U.S. Government Glossed Over Cancer Concerns As It Rolled Out Airport X-Ray Scanners
November 2nd, 2011Via: Pro Publica:
On Sept. 23, 1998, a panel of radiation safety experts gathered at a Hilton hotel in Maryland to evaluate a new device that could detect hidden weapons and contraband. The machine, known as the Secure 1000, beamed X-rays at people to see underneath their clothing.
One after another, the experts convened by the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the machine because it violated a longstanding principle in radiation safety — that humans shouldn’t be X-rayed unless there is a medical benefit.
“I think this is really a slippery slope,” said Jill Lipoti, who was the director of New Jersey’s radiation protection program. The device was already deployed in prisons; what was next, she and others asked — courthouses, schools, airports? “I am concerned … with expanding this type of product for the traveling public,” said another panelist, Stanley Savic, the vice president for safety at a large electronics company. “I think that would take this thing to an entirely different level of public health risk.”
The machine’s inventor, Steven W. Smith, assured the panelists that it was highly unlikely that the device would see widespread use in the near future. At the time, only 20 machines were in operation in the entire country.
“The places I think you are not going to see these in the next five years is lower-security facilities, particularly power plants, embassies, courthouses, airports and governments,” Smith said. “I would be extremely surprised in the next five to 10 years if the Secure 1000 is sold to any of these.”
Today, the United States has begun marching millions of airline passengers through the X-ray body scanners, parting ways with countries in Europe and elsewhere that have concluded that such widespread use of even low-level radiation poses an unacceptable health risk.
Fresh Record High for U.S. Food-Stamp Use; 45.8 Million
November 2nd, 2011Via: Bloomberg:
The number of Americans receiving food stamps reached a record 45.8 million in August, the government said.
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The number of Americans receiving food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has set records every month but one since December 2008.
GREEK MILITARY CHIEFS REPLACED
November 2nd, 2011Via: Telegraph:
As Greek poltics grew ever more chaotic strong political protests erupted as the government moved to replace military chiefs with officers seen as more supportive of George Papandreou, the prime minister.
In a surprise development, Panos Beglitis, Defence Minister, a close confidante of Mr Papandreou, summoned the chiefs of the army, navy and air-force and announced that they were being replaced by other senior officers.
Neither the minister nor any government spokesman offered an explanation for the sudden, sweeping changes, which were scheduled to be considered on November 7 as part of a regular annual review of military leadership retirements and promotions. Usually the annual changes do not affect the entire leadership.
“Under no circumstances will these changes be accepted, at a time when the government is collapsing and has not even secured a vote of confidence,” said an official announcement by the opposition conservative New Democracy party.
“It has no moral or real authority any more, and such surprise moves can only worsen the crisis currently sweeping the country”.
Flashback: Greece: Possibility of a Military Coup?
Markets Dive on Greek Referendum
November 1st, 2011Via: BBC:
US and European markets have fallen following Monday’s announcement of a Greek referendum on the latest aid package to solve its debt crisis.
Eurozone leaders agreed a 50% debt write-off for Greece last week as well as strengthening Europe’s bailout fund.
But the Greek move has cast doubt on whether the deal can go ahead.
New York’s Dow Jones fell 2% on opening. London’s FTSE 100 was down 3%, while the Dax in Frankfurt and the Cac 40 in Paris were down about 5%.
Shares in banks saw the biggest falls, with Societe Generale falling 16.9%, BNP Paribas down 14%, Credit Agricole down 12.9%, Commerzbank falling 10.7%, Deutsche Bank down 10.3% and Barclays 10.5% lower.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to discuss the Greek announcement with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the telephone.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said it was “an unexpected decision that generates uncertainties”.
Will Be Monitoring Stock Market Sell Off
November 1st, 2011S&P500 futures are down 3% premarket. The dollar is ramping higher.
FTSE 100 -3.67
DAX -6%
CAC 40 -5.18
Buckle up.
MF Global: Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Missing from Customer Accounts
November 1st, 2011Via: New York Times:
Federal regulators have discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in customer money has gone missing from MF Global in recent days, prompting an investigation into the company’s operations as it filed for bankruptcy on Monday, according to several people briefed on the matter.
The revelation of the missing money scuttled an 11th hour deal for MF Global to sell a major part of itself to a rival brokerage firm. MF Global, the powerhouse commodities brokerage run by Jon S. Corzine, had staked its survival on completing the deal.
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.
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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.
