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Visitors to the 1st-century amphitheatre are taking away "chunks of stone" as souvenirs despite the presence of guards and surveillance cameras, according to Angelo Bottini, the Superintendent of Archaeology for Rome. He said that most of the five million tourists who visited the Colosseum annually behaved responsibly. But others covered it in graffiti, left their rubbish behind and picked up bits of Ancient Roman wall or paving... He said he had started an inquiry and was asking police to reinforce patrols and closed-circuit television surveillance at the Colosseum and the adjoining Roman Forum, where tourists also pocketed souvenirs. At night,...

CBS) PICO RIVERA, Calif. Authorities advised the public Tuesday not to confront taggers, in response to the fatal shooting of a Pico Rivera woman who flashed her car lights at one. "We want to be contacted as soon as possible, with any kind of information -- license plate numbers or description of the suspects," sheriff's Deputy Johnnie Jones said. "Do not put yourself at any danger or risk because some of these folks can be very dangerous." Maria Hicks, 58, flashed her vehicle lights and honked her horn at a male she saw tagging a wall at San Gabriel River...

(CNSNews.com) - The anti-war activist group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) faces a $10,000 fine from the city of Washington if it fails to remove thousands of fliers it has posted to advertise a September anti-war march. "They have told us that we have 72 hours to remove every poster, or the fines will go into effect," the group said in a statement Tuesday. "Tens of thousands of dollars in additional fines are expected in the coming days." The group accuses "Bush's Interior Department" of using "intimidation tactics to slow our outreach or silence" the antiwar...

Sneaking onto the beach and annoying beach tag checkers could be a thing of the past in Ocean City, where a city-wide wireless network is planned to go into effect next summer. Even if they're vacationing on the shores of Ocean City, people want internet access. For residents it would be free, for vistiors...6 dollars a day. But logging onto the internet is just the tip of the iceberg. Ocean City Administrator Jim Rutella says the possibilities are endless. Garbage cans could send massages that they're full, and beach tags could be equipped with R-F-I-D technology. That way checkers can...

The American Medical Association (AMA) has officially established a code of ethics designed to protect patients receiving RFID implants. The recommendations focus on safeguarding a patient's privacy and health, and are the result of an evaluation by the AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) regarding the medical and ethical implications of RFID chips in humans, as well as a follow-up report recently released. The latter discusses the possible advantages and specific privacy and ethical issues of using RFID-enabled implantations for clinical purposes. Entitled "Radio Frequency ID Devices in Humans," the report is presented by Robert M. Sade, M.D.,...

Corn and potato crops may soon provide information to farmers about when they need water and how much should be delivered, thanks to a University of Colorado at Boulder invention optioned to AgriHouse Inc., a Berthoud, Colo., high-tech company. The technology includes a tiny sensor that can be clipped to plant leaves charting their thickness, a key measure of water deficiency and accompanying stress, said Research Associate Hans-Dieter Seelig of CU-Boulder’s BioServe Space Technology Center. Data from the leaves could be sent wirelessly over the Internet to computers linked to irrigation equipment, ensuring timely watering, cutting down on excessive water...

Microchips in dustbins spy on three million By Brendan Carlin, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 2:20am BST 24/05/2007 More than three million households in Britain have rubbish bins equipped with "waste stealth tax" technology, it was claimed last night. The microchips could be used to charge households for the amount of non-recyclable waste produced Ahead of today's publication of the Government's national waste strategy, a survey revealed that 68 town halls have spent millions of pounds buying bins with microchips. The figure is double previous estimates and will fuel fears that Labour has been moving secretly towards a European-style "bin tax"....

Not registering By Jim Massey Editor MADISON — The May 1 deadline for Wisconsin dairy farmers to register their premises under threat of not having their milk-shipping licenses renewed is on hold. A standing-room-only crowd of about 75 people on April 25 voiced their discontent and heard an update about the premises registration issue. A group of Wisconsin farmers — mostly dairy producers — have expressed concerns about the mandatory premises program and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's plan to not renew dairy farm licenses for unregistered farms. Concerns expressed at the March DATCP board meeting prompted...

The MPH900 Mobile License Plate Reader works by scanning license plates from a distance, reading as many as 500 an hour.

Last year, the City of Los Angeles removed more than 27 million square feet of graffiti, enough to squirt a 1-foot-wide swath of Rust-Oleum from Hollywood Boulevard to Fifth Avenue in New York City, then double back to State Street in Chicago. Against the backdrop of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s big, bold quality-of-life initiatives — he’s gonna win the gang war, he’s gonna plant 1 million trees, he’s gonna reform the public schools, he’s gonna solve the traffic snarl — City Hall is locked in an old battle just to slow down thousands of teenage and young-adult tagger vandals who create...

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Those familiar with the political scene know the unexpected is often expected, and March 2 was an example of that when opponents to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) marched to the state Capitol in Austin. The event included people from all over Texas, either walking or riding one of the many horses, tractors, or flat-bed trailers. The march included a woman with a caged chicken on the head, children enjoying the excitement, and plenty of signs that ranged from “Don’t Tag Texas” to “Think green ... not pavement.” One person in the parade was NAIS...

Nervous Jersey Parents Will Soon Be Able To Track The Movements Of Their Kids - With GPS Chips In Their Sneakers Monitoring the kids and keeping them safe can sometimes be very challenging - and in today's post 9/11 world it can also be nerve-racking for parents - but high-tech help is right around the corner. Security expert Vincent Bove says soon, Jersey moms and dads will be able to keep track of the little ones with "global positioning device systems that could even be implanted in sneakers - or into back packs - where individuals can be tracked down."...

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has sold his consulting firm to the Australian company involved in the 75-year lease of the Indiana Toll Road and the privatization of other U.S. infrastructure. The New York Times reported that Macquarie Bank of Australia – parent company of Macquarie Infrastructure Group – has acquired Giuliani Capital Advisors. Giuliani reportedly profited between $70 million and $90 million from the sale of the consulting and investment company he founded in 2004. A campaign spokeswoman said in a statement that the transaction was part of Giuliani’s plan to focus on his campaign. Meanwhile, Macquarie continues to...

In August 2004, we engaged Giuliani Partners LLC as our strategic marketing partner and advisor. Giuliani Partners has extensive experience in advising corporations and organizations in various business sectors. The engagement agreement had an effective date of September 1, 2004. Giuliani Partners has been engaged, on a non-exclusive basis, to provide advice and assistance to us regarding issues associated with our proprietary DNA embedded security solutions. Giuliani Partners will assist us with strategic positioning and enhancement of our business, and will assist us in the development of domestic and international marketing strategies for our DNA products and services. The term...

“Shame on us if we don’t do something to get a handle on what is the principal form of identification used in this country.” So said Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday in defense of the REAL ID Act, signed by the president in 2005. The act set federal minimum standards that state driver’s licenses must meet by May 2008 if they are to be accepted for federal purposes (e.g., at airport security screening). States will have to verify identity documents presented by license applicants, check applicants’ immigration status, and place security features in licenses in order to prevent tampering...

It’s been only a few hours since the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) made its voluntary-to-required debut in Michigan, and already a farmer is challenging its underpinnings. The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) quickly responded by quarantining his farm. Here is what happened: Greg Niewendorp, owner of a 160-acre farm in East Jordan in the upper peninsula, made good on his pledge, stated in my “Farmers Say No to Animal Tags” BusinessWeek.com article in December, to resist all MDA orders related to NAIS.

The scenario is all too real in South Florida: An Alzheimer's patient wanders away from home and is found by police officers who take him to a local hospital for care. But the patient cannot recall potentially life-threatening conditions like diabetes or heart disease, making a quick assessment difficult at best. To help solve that problem, a Delray Beach company and the Alzheimer's Community Care Association of Palm Beach and Martin Counties Inc. have begun a two-year study to determine whether it's practical to implant tiny computer chips containing medical records in dementia patients. If a patient becomes separated from...

LOS ANGELES Officials say a high school student scribbled graffiti on a bus that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other dignitaries were riding while promoting a school safety plan. Witnesses say the boy tagged the rear exit of the bus with a marker as the officials rode around a South Los Angeles school to showcase efforts to improve student safety in the gang-plagued neighborhood. At least one news organization captured the tagger on camera. Villaraigosa was with L.A. Unified Superintendent David Brewer the Third, the school board president and others to announce that a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus would...

The FDNY is testing out a high-tech system to keep track of firefighters when they're battling blazes The fire department is working with the U.S. Navy to come up with a small, but hardy, electronic chip to lodge in firefighters' gear. The chip would transmit a signal when firefightrers moved near their trucks. That would let firefighters take roll automatically, instead of by hand. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta says it would make firefighters' work safer. For example, the system could help make sure all firefighters are accounted for after they have to clear out of a burning building. The city...