Fri Sep 19, 6:19 AM ET
WASHINGTON - The Securities and Exchange Commission took the dramatic step early Friday of temporarily banning the routine practice of betting against company stocks.
The move, announced on the agency's Web site, may well be unprecedented and a reflection of regulators' concern about the widening scope of the financial crisis as entreaties come from all quarters to stem a swarm of short-selling.
In the announcement, the commission said it was acting in concert with the U.K. Financial Services Authority in taking emergency action to "prohibit short selling in financial companies" to protect the integrity of the securities market and boost investor confidence.
"The commission is committed to using every weapon in its arsenal to combat market manipulation that threatens investors and capital markets," SEC chairman Christopher Cox said in a statement. "The emergency order temporarily banning short-selling of financial stocks will restore equilibrium to markets."
The move, he said, would not be necessary in a well-functioning market and is only a temporary step that is part of the actions being taken by the Federal Reserve, the Treasury and Congress.
A recent wave of the market maneuvers — where traders seek to profit by selling unowned shares of companies in the anticipation their prices will drop — has been blamed in part for the demise of venerable investment firm Lehman Brothers and other big companies.
Cox, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke held a closed-door meeting Thursday night with members of Congress.
The SEC said its action calls a time-out to aggressive short-selling in financial stocks and said it would consider measures to address short-selling in other publicly traded companies.
Short-selling, in a normal market, contributes to efficiency while adding liquidity to the markets. But now, the SEC said, it appears that "unbridled" short-selling was contributing to the sudden price declines in the securities of financial institutions.
On Wednesday, New York Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, both Democrats, appealed to the SEC for such a temporary ban, saying the watchdog agency "has the power to take a temporary but important step to help restore a measure of stability to our financial markets."
The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the nation's largest pension fund, said that starting Thursday it is no longer lending out shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, joining a growing number of public pension funds that are attempting to curb short-selling of two investment banks' stocks.
Information for all seniors -----Posted by-http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com
From Yahoo.com
Friday, September 19, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Digital TV Transition Get ready for 2009
DIGITAL TV TRANSITION: Get ready for 2009
DTV Converter Box alternatives You don’t have to wait.
DTV Coupons How to get your $40-off government coupon.
Digital TV FAQ Learn more about the change to digital TV.
THE SWITCH TO DIGITAL TELEVISION
Converter boxes
Should you get a digital TV adapter for your old TV? Our handy primer can help you decide.
By Steven Sande
What is a digital TV converter box?
A digital TV converter box hooks up to a conventional analog TV set, allowing it to receive digital broadcasts. This device, about the size of a cable box or smaller, is sometimes called a “digital-to-analog converter box,” “set-top converter box” or “digital TV adapter.”
Do I need a converter box?
If you watch TV over the air, using an antenna or “rabbit ears,” you will need to get either a converter box or a digital TV by February 17, 2009.
• I have cable TV service•.
How much do converter boxes cost?
The price is expected to be somewhere around $60. But because the federal government will provide coupons worth $40 off the cost of a converter box, the consumer’s share should come out to about $20.
• Read more: DTV converter box prices
How do I get a converter box coupon?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will make coupons available to U.S. households that request them beginning January 1, 2008. Funding for the coupon program may not be sufficient to provide a rebate to every American who wants one, according to some analysts. So you might want to put in your request as soon as the program launches.
• Read more: Visit the Ntia Website
at http://www.Ntia.doc.gov/
Monday, August 25, 2008
Support our troops, vote Obama?
Remember those “We support our troops and the president” bumper stickers from the 2004 presidential election? This election year, they’ll have to read, “We support our troops and Obama.”That’s because a study by The Center for Responsive Politics discovered that, “Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain.”The non-partisan, non-profit research group headquartered in Washington, DC. also reported on their website that, “Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall -- whether stationed overseas or at home -- are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008…” It’s gonna be really interesting to hear how McCain’s people, who are touting their candidate’s foreign policy and military expertise, spin this one. When the true experts on our nation’s defense, and the people who are actually protecting America, support Obama by such a wide margin, it’s pretty hard to argue that a vote for McCain is supporting our troops.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
FCC to warn TV viewers: 'This is only a test'
FCC to warn TV viewers: 'This is only a test'
To increase awareness, analog sets may go blank
By Wailin Wong Chicago Tribune reporter
August 19, 2008
If you watch an older TV hooked up to rabbit-ear antennas and your screen goes snowy for a moment this November, replaced by a message telling you to call a toll-free number, do not be alarmed. It's not Martians. It's just the government.Representatives of the Federal Communications Commission are scheduled to visit Chicago on Nov. 20 as part of a nationwide tour to regions that are considered at risk for missing the switch from analog to digital TV signals. While regulators haven't detailed their itinerary for Chicago, one of the options to test local households' readiness is what's known as a "soft test," or temporarily turning off analog signals.In a soft test, the signal is shut down for 30 to 60 seconds. Viewers who are watching an older TV with rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna will get a snowy screen and a message telling them to call a toll-free number or visit DTVanswers.com, a Web site run by the National Association of Broadcasters."We've found that's an effective way to get the message out," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a Monday press conference, during which he announced the agency's nationwide tour.
To increase awareness, analog sets may go blank
By Wailin Wong Chicago Tribune reporter
August 19, 2008
If you watch an older TV hooked up to rabbit-ear antennas and your screen goes snowy for a moment this November, replaced by a message telling you to call a toll-free number, do not be alarmed. It's not Martians. It's just the government.Representatives of the Federal Communications Commission are scheduled to visit Chicago on Nov. 20 as part of a nationwide tour to regions that are considered at risk for missing the switch from analog to digital TV signals. While regulators haven't detailed their itinerary for Chicago, one of the options to test local households' readiness is what's known as a "soft test," or temporarily turning off analog signals.In a soft test, the signal is shut down for 30 to 60 seconds. Viewers who are watching an older TV with rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna will get a snowy screen and a message telling them to call a toll-free number or visit DTVanswers.com, a Web site run by the National Association of Broadcasters."We've found that's an effective way to get the message out," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a Monday press conference, during which he announced the agency's nationwide tour.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Soul singer Isaac Hayes, 65, is dead
Soul singer Isaac Hayes, 65, is dead
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Sunday, August 10th 2008, 6:53 PM
Pereira/WireImage
Isaac Hayes performs during the 30th Celebrate Brooklyn Summer Season on June 12, 2008 at the bandshell in Prospect Park.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man." See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Sunday, August 10th 2008, 6:53 PM
Pereira/WireImage
Isaac Hayes performs during the 30th Celebrate Brooklyn Summer Season on June 12, 2008 at the bandshell in Prospect Park.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. He was 65.
A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.
His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man." See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
NY appeals court green-lights remote storage DVR
NY appeals court green-lights remote storage DVR
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, August 4th 2008, 3:12 PM
In a decision sure to affect millions of cable television subscribers, a federal appeals court Monday gave a green light to Cablevision Systems Corp.'s rollout of a remote-storage digital video recorder system.
In overturning a lower court ruling that had blocked the service, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the judge wrongly concluded that Cablevision, rather than its customers, would be making copies of programs, thereby violating copyright laws.
Tom Rutledge Cablevision's chief operating officer, called the appeals court decision "a tremendous victory for consumers." He said it would allow the company to make DVRs available to more people, faster and less expensively than would otherwise be possible.
Cablevision's next-generation technology would let any cable subscriber with a digital cable box store TV shows on computer servers rather than on a hard drive in their home.
The new Cablevision system was challenged by a group of Hollywood studios that claimed that the remote-storage system would have amounted to an unauthorized broadcast of their programs.
Cablevision, in arguing that control of the recording and playback was in the hands of the consumer, had relied on a landmark 1984 Supreme Court case which found Sony Corp. did not break copyright laws by letting viewers use videotape recorders to record shows for personal use.
A lawyer for the Hollywood studios did not immediately return a telephone message for comment Monday.
In its ruling, the appeals court said it did not see much difference between the user of a VCR and the user of a DVR.
See--http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, August 4th 2008, 3:12 PM
In a decision sure to affect millions of cable television subscribers, a federal appeals court Monday gave a green light to Cablevision Systems Corp.'s rollout of a remote-storage digital video recorder system.
In overturning a lower court ruling that had blocked the service, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the judge wrongly concluded that Cablevision, rather than its customers, would be making copies of programs, thereby violating copyright laws.
Tom Rutledge Cablevision's chief operating officer, called the appeals court decision "a tremendous victory for consumers." He said it would allow the company to make DVRs available to more people, faster and less expensively than would otherwise be possible.
Cablevision's next-generation technology would let any cable subscriber with a digital cable box store TV shows on computer servers rather than on a hard drive in their home.
The new Cablevision system was challenged by a group of Hollywood studios that claimed that the remote-storage system would have amounted to an unauthorized broadcast of their programs.
Cablevision, in arguing that control of the recording and playback was in the hands of the consumer, had relied on a landmark 1984 Supreme Court case which found Sony Corp. did not break copyright laws by letting viewers use videotape recorders to record shows for personal use.
A lawyer for the Hollywood studios did not immediately return a telephone message for comment Monday.
In its ruling, the appeals court said it did not see much difference between the user of a VCR and the user of a DVR.
See--http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Sunday, August 03, 2008
US Border Agency Says It Can Seize Laptops
US Border Agency Says It Can Seize Laptops
Agam Shah, IDG News Service Fri Aug 1, 7:50 PM ET
Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.
The DHS document, issued July 16, appears to state publicly a policy that has already existed. Laptops and electronic devices have been subject to search in the past, and travelers have reported not getting their devices back. The policy has drawn strong criticism from lawmakers and nonprofit groups, who charged that the searches were invasive and a violation of an individual's privacy rights. Computers contain a vast amount of private information about family, finances and health, which could be easily copied and stored in government databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has complained.
The policy document states that being able to examine documents and electronic devices is crucial for "detecting information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling... contraband including child pornography, and... other import or export control laws."
The new DHS policies allow customs agents to analyze the contents of laptops without any suspicion of wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement.
"The policies that have been disclosed are truly alarming," Feingold wrote.
The policy could blur the distinction between "search" and "seizure," which could also allow DHS officials to steal personal documents from laptops it has retained, Feingold wrote.
Agam Shah, IDG News Service Fri Aug 1, 7:50 PM ET
Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.
The DHS document, issued July 16, appears to state publicly a policy that has already existed. Laptops and electronic devices have been subject to search in the past, and travelers have reported not getting their devices back. The policy has drawn strong criticism from lawmakers and nonprofit groups, who charged that the searches were invasive and a violation of an individual's privacy rights. Computers contain a vast amount of private information about family, finances and health, which could be easily copied and stored in government databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has complained.
The policy document states that being able to examine documents and electronic devices is crucial for "detecting information concerning terrorism, narcotics smuggling... contraband including child pornography, and... other import or export control laws."
The new DHS policies allow customs agents to analyze the contents of laptops without any suspicion of wrongdoing, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold said in a statement.
"The policies that have been disclosed are truly alarming," Feingold wrote.
The policy could blur the distinction between "search" and "seizure," which could also allow DHS officials to steal personal documents from laptops it has retained, Feingold wrote.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
WORLD NEWS AND INFORMATION
Knoxville,Tenn.---He shot and killed them because they were liberals.
Cops revealed yesterday that the out-of-work truckdriver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting he targeted the house of worship because of it's liberal policies including it's acceptance of gays. A letter found in Jim Adkisson's SUV indicated he picked the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because, the police chief said, he was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays." Adkisson, a 58-year old truck driver on the verge of losing his food stamps, had 76 rounds with him when he entered the church and pulled a shotgun from a guitar case during a children's performance of the musical " Annie ". The Associated Press ---nydnews 7-29-08
Right-wing pundit fights brain tumor
Boston--- conservative political commentator Robert Novak has been diagnosed with a brain tumor--less than a week after he struck a homeless man with his Corvette and was ticketed because he drove away.
Novak, 77, fell ill on Cape Cod this weekend while visiting his daughter and was rushed to the hospital, where he said he was diagnosed Sunday with the tumor. " I will be suspending my journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period. " he said in a statement. His assistants aid doctors had not yet done a biopsy to determine if the tumor was malignant. ---Associated Press 7-29-08
Cops revealed yesterday that the out-of-work truckdriver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting he targeted the house of worship because of it's liberal policies including it's acceptance of gays. A letter found in Jim Adkisson's SUV indicated he picked the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church because, the police chief said, he was upset with "liberals in general as well as gays." Adkisson, a 58-year old truck driver on the verge of losing his food stamps, had 76 rounds with him when he entered the church and pulled a shotgun from a guitar case during a children's performance of the musical " Annie ". The Associated Press ---nydnews 7-29-08
Right-wing pundit fights brain tumor
Boston--- conservative political commentator Robert Novak has been diagnosed with a brain tumor--less than a week after he struck a homeless man with his Corvette and was ticketed because he drove away.
Novak, 77, fell ill on Cape Cod this weekend while visiting his daughter and was rushed to the hospital, where he said he was diagnosed Sunday with the tumor. " I will be suspending my journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period. " he said in a statement. His assistants aid doctors had not yet done a biopsy to determine if the tumor was malignant. ---Associated Press 7-29-08
Thursday, July 17, 2008
New York governor, NAACP condemn magazine cover
New York governor, NAACP condemn magazine cover
By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer
Paterson, a Democrat who is New York's first black governor, told delegates at the civil rights organization's national convention that the cover that hit newsstands Monday is "one of the most malignant, vicious covers of a magazine I have ever seen," drawing a loud applause.
"It depicted them as angry, hateful, violent and unpatriotic," Paterson added.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released a resolution that calls the cover "tasteless, Islam-a-phobic, mean spirited and racially offensive." It calls on other Americans who are offended by the cover to contact the magazine about their concerns.
A message seeking comment from the New Yorker was left at the magazine's offices on Thursday.
The cover depicts Obama in traditional Muslim clothing while his wife, Michelle, has an assault rifle slung over one shoulder and is dressed in camouflage and combat boots with her hair in an Afro. The cover shows them bumping fists as a flag burns in a fireplace behind them and a portrait of Osama bin Laden hangs above the mantel.
The magazine has said satire it uses satire "to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover."
New Yorker editor David Remnick told the Huffington Post Web site that the cover was chosen because it had something to say.
In comments after his speech, Paterson said that no matter what reason the magazine gives for the cover, it was hurtful.
"The reality is that it hurts people, they knew it would hurt people; it was designed to do that and also to feed the prurient interest of bigoted, prejudiced people in this society," Paterson said.
By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer
Paterson, a Democrat who is New York's first black governor, told delegates at the civil rights organization's national convention that the cover that hit newsstands Monday is "one of the most malignant, vicious covers of a magazine I have ever seen," drawing a loud applause.
"It depicted them as angry, hateful, violent and unpatriotic," Paterson added.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released a resolution that calls the cover "tasteless, Islam-a-phobic, mean spirited and racially offensive." It calls on other Americans who are offended by the cover to contact the magazine about their concerns.
A message seeking comment from the New Yorker was left at the magazine's offices on Thursday.
The cover depicts Obama in traditional Muslim clothing while his wife, Michelle, has an assault rifle slung over one shoulder and is dressed in camouflage and combat boots with her hair in an Afro. The cover shows them bumping fists as a flag burns in a fireplace behind them and a portrait of Osama bin Laden hangs above the mantel.
The magazine has said satire it uses satire "to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover."
New Yorker editor David Remnick told the Huffington Post Web site that the cover was chosen because it had something to say.
In comments after his speech, Paterson said that no matter what reason the magazine gives for the cover, it was hurtful.
"The reality is that it hurts people, they knew it would hurt people; it was designed to do that and also to feed the prurient interest of bigoted, prejudiced people in this society," Paterson said.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Citibank ATM breach reveals PIN security problems
Citibank ATM breach reveals PIN security problems
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday, July 1st 2008, 1:56 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Hackers broke into Citibank's network of ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores this year and stole customers' PIN codes, according to recent court filings that revealed a disturbing security hole in the most sensitive part of a banking record.
The scam netted the alleged identity thieves millions of dollars. But more importantly for consumers, it indicates criminals were able to access PINs — the numeric passwords that theoretically are among the most closely guarded elements of banking transactions — by attacking the back-end computers responsible for approving the cash withdrawals.
The case against three people in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York highlights a significant problem.
Hackers are targeting the ATM system's infrastructure, which is increasingly built on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system and allows machines to be remotely diagnosed and repaired over the Internet. And despite industry standards that call for protecting PINs with strong encryption - which means encoding them to cloak them to outsiders - some ATM operators apparently aren't properly doing that. The PINs seem to be leaking while in transit between the automated teller machines and the computers that process the transactions.
"PINs were supposed be sacrosanct - what this shows is that PINs aren't always encrypted like they're supposed to be," said Avivah Litan, a security analyst with the Gartner research firm. "The banks need much better fraud detection systems and much better authentication."
It's unclear how many Citibank customers were affected by the breach, which extended at least from October 2007 to March of this year. The bank has nearly 5,700 Citibank-branded ATMs inside 7-Eleven Inc. stores throughout the U.S., but it doesn't own or operate any of them.
That responsibility falls on two companies: Houston-based Cardtronic., which owns all the machines but only operates some, and Brookfiel.-based Fiserv Inc., which operates the others.
A critical issue in the investigation is how the hackers infiltrated the system, a question that still hasn't been answered publicly.
All that's known is they broke into the ATM network through a server at a third-party processor, which means they probably didn't have to touch the ATMs at all to pull off the heist.
They could have gained administrative access to the machines — which means they had carte blanche to grab information — through a flaw in the network or by figuring out those computers' passwords. Or it's possible they installed a piece of malicious software on a banking server to capture unencrypted PINs as they passed through. --------nydailynews
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday, July 1st 2008, 1:56 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Hackers broke into Citibank's network of ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores this year and stole customers' PIN codes, according to recent court filings that revealed a disturbing security hole in the most sensitive part of a banking record.
The scam netted the alleged identity thieves millions of dollars. But more importantly for consumers, it indicates criminals were able to access PINs — the numeric passwords that theoretically are among the most closely guarded elements of banking transactions — by attacking the back-end computers responsible for approving the cash withdrawals.
The case against three people in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York highlights a significant problem.
Hackers are targeting the ATM system's infrastructure, which is increasingly built on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system and allows machines to be remotely diagnosed and repaired over the Internet. And despite industry standards that call for protecting PINs with strong encryption - which means encoding them to cloak them to outsiders - some ATM operators apparently aren't properly doing that. The PINs seem to be leaking while in transit between the automated teller machines and the computers that process the transactions.
"PINs were supposed be sacrosanct - what this shows is that PINs aren't always encrypted like they're supposed to be," said Avivah Litan, a security analyst with the Gartner research firm. "The banks need much better fraud detection systems and much better authentication."
It's unclear how many Citibank customers were affected by the breach, which extended at least from October 2007 to March of this year. The bank has nearly 5,700 Citibank-branded ATMs inside 7-Eleven Inc. stores throughout the U.S., but it doesn't own or operate any of them.
That responsibility falls on two companies: Houston-based Cardtronic., which owns all the machines but only operates some, and Brookfiel.-based Fiserv Inc., which operates the others.
A critical issue in the investigation is how the hackers infiltrated the system, a question that still hasn't been answered publicly.
All that's known is they broke into the ATM network through a server at a third-party processor, which means they probably didn't have to touch the ATMs at all to pull off the heist.
They could have gained administrative access to the machines — which means they had carte blanche to grab information — through a flaw in the network or by figuring out those computers' passwords. Or it's possible they installed a piece of malicious software on a banking server to capture unencrypted PINs as they passed through. --------nydailynews
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tap in to big savings by switching from bottled water
Tap in to big savings by switching from bottled water
BY JOSHUA CINELLI DAILY NEWS WRITER
Wednesday, June 18th 2008, 10:52 AM
Drinking water from the tap costs pennies a year vs. thousands for the bottled variety.
Gasoline isn't the only liquid draining New Yorkers' budgets - water can cost plenty for those who insist on drinking the bottled variety.
Last year, U.S. consumers purchased $16.8 billion of bottled water. The cost of drinking the recommended 64 ounces of water a day from bottles could total thousands of dollars for one person. By contrast, drinking a healthy supply from the tap costs just 51 cents a year, according to The Associated Press.
"In New York City, the water is the best," said Andre Aubry, a 61-year-old construction worker from Bedford Park in the Bronx. "I'm not going to pay anything for water."
Aubry, who fills up a cooler every night from the tap, said there's another good reason to avoid drinking from plastic bottles.
"All bottled water is doing is creating more garbage," he said.
Environmentalists have railed against bottled water for years based on the estimated 17 million barrels of oil used every year to make the bottles, and the fact that they don't break down in landfills. Other efforts such as the Tappening Project and Think Outside the Bottle have urged Americans to choose reusable containers.
In the city, Mayor Bloomberg is an ardent advocate of tap water, drinking it at home and in restaurants. This weekend, Bloomberg will co-sponsor a resolution in Miami at the U.SConference of Mayors to prohibit city spending on bottled water.
The City Council has stopped buying bottled water, joining 30 other cities nationwide. Instead, it has begun to provide water coolers that use filtered tap water. Last year, the Council's downtown offices went through 6,000 bottles of water.
Still, some say bottled water is all they drink.
"All that's in the fridge is bottled water," said Joseph Acquah of Flatbush, Brooklyn
BY JOSHUA CINELLI DAILY NEWS WRITER
Wednesday, June 18th 2008, 10:52 AM
Drinking water from the tap costs pennies a year vs. thousands for the bottled variety.
Gasoline isn't the only liquid draining New Yorkers' budgets - water can cost plenty for those who insist on drinking the bottled variety.
Last year, U.S. consumers purchased $16.8 billion of bottled water. The cost of drinking the recommended 64 ounces of water a day from bottles could total thousands of dollars for one person. By contrast, drinking a healthy supply from the tap costs just 51 cents a year, according to The Associated Press.
"In New York City, the water is the best," said Andre Aubry, a 61-year-old construction worker from Bedford Park in the Bronx. "I'm not going to pay anything for water."
Aubry, who fills up a cooler every night from the tap, said there's another good reason to avoid drinking from plastic bottles.
"All bottled water is doing is creating more garbage," he said.
Environmentalists have railed against bottled water for years based on the estimated 17 million barrels of oil used every year to make the bottles, and the fact that they don't break down in landfills. Other efforts such as the Tappening Project and Think Outside the Bottle have urged Americans to choose reusable containers.
In the city, Mayor Bloomberg is an ardent advocate of tap water, drinking it at home and in restaurants. This weekend, Bloomberg will co-sponsor a resolution in Miami at the U.SConference of Mayors to prohibit city spending on bottled water.
The City Council has stopped buying bottled water, joining 30 other cities nationwide. Instead, it has begun to provide water coolers that use filtered tap water. Last year, the Council's downtown offices went through 6,000 bottles of water.
Still, some say bottled water is all they drink.
"All that's in the fridge is bottled water," said Joseph Acquah of Flatbush, Brooklyn
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Grocers with beef sue union butchers
Grocers with beef sue union butchers
BY JOHN MARZULLI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, June 8th 2008, 4:00 AM
Three supermarket chains want millions in damages from a union they say ordered butchers to urge customers to buy fresh hamburger patties instead of frozen meat.
Lawyers for Pathmark, Waldbaum and The Food Emporium have responded aggressively to what they called a Memorial Day weekend scare campaign in which brochures distributed outside their stores suggested frozen meat may have been lying around warehouses for years.
"The statement that by buying fresh meat, 'customers never have to wonder how old fresh meat and hamburger patties are,' is a clear reference that customers should worry that frozen patties are old," says the suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Further, the handbill is "defamatory and libelous" because it suggests the supermarkets were selling outdated meat.
Leaflets were distributed outside stores in New York City and Long Island from May 23 to May 26.
The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342, contends the leafleting was simply an attempt to drum up business because meat department workers' hours have been curtailed.
Several union members were disciplined or suspended for handing out the leaflets, union lawyer Ira Wincott said.
"We weren't telling customers not to buy anything, and we believe their sales actually increased that weekend over last year's sales, which we attribute to the handbill," Wincott said.
A copy of the handbill, attached to the suit, asks: "Why buy frozen patties shipped in from who knows where? Who knows how long they have been laying around a warehouse? Frozen meat may have been frozen for years
From ----newyorkdailynews.com 6-8-2008 p 15
BY JOHN MARZULLI
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, June 8th 2008, 4:00 AM
Three supermarket chains want millions in damages from a union they say ordered butchers to urge customers to buy fresh hamburger patties instead of frozen meat.
Lawyers for Pathmark, Waldbaum and The Food Emporium have responded aggressively to what they called a Memorial Day weekend scare campaign in which brochures distributed outside their stores suggested frozen meat may have been lying around warehouses for years.
"The statement that by buying fresh meat, 'customers never have to wonder how old fresh meat and hamburger patties are,' is a clear reference that customers should worry that frozen patties are old," says the suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Further, the handbill is "defamatory and libelous" because it suggests the supermarkets were selling outdated meat.
Leaflets were distributed outside stores in New York City and Long Island from May 23 to May 26.
The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 342, contends the leafleting was simply an attempt to drum up business because meat department workers' hours have been curtailed.
Several union members were disciplined or suspended for handing out the leaflets, union lawyer Ira Wincott said.
"We weren't telling customers not to buy anything, and we believe their sales actually increased that weekend over last year's sales, which we attribute to the handbill," Wincott said.
A copy of the handbill, attached to the suit, asks: "Why buy frozen patties shipped in from who knows where? Who knows how long they have been laying around a warehouse? Frozen meat may have been frozen for years
From ----newyorkdailynews.com 6-8-2008 p 15
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Weak Economy Boosts Sales of T.V. Picture-Tubes
Weak Economy Boosts Sales of Picture-Tube TVs
By Eric A. Taub
The slowing American economy has had an unexpected effect on the television business: a resurgence in the popularity of the standard picture-tube TV.
According to new sales figures from the DisplaySearch research firm, tube TVs edged out plasma models to become the second-most-popular technology during the first quarter of this year. In the fourth quarter of 2007, it was plasma that enjoyed the number-two spot, after LCD.
The reasons are simple, according to Paul Gagnon, the company’s director of North American TV research. It all has to do with price sensitivity and the sense among consumers that they should purchase a cheap digital-capable set before the nation switches to all-digital broadcasting next year.
Enjoying the boom in picture-tube TV sales are the low-cost mass marketers like Wal-Mart. Tube sets have all but disappeared from big-box consumer electronics retailers, such as Best Buy, Circuit City and even Costco. In terms of revenue, the venerable RCA brand, owned by China’s TCL, has captured a 46 percent market share, putting it in first place.
And while picture-tube TVs may be hard to find here, that’s not the case in the rest of the world. Tube TVs still outsell LCD sets worldwide, although the two technologies are now neck and neck. In the first quarter of this year, 22.1 million tube TVs were sold worldwide, compared with 21.1 million LCD sets.
For those who still want to buy a flat-panel TV, the economy has also caused consumers to rethink their need for the biggest and best.
TV sales normally fall after the holiday buying boom, and this year was no exception. But unit sales of sets 40 inches and larger dropped by a larger-than-expected 36 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the last quarter of 2007. Meanwhile, sales of sets smaller than 40 inches in size decreased only 33 percent. “With the Super Bowl in January, typically sales of larger sets do well in the first quarter,” Mr. Gagnon said. “Sales of TVs in the 30- to 37-inch size were stronger than expected.” Smaller sets mean lower revenues for the manufacturers.
On the plasma front, Panasonic remained the sales leader, even though plasma now accounts for just 6 percent of worldwide TV sales. And in the United States, Vizio, the low-cost manufacturer, has seen its plasma market share almost double from the fourth quarter of last year, from 5.7 percent to 10 percent. (Panasonic’s first-place share of the U.S. plasma business dropped from 38 to 35 percent.)
One bright spot for the industry: sales of still-pricey TVs 50 inches and larger “was stronger than expected,” Mr. Gagnon said. If the rich do not always get richer, so far at least many seem to have retained their ability to buy big TVs. http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/ 5-23-2008
By Eric A. Taub
The slowing American economy has had an unexpected effect on the television business: a resurgence in the popularity of the standard picture-tube TV.
According to new sales figures from the DisplaySearch research firm, tube TVs edged out plasma models to become the second-most-popular technology during the first quarter of this year. In the fourth quarter of 2007, it was plasma that enjoyed the number-two spot, after LCD.
The reasons are simple, according to Paul Gagnon, the company’s director of North American TV research. It all has to do with price sensitivity and the sense among consumers that they should purchase a cheap digital-capable set before the nation switches to all-digital broadcasting next year.
Enjoying the boom in picture-tube TV sales are the low-cost mass marketers like Wal-Mart. Tube sets have all but disappeared from big-box consumer electronics retailers, such as Best Buy, Circuit City and even Costco. In terms of revenue, the venerable RCA brand, owned by China’s TCL, has captured a 46 percent market share, putting it in first place.
And while picture-tube TVs may be hard to find here, that’s not the case in the rest of the world. Tube TVs still outsell LCD sets worldwide, although the two technologies are now neck and neck. In the first quarter of this year, 22.1 million tube TVs were sold worldwide, compared with 21.1 million LCD sets.
For those who still want to buy a flat-panel TV, the economy has also caused consumers to rethink their need for the biggest and best.
TV sales normally fall after the holiday buying boom, and this year was no exception. But unit sales of sets 40 inches and larger dropped by a larger-than-expected 36 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the last quarter of 2007. Meanwhile, sales of sets smaller than 40 inches in size decreased only 33 percent. “With the Super Bowl in January, typically sales of larger sets do well in the first quarter,” Mr. Gagnon said. “Sales of TVs in the 30- to 37-inch size were stronger than expected.” Smaller sets mean lower revenues for the manufacturers.
On the plasma front, Panasonic remained the sales leader, even though plasma now accounts for just 6 percent of worldwide TV sales. And in the United States, Vizio, the low-cost manufacturer, has seen its plasma market share almost double from the fourth quarter of last year, from 5.7 percent to 10 percent. (Panasonic’s first-place share of the U.S. plasma business dropped from 38 to 35 percent.)
One bright spot for the industry: sales of still-pricey TVs 50 inches and larger “was stronger than expected,” Mr. Gagnon said. If the rich do not always get richer, so far at least many seem to have retained their ability to buy big TVs. http://davidsradiotv2000.blogspot.com/ 5-23-2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Obama poised to gain a majority of pledged delegates in Oregon
CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama is expected to take a majority of the pledged delegates in the Democratic race after primary voters weigh in Tuesday in Kentucky and Oregon.
Sen. Barack Obama campaigns Monday in Montana, while Sen. Hillary Clinton seeks votes in Kentucky.
Obama's campaign sees the two contests as a milestone in the protracted fight for the Democratic presidential nomination with Sen. Hillary Clinton, who continues to campaign hard.
There are 3,253 pledged delegates, and Obama, even with a poor showing Tuesday, should easily top the 1,627 delegates needed to gain a majority.
A candidate needs 2,026 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. Going into Tuesday races, Obama has 1,909 delegates, while Clinton has 1,718.
The Kentucky and Oregon primaries hold 103 delegates combined. Obama needs 15 more to achieve a majority of the pledged delegates -- the delegates won either in state caucuses or primaries.
Clinton appears to be the overwhelming favorite in Kentucky. CNN's "poll of polls," which averages the latest public opinion surveys in the state, suggests the senator from New York leads Obama by 30 percentage points. The last polls in Kentucky close at 7 p.m. ET.
Obama is the favorite in Oregon, where a CNN poll of polls indicates he has a lead of 10 percentage points. Oregon's primary is a mail-in only contest, which means voters must mail in or hand in their ballots in person by 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET
Both Kentucky and Oregon's primaries are closed, so only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic contests. http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com 5-20-2008
Sen. Barack Obama campaigns Monday in Montana, while Sen. Hillary Clinton seeks votes in Kentucky.
Obama's campaign sees the two contests as a milestone in the protracted fight for the Democratic presidential nomination with Sen. Hillary Clinton, who continues to campaign hard.
There are 3,253 pledged delegates, and Obama, even with a poor showing Tuesday, should easily top the 1,627 delegates needed to gain a majority.
A candidate needs 2,026 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. Going into Tuesday races, Obama has 1,909 delegates, while Clinton has 1,718.
The Kentucky and Oregon primaries hold 103 delegates combined. Obama needs 15 more to achieve a majority of the pledged delegates -- the delegates won either in state caucuses or primaries.
Clinton appears to be the overwhelming favorite in Kentucky. CNN's "poll of polls," which averages the latest public opinion surveys in the state, suggests the senator from New York leads Obama by 30 percentage points. The last polls in Kentucky close at 7 p.m. ET.
Obama is the favorite in Oregon, where a CNN poll of polls indicates he has a lead of 10 percentage points. Oregon's primary is a mail-in only contest, which means voters must mail in or hand in their ballots in person by 8 p.m. PT (11 p.m. ET
Both Kentucky and Oregon's primaries are closed, so only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic contests. http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com 5-20-2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
IRS: Some stimulus checks sent to wrong accounts
IRS: Some stimulus checks sent to wrong accounts
BY CAROL POLSKY
Through the wonders of modern technology, some of those federal economic stimulus checks are being deposited directly into recipients' bank accounts.But some are not - and are instead winding up in the bank accounts of complete strangers."We do know of instances of problems; we've hMay 15, 2008
eard of situations where stimulus checks have gone to the wrong people's bank accounts," conceded Kevin McKeon, the Internal Revenue Service spokesman for the New York region. "We're getting a lot of calls to the toll-free number."One local taxpayer, who asked not to be identified, reported that he had discovered an unexpected deposit of $1,800 in his bank account. He said a review of his bank records revealed that it was a deposit from the IRS bearing another taxpayer's Social Security number. He said he contacted the IRS and was told by an agent that the deposit was one of 15,000 misrouted checks sent out incorrectly as a result of a computer programming glitch.
Adapted from ---nynewsday---5-15-2008--posted by davidsradiotv2000
BY CAROL POLSKY
Through the wonders of modern technology, some of those federal economic stimulus checks are being deposited directly into recipients' bank accounts.But some are not - and are instead winding up in the bank accounts of complete strangers."We do know of instances of problems; we've hMay 15, 2008
eard of situations where stimulus checks have gone to the wrong people's bank accounts," conceded Kevin McKeon, the Internal Revenue Service spokesman for the New York region. "We're getting a lot of calls to the toll-free number."One local taxpayer, who asked not to be identified, reported that he had discovered an unexpected deposit of $1,800 in his bank account. He said a review of his bank records revealed that it was a deposit from the IRS bearing another taxpayer's Social Security number. He said he contacted the IRS and was told by an agent that the deposit was one of 15,000 misrouted checks sent out incorrectly as a result of a computer programming glitch.
Adapted from ---nynewsday---5-15-2008--posted by davidsradiotv2000
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Rev. Al: Cut off cop cash
Google Blogs Alert for: davidsradiotv2000
Rev. Al: Cut off cop cashBy David'sRadioTV2000(A Blogger) ... Nicole Paultre Bell, and his friend Joseph Guzman attended the hearing, but made only brief remarks urging the panel to make changes to prevent another such shooting. --------nydailynews.com--posted by davidsradiotv2000 5-13-2008.The Harlem Blogosphere - http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com/
Rev. Al: Cut off cop cashBy David'sRadioTV2000(A Blogger) ... Nicole Paultre Bell, and his friend Joseph Guzman attended the hearing, but made only brief remarks urging the panel to make changes to prevent another such shooting. --------nydailynews.com--posted by davidsradiotv2000 5-13-2008.The Harlem Blogosphere - http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Hillary Tweaks Her Golden Goose
HILLARY TWEAKS HER GOLDEN GOOSE
May 6, 2008 -- 'Why don't we hold these Wall Street money-brokers responsible for their role in this recession?" So asked Sen. Hillary Clinton in Indiana over the weekend, sneeringly.
Pretty harsh words.
Could she be referring to the "money-brokers" who are directly responsible for nearly a third of all wages earned in New York City in any given year?
Or the folks who generate more than 20 percent of Albany's tax revenue?
On a more personal level, was Sen. Clinton talking about her friends at Goldman Sachs - you know, the ones who have kicked $445,350 into her campaign kitty so far this election cycle?
Or the combined personal contributions from Citigroup ($406,752), Morgan Stanley ($482,845) and Lehman Brothers ($269,560) - among many others?
Those money-brokers?
How about this: If money "brokered" on Wall Street so profoundly offends the senator, why doesn't she just give it all back?
Albany and City Hall don't have that luxury. Things are tough, and likely to get much worse - and maybe even worse than that if Sen. Clinton keeps it up with the condescending rhetoric.
She should be ashamed
From newyorkpost.com 5-6-2008 p28
May 6, 2008 -- 'Why don't we hold these Wall Street money-brokers responsible for their role in this recession?" So asked Sen. Hillary Clinton in Indiana over the weekend, sneeringly.
Pretty harsh words.
Could she be referring to the "money-brokers" who are directly responsible for nearly a third of all wages earned in New York City in any given year?
Or the folks who generate more than 20 percent of Albany's tax revenue?
On a more personal level, was Sen. Clinton talking about her friends at Goldman Sachs - you know, the ones who have kicked $445,350 into her campaign kitty so far this election cycle?
Or the combined personal contributions from Citigroup ($406,752), Morgan Stanley ($482,845) and Lehman Brothers ($269,560) - among many others?
Those money-brokers?
How about this: If money "brokered" on Wall Street so profoundly offends the senator, why doesn't she just give it all back?
Albany and City Hall don't have that luxury. Things are tough, and likely to get much worse - and maybe even worse than that if Sen. Clinton keeps it up with the condescending rhetoric.
She should be ashamed
From newyorkpost.com 5-6-2008 p28
Sunday, April 27, 2008
It's our duty to protest Bell decision
People should not have to paralyze the city to make everyone see that police actions in the Bell case - whether viewed as a crime or horrible blunder - cannot be excused as "just one of those things."
IN THIS CASE,
We have not heard Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Raymond Kelly or anyone else lay out a clear, convincing, detailed plan for ensuring there will be no more situations in which undercover officers rush on innocent people and unleash deadly force as if they're in a war zone. -----From the nydailynews.com ---and Errol Louis Opinions 4-26-2008 See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
IN THIS CASE,
We have not heard Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Raymond Kelly or anyone else lay out a clear, convincing, detailed plan for ensuring there will be no more situations in which undercover officers rush on innocent people and unleash deadly force as if they're in a war zone. -----From the nydailynews.com ---and Errol Louis Opinions 4-26-2008 See http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Flaw in TV converters
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, April 24th 2008, 4:00 AM
Did my TV screen just shrink?
That's the question a lot of people will be asking after installing one of the converter boxes that will keep older TV sets tuned into over-the-air broadcasts after Feb. 17, when most stations will switch to digital transmission from analog.
The National Association of Broadcasters estimates that 70 million sets nationwide are in danger of losing their picture. The A ssociated Press tested two boxes - the Digital Stream DTX9900 and Insignia NS-DXA1. Each costs $59.99, which can be partly defrayed by a $40 coupon available from the government at www.dtv2009.gov.
They come with a peculiar problem: Unless users manually change settings from show to show, the picture from many stations either won't fill the screen, or it will be so big that parts the picture are cut off by the edges of the screen.
Both boxes, with some programs, produced "windowboxing" or "the postage-stamp effect." This occurs because the digital broadcasts of network stations are in most cases formatted for widescreen HDTVs. The image will be "letterboxed" with black bars above and below.
The solution is to press the "Zoom" button on the remote that comes with the converter box. But that will have to be done for every show. Adapted from nydailynews 4-24-2008 P61
Posted by -----davidsradiotv2000
Thursday, April 24th 2008, 4:00 AM
Did my TV screen just shrink?
That's the question a lot of people will be asking after installing one of the converter boxes that will keep older TV sets tuned into over-the-air broadcasts after Feb. 17, when most stations will switch to digital transmission from analog.
The National Association of Broadcasters estimates that 70 million sets nationwide are in danger of losing their picture. The A ssociated Press tested two boxes - the Digital Stream DTX9900 and Insignia NS-DXA1. Each costs $59.99, which can be partly defrayed by a $40 coupon available from the government at www.dtv2009.gov.
They come with a peculiar problem: Unless users manually change settings from show to show, the picture from many stations either won't fill the screen, or it will be so big that parts the picture are cut off by the edges of the screen.
Both boxes, with some programs, produced "windowboxing" or "the postage-stamp effect." This occurs because the digital broadcasts of network stations are in most cases formatted for widescreen HDTVs. The image will be "letterboxed" with black bars above and below.
The solution is to press the "Zoom" button on the remote that comes with the converter box. But that will have to be done for every show. Adapted from nydailynews 4-24-2008 P61
Posted by -----davidsradiotv2000
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Cops may finally compute evidence
DESPITE A budget crunch, the NYPD hopes to get $25 million to fund an urgent need -- a computer program to track millions of pieces of evidence. For more than a decade, the NYPD has tried to get a computerized system in place for it's evidence collection process. Fomer Commissioner Howard Safir pulled the plug on one such attempt in 1998, after the department invested $7 million over seven years with series of computer companies with no results, records showed.
If it doesn't get additional money for the project, the NYPD may have to shift other funds to pay for the new technology, such as $50 million earmarked to rehab the Central Park Precinct, sources said. The property clerk division processes 1.6 million invoices a year and has more than 10 million pieces of property in storage, NYPD documents show. The collection includes evidence from crime, stolen property, contraband, vehicles and prisoners' property.
Capgemini, a technology and consulting firm headquartered in Manhattan, is in negotiations with NYPD for this latest attempt, sources said. Capgemini referred questions to the NYPD.
It was unclear how much of the evidence backlog would be inventoried, a key demand from defense lawyers.
Human rights advocates argued the lack of a tracking system has kept at lest one innocent man in jail when the NYPD could not find key evidence.
Alan Newton spent 21 years in prison after a wrongful 1984 conviction for rape and robbery in the Bronx. According to the Innocence Project, the NYPD said for years that it could not locate evidence for forensic testing in Newton's case.
Twelve years after Newton's first motion for DNA testing was denied, the evidence was found in the bin at Pearson Place warehouse in Long Island City, where it was supposed to be all along.
The evidence was located only after a Bronx assistant district attorney asked Pearson Place supervisors to look for it. From nydnews 3-19-2008 -p26 by davidsradiotv2000
If it doesn't get additional money for the project, the NYPD may have to shift other funds to pay for the new technology, such as $50 million earmarked to rehab the Central Park Precinct, sources said. The property clerk division processes 1.6 million invoices a year and has more than 10 million pieces of property in storage, NYPD documents show. The collection includes evidence from crime, stolen property, contraband, vehicles and prisoners' property.
Capgemini, a technology and consulting firm headquartered in Manhattan, is in negotiations with NYPD for this latest attempt, sources said. Capgemini referred questions to the NYPD.
It was unclear how much of the evidence backlog would be inventoried, a key demand from defense lawyers.
Human rights advocates argued the lack of a tracking system has kept at lest one innocent man in jail when the NYPD could not find key evidence.
Alan Newton spent 21 years in prison after a wrongful 1984 conviction for rape and robbery in the Bronx. According to the Innocence Project, the NYPD said for years that it could not locate evidence for forensic testing in Newton's case.
Twelve years after Newton's first motion for DNA testing was denied, the evidence was found in the bin at Pearson Place warehouse in Long Island City, where it was supposed to be all along.
The evidence was located only after a Bronx assistant district attorney asked Pearson Place supervisors to look for it. From nydnews 3-19-2008 -p26 by davidsradiotv2000
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