Scytl Involvement in French and Greek Elections.

The following outlines the involvement of the Spanish company Scytl with French and Greek elections. Scytl will be counting votes in several states for the 2012 Presidential election in the United States.  So if the recent election in France comes into question due to problems with Scytl, it will be of great concern to American citizens.

From Scytl's News, Customers and About pages:

April 12, 2012: New contract with French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Customer Outline pdf)
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently awarded to Scytl a contract to provide the online support to the voters during the next French Parliamentary election.  The support will include an innovative online solution to allow voters to verify the compatibility of their computers with the secure online voting system provided by Scytl (web).  Approximately 1 million French citizens living overseas will be entitled to vote over the Internet with Scytl’s secure online voting platform.

February 13, 2012: Scytl’s e-voting solution presented by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Edouard Courtial, Secretary of State for the French living abroad, held a press conference on February 10 to present Scytl’s electronic voting solution. Scytl, in alliance with Atos, has been selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior to provide its Internet voting solution in the French national legislative elections of June 2012. In these elections, a total of 1.2 million French citizens in 11 different districts spread over 5 continents will be entitled to vote over the Internet in order to directly elect 11 members of the Assemblée Nationale (French National Parliament). This will be the third election that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries out with Scytl’s technology, after the 2009 and 2010 election to the Assemblée des Français de l’Etranger (AFE). The press conference was held at the Quai d’Orsay - Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris in the “Salon de l’Horloge” where Jean Monet and Robert Schuman signed the appeal to create the European Coal and Steel Community.

November 22, 2010: Scytl carries out a new Internet voting election for the French citizens living abroad
Scytl has successfully carried out, with its partner Atos Origin and for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the partial elections to the Overseas French Assembly (AFE) for the districts of Mexico and Washington.  Over 60,000 French citizens were eligible to vote over the Internet from October 6 thru 24 with a significant increase in participation compared to the 2009 election.  This election was conducted though the permanent secure Internet voting platform provided by Scytl to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This platform will be used in the next parliamentary election of 2012 in which for the first time 11 members of the French National Parliament will be elected by the French living abroad.

May 03, 2010: Scytl partners with IRIS to enter the French private sector electoral market
Scytl has recently entered into a new partnership agreement with French company IRIS to enter the French private sector electoral market. Scytl will install a permanent Internet voting platform at IRIS' secure data center and will provide IRIS with training and support services during elections. This permanent Internet voting platform will allow IRIS to offer hybrid (paper and Internet-based) elections services to its customers. IRIS is one of the main actors for paper-based elections in the French private sector electoral market

June 22, 2009: Scytl successfully carries out the Internet voting election for the French living overseas
340,000 French living in Africa, North America and Latin America have been called to participate in the election to the ‘Assemblée des Français de l'Etranger' (AFE) organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affaires. Approximately 10% of the votes have been cast over the Internet through Scytl' secure Internet voting platform. Total participation has increased by 2.2% over the previous election. Voters have also benefited from an online voter registration system that has remained open during the election. The objective of 24/7 availability for the electronic voting system has been 100% met by Scytl and its partner Atos Origin during the 15 days that the online election has remained open.

May 18, 2009: Scytl successfully passes the audit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France
Scytl's Internet voting platform Pnyx, which will be implemented in the election to the Assembly of the French living Overseas (AFE) in partnership with Atos Origin, has successfully passed the security audit, showing its compliance with the electronic voting requirements of the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL). To conduct this audit, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed an independent expertise agency which has been officially authorized as Centre d'Evaluation de la Sécurité des Technologies de l'Information (CESTI) by the Central Information Systems Security Division. This audit has consisted in a thorough analysis of the Pnyx security architecture, cryptographic protocols and source code and of the organizational procedures that will be put in place. Based on the audit report, CNIL has issued a favorable recommendation and the Council of State has approved the decree 2009-525 which authorizes electronic voting in the AFE election. From May 20 to June 4, the French living in Africa and America will be able to cast votes through the Internet from the following site: http://www.afe2009.fr/.

 June 09, 2008: Scytl appoints a new Director of Global Alliances
Eric Elbhar has recently joined Scytl as Director of Global Alliances. In this position, Mr. Elbhar will be responsible for developing and strengthening Scytl's partner network worldwide. Mr. Elbhar has 14 years of international sales and marketing experience in the technology sector in companies such as CDC Corporation, Ross Systems, Selligent and Cap Gemini. Mr. Elbhar is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

On the Technology front, Scytl is making some interesting moves:

May 28, 2012: Scytl sponsors the 18th GCC eGovernment and eServices Conference in Dubai
Scytl has showcased its innovative solutions for e-voting and election management during the 18th GCC eGovernment and eServices Conference that was held on May 19-23 in Dubai (UAE). Pablo Sarrias, VP Sales & Marketing, presented how ICT can enhance good governance in the field of elections, illustrating his points with the presentation of Scytl’s successful implementation of e-voting in the UAE during the 2011 national elections. Marked as the largest eGovernment conference in the world, the "18th GCC eGovernment and eServices Conference" aims to encourage innovation and elevate the standards of implementing a strong eGovernment framework in paving the way forward to global competitiveness. This conference was organized by Datamatix Group in cooperation with the eGovernment Institute.

May 21, 2012:  Scytl participates in leading EU-funded R&D project on electronic ID (Stork 2.0)
Scytl has been selected by the European Union as one of the official partners of STORK 2.0 (Secure idenTity acrOss boRders linKed 2.0), a major three-year project aimed at facilitating the creation and take-up of a single interoperable and sustainable electronic identification (eID) authentication area in Europe. Bringing together 58 consortium partners and 19 countries, the initiative will drive convergence between the private and public sector, at national and EU levels, for secure and easy access to cross-border public services using eID credentials. Identity management is a cornerstone of Scytl’s approach to ensuring free and fair elections and the participation to this major scale project will reinforce Scytl’s position as a pioneer in the research and development of secure and innovative solutions for elections.

May 14, 2012:  Scytl Unveils Secure Online Voting on Google Android and Apple iOS Devices (See our report on this issue)
Scytl has successfully implemented its online voting encryption technology on Google Android™ and Apple® iOS smartphones and tablet computers. By encrypting the ballot on the voter’s device before it is cast, Scytl is now able to guarantee end-to-end security - from the voter to the final tally - not only for computer-based online voting but also for mobile voting, setting a new milestone in the field of mobile election software security.

Reported by Yahoo Finance:

Innovative BALLOTsafe Technology from Scytl and ES&S Revolutionizes Voting Process for Mississippi’s Military and Overseas Voters During March 2012 Primary

In addition to the deployment of Scytl’s technology in the United States, the company’s secure election solutions have been used in public elections by governments in the countries of the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, India and Australia. 

Información de Proposición de California

Información sobre proposiciones de boleta de California en español está disponible aquí

PROPOSICIÓN 28: Límites de mandato de los legisladores en la Oficina

Proposición 29: impone impuestos adicionales sobre los productos del tabaco.Otro nuevo impuesto de California:

Don't Tread on Ford

The legendary Ford Mustang is not named for the horse. It is named in honor of the P-51 Mustang, the legendary American World War II fighter plane. The fighter plane inspired the car's design with speed and the bubble canopy which provided an advantage due to a 360 degree view. The increased field of view enhances what pilots call "situational awareness."

Awareness of the situation around you can be the all that stands between success and ruin. Reacting to the situation also requires a framework to help decide what action to take in the midst of uncertainty.  This framework is also key to success. Pilots might call this framework "training" or "experience."

In America we have a  framework for success. Our framework has created telephones, cars, medical cures, nuclear power, airplanes, moon landings, and built America into the world's super power. Ford recently found itself relying upon it's situational awareness and historic corporate framework. The company engaged in a struggle for it's very existence.

In 2006's Ford ranked third among the three American car companies in financial stability. It needed to renovate and increase liquidity. Ford Shares were hovering around $8 per share. In 2005, Ford lost it's investment grade status. It was racking up billions in losses as the SUV boom went bust due to rising gas prices and the end of the housing boom and easy credit. The economy and Ford were shaking and the situation required a decision.

CEO Bill Ford fired himself and hired Alan Mulally from Boeing to manage a "giant home improvement loan" -- to close plants, shed brands and cut its global workforce by one-third. Funding was acquired from Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs Credit Partners, and J.P. Morgan Securities in the amount of $18 billion. The influx of cash helped Ford to revamp its cars and trucks and, unlike rivals GM and Chrysler Group, avoid bankruptcy protection. How was so much money given to the troubled company?

Ford laid all of it's assets on the table. Ford had to back its promise to repay that debt with collateral such as its property, U.S. automotive assets, Ford Motor Credit Co. and Volvo stock, and up to $4 billion of cash. In 2006, Ford went all in.

The iconic Ford logo itself, valued at $7.5 billion by Interbrand, was put on the table.

It took something that "the home of the brave" has in short supply recently, courage. It took the capitalist spirit of betting on yourself.

With the election of progressive President Barack Obama, Ford stock plummeted to $1.81/share by January 2009. The Automotive Industry Financing Program, created under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), provided $79.69 billion to GM, GMAC and Chrysler. Ford refused the bailout:

Ford is "in a different place and much further along" than the other two Detroit automakers, Mullaly said. Although it is seeking a $9 billion line of credit from the government, Ford is not part of the $17.4 billion bailout for GM and Chrysler, which comes with the requirement that the two companies show how they can reduce costs and debt, Still, "from ongoing conversations we're having with all the stakeholders and the U.S. government, we will not be disadvantaged," Mullaly said.

The DOE reported in June, 2009:

Ford Motor Company will receive $5.9 billion in loans through 2011 to help finance numerous engineering advances to traditional internal combustion engines and electrified vehicles.

This money was not related to TARP and had been part of negotiations starting in December 2008.

Ford loans totaled around $23 billion, with no "too big to fail" protections and without big government intervention. Critics pointed to TARP bailout protections from the UAW secured for GM and Chrysler. They claimed Ford to be the UAW's only remaining profit center and that negotiations would be brutal.

The critics were wrong. The UAW voted overwhelmingly for the Ford Agreement. The company turned around drastically in comparison to Chrysler who was sold to Fiat, and General Motors which now requires government loans to pay back older government loans. Ford is now the most financially stable American automaker. Ford stock is currently trading at $10.60 or 26.5% higher than at the beginning of the retooling.

BusinessWeek wrote in "Ford to get blue oval back after second upgrade" (May 2012):

Ford Motor Co. is getting its blue oval logo back.

Moody's Investors Service raised Ford's debt ratings to investment-grade Tuesday for the first time in seven years. The upgrade means that all of Ford's U.S. assets, including factories, the blue oval and the trademarks for the F-150 pickup and Mustang sports car, are back in the company's hands and will no longer be used to secure the company's debt.

The company has approximately $20 billion in cash, and it has been disciplined about cutting costs, controlling production and lowering spending on incentives, Moody's said.

When the executives at GM and Chrysler took the bailout and retired to their country clubs, Ford fought to survive. Government solutions are no match for the will to survive. When the will to survive is paired with experience and situational awareness, when the heart and the mind align, anything is possible.

In the words of the September 2011 Ford advertisement pulled due to White House pressure:

I wasn’t going to buy another car that was bailed out by the government. I was going to buy from a manufacturer that’s standing on their own: win, lose, or draw. That’s what America is about is taking the chance to succeed and understanding when you fail that you gotta’ pick yourself up and go back to work.

Happy Memorial Day 2012

Happy Memorial Day to All who have sacrificed for our liberty and the U.S. Constitution.

Failed Obama Twitter Hashtag List

Conservatives have been vanquishing the Obama campaign on twitter. Twitter is fast becoming the new talk radio which has prompted the joke that "Conservatives are ruining twitter."  A list of #EpicFail Obama twitter hashtags would be a nice resource and needed documentation for the politically curious. So here is a list that will require comments and updates.

• #Forward
• #ObamaEconomics
• #BecauseOfObama
• #BeforeBlackPresidents
• #ReadyToGo
• #QuestionsMittLikes
• #ILikeObamaCare
• #LifeOfJulia
• #AskMichele
• #WHChat
• #Gen44
• #PromiseKept
• #AttackWatch
• #DontDoubleMyRate
• #WarOnWomen
• #RomneyYachtNames
• #WeCantWait
• #IStandWithObama (5/21/12)
• #DescribeObamaInThreeWords (5/27/12)

It is tempting to add several conservative hashtags, but it must be resisted. In tweetglish such resistance would be named #Resist44. Enjoy, tshirts available.

The War on Conservative Women and S.E. Cupp

My only limited interaction with S.E. Cupp has been on twitter. From her site bio on RedSECupp.com:

S.E. Cupp is author of the new book "Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity," which comes out April 27th (Simon & Schuster). She is also co-author of "Why You're Wrong About The Right," which was published by Simon & Schuster in June of 2008. "After two terms of George W. Bush, it’s harder than ever to know what it means to be a conservative, though for a working definition, this book is an excellent place to start.. Cupp and Joshpe have thought it through, and write with the sort of easy wit we could use more of on the right." -- Tucker Carlson.
S.E. is a political columnist and culture critic.

She has a much larger following than this blog, or even the San Diego Local Order of Bloggers. So, this post is more for me than her. She was able to answer the recent attack on her via Glenn Beck. Further, even feminists have come to her defense, which is rare for conservative women. The View came to her defense. Of course, NOW has remained silent as she is not a liberal woman.

If you do not know, Hustler magazine used Photoshop to create an image of S.E. Cupp with a penis in her mouth. They published it in their magazine along with attacks on her conservative views. Hustler claims, "It's Satire," but this quote from the article explains the motivation in full:

S.E. Cupp is a lovely young lady who read too much Ayn Rand in high school and ended up joining the dark side. Cupp, an author and media commentator who often shows up on Fox News programs, is undeniably cute. But her hotness is diminished when she espouses dumb ideas like defunding Planned Parenthood. Perhaps the method pictured here is Ms. Cupp’s suggestion for avoiding an unwanted pregnancy.

They want to shut her up. By "they" we mean "progressives" or "liberals." So they have targeted her public persona and career. S.E. is an attractive woman who often goes on MSNBC and HBO's Real Time to engage with the left. Her public persona has been carefully and skillfully crafted to take advantage of her looks, likability and wit. S.E.'s credibility is her career and that is what has been assaulted.

We politically active types know about S.E. Cupp, but the public at large does not. Their first perception of her will be shaped in light of this fake picture. It is truly a disgrace and injustice!

On the left, they are defending Hustler by pointing to comments made by Rush Limbaugh toward Sandra Fluke. Comments made without deliberate effort, and then apologized for. They are tweeting and posting justification due to jokes about Michelle Obama's large posterior. Progressives are following up on President Obama's #WarOnWomen campaign, equating the defense of abortion and government interference into what we eat with creating fake porn photos. They deny that an image is worth a thousand words.

What if this image was of Michelle Obama, or for that matter Barack Obama? What if the gay marriage debate was approached in this way by conservatives?  Socialist/progressive issues that can be portrayed with vile images.

This debate goes to the core difference between the philosophies of the conservatives and progressives. Philosophies that differ fundamentally on the idea of peace and the very nature of successful debate.

Conservative peace is equilibrium between those who disagree. You can disagree with me and we can
still find peace.

Progressive peace is when no one disagrees.  If you disagree, there will be no peace.

If you subscribe to the progressive view of peace, then anyone who disagrees is trying to assault or change some part of you. They are trying to force you into submission. Peace through subjugation.  This helps explain why "liberals" in our lives are so unwilling to listen to facts and reason.  Debate is not just confrontation, it is assault.

It has been a personal mission of mine to find a way to get through to progressives and liberals. A mission much like S.E. Cupp's journey onto left-wing media outlets. My only successes come from reaching people at a deep interpersonal level.  When you present progressives with a reasonable argument from a credible, likable source or kindly point out that they are wrong or on the wrong path, they get defensive and try to "shut you up, like S.E. Cupp."

Remember this the next time you see a peace symbol. Consider how the peace you envision can occur. It may not be the peace you imagine.

Quick Word on Gold and Other U.S. Markets

Consumer Confidence should stay about 76 today, which is unchanged. This is a four year high, but remember that 100 is the baseline.

Gold is down recently, Stocks and Bonds are down or sideways. However, the U.S. market appears to be receiving an influx of European investment in dollars. The Gold market is being pushed down by a strengthened dollar vs the Euro. The Gold market is doing well vs other currencies.

Reports have been surfacing of European banks runs and ATM's being turned off. The risk of the Euro is real. It is so real that the even our dollar looks attractive. Greece is being talked about in the context of leaving the European Union, which I think is unlikely. It is more likely that compromises will be reached, but the fears are real.

The European Union itself is being talked about in the light of breaking up.

When Europeans get their cash, much of it will be invested in the stock markets. Some will go to the Asian markets, but most will come over here. This is an obvious occasion for a bump in the stock market. The question remains what will happen when President Obama starts printing more money to get reelected.

Note: This is not to say that this flight from the Euro is a recipe for recovery in America.

It is still painfully obvious that because of U.S. national debt levels, the Fed can no longer significantly raise interest rates. This will eventually drive down savings, but the influx of European money may delay this.  More consequently, bond yields are likely to stay very low and thus interest rates will also stay low.




9:15 A.M. UPDATE: Consumer Confidence actually rose to 79.3. Let's hope that this indicator is accurate!

Michigan’s reading for May contrasts with the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, which has lost ground after reaching a four-year high a month ago.