Grave Robbers

They Are Stoned, Not Crazy

American Scofflaw

So could legalized pot keep California from closing parks and cutting school funding in the state's current budget crunch? Folks at the Marijuana Policy Project say yes -- and they've launched a statewide ad campaign today to reach Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers in California as they wrestle this week over the yawning $26 billion-plus deficit.

Controversy has followed the ads even before they hit the airwaves: they were rejected by the NBC affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area, and by ABC affiliates in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The fear among some broadcasters: they appear to advocate drug use.

But perhaps that's because such ads are a first in California, says Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project, who predicts they're going to "catch people's attention. It's something nobody's come out and said in such a straightforward manner on TV before. I think there's gonna be some interest and it'll help the conversation along.''

Goldman Code Theft

American Scofflaw

Until a few weeks ago, Mr. Aleynikov, 39, was a computer programmer at Goldman, whose prowess in trading has long made it the envy of Wall Street.

But over five days in early June, the authorities say, he stole proprietary, “black box” computer programs that Goldman uses to make lucrative, rapid-fire trades in the financial markets. Their value, experts say, could be incalculable.

Mr. Aleynikov, however, will not get a chance to use those secrets. He was arrested by federal agents on Friday evening, as he got off a plane at Newark Liberty International Airport. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of theft of trade secrets and transporting them abroad.

This is the software that "earns" GS $100 million A DAY by rapid trading of stocks to catch the small up and down transitions. I want to know just WHERE this code was sent, because it is very dangerous. Used widely enough, it will break down the investor market into two groups.

Those who have the software will reap vast sums of money while those who try to trade without it will be driven out of business. Eventually, as the software comes to dominate trading, the actual worth and productivity of public companies will become irrelevant.

Only their volatility will matter and the more volatile their stock is, the faster money can be leached from those companies into the pickets of the program traders.