Bing Goes Live, Some Bloggers Shocked to Find Porn – PC World

June 1st, 2009 No comments

Microsofts new search engine Bing is now live, two days ahead of schedule, available for anyone to use. The world has already been taking the latest search engine for a test drive to see the successor to Live Search. via Bing Goes Live, Some Bloggers Shocked to Find Porn – PC World.

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ABA Regulatory Compliance Conference

May 28th, 2009 2 comments

Attend the industry’s most respected regulatory compliance event!

You play a critical role in your institution’s overall risk management strategy as you constantly monitor the effectiveness of your compliance policies and procedures. For twenty-two consecutive years, the ABA Regulatory Compliance Conference has been the nationally recognized premier resource for compliance officers to get the tools they need to benchmark their progress towards full compliance. Our comprehensive conference agenda is a cost-effective way for you obtain the latest regulatory guidance and best practices in all areas of compliance. Designed and delivered by the nation’s leading experts, this conference provides direct access to senior regulatory officials that only the American Bankers Association can provide.

Who Attends?

Bank compliance officers (new to compliance attends the ABA Compliance School first), auditors, in-house and outside counsel, regulatory officials and examiners and consultants.

via Events: ABA Regulatory Compliance Conference.

Poor are the most charitable

May 27th, 2009 No comments

Poor give most to charity

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Obesity and the Fastness of Food

May 27th, 2009 No comments

A graph that shows the relationship between time the average person in a given country spends eating and that country’s obesity rate (as measured by the percentage of the national population with a body mass index higher than 30).

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Obesity and the Fastness of Food – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com.

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OneWebDay » About

May 27th, 2009 No comments

OneWebDay

OneWebDay is an Earth Day for the internet. The idea behind OneWebDay is to focus attention on a key internet value this year, online participation in democracy, focus attention on local internet concerns connectivity, censorship, individual skills, and create a global constituency that cares about protecting and defending the internet.  So, think of OneWebDay as an environmental movement for the Internet ecosystem. It’s a platform for people to educate and activate others about issues that are important for the Internet’s future.

Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist, said:

“OneWebDay reminds us that the net really is a democratizing medium, that everyone gets a chance to participate. If you want, you can stick your neck out and speak truth to power.” Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, added: ““OneWebDay is about ‘one web’ . . . Let’s celebrate, and let’s constantly work to make more, better, cleaner, stronger, deeper interoperability across the planet.”

How can you help the Web on OneWebDay?

  1. If you’re a Web user, use a standards-compliant Web browser like Firefox or Opera. They’re free, faster, and more protective of your privacy. And because they conform to Web development standards, they make things easier for people who make Web sites. If you’re a Web developer, test your sites with the w3c’s Markup Validation Service.
  2. Edit a Wikipedia article. Teach people what you know, and in so doing, help create free universal knowledge.
  3. Learn about an Internet policy issue from the Center for Democracy and Technology, and teach five other people about it. There are real legal threats that could drastically change the way the Internet works. We should all be aware of them.
  4. Take steps to ensure that your computer can’t be treated like a zombie. Computer viruses can steal your personal information. They can also cause major network outages on the Web, slowing things down and making sites inaccessible. Vint Cerf estimates that more than 150 million PCs have already been zombified, and are now awaiting their next order. To learn more about the threat of zombie computers, read this article.

Find more here.

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The New Socialism

May 27th, 2009 No comments

Bill Gates once derided open source advocates with the worst epithet a capitalist can muster. These folks, he said, were a “new modern-day sort of communists,” a malevolent force bent on destroying the monopolistic incentive that helps support the American dream. Gates was wrong: Open source zealots are more likely to be libertarians than commie pinkos. Yet there is some truth to his allegation. The frantic global rush to connect everyone to everyone, all the time, is quietly giving rise to a revised version of socialism.

Communal aspects of digital culture run deep and wide. Wikipedia is just one remarkable example of an emerging collectivism—and not just Wikipedia but wikiness at large. Ward Cunningham, who invented the first collaborative Web page in 1994, tracks nearly 150 wiki engines today, each powering myriad sites. Wetpaint, launched just three years ago, hosts more than 1 million communal efforts. Widespread adoption of the share-friendly Creative Commons alternative copyright license and the rise of ubiquitous file-sharing are two more steps in this shift. Mushrooming collaborative sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, the Hype Machine, and Twine have added weight to this great upheaval. Nearly every day another startup proudly heralds a new way to harness community action. These developments suggest a steady move toward a sort of socialism uniquely tuned for a networked world.

Were not talking about your grandfathers socialism. In fact, there is a long list of past movements this new socialism is not. It is not class warfare. It is not anti-American; indeed, digital socialism may be the newest American innovation. While old-school socialism was an arm of the state, digital socialism is socialism without the state. This new brand of socialism currently operates in the realm of culture and economics, rather than government—for now.

via The New Socialism: Global Collectivist Society Is Coming Online .

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Safer Credit Cards

May 20th, 2009 No comments

Congress moved a full step closer to making it less hazardous for millions of Americans to keep using their credit cards. The Senate voted 90 to 5 Tuesday in favor of a reform that would prohibit credit card issuers from such unfair tactics as tripling interest rates overnight or passing out cards to clueless teenagers.

All customers would have to be notified 45 days in advance of any rate increase, and young people (under 21 in the Senate bill, 18 in the House version) would need an adult’s signature or proof that they have a way of repaying any new debt before getting a new card.

via Editorial – Safer Credit Cards – NYTimes.com.

Categories: Banking, News Tags: ,

CRA Evaluations For 39 National Banks

May 20th, 2009 No comments

Of the 39 evaluations made public this month, 10 were outstanding, 28 were satisfactory, and one was needs to improve. None were substantial noncompliance. Evaluations are available from links on http://www.occ.treas.gov/cra/may09.htm.

via OCC News: OCC Releases CRA Evaluations For 39 National Banks.

ABC Financial Literacy Project – www.ABCLearnMoney.org

May 20th, 2009 No comments

Less than 10% of high school graduates receive any financial education. The ABC Financial Literacy project is here to change that, not only with classroom education and materials, but with a real life experience of running, and owning their own business.

Approximately 75% of Americans live financially month to month. The ABC Financial Literacy Project was founded to make a change, because we believe that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things, and live the lifestyle they dream of with the right guidance.

The ABC Financial Literacy Project, is determined to offer a real life business experience to every parent and child, by choosing to work with a company that prides itself in a financial crusade to educate families across America.

So won’t you join us to stamp out financial illteracy in our nation – one kid at a time.

via ABC Financial Literacy Project – www.ABCLearnMoney.org.

Categories: Banking Tags:

Building a World-Class Compliance Program: Best Practices and Strategies for Success

May 19th, 2009 No comments

Written by a long-standing practitioner in the field, this timely and critical work is your best source for understanding all the complex issues and requirements associated with corporate compliance. It provides clear guidance for those charged with protecting their companies from financial and reputational risk, litigation, and government intervention, who want a robust guide to establish an effective compliance program.

via Safari Books Online – 9780470114780 – Building a World-Class Compliance Program: Best Practices and Strategies for Success.

Categories: Banking and Compliance, Technology Tags: