Archive for November, 2007
Global Derivatives Market Expands to $516 Trillion
November 23rd, 2007I thought, “This must be an Onion story.” Nope. Via: Bloomberg: The market for derivatives grew at the fastest pace in at least nine years to $516 trillion in the first half of 2007, the Bank for International Settlements said. Credit-default swaps, contracts designed to protect investors against default and used to speculate on credit […]
Dollar Breakdown Continues, New Lows
November 23rd, 2007Via: Bloomberg: The dollar dropped below 108 yen for the first time since 2005 and fell to a record low against the euro on speculation deepening U.S. credit-market losses will prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. The currency headed for its biggest weekly decline against the euro in a year as traders raised […]
Iraq’s Foreign Militants ‘Come from U.S. Allies’
November 23rd, 2007Via: Guardian: Around 60% of all foreign militants who entered Iraq to fight over the past year came from Saudi Arabia and Libya, according to files seized by American forces at a desert camp. The files listed the nationalities and biographical details of more than 700 fighters who crossed into Iraq from August last year, […]
Implantable Microchip Cancer Report
November 22nd, 2007Via: Anti Chips: CASPIAN’s new report, “Microchip-Induced Tumors in Laboratory Rodents and Dogs: A Review of the Literature 1990-2006,” is a definitive review of research showing a causal link between implanted radio-frequency (RFID) microchip transponders and cancer in laboratory rodents and dogs. It was written in part to correct industry misstatements and misinformation circulating about […]
The Firm with a Shadow that Extends Far Past Wall Street
November 22nd, 2007Via: The Ledger: As John A. Thain prepares to take the reins of Merrill Lynch, he is only the latest example of a tradition borne out across Wall Street, in Washington and around the world. He is a Goldman Sachs alumnus who has reached the top elsewhere. For decades, one investment bank in Lower Manhattan […]
Freddie Mac Seeks Emergency Funding
November 22nd, 2007Via: Independent: Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored company tasked with propping up the US mortgage market, said it would be forced to seek emergency funding to shore up its balance sheet after plunging $2bn (£968m) into the red. The company yesterday said that it had hired Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers to tout for new funds […]
Facing Jail and Fines, Parents Summoned to Court to Have Children Vaccinated
November 22nd, 2007The part I like is that the parents of 900 students ignored this absurd fascist decree. Via: Baltimore Sun: Scores of grumbling parents facing a threat of jail lined up at a courthouse today to either prove that their school-age kids already had their required vaccinations or see that the youngsters submitted to the needle. […]
Tor Exit Nodes Harvest Huge Amounts of Sensitive Information
November 21st, 2007Relying on Tor for security/anonymity is as dumb as relying on proxy servers. If you read the ugly truth, you already know that. But, as usual, it’s not that bad, it’s worse. Dan Egerstad, a Swedish security researcher, set up several Tor servers and used basic traffic analysis techniques to glean lots of foreign government […]
China Freezes Lending to Curb Investing Frenzy
November 21st, 2007Translation: China wants fewer U.S. Dollars. These lending restrictions will raise the value of the yuan, raising the prices of the crap at Walmart, lowering demand, stemming the flow of dollars to China. That’s my best guess, anyway, as to the implications of this. Via: Wall Street Journal: Chinese authorities are slamming the brakes on […]
Japan to Start Fingerprinting Foreign Travelers
November 21st, 2007Via: Reuters: Japan began fingerprinting foreigners entering the country on Tuesday in an anti-terrorism policy that has sparked complaints from human right activists, business travelers and long-term residents. Research Credit: Mark
