They Shouted Out Names... Then Fired: Minute By Minute, How The Horror Unfolded In Paris Magazine Newsroom As Terrorists Slaughtered 12 Innocent Victims

The British newspaper the Daily Mail continues to offer good coverage of the Paris terrorist attack.

Dressed from head to toe in black, two heavily armed gunman emerge from their small black Citroen at 11:20 am on a chilly and dry Paris Day.

One carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and both are armed with Kalashnikovs. 

A third man is in the car. Having abandoned the vehicle in the middle of the tree-lined street, the pair make their way towards the door of No 6, Rue Nicolas-Appert. 

'Is this Charlie Hebdo?' they scream at two unassuming maintenance workers. The men tell them the office of the satirical magazine is two doors down and the gunman move on, but not before shooting dead one of the workers - the first of their 12 victims.   

You can read the rest of the piece, see the photos and watch the videos via the below link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2901191/They-shouted-names-fired-Minute-minute-horror-unfolded-magazine-newsroom.html

Note: The above cartoon was drawn by the Canberra Times' David Pope. I like to think that the murdered cartoonists would appreciate it.  

The Most Underrated Bond Movie: 'License To Kill,' 25 Years Later

Back in July, Bob Sassone at Esquire.com took a second look at License To Kill, 25 years after the film came out.

When anyone makes a list of the best James Bond movies, you can be guaranteed of two things: One, Die Another Day will not be on that list (that damn invisible car! the CGI wave surfing! Madonna!). And two, Goldfinger, Casino Royale, and From Russia with Love will all be somewhere on almost every list. But one of the best 007 flicks hardly ever gets mentioned, and it's celebrating its 25th anniversary today.

License to Kill isn't actively disliked by serious Bond fans or even casual fans. Most would say they like it more than Timothy Dalton's debut as the secret agent, The Living Daylights (an okay but ultimately minor Bond film). But to many people it's "that movie that isn't like a real Bond film" or "the last movie that guy Dalton made." But here's the deal: It's not only better than some of the Pierce Brosnan Bond flicks, it's better than some of the Sean Connerys.

I know, I know, saying such a thing could have you committed to some movie-related loony bin. Look, Connery remains my favorite Bond (and Goldfinger remains my favorite Bond movie), but License to Kill is one of the best Bonds and deserves a second look.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/license-to-kill-most-underrated-bond-movie

Note: I agree with Bob Sassone that License To Kill is one of the best Bond films.

Although I believe Sean Connery is the best Bond actor, in my view, Timothy Dalton is the second best actor to portray James Bond.

Dalton is a very good actor and he looks and acts like Ian Fleming's James Bond. I wish he had made more Bond films.

I like that in License To Kill the Bond film makers used the Florida bait shop material from Ian Fleming's novel Live and Let Die, which was not used in the Roger Moore film based on the thriller.

They even used Live and Let Die's dark, sarcastic note left by the criminals on Felix Leiter's torn and bloody body. He had been dropped into a shark tank and lost a leg and part of an arm to the shark's terrible bites.

"He disagreed with something that eat him," the note read. 

I like Robert Davi as the drug lord villain in the film. Murderous, vicious and half-crazed, Davi is one of the best villains since the Sean Connery-Bond films from the 1960s.

The supporting cast is also very good, including the two women in the film, Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto. Both women offer strong performances as well as being very attractive.

The other good supporting cast includes Anthony Zerbe as a criminal associate to Davi, and a nasty young Benicio Del Toro as Davi's henchman. David Hedison portrays Bond's CIA pal, Felix Leiter, repeating the role he portrayed in Live and Let Die, and Desmond Llewellyn gives an expanded performance as "Q" as he aids Bond' in the field.   

I agree that License To Kill deserves a second look.

I Am Charlie: 100,000 French Citizens Rally In Support Of Satirical Newspaper Victims of Terrorist Massacre

The British newspaper the Daily Mail offers good coverage of the attack on a satirical newspaper in Paris by Islamic fanatical terrorists.

Two brothers were tonight named as being among the suspects involved in a deadly terrorist attack on an anti-Islamist newspaper in France.

Said Kouachi, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 33 (seen in the above photo), were identified along Hamyd Mourad, 19, with all three from the Paris commuter town of Gennevilliers.

At least 100, 000 people gathered across France tonight to back the Charlie Hebdo publication, as a huge manhunt was launched to find the attackers.

The suspected Al Qaeda militants massacred 12 people in Paris today - and among those slaughtered was a police officer as he begged for mercy. Tonight, thousands of people went to Republique Square near the scene to honour the victims, holding signs reading 'Je suis Charlie' - 'I am Charlie'.

You can check out the Daily Mail's news reports, photos and video via the below link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2900259/Gunmen-kill-11-Charlie-Hebdo-attack.html

U.S. Navy Commander Pleads Guilty In International Bribery Scandal

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A commander in the U.S. Navy pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges today, admitting that he provided a government contractor with classified ship schedules and other internal U.S. Navy information in exchange for cash, travel and entertainment expenses, as well as the services of prostitutes.  A second U.S. Navy officer was also indicted today on related bribery charges by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy of the Southern District of California, Director Andrew L. Traver of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Deputy Inspector General of Investigations James B. Burch of the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) made the announcement.

“Commander Sanchez sold out his command and country for cash bribes, luxury hotel rooms, and the services of prostitutes,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “After today’s guilty plea, instead of free stays at the Shangri-La hotel, Sanchez is facing many nights in federal prison.  The Department of Justice’s Criminal Division is committed to prosecuting those who abuse positions of public trust for personal enrichment at the expense of national security and the American taxpayers.”

“During the course of the investigation into this criminal enterprise, investigators have compiled voluminous evidence identifying multiple persons of interest, generating numerous leads, and establishing and corroborating connections,” said Director Traver. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners are committed to seeing this massive fraud and bribery investigation through to its conclusion, so that those responsible are held accountable.”

“This outcome yet again sends the message that corruption will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” said Deputy Inspector General of Investigations Burch.  “This is an unfortunate example of dishonorable Naval officers who recklessly risked the safety of our troops by trading classified information for cash, extravagant gifts and prostitutes.  Cases such as these are not motivated by need or other difficult personal circumstances; they are the product of simple greed.  This investigation should serve as a warning that those who compromise the integrity of the United States will face their day of reckoning.  DCIS and our law enforcement partners will pursue these crimes relentlessly.”

Jose Luis Sanchez, 42, an active duty U.S. Navy Officer stationed in San Diego, California, is one of seven defendants charged – and the fifth to plead guilty – in the corruption probe involving Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), a defense contractor based in Singapore that serviced U.S. Navy ships and submarines throughout the Pacific.  Sanchez pleaded guilty to bribery and bribery conspiracy before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Bartick of the Southern District of California.  A sentencing hearing was scheduled for March 27, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Janis L. Sammartino.

According to his plea agreement, from April 2008 to April 2013, Sanchez held various logistical positions with the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet in Asia.  Sanchez admitted that, beginning in September 2009, he entered into a bribery scheme with Leonard Glenn Francis, the CEO of GDMA, in which Sanchez provided classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and other sensitive U.S. Navy information to Francis and used his position and influence within the U.S. Navy to benefit GDMA.

In return, Francis gave him things of value such as cash, travel and entertainment expenses, and the services of prostitutes.  Sanchez admitted that this bribery scheme continued until September 2013.  Francis was charged in a complaint unsealed on Nov. 6, 2013, with conspiring to commit bribery; that charge remains pending.

In his plea agreement, Sanchez admitted to seven specific instances in which he provided Francis with classified U.S. Navy ship and submarine schedules.  He also admitted using his position and influence with the U.S. Navy to benefit GDMA and Francis on various occasions.  Further, Sanchez admitted that he tipped Francis off about investigations into GDMA overbillings and briefed Francis on internal U.S. Navy deliberations. 

Sanchez further admitted that, in exchange for this information, Francis provided him with cash, entertainment and stays at high-end hotels.  For example, in May 2012, Francis paid for Sanchez to stay five nights at the Shangri-La, a luxury hotel in Singapore, and, two months later, Francis paid for Sanchez’s travel from Asia to the United States, at a cost of over $7,500.  Additionally, Francis arranged and paid for the services of prostitutes for Sanchez while Sanchez was in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.

In addition to Sanchez, two other U.S. Navy officials – former NCIS Special Agent John Beliveau and Petty Officer First Class Dan Layug – have pleaded guilty in connection with this investigation.Two former GDMA executives, Alex Wisidagama and Edmond Aruffo, have likewise pleaded guilty.

Also today, an indictment was returned against U.S. Navy Captain-Select Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz, 47, of San Diego, California, charging him with a bribery conspiracy and seven counts of bribery.  According to allegations in the indictment, from at least as early as July 2011 until  September 2013, Misiewicz provided classified U.S. Navy ship schedules and other sensitive U.S. Navy information to Francis and used his position and influence within the U.S. Navy to benefit GDMA. 

In return Francis allegedly gave him things of value such as cash, travel and entertainment expenses, and the services of prostitutes.

The charges contained in a criminal complaint and indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by NCIS, DCIS and the Defense Contract Audit Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Director of Procurement Fraud Catherine Votaw and Trial Attorney Brian R. Young of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark W. Pletcher and Robert S. Huie of the Southern District of California.

Those with information relating to fraud, corruption or waste in government contracting should contact the NCIS anonymous tip line at www.ncis.navy.mil or the DOD Hotline at www.dodig.mil/hotline, or call (800) 424-9098.

National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration Employee Charged With Computer Breach Met Senior Chinese Official In Beijing

Veteran national security reporter Bill Gertz at the freebeacon.com offers a piece on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee charged with a computer security breach who met with a senior Communist Chinese official in China.

A federal weather service employee charged with stealing sensitive infrastructure data from an Army Corps of Engineers database met a Chinese government official in Beijing, according to court documents that reveal the case to be part of an FBI probe of Chinese economic espionage.

Xiafen “Sherry” Chen, an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office in Ohio, was arrested in October and charged in a federal grand jury indictment with illegally accessing the Army’s National Inventory of Dams (NID).

The NID is a sensitive database containing information on all U.S. dams. U.S. intelligence officials have said the database was compromised by Chinese hackers in 2013 as part of covert efforts by Beijing to gather sensitive information on critical U.S. infrastructure for possible use in a future conflict.

According to an FBI document in the case made public Dec. 30, Ms. Chen and Jiao Yong, an official of the Ministry of Water Resources in Beijing, exchanged a series of emails in May 2012 indicating that the two met in Beijing that year and that she was searching for, and would provide, dam-related information for him.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/noaa-employee-charged-with-computer-breach-met-senior-chinese-official-in-beijing/

You can also read the U.S. Justice Department's October 20, 2014 release on Chen's indictment below:

DAYTON, OHIO –  Xiafen “Sherry” Chen, 59, of Wilmington, Ohio, was indicted in U.S. District Court for allegedly accessing restricted U.S. Government files. Chen is a hydrologist currently employed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) facility located in Wilmington, Ohio.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kevin R. Cornelius, Special Agent in Charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the NOAA Administrator and George Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Investigations and Threat Management Division announced the indictment today. 

The indictment alleges that on various dates in May 2012, Chen illegally accessed restricted areas of a protected U.S. Government computer database and downloaded sensitive files from the National Inventory of Dams.  This database is maintained and controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with the National Dam Safety Review Board.

The indictment further alleges that on June 11, 2013, Chen provided materially false statements to officials from the Department of Commerce Office of Security who were assigned to investigate her activities. 

The indictment charges Chen with one count of theft of U.S. Government property, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; one count of illegally accessing a U.S. Government computer database, a crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and two counts of making materially false statements to federal agents, crimes each punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

Chen was arrested today by FBI agents at her place of work at the Wilmington, Ohio NOAA facility.
U.S. Attorney Stewart commended FBI and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Security who are jointly investigating this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Dwight Keller is representing the government in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.   

The U.S. Navy's Top 2014 Photos

 

As an old Navy guy - you can take the boy out of the Navy, but you can't take the Navy out of the boy - I was interested in viewing the photos the U.S. Navy deemed their best of 2014.

The above photo, taken by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney, shows the littoral combat ships USS Independence (LCS 2), left, and USS Coronado (LCS 4) underway in the Pacific Ocean.

The above photo, taken by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katie Lash, shows the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) leading a formation of ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 during a maneuvering exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.

The above photo, taken by John Narewski, shows Sonar Technician (Submarine) 2nd Class William Wade holding his daughter for the first time moments after the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Annapolis (SSN 760) arrived at Submarine Base New London. The submarine conducted a scheduled deployment  in the European and Central Command areas of responsibility.

You can see more Navy photos via the below link:

http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2014/12/31/top-u-s-navy-photos-of-2014/

Note: You can click on the photos to enlarge.

Rush Is Right: James Bond Is White - Here's A Big Reason Why

Joe Concha at mediaite.com weighs in on the black James Bond controversy, highlighted by conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh's comments that Bond was white and should only be played by white actors.

Give Rush Limbaugh credit: the guy certainly knows how to stir a debate over topics few would touch for politically correct reasons.

The latest controversy stirred up by the 63-year-old radio icon (and regardless of your opinion on Rush’s politics, the “icon” label has absolutely been earned, given his huge audience and decades of success in the business) surrounds the prospect of Idris Elba–a black British actor–playing James Bond on the big screen.

And as you may have heard, Limbaugh is staunchly against the idea, stating, “That’s NOT who James Bond is, and I know it’s racist to probably even point this out: We had 50 years of white Bonds because Bond is white. Bond was never black. Ian Fleming never created a black Brit to play James Bond. The character was always white. He was always Scottish.”

The argument against Rush is that a fictional character can be whomever since he isn’t based on an actual person. That said, it’s not Limbaugh’s opinion that matters here, nor Sony’s, regardless of holding rights to the franchise. Instead, the only person who has a say in who exactly Bond is… is one Ian Fleming, who created 007 in his mind back in 1952 when writing the first of many books on the spy character starting with the timeless Casino Royale.

So just how did Fleming–who passed away back in 1964–imagine Bond looked like? To find the answer, one has to go back to 1958, when the author agreed to allow London’s Daily Express to create a Bond comic strip, but only under the condition that all published material must be approved by him and him only. Once an agreement was finalized, Fleming hired an artist to draw a portrait of how he envisioned Bond would look like:



You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/rush-is-right-james-bond-is-white-heres-a-very-big-reason-why/

You can also read my Crime Beat column on a black James Bond via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2014/12/my-crime-beat-column-black-james-bond.html

Note: The top photo show Sean Connery - the actor Joe Concha correctly calls the "Gold Standard" for portraying James Bond - as he first appears as Bond in the first Bond film Dr No.