On Q Professional Investigations

Experts have given a few sings to look out for if you want to know weather your wife is cheating on you.

Firstly, phone calls – any change in phone calls including frequency of calls, time of day, tone of voice or a change in text messaging habits could all signify that she is cheating. When she answers the phone, does she drop her volume or suddenly sound as flirtatious as she did when you were first dating?

If it seems like her phone habits are changing and you cannot understand the changes, you may be witnessing an affair, the Huffington Post reported.

Secondly, dates with girlfriends – is she spending more time with her girlfriends than in the past? Are there many evenings out with the girls, when there were almost none just a short while ago? When you ask her who she will be with, does her answer sound sincere?

If any of these scenarios ring a bell, your wife may be going out, but not with the girls. If she was not socializing with her friends with the same frequency that she is now, that is a sign. If she is doing different things than she did with the girls in the past, that is a good indication that all is not what it seems.

Thirdly, showering and the gym – does she come home freshly showered, when in the past she did not shower during the day? Does she seem to be going to the gym more often than she used to?

There are two parts to this one. The gym excuse could be legitimate; it just might be that she is going there more frequently. The problem is that she might be working out more to impress her new love interest. And if she is not in need of her usual shower at night, chances are she is showering after an afternoon of steamy sex, followed by a steamy shower.

Fourthly, cologne – does she ever smell of different cologne, one that is more masculine than hers? Do you ever comment on the new scent she is wearing, only to find that she does not apply the same scent at home?

It could be that the new scent is not hers, but his. Do you by any chance recognize the scent as one you might have tried in the past? Do you recognize it as a scent one of your friends wears?

Fifthly, eye contact – has she stopped making eye contact when answering questions about where she has been and what she has been doing? Does she avoid looking you straight in the eye, when that was not an issue before?

For most people, it is very challenging to look someone who knows you very well in the eye and tell an out-and-out lie. If your wife is lying to you, there is a very good likelihood that she will be looking anywhere but into your eyes when she does.

Next, alcohol and other substances – is she drinking outside the home at odd times or more than before? Have you suspected drug use, where there was none before? Does she ever smell of cigarettes, even though she doesn’t smoke?

If you are seeing any of these scenarios, there is probably a partner in crime. Sex, drugs and rock and roll all go together, as does alcohol, and could all be indulged in during a tryst. If she smells of cigarettes and she does not smoke, you can bet that he does. You know, almost certainly, that someone else is influencing her choices if these behaviors are taking place when they were not happening before.

Lastly, sexual deviations – does she want sex less often than usual? Does she seem to just be going through the motions? Is she asking for things you never did before or teaching you new tricks?

Any extreme variances in sexual behavior are possible indications that there is a new influence in her life. While there are other possible circumstances, the most likely scenario is that she is getting fulfilled outside of the relationship or realizing that there are new and different things that she enjoys and is bringing them into your bed.

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When you think of aviation security, you’re likely to conjure up images of security screeners at TSA checkpoints.

But the Federal Air Marshal Service is a clandestine layer which operates in plain sight every day.

With a requirement to be accurate at least 85 percent of the time, no other federal agent has sharper shooting skills than air marshals.

“Our main work environment is the aircraft,” air marshal Kimberley Thompson explained. “At 35,000 feet, you don’t have room for error.”

For decades, the covert organization has avoided cameras. But it agreed to give us a rare inside look at its training facility in Atlantic City, New Jersey along with two former Dallas police officers who are rising through the ranks.

Tony Metcalf carried Badge 6666 with DPD. He worked downtown and as a DWI officer before 9/11 and FAMS began recruiting.

“I faxed a two-page resume and got a call the next morning,” Metcalf said. “I actually thought it was a co-worker of mine playing a joke.”

Metcalf said air marshals develop cover stories to explain why they’re flying in case other passengers strike up a conversation.

Blending in is paramount, Metcalf said, and that’s much easier for his female colleagues like Thompson.

“I think the only unique challenge for women is the fact that the weapon is a pretty large weapon, and sometimes it is hard to determine what you need to wear to conceal it,” she said.

Thompson spent four years as a Dallas police officer working at Northwest Patrol.

“When 9/11 happened, it was something that spoke to me and said I need to do something more,” she said.

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Electronic eavesdropping capabilities have reached new heights with the ongoing development of technology. With high stakes and hot emotions surrounding family law litigation, finding evidence of infidelity, hidden assets, or information about legal strategies often becomes an obsession of spouses, and obtaining it through electronics may seem like a really great idea in the heat of the moment. However, there are important statutory prohibitions and constitutional safeguards for privacy rights that can apply to electronic eavesdropping. The potential criminal and civil implications of hi-tech snooping are serious business.

Electronic Communications Privacy Act

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Stored Wire and Electronic Communications Act (collectively referred to in this article as the “ECPA”) are the two primary federal laws that make certain types of electronic eavesdropping illegal acts. Communications that are covered by these federal statutes are broad and include, but are not limited to, wiretaps, telephone interceptions, electronic mail, voice mail, instant messaging, and recording face-to-face conversations.

The ECPA prohibits the unauthorized and intentional interception, use, or disclosure of covered communications via electronic, mechanical, or other devices, and access to the stored wire or electronic communications of another person. “Interception” is the “aural or other acquisition of the contents of any wire, electronic, or oral communication through the use of any electronic, mechanical, or other device,” and electronic “storage” is defined as “any temporary, immediate storage of a wire or electronic communication incidental to the electronic transmission thereof; and any storage of such communication by an electronic communication service for purposes of backup protection of such communication.” Courts have struggled about the difference between interceptions and access to stored information, and the resulting penalties can differ.

Secret Agent Tools

Two newer methods of monitoring or collecting the electronic information of another person include Spyware and keystroking. “Spyware” is software installed on the hard drive of a computer that records every detail of what is done on the computer. Some vendors even claim that the software can capture screenshots of exactly what is done on a computer, in the exact order it was done. “Keystroking” refers to the use of a small recording device that clips onto a computer keyboard cable and records all keystrokes made on the keyboard. Conflicting outcomes have been reached in cases across the country on the use of these devices and whether their use is illegal under the ECPA. Just because a computer product is available on the open market for consumers to buy does not make it legal to use, any more than the fact that you can buy a gun at Wal-Mart means you can legally shoot someone.

That is Highly Offensive!

North Carolina recognizes the tort (an enforceable legal claim) of intrusion into the seclusion or solitude of another. There are several elements of this tort claim, but the primary issue is whether the intrusion is “highly offensive to a reasonable person.” Answers can be revealed through examples, such as whether a reasonable person would be justified in expecting her cellular telephone calls taken in public to remain private, or whether a reasonable person would be justified in expecting his chat room conversations to remain private. One’s reasonable expectation of privacy is viewed objectively (meaning it’s based on what a jury would find to be the expectation of a hypothetical “reasonable person,” not on the basis of what a particular person, such as the plaintiff, would expect), and the main issue turns on the reasonableness of the expectation, not whether the violation of privacy was understandable or justified.

But I Have the Password?!?!

A determination of whether the interception or access to electronic storage was unauthorized is examined by the courts on a case-by-case basis. For example, a long-standing practice of an account holder of giving free access to his or her passwords and e-mail accounts can, depending on the circumstances, be viewed as explicit consent by the account holder to the interception of the account holder’s messages or access to the account holder’s stored communications. There may also be situations that provide evidence of implied consent. However, if the plaintiff provided the password to a person for a specific reason, the authority of interception/access cannot be exceeded. For example, if the password to an online bank account was provided for access to transfer funds on one particular occasion, use of the password on another occasion to review the account holder’s account history would be in excess of the authorized access. The issue of whether an interception or access is authorized is very complex, and care must be taken to act only in accordance with specific legal advice.

I’ve Been Violated: Now What?

If you believe that your covered communications have been intentionally intercepted or your stored communications have been accessed without your consent, there are multiple avenues available to you to pursue remedies. Under the ECPA, injunctive relief may be available to you, as well as actual and punitive damages and reimbursement of your attorneys’ fees. You may also be entitled to pursue criminal charges and/or a civil lawsuit under state law for invasion of privacy. Finally, “evidence” that has been obtained in violation of the applicable federal and state laws may be excluded in your underlying suit; for example, intercepted communications that confirm extramarital sexual activities could be excluded and not admitted in an alimony or custody lawsuit.

Conclusion

There are specific deadlines one has to meet in seeking legal claims, and if you have discovered, or have had a reasonable opportunity to discover, a possible violation, you should take immediate action to assess your legal options. This area of the law is not “black and white” and many aspects of eavesdropping claims are fact dependent and complex. Therefore, it is always a good idea to seek legal counsel prior to engaging in conduct that could be illegal or if you think your rights have been violated. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

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A 74-year-old Miami man who was trying to avoid paying nearly $100 to get into Epcot, was arrested after he impersonated a Federal officer.

Emerito Pujol flashed a fake badge at an Epcot employee as he passed through the turnstiles at the park around noon on Saturday. The employee challenged him and asked to see the badge again. He claimed he was an undercover officer who was looking for someone, according to an arrest report.

When a security guard approached him, Pujol again claimed he was “in service” and was “guarding someone important,” the report states.

Pujol finally admitted he was pretending to be a federal officer when a deputy asked him to produce the badge.

The badge Pujol flashed had the words “American Federation of Police” and “honorary member.” He then admitted that he was just waiting for his family and was not an officer.

Pujol was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a police badge, falsely impersonating an officer and petty theft. He has since bonded out of the Orange County Jail.

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People quite rightly fear new forms of state surveillance that might possibly emerge in everyday life. They fear the future use by police of holographic data screens, citywide surveillance cameras, and multiple dimensional maps and database feeds that monitor the movements of law-abiding citizens.

They fear the future as depicted by a popular online short film called “Plurality” that has taken YouTube by storm.

People fear the use of biometric data linked to government intelligence profiles because they do not like the expanded powers that Western countries have promulgated since the September 11 terrorist attacks, which expand policing, detention, and profiling powers with little independent legal oversight.

While law-abiding citizens understand and mostly endorse enhanced security measures, they expect such measures to be used within the traditional context of the “rule of law”, which includes habeas corpus. They also expect that their confidential data will not be used in a homogenous fashion. Data collected from merchants should not be shared and used by government agencies to construct risk profiles and assessments without warrants.

However, people are quite fearful that in a world of aggregated data, which includes varied sources such as credit card purchases, Web browser histories and healthcare records, personal information will be assembled to form gigantic data footprints about individuals to aid in state surveillance.

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While Apple begins to deliver the new iPad mini to new buyers, today we read the IDC report on worldwide tablet shipments that has Apple dominating the tablet market. Apple’s share did decline from 59.7 percent to 50.4 percent, but the firm did see growth of 26.1 percent in shipments year on year.

The share loss for Apple was picked up primarily by Samsung, Amazon, and Asus. It seems the Asus manufactured Google Nexus 7 helped quite a bit as they saw a 252.9% growth in shipments over the last year.

Samsung is now clearly in second place with 18.4 percent of the market, thanks to a 325 percent growth in shipments on the previous year. This is a huge increase. With the new Note 10.1 and Google’s Nexus 10, both developed by Samsung, this figure is likely to continue to grow. Apple’s iPad mini received on the whole good reviews and the lower price point should get more people into the tablet market, so it will be interesting to see how Apple fares at the end of the current fourth quarter and fiscal year.

The entire tablet market grew 49.5 percent over the last year and it seems that more and more people are starting to find a place for a tablet in their lives.

Microsoft recently launched their Surface RT a few weeks ago too, with Windows 8 tablets arriving shortly. We will have keep an eye on the impact to the tablet market in future reports. Also, Amazon has more Kindle HD devices launching soon, and with their Kindle Fire HD priced very competitively I imagine we will see significant growth in the overall tablet market thanks to the upcoming holiday season.

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The metal on Zac Vawter bionic leg gleamed as he climbed 103 floors of Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower, becoming the first person ever to complete the task wearing a mind-controlled prosthetic limb.

Vawter, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident, put the smart limb on public display for the first time during an annual stair-climbing charity event called “SkyRise Chicago” hosted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where he is receiving treatment.

“Everything went great,” said Vawter at the event’s end. “The prosthetic leg did its part, and I did my part.”

The robotic leg is designed to respond to electrical impulses from muscles in his hamstring. When Vawter thought about climbing the stairs, the motors, belts and chains in his leg synchronized the movements of its ankle and knee.

The computerized prosthetic limb, like something one might see in a sci-fi film, weighs about 10 pounds and holds two motors.

Bionic – or thought-controlled – prosthetic arms have been available for a few years, thanks to pioneering work done at the Rehabilitation Institute. Knowing leg amputees outnumbering people who’ve lost arms and hands, the Chicago researchers are focusing more on lower limbs. If a bionic hand fails, a person drops a glass of water. If a bionic leg fails, a person falls down stairs.

This event was a research project for us, said Joanne Smith, the Rehabilitation Institute’s CEO.

“We were testing the leg under extreme conditions. Very few patients who will use the leg in the future will be using it for this purpose. From that perspective, its performance was beyond measure,” Smith added.

To prepare for his pioneering climb, Vawter said, he practiced on a small escalator at a gym, while researchers spent months adjusting the technical aspects of the leg to ensure that it would respond to his thoughts.

When Vawter goes home to Yelm, Wash., where he lives with his wife and two children, the experimental leg will stay behind in Chicago. Researchers will continue to refine its steering. Taking it to the market is still years away.

“We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go,” said lead researcher Levi Hargrove of the institute’s Center for Bionic Medicine. “We need to make rock solid devices, more than a research prototype.”

The $8 million project is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and involves Vanderbilt University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Rhode Island and the University of New Brunswick.

“A lot of people say that losing a leg is like losing a loved one,” said Vawter. “You go through a grieving process. You and establish a new normal in your life and move on. Today was a big event. It’s just neat to be a part of the research and be a part of RIC.”

Nearly, 3,000 climbers participated in the annual charity event, called SkyRise Chicago. Participants climbed about 2,100 steps to the Willis Tower’s SkyDeck level to raise money for the institute’s rehabilitation care and research.

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One of President Obama’s top Secret Service agents has died in an apparent suicide.

Rafael Prieto, 47, was a married father who had confessed to cheating with a Mexican woman for nearly six years, a secret under investigation for allegedly violating agency rules that require disclosure of relationships with foreign nationals.

A member of the Secret Service for more than two decades assigned to the agency’s most prestigious post as the President’s protective detail, Prieto was found inside a car parked in a Northwest Washington, D.C. apartment complex garage last week, dead of what authorities believe to be carbon monoxide poisoning.

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The days of sneaking out for three-hour lunch breaks will soon be over at a Bay Street law firm after it decided to install fingerprint-scanning technology to monitor its employees’ whereabouts.

Last month, McCague Borlack LLP announced plans for a revamped security system that will require staff (except lawyers who spend much of their time with clients) to clock in and out of the office with a finger swipe, keeping track of morning late-comers or those who try to jump-start their weekends by slipping out early on a Friday.

“Some people were abusing the system,” said founding partner Howard Borlack, 58. “We had people taking two to three hours for lunch and we had no way of knowing. . . . Some people were complaining.”

Other Toronto firms use security passes and honour systems to keep track of time worked. McCague Borlack, which focuses mostly on insurance law and employs about 200 people, has gone a step further with a system that not only provides office access via fingerprint, but also records employees as they enter and leave.

Come mid-November, when the system is expected to go live, the office will be equipped with finger-scanning machines supplied by Utah-based Qqest, Inc. that will keep a rolling record of the time spent in the office.

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Defense technologists are most successful when they hone in on specific problems. The Pentagon’s research agencies and their contractors were asked in 2003 to come up with ways to foil roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and although they did not defeat the threat entirely, they did produce a number of useful detectors, jammers and other counter-explosive systems. More recently, military researchers received marching orders to help tackle the so-called “anti-access area-denial” threats, which is Pentagon-speak for enemy weapons that could be used to shoot down U.S. fighters and attack Navy ships.

The next wave of national security threats, however, might be more than the technology community can handle. They are complex, multidimensional problems against which no degree of U.S. technical superiority in stealth, fifth-generation air warfare or night-vision is likely to suffice.

The latest intelligence forecasts by the Obama administration and other sources point to five big challenges to U.S. and global security in the coming decades.

Biological Weapons: The White House published in 2009 a National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats with an underlying theme that biological weapons eventually will be used in a terrorist attack. To prevent deadly viruses from being turned into mass-casualty weapons, officials say, one of the most difficult challenges is obtaining timely and accurate insight on potential attacks. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has a team of researchers working these problems. But they worry that the pace of research is too slow to keep up with would-be terrorists.

Nukes: Large stockpiles of nuclear weapons are tempting targets for nation-states or groups set on attacking the United States and its allies, officials assert. Black-market trade in sensitive nuclear materials is a particular concern for U.S. security agencies. “The prospect that al-Qaida or another terrorist organization might acquire a nuclear device represents an immediate and extreme threat to global security,” says an administration report. No high-tech sensors exist to help break up black markets, detect and intercept nuclear materials in transit and there are no financial tools to disrupt this dangerous trade. A much-hyped Department of Homeland Security effort to detect radioactive materials at U.S. ports has been plagued by technical hiccups. Analysts believe that although a full-up nuclear weapon would be nearly impossible for an al-Qaida like group to build, a more likely scenario would be a low-yield “dirty bomb” that could be made with just a few grams of radioactive material.

Cyber-Attacks: The drumbeats of cyberwarfare have been sounding for years. Network intrusions are widely viewed as one of the most serious potential national security, public safety and economic challenges. Technology, in this case, becomes a double-edge sword. “The very technologies that empower us to lead and create also empower individual criminal hackers, organized criminal groups, terrorist networks and other advanced nations to disrupt the critical infrastructure that is vital to our economy, commerce, public safety, and military,” the White House says.

The cybersecurity marketplace is flooded with products that promise quick fixes but it is becoming clear that the increasing persistence and sophistication of attacks will require solutions beyond the traditional.

Climate Change: The national security ramifications of climate change are severe, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. While the topic of climate change has been hugely politicized, Panetta casts the issue as a serious security crisis. “In the 21st century, we recognize that climate change can impact national security — ranging from rising sea levels, to severe droughts, to the melting of the polar caps, to more frequent and devastating natural disasters that raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Panetta said. The administration projects that the change wrought by a warming planet will lead to new conflicts over refugees and resources and catastrophic natural disasters, all of which would require increased U.S. military support and resources. The scientific community, in this area, cannot agree on what it will take to reverse this trend. There is agreement, though, that there is no silver bullet.

Transnational Crime: U.S. defense and law-enforcement agencies see transnational criminal networks as national security challenges. These groups cause instability and subvert government institutions through corruption, the administration says. “Transnational criminal organizations have accumulated unprecedented wealth and power through the drug trade, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and other illicit activities. … They extend their reach by forming alliances with terrorist organizations, government officials, and some state security services.” Even the United States’ sophisticated surveillance technology is not nearly enough to counter this threat, officials say.

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