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SEC Charges That LPL Financial Failed To Protect Customers' Privacy
There will always be security problems in any distributed computer network where any part of it is out of the line of sight. This was always axiomatic for any radio-telephone operator who had to string commo lines from one's platoon to company headquarters in the field. The fact that the Internet is one humongous computer network (where the user nodes are assembled and maintained by average people who generally see nothing wrong with credit cards, ATMs, and wireless networking) only compounds the security problems. Hopefully, the hackers will be caught and charged with some form of wire fraud... with the appropriate enhancements for messing with a financial institution.— September 11, 2008 2:24 p.m.
Union-Tribune obituary Allard Roen omits mob connections
I am personally grateful for the "printer friendly" link. I have put it to use. We can't even begin to solve the problems of this city as an informed electorate until we understand exactly who we are as a community of residents, influenced by an apparently much larger community of investors -- good and bad -- who see "opportunities" here that we provide to them on a regular basis. Given your writing above, the announcement today that a City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency director who sits on our City Council (and was acting mayor while three other councilmembers were indicted/convicted/died in office as a result of a federal bribery probe) is now married to a Centre City Development Corporation board member, where both redevelopment agencies are involved in unsupervised loans from the City of San Diego totally $250 million or more, all makes perfect sense to me. I had no idea that the newlyweds had been dating for the last seven years, while these loans from the people of San Diego were being made without the City Council making any effort to demand repayment. Ordinarily, who dates/marries who is something I consider beyond me, but this looks like a political marriage of convenience to keep somebody from later testifying against somebody else. The fact that this union was apparently vetted by the Ethics Commission... well... hell... I only hope I live so long to get cut in on this deck of "Get Out of Jail Free" cards...— September 11, 2008 9:21 a.m.
No cigar
We may find it interesting how Sempra Energy's report to investors from 2000 described that corporation: "Led by the success of Sempra Energy Trading, our newer businesses expanded in 2000. Our wholesale trading operation is a key driver of Sempra Energy’s retail strategy, providing the trading, hedging and risk-management capabilities necessary to execute complex energy transactions. It provides sophisticated solutions that few others in the industry can match." Compare with contemporary reports of Enron running training seminars as an industry consultant in the "gaming" of California's electricity distribution grid for maximum profit with minimum effort. With the above corporate statement to investors, I am not positive but fairly certain that Sempra Energy Trading employees had contact with Enron regarding "gaming" the grid "to execute complex energy transactions." Given that the same financial statement describes Sempra Energy's "acquisition and development of [power] generation" that "gives Sempra Energy a natural hedge against unanticipated and severe fluctuations in market prices and demand", I wonder just how much California electricity was produced here for pennies, only to be sold out-of-state and repurchased at inflated prices by us as consumers? Precisely when do "complex energy transactions" that likely involved overloading the ISO become "wire fraud"?— September 10, 2008 5:12 p.m.
County Grand Jury recommends consolidation of CCDC, SEDC into single redevelopment agency
I must acknowledge the link provided by Justice4all that led me to the Grand Jury report, as found in a Don Bauder blog/story comment. The PDF for that report is at: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury/reports/2007…— September 10, 2008 4:30 p.m.
Union-Tribune obituary Allard Roen omits mob connections
Wow... scratch an obit and find a real story... You have done a tremendous service for San Diegans, or we should all be upgrading to armored cars right now.— September 10, 2008 2:04 p.m.
CCDC Kills 7th and Market Project; Chairman Maas Says Related Group May Be Victim, Attacks Local Developer
As corporations, CCDC and SEDC may defy attempts at a simple winding up and closing down by the City of San Diego. At the same time, it may be possible for the City Council to do the right thing by stripping these developer-advancement forums of their duties as redevelopment agencies and letting them go off into the night, competing with everyone else out there in a depressed construction market. Without the monthly requests for administrative reimbursement from the City Comptroller, perhaps these two wayward corporations may just die out on their own in the face of free market competition. I think that when various developers AND consultants have discovered that two of their biggest boosters in this town have suddenly become desperate competitors, things may happen. From what I've seen of SEDC's top-heavy staff, a little competition may cause corporate death rather quickly. Thanx to Justice4all for the informative link... and Paul's comment revelations of the Strauss connection help to put a little more sunshine on things.— September 10, 2008 1:51 p.m.
La Jolla Now Has Nation's Most Expensive Homes, According to New Study
We are truly fortunate to bask in the glow of such affluence. Seriously. While there have been extensive problems on many different economic fronts, especially housing, I generally agree with recent Greenspan's televised comments on how he can't figure out why the economy isn't doing worse than it is. As long as La Jolla is doing so well, the Blue Line AKA Tijuana Trolley will still be full of early morning commuters from south of the border heading north so early in the morning, in their prime and proper service attire... And the beat goes on.— September 10, 2008 10:12 a.m.
Extremism in the defense of politics
Regarding #6: I think you've summed up what is being exposed in the more developer-friendly venues here in San Diego quite nicely. Off-hand, I'd say there are more than a few folks on and in front of our local boards and commissions who have no ruth when it comes to attaching themselves onto something lucrative, especially on the public's dime. When the public finally sees past the clever advertising and grandiose public presentations of projects designed to sell more real estate to people who must eventually ration their water alongside their now-conserving neighbors, then the pretense of propriety is lost. As for stevia, I'm still trying to find any research papers on its potentially narcotic effect... actually, losing over 50 pounds does make me feel kind of euphoric...— September 10, 2008 9:08 a.m.
Slippery SEDC bonus requests underneath City Council radar
Regarding #6: Apparently, mutagenic properties were exhibited in vitro only, not in actual living creatures, even when marinated. Of all of the scientific studies I've researched on it, either stevia is one of the least cancer-causing substances known to the human race, or empirically it causes problems only among silicon-based lifeforms. If I turn into a Petri dish, I'll worry about that then! Regarding #7: Apparently, the FDA won't give up the name of the sugar company possibly located somewhere between California & Hawaii that claimed Celestial Seasonings was adulterating its tea products with stevia, and down came the black helicopters. In Japan, it happens to be quite popular as a sweetener... and Japan also has a much lower rate of coronary artery disease and diabetes. Of course, this might also relate to their much higher usage of fast internet providers... In Central America, several millennia of stevia usage has enhanced their regional resistance to the United Fruit Company. Generally, the anti-stevia helicopters only show up if an American distributor refers to it as a "sweetener" or "sweetened with". No more exercise for me. I did enough pushups in the infantry to last a lifetime. (Drill Sergeant: "You don't like this fort? Then push it away! Push it away!!!") Besides, my cardiologist would be greatly annoyed if I suddenly dropped dead from fatigue, especially after I participated in that VA heart failure study... As for narcotic qualities... hmmm... maybe we need another ballot initiative to start another state-federal battle over another plant?!? Wait... am I having another flashback? No, it's just my nephew hitting the degauss button on the monitor.— September 9, 2008 11 p.m.
Have you ever broken anything in someone's house?
Hilarious! Your story reminds me that I owe somebody a T-Bird... maybe when I get rich, I'll ship her a new Mustang in India...— September 9, 2008 3:07 p.m.