Archive for October, 2009
FBI Building “Multi-Modal Biometrics” Database
October 13th, 2009Voice scans. You know, in case you use a phone that isn’t registered to you. Via: ComputerWorld: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is expanding beyond its traditional fingerprint-focused collection practices to develop a new biometrics system that will include DNA records, 3-D facial imaging, palm prints and voice scans, blended to create what’s known as […]
The Frankenfood Industry’s Strong Arm Tactics with Researchers
October 13th, 2009Via: GM Watch: The increasingly fractious relationship between public sector researchers and the biotech seed industry has come into the spotlight in recent months. In July, several leading seed companies met with a group of entomologists, who earlier in the year had lodged a public complaint with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over restricted […]
Russian Mafia/Government Crooks vs. Hedge Fund Crooks
October 13th, 2009Via: Guardian: Thousands of Russians are watching a YouTube video that accuses their government and officials of high corruption. A Russian version of a video by Hermitage Capital, the London-based hedge fund claiming to be victim of a $230m (£146m) scam, has attracted over 12,000 hits, and is the most viewed news clip on YouTube […]
Food Production ‘Must Rise 70%’ Over the Next 40 Years
October 13th, 2009Via: BBC: Food production will have to increase by 70% over the next 40 years to feed the world’s growing population, the United Nations food agency predicts. The Food and Agricultural Organisation says if more land is not used for food production now, 370 million people could be facing famine by 2050. The world population […]
Handgun Ammo Purchases in California: Driver’s License, Thumbprint and Sales Records for Police
October 12th, 2009Via: ABC News 10: Before the midnight deadline, Gov. Schwarzenegger acted on 685 bills that were on his desk. He signed 456 and vetoed 229. One of the bills that he signed was Assembly Bill 962. It requires handgun ammunition to be kept behind the counter where customers cannot access it without assistance. It also […]
Soybeans, Corn Rise as Rains Stall U.S. Harvest, Limit Supplies
October 12th, 2009Via: Bloomberg: Corn and soybeans rose on speculation that cold, wet Midwest weather will slow the harvest and reduce production in the U.S., the world’s largest grower and exporter of both crops. Temperatures below freezing this weekend occurred north of a line from Amarillo, Texas, to Kansas City, Kansas, and east to Toledo, Ohio, ending […]
Shooting of Prominent IMF Economist Baffles Police
October 12th, 2009“It had to be random?” Is that the new “Probable Suicide”? Via: WJLA: Police are still looking for clues after a prominent economist was shot in the garage of his upscale home. Ashoka Mody has been identified in an email to his fellow employees at the International Monetary Fund as the man shot Thursday night […]
Austria: Early Snow Records Set to Be Broken
October 12th, 2009Via: Austrian Times: Austria’s provincial capitals are expected to see their earliest snowfalls in history today (Mon) as Arctic air sweeps the country. Josef Haselhofer from Vienna’s Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said today (Mon) Arctic air would probably result in the first snow cover in provincial capitals before 20 October in history […]
Dollar Reaches Breaking Point as Banks Shift Reserves
October 12th, 2009WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. The near term support on the U.S. Dollar Index is 75.912. If that gets taken out, the next stop is the low 70s. Keep in mind that 70.792 is the all time low. It’s currently trading at 76.140. We’re in a […]
An “Embarrassing Affair”: German Ship Transporting Arms for Iran
October 12th, 2009Via: Spiegel: US troops boarded a German-owned freighter in early October and found eight containers full of ammunition, allegedly headed to Syria from Iran. The shipment is in violation of a UN weapons embargo and has become a source of chagrin in Berlin. An “embarrassing affair,” is how one German diplomat described it. The official […]
