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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Rat dog micro-cap picks... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Skywatcher who wrote (24964)	7/18/2005 2:34:38 PM
From: Bucky Katt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 48461

I'm holding for .15-.17 There is a feeding frenzy in HISC...

To: Skywatcher who wrote (24964)	7/20/2005 2:12:36 PM
From: Bucky Katt	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 48461

Anti-terrorism consultants are cleaning up as companies everywhere boost spending. In the aftermath of the deadly July 7 London transit bombings, business leaders have a new nightmare to worry about: Islamic radicals linked to al Qaeda are increasingly hitting "soft targets" with high-powered explosives carried by local operatives. This new phase in the terror war is shining a spotlight on a burgeoning worldwide business: the homeland security experts. Armed with a background in law enforcement, intelligence, or technology, a growing crop of security consultants has sprung up to help major corporations increase their defenses. Hawking services that range from providing total security audits to planning escape routes for workers in case of attack, the consultant corps is raking in millions in fees as companies gird for the worst. Estimates now put private spending for all forms of security at $50 billion annually, two or three times the pre-September 11 tally, with a sizable chunk going for consulting services. A March, 2005, Conference Board report found that more than half of companies surveyed had boosted their security spending, with the biggest hikes among large outfits in such high-risk industries as utilities and financial services, especially in the Northeast. Last year, for example, Goldman, Sachs & Co. spent $9 million installing dozens of metal posts and two 200-foot-long Italian granite planters to protect just one office building in Jersey City after a consultant recommended hardening against car bombs. As the threats have evolved, so too have the consultants. After September 11, the field grew quickly as ex-cops printed up business cards and converted spare bedrooms into international headquarters. But nearly four years later the consulting ranks have seen a shakeout. The industry matured as companies began to demand real-world solutions. "The more sophisticated clients are now looking for someone to give them advice and then stay around for implementation, instead of just showing up with a big bag of toys to sell," says Richard A. Clarke, former top White House counterterrorism adviser and founder of Washington-based Good Harbor Consulting LLC. Not surprisingly, as the government gears up for a generational war against global terror, Washington has become a fertile source of experts-for-hire. Marquee names from the Bush Cabinet are segueing into consulting, with former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge each planning his own firm. Indeed, the three-year-old Department of Homeland Security has spun off at least three top consultants: former Deputy James Loy and former Under Secretaries Asa Hutchison, who headed border and transportation security, and Frank Libutti, chief of information analysis and infrastructure protection. Following the big names are legions of lower-ranking officials who have spent years reading top-secret cables.