Art or Bioterrorism: Who Cares?
By RU Sirius
September 26th, 2007
...
The FBI detained and questioned Kurtz for 22 hours. His house — and his wife's body — were confiscated. Kurtz' entire street was quarantined while agents from numerous agencies, including Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, descended on his home in hazmat suits. Everything was confiscated – computers, books on bioweaponry, garbage, posters with "suspicious" Arabic lettering on them… everything.
After about two days, the authorities had tested the biological materials and declared that no toxic material had been found. On May 17, Kurtz was allowed to return to his home.
...
My co-defendant Bob Ferrell and I are the first citizens to ever be indicted for mail or wire fraud because we supposedly broke a material transfer agreement. The “defrauded” parties do not believe we did anything to harm them — the crime is a DoJ fantasy that they hope to prove. We’ll see at trial if rationality prevails.
If it doesn’t, the case will set a precedent that will mean that the Justice Department can drop a major felony on someone for filling out a warranty card incorrectly and mailing it. This will be a major tool for them. Talk about being able to pick off people at will!
...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Creature from Jekyll Island
...
The typical American, if he or she has given any thought to the matter, would consider the following statements to be true: The Federal Reserve is federal, i.e., a part of the US government. The Federal Reserve is a reserve, i.e., it has monetary savings of real value. The Federal Reserve serves the public, and is not a cartel of private banks serving itself. The US dollar has real value, i.e., it represents tangible wealth, such as gold securely stored at Fort Knox. Inflation is an increase in prices. Inflation is caused by greedy companies, not the US government or the Federal Reserve.
As G. Edward Griffin makes clear in his book, none of these beliefs are true — regardless of how well entrenched they are in our conventional "wisdom." He also explains why the US government and the Federal Reserve have their own reasons for being in no hurry to eliminate this ignorance. Yet these topics are just a small portion of what is covered in his far-ranging discussion of the theory and history of money and banking, particularly within the United States.
...
The typical American, if he or she has given any thought to the matter, would consider the following statements to be true: The Federal Reserve is federal, i.e., a part of the US government. The Federal Reserve is a reserve, i.e., it has monetary savings of real value. The Federal Reserve serves the public, and is not a cartel of private banks serving itself. The US dollar has real value, i.e., it represents tangible wealth, such as gold securely stored at Fort Knox. Inflation is an increase in prices. Inflation is caused by greedy companies, not the US government or the Federal Reserve.
As G. Edward Griffin makes clear in his book, none of these beliefs are true — regardless of how well entrenched they are in our conventional "wisdom." He also explains why the US government and the Federal Reserve have their own reasons for being in no hurry to eliminate this ignorance. Yet these topics are just a small portion of what is covered in his far-ranging discussion of the theory and history of money and banking, particularly within the United States.
...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
UK Foot-and-mouth Disease At UK Farm
UK Authorities Confirm Foot-and-mouth Disease At UK Farm
U.K. authorities confirmed the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease Wednesday at a farm on the outskirts of London, sparking concerns among anxious farmers hoping to avoid a repeat of a similar crisis that gripped their industry last month.
The highly contagious disease was found in cattle grazing in Surrey, a county that borders London, and close to a laboratory that was linked to the August outbreak, said U.K. chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds.
...
U.K. authorities confirmed the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease Wednesday at a farm on the outskirts of London, sparking concerns among anxious farmers hoping to avoid a repeat of a similar crisis that gripped their industry last month.
The highly contagious disease was found in cattle grazing in Surrey, a county that borders London, and close to a laboratory that was linked to the August outbreak, said U.K. chief veterinary officer, Debby Reynolds.
...
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Wednesday, September 12, 2007
We've never done it before, so we can't.
Government resistance to change.
Bureaucrats have no sense of style
The Gazette
Published: Monday, September 10
Planning to open one of their sleek superstores at 1321 Ste. Catherine St. W., Apple Inc. is investing heavily, as always, in design. It would be a nice touch, the company thought, to simplify the look of the shop by getting rid of the three parking meters out front.
So Apple made Ville-Marie borough an offer: "three meters, $3 an hour, so many hours a week, carry the 3 .... we'll give you about $35,000 to cover the lost revenue from those meters over five years. How about it?"
...
But bureaucrats say no; that's what they do. "We've never done it before, so we can't."
...
Bureaucrats have no sense of style
The Gazette
Published: Monday, September 10
Planning to open one of their sleek superstores at 1321 Ste. Catherine St. W., Apple Inc. is investing heavily, as always, in design. It would be a nice touch, the company thought, to simplify the look of the shop by getting rid of the three parking meters out front.
So Apple made Ville-Marie borough an offer: "three meters, $3 an hour, so many hours a week, carry the 3 .... we'll give you about $35,000 to cover the lost revenue from those meters over five years. How about it?"
...
But bureaucrats say no; that's what they do. "We've never done it before, so we can't."
...
Duke Lacrosse, Duke Trustees
Duke Trustees:
2007-2008
Mrs. Anne T. Bass
Fort Worth, TX
Mrs. Janet Hill
Great Falls, VA
Ms. Nancy A. Nasher
Dallas, TX
The Hon. Daniel Terry Blue, Jr.*
Raleigh, NC
Mr. Kenneth W. Hubbard
New York, NY
Dr. Clarence G. Newsome
Raleigh, NC
Mr. Jack O. Bovender, Jr. Nashville, TN
Dr. Kimberly J. Jenkins*
Chapel Hill, NC
Dr. Uwe E. Reinhardt
Princeton, NJ
Dr. Richard H. Brodhead*
Durham, NC
Mr. Bruce A. Karsh*
Los Angeles, CA
Mr. David M. Rubenstein
Washington, DC
Dr. Paula Phillips Burger*
Baltimore, MD
Mr. J. J. Kiser III
Pawleys Island, SC
Mr. Alan D. Schwartz
New York, NY
Mr. Thomas C. Clark
New York, NY
Dr. Elizabeth Kiss
Decatur, GA
Rev. Charles M. Smith
Raleigh, NC
Mrs. Paula Hannaway Crown
Chicago, IL
Dr. Justin Klein
Baltimore, MD
Mrs. Susan M. Stalnecker*
Greenville, DE
The Hon. Christine M. Durham*
Salt Lake City, UT
Mrs. Carol Louise Anspach Kohn*
Highland Park, IL
Mr. Robert King Steel, Chair*
New York, NY
Mr. Frank E. Emory, Jr.*
Charlotte, NC
Ms. Marguerite W. Kondracke Washington, DC
Mr. James L. Vincent
Weston, MA
Ms. Robin A. Ferracone
San Marino, CA
Mr. John J. Mack
New York, NY Mr. Anthony Vitarelli
New Haven, CT
Mr. David Gergen
Cambridge, MA
Dr. Michael Marsicano
Charlotte, NC
Mr. G. Richard Wagoner, Jr.*
Detroit, MI
Mr. Brandon J. Goodwin
Philadelphia, PA
Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey
Charlotte, NC
Dr. Lewis T. Williams
South San Francisco , CA
Dr. Thomas M. Gorrie*
Pennington, NJ
* Member of the Executive Committee
Last Updated July 1, 2006
Office of the University Secretary
Thursday, September 06, 2007
TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
Childhood TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
...
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a large long-term study.
The roughly 40% increase in attention problems among "heavy" TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Erik Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, wrote in his report, published in Pediatrics on Tuesday.
...
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Breathalayzer Source Code
Source code standoff in breathalyzer case
Minnesota authorities have missed a court-imposed deadline for turning over the source code for a breath-testing machine at the heart of a a high-profile dispute that recently made it to the state's Supreme Court.
That means now there's a greater chance that charges could be dropped against third-degree DUI defendant Dale Lee Underdahl.
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN is used in more than 20 states, according to the manufacturer.
(Credit: Connecticut Department of Public Safety)
The next step is a court hearing scheduled for September 19, Underdahl's attorney, Jeffrey Sheridan, told CNET News.com in a phone interview on Tuesday. At the hearing, Sheridan is expected to ask the judge to throw out any evidence the state had obtained using the the Intoxilyzer 5000EN. If the judge agrees, at least one charge--that his client was driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08--would likely be dismissed.
...
Drunk driving cases turn on source code
Breath test company refuses to disclose code, to defense lawyers' delight
Updated: 3:45 p.m. MT March 12, 2006
MIAMI - Timothy Muldowny's lawyers decided on an unconventional approach to fight his drunken driving case: They sought computer programming information for the Intoxilyzer alcohol breath analysis machine to see whether his test was accurate.
Their strategy paid off.
The company that makes the Intoxilyzer refused to reveal the computer source code for its machine because it was a trade secret. A county judge tossed out Muldowny's alcohol breath test — a crucial piece of evidence in a DUI case — and the ruling was upheld by an appeals court in 2004.
...
Minnesota authorities have missed a court-imposed deadline for turning over the source code for a breath-testing machine at the heart of a a high-profile dispute that recently made it to the state's Supreme Court.
That means now there's a greater chance that charges could be dropped against third-degree DUI defendant Dale Lee Underdahl.
The Intoxilyzer 5000EN is used in more than 20 states, according to the manufacturer.
(Credit: Connecticut Department of Public Safety)
The next step is a court hearing scheduled for September 19, Underdahl's attorney, Jeffrey Sheridan, told CNET News.com in a phone interview on Tuesday. At the hearing, Sheridan is expected to ask the judge to throw out any evidence the state had obtained using the the Intoxilyzer 5000EN. If the judge agrees, at least one charge--that his client was driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08--would likely be dismissed.
...
Drunk driving cases turn on source code
Breath test company refuses to disclose code, to defense lawyers' delight
Updated: 3:45 p.m. MT March 12, 2006
MIAMI - Timothy Muldowny's lawyers decided on an unconventional approach to fight his drunken driving case: They sought computer programming information for the Intoxilyzer alcohol breath analysis machine to see whether his test was accurate.
Their strategy paid off.
The company that makes the Intoxilyzer refused to reveal the computer source code for its machine because it was a trade secret. A county judge tossed out Muldowny's alcohol breath test — a crucial piece of evidence in a DUI case — and the ruling was upheld by an appeals court in 2004.
...
Whole population and every UK visitor should be added to the national DNA database
The whole population and every UK visitor should be added to the national DNA database, a senior judge has said.
The present database in England and Wales holds details of 4m people who are guilty or cleared of a crime.
Lord Justice Sedley said this was indefensible and biased against ethnic minorities, and it would be fairer to include everyone, guilty or innocent.
Ministers said DNA helped tackle crime, but there were no plans for a voluntary national or compulsory UK database.
The present database in England and Wales holds details of 4m people who are guilty or cleared of a crime.
Lord Justice Sedley said this was indefensible and biased against ethnic minorities, and it would be fairer to include everyone, guilty or innocent.
Ministers said DNA helped tackle crime, but there were no plans for a voluntary national or compulsory UK database.
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