NSA To Build $1.5 Billion Cybersecurity Data Center

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221100260

NSA To Build $1.5 Billion Cybersecurity Data Center

 

The massive complex, comprising up to 1.5 million square feet of building space, will provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats across government.

The National Security Agency, whose job it is to protect national security systems, will soon break ground on a data center in Utah that's budgeted to cost $1.5 billion.

Ericsson has become the first vendor to prove end to end interoperability in TD-LTE, another standard of 4G radio technologies designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks.

The NSA is building the facility to provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats, cybersecurity support to defense and civilian agency networks, and technical assistance to the Department of Homeland Security, according to a transcript of remarks by Glenn Gaffney, deputy director of national intelligence for collection, who is responsible for oversight of cyber intelligence activities in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

"Our country must continue to advance its national security efforts and that includes improvements in cybersecurity," Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, said in a statement. "As we rely more and more on our communications networks for business, government and everyday use, we must be vigilant and provide agencies with the necessary resources to protect our country from a cyber attack."

The data center will be built at Camp Williams, a National Guard training center 26 miles south of Salt Lake City, which was chosen for its access to cheap power, communications infrastructure, and availability of space, Gaffney said. The complex will comprise up to 1.5 million square feet of building space on 120 to 200 acres, according to the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City.

According to a budget document for the project, the 30-megawatt data center will be cooled by chilled water and capable of Tier 3, or near carrier-grade, reliability. The design calls for the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard within available resources.

The U.S. Army Corps of engineers will host a conference in Salt Lake City to provide further detail the data center building and acquisition plans. The project will require between 5,000 and 10,000 workers during construction, and the data center will eventually employ between 100 and 200 workers.

As part of its mission, NSA monitors communications "signals" for intelligence related to national security and defense. Gaffney gave assurances that the work going on at the data center will protect civil liberties. "We will accomplish this in full compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal law and while observing strict guidelines that protect the privacy and civil liberties of the American people," Gaffney said.

On Nov. 30, the Department of Homeland Security will formally open a new cybersecurity operations center, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, in Arlington, Va. The facility will house the National Cyber Security Center, which coordinates cybersecurity operations across government, the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications, which operates the government's telecommunications network, and the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which works with industry and government to protect networks and alert them of malicious activity.

InformationWeek Analytics has published a report on the 10 steps to effective data classification. Download the report here (registration required).

French Currency Trader and Fund Manager Blochet leaves Brevan Howard

By Tom Cahill

Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Jean-Philippe Blochet, a founding partner in Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP and the source of the "B" in its name, is leaving Europe's biggest hedge fund.

Blochet, 46, a French native, worked with co-founder Alan Howard on Credit Suisse First Boston's proprietary fixed-income trading desk before starting the London-based money manager in 2002. The first part of the firm's name comes from the initials of founding partners Blochet, Christopher Rokos, James Vernon and Trifon Natsis.

Blochet is at least the second European hedge-fund founder to step down this week. John Horseman of London's Horseman Capital Management LP said Nov. 12 he was leaving as manager of the Horseman Global Fund Ltd. Blochet, who was a currency trader at Credit Suisse, had taken a sabbatical in 2008.

"Over the last few years they've built up a very extensive infrastructure and business," said Clayton Heijman, founder and chief executive officer of Darwin Platform, an Amsterdam-based provider of hedge-fund services. "It's only natural that at a certain point of time people move on."

The Brevan Howard Master Fund, the firm's largest, returned 20.4 percent in 2008 when the average fund lost 19 percent, according to Hedge Fund Research Inc. The fund is up 18 percent this year through Nov. 6, Bloomberg data show.

Blochet declined to comment. Brevan Howard, which managed $25.7 billion at the end of September, confirmed his departure in an e-mail yesterday.

Management Team

Brevan Howard isn't expected to alter its management structure, according to people familiar with the firm. Blochet was part of the firm's macro team, focusing on currencies, interest rates and other investments linked to global economic trends.

Blochet completed the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, 151- mile (243 kilometer) foot race across the Sahara desert, in 2006. Competitors cover the equivalent of five and a half marathons over six days in temperatures reaching 120 degrees Farenheit (49 celsius), with packs for food and sleeping gear on their backs. The race, which raises money for charities, was described as "The Toughest Footrace on Earth" in the 2007 book "Seven Days in the Sahara" by an event competitor.

Blochet finished the race 157th out of 800 competitors, according to Marathon des Sables' Web site.

"Following his return from sabbatical last year, Jean- Philippe Blochet has decided to cease to be an active member of Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP," the company said in the e- mail.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Cahill in London at tcahill@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 13, 2009 19:01 EST

IEA says world running out of oil

The International Energy Agency (IEA) issued their annual World Energy Outlook, and despite a drop in 2009 demand due to the global recession, the numbers look grim. As Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the IEA put it;

"...a continuation of current trends in energy use puts the world on track for a rise in temperature of up to 6°C and poses serious threats to global energy security."

The IEA is to consuming countries what OPEC is to producing ones, advising members on energy supply and policy.Their activities include estimating how much oil is available and what future energy consumption will look like, and things may be even grimmer than they have been letting on. 

Oil supplies in flux
According to a report in the Guardian, the Agency may have deliberately overstated world oil supplies, in order to avoid a worldwide buying panic. An unnamed (and therefore unverified) sources claim that the US has played an influential role in encouraging the organization to "underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves." Another (also unnamed) source was quoted as saying "We have [already] entered the 'peak oil' zone. I think that the situation is really bad."

"Peak oil" refers to the point at which the rate of production of oil, which has generally marched steadily upwards, begins to decline. If we continue our current energy habits and assume no change in government policies (called the 'Reference Scenario'), we will need to produce an additional 20 million barrels a day by 2030. It is not clear where that oil supply would come from, and is projected as "crude oil fields yet to be found." 

Is even '450' a stretch?
In the 'Reference Scenario', the world's primary energy demand in 2030 is estimated to grow by a staggering 40% over the current figures. Much of this increase would be in coal use, which would grow by 50% and have a severe impact on climate change.

The IEA also looked at the alternative scenario needed to hold greenhouse gasses to 450 ppm, which is generally considered the maximum upper limit to avoid irreversible and possibly cataclysmic change (we are currently at 385.)  What would need to happen? By 2030, a third of the world's power needs to come from renewables and/or nuclear, 60% of cars need to be plug in or hybrid, and we need to invest nearly $10 Trillion globally in energy efficiency. These are all what I would call 'stretch goals', and is partially why others have described  staying below 450 ppm as pursuing "the greatest achievement in the history of the human race."

The IEA didn't even bother figuring out what it would take to reduce total ghg back to 350 ppm, a 'do no harm' target which seems to be completely out of reach. 

Pay now or pay later
Conspiracy theorists claim that global warming is a hoax designed to create new 'green' profits via cap-and-trade and clean technology. While some concerns about Wall Street are always warranted, here is the simple math: The IEA estimates that carbon should eventually carry a cost of around $50 per ton, which translates to $20 per barrel of oil. If we continue on our current path, however, demand will likely drive up oil prices by at least $50 per barrel, sending over $4 trillion dollars to OPEC members in the next 20 years, just for the oil  And the cost of climate change? The NRDC estimates that in the US alone, it will be $300 Billion a year by 2030. Many put the global figure in the Trillions.

So whether for the planet or the pocketbook, it's time to wake up. Things simply will not stay the way they are. We can either start spending on clean energy and efficiency now, or pay even more for the privilege of using up more fossil fuel and polluting the planet, with dire consequences. Why does this seem like a difficult choice? 

Read more: global warming, 350, climate change, 450, peak oil, iae

 

International Domains Get ICANN Thumbs Up

International Domains Get ICANN Thumbs Up

Posted using ShareThis

Beat the banks: alpari UK offers 28.6% Interest on Free Margin

http://www.alpari.co.uk/en/beat_the_banks/ Alpari (UK) is a leading Forex broker but we also think we can beat the banks when it comes to giving our clients the rewards they deserve.

Interest at 28.6% p.a. on free margin
Earn interest at 28.6% p.a. on the free margin in your live Micro or Classic account (including credit bonus at a rate of 6.25%) by making a single qualifying deposit of a minimum of USD1,000. 

Interest is calculated on a monthly compound basis and credited to your account(s) on the first trading day of the following month. You must trade at least 200 lots over the lots calculation period to qualify.

So, if you want a great return on your money of up to USD3,000, simply make a new deposit today.

*Restrictions apply. Please refer to Terms and Conditions.

Forex is a leveraged product. It may not be suitable for you as it carries a high degree of risk to your capital and you can lose more than your initial investment. You should ensure you understand all of the risks.

How to build automated systems - Forex - Futures Magazine

How to build automated systems - Forex - Futures Magazine

Posted using ShareThis

Google Wave

DRS System on My FX Book

EES joins Microsoft Biz Spark

100 words to make you sound smart

Below is a complete list of the words in 100 Words to Make You Sound Smart:

accolade acrimony angst anomaly antidote avant-garde baroque bona fide boondoggle bourgeois bravado brogue brusque byzantine cacophony camaraderie capricious carte blanche Catch-22 caustic charisma cloying déjà vu dichotomy dilettante disheveled élan ennui epitome equanimity equivocate esoteric euphemism fait accompli fastidious faux pas fiasco finagle Freudian slip glib gregarious harbinger hedonist heresy idiosyncratic idyllic indelicate infinitesimal insidious junket

kitsch litany lurid Machiavellian malaise malinger mantra maudlin mercenary minimalist misnomer narcissist nirvana non sequitur nouveau riche oblivion ogle ostentatious ostracize panacea paradox peevish perfunctory philistine precocious propriety quid pro quo quintessential red herring revel rhetoric scintillating spartan stigma stoic suave Svengali sycophant teetotaler tête-à-tête tirade tryst ubiquitous unrequited untenable vicarious vile waft white elephant zealous

EES The Forex Establishment

EES the Forex Establishment

Federal deficit surges to 1.42 trillion as 99th bank closed

2009 federal deficit surges to $1.42 trillion...

 

California bank becomes 99th in US to be closed in 2009...

FDIC bank fund in the red until 2012...

Total Collapse Will Come - Marc Faber

“We can no longer stop the big wave of dollar weakness,”

Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar may drop to 50 yen next year and eventually lose its role as the global reserve currency, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s chief strategist said, citing trading patterns and a likely double dip in the U.S. economy.

"The U.S. economy will deteriorate into 2011 as the effects of excess consumption and the financial bubble linger," said Daisuke Uno at Sumitomo Mitsui, a unit of Japan's third- biggest bank. "The dollar's fall won't stop until there's a change to the global currency system."

The dollar last week dropped to the lowest in almost a year against the yen as record U.S. government borrowings and interest rates near zero sapped demand for the U.S. currency. The Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against the currencies of six major U.S. trading partners, has fallen 15 percent from its peak this year to as low as 75.211 today, the lowest since August 2008.

The gauge is about five points away from its record low in March 2008, and the dollar is 2.5 percent away from a 14-year low against the yen.

"We can no longer stop the big wave of dollar weakness," said Uno, who correctly predicted the dollar would fall under 100 yen and the Dow Jones Industrial Average would sink below 7,000 after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. last year. If the U.S. currency breaks through record levels, "there will be no downside limit, and even coordinated intervention won't work," he said.

China, India, Brazil and Russia this year called for a replacement to the dollar as the main reserve currency. Hossein Ghazavi, Iran's deputy central bank chief, said on Sept. 13 the euro has overtaken the dollar as the main currency of Iran's foreign reserves.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a_A5nqmw9Dq8

Dollar collapse, hyperinflation, geopolitics, and a new gold backed currency update