Archive for May, 2007
« Previous EntriesTB case: it all comes down to human issues
Thursday, May 31st, 2007The Andrew Speaker TB case is a graphic reminder that, no matter what kinds of policies we institute to screen people at the borders, it still comes down to human factors. Just as many of the security guards interviewed by AP for the story on chinks in the DHS armor weren’t adequately trained […]
For want of a (well-paid) rent-a-cop, the kingdom was lost
Thursday, May 31st, 2007Hmm: with last week’s NECN investigative piece about understaffing of the Federal Protective Service and this story, we seem trapped in a building protection meme — and not a good one, at that.
The news that underpaid private security guards are a weak link in anti-terrorism efforts brought back memories of two years ago, when I […]
Belated thanks to Blue Gal
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007Belated thanks to Blue Gal, who said some nice things about me and the NECN investigative story on the drastic cutbacks in the Federal Protective Service last week when she was guest editing Crooks and Liars. I ended up with more hits than I’ve ever gotten on a single day — not bad for a […]
10 homeland security technologies to watch in 2007
Wednesday, May 30th, 200712/29/06
Last year, I was traveling at the end of the year, so a “10 Homeland Security Technologies to Watch in 2006″ feature went by the boards. It’s back for 2007, using the same criteria that I used for the list two years ago, because the networked homeland security approach primarily relies on commercial communication technologies […]
Connect & Protect: proof networked homeland security works
Wednesday, May 30th, 200712/15/05
(Sorry that I didn’t blog this when it first came out: I was preoccupied with getting ready for my DC trip, and then didn’t find the time it deserved after I returned.)
Sweet! Icosystem Management CEO (and emergent behavior/”swarm intelligence” guru) Eric Bonabeau tipped me off to this article in the new issue of Wired […]
Dutch adopt new mobile communications solution
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007The Dutch, citing the advent of “Network-Centric Operations” in the US, have adopted a new mobile communications solution from Cisco that will allow them to seamlessly share information in disasters and have an alternative to hierarchical emergency communications. Hmmm — where have I heard that argument before?
A test project in Utrecht was so successful that […]
Federal Protective Services scandal: NECN investigates
Friday, May 25th, 2007I was on New England Cable News (NECN) again last night, this time weighing in on a real scandal uncovered by NECN reporter Josh McElveen after he was tipped off by a Federal Protective Service (FPS) whistleblower upset by the cutbacks on manpower for the agency that protects non-military federal facilities.
Make that supposed to protect […]
Will Cal get with the program? cell phones for emergencies
Thursday, May 24th, 2007My posts will be quite limited for the next few days while my family struggles with my mother’s illness. However, Swan Island’s Pete O’Dell sent along this from the Christian Science Monitor about how California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D) wants the state to use cell phones as a major means of distributing emergency information.
Welcome […]
Time to dust off my disaster tips, with hurricanes coming
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007Back-to-back whammies from the weather desk:
The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts there will be 13-17 major tropical storms this year, with 7=10 reaching hurricane status and 3-5 of those becomin major hurricanes.
NWS Director David Johnson and his top deputy resign because the National Hurricane Center’s research budget is being cut while an ad campaign to […]
Pennsylvania Terrorism and Protection site: great model
Tuesday, May 22nd, 20071/16/07; 9:26:00 AM
Pennsylvania Terrorism Awareness & Protection site: great model!
After finding it by chance, I put the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Terrorism
Awareness and Protection site aside quite a while ago because it deserved more attention than I had to give it then. Now’s the time for an exhaustive look at this superb use of the […]
