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I provide contracting, temporary, part time or full time consulting services.
I work on computer hardware, build web sites, set up networks, write software and many other technology related items.

I wonder why all the militias in Iraq that are standing up to the US did not overthrow Saddam? If they can do this good of a job battling the US, they could have easily overthrown Saddam.

A good source on tax protestor cases and some comments I have about the cases.

Why is it so difficult to get free information about MY credit?

Recent Events :

Several companies fined for LCD screen price fixing     Story

For those who didn't know, Barack Obama has been elected President of the US. I hope he can really bring about change. Energy independence, stopping illegal wars, favoring American jobs over outsourcing, controlling illegal immigration which I do not think this country can afford and controlling corporate corruption. I will be watching very closely over the next four years.

Bear Stearns portfolio down $2.9 Billion Story. I guess I will be working most of my life to pay off these debts. AIG execs enjoy hunting trip, spa trip costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. I wonder if these people really care about America?

Here is a letter I wrote Congress on the bailout package:
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to express my concern in the current bailout package. I am aware that Wall Street contributes some to American society, but in this case, I feel that greed has won out. I also feel like the US government is rushing this package through without really considering all the possible fallout. Also, $700 Billion is a lot of money that should not just be thrown around. There needs to be many restrictions and oversights placed on this money. Some restrictions may include jail, fines, compensation limits, government oversight and restrictions on money foreign corporations receive. Please vote no on this bill as one week is not enough time to pass a bill of this magnitude.
Thank you for your time, Nate

Russia sues Bank of New York Mellon over money laundering scandal.     Story

US sues Boeing alleging Boeing defrauded the government.     Story

US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson announced this weekend he has no plans to "inject capital" to save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This is good for US taxpayers. And maybe this is a sign of a bottom in the housing market since the GSE's will be able to sustain enough capital to cover their billions in losses?

The housing bill has passed the Senate and House and Bush says he will not veto it. Is the housing bill beneficial to the American taxpayers? Story.     According to the another article, "Last year, Freddie Mac paid Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Syron nearly $19.8 million in compensation even though the mortgage company's stock lost half its value. During the same period, Fannie Mae President and Chief Executive Daniel Mudd got compensation valued by the company at $12.2 million, including a $2.2 million bonus." I do not want my tax money used to pay these salaries. So hopefully, Congress will do a great job of regulating the funds from this housing bill.

A No-knock warrant was was served on Berwyn Heights, MD mayor for allegedly buying some marijuana Story. In the process, his 2 dogs were shot and killed and he and his mother-in-law were tied up. 2 people were arrested for allegedly shipping drugs to random addresses. The police chief seems to indicate that the mayor was not involved in buying drugs. This is a weird story that needs some follow up.

IRS offers settlement to corporations involved in tax shelter schemes. Story.     Individuals usually get jail time for tax evasion. I am wondering if any corporate executives will get jail time.

Hospital CEA in Los Angeles, CA arrested for medicare scam. Story.     The warrant alleges the hospital was giving unnecessary medical treatments to the homeless and charging medicare. Several other hospitals may also be involved.

An energy bill failed to pass the Senate which would have helped curb oil price speculation. Also, SEC chairman Cox has enacted a rule to prevent naked short selling on certain financial stocks, although that is already a law and should be enforced on all stocks.

The Indian government received a confidence vote which should help pass a nuclear pact with the US. I am not sure if Pakistan has a similar pact, but they deserve one with all the help they have given the US in finding Bin Laden.

Brocade agreed to pay $160 million to settle options probe.

Mel Weiss, a securities lawyer, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail and fines for racketeering. Story

Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been investigating oil price fixing for at least 6 months   Story.    What is taking so long? I could have told you this in 5 seconds. JK, I know they need hard evidence to beat the bureaucracy.

An error by Sallie Mae lowers some people's credit scores   Story.   One of the "solutions" is to pay money to get your FICO score and then dispute the error. Sounds like fun.

Another story questioning the quality of KBR's work in Iraq.   Story

Why did the US Wireless D auction fail?  Story

Is Corporate America abusing the H-1B Visa program by importing foreign labor rather than hiring Americans?   Story

Please write your Congressmen about HR 5642 which will increase the amount of H1-B Visas.
Here is the letter I wrote my Congressmen:
I am writing to question your bill which will increase the H1-B Visas. Lamar Smith, a sponsor of the bill, admits on his website:
“Currently, four out of the top five companies using H-1B visas are foreign-owned. In reforming the H-1B visa program, Congress must place the needs of American-owned companies before those of foreign companies. I am also concerned that only about half of the current H-1B visas made available actually go to information-technology workers."
Why would you want to increase the amount of Visas when you admit the system is being abused? Do you have any studies you can refer to which show the positions available vs. unemployed Americans available for those positions?
Thank you for your time.

A good article on the NAFTA superhighway, or if I'm politically correct, TCC.   Story. I wonder how many people will lose their land from eminent domain? I know corporate America backs the highway due to cheap imports. But the corporate elite make up a small percentage of America. Anyone have any estimates on the overall effect this will have on the average American? Maybe the superhighway will just be "a comma" in American history?

Google submitted a letter to the FCC today summarizing a plan on using TV "white space" for mobile broadband internet. Google stated they are willing to provide significant financing to the project. Previous white space projects have failed and skeptics argue Google's plan has flaws. But anyway, maybe Google is the "angel" us small time developers need. Imagine Deskdroid, "open wifi" and even an "open satellite".

Georgia, U.S. gas stations being investigated for pumping less gasoline than what showed on the readouts.   Story.     I have always wondered how accurate gasoline pumps are.

An interesting story on how a stock trader used stolen accounts to make profits on thinly traded stocks:   Story

A good article on a weak U.S. Dollar. I especially like the statement "If we cannot discipline ourselves, the reluctance of foreigners to hold our government's debt could lead to greater problems."   Story

Researchers at Princeton have found a way to break some data encryptions by freezing computer memory with liquid nitrogen or canned air.   Story

Here is a good article about the working environment at Halliburton and KBR.Story.
If Jamie's story is true, Halliburton, KBR, DOJ and anyone who knew should be prosecuted for this action.
Another story of alleged sexual abuse by Halliburton/KBR.   Story

What is the deal with the presidential campaign? Currently, Michigan and Florida have no democratic delegates and reduced republican delegates. There are "soft delegates", "alternative delegates", "pledged alternative", "unpledged alternative" and who knows what else. Not to mention recounts and faulty voting machines. So what happens to my vote in all of this mess? I really do not know. But I will vote anyway and cross my fingers that my vote actually counts.

Some healthcare companies are working on a "medical credit score" which will be used to determine if a patient will be able to pay their medical bills.   Story
Of course this will benefit the major insurers. Maybe it will save healthcare companies some money too. And I am sure some people who cannot afford healthcare will suffer as well. We will have to see the overall effects this will have on Americans.

Time Warner Inc. is testing a bandwidth limiting system for internet users.   Story
We will have to watch this and see if this will actually benefit consumers.

Some estimates about the cost of illegal immigration in the US:   Facts

Are banks helping to facilitate illegal immigration?   Story

USDA adds controversial items to organic foods list. Story.
I am not an agricultural expert, but this seems to be more sneaky actions by the government. With all the chemicals floating around our world today, the USDA has to be very careful what is allowed to be organic.

Iraqi leadership signs arms deal with China.Story If America wants to truly establish a democratic Iraq, then Iraq should not have to buy weapons exclusively from America right?

Sherry Peel Jackson, a former IRS agent, found guilty of tax evasion. Story
IRS says $3 billion in taxes owed by US government employees. Story
So, when will they prosecute the other government employees who owe tax money?. Unfortunately, there is a "law" that requires taxes. Is the law Constitutional? Is the IRS a Constitutional entity?
Most likely if you do not pay you will go to jail. Sure, a couple people have beaten the system, but odds are, you won't. Do I like paying into the hypocritical and wasteful federal system? No. Do I feel like I am being screwed every time I write a check to the IRS? Yes. But unless you want to spend the time or money looking for loopholes, go "underground", convince the American public to boycott the IRS, or go to jail then we are stuck paying taxes.

More fraud in Iraq is discovered. Dyncorp, another "security firm", cannot account for how millions of dollars were spent in Iraq. They say the audit could take over 5 years to complete. Dyncorp says they are correcting the problem. Give me a break. This is plain fraud. Do you see any of these companies ever giving money back to the government? No! If they truly cared about America, they would offer to refund wasted money or money not used. I have personally not seen any benefits from our "nation building". I guess my taxes are making someone rich, but just not me.

Politicians enjoy "special" social security plan not available to American citizens! Story

If you are an illegal alien and you are pregnant, you can get free care at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas.Story. Go there and enjoy the free ride America offers!

The media cannot get the story straight on the altercation with Israel and Syria. Who knows what really happened.
But anyway I wonder if there is anyway I can designate what my tax money is used for? I do not want any of my tax money to fund Israel until AIPAC is dissolved. Maybe I will just stop paying and let the big bad IRS come and kill me and then I will not have to worry about this stuff anymore.

Supreme court rules RICO case against Microsoft and Best Buy can continue. Customers are suing Best Buy and Microsoft because they were charged for MSN access after their trial period ended. The customers claim they did not approve the MSN renewals. The suit also alleges that Best Buy employees passed credit card information to Microsoft. I have not seen the actual contract, so I do not know if the plaintiffs actually signed anything acknowledging the MSN renewal. I remember I had to contact the BBB to cancel my Juno/Netzero account back in the 90's. It was an ordeal. But, although I think my cable company has a monopoly, they have been very accommodating every time I have needed to cancel.

Interesting story about Iraqi refugees fleeing Iraq.Story I guess I really don't have much to complain about.

Wow, I finally get to write something positive after all of this time. The House voted today to ban taxes on internet access for 4 more years. But this is really just a minute victory. I guess they are finally learning how to use the "Internets" :).

Charles R. Breyer, a San Francisco federal judge, overturned a Bush effort to allow prosecution of companies who hire illegal immigrants. The new law would have allowed 90 days for illegal immigrants to verify their identity. I think both sides of this debate are full of rhetoric. I guess no one really cares about illegal immigration. I hope the economy is stable enough to handle the illegal immigrants.

US Govt has initiated new procedures for Iraq security firms. A US diplomatic agent will ride with convoys. I am not sure if they will ride with all convoys. Convoys will also be monitored by audio, video and GPS systems. This is going to be a lot of work and cost a lot of money. And it seems no one is ever convicted for killing civilians anyway.

I watched some of the Blackwater hearing today. Blackwater received $593 million in government contracts in 2006. Prince Group Holdings is the parent company which includes other companies with government contracts. I know that a lot of US Soldiers join Blackwater, but I just do not understand how ethical it is to have a private corporation with profits based on a war based business model. Does that mean that someone has to start a war to get money? I was happy with Rep. Jan Schakowsky questions about the hiring of foreign military personnel and their access to critical US govt. information. I could see the need for a company like Blackwater if I trusted in the govt. oversight and legal system to keep them in check. Rep. Elijah Cummings asked some good questions about a $300 million no bid contract to Blackwater. The State Dept. representative, William Moser, testified the bid was due to "urgency". I guess we will wait and see if any kind of reform comes from this meeting. Another fact brought up is that a Blackwater contractor makes more than most commanders in Iraq.

US Military receives mixed reactions to AFRICOM, a military expansion in Africa Story. If a country does not want a military base on its land, why do we insist on building it anyway? The US says the program is designed to build military relations with countries in Africa. I guess we will wait and see what the truth is.

I do not see how anything good can come from attacking Iran. More American soldiers could die. Innocent Iranians could die. Iran has a right to have nuclear power. Let the IAEA handle the nuclear weapon situation. I do not understand why Bush and Cheney are so eager to go to war. I think I believe in aliens because I do not think they are from this planet.

GM's American UAW represented hourly employees have been reduced from around 300,000 in 1989 to about 74,000 in 2007. Most of the reduction has come from outsourcing and contract or temporary employees. I think this is a disturbing trend. Some people say it is a necessary evil due to economic globalization. Right now it does not look like this trend will change, which is sad.

Bush administration sues state of Illinois over a state law that requires 3 days to do a background check on illegal workers rather than the current Federal law of 1 day. The law would also not require companies to use the national E-verify database. I think I agree with Illinois on this one. I think 3 days will give a more accurate result. DHS claims the E-verify database has a 99.7% accuracy rate.

Blackwater Security Consulting is under investigation for murdering Iraqi civilians.
Maybe they were just defending themselves, but I do not think they should be there in the first place. It is a mess over there. Too many people dying, both American and Iraqi. I hate to see anyone die. And I am skeptical of the whole Blackwater thing. Too much secrecy and they get too much government funding. Maybe I am wrong, but I will keep an eye on them.

Al Gonzalez and "MC Karl Rove" have quit. A real man would stay and clear up all the controversies he has created. Way to abuse the American government. I do not know these guys personally, but, based on the testimonies I heard and public behaviour I saw, they made too many controversial decisions which are, unfortunately, inexcusable in public service. At least I won't have to see Al's smirk anymore.

Whistleblowers in Iraq face severe backlash from US Government: Story

A Noble, OK police officer, on duty, accidently killed a five year old boy while shooting at a snake. According to one article, the grandfather was yelling that there were people near the pond.

America cannot find 190,000 AK-47 rifles and pistols, 135,000 items of body armor and 115,000 helmets in Iraq.

Federal judge rules Hazelton, PA ordinances, on illegal immigrants, are illegal. Yet another case of our failing judicial system. One person "judge" determining an issue this big does not make sense to me.

Army General may be demoted for spreading misinformation about Pat Tillman's death. I do not know if anyone has all the facts, but I read one doctor's report saying he was shot at short range. Maybe there is a classified reason that the information has not been released, but I believe that it is a cover up.

The FTC decided today it will not yet become involved with net neutrality. Story. The phone companies, which are basically AT&T, are very happy. If Google, the biggest defender of net neutrality, settles with the phone companies (AT&T), then the internet could become like the cable industry since the phone companies (AT&T) would control the flow of internet data through pricing. The United States of America could become The United States of Walmart, AT&T and the government. Of course all of this is speculation right now, but I, personally, am worried. Disclaimer: I begrudgingly am forced to shop at Walmart sometimes.

Is America truly a democracy when around 30% are in favor of the direction the country is headed? There has to be a better way to represent the rights of all the people.

60 minutes had a story about money missing in Iraq. The former minister of finance found one case where $800 million was missing. The judge investigating this is receiving death threats. The American government blames the Iraqis. This is just one case. Who knows how much money is really missing or has been wasted. I wonder if there will ever be a line item budget report on American money spent in Iraq?

Several marines have been testifying about the water quality at Camp Lejeune. According to the news, they claim it could be the cause of their cancer. Some of the water tested had toxins 40% above the recommended level. Way to treat our military!
4,500 pieces of mail and packages were never delivered to soldiers at Walter Reed.
Watching the Walter Reed testimonies today was one of the lowest points I have seen or heard of in American history since Vietnam. I do not see how this country can survive if major changes do not happen. History is against us. History tells us that power always shifts between cultures.

ICF and its chairman, Sudhakar Kesavan, are under pressure for bad management of the New Orleans rebuilding funds. Story

A Kurdish group, the PKK, has been attacking Turkey, including the Ankara blast. Turkey has threatened to attack Northern Iraq. Is Turkey not allowed to defend itself? It is not the US' responsibility to protect Turkey. Is the PKK really trying to protect their Kurdish heritage? Blackwater is under investigation for smuggling weapons into Iraq which ended up being used by the PKK. Is Blackwater smuggling weapons under orders from the US government? Is the US supporting the PKK?

Al Gonzalez, Karl Rove is gone, Tony Blair is gone, Paul Wolfowitz is gone, Donald Rumsfeld is gone, Colin Powell is gone, John Ashcroft is gone, Michael Brown is gone, the deputy attorney general is gone, several generals are gone, many other people on bush's staff are gone. I could not run a small business with this kind of turnover, much less a country.

I wonder if the homeless Katrina victims, the homeless war veterans, the 47,000,000 uninsured Americans, and the 12,000,000 American children who do not get a balanced diet every day will appreciate or can relate to "MC Karl Rove" and his dancing routine? I also think Alberto Gonzalez needs to wipe that smirk off of his face when he speaks to the American public, unless he is really working for Mexico.

Halliburton has announced they are moving their headquarters to Dubai so they can expand their business in the Middle East. I wonder if this will create more jobs in the US? I thought we were trying to wean ourselves off of oil?

American president, George Bush, is backing a new law allowing Mexican truck drivers access to American highways. From what I have read, there will be no way to detect their current hour count and I have heard of no study how this will affect American truck driver's jobs. This could have horrible effects on American road safety.

Several clinics and doctors in California have pleaded guilty or are facing charges for medicare fraud. Analysts estimate $1 in $10 paid by Medicare/Medicaid is fraudulent. More Info

US Attorney, Johnny Sutton, is doing a good job of prosecuting US law enforcement. So far he has placed 2 border patrol agents and 1 deputy in jail in the past couple of months. It takes an act of God for a law man to be prosecuted for abusing Americans, though.

Why does it seem that the poor and middle class are always being shot or beaten by the police?

Mr. Bush commuted Scooter Libby's prison sentence. As of now, he will serve no jail time. I do not understand the whole Plame leak but I know there are a lot of weird happenings in this country right now.

The judge in the Scooter Libby case received death threats. So I guess some people feel real strongly about the fact that a CIA agent can have their name leaked. What is happening to our country?

I recently watched the Valerie Plame Congressional testimonies. Who knows what happened in this ridiculous story. If she was really under cover, then someone committed a horrible crime.

Well, it looks like the US is rubbing off on Israel a little too much. Ehud Olmert and several of his top officials are being investigated for various corruption charges. One man is accused of rape.

Possible Top secret material from the Los Alamos nuclear facility found in a suspected meth dealer's home:   Story
Linton Brooks, administrator of NNSA, has resigned. We will see if things change or if the system is broken beyond repair.

B-2 bomber technology sold to China:   Story

* The House has voted against Net Neutrality. Please inform yourself on this issue :   Story

- The AT&T Bellsouth merger has been approved. I thought AT&T was a monopoly for most of the 20th century? I guess if you wait 20 years people forget? Now AT&T has merged with SBC and Bellsouth so it is almost back to where it was before it's break up. AT&T did agree to support net neutrality for 2 years, so I guess there are 2 years of good internet left. Hopefully they will not ruin the internet. So where I live, I will have 2 choices for phone that I know of: AT&T and cable. And who knows what all those fees and taxes are for on the phone bill.

- Why is there very little oil in the Sunni land area drafted in the Iraqi constitution? Surely the Iraqi constitution is not already screwed up? :   Story

- Are oil companies corrupt?   Story

* Maryland Judge dismisses rape case against Liberian immigrant due to language barrier. Story. He was accused of raping a 7 year old over a period of time. I could not find any information on whether or not he was a legal immigrant.
* Midland, TX police chief retired after a video made by an officer was released on the internet. A man was pushing his car down the street due to a problem with the car. The police car recorded the man's pants falling down exposing his rear. The officer took the video back, put some music to it and emailed it to some other officers. I do not know if this is good behavior from a police officer towards an American citizen.
* A 16 year old girl in Palmdale, CA was arrested for a food fight. One pictures shows a large security guard on top of her on the ground. Maybe the food fight was a bad idea, but this is another example of excessive force by the police. I do not see how she was a threat to the security officers.
* Smithfield Processing in Tar Heel, N.C. was raided for hiring illegal aliens using stolen American citizens' identities.
* Koch Foods in Fairfield, Ohio was raided for hiring illegal aliens.
* Republican Idaho Sen. Larry Craig pleaded guilty to "lewd" behaviour for allegedly trying to solicit a man for sex in a bathroom.
* Kipton, OH police officer arrested for stealing money from an 84 year old woman in a nursing home.
* Pepsi admits Aquafina water comes from "public water system".
* USDA paid $1.1 billion in Aid to estates of dead farmers or to people who were not "active" farmers.
* Broadcom, a computer networking company, is in the middle of a federal stock options probe.
* A 70 year old, retired government and military, Utah woman was arrested for not watering her yard during a drought. During the arrest, she sustained minor injuries. She was later released and the officer is being investigated.
* Roy Pearson, the DC judge who was suing for $54 million over a pair of pants, lost his case. Just based on this one incident, I would not want Mr. Pearson to hear any case I was involved with.
* A Del Monte plant in Portland, Ore was raided for illegal immigrants. Only 48 of 600 workers had valid social security numbers. Many were using stolen American citizens' SS#s. Story
* $22 million in computer and other equipment from the CDC is missing. Their statement said they were going to do a better job tracking it from now on.
* Connecticut AG filed suit against Best Buy for bait and switch pricing scheme.
* Sallie Mae has agreed to donate $2 million to a fund and "change business practices" to settle the investigation into the student loan scandal. Many people and colleges were involved including Drexel.
* QSI, a Cargill contractor, was raided for hiring illegal aliens and providing them with false documents.
* Government employees in the DC area sold at least $17 million of their federal transit vouchers. The vouchers were supposed to be used for the employees to travel to government jobs.
* Many waiters in New York restaurants were arrested for running a credit card fraud ring.
* Chi Mak, a former L3 communications employee, found guilty of conspiring to sell US defense secrets to China.
* ITT, a government contractor, fined $100 million dollars for selling government information to other countries. Maybe ITT should go to Dubai with Halliburton.
* Secretary Lawrence Small, Smithsonian Institution's top official, quit over spending practices. I guess his over $900,000 a year salary was not enough. I would be happy with $40,000 a year right now.
* Several Jackson Hewitt tax chains are being investigated for tax fraud.
* Beazer homes being investigated by federal agencies for fraudulent lending practices.
* Signal Holdings has a class action lawsuit filed against them alleging fraudulent practices with their cell phone warranties. I used to work for them and I would advise not buying their warranties.
* Former President of the ACLU VA chapter arrested for possession of child pornography material.
* RIM, the maker of Blackberry, is being investigated by the SEC for its handling of stock options.
* Jones Industrial Network, a Maryland temp agency was raided and 69 people were arrested for hiring illegal aliens. Some of the aliens worked at the port of Baltimore. $600,000 in a bank account was also seized.
* Owners and employees from fourteen Arizona travel agencies were indicted on human smuggling and other charges. They bought one way air plane tickets to cities across America for over 6,800 illegal aliens.
* Ethics committee, led by Republicans, find no rules broken in Foley case :   Story
* Bush pardons drug dealers but not border patrol agents.
* Vonage settled its patent case with Sprint. So I guess it is OK to infringe on a patent because most likely, you will be able to settle? Vonage lost its patent case to Verizon. I would be very careful investing in Vonage after this case and the way they treated their shareholders during the IPO! Well, now the court said Vonage didn't really lose. Who knows.
* Owner and managers of Michael Bianco Inc., a US govt. contractor, arrested for hiring illegal aliens with fraudulent documents.
* Walgreens drug stores are being sued for discriminating against minority employees.
* Fighting increases in Afghanistan :   Story
* Thanks to the ICE unit for raiding SWIFT meat plants and arresting illegal aliens
* SAIC alleged of defrauding Air Force :   Story
* Sony settles case of putting hidden software on millions of customer computers through DVDs and CDs
      - Nifong has ethics complaint filed against him. We will see if he is actually found guilty.
* Will US policy in Africa lead to more terrorists? :   Story
* Why did OJ Simpson try to make money off of his wife's death? He could have offered to donate the money from the book to a charity for women.
* NOLA Police officers indicted for murder during Katrina.
* Employees of Menzies Aviation Group arrested for stealing luggage at a Texas Airport, a felony charge.
* Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli resigns. Stock holders had been questioning stock option and bonus practices. He will receive around a $210 million severance package.
* Companies marketing and manufacturing Xenadrine, Trimspa, CortiSlim and CortiStress, including Bayer, fined $25 million for false advertising.
* Pinellas County Florida police injure innocent people in mistaken arrest.
* Navy cancels ship deal with Lockheed Martin because they were over budget. Although it seems the main thing people are concerned about is how it will affect their stock price.
* Bollinger, Lockheed and Northrup are being investigated for the quality of the ships produced under a $24 billion Coast Guard contract. The first 8 ships' frames buckled when they were put to use.
* A Chicago police officer beat a bartender in the head because he got mad about who knows what. Also, several Chicago police officers beat up a couple of men outside a bar.
* 92 year old woman killed by several police officers the day before Thanksgiving :   Story
* Kansas city police are being sued for refusing to take a pregnant woman to the hospital. They took her to jail and the next day, she miscarried. She was very cooperative and nice in the part of the video I saw.
* Dell is facing a class action lawsuit over revenue reporting. Was Intel involved also? :   Story
* Owners of Florida based RCI Inc. charged with tax fraud and hiring illegal aliens.

View historical controversial issues

Hacking Watch and other information security issues:

2008

* Virginia supreme court lets spammer walk free. Is spam really free speech?     Story
* Have more computer viruses been to space than humans?     Story
* Are hundreds of laptops missing from the US State Dept. and does anyone really care?     Story
* 11 people arrested in hacking/identity theft ring Story.     I think the IT companies who release unsecure systems should be held responsible.
* A computer bug was responsible for Moody's incorrectly rating European CPDOs Aaa. According to FT, some of the securities should have been at least four notches lower. FT also states some senior staff knew about the bug as early as 2007 but the ratings were not changed until 2008. The credit agencies have been under scrutiny for assigning higher ratings to companies with bad credit.
* Lojack for stolen laptops?   Story
* Information on almost 50,000 patients was stolen from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and sold, most presumably on the black market.
* 4.2 million credit and debit card nos. stolen from Maine based Hannaford Brothers grocery stores.
* Stolen NIH laptop contained unencrypted data on 2,500 patients involved in a study.
* Harvard's graduate student system has been hacked. Around 6,600 social security numbers were on the system.
* Boston based Iron Mountain Inc., cannot find a data tape with over 650,000 consumer accounts on it. The information includes social security numbers and they do not know if it was encrypted. Credit monitoring will be provided.
* EDS sent out 260,000 Medicaid brochures to Wisconsin residents with their social security numbers printed on the address label. EDS says it will provide free credit monitoring for a year and free identity insurance.
* Sears corrects problem on www.managemyhome.com that allowed viewing purchase histories of customers.

2007

* Hackers steal data from Dept. of Homeland Security   Story.
* Data breach at TJ MAXX and Marshall's parent company affects at least 94 million customers. Analysts estimate around $83 million has been stolen so far and could rise.
*LexisNexis contractor loses 2 TSA laptop computers with background information of over 3,900 hazardous transport drivers. The employee said he had deleted the data, but the report states that someone with data recovery knowledge could access the data. According to the report, it does not look like the hard drive was encrypted. TSA also lost a hard drive this year containing banking and personal information on 100,000 employees.
* TD Ameritrade announced a customer database had been compromised. They said no "sensitive" information like social security numbers were stolen, but emails and names were. They have hired ID Analytics Inc. to investigate the issue.
* Millions of customer and recruiter records, including phone #s, addresses and passwords, stolen from Monster through phishing scam.
* US Federal agents raid 32 houses looking for hardware pirates.
* Apple's Iphone has security problems allowing hackers to retrieve data over WIFI or from malicious websites.
* Employee at a Fidelity National Information Services' subsidiary sold 2.3 million customers' bank account and credit card information to marketing companies.
* Nearly 211,000 Ohio residents' social security numbers and other personal information were on a data tape stolen from a 22 year old intern's car. The intern was instructed, by their superiors, to take the tape home to their house.
* DOD says an email system was hacked affecting 1,500 users. I bet this is bigger than they say. If anyone can get into the DOD, they could do a lot more damage than this
* At least 63,000 Americans' social security numbers were publicly available on at least one website, Website. The information was related to the USDA and US Census Bureau. Experts say it is possible that thousands of research groups have the information.
* Someone in Illinois sent false weather warnings to the national weather service causing false weather alarms to be issued. Story
* 2.9 million Georgia residents information is on a disk missing from the state's Department of Community Health.
* 3,000 Georgia Tech employees personal information stolen by hackers, including SS #'s
* A 12 year old hacked the Roosevelt dam : Story
* A 16 year old hacked Nasa's supercomputer : Story       Story
* Are voting machines secure?  Story
* 170,000 Wisconsin residents had their social security number printed on the outside of their mailed tax booklet due to a computer glitch.
* IRS' Kansas City division lost over 2 dozen data tapes with confidential citizen information.
* Over 70,000 credit union identities stolen from govt. computer in Vermont :   Story
* National guard laptop, possibly containing recruit information, stolen from Lowell, Mass.
* Military veteran information stolen from govt. vehicle in Bremerton, Wash.

Good website on hacking events.

View History of hacking events.

Food Contamination Watch and other contamination issues:

Why are there so many outbreaks now? I know some people who have lived on a farm, with no technology, and they never had this many problems.

* FDA current food recalls FDA current recalls

Recent bacteria and other contamination outbreaks:

2008

* Nestle recalls arount 900,000 lbs of Lean Cuisine meals with blue plastic pieces in them.
* Restaurant in Oklahoma hit by E. Coli     Story
* S&S Foods of Azusa, CA recalls over 153,000 lbs of frozen ground beef due to E. coli at a boy scout camp in Virginia.
* Wholefoods recalls ground beef linked to the Nebraska beef recall several weeks ago. Wholefoods stated it had no knowledget it's "middle man", Coleman Natural Foods, was buying from Nebraska beef.     Story
* Nestle foods recalled about 200,000 lbs of 9-ounce boxes of "Lean Pockets Spinach Artichoke Chicken -- 2 sandwiches" containing pieces of plastic.
* Nebraska beef limited, a dealer for Kroger, recalled over 5 million lbs of beef due to E. Coli. They have since added an additional lactic acid bath to prevent future outbreaks.
* Over 1000 people sickened in at least 11 states due to salmonella from an unknown source. The salmonella strain has been found in Mexican peppers. Tomatoes have been ruled out. I wonder how many thousands of tomatoes were wasted? I listened to the conference call and they seem to be working hard to correct it, but the tomato farmers were complaining about the money they were losing.
* Disney recalled 4,100 sleeping bags and 8,000 magic wands due to lead.
* New York based Fairbank Reconstruction Corp. recalled 22,481 pounds of ground beef that may contain pieces of plastic.
* US Military recalls all 85% ground beef sold on bases.
* Chicago based JSM Meat Holdings Co recalled ground beef in 11 states due to E. Coli.
* Gourmet Boutique, of Jamaica, recalled 286,000 lbs of fresh and frozen beef, pork and poultry products due to listeria concerns.
* Some Heparin, a blood thinner, was recalled due to a substitute chemical.
* Harry and David Chocolate-Covered Select Blend Espresso Beans recalled for not labeling milk as an ingredient.
* Malt-O-Meal Unsweetened Puffed Rice and Unsweetened Puffed Wheat cereal recalled due to salmonella.
* Samuel Adams recalls select 12 oz bottles of beer because defective glass has chipped off on some. How can you screw up glass making?
* Dole, Chiquita and Simply Fresh recall cantaloupes due to salmonella.
* Gorton's recalls at least 1,000 cases of frozen fish fillets because herbal pills were found in the fish.
* 16,332 pounds of Discover Cuisine Red Curry Chicken & Jasmine Rice was recalled due to listeria.
* Gourmet Boutique LLC of Jamaica, N.Y., recalled almost 7,000 lbs of chicken and meat products due to listeria.
* Chino, CA based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. recalled 143 million lbs of beef due to possible safety violations. This is the largest recall in US history. A lot of the meat was sold to schools and may have been eaten. The story was uncovered by the Humane Society.
* Minnesota based Rochester Meat Co recalled 188,000 lbs of ground beef due to E. Coli.

2007

* FDA announces a "ban" on shrimp, catfish, eel, dace and basa imported from China due to various possible harmful agents found.
* Green beans manufactured by the New Era Canning company and sold by Gordon Food Service Marketplace recalled due to botulism.
* Basil recalled in SW U.S. due to salmonella. It was imported from Mexico by Top Line Specialty Produce.
* Customers should throw away Safeway ground beef purchased between Sept 19 and Nov 5 due to possible salmonella contamination.
* Merck & Co. recalls 1.2 million doses of HIB vaccine given to children due to possible contamination at one of its plants.
* Cargill, a meat processor, recalls more than 1 million lbs. of ground beef due to E. Coli.
* General Mills recalls almost 5 million Totinos and Jenos frozen pizza due to E. Coli in Pepporoni.
* Connecticut based Aliki Foods recalls 70,000 lbs. of Fettuccine due to listeria.
* ConAgra halts production of Banquet pot pies after 140 cases of salmonella in 30 states were linked to the pies.
* Cargill recalls almost 845,000 lbs frozen meat due to E. Coli. A lot of it was sold to Sam's Club.
* Campbell's recalls over 72,000 cans of soup due to plastic pieces in the soup.
* Ex-FDA official sentenced in bribery case. Hopefully this is not a common occurrence, especially since food safety should be very important.
* Soy Deli and Quong Hop recalls packages of tofu due to listeria.
* New Jersey-based Topps Meat Co recalls 21.7 million lbs of ground beef due to E. Coli. Topps has closed its business. It is not clear if they will reopen.
* 6 students at a Galena, IN Elementary School became sick from E. Coli. Authorities are looking for the cause.
* Dole recalls bags of lettuce due to E. Coli.
* Interstate Meat Dist., Inc. based in Clackamas, Oregon recalled over 41,000 lbs of ground beef in the northwest US due to E. Coli.
* Metz Fresh of King City, CA recalls over 68,000 lbs of spinach due to salmonella.
* Wisconsin based Lakeside Food recalls over 15,000 cases of green beans.
* Millions of toys are recalled due to lead contamination.
* Little Rosie's Taqueria restaurant in Huntsville, AL has E. Coli outbreak.
* Sara Lee recalls 27 bread products because metal chips were found in them.
* US Congress questioning Safeway, Tyson, Pactiv Corp., and Precept foods about using carbon monoxide to keep meats "red". The EU has banned this practice.
* Hayward, CA based Dul-Mex Guadalajara Inc. recalls Pulparindo candy due to possible lead contamination.
* Abbott's Meat of Flint, MI recalled nearly 27,000 lbs of ground beef due to possible E. Coli.
* Augusta, GA based Castleberry's recalled over 721,000 lbs of canned meats and sauces because of botulinum toxin.
* Hundreds of people contaminated with salmonella at the Taste of Chicago festival.
* Veggie Booty and Veggie Tings crunch corn stick children snacks recalled by NY based Robert's American Gourmet Food Inc because of salmonella.
* "Anti-freeze like" chemical found in toothpaste in several states.
* Texas based Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. recalled over 40,000 due to possible E. Coli. Walmart is also removing this meat from their stores.
* California based United Food Group recalled over 5.7 million lbs of ground beef maybe due to E. Coli. The meat was sold at Albertons, Save-A-Lot and many other stores.
* Hong Chang Corp of Santa Fe Springs, Calif is recalling over 6,200 lbs of monkfish from China.
* Minnesota based PM Beef Holdings recalls 117,000 lbs of beef due to E. Coli.
* Michigan based Davis Creek Meats and Seafood recalls 129,000 lbs of beef due to E. Coli.
* Minnesota based Lunds & Byerly's switches beef supplier after E. Coli outbreak at their grocery stores.
* The FDA has announced a new food risk position. Hopefully this will bring about a safer food system.
* I am concerned about the scope of human food contamination from melamine. I know the FDA says there is no risk, but I do not believe them. I just want to know what foods are "really" safe to eat? I am not eating pork for now and will limit my poultry to Tyson and Purdue, since they said only US based feed is used for their chickens.
* 100,000 lbs of frozen meat was recalled in the US due to E. Coli. The company is Richwood Meat Co. based in Merced, California.
* Johnson & Johnson recalling Agent Cool Blue Listerine due to microorganism contamination.
* America's Kitchen of Alpharetta and Wellsley Farms recall green bean casseroles from BJ's due to possible listeria
* BJ's wholesale recalls mushrooms from Wellsley Farms due to possible E. Coli
* Almost 57,000 lbs of Louis Rich/Oscar Meyer chicken recalled possibly due to listeria
* Salmonella found in ConA