TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Fewer Babies, for Better or Worse - Room for Debate
As European, Chinese and American women have fewer children, is the global economy endangered? Or is this easing the burden on a crowded planet?
It really depends on why there are fewer children. In an urban industrial society a child is a cost center. In an agricultural system with surplus land a child is a benefit. The English Aristocracy put it as an heir and a spare. The Irish outmigration was famine driven. Post famine late marriage became standard. Excess children have always exited the system to the military or to sea or other monastic lives.
Not many couples limit children for the good of the planet.
The Chinese one child policy is a rare piece of foresight.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Seeking a Population Plateau - Room for Debate
We should be celebrating aging societies, not trying to find ways to offset them with higher birth rates.
- Seeking a Population Plateau
  William Ryerson, Population Institute
  Twenty five dollars is not enough to get any woman
  to give up a child.
  If it is happening there is a need for liberation legislation.
  There may be a good case for illegal immigration in this.
  The illegals pay taxes and do not collect benefits.
  This seems like theft to me.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Focus on Education - Room for Debate
With fewer people – and especially fewer people in rich countries with high consumption – our species will have a lighter ecological footprint.
- Focus on Education
  Wolfgang Lutz, Wittgenstein Center for Demography and Global Human Capital
  The flaw here is that wealthy people are profligate with energy.
  To get that ecological benefit energy must be much more expensive.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Downsides of High Immigration - Room for Debate
The demographic challenges affecting Social Security and Medicare should not be addressed by further increasing the high level of immigration to the U.S.
- Downsides of High Immigration
  Jan C. Ting, Temple University
  I am not going to worry about the things that concern this Republican.
  When immigrants can't find work they stop coming. The illegals pay taxes like any other resident. They simply will not get to collect retirement benefits. Their citizen children are highly motivated.
  They know life on the bottom and are not having any. It is a great argument for universal health care. We look to be getting that.
TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
Jeff
- Jeff commented on an article:
  Aug 22, 2010
  Reader comments on my column about Republican demagogues on the mosque issue who end up fueling Al Qaeda.
  The more you can point out the many parallels in the thinking of the fundamentalist far right of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the more you raise hope for a rational resolution of world conflicts. Please keep it up. Om Shanti.
  
  Times Topics: Park51
  20 hours ago ... The planned construction of a Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan morphed into a controversy about Sept. 11, Islam and freedom of ...
  Islamic Center and Mosque Near Ground Zero Imperiled by Rent Dispute
  By MATT FLEGENHEIMER
  The group trying to build an Islamic center near ground zero may owe Consolidated Edison $1.7 million in back rent.
  October 16, 2011
  MORE ON PARK51 AND: WORLD TRADE CENTER (NYC), RENTING AND LEASING (REAL ESTATE), MOSQUES, MANHATTAN (NYC), CONSOLIDATED EDISON INC, EL-GAMAL, SHARIF
  "Mr. El-Gamal’s group, which owns part of the property on Park Place but rents a part from Consolidated Edison, owes $1.7 million in back rent, according to the utility company. Con Edison has threatened to terminate the lease, which would imperil Mr. El-Gamal’s right to buy the property, as provided for in the agreement."
  What a silly way for this fight to end. It is not over yet.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
A Better, Not Bigger, Economy - Room for Debate
Rather than bemoan the fact that reduced population growth might lead to less economic growth, we should try to lock in lower fertility levels.
Fine by me. We will have to pay labor enough to employ people who can get other work.
TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
anylogic
- anylogic recommended a video:
  Apr 17, 2011
  
  Gulf Oil Industry in Recovery
  Revisiting an Oil Rig Shut Down by the BP Oil Spill
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/us/politics/17regulate.html
  "But is it fixed? The simple answer is no. Even those who run the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service concede that it will be years before they can establish a robust regulatory regime able to minimize the risks to workers and the environment while still allowing exploration offshore."
  http://www.boemre.gov/
  Nothing current or surprising.
TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
zbiska
- chicabruce posted to Twitter a blog post:
  Sep 25, 2010
  Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment
  “Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment - http://nyti.ms/ce4tUR”
  
  http://slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=Stuxnet
  
  24405604 story
  
  Inside ICS-CERT's War Room 30
  Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 04, @08:52AM
  from the general-mckittrick's-around-somewhere dept.
  
  itwbennett writes "When Stuxnet first appeared in July 2010, the U.S. response was gathered at the ICS-CERT facilities at Idaho National Labs (INL). 'This is the classified building where phones will start ringing should the next Stuxnet show up, and home to staffers who specialize in IT and industrial systems,' said Robert McMillan, who was invited to attend a training exercise run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and INL. 'It's small — there were just four analysts there on Thursday — but it looks like the security operations centers you see big companies such as Cisco and Symantec: people sitting in front of computers, with a big screen showing a real time feed of any situations that need to be handled.'"
  
  Read the 30 comments
  it malware security
  24225860 story
  
  SCADA Problems Too Big To Call 'Bugs,' Says DHS 92
  Posted by Soulskill on Monday September 26, @04:44PM
  from the just-a-remote-unauthorized-access-feature dept.
  
  chicksdaddy writes "With the one year anniversary of Stuxnet upon us, a senior cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security says the agency is reevaluating whether it makes sense to warn the public about all of the security failings of industrial control system (ICS) and SCADA software used to control the U.S.'s critical infrastructure. DHS says it is rethinking the conditions under which it will use security advisories from ICS-CERT to warn the public about security issues in ICS products. The changes could recast certain kinds of vulnerabilities as 'design issues' rather than a security holes. No surprise: independent ICS experts like Ralph Langner worry that DHS is ducking responsibility for forcing changes that will secure the software used to run the nation's critical infrastructure. 'This radically cuts the amount of vulnerabilities in the ICS space by roughly 90%, since the vast majority of security "issues" we have are not bugs, but design flaws,' Langner writes on his blog. 'So today everybody has gotten much more secure because so many vulnerabilities just disappeared.'"
  
  Read the 92 comments
  malware scada nomenclature
  22902908 story
  
  DOS, Backdoor, and Easter Egg Found In Siemens S7 121
  Posted by Unknown Lamer on Thursday August 04, @11:47AM
  from the punch-the-monkey dept.
  
  chicksdaddy writes with a post in Threat Post. From the article: "Dillon Beresford used a presentation at the Black Hat Briefings on Wednesday to detail more software vulnerabilities affecting industrial controllers from Siemens, including a serious remotely exploitable denial of service vulnerability, more hard-coded administrative passwords, and even an easter egg program buried in the code that runs industrial machinery around the globe. In an interview Tuesday evening, Beresford said he has reported 18 separate issues to Siemens and to officials at ICS CERT, the Computer Emergency Response Team for the Industrial Control Sector. Siemens said it is readying a patch for some of the holes, including one that would allow a remote attacker to gain administrative control over machinery controlled by certain models of its Step 7 industrial control software."
  
  Read the 121 comments
  malware it security
  22782282 story
  
  Hackers Could Open Convicts' Cells In Prisons 203
  Posted by Soulskill on Sunday July 31, @08:14AM
  from the need-firewalls-to-go-with-those-real-walls dept.
  
  Hugh Pickens writes "Some of the same vulnerabilities that the Stuxnet superworm used to sabotage centrifuges at a nuclear plant in Iran exist in the country's top high-security prisons where programmable logic controllers (PLCs) control locks on cells and other facility doors. Researchers have already written three exploits for PLC vulnerabilities they found. 'Most people don't know how a prison or jail is designed; that's why no one has ever paid attention to it,' says John Strauchs, who plans to discuss the issue and demonstrate an exploit against the systems at the DefCon hacker conference next week. 'How many people know they're built with the same kind of PLC used in centrifuges?' A hacker would need to get his malware onto the control computer either by getting a corrupt insider to install it via an infected USB stick or send it via a phishing attack aimed at a prison staffer, since some control systems are also connected to the internet, Strauchs claims. 'Bear in mind, a prison security electronic system has many parts beyond door control such as intercoms, lighting control, video surveillance, water and shower control, and so forth,' adds Strauchs. 'Once we take control of the PLC we can do anything (PDF). Not just open and close doors. We can absolutely destroy the system. We could blow out all the electronics.'"
  
  Read the 203 comments
  it security jailbreak
  22630348 story
  
  Iran Forced To Replace Centrifuges To Stop Stuxnet 204
  Posted by Soulskill on Monday July 25, @01:48PM
  from the going-to-have-to-amputate dept.
  
  Trailrunner7 writes "Reports that Iran had recovered from the infection of the Stuxnet worm may have been overblown, as a new report suggests the country is being forced to replace thousands of expensive centrifuges damaged by the worm. The report from the website DEBKAfile cites 'intelligence sources' in claiming that Stuxnet was not purged from Iran's nuclear sites and that the country was never able to return its uranium enrichment efforts to 'normal operation.' Instead, the country has said in recent days that it is installing newer and faster centrifuges at its nuclear plants and intends to speed up the uranium enrichment process, according to the country's foreign ministry."
  
  Read the 204 comments
  stuxnet iran it
  22265404 story
  
  How Investigators Deciphered Stuxnet 131
  Posted by Soulskill on Monday July 11, @05:31PM
  from the introductory-cyberwarfare dept.
  
  suraj.sun tips a story at Wired that takes an in-depth look into how security researchers tracked down and worked to understand the infamous Stuxnet worm. The article begins: "It was January 2010, and investigators with the International Atomic Energy Agency had just completed an inspection at the uranium enrichment plant outside Natanz in central Iran, when they realized that something was off within the cascade rooms where thousands of centrifuges were enriching uranium. But when the IAEA later reviewed footage from surveillance cameras installed outside the cascade rooms to monitor Iran's enrichment program, they were stunned as they counted the numbers. The workers had been replacing the units at an incredible rate — later estimates would indicate between 1,000 and 2,000 centrifuges were swapped out over a few months. The question was, why?"
  
  Read the 131 comments
  internet news security
  21722956 story
  
  US Warns of Problems In Chinese SCADA Software 95
  Posted by Soulskill on Saturday June 18, @02:30PM
  from the not-for-use-in-nuclear-reactors-at-home dept.
  
  alphadogg writes "Two vulnerabilities found in industrial control system software made in China but used worldwide could be remotely exploited by attackers, according to a warning issued on Thursday (PDF) by the US Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. The vulnerabilities were found in two products from Sunway ForceControl Technology, a Beijing-based company that develops SCADA software for a wide variety of industries, including defense, petrochemical, energy, water and manufacturing. Sunway's products are mostly used in China but also in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, according to the agency's advisory. SCADA software has come under increasing attention from security researchers, as the software has often not undergone rigorous security audits despite its use to manage critical infrastructure or manufacturing processes. SCADA systems are increasingly connected to the Internet, which has opened up the possibility of hackers remotely breaking into the systems. Last year, researchers discovered a highly sophisticated worm called Stuxnet that was later found to target Siemens' WinCC industrial control software."
  
  Read the 95 comments
  china it security
  21499472 story
  
  Most Vulns Exploited By Stuxnet Worm Remain Unpatched 44
  Posted by timothy on Wednesday June 08, @12:29PM
  from the leaping-into-the-mortar-crater dept.
  
  chicksdaddy writes with this excerpt from ThreatPost: "The media storm over the Stuxnet worm may have passed, but many of the software holes that were used by the worm remain unpatched and leave Siemens customers open to a wide range of potentially damaging cyber attacks, according to industrial control system expert Ralph Langner. Writing on his personal blog, Langner said that critical vulnerabilities remain in Windows-based management applications and software used to directly manage industrial controllers by Siemens Inc., whose products were targeted by the Stuxnet worm, Threatpost reports."
  
  Read the 44 comments
  it malware security
  21330934 story
  
  Pentagon Says Cyberattacks Can Count As Act of War 282
  Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday May 31, @10:52AM
  from the now-we-can-invade-anybody dept.
  
  suraj.sun tips news that the Pentagon has decided computer sabotage originating from another country can be classified as an act of war. "The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat to US nuclear reactors, subways or pipelines as a hostile country's military." This news comes only days after the Chinese military admitted the existence of a team of cyberwarriors. "The report will also spark a debate over a range of sensitive issues the Pentagon left unaddressed, including whether the US can ever be certain about an attack's origin, and how to define when computer sabotage is serious enough to constitute an act of war. These questions have already been a topic of dispute within the military."
  
  Read the 282 comments
  stuxnet internet military
  21171006 story
  
  New Siemens SCADA Vulnerabilities Kept Secret, Says Schneier 119
  Posted by Roblimo on Tuesday May 24, @09:03AM
  from the watch-those-centrifuges-spin-out-of-control dept.
  
  From the article: SCADA systems -- computer systems that control industrial processes -- are one of the ways a computer hack can directly affect the real world. Here, the fears multiply. It's not bad guys deleting your files, or getting your personal information and taking out credit cards in your name; it's bad guys spewing chemicals into the atmosphere and dumping raw sewage into waterways. It's Stuxnet: centrifuges spinning out of control and destroying themselves. Never mind how realistic the threat is, it's scarier." What worries Bruce Schneier most is that industry leader Siemens is keeping its SCADA vulnerabilities secret, at least in part due to pressure from the Department of Homeland Security .
  
  Read the 119 comments
  security stuxnet bruceschneier
  20544220 story
  
  DHS Chief: What We Learned From Stuxnet
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
A.D.H.D. Is a Misdiagnosis - Room for Debate
By making an A.D.H.D. diagnosis, we ignore and stop looking for what is really going on with the child.
I spent a couple of days believing this to be true.
I am now convinced that A.D.H.D. is an addiction much like others.
As it is internal to the individual it is very hard to interrupt it.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Obama Is Right to be Concerned About Justice - Room for Debate
Modern capitalism isn’t working for today's middle class.
True. It is not working for the middle because it is not working for the bottom.
We are trapped economically by the lack of demand for goods and services locally.

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TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
chicabruce
- chicabruce posted to Twitter a blog post:
  Sep 25, 2010
  Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment
  “Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment - http://nyti.ms/ce4tUR”
  There seem to be few developments in malware.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Do Taxes Narrow the Wealth Gap? - Room for Debate
Obama wants to tax the rich. Republicans say he's promoting class warfare. Should taxes bridge the income gap?
"What role, if any, does tax policy play in creating a wealth gap in the United States?"

We primarily tax income rather than wealth. We have a wealth gap. Income taxes will not change that. A moderate graduated income tax will allow us to pay down some of the debt every year.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Acknowledging the Trade-Offs in Differentiation - Room for Debate
Teachers tend to focus on the middle of the pack. Or, more typically of late, on the least proficient students.
We are going to have to look more closely at the dynamics of learning.
How do the trailing students benefit? How is it that the advanced students are slowed? How do we know? I have not been able to get the details on this Rand study.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
American Culture and A.D.H.D. - Room for Debate
Mental illnesses come and go as unique and deeply complicated combinations of culture and biology. But they are

A.D.H.D. seems to be an addiction much like others.
TimesPeople recommended a video:
Oct 16, 2011
The World This Week, Part 2
More heat than light.
I am still confused as to why the prisoner exchange went forward now.
TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
DreamsAmelia
- Jeff commented on an article:
  Aug 22, 2010
  Reader comments on my column about Republican demagogues on the mosque issue who end up fueling Al Qaeda.
  The more you can point out the many parallels in the thinking of the fundamentalist far right of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the more you raise hope for a rational resolution of world conflicts. Please keep it up. Om Shanti.
  again:
  
  Times Topics: Park51
  20 hours ago ... The planned construction of a Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan morphed into a controversy about Sept. 11, Islam and freedom of ...
  Islamic Center and Mosque Near Ground Zero Imperiled by Rent Dispute
  By MATT FLEGENHEIMER
  The group trying to build an Islamic center near ground zero may owe Consolidated Edison $1.7 million in back rent.
  October 16, 2011
  MORE ON PARK51 AND: WORLD TRADE CENTER (NYC), RENTING AND LEASING (REAL ESTATE), MOSQUES, MANHATTAN (NYC), CONSOLIDATED EDISON INC, EL-GAMAL, SHARIF
  "Mr. El-Gamal’s group, which owns part of the property on Park Place but rents a part from Consolidated Edison, owes $1.7 million in back rent, according to the utility company. Con Edison has threatened to terminate the lease, which would imperil Mr. El-Gamal’s right to buy the property, as provided for in the agreement."
  What a silly way for this fight to end. It is not over yet.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Strong Marriages, Strong Economies - Room for Debate
The decline of marriage and fertility is one factor in the global economic crisis.
There is just not much use for cannon fodder these days.
Send the children to school and keep them there.
TimesPeople recommended a user:
Oct 16, 2011
joao
- anylogic recommended a video:
  Apr 17, 2011
  
  Gulf Oil Industry in Recovery
  Revisiting an Oil Rig Shut Down by the BP Oil Spill
  The price of oil to the consumer must get much higher.
TimesPeople recommended a blog post:
Oct 16, 2011
Wages and Benefits Are Vital to Hard Work - Room for Debate
Lowering the level of immigration, strengthening unions and raising the minimum wage would help less-educated Americans improve their lives.
"Better compensation would go a long way in making it easier for employers to recruit and retain good workers."
Get the wages up to the point where people who can get other work will take them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/oct/17/german-finance-minister-eurozone-crisis?newsfeed=true

"French debt rating at risk as Germany warns there is no quick fix for crisis

Stock markets and oil prices fell in response to German finance minister's comments, while Moody's issues warning to France"

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,791823,00.html

Blog Archive

"Artist", Designer, technologist and student

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

@12:25, 10/17/11 2

Seeking a Population Plateau

Focus on Education

Downsides of High Immigration

Times Topics: Park51

Times Topics: Park51

"French debt rating at risk as Germany warns there is no quick fix for crisis

10/14/2011

Deutsche Bank Downgrade?

Pressure Is Rising in the Search for a Euro Solution

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15346553

France has been given a warning over its top AAA credit rating by Moody's, one of the main rating agencies.

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