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Its not what you call yourself that defines you.
In modern society, it seems that all age-old descriptive titles have given… -
Global Security and Investigations Firm Appoints National Accounts Manager
Michael Saad International, an international security and investigations… -
5-Year-Old girl raps Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass”
This was great!
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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Evil walks Differently: Cameras know
Posted by Laurize Mimay
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Counter-terrorism and law enforcement have long relied on video surveillance as an essential tool. However, it has limitations. One of the biggest challenges is programming software to recognize specific people in variable conditions; such as low light, cluttered backgrounds, or when they shave beards.
Associate computer science professor Chris Bregler is studying whether security threats can be identified by the way they walk. Using the same motion capture technology used in The Lord of the Rings information is currently being loaded into computer to compile a large database.
So how does this actually work?
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A person with explosives strapped to their chest will have an uneven gait and thus move differently than someone with no explosives.
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A person unused to carrying a backpack has his feet strike the ground at different intervals than a person accustomed to the weight.
Of course, right now this technology is still in the laboratory. But one day we should see it hit the streets.
About Laurize Mimay
Laurize Mimay is the Operations Manager for Michael Saad International and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and supervision of it's divisions.
Application Processing
Posted by Michael Saad
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We have had several applicants say that the job listing part of our site doesn’t always work… We are currently working on new code to update it and make it easier (and much more simpler) to apply for jobs and upload your resume. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
UPDATE
The Jobs Code has been rewritten and tested on multiple platforms.
About Michael Saad
Michael Saad is an International Security Consultant providing bodyguard and security services to corporate VIP's, dignitaries and celebrity clients.
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al-Shabaab barring aid to Somalia
Posted by Hina Syed - Terrorism
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The rain failed for a second year, cattle died, families marched for weeks to escape famine and still al-Shabaab either actively restricts aid or imposes highly restrictive rules to aid operations. Amnesty International reports that al-Shabaab demanded the destitute should “depend on God” instead of taking aid from the “infidels.” Almost 2.2 million Somali’s are in territory controlled by the known terrorist organization.
photo courtesy of the Associated Press
The US is currently engaged in providing aid to the Horn of Africa, to the tune of 580 million dollars, to meet the urgent humanitarian crisis. About 92 million dollars is going directly to Somalia. However, a great deal depends on whether al-Shabaab will let the assistance pass.
About Hina Syed
Hina Syed is an Associate with Michael Saad International, specializing in customs, traditions, terrorism, operational security & awareness in South Asia, Middle East and Lybia.
Number of travelers in Indian Kashmir increases
Posted by Jacie Anne Reynolds
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According to news, over 700,000 travelers and visitors that went to Indian Kashmir this year and this is the maximum amount of visitors since an uprising arisen against the law in New Delhi for more than 20 years ago. Police said that hostility is at its lowest phase since the beginning of a nationalist rebellion way back in 1989. However, before the revolt arisen, there are large numbers of visitors that used to go to Himalayan state. The official of the senior government tourism said that this is the great season for visitors since the uprising started in the state. Pakistan and India, which is both nuclear-armed nations, each hold part of the uncertain areas and both clam it completely, even if a slow-moving peace talk offering is under their way.
Indian Kashmir
The official count record claimed that the rebellion in Indian Kashmir has also left almost 47,000 individuals dead, while Human Rights Organizations claimed that the figure of missing and dead people totals to at least 70,000. Furthermore, almost million of visitors and travelers visited the region that is most commonly called as the Switzerland of the East in 1988 for its spectacular landscapes, freshwater lakes and snow-capped mountains. Still, these figures declined after the rebellion started. Tourists began returning in huge numbers after Pakistan and India released a peace talk offering last January 2004 to resolve the 60 years of antagonism ignited by their enemy claims to Kashmir. In 2008, a sum of half a million travelers went to Indian Kashmir.
Silence is a War Crime?
Posted by Laurize Mimay
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I saw the above picture and felt provoked. Is silence a war crime? Does silence imply or give consent? I was instantly reminded of a quote by Sir Thomas Moore,
“Qui tacet consetiret”
Silence gives consent… This idea is echoed in many languages, Quem cala, consente (Portuguese), Wie zwijgt, stemt toe (Dutch), Quien se calla, otorga (Spanish), Qui ne dit mot, consent (French).
There are many wars and skirmishes occurring in the world today. Many are things I DO NOT agree with. Do I do enough to protest or help the victims? Do I do anything? Does my silence allow these atrocities to continue? In such a large arena, a world arena, could one voice even make a difference?
All these questions come to mind. Personally, I do not do enough and perhaps one voice forcefully applied CAN make a difference. My silence allows the victims continued harm. I do not believe silence is a war crime, but I do believe it is morally reprehensible. Today, I felt morally dirty; I do not like that feeling and will need to rethink my actions. What about you?
About Laurize Mimay
Laurize Mimay is the Operations Manager for Michael Saad International and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and supervision of it's divisions.
Africa Travel Safety Tips
Posted by Laurize Mimay
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Travel in Africa can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences you can ever have. Yet it can be very dangerous if you are not careful. You could be susceptible to diseases, thieves and dangers from wars.
More than a third of the world’s travel safety warnings originate from Africa. You should check with the U.S. State Department for travel safety warnings before planning any trip to Africa.
Africans are honest, hardworking people. But when you wear flashy jewelry, watches and accessories it will draw the opportunists, con artists and thieves to you. Also you should secure your money, credit cards and passport in something besides your wallet or purse. You should also make copies of your passport, credit cards, and airline tickets and leave these at your hotel. This will help you get replacements and will help with insurance purposes. Be careful to watch your pockets and surroundings when in areas with a lot of people, such as a bus or train station, or a bazaar. And always, always remember that if you are robbed, do not try to be a hero. Surrender your belongings and go to the police.
For more information about the joys and perils of traveling to Africa click here: http://www.ytravelblog.com/africa-travel-safety-tips/
About Laurize Mimay
Laurize Mimay is the Operations Manager for Michael Saad International and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and supervision of it's divisions.
Car theft rises 283% in Northeastern Mexican state.
Posted by Giovanni Guerra
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Crime seems almost epidemic in the northeastern Mexican state, Nuevo Leon, where car theft rose 283% since 2006, according to the AMIS, an association of Mexican insurance institutions. Nearly 15,000 people in Nuevo Leon have been victims of car theft since the beginning of this year, more than half of them were forced out of their car. These shocking figures put Nuevo Leon second in car theft in the nation, surpassed only by the state of Mexico.
An even more distressing fact is the number of people actually investigating these crimes, which is only 35 agents. Putting this statistics in cars per agents investigating, leads to a 428 cars per agent, per year. Strangely, around 60% of cars stolen this year have been recovered. This may be partly because of all the cars that are found days after being stolen, when they were already used by criminals for blocking the roads to prevent army support troops from coming into action.
Get out of the car.
Since the beginning of 2010, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon’s capital city; has witnessed the biggest crime wave of its history. Shootings and robberies have become part of everyday life in Mexico’s industrial capital and, to many people’s concern, things don’t seem to be changing soon.
About Giovanni Guerra
Giovanni Guerra is an Associate with Michael Saad International with extensive experience with security related issues and specializes in Latin affairs, customs, traditions and operational security & awareness in Mexico. Recently, Ms Guerra received her M.Sc. in Intelligence and National Security from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Cloud based Facial Recognition
Posted by Laurize Mimay
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The Cloud is just another term for the internet. If you didn’t know, now you do. The Carnegie Melon University’s Robotics Institute and Google have teamed up to develop a new software program, PittPatt, which uses a picture to track down the real-world location of a stranger, in minutes.
Of course, it’s easy to see the law enforcement applications. This will make it easier to track down criminals and to identify ne’re-do-wells at large sporting events. Usually, facial recognition software is hampered by lack of human man hours to process data and lack of computer power.
PittPatt works differently though. There are millions of pictures of us available online and PittPatt accesses those snapshots and compares them to the one it has; thus quick identification is achieved.
About Laurize Mimay
Laurize Mimay is the Operations Manager for Michael Saad International and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and supervision of it's divisions.