The Plug Nickel Times is proud to bring you website links to news information that you may not find through your local media. All links are offsite unless otherwise noted - followed links should open in another browser window. Links can become dated or otherwise fail to function, for this reason we quote the actual headline of an article. This may allow you to find an alternate copy of the article through a news index or search engine. Some sites we link to may require a registration process to view an article - this website may be useful to you in those instances. Comments, corrections and submissions are welcome - an email link is at the bottom of the page.
October 1-15, 2004
October 15, 2004
U.S. Pounds Fallujah As Ramadan Begins
US sends Fallujah a warning with punishing air and artillery blitz
U.S. forces arrest Iraqi negotiator
"U.S. forces have arrested Falluja's chief negotiator after air strikes on the rebel-held city that were part of a U.S. drive to thwart attacks in Iraq during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan."
Platoon defies orders in Iraq
"A 17-member Army Reserve platoon with troops from Jackson and around the Southeast deployed to Iraq is under arrest for refusing a 'suicide mission' to deliver fuel, the troops' relatives said Thursday. The soldiers refused an order on Wednesday to go to Taji, Iraq - north of Baghdad - because their vehicles were considered "deadlined" or extremely unsafe, said Patricia McCook of Jackson, wife of Sgt. Larry O. McCook."
Platoon accused of refusing convoy assignment
"The story about a platoon of the 343rd, based about 175 miles south of Baghdad at Tallil, was first reported in the Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi. Queries to the press center after the story was published, Boylan said, eclipsed those about offensive operations in Fallujah."
Secret papers warned Blair war on Iraq was 'illegal'
"Secret government documents show that Tony Blair was warned by his own advisers a year before going to war that there was no growing threat from Saddam Hussein and that invading Iraq would be illegal."
U.S. Embassy Staffers Urged to Leave Haiti
Auditors Can't Account for Iraq Spent Funds
"U.S. and Iraqi officials doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in oil proceeds and other moneys for Iraqi projects earlier this year, but there was little effort to monitor or justify the expenditures, according to an audit released Thursday."
Bush special envoy embroiled in controversy over Iraq debt
"President Bush's special envoy, James Baker, who has been trying to persuade the world to forgive Iraq's crushing debts, is simultaneously working for a commercial concern that is trying to recover money from Iraq, according to confidential documents."
Bush plays his deficit shell game
"In his final debate with Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday night, President Bush reiterated his pledge to cut the nation's record budget deficit in half by the end of one more term in office.
"It requires pro-growth policies that grow our economy and fiscal sanity in the halls of Congress," he declared.
A day later, Bush's Treasury secretary, John Snow, told the halls of Congress that he's taking the extreme step of using government workers' pension money to avoid increased borrowing that would push the Bush administration past a $7.38 trillion debt ceiling."
"ACHTUNG! YOUR PASSPORT, BITTE"
"Does an article in The New York Times 10/11/04 entitled 'Congress Close to Establishing Rules for Drivers' Licenses', by Matthew L. Wald , have anything to do with the Bush Administration's hiring of ex-KGB Chiefs Primakov (also former President of Russia and close associate of Saddam Hussein) and Karpov to work in the Office of Information Awareness (DARPA) to help in designing an internal passport, about which I have written several times?"
Police use pepper-filled paintballs on protesters
"Police in riot gear fired paintballs filled with cayenne pepper Thursday night to disperse a crowd of protesters assembled in this historic gold mining town where President Bush was spending the night after a campaign appearance."
There's something happening here... and it's really quite clear. (fwiw)
October 14, 2004
US planes hit Falluja
"The US military has announced the start of major military operations around Falluja as it launched air strikes on the Iraqi city."
U.S. Warplanes Pound Iraq's Falluja
Suicide Bombs Kill 5 in Baghdad's Green Zone
Iraq N-Sites Were Stripped Methodically-Diplomats
"The mysterious removal of Iraq's mothballed nuclear facilities continued long after the U.S.-led invasion and was carried out by people with access to heavy machinery and demolition equipment, diplomats said on Thursday."
Britain withdraws outspoken envoy
"The final straw may have been a memo written by Mr Murray to his superiors which was leaked last week. In it, he reported that British intelligence agents in the country routinely accepted information from Uzbek security forces that they knew had been obtained by torture."
Servers seized by FBI returned - but who wanted what?
"Although the data on the drives appears intact, Indymedia is treating them as potentially compromised, and won't boot them or take the servers live until they've been verified. Depending on what was done to them when they were in the hands of, er, whoever, there may be some slight chance that the verification will throw up some clues. And if information was being sought as evidence in a pending court case, then information on how this evidence was obtained and by what process will also have to be produced. If the process turns out not to have been one that would be accepted by a court, then it will be likely that direct evidence-gathering was not the intent. Which would raise even more questions about the validity of the use of an MLAT, and the Home Office's involvement in it."
October 13, 2004
Falluja Negotiator: Iraq Govt.'s Demand Absurd
"Iraq's interim prime minister has threatened to attack Falluja unless it turns in foreign militants, but a negotiator for the rebel-held city said on Thursday its people were being asked to chase shadows."
Smells a lot like a threat of collective punishment to me.
State Department Opposes Anti-Semitism Law
"Congress passed The Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004 over the weekend and sent it to President Bush. The legislation also would set up an office in the department to counter anti-Semitism."
Democrats, Republicans Charge Vote Improprieties
"The reports from Nevada and Oregon, and similar concerns expressed in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Maine and Missouri, were the latest in a series of alleged campaign dirty tricks involving groups aligned to both major parties. Election officials in several states have turned over thousands of suspicious voter registration forms for investigation, many of them with bogus addresses, fictitious names or forged signatures."
FEC May Regulate Web Political Activity
"But vice chairwoman Ellen Weintraub said the Internet may prove to be an unavoidable area for the six-member commission, regardless of what happens with the ruling. 'I don't think anybody here wants to impede the free flow of information over the Internet,' Weintraub said. 'The question then is, where do you draw the line?'"
October 12, 2004
Civilians killed in Falluja missile strike
US, Iraqi forces raid Ramadi mosques
Chinese hostage crisis hits impasse
"A Pakistani rebel leader refused to meet a council of tribal elders trying to secure the release of two Chinese hostages held by his group."
CIA holding Al-Qaida suspects in secret Jordanian lockup
"Haaretz's international intelligence sources are considered experts in surveillance and analysis of Al-Qaida and are involved in interrogating the detainees."
New bill in US calls for rating countries on treatment of Jews
"US Jewish organizations have hailed final congressional approval of a bill that compels the State Department to create a special office to monitor anti-Semitic abuses around the world and compile annual reports rating countries on their treatment of Jews."
Voter Registrations Possibly Trashed
"The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes. The out-of-state firm has been in Las Vegas for the past few months, registering voters. It employed up to 300 part-time workers and collected hundreds of registrations per day, but former employees of the company say that Voters Outreach of America only wanted Republican registrations."
October 11, 2004
U.S. Says Warplanes Hit Zarqawi Site in Falluja
"Witnesses in Falluja said the attack killed two civilian guards at Falluja's most popular restaurant. Reuters television footage showed a sign from the kebab restaurant on the ground as the restaurant burned."
UN: Iraqi Nuclear-Related Materials Have Vanished
"Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons are disappearing from Iraq but neither Baghdad nor Washington appears to have noticed, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported on Monday."
Wide attacks threatened if US enters Fallujah
"Insurgent groups have vowed to unleash a wave of bloody attacks in seven provinces, including Baghdad, if US forces enter their stronghold in the city of Fallujah, representatives of jihad and resistance groups said."
U.S.: Detained al-Qaeda Suspects 'Disappeared'
"At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have 'disappeared' in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured."
MI6 accused of using data gained by torture in Uzbek jails
"Craig Murray said that information extracted from prisoners tortured in the central Asian republic's jails was being passed on via the United States' CIA to MI6, the secret intelligence service. As well as denouncing the use of such material as morally and legally wrong, Mr Murray warned that information gathered in this way was unlikely to be reliable, as victims would say whatever they thought their tormentors wanted to hear."
Major Assaults on Hold Until After U.S. Vote
"The Bush administration plans to delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race."
A partial attack would set back Iran's nukes - Jaffee Center head
"Even a partial strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set back Teheran's efforts to get nuclear weapons, the head of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies said Monday."
Hilton chain asked to compensate Sinai victims
"An Israeli attorney demanded Monday that the Hilton hotel chain compensate the victims of last Thursday's Sinai terror attacks who were staying at the Taba Hilton. The attorney, Moshe Zingel, sent a letter to the hotel chain Monday, asking it to accept responsibility for the security and belongings of the guests at its hotels."
U.S. Funds Chat-Room Surveillance Study
"The $157,673 grant comes from the National Science Foundation's Approaches to Combat Terrorism program. It was selected in coordination with the nation's intelligence agencies. The NSF's Leland Jameson said the foundation judged the proposal strictly on its broader scientific merit, leaving it to the intelligence community to determine its national security value. Neither the CIA nor the FBI would comment on the grant, with a CIA spokeswoman citing the confidentiality of sources and methods."
France May Allow Jamming of Mobile Phones
"The government's industry minister has approved a decision to let cinemas, concert halls and theaters install cell phone jammers..."
October 10, 2004
21 Dead, 16 Injured in Car Bombs - 2 US Soldiers announced Killed
This Sunday in Iraq by Juan Cole
CACI Int'l v. NewStandard: Goliath Stirs
"The lawyers who wrote us the scolding letter (Steptoe and Johnson LLP -- you can't make this stuff up, folks) are upset that we have "cast aspersions" on the "character, prestige and standing" of CACI International -- Steptoe's client -- "within its field of business." They say our article "constitutes defamation," and they point out that it does so "per se" (which means they couldn't write a whole letter without using an impressive legal term)."
Four dead in blast at Shiite mosque as sectarian violence spikes in Pakistan
"The mosque bombing was the third this month against a religious target in Punjab in apparent rising strife between Shiite and Sunni Muslims."
Was the seizure of Indymedia's servers in London unlawful or did the UK government collude?
"On Thursday 7 October a US subpoena was issued ordering the London office of Rackspace (a US company) to take down and hand over Indymedia's web servers which it hosted. An FBI spokesman, Joe Parris, told AFP that: 'It is not an FBI operation. Through a legal assistance treaty, the subpoena was on behalf of a third country'. The subpoena he confirmed had been issued at the request of Swiss and Italian authorities. He further said that there was no US investigation but that the agency had cooperated under the terms of an international treaty on law enforcement."
Home Office in frame over FBI's London server seizures
"The US seizure of two Indymedia servers in London last Thursday is likely to have needed the approval of UK Home Secretary David Blunkett, but Blunkett may have acted on tenuous legal grounds, according to a Statewatch analysis. Statewatch considers that the seizure is likely to have been made under a US-UK Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) of 1996, but it seems doubtful that the Indymedia request could have been justified under even the broad terms of this treaty."
Distortions Galore at Second Presidential Debate
Jewish Groups Scramble To Head Off Divestment Push
"In an effort to head off anti-Israel divestment efforts, a bipartisan group of 13 congressmen sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce stating that such campaigns violate America's laws regarding the Arab boycott of Israel. The letter, which was initiated by the Zionist Organization of America, was sent to the Commerce's Office of Anti-boycott Compliance. The congressmembers urged the office to 'investigate the national boycott campaign against Israel, shut down the illegal divestment campaigns and impose the appropriate penalties.'"
Michael Badnarik arrested
"The first report from St. Louis is in - and presidential candidates Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) and David Cobb (Green Party) were just arrested. Badnarik was carrying an Order to Show Cause, which he intended to serve the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Earlier today, Libertarians attempted to serve these same papers at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the CPD - but were stopped from approaching the CPD office by security guards."
Legislators exploring ways to regulate space tourism
"In the afterglow of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne winning a $10 million prize for the first private reusable spacecraft, House and Senate negotiators had hoped to be able to get a bill approved this year providing regulatory guidance for the new space-tourism industry."
Company Sued for Not Paying Bathroom Attendants
"The complaint says Royal Flush required workers to pay a "lease fee" proportional to the tips collected during each shift, in which attendants hover near bathroom sinks to assist patrons and provide dispensers of after-shave lotion, cologne, mouthwash and other supplies. 'The idea of people working without wages and having to pay a fee to stand in a bathroom and wait for tips is unconscionable,' Spitzer said. 'The arrangement violated state labor law, and deprived people of the dignity of the minimum wage.'"
Hah!! The guys probably made at least 3 times that much on tips, and off the books! It's called a 'service' job, and tips are a great measure of performance. It figures that some bureaucrat wouldn't be able to get a grip on that concept!
October 8, 2004
National ID card feared in license standards
"Proposed federal standards for new driver's licenses contained in the intelligence-reform bill moving through Congress creates a national identification card, according to civil liberties groups on both sides of the aisle."
U.S.: No-Fly List Created With No Rules
"One heavily blacked-out document, a report by the General Accounting Office, says getting on a list is guided by two 'primary' principles: One is whether various intelligence agencies view an individual as a 'potential threat to U.S. civil aviation.' The other is whether the agency requesting someone be put on a list has provided enough information to identify the person to be flagged at the check-in counter."
October 7, 2004
Report: U.S. Strike Kills 11 at Iraqi Wedding
Rockets hit Sheraton in central Baghdad
Report: U.S. Spent $1.2B to Rebuild Iraq
"Less than seven percent of the $18.4 billion that Congress approved last year to rebuild Iraq has been spent, the Bush administration said Wednesday in its latest report on progress there."
FBI seizes Global Indymedia Servers. Reasons Unknown
Senate Wants Database Dragnet
"The Senate could pass a bill as early as Wednesday evening that would let government counter-terrorist investigators instantly query a massive system of interconnected commercial and government databases that hold billions of records on Americans."
Panel: DeLay's golf outing for energy executives looked improper
"While there was no evidence DeLay took official action because of the event, the ethics investigators said the fund-raiser left the impression that beneficial action could be obtained with campaign contributions. 'At a minimum, his (DeLay's) conduct created at least the appearance that donors were being provided with special access to Representative DeLay regarding the then-pending energy legislation,' the bipartisan committee said."
Woman recounts officer killing of friend
"A woman who had been stopped for speeding said she watched as a police officer shot her boyfriend. She said the incident was unprovoked, but a state police spokesman said the officer feared for his life."
October 6, 2004
At Least 19 Killed in Violence, over 2 Dozen Wounded by Juan Cole
Cheney & Edwards Mangle Facts
Highway closed for 3 hours - Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad searched automobile east of Jay
"'Delaware County deputies inquired about the suspicious items on top of the subject's car. The subject told deputies that they would have to talk to the CIA and FBI about it and refused to answer further questions,' said Eberle in the written release."
FBI familiar with mysterious traveler
"A man responsible for the closing of a state highway in Delaware County for three hours is familiar to the FBI, Undersheriff Dale Eberle said Monday. A two-mile stretch of State Highway 20, east of Jay, was closed Saturday while an Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad searched the man's car."
Man shot in head had no weapon
"Capas said Rodriguez was shot after initially fleeing from a Border Patrol agent's attempt to make a stop about noon. By the time Rodriguez pulled over a few minutes later, several agents were at the scene. As agents walked up to the vehicle, Rodriguez leaned to the right and one of the agents fired his weapon, striking Rodriguez in the head, officials said. The FBI is investigating the case as an assault on a federal officer, said Susan Herskovits, an agency spokeswoman."
October 5, 2004
Top PM aide: Gaza plan aims to freeze the peace process
"Weisglass, who was one of the initiators of the disengagement plan, added, 'And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress.'"
50,000 trapped by Israeli assault on Gaza
"Israeli forces have demolished the homes of hundreds of Palestinians, bulldozed swaths of agricultural land and destroyed infrastructure in their bloodiest assault on the Gaza Strip in years."
IDF tank fire kills three Palestinians in Gaza
"Israel Defense Forces tanks shelled the north Gaza town of Beit Lahiya early Wednesday, killing three Palestinians and wounding 10 children in their houses, witnesses and medics said."
Israel Kills Islamic Jihad Leader in Gaza Strike
Israel arrests UN employees, kills Islamic Jihad leader
"Israel has arrested 13 UN employees and plans to indict them for 'suspected links to terrorism' an Israeli army officer said."
Stocks Lower as Oil Breaches $51/Barrel
CIA Report Finds No Conclusive Zarqawi-Saddam Link
"Earlier on Tuesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan reasserted that there was a relationship between Saddam and Zarqawi. 'He was in contact from Baghdad with Ansar al-Islam in the northeastern part of Iraq. He had a cell operating from Baghdad during that period, as well. So there are clearly ties between Iraq and -- between the regime, Saddam Hussein's regime and al Qaeda,' McClellan told reporters."
Cheney Sticks with Al Qaeda, Saddam Link
"Cheney, often criticized for saying Iraq and Al Qaeda were allies to justify last year's invasion of Iraq, said of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: 'He had an established relationship with Al Qaeda.'"
Three Bush Officials Probed in Boeing Tanker Deal
Air Force Looks at New Microwave Weapon
"The Air Force expects planes will be able to fire non-lethal microwave rays at enemy ground troops with the help of a new superconducting generator system developed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base after about 25 years of research."
Kids Need Help Staying Slim, Congress Told
"Schools may need more money and regulators may need more authority to help America's children from spiraling into obesity, experts and politicians told Congress on Tuesday."
House OKs Bill to Shield GIs from Abusive Sales
"Legislation to protect U.S. soldiers from predatory life insurance and mutual fund sales on military bases was approved overwhelmingly on Tuesday by the U.S. House of Representatives."
Tax on Men for Violence on Women Proposed
"A group of Swedish parliamentarians proposed levying a 'man tax' to cover the social cost of violence against women."
"'We must have a discussion where men understand they as a group have a responsibility,' said Schyman, one of the party members to sign the motion for debate on the new tax."
October 4, 2004
41 Dead, over 100 Wounded - 2 US soldiers Killed Sunday by Juan Cole
"It seems to me that the likelihood that the US can defeat the Sadrists in Sadr City with tanks and AC-130s is extremely low, and that they are almost certainly driving more Shiites into Muqtada's arms. Since the "Mahdi Army" is really just poor Shiite young men with guns and rpg's, and since most poor young men have weapons, there are probably a good hundred thousand potential Sadrist fighters in the slum. The US cannot kill more than a small fraction of them if it isn't going to commit genocide, and the ones it doesn't kill are probably going to remain angry and take up arms themselves."
Car bombs kill 26 in Baghdad and Mosul
Fighting Flares in Baghdad Slum After Car Bombs
"Witnesses said American AC-130 aircraft pounded suspected rebel positions in Sadr City, but there was no immediate word on casualties and the U.S. military said it had no information on the fighting."
How US fuelled myth of Zarqawi the mastermind
"Several sources said the importance of Zarqawi, blamed for many of the most spectacular acts of violence in Iraq, has been exaggerated by flawed intelligence and the Bush administration's desire to find "a villain" for the post-invasion mayhem."
Poland unexpectedly says troops may quit Iraq in 2005
Arab Nations at UN Demand Israel Stop Gaza Attacks
Rumsfeld: No 'Hard Evidence' of Iraq-Al Qaeda Link
"Rumsfeld said President Bush made the judgment that Saddam 'ran a vicious regime that had used weapons of mass destruction on its own people, as well as its neighbors, and that it was important to set that right by removing that regime before they, in fact, did gather weapons of mass destruction, either themselves or transferring them to terrorist networks.' Before the war, U.S. officials spoke of Iraq already possessing weapons of mass destruction, not a potential for gathering them."
Top Court Upholds Do-Not-Call Registry
"'We hold that the do-not-call registry is a valid commercial speech regulation because it directly advances the government's important interests in safeguarding personal privacy and reducing the danger of telemarketing abuse without burdening an excessive amount of speech,' the appeals court said."
Air Force pursuing antimatter weapons
"Following an initial inquiry from The Chronicle this summer, the Air Force forbade its employees from publicly discussing the antimatter research program. Still, details on the program appear in numerous Air Force documents distributed over the Internet prior to the ban."
Probes take their toll on Iraq contractor
"Some outside analysts argue that the company and the Bush administration have at least indirectly created some of these problems. 'When they complain about a political witch-hunt, they have only themselves to blame for opening the doors up, by not following the rules,' says Singer. 'The procurement system is set up to keep political interests out of the contract awarding process. But in this case, you had individuals from both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Office of the Vice President who were linked to, either through knowledge of or influence over, the process -- and in either case it's inappropriate.'"
Ex-Pentagon procurement executive gets jail time
"Darleen Druyun, former No. 2 acquisition executive for the Air Force, was sentenced to nine months in prison on Friday for negotiating a job with Boeing at the same time she was involved in contracts with the company, the nation's second-largest Defense contractor."
October 3, 2004
Retaking of Samarra completed by Rick Lyman of the New York Times
"'I guess it's about over,' said Lieutenant Colonel David Hubner, commander of one of the four U.S. battalions that joined two Iraqi battalions in the battle for Samarra. Hubner was resting in the cool afternoon gloom of the living room of a house that he had commandeered for his headquarters in southern Samarra."
"The quick and relatively bloodless retaking of Samarra, a city that had fallen under the control of fundamentalists and other anti-government insurgents, was welcome news to U.S. forces and to Iraq's provisional government."
It's not that the pen is mightier than the sword, but that it could be... relatively - of course.
US forces to 'flatten Falluja' before Iraq's first vote
"As the insurgency in Iraq intensifies and the conflict dominates the political agenda, US military strategists aim to have quelled all rebel controlled parts of the country before the January election."
WSJ Editor Backs Iraq Screed
"Wall Street Journal Editor Paul Steiger has come to the defense of his beleaguered Baghdad correspondent, who blasted the war in Iraq as a "disaster" that has deteriorated "into a raging barbaric guerilla war" that will haunt the United States for decades.
Israel is expanding Gaza offensive
October 1, 2004
Pentagon wants 'uplifting accounts' about Iraq
"The Bush administration, The Washington Post reports Thursday, worried that negative stories like these are dominating the news headlines during an election period, has decided to send out Iraq Americans to bring what the Defense Department calls 'the good news' about the situation in Iraq to US military bases. The Post also reports that the administration is moving to 'curtail distribution' of reports that show the situation in Iraq growing worse."
Joint forces hit redoubt of Iraqi insurgents
"Samarra residents cowered in their homes as tanks and warplanes pounded the city. The sound of shelling mixed with the crackle of automatic gunfire. At least three houses were flattened and dozens of cars charred, residents said. 'We are terrified by the violent approach used by the Americans to subdue the city,' said Mahmoud Saleh, a civil servant. 'My wife and children are scared to death and they have not being able to sleep since last night. I hope that the fighting ends as soon as possible.'"
Soldier Killed in Samarra, Mosque Seized, U.S. Says
"U.S.-backed Iraqi forces seized Samarra's Golden Mosque at about 11 a.m. local time, and captured 25 suspected fighters, the U.S. military said. About 96 insurgents were killed, the Associated Press reported,"
'Scores die' in Samarra assault
"US troops say around 109 militants were killed, but doctors at the main hospital spoke of 80 dead and more than 100 hurt, among them civilians."
More Israeli tanks head into Gaza
"Palestinian sources say about 100 tanks have moved into the densely populated Jabaliya refugee camp and the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya."
Israel Expands Gaza Strike, Kills 9 Palestinians
"Palestinian officials said dozens of tanks pushed into north Gaza while more forces massed on the border, hours after 29 Palestinians and three Israelis were killed Thursday, the territory's bloodiest day in four years of conflict."
U.S. cybersecurity chief abruptly resigns, cites frustration
"Amit Yoran, a former software executive from Symantec Corp., made his resignation effective Thursday as director of the National Cyber Security Division, giving a single's day notice of his intention to leave. He kept the job one year."
U.S. agents seize control of Free Radio Santa Cruz
"Guns drawn, agents of the U.S. Marshal Service served a warrant on a tiny Santa Cruz pirate radio station early Wednesday, rousting and frisking the pajama-clad residents of the co-op house from which the station had been broadcasting. No one was arrested."
A modern Viking horde
"Every day dozens of students here, and also in Copenhagen, walk into Cryos International, the world's largest sperm-bank company, and, after undergoing a battery of tests to determine their health and fertility, make an anonymous deposit. That deposit, frozen and eventually shipped, can make its way to as many as 40 countries, among them Spain, Paraguay, Kenya and the United States, where the company opened an office in New York last year to meet the demands of descendants of people from the Nordic countries."
