New equity options exchange owned by Miami company starts trading on Friday

MIAX Options Exchange, a new fully electronic, equity options trading exchange, said it will begin trading on Friday.

MIAX Options Exchange is based in Princeton, N.J., but its parent company is Miami International Holdings. While MIAX’s executive offices, technology development center and national operations center are based in Princeton, additional executive offices, and a multi-purpose training, meeting and conference center will be located in Miami, the company said.

MIAX Options Exchange’s trading platform has been developed in-house and designed for the functional and performance demands of derivatives trading, the company said.

INA PAIVA CORDLE

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Watchdog groups say transparency program could save millions

TALLAHASSEE --
On the same day Senate leaders announced they would conduct an intensive review of the state budget, two government watchdog groups said a budget transparency program — put on hold by the Senate — could "save Florida millions of dollars” and revolutionize budget accountability.

The web site, Transparency 2.0, was developed and licensed by the Senate for $4.5 million. But it is scheduled to be shelved at the end of the month as the Senate and the governor’s office feud over which has responsibility for maintaining it and paying the $1 million annual license fee.

“Transparency 2.0 has the ability to help all Floridians and policy makers oversee their state government – and hold it accountable – with a businesslike, searchable and measurable web site,’’ wrote Integrity Florida, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, and the Florida First Amendment Foundation, in a report released Wednesday.

The joint report was requested by Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and the office of Gov. Rick Scott after the Herald/Times reported that the program provides a searchable way to track spending on government contracts, salaries and budgets. It was funded by the Senate, but has been kept on hold for the past year.

The report, submitted to the governor and Gaetz late Wednesday, said that if state leaders make the web site accessible to the public, the governor could achieve his goal in budget accountability; policymakers could hold state agencies accountable for their performance; and, state officials “would be forced to justify the way they spend Floridians tax dollars.”

The Senate transferred management of Transparency 2.0 to the governor’s office in June, but the governor’s office has refused to accept ownership because of suspicions about the $5 million no-bid contract given to the company by Steve MacNamara, the former Senate chief of staff who later worked for Scott in a similar position.

A 2011 law requires the governor to create a web portal that makes the state budget and related documents transparent to the public. Last year, legislators put $2.5 million in the governor’s budget to pay for the effort.

The report was released on the same day Sen. Joe Negron, a Palm City Republican and the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, announced the Senate would conduct an “intensive review” of the state budget, including an examination of spending that is renewed each year with little review.

“Transparency 2.0 would enable that intensive review and allow that budget scrutiny to happen,’’ said Dan Krasner, executive director of Integrity Florida. Negron has said he has not seen the transparency program and believes it is being handled by the governor’s office.

The web site was developed by Spider Data Systems, a Tallahassee-based company run by two former legislative budget staff members who patented the software that allows accounting, personnel, contracting and budgeting data to be merged and cross-referenced in a single search. The program lets legislators dig into details of the state’s base budget — such as which programs are automatically continued and which agencies have unfilled vacancies — instead of relying on budget staff , agency officials and lobbyists for the information.

Integrity Florida and the First Amendment Foundation compared the Transparency 2.0 web site to two existing budget accountability web sites now run by the Legislature and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and, in a side-by-side comparison, concluded the Transparency 2.0 site is more comprehensive, easy to use, and provides documents and context that the other two sites don’t offer.

“Transparency 2.0 gives you not just the information but the context for the information — which makes it more meaningful,’’ said Barbara Petersen, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. “I am so impressed by it that I think it would be a crime if the governor and the legislature don’t go forward with it.”

The Integrity Florida/FAF report acknowledges the questions raised about the no-bid contract given to Spider Data because of its patented software, but called it “ironic since the ... web site would provide complete sunlight on any such proposals going forward” and “the most detailed and comprehensive history of every state vendor contract available in the system.”

Krasner said that while his organization prefers contracts be competitively bid “this might be the rare exception to the rule where you have patented technology no one else had.”

Gaetz’s office said he is reviewing the request for an extension of the contract.

The groups said they will make the report available to the public on Friday.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MaryEllenKlas and on Twitter @MaryEllenKlas

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Microsoft #DroidRage Tweet Shows How Malware Has Moved Past Windows

“Do you have an Android malware horror story?” Microsoft asks through its @windowsphone Twitter account, in what may be one of the most ironic tweets of the year.

After all, it wasn’t that long ago that “virus” and “worm” stories made headlines on a regular basis, all of them about “computer viruses” which were really Windows viruses. Just a few years ago, Apple advertised the fact that a Mac “Doesn’t get PC viruses” as a reason to buy one.

But this year, 600,000 Macs were infected by the Flashback trojan, an epidemic which exceeded the scale of history’s single largest Windows infection. And now ​Microsoft​ is implying that its phones don’t get malware, as a way to advertise them. How did things get to be this way, and what will malware and virus authors do next?

​When virii attack

For years, Microsoft’s DOS and Windows operating systems were the biggest targets for virus and malware authors simply because they were the least secure. Today’s PC security best practices had yet to be built into them, and trying to bolt features on to ancient programming code was a half-baked solution at best. HugeWindows malware epidemics spread as the malware programs were able to install themselves without explicit permission and operate without user intervention.

​Network effects

One reason Microsoft Windows dominated the computing world for years and years was simply because it was dominant. More people using Windows meant more profits for Windows app developers, which meant more games and apps for Windows, which meant more people buying Windows PCs so they could use Windows games and apps.

Like with apps, malware is a business that makes money for the people who write it. And while it was theoretically possible to infect a computer running a more secure operating system, like OS X (used on Macs) or Ubuntu (powered by Linux), it was considered impossible to get it to spread far enough to be profitable. Whereas on Windows it was (and still is) possible to infect vast numbers of PCs, even chaining them into zombified “botnets” which act as supercomputers-for-hire.

​How the mighty have fallen?

OS X’s more secure design makes it extremely hard to infect with malware — normally. The Flashback trojan sneaked in this year using the Java web browser plugin, which is bundled with the Mac’s Safari web browser and was poorly maintained.

Plugins like Java and Flash open up new ways to infect a computer, which was one reason why Apple stopped including the Flash plugin (already absent on its iPhone and iPad) by default. Apple created a fix for the problem, but not before over half a million Macs were infected.

​What about on smartphones?

Unlike Apple and Microsoft’s app stores, the Google Play store allows anyone to submit anything with no review. It’s up to Android smartphone and tablet users to look at the “permissions” each game or app requests, as well as the reputation of their developers, and decide whether or not to install them.

While some consider this approach more “trustworthy” and respectful of users, it’s also helped lead to a comparatively enormous number of malware infections on Android, including “The Mother of All Android Malware,” which completely took over tens of thousands of phones last year.

​Are you #DroidRage-ing yet?

Microsoft’s tweet says “we may have a get-well present” for people who send it their best or worst stories of Android malware. Even if all the apps in the Windows Store are virus-free, however, there are still far fewer of them than there are for Android.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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List of Hollywood's Most Powerful Women Revealed

The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled its annual list of Top 100 Women in Entertainment and ET was on the red carpet to speak to some of the honorees.

During the breakfast ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel, actress Diane Keaton also received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award -- which is named after the former actress and film studio executive who remains one of the most powerful and connected women in Hollywood.

VIDEO: Kathy Griffin Razzes Mitt Romney

Among the stars to stop by the red carpet to share their thought on being a successful woman in the entertainment world were stand-up comedian/reality star Kathy Griffin, The Office star Mindy Kaling and attorney/political activist Sandra Fluke. We also spoke with THR's No. 1 most powerful woman in Hollywood,
Anne Sweeney, who serves as co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and
president of Disney/ABC Television Group.

Sweeney -- who has now received the top honor for the third year in a
row, had a word of advice for young women just entering the business.
"Don't do it unless you really, really love it. Because if you love it
you're going to spend the time, you're going to spend the energy, you're
going to meet and get to work with amazing people, and you're going to
have a great life."

RELATED: Mindy Kaling: From The Office to Author

Also once again making this year's Power 100 list was Linda Bell Blue, Executive Producer of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider.

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Chief's Belcher's daughter to receive $1M from NFL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The estate or guardian of the infant of the Chiefs player who killed her mother before turning a gun on himself will receive more than $1 million under terms of the NFL's collective-bargaining agreement.

Jovan Belcher's 3-month-old daughter, Zoey, stands to receive $108,000 annually over the next four years, $48,000 in the fifth year and then $52,000 each year until age 18. She'll continue to receive that amount until age 23 if she attends college.

The beneficiary of Belcher, who was in his fourth season, also will receive $600,000 in life insurance, plus $200,000 for each credited season. There is also $100,000 in a retirement account that will go to his beneficiary or estate.

Facebook

Kasandra Michelle Perkins and daughter Zoey.

Players' beneficiaries are kept confidential.

The current collective bargaining agreement was ratified in August 2011.

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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.

Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”

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Florida highway agency may be headed to court over license plates

TALLAHASSEE --
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may be on the road to court after failed attempts Tuesday to settle a dispute over who will make and distribute the state’s new license tags.

County tax collectors and other groups say Florida is breaking the law as it moves to pay private companies for services that have for decades been done by state workers. The tax collectors’ protest could go before an administrative law judge in January.

In a meeting closed to the public, tax collectors asked the state highway agency to withdraw its request for bids from private companies and create a committee to study whether tax collectors or private businesses are best positioned to improve cost savings and customer service.

The department politely shut down both ideas, said Ken van Assenderp, an attorney for the tax collectors.

“We’re not saying that we’re not open to other solutions,” van Assenderp said. “But don’t try to get into ways of changing things without getting us involved from the beginning, and without having an eye toward service.”

The other two groups that have filed protests are Avery Dennison, a labeling and packaging company that provides materials for plate manufacturers, and PRIDE, a St. Petersburg-based nonprofit company that uses inmate labor to make tags.

Both say the state’s bidding requirements eliminate them—and almost every other company— from applying for $31.4 million in contracts to make the tags and to distribute online and mail orders.

They also take issue with the state’s request that potential vendors be immediately ready to make plates with flat — rather than raised — characters. Florida wants to give its license plates a makeover, and flat plates are generally believed to be more legible by toll and red light cameras.

Avery Dennison and PRIDE do not have the technology to make the flat plates, and “it would not be feasible to obtain all of the equipment necessary,” says the PRIDE complaint.

PRIDE could go out of business if the state follows through with its proposals, it said.

Highway safety officials say this isn’t an attempt to put anyone out of work, but to learn about possible cost savings for taxpayers.

“At least four prospective vendors who expressed interest in (working with the state) did not protest,” said department spokeswoman Courtney Heidelberg.

State officials will not make any decisions until after they meet with Avery Dennison Wednesday, Heidelberg added.

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32% of Young People Use Social Media in the Bathroom

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REPORT: Hugh Hefner Gets Marriage License

Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris have obtained a marriage license, Us Weekly reports.

RELATED: Crystal Harris Apologizes for Spilling Hugh Hefner Sex Secrets

According to the news source, Hefner, 86, and Harris, 26, acquired the license from the Beverly Hills courthouse on Tuesday.

This news follows a Playboy source confirming to E! News yesterday that the couple is engaged again after Harris called off their 2011 wedding just five days before the ceremony. The couple is reportedly planning to wed on New Year's Eve.

RELATED: Hefner Engaged to Crystal Harris Again

In a post on Sunday, the Playboy model tweeted a photo of her hand showing off a sapphire ring, with the caption, "New ring (not that kind of ring) topaz and diamonds #love #fashion." In another recent tweet, she said, "Dear past, thank you for all the lessons. Dear future, I'm ready."

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Rapper likens self to one of world's greatest composers

Big-talking rapper Ryan Leslie -- who set fire to the front page of The Post for reporting on a $1 million jury verdict against him -- is now likening himself to one of history's greatest composers.

Leslie told Vibe magazine that he plans to title his next album "Black Mozart," and will record some of it in the capital of classical music, Vienna.

Last week, a Manhattan federal court jury rapped Leslie for reneging on a $1 million reward he offered for a laptop and hard drive that were stolen while he was on tour in Germany in 2010.

Auto-repair shop owner Armin Augstein found the gear while walking his dog, but Leslie ignored Augstein's efforts to claim the reward.

bruce.golding@nypost.com

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