China: Maniac Fascist Regime Forces Anyone Who Offers Free Wi-Fi Internet Access to Purchase Monitoring Software That Costs $3,100
July 27th, 2011Via: New York Times:
New regulations that require bars, restaurants, hotels and bookstores to install costly Web monitoring software are prompting many businesses to cut Internet access and sending a chill through the capital’s game-playing, Web-grazing literati who have come to expect free Wi-Fi with their lattes and green tea.
The software, which costs businesses about $3,100, provides public security officials the identities of those logging on to the wireless service of a restaurant, cafe or private school and monitors their Web activity. Those who ignore the regulation and provide unfettered access face a $2,300 fine and the possible revocation of their business license.
“From the point of view of the common people, this policy is unfair,” said Wang Bo, the owner of L’Infusion, a cafe that features crepes, waffles and the companionship of several dozing cats. “It’s just an effort to control the flow of information.”
Guns from ‘Operation Fast and Furious’ Found at Mexican Crime Scenes
July 27th, 2011Via: Reuters:
At least 122 firearms from a botched U.S. undercover operation have been found at crime scenes in Mexico or intercepted en route to drug cartels there, a Republican congressional report issued on Tuesday said.
Mexican authorities found AK-47 assault rifles, powerful .50 caliber rifles and other weapons as early as November 2009 that were later linked to the U.S. sting operation to trace weapons crossing the border to Mexico, the report said.
Guns from the program, dubbed “Operation Fast and Furious,” were also found at the scene of the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the border state of Arizona last December. It is unclear if they were the weapons responsible for his death.
U.S. authorities set up the undercover operation in 2009 to try to track guns bought in Phoenix on behalf of Mexican drug cartels, but many of the weapons were never traced after they left the hands of the initial buyer.
The sting has become an embarrassment for the Obama administration and its Justice Department, rather than a victory in stemming the illegal flow of weapons to Mexico.
Mozilla Is Making an Android-Based Mobile OS
July 26th, 2011Via: Gizmodo:
Choice is a wonderful thing, but successful restaurants have smaller menus for a reason. If you’ve been grappling with making a decision on phone platforms as is, Mozilla’s about to chuck their hat into the ring with their Boot to Gecko mobile platform.
…
So where does Android fit into all of it? Mozilla understands that it’s difficult creating a new platform from the ground up, so is taking some of Android’s code that lets it work on hardware, and will add a new UI and application stack pulled from Firefox’s cross-platform layout engine Gecko. Lest you think this is just another Android phone with custom UI over it, think again—Mozilla has boldly said they won’t be adopting the Java language used in Android, nor will they support native code programming.
Jefferson County, Alabama Prepares for Largest Municipal Bankruptcy in U.S. History
July 26th, 2011Via: Forbes / AP:
Alabama’s largest county is laying the groundwork for filing what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, over a more than $3 billion debt for its sewer system.
The Jefferson County Commission approved resolutions Tuesday to hire prominent bankruptcy lawyers and to sell bonds later in case money is needed to emerge from bankruptcy.
Google Wasn’t Just Sniffing for Wi-Fi Base Stations
July 26th, 2011Via: Cnet:
Google’s Street View cars collected the locations of millions of laptops, cell phones, and other Wi-Fi devices around the world, a practice that raises novel privacy concerns, CNET has confirmed.
The cars were supposed to collect the locations of Wi-Fi access points. But Google also recorded the street addresses and unique identifiers of computers and other devices using those wireless networks and then made the data publicly available through Google.com until a few weeks ago.
The French data protection authority, known as the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) recently contacted CNET and said its investigation confirmed that Street View cars collected these unique hardware IDs. In March, CNIL’s probe resulted in a fine of 100,000 euros, about $143,000.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Become Chinese Billionaires
July 26th, 2011Via: Forbes:
I’m no statistics whiz, but it seems to me that a Chinese billionaire dies every 40 days.
China Daily reported Friday that unnatural deaths have taken the lives of 72 mainland billionaires over the past eight years. (Do the math.)
Which means that if you’re one of China’s 115 current billionaires, as listed on the 2011 Forbes Billionaires List, you should be more than a little nervous.
Mortality rate notwithstanding, what’s more disturbing is how these mega wealthy souls met their demise. According to China Daily, 15 were murdered, 17 committed suicide, seven died from accidents and 19 died from illness. Oh, yes, and 14 were executed. (Welcome to China.)
Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Maize Fields
July 26th, 2011Via: IB Times:
In an effort to rid the country of Monsanto’s GMO products, Hungary has stepped up the pace. This looks like its going to be another slap in the face for Monsanto. A new regulation was introduced this March which stipulates that seeds are supposed to be checked for GMO before they are introduced to the market. Unfortunately, some GMO seeds made it to the farmers without them knowing it.
Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.
Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seed traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.
During their investigation, controllers have found Pioneer and Monsanto products among the seeds planted.
Research Credit: Matt
Wealth Gap Between Whites and Minorities Widest in 25 Years
July 26th, 2011Via: AJC / AP:
The wealth gaps between whites and minorities have grown to their widest levels in a quarter-century. The recession and uneven recovery have erased decades of minority gains, leaving whites on average with 20 times the net worth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics, according to an analysis of new Census data.
Research Credit: dh
Cryptogon Android App
July 26th, 2011Despite all the posts on Cryptogon about smartphones acting as tracking devices, many of you use them anyway. So, how about a Cryptogon Android app? A Cryptogon reader has created one and it’s available for free at Static Wave Studio. Thanks, Dave!
I had nothing to do with the creation of this application. That’s another way of saying: If you have any support issues contact the developer, not me. I don’t have an Android device and I have no interest in installing the emulator on my computer. Also, I didn’t inspect the source code and I make absolutely no claims about privacy or security. Use at your own rick, your mileage may vary.
Arkansas: Black Student Can’t Be Valedictorian
July 26th, 2011Via: Courthouse News Service:
A high school southeast of Little Rock would not let a black student be valedictorian though she had the highest grade-point average, and wouldn’t let her mom speak to the school board about it until graduation had passed, the graduate claims in Federal Court.
Kymberly Wimberly, 18, got only a single B in her 4 years at McGehee Secondary School, and loaded up on Honors and Advanced Placement classes. She had the highest G.P.A. and says the school’s refusal to let her be sole valedictorian was part of a pattern of discrimination against black students.
Wimberly says that despite earning the highest G.P.A. of the Class of 2011, and being informed of it by a school counselor, “school administrators and personnel treated two other white students as heir[s] apparent to the valedictorian and salutatorian spots.”
Research Credit: ottilie
