Google Going Too Far

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Cited: CNN

When it comes to search engines, at least in the West, Google is the 800 lb. gorilla on the block but for many in the techie community their tentacles reach a bit too far when doing an online search.

The search engine giant was found last week to be undermining the privacy controls on Apple’s Safari browser and now Microsoft is leveling a similar complaint at Google saying that they are also steering around the privacy settings of the Microsoft Explorer browser.

The details behind the battle between Google and the objects of their searches is not as clear as it might seem. Even after delving further into the issue it still appears to be complex and muddled in tech speak. From Microsoft and Apple’s point of view, the privacy preferences of their users, those things that they would like the search engine to know and those that they don’t want them to know, are often overlooked or discounted by Google. These preferences known as cookies are meant to be a way to track where you go and what you look for on the Internet. From their side of the argument, Safari and IE users are still having their cookies tracked by Google, even after setting it up to disable this function.

On the other hand, Google claims that both Microsoft and Apple both know that it is nearly impossible to search the Internet without doing so in the manner that Google works and that they have known this for quite a long time. Google says that they have been completely open about their approach to the way in which they search the Internet so the complaints amount to little more than a tempest in a teapot.

The problem cited by Google with the IE browser is that the privacy settings used is called P3P, which is a system that everyone, programmers and users alike, find to be a poor system. It allows the user various setting of privacy as opposed to other browsers that simply ask the user to accept or not accept third party cookies.  Web sites such as Facebook have problems with the IE P3P settings and have found loopholes in the system to trick the browser into allowing cookies that might otherwise be blocked.

There are many cites that are not P3P compliant, meaning that they are able to get around IE privacy settings to track the comings and goings of the user.

My take:

It could just be that there will never be a way to keep up with the technology that follows people around the Internet. I sounds like all of these guys are accusing each other of doing something that they are all doing, or just that they are unhappy that some are able to do it better.

 

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Student Loans Becoming Big Problem

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Cited: MSNBC

The cost of higher education in the United States has been rising to levels that seem nearly impossible for most families to deal with when considering sending their child to college. So in response, most of them turn to student loans to help them pay their way. The problem faced now by many of these indebted students and their families is that they can’t find a job that will be lucrative enough to help them pay back these loans.

Student loans outstanding in the U.S. are now topping $1 trillion, more than unpaid credit card debt, which is hard to fathom. Borrowing for college is now at record rates and much of it due to the incredibly high cost of college. The amount of outstanding debt held by both students and their parents has increased by 75% from 2005 to 2010.

Bankruptcy attorneys working with students and parents of students say that calls to their offices regarding student loans are increasing every year with one prominent agency that monitors bankruptcy law saying that these inquiries are up by almost 81% over the last five years. And there is little that these firms can do to help. Unlike other forms of consumer debt, student loans will follow you for life as there is no time limit on how long a lender can hound you to pay these loans back. Essentially, many students will carry this debt burden for the rest of their lives.

Advocates for a change in the system would like to see students and families of students be able to have the same bankruptcy protection that is afforded to individuals and businesses. Presently, if a student owes money to a private lender and is unable to pay, the loan will go into default and thereby ruining the credit score of the borrower, which can hamper their ability to get a job to pay the loans; a cycle destined to hurt everyone involved.

Legislators would like to see a bill passed that would enable indebted students get a fresh start if they are unable to pay their loans.

My take:

The cost of a private college education is ridiculous and public colleges are slowly catching up with them. Soon we will return to a system where the only people able to afford higher education will be the super rich. Talk about turning back the calendar. I’m not sure that making bankruptcy and easier option is the best way out but you can’t ruin someone’s credit for the rest of their lives because of student loans and expect them to be productive members of the community.

 

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Red Tape Strangling Small Businesses

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Cited: MSNBC

Small business owners in the United States are no different than their larger counterparts doing business on a global basis insofar as their feelings on government regulation or red tape as it is more casually called. Ask most of them and they will tell you that one of the biggest problems that they face is in getting business done despite the obstacles presented by laws and regulations that for many seem pointless. A new survey of business owners by The Economist identifies two such pieces of legislation that business owners feel are the biggest offenders – the Dodd-Frank law of 2010 and the Health Care bill recently put through Congress by the Obama Administration.

The Dodd-Frank bill was created by Senator Chris Dodd and Barney Frank (who will soon be retiring from government service) in reaction to the financial crisis that nearly wiped-out the entire banking system. The legislation, all of which has yet to be implemented, puts curbs on the types of financial transactions that banks can conduct as well as requiring these banks to hold larger amounts of capital in reserve to cushion the blow should these investments fail. The issue for smaller retail businesses resulting from the Dodd-Frank legislation, according to some, is that the banks have less capital to lend to businesses because their hands are being tied by the regulators. The other part of the Dodd-Frank bill is what is called the Volker Rule, named for former head of the Federal Reserve Bank, Paul Volker. The Volker Rule seeks to re-erect part of the firewall that existed between banks, insurance companies, and investment banks under the Glass-Steigal act. This piece of legislation, which existed for many years before being melted away in the late 1990′s and early 2000, tried to ensure that the banks did not become financial casinos like their investment banking relatives.

The Obama Health Care bill is often cited as another piece of legislation and regulation that is hurting the small business owner because it will place a heavy burden on them financially in mandating that they provide some level of health-care for their employees. The other aspect of the legislation said to be hurting small businesses is that these regulations are sapping the appetite for risk-taking, a vital aspect of running a small business.

While many companies have used the recovery period following the recession to restore their balance sheets to good health and to improve productivity, most say that they have not invested in larger projects that would lead to an increase in hiring.

My take:

It is easy to cite the regulations mentioned in this article as the source of the problem but without these laws the barons of Wall St. nearly crashed the entire system. And in the end they still walked away with their millions in bonuses after the tax payer bailed them out. I agree that the health care bill will take some time to get used to and for businesses to take advantage of the tax breaks offered in exchange for providing health care for their employees, but the financial regulations should not hinder anything. I think the fat cats are just complaining so that they can continue to fill their pockets.

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al Qaeda Suspect Charged

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Cited: CNN

A Pakistani man, who lived in the United States from 1996 to 2002, was charged today with conspiracy, murder, and attempted murder, as well as providing support to terrorists, and spying. If he is found guilty of the crimes he faces life in prison.

Majid Shoukat Khan is being held in Guantanamo along with other suspected terrorists who have allegedly plotted against the U.S. and American citizens. The full detail of the charges state that Khan used falsified papers to travel to Pakistan from Baltimore in 2002, conspired with Khalid Sheik Mohammed to blow up gas storage tanks in the U.S., made a martyr video before strapping explosives to his body and then waiting for then Pakistani President Musharraf to arrive – though he never did and the plan was not executed, traveled back to the U.S. and provided material support to al Qaeda, as well as other activities to support the plots of KSM in the United States.

Defense department officials say that the charges were forwarded to the convening authority Bruce McDonald with a recommendation that they be reviewed for consideration for a military court. Once McDonald reviews the charges he will then decide which of them or all of them will be heard by a military court and then he will appoint a military commission – jurors, that will hear the evidence of the case.

Khan’s attorneys say that their client was arrested and held by the CIA for over three years in secret prisons and then subjected to harsh interrogations and torture, which have left their client with permanent problems as a result of his incarceration and from which he will never full recover.

For its part the CIA claims that Khan was not mistreated or tortured, as he alleges, and that their intense interrogation program was conducted on less than 100 detainees with less than 30% of those ever subjected to intense questioning but never torture.

My take:

Its about time that charges are filed against these guys and that if found guilty they are punished for their crimes. It remains a horrible black eye to the human rights record of the United States that we haven’t brought the criminals to justice in a court of law or before a military court after so many years.

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A Spinning Heart Attack? Nope

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Cited: MSNBC

How often have you been at the gym and you turn to the guy  next to you and say, “I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack?” Now, most times you are simply trying to say that you just worked your tail off or just trying to add some dramatic effect to end your workout. However, researchers now say that extremely strenuous exercise such as spin classes or triathlons, or any thing else that gets your heart racing for long periods of time, can cause a chemical reaction in your body that is similar to that when you are having a heart attack.

These biochemical reactions are normal and not a sign of any heart problems and researchers say that your body chemistry will likely return to normal in 24 hours after the intense workout. The extreme workout is said cause the body to release biochemical enzymes into the bloodstream, many of which are the same as those released into the blood when someone is experiencing heart failure.

The study is important, say doctors and researchers, because medical professionals and athletic training professionals need to understand the signs of a heart attack versus the signs being exhibited by someone that simply went at it a little too hard and is really spent but not dying of cardiac arrest. When a person is having a heart attach the increased levels of enzymes in the blood remain at elevated levels for several days. One of those enzymes identified by researchers is Tropinin, which they say simply demonstrates the body having a physical response to exercise.

The study was conducted on 10 healthy individuals aged 30 and put them through an intense spin workout. Their blood was tested before and after the spin workout and again after 24 hours. The blood tests showed increased levels of Troponin for all the participants with two of those showing levels normally associated with cardiac arrest. However subsequent tests 24 hours later showed that the levels of this biochemical enzyme in their blood had returned to normal.

Researcher say that it is important that medical staff always ask a patient about physical activity that they may have recently been involved in so as not to misdiagnose an exhausted spinner for someone having a heart attack.

My take:

So that’s the reason why I feel like I’m having cardiac arrest every time I go to the gym. I wonder if these increased Troponin levels are healthy, dangerous, or something to be ignorned? At least I know that I’m not dying…

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Euro Zone Economy Slumps

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Cited: CNN

With bad news following worse news on the heals of disastrous news about everything out of Greece these days, the economies of the eurozone were dealt another blow today when economic data showed that economic activity, GDP, in the 17 countries that comprise this mega-economic zone fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The decline in GDP was the first since their collective economies faltered by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2009. Market analysts and economists monitoring the situation in Europe expect that the region will fall into recession, albeit a mild one, in 2012 due to the continuing and lingering effects of the debt crisis gripping many of the member nations. The bright spots within the group are France and Germany, both of which showed improved GDP data for Q4 2011.

The data for Germany and France was indeed better than expected and helped to cushion the fall in the rest of the eurozone with many market analysts actually pleasantly surprised by the data as some were looking for a contraction in economic activity of almost 0.4% for Q4 2011. They went on to say that with the new information about the economy now to review they believe that the predicted recession for 2012 in Europe would not be as severe as they had once believed.

But it is hard to look at the data without some caution about the future prospects for the economy as both Itlay and the Netherlands slipped into recession in Q4 2011, with negative GDP figures for both for the second quarter in a row. The story in Portugal is no better with the recession in that country now firmly taking hold with fourth quarter GDP falling another 1.3%.

Compared to the Greek economy these figured don’t look quite as bad with their data for GDP showing a decline of 7% on the back of a 5% decline in Q3 2011. Hardly news that will make anyone in Greece happy considering that the country is experiencing the worst riots in decades over an austerity budget meant to secure IMF and European bank loans but for most Greek citizens seen as a recipe for further economic disaster.

My take:

You get to a point where you are almost afraid to pick up the newspaper or turn on the Internet news service of your choice for fear of getting more bad news. The situation in Europe is bad and with a mountain of debt to overcome and with conflicting forces and provincial bickering in the background you have to wonder if it almost has to get much worse over there before it ever gets any better.

 

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Drug Bust on Texas U Campus

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Cited: MSNBC

In the words of Texas Christian University (TCU) head football coach, Gary Patterson, there are some days that you love being a head football coach in a major college program and some days that you’d rather be doing something else. Well, today was one of those days for coach Patterson, and probably more than a few other administrators at TCU.

TCU police chief, Steve McGee said today that 17 TCU students were arrested, among them four football players, in a major drug bust on the TCU campus. Those arrested are said to have been actively distributing drugs on campus and off campus and were caught in an investigation when they tried to sell various narcotics to undercover agents.

Police were tipped-off to the drug ring by anonymous tips from students and parents over six months ago, which sparked the investigation. The football players caught in the police web are David Yendry, a junior defensive end, Devin Johnson, a junior defensive back, Tanner Wilson Brock, a junior linebacker, and Tyler Horn, a sophomore offensive tackle.

Police say that the arrested TCU students were caught selling a veritable grocery store of illegal and prescription drugs including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy (in both pill and powder form) LSD, Xanax, hydrocodone, and OxContin.

TCU Chancellor Victor J. Boschini expressed shock and disappointment over the drug arrests at TCU and sent a letter to the student body saying that the problem is not something that will be tolerated at TCU and that the issue is one for the entire student body and certainly not just about the football program, which in the past several years has gained considerable attention for their play on the field.

Along with the current TCU students arrested in the drug bust were two former TCU students. Communications officials at TCU could not say if those arrested were working as one big drug ring or if they worked in smaller groups, or if there was any real central organization to the group and their illegal drug dealing.

My take:

I’m surprised that you don’t hear more about these types of busts on college campuses because wherever you find groups of teenagers living together in communal fashion, you are bound to find some of them are up to no good. This is something of a black eye for the TCU program as the football team has really been gaining ground on the bigger dogs in the yard lately. Oh well.

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

Cited:

A penny isn’t even worth a penny these days. Don’t even ask about a nickle. Well, that may  or may not be true. However one thing is for certain and that it costs much more to make a penny and a nickle these days and the Obama Administration and the Treasury Department and U.S. Mint want to do something about it before the pennies and nickles break the bank.

The recipe for both the penny and the nickle have been the same for the last 30 years but in light of the fact that it now costs 2.4 cents to make a penny and about 11.2 cents to make a nickle the Obama Administration has asked Congress for permission to alter the recipe so as to reduce costs more in line with the value of the nuisance change.

Last year alone the U.S. mint made over four billion pennies and more than 900 million nickles at a loss of more than $100 million for each. But, the remedy, or new recipe is easier said than done. To this point the Treasury, which has been experimenting with different metals and mixtures of these metals, has not been able to come up with a cost efficient blend for either the penny or the nickle. And while even if cheaper metals can be used, there is no saying that the new alloy will make the cost of the penny less than or equal to the value of the penny. The cost of minting the penny alone, all four billion of them last year, cost almost a half cent per penny so the task of trying to keep overhead of material limited to another half cent is extremely difficult.

Presently the penny is only copper coated, not 100% copper and this has been the case since 1982 when the change was made to using more zinc in the mix to reduce the cost of the penny; almost 98% of the penny is made of zinc. The nickle is the same mix that it has always been, which ironically enough is more copper than nickle. The nickle is made of 75% copper and 25% nickle.

The Treasury is considering a return to using steel pennies, which it did in 1943 in an effort to use copper for the war against Japan and Germany, because steel is quite a bit cheaper than zinc. Some have suggested that the Treasury get rid of the penny altogether but a spokesman for the Treasury Department says that this is not currently a plan that is being considered to cut the cost of producing the penny.

My take:

You always hear people say that getting rid of the penny would be a good thing and that it will save money. Well, here’s evidence that this may very well be a solution. But then again, what about the nickle? Do we get rid of that too? And then what?

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