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Submission + - Global CO2 levels rise past worst-case scenarios (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: Many news sources recently reported on the latest figures from the US government agency CDIAC (Carbon Dioxide Information & Analysis Center), which showed an alarming rise in CO2 levels beyond the IPCC's "worst case scenarios" from 2009 to 2010. Actual data here: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis/perlim_2009_2010_estimates.html

Also to note:
"Much of the 5.9% global increase from 2009 to 2010 is due to increased emissions from the world's largest fossil-fuel emitter, the People's Republic of China, where emissions rose 10%"

Submission + - US Taxpayers Now Insuring $154Trillion In Failing (dailybail.com)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: According to Bloomberg, Bank of America just hastily and without regulatory approval moved a combined $75Trillion worth of European derivatives into their FDIC insured depository arms. This is following Moody's downgrading of Bank of America's credit rating to Baa2, nearly considered "junk" grade.
JP Morgan is in the process of doing the same thing with $79Trillion in notional derivatives.

From the article:
What this means for you is that when Europe finally implodes and banks fail, U.S. taxpayers will hold the bag for trillions in CDS insurance contracts sold by Bank of America and JP Morgan. Even worse, the total exposure is unknown because Wall Street successfully lobbied during Dodd-Frank passage so that no central exchange would exist keeping track of net derivative exposure.

Submission + - NYPD Targeting Media Teams During Ongoing Protest (gothamist.com)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: Today marks the tenth consecutive day that thousands of protesters have flooded the streets of Manhattan, specifically the financial district. If this is the first you've heard of it that's probably because nearly all mainstream media outlets are completely ignoring the escalating situation. Sunday marked a change of events as high-ranking NYPD officers exhibited brutal, unprovoked aggression on the peaceful group and reportedly arresting at least 80 people. Many photos and videos have surfaced of NYPD officers slamming protesters on the ground or into parked cars, and in one well-covered incident a NYPD officer (with pending police brutality charges from 2004) maced innocent female protesters point blank for no apparent reason. Many eyewitnesses and several news articles report that the NYPD specifically targeted photographers and media teams streaming the event live on the internet.

Comment Only their consumer products (Score 1) 329

by phx_zs (#36032288) Attached to: Favorite Sony Gaffe?
I can't argue with all the complaints about their laptops, PSN, etc., but as far as their industry and prosumer grade products go the brand still stands for quality. I have a prosumer Sony HDV video camera that I bought over 5 years ago that has been dropped, abused, taken into mosh pits, climbed mountains, never had the heads cleaned (besides with a tape cleaner), you name it... The thing still works great and records amazing quality video.

Submission + - Southwest Airlines grounds 80 planes (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: Southwest Airlines has grounded 80 planes from their fleet of 737's following an emergency landing this morning of a flight from Phoenix to Sacramento. According to reports a hole blew open in the roof of the plane.

Submission + - PayPal's Unethical Rolling Reserve (paypal-community.com)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: I recently became one of the many disappointed and unsuspecting victims of PayPal's dark secret, the "Rolling Reserve" system they impose on merchant processing accounts. For those unfamiliar with this, PayPal requires from merchants that a certain percentage of each day's transactions be held for a long time before it's released to the merchant (usually 30% per day, released after 90 days). I was frustrated by this and their support's unwillingness to bend on the issue, but I really became disgusted when I did a quick search of their message board and found post after post of horror stories from small businesses, charities, and others who literally have tens of thousands of dollars locked in "Pending" that they're unable to access. One guy was even losing his home and belongings because he needed the reserved money but PayPal wouldn't release it.

What makes this unethical is that PayPal is making money off the reserves. While a non-profit can't operate because $75,000 is being held from them, PayPal is earning guaranteed interest on it for 90 days. This is all on top of some of the highest monthly fees and transaction charges in the industry that merchants pay for a PayPal account, adding insult to injury.

PayPal's side of the issue is that the rolling reserves are "for their protection and ours" from customers who want a refund but the merchant can't cover it. But read through the message board and you'll find that many merchants say they've never had a refund in years. PayPal's argument is obviously an absurdity and though this practice is legal (we agreed to the small print) and not unheard of, it's truly a slap in the face to all of the users and businesses who have helped PayPal become as successful as it is. With things like this coming to light in addition to their obviously poor moral judgement as shown by the Wikileaks debacle, it begs the question: Is it time for a widescale boycott of PayPal?
Education

Submission + - Human Sexuality Class Includes Live Demo

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The Charlotte Observer reports that students at Northwestern University observed a naked woman being penetrated by a sex toy performed in front of about 100 students in psychology professor John Michael Bailey's human sexuality class to demonstrate use of a sex toy and female orgasm. "Both Professor Bailey and myself gave them five or six warnings about what was about to happen and it would be graphic," says Ken Melvoin-Berg, co-owner of Weird Chicago Tours. The woman undressed and got on stage with her male partner, who used a device that looks like a machine-powered saw with a phallic object instead of a blade. An Evanston police spokesman said Northwestern police would be responsible for determining whether the demonstration violated any local ordinances as a University spokesman said the issue has not been raised. "It is probably something I will remember for the rest of my life," says senior Justin Smith. "I can't say that about my Econ 202 class." Bailey says it is too early to say whether he regretted the demonstration, for which attendance was optional but, "I certainly have no regrets concerning Northwestern students, who have demonstrated that they are open-minded grownups rather than fragile children.""
Education

America Losing Its Edge In Innovation 757

Posted by Soulskill from the chickens-coming-home-to-flip-burgers dept.
jaywhybee writes "Forbes has an interesting article about America losing its edge in innovation because engineers and scientists in the US are not as respected as they are in other countries, and thus fewer youths aspire to become one. Quoting: 'I’ve visited more than 100 countries in the past several years, meeting people from all walks of life, from impoverished children in India to heads of state. Almost every adult I’ve talked with in these countries shares a belief that the path to success is paved with science and engineering. In fact, scientists and engineers are celebrities in most countries. They’re not seen as geeks or misfits, as they too often are in the US, but rather as society’s leaders and innovators. In China, eight of the top nine political posts are held by engineers. In the US, almost no engineers or scientists are engaged in high-level politics, and there is a virtual absence of engineers in our public policy debates.'"
The Internet

Bank of America Buying Abusive Domain Names 249

Posted by timothy from the get-out-your-thesaurus dept.
Nite_Hawk writes "Bank of America has snapped up hundreds of abusive domain names for its senior executives and board members in what is being perceived as a defensive strategy against the future publication of damaging insider info from whistleblowing website WikiLeaks. According to Domain Name Wire, the US bank has been aggressively registering domain names including its board of directors' and senior executives' names followed by 'sucks' and 'blows.'"
Apple

Submission + - Apple iPad 2 To launch in Feb 2011 (softview.co.in)

Submitted by srimadman
srimadman writes: While Apple only recently caught up with demand for the iPad, and the tablet is virtually guaranteed to be one of the most coveted gifts of 2010, the pieces appear to be falling into place to start shipping the next generation iPad.
Technology

Submission + - "China Will Lead Internet Revolution" Says Google (softview.co.in)

Submitted by srimadman
srimadman writes: China has the fastest growing Internet population in the world, at 440 million users, making it the "heart of the future of the Internet," said Alan Eustace, the company's senior vice president of engineering and research, who spoke in Beijing on Tuesday.
Australia

Submission + - Protest in defense of Wikileaks this Friday (greenleft.org.au)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A national Australian protest in defense of Wikileaks has been organised for this Friday, organised by activist groups around the country.
This posting is intended as a notice to supporters of Our Rights Online, and supporters of Wikileaks. Come to your local protest to organise around this issue and further develop a broad support network associated with our rights online.

Submission + - Recent AVG 2011 update causes widespread problems (avg.com)

Submitted by phx_zs
phx_zs writes: Last night's mandatory update of AVG 2011 Free edition has caused most 64bit Windows 7 PCs to fail while loading windows. On their website they have an FAQ with instructions on how to repair the issue using a boot CD or USB device."

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