Thursday, September 30, 2010
September News & Views Published Below
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
7% of Robberies Were at CUs
During second quarter of 2010, roughly 1,146 robberies and incidental crimes affecting financial institutions were reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Of those, 85 or 7% were at credit unions.
Commercial banks were hit by 1,013 instances, said the FBI's report, released last week. Credit unions were second highest with the 85, followed by savings and loan associations with 26 robberies, then mutual savings banks, with 11.
The figures are not a complete statistical picture of the nation's robberies of financial institutions because not all are reported to the FBI.
The agency noted that in 91% of the incidents, suspects stole more than $8.4 million, mostly in cash but about $4,130 in checks, including traveler's checks. Of that amount, 21% --more than $1.3 million--was recovered.
Bank crimes continued the trend of occurring most frequently on Friday, traditionally pay day. Monday was the second-most popular day for the crimes. Regardless of the day, the most popular time of day for bank crimes occurred from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Five percent of the robberies included acts of violence, resulting in 23 injuries, five deaths and nine persons taken hostage.
Oral demands and demand notes were the most common method used by the culprits.
The most crimes occurred in the Western U.S., which reported 403 incidents. The South had 348 robberies. North Central and Northeast regions had 212 and 163 incidents, respectively.
Among states, Pennsylvania financial institutions reported the most robberies--62, followed by Illinois with 56, Ohio with 49, New York with 48, and Georgia with 42 incidents.
Commercial banks were hit by 1,013 instances, said the FBI's report, released last week. Credit unions were second highest with the 85, followed by savings and loan associations with 26 robberies, then mutual savings banks, with 11.
The agency noted that in 91% of the incidents, suspects stole more than $8.4 million, mostly in cash but about $4,130 in checks, including traveler's checks. Of that amount, 21% --more than $1.3 million--was recovered.
Bank crimes continued the trend of occurring most frequently on Friday, traditionally pay day. Monday was the second-most popular day for the crimes. Regardless of the day, the most popular time of day for bank crimes occurred from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Five percent of the robberies included acts of violence, resulting in 23 injuries, five deaths and nine persons taken hostage.
Oral demands and demand notes were the most common method used by the culprits.
The most crimes occurred in the Western U.S., which reported 403 incidents. The South had 348 robberies. North Central and Northeast regions had 212 and 163 incidents, respectively.
Among states, Pennsylvania financial institutions reported the most robberies--62, followed by Illinois with 56, Ohio with 49, New York with 48, and Georgia with 42 incidents.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Forecasts From The Futurist Magazine
Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. Over the years, Outlook has spotlighted the emergence of such epochal developments as the Internet, virtual reality, and the end of the Cold War. The forecasts are meant as conversation starters, not absolute predications about the future.
Below are the editors' top 10 forecasts from Outlook 2011.
1. Physicists could become tomorrow’s leading economic forecasters. Unlike mainstream economists, who rely on averages, econophysicists study complex systems, feedback loops, cascading effects, irrational decision making, and other destabilizing influences, which may help them to foresee economic upheavals.
2. Environmentalists may embrace genetically modified crops as a carbon-reduction technology. Like nuclear power, genetically modified crops have long been the bane of environmentalists, but Stewart Brand, author of Whole Earth Discipline, argues that there are myriad benefits to them as C02 sinks.
3. Search engines will soon include spoken results, not just text. Television broadcasts and other recordings could be compiled and converted using programs developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis.
4. Will there be garbage wars in the future? Trash producers in the developed world will ship much more of their debris to repositories in developing countries. This will inspire protests in the receiving lands. Beyond 2025 or so, the developing countries will close their repositories to foreign waste, forcing producers to develop more waste-to-energy and recycling technologies.
5. The notion of class time as separate from non-class time will vanish. The Net generation uses technologies both for socializing and for working and learning, so their approach to tasks is less about competing and more about working as teams. In this way, social networking is already facilitating collaborative forms of learning outside of classrooms and beyond formal class schedules.
6. The future is crowded with PhDs. The number of doctorate degrees awarded in the United States has risen for six straight years, reaching record 48,802 in 2008, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates. One-third of these degrees (33.1%) went to temporary visa holders, up from 23.3% in 1998.
7. Cities in developed countries could learn sustainability from so-called slums in the developing world. Dwellers of "slums," favelas, and ghettos have learned to use and reuse resources and commodities more efficiently than their wealthier counterparts. The neighborhoods are high-density and walkable, mixing commercial and residential areas rather than segregating these functions. In many of these informal cities, participants play a role in communal commercial endeavors such as growing food or raising livestock.
8. Cooperatively owned smart cars and roads will replace dumb, individual gas guzzlers. With 800 million cars on the planet to serve 7.8 billion people, personal transportation is a dominant force in our lives. But the emergence of car-sharing and bike-sharing schemes in urban areas in both the United States and Europe have established alternative models and markets for fractional or on-demand mobility, says MIT's Ryan C.C. Chin. He and his fellow engineers with the MIT Media Lab have designed a car system that could serve as a model for future cities.
9. Fighting the global threat of climate change could unite countries—or inflame rivalries. Nations with more sophisticated environmental monitoring systems could use data to their advantage, perhaps weakening an enemy by failing to warn it of an oncoming storm or other catastrophe. They could also fudge their own, or their rivals', carbon output numbers to manipulate International legislation says forecaster Roger Howard.
10. We may not be able to move mountains with our minds, but robots will await our mental commands. Brain-based control of conventional keyboards, allowing individuals to type without physically touching the keys, has been demonstrated at the universities of Wisconsin and Michigan. In the near future, brain e-mailing and tweeting will become far more common, say experts. A group of undergraduates at Northeastern University demonstrated in June that they could steer a robot via thought.
All of these forecasts plus dozens more are included in the annual report that scans the best writing and research from THE FUTURIST magazine over the course of the previous year. The Society hopes this report, covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology, will assist its readers in preparing for the challenges and opportunities in 2011 and beyond.
Read more future projections at: http://www.wfs.org/Forecasts_From_The_Futurist_Magazine
1. Physicists could become tomorrow’s leading economic forecasters. Unlike mainstream economists, who rely on averages, econophysicists study complex systems, feedback loops, cascading effects, irrational decision making, and other destabilizing influences, which may help them to foresee economic upheavals.
2. Environmentalists may embrace genetically modified crops as a carbon-reduction technology. Like nuclear power, genetically modified crops have long been the bane of environmentalists, but Stewart Brand, author of Whole Earth Discipline, argues that there are myriad benefits to them as C02 sinks.
3. Search engines will soon include spoken results, not just text. Television broadcasts and other recordings could be compiled and converted using programs developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis.
4. Will there be garbage wars in the future? Trash producers in the developed world will ship much more of their debris to repositories in developing countries. This will inspire protests in the receiving lands. Beyond 2025 or so, the developing countries will close their repositories to foreign waste, forcing producers to develop more waste-to-energy and recycling technologies.
5. The notion of class time as separate from non-class time will vanish. The Net generation uses technologies both for socializing and for working and learning, so their approach to tasks is less about competing and more about working as teams. In this way, social networking is already facilitating collaborative forms of learning outside of classrooms and beyond formal class schedules.
6. The future is crowded with PhDs. The number of doctorate degrees awarded in the United States has risen for six straight years, reaching record 48,802 in 2008, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctorates. One-third of these degrees (33.1%) went to temporary visa holders, up from 23.3% in 1998.
7. Cities in developed countries could learn sustainability from so-called slums in the developing world. Dwellers of "slums," favelas, and ghettos have learned to use and reuse resources and commodities more efficiently than their wealthier counterparts. The neighborhoods are high-density and walkable, mixing commercial and residential areas rather than segregating these functions. In many of these informal cities, participants play a role in communal commercial endeavors such as growing food or raising livestock.
8. Cooperatively owned smart cars and roads will replace dumb, individual gas guzzlers. With 800 million cars on the planet to serve 7.8 billion people, personal transportation is a dominant force in our lives. But the emergence of car-sharing and bike-sharing schemes in urban areas in both the United States and Europe have established alternative models and markets for fractional or on-demand mobility, says MIT's Ryan C.C. Chin. He and his fellow engineers with the MIT Media Lab have designed a car system that could serve as a model for future cities.
9. Fighting the global threat of climate change could unite countries—or inflame rivalries. Nations with more sophisticated environmental monitoring systems could use data to their advantage, perhaps weakening an enemy by failing to warn it of an oncoming storm or other catastrophe. They could also fudge their own, or their rivals', carbon output numbers to manipulate International legislation says forecaster Roger Howard.
10. We may not be able to move mountains with our minds, but robots will await our mental commands. Brain-based control of conventional keyboards, allowing individuals to type without physically touching the keys, has been demonstrated at the universities of Wisconsin and Michigan. In the near future, brain e-mailing and tweeting will become far more common, say experts. A group of undergraduates at Northeastern University demonstrated in June that they could steer a robot via thought.
All of these forecasts plus dozens more are included in the annual report that scans the best writing and research from THE FUTURIST magazine over the course of the previous year. The Society hopes this report, covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology, will assist its readers in preparing for the challenges and opportunities in 2011 and beyond.
Read more future projections at: http://www.wfs.org/Forecasts_From_The_Futurist_Magazine
Thursday, September 23, 2010
What Did Presidents Hoover, Truman and Eisenhower Have in Common
Back during The Great Depression, President Herbert Hoover ordered the deportation of ALL illegal aliens in order to make jobs available to American citizens that desperately needed work..
Harry Truman deported over two million illegal after WWII to create jobs for returning veterans.
And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican Nationals! The program was called 'Operation Wetback'. It was done so WWII and Korean Veterans would have a better chance at jobs.
It took 2 Years, but they deported them!
Now....if they could deport the illegal's back then - they could sure do it today.
Please note. The key word here is "illegal."
Harry Truman deported over two million illegal after WWII to create jobs for returning veterans.
And then again in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower deported 13 million Mexican Nationals! The program was called 'Operation Wetback'. It was done so WWII and Korean Veterans would have a better chance at jobs.
It took 2 Years, but they deported them!
Now....if they could deport the illegal's back then - they could sure do it today.
Please note. The key word here is "illegal."
12 Dangers Airport Security Still Doesn’t Check For
We all know what can happen when flights go wrong, making airport security a must. But as security rules and regulations change, so to do the individuals and groups that try to circumvent them. With liquids, shoes, and even underwear being used in the attempt to destroy the lives of civilians, it can be confusing as to what is and is not allowed on a national or international flight.
To help, we have gathered twelve dangers airport security still doesn’t check for. They include items that should be banned but are still allowed through, items that shouldn’t be allowed but are, and everything in between that will have you rethinking that next airport security fee.
1. An Actual Gun
Run all the bans you like, apparently weapons are still making it through airport security. In January of 2010 a flight attendant was able to sneak an actual hand gun through the usual processes. Although guns are allowed as checked baggage, this one made it onto the flight and she was eventually charged. It is still unclear what her purpose was in taking a handgun onto a plane.
2. Plastic Knife
As we have all seen in prison movies, knives made out of plastic can be just as dangerous as the real thing. Travel Q and A’s has a simple list of things you can and cannot bring on an airplane, and it seems a plastic knife is allowed. Whether or not it can be a standard picnic variety plastic knife or an actual “shiv” is still unclear.
3. Explosives
We’ve all heard of the Christmas Day or Panty Bomber who tried to detonate a bomb during the last leg of a flight to the U.S. But did you ever wonder how airport security didn’t check for or find the explosive devices he was carrying? Still a mum with the media. They do confirm however that Abdulmutallab passed a security check in Amsterdam that included a hand baggage scan and metal detector. Whatever the cause, he was still able to board a flight headed for the United States with a highly explosive chemical.
4. Dynamite
You read that correctly. According to this entry from “USA Today,” 32 of the nation’s largest airports failed to detect fake weapons including guns, bombs, and even dynamite. Undercover agents who went to no great lengths to conceal their contraband sailed right through airport security. In 25 to 50 percent of the tests, screeners failed to detect potentially fatal items. Even after scoring positive hits on metal detectors, screeners failed to catch the contraband.
5. What About Marshals?
Although the Fed does hire marshals to provide a last line of defense against terrorists on planes, how effective are they? According to this article, many have taken naps during the job, literally putting them asleep at the switch. Others have tested positive for alcohol or drugs on duty or have even lost their weapons in a Barney Fife-like attempt to maintain order. Some federal marshals have also provided falsified information.
6. Strollers
Not the kind you push a baby in but the kind who just stroll on through airport security. In this entry from Schneier on Security, he tells the true story of a man who was pulled aside for an extra security check and just strolled on through anyway. After realizing their error, TSA wisely or unwisely - depending on your viewpoint - shut down the entire terminal in LaGuardia airport. It turned out to be a false positive on the man, but the security expert blogs that the delays probably rippled for days.
7. Lazy Employees
Who among us hasn’t taken a second to browse the internet or get on Facebook during work hours? But in contrast, how many of us have the lives of a whole airplane full of passengers in our hands, not to mention the buildings these planes may or may not fly into? This blog has an actual photograph of an airport security worker playing solitaire on company time with a line of passengers waiting.
8. But Wait, There’s More!
What’s worse than playing solitaire on the job? A sure fire answer is sleeping on the job. In this YouTube video, an official TSA agent working for Amtrak in Chicago is literally filmed sleeping on the job. The fact that he tried to hide it behind sunglasses adds a bit a humor to the outrage.
9. But a Bonus is in Order
Despite all the failures of airport security and everyone involved in it, employees of the Transportation Security Administration can still expect bonuses on par with all the other employees of the government. According to this article from Government Executive, 76 percent of employees under the agency’s Performance Accountability and Standards System will receive a pay increase, bonuses, or both. Keep in mind that this is during a time when unemployment is up, pay is down, and taxes on everything from soda to tanning beds are in the works. This announcement also came at about the same time of the Christmas Day bombing, which was allowed by airport security but stopped by private citizens.
10. Explosives
Although no airport in the world allows explosives, it still happens. In the most famous case, Richard Reid would attempt to light an explosive in December 2001. He tried to light the fuse in his shoe to the explosive more than one time before being subdued by passengers and crew. Again it is unclear how Reid managed to sneak explosives onto an airplane, but we have him to thank for being forced to take off shoes for airport security.
11. Cigarettes
Although TSA prohibits any flammable devices, cigarettes are still allowed. Even matchbooks and lighters meeting a certain size and flammability are also allowed. However, few airlines allow you to light a cigarette inside or outside the plane, no matter how long the flight is.
12. But Toys Are Still Banned
In this blog entry, a child recounts how what was clearly a toy gun was able to bring airport security to a halt. Bonus points for explaining the entire ordeal with the honesty of a child. Also good if you are a fan of the “Transformers.”
Be wary that the twelve dangers airport security still doesn’t check for is only as up to date as the most current TSA regulations. To see the most current list click here for updates. The TSA lists what you can take as a carry on and/or checked baggage. There is also a blog entry from Gadling with useful suggestions on items you should bring with you on a flight.
================
For more information, visit: http://www.criminaljusticedegree.com/12-dangers-airport-security-still-doesnt-check-for/
To help, we have gathered twelve dangers airport security still doesn’t check for. They include items that should be banned but are still allowed through, items that shouldn’t be allowed but are, and everything in between that will have you rethinking that next airport security fee.
1. An Actual Gun
Run all the bans you like, apparently weapons are still making it through airport security. In January of 2010 a flight attendant was able to sneak an actual hand gun through the usual processes. Although guns are allowed as checked baggage, this one made it onto the flight and she was eventually charged. It is still unclear what her purpose was in taking a handgun onto a plane.
2. Plastic Knife
As we have all seen in prison movies, knives made out of plastic can be just as dangerous as the real thing. Travel Q and A’s has a simple list of things you can and cannot bring on an airplane, and it seems a plastic knife is allowed. Whether or not it can be a standard picnic variety plastic knife or an actual “shiv” is still unclear.
3. Explosives
We’ve all heard of the Christmas Day or Panty Bomber who tried to detonate a bomb during the last leg of a flight to the U.S. But did you ever wonder how airport security didn’t check for or find the explosive devices he was carrying? Still a mum with the media. They do confirm however that Abdulmutallab passed a security check in Amsterdam that included a hand baggage scan and metal detector. Whatever the cause, he was still able to board a flight headed for the United States with a highly explosive chemical.
4. Dynamite
You read that correctly. According to this entry from “USA Today,” 32 of the nation’s largest airports failed to detect fake weapons including guns, bombs, and even dynamite. Undercover agents who went to no great lengths to conceal their contraband sailed right through airport security. In 25 to 50 percent of the tests, screeners failed to detect potentially fatal items. Even after scoring positive hits on metal detectors, screeners failed to catch the contraband.
5. What About Marshals?
Although the Fed does hire marshals to provide a last line of defense against terrorists on planes, how effective are they? According to this article, many have taken naps during the job, literally putting them asleep at the switch. Others have tested positive for alcohol or drugs on duty or have even lost their weapons in a Barney Fife-like attempt to maintain order. Some federal marshals have also provided falsified information.
6. Strollers
Not the kind you push a baby in but the kind who just stroll on through airport security. In this entry from Schneier on Security, he tells the true story of a man who was pulled aside for an extra security check and just strolled on through anyway. After realizing their error, TSA wisely or unwisely - depending on your viewpoint - shut down the entire terminal in LaGuardia airport. It turned out to be a false positive on the man, but the security expert blogs that the delays probably rippled for days.
7. Lazy Employees
Who among us hasn’t taken a second to browse the internet or get on Facebook during work hours? But in contrast, how many of us have the lives of a whole airplane full of passengers in our hands, not to mention the buildings these planes may or may not fly into? This blog has an actual photograph of an airport security worker playing solitaire on company time with a line of passengers waiting.
8. But Wait, There’s More!
What’s worse than playing solitaire on the job? A sure fire answer is sleeping on the job. In this YouTube video, an official TSA agent working for Amtrak in Chicago is literally filmed sleeping on the job. The fact that he tried to hide it behind sunglasses adds a bit a humor to the outrage.
9. But a Bonus is in Order
Despite all the failures of airport security and everyone involved in it, employees of the Transportation Security Administration can still expect bonuses on par with all the other employees of the government. According to this article from Government Executive, 76 percent of employees under the agency’s Performance Accountability and Standards System will receive a pay increase, bonuses, or both. Keep in mind that this is during a time when unemployment is up, pay is down, and taxes on everything from soda to tanning beds are in the works. This announcement also came at about the same time of the Christmas Day bombing, which was allowed by airport security but stopped by private citizens.
10. Explosives
Although no airport in the world allows explosives, it still happens. In the most famous case, Richard Reid would attempt to light an explosive in December 2001. He tried to light the fuse in his shoe to the explosive more than one time before being subdued by passengers and crew. Again it is unclear how Reid managed to sneak explosives onto an airplane, but we have him to thank for being forced to take off shoes for airport security.
11. Cigarettes
Although TSA prohibits any flammable devices, cigarettes are still allowed. Even matchbooks and lighters meeting a certain size and flammability are also allowed. However, few airlines allow you to light a cigarette inside or outside the plane, no matter how long the flight is.
12. But Toys Are Still Banned
In this blog entry, a child recounts how what was clearly a toy gun was able to bring airport security to a halt. Bonus points for explaining the entire ordeal with the honesty of a child. Also good if you are a fan of the “Transformers.”
Be wary that the twelve dangers airport security still doesn’t check for is only as up to date as the most current TSA regulations. To see the most current list click here for updates. The TSA lists what you can take as a carry on and/or checked baggage. There is also a blog entry from Gadling with useful suggestions on items you should bring with you on a flight.
================
For more information, visit: http://www.criminaljusticedegree.com/12-dangers-airport-security-still-doesnt-check-for/
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Google Instant Coming Your Way
From Google . . .
The most obvious change is that you get to the right content much faster than before because you don’t have to finish typing your full search term, or even press “search.” Another shift is that seeing results as you type helps you formulate a better search term by providing instant feedback. You can now adapt your search on the fly until the results match exactly what you want. In time, we may wonder how search ever worked in any other way.
Did you know:
Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type.
Did you know:
- Before Google Instant, the typical searcher took more than 9 seconds to enter a search term, and we saw many examples of searches that took 30-90 seconds to type.
- Using Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.
- If everyone uses Google Instant globally, we estimate this will save more than 3.5 billion seconds a day. That’s 11 hours saved every second.
- 15 new technologies contribute to Google Instant functionality.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
August News and Views Published Below
CU SECURITY & TECHNOLOGY News - Providing a brief summary of news and information related to security and technology issues for credit unions - Plus some interesting and fun web sites . . .
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