Melting Map: Belgium
NYT –
“There are two extremes, some screaming that Belgium will last forever and others saying that we are standing at the edge of a ravine,” said Caroline Sägesser, a Belgian political analyst at Crisp, a socio-political research organization in Brussels. “I don’t believe Belgium is about to split up right now. But in my lifetime? I’d be surprised if I were to die in Belgium.”
With the headquarters of both NATO and the European Union in Brussels, the crisis is not limited to this country because it could embolden other European separatist movements, among them the Basques, the Lombards and the Catalans.
Impending Air Traffic Gridlock
Steve Borsch is on the case of the air transport system. (Guess what the security corollary is.)
- Move to lighter aircraft
At La Guardia, half of all flights now involve smaller planes: regional jets and turboprops. It’s the same at Chicago’s O’Hare, which is spending billions to expand runways. At New Jersey’s Newark Liberty and New York’s John F. Kennedy, 40 percent of traffic involves smaller planes, according to Eclat Consulting in Reston, Va. Aircraft numbers tell the tale: U.S. airlines grounded a net 385 large planes from 2000 through 2006 – but they added 1,029 regional jets – says data firm Airline Monitor.
- From 633 million passengers this year to 1 billion by 2010
“Too many planes trying to use the airport infrastructure’ an enormous projected increase in the number of people flying domestically in just over two years’ thousands of smaller airports not operating at capacity.”
- Capacity upgrades are unfeasible
“Capacity investments in existing airfields or investment that would economically stimulate other cities (like mine)? I predict that it will be easier to push aircraft to the Flying Cloud airports of the world vs. the billions needed to expand major commercial airports.
No Cavalry Coming On Bank Fraud
CBC – The security imperative has always been placed on the shoulders of the individual, but this fact is increasingly accentuated by the decentralization of threats –
Many consumers who manage their money through online banking services may be unaware of their financial institution’s strict security requirements, thereby jeopardizing their eligibility for fraud reimbursement, according to a study out of Ottawa’s Carleton University.
735,598 Chinese Zombies
UPI –
As of the morning of Sept. 14, there were exactly (remember, Strassmann is an engineer and likes precision) 735,598 computers in the United States infested by Chinese zombies,” writes Brewin in his Monday column.
Nation-State Spying Near Cold War Levels?
Globe – Hmm.
Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, says in testimony prepared for a Tuesday congressional hearing that a law passed last month expanding the U.S. government’s eavesdropping power is needed to protect not just against terrorists but also against more traditional potential adversaries, such as those two Cold War foes.
“China and Russia’s foreign intelligence services are among the most aggressive in collecting against sensitive and protected U.S. systems, facilities and development projects, and their efforts are approaching Cold War levels,” McConnell says in his testimony. “Foreign intelligence information concerning the plans, activities and intentions of foreign powers and their agents is critical to protect the nation and preserve our security.”