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ECP NetHappenings Headlines OTD Cryptography Security Culture
“Nobody cares a damn who you sleep with. In this world, it’s who you’re seen dining with that counts.” — Cholly Knickerbocker
Cholly Knickerbocker is a pseudonym used by a series of society columnists writing for papers including the New York American and its successor, the New York Journal-American. The name came from the perceived New York upper-crust pronunciation of “Charlie”, and the pseudonym of Washington Irving “Diedrich Knickerbocker”
#OTD On This Day
#JamesBond The great John Barry was born OTD in 1933.
Bond simply wouldn’t be Bond without this man’s fingerprints.
Nov 3 1961 Sean Connery plays James Bond, in DR. NO.
Nov 3 1959 President Dwight Eisenhower & DCI Allen Dulles lay the cornerstone of the CIA’s Original Headquarters Building (OHB) in Langley.
Fun Fact: The cornerstone to the Original Headquarters Building put in place by President Eisenhower and DCI Dulles was secured by a mixture of water, sand and sugar. Trained masons later put it in place with cement a year later.
Nov 3,1983 East German spy Alfred Zehe arrested in Boston. Traded in 1985 in cliche ColdWar style & much drama on GlienickBridge
Nov 3,1993 Lev Theremin died. Genius Russian inventor of namesake musical instrument and sophisticated #spy devices like The Thing.
Nov 3,1961 JFK hour meeting launches project to degrade Castro’s govt. Soon codenamed Operation Mongoose. Not altogether successful
American Heroines in #Cryptography
The US Postal Service recently produced a stamp to honor the women cryptologists of World War 2
John Gilmore: [Cryptography] Women Cryptologists of WW2: a stamp
The sheet commemorates 11,000 women. The USPS description webpage calls out by name one such woman, whose insights were key to cracking Purple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevieve_Grotjan_Feinstein
https://www.buffalo.edu/atbuffalo/article-page-spring-2018.host.html/content/shared/www/atbuffalo/articles/Spring-2018/features/an-american-hero.detail.html
There’s more declassified detail on her work here:
https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/history-today-articles/History%20Today%2022%20April%202019.pdf
and Venona
https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/history-today-articles/History%20Today%2023%20April%202019.pdf
These cryptologist stamps will be useful for sending christmas cards to kids, spies, and cryptographers!
SECURITY
- WHY DO REPUBLICANS SELL AMERICA’S ASSETS TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS?
- WHY DO DEMOCRATES ALLOW IT?
- WHY ISN’T THE MILITARY ADVISING DEFENDING NATIONAL SECURITY?
The Supreme Court Is Operating Without a Leash
After an epic day of oral arguments in two affirmative action cases, it’s clear that the conservative justices will do what they want regardless of facts, law, or precedent.
Interview: FCC commissioner says government should ban TikTok
As the CO river dries up, AZ is leasing its largest underground aquifer to the Saudis, who are growing water-intensive alfalfa, which is then shipped back to S.A. to feed cattle. Market rate for the lease is $5 million/yr. Saudis pay $86K.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/08/11/saudi-firm-fodomonte-pay-arizona-groundwater-use/10271103002/
Saudi firm has pumped Arizona groundwater for years without paying. Time to pony up
Opinion: The State Land Department unlawfully allowed Fondomonte to pump unlimited amounts of groundwater at no cost. That must stop.
Big Oil Is Making Record Profits While the World Burns
“We’re seeing companies double down, brazenly pretend that they’re going to be able to produce oil and gas for another 60, 70, 80 years.”
As workers return to offices, productivity is falling sharply
One of the most interesting things about the pandemic, at least from an employment perspective, is that productivity didn’t suffer as a result of remote work. In many cases, employees became even more productive while working from home, either because they were happier or because they were making an extra effort to impress far-away bosses. Now comes word from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that productivity plunged during the first half of 2022, down by the sharpest rate since the 1940s. Economists are trying to come up with explanations for the decline, and to understand what this means for post-pandemic changes to the workplace, including hybrid schedules that allow more time out of the office.
Big Tech’s Accountability Problem | by Geoff Golberg
#CULTURE
The Cloud: The dystopian book that changed Germany
The Cloud went on to sell more than a million copies, and defined an entire era. To many West Germans – especially the so-called “Generation Pausewang” who read it as children and teens – it is as emblematic of the 1980s as stonewashed jeans, Nena and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Schools have been named after Pausewang, environmental organisations have showered her with prizes for spreading anti-nuclear awareness, and Germany’s Green Party has celebrated her work with screenings of a film version of The Cloud.
#HEADLINES
Today CVS Health announced revenues increased to $81.2 billion in the third quarter, 10%.
Biggest single source is its PBM10.7% to $43.22 billion. But sure, let’s talk need for restrictive formularies & prior auths to squeeze patients a little more.The upside of high insulin prices is CVS gets to throw lavish parties with stars after blowout earnings.
Days after announcing last quarter’s $80 billion haul, execs threw themselves a private John Legend concert. So I suppose the question after today’s $81.2 billion is….where is the private celebrity party gonna be this weekend & who’s performing?
Bullshit Reporting: The Intercept’s Story About Government Policing Disinfo Is Absolute Garbage
Do not believe everything you read. Even if it comes from more “respectable” publications. The Intercept had a big story this week that is making the rounds, suggesting that “leaked” documents prove the DHS has been coordinating with tech companies to suppress information. The story has been immediately picked up by the usual suspects, claiming it reveals the “smoking gun” of how the Biden administration was abusing government power to censor them on social media. The only problem? It shows nothing of the sort.
FTC Action Against Vonage Results in $100 Million to Customers Trapped by Illegal Dark Patterns and Junk Fees When Trying to Cancel Service
Vonage will be required to provide a simple way to cancel
The Federal Trade Commission has stopped internet phone service provider Vonage from imposing junk fees and creating obstacles to those who try to cancel their service. The FTC alleges that the company used dark patterns to make it difficult for consumers to cancel and often continued to illegally charge them even after they spoke to an agent directly and requested cancellation. Under the proposed court order, Vonage will be required to pay $100 million in refunds to consumers harmed by the company’s actions, make its cancellation process simple and transparent, and stop charging consumers without their consent.
Libertarianism is not about leaving anyone alone, it’s about creating private governments to rule us. Libertarian antitrust policy is why we are dealing with Big Tech firms in the first place. We’ve been making the argument that the over-reliance on economists is a serious blind spot for Democrats.~ Matt Stoller
@AGKarlRacine hits the nail on the head, says Albertsons $4 billion special dividend payment to its private equity shareholders is a “cash grab.” Albertsons now says that’s not connected to their merger with Kroger. “[Albertsons] didn’t get their ducks in order, the law will.” The Republicans silence on how private equity goons are trying to loot Kroger-Albertsons speaks volumes about conservative priorities. The attack on the merger and the looting has been 98% from Democrats.
DC Police Union responds to investigation into several MPD officers
In a press conference Friday, Contee claimed MPD discovered multiple cases of officers allegedly taking illegal guns from suspects and then letting the suspects go free. The seven accused officers have been removed from the specialized crime suppression unit in Southeast D.C. after reviewing three months of footage.