Wednesday, August 31, 2005

 
States Sue White House Over Forest Plan - Yahoo! News:
California, New Mexico and Oregon sued the Bush administration Tuesday over the government's decision to allow road building, logging and other commercial ventures on more than 90,000 square miles of untouched forests.

 
Briton Finds Venomous Centipede in House - Yahoo! News:
LONDON - Aaron Balick expected to find a tiny mouse rustling behind the TV in his apartment. Instead, he found a venomous giant centipede that somehow hitched a ride from South America to Britain.

 
A village green for free, yet may cost too much:
WINTER HARBOR, ME — It all seemed so simple at first. Not only did Roxanne Quimby have the vision for a world-class village green smack dab in the middle of picturesque Winter Harbor, but she also had the land. And Lord knows, after she sold most of her rags-to-riches Burt's Bees empire for $175 million last fall, Quimby had the money.

So why has this thing become so . . . complicated?

 
winnipegsun.com - World - Pickings are slim:
LONDON -- This thin house requires a bankroll that's fairly fat.

A home in London that measures just over 1 1/2 metres at its skinniest and three metres at its widest is up for sale for just over $1.1 million Cdn, estate agents said yesterday.

 
village voice > news > Mondo Washington by James Ridgeway:
In this hurricane, the one government agency on the ball is the Coast Guard, a highly decentralized agency now stuck within the Homeland Security maze. With only 40 aircraft, it pulled off over 1,000 rescues yesterday.

The state-run National Guard is meant to be on call for such dire emergencies. And 7,500 members of the Guard were dispatched to help out in the aftermath of the hurricane. But 35 percent of Louisiana's Guard and 40 percent of Mississippi's Guard are in Iraq.

 
Palo Alto Online - Kepler's Bookstore goes out of business :
MENLO PARK, CA -- rents, competition cited.
Kepler's, a landmark bookstore and cultural icon of Menlo Park for more than a half century, abruptly closed forever this morning after a 9 a.m. all-staff meeting.

 
The Modesto Bee - A Fresh Look at Valley's People:
MODESTO, CA - Just-released census statistics show just how different Northern San Joaquin Valley residents are compared with those who live elsewhere in the United States.

 
MercuryNews.com | 08/31/2005 | Scientists find chimps, people are 96 percent identical:
An international team of scientists today announced the first comprehensive comparison of the genetic blueprints of humans and chimps, an effort that explains what makes us so similar to our closest living relative -- yet so strikingly different.

 
ENVIRONMENT / What's inside some noted Californians / Tests done to back biomonitoring bill find toxic chemicals:
They don't work at dangerous jobs or live near toxic- waste dumps. Yet the study showed that their bodies contain low levels of industrial chemicals, some known to harm the health of humans or laboratory animals.

Actor Peter Coyote has high levels of mercury, he thinks from eating fresh fish in his quest for a healthy diet. He describes himself as 'a guy who has eaten organic food for 30 years, drunk bottled water and lived in West Marin with the cleanest air on the coast.''

 
OfficialWire: Twenty Things We Now Know Four Years After 9/11:
CEDARPINES PARK, CA -- (OfficialWire) -- 08/31/05 -- In a few days, it will be four years since the awful events symbolized by the date '9/11.' Time for our annual list of what we've learned from that tragedy and what followed from it.

Much new information has been revealed this year, with corroborating documents verifying aspects of the story we only surmised previously. So without further ado, below are the twenty things we now know four years after 9/11, based mainly on documented evidence found in the Bush-friendly mainstream media.

 
Green light for Greenprint:
FOLSOM, CA - The Greenprint Program, formally the Greenprint Project, is part of a regional plan to bring five million more trees to the greater Sacramento Area over the next 40 years.

 
Safest And Least Safe Places In The U.S. - Forbes.com:
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, some Americans--particularly Gulf Coast residents--may be wondering whether there are places in the U.S. that are safe from such natural disasters.

The short answer? No.

 
Venezuela offers fuel, food to hurricane-hit US - Yahoo! News:
CARACAS (AFP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered to send food and fuel to the United States after the powerful Hurricane Katrina pummeled the US south, ravaging US crude production.

 
eWeek.com - root access - Will RSS replace eMail? It will if I can help it.:

GEEK NOTE

Think about how much spam you get right now, despite your spam filters. Or the hassles of mailbox management when you're trying to keep all of the communications about a project in one folder--and making sure some of them don't get caught by the spam filter. Is e-mail really the best way to do workflow and collaboration?

 
The damage that Katrina could still wreak | Economist.com:
Hurricane Katrina is already known to have killed dozens along the Gulf of Mexico coast, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers reach more affected areas. Besides its devastating cost in lives, Katrina could push the American economy—maybe even the world economy—into recession

 
MercuryNews.com | 08/30/2005 | Creative Technology claims MP3 player patent:
Creative Technology today said it has been awarded a U.S. patent covering the way it organizes music on portable media players, an approach that it says is used on competing devices such as the market-leading Apple iPod and iPod mini.

 
So Long, AT&T? Not So Fast:
SBC, which was spun off from AT&T amid the breakup of the Bell telephone system in 1984, will assume its former parent's name, BusinessWeek Online has learned. The plan, which is consistent with speculation that followed SBC's bid for AT&T earlier this year, reflects SBC's new national identity and its desire to market AT&T's Internet phone service to consumers around the country. And it gives SBC a marketing weapon to use against its rivals.

Revestiture!
Hah! What a long and crooked path to get around antitrust laws.
- Frank

 
The Beaufort Gazette: S.C. ties for SAT worst:
South Carolina's modest increase in average score on the SAT college-entrance exam helped the state's national ranking slightly -- instead of having the worst scores in the nation, the state is now tied with Georgia for the bottom slot.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

 
Two Important Books on Journalists in Iraq:
Books about Iraq and the war -- even a TV series -- have arrived in a torrent lately, but two of the most important are only now emerging. They are both, in a sense, about newspapermen, one well known and widely honored, the other not. The first is an American, Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post; the second, an Iraqi named Ahmad Shawkat, founder of a weekly paper in Mosul. One book has been long awaited; the other comes as a surprise.

 
thedesertsun.com | Wildfire 20 percent contained:
PALM SPRINGS, CA - Four days into fighting a wildfire that has scorched 5,000 acres in the San Jacinto Mountains near Palm Springs, firefighters have managed to contain only 20 percent of the blaze, but Forest Service officials Monday night announced the names of the three men who have been cited for building a campfire that is thought to have started it.

They also will be billed for fire suppression costs, which currently total $1,700,000, and continue to rise.

 
1.1 million more Americans in poverty in 2004 - Aug. 30, 2005:
The percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty rose to 12.7 percent from 12.5 percent in 2003, as 1.1 million more people slipped into poverty last year, the Census Bureau said in its annual poverty report.

The ranks of the poor rose to 37.0 million, up from 35.9 million the previous year, the report said.

 
MercuryNews.com | 08/29/2005 | Snapfish expands Walgreens photo deal:
Snapfish, Hewlett-Packard's online photo service, will announce today an expanded deal with Walgreens so consumers can pick up their digital photo prints at a local store.

 
Maybe In My Backyard:
High fuel prices and global warming are making nukes an easier sell

Monday, August 29, 2005

 
Escaped ostrich leads to a gaggle of tourists on Golden Gate Bridge:
The six-foot-tall bird, who apparently didn't feel like hiding its head in the sand, escaped from the back of a cargo van on the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, stopping evening commute traffic in both directions and sending dozens of tourists racing for their cameras.

 
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Bittersweet Victory for Million Solar Roofs Bill:
Sacramento, California [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The Million Solar Roofs bill, SB 1, was passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee with some bittersweet amendment changes aimed at appeasing various interest groups. While this vote officially clears the solar bill to move on for a full vote in the California's Assembly sometime before September 9, it includes some union provisions that have splintered its support and could ultimately doom the bill.

 
Military examines 'beaming up' data, people / Critics say its extreme computing, energy needs keep teleportation unlikely for now:
Frustrated that terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden is still on the loose nearly four years after the Sept. 11 attacks, a few military types and their scientific advisers are pondering a 'what if' solution straight out of TV's 'Star Trek.'

Wouldn't it be neat, they ask, if we could nab bin Laden via teleportation? In 'Star Trek,' the characters traveled between spaceship and planet by having their bodies dematerialized, then 'beamed' to another locale -- hence, the characters' familiar request to the ship's engineer: 'Beam me up, Scotty.'

 
Halliburton deal whistleblower demoted - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com:
Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, who had been the Corps of Engineers' top procurement official since 1997, was removed, effective Saturday, for what Corps of Engineers officials called a poor job performance. Her lawyer, however, said her removal constitutes 'blatant discrimination' and violates an earlier agreement with the Army to suspend her demotion until 'a sufficient record' pertaining to her complaints is complete.

 
Halliburton deal whistleblower demoted - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com: "Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, who had been the Corps of Engineers' top procurement official since 1997, was removed, effective Saturday, for what Corps of Engineers officials called a poor job performance. Her lawyer, however, said her removal constitutes 'blatant discrimination' and violates an earlier agreement with the Army to suspend her demotion until 'a sufficient record' pertaining to her complaints is complete."

 
Jellyfish Cause Reactor Shutdown in Sweden:
A Swedish nuclear power plant shut down one of its three reactors Monday because of an abnormal accumulation of jellyfish in the cooling system.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

 
Early look at effort to re-engineer the Internet | CNET News.com:
The project, which has not yet received financing and may cost more than $300 million, is intended to include both a test facility and a research program. As described in documents circulated by National Science Foundation officials, the network will focus on security, 'pervasive computing' environments populated by mobile, wireless and sensor networks, control of critical infrastructure and the ability to handle new services that can be used by millions of people.

 
FedEx competing with small businesses:
Since acquiring Kinko's for $2.4 billion last year, FedEx has gotten into the retail business in a big way -- bigger than most people might realize.

 
The real power guys -- Greenspan decipherers:
In a weird way, there is a handful of people more powerful than Alan Greenspan when it comes to influencing the economy and Wall Street. They would be the poor souls from the Associated Press and Reuters and Bloomberg and Dow Jones who cover Greenspan's speeches.

It's their job to muddle through the monetary morass, deciphering the cipher. Friday was a classic example of the game

 
EETimes.com - Freescale to supply Apple with PowerPC processors through 2008:
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Computer Inc.'s transition to Intel Corp.'s microprocessors may not happen as fast as expected, as the computer maker on Friday (Aug. 26) reported that it has signed a microprocessor supply agreement with Freescale Semiconductor Inc. that lasts through 2008.

 
White House dismisses marshal for work habits - The Boston Globe:
The 35-page report found that Dichio had violated federal law by not putting in a full 40-hour workweek, and by using his government vehicle for personal errands.

I guess this "federal law" doesn't apply to presidents.
- Frank

 
USATODAY.com - Experts warn that heavy debt threatens American economy:
A few years ago, government finances were the strongest they've been in a generation. Then came a turnaround — and a stunningly quick one. The budget surplus of $236 billion in 2000 turned into a deficit of $412 billion last year. The government had to borrow that much to cover the hole between what it took in and what it had to spend; a difference that's called the federal deficit.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

 
Charges Dropped Against 'Raging Grannies':
The five women tried to enlist on July 13, saying they wanted to go to Iraq so their children and grandchildren could come home. Recruiters called police.

 
USATODAY.com - Bush popularity at all-time low, poll finds:
In poll results released Friday afternoon, the president's approval rating was 40%, the lowest in his presidency by 4 points.

Still about 40% higher than deserved.
- Frank

Friday, August 26, 2005

 
The Union - Opinion -Law gives CDF unprecedented power:
Grass Valley, CA - The bill would authorize the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to authorize the removal of vegetation not consistent with these and related requirements. The bill would authorize a lien upon the building, structure, or ground, for the expense of the removal of that vegetation as specified.

 
In Search of the Spiritual - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com:
Move over, politics. Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don't much care what the neighbors are doing.

Interesting tie in to the previous post.
- Frank

 
What's On Your iGod? / Your answer to the religious homogeny now clogging the nation like cosmic oatmeal? Do-it-yourself divinity:
"Because here's the catch, here's what they won't tell you in Sunday school: Religion is supposed to be so goddamn empowering that it could very well empower you right out of the very belief system that's doing the empowering. It should catapult you back into yourself, whole and gleaming and so reconnected to your higher self (which is, of course, God, in miniature) that you don't even need religion anymore. Possible? Crazy, I know."


An Amen and an Om-m-m!
- Frank


 
New exhibit at London Zoo - humans - Yahoo! News:
'We have set up this exhibit to highlight the spread of man as a plague species and to communicate the importance of man's place in the planet's ecosystem,' London Zoo said.

 
the Mail online | Homeopathy 'nothing more than a placebo':
This seems to show that homeopathy works if you really believe it, according to Professor Matthias Egger, of the Berne University's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine.

 
FBI demands library records / Request in Connecticut, allowed by Patriot Act, is first of its kind: The demand is the first confirmed instance in which the FBI has used the law in this way, federal officials and the ACLU said. The government's power to demand access to library borrowing records and other material showing reading habits has been the single most divisive issue in the debate over whether Congress should extend key elements of the Patriot Act after this year.

Too bad there is no "United States" offering to step in and help defend our Democratic rights!
- Frank

 
IBM unveils software for real-time data backup | CNET News.com:
Big Blue plans to sell its IBM Tivoli Continuous Data Protection for Files at $35 per laptop or desktop and $995 per server processor.

 
USATODAY.com - Music videos changing places:
Suddenly musicians 'had an ability to put videos on their own Web sites without having to plead with MTV for airtime,' Leigh says. 'MTV shot itself in the foot by going to reality programming. The viewership went up with that stuff, but it left a latent demand, and the Internet is tapping into that.'

 
USATODAY.com - Buyers kick virtual tires on eBay Motors auction site:
EBay Motors has sold more than 1 million cars since 2000, when the company realized so many people were selling vehicles through eBay that it set up a separate auction site. Although eBay won't say how many cars it expects to sell this year, it says a car is sold through eBay Motors every minute. Nearly 75% are sold to long-distance buyers.

 
USATODAY.com - Base-closing plan angers Republicans:
WASHINGTON — A Defense Department plan to close hundreds of facilities that it says are obsolete has infuriated prominent Republican lawmakers at a time when their support for President Bush's Iraq strategy could be more critical than ever.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

 
SEAN PENN IN IRAN - Day Five:
...But if news sources can't track the current whereabouts of an actor-journalist, can we depend on the accuracy of the information we are receiving about Iran?...
...And with Iran now in the crosshairs of the nuclear debate, we might note that the most costly and competitive arms race in the world is taking place right here at home, between Los Alamos and Livermore laboratories. Those facts, above all, seem to me to dictate the importance of accurate and truthful reporting, on all sides of the world debate.

 
FCC requirement could strand VoIP customers | CNET News.com:
As many as 100,000 Internet phone customers who haven't formally acknowledged possible obstacles to making 911 calls could find their service disconnected starting next week.

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission plans to begin enforcing its requirement that Net phone services that connect to the public telephone network--known as 'interconnected' services--receive acknowledgment from 100 percent of their customers about 911 limitations

 
Newsview: Clintons Hobnobbing With GOP:
One Clinton jets to Alaska and Iraq with Republicans, and enthusiastically sponsors legislation with GOP lawmakers who impeached her husband. The other plays golf with former President Bush and accepts assignments from the current one

 
C-Health : News : Fetuses don't feel pain until late in pregnancy:
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco reviewed dozens of studies and medical reports and said the data indicate that fetuses likely are incapable of feeling pain until around the seventh month of pregnancy, when they are about 28 weeks old.

 
Pakistan Daily Times - Sunday - The 'Puch Puch' Factor:
"Puch puch is that icky, sloppy, saliva infested sound that’s made whenever someone plants a big fat wet one on your cheek (I’m talking about the face you perverts!)."

 
Vancouver Sun - Surviving the influenza pandemic:
Canadian experts warned Wednesday of the devastating economic fallout of a long-overdue flu outbreak. The last time, 50 million people died.

 
the Mail online | Nice cream or nightmare?:
LONDON - The 'Ice Greens' come in broccoli, carrot, pea, lettuce, yellow pepper and tomato flavours. But do they taste as, erm, lovely as they sound? Mail online's tasters put them to the test and deliver their Gordon Ramsay-style verdicts on the different flavours.

 
Washington Bureau - bizjournals.com:
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office launched a Web site to help small businesses protect their intellectual property.

The site (StopFakes.gov/smallbusiness) provides information on when, where and how to file for patents, trademarks and copyrights.

 
New Scientist Breaking News - Indian Ocean tsunami's puzzling waves explained:
The tsunami that ricocheted around the world following the Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004 left a puzzling pattern of waves in its wake.

Beaches in Peru and Mexico, nearly 20,000 kilometres from the earthquake, received waves that were three times larger than those hitting the shores of the Cocos Islands, just 1700 km away. Now it turns out that the waves were funnelled along underwater structures, such as mid-ocean ridges and continental shelves.

 
New York Daily News - Albor Ruiz: Robertson's remarks not so Christian:
Robertson is not your corner church preacher. He is a major player in national politics with great influence in the White House. And any way you look at it, by asking for the murder of a foreign president, the preacher was preaching terrorism.

There are no two ways about it: President Bush, who has vowed to fight terror anywhere it shows its ugly head, needs to strongly condemn Robertson's incredibly stupid remarks ASAP.

 
New York Daily News - Stanley Crouch: Faith lost in W's designs on science:
We should all know by now that either position can lead to insanely immoral actions. Overweening religious confidence has allowed people to brutalize others throughout human history. On the other hand, the confidence that there is nothing beyond what we currently live has shown in the totalitarian barbarism of Marxist-derived regimes.


AMEN!
- Frank

 
Europe’s textile war with China—and itself | Economist.com:
Chinese-made bras, blouses and T-shirts are piling up at customs checkpoints across Europe, having already bumped up against import limits set earlier this year. The European Union has sent a team of officials to Beijing to negotiate a way out of the crisis. But European retailers are just as annoyed at the quotas as the Chinese

 
Folsom - Rancho Cordova - Folsom abuzz over mosque - sacbee.com:
The planned light-green mosque at Levy Road and Sibley Street would be the 10th in the Sacramento region, but the first to be built in traditional Islamic style, with a dome and 70-foot-high minaret adorned with a crescent moon.

SACBEE REQUIRES REGISTRATION - FREE
- Frank

 
U.S. Mint Confiscates 10 Rare Gold Coins:
Joan S. Langbord plans a federal court lawsuit to try to recover them, her attorney, Barry H. Berke, said Wednesday. Langbord found the coins among the possessions of her father, longtime Philadelphia jeweler Israel Switt, who had acknowledged having sold some of the coins decades ago. She now operates her father's business.

 
Wiretaps Unfold Italian Tycoons' Dirty Laundry - Yahoo! News:
Suspected terrorists have been heard discussing suicide bombings and chemical warfare, often in code. Crooked soccer players have talked about whether to throw a game. Businessmen have outlined creative accounting procedures that eventually brought down major companies. Gangsters have planned hits, courted their girlfriends, offered money to receptive politicians and explored new ways to run their business.

 
Walter Reed Medical Center to Be Closed - Yahoo! News:
WASHINGTON - A federal commission voted to close the crown jewel of Army hospitals as it began its second day of decision-making on sweeping plans to restructure military bases across the country.

 
Indian outsourcing too expensive : theinquirer.com:
Workers $204 per month is uncompetitive --- sheesh

 
Florida man charged with threatening Governor Bush:
'When a guy wants to blow your head off it's not related to politics, it's related to issues going on inside his head,' Bush said. 'There are a lot of people that have mental illnesses and they fixate on elected officials and they play out their problems on them. I have a lot of empathy for people who have those kind of sad issues going on in their lives.'

Hmmm? When I read this quote from "Jeb", I wondered if he saw the irony in that some might think he was talking about his infamous brother.
- Frank


 
Dell: In the Bloghouse:
PC industry circles have been buzzing in recent months that Dell's (DELL ) customer support is slipping -- a claim bolstered on Aug. 16 by a University of Michigan study that showed a hefty decline in customer satisfaction from a year ago. So the last thing Dell needed was for someone to turn the customer-service issue into a cause celebre.

 
Business Week | Sharks in the Housing Pool:
Deed thieves, property flippers, equity strippers -- these con artists are duping banks and homeowners, and there are lots of them

 
SEAN PENN IN IRAN - Day Four:
During his visit to Iran in June, Sean Penn had the chance to witness a rare demonstration in support of women's rights.

 
USATODAY.com - Bush's daily intel briefing revamped:
A presidential commission that examined flawed intelligence recommended the changes in March. In its report, the so-called WMD Commission said the brief 'often failed to explain, or even signal, the uncertainties underlying' its conclusions. The commission said alternate views should be included 'to the greatest extent feasible.'

 
Strangers sharing mortgages / Many would-be homeowners say TICs are worth the risk:
The practice, already widespread in San Francisco, could become even more popular because of a new kind of mortgage loan that would free owners from financial dependence on one another. The new mortgage would allow each owner in a TIC to have his or her own loan, which also would make it easier to sell or refinance units.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

 
Cat owners in Calif. warned of plague:
State health officials warned cat owners today to keep their pets away from wild rodents, citing the detection of the plague in four house cats since late May.

 
Of All Gas Consumers, Bush May Be Most:
AP WASHINGTON - Getting President Bush from here to there consumes an enormous amount of fuel, whether he's aboard Air Force One, riding in a helicopter or on the ground in a heavily armored limousine. The bill gets steeper every day as the White House is rocked by the same energy prices as regular drivers.

Taxpayers still foot the bill.

 
Scientific American: Brain's Own Pain Relievers At Work in Placebo Effect, Study Suggests:
Sometimes, just thinking you are receiving treatment is enough to make you feel better, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect. Scientists have long wondered what causes this outcome, the magnitude of which is not the same for all people. A new brain imaging study suggests that the body's natural painkillers, endorphins, play a significant role.

 
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | Grocery Store Sets California Solar Standard:
The new system will spare the air over 145 tons of harmful greenhouse gases annually. Over the next 30 years, the air pollution saved will be equivalent to taking 683 vehicles off our roads. The system will pay for itself in six to seven years and will accrue more than 1.5 million dollars in cost savings over the course of its 40-year life.

 
PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Oil delivery a surprise to couple with no tank:
KINGSTON, NY — Tuesday morning, the Kingston Oil Supply Co. stopped by Scott and Jennifer Ennis' home on Prospect Street and refilled the heating oil tank. Except, the Ennises don't have a tank; their house is heated by natural gas.

E-e-e-ew-w-ww!
- Frank

 
The Sin of Blasphemy - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com:
"I’m sure the members of the Christian Coalition won’t take my suggestions, but they might want to consider making a rule that anyone who calls himself a Christian has to have some passing acquaintance with the teachings of Jesus."

 
HoustonChronicle.com - Iraqi inmates nearly pulled 'Great Escape':
The 105th Military Police Battalion, charged with running Camp Bucca in the scorching desert of southernmost Iraq, knew something was amiss: Undetectable to the naked eye, the field's changing color was picked up by satellite imagery.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

 
Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Troops' Gravestones Have Pentagon Slogans:
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Unlike earlier wars, nearly all Arlington National Cemetery gravestones for troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are inscribed with the slogan-like operation names the Pentagon selected to promote public support for the conflicts.

 
Now, Google Is Tackling Talk:
The search giant will launch instant-messaging and Net-telephony products that promise to work with existing services -- if AOL and others agree

 
SEAN PENN IN IRAN - Day Three:
After a series of mysterious phone calls, arrangements are made to transport Sean Penn to a compound in the foothills of Tehran to meet with Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini.

 
Visalia Times Delta - www.visaliatimesdelta.com:
VISALIA, CA - In the Central Valley, stretching between San Joaquin and Kern counties, it is estimated that more than $10 million was lost last year to agricultural theft.

 
New taxes could slam Net phone users | CNET News.com:
A new proposal to federal regulators has once again raised the possibility of new taxes being levied on Internet phone users.

 
petroleumworld -Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuela's president :
Robertson: "He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he's going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent."

Hey robertson! Who else is on your list? Have you looked around at any other leader that needs to be eliminated for destroying an economy, using that as a launching pad for unrelated infiltrations, or spreading extremism? Oops, guess you missed the obvious while your mind was closed!

Like other major a**holes, your hypocrisy in hiding behind the "Christian" label will surely win the respect of other terrorists worldwide... ...as a role model for ignorance and hatred.

Here's hoping your evil brethren live by the Golden Rule.
- Frank



 
SEAN PENN IN IRAN - Day Two:
This is a country where over half the population is under 26 and, given a chance, would indeed move their nation toward a more secular democracy. It isn't just their declarations of love toward this traveling American. There is proof of it in their knowledge and excitement about our country. This interest was not created for my benefit. It was there when I arrived. Yet if the United States continues to pursue inflammatory rhetoric, like the 'Axis of Evil,' or worse, increased sanctions and potentially unjustified military action, you can't help wondering if it may move a heterogeneous country, well on its way to new ideas and pursuits of freedoms, into a homogenous monolith of hatred.

Monday, August 22, 2005

 
USATODAY.com - Calif. cities dominate insurers' list for auto theft:
Seven of the nation's Top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest auto theft rates for 2004 are in California. Five of those are in the Central Valley, the heart of the state's agriculture production and, increasingly, home to methamphetamine manufacturers and abusers, says William Ruzzamenti, director of the Central Valley High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.

 
USATODAY.com - Miss. town grapples with killer's release amid appeal:
Edgar Ray Killen, who was convicted June 21 of manslaughter in the 1964 slayings of civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, was freed Aug. 12 pending appeal by the same trial judge who sentenced him to 60 years in jail.

 
Military reopens probe of Tillman death / Inquiry into killing of football star to be reviewed:
The parents, Patrick and Mary Tillman, who live in San Jose, cautiously welcomed the new investigation and said they hoped it would reveal a fuller picture of how their son had died in Afghanistan.

'The other investigations were frauds,' Tillman's father, Patrick Tillman, said in a telephone interview with The Chronicle.

 
Bush Compares War on Terror to World Wars:
President Bush compared the fight against terrorism to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century as he tried to reassure an increasingly skeptical public on Monday to support U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

Ugh! 1246 days left in office. How did we ever let this person get in the White House?
- Frank

 
Canadian broadcasters wage labor war on the Web | CNET News.com:
A week after Canada's national broadcaster locked out its union workers, the journalists are laying plans for an independent online news site. The workers hope to have text articles and pictures up by next Monday, with a daily podcast by the following week.

 
Smugmug Combines Photography and Geography: Creates smugMaps:
'Travel and photos go together like peanut butter and jelly. Putting them together was a 'No duh' concept,' says Smugmug founder.

 
USATODAY.com - Conn. lawsuit challenges No Child Left Behind:
The state of Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging President Bush's No Child Left Behind school reform law, arguing it is illegal because it requires expensive testing and programs it doesn't pay for.

 
Synthesizer Innovator Robert A. Moog Dies:
Robert A. Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound and opened the musical wave that became electronica, has died. He was 71.

 
A Summer of Scandal for U.S. Politicians - Yahoo! News:
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is fighting ethics charges. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is too. And two federal lawmakers are under investigation over financial dealings.

 
Sixty-Something Stones Roll at Fenway - Yahoo! News:
It's been 43 years since the Stones first took shape and three years since they launched their 'Forty Licks' world tour, which many mistakenly believed would be the last for Jagger,
Keith Richards and the crew.

 
Firms Hit by ID Theft Find Way to Cash In on Victims - Yahoo! News:
Insurance companies, banks, law enforcement agencies and many arms of federal and local governments buy information from ChoicePoint to perform background checks on potential clients, tenants or employees. Now the Alpharetta, Ga., firm is finding a lucrative new business charging consumers worried about identity theft for access to their own criminal, education and employment histories.

ChoicePoint - A new synonym for sleazebag!
- Frank

 
SEAN PENN IN IRAN - Day One:
In June, Sean Penn and two friends traveled to Tehran. It was Penn's first trip to the country. What he found was a culture in conflict. Although the nation is ruled by a very conservative, tradition-bound government, Penn talked to many younger Iranians who have a strong interest in Western culture and want their own country to liberalize its policies on individual rights. Beginning today, The Chronicle will publish a five-day series of his reports from Iran:.

A fascinating, though somewhat frightening read.
- Frank

Sunday, August 21, 2005

 
USATODAY.com - Happiness: Overrated?:
New evidence suggests ultra-happy people may pay some surprising costs, University of Illinois psychologist Edward Diener told the American Psychological Association in a weekend report

 
GOP Senator Says Iraq Looking Like Vietnam:
A leading Republican senator and prospective presidential candidate said Sunday that the war in Iraq has destabilized the Middle East and is looking more like the Vietnam conflict from a generation ago.

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, who received two Purple Hearts and other military honors for his service in Vietnam, reiterated his position that the United States needs to develop a strategy to leave Iraq. Hagel scoffed at the idea that U.S. troops could be in Iraq four years from now at levels above 100,000, a contingency for which the Pentagon is preparing.

 
Some Claim Inventor Lemelson a Fraud - Yahoo! News:
Critics charge that for decades Lemelson manipulated the U.S. Patent Office. They accuse him of exploiting loopholes that forced 979 companies — including Ford, Dell, Boeing, General Electric, Mitsubishi and Motorola — to pay $1.5 billion in licensing fees.

Whew!
- Frank

Saturday, August 20, 2005

 
USATODAY.com - TV station refuses to air anti-war ad days before Bush visit:
The ad began airing on other area stations Saturday, two days before Bush was scheduled to speak in Salt Lake City to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

However, a national sales representative for KTVX, a local ABC affiliate, rejected the ad in an e-mail to media buyers, writing that it was an 'inappropriate commercial advertisement for Salt Lake City.'

 
village voice|nyclife|Durian, Durian, If only you were a mangosteen | Bites by Rachel Aviv: Mangosteen—widely considered the 'queen of all fruit'—carries too many flies to be permitted in the U.S.

 
News - theworldlink.com - Serving the Great South Coast of Oregon:
The curtain cloaking a potential deal between the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay and a large Asian industrial firm eyeing property at the North Spit was peeled back ever so slightly Thursday morning when Gov. Ted Kulongoski stopped in North Bend.

 
Women told to remove bra display - Sydney Morning Herald - smh.com.au:
A NSW council is under attack after forcing women behind a breast cancer awareness campaign to remove 2000 bras from the side of a local highway.

 
British Soldiers Get Germ-Fighting Undies - Yahoo! News:
LONDON - British troops combating the heat and dust of Iraq and Afghanistan have a new weapon in their armory — germ-fighting underwear. The antimicrobial underpants have been introduced by the Ministry of Defense as part of a new desert uniform for soldiers. They are the first undergarments issued to British troops, who traditionally have had to supply their own.

 
RenewableEnergyAccess.com | National Guard Training Center Goes Solar:
This 181 kW solar array, furnished by PowerLight Corporation, will generate the equivalent electricity during the day to power 150 homes. This will provide roughly 10 percent of the facility's energy needs.

 
Daytona businesses must sell property - OrlandoSentinel.com: Volusia County News:
Circuit Judge John W. Watson III gave the city approval to seize the three businesses in a ruling that echoes a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave cities the right to condemn private property in favor of other private development.

Watson ruled that Daytona Beach can force the sale of the holdout businesses because the redevelopment serves a public purpose by getting rid of crime and deteriorating buildings in a blighted neighborhood.

 
New York Daily News - Msgr. got 280G for a side job:
The motel-hopping monsignor of St. Patrick's Cathedral had a full-time job running the nation's most prominent church - but he also got a little something on the side.

 
Outdoors "Coral Spawning":
ISLAMORADA, FL - Divers will be flocking to the Florida Keys later this month to witness one of nature's most phenomenal nighttime extravaganzas.

 
Catholic Online - Cathcom - A la 'Matrix,' vocations recruitment poster shows priest as hero:
The poster, which is modeled after an advertisement for the movie 'The Matrix,' is the brainchild of Father Meyer. It features a priest in full cassock -- and the requisite Roman collar -- holding a cross in one hand and a rosary in the other. And he is wearing sunglasses.

 
MONEY Magazine - Aug. 20, 2005:
NEW YORK - The growth in condo-investing mythology may be more worrisome than the risk of overbuilding. Here are three whoppers that need reality checks.

 
Tainted Water at State Park Claims Victims in 20 Counties - New York Times:
State health officials said yesterday that the number of people who contracted a severe intestinal illness from a play area with sprinklers at Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva, N.Y., has soared to more than 1,700.

 
Army Planning for 4 More Years in Iraq - Yahoo! News:
Schoomaker's comments come amid indications from Bush administration officials and commanders in Iraq that the size of the U.S. force may be scaled back next year if certain conditions are achieved.

 
Bush Begins 5-Day Push to Defend Iraq War:
Bush is making a sell to a skeptical public. According to recent polls, a majority of Americans do not approve of his handling of the war.

And in contrast to the previous post, an American in the news to be ashamed of!
- Frank

 
The face behind Bush vigil:
Whether the president elects to meet with her or not, she has clearly reopened the debate and put a human face on it.

Nice to have an American in the news that we can be proud of!
- Frank

 
WorldNetDaily: City wants back rent from Kelo residents:
In the adding insult to injury category, the city officials that triumphed over a group of Connecticut homeowners in a landmark Supreme Court property-rights case are expecting those residents to pay the local government rent dating back to the year 2000.

 
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Climate change sceptics bet $10,000 on cooler world:
The pair, based in Irkutsk, at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, believe that global temperatures are driven more by changes in the sun's activity than by the emission of greenhouse gases. They say the Earth warms and cools in response to changes in the number and size of sunspots. Most mainstream scientists dismiss the idea, but as the sun is expected to enter a less active phase over the next few decades the Russian duo are confident they will see a drop in global temperatures.

 
New Scientist What if…? Exploring alternative scientific pasts - Features:
Who hasn't wondered what their life would be like today if some past event had turned out differently - that inconsequential decision, for example, that led you to meet the love of your life. Sometimes, small choices change everything. And that is just as true of world history as it is of your personal life.

 
MercuryNews.com | 08/20/2005 | Clack clack ding! Typewriters make comeback:
It's tough to tell how many young people are buying typewriters. Some pick up restored Remingtons and Royals in retail shops, but others find them in flea markets, at yard sales, on eBay or discarded on the street. Still, several Bay Area stores said they've seen a recent shift to younger customers, overtaking their traditional clientele of collectors and older folks who were never comfortable with computers. More than two-thirds of customers for typewriters and ribbons at California Typewriter Co. in Berkeley are in their 20s and 30s, employee Carmen Permillion said.

 
The Globe and Mail: Trading with the ‘schoolyard bully':
Last week, the U.S. government reneged on that agreement, and its successor, the 1993 North American free-trade agreement, by declaring that it would simply ignore the unanimous ruling of the ultimate free trade tribunal — a ruling that said the Americans had no right to impose tariffs on the import of Canadian softwood lumber.

 
Newsday.com: Bob Costas Refuses to Host Show on Holloway:
'I didn't think the subject matter of Thursday's show was the kind of broadcast I should be doing,' Costas said in a statement. 'I suggested some alternatives but the producers preferred the topics they had chosen. I was fine with that, and respectfully declined to participate.'

Hooray for Bob!
- Frank

 
Amazon.com Starts Selling Digital 'Shorts' - Yahoo! News:
SEATTLE - Amazon.com Inc. started selling new works of short literature and nonfiction Friday from authors who write them exclusively for the Internet retailer.

It won't be offering printed editions, just digital copies of short stories that can be e-mailed, downloaded or printed from a Web site for 49 cents a pop.

Link to Amazon Digital Shorts

 
Bush Begins 5-Day Push to Defend Iraq War - Yahoo! News:
Bush is making a sell to a skeptical public. According to recent polls, a majority of Americans do not approve of his handling of the war.

Still Clueless in Crawford!
- Frank

 
SAN FRANCISCO / SOUR ENDING / Parisian bread becomes toast as label's owner closes bakery:
The bankrupt Kansas City firm that owns three Bay Area bakeries killed one of the oldest names in San Francisco's sourdough French bread business Friday.

 
Drivers race for carpool permits for hybrids / At 1,000 applicants a day, some predict gas-saver gridlock:
Motorists who own one of three hybrid models -- the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the hybrid Honda Civic -- will be allowed to use carpool lanes without carrying other passengers, thanks to a provision in a federal energy bill signed by President Bush and state legislation signed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 
Georgia Town Hires Goats to Gobble Kudzu:
The city is trying goats because it is believed they will be cheaper than using chemicals to fight kudzu, an ever-expanding weed considered a pest in much of the South.

Friday, August 19, 2005

 
U.S. Retains Controversial Trucker Rule:
Truckers can still spend six days on the road during the week and drive for 11 hours at a time, thanks to a rule the Bush administration decided to leave intact even though truckers and safety advocates say it's unsafe.

For 60 years, truckers could drive for 10 consecutive hours. On Jan. 1, 2004, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration changed the rule to allow them another hour behind the wheel.

 
USATODAY.com - Nanotech researchers report big breakthrough:
'This is fundamentally a new material,' says team leader Ray Baughman of the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson.

 
National Geographic Goes Without Photo - Yahoo! News:
The single-topic September issue, on the complex problems and promise of Africa, is the magazine's first cover without a photograph or illustration since 1988 — and only the second since it began using cover photos regularly in 1959.

 
Hunt on for man who massacred ducklings outside US car wash: police - Yahoo! News:
The duck death toll from the August 5 carnage outside Delta Queen Classic Car Wash in Campbell rose to 11 on Tuesday after one of the wounded fowl was euthanized, Bryan Buell, assistant manager at the business, told AFP.

 
Border Troubles Divide U.S., States - Yahoo! News:
Last Friday, responding to pressure from border communities, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson declared an emergency in four counties that he said had been 'devastated by the ravages and terror of human smuggling, drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder, destruction of property and death of livestock.' On Monday, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano followed suit in four counties, declaring through a spokeswoman that the federal government 'has not done what it needs to do and has promised to do' to deal with the problem.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

 
Newsday.com: Bookworm Bush? Take it with grain of salt:
Come on, what is George W. Bush really reading this summer at the ranch?

And don't say, 'Middle East for Dummies.'

 
MercuryNews.com | 08/18/2005 | Coverup dismays some on S.J. council:
San Jose City Council members were disturbed -- and in some cases angered -- by disclosures published Wednesday that top city staffers hid from them and the public that a garbage rate hike passed two years ago was engineered to make good on a secret deal made by Mayor Ron Gonzales with the city's biggest waste hauler.

 
Chilly reception for Olympian's plan for ski jump in Pacific Heights:
'What the hell are you guys thinking?' said Bruce Miller, who lives in the area and, like most of the neighbors, just found out about the Aug. 27 event recently. 'The arrogance of this organization is outrageous. This whole thing is unacceptable.'

 
Poynter Online - Nicknames & Mascots: Complicity in Bigotry:
We are back here again in the infuriating debate over whose tradition is worth honoring; whether it's homage or insult to turn a people into a mascot.

 
Visalia Times Delta - Day assault on Mount Whitney - www.visaliatimesdelta.com:
At 14,496 feet tall, Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. To conquer it, you must survive a brutal 22-mile hike, climbing more than 6,000 feet in elevation — 11 miles up, 11 miles down — in some of the thinnest air around.

 
Sydney Morning Herald - Teachers rewrite sex education lessons - National - smh.com.au:
On the blackboard Rob Deacon has chalked the familiar outline of a woman's reproductive organs. But as the lesson at Lawrence Hargrave High School in Warwick Farm gets under way, it is clear sex education is not what it used to be.

 
Florida Homeowners to pay 6.8% bailout cost for Citizens:
Palm Beach Post - Florida's battered homeowner insurance consumers: Get ready to pay to prop up the state-sponsored home insurance company.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state's homeowner insurer of last resort, Wednesday approved a 6.8 percent one-time assessment on all homeowner policies in Florida — even those written by private insurers — to cover a $516 million deficit it incurred during last year's hurricane season. For homeowners statewide, that translates into an extra $68 they'll have to shell out for every $1,000 in annual insurance premiums they already pay.

 
Fancy Manhattan restaurant cans tip, opts for 20% automatic - Aug. 17, 2005:
Even if a literal fist fight is unlikely, the disparity is huge between what the kitchen staff earns and what waiters make.

Now, one New York eatery is taking steps in an attempt to close that gap, and it will take the discretionary tip out of the hands of the diner.

 


© Jim Borgman

 
USATODAY.com - Kodak ads build up its digital image:
NEW YORK — It won't be a snap to sharpen its image, but on Thursday night, Kodak begins a blitz of new ads and products designed to make consumers see it as a world-class digital-imaging company.

 
Adobe Plugs Code Execution Holes:
Because Adobe Reader is installed on most Windows computers to handle PDF (portable document format) files, security exporters are flagging the flaw as 'highly critical.'

Alerts aggregator Secunia Inc. is strongly recommending that users apply the vendor supplied patches at the earliest opportunity

 
RSS Mystifies Most Blog Readers:
Blog readers, thought of as a young and tech-savvy audience, by and large do not understand how RSS works, according to a recent study.

 
The not-so-incredible shrinking deficit | Economist.com:
GEORGE BUSH has the dubious distinction of presiding over the largest negative budget swing in American history: from a surplus of $236 billion in 2000, the year he was elected, to a deficit of $412 billion, or 3.6% of GDP, when he stood again in 2004. Even in an economy with output of around $12 trillion, $648 billion is a lot of money to misplace.

 
USATODAY.com - Want a sharp mind for your golden years? Start now:
Possible resources for the brain include:

• Mental stimulation.
• Higher education.
• Leisure activities.
• Aerobic exercise.
• Antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries and spinach.

 
She reopened debate about war, and, boy, is she hearing about it:
Cindy Sheehan has been called everything from a 'kook' to an anti-Semite by conservative bloggers and pundits over the past few days. But it's clear her message is reaching new audiences.

"I find it ironic that some of these people scrutinize everything I said, but they don't scrutinize everything that George Bush has said," Sheehan said.

All of the windbags (limbaugh, o'reilly, et al) are getting on the bandwagon now.
How about supporting our troops - by getting them out of Iraq, NOW!
- Frank

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

 
Dvorak Uncensored » Is Bush Close to Bonkers?

Check out this John C. Dvorak item.
- Frank

 
Uncle Sam Wants You In The Worst Way:
With an insurgency raging in Iraq and casualties rising, the U.S. Army faces one of the toughest marketing challenges around. Turned off by an increasingly unpopular war, thousands of young men and women who might typically have joined the military to get an education, jump-start their careers, or simply to defend their country are standing down. As a result, when the Army completes fiscal 2005 on Sept. 30, it is expected to be 7,000 short of its 80,000-person recruiting goal.

 
Dissecting the core of Apple's Mac Mini | CNET News.com:
The sleek Mac Mini from Apple Computer costs $499 at retail, but the total sum of the parts is less, says research firm iSuppli.

Analysts at the research firm dissected one of the Mac Mini computers and estimated that the total component bill likely comes to $274.69.

 
Regulators Approve SBC Purchase of AT&T:
New Jersey regulators on Wednesday approved the acquisition of AT&T Corp. by SBC Communications Inc. after securing a pledge from SBC that it would keep several AT&T facilities in the state.

 
USATODAY.com - Ohio gov. charged with four ethics violations over gifts:
Taft, a Republican and member of a distinguished U.S. political family, becomes the first governor in Ohio history to be charged with a crime. The charges are also an embarrassment for a politician who has pushed for high ethical standards in his office.

 
Perpendicular drives hit the market | CNET News.com:

GEEK NOTE

Toshiba says it has become the first manufacturer to commercially release hard drives with perpendicular recording platters, an industrywide innovation that greatly increases the amount of data a drive can hold.

 
World Peace Herald:
LONDON -- Leaked documents from the inquiry into the police killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, mistaken for a suicide bomber in the aftermath of the July 21 bomb attempts in London, apparently contradict the official police version of events leading up to the shooting. The revelations have led to calls for a public inquiry, and raised further questions over the police use of the shoot-to-kill policy against suspected suicide bombers.

 
San Francisco moves forward on citywide Wi-Fi plan
Taking a step toward bridging the so-called digital divide between the tech-savvy and people who can't afford computers, the city government on Tuesday issued guidelines for a plan to "ensure universal, affordable wireless broadband access for all San Franciscans.

 
One Happy Big-Box Wasteland / Oh my yes, there is indeed one force that is eating away the American soul like a cancer:
This is the new America. Our crazed sense of entitlement, our nearly rabid desire for easy access to mountains of bargain-basement junk has led to the upsurge of soulless big-box shops which has, in turn, led to a deadly sense of prefabricated, vacuous sameness wherever we go. And here's the kicker: We think it's good. We think it helps, brings jobs, tax money, affordable goods. We call it progress. We call it choice. It is the exact opposite.

Whew! I'm so glad some one has said this out loud!
- Frank

 
Mexico's Fox protests as second US state closes border - Yahoo! News:
Four days after New Mexico declared a 90 day state of emergency for border areas, Arizona did the same for its four counties on the Mexican frontier, citing uncontrolled illegal immigration.

 
Want a Wal-Mart job? Join the crowd / 11,000 apply for 400 openings at retailer's new Oakland store:
A study by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education last August found that Wal-Mart workers received lower wages than any other retail workers and were less likely to have health benefits. In addition, reliance by Wal-Mart employees on public assistance programs cost taxpayers an estimated $86 million annually, including $32 million in health-related expenses and $54 million in other assistance.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

 
USATODAY.com - 'Da Vinci' film divides British churches:
LONDON (AP) — Westminster Abbey said no, but Lincoln Cathedral was happy to oblige as was a small Scottish chapel. British churches are divided over whether to allow filming of The Da Vinci Code, an adaptation of Dan Brown's biblically revisionist megaseller.

 
Governor backs electronic tracking for sex offenders / Democrats say Schwarzenegger's proposal is about politics, not policy:
Tens of thousands of California sex offenders would be forced to wear electronic tracking devices for the rest of their lives under two new bills backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 
World News Article | Reuters.co.uk:
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - Antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, is moving her camp closer to President George W. Bush's Texas ranch.

The piece of private property was offered by a relative of a man who had a fired shotgun in frustration over the protests, a source in the Sheehan camp said. The property owner is also a veteran.

 
Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide:
Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A computer virus targeting Microsoft Corp.'s Windows software shut down machines at Time Warner Inc.'s CNN and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network.

 
Blogging to be free | Perspectives | CNET News.com:
Blogging is so decentralized that the complete suppression of dissent is becoming increasingly impractical.

 
Amazon A9 takes it to the streets | CNET News.com:
The company's A9 search subsidiary is expected on Tuesday to launch a beta of its new A9.com Maps service, which lets users see street-level photos of addresses as well as get map-based driving directions.

 
Another flaw hits Veritas backup tools | CNET News.com:

GEEK NOTE

By exploiting the flaw, an attacker could get remote access and download arbitrary files, the software maker said in an advisory released on Friday.

In my former life as a Lab Manager, I accidentally found that I could make a complete copy of all data on any network connected computer (even password protected servers that sat in badge protected server rooms)... ...any computer that is, that had Veritas backup software installed.
- Frank



 
Bush administration objects to .xxx domains | CNET News.com:
ICANN's vote this year represents an abrupt turnabout from the group's earlier stance. In November 2000, the ICANN staff objected to the .xxx domain and rejected ICM Registry's first application.

At the time, politicians lambasted ICANN's move. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., demanded to know why ICANN didn't approve .xxx 'as a means of protecting our kids from the awful, awful filth, which is sometimes widespread on the Internet.' Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., told (click for PDF) a federal commission that .xxx was necessary to force adult Webmasters to 'abide by the same standard as the proprietor of an X-rated movie theater.'

 
USATODAY.com - Copy-protection gear sneaks into products:
SAN FRANCISCO — Controversial copy-protection technology is quietly being added to e-books, CDs, DVDs and other products.

 
USATODAY.com - Millions of Americans get by on Social Security alone:
When Social Security was launched 70 years ago Sunday, it was meant to be a supplement for retirees, not a full pension. But today, 10.6 million people, or 22% of the 48 million who will receive Social Security benefits this year, live on that check alone, the Social Security Administration says.

Monday, August 15, 2005

 
USATODAY.com - Roberts scoffed at equal-pay theory:
WASHINGTON — As an assistant White House counsel in 1984, John Roberts scoffed at the notion that men and women should earn equal pay in jobs of comparable importance, and he belittled three female Republican members of Congress who promoted that idea to the Reagan administration.

 
High school students score well on exit exam; ethnic gaps persist:
State education officials announced the results as they released separate scores for statewide standardized tests. Those results showed improvement by the public schools but continuing gaps in the performance of ethnic groups.

 
Red Light Fright:
Roseville, CA - Red light runners may be thinking twice about motoring through intersections when they're supposed to stop, or at least that's the goal of the red light camera system operating at four Roseville intersections.

 
Despite 4 hurricanes in 2004, tourism up 7 percent - OrlandoSentinel.com::
HOLLYWOOD, FL -- Despite the four hurricanes of 2004, nearly 6 million more visitors came to Florida than the year before, a 7 percent rise attributed by Gov. Jeb Bush today to a diversity of attractions and quick action to get the message out that Florida was still 'open.'

 
National poverty does not affect political stability in China - PRAVDA.Ru:
Despite numerous streets protests and riots, China remains the world's fastest developing state

 
village voice > news > What Now, Karl? by Murray Waas:
Rove and Ashcroft face new allegations in the Valerie Plame affair

 
Top 10 dot-com flops - CNET.com:
The most astounding thing about the dot-com boom was the obscene amount of money that was spent.

 
The Union - Chuck Yeager breaks baking barrier, wins 1st place: "His butterscotch pie won first place in the 'men's only' category, a win that surprised the Penn Valley man who became famous after breaking the sound barrier almost 60 years ago. He had never entered a baking contest before but has been attending the fair since 1975."

 
Smartmoney.com: The Pro Shop: Should We Scrap the Tax Code?:
WHAT IF APRIL 15 WERE JUST another day? Just imagine: no more digging through shoe boxes full of receipts, no more standing in line at the post office, no more panicked calls to your accountant.

That's the vision syndicated talk-show host Neal Boortz and Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.) are trying to sell to the public.

Hmmm? I found this idea VERY intriguing, but also find it difficult to not be suspicious, considering the normally (IMHO) myopic views of Boortz and Linder.
- Frank

 
Viking ship built with 15 million ice cream sticks - Yahoo! News:
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A replica Viking ship made of 15 million ice cream sticks is to be launched in Amsterdam on Tuesday by a former Hollywood stuntman who hopes eventually to sail it across the Atlantic.

 
Troopers intercede in DUI for 'captain,' get tapped for promotion - Sunday, 08/14/05:
Two Tennessee Highway Patrol sergeants whose testimony helped an 'honorary captain' get his drunken-driving case dismissed in May were recommended for promotion on Thursday, just three days after Gov. Phil Bredesen called a halt to the honorary program.

Both troopers listed members of the drunken-driving suspect's influential West Tennessee family as job references on their applications for promotions.

 
Babies Caught Up in 'No-Fly' Confusion:
Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the U.S. because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the government's 'no-fly list.'

 
SAN FRANCISCO / The dark side of V-J Day / The story of the city's deadliest riot has been largely forgotten:
Today is the 60th anniversary of a terrible day in San Francisco's history -- a victory riot that left 11 dead, 1,000 injured and the city's reputation besmirched.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

 
Catching the 'Net:
Auburn, CA - Many choices can bring the world to just a click away.
If you're close enough to one of the many wireless towers in the area, wireless is a fast connection, as long as you don't have any pesky hills, trees or buildings in your line of sight.

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