New Zealand: Keep MMP
November 1st, 2011There are some very dangerous crooks in New Zealand who want to get rid of MMP. Don’t let that happen.
Via: Campaign for MMP:
At the 2011 general election New Zealanders will be asked to vote on whether to keep MMP as our voting system. MMP is the fairest and most representative voting system available to New Zealanders. Let’s keep MMP and make it even better!
Cordon Multi-Target Photo-Radar System
November 1st, 2011Via: Engadget:
Go easy on the gas, Speed Racer, because Cordon is on its way. Developed by Simicon, this new speed sensor promises to take highway surveillance to new heights of precision. Unlike most photo radar systems, which track only one violator at a time, Simicon’s device can simultaneously identify and follow up to 32 vehicles across four lanes. Whenever a car enters its range, the Cordon will automatically generate two images: one from wide-angle view and one closeup shot of the vehicle’s license plate. It’s also capable of instantly measuring a car’s speed and mapping its position, and can easily be synced with other databases via WiFi, 3G or WiMAX. Plus, this device is compact and durable enough to be mounted upon a tripod or atop a road sign, making it even harder for drivers to spot. Fortunately, though, you still have time to change your dragster ways, as distributor Peak Gain Systems won’t be bringing the Cordon to North America until the first quarter of 2012…. Cars tagged with a green dot are traveling below the speed limit, those with a yellow marking are chugging along within an acceptable range above the limit, while vehicles with a red tab are just asking for trouble.
Public Outrage Prompts Banks to Blink on Debit Card Fees
November 1st, 2011haha.
Via: Daily Ticker:
As one Occupy Wall Street protester so eloquently wrote on a sign recently: “I bailed out the banks and all I got was a $5 debit card fee.”
Well, thanks to protests of millions of other Americans, that $5 fee for debit card purchases may never see the light of day. Having felt the wrath of consumers and politicians alike, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase have decided to drop the charge. And, now add Suntrust to the list of banks revoking the monthly fee.
Bank of America, the first bank to announce the charge and the one that suffered the biggest backlash, is also amending its policy to exempt many customers from the $5 monthly fee. Customers who hold Bank of America credit cards, use directly deposit or hold a minimum balance will not be charged under a new plan.
MF Global’s Collapse Ripples Through Futures Exchanges
November 1st, 2011Via: Reuters:
The fallout from the collapse of MF Global Holdings Ltd rippled through global exchanges on Tuesday, as operators moved to suspend the U.S. futures broker or limit trades of its customers.
MF Global filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday following bad bets on euro zone debt.
London clearing house LCH.Clearnet declared it a defaulter.
MF Global became the most high-profile victim so far of the euro zone debt crisis, and revived memories of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 that triggered turmoil in global financial markets.
But market participants said because MF Global, although highly leveraged, was far smaller — its balance sheet, at $41 billion, was less than a 10th the size of Lehman’s — the wider impact of its fall would be contained.
…
In Australia, trading in grain futures and options was suspended by bourse operator ASX Ltd on Tuesday, prompting concerns about the integrity of the country’s agricultural futures market.
“We’re sitting out here with risk that we can’t cover,” said Jonathan Barratt, head of Sydney-based Commodity Broking Services.
The London Metal Exchange said in a statement on Tuesday it had suspended MF Global from trading with immediate effect, following a similar move by the CME Group , which operates the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade and New York Mercantile Exchange.
Cryptogon Reader Sends Contribution
November 1st, 2011There was one more donation in October. Thanks to wonkette.com for sending $50.
BostonDynamics PETMAN
November 1st, 2011This is SciFi:
And this is… not SciFi:
PETMAN is an anthropomorphic robot developed by Boston Dynamics for testing special clothing used by the US Army. PETMAN balances itself as it walks, squats and does simple calisthenics. PETMAN simulates human physiology by controlling temperature, humidity and sweating inside the clothing to provide realistic test conditions. PETMAN development is lead by Boston Dynamics, working in partnership with Measurement Technologies Northwest, Oak Ridge National Lab and MRIGlobal. The work is being done for the US Army PD-CCAT-TI. For more information about PETMAN visit us at www.BostonDynamics.com.
—
Don’t worry, it’s just for testing clothing. [wink]
Research Credit: jrock
EU Mulls Biometric Borders
October 31st, 2011Via: Planet Biometrics:
The European Commission has adopted a Communication which sets out the main options for using new technologies, such as biometrics, to simplify life for foreigners frequently travelling to the EU and to better monitor third-country nationals crossing the borders.
Enabling smooth and fast border crossing for travellers, while ensuring an adequate level of security, is a challenge for many Member States. Every year more than 700 million EU citizens and third country nationals cross the EU’s external borders. This number is expected to rise significantly in the future. By 2030 the number of people at European airports could increase by 80%, which will result in longer delays and queues for travellers if border checking procedures are not modernised in time.
“The Union must continue to modernise the management of its external borders and ensure that the Schengen area is better equipped to cope with future challenges”, said Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs. “The ‘Smart Borders’ initiative would speed up border crossing for regular travellers but could also help us to better secure our external borders. We now need to make sure that the most efficient systems are in place and I am looking forward to discussing the available options with the European Parliament, the Council and the European Data Protection Supervisor”.
Research Credit: noncompliant
MF Global Going Down
October 31st, 2011Via: Bloomberg:
MF Global Holdings Ltd., the futures broker run by Jon Corzine, was suspended from conducting new business with the New York Federal Reserve today after posting a record loss.
The firm’s board met through the weekend in New York to consider options, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. It was stopped from doing new business with the New York Fed until it shows it’s able to fully discharge its responsibilities as a primary dealer or until its status as a primary dealer is suspended, according to a statement on the regulator’s website. Trading in MF Global’s stock was also halted.
Britain: Met Police Using Mass Surveillance System to Monitor Mobile Phones
October 31st, 2011Via: Guardian:
Britain’s largest police force is operating covert surveillance technology that can masquerade as a mobile phone network, transmitting a signal that allows authorities to shut off phones remotely, intercept communications and gather data about thousands of users in a targeted area.
The surveillance system has been procured by the Metropolitan police from Leeds-based company Datong plc, which counts the US Secret Service, the Ministry of Defence and regimes in the Middle East among its customers. Strictly classified under government protocol as “Listed X”, it can emit a signal over an area of up to an estimated 10 sq km, forcing hundreds of mobile phones per minute to release their unique IMSI and IMEI identity codes, which can be used to track a person’s movements in real time.
The disclosure has caused concern among lawyers and privacy groups that large numbers of innocent people could be unwittingly implicated in covert intelligence gathering. The Met has refused to confirm whether the system is used in public order situations, such as during large protests or demonstrations.
…
Datong’s website says its products are designed to provide law enforcement, military, security agencies and special forces with the means to “gather early intelligence in order to identify and anticipate threat and illegal activity before it can be deployed”.
The company’s systems, showcased at the DSEi arms fair in east London last month, allow authorities to intercept SMS messages and phone calls by secretly duping mobile phones within range into operating on a false network, where they can be subjected to “intelligent denial of service”. This function is designed to cut off a phone used as a trigger for an explosive device.
Research Credit: irab
And Now: ‘U.S. Planning Troop Buildup in Gulf After Exit From Iraq’
October 31st, 2011Via: New York Times:
The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.
…
With an eye on the threat of a belligerent Iran, the administration is also seeking to expand military ties with the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. While the United States has close bilateral military relationships with each, the administration and the military are trying to foster a new “security architecture” for the Persian Gulf that would integrate air and naval patrols and missile defense.
The size of the standby American combat force to be based in Kuwait remains the subject of negotiations, with an answer expected in coming days. Officers at the Central Command headquarters here declined to discuss specifics of the proposals, but it was clear that successful deployment plans from past decades could be incorporated into plans for a post-Iraq footprint in the region.
For example, in the time between the Persian Gulf war in 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the United States Army kept at least a combat battalion — and sometimes a full combat brigade — in Kuwait year-round, along with an enormous arsenal ready to be unpacked should even more troops have been called to the region.
“Back to the future” is how Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst, Central Command’s chief of staff, described planning for a new posture in the Gulf.
Related: U.S. Troops to Leave Iraq by Year’s End, Obama Says [wink]
