The Statue of Liberty | blog

The Department of Homeland Security is dismantling a next-generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems, U.S. officials said.

Robert Hooks, a deputy assistant secretary, said the department no longer believes it is necessary to expand the pilot program, as he told Congress in July, because of resource and technology limits. Hooks said a long-planned alternative sensor system, set for initial deployment late next year, also will not be available nationwide until 2012, to allow for more testing.

By: washingtonpost.com    Read more >>

Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) reported Thursday a 22% fall in first quarter profit Thursday and is examining further pricing initiatives amid continuing falls in its share of U.S. equity trading.

Bob Greifeld, chief executive of the transatlantic exchange operator, admitted he was “disappointed” with the U.S. equity performance, but pointed to potential earnings’ drivers in other areas such as clearing and derivatives.

He also pointed to some signs of life in the Initial Public Offerings market, with 98 applicants “on file”. “We are one or two ‘good news cycles’ away from having the IPO market come back in a reasonable format,” Greifeld said in an interview.

By: online.wsj.com     Read more >>

The White House plans to soon release a photo from the controversial Air Force One-style flyover of Manhattan last week, despite claiming earlier that there was no need to release any official images from the incident.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that an internal report will probably be completed this week.

“We’ll release its findings and release a photo,” he said.

That was after Gibbs indicated Tuesday that the White House would not release any images.

By: foxnews.com      Read more >>

Seven score and four years ago, as Lincoln lay dying in a boarding house across the street from Ford’s Theater, his myth was already being born. A good part of that myth is owed to Lincoln’s appearance on postage stamps. The first one, a black 15-cent stamp, was issued in 1866, a year after his death.

In their exquisite, miniature engravings, these early stamps began the reincarnation of Lincoln: the little images of his almost saintly visage, gazing serenely past the viewer in three-quarter profile, became part of our public consciousness. Borne on letters overseas, stamps also carried the consciousness of Lincoln around the world.

By: nytimes.com    Read more >>