financial
etc: Blockbuster will shutter a 500 stores this year in an attempt to shave expenses.
Blockbuster will shutter a 500 stores this year in an attempt to shave expenses. Read More: Financial Times
Continue reading »Brokers must think twice before tweeting, Facebooking
If you’re a registered broker or work for firm that sells any sort of investment products, you’ll want to think twice before blurting out anything that could be construed as investment advice on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has updated its guidelines for interpreting the rules that govern how brokers present advice to the public to cover online social networks; and, in some cases, the guidelines rely on social network monitoring and archiving technology that doesn’t even exist yet. The new guidelines have two broad effects on the way financial firms use social media.
Continue reading »Ethics leaks spur House bill banning P2P apps on .gov PCs
Peer-to-peer filesharing applications have been wildly popular, especially among those interested in accessing pirated software, music, and media. But not everyone who operates a P2P client knows how to properly configure the software, and some clients may share entire directories unless explicitly directed not to. Apparently, some government employees have exhibited this sort of carelessness, as private and secret government documents have shown up on P2P networks.
Continue reading »Handy Chart Tracks Proposed Amendments to Patriot Act
Confused by all the proposed changes to the Patriot Act ricocheting through the Capitol? The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has put together a handy chart comparing the current law with the various amendments in the House and Senate. The chart compares proposed amendments (.pdf) to National Security Letters (NSLs) and the so-called “lone wolf” provisions of the Patriot Act.
Continue reading »Energy Agency: financial crisis an unprecedented opportunity
Each year, the International Energy Agency prepares a report on the current state and likely future of the global energy economy. In recent decades, there’s been a bit of monotony: energy use has grown and, as large areas of the developing world are developing rapidly, future energy demand is likely to stretch our abilities to obtain new sources of fossil fuels. This year has turned out to be a significant exception, with the economic crisis having cut into both the amount of energy used around the globe and the carbon dioxide emissions associated with them.
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