Reserve	5.2
Shiner	Shiner Bock	4.4	143	12.5
Shiner	Shiner Light	3.9	120	9
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Pale Ale	5.7	171	14.1
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Porter	5.7	194	18.4
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Stout	6.4	225	22.3
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Wheat	4.7	153	13.1
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Summerfest	4.9	158	13.7
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Celebration	6.6	214	19.4
Sierra Nevada	Sierra Nevada Bigfoot	9.9	330	30.3
Stone Brewing	Arrogant Bastard Ale	7.2
Stone Brewing	Stone Pale Ale	5.4
Stone Brewing	Stone Smoked Porter	5.9
Stone Brewing	Stone IPA	6.9
Stone Brewing	Ruination IPA	7.7
Stone Brewing	Double Bastard Ale	10
Stone Brewing	Stone Old Guardian	9.9
Tsingtao	Tsingtao	4.7	152
Widmer	Widmer Hefeweizen	4.7	159
Widmer	Widmer Pale Ale	5.0
Widmer	Widmer Blonde Ale	4.3
Widmer	Widmer Widberry	4.6
Widmer	Widmer Sommerbrä	4.8
Widmer	Widmer Oktoberfest	5.0
Widmer	Widmer Winternacht	7.0
Widmer	Spring Run IPA	6.0
Widmer	Drop Top Amber Ale	4.9
Yuengling	Premium	4.4	135-140	12
Yuengling	Light	3.8	98	6.6
Yuengling	Ale	5.0	145-150	10
Yuengling	Porter	4.5	150-155	14
Yuengling	Lager	4.4	135-140	12
Yuengling	Black & Tan	4.5	150-155	14
Yuengling	Light Lager	3.6	96	8.5

Curved iMac

Designer: Nuno Teixeira

HDR Photographs

20 Beautiful HDR Pictures

There are some photography techniques that really give me the goose bumps, but the good ones. HDR is one of those techniques... and you'll probably love these as much as I do.

"In computer graphics and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of exposures (the range of values between light and dark areas) than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows." - From Wikipedia.

What I've read on some foruns is that a program called Photomatix does the job... Does anybody have already used it? I'm looking forward to it. Well... either way, if I don't get to use it, I'll probably find out how to simulate that effect on Photoshop. All these pictures are from a Flickr HDR Group.

Author: Paulo Antunes | If you want to write an article and have it published here send it via email to abduzeedo[at]abduzeedo.com

AT&T

Snip from a BLF missive:

The Billboard Liberation Front today announced a major new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency. Focusing on billboards in the San Francisco area, this improvement action is designed to promote and celebrate the innovative collaboration of these two global communications giants.

America the beautiful has never been more hideous

Published by Fred Soto• February 26th, 2008

President Bush and his Lawless Administration

No, this article isn't going to delve into the illegal war in Iraq, although the evidence is mounting on that case as well. Today, I'd like to bring your attention to FISA. While the war in Iraq is an issue that will yield debate for decades and maybe centuries to come, FISA "modernization" is a matter that has not sunk in with the general public. We don't have to die by the FISA sword just yet and as long as there are Americans standing in this nation, no one should sit idly by as corporations attempt to slip a fast one past our national interests.

A brewing FISA Controversy

Allow me to quickly explain how privacy is protected for American citizens normally, then I'll get into FISA and the threat to our constitutional rights and American identity. Think about this issue like you do any federal law that aims to protect the privacy of American citizens while giving law enforcement officials the tools necessary to get the job done. Without going into too much detail, the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution has traditionally granted American citizens the right to privacy without explicitly saying so in the language.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The 4th amendment helps serve as a framework that covers your right to be free from government intrusion, especially in your home and private space. If you've ever seen "Law and Order" or some other show where the main character agonizes over invading a suspected criminal's home because of a lacking warrant, then you understand the concept of liberty that every American citizen enjoys. Even the most unscrupulous of characters are guaranteed the benefit of the doubt when it comes to privacy and that isn't a blunder made by our founders or the countless courts that have visited the issue over the years.

Privacy is important to American citizens, liberty and the right to be free of government intrusion is key to the foundation of our United States constitution and those rights have been severely crippled under the Bush Administration. The biggest threats to our rights are realized through two measures that betrayed the American trust over Bush's years in office, "the Patriot Act" and "the Protect America Act". For people paying attention, it's no secret that the Bush Administration and his allies in the rubber-stamping Congress, worked hard to create names that deceive Americans into foregoing their rights so that they may wage "the War on Terror".

So what is FISA and how does it affects you?

FISA stands for the "Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." It is significant because it creates the legal standards for foreign surveillance. This is basically what governs the ability of our government to "gather intelligence" aka spy on people outside of our borders. FISA is supposed to be focused on capturing terrorist organizations and individuals that might do us harm, but what about when the surveillance involves American citizens — directly or indirectly?

Almost immediately after Bush was inaugurated as President, he had a working surveillance program underway that would spy on American citizens. The system was developed through the department of defense or some other secretive government agency from prior administrations and possibly in conjunction with the telecommunications companies. Although the idea predated Bush's days in office, his predecessors hesitated to set this in motion, perhaps because they had the common sense not to or maybe they were waiting for the perfect time to install the system. The important issue to focus on here is that Bush had no qualms about invading our privacy and violating federal law at the time he signed off on mass surveillance. Remember that September 11th didn't occur for well over six months after the system was set in motion. The story that is fed to the public and through the clueless media is that President Bush enacted the spying program as a result of 9/11.

Bush and his surrogates in Congress argue this as a cause and effect issue and insist nothing fishy was going on. Terrorist attacked our homeland on September 11th, they argue, and therefore the President acted in "our best interests" by soliciting the assistance of the telecommunications industry — to install a mass surveillance program that would sweep the internet and phone records for intel. In that same light, the telecommunications companies acted properly because they fulfilled their "patriotic duty" to this nation and did so only at the request of the President.

Illegal Surveillance of American Citizens

The question before Congress is whether the United States should provide immunity to these corporations that were involved in a surveillance program that most likely violated the constitutional rights of millions of Americans. This "alleged" violation of our constitutional framework was done for the sake of amassing a database of all perceived threats to the American interest. The fact that the President and a few Senate Republicans in-the-know are so adamantly opposed to a FISA bill that allows the legal system to determine whether the law was violated is very telling of their motives. They have something to hide and a good handful of Americans in public office know what that something is.

As you consider FISA legislation and "spying on Americans without a warrant", recognize that President Bush, with the assistance of his newly minted Attorney General Mukasey, has intentionally violated the FISA provisions of 1978. Neither President Bush nor his administration can use the excuse that he had no knowledge he was violating the law or that any of the mass intelligence gathering was inadvertently done. On Friday, Attorney General Mukasey released a statement about our national security and the executive's intent to continue violating FISA of 1978 out of fear of "missing intelligence".

You're either with us or against us…

Attorney General Mukasey said that because immunity "is up for grabs," telecommunications companies are "more and more uncertain, more and more hesitant to cooperate." With that, the fear-driven tactics are once again renewed by the executive and like Mukasey's predecessor Alberto Gonzales, he acts as a shield to executive accountability.

"So, my answer to mom and pop is we're trying to keep you safe, but it's getting increasingly difficult," he said.

To complicate matters more, the Attorney General's office is once again politicized, a serious problem that will lead to future legal entanglements for years to come.

"If the vote were held today, it would pass, by our count, because there are a majority of House members who support it," Mukasey said.

Notice that the attorney general views this as an "us vs. them" and he puts himself squarely on the side of the Executive branch and with the handful of republicans that were aware of the illegal surveillance. The FISA currently enacted as law in the United States is as it was from 1978 until August of 2007 when Congress hurriedly passed the "Protect America Act".

At the time, Congress did this so recklessly in large part because the President cited classified evidence of a serious and imminent terrorist threat to the United States and urged Congress to pass it or else. The last time Bush raised the specter of mushroom clouds and an impending attack from Iraq, he also averted legal accountability and hundreds of billions of dollars later there is no end in sight to the executive's violation of the law. What is the difference between our situation in 2001 and the situation in 2008? For starters, we can do something about FISA in a way that we were unable to do with respect to the Iraq War.

Solving the FISA Crisis and above-the-law Executive Power

First, we must put a stop to all illegal maneuvering by our government and telecommunications companies by drawing the line on immunity as they have done.

President Bush now insists that he will not sign any bills that fail to include immunity for past "alleged" illegal activity. Despite the rhetoric and propaganda that he is making in statements to the press, with some organizations funding television ads against the House leadership, this isn't a lack of the House of Representatives' interest in securing our nation. The reason the house refuses to bring the measure to the floor for a vote is because it is finally standing up for the American people. The House leadership, for once, is showing the courage that our Senate Democrats have not. In fact, it isn't an unwillingness to cooperate with the FISA modernization as they gladly offer the terms of the Senate or House bills for vote. They've become wise to the President's political agenda, however. The only area where the House refuses to compromise is telecommunications immunity. What they refuse to offer is a free pass for any and all illegal acts undertaken by our government or corporations against our citizens. What they are doing right now, until they prove otherwise, is standing up for the people that make this government and nation worthy of praise and admiration.

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know that last week I wrote an emotional piece that garnered a lot of attention, especially over this statement: "I've never been more ashamed to be an American." That was how I felt after the Senate stabbed all Americans in the back on the telecommunications immunity issue. As far as I'm concerned, the House of Representatives is the only hope that people like me and maybe you have for justice in this new era of super patriots, fear mongers and war profiteering.

America is watching and people of the world are at the edge of their seats because they, like I, see a glimmer of hope in America and this time it has nothing to do with Barack Obama. Perhaps America isn't the brutal monster that some corporatist goons in Washington have converted this nation into. Yes, it's true… "America the beautiful" has never been more hideous, but maybe this ugly duckling can turn into a swan if our leaders can show the courage necessary to fight this evil that has tainted our government.

If you liked this article or are generally interested in politics and U.S. current events, please Subscribe to the White House Intel Report, it's free and your support helps keep blogs like this afloat, thanks!

tags:Big Brother, Bush, congress, constitution, Corporatism, corruption, fascism, FISA, illegal, Law, Legislation, surveillance, telecommunications, Warrants

ONION: Bush Vows to Makie it Up to Country, Somehow

Bush Vows To Make It Up To Country Somehow

February 27, 2008 | Issue 44•09

WASHINGTON—Amid allegations that his thoughtless and insensitive decisions have damaged his relationship with the nation, President George W. Bush vowed Monday that he would, starting now, "make everything better."

"This time I'm serious," Bush said. "I am ready to make a fresh start if we can just put the past behind us. I promise."

Bush swears that this time he's really going to pay attention to all 280 million U.S. citizens, and try to do right by them for once.

An estimated 35 million citizens listened to the president's televised remarks while silently crying behind locked bathroom doors.

Though Bush told all Americans they owed it to him to give him one more chance, he admitted that there was no excuse for his mishandling of national affairs.

"Things have just been so crazy at work lately," he said.

During the 14-minute address Bush acknowledged that he and the country had drifted apart. He accepted some of the blame, but stressed that it was partly the American people's fault, and went on to chide them for not giving him an opportunity to explain, not standing behind him, and failing to understand his "very real" need for unchecked executive authority.

"My job is stressful," Bush said. "Trust me, things will calm down in a few months once I don't have to deal with it anymore."

George W. Bush

The president, whose approval ratings have dropped steadily in recent years, said he had no idea how bad things had gotten until he found out that an overwhelming percentage of Americans didn't even bother responding to an opinion poll this month about his recent $3.1 trillion budget proposal.

Bush has since taken steps towards reconciliation with the American people, including promoting a promise to help alleviate the fiscal woes the U.S. has faced in recent months. Bush said he knew that the $300 he intended to give to every citizen "couldn't possibly make up for how [he has] governed," but nevertheless asked the nation to have faith in him.

"I know it's not much, but it's a start, right?" Bush said. "And it hasn't always been bad. Doesn't this remind you of that other $300 rebate I gave you in 2003? You always forget all the times I'm a really great president. We have really had some wonderful moments."

"Cut me some slack here, for Christ's sake," Bush continued. "I'm trying. I really am."

In addition to providing economic relief, Bush said he has taken other measures to strengthen his bond with the nation. According to the president, his newly proposed warrantless-wiretapping bill will greatly broaden the reach of his personal attention to the American people's needs and put him in a position to be more directly involved in their lives.

The president concluded by imploring the nation to help him rectify the situation, stressing that he always has America's best interests at heart but cannot be expected to improve things all by himself.

"You have to realize that everything I do, I do for you," Bush said. "Do you think I like denying health care to underprivileged children, or plunging the country deeper and deeper into debt? Well, I don't, and I hope someday you'll understand that. In the meantime, I'm asking the American people to try to meet me halfway on this."

Despite Bush's seemingly conciliatory stance, public response to Bush's promises has been frosty at best. Cato Institute policy scholar Brian Whitaker echoed the sentiments of many Americans, calling Bush's recent overtures "too little, too late."

"We want to believe that he's finally going to be the president we always wanted, but we've given him so many chances," Whitaker said. "I don't think we can handle another disappointment. Maybe it's time to realize that President Bush will never be the head of state we need him to be."

"Then again, maybe our expectations are unfair," Whitaker added. "He seemed so sincere this time. He wouldn't abuse his executive powers if he didn't care about us, right?"

Whitaker predicted that the nation will likely move forward and try to forget Bush, though it may be difficult for Americans to ever trust a president again. He said the current crop of presidential contenders offers little in the way of an alternative to Bush, but maintained that "at least Barack Obama listens to us."

Flags From the World

United States

China

Colombia

Burkina Faso

Brazil

European Union

Somalia

Hacker holds onto ill-gotten gains thanks to US courts

Oleksandr Dorozhko made almost $300,000 in stock-option trading by using insider information that was obtained after someone hacked into a financial network and stole confidential information concerning a company called IMS Health. Now, the Ukrainian resident is exploiting a loophole that may allow him to keep the ill-gotten gains for good.

That's because US securities laws, unlike those in Europe and elsewhere, define insiders as those with a fiduciary role with a company - say, a corporate executive, investment banker or attorney. As a mere hacker, or as an associate to a mere hacker, Dorozhko had no such function, so the laws cannot be used to seize the assets, a federal judge has ruled.

The strange tale, which was reported here by The New York Times, reads like a chapter out of Catch 22. According to evidence presented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, minutes after someone broke into a network of Thomson Financial and stole a gloomy IMS Health earnings report scheduled to go public a few hours later, Dorozhko invested a little more than $41,000 in put options that bet the company's share price would plunge.

And plunge it did. Dorozhko ended up pocketing more than $296,000 in the transaction. Not bad for a few hours work.

Just about everyone agrees he committed fraud and just about everyone agrees it was for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage in trading shares of IMS Health. And yet, because the information was illegally obtained, US insider laws have no bearing, according to US District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, who ordered the SEC to turn over the money. Ironically, had the insider information been obtained legally, the SEC would most likely have been permitted to seize the funds.

Jeremiah Grossman, the CTO of WhiteHat Security, says here that the loophole, if left unclosed, could also aid hacks that technically don't require the bypassing of password requirements or other security measures. He notes that so-called predictable resource location hacks, in which a person guesses the location of a web document before it goes public, have already been used by Estonian stock traders.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department are probably free to file criminal charges against Dorozhko for computer hacking. But given his status as a Ukrainian, it's doubtful they'd succeed. And even if they did, it's even less likely they'd recover the proceeds.

So thanks to the arcana of US securities laws, illegal hacking does pay.

Coffee Art

Coffee Art

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A little milk and any cup of coffee, chocolate, cappuccino can make your day more beautiful. You can draw, write, give form by pouring milk in your favorite drink. I was impressed to see how easy this can be done. I'll try this myself and add it to the others. If you have any interesting coffee creation, you can leave them in your comments.

How to make everything you imagine with only milk or cream and coffee?

And also a video: coffee art

Sources: tonx,

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