First International Computer Forensics Web Conference Confirms All-Star Speaker Line-up

June 3, 2004 -- DIGEV 2004, the 1st International Digital Evidence Web Conference is regulated by some of the sector's most prolific and distinguished practitioners. Advisory and Review Committee members include Clive Blake, Head of New Scotland Yard's Computer Crime Unit, Troy Larson, Senior Forensic Investigator at Microsoft, Olivier de Vel, Head of Computer Forensics, Department of Defense, Australia and Zeno Geradts, R&D Coordinator for Digital Evidence at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, Robert Jones, INTERPOL Chair of the European Working Party on IT and Director of Digital Investigation Services, QinetiQ, to name but a few. The speaker line-up boasts some of the industry's most distinguished professionals such as: Dara Sewell (Chief Digital Evidence Forensics Unit, FBI and Chair of the SWGDE), Alan E. Brill (Senior Managing Director, Kroll Ontrack), Bill Boni (Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Motorola Information Protection Services), Alastair MacGibbon (Director Australian High Tech Crime Centre AHTCC), Michael R. Anderson (President and primary founder of New Technologies, Inc.), Fred Cotton (Director Training Services, SEARCH National Criminal Justice) and many more.The Web Conference is expected to have a tremendous impact on the sector's global knowledge sharing. "DIGEV 2004 breaks down geographical and financial barriers. For the first time, practitioners can congregate without being tied to their agendas or travel budgets.", says e-symposium's Managing Director, Val-Pierre Genton. The 2-day Web Conference will feature 24 of the sector's most eminent speakers and will be streamed live to delegate computers around the world. Each presentation will last for 30 minutes, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Delegates can even chat amongst themselves with advanced, web-based Instant Messaging technology allowing delegates to view who is online and to chat with their colleagues live.The Web Conference is organised by forensic.e-symposium which is broadly recognised as the leading Web site for forensic industry intelligence. The Web site content is split into three key areas: Web Conferences, Supplier Profiles and the TEK-centre, which features cutting edge industry coverage.

New International Nanotech Community Launches

Zeiningen, Switzerland, September 6, 2004 -- Douglas Connect announces the launch of InterNanotech, a new online community for international researchers in computational and experimental nanoscience and nanotechnology. By holding regular seminar sessions over the internet, supported by virtual communication and networking tools, InterNanotech is designed to facilitate rapid communication of new research results and discoveries between different disciplines and geographic regions. The scientific advisory board is headed by Prof. Nick Quirke of Imperial College, London, who emphasized Nanotech is such a large field, encompassing most if not all scientific disciplines, that it is vital to have a forum in which it is possible to make new contacts easily and exchange information and news as rapidly as possible. I think the concept of the InterNanotech community will make a vital contribution to this end. Dr. Jurgen Schulte, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Nanotechnology Forum went on to say, A vibrant manufacturing industry depends on its ability to adapt swiftly to a changing market and its long term viability and future depends on its ability to pro-actively engage in innovation. Nanotechnology is about to become one of the key driving forces in a new cycle of innovation in Asia and around the world. Prof. Quirke and Dr Schulte were speaking from Broome, Australia where they are currently at the Pacific Rim Conference in Nanoscience, which starts today and is being chaired by Prof. Quirke. InterNanotech's first activity is to make this conference available over the internet, not only as an online record for the participants during and after the conference, but also for all the people who were unable to attend in person. Presentations will be recorded and uploaded daily, along with the accompanying presentation materials. The conference includes contributions from leading researchers in the Pacific Region, in addition to invited speakers from Europe and the USA, and contains a significant amount of advanced chemistry and physics applied to nanotech research problems. InterNanotech is also giving a talented young scientist from India, Dr B.L.V. Prasad of the National Chemical Laboratory Nanoscience Group, a unique opportunity to present his work on the synthesis of metal magnetic nanoparticles. I was overjoyed when my abstract was accepted for a hot-spot lecture at the conference in Australia, but I wasn't able to raise the funds to travel there, said Dr Prasad, who continued, I cannot express how thrilled I was when I learned that I would still be able to hear the lectures through the virtual conference, and I could also present my work to an international audience from right here in India. I really hope this concept picks up! Later in the year, members of the InterNanotech community will also be able to join a session on "Modeling of Membranes and Ion Channels," chaired by Dr. Richard Pastor of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research. InterNanotech will continue throughout 2005 with regular seminar sessions covering topics related to nanofluidics, nanobiology, nanofabrication, nanoparticles, computational nanoscience, nanomaterials, nanodevices, nanoelectronics, molecular manufacturing, activated carbon and zeolite design, self-assembly, health, safety, environmental and medical applications. Full information about the Conference and the Community can be found on http://nanotech.colayer.netDouglas Connect (www.douglasconnect.com)Douglas Connect organises both independent and sponsored virtual conferences for scientific communities, as well as providing consultancy services for setting up communities of expertise and for a range of communication projects. Further current conferences by Douglas Connect include eCheminformatics: Applications of Cheminformatics and Chemical Modelling to Drug Discovery; and eCombiChem: Cutting Edge Technologies in Combinatorial Chemistry; and Integrating Knowledge in the Life Science Product Life Cycle. Douglas Connect is based in Zeiningen, Switzerland.

Bush Must Ban American Travel to Israel, Expert Says

MEDIA ADVISORY FROM ANDY MARTIN'S AMERICA:AMERICAN BROADCASTER ASKS PRESIDENT BUSH TO BAN TRAVEL TO ISRAEL BY AMERICANS, TO END ANY FBI ACTIONS IN WAR ZONE, TO POSSIBLY SUSPEND EL AL FLIGHTS(NEW YORK) Columnist/Internet/radio Broadcaster Andy Martin will present a special internet news conference edition of Andy Martin's America Monday, August 5 at 1:00 P.M. to announce he has asked President Bush to ban Americans from traveling to Israel, to withdraw any FBI investigators from the war zone, and to consider suspending El Al flights.I have asked President Bush to ban travel by Americans to Israel, says Martin. The recent tragedy in Jerusalem, and former President Clinton's offer to carry a rifle for Israel' mandate emergency restraint by the U.S. Government.Congress has very properly passed laws protecting Americans from attack anywhere in the world. I support those laws, says Martin. But Congress never contemplated that Americans would insert themselves voluntarily in a war zone, and attack freedom fighters and provoke combat.A couple of weeks ago, four hundred (400) Americans went to Israel, many with the specific intent of invading the West Bank. It is inevitable that some, perhaps many, of these people, including children, will die as a result of their warlike conduct.While many people brand Palestinians as terrorists,' I see them as freedom fighters. Without the occupation there would eventually be no attacks. For Americans to seek to help steal a homeland from its inhabitants, and to provoke combat, and then ask for the FBI's assistance, is insane. We don't have enough FBI agents to chase Al Qaeda; we certainly don't need them cleaning up after Palestinian-American battles.President Clinton added his own Gilbert and Sullivan operetta aspects to the crisis. He says he wants to carry an Israeli rifle to fight Iraq. Is the Secret Service going to protect Clinton while Clinton attacks Iraqis? Israel prides itself on not having had El Al airplanes attacked. Thus it is inevitable that El Al will be attacked. Should El Al be landing in the United States? I have serious doubts.All of these questions present themselves because we refuse to recognize a revolutionary war for what it is, a war to end occupation and colonization. We cannot allow Americans to allow themselves to be killed, and then send in the over-stretched FBI to investigate' self-inflicted deaths. Unless and until peace returns to Palestine and Israel, Americans should be ordered to stay away. We keep people out of other war zones; why do we allow Americans to travel to Israel to commit war crimes, and then send the FBI to investigate?The ultimate hypocrisy and bankruptcy of the Bush policy is that we are prepared to send FBI officers to investigate the dead, but we refuse to send American officers to separate and defend the living along the U.N. 242 lines, so that peace could take hold. It is insane, says Martin. Martin's controversial program "Andy Martin's America" has become a fulcrum of foreign policy debate, political analysis and contemporary commentary on the Internet. He is a respected voice in America's intelligence community. He has traveled through the Middle East; his foreign experience includes Europe, Iran and Asia. Martin frequently breaks news involving the Middle East crisis. Martin has also been involved in broadcasting for 34 years, as an on-air personality, in management, sales and consulting. He is currently a national columnist for Out2.com. Martin, a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York, is a Washington foreign policy consultant for security and intelligence. An assistant to U.S. Senator Paul H. Douglas, he studied under Bernard Fall and was a founder of the Revolutionary War Research Center. Martin's radio program "Andy Martin's America" covers national and international stories from 1-2 P.M. Radio call-in (800) 810-9727. Internet radio website 1340wpbr.com (click "on air"). See Out2.com for some earlier Martin statements. Temp. e-mail: andymartinradio@hotmail.com

LAOTION COMMUNITY LEADER WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL NETWORKS

6 October 2003For Immediate ReleaseContact: Corin Ramos (714) 926-9681Photo available upon requestLAOTION COMMUNITY LEADER WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL NETWORKSSANTA ANA, CA October 7 2003--During America's long-ago secret war, Chongge Vang would parachute behind enemy lines alongside CIA agents, helping them find their way through the unfamiliar terrain. It was a dangerous vocation, but one that Vang felt was his only choice to combat the communists attacking his village in Laos.Decades later, Vang is still assisting strangers to new lands. This time, the newcomers are not soldiers, but fellow Laotian and Hmong immigrants, who like himself when he first came to America in 1976, quickly discover that navigating through cultural and language barriers could also be a matter of survival.Vang, a Santa Ana resident and community activist, is the President of the United Lao Movement for Democracy. Under Vang's leadership, the group is credited with helping hundreds of Laotian and Hmong immigrants become United States citizens, receive health care and other social service support.Vang has literally been an unsung hero from those outside his community, a role preferred by the quiet, soft-spoken 62-year-old father of 13.Until now.For his unwavering dedication to his community, The International Channel Network has named Vang the recipient of this year's Vision in America (VIA) award presented by the International Channel as part of their We the People public affairs campaign celebrating the extraordinary experience of becoming a United States citizen.VIA awards are presented to ethnic community leaders across the country who provide support to their immigrant communities. Vang, along with Frank Sun of the Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center, will be honored at a special ceremony at the Bowers Museum on October 14, 2003.Chongge Vang's contributions to helping immigrants in his community adjust to life in America and become U.S. citizens exemplify what the Vision in America Award is all about, and International Channel is honored to present this award to him, said Jim Honiotes, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for International Channel Networks.Vang's modest reaction to the announcement was true to form. I only do what I can do to serve my community. I am not expecting to get any reward for what I do, he said. Vang, an interpreter and community outreach coordinator for the Orange County Health Care Agency, is the first Laotian to win the prestigious Vision In America award. Vang was nominated for the VIA award by Corin Ramos of Access Media, a cross-cultural public relations and event marketing agency specializing in outreach to the Asian and Pacific Islander population.MORE ABOUT CHONGGE VANGChongge Vang was born in Laos, one of six children of a Hmong family. He was a soldier from 1958 to 1975, assisting secret American CIA missions, which included protecting American personnel. On one of Vang's missions, he rescued American pilots shot down by the North Vietnamese communists. He also disrupted the flow of communist military personnel, supplies, trucks, and tanks traveling along the Ho Chi Minh Trail on their way to fight American soldiers in South Vietnam.In 1976, Vang migrated to California as a refugee. Later he earned degrees in sociology and health care management at Kensington University in Los Angeles.As president of the United Lao Movement for Democracy, Vang organized Orange County's annual Hmong New Year Celebration. He is a member of the Santa Ana Cable Advisory Board; and co-founder of the Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Council of Orange County.Vang lives in Santa Ana with his wife, My.

Inside ID -- Identity and Security Conference and Tradeshow -- Announces Advisory Board: A 'Dream Team' of Identification Experts

WASHINGTON DC July, 2003 -- Inside ID: The Identification Solutions Mega Show, today announced the formation of the Expert Advisory Board that will help guide the development of its seminar program. The conference and trade show will be held December 8 to 10, 2003 at the new Washington, DC Convention Center."We are thrilled to have these acknowledged experts sharing their insight with us. This is a true ID dream team," said Conference Chair Ben Miller, who himself has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. "The evolution of the networked society presents a staggering challenge for organizations of all types to know who they are dealing with, whether it is across the counter or across cyberspace." Members of the Expert Advisory Board are:Michael BarrettExpertise: Digital Identity and Information SecurityMichael Barrett is the President of the Liberty Alliance Project, the consortium of over 150 organizations working toward an open standard of secure, private, reliable on-line identity. He is also Vice President of Internet Strategy at American Express. Barry KefauverExpertise: Travel Documents and Credential Security A true expert on secure document production systems, Barry Kefauver is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services. For over 30 years he has worked on international standards for machine verification of international travel document and biometric measurements.Jeffrey KutlerExpertise: Electronic Commerce and Financial ServicesAuthor and journalist Jeff Kutler has written on technology in finance for more than 20 years. As Executive Editor at American Banker, he was among the first to explore digital cash, e-commerce, and wireless financial applications. He now writes for Institutional Investor. Linda R. LewisExpertise: Identity Management Systems and Credentialing President and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), Linda Lewis is an expert in licensing systems and related legislative affairs. She is at the forefront of efforts by state administrators and law enforcement to modernize America's most universal identity document, the driver's license.Joel LiskerExpertise: Identity Theft and Financial Crimes Joel Lisker has served as an FBI agent, a trial attorney for the Department of Justice, and Senior Vice President for Security and Risk Management at MasterCard International. He was Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Sub-Committee on Security and Terrorism, and Associate Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition.Randy V. SabettExpertise: Legal and Information SecurityFormer Department of Defense cryptologist Randy Sabett is now Co-Vice Chair of the American Bar Association's Information Security Committee. At Cooley Godward LLP, he advises high-tech companies on information security, patents, and licensing. He has helped develop digital signature standards and teaches Information Policy at George Washington University.David TemoshokExpertise: Government Identity PolicyDavid Temoshok is Deputy Director of the Federal e-Authentication Program Management Office responsible for developing common authentication services throughout the federal government. He has also served as Director of System Design and Development for the federal Electronic Benefits Transfer Task Force, and as Chairman of the Federal Smart Card Task Force. Ari SchwartzExpertise: Privacy and Public/Private Policy Ari Schwartz is Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology and serves as Chair of the World Wide Web Consortium's Platform for Privacy Practices Policy (P3P). He is also Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Task Force on E-Government. David WeitzelExpertise: Digital Identity Management As a Senior Principal at MitreTek Systems, David Weitzel helps guide the federal government in its e-authentication initiative. He has more than 15 years experience in Internet governance and telecommunications infrastructure. He is an attorney and professor of computer science focusing on cyberlaw, privacy and computer crime.The Inside ID conference will help define the emerging discipline of identity management, a critical need for all types of organizations today. The show will feature a 100-booth exhibition and three days of educational programming covering digital identity, identity theft, financial fraud and homeland security.For more information, visit http://www.insideID.com.

How Safe is Phuket For Travel?

Phuket is one of Thailand's most popular tourist destinations, and yet visitor numbers are well down on previous year. The beaches and streets in Phuket are quiet and businesses are beginning to feel the strain. Thailand's political problems have been well documented by the media, so much so that the country is portrayed as being in complete anarchy. Although the problems have been centered in Bangkok, they have impacted Phuket. But what's the reality of the situation? Should tourists be wary of traveling to Phuket?The short answer is "no". For a bit of perspective, Thailand has had numerous problems over the years, from coups to bombings. However, it was only the tsunami that really affected tourism in the long run. Thailand's internal problems usually create a few short-term ripples and the media writes of chaos in the streets, but for people living in Thailand, they will tell you that life goes on as usual.In Phuket, tourism is way down. Hotels are nowhere near full and people on the island are saying that the effect on the industry will be worse in the long term than the tsunami. It's such a dire situation, but it's also completely unnecessary. Travel advisory warnings also don't help.If you were to visit Phuket right now you'd see a peaceful island. There are no more dangers than normal and everything is safe. There's no fighting in the streets and tourists aren't being victimized or attacked. In fact, there's probably never been a better time to visit Phuket because the island is less crowded than usual.The beaches are still there and the popular sites are waiting for visitors to trickle in. Of course, travelers should still exercise the same caution they would when visiting Phuket any time of the year. Traveling alone on a motorcycle at night isn't a good idea and care should be taken when out and about. But don't let the news reports put you off a trip to Phuket.It's a sad state of affairs, but hotel-booking websites have been reporting a huge decline in bookings. The same is true of airlines, who are now throwing out offers left, right and center to entice people to visit Thailand. There are bargains to be snapped up at the moment.So if Phuket is safe for tourists, then what about Bangkok, where most of the trouble has been? There have been protests and airport closures and all sorts. However, unless you had a plane to catch during that time, if you were in Bangkok, you wouldn't have noticed much out of the ordinary other than when you turned on the news. Everything carried on as usual. It always does.After the most recent coup, the tanks and soldiers became a tourist attraction. The resultant protests were mostly jovial affairs with picnics and concerts. Some media reports were speculating that Thailand was about to become a bloodbath, similar to revolutions of the past, but such events didn't materialize.Forums, blogs and phone lines have been inundated with people asking if Phuket is still safe for travel. It is safe, and it likely will be for a long time to come.

Check our Phuket Vogue for the latest information about Phuket parties, Phuket girls and restaurants.

Terrorism Be Careful When Traveling

Terrorism is a challenge of the twenty first century and not only governments but even corporate groups and aid organizations are constantly facing its threat in different parts of the world. Terrorism was not considered as part of the travel insurance plans even for international travelers until recently when westerners became the main targets of the terrorists in other countries. Even harmless tourists and travelers carry risks of being attacked or getting subjected to terrorist hijacking in many countries of the world. These attacks are not randomly made or accidentally carried out. Sometimes, these attacks can be carefully planned and targeted only for certain groups of people. These groups of people can be ordinary citizens from western countries who are traveling across to other regions for merely travel and tourism activities.The increase in terrorist attacks on westerns in other countries of Asia and Africa has brought in the need for introducing holiday insurance that cover suck kinds of attacks as well. The travel insurance companies have introduced holiday insurance plans that also cover insurance from terrorist attacks. But the terrorist attacks also need to be clarified. The travel insurance from terrorist attacks has not yet been standardized by insurance companies around the world. There is still a need for proper definition and procedures involved in insuring people against terrorist attacks. For this reason, such types of insurance services and products are offered, but they are not standardized like other type of insurance coverage packages. In fact, the insurance against terrorist attacks vary from company to company and sometimes, even from one individual to another individual. The travel insurance companies do not issue insurance services to people who travel to countries where the State Department or the Foreign Affairs Ministry has issued a terrorist threat.Even in countries that are conflict prone and not necessarily posing threats from terrorists, the travel insurance companies make a special note of them and state to the insured people that their insurance becomes ineffective if they move to such areas. If there is still a need to travel to conflict-prone areas, either for the purpose of carrying out some research or even for providing aid services, there are different insurance coverage packages and the insurance companies issue them under certain exclusive agreements.Insurance companies also do not cover for every type of terrorist attack. The terrorist attacks can vary from place to place and even from one type to another. There could be random bullet shots or huge bombings and even sometimes, it could be hijacking. The insurance companies provide definitions and clear instructions on each of these attacks and make sure that the insured people take enough precautions before coming under such threats. The insured travelers need to take extra precautions even if they have been insured by the insurance company under specific forms of terrorist attacks. The insurance companies do not provide insurance coverage to people who do not follow the regular travel advisory issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the country.



If you are going on holiday make sure you have Travel Insurance also know as Holiday Insurance because you never know what might happen!