Agency honours linguists, including many women, who eavesdropped and decoded in secret locations
The spy agency GCHQ is celebrating its centenary on Friday by highlighting little-known wartime eavesdropping and decoding work that took place in five secret locations around the country, from the Kent cliffs to the Derbyshire countryside.
That includes the dangerous work undertaken daily by about 50 linguists, many of whom were women, who listened into shortwave German naval and airforce radio at Abbots Cliff House near Dover, a site exposed to enemy attack.
Report also favours backdating reimbursals and a pause before money is paid to new recipients
Financial companies should be required by law to refund victims of bank transfer scams, and should consider reimbursing the many thousands defrauded since 2016, according to a report from MPs.
They also said retailers and other companies that suffer data breaches that lead to fraud should be forced to pick up the bill for the costs of reimbursing customers and issuing new bank cards.
For those of us who admire, love, and devote ourselves to dogs, it comes as no surprise that a skilled service dog played a vital role in bringing down the most wanted terrorist in the world. Thanks to the special operations Delta Force and one of their K9 military soldiers, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is no longer a threat and ISIS has lost a leader. Today we celebrate her service by sharing what we know about this real American hero.
Plus: In the days following President Trump’s Tweet that catapulted the K9 into worldwide fame and recognition many Americans capitalized on the opportunity to garner some social media love for their own civilian dogs. We will share some of the hilarious and “declassified” photos of these real American pets who brought much needed levity to a very serious week in the news.
When President Trump first released a photo of Conan, he included in his tweet the fact that the K9’s name had not yet been declassified. It is now being widely reported that the military did not want to provide an image or release the name of the service dog at all. To keep her handler and the dog herself protected, the military intended to limit the release of any identifying information that could threaten security. Apparently The White House would not take no for an answer so an image was reluctantly released. Her name, Conan, allegedly named after Conan O’Brien, was declassified the next day.
She is a five year old female Belgian Malinois. According to the American Kennel Club, Belgian Malinois are extremely intelligent, hard working, and obedient. They bond very tightly to their human partner and need regular and rigorous exercise alongside that partner. These very traits are what make them such excellent service dogs. You can find Belgian Malinois working in military, secret service, detection, search and rescue, and as herding dogs.
Wounded But Recovering
When members of 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force, landed outside his compound in North West Syria, al-Baghdadi reportedly attempted to flee. He grabbed 3 children and ran down a tunnel that was a dead-end. Conan’s handler released her to make chase. Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest. The explosion resulted in al-Baghdadi’s death as well as the death of the 3 children. Conan was wounded while in pursuit but is reportedly recovering well and was back on duty the day after her photo was released.
Civilian Dogs ‘Declassified’ on Twitter
Using the President’s own word choice as a platform, Twitter users jumped on the ‘declassified dog’ bandwagon and shared photos (but not names!) of their own dogs. The results were hilarious and provided just the humorous relief we all needed.
DECLASSIFYING this picture of my dog (name also DECLASSIFIED: George). He isn’t a war hero, but he does a remarkably good job sleeping like a human sleeps. pic.twitter.com/dyYlGs1wv8
I’m declassifying a picture of my dog (name not declassified) he doesn’t chase ISIS terrorists, but he does chase squirrels. He also likes to stand at the back door and whine to go out, then stand at the back door and whine to come back in #DeclassifiedDogpic.twitter.com/NYtf8Bau0L
Here is a declassified picture of two wonderful dogs (names not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB sitting down for this picture! #DeclassifiedDogpic.twitter.com/EjNSHpLHMt
Pic of my brother’s K-9, (name not declassified) which I like to call a “dog.” She has breath that could kill any ISIS terrorist. ☠️ #DeclassifiedDogpic.twitter.com/LLJvg7R989
I have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified) that did such a GREAT JOB in humping the cushion today #DeclassifiedDogpic.twitter.com/J3cMwCAeVU
If you didn’t already know, part of each sale on the iHeartDogs.com store is donated to GreaterGood.org, which offers grants for charities and programs like Canines For Service. Customers like you are the reason heartwarming stories like this one are possible!
Canines For Service’s Canines for Veteransinitiative works with U.S. Veterans to help them regain stability in their lives following their service. Thanks to a grant from Greater Good, Veterans and former shelter dogs are matched through this program to improve both human and canine lives.
Greater Good’s Pets for Vets page emphasizes the importance of supporting organizations like Canines For Service that help both U.S. veterans and shelter animals.
“Both our veterans and shelter animals have been through traumatic events, but together they can help each other heal. When a Veteran is matched with the right pet, both lives change for the better. The Veteran saves the animal and welcomes him/her into a loving home. The pet provides unconditional love and support, easing stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety. “
Allen, a Marine Corps Veteran, is just one example of someone given another chance as he gave a dog another chance.
Allen committed over 20 years to serving his country with the Marine Corps. He was deployed many times and also sustained several lasting injuries during his service. As a result, day to day tasks like mobility became difficult for him. He also suffers from PTSD.
Allen’s physical and mental health prevented him from doing things as seemingly simple as picking up dropped items. Going out with friends was even too much for him. He would sit in the car while his wife did the grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the consequences of his work for his country were profound.
With the help of service dog named Marcus, all of that has changed for Allen.
Photo courtesy of Canines For Service
Marcus, a Yellow Lab mix originally found and rescued as a 1-year-old stray, spent a year training to help people. And he excelled at it! This pup is a real people pleaser and a hard worker. He genuinely enjoys having a job. Isn’t that refreshing?
During the week the two spent training with each other, Allen fell in his hotel room. In an instant, Marcus ran up to him and stood as a brace to help his person get up off the floor. And that was just the beginning.
Thanks to Marcus, Allen now lives without fear of his disabilities getting the best of him. He’s even going out to dinner with friends and helping out with the shopping now.
The pair has only had a few months together, and already it’s changed them both for the better.
If this story made you feel good, consider making a supporting purchase in the iHeartDogs.com store or donating to pair a veteran with a dog today!
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The Medina family was devastated to learn that their two beloved pups had escaped from their backyard. After 4 weeks of endless searching, they were starting to lose hope.
Wakiya, a 2-year-old boxer-Boston terrier mix, and Kels, a 3-year-old pit bull, pushed through a broken portion of their fence last month. Even immediately hearing the sound of the dog’s crashing out, they were no where to be found.
They frantically searched their neighborhood, hoping they could catch up to their pups before they got too far. After walking the streets all night long, they realized that they would have to recruit the help of their friends.
Michelle Medina posted in several Facebook groups, hoping to increase the chances of her beloved companions being found. Soon after, sightings began to pour in.
The two dogs were spotted in several local areas, but each time the Medinas arrived, they were gone again.
Their concern began to grow when they began to hear of sightings of Wakiya on her own. In all of the collected reports, Kels was nowhere to be found.
Wakiya and Kels had been attached at the hip since they were adopted, so the thought of them being lost without each other by their side broke the family’s heart. They knew they had to amp up their search efforts and bring their babies homes.
The Medinas tried every single tactic they could think of in an effort to find their missing pups. Some days they searched from sun up to sun down, they called their names on megaphones, they hung tasty treats and meat from tree branches around their home, and laid pieces of their clothing along their front lawn.
The Medinas were so passionate about the search for their beloved dogs, that the community organized their own search parties as well.
Sightings of Wakiya were popping up all over town, but it had been weeks since they received any sightings of Kels. Michelle was beginning to fear the worst, when she received an incredible phone call.
Kels had walked into the home of another local when she was calling her own dogs inside. Kels was safe and sound!
Though the Medina family was thrilled to be reunited with one of their furry children, it was accompanied by the dreadful feeling of knowing one pup was still out there.
It had now been 26 days since the pups first went missing, and the Medinas had lost all hope of ever finding their sweet Wakiya. Michelle says,
“I told myself, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ At that point, either somebody had her or she was dead.”
After a shopping trip with her daughter, Michelle decided to make one more round around the city before they finally gave up. Thankfully for the exhausted family, this was the day that they had been waiting for.
As Michelle glanced at the passing houses, her daughter shouted, “Look!”
“There she was by the fence, just staring at us. It’s like she was there waiting for us, like she knew we were coming.”
Once the two of them began to run toward their sweet pup, Wakiya began to run in the other direction! Their search was not quite over.
Michelle had to speak with the owner of the property in which they saw Wakiya, where they agreed to set up a trap to catch their frightened pup. It turns out that Wakiya had been on that property for the last 10 days, living off wild rabbits and prairie dogs.
The next day they got the call that Wakiya was in the trap. They could finally bring their baby home!
The Medinas experienced a true nightmare in the month that their favorite furry friends were missing. They refused to give up on their pups, and because of that, they are home.
Thank you for never giving up, and fighting for the safe return of those beautiful dogs!
Sasha Hobson is a photographer that loves dogs. Every year, she goes all out with Halloween costumes for all of her dogs, and every year, she seems to have adopted even more furry friends. This year, she has seven dogs in her home, and she wanted to find the perfect costume that would suit all their personalities. At first, she thought of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme, but then she came up with something even better.
Hobson’s seven dogs all have their unique personalities and stories. They range from a small Chihuahua to a large Labrador. They are all between ages 6 and 12 years old, and Hobson wanted to make sure they all had the perfect costume this year. So, that is when she came up with the idea for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!
Since Hobson has made costumes for her dogs every year, they are used to being patient with these outfits. They know that they always get a treat, so they’ll happily sit still for measurements and even photos.
All the costumes this year were handmade. She combined different items to create Snow White’s dress, and she handmade all the dog costumes to ensure that they fit each dog perfectly. She also tried to dress them each up as a dwarf that was similar to their own personality.
Her clumsy dog named Goddess Isis was Dopey. Haileigh Bug is the laziest of all the dogs, so she dressed up at Sleepy. Zoey, a dog who loves to wrestle and growl at the other dogs was Grumpy. The personality of the dwarves ended up fitting her dogs almost too perfectly.
“The hard part was just sewing everything and making sure it fit everyone,” Hobson said. “The dogs at this point are used to costume fittings. So, if treats are visible, they have no problem sitting still and letting us size everything just right.”
This is the first year that all seven dogs will be celebrating together, so Hobson is excited for them all to spend Halloween as a family. She has even taken adorable photoshoots of her with all the dogs. They are awfully photogenic when they know they’ll get treats.
“People think we are crazy for having seven dogs and who knows? Maybe they are right,” Hobson said. “But we love our time with them and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
As fun as these costumes are, Hobson has no idea how she’ll top this costume next year. What could possibly be more adorable than seven dogs dressed as dwarves?
Ramis is a 3 year old male Brittany. He is a very handsome Brittany, the shelter say he is really exceptional, he is happy, active, young and affectionate and very good with other dogs.
Date of birth 30/3/2016.
from Dogs for Adoption & Rescue – DogsBlog.com https://ift.tt/320vMRz
Flufi ia an 1 year old female English Setter. She’s a very scared girl at the moment and hasn’t long arrived at the shelter. She does love a fuss though and climbs on top of you and hugs you constantly for as long as she can!
She gets on really well with other dogs and takes a lot of confidence from them since they aren’t as scary as people in her eyes. She would do well living with another dog to help her confidence. She’s got lots of love to give and now just needs a family to give her the same.
from Dogs for Adoption & Rescue – DogsBlog.com https://ift.tt/2JCgKLs
Lola is an 1 year old female English Setter. Tati says she is the punk of the shelter with her hairstyle (see last photo)! She’s a very friendly and affectionate girl. She loves to play and is very active. She needs to put on a little bit of weight at the moment since she arrived so skinny.
The hunter who owned her wanted to kill her as a punishment since she kept escaping from her kennel (who can blame her?!) She needs a very secure garden since Tati says she can scale a fence if she wants to!
from Dogs for Adoption & Rescue – DogsBlog.com https://ift.tt/321JLXp
This samoyed has cuddling down to an art. He also is master at convincing his owner it’s time (and why would you need convincing with this cutie!) Wait for the ending, the look on the dog’s face is priceless!
Does your dog have a special way of telling you they want something? Does he or she ask for cuddles?
Japanese Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai resigned on Thursday following media reports of election irregularities by his wife, who is a ruling party lawmaker, becoming the second cabinet minister to step down in less than a week.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party holds around an 8-point lead over the opposition Labour Party, according to a Survation poll conducted by Daily Mail.
A fire broke out at Shuri Castle, a World Heritage Site on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, early on Thursday, completely destroying the main hall and other structures as firefighters continued to battle raging flames, media reported.
Apple Inc.’s iPhone sales completed a year of declines in a Wednesday earnings report, but the drop may have been much worse if it were not for a seemingly booming trade-in program.
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