tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171594422011-07-14T20:45:06.386-04:00The truth will make you freakjtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.comBlogger961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1140872881318342382006-02-25T07:51:00.000-05:002006-02-25T08:08:01.333-05:00

Gene-splicing technology is moving fast, making it ever easier to develop a killer virus. For a million dollars or so, a reasonably talented grad student could set up a lab in a basement and cook up a batch ofsmallpox. Or worse. It's only a question of how soon.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1138817648141066312006-02-01T13:06:00.000-05:002006-02-01T13:14:08.156-05:00

If you happen to subscribe to the Boston Globe or its sister paper, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, you might want to check your credit card statement extra carefully this month.The Globe sends its papers out with packing slips. To save money, they print the slips on the back of computer printouts. This weekend, some of the printouts were found to contain the names and credit card numbers of

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1137680761802468722006-01-19T08:41:00.000-05:002006-01-19T09:26:03.910-05:00

A conservative alumni organization is offering to pay UCLA students to monitor the activities of leftist professors such as the notorious Dirty Thirty, who are systematically brainwashing their students. The ultimate goal is to get complete tape recordings and class notes for every class these professors teach.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1137192054571083832006-01-13T17:24:00.000-05:002006-01-13T17:40:54.583-05:00

According to internal NSA documents, a Baltimore peace activism group with strong links to the Quakers was the target of intense surveillance by the agency. The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore is a peace advocacy group that the NSA has been illegally observing. The NSA is prohibited by law and charter from spying on US citizens without explicit authorization.

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1136975991894871522006-01-11T05:25:00.000-05:002006-01-11T05:39:51.910-05:00

...a president who authorizes illegal, secret wiretaps and surveillance of American citizens without a warrant, or an unrestrained intelligence agency who initiates domestic spying with no authority whatsoever?

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1136922546226730522006-01-10T14:42:00.000-05:002006-01-11T13:01:51.263-05:00

That leather-bound book you checked out of the Harvard Law Library might not be calfskin. Apparently, those who were poor and had unusual medical cases in the late 1800's were prime targets to end up on bookshelves.

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1136851027555411612006-01-09T18:46:00.000-05:002006-01-09T18:57:07.566-05:00

...is the estimated number of Indian girls aborted after an ultrasound gender check in the past twenty years, according to a study in The Lancet.Population censuses in India show that the number of girls has fallen steadily. In 1981 there were 962 girls for every 1,000 boys up to the age of 6. In 2001 there were only 927.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1136815295779882242006-01-09T08:57:00.000-05:002006-01-09T09:01:35.793-05:00

The smartest guy in the White House was rushed to the hospital around 3 A.M. last night after experiencing shortness of breath. Doctors found that he had been retaining “fluids” due to medication he's taking for some sort of foot ailment.When I think of the web of technology keeping this guy alive, my internal organs twitch.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1135113924430889582005-12-20T16:18:00.000-05:002005-12-20T16:25:24.456-05:00

People are funny. Give them a little bit of agency in their own lives, and you just never know what http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifthey'll do with it. Take Iraq, for example, where early results in the much-touted elections show religious hardliners with a significant lead. I'm sure this will turn out well.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1134820753819578612005-12-17T06:46:00.000-05:002006-02-25T09:30:56.203-05:00

The New York Times revealed yesterday that President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on phone calls without court-approved warrants. “While many details about the program remain secret, officials familiar with it say the N.S.A. eavesdrops without warrants on up to 500 people in the United States at any given time.”

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1134565953108675632005-12-14T08:12:00.000-05:002005-12-14T12:38:26.686-05:00

According to the Los Angeles Times:The counterfeiting operation began a quarter of a century ago, he recalled, at a government mint built into a mountain in the North Korean capital.Using equipment from Japan, paper from Hong Kong and ink from France, a team of experts was ordered to make fake U.S. $100 bills, said a former North Korean chemist who said his job was to draw the design....By 1989,

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1134491691822498322005-12-13T11:07:00.000-05:002005-12-13T11:40:08.760-05:00

A mob of five thousand angry white Australians smashed windows, kicked doors, stomped on parked cars, pelted girls with empty beer bottles, and roamed a Sydney beach and side streets looking for Lebanese immigrants to beat up this Sunday.That night, “gangs of youths, mainly of Middle Eastern background, attacked several people with baseball bats, vandalized cars and were involved in rock-throwing

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1134167582881453542005-12-09T17:26:00.000-05:002005-12-09T17:33:02.893-05:00

In the Chinese fishing village of Dongzhou, 20 are dead and dozens more missing after police opened fire on protesting villagers. The region has been flooded with security forces.The New York Times reports, “Villagers said that in addition to the regular security forces, the authorities had enlisted thugs from local organized crime groups to help put down the demonstration.”No one is being

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1133269794714820382005-11-29T07:53:00.000-05:002005-11-29T08:09:54.730-05:00

In a scandal completely unrelated to the one reported here yesterday, U.S. Representative Randy Cunningham (R-CA) yesterday pleaded guilty to bribery charges and resigned his seat in Congress.Cunningham scored at least $2.4 million “in the form of cash, home payments, furnishings, cars and vacations, from four co-conspirators, including two defense contractors”.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1133188261074859892005-11-28T09:21:00.000-05:002005-11-28T09:31:01.076-05:00

Six pit bull/Rottweiler mixed-breed dogs escaped their pen andfatally mauled a 76-year-old woman Saturday. The dogs are in police custody. It's not yet clear whether any charges will be brought against their owner.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1133187639391177852005-11-28T09:04:00.000-05:002005-11-28T09:20:39.406-05:00

Last week, lobbyist Michael Scanlon pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and bribery.Surprised? The occasional quid pro quo in Washington is a dog-bites-man story; such arrangements tend to skirt the legal definition of bribery. But as the Morning Call explains, “The Abscam case fit this definition because members of Congress were filmed stuffing cash into their pockets.”

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1133129145857809762005-11-27T16:50:00.000-05:002005-11-28T09:04:33.906-05:00

Col. Ted Westhusing was a philosopher-warrior in the classical tradition. By all accounts, his life was dedicated to understanding what it was to fight honorable wars. To this end, he wrote a doctoral disseration on the subject, mastered ancient Greek and Italian, and taught philosophy at West Point. When American forces rolled into Iraq, he volunteered to go with them. His task was to oversee

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1133010140625671692005-11-26T08:01:00.000-05:002005-11-26T08:11:05.483-05:00

The CIA has ways of making you talk—dousing your naked body with cold water, covering your head with cellophane and mock drowning you (“water boarding”), even forcing you to listen to “Slim Shady”. It's called “enhanced interrogation”, and it was used to gather WMD evidence in the run-up to the Iraq war.According to CIA sources, Ibn al Shaykh al Libbi, after two weeks of enhanced interrogation,

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1132091689597518252005-11-15T16:39:00.000-05:002005-11-15T16:54:57.996-05:00

Which is more disturbing: the comprehensive evidence (free registration required) U.S. intelligence has uncovered of Iran's nuclear weapons program, or the widespread suspicion, even among U.S. allies, that it was faked?

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1132015738305144852005-11-14T19:45:00.000-05:002005-11-14T19:48:58.336-05:00

When they move at all. Adel X is someone you've never heard of. If a secret military tribunal is to be believed, he is not a terrorist. If his lawyer is to be believed, he's still rotting in a US prison, eight months later.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1131746296021018232005-11-11T16:44:00.000-05:002005-11-11T17:12:32.756-05:00

Given that older drivers can be deadly as it is, we wonder: is it really wise to start fitting seniors with powerful robotic exoskeletons?

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1131488639924180382005-11-08T17:18:00.000-05:002005-11-08T17:25:08.900-05:00

Everyone knows that the US is spending money at insane levels. Some, but surprisingly few, people are talking vocally about this elephant in the room. One of those people is the nation's comptroller general, David Walker. According to Uncle Sam's personal accountant, we are not worrying enough. He assures us that the truth "is worse than advertised."

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1131395926621300622005-11-07T15:27:00.000-05:002005-11-07T15:38:46.633-05:00

No joke. AdAge.com reports (free registration required):U.S. workers this year will waste the equivalent of 551,000 years (based on a 24-hour day) or 2.3 million work years (based on a typical nearly 40-hour work week) reading blogs unrelated to the job.Credit: Power Line.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1131150227818472952005-11-04T19:19:00.000-05:002005-11-04T19:23:47.833-05:00

A convicted murderer changed into civilian clothes and walked out of a Houston jail yesterday.He is still at large.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1131025285175541432005-11-03T08:36:00.000-05:002005-11-03T08:41:25.193-05:00

The ongoing riots we reported yesterday got much worse last night. BBC News:Rioting youths opened fire on police and set dozens of vehicles ablaze in a seventh night of violence in Paris.In escalating scenes of unrest, four shots were fired while gangs besieged a police station, set fire to a car showroom and threw petrol bombs.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130972535848312532005-11-02T17:57:00.000-05:002005-11-02T18:02:15.860-05:00

We've been covering Iran pretty heavily here, so I thought it was important to point out that not all threats are nuclear. Some are more natural and primal, like vampire bats. Rabid vampire bats, to be precise. Don't laugh too hard: In Brazil, 23 people have died after over 1,300 vampire bat attacks in the last two months alone.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130955102128360772005-11-02T12:52:00.000-05:002005-11-02T13:16:09.126-05:00

It's illegal for the government to hold anyone incommunicado in secret prisons in the United States. So the CIA holds suspected terrorists (and whomever else it chooses) in “black sites” scattered around the world, according to the Washington Post. Some are run by the CIA. Others are run by host nations with records of chronic prisoner abuse.This shadow prison system was authorized by a single

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130953829865681392005-11-02T12:36:00.000-05:002005-11-02T18:43:15.196-05:00

Ten thousand protesters today chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” and burned flags in front of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran.In the same article, the AP reports that Iran is removing 40 ambassadors from their posts, including moderates that favored closer relations with the West. And according to a diplomatic leak from Vienna, Iran agreed to open a secret military nuclear

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130952949210069102005-11-02T12:30:00.000-05:002005-11-02T18:05:49.860-05:00

Nightly riots continue to spread in the suburbs of Paris. Hundreds of young people have taken to the streets, setting cars on fire and throwing rocks at police.According to CNN, “The rioting began with the accidental deaths of two teenagers, who ran from police after a tear gas grenade went off in a neighborhood mosque during prayers. . . . Clichy, northeast of Paris, is crowded and impoverished

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130899956783049982005-11-01T21:40:00.000-05:002005-11-01T21:54:30.790-05:00

Iran's nuclear weapons program continues at a rapid clip, despite international objections. In fact, according to Iran's top nuclear diplomat, "Such an attitude will only persuade us more to have nuclear technology." I'm sure this stance has nothing to do with Iran's public declaration that "Israel must be wiped of the map." Iran clearly sees American threats of force as they paper tiger they are

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130850226431568742005-11-01T07:59:00.000-05:002005-11-01T08:13:21.520-05:00

The U.S. military has consistently denied that it tracks Iraqi civilian deaths. So a Pentagon report that includes a graph of exactly that statistic (see page 23) is raising eyebrows.Nor are the numbers particularly encouraging. As the New York Times reports, the graph appears to show thatIraqi civilians and security forces were killed and wounded by insurgents at a rate of about 26 a day early

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130770353687832242005-10-31T09:36:00.001-05:002005-10-31T09:52:33.686-05:00

I promised someone that I'd lay off Arkansas bashing, but state officals are making it very hard. Paying prisoners to donate blood is weirdly noble, but not preventing those with hepatatis and HIV from donating mutes the sentiment somewhat. Granted, the government is not doing this anymore (probably), but you can pretty well be certain they're doing some else just as mindbogglingly inhuman. Maybe

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130769858576333482005-10-31T09:36:00.000-05:002005-10-31T09:44:31.530-05:00

For the first time in the 124 year history of the Red Cross, the charity has been forced to borrow money in order to pay for relief efforts. The organization is currently $700 million dollars short of the $2 billion they estimate is necessary to deal properly with the disasters. Wilma and the Greek letters will probably drive that cost even higher. To be fair, the Red Cross is as grossly

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130521103346556752005-10-28T12:52:00.000-04:002005-10-28T13:38:23.356-04:00

This week:Kofi Annan, head of the United Nations, implicated in the Iraq Oil-for-Food bribery scandal.Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy, former head of the EU, accused of tax fraud and money laundering.I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff of the Vice President of the United States, indicted on 5 counts relating to the investigation of the leak of a CIA operatives identity.Tom DeLay, recently

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130477817282366762005-10-28T01:08:00.000-04:002005-10-28T01:36:57.296-04:00

Starting in October of next year, U.S. passports will contain an RFID chip that encodes all of the passport information and a digital photograph. An RFID (radio frequency identification) chip broadcasts information in response to a radio signal. Anyone with the appropriate equipment can instantly harvest all the data from a passport, such as name, address, social security number, etc.Apart from

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130449848628715342005-10-27T17:29:00.000-04:002005-10-28T12:46:28.716-04:00

Israel is conducting massive retaliation against Palestinian militants, including "targeted killings" (sic) and air strikes, in response to a suicide bombing in Hadera on Wednesday.Of course, Islamic Jihad, who take credit for yesterday's carnage, say the bombing was a response to the killing of one of their leaders in the West Bank on Monday. They now have a new excuse to slaughter more shoppers

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130344963334660742005-10-26T12:41:00.000-04:002005-10-26T12:43:23.513-04:00

Reuters reports on a recent speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:“Israel must be wiped off the map,” Ahmadinejad told a conference called “The World without Zionism”, attended by some 3,000 conservative students who chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.This is nothing new, but somehow it gets us every time. “Death to America” is to Iran something like “Super-size it” is to

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130197558412134452005-10-24T19:22:00.000-04:002005-10-24T19:45:58.420-04:00

As revealed by a Freedom of Information Act request, the FBI has been clandestinely spying on United States citizens and residents without oversight or legal sanction. The Electronic Privacy Information Center received documents indicating that agents of the FBI have seized bank records without authority, examined e-mail on an expired warrant, and conducted a physical search of a person without

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130178183727671482005-10-24T14:12:00.000-04:002005-10-24T14:41:54.766-04:00

A new report by the FDA Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee reveals that antibacterial soap does not protect against infection any better than ordinary soap and water.From the MedpageToday article:"Bacteria are not going to be destroyed," said Stuart B. Levy, M.D., director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts in Boston testified. "They've seen dinosaurs come

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130175479091316222005-10-24T13:38:00.000-04:002005-10-24T13:38:13.333-04:00

According to the U.S. FDA, most hygiene products are not safety tested for long-term use. The average person uses nine such untested products every day—soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, and on and on—comprising a mix of some 126 ingredients. This leads to a potentially toxic “cocktail effect”.The Independent lists some known toxins in personal care products. It

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1130072363037390652005-10-23T08:07:00.000-04:002005-10-23T08:59:23.043-04:00

The Telegraph reports:The trial of Saddam Hussein is in danger of collapsing because dozens of witnesses are refusing to testify against him after being told the former dictator had issued death threats from his cell.Saddam reportedly threatened to “order a second act of mass murder in Dujail and to have the town razed afterwards”.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129756927581821882005-10-19T17:18:00.000-04:002005-10-19T17:22:07.586-04:00

Wilma has become the strongest hurricane ever recorded.On its present course, it could hit Florida this Sunday.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129739190072654682005-10-19T12:13:00.000-04:002005-10-19T12:26:30.076-04:00

If you use a color laser printer, every page you print contains hidden information, most likely including your printer's serial number and the date and time you printed the page, thanks to a voluntary arrangement between the U.S. Secret Service and printer manufacturers.If you registered your printer with the manufacturer, the U.S. government can probably trace anything you've printed on it

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129660592338414332005-10-18T14:24:00.000-04:002005-10-19T04:15:14.073-04:00

Your money at the First National Bank of Moldova is completely secure... as long as no one just asks for it.Why all the fuss about a guy from eastern Europe who is using arcane mental powers for personal gain?

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129559001178903052005-10-18T10:28:00.000-04:002005-10-18T10:33:06.236-04:00

Okay, so ABC's map of U.S. nuclear sites under the heading “LOOSE NUKES” is maybe a little sensational. But the vulnerabilities are real.It should have been a reality show. ABC split 10 Carnegie Fellows (graduate students, basically) into teams and sent them on a road trip to 25 lovely U.S. college campuses and their quaint nuclear reactors. Hilarity dutifully ensued.At Ohio State:The Fellows

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129632389750213572005-10-18T06:42:00.000-04:002005-10-18T06:46:29.756-04:00

Currently tearing up the charts in Iran: "Oriental Sun, Nuclear Science" and "Nuclear Know-How." I can't imagine this will lead to good things.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129483992572671922005-10-16T13:22:00.000-04:002005-10-16T13:33:12.580-04:00

With the advent of winter, flu season arrives, which would make it the logical time to receive an influenza vaccination. Be careful: that healthy dose of vaccine may also contain a decidedly unhealthy dose of mercury.For those headed off to college, it might be wise to study up on the risks of another common vaccine.

Planxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294412384076129130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129443344361047182005-10-16T02:05:00.000-04:002005-10-16T02:22:56.863-04:00

Russia's been going missle test crazy recently. Considering the rise of islamic fundamentalism within its borders, the steady revocation of civil liberties, the almost total disintegration balanced government, and its cozy relationship with Iran, I'd say there is cause for concern.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129390176389925692005-10-15T15:57:00.000-04:002005-10-15T16:58:00.296-04:00

Here today, gone tomorrow? Think again. This one has People In High Places worried. Very worried. Two million Americans dead, shattered economy, and end of American Civilization worried.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129386041940420092005-10-15T15:15:00.000-04:002005-10-15T15:36:53.410-04:00

If you happen to live in the Spanish town of Palafrugell, you might want to get a glass in your hand before reading this Haaretz article, which describes how police are closing in on, but have not yet apprehended, notorious Nazi torturer and killer Dr. Aribert Heim, who is hiding out in your hometown.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129322459398886012005-10-14T16:35:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:40:59.403-04:00

Reuters reports that four Amish children in Minnesota have contracted polio, a disease the U.S. CDC considers to have been “eradicated from the Western Hemisphere”. Officials are worried the virus could spread to other Amish communities.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129320340747690692005-10-14T15:42:00.000-04:002005-10-14T16:05:40.753-04:00

Proposed legislation in Australia would grant the government absurd new police powers. Hard to believe:Under the bill, the Government can apply to a court for control orders on terrorist suspects who have not been charged. These orders include house arrest, preventing them using the telephone or internet and restricting their social contacts and work opportunities. Suspects can also be fitted

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129311322676798392005-10-14T13:29:00.000-04:002005-10-14T13:35:22.683-04:00

The new National Clandestine Service is so secret, we can't even tell you who runs it. Just call him José.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129302702744422942005-10-14T10:37:00.000-04:002005-10-14T11:11:42.750-04:00

H5N1 is spreading. First Turkey, then Romania. Authorities are killing thousands of birds in gas chambers and burning the bodies. Many countries have banned poultry and live bird imports from the two countries.The U.S. remains unprepared.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1129257496152443392005-10-13T22:31:00.000-04:002005-10-13T22:38:16.160-04:00

So, I was looking around on metafilter one day, and couldn't help but notice that the NSA (also known as the people who read your mail and listen to your phone calls) have a patent on a "method of geolocating logical network addresses." Or, as I call it, the ability to know where someone is when they're looking at pornography.

detaramehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09040213592061481847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128702688031086192005-10-12T13:53:00.000-04:002005-10-12T14:33:52.163-04:00

The White House last week categorically denied that President Bush ever said God had personally commanded him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.Q: Are you aware of the -- there's a BBC broadcast tonight that's quoting the Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister as saying that they were in a meeting with the President in June of '03, and there are some very detailed quotes here, saying that

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128702513126528232005-10-11T11:38:00.000-04:002005-10-11T09:37:40.610-04:00

Preston G. Simpson, personification of The Alarmist and a dear friend, died at his home on October 6, 2005. He was 29.Preston was the person to call if the world were ending. He was ready for any disaster. When we were closest, some years ago, he was never far from: a handkerchief, a knife, a lighter, pain medication, highway flares, and a baseball bat. Just in case. Later he abandoned the

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128605522451992982005-10-06T09:33:00.000-04:002005-10-06T09:38:21.950-04:00

Of the 19,473 Serb soldiers identified as having participated in the Srebrenica massacre of 1995, about 900 are still employed by the Bosnian Serb government. They're mostly police and soldiers. (International Herald Tribune.)The massacre is one of the worst things to happen in my lifetime. The Serb army slaughtered 7,800 Bosniak men and boys in three days while UN peacekeepers stood by.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128603675145489512005-10-06T09:32:00.000-04:002005-10-06T09:32:43.280-04:00

FBI intelligence analyst Leandro Aragoncillo is already facing charges of leaking classified information to Filipino leaders. Now the FBI is investigating whether he might have done the same when he worked at the White House from 1999 to 2001. Reportedly Aragoncillo has already admitted as much. (Houston Chronicle.)Meanwhile, Department of Defense analyst Lawrence A. Franklin pleaded guilty to

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128538203355702432005-10-05T14:43:00.000-04:002005-10-05T14:51:06.513-04:00

U.S. researchers have managed to recreate the virus that was responsible for the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. You may recall from your history classes (and earlier articles here) that the 1918 flu killed over 25 million people worldwide.You can read more about the feat here (BBC) or here (AP, via Yahoo! News). Or you could do what I'm doing and try not to think about the end of the civilized

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128523485552306032005-10-05T10:31:00.000-04:002005-10-05T10:45:07.876-04:00

Rather than risk a false alarm, officials at the Department of Homeland Security didn't bother to tell Washington, DC authorities or the Centers for Disease Control that a number of sensors at the Mall might have detected the presence of tularemia. The CDC was not notified for at least three days following the event, which occurred the day after an anti-war rally at the Mall. CDC officials said

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128522272869778232005-10-05T10:08:00.000-04:002005-10-05T10:26:10.203-04:00

In the wake of fears regarding the possible outbreak of a bird flu pandemic and coming on the heels of the much-criticized federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, President Bush yesterday submitted a plan to Congress to allow him to use federal troops in policing duties. (CNN)The President went on to say:"But Congress needs to take a look at circumstances that may need to vest the

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128479773166326672005-10-05T10:02:00.000-04:002005-10-05T10:20:12.870-04:00

Calcutta Telegraph columnist K.P. Nayar writes:Top-ranking Americans have told equally top-ranking Indians in recent weeks that the US has plans to invade Iran before Bush’s term ends. In 2002, a year before the US invaded Iraq, high-ranking Americans had similarly shared their definitive vision of a post-Saddam Iraq, making it clear that they would change the regime in Baghdad. (Emphasis added.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128425295905671452005-10-04T13:22:00.000-04:002005-10-04T13:29:50.993-04:00

No, not that Moore.Roy Moore, the Alabama judge who put a 2.5-ton monument to the Ten Commandments in the Alabama state courthouse and defied a court order to remove it, is running for governor. (Washington Post.)

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128445120403927052005-10-04T12:36:00.000-04:002005-10-04T13:11:30.273-04:00

Devil facial tumour disease is spreading unchecked (ABC News) across the Australian state of Tasmania. No one knows what's causing it or how it is transmitted. Up to 100% mortality is reported in some communities. Fortunately for you and me, the disease affects only Tasmanian devils, not humans. The disease has already claimed 20% to 50% of the devil population.Read more:Australian government

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128440721933551672005-10-04T11:44:00.000-04:002005-10-04T15:00:29.576-04:00

Add car thieves to the list of people who may be supporting terrorism. According to this article in the Boston Globe, the FBI's counterterrorism unit is looking into reports that some of the vehicles used in recent car bombings in Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq. There is no evidence yet that the cars are being stolen specifically for use in car bombings, but Steven Emerson, of the

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128439647083612652005-10-04T11:12:00.000-04:002005-10-04T11:27:27.090-04:00

Apparently it isn't enough that Somalia hasn't had a stable government since 1991 or that famine is recurrent there or that the infant mortality rate is over 11%. Now the Somalis also have to deal with maritime piracy. (BBC)According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), there have been between 15 and 22 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy off the Somali coast since March of this year,

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128421990744041372005-10-04T06:33:00.001-04:002005-10-04T07:24:25.583-04:00

The US FDA is alerting customers to throw away certain bags of Dole pre-cut salad that have been connected to an E. coli outbreak. Eleven of the twelve people who got sick had bought the salad. Bizarrely, Dole isn't convinced there's anything wrong. (Washington Post.)If you have any bags of salad in the fridge, you might want to at least skim the article.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128264375569153552005-10-04T06:33:00.000-04:002005-10-04T07:04:46.816-04:00

“The federal government is nearing a decision to allow the sale of meat and milk from cloned cows and their offspring, according to officials,” reports the Indianapolis Star. There's no word on whether there will be a labelling requirement. Presumably not: there's no such requirement for genetically engineered foods.Just think: a few years down the road, whenever we go to McDonald's, we could

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128352246071225042005-10-03T11:06:00.000-04:002005-10-03T11:10:46.076-04:00

President Bush still has a vacancy to fill on the Supreme Court. Going far afield for candidates, he has nominated Harriet Miers, who is currently counsel for the White House. Miers was the first woman to serve as president both of the Texas Bar Association and the Dallas Bar Association, but has never held a judgeship. (The Guardian) I guess there's nothing like starting at the top.

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128215408617158592005-10-01T19:41:00.000-04:002005-10-02T08:34:00.353-04:00

Striking ferry workers hijacked a boat (later recovered by special forces), blocked two seaports, and effectively blockaded the French island of Corsica. Tourists on the island had their vacations unexpectedly extended, as there was no way to leave. Sympathetic strikes shut down Corsica's airfields and the major port of Marseilles on the mainland, while a trucker strike made fuel scarce.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128203992354974332005-10-01T17:34:00.000-04:002005-10-01T18:34:08.953-04:00

Three restaurants in Bali resort towns were bombed. Police reportedly found additional unexploded bombs. (BBC, FOX News.)Three years ago, bombings in two crowded Bali nightclubs killed 202 people. Those bombings were linked to Jemaah Islamiah.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128120849381669012005-09-30T18:44:00.000-04:002005-09-30T18:54:09.386-04:00

Well, not yet, but if Japanese geophysicists get their way, there soon will be. Work has recently been completed on the Chikyu, a 57,500 ton research vessel with 112 meters (about 367.5 feet) worth of drilling derrick sticking above its waterline. The $540 million vessel is part of an international project to drill holes through the earth's crust and into the mantle, where it is believed that a

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128119759702090922005-09-30T17:59:00.000-04:002005-09-30T18:35:59.706-04:00

Follow-up on the earlier gator farm story: No word on Intracoastal City, but nearly 200 alligators escaped a farm in Moss Point, Mississippi, during Katrina. (Associated Press, in the Sun Herald.) Don't worry, though: alligators are quite docile and shy of people, and they hardly ever eat small children or old ladies.Meanwhile, the global economy is stinging (iafrica.com):Hurricane Katrina

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128103954485023332005-09-30T14:09:00.000-04:002005-09-30T14:12:34.486-04:00

Want to reduce crime in the United States? Easy, says William Bennett, former Education Secretary under President Reagan. Just abort all the black babies. (ABCNews.)Bennett later said that his remarks were "mischaracterized."

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128103306962928832005-09-30T13:57:00.000-04:002005-09-30T14:01:46.963-04:00

Eli Lilly's ADHD medication Strattera may provoke suicidal impulses in people who take the drug. Clinical trials with the drug showed five cases of suicidal ideation (thinking about suicide) and one attempted suicide out of 1,357 participants. Strattera was initially hailed as the first non-stimulant ADHD treatment. (Bloomberg)I suppose kids will have to go back to doing Ritalin and crystal meth

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128102910940799602005-09-30T13:44:00.000-04:002005-09-30T13:55:10.946-04:00

In a followup to our previous Health Fact of the Day, the World Health Organization's Dick Thompson has come out with a statement saying that Dr. Nabarro's earlier claim of between 5 and 150 million deaths from the bird flu might be excessive."While he [Thompson] did not say the 150 million prediction was wrong, or even implausible, he reiterated that WHO considers a maximum death toll of 7.4

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128096510289562412005-09-30T11:35:00.000-04:002005-09-30T12:10:06.713-04:00

Correction—The annual European Money Laundering Conference is actually a bash for bankers and regulators, not drug smugglers and mafiosi as previously reported. The Alarmist apologizes for any embarrassment or disappointment this may have caused. Also, we have two passes to next year's event that we won't be using, if anyone's interested.9/11 Commission member Douglas Greenburg, speaking to

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128092691053053032005-09-30T10:43:00.000-04:002005-09-30T12:14:02.380-04:00

A South African farmer who murdered one of his workers last year by throwing him into a lion enclosure will spend the rest of his life in an enclosure of his own. (Reuters.)

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128076678226296332005-09-30T06:32:00.000-04:002005-09-30T06:37:58.230-04:00

“A new flu pandemic could happen at any time and kill between 5-150 million people, a UN health official warned.” (BBC.)Enjoy your breakfast. I know I will.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128010287512404672005-09-29T12:00:00.000-04:002005-09-29T12:12:56.196-04:00

In 1984, a huge bubble of carbon dioxide tore loose from Lake Monoun in Cameroon, suffocating 37 people in the surrounding area. Almost exactly two years later, as many as 1,800 people were killed near Lake Nyos, also in Cameroon. Now, scientists are worried that it might happen again. (BBC, The Guardian)An international effort installed a pipe at Lake Nyos in 2001 and another at Lake Monoun in

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128008520014733962005-09-29T11:37:00.000-04:002005-09-29T14:20:39.846-04:00

In a country where drug trafficking is part of the norm, the inspectors at Bogota Airport in Colombia have seen a lot of contraband. They probably weren't expecting to find human fetuses like the ones they found on Tuesday. (BBC)The fetuses were found in religious statues destined for the United States. A Colombian police chief, J. A. Varon, speculated that the Miami-bound fetuses might have been

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1128004628799183592005-09-29T10:28:00.000-04:002005-09-29T11:29:05.456-04:00

Anyone familiar with the Roman Catholic and the various Orthodox faiths knows that there is a plethora of patron saints for nearly every conceivable circumstance and occupation. Astronauts,artillerymen, bakers, tailors, and salesmen all have their own patron saints. Now there's a new one: St. Fyodor Ushakov, Russian Orthodox patron saint of the Russian long-range nuclear bomber fleet. (via

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127999887440675112005-09-29T09:08:00.000-04:002005-09-29T09:19:31.650-04:00

Often suspected but never captured alive for long, the giant squid has been a staple of underwater fiction for years. We knew of them mainly from the scars they left on sperm whales and their washed-up carcasses on lonely shores. (I always rooted for the whales.) Now, Japanese researchers have finally obtained photos of the beast alive and in action. Worryingly, its behavior "is more aggressive

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127998277274744802005-09-29T08:40:00.000-04:002005-09-29T08:51:17.276-04:00

The fire is spreading extremely rapidly, blown by wind across thousands of acres of dry brush. The Associated Press is updating its story hourly as the swath of devastation expands. Seven hundred firefighters are now fighting the blaze, but it is only 5% contained. (Associated Press, in the Washington Post.)

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127997354731562502005-09-29T08:16:00.000-04:002005-09-29T08:35:54.736-04:00

Ceuta is a city of some 10 square miles on the Moroccan coast, near the Strait of Gibraltar. It is a fort city, a territory of Spain.The city is surrounded by parallel 10-foot-high razor-wire fences with watch towers to keep out African refugees, but would-be immigrants still manage to sneak over the barrier. Usually, their hope is to reach the streets of Ceuta undetected and escape to

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127948278574881802005-09-28T18:37:00.000-04:002005-09-28T19:58:11.853-04:00

Last year, FEMA set up emergency shelter in a meadow for fifteen hundred people left homeless by Hurricane Charley. The little town of 500 trailers is now a ghetto. Bradenton Herald:[D]rug use, vandalism, break-ins and fights are widespread. Young people regularly call FEMA City a prison.The troubles got so bad in the spring that the entire camp was fenced in, a county police substation was

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127939185668396002005-09-28T15:41:00.000-04:002005-09-28T16:26:25.673-04:00

The Washington Post, last week:Five weeks ago, Iran's new president bought his country some time. Facing mounting criticism after walking away from negotiations with Europe and restarting part of Iran's nuclear program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked the world to withhold diplomatic pressure while he put together new proposals.On Saturday, dozens of international diplomats, including the foreign

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127935236928230002005-09-28T15:04:00.000-04:002005-09-28T15:20:36.933-04:00

The extent of polar ice is as low as it has been since satellite images first became available in 1978. At the current rate of decline, the polar ice caps will be gone by summer 2060.But there are good reasons to believe the decline will accelerate. Polar ice is white; it reflects sunlight into space. Liquid ocean water, by contrast, is dark; it absorbs the light and converts it to heat,

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127936023753933032005-09-28T14:32:00.000-04:002005-09-28T15:34:58.796-04:00

The final cost of Hurricane Katrina has yet to be tallied, but so far Congress has approved over 62 billion dollars to be spent in helping deal with the event and its aftermath. This cost on top of an ongoing war in Iraq and during a time of budget deficits leads many to wonder who's going to pay for it and how. Fortunately, the Republican Study Committee, a group of about 100 Republican

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127838000113682612005-09-27T21:27:00.000-04:002005-09-27T22:32:22.116-04:00

Wilhelmina Dery has lived in the same house since she was born in 1918. Her husband moved in with her when they got married in 1946; the house itself has been in the Dery family for over a century. Now, the government of New London, CT has decided that they want to turn Mrs. Dery's ancestral home into a parking lot, citing economic interests. What's worse, the United States Supreme Court has said

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127856822300135102005-09-27T17:26:00.000-04:002005-09-28T15:32:20.386-04:00

Filiberto Ojeda Rios, 72, died Saturday in a gun battle with FBI agents. Ojeda Rios was a popular hero among the 1% or so of Puerto Ricans that favor independence from the United States. He was also a fugitive, wanted in connection with a 1983 armored truck robbery in Connecticut. (Guardian.)The autopsy revealed the Ojeda Rios did not die immediately after being shot. The FBI, suspicious that

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127848965594785202005-09-27T15:07:00.000-04:002005-09-27T15:22:45.596-04:00

In an upbeat piece on plucky Cajuns, the Washington Post casually mentions that Hurricane Rita flooded an alligator farm in Intracoastal City, Louisiana. For some reason the Post doesn't follow up on the obvious consequence of that bit of intelligence: hundreds of gators are loose on the Louisiana coast.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127845862159639542005-09-27T14:19:00.000-04:002005-09-27T14:46:06.436-04:00

Dr. Stephen Sisson, a researcher working out of Johns Hopkins University, recently led a study to determine whether doctors would be able to identify smallpox and other diseases likely to be used as biological weapons by terrorists or other nefarious sorts. The results of his study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (26 September issue), show the following: 49.3% of doctors could

pgshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01432241031502362440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127844631058767082005-09-27T13:26:00.000-04:002005-09-27T14:10:31.066-04:00

Dolphins trained by the U.S. military to shoot scuba-diving terrorists with dart guns may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, according to this story in The Observer, a UK paper.

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17159442.post-1127777602628459992005-09-27T10:00:00.000-04:002005-09-27T10:29:48.703-04:00

It is 27 September 2005, and according to the United States federal government, the country is at Elevated risk for a terrorist attack.The United States is at war against insurgents in Iraq. Charges that American troops there are torturing prisoners have become dull with repetition.Oil is near record prices. This hasn't triggered inflation or recession in the United States yet. No one knows

jtohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03968844388108605008noreply@blogger.com1