| Wilcox won't seek re-election as Martin County schools superintendent
"The decision not to run for re-election was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make," Wilcox said in a news release. "However, my family commitments have to take priority in my life right now." Wilcox, of Palm City, has been superintendent since November 1994 when she was elected to fill the remaining two years of former Superintendent Frank Brogan's term when he resigned to run for the state's education commissioner. Last school year, the Martin County School District was one of two districts in the state to receive a perfect report card from the Florida Department of Education based on student achievement on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Among the district's achievements under Wilcox's 14-year tenure is that the Martin County has the highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate in the state.
Practicing Safe E-Commerce
If you're headed to a brick-and-mortar store or a restaurant, don't leave a receipt on the table, and be sure to check your credit card bill to make sure the staff didn't heist your credit card number. Those are common-sense behaviors for real-world commerce, but similar security measures are in order when shopping online. Better Email Security Just Got A Whole Lot Easier. And Cheaper. Introducing Security Software As A Service From Webroot. Free 14-Day Trial. .
Web companies discover the perils of putting privacy before profits.
A few months ago, I shopped around for a Web site to help keep track of my spending habits. I was looking for a service that would charge me nothing yet work flawlessly, protect my privacy, and make me feel good about myself—a tall order, I'll admit. I settled on a little start-up called Wesabe, mostly because the founders seemed so committed to, well … to being cool dudes. The company has a detailed and very encouraging policy on privacy and data ownership and has recruited privacy-obsessed Alpha Geeks like Cory Doctorow and Clay Shirky to serve on its advisory board. In its frequently asked questions, Wesabe comes across as positively saintly: They won't sell ads because ads encourage you to spend, they plan on making money by helping people reach their financial goals, and their security measures are at least as impressive as those used by your credit card company.
QBE punished as profits fall short
Investors punished QBE Insurance on Tuesday after the Australian financial services group reported annual profits that fell short of forecasts due to the high Australian dollar and downgraded its 2008 revenue outlook. While net profits rose 30 per cent to a record A$1.93bn in 2007, the figure came in below market expectations of A$2.04bn. .
Bill Gates links up with LinkedIn
Although LinkedIn is frequently mentioned as an attractive takeover candidate, the Mountain View-based company so far has indicated it is more likely to make an initial public offering of stock during the next year or two. LinkedIn spokeswoman Kay Luo declined to comment on Microsoft's possible interest.Microsoft late last year invested $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Palo Alto-based Facebook Inc., whose 66 million members make it the Internet's second largest social network behind News Corp.'s MySpace.Gates is among Facebook members, although he reportedly stopped using the site recently because he was tired of sifting through the thousands of requests from requests from strangers who wanted to befriend him. Microsoft declined to comment Wednesday about Gates' status on Facebook.LinkedIn offers privacy controls that will enable Gates to block requests to connect with him on the network.Gates probably will want to use that tool because LinkedIn members have a keen interest in the billionaire.
Election Madness
His letters to me have always been angry, railing against our capitalist system for its failure to assure "life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness" for working people. Just today, a letter came. To my relief it was not handwritten because he is now using e-mail: "Well, I'm writing to you today because there is a wretched situation in this country that I cannot abide and must say something about. I am so enraged about this mortgage crisis. That the majority of Americans must live their lives in perpetual debt, and so many are sinking beneath the load, has me so steamed. Damn, that makes me so mad, I can't tell you. . . . I did a security guard job today that involved watching over a house that had been foreclosed on and was up for auction. They held an open house, and I was there to watch over the place during this event.
Sports Columnists
We don't need to see your face to confirm that. "I know who owns the Steelers. I don't see Dan Rooney. I know who owns the Giants. I don't need to see his face. I know who owns the Patriots. We don't need to see you to confirm how much money and how much authority you have." Others concurred in what has been the center of the NFL's universe with the Super Bowl around. This also has become the definitive place to get a sense of what the Falcons' peers think of a franchise that has witnessed everything during the past few months from its franchise quarterback sitting in prison to its owner hiring a general manager after a Webcam interview. Those peers generally responded to it all with a head shake, a chuckle of disbelief and something unprintable for a family newspaper.
Home market under $200K super hot
Marshall and Wendy Kauffman were drowning in debt six years ago. After paying off about $15,000 in credit card bills, they recently got the keys to their first home: A 1,150-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath house in a nice Gilbert neighborhood. They paid $185,000. The Kauffmans, who are both 29 and have three children, are among homebuyers fighting over a growing inventory of homes in the Valley's super hot sub-$200,000 market. The sub-prime debacle, foreclosures and short sales are continuing to drive Valley real estate prices down, making more homes than ever affordable for first-time homebuyers and investors. .
Alleged Kiwi botnet mastermind in court
An 18-year-old suspected of masterminding a botnet-fueled international cybercrime network has appeared in a New Zealand court. Owen Thorn Walker, of Whitianga in New Zealand's North Island, was charged with a variety of computer hacking offences including two counts of accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, two counts of accessing a computer system without permission, and a single count of damaging a computer system as well as possessing hacking software, Radio New Zealand reports. If convicted, Walker faces up to 10 years imprisonment. .
iPhone seller vacates his rented PoCo home
The man behind an Internet sales scheme that saw people pay for iPhones that never arrived has apparently abandoned his $2,000-a-month Port Coquitlam rental home. Joshua Tristan Trousdale, who relocated to B.C. after being convicted of fraud in New Brunswick under his earlier name, Scott Frederick Byers, is linked to an elaborate Internet operation that is inviting people to divulge their personal and financial information. Trousdale picked up and moved recently without notice, following a pattern that has kept his numerous online activities operating despite a string of people complaining to law enforcement agencies about their dealings with him. .
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