E-crimes are knocking at our doors by Ana Maria Ciobanu

Nowadays we have to beware of e-crimes, as if we had nothing to fear and worry about before the Internet was discovered. The Lords Science and Technology Committee have stated that the Internet is now "the playground of criminals". They've released a report and they recommend the Government to renounce to their "Wild West" approach of leaving internet security up to the individual. A Home Office spokesperson responded by saying the report is being examined by the Government and that they will soon release an answer. It was about time someone pulled down the alarm and officially state individuals can't be relied on to take responsibility for their own security. We are all just sure victims of "the bad guys". The report doesn't talk about sad, lonely hackers, it talks about organized crime. No accurate statistics about e-crime have been published but the public anxiety in this domain is increasing rapidly. The House of Lords report cited a government survey that suggested more Britons feared internet crime than burglary. Internet crimes can include malicious hackers who take control over your computer, online scams where fake websites are used to try to trick people into giving away their confidential information, such as bank details. The Internet has evolved quicker than our laws have. It was only natural the criminals would take advantage of this fact and make us beware of one more thing.

by Ana Maria Ciobanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

Airport crew tampering with baggage delivery by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu

After investigating into accusations of baggage delivery being slowed down at Rome Airport, employees were found quilty of deliberately tampering with the machines. The head of Italy's aviation has found the workers on Fiumicino airport guilty of sabotageing airport equipment in order to make their work easier, thus leading to chronic baggage delays and accusations about privatization and lack of investment being to blame. The workers used chewing gum to cover barcode readers, the ones that sort baggages, and the electric trolley's used to carry baggages often lacked power, according to Vito Riggio, chairman of Italy's civil aviation authority (ENAC). Delays in one of the most visited cities of the world have become so bad , that Transport Minister Alessandro Biachi has summoned ENAC to explain this situation to him on Tuesday. Unions on the other hand keep acussing ENAC of these very serious delays : "Rather than accusing workers of sabotage, ENAC would do better to look for the causes of these grave service lapses -- the lack of investment in recent years. That, unfortunately has been the result of privatizing ADR," said Dario Balotta of the Fit-Cisl union.

by Ioana Madalina Tantareanu for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

SigEx Telecom : Printers may shorten your lifespan by Corina Ciubotaru

A study recently conducted by a team from Australia's International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health shows that pollution in your office could be very high due to intense use of laser printers. No particular brand of printers was found to be more polluting than others but the toner is considered to be the component that's doing all the damage. It seems that full toners in use produce very small particles that can enter our lungs and cause long-term problems; this just adds to the long list of things that kill us slowly when at work, along with cigarette smoke, heating and cooling equipment and ventilation systems. Another study conducted in Helsinki in 1999 shows that chemicals used in copy self-copying paper and photo copying machines led to breathing problems. This study also found that working in front of a computer for long hours will cause eye and muscle problems, but this particular finding shouldn't surprise anyone anymore. Strong light and glare from computer monitors cause eyes to feel sore, as do flickering neon lights, both of which should regularly be changed to avoid severe problems. All of this pollution is reducing productivity and causing what is known as "the sick building syndrome", making workers lose about 4.5 work hours a week. These are frequent problems in the life of today's worker, who also has to face stress and longer working hours. The best advice are to have your desk close to a window for natural light, to replace or clean light bulbs once in a while, move copy machines to a separate and ventilated area and keep your own office well ventilated.

related story: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleId=1E331C74-E7F2-99DF-37898DA0522FD626&chanId=sa003

by Corina Ciubotaru for SigEx Telecom (http://sigex.com)

SigEx Telecom is quickly becoming the leading telebroadcasting communications provider allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share video clips through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, websites, blogs, video-mails and SMS. SigEx Telecom captures many add-on services for its clients generating royalties and fees in a broad spectrum of marketing services including public relations and promotions.

SigEx Telecom : Office printer linked to lung damage by Delia Cruceru

Australian scientist lead by Professor Lidia Morawska, from the Queensland University of Technology discovered that certain office laser printers release tiny particle of toner inhaled by workers in to their lungs, posing a threat to their health. "Ultra-fine particles are of most concern because they can penetrate deep into the lungs where they can pose a significant health threat," Morawska said. "These (printer) particles are tiny like cigarette smoke particles and, when deep inside the lung, they do the same amount of damage. "The health effects from inhaling ultra-fine particles depend on particle composition, but the results can range from respiratory irritation to more severe illness such as cardiovascular problems or cancer." The scientist studied 62 printers and they found 17 of them being "high particle emitters" because they released such elevated quantities of particles. 37 of them didn't released enough particles to damage the air quality, six released low levels, and two, medium levels. The team discovered this by accident while they were testing a large, open-plan office in the Brisbane central business district for gauging the efficiency of ventilation in protecting the workers from the outdoor pollution. They didn't expect the pollution to be indoors. "We really didn't expect to find anything from indoor sources (but) we soon discovered that the indoor sources of pollution were far higher than the outdoor sources," Morawska said. The study will be published in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T) and it will include the name of the brand's that were tested.

related story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4147978a28.html

by Delia Cruceru for SigEx Telecom (http://sigex.com)

SigEx Telecom is quickly becoming the leading telebroadcasting communications provider allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share video clips through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, websites, blogs, video-mails and SMS. SigEx Telecom captures many add-on services for its clients generating royalties and fees in a broad spectrum of marketing services including public relations and promotions.