Archive for September, 2010
Despite Clinton Pledge, State Department to Pay Out Billions More to Mercenaries
September 30th, 2010Via: Wired: Get ready to meet America’s new mercenaries. They could be the same as the old ones. A new multibillion-dollar private security contract to protect U.S. diplomats is “about to drop” as early as this week, say two State Department sources, who requested anonymity because the contract is not yet finalized and they are […]
The U.S. Military Depends on China for the Metals Required to Build Smart Bombs
September 30th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: A senior manager at a company that churns out metals routinely used in U.S. smart bombs pauses in mid-sentence when his phone rings: a Wall Street stockbroker looking for information. He makes a note to have an assistant call back — someone who is fluent in English, not just Chinese. “It’s a seller’s […]
Ireland: Banking Wreck
September 30th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: Ireland is preparing to take majority control of Allied Irish Banks Plc and pump extra cash into Anglo Irish Bank Corp., raising the cost of repairing the financial system to as much as 50 billion euros ($68 billion). “The Irish banking system is at rock bottom today,” Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said today […]
Average Distressed Property Sells at 26% Discount; Inventory of These Properties Still Increasing
September 30th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: Homes in the foreclosure process sold at an average 26 percent discount in the second quarter as almost one-fourth of all U.S. transactions involved properties in some stage of mortgage distress, according to RealtyTrac Inc. A total of 248,534 homes that sold in the period had received a default or auction notice or […]
Fort Hood: Army’s Largest Base Had Four Apparent Suicides in One Weekend
September 30th, 2010Via: CNN: Four soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas died over the week. In all four cases, it appears the soldiers, all decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, took their own lives, according to Christopher Haug, a Fort Hood spokesman. If confirmed as suicides, it would be on top of 14 other suicides […]
Researchers Find Phone Apps Sending Data Without Notification
September 30th, 2010Via: PhysOrg: Publicly available cell-phone applications from application markets are releasing consumers’ private information to online advertisers, according to a joint study by Intel Labs, Penn State, and Duke University. Flicking through a wallpaper app with backgrounds of Mickey Mouse and a tropical waterfall, Peter Gilbert gets a plain, black and white text notification on […]
‘Slavery’ Uncovered on Trawlers Fishing for Europe
September 30th, 2010Via: Guardian: Shocking evidence of conditions akin to slavery on trawlers that provide fish for European dinner tables has been found in an investigation off the coast of west Africa. Forced labour and human rights abuses involving African crews have been uncovered on trawlers fishing illegally for the European market by investigators for an environmental […]
Cryptogon Reader Signs Up for Hosting with BlueHost
September 30th, 2010Thanks to the owner of tin-baby.com for signing up for hosting with BlueHost. Cryptogon received $90.
Breakthrough in Quantum Computer Race
September 29th, 2010Via: University of New South Wales: A team led by UNSW engineers and physicists have developed one of the key building blocks needed to make a quantum computer using silicon: a “single electron reader”. Their work has been published in the journal Nature. Quantum computers promise exponential increases in processing speed over today’s computers through […]
General Strike in Spain; Demonstrations Around Europe
September 29th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: Spanish workers disrupted transport and television broadcasts in the first general strike in eight years as demonstrators marched in a dozen European cities against government spending cuts. More than 100,000 protesters descended on Brussels before a meeting between union members and European Commission President Jose Barroso, organizers said. In Athens, rail, communications and […]
