Category: News

GOP seeks exemption to bias law. WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders want to exempt members of Congress from laws against discrimination that apply to private employers, despite the Republicans' Contract With America pledge that ''all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress” and a decade-old law that… Continue reading GOP seeks exemption to bias law

A little tiny baby information calamity. I was also glad to see Jamie Lewis blogging about the security breach at George Mason University… The full story is on News.com. Basically, George Mason University confirmed on Monday that the personal information of more than 30,000 students, faculty and staff had been nabbed by online intruders. The… Continue reading A little tiny baby information calamity

A pretty decent….  A pretty decent account of the dishonesty of President Bush's Social Security 'crisis' fear-mongering from MSNBC. If you're up on the subject, the details may not surprise you. But the source may.    [Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall]

Lowell, MA. Local vandals try their hand at infrastructure disruption (proto global guerrillas just miles from where I live?). 3 attacks (a saw) since November cut phone lines in area. Verizon posts a $50,000 reward for information. It also makes the case for a fiber upgrade. The older copper wires are more difficult to fix… Continue reading Lowell

Trade deficit by nation. Deficits we run with major trading partners. Here's the major problem areas (per month!): China. $16.63 billion. Down slightly. Japan. $7.29 billion. Up big. EU. $7.72 billion. Up big. Canada. $7.3 billion. Up big. Mexico. $3.89 billion. Down. [John Robb's Weblog]

WSJ. The US trade deficit rose to $60.3 billion in November (is there a link to the elections?). A new record. Despite a sinking dollar, the sale of US goods abroad dropped (down 2.3%). This is terrible news. The relative performance of the US vs. all other nations is on a slippery downward slope. While… Continue reading WSJ

RFE. The ongoing process of state delegitimization due to system disruption in process in Iraq. Iraqi Oil Minister Thamir al-Ghadban has come under fire in the Iraqi media in recent weeks for the burgeoning fuel crisis that is plaguing the country. Commentaries in the media have widely criticized the minister, as well as Electricity Minister… Continue reading RFE

Ohio dumps touch-screen machines. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's Secretary of State, isn't exactly a leading light of election reform, but it's good to see him make the right decision on voting machines. Citing the high price of electronic voting systems, Blackwell yesterday ordered every Ohio county to switch to well-regarded optical-scan machines, not touch-screens, by November… Continue reading Ohio dumps touch-screen machines

F.B.I. Close to Scrapping Parts of Troubled Computer System. The computer system is considered critical to the campaign against terrorism, but has been riddled with problems. By ERIC LICHTBLAU. [NYT > Home Page]

Secondary Screening: Pay Cash for This Book. Star Washington Post reporter Robert O'Harrow, Jr. has just published a stunning inside account of the growth of a surveillance-industrial complex since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. in 2001. The book called No Place to Hide is exquisitely reported, with back story, detail, inside… Continue reading Secondary Screening: Pay Cash for This Book