Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Gmail Buzz

gmail buzz

Gmail Buzz?
Gmail Buzz? Scott noticed that when you create a label named “buzz” in Gmail, the app will tell you: “Sorry, you can't create a label named 'buzz' (it's a reserved system label). Please try another name” ...

Google Gmail Buzz beu blog
This new service launched today and provides a rich fast sharing experience combining public and private sharing all in your Gmail inbox. Inbox integration is a new feature that allows social interaction within Gmail. Buzz takes a ...

Gmail Buzz
Google Buzz allows users to “autofollow” contacts in their Gmail account. It allows users to share Tweets, photos and more! This new service launched t...

Google Gmail Buzz
Looking up the word “buzz” in Google, we get several definitions, like the following: “If a place is buzzing with activity or conversation, there is a.

Google Buzz re-invents Gmail
Social networks get all the attention, but email remains an important information console for many. That's why the introduction of Google Buzz is so noteworthy. It adds the power of asymmetric following to Gmail's interface.

Gmail Buzz
Google Buzz allows users to “autofollow” contacts in thei r Gmail account. It allows users to share Tweets, photos and more! This new service launched today and provides a rich fast sharing experience combining public and private ...

Google Gmail Buzz
Google rolls its own Facebook & Twitter with Gmail Buzz Looking up the word “buzz” in Google, we get several definitions, like the following: “If a place is buzzing with activity or conversation, there is a lot of activity or ...

Gmail Buzz
[Gmail Buzz]Google.Com has just put out a new product that is Google's Gmail Buzz. With the new Google products, you can update your status, share content like Videos, Photos, etc. with friends, probably not much different function with ...

Facebook status updates in your Gmail - Buzz
I just logged into my gmail to find buzz, a new feature integrated into my gmail. I'm not quite sure what to think of it. Other than google, I don't think anyone wants status updates in their gmail, but perhaps I'm wrong?

Buzzing sound from my turntable?
Hihi! Can any computer experts out there teach me how to crack software?
It's purely for computer interest sake, not for hacking or doing those "bad" stuff. I have basic computer knowledge in terms of hardware, software is kinda poor.
Been reading up on this stuff and know a little that i need to debug the program, replace some .dll codes etc. Or can use reverse engineering etc... any computer techies can simplify this stuff for me?
If you're willing to invest your time and i can see some results and improvements i'm willing to foot a small fee for the knowledge gained. Thanks!! Singaporeans more than welcome, overseas advice through Skype is welcome too. =)

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Windows 8 may enter the market already in 2011


A number of Western internet resources appeared unexplained document, which contains new product release schedule for Microsoft. Schedule covers the next few years. From it, in particular, that the client operating system is Windows 8 will be released as early as 1 July 2011. The new OS will be 128-bit, it will support technology clusters, and one-way replication. In addition, it is expected "to radically change access to the files. Does a given phrase emergence of a new file system - is unclear.

Let me remind you: have repeatedly reported that work on Windows 8 is just beginning, and the new system scheduled to be available no earlier than 2012. It should replace Windows 7, which by that time already, as expected, morally obsolete.

In the mysterious document the dates of releases, and other key products of Microsoft. According to these data, 2 July 2012 the software giant should represent the public office suite Office 2012 and of Windows Server 2012. Control system relational database SQL Server 2011 will be announced by July 1, 2011 th, and the server platform of SharePoint Server 2013 and Exchange 2013 package will be presented to customers July 1, 2013.

It is easy to guess, Microsoft officials did not confirm. But do not refute - just silence.

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Protection PS3 hacked


American hacker George Hotz said that managed to hack a game console PlayStation 3 (PS3), manufactured by Sony. Hotz - the same hacker who in 2007, at the age of 17, broke down the iPhone, which the U.S. initially worked only in the network AT & T. As a result of hacking has become a cult communicator can be used in any network.

Now Hotz claims that the PS3 hacking took him five weeks. According to the hacker, for some time he needed to "fine-tuning" of technology, after which he will publish all the details of hacking on your site.

But now we know: George Hotz hacked PlayStation so that the owners 'opening' of the device were able to download pirated copies of games consoles, as well as their own programs. Hotz himself wrote in his blog: "It is supposedly not be cracking, but there's nothing they can not be hacked. Now I can do with this system, all I want. It feels like I got some great power, but not I know how to use it. "

Until now, PS3 was the only gaming device, which failed to crack - and this for three years of market presence. In one of his online interview with George Hotz said he began to breaking even in the summer of 2009-th and the first three weeks devoted to the study of hardware and game console. After a long break, he paid hacking the console for another two weeks. According to his confession, "the system has a very good defense." In the words of a young hacker, hacking into his scheme, 5% plays the role of iron, and 95% - the software. In order to create a gap in the protection, use the iron, and then from that you can go further. "

Hotz also recognizes that it is not able to crack the system entirely - so it remains inaccessible to the protected memory boxes. However, an attacker could fool the console and make it do what it needs. And most importantly, that he plans to publish the web, this "root key" console, that is a master code. His knowledge of other technical specialists will facilitate the final transcript and hacking established until protection systems.

George Hotz finds that, when work on cracking the PlayStation 3 will be completed, its owners will be able to install the console on different operating systems and play at her own game. In addition, the breakup will give owners the opportunity to play on this console discs, intended for the previous generation of consoles - PS2.

Hotz himself claims that he is motivated by "curiosity and desire to open platform." "Truthfully, I never really did not play on the PS3. I've got one game, but I do it almost did not play" - he says.

But representatives of Sony has just discreetly stated that "the company is examining the statement and clarify the situation with the receipt of more complete information".

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What is interesting processor A4 iPad?

Network edition AppleInsider, traces news from the company Apple, published on its pages a little analysis of the new chip A4, which provides work released last week tablet iPad.

First of all, the review authors note that the A4 - it is not just the processor, the so-called "system-on-Chip" (System-on-a-Chip, SoC), which also include graphics and memory controller.

According to recent data, in A4 integrated ARM processor Cortex-A9 MPCore, which is also used in the platforms Nvidia Tegra 2, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Texas Instruments OMAP4 and several others. A4 clocked at 1 GHz, is made of 45-nanometer process, has 4 cores and the second-level cache (L2) volume of 2 MB. The maximum power consumption does not exceed 0.3 Tues The role of the GPU executes ARM Mali 50.

For comparison - the difference in performance Cortex-A8 (which now runs iPhone 3GS) and Cortex-A9 is 10-20%, which is very significant and noticeable. In addition, A9 more economical battery costs when performing simple "routine" operations.

Another very important point is that the A4 delivers high performance at very low power consumption. For applications developers, it provides 10 hours of battery life when watching videos. This result can now boast of one (!) From the current netbooks, notebooks, tablets, phones or handheld computers (subject to the use of standard batteries). In addition, we should not forget that the battery in the iPad is not very big, and the weight of the device does not exceed 730 grams!

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Steve Jobs unveiled the tablet iPad

For several months a variety of publications to publish information about new product Apple, analysts have vied with each other discussing the functionality and positioning has not yet released Internet tablet from apple. And finally it is a disgrace suspended Steve Jobs, showing the device with the name Apple iPad at a conference in San Francisco. The head of the company is positioning the Tablet PC as a tool for web surfing, listening to music, photo viewing and typing. However, with the latter is debatable, because, whatever one may say, a physical keyboard at the same netbook will be more convenient touch. Housing iPad'a made of aluminum. It is built on the chip Apple A4. Tablet is equipped with a 9.7" display with support for multi-touch, resolution of which is 1024x768 pixels, flash-drive capacity of 16, 32 or 64 GB, a digital compass, Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth version 2.1-and 3.5-millimeter output to headphones. The operating system used iPad OS, declared fully compatible with all applications written for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

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150: physiological constraint on friendship

Perhaps the development of social networks can ever stay of natural causes. Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford, in the mid 90-ies proposed the theory that the human brain is unable to keep in mind information about more than 150 friends ("Dunbar number").

"Other" in the terminology of Dunbar is the man with whom supported emotional connection, communication is carried out at least once a year and about which a person remembers his relationship with other friends.

Physiological limits of the brain does not depend on the properties of a person's character and how he is friendly and sociable. According to the professor, limitations exist in the neocortex, the department responsible for conscious thought and speech.

English professor working on this theory for 15 years - and she has confirmed. Dunbar makes its conclusions based on the analysis of social relations in different social groups - from the first group of settlements of people in the neolithic period to modern office teams. In any situation, as is proved by a scientist, team loses signs of unity and breaks into fragments, as soon as its size exceeds 150 people.

Recently, Professor Dunbar began studying social networks, suggesting that modern technology can change something in the human mind. But nothing has changed. He found that, formally, a person may have a thousand Frendo in the social network, but if you look at traffic, it is easy to see that for every person it is limited to the same maximum range of 150 people.

Women are the easiest to maintain friendship with the discussion of different issues, and men - with the help of joint activities.

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$500 for a bug in Chromium

Under the new program to address the vulnerabilities, Google has announced the payment of remuneration to $500 for every bug in Chromium. If you find a really dangerous vulnerability, the fee will rise to a round sum of $1337 (generally known passion for Google to round numbers).

If you literally read the rules, then the bug must be really dangerous, that is a series of small bugs that lead to potential vulnerabilities are not considered. Bugs operating system, too, are not paid, even if the OS does not close the hole and the patch have to do in the browser.

On the other hand, Google noted that the interesting and unusual bugs will be paid in any event, even if they are not critical.

In general, such a concept is not new and has long been used in Mozilla. According to some commentators, the cost of $500 seems low, because a working exploit can be sold to spammers several times more expensive.

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John Murtha

john murtha

John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. (June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010. The district presently stretches southwest from Johnstown (the largest city in the district and Murtha's hometown).

A former Marine Corps officer, Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Pennsylvania House from 1969 to 1974, in 1974 he narrowly won the special election held to choose the successor to the incumbent, who died in office. In the first decade of the 21st century, Murtha has been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces in Iraq.

In 2006, after the Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections he made a failed bid to be elected House Majority Leader for the 110th Congress (2007–2009) with the open support of the new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. He lost to Steny Hoyer of Maryland. After this defeat, Murtha became chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. He had previously chaired this subcommittee from 1989 to 1995 and served as its ranking Democrat from 1995 to 2007.

Murtha was born into an Irish-American family in New Martinsville, West Virginia; near the border with Ohio and Pennsylvania, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; a largely suburban county east of Pittsburgh.

As a youth, he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.

Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha became a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Murtha remained in the Marine Forces Reserve, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash (which still operates in the West End section of Johnstown.) He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on June 10, 1955. They have three children and live in Johnstown.

Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Murtha was admitted to the hospital after suffering from abdominal pains in December 2009. Murtha had surgery to remove his gallbladder in late January 2010; a week later, he was admitted to the intensive care unit due to complications from the surgery. He died on February 8, 2010.

He was elected to represent the 72nd legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on May 20, 1969.

Murtha faced tough primary challenges in 1982, 1990 and again in 2002. The 1982 challenge occurred when the Republican-controlled state legislature took advantage of Murtha's connection to Abscam, and incorporated most of the district of fellow Democrat and Vietnam War veteran Don Bailey of Westmoreland County into the 12th District.

The 2002 challenge occurred when the state legislature redrew the district of fellow Democrat Frank Mascara to make it more Republican-friendly, but shifted a large chunk of Mascara's former territory into Murtha's district. Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the Democratic primary, since the new 12th contained more of Mascara's old territory than Murtha's. However, Mascara was badly defeated.

In 2006, Murtha's Republican challenger was Diana Irey, a county commissioner from Washington County, the heart of Mascara's former district. Irey attacked Murtha for his criticism of the Iraq war. Even though Irey was Murtha's strongest Republican opponent in decades, she polled well behind Murtha throughout the campaign. An October 12, 2006 poll by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review showed Murtha with a commanding lead over Irey, 57%–30%. In the November election, Murtha won 61%–39%.

On June 9, 2006, Murtha informed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that he would run for Majority Leader if the Democrats gained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections. Despite Murtha receiving Pelosi's support, current Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was elected to the post.

On March 18, 2008, Murtha endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and former Senator from New York, in her bid for the presidency.

In 1980, during his fourth term as a Congressman, Murtha became embroiled in the Abscam investigation, which targeted dozens of congressmen. The investigation entailed FBI operatives posing as intermediaries for Saudi nationals hoping to bribe their way through the immigration process into the United States. Murtha met with these operatives and was videotaped. He did agree to testify against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting and who were later video taped placing the cash bribes in their trousers. The FBI videotaped Murtha responding to an offer of $50,000, with Murtha saying, "I'm not interested... at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't", right after Murtha had offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be invested legally. The U.S. Attorneys Office reasoned that Murtha's intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work.

Murtha was targeted by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.

In September 2006 the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) listed Murtha under Five Members to Watch in its Second Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report. The report cited Murtha's steering of defense appropriations to clients of KSA Consulting, which employed his brother Robert, and the PMA Group, founded by Paul Magliocchetti, a former senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense.

In 2008, Esquire Magazine named him one of the 10 worst members of Congress because of his opposition to ethics reform and the $100 million a year he brings in earmarks to his district. The Wall Street Journal has called him "one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers." According to the Pennsylvania Report, Murtha was one of "Pennsylvania’s most powerful congressman" and a "master of crossing the aisle and bringing pork into his district."

In February 2009, CQ Politics reported that Murtha was one of 104 U.S. representatives to earmark funds in the 2008 Defense appropriations spending bill for a lobbying group that had contributed to his past election campaigns. The spending bill, which was managed by Murtha in his capacity as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, secured $38.1 million for clients of the PMA Group in the single fiscal law. The PMA Group is currently under investigation by the FBI.

In March 2009, the Washington Post reported that a Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Murtha while it received nearly $250 million in federal funding via Murtha's earmarks. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.

Murtha voted for the October 10, 2002 resolution that authorized the use of force against Iraq. However, he later began expressing doubts about the war. On March 17, 2004, when Republicans offered a “War in Iraq Anniversary Resolution” that “affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq”, when JD Hayworth called for a recorded vote, Murtha then voted against it.

Still, in early 2005 Murtha argued against the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. “A premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America’s foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America’s judgment but also its perseverance”, he stated.

On November 17, 2005, Murtha submitted the H.J. Res. 73 in the House of Representatives, calling for the redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, saying, "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home.”

The bill cited that lack of progress of towards stabilizing Iraq, the possibility that a draft would be required to sustain sufficient troop numbers, Iraqi disapproval of US forces and approval of attacks on the soldiers, and the increasing costs of the war. The bill proposed that deployment to Iraq be suspended and that US Marines establish a "over-the-horizon" presence in nearby countries.

Murtha's comments forced a heated debate on the floor of the House on November 18. Republicans led by Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, responded by proposing their own resolution (H. Res. 571), which many Republicans said was intended to demonstrate that those calling for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq were “out of the mainstream”.

During debate on adopting the rule for the resolution, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) made a statement attributed to Danny Bubp, an Ohio state Representative and Marine Corps Reservist, “He also asked me to give Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.”

Seeing Schmidt's remarks as an unwarranted "cheap shot" against Murtha, outraged Democrats brought House business to a halt for ten minutes until Schmidt herself asked and received permission to withdraw her comments. Bubp has since stated that he never mentioned Murtha when making the quoted comment. He added that he would never question the courage of a fellow Marine. Bubp later said, “I don't want to be interjected into this. I wish (Congresswoman Schmidt) never used my name.”

The Haditha incident occurred on November 19, 2005, and since then there have been differing accounts of exactly what took place.

In November 2005 Murtha announced that a military investigation into the Haditha killings concluded U.S. Marines had intentionally killed innocent civilians. Referring to the first report about Haditha that appeared in Time magazine, Murtha said:

"It's much worse than reported in Time magazine. There was no fire fight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell."

The Marine Corps responded to Murtha's announcement by stating that "there is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process." Murtha was criticized by conservatives for presenting a version of events as simple fact before an official investigation had been concluded.

In August 2006, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich filed a lawsuit against Murtha for character defamation during an ongoing investigation into the Haditha incident. In April 2009 this suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court, which ruled that Murtha could not be sued because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the statements.

On December 21, 2006, the US military charged Wuterich with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others". Charges were subsequently dropped against seven of the eight Marines involved: Capt. Lucas McConnell, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, Capt. Randy Stone and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson. Only Sergeant Frank Wuterich is still facing trial on 9 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

In a June 24, 2006, speech at Florida International University, Murtha said that the military presence in Iraq was hurting U.S. credibility, citing a poll by the Pew Research Center indicating that people in several countries consider the U.S. in Iraq to be a greater threat to world peace than either Iran or North Korea. When the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the speech on June 25, it asserted without further evidence that it was Murtha's own view that the U.S. was a greater threat to world peace: “American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said to a crowd of more than 200 in North Miami Saturday afternoon.”

The Sun-Sentinel story was picked up by the wire services and the Drudge Report website, leading several conservative pundits, including Bill O’Reilly, Tucker Carlson, and Newt Gingrich to comment. After the Sun-Sentinel issued a correction, O'Reilly publicly apologized.

Commenting on the prospects for the election of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential campaign, Murtha became the subject of controversy after deriding many of his own constituents as 'racists' who would not vote for Obama because he is black. In response to the outrage at his comments he apologized, but then reiterated the point by stating "[T]here's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black. This whole area, years ago, was really redneck."

Murtha was a Democrat with a relatively populist economic outlook, and was generally much more socially conservative than most other House Democrats. He was pro-life, and voted against abortion, consistently receiving a 0% rating from NARAL and 70% rating from National Right to Life Committee[1]; however, he supported federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. He generally opposed gun control, earning an A from the National Rifle Association. Murtha was also one of the few Democrats in Congress to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and also one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of medical malpractice tort reform.

He was strongly pro-labor, and opposed both the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He opposed President George W. Bush's tax plan and Social Security privatization, and also opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment. In 2004, he was one of only two congressmen to vote for a measure proposing reinstating the draft. He was also considered more "hawkish" than most other Democrats holding office at the time of his.

In 2001, Murtha and Duke Cunningham (R-CA) co-sponsored the Flag Desecration Amendment, which passed the House of Representatives, but not the Senate.

In late 2005, he led the effort of House Democrats to offer a motion to endorse language in a military spending bill, written by Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and a fellow Vietnam veteran, that would forbid abusive treatment of terror suspects.

Murtha voted for the Affordable Healthcare for America Act (HR 3692), which passed in the House 220-215 on November 7, 2009. He said of the bill, "For nearly a century, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to enact comprehensive health care reform. Today's historic vote moves us closer to solving America's health care crisis." However, Murtha did not support allowing abortions as part of health care reform. He voted for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care bill that prohibits elective abortions for people covered by the public healthcare plan and to prohibit people receiving federal assistance from purchasing a private healthcare plan that includes abortions, except when the woman’s life is in danger. He also voted for a bill to prohibit pregnant minors from crossing state borders to obtain abortions.

Murtha's critics accused him in August of not taking action on the recent healthcare reform. Tim Burns, Murtha’s challenger for his seat in the House, invited him to attend a town hall meeting focused on healthcare, but Murtha refused. At the time, Murtha had not yet hosted a town hall meeting, even though he had held several conference call sessions with his constituents focused on healthcare. Burns’ spokesman said, “There’s been four weeks of recess and [Murtha’s] had no face-to-face meetings with his constituents to discuss healthcare at a critical juncture for our country.”

Murtha, a pro-life Democrat, did not received favorable ratings from abortion and reproductive health interest groups. Planned Parenthood, whose stated purpose is “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care,” gave him a rating of 50% in 2009. He received a rating of 28% from the National Right to Life Committee, which advocates voluntary access to family planning and reproductive health services. He received a rating of 50% from the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which advocates “access to voluntary, comprehensive and culturally sensitive family planning and reproductive health care services and ... reproductive freedom for all.”

Murtha was hospitalized for an infection caused by an accidental cut to the bile duct during gall bladder surgery. He died a week later on the afternoon of February 8, 2010, in the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia with his family by his side.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who was also a close friend of Murtha, said in a statement on the day of his death that "with the passing of John Murtha, America has lost a great patriot". House Republican Leader John Boehner said that "our nation has lost a decorated veteran."

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Jack Murtha

jack murtha

John Patrick "Jack" Murtha, Jr. (June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010. The district presently stretches southwest from Johnstown (the largest city in the district and Murtha's hometown).

A former Marine Corps officer, Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Pennsylvania House from 1969 to 1974, in 1974 he narrowly won the special election held to choose the successor to the incumbent, who died in office. In the first decade of the 21st century, Murtha has been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces in Iraq.

In 2006, after the Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections he made a failed bid to be elected House Majority Leader for the 110th Congress (2007–2009) with the open support of the new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. He lost to Steny Hoyer of Maryland. After this defeat, Murtha became chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. He had previously chaired this subcommittee from 1989 to 1995 and served as its ranking Democrat from 1995 to 2007.

Murtha was born into an Irish-American family in New Martinsville, West Virginia; near the border with Ohio and Pennsylvania, and grew up in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; a largely suburban county east of Pittsburgh.

As a youth, he became an Eagle Scout. He also worked delivering newspapers and at a gas station before graduating from The Kiski School, an all-male boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.

Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. Murtha became a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Murtha remained in the Marine Forces Reserve, and ran a small business, Johnstown Minute Car Wash (which still operates in the West End section of Johnstown.) He also attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, and received a degree in economics. Murtha later took graduate courses from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Murtha married his wife Joyce on June 10, 1955. They have three children and live in Johnstown.

Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Murtha was admitted to the hospital after suffering from abdominal pains in December 2009. Murtha had surgery to remove his gallbladder in late January 2010; a week later, he was admitted to the intensive care unit due to complications from the surgery. He died on February 8, 2010.

He was elected to represent the 72nd legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on May 20, 1969.

Murtha faced tough primary challenges in 1982, 1990 and again in 2002. The 1982 challenge occurred when the Republican-controlled state legislature took advantage of Murtha's connection to Abscam, and incorporated most of the district of fellow Democrat and Vietnam War veteran Don Bailey of Westmoreland County into the 12th District.

The 2002 challenge occurred when the state legislature redrew the district of fellow Democrat Frank Mascara to make it more Republican-friendly, but shifted a large chunk of Mascara's former territory into Murtha's district. Mascara opted to run against Murtha in the Democratic primary, since the new 12th contained more of Mascara's old territory than Murtha's. However, Mascara was badly defeated.

In 2006, Murtha's Republican challenger was Diana Irey, a county commissioner from Washington County, the heart of Mascara's former district. Irey attacked Murtha for his criticism of the Iraq war. Even though Irey was Murtha's strongest Republican opponent in decades, she polled well behind Murtha throughout the campaign. An October 12, 2006 poll by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review showed Murtha with a commanding lead over Irey, 57%–30%. In the November election, Murtha won 61%–39%.

On June 9, 2006, Murtha informed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that he would run for Majority Leader if the Democrats gained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections. Despite Murtha receiving Pelosi's support, current Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer was elected to the post.

On March 18, 2008, Murtha endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady and former Senator from New York, in her bid for the presidency.

In 1980, during his fourth term as a Congressman, Murtha became embroiled in the Abscam investigation, which targeted dozens of congressmen. The investigation entailed FBI operatives posing as intermediaries for Saudi nationals hoping to bribe their way through the immigration process into the United States. Murtha met with these operatives and was videotaped. He did agree to testify against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting and who were later video taped placing the cash bribes in their trousers. The FBI videotaped Murtha responding to an offer of $50,000, with Murtha saying, "I'm not interested... at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't", right after Murtha had offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be invested legally. The U.S. Attorneys Office reasoned that Murtha's intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return "500 or 1000" miners to work.

Murtha was targeted by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington as one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress.

In September 2006 the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) listed Murtha under Five Members to Watch in its Second Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report. The report cited Murtha's steering of defense appropriations to clients of KSA Consulting, which employed his brother Robert, and the PMA Group, founded by Paul Magliocchetti, a former senior staffer on the Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense.

In 2008, Esquire Magazine named him one of the 10 worst members of Congress because of his opposition to ethics reform and the $100 million a year he brings in earmarks to his district. The Wall Street Journal has called him "one of Congress's most unapologetic earmarkers." According to the Pennsylvania Report, Murtha was one of "Pennsylvania’s most powerful congressman" and a "master of crossing the aisle and bringing pork into his district."

In February 2009, CQ Politics reported that Murtha was one of 104 U.S. representatives to earmark funds in the 2008 Defense appropriations spending bill for a lobbying group that had contributed to his past election campaigns. The spending bill, which was managed by Murtha in his capacity as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, secured $38.1 million for clients of the PMA Group in the single fiscal law. The PMA Group is currently under investigation by the FBI.

In March 2009, the Washington Post reported that a Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Murtha while it received nearly $250 million in federal funding via Murtha's earmarks. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.

Murtha voted for the October 10, 2002 resolution that authorized the use of force against Iraq. However, he later began expressing doubts about the war. On March 17, 2004, when Republicans offered a “War in Iraq Anniversary Resolution” that “affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq”, when JD Hayworth called for a recorded vote, Murtha then voted against it.

Still, in early 2005 Murtha argued against the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. “A premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America’s foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America’s judgment but also its perseverance”, he stated.

On November 17, 2005, Murtha submitted the H.J. Res. 73 in the House of Representatives, calling for the redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq, saying, "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home.”

The bill cited that lack of progress of towards stabilizing Iraq, the possibility that a draft would be required to sustain sufficient troop numbers, Iraqi disapproval of US forces and approval of attacks on the soldiers, and the increasing costs of the war. The bill proposed that deployment to Iraq be suspended and that US Marines establish a "over-the-horizon" presence in nearby countries.

Murtha's comments forced a heated debate on the floor of the House on November 18. Republicans led by Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, responded by proposing their own resolution (H. Res. 571), which many Republicans said was intended to demonstrate that those calling for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq were “out of the mainstream”.

During debate on adopting the rule for the resolution, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) made a statement attributed to Danny Bubp, an Ohio state Representative and Marine Corps Reservist, “He also asked me to give Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do.”

Seeing Schmidt's remarks as an unwarranted "cheap shot" against Murtha, outraged Democrats brought House business to a halt for ten minutes until Schmidt herself asked and received permission to withdraw her comments. Bubp has since stated that he never mentioned Murtha when making the quoted comment. He added that he would never question the courage of a fellow Marine. Bubp later said, “I don't want to be interjected into this. I wish (Congresswoman Schmidt) never used my name.”

The Haditha incident occurred on November 19, 2005, and since then there have been differing accounts of exactly what took place.

In November 2005 Murtha announced that a military investigation into the Haditha killings concluded U.S. Marines had intentionally killed innocent civilians. Referring to the first report about Haditha that appeared in Time magazine, Murtha said:

"It's much worse than reported in Time magazine. There was no fire fight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell."

The Marine Corps responded to Murtha's announcement by stating that "there is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process." Murtha was criticized by conservatives for presenting a version of events as simple fact before an official investigation had been concluded.

In August 2006, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich filed a lawsuit against Murtha for character defamation during an ongoing investigation into the Haditha incident. In April 2009 this suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court, which ruled that Murtha could not be sued because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the statements.

On December 21, 2006, the US military charged Wuterich with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others". Charges were subsequently dropped against seven of the eight Marines involved: Capt. Lucas McConnell, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, Capt. Randy Stone and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson. Only Sergeant Frank Wuterich is still facing trial on 9 counts of involuntary manslaughter.

In a June 24, 2006, speech at Florida International University, Murtha said that the military presence in Iraq was hurting U.S. credibility, citing a poll by the Pew Research Center indicating that people in several countries consider the U.S. in Iraq to be a greater threat to world peace than either Iran or North Korea. When the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported the speech on June 25, it asserted without further evidence that it was Murtha's own view that the U.S. was a greater threat to world peace: “American presence in Iraq is more dangerous to world peace than nuclear threats from North Korea or Iran, U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said to a crowd of more than 200 in North Miami Saturday afternoon.”

The Sun-Sentinel story was picked up by the wire services and the Drudge Report website, leading several conservative pundits, including Bill O’Reilly, Tucker Carlson, and Newt Gingrich to comment. After the Sun-Sentinel issued a correction, O'Reilly publicly apologized.

Commenting on the prospects for the election of Barack Obama during the 2008 Presidential campaign, Murtha became the subject of controversy after deriding many of his own constituents as 'racists' who would not vote for Obama because he is black. In response to the outrage at his comments he apologized, but then reiterated the point by stating "[T]here's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black. This whole area, years ago, was really redneck."

Murtha was a Democrat with a relatively populist economic outlook, and was generally much more socially conservative than most other House Democrats. He was pro-life, and voted against abortion, consistently receiving a 0% rating from NARAL and 70% rating from National Right to Life Committee[1]; however, he supported federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. He generally opposed gun control, earning an A from the National Rifle Association. Murtha was also one of the few Democrats in Congress to vote against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 and also one of the few Democrats to vote in favor of medical malpractice tort reform.

He was strongly pro-labor, and opposed both the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He opposed President George W. Bush's tax plan and Social Security privatization, and also opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment. In 2004, he was one of only two congressmen to vote for a measure proposing reinstating the draft. He was also considered more "hawkish" than most other Democrats holding office at the time of his.

In 2001, Murtha and Duke Cunningham (R-CA) co-sponsored the Flag Desecration Amendment, which passed the House of Representatives, but not the Senate.

In late 2005, he led the effort of House Democrats to offer a motion to endorse language in a military spending bill, written by Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and a fellow Vietnam veteran, that would forbid abusive treatment of terror suspects.

Murtha voted for the Affordable Healthcare for America Act (HR 3692), which passed in the House 220-215 on November 7, 2009. He said of the bill, "For nearly a century, both Democrats and Republicans have failed to enact comprehensive health care reform. Today's historic vote moves us closer to solving America's health care crisis." However, Murtha did not support allowing abortions as part of health care reform. He voted for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care bill that prohibits elective abortions for people covered by the public healthcare plan and to prohibit people receiving federal assistance from purchasing a private healthcare plan that includes abortions, except when the woman’s life is in danger. He also voted for a bill to prohibit pregnant minors from crossing state borders to obtain abortions.

Murtha's critics accused him in August of not taking action on the recent healthcare reform. Tim Burns, Murtha’s challenger for his seat in the House, invited him to attend a town hall meeting focused on healthcare, but Murtha refused. At the time, Murtha had not yet hosted a town hall meeting, even though he had held several conference call sessions with his constituents focused on healthcare. Burns’ spokesman said, “There’s been four weeks of recess and [Murtha’s] had no face-to-face meetings with his constituents to discuss healthcare at a critical juncture for our country.”

Murtha, a pro-life Democrat, did not received favorable ratings from abortion and reproductive health interest groups. Planned Parenthood, whose stated purpose is “to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care,” gave him a rating of 50% in 2009. He received a rating of 28% from the National Right to Life Committee, which advocates voluntary access to family planning and reproductive health services. He received a rating of 50% from the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which advocates “access to voluntary, comprehensive and culturally sensitive family planning and reproductive health care services and ... reproductive freedom for all.”

Murtha was hospitalized for an infection caused by an accidental cut to the bile duct during gall bladder surgery. He died a week later on the afternoon of February 8, 2010, in the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia with his family by his side.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who was also a close friend of Murtha, said in a statement on the day of his death that "with the passing of John Murtha, America has lost a great patriot". House Republican Leader John Boehner said that "our nation has lost a decorated veteran."

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