Russia, Russia, Russia

[BigP]

I like Julie
her shoulder pads are too pronounced

They aint no pads Sprint, Thats the top of the vultures wings you can see

[Black Orchid]

It’s known as the “special highway” — a wide, flat road, with a lane down the middle, that links the Kremlin with President Vladimir V. Putin’s residence in the pine woods, 14 miles outside of Moscow.

Reserved by law for emergencies, the median lane is used mostly by Russia’s wealthy and privileged to bypass traffic. To have access to the lane has become a status symbol, the main currency in Russia today.

But the road, which runs through Kutuzovsky and Novy Arbat Avenues, is special in another way, too. Unlike most multiple-lane highways in Russia, this one has no safety barriers to separate traffic flows and discourage pedestrians from being on the road. It is one of the deadliest thoroughfares in the city, according to police reports and traffic experts.

At least five deaths in accidents on the highway in 2017, and two more this year, were related to the lack of a median barrier, according to the reports. One was Sergei V. Grachyov, a traffic policeman and 32 year-old-father of two, who was standing in the middle of the road and died on the scene.

To some, the existence of the special highway without its safety barrier tells a story in microcosm of today’s Russia, where a culture of privilege defines society.

“This is a small mirror that reflects much wider problems in Russia,” said Mikhail Y. Blinkin, the country’s top transportation expert.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/worl ... ghway.html

[Super Nova]

Tis is just scary.... we deserved to be wiped off this planet because collectively we are too stupid to be allowed to remain, the rules of the universe will prevail.

Russia prepares for nuclear war with US

Russian state-owned television is urging the country’s residents to stock their bunkers with water and basic foodstuffs because Moscow could go to war with Washington.
Warning that the potential conflict between the two superpowers would be “catastrophic,” an anchor for Russia’s Vesti 24 showed off shelves of food, recommending that people buy salt, oatmeal and other products that can last a long time on the shelves. Powdered milk lasts five years while sugar and rice can last up to eight years, the newscaster explained before showing videos of pasta cooking in a bomb shelter.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ru ... spartanntp

[Black Orchid]

Up to 400 Australian businesses may have been targeted by suspected Russian state-sponsored cyber attacks that have affected millions of machines worldwide, the Defence Minister Marise Payne has revealed.

The United States, Britain and Australia have alleged Russian Government-backed hackers have infected computer routers around the world in a cyber espionage campaign targeting government agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure operators.

In Australia, hundreds of businesses were affected in 2017, but Cyber Security Minister Angus Taylor said there was no indication their information had been compromised.

Ms Payne said the cyber attacks demonstrated the importance of being vigilant about cyber security.

"The Australian Cyber Security Centre ... believes that potentially 400 Australian companies were targeted, but don't believe there has been any exploitation of significance," she said.

Fergus Hanson from the International Cyber Policy Centre said Russia could be accessing the networks to launch future attacks.

"It is not necessarily the case that you are trying to steal data all the time, conduct espionage, there are other reasons you might want to be inside a network and it could be to conduct an offensive operation at a time of your choosing," he said.

Mr Taylor confirmed a "significant number" of Australian organisations had been affected.

"Commercially available routers were used as a point of entry, demonstrating that every connected device is vulnerable to malicious activity," he said.

"This attempt by Russia is a sharp reminder that Australian businesses and individuals are constantly targeted by malicious state and non-state actors, and we must maintain rigorous cyber security practices."

The report blamed "Russian state-sponsored actors" for using compromised routers to support espionage, extract intellectual property, maintain persistent access to victim networks.

"Russian Government activities continue to threaten our respective safety, security, and the very integrity of our cyber ecosystem," said Jeanette Manfra from the National Protection and Programs Directorate.

"We condemn this latest activity in the strongest possible terms and we will not accept nor tolerate any malign foreign cyber operations, intrusions, or compromises — to include influence operations."

FBI deputy assistant director Howard Marshall said the attacks were part of a repeated pattern carried out by the Russian Government.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-17/a ... ia/9665820

Tutt tutt tutt. Bad Vlad. Very bad Vlad.

[sprintcyclist]

this is a media beatup