Archive for October, 2009
Citibank Closing Credit Card Accounts Without Warning; Sending Letters Five Days Later
October 20th, 2009Via: AP: Shannon Burdette tried to pay with her Shell Mastercard after filling up her gas tank this weekend but found the card rejected. Confused, she called the customer service line on the back of the card, issued by Citibank, and was told the account was closed because of something that appeared on her credit […]
High-Speed Chase Ends When OnStar Halts Stolen SUV
October 20th, 2009Via: AP: When two Visalia, Calif., police officers swung their cruisers behind a sport utility vehicle that had been carjacked at gunpoint early Sunday, they prepared for a dangerous high-speed chase. The 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe roared away with officers in pursuit, but shortly after the suspect made a right turn, operators at General Motors Co.’s […]
Japan to Sell More Bonds as Tax Revenues Dwindle
October 20th, 2009Via: Wall Street Journal: Japan’s finance minister Hirohisa Fujii said Tuesday that plummeting tax receipts will likely force the government to sell more new debt in the ongoing fiscal year to make ends meet. More bond sales will further inflate Japan’s national debt, the highest among advanced economies at roughly 170% of gross domestic product, […]
Afghanistan: “Hundreds of Thousands” of Ballots for Hamid Karzai Tossed Out
October 20th, 2009Via: Chicago Tribune: A United Nations-backed panel Monday tossed out hundreds of thousands of ballots cast in August for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and independent election observers said the new figures dictated that a runoff election should take place. Karzai and election officials loyal to the president appeared to balk at accepting the fraud investigators’ […]
So Many Threats to Federal Officials that Secret Service May Curtail Investigations Into Financial Crimes
October 20th, 2009Wow, the Internet Tuff Guys are out in force on this one, leaving stupid comments all over the place—perfect for COINTEL purposes. Via: Boston Globe: The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according […]
U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets
October 20th, 2009Via: Wired: America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon. In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community, is putting cash into Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in monitoring social media. It’s part […]
Real Estate Collapse Entering New Phase: Banks Refusing to Repossess Abandoned Homes, or Even File Foreclosures
October 19th, 2009Not only are there no bids in some markets, the accumulation of property taxes means that some properties have negative valuations, like a derivative trade that’s gone bad. Via: Dayton Daily News: Nobody is sure exactly how many bank walkaways are occurring. For various reasons, they can’t be identified in searches of public real estate […]
MIT Micro UAV Uses Lasers for Autonomous Navigation Indoors
October 18th, 2009Iranian Commanders Assassinated
October 18th, 2009Update: Iran Blames “Foreign Elements” for Attack on Guards Via: Reuters: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards accused “foreign elements” linked to the United States of involvement in Sunday’s attack that killed at least two senior commanders of the elite force, state television reported. “Surely foreign elements, particularly those linked to the global arrogance, were involved in this […]
India: Chartered U.S. Aircraft Forced to Land at Mumbai Airport; “Confusion About Its Call Sign”; 205 Marines Aboard
October 18th, 2009Via: Times of India: A US aircraft with 205 American marine commandos on board was on Sunday made to land at Mumbai airport for allegedly violating the Indian airspace. The chartered plane was on its way from Fujiriah in UAE to Bangkok, an airport official said. The aircraft was using a civilian call sign, officials […]
