Sunday, June 9, 2013

Israeli leader accuses Iran of cyberattacks

(AP) ? Israel's prime minister said Sunday there has been a "significant rise" in cyberattacks on Israel by Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu told a security conference that Iran, along with its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas, are targeting Israel's "essential systems." He said the water system, electric grid, trains and banks have all been targeted.

"Every sphere of civilian economic life, let's not even talk about our security, is a potential or actual cyberattack target," Netanyahu said. He said the attacks "will continue to intensify as we advance into the digital age."

Netanyahu gave no further details, and his office refused to elaborate.

Israeli officials have long said that the country is under constant attack by enemies and ideological opponents to shut down vital websites. Most attacks have had little impact.

Shlomi Dolev, a cybersecurity expert at Israel's Ben-Gurion University, said it is logical to assume that Iran is trying to attack Israeli targets. He said Israel is under constant threat, though he could not verify the sources.

"I'm not sure how sophisticated they are. But they of course have some experts," Dolev said.

Israel considers Iran to be its most dangerous enemy, citing Tehran's support for Arab militant groups, its years of hostile anti-Israel rhetoric and its suspect nuclear program. Israel, like many Western countries, believes Iran is trying to develop a nuclear bomb.

Israel is a world leader in cyber security, thanks in large part to expertise developed in shadowy high-tech units in the military. Israel is widely expected of launching sophisticated computer attacks on its enemies, including a worm that targeted Iran's nuclear program and caused significant damage.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-06-09-ML-Israel-Iran/id-a761a8e732e04f51bdc3932684bca883

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Equipment operator to be charged in Pa. building collapse

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? A felon who was allegedly high while operating demolition equipment when a downtown building collapsed and killed six people will be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a top city official said Friday.

Sean Benschop, 42, faces six manslaughter counts along with six counts of risking a catastrophe, six counts of reckless endangerment and other charges, Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison told The Associated Press.

Authorities believe Benschop had been using an excavator Wednesday when what was left of the four-story building gave way and fell on top of a neighboring Salvation Army thrift store, killing two employees and four customers, and injuring 13 others.

A toxicology report showed "evidence that he was high" on marijuana, Gillison said. That finding, combined with witness statements and evidence from the scene, led to the decision Friday to raid his North Philadelphia home and later seek an arrest warrant, he said.

"The D.A. has approved it (his arrest), and my police officers are out looking for him as we speak," said Gillison, the deputy mayor for public safety.

Benschop, who also goes by the name Kary Roberts, has been arrested at least 11 times since 1994 on charges ranging from drugs to theft to weapons possession, according to court records. He was twice sentenced to prison in the 1990s after being convicted on drug trafficking charges. Benschop's last arrest, for aggravated assault, came in January 2012, but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Benschop did not return phone messages left at numbers listed in his name, though he told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday that he couldn't comment because of the investigation.

The victims include a pair of 24-year-old artist friends shopping at the store and a newly engaged woman working her first day there.

Video shot of the scene days before the fatal collapse showed bricks falling onto a sidewalk, which remained open to pedestrians, as a worker used heavy equipment to take out a front wall.

Some blame has been lobbed at demolition contractor Griffin Campbell, whose background includes arrests for drugs, assault and insurance fraud, along with two bankruptcy filings. He was being paid $10,000 for the job, according to the demolition permit.

Campbell violated several federal safety regulations, while building owner Richard Basciano should have picked a more qualified and competent contractor to do the work, said lawyer Robert Mongeluzzi, who represents injured store worker Nadine White in a lawsuit filed against the pair.

"From what we can understand, given (Campbell's) checkered past, and what appears to be a total lack of experience and know-how, we believe that was a grossly negligent selection," said Mongeluzzi, who won court permission Friday to examine the debris after city officials finish their investigation.

The collapse has brought swift and mounting fallout in a city where demolition contractors are lightly regulated. Officials have begun inspecting hundreds of demolition sites citywide, and a city councilman charged that dangerous, under-the-radar tear-downs are taking place throughout Philadelphia.

The city is preparing to implement sweeping changes in its regulations of building demolition, Mayor Michael Nutter said Friday, adding that every active demolition site is being inspected for safety.

The mayor appeared forlorn at the afternoon news conference at City Hall, apologizing to the victims' families for the deaths and promising the city would do better.

"We lack the resources to have a police officer on every corner, or L&I (License and Inspections) at every construction site every hour of the day, (but) we can do much better," Nutter said. "We will not accept the status quo in the face of this tragedy."

Nutter's reform plan for construction sites that includes the random drug testing of heavy equipment operators.

"If that's a factor here, that certainly takes things in a very different direction," Nutter said hours before the charges were confirmed.

The mayor also pledged to adopt tougher background requirements for demolition contractors, including information about each worker's experience, and more frequent site inspections when demolitions are underway.

Construction engineers have said adjacent buildings should be evacuated during critical phases of a demolition project. The other victims also include two immigrants from Africa, a 68-year-old man from Liberia described as a devoted husband and Salvation Army worker, and a 52-year-old woman from Sierra Leone who had nine children and loved to hunt for bargains.

The Salvation Army was concerned enough about the demolition that its attorneys reached out to a lawyer for building owner STB Investments Corp., a company linked to prominent businessman and developer Richard Basciano.

"There was communication between The Salvation Army and the attorney of the neighboring building's owner, pertaining to the demolition. The neighbor assured The Salvation Army that they would be taking proper precautions," Maj. Robert W. Dixon, director of operations of The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia, said in a statement Friday afternoon.

"These discussions were never finalized," he said.

___

Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers JoAnn Loviglio, Kevin Begos and Keith Collins contributed to this report, along with AP's News and Information Research Center.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/equipment-operator-charged-pa-collapse-224153913.html

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88% Upstream Color

All Critics (81) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (10) | DVD (1)

A cerebral, mournful mystery that resonates like a tuning fork struck on a far-off star.

It presents us with a glimpse of the vastness of existence, of our inner nature, and of nature without that is as equally dreadful, enveloping, and terrifying as it is beautiful.

"Upstream Color" is splendid, transcendent weirdness.

Sci-fi might have been too familiar a word, for what may induce a kind of hallucinatory melancholy in its viewers.

Elliptical and utterly fascinating adventure in cinema, one that defies simple explanations, but worms its way into the brain.

Carruth's complex and muted thriller is exquisitely made and acted. It's a film that challenges the viewer provoking fine existential questions.

No, there aren't any extras to speak of, and it doesn't matter. Shane Carruth's mesmerizing fantasy is still a must-own.

May represent a milestone in modern indie cinema, or at least a steppingstone between the smart microbudget work signified by star Amy Seimetz and the more grandiose aspirations associated with someone like -- dare I invoke the name? -- Stanley Kubrick.

Very few movies actually invite us in, meet us halfway, or offer us something. Upstream Color does that in such a unique, singular way that it's unlike almost any other movie I've ever seen.

Those who require a beating pulse to set the tempo for jigsaw puzzle moviegoing are hereby warned, as Carruth isn't interested in making things easy. He wants to squeeze your mind, not hold your hand.

It's not designed to stump or baffle but to beckon you into its wondrously chilly gray world. If it takes a few viewings to unlock (most of) its secrets then lucky you; you spent high-quality time you might have wasted on Pain & Gain.

If Shane Carruth's time-traveling debut Primer was about outthinking what you might do in the future, his second movie, Upstream Color, is about deciphering why you feel the way you do right now.

I have no idea what it was about, and I can't wait to see it again.

My immediate desire when it ended was to stay in my seat and watch it all the way through again.

Swooning, frightening, intoxicating, and a cinematic experience that feels genuinely new.

...works on its own idiosyncratic wavelength, one that isn't alienating, but isn't quite approachable either.

Its plot isn't particularly complicated, but it is undeniably weird. if you accept the movie on its own terms, you'll feel like you've been pulled into a creepy yet compelling dream.

Shane Carruth continues to grow as a filmmaker even as he remains keen to puzzle and perhaps frustrate. Upstream Color is, above all else, an unforgettable experience.

I found it one of the most invigorating and intoxicating movie experiences of the year.

There's some sort of genius buried within Upstream Color, but it's so enigmatic and obscure that by the time you reach it after digging through its countless layers you'll likely never find your way back again.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/upstream_color/

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